Gold Fever Strikes Again

       Goldfinger...he's the man...
       The man with the Midas touch...
       A spider's touch
             Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley

40 Years ago, in 1964, those words trilled by the great Shirley Bassey thrilled the world and started the adventure of a lifetime and a life long affair with the sexy exploits of 007. Today in 2004 the Fashionistas have made it clear that the jewelry world should prepare for the next great gold rush. The couturiers and fashion hedonism coupled with the boom in retro glamour legitimize the desire for luxury and precious accessories.

That fall fashion always requires a touch of gold is a given. As leaves turn to shades of the precious, fall lines begin accessorizing in mother earth's greatest treasure, and the dictates of fashion must be heard. Fabulous outfits with gold sequins, beads and bauds and what is needed is real, fine quality gold. Convinced that the lust for gold is stronger than ever, the fashion world is preparing to celebrate Goldfinger's 40th anniversary like true "Gold Miners" ready for the new rush.

Gold In Them Thar Hills
Speaking of the Miner Forty Niners, the banner year was 1849, when the gold rush touched off like a powder keg in California. Highway 49, the main road of Gold Country, from the mountains of the Sierra Valley to Mariposa and passing through several major counties in the state is named for the famed rush to riches. History's adventure is now modern day's fashion, attracting today's "Forty-Niners" bewitched by the perfect metal. Gold means luxury and the luxury that Designers render will be dictating to and devastating the fashion industry as fall draws nigh.

Untamed Desire
Fashion is pulling out all the stops to satisfy today's yearning for precious gold by presenting queens, amazons, goddesses and 1950s movie stars as chic heroines, the sulking sexpots of a luxurious imagination. Fall and Winter haute couture has a fairytale air: coronets, Venetian glass lace, cloud hats and crystal slips flutter in the coziest of environments and depict timeless scenarios. The law has been laid down: the accessory must be precious and we must all obey the law mustn't we? Gold inspires high profile and high fashion in all corners of the world. Accessories like a gold pouch covered with diamonds and emerald fringe. Cartier, the gold standard of jewelers, puts a trace of gold in its leather articles and other accessories dujour. El Dorado, the ancient city of gold, has arrived and alchemy, the art of turning the base into the precious, is no longer a myth. Even 22-carat particles mixed with essential oils are the magic ingredients of the beauty treatments proposed many a spa in the Swiss Alps.

Tinsel Town Goes Gold
If excess reigns in Hollywood where J. Lo's is gifted a pair of gold-detailed flip-flops worth 20,000 euros by her new Hubby, then Hollywood style for Fall/Winter 2004-2005 has confirmed a fashion trend that weaves dreams of astonishing opulence and portrays a world dominated by hedonism and the desire to seduce. The 1950s are evoked with retro showers of golden sequins and beads, highlighting the quest for luxury, for indulging oneself, just like those starlets who embraced Dior's New Look with its promise of wealth, elegance and joie de vivre. Designers today faithfully copy that decade, combining the look of today with the mid-1950s style of the great Audrey Hepburn. Evoking such looks as the enormous leopard-print hats like the one that Arthur Penn photographed on anonymous but beautiful models of the 1950s.

Jewelry Performance
In this scenario, the desire to show off finds its natural fashion habitat in gold. It's gold fever and jewelry is getting ready for the great comeback, letting the metal par excellence of the luxury world satisfy aesthetic inspirations, whether eccentric or classic. Fashion focuses on gold and jewelry borrows patterns from accessories, where the crocodile look is transferred from bags and belts to dramatically cool bracelets, rings, charms and brooches in gold creating a lasting keepsake. The trend is further accentuated by the visual impact of gold nuggets and beads threaded on bracelets and necklaces, transferring the pure material consistency of gold into a "natural" version that protects as if it were a powerful charm.