All that glitters

Haute couture and fine jewellery have always made great bedfellows. And the Paris Haute Couture presentations brought the razzle dazzle back to the French capital, with luxury fine jewellery brands showcasing their best.

From Chanel to Chaumet, Boucheron to Bvlgari, they were all there, launching their scintillating respective new collections.

tabloid! gives you a peek into the season's essentials and all the hottest new elements in bags and bejewelling.

Chanel

New trends: Re-vamped vintage. Mademoiselle Chanel's first fine jewellery collection in 1932 was a dainty feather brooch. This new line pays homage to the bold designer.
Key Pieces: The feather brooch.
Inspiration: Feathers.
Celebrity sightings: Diane Kruger wore the feather brooch in her hair to this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Price: Between 32,000 and 1 million euros (Dh148,755 to Dh4.64m).

All the pieces in the Feather collection are multi-faceted. Pendants can be transformed into brooches or hair clips. The feather brooch features 18K white gold set with 24 princess-cut diamonds and 1,137 round-cut diamonds for a total weight of 16 Carat.

Chaumet

New trends: Breaking away from convention head jewellery, Chaumet moves in a new direction of light, innovative and shimmering forms for the head.
Key Pieces: The Attrape-moi si tu m'aimes collection.
Inspiration: Jewellery that adorn the head and hair like a rain of gold and diamonds.
Celebrity sightings: Sophie Marceau, the brand ambassador.
Price: Upon request.

Apart from using a rich and exquisite array of precious stones, Chaumet continues to gain credibility in the head jewellery department, producing over 2,000 pieces since 1780.

Boucheron

New trends: A new, empowered Boucheron woman emerges resulting in a bold and multi-faceted jewellery collection.
Key Pieces: The Stolen Kiss and Powder pieces.
Inspiration: The different stages of seduction — including lingerie, perfume and make-up.
Celebrity sightings: None yet, as the collection was recently launched. Regardless, the collection clearly caters to young Hollywood starlets as well as more mature Tinsel town veterans.
Price: Upon request.

The jewellery pieces can be broken down and re-assembled to form other elements of adornment, therefore giving the client more value for money.

It's in the bag

Isabella Rossellini is the latest celebrity to dabble in designing. The actress teamed up with luxury fine jewellery and accessories house Bvlgari to produce the aptly named Isabella Rossellini bag. The Italian brand took the opportunity during this season's week-long high-end fashion fest to launch the plush new range of four chic totes.

"Isabella has great style," said Bvlgari CEO Francesco Trapani during the presentation at the Bvlgari store located a stone's throw away the prestigious Avenue Champs-Elysées.

"What's more, the Rossellini and the Bvlgari family share a lot of history together. We simply asked Isabella her opinion on what styles appealed best to her," said Trapani.

"It started with a friendship," a svelte, all in black long-sleeve top and straight-leg trousers Rossellini concurred.

Although she blended in perfect with the fashion crowd in the boutique, she insisted that she was not a designer. "After a series of informal brainstorming sessions where I brought in an old Andy Warhol cigarette holder and several drawings that I had done, things got a bit more serious," said Rossellini whose simple doodles of snails — one of the main concepts — now line the interior of the luxurious bags.

The other driving inspirations included Rossellini's mother's handbag from the '50's. "I remember I loved the handle in particular," she said.

"The bags are highly sophisticated with an international appeal," said Trapani, adamant the 2400 euro price tag was totally justifiable. "The sensuous finishing of the soft leather, the fine pony skin and the intricate detail in the clasp combined with precious amethyst and heart stone — everything's made with the highest quality."

Sneak peek

Isabella Rossellini told tabloid! her new Bvlgari bag is her new mini home away from home — much like the shell of a snail. And in it she carries: