There are movies, and then there are the films that make you want to jump out of your seat and deck yourself out in your finest jewels. This post is dedicated to those films. I have watched good movies, and I have watched bad movies, and sometimes I’ll sit through a bad film just to see how the costume designer put together an outfit.

Forget the silly plot, I’m here for the jewelry.

Whether you think a movie listed below deserves a spot in this post due to the quality of the storyline, that’s not the point. Push the judgment aside and let’s give the costume designer their props.

Baron von Munchausen

This was a box office flop, but is one of my favorite films. Doing a quick check on Wikipedia, it was nominated for the best in everything visual and creative: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Makeup. I watched this movie over a billion times as a kid and watching it as an adult—now jeweler—I can see exactly why my jewelry is the way it is. This movie combines so many time periods and storylines and they did it with the utmost extravagance while giving everything the vibe of slight decay. It’s got it all, Uma Thurman emerging nude from a giant clam shell as Venus and Robin Williams as a kooky moon king. Splendid, over-the-top, decadent, and dripping with fantastic costumes and jewelry. A cult classic for maximalists and jewelry-lovers.

Casino

I love a good mob movie. I have no idea why, but anything with Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro is going to be a hit in my book. I love them as actors, and Joe Pesci in particular in this film goes so mad and off the deep end, he's brilliant. But then you throw in the pinky rings, the gold chains, the gold teeth, the killer sunglasses, and I'm like, "these are my people." Also, whoever dressed Sharon Stone in this film had a vision. There's a scene where she's laying on the bed looking at all of her Bulgari jewelry and I wished I could've been there for the filming of that scene. She asks DeNiro, "Would it be too much if I wore this and this and this together?" I mean that is the question every jeweler wants to hear, isn’t it?

Alexander the Great

I saw the jewelry from this movie before watching the actual film. If you search for Ancient Greek jewelry, there are stills of Angelina Jolie decked out in gorgeous statement earrings, collars, and arm cuffs. What I like about the jewelry from this film is that it’s historically accurate. The Ancient Greeks used to make large earrings that would wrap around the ear and that’s exactly what they did for Jolie’s character. The film itself is a bit meh, but the costume/jewelry design is so inspiring and you can get ideas on how to wear multiple statement pieces at once.

Thanks so much for reading.

Take care for now,

Caitlin