After enthralling the blogosphere with almost a dozen previews of her new "Hold It Against Me" video, pop star Britney Spears premiered the full clip on February 17th, revealing a return to her glory days as a snake-charming, Madonna-kissing, blond temptress persona of earlier days (think of her dripping in diamonds in the "Toxic" video). Sure, her voice occasionally conveys a momentary type of wistfulness but, overall, both the lyrics ("'Cause you feel like paradise/and I need a vacation now/So if I said I want your body now/would you hold it against me?") and the cinematic, no-holds-barred video, with its choreographed dance routines, futuristic (and largely voyeuristic) technological references, its campy fighting sequence between two Britney alter egos, and costume changes and pyrotechnics galore, keep the mood perky and upbeat. Best, of all, the fashions showcased in the video are substantially more refined and glamorous than anything we've seen Spears wear on screen, a welcome deviation from the strategically sexualized ensembles of years pasts — i.e. the schoolgirl plaid skirt of her "Oops! I Dit It Again" days or even the bondage-inspired ensemble in the "If U Seek Amy" video.
On the fashion front, the "Hold It Against Me" video features one particularly breathtaking moment when Spears is shown wearing a corseted wedding gown with a mammoth skirt that seems to grow taller and taller under the camera's watchful eye. The gown was the result of a collaboration between costume stylist by B. Akerlund and Tom Tom Fashions, was accessorized with white lace fingerless gloves from LaCrasia that covered only half of her hands, extending from the top of her thumbs to below her fingertips; Swarovski-encrusted arm bands; and the above-pictured bib necklace from New York-based jewelry label Dannijo.
The intricate necklace, handmade using oxidized silver chains and silver-plated Swarovski crystals makes the fabled piece Marilyn Monroe donned in Diamonds Are A Gir'ls Best Friend seem like child's play. Measuring 19 1/2" in length, the Dannijo Ismene necklace's crystal pattern is 4" wide at its widest point and features chandelier-like draping and both faceted oval and teardrop-shaped clear crystals. The clarity of the stones, when juxtaposed against the darkness of the oxidized silver, creates a clever play on light and dark, pure an sinful, pristine and tarnished — a perfect metaphorical space for Spears to navigate.
Dannijo Ismene Necklace, $745. Available at Dannijo.com
