Jay-Z may have been on a "Run This Town" trip last year, but his leading lady, Beyoncé, has set her sights on a much larger target: the world. In her new female empowerment single, "Run The World," Bey gives props to other ambitious, independent, driven women, with lyrics like, "Boy, you know you love it, how we're smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business." In keeping with the female domination theme, the video for the "Run The World" single features Beyoncé in a besieged, post-apocalyptic, desert universe sporting a series of regal warrior ensembles that reference Cleopatra, Aunty Entity (Tina Turner's character in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), and Joan of Arc-worthy armor.
In one scenario, she is surrounded by an army of women wearing colorful scarves as harem pants, their black bustier bras peeking out from underneath military-style jackets, black caps propped atop their heads — all facing off against a gang of leather-clad men rocking thick gold chains.In another scenario, Bey stands behind two menacing hyenas, one leash in each hand, all while wearing a red carpet-ready, flowing white gown. But perhaps the most dramatic moment, from a fashion perspective, involves Beyoncé wearing a sleeveless mini dress covered with mirrored, diamond-shaped, golden paillettes stacked atop one another to resemble a futuristic, geometric-style armor. In that moment, Bey complements her ensemble with some stunning jewelry pieces by Laruicci. With her hair in a messy updo, onlookers can focus on the Laruicci Power Earrings (pictured above, third from top) dangling from her lobes. Each of these mammoth earrings features a gold metal post; three elongated, cylinder-shaped bars arranged into a triangle shape and attached via a golden chain; a chunky gold metal bar dangling below it, laying horizontally; and two large, faceted glass beads in trapeze-like shapes cascading down to the shoulders.
If the Power Earrings feel like an ode to trigonometry via jewelry, the Laruicci Man Eater Claw and Transformer Claw rings Beyoncé sports in this scene infuse a lethal, feline, savage quality to her look. The Laruicci Man Eater Claw (pictured at top) fits on the top half of the finger, but the band allows it to rest in place securely so that it won't just fall off the hand. The mixed metal ring is designed so that the pointed part of the teardrop shape rests below the knuckle, while the slanted, wider curve practically reaches the top of the finger. The ring's hollow interior, meanwhile, creates a peek-a-boo effect that's sexy and enigmatic.
The Transformer Claw (pictured second from top), meanwhile, boasts a diamond shape, with each side slanted so precariously, the edges so steep and the metal so resplendent and mirror-like, that it gives the piece a three-dimensional feel. This, to me, is the One Ring — the piece that dominates all the other Rings of Power.
Laruicci Maneater Claw, $68; Laruicci Transformer Claw, $78; and Laruicci Power Earrings, $268. Available at Laruicci.com
