It was inevitable, with the ostentatious, unabashed celebration of wealth on display over the last two or three years, that someone would want to capture the moment for posterity. The pendulum swing from monastic, dull dressing in the early 1990s to turn-of-the-millennium frivolity was so wide, so extreme, even those of us experiencing it could hardly believe our eyes. The explosion of colorful furs and dazzling jewels has been nearly blinding. "It hit us full force a year ago, when we went to the Superbowl in Atlanta, and everybody was wearing mink. I mean everything they wore was in mink except caps for their teeth. It was amazing," says Andrea Hoffman, who, with her best friend, Cheryl Green, is preparing a coffee table book called "Mink & Diamonds, A Celebration of Style & Status," to be published later this year.

"Mink & Diamonds" is expected to be a light-hearted look at today's status dressing, packed with photos of private people and celebrities alike expressing their over-the-top style. Green and Hoffman are currently sourcing photographs and text from different stylists, designers, journalists, photographers and even strangers off the street. They also want to include a resource page to index places where celebrities buy their clothes, plus stylists, makeup artists and hair stylists who help them put together their looks. Hoffman and Green are still looking at different publishers for the book but expect it to be released before the end of 2001.

"Mink & Diamonds" will recognize the role of the African American fashion sense and entertainment industry, and how their prosperity is widely regarded as ushering in the return of luxury apparel and personal embellishment.

The authors' intentions are "to entertain, inform and prompt discussion about how the old-guard and newly affluent African American consumers across the nation step out in style," say Hoffman and Green. "Whether they are entrepreneurs, in the arts and entertainment industries, or just regular folks with Ônouveau coin,' not since the Harlem Renaissance have there been so many African Americans with expendable income who experiment with, embrace the beauty of, and appreciate the luxury of mink and diamonds."

To gather ideas and content for the book and to publicize the book before it's printed, Green and Hoffman have kicked off a series of special fashion show events in cities around the United States. On Feb. 10 they will produce a show for the National Basketball Players Association during the All Star weekend in Washington, DC.

On November 14, they premiered the Mink & Diamonds events with a fashion show at Float in New York City. The show featured furs by Nija prepared by Saddiya Battle, who has taken charge of the business since her sister's sad, untimely death last summer. Other fashions on display came from Claudinette Jean (wife of recording artist Wyclef Jean), Franklin Rowe and Jacob the Jeweler. Bad Boy recording artist Carl Thomas and Motown recording artist Sparkle modeled, along with Justin Combs (Sean "Puffy" Combs's son) and his mother, stylist Misa Hylton-Brim. In the audience were Mary J. Blige, actress Annabella Sciora and star stylist Phillip Bloch, no to mention a host of media covering the event.

Hoffman and Green promise more events yet to be scheduled. Cities under consideration are Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta and perhaps Houston or Dallas.

As you can tell from these photos of the New York premiere, where furs on display included a candy apple red fox hoodie, mink overalls and bikinis, Green and Hoffman say they won't stick to traditional mink in their book. They want to feature furs -- and diamonds -- that are different, unique and outrageous. "We want to keep it fun," says Green. "After all, this is a hobby for us."