mascarpone millinery

This is not a food blog (though I enjoy my meals as much as my boots), but I wished to share with you my little egg of tiramisu.

I think it would make a good hat (of the fantastic, sculptural variety that upper class Brits wear to special events). A lady could cheer for her racing horse and snack on mascarpone cream at the same time.

Fashion Jewelry at Palm Beach Jewelry

Hot Jewelry Trends: Spring 2008 Collection

Since 1958, Palm Beach Jewelry has sold jewelry and fragrance merchandise to over 20 million satisfied customers. Their exclusive online showcase brings you all the latest jewelry fashions before they appear in stores, at incredible savings you can't find anywhere else. You can instantly choose from thousands of elegant new looks and traditional favorites.





Glitter Cuff Watch

Show-stopping silver-colored glitter cuff watch is a fashion standout with its dazzling look and fabulous lime green-colored face. Quartz movement. 7 1/4" length. Silvertone metal.

$40



From their world headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, they have grown to become the largest jewelry catalog company in the world. And after more than 40 years, they're still family owned and operated, and customer satisfaction is just as important today as it was when we first began.





14k Mother-of-Pearl Earrings

Add a touch of shimmer with luminous Mother-of-Pearl pierced earrings centered with pink cultured freshwater pearl accents. Pure feminine opulence designed in 14k gold.

$100





Set of 3 Lucite Cuff Bracelets

Bright and glossy set of three multi-colored hinged cuff bracelets adds a world of color to whatever you wear. 27 mm widths. 7 1/2" lengths. Lucite and silvertone metal.

$30





Multi-Gem Silver Hoop Earrings

The prettiest hoop pierced earrings shimmer with a rainbow of Amethyst, Peridot, Blue Topaz, Citrine, and Garnet. Must-have fashion to finish any look, features 4.40 carats T.W. of gemstones set in favorite sterling silver.

$60





Pink Cubic Zirconia Oval Ring

How fabulous is this pink DiamonUltra™ Cubic Zirconia ring all aglow with gorgeous color and brightened by a fiery accompaniment of white Cubic Zirconia accents. An amazing 73.86 carats T.W. of pure glamour for you to love in sterling silver.

$80





14k Mother-of-Pearl Pendant

Elegant pink Mother-of-Pearl pendant blooms with tiny Mother-of-Pearl flowers creating a spectacular accessory to freshen new season wardrobes. In 14k gold.

$100





Multicolor Cubic Zirconia Bracelet

Our mega-watt 110.50-carats T.W. DiamonUltra™ Cubic Zirconia tennis bracelet is a knock-out of a dazzler dipped in glorious colors, and circling your wrist with fashion excitement. 71/4" length. Two-tone. 14k Gold-Plated.

$80





Cubic Zirconia Flower Pendant

Three delicate Cubic Zirconia flowers blossom with 1.89 carats t. w. of multicolor elegance on a thoroughly feminine pendant designed with its own 18" chain. Sterling silver.

$25





Pink Cubic Zirconia Tennis Bracelet

Brand new pink Cubic Zirconia tennis bracelet revs-up your style with unique oval-links and 30 carats t. w. of posh color. 7 1/4" length, a must addition for your collection in favorite sterling silver.





Multicolor Earring Set

Color-slicked set of three pairs of multicolor hoop pierced earrings is ready to go anywhere with everything in your everyday wardrobe. 32 mm diameters. Lucite and silvertone metal.

$10



Have a nice week!

Maggie

See full article.





Related Entries:

Jewelry and Fashion Blogosphere 06/12/06 - 12 June 2006

Fur Fashion and Jewelry Controversies - 14 June 2006

Jewelry and Fashion Blogosphere 03/05/07 - 05 March 2007

Jewelry and Fashion Blogosphere 07/29/07 - 29 July 2007

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Orient Express

Today I'm just skipping the introduction, because I have amazing pieces to show you, dear readers. This week's Goodwill Good Buys of the Week are incredibly beautiful and mischievously enigmatic. Generally I try to avoid posting about garments whose provenance is unknown, but I simply couldn't resist this gold silk cheongsam dress. I can tell from the stitching and incredible attention to detail that it was hand-made.

It might be vintage, but the fabric is in such excellent condition, it's impossible to say for sure. And the fabric! Oh, it's delicious. In a deep gold hue with gold, green, and red embroidery and lighter gold lining the entire garment, this dress is a sight to behold. It has a mandarin collar and fastens asymmetrically across the top of the body with a combination of buttons and snaps.

At the side seam there is a combination of hook-and-eye closures, buttons, and snaps that secure the dress almost all the way down to the side slit, of which there is one on each side. The left side slit has torn out just a bit, probably the result of overzealously showing off the beauty of the fabric! There are no tags or marking of any kind on the dress; just a dry cleaning slip pinned to the inside collar. I'll have complete measurements listed on eBay later today. I can only imagine where this dress has been and who has worn it...

As if one great cheongsam style dress wasn't enough, the second one is authentic vintage from Hawaii. The tag states "Lauhala, Style and Made in Hawaii" and marks the dress as a size 8. It is not a true cheongsam, in that the bottom half is a more forgiving a-line style than the traditional body hugging Chinese version.

This incarnation is also in 100% Polyester, which makes machine or hand washing an option, as the care tags explains. If it's been worn, it was only a handful of times. The extra button is still attached to the care tag!

This dress, too, features a mandarin collar, but instead has a v-neck that fastens with two self-fabric buttons. It fastens with a half-zip and hook-and-eye closure in the back. Additionally, the sleeves are a bit longer on this version, as is the dress itself overall. With the greens, blues, and deep reds of the fan print fabric, this dress would look amazing with a simple, flat pair of leather sandals (I'm thinking something like these) and a clutch for a night out.

Alternatively, you could jazz it up with a wide belt in black patent leather and go for some big ol' platform sandals, a la Madonna in her Geisha incarnation. Either way, you'll be cool, comfortable, and oh-so-stylish!

So, dear readers, I would be remiss in not mentioning a very sad passing on Sunday, that of Yves Saint Laurent. He was only 71, which seems really young to me, now that my grandparents are all nearing their 90th birthdays.

And I couldn't help but think of Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche's 2004 Fall RTW collection, which evoked the spirit of the cheongsam, as worn by Daria Werbowy, right. Ford owed much to Saint Laurent, just as Saint Laurent before him had learned from Dior and taken over the latter's house upon his death in 1958.

I'll have a full retrospective of Saint Laurent's tremendous impact on fashion - and how Stefano Pilati will continue that tradition - on Monday's blog.

For now, rest in peace, YSL, and thanks for all that you gave us. Your impact continues to be felt, even on the racks of Goodwill Retail Stores!





Any purchase made at a Goodwill Retail Store or on eBay funds Goodwill's mission of training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities.

Goodwill’s fashion blog provides detailed knowledge and insight on vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories that are valuable to fashion shoppers. The facts and opinions shared present readers with entertaining, exciting and value based information on vintage and contemporary fashion and shopping trends.

A Big Ball of Mud

Via my feedburner subscription, I discovered a delightfully descriptive noun-phrase this morning, Technical Debt. Wiki describes it as a way...

...to describe a situation where the architecture of a large software system is designed and developed too hastily. The analogy to financial debt is that the poorly-written code requires "interest payments" of maintenance effort, which would be smaller or non-existent had the code been developed more carefully and with better long-term planning.

Originally coined by Ward Cunningham, it spawned related terms such as Big Ball of Mud. While these terms were gestated in software, I cannot think of a better descriptor of how most apparel manufacturing companies are organized.

A Big Ball of Mud is a haphazardly structured, sprawling, sloppy, duct-tape-and-baling-wire, spaghetti-code jungle. These systems show unmistakable signs of unregulated growth, and repeated, expedient repair. Information is shared promiscuously among distant elements of the system, often to the point where nearly all the important information becomes global or duplicated. The overall structure of the system may never have been well defined. If it was, it may have eroded beyond recognition... "Big ball of mud" systems have usually been developed over a long period of time, with different individuals working on various pieces and parts. Systems developed by people with no formal architecture or programming training often fall into this pattern.

Christine MacKellar Jewelry

Christine MacKellar creates jewelry with layers of rich textures and an unusual twist to the two-tone idea made popular by jewelry designers like David Yurman and Steven Lagos. Her signature look combines gold and sterling silver in seamlessly fused jewelry. The gold flows through the sterling silver like a stream of hot lava.





Blossom Pendant

Small pendant hand-fabricated from 22k gold and sterling silver bimetals, freshwater pearls, and 18k gold, and suspended on an 18" sterling silver mesh chain.



Christine's key technique is fusing high karat gold to sterling silver. The pieces in her collection are totally hand-fabricated with no casting, says the designer, who describes herself as a metalsmith. The metals that make up the majority of her pieces are chosen primarily for the artistic effect of their colors. Polished silver is contrasted with matte and semi-matte surfaces that are highlighted by hand burnishing.





Leaf Drop Pendant

Dramatic bimetal leaf on 18" snake chain, accented with 24k gold and a gray freshwater pearl. Available with sterling or oxidized silver.



Intricate patterns of high carat golds are created for each piece of jewelry. Aptly describing her work as a kaleidoscope, she aims to capture color, texture, and movement in each design. She textures the metal surfaces using hammers, punches, engraving tools, and a rolling mill. She describes her inspiration as often coming from nature and the effect of sunlight reflected on water.





Long Leaf Pendant

Dramatic bimetal leaf on 18" cable made from strands of silver and 18k gold. Available with sterling or oxidized silver.



Her sculptural pieces are bold and contemporary. Gemstones and bimetal elements are used for contrast, adding to the infinite design possibilities. Bimetal is double-sided sheet metal, composed of two different types of metal that have been rolled and fused together. Among her favorite gems are those that offer movement and iridescence, such as cat's eye, moonstone, and boulder opals.



"I grew up on a large dairy farm in the midlands of England," she says. "A perfect preparation for working long hours without immediate gratification. I could never imagine working a 9-5 kind of job. I enjoy working for myself by myself."



See full article.





Related Entries:

Dawn Vertrees Jewelry Designer - 14 March 2008

Alexis Bittar Jewelry Designer - 14 April 2008

Lori Bonn Jewelry Designer - 17 April 2008

Dana David Jewelry Collection - 14 May 2008

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Bring on the Bally

The key to breathing new life into a known but might as well be forgotten brand is to hire the right creative director.
Gucci had Tom Ford. Vuitton, Marc Jacobs. Coach, perhaps at one time the biggest turn-around of them all had Reed Krakoff, and now staid old Bally has Brian Atwood, who came with a built in following from his eponymous shoe collection.
The partnership paid off, as Bally bags have turned up on celebrity arms, and have sold out at sites like Net-A-Porter.
The biggest hit has been the Jana tote, a lovely beige no-nonsense yet still chic tote. Now, Jana has a sister, no, maybe a brother bag, known as Joe.

A bit smaller than the Jana, the Joe Shoulder Bag has all the elements that made the Jana style a hit. Clean lines, a downtown aesthetic, with an uptown feel, it is a bag which is at once stylish and conservative. The shiny hardware gives a cool touch but the tortoise links on the strap add some warmth. I also love the tortoise against the black...such a chic combination. Other small style touches abound, like the stitching at the top and corners of the bag.
It's a slim bag, but wide enough to carry a small laptop, or any other work items, making it a perfect office bag for every day.
The Bally Joe is $1199 from Zappos.

Swarovski for the Holidays and a Happy Birthday!!!

First, I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my younger sisters (twins) who turn 50 today! If you don't have a least one sister, you don't know what you are missing. Sisters are the touchstones for who we are; they are our past, and good sisters are our encouragement for our future. So a big Happy Birthday - and a cliche, but it's true nonetheless - you're not getting older, you're getting better!

I've been working on Custom Jewelry this week, but some new Swarovski caught my eye (I made the mistake of opening the package) and I just had to do a little with it. I've been know to get Swarovski shipments and leave them untouched until I had the time to work with the crystals, since when I open any Swarovski crystals I am immediately entrapped by its sparkle.
The first Swarovski that really caught my eye in this package were the Galactic pendants (shown at the top). But, I thought, why use them as pendants when they would be so much more striking and beautiful as earrings? So that is what they ended up being (also a picture of the pair at the bottom of this post). The Galactics have wonderful movement and of course, their sparkle is gorgeous. Perfect for these oddly shaped crystals are these modern looking earwires from the Karen Hill Tribes, so that the result is a very modern earring. I put them in the Holiday Gift Ideas section.
Below the Galactics are earrings made with Swarovski's new green opal crystals. It is a great Christmas green.

Alexandrite Swarovski crystals in their changeable colour are featured in these Swarovski crystal earrings. These earrings have earring posts made of sterling silver; these domed posts are great if, like many of us, you have unsightly holes from years of wearing dangling earrings.
The earrings below are created from huge 12mm bicones, then hung from sterling silver earwires with a flat diamond shape on the front. They are wonderful for a holiday party.
Below those is another picture of the Galactic earrings from the first picture in this post. Most of our other Swarovski crystal earrings can be found on the website in the Austrian Crystal Earrings page or on our Swarovski Bridal Jewelry page.

I hope that everyone is getting on with his/her Christmas shopping. I'm trying to order a few things online, trying to get a head start this year! I adore shopping online, avoiding the crowds, aching feet, and that long drive from this small Arkansas town to Memphis (where most of the Christmas shopping in this area is). While I like people, it's sometimes much easier to keep the Christmas spirit intact when you don't have to circle mall parking lots 3 times to find a parking space scrunched next to someone who is probably going to dent your car or wait for a salesperson who decided to go to lunch just when you were ready to pay for 15 items that you've painstakingly shopped 4 hours to gather together.


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