Fashionable Christmas Gifts – Jewellery by Pyrrha
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: accessories, classics re-imagined, Fashionable Christmas Gifts, jewellery | Tags: Danielle Wilmore, fashion, Pyrrha, reclaimed silver, Vancouver, Wade Papin, wax seal 2 Comments »
Vanity Multi Seal Cuff $1,200 and Fidelity Narrow Wax Seal Cuff $510
I just discovered Pyrrha a few days ago but instantly knew their designs had to go on my Christmas list, both as a wish and a recommendation. Designers Wade Papin and Danielle Wilmore handcraft a unique range of jewellery inspired by antique wax seals in their Vancouver studio. Reclaimed silver, bronze and 14k gold are cast into cuffs, pendants and earrings. Because of the intrinsic symbolism of the original seals, every piece takes on a meaning by itself. The result are pieces of ravishing beauty that mostly lies in the fact that nothing is too perfect. To me they almost feel like you’ve stumbled across an amazing find on a flea market and remind me of an old Roman Agrippa-coin my mum used to wear when I was little. I remember being absolutely mesmerised by it!
Hammered circles with a mini fleur de lis shield
Pyrrha jewellery is a great gift for just about anyone in my book. It can be worn by men and women alike and is always personal through the nature of its symbols alone.
14k Mini Lion Wax Seal Necklace $872
To order any of the pieces above (and many, many more) or to find out more about Wade and Danielle’s work, please go to www.pyrrha.com!
And they wore flowers in their, errr, jewellery!
Posted: June 3, 2011 Filed under: accessories, emerging designers, festival season, jewellery | Tags: fashion, growing jewellery, HAF, Hafsteinn Juliusson, Iceland, jewellery, knuckle duster, moss, necklace, Not Just A Label, notjustalabel.com, ring, silver 4 Comments »
Growing Jewellery by HAF at notjustalabel.com and hafsteinnjuliusson.com
I’m so excited about these! Maybe I’m still on a gardening high from watching too much of the Chelsea Flower Show coverage but I love them. They’re ridiculous, in the best way possible. Yes, darlings, your eyes don’t deceive you – you can now wear a living plant around your neck or on your finger. Icelandic designer Hafsteinn Juliusson came up with this genius idea. In his own words:
“Growing Jewelry is a redefinition of modern values. It is a clash of jewelry and gardening; couture and organism. The collection of this hand jewelry is designed for people in metropolitan cities and is an experiment in drawing nature toward man, as nature being the presupposition of life.”
The items from the collection are handmade of silver and real Icelandic moss. All you have to do to keep your moss fresh for up to 12 months is to water it every 5 weeks, being careful not to overdo it. HAF also tells you to freeze your jewellery in order to make it last. I’m not sure if it’s what they say or how they say it but this whole thing cracks me up!
Apart from the four pieces in the photo above there also are moss growing knuckle dusters (!!!), spanning either two or even four fingers, available upon request:
Growing Jewellery by HAF at hafsteinnjuliusson.com
If Haf jewellery gives you as much joy as it gives me, here is where to order it:
Moda Operandi Vintage Week
Posted: June 2, 2011 Filed under: accessories, classics, jewellery, vintage | Tags: 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Aslaug Magnusdottir, Bakelit bracelet, Courreges, fashion, Geoffrey Beene, House of Lavande, Lauren Santo Domingo, Loris Azzaro, Lynn Ban, Mod, Moda Operandi, New York Fashion Week, Pierre Cardin, Tracy Smith, trunk show, Vintage Week, YSL, Yves Saint Laurent Leave a comment »
Vintage YSL Flower Earrings from House of Lavande, $848 at modaoperandi.com
When Lauren Santo Domingo and Aslaug Magnusdottir launched Moda Operandi, the company that allows trendsetters to get their hands on designers collections pretty much as soon as they hit the runway, during New York Fashion Week earlier this year, the whole industry loved the idea so much, the question on everyone’s mind was: Why hadn’t anyone thought of it earlier? Maybe it was just the right time. As the recession hit, theoutnet.com caught the zeitgeist perfectly. But a few years in people began to long for the glamour that was once attached to shopping for clothes. Yes, a discount on a dress you can’t afford otherwise is exciting and bargain hunting is – and always will be – still very much part of the fashion game. But as consumers try to be as individual as they can, so has to be the approach to catering to them.
Another factor that has contributed to the success of Moda Operandi is the wide availability of fashion week coverage. Such a hype is being created lately, it makes absolute sense to bring the moment when a potential customer falls in love with an item and the moment they actually get to buy it closer together.
But what will MO do in between fashion weeks, you may wonder. They promised to have a few ideas up their sleeves and now they start letting us in on their secrets. This week saw the launch of ‘vintage week’. Already running are the Lynn Ban’s 60s and 70s trunk show which will end on June 7th and the House of Lavande trunk show which will end on June 8th. Lynn Ban curated a collection of outstanding vintage pieces that feel like a lesson on fashion in their respective decades. There is a Courreges Mod coat, YSL dresses, the most striking and minimal Azzaro LBD (which is very little indeed!), a Geoffrey Beene evening dress and many more. What stands out to me is how simple the clothes are. I’m really glad we’re back to this approach to dressing for now! Tracy Smith selected very angular and graphic pieces for the House of Lavande edit. You’ll find everything from one-of-a-kind YSL and Pierre Cardin jewellery to a classic 1930s Bakelit bracelet of unknown origin. Again, most pieces are very streamlined which means that those eye-catchers will slot in nicely with a modern wardrobe.
Many items in those two sales is gone already (sorry, I’m late on this one) but fret not, darlings! Lynn Ban’s 80s and 90s trunk show is starting today. I’m very excited to see what will be on offer. Mugler? Alaia? Gaultier?
(Moda Operandi is a membership site and you need a login to gain access to their trunk shows. You can, however, apply for membership.)
***UPDATE: Looks like the Lynn Ban’s 80s and 90s trunk show has been pushed back to June 3rd in favour of Foundwell Vintage Watches and an Hermes auction.***
FR by Fashion Rocks Sale
Posted: May 27, 2011 Filed under: accessories, bags, easy style, emerging designers, jewellery, leather goods, rock 'n' roll, trends | Tags: anchor, Angel Jackson, Bjorg jewellery, blazer, charm, draped dress, draping, fashion, Fashion Rocks, Feathers, Forrest & Bob, insect, Joseph, necklace, pendant, Preen Line, See by Chloe, t-shirt, tote bag, tux Leave a comment »
1 Forrest & Bob t-shirt was £41 now £20.50, 2 Bjorg Love Story Classic Charm 65 was £60 now £45, 3 Joseph blazer was £479 now £359.25, 4 Angel Jackson bag was £495 now 247.50, 5 See by Chloe vest was £140 now 105, 6 Preen Line dress was £350 now £175
The Fashion Rocks online shop has a sale!
Most of us know Fashion Rocks as the event that brings together the worlds of music and fashion to raise money for charity. But they also run an online shop stocked with great pieces by household names and less well known designers alike. The sale going on at the moment offers up to 50% off. I had a look through and picked a few hero pieces: Anything with an anchor on it instantly gets my attention. I think it has something to do with my stripes obsession… When you look back a couple of posts, you’ll find out that I’ve been trying to persuade everyone that insects are a trend for a while now. Same goes for white tuxes – are you convinced yet? I can picture Kate Moss carrying the Angel Jackson bag. I don’t think you need any more prove of its rock credibility! This See by Chloe top satisfies my craving for something unabashedly pretty and I can never resist some deconstruction in a garment, dresses in particular.
Unfortunately, Markus Lupfer is not discounted but so incredibly cool I’m happy to pay full price. There’s also a ravishing collection of (discounted!) Red Valentino pieces on the site. I love so many of the items (minus that dreadful clog) I couldn’t decide which one to include in my selection. So I decided to link to all of them.
Natasha Collis jewellery
Posted: April 27, 2011 Filed under: jewellery | Tags: bohemian, Browns, fashion, gold nuggets, Ibiza, jewellery, London, Mrs B, Natasha Collis Leave a comment »
from left: 18K Gold Necklace with Gold Nuggets, Opal and Grey Labradorite £1,330, Extra large diamond nugget ring £2,140, Triple chain gold nugget necklace £2,655 at brownsfashion.com
I have to admit, for reasons I don’t quite understand myself, I am not big on jewellery. That changed a little bit after shopping for wedding bands last year and getting obsessed with diamonds in the process. But most of the stuff out there generally looks the same to me. So when a jewellery designer comes along, who does something a little different, I take notice. Natasha Collis is a London-born designer who divides her time between the Big Smoke and her studio in Ibiza. Envious? Yeah, me too! My impression is that she’s not very keen on having that bit of info out there but she is Mrs B’s grand-daughter. If that isn’t prove enough of the existence of a gene that determines your level of fashion, then what is! Anyway, Natasha managed to make a name for herself without riding the coattails of her famous family. Yes, she is stocked at Browns but also at an impressive list of other retailers. Barney’s anyone?
She has quite a way with shapes without ever resorting to using what everybody uses. Natasha basically creates her own. I find her designs polished and bohemian at the same time which is exactly why I love them so much. And I’ve just spent a good amount of time daydreaming about pairing one of her multi-strand necklaces with the Zadig & Voltaire blouse I was fantasy shopping yesterday.
Shop for Natasha Collis at Browns or
Search for other retailers on Natasha’s website
