Behold! My latest Minx manicure.
Nail photos by GeorgeB. Rings by WendyB.
Here’s a close-up.
Little skulls!
Normally, I go for metallic Minx but Janice the Minx lady sent me this design to try out.* It would be perfect for celebrating the Day of the Dead, wouldn’t it?
Of course, today’s holiday is St. Patrick’s Day, which totally slipped my mind when I went to get a pedicure. I tried to pick a polish to complement one of the colors in my Minx.
Jade Is the New Black by OPI
People have been noticing the green all day and asking me if I’m Irish. I feel like saying, “No, just my toes.”
If you do try Minx, please remove it with care. You can’t yank it off whenever the urge strikes you, as it once did me during the two-minute walk from the nearest drugstore to my house. I can testify that such behavior will, as a friend put it, “trash [your] nails.” Use a hair dryer to heat the Minx one by one and peel them off in a side-to-side motion. I’ve done that with no damage whatsoever. That’s the Minx-approved removal technique. But Janice recently told me that Lisa Logan, the manicurist who has been doing Beyonce’s nails, says traditional nail polish remover works too, so I will try that and report back.
*Minx sent me three designs to try but I still paid full price for the manicure at Fifi Nail Salon, the same way you pay when you bring your own polish to a manicure. It’s hard to believe considering the number of posts I’ve done on Minx, but I’m not employed by the company. I just like the way the product looks and the fact that it doesn’t chip in a day like regular polish. For a description of how Minx works, read my first post on it.
UPDATED TO ADD: Hot damn! I forgot St. Coco’s Day AGAIN!
Just goes to show you should never say never. The Texas tuxedo is in fashion thanks to Chloe, Ralph Lauren and D&G, who all showed head-to-toe denim last year.
Chloe's Texas tux. From style.com.
The Gap is promoting its versions of the Chloe look. I keep admiring the ads in various magazines while wondering, “Does this look great because it’s really great? Or just because it’s worn by great-looking people?”
Isabeli Fontana for the Gap, via Coutorture.
If you think you’re sex-ay enough to carry off head-to-toe denim, two of the jackets really appeal to me. Not the motorcycle-style jacket. Personally, I have enough of the motorcycle look: jacket, jacket, dress. But I love the blazer …
Gap blazer. Click to shop.
… and the utility jacket.
Gap utility jacket. Click to shop.
The traditional accessory for a Texas tuxedo is a bolo tie. I should look around and see if I still have the one I wore in the early ’80s. Yep, we all had them. Don’t laugh. You’ll probably be desperate for one any day now. Like I said, never say never … and I’ve been right before, bitches!
UPDATED TO ADD: The Shoe Girl is way ahead of y’all with the bolo tie. You better catch up!
Shoe Girl sexing up the bolo in 2009. Click her!
I went to the Morgan Library & Museum with a gorgeous and exceptionally nice friend* earlier this year. How nice is my friend? After I told her there was no need to apologize for a statement that didn’t offend me in the slightest, she apologized for the apology. She is the only person I know who needs to be a little meaner, so I was delighted to show her an example of vintage bitchery in an exhibit called A Woman’s Wit: Jane Austen’s Life and Legacy. In a September 1796 letter to her sister Cassandra, Jane Austen damned a fellow party guest with this faint praise:
“Miss Fletcher and I were very thick, but I am the thinnest of the two – She wore her purple Muslin, which is pretty enough, tho’ it does not become her complexion. There are two Traits in her Character which are pleasing; namely, she admires Camilla, & drinks no cream in her Tea.”
You know Cassandra was like, “Oh no, she di’int!” when she read the letter. When I read it, I dragged my friend over and said, “If Jane Austen can say something like that, you can too.”
Portrait of mean girl Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.
The Jane Austen exhibit is over but Demons and Devotion: The Hours of Catherine of Cleves, an exhibit of an illuminated prayer book from the 1440s, runs through May 2. No reproduction of the images does justice to the brilliant colors — particularly the blue and yellow — surrounded by gold, but if you’re not going to be in New York and like medieval art, the book of the exhibit is available.
Sadly, there are no images of the cream-avoiding Miss Fletcher in her purple dress, but you can click here to see me wearing purple. If you want to say bitchy things about whether purple becomes me, save it for your sister because I’m not interested.
*Name withheld to protect the extremely nice.
In case you missed it earlier this week, there’s a big, beautiful photo of my Marie Antoinette ring on InStyle.com.
Photo by SquareMoose. Click to go to the InStyle.com post.
I was happy that Marion Fasel, the contributing editor for fine jewelry, described the ways in which the story of Marie Antoinette inspired my design. Thanks, Marion!
You might have already figured out that the Marie Antoinette is one of my favorite pieces because it’s in the header of this blog.
My gorgeous friend Alyssa modeled the ring on New Year’s Eve so you can see how it looks in real life. She’s wearing it next to an onyx ring she bought from me several years ago.
Click the photo to read about the Marie Antoinette on my website.
Check out Alyssa’s of-the-moment nail polish! Have you gone for gray nails?
UPDATED TO ADD: These nails can definitely be described as “cement.” I think cement nails are better than cement dresses.
Last month, I told you how my treasured Byron Lars baseball vest inspired me to track down Byron himself. As I said in that post, Byron was one of the precocious New York-based male designers who won great acclaim in the late ’80s and early ’90s, only to go out of business before the ’90s were over.
Byron Lars, from the now defunct magazine Mirabella. From the archives of Stacy Lomman.
Byron ran into trouble after he licensed his designs to a company called San Siro Inc., which sold unauthorized Lars products to discounters. Byron won a court order in 1997 barring San Siro from continuing to sell product under his name, but his business had already suffered and he closed it that year.
Byron Lars dress as seen in Mirabella.
After that, Byron started designing a line for petite women. Petite, plastic women. No, not Hollywood starlets! Mattel hired him to design a line of limited-edition Barbies.
Indigo Obsession Barbie is available on Amazon. Click to buy.
Byron and Barbie are still an item, but real women can get a piece of Byron too. In 2001, he started Byron Lars Beauty Mark. I interviewed him by email while he traveled in China for work. Here’s a lightly edited version of what Byron had to say about Beauty Mark, his ’90s fame and Barbie.
Byron Lars Q&A
WendyB: Many ’90s articles mentioned your gorgeous smile. What makes you smile nowadays?
Byron: Everything really. There’s so much to smile about and for which to be thankful: good health, a wonderful family, awesome friends, talented and committed coworkers/friends, Starbucks in China … you name it.
A more recent photo of Byron. Dude doesn't age!
WendyB: Describe Beauty Mark.
Byron: Beauty Mark is a contemporary priced collection with cuts and an aesthetic that are more indicative of the kinds of collections most could only dream of affording. It has the same integrity of design as my original namesake collection of years ago but, because of price point reaches many more people. This fact is a little ironic because of the vast difference in visibility of the two collections. My first higher-priced collection met a lot of fanfare as far as publicity was concerned. But I was disappointed to meet so many women who professed their love for my clothes and who I would have loved equally to have been wearing them, who would also confess that they simply couldn’t afford them and therefore had to settle for merely trying them on at a store and dreaming in the mirror. It was so sad to me that the same woman whose energy inspired me and who were inspired by my clothes, would probably never have any in their closets.
A tuxedo-shirt dress from Byron's original line. From the archives of Stacy Lomman.
Byron (continued): Beauty Mark, on the other hand, while virtually flying in under the radar without the hoopla of a seasonal runway presentation, has continually gained steam and sales on the strength of the clothes alone … sans hype.
The Swing Vortex dress by Byron Lars Beauty Mark. Click to buy at Carina New York.
WendyB: What does the name Beauty Mark mean to you?
Byron: Beauty Mark is about clothes that make you look better…it’s that simple. They often accentuate the waist, perk up the bust, flatter the booty and leave a girl standing in the mirror feeling quite taken with herself.
Fall 2010 Beauty Mark looks.
WendyB: How is the Beauty Mark line aesthetically similar to or different from your original namesake line? How does the experience of designing and selling compare?
Byron: The aesthetic is exactly the same as my previous collection, only less expensive. This means that a wool blend may replace a cashmere or a cotton fabric may be sourced from Turkey rather than Egypt but, at the end of the day, the look and (most importantly) the make is the same. Designing remains the same, an absolute blessing while selling … not so much. Don’t get me wrong, we are selling, and well for that matter (thank God), but the atmosphere has become a lot more brutal as the stores get increasingly demanding while committing to orders later and later, leaving design companies to project production on sheer guesses.
Black denim with a ruffled peplum from Byron's original line. From the archives of Stacy Lomman.
Bustle-back shirt from Beauty Mark's Fall 2009 collection.
WendyB: I understand that your original line came to an end after a dispute with the company that licensed your name. How does that experience affect your business strategy now?
Byron: Unfortunately, the setbacks that I’ve experienced are typical in this business. The key to surviving is to get up, pray, dust yourself off and keep it moving.
WendyB: What’s your life like now? Do you travel a lot on behalf of your
business? Do you have a “typical” day? How/where do you show your collections?
Byron: My life is really quite boring. It takes a lot of man hours to make these clothes to keep my girls happy and although I really love it, it’s not the stuff of which page-turning action novels are made. I do travel for work, twice a year to both China for sample development and Paris to shop for fabric and some domestic trips for the occasional trunk show at some of our store accounts.
WendyB: What’s your signature piece that all my readers have to have?
Byron: A curve huggin’ white shirt is a must-have.
Fall 2010 Beauty Mark looks. The bosom-emphasizing jacket on the left preceded Prada's recent bust-focused collection. The plum jacket is a puffer coat.
WendyB: Which is your favorite Barbie?
Byron: I wouldn’t want to make any of them jealous so I would have to say that they’re all my favorite.
WendyB: Is it true that your interest in fashion started when you made a pair of baggy pants for yourself? If you were going to make something for yourself now, what would it be?
Byron: While it’s true that all this started from a pair of pants that I made for myself, I’d probably be walking around in a barrel with suspenders if I had to actually sew anything for myself again.
WendyB: Describe your personal style.
Byron: Relaxed utilitarian.
WendyB: I still have a ruffled “baseball” vest of yours that I got at a sample sale back in the day. I’m haunted by the fact that I never got the long-sleeved jacket version. If you happen to find one in a size small in the back of your closet, will you give it to me?
Byron: You are too sweet but no, I don’t have one of those…not even in archive. Sorry, but if I ever make anything similar again, I’ll make sure to get it to you.
I'm wearing my Lars vest in this photo. Click for more photo info.
WendyB: Will it help or hurt my case if I promise to be your best friend in return for that jacket?
Byron: Definitely help.
WendyB: What’s the #1 lesson you’ve learned from your years in the fashion industry?
Byron: It ain’t what you promise, it’s what you deliver that counts.
Ain’t that the truth! Thanks for chatting with me, Byron. Y’all can click here to find out where to buy Byron Lars Beauty Mark.
In yesterday’s post on my Freud cufflinks, I mentioned that a client who orders custom jewelry from me will get a lower price if I wind up adding the design to my line. I promised a long explanation of that and here it is.
Click to buy the Freud cufflinks.
Remember my January post about manufacturing costs and how larger quantities mean lower prices? Then you’ll remember that making one piece is expensive, while making many pieces is less expensive per item. I’m amazed by how many people think a one-of-a-kind jewelry design will be less expensive than something mass-produced. I’m sure the same people would understand that if Karl Lagerfeld made them a couture dress, that dress would cost more than one off the rack at the Chanel store. Or that if Henry Ford rose from the dead to make them a built-to-order car with his very own zombie hands, that rare zombie car would cost more than a Ford Fusion at the local dealership.
I keep thinking I should watch this movie.
The price puzzlement might stem from the fact that basic engagement rings and wedding bands made by an independent jeweler can cost less than ones from, say, Tiffany. Tiffany has more overhead than I do. It has to pay rent, salespeople, manufacturers, public relations and marketing people, advertising agencies, etc., whether a customer buys a ring with an elaborate setting or a basic four-prong setting. And, yeah, I know people say about Tiffany, “Oh, you’re just paying for the box” but guess what, people? Boxes cost money. They can even cost a LOT of money. I’ve learned that the hard way. That will require a whole separate post someday.
I made an engagement ring with two dragonflies holding a white sapphire.
Anyway, for wedding jewelry, I don’t have Tiffany’s costs, and I benefit from the fact that simple solitaire and eternity settings are such common orders that no significant design is required. (Note: I’m talking about standard solitaire and eternity designs that all jewelers can do. I won’t copy Tiffany’s trademarked designs — or anyone else’s for that matter — so please stop asking. You know who you are.) I pass the savings on to my customer and trust me, I’ve come up with rings for ALL budgets. One of my favorite pieces was for a gorgeous client who wanted a basic eternity band with princess-cut diamonds. As I recall, that time my price wasn’t much less than the Tiffany ring that the client had looked at … but my ring was twice the carat weight and was platinum instead of white gold. My client got a lot more bang for her buck.
I can do this setting with a variety of center stone sizes.
On the other hand, my price might or might not be more expensive than an online retailer such as Blue Nile, where you are not going to get the service that I provide. If you’re buying an engagement ring from me, I will take the time to personally talk you through the 4 Cs of diamonds … and assure you that my wholesalers guarantee they buy stones from legitimate sources. I will discuss your budget with you. If you’re the one who will be wearing the ring, we can talk about your style, your height (stones look smaller on tall ladies, larger on petite ladies), your coloring, your job and your hobbies — anything that might have an impact on the ring style. We’ll talk about your matching wedding band. I have even spent an hour on the phone with a guy advising him on how to propose to his girlfriend! After I know what you’re looking for, I’ll talk to my diamond wholesaler about your needs. He’ll gather 8 to 10 stones. I’ll review them, weed out any I think are unsuitable for you based on our conversations and ask the wholesaler for a few others to show you a full range of quality, price and size. Then, if you’re in New York, you and I will meet so you can see the stones with your very own eyes. You might take an hour, you might take two hours, you might need to come back for another appointment. Take your time! During all of this, I will, of course, respond to your many emails and phone calls as you ponder your options. At this point, I would probably go to your wedding if you invite me and stand godmother to your first child. I don’t mind that you’re taking a lot of time. I’m happy to help you make what might be the most important jewelry decision of your life. But my time isn’t free. No one’s time is. If you work overtime, do you expect to get compensated in some way? I bet you do. If you don’t, I bet you bitch about it. That’s why my prices MIGHT be higher than an online retailer’s — though I’ve been known to beat those anyway — where your entire interaction will consist of browsing, pointing, clicking, entering your credit card information and seeing exactly one stone when it arrives in your mailbox.
Click to read the story behind this billboard proposal.
Now, getting back to a truly one-of-a-kind order, you’re probably starting to suspect that if so much work goes into the selling of basic wedding ring designs, even more work goes into creating something that’s never existed before. You’re right, smartypants! A one-of-a-kind gold or platinum piece will be made with a technique called lost-wax casting. After you approve the initial sketch, I will make a wax model of your piece (you can see two of my waxes here and here). Then I’ll make a mold from the wax model, so that I can make an inexpensive silver model. There’s only so much work you can do with wax before it breaks. Gotta switch to metal. I’ll make a new mold with the improved design. Then I’ll make the gold or platinum piece from that mold and finally get to work on the real deal. Wax models have cost me from $150 for a simple computer-generated design to thousands of dollars for elaborate hand-carved work. Now, imagine I spend $2,000 on a wax model for a one-of-a-kind piece. I’ve got to recoup my costs. But there’s only going to be one of these ever made, right? So that means the buyer of the one-of-a-kind piece has to pay for everything: the sketches, the model work, the molds, the stones, the metal, all the labor I pay for and all the labor I perform myself. Expect a $10,000 minimum price for an elaborate, hand-made, gem-encrusted, one-of-a-kind, gold or platinum piece.
This is one of my one-of-a-kind rings.
Of course, as I said in yesterday’s post, if it’s your lucky day, I will like your special design so much that I’ll want to add it to my line. Then I will make multiples of the item and have more than one chance to recoup my costs and make a profit. That means your price comes down. Sometimes it’s not in an obvious way. I don’t necessarily say, “I’m going to cut the price of your silver cufflinks from $1,500 to $400.” I might not even tell you my initial estimate for the piece if I know it’s far outside of your budget. But after I think, “Hey, I could add this to my line” and do a few calculations, I’ll say, “How about $400?” and, of course, you’ll happily agree. Basically, without your even knowing it, I’ve taken your piece from beyond the realm of possibility to reality.
I turned this bat pendant into cufflinks for blogger Jill of Stella's Roar.
You’re always welcome to ask me about custom designs via wbjewelry at hotmail dot com. Maybe I’ll even name the piece after you, or your design will become the Jewel of the Month. (But don’t ask me about a personalized version of the onyx skull ring unless you’ve got at least $15,000 to spare.) About-to-be-married peeps should remember that I can deal with a wide range of budgets, so don’t be shy about letting me know your wedding jewelry budget. I’ll even throw in a free piece of advice to would-be grooms right now: don’t propose to someone by hiring a sky-writing plane. Just don’t.
Like I said yesterday, crazy is the new chic, so my sterling silver Sigmund Freud cufflinks are the Jewel of the Month.
Click to buy Freud. He's $400.
These cufflinks would be a thoughtful gift for the well-dressed psychiatrist, psychologist or psychopath in your life. People who don’t fall into any of those categories like the cufflinks too: MrB, who is neither in the medical profession nor certifiably insane, loved them so much that I gave him his own set. When he was interviewed by Canada’s National Post recently, the cufflinks got their own shout-out: “Dapper in silver Sigmund Freud cufflinks made by his wife, he is a veteran journalist who retired from the top of one of the world’s top news operations to pursue his vision of public service...”
I never would have gotten that nice, though nameless, mention if it weren’t for gorgeous blogger Jill of Trend de la Creme. She requested a Freud design as a gift for her husband for his graduation from medical school. I liked her idea and the result so much that I added the design to my line. This is the second time I’ve added a custom-ordered cufflink from a Jill to my line: the first was Mud Flap Jill.
Most custom work doesn’t make it into my line. Sometimes, the design is very specific to the client, like these dog cufflinks. Other times I’m creating a new design for a client’s old gems, in which case I’ll do a one-off, hand-made setting that accommodates the exact sizes and shapes of those stones. Sometimes a client specifically requests a piece that will remain forever one-of-a-kind.
If I do want to add a custom design to my line, I’ll ask the client. And when that happens, it’s the client’s lucky day because she is going to save some money. Why is that? The short answer is that I’m going to absorb some of the manufacturing costs that the client would normally pay for a one-of-a-kind piece. Of course, with me there’s always a long answer too. Come back tomorrow for that. Right now I have some Freudian issues to deal with. Did you know that the famous quote “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” is merely attributed to Freud? It hasn’t been proven that he said it or wrote it . (Rudyard Kipling was the one who wrote, “And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.”) Freud definitely did write, “What does a woman want?” He said it was a question that had never been answered. That drives me fucking crazy, no pun intended. The Wife of Bath’s Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is all about that question and explicitly answers it: “Wommen desiren to have sovereynetee” (“Women want to have sovereignty“). I especially like these two lines: “And eek I praye Jhesu shorte hir lyves/That noght wol be governed by hir wyves.” (Translation: “And I pray that Jesus shorten the lives/Of those that won’t be governed by their wives.“)
In addition to sovereignty, some women might want a necklace version of Freud, so I’ve got one in sterling silver for $275. Email me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com if you’re interested!
Gorgeous blogger Stacy of taffetadarlings came over to watch the Oscars with me last night. I wasn’t excited by the fashion. These days, a red carpet isn’t a red carpet for me if Gaga’s not on it. I know she’s not an actress, but who cares? The producers recognized Michael Jackson in the memorial video even though The Wiz, a theme-park film and a posthumous concert film aren’t a particularly impressive cinematic oeuvre.
I spent the whole show complaining about the popularity of a color that reminds me of cement. The Hollies sang about a long cool woman in a black dress. Walter Mosley wrote about a devil in a blue dress. Has a cement dress ever inspired art? No. Do you ever say to anyone, “Wow, cement really flatters your complexion!” Doubt it.
Here are some of the women in various shades of cement. Click the photos for the sources.
Kathryn Bigelow in cement. Photo from the AP via the Chronicle Journal.
Kate Winslet in light cement. Via Huffington Post.
Elizabeth Banks in ruffled cement. Via Oscar.com
Helen Mirren in sparkly cement. Via the Daily Mail.
Mia Wasikowska wore cement the day before to the Independent Spirit Awards. Just say no to cement, kids!
The look I liked the most belonged to a woman with a mohawk who had taken over my old job of lurking near George Clooney on the red carpet. I am desperately seeking a picture of her so if you find one, let me know. I love her hair and want to see the rest of her outfit.
Other than the mohawk sighting, the most thrilling moment for me was when purple-clad Elinor Burkett pulled a Kanye West during the speech for best documentary short. Crazy is the new chic!
UPDATED TO ADD: The mohawk lady has been found! Thanks to Full Frontal Fashion for posting the picture and gorgeous blogger Dream Sequins for pointing it out to me.
Courtesy Full Frontal Fashion. Click for their Oscar story.
Okay, I wasn’t really WITH George Clooney, but I was pretty close to him. Here’s a photo of George doing his thing on the Oscar red carpet in 2006 while I lurk seductively in the background.
George and WendyB. Source forgotten.
My real date was MrB.
MrB and WendyB in 2006. Photo by Patrick McMullan.
I wore the same Zang Toi gown to an Obama inaugural party in 2009, but I wore my peacock feather shawl with it instead of carrying the peacock feather fan.
From an inaugural party.
Try not to miss me too much tonight, George Clooney!
UPDATED TO ADD: For everyone who is Googling “Why was [Wendy's boyfriend] George Clooney mad at the Oscars?”…it was clearly because he was missing me.
…I’d wear this dress by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada to the Oscars.
Image via AlphaBetaChic
Oscar red carpet coverage starts at 6 PM EST tomorrow on E!
