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!
MrB surprised me tonight with the February issue of the Spanish magazine Leer (“leer” means “to read” in Spanish): in an article on November’s Committee to Protect Journalists dinner, there’s a photo of me in my Zang Toi gown. First Bill Cunningham, now Leer! I owe it all to Zang.
MrB and I were awed by Leer’s detailed description of Zang’s work.
Here’s my rough translation of the caption. “Mrs. Steiger, in an ‘architectural’ and ‘media-related’ evening dress: embroidered in silver, from the left, the New York skyscrapers Time Warner (Columbus Circle) and the Hearst building of 8th Avenue, created by the British architect Norman Foster.”
Considering the effort that Leer put into the architectural research, I will forgive the magazine for calling me by my husband’s last name. For the record, my legal name is, and always has been, “Wendy Brandes.” That’s it. No middle name. Back in the day, I would get annoyed with people who called me Mrs. Steiger. Now I am amused. I figure that MrB gets called MrB or Mr. Brandes a lot. But, in case we run into each other in the future, Leer, please remember…
Separately, does that Ting Tings video look cheap or what? Previously, I had only seen this version of the video, which looks like it was made with $5 and all the reflective tape the band could carry. I didn’t realize there was a $2 version too. I like The Ting Tings! Their record company should dust off its wallet and give the band a budget next time. Mrs. Steiger has spoken.
Thanks to your purchases of my Teeny Genie necklace, I’ve sent a check for $1260 to blogger Janet of Je Ne Sais Quoi (as well as a Teeny Genie for her daughter). As you might recall, Janet’s husband took his own life in January, leaving behind no insurance, savings or 401K for his wife and two children. I have been donating $35 for every Teeny Genie sold, and I still have about 30 left, so if you want to help Janet, please click the Genie picture to buy one.
Click to purchase from blog.
Way back in January, you had also contributed more than $4,000 to Janet directly. If you want to donate directly now, you can do so through the Spicer Family Support blog.
Janet updated her blog on Sunday with a very moving post. It was her birthday on Monday too, so read her post and leave her some good wishes.
I’ve been wondering if the 2007 David Lynch-Christian Louboutin fetish shoe collaboration inspired the shape of Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 Armadillo shoes.
Louboutin fetish shoe. Photo by David Lynch. Click for more.
McQueen's Armadillo shoes. Click for source.
Or maybe the inspiration was really Bedlington terriers.
Like I said in a previous post, I was pretty busy during New York Fashion Week. When I wasn’t busy, I was delirious.
I managed to squeeze in a few shows but, unfortunately, not Vena Cava’s. I was getting dressed that morning with one eye on the computer when the news of Alexander McQueen’s suicide was broken by the Daily Mail. I couldn’t tear myself away from the developing story. (See my post for a massive amount of McQueen links.) After the news was confirmed, I finally got out the door, jumped in a cab and thought I’d make it to the show … only to encounter crazy traffic due to an explosion in Chelsea. When I saw on Twitter that the show had started, I had the cab turn around. An expensive trip to nowhere!
I was consoled by seeing the Badgley Mischka and Vera Wang shows from the luxury of the American Express Skybox (thanks to my gorgeous friends Shari and Ashley for hooking me up). The Skybox is my type of fashion experience: no pushing or shoving, full bar, sandwiches and cookies! The only drawback is that it’s hard to take pictures of the runway. Instead, I took a picture of youthful blogger/Skybox visitor Becca, whose hairy pink jacket complemented my hairy purple jacket.
Hairy jackets unite!
Between Becca and Tavi, I felt like I spent Fashion Week corrupting minors.
I loved the faux-ny tail fauxhawk hairdos (very long, sides pulled tightly back) at Badgley Mischka. I’ve already told my superstar stylist Julie Matos that I’ll be wanting that look. But I didn’t know that the contemporary Mark & James line was going to be shown after the signature line, so I had a moment of panic: “WHERE DID THE BEAUTIFUL GOWNS GO?!” When it comes to Badgley Mischka, this is what I like to see. One of the first really beautiful gowns that I had was by Badgley Mischka. I wore it to my gorgeous sister’s wedding in 2002.
Terri Berry the bride and me.
With my friend Alyssa, showing off my matching shoes.
I still have the gown and the shoes, of course.
While I don’t have anything of Vera Wang’s (maybe there was a bridesmaid dress once?), I enjoyed her “Film Noir“-themed ready-to-wear show. But seeing all the somber models wearing black, black and more black did make me think, “If I had to put on a fashion show right now, I’d have every outfit be red, yellow and/or blue and tell the models to sing and dance down the runway.” What can I say? I’m an incorrigible contrarian.
At Milly, I was again intrigued by hair. The side ponytails with berets were so cute! As were the bright tights, yellow gloves (I’m way ahead on that trend), and this boob-bow dress. After the Milly show, I collected gorgeous blogger Lenya Jones from the media room. She and I joined other gorgeous bloggers including Jennine of The Coveted, Stacy of tafettadarlings, Midtown Girl, 39th and Broadway and Fashion Herald at Southwest Porch right next to the tents at Bryant Park. Somehow I didn’t realize that Southwest Porch was outside until we got there and sat down in below-freezing temperatures. Most of us managed to hang out for more than an hour, even though it started to snow. When we finally got up to go, I couldn’t stop asking people, “What the hell is wrong with us? This is crazy!” It was great to see all the peeps but I think next time we want to meet up in the winter, we’ll do it inside.
Here’s a final picture. I’m wrapped in my shearling coat, trying to pretend I’m not freezing. Lenya is trying to make a s’more over a tiny little heat lamp, but I don’t think her marshmallow ever thawed out. Jennine is in the background on the left.
The weather outside was frightful!
Lenya has more photos. I’m trying to make her leave Australia and move to New York so I can see her all the time.
Sports network ESPN had a “Jane, you ignorant slut” moment recently when Tony Kornheiser, host of its Pardon the Interruption program, said on his radio show that ESPN television anchor Hannah Storm was wearing “a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She’s got on red go-go boots and a Catholic school plaid skirt … way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now.”
According to USA Today, the “kicker” was his comment: “She’s what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point.” (I think the kicker was the “…maybe early 50s” line, seeing as Storm is 47.) Kornheiser also said, “She’s got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body.” Kornheiser is known for what’s been described in multiple places as “humorous criticism of sports figures” but ESPN wasn’t amused by Kornheiser’s badmouthing of a colleague and suspended Kornheiser for two weeks.
Here’s Hannah Storm’s outfit.
Hannah Storm. Source: everywhere.
Here’s Tony Kornheiser.
Source: ESPN
I don’t like this costume-y and matchy-matchy outfit on Storm, but age isn’t the issue. Context is the issue. If Storm were going to the grocery store or a casual dinner out or a sports event as a spectator, she has the legs and figure to carry this off. But on TV shows and networks where viewers might expect a certain gravitas from on-air talent, an anchor or in-studio reporter probably doesn’t want an outfit to say “cute.” She would be better off with clothes that proclaim “powerful” or “in charge.” On other shows and networks, the standards are different. If Giuliana Rancic of E! News wore Storm’s outfit, she’d look downright serious.
Giuliana is in the middle. Click for source.
Storm’s context is the “guys who watch sports” demographic. Need I say more about that audience’s conservative mindset? Just check out this NextRound post on “Slutty Outfits on ESPN Sets.” I think the only things that would qualify as non-slutty here are Hillary Clinton pantsuits and burkas. Of course, the pantsuits would be derided as dykey and burkas would be criticized for revealing women’s naughty, sexy eyes. You can’t please all of the people all of the time … and there are places where you can’t ever please them. I suspect sports television falls into the latter category when it comes to women’s appearances.
This does bring up an aspect of my Wear What You Want™ policy that I’ve mentioned before. My policy is about trying something new and having fun whenever the occasion permits. There are times when, if people don’t like your look, you just say, “Fuck you! You’re the ones with bad taste.”
My leopard dress, scorned by WWD, went on to win a Best Dressed prize at a blogger soiree.
But there are other times when envelope-pushing garb can have a serious effect: you can lose your friends’ respect, your job, your court case or even your life. My new favorite example of inappropriate dressing is the mother of a groom who insisted on wearing a pale, pale, pale, pale … really pale! … pink dress to her son’s wedding. Basically, she was wearing white, with the barest hint of pink . She could have saved a lot of money if she skipped the gown and carried a homemade sign that said, “I’m psychotic!” because that’s the message sent by wearing white to your son’s wedding.
So Wear What You Want™ but be prepared for the consequences and learn how to distinguish minor consequences (Giuliana Rancic doesn’t like your Oscar gown, little kids point and stare at your rainbow-hued Manic Panic hair) from major consequences (your family has you committed, the Taliban beats you mercilessly). If you’re up for dealing with major consequences, more power to you.
As for the Kornheiser vs Storm case, I’m going to take a guess at Hannah Storm’s thoughts in the very order in which she had them. I am qualified to do this based on my years of being abused for wearing red lipstick and heels in conservative workplaces.
- My top is not that tight.
- You WISH a woman in a tight top and a schoolgirl skirt would pay attention to you.
- I never paid attention to you before, but now that you’ve made me notice you, I realize you have a face made for radio.
- I’m going to get you suspended.
- See you in two weeks!
