Friday, May 11, 2012
April’s gold manicure — my third with Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips — didn’t last as long as my previous Sally Hansen manicures, so celebrity manicurist Tracylee Percival gave me a new look sooner than expected. The “Brattlesnake” strips are holding up nicely. Three out of four ain’t bad!
I’m enjoying this look. It’s close to my skin tone so it’s more subtle than usual, but the snake pattern keeps it interesting.
I wear my Queen of Scots snake necklace a lot, but the manicure spurred me to get out my Queen of Scots snake earrings too.
18K yellow gold earrings with diamonds. $7,500. Click to purchase.
Sterling silver, 18K rose gold, diamonds. $3,000. Click to purchase.
Click here for my post explaining why Mary, Queen of Scots, inspired me to design snake jewelry.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Three of the pieces from my previous 50% off Mother’s Day sale post are still available. Click here for more information on my tourmalinated quartz, owl and bat necklaces.
I’m adding my silver Teeny Genie pendant to the sale. It’s normally $60, but through Sunday it will be $45. Click the photo to purchase on my website.
She'll grant you all the wishes you like. Why stop at the traditional three?
If you want to get it in time for Mother’s Day, I’ll send it express mail. Email me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com if you’re interested in that option so we can figure out the thriftiest way to do it. If we do priority mail, give mom an IOU and tell her she’s getting something so great, it’s worth the wait. She’s your mother; she’ll understand. Or maybe you’ll just give her a card and get the genie for yourself! It’s a good layering piece. Gorgeous photographer/blogger Nina of Love and Lemonade wears hers with my Little Woolf necklace in silver.
The two necklaces on Nina.
Cute, right?
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
My story on the popularity of neon and pastel colors is finally up on the Huffington Post. Twenty fashion bloggers graciously contributed their photos to a slideshow, so please go there and leave those wimmins some comments.
I had hoped to publish this story last month, but, as you’ll see, I decided I had to interview various experts to get some historical perspective and style advice. It took me a while to arrange the interviews, then I had to do the mandatory procrastinating, yada yada yada. I was particularly glad to speak to Allure magazine creative director Paul Cavaco, who was one of the founders of the fashion public-relations powerhouse now known as KCD (formerly Keeble Cavaco & Duka), which I wrote about recently. He was as nice as pie and said such smart things about the fashion industry. I’ll be using more of his interview in another story.
Cavaco helped lauch DayGlo-loving Stephen Sprouse‘s signature line. Sprouse was one of the first designers I was ever aware of, and — even if I couldn’t afford his high-end work — I needed to get my hands on neon. You can see how much it my neon-pink Guess top meant to me this photo was taken on the first day of school of my senior year of high school in 1984. You have to wear your best stuff on the first day!
That's Ringo, my dog from my high school years. He was really mean.
I’m wearing Guess jeans too — the ones with the ankle zip. I’m not sure about the jacket. I look like I have a DayGlo-orange tan in that picture, but it was a fluke of lighting, I swear. I remember being mystified by the skin tone back when I first saw the photo.
My love affair with neon has continued through the years. This neon-trimmed dress that I wore in 1991 was from Ann Taylor. I can’t remember where the almost-matching neon-pink shoes were from but I was obviously proud of them.
Between 2000 and 2005, I got several neon pieces from Versace. I’m still wearing those.
Neon Versace dress in 2008. Click for original post.
Neon-pink Versace suit. Check out my photobomber! Click for the original 2010 post.
Versace skirt in 2011. Click for original post.
I believe my neon-yellow Dolce & Gabbana shoes are from the early 2000s.
Neon Dolce & Gabbana shoes in 2011. Click for original post.
I seem to recall first wearing this Yves Saint Laurent skirt in 2003.
Yves Saint Laurent skirt in 2011. Click for original post.
I bought this vintage Ungaro several years ago from my friend Evan at Frock. Click on the photo to read a story about a conversation it led to.
Vintage Ungaro dress in 2009. Click for original post.
And, of course I have a mini collection of vintage Sprouse, all acquired as vintage in the past decade. (And I have mini photos to match for some reason! Sorry!) The only Sprouse piece I owned in the ’80s was a white blazer that is long gone.
Sprouse jacket in 2008. Click for original post.
1988 Sprouse skirt, worn in 2007. Click for original post.
Graffiti Sprouse skirt.
I have a couple of new neon-pink pieces too, but you’ll have to wait till I wear them to see photos. After seeing all the neon I’ve collected over the years, I’m amazed that I spend most days in black and denim. And, yes, I do fit nearly everything in my not-very-huge closets. People always ask me that! I only keep evening gowns in storage. They take up too much room and are worn too rarely to keep at home.
I’ve always gravitated towards brights so I don’t have many examples of pastels to share. For those you’ll have to check out the ladies on the Huffington Post.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
I’ve been looking through some photos from the 1990s for another post I’m doing and marveling at how bad the fashion was. People criticize ’80s style, but I swear the ’90s have that decade beat in the fugly department. Oh my God! The t-shirts under spaghetti-strap dresses and clunky shoes!
I was surprised at how well I remembered my clothes, like the washed-silk blouse and pants by Kikit in this picture. This was a pretty good outfit compared to some of my others. I’m more disturbed by my pre-flat iron, pre-keratin treatment and pre-stylist Keith Carpenter hair.
WTF is that hair doing?
I didn’t write the date on the photo. My first guess was 1991 and I think I was right on the money because when I Poodled “washed silk,” I found a 1991 New York Times article about it that said, “Designers are enamored of the silk’s chamois feel and muted hues, which are created by washing the fabric with sand or stones.” I was enamored too. I was convinced it was the most touchable stuff in the world. I still like that texture.
I don’t recognize the earrings, but that necklace was definitely from the Ann Taylor store near my office. The necklace made me feel very “Jackie O” but better, because big gold beads were way cooler than pearls in my mind. I don’t have a full-length picture of this outfit but I do have one taken the day before, during the same out-of-town weekend. In that one, I’m wearing my black suede platform clogs with the little gold doodad on them. The doodad was supposed to look like Gucci’s horsebit. I felt so fancy in those shoes. I wore them till the heels literally fell off. I’m sure I was wearing those shoes with the Kikit outfit because I was clearly dressed to the teeth in all my best things. I would have needed those shoes for that final touch of elegance.
I’ll see if I can dig up some other ’90s photos of me solo. I don’t want to post any photos of me with other people without their permission. Sudden exposure to one’s ’90s style can be traumatic!
UPDATED TO ADD: Even cats agree with me about ’90s fashion!
From I Can Has Cheezburger. Click for source.
Monday, May 7, 2012
My invitation to the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art must have gotten lost in the mail — AGAIN! — and, as a result, I’m sitting at home tonight in the XXL “I Heart New York” t-shirt that I bought at JFK one fiendishly hot July day when my plane was delayed and the airport’s air conditioning was at Arctic levels. The souvenir store near my gate didn’t have anything with long sleeves at that time of the year, so I got the biggest t-shirt I could find and crawled into it like it was a pup tent. It helped a little.
While dressed like the epitome of glamour, I’ve glanced at the red-carpet pictures from the Gala but nothing I saw made my heart (my real heart, not my t-shirt heart) skip a beat. Then Beyonce showed up fashionably late, wearing see-through Givenchy, and I got palpitations.
Beyonce in Givenchy. Photo from PopSugar. Click for source.
I hereby declare that Beyonce the winner of the 2012 Met Gala. (Check out more photos of Beyonce striking her victory poses on Just Jared.) To everyone else — thanks for playing! Better luck next year.
I admit I am a little surprised that Beyonce went with what looks like a blueish purple. She’s been wearing a lot of pure blue in honor of her daughter Blue Ivy. I wonder if the color reads differently in photos than it does in person. If it is a true purple, then my only complaint about her look is that she isn’t wearing my amethyst Marie Antoinette ring. That would have been the cherry on top of her sundae of perfection, don’t you agree?
My Marie Antoinette ring. Click for more information.
I’ve been dying to do more versions of this ring using different colored gems. Beyonce’s rapper husband Jay-Z needs to call me to discuss a sapphire version. The gal who wins the Met Gala deserves a little treat. I realize that at $20,000, the original ring isn’t luxurious enough for Beyonce, but I’ll be happy to make the blue version as expensive special as you’d like, Hova!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Today is “Visible Monday” over at Not Dead Yet Style. Gorgeous 50-something blogger Patti Gibbons — who blogs about “how to look authentic and beautiful in our middle years” — is the hostess with the mostest. If you’re a fashion blogger over 40, visit Not Dead Yet Style today to post, in Patti’s words, “an outfit, accessory, lipstick color, hairstyle, etc., that especially expresses our Joy of Being (Physically) Visible. ”
The idea of “Visible Monday” came out of several of Patti’s posts, including this one, about feeling like an invisible woman after a certain age. Ah, it’s so true that youth is wasted on the young! When I was in my teens and 20s, I had great skin … and a profound feeling of powerlessness.
When I was 17, I thought my cheeks were too chubby, but I clearly took pride in my hair.
I felt threatened by everything from sidewalk catcalls to gender-specific job titles like “chairman.” My mother said I’d grow out of the “don’t look at me” phase. She was right. Now I practically blow kisses to complimentary dudes on the street, including the toothless junkie who hangs out near my apartment building. I also prefer “chairman” to “chair,” “chairwoman,” or “chairperson.” It seems being older and wiser means I just don’t give a F@#! anymore as long as I’m having fun.
My famous swear rings in sterling silver. Click to purchase the set for $380.
Because I’m a fan of what Patti has to say about women and age, I couldn’t deny her when she wanted to buy only the “G” ring from my OMG ring set, even though I normally don’t break up multi-ring sets.
Click to buy the set for $300.
When Patti received the ring, she emailed me, “I love it! I get a lot of compliments. I change the ‘meaning’ at whim: from my proper name, to Goddess, to Girl-power, Glam, G-spot …”
Patti's G ring.
You can follow Patti on Twitter at @PattiNotDeadYet. And if your name is “Mo” or your mantra is “om,” you’re in luck — I’ve got two-thirds of an OMG ring set for you. Holla at me wbjewelry at hotmail dot com if you want to buy the O and/or M rings from Patti’s set.
Friday, May 4, 2012
I’ve been listening to a lot of Beastie Boys music since the rap trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14. I had a sinking feeling when the Beasties’ MCA, aka Adam Yauch, skipped the event for health reasons. Unfortunately, Yauch died today at age 47.
Yauch first announced he had salivary-gland cancer in 2009. He’d kept a very low profile in the ensuing years: When the group released its delayed Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 album last year, Beasties Mike D (Michael Diamond) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) had to do their highlarious promotional interview with American Way magazine without MCA. Before the release, he was forced to deny reports that he’d been completely cured.
Adam Yauch. Photo courtesy the Beastie Boys.
One of my favorite Beastie songs is “Ch-Check It Out.” The group performed the song on the David Letterman show.
Yauch directed many Beastie music videos under the name Nathaniel Hornblower. Today, film critic Stephanie Zacharek tweeted a link to the awesomely funny letter Yauch sent to the New York Times in 2004 to protest Zacharek’s criticism of the “Ch-Check It Out” video. Here is the Borat-worthy letter in its entirety, in case the link doesn’t work for you.
‘CH-CHECK IT OUT’; One Goat, on Account
Published: June 20, 2004To the Editor:
I had the great pleasure of reading your unsolicited critique of the ”Ch-Check It Out” music video [''Licensed to Stand Still'' by Stephanie Zacharek, May 16]. It took some time to get to me, as it had to be curried (sp?) on goatback through the fjords of my homeland, the Oppenzell. And in the process the goat died, and then I had to give the mailman one of my goats, so remember, you owe me a goat.
Anyway, that video is big time good. Pauline Kael is spinning over in her grave. My film technique is clearly too advanced for your small way of looking at it. Someday you will be yelling out to the streets below your windows: ”He is the chancellor of all the big ones! I love his genius! I am the most his close personal friend!”
You journalists are ever lying. I remember people like you laughing at me at the university, and now they are all eating off of my feet. You make this same unkind laughter at the Jerry Lewis for his Das Verruckte Professor and now look, he is respected as a French-clown. And you so-call New York Times smarties are giving love to the U2 because they are dressing as the Amish and singing songs about America? (Must I dress as the Leprechaun to sing songs about Ireland so that you will love me? You know the point I make here is true!)
In concluding, ”Ch-Check It Out” is the always best music film and you will be realizing this too far passing. As ever I now wrap my dead goat carcass in the soiled New York Times — and you are not forgetting to buy me a replacement! Please send that one more goat to me now!
NATHANIAL HORNBLOWER
Manhattan
The writer, whose real name is Adam Yauch, is a member of the Beastie Boys. He directs their music videos under the pseudonym Nathanial Hornblower.
And here I was trying to buy a yeti for Mike D when I should have been fundraising for a goat for MCA! Damn.
While on Twitter today, I also saw the standard “Who is Adam Yauch and why should I care”-style tweets. The people who take time out of their busy days to write “Who is this person?” in a nasty way (as opposed to the “I don’t know who this is, but he sounds interesting, I’ll check him out” way) always irritate me. It’s most offensive when done about a recently deceased person, but annoying under any circumstances. Once someone wrote “Who is this?” about me in the comments of an online interview I did. I didn’t bother to answer, but I thought:
“Who am I? Nobody. But at least I’m not a fucking narcissist who thinks there’s no value in anything or anybody that hasn’t registered in my pea brain. I can acknowledge that there’s a whole world outside my world, you jackass.”
Today, in memory of MCA, a Buddhist, I’ll take a deep breath when I see that dumb shit and remember what the Beasties said in their song “Bodhisattva Vow“:
“If others disrespect me or give me flack/
I’ll stop and think before I react/
Knowing that they’re going through insecure stages/
I’ll take the opportunity to exercise patience/
I’ll see it as a chance to help the other person/
Nip it in the bud before it can worsen.”
Another quote to remember: “You gotta fight for your right to party!” That’s really important too!
UPDATED TO ADD: Speaking of being an idiot who doesn’t know anything about anybody, I have a vivid mid-’80s memory of going to see dramatist Israel Horovitz’s play, Today I Am a Fountain Pen. Horovitz had a long and fruitful career before that play, but my teenager reaction was, “Oh my God, that’s so freaky that Ad-Rock‘s FATHER writes plays!” We didn’t have Google back then, so my ignorance was slightly more justified than it would be today but still …
UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: I enjoyed this New Yorker story about Yauch by music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, particularly the portrayal of the rapper’s evolution into “a man who could say he was sorry and not feel lessened by it.”
Thursday, May 3, 2012
I love this photo of my gorgeous body-painted friend, makeup artist/model Tennille Nielsen, rocking my OMG rings at crotch level.
Look carefully, you perverts!
In case you don’t remember the rings from my recent Topshop post, here’s a closeup of them.
Sterling silver. $300 for the set of three. Click to purchase.
I’ll share more pictures from Tennille’s shoot later. By the way, Tennille is my go-to girl for makeup — makeup for my face, not my legs! If you’re in the New York area and need to be beautified, you can get in touch with Tennille on Twitter at @tennillen7. Tell her I sent you!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
I’m quote-happy today! One of MrB’s favorite quotes is, “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to get permission.” That one is attributed to the late U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. Many of my jewelry designs are inspired by extraordinary women and I’m going to have to do a tribute to Hopper someday. I better save my pennies because I’ll have to do a whopper of jewel to symbolize Hopper’s accomplishments. Among other things, she earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at Yale and was a pioneer in computer programming. (She’s often credited with popularizing the term “debugging” after colleagues discovered a moth in one of Harvard’s early computers.)
Anyway, Topshop has asked for forgiveness for selling — without my permission — a ring set that was strikingly similar in style to my popular swear rings.
The apology and removal came about after my gorgeous PR person, Krista Blair of Loving & Co., placed a call to Topshop. I’m delighted that the company moved so quickly to rectify the situation. (I’m less delighted that Topshop used the same language it did when it apologized for a dress design that was similar to one by Yasmin Kianfar. Read that on Stacy Lomman’s blog here.) I’m convinced that the swift action was due in no small part to the support I received from people around the world. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who tweeted and blogged on my behalf. Social media can be a great incentive to do the right thing.
Like I said in my original post, “inspiration” is a fact of life in the fashion industry. My work is openly influenced by antique and vintage designs. For instance, my Boleyn initial necklace is an homage to the one in a well-known painting of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England’s Henry VIII. (The idea appealed to me because “B” also stands for “Brandes,” but I’ll do the necklace with any letter.)
My Boleyn necklace in 18K yellow and rose gold with diamonds. Click for more information.
The famous Anne Boleyn painting with initial necklace. Click for an earlier post on the necklace.
There can be a fine line between a “great minds think alike” moment and an in-your-face ripoff. To quote Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s line about pornography, “I know it when I see it.” Now I see it on ASOS, which is selling a “fox” ring that looks a lot like Arosha Taglia‘s distinctive Anubis ring. Here is the copy.
The base-metal Fox ring from ASOS.
Here is the original in gold …
Arosha Taglia's Anubis ring in 14K gold and diamond. Click to shop.
… and silver.
The Arosha Taglia Anubis ring in silver and zircon. Click to purchase.
Arosha tweeted, “I just found it out, and I’m so pissed off. It’s my best-selling iconic design for more than 10 years.”
I’d say pissed off is an appropriate reaction. Some people — who I’d wager don’t have their own businesses — disagree. I’ve seen comments online that suggest that because there’s no way to stop copying on a worldwide scale, we shouldn’t bother complaining about particular incidents. And that reminds me of a third and extremely repugnant quote: In 1990, Clayton Williams, who was running for governor of Texas against Ann Richards, said, “Rape is like bad weather. As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” Ugh. I’ve never been able to get that bit of grossness out of my head. But I guess even piggish politicians are useful because the memory of that crap often spurs me to take action when I’m told to put up and shut up. Why shouldn’t small-business people speak up for themselves? After all, big fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermes spend a lot of time and money fighting counterfeits and trademark infringement. Occasionally, those cases seem petty in a David-and-Goliath way. Still, as I was told in my corporate days, it behooves large companies to have a consistent policy of pursuing all perceived violations, rather than weakening potential legal arguments by condoning some behaviors and not others. (Lawyers, feel free to weigh in.)
I’m going to speculate that most small-business owners’ complaints don’t bring them fame and fortune, despite the expectations of casual observers. I certainly won’t be able to retire on the $500 I netted yesterday after several regular customers/blog readers made a much-appreciated statement by ordering jewelry from me. I’m still pleased with the outcome. Topshop made the right move — and I’ll say again that I’d be happy to collaborate with them officially. Even sweeter was getting so much assistance from so many Twitter and blogging friends and customers. Thanks so much!
Click to buy the original swear rings.
UPDATED TO ADD: Read an economist’s take on the role of copying in fashion. Interesting!
UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: Independent Fashion Bloggers wrote about my experience and social media’s role in its quick resolution.
UPDATED MAY 8, 2012, TO ADD MORE BLOG POSTS ON THE EXPERIENCE:
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Last night, MrB and I went to an event hosted by The Weinstein Company, so I was inspired to wear the same Junya Watanabe jacket I wore to a Weinstein event in February. I am the anti-wardrobe-remixer.
I didn't have time to do my makeup!
I got this jacket at Bergdorf Goodman. I was very excited to see it on Bergdorf’s homepage recently. I feel kind of famous!
This model is very serious about the jacket.
The event was a screening of the French film The Intouchables. The movie — a huge hit in France — is about a wealthy, paralyzed white man and his black caregiver; it was inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou. After the film, there was a reception at the French embassy to toast Harvey Weinstein, who received France’s Legion d’honneur for his commitment to French cinema. (The Weinstein Company was behind Oscar-winning French-language film The Artist.) MrB took a washed-out photo of me outside the embassy.
What Wendy Wore
Jacket: Junya Watanabe (2012)
Dress: Versace (circa 2003)
Shoes: Prada (2010)
Purse: Louis Vuitton (2001)
Rings: My own designs, of course!
MrB and I had another movie date over the weekend: Titanic 3D. Titanic was the first movie we ever went to together. But we didn’t go see it for sentimental reasons. I just love watching that ship break up. I don’t know why. I’ve seen it dozens of times on television and I never get bored. I wore my Stacy Lomman shearling vest and arm warmers and posed for a picture with FitzRoy the cat.
What Wendy Wore
Vest: Stacy Lomman (2012)
Arm warmers: Stacy Lomman (2012)
T-shirt: Splendid
Jeans: Acne (2008)
Shoes: Dolce & Gabbana (early 2000s? previously seen here)
Jewelry: none!
I like to complain about MrB’s photography skills, but I must confess that my Photoshop skills are as bad, if not worse. Online photo-editing site Picnik had a tool for fixing pet eyes, but Picnik is no more. I tried other options for de-demonizing FitzRoy’s Rosemary’s Baby eyes, but this supposedly simple task was beyond me. Whatever! I have other good qualities. And maybe my cat DOES have lasers for eyes. Right? RIGHT?
Speaking of good qualities, I’d like to thank the many kind people who sent supportive messages or blogged yesterday in response to my musings about the similarity between my swear rings and a set of “punctuation” rings being sold at Topshop. Like I said, there’s a lot of copying in fashion. In fact, in yesterday’s post, there’s an example of a Topshop knockoff of another designer’s work that I think is more egregious than my situation. There is usually not much to be done about this sort of thing, but it can’t hurt to try. I’m attempting to get in touch with the right person at Topshop in order to suggest a real collaboration. I’ve got plenty of ideas that I’d happily share for fair compensation. Like my gorgeous rapper friend Gangsta Boo says, “Where Dem Dollas At?”
When you think about it, Topshop and I have a lot in common: it’s trying to make money and I’m trying to make money too. And I’ve always been interested in a partnership that would allow me to produce affordable jewelry. If Topshop doesn’t want to do business, that’s fine. I’ll ask the company to stop selling the rings, the way it stopped selling a dress after gorgeous blogger Susie Bubble pointed out a resemblance to a design by Yasmin Kianfar.
No matter what happens, I feel rich in friends! Thanks again to you all.
P.S. Check out my Watanabe jacket — and everyone else’s cool outfits — in the Visible Monday post on Not Dead Yet Style.
