After close to four decades, I still remember the birthdays of my bass-playing crushes from my teen years. John Taylor of Duran Duran will be 58 this Thursday … … and my almost-husband Paul McCartney turned 77 today! View this post on Instagram It's my birthday too, yeah 🥳 #PaulMcCartney A post shared by Paul…
RIP, Gloria Vanderbilt
I wish I could find a shareable version of Richard Avedon’s starkly chic portrait of Gloria Vanderbilt wearing Mainbocher for Harper’s Bazaar. Fortunately, Gloria herself posted it on Instagram. CLICK HERE. Vanderbilt died Monday aged 95 from stomach cancer. She was born into fame thanks to her father, a wealthy and dissolute great-grandson of 19th-century…
Jewels of the Month: Time to Give Women a Hand
I’ve got a limited number of my sterling-silver emoji earrings left. Ten of those depict hand gestures; they’re sold as single studs that you can mix and match. Through Sunday, June 16, at 11:59 p.m. ET, I will donate $10 from each $35 purchase of a single stud to your choice of She Should Run…
I’m an InStore Design Awards Finalist!
I’m delighted to say that the custom ring I made for gorgeous client Laura was a two-time finalist in the 2019 InStore Design Awards. The ring won second place in the category of Best Ring Over $5,000, and tied for third place in the Best Platinum Jewelry category. I so enjoyed making this ring! Lately,…
I Need to Put Ossie Clark on My Calendar
Thanks to vintage goddess “Timeless Vixen” for pointing out that yesterday, June 9, was the late designer Ossie Clark‘s birthday. He would have been 77. View this post on Instagram Happy Birthday🎂to the late, great Ossie Clark🎉 Having over 100 designs of his in my personal collection, it’s safe to say he is one of…
Throwback Thursday: Sheila Has a Vintage Toga Party
In April, I did a video about a vintage Stephen Burrows toga-type garment that I had never worn. I didn’t want to give it up because Burrows is an important designer, and whenever I considered selling the piece online or at a consignment store, I imagined it eventually landing on a thrift-store rack, forlorn and…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry X The Style Crone, Part 5
Here’s the fifth look from my “Immortal Style” brand campaign starring 76-year-old model Judith Boyd, aka the Style Crone. She’s modeling my Queen of Scots snake necklace and earrings. Shout-out to my stylist Shannon Stokes for putting Judith in this blue sweater — it really brings out her beautiful eyes. Plus, I’m allllll about the…
Fancy Floof Meets Masstige
I’m not sure how I feel about Giambattista Valli’s collaboration with H&M, which is coming out in November. Valli is the king of floofy red-carpet dresses, a trend I’ve been obsessed with since Rihanna launched a thousand memes in a Valli gown at the 2015 Grammys. Embed from Getty Images “Masstige” fashion — prestige +…
The Weeks in Review
In case you missed it, here’s what’s been in on the blog in the past two months. Sunday, April 7: A tribute to the wonderful people of Catstagram. Monday, April 8: High-heel flip flops are back. Tuesday, April 9: If you missed Reconstruction on PBS, catch up on it now, and learn some history that…
Jewel of the Month: Throwback Thursday Necklace
Every so often, I get an email with “Is this your design?” in the subject line. When I look at the attached photo, I usually find that the jewelry in question is just a common style, like a safety-pin earring, or something that only looks like my work from a distance. That said, I’ve been…