Free stuff is cool!

Friends of ours let us have an old china cupboard. At first we had nowhere to put it, so it spent a month out in the garage. Then I had the idea that we could put all of our Strathmere stuff in it. We collect old postcards and things about our house and the town. So we cleared all of the things that my Dad had piled on the cupboard during the short time that it was in the garage (tools, a radiator, car fender etc.) and carried into the house and up the steps (my legs are aching today from moving it) Cleaned it up and turned it into a perfect display case for our treasures!

The Writer in Kerry

Kerry Washington

I don't really see myself not being able to act. Even if people don't think I am sexy enough for film at 40, I'll still be acting.

I love writing, you know? About a year ago I got really exhausted from reading bad scripts and I know that I am a writer and that I have stories to tell, so I thought, "Let's do this!" So I'm co-writing a screenplay now with another screenwriter and loving it. Absolutely loving it.

I don't see myself directing for another 15-20 years, just because there's so much that I want to do as an actor and as a producer in so many different mediums.

On filming The Last King of Scotland in Uganda) For an African-American there's a mythical duty to feel you've arrived in the Motherland. I was petrified I wouldn't feel that, which would make me a bad black person. But this role made me engage with Africa on an intimate level.

Rating: 2

Kerry in her black Oscar de la Renta dress is like major fireworks on display - just without the excitement that comes with it. But I do love that very deep neckline.

[Source]

Miscellany Discovered

**WARNING @ 12.09PM GMT** The site I'm about to post about is currently down at the moment for reasons unknown to me (I promise I didn't break it) so for now, just enjoy the pretty pics I saved from the This is Naive until it comes back to life...

It might surprise people to know that the blog that I probably frequent most often isn't a fashion one. Well not strictly speaking anyway. This is Naive is probably one of the first blogs that I stumbled upon through my stats when I started Style Bubble as she had kindly linked to me through her old Notes by Naive site (she's been blogging since 2003 so there's a lot to gorge upon..). The tagline 'Miscellany of a girl's life' pretty much sums it up. Tommy is originally from Singapore and she has lived in London for a while. Without trying to sound too voyeuristic and nosey, I gather she works in a creative role that allows her a lot of access to brands like Visvim, Headporter Plus that might be more familiar to South East Asian people.

She also happens to take the most wonderful pictures either via Polaroid, Lomography, digicam, mobile camera or very sleek SLR. The thing that really got me addicted to getting my daily fix of Notes by Naive is the way she photo-documents the deets of her life. The food she eats, the sky that she's seen, the shoes she's wearing, the packages she has received etc etc. I must warn you, flicking through her entries can be time consuming stuff (oh and you start salivating over her food pics...) and it's probably true that her images hold my attention longer than most. There's something very satisfying and happiness-inducing about seeing Tommy live her life to the max, eating out a lot, exploring and unearthing hidden nooks and crannies in London that I never knew existed and in the end This is Naive is a beautifully assembled bit of photo journal-ism (breaking down the word...).

This post probably also touches upon my 'Funny about Money' queries because people commented that by having a blog, there's an element of presenting your lifestyle to the world and in turn, jealousy can ensue. Well if that's the case, then I'll admit that Tommy does sometimes bring out the green eyed monster in me but not in the way that you think. Style wise, we're probably miles apart but I admire the way Tommy picks her clothes and the way she is very selective about what she buys, always going for quality over quantity, yet still relying on her inner whimsical wants...

I was so chuffed she bought these beautiful John Rocha pearl encrusted ballerina flats (pictured here in the beautiful John Rocha store in Mayfair...

...but sad that the pearls kept on falling off so I think she returned them in the end...

Her outfits lean towards the childish but not obnoxiously so...

Her style inspirations (very very hesitant to use the word 'fashion' when talking about Tommy...) are quite eclectic, from granny issues of Japanese lifestyle/food magazines to one-off Birkenstock books...

The one thing that I probably really wish that I could do to enhance Style Bubble is to make it the pretty place I've always wanted it to be, and to take the sort of images that Tommy does and this is really apparent in her Lo-Fi city guides where she helpfully lists out shop/restaurant recommendations in London, Paris, San Francisco, Portland and Singapore (I'm thinking the more she travels, the more of these she will compile...) along with beautiful lomography images of the city. Another reminder that Style Bubble Shops, a project which is floundering in my half-hearted project heap... Here's London...

...and Paris...

At the core of it all this fan girl dedication, and yes I realise I might be contradicting myself, it isn't really about being voyeuristic and having crazy bouts of 'lifestyle jealousy' but rather it's because I admire the way Tommy has presented the tidbits and aesthetic-based matter of her life in such a way that makes it quite a delight to go back into her archives and surf (I don't archive surf that often...). As someone who is interested in the act of 'compulsive clicking' both from a professional viewpoint and a personal one, and as I'm at a bit of a 'Style Bubble rut' at the moment, Notes by Naive is definitely getting the mind cogitating...

Green Day

Here's my casual Mother's Day attire for a lazy afternoon of lunch, shopping, and people watching in Santa Barbara. When the weather is cool and overcast as it was today, it inspires me to brighten up my day with bold colors such as the green in my jacket. To let the jacket take center stage, I wore accessories in neutral colors.

Floral printed tee - GO International, Target

Fringed scarf - Target

Cotton jacket - Charlotte Russe

Straight leg jeans - Rapsodia (Buenos Aires)

Boots - Mossimo

Patent handbag - Kohl's

Colorful Freshwater Pearls

Multicolor pearls are one of the hottest trends this year. Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of white, pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and tangerine, depending on the type of mussel. Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels. Nothing is more natural than a pearl. Unlike gemstones, that are cut and polished to unleash their beauty, pearls emerge from the creature that conceived them.





Fiona Lavender Freshwater Pearl Ring

Genuine 9 to 10mm lavender freshwater button pearl.

Sterling silver and white gold plate.



Formation

Natural Freshwater pearls are formed within a mussel. These mussels open their shells slightly and allow water to flow in, so that they can take nutrients from the microscopic particles and organisms in the water. Small irritants such as small animals can also float in. Parasites can drill right through the mussel's hard shell. To protect itself, the mussel encloses the irritant in a sac and then secretes layer upon layer of nacre around the irritant, that in time produces a lustrous pearl.





Freshwater Pearl Multicolor Drop Style Necklace

Natural multicolor pearls: white, pink, and lavender.

8mm pearls suspended from a 16" chain.

Sterling silver chain and setting.



Pearl Color

Freshwater pearl color is determined by the mussel itself and environmental factors that affect the nacre as it is layered. The most prevalent natural colors are whites, as well as pastel colors in both pinks and lavenders. White pearls are still by far the most popular, but pastels in pinks and lavenders have slowly edged their way into the fine jewelry marketplace. The two colors are very popular for second strands, mixed-color strands or when a less traditional look is desired. Light pink and lavender are naturally occurring colors in freshwater pearls, but their colors can be enhanced after processing.





Golden and Dark Chocolate Freshwater Pearl Necklace

These 8-8.5mm, AA+ quality pearls have a great luster and inner shine. The necklace is 18" long and is strung on double silk thread, knotted between each pearl. The clasp is solid 14k gold.



Pearl Value

The value of Freshwater pearls can vary based on specific factors such as roundness, luster, size, surface quality, and color. As the pearls are nucleated with only tissue, they are 100% nacre. Pearl matching for finished jewelry pieces is also very important.



Shape

As cultured freshwater pearls are tissue nucleated only about two percent of any given harvest is round. As a result, roundness is one of the most important factors in the evaluation of freshwater pearls.



Luster

Pearls produce an intense, deep shine called luster. This effect is created when light reflects off the many layers of tiny calcium carbonate crystals that compose the pearl. This substance is called nacre. The more light reflected and the clearer the image, the better the pearl's luster. The luster of Freshwater pearls may be different than those of saltwater. Freshwater pearls tend to have a satin finish.



Size

Pearls can range in size from 1mm seed pearls to huge 20mm South Sea pearls. Cultured pearls of 6 - 7.5mm are the most common, above this size the price jumps upward rapidly with each half-millimeter from 7.5mm up. To date the largest pearl recorded is a 26.95mm baroque south sea pearl.



Surface Markings

As a mollusk creates a pearl, the layers of nacre do not always adhere smoothly. Sometimes spots and bubbles can appear in the layering process. Pearls with the smoothest surfaces are the highest-quality, most sought-after pearls.

See full article.





Related Entries:

Pearl Addiction - 15 July 2006

Rock Your Body with Jewelry - 26 July 2006

Fair Trade Bridal Jewelry - 02 August 2006

Robin Steele Jewelry - 26 August 2006

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Dana David Jewelry Collection

Dana Melnick's Dana David Collection redefines modern luxury with jewelry for the way we live. Inspired by graphics and architecture, Dana's bold sculptural designs combine classic elegance and attention to detail. Each piece expresses the individuality and self-confidence of the woman who wears it; every design is a fashionable statement of luxury and edgy femininity.





Single Cono Stack Ring

Single stone stacking rings with a cone shaped design. Each finished with a 0.05ct bezel set diamond. Available in 18k yellow, white, or rose gold or as a set of all three.



The artist's background in graphic design clearly influences her jewelry, and is especially evident in the Graffiti Collection, which includes graphic icons and scribble designs in gold and diamonds. Though these designs would look at home in the pages of a design publication, the fact that they are jewelry gives them an entirely new dimension that is fresh, modern, and luxurious.





Harmony Open Pendant

Circle 18k yellow or white gold pendant sprinkled with .09tcw burnished diamonds on a leather cord. Lobster clasp, stamped on back.



Meticulously crafted using the finest materials, the pure shapes and satin finishes are designed to enhance the natural beauty and elegance of the metal and the gemstones. To make her clean sculptural designs, Melnick creates models and casts the components for each piece, and then assembles and finishes the jewelry by hand. She signs each piece with her trademark logo star.





Star Doodle Pendant

14k gold pendant on an adjustable 16" - 18" chain with a lobster claw clasp. Part of the artist's Scribble collection.



Always passionate about fine jewelry, Dana Melnick began making her own pieces because she was unable to find jewelry that she could relate to on a personal level - substantial pieces that reflected her passion for great design, yet were fashionable and hip enough for every day wear. The overwhelming number of compliments and inquiries she received led her husband to suggest she may want to think about making her jewelry available to other women - and a jewelry designer .

See full article.





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Fiori Jewelry Collection - 22 March 2007

Dawn Vertrees Jewelry Designer - 14 March 2008

Allé Spring Jewelry Collection - 28 March 2008

Alexis Bittar Jewelry Designer - 14 April 2008

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Somers Randolph Jewelry

Somers Randolph is not a jewelry designer, he's a sculptor. Known for his larger pieces, Somers has also spent 30 years carving in miniature. When his wife Hillary discovered a virtual treasure trove of these tiny soapstone sculptures, she was inspired. They have transformed the miniature sculptures into silver and gold, creating the SOMERS collection. Somers says that he is one of those few lucky people in this world who are blessed to spend their working lives doing exactly what they want to do.





Nancy Pendant

Friction clasp.

From Somers Classic series.

Measures 1-3/4" high x 3/4" wide.

Double strand 18" Tobacco colored leather cord.

$290



Each piece of Somers Jewelry begins its life as a soapstone sculpture, hand-carved by Somers Randolph. To keep the integrity of the original soapstone, each piece is cast using the technique of lost-wax casting and a five-step finishing process.





Susan Pendant

Sterling silver hook and eye clasp.

From the Somers Geometric series.

Measures 1-1/2" high x 1-1/2" wide.

16" five strand Ruby colored leather cord.

$350





Reeve Pendant

From the Somers Classic series.

18" black silk cord with friction clasp.

Measures 1" high x 1" wide x 3/4" deep.



Artist Statement

I learned to whittle from my great uncle Alfred Adams, a Superior Court judge in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent many hours whittling cedar sticks, trying to create the perfect curl of wood with each stroke. The price of a consult with that wise man when I was six or eight years old was to possess a pocketknife that would shave his arm.



My affinity for sculpture was discovered later, emerging as a logical escape from the standard pressures of a New England prep school's academic demands. Cabot Lyford was the first sculptor I ever met. His style of teaching involved a lot of doing. We were welding, casting bronze, and carving wood and stone in just two semesters of school. After a year of artistic exploration, which included attendance at the Corcoran School of Art and an apprenticeship in a marble yard in Pietrasanta, Italy, I attended Princeton.



Princeton is stubbornly academic, recognizing the study of, but not the creation of art as a worthwhile pursuit. I majored in Art History and mounted a sculpture show as a senior thesis in order to graduate. I am grateful to that institution for exposure to and friendship with some wonderful artists that chose to visit as professors from New York City.



From New Jersey, the logical move was to the West Coast, and I spent the next dozen or so years in Santa Barbara, California. In 1979, I visited a bronze pour at the local community college and was greeted by the instructor, an energetic fellow who introduced himself as Paul Lindhard, and asked me my name.



I told him and, without pause, he asked, "Somers, what do you do?" I said that I was going to be a sculptor. This fellow grabbed my shirt with intense enthusiasm and said, "Somers, you either are a sculptor, or you're not." Without hesitation, I replied to Paul, "Well then, I am a sculptor."



I taught at that college with Paul for the next several years, until I could support myself with sales of my own sculpture. I lived in warehouses and home-built studios with corrugated fiberglass roofs. The microwave oven on top of the refrigerator was the kitchen, and stone dust coated everything.



By 1990 it was time for a move, and so I loaded 14 tons of tools, stone, and possessions and headed to Nashville, Tennessee, for an encounter with my heritage. I threw in all my savings on a burned out warehouse in downtown Nashville, renovated it, and opened Blue Sky Court, the first coffeehouse in Nashville. While I was carving upstairs, we had live music six nights a week and a new art show every two weeks for over two years.



In 1996, I quit carving and began a romance with an anvil and scrap metal that lasted through my move to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1997. That morphed into silversmithing in 1998, and persists to some extent today. I returned to carving stone in 1999, and am now doing some large marble pieces, and some soapstone whittling to keep my lovely wife in jewelry designs.



Yes, there's a wife, Hillary. She's the business-minded of the two of us. She figured out how to market my thousand or so soapstone whittles as silver and gold jewelry. She also was kind enough to create a daughter, Comfort Avery Randolph, who at 3 years old has already participated in her first art show on Canyon Road in Santa Fe.



While I carve, I have lots of time to ponder. I think about everything from religion, to what will be the same in a hundred years, to how to answer my 3-year-old's query, "Daddy, where is the speed limit?"



And I reflect, very often, on how fortunate I am to have been gifted with the ability to create objects that other people want.

See full article.





Related Entries:

Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006

Jewelry as Designer DNA - 13 September 2006

Couture Jewelry Awards - 04 March 2007

Jewelry Designer for Princesses - 08 March 2007

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Deep Down, We're All Mad Libbers

Finally, after many requests and many cold, lonely nights, Fashion Mad Libs is back!

In case you're new to Daddy Likey, Fashion Mad Libs is the most self-explanatory feature ever, in which I callously steal a fashion-related blurb from a respectable source, turn it into a Mad Libs, enlist the vocabulary of my readers, and voila, we're talking about albino peacocks.

If that description didn't help at all, check out the FML introductory post for more guidance. The most important things to remember are:

1. Post in order (first commenter fills in the first word; fourteenth commenter fills in fourteenth word, etc.)
2. Number your comment so other Mad Libbers can tell where we're at. Otherwise, people will get confused, start posting out of order, worldwide chaos will ensue and Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton will start doing TV commercials together (oh...wait...).
3. Have fun! (I totally agree with my junior high health teacher that every set of rules should culminate in "Have fun!" Woohoo!)

Ready? Good. Here's what I need from you lovelies:

1. Verb (Present Tense)

2. Adjective

3. Noun

4. Verb (Present Tense)

5. Noun

6. Noun

7. Time Period

8. Adjective

9. Plural Noun

10. Adjective

11. Plural Noun

12. Adjective

13. Adjective

14. Notable Place

15. Plural Noun

16. Verb (Present Tense)

17. Verb (Present Tense)

18. Noun

19. Plural Noun

20. Adjective

21. Adverb

22. Plural Noun

23. Plural Noun

24. Verb Ending in "ing"

25. Plural Noun

26. Type of Journey

27. Noun

28. Adjective

29. Noun

I'll post our collaborative Mad Libs masterpiece later tonight!

new york, new york...

I'm in town to visit the Oyster Dress, wander Central Park, and raid Century 21 for a good pair of boots. See you Sunday with photos x

Little Yellow Bird

I was eating cereal on the porch this morning and I spotted a yellow bird trying to eat out of the hummingbird feeder. Whenever I see a yellow bird out in the yard, I think of this song - Angela Landsbury singing 'Goodbye Little Yellow Bird' in the Picture of Dorian Gray.

Free-Spirited Fashion

As you may or may not have established from my blog title, I am very much a hippie. Not so much in the political form, but very, very much in the fashion form. (And the tree-hugging, eco-friendly form as well, might I just add.) I frequently search for fashion inspiration from the 60's and 70's, and usually to my dismay, find very little. So I've started a new group via flickr, "Free-Spirited Fashion." It's the place to lump together one's own hippie-inspired ensembles as well as original 60's and 70's photography. So far, I've been tickled pink at all the beautiful photos that have been submitted to the group's pool.



Photos originally submitted by:
ali willowflower, TheVintageSocietyGirl, Bottle Bell Photography, Harald HAEUSLER, Barbara Jambswich, and Annie Butterfly.

Feel free to join the peace, love, and harmony at "Free-Spirited Fashion."

New on the scene - Belle Avenue

I've recently been talking to the folks over at Belle Avenue - they are a relatively new plus size website that sells cute, affordable plus size clothes. For a while their inventory was kind of static, but I got word from them recently that they were really blowing up their inventory - they've got a lot more in stock and a lot of it is VERY cute and easy on the wallet. I have to say I find their product names kind of funny - "Beautiful Unique Dress" and "Warm Cute Jacket" but that's neither here nor there. Here are a few of my faves on their site right now:



Left: Trendy Hoody Top, $24.99
Right: Silver Stud Sexy Dress, $38.99



Left: Cute Wonderful Top, $26.99
Right: Ruffled Silky Hot Top, $28.99

Bracelets by Carolyn Pollack

Carolyn Pollack is a jewelry designer for Relios Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She isn't Native American, but you can see the southwestern influence in her jewelry. Her design process is driven by the incredible variety of colorful gemstones that come from the earth, the traditional jewelry-making techniques originating with the first American jewelry designers, and current fashion trends and color combinations that are carefully researched and developed by the new product team at Relios. All of their jewelry is made in New Mexico, USA.





Indian Summer Concave Cuff Bracelet

Vibrant shades of Indian Summer come to life and take you away to a pueblo feast day or a Southwestern drive through the Sandia Mountains. As we bring to life a whole new group of gemstones with our newest jewelry collection, we created "great for layering" or "bold when worn alone" bracelets. A textured sterling concave cuff is decorated across the top with sterling corrugated beads, tigers eye, red jasper, smoky quartz, and carnelian beads. Cuff has a 5 3/4 inch circumference and 1-1/2 inches at its widest point.



Cruising down Route 66 with the top down, discovering bright bursts of desert wildflowers, or hiking through the Painted Desert's unmatched red rock - jewelry designer Carolyn Pollack recreates rich images like these into her jewelry designs.





Liquid Silver and Turquoise Reversible Bracelet

The silky flow of cool waters will dazzle your wrist with this fashionable and reversible liquid silver and turquoise bracelet. Ten strands of liquid silver are interspersed with square set cabochons of turquoise. A classic southwest technique, liquid silver is made of tiny sterling silver tube beads that are hand-strung together, creating a flowing waterfall effect. Bracelet has a magnetic clasp and measures 7 inches long. Wear it with the turquoise out one day, and reverse it the next day to reveal sterling silver squares.



CP Signature is Carolyn Pollack's designer brand, and it encompasses all of her contemporary southwestern collections - from Sangria, to Santa Fe Sage, to Vintage Gallery and more! Her talent for spotting trends always keeps her one step ahead of the latest styles. Along with the new jewelry development team, Carolyn continually peruses national and international trend sources to zero in on the popular color palettes and silhouettes for the upcoming season.





Yellow and Rose Gold Medallion Cuff Bracelet

An exquisite example of the silversmith's art, 14k rose and yellow gold leaves unfurl in a sterling setting on a triple split shank sterling silver cuff bracelet. The medallion is inspired by Pueblo pottery designs to add elegant sophistication for any wardrobe. Cuff measures 5-1/2 inches inside circumference and 1-3/4 inches wide. Made in New Mexico, USA.

See full article.





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Positive Icon Bracelets - 28 April 2007

Bracelets Are the Best - 12 May 2007

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Bracelets in Precious Metals - 25 April 2008

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...

Due to a death in my boyfriend's family, blogging will resume on Monday.
Love love love,
Winona

New Spring 2008 Jewelry

New Arrivals at Neiman Marcus



Stephen Dweck Carved Quartzite Ring

• Blue quartzite with carved floral detail.

• Sterling silver setting with floral detail.

• Made in the USA of imported material.



About Stephen Dweck

Known as The Romancer of the Stones, Stephen Dweck is strongly influenced by his love of art and nature. This passion even inspired him to collect stones and minerals from around the world for his one-of-a-kind designs. Each is adorned with Adam, his signature beetle, symbolizing his affinity for nature. This devotion is what makes him one of jewelry's most widely recognized names today.





John Hardy Padi Silver & Gold Twist Ring

• Sterling silver.

• Solid 18-karat yellow gold.

• Post backs.

• Handcrafted in Bali.



About John Hardy

John Alexander Hardy was born in Ontario, Canada in 1949. In 1975 after finishing art school, he stopped in Bali on a round-the-world trip, fell in love with the island, and stayed. Hardy studied silversmithing techniques with Balinese craftsmen, some of them descendants of artisans who made jewelry for the royal courts of Bali. Many of the craftsmen employed by John Hardy today are part of that heritage.





KC Designs Square Filigree Ring

• 14-karat yellow gold.

• Round-cut diamonds; 0.34 total carat weight.

• 5/8"H x 3/4"W.



About KC Designs

Lenny Krol and Joe Carullo have established KC Designs as a pre eminent purveyor of elegance and sophistication - a shining example of the best New York City has to offer. Built on a 43- year friendship, KC Designs proudly claims a reputation of excellence, originality, and affordability in the jewelry industry.



In the twenty years since the company's inception, KC Designs has garnered the acclaim of celebrities and fashion authorities alike. Their designs have adorned such noteworthy celebrities as Sharon Stone, Sandra Bullock, Gloria Estefan, Anna Kournikova, Andie MacDowell, Maria Sharapova, and Alyssa Milano.



NOTE:

I am well aware that some of the jewelry I am showing you these days is very expensive. If you can afford to buy it, that's great. If you can't, that's OK, too. Take the information and the images and find something similar that you can afford. It's all about the styles and the designs, and there's really nothing new under the sun. If you see something new you love, just wait a while, and there will probably be something similar that is affordable.

See full article.





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A Little Viewing & Spring Cleaning - 06 January 2007

Spring/Summer 07 Jewelry Colors - 27 January 2007

2008 Design Center for JCK - 01 August 2007

Call for Irish Jewelry Designers - 23 August 2007

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How Not To Respond To Criticism

Has everyone heard about the Butterick 6015/St. Louis Fashion week kerfuffle by now? If not, I will give you a precis.

-- St. Louis recently had a Fashion Week. (They sent me the release and a gazillion large jpgs. I don't really cover fashion shows, so I didn't post about it.)
-- A blogger (who asked me not to use her name) did look at the photos, and noticed right away that one of the dresses was line-for-line a copy of Butterick 6015, aka the Walkaway Dress. See it here?




-- The blogger tries to find out who the designer was that submitted such an iconic dress to a fashion show.
-- She finds the designer, Ashley Dayley, and talks with her. Ms. Dayley doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with just making a dress from a vintage pattern and submitting it to a show.
-- She posts all this on her blog. In her post, she gives Ms. Dayley the benefit of the doubt, calling her "young" and "enthusiastic".

Now here's where the story gets interesting -- the last three comments on that blog, before the post was taken down, were from anonymous "friends" of the "designer", calling the blogger out for posting about this. They were so nasty that the blogger took down the post.

Dumb. Don't those "friends" know (or doesn't the "designer" know) that the best and ONLY thing to do when you've done something dumb is to take your lumps and own up? Why not say "I didn't know?" Why not say "I won't do it again?" Why not say (as hard as it is, through gritted teeth) "Thanks for letting me know?"

Instead they decided to wear their matching "I'm a Bully" t-shirts (which are probably pink, with sequins) and harass the person who had the temerity to call them on their misdeeds. The commenters, if they are the designer's friends, were just making her look MORE clueless. (If they're her enemies, they're doing a stand-up job.)

Now, I'm not saying that fashion doesn't tolerate knockoffs. (Victor Costa, anyone?) But a fashion show, especially one that was put on to feature "independent designers" is not the place for knockoffs; it's the place for original work.

The best part is the commenters saying that the original blogger didn't have the right to post the pictures of the show. So ... let me get this straight: she can't post images that were widely distributed to bloggers just for that purpose, but "designers" can knock off old patterns and that's just fine?

The best way to fix this would be for Ms. Dayley to issue a formal letter of apology to the show's organizers and post it somewhere public online. Then at least the first hit for her might show her doing something thoughtful and grown-up instead of something clueless.

[On a happier note, Marge of Born Too Late Vintage is turning 49, and is offering 50% off shipping on all items in her store to US and international customers from April 18 up to and including April 24th. On everything: patterns, clothes, accessories ... Use the code "49 and holding."]

Trend On The Rise - Rockabilly

With a nod to the bad girl pinups and rockers of the past, rockabilly style incorporates fun elements such as flared skirts, leather jackets, animal prints, checkered patterns, and studded accessories.

Above - a page from the May '08 issue of Elle UK.

Here is my modern interpretation of the rockabilly trend with my new checkered top from Charlotte Russe, my "London Rocks" muscle tee from Forever 21, and my 1980s-inspired ghetto blaster handbag. Other interpretations might include: fishnets, capri pants, 1950s-style dresses, cherry prints, pompadour hairstyles, or horn-rimmed glasses.

Icky icky ick...

To continue the 'Out of Context' theme of today's posts.... and to do a complete schizo 180 from tasteful 40's influenced coats to.... um.... well.... behold this Just Cavalli jacket which I spied in the new issue of Elle UK. Of course this passed me by when the SS08 shows were going on because I do tend to strike off Roberto Cavalli and Just Cavalli from my 'Catwalking Pics-check out' list. Sorry, I've just never been a fan of the rather orange faced Cavalli (tangerine or clementine?) and whilst I'm all about being open minded, there's only so much one can be enthusiastic about.

Well I'll just slap myself for that because looking at this jacket, and trust me, it's not because it's being aided by the strange pairing of it with an Avsh Alom Gur dress and plaited hair nor is the background helping it along.... I am purely just looking at the jacket... the strong lines, the block colours, the wicked shapes they're all creating... oh crap, I'm actually....quite liking it?!?

Now I know it's my love of the the ever present 'WTF' factor that is making me like this. I'm also thinking of cliched phrases such as 'it's so wrong, it's right', only you can cross out the first word and replace it with 'messed-up/tacky/loud' and the second word with 'brilliant/fantastic/hilarious'. Lots of joyful words there....

I'm just reaaaally thinking and this could be the Friday High Feeling, that this jacket with the right bit of toning down or 'effed-up' messy outfits (whichever way you prefer...), it's actually quite a nifty statement piece...

So conclusion.... there just aren't that many designers for me to pour hate on, and seeing as this blog was never about pouring hate, that makes it a pretty easy job for me.

Spam-not-a-lot

Sorry for the avalanche of posts.
It seems that the Blogger Spam-blog detecting dogs sniffed around In My Bag and decided that it smelled like one of those weird random blogs that always turn up near the top of a google search...you know the ones, just a string of nonsense with your google search term interspersed throughout as hyperlinks to one site.
I don;t know what did it. was it my 4 links to Tsumori Chisato's Japanese site? Were the Blogger Gods' style sense as offended as mine by the Fendi pastelicious Multicolored B bag? It's fairly obvious that someone is actually at the helm here, not some cyber-program spewing out non-sequitors and hyperlinks.
Perhaps I'll never know what the incriminating post or linkage was, but it took 5 days to rectify. 5 days of anxiety that maybe someone would decide I was not a real person...how do you break that to your husband and kids? "Sorry family, but it seems Mommy is a fembot..."
Anyway, it's all water under the bridge, and I'm back.

I've been goofing off at Polyvore again

Such a fun time waster! I used some dresses and a nightgown from my website to create these, with accessories chosen from polyvore's items.

After Thanksgiving

I have the post-Thanksgiving case of nerves I always get at this time every year. With Thanksgiving over, Christmas is breathing hard at my heels, and from now until Christmas Day actually comes, I feel as though I'll be playing catch-up. At least this year, I'm being a bit more disciplined about the situation. Of course, to make things even harder, we're usually out of the country every Christmas although it looks as though this year we may be in Washington - away from home, but not that long aching plane ride away from home.
I've been working mostly on custom orders lately and am finishing a wedding that will go out tomorrow. Lots of amethyst! Then, I have several other custom orders to get made (most for Christmas, so I'm doing okay there), but I've either sketched them out or know what I'm doing and where I'm going with them.
I've been working with different elements. The lampwork earrings above with lapis and carnelian (found in our Holiday Gift Ideas section match a fantastic bracelet on my Handcrafted Bracelets page.
The bracelet is made with freshwater pearls and Swarovski's newest crystals in a wonderful grey opal colour that I love. The silver freshwater pearls are perfect! The bracelet will be on our Swarovski Bracelets page.

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