JEWELRY ICON: CATALINA VERONICA

 I was lucky enough to stumble upon Catalina Vornica's beautiful fashion blog Armoire Ideale. She has eclectic and daring style and I fell in love with her bold choices with jewelry.  I had the pleasure of interviewing her and here's what she had to say.

Your blog is wonderful and I adore your sophisticated personal style.  What would you say is the best part about being a blogger?

Hmm….the best part… free drinks and canapés at events? Kidding

Thing is, this is one of the best/fulfilling parts of being a blogger! It motivates me to continuously improve my work when I see it’s being appreciated. I know it sounds corny, but there is something genuinely heartwarming in receiving your feedback, when people who read my blog stop by and say: ‘Hey, I like this’ or ‘You inspire me’, I feel great, it’s so fantastic.

So, thank you Heather for expressing your appreciation and interest in my blog.  

I see you are not afraid to mix it up and be bold with your jewelry, which of course I love!  How would you say you choose pieces to be worn together?

 I usually don’t spend much time choosing the accessories I am about to wear I simply pick something and try it on to see if it matches my outfit, but I pay attention at colors,  shades, patterns and proportions.

Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry or a piece that means the most to you?

Yes, I know what you mean, I have one of those precious little things. It’s a vintage zebra shaped brooch which I simply hart.  You will see her in the photos, she’s absolutely gorgeous.

Now on to the more fun questions.  Just quick of the top of your head answers will be perfect.

What is your favorite thing to do on a Sunday?

Enjoying my loneliness far away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

So where did you have dinner last night?

I dined at a friend’s.

Dive bar or night club?

Night club.

The 20’s or the 70’s?

Jazz age, speakeasies, pearls, feathers, gloves and hats, authentic glamour, oh yes the roaring twenties!

Vintage or New?

Gosh, this is a tricky one, question that is. J

A little bit of both.  A completely vintage outfit may look old, like grandma old, on the other hand wearing only new clothes is totally…dull. I feel the urge to mix&match, but that’s just me.

Thank you Catalina and please don't forget to visit her amazing blog Armoire Ideale.  

STREET STYLE: JEANS AND JEWELS

As much as I love new seasons there is always a little part of me that misses the one that is ending.  That is how I'm feeling about Summer right now.  I LOVE Fall, I really do but this week as I was walking along the beach all bundled up in a sweater and boots, I longed for the tank tops and flip flops of just last month.  So in a last stitch effort to hold on to the little bit of warm weather we have left I thought I would reminisce on this Summers uniform of what seemed to be every girl: jean cutoffs and jewels. 

 

 

All images via Mr. Newton

DIY: $260.00 Arielle De Pinto Chain Earrings for $6.00

Today's post is from Jess James from Inked & Sewn.  A lovely fashion blog with style advice, fashion finds, and amazing DIY projects.  I invited Jess to do a jewelry DIY project for us here and she did not disappoint.  I'll be making these stunners very soon.

A piece I have been DYING to recreate is these looped chain earrings by Arielle De Pinto retailed at $260.00. When the Charlton Girl from The Cultivated One asked me to do a DIY jewelry project, I knew it would be perfect.

The materials you need are:

-A Thin Chain -Flat Pins -Sterling silver studs -Construction paper

-Spray Paint (in a color of your choice) -Hot Glue -Metal Glue -A wire Cutter

First tie your chain in a knot and hot glue it to the flat side of the pin. Continue to wrap and glue it on the flat side until it covers the entire surface.

Grab a piece of construction paper and make a loop then secure it with hot glue. Leave about a ½ inch space and start to wrap the chain around the construction paper until you can no longer see the paper.

Glue the loop of chain you have just created around the portion already glued to the pin. Organically wrap the excess chain that is left to get the look you want (and remember the way you are wrapping it to duplicate it on the other earring). With the loose end, glue it to the back of the pin.

Take the Wire cutter and snip off the “pin” part so that your earring now just sits on a flat piece of metal. Use hot glue to fasten your sterling silver stud to the back and reinforce it with metal glue.  When the glue is finally dry use the spray paint to cover the upper portion of your earring to give it the two-toned look. I chose silver to go with my grey leather jacket.

Thanks again Jess, and don't forget check out her blog, Inked & Sewn.

OH ALICE

image via Retroraunt

Even Alice Cooper needs his jewels.

HOW TO CHOOSE JEWELRY FOR YOUR PREPPIEST OF FRIENDS

 If you know anything about your friend Bitsie's it's that she lives and dies for polka dots and popped collars.  It's her birthday and you can't figure out what to get her.  Well, worry no more because I have come up with a collection of the perfect jewelry to give your polo loving pal.  I guarantee that Bitsie is going to absolutely swoon when she receives any one of these options at her Bellini brunch at the county club.

 I mean come on, it's an argyle bangle!  How perfect is that!  You can find it at J Crew for $28 and comes in brown and pink as well.

With all the hand talking Bitsie does she's going to die over this classic Marc by Mark Jacobs Katie ring in rose gold for $68 at Shopbop.com.

This Venus Fly Trap Necklace by J Crew for $85 is just the right amount of sparkle under the popped collar of a button down shirt.  Gorg.!

How adorable are these Twinkle Bloom Earrings from Anthropologie for $28?  Too sweet, right!?!?

JEWELRY STORAGE: BRACELET EDITION

I've posted about jewelry storage before as you can see here and here, but today I am focusing on bracelets.  There are advantages and disadvantages to storing cuffs, bangles and bracelets.  One plus is that they don't get tangled but a minus is that they can be big and bulky.  Things like a pretty dish, special box are beautiful options, or you can do what I did and use a jewelry tree like the one pictured above from Urban Outfitters.  These are all great solutions, and as I always say whatever you do display it, it's too pretty to be in a drawer!  How do you display your bracelets?  I'm always on the look out for new ways to display my jewelry.

All images via How I Met Your Style

PERMINENT JEWELRY

All photos via The Sartorialist

HOT MOMMA

Miroslava Duma is one hot momma, pregnant or not!  If you don't know Duma she was an editor for Harper's Bazaar (Russia) and now is a freelance writer for numerous publications such as OK Magazinee (Russia), Tatler, and Glamour (Russia).  She an international fashion icon, and a darling to all the street style photographers.  I've taken even more notice of her since she's been pregnant.  How adorable is she?!

Take a note from Miroslava Duma's book and play up that bump and have fun with it!  Many woman have a hard time figuring out how to stay stylish while prego.  My advise is accessories, accessories, and you guessed it more accessories.  Jewelry finishes any outfit and the best part is that one size fits all!  You can dress in comfy leggings and an over-sized T and as soon as you throw on tons of jewels you're instantly stylish.  You can check out more of Duma's hot prego looks here.

All photos via The Queens of Couture

BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK

 Black is back!!  Alright, alright it never left and probably never will.  Black is a classic.  Everyone looks good in it and it goes with everything.  Can you imagine how amazing any of these all black pieces would look on a bright dress or even just a white t.  These pieces are dramatic and sophisticated and I want them all.

Bottega Veneta Blackened oxidized silver chandelier earrings $980

Bottega Veneta Blackened oxidized silver filigree ring $580

Bottega Veneta Oxidised silver and zircon necklace $1,950

You can find all of these pieces at Net-A-Porter.  Also, if you would like to see more photos from the shoot from the top picture click here.

GET SPOOKY WITH PAMALA LOVE

I love Halloween and seeing all the decorations is getting me excited!  So in the Halloween spirit I thought I would share some of Pamela Love's spookier jewelry.  Her designs are certainly not just for Halloween time though.  Love is a New York based designer who was a CFDA nominee and the winner of the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award.  The jewelry is innovative and over the top in the most perfect of ways, and you can see the magic and folk lore influence in the jewelry.  These designs are for the brave girl with a tough streak.  So tell me do you love her jewelry as much as I do?   Are you the type to wear her tough designs or do you prefer softer looks?

STACK 'EM UP

all photos via street peeper

HOW TO WEAR JEWELRY BY LUCKY MAGAZINE

Everyone at one time or another struggles with how to wear certain jewelry pieces, or asks can I wear this with that.  Here is a video from Lucky Magazine that hopefully will  help with the process a bit.  Enjoy!

JEWELRY ENVY: IOSSELLIANI

Oh Italy, how I love you!  The boys, the beaches, the wine, the art, the boys ;)  Another thing that I love about Italy is the jewelry team of Iosselliani. This jewelry line is made up of designers Roberta Paolucci and Paolo Giacomelli in Rome, Italy and thank God they came together because what they make is pure magic.  Their beautiful jewelry is influenced by Italian classic jewelry but in a way that is so new and modern.  The way that they fuse styles is dramatic and perfectly mismatched.  Now I just have to take a trip over there to find an Italian guy to give me one of those rings!