Covetable Baubles 001

Just in case you missed that powder blue crocodile Birkin on auction over at Heritage and happen to be in the mood for luxe let me introduce you to my latest bauble obsession.

Irene Neuwirth is kind of like of the Isabel Marant of jewels in my book.  Everything she churns out oozes effortless cool and plays well with anything from a cocktail dress to leggings.  Despite falling within the fine jewelry realm, her excellent choice of semi precious stones like quartz, moonstone, opal and black onyx mixed with the category staple, diamonds, takes what could be considered Upper East Side and brings it back down earth and most importantly Greene Street.  The vivid coloring and gorgeous shapes also add to the overall beauty in each piece making the word statement piece a bit understating.

A Southern Cali native, Irene has been making jewelry since her early 20s but her brand didn't see major growth until 2003 after presenting Barneys with a capsule collection they couldn't say no to. Since then her baubles have been on the likes of Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes and Doutzen Kroes with the brand receiving such recognition as the Town & Country Couture Design Editors' Choice Award in 2006 and Irene becoming a CFDA member in 2009.  And as if adding fuel to the fire,  her recent union with financial specialist and major jewelry fan Tracy Stoll, I am pretty sure these gorgeous baubles won't disappear out of store cases anytime soon. Which is perfect because at least I'll have time to save up for a pair of earrings...

On another shopping note and with it being Cyber Monday and all, have you checked out my closet over at Threadflip.  Right now you can save 30% on any order over $60 and snag free shipping with the code CYBERMONDAY.  That means you can have that Lovers & Collaborators dress for like $180...that's a steal

****DIY Lanvin Raffia Earrings****

I have a twisted love affair with affair with Barneys.  Being that I am not a frequent charger (rather not one at all since I don't have any) nor am I attached to any significant amount of wealth, my frequent trips to their locations and website always end with me empty handed.  I'll touch, dream and even try on but very rarely to I splurge.....even upon entering their outlet locations and seeing Balmain at an additional 40% off the already steeply discounted goods. However I still go back time and time again.  While browsing the jewelry section online one day I put tons of images into DIY Inspiration folder and my first project up is my version of the lovely Raffia Mask and Flower Earrings from Lanvin.

THE INSPIRATION:

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Raffia
• Pearls, Gemstones or any other smaller beads you have 
• Jump Rings
• Eye Pins
• Earring Posts
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Round Nose Pliers
• Scissors
• Jump Rings

WHAT TO DO:

• Begin cutting off small sections of the raffia and tie around your jump ring

• Continue until whole jump ring is covered and their is very little give between strips. 

• Now keep going until 4 jump rings are bursting with raffia

• Trim those wild ends

• Use another jump ring to attach two of the raffia circles together.  

• Gather your chosen beads and get to adding a bit of glam

• Attaching the beads can be difficult depending on how thick the raffia base is but a little bit of trial and error with your round nose pliers will help you find the right width of the loop  
• As you attach your  beads, take some time to fluff up your raffia and create the right amount of character

Just about all of these supplies were already hiding out in my various craft boxes so that is why I chose to use all black raffia.  I will definitely be making another pair using lighter colors and different beads.  As with so many DIY's the possibilities are endless so get creative and have fun if you give it try.  Also feel free to send over some pics of your project and I will definitely showcase them!!!

****Get Cookin****

 

Just enjoying a full stomach after a big breakfast and a small break before I get back into the kitchen to work on dinner.  Its just me and my better half this Thanksgiving as the new position at work requires me to be much more of a retail slave.  Worked late last night to get ready for tomorrow and I go in super early for a long, arduous and slightly exciting 12hr shift.  Its been over a week since my last post but now that the kick off to the holiday shopping season has come, and technically for me gone, I will resume blog normalcy.  Hope everyone has a great day spent with loved ones and remember to get some rest before joining the rest of the world in the annual fight for savings.  Planning will be your best defense so make sure you know what you want and where it is located and have all your coupons and cards handy.  Niceness will be thrown out the window and courtesy will turn into an 8 letter word no one will know. Outside of that remember its not all ending if you don't get that 14 inch 3D portable gizmo for $29.99 that each store only got a dozen of.  It will be on sale next week for only a bit more.... 

As for the snapshot, courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue, its from the Barneys Holiday 2010 Catalog featuring Kirsi Pyrhonen.  And why did I choose this you ask?  Well this past weekend I ventured down to the outlets and as usual walked right into my heaven....Barneys.  With a ton of designers from Chloe to Lanvin to Balenciaga to Louboutins the selection was beautiful and the price made it fantastic.  Everything was an additional 40% off the ticketed price and...well...who could resist that.  Next stop was the Off 5th Ave store with a more impressive round up of shoes.  Normally they offer their fair share of L.A.M.B., Sam Edelman, and Kors but this time we saw ACNE, Margiela and Elizabeth and James.  

Take a moment...

I know I couldn't believe it either....

Breathe...

Good, so what I am trying to say is that instead of standing in line at your local mall with all the others why not make it a special event, like Black Friday should be, and hit up your local outlet mall with a gaggle of your friends and family.  I say gaggle so that upon entering say Donna Karen, you all can spread out like a well trained ninja clan and grab everything of interest only to meet in a central location 15 minutes later with your finds.  It will be sooo worth it, trust me.

Till the next post....

****Back Roads & Bead Stores - What I Wore****

Route 1....

Route 80....

and 3 states later, I've come to realize that.....I really love these shoes!!!

****Politics As Usual - Shopping Diary 1****

As if the rising gas costs aren't enough, now my clothes are going up too....Good thing I've already scored a handful of great items.