Spotted: Lanvin Lizard Necklace

A few days ago I was dining at Doubles and was introduced to a very lovely young woman, Patricia Suarez de Sola.  I immediately noticed the fabulous necklace she was wearing:  a large salamander with blue stones, and I had to ask her about it.  Patricia told me it was from Lanvin, and that it also comes in red.  She was wearing it with a conservative outfit of black pants and top that was the perfect backdrop for this very whimsical piece.  I love how she made it the focal point of her outfit and kept everything else very simple.  Unique, statement jewelry like this is amazing because one piece is all you need to wear with a solid color outfit to look pulled together.  She was nice enough to let me take some photos...

 

Patricia Suarez de Sola wearing a Lanvin Salamander necklace

(photo by Daniel Colon)

 

A closer look

(photo by Daniel Colon)

 

 

I was totally obsessed with the necklace because I love pieces like this, especially when they are animal or nature themed, so I did an internet search when I got home and found close up photos of both the blue and the red ones on a site www.lyst.com.  Perfect accessory for Spring and Summer!

 



 

 

 

 

 



Behind the Scenes at Harry Winston

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited on a behind the scenes tour of famed jewelry salon Harry Winston.  The tour was for a small group of young patrons of FIAF (French Institute Alliance Francais), and my friend invited me because of this blog and my love of jewelry.  I was very excited, because I have known about Harry Winston all my life having grown up in the same town where Harry and his wife had an estate.  I am also acquainted with one of Harry's sons and his lovely wife, who was gracious enough to grant me an interview for a magazine article I wrote about champagne coupes.  But, I had never actually been inside the salon, so was eager to see the beautiful jewels up close.  The moment I walked in the door I was beckoned by the sparkle of the world's finest diamonds and I was immediately drawn to a stunning diamond bird pin.  I asked for it to be taken out of the case so I could get a photo.  This was the very pin that Sandra Bullock wore in her hair at the recent Academy Awards.

Diamonds take flight in the form of a beautiful bird

 

 

 

Our group was then taken upstairs to the former office of Mr. Harry Winston himself, where we enjoyed a lovely breakfast before the personable and accessible President & CEO of Harry Winston, Frederic De Narp, gave a talk about the company's history, current status and vision for the future.  Mr. De Narp said that Harry Winston is the "only true American luxury brand" amongst the world's leading jewelers.  He explained that only the finest diamonds of D, E or F grade are used at Harry Winston and that the company that is famous for creating bespoke pieces for maharajahs and dressing Hollywood starlets has been working to make the brand more accessible to a wider audience without losing any of the quality or creativity. 

 

 

FIAF member Daniel Colon with Frederic De Narp, Harry Winston's President & CEO

 

FIAF members enjoying Mr. De Narp's talk from left to right:  Melissa Ceria, Clemence von Mueffling (Young Patron Chairwoman), Lorraine Bollore (Clemence's mother), and Adrien Huet.

(photo courtesy of Michael George)

 

Also enjoying the intimate gathering were left to right: Sima Familant, Martha Flores Longoria, Coralie Charriol Paul, Dasha Borysov, Paige Malik and Sean Basler the FIAF Membership & Patron Services Manager. www.fiaf.org

(photo courtesy of Michael George)

 

French croissants and pastries for breakfast

 

 

Mr. De Narp also talked about the Hope Diamond, probably the most famous diamond in human history, and how Harry Winston gave it to the Smithsonian so that the general public could enjoy one of nature's most beautiful creations.  At the salon on 56th and Fifth Harry Winston had a hidden safe in his office where he would keep some of the company's most extraordinary jewels to show his best private clients, including famous celebrities. 

 

 



 

 The hidden safe was kept behind these inconspicuous cabinet doors that, last week, served as the backdrop for our coffee service.

 

 



After meeting with Mr. De Narp we were guided into the workshops where the Harry Winston jewelers and artists create the stunning pieces that eventually are for sale.  The process behind creating a single piece of jewelry is very complex and painstaking.  From conception to execution there is a team of experts, each contributing his or her unique talent towards the finished piece.  And, there is a committee that must approve each piece, after the sketches are finished, but before the tangible piece is started.  Although most of the designs are sketched with the assistance of computers today, they are no less original and artistic than when the company was founded.

 

Sketches in the workshop of jewelry that has already been produced.  For security reasons we were not allowed to view the sketches in production.

 

 

After a design is approved the jewelers must make the pieces.  In their workshop, which had many more jewelers than I expected, the jewels, mostly brilliant diamonds, are first laid out in black wax before being set in platinum.  Even though this is 2013 and there is modern technology to assist in some aspects of jewelry production, much of the work can only be done by the most skilled human hands.

 

A necklace in production....the diamonds here are held in place in black wax prior to being set.

 

Jewelers, truly artisans, hard at work setting the stones

 

Loose diamonds and their platinum settings

 

 

Obviously security is a major issue.  Not only theft of the jewelry, but the theft of the sketches and ideas is a concern.  It was very nice of Harry Winston to allow me to take so many photos for this blog and to open up the workshop to the tour.  What a rare and treasured experience!  Mr. Winston had to worry about security in his day as well.  There are not many photos of him and, apparently, he was told by his insurance company not to be photographed often because of the threat to his security.  One of the only photos of him that the company possesses is hanging in one of the workshops.

 

 



Harry Winston

 

 

Celebrated the world over Harry Winston jewels famously adorn Hollywood's most beautiful actresses and entertainers.  At the recent Academy Awards Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, Adele and Charlize Theron were amongst the lucky ones.

 



Clockwise from top left photo montage of Sandra Bullock, Jessica Chastain, Adele & Charlize Theron on the 2013 Academy Awards Red Carpet wearing Harry Winston.

 

 

On the way out, after the tour, I just had to get another look at some of the sparkling diamonds for sale and hoped to get a few more photos.  A huge yellow diamond cocktail ring beckoned to me from inside its case and I asked if it could be taken out so I could photograph it.  To my delight I got to wear it and "model" it for my own blog. 

 

 

My new best friend....a jaw dropping yellow diamond ring.

 

A close up...with a price tag of over 3 million dollars this is one of the most expensive jewels I have ever had on my finger and it was simply breathtaking.  The sparkle was almost blinding.  In case anyone is interested my ring finger is size 4 and my birthday is in July ;-)

 

 

A final note about diamonds, and gems in general, is that they are cold to the touch.  Ironic, because they are born of the fiery geologic processes inside the Earth.  The necklace I touched in the showroom was ice cold, as if it had been in a refrigerator.  But then you look at the diamonds and there is nothing cold about them; they sparkle like the whitest, most welcoming smile and I found myself drawn to the large stones like a moth to a flame.  Fire and ice, indeed!

 



 



 







Museum of the City of New York Winter Ball

Last week I attended the Museum's annual winter ball along with about 500 other people.  As always, the event was a lovely black tie evening with a parade of NY's most fashionable women turned out in their finest designer gowns.  The sponsor this year was Carolina Herrera and Mrs. Herrera was there in person, as were several other designers. 

I noticed two trends in accessories amongst all the elegantly dressed ladies:  giant earrings and lucite evening bags.  Both of these styles are having a big moment right now and with both styles being very flattering and chic, I think we'll be seeing a lot of them this Spring.  Large earrings have been around for a while, but this season they've gone extra dramatic and sparkly with some even grazing the shoulders.  The lucite bags are a style resurrected from the 1950's and very Hollywood glam.  I have been an admirer of lucite bags for a long time so I'm thrilled they are back in a big way.  I have a vintage one that I will be carrying out for an upcoming event, but the new ones are simply fabulous.  The bags known as lucite are also sometimes called resin or acrylic, but all are essentially different chemical compound mixtures that are versions of high quality plastic and trademarked under different names. 

The beautiful ladies at my table all looked amazing and I ran into other friends who had also paid great attention to accessorizing their outfits to perfection.  Some of the ladies work in the fashion industry and some, like myself, are just connoisseurs of fashion.  Unfortunately some of the photos are a bit dark because the room was dimly lit, so I hope you can see everything in its splendor.  If not you'll have to trust me that these women know how to rock an accessory (and an outfit)!

 

Always impeccably dressed and one of NYC's best dressed, Alexandra Lebenthal, in vintage 1960's  Kenneth J. Lane earrings

(photo by Sandra Hamburg for Vogue.com)

 

Close up of Alexandra's stunning earrings

(photo courtesy of Daniel Colon)

 

Saks Fifth Avenue's head personal stylist Julie Hackett Behr wore a dazzling pair of sparkling earrings

(photo by Daniel Colon)

 

My faux pearl and rhinestone dangling earrings were CH Carolina Herrera

 

Swimwear designer Elizabeth Kosich carried a beautiful multi-colored resin bag by Brazilian company, Sobral.

(photo by Daniel Colon)

 

Town & Country's Micaela English looked lovely in a plaid Carolina Herrera gown and carried a sleek Edie Parker vintage style lucite clutch.

(photo by Daniel Colon)

 

The same Edie Parker clutch from the Stanley Korshak site.

 

The open clutch sports a mirror and roomy interior, like a mini-vanity

 

 

My vintage lucite bag.  I did not carry this to the MCNY event, but wanted to show what a vintage one looks like.  This was a great find at an antiques store in the Hamptons about 12 or 13 years ago for the bargain basement price of $80.  The new versions cost several hundred to over a thousand and the best vintage ones can run several thousands of dollars, but they are rare and highly collectible.  Mine is not of the highest quality, but it is still a nice one, in great condition and I love it.

 

 

 



Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Aside from yellow being a very hot color for Spring (Accessory Generation post of February 13th ) metallics are continuing to be very popular in shoes and bags.  (I originally wrote a post on metallics on July 15th .)  Gold and silver are probably the most common, but this season we're going to be seeing a lot of colored metallics like pink, blue and chartreuse.  Also, rose gold or copper is taking center stage.  I've been seeing shoes and bags in rose gold/copper in the stores and in magazines a lot lately.  This color is a fresh take on metallics and perfect for Spring.  It's softer than gold or silver, but still versatile enough to wear day or evening, although I'd stick to sandals for daytime.  Unlike the colored metallics, which I predict will only be trendy for a season or so and are really better suited for twenty somethings, a copper colored bag or shoe is sophisticated and is going to have a longer shelf life.  Case in point:  I bought these shoes a couple of years ago during a Roger Vivier phase.  Vivier makes beautiful shoes and when I saw these I knew they were a good investment. The most unique feature about them is that the heels each have a thorn on them.  A rose gold shoe with a thorn on its "stem" ---  very clever Vivier! 

Whichever metallic you chose, just don't overdo it.  You can wear metallic shoes and a metallic bag if, and only if, the shoes are strappy sandals and the bag is a small clutch, but it's better to pick one, either shoes or a bag, not both.  And don't forget to adjust your jewelry to reflect your metallic shoes or bag.  If you're wearing silver shoes, stick with jewelry in a white metal like silver or platinum, for gold shoes yellow gold jewelry is best and rose gold shoes will go best with rose gold jewelry or copper jewelry.  But keep the jewelry minimal.  A metallic accessory will stand out on it's own.

Rose gold/copper metallic Roger Vivier shoes

 

The thorn on the heel

 

 

A pointy edge on the outside of each shoe reflects the thorn

 

Front view

Inside angle

Vintage Valentines

I loved Valentine's Day as a little girl, because my parents would always get me girlie heart themed presents.   Whatever my father would get my mother he would get me in a mini version or a different color.  I remember one year he got us both heart shaped boxes of chocolate that were really pretty colored satin with cut out black velvet overlay.  Mine was yellow, my mom's was orange.  Another year we each got a heart necklace made of ivory (this was pre-ivory ban, a ban we fully support and we no longer wear the necklaces because of what they represent.)  Mine was a much smaller heart.  My mom would buy me fun gifts, like heart stickers and notepads.  And there were lots of cute cards.  We still send them to each other, of course!   And, my pets will be getting Valentine's Day treats today in accordance family tradition.

I was thinking about all the Valentine's loot from years past and I decided to take a photo of as much of the Valentine's jewelry gifts that I could find.  I also took a photo of the Valentine themed jewelry I plan to wear this evening at a Valentine's Day party.

Clockwise from upper right:  vintage gold and diamond chip heart earrings; vintage Tiffany & Co. black onyx and gold earrings; vintage pink and purple dangling plastic hearts necklace; Cousin Claudine pink dangling glass heart necklace & bracelet; vintage Pididdily Links red enamel hearts necklace, Tiffany & Co. sterling silver Elsa Peretti open heart necklace; vintage garnet and gold bead bracelet from Saks Fifth Avenue.

 

 

For this evening I've decided to wear the cliche heart jewelry, but in white.  These pieces are vintage Joan Rivers Classics Collection.  The earrings have interchangeable hearts in black, pink or white.  I haven't worn these pieces in years, but everything old is new again!

 



Vintage Joan Rivers heart earrings, bracelet & necklace

 

 

I'd love to see if any readers have a special Valentine's Day momento, especially if it's an accessory.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  May your day, and your life, be filled with love and laughter.



Let the Sun Shine

Spring is in the air this week in NY as milder temps followed on the heels of a killer blizzard over the weekend.  We'll see how long it lasts.  In the meantime I took a stroll down 57th Street last week and did some window shopping.  From what's on display it's obvious that the hot color trends for Spring are:  black & white, metallics and bright, sunny yellow.  I absolutely love yellow.  I think it's one of the most overlooked colors in women's fashion.  Some people say it's hard to wear, but the truth is that you just have to find the right shade for your skin tone.  

A few years ago I bought an amazing pair of suede yellow sky high platforms at YSL.  I call them the Big Bird shoes and I adore them!  They are perfect for this Spring and I can't wait to wear them again once all the slush is gone from the sidewalks. 

Yellow suede YSL platforms

 

Let the sun shine....we want to go out!

 



A Gem from Barbara: Flower Power

Spring is in the air!  At least according to the groundhogs that did not see their shadows on Groundhog Day.  I'm going to be optimistic and start thinking about my Spring wardrobe and that means brighter colors, lighter fabrics and flowery accessories to add a touch of whimsy to any outfit.  Among my favorite vintage accessories are the brightly colored flower pins popular in the 1950's and 1960's.  As a child I remember looking in my mother's and grandmother's jewelry boxes and seeing lots of flower pins.  And, since we save most of our old accessories we still have them and have added a few new ones to the collection over the years.  About five years ago I was reading Departures Magazine and came across an article about Palm Springs and was very excited to see a treasure trove of vintage flower pins in the photo below:

Departures Magazine article

 

 



I've been wanting to do a post about these pins for a while and after talking to my mom (Barbara), we decided that she would make some sketches of how she remembers wearing them in the late 50's and 60's.  She remembers having a black suit with a butterscotch blouse that was featured in a Mademoiselle Magazine layout.  As an employee she was able to go to the designer's showroom and buy the suit.  She sketched a selection of our flower pins with that jacket.

 

 

Barbara's black & white 1960's vintage flower pin

 

Grandma's vintage '60's daisy pin

 

Barbara's vintage '60's pink & pearl flower pin

 

Barbara's 1990's Kenneth J. Lane goldtone flower pin

 

Barbara & Alison's 2000's Joan Rivers Classics Collection pink flower pin

 

 

 

I think she did a really good job sketching the pins. Here are the real thing with their corresponding sketches. 

 

 

 

If you love these pins as much as we do and want some of the vintage variety, they are readily available on Ebay and very inexpensive.  Flea markets are also a likely source.  Vintage stores probably have the nicest ones, but they will be a little more expensive.  But, before you rush out to go shopping, check the jewelry boxes of anyone in your family who was at least a teenager in the 1950's.  You may find an unexpected treasure right at home.  And send us the photos; we'd love to see the flower power you find!

 



 



 

•