Style Spy DIY -- Shimmy, Shimmy

Last month, in a post about fun, fabulous necklaces, I showed you this:

Which I really, really, reeeeeeeally loved, but which was selling for a cool 600 samoleons. That? Is excessive. It's on sale now, for 30% off and ya know what? Still excessive. That is just too damn much money for some fringe.

I'm having a fringe moment. I've been having a fringe moment since I saw Raf Simon's Fall 09 show for Jil Sander last spring, which featured, among many, many breathtaking garments, items like this:

and this:

I'm not alone here -- there's a LOT of fringe happening in accessories and clothing this fall, and I predict we're going to be seeing it for a while to come. I love fringe like this because I love movement. I'm not talking short, stubby little fringes like at the bottom of some little girl's tap dance recital outfit. But these long, silky, shiny fringes? Make me nuts. I've always loved, as I've mentioned here before, a good shimmy dress. So, that necklace was really speaking to me. Crying out to me, even. Although, honestly, the $600 cry of the Fringe Siren was not all that hard to resist. Even I can't justify that kind of madness.

So? I made it myself.

(Omigod, do you see what I meant the other day about needing a haircut?? GAH!!!)

And I am pretty darned pleased with the results. This is one layer of fringe, attached to a neckband that I tied in the back. It is so much fun, I can hardly stand it. (Although be careful eating soup!) And even more versatile than I thought it was going to be. I wore it out Saturday night and the lovely Miss A pointed out that I cold do other things with it -- like knot it into a giant tassel:

(Tassels are also going to be big this fall, I think.)

And that got me to thinking -- I could play around with some jewelry, too! Here it is with a rhinestone hair clip:

and a sweet little vintage rhinestone pin in the shape of a bow.

Black is handy, but Style Spy likes her some color. And since I am still having my purple moment...

Voila! This one is two layers of fringe, with the top layer trimmed to be a little shorter. It's a denser look

but in some ways maybe not so versatile, because I won't be able to tie it and fix jewelry to it as easily without the shorter layer working loose. If you'll notice, the Kiki deMontparnasse necklace at the top of the page has a silver choker that the fringe is attached to. I thought about trying to come up with something like this, but for the prototype I just decided to attach it to grosgrain ribbon. And boy am I glad that I did, because a glass of wine or so later I came up with this idea:

Woo-hoo! I tied it around the waist of my bandage skirt to create an instant, removable fringe overlay. (Well, part of an overlay -- it doesn't go all the way around, of course.) The black on black is hard to see (you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them), so here it is with the purple:



Here I channel my Inner Joan Holloway and do the twist. I'm really kind of excited about this. I think I might make one to go all the way around my waist, creating an instant convertible shimmy skirt to put over any number of things. But I also like the black one only on one side -- it's funky in that way I like.

Like I said, I'm extremely pleased with this one all around. I wore the black one out for drinks this Saturday, here's how it looked:

Teamed with black capris, Marni sandals, a vintage Lanvin bangle (insanely lucky vintage store find) and, approriately, a Jil Sander top. Which is ever so marvelous.

Simons works mostly in neutrals, but he usually throws in a few good pops of color for every collection. This top is from Spring 08, which had a little more color than usual and showed a lot of this delicious sherbet orange and hot pink. See the little hot pink bit on the back? The front of the sweater is orange, the back is pink, and the capelet is attached at the sides & neck so that the pink flashes when you move. It's pretty fabulous. It's finally cooling off a bit and so I can wear this -- it's silk & cashmere and was not appropriate for 103º, even though sleeveless.

How come when the other fashion bloggers do cool model-y poses they look great, but when I do it I just look silly? So unfair. Also, again with the haircut-needing. I look like a poodle the AKC refuses to register...

I'm going to make some more of these fringe-y items, and I might even open myself a little Etsy store. If you think you'd like some fringe of your own, send me an e-mail and we'll talk turkey. (Note: I'm not going to charge you $600. I'm probably going to charge you about $25. So you could buy several colors and still come out ahead.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some shimmyin' to do...


Images: Style Spy

Bauble-ing Along

Last weekend I wore my new Kenneth Jay Lane Garden Flower pendant to a party.

(IT'S ON SALE!! Click for link!!)

Not only did it make me smile, it made lots of other people smile, as well. I lost track of how many people mentioned & complimented it. The only thing better than wearing something that makes you happy is wearing something that makes other people happy, as well. I just felt like Little Mary Sunshine walking around with my fab little sparkly thang. Everyone should have a few pieces in her jewelry wardrobe that produce this feeling. So I hunted down a few suggestions for you.

Fabulously over the top, as we expect from Cavalli.

So cheerful, feminine without being girly, sweet without being cutesy. Love this.

That is one cheery little amphibian.

Be prepared for everyone you meet to comment on your neckwear if you're out & about in this. Bet you lose count of how many people say, "That is SO COOL!'' I am crazy about this, crazymadbonkersinlove.

How often do you get to wear a tassel when you're not graduating from something. (Or performing burlesque?) Festive!

Same idea, lower price point. Equally groovy.

What a fun, colorful collection of beads & baubles & trinkets.

I am NUTS about this. They want $600 for it. I smell a DIY coming on.

Multi-colored, multi-sized, fun faux gems. I'm also mad for this -- all the colors & sparkle & asymmetry are right in my wheelhouse. Great piece.

This looks like candy. Yum.


Lots of yum -- loads of pieces around that are humorous & interesting and can completely change up an outfit with the click of a clasp. Is it just me, or has costume jewelry gotten really good in the last couple of years? I've never really been much of one for so-called "fine jewelry." Sure, there are a lot of beautiful things out there, and I won't say I've never clicked through the Cartier website and sighed repeatedly, but with a few exceptions I honestly prefer big, fun, fake stuff. If you made the sorts of things I like out of actual gems, they'd be gaudy & vulgar; but if they're obviously costume they're a fashion statement, not just bad taste or a desire to advertise your personal wealth. I don't like bitsy jewelry, so little dangly diamonds (or cubic zirconias) just don't do it for me. Gimme a big honkin' piece of lucite any day.

How about you guys? What's your poison, jewelry-wise?

Longer But Still Sweet

Many thanks to alert reader Alexis W for her advice to hit Etsy in search of a version of the KJL necklace that wouldn't set me back 300 samoleons.

I have to admit not yet having really explored the Etsy thing. I have maintained a foolish prejudice against "handmade jewelry," associating it with those itsy, sparkly, cheap beaded whatsits you see by the truckload at every crafts show you've ever been to. I am happy to admit I'm wrong about that -- not that there isn't plenty of what is basically meaningless jewelry made from cheap bits of plastic on there, but there is also a LOT of really amazing stuff. Ferinstance:

How much fun is that? (Click on photos of all this great stuff to be taken to their internet homes, where you can buy them out from under me.)

This? Is amaaaaaazing. It's not exactly what I'm looking for, I really want something with a lot of color, not so much sparkle, but still. Amaaaazing.

Most of this artist's really fab stuff seems to be "reserved," which I think is a cruel tease! From what I gather, she's making them for specific clients, but it seeing them makes me want all of them!

LOVE the colors here. This is fabulous and getting close to what I'm after.

This has more of a "Victorian romantic" feel than I'm looking for, but it's just so pretty!

This one has the more modern feeling that appeals to me, but I want more than one color. Plus, silver. Not so much with the silver.

Again, a much more vintage-y than what I'm hunting, but the ribbon roses are so sweet!

This is coming very close to hitting the mark perfectly, although I'm still holding out for something that's just a full spectrum of colors, rather than arranged in a color theme. Pretty fantastic, though.

Very pretty, although, again, a more Victorian than I want.

This really isn't at all what I'm looking for, but it made my jaw drop open & I felt compelled to show it to you.

Cloisonné & crystal. Really, really spectacular. Seriously, someone should buy this.

::thud::

It just occurred to me that this might be what my black McQueen needs. (That way I wouldn't have to borrow Daphne's. Because I never can get hold of her, doncha know.) Oh, dear...

A lot of this work isn't cheap (although not as expensive as the KJL), but I don't mind that. It takes a lot of time & effort to source & create stuff like this, and let's face it, the KJL pieces are probably made in some factory somewhere by people who aren't paid nearly enough. (I don't know this for a fact, and my googling has not given me the answer, but anyone who produces in that kind of volume is probably doing it overseas.) And truthfully, now that I've seen these, I'm perfectly content NOT to have the KJL -- I don't like it nearly so well as some of the others on this page. So while I haven't snapped up one of these fantastic pieces yet, it's likely I will at some point in the future. And I haven't even looked at the rings & cuffs these folks are making -- oh, that's going to cause me to spend a bunch of time hunched over my little square screen. I have a sneaking suspicion that the world of Etsy has just claimed another victim.

So, thanks, Alexis!

I think...