shopping : vintage necklace

Went shopping today in the Short North area of Columbus, Ohio at the Mercantile Market.  I found this vintage necklace for $20 - I've seen this style floating around a lot on the internet (and runway) recently.

Tumblr, Pinterest

designer : alexis bittar

I received an Alexis Bittar bracelet for Christmas, the jewelry designer known for his exquisite brushed lucite pieces.  For those who are unfamiliar with his work, I thought I would post a little bit about him.

Bittar first became interested in jewelry when his parents gave him an antique piece as a gift.  After attending design school, he was asked to design a stainless steel and lucite furniture collection for the Cooper Hewitt Museum in 1996.  Thus began the lucite love affair, leading him to his contemporary line for which he is most known.  He has since then won the CFDA Accessory Designer of the Year award.  While he designs with metals and gems as well, his lucite pieces are my favorite.

My new bracelet above!

 

Fascinating, no?  The brushed lucite (which has an incredible texture like the fake ice inside the glacier/ice age section of a natural history museum) has a beautiful "fogged glass" effect.  When held up from the side, the lucite appears clear.  Yet at any angle, from the color painted on the inside of the bracelet, the lucite "glows" in that shade.  It is very intriguing.  I love the mix of soft lucite with hard metals and stones.

This is a designer I will be keeping my eye on.  His unique designs

obsession : lanyard jewelry

The friendship bracelet trend has brought back embroidery floss (traditional bracelet material) but also camping/hiking cord and ... plastic lanyard.  The result is a punchy, bright bracelet that feels modern.

 

DIY for a cool mix of leather and plastic (click image for instructions)

 More DIY (click image for instructions)

This blogger wears these in a color blocked look

I think I will be trying my hand at making one once I'm back in Cincinnati.  What an easy trend to do yourself!

obsession : bracelets piled on

Friendship bracelets have been getting more and more attention lately - but rather than looking crafty or too reminiscent of scout camping trips, they look modern, edgy and cool.  They add a pop of color and a hint of nostalgia intermixed with metal bracelets. 

 

  

Time to put on my LOFT bracelet my mom got me, mix it with the friendship bracelet my boyfriend made me, and rock the trend.

designer : frey wille

As I was unpacking a little bit this morning I reached the section of my backpack that was temporarily housing some of my jewelry, including a small navy velvet box containing a bracelet - and I realized, I do know another Austrian designer, and one that I was very surprised to not see on the list! Frey Wille (Michaela Frey) is a hugely successful jewelry designer from Austria, famous for delicate cloisonne enamel in intricate shapes and wide arrays of color. Eric bought me a clasp bracelet in the style of Gustav Klimt last summer in Vienna, and it is my favorite thing I own.


Frey Wille was represented a few weeks ago at Berlin Fashion Week, and even produced a ring for the event. The company was started in 1951 by Michaela Frey, and then later accountant and lawyer Friedrich Wille joined the picture in 1970 and the brand was born. There are over 60 boutiques in 19 countries, and the collections created are inspired by mythology or famous artists.