TRIPLE HEADER
InStyle Magazine thinks one adventurous way of making a statement is with a pair of triple drop earrings – whether they be made up of polished gems or more organic shapes. Triple the stones = triple the fun…
We tend to think that one should choose either a statement earring or a necklace, so as not to have a riot on one’s hands (though “no rules” is still the rule). Long and significant earrings are as perfect peeking out of a loose hairstyle as they are sitting front and center with an updo. Not to mention that when you’re wearing a complicated or high neckline where a necklace just wouldn’t do, the ear is where it’s at, so it’s good to have a solid statement earring in your repertoire. Here’s our favorite option for a classic triple – we take ours with hard edges and loads of sparkle:
What do you think? Do you go for star-of-the-show earrings?
VINTAGE VENDREDI: Bracelets
Recently, we’ve been seeing fashion editors featuring vintage and vintage-inspired pieces as great accessories to modern looks recently. Brides Magazine has joined in on the action, recommending sparkly stacks of vintage-inspired bracelets as festive accessories for wedding guests and brides alike. That being said, we see nothing wrong with wearing one of these every day of the week:
We love the decadent deco look of a wrist full of sparkle, and even a single statement piece. It’s easy to achieve by curating your own little grouping at the flea market, or from old and tired pieces that you no longer wear, but might be made into a fresh statement when worn all together. Need help finding some new/old pieces to freshen things up? Here are some great pieces from our new Curated Vintage collection:
Thinking about trying it? Here’s how Women’s Wear Daily styled some of our Curated Vintage bracelets, including the gold and rhinestone piece above (which also has a matching necklace):
Do you have a favorite piece of vintage that you work into your daily looks? Or do you save it for special occasions only?
THE CRITICS’ CHOICE IS IN
We love a good showing on the red carpet, and were really impressed by some of the summer ready choices at Monday night’s Critics’ Choice TV Awards. Some great shows and actors took home accolades (Zachary Quinto, Elizabeth Moss, and “The Daily Show” were among the winners), but clearly the award for best bag went to the Amanda Pearl Roll Clutch. Miranda Cosgrove, a presenter at the ceremony, was first up, giving her pale pleated eyelet lace dress some edge with our new “Halo” Holographic Scales clutch:
Meanwhile, “Southland” star Regina King chose to set off her sorbet paillette dress with the crisp-but-cool slate duchess satin “Sally” Roll Clutch from our Permanent Collection:
And finally, “Oz: The Great and Powerful” actress Abigail Spencer went for classic black with another satin choice from the Permanent Collection, the “Ginny” clutch:
We think one of the reasons the Roll Clutch is such a great style for the red carpet – or any evening event – is that while it’s an elegant shape and proportion for any look, you can fit comparatively a lot in it: phone (including an iPhone or Blackberry), makeup, keys, credit card, Tic-Tacs, even a small camera – no problem. After all, a modern girl shouldn’t have to scrimp on these necessities for a glam night out!
Which look was your favorite from the Critics’ Choice TV Awards?
BROCADE for BHLDN
We love browsing bridal magazines and coming up with decor and celebration ideas (even though neither of us is planning a wedding!), which is why Amanda was really excited to start collaborating with BHLDN earlier this year on some accessories for the wedding. The result was a range of guest books and lipstick cases made from some of the vintage metallic brocades that Amanda has collected over the years whenever she finds one that’s just too much of a gem to pass up.
It seems that you all liked them too because BHLDN came calling for more! As the fabrics are vintage finds, each production run results in limited editions, so we got to go hunt for some more unique textiles. For guest books, Amanda looks for chic, well-made brocades that will stand up to being passed around at a wedding party and thumbed through for years afterwards, as well as a bit of metallic sparkle, of course! Without further ado, we present the new selection of gold-infused floral styles, ready for your summer weddings:
Head on over to BHLDN.com to get one of these limited gems, before they’re all gone…!
LES VOYAGES DE LOUIS VUITTON
It’s tough to feel chic slogging through airports these days, but if you’re lucky enough to be toting your holiday wardrobe in a matched set of “LV” luggage (how we’d love to be able to include that in our #30daysofmonograms series!) then you’re probably managing it. We loved this cool “x-ray” image of everything you can fit in to two of their classic carry-ons, designed in the 1930s:
Vuitton has been making luggage for well-heeled travelers for far longer than that, however, and some pieces hark back to something more glamorous than commercial air travel (think the fabled Orient Express!). One of our favorites was this image of a trunk from the turn of the century, which demonstrates how a lady’s large Victorian gowns and necessary personal effects could be accommodated without destroying the all-important structure of the clothes:
Of course the modern traveler, without a personal valet, will probably find this (with wheels!) a bit more practical:
LV luggage isn’t solely for toting your clothes and things to and from exotic locales, though. This early iteration of compact camping gear was essential for European explorers looking for lost treasure (stylish even in the deserts of Egypt!)
The company is still doing cool things with trunks, but they’ve managed to raise their game. The camping cot was the late 1800s, this is the current millenium:
Now, that’s GLAMping.
[All images from Louis Vuitton's Histoires magazine.]
AP CURATED VINTAGE
There are a lot of exciting new additions in the works here at Amanda Pearl! We were thrilled to recently announce our new Swarovski monogramming for Permanent Collection Roll Clutches. Now we want to talk about another fab new offering from Amanda Pearl, one that has allowed us to amass a covetable collection of sparkle in the studio: our new Curated Vintage collection!
Amanda’s aesthetic for her original jewelry designs references vintage glamour and detail with modern lines and practicality. Gobstopper Pearl necklaces reference Mrs. Kennedy’s signature style, vintage crystal pieces sparkle like big old sparklers pulled from opulent chandeliers, and vintage brocades bring a bit of old-world luxury to clutches. Amanda has long enjoyed collecting vintage jewelry to accessorize her own wardrobe. There’s great pleasure in the treasure hunt throughout funky vintage shops and flea markets, and in seeing how an old piece brings new life to your closet.
The new curated collection of favorite vintage pieces hand-selected by Amanda includes a broad range of styles: bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and brooches – including a few matching sets!
Shopping vintage has a few special advantages, in our view. One, you’re unlikely to ever run into someone wearing the same thing. Two, a vintage piece is far more interesting of a conversation starter. Think of the things a vintage piece has seen! Feel free to make up some good, juicy stories. Three, having stood the test of time, you know you’re wearing something with quality craftsmanship. Four, it’s versatile – you probably couldn’t take your Cartier diamonds (if only!) out to the movie theatre, but you can definitely pair your vintage rhinestones with a nice blouse and be picnic-in-the-park ready, or put them with your little black dress and head to a fancy dinner party.
We’re really excited about this new collection from AP and hope you’ll take a gander. Be sure to check back, as the collection will be in constant rotation as new acquisitions are made!
To celebrate the news, we’re launching #30DaysOfVintage tomorrow on Instagram, and hope you’ll play along!
WED-SPIRATION: Tie it in a Bow
Another gorgeous “Stylist” page from Brides Magazine, this time for the bride that loves a good bow:
Our favorite item is the delicate bow-drop Swarovski earring, but we love the whole presentation, with luxurious satins and sorbet hues. After all, a bow usually means a present, so shouldn’t they be in happy colors? Here’s how Amanda Pearl puts a bow on it:
Many Amanda Pearl necklaces are designed with adjustable ribbon ties, not just because we like the look, but because of the practicality of being able to change the length of the necklace to suit the neckline of whatever you’re wearing that day. Though we (almost!) always show them tied in the back, they can also be tied to show the ribbon adorning the front, when you’re feeling particularly girly and in the mood for a good bow.
Check out the other themed “Stylist” pages that we loved enough to pull and tell us: do you like Marilyn and the bows, Audrey’s pearls, or Ginger Rogers-inspired feathers?
JUNE!
June is upon us again, as well as some seriously hhhhhot weather here in NYC. That means it’s time for our favorite birthstone of the lot – it’s PEARL month! Time to kick it into high gear with our #putapearlonit campaign. Over to you, Elizabeth Taylor…
We’re thinking that decadently draping yourself in lots and lots of pearls is the right attitude. After all, the world is your oyster! So, for the June-babies in your life, our picks are:
Self-gifting is, of course, encouraged.
CANNES DO
We look at a lot of red carpet photos, so maybe we’re a bit jaded and easily bored by the onslaught of sameness. Given that the theme of this year’s Met Ball was “PUNK”, for example, we were surprised at how safe most of the looks were. Snooze…. The red carpet looks we spied at the Cannes Film Festival this year, however, certainly woke us up and got us excited about the red carpet again! We really had to work to hone our lists of looks we loved in order to avoid this one post taking over the whole blog. Bright colors, exciting textures and materials, lots of glamour, guts, and gems galore – and a dash of Amanda Pearl, of course – what more could we ask for?!
First up, the dress we have to have, the look that’s in perfect balance:
At the premiere of her film “Fruitvale Station,” Melonie Diaz chose an Emilio Pucci gown in a brilliant shade of royal blue. It looks perfectly light and easy to wear in the South of France clime, with just enough tailoring to keep it sharp and chic. Combined with the stunning color (it’s hard to find, but we think the right bright blue can be just as head-turning as red!) we think this is the perfect look for this glamorous event on the Mediterranean – both for the red carpet, and the seaside after party. Taking it over the top, Melonie accessorized with a subtly sparkling black “Stanwyck” Octo Clutch from Amanda Pearl! A+!
Next: two ladies who were picture-perfect in Dior…
While maintaining her devotion to simplicity, it was still a new look for Carey Mulligan, who rarely wears her hair down or noticeable makeup like the bright-red lip. Her look was both delicately feminine and and stunningly strong. Nicole Kidman – here in our favorite look of hers – was in top form at every one of her red-carpet appearances. We would have given her a different hair ‘do, but this dress… This dress! Amanda is 100% obsessed with this floral number. Ms. Kidman definitely needs one of these to go with:
Freida Pinto also had two looks that caught our eye:
The bright pink Gucci made Malin’s list, especially because of that amazing embellished belt, while Amanda loved the sparkling metallic Sanchita dress.
They always say that wearing red on the red carpet is tricky to pull off, but there were a number of ladies in red who we thought looked great:
Dita von Teese in Elie Saab Haute Couture was a favorite of Amanda’s (and, pro that Dita is, she made matchy matchy look amazing); Amanda and Malin both listed Audrey Tautou in Prada, and Malin also thought Isla Fischer in Oscar de la Renta (and her easy breezy beachy hair!) as well as Bond girl Olga Kurylenko deserved a mention.
While Nicole Kidman topped our list with her floral Dior Haute Couture look, another two actresses went two completely opposite directions with blooms:
Mila Jovovich was sleek and mod in Chanel Haute Couture (Amanda’s pick), while Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor was très belle in a ball gown, wearing Dolce & Gabbana (Malin’s selection).
Three more faves:
Sara Forestier (center) wore a sculptural Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, with painterly black on white embellishment. We loved the movement of the feathery appliqué on Solange Knowles’ delicate Stephane Rolland Couture gown (right). Naomie Harris (left) wore a jaw-dropping shimmery liquid-metal Calvin Klein Collection gown. The dedicated reader may recall that Jennifer Lawrence wore a similar dress by the same house to the Vanity Fair Oscar party, which Amanda picked as one of her favorites then, too. While we adore Naomie’s look, we think the reflective clutch takes away from the star of the show, and would have paired something a bit more restrained:
We close with a special section entitled “Where Were You at the Met Ball?!”, to highlight a few actresses who took major red carpet risks, whose attitude was needed at this year’s event at the Met:
L to R: Laetitia Casta in Dior, Tilda Swinton in Haider Akermann, and Li Yuchun in Gareth Pugh
We all know that Tilda Swinton could knock our socks off dressing for just about any Met Ball theme – New York Magazine‘s fashion blog even suggests that she should be the theme. What do you think of these looks? We know they’re a bit out there – golden wings, a devil matador – but we appreciate the spirit.
What were your favorite looks from Cannes this year?
WED-SPIRATION: Encyclopedia Botanica
Summer has arrived in New York and we’re enjoying bringing a few stems of our favorite fragrant flowers, lilies, to adorn the AP headquarters. It’s the perfect solution to the pesky remaining grey and rainy spring days, and just the ticket to get us in the mood for summer.
While we’re on the subject, we loved all the colors and textures in this floral primer from Brides Magazine. Click on each page to enlarge – it lists the alternate colors of each flower, gives ideas for how to use, and notes if they’re really difficult to get at a particular time of year.
If your wedding party is game to help you, ordering flowers in bulk online or buying them at a farmers’ market and making the arrangements yourself can save you a lot of money and be a lot of fun. One doesn’t need to get fussy with the arrangements (or be particularly experienced) when one has gobs of gorgeously colored stems, and one can’t go wrong with masses of a few different types of blooms. Hence, we hope that this might serve as a good guide for DIY-ers to know their floral options, whether making their “picks” (so to speak) by color or season.
Which are your favorite floral combinations? Do you prefer arrangements made from all of one color scheme? Or do you like to mix it up?