3/6-7 trunk show: the lonely (somewhat frantic) doll

lucky for me with a nyc snow day i got to pop into the whitney biennial with hardly anyone there. i found two pieces memorable; that's two more than last biennial--unless we count my countless references to the "art" that was a bunch of 2 by 4's. i did get a lot of mileage out of that piece even at the cost of repeatedly exposing my lack of sophistication. don't hate me because i love paintings; luckily, i'm not the only one: roberta smith has my back. one piece was a film with mall of america as main character and snapshots entitled "marine wedding" by nina berman. the film had a film within film part juxtaposing glamorized, bloodless military imagery with the "best" of made-in china america. is it about a sense of cultural superiority and being in the right to deliver popified values and stuff to the world? anyway, that combined with the very sad piece by berman made me think.

although i haven't posted in eons, i've been making arrangements as well as hunting and tagging vintage jewelry for my first ever trunk show on the weekend of March 6 and 7 (10am to 6pm each day) at the central park south location of exhale spa. hope ya'll can drop by to say hi, give me feedback on the setup and selections, etc. or, if you'd like to talk food, fashion or film (dance/ballet, photography, and/or what's happening to d.mamet--anyone else see his last two plays--???), come by! i got a little overexcited (de rigueur for me), and spent hours looking for the perfect "gift with purchase" item, tiny paper jewelry tags, business cards, postcards, and tiny ziplocs for each piece. each print job took two rounds (must be perfect!): zazzle and 4over4 took my quest for "just so" in stride (apparently, i'm not the only type a in nyc). i'm still waiting for one reprint... darn snow!

here are photos of some of items that will be in the show, either on the table or on me. above is an antique magnifying glass (very georg jensen--great style, though the prices are pretty scary $660-1500 silver bracelets? that's not fun!) to read silver markings. i'm having a bit of an issue because i want everything i got to offer. that either means everything only appeals to me or, in the best light, that it's a "collection" with a unified point of view.... these include a lot of mexican siver, tiffany's, vintage american silver pieces, some scandinavian, some native american pieces and i'll have vintage costume pieces too. lots of mix and match for the pile it on look i love. my style is very plain, tailored clothing plus an assortment of either chunky silver or layers of more delicate pieces (chains, charms and narrow ribbons--satin and grosgrain).

this post was originally about the dc big flea show i went to month or so ago. if you're in the dc area, it's on again march 6 & 7. my sense of that last show was that folks were not as open to discounting as they had been over the previous couple of shows. i've been going there for over 10 years and have a few dealers i love (and trust) for fine jewelry (my weaknesses: deco pieces and 19th century english fobs and signets). here's some of the things i've collected over the past few years--all for a veritable nickel; with the right dealer, fine jewelry can be less expensive than costume, oddly. deco 20 carat aquamarine:

antique english watch fobs and chains (i wear them all together in a suite):

antique english and american signets plus college ring...

watch fobs, continued. hope everyone is cozy and warm. query du blog: why do folks go on and on about the meyer lemon? i find it lacking in yummy, puckering acid. have i only had the plato's cave version?

peace out, flatsie, aka, the lonely doll

3/6-7 trunk show: the lonely (somewhat frantic) doll

new year's for nerds

i decided to immerse myself in the legal and business end of fashion over holiday break: i read three books: fashion law; the fashion designer survival guide; and how to start a home-based jewelry making business. the first book is very comprehensive and pretty technical--great for lawyers and fashion folks shopping for, or spending money on, lawyers (caveat emptor--read before you spend $500 an hour); it lays out the basic business structure and the legal issues faced by fashion design businesses in the creation, manufacturing and distribution of product, including considerations in the start up phase and overseas manufacturing. the survival guide is also a terrific resource written by mary gehlhar, the fashion division director of gen art, and i'd start here unless you're already very familiar with the fashion business in the united states. the third book, by marie loughran, about starting a home-based jewelry making business is really excellent--thorough and very readable.

all this was extra fun because i read these to and fro san francisco for the holidays, and in addition to the stunning physical landscape of northern california, it's ground zero for wonderful food and excellent vintage stores and fashion finds. first, skip the berkeley flea market (it's just scary and had fewer that 10 vendors of new-ish junk). head over to bill's trading post at 2945 college avenue instead; that's where i found the awesome 60s 0r 70's scandinavian enamel and silver ring (marked and signed, from finland) pictured above. also, the vintage and consignment stores on north main in walnut creek about 20-30 minutes from berkeley are worth the trip, including labels designer resale boutique which is wonderfully organized and chockful of well-priced, top of the line things old and new. and go to downtown san francisco at union square, for the first u.s. boutique for the parisian line, cop. copine. like paule ka who i can't get enough of (who doesn't love being continually stopped in the street to be told that you look stylish? happens everytime i where any pk item), the look is classic with detailed twists, very wearable and the boutique has a gorgeous, delicate but structured line of hand-made jewlery by another designer.

last but not least, try a new fruit. how about a delicious pomelo which is what a grapefruit should taste like if it had a conscience. it's not without tangy acid, but lacks bitterness and is much more predictably delicious by comparison. don't be put off by the gi-normous size; there's quite a bit of pith so it's not as big as it seems once peeled; besides isn't sharing yummy fruit with a friend the best? :0)

peace out, flatsie

ps my first fahion icon, my sister janine, and me in our pyjamas for our olan mills photo shoot

new year's for nerds