Bruno's Fashion Polizei

Consistency is key in the fashion world. You'll never make it with any less. I mean, "isn't fashion supposed to be all about having your own, original opinion?" I'm just saying...

WJA's "Women In the Know" Conference

On Friday, I took the day from work to attend the Women Jewelry Association's "Women In the Know" New York conference. Wow, what a motivating day! For anyone interested in joining the industry (or just need a boost of energy), the conference brought in some great speakers and topics including the following:

Susan Jacques opened the day with the inspiring story of her indirect path to becoming the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and reporting directly to her current mentor, Warren Buffett (the wealthiest billionaire in the world).

Gail Blanke, President & CEO of Lifedesigns, is a best-selling author of motivational books including "In My Wildest Dreams" & "Between Trapezes: Flying into a New Life..." which has garnered her support and appearances on shows including Oprah. Choosing only one thing to incorporate in this blog about her, I found her words on "fact" vs. "interpretation" to be the most powerful. If all of us could truly remember to separate what we read or hear (which is fact in its raw form) and not let ourselves attach a negative "interpretation" (what we think that fact means), we could all be so productive and uninhibited in our efforts to freshly approach each day.

Debbie Goldstein of Triad Consulting & Harvard University's teaching team did an excellent interactive discussion on how to negotiate. More importantly, she focused on showing us how to alter your definition of "winning" - let "winning" be something for your opponent so that you can both win together and get the best possible outcome.

Bryan Dodge, Professional Speaker and Coach, finished the lectures of the day with a speech focusing on how to balance your personal and business life capitalizing on your best qualities. He had a few great recommendation and quotes for the day, but I thought I'd choose to share the following: "Good people appreciate what they have before they lose it, average people appreciate what they have after they lose it."

Lastly, we had some wonderful networking opportunities, a recognition ceremony of amazing women, and a moderated discussion panel of women in the industry. We even enjoyed breakout sessions on being a sole proprietor & entrepreneur, growing a designer jewelry business, entering the luxury market, dealing with both sexes in the office, and creating a public relations buzz for your line. Overall, a truly motivating, energizing, and great day to enjoy being in the jewelry industry and part of the women's jewelry association!

Christian Made It Work

Whitney's Words:
Guest Blogging from Whitney McGeary at Wendy Culpepper!

I am a Project Runway addict which is why it was the chance of a lifetime to see the finale runway show at Bryant Park during Fashion Week! It was surreal to be amongst the designers from past seasons, my personal favorites Allison and Michael Knight from Season 3, celebrities, models, and the press! I was in the loop, something that never happens, about everything from the guest judge, to the collections and the attendees! If only I could have heard Tim Gunn say, "Make it work", my experience would have been complete!

SCORING FROM THE FIFTH JUDGE...ME

Christian: I have one word for Christian's Collection...Fierce! There really is no other way to describe it. His looks were dramatic and made for the runway. Although I do have to admit his collection was for the size 00 model rather than the average, everyday woman. And I think he could use a little color in his life!



Jillian: I could definitely tell she had a background working for Ralph Lauren...from the knits, to the hats, and riding pants! Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of Jillian but Nina Garcia hit the nail on the head when she said there was no unity. It was hard to see how a gold dress fit with the theme of sweaters and winter coats.

Rami: My personal favorite was Rami. I could picture myself wearing everything from the collection. You can tell he really takes into account the form of a woman and thinks about a woman's body before designing. Pant suits, cocktail dresses, gowns, and skits with blouses...He had it all!


LOST FOOTAGE

Although they didn't make it to the finale, I was still able to see Sweet Pea's and Chris' collections. Every year they have all five of them show at Bryant Park so the people in the audience don't know who actually made it to the final show. This way they can't spoil it for everyone else. Personally, I thought it made for a much better show!

Chris: Although he was creative with his use of human hair and black safety pins it wasn't my idea of high fashion. I think his costume background got in the way a little too much. Chris would defintely be the first person I call for my annual Halloween party though! Check out Chris' full collection here

Sweet Pea: Her collection was a lot like her designs on the show...not great but not horrible enough to get her kicked off. She had some cute cocktail dresses but nothing that wowed me. Check out Sweet Pea's collection here

Kaboodle It... And not like we all did in the 80s!

FASHION FLASH - another amazing website: Kaboodle.com. You'll want to Kaboodle everything you can find online!

I know what you're thinking - since when did those old make-up suitcases we all had in the late 80s & early 90s make a comeback? Well, as far as I know, they haven't. Luckily, we've all laid off the eyeliner and realized there was no need for a Caboodle tackle box to maintain our beauty.

Now, there is a new Kaboodle in town that we can't live without. You can use it to create an online shopping list, community wish list, an advice poll on what to buy (no need to drag your poor boyfriend down to the dressing room anymore), do direct online buying, find gift ideas, and so much more!

After you download the quick toolbar that will allow you to just "kaboodle" anything you see online, you've created your first shopping list. Make friends and invite others online to see what you're buying... then go steal their fabulous finds! You can even submit a poll to the community to help choose what you should buy, what trip you should take, or settle any debate you're having. Let others tell you what to do and save the wishy-washy fashion debates for later. Then you can use that extra time to figure out what else you should be buying and adding to your wishlist - maybe a little designer jewelry anyone?

Gift Ideas

Bridging the Jewelry Terms Gap... Bridge, Contemporary, Designer, Fashion, and more

We're always fielding questions about what makes us "designer jewelry." Is it really just a term for the pricing a company puts on their product? No, it's definitely not a pricing scheme (although a few might abuse it). These terms have all been developed and evolved to fill a niche in the market that will describe all the different types of designs entering the fashion field.

Fine, Fashion, Bridge, Contemporary, Designer... Stop the madness!

THE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES OF JEWELRY...

Fine Jewelry: Precious metals - Fine Jewelry does not necessarily guarantee you a certain quality, but when properly used, it should refer to Platinum, 18K Gold, 14K Gold, and rarely Sterling Silver. Any assortment of diamonds and precious gemstone settings can be associated with Fine Jewelry.

Bridge Jewelry: Bridging the gap between Fine Jewelry and Costume Jewelry... Bridge is often sterling silver with semi-precious stones as opposed to the gold and precious stones of Fine Jewelry or the faux materials of Costume Jewelry.

Costume Jewelry: Brass, Bronze, Copper, Tin, White Metals - Costume Jewelry is made with anything inexpensive except gold or silver (unless it's a flash plating) and set with glass (crystal), plastic, and faux stones.

NEW "SPIN-OFF" TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN CATEGORIES:

Designer Jewelry: This is an often debated and misused term. Designer Jewelry is defined by a stylistic quality that can be identified with an artist evolving with time. Unlike a manufacturer's line which could be following any trend or being designed by multiple people, a designer line has a certain continuity that also has an artistic quality. In the fashion industry, designers are normally granted this title by being juried (with an industry based panel) into special "designer" sections at tradeshows. In recent years, many people are now misusing that label to claim a more fashionable look with their line or just calling themselves a "designer" as that trend is growing.

Designer-Inspired Jewelry: Wow, I can't even believe I'm giving space to this, but begrudgingly, I will if for no other reason than to tell everyone why it frustrates designers everywhere!! It is exactly what you think - someone lacking creativity thought it would be easier to be "inspired," a.k.a replicate (possibly using lower quality materials) , designs from someone else in the industry. They are able to also offer it at lower prices because not only does the quality often go down, but there was no design time, no product development, no models, no creativity!

Contemporary Jewelry: This term is often found in the "designer jewelry" industry, but it is truly defined by modern, artistic design that fits in the "contemporary" art world.

Fashion Jewelry: A really nice way to say we make "slightly more expensive" costume jewelry, but we think the term has a bad rap. This term gained a lot of popularity after many mainstream designer clothing brands began adding jewelry to their lines and larger department stores wanted to give a new label to these products that were more fashion forward than past costume pieces.


Happy Shopping! Put your terms to the test and go show everyone all the new knowledge you have (and no more letting anyone claim they are something more than they are!)....

And the Oscar Goes To...

Whitney's Words:
Guest Blogging from Whitney McGeary at Wendy Culpepper!

I don't know about you but I find the Red Carpet to be the most exciting part about the Academy Awards. The actual ceremony is actually a bit boring. We get it...No Country for Old Men was a good movie even though I still have no desire to see it. Watching celebs walk down the "runway", you get to give away the awards and be the judge of the good, the bad, and the ugly...

Ladies in red seemed to be the theme of the night. Heidi Klum, Miley Cyrus, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigel, and Ruby Dee lead the way in this trend with their radiant red gowns! And not only was Heidi Klum one of the best dressed, she was also supporting The Heart Truth Campaign to raise awareness for Women's Heart Health. Look good while helping a great cause!

Another trend of the night seemed to be baby bumps. I guess I missed the memo on that one! Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, and Nicole Kidman were all sporting their pregnant bellies. All had that certain motherly glow and wore dresses that complimented their current state. Although, I do have to admit that Nicole's bling was a bit overwhelming and was way too distracting!

And the Oscars go to...Jennifer Garner, Heidi Klum, Kerri Russell, and Cameron Diaz! Jennifer Garner looked absolutely stunning in her black Oscar de la Renta dress! Her hair, makeup, jewelry and dress were perfection! Heidi Klum also stole the show in her red Galliano dress! She looked beautiful...whoever wins that dress is one lucky girl. Another one of my favorites was Kerri Russell. Her beauty is so simplistic and effortless! She looked very vintage and classic in her champagne-colored strapless dress. Last but certainly not least was Cameron Diaz. Although she could have done something with her hair, Cameron Diaz also took home the prize of best dressed! I thought she had an angelic look to her from the color of her dress to her make-up.

"What were they thinking" goes to...Tilda Swinton and Daniel Day-Lewis' wife! Who let them leave the house looking like that?? Tilda Swinton looked like a man in her loosely constructed dress, wearing no make-up. She shouldn't have won the Oscar looking like that. I think Daniel Day Lewis' wife takes the cake though! That dress was absolutely hideous and those shoes!!! At least her husband looked just as bad!