haute chicks - love erin designs

Today's Haute Chick is my good friend Erin Johnson of Love Erin Designs. Not only does she have a great name, but she makes amazingly clever and fun jewelry that's simultaneously edgy and easy to wear. And did I mention she's beautiful and has great style? It's true - you can see for yourself on her blog, Work With What You've Got. All these things combined would kind of make you hate her a little bit if she weren't so damn cool. Which she is.

So as you can tell I love Erin, now let's let the designer herself tell you about Love Erin:

"I started out making jewelry for myself. I was frustrated with the lack of interesting and affordable jewelry created with quality materials. At the time there was no Etsy yet, and it seemed to me that all of the really clever pieces were way out of my price range. So I bought some pliers and some wire and beads and started making things for myself. As a result, my jewelry is always priced for the everyday girl. The girl who likes to be able to accessorize without breaking the bank, but who is not willing to sacrifice style for price.

turquoise bird necklace, $35

"When I make a piece of jewelry, and then see that jewelry accenting someone else life, I cannot describe the thrill. I was once at a party, and a guest I didn’t know walked in wearing a piece I made, and I was so excited. I walked right up to her and said “I made that!”. And then I made a friend! I've also seen pictures of people at parties, or on holidays wearing my things and it just really excites me.

razor blade bracelet, $27

"I really believe in the handmade movement and for every dollar I make at Etsy, I put as much back into Etsy as I can. I get supplies there, as well as jewelry handmade by other artists (Haute Hardware is a favorite of mine!), clothes, handbags and more. I love that for the most part Etsy sellers tend to have good feedback. It’s not just a shopping destination, it’s a community. "

shark vertebrae necklace, $35

peruvian opal hoops, $20

Thank you Erin for sharing your story, and for spreading the Etsy love!

skirted

I've been lusting after these Miu Miu ruffled spectators since they came out, oh, a couple years ago or so. By some stroke of luck I scored these off of eBay for a decent price, so they are finally mine!

shoes & bag: Miu Miu, top: Martin + Osa, skirt: Tahari, belt: thrifted, bracelet: my grandma, earrings: F21


Rod bought me this sweet bow top on a shopping trip for his birthday. He got some stuffs too, though, so it's okay. :)

(I look angry in these pics - I'm really not)

top: BCBG, skirt: Isaac Mizrahi, shoes: Ciao Bella, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, bracelets: random silver cuffs

frocks

Some recent frocks - this first one is a vintage find from eBay, and it used to have long sleeves. They were made of a thin, almost paper-like fabric, and because it was old & brittle it kept splitting in various places. So it actually sat in my closet for ages, until I finally took it to the tailor to have the sleeves removed. Et voila:

dress: vintage/eBay, bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs, shield necklace: Haute Hardware (will post this style to the shop this week), shades: Laura Biagiotti, flips: Old Navy

Today I'm wearing this Mara Hoffman dress. The only thing I don't love about it is the fact that I need to pin it in front for work. It tends to migrate scandalously low, which is not really the vibe I'm going for in the office. I guess it's not horrible, but I hate how you can just *tell* when a wrap dress is pinned. It messes with the lines. But anyway...

(My photographer and soul mate, Rod, pointed out how excellent the skirt looked in this photo. His fashion observations always crack me up a little bit...but are usually spot-on. :)

dress: Mara Hoffman, shoes: Frye, bag: Elliot Lucca, necklace: Early Jewelry

haute chicks - eve m. metalsmith

On any given day I am probably wearing at least one thing from Etsy (or in today's case, five things). I'm a huge fan of that site on every level - I've had a lot of success as a seller, and I could shop on there for hours on end. The variety of talent never ceases to amaze me - I've bought everything from art, to clothing, to jewelry, to vintage, to a jackalope decal for my car. I'm pretty sure you can get just about anything on Etsy, and in doing so you're supporting independent artists. Everyone's a winner.

So today I'm proud to launch a new article on my blog called Haute Chicks, which will feature a different kick-ass Etsy seller each week. And they may not all be chicks, mind you, but everyone I have lined up for the first weeks just happens to be.

This week's Haute Chick is the talented and fabulous Esther Eve of Eve M. Metalsmith. Eve is a fellow member of Etsy Dallas, and I had the opportunity to meet and chat with her at a show that we both did this summer. Her gorgeous work speaks for itself, but what's equally amazing is the passion that she has for her craft. Here she talks about how she got started doing what she does:

"When I was a little girl, I would wander about and collect rocks and keep them in my pockets...nothing much has changed really, except now I understand what to do with them.

I have always been fascinated with metal, and its cold, sharp hardness. About two years ago I decided to further my knowledge and take a beginning silversmithing class at my local Craft Guild of Dallas. Since then I have collected tools and created my own homely studio at my residence. I love to mix incredible stones with gorgeous sterling silver, the combinations are endless, and also to experiment with new techniques such as electroforming, and etching. I carry a sketch book with me at all times, as I am constantly inspired and moved to creativity by many things evident in nature.

Ultimately, I am living my dream of doing something I love...working with my hands and having the ability to expend my creativity into something that others can enjoy and love for years to come! "

Some photos of her work - for the full collection, visit her Etsy shop (I mean it - go there NOW).

Bitten 004, $39.50

Anthrozoa 002, $83

Ailiette 007, $82

Flame Licked 001, $65

I've got two of Eve's pieces (Bitten earrings and Flame Licked necklace) and counting, and not only does she make me want to spend all my dough in her shop, but she really inspires me as a jewelry artist. And she happens to be wicked fun to hang out with, which never hurts.

That concludes this week's episode of Haute Chicks. Tune in next week to read about another craft-tacular gal!!

picsplosion

Sorry kids, I've been a lazy blogger this past week. But I have been taking pictures, which I'll now overload you with, all at once:

Close-up of my sweet new cuff by TrilbyMade on Etsy:

This cuff is not only stunning, but made of recycled leather, REVERSIBLE (the other side is black), impeccably cut and sewn, and only $35. I need more of these.

dress: Newport News, shoes: Bakers, earrings: F21, bag: Hoakon Helga, cuff: TrilbyMade

Yesterday brought out an oldie but goodie DVF:

dress: DVF, shoes: Jill Stuart, bag: Rebecca Minkoff

And one more for the cheap seats:

petal-pushers: Trina Turk, cardi: JCrew, tank: F21, bag: Miu Miu, shoes: Chie Mihara, necklace: Haute Hardware (new style that I need to get a close-up of!!)

I'm pretty jazzed about tomorrow's post - I'm starting a weekly feature called Haute Chicks, starring my favorite fellow Etsy gals & their respective talents. Tune in tomorrow to read all about Eve M. Metalsmith!

ma ma se, ma ma sa

I don't have a ton to say about today's outfit, except I love the simplicity and clean lines, and I feel really good in it.
top & skirt: Gap, shoes: Calvin Klein, bag: Miu Miu, cuff: Marc Jacobs, watch: vintage

One final pic - the piece de resistance, my MJ stack. I've had this Michael Jackson watch since I was a little girl, and although it hasn't worked for years, I've always hung onto it. I pulled it out again yesterday to pay homage to my first musical love.

With that, I'd like to talk about Michael for a moment. Something that's been bothering me throughout all the media coverage of his passing is the focus on the turmoil and the insanity that was his life in more recent years. Granted, it is hard to think/talk about Michael Jackson without these elements coming to mind, but I choose not to focus on that right now. I choose instead to think about getting my first album, Thriller, when I was 4 years old, and playing it on my Fisher Price record player. I think about how that album influenced me and shaped my taste in music for the rest of my life, and how it did the same for millions, even billions of others. I think about how Michael himself never really had a childhood, yet he was such a huge part of mine. For that I'm extremely grateful. He sacrificed any semblance of a normal life to make music. For us.

RIP Michael - you made the world a better place with your music, and you will live on forever in our hearts and souls.

belted

My BFF Gail gave me this belt because she didn't quite know what to do with it, and since it's almost impossible for me to pass up a wide belt, I took it....without really knowing what I was going to do with it myself. Meanwhile, this fantastic horse print shirt that I found thrifting was sitting in the closet unworn, when it occurred to me that they might just be the perfect match.

I also wore this same bracelet stack from the other day:

More jewelry close-ups - my good friends Erin, Nathan & Bill got me this Erica Weiner necklace last year for my birthday. It's kind of an awkward length which means I don't wear it as much as I'd like. Yesterday I added an extra jump ring 2" in on the chain so I have the option of wearing it shorter. It's now perfect, so I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of it:

Finally, I wear these Michelle Chang earrings at least 3x a week, but I never give them their propers because you can't really see them in pics. They are simple and fantastic:

shirt: thrifted, jeans: Yanuk, belt: gifted, bag: Costume National, shoes: Frye, necklace: Erica Weiner, earrings: Michelle Chang Jewelry, studded cuff: Craisfrod Leather, metal cuff: street vendor

at long last!

My Etsy shop is finally updated! I know, I can hardly believe it either. Mainly I can't believe how productive I've been on a day off. But I digress - here are some highlights of what's in store if you go to my store:





And just for you, my readers, I'm offering 10% off any piece in the Etsy shop for the whole month of July.

Just mention the blog upon checkout, and I'll refund you the 10%.

Go forth and shop! Just click the widget to your right, or here to get to the goods.

TGIF, I mean T

I think I'm still recovering from last weekend...oi. Thankfully we don't have much planned for this holiday weekend so I can finally catch up on sleep and my DVR.

This was actually yesterday's outfit:

My friend Nick commented that I wear this belt a lot, which is both observant of him and true. Sometimes I'm tempted to not even bother with a photo when I'm repeating something so much **cough**AA tees**cough**, but I think that's part of the beauty of a fashion blog. Seeing how someone really dresses every day & how they wear the same piece different ways. My friend Erin actually talks about the same thing in this post on her fab blog.

Last but not least, a shoe close-up. I got these strange, almost ugly Stuart Weitzmans on my last thrifting jaunt. I've been drawn to the menswear-inspired loafers & brogues that are everywhere lately, but it wasn't a trend I felt like shelling out a lot of money for. But $3 I could handle.

top: French Connection, jeans: Gap, shoes: Stuart Weitzman (thrifted), belt: vintage, bag: Rebecca Minkoff