When I like a style, I like it … Joan Jett released “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” in 1981, and I’m wearing a version of her haircut FORTY YEARS LATER. Designer Stephen Sprouse put DayGlo colors on the runway in 1984, and I’m still obsessed. And I’ve wanted Freddie Mercury’s cool star sunglasses since Queen’s…
Bastille Day Jewelry Blues
Bonne Fête Nationale! It’s le quatorze juillet — or what we non-French people call “Bastille Day,” which we do because we’re horribly plouc. Back in the day, I was lucky enough to be in Paris on July 14 three years in a row, so I have fond memories of the Eiffel Tower’s fireworks and wearing…
Throwback Thursday: Anna Nicole Smith and “Fame”
Back in the day, random folks like me were able to publish on the Huffington Post. We didn’t get any money for this, just exposure. Seeing as it’s hard to pay the phone bill with “exposure” it’s probably best that the arrangement came to an end. But every so often, I remember I have a…
Jewel of the Month: Queen Min Earrings
I’m extra excited to share June’s Jewel of the Month here, albeit at the last possible minute, because this is the first significant new gold design that I’ve created since 2019. Last year was a washout for jewelry design, but the pandemic wasn’t to blame. My manufacturers actually masked up and went back to work…
Throwback Thursday: Britney Spears and This Blog
I started writing this blog close to 14 years ago because of Britney Spears. Seriously. I had set up a free account on Blogspot on July 23, 2007, but that was just a placeholder. I published one post that said I would start blogging “soon” but not quite yet. Two days later, I learned that…
Specially Priced Wendy Brandes Jewelry on 1stdibs
Photographer George De Castro Day and designer/stylist/model Stacy Lomman — my dream team — have been helping me take some fresh “as seen on” jewelry photos over the past week. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages! I’m so excited that I put all the freshly photographed designs on sale on 1stdibs for the…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in Story Magazine
In my previous post, I thanked stylist and fashion journalist Marian Kwei for putting my Queen of Scots tiara on model/DJ Tolula Adeyemi for an Oscar party AND writing it all up for Story Magazine. Marian is a full-service operation! After the Oscars, Marian did so much more for me and turned my jewelry into…
Jewels of the Month: Tolula in a Tiara and More
In 1985, I listened to British singer Belouis Some‘s song “Imagination” on repeat. Kids these days don’t appreciate the dedication it took to play a song obsessively back then! It was a delicate operation, what with lifting the turntable needle up from the vinyl record and moving it to that flat, grooveless space in between…
Throwback Thursday: 2005 Hair, Dog, and Dress
While searching for some old jewelry photos, I came across this May 25, 2005, photo of me and the late, great Gigi the dog. My first reaction was, “OMG! She looks so young and beautiful!” I mean, I look okay, but Gigi was ravishing. Clearly, she had just been groomed, because she hadn’t gotten one…
Remembering George Floyd, Part 1
Today, May 25, marks a year since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by then-cop Derek Chauvin — a death that triggered one of the largest protest movements in U.S. history under the rallying cry of “Black Lives Matter.” Memorial marches, rallies, and vigils are planned in many locations. If you’re in New York City,…