I’ve mentioned before on the blog that I’m the chairman of the board of alumni trustees of the Columbia Daily Spectator, Columbia University’s student newspaper. I was the arts and entertainment editor at Spectator in 1988. As one of the trustees, I now advise the students on a variety of issues and promote the newspaper’s…
Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate With a Snake.
It’s the Chinese New Year today — welcome to the Year of the Snake, like it or not! Alas, a lot of people don’t like it very much, according to Friday’s Wall Street Journal. The Snake is seen as less auspicious than the Year of the Dragon that just ended. And there’s another problem when…
Valentine’s Day Sale: Teeny Genie Necklace
My teeny genie necklace in blackened sterling-silver is more than half off now through Valentine’s Day. You can see how it looks paired with my Little Woolf necklace in silver on gorgeous Nina of Love and Lemonade Photography. The 18K-gold version of the genie necklace is also 50% off. If you’re ready to splurge, my…
Wimmin-Haters and the Grammy Dress Code
I spent some time poking around teh Internets yesterday, looking for someone to confirm the authenticity of a wimmin-hating dress-code email sent out by CBS’s official prudes ahead of Sunday’s Grammy telecast. Did you see this? It was first reported by Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood on Wednesday. A source leaked the memo to her,…
Happy 10th Anniversary, Gigi!
Ten years ago today, an 18-month-old Gigi the dog joined our household. Her backstory is literally kind of shitty so if you’re averse to scatological topics, skip this post. I found Gigi on Petfinder when I was looking for a young companion for my elderly Pekingese, Mr. Chubbs. She was advertised as a Pekingese, despite…
Post-Super-Bowl Post: Jewelry for Beyonce, a Bet on Eminem
Like more than 108 million other people, I was glued to the television on Sunday, watching the Beyonce concert. You know, the big performance that was preceded by football, and followed by quiet naptime and then more football. I agree with Beyonce that the show was “Gone With the Wind fabulous!” I was thrilled by…
Get Lucky, Get Wendy Brandes Jewelry
As some of you have already noticed, I’m taking part in Lucky magazine’s Lucky Breaks Giveaway. The magazine is giving away a prize a day from February 4 through March 15. On February 13, the prize is a white-gold necklace with 40 points of diamonds (there are 100 points in a carat) from yours truly….
The King Is Dead. Long Live the King.
A lot of my jewelry is inspired by royalty, but I focus on females: queens, empresses, queen consorts, princesses. I figure history as it is taught in elementary and high school is basically about men, so I prefer to concentrate on herstory. However, I have a soft spot for one dude: England’s 15th-century Richard III….
Valentine’s Day Jewelry Sale at Max & Chloe
From today through February 8, you can get 15% off at online jewelry retailer Max & Chloe with the code VDAYMC. I suggested my romantic Cleves swan ring in silver. Swans mate for life, you know! Click here to see the rest of my Max & Chloe offerings.
A Farewell to Ed Koch, Plus the Week in Review
I felt like an era ended when former New York City mayor Ed Koch died at 88 on Friday. When Koch became New York City’s mayor in 1978, I had just turned 10; his third and final term ended on Dec. 31, 1989, eight days after I turned 22. He was the mayor of my…