If you’re a jewelry lover in the Chicago area, come visit me at Booth 45 at the Fine Art Festival in Oak Brook, Ill., this weekend! The festival takes place at Oakbrook Center, and we’ll be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking…
Kurt Cobain, Walmart, and Guns
In 1993, Walmart and Kmart refused to stock Nirvana’s In Utero CD due to depictions of fetuses in a collage on the back cover and the title of the song “Rape Me.” Geffen, the band’s label, initially declined to make any changes, but with discount stores responsible for nearly a quarter of all record sales,…
The Week in Review, Plus a Labor Day Discount
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week. Monday, August 26: The MTV Video Music Awards took place in Newark, N.J., and no one involved mentioned that Newark is experiencing a Flint, Mich.-style water crisis. You can donate to Newark’s bottled-water fund here. Tuesday, August 27: An Alexander McQueen dress…
Throwback Thursday: Guess and Gladiators in 1985
In a 2008 post about gladiator sandals, I wrote: “I’ve loved this style since 1985, when I had a pair of flat white gladiators. I felt so chic when I wore them with my Guess ankle-zip jeans and oversize blouse! I’ve been searching for a photo that shows me wearing those shoes for a while…
Wedding Wednesday: Brown Diamond for a Dude
Two years ago, I shared this photo of a brown-diamond engagement ring that I custom-made for a man to wear. (It’s shown next to one of my own platinum styles.) View this post on Instagram Man's 18K gold yellow ring with brown diamond, shown next to my own platinum thumb ring. Custom-made for a gorgeous…
What Wendy Wore: Slow-Fashion McQueen
I’ve been dressing very casually lately, so I made a point of putting on a dress for MrB’s belated birthday dinner on Sunday. Dress: Alexander McQueen (2010) Shoes: Prada (2010) This dress by Alexander McQueen is homegrown vintage. I wore it for the first time during a 2010 trip to L.A., for dinner with my…
The MTV VMAs and Newark’s Water Crisis
The MTV Video Music Awards are taking place tonight at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The city has warned residents to expect bad traffic … while assuring visiting celebrities that they won’t be affected by Newark’s Flint, Mich.-style water crisis. The Newark Visitors Bureau released this statement: “We are elated to welcome world-class celebrities, entertainers,…
The Week in Review
In case you missed it, here’s what was on the blog this week. Monday, Aug. 19: Got a few bucks to spare and want to see Democrats win? Here are some good candidates to support. Thursday, Aug. 22: Jewelry as art, and revisiting the Maneater Rings as the Jewels of the Month. Friday, Aug. 23:…
Jewelry That Tells a Story
Just the other day, I was writing about how jewelry — especially jewelry created by individual designers — can rise to the level of art, with real meaning beyond physical adornment. So thank you to Tony Cooler, who pointed out this remarkable brooch by Phyllis Bowdwin, which was posted by the Smithsonian on Instagram. The…
Flashback: The Agony and Ecstasy of a Small Business
Yesterday’s post about the challenges of combining art and commerce reminded me of an essay about small business that I wrote for the Huffington Post in 2012. And, like I said recently, it’s occurred to me that I need to republish all my Huffington Post pieces on this blog, because they could vanish at any…