My latest YouTube video is a continuation of my series of job and business tips. This time, I’m sharing what I’ve learned from the my own surprising career path, which took me from journalism to jewelry design. Today I reveal the faulty logic behind two bits of conventional wisdom: That NOT having a Plan B…
2019 Golden Globes: The Jewelry Trend to Watch
We’ve finally reached the jewelry portion of my Golden Globes coverage. You’d think that as a jewelry designer, I’d start with that, wouldn’t you? The thing is that, as a designer, I’m looking for a “Wear What You Want” jewelry moment with something so daring that I think, “I wish I’d made that.” I want…
2019 Golden Globes: The Best of the Rest
So how ’bout them Golden Globes? Lady Gaga — considered a lock for best actress for A Star Is Born — saw the award go to a very surprised Glenn Close for The Wife. Then major awards went to two much-criticized and controversial movies, The Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody. In other words, it was…
My Best Dressed at the 2019 Golden Globes Is …
My extremely prestigious Best Dressed/Wear What You Want combo award demands a certain je ne sais quoi in addition to fashion flair. As I’ve written before, a look doesn’t have to be “beautiful,” or “flattering,” or in any way acceptable to the vast majority of people to win my approval. “Eye-catching” is more important to…
Nancy Pelosi, the Blue Wave, and Indivisible
What a day this was! The female-led Blue Wave swept through Washington as more than 100 women — a record number – were sworn in to serve in the 116th Congress, including the first two Native American; first two Muslim women; the youngest black woman ever elected to Congress; and the youngest woman of any…
Wednesday’s Video: Pearl Perfection After 20 Years
Talk about slow fashion! In November 2011, my Jewel of the Month was my redesign of a pearl pendant that I got in 1998. Late last year — seven years after that blog post — the same pendant suddenly became my favorite everyday necklace. How and why did this happen? Let’s go to the videotape,…
What Wendy Wore: New Year’s Eve 2019
I hope you had a fantastic New Year’s Eve! I had a wonderful dinner at Balthazar with MrB; my stepson, William; my designing friend Stacy; and talented journalist siblings Jesse and Abby. View this post on Instagram New Year’s Eve at Balthazar #nye2019 #happynewyear #friendandfamily #newyearseveparty A post shared by Wendy Brandes (@wendybrandes) on Dec…
Year in Review: 2018’s Top Fashion Slays, Worst Nays
Despite the fact that this year was all about politics for me, I didn’t expect my two favorite fashion moments to emerge from the political arena. But earlier this month, Michelle Obama came to slayyyyyyyyy in thigh-high, glittery Balenciaga boots and my eyes nearly fell out of my head. Embed from Getty Images Obama was…
Year in Review: What Wendy Wore in 2018
For 2017, I was proud to be able to do a “What Wendy Wore” year in review post featuring 12 slow-fashion outfits. In 2018 — despite Henry David Thoreau’s famous “… beware of all enterprises that require new clothes” — some of my most notable looks did require something new. I mean, I normally don’t…
Year in Review: Jewels of the Month for 2018
This has been a year full of twists and turns for me in terms of jewelry design. I started 2018 with an unusual custom job and ended the year feeling increasingly excited about my decision to phase out my silver collection to focus on my gold designs. Here are the pieces I highlighted on the…