Manolo Jewelry

Hey, many of us want to look like a princess on our wedding day, right?

So if you’re actually becoming a real, honest-to-goodness princess, there’s that oh-so-tiny (read: ginormous) extra bit of pressure on you to look regal and stunning and all that good stuff.

I’m sure you folks have all read about the dress and hair and whatnot already, so let’s get down to the baubles.

There aren’t too many times in life that a girl can get away with wearing a tiara. But when you’re marrying a prince? I’d say that you can probably go for it.

And if your tiara is one borrowed from an actual queen, then you just flat-out win.

Here are the details:

Her Cartier tiara was made in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (King George VI) for his Duchess (The Queen Mother — rest her feisty soul) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. Queen Elizabeth received the tiara from her mother on her 18th birthday (I got a new sweater for mine).

Middleton’s diamond earrings (by Robinson Pelham) were inspired by her family’s new coat of arms: a pear-shaped diamond set drop and a pave-set diamond acorn in the center. Middleton’s parents, Carole and Michael, gave them to her as a personal gift for her wedding day.

So it was a lovely blend of both old and new, traditional and modern, much like the couple themselves.

And of course, she already had “something blue” sewn up rather nicely:

And now we wait until that adorable rapscallion of a Harry gets hitched, so that we can be all a-flutter again.

Bisous!

La Petite Acadienne

Okay, so this is the first time I’ve live-blogged anything, so please bear with me.

I won’t be blogging the ENTIRE Oscars, ’cause I just don’t stay up that late. But I will blog the red-carpet, and maybe a bit beyond.

Keeping with the theme of this blog, I’ll make a special point of noticing and commenting upon jewelry. However, I won’t be limiting myself to only jewelry, and may make the odd comment regarding anything else that catches my eye.

So, I hope you all have wine in hand, popcorn in bowl, and tongue firmly in cheek.

BTW: Am watching the ABC coverage, as it’s in HD. Just so you know.

8:00: Robin Roberts looks pretty. I see that she’s following the “big cocktail ring on index finger” trend that we’ve seen a lot lately.

8:04: I love you, Tim Gunn. Come live with me.

8:05: Maria Menounos is also doing the big cocktail ring.  I’m not sure if that gigantic sparkly thing on her wrist is a bracelet, or part of her dress.

8:05: Mila Kunis. I like the purple, but I’m not keen on the sheer. I love her earrings — a really different and pretty shape. Stand up straight, though. For someone who used to be a ballet dancer, her posture is crap.

8:07: Hailee Steinfeld. She’s so cute and poised and pretty. Not a BIT of jewelry on her, except for a tiny subtle ring, which is interesting and brave, but it works, considering that her dress is pretty sparkly.

Commercials: Cheese puffs, or popcorn? I can’t decide.

8:14: Amy Adams: That’s a pretty necklace, and a pretty dress, but I just would not have worn them together. That high neckline, calls more for earrings.  And the stones don’t contrast enough with the dress to look cool — just enough to look like they clash. Fail, Amy.

8:15: Jennifer Lawrence: Gold! Nice to see! I kind of wish she’d worn her hair up, so that we could have had a better view of those earrings.

(more…)

So the Grammys tend to be known more for wackitude and big upsets (who knew that Bieber fans were so bloodthirsty?) than for elegant, gorgeous accessorizing.

And much like the wackitude tends to upstage the elegant, the “big names” tend to upstage the lesser-known folks on the following day’s fashion pages.

So, in the spirit of celebrating (or in some cases, kicking) the underdog, let’s take a gander at some looks from people other than your JLos and your Rihannas and your Lady Gagas, shall we?

N’Dambi:

Smart girl. Her dress is already sequined up and her hair makes a big statement, so she kept it simple with the jewels. (In other pictures, I saw that she did Too Much with the shoes, so we’ll just ignore that and focus solely on this picture, m’kay?) I love the teeny little diamond helix piercing — it just adds that subtle bit of edginess. Don’t believe me? Put your thumb over it in the picture. Makes a difference, no? Now, let’s wipe our greasy thumbprints off of our monitors and keep on going.

Mya:

I’m not sure what to think about the dress. It looks a little bit too much like a Project Runway challenge, involving the use of remnants of 19th century bonnets for my liking. However, I love the earrings, and love that she wore her hair back to show them off.

Paz Vega:

I wouldn’t want MUCH bling with a dress like this, but a subtle pair of earrings would have gone a long way towards this look. As it stands, Paz looks like she’s wearing the world’s fanciest hospital gown. One stumble, and we’re talking MAJOR wardrobe malfunction here.

Alicia Arden:

Good lord, what in sweet Rose’s marmalade is this? The earrings don’t go with the necklace, which doesn’t go with the bracelets, which don’t go with each other. Not that everything has to matchy-matchy, but this looks like Alicia just decided to throw on everything in her jewelry box, just for s**ts and giggles.

India.Arie:

I love you. Don’t ever change.

And, just to leave you on a high (and squashed) note, I bring you Gramma Funk:

I guess that’s one good way to keep anybody from stealing your necklace: wedge it so tightly between your breasts that a thief would require a crowbar and some WD-40 to jimmy that sucker loose.

Bisous!

LPA

Greetings my darlings!

Ah, it is delightful to be in awards season, where we can see the beautiful and bountiful baubles on display.

Jewelry and cinema have long gone hand-in-glove, have they not? We love to see the beautiful people wearing the glamorous, gorgeous gems and jewels.

The artisans creating these beautiful pieces are often inspired by a member of the Hollywood elite, but in some cases, they are inspired by the characters or the film itself.

With that, I bring you the talented and fragrant Wendy Brandes and her Black Swan ring:

“When Black Swan came out last month and people swooned over Natalie Portman’s performance, I thought, ‘I MUST do a black-diamond version of my Cleves swan ring!'”

And that she did:

This ring is a stunner. It was originally designed as the “Cleves Ring” with white diamonds, and “was inspired by Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, who was born in Schwanenburg Castle (Swan Castle). This black-diamond version is a tribute to the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman as an unhinged ballerina.”

Black diamonds, ballet, and insanity? There might be something more glamorous out there, but I’m really not sure what it could be. These could make a great Christmas gifts for wife.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out Wendy’s blog.  She writes beautifully (and often, hilariously) about fashion, feminism, dogs, and many other delightful topics.

Yours en pointe,

LPA

Good morning, my lovelies!

My apologies for the delay in publishing the answers to this particular quiz. Technical issues, blahbity-blahbity, software compatibility, yadda, yadda.

Anyway, yeah…so this was  a really tough quiz, no? And you thought that Manolo’s Whose Shoes Wednesday was tough. Seriously though, I won’t make it as blisteringly difficult next time.

And so, on to the answers!

1. Kim Kardashian

2. Camilla Belle

3. Tina Fey

4. Claire Danes

5. Jenna Ushkowitz

6. Catherine Zeta-Jones

7. Natalie Portman

I have to say, I really didn’t understand the hoo-ha over Claire Danes’ look.  I thought the dress made her look rather gaunt. But hey, in Hollywood, since when was that considered a BAD thing?

Bisous!

LPA

Well, the Golden Globes was definitely an interesting show.

Between Helena Bonham Carter wearing two differently-coloured shoes on the red carpet (on PURPOSE!) and Ricky Gervaise hilariously introducing Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad”, I was entertained the entire time.

So, to keep the entertainment going, I thought I would springboard off of the Manolo’s always-delightful “Whose Shoes Wednesday”, and present to you “Whose Golden Globes Bling?’

Can you guess who wore what beautiful accessory?

And my vote for best-accessorized of the night? Well, it’s a toss-up.  An alarming number of women wore no jewelry at all, or only very subtle baubles.  That’s why I was so thrilled to see Kyra Sedgwick and her bold colour combination:

My other vote for best-accessorized goes to Susan Downey, and not because of what’s around her neck.

Bisous,

LPA

As you read this, I am at my company’s annual “team-building” staff meeting.

So, while my brain is rendered into mush from an overload of corporate-speak, I leave you with beautiful pleasures for the eyes and for the ears.

First, Harry Winston’s diamond wave bracelet:

And for the ears? Mumford & Sons — The Cave

Enjoy, and see you in a couple of days!

Bisous,

LPA

So, it is three days before Christmas and before  your entire family comes over for Christmas dinner.

Your roots aren’t done, you still have baking to do, goodness only knows where your good tablecloth is, and let’s not even discuss the state of your powder room, thank you very much.

You’re running around like a madwoman on your lunch hour, getting the last-minute stocking stuffers and making sure that you have a healthy supply of cashews for your snack-mad stepfather.

Your beloved texts you reminding you that you should really have some antacid in the house, just in case.

In the words of the Manolo, “Ayyyyyyyy!”  There is just too much to do, and too little time in which to do it! How on Earth are you going to remember all of the things that you must check off of your list before the big day?

Well, there IS that old trope about tying a string or a ribbon around your finger, so that you don’t forget…

What better way to soothe the frazzled nerves than with the lovely bit of fun indulgence for oneself, especially when that indulgence is available at 43% off?

Happy holidays to all of you, and may you get plenty of time to sit in your pajamas and eat buttered toast!

Bisous!

LPA

I have received this kind letter from the talented and fragrant PenguinLady:

I have a pressing jewel question for you.  My 10th anniversary is coming up on Jan 1, and I have not one idea of what precious stone to ask my husband to get for me!  The “traditional” gift is tin – how boring is that?- and the “modern” gift is diamond jewelry.  I’m not a “just any ol’ diamond’ kind of girl – I’ve been combing sites looking for something unusual or interesting, but all I find are eternity bands and solitaires. (Yawn.)  What do you think?  I’m not married (ha!) to the idea of diamonds, either, but would like a ring to wear all the time.  If it’s unusual, interesting or meaningful, I’ll be happy.

(If it makes a difference, my wedding band set was a vintage gold & diamond chip set from my Great Aunt, with a 1/2 carat white diamond, and channel set chips, both of which I adore.  The plan is to wear the new thing on my right hand, so it doesn’t have to match, per se, but at least not clash.)

Well, PenguinLady, let’s see what we can do for you! First of all, felicitations on your upcoming anniversary! 10 years of love, laughter, the odd moment where you just itch to throw a solid object at his head, and more love…well, that is definitely an accomplishment of which one should be proud!

As far as unusual or interesting diamond rings, there are definitely options out there.

You indicated via a separate missive that your set is a warm  yellow gold, and that you’d prefer for it to match if possible, but that you’d consider other options if sufficiently eye-catching.

Here are a few options that I was able to dig up for you, at several price points:

First off, this diamond “love knot” ring.

It’s sweet and subtle for every day, and the symbolism of the love knot is rather fitting, no?

If you’re not dead-set on gold, there is also this unusual and beautiful sterling-silver ring:

And, before you completely write off eternity bands, there ARE some really nice designs out there, like this antiquey-looking one from Morris & David.

This one might accent your wedding set rather nicely, but still looks different from the other eternity bands out there, no?

And lastly, if you’re willing to look beyond diamonds, and are looking for something meaningful, why not consider sapphires? They stand for truth, sincerity and fidelity — three components that are rather necessary for a long and happy marriage like your own.

This lovely antique-style sapphire ring might be just the thing!

Wishing you a happy 10th anniversary, with many more decades of wedded bliss to come!

Bisous,

LPA

We all have wish lists, right?

There are wish lists, however, and there are wish lists. The former is compiled of things that you would love to receive, and that you might actually receive. (More on that tomorrow…)

The latter is pure and utter pie-in-the-sky fantasy, compiled of things that you would probably only receive if you grew up in the kind of house that has servants’ quarters.

I’m convinced that I really DO have a rich, childless auntie out there who is unbeknownst to me but who has followed my progress since infancy and is just waiting for the right moment to announce herself.

Well, darling auntie, if you’re thinking of popping up this holiday season and are wondering what the perfect little cadeau would be for your darling niece, look no further.

(Note to The Stonecutter: this list also applies to you, if we are someday unencumbered by that little thing called “reality”. Just letting you know.)

1. This gorgeous Giorgio Armani bag.

Dark-sage pleated leather? Well, okay…if you insist, I suppose I could live with it.

2. A black diamond ring.

I love the hammered gold on this ring, and the way that it gives the look of stacked rings without visually shortening the finger. Plus, black diamonds are just neat.

3. Purple Ferragamo flats

I own no purple shoes right now. That is just not right, because purple makes me happy, and pretty shoes make me happy, so pretty purple shoes would be like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for my feet  — everything I want, and nothing I don’t.

4. A housekeeper.

Being a working mom with a long commute, it always feels like we are falling behind on the housework, particularly where The Stonecutter works 50 hours a week AND has a side business on the go.  I’m pretty good at tidying and keeping things organized, but please, please do not look closely at my tile grout. I would luuuuurrrrve for someone to do those icky but necessary jobs for me, like cleaning out the fridge, scrubbing the tile, cleaning the light fixtures, and all of the other jobs that are on my “I’ll Get To It…Sometime” list.

5. A vintage Chanel charm bracelet.

I love charm bracelets. My mom had one (I have no idea what she’s done with it, however, and did not want to ask for fear of appearing grasping). This one is just lovely.

6. A new car

My aforementioned long commute means that my vehicle has seen better days. I would love to have something bigger, to more easily accommodate the Gigantic Car-seat of Awesomeness, plus all of the other assorted detritus that comes with having a young toddler. I would also like to have some bells, whistles, fireworks, fripperies, and doo-dads.  I think the Lexus RX 450h (“h” for hybrid) would fit the bill rather nicely.

7. This

When I saw this necklace, I just had to write about it. Actually, first I had to regain consciousness and pick myself off the floor, where I had been laying in a puddle of my own drool. And THEN I had to write about it.

May you all have a very sparkly holiday season!

Bisous,

LPA