Friday Afternoon Rant

I saw this yesterday on a post from Corporette

A silly glass bead necklace by Adesso from Revolve Clothing as an alternative to a classic pearl strand.

The price on this art project necklace you ask

$632

Is that not insane?

The intrinsic value of this nonsense necklace is maybe, and I'm being generous with my maybe,

about $30

Who would buy this...no really I want to know, who?

It pisses me off that women are constantly being encouraged to spend money on utterly ridiculous, trendy and overpriced jewelry, shoes, bags, clothes, etc.

Here is my alternative

Vintage Mid-Century Cultured Pearl Single Strand Necklace with Diamond Clasp for $695

from Beladora2.com

Too staid you suggest, not trendy enough

Well I beg to differ

The classic, timeless Grace Kelly look in pearls is actually on trend

And how do I know this you wonder

I know this because fashion editors and stylists are requesting this type of thing for the fashion shoots.  In fact this very necklace was requested for the Steven Meisel - Christy Turlington photo shoot for Italian Vogue.  It was also requested for a cover shoot by Vanity Fair.

And...it just went out yesterday to a hot star for a red carpet appearance.  She may wear it or one of the other pearl necklaces that we loaned. We shall see.

So to anyone who is considering buying the glass bead necklace for $632

can I suggest a fashion intervention by your friends and family

Because friends don't let friends waste money on fashion jewelry.

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted

Lots of stuff to do this week because next week I'm off to this place

where I plan to do some of this

and some of this

and spend some downtime away from the computer...although I'm taking my laptop of course.

But even away from the keyboard I will be reevaluating business, blogging and all things Beladora, like adding new features, redecorating the site, and starting a corporate blog like the competition, who shall not be named.
I will also be considering a road trip to New York and maybe one to London/Paris sometime in the Fall.  (And jesus Jill, if you'd ever invite me to El Paso, I'd plan a trip there too)
Books to read on the beach are on my mind too, but it is too late for me to order from Amazon, biographies from Antonia Fraiser (thank you tabitha) and novels from Anthony Powell (thank you LBT).  I shall be reduced to finding an actual bookstore or worse, buying cheesy paperbacks at the airport. 
This is what happens when I wait until the last minute...

Getting Waisted On Wednesday

I thought that I would show you something that I think is fabulous

Solid 18K Gold Belt with Diamonds

Here's the detail shot

From what I have gathered in terms of provenance, this belt was a gift from the King of Morocco to the client that we purchased it from. 

And what do you wear with a diamond belt, you ask

Why Tiffany diamond Atlas jewelry from Beladora.com of course!

Tiffany & Co. Atlas Diamond Necklace in 18K $12,550

(The retail price at Tiffany is $19,500)

Tiffany & Co. Atlas Diamond Bracelet $6,250

(The retail price at Tiffany is $10,700)

I just love having an asset class in my portfolio that I can wear.

Oh and yeah, I know, that was a pretty lame post title.  Fortunately for everyone, I'm not giving up my day job for full time writing.

Fall Fashion 2010 - Not Feeling The Faux

I just received the new designer collection catalog from Nordstrom and I wanted to ask when did reliable, affordable and yes, slightly boring Nordstrom turn into Bergdorf Goodman?
I thought that Nordstorm was where you went to shop for Tahari and Calvin Klein not Proenza Schouler and Balmain.
Well anyhoo the new designer catalog is out there and I don't mean in terms of design.
Take this Chanel coat, for example

Tweed coat with faux-fur trim, acrylic/cotton $8,555
OK, so add sales tax and you are north of $9,000 for a faux-fur coat
and let's not forget the matching bag

Faux-fur clutch with tweed detail, wool/acrylic/calfskin $2,795
Once again, add sales tax and this faux-fur clutch is north of $3,000
Who would pay these prices...no really I want to know....who?

My world is all about intrinsic value not ephemeral fashion meaning I break things down into the cost of the materials, how much did it cost to manufacture, etc.
and let's just say that I don't see $9,000 worth of intrinsic value in this coat.
Do you?

OMG!!!! - So Bananas - I Could Die

Was yesterday the best day ever....the sun came out and I think that the summer finally started
I went down to Laguna Beach to spend the day with the family and
at my mother's house I saw the finally saw the print issue of ELLE magazine
the one with the Julia Roberts photos
and then surprise of all surprises
There was a fashion spread with Kim Kardashian (OMG!!!) and Justin Bieber ( double OMG!!!!!)
and Kim was frolicking in the water in Jean Mahie jewelry from you know where
here's the video from ELLE.com



Isn't Kim pretty...she has some serious assets.
OK...full disclosure here...I basically have no idea who Justin Bieber is
but I know that he is very high up on constellation the celebrity hierarchy
so I am pleased.
And today, it is 6:40 am and the sun is out this morning for the first time in months.