Paris Couture Week

Unfortunately, I am in England this week and have missed Paris Couture Week. That means I am not able to attend any shows or blog about street style. I can however still gush over the beautiful creations that were shown on the catwalks of a few of my favorite designers.

Karl never disappoints me with Chanel. The designs were stunning as usual. This season's show had a theme of Place Vendome complete with street lamps even large Coco Chanel statue which replaced Napoleon at the top of the central obelisk.

Chanel certainly kept its atelier busy with this collection, showing dresses dripping in crystals and sequins. Form fitting gowns with exposed backs and shoulders were paired with high necklines to create unusual shapes.

Another of my favorites Armani Privé, was inspired by Japan for this collection and showed the usual grace and chic style that the brand is known for. Feminine and graceful, this collection showed pieces that were alive with color and floral motifs. Beautiful silhouettes were created and topped with Philip Treacy’s architectural head pieces.

I must say that I was totally disappointed in Dior this season. This being the first couture show without John Galliano, all eyes were on the collection. Bill Gaytten, Galliano's assistant for 23 years stepped in and tried to continue Dior's legendary couture show. Personally, I think he really missed the mark. The designs for this season were like something out of "Bozo the clown's" closet. It was certainly a trip to the circus that I did not enjoy! What did you think of the collection?

Another favorite of mine is Elie Saab. The feminine, graceful designs that the Lebanese designer shows, always seems to win me over every time. The flowing gowns drenched in crystals are quickly becoming a favorite for Hollywood stars on the red carpet. If only my bank balance would allow me to afford one of these stunning gowns!

Italy Mini Break

Last week my boyfriend and I took a trip over to Italy for a long weekend. We landed in Venice and made our way over to Saint Marks Square to find our hotel. While walking through the tiny streets and over the bridges, I was in awe of the breathtaking scenery. The different colored buildings and little bridges over the canals were inspiring. An entire city without cars left us wondering such things as, how deliveries were made, or how people moved homes.

Venice is such a romantic city filled with Gondolas sailing down the canal and little Italian restaurants that serve delicious al dente pasta! We spent quite a few evenings in one of the many squares that fill with people who are relaxing and enjoying dinner at the numerous outdoor restaurants. If we were not sitting on a patio drinking wine, we were enjoying scoops of gelato, while we were people watching in the center of the square.

The masks and costume shops in Venice were amazing. Venice is known for their masks and there are numerous shops that feature artists creating the masks right in the store. I couldn't resist buying a silver and black mask covered in sparkles!

We took a train for a day trip to Verona to visit Juliet's balcony. Supposedly the location of the famous balcony love scene from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the tiny courtyard was packed with lovestruck tourists photographing each other on the famous balcony. We also visited the arena, an enormous, spectacular Roman amphitheater from the 1st Century AD, crumbling on the outside but still functioning today!

Another day trip we took was over to Murano. I have always wanted to visit Murano to see the glass blowers and buy beads. I found the most beautiful glass beads to include into my jewelry designs. The island of Murano took us about half an hour to reach by water taxi from Venice. There are glass shops on every corner and glass sculptures scattered around the island. I can't wait to design some new pieces of jewelry with the new beads I got there!

Sparkling Studio

A busy day in my studio today! There are sparkles and beads everywhere as I am working on custom Swarovski cuff bracelets!



I also stopped by my supplier last week and got some beautiful new semi precious stones. Today's post just offers a little eye candy to help brighten your Monday!

Beads From Long Ago

While in England last week, I visited the British Museum. My sister, the history enthusiast, dragged me to see the Rosetta Stone. After much complaining about how I would rather be shopping in Harrods, I gave in and went to the museum. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy going to museums, but as we only had one day in London, I just wanted to shop, shop and shop some more! Below is a picture of the Rosetta Stone.


Once we were in the museum, I was happily surprised to find how much jewelry, and textiles they had on display there. Once we made our stop to see the Rosetta stone, we started to look through the various other rooms in the museum and I came across these wonderful old beads! Strands of Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian and Gold were strung together to create these wonderful necklaces. These beads were found in a tomb from 2500 BC. The beads were found scattered and have been restrung. The Lapis would have come from Afghanistan, the Carnelian and Gold from India, Turkey, Iran or Egypt.




This reconstructed head suggests the original arrangement of the jewelry worn by the Sumerian women in the Royal graves.


In the next room, we came across this stunning gold cape from the Early Bronze Age about 1900 - 1600BC. The cape was crushed and pieced back together by the museum. This cape was very unique, so the owner must have been someone of very high status.


This picture shows how the cape would have been worn.


Next, I came across these stunning gold Torcs. What is a Torc you ask??? It is a large ornament made from precious metals or bronze and worn around the neck. They were common across Britain and Europe during the Iron Age.



In the last room of the museum we stumbled across traditional dresses. This one with all the embroidery caught my attention. These dresses are worn by Omani women living in the Capital Area around Muscat.



Overall, the British Museum had quite a large number of jewelry and textile pieces that were very interesting. I guess I will have to thank my sister for dragging me along to see the Rosetta Stone afterall!