It’s Music Video Monday!

This song shouldn’t be performed in a concert hall. It should be performed in a cathedral. A big one. With lots of stained glass windows.

And you should be listening to it while wearing Relics.

Jewelry designer Tami Hichman with some of her creations.

I was able to catch up with jewelry designer Tami Hichman at a trunk show at Rebel boutique, located in ultra-hip Newport Beach shopping center Fashion Island.

We first met Tami when we covered the vintage trend here on the Bling Blog. We’ve already told you that she started Relics Jewelry as a creative outlet — something she needed in order to keep herself healthy enough to take care of her twin sons.

Well, we discovered during our chat with Tami that her penchant for design began long before she ever had twins.

When she was just a little girl, she used to love playing with her grandmother’s jewelry. It was perfect for playing dress-up — it’s easy to pretend you’re a princess when you’ve got the jewels to back it up. When her grandmother passed away, Tami inherited all of the beloved jewelry.

The selection at Tami’s trunk show.

At first, she was content to just keep it in her jewelry box and look at it from time to time. But before long, she was itching to wear it. But she was still a little too young to wear vintage jewelry without looking pretentious. And that’s when she started experimenting.

To hear more about Tami’s first foray into jewelry design, check back tomorrow!

Reverently,

Olivia

I love the smell of eyelash glue in the evening.

The only thing I love more than getting all dressed up for a night out is getting all dressed up for a night in… Nordstrom!!

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a party hosted by Nordstrom and Lucky Magazine celebrating the launch of Kate Spade Jewelry.

Already famous for their fabulous bags and shoes, the label has just launched a new line of jewelry as colorful and cheer-inducing as their other accessories!

Megan Hickerson, Lucky event manager and hostess extraordinaire!

Our emcee for the evening was Megan Hickerson, Lucky Magazine’s event manager. She guided us through the evening while announcing to passers-by that all Kate Spade Jewelry would be 25% off for the duration of the event (I know, what a steal, right?).

Nordstrom was abuzz with jewelry lovers in their favorite LBDs.

There was a DJ spinning some great music, and there was a throng of women buzzing over the jewelry — some in the requisite LBD, others just passing through, attracted by the hubbub (like my old friend Dione! “This is perfect; I’m getting married in two months and I need some wedding jewelry!”).

The cookies were almost as sweet as the jewelry deals.

There were also some complimentary light refreshments (sugar cookies and water — the cookies were yum) to sustain us through our shopping frenzy.

But the best part of the evening was the styling. OH, the styling.

The LBDs were as varied as the women wearing them, but the Lucky stylists were not daunted in the least. They chose pieces from the new collection to complement each unique dress, and the results were a rainbow of style and color!

Everyone wanted to play the model for the fabulous photographers — except me, Nervous Nellie.

I was styled by Erin, who put me in a combination of items from the “Petite Fleur” and “Park and Lex” lines. Initially, I felt a little awkward — I’d never been “styled” before, and I’d certainly never been shot by a professional photographer. But Erin put me at ease right away by taking the very necklace she was wearing and putting it on me. “Isn’t it fabulous?” she gushed. The jewelry lover in me took over and we spent the next few minutes adding pieces and oohing and aahing over the results.

The fabulous Chris Hatcher, who has shot fabulous women like Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba — and me!

Then, Erin left me in the capable hands of the photographers, Chris Hatcher and Vanessa Stump. They were consummate professionals, used to dealing with photoshoot virgins like me. They told me where and how to stand, how to hold my hands, where to look — I was so nervous about the shoot, but now I can’t wait to see the pictures!

After I had my fifteen minutes of fame (actually, it was probably closer to five), I had the pleasure of meeting Janea Olton, the regional merchandiser for Nordstrom. As the regional merchandiser, Janea has the inside scoop on all of upcoming trunk shows and sales in the area! I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!

L to R: Janea Olton (Regional Merchandiser for Nordstrom), Christ Hatcher (Photographer), Vanessa Stump (Photographer), and Megan Hickerson (Event Manager for Lucky Magazine).

And I knew from looking at her that she was a kindred spirit and jewelry fanatic. She must have felt the same way because she immediately told me about an upcoming trunk show for Michele watches (*drool*) and another one for H. Stern (*double drool*).

What a fabulous event! What a fun way to introduce this new line of jewelry! Well played, Kate Spade. Well played.

Rhyming in Her Enthusiasm,
Olivia

It has been a long time since I’ve been able to attend a good jewelry event.

The last one I went to was WooMeOver’s weblaunch. It was a ton of fun, but it’s been a while, now, and I need another good jewelry-related party to get my bling on (dancers get their groove on. I have decided that we Woobies get our bling on).

Thank God for my faithful friend Donna the Sales Hound, who vigilantly trolls the internet in search of fashion deals and events.

She sent me a link to Lucky on the Lookout, which is Lucky magazine’s website dedicated to finding great deals, promotions, and events on the web. Donna specifically wanted me to see the Kate Spade New York’s Little Black Dress Event.

Kate Spade Petite Fleur Cat Brooch, $125 at katespade.com.

Show up to the event in your favorite LBD (Little Black Dress, for those of you not in the know), and a Lucky Shopping Expert will style you for a fabulous photo on their Style Spotter set!

What a great way to get acquainted with Kate Spade’s new line of jewelry!

The event is at the South Coast Plaza Nordstrom in Costa Mesa, CA, from 6pm to 8pm. Click here for more information or to register for the event. And if you’re going, I’d love to meet you, so drop me a line!

I can’t wait to get styled!!

All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go,
Olivia

One of the highlights of the “Fashion Goes Web 2.0″ event was the panel discussion.

Our panel of “creative brains”: Rita Chung, I.B. Bayo, Anastasia Azure, and Joui Turandot.

Here are a few of the most interesting questions and responses from the panel discussion, which was moderated by Jordanna Petkun.

Jordanna Petkun pulled double duty: she moderated the panel discussion and modeled some Anastasia Azure original earrings!

Jordana Petkun: How do you use technology in your work?
Joui Turandot: I often search the internet for ideas. It’s the best way to research.
I.B. Bayo: I agree. If I am trying to design a piece in the style of the 50s, then I can go on the internet and look up pictures of clothing from that era. I can make sure that my design is true to the era.
JP: What about machines?
IB: I also like to research online about machines and fabrication processes. I can see what’s out there and I can keep up with the latest technology.
Anastasia Azure: One thing that I like to do is scan in my sketches so that I can print them out and play with different ways to arrange them.

I.B. Bayo (far left) takes a bow with models flaunting his bold designs.

JP: What do you think about the effect of technology on marketing and promotion?
Rita Chung: Oh, it’s absolutely vital to be on the internet if you want to reach out to a global market. Thanks to my website, I have customers from London, England, to Shanghai, China. And because communication is so instant, I can send a copy of my design to my customers and they can approve them right over e-mail! It’s so convenient!

Rita Chung strikes a pose with her happy customers — and newest fans!

A few members of the audience had the opportunity to ask questions, too:

Audience Question: Do you use social networking to promote your products?
IB: I just started a MySpace. It’s new to me, the idea of social networking, but it’s important to me because I don’t just want my customers to buy the products that are available now. I want them to be able to browse my ideas and anticipate future trends right along with me.
RC: And I recently uploaded photos of my designs to WooMeOver.
JP: Do you think that social networking is helpful, or is it just a waste of time?
RC: (guiltily) Well, I chat a lot.
(laughter)
Joui Turandot: (laughs) Well, chatting is tempting. But, for me, I also do a lot of “fashion & food” shows, so I find social networking very useful to finding an audience for my shows.
RC: And, going back to WooMeOver, after they featured me on their blog, I started getting hits on my website from all over the world! So I’d say that social networking and the internet are pretty vital to my business.

Joui Turandot is surrounded by her models and fabulous designs!

JP: Is there any technology out there that you’re thinking about using, but maybe aren’t comfortable with yet?
AA: Absolutely! Right now, I’m using a floor loom to weave my pieces. It’s got four arms and can make a double weave. But now, they have a computerized loom with 32 arms! The possibilities are endless, and I’m definitely interested in learning more.

AQ: Where do you get your materials?
AA: Well, I grew up around metal and fishing wire, which is mostly what I use in my work. I think that a big part of creativity is about problem solving and working with whatever is available to you.
JT: I’m committed to working with reclaimed fabrics, so people always donate stuff to me because they know I’ll use it!

As you can see, it was a rapid-fire session of questions and answers! It was fascinating to get a peek at what it’s like for fashion industry insiders to step into the world of technology — “O brave new world, that has such people in’t!” (William Shakespeare, The Tempest)

Courageously,
Olivia

WooMeOver.com officially launched last Friday, and we started the official site with quite a BANG!

We held our launch party at the offices of our legal counsel, Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, in Palo Alto, CA. We had a HUGE turnout; tickets to the event were all spoken for within a few days of their release! Unfortunately, due to safety regulations, we had to start turning people away once we reached capacity. We felt bad because some of these designers and jewelry enthusiasts had come from as far away as Fresno (over three hours away!) to check out the event!

We started with a nice time of networking, which was aided by a Chinese food buffet (don’t you find that the conversation flows so much more freely in the presence of food and alcohol?). Our guests were free to browse the collections of the “creative brains” on our fashion panel — two clothing designers and two jewelry designers.

Our event attendees had the opportunity to browse the collections of our guest speakers.

We then crammed into a large conference room to hear a panel discussion on “Fashion Goes Web 2.0″ — how these designers saw the role of the internet in the future of the fashion industry. It was a fascinating discussion, made lively by many insightful questions from our audience. The panel consisted of two fashion designers (Nigerian designer I.B. Bayo and artist-cum-fashion-designer Joui Turandot, designer of Vagadu) and two jewelry designers (Rita Chung of Asian2Woman and Anastasia Azure, who has an eponymous collection). Jordanna Petkun moderated the panel discussion.

Our enraptured audience waits with bated breath for the panel discussion to begin!

Our panel of “creative brains”. From left to right: Rita Chung, I.B. Bayo, Anastasia Azure, and Joui Turandot

Our fabulous moderator, Jordanna Petkun.

We then had demonstrations of the three websites that came together to sponsor this event: Weardrobe, ShoppingNotes, and, of course, the live launch of WooMeOver! We couldn’t be more excited about finally having launched our site!

Representatives from three different websites unite for a common goal: bringing the fashion industry into the 21st century! From left to right: Bess Ho, Derrick Chiang (WooMeOver), Ann Ruckstuhl (WooMeOver), Sue Zann Toh, Shirley Lin (WooMeOver), Shirley Yang (ShoppingNotes), Meng-You Yang (ShoppingNotes).

The evening concluded with a fabulous fashion show featuring designs by I.B. Bayo and Joui Turandot’s Vagadu collection.

A model holds sway over the audience in a breathtaking design from Joui Turandot’s Vagadu collection.

The evening was a huge success, and we owe it all to you, our loyal fanbase! We couldn’t have asked for a more enthusiastic crowd! Thank you so much for all your enthusiasm and love!

We’d also like to say an extra-special thank-you to our friends at Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, without whom we would have had to meet in some back alley in the pouring rain. After all their generous hospitality, we TOTALLY forgot to publicly thank them at the end of the event! We’re absolutely ashamed of ourselves and are attempting to make it up to them with the next best thing: a shout-out on our blog.

And let me also take this opportunity to encourage you to check out the site. If you love jewelry, I promise you’ll like what you see.

Enticingly,
Olivia

“Woo” hoo!

Blogger Jewelz first wrote in October about Victoria’s Secret’s 2008 blinged-out Fantasy Bra and the history of Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bras, which have premiered at VS fashion shows dating all the way back to 1996!

Well, the 2008 Fantasy Bra was unveiled to the world on December 3 when CBS aired the Victoria’s Secret 2008 Fashion Show!

There was plenty of bling to behold – jewelry fashioned from golden metal feathers to traditional (but decadent) necklaces, positively dripping with diamonds.
The fashions themselves didn’t escape the blingage, either. Some pieces sported some subtle sparkle while others were completely bedazzled with genuine Swarovski crystals.

But nothing could hold a candle to Victoria’s Secret’s 2008 Fantasy Bra.

All bow before the 2008 Fantasy Bra!!

Boasting 3,900 gemstones (including 3,575 black diamonds) and costing a whopping $5 million, this year’s Fantasy Bra was a sight to behold. Model Adriana Lima had the privilege of strutting down the runway, showing off the world’s most expensive (and sexiest) piece of lingerie.

When Victoria’s Secret puts on a fashion show, everyone expects it to be beyond sexy. Well, to say that this year’s show exceeded expectations would be an understatement. Fortunately, the last thing the show suffered from was “understatement.”

Decadently,
Olivia

P.S. Check out Adriana’s thoughts on being chosen to flaunt the 2008 Fantasy Bra!

Artist showcase of Christine J. Brandt’s sculptural jewelry and Sebastian Artz’s photography.

Thursday, November 6, 6PM - 9PM

Fred Segal (500 Broadway, Santa Monica)

RSVP at FredSegalGreen.com

At the Pasadena Bead and Design Show, I had the pleasure of meeting Mariella of Mariela Designer Jewelry.

Mariella with some necklaces from her latest line.

Mariella draws inspiration from design motifs from her native Peru. The ancient Incans worshipped the sun as a god, and Mariella has designed a one-of-a-kind necklace with a sun pendant that you will want to worship!

She’s also been working on a technique to combine all-natural bullhorn with sterling silver to create some clean and modern rings and bracelets.

Some horn jewelry designed by Mariella

She loves working with natural materials; she sees so much beauty in nature. It’s easy to understand her love for nature once you meet her and see her own natural beauty.

She loves using traditional techniques to create her jewelry, and is totally committed to creating eco-friendly pieces by eco-friendly means.

She’s also working on a top-secret new technique with a top-secret new material. I would tell you what it is, but… it’s top-secret! If you want to know what it is, you’re going to have to wait until Mariella launches her new line!

Due to copyrighting concerns, Mariella does not have a website, but she’d be happy to send you a catalog if you want to see more of her work.

It was such a pleasure meeting Mariella and seeing her sleek, modern pieces! This all-natural girl has an all-natural sense of style that we at WooMeOver just love!

Naturally,
Olivia

I had the pleasure of attending the Pasadena Bead and Design Show last Friday, and it was well worth the hour-long commute to the Pasadena Hilton!

The Pasadena Bead and Design Show

I had a great time at my first industry show. It was an excellent opportunity to meet hot new designers in the area (look for interviews and profiles in the days to come). I also learned a ton about the latest in current trends and innovative techniques.

Those of you aspiring designers out there should keep an eye out for our top ten secrets to marketing your jewelry, compliments of Angela Lovesmith of Lovestone Beads.

The Pasadena Bead and Design Show did a great job of bringing together a diverse group of exhibitors — designers and suppliers in all kinds of genres and styles, and from different walks of life — and joining them all into one unified show that actively demonstrates that, while we may all have different styles, a common love for jewelry is the only bond we need.

Connected,
Olivia

Tomorrow, I’ll be attending the Pasadena Bead & Design Show with a colleague.

Graphic by Pasadena Bead and Design Show.

I’m pretty excited about attending my very first industry show! Don’t know what I’ll see there, but I’m looking forward to seeing as much as possible!

From the show’s website:

“Pasadena Bead and Design Show is managed by Garan-Beadagio on behalf of Anna Kathleen Johnson. Having been in the artisanal trades for many years, Anna wanted to produce a show that mirrored the relationship of nature and art, the way they are lovingly interlaced in colors, textures, and patterns, at the deepest levels of the mind, and discovered through the expression of traditional handwork. She believes that art is the embodiment of dream, and that in a mystical sense, ownership is more like custodianship, passed on from generation to generation, and that it is essential that we discover the tradition continuously.”

If you’re in the Pasadena area, I encourage you to come and check it out! Maybe we’ll even get to meet!

Showing Off,
Olivia