adieu, yves

1936 - 2008

Day 3 of W.E.I.O.

The Happy Hippie is a sick hippie today, so this will be short. My schedule for today consists of vegetating in bed with North and South on DVD. Mmm, Patrick Swayze.



Yesterday's ensemble was simple, casual, and most of all comfy because I was already starting to feel under the weather. Speaking of weather, it's officially chilly, and I enjoyed pulling a cardigan out of the closet yesterday. Layers, delicious layers.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow, and my post matter will be more interesting. My apologies until then. Toodles!

Valentine's Day: Coming Soon

Valentine's Day is just around the corner - less than a month away, and I'm trying to get the newest Valentine's creations on the Cluny Grey website. A few jewelry pieces that I will be adding are featured here today: first is the heart pendant necklace above made with garnets and a touch of Swarovski crystals here and there. Of course, the lampwork beads of Lynn Nurge, especially the silver-laced heart I used to make the pendant, are the focal points of the entire necklace. The necklace can be found on our Handmade Necklaces page (along with the last heart necklace at the bottom of this post).The Prayer Box Necklace above has some of my favorite silver freshwater pearls, little flower beads and charms, and of course a sterling silver prayer box. This prayer box is a favorite because when it opens, not only is there a place to put a prayer or wish, but a kneeling angel comes out. The prayer box hangs from a flower shape that reminds me of some stylized flowers I've seen in the great cathedrals in Spain and Portugal.
The last necklace also features the beads of Lynn Nurge: the lampwork heart with flowers, rose quartz coloured tabs and mauvey-pink and green rounds. The gemstones here are purple crazy lace agate faceted rondelles; little charms hang from two places on the necklace as well-flowers and hearts - very appropriate for Valentine's Day. The necklace also has a flower on the "S" clasp (from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes).

jewellery accessories jewelry fashion shopping braceletsbeads handmade beaded jewelry beading helmi gioielli smykker tak? juvelen lampwork beads The Jewelry Blog jewelry trends accessories garnet lampwork beads handmade necklace

Swoosh Swoosh

It's a little simplistic to say that my love of black fringe is related to my own heavy black black fringe (I went through a mini irritating phase of calling them 'bangs' but I'm over it and back to the good old British 'fringe'....). How else though have I accumulated over five items of black fringe which in the scheme of a clothing embellishment/haberdashery, is a fair amount. I don't know but my own fringe goes on and on and so the black fringe goes on too and this Tim Ryan black ribbon fringe scarf is most certainly my favourite bit of fringe at the moment. I'm especially enjoying wearing it as a scarf wrapped once over the neck so that it swooshes a bit in the front like a sort of fringe necklace which I've seen around the blogosphere. On colour, the fringe goes a long long way though on black, I'm into playing up the textures of the scarf contrasted with other things.... like say....more black fringe?

My own black fringe ain't going anywhere yet seeing as growing it out strikes fear in my heart (where would the fringe 'go' exactly....?), so I guess the fringe loving is here for a while yet, until I find another material to make a satisfying swoosh-swoosh motion...

Pop Quiz #474

Don't give me any grief about this. I'm telling you up front that this qualifies as one -if not the most- arcane and dopiest entry I've ever published. In sum, if you don't get the answer, it's likely no one else will either but I'm looking forward to reading your creative submissions.

This was inspired by DH. He wondered why some of my patterns had little blue lines around the outside edges (below)

If that's not visible, below is a close up:

Betty and Loulou

The Steve is away so I got to spend the evening with Yves instead, watching the Yves Saint Laurent documentaries 'His Life and Times' and '5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris' back to back and then re-reading The Beautiful Fall (tea stains a-plenty in this well thumbed book...). My favourite bits in the books are when the encounters with Yves' various muses are recalled, with Betty Catroux and Loulou de la Falaise and the descriptions of Loulou are particularly vivid which has propelled me into an afternoon of spending some time with Yves' muses...

I've never been one to channel other people's looks so it's more like playing around with the spirit and the two bi-polar styles that Betty and Loulou represented to Monsieur Saint Laurent and the different things they managed to coax out of him and inspire him to draw...

Betty Catroux: Androgynous, angula, skinny-hipped, invariably in black and liked her leather. She also sported the deviant schoolgirl look with high black socks, black mini and big belts slung on the hips. Her thin pencil stroke of a figure matched Yves' then-lithe slip of a figure and they feeded off each other's taste in the 'louche'.

(Alexander McQueen black satin cape, Lanvin tuxedo jacket, vintage black matt sequin skirt worn as top, Preen leather panelled troousers, Sam Edelman boots with plastic chains worn around the boots)

Loulou de la Falaise: Hippy-ish, electric and exhuberant in manner and in dress. She turned sarongs and saris into various outfits with the use of a safety pin, made cardboard and glitter star and moon accessories for her wedding outfit and took silver napkin holders to wear as bracelets. Yves relied on her gaiety enormously.

(Poltock & Walsh ruffled halterneck, Johnny Loves Rosie bow hat worn around the neck, tierred print dress from Hong Kong, fuschia pink tights, Pierre Hardy x Louise Goldin ankle boots)

Oversized Clutches and Utilitarian Handbags

Thank god for the death of the “It” bag. For a more modern look, you will want to peek into oversized clutches and utilitarian supple leather bags.

One my favorite affordable oversized clutches right now is this vibrant orange Nine West purse available on piperlime.com. Then there is the pricier, but even more tasty Hobo International Farrah in a brilliant blue.

The best part about this type of purse, besides being incredibly stylish and attractive, is you can actually fit everything you need in it. My camera, keys, phone, money, cards and Kleenex can all come with me when cruising the fellas at the roof top bars I have been frequenting.

As for the utilitarian leather sacs, I spied some overpriced, but delicious brown and blue leather handbags in Urban Outfitters. A quality bag of good use in a beautiful color never goes out of style. Never.