Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts
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it's here!


it's been many weeks in the works, and i'm so excited to finally introduce you to my new bijoux boutique, kelly framel jewelry!! there are so many more pieces still to come, but i just couldn't wait any longer to spill! please have a peek...
xokelly
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Indulgences

It seems that Hannah and Elvia have awakened a new obsession. After Cole bought me one lovely piece from their shop The Loved One, I knew I needed more. I've always liked pretty lingerie, really what's not to like, but instead of buying pretty under-things I would always opt for gorgeous shoes. That is no longer the case. It seems that having the right kind of pretty lingerie to buy makes all the difference. To me it's all about sexiness with both class and nostalgia.
Indulgences
Indulgences
Indulgences
Hannah, knowing how much I love the Anne stories, included this stunning old postcard of the breathtaking Colleen Dewhurst-1970.
...
Remember how I mentioned I needed a bra to match my new pieces, well I found the perfect one by Elle MacPherson, it even comes in larger sizes and makes your bust look so Pride and Prejudice. Indulgences
Indulgences
New lovely necklaces to style courtesy of Cat at BrideBlu! I haven't taken either off since I received them yesterday.


Yours,
Maria Sig 2

{ shop the glamourai } transcendenjewel





just added some supernatural new stones to shop.theglamourai.com ~ CLICK HERE to have a look!

{ glamourai DIY } instantly stately


{ above: reworked antique/estate jewels from my private collection }

i love the look of estate jewelry, especially articulated rhinestone pieces that have developed a smokey patina over time (like the yummy stuff above!). unfortunately, such gems can be either hard to find or stunningly expensive. on the other hand, modern replicas may be more affordable, but they often lack a certain depth ~ to my mind, new, too-shiny jewels always look cheap. good thing i've got a trick for faking the estate look!

here's what you do: start with a rhinestone necklace (or earrings, bracelet, etc...). recently, i fell in love with this 3D floral stunner while culling pieces for my f21 store. although it's undoubtedly a pretty piece as is, i imagined it might be a bit too glitzy ~ even for my taste! however, i knew it would be perfect for this project.

other than that, you'll need:
- paper towels to protect your work surface
- a black AND a brown sharpie pen (fine point is preferred)
- a handful of Q-tips
- nail polish remover (optional)

first and foremost, cover your workspace with paper towels; permanent marker does NOT come off tabletops! next, start smudging brown sharpie over the stones; to get that naturally aged look, occasionally skip a stone or two. you want it to look a bit random (as organic aging tends to be). blot the ink up with a moistened Q-tip (dipped in water!) as you go:

next, trace back over the stones with the black sharpie (continuing to blot with damp Q-tips as you move along). layering black over the brown adds dimension, making the stones look more naturally smokey:

for the sake of this tutorial, i completed the right side first, so that you'd be able to compare the desired finish with the original starting place (ie, the left side):

after continuing the same work on said left side, i realized i'd gone a bit too dark overall. that's easy to do ~ but just as easy to fix! simply dip one of your Q-tips in a bit of nail polish remover, and sweep it over the top surface of the stones. use a light touch on this step ~ that will help bring the shine back to the tips of the piece, while maintaining the shading around the sides of the stones. and voila! that's all it takes:

see the difference?! this transformation is definitely (intentionally) subtle; because, as we all know, chic is in the details!

let me know in the comments if you have any questions, and send me pictures if you decide to test this out for yourself!! as always, please keep in mind that you don't have to buy anything new to do this project ~ just dig around in your jewelry box for anything a bit too blingy and try giving it the antique treatment!

{ as promised }

{ costume of the day } chiffonery

thank you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes! i've never been too big on birthdays, except that now my birthday also marks the birth of this blog ~ and that makes the day extra special!! indeed, theglamourai.com turned two this week. it's been such a fun ride, and i can't wait to see what the coming years will bring; thanks for sticking with me!

now, about my outfit: i found this dress at beacon's closet in williamsburg, brooklyn ~ one of my favorite secondhand haunts. it's basically a big chiffon sack, but with the prettiest little details. it's very languid and raw, and i think quite nice for these late summer days.



this necklace is one i'll never part with ~ though wherever i wear it, strangers inevitably try to talk it off me. it's quite the conversation starter! thus, i've been working on some similar pieces for the store. keep a close eye open for those ~ they're coming soon!

{ antique rayban sunnies, the glamourai brass bauble bib, unknown secondhand dress, jean yu slip, vintage clutch + miu miu swallow brooch, prada shoes }

{ costume of the day } wellie up


please excuse the overuse of umbrella-as-prop in these pics ~ it was really raining when they were taken! indeed, for the first half of this week, NYC was quite suddenly plunged deep into the midst of monsoon season.

my stylistic tricks for getting through such periods are:
[1] have a couple cute umbrelleries on call at all times (those cheapie-deepie, hook-beaked black numbers they sell on the street make bad weather seem even more grim!), and [2] wear something short enough to balance out the unfortunate loss of leg-length caused by unwieldy wellies (this tip has been passed down to us all via the commandments of kate)!

other than that, i'm just taking cues from dries (again), and testing out this fall's preferred palette and olive-twill trend!
{ jean paul gaultier umbrella, custom sunnies, the glamourai murky way necklace, vintage rings, rachel rachel roy tail-back blouse, anthropologie belt, forever21 skirt, hunter wellies }

{ rock pop }

been a busy bee this week, crafting and adding newly-made jewels to the shop. click the picture to have a gander!

{ above: amethyst amulet necklaces (only $60!) hang on a homemade cork-board in my studio }

{ costume of the day } variation on a theme

it wasn't until after the day had passed and i was editing this post that i realized how similar the contained ensemble is to this one ~ both feature little else but an ivory blouse and black shorts. and yet, in the details, they are so different. isn't that the amazing thing about classic, basic pieces? they can be interpreted, worn, and re-worn in a million different ways!



{ d+g sunnies, the glamourai crystallized corsage necklace, bb dakota tunic (courtesy of modcloth), j. crew belt, rachel rachel roy shorts, vintage bracelets & knuckle ring, verameat 3-finger ring, juicy couture bag, aldo shoes }

PS: i fully recognize the inherent irony in exalting "classic basics" immediately after posting THIS. but it was hot out, i had a business meeting, and just couldn't get away with full-on feathers.

PPS: ever wondered about the talented man who makes these costume posts possible? check out more of his work HERE!

{ a new lease } on legs

back in the 80's, when i was a young mutt, oshkosh b'gosh was the peak of children's chic. every mom of the era ~ including mine ~ was hellbent on getting their offspring into those overalls and dungarees!
but i had a mind of my own ~ and an impressive lung capacity to boot. i would scream at my poor mother "I ONLY WEAR DRESSES!" and so it was.

so it has also been for most of my life. mummy dearest wanted to start me off on trend, but my dye had long been cast in another direction. stiff, biped duds have never really been 'me'; i might as well have been born with webbed legs.

since i started this blog, i've begun getting box after unsolicited box of jeans in the mail. i truly appreciate the sentiment, but am almost always unsure of what to do with them.

in a way, i actually envy girls for whom throwing on jeans is as routine as brushing teeth. truth is, there's no other garment that causes me more dressing-room anxiety. i find them very hard to wear! how do you make them elegant? breezy? soft? textured? glam?!?! i'm much more at ease in charmeuse and chiffon.

and yet, i guess there's an ornery little girl still living inside me, who needs to rebel against my own norm now and then. so, every once in a while, i sneakily slide on a pair of jeans, strut around feeling brassy and bold... and then slither back into my gauzy, girly stuff, feeling just as empowered as before ~ if not more.


{ antique aquamarine spider earrings, the glamourai riverbed bib necklace, nicole miller blouse, gifted rich and skinny jeans, vintage turkish ring, poppy bag courtesy of coach, pierre hardy for gap shoes }

{ newly jewelly } midsummer statements





after two tumultuous months of packing, moving, and a head-spinning schedule of freelance projects, i've somehow eked out the time to unpack and rebuild anew my jewelry studio. the first fruits of my work/life relocation have just arrived in the shop ~ it feels so good to finally be fashioning fancy new fripperies again! we couldn't let bunny have all the fun, now could we?!

{ costume of the day } long overdue






{ vintage rayban sunnies, the glamourai cobalt cabochon crucifix necklace, vintage shirt & ring from brimfield market, F21 pants, prada shoes, the glamourai for coach bag, miu miu brooch (on bag) }

oh my, how i've missed you! i'm sorry for the embarrassing lack of updates lately ~ sometimes life just gets in the way, you know? i still don't have internet in the new flat, and have had to grasp for odd moments in between deliveries and unpacking projects to slip off to coffee shops to get my hi-fi fix. i feel so estranged from the world!

in other news, i've been wearing this über-easy ensemble a lot lately. it's essentially an outdoor-appropriate interpretation of pajamas ~ exactly as much dress-up as i can muster at the moment. i do plan to turn up the luster tomorrow, when i head uptown for the sure-to-be-epic coach collectibles launch party. who else is coming? i can't wait to meet you all!

{ t.rex }



i've been having a lot of fun letting this not-so-small sculpture of a necklace roam around my apartment all week. most recently, he's been drinking tea and attacking angels. { monserat de lucca necklace courtesy of modcloth }
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