Island Living

LOVE

A lesson in Pearls

Seeing as it is the summer and I have a bit of down time- and a friend who works at the library- I have found myself checking out an abundance of books about fashion, textiles, art, etc. One book that looked intriguing to me was called "Icons" by Dodie Kazanjian. The author worked for Vogue while she wrote this book about fashions most iconic pieces (the little black dress, the Chanel suit, Manolos...and so on) one chapter that caught my eye was about PEARLS! Such an interesting shiny little expensive object!


I myself am not very cultured (haha get it?) when it comes to pearls so I was intrigued by everything I learned, and now I am going to pass it down to you! My faithful and loyal reader(s?). 


A natural pearl occurs when an irritant lodges itself into the body of an oyster, the oyster then protects itself by wrapping said irritant in layer after layer of nacre- nacre is that pretty iridescent substance that we have come to know as "pearl"


Cultured pearls have a man made irritant but other than that the pearl making process is exactly the same! Apparently pearl snobs call this "artificial insemination" however even pearl experts have a hard time distinguishing between natural and cultured pearls.


Since the highest trained eye can barely tell the difference between the two it's natural to wonder why some are more pricey than others. Well now I can tell you why! Pearls that have a heftier price tag have been in the oyster for years, inexpensive pearls have only been in the process for a couple of months and will not last long. The nacre in expensive pearls is a lot thicker, and will last a lot longer with the proper care. 


Unlike diamonds pearls do not last forever- and to date no pearl has held its luster for more than 500 years. Just like diamonds though- pearls will never ever go out of style!


Some fun little facts:


In some countries pearls are ground up and sold as medicine such as anti-wrinkle cream and nacre (pearls) are 90% calcium carbonate which is the main ingredient in Tums and Rolaids. Basically- pearls aint' gonna help you get rid of wrinkles


Wash your pearls with soap and water and dry them without rubbing them 


A pearl necklace should be restrung at least once a year because the silk thread gets dirty and disturbs the pearls "equilibrium" (which is tres tres delicate) 


Each years crop of pearls is different- like wine!


Pearls have their own grading system from A to AAA

Penny Lane

So I'm watching Almost Famous right now and I want nothing more than to transport back in time so I could dress like Penny Lane, or any of the other Band Aides. Fashion at that time was just so killer- QUICK I need a vintage shop ASAP ahhhh

Good Morning

Inside and out! Have a great day!

Monkey!

Lacey

Halloweekend

Me as Gaga

The Real Deal

Hey everyone! I hope you all had safe and fun Halloweek-ends! As planned I dressed up as Lady Gaga and I had a lot of fun with it! I didn't get a chance to dress up as Michael Jackson but that's okay. Maybe it was too soon? Anyway here is a pic of me on Halloween as Lady Gaga. Yes I know she is blonde but in my defense she was originally a brunette AND her promo for "The Fame Monster" features her as a brunette (there is some type of collector edition of this which also comes with a lock of her hair...that is so weird that I freaking love it! I mean a celeb giving out locks of hair? That's just so fun and silly)! So anyway tut tut to wigs! Who needs ya? I can work with what I've got!


So tell me! How was your weekend? Who did you go as? What was the best costume you saw all weekend?

101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle

Fashion Stylist and boutique owner Dawn Del Russo can now add author to her list of accomplishments (which also includes graduating from Parsons, styling celebrities, and being featured in magazines/ TV shows). If you aren't familiar with Dawn I highly recommend you check her out. Her boutique can be found online at http://www.belladawn.com/, and if you are into twitter she goes by DawnDelRusso.

Her book is called "101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle". I was psyched when she sent it to me to review! I love being able to take tips from those in the fashion world that I look up to so that I can apply them to my life.

This book is a compilation of tips that are meant to make girls and women not only look great, but feel great as well. Dawn offers up fun tips such as "Dress for a red carpet" She also includes healthy smart tips such as "Wear Sunscreen". Dawn also gives suggestions that are meant to make her readers more well rounded, worldly, and educated. That was important to me because looks can only get one so far in life. Two of my favorite pages in the book included the tips "Love Yourself" and "Be Yourself". There is nothing more glamorous than having a good self esteem and being true to yourself.

Overall this book offers up fun and creative ideas to improve your quality of life so that you are happy, healthy, and chic! I think this would make a great gift for a friend, family member, or even for yourself!

It can be purchased at Dawns boutique: http://retwt.me/fxym and at Amazon http://retwt.me/1gDNN

Image Via belladawn.com

Being Lady Gaga

So yeah I am being SUPER original and I am going to be Lady Gaga for halloween! I secretly wish I could dress up like her all the time but for obvious reason non-pop stars must save such daring looks for Halloween and the like (theme parties).

What are you guys going as?

Viktor and Rolf Paris Fashion week

Viktor and Rolf clearly had wild imaginations and illusions in mind for their Spring 2010 fashion show in Paris. I think it's really cool. Something I've never seen before. I wonder if any celeb would actually rock this look? We've all seen some crazy couture on the red carpet so you never know! Also- how KILLER are those heels? So beautiful for spring.
All Image via Coutourture