Bows, Bows, Bows

Well.  I'm holed up at home for the next little while.  I ran full force into the coffee table (not for the fun of it, mind you), and either broke my toe, or severely sprained it.  yuck!  Just in time for Christmas parties.  I find it quite ironic that I'm in the fashion industry, and will not be appearing in normal cocktail attire.  Uggs are fashionable, right??! :D  Don't worry!  I won't wear Uggs. hehe...though it is tempting!

I've been perusing a few online jewelry stores, and blogs and have noticed a few trends.  Bows!!  I'm not the frilliest girl, so bows are a new thing to me (like layering necklaces a year or so ago).  I hope this fad sticks around for a bit because I'm going to jump on it!  A friend sent this cute Juicy Couture pic to my in box, and not so surprisingly, Park Lane has one that looks very similar, with a few extra perks.  PL's is less expensive, and you can get 2 more (or something else) for $12 each, and another for free...for the same price as the Juicy one.  

This is a pretty simple and very inexpensive update you could do to any bracelet.  
- You could tie a few pearl bracelets together with a cute bow.
- Add a black bow to a black and white bracelet.  Or red to make it pop.
I was at the Dollar Tree a few days ago, and picked up a spool of satin ribbon for $1.  Talk about fashion on the cheap!! :)  I didn't need an expensive spool, I just needed a pretty bow.  Always check the bargain bins at Michael's - they always have something cheap too.  Or Target, in their dollar section are sometimes great little spools of ribbon.  I like to stock up on these.  You never know when you might need a bow. ;)

You could add a bow to St. Tropez, or any other necklace that has several strands.  If you use satin, like this one, you'll want to make sure you do a little twisting so the shiny side it out. 

You can put a few necklaces together, and tie them with a bow too.  It's in, so you really can't go wrong. 
Wrap a long necklace around your wrist, and tie it with a bow too.

How would you wear a bow on an existing piece of jewelry?

"I don't wear jewelry" - Jewelry 101 (for the non-obsessed)

For shame. I get that not everyone stops dead in their tracks when passing a jewelry store in the mall. I constantly hear my husband, who's suddenly 15 feet in front of me, while I'm gawking at something sparkly (usually pearls - in my top five favorite stones, or rubies, or whatever. Not watches though...). This is followed by rolling of eyes, and "What are you looking at now?" Which is then followed by me sputtering out something about, "Do you see that ring?! OHMYGOODNESS!!!" Then, "Come on, Rachael." :) Yep I get it. In my defense (do I have any justifications left? no? oh ok.), it was taught. Not by my mom, but by playing with jewelry for 8 hours...my first retail job was for a chain jewelry store. We had to know how it felt, what looked good...

What I didn't understand was layering. This is not really something that is taught in high-end jewelry stores. After all, people are coming in to buy 1 piece (a necklace, for example), and sometimes we could encourage them to purchase the matching earrings, and then sometimes the customer would buy the matching bracelet. Ensembles. I get that. Layering? Nope, that was lost on me. So, this is my layering guide for the non-obsessed. For people who 'don't get it', or who just plain don't wear jewelry :) Come on, you can wear more than just the pearl studs. In fact these looks will look great with the pearl studs.

Now, raise your right hand and repeat after me, "I _________________ (this is where you put your name), promise I will not freak out. And I promise to try at least one of these looks in the near future." I'm your jewelry guide...I will not lead you astray. Remember, we also have an unbelievable customer sale - it will serve you well and you can get 80% off! Contact me for more details!


We'll start with Fashion-able. It's this black one. 48" long. Very simple, with faceted black beads. It's shown tripled here. This is a great piece to wear super long (long necklaces will make a shorter woman look taller than she is, and a heavier set woman look thinner - yes you can wear more than one at a time!!). You could also double this necklace, to make it a bit longer than it's shown here. Or you can triple it.

Keep this image in the back of your mind...we're going to pair 2 different necklaces with a few others to create completely separate looks. Hint - you can wear them with the pearl earrings you love, or that pendant you never take off. I can guarantee you that by adding something else to the mix, people will notice that pendant, rather than by wearing it alone. Crazy, huh?! Follow me on this one!!




Breathe....see that wasn't so hard, was it? By adding your favorite pendant (yes, the one you have on right now), and staggering the long black one (Fashion-able), you're adding more mileage to your jewelry wardrobe, changing it up a little bit, and updating your great look! :) You are already beautiful, you don't need to change that...just your jewelry ;)

The heart necklace is Love Story - it's a designer inspired (ahem...Brighton) piece...Mother of pearl heart surrounded by marcasites. A very simple and elegant, though not too over the top, look!

This is an opportune time to mention that ALL of Park Lane's jewelry is backed by a 100% unconditional guarantee. That means that regardless of when, how or where it breaks, your jewelry will be replaced free of charge. Even if you break it on the high chair. Even if your beloved child yanks it. And, yes, even if the dog eats it. Send back what you have, and voila a brand new piece will arrive to you in the mail!

Congratulations! You haven't withered away! See! You can do this!!!

Rather than giving you more pieces you can wear with Fashion-able, and run the risk of overwhelming you, I'd much rather you come back and read my next post (invite your friends too!). I promise to make it really simple. Cross my heart.

So for this look on the side...it's so simple, hold one end of the necklace, and wrap and wrap and wrap until it's tight, but not too tight...it should fit like a normal bracelet. Then clasp the two ends together. Presto! A long necklace becomes a bracelet! HINT: you can do this with almost any long necklace. Heck, you might just need to buy 2 long necklaces; one to wear as a necklace, and one to wear as a bracelet!!!