Vienna Sparkles in Many Ways

Looks like I wasn't the only one loving the Saturday Naschmarkt in Vienna. I was selective and only bought a few necklaces to repurpose along with some really cool little vintage medals that were awarded for climbing mountains or visiting tourist spots in Austria. I am planning to create something really funky with these medals. More about that in a future post.

Of course the best selection of all things sparkly was at the Swarovski store in the center of Vienna. Several floors of gorgeous Swarovski crystal creations dazzled onlookers, a great tourist attraction to be sure.

These were some of my personal favorites from Swarovski. Yes, you do need to be invited to some grand ball in order to wear these!

Moving on from the Swarovski store I met a beautiful mother and daughter team from Vienna selling gorgeous vintage jewelry at an antiques show inside a shopping mall. I loved meeting Gitta Landgraf-Hausmann and her daughter. What a delightful duo! Gitta is an artist and you can see her work at www.artforsale.at

Everyone deserves a little distraction now and then, and here is mine. When you visit Vienna you MUST go to the coffee shop at the Hotel Secher. It is truly the best in decor, elegance, service, and people watching. Of course their Sacher tortes are to die for and the Cafe Melange is true perfection. Yes, it is worth the splurge.

One final  distraction worth noting is this stunning Viennese coed from the Univeristy of Vienna posing here in her native dress while attending the largest open air wine and beer tasting I have ever seen! Actually we just stumbled upon this event as our hotel was close by the campus. Not only do the citizens of Vienna know how to create great food, music and gorgeous jewelry, they also definitely know how to party!

Czech This Out!

Just returned from Eastern Europe. First stop was the gorgeous city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Favorite shopping street... Parizska.  Favorite store there... Fendi. Beautiful space, fabulous clothing, impressive handbags, and great service. This store is a must see. I caught this faceless mannequin relaxing in the corner.... loved everything she was wearing.

Probably the coolest handbag in the store was this three dimensional baguette with lots of sparkle. And the color scheme really intrigued me. More about that later.

I tried hard to find a hip Czech woman meandering through the City Center, but to no avail. The best portrayal of Czech fashion was this poster in the railway station! Love the way she layers those necklaces.

Call me crazy, but the colors of the tile work at the Cafe Imperial served as great inspiration for me for my Spring 2014 collection. I would translate this into a combination of citrine with white moonstone and aquamarine accents. Now you see why I was attracted to that Fendi baguette.

My final inspiration was this magnificent stained glass window. As you can see, I was drawn to this color scheme again and kept thinking about how the pattern reminded me of antique filigrees.  Who knows how I might interpret this into some really cool piece of jewelry one day. That's the great thing about travel. It plants seeds in your thoughts that take root and blossom when you least expect it.

My Treasure Hunt

These street smart ladies in the photos above were featured on the ever so popular jewelry blog, Adorn London. The talented photographer Hannan captured these fashion fabulous women on the streets of New York.

  

I'm about to embark on a vast scavenger/treasure hunt.  I will be visiting Eastern Europe finding new resources to create more exciting and unique designs for my 2014 jewelry collections.  I will be searching the streets of Prague, Vienna and Berlin for inspiration and looking for some equally dazzling examples of stunning street fashion to photograph.

 My first stop is Prague, well known for their gorgeous garnets. Rough cut garnets like the ones pictured here really capture my attention. I will definitely be on the look out for them.

Next stop is Vienna and all things Swarovski. I will be filling you in on all those wonderful sparkling stones and what is trending in the world of Swarovski crystals.

Because I love to mix the old with the new, I can't wait to visit the Saturday Naschmarkt in Vienna where a real treasure hunt will ensue as I scour the market for antique trinkets to add interest to my designs.

And the final stop will be Berlin, home of one of my favorite designers, Hugo Boss. (Definitely bringing my Boss olive cotton military jacket.) Stay tuned to see the variety of artifacts I uncover on my thousands of miles long hunt.

Hard Day's Night

I just returned from a business trip to beautiful Chicago (my home town.) I was showing my fall collection to several stores along the Chicago North Shore.

Dragging my little silver "wagon" filled with jewels off the airplane, I couldn't help but think about some wise words I once heard from an elderly gentleman I knew. "Sell what's in your wagon," he would say. And, yes, I was trying to do just that.

After a very quick and most unglamorous lunch, my first stop was Frances Heffernan in Winnetka who has featured The Montage Collection since last year. Allyson, Jamie and the rest of the very professional staff there know their customers well. They are very good at finding something unique to introduce to their discerning ladies, and they zeroed in on our gorgeous leather bracelets wrapped in hand woven beads. Perfect for Mother's Day, they thought. If you stop by in a few weeks, you will see for yourself.

Dinner that night was with friends at L. Woods in Lincolnwood. I enjoyed Lake Superior white fish, a favorite of mine since my childhood. The next day I had an appointment at Vibrato in Glenview.  Meeting with Janice, the owner, is always a pleasure. She has a great eye for detail and likes to offer unusual, artistic pieces to the ladies of The North Shore at her stores in Glenview and Wilmette. She selected some "immediates" from our spring/summer collection and carefully vetted our fall collection choosing some gorgeous new necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. So far I was batting a thousand! I then decided that I needed to find a new store in a different area that might be a perfect fit.

That brings me to the last day of my trip and to City Woods in downtown Highland Park, an upscale artisan shop specializing in works by American artisans. Diana carries gorgeous handcrafted wood, metal, fiber and jewelry all handmade in the USA. Bingo! She loved the line and you will get to see her selections which are set to arrive just in time for Mother's Day. Now it was time for a little R and R.

The plans for my final evening in The Windy City were to go to a theater in the round in Lincolnshire to see a group of "Beatles" known as The Cavern Beat. They were fantastic.

It was a hectic few days and a hard day's night, but I definitely followed sage advice and sold what was in my wagon!

Spring Fever

Even though some of us are looking out our windows at lots of snow, we may as well celebrate the first official day of spring. Since nature is one of my primary resources of inspiration, look here to see how in this case my art imitates life!

The colors of our Leah necklace sure remind me of the spring landscape above!

Woodsy and colorful, just like the gorgeous budding tree above it, the Lynwood necklace is truly a breath of fresh spring air!

The Aston earring is almost as verdant the picture above it!

And, finally, our Endicott earring glistens like the waterfall.

Wishing everyone a very happy first day of spring!

Visit us at www.myrnahalpern.com

Bulls Eye!

I closely follow the Adorn London blog.http://www.adorn-london.com/ It is an excellent resource for global jewelry trends. I recently noticed their summary of the spring/summer jewelry trends and was so happy to see that The Montage Collection had nailed all of them....right on target....bulls eye! Read on to see what they had to say and how The Montage Collection has followed the major trends without looking too trendy.

BOHO CHICK

Sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s what this girl’s made of. Add a dash of off-beat edge with quirky accessories that nod to a freewheeling lifestyle and a pretty punk attitude that’s filled with fun.

Key Style Notes

Updated cameos

Organic silhouettes

Pearlescent finishes

 Found objects

Our Paulina necklace fits the bill for Boho Chick... off beat edge, organic citrine, pearlescent finishes and our found object is the tiny vintage glass shell that hangs in back.

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/443160/paulina/

GEO GRAPHIC

Adorn yourself with jewels inspired by shape and contrast. Inject an urban edge into your jewellery wardrobe this season with big, bold statement pieces and cut out silhouettes.

Key Style Notes

Colour pop brights

Graphic layering

Shape

Geometric patterns

What better example of a big bold statement piece than our Rebekah necklace sporting colour pop brights and lots of shapes and geometric patterns. It even features the coral, yellow and aqua tones against bright gold metal. We're covered here for sure.

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/458404/rebekah/

RIVIERA

Think summer holiday destinations and sun-kissed memories. This is a trend jam- packed with sentiment underpinned by a nod to personalisation and a forget-me-not approach to jewels.

Key Style Notes

Charm clusters

Cocktail rings

Oversize jangle earrings

Beads

Our "to die for" cocktail rings are the perfect answer for a walk along the Riviera in your favorite beach attire.

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/504148/rings/

FLORAL FAIRYTALE

Embrace the charm and celebration associated with nature-inspired femininity where girl-next-door meets 60s style icon in a patchwork of ditsy florals and bold blooms.

Key Style Notes

Roses

Daisy chains

Flower bouquets

Coloured gems

Our 60's inspired Barbette bracelet with its feminine charm and antique floral clasp is indeed a floral fairytale. Think Alice in Wonderland and pair it with your favorite floral frock.

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/504150/barbette/

TALES OF THE ORIENT

Wallflowers need not apply for this look which is big on drama and head-turning embellishment. As the East continues to inspire, take this opportunity to go all out on a look that gets you noticed.

 Key Style Notes

Worked gold surfaces

Vibrant gemstones

All the greens

Layered chains

The Bella necklace is indeed a head turner and sports all the greens and layered chains. Another bulls eye!

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/458405/bella/

SCI-FI SPECTRUM

What better way to work a night time look that by taking inspiration from the cosmos and beyond? Star spangled skies and spiraling planets supply the requisite sparkle; futuristic muses inspire with their moody cool.

 Key Style Notes

Silver and pale gold

Orbs

Colour metal surfaces

Crystal and glassy finishes

Yes, our Willow necklace with its detachable orb is sci-fi drama at its best! We even named its matching orb shaped earring the Oriana after the constellation Orion.

http://www.myrnahalpern.com/443169/oriana/

Eat This Not That

David Zinczenko wrote the best selling “no diet” book, Eat This Not That. I am threatening to pen a sequel, Wear This With That. 

So many of us are really stymied when it comes to accessorizing, but the truth is that  the perfect jewelry makes an outfit come alive and tells so much about the personality of the wearer.

Take, Michelle Obama, for example, she (OK, her stylist) has brought accessorizing to a true art form. Michelle’s accessories tell us that she is confident, engaging and fashion forward.

I love these color block pearls. Her very simple and elegant dress comes alive with the addition of these gorgeous pearls.

This statement necklace by Tom Binns helps Michelle exude confidence and style.

Wow, what fabulous bracelets and what amazing earrings. I propose a toast to our fashionable First Lady! She knows how to Wear This With That!

I'm an early riser and really enjoy watching the co-host of Morning Joe, Mika Brezinski. Mika is strikingly beautiful, intelligent, and demure. I am always fascinated that she rarely wears jewelry, and, of course,  I would love to accessorize her. So here goes. Just for fun, I am going to attempt to show her how to Wear This With That.

What a wonderful picture of Mika. Such a gorgeous woman.

Thought it might be fun to add our Paulina necklace to fill in the neckline.

I love Mika in the red dress and the way her head is tilted in this photo.

 I thought it would be interesting to add our Francoise hand woven blue goldstone earrings to graze her collar bone!

You can't help noticing Mika's gorgeous legs in this photo.

What if we added the Areli necklace? OOOHH LA LA!

And, finally, Mika looks amazing in this cobalt blue sheath.

Maybe just a pop of color with our Collins bracelets at the wrist, wouldn't ruin her image!