FabSugar

Love It or Hate It? Jewelry Made Out of Fashion Magazines

FabSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:22 PDT

I've thought of a few things to do with old magazine pages (use as wrapping paper, wall art, book covers, etc) but making jewelry has never been one of them. That's why jewelry designer Lenore Solmo is one unique chick. Her cuffs, bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces, made from fashion magazine pages, can be found at her store on Etsy from $32 to $86. What do you think? Do you love this concept or hate it?

9 Easy Tricks to Maximize Your Wardrobe

LearnVest — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:15:31 PDT

Despite what you think, you actually don't need more clothes. The trick is to just maximize your wardrobe. LearnVest shares how.

Whether you live for shopping the latest trends or wish you could spend every day in your favorite pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, your clothes project a message about who you are.

The great thing is that you have the power to control that message entirely - as long as what you already own isn’t standing in your way.

From having a wardrobe that’s bursting with every item of clothing you’ve had since childhood to owning a ton of pieces that you never wear (the definition of wasted money), these are the ways your closet can stop you from being the most stylish version of yourself.

To cut through the clutter and help you get the most from the items you already have, we polled everyone we know - including all of the LearnVest editors, who are definitely invested in looking their best on a budget, and one fashion expert - to come up with nine easy, inventive ways for you to make over the closet you have without spending a ton on new trends.

At least one of these strategies will dramatically change the way you feel about getting dressed in the morning.

1. Follow the Rainbow

This strategy comes courtesy of LearnVest reader Erin Greenbaum, who has used this technique for years with great success. Every day for a week, make sure that your ensemble includes an item of a certain color: week one is red, two is orange, three is yellow, etc. This will encourage you to search through your closet and actually wear the pieces that have been languishing, unloved, underneath your go-to items.

2. First In, Last Out

In her new book, You Are What You Wear, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner says that the majority of people wear 20 percent of their closet 80 percent of the time. There are variations on this “first in, last out” wardrobe strategy, which prevent you from wearing a few pieces nonstop.

Instead of wearing the same small percentage of your closet every week, do what Assistant Editor Alden Wicker does: after wearing an outfit, she hangs it in the most remote corner of her closet, which forces her to see only pieces she hasn’t worn frequently. If she’s totally uninspired by a piece staring her right in the face, she has to decide whether to consign it or not. Another approach (which might be better if you like to organize by item type - dresses near dresses, shirts near shirts) is to hang each item inside out after you wear it (assuming you don’t have to wash it immediately). This way, you can easily see which pieces you’ve recently worn and which items you may have forgotten about.

Read on for more.

Danny Seo Shares His House Styling Secrets!

Guest Writer — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:03:22 PDT

I'm excited to present a post from guest writer, eco lifestyle expert, and all-around awesome guy Danny Seo.

As a former magazine editor, I produced and styled dozens of decorating and entertaining stories for a number of publications including Country Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Elle, Everyday With Rachael Ray, and InStyle. Every shoot was different than the next one in terms of style and goal, but I still stuck to my bargain basement styling secrets to pull them off. For the first time ever, I'm sharing my Top 5 tips to get that magazine look for way less right here at CasaSugar.

Goodwill, Salvation Army and Thrift Shops! Tarnished silver-plated ornate trays, milky glass bottles and vases, and vintage style plates to adorn an entire wall can be very pricey if you shop at antique stores to source them. Thrift stores - especially those in small towns across America - can be a treasure trove of unusual home decor items at a fraction of the cost. One celebrity client whose home I styled for a magazine shoot was insistent nothing from Goodwill could enter her home, so I simply wrapped my thrift store finds in tissue paper and tossed it into an Anthropologie shopping bag. She loved it. Can you believe that half the items on the dining table came from Goodwill?

Brown Thumb? Rent Plants. One way to make a patio or garden look lush and gorgeous is to rent mature palm trees and flowering bushes. If you're planning to have an outdoor party but don't want the cost of expensive plants, ask your local nursery if they'll rent them to you. At about 10 -20 percent of cost, they'll deliver the plants, set them up, and take them away after the party (or in my case, the photo shoot).

Keep reading for the rest of Danny's tips for styling your house so it looks like it's in the pages of a magazine!

Cool Creatures: 20 Animal-Inspired Accessories to Inspire Your Wild Side

Marisa Tom — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:48:03 PDT

Yes, the leopard-print motif is here to stay, but along with this spotted trend, we're seeing a new breed of animal-inspired accessories crop up. On the Fall '12 runways, both Anna Sui and Burberry showed off a plethora of owl-infused pieces, and on the red carpet, we've seen countless iterations of the reptile pattern take hold. Case in point: Emma Stone's serpent-laden Lanvin sheath at W Magazine's Golden Globes party or Sofia Vergara's jewel-encrusted snake cuff at the New Year's Eve movie premiere. For the quirkier style set, look to ladybug earrings, elephant pendants, and retro cat brooches for a touch of cute-cum-exotic embellishing. The end goal is to take a walk on the wild side - and all you have to do is add a cool piece of jewelry to get the look. Click through below to see our editors' picks and shop your favorites.

We're a Little Obsessed With Rose Gold Jewelry

Lucky — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:36:34 PST

Lucky magazine is one of our favorite sources for great shopping tips. We're thrilled to share this fabulous story on pretty rose gold jewelry from our friends at Lucky!

We love jewelry of all kinds, so picking one metal over another seems a little futile. But there's something about rose gold that's just so cool. It's rarer than yellow gold and more eye-catching (we think) than silver and other common metals. Simply put, rose gold makes an imprint, and we're a little obsessed.

But while we're pretty familiar by now with which clothing colors and styles mix well with silver and yellow gold, we're not so sure what the rose gold mandates are. What can you wear it with? What can't you wear it with?

After a little deliberation, here's our verdict: the metal's pink glow can make pairing it with blues and purples feel like a Katy Perry in Candyland imitation. Instead, we prefer the blush-colored metal with warmer tones (military green, rich oranges, chocolatey browns) or crisp whites and blacks, like the combinations below:

Click over to Lucky to see and shop the whole story

For more fashion and style from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories.

11 Things You Need to Throw Away

Emily Co — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:05:07 PST

The first step to taking care of yourself and de-stressing is to make sure that your environment is in order. Seeing your house full of clutter can affect your mood negatively and make your personal space seem like a place you want to escape from, rather than something to look forward to coming home to. Organize a "throwing out" day every month to make sure that you don't have clutter building up. Here are some things you should consider purging from your home:

Old magazines. Get rid of old magazines you have lying around because chances are, you aren't going to read them again. Find places where you can donate your magazines to such as child care centers, doctor's offices, nail salons, nursing homes, and libraries. If there's an article that really speaks to you, scan a digital image of it and keep it in your computer. Or keep a folder of magazine clippings if you like saving magazine articles.
Receipts, bills, and documents. Throw away receipts for items that you aren't planning on returning, and ones that you won't need to use come tax time. If you're wary of throwing away receipts, you can make a digital copy of them with a basic scanner, a pricey specialized receipt scanner ($174), or a smartphone app ($2). See here for a full list of documents you should keep forever or temporarily.
Clothes. Use the two-year-rule for clothes - get rid of apparel that you haven't worn in two years. Sell them to a thrift store (find a thrift store at thethriftshopper.com) or donate them to the needy.
Books. Go through your bookshelf and gather together books you haven't touched in months and ones that you aren't planning on rereading. Be realistic and make sure you're ruthless. If you haven't touched it in a year, you're most likely not going to read it again. Sell the books on Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. You can even trade them for something else on swap.com. You can always donate them as well!
Medicine and vitamins. Take a look at your medicine closet and clear out drugs that have expired, medicine that has sat on your shelf for too long, or ones that you no longer use. First, check to see what the proper disposal methods are for the medication, and if you can't find any, check to see if your community has a drug take-back program. If there isn't a program near you, then the FDA advises mixing medicine with "used coffee grounds or kitty litter" in a container or sealable bag before throwing it away to make the drugs less appealing.

For more things to throw away, read on.

Ga Ga or Gag: Mother-Daughter Jewelry From Samantha's Charms

Kate Stahl — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:02:10 PST

Just in the last week, I've experienced a new phenomenon of motherhood: whatever I have, my daughter wants. She's only nine months old, but whether it's my sparkling water, hummus, pendant necklace, or magazine, if mama's eating, wearing, or using it, she'd like it, too - and she knows how to get it. (I'm already terrified for her teenage years.) Before she can raid my jewelry box in a few years, I'm thinking I should consider investing in the Cuties collection from Samantha's Charms. Designed by Samantha Freedman, a former attorney based in Boston, Cuties is a collection that includes necklaces and bracelets featuring animal charms in two sizes - a larger one for mommy and a smaller one for daughter. The matching bears, giraffes, ducks, elephants, and pigs come in 14k rose gold-plated, yellow gold-plated, and sterling silver, and range from $60 to $85 each. So what do you think about Samantha's take on mommy-daughter jewelry? Weigh in below!

Prada Jewelry: It's Coming Next Month!

Lucky — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:15:34 PDT

Lucky magazine got the scoop on an exciting new development at Prada. We're thrilled to share this fabulous story from our friends at Lucky!
Hot on the fiery heels of her acclaimed Spring 2012 show, Miuccia Prada has another trick up her sleeve. The renowned designer is launching a capsule collection of jewelry this November.

The line will include a full range of bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and rings created from the brand's trademark materials like fur, gems, and animal skins. WWD reports that "the different styles span from a rock ’n’ roll glossy crocodile bracelet to opulent, sparkly pendants embellished with colored gems or resin roses." Prices will start at $488.

So . . . we know what will be topping our gift lists this season. Are you already lusting for a piece of Prada, too?

For more fashion and style from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories.

Designer We Love: Sophie Monet

FabSugar — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:07:18 PDT

Sophie Monet has been making a strong statement with her line of sculptural wood-based jewelry, and we're smitten with the simple, yet incredibly striking results. The clean, geometric lines are a breath of fresh air from layered chains and embellishments, while the combination of elements ranges from the intriguingly earthy-think turquoise, crystals, and unfinished gemstones-to the decidedly modern: sleek shapes with a gilded touch. Her line is growing; you can now buy it at Fred Segal and Planet Blue, as well as her website. We had a one-on-one with the 24 year-old designer, and got the scoop on her budding line.

FabSugar: How did your jewelry line begin?
Sophie Monet: I started experimenting with wood almost 3 years ago. It was my first summer out of college and after interning for Alexander Wang and Nylon Magazine I was kinda like “Now what?" I made one ring, a few necklaces and a line sheet, then all of sudden I was in Fred Segal and Planet Blue. It’s all fun for me. I get to make art all day, get dirty and end up with an awesome-looking end result.

FS: What made you start with woodmaking?
SM: I’ve always loved making things with my hands. I really just started using wood out of convenience. I grew up around it, playing in my dad’s art studio, gluing scrap pieces together.

FS: What was your breakthrough moment?
SM: Probably when I saw my double finger rings in Women’s Wear Daily. I was excited to tell everyone. Doing interviews like this is just amazing and makes me feel so lucky.

For the rest of the interview, and pics of Sophie's incredible jewelry, click our slideshow.

Acne's New Capsule Collection Shocked Us

Lucky Magazine — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:53:22 PDT

Lucky magazine is one of our favorite reads for great shopping and fashion. We're thrilled to share this fabulous story on Acne from our friends at Lucky!

The leather jacket? Pink and green ombre. The white button-down? Splotched with a giant leopard-print patch. Sure, there are simple trousers and basic tops peppered in, but for the most part, Acne's new collaboration with artist Daniel Silver is, well, artsy.
Launching today, the collection's a foray into new territory. Taking full advantage of Silver's appetite for texture and color, it's the sort of stuff that easily creates a striking outfit in a second, no jewelry necessary (like the beaded leopard-print top).
Shop the full collection here, and tell us: which of the eye-catching pieces is your fave?

For more fashion and style from Lucky, here are more Lucky stories.