Category: jewelry

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events freret street jewelry local flavor louisiana new orleans mens fashion southern fashion designer

Objects of Adornment Opening Night

Copper, feathers, and fur from Lacey Dupre

I can’t believe how great opening night for Objects of Adornment went! Since its inception two years ago Slow Southern Style has been all about showcasing Southern based designers and I was thrilled with the opportunity to share four of my favorites in an intimate setting. 



While the internet is the easiest, fastest way to discover fresh talent it is an entirely different experience seeing the work in person. We had every aesthetic represented, from Alicia Zenobia’s experimental hair dresses, classic style courtesy of Ben Azevedo’s bow ties, fanciful headpieces from Kaci Thomassie and swamp art thanks to Lacey Dupre’s nutria and bone necklaces.


I want to give massive amounts of thanks to Du Mois Gallery for helping me bring a little fashion to Freret Street, Lazy Magnolia for providing the beer, and the mannequins on loan from Armoire Boutique, Buffalo Exchange, Denise Lyons, Gera Kirkland, and Rachel Elizabeth Adams.

There are tons of photos from the evening on the Slow Southern Style Facebook page so make sure to check those out as well! And don’t forget that Objects of Adornment will be at Du Mois Gallery now through the end of October. All artwork on Freret Street is tax free for an extra incentive to add a wearable work of art to your collection, handmade right here in Louisiana.


Objects of Adornment
Du Mois Gallery
4921 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA
My good friend Rebecca with her boyfriend Nick

Kaci Thomassie and her boyfriend. It’s sort of ridiculous how cute they are together, right?
Fiber art headbands by Kaci Thomassie
Antique sewing machine, bow tie work station
Selection of luxurious silk bow ties from Ben Azevedo
Sweet blush fascinator by Kaci Thomassie
Lacey Dupre with her incredible nutria fur necklaces
Posing with Alicia Zenobia’s incredible hair dresses
My sister’s favorite piece from Lacey Dupre

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giveaway jewelry

Giveaway: Silver ring from PoshLocket

PoshLocket, a new online jewelry store that caters to women that “wants a little something for everyday wear”contacted me about doing a giveaway. They sell a variety of styles on their site at very affordable prices. I was offered to select my own piece so I chose the Mia stacked ring and I’ve already worn it several times since I received it late last week. It’s a simple everyday ring that looks good on its own or with a slew of sparkles.

You can win your own silver version of this ring in a size 7 as a way of saying thanks for reading Slow Southern Style! All you have to do to enter is follow Slow Southern Style and PoshLocket on Facebook then comment on this post that you did. I’ll pick a winner at random on Sunday so hurry up and enter!

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fall jewelry saints

Four Fall Favorites For Friday

For as long as I can remember I was only ever interested in wearing silver jewelry. Gold seemed too garish but lately I’ve been craving some change so I’m slowly attempting to stock up on gold. I’ve never been the type to just buy jewelry to match a particular outfit, that’s boring.  Jewelry should say something about your personality, otherwise it’s just noise. While I’m on the hunt for the perfect pieces  I found these baubles that I’d add to my accessories arsenal in a heartbeat.

Muted gold cut out cuff bracelet from Lucky
Cute Kate Spade bow adds a touch of gilded girliness

Black & gold earrings perfect for Saints season

Double disco means double the fun from Fossil with these drop earrings

What types of jewelry are you searching for to add to your collection?
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events jewelry new orleans southern fashion designer

Objects of Adornment: An art show for fashion

Style is what comes from a careful culmination of exquisite, highly personal objects of adornment. From a simple bow tie to a handmade necklace finishing touches add personality and depth to our outward appearance. Clothing functions as our own wearable art that we can take with us wherever we go and is our most accessible way to express ourselves.

I’m really pleased to announce a project that I’ve been working on for the past few months with some of my favorite Louisiana fashion designers. You are officially invited to Objects of Adornment, an art show at Du Mois Gallery featuring the works of Alicia Zenobia, Ben Azevedo, Lacey Dupre, and Kaci Thomassie. Each of these artists have a fresh perspective on fashion and are creating unique, wearable pieces of art in their own way. Even if you can’t make it to the opening the show will be up for the month of October so you can view the pieces at your convenience.

RSVP on the Facebook event page and I can’t wait to see everyone there!

Objects of Adornment: An art show for fashion
October 8th 5:00-8:00pm


Du Mois Gallery
4921 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA

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anniversary anthropologie jewelry new orleans

New Orleans’ Anthropologie One Year Anniversary

Last Friday I had the pleasure of being invited to the New Orleans Anthropologie to partake in their one year anniversary festivities. There were a number of events taking place but I settled on a  jewelry making class with Cynthia Sheridan, a Houston based designer.  Along with her sister Lorena Rodriguez,  Sheridan creates pieces that “transmit soul and spirit to the metals and minerals” under their De Petra jewelry line. It was a real treat being taught how to make one of the sister’s signature pieces, a necklace pouch filled with protective talismans. The sisters were excellent teachers and I can’t wait to try my hand at making more.  Pick up your own special DePetra bijoux online at Anthro.

Needle, thread, and felt, the essentials

Beautiful leather version of what we made

Sewing our pouch

Lots of pretty thread to choose from

The finished product, complete with feathers and beads

Makeshift apothecary

Quartz, amethyst (my birthstone), and essential oils and herbs to protect and ward off evil

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brand partnership giveaway jewelry

Giveaway from Rahya Jewelry Designs

I’m not sure why I love jewelry so much since my mom and grandma don’t even wear their wedding rings much less any other objects of adornment. I guess I’m compensating for the three of us since I’m always seeking out new interesting pieces. Rahya is a New Orleans jewelry designer with two lines, one in sterling silver and Olive by Rahya which is all laser cut acrylic. Her pieces are intricate and come in fun colors such as apple red, neon green, and cobalt blue. While the silver pieces are modestly priced (rings from $60-$150) the Olive line is a steal with nothing over $30!

One lucky Slow Southern Style reader will win this pair of small vine earrings in red. In order to win this giveaway all you have to do is check out www.rahya.com then come back here and tell me what your favorite piece of jewelry is.  The contest ends on August 15th so get those entries in and good luck!

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designers guest jewelry

Jess Leigh Jewelry

Slow Southern Style is going to be featuring a few guest bloggers each Monday to liven the place up and get some fresh voices on a variety of subjects. This week you’ll meet Jess Leigh of Jess Leigh Jewels. In addition to designing her own line of jewelry Jess also works at Lola Boutique here in New Orleans. Stop in, pick up a piece and tell her you saw her here on Slow Southern Style!
-Christy


Jess Leigh Jewels are uniquely inspired, one of a kind jewelry created by Jessica Leigh. Independently designed and locally handmade, each piece is crafted with love and a passion for a beautiful life. Finding antique pieces that have been neglected or just out of style, Jess Leigh takes these babbles and jewelry apart to breathe new life and style into them. Most of her line is made up of one of a kind pieces by using this method of deconstruction and reusing of materials. With a wide range of items starting with fun, costume pieces and extending to beautiful, semi-precious stone pieces, there is something for every girl. Wear a pretty little thing and know you are very special and loved, just like your Jess Leigh piece. 

          When I am asked what inspires me, I immediately go completely blank. Communicating my inspiration has long been plagued by stage-fright! It never fails and it is these moments I wish that talking in pictures and colors were appropriate for someone my age. Since it is not, I have to really dig deep to find what appeals to my creative side in order to express it in actual words.


           Beauty. I grew up in rural Ohio and have rich, vivid memories from that part of my life. Dandelion bouquets, barefoot summers, the smell of fresh cut grass, lightning bugs in jars with tin foil lids, the local ice cream stand, spending time on the lake with my family, all still course through my veins like it was yesterday. I can see the echoes of my childhood enthusiasm in the pieces that I make. Now that I’m a grown-up, I am still quite captivated by the beauty of everyday life. Adoring the flowers while walking, driving down the lakefront or riding my bike along the bayou, admiring my neighbor’s butterfly gardens, and embracing the true love of friends are all examples of day to day inspiration my jewelry reflects.


          Adventure.  A fresh shipment of stones just begging to be transformed into something unique for someone to cherish inspires me. My close friends know this very well. I start toting my little kits everywhere and I’m pretty sure a few of them have found a bead or two after I have left their homes. Other times, I will work non-stop at my little cottage until the entirety of the stock is new jewelry to behold. The search for a dusty old gem buried in an antique store that I can rescue and make sparkle again is one of my favorite pastimes. I get a rush when I see something I know will be amazing if used another way and my mind starts spitting out ideas! My appetite for a new outcome and the desire to see what a few hours can create keeps me coming back for more.

Photo by Mark Gholston 


          Strength. I am a transplant to this beautiful city. I have called New Orleans my home since December 2009. My journey here has had many twists and turns, but I somehow know this is where I was always supposed to end up. I have felt more alive and more at home here than anywhere I have ever been. I love everything about New Orleans. This city has also had to suffer hardships and through some miracle has only grown stronger and more beautiful. Hope and love have prevailed. The human spirit cannot be defeated; and I too, have grown and healed here. Thank you New Orleans, you have given me more than inspiration!

Photo by Mark Gholston


          Life. I believe in feeling immersed in the things that make us happy.  There are so many wonderful encounters, new friends to meet, and beautiful things that I have already experienced, it is hard to imagine there is more. The best part is that there is! I look forward to more inspiration. I am thankful for everything and all my precious loved ones that have been inspirational to me. More than anything I am happy and that inspires me the most. 
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etsy jewelry louisiana

Lacey Du- A Louisiana jewelry designer

I haven’t featured an Etsy artist in a while, simply for the fact that I’ve been inundated with other projects but I still love unearthing talented Southern designers and artists to feature here. When Lacey Dupre, an environmental scientist from Lafayette, Louisiana contacted me about Slow Southern Style I was delighted to share her handiwork with y’all. Here’s what she had to say:


I’m from Louisiana and adore the swamps. I fnd a lot of inspiration while I’m canoeing or atop my stand-up paddleboard.   The sunsets on the Atchafalaya Basin amaze me, with the creaking cypress and dripping moss and I draw lots of inspiration from them. Aside from the grandeur of nature, I get most of my ideas in the spur of the moment. For example sometimes I could be conversing with someone  and a picture morphs in my head, which turns into a ceramic piece or jewelry!  

Citrine and Saffron FUR necklace

As a child, and throughout college I painted, then I became interested in ceramics and now I love making jewelry.   I do all three now but my main focus is the jewelry.  I use lots of natural materials: bone, claws, leather, amethyst chunks, deer antler slices, pyrite, clay, porcelaine, and fabric remnants.  I also incorporate my ceramics into my jewelry; blending these disciplines causes me to dream and expand my collections. 


Amethyst Slice on warm brass by laceyDU


 My latest collection features Nutria fur!  Yes, real, guilt-free fur.  Nutria are an invasive species to our beautiful land here, they tear up the marshes and wetlands with their destructive feeding and are one of the biggest problems associated with coastal erosion.  They roam free and wild until they are put to good use as food and clothing.  Yep, food too!  I’m with a collective called Righteous Fur in New Orleans and many of the other members make coats and hats and such.
Aside from my art, I am an Environmental Scientist and an aspiring Practicioner of Chinese Medicine. I also am really into slacklining, which is akin to tight rope walking combined with a trampoline.  Traveling has also been a focal point of my life, I spent much time in Europe and recently, have been visiting Asian countries.


White howlite charmed by laceyDU



Visit Lacey online at www.laceydu.com,  or one of her two Etsy shops, www.laceydu.etsy.com for handmade jewelry and vintage finds  she discovers on her travels and www.atelierdu.etsy.com for Lacey’s  fine  art photogrpahy and prints. 
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Categories
alabama jewelry

Ex Voto- Jewelry with a meaning



Elizabeth Adams of Ex Voto Jewelry contacted me to let me know about her great jewelry line based out of Montgomery, Alabama


 Ex Voto jewelry is created from revamped pieces that were “discarded, left behind, and forgotten” then turned into one of a kind pieces.  Elizabeth’s inspirations include  Latin American Catholic relics and medals such as  retablos, milagros and ex votos.  


Both of her parents were artists and her mother’s best friend owned an antique shop.  As a child Elizabeth used to spend  afternoons in the shop, which helped her develop an appreciation for “the warm patina which comes only from time”.  As a gift when she was born her father’s mentor gave her a locket and a card with the handwritten note “May your life be as beautiful as you are.” Elizabeth references this original letter by including a handwritten blessing with each Ex Voto piece. 





Keep up with Elizabeth’s latest designs by following her Facebook or her blog, or pick up your own special adornment from the following retailers:


Montgomery; Apropo on Cloverdale Rd, The Museum Shop at the Montgomery Museum, Charleston House on Atlanta Hwy
Dothan; D. Ethridge on Main Street
Birmingham; Laura Kathryn in Crestline Village, A’Mano in Mountain Brook Village
Atlanta; Mitzi and Ramano in Virginia Highland
Rosemary Beach, FL: Willow Boutique
Seaside,FL:Willow+Woods
San Antonio,TX: Meadow Boutique
Baton Rouge,LA: Stella Boutique
Fairhope, AL: Uptown Boutique
Cincinnati; Soho Boutique in Hyde Park














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etsy interviews jewelry

maison orleans

Here in New Orleans there is a reason ghost tours are so popular with tourists. This city definitely has a dark side, one that we embrace whole heartedly. From our beautiful cemeteries to tales of Jean-Lafitte everyone loves a sinister story. Janelle of Maison Orleans has managed to capture this mood with her line of jewelry inspired by her deep love of the dark.


 


Your jewelry certainly has a dark feel to it with a lot of ocean references. Describe Maison Orleans and what your aesthetic is.
I think the atmosphere of New Orleans lends itself to dark expression. I’ve been drawn to both the mysteries of this city and the mysteries of the ocean for as long as I can remember. There’s a certain romance to it, even in our beautiful cemeteries. Where else is a funeral celebrated with dancing and jazz music? As to the ocean, who hasn’t dreamed of sailing the high seas as a pirate or discovering a long-lost shipwreck? My aesthetic might seem eclectic, but I design and create my pieces in the hopes that there is someone else out there who will see and feel that same sense of mystery.


definition of evil charm necklace with glass vial and handmade voodoo tarot charm


How does living in New Orleans help you with your design inspirations?

There is no greater city in the world for artistic inspiration. If you spend even a few hours watching people flow through the French Quarter or travel the river, or walk by the street artists and performers, you can’t help but feel the uniqueness of the culture. Even the architecture is fascinating.



Marie Laveau Voodoo Charm necklace with hand stamped sterling silver accents


Aside from jewelry what are your hobbies?
3. I also paint and make clothing (which will hopefully make it into my shop), and I could spend weeks wandering flea markets and thrift shops. I really love to take something “discarded” and turn it into something beautiful, or at least something interesting!


gulf oyster shell with bronze swarovski pearl
Any big plans in the future?

I never want the kind of success that would mean I couldn’t personally make every single piece I offer. I added Maison Orleans as an avenue for pieces that are close to my heart rather than commercial, and I’m content to continue. In a perfect world, I would share a retail space in the city, mainly for the direct contact that it would provide.


Altered Bone Dia de los Muertos Pendant
Define southern style.


Southern style, to me, is exaggerated in every sense. Whether it’s an elaborate chandelier, a monster truck, a 7-course meal, a mass of second liners, big hair, or unique jewelry, the South does what it does on a big scale, and I love every minute:)


Janelle sells her jewelry in the Maison Orleans Etsy shop.

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