The Magic of Accessories

May I say that accessories are the easiest and possibly most economical way to update your look.  They will go that extra mile for you, travel lightly, and have magical transformative powers.  A pair of earrings is nearly weightless and takes up no space in your handbag, so going from day to night is a cinch.

For those who are on a budget, or with little closet space, a well thought out collection of jewelry, scarves, and belts, is the way to go.  For me coats also count as accessories, although they take up more space than my scarves....  But in our climate, you wear coats practically year round, so wearing the same cover-up day in day out could get boring.

Certain jewelry styles will work extra hard for you.  In every collection I make sure I offer a few styles of long necklaces.  So versatile!  In fact, at every trunk show I get asked if I have some with me.  And I do!  I wear them looped around twice, three times, long, knotted, as a bracelet, or even a belt!

Whatever you do, fashion is a means of self expression so have fun with it!

"La Plage" long necklace worn looped twice

"High N'Low" long necklace in blue worn long and knotted

"High N'Low" in blue and "Zaza" in green and gold long necklaces worn as bracelets

"Zaza" long necklace in green and gold worn as a triple strand

What a Tease!

It's always exciting to see first signs of spring - but this time of year it seems like we are teased by a flower here, a ray of sunshine there, only to be forced back into boots, hats, and gloves. What keeps me going is wearing some brighter, summery colors, reflected in the jewelry, paired with my still wintery wardrobe. Here I am having a bit of fun with my High N'Low necklace.

How do you make it work this time of year?

Trash to Treasure - Modern Heirlooms

A jumble of strings, beads, rhinestones, bunches of necklaces no longer worn, forgotten somewhere at the back of your closet... Some of it is sentimental, hard to throw out, with memories attached. Some of it looks like junk, broken pieces of something once fabulous now sitting in a sad little heap. But wait, don't throw it all out - not yet. What if it could be reworked and revived? In the spirit of saving our planet, and saving our individual style in the deluge of cookie cutter accessories, what if we could modernize, re-glamorize these old trinkets? This is what happened with my grandma's brooch - a very sparkly rhinestone affair, it was living in a forgotten box, never seeing the light of day (or night for that matter), and various attempts to work it into an outfit failed. And then there was a broken string of a big costume piece, a necklace, and a rhinestone clasp that came from something else altogether. One creative afternoon later, we gained a fab new choker style necklace which is gathering plantiful compliments. It not only looks good, but feels good as well - we did something great for ourselves, and for our planet.

If you'd like to redesign your old trinkets into new treasures contact me at Joanna@JoannaMorganDesigns.com!

Sunny with a Chance of Rain

Fall arrived suddenly - one day we enjoyed endless sunny skies, and the next rain came in.  I welcomed the change since fall is my favorite season.  And the season has a special flavor in the Pacific Northwest.  You think you're in for a day of rain and clouds, when all of a sudden - surprisingly - the sun comes out, or the opposite happens...  It's sunny with a chance of rain...



"Sunny with a Chance of Rain" necklace