Best Friends

Being a designer I've accumulated a pretty serious collection of jewelry - mostly pieces that I created myself. The majority of my designs have sprung out of necessity - I needed a new accessory for a party, a black-tie occasion, or just to complement a new outfit. But in spite of having so many choices, most days I turn to my most trusted pieces - a pair of pearl hoop earings, a simple bangle, and a heavy statement ring. My watch, a wedding band, and my grandmother's engagement ring complete the look.

What are your most trusted pieces of jewelry you wear each day?

Pictured here: "Smart & Beautiful" earrings and bangle, "Flaunt" ring - all by Joanna Morgan Designs

Down Memory Lane

As I was writing my previous post - A Fashion Dilemma and a Very Eco-Chic Solution - I couldn't help but drift down memory lane just a bit. I was thinking about my Grandmother, how beautiful, strong, and elegant she was. Then Christmas came and with it more memories, thoughts about those who are no longer with us - as it always is. Out came the photo albums and old, old family pictures, saved over decades, through wars, occupations, regimes, finally arriving on the West Coast of the USA... Who would have ever imagined that? Anyway - I found this photograph of my Grandparents. So young, just married, with no worries (the last World War hadn't started yet). My Grandma wearing one of her fur collars, impossibly chic in a little hat, carrying a clutch. My Grandpa looking dashing in a hat and a long coat I still remember (I used to hide in it, it was lined in fur, so warm and fluffy inside). I am so glad I found this little memory of my Grandparents, what a lovely image!

A Fashion Dilemma and a Very Eco-Chic Solution

I was faced with an interesting fashion dilemma recently - we were invited to a festive, black tie-ish affair, and digging through my evening wear I realized that my wardrobe lacks a rather important piece, an accessory if you will. Every woman, I think, experienced something similar when going out - bare shoulders, and often back as well, are exposed to warm, hot, drafty, freezing, and hot again air at parties. Wearing a sweater is not an option, it doesn't really go. Pashminas are great, but it's a kinda been there done that idea. I concluded that our grandmothers had it all figured out already. A fur stole or a shrug solved a myriad of temperature problems, and added that certain seductive glamour. Unfortunately fur has become so expensive and politically incorrect, so I thought I had to cross it off my wish list straight away. What to do, what to do? As they say, necessity is a mother of invention. Thanks to my stylish grandmother I have inherited some very old, and very vintage items (one can only wonder how they made it through numerous wars and occupations). I suddenly recalled a couple of fur collars that were stored in the farthest corner of my closet. A trip to a fabric store for some silk ribbon and fabric, a couple of hours of sewing, and I became a proud owner of a very chic, one of a kind, socially conscious fur shrug/stole/wrap - a true feel-good moment. Here it is!

Home is Where Your Cake Is

My world seems to be defined by food. At Christmas I do what I can to transport myself to the wonderful time I remember from my childhood. I do it by filling my kitchen with the intoxicating aromas of poppy seed cake, pierogi, and red borsch. Forget calorie counting - let the festivities begin! Happy Holidays!

A bakery window, Cracow, Poland

My Favorite Place in the World

This time of year I always feel a tiny bit nostalgic. It's not just traditions, it's the whole package of what you get when you visit my favorite place in the world - Cracow.

It's Personal

Someone once told me that jewelry is a personal item. Whether you choose it or it chooses you, when we look for something special to celebrate or make a special day memorable it is most likely with a piece of jewelry. When we think "heirloom" first thing that comes to mind is a family treasure - something dazzling - made with gems and precious metal. For a guy to choose a jewelry as a gift for his honey can be a major decision - not only because of a price tag, but because it is a reflection of what he thinks of her and what she means to him. It can be, quite truly, a defining moment of the relationship. A jewelry piece you choose or are given becomes a part of your life and every time you look at it it will remind you of the first time you'd seen it. You may get it for yourself because you are on vacation, or you lost 5 lbs., or you just celebrated a major birthday, or you got a new job, or you want to treat yourself, or for hundreds of other reasons. We quite often underestimate what these trinkets mean to us - but even if a ring, or a bracelet for example, can be quite easily replaced, we know, that if they're lost, anything else is not the same. I feel honored every time someone selects a piece of jewelry from my collection because it delighted them, because that was exactly what they were looking for, because it chose them...

"Silver & Pearls" Necklace and Bracelet

Iconic Style - Audrey Hepburn

Whenever I look at images of Audrey Hepburn I am always amazed how easily her style adapts to lives we lead today. Black cigarette pants, sailor striped T-shirt, ballet flats... Not to mention a little black dress for evenings out... Add a white shirtdress (and turn up your collar for attitude), tailored dark wash jeans, a silk scarf, sunglasses (for a touch of mystery !), a men's style watch, and - a piece of bold jewelry. These classic wardrobe investments will age as gracefully as you, and are a receipe for an easy everyday chic. An undisputable fashion icon, Audrey owed her spare and uncomplicated style to Hubert de Givenchy. Clean lines, simple color palette, bold accessories - what can be easier to commit to? Less is more, that's philosophy to follow. Audrey showed us a way of dressing that is not difficult to carry off, and so easy to imitate. Never tortured, contrived, but beautiful in its simplicity and functionality. Effortless, takes guesswork out of getting dressed in the morning.