Smashing Darling Blog

There are so many great jewelry designers on the site we couldn’t pick just one.

So, we have chosen a few of our favorites that will put the fire in your 4th of July!

(links to buy each item are below)

1. Art Created by Ahna, $185.00

2. Tam Aura, $70.00

3. Catalina De La Torre Jewelry, $99.00

4. Reverie, $275.00

5. IMOOI, $60.00

6. go robot!, $215.00

7. lake, $100.00

8. Dina Varano, $298.00

9. Passementerie, $600.00

10. Cynthia Jones, $54.00

11. Nothing Simple, $89.00

12. Stir Studios, $40.00

Jules from Yosifa-Penina was kind enough to sit down and let us know a little more about her. If you aren’t familiar with her fun products, you can visit her store by clicking here:

How did you end up in the fashion industry?
Majoring in industrial design opened up a lot of different options for me. I started out designing custom furniture, then moved into costume jewelry, and then home accessories and kitchenware products. It was when I started to design high-end leather bags for BOSCA that I became familiar with the “fashion” end of industrial design. Since I love accessories and personal ornamentation, I decided to pursue these kinds of products when I started my own business about two years ago.


Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I went to the Rhode Island School of Design (ID ‘1994) and majored in Industrial Design.

What was your first job in the industry?
Designing custom furniture for the interior design company Parisi.

What inspires your designs?

I am inspired by new materials, manufacturing processes, fine art, historical textile patterns, kaleidoscopes, my computer aided pattern program, fashion magazines, and my Pantone books.

What is your design process?
I sketch a lot to get ideas to flow. Then I draw the ideas using various CAD programs on my Mac. From there I decide which products to invest in by showing the drawings to people whom I consider my target customers. I then send the drawings to the factory to produce the metal molds. These molds are milled directly from my electronic drawing files. The products are then cast in the molds, cured and shipped to my warehouse. From there, I hire a photographer and graphic designer to create the marketing materials like my catalog tear sheets and web sites.

Describe your philosophy behind your designs?
I aim to create products that are unique, colorful, whimsical, and comfortable to wear/use.

What does your average day entail?
An average day…well, it begins at 6:30am when I am up getting ready for my day-job as a design director for a kitchen house-wares and food packaging company. When I get home around 6pm my day for Yosifa actually starts. I usually work until about midnight on everything from design, to factory communication, to website updates and photography re-touching. Besides that, I fill all of my own orders, do my books, and create sample packages for potential customers and representatives. I am hoping that eventually my night job will turn into my day job!

If you knew then (before you started your business) what you know now,
what would you do differently?
I am not sure…I have only been marketing my work for a year, and am still figuring out the answer to this question. I think I would better be able to answer it in about 6 months after I go to my first major trade show this summer and see what the response is.

In your opinion what is the best and worst current fashion trend?
Hmm. I’m not all that up on trends to tell you the truth…however, I was somewhat turned off by the Prada turban head-wrap accessory. Next thing you know yamakas will be on the runway!

I do like the big roomy bags in un-conventional shapes I have been seeing. There is great creativity in construction and manufacturing I see in bags by Tods, Lanvin, Chloé, Marni, YSL….beautiful details in hardware and craft.

Who is your greatest influence and why?
My greatest influence are my friends (who are all artists, architects and dancers). They give me a perspective I don’t see, and this helps me to develop my work.

What do you think the hardest aspect of your industry is?
Marketing, and finding the right reps.

Do you have any events you are getting ready for in the near future?
The CA Gift show at the Los Angeles Convention Center July 20-23 and my first trunk show at Bee’s Wing Arts in Santa Barbara, CA

What’s next for your line?
Sunglass cases, and luggage tags.

How cute is this!

Francoise Lama-solet has got it right!

her beautifully designed hand craftsmanship quality

starts the young’uns out right on the road to becoming future fashionistas!

Love this one!

Great colors for the beach or that perfect b-day party where even at 4 years old

you don’t want to show up wearing anything that someone else may have on!

Love the use of applique in her work and attention to detail.

Check out the bow in contrasting color at the hem!

It all adds up to very irresistible  pieces!

She doesn’t leave out the boys either!

So next time you need to buy a gift for your best friends kids, wouldn’t you feel better about a beautifully handmade gift,

Rather than the cheap clothing from …. er, well you decide. I don’t need to point out the obvious.

Your friend will appreciate the gesture too. Don’t think she won’t realize!

Happy Shopping!

Did you see the hot new lingerie items that just hit the scene on Smashing Darling.

They are from Bianca Kasurinen, owner designer of Kitten Miami. She is from Australia now living and designing in Miami.

She says that the small collection of lingerie  has the color and flare inspired by Miami,

and the boutique has the style of Paris.

Just in case you missed them,

huminah! huminah!

Love the colors and print on this fabric.

Now let me ask you, what cute little tushie wouldn’t look adorable in these?

Just the bottom of the cheeks peaking out, talk about a sexy curve.

So fabulous in white, and so sweet.

I look forward to seeing more of her collection.

Is it hot in here or is just me?

Remember, support the movement, shop indie.

After you shop, email the designer.

We think that is one of the best parts, you actually can have a connection with the designer that designed your clothes.

You can’t do that with the Gap.

It is like have personal designers all over the country.

Who wouldn’t look smokin’ hot with this little number on?

From the scarf to the dog harness, you will make your mark!!!!

Go buy one of each today and be Smashing!

(links to each item are below the image)

Click the links below to buy:

1. Cynthia Jones Jewelry, $72.00

2. Mergirl, $125.00

3. Andrea Valentini, $125.00

4. Rachel Park Designs, $30.00

5. Twist Style, $28.00

6. WonderdogNYC, $44.00

Don’t you just love these close up shots! I mean, you feel like you can reach right out and feel what these things are made of!

I feel like I couldn’t even see this much detail in person! Doesn’t it just make you want to go out and buy these!

great photo for seeing detail from Mandala Jewels

and holy moly, you can see every texture in these earrings by Cynthia Jones!

and

Love the scale shown on the model!

All of Cynthia’s photos make it easy to purchase from her online and know what you are getting!

These jewelry designers have got it goin’ on with regards to the issue of up close and personal.

Check out this photo by Dina Varano

YUM! I just want to take a bite of that turquoise!

Who could resist buying that! Talk about the perfect color nugget hanging against perfectly tan skin!

Totally sexy!

Silver, turq, tan, and sand! Yeah baby!

Sorry, but I have to pimp my own brand here,

and I do have to say, close up shots lead to better sales! I was told I am on of the top selling stores on Smashing Darling!

I think women love that they can see the weave of my fabrics!

I have to say that the close ups are my favorites too from any designer because I really feel like there is no barrier between me and the product!

Check out the fabric close ups from MerGirl

You can actually see the sheerness of the fabric!

and in this one you can see the hairs coming right off the mohair, I feel one in my eye just from looking at it!

It is so simple too, If I can achieve this with my Nikon Coolpix anyone can.

I put it on the Macro setting and off I go!

Just had to add that, I know all the shopping fans want to know all of the top secret tricks!

Happy shopping!

I don’t know about you but who doesn’t need a perfect, fitted, little knit top for the summer to show off that summer glow!

I love this one at Krelwear

don’t forget to check out her other 21 fab items in her store as well! This isn’t the only thing they have that is sexy!

How could I resist putting this in with a name like ‘fling dress‘! Go grab your favorite someone and have a weekend of bliss and don’t forget to pack this great summer dress by dervish

and while you are checking out dervish, email them and tell them we know they have more beautiful things and we want to see them on Smashing Darling! How can we buy it if it isn’t here!

Have somewhere fancy to go? Ena Daro Couture would be a great way to go. What is sexier than a sun kissed leg showing when you walk!

let’s not forget the men!

Rachel Park has very sexy silk ties, just picture it, crisp shirt, chiseled jaw, hot colored tie, again to show of the perfect amount of tan! ooooooooooh yeah . Who would turn that down.

so go surfin’ today on Smashing Darling, it is a gorgeous day to buy yourself somthin’ sexy!

Yeowza! that is one hot vintage bag!

Available from The Willow Tree , boutique owner Donna says this is one of her favorites!

The label inside says Lewis, it comes with it’s original mirror, still wrapped in paper. The bag is in pristine condition.

Keep this beauty in mind for that party of parties you must attend this summer where all the who’s who of wherever you are, are going to be. I

am sure no one else will be carrying this stunner. Who could resist looking your way when you walk into a room with this one on your arm!

Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous bags The Willow Tree has. What I love about this vintage store is the quality and great condition

of the items Donna carries, she pays extra special attention to make sure the vintage items she buys are in great condition. She will always let

customers know about slight imperfections, but they are rare! Vintage isn’t old, used and run down, Vintage is our link to the past, great

inspiration for the future and the quality is usually better than anything you can get new.

Do you have a favorite vintage store?  Invite them to join your new favorite community, Smashing Darling. We would love to have them and to promote them!

Life has been so crazy since starting this web site, crazy in a very good way, but I am behind in my reading. I finally got around to reading an article from June 4, 2007 ,Wall Street Journal, that caught my eye and knew I needed to save it. It really hit home for me, and it really is what this website is all about. The article is about the house of Versace and the troubles it has had as one of the few family owned fashion houses left in Italy, probably also in existence any where. Designer owned fashion houses are a relic of the past, most have become part of the few conglomerates that own most of what is left of the “fashion Industry”. I put that in quotes because, I don’t believe that big business should dictate fashion or it’s trends. Fashion is art, passion, cutting edge, pushing buttons, playfulness, having fun and used to be a wearable sign of our times. Unfortunately it has turned into an equation of, ‘if we take last years silhouette, change one seam, we should be able to sell another billion pieces of it again this year.’  As a designer, why go to college? Why learn how to drape, sew, make patterns, sketch when all you will be doing is talking to production overseas trying to explain the one seam change or sitting in front of a computer using the CAD system to change that one seam and spit the pattern out at the other end. Where is the design in that? Where is the innovation or creativity? It’s the reason I only spent 2 years in the industry and that was over 15 years ago when big business was on the up swing in the fashion world. I thought forget this, I would rather be free and design what I want when I want and except the hardships that come along with that. It didn’t matter, I was a no one, but this article made me very sad. I think it is a very sad state of affairs when someone like Donatella Versace gets tamed. I think she was already starting to evolve her style into a more sophisticated version of herself but when I read in this article that she was starting to step back and turn out more conservative lines just so Bergdorfs and other big stores will carry it,  makes me sad. Where is fashion just for fashion’s sake. Where do people like me go? This really is why I feel a community like Smashing Darling is so important, so Donatella if your listening and you want to create a store here to sell some of your experiments or pieces that you design, just for designs sake, please feel free to join us. Any other designer out there that feels this way, you are welcome to join us too. Put it under another name, we don’t care, we need to bring fashion back to the ‘fashion business’. We need to keep this movement going and encourage our young designers that there is more than one way of doing things,  sometimes it is about selling that one of a kind to the person that can’t live without it. I love knowing I captured someones personality in a garment, and somehow they found me and bought it. Big business is fine, but please make no mistake about it, it is clothes they are selling, not fashion.

Trish and I are constantly amazed at what a great group of people we have on the site, so it got us thinking. We know how great they are, but do you? So, we are starting a weekly column in the blog, starting today, interviewing the designers. That way not only will we know them better, but so will you. It may even spur you on to buy from someone you would have never found on your own.

Our first designer is Tara from Leviticus Jewelry

After you finish reading Tara’s interview stop by her store. Check out her new pieces, and possibly even buy a bulletproof necklace.

Here’s what Tara had to say to the Darlings:

How did you end up in the fashion industry?

I have always made jewelry for myself since I was in junior high. I just
couldn’t ever find anything that was “me” so I would make myself
jewelry. Then after I had my daughter Lucy I started up
www.leviticusjewelry.com so that I could do something that I love while
staying home with her.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

Well, I don’t think it counts much but I went to FIDM in L.A. for a few
semesters and I studied fashion merchandising. I am a fashion school
drop out.

What was your first job in the industry?

This is pretty much my first job in the industry.

What inspires your designs?
Odd objects found on my everyday adventures. Music and movies often
inspire my mood which inspires my designs as well.

What is your design process?

I just collect and gather really fun objects and then I will sit down
with all of my findings and put things together until I find something
that works and that I love.

What does your average day entail?

wake up, check email, get baby out of bed, do the mom thing all day, try
to get jewelry making in whenever I get a break, eat dinner with my
husband and baby, tuck in baby, make jewelry, rinse, repeat.

If you knew then (before you started your jewelry business) what you
know now, what would you do differently?

I wouldn’t really do much differently. I started
www.leviticusjewelry.com a little over a year and a half ago and things
are going really well. I guess I would tell myself not to stress slow
sales weeks though, each week is different.

In your opinion what is the best and worst current fashion trend?

The best current fashion trend in my opinion would have to be the new
found glory of DIY. The worst would have to be those crotch riding high
high waisted pants, yulch!

What do you think the hardest aspect of your industry is?

Well, there are so many talented artists out there and some don’t get
the recognition that they deserve. I think it is really hard for any
artist to get recognized when they live in smaller towns. I live in a
small suburb outside of Houston now and I am constantly kicking myself
for not starting up Leviticus Jewelry when I lived in L.A. or NYC. I
think that if I would have started Leviticus up when I lived in one of
those cities that I would have been able to get better connections.

Do you have any events you are getting ready for in the near future?

I just took part in a really great Indie Fair in Houston this past
weekend but as of right now I don’t have any events planned.

Thanks to Tara for being the first!