The Shoes of the Pope

Manolo says, after all of the discussion about the Pope Benedict's magnificent red shoes, the Manolo has finally located the close-up photograph of these wonders, the product of the Roman cobbler Adriano Stefanelli.

The Manolo now takes this opportunity to remind you that cobbling is one of the most sanctified of all the manual arts.

backless baroness

From French-Spanish label BaronBaronne. The rest is over here.

I'm Not Pulling a Style Bytes

I'm swamped with finals week (possibly my last finals week ever, OMG) and other projects, but I'll be back soon, really, I swear.

Last Laugh

Last April I mentioned:

I think the recent spate of fashion criticisms directed at women belonging to the polygamist sect in Texas to be distasteful. I'm not defending their religious practices but I think it's the height of tackiness to level superficial criticisms during what must be the most stressful event of their collective lives.

I am dismayed by people who feel compelled to kick people while they're down and over something that doesn't even matter. In that vein, John sent me a news piece today. Now who is having the last laugh?

Mothers say Texas raid forced them to market their clothing style. A new clothing brand may be born out of the Texas raid on a polygamous sect. FLDS women for the first time are offering their handmade, distinctive style of children's clothes to the public through the Web site fldsdress.com. Launched initially to provide Texas authorities with clothing for FLDS children in custody, the online store now is aimed at helping their mothers earn a living. The venture, which has already drawn queries from throughout the U.S., is banking on interest in modest clothes, curiosity and charity to be a success.

Personally, I'm thrilled. I wish them all the best. I'd send them a book if they'd think it'd help. They certainly have the patterns down and they've got the workforce. What an exciting experiment to witness; barn raising a manufacturing company overnight. I wish I were closer and had an invite.

Whose Shoes Wednesday

Manolo asks, whose shoes?

Prolifique Designer Jewelry

Precious Metal Clay Artists and Jewelry Designers

Prolifique is French for prolific, which means highly productive, and the Prolifique Girls certainly fit that definition. They have joined forces to make unique handcrafted fine silver jewelry with Precious Metal Clay, and have quickly created a sizeable jewelry collection that is growing by the day.



Symbolic and personalized jewelry is very popular right now, and the Prolifique Girls have a large selection of pendants and earrings made with Asian symbols, inspirational words, nature-inspired motifs, and initials in a variety of fonts.



And remember, this is fine silver jewelry that doesn't tarnish. Click on the pics for more information or to buy.



Handcrafted Fine Silver Jewelry with Meaning



Corner Scroll Fine Silver Initial Pendant

This is a unique take on an initial pendant. It is made of fine silver, approximately 17mm square in size, with a scroll design on one side and your initial in the bottom corner, hung on a 17" sterling silver rope chain.

$32



How nice would it be for you to order your own custom Chinese symbol pendant that is made just for you? And only you will know what it means, unless you're willing to tell. The pendant shown below can be stamped with your choice of 18 different Chinese symbols with various meanings.





Double Word Chinese Symbol Fine Silver Pendant

The pendant shown contains the symbols for DREAM and WISH. It measures approximately 13x10mm with a sterling silver bail soldered to the top. This one is shown on an 18" red leather cord, and it is also available on black or brown leather. You can also order it with a 16" sterling silver rope chain for an extra $8.00.

$28





Origami Paper Crane Pendant

This is the image of an origami paper crane stamped onto fine silver that has been oxidized, sanded, and tumble polished to a high shine. The pendant measures approximately 10.5mm in size, and it hangs from a 17" sterling silver rope chain.

$21



Folded Paper Crane Legend

Sadako Sasaki was born on January 7, 1943. On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and Sadako and her family were exposed to the fallout at their home in Kusunoki-cho, about 1.7 km from the bomb's hypocenter. The blast blew her out of the house, but she escaped without injury. Sadako's mother fled, carrying her daughter, but they were caught in the black rain.



Sadako grew up healthy and entered elementary school. Her dream was to become a junior high school physical education teacher. It was noticed around September that she looked a little pale, but nobody was particularly worried. Toward the end of November 1954, she caught a cold and lumps developed on her neck and behind her ears. The diagnosis was leukemia. On February 21, Sadako entered the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital, and doctors said she had a year at most to live.



By early August, 1955, medicines had reduced the swelling on Sadako's neck a little, and she was feeling somewhat better. However, both her legs had purple pupura, indicating that the disease was progressing. On August 6, 1955, she received permission to leave the hospital to attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony with her family. On the way to the park, however, Sadako bled from the gums and felt ill. She had to return to the hospital right away, without attending the ceremony.



Multicolor origami folded paper cranes were sent to the hospital to encourage the patients by people in Nagoya. Inspired by the bright cheerful cranes, many patients in the hospital began to fold their own. Sadako was one of that number, folding into each crane her desire to get well. Sadako strung thread through the paper cranes that she folded and hung them from the ceiling of her room in the hospital. Less than a month after she started, Sadako had folded 1000 paper cranes, but she continued to fold.



Toward the end of September, 1955, Sadako's white blood cells began to increase for the third time since being hospitalized. Her condition gradually deteriorated until she could no longer walk unassisted. On the morning of October 25, surrounded by her family, Sadako passed away.



Legend has it that if you're ill and you fold 1000 paper cranes, the gods will make you healthy again. This legend inspired a young Japanese girl named Sadako to give it a try. She was stricken with leukemia in 1955, but she folded more than a thousand paper cranes before she died. Her story is chronicled in the book, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.



The point of the story is to never give up, and to use courage and strength to get through whatever life throws at us. Now, the paper crane symbolizes courage and strength, and it is used by many leukemia patients as a wonderful form of therapy and comfort.



We created this piece of jewelry to help remind us all that we are much stronger than we think we are. It is our hope that this necklace will inspire you as the wearer to do everything you need to do to survive, to be strong, and to live a happy life.



Artists Statement

We both believe strongly in Karma. We believe that what goes around comes around, and in the philosophies of many Asian cultures. Karma to us means positive, peaceful energy - the circle is the symbol of connection and listening. As we'll continue to learn about the healing powers of gemstones and what they can do for you the wearer, we will educate you on what we have learned. We feel that this brings meaning to everyday things.



Since there are two of us, one in Florida and one in Arizona, you are going to be assured of getting a large variety of styles. Also, this will mean that if you order multiple items, some may be shipped from AZ and some may ship from FL. Rest assured, that we will be charging NO extra shipping fees.



We love that there are many different meanings or translations for most of the symbols we use. We want our jewelry to have meaning. What will our jewelry mean to you?

Inspiring - and very affordable.

See full article.





Related Entries:

Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006

Jewelry as Designer DNA - 13 September 2006

Couture Jewelry Awards - 04 March 2007

Jewelry Designer for Princesses - 08 March 2007

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Swimsuit try-on Session

My friend Mandy and I both have reason for a new swimsuit. She’s going on a honeymoon in Jamaica, and my kids are leaving for sleep away camp for 3 weeks – giving me time to travel with Jeff. We both wear underwire bras, so we tried on the Freya and Fantasie swimwear lines. They range from B to HH size. Mandy is a 34C and I’m a 34D. She’s a dress size 4 and I’m a 6/8, so she’s a full size smaller than me (and about 5 years younger, and never had a baby, but we won’t go there.)

So here’s what we tried on and here’s what we thought:

The Panama Cooler bikini was the first one Mandy tried on. It has an underwire halter bikini top and boyshorts bottom with a cute plastic buckle (shown). The print was youthful and lively – shades of camo mixed with bursts of deep aqua and sky blue. Mandy loved the fabric, but not the cut of the bottom. This swimsuit convinced her that she certainly needed the C on top, but that she did not want to try on any more boyshort style swimsuits. (There is a brief bottom in the Panama Cooler print too, but not in her size.)

Next Mandy tried on the Soda in green. If you want options - this is the swimsuit for you!! This is a great Freya mix-and-match swimwear collection:

underwire bikini top

underwire tankini top

underwire bandeau bikini halter top

soft cup bikini top

brief bottom

boyshort bottom

string bikini bottom that ties on the side (which is very low cut but has a full butt)

fold-top bottom that let's you adjust how much tummy shows.

There is even a soft cup one-piece tank and underwire one piece tank with halter in the Freya Soda collection. Mandy tried the soft triangle bikini top and classic brief bottom. The green shade was very pretty – the colors of fresh spring grass. It would look great on my friend Tanya with her brown wavy hair to her waist. Mandy liked the cut on this one – the soft cup bikini top was secure and flattering without push up, the bottom has good butt coverage and was trimmed with a cute enamel logo charm. Many of these pieces are on sale now!

While she was trying that on, I put on the Mangopolitan. Its white, chocolate and mango pattern of flowers and dots was cute and feminine – just enough to distract the eye from body flaws, in fact! The Triangle halter top in a 34D was a magnificent fit. The girls were secure and the cleavage created was flattering. The bikini bottom has a full coverage on the butt, and around the waist it has a fold of fabric so you can control the height of the waistline. I’m sure this makes the swimsuit more flattering for more body types, but it also allowed me to keep it unrolled and up high to my navel, hiding all signs that I ever had 2 babies in 2 years.

Mandy liked the Mangopolitan and she tried it on too. We both agreed the top was cut impeccably and flattered so well. It was a lot like the Soda top, but a bit more cleavage enhancing. The Vodkatini swimsuit is colorblocked shades of mocha, black and white, and looked like it had the same awesome cut on top, but they didn’t have my size. These colors would probably look good on me for a more sophisticated look. (Freya's Vodkatini also has a retro brief bottom with a big buckle a la James Bond, a boyshort bottom and an underwire bikini top. At 34D the soft cup was cut so well I did not need the underwire. Something about that inch-wide seam along the inside of the cups kept “the girls” happy.)

While she tried that on, I tried Fantasie’s Seattle tankini in black. The top overlapped the bottom enough that it gave the coverage of a one-piece while still being sporty like a tankini. There is a brief bottom, and a brief bottom with some tummy control - it's just a front lining that offers moderate support, not something that squeezes you in an inch. The tankini top is bandeau style - above the boobs the seam is straight across - and has removeable, convertible straps. It had full hidden underwire and buckled in the back with a copper metal buckle that created a pretty keyhole in the center of the back. I tried it on with and without the straps, and also as a halter. The halter look gave the top seam a bit more shape, and under the bustline there was an empire seam with the same copper metal buckle. This helped a bit with shaping, but basically I realized a bandeau cut was not for me. I don’t belong in tube tops, I need to highlight my boobs to take emphasis off my hips.

There is also an underwire balcony bikini top and a sweetheart padded underwire top. And a one-piece tank with full underwire and deep Vneck with front lining that offers moderate tummy control, an underwire shelf bra and foam sling support for chest support, and shirred fabric by the tummy to flatter curves. Mandy tried on the sweetheart padded underwire top in red with a gold buckle. It's not heavily padded, it’s just enough to line and provide modesty, not enough to add a size. There was a pretty gold slide on the shoulder strap and gold rings to adjust the straps just like you would a real bra. In fact, that was Mandy’s complaint. She felt it looked so much like a real bra that she wouldn’t feel comfortable in it out in public. She likes her swimwear to look like swimwear. I thought she looked amazing in it! It was very similar to the Soda bikini in green one she tried on, but with a more structured top.

Last but not least we both tried on the Fantasie Jaipur underwire bandeau suit with adjustable leg – mainly out of curiosity. I had never worn a swimsuit with an adjustable leg before. There were black ties decorated by copper beads at the bottom of the side seam by the hip. You can pull the bottom fabric of the swimsuit up along the strings to allow more hip/leg to show, creating a ruched effect. The beautiful paisley pattern of red, black and ivory hid all figure flaws. This swimsuit was too long for me, there was extra fabric that would have helped someone 3-4 inches taller than me (I suggest this suit if you're 5′8 or taller). It has a full, hidden underwire bra in front with hook and eye closure hidden in the back so it buckles like a real bra. It also had a bandeau top, so I almost avoided it, but the great paisley pattern is set off by a thick black band of fabric across the top so I though it might draw attention up to the neck. The straps are removable and convertible. So basically if had a V top and was cut shorter-waisted, I’d love it. (It was hard to wiggle in to, but an extra 40 seconds in the dressing room is OK with me if I’m going to wear the swimsuit for 3-4 hours.)

I took the black Seattle tankini home and the Mangopolitan bikini. Jeff said the tankini looked good to wear to water parks (translation: sporty, good fit, good coverage, not too sexy) and the Mangopolitan bikini was “exciting” (translation: excited him!!) I wonder if I could wear the Seattle tankini in the sun all day because the back copper buckle is right against the skin and might heat up. (It’s also difficult to buckle on your own. I was happy to have Mandy and Jeff help me secure this one!)

Mandy and I had so much fun and liked the fabrics, colors and cuts so much that I plan to reenact this day in the dressing room with my friend Joy in a few weeks. Stay tuned for that, and for more Freya and Fantasie swimwear reviews after these suits hit the Florida waves!