All of the visuals coming at us from Fall magazines and the S/S ’13 fashion weeks have us inspired by the idea of modernized classics. Taking something you think of as a classic piece of clothing/accessory/style/etc…and throwing a modern twist on it. Two of our favorite examples below: the Burberry trench, given an insanely gorgeous (and colorful) metallic makeover, and a classic desert boot, gone ga-ga for glitter! (Clearly, we like shiny, sparkly things.)

In my July post on our inspirations, I mentioned that we were going to be playing around with the contrast of classic shapes and bright colors in our newest collection, Happy. As JT puts her final touches on the designs and we get closer to seeing finished samples, I can’t help but think that the place in the design universe where opposites collide- old meets new, structure meets softness, ornament meets clean lines- is full of goosebump inducing excitement. I promise to post pictures of the new designs as soon as I can!

Cheers!
Cleo

Yesterday afternoon, I received my daily Fashion Alert from The Cut, the self described online “fashion, beauty, politics, sex and celebrity” arm of New York Magazine. Each afternoon, a bevy of articles are delivered to my inbox that always keep me entertained and informed. Of colorful prominence in yesterday’s delivery was a piece about “30 Ways to Wear Plum for Fall.” The teaser image was full of richly hued and textured items, and the gallery of images supplied lots of juicy goodies to covet for fall. Which got me thinking, we have some lovely plum colored pieces that I should share! So without further ado, a collage of our jewelry mixed with our favorite selections from The Cut’s article. Cheers to September 22 and the start of Fall!

Clockwise: ASOS platform image from The Cut, our Color Candy ring with rhodolite garnet and pink sapphires, Marc Jacobs jacket image from The Cut, our Twinkle Twinkle rhodolite garnet and diamond frame necklace, Jill Sander loafers image from The Cut, and our Bubble & Squeak oval necklace with rhodolite garnet.

Exactly one year ago, I wrote my first post in my “JT Jewelry Wishlist” series.  How time flies!  Speaking of, with Summer’s end quickly approaching, I have been putting off writing about anything Fall-related because I’m just not ready to say goodbye to bathing suit weather!  Despite this summer having started earlier than usual and not having any AC, I still am sad to see that September is a mere 18 days away.  Which is kind of silly.  I mean, I AM excited for slightly cooler temps, outfits with layers, wearing beanies on messy-hair-days, and using my stove/oven more…but just not SO excited that I am ready to gleefully bid Summer farewell.  It’s always a painful parting, thank goodness for a late-Summer birthday, Labor Day Weekend, and a JT Jewelry wishlist to ease me through it!

PS: In case you want to take a peek at my previous wishlists:  Fall 2011 | Winter 2011 | Spring 2012

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Item #1:  I’ve been digging this emeraldy green color ever since I first saw this ring from our new silver collection. Coincidentally, there’s a green entitled “Ultramarine Green” on Pantone’s Fall ’12 Fashion Color Report that’s practically identical to the stone we chose- must be fate!

Item #2:  These rings are slightly tapered for stacking perfection and come in a zillion hues… I would happily wear them in any color!

Item #3:  It’s no secret that I love the color orange, and this carnelian necklace is the perfect shade for Fall. Lending a touch of elegance and drama to any outfit, I would dig it with sleek button-downs and chunky sweaters alike.

Item #4:  Hello again emerald green! These post earrings have just enough edge to make me feel tough-girl-chic without looking like a scary biker chick.

Item #5:  I’ve had the pleasure of wearing these Hex bangles at a few work events and LOVE them. Comfortable, jingly, understated but colorful, and unique; in short they’re pretty fab.

I hope you all have a great rest of your Summer!
Cheers,
Cleo

As fall merchandise has begun to show up in retail stores, and Spring/Summer ’13 Fashion Week is just over a month away, we find ourselves once again designing new product. Sometimes we draw inspiration from fashion designers, sometimes from nature, and other times we find ourselves chuckling that we’ve all tapped into some design sect of the collective unconscious. We are constantly “screen-shoting” things we see on the web and taking pictures of colorful moments we don’t want to forget, so we put together an inspiration board to share some of what’s going on in our brains with you!

Photo credits, clockwise: Derek Lam dress show on Moda Operandi (MO), Cushnie et Ochs dress and fabric shown on MO, Jason Wu clutches shown on MO, Marc Jacobs outfits from Refinery29, new Jane Taylor earrings, Tibi dress from MO, outfit from J.Crew F/W 2012 Lookbook, flower ice cream cones from Pinterest, mini bucket of gemstones at the JT offices, new JT ring. Sunset, flowers, and landscape imagery personal property of JTJ.

In researching what was to come from Pantone for Spring/Summer ’13, we found some great insight from a blog discussing sustainable fashion, and some great examples from Moda Operandi.

The Pantone pallets for S/S’13 display a “unity” theme, reflecting cultural and lifestyle trends in America. This translates to a study of the connectivity between how colors interact with other colors, textures, shapes, and prints. On the top right is a wildly patterned frock from Cushnie et Ochs, which exemplifies the contrast of a bold pattern using bright colors, against the soft and modest silhouette of the dress. The aforementioned blog article expertly describes some of the color palettes as being a mix of “organic vs. techno,” and this dress most definitely fits that description. Another example of creating designs in classic shapes, but using bold color, is the beautiful blue number from Derek Lam on the right. Some of the new designs we’re working on are going to use those gorgeous little stones on the left side of the board, and will also be playing with the contrast of classic shapes with bright colors- we are excited!

In general, natural beauty always inspires us, especially the sky and flowers. Mother Nature is the best colorblocker out there, and always reminds us of how much joy can be created simply with color!

Stay tuned for more on what inspires us and the new collection in the works, which JT want’s to name “Happy,” because that’s how she wants people to feel when they wear it! The image below was found on Pinterest and reminded me of what we’re up to…