Etsy - The Seventh Sphinx

October 17, 2013October 18, 2013

the sweatshirt dress

As I enjoy a sweater dress, so I enjoy a sweatshirt dress. This combination of a bundled up top and unprotected legs is exactly the kind of contrast I love. The bulkier on top, the better, which means this look will just keep getting better the more coats and scarves I have to pile on top. Eventually I’ll need to incorporate tights, but bare legs are superior because: correct! More contrast.

In my world, contrast = good.

This is another lovely pearl necklace on loan from Lilia’s Treasures Etsy shop, a long strand of golden pink ripple pearls. There are swirling wrinkle-like corrugations all over the surface of the pearls, which are themselves beautifully metallic and reflective. Ripples, like keshis, are yet another option for the modern pearl consumer.

I love longer strands:

You can double them up.

You can knot them or, if the strand isn’t long/small enough, gather them with a broach or ribbon

And they look great loose, too, though you may have some Thoroughly Modern Millie moments.

I’m not always interested in showing much leg – it can be in questionable taste or outright trashy – but with a look like this, the more leg, the more contrast, so all of my favorite shots were those revealing maximum thigh. The legwarmers change the skin:clothing ratio, and somehow that expanse of thigh doesn’t seem as risqué as it otherwise might to me. Somehow, I don’t think twice about it. But then, I do have this trashy streak.

Sloppy Joe dress from Hush, H&M leg warmers, necklace from Lilia’s Treasures, Spektre sunglasses, Steve Madden shoes, Breil Milano watch.

I really like pink and gray together. And cream and anything together.

This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. Featured pearls are on loan from Lilia’s Treasures.

October 10, 2013October 14, 2013

keshi pearls

Keshi means ‘poppy’ in Japanese, and refers to pearls grown with no nucleus. Though the term technically applies to many types of pearls, colloquially it is used for non-nucleated pearls that are irregularly shaped, often like flakes or amorphous blobs.

It’s difficult to find these to see in person but so worthwhile if you have a chance. The larger keshis can form cool, creature-like shapes (hippos, elephants), and the play of color in the nacre can be especially varied. I’ve borrowed some pieces from the Etsy shop Lilia’s Treasures, which features a great selection of funky designs using non-traditional pearls. I’ll be featuring Lema’s pieces in a few posts, so keep an eye out for more pearls in the near future.

The first piece is a statement strand of enormous keshis, which will give you an idea of the incredible strangeness of these pearls.

They seem like splashes of molten rainbow. As if they are not of our world.

I opted for a casual look but you can see how readily these would adapt to a formal context. Pearls have this flexibility, for me, that precious gemstones simply do not.

Here is a strand of keshi flakes, equally arresting.

High-waist denim leggings from Express*, Banana Republic shirt, vintage Levi’s belt, Zara pumps, antique spoon bracelet. Metallic turquoise eye liner (Urban Decay 24/7 liner in flipside), a bit scary from a distance.

*I’m not in the habit of buying pre-distressed clothing but, in the event that there is no sound, non-distressed equivalent (or not in my size), and I am happy with the fit (so rare), I will sometimes go for them.

This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own. Featured pearls are on loan from Lilia’s Treasures.