Trendspotting

I'll never be mistaken for being "fashion-forward" as I'm quite content wearing jeans and a button down, or cargoes and a comfy tee. Of course I have suits, cubicle-wear and ballgowns at the ready, but I count the minutes til I can kick off torturous heels. Trends whiz past me and I have more than one friend who'd like to drag me off for a style makeover. I'd have to be drugged and kidnapped...so I stay on my toes.

I'd rather spend hours at a swap meet than 30 minutes in Bloomingdales or Saks.

I took a 'test' in Real Simple Magazine's March 2010 issue, to determine my decorating style. The March issue is not online yet, but check back at http://www.realsimple.com/ to test your style!

I'm a mix of Cozy Casual and Vintage Eclectic, rather than Sophisticated Classic or Modern Graphic. According to Real Simple, my decorating style "draws on English and early-American furniture designs, laid back country cottage and farmhouse styles." I incorporate a "rich layered look combining flea market finds from various time periods and a diverse collection of accessories and artwork..."  I agree 100%.

Regarding personal style, last summer I blogged about some Victorian era watch fobs that I picked up on Portobello Road in London and a vintage portrait charm that I found at a mercantini on the outskirts of Cortona, Italy. I wear old medals and charms as necklaces and they elicit queries and compliments.

I'm pleased to have found similar pieces featured well after I bought mine, and for much more $ in magazines and in catalogs!

Here are the ones I found, and as they appear, as antiques or replicas:

5 Euro, or $7.50 in Cortona. The sterling silver charm, the size of a dime, is two-sided with two different portraits. I already had the chain.

Replicas $32 each at http://www.rshcatalog.com/, chain $30

$15 each on Portobello Road, London, 2007. My chains.

One-of-a-kind fobs available at http://www.nottinghilljewelry.com/ for $50 and up, by designer Constance Cusick. She's re-selling vintage pieces, not designing new ones.

The medal above (also 5 Euro, or $7.50)  has a portrait on one side, and a sitting griffin/griffon/gryphon on the back, with the inscription: "Rappresentazioni Classiche al Teatro Greco" Siracusa MCMXXII

It's a medal from the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, 1922. The theatre, in Siracusa, has given performances for nearly a century, and today has more than 100,000 paying spectators.

Siracusa, Italy

Below left on the catalog page is a similar "charm" and chain being sold for $68.00 in the Olive & Cocoa catalog, out of Utah. http://www.oliveandcocoa.com/

The "swallow silhouette necklace" is priced at $94.00, with chain and wrapped in a handcrafted mini wooden crate. That's one third more than what http://www.rsh.com/ is charging for their silhouette necklaces. Wow!

A friend and I bought a bunch of these tags that are meant for pet collars, and I've given some as gifts. For the sillier moments in life it's a necklace that makes me laugh out loud when people ask, "What does that say?"  When they tell me I'm a whacko I say..."yes, indeed."

Stay true to your own style. I'm happy to be in my own curve, neither ahead nor behind. Because it's mine.