GIFT CERTIFICATES

Is it just me or is everyone just busier than they used to be? I feel like my days are packed! Living in the constant hustle and bustle of Chicago, I have to be ready at a moment’s notice to attend a party, dinner, play, or art installation. That means rarely having time to stop at home before going out for the evening. Because of this, I’ve had plenty of time to perfect the technique of taking one look from day to evening. The trick, of course, is to start with a basic o

A confession: I love trends. Trends are a big part of what make fashion appealing; fashion is alive and ever-changing, waiting for you to interact with it and make it your own. And let’s face it: we all like to be ahead of the fashion curve. So it was, quite ironically, while I was searching through photos of the recent runway shows at Paris Fashion Week that I got to thinking about what makes something transform from a trend to a staple. Is it ubiquity? Versatility? Utili

There are some times when you spend hours putting together your perfect look: dress, shoes, hair, makeup, and (of course!) jewelry. And then there are some days when your alarm doesn’t go off (or you hit snooze one too many times) and you have mere minutes to get ready before heading out the door. Those are the kinds of days when it really pays to have a signature piece. You know what I’m talking about. Maybe you even have one -- that piece of jewelry that just seems to wo

I’ve always been a bit jealous of March babies – who wouldn’t want Aquamarine for a birthstone? The blue-green variety of the mineral Beryl is versatile, beautiful, and can be quite affordable. Aquamarine is named for the ocean (the Latin translation of Aquamarine is literally “seawater”) and legend has it that it was originally discovered in a mermaid’s jewelry box. Just looking at it I am reminded of sitting on a Hawaiian beach . . . I can almost smell the sunscreen! Aqua