Press Pen: Editor Preview…Wendy Brandes Fine Jewelry & Stacy Lomman New York

Dear Pennies and Pens,

Last week, I had the awesome opportunity of reuniting with Wendy Brandes whom I had met after the Zang Toi show during New York Fashion Week and also Stacy Lomman, a fashion designer and friend of Wendy’s. While we were hanging out and having drinks after the Zang Toi show, Wendy showed me some of her jewelry pieces so I had seen some of her work prior to the preview. In essence, I was excited to see more of Wendy’s work at the preview and also to see Stacy’s work.

When I arrived at the preview, I saw Stacy’s designs first and I was also able to speak with her about her designs and the collection. Stacy has been a designer for seventeen years and she studied at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology which is also my current school). Stacy worked as a designer in the garment district for fifteen years and for the last few years she has been designing one of a kind pieces for private clients. Stacy described her clothes as “one of a kind, high end couture pieces” as most of her clothes are made to measure.

The pieces presented at the editor preview were from Stacy’s Spring Collection which was inspired by Paco Rabanne from the 1960s mixed with the glamour of the 1940s to create evening/cocktail dresses for stylish women. The collection was also inspired by metallics and each dress featured metallic materials. I adored the collection and I told Stacy that I was glad most of her pieces are one of a kinds because they are so beautiful, they needn’t be mass produced. Although Stacy can definitely design ready-to-wear. She was wearing a lovely grey wool cashmere suit that was her own design that I could seeing other women wearing.

After seeing Stacy’s designs, I stepped into the other room to see Wendy’s Fine Jewelry. As I said earlier, I was really excited to see more of Wendy’s work because she’s a really talented designer and I love her work. Additionally, I respect Wendy because she held key editorial positions at CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and People.com prior to becoming a fine jewelry designer and blogger. Wendy blogs by the motto “Wear What You Want” and she writes about fashion trends, vintage clothes, and current events. My favorite post is the “What Wendy Wore” which are Wendy’s outfit posts of her wearing her stylish & fabulous clothes.

Wendy’s designs are inspired by everything from conniving queens and merry murdereress of medieval history to pop culture. In fact, one of my favorite designs of Wendy’s is her Lady Gaga rings (pictured below) which Wendy wore to Lady Gaga’s concert. Wendy’s pieces are very artistic and truly unique. I also loved a Lapis ring that I saw and the necklaces were cool as well. There was a necklace with a whistle and also a chicken in an egg on the chain of another necklace. Overall, this was a great event and I loved the fact that I got see a jewelry designer paired with a fashion designer. It gave the event a diverse feel.

And there it is. The Fashion and Style of the Pen.