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This year, I’ve decided to totally embrace winter. Because even though I hate being cold, my brand is pretty much a winter color palette to begin with. (Not to mention the fact that many of the stones in the Contra Collection look like tiny winter landscapes.)
Luckily, I’ve got this new hand knit hat from NickiChicki to keep me warm!
Confession time: I always love the idea of wearing a statement necklace over a t-shirt with writing, but almost never do it because most t-shirts look like crap on me. (Thanks, broad shoulders.)
Which is why I was pretty psyched to find this workout tank top that’s a reference to my favorite sport AND a Beyoncé song.
And while I might wear it to workout, I love it more as a total boss look, layered under a blazer and statement necklace.
Last week, I headed down to Lancaster to hang with my friend, scarf designer Amber Kane. Lancaster is going through a bit of a revitalization (some people are even calling it the new Brooklyn), and recently, 28 murals were painted in the Southwest area of Lancaster. So while I was there, I had Amber toss on one of her scarves and some of my jewelry, and we headed out for a little street style photo shoot adventure!
Because not only are the murals a gorgeous addition to the city, but they also make a fantastic backdrop for photos!
I want to wrap up my series of posts on this Contra Composition Necklace by sharing one more way I styled it.
I realize that this outfit might feel a little more spring than fall, especially with the weather we’re having right now. (It’s about 37 degrees and crazy windy as I write this.) But I love the combination of this dress and sweater with this necklace.
This is one of those times where the final images really don’t reflect the ridiculousness required to get to them. I really wanted to do a shoot that incorporated one of my statement necklaces with some fall leaves before they all come down. But the only tree at my disposal where the leaves were even remotely close to reachable was on a hill in my front yard. So I balanced my tripod on the hill and hoped people wouldn’t look at me too funny as they drove by. And then not long after I finished the shoot, it started to snow. Because fall is very pretty, but very weird.
In my last post, I was so excited to show you how this necklace makes me feel, but in this one, I want to show you a little more of the details.
Because part of what makes this necklace so amazing to wear is in how it’s made. (And you know, as the person who made it, I feel pretty good about that.)
This is the first Contra Composition necklace I made where each stone is an individual link, and because of that, the stones actually sat on my workbench for nearly a year while I decided on a solution for the connections.
This necklace is finally finished (it sat on my workbench for nearly a year) AND I’ve finally had a chance to photograph it on a model. (Ok, on me!)
I want to describe the experience of wearing this necklace, but the only word I can think of is magic. So instead, I’m going to let these images speak for themselves.
Because if you know me, you know that I hate having my picture taken. And yet, when I put on this necklace (even though I’m wearing a t-shirt, no bra, and haven’t washed my hair in two days) I suddenly feel like I’m glowing in front of the camera.
Now that it’s gotten cold, I’m thinking about all the ways I can stay warm while still dressing with some style. And for me, that means looking for ways to wear a necklace and a scarf at the same time. I realize that for most people, it’s a one or the other proposition (since they seem to be competing for the same space on your body). But necklaces and scarves don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Wearing them together is a surprising way to take your accessorizing to the next level. And because I’m a go big or go home kind of girl, here are three ways to combine some pretty serious statement necklaces with a giant, cozy blanket scarf:
Anyone who knows me knows I rarely wear makeup.
This is partly out of laziness (I don’t like to take the time to put it on, and I NEVER take the time to take it off) and partly out of principle. (I’m convinced that I’ve never had major acne because I almost never wear makeup. I realize this isn’t true for everyone, but it does seem to be true for me.)
And after reading an article on Man Repeller, about why founder Leandra Medine doesn’t wear makeup, I felt even more justified in my decision to spend most days with a bare face.
Still, I had one hangup.
I always felt self-conscious posting selfies (or other images of myself) to social media unless I was wearing makeup.
This might seem like a small problem, but as a jewelry designer, posting selfies wearing my own work is a pretty valid form of marketing. (And one that my audience on Instagram responds positively to.) And since I almost never wear makeup, I almost never felt comfortable posting pictures of myself.
Friends suggested strategies for getting around this, like taking lots of pictures of myself on the rare occasions I was wearing makeup (like participating in a webinar or teaching on Creative Live) so I would have a stock of images to post later. But somehow, that never seemed to work out.
I needed a different solution.
As someone who is completely comfortable going without makeup in her everyday life, I needed to get comfortable taking (and sharing) pictures of myself without makeup.
For some people, this might not seem like a big deal. But the truth is that I’ve never liked pictures of myself. I’ve always struggled to take a good picture. The fact that I’m totally talkative means I’m usually the girl in group pics with her eyes closed and her mouth half open.
And decades of taking bad photos has left me feeling awkward and uncomfortable when anyone tries to take my picture. (Which is never a recipe for a successful photo.)
I didn’t even hire a professional photographer for my wedding, because I refused to pay for pictures of myself that I knew I would hate.
But recently, I discovered something that would change the way I viewed pictures of myself entirely.
The bold lip.
Now, I’m no stranger to the bold lip. Even though I almost never wear makeup, I’ve become a fan of the bold lip ever since the makeup artist at Creative Live gave me one a few years ago.
But, since lips are typically the last step in any makeup application, I always thought the transformative power of the bold lip worked hand in hand with the rest of my makeup.
Yes, I knew that a bold lip woke up my face, but I always assumed it did so in tandem with mascara, eyeliner, and the all important concealer covering my pesky (and hereditary) under eye circles.
Then a few weeks ago, I was photographing some new necklaces. While I often employ a model to showcase how my jewelry looks while being worn, I’ve been photographing more of my one of a kind Contra Collection pieces on myself, purely out of convenience.
While I typically go for a close crop in these photos, I realized the best way to get the shot I needed was to include my lips in the frame. After noticing my plain, dry lips were doing nothing for the shot, I quickly threw on some red lipstick.
And the results were magical.
There was my face, instantly alive and bright, without the need for any other makeup.
Within a matter of weeks, I’ve gone from a person who never liked pictures of myself to a person who has posted multiple selfies on Instagram, with a completely bare face!
Now, I don’t know if wearing lipstick means I can technically count these as #nomakeupselfies, but the truth is, it doesn’t really matter.
Putting on lipstick (especially when combined with one of my signature statement necklaces) has given me the confidence to share pictures of myself without any other makeup, which is the way I normally exist in the world.
More importantly, the simple act of putting on lipstick has let me start to see myself in pictures the way others see me. As a beautiful, confident woman who doesn’t need to conceal her (perceived) flaws.
Which, even with lipstick, is really what a #nomakeupselfie is truly about.
As a jewelry designer, I might be a little biased, but I think one of the best ways to keep your wardrobe looking fresh is to update your accessories. Take the above look as an example. I originally styled this as a casual off season beach weekend outfit a few years back, but by swapping out the accessories for on trend statement earrings and slides, I’m able to update a classic jeans and a button down look to something that feels very of the moment.
1/ buttondown shirt // 2/ boyfriend jeans // 3/ mocal statement earrings // 4/ woven straw clutch // 5/ mixed metal stacking rings // 6/ mule loafers
Of course, if you want to take this outfit even further, you can update the white shirt and denim to fit some of this year’s biggest trends: a full-sleeve off the shoulder blouse and raw edge, high waisted denim. Bonus points for wearing the blouse tucked in, which really gives this outfit a contemporary, street style feel.
1/ off shoulder tiered sleeve top // 2/ straight leg jeans // 3/ mocal statement earrings // 4/ woven straw clutch // 5/ mixed metal stacking rings // 6/ mule loafers