Phreshly Squeezed

When I was at the Paris Ethical Show last year, I set out to make some connections for JUZD’s Fashion Style Culture blog. Conversing with some of the exhibitors, I found that many of the designers were not into having blogs (interesting how this would quickly change in 2009) and were not really interested in entertaining my poor French at the time. But one of the exhibitors, Tamara Rubilar of Estrella Bijoux, did take the time to talk to me about her line and asked me several questions about the benefits of having a blog. Since then, we’ve kept in touch – just recently, Tamara launched her Spring/Summer 2010 collection for her jewelry line.

Tamara presents her line boldly with two collections this spring: the French collection and the Glam collection. Presenting two different viewpoints, the two lines are cohesive with Tamara’s aesthetic. The French collection, inspired by the pearl necklace style of Chanel, is comprised of necklaces made from vintage jewelry, pearl necklaces, vintage chains and cameos. The Glam collection, though, reminds me more of the collection that I had seen at the Paris Ethical Show in 2008; chic and long necklaces composed of natural materials found in Latin America (including hand painted tree bark), recycle pearls, and silver chains are what the Glam collection features.

Based in Montreal, Canada, Estrella Bijoux was founded in 2006 by Tamara Rubilar with the mission of presenting jewelry and social and ethical responsibility together. By making use of reusable materials, Tamara is innovative in her approach to creating jewelry, as well as creating awareness of sustainable development. Drawing from her Chilean roots, Tamara explores the many resources that Latin America has to offer the world. Estrella Bijoux is currently available in several boutiques in Montreal, as well as online at http://www.bijouxdefantaisie.com/.

Pearl necklaces of the French collection

One of the chic long necklaces of the Glam collection

Images courtesy of Tamara Rubilar of Estrella Bijoux

Although New York City may not be captured in a winter wonderland, certain parts of the east coast are. And in Europe, Paris, too, is captured in a wonderland, but of a different kind. Remember my excited post about the upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie back in August? Well, Paris’s department store Printemps has decorated their window displays with current fashions but dressed on mannequins reflective of Alice’s imaginative world. For those of you that haven’t had the chance to stop by, they are a must-see for those of you in the city. Otherwise, these images will have to do (click for a larger version). And remember, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland releases in US theaters on March 5, and in French theaters on March 24.

Classic Alice outfit

Images courtesy of Printemps and Paris Daily Photo

If my resolutions included no more procrastinating, I would have to say that I completely failed that idea. I’ve been thinking a lot about this past year and the idea of resolutions, and I finally managed to bundle my my thoughts together to write a post on 2009.

At first, I didn’t think much of the past year in terms of significance. After all, on the surface, there was no monumental accomplishment of any kind – I only just started university. But when I started going through my pictures on Facebook and on my computer, I realized how different things are now from when I rung in the previous year at a friend’s house.

I came to college with the aspirations of becoming a psychology major, going to graduate school (wait for it…), and becoming a counselor (now there’s the punchline). I dabbled in fashion for fun and worked in graphic design for some pocket money. And as much as I don’t like to admit it, France changed a lot of my views. The amount of culture that existed and the multitude of things that were possible to do (e.g. fashion shows for a couple of euros and chocolate dresses for public viewing) were astounding. Working for a start-up fashion line is/was great for me, but aside from that, my exposure to the fashion world was so limited.

By opening myself up to new experiences, I allowed myself to doubt the goals that I had set before college and to explore new possibilities. Reinforced by what I was seeing in this foreign country, I was able to entertain new paths, as well as better direct my goals to meet the activities that I found myself to be pursuing.

And I suppose this is the point where I started caring a lot about my appearance and presentation towards others. I grew up with a lot of boys; of the ~45 kids I grew up with, about 12 were girls. The need for caring how I dressed never really existed because of that (and my school wasn’t hottie central anyway). But when I became more confident in knowing what I wanted to do, I also became more sure of myself and could take hold of how I wanted others to see me, which included my painful struggle with trying to wear contacts (I really did tack on an extra half hour to get ready for the first month that I started wearing them).

Aside from experiencing cultural things, my life in the career aspect boomed. I started this blog up again and gave it direction to make myself more visible, cranked up the social media, was offered an internship (coincidentally, it was because they found my blog off a network) before I even moved to New York City, was sought after by Like.com, attended New York Fashion Week, had a media pass for LG Fashion Week, was invited to various events, and met designers.

Let's compare me from high school to me in 2009: I'd like to think there's at least a bit of improvement.

2009 was a year where a lot happened, but was more so a year of trial and error for me. This next year only has good things to come. I don’t have a set of resolutions; rather, I have a list of goals that pertain to my personal life, health, and career. It makes sure that I strive to lead a balanced life, and by seeing them posted on my desk everyday, I won’t forget what I want to achieve with the deadlines that I have set.

For more on my view on goals and resolutions, check out my entry at The Ability Project.