A Charmed Life

I have two charm bracelets. The first one is mine. It was a gift for my 30th birthday from my parents, which I absolutely adore. It is a sterling silver link bracelet from Tiffany's and currently houses one charm: a heart with Tiffany's address etched across it.

My second charm bracelet is not mine, though it was given to me as a gift by my Aunt Skip. My aunt, who has been gone since 2005, was actually my great-great aunt. She was fantastic, full of energy and so much fun. I could hang out with her for hours and listen to her stories.

I was visiting my grandparents in Florida one summer and when my aunt came over, she gave me a small white box and inside it, was the most fabulous charm bracelet I have ever seen.

It's been a while and thinking back, I wish I would have written down all the stories that came with the bracelet. It's hard for me to remember a lot of them, but then again, the charms basically speak for themselves. I take this bracelet out of my jewelry armoire from time to time (I should wear it, but the two EXTREMELY SHARP steeples on the St. Patrick's Cathedral charm bring about anxiety against my delicate wrist!) and I run my fingers over each charm, inspecting them and remembering (imagining?) the story for each one.

To an outsider, this charm bracelet could be perceived as quite random, but to have known my aunt, this bracelet speaks of her travels, experiences, personality and life in general. The bracelet is comprised of the following charms: an old fashioned water pump, comedy/tragedy mask, Empire State Building, push lawn mower (which really rolls), sleigh, New York skyline, love letter, toilet bowl (the lid raises up), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Chicago Water Tower, scissors (they open and close), bells, horse drawn carriage, Scottie dog, Statue of Liberty, United Nations Building and a passport case (that slides open).

I treasure this gift from my aunt. She could have given her charm bracelet to anyone (remember, she was actually my great-great aunt) and she presented it to me. Very few gifts in my life can ever touch me as much as this one does and I can only hope to build my own charm bracelet with such panache as she did.

Tear Drop Earrings: Unknown (gift); Necklace: Ann Taylor; Sweatshirt: Old Navy; Charm Bracelet: Unknown (gift); Silver Hammered Bangle: Unknown (gift); Silver Link Bracelet: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Cocktail Ring: Unknown (gift); Oversize Clutch: Liz Claiborne; Moto Jeans: Gap; Peep Toe Lace Up Pumps: Rock & Republic 

 

Cocktail Ring: Unknown (gift); Necklace: Ann Taylor; Sweatshirt: Old Navy; Moto Jeans: Gap; Peep Toe Lace Up Pumps: Rock & Republic

 

Charm Bracelet: Unknown (gift) 

 

Necklace: Ann Taylor; Sweatshirt: Old Navy 

 

 

 Moto Jeans: Gap; Peep Toe Lace Up Pumps: Rock & Republic

 

 Necklace: Ann Taylor; Sweatshirt: Old Navy; Charm Bracelet: Unknown (gift); Silver Hammered Bangle: Unknown (gift); Silver Link Bracelet: Simply Vera Vera Wang; Cocktail Ring: Unknown (gift); Oversize Clutch: Liz Claiborne; Moto Jeans: Gap 

 

 Cocktail Ring: Unknown (gift); Sweatshirt: Old Navy; Moto Jeans: Gap, Peep Toe Lace Up Pumps: Rock & Republic





My kind of vintage

I miss my grandmother. She had an extraordinary beauty both inside and out. She was kind, charitable, polite and had a wicked sense of humor. She was very beautiful and had a chic style.  The first thing to come to mind when remembering my grandmother’s style was her scarves. She always wore a scarf when she left the house. Though she had brooches in her jewelry chest, she pinned every single one of her scarves with a pearl head straight pin. Her scarves ranged from long to short, colorful to neutral, silks to polyester and solids to prints.

She has been gone a little over a year now, but her scarves still have the scent of her favorite perfume on them. I will wear these scarves from time to time, but I have yet to master the look such as she did.

My grandmother’s jewelry armoire was a treasure chest. My mother and sisters and I went through it after she was gone and had the best time playing “dress up.” My grandmother had plenty of luxurious items, but her armoire consisted mostly of costume jewelry. Plenty of pearls (she mixed her real set with her faux), gold chokers, crystals, long beaded necklaces, charms, bangles, chunky silver jewelry, rhinestones and more.

When looking at her jewelry or wearing it, I try to remember each piece on her. Whether it is a real memory or my imagination, she wore her jewelry with panache.

Her closet consisted of a little bit of everything. Over the years, her closet has seen a variety of fabrics such as denim, jersey and silk and styles such as embellished jackets, fur and printed blouses and colors such as neutrals, jewel tones and pastels. I do not recollect one specific style over the years; her fashion sense concentrated around classic staples with “at the moment” trends to add flair.

She understood fashion trends. She and I would discuss trends we would see in some of our fashion magazines, mainly Vogue or W but also Elle or Harper’s Bazaar as well. We would talk about what we loved, hated, who in the world would wear such things, and anytime she ran across a fabulous pair of shoes in a magazine, she would mark the page so I could see it and we could discuss footwear trends as well.

She taught me a lot, not only about style but also life in general. I miss her like crazy, but I know she lives on in memory, photographs and of course, her fashion.