A crisp white shirt, a great pair of denim, a simple dress.  When this is your canvas, often the perfect balance is found with a single accessory that packs a punch. Based in Sydney, Valet Studio produces vintage inspired earrings, hair clips, bracelets, and bags that play with colors and shapes to create sculptural accessories that make a simple outfit into a stunning look. Each piece is carefully handmade with unique colored resin and 18k gold-filled hardware. All are well priced objects of art, around $150. The Noemi, Oceane, and Tamara earrings are a few of my favorites.

Tic (tac) Tail Connects the Dots

With the retail economy shifting and small retailers closing down doors due to lack of foot traffic, any time I can support a mom and pop shop, I’m there! So for “Q the Favorites” Spring edition, I’m covering a newly discovered online AND retail shop called Tictail. Think Etsy meets Farfetch meets Squarespace.

It started out as an online destination where small companies could create their own website to sell their products and also have a marketplace to connect to and gain exposure. They opened up their first permanent store in NYC in 2016 solely for their online partners to sell their product in a physical location. They rotate out brands every month and when the new retailers are rotated, the store throws an opening party. Celebrating the small is so in!

What to Buy

/ 1 / Lavani Moon Buganville Verde Earrings $48 / 2 / Blue Bloom Emerald Crown Stud Earrings $36 / 3 / Marie June Melting Gold Earrings $140 / 4 / Akurat M41-KK/K-BR Watch $184 / 5 / Cassiopeia A Man On A Chair Mini Scarf $48 / 6 / Mutter+Kind Twist & Tango Blouse $123 / 7 / Eneri Susanna Bell Sleeve Blouse $145 / 8 / Jennie-Ellen Oh C’mon Boots $188 / 9 / Lax Shoes Jones Black Boots $279 / 10 / Jaychewin Butter Crossbody Bag $270 / 11 / More Is Better Moss Bag $171 / 12 / Empire Apothecary No.2 Rosemary Citrus Candle $26

Hear ye, hear ye! This spring, there is COLOR! And I’m not talking about the three pastels recycled every spring. I’m talking about the deep blues, clear greens, washed yellows, rich oranges, bright pinks, stark reds, and soft purples that are on shop shelves and in department stores. After what felt like years of collections offering mainly neutrals, this season it seems nearly every collection has plenty of color. There is finally something to flatter every skin tone! So for all the clients who have been asking me for more color in their wardrobe, now is the time. It is a beautiful overdue transition for fashion. Click the image above for some of my top picks and get this color while you can, before someone, somewhere decides that color is “out” again and we are plunged back into a neutral world.

I’m reading a reprint of a book titled Fashion Is Spinach. Though initially published in 1938, it is incredibly current. The author, Elizabeth Hawes writes, “I don’t know when the word fashion came into being, but it was an evil day. For thousands of years people got along with something called style and maybe, in another thousand, we’ll go back to it.” Exactly. I read this and immediately thought of the state in the American retail sector – one I feel largely built on sand. After all, people don’t need a million pairs of anything, just a few of the right things please. While the industry has outgrown itself to a certain extent, I’m dismayed to see brick and mortar stores closing because one of the best ways to teach my clients how to make their wardrobe work is through in-store shopping. So while I never advocate shopping just for the sake of buying, hopefully you find some great solutions in this newsletter and you can do your part to help America’s retail economy thrive.

Men

Paint Splattered Denim

Combination Stripes

Pink & Purple

Light Anoraks

Club Tropicana Prints

Retro Athletic