{ pavé party }

lately i can't get enough of delicate gold jewelry, especially when it's dotted with sparkling stones. two new favorite pieces include an evil eye necklace by susan hanover, and alexa leigh's star+om lariat (both above).

of course, i'll forgive my pavé a little peacocking when it's as smashing as david yurman's chunky, gemstone-studded chain bracelets (below). unfortunately, i'll have to save up plenty more pennies if i want to add those puppies to my permanent pile!!

{ golden girl }

black + gold has always been one of my favorite color pairings ~ in fact, this outfit is basically the dressed-down descendant of THIS ONE. of course, i prefer even my casual costumery with a heavy dollop of dazzling, so this gold-flecked coat and a decadent drizzle of gilded jewels were thrown in for good measure:

while the clothes all came out of my closet, most of the jewels are only mine for a while. one of the best things about prepping for shoots is watching heaps of bling filter through my studio ~ saying goodbye to them is one of the worst. however, i fell so deeply in love with the pieces seen here today that the world gold council (an organization that supports designers who work with the aurulent ore), agreed to let me hold onto a couple items for a few extra days' worth of wear. i gleefully took full advantage.


the necklace strung with two amulets comes from temple st. clair; i love the way the baubles feel like mystical crystal balls. the long locket hanging below them is a one-of-a-kind piece by kim kaufman. it's decorated with beautiful diamond-winged birds, and it felt like such a gift to get to wear!


the bangles are a mix of temple st. clair and bertoni ~ the simple-but-smashing sorts of pieces i could really get used to wearing every day.

since i was having such a major jewelry moment, i layered the look with a chain-fringed tank and subtly studded bag. why wear less sparkle when you can wear more?!

thank you to the world gold council for letting me live out my fine jewelry fantasies for few days! i will be a very sad girl when this carriage turns back into a pumpkin; there's just something about gold that i can't get enough of.

{ eugenia kim beanie, tiffany sunnies, primary jacket, temple st. clair & kim kaufman necklaces, rag + bone blouse (last seen HERE), alice + olivia tank (previously seen HERE), temple st. clair & bertoni bracelets, david yurman & catbird rings, blank nyc jeans (last seen HERE), rebecca minkoff bag, jean michel cazabat boots // see the full-length look ON FACEBOOK }

{ t.rex }

i've been having a lot of fun letting this not-so-small sculpture of a necklace roam around my apartment all week. most recently, he's been drinking tea and attacking angels. { monserat de lucca necklace courtesy of modcloth }

{ must love fluff }

{ barney's cashmere cap, kelly framel earrings & ring, bird by juicy couture vest (last seen HERE), club monaco shirtdress (last seen HERE), j.crew belt, TOV skirt (current favorite staple!) courtesy of modcloth, american apparel clutch (i blogged about it HERE), gifted l.a.m.b. 'kandis' shoes }

{ kaleidoscopic collection }

yesterday afternoon i added a sumptuous slew of new jewelry designs to the store. i'd love for you to have a look at them HERE!!

{ synergy }

there sure is a lot of black, white and gold in my life these days ~ i've recently really realized how much i dress like i decorate like i design. every passion, inspiration and fixation feeds into all the others!!



{ wearing: club monaco shirtdress (last seen HERE), kelly framel leather hoop earrings, teardrop talon and citrine fringe necklaces, plus ~ from left to right ~ ibiza ring, raveonette ring, and liberace ring + OPI's my private jet nail polish }

it's here!

it's been many weeks in the works, and i'm so excited to finally introduce you to my new bijoux boutique, kelly framel jewelry!! there are so many more pieces still to come, but i just couldn't wait any longer to spill! please have a peek...

xokelly

{ shop the glamourai } transcendenjewel

just added some supernatural new stones to shop.theglamourai.com ~ CLICK HERE to have a look!

{ glamourai DIY } instantly stately

{ above: reworked antique/estate jewels from my private collection }

i love the look of estate jewelry, especially articulated rhinestone pieces that have developed a smokey patina over time (like the yummy stuff above!). unfortunately, such gems can be either hard to find or stunningly expensive. on the other hand, modern replicas may be more affordable, but they often lack a certain depth ~ to my mind, new, too-shiny jewels always look cheap. good thing i've got a trick for faking the estate look!

here's what you do: start with a rhinestone necklace (or earrings, bracelet, etc...). recently, i fell in love with this 3D floral stunner while culling pieces for my f21 store. although it's undoubtedly a pretty piece as is, i imagined it might be a bit too glitzy ~ even for my taste! however, i knew it would be perfect for this project.

other than that, you'll need:
- paper towels to protect your work surface
- a black AND a brown sharpie pen (fine point is preferred)
- a handful of Q-tips
- nail polish remover (optional)

first and foremost, cover your workspace with paper towels; permanent marker does NOT come off tabletops! next, start smudging brown sharpie over the stones; to get that naturally aged look, occasionally skip a stone or two. you want it to look a bit random (as organic aging tends to be). blot the ink up with a moistened Q-tip (dipped in water!) as you go:

next, trace back over the stones with the black sharpie (continuing to blot with damp Q-tips as you move along). layering black over the brown adds dimension, making the stones look more naturally smokey:

for the sake of this tutorial, i completed the right side first, so that you'd be able to compare the desired finish with the original starting place (ie, the left side):

after continuing the same work on said left side, i realized i'd gone a bit too dark overall. that's easy to do ~ but just as easy to fix! simply dip one of your Q-tips in a bit of nail polish remover, and sweep it over the top surface of the stones. use a light touch on this step ~ that will help bring the shine back to the tips of the piece, while maintaining the shading around the sides of the stones. and voila! that's all it takes:

see the difference?! this transformation is definitely (intentionally) subtle; because, as we all know, chic is in the details!

let me know in the comments if you have any questions, and send me pictures if you decide to test this out for yourself!! as always, please keep in mind that you don't have to buy anything new to do this project ~ just dig around in your jewelry box for anything a bit too blingy and try giving it the antique treatment!

{ as promised }

new in the store!!!

{ costume of the day } chiffonery

thank you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes! i've never been too big on birthdays, except that now my birthday also marks the birth of this blog ~ and that makes the day extra special!! indeed, theglamourai.com turned two this week. it's been such a fun ride, and i can't wait to see what the coming years will bring; thanks for sticking with me!

now, about my outfit: i found this dress at beacon's closet in williamsburg, brooklyn ~ one of my favorite secondhand haunts. it's basically a big chiffon sack, but with the prettiest little details. it's very languid and raw, and i think quite nice for these late summer days.



this necklace is one i'll never part with ~ though wherever i wear it, strangers inevitably try to talk it off me. it's quite the conversation starter! thus, i've been working on some similar pieces for the store. keep a close eye open for those ~ they're coming soon!

{ antique rayban sunnies, the glamourai brass bauble bib, unknown secondhand dress, jean yu slip, vintage clutch + miu miu swallow brooch, prada shoes }

{ costume of the day } wellie up

please excuse the overuse of umbrella-as-prop in these pics ~ it was really raining when they were taken! indeed, for the first half of this week, NYC was quite suddenly plunged deep into the midst of monsoon season.

my stylistic tricks for getting through such periods are:
[1] have a couple cute umbrelleries on call at all times (those cheapie-deepie, hook-beaked black numbers they sell on the street make bad weather seem even more grim!), and [2] wear something short enough to balance out the unfortunate loss of leg-length caused by unwieldy wellies (this tip has been passed down to us all via the commandments of kate)!

other than that, i'm just taking cues from dries (again), and testing out this fall's preferred palette and olive-twill trend!
{ jean paul gaultier umbrella, custom sunnies, the glamourai murky way necklace, vintage rings, rachel rachel roy tail-back blouse, anthropologie belt, forever21 skirt, hunter wellies }

{ rock pop }

been a busy bee this week, crafting and adding newly-made jewels to the shop. click the picture to have a gander!

{ above: amethyst amulet necklaces (only $60!) hang on a homemade cork-board in my studio }

{ costume of the day } variation on a theme

it wasn't until after the day had passed and i was editing this post that i realized how similar the contained ensemble is to this one ~ both feature little else but an ivory blouse and black shorts. and yet, in the details, they are so different. isn't that the amazing thing about classic, basic pieces? they can be interpreted, worn, and re-worn in a million different ways!



{ d+g sunnies, the glamourai crystallized corsage necklace, bb dakota tunic (courtesy of modcloth), j. crew belt, rachel rachel roy shorts, vintage bracelets & knuckle ring, verameat 3-finger ring, juicy couture bag, aldo shoes }

PS: i fully recognize the inherent irony in exalting "classic basics" immediately after posting THIS. but it was hot out, i had a business meeting, and just couldn't get away with full-on feathers.

PPS: ever wondered about the talented man who makes these costume posts possible? check out more of his work HERE!