This Week Was... Decadent (and Hectic)
 Isn't that picture of Andi in the new Limited Edition Birdcage Veil absolutely ravishing? I just saw it on the website again, and I was like damn. It stopped me dead! So pretty... so... pulchritudinous!  Get into it is all I have to say. The photo shoot we had for this shot was sick, we whipped it out right right at the office. It was awesome fun. Mandy was behind the camera - flashes everywhere, standing on desks, Mandy pulled out these studio lights from of I don't know where, we were up on chairs getting different angles, my lovely pompadour... bliss, such a great day. Other delights, yes, ahem, we were in Vegas on a business trip.  We went to 4 shows. Accessories, Moda, ENK, Project, and Magic... OK so five. For the next collection we found these amazing (and we never would have found them if we weren't on this trip) new energy filled, electric dipped copper, gold and silver... wait. I'm not telling you what they are, it's for the new collection! You'll have to wait and see. They are so amazing so authentic and so original! They are going to be beautiful and Mandy is going to create something so incredible out of them for your wedding day. While we were there I booked us VIP at the DIESEL party... so hot. Palms Hotel and at the pool. High fashion, great people, stimulating conversation, top shelf open bar, beautiful looking cuisine (though I did not eat) and even more beautiful synchronized swimmers, (probably should have eaten because the best picture I have of them is still a bit blurry). Synchronized Swimmers baby:  OMG if you've never seen a show with synchronized swimmers - you need to. I have a video on my phone that I might just need to upload... I presume that these shows are typically done with Bach or Mozart accompaniment, which is lovely, but this show was totally modern, including the music and outfits, it was done at night, they had neon colored lights, beautiful woman that were lounging around the pool in bathing suits before they got in; you didn't even know what was going on until the music hit and they were swimming in unison. It was unreal. They were twirling and spinning!!! Back flipping!!! Going off.  Let me tell you about NY Fashion Week. We are making 250 gift bags for this show, and designing for it. The new jewelry Mandy is designing is wicked. We were sent pictures of almost all of the gowns that will be shown and both Designer's vision vibe like magnets. Some of it is versatile, Andi calls it surreal yet it is sexy and totally RUNWAY. I'll release the details next week. Who: What: When: Where: Why: Because we are the best at what we do, and yes, that's why they asked us to design and be a part of the show.  Rumor has it Miss USA is going to be sitting quite near us at the show.
This week was... Hectic
So I'm sorry to say that Aaron has been far too busy this week to write his blog. I know he has already cultivated quite the following here. We just returned from 4 nights of... ahem... work in Las Vegas, and with NY fashion week this coming week (complete with 16 runway looks and 250 gift bags for us to do!), Labor Day on Monday (NO SHIPPING! AAAAHHH!), and my own trip to Toronto on Wednesday, and Aaron's own move this weekend, things are just plain CRAZY right now. Hopefully he will have a chance to catch you up next week on all of the drama!
Spotlight on Rosemary!
Sorry I'm a day late! We've been traveling, I'm sure Aaron will tell you all about our adventures tomorrow!   Regular price: $130 Sale price: $90 This week we're featuring the Rosemary accessories from the Organics collection. The comb is on the back of our current lookbook. It can be worn pretty much anywhere on the head for different looks - I love it on the side or back of a messy bun.  Regular price: $225 Sale price: $160 This is such a versatile piece. I originally designed it to go over the top of a bun, and the 2 arms were to be bent down around the sides. If you were doing that, you'd probably want to flip it over so the comb part is facing down. But as you can see, the piece is very flexible, and at the photo shoot I decided to stretch it out a bit for a side piece.  Regular price: $110 Sale price: $75 These are probably my current favorite earrings. I have a pair of these that I wear occasionally during the day - they will go with anything! They also make this sort of soft tinkling sound like tiny little fairy bells ringing, but not at all in an annoying way, but in a magical fairy-dust way. Basically, they make me feel a bit enchanted when I wear them!  Regular price: $225 Sale price: $160 LOVE this tiara. You can wear the tall part up, like the model, or flip it over and wear it over your forehead for a different look, like we did here with the poppy:  Now, I was feeling adventurous the day I made this tiara in these colors. It's also stunning in all clear, shades of golden shadow, we mix in pearls sometimes... It's a great piece to play around with color.
Andi rocks the new birdcage veil
We've added a new limited edition birdcage veil to the collection, and here is our own beautiful and talented Andi modeling it for you. Aaron styled her! How fabulous does she look? By the way, this veil can be placed higher up on your head so that it's not covering your mouth for kisses. This veil, like the original limited edition design, is also made with silver woven wire and Swarovski crystals. The difference is that this one attaches on both sides of your head.
This week was... FIERCE
MY DAY MAGAZINE. COVER BABY!!! GET INTO IT, it is so hot:  FIERCE. Hold up - speaking of Fierce, and I'm really not putting him down here because I totally like the guy and absolutely respect his work... however, I just have to say that I was the originator of this word. I had FIERCE in my vocabulary before Christian on Project Runway made it such a staple. Just like that stolen design (the one I blogged about last week), YEH, three years late. Seriously! Just ask my entourage, they'll tell you. Phone would not stop ringing when the word made it's debut on Bravo, everybody and their Mum was calling to tell me... Clearly, I was a bit bitter but it's all good now. Haaa. OK tangent I know. Moving on... Shout outs to Miss Amy Ellen Duke of Washington, DC... my city, hollER and Wailani Hipolito of Maui... my home island. Beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful women!!! Congratulations again! It was so great working with you!!! Have an amazing wonderful wedding, and I wish I could be there to celebrate and sip champagne with you! I'll tell you - I would be a crying mess, I always get these uncontrollable tears of joy at weddings and CAN'T STOP! OMG! So, I'll leave you with these words, aloha nui loa. I certainly can't wait to follow up with you when you get back from your honeymoons and you have your new names! Yesterday, we totally had this hot delivery boy, I mean man - he was not a boy... he was a MAN. OMG I almost fainted. Ladies I am here to tell you! I can not get his buns out of my head. By all means I am not telling you to leave your men at the alter, but you might after you see this man! Holy. I totally spent a good part of the day aimlessly looking out my office window for his truck to pull back up. Haaa. Wait a minute HOLD UP... what exactly am I doing to myself?! Listen, I love all of you, all my lovely ladies I get to work with, but BACK UP girls, this one is mine. One of you lovelies, or one of your bridesmaids for all I know, are going to come by and whisk him away from me if I keep talking about how dreamy he is!!! That would be just my luck... So... instead I'll tell you he was a troll, totally not tan and dripping with sweat... not all all muscular, and in fact smelly. How's that image to meditate on? Have you seen Legally Blond? BEND AND SNAP! Get into it baby. If you haven't seen the movie then you have no idea what I'm talking about, but take it as a suggestion to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon when sipping mimosas on the patio at brunch is not an option. My dream is to catch the bouquet at a wedding one day, I can't wait to get married! My Prince will come, and currently, I think he has UPS written all over him... he'll be back, he better! OK ENOUGH ABOUT HIM. Rumor has it, Designer... ahem, who for now will remain anonymous, has asked Tigerlilly to accessorize her NY FASHION WEEK 2008 SHOW in Bryant Park. GET INTO IT! Oops, I slipped... - yes the Designer is a female and we LOVE HER!!!  WHAT!? WHAT WHAT WHAT!!! Second time baby! SECOND time at NY Fashion week. Oh this is too hot! Do you even know?! Till next Friday dahlings...
Bling this dress! Sottero & Midgley
OMG I've had so many Sottero & Midgley brides this month! So let's play this week's bling the dress.   First dress - I really like this one! But I wouldn't put that necklace with it. I appreciate that it is sort of visually extending what's happening in the dress, but this doesn't work for me. I almost feel like part of the dress crawled up around her neck, you know? If it were just that pendant on a fine chain, I would like it. It's a good size and it mimics the diamond shape on the bodice nicely. Second dress - another gorgeous design! I love it! I would lose the 3 strand necklace (love it too, but not with this dress. Let's put it with something that doesn't have a brooch right there so they aren't competing.) I'm not sure I would put a necklace with this at all. I think I would do a statement blingy bracelet as the main piece, and then some diamond or cz studs. I would also put some sort of hair ornament with this, either a vintagey looking side comb, silk flower, or feathers. A birdcage veil would be hot too!  Now THIS gown is begging for a necklace, and I like the one she's wearing. See how her neck is totally framed by the dress? Now you need something fabulous to go in the frame. Lots of things would work here, but I would want a large crystal focal drop, I think. Then I like a more delicate bracelet/earrings to go with the lightness of the cap sleeves. xoxo
Designer Spotlight: Bordeaux earrings, necklace, and lariat
This week, the spotlight is on the Bordeaux set of earrings, necklace and lariat. We love these designs because they're simple, extremely flattering and pretty, and affordable. And this week, they'll be even MORE affordable!  Regular price: $60 Spotlight sale price: $45 The bordeaux earrings are one of our best sellers. I like how they are sort of a modern take on a classic pearl and crystal design. The length is universally flattering - it draws attention up to your face and the subtle sparkle of the crystals is brilliant. We can also make this design with crystals replacing the pearls in any crystal color - a great option for bridesmaids!  Regular price: $75 Spotlight sale price: $50 So many of you have elaborately beaded gowns and you're not sure if you want or need a necklace. You don't want to look bare (is it weird to have all of that sparkle on the dress and then no necklace?) but you don't want to overwhelm the dress. Enter Bordeaux necklace. Again, made with either pearls or crystals, this is the perfect necklace when you want something very subtle to catch the light.  Regular price: $130 Spotlight price: $90 The lariat version of the necklace has a little more detail in the front but is still quite subtle. The back features 2 drops (you can customize the drop length by writing in the comments section of the order form) and is SO PRETTY with a backless or low back gown. Little flashes of light and sparkles will follow you everywhere you go! By the way, we can also make the back drops detachable, so you can wear the necklace again after the wedding without the drops.
Weekly Wrap Up with Aaron
I'm thrilled to introduce Aaron, Director of Sales, Marketing and Events here at Tigerlilly. We often joke that our company needs a Bravo TV reality show, because there is constant drama, fun, and craziness - never a dull moment around here. So Aaron is going to give you an up close, unedited, behind the scenes look at what's happening at Tigerlilly every Friday in our new blog feature, the weekly wrap up. And he is ready to dish. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the fabulous Aaron Machado!
I was honored when Mandy asked that I make a cameo on her blog every Friday! I of course told her that it would be my pleasure to do so, and I hope you enjoy my first and the many more to come! This week behind the scenes at Tigerlilly... I had such an amazing time working this past week with one of my clients. She was not only delightful, she stomped down the aisle in this:   Let me tell you I can not wait for her to send me pictures! She, with out a doubt, will go up on THE BOARD (the board is my collage and proud collection of beloved brides I have had the pleasure of working with here at Tigerlilly). Look at the back of this dress! OMG the draping is just remarkable! The only difference is that her signature Dragon Brooch was gold. She accessorized her gown with the Alvina line of Tigerlilly (the comb and bracelet).   How fierce? So fierce; this Bride was GOING OFF, just like a killer wave on the North Shore of Oahu baby I am here to tell you! Not label obsessed and clearly I am open to all types of designs by new, old, innovative, classic, timeless, all types of designers... but her dress is Gucci (a perfect match: couture bridal jewelry for a clearly bold couture bride...). I guarantee you her Honey was starstruck when he saw her walking down the aisle... her reception dress was absolutely darling, too cute really; she bought a whole new set of sterling silver jewelry to go with it!!! Stolen Design!This is not the first time, however it is the most current scheme we are battling. This website has decided to rip off one of our designs and is calling it their own. I have to say... at least do it better than us if you're going to use one of our designs as your own! You're putting our FIONA to shame with your lopsided pearls and silver plating... don't you know how quickly your "Athena" will tarnish? And you don't even include the hardware to convert it into a necklace! Can you believe the nerve of this woman?! I mean hello Lady, we showed this in Martha Stewart Magazine in 2005; this is not some ancient design, the provenance is clear - frankly this design has Tigerlilly written all over it. You're three years late, and your knock off version is JANKITY (thank you Guam Bride for referring this new word into my vocabulary, I now use it daily). Rumor has it that the Tigerlilly Design team may be releasing a line of bridesmaid dresses. Get into it. Perez Hilton? Who? I'm telling you watch out...  "is the new blog." Till next Friday dahlings!
Accessorize This Dress - Bold Detailing
   Usually when I do this, I have a few different ideas of what pieces to put with a dress. This week, there is really only one option for this gown and gowns like it. Ok I just typed that and I thought of something else that I also like equally well. The dress is by Jenny Packham, Spring 09 collection, found on Brides.com. I adore Jenny Packham endlessly. They are so glam/sexy/modern and always memorable. This dress is calling out for some fabulous blingy chandelier earrings, which is exactly what I'm currently designing for the next collection. Maybe that's why I picked this today! Option 2, equally fabulous blingy hair brooch. You know what? You could rock a feathered fascinator here too. xoxo
Thistle necklace, bracelet, earrings, tiara
For this week's spotlight, I chose the Thistle collection - all 5 pieces are highlighted and on sale!  Regular price: $250 Sale price: $180  Regular price: $275 Sale price: $200  Regular price: $130 Sale price: $90  Regular price: $90 Sale price: $65  Regular price: $150 Sale price: $100 I chose the thistles because I love them, and evidently, you do too. They are some of our best sellers, and they get quite a lot of hits every day on the website. Their classic design coordinates with so many different types of gowns. I love the thistle necklace with a gown with a beaded bodice - instead of competing with it, it ends up enhancing it and bringing the look up. I love the drop necklace with a halter or V neck gown. It's also a great bridesmaid's piece - especially if you add color!
Accessorize this dress!
I wore a Romona Keveza gown at my wedding. It was an asymmetrical strapless diamond white a line with no embellishment. I'm very drawn to her collections. So I was over on Brides.com today checking out the Spring '09 runway shots, and found this:  Wow! What a gorgeous shade of blue! I mean, it's not pale mist blue, shimmery silver blue, it's like, blue blue! So, how to accessorize it? I kind of want to put sheer black gloves on her and several pearl necklaces in various lengths, one very long, and maybe some peacock feathers in her hair. OR, a tiara. Just a tiara (and maybe a big sapphire ring). The tiara is actually more like a headband, but we'll refer to it as a tiara, because look at this gown. It needs a tiara. So the tiara sits on her head much like a headband, and it is dripping with sapphire and golden crystals. Some seem to be floating right off her head like a halo. Twisty golden branches make up the base of the design and give it a natural/ethereal quality. She feels like she's come from an enchanted forest and now she's bewitching to all who see her.
Fiona 20 Strand Headband
 As a new weekly feature, I'm going to be highlighting some of my favorite pieces - and best of all, each featured design will be on sale for a week! That's right - we NEVER have sales, but here we go! If you've been thinking about buying the 20 strand headband, do it this week to save $100!I had to start the designer spotlight with the Fiona 20 strand convertible headband, named for my sweet cousin Fi because it's beautiful, fun, and effortlessly stylish. We used this piece in our very first Martha Stewart ad, and it's been featured in just about every bridal magazine you can think of. It is so versatile! Of course it was designed as a headband or necklace, but the editors over at Elegant Bride used it as a bun cover and it was gorgeous! The design is shown on our website made with all Swarovski crystals, but we've also made it in all pearl and a mix of crystal and pearl:     Our first Martha Stewart ad: 
|
