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Rebel Designs and My Italian Friend

I’ve followed Rebel Designs long before I ever started selling their jewelry. I love the name: Rebel. It applies to both young and old. We can all be rebels in our own way. The Manhattan-based Rebel Designs is headed by Gina Riley, who takes her inspiration from the contrasts of rough and refined found throughout the New York City mileau.

Rebel Designs really covers the spectrum of style. The rustic authenticity of leather and crystal can meet the desires of any age group and be so tastefully dressed up or down.

As I went through Sweet Bling’s inventory of Rebel Designs pieces in preparation for this post, I knew I needed a model. I immediately thought of my friend, Antonella, who is originally from Milan, Italy. She is one of the chicest women I know — and adds a bit of flair to everything she touches. Lucky me! I texted Antonella and she agreed to model some Rebel Designs pieces for Sweet Bling.

We decided to do the photo shoot at Dolce, a restaurant in San Diego, that fit our vibe. Antonella wore a white blouse that was something out of a Tuscan chick flick; so simple, yet so elegant. So perfect for my Italian friend. The draping flattered her shoulders and reached just mid forearm in an edgy tunic style.

I first wanted to style her blouse with a cuff bracelet…and the Rebel Designs Vintage Leather Cuff with Crystal Grid was the just the look I needed!

I also loved her blouse with the Vintage Leather Cuff With Black Diamond Swarovski Crystal Disk. It brought such a rustic flare to her look, complimented by a lovely glass of prosecco, of course.

Either of these bracelets could be worn with a thin leather bracelet like the Rebel Refined Leather Bracelet with Crystal Disk. My fingers were itching to snap a million photos and style her outfit just-so. Everything was working so beautifully.

The shot of Antonella I that I had been imagining came to life: white tunic blouse beautifully accented with the Vintage Brown Leather Cuff, as she thoughtfully ordered a glass of the best Italian white wine on the menu…it worked so well! It reminded me our adventures in the Italian countryside and the slow afternoons of vacation.

My friend pulled off this rustic elegance like it was meant to be. That’s really what I love most about Rebel Designs. It has the timeless casual for your next European adventure, or the rustic flare for a weekend dinner party. Pair it with a white blouse like my dear friend for a daytime look, or a black chiffon blouse for more of an evening feel. Oh, the possibilities!

After our photo shoot, we reminisced about our travels in Italy. I enjoyed a lovely glass of wine, lively conversation and laughter with a longtime and forever friend. What beautiful inspiration she is.

Ciao,

Sweet Bling

Tags: bracelets, Italy, jewelry, Leather Jewelry, Swarovski

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Categories Fashion, Jewelry, lifestyle, travel

Why Blue Makes for a Brilliant Color Palette for Travel

20 Nov

So, I am not usually the best packer for vacations. I’m trying, but I tend to over pack. Well, on my recent vacation to Croatia, I really put some effort into planning my outfits. I believe in the mantra – pick one or two colors and combine outfits. So that’s where I started. I picked blue and black. We all know why we should pick black. So why blue?

Blue is the color of denim: It’s so easy to wear denim. Denim jeans, denim shorts, denim dresses.
Many hues of blue: Powder blue, navy blue, royal blue. These variations give you maximum flexibility with clothes and jewelry.
Navy blue is great for evening: A navy jumpsuit or patterned navy maxi dress is easy to find.
A crisp white blouse pairs well with blue denim. This is always a good classic look.
Blue does go with black: Since black is such an easy color to wear, picking these two colors for your color palette will give you a versatile wardrobe for your travels.
Blue jewelry is plentiful: Whether it is turquoise, navy or powder blue, there are so mnay options.

I was so looking forward to the warm weather that Croatia usually boasts about in September. But ten days before my trip, my stomach dropped when I saw that rain was forecast for much of the time I was going to be in seaside towns in Croatia. After dwelling on this issue of rain and wishing for sun, I finally gave in and decided to pick up some long sleeved options and a rain jacket.

One of the best investments I made was a Rails flannel shirt and my Joseph Siebel sneakers. I wore the Rails shirt the day we drove from our lovely Rovinj hotel, the Monte Mulina, to Pula and then to the Meneghetti winery. OMG! It was so perfect! Stylish, pretty and oh so soft. But, I have to say, the jewelry I wore really, really made my whole outfit come together.