Chelsea Clinton's wedding dress: Chelsea Clinton rocks Vera Wang wedding gown to wed Marc Mezvinsky

I think its quite ironic the amount of times it had been preached not to wear socks and sandals and yet it is one of the biggest fashion statements at the moment... here are some of my favourite looks...

Whats your view on the socks and sandals? Fashion statement or fashion diaster?

Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/
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Ruby Pendant

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Ruby Pendant

Ruby pendant is a stunning piece of jewelry. If you are thinking of buying one as a gift or if you just want a pendant for yourself you have come to the right place. In this article I am going to give you some tips on what to look for when buying a ruby pendant.

Natural rubies are beautiful and expensive. Natural rubies are rated 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness. The color of natural rubies can vary, some are a deep red. While others are red with yellow and orange tones or red with blue and purple tones. A natural ruby pendant should come with a certificate of authenticity. Lab created, also known as synthetic rubies are very affordable. Labs created rubies are absolutely beautiful and it is hard to tell the difference between a natural and a lab created ruby.

The setting you select has an impact on the price of your ruby pendant. Some things for consider are do you want it set in gold? If you so, do you want yellow or white gold? What type of gold do you want 14K or 18K. Because of the expense of gold many people choose 18K over sterling silver. Now you have my 3 tips for buying a ruby pendant. I hope you find these tips helpful and will assist you with purchasing a ruby pendant for yourself or that special someone (Cathy Collins).

Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/
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A few days in pictures: Wedding, Summer, Sketches and Kate Moss ....

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bridesmaid

fashion designs

kate moss

midsomer murders

perfume

photography

rachel wood designs

sketches

summer

vintage

wedding

Day 1- A bit of photography, if you can let me know if you have any favourites or opinions :)

Bribing my brother with sweets to sit in fields for a few hours hahaa.

Little red riding hood...

Day 2: Rachel Wood gets married :D

Rachel's amazing jewellrey and Mandy Elizabeths gorgeous dresses...

Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/
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Cro’Jack: a Q and A with founder Dean Batty

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Cro'Jack

menswear

Fashion Buyer caught up with industry insider Dean Batty to find out how he is turning his knowledge of the trade and love for fabrics into premium menswear brand Cro’Jack

Q So Dean, you’re a brand founder now. Are you a designer too?
A (Laughs) I’d never call myself a designer. Too many people in the industry would take the mick if I did! But I do have an eye and I love fabric, that’s my passion and that’s been the starting point for Cro’Jack.

Q If you’re not designing it, who is?
A Well, it’s a team of me and my wife Lisa [Batty]. I know what I want and she has the talent to make it happen. Her CV speaks for itself. [Among her credits is a stint as senior designer at Belstaff]

Q What’s the idea behind Cro’Jack?
A It’s a menswear brand that’s all made in Britain. That’s central to the whole thing. It’s manufactured in the West Midlands at LS manufacturing. It’s probably the last and certainly the biggest factory provider left in the UK. We have great facilities including a quilting plant, laundry room, embroidery business, a webbing team. The west Midlands used to be the centre of British manufacturing and as much as possible I’ve sourced the fabrics from Britain too. Though there is some organic cotton from France and some Italian fabrics too.

Q And what does Cro'Jack mean?
A A crossjack is a piece of sailing equipment – a piece of wood that stabilises the mainsail on a ship. It was invented in 1530 and it is the sixteenth century version of a turbo charger – it meant that British sailors were the fastest in the world. It’s no coincidence that this was the period that saw sailors from here zoom off to pillage and plunder and all that. But whatever else that meant, it meant that Britain started to turn from an impoverished backwater to a seriously rich country.

Q You’re something of a sailor yourself aren’t you?
A Yeah. I love it. Which is typical considering that I come from the most landlocked village in England! And yes, there will be nautical references in the brand but it’s not a super purist sort of thing. We’re not about to replicate the most authentic piece of clothing ever or anything like that. The fits for example are all brought bang up to date.

Q That’s important to you isn’t it?
A Very, it comes down to three things. Fabric, fit and value. Get those right and the brand will work.
Q And how have the buyers responded to it?
A So far, really warmly. They find it refreshing I think and they love that it’s made in the UK. We are only opening about 20 accounts in the UK to start with and I think I know what they are. There will be another 20 worldwide.

Q And what are your ambitions for it long term?
A About 100 accounts globally I think. I do think of the brand in global terms not just the UK.

Q OK, so tell us about the collection

A There are five jackets in six fabrications, there’s three jersey styles and three knit styles – including an indigo dyed style, which I love

Q And what’s your favourite piece in the range?
A It must be the Uffa. I just love it. [Dean pulls out a buggy lined 4sb indigo dyed linen jacket with notched lapels pleated patch pockets and hunting details that include poacher’s pockets]

Q We hear you have a large collection of jackets.
A That’s true. I have over 100. My favourite is an Apaloosa denim jacket. It’s saddle stitched and blanket lined. When I bought it, it was already quite worn but then I gave it to my Dad. He’s a joiner and he wore it to work for a few years. It got really beaten up until it was so beautifully aged and battered I had to have it back! He loved it and didn’t want to relinquish it but I got it back from him and now I just love it. It’s like an old friend.

To find out more about Cro’Jack call Dean on 07966 460066

Prices go from £85 to £250 at retail, on a three times mark up.

Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/
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Gold Pendant

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Gold Pendant

Pendants are adornments for necklaces. The most popular styles are lockets and crucifixes. If you are looking to buy gold pendant for a necklace you already own or buying a necklace with a pendant included you should find all of the relevant information included here. Pendants are often made from various precious metals and decorated with precious minerals or an engraved pattern.

As with most gold jewellery, pendants can be made from yellow and white gold. As gold is not naturally white it is worth being mindful that, over time white gold may need to be restored. A 9 carat, solid gold pendant could contain around 35% pure gold whereas and 18 carat solid gold pendant would contain 75% pure gold. This drastically changes the price. Any solid gold jewellery should be engraved with a hallmark. 9ct gold should have the number '375' engraved and 18ct gold will have '750'.

As a rule of thumb silver pendants should be available for less than £50 unless they are particularly heavy, higher grade than sterling or are set with stones that require a higher price. Plain or engraved 9ct yellow gold pendants should cost £50 - £100. Additional stones such as Sapphire, Peridot or Amethyst may require a price tag upwards of £200. Rubies and Diamonds will cost significantly more (Luke Hynek).

Source URL: http://icip2idayusof.blogspot.com/2010/07/
Visit Icip2idayusof for daily updated images of art collection