RC2 is NEW

It seems quiet here in New York City on this Sunday morning, the pups are snoozing and it's a nice fall day. After the last two weeks, it's a welcome relief. Our newest collection for the RC2 Trend Collection (our super trendy line for fall) has been launched and seems to be a hit with our Fashionista customers. 



I am happy to see that the La Strada bracelet is already half-way sold out, and we've already reordered from the factory. This is a great piece, available in 2 colors and is so great for your fall wardrobe. We've also got a great Bib Necklace, and many other great fall pieces on the website. The Crystal Coin Cascade Necklace is also very popular, it was featured on The Today Show as part of the "Emmy Award Look for Less" segment, hosted by our dear friend Jill Martin.

Our jewelry is featured in InStyle this week, the Award winning CZ Stud earrings are right in there for everyone to admire. If you're on the E-mail list, you will have gotten a promo code to get a discount this week, so that'll help you buy lots of our great items. 



Joe Chiarella and Chicklet wait out the Tornado in NYC

I'd hoped to put up some pics from Fashion Week in Lincoln Center, but you may know that New York was hit with a couple of tornados (yes, in NYC!!!) which headed right towards the family home in Queens. That caused a few days of no power, and one of the computers gave up it's life in the power failure.

My brother had to evacuate with Chicklet, who had a great time eating at a sidewalk cafe in Manhattan while they fixed the power lines. Hopefully we'll get the pics out of the hard disk, once my brother puts down the chain saw that he's been cutting down branches with and gets back to the computer. Fortunately nobody was hurt in the storm, so we are all grateful. The house was not damaged, so the shipping boxes, gift wrap and assorted necessities for robertachiarella.com weren't harmed.

So, you can see why I am happy it's a quiet day. We've got a bunch of orders to pack and ship tomorrow, you can't underestimate the power of a super sale, the CHA CHA CHA bracelet (featured in BRIDES) is going to be discontinued soon so we're giving an incredible discount to make sure these great bracelets find nice homes!

Next on the list is getting ready for HSN, we've got a great new collection to show on TV coming up soon.

We've got to get the jewelry ready, then hit the hair stylist, manicure, dress shoppe and shoe store before the trip down to Florida. See you on TV! Ciao.

It's a wrap! Fashion Week says goodbye

It's fashion week (or week and a half) and New York is filled with designers, models and lots of fashionistas. Magazine editors, web and other media reporters wait on line to get into the tents, set up at Bryant Park for the spectacular Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Today we saw the Tommy Hilfiger collection presented, and some interesting fashion- body painting!

The major collections have all been shown, Justin Timberlake showed his collection yesterday and it was quite the scene. There are a few final presentations and shows tomorrow, and the people associated with making this all look so good are still here, with the hair stylists, seamstresses and accessories designers and merchants all around the area.

I love to be there, I love the excitement and fun of the crowd and the reporters and photographers huddled everywhere, studying everything that is going on.

You have to laugh when photographers swarm some smartly dressed guy or gal, snapping a million photos, then they go up to the person and ask "are you anyone famous". I was just as guilty, pointing my camera at someone here and there, then asking who was that? Other photographers stalk the limos, stand on tables, chairs and fences hoping to get a shot of some hot model or wealthy runway patron. Of course, it's not hard to find some famous people, it's New York!

The shows end each day with a bittersweet announcement, once the tents come down this year, they won't be back. The shows will move to Lincoln Center next year, and leave Bryant Park. It is a huge change for the industry, as the park is at the edge of the garment center, a district that produces some of our most famous clothing lines, and is home to Fashion Institute of Technology, the home of Project Runway and the source of lots of talented future designers. There are less and less fashion houses in the area these days, so many jobs have gone overseas and real estate prices force little merchants out of business or onto the internet.

So, next year we'll be hanging out in front of the Metropolitan Opera house, hopefully still enjoying the magic of viewing the collections that will be worn by movie stars, millionaires and fashionistas everywhere. Ciao!

the 80's are back - at New York Fashion Week

Everyone learns in life that what goes around comes around, and fashion is not an exception to this important rule!! This week we saw that the fashion wheel keeps turning, and now, the 80’s are back in a big way. If you check out the runway shows at New York Fashion Week, you can see the 80's are officially back. Let's start with the shoulder pad (yes, the shoulder pad is back) as big shoulders edged onto the runways of Donna Karan, BCBG and Marc Jacobs.

The difference this go-round is girls want to look sexy, glamorous and trendy, without looking sloppy and silly. Smart designers have gone into their archives and re-vamped the "oldie but goodie" shoulder pad to fit the new age criteria. "Done right, though, sharp shoulders can give a new confidence to women left weary by the economy" said Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale's fashion director. "Toughness is confidence. It's a way of saying: 'You can't bring me down'."

Add to your 80's resurrection with some power suits, Robert Palmer-style second-skin dresses, dark lipstick and acid-wash jeans. These were all spotted on the runways this week. Miss Sixty kicked off its show Sunday with an acid-washed denim romper with a low-slung waist with chains, and also showed an acid-wash strapless jumpsuit that was full of 80's style.

I think it's great. Just take a look back and reminisce about that time when you wanted to look like a punk rocker; to look cool and be different from every other girl in school. You went big, with BIG hair (look at mine) and bright neon colors and layers and layers of whatever looked funky; clothes, belts and of course, jewelry! Madonna was the trend leader of this fashion look thats now making a comeback. I so wanted to be her, secretly I still do!!! Take a look at her daughter, the apple does not fall far from the tree, isn't Lourdes cool with those 80's glasses and striped shirt.

When you re-create your 80's look, remember that proportion is key when putting your outfit together. There should be balance, and your accessories need to match the look, especially your jewelry. You'll need big statement earrings, they are a staple for this look but they can get heavy and uncomfortable… When designing my earrings, I don't want them too heavy. No matter how big they are, they can't pull your earlobe down and they can't hurt to wear.

With my earrings, each pair is hand made and designed to be worn in real life not just on the runway for entertainment. Of course, it is a treat to see that some of the big earrings we saw on the runways this week are nearly identical to ones in my current collection.

It is nice to see that the look of the Fall 2009 fashion shows are bright, bold, fun and light hearted. Clothing from Betsy Johnson, Halston, Tracy Reese and Alice + Olivia are running wild with this 80’s look. They are bringing color and fun to fall fashion, and I think this is just what we need to look forward to after a little too much darkness. I'll bet Joan Collins is smiling right now. Ciao !

The tent is up, it's fashion week in New York

I walked past Bryant Park last week, as the workers were erecting the giant white tent on the lawn, and realized summer is really over! The weekly movies shown at dusk are gone, and fashion week is here. The top designers (and a few well-funded others) are presenting their spring 2009 collections at what they are now calling "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week". We get to see America's most recognized designers — Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Donna Karan.



Today, I went to check out the action at Vera Wang's event, as the wedding styles she is showing will certainly need jewelry to complement her designs!

We have some other designers like Tracy Reese, Phillip Lim and Yigal Azrouël showing who are building their brands, and the Project Runway finalists will show their collections on Sept 12th. One of the show's former participants, Malan Breton, will have a show of his work as well. You might not remember him, he was kicked out after only the third episode on season three, but he is here with his collection this week. Christian Siriano is here too, with a maternity line, of all things.

New York's fashion week is a major stage where new and established designers will make a statement. All kinds of other statements are made as well, with protesters on Sunday taking issue with Donna Karan's use of fur,
and some non-anorexic women were out on the sidewalk, angrily taking issue with the fashion industry's fixation on thin bodies.
Chanting, "Curves on the catwalk," they had signs saying "Hire Me! I Can Walk!". Today, in addition to fashion, there is Reverend Park's bible crusade going on in Bryant Park, which looks so beautiful this time of year. His supporters (in stylish attire, of course) mingle with the fashion crowd, handing out invitations to passers-by.

Karan's show was remarkable for the presence of (hold your breath here) jumpsuits and rompers. These garments have been seen in the spring 2009 collections from others, with some on the runway of BCBGMaxAzria and Yigal Azrouël. The actual look is different from runway to runway, but you have to wonder what's up with these clothes?

Donna Karan's show on Sunday was a celebration of 20 years of DKNY, and featured some modernized looks from the '80s. She showed a number of romper-like shorts that were fluffed out at the top of the thigh. They were cute, but nobody I know over 20 can wear these.

The rest of us enjoyed the jumpsuits that would look and feel better on an 'adult' body. Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham unveiled a short, boyish new haircut to go with her new fashion line this week as well. Her small collection is made in a London atelier and will be produced in very limited quantities. I kept thinking-Wouldn't she look great wearing my earrings!

Another hot ticket is for Justin Timberlakes runway extravaganza. With celebs like Jessica Simpson and Jessica Biel wearing their William Rast jeans, his show will have one of the most star-studded audiences of the week. If you are here in town, it's fun just to walk by the tents, the music is throbbing, limos come and go, and you can probably get a glimpse of a star or two, rushing in or out of the fashion event of the year. Ciao!