News – Harlequin&Lionhead

A look back at my spring trunk show

Posted on April 02, 2013 by Harlequin&Lionhead

4 days flew by quite quickly at Henri Bendel and again, I admire the strength of the staffs working at Bendel! Standing straight for 12 hours and chatting up customers are really quite physical, but I enjoy interacting with customers and share the joy of creating. Thank you all for the great folks at Bendel. Here is again a shameful display I did the first day, and how nicely it is put up on the second day by the professional :P How can I do this without you all ;)

Day 1 - Debbie's own doing...the bracelets are hidden. And I can't put out all the earrings :(

Day 2 - With the help of the visual team at Bendel, all my necklaces are displayed properly and I managed to get my earrings out. And my bracelets are placed more prominently!

Now spring is kicked off with a new lookbook and a trunk show on 5th Avenue. More to come this year and I look forward to it all!

P.S., Here is my new friend. Last time it was the little mayan god made with jade, this time it is the lovely silver dolls! Starred at them for 4 days...I wish I can adopt them :P

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2013 Spring Trunk Show at Henri Bendel

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Harlequin&Lionhead

After more than 2 months of hiatus, I'm back to meet you all in person at my spring trunk show at Henri Bendel NY Flagship store. Come to the 2nd floor of their 712 5th Avenue location and say hi on March 28-31! Can't wait to see you all.

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A sneak peak at my lookbook 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Harlequin&Lionhead

My lookbook is finally available! I will be posting it onto my website next week and a lot of work to be done around the site. I am blessed with the generosity and talent of a lot of people who made this happen. I will work hard to bring more beautiful jewelry!

Thank you so much, Angela Cox Photography. Angela has been amazing working patiently with me going through my mood boards to get a sense what I am looking for, work with me on the styling notes and pretty much executed the whole shoot unsupervised! I cannot have done this without you. BIG HUG!

And of course, the muse and soul of this shoot, the beautiful Molly McCoy. As a part time model and student, she possesses the qualities in the girl that I imagine in my head when I work. A bit rebellious, definitely confident, but a little melancholic as well...

Hair and makeup is done by Heather Cox. Thanks for working with such tight schedule and outdoors in the cold! And of course, a big round of applause for Sally Tseng, who kindly lend me one of the tops for the shoot. This lovely pastel yellow camisole is just perfect with its wood-like pattern. So pretty :)

Now 2013 carries a much more solid feeling. It is on my cover :D Next, a powered up website!

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NYC Fashion Week: F/W 2013 Trend Summary

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Harlequin&Lionhead

February is always the most glamorous month with the Fashion Week and the Oscars. Though I am dying to pull out all the spring outfits and I'd vote for the warmth of summer over the chic coats of winter anytime, Feb is either about the red carpet or the fall outfits.

To avoid a depressing fall mood, I'm going to do a quick laundry list of key trends and here is a list of great posts for more reading. And hopefully, it will be spring tomorrow!

Key trends:
Textures - Fur and leather
Sparkles - Metallic colors and lots of beads and blinks
Colors - 2 opposites: Richness (Navy, red, purple and various degrees of greens) vs White and soft nudes/champagnes
Patterns - American classics (think tweeds), lux (embroidery), geo (color block)
Silhouettes - A bit military, a bit romantic, a bit boxy (on the outerwear)

If you want to see a detailed laundry list, check out this link.
Click here for the Pantone color trends.
Folks who like eye-candy, check out some cool runway looks here.

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What jewelry is appropriate to give at which stage of a relationship?

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Harlequin&Lionhead

Hm...sounds more like a trick question. It is true that normally guys only give girls jewelry if they really like a girl. Yes, you can quote me on that. For the newbies in the gifting scene, what type of jewelry should you get for your beloved?

First gift

Usually for first gift, I would recommend bracelets.

It is the type of jewelry that does not require an intimate knowledge of a girl - like ring sizes, if they have ear piercing or not. Also, subconsciously where the jewelry sits on a girl's body is symbolic to a boyfriend's caress. So necklace in a way is more intimate than a bracelet. A bracelet is a nice first jewelry gift that does not carry too much of...say an "expectation."

Early stage

Earrings are usually a pretty good choice. Earrings are usually easier for both the gifter and the receiver. A small pair of studs usually is a staple in a girl's jewelry box. Even if the girl does not usually wear simple studs, she can still wear it without affecting her style too much. And she can always find an occasion that calls for it. If you don't know what your girl likes to wear yet, stay with something metal or a simple gemstone set one (in a color that she likes) and don't go for anything too specific like pearls.

Steady stage

So the guy loves his girl but doesn't want to commit to the big M word yet. What should he give? Now is the time to get a necklace. A meaningful one is called for. Get one that would complement the girlfriend's style. It is the understanding of what she loves that makes the necklace a good gift, not how much you spend. But if you are hopelessly clueless about fashion, go for a nice one - if not a diamond, a precious gemstone necklace, or one that carries the meaning of love.

She is yours

It's time for the ring! Take a ring from her jewelry box and get it to a jeweler to find out what her size is. Or if that's not possible, try using a thin stripe of paper to measure the inside of her ring, input the length using this convertor to see what her size is. Do note that different fingers are different in size. To be safe, pick the middle finger. In winter if her fingers shrink in size in the cold temperature, she can move it to her ring finger and still be able to wear it easily. And it is easier to size up a ring then sizing down.

If this is your first ring for her, and that you don't plan on proposing anytime soon, stay away from a ring with diamond or white crystal/gemstone. See what necklaces and earrings she wears and pick a complimentary ring. Don't look for another ring she has and buy something too similar. But do use her rings as a style gauge. E.g., if she likes statement rings or simple everyday rings, with gemstone or not...etc.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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