At the fashion shoots I have styled and produced over the past 15 years, I came to learn how important the model is. So much more than a pretty face, or body part, on which to show clothing and accessories, the model is the magic dust that fabulizes everything. To paraphrase Vidal Sassoon, if she doesn’t feel good, you don’t look good.
I got very lucky when Alana Hillen agreed to model for the first Hexagon look book. I had met her through a friend the day before the shoot, and asked her to swing by for what I thought would be a half hour’s worth of photos. (It was more like 3 hours.)
When Alana showed up, fresh faced and bright, I realized she was the perfect woman for the jewelry: Natural, effortlessly chic, authentic and interesting. She had a sly smile, and she knew–or rather, WAS– everything the jewelry needed in a model. And although she volunteered to help me out for free, she had thought to paint her nails and put some self-tanner on. So many of the pro models I have worked with don’t go through the trouble.
Though Alana is from Hawaii, she seemed the quintessential California girl, from her blond hair to her entrepreneurial streak (she’s launching a clothing line called Studs and Idols).
I’m waiting for the images from the photographer, Reuben Reynoso (who is equally wonderful, and whose brilliant lighting gave the shoot an editorial, rather than catalog, look). For now, all I have are these images…and the contented feeling of a shoot that was everything I hoped it would be.
My friends Michele Lamy and Scarlett Rouge are the only duo I know that can pull off mother-daughter dressing.
So when I was about to leave for a lunch this week with a friend who is a mother, I wondered if I could make her a present with some sort of family element to it. The result was this wrap bracelet, in metallic brown leather, with my friend’s birthstone in the middle–an amethyst–flanked by the birthstones of her two kids.
Well, almost. One of her kids was born in September, whose birthstone is sapphire. Not having a precious gem on hand, I used iolite, which is also called “water sapphire.” It has a wonderfully smoky indigo color.
I was introduced to Georg Jensen’s divinely simple designs by Matt Gracie, a friend who gave me the vintage pair of earrings pictured here. I was still a teen, and it was one of the first pieces of fine jewelry I possessed. My family had had a few pieces of Jensen’s flatware and silver tabletop items. The Danish designer began his work in the early 1900s and became a pioneer in the Scandinavian modern movement that blossomed in the mid-century. 
Though Jensen died in 1935, his company and name still hold plenty of prestige. This “Cave” ring was designed by Jacqueline Rabun, a designer brought on for one of the company’s ongoing modern collaborations, a few years ago. When Matt himself passed away, in 2008, I bought this ring to remember him, the huge influence he has had on my life, and (apologies for the lugubriousness) the loss I felt.
So much of the design at Hexagon is inspired by Matt Gracie, whose innate sense of art and design imprinted me with the furniture he chose for the apartment we shared, the clothing he sometimes gave me, the books he handed me to read, the cars and houses he pointed out to me on “point-and-squeal” outings. (His wording was equally brilliant!)
I’m not big on hearts, but this heart-shaoed locket seemed apropos for this Irish Lass-themed charm necklace for ST. Patrick’s Day.
And bling. Fogey bling.
Everything seems to look better when framed in a circle.
Caged bird, free butterfly. Well, they are both chained to this necklace.
Today the wonderful photog 
I brought the Hexagon collection of handbags and jewelry pieces to two boutiques today. 
Being in this store is a big coup because it is one of those brilliantly curated spots that have put L.A. retail on the map. Besides Nathalie’s own collection of flirty, feminine clothing, it also stocks vintage Dorothy Thorpe glassware, French-motif home decor items, chic hats, and even kids’ clothing and toys. One of Nathalie’s reversible skirt designs is so popular that she can barely keep it in stock. Here’s 
