Ashley of Sweet William has officially been on this blog more than anyone else in this fine city. Why? Every time I see her she looks perfectly polished and adorbs. It’s very annoying - but great for someone like me who’s on the constant hunt for personal style. I asked her to come up with a look for Holiday Brunch. Here’s what she had to say:
For a holiday brunch, you don’t want to get too dressed up. It is never a good idea to look like you are dressed for a night out during the day. But it is a good idea to add a little shimmer or sparkle to all of your holiday outfits. I chose to pair this Madewell ‘fish scale’ dress with a chambray shirt. I pulled the two together with a brown leather belt that tie it together with my leather lace up booties. With a sparkly dress, I wanted to make it a little more casual for brunch. This is a meal that, to me, always seems a little bit more relaxed. The choice of shoe for brunch is always important. Since the dress is my one fancy piece, I went with flat boots to play down the look. I added polka dot tights (which you can’t see) to make the outfit a bit more fun in similar colors to the dress. The two contrasting textures adds something playful for a the day time look.
Be sure to visit Ashley at the new Urban Outfitters downtown. I can only imagine the outfits she’ll be sporting now…!
Need some last minute Halloween inspiration? Here are some great Maine-inspired costumes we’ve culled from the web. Happy Haunting everyone!
Lumberjack (or Buffalo Plaid Aficionado)
Maine tourist (worn by yours truly)
The last time Chaya Caron, owner of Chaya Jewelry, was in Alaska, she and her boyfriend were on a walk 20 miles south of Denali in the middle of nowhere. They ran into a huge owl on the side of the road that caught them off guard. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about owls now,” she says. “It’s definitely been a new inspiration and I think I’ll start making some owl pieces next.”
Chaya finds inspiration everywhere. Whether it’s an in-depth few weeks of classes at Haystack or personal dreams about birds, she listens to her intuition when it comes to creating narrative jewelry. With a bachelor’s from MECA, Chaya took a year off after graduation to “live in a school bus and surf” and over the past ten years, has developed her skills as an artist, metalsmith and jeweler.
One of Chaya’s missions is to create jewelry that’s as sustainable as possible. It’s a personal mission of hers that requires a ton of education and truth seeking. “I’ve gotten better at being Nancy Drew,” she says. Since eco-friendly stones are hard to come by, she’s started creating with enameling to incorporate colors into her pieces.
Some of her stand-out pieces are from her winged journey collection - with signature sparrows as the necklace clasps. Her cherry blossom collection was inspired by rings she made for a couple. “I created those at a time when I lost some friends that were close to me - the cherry blossoms have a short season and the pieces remind me how short life is. They’re a reminder to live in the now.”
You can find Chaya’s work at local shops like D.Cole, Paper Moon and Georgetown Pottery as well as her website. She is also available for personal consultations in her South Portland studio where you’ll also get to meet her shop assistants, cats Tigger and Everest.
