Happy Boxing Day!
Martin and I took a few shots to share. This one is of me wearing my Wendy Brandes Barbara necklace (named for Wendy’s mother), a Christmas gift from Martin.
Here’s a close-up of the necklace from Wendy’s web site.
Wendy Brandes Barbara necklace. Click for source.
Here’s a close up of it on me.
The beautiful details don't really show up in this photo.
For the record, camera shots of my face taken by others still totally freak me out. I don’t recognize the woman in the above photo and I told Martin if I were him I wouldn’t date her. He said well, that’s the face he sees and he thinks it’s beautiful.
This is the face I like.
See what I mean? If I were a guy I would date this lady but not that lady in the first photo.
I gave myself the beautiful Wendy Brandes rose quartz dewdrop earrings I’m wearing in all three photos.
Here’s a close up of the earrings from Wendy’s site.
Wendy Brandes rose quartz dewdrop earrings.
And here’s a close up of the earrings on me.
The light passing through these beauties casts lovely elongated shadows on my neck.
In my n – 1 (where n = the immediately previous) post from eons ago, I promised to show Martin modeling his gorgeous corduroy vest.
Here’s my sweetie.
The shirt is the one Martin made to wear at our wedding. I see that button #6 is missing and will report it to headquarters.
This is Martin’s latest vest creation. When he saw it, in the photo, he thought it made him look like a butler. The other day one of our four children mentioned something about it being reminiscent of German folklore outfits and that made me think of Geppetto even though he’s obviously Italian. Martin designed it himself based on vests he saw watching episodes of Foyle’s War.
I think it’s cool.
It's a great vest. He'll probably be mad I posted this photo because now he thinks something is wrong with it. But he tends to forgive my transgressions so I'm going with the ask for forgiveness later approach :).
Martin is also wearing the beautiful Wendy Brandes cuff links she designed for her father. The cuff links are my Christmas gift to Martin.
Here’s a close up of the cuff links on Wendy’s site.
Wendy Brandes Genie cuff links.
Here’s of close up of Martin wearing them.
The cuff links also make cute shadows!
You might wonder how we justified indulging in the above beautifulnesses.
Keeping within the spirit of being financially honest (as a former financial consultant) on this blog, my 30-second elevator speech version of the answer is that a) now that Martin’s kids have graduated from college there’s a massive reduction in cash outflows for education, b) we’re seriously risky investors (I promise to dedicate a post to this point before my next semester starts Jan 28, 2013), and c) Martin and I diligently monitor our cash flows, meaning that we carefully pick and choose what we can afford to splurge on.
In general, we don’t spend much on clothes. Here’s my closet.
In considering our discretionary spending situation this year, we prioritized family first, then all of the dedicated and extremely hard working musicians and designers we love, and then, finally, ourselves, on Wendy’s pieces, because we resonate with Wendy on many, many levels :).
{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
Susan,
Wow – all such wonderful jewelry and you look beautiful and radiant in the photos! And yes, you do deserve to buy things you love and enjoy.
Martin is quite a talented tailor. I love the green vest, even if it’s a bit different, it’s fun.
I don’t think you need to justify to anyone your spending, but that’s me. I certainly wouldn’t to anyone else. Hope you had a very Happy Holiday, and you got a great haul! xo Kathy
Thank you Kathy. It’s not that I want to justify my spending to others but that I try to justify it to myself and want to share my thinking in case it might be useful/interesting to others.
Happy New Year to you and David! xoxo
The first thing I noticed as soon as your post loaded was how positively radiant you look in the first photo. I think it’s an excellent shot :-)
The jewellery you chose to splurge on is equisite, classic yet still edgy. Wishing you both happy holidays xoxo
coffeeaddict recently posted..Wedding photos
Hi Ana, well, if you see radiance I won’t argue but I don’t see it myself. I see an overly round face with no bone structure. I am glad you like the jewelry! Happy New Year to you and Mr. C. xoxo
Susan, how lovely to hear from you! First of all, I appreciate your reluctance to have photos taken. I feel the same way. That said, you have great hair and beautiful eyes and I can see why Martin sees a face he loves. Martin’s vests called to my mind the word ‘colonial’. I think they are wonderful, buttons or not. I would say that the green vest might feel a bit short. It’s not a fault, but it’s also not a length what is common worn by us of a certain age. Most of us have finite resources and so have to choose our priorities. I’ve struggled with letting myself buy a much needed new coat, I’m so used to not spending on myself. Our priority has been travel the last few years, but I’m going to be firm with myself and get that coat…it’s important to stay warm! Happy holidays and Best Wishes for 2013! Hope we see more of you in future, though I know you love your academic pursuits.
Thank you Shelley. Yes, colonial is a good word for that vest. He made another one using gray wool that doesn’t look as militaristic to my eye. I see what you mean about the shortness being unusual. Travel has been a priority for us too. I don’t know why it always seems difficult to justify spending on style. I’m glad you’re going to treat yourself to the coat you need.
Happy New Year to you and your husband! I’ll be by to visit soon.
You’re gorgeous, Susan, no matter who takes the picture.
The jewelry is wonderful, and I want that green vest for my husband—the cufflinks, too!
Happy Holidays!
Thank you Sarah! I’m glad you’re a fan of the green vest :). Happy Holidays to you too.
Wendy’s jewelry is gorgeous on the two of you. So happy to see that you are both radiant and witty, as usual. Happy Holidays!
The Style Crone recently posted..Happy Holidays From The SC
Thank you Judith! I’m flattered that you think of us as witty. I can’t wait to tell Martin. Happy New Year! xoxo
Oh I love those earrings! Love their shape, the detail, the translucency! And I like the first photo. That woman looks very happy:).
Aw, thank you Lisa. I love the translucency too :).
I’m so happy that both of you are happy….and you’re making me laugh with “If I were a guy I would date this lady but not that lady in the first photo” and “When he saw it, in the photo, he thought it made him look like a butler.” I think you’re both very dateable, in non-butler ways! :-)
WendyB recently posted..Post-Christmas Jewelry Sale
Hi Wendy! I’m always happy to make you laugh because you make me smile or laugh every single day :).
Oh, wait, I just saw this! ” I see that button #6 is missing and will report it to headquarters.” HA HA HA!! Let us know what HQ says.
WendyB recently posted..Good Customers and Bad Customers
:). Headquarters has issued orders for immediate repair!
Lovely (and very funny!) post. Wendy’s jewelry is beautiful and always makes you feel extra special.
Thank you Alice. I do feel special wearing my gorgeous jewelry.
Susan, those are all gorgeous pieces! Great choices. The earrings are lovely on you. And Martin looks very dapper in his vests. Not butler-esque at all.
I know what you mean about photos. “How did my mother get in here?” I sometimes find myself thinking…
déjà pseu recently posted..Encore: If I Can’t Dance…
Hi Susan! Ok, I’ll tell Martin you think he looks dapper, not butler-esque. He’ll appreciate it.
Ha ha ha! I know. For me it’s more like “how did my grandmother get in here?”
You both look fabulous, and so do your jewels and vests. Those earrings are particularly spectacular!
Kerry recently posted..Let’s Talk About Who’s Stealing Blog Content
Thank you Kerry!
Don’t be so hard on yourself! The thought of a photo of my neck is enough to make all cameras in my home dissapear. The gal in the second photo looks a bit blurry to me, better to date a gal with clear vision.
I love the necklace and the clever cuff-links. Sometimes getting the links into the layers of the cuffs does make you feel like you’ve put the genie back in the bottle.
Have the best holiday – I’ll be interested to hear about your risky investments.
RoseAG recently posted..Retirement Party
Hi Ginny! That’s a good point about dating someone with clear vision. The cuff links are very clever and I know what you mean about getting them through all of the layers.
I’ll be by to visit soon.
Have you ever come across Freud’s writing on the uncanny — when he writes about walking down a train car and seeing through the glass a man whose face he found thoroughly disagreeably . . . until he realized, belatedly, that it was his own face reflected back to him? Your response to your own face(s) as one(s) you would or wouldn’t date if you were a man reminds me of that, somehow.
Wonderful jewelry whose expense will long have faded from view while you’re still getting pleasure from it. And Martin not only makes, but wears beautifully, very impressive creations — wow!
Happy New Year!
That’s an interesting story about Freud and his face. It makes sense to me that we lock onto to a particular version as our true identity and that other versions are upsetting. I imagine people vary in terms of their degree of sensitivity in accepting alternate versions. I know it really, really bothers me and normally I’m pretty low key.
My daughter and I were together earlier (wedding dress fitting appointment) and she read the post and comments in the car. She says neither of theses photos shows her version of my face. We talked about what her version looks like and it turns out she prefers photos of me in which she can see her own features. Isn’t that FASCINATING?
That’s a good point about the years of pleasure quality jewelry brings, and, as an added bonus, it can be handed down to the next generation.
I’ll tell Martin you said that!
Hi Susan, well you look beautiful – and that’s before I even get to the jewellery. I don’t blame you for indulging in some gorgeous pieces for yourselves – especially when it’s Wendy’s lovely creations! Keep up the good work, I say!
Thank you Sulky! It’s actually very unlike me to indulge, but I analyzed the thing to death and became convinced by my logic :).
You have to invest in the things that matter to you! And that jewelry looks fab. The necklace is so fancy but also very wearable. Merry Xmas, Susan.
Hi Kristen! Fancy but wearable is exactly right! Wendy does a great job of designing pieces you can wear with anything.
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! xoxo
So happy to see Wendy’s jewelry on people who love it. It suits you both so well. Your hubby’s vests are both fantastic. A guy with style is a good thing to have. I agree he looks very dapper.
I also adore your cell phone picture. You’ve got some spunk! Rock on beautiful, Susan.
Megan Mae recently posted..Navy sweater
Megan Mae, thank you! I’m off to check out your blog now…
What gorgeous jewelry. Love all of it but especially those earrings.
The amount of clothes in your closet is an inspiration to me. Even more so after recently watching episodes of “Hoarders.” MUST clean out my closets very soon.
Agree the double breasted gold buttons do give a German flavor, but think Martin will be okay unless he pairs the vest with liederhosen (don’t know how it’s spelled, but it’s those leather shorts).
Looking forward to seeing you both soon…
Pat: SSB recently posted..Christmas Sparkles in New York City
Ha ha ha! No, Martin won’t be donning liederhosen, not in this lifetime anyway.
I’m so glad to know that someone likes my nearly empty closet!
Susan,
The jewelry looks beautiful on you! In fact, these photos inspire me to wear my jewelry more often. I’m so lazy that most days I don’t even put my wedding ring on.
I hope your Christmas was a lovely one, and that your 2013 will be filled with dreams come true.
Love,
Angie
Hi Angie, thank you! I encourage you to wear your jewelry more often. When I do it makes me feel beautiful and happy. Best wishes to beautiful you and your gorgeous loved ones in 2013. xoxo
This post is simply brimming with talent. Yours, Martin’s and Wendy’s.
I was tickled to learn that Martin designed the vest based on watching Foyle’s War. I can totally see it! I love when Mr. Foyle takes off his jacket so that he’s pottering around his house in his vest and shirt.
As for the photos, I think you’re lovely in both, but I’m partial to one taken by Martin. You look more relaxed and it adds a warmth to your look.
I have a friend who wrote a piece on how to take a great profile pic. If memory serves, it’s shoulders down, chin forward (to elongate the neck), eyes forward and a smile, but not too broad. It looks ridiculous in the process, but the result is nice. The hardest part of taking my own photo is timing the smile so that I’m not all wrinkled, but not caught mid-lip purse.
Also, the jewelry? Swoon!
Lisa Golden recently posted..Adventures in Real Parenting: I feel stupid and contagious
Thank you Lisa! I know what you mean about Mr. Foyle’s vests. They’re fabulous. Your description of how to take a self photo is intriguing. When I have some free time after our upcoming trip I’ll play around with these ideas and see what I can come up with. I’m glad you like the jewelry :). xoxo
How lovely to see your blog pop up in my reader, I’ve missed you.
You look beautiful, Martin’s a man of great taste, you’ve only got to look at that outstanding waistcoat! It looks pretty perfect to me.
Love Wendy’s jewellery! xxxx
Vix recently posted..Reel Around The Fountain
Hi Vix! I miss you too and will be by to visit soon. Waistcoat is a good word for that vest. If I put it that way maybe he’ll feel better about it. Right now he thinks it’s a costume item, not wearable except on St. Patrick’s Day!
Martin’s Susan looks sweeter than Susan’s Susan, lol. I like the sweet one- and the tough one! I think M’s got great taste, and it shows on so many levels. I’m a financial trainwreck- so I won’t even pretend to understand the financial part of this post- but you had me at STFU!
Wishing you an abundant and fulfilling 2013, Susan! xo.
Bella Q recently posted..Happy New Year!
Hi Bella, thank you! I’m glad to know you like the STFU necklace :). Wishing you every good thing in 2013. xoxo