Rox was thrilled to attend our very first NY Fashion Week. They say you never forget it -- and they're right! Fashionistas, Celebs, and Designers -- all against the backdrop of the most exciting city in the world! We caught the BCBG Max Azria show with style writer Sara Glassman. Incredible, lush colors on crushed velvet -- dreamy, fluid and warm. Celeb spotting: American Idol's Kellie Pickler and Solange Knowles, Beyonce's lil sis... and the Housewives of NYC...


In-between scouting new boutiques and running from Harlem to Tribeca, Rox caught the amazing sights of Fashion Week!  Nestled in the heart of the city under bright white tents is big business mixed with big egos and mad style!     Designers rule during Fashion Week, and the fashion world follows... the next big thing can be discovered here... and the big things with big names know their latest collection can keep them wearing the crown, or the next fashion don't.  And that's what makes it all exciting.  Don't think fashion's not a blood sport!!

Aside from the BCBG show, we caught the Lacoste show -- some fashion writers were a bit put off by the fact the show started late and we had to sit in the dark a few minutes... and by the fact the show was less than festive.  I surmised that an extravagant show during the weak economy wouldn've been insulting and so they scaled back a bit.  I mean -- it's tough in fashion too -- example being MC DONALD'S and QVC were major sponsors this year -- a first.  Turn up your nose if you want -- money is money and the shows must go on.  But if you think models and rich New York matrons are eating quarter pounders while shopping online, you're nuts.


         

We also swooped through the Alexander McQueen party launching his new line for Target in The Village.  The Fashionistas decended on the styles like starving buzzards (they don't have Target in NYC -- go figure!!)... but it was a big thumbs down for me.  It looked like Michael Jackson early 80's Beverly Hills Cop.  Been there.  Done that.  Ain't goin' back.

                                                           




But it was all good people watching... ex-Vibe editor and Paper freelance writer Emil Wilbelkin, several of the girls from the MTV show The City (I couldn't tell you who was who.  They were all blonde.)  But my faves -- Kenley and Stella from Project Runway showed up!  I wound up sitting next to them at the A McQ show... Kenley was... well, Kenley.  But Stella ("I love leatha'") LOVED the Rox Skulls and Pearls necklaces, and we swapped cards!  Uber cool...





Same happened at the BCBG show... I lied like a rug, saying I was with "Fox" to get to the front of the Press Corps, snapping shots of AI's Kellie Pickler with Max Azria... well technically I am.  And I had my Fox Press Pass with me.  And I gave Kellie a gold and jade bracelet and card.  She actually squealed with delight..  Again.. fortune smiles!

The possibilities of the connections I made are endless... What an incredible week to catch up with old friends, make new ones and be a part of the most incredible fashion experience there is!!       

On December 13th, We hosted a Grand Opening for Rox Minneapolis' new boutique and workspace!  Friends and clients showed up for the festivities, including Urban Maven's Anika Robbins, Choreographer Leah Nelson, Composer Tom Scott; Artists Sean Smuda and Doug Padilla, Art Maven Rachel Thompson; and L'etoile/The Rake's Kate Iverson.  

You can come visit us at 2205 California Street NE, Suite 403  by appointment, and now every Saturday 11-5pm!    

I'm so excited -- This is a sneak preview of the :30 second TV spot we're creating for Rox Minneapolis Jewelry!

We've grown so much, we have to let people know about all 11 boutiques here in the Twin Cities that carry Rox!

I'm driving the editors at Brodd's Garage crazy because I keep tweaking the video -- but it's gotta be perfect!

The video is from the first Rox Big Event 2007, and mixed with still images from my friends at the award-winning Callahan & Company Photography in Minneapolis!

Start looking for the sexiest jewelry ad ever made on your TV in a few months... and tell everyone you know about Rox!

Take a look at the pictures from the October 25th
opening party for OPM Boutique --
the new home for ROX MINNEAPOLIS JEWELRY!!!

The FABULOUS Richard Moody (www.iammoody.com) hosted an
incredible show that brought out the fashionistas.  It was the
social-fashion event of the month -- complete with
Rox Minneapolis Jewelry!! 




Armani (held), the beautiful Susan Sun and me... all smiles because it was an
amazing evening!  Congratulations to Susan and her partner Issac for opening
the hippest boutique in the Twin Cities metro!!



Doesn't Rox look amazing?  The collection on display at OPM... you'll be
shopping there -- A LOT!!

You can see more at OPM Boutique

   "Green" awareness is all the rage right now -- finally, folks are figuring out we don't have an unending source of resources out there!

   But most people don't really know what environmentally friendly design is, except for energy-saving light bulbs...
 
   That's where Angie Scott of Access Dezign comes in.  A St. Paul interior designer with ASID, angie says green design can also mean a healing environment -- "It's all about reducing stress by creating an environment that fits your lifestyle, but also combats the physical effects of stress -- heart disease, diabetes."

   Angie loved the idea of Black Betty Posters and suggested their use in home decorating -- not only for their great graphic design and historic value, but because they are recycled from black hair care product labels more than 60 years old --  That's one way to "think green"!
   
   Black Betty Posters will join Access Dezign for a conversation on green design at Sister Spokesman, Saturday November 15th...

   for more information, check the black betty website for events... and check out access dezign --  www.accessdezign.com.

And here's an article angie says will give you more ideas about green interior design:

Art and color are part of hospital's healing plan
12:53 PM CDT on Thursday, August 21, 2008
By LISA MARTIN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
lisadmartin@sbcglobal.net
 
   At the new JPS Patient Care Pavilion in Fort Worth, artwork is more than mere eye candy. A team of medical professionals worked with the building's designers and an art consultant to come up with 530 individual works, which adorn walls in the five-story hospital. The overarching goal in selecting the prints, photos and wall sculptures was to promote patient well-being.

"There is an abundance of research out there showing that art can go a long way to promoting a healing environment," says Adonna Lowe, vice president and chief nursing officer, who was on the seven-person selection committee. "Landscapes in soothing colors are linked to lowering blood pressure and reducing levels of pain medication. Art has also been linked to increasing patient satisfaction."
 
Much of the data originates from the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University. Director Roger Ulrich has spent years studying the connection between visual environments and health. He has authored several landmark studies indicating that "appropriate art can improve outcomes by calming patient anxiety, lowering blood pressure and lessening pain." Choosing the right piece is key, particularly since art can cause intense emotional and physical reactions.

To that end, the JPS Patient Care Pavilion did not choose abstract art in bold colors such as reds or oranges that tend to energize and challenge and to increase heart rates. The 233,000-square-foot building, part of the John Peter Smith complex, was four years in the making and drew architectural inspiration from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The posters and canvas transfers have the look of original art at a fraction of the cost and provide a counterpoint to the building's glass, steel and concrete surfaces. Art consultant Cindy Bench of Arden & Associates in Piedmont, Okla., used two styles of frames, both of which have a distressed finish. "We didn't want anything with a hard edge," she says. "The idea is that these are the sort of pictures you'd find in a living room." 

Contributor Art throughout JPS Patient Care Pavilion in Fort Worth was chosen to support healing and a feeling of well-being. Each floor of the hospital has a color theme that is Almost all of the art could be described as pleasant – from a gentle seascape to metal wall sculptures in the form of flowers. Each floor has a different color theme, including a subtle purple and a restful blue, which art on each floor complements. Most of the prints hang in hallways, but areas such as consulting rooms and registration nooks in the main lobby display art, too.

"Everyone here has [a] favorite piece," says Ms. Lowe, who is partial to one of the bluebonnet paintings. "It's been as good for the staff as it is for our patients."
 
Feeling fatigued? Wear a red shirt. Agitated? Stare at a photo of the deep blue sea. Chromologists (those who study the impact of color), as well as plenty of mainstream medical professionals, maintain that color can influence physical and mental well-being. Here's a rainbow of ways color may affect you:

Red: stimulates heart rate and brain activity; increases blood pressure; boosts energy.

Orange: increases the appetite and respiration; some research suggests it can bolster thyroid activity.
 
Yellow: alleviates symptoms such as depression and indigestion; improves memory; increases the appetite and heart rate.
 
Green: lowers blood pressure, alleviates anxiety and promotes a sense of harmony.

Blue: lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration, induces sleep and counters hyperactivity. Violet: relieves headaches and stress; reduces the appetite; relaxes the nervous system.



SOURCE: Pantone Color Institute and Color Marketing Group

Fox-9 TV anchor Robyne Robinson has more than a nose for news – 

Check out rox minneapolis jewelry in the fall fashion 2008 issue of vita.mn!  (okay, read the article, too!)

In the scope of current events, fashion is usually deemed a matter of relatively little importance. But the economic downturn must be on the minds of fashion designers, because this fall, frivolity was eschewed in favor of a more somber palette and minimalist silhouettes. At runway shows in London, Paris and Milan, the general mood was dark, harsh and militaristic. Gothic streaks of black ruled the catwalks, while sharp military-inspired silhouettes were also popular. Read more

Fall fashion 2008: Darkness in my soul

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Robyne Robinson: Beneath the Blazer 

Upon walking into Robyne Robinson's Uptown home, a rainbow explosion of art slaps you in the face. Even the entryway is crowded with art, some hung, some waiting for a permanent place on the wall to materialize - though it's unlikely considering Robinson's art-collecting addiction seems to be at its pinnacle. Read more

Please stop by Roxmpls to see a photo gallery of the Rox Big Event!