Tina Chow Jewelry Pictures

Tina Chow's jewelry pieces are very hard to come by. I have never seen any of her crystal and bamboo pieces up for sale, and the few pieces that are go for thousands of dollars.

"I like the idea of wearing very personal jewelry and not so much decoration," Tina Chow says. As a result, there is a Oriental spareness about her jewelry-- a sense that every detail has been considered, every element is as it should be. (Tina worked closely with Japanese master tea ceremony basketmaker Kosuge Shochikudo, who created the encasements.) The pieces--like Tina--defy categorization. Shapes are simple, straightforward--often dictated by the stones. Chosen materials are hardly standard fare; that too is characteristically Tina: "Uncut stones are so wonderful, why muddle about with them?"

-from Vogue US August 1987

I googled Kosuge Shochikudo, and he passed away in 2003. This is really unfortunate, as his basket making techniques are very elaborate and there are not many artisans like that in Japan today.

Here is an example of his work on a bamboo bodice for Issey Miyake, in 1983.

Here is an excerpt of a NYT article on on crystal jewelry:

FASHION; In Jewelry, Choices Sacred and Profane, Ancient and New Age

By DEBORAH HOFMANN Published: May 7, 1989

Her pendants, wrapped in bamboo or sterling or gold wire, dangle from heavy silk cords. The highly polished and tapered quartz ''Miwako'' pendant is $1,500; a smaller oval quartz pendant is $600. The ''Temple'' quartz ring is $550 and is ''good for zapping people with good energy,'' Ms. Chow said.

Perhaps this is the ring? ($1500, ebay)

Although the new age stuff is absolutely bunk, I think her jewelry is timeless and unique. It should be appreciated on its own merits as small, wearable sculptures. Here are some pictures from the fashion spot, and ebay. I have tagged the pictures so it's easier to find them on google image search. People who aren't members of tfs would not be able to see some of these pictures otherwise.

asymmetric earrings made with quartz and sterling silver, from trocadero.com

bamboo pendant, quartz cuff and bamboo woven braceletFrom Flair (an out of print book about her vintage collection)





Vogue, 1987 photographed by Helmut Newton
clear quartz cuff, signed T. Chow

A similar necklace went for about $4500 on ebay in November. This one is from trocadero
crystal ring, at Nalia de Monbrisson in Paris (she has a great gallery)

these crystal spear earrings went for $3639 on November 10th. The quartz is lovely and very clear. Both the earrings and the spear ring come from the same seller.

Lohanhouse.com Reeks of Desperation

Okay, tawdry desperate famewhore time!
I was curious about this site after reading about it in Page 6 of the NY Post. Its motto is "Real people live here". So what horrors would be fished out of this sad Long Island coke den and put up for sale?
The merchandise in the store is less than mediocre and ridiculously overpriced. There's old
old Luella for Target stuff for full price! A YSL fringe bag is $800, something you can easily get for 300 or less on ebay. Many things are outdated looking. Pastel puffer vest, anyone? Another quirk of the website is its drug-addled misspelling of many designer names. Here's a sample:

Diana von Furstenbrg
Marc Jacob
Emillio Pucci
Lauren Muffet (mother goose on crack or something)

Strangely enough, there is a pair of Dsquared2 black heels for only $10. This is the only bargain on the whole site.
The link to each person's room are not actually pictures of their rooms, but rather pages with information about current projects. I was sort of disappointed to not be able to see a 90s Whitney Houston crack pipe on the dressing room sort of disaster. I could totally see Dina wandering around in a pill induced haze in her trashed bedroom before issuing some ridiculous denial about her oldest daughter's drug induced behavior.

ROBERT CLERGERIE Patent Booties 6.5 Pierre Hardy Box

Proenza Schouler Wallets Are Here!

Moro Brown






Blackberry-dark purple

They measure 7.5 by 4.5 by 1 inch, at the top. Functionally, they are rather like a clutch, since there is only 1 interior compartment, lined in jacquard, and 1 compartment in the back.

These colors are now both sold out on the website, so I was quite lucky.

Allegations In the Comments Section of NYMag About Daul Kim's Death

I liked Daul Kim as a model and always thought she was smart as well as a fantastic dresser, and was saddened to hear about her untimely death.

Here are some interesting comments from a thread in The Cut. The name of the thread is :Daul Kim IMed With a Friend About a Physically Abusive Boyfriend Hours Before Her Death.
Please keep in mind that these are semi-anonymous accusations, but they sounded very interesting, and if indeed Guillaume Chaillet was her boyfriend and is as powerful as these commenters claim, I wanted to put these comments online in case the ones at nymag get taken down.
Here's a picture of him.
from asvof

Boyfriend was Guillaume Chaillet. He's super well connected in the fashion industry and comes from a "good" french family. http://neo-cffoundation.org/new/?guillaume-chaillet,9

-voisla 11/25/09 2:14 Am


It makes me very uncomfortable that a possible murderer is running free around in Paris.
Daul Kim's boyfriend was abusive. I also do not believe this was a suicide.
Her boyfriend's name is Guillaume Chaillet. He is high profile in fashion, head of Pressing PR Office. He is wealthy and well connected.
He is 20 years older than her.
It was not Daul Kim's apartment, It was his.
He was present, inside the apartment when she died. Authorities were quick to close the case as suicide and he was never a suspect.
The investigation has been transferred to another department handling criminal activity.
Possible Homicide.

Daul's death has not been confirmed a suicide. Most of the press have taken excerpts from her blog grossly out of context.


Daulsbestestfriend 11/25/09 2:51 PM

How do you give citation to information you know via being best friends with someone? I can corroborate that daulsbestestfriend was indeed her best friend. I knew her and a lot of my friends knew her. She may have been emotionally volatile, but she wasn't suicidal, and based on the contact she had with them, none of them can believe that she was suicidal in the days leading up to her death. She was planning on breaking up with her boyfriend and coming to new york to be free of him. Things are not adding up.

voisla 11/25 5:28 PM

This is why I am letting the netizens know. This information is not being disclosed publicly because of French policy. The authorities cannot name Guillaume Chaillet. You do not know Daul. Maybe she never smiled in photos.
What high fashion model does? I think models do tend to photograph looking stern, pensive, or in pain...i mean, unless they are in a catalog.
As her friend, we smiled all the time...and guess what? She can laugh too.

It is not wrong to call her a boyfriend an abuser, especially when he is a one and his girlfriend is now dead. It also seems likely that you too missed the whole point of her blog: a darkly humorous, sometimes cynical, but mostly celebratory take and sharing of a life behind fame, full of rants, and random thoughts, all for a hobby and your entertainment. I doubt her blog was a cry for help. Do people cry for help from strangers on the internet?

daulsbestestfriend 11/28/09 4:16 PM

Fun New Stuff

Just got this Rag & Bone safari jacket in the mail the other day. It's gorgeous and so light (because it's not lined)! Love the nipped in waist too.



On a somewhat related note, how gorgeous is this Rag & Bone leather jacket with zip off sleeves? photo via NYmag/The Cut
Another new purchase is this vintage Chanel camellia. It's so delicate and has a tiny oval plate on the back with the hallmark.

The 3rd thing is something new from the 90s. This pair of Helmut Lang suspender pants is very Marlene Dietrich, no? The suspenders are removable.

4th new purchase: a YSL tuxedo jacket!!!
so excited.
Looking at style.com's accessories for Spring 2010, I was struck by this printed Givenchy Nightingale. What a beautiful print.





These silver Gucci low boots from Spring 07 also look very intriguing.

Did You Know ?

That these Eileen Shields Tara boots are a sensation in Sweden? (This is what popular bloggers can do these days) I was reading about this the other day. They are in stock on the designer's website for $300 and on garde-robe in Sweden for more. (Pictures via garde-robe's website)

While searching for more information about these boots, I saw that Florence the Shoe Goddess gave them a terrible review, but she seems to be big on stilettos. These look comfortable and utterly unlike all the spindly Louboutins that assorted "starlets" and reality show D-listers wear in LA. They are also definitely meant to be worn tucked under pants, or alternately with a long dress. This got me thinking about low wedges that give a decent amount of boost, height-wise. That lead to ebay. (All roads lead to ebay.) There is something similar here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Robert-Clergerie-Black-Leather-Platform-Wedge-Boots-7-5_W0QQitemZ290372450542QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Women_s_Shoes?hash=item439b8bf8ee

But I wanted to be cheap.
the Clergerie boots appealed to be because they had crepe soles, like desert boots do. In the end, I got a pair of brown Robert Clergerie desert boots with a black platform and wedge heel.
They look really dusty, but they'll most likely be better in person. I'm thinking about sponging on black dye on the edges of the soles so they'll be glossier and not as grayish.

Oh and one other thing: I bought a really cool vintage jacket today for $17. The pattern is woven into the fabric and the lining is bright tomato red. There's no label.
Other purchases include a pair of YSL suede ankle boots. My closet has been missing these for a while.

Vintage YSL Velvet Cape Coat

2 pockets, no closures


white trim with a triangular pattern90s label

Just got an exceptional piece in the mail the other day. I'm so excited! This cape coat was even nicer than expected and it's in great condition too. A lot of older velvet pieces have press marks, but I have not seen any on here. The white yarn trim is a great touch too. The cape part is cut on the bias, hence all the ruffles that fall against the back.
What's so great about YSL is that you don't have to choose between fantasy and practicality. He made a great pair of trousers and wonderful bow blouses, but then there are opulent, more baroque pieces like this gem of a coat.

Maybe I'll wear it with this YSL patent leather hood from Fall 07. (coming in the mail)
It looks very urban and sleek. I really liked that collection, from the big swingy coats, to the Charlotte ankle boot, to the Catwalk bag, and all the great textures in the clothes. This hood looks pretty warm, as the outside is leather and the inside is 70/30 cashmere/silk.

A Bag Post (Mostly Mombasas)

4 of my previous bags, YSL Money, YSL medium Rive Gauche in camel, YSL crossbody Mombasa with no horn, and gold Givenchy python bag
small one with metal handle (rather uncomfortable)

My favorite one, because of the shoulder strap
basic black Mombasa, large size
green lambskin pleated
blush suede, studded
black lambskin, pleated
These are the 6 Mombasa bags I've owned. I've gone through a lot, but only have the purple crest bag and a large Rive Gauche in black left.



in tooled leather (red and beige)

jeweled suede Mombasa
rattan Mombasa

A Change of Mind

YSL purple crest bag from Spring 06
This is an artificially elongated me holding the bag. Isn't Gimp great?
I was going to sell this on ebay because I never use it, since I prefer crossbody bags and this one's strap was too short. Well, today I used one of the ties from my YSL bow blouses to fix the problem, so with me it stays.
I removed 1 end of the long strap attached to the d-ring and looped a long tie twice around it to make the strap longer.

On another note, I am very full from eating barbecue for dinner today. I had beef brisket and a twice baked potato casserole. It looked something like this:
This is actually a smoked potato and catfish sandwich, an old pic since I didn't take pictures today. It was amazing.