images from plum.ca and whowhatwear.com
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cut-it-out
Several times a year, Claudia and I go on a jewellery buying expedition – and this one was the best yet.
We have just returned from a huge trade show with exotic jewellery from around the world. There were literally thousands of designs to choose from.
Bangles by the wrist full, leather studded cuffs, multi wrap leathers with metal and glass beads...
Boho tribal looks... gobs of pearls for layering Gaga style… and every conceivable neckpiece in between. And even some middle finger rings and semi-precious earrings!
Shopping days are full of long hours, but they're also fun … and together we know we are unbeatable in our taste for the best adornments on the planet!
Almost everything is in Plum stores now.
We know it will be difficult for you to decide which ones to get so to make it easier until May 23rd, get 50% off your second piece of jewellery.
Get all the juicy details here.
Now's your chance to do me, Plum's buyer, a favour. What kind of jewellery fits your style?
We don’t think you should buy something just because it is made in Canada. But we do think that all of us should be smarter about what we purchase. With the huge import of cheaply made off-shore goods now available, being smarter means buying locally because it is made carefully and has less of an environmental impact when it is produced close to home. Why would you wear fashion that is cheap and shoddily made when the objective is to look fantastic? We believe that if you choose better you will feel better about what you wear.
We thought it would be informative to show you how Simone dresses are made so you can judge their value for yourself.
The designer (that's me!) hand draws a sketch that is translated into a flat design.
Then the design is turned into a full size pattern. That pattern is digitized, graded, and plotted.
The information and fabric is turned over to the local factories.
A sample is sewn and fitted on a live fit-model trained to give feed back on how the garment ‘feels’ and often a second sample is made as in the case of the dress in our email.
After the final small detailed but important adjustments are made the manufacturing is done in local factories by skilled sewers.
Finally, it goes to our stores where experienced staff will help customers find the perfect garment - for some customers, it will be this Simone Sheath Dress with Zipper Detail ($115) that has just arrived at Plum stores this week.
In 2008, Johanna Ward of Shaw TV's The Express visited Plum and produced this video of our design and manufacturing process. You can watch this video here.
In the comments to this post we would love to know the things you think about when you make a clothing purchase.
See more dresses at Plum.
One of my favourite things about my job is buying the jewellery for Plum. Recently I had the opportunity to go to a huge trade show with jewellery from all over the world . It is so much fun to see all the different styles from many different countries, there truly was something for everyone!
In the last couple of weeks we got in some fabulous semi precious jewels from places like Thailand, India, and Nepal. Everyone in the design department was going crazy when it arrived! It has that great tribal feel for the bohemian in us. We also recently got in some great little charms in burnished brass for those of us that sometimes like something a bit daintier.
I have a ton of fashion jewellery that I've collected over the years. My mom gave me a great tip on how to organize jewellery that is simple and inexpensive. She cut the lids off the egg cartons and sorted her jewels by colour and then stacked them. What a great way to keep your special pieces sorted!
Check out our ever changing jewellery, I think you will have as much fun as I do… well almost.
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