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Editorial: Maybe I Should Have Thought Of This, But I’m Supposed To Know Better | September 10, 2014 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY—Years ago, when I was a fashion editor and giving one of my frequent lectures during an industry event, someone in the audience asked, “what jewelry do you wear every day?”
Uh, oh. It was the Moment Of Truth. Or, more to the point, the Moment Of Truth I Was Too Embarrassed To Admit.
What jewelry did I wear every day? Um, that would be whatever jewelry I’d worn the day before, taken off after a hectic long day, and tossed in the dish on my dresser (left).
Yes, I was supposed to be the industry’s leading arbiter of trends and style, not some lazy schlub who doesn’t bother to accessorize. Yes, I do own more jewelry than just what I had on the day before. And yes, most importantly, I do know that the last thing I should be doing with my jewelry is tossing it into a dish on my dresser. About the only thing worse than that is tossing it all into a Ziplog bag like last night’s leftovers.
I didn't buy this dish specifically for jewelry; I actually bought it for my late mother-in-law, who loved elephants. When she moved to a nursing home, the dish came back to our house and just ended up as a jewelry catch-all. But at least one vendor specifically markets it for jewelry storage.
Why was this jewelry thing such a problem? After all, I’d never go to the office in the same outfit I wore yesterday. Not even in the same shoes! But jewelry, well, I get on a roll with it and wear the same pieces for a while. After all, isn’t one of its key seling points that it's supposed to go with everything? To be fair, I don’t change my handbag every day, either—way too much potential for lost wallet, cell phone, or other essentials.
Back to the issue at hand. Why did (do) I seem to have such an issue coordinating different jewelry to go with my outfit every day? It’s no excuse, but it isn’t hard to figure out that putting it away properly and securely means taking more time on both ends—when I’m tired at night and when I’m rushing in the morning.
So when I saw this article in the Huffington Post, it was a real forehead-slapper. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Famously obsessive about organization and decoration (a friend once said, “your closet isn’t organized, it’s merchandised!”) surely I would put my jewelry away properly if it were part of a decorative display, wouldn’t I?
But didn’t I already? It was highly amusing to see that an entire article on a prestigious national website was dedicated to something I already do: toss jewelry into a fancy dish.
The Huffington Post suggests stashing jewelry in a pretty dish.
HuffPo also suggests draping your jewelry over a set of antlers, though perhaps the original owner of those antlers might disagree. At right, the paper also suggests using a cupcake dome to store watches.
Of course, these pieces shown by HuffPo either aren’t fine jewelry or if they are, they’re very un-secure. And whoever owns them also probably doesn’t have a cat, of which we have three, with one in particular who likes to play hockey with just about anything that will skitter or roll.
HuffPo suggests "upcycling a ceramic egg crate" for a jewelry display. Great idea--and it does keep jewelry separate, if not secure--but that assumes one would know where to find a ceramic egg crate.
HuffPo’s editors may not know better, but I do. Charming as these ideas are, fine jewelry—theirs or mine—really shouldn’t be tossed into a dish. But at least with all of it in plain view, they (as opposed to I) have no excuse for not coordinating. And with a plethora of luxury jewelry boxes and storage furniture on the market, your customers shouldn’t, either.