TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
There's been so much hoopla about THE Royal Wedding slated for April 2011, that I'm "over it" before the actual event has actually taken place. On the bright side though, I'm thrilled that it's helped to bring additional interest to far more interesting Royal Fashion icons, such as the one I'm taking on today - Wallis Simpson, also known as The Duchess of Windsor. Like Kate Middleton, Wallis was another "commoner" who married way "above her station".
There are several books in my shopping cart at www.amazon.com including The Duchess of Windsor, the Secret Life, and the rather sinister-sounding The Darkness of Wallis Simpson, 
by Rose Tremain.
by Rose Tremain.
Here's a woman I want to know more about, and whatever I discover after reading these books, I still love the look!
An email from Wilmot Communications hit my inbox, telling me about Carolee's "Style Icon" Collection. It's right down my alley, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
With Julia Cushman from PWC's office, hooked me up with Carolee’s head designer Heather Williams who answered some of my most pressing questions about this Fashion Icon and helped to dissect her style. Better still, Heather chose two key pieces in the Carolee collection that answer the question I always have: “How do I get the look?”
Below, Heather shares her accessorizing know-how with TheFE.
The Fashion Examiner: Describe the Wallis Simpson look. After cruising the Internet briefly to refresh, it seems quite understated. I seem to remember that she was fond of pins....?
Heather Williams: The key to the Duchess' look is elegant simplicity. She wore the finest couture dresses, with a ladylike refinement that provided a simple and polished background for her exquisite jewelry. In fact, she was known to have dresses designed simply to show off a piece of jewelry. A woman today may not be able to afford the Duchess' designer dresses, but she has a wealth of well-tailored and refined silhouettes that are currently the trend in fashion.
TheFE: How important was jewelry to her look? What are the key pieces one must have to "do Wallis.”
Heather Williams: The Duchess' jewelry is legendary, and that's where she had a touch of flamboyance. She loved pins, particularly those with animal themes. Her colorful flamingo pin is perhaps her most famous piece, along with her beloved panther pin.
She often wore pearls
as well, which of course are the hallmark of the ladylike look she embodied. All of these items are lovingly recreated in Carolee's Style Icons collection for today's Duchess-inspired woman to enjoy.
Most of the Duchess' jewelry had a story, as it was given to her by the Duke to mark special occasions in their life together. Her famous jeweled cross bracelet, which she wore on her wedding day, is perhaps the best example. Each cross is engraved with the date of a special event that symbolized the love and devotion she enjoyed from the Duke. Again, Carolee makes a beautiful re-creation of this bracelet for everyone to enjoy.
In short, any woman who wants to emulate the elegant look of the Duchess can easily do so by choosing well-tailored feminine looks in fashion, being extremely well groomed and polished and choosing lookalikes of the Duchess' own favorite jewelry from Carolee.
TheFE: Would you please put together 1 or even 2 Wallis looks and how to get them using Carolee?
Must-have Item #1: The Carolee Flamingo pin
Must-have Item #2: The Carolee Charm bracelet
Both give you a little bit of that Royal 'je ne sais quois' Wallis had in spades.
The flamingo pin is $75, the charm bracelet, $150. For more information, visit the website or call 1-800-227-6533 & Select Option 1.
An email from Wilmot Communications hit my inbox, telling me about Carolee's "Style Icon" Collection. It's right down my alley, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
With Julia Cushman from PWC's office, hooked me up with Carolee’s head designer Heather Williams who answered some of my most pressing questions about this Fashion Icon and helped to dissect her style. Better still, Heather chose two key pieces in the Carolee collection that answer the question I always have: “How do I get the look?”
Below, Heather shares her accessorizing know-how with TheFE.
The Fashion Examiner: Describe the Wallis Simpson look. After cruising the Internet briefly to refresh, it seems quite understated. I seem to remember that she was fond of pins....?
Heather Williams: The key to the Duchess' look is elegant simplicity. She wore the finest couture dresses, with a ladylike refinement that provided a simple and polished background for her exquisite jewelry. In fact, she was known to have dresses designed simply to show off a piece of jewelry. A woman today may not be able to afford the Duchess' designer dresses, but she has a wealth of well-tailored and refined silhouettes that are currently the trend in fashion.
TheFE: How important was jewelry to her look? What are the key pieces one must have to "do Wallis.”
Heather Williams: The Duchess' jewelry is legendary, and that's where she had a touch of flamboyance. She loved pins, particularly those with animal themes. Her colorful flamingo pin is perhaps her most famous piece, along with her beloved panther pin.
She often wore pearls
as well, which of course are the hallmark of the ladylike look she embodied. All of these items are lovingly recreated in Carolee's Style Icons collection for today's Duchess-inspired woman to enjoy.
Most of the Duchess' jewelry had a story, as it was given to her by the Duke to mark special occasions in their life together. Her famous jeweled cross bracelet, which she wore on her wedding day, is perhaps the best example. Each cross is engraved with the date of a special event that symbolized the love and devotion she enjoyed from the Duke. Again, Carolee makes a beautiful re-creation of this bracelet for everyone to enjoy.
In short, any woman who wants to emulate the elegant look of the Duchess can easily do so by choosing well-tailored feminine looks in fashion, being extremely well groomed and polished and choosing lookalikes of the Duchess' own favorite jewelry from Carolee.
TheFE: Would you please put together 1 or even 2 Wallis looks and how to get them using Carolee?
Must-have Item #1: The Carolee Flamingo pin
Must-have Item #2: The Carolee Charm bracelet
Both give you a little bit of that Royal 'je ne sais quois' Wallis had in spades.
The flamingo pin is $75, the charm bracelet, $150. For more information, visit the website or call 1-800-227-6533 & Select Option 1.
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