bikini korea girl

During fashion week while I was traipsing all over the city I couldn't help but notice these posters featuring Joan Collins aka Alexis from Dynasty. Growing up I would sometimes watch Dynasty with my grandmother. Or idly flip through fashion magazines while it was on as I found it a rather dull show except when she was on. She being Alexis - the first wife of Blake Carrington. When she came onscreen I was utterly mesmerized. She was brazen, a royal bitch, and (to my mind shockingly) a brunette!
Having grown up in Little Scandinavia (aka Minnesota) I was taught that the best way to be was nice, understated and (naturally) blonde.

But Dynasty taught me other things. Who wanted to be a treacly frosted blonde with a stripper name and stupid loyalties to your husband when you could be an independent, over the top brunette who tossed about lines like Nobody takes me to bed and to the cleaners in one night.  Okay I never colored my hair dark -I'm blonde to the bone- but I tried to embody all the other attributes of Joan's Alexis. Her independence, ability to accessorize and tough glamour.  As time passed I found new characters to emulate and forgot about Alexis until these posters appeared. Which brings us to the other Alexis in this story- Alexis Bittar - who in a genius move decided to use Joan Collins in his current ad campaign. (Read about their collaboration on his blog.)


So who is Alexis Bittar? A brilliant jewelry designer from Brooklyn who not only has Joan Collins as a true fan of his work but is a nominee for a 2010 CFDA Fashion Award in the category of Accessory Designer of the Year. His work is colorful and bold and he makes good use of materials such as lucite and semiprecious stones to create eye-catching pieces - many of which are surprisingly affordable. (such as this cocktail ring shown left that I covet)

I was just thinking that maybe instead of buying a whole new wardrobe this summer, jewelry would be a smarter choice: it's longer lasting and can express your individuality more....so picking up a few pieces from Alexis Bittar's collection  might be a good start!