Designer

…………………Every model that I worked with was beautiful in their own special way………but………every now and then a new model would walk into my studio on a “go see”, and they would take my breath away…..,It was truly a special moment of discovery………PAULINA PORIZKOVA……..was such a model……This very young girl walked into my office in a nonchalant manner, wearing a white T shirt and jeans and absolutely no makeup…….She was simple gorgeous….she was perfection! I booked her on the spot for my show and for my National Ad campaign. I used her for all of my shows from then on, and for many of my campaigns…..until she signed an exclusive contract with Este Lauder…..She was OFF THE MARKET!……I always felt she made a mistake, because the photos taken of her for the Lauder campaigns, though beautiful, were boring. As a model I thought she could have accomplished so much more…….However, Paulina didn’t really love modeling….she was more of an academic, and loved music. She had told me she really want to be a concert pianist……….The Lauder contract gave her LOTS of money……and lots of free time….which is what she wanted…..The photos above were done for a Spring campaign. She is wearing a poplin trench jacket with a shirt tail hem. The back shirt tail was much longer than the front. She’s wearing the khaki jacket over black poplin pants……….What a magnificent face!…..Paulina today is still a beautiful woman, and has NOT gone the route of plastic surgery or dreadful fillers…..She has chosen to age gracefully, which is exactly who I know her to be.

………………..As I was walking around WHOLE FOODS supermarket I was looking for inspiration for what I should make for dinner that would be quick and relatively easy…….First I saw some beautiful ASPARAGUS, and since it’s Spring and Asparagus season…I took a bunch…..Then I saw some beautiful BRUSSEL SPROUTS, and thought Okay vegetables done…..Then I walked over to the fish department thinking I would get a lovely piece of Salmon, but frankly I’ve had a lot of salmon lately , and it didn’t inspire me….Then I saw cooked beautiful shrimp! That was it. I would make a wonderful shrimp salad……I already have some small cups of LINDY’S ITALIAN LEMON ICES for desert……Lindy’s was a famous restaurant in Coney Island, Brooklyn. They must still be around if they are selling many different flavors of Lindy’s ices?!……First I lined a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Next I prepared the asparagus, washed them and laid them on the sheet. I drizzled them with olive oil, salt pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoned bread crumbs…..DONE…..Then I cut, and halved the Brussel sprouts, washed them and set them aside. In a bowl I mixed olive oil, salt, pepper, white Balsamic vinegar, and honey. I mixed it until the honey dissolved, and then put the sprouts into the bowl and let them marinate for a few minutes…..Next the shrimp…..After washing them and paper towel drying them, I cut them up with a sharp knife and into a bowl they went. Next I put salt and pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, chopped celery, mayonnaise and bits of dill for taste….I love dill so I put a generous amount, but cut it very small. I don’t like the feeling of grass in my mouth….LOL…..I mixed it all up, and it’s ready, and into the refrigerator it went….I then took the Brussel sprouts and put them on the same baking sheet as the asparagus….Later I will put the asparagus and Brussel sprouts into the air fryer for 15-20 minutes, and check them to see if they are ready…I can always leave them in a little longer if necessary, but I don’t want to burn them!…….Then DINNER IS SERVED…..Of course I have to serve it to myself and clean up!…LOL….Not sure what I will drink….If I’m in the mood some Santa Margarita white wine….very cold, or just some Polar seltzer on Ice with a twist of lemon…….It will be a happy meal for me!

………………….After a long disappearance from my LINEA QVC JEWELRY SITE the high polished STERLING SILVER CELESTIAL RING…….WITHOUT  the Diamonique stones….is finally back in the Sterling Silver and the Sterling with the 18 Karat Gold plate…..J421062…….however it is already sold out in sizes 5 and 11 in the Sterling Silver…….The CELESTIAL RING with the Diamonique stones, J429081, is available in all sizes 5 through 11……They are wonderful rings on their own….however….I did design them to be stacked….two or even three…….Mixing the plain ring with the one with stones……..and even MIXING COLORS!…….They really are fabulous rings, and at great prices!

………………….I know I’ve posted this photo a few times already, but I never get tired of looking at it……I have a few, at least three of them framed and around the house……Jac and I were at a party given by Kathy Hardwick, in the garden of her beautiful town house. Kathy was a wonderful designer who Jac worked for. It was at this party that we made it official, and we told everyone we were a couple….I thought this picture would be a good follow up to Jac’s birthday picture when we first spoke….This was a few years later, and my hair was still falling in my face! I wish I still had that hair!!………………We were so happy!!!

……………………Today, May 5th is my sweetheart Jac’s birthday…..She loved that her birthday was on Cinco de Mayo….a happy holiday!……..I chose this picture, because this is exactly how she looked the very first time I met her…….She was just seventeen…….a baby!…….Without makeup she looked like she was twelve….She had peaches and cream skin, corn silk blond hair, and “eyes as blue as the sky”, as her Mom always said…She had a soft beautiful voice that was just perfect…..She was 5’10” and 1/4 as she always liked to add the 1/4 inch….A true statuesque beauty with the most gorgeous legs…..She had natural grace and moved beautifully…..She was the sweetest and kindest person I ever knew…..The day I met her I actually talked to her by chance. Of course I knew her as one of the beautiful models we booked for our shows, but I really didn’t KNOW her….Jac and two other models were booked to do our showroom, which means they would be there the two weeks the buyers came in to write their orders, and model the clothes for the clients…..One evening about 7:00 or so, I needed to get out of my studio where I had been cooped up the entire day. I knew everyone would have gone home by now so I could walk around freely, and enjoy my cigarette….Yes, in those days I smoked…….I happened to walk into the models room and Jac was sitting by herself. All the other models had left, and Jac had just finished showing to the last customer of the day. She looked startled when I walked in…I said…”Hello…you’re Jac aren’t you?”….she shyly said “yes”….I thought she was adorable, and we started to talk and talk and talk. Before you knew it almost two hours went by, and I was starting to be missed, and knew I had to get back to work…She said she had to leave too. I later found out she missed two trains to Larchmont where she lived, and where her mother was waiting to pick her up at the station…..just so she could keep talking to me!….From that evening on we became friends….I made it my business for the rest of market week to stop into the model’s room and say HELLO….Jac eventually moved into the city when she became 18 or 19, and lived two blocks from me…..We went out for dinner and to movies, and clubs, but mostly in a group….She was still a child to me , and not even legal yet…so I knew better, and kept a distance…However, she had no trouble getting into clubs. They always wanted the beautiful models to come in………As she got older and more mature….I started to look at her differently….She wasn’t a baby anymore, and she, in her own way, let me know it…..Eventually we started to seriously date, and I stopped seeing other people….That’s when she confessed to me that the minute she saw me, and spoke to me that evening in the model’s room….for her….”it was love at first sight”…She remembered exactly what I was wearing….my blue chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled up and khaki pants….She said I kept brushing my hair off my face, because it was long and always falling….She thought that was so cute…..It took me longer to have those kinds of feelings for her….Her age had a lot to do with it, but she was patient until I came around…..and when I did…that was it…..We moved in together in 1984, and were always together from then on….until that devastating day six years ago when she passed away…….I know NO ONE will ever love me more than my Jac…..She truly taught me the meaning of loving………..It’s so unfair that she had to leave me at such a young age…when there was still so much we wanted to do together……I miss her every day, and I’ll  miss her until my dying day…..when we will be together again……………………………….HAPPY BIRTHDAY in HEAVEN my ANGEL…………………………………………I LOVE YOU BABY, OVER THE MOON AND BEYOND THE STARS