I have allowed myself— or rather, been unable to resist— the pleasure of discovering a new favorite designer in the midst of all this wedding planning: Mary Frances. It all began one fateful day while wandering through the North Laine in Brighton. An innocent peek inside
Pretty Eccentric, lured in by the SALE sign in the window.
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| Oh, Pretty Eccentric, you Pandora's box of accessories |
Before I knew it, I was smitten.
Mary Frances is a
San Francisco Bay Area-based designer whose love for big jewellery morphed itself into the design of hand-beaded bags with three-dimensional motifs, starting in early '90s. She's come up with thousands of original designs, all of which are hand beaded and embroidered in the Philippines. While her prices, ranging from $200-$300, are very reasonable compared to her competitors (her lines were awarded "Best Design" in Milan in 2013 and 2014), they're hardly in the price range of a not-so-freshly unemployed bride in the midst of wedding planning. But I couldn't help myself. Prices out of my range? Challenge accepted.
With several interviews looming large, the only thing to do was prepare, prepare, prepare! Naturally, I shopped. And boy, did ebay deliver. I got Mary Frances accessories for my wedding day (and beyond), as well as gifts for our maids of honor, all at 90+% off sticker price. Finally back from my travels Stateside, I got the pleasure of opening the last of the packages and admiring (and sharing!) the entire collection.
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| Purses for myself, including a silver ("mercury rising") bridal accessory, and gifts for the maids of honor (right, top & bottom) |
Aren't they lovely? Whoever said retail therapy wasn't worth it?
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