Tuesday
Nov022010
The Buzz on Mrs. O's Bee Brooch
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 at 5:14 PM 
Delighted by the bee brooch Mrs. O wore on Halloween? It is the work of CFDA accessory designer of the year Alexis Bittar. From Bittar's Spring Summer 2010 collection, the pin is made of hand carved and hand painted lucite. "I adore Michelle, and I love her style and strength," said Bittar. For tempted admirers, the Lucite Midnight Garden Bee Pin is still available here. Darling!
Image by Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
tagged Alexis Bittar
Alexis Bittar
Reader Comments (12)
*headtilt* I can't believe you did the "buzz" gag.
It is SUCH a pretty brooch though. Lovely to know the background, thanks Mrs T!
;-)
Such beautiful Pins!
I like the silver version of the bee pin, and the sea horse.
But I am saving my pennies to get the Midnight Garden Gunmetal Corsage Pin for myself for Christmas.
Thanks Mrs O! Thanks Mrs T !
Wow, $325 for a bee pin. Sorry, I can't get all excited over that.
Char from Seattle
Oh, let's hope this beautiful, perfect First Lady doesn't get stung.
Char, there will be affordable knockoffs, no worries.
I hear you Char, but I can tell you that I have spent a fortune on clothes, boots and accessories over the years.........well maybe not a fortune but more than most people would spend. And I can assure you that once you tot up the figures you get your money's worth and realise that what appeared expensive is nothing if you really love the item and wear it often and more importantly sometimes a pricey item of clothing lasts long. I am still wearing expensive business suits that are over ten years old.
This brooch will never date, it is exquisite, delicate and beautiful. It can be worn with jeans, dresses or suits. If you wore the brooch once a month over the next ten years, you'll find that it amounts to nothing at all and if you pass it on to your daughters, well..................
I can't decide between the silver and the gold....gotta have it! Attending a Sting concert in January and must have that pin. Decisions, decisions.
Jestina is quite right. It makes a good deal of sense to pay more for a well-made, quality item which you will wear many times, than less for a poorly put-together, faddish item. I'm a great believer in looking at the price tag and thinking about it in terms of "cost per wear".
About a dozen years ago, I lost enough weight that I dropped a couple of sizes. I had some suits I'd bought a few years before that, and for which I had paid more than I was used to paying, but did so gladly due to their quality. I paid again to have them altered to fit my newer and skinnier size. I am still wearing them, while clothes that I paid a good deal less for have worn out or look dated.
The same goes for jewelry. Don't we all have those "go to" pieces that we reach for time and time again? Cheaper to pay $325 for a piece you wear constantly than $100 for a piece you wear once or twice and never again!
As always impeccable. Check out my blog at www.musingsofacoloredman.blogspot.com The latest post is all about our beautiful First Lady.
Jestina and Hyde Parker, I agree with you 100%. I do not mind paying for high quality and well-made wearing apparel. I have and wear things in my closet that I've had for more than 20 years. There have been times that I have purchased "things in fashion" knowing that I only plan to wear them once - sometimes, twice. My mother used to call these purchases a "mad-flash." The only "mad-flash" that I cannot buy are shoes. I tried that once, and my feet itched from the moment I left home until I was able to take them off on my way home. In fact, I came home in my bare feet and dropped those shoes in the trash.
Anyway, the pins. They are gorgeous. I would purchase the bee for the price of $325.00, because, I know that it's a good investment, and that I will have and wear it for many years to come. I have scatter pins, small and large, that date back to my pre-college years (that's a long, long time ago). I still wear them and receive many compliments on them.
I was given a small box of pins several years ago. In that box, I found a vintage collection of assorted bouquets of flowers, lady bugs, bees and flies. I think that they go back to the fifties. Knowing the background of the person who had this collection, I know that these items were expensive by the fifties' standard. The collection is rare and I love wearing them on my shirts, sweaters and on the lapels of my jackets.
Nice for those that can afford to spend, but for those that can't. there are some amazingly beautiful pieces of costume jewelry that can be had for a song. Just for example: $39, very pretty. just saying.
http://www.stelladot.com/sites/maryjane/productcatalog?page=productdetail&sku=BR103
Simply beautiful.....the jewelry and the FLOTUS! That's our girl! For those of you that like bee pins, I got my Mom one a few years ago for Christmas. I bought it from QVC's Joan Rivers Collection. It was quite lovely and affordable as well.