Sunday, November 21, 2010

Joanne Teichman: Turning 25 is No Piece of Cake. Ylang 23 Celebrates 25 Years

I have a Twitter friend named AmidPrivilege, never met her and don't know her, but once upon a time, her tweets caught my eye. And this morning was no exception. @AmidPrivilege: "Am feeling that I remember the days when I could get everything done in one fell swoop of ungodly energy. Now I compensate with planning."

That's so my feeling today. Long ago, knowing that our June 5 store opening 25 years ago was a lame time to celebrate -- not only would everyone be fleeing town for vacation, but we would be off to Vegas for fall buying -- we set the logical date of November 23 to celebrate 25 years in business. You would think that would be enough time. 

Not.


Two days out, I can't find my feet and just want to hide in a spa for the next week, if my family and Eddie can join me.


Should have thought about the major trunk show and appearance from Todd Reed Friday (amazing!! Todd is a wonder and the collection knocked us over!); Thanksgiving; holiday shipments pouring in; a major bag project which was at last word stuck in Hong Kong customs; last minute details on a huge project which has yet to be unveiled but may launch in a week; and being honored Friday evening at the Fashion Group International for a (gulp!) Lifetime Achievement Award which was incredible and made even more special by having all of the Ylang 23 team there wearing a truckload of hand picked jewelry to rock the house. Not to mention getting ready for house guests who want to toast the occasion with us, and did I mention it was Thanksgiving and besides Greenberg's Smoked Turkey (gobble-gobble.com) I don't have a clue what we are eating?  


For our 25th Anniversary, instead of a huge party, we decided to made donations to our favorite charities this week. Additionally, we asked 12 of our designers to design an exclusive charm in honor of Ylang 23's 25th Anniversary. Purchasing a limited edition of these adorable and amazingly creative charms, Ylang 23 is selling them with all of the profits going to six of our favorite charities: North Texas Food Bank, Family Place, Vogel Alcove, Jewish Family Service, The Stewpot and St. Philip's School and Community Center. Our hope is that over time, the sales of the charms, in addition to our donations, will raise $80-90K for these organizations. 



Dear AmidPrivilege: Yes, I have compensated with Planning 101, which for me translates to lots of sticky notes and piles of messes and throwing as much as I can to Charles (until he throws it back to me), my personal assistant Von who walks on water, and my new art director Jeff who has become the wind beneath my wings so much that we hired an assistant for him already. It goes without saying that the Ylang 23 team has already reached a saturation level of what they can do to help me out.


Facebook has become an occasional destination, the staccato rhythm of Twitter is more my style, and this blog has become a luxury. Time is short all around.

Gosh, in all of that did I mention that we just started a Polyvore Challenge with jewelry prizes so that the amazing Polyvore community can shine a light on our 25th Anniversary Charm Collection? Just blown away by the first 376 entries in a day, and by the time I finish writing this blog entry, will let you know the latest count. I love Polyvore.

My friend Dee once coined what is now a favorite phrase of mine: 'state of high frappe' which translates to living inside a Starbucks blender. She was talking about her daughter's wedding. I am talking about everyday life.


My friend Holly Haber (freelance writer) whom we have known for 20 years, and who I forgot to thank while accepting our award Friday night wrote the most accurate description of me ("whirring at a high pitch") which was published in Pink Memo. I sent it to Cathy Waterman, who paid Holly the highest compliment, "She nailed it". 

I also forgot to thank my kids. Alysa and Jake, hope you are reading this.


And while Charles and I were up there, we should have thanked each other. Crazy thinking we have worked together for 25 years, and oh, by the way, celebrating our store anniversary November 23 was no accident, it is our 30th wedding anniversary too. Sweet.

PS. As promised, a Polyvore update: 473...and counting! 

November 23, 1980     Park Avenue, NYC



Monday, November 1, 2010

Mind Bending: Cathy Waterman's New Collection 'Wild Love': The Show, Only at Ylang 23 | Ylang23.com


We have been wowed before. Again and again. But we must admit that this show tops all of them. It is so different. Cathy has gone back to her roots, literally. To nature with its leaves and acorns and rustic diamonds in colors from pale to apricot, to the intricate cutout work which is iconic to her collections, and to her tradition of making one of a kind treasures for her collectors and those who are just discovering her work. There are no boundaries: the work is in platinum and 22 karat gold, from bright precious stones including rubies and sapphires, to delicately colored gems, all finding their place in a thoughtful setting. This collection is appropriately named "Wild Love". And shows why, again and again, we love Cathy Waterman.  Check out Forbes.com website for the full story.