where's Jenna? well, for one thing, she went shopping... .

Are you familiar with 1st Dibs? It's a site where antique and vintage dealers can showcase and sell their wares. There's nothing cheap here, although - disclaimer! - I don't really know enough to recognize a bargain. Rather, for me, it's a kind of fantasyland, where you can spend six figures on a table without ever having to actually go and look at it. I can't imagine returning a table for 8 with leaves, and I am a pretty good returner.

From time to time, there's a feature that I have nicknamed "Great Shoppers of History." A well-known guest - a decorator or other tastemaker - picks a bunch of items. And, from time to time, one of these features is republished, and thus we can see which of the picks have been sold since the initial publication of the selection. Here are screenshots of the site, and i hope the 1st Dibs people won't mind me sharing, because their site has given me so much pleasure. In so many ways.



So, without further ado, here are some of Jenna's Picks. From the photo of Jenna, I'd guess that the article first appeared before her haircut.








Dedicated Jenna-watchers can time the haircut better than I, although I do recall thinking at the time that her efforts at high-class antiquing might have been better spent watching the store, as garmentos might say.

I'm not sure that I learned anything from this article. I was, however, struck by the absence of glitter and sequins. This may be a promising sign.

20 comments:

  1. Well, dark green is my favorite color,so I hope she was in a similar mindset when she chose/approved? colors for winter 2015-6. Those earrings are amazing. All I keep seeing in the fall collection is a teal redux, of which I have so much already.
    Watch the store-lol. My visit last week made me nostalgic...

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    1. I'm always blown away by beautiful craftsmanship, beautiful materials, and by things that have a Story, even if it's a Story that just pops into my head when I look at an object. I'm especially susceptible to wondering about extravagant jewelry - whose imagination was at work here? And was the piece a gift of love? Of triumph? Of guilt?

      I'm not great in teal and turquoise shades, much prefer dark greens and the cocktail olive shade. A few years ago Armani made a black-green mascara, and I treated myself to two tubes. Glad I did, because they discontinued it, I guess I'm the only one who liked it.

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  2. I must be either getting old or been oversaturated by social media. Plus I am a natural cynic and my father called me a doubting thomas since i was three - or "old soul" when he was in a generous mood. But I can't give any street cred to Jenna nor Gwynnie. Although I love 1st dibs. But when it hits mainstream and they do a restoration hardware or pottery barn collaboration of some sort - well it will be over for me.

    Re prices they are not cheap and quite heavy on the price for retail purchasers but then most of us don't use decorators and get their decorator discounts...

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    1. quite a few of the 1st Dibs merchants will consider offers...

      Our fathers had the same vocabulary! My first and constant reaction to JL was always to wonder whether she can really design or does she just sprinkle sequins on stuff.

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  3. Who knew Jenna was so matchy-matchy? (Says the queen of matchy-matchy.)

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    1. In her full selection, she had a few different color schemes, all extravagant.

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  4. P.S. Fred, I ordered the cape. I hope NYC temperatures in late October will justify my bringing it on the trip! Trigger fantasies of me strolling in Central Park, wind-tossed leaves, chestnuts roasting, etc. Too early for chestnuts? Unfortunately, the reviews of the cape on the JC website do not bode well for 5'4" me. There was a rave review from a woman who's 6'2".

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    1. Well, if the cape looks great on you, and why shouldn't it, capes come in all different lengths and it's the swagger that counts -- and if you specifically want it for the trip, why not leave the tags on, bring the paperwork, and try it on when you get here? If it doesn't suit for any reason and you don't want to keep it, you'll be surrounded by JC stores in NY, and you can just carry it in and return it, making room in your suitcase... In fact, there's a crosstown bus, the M66, that goes right from Lincoln Center to the Madison Ave/66th Street Collection Store.

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    2. Thanks, Fred. Although the trip is the fantasy part of it, I am really hoping that the cape will have good practical use all winter long as an outer layer over jackets. I have amassed a really lovely (if I do say so myself) collection of "pre-war" JC jackets, but most top coats these days aren't cut to wear over a blazer. Hope that a cape will serve that purpose.

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    3. part of my daily routine is checking the usual sources for Bellas...

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  5. Never heard of 1st dibs and probably best I avoid it!!! I think you are right - that Jenna should have been minding the store. Hope to see the crew get back on track!

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    1. Wendy, after spending an amusing couple of days antiquing in London, I found I couldn't go to museums without wondering if there was someone on staff authorized to take offers...

      Now wouldn't that be a great t-shirt: WHO'S WATCHING THE STORE?
      Much more apropos than, say, "winking."

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  6. I find so many things of beauty on Pinterest from 1st dibs, only to find out they have sold...for some ungodly amount. To be honest, I have kind of forgotten about J Crew and Jenna. I am searching for a white button down that won't gape and has nice buttons. One from BR just arrived. We shall see how many I "try" before giving up.

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    1. I just ordered a white shirt from Uniqlo, but without high hopes.

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  7. I don't even get this, Jenna does this sort of editorial shopping thing while the brand she is Creative Director of has been completely lacking any creativity OR direction. Why? If I was her I would Do Something, and it wouldn't be this.
    Still I do like that green palette so thanks for highlighting that. Those earrings...wowzers.
    And white shirts for you and BB, I got nothing so far but I'm looking for one too. XO

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    1. It's really been Radio Silence where JL's concerned.

      Well, anyway, the shirt I ordered is from the Ines collection, and although I'm not her biggest fan, I do love the way she sashays down a cobblestone alley, shirttails flapping in the breeze. If the shirt fits, I'll have to hire a little man to run ahead of me with a cordless fan.

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  8. WFF,
    Have you been to Stitch Southhampton? It is owned by the sister of a friend of mine, and I once went to a trunk show at her house. She had beautifully tailored shirts- her specialty, I believe.

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    1. I'll check it out next time we're in Southhampton!

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  9. I know someone here who gets stuff from 1st dibs;sometimes, good deals. We used to have an antique biz on the side! So I don't look.

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    1. I've had the feeling that someone who knows more about furniture and furnishings than I do, could really do well on this site. I've noticed that, with jewelry, there are some dealers whose pricing is savvy and realistic, and others who clearly don't know what the market in a particular "creator" really is.

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