Paloma Picasso (and her gorgeous handbags) at ArtsEcho Galleria

Dear Friends:

It's very exciting here at ArtsEcho Galleria. Unlike other establishments (say...Macy's or...Walmart , for instance), we can decide on the spot what items we wish to carry. So many fascinating people come into our little shop and some of them bring very interesting things in with them.

That's how Paloma arrived at ArtsEcho (well, not in person, but represented by her wonderful handbags). One of our good friends worked for Paloma Picasso designing amazingly gorgeous bags. When Ms. Picasso decided that creating perfume was more to her liking, her NJ design center was closed and back she went to Paris. Ms. P is the youngest child of Pablo Picasso & Françoise Gilot (also an artist, and the author of the wonderful "Life With Picasso"). In Spanish, her name means "dove"; she was named after the symbol her father designed for the International Peace Conference in Paris in 1949, the year of her birth.

The lucky few designers who were close to Ms. P were given the best of the best. And so, one day the best of the best walked into ArtsEcho. Can you imagine walking into Walmart and asking the "greeter" if the store wants to acquire some handbags? No? Well, that's what ArtsEcho is for. We are your friendly neighborhood shop and WE DO WHAT WE WANT! (Take that, Walmart!)

This bag was made from a green alligator. It still has the price tag on it. It reads (are you sitting down?) $2,650.00. (Green alligators are very rare...) We, of course, will sell it to some lucky individual who loves our shop (and you know who you are...) for about 1/10th of the price...

And there are other Paloma Picasso bags that are just as lovely (but retailed for only (only!) about $1000...(so cheap...)). This one comes with an amazing belt. It is canvas and leather and totally unique.

And this one is handmade Lucite on both front and back with twisty solid brass handles...never seen anything like it.

As soon as I saw these bags, I realized that they are basically...artwork. That's why they fit in so well here at ArtsEcho. We love all types of art even the kind that was not necessarily made to hang on walls...some artwork was made to hang on arms.

Have a wonderful week, come visit us...come check out our "Red Dot" end of summer 1/2 price specials (great things!)...and make sure to stop by for our "Labor Day Blast" sale (great bargains and free goodies to eat baked by yours truly... possibly even my famous secret-recipe "to die for" cheesecake...)

Warm regards to all,

Sandra and the ArtsEcho Galleria team, Lil, Judy, Crystal (who got very rained upon on her bicycle this morning on the way to ArtsEcho), Jackie & Arianna (and lots of thanks to the two best summer interns, now on their way to autumn and university, Allison and Liz...we miss you!)

What Is It About Silver?

Dear Friends:

This week at our charming little enclave on Park Avenue we acquired some amazing new sterling silver jewelry.

As you all know, we seek out items that are unique, exclusive, rare, artistic, distinctive, and one-of-a-kind (good thing I don't have a thesaurus on hand...)

Silver has an amazing history. No one knows exactly when it was first used in jewelry, but the pharaohs of Egypt received silver presents from visitors from the island of Crete about 5000 YEARS AGO! Silver is one of only seven metals that predate the famous Periodic Table. It is the most reflective metal known to science, even more so than gold!

I love sterling silver jewelry. While gold is certainly wonderful, I always feel that it's a bit too serious for me. I wear two gold rings and never take them off. That's what you do with gold. You get serious with it.

Now glorious silver is precious but also playful. You can dress up any outfit with silver jewelry. You can have a silver necklace or bracelet that you only wear with one special thing...or with one special person. You can change your mood with silver. You change change your silver with your mood.

And when you add coral, peridot, smoky topaz, mystic topaz, rose quartz, clear quartz, sun sitara, onyx, Russian ukanite, dichroic glass, Picasso jasper, blue goldstone, tourmaline, larimar, Balkan amber, turquoise, natural rubies, roughhewn sapphires, amethyst, garnet, tiger's eye, dendrite opal, crystal, moonstone, rhodonite, sodalite, lapis lazuli, and my personal favorite (this week, at any rate), Brazilian drusy, sterling silver jewelry becomes a little carry-around-with-you work of art. And here at ArtsEcho Galleria we love works of art, big and small.

Have a lovely weekend,

Sandra and the ArtsEcho team, Lil, Judy, Crystal, Ben, Arianna, Jackie and Liz (with a fond farewell to the delightful Allison, on her way back to Boston U.)

ArtsEcho Galleria and "Sustainable" Fashion

Dear Friends:

We at ArtsEcho Galleria find ourselves at the forefront of the wonderful, much talked-about, "sustainable/green" world...so that in our own ArtsEcho-y way, we are also helping to save the planet.

Yes, dear friends, as you know, we search out the very finest super-trendy and/or vintage clothing we can find (from designers, antique stores, online haunts, and special shops that are only accessible to non-profit organizations like ours) and then make sure that everything is in the finest condition possible, with all buttons, hems, laces and belts. And then we offer it to you at the lowest possible prices.

There are so many beautiful and exquisitely-made garments (made with the finest fabric) that need a home and new life. And we, together with yourselves, are giving them (and the earth) a chance!

And when we find a garment that has fabulous fabric, but may not be trendy enough for our discriminating customers (you guys), we save it in our storeroom...it will become part of something glorious made by the emerging designers who we are finding (and who are finding us)...

We are getting ready for our first fashion show...(hopefully in the late autumn). Some of the fashions will be created from existing fabrics from our wonderful fabric collection. And you'll know that, although they will not all be green-colored, but they will all be GREEN!

Go world!

Warm regards,

Sandra and the ArtsEcho Galleria team, Lil, Judy, Ben, Crystal, Arianna, Liz & Allison (& the Jackster...still sunbathing in El Sal)...(and the delightful Tamara who is revamping our great new website!)