Hey there fellow Pearl Girls!  As promised here is our second blog post from inside the Design Department.  Thank you to all the ladies who wrote in last month to welcome me to the Honora family and who shared with me their pearly wishes! Longer lengths and more blues, I hear ya!

As those of you who received our monthly newsletter already know, almost everyone in the office is working frantically on the annual trade show in Las Vegas. It’s the countdown to JCK and the whole industry is scrambling to wrap up their new collections and to unveil them to the world.  The Design department, on the other hand, is a very different story.  While everyone else is focused on the now, we are already living in the future working out collections for 2011! It should be nice and quiet here next week…

What will be different at Honora next year? While we are just starting to work on this, I can tell you that we are looking to infuse more metal into the line alongside our popular pearl color mixes.  The past few years we have focused on creating our exclusive colored pearls, now we are ready to take this to the next level.  One of our thoughts for 2011 are to expand upon the popularity of these strands by adding sterling silver designs and gemstones to differentiate the line.

Just to get you thinking, here is what what we’re inspired by so far….

• Honora’s heritage: learning all about the company is inspiring me to design a collection that celebrates Honora’s history in the industry, we are after all heading into our 64th year!  Retire at 65?!  I think not!  We are just getting started!  The goal of this signature collection is to take traditional Honora elements that you know and love and present them in a fresh way.  Think modern classic.
• I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely crazy for Coin pearls! What a sophisticated shape! I love how smooth they are and how they lay perfectly flat against the skin. We are toying with the idea of complimenting these unique beauties with coordinating semi precious stones.
• Summer’s coming and I know I should be out looking for deals on swimwear, but the magazines are already showing Fall runway and I can’t help but be inspired by the wild new accessories! Croco, python, leopard, oh my!  I have a sneaking suspicion that something sexy will slither its way into Honora for 2011. These luxury materials easily translate to exciting new textures for sterling (& way more animal friendly in case you were worried!)
• There’s no time like Honora time! Never miss Ralph and Joel on QVC again! The girls and I are are working to make Honora one to “watch” as the design team plays up some ideas that really “tick”!

Ok, that’s enough top secret info for the moment.  Let me know which of these concepts you are most excited to see come to life in the comments section.  Perhaps I can arrange a sneak peek next month… tune in next time!  Your Girl with the Pearls – Julie