You may remember a little show a few years ago called My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding which was an Americanized version of the British series. I was obsessed with the show, particularly the wedding gowns worn by gypsies on their wedding days. These gowns were huge and blinged-out within an inch of their lives.
During the airing of this show, I conveniently had a Blog Talk Radio Show where I’d interview interesting people in the fashion and beauty industry. I decided that I wanted Sondra Celli on the show. I had never tried to get a television personality of the show before and assumed she was unreachable, especially considering the only way to contact her on her website. Even though I wasn’t expecting it, I heard back and Sondra agreed to an interview. During it, she was incredibly forthcoming about the gypsies and told me more about her life, career, and her favorite topic, bling. If you never listened to the interview, you can listen to it here.
Bling: The Uncommon Crystal Couture World of Sondra Celli
Despite the fact that Sondra Celli prefers bling in small doses, she is most known for her ability to bling just about anything that will stand still. In her new book Bling: The Uncommon Crystal Couture World of Sondra Celli, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the style and studio of renowned designer and Gypsy dressmaker Sondra Celli. Known for the jaw-dropping couture adds crystal brilliance to everything from tuxedos to Converse sneakers to pet accessories. Here, combining fashion insights and how-to techniques, she shares fascinating details of her early design hits and misses, her family’s role in her work, and the sacrifices she made as a struggling designer in the Big Apple. Sondra teaches you how to create 14 bling-tastic projects of your own: umbrellas, corsets, neckties, baby shoes, baseball caps, flip flops, and more. She also dishes about what happens behind the scenes of her TV show, how she began designing for the Gypsy community, and the pressures of creating dresses using materials such as candies, dollar bills, and real flowers.
The book is delightful to read with beautiful photographs, engaging stories and the DIY projects seem approachable with their step-by-step directions, patterns you can follow and easy-to-find tools. If you like a lot or a little, or if you prefer your bling in home accessories, there is something for everyone. I might try my hand at her flip flop pattern and bling out a pair myself a pair of flip flops.
I highly recommend this book for your fashion library. It’s fun, inspiring, full of fun and plenty of bling. Get your copy on Amazon here.