YazBerry Vintage Makes Appearance in "Flea Market Style" Magazine!

Very exciting, before I left Minnesota in May, the gals behind the amazingness that is Flea Market Style Magazine, pulled a few pieces from The Local Joint for a "What Is It?" column; one of mine was selected and is featured in the winter issue! I'm not going to tell you what it is so you can enjoy it, but you can play too (the answers are printed upside down on the page).

YazBerry Fashion in the Press

2010 - Featured, www.BlueprintForStyle.com, March. Interview & featured hand cut leather bracelet.

2010 - Featured Designer, Handbag Designer 101, www.hb101.com, March. Detailed interview & featured purses.

2010 - Featured, CryingCalypso.blogspot.com, January. Vintage item from collection featured & reviewed.

2009 - Featured, www.scoutiegirl.com, October. Zoomed Local feature about Salem artists. Gold & Silver obi belt highlighted.

2007 - Highlighted by www.Telegram.com, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, September. Picture & brief review of my designs at the STart on the Street Art fair.

2007 - Spotlight Designer & Featured Designer, www.TalentDatabase.com, August

To view screenshots of my media appearances, visit my Facebook Press Album.

Vintage Beaded Purses for that "Something Old" for Brides

"Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe."

This week one of my beautiful vintage purses was featured in an Etsy Treasury Collection (top right corner) of vintage, white, beaded purses. I thought, what a great way to incorporate something old into your wedding outfit.

While I was reciting the poem in my head, I of course had to look up the origin and meaning of it. Here is what I found:

"A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies. So this wedding tradition is definitely English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.
Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

And finally, a silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe. These days, a dime or a copper penny is sometimes substituted, and many companies sell keepsake sixpences for weddings."

Found on http://ask.yahoo.com/20031027.html 2.20.11

I've been considering wearing light blue instead of a white color for my wedding dress and am intrigued to see that this was common before the trend of white wedding dresses came to be. Maybe I'm on to something. More trivia for the inquiring minds: the tradition of white as the choice for a brides gown "was popularized through the wedding of Queen Victoria. Some say Victoria's choice of a white gown may have simply been a sign of extravagance, but may have also been influenced by the values she held which emphasized sexual purity." Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding 2.20.11

YazBerry Featured Handbag Designer

I was excited to check my email today and discover that I was selected as the featured handbag designer on Handbag Designer 101. Check out YazBerry on Handbag Designer 101 and please leave a comment on that page showing your support :)


Here is their interview of me:

"One of the first things I sewed as a kid was a bag I based off of a cereal box. It was quilted in bold colors and mixed patterns and had a large appliqued butterfly on it. People responded well to it and were always surprised when I told them I made it. My bag designs are often inspired by the fabric. I see fabric in my travels and think, hmm this would look great paired with this and shaped like that. I find it is easier to let the fabric steer the design than come up with an awesome design and search for the perfect fabric.

I mostly use fabric in my handbag designs. I find it easy to manipulate and love the vibrant colors and patterns to choose from. I like to say YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it. I design for the treasure hunters. Women who seek out unique items with vintage details and bold colors. YazBerry bags are special because they always hide a unique, bold liner, they often incorporate recycled materials and you've never seen one like them before. Also, they are often one of a kind. Since I knew how to sew before college, I got involved in costume design at my college theater. From there, I entered designs in the college fashion shows and continued designing after. My surname is Berry and raspberry or strawberry seemed too expected so in 2005 my label became YazBerry.

When I shop for handbags I'm just as interested in what's inside as what's out. I keep this in mind when designing my handbags I love making surprising liners and useful organizing pockets; pen slots, cell phone slots and small item pockets. I make all of my own patterns, often I make them as I am sewing the purse. Most of the time this works but the worst is when I underestimate a piece and cut something from a vintage fabric (limited quantity) and then either have to redesign the bag with a different fabric or different design all together.

Nightmare design stories are always great lessons. Either mistakes lead me down the path of a new design I wouldn't have otherwise come up with or they teach me a valuable lesson of what not to do next time. It's all worth it because it's thrilling to see my finished designs on stylish ladies arms. My line reminds me of a candy store or eastern bazaar in its varied colors and textures; like candy or ice cream. My greatest achievement so far was to be invited to show my purses paired with Vivienne Tam & Tibi designs at a fashion show in Boston for the launch of The Fashion Reporter online magazine in 2009."

Picture and quote featured on http://www.hbd101.com/designer/573/yazberry_fashion_berry_virginia_e. 3/11/10.

Vintage Mouse Purse Featured in Blog

My vintage mouse purse is featured in Crying Calypso's blog! The post features some really cute vintage purses from Etsy sellers including myself, her store and a couple other fun stores! Check it out!


The vintage mouse purse is still available here!