Wylie Wilson on Abbot Kinney

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in Los Angeles | Tagged Abbot Kinney, Fashion, fun, Los Angeles, Mercedes Hart, Wylie Wilson | Leave a reply Reply

Finn and I took a trip down Abbot Kinney Boulevard during our latest trip to LA, lot’s of great boutiques to visit and we definitely had a hard time deciding which restaurant to eat in! The highlight of our Venice outing was for sure stumbling into the Wylie Wilson Pop Up Shop and meeting Ms Wilson herself. What a babe! A native Australian, she is full on- larger than life- wild and wonderful (that’s the impression she left me with in under ten minutes!), and all of that really shows in the underwear she designs. Perfectly fitting and each pair made from rare and unique fabrics, I am hooked!

Visit the website HERE

And after watching this fun video you’ll be ready to start planning your own private panty party!

We bought matching pairs for our distribution gals and when the box arrived they were so excited they couldn’t wait- they threw them right on over their pants!

St Francis………….

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away | 4 Replies 4

St Francis

….The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom…..

~Maya Angelou

Yesterday was the first St Francis day I have spent away from my Charlie since I found him. Six years ago a wise old San Miguel street dog made herself a bed hidden away from the world in an old abandoned lot next to my house. We kept a distant watch until we saw the little puppies were beginning to crawl and then carefully (this wise old girl was not accustomed to being too near a human) we put them all in a big cardboard box and very gently moved them into our garden with the old girl in anxious tow. I couldn’t close my front door for about a month! Not only was it magical to watch these cute little puppies grow but to gain the trust of this proud and brave old dog was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I grew up in London in a top floor flat, I dreamed of having a dog but never had the chance. I had six of them for a while! All the puppies found homes and little Charlie got named and claimed- it was true love. The old girl stuck around and now and then I would come home to find her sprawled out on my couch. Honey, you’ll never be a real street dog again!

Judging by Charlies pose he knew he’d already found one!

He was the cutest!!!

Best friend I’ve ever had

Charlie & Mama

Do you have a story to tell about your dog? Cat? Hamster? We want to hear it, and to celebrate St Francis and the love an animal can bring into your world, we are giving away a piece of Jewelry, to enter is simple:

~Like us on Facebook,
~post a link to the VSA Facebook Page on your Facebook profile
~@mention VSA in a comment on that link, tell us your story!
~Finally, leave a comment here on our blog so I can contact you if you win!

Winner will be announced Oct 20
Good luck to all and a very happy St Francis day!!

Holy Cross!!

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away, Wear It & Believe | Tagged cross, giveaway, Swarovski, Virgins Saints & Angels, VSA Designs | 29 Replies 29

cross VSA is celebrating this years Holy Cross day with another giveaway!! One lucky winner will be taking home a very special VSA Cross!

Just five simple steps to enter:

~Like us on Facebook,
~Visit our website here and find your favorite VSA cross
~post a link on your Facebook profile page to the cross of your dreams!
~@mention VSA in a comment on that link, what do you love about the symbol of the cross?
~Finally, leave a comment here on our blog so I can contact you if you win!

Winner will be announced September 24th
suerte to all!

Happy Assumption!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away | 1 Reply 1Comments

Thank you to all the Goddesses who took part in our Assumption Day giveaway! It has been a joy to read the words of wisdom, encouragement, and faith poured out on our Facebook page over the last week- Thank You!! I for one am blessed to have some seriously strong, inspiring women in my life and managing the VSA social media gives me a glimpse of just how wide that circle extends!

Our winner is Joanne Ray! I can’t imagine a woman exists that hasn’t at one point or other suffered the battle of knowing her true strength and beauty- with all the standards laid out for us so early in life it is a challenge to love ourselves for who we truly are, just the way we are. Whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs and practices may be, the Mother Goddess- by whatever name you choose to give her- does reside in each and every one of us!

I would like to send out a prayer for Gina’s niece and ask you all to join me- our thoughts are with little Valentina.

Happy Assumption Day to all XoXo

Assumption Giveaway!

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away | Tagged blessed mary, giveaway, goddess, Virgins Saints & Angels, VSA Designs | 27 Replies 27

According to Roman Catholic doctrine and the traditions of the Catholic Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” The origin of this idolatry had its root in ancient mythology. Astarte of the Assyrians and Ashtoreth of the Sidonians held the place that Mary occupies in the church of Rome. Greece had her Venus and Rome her Juno, symbolizing the conception and creation of all things.

To celebrate The Assumption of the Blessed Mary this year VSA is giving away
the Tribal Goddess Pendant!

We used a medallion of the Virgin of Miracles- stripped of all other symbolism commonly used in depicting her, she floats with open arms welcoming you to make your own interpretation. The Tribal Goddess is your inner goddess- your truth, your strength, your dance. We added symbols from our favorite Virgins: The feather element surrounding the bezel suggest the rays behind the Guadalupe- rays of light, to the Aztecs a symbol of their highest god, Huitzilopochtli. The crystals suggest the crown of stars worn by Our Lady of Miracles- rather than floating above her they are falling, representing wishes. The blue background symbolizes the moon, which has been a traditional symbol of femininity, women, and fertility. We associate blue with freedom, strength and new beginnings, also another reference to our number one goddess the Guadalupe who stands on a crescent moon. Basically our Tribal Goddess is a culmination of all representations of The Goddess- of all facets of the woman you are. Not pointing to any one tribe, but to the universal tribe- the human tribe, mother to all.

Tell us about your inner Goddess for a chance to win the Tribal Goddess Pendant!
1. Post a link to this blog post on YOUR Facebook page and tag (@mention) VSA Designs in the post.
2. Leave a comment on OUR Facebook page describing the Mother Goddess you carry in your heart.
3. leave a comment here on the blog so I can contact you if you win!

The Winner will be announced on Assumption Day- August 15th – Suerte!

and the winner is……..

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away | 3 Replies 3

Amanda! Your name has been pulled! A special piece from the Resurrection Collection is awaiting you!

I wish I could have pulled more than one name!! Thank you all so much for participating and there will be plenty more opportunity to win! Next Friday for instance!

Our First Friday Giveaway continues, speak up on our social media for the chance to win- the first Friday of each month will bring a winner! So get tweeting, facebooking and commenting here on our blog to get your name heard!

Resurrection Giveaway!

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in give-away, Wear It & Believe | 38 Replies 38

Photos courtesy of Formento & Formento

This year is flying by so fast! The Resurrection Collection still feels brand new to me and we are about to launch our new collection already! View the preview video here!

I thought this would be the perfect moment for another giveaway! To enter is simple:

~Like us on Facebook,
~Visit our website here and browse the Resurrection Collection in the adornments section,
~post a link on your Facebook profile page to the piece you purchased or dream of purchasing!
~@mention VSA in a comment on that link.
~Finally, leave a comment here on our blog so I can contact you if you win!

You must complete all steps to enter, the lucky winner will be announced on August 27th! Tell your friends! Someone will be taking home a beautiful piece from the Resurrection Collection!

VSA on the red carpet

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in Wear It & Believe | Tagged archangel, Ballgown, Cheryl Finnegan, glamour, Jewelry, Mercedes Hart, rosary, San Benito, Virgins Saints & Angels, VSA Designs Comments Off

One more reason I am dying to make a visit home! The V&A is showing Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 After reading about this dreamy exhibit I am ball gown obsessed! I am looking at VSA and suddenly feeling like I owe it to my Magdalena to dress it up a bit! Jeans and a silk shirt go great with anything from our line but how these pieces would shine with a bit of couture! I know it’s all about the gown at the met gala but if I could get all these goddesses in VSA here’s an idea of what I would like to see:

’tis one thing to be tempted, ’tis another to fall……so said Shakespeare.
The Temptation Collection pays homage to our fallen goddesses; Pandora, Medusa……Cate Blanchett is our modern day Temptress; this black feathered McQueen gown would pair perfectly with the Temptation Vinea Earrings, Vinea Ring and the Temptation Serpent Cuff; each in Sterling and Jet.

We’ve seen the bad ass Ginnifer Gooodwin; running through the woods in Once Upon a Time (if you haven’t you should!). Here she is in bright orange Monique Lhuillier, a powerful and healing color, elegant but fierce none the less and anything but subtle! The Archangel Collection is perfect for this look! Inspired by the superheroes of the angel world, she would need to wear a cuff on each wrist, as I often do, Wonder Woman style! The belt buckle would fit perfectly and the Archangel Heart Stud earrings would be the perfect accent to that flawless face!

The two-tone one-of-a-kind Prada dress on Carey Mulligan would go perfectly with the mixed-metal theme of our Pax Collection. Pax, meaning peace in Latin, is taken from our classic San Benito Medallion; worn for protection. There is something almost armor-like about this look, throw on the Pax Hoops, Cuff and Bar ring and it is complete! Oh and the fact that this dress sold on ebay for $2,950 to benefit Oxfam makes it all the more fitting for the Pax slogan; peace be with you!

Diane Kruger is Hippie Couture! It’s a no-brainer: the Tribal Collection would accessorize this Prada gown perfectly. The tiny milagros on the Crystal Milagro Pendant and Milagro Hoops would mimic the movement of that heavenly feather trim! And the Tribal Goddess Ring is a perfect fit for this Goddess!

The fuchsia of the Ca

quite possibly……

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Mercedes Hart

Posted in Inspirations | Tagged design, Mercedes Hart, prada, video, Virgins Saints & Angels, VSA Designs | 1 Reply 1Comments

If you haven’t yet made it to the Met for this show then I suggest you put it on your list!

Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada are absolute masters and although they are from two different era’s, one can clearly see the affinities. Schiapparelli’s designs, being from the days of cafe society, focus on the waist up- whereas Prada tends to tone down the upper half of the outfit going all out on the shoes! oh the shoes!! The two designers compliment each other perfectly and the result is a top-and-tails head-to-toe mash-up of brilliance! Featuring around 100 designs covering the late 1920s to the early 1950s (Schiaparelli 1890-1973) and the late 1980s to the present (Prada), the exhibit demonstrates perfectly how cutting edge Schiaparelli was, and how timeless Prada is always.

I wanted to jump through the glass and try it all on!

As you make your way through the seven themed galleries: “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naïf Chic,” “The Classical Body,” “The Exotic Body,” and “The Surreal Body”; you are followed by the ‘impossible conversation’ (inspired by Covarrubias’s “Impossible Interviews” for Vanity Fair in the 1930s); a simulated conversation between the two iconic women. This short, directed by Baz Luhrmann, was perfectly executed and inspired me almost as much as the Schiaparelli accessories! I am all about video right now- check out our first VSA video here and let me know what you think!

And then after viewing the show I of course had to take a walk down to Bergdorf’s shoe department and try on all the Prada shoes I could before they realized I had no intention of buying. They were still so polite. I love Bergdorf’s!