This comb, called Marbella, has two interlocking intricate pieces, one white, one black. Each is decorated asymetrically with rhinestone-encrusted flowers. Ateliers in Paris only made 4 of them. This is a magnificent piece of modern art.



Similarly, this camelia barrette with leaves that look spontaneously placed decorating a plethora of crystals, is also a rare piece.

I talked to Jovy in the Madison Ave store, and now the pieces I used to pay $600 for are now $4300, and she said the women from Paris are flying over to NYC to buy them because of the exchange rate. So I felt, well, I have my collection of Alexandre Paris haute couture, and that will just have to be it.

BUT

I found one from Hong Kong that was selling for $195 in the original box from the store, and they showed pics of the name, and I know this was a genuine couture piece. It was over. I bought it at an offer price of $180. I wear an Alex barrette or snood every single day. My 50th birthday is coming up in a month. I will love this and wear it A LOT. ;-) I’m going to tell Jovy. Ha! But I have to tell you. This is the first Alex couture piece I’ve seen on ebay in the 5 years I’ve been searching. You may refer to auction #260289856340.

The flower is made of suede with hand-beaded crystals by a French haute couture attelier.

My favorite brand of modern hair accessories. I called Jovy at the New York store the other day because I wanted to buy something. The things I used to get, the couture beaded barrettes, snoods are now selling for $4300 each.

WHAT?

I’m speechless. And she said the women from Paris are rushing over to New York to buy them because of they are taking advantage of the depressed dollar.The French finally put up a site. Look at the black and white tiara in the slide show of these couture pieces on this website. A more Barbara piece was never made, and I’m getting a price on it anyway, but there is probably no way I’ll ever be able to afford something from this store again. I used to pay $600.

Here are some of my pieces that I bought in the late 1990s, but for those of us who love modern hair art, we have to go to the superb artist Susan Maxwell Schmidt at Longlocks.




This is the way I combine my Alex pieces with Susan’s beautiful hairsticks:

Very rarely will you see an ebay post for a modern hair ornament of this brand. When it does come up, they try to mimic the retail price, which no one will pay on ebay because no one really knows or has any emotional attachment to this brand.

Why? The only place you can buy these ornaments are in Paris, New York, Tokyo — in store. The company has no online presence whatsoever. No layaway, no mailing list, no messageboards, no notificiations of new items, no website, NOTHING!

I’ve been yelling at Jovy (the New York store manager) for years about this. She had a website up briefly, but then it came down. I can’t even get a picture of one of the couture ornaments I die for mailed to me, so I haven’t bought anything in years. However, when a site was briefly up, I did collect some pictures and put together a collage so you can see the handmade beading, fabric art and design that goes into these pieces. They are hand made by atteliers in Paris, so they qualify as haute couture hair pieces.

The real Alexandre de Paris was a hairdresser to the stars. Among others, he did Elizabeth Taylor’s hair when she filmed Cleopatra, and I really think this company’s designs are the heir to Auguste Bonaz’s great art deco combs. So picture 1 is my collage from a catalog long ago, where nothing pictured is remotely available. Picture 2 is my personal collection, which hasn’t been added to in years, but which of course looks like a total mess laid out on my glass vitrine ;-). They are kept in a vanity drawer.