Fun and Flirty Finds for the Young and Pretty
Lirany Vasquez is the designer and creator of Pretty Little Thing, based in New York City. Her line turned five in December 2009 and she feels extremely lucky to be doing what she loves and even better to know people are enjoying it. When asked what inspired her to become a designer, she answered, “I became a jewelry designer almost by chance and I think also by fate.” As a child she knew she wanted to be in the fashion industry and dreamed of becoming an editor at a top fashion magazine. But she also had a lifelong curiosity with jewelry and accessories, which were her favorite things to buy. While she made herself jewelry in high school that her friends would borrow and received compliments on her pieces, she never imagined it would be her career one day.
Lirany calls herself a “bit of a book nerd” as she studied Shakespeare and creative writing at the University of Maryland in College Park. She pursued journalism in Los Angeles after college but thereafter left after realizing it was not the big town for magazines. Lirany moved in with her parents for the summer after leaving Los Angeles and started making jewelry as a hobby again. She rediscovered how much she loved it and told her friend in fashion in New York that she wanted to apprentice with a jewelry designer. A week before moving there, her friend passed along a job offer from a neighbor who owned a jewelry company and needed an assistant. Lirany moved to New York on a Friday and by Monday she interviewed and landed the assistant job at Sequin. “From there I knew that's what I wanted to do-- and I was fortunate enough that I learned from one of the best in the business,” says Lirany. She learned everything about the business from using tools and designing to sourcing materials and selling designs. After two years of hard work and passion, she was ready to branch out on her own and Pretty Little Thing was born.
For a bit of glamour and glitz, the Hot Child in the City collection is a must. We like the Filigree and Suede Woven Earrings made with soft strands of suede woven in between gold. The softness of the suede against the shiny gold showcases its unique woven effect and contrasting color. 
These earrings are extremely comfortable as they are unbelievably lightweight and are also available in black and red suede. Adorning your neck with the right piece for a night on the town or weekend trip is no new dilemma. With the Metal Mesh Sunburst Necklace, you can sparkle from day to night with this necklace featuring silver tone metal mesh dangling from a silver chain. Described as “very Bianca circa 54,” this eye-catching piece glimmers at every angle with the triangles of silver mesh. Also available in gold tone metal mesh.
Lirany was creative from the moment she was born. She had tons of journals and notebooks filled with stories and home-made calendars, cards, and 
boxes covered with collages. To this day, she is still a fan of making personal birthday cards and wrapping paper for gifts because it adds a special touch. From the Desert Song collection, the Lightning Storm Fringe Necklace is a great addition to any girl’s wardrobe for its simplicity in pairing with various outfits. As seen on “Gossip Girl,” this gunmetal chain with gold detail showcases a dangling fringe detail in the very center to catch the light beautifully. The dark gunmetal hue of the necklace looks rougher when worn with an all-black ensemble whereas it can also look flirty when worn with a sexy blouse or shirt.
Lirany says, “I think all jewelry lines are unique in their own way as they reflect the person who makes them. Pretty Little Thing is unique because it is a reflection of me. It’s girly but a little tough...on trend but can also be a wardrobe staple... casual but can be dressed up.” It is everything that Lirany looks for in clothes and jewelry because it reflects her wild imagination and childhood love of stories. She tries to tell a story in each collection and her ideas come from different places such as a movie or random thought. One example is after noticing some really cool plastic robots and spacemen figurines from the 50’s at a flea market, she created the Daybreak and Nightfall collection because she loved the idea of meshing the past and future together. Lirany set out to make little robot and spacemen charms which then evolved into a story about adventures in space. She soon incorporated other elements of nature like leaves, wood, and forest creature charms. Then after that, she added cleavers, bullets and knives because she felt the collection needed a touch of danger. “All the pieces looked great together and I felt they told a fun story... sometimes the stories emerge later in the process,” she says.
One of her favorites is the Mirror, Mirror collection, which was born when she found cool little vintage mirrors at a warehouse and brass hearts and tiny daggers. Lirany played with these items for three days while realizing each pendant had a romantic medieval feel to it and created a little story for each. From this collection, the Reversible Small Heart Pendant with Mirror is a celebrity and television favorite with its adorned brass heart pendant that reveals a handy mirror on the reverse side. This pretty pendant can be decorated with your choice of weapon to fight for what you love with a dagger, gun, or revolver. The sparkly Swarovski crystals add a hint of color and unique charm. Mischa Barton has the Reversible Heart Mirror Necklace, which is a slightly larger version with your choice of a dagger, owl, or wolf. The line has also been featured in two episodes of “Gossip Girl” as well as “ZRock” on IFC and an independent movie called “30 Beats”. This necklace is perfect for quick touch-ups or glances while accessorizing your wardrobe.
One of Lirany’s favorite necklaces is the Safari Bib Necklace from her Concrete Jungle collection because it is so big and bold. She wears it with a simple white tee or a fun party dress. She also loves the Antelope Post Earrings from the Daybreak and Nightfall collection because they are dainty and cute. Although she has only created a few bracelets, her current favorite is the Rivington Bracelet from the Mercury Rising collection because it is a touch gothic and looks great layered with other bracelets. A few celebrity favorites include Taylor Momsen, wearing the Rivington Necklace. Also, Alexa Chung owns a few pieces but has most recently been spotted wearing the Lucky Elephant Necklace and a NY Hearts Me tote.
We cannot get enough of charms and find that the Daybreak and Nightfall collection offers a refreshingly unique selection. The War and Peace Necklace has a delicate feather charm and a sharp bullet charm that compliments one another nicely. The charms are available in 
sterling silver or vermeil with sterling silver accent for a nice contrast. This necklace displays a hard edginess with the smooth bullet but is softened with the detailed feather. You can also win your fight with a Weapon Charm Necklace, with your choice of a cleaver, knife, or bullet charm in sterling silver or gold vermeil. These unisex weapon charm necklaces are sure to grab one’s attention and also be a conversation starter. The miniature cleaver and knife are especially endearing as we have never seen anything like this before. That said, pick your battle and make a statement.
Lirany works alone in designing and making all pieces herself. “If you buy a Pretty Little Thing piece, you know it was made by one person-- me!” she says. She describes her style of jewelry as wearable and fun. Lirany enjoys mixing things up such as using wood and Swarovski as well as anything with texture and clean metals. In five years, she sees herself and the company growing, along with a men’s line and a handbag collection. Lirany is very excited to branch out and try creating other things that she loves.
From the She’s a Rainbow collection, the "Pop" Triple Disc Necklace is a fun and playful piece that creates a cool ebbed effect on the neck. Three smooth and small acrylic discs, each hanging from its own gold vermeil chain come together as one necklace to offer a sensational pop of color. This necklace is both modern and artsy and looks great with a simple tee. Featured here in blue, the discs are also available in purple and topaz. Lirany is very influenced by her surroundings and feels lucky to find inspiration right outside her door in New York City. She says, “the constant movement and energy of the city keeps me alert and aware of all kinds of beautiful, strange, interesting, and amazing things. A perfect cocktail for great inspiration.” In her spare time, she enjoys seeing movies, trying new restaurants, reading blogs, magazines, and vintage shopping. Like a girl after our hearts, she says, “If I can do all of that in one day then I have had a perfect day.”
Pretty Little Thing launches two collections annually for Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Pretty Little Thing is sold through its online store pltnyc.com as well as at Urban Outfitters, Charlotte Ronson in New York City, and nationwide. Her online store carries her current and past collections as everything is always available since designs are trendy but timeless. Lirany thoughtfully thanks those who have purchased Pretty Little Thing or are familiar with her line for their support and even if it is just visiting her site to see her designs. “I get a lot of orders that are gifts, so I think it is very sweet that someone would buy something from Pretty Little Thing for a friend, sister, daughter, or girlfriend.” For any readers who are learning about Pretty Little Thing for the first time, Lirany invites you to take a peek at her online store to view her entire collection.
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