Ten Minutes with Leslie Homan of Femme Metale

Leslie Homan embodies her jewelry line Femme Metal; she’s a rocker chick. Femme Metal is the eight-year-old love child of Homan’s affair with rock-and-roll, fashion, and precious metal. Using sterling silver and semi-precious stones, Homan creates unique and inspired pieces for the fashionistas who chose to make their own trends. Homan also has a line of men’s accessories called Heavy Metalwerks worn by celebs like Johnny Depp, Dierks Bentley, Zulu, Ronny North, The Members of Lit, and Scott Wieland. After eight years in the market, Femme Metal has proven itself as a forceful entity with its consistently inspired couture and fine jewelry line. From her own grandmother to Gwen Stefani, Leslie Homan has given every woman’s inner rocker a chance to rock out.

Oligoville: Describe the concept and inspiration behind Kitsch ‘n’ Kouture and Femme Metale.

Homan: The creative force behind Femme Metale is (me!) Leslie Homan, a former model, Hollywood makeup artist, and wardrobe stylist. Creativity has always been in my blood. I’ve been designing my own clothes and accessories since I was very young. With many high school and college jewelry classes under my belt, I decided to put this knowledge and my love of fashion to work. In January 2000 with a passion for fashion, Rock & Roll, and precious metal, Femme Metale was born.

In March 2008, I launched Kitsch ‘n’ Kouture as a means to deliver that Femme Metale feel to a broader audience. Kitsch ‘n’ Kouture delivers killer style at a painless price. The whole collection has a pop culture sensibility with a big splash of whimsy.

Oligoville: Can you describe your products, their price points, and who your target audience is?

Homan: Femme Metale is a complete line of sterling silver jewelry. Our target audience is anyone who wants to feed their inner rock star or glamazon. Femme Metale appeals to all ages and is worn by people worldwide. Price points are from $50 to $300.

Kitsch ‘n’ Kouture is a wonderfully fun campy costume jewelry collection that is nickel and lead free. The Kitsch ‘n’ Kouture styles are inspired by pop culture and tattoos and anything else I think would make fun, interesting, and unique jewelry. My newest pieces in the collection are Victorian inspired. These items will launch February 2009. The price point for the pop culture collection is $30 to $45. The Victorian collection, “drippy” chains and heavily crystal encrusted pieces range from $60 to $180.

Oligoville: How did you transition from a model, makeup artist, and stylist to a jewelry designer?

Homan: I was modeling when I was in my twenties but never really liked it. I thought being behind the camera would be so much more fun. I took several makeup classes and loved it. I freelanced for may years doing makeup and styling but grew tired of chasing my income so decided I needed a change—something that, once it was going , would be consistent. I have always designed my own clothes and jewelry and loved the creativity. I finally decided to take my high school and college courses in jewelry and put them to use.

Oligoville: What skills, techniques, and knowledge base have been essential in becoming a successful jewelry designer?

Homan: I have a fairly diversified background in fashion, art, design, jewelry, makeup, as well as business management. The combination of these skills and talents has been crucial to my success.

Oligoville: How did you make your brand known to such a large base of celebrity clientele?

Homan: I was unable to afford any kind of PR or expensive advertising so I hounded the press and the media relentlessly—it paid off.

Oligoville: What does it mean in practice to be a Licensee for Hustler Hollywood?

Homan: Because Hustler is not in the business of jewelry design, they looked for someone with the talent, experience, and ability to develop a line of jewelry for them. The jewelry I designed was what they were looking for to expand the Hustler name in the marketplace. The licensing deal is both a means for Hustler to become more of a lifestyle brand and it also instills confidence in my brand name.

Oligoville: How would you define your own style? What do you wear to out on the town vs. out to brunch?

I don’t have a specific style—never have. I dress according to my mood for the most part. Depending upon the event, I will do girlie rock-n-roll to designer, to retro or any combination of those styles. For brunch I tend to be a little less dramatic, preferring perhaps some nice jeans, a funky top and cool shoes. I have a serious Italian shoe problem.

Oligoville: Whether in design, production, or marketing, what have been the greatest challenges you’ve faced? Greatest moments of success?

Homan: I’ve faced great challenges in the area of production. The silver market is extremely volatile.

One of my greatest successes is when 944 Magazine did an interview of me with a full page spread. Also, the six pages in Tattoos For Women magazine. I remember the day I turned on the TV and saw my jewelry on LA Ink, Miami Ink, and America’s Next Top Model. Another success is having my designs worn on the runway at the Sheiki Collections Runway Show during LA Fashion week. Also when I found out that Sheryl Crow purchased one of my pieces for herself at one of the boutiques that carry my jewelry.

I met comedian Margaret Cho [Editors note: Jealous! I’m obsessed with Margaret Cho!] at a tattoo convention where she purchased a few of my pieces. Other celebrities who wear my jewelry, include Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne, Kate Moss, Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, and Kelly Ogden of the Dollyrots.

Oligoville: What advice do you have for aspiring jewelry designers?

Homan: Inspiration, determination, and perspiration. It’s a lot of hard to work to launch a jewelry line. It’s even more difficult now because the market is flooded with new jewelry lines, including celebrity lines.

Oligoville: If you were not a designer, what would you be?

Homan: This is tough—probably something to do with animal rescue, welfare and rehabilitation.

Leslie is continually designing fresh new sterling silver jewelry to adorn the world’s style leaders and trendsetters. With over 320 completely original items there is something for everyone.—As stated on the Femme Metal Web site. With over 320 items and a list of celebrity clients that include Angelia Jolie, the style-sky is the limit for Ms. Leslie Homan.

Closet Remix: Back to Basics

2009 is the year of minimalism. People are cutting back on everything from that Disney World vay-cay to that extra bite of crème brule. This exercise in scaling back is having a drastic impact on people’s wardrobe decisions. Even the Hollywood mega-stars are trading in overtly lavish gowns and ginormous diamonds for more understated, monochromatic looks as evidenced by this week’s Golden Globe awards.  When making purchases this year we’re thinking about consuming less and spending less; it’s about quality over quantity.

I traveled to India over the holidays to visit my family. Usually on trips to India I return with an extra suitcase full of cheap (and useless) trinkets—elephant bookends, intricately designed pencil holders, 1,001 uniquely block printed table cloths. This December I said no way José to filling my suitcases with nonsense. Instead, I bought myself two gorgeous dresses, one pair of shoes, a lot more room in my luggage, and a renewed sense of clarity.

Take a trip back to the basics this year and hand pick essential items that will revolutionize (and minimize) your identity as a fashionista. In order to start a stylish wardrobe from scratch, there are a few basic items every trendster must have. However, don’t forget to accessorize to your hearts content to ensure an individualized and unique look.

Jeans. by ❤Natalie Winston de Rossiシ [OFF]

1. The Perfect Pair of Jeans
You may find them at Old Navy or you may find them at Nordstroms however, a perfect pair of jeans is an absolute necessity. When searching for the newest addition of denim threads, take your time. Bring along your best friend and try on hundreds of pairs until you fall in love. My personal favorites are Citizens of Humanity. Citizens are a bit pricey, but I’ve had my first (and only!) pair for three years and I still wear them almost daily. Believe it or not, on a recent trip to Costco I discovered they carried Citizens, Hudsons, Sevens, and even MAC makeup. Search around before bolting straight to Bloomy’s.

2. LBD (Little Black Dress)

The perfect little black dress can be dressed-up, dressed-down, dressed sideways and always makes you look and feel amazing. I recently invested in a wallet-friendly LBD from American Apparel and haven’t taken it off in the past month.

3. Incredible Black Heels

Shoes make or break an outfit. The ideal black heels make anything look fabulous, jeans, summer dresses, that LBD, or even your birthday suit … When shopping for heels, take a moment to think about comfort. While six-inch stilettos may look amazing on my 5’1″ frame, my booty walking around like I have a turd in my panties does not look amazing.

4. Coat

Every woman needs a perfect black pea coat as well a gorgeous trench coat. My perfect black pea coat is from Urban Outfitters (two seasons ago). It’s double breasted with a large ruffle. Coats are items to invest in and have fun with.

Elegant lady by Marijana.

5. Dressy Skirt

The perfect black pencil skirt is an absolute must-have. It will take you from formal interviews to fun dates. A lot of women are afraid of skirts initially, but I’ve discovered that once you try that you rarely go back.

6. White Blouse

A white blouse is a mature and essential fashion choice. The best white shirt I’ve ever found is from (I hate to admit it … ) Brooks Brothers. They have a wrinkle-free pristine white shirt that comes in various cuts that always looks impeccable. And no, I don’t usually shop at Brooks, but my boyfriend  introduced me. I’ve never looked back. Hey…even Oprah wears this shirt!

weekend explorer by kaboom

7. In Lieu of Sweats

In the good ‘ol J.Lo days (pre-Marc Anthony) this consisted of a velour track suit. Nowadays, we’ve graduated to Lulemon yoga pants and a North Face fleece. Whatever your weekend warrior outfit choice may be, invest in something. You never know when you’ll run into your ex .

8. Casual Dress

My favorite casual dress is a green jersey knit dress I got from Anthropologie. I can layer it with boots and a cardigan or just throw on some flip-flops. I can dress it up for dinner, or dress it down for brunch. Either way, it’s comfy, stylish, and multi-purposeful.

9. T-Shirts and Blouses

Every woman needs the perfect t-shirt. My favorite is (again) from American Apparel; it’s their fine jersey short-sleeve tee. I have five of them and wear them almost daily. Blouses and tees are a place to save money, have fun, and show your personality. But always be sure to get some basic, quality, neutral colors in long and short sleeves to add diversity to all your pieces.

10. Flats

I love ballet flats. They are perfect for work and perfect for errands. Invest in a few comfy yet sleek pairs. Don’t be afraid to dabble in color and prints.

Trends come and trends go. With the deepening of the economic meltdown, it’s best to scale back and think about what you really need. With the right accessories, this ten-piece basic wardrobe will keep you stylish, sleek, and classic for this season, next season, and the one after that.

The Perfect Holiday Dress

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … holiday parties are here! Clearly this means time to find the perfect holiday party dress. This daunting task can be difficult, time-consuming, frustrating, and costly. Fortunately, Oligoville has found the perfect dress fit for any holiday soiree from the beau’s office party to the girl’s cocktail night out.

This season is all about bows. This Jacquard mini dress by T-bagsis the perfect way to rock this trend. It’s neutral palette and subtle gray print will ensure its wearer will be the belle of any holiday ball. You will demand attention in a sea of red, black, and sparkly traditional holiday dresses. Choose some understated accessories and rest assured that the dress will take care of the rest. This is indeed the perfect holiday dress.

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