A Year of Pretty - October 06, 2014

Fall; it's definitely Fall. I am posting this blog in early October from my room in a villa in the north of Italy, just outside Alba. The mornings are cool and foggy, the afternoons crisp and bright. The view is spectacular, the people are warm and inviting.

Warm and inviting is a good way to describe these pearls from Chanel. The colours remind me of autumn leaves; each different and unique.

Enjoy these fall colours, along with diamonds, amethysts and citrines; and I hope your day is crisp and bright wherever you may be.

A Year of Pretty - February 17, 2014

Mmmmmm, the beauty of pearls. I know this is not the first post of pearls I have done. And I know it will also not be the last. 

The reason I like pearls so much is that they can be both simple and complex ... at the same time. This round, unassuming orb which changes colour in different lights; which can be either warm or cool to the touch. More than any precious gemstone (while not actually a stone), pearls seem to have the most life in them without having to apply heat or faceting. They are simple sophistication all on their own.

A Year of Pretty - February 07, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this photo of a double strand graduated pearl necklace. No original source credit to be found. Just simple, beautiful pearls.

A Year of Pretty - January 25, 2014

Today's Pretty Post . . . is sheer beauty. The blouse, the pearls, the necklace, the brooches, the hair, the make-up . . .even the texture and simplicity of the backdrop. Just beautiful.

So the necklace is supposed to be the focus of the picture. I know, "wait, she's wearing a necklace?"

Yes, she is. And it's by Canadian-based designer Charlotte Hosten.

From the designer's website:
"Charlotte Hosten is a jewelry and accessories designer who offers her clients fantasy and feminity. Her famous fabric necklaces have reversed the usual cycle of dressing up. Women tend to wear a Charlotte Hosten jewel as the base for the outfit : creating their look around the necklace.
Born and raised in Belgium but now living in Montreal, Charlotte has traveled the world. A self-made designer, she instinctively learned to create jewelry at the age of 15. The idea of mounting a piece onto fabric was introduced in 2008,  when she couldn't find a clasp she liked to support her creations : she then started to embroider beads onto fabric. Ever since, her necklaces have become luxurious sculptures; sometimes made of one of a kind antique jewelry pieces or, for the custom made pieces, with the treasures her clients bring her. Charlotte Hosten's work was recently featured in Elle Québec, Fashion, The Gazette and Châtelaine, just to name a few. Her necklaces are now distributed everywhere in Canada.

What is unique about Ms Hosten's creations is that she is very aware of the efforts to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle within her company. Most of the trimming waste is kept to be reused; and some of the necklaces (the sari collection for example) have been elaborated using almost only trimming waste. She uses a lot of vintage beads, brooches and necklaces to which a second life is given.

Charlotte Hosten's Atelier Boutique is at 122 Bernard W. in Montréal (514)274-8511