HAVE A TIFFANY VALENTINE'S DAY, THIS 2019! 💝💘💕

Believe it or not, the end of January is here, which can only mean one thing: the season of love is well on its way! Whether you're choosing to celebrate Valentine's day with your significant other, your closest friend or yourself (beacuse everyone deserves some well-deserved "Me Time"), this is the perfect opportunity to do extra shopping. And though the season of giving doesn't necessarily stop after the New Year, you - and your bank account might still be feeling the exhaust of the holidays. Don't worry, there are plenty of Valentine's Day jewelry gifts that will look anything but. Valentine's Day is not a day that comes without its fair share of lavish gifts and extravagant events to celebrate the love in the air, and a beautiful jewelry gift is no exception the rule. Let's be honest: expensive jewelry are always attractive, but perhaps you might want to leave the investment pieces for another occasion. So you don't have to spend a fortune to get your hands on stylish jewelry. When it comes down to the right pieces of jewelry, my suggestion for this year is to choose an iconic piece from an iconic brand, such as Tiffany, which is a favourite among women and offers several heart-themed pieces, including some affordable models, still with a blend of sophistication and flawless craftsmanship. I'm certain that the following ones I selected for you from the Return to Tiffany silver collection will be perfect for both girls and women: 

1) The Tiffany charm bracelet, which is a bit nondescript on its own, and that's the point! It features a signature heart lock and clasping link. Moreover, there are hundreds of unique charms available, allowing the bracelet's owner to create a personalised, timeless masterpiece. Personally, I've been wearing mine since several years, and never got tired of it. 

2) An alternative to this model, could be the famous Return to Tiffany Tag Heart bracelet. A truly elegant design, this bracelet embodies the collection's celebrated aesthetic and can be personalised with small engravings such as monograms, dates or symbols.

3) In the same collection, the classic Heart Tag pendant necklace, with its simple yet elegantly aesthetic design, exudes modern grace. 



4) The Mini Double Heart Tag pendant necklace, consists of a delicate duo of one engraved tag + one Tiffany blue enamelled tag on a simple link chain for modern refinement and elegance. An alternative model can be chosen, that is the Bead bracelet with the same enamelled heart tag.


5) If your sweetheart has already been wearing the above pieces and is a fan of Tiffany's jewelry, you can choose  Mini heart tag earrings, elegant studs with the traditional inscription, which are perfect for day and evening and are a favourite among young women. 

And, since a gift of sparkle wrapped in Tiffany Blue is a must-have in every girl's wish list, just imagine the joy of your beloved one receiving the wonderful Blue Box, tied with white ribbon and contained in a matching bag, as a prelude to a precious surprise ... 😍😄😂

THE CHANEL BOY: A TOP BAG TO INVEST IN.

Dreaming a bout a "Boy"? 

Among the presents received last Christmas, my favourite and most unexpected was certainly a small  Chanel Boy Bag in black snakeskin, my life-partner put under the tree for me and bought in the Chanel flagship store in Milan.

Originally introduced in 2011 by Karl Lagerfeld as an interpretation of the boyish charm that Coco Chanel was known for, the Chanel Boy bag, named after Coco Chanel long-time love Boy Capel, has become one of their most covetable designs and best sellers.

The Chanel Boy, with a rectangular single flap style, thick and chunky chain strap with an extremely flexible and adjustable leather shoulder pad and an easy-to-open push-clasp, has a more casual feel than the classic feminine 2.55, and is released every season in several classic and trendy variations. This model came onto the market at exactly the right time: that is when young shoppers were finally able to buy Chanel bags on their own, but most of the brand's bags skewed towards timeless classic flap bags and grand shopping totes which were less appealing to these potential customers. So, the Boy bag was released and immediately flew off the shelves for its boxy design with straight lines, thick border, angular corners, and chunky, antiqued hardware, reflecting a bag that is both modern and sporty; perfect for the today's on-the-go woman who wants to wear it both as a shoulder bag and cross-body. 

It comes in several sizes:

Small: 8"L  x  3.2"W  x  5"H

Old medium: 10"L  x  2.5"W  x  5.5"H

New medium: 11"L  x  3.5"W  x  7"H

Large: 11.8"L  x  3.9"W  x  8.3"H

After the overwhelming success of the Boy Flap bag, Chanel created an entire lineage of bags with the same design details: CC "Boy", push-lock, chunky chain, but in different leather, metal, colours and design variations such as the triple-quilted border.

I'm hopelessly devoted to this Boy, and have also another favourite, more edgy version in new medium size, quilted black leather and polished silver chunky chain. If maybe you'd like to add another Boy style to your collection, I advise you to choose a model in snakeskin like mine, since the Parisian fashion house announced at the end of 2018 that it would stop manufacturing products made from snakes, crocodiles, lizards and more, citing difficulty obtaining responsibly sourced exotic skins. So I think it's now wise to invest on the last ones available, since with no more exotic skin bags on the horizon, their value in the resale market of pre-loved items is likely to soar, and certainly the brand's 2018 collection will be highly sought after from now on.

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE IN 2019, ACCORDING TO SUCCESSFUL FEMALE CEO'S.

The new year has started, and it's no secret that this is an instinctively ideal opportunity to recharge, reset, and, most importantly, start fresh. After all, the start of a new year feels like the perfect time to evaluate your current state while thoughtfully setting new intentions and goals— whether it's something as daunting as vowing to finally clean out your office cabinets, or as exciting as figuring out how to better organise your life in general, professionally and personally.
While the phrase "New year, new me" is popping up across social network feeds everywhere, the idea of reinventing yourself completely is equally as overwhelming as it is unnecessary. Instead, focus on streamlining your life in 2019 by setting attainable goals and sticking to them, rather than enforcing huge changes. Actually, small yet impactful adjustments are the ones that often push you across the finishing line without ending in frustration, as top female CEO's, founders, and entrepreneurs often assert. So, I summarised some of their helpful tips and tricks I find myself mostly inspiring and now I'm going to share them with you:

1) The biggest preliminary work you can do for the new year is to reflect on the past one: What worked? What didn't? Review the aspects you can improve, then create new goals, tweak processes and make adjustments as necessary to set your business up for success. It makes all the difference in how 2019 will be different from 2018. As far as organisation, personally I'm quite old-fashioned: I love a good old pen and my trustable  Louis Vuitton Monogram Agenda MM (see older post dated 11 January 2018), to which I put new additions every year to enliven my days. For 2019, I bought my favourite stuff for setup on Etsy.com particularly very functional refills at CrossbowPrintables

as well as cute, glamorous LV-themed dividers, book markers, and 2019 calendar at TheFabulousPlanner. Anyway, don't think I'm completely analog! Actually, I like also using spreadsheets on my Mac, since for both project planning and finances, because it's made managing my business so much easier.

2) The most effective goals aren't forced into our lives - they're part of our lives. We all know (or are) that person that starts the New Year with massive expectations of how much better we're going to be that year. But, by mid-February, 80 percent of these goals flop. So, "what, then?" Not surprisingly, when we don't reach one of our goals we criticise ourselves - thinking things like, "Why couldn't you do better? You're not good enough". This year, enough is enough. The most important thing you can do is to set goals that lead with self-compassion. It means hustling, but with self-kindness when things inevitably get off track.
3) You know, when you're out to dinner with a friend, and she recommends a book? Or you're in a meeting with someone who raves about a productivity app? Well, each month, I start a note in my phone or on the agenda note section that's meant for all of these random bits and bobs - things I want to jot down and go through later that I don't trust myself to remember. I never delete these notes, which also means that I can easily resurface a recommendation if, in January, something someone suggested in August suddenly becomes relevant. And I do the same for every new idea or project about my blog.
4) I live and die by keeping my life orderly, and planning ahead for everything during the week. Being always on the go, makes it impossible for everything ever be carried out entirely as planned, but I find productive to give some structure to my day-planning.  My agenda runs both my personal and professional life, with colour-codes for everything from in-office meetings, to workouts, to meeting with friends. So, to balance that out, I try to keep my weekend clear of plans to have some room to breathe.

Dear readers, I'm certain these tips will have you feeling inspired not only to rethink  your approach to New Year's resolutions, but keep you on track for all-year-round success. Happy planning! 💼💻📆📖

"NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY ON THE FIFTH AVENUE" AT BEAU RIVAGE PALACE IN LAUSANNE.

I love Holiday getaways, and every year, we choose a new destination where to wait for the new year to come. For 2019, it was the turn of Lake Geneva. Long tapestries, chandeliers, frescoes, glittering Christmas decorations and a stately, grandiose allure welcomed us at Beau Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne, when we arrived. The years have passed but this wonderful Belle époque building overlooking Lake Geneva and set in one of the most elegant areas of the city still retains every bit of its magnificence and panache and you almost think you see some of its former famous guests such as Charlie Chaplin or Coco Chanel strolling about the common areas in the park, or sitting at either the restaurant or the brasserie... 
The New Year's Eve dinner-party in the Sandoz ball room was a magnificent event set in a frosted/bluish décor, which took your mind to a Winter night-out in New York, with guests raising glasses of champagne and enjoying the music soundtrack of a famous classic repertoire inspired by Broadway shows, then darting about the corridors in black-tie formal dress code. 

The occasion for me to wear black lace, sparkling jewels and a black patent leather Chanel clutch... 

And now that we are back home and work, the impression of the whole sojourn is still with us, of our calm, cozy room, the relaxing, magic atmosphere of the lounge areas, the spa and the park, like pulled straight out of a fairytale...

SPARKLY ACCESSORIES TO WEAR ON CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S EVE.

It's the season to dazzle; whether at a party with family and friends or enjoying Christmas celebrations, this is the season to enjoy being more daring with your wardrobe and rocking those pieces and accessories that you may not usually wear throughout the rest of the year. As the year comes to a close, we can safely say that 2018 was both an eclectic, interesting year for fashion. We saw numerous trends come back in such as leopard print and sequins for clothing, or tiny bags and brooches for accessorising, among others... While we'll likely witness many of these styles fade come the new year, we're pretty sure one trend isn't going anywhere: sparkle!

Embellished mules, shiny bags, Swarovski crystal hair clips or jewels are just a few of our favourite accessories, and what better time to wear them than on New Year's Eve? Whether you're staying in this year or going all out, dear readers, there's no reason not to indulge in something sparkly for yourself! You deserve it! Keep scrolling for glitzy, shimmery accessories we'll be sporting when the ball drops - and for the rest of the year, because, why wouldn't we?

The only thing harder than confirming party plans on NYE is picking out the perfect outfit and shimmering makeup. Our philosophy? let your accessories do all the talking. Channel your inner disco queen with a glittery cross-body / clutch + earrings and bracelet and if you're feeling really extra, throw on a pair of sequin sandals / pumps to top off the look.

BIRTHDAY PRESENTS - PART 2: BEJEWELLED LEOPARD CLUTCH.🎁👛

On my last shopping tour in Milan with Mummy in search for a birthday present suitable to my likings, we were attracted by Gianni Chiarini flagship store recently inaugurated in via della Spiga, a sophisticated "boutique" dedicated to the brand's beautiful bags whose handcraft and extraordinary creative vision are worthy of the Florentine area's tradition of its craftsmen.

Since while it's true that in the end, it's the thought that goes in to gift giving that "really" matters, I believe that there's no reason I can't still nicely, and not so "subtly", suggest what I really want, at least to avoid my family and significant others to scramble to pick out a little something special for me...

So, my choice for a birthday present was easy, since I was immediately won over by "Reginella", a trendy, precious hand / shoulder bag in black leather and leopard print. Actually, I find that's the ideal accessory for this period of hectic pre-holiday engagements, since it can be worn from daytime to evening and is a touch of class  to elevate any outfit to a better-groomed look. Enriched by a central decoration of contrasting colourful stones, this very chic small bag keeps a clean and elegant design and is provided with a functional magnetic closure, as well as with an adjustable shoulder strap which allows to be easily wearable cross-body. And last but not least, it's made with high-quality materials, which makes it stand out from the heap of cheap-looking models that have invaded the market of fashion accessories this season, riding the wave of the "leopard-print trend".

Thanks to its versatility, this is a little bling I'm certainly going to pack for my next New Year's weekend in Switzerland.
Bye bye dear readers, and Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🎁

BIRTHDAY PRESENTS  - PART 1: VINTAGE-STYLE CHARM BRACELET.💝🎁

Nothing is more special and unique than a vintage charm bracelet! This beauty I have just received, is a birthday present from my life-partner, who bought it at our favourite jeweller’s in Italy. It’s an amazing semi-precious bracelet by Bijoux Artigianali di Ceni Bardhyl SRL, an artisan brand based in Florence, who created for me a gorgeous, unique, vintage-style handicraft comprising a gold-plated rose-gold chain in a “Demirouge” alloy 14 K, alternating plain and textured intertwined oval links with suspended three medium-size coins and two elaborated pyramid shaped charms inset with semi-precious ruby-red and opalescent-azure stones. 

Even if this is a unique piece, all amateurs of this kind of bracelets, can find a vast selection of ready-made models of the same collection, available at OROMODA jewellery’s, an exclusive dealer for the brand in northern Italy, that you can contact by Instagram: gioielleria_oromoda, or Facebook: Gioielleria Oromoda
And, if you've already holiday-shopped for your family, now it's time for the most important person on your list – YOU, and here is certainly one of the cutest must-haves to include at the top of your wish list this Christmas.

Personally, I’m so excited about this coveted present that I can’t wait a minute longer to wear it, and to make the most of its dangling presence from my right wrist for my birthday dinner, tonight!🎉🎊🎂