A sparkling Valentine’s day

4 February 2014

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A week ago, I had the chance to meet the dazzling Nathalie Colin, Artistic Director of Swarovski.

I never miss an opportunity to meet inspired and inspiring persons, and this kind of privilege is clearly one of the things I like the most about being a blogger! When I was asked to meet Nathalie Colin, I didn’t hesitate one second! We arranged an after work appointment a few blocks away from my place, near Kingside, at the lively and convivial Hotel Viceroy’s restaurant

It was no surprise to me to see that Nathalie Colin is like the jewels she creates : a shiny, colorful, multi-faceted personality.

We talked a lot, and I think I can safely say she likes talking as much as I do!

Since 2007, the year she took the head of Swarovski’s artistic direction, the brand has been modernized. Dynamism, inspiration and renewing, while keeping Swarovski’s DNA and the exclusive techniques that make Swarovski’s crystal a must-have in the world of fashion. To manage this revolution, Nathalie Colin gathered a small, cosmopolite team of more than 20 nationalities, and an intern design department constantly searching for exciting new trends. That’s one of the keys to the success of the brand, established and loved in more than a hundred countries.

She told me about her life as a hard-working woman travelling all over the world. I really liked the way she talked about the need for newness that comes up each season. Many designers consider every collection as a painful birth, but Nathalie Colin only sees the creative process through joy and pleasure.

Here is a little story : I was wearing one of my Shourouk necklaces, and she was wearing one too, so I knew we would get along very well! And we also talked, as you might have guessed, about Shourouk’s collaboration with Swarovski, and their second capsule collection for next spring.

We talked a lot about blogs, social networks and addiction to sharing. It was great talking with her about all this, since she’s very active on Instagram and Twitter (@winkbyNathalie here and here). She also has a blog, Wink by Nathalie, on which she regularly posts articles about her inspirations, her life as an Artistic Director, but also her fashion and beauty tips.

We also talked about Valentine’s Day (only a few days left!), which is one of Swarovski’s highlights.

Nathalie had brought a selection of Swarovski jewels, needless to say it was love at first sight for many of them !

I hope you’ll like my pictures. I used a macro lens (I’m not used to it!) to show you the delicacy of the jewels and the pure brightness of the crystals.

Let’s move on to Valentine’s Day’s essentials, among which the heart shaped pendant, declined over and over.

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Two mix of complementary pendants : the AMOROUS MIX and the AMOROUS VERSATILE PENDANT, both embellished with clear crystal pavé, rhodium-plated and rose gold-plated chains, that you can wear together or separately, mixing the chains and the metals.

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You can also wear them as a set with a duo of Tennis bracelets, one of their bestselling products : a delicate strand of bezel-set clear crystals, for a minimalistic and elegant, very couture look. I was wearing them yesterday in my Blush outfit, and I have to say they haven’t left my wrist since then!

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Another gift idea that you wouldn’t necessarily think of : earrings! I like this pair of oval, rose gold-plated studs. They have this vintage charm that can be fun with a casual look.

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Two successful products for Valentine’s Day : the Eros pendant, a heart of rose crystals sparkling in Swarovski’s exclusive Pointiage® technique ; and the Agree pendant, a sparkling heart shaped crystal pendant. Once again, you can either mix them or wear them separately!

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Another bestseller (I love them!) : the SLAKE bracelets, available in every colors and that can be mixed over and over. Here, the Fuchsia Ruby ones and the Light ones, that can match the heart shaped pendants above for color hints.

Nathalie Colin was wearing the emerald and the black ones when we met, and it looked gorgeous! I have to add them to my wish list (Romain, if you’re around…).

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 Another gift idea for Valentine’s Day (Nathalie told me it was Miranda Kerr’s favorites – Miranda Kerr is the actual face of Swarovski) : the white crystal pearl, refined, delicate and timeless.

The very subtle Appear pendant combines clear crystal pavé with white crystal pearl, and the Nude bracelet features white crystal pearls, one of which is delicately wrapped in clear crystal pavé.

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I have to confess, these last years, I wasn’t really into the whole Valentine’s Day thing. Romain and I have always found many good reasons not to celebrate it : it’s cheesy ; it’s only a commercial machine to make you buy flowers, chocolate and jewelry ; it’s too cold outside ; it’s so not spontaneous ; we don’t need a special day to make presents to one another…

But this year, in New York, I really want to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s a real institution here, like Thanksgiving, the 4th of July or the Super Bowl : it’s part of the national folklore!

And after all, making little presents, going to a nice restaurant, getting a nice bouquet of flowers is always nice, isn’t it?

What about you? Are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year or not? If so, do you have a crush on any Swarovski jewel?

You can try the unusual but really working method of the blog reader : you take your boyfriend/fiancé/husband’s computer and open two pages : my blog with your comment saying you’re sure your boyfriend will read between the lines and offer you the lovely heart necklace you just told him about after reading my article, and another page with the Swarovski jewel you’re dreaming of!

And if it works, please let me know on February 14th!!

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26 comments on “A sparkling Valentine’s day”

  2. Tout est magnifique chez Swarovski, mon chéri m’a offert un bracelet de chez eux pour Noel donc là pour la St Valentin je pense qu’il se rabattra sur autre chose ^^
    Tes photos sont magnifiques !
    Biz Jeny

    Reply

  3. Quelle chance d’avoir rencontré cette dame. Les bijoux sont vraiment très sympa et moi aussi je craque complètement pour les bracelet SLAKE, j’en ai d’ailleurs déjà porté dans ce style (la marque avait collaboré avec une autre marque mais impossible de me souvenir du nom…).

    Reply

  11. Côté bijoux romantiques, j’ai eu ma dose avec un collier Tiffany ce Noël 🙂 du coup, au moment de la Saint-Valentin, je sais que j’aurai au minimum une housse de Kindle (oui vachement romantique mais c’est moi qui ai demandé ^^) et un super dîner. Mais bon, c’est 2 jours avant mon anniversaire, donc je tiens à ce que mon chéri marque le coup, mais pas qu’il se ruine avec deux cadeaux énormes, donc je demande un cadeau plus petit pour la Saint-Valentin ^^

    Reply

  12. Les bijoux sont superbes!!! Très belle collection . Pour ma part la saint Valentin a pris une importance toute particulière dans notre vie de couple avec mon mari le 14/02/2006 … Jour de la naissance de notre fille 🙂

    Reply

  15. Nous non plus on est pas très Saint Valentin avec mon chéri, mais si j’étais à NY c’est sûr que j’aurais tout de suite plus envie de fêter vraiment ça ! En attendant pas de roses, pas de dîner avec plein d’autres couples dans un resto (l’angoisse !) mais un entre-deux qui nous va bien : un super dîner en tête à tête à la maison pour une bonne soirée rien que pour nous deux ! Et puis niveau bijoux j’aime bien ce qui est un peu moins “évident”, plus subtil que des bijoux avec des cœurs donc du coup les studs-cabochons me plaisent bien par exemple 🙂

    Reply

  16. J’adore vraiment les bracelets Slake !
    Et j’ai beaucoup aimer comment tu as introduis la saint valentin dans ton article, ça m’a fait bien rire ! Croisons les doigts pour que tous les jules passent par là.

    Bonne journée !

    Reply

  17. j’ai une préférence pour les swarovski montés sur des bracelets ou colliers par Shourouk, décalés, rock, ils jouent la carte kitsch et la détourne! je suis moins touchée par ces pièces-ci que je trouve un peu trop classiques

    Reply

  18. Moi j’ai eu le bracelet en noir pour mon anniversaire et je l’adore!!! Je le mets tout le temps. J’ai beaucoup de parure de cette marque je la trouve féminine et ça fait toujours de l’effet sur les autres!

    Reply

  23. Bonjour Pauline,

    Un bien bel article pour une fan inconditionnelle de Svarowski comme moi.
    Pour ma part, j’ai également choisi de fêter la Saint Valentin avec mon amoureux.
    je connais déjà mon cadeau puisque je l’ai essayé. Je vais avoir le collier Airy small de Svarowski justement. J’ai tellement hâte d’être le 14!!!! vivement
    Leslie

    Reply

  26. Hello Pauline!

    Je n’ai pas du tout fait dans le subtile comme toi.
    J’ai carrément envoyé le lien du bracelet slake à mon amoureux en lui disant “regardes comme c’est beauuuu!”. Et je viens de le recevoir en noir =D

    *Super contente de mon coup*

    Sarah

    Reply

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