Translation - Fashion to Home No. 25 - A Strand of Pearls

 

Anthropologie's BHLDN Gemma Pearl embellished jacket intro inspired this Translation - Fashion to Home. Take something classic, like a stand of pearls and translate it into something modern and I am intrigued, that is what a pearl necklace chandelier does for a room design for me. Its boldness stands strong like the grain of sand stuck in the oyster's shell. Mix it with traditional mouldings and my heart skips a beat. 

"My dream is to adorn the neck of all women around the world with pearls." - Kokicki Mikimoto

"A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls." - Coco Chanel

"All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography." - Frederico Fellini

"The pearl is the queen of gems and gem of queens." - Grace Kelly

"When I'm cold I just put another rope of pearls on." - Dorothy Parker

Be inspired to look at the lighting plan for your home and make sure it is translating into something bold!

"It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existence, you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful, a haven in this troubled world." - Audrey Hepburn

Sources: Chanel, Lapo Lounge, Anthropologie, Pearly Girl, Tumblr, Vogue Germany, Laguna Pearl, Pinterest, Givenchy

Be Inspired No. 33 - Chanel No. 5

"'Where should one use perfume?' a young woman asked. 

            'Wherever one wants to be kissed,' I said."

                                                                                                                                         

                                                        Coco Chanel

I love stories of inspiration. It confirms over and over that inspiration can come from anywhere and reap rewards beyond your imagination. The story of Chanel No. 5 is no exception.

As the story goes, at the age of twelve, Coco Chanel was handed over to the care of nuns, and for the next six years spent a stark, disciplined existence in a convent orphanage, Aubazine, founded in the twelfth century. From her earliest days at Aubazine, the number five had potent associations for Chanel. Aubazine had been founded by Cistercians, a Catholic order who placed great emphasis on numerology. 

The number five was especially esteemed as signifying the pure embodiment of a thing, its spirit, its mystic meaning. The paths that led Chanel to the cathedral for daily prayer were laid out in circular patterns repeating the number five.

In 1920, when presented with small glass vials of scent numbered 1-5 and 20-24, for her assessment, she chose the sample composition contained in the fifth vial. Chanel told her master perfumer, Ernest Beaux, whom she had commissioned to develop a fragrance with modern innovations:

"I present my dress collections on the fifth of May, the fifth month of the year and so we will let this sample number five keep the name it has already, it will bring good luck."

History of Chanel No. 5's iconic bottle.

It is also said that the composition of the fifth vial was a mistake because an assistant used an unheard of amount of that the concoction was actually a laboratory mistake. Beaux's assistant added a dose of aldehyde in a quantity never used before.

Don't ever miss something great because it seems like a mistake! Be inspired!

Image and Content Sources: Touten Parfum, Wikipedia, BBC News