Summer's gifts of gentle breezes, brilliant sunshine, and time off-schedule are enough to make our minds wander to beautiful places and times well spent. For every summer story that is told, we can be sure that there is a whisper and a nod to sea shells. They are the jewels in the stories of our childhood memories at the beach. They become precious keepsakes for first loves, long walks on the beach, and times spent watching our children splash about in the sea.

When I was a girl, my mom had a beautiful pale pink shell (shown above) sitting in the soap cove of her bath. I would soak in her bath, hold the shell to my ear, and listen to the gentle breeze that played inside. It was like a modern-day playlist of all my memories growing up at the beach. It is one of my greatest treasures and eventually influenced my jewelry designs.

Shells have been symbols in architectural design, furniture design, jewelry, and paintings for centuries. They are the symbols of sensuality seen in works by Botticelli, in the designs of Leonardo da Vinci who often drew upon nature for his inspiration, and in the Rococo shell chairs Matisse painted in the 18th century. More recently, Tony Duquette's use of shells was reflected in his opulent design style, Thomas Boog continues to create over-the-top objects in his Paris design studio, and iconic jeweler, Verdura, is known for using the shell motif in many of their designs.

When I began imagining and developing my first collection of upscale jewelry in New York, I referenced my youth growing up near Santa Barbara and time spent at Miramar Beach. The Camille K Miramar cuff and earrings make strong statements, ones that are very personal to me. Of course, I would be remiss in not acknowledging the Couture shell cuff (shown above) that started it all! It features real turban shells sewn on 18th century French gold and silver bullion trims. We continue to sell these as limited pieces upon request.

Many years ago after a visit with my Mother, she handed me a small wrapped package along with her hug goodbye. Inside was the shell from her bath... and in her soft voice, she advised me to listen in whenever I felt too far from home.

May you enjoy your last days of summer and savor all the memories you make.

xx Carla

http://camillek.com/montecito

I recently came across the Netflix show, VELVET while browsing their content. The story centers around fashion in a high-end Madrid department store in the 1950's with references to Coco Chanel, Balenciaga and Dior. We see their designs upstairs on the selling floor and can dream about them with the seamstresses downstairs in the atelier. And then there are actors like Miguel Angel Silvestre who plays the prodigal son Alberto that we can just simply dream of...

Besides fashion, love Spanish style plays a big part in this show. With its cast of beautiful characters, we get to fall in and out of love, experience the high drama of their escapades, and admire the intensity and loyalty of their friendships. Having lived in Madrid in the 70's and having dated 3 men all coincidently named Carlos, makes this show even more enjoyable for me. I am reliving my Madrid moment while revitalizing my Spanish language skills (The show is in Castilian Spanish with English subtitles) -- so much fun!

My fashion education and my love of pearl jewelry began that year in Spain. I admired the dark-haired Spanish beauties that invariably wore pearl earrings and necklaces as their everyday accessories. The Majorica Pearl Company was well represented in the department store El Corte Inglés and pearl jewerly graced the windows of fine jewelers along the Calle de Serrano and the Gran Vía. I lived on a small street off of the Gran Vía with my Señora Carmen and had the pleasure of window shopping and people watching on my way to and from school each day. I still have the pair of pearl earrings I eventually bought for myself....

The women I most admired had beautiful posture -- dance posture, and dressed in navy blue straight skirts with silk blouses and wore high heeled pumps. Their hair was often secured in a bun and their white pearls glistened against their creamy skin and dark hair. In VELVET, the actresses that play Clara, Isabel Navarro and Gloria all have Spanish dance training and it shows. With great posture, all the clothes that they wear look even more exceptional.

Currently, in the fall collections, Valentino's designs make me think of the ladies in VELVET and of all that I loved about the stylish Spanish woman. I am reminded of the first fashion advice I received at the age of 20 (albeit given to me by my flamenco dance instructor!)-- To find your style, you have to find yourself. With that confidence you begin to carry yourself differently and then with that posture, elegance walks into the room.

¡ Hasta Pronto! xx Carla

Independence Day gives us a moment to pause and appreciate what our freedoms are both universally and personally. It's a time to see all that we have, rather than all that we don't.

In the summers as a young girl, my mother would ask me what I wanted to do as a special treat. My answer was always the same; go to the international terminal arrivals at the Los Angeles International Airport to people watch and then have lunch in the sky at the airport restaurant. (Besides the great view, they shaped butter into rosettes and served it on ice!) We studied the arrivals board and proceeded to the chosen gate to watch the passengers arrive. At that time, we were free to go all the way to the gate to get a close-up view... When you are small, the world seems so big but this trip to the airport brought it all much closer to me. This big world seemed friendly and beautiful and above all, full of possibilities. Freedom is an exercise in courage and I felt that all these people from all these different countries were brave to travel so far and arrive someplace new. I marvelled at the freedom to move about the world like this-- It made me dream.

While travel in today's world is more complicated-- that freedom has only become more precious. I will continue to exercise it! In the words of Coco Chanel: " The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud!"

Happy 4th of July-- Let freedom ring!

XX Carla

Jewelry, shoes and hair are my favorite accessories. Yes, I consider hair an accessory! Big hair, sleek hair, red hair, blonde hair-- I've had it all and changed things up frequently. What I didn't change was my hairdresser. But life has a way of nudging us along even when we aren't ready to move and in January of this year, Mikel left to create heavenly hair up with the hair gods.... To say I've been lost without him is an understatement. My short hair grew long and then positioned itself in its perpetual French roll.

Fortunately, I had a trip to Paris planned and decided that it might be the perfect moment to experiment with my hair. As luck would have it, I sat next to a beautiful Australian ballerina one day in a café who had the best haircut. After talking about Paris and dance, I asked her who did her hair--she leaned in and whispered, David Mallett, and tell him Gemma sent you. The appointment was made and the day finally came to embrace change.

Walking into the building-- a 17th century Hotel Particulier, was in itself a treat. The winding staircase leading to the salon created more anticipation but nothing had prepared me for the beauty I was about to experience. The herringbone floors, the taxidermy ostrich, the tall gold-gilded mirrors and the Louis XVI chairs with their stuffing spilling out of their shredded upholstery made me gasp. I'm sure my eyes opened wider and my heart beat faster! What a backdrop for this new adventure...

David brought me my requested green tea and sat with me-- easing me into revealing my hair dreams. He admitted with a sideways smile that he had already been studying me while I was waiting in the foyer and had some ideas of his own. He analyzed me out loud and I was stunned that someone could be so clear about who I am and what I was thinking without knowing me at all. He commented on my jewelry-- I was wearing my Lucky pearl ring and bangle-- he was obsessed with the ring and said that it was his sign to let his creativity loose! Well, the next several hours spent cutting, coloring and styling my hair were joyful, exciting and downright fun. Everyone was friendly and I had some of the most wonderful conversations with people from all over the world and all walks of life. David, himself, is smart, humble, and talented. At the end of the afternoon, I left with the perfect cut and color. When I stepped out in the street, I looked up to the sky and smiled knowing that hair gods approved!

xx Carla

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David Mallett was recently interviewed in New York Magazine's, The Cut. Here is the article! Enjoy!

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/06/french-hair-secrets-stylist-david-mallett-interview.html#

Lucky Ring:        http://camillek.com/lucky-ring-i

Lucky Bangle:    http://camillek.com/lucky-5-bangle-gold-bracelet

You might not think of going to a puppet show when you are in Paris, but if you find yourself strolling in the Luxembourg Gardens (and you should!), consider attending one of the famous Guignol shows in the charming  theatre.  

When our daughter Camille was little, we took her to the garden to sail boats in the small lake there and to attend these puppet shows. When the theatre bell rings in the park, all the children (with their parents not far behind) come running to get a seat on the little wood benches in front of the stage. The parents get seated along the wall or in the back rows.  There is so much excitement in the air all of which gets boosted during intermission by the old-fashioned bon-bon sales ladies with their big trays of candies strapped in front of them.  The candy is wrapped so beautifully that it is impossible to resist!  Watching the children pay with their own carefully saved coins and then seeing their faces light up with delight when receiving their bon bons is part of the show! The whole experience is truly precious and I still make time to see Les Guignols once a year.  While there, I close my eyes and can still hear Camille's laughter and feel her delight.  

While visiting the Luxembourg Gardens, don't miss the beauty of the Medici Fountain or the opportunity to sit in one of the semi-reclined French garden chairs and take in some sun and people watching. There is an Angelina cafe at one end of the garden -- known for their famous hot chocolate and, just recently opened, La Table du Luxembourg-- a gastronomique restaurant in the upper garden by Michelin star Chef Philippe Renard (Lutétia).

Les Guignols puppet shows:

Sundays: 11:00AM and 3:30PM
Wednesday: 3:30PM
Thursday: 10:30AM and 3:30PM
Friday: 10:30AM and 3:30 PM
Saturday: 11:00AM and 3:30PM
Arrive 30 minutes early for a good seat. The show lasts 40 minutes.

Angelina in the Luxembourg:

19 rue de Vaugirard 
Open every day 10-6

La Table du Luxembourg: 

Jardin du Luxembourg
7 rue Guynemer, porte Fleurus
01 42 38 64 88 for reservations

xx Carla

Last April, we realized a long time dream to buy a Paris apartment.  We closed escrow on my birthday and we floated on champagne bubbles for days and days after.  The process of purchasing real estate in France is not for the faint of heart  but I will spare you those stories for now.  There is a 16th century expression in French  Chercher Midi à quatorze heures which translates to  something like Looking for noon at two o'clock. It basically implies that you are making things more difficult than need be-- that you are attempting to accomplish the impossible.  I think that this expression speaks perfectly to the French real estate buying experience!  Let's just say we knew we were in for an adventure when, ironically,  the apartment that we loved was located on the rue du Cherche-Midi!  

So... off I go! I've packed my carry-on with few clothes and all of my favorite Camille K jewelry pieces!   I'll have 10 hours from San Francisco to Paris to enjoy  a good book -- The Swans of Fifth Avenue-- and to dream of all the things I want to do once there.  Watch your mailbox for my Letters from Paris-- I can't wait to share it all with you!  À bientôt! 

xx Carla 

xx Carla 

xx Carla

xx Carla