SUNDAY SLOWDOWN | Creative Muse - Elsa Peretti
"All my work comes out of my life."
- Elsa Peretti
This week, as we continue our Artist in Residence series on creative muses at Bella Cucina, I find myself inspired and intrigued by the Italian jewelry designer, Elsa Peretti. Elsa began her career as a model in Rome, and then moved to the states in the early 1960's to immerse herself in the cultural and creative scene of New York city. There, she met and modeled for the clothing designer, Halston. It was through, Halston, her longtime friend and collaborator, that she was introduced to Tiffany & Co. This fortuitous partnership would become the catalyst for her legacy, a line of jewelry inspired by the simplicity and beauty of nature. Sensual. Sculptural. Organic in form. Elsa believed that women should not wait to be given jewelry, but to acquire their own as way to adorn themselves with beauty, to express their individuality, and to feel empowered by their own personal style. More than fifty years later, her iconic designs still endure and endear.
Elsa's gift was to translate feeling into form. Her ability to synthesize simplicity and sensuality is reflected in all areas of her life her jewelry collections , her Manhattan studio and her bohemian style Spanish home. Elsa's design philosophy was never about perfection. It was about imagination and the balance of beauty.
“I can hold a cup of sake on a full moon in Japan, and the reflection of the moon
in that little cup can make me feel so enthusiastic about beauty.”
Today, I am contemplating Elsa's visionary ethos. It's a reminder that to adorn and express ourselves, whether with the jewelry or clothes we wear, the beauty we surround ourselves with, or how we ritualize the way we work, is an act of honoring our artistry and uniquely authentic way of being in the world.
X Alisa
