Coralie Charriol’s Favorite Things

Coralie Charriol is the chairwoman and creative director of CHARRIOL, a renowned Swiss jewelry brand. She is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. She attended Tufts University, where she studied art history. She is passionate about film production and is the co-founder and president of REACT to FILM. She also serves on the board of the Lonely Whale, an initiative to stop plastic pollution in the ocean. She loves photography and surfing in her spare time.

Hannah:  Hi, good morning. It’s really great to have you today.

Coralie:  Thank you. I’m happy to be here.

Hannah:  So let’s just jump right into it. What is your favorite guilty pleasure purchase?

Coralie: I must say, I don’t have one. I have many. I love champagne, especially Rosé Ruinart champagne, because it’s great for entertaining. And I love bubbles. I love chocolate. I live in Switzerland, so I’m cheating a little bit. I’m surrounded by a lot of beautiful chocolatiers. For example, chocolate from Auer, Guillaume Bichet or Fruition. And then I definitely would say that tequila is another one of my guilty pleasures. I particularly love Mezcal Ilegal. I love the name of the bottle too. I love brands that have incredibly fun names. And this one, it just makes you feel like you might be doing something illegal. Anyway, it’s got a great story to tell. I also love drinking tea. I drink tea all day. I’m a big fan of Fortnum and Mason from London. They have so many different flavors, and I love getting their Christmas baskets. My other favorite indulgence is vintage jewelry. I have a friend called Mahnaz and she collects a lot of vintage jewelry. Her collection is called the Mahnaz Collection and she used to sell at Barneys. Now, she has her own website. And I love to talk to her because she always tells me about the designer and where the piece came from and the whole history behind the jewelry. And since I’m a jeweler, I kind of love those one of a kind pieces that have been worn and loved.

Hannah: Those are so many amazing recommendations, I’m definitely going to be looking at some of the chocolates! With the holidays coming up, what gift do you most like to give?

Coralie:  I must say, I’m terrible at giving because I always go shopping for somebody else, but end up buying for myself, which is terrible. But anyway, I do find great scarves and gloves. There’s a place in Megeve and the Alps where I go in the Christmas season and it’s a local store to only Megeve. It’s called ALLARD and they sell great scarves and gloves. I love hats too. There’s a brand called Michel Paris. They make beautiful fedoras for ladies and I love them for the winter or the summer. And my other hat recommendation is Nick Fouquet, who is based in L.A. He’s a surfer and a real artist. To get a hat made by him is quite something! And then I love giving vases and plates and dishes from Themis Z. It feels like a very substantial gift. My friend Themis Z does incredible vases. They’re all handcrafted in Greece and they are good for an accent on a bookcase or something like that. Sometimes, I give a quick gift, like a panettone, which is an Italian tea time cake. It only comes out during Christmas and you have so many different flavors of chestnut and chocolate and orange. And so those are great gifts. And of course, I have to say a surreal piece of CHARRIOL jewelry, one of my own. Buy a product from my collection, either a bangle earrings or a necklace, and those are always great, even bundled up. You can always also find some nice pens, because they will remind you how nice and luxurious it is to write something by hand. And then maybe if you want to splurge, a ladies watch or Gentz watch.

Hannah: Those are all amazing ideas, so along those lines, what gifts do you most like to receive?

Coralie: I will take anything anybody gives me. I’m always happy to get a gift. Sometimes just unwrapping it is sheer pleasure. The presentation can be as important as what is inside. I have a friend who has a great store in Aspen, Colorado, called O2, and she sells great loungewear and activewear. I like getting those kinds of things. I love the brand Monrow Cashmere because it feels so soft. I also love army jackets from Yves Salomon. It’s very cool on the outside and furry on the inside. It’s great for the winter months. Lastly, I love getting jewelry. I have a friend who owns the Gem Palace and he’s got some great Indian vintage pieces that I love.

Hannah: Amazing! What items usually make it into your carry on?

Coralie:  Well, the trick, I think, is really to stay hydrated. You know, I always have a small kit with a few creams, usually samples that I’ve been given by different brands. I always have the Caudalie facial spray, which is this French brand that makes beautiful products made from grapes. I cannot go anywhere without my silk eye mask because I need to have total darkness to sleep. And there’s a brand called Slip, which makes great ones. I also travel with a pair of socks, probably a hairbrush and maybe some CHARRIOL sunglasses, so I feel like more put together when I arrive.

Hannah:  What would you say are the best design products in your home or office?

Coralie: All right, so there’s a few things I can think of where form meets function, which I believe is true beauty. I love my tea machine and citrus juicer from SAGE. And I think those two products are awesome. And that’s what I drink in the morning. I always have either grapefruit or orange juice, and then I have my tea. I’m probably going to make you laugh, but I also love my DYSON vacuum cleaner. There’s this new vacuum cleaner and it’s actually really enjoyable to use. And I also love my DYSON hair dryer. It’s the new one and is a little bit expensive, but it turned out to be fantastic. And then in my office, believe it or not, in Geneva, there’s a couple of months in the fall that is very dark. I need sunlight more than anything. There’s a Swedish light therapy light that basically sits on your desk and gives you the sunlight that you need. It’s vitamin D light therapy, and it changes your mood entirely. And it really kind of gets me through the day. And of course, since I’m sitting all day, my Herman Miller chair is very, very important for my back and for my posture.

Hannah:  Amazing. What would you say are the items that are on top of your holiday wish list this year?

Coralie: I’ve been eyeing Alexandra von Furstenberg home pieces, she’s got these fantastic, bright, colorful objects that you can put in your house, like a chess set inspired by the Queen’s Gambit. I love her placecard holders as well. And her candy and candy holders, things like that. It brightens up the room. And also, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking at home, so I like to have beautiful cookbooks. I’d love to get the new Yotam Ottolenghi book “Flavor.” This book will definitely help me make more vegetarian dishes because I’m trying to eat less meat. So that would be great. I also love an astrology session, which can definitely provide comfort in these uncertain times. I have this lady called Juliana McCarthy, who does really great astrology sessions. I’m also a big surfer, and this summer I tried the Surf E-foil cruiser board. It really helps you cruise above the waves. I would love to get them for Christmas! I’d also love a new wetsuit from Rip Curl. I’d also love some Ronny Kobo dresses that I always see on Instagram. That would be really cute for New Year’s.

Hannah:  I also have been watching the Queen’s Gambit, and it’s such a good show! What do you think your favorite fashion finds are?

Coralie:  Oh, my God, there’s so many and they change all the time, but right now, I must say I love La Ligne’s great knits. I also love whimsical pajamas from Daily Sleeper, beautiful tops from Khaite, and classic bags from my brand CHARRIOL or Bottega Veneta. Cult Gaia has fun designs as well! I like the look and feel. I would also love a new kind of ski outfit from Perfect Moment.

Hannah:  What beauty products do you always try to keep in your purse?

Coralie: I always have some kind of lip balm. I love lipsticks and balms from Dior. I always have hand cream and obviously a sanitizer now. I love cheaper mascaras, like mascaras from L’Oreal and Maybelline. I always, always carry essential oils from Doterra and I sniff those all day long. Sometimes, I like creams from One Ocean, which are actually derived from the ocean.

Hannah: In the last year, what item did you discover was indispensable?

Coralie:  Since we were in lockdown, my MacBook Pro was indispensable for all my Zoom calls. My son also made us discover board games again. We played a lot of board games. We played Catan, which was a new game I had never played. And also Risk! I don’t know if you’ve ever played those. I’ve also discovered when we were able to be outside our homes it was really great to have the Specialized Turbo Levo Comp electric mountain bike. It’s the most incredible invention for mountain biking!

Hannah: Is there a particular product that inspires you?

Coralie: There are so many brands that have come onto the market that never existed before. There’s constant innovation and constant renewal and revisiting old things, but with a new twist, and that is really inspiring to me. Even through these hard times, brands and designers and creators are continuously creating and bringing us new and fun stuff and practical stuff. They also make more sustainable materials. For example, I love Tesla. Tesla is obviously a leader in innovation and it strives for excellence. I also really like Bumble. I think they’re doing a great job. I love their female focused approach. I also like the 4 Ocean Bracelets. They are all made from recycled materials, supposedly from the ocean. There’s a brand called Next Wave, and they’re putting together all these heavy hitter brands like IKEA, HP, GM and Dell. They’re working together to create and use plastics that are ocean bound and to use the plastics in their products. I love what they’re doing and I love All Birds. It’s like a great new sneaker that is made using only natural materials. Lastly, Patagonia is a classic. They’re also very sustainable.

Hannah:  Thank you so much for coming today. We really appreciate it. It was really great hearing all of your product recommendations!

Coralie: My pleasure.