June in Toronto has a particular kind of energy. The temperature rises and the city exhales. Patios fill. Everyone you know is suddenly inexplicably busy, and the streets are alive in the best possible way.
I have been no exception. This month I found myself moving through the city with what I can only describe as intention dressed as spontaneity: afternoons lost in antique markets, long lunches that stretched into golden hour, rooftop evenings where the skyline did most of the talking.
And through all of it, the same watch. The Longines Mini DolceVita, sitting quietly on my wrist, keeping perfect time while I most certainly did not.
Step 1: The Anchor
The first time I ever saw the Longines Mini DolceVita, I had what the Italians might call a colpo di fulmine, or a lightning bolt to the heart (and yes, I have a flair for the dramatic). It is a gorgeous timepiece. At 21.50 x 29.00 mm, it is precisely, deliberately small. What makes it a stand-out is the rectangular case set with 38 Top Wesselton IF-VVS diamonds, totalling 0.456 carats. Diamonds that do not shout, but catch the light at exactly the right moment.
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
Longines has been making the DolceVita since 1997, but the design language reaches further back. It speaks to the elegant dress watches of mid-century Swiss watchmaking, when a watch on a woman’s wrist was considered jewellery first, instrument second. The name itself tells you everything: dolce vita, the sweet life, evoking the glamour and ease of 1950s European culture. This is precisely why the Mini DolceVita makes the ideal anchor for this month’s stack.
Step 2: The Personality
It is no secret that I love to tell stories. Especially when it comes to my jewellery. In fact, there used to be a time when I would actually not buy or wear a single piece unless it came with a story – something behind it, something that made it mean something beyond the object itself.
The Dior silver plated heart lock & key charm bracelet meets that brief entirely. My sister gave it to me years ago. It was the first designer jewellery piece I ever owned. She purchased it during one of her summers in Paris, wandering through Printemps, taking in all the beautiful things, when she happened into Dior and found this bracelet. Our love for Paris runs in the family, so really, it could not have come from anywhere else.
What I adore about this piece beyond the story is its sheer versatility. When I cannot decide what to wear, when I want something simple that still elevates, when I need a companion that complements without competing, this bracelet is always the answer. On the Mini DolceVita, it is exactly that.
Step 3: The Sparkle
If the Dior bracelet is the piece with the story, the el&elle Green Moissanite Tennis Bracelet is the piece with the secret. Intrigued?
For those not yet acquainted, moissanite is a unique stone, and not simply a diamond alternative as some jewellers might have you think. It was originally found in a meteorite, and is now lab-grown. el&elle is a Canadian brand that specializes in moissanite jewellery, and actually the reason that I came to know about moissanite in the first place.
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
In this stack, I selected a green moissanite, which has a particular kind of shimmer to it. The coloured stone makes it unique without sacrificing elegance. It has the kind of sparkle that makes people lean in and take a closer look. Against an otherwise all-silver stack, the colour is what makes it feel like my own.
Step 4: The Texture
The whole point of texture is to keep a stack from feeling flat, something to make it stand out. One of my favourite things about a tennis bracelet is the way it sits flush against the skin, while each stone remains distinctly visible. That construction alone gives it a natural texture, a quiet rhythm of stone and setting that reads differently against the wrist than a solid bangle or a chain ever could. Next to the Mini DolceVita, it distinguishes itself from the watch bracelet in a way that feels considered rather than accidental. Add to it the green moissanite, we have a bracelet that so effortlessly creates that excitement in the stack that adding anything else would frankly be beside the point. That is always the fun part of stacking – there are no hard rules. Feel like combining sparkle and texture? By all means, go ahead. Feel like skipping a step? That is perfectly okay too – the point is really to make it yours.
Step 5: The Edit
In the interest of sharing stories and secrets this month, I am going to let you in on a big one: I nearly did an entirely different stack. My first concept involved this beautiful Dior Bois de Rose Bracelet, and frankly it nearly won. It is a stunning reimagination of the stem of Christian Dior’s favourite flower, the rose, in a sculptural abstraction that wraps around the wrist like a literal piece of art. The bracelet is 18K pink gold, set with diamonds totalling 0.54 carats, and certainly draws your attention.
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
Unfortunately, that was the problem. The Bois de Rose is such a head turner that it did not want to share the spotlight, and I did not think that was fair to the Mini DolceVita, which equally deserved its moment. Two stunning pieces, both deserving of their own moment, just not together – at least not for me. The Bois de Rose is one of those pieces that needs to be the main character, not the supporting actor. I will have to return to it another time.
So, with that decision having been made, the Chameleon Stack is complete. The Longines Mini DolceVita, the Dior silver plated heart lock & key charm bracelet, and the el&elle Green Moissanite Tennis Bracelet. Accompanied by my custom diamond ring from Dubai, an el&elle Marquise Cut Moissanite Ring, and an el&elle Ouroboros Pear Moissanite Ring, this makes quite the stack. Perfect for any moment and ready with a story, a secret, and a trip to space.
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
Et voilà — a stack that transports you to space, to Paris, and to Italy all in one go. Chameleon, indeed.
Living La Dolce Vita
Going back to my earlier thought about the weather warming up, you know that this can only mean one thing – patio season comes into full swing. And patio season in Toronto is not a suggestion. It is a personality. One that I embrace wholeheartedly.
This month I took the Mini DolceVita out for exactly that. A long, unhurried lunch at Amal, one of my favourite restaurants (in particular for their halloumi), with one of my close friends. It was the kind of lunch that starts in the afternoon and somehow finds itself in the early evening. For this stack, I paired the watch with two pieces that felt equally at ease in the sunshine.
The Tiffany 1837 cuff is one of those pieces we have spoken about before, so I will not go too in depth. The short version: some pieces I have owned for so long that they no longer feel like jewellery, but rather a no-brainer. This is one of those.
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
The Alexis Bittar Miss Havisham crystal encrusted cuff, on the other hand, is a different story entirely. I first fell in love with Alexis Bittar because it was always one of my sister’s favourite jewellery brands, and I always used to sneak into her jewellery box to borrow one of her treasured pieces. This piece was one of the first Alexis Bittar items I bought for myself, and it has never left my rotation. Sculptural, darkly glamorous, inspired by the iconic Charles Dickens character Miss Havisham, frozen in her own particular moment of time. On this beautiful patio day, I wore it positioned over my hand, creating what I can only describe as an architectural moment on my wrist.
Fun fact: my friend Hannah also brought out her own Longines timepiece for this lunch, totally unplanned. I dare say, the Mini DolceVita is THE perfect watch for patio dates.
Unique Take: Men’s Stack
I have a confession to make. The green moissanite tennis bracelet did not only make an appearance on my wrist this month.
We were heading out to a family dinner, and my dad was wearing his Longines HydroConquest with a beautiful green dial. A 42mm automatic in stainless steel with a ceramic bezel, it is built to be a sports watch, but it is so stunning that it translates effortlessly to an evening out.
Now while my dad is not typically one for sparkle, the el&elle bracelet happened to catch my eye and I convinced him to try it on. Next to the HydroConquest, it felt like a perfect match. The two pieces looked as though they had always belonged together. Same bracelet, entirely different story. (Note: both are great options for any last minute Father’s Day gifts!)
Photo credit: Zahra Hemraj
The tennis bracelet has long been considered a women’s piece. I would like to respectfully push back on that. On a man’s wrist, paired with a sport watch and a well-cut suit, it reads as considered and confident. el&elle pieces are designed for everyone, regardless of gender, background, or style.
Proof that stacking is not only a woman’s game.
So with that, I am now inspired to grab a copy of Great Expectations, savour a refreshing drink, and lose myself in the world of Miss Havisham. Perhaps I will catch you on a patio, living the sweet life with your own stack du jour.
For more stack inspo, follow along on IG: @torontowatchgirl.
Featured in this month’s stack are the Longines Mini DolceVita L5.200.0.71.6 ($5,800 CAD), Longines HydroConquest L3.788.4.06.6 ($2,900 CAD), el&elle Green Moissanite Tennis Bracelet ($290 CAD), el&elle Marquise Cut Moissanite Ring ($250 CAD), el&elle Ouroboros Pear Moissanite Ring ($599 CAD), and the Dior Bois de Rose Bracelet ($17,800 CAD).
