How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

Talking Fashion and Function with Citizen Watch Canada

(此文為英文版部落格，欲看中文版開箱評價文，請點以下連結/ This post is in English; for the Chinese version review, please click on the link below）：

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Fashion Ecstasy (FE) was invited to an exclusive product showcase hosted by Citizen Watch Canada. We were privileged to view an impressive array of luxury watches from Citizen Watch Canada’s portfolio and learn some fascinating backstories behind their timepieces. This was followed by a very engaging and informative discussion on pushing the envelope in terms of accessorizing outfits with watches. The day ended with guests participating in a photoshoot, complete with an onsite glam squad and professional photographer. FE had a delightful time at the briefing. Thank you to Dreamland Initiative and everyone involved for the full afternoon of fashion, glamour, and omotenashi (hospitality in Japanese).

Event Highlights

Starting the Day with a Japanese Traditional Tea Ceremony

Below are highlights from the event: 

Starting the Day with a Japanese Traditional Tea Ceremony

The day began with observing a traditional tea ceremony, known as chanoyu, or sado, in Japanese. The ceremony was performed by Momo Yoshida, a Toronto-based Tea Sommelier, online business owner, and our chajin (Tea Master/Host) for the afternoon. While we enjoyed our servings of genmaicha and wagashi (Japanese sweets), we carefully watched Momo lay out the implements to be used in the ceremony. Momo was the picture of grace, beauty, and elegance as she prepared the ceremonial matcha right in front of us.  At the end of the ceremony, I was handed a stone bowl containing freshly brewed and skillfully made matcha. It was the best matcha I’ve ever had! It was a perfect compliment to my helping of wagashi. The traditional Japanese tea ceremony was a lovely nod to Citizen’s Japanese roots and a soothing way to start the day. Domo arigatou gozaimashita.

Discussing Watches with Zahra Hemraj

Director of Marketing and Data Integration for Citizen Watch Canada, Zahra Hemraj, opened the briefing with a warm and gracious welcome to all attendees. She gave some background on the watch brand. Citizen has recently celebrated the centenary of its first timepiece, a pocket watch that was well-received but was unnamed at that time. The Tokyo Mayor Count Shinpei Goto named it, Citizen, in view of the hope that their watches would be afforded to every citizen. A hundred years later, Citizen is one of those luxury watches that has carved a niche in the industry by providing great value at incredibly good quality, thus becoming worth adding to any wardrobe.

It was then that Zahra pointed out the fine variants of luxury watches that lay in store before us. Citizen Watch Canada proudly includes the following brands in its extensive portfolio: Citizen, Bulova, Frederique Constant, Alpina, and Accutron. One standout was Bulova’s successful watch collaboration with Grammy-award nominated and winning musical artist Marc Anthony and his wife, Nadia Ferreira. These collections, called Marc Anthony and Nadia’s Picks, feature classically designed timepieces with details such as gold watchstraps in Nadia’s Picks and sporty and modern designs in Marc Anthony’s collection. As Zahra was going over the details of Marc Anthony’s “The Curve” watch, I couldn’t help but notice the crystal-embellished watch with a gold mesh strap glittering in my direction. This sparkly piece of wrist candy was called the “Champagne Crystal” timepiece and was set with 103 Austrian crystals and complemented by a textured pale gold dial. Coincidentally, the watch perfectly complimented my outfit for the photoshoot. Zahra and Janice, the stylist, must have seen my eyes sparkle like the watch’s crystal dials as they eventually made their way onto my wrist for my photoshoot. 

More on that in the next section.

Styling Watches to Your Style Identity

Guests were tasked with completing a style questionnaire before the event. This short questionnaire contained questions that touched on topics such as dream travel destinations, favourite colour palettes, and describing the ideal summer. These questions had me reflecting on my style identity, which is always in a state of reinvention. It turns out that these questionnaires were for Janice’s part of the briefing. Using Allison Bornstein’s Three-Word Method, we were supposed to use our unique word groupings to discover and define our style and choose the watch(es) that best embodied our style. One helpful tip I learned from the discussion is that the same method can be applied to gift buying. The watches that we selected would then be used in our photoshoot. Before the briefing, I hadn’t worn a watch in decades. But I was determined to get my picture taken with the refined, glamorous, and bubbly “Champagne Crystal” watch. 

The Photoshoot Experience

Now, let me share my personal highlight of the day!

The Photoshoot was So Much Fun

My fellow guest and I enjoyed extra time on set, which made the experience much more relaxing, intimate, and comfortable for a first-time model like myself. The photographer was a joy to work with—friendly, engaging, and full of creative direction that helped me find my most flattering poses. The enthusiastic support from the Dreamland Initiative staff was also very appreciated. I’m very excited to receive the headshots as I’m sure the “Champagne Crystal” watch and I looked stunning that day. Now, I can happily cross Modelling for a fashion photoshoot off my bucket list!

Once again, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Citizen Watch Canada and Dreamland Initiative for making this Day truly unforgettable.

For more information on Citizen Watch Canada and their fabulous watches, please visit https://www.citizenwatch.com/ca/en/home/

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event

How I Styled the Sparkling ‘Champagne Crystal’ Watch at Citizen Watch Canada’s Luxury Event