With luxury brands hosting cruise shows in the South of France, After Hrs explores Côte d’Azur style...
Prosecco, passion, and power movers — the three Ps have often been synonymous with the South of France. It’s not for nothing that the French Riviera has been the playground for Russian billionaires, Hollywood glamazons, couturiers and artists. In the ’50s, Brigitte Bardot put it on the map as she frolicked in the sunny Saint-Tropez in And God Created Woman (1956). This year, the three Paris fashion houses — Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Christian Dior (plus Gucci) picked France as the place to show their 2019 Cruise lines. Karl Lagerfeld erected a giant cruise-liner within the Grand Palais in Paris coining it ‘La Pausa’ — named after Gabrielle Chanel’s holiday home. Louis Vuitton’s Resort show, which was Nicolas Ghesquière’s fifth for the house was held at the Fondation Maeght in St. Paul-de-Vence and Gucci airlifted 400 guests to Arles at the Alyscamps burial ground. With cruise focus shifting to the South of France, we get style arbiters to explore the Riviera chic...
Of caviar and couture
Designer Monisha Jaising, who brought out an entire line inspired by the sunny Saint-Tropez a few seasons ago, shares, “Everyone who loves anything which has to do with fashion, art and style would want to go to the South of France for a vacation. Brigitte Bardot was the queen of French Rivera — a major style icon, who totally owned high-waist shorts, shift dresses worn with espadrilles, cat eyed sunnies and a head scarf. She really invented the riviera style.”
A synonym for subtle luxury
Edward Larempuia, Fashion Director, Harper’s Bazaar, India links French style with a subtle sense of luxury. “Alessandro Michele found this beautiful graveyard, which was a great locale to showcase Gucci cruise 2019 offerings. The South of France style is never over the top and it’s always about an air of understated luxury. It lies in the subtle details — it could be a zipper or buttons,” says Edward.
Holiday lines
Stylist Allia Al Rufai observes, “Most French design houses have beautiful stores here, which showcase collections which are tailor-made for the Riviera. From Dior’s country house to the Chanel cafe — the riviera has some stunning spots to explore. I feel that luxury brands are now catering to buyers from all over the world, who come here on holiday. It could be Chinese or Russians,” says Allia.
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 "South of France")
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