Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva

Needless to say, any time you stay at the Four Seasons it is a special experience. From the fireworks of floral displays to the historic chandeliers reflected in the perfectly polished marble, each property seems to be fit for royalty which is precisely who walks through the doors here. The Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva is the sparkling jewel of Geneva. Of the many times I have visited this wonderful city for work I have always made a point to either dine at one of their restaurants or have a cocktail at the bar just to visit the timeless glamour of their world. It was such a treat on my weekend getaway to spend a few nights in what I think is the best hotel in Geneva.

*Practical information- Just a 9 minute walk from the train station, the location is perfect for exploring the city. You can easily catch a water taxi, dinner cruise, city tram or walk to many of the hip neighborhoods of Geneva right outside the hotel entrance. One of my favorite places to eat in Geneva is at Izumi which is on the rooftop of the Four Seasons. The hotel has a beautiful indoor pool, fitness center and amazing spa. I had perhaps one of the best Thai massages of my life here! A speciality of the spa. 

See more about Geneva in my guide!  

A night at the Le Bristol

A stay at the historic Le Bristol Hotel Paris.

I was so thrilled last week to attend the book launch of fashion illustrator Megan Hess at the Le Bristol Hotel in the heart of Paris. Her new book “New York through the Fashion Eye” was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me with all the sparkle and glamour that makes New York the fashion capital it is. Flipping through the book brought back a rush of memories and made me, for a moment, homesick for the city that had become my adopted hometown.  Even as I spend this extended time in France, I do still feel like a New Yorker and this book was a reminder of all the beauty she bestows.

The fashionable event was held at the historic Le Bristol Paris, a five star luxury hotel in operation since 1925 and is one of my absolute favorite Parisian hotels. The hotel is part of the Oetker Collection which has announced the Australian born illustrator as their ongoing artist in residence and will be traveling the world to all Oetker properties creating exclusive fashion and lifestyle illustrations for the luxury brand.

After the event I checked into my room on the 8th floor. Always breathtaking, the Le Bristol is classically French from the linens and drapes to the Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture and of course, the Eiffel Tower views her windows gaze out upon. What The Carlyle Hotel is to New York, the Le Bristol is to Paris…. that perfectly Parisian dream.

A stay at the historic Le Bristol Hotel Paris. A stay at the historic Le Bristol Hotel Paris. A stay at the historic Le Bristol Hotel Paris. Continue reading “A night at the Le Bristol”

Bulgari Resort Bali

bulgari_resort_bali_002

Standing elegantly off a cliff overlooking the endless Indian Ocean is the amazing Bulgari Resort Bali. It is a luxury resort balancing the natural elements and Balinese traditions with the sophistication of the Italian design house complete with an Italian restaurant so wonderful it was awarded ‘Best Hotel Restaurant in the World’ by International Food & Beverage Forum.

An amazing juxtaposition of private villas and sprawling mansions sound like a mega resort but that it is certainly not. It maintains a personal sense of privacy, and most importantly for me, peace all while making nature the greatest design element of all. The natural tones and traditional building elements sit the resort comfortably into the lush green and dramatic rocky cliff location.

I started each morning jetlagged at 5am, watching the colors of the sunrise fill the sky. Always first to breakfast, I would sit and have a traditional Balinese soup of chicken broth and noodles with mixed vegetables (and A LOT of spice) to the distant sound of the ocean crashing below. Lunches down by the beach consisted of fresh squeezed juices and light fish while the afternoons were perfectly filled with dips in our private pool before a 4pm walk around the property looking for the resident monkeys to see what trouble they were getting into.

This is my second time visiting Bali. What draws one here mostly, in my opinion, is the culture. The peacefulness of the people and the spirit of the ones who have moved here to be closer to it. Yoga, organic juices, and nature are the commodities of Bali, and are served up here at Bulgari in this beautiful setting. On my first visit to Bali I explored all over the island from hiking to the the top of a volcano to shooting on the black sand beaches and sleeping in a structure made of entirely bamboo. Though on this trip we did venture out to Ubud, mostly I just wanted to stay here at the resort. The beauty and calm is what my soul needed.

So here is to another amazing experience on this little island on the Indian Ocean… 

bulgari_resort_bali_003 bulgari_resort_bali_004  bulgari_resort_bali_006   Continue reading “Bulgari Resort Bali”

Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat

Grand_Hotel_du_Cap_Ferrat__02

There can’t possibly be anything more glamorous than checking in to a chic white hotel perched on the edge of rocky cliffs cascading down into the emerald Mediterranean Sea. The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons hotel, is one of those truly perfect classic icons that keeps the French Riviera sparkling, and for me, a dream destination.

This hotels ranks as one of my personal favorites. It’s so timeless in design from the marble bath and crown moldings to the french windows that over look manicured gardens and sweeping sea views. I loved dining on Niçoise salad in my room with a glass of rosé, windows open playing along in a slow dance with the floor-to-ceiling sheer white curtains. I loved the crisp white palette with elements of French design revealing themselves through a blue linen chair or gilded mirror. From movie stars to royalty, writers to artists, this property has housed some of the most amazing talent and minds in the world who come for peace and solitude in the must luxurious comforts.

When I dream of the Cote d’Azur, I dream of this….

Grand_Hotel_du_Cap_Ferrat__03

Above, traveling in an outfit by St. John, which I love, along with this brand because they do not wrinkle. Shoes by Stuart Weitzman, luggage by SteamLine (OBSESSED), bag by CHANEL.  

Grand_Hotel_du_Cap_Ferrat__04 Grand_Hotel_du_Cap_Ferrat__05 Grand_Hotel_du_Cap_Ferrat__06 Continue reading “Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat”

Deer Mountain

It’s always amazing to me how quickly you can go from New York City to quiet, pristine, lush nature. On one of the last weekends of winter, a group of friends met on 15th & 8th under the hustle of city life blanketed blanketed by the sounds of cabs honking and the last few snowflakes of the season kissing my rosey cheeks. We piled into the car, cranked on some Chris Stapleton and headed north up the Hudson River until we reached that final winding road that led us climbing high top the waterfalls and forests until we reached our weekend sanctuary, Deer Mountain.

With only six rooms, this boutique lodge nestled in 168 wooded acres balances the historic rustic nature of the original building from the 1880’s with its modern luxurious updates and amenities. Even though the charming town of Tannersville, with its own set of restaurants, shopping and activities is at the base of Deer Mountain, the inn is set up so you don’t have to leave, if you’re simply looking for a restorative weekend to relax, like I am.

I love places like this. Charm, character, and no two rooms alike. I like a place that tells a story, that leaves an imprint on your memory that can only belong to that one place and when you revisit the moments in your mind you are quickly carried away in the currents back to a place and time with its own particular feel, smell, taste, and warmth. Deer Mountain will always sound like the laughter of friends, smell like a roaring campfire, taste like bespoke cocktails and feel like a special home away from home, where you can sink into bed at night knowing all the stars are watching over you in that clear mountain sky.

Deer_Mountain_02

Deer_Mountain_03

Deer_Mountain_04 Continue reading “Deer Mountain”

Casa Palopo

Casa_Palopo002

Carved into the side of a mountain, high atop Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan, sits the tranquil yet stylish Casa Palopo. The boutique luxury resort consists of only 7 rooms with the crown jewel being the villa on the highest perch, a perfect home to share with girlfriends or a small traveling group. The picturesque pool, the outdoor fireplaces, and the one-of-a-kind decor, with many items imported from Africa, make this a total fantasy of living. From veranda to veranda it’s impossible to feel stress here when all your eyes gaze upon is a view of nature’s spectacular show.

I wish I could have spent a thousand nights here, tucked away into the side of the hill, spending my days painting the ever changing colors of the sky and feeling the beauty of life discovered in Guatemala.

Casa_Palopo005 Casa_Palopo006

Kelly wears a dress by Jonathan Cohen, belt purchased from a local Guatemalan market

Casa_Palopo007 Casa_Palopo008 Casa_Palopo009 Continue reading “Casa Palopo”

Alvear Palace Hotel

Like a sparkling jewel atop the crown of the Parisian influenced Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta sits the regal Alvear Palace Hotel. This Leading Hotels of the World palace was built in the Louis XV style in 1932 out of materials brought from France making the property feel fit for a princess. As a luxury meeting point for the Buenos Aires elite, it was even more heightened when the President of Argentina decided to come to the hotel for dinner during our stay, filling the lobby with press, security, onlookers all vying for her attention. It is to say, this hotel with its cozy Champagne Bar and elegant restaurants is a place to see and be seen.

I felt like Pretty Woman, sleeping under crystal chandeliers, running around in white terrycloth robes, eating dulce de leche chocolates from a silver tray (a daily treat from the hotel) and soaking in a golden fixture bathtub. It didn’t hurt that every room of the suite was adorned in red roses as if waiting to be brought to life in a tango dance. We dined at the hotel’s French restaurant La Bourgogne where I had the opourtunity to try frog legs for the first time, and yes, they taste like chicken. There is also fish from Patagonia, table side sautéed steak in a cognac and my favorite french restaurant trick in the book: the cheese cart.

Everyone told me before this trip that Buenos Aires was the Paris of the south and after a few nights at Alvear Palace with the city’s elegant residential district of Recoleta waiting proudly outside the swinging doors to be discovered, I have to say… it did.

 The historic Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina The historic Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina The historic Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina Continue reading “Alvear Palace Hotel”

Chantecaille

 

I love Roses.

I love to grow them, receive them, smell like them, and photograph them it’s no wonder the rose is considered the “queen” of essential oils.  You can imagine my excitement when I discovered Chantecaille’s Rose de Mai line of beauty products made extraordinarily with a very special rose gown in Provence, France which blooms only once a year called Rose de Mai and harvested by hand. I love every morning waking up and applying the Rose de Mai cream which feels as if you are rubbing thousands of rose petals on your skin. What is even more special is that the scent is all natural from the actual roses that make up these products and take care of your face with the power of this floral ingredient.

There is something very calming about the smell of roses. When I’m feeling very stressed from a long day of editing and deadlines or after an intense photoshoot, it’s nice to spray Chantecaille’s Pure Rosewater on my skin not only to re-hydrate it but lift my spirits. Rosewater has an interesting history dating back the the Ancient Romans who not only drank Rosewater but bathed in it… obviously I wish I had more Rosewater baths in my life, right?! Aside from just being incredibly luxurious, Rosewater fights depression, insect bites, inflammation, sunburn, and signs of aging. I guess this is as close as we can get to the “fountain of youth”.

Sometimes we are incredibly fortunate enough to get clients we are personally fans of. Last December we were brought into the Chantecaille offices in Soho and briefed on their top secret newest member to their rose collection, Rose de Mai Face Oil, which was just released a few weeks ago. They asked us to come up with an idea, some visuals, on what the Rose de Mai line means to us and how we would visualize Chantecaille into a body of work. You can imagine, I was beside myself- a total dream job! We got to work right away concepting everything from stills, to videos, to cinemagraphs. Later this spring the work we created will be rolled out around the world in Chantecaille’s in-store displays, websitesocial media channels and in press such as WWD.

After the creative was signed off on by every member of the Chantecaille family (this is a family run business) we got to work. First step. Find the perfect roses in the middle of winter which we did through Rose Story Farm and had as many as possible shipped overnight. The studio has never smelled so beautiful! There were roses everywhere, in the windowsill, refrigerator, work table, kitchen counters! Over the course of a three day shoot we made beds of roses, flower crowns, flower hats, flower petal showers, you name it. It was a pure delight.

Of course Chantecaille does more that skincare, they also have an amazing line of makeup made most famously by Angelina Jolie when she reapplied their lipgloss not knowingly on camera at the Golden Globes. So I was VERY interested in hanging out at the makeup station for our shoot to pick up any tips / tricks from Chantecaille’s in house makeup artist Eddie Hernandez. My favorite things: their mascara smells like roses (DONE) and this is my FAVORITE makeup tool now.

Here are some of our favorite moments from this very personal collaboration with Chantecaille~

Chantecaille__01

Above~ Red Audra Dress

Below~ Chantecaille’s new Rose de Mai Face OilChantecaille__02

[videojs mp4=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/roseoil.m4v” webm=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/roseoil.webm” poster=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/roseoil.jpg” autoplay=”true” width=”614″ height=”900″ loop=”true” controls=”false”]

Chantecaille__03

Above & Cover~ White Audra Top

Below~ Red Audra Dress

[videojs mp4=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/reddress.m4v” webm=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/reddress.webm” autoplay=”true” width=”615″ height=”520″ loop=”true” controls=”false”]

Below~ Delphine Manivet Dress

Chantecaille__04 Chantecaille__05

Above~ Marchesa Top

Below~ Chantecaille Rose de Mai Cream

Chantecaille__06 Chantecaille__07

Above~ Katie Ermilio Bandeau

Below~ Elie Saab Dress

[videojs mp4=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/flowerhat.m4v” webm=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/flowerhat.webm” autoplay=”true” width=”615″ height=”520″ loop=”true” controls=”false”]

Chantecaille__08     Chantecaille__13

Above & Cover~ White Audra Top

Below~ Delphine Manivet Dress

rain615

Chantecaille__21Chantecaille__14

Above~ Misha Nonoo Jumpsuit

Below~ Chantecaille Pure Rosewater

Chantecaille__15 Chantecaille__16 Chantecaille__17

Above~ Marchesa Top

Below~ Delphine Manivet Dress

Chantecaille__18 Chantecaille__10

Below~ Misha Nonoo Jumpsuit

[videojs mp4=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/roses.m4v” webm=”http://annstreetstudio.com/video/chantecaille/roses.webm autoplay=”true” width=”615″ height=”520″ loop=”true” controls=”false”]

Chantecaille__19

Chantecaille Rose de Mai ||Modeled by Teresa Dilger of Silent Models || Makeup by Eddie Hernandez of Chantecaille || Hair by Fred Van de Bunt from Art Department || Styling by Kelly Framel & Erin Framel of the Glamourai || Manicurist Angel Williams || Flower Artist Tammy Becker

Hiram Bingham

All my life I have dreamed of taking the Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu. Pulling up to the station in Cusco to board we found the proud historic royal blue train cars waiting for us in pristine fashion. My heart fluttered as I peered in the windows, a foreshadowing of what was to come in glimpses of white linen table tops and sparkling glasses just waiting to be filled with life. Usually when I choose to take a train it’s because I want to be able to work for those few hours of a journey…. but not here. The beauty of the old train cars, the history of luxury travel, the celebration they created demanded all your attention. We sat on red velvet seats and drank pisco sours to the beat of live musicians in the lounge car. We took pictures and smelled the fresh mountain air off the back of the last train car while we wound around and around mountain passes. We dined on classic Peruvian food paired with locally made wines and watched the river  flow by in a happy steam leading us right to the heart of Machu Picchi and the next leg of our adventure found only in south americaHiram_Bingham__01

Hiram_Bingham__02

Hiram_Bingham__03

Hiram_Bingham__04

 Hiram_Bingham__06

Hiram_Bingham__07

Hiram_Bingham__08

Hiram_Bingham__09

Hiram_Bingham__10

Hiram_Bingham__11

Hiram_Bingham__12

Hiram_Bingham__13

 Hiram_Bingham__15

Hiram_Bingham__16

The last romantic train trip I took was on this journey….

See more about Peru HERE & all my South America stories HERE

Killing Time…

IWC-Cinemagraph-615

In-between shots, while Jessica was waiting for me to finish setting up, I looked over and there she was, just killing time, running her finger around the ardoise diamond faced IWC Portofino midsize watch and I thought there could not be anything more glamorous than lace, winter light, and a black wool coat so casually and effortless resting against a simple white wall…

See the fashion story here.

Timeless Dressing

IWC_Timessless_Dressing_01

Updating the classics.

After our day together in New York City I was really taken to the idea of wearing a timepiece and started thinking about how that could integrate into my daily wardrobe from working days to all the holiday parties coming up. I was talking to my friend Laurel about this, who herself has such amazing taste (remember THIS shoot?!), on updating timeless dressing. I loved the idea of wearing a watch; it says a lot about a person, and with the IWC Portofino Midsize I think that says someone who is classic, intelligent, and above all timeless.

But let’s look at timeless dressing.

Laurel and I discussed how to make it more interesting, how to update the standard little black dress, how to do something surprising with a wide leg trouser… so in a sun filled studio on Manhattan’s west side we played dress up with Jessica Wall, with our city shining bright in the background, and spent together that thing that is the most valuable of all: time.

Cover image~ IWC Portofino Midsize Ardoise & Diamond Timepiece

IWC_Timessless_Dressing_02

The best thing to wear with black lace is more black lace. 

Above~ Jacket by TOME | Lace Playsuit by L’Agent by Agent Provocateur  | Skirt by TOME | IWC Portofino Midsize Ardoise & Diamond Timepiece

Continue reading “Timeless Dressing”

Napa Valley & Beyond

A honeymoon trip through Napa valley Even though our private little cottage at Carneros Inn was the perfect hideaway for newlyweds in love, we did find the “courage” to venture out into the hills of California’s Napa Valley. So what does one do in this stunning American wine region? … drink and eat. A LOT. It was so much fun hopping on bikes and bouncing from one winery to the next, sometimes making a picnic and sometimes trying world-famous restaurants such as Bouchon. My absolute favorite winery was James Cole, where we bought a case of Merlot we gave to family members as Christmas gifts…and saved some for ourselves (for special occasions, like this past Thanksgiving). We played tourists on the Napa Valley Wine Train and spent a day in Santa Rosa, the city one of Kevin’s favorite beer breweriesRussian River, calls home. The details are foggy with the passage of time (or maybe it was the wine) and now only the highlights of my memories remain and these very few snapshots on film of the time in our lives when we were newlywed ~

A honeymoon trip through Napa valley A honeymoon trip through Napa valley A honeymoon trip through Napa valley

Continue reading “Napa Valley & Beyond”

Carneros Inn

Napa_Honeymoon_001

I was always enchanted with the quaintness of John F. Kennedy & Jackie’s California retreat on the 2nd leg of their honeymoon after Acapulco. Though we chose to start out on a once-in-a-lifetime Safari, we wanted to really take time to also slow down and take in our new roles as husband & wife with as many sunsets as possible. I found our private retreat in Carneros Inn in California’s Napa Valley, a gorgeous rolling hill estate surrouned by fields of grapevines and tucked away rows of little tin-roofed cottages, a literally home away from home. I pulled these old color film snapshots out of the archives as Kevin and I recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary to remember that place, those sun-filled days of baths outside in our walled garden, nights by the outdoor fireplace drinking wine and mornings with time to read the newspaper. It was magical, it should be magical and I hope it was or will be for you…

Napa_Honeymoon_002 Napa_Honeymoon_003 Napa_Honeymoon_004 Napa_Honeymoon_005 Napa_Honeymoon_006 Continue reading “Carneros Inn”