Le Bristol Hotel

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A child of the 90s I grew up with this fantasy of Paris I found in movies. The hotel suite that perfectly frames the Eiffel Tower in its windows, bouquets of flowers and white walled gardens where fluffy white cats come to lay in the sun before evenings in little chic black dresses and dinners where each course comes with a wine pairing. I found that glamorous Paris I so long ago dreamed about at Le Bristol Hotel.

I have been lucky enough to find myself in Paris quite often, and from time to time I can be caught in a daydream of what it would be like to live in this city that captures my soul. When I come to Paris I mostly just take my camera and walk. Walk for days. It never gets old to me, I never run out of things to photograph or be inspired by. Never, not even when I stayed in the most lovely apartment, have I desired to “stay in”… that is until I stayed at the Le Bristol. Already as I write this at Charles De Gaulle airport the memory of our suite feels more like lying half awake in a garden day dreaming all afternoon.

There is not a single detail of this hotel, which opened in 1925 in the heart of Paris’s fashion district, that isn’t wonderfully glamorous and idyllically French. From the dazzling array of chandeliers to the 18th century Toile de Jouy decor, it is unapologetically luxurious. It’s no wonder it attracts the stylish clientele to match from movie stars to entertainers and (to my pleasure) fashion photographers. It even had a place in Woody Allen’s movie Midnight in Paris.

During World War II the Hotel Le Bristol became the American Embassy and even harbored a Jewish architect who would later design the stunning glass and wrought-iron elevator I described as what it must feel like to travel inside a diamond

Of course they have a beautiful spa, wonderfully opulent bars and restaurants tucked here and there around the hotel corridors, but it was what we discovered on the 6th floor that really took our breath away. A pool designed in the likeness of a large sailboat as imagined by Professor Pinnau, who most notably designed the yachts for the Onassis family, wrapped in walls of windows with sweeping views of Paris and most beautifully, Sacre Coeur. While the pool was a popular spot in the afternoons, it was early in the morning alone with the sunrise I found it to be one of the most peaceful places in Paris.

But perhaps the most surprising feature of this incredible hotel are the two fluffy white cats that live amongst the marble and roses. There is nothing more charming than having afternoon tea in the hotel’s garden with company of a furry little friend at your feet.

90 years after her opening here she stands, a lovely as ever….

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Coco Chanel’s Apartment

A tour of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s Apartment  at 31 Rue Cambone Paris

It’s hard to imagine walking in the footsteps of a legend… but on this most recent trip to Paris that is exactly where I found myself.  31 Rue Cambon, tucked away on a narrow street is the building Gabrielle Chanel (Coco) purchased in the 1920’s to house her incredibly successful fashion business. The levels of the building are still maintained today as Coco had originally set them up- a shop on the ground floor, haute couture studio on the 1st and her apartment on the 2nd. Walking up the original mirrored staircase was a surreal experience, like being in a toy music box or on a merry-go-round, light reflecting and your angle of perception always on the move. I sat on the infamous 5th step, the number five ever present and repeating itself within her house as she believed it to be a lucky number, and looked at the view Coco herself did so many times. From that angle of mirrored walls you can see how the dress would look on a model at every turn and you could also see the client’s reactions to the collection on the floor below without them being able to see you. Being in the house the day before Chanel’s extravagant spring show allowed me to slip into the fantasy even more, standing on that staircase seeing the models in fittings, running up and down the stairs and all the while watching them in a million reflections, reflections that have not changed in decades.

I found myself throughly surprised when I pushed open the mirrored door to her apartment – the first impression was “ornate oriental”. All of the rooms of Coco’s apartment were lined in 18th century oriental screens in a wallpaper-like fashion. Having been known to hate doors, she had the wooden wall panels cut seamlessly so when closed you would not know a door was there, like a hidden passageway. In the salon she used freestanding screens to obscure the entrance and exists of the room, leaving your eye to seamlessly wonder around and around at her very personal collections.

I was taken by how personal everything was in the space. Either chosen by Coco herself or as a personal gift, there was nothing in place without a story. The side tables – Coco had the marble replaced with black lacquered surfaces (sound like Chanel? yes.). The lions everywhere? Coco was a leo and surrounded herself with her astrological sign. The amazing chandelier in the salon bears both the number 5 and the iconic double crossing C’s. A dinner table for six? Coco preferred later in life more intimate dinner parties with the focus on stimulating conversation, conversations that would be happening with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, and Marlene Dietrich. She would pick up pieces from all over and mixing high and low without a bother to monetary value surrounding herself in things that meant something to her. On the side table of the salon sat one frog with his mouth open and inside was a piece of crystal. I asked our host why it was there and she said one of Chanel’s more famous guests accidentally broke a crystal off the chandler and hoping Coco would not see, hid the piece in the frog’s mouth… but, Coco did see to which she replied to the guest was a more fitting place for it after all.

My favorite piece in her apartment are the gifts from the Duke of Westminster- silver trinket boxes that sit on the salon’s coffee table and don’t reveal their true value until one opens it and it’s golden interior radiates so bright it feels like a piece of the sun. Coco said after receiving these lavish gifts that this was TRUE luxury: the most valuable aspect hidden from the public eye. This is what inspired her to make fur jackets “inside out”, with the softest part only for you.

She took inspiration from her home– the shape of the mirror in the entryway is the shape of the bottle of Chanel No. 5 as well as the face of many Chanel watches. On the oriental screens lining the walls motifs of camellias danced- another iconic symbol of CHANEL. Most notably, she created her famous quilted bag from the pillows on her 1920’s custom made suede couch. It is quite obvious Coco Chanel had a vision of personal taste, which she let influence her work in the most organic way possible and to that I find her immensely fascinating for she taught me style is everywhere, you just have to see it.

Now imagine this – the owner of this apartment, a woman who set the tone of style for decades, the creator of a fashion house that bears her name and is still so relevant and esteemed today was once just a little girl growing up in poverty simply as Gabrielle…

A tour of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s Apartment  at 31 Rue Cambone Paris A tour of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s Apartment  at 31 Rue Cambone Paris  A tour of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s Apartment  at 31 Rue Cambone Paris  A tour of Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s Apartment  at 31 Rue Cambone Paris

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La Residence

The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France.

Every corner you turn in this town has another surprise – streets strewn with bright purple lavenderstone archways glowing in the warm sunlight, vines creeping up the walls of ancient homes. But nowhere was there a better surprise than our incredible stay at SCAD‘s La Residence.

I knew from our previous trip with SCAD down to Savannah, GA that we were going to be put up in style, but La Residence is something else entirely. Encased in yellow-toned ancient Roman stone walls that glow in the damp early morning and cool peaceful evening, it beckons you inside to have a glass of wine by the courtyard pool, relax in the art-filled salon, until you finally lay your head to rest on the most beautiful, crisp, French linen sheets.

Lacoste is a fantasy come to life~ I never could believe my eyes each morning when I looked out my Provence pale blue shuttered window to a landscape of vineyards, cobble-stoned pathways, sunflower fields and lavender…and there’s nowhere better to stay and take it all in than La Residence, SCAD’s guest house for artists, parents, and acclaimed visitors…aren’t we so lucky…

The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France. The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France. The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France. The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France. The Residence du Savannah College of Art and Design privé in Lacoste, France. Continue reading “La Residence”

Amandari

Photographer Jamie Beck visits the resort Amandari in Ubud, Bali on vacation.

An Aman in Paradise… the last time I stayed at an Aman resort it totally changed my idea of what resort hospitality could be. The attention to detail and service, design and quality are exceptional in a way you typically only find in private residences. Maybe that is because Aman resorts make themselves at home in the communities they inhabit – winners of the Global Green Award, they maintain the importance of looking at their social and environmental responsibility of taking care of the community where you conduct business. Their foundation is built on the relationship with the local community, from hiring to supporting local issues.

It makes sense that John Hardy, who also has such a huge community impact on Bali and focuses their company on social and environmental issues, would be a natural partner with the Aman resorts in Bali where their products are now sold. An inspiring approach leads to a beautiful property where you start the day on your patio overlooking rice fields and end it with a glass of wine in your private outdoor bathtub…

From snow capped mountains now to damp warm rice fields, here is the experience that is Amandari~

Photographer Jamie Beck visits the resort Amandari in Ubud, Bali on vacation.

Above, taking a closer look at the beautiful rice fields outside our door in a 90s linen flax dress I bought off eBay and ballerina body suit with silver John Hardy bamboo double coil bracelet

Photographer Jamie Beck visits the resort Amandari in Ubud, Bali on vacation. Photographer Jamie Beck visits the resort Amandari in Ubud, Bali on vacation. Photographer Jamie Beck visits the resort Amandari in Ubud, Bali on vacation. Continue reading “Amandari”

Como Shambhala

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After the thirty-something hours and three flights it took to get to Bali, perfectly 12 hours ahead of New York (and my natural body clock), we needed a resort just like Como Shambhala. Tucked away at the end of a very local road is this explosion of natural wonder. On the edge of a jungle vista descending down to the rapid Ayung River (Ayung meaning beautiful) there are endless ways to pass the day, from hiking the 250 stone steps down to the stunning natural spring pools to yoga and spa treatments to wonderful afternoon naps on outdoor beds. The juice menu put all my favorite New York haunts to shame. Everything was amazingly fresh and organic, light and natural, mirroring the environment this special place was nestled in. My mind and body were healed being here and for once in a very long time I felt as though I could simply breathe

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Pestana Convento do Carmo


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The Pestana Convento do Carmo, originally built in 1586 as a convent, has now been carefully restored into the first luxury hotel in Brazil. There is a peacefulness to the corridors, a safety behind the stone walls. The outdoor living spaces, with their mix of antiques and art, made you never want to leave this timeless atmosphere. Each of the rooms, or apartments as they call them, have the original window seats that look over the center courtyard of the property, a view of history, nature and modern comfort.

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Hotel Villa Bahia

EH9A9643It comes as no surprise a city as magical as Salvador da Bahia would have a boutique hotel just as enchanting in the heart of the old city. Two colonial homes, one from the 17th century and the other from the 18th, have been carefully renovated into the 17 room experience of Hotel Villa Bahia with two garden courtyards, plunge pool, panoramic terrace and one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Each room unique in decor, each detail as romantic as the last. If I were a novelist, it is here where I would stay to write as I felt nothing but inspiration between these walls….
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Meet Christina Graci

Today is the last installment of our inspiring women series with Pandora Jewelry. From San Francisco with Courtney Klein to Charleston with Helen Rice, this has been an incredible experience for me, being personally inspired by these amazing women all over the country.  I feel so lucky that our roles as women have become so open to any of our hearts’ desires and I have truly loved seeing what these women have chosen to do with their lives. What has been truly meaningful as well is to see the choices each of these women make within the Pandora Essence Collection, selecting charms that are chic and stylish, but also representative of their core tenets. Speaking to them about what beliefs they hold dear has told me so much about each woman, and I have treasured the friendships made through this lovely collection. And so here we are now with the beautiful Christina Graci

Christina is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied in Baton Rouge and abroad in Denmark, worked for two major interior design firms in New York City, and then came back to New Orleans to live and work. What makes this the city to be in?

“New Orleans has a special place in my heart.  The city is so rich in history and culture that you don’t find everywhere.  It’s such a diverse city that is so full of life.  The people here are also truly unique.  Never a dull moment in this city to say the least!”

With her brother Chad, Christina runs Graci Interiors, an interior design firm known for having exquisite and classic tastes, mixing vintage and modern styles with ease. Christina said her passion for interior design showed before she even knew it could be a job: “Growing up my mother and I would re-decorate my bedroom yearly.  We would get new draperies, bedding, change the wall color, etc.  It was so much fun doing that with her that I guess it just grew on me.  It wasn’t until I went off to college that I had the epiphany that I could do that for a living!”

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Christina describes her personal style as “classic traditional but fresh and modern.  Keeping with traditional interiors is important to me but bringing it into our era and how we live today makes is so interesting and fun.”

When I first heard this, I knew Christina and Pandora Jewelry made the perfect pair…classic jewelry with a fresh and modern perspective on the inspiring woman who wears it!

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Christina on what her Pandora Essence Charms mean to her ~

Hope and Confidence – I chose these because they primarily have a lot of meaning to me in reference to my career.  I’ve had to have a lot of hope in my career along the way in order to keep moving forward.  Also, in my career you’ve got to have confidence in yourself and in your work to be successful.
Health – A healthy lifestyle is so important to me.  Being healthy is living life to the fullest for me – mind, body, and soul.
LoyaltyStability, and Love – These all relate to me personally in my relationships with friends and family.  I feel as though all three are interwoven.  You can’t have one without the other and vice versa.

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Southern Charm

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While in Charleston shooting Helen Rice as part of our “Inspiring Women” series, we stayed at the most beautiful historic boutique hotel you could ever imagine down south, Zero George. Just a short walk from the thriving shops and restaurants of Meeting & King streets and perfectly renovated to balance the original wood floor planks to our much needed modern amenities, it’s just the kind of place you would call a home away from home

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Meet Courtney Klein

Growing up, I had a dream to become a successful fashion photographer in New York City. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be running my own photography studio in Manhattan today, but I know that dream may not have been possible even just a few generations ago. It is so different to be a woman now, the opportunities presented to us that were never available for our grandmothers or mothers. I feel so blessed to be alive now and able to do what I love, and I know that comes from the courage of the women before me, my own determination and faith in myself, and the love and support of many other inspiring women around me.

I think it is important to take time to commend these inspiring women – both because of how far we have all come and also because of the incredible things they are doing. And I’m not alone in this – Pandora started an Inspiring Women Initiative in order to honor the incredible women in each of our lives. Part of this celebration is their new Pandora Essence Collection, a series of beautiful, stylish charms that helps women express their inner beliefs – love, wisdom, balance, courage. We presented this idea of photographing three inspiring woman across the United States as a new series in partnership with Pandora, in celebration of inspiring women.

One such woman is our friend Courtney Klein, someone I met in New York but who has now moved to the city of San Francisco. She came to the city with the intention of being a modern dancer (so gorgeous!) but fell into the world of digital production and eventually became a partner at Hard Candy Shell, a digital product agency focusing on making excellent websites, applications, and other digital media. You may have seen their work: Of a Kind,The New Republic, and Rent the Runway are among their many clients.

Now that she’s in a new city, she’s busy starting her own company, Storq, one that’s focused on empowering women through fashion during pregnancy. How does one get from partner in a digital product agency to maternity fashion?

“When I moved to San Francisco, I had the option to keep doing what I was doing or to do something completely and totally different. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a couple months and really think about what’s next, what kind of things interest me, what do I want to work on? It was a little weird to not go to a 9-5 job, and I felt a bit lost for a little while, but then I found a lot of different types of things I could potentially work on, and I ended up with this idea called Storq.”

We started the day by walking her dogs, who were getting very excited. “Today is their ‘beach date’,” Courtney explained. “They get to go to a special dog beach called Fort Funston!” How cute is that!

Above & Below: Courtney wears a hat from Amazon.com, jacket from All Saints, sweater and pants from Rogan, shoes from Dieppa Restrepo, Balance Charm by Pandora Jewelry

 

On the Balance Charm she chose by Pandora: 

“Part of moving to San Francisco was about reclaiming a more balanced life…doing lots of different types of things, like the garden, and a career that supports not being in the office 70 hours a week. It’s hard to have a balance in New York…there’s always something going on, so you’re working and working or you’re out all the time, so it was really hard to carve out a space for myself. Here, it’s about taking a step back and allowing myself to slow down. It’s definitely something I’m working on.”

Located in San Francisco’s colorful Mission District, their house was built in late 1890s and was most recently a bar before Courtney & Zach bought it. Their bedroom was where they used to store beer! I asked Courtney if she was afraid of earthquakes after living in New York for almost a decade…she explained, “The house survived two of the largest earthquakes in modern time without any structural damage so that makes me feel good. However, when we signed the papers you have to acknowledge it’s on a particular fault line, which means your house could end up in the ocean…which is unsettling.”

All the beautiful plants inside their home were found at the S.F. Flower Market

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The Aubrey Hotel

Having just come off a plane from Paris, I had no idea what to expect from South American accommodations…As we know so well, hotel rooms in Europe are TINY (and this from a New Yorker! And you know we know small). By the time we got to Chile, all I knew was I wanted a good bed to rest in as we started our #onlyinsouthamerica grand tour of Chile.

At first I was so surprised – the exterior of The Aubrey Hotel looked German! How can this be? Come to find out from our Santiago Adventures tour guide, a couple of Australian men saved this building in Santiago from complete ruin from years of abandonment and turned it into one of the best boutique hotels I have ever experienced. The original facades, built in the 1920s for influential Chilean politicians and their families, have been kept and restored while the interiors have been brought up to modern times and modern luxury.

The fresh floral scent of the room, the spaciously designed but simple decor, the surprising pops of color in the art and textiles… it was a perfect balance. From hospitality to ambiance, location and room size – I never wanted to leave. Just scroll down to see what I mean…


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Safari Dreams

Deep in the wilds of Africa we found our honeymoon chalet. Built over the riverine bush we would lie in bed at night and listen to the animal cries, feeling so small and so human in this world of other kings. When the sun was high on those lazy afternoons we’d hide out on the porch watching elephants herd by while we wrote in journals, sketched in notebooks, and read our novels. The romance of the mosquito net like a wedding veil fills my memory of this space in a soft glow of white light. Showers outside on the porch under monkeys swinging by and an endless view of the African vista felt so free and so naturally beautiful. Nights in long baths with old jazz playing its heartfelt tune take me back to this dreamy place, this homey place so rich in comfort so far from home.

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A Parisian Hideaway

I know, a chateau can hardly be called a hideaway but that is how it felt staying at this 1892 mansion in the sixteenth arrondissement: the Saint James Paris. Tucked away behind old stone walls that seemed to hug you as you walked through the grand entrance, it was like a childhood dream to stay in a place so whimsical and Parisian. A porthole to the city, a Alice and Wonderland seeming staircase, a glowing aura of magical things to come. From the roaring fireplace when you walk through the doors to the resident cat who will paw at the window until you let him in, this place floats in my mind as a safe haven tucked away in a corner of Paris…

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