Photos by Chrystel Tournier
Top & Skirt, Zara // Metallic Cork Clutch, J. Crew // Pumps, 9WestLovesInStyle , Limited Edition // Cocktail Ring, Francesca Romano // Gold finger rings, Bauble Bar // Earrings, Kara Ross , old // Shades, Aldo // Nails, “Clambake” by Essie, also love “Fifth Avenue” by Essie for a great summer red // Lips, YSL Rouge Volupte, Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15, in #11″Vivid Fuchsia”
St. Barths. The place where time isn’t told in minutes and hours, but rather in moments and elated emotion. Where tides determine meals, the rose flows like water, the sun is ever abundant, and the light is nothing short of magical. I like to think that while you may successfully shake the St. Barths sand from your shoes, you can never clear it from your soul. It is the most restorative place on earth reserved for the infinitely lucky few who get to call it home, even if for just a long weekend…
On my most recent visit to St. Barths, I was infinitely blessed to introduce a growing family, as they celebrated the wedding of their respective daughter and son, to this island paradise I have loved for so many years. As you, my dear readers, may or may not know I am a wedding planner and specialize in luxury destination weddings. (That is when not dedicated to bringing you all an inspiring life of style and beauty). This past month my incredible job brought me to the beaches of St. Barths to create an utterly magical wedding weekend for a gorgeous-in-every-way young couple who deserved nothing less than the dream quotient that St. Barths brings to any celebration, vacation, and every wedding.
As you can see from my island-ivory inspired shoot, classic romance compliments the sleek and sophisticated St. Barths aesthetic perfectly to create truly unique modern glamour that distinct. And no where is this more apparent than at some of the stunning resorts on island. Our setting above was the newly redone Hotel Taiwana on Flammands beach. Hotel Taiwana is the epitome of sophisticated French design sensibility paired with an island ease and flare for effortlessly perfect luxury. Everything is done right here at Hotel Taiwana, and then… just a bit better! I wanted to echo this uncanny quality of excellence + in my clothes and accessories for this sunny shoot: a trendy cork clutch, speckled with metallic gold flecks, a strong lip, a perfect red nail, and a printed pump take an off white shirt and skirt set from dinner to dancing… on tables… with just that extra bit of sea-swept glamour you would expect to find along the French riviera, but would feel naked or out of place without in St. Barths.
I hope this first post in my St. Barths Style & Travel Diary series inspires you to glamorize your summer style and personalize your own paradise-driven wardrobe. But above all, I hope that it makes you consider a trip to my home-away-from-home, a hamlet that has my heart, the Parisian influenced Paradise of St. Barths!
My deepest thanks go out to Chris Tournier, the Hotel Taiwana, their darling owners, amazing staff, and breathtaking setting for this shoot. Je vous remercie de tout coeur!
