LONDON: Whether you pack your bag to travel or stay at home, holiday is the most precious time of the year. You expect the most and you want to have a very different time, different from all the usual days of your everyday life.
I almost prefer the time before the holiday starts. I love to think about where to go or if I should stay home and really enjoy having lots of time. Maybe invite my friends to dinner and surprise them with lots of good things on the table. What should I bring with me and what will be my absolute favourite summer accessory; the colour on my nails, my favourite read and my best swim.
To get you in the mood, here are some of the things I have been thinking of before going on a holiday:
- Look at David Hockney’s Pool paintings and you are 100% sure of renting a house with a pool and just spend your days there. This is also why turquoise is a colour I would only wear during summer and this Hermès Pochette Faco II has the perfect colour combination and makes every white T-shirt and jeans shorts a perfect summer look, along with the Bracelet Lido (the name says it all!) in blue and orange, both Hermès.
- My favourite colour in summer is red for my toes and on my lips at night. Red lipstick on bare tanned skin is actually the best summer make-up. Seen at Douglas: the BeYu, La Côte d’Azur Design Collection by IRMA (Link: http://www.beyu.net/new-trends/la-cte-dazur-by-irma/).
- Lisa Marie Fernandez makes my favourite swimwear, especially her Niki beach wear which is perfect to wear after a swim.
- Pools, there are so many and some of them will always want you to come back for a swim. The saltwater pool of the Eden Roc in Cap d’Antibes is like that You don’t want to get out.
- Do something different in your holiday. Start writing a series of short stories or letters to friends you haven’t seen in a long time or create a luscious vegetable garden on your balcony or start sketching — anything that will set your mind to a different mode.
- Summer jewellery has to be bright and cheerful. I like to have a look at the vintage jewellery section at Barney New York, especially the bright bacalit bracelets from the Art Deco period seem to be the perfect match for a silk chemise at night.
- Bring your towel, use it at the beach or as a yoga mat on your terrace. When its nice and colourful, it lifts your spirit as soon as you get comfortable on it. This one is by Tory Burch.
- When I visited the Vogue Salon in Berlin in July during Fashion Week, I came across the talented jewellery designer, uncommon matters.com which to me has a very new and strong vision of wearing and jewellery together.
- Go to a restaurant where plates are arranged like garden terraces.
- Create a dinner for your friends and go to a market to buy only the best produce you can find. Just imagine closing your eyes and putting everything on the table that smells and tastes like summer.
- When I am travelling I am a big fan of make-up palettes, instead of many little jars and tubes. The ART OF COLOUR PALETTE, a limited edition by Laura Mercier, has all the shades that give my skin the perfect glow at night.
- A hat against the bright sun is obligatory, this one by Dolce & Gabbana looks like a delicious cake and has the added advantage to be crumpled together so it fits into my luggage.