Weekend on the French Riviera
Weekend on the French Riviera
The past weekend in France was absolutely mesmerizing. It was wonderful to be back in one of my favorite cities in France. Away from the bustling city life and tall skyscrapers of Hong Kong, the past weekend entailed of attending the gala at the Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and welcoming the vintage car rally team. The gala was also graced by Her Highness Princess Olga Romanoff who sparkled in newly designed Narcisa Pheres jewels as part of the Romanoff collection.
With an abundant passion for traveling, my visit to the renowned Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild was incredible. With panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea and Côte d’Azur, the villa offers a rich amalgamation of culture, art and luxury. The gorgeous Italian-style pink palazzo villa is every girls dream.
The villa belonged to heiress Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild and was made in the beginning of the twentieth century on the Cap Ferrat peninsula. The property was where she resided in and hosted several parties at until it was bequeathed to be used as a fine art museum for Institute de France. Throughout the villa Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild’s exquisite collection of over 5,000 pieces of collectible art in the form of furniture, paintings, statues and porcelain dinnerware still remains today.
Villa de Rothschild comprises of nine gardens. The gala took place at the French Garden which is the formal garden with fountains right at the entrance of the villa. Swaying to jazz and opera music the evening was a joyous sight with amazing company. To add to the flamboyancy was a lineup of lovely vintage luxury cars.
As the ‘Official Jewelry Supplier to Her Highness Princess Olga Romanoff’ I was humbled to have been able to unveil the latest Romanoff collection piece, a choker cum tiara. When designing this exquisite piece, I kept in mind an important element of Romanoff court jewels, which was that many pieces had more than one function associated to it. For instance, tiara’s could turn into chokers or even brooches. Similarly, this piece worn by Her Highness Princess Olga Romanoff has them same ideology. I feel extremely grateful to be able to revive artifacts from the Russian royal family in a way that is suitable for modern day style and opulence.
While the weekend away on the French Riviera was stunning, I loved experiencing this beautiful moment of when the Princess Romanoff and myself entered the grand lobby of Hotel Negresco in Nice and discovered statues of her great grandparents; Emperor Alexandre III of Russia and the Danish Princes Maria (Empress of Russia). It’s beautiful seeing such historical moments in today’s time.
A big thank you to everyone who was part of the event. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend at the Villa Ephrussi De Rothschild and was honored to have been able to unveil the newest addition to Narcisa Pheres Romanoff collection. Looking forward to more exciting events that are lined up!
