It’s nice to know the right people and, most importantly, the nice people. I am in Cannes at travel meetings and, because of their kindness and thanks to Mario Leon of MJL Select and Richard Duvauchelle, General Manager of Hotel Palais Stephanie, I have rediscovered glamour.
A pace or two from the meeting venue, I am staying in a 4-story (above ground) hotel on the croisette, Hotel Palais Stephanie (below find a huge car park and 800-seat auditorium). It is my idea of heaven. All rooms overlook the gorgeous coastline and each, in its special way, recalls a bit of film history.
After all, as Palais Stephanie was the original venue for the Cannes Film Festival, it has every right to splash images on select flat surfaces.
My room has a terrace; it also has a tub with a view out to sea, mid-century wing chairs that I can swivel in to see that same breathtaking view, and walls sheathed in cordovan leather with white stitched edging that make me feel as if I have walked in to an Hermes box.
Of course my bed, my sheets and towels and, most importantly, the service, match up. But I am hooked on the photograph of a lovely, young Joanne Woodward leaning against a handsome, young Paul Newman that hangs above the desk I am working at. And, above my bed, the up-close and divine face of Gina Lollobrigida gazes out. Someone remarked to me that this might be a bit intimidating. Not to me…it is reminder that glamour is timeless.
Yes, glamour is timeless but. somehow, it seems to have had its time and is no more.
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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