Situated on the southern tip of the Cap d’Antibes, shrouded in a forest of Aleppo pines, Hôtel du Cap is nothing short of a fairytale. There’s a palpable magic in the air here. Before its incarnation as a hotel in 1889, Villa Soleil as it was then called, was a writers’ retreat. The gravitational pull for artists and writers continued through the nineteenth century, and now it’s the hotel of choice for A-listers seeking peace and privacy whilst attending the Cannes Film Festival, which comes to a close on Sunday evening.

Today, all seems fairly laid back out on the terrace, as I sip my tea and take in the unforgettable panorama: a staggering expanse of blue (still feeling nostalgic post screening of Luc Besson’s The Big Blue) but last night was a different story. The hotel was the glittering setting for this year’s amfAR gala, hosted by Sharon Stone, which raised an estimated $25 million at the gold-themed auction for AIDS research; a tradition begun by amfAR’s founder, Elizabeth Taylor. Shirley Bassey sang, whilst Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman sprinkled the room with pure hollywood gold dust.

Fittingly, this week also saw the unveiling of the Eden-Roc Champagne Lounge. For years, the great and the good have plotted love lives and world politics as they’ve sipped a chilled glass of France’s finest, sitting on the deck of the Eden-Roc, with its stunning views of the Mediterranean, the property’s pine forest, and of course, the hotel’s iconic swimming pool built into the rock. Offering champagne cocktails from the best champagne houses in France, the hotel is working exclusively with 13 different companies selected by Head Sommelier Xavier Dinet. There will also be exclusive vintages on offer such as Jéroboams of Louis Roederer “Cristal Or” 2002, of which only 200 were created worldwide (the latter’s unique bottle is covered with a gold coin hand-made by a goldsmith). The Champagne Lounge will remain open until 1 September, so there’s still plenty of time…!

For further information please visit: http://www.hotel-du-cap-eden-roc.com/eng/welcome/

In 1905, a local businessman, William Kent, bought land in this valley to protect one of the last stands of uncut redwoods. To ensure permanent protection, he donated 295 acres of redwoods to the federal government, resulting in President Roosevelt proclaiming the area a national monument in 1908.

There are two species of redwood in California: the coast redwood – found in Muir Woods – grows on a 500-mile strip of Pacific coast from southern Oregon to Big Sur. Closely related are the giant sequoia – bulkier, but not as tall; these can be seen in Yosemite.

The coast redwood are the tallest living things. The tallest tree here is over 252 feet and the widest over 14 feet. Most mature trees are 500 – 800 years old, but some redwoods are more than 1,000 years old.

The coast redwoods grow best in moderate temperatures, protected from the wind and salt spray. They need substantial soil moisture from rainfall and summer fog, growing tallest on the plains that flood periodically.

Its spongy and fibrous bark – from six to 12 inches thick – insulates the mature redwood against fire damage. The trees get their colour, and name, from the reddish-brown, bitter chemical tannin. The tannin makes both bark and wood resistant to fire, and to attack by insects and fungi.

It’s amazing to think what this cone (below) will become. No bigger than an olive, redwood cones mature in a about a year and will drop seeds, 50 to 60 tiny flakes per cone, in late autumn. Within one month, a seed can germinate. A seedling may then grow two to three inches in its first year of life.

Muir Woods is part of Golden Gate International Biosphere Reserve – one of the planet’s richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life. Each year, nearly one million visitors from around the world visit, and in doing so, help preserve this wondrous ecological treasure for all.

For further information please visit: http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

All images by Julie Eagleton.

Bringing together designers, models, editors and photographers, this year’s line-up includes: Donatella Versace, Mario Testino, Anna Dello Russo, Alexa Chung, Victoria Beckham, Natalie Massenet, Paul Smith and Michael Kors, who will all share their industry stories.

Having recently become a Vogue contributor, I’m really looking forward to the discussion: Behind the Scenes of a Vogue Cover Shoot with Vogue’s British editor, Alexandra Shulman. For those just starting out in the business, there are also some really useful and inspiring talks, too: So, You Want To Be A Fashion Designer? examines what it takes to lauch a successful fashion career, or a Fashion Journalism Mentoring Panel where you’ll get to pick the brains of several Vogue editors, and a Modelling Mentoring Panel where you can meet bookers from Elite and Storm modelling agencies.

Paul Smith will talk about his 40-year career in fashion, whilst Natalie Massenet, the founder and executive chairman of Net-a-Porter, and chair of the British Fashion Council will talk about the period that saw her rise from magazine junior to digital pioneer, and in doing so, revolutionise the way we shop. And for fashion eco-warriors, “queen of green”, Livia Firth will be part of a discussion that examines how fashion can change perceptions and convey messages in Can Fashion Change The World?

Besides interviews, panel discussion and talks, there will also be plenty of other hands-on, high glamour activities, including cover-shoots, workshops, makeovers and demonstrations.

See you there!

The Vogue Festival 2013 runs from 27 to 28 April. For further information please visit: http://www.vogue.co.uk/special-events/vogue-festival-2013

Please visit here to purchase the last few remaining tickets.

Including more than 150 vintage prints from Man Ray’s career, taken between 1916 through to 1968, there are many works on display that have never been seen in the UK; having been drawn from private collections and museums from around the world.

Man Ray’s celebrated contemporaries are shown alongside his personal and often intimate portraits of his eclectic social circle. Marchel Duchamp, Andre Breton, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Coco Chanel and of course, Lee Miller, represent just a small selection of the friends featured.

Photography was not Man Ray’s first choice of career;  he turned down a scholarship to study architecture so that he could devote himself to painting. The only reason he taught himself photography, was so that he could reproduce his works of art. But in 1920 he began to work as a portrait photographer to fund his artwork. In 1915, whilst at an artist colony in New Jersey, he met Marchel Duchamp, and together they tried to establish New York Dada. This friendship led to Man Ray’s move to Paris where he began to work with the avant-garde and surrealist movement. During this time, he developed a type of photogram which he called ‘Rayographs’ along with the process of solarisation, as seen in the enigmatic Lee Miller portrait, above.

Following the outbreak of World War II, Man Ray left France, moved to the USA, and settled in Hollywood. There, he decided once more to dedicate himself to painting, yet many new photographic portraits have been unearthed from this period, and make their debut here at the NPG, including this ravishing shot of Ava Gardner taken in 1950. The actress is in costume for Albert Lewin’s Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.

A must-see.

Man Ray Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery runs until 27 May 2012.

For further information please visit: http://www.npg.org.uk

All images, copyright of DACS.

I’m a frequent visitor to Marrakech, and La Mamounia has always been a favourite stop for a pre-dinner cocktail, but this was my first visit since its re-opening at the end of 2009, and it really was akin to stepping into an Arabian Nights adventure.

Keeping with tradition, myself and dining partner, stopped for a glass of fizz at the Churchill Bar, with its ruby and burgundy velvet seemingly unchanged.

Then it was on to dinner at Le Marocain which is tucked away in a Riad right in the heart of the gardens. Its three floors include a magnificent terrace on the ground floor, and a bar on the top floor, with dramatic views of the Atlas Mountains. Le Marocain specialises in Moroccan cuisine, presented via an intelligent blend of tradition and modernity, created by Chef: Rachid Agourey.

As it was such a beautiful evening, we chose to take advantage and dine outside on the terrace. I’m such a lover of Moroccan food (always on the hunt for good tagines in London) so I chose the ‘Menu Traditionnel’.

A delicious Moroccan Harira soup with dates to begin with, followed by a Fes style baked red sea bream and couscous, together with an assortment of Moroccan salads. I had to forgo the tagines on this occasion as they were meat-based. For dessert: a cinnamon scented orange salad, sprinkled with orange blossom water, and an orange sherbet on the side. Heavenly.

All accompanied by traditional music from a local trio.

And last but not least, the arrival of a tray of delicate French pastries, and pot of steaming sweet mint tea. The perfect end to a Barmecidal feast.

For further information please visit: www.manounia.com

All images by Julie Eagleton.

Julie was a guest of Le Marocain.

It is also the HQ of Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope. The director decided he would name his future studio “Zoetrope” after receiving a gift of zoetropes from Mogens Scot-Hansen, founder of a studio called Lanterna Film and owner of a famous collection of early motion picture making equipment. While touring Europe, Coppola was introduced to alternative filmmaking equipment and inspired by the bohemian spirit of Lanterna Film. He decided he would build a deviant studio that would conceive and implement creative, unconventional approaches to filmmaking.

Although the studio was set up in 1969, the historic copper clad Sentinel Building, has been home to American Zoetrope since 1972.  It also houses Zoetrope: All Story, a quarterly magazine devoted to the best new short fiction and one-act plays.

Cafe Zoetrope is a European-style cafe and offers authentic Italian cuisine. There’s a hearty selection of pasta and spaghetti to choose from, and the former is cooked to order, so be prepared to wait 20 minutes or so. Francis always makes sure he has a proper wood burning pizza oven on his premises, so even the simplest of pizzas are memorable.

There’s also a fantastic selection of Italian and Californian wines to choose from, including exclusive varieties that come from Francis’ wineries. My favourite is Sofia, the sparkling Blanc de Blancs, named after his daughter, Sofia Coppola.

The walls are dotted with photos and mementos spanning the auteur’s long and illustrious career in filmmaking, so there’s always something interesting to gaze upon, especially if you happen to be dining alone.

Visit here to read my interviews with Francis about his adventures in film and wine.

Cafe Zoetrope, 916 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. Open: Mon-Fri: 11.30 – 10, Sat: 12-10, Sun 12-9

For further information, please visit: www.cafecoppola.com

All images by Julie Eagleton.

The V&A were given unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive, and the curators afforded the rare opportunity of selecting more than 300 objects which have been brought together for the very first time, including: handwritten lyrics, costumes, photography, film, music videos, instruments, album artwork and personal items. For an artist whose eclectic range of influences stem from Surrealism, German Expressionism, the Beat Poets through to Cabaret, West End musical and Kabuki Theatre, this task must have been at times, nothing short of daunting. But the V&A have pulled it off; capturing the true essence of this cultural icon, musical innovator and radical individualist.

It’s an exploration into how a quiet boy living in Bromley: ‘I was a kid that loved being in my room reading books and entertaining ideas, I lived a lot in my imagination. It was a real effort to become a social animal.’ could grow up to become Ziggy Stardust; a watershed moment which changed rock music and youth culture forever.

Or ‘an emotionless Ayran superman’: The Thin White Duke.

Or ‘the most beautiful clown in the circus’ as Bowie described his Pierrot costume for Ashes to Ashes.

The fact that Bowie not only possessed the genius to invent and become these different characters, but to sustain the reinvention across five decades, and yet aways know the right time to move on to something new, is simply extraordinary. Bowie has always been the creative director of both visual and musical director of his work as he expressed in his Rolling Stone conversation with William Burroughs in 1974: ‘I have to take control myself. I can’t let anybody else do anything, for I find that I can do things better for me.’ This applies to the music, the album covers, costumes, stage sets, even through to the merchandise on sale on his tours.

I found the insights into his creative process, particularly fascinating. How in the 70s, he used the cut-up technique – as did Burroughs and the Dadaists before him – to create a style of writing which in turn promoted a new perspective. He also used a bespoke computer program named the Verbasizer, that would randomly mix sentences into new phrases, which became a key creative tool in his songwriting process.

Likewise, I was intrigued by the section dedicated to his Berlin period. Bowie spent 14 months in the city with Iggy Pop, Brian Eno and Tony Visconti. It was a place to clean up from drug addiction and explore new musical ideas. It was also a time to rediscover his love of art. Bowie painted this portrait of avant-garde Japanese author, actor and film director, Yukio Mishima, and hung it over his bed.

The final part of the exhibition celebrates Bowie as a pioneering performer both on stage and in film. Giant screens fill the space projecting some of his most ambitious music videos, including D.A. Pennebaker’s film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. This is definitely a place to linger. A sonic and visual treat.

Unmissable.

For further information please visit: http://www.vam.ac.uk/

All images by Julie Eagleton.

All these years later and my passion for Parkinson’s work continues unabated, so I was more than thrilled to stumble upon Lifework: Norman Parkinson’s Century of Style exhibition in the lobby of the National Theatre. The images reflect every facet of the photographer’s glittering fifty-year career. I thought I had seen every single Parkinson shot from his fashion and portraiture portfolio, so it was a real surprise and a delight to discover new pictures.

Parkinson re-wrote the rules of fashion photography. Many of the things we take for granted in fashion photography: open-air shoots, exotic foreign locations and unusual props, were introduced by him in the extraordinary body of work he produced for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and other magazines, until his death in 1990.

When Parkinson left Westminster School in 1931, the only qualification he possessed, was a school art prize. He then joined a Bond Street photography studio, which specialised in royalty. Within three years, he had left to set himself up as ‘society’s newest photographer.’

In 1984, he recalled the prevailing aesthetic of the fashion photography of his day: ‘All the girls had their legs bolted together. You only had to take a deep breath and you could smell the burning oil and the incense and the flower decorations and the great tapestries. I thought: “I don’t know any girls who live like that. My girls to this: they run, jump walls.”

Lifework: Norman Parkinson’s Century of Style runs until 12 May 2013. Admission is free.

For further information please visit: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

So it’s somewhat surprising that The Alpina Gstaad is the first newly built five-star luxury hotel to open in Gstaad in 100 years. A cool 300 million Swiss Francs luxury development set in five acres in the picturesque hilltop area of Oberbort. The hotel overlooks this most charming of Swiss Alpine chocolate box villages, in the region known as Saanenland, nestled in the Bernese Alps. And conveniently located just five minutes from the centre of town and the world-famous shopping street named the Promenade, almost a London Bond Street on ice – think Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, Chopard and Cartier – it’s set to be Gstaad’s new word for luxury.

It’s 56 spacious rooms and suites – all with balconies – are contemporary style in hues of brown and cream with state-of-the art fixtures and fittings: remote-controlled mood lighting and curtains, flat screen TVs in bathrooms, huge rain head showers, Nespresso machines and trendy Taschen books. But for all the modern amenities, the rooms still manage to retain the warmth and cosiness of a traditional Swiss chalet due to an abundance of handsome natural wood.

A typical morning’s view from my balcony.

All restaurants, public areas and rooms have been designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates London, and the Alpina’s contemporary art collection is an enviable one with works by the likes of Tracey Emin. The hotel also features a wine tasting room, cigar room, private cinema and two further restaurants offering traditional Swiss or modern European menus.

Its Six Senses Spa offers a wide range of signature treatments including Ayurveda and colonic hydrotherapy. Body sculpt, yoga and Pilates are also on offer. There’s also a salt room (fantastic for respiratory conditions)  a flotation room, a Hammam, a 25-metre indoor lap pool, outdoor heated pool, fitness centre equipped with the latest cardiovascular, strength and eight training equipment, including the innovative Kinesis apparatus. The juice bar is a real triumph with exquisitely framed indoor garden artwork, and there’s even a Kids Spa menu. As I was skiing and wanted to loosen up my muscles, I opted for a 1.5 hour deep tissue massage using the Six Senses oil: a combination of geranium, rosemary and rose oil. And there was no better way to unwind after a hard day on the slopes, then to luxuriate in the beautiful heated outdoor pool.

Without a doubt, The Alpina Gstaad will offer its guests the very best insider access to this famously exclusive, glamorous and yet still authentically Swiss, hilltop village.

For further information please visit: http://www.thealpinagstaad.ch/

All images by Julie Eagleton.

Julie was a guest of The Alpina Gstaad.

Having worked for several entertainment magazines in New York in the 1950s/60s, before moving to LA to write several titles on the entertainment industry including: Garbo, The Child Stars, The Moguls, and Sex Goddesses of the Silent Screen, as well as two true-crime books: Little Charley Ross and Three Sisters in Black, Norman was given plenty of opportunity to indulge his passion for the world of film and theatre, not to mention its colourful inhabitants. Andy Warhol, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Mae West, Groucho Marks and Anthony Quinn are just some of the characters who feature. I particularly enjoyed his stories of working with Anthony Quinn on his autobiography in Libya, whilst the actor filmed Lion in the Desert, or the time he watched a breathless Marilyn Monroe sing Happy Birthday to President John. F Kennedy in 1962.

In 1972, Norman began practicing Transcendental Meditation before training to become a teacher of TM. He now lives in Fairfield, Iowa, where he works in the communications office at Maharishi University of Management.

To purchase a copy of this delightful memoir, please visit: http://www.amazon.com/That-Reminds-Me-Norman-Zierold/dp/0979210445