Photography: Pip Bourdillon
A CANDLELIT DINNER ON THE CÔTE D’AZUR TO CELEBRATE THE AUSTRALIAN BRAND’S LATEST COLLECTION
WORDS BY SARAH NOONAN
The South of France has a habit of encouraging excess. Superyachts crowd the harbour, long lunches stretch into the afternoon, and one glass of wine has a surprisingly easy way of multiplying.
Australian model Gabriella Brooks, however, prefers to keep things simple. "Coffee, swim, eat, walk around, eat, swim, eat, sleep."
It's the answer she gives when asked to describe the perfect day in Antibes, the postcard-perfect setting where she recently joined Nicky and Simone Zimmermann for the unveiling of the brand's latest collection. After several days on the Côte d'Azur, Brooks seems to have distilled the Riviera down to its most essential pleasures.
“There’s a timeless charm here that makes you understand very quickly why so many artists and writers have been drawn to it over the years.”
For Brooks, the alignment between Zimmermann and its surroundings feels almost inevitable. “What struck me most was how naturally Zimmermann seems to belong there,” she says. “Antibes has this beautiful duality to it — it’s glamorous yet relaxed and steeped in history. Zimmermann has a similar balance.”
Gabriella Brooks On Zimmermann, Holidays and The South Of France
STEFANI KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES
Photography: Pip Bourdillon
“THERE’S ROMANCE AND ESCAPISM, BUT IT FEELS EFFORTLESS. I LOVED ALL THE SCARF DRESSES.”
– GABRIELLA BROOKS
Photography: Pip Bourdillon
Photogrraphy: Sam Lort
Arriving by boat as the light softened across the Mediterranean, guests gathered at Hotel Belles Rives for cocktails that offered an early glimpse of Zimmermann’s upcoming collection. Framed by panoramic sea views, the evening unfolded beneath candlelight as the shoreline settled into dusk, with Suki Waterhouse delivering an intimate live performance as night fell.
“It’s all very romantic,” Brooks says of Zimmermann’s world.
Photography: Pip Bourdillon
That sense of ease carries through into the collection itself. “There’s romance and escapism, but it feels effortless,” she says, pointing to the pieces that caught her eye. “I loved all the scarf dresses. Especially the mini with fringe that I wore to the dinner.”
Photography: Pip Bourdillon. Video Assets: Tom Sandford & Naomi Smith.
The dress, like much of the collection, is designed to be worn without much thought beyond where the day goes next. And in Antibes, that rhythm feels familiar. “It's the pace of life,” says Brooks. “People take their time and there's an appreciation for beauty in everyday moments.”