Dolce's Cabana - duo open in Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Aug 26, 2020

A select few fashion brands are managing to open boutiques this summer, but Dolce & Gabbana have chosen a more novel inauguration – a rarefied cabana in the Côte d’Azur’s most famous hotel.

The Milanese designers have created a pop-up cabana inside Club Dauphin, the uber elegant restaurant and near Olympic sized seawater swimming pool of the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, located at the point of the most exclusive peninsula on the French Riviera.

In keeping with their aesthetic, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana finished their cabana with bright hued prints inspired by Sicilian chariots; gold helmeted charioteers and puppet shows - seen on its day beds; loungers and seaside tables. Perched above a particularly glimmering stretch of the Mediterranean, the cabana offers magnificent views – taking in the Italian Riviera and Monaco to the east and Cap d’Antibes to the west.

The Milanese marque also has an ephemeral boutique beside the pool at Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a mythic location since its opening in 1908, which has hosted Winston Churchill; Picasso, who jotted down a sketch inside the swimming instructor’s notebook; and Coco Chanel, who enjoyed  afternoon tea there with Jean Cocteau; along with David Niven, Liz Taylor, Bono and Elton John.

The unique Dolce & Gabbana cabana marks yet another novel project by the pathbreaking designers, which continues even during the current pandemic. Next month, they will stage a series of glamorous events in Florence along with the city’s key fashion organization Pitti – which will include a luxury jewelry display; Alta Sartoria luxury menswear presentation inside the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s medieval city hall; and a live runway show of women’s Alta Moda, or haute couture. This luxury Tuscan fashion happening - running from September 2 to 4 - will kick off the reduced but still very much happening international runway season in the four key fashion capitals – New York, London, Milan and Paris.

The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat is owned by Harvard-educated Len Blavatnik, the Ukrainian-born billionaire who controls Warner Brothers; has been knighted by the Queen; and was an early financier of Tory Burch. Since 2015, the hotel has been managed by the Four Seasons. Open until September 30, guests can book the cabana by day, or for a whole week, inside the supremely refined Club Dauphin, guided by its charming and efficient director Johann Burgos.