Cashmere Dreams & Tarot Nights: A Very Nice Stay in the South of France
A Very Nice State of Mind: NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER & The Elder Statesman Redefine Riviera Cool in Nice
By Shari Inessa
A Very Nice Stay, hosted in the sun-drenched elegance of Nice by NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER, and cult Californian label The Elder Statesman, was exactly that: an elevated escape of soul, style, and slow-paced pleasure.
From May 11–13, 2025, the South of France became a canvas for laid-back luxury as creative tastemakers, artists, and VIP clients gathered at Hôtel du Couvent, a 17th-century convent turned soulful sanctuary in the heart of Nice’s Old Town. The backdrop? Hilltop gardens, terracotta arches, and botanical serenity. The energy? West Coast color meets Riviera chic.
Co-hosted by Kay Barron, Fashion Director of NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, and Greg Chait, founder of The Elder Statesman, the weekend celebrated the launch of TES’s capsule collections — a love letter to craftsmanship and cashmere, drenched in sun-washed hues and California optimism. Available exclusively on net-a-porter.com and mrporter.com, the collections are as tactile and thoughtful as the event itself.
✧ Sunday: The Arrival Ritual
Guests — including Fai Khadra, Sofia Boutella, Erin Wasson, and Sarah Lysander — arrived by branded golf carts, a playful contrast to the cobbled romance of the Old Town. The evening opened with a dinner at Le Bistrot des Serruriers, where the first clink of rosé glasses met candlelight and Provençal conversation. The mood? Effortlessly undone. Think linen layers, low heels, and TES knits that looked like they’d been dipped in desert sunsets.
✧ Monday: Mediterranean Soul, California Heart
The next day unfolded at Le Cabanon, perched above the shimmering cliffs of Cap-d’Ail. With panoramic views of the Mediterranean and plates of freshly grilled sea bass, guests gathered in TES’s signature knits for a long, laughter-filled lunch. As The Serenades played a dreamy set of Gipsy Kings and Eagles covers, you could feel it — the invisible thread between the South of France and Venice Beach.
Chait described the collection as a reflection of his grandmother’s spirit, woven through every yarn. And it showed. There was warmth in the clothes, intimacy in the atmosphere, and a sense of ease that can’t be faked. It wasn’t fashion shouting. It was style listening.
✧ Tuesday: Tarot Under the Stars
The final night, framed by the gardens of the Hôtel du Couvent, offered one last cinematic moment: cocktails at golden hour, dinner beneath a pergola at La Guinguette, and a strawberry sorbet so artfully disguised as a gâteau, it sparked laughter around every table. Guests ended the evening with tarot card readings under moonlight, digestifs in hand. The glamour was quiet, intimate — a celebration of human connection, not spectacle.
A closing guided meditation the next morning reminded everyone that the best kind of luxury doesn’t ask you to perform — it invites you to feel.
✧ The Essence of a Very Nice Stay
This wasn’t just an influencer getaway. It was a masterclass in emotional branding. In how to fuse place, product, and people into something honest. Something that lingers.
In a world that too often confuses luxury with noise, A Very Nice Stay whispered its message with clarity: This is what elegance feels like — when heritage meets craft, when fashion meets soul, when summer is allowed to be slow.
Capsule collections by The Elder Statesman are now available exclusively on NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER.
#AVeryNiceStay | @netaporter | @mrporter | @theelderstatesman
