The Aussies Take Antibes: Inside Zimmermann’s Summer Escape to the Côte d’Azur

Earlier in the night, guests had arrived to the hotel by boat—after being promised that it wouldn’t be a repeat of last summer’s infamous speedboat journey in Mykonos. As the sky turned a candy-toned pink, a glamorous and international cohort including Jodie Turner-Smith, Poppy Delevingne, Jessie Ware, Gabriella Brooks, Charlotte Rose, Maia Mitchell, Leila George, Blanca Suárez, and Anna Shaffer air-kissed, giggled, and toasted on the dock.

As a surprise, Suki Waterhouse had appeared in a lace corset over a floor-sweeping maxi, ready to serenade the crowd with some of her personal favorite hits. “This one is for all the lovers,” Waterhouse cooed as actress Eiza González crouched down in the front row recording the performance on her phone and Waterhouse’s little sister, Maddi, filmed it on her retro camcorder.

Post-dinner and dancing, when guests returned to their hotel rooms, they found a copy of the Rizzoli tome Pool Party by Jean ‘Johnny’ Pigozzi had been mysteriously placed on their pillow. It all made sense the following day, when they accepted an invite to join Nicky and Simone at Villa Dorane: the 1950s-era Cap d’Antibes home of the photographer and automobile heir for a leisurely lunch and some poolside fun.

Basking in the midday sun, people broke off in groups to play Jenga, make requests at the all-vinyl DJ booth, and pet the household dogs who ran freely around the grounds. Zimmermann runway regulars and campaign fixtures Abby Champion and Cara Taylor had even brought along their moms, and the duo hit it off immediately after realizing their shared Alabama roots.

It already seems to be the summer of the salt fish—and Chef Guillaume was on the ball. A long and unhurried Chablis-soaked lunch unfolded over courses of Niçoise salad with tuna belly and sea bass cooked in rock salt with sides of fennel and ratatouille.

After lunch, guests slipped into their swimming cozzies and made their way down to the property’s iconic pool. In a scene that rivaled a print-heavy Slim Aarons vingette—let’s call it Zim Aarons—they spent the subsequent hours splashing around, tucking into pastel-hued sorbet, and dancing to sounds by Mimi Xu.

All the while, Rigozzi—once dubbed “father of the celebrity selfie” and someone who’s immortalized past pool guests including Naomi Campbell, Sharon Stone, Kylie, Elle Macpherson, and Bono in his photography book—snapped the action on his waterproof point-and-shoot.