Behind the Scenes: TweedLaBel’s Wild French Riviera Adventure
When you think of fashion shoots on the French Riviera, you probably imagine yachts, champagne, and effortless glamour. Well… welcome to the real behind-the-scenes of TweedLaBel — where it’s fabulous, yes, but also full of chaos, charm, and a whole lot of hustle.
Our small but mighty team packed up from London and headed to Grimaud, Saint-Tropez, and Cannes with one goal: capture the spirit of TweedLaBel in some of the most jaw-dropping locations in the world. Easy, right? Ha! Buckle up.
Matcha emergencies & airport hair salons
It all began when one of our fascinators hat mysteriously vanished from the plane’s overhead bin (seriously, who steals a fascinator?). Because the Airbnb check-in in Grimaud was delayed, I ended up styling the model’s hair in the airport toilet — the only place with plugs! Oh, and I had to wash my skirt in the sink because my matcha powder exploded in my suitcase. A girl’s gotta have her morning matcha, okay? No way am I risking finding matcha in a small village in France
Locals, bad weather, and the power of a good team
After a quick (and much-needed) lunch in Grimaud village, we hit the supermarket for supplies and checked into our Airbnb. By evening, we were down at Grimaud Port, it had been raining then very cloudy but we were still chasing the light! The locals? Absolute gems. One ice cream shop worker came to us and offered us free scoops for the shoot (L’Hippocampe port Grimaud) - the kind of spontaneous magic you can’t plan.
Rise and shine
Every morning, I was juggling hair, makeup (for myself and the model!), creative director, project manger and even model. But honestly? My team was a gift.
Gareth, our “chauffeur” — okay, okay, he’s actually our amazing photographer - agreed to drive us everywhere because I don’t drive (don’t tell him I called him chauffeur, aha!).
Anton, our videographer, was a breakfast hero and ironed the clothes every morning. The Model Cristina helped also help with a lot of task, if that’s not a dream team, I don’t know what is.
Yachts, shoelaces, and Saint-Tropez magic
In Saint-Tropez, we met Ian and his classic Riva boat for the kind of shots you dream of. Everywhere we went, people were intrigued and filmed us and complimented the looks. Oh, and when we realised we had no string for our flag to attach to the boat pole? We had to tie it with a shoelace lol. proof that fashion shoots are all about creative problem-solving!
Hitting the streets of Cannes
By the time we reached Cannes, the sun was blazing. While that sounds dreamy, it was actually too sunny for our luxury fashion shoot. So, we headed to the iconic Carlton Hotel — which, fun fact, had been sitting on my mood board for ages, with visions of the models sipping champagne in TweedLaBel, gazing out of those famous lobby windows. I had tried (unsuccessfully) to arrange access by email before, but sometimes the universe works better in person.
At first, the security was hesitant, but a wise friend once told me, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” So, dressed in a perfectly tailored, glamorous TweedLaBel look, I marched up to the events manager. Not only did they say yes — they welcomed us with the famous Carlton cookies and biscuits, brought us a fresh bottle of champagne to pop for the shoot, and even let us film with the luggage cart and in the lobby. Guests were stopping to admire the scene and the clothes — honestly, I think we became the day’s entertainment (and I didn’t mind one bit!).
Beauty, Resilience, and Real Moments
When I arrived on set for the TweedLaBel shoot, I was eager but also facing an unexpected challenge — my lupus had flared up, triggered by the stress, heat, and outdoor UV exposure. As we moved through the shoot, the sunlight made my skin highly sensitive, and at times I could barely keep my eyes open because of the photo sensitivity .
It was a humbling reminder of how intertwined our bodies and environments can be. Even after resting and waking up feeling fine, as soon as we started shooting again, my face would puff up like a little blowfish. But despite the challenges, we pushed through with determination and care and we were lucky to capture a few early shots before the full puffiness set in.
This shoot wasn’t just about fashion or aesthetics; it was about resilience, adaptation, and the beauty of embracing reality - imperfections, flares, and all.
I’m not comfortable to post what it looked like yet as I’m still learning to accept this disease and it’s challenges as apart of me and learning to love myself in my best and in my worst.
The real magic
Sure, it’s easy to look at the final campaign images and see only the glamour. But behind every perfect photo is a story of resilience, last-minute fixes, laughter, teamwork, and the wild, joyful chaos of bringing a vision to life. This trip was unforgettable, and it’s only the beginning for TweedLaBel.
Because TweedLaBel isn’t just about beautiful clothes — it’s about the spirit you wear them with.
behind the scenes by nicolette simpson,
Look out for my next blog on the Tweedlabel adventures :)
