I like to borrow things from my parents. I would say the most important thing that I have borrowed though isn’t an object, but rather a philosophy. Although my parents are realists at their core, they do leave their minds open to dream and that is always something that has been at the epicenter of how I live my life. I always wonder why someone would not want to live in a world filled with beauty and magic. That is why I was inspired to create my own version of a modern secret garden in these photos. I wanted to wear a vintage silk dress and this particular polka-dot number was gifted to me by a friend from a relatively recent find in the Paris fleas. Perhaps there is something about the mixture of genres and memories from the past that make me feel warm inside and inspired to dream even more.
For those of you that are unfamiliar, Domaine du Royol has some to-die-for gardens that you find in films that sometimes seem to be entire worlds away. It is situated in Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, which is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, comprising of two small villages: Le Rayol and Canadel. Last year, I went on an entire tour of French gardens. First, we stopped in Monaco and walked through the Jardin Japonais de Monaco, which I wrote about here which was a very interesting set of Japanese gardens in the heart of Monte-Carlo. Following, I then traveled to Èze for the first time. Èze is a gorgeous commune in the Alpes-Maritimes in southeastern France not far from the city of Nice and has one of the most stunning views of anywhere I’ve ever been. I wrote about my journey in their cactus gardens (Le Jardin Exotique) here.
There is nothing more that I enjoy than taking photos like these and posting them for all of you to experience. While occasionally I get the opportunity to travel to a city and stay in a wonderful place through collaborations, the majority of the photos you see on my blog were funded by me, driven by nothing but the urge to explore and capture the beauty that I see in the world and then share it with you. I have always viewed my blog as an investment into building my personal brand and being able to fully express who I am as an individual from a creative point-of-view (something that I think is generally very hard for most people to do). For me, this blog has allowed me to express my creativity in ways that I never thought were possible and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your feedback for what you love and want to see more of. So please, write to me at coco@cocozaza.com or message me on Instagram @thecocozaza with all your requests because you can’t even imagine how much it inspires me to continue producing and curating content for all of you.
Coco wears: Vintage Silk Polka Dot Dress, Vintage Braided Leather Belt, Ked's Sneakers, Mikimoto Pearl Earrings, Roberto Coin Princess Flower Necklace, Vintage Gucci Bucket Bag. Photographer: Emily Collins. Location: Domaine du Royol; Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer, France. City Guide: Saint- Tropez