James Andrew at Grande Saline.

A holiday at Saint-Barth is all about exploring the many magnificent beaches – though of course one should not forget to pair one’s beach destination with a lovely local lunch as well.

Le Plage Saline.

For lunch – Le Grain de Sel – exquisite French and Creole cuisine with a super casual vibe – the perfect place to stop and refill after a tough morning of sunbathing.

I’m sporting a black and white cotton gingham shirt with black trim by Gucci, shorts by Our Legacy 1980-81 in hemp, cotton, and silk; purple crocodile belt with sterling buckle from Ralph Lauren, sunglasses by Lanvin, sandal espadrilles by Christian Louboutin underneath a Robinson Les Bains “Amalfi” bikini in purple.

India Hicks and her dogs, Samson and Olympia, with James Andrew at the entrance to Hibiscus Hill.

A few months ago I was thrilled to receive the most fabulous note from India Hicks suggesting a Harbour Island visit to photograph my wardrobe. I’d of course seen India Hicks from afar – gracing the pages of glossy fashion magazines, while modeling for major designers like Ralph Lauren. And recently I was enthralled with her appearance on the popular program, “Top Design.” Needless to say the prospect of meeting her in person in combination with a longed for pilgrimage to her father’s Savannah, had me giddy as a school girl.

And of course I DID meet India, and now I’m madly in love – India Hicks is a SWAN – “attractive, alert, and au courant” as Capote defined the term. And we do love that absolutely Englishy wit – always served like the very best dry martini.

A pair of gorgeous stone whippets flank the entrance to Hibiscus Hill.

Several brilliantly realized examples of the above mentioned “working reality” can be seen in India Hicks’ enterprising endeavors. Take for instance her line of scrumptious Island Living products for Crabtree and Evelyn – In her own words, “…natural through and through, all [the] nasties have been removed. All [the] packaging [is] reusable – a true reflection of an island life, drawn from my memories of growing up on Windermere as a child. The Casuarina trees, with their clean green smell, the Spider lily flower, a true survivor which needs little nurturing.”

And prolific? Yes. In fact India has authored two books – Island Life in which you’ll get an intimate view of her homes – these are particularly meaningful she tells us, as they are “…a reflection of a living archive that holds the treasures of our personal life.” – And Island Beauty in which she shares her holistic approach, demonstrating how “island wisdom” can help women everywhere to rejuvenate both their outer and inner selves…Beauty in the Bahamas comes in all shapes, sizes, and colours,” she tells us. “It opened my eyes.”

Sign for The Sugar Mill.

Also should you find yourself on Harbour Island, do visit Linda Griffin and India’s super chic boutique, The Sugar Mill – where you’ll find what India describes as an “…accumulated collection from wanderings around the world….” Now that has got to peak your interest. We’ve included here a picture of The Sugar Mill’s edgy logo – and yes, you’ll undoubtedly find a must-have hidden treasure here!

Suffice it to say the list of India’s doings extends well beyond the scope here at WIJW, and perhaps we have gone on a bit – Its just that, as you will recall me mentioning a few paragraphs back, we at WIJW are terribly in love! Certainly you can look forward to future posts and updates regarding all things India Hicks!

James Andrew in front of The Cricket Pavillion at Hibiscus Hill

Posing in front of The Cricket Pavillion at Hibiscus Hill, I’m sporting a smashing straw hat with black grosgrain ribbon trim from The Sugar Mill, white linen jacket by Gucci, white and pink silk retro print pocket square by Charvet Paris, heavily embroidered white cotton voile Kurta from India (thanks to Kuki), white skinny jeans from Uniglo, Christian Louboutin black leather sandal/espadrille – and my fragrance is Royal Water by Creed.

James Andrew at David Hicks' Savannah.

At last we’ve made our pilgrimage to Savannah, David Hicks’ tropical masterpiece on Windermere Island’s Savannah Sound.

Let me tell you, it was one of those most sublime thrills to experience this tropical masterwork in person. You may have heard me go on quite a bit about the British born Hicks – and I’ve had good reason! He was quite simply one of the most prolific, innovative, and sought after decorators of the twentieth century – his touch extended into every conceivable design forum, from aristocratic homes, to set design, to fashion, to industrial design, to landscape design etc. etc. etc. – and his genius was only matched by his bigger than life persona. Needless to say much of what I do has been inspired by David Hicks – so you can only imagine how honored I was when the London Telegraph described me as an “…updated David Hicks.” – High praise that I aspire to live up to one day!

Savannah became of keen interest to me especially when I learned that it has remained virtually unchanged since it was completed in 1969. I’ve had the great fortune to speak with Ashley and India Hicks who graciously provided me with fascinating background information on the property.

Tomb of King Djoser at Saqqara.

Paying Homage to the great David Hicks I’m pictured standing in front of Savannah’s monumental entrance way, absorbing some of Hick’s enduring brilliance – I’m sporting lemon yellow jeans by Cassette, palest pink safari shirt and silver chain link belt both by Gucci, black leather sandal/espadrille by Christian Louboutin, KVA sunglasses by Oliver peoples my fragrance is Citrus Bigarrade by Creed.

James Andrew at India Hicks' Cricket Pavilion.

We’re back from the Bahamas and I can’t wait to share all of our adventures, but first I must do a post on The Young Fellows Ball at The Frick which I had intended to do the night before our departure – so we’ll be making a very special post on the ball at The Frick on Monday followed by my beautiful Bahamas holiday posts throughout the week!

In the meantime just a tease…

Having had the great pleasure to spend some time with the divine India Hicks in Harbour Island, I’m pictured here on the porch of her absolutely perfect Cricket Pavilion where we spent several spectacular days.

I’m wearing a smashing straw hat with black gross grain ribbon trim which I absolutely had to have from India Hicks’ super chic boutique,The Sugar Mill, palest pink cotton safari style shirt by Gucci, shocking pink cotton jean cut pants by Dior, silver chain link belt by Gucci, black leather sandal/espadrille by Christian Louboutin and my fragrance is Creed Royal Water.

James Andrew at the Eos restaurant

Our post today wraps up a fab mini holiday at the sumptuous Viceroy Miami. Quite honestly we were a bit uncertain about staying in downtown Miami versus South Beach, but I’m so happy we decided to branch out and try something different. We had planned to visit (and in a few cases revisit) some of those great Miami sights like the Viscaya, and The Fairfield Tropical Gardens and then maybe to pop over to South Beach to grab lunch at the Viceroy’s sister hotel, The Tides – as it turns out we were just so pleased with the Viceroy that we mostly succumbed to the luxury of doing nothing! We did manage to get ourselves over to the 28,000 Sq foot Spa located at Icon Brickell and enjoy a few very soothing beauty treatments, though this cannot really be considered “going out” as the spa is part of the ten glorious resort acres that comprise the Viceroy Miami. It’s still nice to know that should one want a bit of local flavor its all just a few minutes away.

Leaving Miami actually felt a bit like disembarking after a grand ocean liner cruise – so much of our amazing vacation experience was contained within the Viceroy and its beautiful surrounds. Perhaps on our next visit we’ll venture out a bit more. Or maybe not! Either way options abound!

James Andrew at the Viceroy infinty pool.

I’m wearing a pink/red and white cotton striped seersucker hoodie by Michael Bastian, flared leg pants in white cotton by Gucci, Christian Louboutin, black leather sandal/espadrilles and my fantastic KVA sunglasses by Oliver Peoples.

Casa Kimball - photos by Paul Warchol

It’s rare that one comes across a place that is so perfect on every level – The fortuitous collaboration between my super chic friend Spencer Kimball and his brilliant New York based architect Jasmit Rangr produced just such a place and it’s called Casa Kimball.

Dramatically situated on a cliff on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, every vantage at this private villa celebrates the great unobstructed expanse of the Dominican ocean, sky, and rugged coast. Clad entirely in local “Coralina” stone of varying textures Rangr strikes a flawless balance between his ultra modernist International Style inspired design and a firm connection to the natural splendor of the site.

James Andrew at Casa Kimball

Luckily for all of us, when Kimball is not in residence, he has made it possible to rent Casa Kimball – imagine something like having your own private Amanresort, complete with eight full suites – and all with mind blowing views of the ocean and an incredibly attentive staff. Oh and lest you yearn for more familiar sights and sounds, there is an absolutely state of the art audio setup, and media center. Needless to say Casa Kimball makes taking your getaway experience to that quintessential level a completely doable thing – visit their site to book.

Casa Kimball simply exudes luxury in every sense, and I felt quite the James Bond (pictured above), with strains of Madonna’s latest, “Celebration,” in the background seductively ushering in cocktail hour – I’m wearing a Yves Saint Laurent black cotton poplin shirt with band collar and flap pockets, white cotton/linen sateen flared leg pants by Gucci, black leather braided belt also by Gucci, KVA sunglasses by Oliver Peoples, and black leather sandals by Christian Louboutin.

I think I’ll make a few more posts devoted to Casa Kimball, and I hope you’ll indulge me – Its just this place has us at WIJW pretty seriously jazzed.