Our favorite Houstonian turned expat living in the south of France told us she had travel plans to the basque country in August, and we just had to tag along. In her suitcase that is. We'll let her take over from here!
Frances here! I received a very exciting package filled with the softest loungewear ever, and some summer goodies from mirth hq just before my trip to the basque country and had the best time shooting them. I was traveling with my daughter, husband and some of our friends who just happen to be professional ballet dancers with les ballets de monte carlo. trop chic.
tell us about the shoot:
the loungewear quite literally took us from travel to the streets. my luggage was lost on the first day, so I made do with pants and borrowed a swimsuit.
our first night, we dressed up and headed to chez nadyne for a sunset shoot. we shot loungewear along the coast, and honestly kept the pieces on all night as the temps started to lower. we capped off the night with tacos from the riz + arroz food truck.
We lucked out with gorgeous sunny weather most of the trip and these pieces were put to the test. my friend lydia and I snuck to les halles in biarritz to flâneur and explore in the sunshine. we tried on hats and straw bags, ogled over huge sunflowers, stumbled upon a local makers mart and picked up a few pieces to bring back. post shoot wrap, we went straight to the beach, threw on a new sowe swimsuit, and jumped into the sea.
the next day we stayed local in St Jean de Luz. more of a family town, a bit calmer than biarritz, but certainly no less charming. we sampled mouchous and gâteau basque. I explored the streets with Lou, my very chic parisian friend who knew all the good spots. we wandered along the board walk, picked out postcards, and browsed espadrilles. as is tradition, following the shoot we jumped into the sea and took very sandy naps on the beach capped off my none less than a glaces lopez soft serve.
why the basque country?
the basque country is one of our favorite places on earth. it reminds my husband and I of our wedding in big sur, when we get homesick for california and dramatic coastlines. my husband won his first professional race in san sebástian. there is no atmosphere like racing in the basque country.
the people are cool. the food is always great-whether you're on the french or spanish side of the border.
the basque country is famous for their painted red and green shutters and rainy climate. biarritz is a surf town that oozes nonchalant coolness. from every cafe we stopped in, to wine bar, to little shop, the culture centers around basking in golden sunsets over a bottle of wine. we had some local friends guiding us around and the basque country is one of my husband's
what are your favorite pieces from the new loungewear collection?
the unsung hero was absolutely the teton jacket in black olive. I was fighting with lydia over who would get to take it home. it is the perfect weight for dinner over a slinky dress, but also looks great with shorts or a monochrome look.
I also love the curacao in sagegrass because it's like wearing a blanket. just waiting for cool enough temps that I can travel in it.
Go to mirth pieces for vacation?
A capri maxi is a must have. it's perfect in the daytime, can be worn as a coverup, and dressed up at night. I always travel in mirth pants-the mushroom linen are my recent fave. Another unexpected favorite from this season is the naxos dress in oyster print. I wear it way more than I ever thought I would. it's loose but has the most beautiful seams that give it structure. I always get compliments when i'm wearing it!
leaving you here with some local recs if you ever make it to biarritz!
bisous xx frances
