The King of Hearts, sunrise shoots, and a Mini MOKE
Round two of the European triple-header, and the band was back together in the South of France. We snagged a prime marina parking spot and settled our little fleet: Jazz’s van and a sage green Mini MOKE, kindly lent by our friends at MOKE. Honestly, what’s cooler than cruising into Monaco in a roofless, music-blaring, fully Parc Fermé branded MOKE? Alice picked up the MOKE in Nice while Lydia and Jazz wrapped up Imola edits, and Ollie arrived in the afternoon, promptly turning the MOKE and van into rolling Parc Fermé billboards. Dinner was pizza on the steps of a church in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, a proper ‘hummus situation’, except this time it was pizza.
The next morning, we were up at 4:30 am. Yes, four-thirty. We met Brigit, our model for the shoot, and made a beeline for a secret Cap Ferrat spot to capture the King of Hearts tee, the MOKE playing its ultimate prop role. Two hours later, just as the rain started, we wrapped and spent the day editing at the Airbnb. By evening, skies cleared, so we jumped into the MOKE for a quick Monaco shoot before climbing to La Turbie for sunset. With the MOKE low on battery, we coasted back down the mountain in ‘ghost mode’, laughing the whole way.
Wednesday dawned at 6 am for a dreamy shoot with Gabriella in Villefranche. We’d worked with her last year, so catching up was a treat, and Villefranche at sunrise is genuinely postcard-perfect. On the beach, a wonderfully French old man insisted on joining the shoot, striking iconic poses in our King of Hearts tee, he may have stolen the show. Ollie flew home that evening, while Lydia and Jazz prepped for media day at the track. Dinner was a kitchen picnic of baguettes and hummus, naturally.
Race weekend tends to blur into one reallyyyy long day. Media day kicked off with Lydia and Jazz heading early to Monaco in the MOKE. F1 track action was limited, though Jazz caught a little F2 chaos, and by the evening, early mornings had caught up with us; pizza on the sofa it was. Friday brought a highlight when Ollie Bearman wore our King of Hearts tee into the paddock, we love supportive friends. Frankie arrived for the weekend, crashing on the sofa, and the F1 whirlwind was in full swing, with shooting, editing, and paddock chaos all happening at once.
Saturday was Quali by day and Rascasse by night. A Monaco weekend isn’t complete without it, once the track closes, the road from the chicane to Rascasse turns into one big street party. Drinks flowed, friends laughed, and dancing was… questionable. Sunday, race day, and the Principality was buzzing. Lando took the win, though secretly many of us were rooting for Charles. Seeing Lando’s parents’ sheer joy was a moment that left few dry eyes around. When the race ended, superyachts blasted their horns in the marina, surreal and goosebump-inducing. That evening, we retreated to Beaulieu for a quiet dinner, reflecting on the week’s madness.
Monday arrived bittersweet, with Frankie heading home, Alice returning the MOKE, and Lydia and Jazz wrapping up edits. The remaining three of us headed to the beach, spotting a ridiculously cool yellow Porsche en route, demolishing three burgers for a late lunch, and chasing one last La Turbie sunset. Mist had other plans, but we laughed the whole way up and down the mountain. By Tuesday, the final three parted ways: Alice headed home, while Jazz and Lydia continued the adventure to Barcelona, with a pit stop at Jazz’s home in Avignon.
A special week with special friends, making some pretty special work. Forever grateful for the team we get to travel the world with! xxx
