Arguably one of the most accomplished jewellery artists of her generation, Cindy Chao is ready for her close-up. Tatler made sure to give her a spectacular one
These two adjectives—sweltering and epic—best describe our September cover shoot. The week in July we chose to shoot Cindy Chao in a magnificent château an hour’s drive north of Paris turned out to be one of the most blistering weeks of the summer, with temperatures hitting 43 degrees Celsius. As punishing as it was, the weather delivered the glorious blue skies we’d been hoping for, and Château du Champ de Bataille was, indeed, a fitting backdrop.
We’d been instructed to look for a location that was not only spectacular, but culturally and historically significant—and a touch modern—to reflect Cindy’s design philosophy. A tall order, but a careful search found the magnificent 17th-century château, owned and renovated by legendary French architect Jacques Garcia, whose work includes some of the most beautiful hotels in Paris, including Hôtel Costes and Hôtel Majestic (now the Peninsula Paris).
We entered the premises through a sprawling garden that led to a “smaller” château, which we later learned was the servants’ quarters. We were mesmerised, but it wasn’t until we walked through a courtyard to the main chateau that we grasped the vastness of the estate.
As desperate as we were to get inside in the hope of finding relief from the heat, we had to take a moment to appreciate the vista before us. Awe-struck, we took our time making our way through the property admiring the frescoes, carvings and baroque antiques, relieved that this was precisely the place Cindy had in mind for her close-ups.
See also: Jeweller Cindy Chao Discusses Legacy, Celebrities And Her Debut At TEFAF
