Guest blog post by Amuse Co-Founder and Creative Director Mandy Fry.
I truly love Mexico. It’s such a short flight from LA, so it makes for an easy beach getaway for those of us on the West Coast. I have some of the best memories of traveling to Mexico for work, and for play.
When we started designing Resort/Spring ‘17, I couldn’t help but dream of packing up the collection and heading to Mexico with the team to shoot under the warm sun and against the powdery, white beaches. Once I started researching, I was inspired by the lush Yucatán coast and the undeniably idyllic beach culture of Tulum. I had never been to that area before, but from what I could see it was certainly a chic getaway and the epitome of pure cool in the raw.
We channeled this beautiful beach town where beach meets the jungle, and lends a signature old world bohemian style with touch of minimal modernism. We started designing prints that we imagined our muse wearing on her adventure south and were inspired by the environmental elements of the area. We also started channeling Tulum’s color palette. I thought it was kind of like living in a coconut – crisp whites, a mix of vintage off-whites and taupe’s, with a contrast of rich dark woods.
Fast forward several months and we did it! We headed to Tulum where we met up with our favorite photographer and Society babe, Brydie Mack of Wolfcub Chronicles and the beautiful Amalie from Denmark. Excited to see the collection come to life, we first headed inland to the one and only Coqui Coqui, a boutique hotel in the ancient ruined city of Coba. This peaceful retreat has stunning views of the Mayan pyramids and unique sunsets on a green lagoon. The two stone buildings are connected by a fairytale rope bridge swinging high above the dipping pools, making this a picturesque magical and mysterious place. Our second stop was the beach front Coqui Coqui in Tulum. It was a juxtaposition of edited Mexican modernism and historic Mayan influences with adobe walls, thatched roofs, open air beach cabanas, and a boutique filled with the scent of their signature tropical fragrances. This rustic yet stylish hotel was filled with a mix of organic textures and subtle, earthy hues, making a perfect match with our collection! I seriously could not get enough. I was photographing every detail, which was a bit distracting from the job at hand!
Our last stop was the stunning beach of Tulum itself. We headed straight out from the hotel and sunk our feet into the baby powder fine white sand. With the bright turquoise water and the warm sun shining bright, we headed up the beach finding spots to shoot along the way.
Our last shot of the day, as the sun set behind us, was our topless coconut shot! Amalie was a dream to work with and the perfect muse for our collection. She is a beautiful girl inside and out with a contagious laugh. We had so much fun shooting together, and as Brydie would say…“she is such a legend.”
I really love what we captured and I am excited to finally get to share these images with all of you!
A huge thank you to Stacey for her H&M perfection, to Jason our videographer, Hayley who navigated us around Tulum and my amazing Amuse girls Maria, Kelly, and Lena!
I am so grateful to Coqui Coqui for welcoming us and letting us capture our dream of shooting at their hotel! Together we created something that I will remember forever.
Enjoy!
XX, Mandy
See the full lookbook and shop La Playa Tranquila, here.
