The Heyday of Caribbean Glamour

By: - December 11th, 2014

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

We might not be able to relax like the rich and famous do in the Caribbean (mega-yachts, plush villas, private jets and beach butlers … you know the drill) but we can live the luxe life – albeit vicariously – through the pages of a new book, “Escape: The Heyday of Caribbean Glamour” by Hermes Mallea.

The designer and architect’s hardcover tome (released this fall) explores the evolution of Caribbean tourism among the wealthy and how the region developed its reputation as the quintessential warm-weather getaway, casting a backward glance at the jet-set era of the 1950s through to the ‘70s, when the likes of Princess Margaret and Jackie Onassis made the region their personal playground.

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Using islands including Cuba, Jamaica and Barbados as examples, Mallea’s book focuses on resort architecture; the idyllic imagery associated with the Caribbean; and the culture that has since sprung up around the region’s tony retreats.

Chock-full of iconic island images and illuminating history, it’s a retro-chic celebration of the timeless appeal of turquoise sea, blue skies and bone-white sand that would be a welcome addition to any Caribbean lover’s coffee table.

Escape: The Heyday of Caribbean Glamour by Hermes Mallea; Rizzoli; $60

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