Postcard from Positano: Aurélie Bidermann, jewelry designer

Aurélie Bidermann, the boho-cool French jewelry designer who splits her time living between Paris and New York, spent a blissful summer traveling around the Amalfi coast with family and friends. Here, she shares a postcard from her holiday—complete with tales and tips from the best place to buy handmade sandals to the perfect spot to watch the sunset (with a bellini in hand, of course!).

Destination you traveled to:

For the summer holidays we traveled all around the Amalfi Coast, with my favorite spot being the breathtaking coastal village of Positano.

I loved it here because:

Positano is a very special place for me—the colors, the seaside, and the vibes are so, so good.

Where you stayed:

At the Villa Treville, which is charming and has amazing views of the Mediterranean. Friends of mine have an extraordinary villa on Li Galli island so I spend a lot of my time there with them.

Places you ate?

For lunch, I love to go to La Conca del Sogno, an amazing fish restaurant with a great atmosphere and an extraordinary view of the sea. For dinner, it depends on my mood. For a romantic dinner I really love La Sponda at Le Sirenuse Hotel. For a beach dinner, with your feet in the sand, I love to go to Chez Black. And finally, for a party, La Cambusa is absolutely perfect.

Local delicacy you feasted on:

I’m in love with clam pasta!

Cocktails you sipped:

In Italy I always drink a bellini or a spritz.

Games you played:

We played paddle ball the entire summer—it’s the best game to play on the beach.

Music you listened to:

The song that I listen to every summer in a continuous loop is D’yer Mak’er by Led Zeppelin—I love it! We also played a lot of Cat Power and Nirvana.

My daily uniform was:

I’m a huge fan of Eres and Lisa Marie Fernandez swimsuits, I wear them with Liberty shorts that I ordered from my dress maker a few years ago and my cotton RL t-shirts. I also always wear my Rondini, natural-colored, beach sandals, my Tom Ford sunglasses, and a vintage straw hat.

In the day we:

When I’m in Italy my day is planned around food. In the morning, during breakfast, we decide what we want to eat for lunch. Depending on the place we take either the car or the boat, and then we decide on an itinerary. Between meal times it’s all about swimming and relaxing.

And at night we:

At night we love to take a scooter and go to Ravello to watch the amazing Italian sunsets and drink a good bellini.

Luggage you traveled with:

My carry-on bag is a vintage embroidered Marni bag that I have carried on vacation with me for many years. For my checked luggage, I use the Byles bag by Eastpak in black.

Items you packed in your suitcase:

There are so many items that are essential to my summer holidays! My cotton RL t-shirts—I always buy them in plain white, flecked grey, and khaki. My favorite pair of jeans are from Acne and I have been wearing them for 8 years—I never travel without them! Lots of vintage dresses that I buy at the flea market in Paris, my white Converse All-Star Low sneakers and I also always bring a pair of Alaia flat shoes. For sunglasses, I never travel without my tortoise Ray-Ban Wayfarers, as well as a pair by Tom Ford. I love wearing hats so I always bring a khaki cap that I found in Vietnam a few years ago. For beachwear I pack swimsuits from Eres and Lisa Marie Fernandez. For the evening, I love wearing a men’s cardigan over a vintage dress—especially my vintage Victorian lace Chloé dress. If I want to be casual I’ll throw on a pair of white jeans and a t-shirt.

And of course, I always take a good book, my iPhone, my iPad, my laptop and my sketchbook. Yes, I know it’s a lot!

Beauty-essentials you brought:

Every morning I clean my face and my neck with the Aromatic Lotion by Joëlle Ciocco, and immediately after I put on her Skin Defensive lotion. Then I moisturize with the Crème de Caviar by La Prairie, and for my eyes I use the Eye Concentrate by La Mer. My makeup routine is really simple—I just apply a tinted moisturizer by Laura Mercier and an eye primer. And then I use a little Benetint by Benefit on my lips…voilá!