Charlotte Reiss is an entrepreneur known for her authentic Provençal lifestyle and elegant aesthetic of her French country home. Charlotte worked for over two decades in the fashion industry as a talent agent before founding Vivi et Margot, a brand dedicated to French home decor and artisan crafts.
Your life has moved through several countries, cultures, and very different stages. What has each place taught you about the way you live and look at everyday life?
“Each place has shaped me in a very distinct way.
England gave me resilience, a deep sense of tradition, and an appreciation for etiquette. Boarding school life taught me independence very early on as it was its own kind of living alone at a very young age and I think it made me brave, or at least willing to step into the unknown. That’s what eventually led me to move to America at 21.
New York taught me grit. It was where I learned to protect myself, to trust my instincts, and to build meaningful friendships. There was a constant energy, an urgency that pushed me to work, to create, to keep going. Being surrounded by photographers and creatives opened something in me artistically that I hadn’t fully accessed before.
California is where I feel I truly grew up. I spent 25 years there, and it shaped me in every sense. Los Angeles taught me drive, passion, courage, and also how to love and how to heal. It’s where I planted many of the seeds that have defined my life.
And Provence, where I’ve built my life now, feels like a season where the best parts of everything I’ve learned have come together. It taught me to slow down in a different way, to pay attention to light, to seasons, and to the small rituals of daily life. There’s an authenticity here that has allowed me to soften, to release some of the resilience I needed before, and to live more fully in the present.”
What inspires you most: people, places, or memories?
“A combination of all three, but always intertwined. Memories and places are inseparable to me. Certain places hold entire chapters of your life, shaped by the people who were in it at that time.
I’m less inspired by those widely admired and more by the people who have come into my life and are quietly living in a way that feels true and meaningful. Those are the lives that stay with me.
I’ve always been a dreamer, and my love language is creating memories for others, moments, really. I live for those small, fleeting instances that somehow stay with you forever. The light at the end of a day, a table after a long lunch, the feeling of a room. It’s never just one thing, but the atmosphere they create together.”
Your favorite hotel and book?
“I don’t know if I have one single favorite hotel, but I’m always drawn to places that feel more like a home than a hotel. I love a sense of quiet luxury, something feminine, layered, and not overly modern. When I travel alone especially, I want to feel completely at ease.
I’ve had some of my most memorable stays at The Peninsula in Los Angeles, Crosby Street Hotel in New York, and The San Regis in Paris.
Anne of Green Gables will always stay with me, but I also love The Great Gatsby. There’s something about the sense of longing in it, the way it captures time, memory, and the idea of wanting to hold onto a moment and that I find endlessly compelling.”
What role does craftsmanship play in your life?
“It’s at the heart of everything. I’m drawn to pieces that carry the hand of the maker, objects that aren’t perfect, but have soul. Craftsmanship tells a story, and I think we feel that instinctively. It’s what makes something last, not just physically, but emotionally.”
Which place in the world would you love to explore wearing your friulanes?
“Venice feels like the natural answer, it’s where they belong. I’ve never actually been, it’s on my one day list but I can imagine wandering through back streets in the late afternoon when the city is still and slightly mysterious. There’s something about that timeless atmosphere that really draws me.
For something more familiar, the Côte d’Azur feels just as right, especially in red or blue stripe. There’s an ease to this part of the world, the light, the sea, the rhythm of the days, that pairs perfectly with something so effortless. I live in a stripe shoe in summertime.”
What would your perfect pair of Cayumas be like?
“Something understated worn in. A soft, worn linen or velvet, perhaps in a faded olive or light pink with just enough structure to feel elegant, but as if they have been worn and well loved. A deliciously faded floral fabric interior.”
