Having just opened her first store in the Bahamas, Vivre founder and CEO Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti takes her company to the next level while balancing work, family, and a social life-and making it all look easy

By Ellen Wang Photography By Naila Ruechel

Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti says she has resigned herself to imperfection. It’s hard to believe the composed brown-eyed beauty, though. After all, as the founder and CEO of the wildly popular catalog and on-line luxury goods source Vivre, Jeanbart-Lorenzotti is an incredibly successful business woman-so much so that Time magazine dubbed her the “mail-order magnate” three years ago. Her refined features, flowing brown locks, and bold personal style make her both a media darling and a fixture in the fashion world. Add to that a handsome husband and two young children-one boy and one girl, naturally-and it certainly seems like Jeanbart-Lorenzotti has it all.

“The big obstacle as a working woman is achieving some balance, but it’s also about a state of mind,” explains Jeanbart-Lorenzotti. “You have to realize that you will not find the perfect balance. If you’re passionate about every facet of your life and what you do, then it’s not about perfection.” In the 12 years since Vivre launched as a thin luxury goods catalog, Jeanbart-Lorenzotti has taken the company on-line, into countless homes, and around the world. With the recent opening of the company’s first storefront at Sol Kerzner’s lavish Bahamian resort, The Cove Atlantis, it’s clear that whatever her key is to success, it’s certainly effective. The new store, Escape by Vivre, offers a unique collection of clothing, accessories, and home products, and it makes tangible the idea of style and luxury popularized by the catalog.

“What’s most important is being able to create a vehicle for people to have their own experiences and discoveries,” says Jeanbart-Lorenzotti. “Vivre is about artistry and craftsmanship, story-telling and individuality.” Designed by architect Jeffrey Beers, the store at The Cove is 12,000 square feet of chic, airy retail space. Racks of colorful clothes, shoes, jewelry, and handbags are arranged with care, but not in categories. The set up provides a warm, homey feel and allows customers to browse and discover Vivre’s treasures at their leisure.

Always looking for the unexpected, Jeanbart-Lorenzotti’s decision to open Vivre’s first store in the Bahamas came naturally. The company’s various goods-from a shell ring and an embroidered chiffon tunic to a handmade backgammon set and a Murano glass chandelier-all carry an air of the exotic and eclectic. Surrounded by clear azure water and blessed with a sunny tropical climate, Paradise Island seemed to be just the place for the travel-oriented company’s flagship.