on the cover april 2026 gulfshore life estero bay pink dress
Photography by Omar Cruz

On the Cover: Among the Mangroves on Estero Bay

The behind-the-scenes images from our April fashion feature at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay.

Fashion

For our April Resilience issue, we took our cover fashion to the edge of Estero Bay. The shoot is set at The Ritz-Carlton Residences at the new Saltleaf on Estero Bay community, where modern resilience strategies shape the coastal architecture. Set between the mangroves and a 144-acre upland preserve, the property serves as a case study in how the built environment can exist alongside the natural one.

While our April issues have historically focused on sustainability, this year we shifted to resilience—a more active, urgent term for the Gulf. Sustainability is about conserving what exists; resilience requires adapting to ongoing shifts without losing what defines a place. At Saltleaf, that meant following rigorous coastal building strategies and preserving much of the site as upland habitat. The cover captures the intersection: a winding, stone-lined path that threads through the landscape, following the flow of water. 

Finding that one shot is a process, as the team tests how fashion and architecture meet. Here, we share the looks captured in the search for the final image.

Mangroves and a stone-lined shoreline stabilize the bay’s edge, helping buffer the residences, designed by Miami’s Arquitectonica, from winds and surge. Là Fuori dress; Fly Boutique vintage kimono; Edgar Navarro earrings.

Estero Bay remains central to life at Saltleaf, where residents can charter a boat to explore the mangrove-lined estuary. Torlowei dress; Baroque & Boheme scarf; Edgar Navarro jewelry. 

Part of a wave of celebrity chefs arriving in Southwest Florida, James Beard winner Michael Mina helms Saltleaf’s on-site restaurant, Acqua Bistecca. Tom Ford gown; Blumera bag; Andrés Otálora head scarf; Alexis Bittar earrings. 

The Ritz-Carlton Residences anchor Saltleaf on Estero Bay, a 500-acre waterfront community with nearly a third of the land set aside as a preserve. Francesca Miranda dress; Edgar Navarro jewelry; Eugenia Kim scarf. 

Johanna wears a Miriam Stella gown; Pinkgun Gallery vintage handbag. 

Photography: Omar Cruz

Model: Johanna Chone

Hair/Makeup: Duality Artistry

Styling: Veronica Porras

Location: The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay at Saltleaf, a London Bay community