I don’t want to paint Gstaad as dull (although perhaps I should so more people don’t disturb my peace). Face it, plenty of famous people have lived here and continue to do so: Valentino, whose pugs are pranced down the middle of the street by his liveried staff, a sign King Val is in residence; Julie Andrews, who came up with the idea to line the village’s chalet roofs with tiny lights at Christmastime; Elizabeth Taylor; Sean Connery; Roman Polanski; Jeanne Moreau; columnist Taki Theodoracopulos; Alinghi yachting syndicate boss and billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli; and French pop singer Johnny Hallyday (when you walk down the street, French tourists stop you to ask where Hallyday’s chalet is located). There is not only fantastic skiing but also ballooning, parasailing and lots of hiking—not to mention more than 70 top restaurants, some of which are in the Gault Millau.
That could be why Mr. Lauren is eyeing the place. And if he does come, the villagers, dressed in their native costumes, no doubt will loudly blow their alpenhorns in welcome.
