SUMMER 2016 SUMMER 2016
CHICAGO / DALLAS-FORT WORTH / HOUSTON / LAS VEGAS / LOS ANGELES / MIAMI / NEW YORK / ORANGE COUNTY / SAN FRANCISCO
INSIDE LARRY ELLISON’S $300M PRIVATE PARADISE BLACK AND WHITE BLING NEW FRONTIERS: LUXURY TRAVEL IN OMAN, BHUTAN & RWANDA
Juice Bar Crawls, Mermaids & Other Summertime Wonders
EXCLUSIVE
MELANIA TRUMP FINALLY SPEAKS HER MIND
DUJOUR.COM
THE BARDENAS COLLECTION LEO MARMOL and RON RADZINER ARCHITECTS and DESIGNERS / LOS ANGELES
DAW N A striking, seductive encounter The new Dawn has arrived – a Rolls-Royce like no other. A striking true four-seater, it captures the exhilaration of open-top driving with an interior crafted in anticipation of unforgettable moments between friends. Anything is possible. Contact us to start your journey.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC 300 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677, USA Tel: 1-877-877-3735 www.rolls-roycemotorcars-northamerica.com Š Copyright Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC 2016. The Rolls-Royce name and logo are registered trademarks.
Dinner service or
ROOM SERVICE
EMIRATES FIRST Choose from a varied gourmet menu and enjoy fine dining at any time with our handpicked exclusive wines, all in the comfort of your own private suite.
Hello Tomorrow
The Privilege of Privacy
Priv BlackBerry Secure Smartphone
Powered by Android E x p e r i e n c e To u c h o r Ty p e i n O n e P h o n e w i t h H i d d e n K e y b o a r d ShopBlackBerry.com AT&T T-Mobile Verizon
TM
®ROBERTOCOIN
NEW BAROCCO & CENTO COLLECTIONS | robertocoin.com
wynnlasvegas.com
OUR INSPIRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOU.
JOIN OUR COUNTRY CLUB IN THE SKY USE INVITE CODE DJ500 FOR $500 IN FLIGHT CREDIT WHEN YOU BECOME A MEMBER.
J O I N T H E FA S T E S T G R OW I N G P R I VAT E J E T C L U B I N T H E WO R L D
No airport check-in lines All-you-can-fly regularly scheduled JetShuttle™ flights Fly private with thousands of last-minute JetDeals™ Custom on-demand Jet Shuttle™ flights for a fractional cost
+1 (888) 9 VIP JET
J E T S M A RT E R . C O M
**Purchase of membership is required. Offer valid until August 31st, 2016. Free seats are offered on a first-come-first-served basis and subject to availability. Additional restrictions may apply. JS offers a number of programs including single-entity charters and Public Charters. For single-entity charters, JS will act solely as your agent in arranging the flight. For Public Charter operations, JetSmarter will act as principal in buying and reselling the air transportation. Seats obtained under the Public Charter Program are subject to the Public Charter rules contained in 14 CFR 380. JetSmarter does not own or operate any aircraft. All flights are performed by FAA licensed and DOT registered air carriers. See www.jetsmarter.com for full program details.
UPTOWN
1 WEST 72ND STREET
1 BR 1 BATH
$1.85 M
WEB ID: 200744
VICTORIA TERRI-COTE (646) 790-6938 • CRISTINA COTE (646) 790-6935
781 FIFTH AVENUE
1 BR 1 BATH
$1.795 M
WEB ID: 986514
LAUREN KRONENFELD (646) 532-4954
DOWN TOWN
18 LEONARD STREET
3 BR 3 BATH
$5.398 M
WEB ID: 724023
DANNY DAVIS (646) 588-4052 • LISA BALBUENA (646) 588-4017
25 PRINCE STREET - PH
3 BR 2.5 BATH
$6.8 M
WEB ID: 589056
LAURIE GILMORE (646) 790-5031
AROUNDTOWN
114 WEST 27TH STREET
LOFT 2 BATH
$2.75 M
WEB ID: 879946
JASON P KARADUS (646) 998-7435 • JOSHUA HATFIELD (646) 998-7458
10 WEST STREET
5 BR 6 BATH
$11.5 M
WEB ID: 103927
LINDSEY STOKES (646) 300-6055
TO VIEW ALL OF OUR EXCLUSIVE LISTINGS, PLEASE VISIT TOWNRESIDENTIAL.COM
128 CENTRAL PARK SOUTH
2 BR 2 BATH
$12K/MONTH
WEB ID: 805926
RIMMA DOUBINSKAIA (646) 998-7489
101 WARREN STREET
2 BR 3 BATH
$4.8 M
WEB ID: 895492
CLAUDIA M. SAEZ (646) 790-7954 • MARK DAVID FROMM (646) 998-7487
28 OLD FULTON STREET
1 BR 1 BATH
$1.15 M
TERRY NAINI (917) 841-1826
WEB ID: 422503
100 WEST 58TH STREET
3 BR 3.5 BATH
$4.495 M
WEB ID: 149411
LANCE MILETICH (646) 588-4038
225 FIFTH AVENUE
3 BR 2.5 BATH
$6.35 M
WEB ID: 637863
CAROL ANN HAGEN-HOLT (646) 518-2628 • JOANN WASSERMAN (646) 518-2629
303 EAST 57TH STREET
3 BR 3.5 BATH
$3.25 M
WEB ID: 512426
GINGER C. BROKAW (646) 998-7408 • HANNAH REINHARD (646) 300-6046
TOWN Residential LLC ("TOWN") is a licensed real estate broker and a partnership of Buttonwood Residential Brokerage LLC and Thor Equities, LLC. All property listing information, including, but not limited to, square footage, room count, and number of bedrooms are from sources deemed reliable, but are subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal and should be verified by your own attorney, architect, engineer or zoning expert. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Real estate agents associated with TOWN are independent contractors and are not employees of TOWN. TOWN owns the following subsidiary real estate brokerages: TOWN Astor Place LLC; TOWN Fifth Avenue LLC; TOWN Flatiron LLC; TOWN Gramercy Park LLC ("TOWN Gramercy”); TOWN Greenwich Street LLC ("TOWN Financial District”); TOWN Soho LLC; and TOWN 79th Street LLC (“TOWN Upper East Side”).
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CONTENTS STYLE 42
STYLE NEWS
48
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
56
HAUTE IN HERE
Paris’ V estiaire Collective brings chic wares stateside; Jeffrey Rudes’ menswear line; the Ciel collection by RH This summer’s breakout actor may be starring in a orror ick, ut w at reall scares Alexander DiPersia doesn’t go bump in the night With premier fashion retailers ramping up exclusive services for V .I.P. shoppers, our sartorial expert goes behind the bouclé curtain
LIFE
48
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
A veteran party animal takes on the latest craze in healthful hedonism: the Juice Crawl 60
CIRCLE OF LIFE
64
MY FIRST PIECE OF ART
Two remote destinations are staying ahead of the luxury-vacation curve. Their secret? K eeping it in the family olfgang uck, t e c ef w o redefined California cuisine, explains how his dining rooms end up looking like museums
BODY
Suit, $ 8,9 9 5 , KITON, kiton. it. Polo, $ 5 9 5 , BOGLIOLI, b oglioli. it. Brogues, price upon request, VERSACE, v ersace. com.
82
HAVE TIPPLE, WILL TRAVEL
65
LET’S GET PHYSICAL
There are no intellectual property laws for signature cocktails, which is a plus for patrons—and sometimes even for bartenders
72
HOT STONE BARRAGE
WORK
e latest in must a e fitness accessories are giving an opulent overhaul to classic exercise equipment At a growing number of upscale resorts, rest and relaxation means offering slews of activities to appease antsy guests
PLAY 76
AN AMERICAN TAIL
Inside the big, strange business of being a mermaid
84
SHUTTER STARS
86
FRONDS IN HIGH PLACES
Marking the release of F ocu s—a deep-diving exposé into the world of fashion photographers—Michael Gross reveals the story behind an image of a group of key characters from his groundbreaking new book The father of vertical gardening fashions the future of living architecture
On the cover Coat, sweater and trousers, all price upon request, AKRIS, similar styles available at akris. ch. Photographed by Chip Somodevilla.
COV E R: GE TTY IMAGE S; DIPE RSIA: BLAIR GE TZ ME Z IBOV
22
DUJOU R .COM
58 IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
THE ART OF COLOUR L O N D O N N E W YO R K BAHR AIN BAKU BA NGKOK BOSTON DERBY DUBAI DOHA K ARLOV Y VARY KIEV LOS A NGELES R I Y A D H S A N F R A N C I S C O S Y D N E Y VA L L E T TA VA N C O U V E R FA B E R G E . C O M
@ O F F I C I A L FA B E R G E
Fa b ergé proud l y u s e s G em f ield s c olou re d gem st one s
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CONTENTS 124
CULTURE 90 INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY
H ow J ason Bou rne star Ato E ssandoh found the formula to becoming H ollywood’s next big thing 92
HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
94
CULTURE PACKAGE
E than H awke on the charms and challenges of life on the big screen
Stephanie Danler’s debut novel; brainy beach reads; C ats by the numbers
FEATURES 98
LADY AND THE TRUMP
Melania Trump may speak softly, but in this rare, candid interview, she comes through loud and clear. By Mickey Rapkin
104 OMAN
In one of the world’s most unpredictable regions, Oman is a stable, stunning destination with an identity all its own. By Lindsay Silberman; photographed by Douglas F riedman 114
SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
F rom the ground up—way, way up—Bhutan is one of the most complex, compelling places on E arth. So why asn t an one figured t at out eidi Mitchell; photographed by Ian Allen
138
OPULENT ILLUSIONS
It isn’t just your eyes playing tricks on you. These dizzying accessories are as covetable as they are extravagant 148 DEARLY BELOVED
F amed photographers Inez and V inoodh remember Prince. Photographed by Inez V an Lamsweerde and V inoodh Matadin
124 RWANDA RISING
The E ast African country emerges from tragedy to reinvent itself as a destination for travelers seeking nature, culture, heart and soul. By Alyssa Giacobbe; photographed by Christopher Churchill 134 THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS
Art-world eminence Simon de Pury e erts is worldwide in uence not from a gallery or auction house, but instead a well appointed office in is own Mayfair home. By Polly Dunbar; photographed by Benjamin McMahon
138
OPULENT ILLUSIONS Lady Compliqué e Peacock watch in 1 8-karat white gold with sapphires, diamonds and onyx, $ 89 ,0 0 0 , FABERGÉ , f ab erge. com.
F ROM TOP: CH RISTOPH E R CH URCH ILL; COURTE SY
24
DUJOU R .COM
RWANDA RISING
www.brunellocucinelli.com
877 3308100
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CONTENTS 150 THE ALOHA PROJECT
F our years after Oracle co-founder Larry E llison bought 9 8 percent of Lanai for a reported $ 3 0 0 million, the H awaiian island is open for business. But what is it selling? By Alyssa Giacobbe; photographed by Christopher Churchill
CITIES 162 CHICAGO
Buccellati’s revamped boutique; a trio of exciting new eateries; Jimmy Choo comes to town E xpert curation arrives in K noxH enderson and H ighland Park V illage; two new trendsetting restaurants; a whiskey worth toasting 166 HOUSTON
The latest and best in retail therapy, from must-have fashion to international crafts
26
DUJOU R .COM
164 DALLAS/FT. WORTH
168 LAS VEGAS
Alain Ducasse’s new Delano digs; Intrigue at Wynn Las V egas; Beauty & E ssex opens
114
170 LOS ANGELES
SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
Inventive offerings from F our Seasons California Collection; Cindy Sherman at e road first rate apanese fare 173
MIAMI
176
NEW YORK CITY
Mediterranean meets Miami at La Cô te; 1 H otel & H omes’ eco-chic mission; enticing dishes at four new hotspots
181
HAMPTONS
182
TRI-STATE
A duo of breakout hotels; E ast H ampton’s Bay K itchen Bar F our haute hotels; summer at Storm K ing; reasons to visit the Glass H ouse
184 ORANGE COUNTY
The revamped Lido Marina V illage; L* Space by Monica Wise; next-level vegan food in N ewport Beach 185
SAN FRANCISCO
Sentient Jet’s N apa V alley perks; a pair of culinary newcomers; Minted’s founder and CE O talks big business
BACKPAGE 192 FAMOUS LAST WORDS
The handwriting of Daphne Guinness exposes what she’s kept hidden
186 PARTIES
Snapshots from D u J ou r celebrations honoring Roberto Coin, N ick Cannon, Behati Prinsloo and more
IAN ALLE N
Saks’ OF F F ifth and Gilt open in Midtown; H ickey F reeman puts down roots in Battery Park; groundbreaking skin care; SIX TY SoH o’s rooftop oasis
helioro by kim. simply, beautifully irresistible.
Text Us: 646.887.0009 Seamlessly joined strands of 18k rose gold combine to form the Helioro Rings and Pendants. The rings range from classically simple to full pavĂŠ set diamonds, from $1,095 (not shown). Helioro Pendants available on La Catena necklace or on a silk cord, from $3,745.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
ED LETTER
Thoughts DuJour
Power Pose Top: Cover story with Melania Trump (p. 98). Above and left: Vecchiarelli at Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas with her family.
And of course, when it comes to families, there is hardly a family in the world at this moment about which there is more speculation than the Trumps. In an unprecedented interview for our cover story, Mickey Rapkin sat down with Melania Trump with the simple ( or so it would seem) intention of learning what this typically reserved woman has to say. Sometimes, you don’t have to go halfway around the world to find ourself face to face wit t e une pected. ■
N icole V ecchiarelli N V @ D u J ou r. com I nstagram: nicolev ecchiarelli
TRUMP: RE GIN E MAH AUX / GE TTY IMAGE S; V E CCH IARE LLI: TH OMAS WH ITE SIDE
28
DUJOU R .COM
S
ummer can often turn out to be a bit of a circus, but luckily, the main attraction of the season is vacation. The purpose of getting away has always been for us to reset—to relax and unplug—but also to breathe a little, and assess the direction of our lives. Of course, we look forward to that week at the family beach house, with the whitewashed deck that’s given you who knows how many splinters over the years and the linen closet where your favorite Minnie Mouse towel still lives. But there’s also something to be said for a truly foreign adventure, with the promise of an experience so different from your own that it shakes you out of the hypnosis of daily life. This issue, we feature three countries that suspend the boundaries of expectation: Oman, Rwanda and Bhutan. All three have as much to offer in luxury as they do in breathtaking natural beauty, but their most exotic appeal is the chance for visitors to be submerged in cultures genuinely removed from the Western world. A visit to Oman—bordered by Yemen and Saudi Arabia—revealed a panorama of Mars-like deserts and crystalline beachfronts, and also, as writer Lindsay Silberman discovered, some of the warmest people she’d ever encountered. In Rwanda, we journeyed to mingle with endangered mountain gorillas in a lush terrain nicknamed the Land of a Thousand H ills, set against a political landscape of reconciliation in the wake of 1 9 9 4’s orrific genocide. nd if t ere were e er a place to ope for transcendence, it’d surely be the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, where some of the world’s most stunning monasteries are perched among the heavenly peaks of the H imalayas. But a number of other stories in this issue show it’s also possible to transcend expectations simply by looking within ourselves. Inez and V inoodh’s shared memory of Prince reminds us that one of our most invaluable human instincts is to transform over and over again. After all, when we explored the fabulous trend of mermaid culture, we discovered that putting on a shimmering tail is really just about slipping into an identity of your own fantastical choosing. Still, we know that transformations are not always realized alone. Often families provide the foundation onto which we can build. We unearthed two resorts in very different parts of the world—one in K enya and the other in the Bahamas—that are run by second generations of families transplanted from other countries who have fostered their businesses to be real homes, not only for themselves, but for the locals around them.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CEO LETTER
3 0
DUJOU R .COM
T
he kind of revelry usually reserved for summertime has been in full swing at D u J ou r all spring—long efore we officiall egan acation season wit one of our legendary Memorial a kickoffs at o s E ast H ampton. e nonstop e citement started in arc , w en we osted t e launc of t e e ati uic outure collection wit e ati rinsloo erself, ut entic rands roup amie alter and ot er ama ing guests at one of our fa orite spots ason trauss and oa epper erg s ooftop Lounge at Dream Downtown. The following mont , w en te en ler rolled into ew ork for t e te en ler ut on a Lim ” c arit s ow and auction at Lincoln enter enefitting is nonprofit anie s und, we welcomed t e rock star wit an e clusi e e ent at La o. anks to rian iller and t e team at an attan otorcars, automo ile ent usiasts were treated to a first look at ler s ennesse enom efore t e million dollar car went up for auction to enefit t e c arit s mission to elp a used girls. e mont of a ew as we worked with H avas Luxe President Thomas errano to sponsor a cocktail part cele rating t e start of t e ime rafters lu ur watc s ow, followed our first e er atc and Learn” panel, w ere D u J ou r watc editor onda ic e spoke with horology heavyweights about the stories t at lie e ind e er timepiece. e t we arri ed in Las egas comforta l and in st le, t anks to et marter to ost t e ill oard usic wards ick ff art at ntrigue ig tclu at nn. n etween t e festi ities, we were ard at work and as always making memories wit famil . ta tuned all summer long for more from D u J ou r, as we it t e amptons, soak up some sun and get ready for what ever the fall may hold.
1
3
2
6
5
4
9
8 7 12
11 10
ason inn
T witter/ I nstagram: @ j asonb inn
13
14
1. Roni Jesselson, Jay Schottenstein, Jason Binn and Ronn Torossian 2. President & COO at Fontainebleau Miami Beach Phil Goldfarb and Major Accounts Manager at Houston Chronicle Jeana Stone 3. SVP Planning and Allocation at Saks Fifth Avenue John Quinn, VP Human Resources at Saks Fifth Avenue Kira Hanson and President of Real Estate at HBC Brian Pall 4. CEO at Authentic Brands Group Jamie Salter and President & CMO at Global Brands Group Jason Rabin 5. Mark Mullett, CEO at Invicta Watch Group Eyal Lalo, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, Keith Bloomfield and Alicia Goldstein 6. President of Outlets at HBC Jonathan Greller and Strategic Advisor to Gilt Michelle Peluso 7. David Lauren at the Polo Bar 8. President at Wempe USA Ruediger Albers and Russell Wilson 9. Director of the Roundabout Theatre Company Stephanie Kramer and CEO of Griffon Corp Ron Kramer
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CEO LETTER HANDPICKED
17
18
15
16
19
21
3 2
DUJOU R .COM
20
22
25
26
29
30
31
32
24
23
27
28
10. CEO at Four Hundred Tony Abrams and CEO of Platinum Rye Entertainment Ryan Schinman 11. Owner of Shoe Box Street LLC Richard Kirschenbaum, Jeffrey Rudes and Steven Dann 12. Camilla Olsson and CEO at Equinox Harvery Spevak 13. Partner at Fisher Brothers Steven Fisher and Peter Arnell 14. Philipp Plein and CEO North and South America at Philipp Plein Graziano de Boni 15. Roger Dubuis 16. Principal at The Metric Eric Marx and Director & Partner at Hospitality Group Adam Spoont 17. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine 18. Maggie Albers and President of Wempe USA Ruediger Albers 19. Bella Hunter 20. Co-Founder of B@TV Damian Mould, Director of Communications at Absolut Elyx Tom Roberts, Project Manager at Coca-Cola Anna Aberg and Ecommerce Manager at La Perla Emma Diddi Nihlén 21. Romee Strijd, Josephine Skriver, Taylor Hill and Chase Hill 22. Ryan Lochte and the CEO of Airweave Motokuni Takaoka 23. Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad 24. President at Havas Luxe Thomas Serrano 25. President of Fendi Americas Gaetano Sciuto 26. Extra Producer Theresa Coffino 27. Jonathan P. Binnstock, Moreton Binn and Jeffrey Binnstock 28. Sylvester Stallone and President of Billboard John Amato 29. Nick Cannon 30. President and VP of Marketing at Leviev Lisa Klien and David Klien 31. Group President of The Esteé Lauder Companies Jane Hertzmark Hudis 32. President of Outlets at HBC Jonathan Greller and CEO of HBC Gerald L. Storch
Adam Spoont Alberto Junco Alicia Washburn Andrew Warren Anton Rupert Ari Horowitz Arianna Huffington Arthur Dozortsev Aryeh Bourkoff Bert Dweck Brian Hermelin Bruce Eichner Camille Douglas Cat Honey Cathy Aronin Chris Del Gatto Chris Rendell Chris Robbins Clare Lavery Clarisa Guzman Clive Davis Damian Mould Danielle Naftali Dario Parilla David Seelinger David Slinger Denise De Luca Dilay Kayraktar Drew Sheinman Edouard d’Arbaumont Eric Marx Fabrizio Brianza Garine Zerounian Geoff Hess Gianluca Isaia Heather Rimsky Henri Barguirdjian Howard Lorber Jamie Edmiston Janice Winter Jesse Weber Jill Heisler Joe Lupo Joey Allaham John Goleib John Howard Johnny Podell Jojo Anavim Jonathan Levine Kane Sarhan Kathleen Ruiz Ken Wyse Kim Walker Laura Hagage Laura Holliday Lepa Roskopp Mallory Andrews Mara Kloiber Marcy Warren Mark Metrick Mark Patricof Marti Crampshee Melanie Boury Michael Shvo Michale Cappoini Nicki Berlyn Nicole Oge Noclas Fermont Paolo Zampolli Peter Arnell Pierre-Antoine Oury Rebecca Bond Richard Backman Ricki Berger Robby Schnall Rosa Langley Shamin Abas Shan-Lyn Ma Stephen Budd Stephen Colvin Terry Villani Thomas Serrano Thomas Toepke Trent Fraser Wenda Harris Millard Will Davis
CALIBER RM 63-02 WORLD TIMER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
CEO/PUBLISHER
Nicole Vecchiarelli
ART DIRECTOR
Jason Binn
EDITOR AT LARGE
Natalie Do
Alyssa Giacobbe
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Leslie Farrand
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
MANAGING EDITOR
Julie Arkin
Natalia de Ory
VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Isabelle McTwigan
FEATURES
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Phil Witt
FEATURES DIRECTOR
Adam Rathe
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
SENIOR EDITOR
ARTICLES EDITOR
RESEARCH EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Lindsay Silberman
David Foxley
Ivy Pascual
Frances Dodds
ART + PHOTO
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS
FASHION/BEAUTY/HOME MARKET DIRECTOR
INTEGRATED SALES PLANNING MANAGER
Stefanie LaGalia
Etta Meyer
Sydney Wasserman
CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER
FASHION MARKET EDITOR
Paul Frederick
INTEGRATED MARKETING
CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITORS
ASSISTANT FASHION MARKET EDITOR
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Sandie Burke
Michelle Egiziano, Lauren Kill
Meaghan Hartland
JUNIOR DESIGNER
Jackie Cinguina
MARKETING MANAGER
Bryan Vargas
DUJOU R .COM
ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES
Sylvie Durlach, S&R Media (France), Susy Scott (Italy) Cathryn Mahoney, Brianna Montalto, Jennifer Lyons, Jesika Rozenberg
PHOTO DIRECTOR
3 4
Araceli Franco, Adriana Martone
Jennifer Lentol DESIGNER
CITIES
Victoria Barna
DEPUTY EDITOR
EVENT COORDINATOR
Sara Strumwasser
Natasha Wolff
DIGITAL
REGIONAL EDITORS
Amiee White Beazley (Aspen), Holly Crawford (Houston), Holly Haber (Dallas), Jessica Ritz (Los Angeles and Orange County), Korey Karnes Huyler (Chicago), Rebecca Kleinman (Miami and Palm Beach), David Nash (San Francisco), Andy Wang (Las Vegas)
DIGITAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER
Patricia Montero
PRODUCTION DUJOUR.COM
MOBILE/PRINT & OPERATIONS, DIRECTOR
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
Eden Univer
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
WEB PRODUCER
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Caitlin Heikkila
Shawn Lowe
SENIOR PRE-MEDIA MANAGER
John Francesconi IT MANAGER
Kevin Singh
Rachel Wallace
Jolie Peters
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Matt Reuschle
PRINT CONSULTANT
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
CALEV Print Media
Paul Biedrzycki (Automotive), Keith Pollock (Home), Rhonda Riche (Watches), Jerry Silberman (Sports) CONTRIBUTORS
Alex John Beck, Esther Bergdahl (Copy), Nancy Bilyeau, Patricia Bosworth, Cedric Buchet, Anne Christensen, Grant Cornett, Arthur Elgort, Lisa Ferber (Copy), Douglas Friedman, Kyoko Hamada, Henry Hargreaves, Nick Earhart (Copy), Bruce Weber, Lynn Yaeger INTERNS
Morgan Copes, Isabelle Costandi, Kaitlyn Frey, Atalie Gimmel, Jenna Hartley, Farhin Lilywala, Jamila Morrison, Vanessa McQueen, Shennai Saunders, Cathryn Vaccaro
PAPER SOURCING
Aaron Paper
FINANCE FINANCE MANAGER
Michael Rose
ASSISTANT CONTROLLER
Dahlia Nussbaum
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Stephanie Cabral-Choudri
BOARD ADVISORS
Dan Galpern Matt Witheiler
GENERAL COUNSEL
John A. Golieb
D Ju our ( ISSN 2388868) is published four times a year by DuJour Media Group, LLC., 2 Park Avenue, N YC 106, 646- 67 9- 1687. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publishers and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to D u J ou r magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs and drawings. Copyright © 2 0 1 6 DuJour Media Group, LLC. F or a subscription to D u J ou r magazine, go to dujour.com/ free, call 844-3 85 -6 87 1 or email custsvc_ dujour@ fulcoinc.com
The Plaza Hotel
768 Fith Avenue. New York 212 371 7050
New York - Porto Montenegro Select Neiman Marcus www.misahara.com
JACQUELINE DETWILER
“Have Tipple, Will Travel” p. 82
During her travels for this story about international cocktail culture, Detwiler found the bizarre nearly became normal. Case in point: On a day off from a cocktail tour in out ietnam, s e was in ited to rc id sland, a field trip s e assumed would land her on a beachy V ietnamese oasis. “We get there and it looked like a circus,” she recalls. “There was a bear in a tutu walking on its hind legs.” Then, a few weeks after interviewing Jasper, a bar owner in Tulum, she received numerous texts warning her to c eck on t e ar s e ad onl ust isited, ecause a fire ad destro ed it. urns out the bar survived, but the hotel attached to it had been burnt to a crisp. SOUP DUJOUR:
Campbell’s Split Pea and Bacon
DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN “Oman” p. 104
DUJOU R .COM
When photographer F riedman went on assignment to capture Oman, he was working with a blank slate of expectations. “Oman had never been on my radar,” he says, “but, my God, what a spectacular place. Turquoise blue seas, red sand dunes, craggy barren peaks, deserts—and the people are so kind and warm.” F riedman, who has shot for V anity F air, V ogu e, D epartu res and E sq u ire, says that among all his voyages, Oman stands alone in its capacity to surprise. “Maybe I’m a jaded traveler because I’m on the road all the time,” he says, “but it’s very seldom that I go somewhere I really feel like I’m having an adventure, and Oman was that place. I truly felt like a foreigner in a strange land, so even the most mundane things become incredibly exotic.” Matzoh Ball
3 6
SOUP DUJOUR:
Contributors
Getting to know some of the talent behind the issue—lunch orders and all Written by Frances Dodds BLAIR GETZ MEZIBOV
SOUP DUJOUR:
Matzoh Ball
COURTE SY
“Alexander the Great” p. 46
“It’s certainly not a given that an actor will turn up and be game for what you have in mind,” sa s e i o , re ecting on is recent p oto shoot with L ights Ou t star Alex DiPersia. Mezibov would know something about that, having shot for publications such as G Q , E sq u ire, H arper’ s Baz aar and T he N ew Y ork T imes. till, e sa s i ersia was confident enough to foster creativity on set. “H e’s fun, funny and has an ease about him that allowed us to capture a dynamic range not only in spirit but certainly in the great fashion as well.”
STUARTWEITZMAN.COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CONTRIBUTORS EDEN UNIVER Digital Director
Univer is more than just D u J ou r’s digital director—she is a queen of content, guiding print stories on their journeys to online incarnations. “One of my favorite parts about being at a lifestyle magazine is that we get to work on so many different sorts of stories,” she says, “and that what we do online is a little different than what we do in print—no two days are ever the same.” Certainly this is true for Univer, who’s found herself at a sit-down with a titan of industry one day and chatting with up-and-coming actors the next. Still, she sa s er fa orite con ersations are alwa s waiting for er ack at t e office. “I’m really lucky to work with such awesome people,” she says. SOUP DUJOUR:
Spicy Ramen
DAVID FOXLEY
When D u J ou r articles editor F oxley set out to explore vertical gardening, there was no better guide to the art form’s intricacies than its original visionary, Patrick Blanc. And despite the urban nature of Blanc’s stunning plant installations—which grace structures from parking garages to high-end residential buildings around the world—F oxley found that the 6 2 -year-old genius’s singular muse is biology beyond city limits. “H e spoke with the cadence of an excited schoolboy when the subject turned to exotic plant species and research trips into the jungles of Borneo to stockpile creative ideas,” F oxley says. “Perhaps the most intriguing insight to me was t at lanc w ose own aris office is suspended over a tank housing some 2 ,0 0 0 fis ne er looks to art or arc itecture for inspiration, just nature and science.” SOUP DUJOUR:
GEORGE GURLEY
“It’s Not Easy Being Green” p. 58
Leading up to his assignment, Gurley had to fig t is e er instinct in order not to ditch the alcohol-free Juice Crawl. Surprisingly, he ended up drinking the K ool-Aid—or was it wheatgrass? “I was so cynical about this beforehand, but now it’s like I’ve joined a cult—a good cult, though,” he says. There was one “juice snob” Gurley encountered on the crawl, but even she ended up reworking his perspectives. “I went through a list of drinks, like pitchers of beer, that had been on my mind, and to every one she responded negatively, like ‘ Lame,’ ‘ Bloated’ or ‘ Uninspiring.’ These were never words I associated with alcohol until I heard her use them. She kind of reprogrammed me.”
Tomato Basil
SOUP DUJOUR:
FreshDirect’s Matzoh Ball
HEIDI MITCHELL
“Such Great Heights” p. 114
What struck writer Mitchell most during her travels in South Asia were the poignant reminders of how few places in the world are left as untouched as Bhutan, and what the trade-offs are for such uncorrupted natural beauty. That’s not to say Mitchell and her team didn’t work with what they were given—actually, they thrived. “Probably the best night was our photographer’s birthday,” she says. “It took three cars and 40 minutes on an unpaved road to reach the closest bar. We got everyone a $ 5 bottle of whiskey and danced all night. It’s not something you typically see on these trips; we got to just hit the ground.” SOUP DUJOUR:
Mongolian Hot Pot
UN IV E R: BRYAN V ARGAS; F OX LE Y: N ORMAN JE AN ROY F OR V AN ITY F AIR; ALL OTH E R IMAGE S COURTE SY
3 8
DUJOU R .COM
“Fronds in High Places” p. 86
Ventaglio
N E W Y O R K B O U T I Q U E , 8 2 4 M A D I S O N AV E N U E , N E W Y O R K , N Y, ( 2 1 2 ) 4 3 9 - 4 2 2 0 BAL HARBOUR BOUTIQUE, 9700 COLLINS AVENUE, BAL HARBOUR, FL, (305) 865-8765
ABU DHABI K U WA I T
•
•
BAL HARBOUR
LONDON
•
•
CANNES
MOSCOW
•
•
CAPRI
NEW YORK
• •
COURCHEVEL PA R I S
•
•
DUBAI
PORTO CERVO
www•degrisogono•com
• •
G E N E VA ROME
•
S
• T
G S TA A D MORITZ
SKY Y.
TANEISHA B.
TIARA T.
CAROLYN S.
TIMELESS DESIGN TO PASS DOWN FOR GENERATIONS. VALISA M.
NEW YORK 177 FR ANKLIN ST DETROIT • MIAMI • CHICAGO • LONDON WASHINGTON DC • LOS ANGELES • SAN FR ANCISCO SHINOL A .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE NEWS
How Much for Your Birkin?
Meet the company that’s helping the world raid the closets of Paris Photographed by Hugues Laurent online shopping, seasoned disciples of fashion have too often found themselves in undisciplined territory. Questions of authenticity run rampant, and exclusivity grows increasingly elusive as any hidden gems you may discover are guaranteed to show up on someone’s “insider” shopping guide within days. And yet, certain style sensibilities remain ever aspirational— say, how to dress like a true Parisian. N ow, the founders of V estiaire Collective, the F rench pre-owned-luxury fashion site, are doing their best to make that aspiration a global reality. Launched in 2 0 0 9 , V estiaire took its time building a strong local identity into its company culture before expanding to the U.K . in 2 0 1 2 , Germany and the U.S. in 2 0 1 4 and Italy in 2 0 1 5 , with new sites launching soon in Spain and the N ordic countries. Currently ser ing ew orkers out of an office in Manhattan, V estiaire is providing haute-fashion enthusiasts stateside with an unremitting stream of Louboutin heels, Chanel 2 .5 5 handbags and much-hunted fas ion finds, like t e rare imala an Birkin the company sold for $ 1 2 5 ,0 0 0 . “We authenticate each and every product before it reaches the buyer,” says Samina K irk, the U.S. country manager. “The U.S. site really is a treasure trove of one-of-a-kind items from some of the best closets in E urope.”—FRANCES DODDS
Tête-à-tête The Vestiaire executive team in their Paris office. Bottom row, from left: Sébastien Fabre, Sophie Hersan, Henrique Fernandes. Top row, from left: Olivier Marcheteau, Fanny Moizant, Christian Jorge.
A CASE OF YOU
Much like a classified file, a modern man’s bag holds the keys to the intimate inner workings of his everyday life. The new Private Bag line by Giorgio Armani is as versatile in its function as it is in its design: A plethora of pockets house the high-tech gadgets needed for any gent to move seamlessly through his business day, while the bags’ luxurious leather exteriors—from calfskin to crocodile—allow for a stylish transition to antics in the after hours. Godspeed. Private bag, $ 2 ,1 9 5 , GIORGIO ARMANI, armani. com
ARMAN I BAGS: COURTE SY
4 2
DUJOU R .COM
IN THE RELATIVELY short lifespan of
“If I accept what you are and I love you anyway... what does that make me?” -Angela Valdes
Starz and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Power © 2016 Starz Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE NEWS
Ottoman Empire
For a line of neoteric outdoor furniture, form and function go hand in hand
PEN STATE
MADE OF CARBON, titanium and white gold and retailing at $100,000, watchmaker Richard Mille’s new RMS05 fountain pen is the most talked-about writing instrument of the moment. Just as Mille’s timepieces have energized horlogerie in the digital era, he has transformed the act of penmanship into a contemplation on the practice of communication and the beauty of engineering. Mille is clear on what inspired him to create the RMS05. “People who love watches almost always also like cars, cameras and pens,” he explains. “And a beautiful pen in the hand makes even writing a list more pleasurable.” Mille also took inspiration from his father and grandfather, saying, “For their generations, using a fountain pen was part of a good life.” Perfecting the pen was a four-year process. “The challenge was to connect the pen with my watches and my approach to all things mechanical,” Mille recalls. “I wanted the nib to be protected and only emerge out of the barrel when the cap was unscrewed.” In order for this complication to work, the team invented a clockwork mechanism using a specially made watch caliber: “Even though the pen does not tell the time,” watch aficionados can still marvel. The complex 12-jewel movement is visible through a sapphire crystal in the pen’s barrel, and every time you replace the cap, the nib retracts and winds the movement. Mille wants people to be able to use the pen not only to mark special events, but also to elevate everyday notation. “With a proper pen,” he says, “the experience is totally different.”—RHONDA RICHE
INSPIRED BY midcentury Danish design principles, the Ciel collection by RH , new this season, is as visually appealing as it is comfortable. Among the primary aims of its N ew York– based designer, Brad Ascalon, Ciel rectangular when creating the line, was to dining table, translate the feeling of modern, $ 2 ,9 9 5 ; side chairs, $ 89 5 each; lounge casual indoor living for chic, chair, $ 1 ,1 9 5 , RH, functional outdoor environments. rh. com. “The purposeful tensions between both the hard and soft detailing, and an attentive control of the negative and positive space of each piece, bring the collection in a direction that is rarely found in outdoor teak furniture,” explains Ascalon of Ciel, which comes in two finishes—weathered and natural—and can be accessorized with cushions covered in one of 2 2 0 fabrics. The pieces—comprising sofas, lounge chairs, chaises and tables of various si es stand out for t eir understated, low slung profiles and clean, rounded edges. ot onl an e cellent option for pri ate collectors looking to outfit t eir patios and poolside decks, the range is equally suitable for hospitality environments. t re ects a midcentur modern aest etic as a point of departure,” scalon says. “We continuously investigated where we can incorporate more contemporary detailing to make Ciel feel refreshingly relevant to today’s customer—pushing it further in this way gives it a life of its own.”—DAVID FOXLEY
COURTE SY
4 4
DUJOU R .COM
Richard Mille is rethinking the art of inking
“You’re the boss now. You can do things all your own way... the right way.” -Holly
Starz and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Power © 2016 Starz Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE NEWS
J
effrey Rudes, the clothing designer who shot to denim dominance after launching J Brand in 2 0 0 4, has set his sights a bit higher of late—both figurati el and literall . ile well fitting eans were is longtime bread and butter, Rudes’ new eponymous menswear line ( the company, Jeffrey Rü des, assumes an umlaut that its founder forgoes) has a torso fi ated mission t starts wit t e acket.” at sets t e la el apart from t e madding crowd of top s elf clot iers for gu s Let s ust sa it s t e timeless acket and suit wit a masculine attitude to a se , rock n roll, et set feeling,” t e designer e plains, alking at t e notion t at is collection s i e is L. .” or est oast,” as some industr insiders a e pu licl suggested. t s uropean, interna tional it as more of a ew ork element t an it does L. .,” e sa s on t e p one from is est oll wood ead uarters. don t reall know w at L. . fas ion is.” The idea to create the line, whose wares range in price from $ 3 6 0 for shirts to , for coats, alig ted from t e designer s frustration o er t e su par options e found w en s opping for imself. at grie ance, sa s udes, w o sold percent of J Brand to Japan’s F ast Retailing in 2 0 1 2 for $ 2 9 0 million, had more to do wit st le principles t an it did wit fit or materials.
A fashion mogul aims to revamp the menswear market with shearling and sex appeal Written by David Foxley en so, t e la el s dominant materials are ardl u i uitous among its menswear peers. e all inter collection, for e ample, is largel constructed of laundered el ets, oucl , moulin arns, rus ed silks and raw cut leat ers. e accent colors and prints are likewise rat er remarkable: Bright shades of chartreuse, turmeric and royal blue mingle wit patterns inspired iener erkst tte, t e earl t centur iennese creati e communit , and rt ou eau te tiles. t least in terms of manufacturing pro imit , t e rand s milieu is populated wit t e real deal,” e plains t e ear plus eteran of t e garment usiness, w o also keeps an atelier in tal Lan in, i enc , erm s and Loro iana so t e e perience t at a e is like making a errari ersus making a uick.” uc like an first rate lu ur automaker, udes, too, pulled out all t e stops w en designing is ags ip s ow room, on Greene Street in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood, w ic opened last summer. en t e see it, t e get it,” e says of his clientele upon entering the store, a gleaming space oasting alacatta mar le oors and renc lac uer walls. e ma a e an innate understanding of w at customers want, but he also admits that this professional departure didn t come wit a full rendered road map. anufacturing in tal is rand new to me,” e sa s, adding t at alp Lauren and H edi Slimane are among the designers he most admires. eing in factories wit t ese ad acencies is fascinating.” Looking ahead, Rudes wants to grow the company into a full edged lifest le pur e or, to incorporate additional rick and mortar and online c annels, to scratc all t e itc es gu s a e for frosted s earling coats and moccasins in arnis ed leat er. e w ole idea is to uild a lifest le rand,” e e plains. e re not doing somet ing t at isn t in t e market we ust a e our own wa of e ecuting and interpreting it.” ■ Looks from the Jeffrey Rü des F all/ Winter 2 0 1 6 collection.
HOT DOGS Adam Lippes is known first and foremost for his elegant fashion designs, but along the way he’s also amassed a bit of a cult following for another role: dog dad. His Instagram followers can catch glimpses of his Labradoodles (Bidu, Lola and Kiko) frolicking at his upstate New York farm or lounging in his studio. “I think more people come to see the dogs than the clothes,” jokes Lippes. Truthfully, they have become quite the fixture on the social channel—followers can find them under the hashtag #bidulolakiko—and while he photographs them at a rapid clip, the designer manages to pare down his selections when posting. “If you want to frame it as a doglover and put it on your mantle, then it’s a good picture for Instagram,” says Lippes. “If you won’t, I’m not so sure everyone needs to see it.”—EDEN UNIVER RUDE S PORTRAIT: LUC BRAQUE T; ALL OTH E RS IMAGE S COURTE SY
Merry Poplins
“When you have what other people want, it’s easy to make enemies.” -James “Ghost” St. Patrick
Starz and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Power © 2016 Starz Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE
Alexander the Great
4 8
DUJOU R .COM
This summer’s breakout actor may be starring in a horror ick, but what really scares Alexander DiPersia doesn’t go bump in the night Written by Frances Dodds Photographed by Blair Getz Mezibov Styled by Paul Frederick
Jacket, $ 2 ,845 , BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, 2 1 2 - 3 3 4 - 1 0 1 0 . Cardigan, $ 880 , GUCCI, gu cci. com. Trouser, $ 3 9 5 , BOGLIOLI, b oglioli. it. Jewelry, DiPersia’s own.
MADISON AVENUE • BEVERLY HILLS BAL HARBOUR • MIAMI BOCA RATON • LAS VEGAS • PALM BEACH ATLANTA • DALLAS • ORLANDO HOUSTON • SAN FRANCISCO Tel: 1 800 536 0636
FIFTH AVENUE BOUTIQUE
MADISON AVENUE • BEVERLY HILLS BAL HARBOUR • MIAMI BOCA RATON • LAS VEGAS • PALM BEACH ATLANTA • DALLAS • ORLANDO HOUSTON • SAN FRANCISCO Tel: 1 800 536 0636
FIFTH AVENUE BOUTIQUE NOW OPEN hublot.com
Big Bang Unico Sapphire 10 Years All Black. Scratch-resistant smoked sapphire case, paying tribute to Hublot's extensive expertise. An invisible visibility which reveals our manufactured UNICO movement. Limited edition of 500 pieces.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE
5 0
DUJOU R .COM
U
pon first meeting le ander i ersia, e mig t strike ou as eing especiall calm, ut mention t is and e ll waste no time correcting ou. am not laid ack,” e sa s. ou re getting t e nice side of me. er od else rig t now is getting t e dude, calm down side of me.” s e sa s t is, i ersia crosses one leg o er t e ot er, co il close, a re uke to an od language coac w o e er dared suggest t e mo e doesn t radiate alp a male mo ie ecause some ow, it does. e ear old actor wears is posture like a distinction in ulnera ilit , as t oug it were more lucrati e for im to appear e posed t an undaunted. n fact, it pro a l is. t would e reall nice to e someone w o didn t care w at people t oug t,” i ersia sa s. t ink t e ust e ist in t e mo ies. ou can lo e our art, ut ot er people a e to lo e ou in order for ou to lo e it if ou also lo e eating.” ortunatel for i ersia, it doesn t seem like e ll need to worr a out an empt pantr an time soon. is ul , t e anticipated orror film L ights Ou t its t eaters, wit i ersia starring in is iggest role to date as a smitten o friend uneart ing a new lo e s paranormal aggage. e mo ie is set
renc , , s irt, nti ue emperle s oe,
rousers, , FENDI, fendi. com. awkes , DR. MARTENS, drmartens. com.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE
Turtleneck, $ 89 5 , VERSACE, v ersace. com. imeless Automatic watch, $ 2 ,0 9 5 , GUCCI, gu cci. com.
to be the supernatural blockbuster of the summer, produced by James Wan ( creator of S aw and director of T he C onj u ring and F u riou s 7 ) and directed by David Sandberg, the rising Swedish filmmaker. or i ersia w o s landed roles ranging from a reformed pla o in t e amil mo ie L ov estru ck: T he M u sical to the prerequisite guest spots on N C I S , C S I and 9 0 2 1 0 L ights Ou t feels like his ig reak. nd et, t e actor is alwa s war of popping c ampagne ust et. “E verybody seems super excited about it,” e sa s, ut for me it s kind of make elie e until it s not. m like, what if some sort of alien attacks E arth before this comes out?” e fickle nature of t e film usiness ma a e conditioned i ersia to e reticent about preemptive celebration, but for every dream that dissolved with a last minute set ack, t ere s t at ot er scenario t e one t at upends life in a w iplas instant. ase in point, for is role in L ights Ou t, i ersia sa s, found out got t e part on a rida night, and we started shooting at 5 :3 0 a.m. on onda . didn t know a ead of time, ut t at first da ad to a e m clot es off. was not t e gu w o worked out for two months before being s ot in m underwear. t was like, come on gu s, ate ndian food esterda ” V indaloo or no, Sandberg says that i ersia pro ed imself more t an capa le of finding is footing in t e t our. e mo ie is actuall a lot of fun and much of that comes from le s c aracter,” e sa s. n screen and off, Alex has a natural chemistry wit is co stars, and t at s somet ing ou can t direct.” er aps ecause of t e tenuous nature of acting work, i ersia sa s it s never been hard for him to keep a clear iew of life w en e s not performing. H aving been a self-described “suit-andtie guy,” selling life insurance before committing full-time to acting, he still thinks sideline professional endeavors are important. er t e course of t e past four ears, i ersia as uilt a name for imself as a fine arts curator for upscale building lobbies, which he says lends some stability and perspecti e to life. rtists, writers, actors t ere s no clear tra ector for an of it,” i ersia sa s. ere s so muc dou t. s an
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE
5 4
DUJOU R .COM
actor you hear a lot of no’s. The nice thing about having this art business is that I get to make some of my own decisions. There’s a little part of control that’s lacking in the rest of my life. And I get to see things you normally wouldn’t—a Picasso in your hands, or a Richter. You might never be able to own a $ 2 0 million Richter painting, but maybe you can live with it for a week. It’s pretty awesome.” Despite anxieties about his impending prominence, if DiPersia’s knack for recognizing the permanent value of other artists’ work carries over to the big screen, we can only reason that his own efforts will have comparable staying power. When it comes to DiPersia’s more imminent plans, however, he’s looking forward to one thing in particular. “I’m just excited to sit in the movie theater on opening nig t and ear someone scream.” ■
Left: Blazer, $ 1 5 ,7 7 0 ; Trousers, $ 7 7 5 , ROBERTO CAVALLI, rob ertocav alli. com. T-shirt, $ 9 5 , ALEXANDER WANG, alex anderwang. com. Above: Suit, $ 4,9 9 5 , RALPH LAUREN, ralphlau ren. com. Sweater, $ 2 9 5 , LACOSTE, lacoste. com. Grooming by Matthew Tuozzoli for Atelier Management using Dior H omme.
“I’M JUST EXCITED TO SIT IN THE MOVIE THEATER ON OPENING NIGHT AND HEAR SOMEONE SCREAM.”
With 6,000 agents and 80 offices across the country, plus the international scale and scope of Knight Frank Residential, Douglas Elliman’s network reaches across 22,000 agents, 442 offices, 58 countries and 6 continents. We know how to find your buyers... Wherever they are.
575 MADISON AVENUE, NY, NY 10022. 212.891.7000 © 2016 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE.
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.
FLORIDA
CALIFORNIA
CONNECTICUT
ASPEN
WESTCHESTER
HAMPTONS
BROOKLYN
NEW YORK
LONG ISLAND
KNOWN GLOBALLY. LOVED LOCALLY.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
STYLE
Scatter My Cashes Right: The author, with Bergdorf Goodman personal shopper “Ms. Y,” ponders a shirt by CO under a cover by Carolina Herrera. Below: A Chloe shirt hangs over a skirt by Sacai.
S It’s Getting Haute in Here
With premier fashion retailers ramping up exclusive services for high profile shoppers, our sartorial expert goes behind the bouclé curtain—and puts a triad of in-store styling teams to the test Written by Lynn Yaeger Photographed by Kathryn Allen Hurni
ome shoppers can race through a store, shake the racks until a gem falls off, put it on and look ready for the Met Ball. I am not that person. Most of us need at least a little help, whether the ministrations of a single enthusiastic salesperson or, if we are really lucky—or super-busy! Or just kind of spoiled! —an entire retinue of “V .V .I.P.” personal shoppers who live to do our bidding. A whole army combing the store in search of the perfect ensembles to suit your taste, your shape, your career, your social calendar. Instead of the dinky singlemirror fitting room, a vast tony aerie; instead of a warm bottle of E vian, luncheon served on a silver platter. Curious to experience this high-end personal shopping service, and mindful that stores are currently upping this side of the business to seduce their best customers, I set out to explore this new world. To raise the stakes, I charge a triumvirate of luxury retailers with dressing me for two purely imaginary events—a serious speech I will be giving at the United N ations, and a hedonistic trip to Tahiti. first appointment isn t e en wit a store it s at N et-a-Porter, the leading fashion website that will ferry your choices to your door in a matter of hours. The cheery personal s opper let s call er s. tells me espoke service is a primary goal of the site: They will organize trunk shows in your home, or deliver a bevy of evening dresses to your H amptons beach house the same day as the part . s. sa s t at sometimes women will a e t e delivery guy wait while they try everything on, solicit his opinion, then return the rejects to him on the spot. I eschew the advice of a hot delivery guy in favor of a isit to t e personal s opping suite at et s corporate
STYLE
YOU WILL NO DOUBT SPEND MORE WHEN SURROUNDED BY A BEVY OF ANGELIC SALESPEOPLE AND A PLATE OF LOBSTER SALAD. By this time, I am so used to being fussed over that I wonder if I will ever return to my solitary shopping habits. In fact, if there is a single downside to all this wonderful attention, it is that you will no doubt spend more than you ever intended when surrounded by a bevy of angelic salespeople and a plate of lobster salad. In a room so spacious I once attended a press dinner for 1 2 here, Ms. Z tells me about her actual high-rolling clients. “I go to their homes, I set up their closets,” she explains. “They send me frantic texts: ‘ What am I wearing tonight?’ ” She suggests we walk the store, indulging in a high-fashion version of S u permarket S weep, and suddenly I am struck dumb by an extraordinary $ 5 ,7 0 0 baby-pink mink jacket. N o one would choose this thing for either the U.N . or Tahiti, but Ms. Z and I discuss the matter like two mature women and decide that of course I can don this powder puff and shake up those fusty delegates. Plus, won’t it be fun to cuddle up in its furr dept s on a first class ig t to apeete ■
Late on Christmas Eve in 1978, Yoko Ono called Bergdorf Goodman and had 10 trunks of furs brought to the Dakota; Ono and John Lennon ended up buying about 80 coats on the spot.
5 7
headquarters. The company sent me a questionnaire in advance, but I am quite sure they won’t understand my nutty personal style. ( I mean, who does?) So imagine my shock when I am greeted by a bevy of items that I have been ogling all season: a floppy 1 9 5 0 s-redux gray cardigan from Miu Miu, a rosy Gucci purse and a Chloe off-theshoulder eyelet top. When I shimmy into the Chloe, cover it with the cardi and clutch the purse, it is sadly obvious that this outfit, though adorable, would suit neither the U.N . nor the beach. But, “N o worries! ” assures Ms. X , tossing a Jil Sander coat over the whole business, suddenly making me set for the General Assembly. My next visit is to Bergdorf Goodman, where I meet Ms. Y and her staff. BG has sent me a very extensive pré cis in preparation, so they already know I don’t wear trousers and am allergic to mohair. A lobster salad from the upstairs restaurant is in t e offing, and t e clothes are artfully displayed in a swank private room overlooking F ifth Avenue. But what’s this? Maybe I am not the woman of mystery I think I am, for here is that very same Chloe top that N et also picked for me. I slip a glittery coat over it and joke that President Trump has asked me to look especially chic for my diplomatic speech. ( E veryone in the room seems unsure if they should laugh or cry.) final appointment in w at as become an increasingly masochistic exercise—because guess what happens to your resolve, and your wallet, when you try on expensive clothes all day long?—is with Ms. Z at Barneys.
DUJOU R .COM
Rock ’n’ Stole From top: Yaeger tries on jewelry from Annina Vogel, Buccellati and Fred Leighton; clothing hangs in a private dressing area; Yaeger and her personal shopper at the Buccellati counter.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
LIFE
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Press outlets. Jane, a 3 0 -year-old nanny from Westchester, agrees to walk and talk. “My impression of this is: absolutely amazing,” she sa s. or me it s a out finding like minded individuals because I’m a non-drinker. This is a focus on health and also having a good time in a different type of environment.” At The Juice Shop, less than a block away, I meet 2 7 -year-old personal trainer Diana, who is wearing a mink coat over her spandex. “I am a juice snob and I’m very proud of it,” she says. “I can tell by looking at a menu if a place is legit or not.” She then holds forth on red, green, and yellow juices, tonics, hydrators and Juice Press, which she thinks is a bit granola but still legit. H er favorite place is Jugofresh in Miami. ’m on my fourth lap around a block on of 2 0 1 2 , Garcia asked friends to do something “If you’re not a party person, not a drinker, lower ift enue w en finall stop fun and different—read: no boozing—to then this is how you have your fun,” Diana celebrate her 2 6 th birthday, and the Juice Crawl tells me at the crawl’s last juice joint, Terri. to ask myself: W hat am I doing here? It’s barely past noon on a sunny Sunday, was born. Since then, it’s taken off. So far there “I get just as much a rise from that as most have been nearly 2 0 events, with timely themes people checking out the new bar or nightclub.” and I’m about to join a three-hour trek from a N orthern Indian– inspired dance ( e.g. E arth Day and even St. Patrick’s Day) and ( When I asked an old drinking buddy if he’d class to a selection of Manhattan’s most up to 5 0 participants at once, and it’s not just be interested in a Juice Crawl, he confessed finding crowds in ew ork. want to see popular juice bars. This is something that it inspired violent thoughts. “I would want that’s way outside of my comfort zone; how far I can take it,” Garcia says. “I’ve been to kill people,” he said.) speaking to people in D.C., L.A. and Boston— customarily I’d still be under the covers or Six weeks later, I accidentally went on ma e on t e couc , ut definitel not walking so it’s already started.” a classic bar crawl in Manhattan. It began at Still, the whole experience sounds much the streets with athleisure-clad strangers. 7 P .m. and the plan was to get home by midnig t. e first stop was e a land on easier than it is. Inside a women’s activeN ormally I won’t even go to brunch. Avenue C, where a friend teased me for apparel store, check-in is underway. E ver since I moved to N ew York City in ordering white wine. Across the street at Downstairs in an exercise studio, a few dozen the late 1 9 7 0 s, I’ve thought of it as a place Royale, I consumed more vino and endured ladies—and three men—are preparing for the synonymous with excess and indulgence. But more wisecracks before we moved on to “Masala Bhangra” dance class; one peppy lately, that N ew York has been less recognizMona’s, where I guzzled whiskey and beer, participant suggests I join in, but instead I sit able. Maybe it’s because my favorite haunts fed bills into the jukebox and operated in full and nightclubs are long gone and, like the H ank on a yoga mat, watch them stretch and nerjackass mode; my disgusted pal left without vously drink a spinach-watercress-cucumberWilliams Jr. song goes, all my rowdy friends saying good-bye. There was a stop at a lounge lime concoction. A tiny middle-aged woman have settled down. They’re married with kids, on St. Mark’s Place, where I drank alone, and sober, grown up or they just can’t bounce back crouches nearby and makes conversation. then a tipple at a buddy’s nearby apartment. I After a minute of sweet talk, she makes her like t e used to. t , m definitel in t e latter camp—all the more reason it makes sense mo e asking if ll take er p one and film er caught a cover band and stopped at a dive and a hotspot before being denied entry to a dancing. F eeling drained already, I agree. for me to be downing shots of Clean Green velvet-rope joint in Tribeca. I woke up on a The music is especially loud when you’re Protein instead of any more familiar libations. couch not far from F reddy’s Bar in Park Slope sitting right next to the speakers. The women But here I am at the Juice Crawl. Billed as and made it home at 1 :42 P .m. “a healthy-living social event” and denounced wave their arms in the air, up and down, then I badly needed some hair of the dog: a by the Manhattan tabloids as the death knell of clap, slap their thighs, holler “Whoo! ” in double Bloody Mary, to be precise. Then, unison; they stomp, do-si-do, spin, twirl, do a local nightlife, the monthly happening is remembering one of Juice Crawl’s catchkick and jump. It’s like watching a marching turning the time-honored tradition of a boozy phrases—“H angovers N ever F elt So Good! ”— band break into Riverdance. bar crawl on its head for N ew York’s new By 2 :2 5 P .m., everyone is cooling down and I stumbled down the street to Brooklyn Crepe breed of health-conscious hedonists, intent on it’s time for “pre-game” juice shots before the & Juice. After a large Super Green and a shot exercising and guzzling macerated kale the crawl begins. Garcia sets up plastic cups on a of wheatgrass, I felt better—sort of. And way previous generations swilled beer. table and starts pouring them out. “Pace seemingly right on cue, I received an e-mail The mastermind behind the operation is yourselves, we have more places to go,” she from Anna Garcia: “George, up for a binge? Anna Garcia, who moved here from St. Louis says. “We’re going to be pounding ’em?” I ask. Boot-camp-style workout followed by in 2 0 1 0 to study the trumpet. When health “Oh, yeah,” she says. “It’s gonna get wild.” drinking all the green juice you can imagine.” issues, including pre-diabetes, came up, she e first stop is one of an attan s uice nd t en passed out. ■ decided to change her lifestyle. In the summer
A veteran party animal takes on the latest craze in healthful hedonism: the Juice Crawl Written by George Gurley
GE TTY IMAGE S
5 8
DUJOU R .COM
I
LIFE
6 0
DUJOU R .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
Circle of Life
Two remote destinations are staying ahead of the luxury-vacation curve. Their secret? Keeping it in the family Written by Frances Dodds
Paradise Found Clockwise from top: The spa at Kamalame Cay; views from inside the resort’s seaside cottages.
LIFE
Clockwise from right: Kamalame Cay’s pool; a room inside the Great House; founder Brian Hew
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
and dogs; David Hew and his husband, Michael King, mingling with guests.
DUJOU R .COM
CLOCK WISE : MICH AE L PARN ICCIA; ALL OTH E RS DAN ILO SCARPATI
6 1
KAMALAME CAY Andros, Bahamas
After Jennifer and Brian H ew left Jamaica in the late 1 9 6 0 s, among a slew of other natives fleeing the country’s escalating political turmoil, they were in search of a new paradise to call home. Thirty years later, in 1 9 9 4, they finally found that home on a 9 6 -acre island in the Bahamas that would become K amalame Cay, the luxury resort they own today. Originally a rustic attraction for bonefishing enthusiasts, the secluded resort—a favorite of celebrities including N icole K idman and Pené lope Cruz—now has 1 9 seaside cottages and bungalows, as well as a spa, two restaurants and a host of outdoor activities for those less skilled with a fishing rod. Jennifer and Brian’s son David was 1 1 when they bought the island, and never imagined he’d go into the family business. But after working in the E uropean fine-arts market, he started to feel the call of
PH OTO CRE DITS TE E K AY
6 2 DUJOU R .COM SUMME R 2 0 1 6
LIFE
LIFE
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
home, and recently he and his husband, Michael, moved to K amalame Cay to take over operations. David says that he couldn’t be happier with his decision. “It’s sleepy and it’s remote here,” he says, “but there’s always somebody new, somebody interesting. It’s a wonderful mix of people from all over the world—from captains of industries to heads of state or John Smith from down the street—it’s really quite special.” And for David, entertaining the world’s most interesting people feels natural; after all, during his childhood that was just another family dinner. “Growing up,” he says, “it was all communal dining at one big table. So the people we got to sit next to and the conversations we listened to—I remember Miriam Stoppard likening the Guggenheim in Bilbao to the female anatomy—our life now draws on that heritage.” FINCH HATTONS Tsavo West National Park, Kenya
PH OTO CRE DITS TE E K AY
6 3
Under African Skies The stargazing terrace at Kenya’s Finch Hattons. Photo by Stevie Mann.
DUJOU R .COM
These days, no one blinks at the idea of a “luxury safari,” but it wasn’t so long ago that the two words were contradictory concepts. It was only in 1 9 9 2 that F inch H attons was founded in Tsavo N ational Park as the first ecofriendly African safari camp with upscale tents and services, and in the time since the company has established itself as the standard for a growing industry. Positioned at the base of Mount K ilimanjaro, the camp is ome to natural spring pools, w ic ow t roug its terrain, attracting wildlife in clear view of the lodgings. A guest can observe hippos bathing as she herself takes a dip in an ele ated infinit pool, or, after a se en course dinner, a e a glass of wine on her tent’s private deck and wait for the elephants to lumber by for a late-night soak. Last year F inch H attons re-opened after an intensive two-year renovation, introducing 1 7 new ( and some refurbished) luxury tents, as well as pools, a spa, a massage parlor and a gym, while escalating its commitment to environmental sustainability. The camp’s director, Leena Gehlot, is the daughter of one of its original investors, and after starting a law career in London, was surprised to find erself drawn ack to F inch H attons. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as such a revelation: H er family’s heritage in K enya stretches back four generations, to when her great-grandfather journeyed from India to work on the railroad. Decades later, her grandfather made a name for himself in K enya by building roads, and to this day, F inch H attons employs residents of a nearby town named after him. “All these years later, we’re in wildlife preservation and running a lodge down the road from where it began,” Gehlot says. “There’s an amazing string of istor ere, and a real sense of elonging for me.” ■
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
LIFE
My First Piece of Art: Wolfgang Puck
The chef who redefined alifornia cuisine and whose first New York restaurant opens this summer e plains how his dining rooms end up looking like museums
6 4
DUJOU R .COM
I
’ve had artists in my life since the early 1 9 80 s at Spago. That’s when I met Andy Warhol—he did our menus and wine labels— and also when I became friends with Robert Rauschenberg. en first opened in Beverly H ills, I was looking for an L.A. artist who could do some great work. The restaurant was designed by Richard Meier, who did everything in white—it already looked like a gallery. A friend recommended John Baldessari, so we met one day and got along from the start. We started working on this project, which basically became a Baldessari museum at the restaurant; he did nine pieces! H e used pictures of Studio 5 4 that he took from a magazine to make these paintings, but they look very modern. John and my wife, Gelila, measured the walls, and he made these things specificall for us. t was like going to the tailor and having a suit made. We still have six at the restaurant and now three are at home. We always have good art in our places—it’s a big part of the experience for me. N ot everybody appreciates it, but I think it’s a good thing. I used to have an E d Ruscha painting, and one customer told me it was too dark. I tried to explain to her who Ruscha was, and she continued to give me a hard time. I told her she knew nothing about art and that we shouldn’t speak anymore. ow is finall coming to ew York. F or years I said that I wouldn’t, that L.A. was big enough. But then the right situation came along—at 9 9 urc treet in ri eca and it seemed like the time to try. I want to get John to do one new piece for the restaurant. Will it work out? Only if I can afford it. H is work is getting expensive, but maybe I can make a deal.”—AS TOLD TO ADAM RATHE John Baldessari’s “W/Studio 54 Series: Person in Red Dress and Person Clapping Hands (With Onlookers),” 2011.
Welcome to LIFE at HUDSON YARDS
Live on Manhattan’s new cultural coast in West Chelsea – the center of New York’s art world and home to the Whitney Museum, The Shed, the city’s forthcoming center for artistic invention, and an exciting new design piece by Heatherwick Studio.
DISCOVER the NEW CENTER of ARTS and CULTURE
EXPLORE UNPARALLELED SHOPPING and DINING Experience New York’s next great destination, with luxury retailers, including Neiman Marcus, independent boutiques and everyday services alongside 16 distinct dining experiences to delight your palate.
Get energized at SoulCycle or the new flagship Equinox, then rejuvenate in the innovative Equinox-branded luxury hotel and spa – all in a groundbreaking healthy living environment.
DIVE INTO the NEW STANDARD of WELLNESS
STROLL through ACRES of GREEN connecting 3 PARKS Hudson Yards will feature 14 acres of new public parks, plazas and playgrounds – where Hudson River Park, Hudson Park & Boulevard and the High Line come together.
LIVE in EXCEPTIONAL RESIDENCES with DRAMATIC VIEWS The first residences at Hudson Yards will debut in the fall of 2016 for 2018 occupancy. To learn more or to join the VIP list, please visit LiveHudsonYards.com or call +1.212.385.1535. Brokers welcome.
Exclusive Marketing Agents: Related Sales LLC & Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group This advertisement is not an offering. It is a solicitation of interest in the advertised property. No offering of the advertised units can be made and no deposits can be accepted, or reservations, binding or non-binding, can be made until an offering plan is filed with the New York State Department of Law. This advertisement is made pursuant to Cooperative Policy Statement No. 1, File No. CP16-0003, issued by the New York State Department of Law. Sponsor: ERY South Residential Tower LLC, c/o The Related Companies, L.P., 60 Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10023. This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or rent to residents of any state or jurisdiction in which the registration requirements for such an offering have not been fulfilled. Void where prohibited by law. Hudson Yards images are artists’ renderings. Equal Housing Opportunity.
BODY
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
Let’s Get Physical
The latest in must have fitness accessories are giving an opulent overhaul to classic exercise equipment
DUJOU R .COM
Indoor Mini Basketball K it, $ 7 9 5 , KILLSPENCER, killspencer. com.
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
6 5
Barbell, price upon request, ALIAS, alias. design.
ME 0 5 Palladium earphones, $ 1 9 9 ,
MASTER & DYNAMIC,
masterdy namic. com.
BODY
Manila Boxing Gloves, $ 1 ,45 0 , ELISABETH WEINSTOCK, elisab ethweinstock. com.
Jump Rope, $ 480 , BERLUTI, b erlu ti. com.
DISK US Tower Set, $ 1 4,7 0 0 , HOCK, shophock. com.
Basketball, $ 2 2 5 ,
SHINOLA, shinola. com.
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
6 6
DUJOU R .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
THE UR-105 CLOCKWORK ORANGE HOUR SATELLITE INDICATION ON WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING REGUL ATED BY TURBINES URBINES
UR-105 clockwork ORANGE
W W W.URWE RK.COM
LUKE GRIMES
5 7 G R E E N E S T, S O H O | 2 0 N E W T O W N L N , E A S T H A M P T O N JEFFREYRUDES.COM
BOSTO N – C H I CAG O – DA L L AS – H O U STO N – M I A M I – LO N D O N – LOS A N G E L E S N E W YO R K – SA N F R A N C I SC O – TO RO N TO – WAS H I N GTO N D C
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
BODY
Hot Stone Barrage
I
n anticipation of a relaxing getaway to The Lodge at Woodloch, a spa resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, I found myself calculating how early I’d need to wake up in order to drive the three hours to make the 9 a.m. Great Wall of Yoga class. Sure, getting out the door by 5 a.m. would push my already-quivering stress needle into the red—but how could I pass up a chance to dangle from a “pelvic inversion swing”? In the days leading up to my trip, my mind kept wandering back to the larger dilemma: how best to take full advantage of The Lodge’s “superb amenities, with every conceivable choice for contentment and challenge available”? Should I walk the new Lotus Labyrinth or attend a lecture on the new Lotus Labyrinth? E ither way, I’d need to cram in sufficient spa time to reap the healing benefits of The Lodge’s latest service ( a “chocolate journey,” involving cocoa beans) and to find out what “wildcrafting” could possibly be. Then there are the back-to-back fitness classes—my personal Achilles’ heel. Relaxation will be even better as a reward after Barre and Aqua Tabata. Right? But when I began to consider the 2 0 to 3 0 daily activities—juicing demos, painting classes, paddle boarding, archery, Beekeeping 1 0 1 , edible plant walks, herbal remedy workshops and a new F orest Bathing program—the pressure started to set in. My therapist might point out that Type A people like me, who are used to self-imposed limitations—careful about all that we do and consume—tend to crack like a vegan at a barbecue when presented with too many appealing options. Or perhaps we feel this F OMO-YOLO anxiety because we just can’t resist staying hyper-scheduled in order to maximize our leisure time. I admit that my activity addiction is so strong in part because it’s easier to just stay “on” than to switch off. After all, as Oscar Wilde famously wrote, “N othing is so aggravating as calmness.” According to The Lodge, the demand for new programming is constantly growing, partly due to the pressure to
stay ahead of trends, as well as a high rate of returning guests in search of new activities. A rep notes that guests typically want to experience as much as they can during their stay; the most frequent complaint is that there isn’t enough time to do everything they’d hoped. I’m hardly alone in my love-hate relationship with downtime. Americans are known for their inability to unwind in the traditional, do-very-little sense, and we’ve earned a reputation as the “no-vacation nation.” According to a sur e staffing firm e reati e roup, 7 2 percent of executives say that if their companies offered unlimited vacation days, they wouldn’t use any more than they already do. This means that top resorts must cater to those of us who feel best when we feel productive, or who like to rack up experiences, even in the most languid of environments. Some properties offer what seems like cruise-shipstyle programming—replete with glitzy nightly entertainment options and themed weekends. H udson
Laurie Anderson, the artist and widow of musician Lou Reed, got trapped in a faulty hyperbaric chamber at a Manhattan spa for 45 minutes before freeing herself.
BAARD LUN DE / TRUN K
7 2
DUJOU R .COM
At a growing number of upscale resorts, rest and relaxation means o ering slews of activities to appease antsy guests Written by Erin Graham
# KUROH ARDROCK H O L LY WO O D, F L · S EMIN OLEH A RD ROCKH OLLY WOOD.COM · 95 4 - 585-5333
BODY V alley’s Mohonk Mountain H ouse resort, in addition to its stop and just b e.” “endless activities,” offers 40 theme programs a year. H is advice: “Make a list of everything you want to During a recent visit there, I saw more guests competing to do at the resort—then cross off half the list.” Once you solve the Mystery Weekend’s whodunit than lounging arrive, “go for a 2 0 -minute walk by yourself; not for fireside. ( Although, to be fair, that doesn’t take into exercise and not to get somewhere. N o phone, no music. account those who had opted for the blacksmith demonstra- Simply go for a wander and look and listen to the place tion or tomahawk-throwing lessons.) you’re in.” N aturally, Miller also advises ditching devices. There is no shortage of luxe destinations that tempt those of us who just can’t sit still. At Canyon Ranch in “SAYING TO YOURSELF, ‘RELAX!’ IS A LOSING PROPOSITION,” SAYS MEDITATION EXPERT MICHAEL Tucson, Arizona, you can start your itinerary at 6 a.m., and spend the next MILLER. “LOOK AT REST AND RELAXTION AS three hours in scheduled activities SOMETHING THAT DELIVERS AN OUTCOME LATER.” while deciding on one of the nine offerings beginning at 9 a.m. Or, do you want to relax high-octane style? You can one-up your This is not an easy choice to make, now that luxury triathlete status at BodyH oliday LeSport on St. Lucia, which travel is no longer all about unplugging. There is usually hosts a quadrathlon. WiF i and cell service—perhaps in response to guests who H elp is on the way. In partnering with The St. Regis Bahia can only cut down on their cortisol levels if they don’t Beach Resort in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, meditation expert cut out communication. Michael Miller has witnessed many a relaxation-seeker My favorite pearl of Miller’s wisdom comes from his self-sabotage their efforts to unwind. Using his new Be H ere, background coaching at corporations on how to eliminate Be N ow program, guests can apply Miller’s tips and techniques stress and increase productivity: “Look at rest and relaxin order to “achieve ultimate relaxation” while at the resort. ation as something that delivers an outcome later.” “Saying to yourself, ‘ Relax! ’ is a losing proposition,” t ma e time to redefine destination rela ation” to says Miller. “We live in a society where success is meatake into account the paradise paradox, a concept that is sured by achievement and outcome. F or high-achievers, neatly summed up in one of The Lodge’s group activities this spills over into their supposed downtime. They can’t t at was too tired to tr ower apping. ■
7 4
DUJOU R .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
SECRET SPAS
Only in-the-know clientele frequent these sanctuaries ESPACE
Fans of the luxury skin-care and makeup brand Clé de Peau Beauté may know of Espace Tokyo, but there’s also an NYC location in a private section of Bergdorf Goodman. Inside the compact, 240-square-foot space, guests can indulge in customized facials or Clé’s signature Synactif treatment. Clé de Peau Beauté at Bergdorf Goodman, 212-872-2726 RENÉE ROULEAU
Every few months this revered esthetician (who counts celebrities like Sofia Vergara and Emmy Rossum as clients) offers her My Skin Prescription facial in a suite at L.A.’s Sofitel hotel. To make an appointment, you have to wait for dates to be posted on her website—and then pray you get a slot. reneerouleau.com
COURTE SY
CAUDALIE BOUTIQUE SPA
This French beauty brand is known for its elaborate spa at the Plaza hotel, but clients can also get facials and body treatments at its tiny boutique spa behind an unassuming door at its West Village retail store. us.caudalie.com
Drinks with a view, 65 floors up. 30 Rockefeller Plaza | Monday–Friday, 5pm–Close |
@SixtyFiveNYC
PLAY
An American Tail Inside the big, strange business of being a mermaid Written by Rich Juzwiak Do You See What I Sea More than 3,000,000 photos are tagged with #mermaid on Instagram, where a community of the aquatically inclined has formed around posts featuring mermaid tails.
LE F T TO RIGH T, F ROM TOP: @ TH E ME RMAIDSH AN N ON ; @ ME RTAILOR; @ ME RN ATION ; @ ME RTAILOR; @ PROJE CTME RMAIDS ( 3 ) ; @ ME RTAILOR
7 6
DUJOU R .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
PLAY
S
THERE IS A BOOMING INDUSTRY THAT CATERS TO THOSE WITH MERMAID DREAMS AND THE LUNG CAPACITY TO LIVE THEM OUT. chunks of this year and last on an international tour snapping pictures of women who want to experience the allure and limited mobility that come along with being a mermaid. F rom the surface, though, it just looks like a lot of bobbing. Twenty-six-year-old H ali Bulnes, who has traveled from Albany with her mother and sister, submerges herself for about 2 0 seconds and strikes various poses under the water. e surfaces rie and t en dunks ack down, repeating t is o er and o er again. ou re a natural fis ,” alomoni s assistant calls out as ulnes refills er lungs wit o gen between frames. “That was beautiful! You’re a pro! ” E ven as Bulnes shivers, she has a smile on her face. When the shoot ends, her wail bounces off the walls and ec oes t roug t e pool on t take m tail ” ulnes mot er is decidedl less in ested e told us s e oug t this, and we were like, ‘ Where do you get this crap?’ ” e answer ust a out e er w ere. urrentl , t ere is a booming industry that caters to those with mermaid dreams and the lung capacity to live them out. F or people who want to merely get their feet wet, Project Mermaids’ shoots are a great starting point, but there are other options, too. ana ic ardson, w o goes ana ermaid,” offers travel packages to H awaii and Tahiti, which can include four-star lodging, swims with wild dolphins and whales, private boat trips, massages, group discussions and, of course, mermaid photo shoots. She charges up to $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 for these all-inclusive, “soul-awakening” experiences. “It creates a space for women to feel comfortable and confident a space for real transformation to appen,” sa s Richardson. “One person left and ended up getting a
divorce. One person took her business in a new direction. It’s so different for each person.” Those into a more vicarious way of living out the uman fis rid e perience can commission a mermaid for a party—professional mermaids for hire are available across the country—and anyone looking to make mermaiding a regular part of her life can, for anywhere from $ 1 0 0 to over $ 5 ,0 0 0 a pop, purchase spandex or silicone tails from any number of online specialty retailers.
It’s About Maritime Vanessa Hudgens in a 15-pound handmade tail by Eric “The Mertailor” Ducharme.
Late actress Bea Arthur was reportedly first choice to voice the role of Ursula, the sea witch, in Disney’s animated classic The Little Mermaid. She declined.
AN GE LIN A V E N TURE LLA/ SPLASH N E WS
7 8
DUJOU R .COM
haye Moon spent more on her tail than she did on her wedding dress—and she doesn’t regret it a bit. “I’m wearing it more,” the 3 6 -year-old says of the silicone contraption, which she straps on to splash around in a swimming pool near her F lorida home. And she isn’t the only one. Look around your local pool or search Instagram for # mermaid and you’re likely to see somet ing a it, well, fis surprisingl large number of grown women are ditching their E res twopieces to instead swim in the latest must-have aquatic accessory, custom-made mermaid tails. E arly one Saturday morning at Manhattan’s V illage E ast Swim Club, a group of women gather alongside the shallow pool’s perimeter after paying over $ 5 0 0 each, and in some cases traveling hundreds of miles, to frolic in its bluishgreenish water. Granted, theirs are no ordinary dips. One by one, the women roll 3 0 -pound silicone tails onto their lower halves and slip into the pool for a photo shoot with photographer Chiara Salomoni. Salomoni, the co-founder of Project ermaids, an ocean conser ation nonprofit, as spent large
Summer time, Cipriani Style. BODRUM
LOS ANGELES
PORTO C E R V O
IBIZA
MIAMI
NEW YORK
MONTE CARLO
VENICE
MEXICO CITY
NEW YORK
NEW YORK
VENICE
YAS ISLAND
www.cipriani.com NEW YORK
@cipriani
HONG KONG
PLAY
8 0
DUJOU R .COM
But why mermaids, and why now? F or the easiest explanation of this cultural phenomenon, look no further than the cele rities w o in uence t e masses. n a recent episode of K eeping U p with the K ardashians, the clan hired a mermaid entertainer w ile acationing in t. art s last ear, ritne Spears was photographed hanging out at a pool wearing a mermaid tail. anessa udgens, im idalgo, anel arris and Bella Thorne have all posed for Project Mermaids, creating a demand that the company is still attempting to keep up wit . n , it launc ed a tour of cities around t e . ., urope and ustralia. tars w o e used nstagram to post pictures of themselves in mermaid regalia include Cara ele igne, arlie loss and lie enner. Lad aga was t e first cele rit to do somet ing wit mermaids in our current time… and everyone else wanted to follow,” says E ric Ducharme, a tail designer whose creations a e appeared in ads for on and er al ssences. e s also the man responsible for the one that Gaga wore onstage during er onster all our. uc arme estimates t at e mo es etween and tails eac mont . e went from designing t em in is parents garage to operating a full-time business with nine employees in Crystal River, lorida. e s ip to countries t at e ne er eard of efore,” uc arme sa s of is glo al reac .
A
s far as luxurious leisure activities go, you could do worse t an mermaiding. e enefits are numerous, according to its ad erents. or one t ing, t ere s t e fitness aspect ail swimming w ic in ol es a monofin essentiall ippers that have been fused together) is, by all accounts, one ell of a core workout. ou are quite literally tying your legs together and jumping in the water,” explains E rin Gallagher, a professional mermaid who, like many, augments her entertainment income by selling tail designs through her compan , er ation. t s claustrop o ic at first. ou can t spread our legs out. ou can t stand on t e ottom. ou can t mo e like our normall do. ut if ou re ust comforta le, we e found t at people pick it up er uickl .” Swim coach E lena N annoshi teaches a mermaid-themed class at er orld of wimming sc ool in ic igan. e sa s t at er students w o don neoprene tails gain a better understanding of principles like balance and kicking, and as a result, learn to swim faster in the mermaid classes t an in er standard ones. en t ere s t e eig tened connectedness to nature t at
“IT HIDES EVERYTHING,” SHAYE MOON SAYS OF HER TAIL. “IT MAKES ME FEEL YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL.” man a mermaid and merman es, t ere are mermen feels. What comes with that is a sense of responsibility toward ocean conservation, which many professional mermaids say t e wea e into t eir entertaining. pril il ert, w o swims in t e mermaid s ow at iple s uarium in atlin urg, Tennessee, says she uses her freelance party gigs to educate curious c ildren a out man s t reat to nature. nd ro ect ermaids, for its part, as partnered wit t e nonprofit organi ation a e ur eac for conser ation minded pro ects. F or its constituents, the world of mermaids is by and large supportive and egalitarian, according to those who take part, unlike, sa , pageantr . e mermaid outfit is t e onl t ing e seen women gi e eac ot er compliments a out,” says Shannon Rauch, one of the MerMania organizers and a professional mermaid ased in arlotte, ort arolina. e don t snarl at eac ot er and sa , ,m od, t at girl s outfit is eautiful. ate er. ” ndeed, t ere is somet ing lo el a out t e w ole situation. t t e illage ast wim lu , t e p oto s oot participants are transforming the drab pool into one brimming with elegance. e glide t roug t e water wit an almost surreal self-possession, as the tails they wear rhythmically curl up and spread out, mo ing in s nc wit t e currents. e tails don t make these women more beautiful, per se, but they do seem to facilitate t e access of innate eaut . t ides e er t ing,” Shaye Moon says of the tail, which comes up above her belly utton. t makes me feel oung and eautiful.” ali ulnes as ne er worn a tail efore er ro ect Mermaids photo shoot, but she seems blissful once she emerges from t e pool. it a towel wrapped around er shoulders, she attempts to explain what wearing one felt like. t was e er t ing wanted it to e,” s e admits t roug c attering teet . want to do it e er da .” ■
Something’s Fishy Mermaid enthusiasts pay up to $20,000 to join in weekendlong excursions that include boat trips and swimming alongside dolphins.
CLOCK WISE F ROM TOP: @ ME RTAILOR; @ ME RN ATION ; @ PROJE CTME RMAIDS
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
P LANNING ON HAVING AN AFFAIR?
delicious cuisine, stylish presentation, impeccable service
OFF-PREMISE CATERING & EVENT DESIGN for your HOME, BUSINESS or VENUE Southampton 631 324 9825 · Glen Cove 516 676 8500 · Manhattan 212 991 0078 ElegantAffairsCaterers.com
I
8 2
Have Tipple, Will Travel
There are no intellectual property laws for signature cocktails, which is a plus for patrons—and sometimes even for bartenders Written by Jacqueline Detwiler
t’s not for nothing that Tulum has been called the Brooklyn of Mexico. You can hardly pose for a perfectly studied Instagram picture there without getting an E dison bulb, a hand-crocheted bikini and t ree annel s irts in t e frame. dd to t at list a decent cocktail, because ever since bartender Jasper Soffer arrived on the scene there last year, those have been popping up all over town. This spring, Soffer even opened an outpost of Mulberry Project, the N ew York City cocktail bar he co-owns, at a hotel on Tulum’s main strip, serving bespoke drinks with all the rococo standbys—infused booze, custom bitters, fresh fruit—mere feet from a scene worthy of a Corona ad. ou can lame t e nternet for t is attening of t e international cocktail landscape. Take a trip around the world and ou ll find merican li ations e er w ere lassics like old-fashioneds and F rench 7 5 s are easy to spot, but also keep an e e out for arl re ar nis, made wit earl gre tea-infused gin, lemon and egg white, and Gin-Gin Mules— gin and ginger beer mixed with lime. Both were created by cocktail isionar udre aunders at an attan s egu lu sometime in the mid-aughts and have since globe-trotted farther than some V ictoria’s Secret models. not er well tra elled drink is t e enicillin, a scotc , lemon, honey and ginger cocktail invented by bartender Sam Ross at N ew York City’s famed Milk and H oney. You can now order it from a wicker enc at erc in L. ., at ilk Grain in London, where the scotch is aged in leather, and at the subterranean Lockwood in Paris. Some of this spread comes from the globalization of the restaurant industry. It’s not uncommon these days for hotels or parent companies to run outposts in multiple countries. ou ll recogni e Los ngeles ased cocktail consultants Proprietors LLC by the opium-den vibe of their establishments in ew ork eat and o. , Los ngeles e Walker Inn) , Jackson H ole ( The Rose) and H ong K ong ( Lily and Bloom) . Then there are cocktail consulting companies, like N YC-based Liquid Lab, which will create menus for new bars wholesale and even train the staff to make the drinks to the tune of thousands of dollars. There are also more sinister methods of acquiring trendy drinks. “Let’s say you’re in Bolivia, or Montenegro,” says Soffer. “You decide you want to make a good cocktail, so you go online and look up what people are doing. E ither you call the bartenders up and bring them in, or you pinch ideas from their menu and make them yourself.” Soffer brought his craft to nine countries ( the U.S., E ngland, N icaragua, e ico, oli ia, rance, ra il, ustralia and eru w ile on a three-year world tour, but anyone with a computer and access to Yelp could make knockoffs of his specialties. s ou mig t imagine, ringing artenders in to pull a few shifts ( known as “staging” in chef lingo) has more fans among the bartending community than pilfering recipes does. Modern bartenders, whose training can often be traced in family trees like that of chefs or samurai swordmakers, are often recruited for shifts in international bars in e c ange for room and oard, mone and or prestige. fter meeting a Swede while bartending at Dutch K ills in Queens, N ew York, Jan Warren worked a mini-golf tournament in Germany and a party on Gotland, “the Martha’s V ineyard of Sweden.” H e has since worked in six countries. “I put on my ré sumé that I speak conversational V ietnamese, which has never really been helpful for a job
L
PLAY
DUJOU R .COM
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
PLAY
COURTE SY
e first time guest artended in London, at a ar called Trailer H appiness, I felt like everything was really playful and whimsical, especially compared to the U.S., where we have gone in a kind of austere, pre-prohibition direction,” says Yael V engroff, beverage director at The pare oom in Los ngeles. e ad t is kaffir lime infused Midori, a product that is frowned upon by bartenders here. But the combination was so delicious, I never forgot about it. And on the last menu I did for The Spare Room, I made a version of a Midori Sour with Midori, lime juice, muddled kaffir lime and endricks gin.” In short, you can’t go anywhere without being everywhere. This is unequivocally great for bargoers, except that it does tend to dull the weird edges of bars you visit on vacation. These days, if you want to taste something unlike anything you’ve got at home, you might have to take a plane to a boat to a car to an elephant to an island with no Internet. r ma e ust order a eer. ■
Bentley’s new supercharged agship is a glorious study in contradiction
MULSANNE HAS LONG REIGNED atop the British automaker’s family of models. But one shouldn’t be fooled by the car’s past as a chauffeured, upstairs-downstairs scenario on wheels. Given the new Mulsanne Speed’s 6 ¾-litre, twinturbo V8 engine—the 7,000-pound, blue-blooded beast roars from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, topping out at just over 190 mph—it was designed with those sitting directly behind the wheel very much in mind. More pointedly, the vehicle was created with the driver’s senses in mind. All of its surfaces—from coin-finished door handles to knurling on the “organ-stop” ventilation controls—are in place to engage a distinct tactile experience. Its bounty of premium materials likewise fills the cabin with a seductive aroma, heightened by views of the bespoke interior: Buyers can select from 10 different veneers, including the new piano-black panels with carbon-fiber inlays, and 24 hide colors. Aurally, the large engine is built to develop its power in torque at a very low rev range, resulting in an irresistible, throbbing croon. And if the Mulsanne Speed’s own siren song isn’t enough, there’s a 14-speaker, 2,200-watt Naim sound system onboard. All this even before stepping suede-loafered foot on the drilled-alloy sport pedals. Once engaged, an advanced “S” driving mode offers profound control and keeps the engine speed above 2,000 rpm, ensuring the turbochargers are ready to deliver maximum performance instantly. But the reengineered power train was also made with an eye toward reducing fuel consumption by 13 percent. The car’s greatest drawback, aside from potential sticker shock (the base price is $335,600), is arguably that it’s a terrible match for modest drivers. The lacquer-shiny, often twotone, 18-foot-long rolling donjon incites a reaction from lookyloos on par with that of a LaFerrari. But keep in mind that an admirer’s predominant view will be of the twin rifled tailpipes and floating-ellipse taillights after it zips by. “The one thing I’ve found with the car is that it’s like an onion,” says Sam Graham, the Mulsanne’s product-line director. “The more you dig into it, the more layers of engineering, thought and detail you find.”—DAVID FOXLEY
8 3
THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF DRINK PROTOTYPES TO PLAY WITH—INVENTING SOMETHING NEW REQUIRES VISION.
LET’S TORQUE ABOUT SPECS
DUJOU R .COM
before,” says Linda N guyen, a V ietnamese-American bartender who works at Lock & K ey in Los Angeles. “But when the owner was interviewing me, he said he was in the process of opening a bar in V ietnam. H e asked me if I would be willing to work overseas.” Over about six months, N guyen teamed up with the management of Lock & K ey to bring the trend of communal punch bowls to a rooftop bar called Skylight in the resort town of N ha Trang. Since she’s been home, another bar in N ha Trang has already ripped off the trend—serving complex shared cocktails in large bowls. N guyen puts worldwide cocktail mimicry down to one simple fact: There are only a handful of drink prototypes to play with, and inventing something entirely new requires ision. t s er difficult to create a genuinel rand new cocktail that is not similar to anything that’s ever come before it,” N guyen says. Creating beverages at a high level is much like being a chef—trends and national traditions drive much of the innovation. Only occasionally does a person come along who truly turns the craft on its head. The good news is that the march of classic cocktails around the globe may be speeding this process up. Adaptations, driven by creativity, necessity or both, are sometimes etter t an t e originals. or e ample, it s difficult to procure heavy cream in N ha Trang and there are no lemons, so N guyen adapted a classic brunch drink from N ew Orleans, the Ramos Gin F izz ( traditionally gin, egg white, cream, lemon and lime uice and orange ower water , to e made with locally available passion fruit, mint and lime. This is not to say that the United States has a monopoly on covetable cocktail trends. Any bar that’s offering gin and tonics wit ouris es like rosemar or lue erries can credit northern Spain, where the craze of offering full “gin-tonic” menus as een ouris ing for ears. ar oto, a u year-old N ew York City boî te from Japanese-American bartender K enta Goto, uses ingredients like shiso and yuzu, as well as a milky Japanese soda called Calpico.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
WORK
Shutter Stars
Marking the release of Focus—a deep-diving exposé into the world of iconic fashion photographers— its author, Michael Gross, shares a peek through his ollei e , revealing the story behind an image of a key group of characters from the groundbreaking new book
AFTER MOVING TO N ew York in the
mid s, one of m first encounters with a fashion model was in the men’s room at a restaurant on t e pper ast ide called icola s. ere was anice ickinson, wit er and down some gu s pants in t e loo. e was so ot. ncandescent in person. t ecame clear immediately that there was a very compelling scene t at surrounded t is one particular group of people. s egan to learn a out fas ion p otograp and disco ered more a out t e gu s in t is picture, w o were part of what’s known as the renc o ” t e onl ecame more fascinating. Several of them were warm, funn , delig tful people. ut ne er knew the story of how they all ad come to ew ork, and w at ad attracted t em to t e cit . nd ow t e re ol ed around t e least known of t em all ierre oul s. oul s was a p otograp er w o didn t care a out p otograp . ll e cared a out was girls. it no apparent p sical means of support, e could
pull off carr ing an erm s appoint ment ook, wearing o n Lo s oes and eing t e idol of ike ein ardt, illes ensimon and atrick emarc elier. oul s died er oung, of a eart attack at , w ile ogging in aris, training for t e ew ork arat on. is p oto totall captures t e innocent part of t eir c arm. ost fas ion p otograp is a kind of gleeful, app , isn t t is great, anice ickinson face t ing, ut t ere s also a manipulati e and creep side to it. ese gu s want us to think they are having more fun t an an one and w en ou look at t is picture, ou can ust see ow muc t e lo ed t eir li es. at t e p oto doesn t show is that this was also a group of t e most promiscu ous and in some, t oug not all cases, drug addled, decepti e, ac ia ellian c aracters to e er frolic in t e fas ion world. ddl , few women ecame success ful fas ion p otograp ers. a and straig t male p otograp ers a e dominated in alternating eras. e earliest fas ion p otograp ers were eit er ga aristocrats or ga gentlemen w o were a le to appear as if t e were aristocratic. e ne t wa e was made up of ga men w o didn t want to e known as ga . ut t en, in t e s, t ere came t e first wa e of eterose ual p otograp ers, and t at was t e a id aile , ert tern, el in okolsk , err c at erg generation, all of w om inspired t e mo ie Blow- U p. nd it was t at film t at in uenced t e milieu of p otograp ers epitomi ed t e t ree gu s in t is p otograp t e ones w o, amusingl , came along w en fas ion maga ines c anged from eing retailers of e tra agant fantas and instead retailed the notion of a woman with her own power, a woman in full, a woman w o worked, w o pla ed, w o was se uall li erated t at woman of t e earl s w o appeared at t e crossroads of self actuali ation and women s li . at s particularl ironic a out t at is t at t ese women were immortali ed a generation of p otograp er swordsmen. ese gu s li ed and reat ed oinking models. Look at t e shit-eating grin on Mike Reinhardt’s face in t is picture. oesn t it sa , on t ou wis ou were me ” —AS TOLD TO DAVID FOXLEY
Overexposed Counterclockwise from front: Mike Reinhardt, Janice Dickinson, Gilles Bensimon and Pierre Houlès at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
MIK E RE IN H ARDT
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
Clopay ® Avante™ Collection
®
your home reinvented. Uncover the beauty of your home with a stylish Clopay garage door. With so many distinctive choices, you can rejuvenate your home with a dramatic entrance that makes a bold statement. Imagine what you can do with Clopay! Made in the U.S.A. © 2016 Clopay Building Products Company, Inc., a Griffon company.
For a FREE consultation, call 800.225.6729. imagine.clopay.com
DUJOU R .COM
The father of vertical gardening fashions the future of living architecture Written by David Foxley
COURTE SY OF PATRICK BLAN C
8 6
Fronds in High Places
WORK
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
I
DUJOU R .COM 8 7
Tunnel Vision A view of Patrick Blanc’s installation on the Pont Max Juvénal in Aix-en-Provence, France, completed in 2008.
’m lazy,” says Patrick Blanc with a laugh. The acclaimed horticulturalist-designer, who’s credited with pioneering up-down botany as an architectural feature, is anything but. On the phone from his native Paris, Blanc, who speaks near-perfect E nglish with a thick Continental lilt, is preparing for an epic journey that will take him the following day to site meetings in N ew York, Taiwan, K uala Lumpur, ong ong and finall to t e ungles of orneo, where he’ll spend a couple of weeks conducting research and stockpiling inspiration. Such relentless travel has become the standard way of life for Blanc, whose verdant installations—which are otherwise referred to as “green” walls or “living” walls— can be found thriving on the faç ades of residential towers and in shopping malls, hotel lobbies and private homes from Dubai to Berlin. Using a network of hidden metal frames, PV C tubing and felt as a base, Blanc builds over the surfaces a textilelike composition of plants, all assiduously selected for the given site, with subtly varying hues, sizes and textures. Some of his favorite varieties include I ris j aponica, S arcococca saligna, A coru s gramineu s and A saru m splendens. Standing before one of Blanc’s walls, the sensational effect can be at once vertiginous, psychedelic, soothing and exhilarating. As a child living near the F rench capital, in the 1 9 6 0 s, Blanc developed a fascination with the interplay between ora and fauna during fre uent trips wit is mot er and the family dog to a nearby park. There he observed many plants not rooted in soil, but thriving on rocks, beneath cascading waterfalls in fis ponds. at ultimatel sparked his creativity and led him to experiment with growing his own small nurser along t e ack wall of an a uarium in his bedroom. “What I wanted to have, actually, was the most clean, clear water possible. F or this, the plant roots inside t e a uarium would take out all t e e cess minerals and nitrogen,” he explains. And with that, the vertical garden, albeit in a formative phase, was born. F ollowing years of study during university in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, Blanc earned his PhD in 1 9 7 8 and finall patented t e ertical garden concept in , at which point his talent was recognized somewhat narrowly by the contemporary-art community. Then, in 2 0 0 1 , famed interior and product designer André e Putman commissioned Blanc, now 6 2 , to create an installation on a colossal interior wall in Paris’ Pershing H all hotel. With that project, his notoriety was sudden, and thus began his longtime working relationships with leading architects such as Jean N ouvel and H erzog & de Meuron. n m pro ects, t is tec ni ue as opened up new possibilities, and I dream of a very large-scale implementation of these mysterious walls,” N ouvel explains of how Blanc’s vertical vegetation informed the development of his own working method. “Mysterious because Patrick Blanc researches plants that can be happy there. H e works in the multiplicity of species before an ecosystem is put in place.” Blanc credits the living world alone with informing his creative approach. “Inspiration is only from nature,” he says. “N ot at all from architecture. N ot at all from paintings. N ot at all from readings. It’s simply from what I see in nature.” It may come as little surprise, then, that Blanc—whose ome office, lined wit a uge li rar ” for scientific stud
WORK
Off the Wall Right: J&T Café Banka in Bratislava. Below: Oasis d’Aboukir, as seen from Rue des Petits Carreaux a year after installation, in Paris.
purposes, instead of creative) , is perched above a 2 0 ,0 0 0 -liter aquarium ousing some , fis hopes that his work will heighten awareness of climate change and encourage ecological innovation, particularly in arid urban areas around the globe. “I think it’s important to show that nature can still survive even in places where we think it cannot,” he says. “We’ll become more inclined to protect true nature and not to replace it.” Speaking of unexpected and inhospitable places where he’s managed to cultivate flourishing greenspaces, Blanc, who sources local species whenever possible, points to the vertical garden he built at a parking garage in Lyon, F rance, and to the exterior walls of a cultural center in Saudi Arabia, where the plants he used withstand temperatures that regularly top 1 0 0 degrees. e en ironmental enefits of lanc s installations are not only conceptual. Because of the thermic insulation effects of his vertical gardens, they naturally lower a building’s energy consumption by insulating the interior from the cold in winter and by protecting it from the heat in summer. e gardens also act like colossal air filters, absorbing polluting particles, which are slowly decomposed and mineralized by root systems and microorganisms. N early all of Blanc’s vertical gardens are also fed with recycled rainwater drawn from the structures’ roofs. Among Blanc’s most famous projects is the One Central Park tower in Sydney, a mixed-use building he designed with N ouvel. The faç ade of the otherworldly structure, completed in 2 0 1 3 , features a tapestry of more than 85 ,0 0 0 plants, owers and ines representing some species t at stretc es 1 1 6 meters high, making it the world’s tallest vertical garden. Other noteworthy commissions include a soaring courtyard wall at t e art filled stan ul town ouse of t e c ac a family ( Turkey’s equivalent of the Mellon dynasty) , an installation at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris and a poolside wall in Manhattan’s superluxe 5 3 W5 3 residential tower next to MoMA. F orthcoming efforts are in such far ung locales as aiwan, etroit, en er and ong ong. Asked about the future of vertical gardens, Blanc says he believes the number and scope of such installations will inevitably increase, but the medium’s widespread success will depend on new, more afforda le and efficient tec nolog . t ink in t e future in , ears t ere will e more vertical gardens, but they will have to be very well managed. It gets very expensive,” he says. “But year after year, when people see that I make these extraordinary things all around the world, they think, W hy shou ld we not do the same? ” ■
COURTE SY OF PATRICK BLAN C
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
SARAH JESSICA PARKER for THE JORDACHE LOOK
SHOP NOW on the new
JORDACHE .com
90
DUJOU R .COM
CULTURE
Introduction to Chemistry How Jason Bourne star Ato Essandoh found the formula to become Hollywood’s next big thing Written by Adam Rathe Photographed by Christopher Leaman Styled by Paul Frederick
CULTURE
A
to E ssandoh gets the kinds of roles any actor would be proud of. H e’s made a name for himself on television series like BBC America’s C opper and H BO’s V iny l, and has landed on the big screen in movies including Blood D iamond and D j ango U nchained. But until recently, he’s had trouble impressing one very important critic. “My dad doesn’t know anything about the entertainment industry and isn’t really interested,” the 43 -year-old actor says, his 6 -foot-4 frame folded into a couch in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel. “H e doesn’t know who Martin Scorsese is, and maybe he knows who Mick Jagger is—but when I said I was going to be in a Jason Bourne movie, he was like, ‘ W hoa! ’ ” It wasn’t an unwarranted reaction—after all, E ssandoh never planned to be an actor. H e had been a chemical engineering major at Cornell when, on a dare, he took his first role in a student production. e adn t een counting on leaving behind the laboratory for the limelight, he says, but from is first turn onstage, somet ing ust clicked. could feel t e electricit ,” e recalls now. t was t e first time felt I was doing something that made sense, because even though I loved science, it was something I was doing because I thought I was supposed to.” Despite the lightning that struck during that initial experience, E ssandoh graduated as planned, moved to N ew York City and took a series of consulting jobs. A few years into his adult life, feeling an urge to indulge his dramatic side, the upstate N ew York native signed up for acting classes, and just like that, he says, “I was hooked.” H e cast a wide net, joining small theater companies and writing his own plays, and before long he found himself with an agent and a manager and a full-time focus on auditioning. “Suddenly,” he says, “it was my life.” And what a life it’s been. After landing early roles alongside Z ach Braff and N atalie Portman in G arden S tate and opposite Will Smith in H itch, he worked steadily, hitting seemingly every network procedural, from L aw & Order to W hite C ollar. “I paid off my engineering student loans with acting money,” he says, still sounding a bit surprised. These days, he’s decidedly playing in the big leagues. After taking a turn earlier this year in V iny l, the Scorcese-and-Jaggerproduced paean to the excess of the 1 9 7 0 s rock scene, ssando s ne t role is ig est profile et will e as Craig Jeffers, part of a team of CIA operatives hunting for Matt Damon’s titular rogue agent in this summer’s installment of the J ason Bou rne franchise. “Ato is a hugely exciting talent; I love his energy, his poise and his accuracy,” says Bou rne director Paul Greengrass. “N o matter how intense the pressure, he’ll come in and nail his scene and help you get to where you need to be.” To hear E ssandoh tell it, there was plenty of anxiety at play as well. “I had never done an action movie before,” he says. “As an actor, I had to turn off some of my usual instincts and turn on new ones—like survival and desperation, they were my autopilot.” Despite the nerves and the high professional stakes, E ssandoh says his overwhelming feeling about making the film wasn t all t at different from t e one is fat er e pressed. still can t elie e,” e sa s, as ing is megawatt smile, “that I went from being a chemical engineer to eing in a mo ie wit att amon.” ■
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
“I HAD TO TURN OFF SOME OF MY USUAL INSTINCTS AND TURN ON NEW ONES.”
Above: Trench coat and shirt, both price upon request, VERSACE, 8 8 8 - 7 2 1 - 7 2 1 9 . Trousers, $ 7 9 5 for full suit, JOHN VARVATOS, b loomingdales. com. E lite Ultra Thin watch, $ 5 ,3 0 0 , ZENITH, z enith- watches. com. Belt, $ 6 9 5 , BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, b ru nellocu cinelli. com. Opposite page: Sweater, $ 6 5 0 , SALVATORE FERRAGAMO, 8 6 6 - 3 3 7 - 7 2 4 2 . Classico watch, $ 7 ,5 0 0 , ULYSSE NARDIN, 2 1 2 - 2 5 7 - 4 9 2 0 . Groomer: Jessica Ortiz for La Mer at The Wall Group. Photographed on location at H otel Indigo Lower E ast Side, N ew York City.
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CULTURE
Hitting the High Notes
92
DUJOU R .COM
Ethan Hawke has no shortage of charming, challenging roles—but he really just wants to be funny Written by Adam Rathe Photographed by Clarke Tolton Styled by Paul Frederick
N
Greenpoint F atigue jacket, $ 1 ,7 9 5 , TODD SNYDER, toddsny der. com. H enley sweater, $ 2 9 8, JOHN VARVATOS, b loomingdales. com. Pants, $ 2 9 5 , CANALI, b loomingdales. com. Allen Bluchers, $ 2 6 5 , GRAND VOYAGE, thegrandv oy age. com. Jewelry throughout, H awke’s own. Grooming by Jordan Long using La Mer at Starworks Artists.
obody thinks I’m funny,” E than H awke laments. With more than three decades of moviemaking behind him, H awke’s been called plenty of things, but he’s right that funny isn’t often one of them. It isn’t, he says, for lack of trying. “I would love to do comedy. My life goal is to be in T alladega N ights 2 , but I’ll never get the offer.” The scripts that do come over H awke’s transom aren’t always knee-slappers, but the parts he’s taken over the years have made him one of our most interesting actors— and the recent Born to Be Blu e is no exception. A look at the life of jazz great Chet Baker, the film finds H awke tackling a broken man whose demons are stronger than love or money. These complications are part of what attracted H awke to the idea in the first place. “I was about 2 6 when I started developing a movie about Baker, a day in his life,” says H awke, who’s now 45 . “[ But] it took us too long for us to get the money, and I got too old for the movie we conceived.”
F ifteen years later, screenwriter and director Robert Budreau slipped H awke a script about Baker that struck a chord. “This movie has an interesting hook: It starts with watching Chet play himself in a movie,” H awke explains. “In general I don’t like biopics. They’re usually a platform for an actor to be great, but they don’t make for great cinema. is one, irtue of eing a film wit in a film, announced itself as not eing t e definiti e true stor . t s tr ing to e a film t at e plores t e legend of et aker.” Blu e does that well. H awke’s Baker isn’t painted as only a virtuoso or a junkie or any one thing, but a multifaceted fuck-up. In a glowing review, the N ew Y ork T imes raves, “In Mr. H awke’s extraordinary performance, this glamorous enigma becomes a credible, if pathetic character.” While Baker doesn’t offer much in the way of humor for H awke, this summer’s M aggie’ s P lan—a romantic comedy in which he stars opposite Greta Gerwig and Julianne Moore—makes room for plenty of wit and wisecracks. “There is such a low bar for romantic comedies; there’s a huge part of the population that loves these movies, and yet they are never given a good one,” H awke says. Considering the high caliber of the M aggie’ s P lan cast and savvy of director Rebecca Miller, H awke notes, “I knew we had a shot to make a wonderful romantic comedy.” F or Miller, putting H awke in the roll of the brilliant if bumbling hinge in a love triangle seemed like a no-brainer. “I had wanted to work with E than for quite a long time, but I wanted to see him in a different kind of part,” she says. “E very day he had ideas about different ways of doing things...and he always wanted whatever was the best for the film. t wasn t a out is ego, it was a out getting t e work done and doing what was best for the movie.” Perhaps that drive is why H awke stays so busy. A regular on the N ew York stage, he released his third novel, R u les f or a K night, in 2 0 1 5 , and in the next months he’ll star in the spaghetti western I n a V alley of V iolence, play a gunslinger in Antoine F uqua’s he ag fice e e and appear opposite Sally H awkins in the 1 9 3 0 s love story M au die. Still, if nobody thinks H awke is funny, at least they think he’s smart. Recently his friend and collaborator Richard Linklater said, “If everyone...made the choices E than makes, it would be a much better cinema landscape.” F or his part, H awke says his choices aren’t all that complicated. “In general, when you are doing what you lo e,” e sa s, t ings go well.” ■
Your daily destination for style discovery Up to 70% off a handpicked mix of designer finds for women, men, kids, and home — refreshed every day Gilt.com
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
CULTURE
A Matter of Taste
S
tephanie Danler begins every day writing longhand—a habit the 3 2 -year-old picked up as soon as she could put pen to paper—and the best ideas come when she’s on the move. “I like transient places: hotel rooms, trains, airplanes,” she says of her preferred writing environments. “Whenever I’m settled anywhere, my world is taken o er ot er tasks, ut w en m oating, my mind is very clear.” The latest product of that creative wanderlust is S weetb itter, Danler’s first novel, which is told from the perspective of Tess, a 2 2 -year-old who leaves a mundane past in flyover country for a fuller life in N ew York City. The book closely mirrors the experience of the author, who, like her protagonist, graduated from college ( K enyon) and landed a coveted job at a critically acclaimed restaurant ( Union Square Café ) . That perspective lends Danler’s prose a sincere, confidential quality. Broken into four parts, spanning the seasons, S weetb itter sails along on Tess’ tailwind from sweaty escapades with her fellow servers to revelatory backroom tê te-à -tê tes over potato chips and rosé champagne. Danler, who worked as a waitress until recently, started the book seven years after a formative stint as a sub-server at Danny Meyer’s famed eatery. It was a thrilling, terrifying period in which her appetites for food, wine, hard work and love were all fully awakened. The high-stakes restaurant industr pro ed to e a fitting ackdrop, sa s anler at erified, isolated and adrenali ed world was t e perfect environment to show a girl developing a palate for life.” While her own proximity to the book’s central characters and e ents offered ample fodder, anler emp asi es t at
Tess is a wholly invented persona. And though the subject matter was self re ecti e, anler sa s, ess e perience is really about something more universal. “It’s representative of what happens when you come to N ew York, which is you reinvent yourself completely,” the author explains. “You get to start over when you cross that bridge.” F or Danler, who grew up in L.A., the act of moving to the city “and being able to survive and thrive here,” she explains, “was hugely therapeutic.” But writing the book was not a serene process; instead, she admits, it was an experience in turns both fraught and triumphant. Triumphant indeed: “There was something arresting, an alarming wisdom, a full formed confidence and an unusual relation to the page that is so rigorous, so generous, so fully engaged and engaging,” says Claudia H err, Danler’s editor at Alfred A. K nopf—which acquired the text in the fall of as part of a two ook, ig si figure deal of er first encounter with the manuscript. “It’s one of those voices that makes everything else sort of go quiet, because you want to pay so much attention, because it b ears so much attention.” The act of paying attention, after all, is of huge import to the author and likewise dwells at the heart of S weetb itter. Asked what the key takeaway has been after nearly a decade spent working as a server, Danler, who is already researching her next book ( about a group of American expatriates living in E gypt during the 2 0 1 1 revolution) , pauses thoughtfully. “It’s hard to remember who I was before I fell in love with food and wine,” she says. “It’s the most gratifying way to pay attention to the world—to look closel at te tures and colors, to e perience a ors ut it’s really about engaging and being present. And that o er ows to e er part of our life.” ■
N ICK V ORDE RMAN
94
DUJOU R .COM
With her debut novel, an auspicious young writer lays bare the cutthroat, delicious world of New York restaurants Written by David Foxley
CULTURE EVERYBODY BEHAVES BADLY
Lesley M. M. Blume The Lost Generation— in all its depression and excess—was immortalized in The Sun Also Rises. Now, cultural critic Blume pens the true story of that infamous 1925 trip to Pamploma from which Hemmingway drew his inspiration, delving into the salacious travails of the group that would define an era of modern literature. THE JOLLY ROGER SOCIAL CLUB: A TRUE STORY OF A KILLER IN PARADISE
Nick Foster
Everything was going well in the small Panama town of Bocas del Toro, where expats congregated for debauched bacchanals amidst the palm trees. That is, until 2010 when the horrifying news broke that five American residents had been murdered. This is the story of a town of glamorous outlaws and how their paradise turned into a hell on Earth.
PLAYING DEAD: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF DEATH FRAUD
Elizabeth Greenwood
F ROM LE F T TO RIGH T: COURTE SY; GE TTY IMAGE S
If faking your own death is the ultimate con, then this is the ultimate con man’s guide. From digging up suspect graves to buying her own death certificate, Greenwood investigates the work of death fraud with probing comedic wit, and ultimately delivers a reflection on the efficacy of escaping ourselves. SCREAM
Tama Janowitz
Slaves of New York made Janowitz the '80s “lit-girl,” immortalizing the hustle and drama of the downtown arts scene. Two decades later, from the vantage of mother, daughter, wife, sister— and, of course, writer— Janowitz brings us a first-rate memoir that cuts with razor-sharp insight through to the truth about living life after youth. —FRANCES DODDS
When C ats first hit Broadway, it ran for nearly 18 years and sold a historic $380 million in tickets. After worldwide productions, the show returns to the New York stage this summer to prove that sometimes nine lives just aren’t enough. Here, we look at C ats by the numbers. Throat lozenges dispensed to performers since the premiere of a London revival
449,280
180
Number of recorded versions there are of the song “Memory”
1977
The year Andrew Lloyd Weber first composed music to go along with T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
95
Forget fiction, this summer’s most anticipated titles all draw their inspiration from the real world
OOHS AND CLAWS
DUJOU R .COM
BRAINY BEACH READS
SUMME R 2 0 1 6
7 Tony Awards the 1983 Broadway production took home
$2.8 BILLION
Gross revenue Cats has reportedly made during its lifetime
25 gal. AMOUNT OF MAKEUP REMOVER IT’S BEEN REPORTED THE SHOW USED IN ITS FIRST 15 YEARS
1,445
Seats in the Neil Simon Theatre, where the revival of Cats will open July 14
73 MILLION People worldwide who’ve
seen a performance of Cats
Invicta Subaqua Sea Dragon Model 21643 52mm solid stainless steel case Chronograph Timer Big Date Function Stainless Steel Screw down crown and pushers Protective hatch crown and pusher covers 500 Meters Water Resistant Silicone band
Available at The Invicta Watch Stores: Boca Raton Town Center Mall • Miami International Mall • Tampa International Plaza Baltimore - Washington International Airport • Westfield Brandon Mall • Lenox Square Mall • Mall of Georgia • Christiana Mall Woodbridge Center Mall • Garden State Plaza • Staten Island Mall Sarasota Mall at University Town Center • The Mall of San Juan Queens Center Mall • Orlando’s Florida Mall • Aventura Mall Times Square, NYC • Coming soon: The Mall at World Trade Center
www.invictawatch.com
DUJOU R .COM 98
LADY AND THE TRUMP MELANIA TRUMP MIGHT SPEAK SOFTLY, BUT IN THIS RARE, CANDID INTERVIEW, SHE COMES THROUGH LOUD AND CLEAR WRITTEN BY MICKEY RAPKIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY REGINE MAHAUX
Melania Trump in January 2016 at her family’s home in Westchester, New York.
DUJOU R .COM
D
99
onald and Melania Trump live in a 3 0 ,0 0 0 -square-foot triplex at the top of his namesake tower on F ifth Avenue, and as the race toward the presidency gets shorter and more frenzied, the ratings-hungry cable news networks have started coming to them. On May 4, the day after Ted Cruz dropped out of the race, Donald, 6 9 , appeared live on T oday , G ood M orning A merica, M orning J oe, F ox & F riends and T he S itu ation R oom—all without leaving Trump Tower. On the morning I visit, Secret Service agents are stationed in the lobby, and everyone entering the building—even those going to t e tar ucks must pass a securit c eckpoint first. ne week earlier, a letter containing a suspicious powder had een deli ered to onald s office, and w ile t e powder was later deemed non-toxic, the mood is understandably tense. Once given the all clear, I take the elevator to the 2 5 th oor, w ere a longtime rump emplo ee escorts me to a second ele ator t at rockets us to t e t oor, w ere a ecret er ice agent awaits. t s on t at oor t at finall , behind a hulking gold door, the woman I’m here to meet appears, a picture of repose. Melania Trump, 46 , is dressed in a black Chanel coat, slim black pants by The Row and Louboutin heels. A 2 5 -carat diamond ring, an anniversary present from her husband, weighs down one hand. H er much-discussed squint—like a fox caught in headlights—is less prominent in person; otherwise she looks just as you’d imagine. Camera-ready, not a hair out of place. F iji and Pellegrino water on the coffee table. “Come sit,” she purrs. This woman is a few months, and swing states, away from becoming our next first lady, but very little is known about her. Magazine profiles inevitably trot out the same recycled anecdotes. F or example, when she and Donald met for the first time—at a party in 1 9 9 8—Melania famously refused to give out her phone number. A year later Donald flirted with running for president, and a reporter asked Melania what kind of first lady she’d be. Without giving it much thought she announced: “I would be very traditional, like Betty F ord or Jackie K ennedy.” e apartment, w ic as een likened to a oating V ersailles, is as opulent as advertised. There are 1 8-foot ceilings in the dining room and a heavy marble table; at the end of the room stands a kiddie-size Mercedes-Benz, which 1 0 -year-old Barron Trump has long-since outgrown. And while the apartment might be gaudy, one barely notices the mar le fountain in t e corner, w at wit t e infinit iews of Central Park smacking him in the face. I hear a lone vacuum cleaner whooshing somewhere upstairs, but there’s no
DUJOU R .COM 10 0
evidence of another soul here otherwise. We sit down on a cream-colored couch, and I mention the chaos in the lobby below, wondering aloud: Why would anyone come to a Starbucks that requires a security pat-down? t ink people find it e citing,” elania sa s in er hypnotic, heavily-accented E nglish. “To be in the building and to go t roug t at.” resuma l elania can a oid t at agitation and a e her morning Starbucks order sent up directly, right? “I don’t drink tar ucks,” s e sa s. ou don t drink coffee ask. drink coffee, ut don t drink tar ucks. son likes it, t e w at do ou call it e rappuccino e likes t at.” don t get t e impression t at elania s t rowing s ade at Americans who subsist on 1 0 ,0 0 0 -calorie coffee drinks. This is more like something Gwyneth Paltrow would say on oop and we d all roll our e es ut secretl lo e it. cept this woman’s husband is running for president, and in today’s media environment, any off-script thought immediately becomes a scandal. Like when I ask what Bill and H illary Clinton got the Trumps for a wedding present in , and elania sa s innocentl don t t ink t e sent a gift.” R eally e nods. ome people didn t send gifts.” s s e intentionall fanning t e ames is is t e kind of click bait that becomes international chatter, and would she even remember who sent a wedding gift 1 0 years ago? r would t e fau pas e so weird t at s e couldn t forget While we’re on the topic, what do you even get the person who has everything? Of the election, she says, “They go after him, so he goes after them. It’s nothing personal. It’s all business. E verybody wants to win. e t inks e s t e one. e t inks s e s t e one.” We’ve been talking for less than 1 0 minutes when elania roac es t e idea t at s e s een misrepresented in the media—her silences interpreted as a lack of intelligence, her marriage as some kind of F austian bargain. If Donald is a winner, as e often repeats in speec es, s e finall would like you to know that she is, too. “I had a successful modeling career,” s e sa s, and it s ould e noted, er line of sparkly jewelry sold out in 45 minutes. In what ways have you been misrepresented, I ask. “That m s ,” s e sa s. m not s . know w at want, and m selecti e.” o s ame t ere. t s ust t at, in terms of political narrati es, t is one is a little arder to sell. f ic elle ama is e er one s fa orite ool om ou know, t e one wit t e toned arms and t e perfect . rew outfit elania is seen as t e ueen ee, t e elicopter mom wit er own elicopter. f s e s defensi e a out er ualifications, per aps s e as a right to be, considering she’s getting catcalled on a national stage. arlier t at da , s ris att ews was caug t ogling er walk, accidentall muttering on air od, is t at good. could watc t at runwa s ow.” n elie a le,” s e sa s of att ews comment. at s what I’m saying! I’m not only a beauty, I’m smart. I have rains. m intelligent.” e e ales, adding would ust sa , en will e men.” e uses t at same p rase en will e men” w en asked about Donald’s old appearances on H oward Stern’s show, which recently resurfaced online. Stern once asked if onald would sta wit elania if s e suffered a orrific car accident, and e replied ow do t e reasts look ” similar vibe was conveyed when Trump came out on stage at a town-hall meeting at the University of Pennsylvania in and s outed, ere s m supermodel ” That was entertainment. This is politics ( which is maybe also now entertainment but whatever) . There’s a lot I really
MELANIA’S MILESTONES 1996
After working as a model in Paris and Milan, Melania Knauss arrives in New York City.
1998 Melania attends a Manhattan party where she meets her future husband, Donald Trump.
2000 A bikini-clad Melania graces the pages of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
2005
After marrying Trump, Melania appears on the cover of Vogue in her custom Dior wedding dress, rumored to cost $100,000.
2006 Melania gives birth to her first—and Donald’s fifth—child, a son named Barron.
2010 A line of jewelry and watches designed by Melania herself debuts on QVC.
2015 Melania steps into the role of possible first lady as Donald announces his bid for the presidency.
want to ask Melania, but most of all, I want to know: D oes she really want this? A year ago she was a private citizen, hocking her wares on QV C or taking her son, Barron, to Paris for the summer. But here we are. And there she is. Who is this woman who might share a bed with our next president? Does she have his ear? If so, what is she saying to him? “I want to make clear,” she tells me, “in 1 9 9 9 , when they asked w at kind of first lad would e, it was out t ere t at I’d be traditional, a Jackie K ennedy or Betty F ord. But that was 1 9 9 9 . A lot has changed.”
T
notorious minefield for oung women. en asked if s e d ever been propositioned by a photographer or agent, she doesn’t hesitate, saying, “Yes. You need to be a strong person. F or me, it was no way. The agents, they invite you, ‘ Oh, let’s go for a weekend here or there.’ Some girls go for it. I knew exactly how the industry worked. I never went into that. I know when they go to parties, there are drugs, there’s alcohol. It doesn’t bring you anywhere. I always stayed true to myself.” When independence came to Slovenia, Melania was already away working in Milan and Paris—mostly print modeling—before an agent from Metropolitan brought her to ew ork and installed er at t e eckendorf owers on Union Square, where the 2 6 -year-old shared an apartment with a photographer. At night she sometimes hung out at Cipriani Downtown with a E uro crowd, but she wasn’t dancing on tables. She went on dates, she says, “but nothing else. It was known that I was very tough. Yes, dating, but not dating. Maybe a movie or dinner. I was busy. After a long
10 1
“I’M NOT SHY. I KNOW WHAT I WANT, AND I’M SELECTIVE.”
DUJOU R .COM
he idea of a 2 4-hour news cycle feels quaint at this point. I’m meeting Melania on Thursday, May 5 , and here’s a small sampling of the morning’s breaking news. The F BI revealed it was interviewing H illary Clinton’s top aide, H uma Abedin, as part of an ongoing probe into the security of Clinton’s private e-mail server. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, tweeted a photo of himself eating a taco bowl in honor of Cinco de Mayo, captioning the photo: “I love H ispanics! ” Paul Ryan revealed he’s “just not ready” to support Trump, who then issued his own statement saying: “I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan’s agenda.” A video of President Obama and Michelle dancing with R2 -D2 from S tar W ars went viral. And to think: We’re only 1 87 days away from the election. As Melania explains, she always knew this day would come: “When we were dating in 1 9 9 9 , he was thinking about running wit t e eform art .” e couple rie roke up in 2 0 0 0 , with the D aily N ews suggesting then that his focus on t e campaign was e ind t e split. e clarifies at was part of it. We were apart for a few months, not long. We got back together. H e was always thinking about it. But he loved what he did, he had his business. H e was not saying ‘ N ow is the time.’ H e always had that in him.” Things changed in 2 0 1 4, she says. “H e was more into the country, what was wrong with it. E very morning was F ox & F riends. ” She continues: “To be married to my husband, to someone successful as he is, he needs somebody who will tell him the truth. Somebody smart, you know. It’s not just like I’m there and I’m just doing things for him. People say I’m not on the campaign, [ but] I’m very involved from home.” She may DV R E mpire ( which she calls “interesting, something for fun”) , but nightly she’s glued to CN N or F ox N ews. “I like to know exactly what’s going on,” she says. “I give a lot of advice to my husband and tell him how it is and how I see it. I’m not backing off. I tell him the truth.” She also reveals that she’s the one in the family who has his ear. “After a speech, the kids are calling me—Ivanka, [ his] sons—saying, ‘ Call dad and tell him this and that. H e’s listening to you.’ They know I would talk to him and put him in the right direction. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he doesn’t. H e will decide what he does.” When was the last time you challenged him? I ask. “This morning! ” she says, letting out a big laugh. Was it about something political? “N o, something else,” she says, almost giggling. “I cannot say. It’s too private. H e was upset about some stuff, and I said, ‘ H ey, wake up! You did it. N ow deal with it.’ ” When Melania appeared on the cover of V ogu e in 2 0 0 5 , dressed in the custom Christian Dior gown John Galliano designed for her wedding—the one embroidered with 1 ,5 0 0 crystal rhinestones and pearls, at the time said to be the most
expensive wedding gown ever made—the headline read ow to arr a illionaire,” fi e words t at essentiall dismissed this woman as a gold digger. But perhaps, in 2 0 1 6 , a more accurate retelling of er origin stor is ustified. Melania K navs grew up in Slovenia, the former Yugoslavia, then under Communist control. She was born in 1 9 7 0 in N ovo Mesto, and says her childhood was fairly typical. “I spent a lot of time [ doing] after-school activities and homework, and I remember every weekend we visited the grandparents,” she says. “When you grow up you don’t think, Oh, I’m growing up under Communism. You understand what I mean? You’re just a kid. You go on the bike, you do gymnastics, you enjoy your friends.” At 1 6 , her parents took her and her sister to t eir first concert lton o n li e in agre , roatia. But even then Melania imagined a different future for herself. Of Slovenia, she says, “I felt it was kind of too small for me.” H er mother was a pattern maker and designer for the state-owned textile factory and, on trips to Paris, she’d pick up fashion magazines for her daughter. Melania would sometimes sketch her own clothing, which her mother then sewed for her. She cites the birth of CN N in 1 9 80 as opening her eyes to life beyond the Iron Curtain. At 2 2 , Melania entered J ana magazine’s Look of the Year contest, which felt like a ticket to a new adventure, and while she didn’t win, a seed was planted. She signed with a modeling agency and dropped out of the University of Ljubljana after two years. H er father managed dealerships for the state-owned car company ( and later opened his own operation) . When asked if he was upset by her leaving school, she says: “N o, it was not a big deal. It is what I want to do. It’s my passion. And I always felt like, don’t lose the momentum with what you want to do. Go for it. You don’t want to turn back and say, ‘ Oh! Why didn’t I do that?’ ” Melania ( who changed her surname to K nauss because it was easier to pronounce) was by all accounts studious. She never drank, she never smoked. The modeling industry is a
DUJOU R .COM 10 2
day, the last thing I wanted to do is get ready and go out at 1 0 at night and then be up again at six in the morning. I don’t want to feel exhausted. I came here to work. I didn’t come ere for anging out. came ere for m career.” The work she found was commercial—a job for Bergdorf Goodman, some lingerie and swimwear catalogs. Soon she rented er own apartment, a small one edroom t at felt like a declaration of independence. “The rent was $ 2 ,5 0 0 a mont ,” s e sa s. picked it out, e er t ing on m own. still remember, I went to shop for a TV and an air condi tioner. oug t furniture.” onsidering t e Louis aesthetic of her Trump Tower residence, I wonder what her taste was like in her twenties. Where did she shop for furniture? She thinks about this for a second before she finall remem ers t e name of t e store. went to rate arrel,” s e sa s. oes t at still e ist or no ” elania met onald at t e it at lu in , at a fashion week party thrown by Paolo Z ampolli, the founder of odels. e was friendl wit ampolli s girlfriend, who invited her out that night, telling her they’d pick her up in the car on the way. Melania had no premonition that she’d meet er us and t at nig t. n fact, onald ad arri ed with another woman—and tried to get Melania’s phone number while his date was in the bathroom. knew w o e was,” elania sa s, ut didn t know about his life, about what was going on. I had my life. I didn t care a out is. wasn t starstruck.” ut s e called im a few da s later. oon t e ad t eir first date, meeting mutual friends at oom a a c ic late s spot w ere young socialites did karaoke on Monday nights. “I’d never een efore, and onald adn t een eit er,” elania sa s. e ad a great connection, great c emistr .” few da s later e took er to is ome in estc ester, a acre property dubbed Seven Springs, and soon Melania was shopping for furniture at Sotheby’s. But she takes pains to point out: “When I moved here with my husband, we weren t married et so kept m apartment.”
U
pon marr ing onald, t e world opened up to her in ways she never dreamed. met ic ael ackson,” smiling at an obviously happy memory. “It was here in N ew York in the Pierre H otel. H e called us, so we went over and we had dinner. Just after dinner, we were chatting on the sofa and my husband went into another room to see some art somebody wanted to show him. And Michael said to me, ‘ H ey, when Trump comes back, let’s start kissing so he will be ealous ” e didn t kiss, s e sa s, o, no, no. ut we were laug ing so ard.” espite er own su stantial fame, elania is rarel photographed by paparazzi. That’s by design, she explains. “I have a life. I go out every day. I bring my son to school. I pick him up. I’m not an attention seeker. I’m not the one who calls paparazzi, ‘ I have lunch with the girlfriends, and I’m going to t is restaurant. ” ask er w at t ose after sc ool pick ups are like can imagine er, like man of m friends with young kids, being forced to make awkward small talk with the other moms and nannies as they wait outside for the kids. get along,” s e sa s, sincerel . it t e moms at t e sc ool pick up, it s ello, ow are ou ut it s not f riends friends. like ualit o er uantit .”
Indeed, she isn’t the type to spend every night on the town. She is active in several charities—the American Red Cross and the Boys’ Club of N ew York—but she prefers time with her son to red carpet events, telling me about Saturdays spent on the sidelines of his baseball games in Central Park. “I was there taking pictures and videos, quietly so he didn’t see me. I was never screaming or cheering. I know my son and he would sa , top it. ” e is up at fi e fort fi e most weekday mornings to have some time to herself before she wakes arron, w om s e once descri ed as a mini onald at ears old, e preferred a suit and tie to sweats, t oug e s long since outgrown t at p ase. e t ird oor is arron s,” s e sa s. t s muc easier t at wa . or im as well. H e has friends over, he has his toys. H e has a play date tomorrow and is bringing two friends over. They come here, they go upstairs and they play. They kick a ball, they play wit i ads. don t allow o efore omework is done.” Marrying a celebrity, Melania says, requires strength. “When you walk in a room, everybody knows the person. Sometimes people see you with that man and maybe they know more about the man, and they judge you or see you differently. You need to know who you are and you need to be very secure. You need to stand up for yourself. You need to a e our own es and no.” en onald is on t e road campaigning, they talk several times a day, but there is no e ening routine. e don t k pe,” s e sa s. e don t te t. e s onl a p one person. o e mails and no te ts.” s s e repeats more t an once, s e is fiercel indepen dent. efore onald announced is candidac , said to him, ‘ You really need to think, because our family life will change.’ The three of us will change. I know what it takes, traveling and all that stuff. I told him if he really wanted to do that I would support him 1 0 0 percent. But I would also be a mom first, would e wit our son, would e ome. ur son needs parents, and I don’t want somebody other than me taking care of him. We made that decision. It’s a big decision to run , and a sel ess decision. o go into t at is er sel ess ecause of w at we re going t roug .” e de ects a uestion a out w et er s e d mo e to t e ite ouse s ould onald e elected t s tradition,” s e offers, “but we are not there yet, so for me it’s a little too early to talk a out it” ut, wit t is election, elania is keenl aware of what’s at stake for her family. What she’ll miss, it seems, are t e simple moments, like w en onald and arron return ome from a fat er son dinner. en t e come home, Barron tells me how it was, and all three of us will be together in the living room, watching TV and talking about it. It’s very cozy. The best is when we would go—not any more ut we d a e unforgetta le moments w en onald was driving and Barron would sit in front. I’d be in the back. nd t e t ree of us going somew ere wit no od around.” While Melania often declines to discuss her politics pu licl , it s clear s e and onald are united on t e talking points—none more so than on the topic of immigration. onald as called for an immediate deportation of appro i mately 1 1 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. H e has also proposed a ban on all Muslims entering t is countr . London ust elected its first uslim mayor, Sadiq K han, who I guess should visit N ew York soon if he’d like to see H amilton?) Melania came to the United States on w at s called an isa, w ic generall re uires a bachelor’s degree or higher. ( According to a 2 0 1 3 Bloomb erg account, due to some congressional tec nicalit , foreign orn fas ion models are almost twice as likel to recei e visas than computer programmers.) Melania rightfully points
to e awa from arron. elania tra eled to owa wit onald earlier t is ear. W here did y ou stay W ho did y ou talk to t was kind of a fun e perience,” s e sa s. e sta ed in a otel. t was clean. t was, t ink, a olida nn. ou do it in a fun wa . us and knows me and ow am. like eautiful stuff. li e t e life. t s funn w en we go and tra el. e don t a e fi e star otels t ere, ut ou go wit it. t was a great e perience in owa, ecause we went to an angelical c urc on unda . e c urc we got married in is er different. n owa t ere was a and, t ere was singing. t
“I DO HAVE SYMPATHY. I’M A VERY COMPASSIONATE PERSON. BUT DON’T SNEAK IN AND STAY HERE WITHOUT PAPERS. WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE LAW.”
S
10 3
was er different, ut it was a great e perience.” et er s e wanted an of t is, w o knows. tep anie inston olkoff was working at V ogu e w en s e met elania more t an a decade ago. e is now president and of er own consulting agenc , reati e, and t e two a e ecome close friends, a ing lunc toget er once a mont and e en tra eling to t e rumps ar a Lago estate in lorida. e calls to put er friend in conte t, sa ing, on t underestimate er ust ecause s e is uiet and reser ed. ere is irtue in t e fact t at s e appears to e uiet and isn t on t e front lines constantl sa ing, H ear me, see me. ut s e s er confident in er iewpoint. e does not agree wit e er t ing t at onald sa s or e er t ing t at s eing done, ut s e elie es in t e greater good. e are a power couple. e are eac ot er s teammate.” e adds e s out t ere. e as so muc going on. t isn t a out er et. e as alwa s said, w en ome a e taken elania s a sence on t e and if t e time comes, s e will step up. e s a wife and a campaign to mean t at s e s some ow mot er until t at da comes.” aloof, somet ing er friends dispute. efore lea e, elania offers me a tour of t e apart ere s no suc t ing as along for t e ment. e as to ead out soon erself, s e sa s am ride, ” sa s te e il ert, t e of picking up m son and taking im to t e dentist.” e re terling n estors Life nsurance and a staring out at t e massi e sk scrapers coming up along t longtime friend of t e rumps. e treet, and t en we turn to look at entral ark so lus recogni ed t is countr needs leaders ip.” and green t is time of ear. t s one of t e most co eted nd s e is not nostalgic for t e past. iews in t e world. t s eautiful,” s e sa s. ou kind of onald as isited lo enia e actl once get used to it, ut still ou know, especiall now, it s according to T he N ew Y orker a t ree eautiful.” nd wit t at, s e walks me to t e allwa , our dinner on t e wa ome from w ere a ecret er ice agent waits in a stairwell designed London. elania s parents, owe er, a e t eir own for t e elp. onald s ecret er ice name is reportedl apartment in rump ower and spend muc of t eir time in ogul.” at will ers e ew ork, w ic gi es elania peace of mind w en s e as don t t ink a out it,” s e sa s. take it da da .” ■
DUJOU R .COM
out t at s e came ere legall , ing ome to lo enia to a e er passport stamped w ene er re uired. e got er green card in and ecame a citi en fi e ears later. ut as s e ec oes er us and s proposed policies, wonder if s e as s mpat for someone w o, like er, wanted to come to t e nited tates for a etter life, ut couldn t get an isa or couldn t afford an immigration law er e law needs to e c anged to elp t ose kind of people,” s e sa s. ut t e can t ust sneak in and e ere. at s w at m sa ing. do a e s mpat . m a er compassionate person. ut don t sneak in and sta ere wit out papers. e need to follow t e law. f t e law needs to e different, we need to do t at.” e uslim an w ic onald ad re affirmed is support of t at er morning led ic ael loom erg to call im a demagogue. en mention t at t e comedian Louis . . at out compared rump to itler, elania stares lankl ack at me. o ou know w o Louis . . is, ask. o,” s e sa s, s aking er ead. ut s e continues e know t e trut . e s not itler. e wants to elp merica. e wants to unite people. e t ink e doesn t ut e does. en wit t e uslims, it s temporar .” e concedes a e e needs to sa it in a softer wa . e doesn t go after religions. e feels like we need to know w o s coming to t is countr . f not, we don t a e a countr . at s ow e feels. e see ow e is, and e wants to unite t e countr and ring people toget er and ring o s ack.” can t elp ut wonder w at kind of ate speec er supporters mig t unleas on me for asking a few pointed uestions. G Q reporter w o dug into er famil s past turning up t e e istence of a secret ear old alf rot er in er nati e lo enia w om er fat er as ne er acknowl edged was su ected to anti emitic t reats online. f t e G Q article, elania sa s a e t ick skin. t doesn t ot er me if t e write a out me ecause know w o am. ut w at rig t does t e reporter a e to go and dig in court in lo enia in a out m parents e re pri ate citi ens. f t e go after me, it s different. ut to do t at, it s a little it nast , it s a little it mean.” o if people put a swastika on m face once t is article comes out, will s e denounce t em don t control m fans,” elania sa s, ut don t agree wit w at t e re doing. understand w at ou mean, ut t ere are people out t ere w o ma e went too far. e pro oked t em.” don t want to gi e er ideas, ut onald knows good tele ision w en e sees it. not in ite elania s alf rot er on and a e a tear reunion special ne er met im,” s e sa s. e s ad is own life. wis im all t e est.”
The undulating, golden-hued dunes of Wahiba Sands in northeastern Oman can reach heights of 330 feet—roughly as tall as a 27-story building. Here, a local guide wears a traditional collarless white robe, known as a dishdasha.
DUJOU R .COM
O
10 5
IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST UNPREDICTABLE REGIONS, OMAN IS A STABLE, STUNNING DESTINATION WITH AN IDENTITY ALL ITS OWN WRITTEN BY LINDSAY SILBERMAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
DUJOU R .COM 10 6 The Nakhal Fort dates back several thousand years, but was restored in the 17th century. Curved archways, like the ones shown here, are typical of the Omani architectural aesthetic.
W
DUJOU R .COM
hen you tell people that you’ve just returned from the most luxurious, mind-blowing trip of your life, and that the exotic destination was not Mauritius or the Maldives, but Oman—a small Middle E astern country bordered by Yemen and Saudi Arabia, just a boat ride away from Iran— they will stare at you blankly, as if waiting for a punch line. Those who’ve been, however, know that Oman is one of the most peaceful, politically stable places in the world, despite its geographic coordinates. In fact, a recent World E conomic F orum report ranked Oman ninth out of 1 41 nations in terms of safety. ( The United States ranked 7 3 rd.) So, yes, it’s safe. But it is also astonishingly beautiful. The nort ern region alone ust an our ig t or four our dri e from Dubai—has beaches reminiscent of Ibiza, a desert that rivals the Sahara and mountains so startlingly barren, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to Mars. Wealthy Middle E asterners and well-heeled E uropeans have been holidaying in Oman for years—Prince H arry even visited in 2 0 1 4—but the country has remained largely under the radar with American travelers. There is perhaps no greater initiation into Omani culture than arriving, like I did, on the eve of N ational Day, a 48-hour-long extravaganza filled with fireworks and camel races and parades, celebrating the country’s national
10 7
Top: At neighborhood tea shops, regulars drive up to the storefront and honk. Moments later, the owner will emerge carrying a hot cup of the customer’s preferred brew. Above: Graffiti celebrating Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Police closed off the highway to protect the artists as they painted. Left: Each Friday morning in the ancient city of Nizwa local farmers host a live goat auction.
identity and independence. It seemed the entire city had been wallpapered with images of the country’s leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, a regal, handsome man of 7 5 with mocha skin and kind eyes, whose birthday coincides with the national holiday. There he was, painted onto the facade of office buildings, fluttering in flag form outside of homes, decals of his likeness wrapped around nearly every vehicle in sight. Out of context—or at least to a cynical, uninformed Westerner—it might be interpreted as cultish propaganda. But the citizens’ overwhelming devotion to the sultan is simply their way of thanking him: Qaboos, who came to power in 1 9 7 0 after orchestrating a coup
10 8
DUJOU R .COM
IF DUBAI IS THE LAS VEGAS OF THE MIDDLE EAST, OMAN MIGHT AS WELL BE THE AMISH COUNTRY. against his father, is credited with wholly revitalizing the country. H e introduced a universal education system, encouraged a culture of religious tolerance and gender equality and did away with the merciless laws of his father’s generation. What was, in 1 9 7 0 , a primitive nation with just six miles of paved roads has since become a forward-thinking society with a flourishing economy under Qaboos’ leadership. Still, the sultan is intent on preserving the country’s traditions. You won’t see a single high-rise in Oman’s capital city of Muscat; instead, the skyline is dotted with palm trees and mosque minarets, as policies forbid structures from standing higher than the local place of worship. If Dubai is the Las V egas of the Middle E ast, Oman might as well be the Amish Country. The city is virtually spotless—not a single stray soda can or sticky piece of chewing gum is visible, and it appears as though everyone in town has just come from the car wash. Which is because they probably have: Driving a dirty car here is considered illegal, and violators are su ect to a fine. Just 2 0 minutes from Muscat International Airport is The edi, w ere ad ooked a room for t e first few da s of my trip. It’s the kind of hotel that should come with a warning label—which is to say, once you experience The Chedi, anywhere you stay after will feel like a disappointment. Stroll through the property and you’ll notice crouching hotel staffers dispersed throughout the vast, verdant grounds with scissors in hand. “It looks more natural this way! ” one of the gardeners says, cheerfully snipping away. That same painstaking attention to detail can be found in the restaurant, too, where every nuance of the morning breakfast spread has been carefully considered: Platters of sliced cucumbers are delicately sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds and garnished with fresh mint. There are
DUJOU R .COM 10 9 The Bimmah Sinkhole, a naturally occurring limestone bowl, has turned into something of a tourist attraction.
“IT’S JUST THAT IN OMAN, THINGS YOU DON’T EXPECT TO HAPPEN, HAPPEN.”
110
DUJOU R .COM
Above: The mountaintop resort Alila Jabal Akhdar has an infinity pool that disappears into the horizon. Right: Morning mist at The Chedi Muscat, one of Oman’s many five-star hotels.
heaping piles of lox, baskets of piping-hot pita bread and handmade macarons for miles. Many guests spend days without ever leaving the premises. But those keen on an immersive experience can enlist an outfitter, like alifornia ased ountain ra el o ek, to andle logistics. e curated m itinerar wit t e elp of a ara ours, a local operator. ountain ra el Sobek is just one of several U.S. agencies that have recently launc ed programs in man. e destination, t e sa , is ideal for adventure-seeking jet-setters who want an off-thebeaten-path experience that still feels luxurious. H igh-end hotel brands are also placing their bets on Oman as the ne t ig t ing for af uent tra elers umeira will un eil a beachfront development in 2 0 1 7 , K empinski Muscat is set to open this year and Anantara has two properties nearing completion. e otels will oin an alread impressi e portfolio of fi e stars in t e area, including it arlton, Six Senses and Shangri-La. e lu ur aspects of man are w at get people in t e door,” sa s ustin uff, a tra el specialist at ountain ra el o ek. ut w en t e come ack t at s t e last t ing t e mention. e ll talk a out t e aut enticit , t e acceptance and the hospitality of the locals; how laid back it felt, and how underdeveloped it is in terms of massi e tourism. ic is not to sa it s an unde eloped countr . t s ust t at in man, t ings ou don t e pect to happen, happen.”
DUJOU R .COM 111
I
meet N aheed, my guide from Z ahara Tours, in the hotel lobby the next morning. H e’s dressed in a dishdasha—the traditional white robe that dates back thousands of years—but is quick to selfidentify as a “modern Omani,” part of the educated, technologically minded generation born after Qaboos took power. When we arrive at Muscat’s Grand Mosque, a woman stationed at the visitor’s desk notices me fumbling with the scarf I’ve packed to cover my head, and rushes to my side. I assume this is a well-honed sales tactic where tourists get swindled into renting an overpriced head covering—but it’s actually quite the opposite. “Sit down, baby. Let me show you,” she says, folding my scarf in half and wrapping it snugl around m face. ome find me after your tour! I’d love to treat you to coffee and dates.” An expat hotel manager will later describe Oman as “not yet slick” when it comes to tourism, and he’s right. My scarf-tying ineptitude might have presented the perfect sales opportunity for a savvier destination. But from what I gather, gracious hospitality is ingrained in the Omani culture; hustling visitors is not. We’re on the road before sunrise the next morning, headed south toward the desert. The scenic drive from Muscat to Wahiba Sands should be two and a half hours, but we take our time, stopping along the way to explore ancient forts, unspoiled illages and undulating creeks wit fis t at
nibble at your toes. We pull off the highway to see the imma ink ole, a gargantuan ollow filled wit emerald water that looks like something out of a movie. The site is considered a must-see “tourist attraction,” and yet, there’s only one tourist: a pudgy F renchman splashing around in a pink Speedo. N earing the desert, we stop at a gas station to let the air out of the tires, which is apparently a prerequisite for navigating Wahiba’s golden dunes. Unbeknownst to me, N aheed has arranged for us to have lunch with a Bedouin family. We’re invited into their thatched-roof tent for a meal of chicken and rice. N aheed eats with his hands, so I do the same. It is blissfully silent. After two nights in the city and two nights in the desert, we head to the mountains. Our trip will culminate at Alila Jabal Akhdar, a boutique resort that sits 6 ,5 0 0 feet above sea level and overlooks a sprawling gorge. Getting there requires a rigorous trek up the Al H ajar mountain range, during which I’m told to keep an eye out for dust clouds in the distance. ( N aheed will later explain this is mountain methodology for avoiding an oncoming vehicle.) There are moments when the jagged, unpaved roads ( tons of boulders, zero guard rails) become so treacherous that the prospect of toppling into a ravine below doesn’t feel far-fetched. But when you arrive at Alila, suddenly the hours of whiteknuckling seem like a small price to pay. The secluded, 86 -room hotel—constructed almost entirely of local
Most homes stick to a uniform, white-washed color palette.
DUJOU R .COM 112
Clockwise from left: The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat; an intricate chandelier inside the mosque’s male prayer room weighs a startling 8.5 tons; the Alila Jabal Akhdar hotel is barely discernible amongst its rocky surroundings.
stone is camou aged into t e surrounding landscape and as t e calming energ of a rustic mountain lodge. ost guests come for se eral da s to completel disconnect, and t at s easil accomplis ed ere e i i is spott , t e food is di ine and t e sunsets are ot erworldl . e spend our final da tra ersing ack down t e mountain, past crum ling cla omes and illages t at seem fro en in time. e stop e er few miles to s oo a erd of unrul goats occup ing t e dirt road. fter w at seems like a lifetime, we reac le el ground and t e first signs of modern life egin to materiali e a ig wa , a small tea s op and, of course, a car was . idn t ou sa t at ou wanted to see t e inside of a ome ” a eed asks. ad, se eral da s ago, rie e pressed m curiosit . e d spent a week ogling t e immaculate, w itewas ed ouses t at t pif mani arc itecture, and couldn t elp ut wonder w at life looked like e ind closed doors. t ink m cousin s son as ed li es in t is area. will call and ask if we can a e a
tour,” sa s a eed, w o tells me e asn t spoken to t e aforementioned relati e in ears. ile t e idea of s owing up to someone s ome unannounced and unin ited sounds slig tl mortif ing, a eed insists. mani ospitalit ,” e reminds me. went minutes later, am settled into as ed s maj lis ra ic for sitting room” , cradling is new orn a and snacking on s rup dates, w ic were grown on t e famil s date palm gro e appro i matel ards to m rig t. e maj lis doesn t a e a single piece of furniture, ut t ere is a at screen tele ision mounted to t e wall pla ing S pongeBob S q u areP ants wit ra ic su titles. as ed asks to take a p oto of me olding is c ild. merican tourists are a no elt ere, e e plains, and man of is friends will e en ious t at e d osted someone from merica for coffee and dates. e sends me ome wit a eft stas of t em, fres from t e gro e. e eral da s later, w en m ack ome in ew ork, slice open t e stick plastic ag and pop one into m mout . t s e en sweeter t an remem ered. ■
DUJOU R .COM 1 14
Taktsang Palphug Monastery, a temple and sacred Himalayan Buddhist site, sits cliffside in Bhutan’s breathtaking Upper Paro Valley.
SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
115
WRITTEN BY HEIDI MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHED BY IAN ALLEN
DUJOU R .COM
FROM THE GROUND UP— WAY, WAY UP— BHUTAN IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX, COMPELLING PLACES ON EARTH. SO WHY HASN’T ANYONE FIGURED THAT OUT?
. 1 16
B
t e second our of iking up to iger s est utan s most p otograp ed pilgrimage site a person egins to make sense of udd ism. e e perience is meditati e. our t ig s are searing. ou can t get enoug o gen into our lungs. our mind clears. e onl t oug t is ut. ne foot. n front. f t e ot er. ost clim ers spend a full two ours counting t e steps to t e top a out , , according to m i one s ealt as oard , and all w o make it past t e cafe sneakil placed at t e end of t e eas ” part of t e ourne are rewarded wit t at iconic iew seen on e er tra el maga ine co er since former king igme ing e angc uk, affectionatel known as , opened is empire to tourism in . nd t at s onl t e alf of it e ike down is muc arder. n fact, all of utan is muc arder. ad ooked m eig t da ourne t roug oston s udle ra el, w ic , along wit t e e ceedingl wise guides at t e countr s
handful of Amankora resorts, had orchestrated transfers etween four of t e fi e lodges tucked deep wit in astl different glacial alle s, as well as t e usual mind lowing man acti ities a pri ate pra er ag printing class, a traditional ot stone at in a potato field and some rat er unusual, personali ed ones cocktails wit a proper princess, lunc in an aut entic farm ouse . n paper, t e trip seemed straig tforward and uite managea le. ut in utan, d learn, not ing is trul as it appears. a e s ould a e read t e fine print t at all fi e mankoras are e uipped wit o gen c am ers and t at tra elers not in good ealt s ould skip t e arduous ike up to t e iger s est, t e unofficial name of t e t centur aktsang alp ug onaster , w ere t e great uru inpoc e supposedl arri ed ing cat to meditate for t ree ears, t ree mont s, t ree da s and t ree ours. r ma e it s est t at didn t know w at was getting into as tossed m running s oes and a few pas minas into m imowa ard case. lind disco er is alf t e ad enture, rig t onet eless, t e difficult of doing” utan s ould a e ecome apparent from t at initial descent. easoned iers will tell ou t at t e landing at aro irport is one of t e most frig tening in t e world. spen and t. art s e mean ou. oug aro is not t e capital, it enefits from tourism dollars since it la s claim to one of onl two
THE COUNTRY’S HIDDEN MEANING WOULD TAKE WEEKS, IF NOT MONTHS, TO FULLY PERMEATE MY CONSCIOUSNESS.
From left: The view from Dochula Pass; outside the Gangteng Monastery in Bhutan’s Wangdue Phodrang District. Opposite page: A colorful interlude along a mountain pass on the drive from Gangtey to Punakha.
DUJOU R .COM 118
HIDDEN TRUTHS AND LAYERED INTENTIONS ARE THE POINT OF BHUTAN. YOU’RE MEANT TO PEEL THEM LIKE AN ONION.
R
ather than granting me an early indication that Bhutan might be extreme travel—that I should give up the fantasy that the Switzerland-sized country would be an “easier” N epal, all snowcapped peaks and hippie Internet cafes, or that its 7 0 0 ,0 0 0 inhabitants occupied a more welcoming environment than high-desert Ladakh, India, where scarves to block the sand devils were essential accessories—the hard landing gave me a palpable thrill. N o one I knew had ever traveled to Bhutan, and it had been on my wis list since got m first grown up passport in college. at tig t descent signified ad arri ed somew ere significant, a place w ere a king peacefull a dicated to is young son ( K 5 ) in 2 0 0 6 , who quickly held democratic elections, where health care and education were free to e er one. ut like t e tangles of ags t at elegantl swa in the wind at the top of every mountain pass, sending their secret prayers into the heavens and beyond, the country’s
119
valleys wide enough—only just—to allow the wingspan to eke its way around a bend and, b oom! , into a ravine that sits more than 7 ,0 0 0 feet above sea level. As we banked along the pine-strewn hills that jutted up against the runway, I could have plucked a bough had my window been open.
DUJOU R .COM
Above: Taking a break for a picnic on the road to Gangtey in the Punakha Valley. Opposite page, from left: The winding walkway up to Tiger’s Nest; the well-decorated entrance to the Taktsang Dzong.
hidden meaning would take weeks, if not months, to fully permeate my consciousness. ew isitors, tourism officials will tell ou, make t e trek to Bhutan. Some 1 3 3 ,0 0 0 international and regional travelers made the journey in 2 0 1 4 ( only 2 7 ,0 0 0 were American) , up from , in . e official goal is to ring t at num er to 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 by 2 0 2 0 , with hotels like Le Mé ridien, Six Senses and even midmarket Accor set to open locations this year and next. The switchbacks are getting paved and recut, courtesy of Indian dollars, and smooth transfers between valleys might even be possible by 2 0 1 8. A new helicopter charter is about to launch, and not one but two airlines now offer internal ( to Bumthang) and external ( to India) service. Backpackers will still have a hard time thumbing it across valleys—by law, all trips must be pre-booked and pre-paid—but the myth that Bhutan is available only to the uber-wealthy is reluctantly being dispelled. Though the kingdom does require a $ 2 5 0 per person, per day “tariff,” that fee has been, shall we say, intentionally misconstrued to denote it lies on top of your daily spend. N ot true: F or just $ 2 5 0 you get a minimum three-star hotel, of which there are many lovely ones; your own licensed guide; a private car and driver including petrol; and all your meals and park entries. ( Just $ 6 5 of it goes directly to the government.) N ot quite India-cheap, but accessible to most. Still, the genius marketing misconception of the “tariff” has kept the riffraff at bay and allowed Amanresorts, the dominant hotel group in the country, to control the experience on the ground. Which is to say, getting to Bhutan before everything sparkly and new and—gasp! — mass comes online in 2 0 1 8 might be comparable to the difference between visiting Cuba before Obama eases travel sanctions and after. Refreshing for a quick night in the capital of Thimphu, I begin my early-morning, seven-hour journey to Gangtey, in the Phobjikba glacial valley, thick with ghostly birch, juniper and spruce and, in the near distance, the wail of the endangered black-necked cranes who migrate here from Tibet in the winter. The unpaved road hairpins up 1 2 ,0 0 0 feet to a viewpoint of dozens of white stupa whose backdrop is the dramatic H imalayas, silver with snow as I had imagined. A man is busy at work burning mounds of detac ed pra er ags t at a e long since lost t eir luster to burn them is to pay homage to the dead. I desperately eat the ginger chews my traditionally dressed guide ( it’s also the law) has thoughtfully planted in my car kit—sunblock, lip balm, water, wipes included—to stave off the motion sickness. The only straight road in Bhutan, the joke goes, is the runway at Paro. Most visitors prefer Gangtey of all the Amankora lodges, and its eight rooms are hard to hyperbolize. Sleek yet simple, created from poured concrete and teak, the main building stands sentry over the cranes and the U-shaped misty valley below, with the mythical 1 7 th-century Gangtey Goemba to the west. To hike there, you pass roadside yaks and enter an enchanted forest of old-growth rhododendron draped in spider webs of Spanish moss, then slope up toward the hilltop monastery. Inside its stucco walls are padlocked doors only mystics and kings can enter; rumor has it a Yeti carcass is secreted behind one, along with armor and other ancient finds from a t centur treasure unter. er surface is painted in antric udd ist imager t at defies explanation: a Garuda, evil spirits with multiple heads, yak-butter candles dedicated to Buddha, an endless array of phalluses. I’m mesmerized. I spend hours at the dz ong,
DUJOU R .COM 120
Clockwise from above: Drinks and singing by the fire at the Potato House before dinner; food prepared by a farmer for American visitors; a hot stone bath at Amankora Gangtey. Opposite page: The Puna Tsang Chu river as seen from Punakha.
trying to sort out the story line on the walls. An endless hot stone bath in an outdoor barn—boulders carried on tongs by an octogenarian woman, her youthful partner sipping tea on a log—helps it all sink in, quite literally, as the sun sets beyond the valley walls. Was I in the midst of the spiritual transformation I’d anticipated? We moved fast but we moved slowly. In another day, we’d be headed to the Mad Monk’s temple on our way to Punakha, the ancient capital and former summer retreat of the royal family. F rom the road, you must cross a hanging bridge that surely inspired a scene from I ndiana J ones, its planks swaying precariously above the Mo Chhu river. The rooms at all of t e fi e mankora properties are nearl identical, so figuring out ow to lig t our b u khari stove or where the American outlets are positioned is easy despite so much moving between lodges. Bhutan becomes familiar and indecipherably other at the same time. Time passes at its own unworldly pace. In Punakha, I drop my bags, then explore a guava-tree orchard ripe with fruit, and pick up dribbles of WiF i on a lounge chair fronting the languid river. I apply layers of that sunblock from my car kit. We may be around 1 0 ,0 0 0 feet up, but Punakha is somehow subtropical, and temperatures hit nearly 7 0 at peak sun. When it cools off, my guide, Max, and I hike through the tapestry of rice paddies that cut into the illside up to t e old temple iligang and t e fortified Punakha Dzong. I’m wearing my sneakers as we run down, whisking past farm boys and their oxen, townspeople selling small baskets of tomatillos and young farmers weighing rice into fa ric sacks. final stop at t e weekl market to u spices and pra er ags to carr stateside ends t e da . round t e lig t of a fire on t e stone terrace, we dance wit
DUJOU R .COM
121
122 DUJOU R .COM
a local troupe and devour bowls of Bhutanese stews, reputed to be some of the worst cuisine in the world ( though the chef imported from Amangani does his best) , made with meat killed in other countries, since the slaying of animals in the kingdom is outlawed by Bhutan’s Buddhist tenets. Yet another of Bhutan’s many contradictions, its binary allure.
T
123
From top: Amankora Thimpu; a bedroom at Amankora Punakha. Opposite page: A scenic view from Amankora Gangtey.
DUJOU R .COM
A mankora hotels f rom $ 1 ,5 0 0 per night, per person, all- inclu siv e. F lights f rom Bangkok on D ru k A ir f rom $ 1 ,0 0 0 .
e final c apter of utan is alwa s aro and the hike up to Tiger’s N est. Saving it for last makes absolute sense. This allows you to retrace your mental steps and congeal your thoughts, recalling all those ineffable moments that elude your memory and your journal: Shooting crossbows with Olympic champions at some roadside park. icnicking at t e con uence of sapp ire blue rivers. Awaiting the explosive burn of peppers with yak cheese in a farm woman’s kitchen to dissipate. Turning the prayer wheels at the dz ongs and hoping those kind thoughts of relatives made their way back home on the H imalayan breeze. H aving been blessed by a monk with a red string in impu on m first da and a prostrate disciple on t e last, I obsessively touch the necklace still hung around my neck and wonder where I’ll burn it, as suggested, or if I’ll allow it to fall off on its own and grant my deepest desires. I take off my shoes and walk the temple ramparts at the top. A stuffed tiger teeters on a ledge, a reminder of the Guru Rinpoche’s original conduit. They say that tigers did once roam here, up where a mystical palace clings to a vertigi nous cliff. But most people I met in my week’s stay hinted that what you hear in Bhutan is not always the true mes sage—that K 4’s idea of tallying Gross N ational H appiness instead of ross ational roduct was a sill aside, a kind of inside joke that has become the country’s most famed marketing campaign; or that the $ 2 5 0 per day required spend was intentionally called a “tariff” to throw off the backpack ers; or that preserving 6 0 percent of the country as a nature reserve was a means to keep pollution ( and India) out and a sustainable industry of hydropower in. The country was given its name by a British explorer who derived it from the lingua franca for “Land of the Thunder Dragon,” but I’m beginning to believe it more accurately translates to “double meaning.” Or, “F igure it out for yourself.” As my legs scream and my lungs ache, and I pass one, maybe three, other travelers on the trek to the country’s photogenic monastery, I decide that hidden truths and layered intentions are the point of Bhutan. You’re meant to peel them like an onion on your own, slowly, whether you packed the right clothing or the right attitude, read every negative review on Tripadvisor or willingly believed the transcendent praise in hotel guest books. Gross national happiness? H ard to uantif , e en in t e go ernment sanctioned sur e s. spiritual angri La ot uite, at least not w ile ou re still “doing” Bhutan and feeling the burn. It didn’t take me three years, three months, three days and t ree ours to figure t is all out. n t e final stretc of m final descent ack to t e trail ead of t e iger s est, m thoughts simplify and my goals for the near future crystal lize. Clarity is mine, and, I assume, everyone else’s hiking down the cliff. I touch my red necklace and decide to keep it intact until I arrive back home and Bhutan’s veiled truths are ultimately made plain. A trailside sign appears, speaking directl to me Life is a ourne . omplete it.” ■
DUJOU R .COM 124
The Virunga Mountains, pictured here on the border between Rwanda and Uganda, are made up of a number of active and dormant volcanoes, including Mount Muhabura, that are home to the endangered mountain gorilla.
RWANDA RISING THE EAST AFRICAN
COUNTRY EMERGES FROM TRAGEDY TO REINVENT ITSELF AS A DESTINATION FOR TRAVELERS SEEKING NATURE, CULTURE, HEART AND SOUL WRITTEN BY ALYSSA GIACOBBE PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL
DUJOU R .COM 125
DUJOU R .COM 126
RWANDA IS NOW AN EXCEPTIONALLY SAFE AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE AND VISIT.
Rwanda is about the size of Maryland and highly drivable.
I
n t e spring of , was in m final weeks of ig sc ool w en nearl a million people died in one of istor s most rutal genocides, da s of mac ete and gunfire attacks as friends and neig ors turned on one anot er in t e utu ma orit s efforts to eradicate t e utsi minorit . ile m friends and went to prom and graduation parties and ne er uestioned our good fortune, wandan atrick uta itera, also t at ear, was li ing as a refugee in t e emocratic epu lic of t e ongo t en aire wondering if e d e er return to wanda, if t ere would e a wanda to return to. uta itera recalls t ose ears as e wea es our militar green Land ruiser t roug t e streets of igali, t e wandan capital since . en e talks a out t e genocide, e does so reluctantl , alt oug as a professional tour guide for wanda ased rimate afaris e s ardl e er ad a group t at isn t curious w at life was like ack t en, ow a countr so s attered was a le to find reconcilia tion so uickl , ow e er one gets along now. is answers are diplomatic, careful and pro a l not all t at surpris ing deli ered somew at stoicall . er t e se en da s we spend wit im, e ne er once uses t e word genocide, instead referring to w at appened in ,” w ic itself sa s a lot a out ow t e countr , and its people, a e approac ed reco er .
wanda, toda , is a tig tl controlled countr of a out million people packed into a land area roug l t e si e of t e state of ar land. ome mig t sa t at peace ere as come at t e ands of dictators ip. t s illegal to talk a out et nicit t ere are no utus or utsis an more, onl wandans. ree speec is limited, particularl in t e press. e ert eless, wandans are friendl and welcoming, and no one contests t at t e countr , under t e leaders ip of president aul agame since , is now an e ceptionall safe, and e ceptionall eautiful, place to li e and isit. e igali capital is well lit, modern and clean also illegal plastic ags . e roads are good. ere is more mone , and opportunit , to go around gender e ualit as increased women old percent of seats in t e wandan parlia ment and t e econom as prospered from t ree ig trades coffee, tea and tourism. s one of onl t ree countries in t e world w ere ou can see t e endangered mountain gorilla t e ot ers are ganda and t e emocratic epu lic of ongo, and ou onl see t em in t e wild none sur i e in capti it wanda as alwa s ad somet ing uni ue to offer ad entur ous tra elers, t oug it ardl e er represented an one s first or onl destination in frica, wit t e most o ious c oices t e ones t at could offer ig game watc ing, like out frica, en a and im a we. ut since , agame, t roug t e wanda e elopment oard , as worked ard to earn wanda a place in tra elers itineraries as more t an a stopo er for gorillas, wit a focus
on high-value, low-environmental-impact tourism that capitalizes on the country’s many other attractions, such as beautiful landscapes, exotic birds and dozens of varieties of primates and other animals. It’s an effort bolstered by an in u of upscale lodging offerings and eas direct ig ts to K igali from a number of cities, including Amsterdam, Brussels and Istanbul, as well as Dubai, which has invested millions in Rwandan tourism projects. Meanwhile, 5 percent of the income generated by tourism goes directly into communities around the country, with larger portions going to t ose surrounding t e national parks, w ic enefit from an increase in employment opportunities as well. All hikes must be permitted and are led by trained guides. icus e eer, t e ast frica specialist at safari outfitter andBeyond, says the company’s client requests for Rwanda are up, and he’s more than happy to support what he
128
DUJOU R .COM
RWANDA HAS PROSPERED FROM THREE BIG TRADES: COFFEE, TEA AND TOURISM. describes as Rwanda’s efforts to build a tourism business based on “sustainable, feasible, meaningful impact, with care of wildlife, care of land and care of people.” One of the RDB’s biggest projects has been the rebuilding of Akagera N ational Park into the full safari destination it once was before the genocide left the animals vulnerable to poachers, who wiped the park clean. Last summer, under the direction of Africa Parks, andBeyond contributed from its Phinda ri ate ame eser e in out frica fi e of kagera s seven new lions. Rhinos are scheduled to arrive sometime this year. While Akagera may never compare to K enya’s Masaai Mara or South Africa’s K ruger N ational Park in terms of scale, its diverse variety of landscapes and animals—savannah plains, wetlands, rolling hills and growing numbers of hippos, giraffes, elephants, lions and zebra— means travelers no longer have to choose between the bush and the rainforest. Rwanda, now, has both. oug man otels and tour outfitters, including Primate Safaris, offer helicopter charters between our three primary destinations—V olcanoes N ational Park and the V irunga massif, home of the mountain gorilla, in the northwest; N yungwe F orest in the southwest; and Akagera in the northeast—Rwanda’s compact size means it’s drivable, and it’s a drive that’s worthwhile. Rwanda lives up to its nickname as the Land of a Thousand H ills, and much of the famously fertile land is cultivated, part of the government’s plan to move the country from subsistence to a commercial mode of production. This makes for a spectacularly scenic journey, hill after rolling emerald green hill of tea leaves, banana groves and coffee gardens. And people; lots of people. Rwandans get around mostly by foot, and a typical roadside view might include uniformed children walking between home and school, women in colorful headscarves selling woven baskets or barbecued goat brochettes, people of all ages pushing bicycles loaded with just about anything: stalks of bananas, bags of coffee or, on F riday afternoons especially, giant canisters of u rwagwa, or banana beer, a sort of Rwandan moonshine. About four hours from K igali, N yungwe F orest N ational ark our first stop is frica s largest mountain rainforest,
DUJOU R .COM 129
Perched high on a ridge 2,200 meters above sea level, Virunga Lodge offers views of twin lakes Bulera and Ruhondo as well as a number of peaks of the Virunga mountain chain.
13 0 DUJOU R .COM
DUJOU R .COM
and one of its oldest and most protected, home to 2 6 0 species of trees, over 1 0 0 species of orchids, more than 2 7 5 species of birds and 1 3 different kinds of primates—chimpanzees, blue monkeys and colobus monkeys, who will peer at you without shame from the trees outside your hotel window. The place to stay is the N yungwe F orest Lodge, a 2 2 -room property made up of sleek glass and wooden bungalows, set on a working tea plantation. Built by Dubai developers and now part of the South Africa– based N ewmark H otel collection, the lodge features impeccable design, dining that offers a refined take on local cuisine wandan food is simple but satisfying; there will be sweet potatoes and plantains on nearly every plate) and an extensive wine list featuring frican wines. till, t e focus is most definitel on what you’ll do outside the hotel. Days revolve around guided treks along well-maintained trails into the lush and green and impossibly enormous cloud forest to see chimpanzees, birds or waterfalls, ranging from an hour-long stroll across canopy bridges to a vigorous seven-hour climb through thick brush. The lodge also coordinates visits to the nearby tea factory, where you can watch the process of tea cultivation, from cutting, fermentation and drying to sorting, storing and packing. Breakfast is served on a veranda overlooking the tea fields, w ere workers spend t e mornings plucking leaves and tossing them, swiftly and gracefully, into straw baskets at their backs. e dri e from ungwe to u engeri, a former elgian colony at the foothills of the V irunga volcanoes—which span t e orders of wanda, ganda and t e is considerably longer, and not entirely paved. At the same time, it offers some of the week’s best landscapes and people watc ing, if reall understanding wanda is at least part of the point, and it should be. One of the more memorable pit stops along that particular drive was in Lake K ivu, where the steep, green terraced hills and colonial-era houses
13 1
GORILLAS ARE NO LONGER THE PRIMARY ATTRACTION, EVEN IF THEY REMAIN THE UNDISPUTED STARS.
Clockwise from top: Rwanda’s upscale hotel offerings include Virunga Lodge, the Nyungwe Forest Lodge, and Akagera National Park’s Ruzizi Tented Lodge. Right: One of Rwanda’s famous gorillas.
DUJOU R .COM 13 2
of one of the African Great Lakes overlook a particularly dizzying border post between Rwanda and the DRC, through which more than 1 0 ,0 0 0 people cross, on foot, every day. Ruhengeri serves as the base camp for those who come to Rwanda for gorilla trekking, though we stayed at V irunga Lodge, about a half hour ( and 2 ,3 0 0 -meter) drive up-mountain, above twin lakes Ruhondo and Bulera, with misty views of the V irunga volcanoes. The eco-chic lodge was renovated in 2 0 1 3 and runs on solar power and charm: rustic but comfortable bandas featuring private verandas, a personal butler who’ll arrive for your 4 a.m. wake-up call ( with plenty of strong coffee) , nightly performances by local dance troupes and communal dining in a c eer , fire lit main space that encourages even the most anti-social travelers to share their stories of the day. Gorillas may no longer be the primary attraction in Rwanda ( and one of Ruhengeri’s other highlights is the endangered golden monkey) , but they remain the undisputed stars of the show—as well as the stars of the tourist business here. The number of visitors to V olcanoes N ational Park exceeded 2 0 ,0 0 0 in 2 0 1 4, almost three times the number a decade earlier. F oreigners pay $ 7 5 0 per person per day for a permit ( Rwandans pay $ 40 ) and most of that fee goes towards conser ation efforts and fig ting against poac ing, which have together helped grow the worldwide gorilla population—which at one time was less than a few hundred—to close to 1 ,0 0 0 . F or this reason, keeping the gorillas healthy—and just socialized enough—is essential. The RDB is not greedy in its tourism, even if it could be, allowing only 80 visitors a day to trek through V olcanoes. In addition, visitors are limited to spending just one hour in the presence of a gorilla family. There are currently 1 0 families available to be visited by hikers, including the Susa family, made famous as the group studied by conservationist Dian F ossey, and each group will include at least one silverback, also known as the guy in charge. There are a few rules for everyone’s safety: Stay 2 3 feet from the gorillas if you can help it ( the gorillas don’t always abide) ; never touch them, even when the babies seem irresistibly huggable ( and they will) ; never look a silverback in the eye, which could be interpreted as an act of aggression. Don’t point—even gorillas think that’s rude. Guides travel with machetes ( mostly for clearing bush) and just-incase ri es, t oug all ike leaders are trained to recogni e agitation or other dangers, and can communicate with gorillas using a number of oral prompts that sound like grumbles ( “good morning,” “we’re friendly,” “keep your distance,” “we’ll be leaving now,” and so on) . Our group of six—four Americans and two Russians— trekked for about an hour to reach Pablo, our family’s namesake silverback, and his brood of 3 6 , which included two other silverbacks and a whole bunch of babies that moved around far too much to attempt to count. The hike— through thick forests of bamboo, nettles and vines—was challenging at times, but not exhausting, with no sign of gorillas until, suddenly, through a thicket and without much warning, an explosion of furry black masses: sitting, rolling, walking, running, swinging from branches, eating trees, posing, undeniably, for photos. They were at once imposing and very cute, familiar but also extraordinary, and completely secure with both their visitors and their place in the world. Luck for ou, t e e decided to let ou stop . ■ F or contact inf ormation and more recommendations on trav el to and arou nd R wanda, v isit du j ou r. com
DUJOU R .COM 13 3
Most of Rwanda’s fertile, hilly land is farmed, predominantly for tea (seen here), coffee, bananas, barley and beans.
13 4
DUJOU R .COM
Clockwise from right: de Pury in his London office; paperwork on Franz West chairs; Bart Simpson amongst bookshelves; close-up of “Sushi Sofa” by the Campana brothers; “Untitled (Coca-Cola pipe)” by Urs Fischer; de Pury’s workspace.
WRITTEN BY POLLY DUNBAR PHOTOGRAPHED BY BENJAMIN M CMAHON
DUJOU R .COM 13 5
THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS
ART-WORLD EMINENCE SIMON DE PURY EXERTS HIS WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE NOT FROM A GALLERY OR AUCTION HOUSE, BUT INSTEAD A WELL-APPOINTED OFFICE IN HIS OWN MAYFAIR HOME
DUJOU R .COM 13 6
I
’ve never been desk-bound,” says Simon de Pury, a faint grimace clouding his face at the notion. “I don’t have a routine. In this usiness, e i ilit is t e name of t e game.” It’s this ability to stay elastic that has kept the 6 5 -year-old, wiss orn de ur on top t roug out is e tensi e career in art, as a curator, a dealer and perhaps the world’s most celebrated auctioneer. roug out a fi e decade run, de ur w o s een called t e man wit t e golden ga el” as sold multimillion dollar works of art across the globe in four different languages, transforming unknown artists into superstars and beguiling those he meets with his impeccable, aristocratic mien. The room in which de Pury sits today, elegant in his signature navy blue doublebreasted suit, is the result of his most recent rein ention. capacious, lig t filled space, it ser es as de ur s office, ut is also part of is ome one of t e fi e oors of a quietly grand Georgian house located in t e eart of London s most e clusi e neighborhood, Mayfair. “It’s like a village; all the galleries and auction rooms are around here,” he says. “I like to be at the center of it all.” H e moved here three and a half years ago, not long after his departure in 2 0 1 2 from the auction house Phillips de Pury and Co., of which he was chairman and head auctioneer. N ow, he runs an advisory and curating consultancy, de Pury de Pury, with his wife, Michaela, a German-art specialist. They buy and sell art for collectors all over the world, including movie stars, musicians and, for good measure, a handful of billionaires. At an age when many successful men are retiring to the golf course to practice their swing, he
Simon de Pury has decorated his Mayfair office with works including a jar of seeds by Ai Weiwei (at left), a bird sculpture by Urs Fischer (above), a Takashi Murakami doll (opposite) and a German sculpture of a skull dating to the 17th century (opposite).
DUJOU R .COM 13 7
“I AM ALWAYS FAR MORE PREOCCUPIED WITH THE FUTURE THAN THE PAST.”
still works as hard as ever. “If you slow down,” he says with a smile, “it’s fatal.” is office re ects is tireless passion for modern art, furnis ed wit a sleek minimalist desk renc designer artin ekel , wo en c airs ran est and a multicolored sofa t e ampana rot ers from ra il. t is littered wit sculptures, including a doll apanese artist akas i urakami and an as tra t at could easil e mistaken for a commonplace repositor for cigarette utts, ut is actuall a piece terling u . ere s a simple rule t at de ur follows w en selecting artwork for is office t as to e somet ing e a solutel lo es. n most cases, it s done artists know and like t e great ad antage of modern art is t at t e artists are still ali e,” e sa s wit a laug . taste is er eclectic. elie e in ig and low putting t ings toget er ou wouldn t e pect to find toget er. t s more fun, less static.” It is here that he worked on his new book, T he A u ctioneer, an insider’s story of t e ig octane art world. e memoir is packed wit stories from de ur s own life and career, from is eginnings in wiss auction ouses t roug is time as c airman of ot e s urope to co founding is own auction ouse, w ic ecame t e formida le illips de ur and o. ile de ur claims not to e nostalgic actuall don t like to re ect ack and am alwa s far more preoccu pied wit t e future t an t e past,” e sa s e was inspired to write by T he G loriou s Ob session, the famous renc auctioneer aurice eims memoir, w ic e read as a oung man. e anecdotes of his life surrounded by art made me t ink, is is t e life was to lead,” he says. “I have been lessed wit a er stimulating life so far, and I always had the desire to one da make a lig t earted book of it all.” nd w ile writing T he A u ctioneer re uired sitting at a desk, most of de ur s e er da tasks allow him the freedom to roam. office is w ere er la m at,” e sa s. t could e en e m daug ter s pla room w en s e s at sc ool.” ndeed, t e rhythm of his and his wife’s day is dictated ear old iane elp ine e walk er to sc ool e er morning and egin work when we arrive home.” ome da s, e s putting toget er e i itions last ear, e staged one ussian artist rik ulato in London, and e curated a ario estino s owcase t is spring in u ai ot ers, planning an auction or unting down an almost impossi le to find work for a client. e tra els often, ut is surprised to find imself en o ing a ing a real ome for t e first time in man ears. etween m two marriages li ed in otels for ears laridge s in London, t e ercer and t e ierre in ew ork it was er con enient,” e sa s. considered m self to e a g ps , ut eing ere is etter. t is m ome and m workplace. om ining t e two feels er natural.” n fact, despite t e storied career e ind im, de ur notes t at is est da s mig t still e to come. don t t ink ou can e er get tired of art,” e sa s. still a e so man dreams.” ■
DUJOU R .COM 13 8
OPULENT ILLUSIONS
DUJOU R .COM 13 9
Above: H igh Jewelry watch in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and black lacquer, price upon request,
CARTIER, cartier. u s. Opposite page: My N ew York Companion clutch with hidden watch in 1 8-karat gold with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, price upon request, HARRY WINSTON, 2 1 2 - 3 9 9 - 1 0 0 0 .
IT ISN’T JUST YOUR EYES PLAYING TRICKS ON YOU. THESE DIZZYING ACCESSORIES ARE AS COVETABLE AS THEY ARE EXTRAVAGANT
DUJOU R .COM 14 1
Above: Lovivi S0 5 watch in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and jet, price upon request, DE GRISOGONO, degrisogono. com. Opposite page, from left: Z aliv cuff in 1 8-karat white gold with black diamonds, $ 1 3 ,5 0 0 , MISAHARA, misahara. com. E arrings in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and black spinels, $ 4,2 40 each, PASQUALE BRUNI, M ay ors J ewelers, 8 0 0 - 4 6 2 - 9 6 7 7 .
14 2 DUJOU R .COM
Above, from left: V elvet H aute Couture watch in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds, $ 9 5 ,0 0 0 , ROGER DUBUIS, 2 1 2 - 6 5 1 - 3 7 7 3 . Ying Yang ring in 1 8-karat white gold with white and black diamonds, $ 1 3 ,40 0 , MATTIOLI, Bergdorf G oodman, 8 0 0 - 5 5 8 - 1 8 5 5 . Opposite page: Ballet Pré cieuz collection Swan’s Dance ring in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and black spinels, price upon request, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, v ancleef arpels. com.
14 4 DUJOU R .COM
DUJOU R .COM 14 5
Above: Bubbles watch in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and onyx, price upon request, CHANEL FINE JEWELRY, 8 0 0 - 5 5 0 - 0 0 0 5 . Opposite: Bangle in ebony with 1 8-karat white gold and diamonds, price upon request, HEMMERLE, hemmerle. com.
DUJOU R .COM
ALL BACK GROUN D IMAGE S: GE TTY; ACCE SSORY IMAGE S COURTE SY
14 7
Above: Choker in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds and onyx, $ 6 6 ,0 0 0 , AS29, as2 9 . com. Opposite, from left: Pois Moi Double Row Square ring in 1 8-karat white gold with diamonds, $ 9 ,0 0 0 , ROBERTO COIN, neimanmarcu s. com. Big Bang Caviar Steel Diamonds watch, $ 1 5 ,3 0 0 , HUBLOT, hu b lot. com.
14 8 DUJOU R .COM
DEARLY BELOVED
FAMED PHOTOGRAPHERS INEZ AND VINOODH REMEMBER PRINCE
“H e was doing two nights of concerts at the H ard Rock in V egas, so V inoodh and I built a little studio in the kitchen of the green room. We watched the shows and photographed him between, and basically just spent 48 hours backstage with Prince. F or me personally, it was a dream, because I remem er so clearl w en first eard im on t e radio as a teenager growing up in Amsterdam. Around 1 9 7 8 there was a station called “Mouse” where all the cool new songs were being played. I remember Prince’s song coming on and thinking, Geez, who is that? F rom a very young age I was obsessed with his music. One of the things that struck me the most about him was ust ow decisi e e was. or t e first set of pictures we did, he came fully dressed in the costume that he was about to go onstage in, so we took fi e s ots of im and e said, Let me see.’ H e looked at the back of my camera and was like, elete, delete, delete. ere s our picture. nd in t e end he was right. Of that whole two-day shoot, that was the picture that ended up being the cover of V magazine. H e saw
14 9
I
n 2 0 1 3 , I nez and V inoodh— the cou ple whose iconic celeb rity portraits hav e made them stars in their own right— spent two day s with P rince. T hat shoot gav e them this nev er- b ef ore- seen image, and also some u nf orgettab le memories of the departed mu sical geniu s, which I nez shares b elow.
DUJOU R .COM
PHOTOGRAPHED BY INEZ VAN LAMSWEERDE AND VINOODH MATADIN
it right away and he always seemed to know exactly what he wanted. We came with a huge amount of clothes for the shoot, and we came back from our lunch break and discovered that he had gone through everything we brought and decided on the clothes he wanted to wear. H e had already styled the looks with a shirt underneath or a certain hat or pair of sunglasses— he was fully prepared for everything. We were impressed because he had such a small team; he had a manager and a od guard and is girlfriend, and t at was it. ere were so few other people around him, which is what we liked most about him—how approachable he was, and ready to meet new people and just talk and hang out. It truly felt like he was being himself, and yet he was exactly like you would see him in videos. H e was cheeky and sexy and really smart and ready to play—you always got that feeling from his music. I remember him sitting next to me on the couch and taking off his boots to try on another pair t at were made for im onatella ersace, and ou know those boots are kind of his signature iconic look—the boot with the high heel. So I just remember thinking, Oh, my God, I’m sitting here on the couch next to Prince taking his oots off. o me, t e most ama ing part of our o is t at we have a chance to meet so many of our heroes, and we have these short but very intense bits of time with them to take the most iconic photograph we can. I will always feel extremely lucky that we had that moment with him.” —AS TOLD TO FRANCES DODDS
15 0
DUJOU R .COM
THE ALOHA PROJECT
FOUR YEARS AFTER ORACLE CO-FOUNDER LARRY ELLISON BOUGHT 98 PERCENT OF LANAI FOR A REPORTED $300 MILLION, THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS. BUT WHAT, EXACTLY, IS IT SELLING? WRITTEN BY ALYSSA GIACOBBE PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHRISTOPHER CHURCHILL
Most of Lanai’s 3,100 residents are concentrated in Lanai City, a former Dole pineapple plantation town. Opposite page: A view from Ellison’s multi-milliondollar renovation of the Four Seasons Resort Lanai.
DUJOU R .COM
15 1
DUJOU R .COM 15 2
T
he veranda of the F our Seasons Resort Lanai overlooks the obscenely picturesque H ulopoe Bay, a crescentshaped, palm tree and bougainvillealined white sand marine preserve on the south side of the island of Lanai. Spinner dolphins and humpback whales splash around in the distance, and if your sunglasses are too dirty to see them clearly, one of the hotel’s well-trained staffers will be by shortly to pluck t em from our nose, uffing smudges with one hand while refreshing your iced K ona coffee with the other. A few months in, the resort, which recently unveiled a lobby-toroof renovation—a reported $ 7 5 million revamp that includes H awaiian and Polynesian art and antiques scattered throughout the property; fully, creepily automated Toto toilets in the guest rooms; and outposts of Jimmy Choo, N obu and H elene H enderson’s Malibu F arm—is already being hailed as “H awaii’s, if not the world’s, best new hotel resort,” a place where room rates can
reach $ 2 1 ,0 0 0 a night and good days are all but guaranteed. But it wasn’t that long ago that the bad days on Lanai appeared to outnumber the good. The island—the smallest of all the publicly accessible H awaiian islands, with around 3 ,0 0 0 full-time residents living in the colorful bungalows of a town so uaint it as not a single traffic lig t as een privately owned since nearly a century ago, when James Drummond Dole paid $ 1 .1 million to purchase most of the land, on which he eventually built a pineapple empire. By the mid-1 9 80 s, Lanai had become part of the personal portfolio of California billionaire David Murdock, who’d bought the company that had acquired Dole. After the last of the pineapples were picked, in 1 9 9 2 —the island was fertile, but no match for overseas growers who had begun to produce the fruit faster and cheaper—Murdock envisioned Lanai’s future as one rooted in tourism. With views like these, the idea made sense. The only problem: It didn’t work. Or, at least, Murdock couldn’t make it work. In the early 1 9 9 0 s, he began construction on two luxury resorts, one by the ocean and the other a few miles away, in Lanai City, and eventually contracted the F our Seasons to run both. The two hotels—now known as the F our Seasons Resort Lanai and the Lodge at K oele—attracted some guests, but not nearly enough
MURDOCK : SLIM AARON S/ GE TTY IMAGE S; E LLISON : GE TTY IMAGE S
15 3
“IT IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE LABORATORY FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESSES OF SMALL SCALE.”
DUJOU R .COM
to pay for their own upkeep ( or compete with upscale offerings elsewhere in H awaii) . By 2 0 1 2 , Murdock—a “curmudgeon, and a penny-pinching one at that,” in the words of one islander—had taken out multiple mortgages on the island, laid off a number of employees and stopped making necessary repairs to the houses and buildings in and around Lanai City, including closing down the popular community pool. esperate to find a wa to make t e island profita le, or not quite such a money pit, Murdock began to explore the potential of building a wind farm that could produce electricity they could then sell to Oahu. One plan had some 2 0 0 windmills covering nearly a quarter of the island. The opposition to the project that became known as “Big Wind” was strong and vocal and extremely divisive. Two-hundred windmills was a lot, but many islanders saw the scheme as their only way out of an increasingly dire situation. “As my wife put it at the time, the despair was palpable,” says Robin K aye, a retired management consultant who’s lived on and off on Lanai since the 1 9 7 0 s, and settled here with his wife in 2 0 0 5 . “Big Wind so decimated the fabric of the community. It pitted everybody against each other,” he explains. “F riends weren’t talking. F amilies refused to allow the word windmills in their houses because brothers, sisters, moms and dads disagreed. It was a really intimidating, dreadful time.” So when residents learned that Murdock had jumped ship, so to speak, the mood was one of what K aye describes as “cautious optimism.” In June of 2 0 1 2 , then-governor N eil Abercrombie announced the sale of Lanai—or a full 9 8 percent of it, the remaining two percent being government and homeowner property—from Murdock to another California billionaire: Oracle co-founder Larry E llison, the Silicon V alley eccentric who provided the inspiration for Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in I ron M an. Abercrombie described E llison as a man with “a longstanding interest in Lanai” and a “passion for nature, particularly the ocean.” The purchase price: a reported $ 3 0 0 million, w ic seems like a lot until ou find out ust ow tin a fraction of E llison’s estimated $ 49 billion net worth it actually represents. But what exactly E llison intended to do with Lanai wouldn’t become clear for some time—not until October of that year, when, during a CN BC interview with Maria Bartiromo, he described Lanai as a “very interesting project” and announced plans to transform the 9 0 ,0 0 0 -acre island into a fully green community: electric cars, organic farms watered by drip irrigation, solar power. “It is going to be a little, if you will, laboratory for sustainability in businesses of small scale,” he told Bartiromo. The island wasn’t producing an t ing aside from fis or t e occasional hunted deer, most of what its residents ate or used ad to e own or shipped in. Under E llison, farms would provide enough produce to both feed the island and export for income. A proposed desalination plant would turn saltwater into fresh and reduce the need for imported water, which had become expensive. The threat of Big Wind, meanwhile, appeared to be over; E llison made no mention of windmills. Sounded pretty great. What could go wrong?
This page, from top: California billionaire David Murdock relaxes at his plantation on Lanai in 1989; Larry Ellison, the island’s current owner, giving a speech. Opposite page: The road to the Four Seasons Resort Lanai is lined with Cook Island pines, which resemble the hotel chain’s logo—coincidentally, really.
15 4
THE THOUGHT OF BEING PART OF SOME GRAND SILICON VALLEY EXPERIMENT UNNERVED MANY RESIDENTS OF LANAI.
Below: Four Seasons guests enjoy the hotel’s semi-private Hulopoe Bay beach (all beaches in Hawaii are, by law, public). Right: Blue Ginger Café, a Lanai City institution popular with locals and, historically, tourists alike.
DUJOU R .COM 15 5
T
oronto entrepreneur Chris K rolow, CE O and founder of island brokerage firm ri ate slands, nc., and t e ost of H GTV ’s I sland H u nters, says that w ile t e pri ate island industr is t ri ing,” it s a certain t pe of person w o seeks out w at is almost alwa s t e assle and an e pensi e one of owning an island. impl put, e sa s, most people w o u pri ate islands are looking for a pro ect.” e t oug t of eing part of some grand ilicon alle e periment unner ed man residents of Lanai. e weren t looking for anot er feudal lord,” as one resident descri ed urdock, and et ere efore t em was a man w ose arrogance was so famous it inspired a biography titled T he D if f erence Between G od and L arry E llison: G od D oesn’ t T hink H e’ s L arry E llison. ew o li e ere a e alwa s t oug t of t is as our island, ” a e sa s. don t feel like don t elong or know an one w o feels like t e don t elong. ut w en e spoke of Lanai as a la orator , t at word as ecome kind of anat ema to man people. t as suc negati e connotations. e re not a la it s a communit . e li e ere.” co intentions or not, a solutel no one was surprised t at llison s plan for Lanai would include a pus for tourism. is is awaii, after all, and up till now, Lanai s w ite sand eac es ad spent most of t eir time deserted. etween t e two lu ur otels esta lis ed under urdock and t e room otel Lanai a classic awaiian lodge uilt ole in t at ser ed as t e island s onl afforda le”
15 6
DUJOU R .COM
Above: Most of Lanai’s nearly 141 square miles are undeveloped— and locals hope it’ll stay that way. Opposite page: The Four Seasons Resort Lanai strives to deliver a private-island feel.
by Dole in 1 9 2 3 that served as the island’s only “affordable” option—the place accommodated fewer than 7 0 0 tourists at any given time. And that’s if the hotels were at capacity, which they never were. Which was a puzzle, since the island’s varied microclimates and network of unpaved roads meant it truly offered something for everyone. Sandy K eel, a Jacksonville, F lorida, travel agent who sends 80 percent of her clientele to H awaii each year, says Lanai has always been a sort of “best kept secret” among well-traveled “golfers, naturalists and honeymooners” who want to “get away from the fast-paced islands.” The trick has been getting people to consider Lanai as a destination rather than a side trip: The majority of tourists, according to K eel, have simply taken the 45 -minute boat ride from Maui and returned to Maui the same day. “Most clients don’t want to be quite that isolated,” she says. “They want more of a mix, with nightlife options.” But just because Murdock couldn’t make Lanai a destination on par with Maui or K auai didn’t mean it couldn’t, or shouldn’t, be done. And, well, something needed to pay for all the sustainability. “F rom a physical point of view, Lanai is a place of amazing contrasts,” says Tom Roelens, who, as the general manager of both F our Seasons hotels, has lived and worked on Lanai since 2 0 0 8. “Just 2 0 minutes away from our beach, you’ve got desert-like moonscapes, tropical gardens, rocky pine forests. It’s raw, it’s beautiful and it’s got great people— an amazing sense of aloha. I can say after all these years I’m still behaving like a first time isitor taking pictures every day.” N ew Yorkers Jessie and Miles Wixon traveled to Lanai in March with their 6 - and 8-year-old daughters, only coincidentally timed to the reopening of the F our Seasons Resort Lanai. It was t eir eig t trip to awaii, ut t eir first to Lanai. “We’d heard lots of things about what Larry E llison was doing to
BY MOST ACCOUNTS, ELLISON’S APPROACH HAS BEEN THOUGHTFUL, BUT NOT EVERYTHING HAS RUN SO SMOOTHLY.
keep the natural allure and local culture alive without crowding,” says Jessie, who as a photographer was also drawn to the variety of landscapes Lanai offered. “I can’t imagine living there, but it was the perfect place to visit as a family. Being on a deserted beach with not one person—it’s hard to beat.” By most accounts, E llison’s approach to developing Lanai has indeed been thoughtful and moderate, a concerted effort to retain at least most of what Roelens calls Lanai’s “amazing sense of aloha” while imparting real change. E llison set up Pulama Lanai, a management company to oversee day-to-day operations, and hired as COO Lanai-born hotel veteran K urt Matsumoto. Under Matsumoto, the company set out to clean up the town, rebuilding the community pool and giving the movie theater a $ 4 million face-lift. The cat shelter, home to some 40 0 —that’s right, 40 0 —homeless cats, got an expansion. Plans for the desalination plant to extract fresh water from salt water and an industrial park were set in motion. But not everything has run so smoothly. The company put the plans for the desalination plant on hold after the town planning commission granted the project a 1 5 -year permit instead of the 3 0 it had requested, leaving many residents frustrated. Last June, both F our Seasons hotels were shut down for renovations at the same time, effectively halting tourism entirely. Displaced employees found jobs elsewhere on the island or at other F our Seasons properties, but anyone else on the island whose livelihood depended on tourist-generated revenue struggled. Lately, says K aye, residents have started to see “N o Trespassing” signs throughout the island, closing off certain areas. “In a small community it’s noticeable,” he says. ere s some eginnings of eep ut. ” Ironically, part of the F our Seasons Resort Lanai marketing strategy has been to emphasize the “unparalleled access” that comes with being a hotel guest, with an effort to rebrand the resort experience “Lanai by F our Seasons.” Or as Roelens puts it, “There’s lots and lots of beautiful resorts in H awaii and around the world but very few where as a guest you have access to 9 0 ,0 0 0 acres of different microclimates. So we’re able offer experiences that you wouldn’t be able to have in other locations or in other F our Seasons properties.” That is, of course, if you ever leave the property. Jessie Wixon says that many of the other families they met while hanging out at the F our Seasons had not ventured from the hotel grounds, not even once, and didn’t plan to. Which is what worries islanders the most, especially in the context of Pulama Lanai’s latest proposal, which would construct helicopter landing pads at both the F our Seasons and, when it opens at the end of the year, the Lodge at K oele. F rom a conservation standpoint, the idea makes little sense: H elicopters would bring added noise and environmental pollution in the name of shortening what is already a short trip from the airport—a seven-minute drive, at most. K eeping guests as close to the hotel as possible makes sense if you’re the F our Seasons, especially around meal time, when a salad and a glass of wine can go for $ 9 0 . But as far as residents are concerned, if tourism is going to enefit t e island, it s ould enefit t e island. lread , t e our easons has reduced the frequency of its hotel-to-town shuttles to just once a day between H ulopoe Bay and Lanai City, notably leaving after breakfast but returning in time for sunset cocktails. en a e first came to Lanai in , percent of t e population was F ilipino. Most worked for Dole. H e was a hoele then—the H awaiian word to describe people who aren’t—but says he instantly, and always, felt welcome. That’s why he stayed. “I knew every house, every neighbor,”
house. My son might wander off, disappear and end up at a neighbor’s home.” By the time he returned full time in 2 0 0 5 , all that had changed and change has continued. In some cases, change shows up in the form of strangers jostling him in line at Richard’s Market. In others, it might show up as the woman t e i ons met t eir first nig t attempting to catc t e sunset at K aumalapau H arbor, a favorite swimming spot for locals. “She told us where we wanted to go was clear across the island,” says Jessie. “It wasn’t.” While Jessie insists that particular experience was the exception to the many welcoming ones they had while on Lanai, it s a int at t e con ict man locals feel. lt oug it s been four years since E llison bought Lanai, the reopening of the F our Seasons Resort Lanai is just the start of what, in both the best and worst cases, will be the island’s tourism heyday. Construction continues at the 1 0 0 -room Lodge at K oele in Lanai City—at 1 ,7 0 0 feet above sea level and surrounded by Cook Island pine trees, a very different sort of H awaiian experience—and is expected to wrap by the end of the year. N o one employed by the F our Seasons or Pulama Lanai—and that’s 5 0 percent of the island—would talk on the record, about life, or business, on the new Lanai. But you needn’t spend more than a few days there to understand t ere is a significant amount of red tape in an t ing in ol ing land use, owning and operating a business or, for that matter, driving a car on the island. One community project involving regrowing a certain type of seaweed required a right-of-entry application and several months of waiting for approval. Many entrepreneurs, especially younger ones,
struggle to get the kind of insurance coverage required to operate a small business; indeed, it’s worth noting that we barely got the insurance coverage required to take the photographs which accompany this story. But the biggest change, says K aye, is one that seems eerily familiar—a communication breakdown that emphasizes what are now the two sides of Lanai. On one side: those who work for Pulama Lanai. On the other: those who don’t. “N o one talks about the company or what the company is doing except when you’re in private homes and nobody’s really listening,” he says, adding in what seems like only half-jest, “though, to be honest, they probably know we re talking rig t now.” ll emplo ees are ound confidentialit agreements and, some suggest, intimidation. E ven Roelens was told he could not answer any questions that had to do with “ownership,” even as they related to the F our Seasons guest experience. ll t is means t at, two decades after t e end of pineapple farming, Lanai is once again something of a company town—$ 1 ,1 0 0 rooms and $ 2 5 cocktails and complimentary sunglass uffing a e simpl replaced pineapples as t e island product. But that’s not the only difference. In the plantation days, a person’s success depended on the success of the group; people had to work as a team. In tourism, though, people are rewarded for individual acts. “It’s not any better or worse in that way,” says K aye. “But it does make for a c ange in t e underl ing tenor of t e communit . t t e same time, we’re very hopeful that tourism survives.” ecause if it doesn t, t en w at ■ DUJOU R .COM 15 7
CITIES CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
DUJOU R .COM
COURTE SY OF PE TE R BE ARD STUDIO
15 9
A Picture Perfect Summer EDITED BY NATASHA WOLFF
The H amptons might be among the summer’s most Instagrammed destinations, but not every great photo of the E ast E nd is taken on a cell phone. Beginning June 1 8, E ast H ampton’s Guild Hall Museum will present P eter Beard: L ast W ord F rom P aradise, a collection of works by the shutterbug and Montauk habitué . The exhibition features images from Beard’s storied trips to Africa, as well as shots taken on the South F ork, including portraits of family ( that’s daughter Z ara above) and visiting friends from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol and Jacqueline Onassis. 1 5 8 M ain S treet, E ast H ampton; gu ildhall. org
Golden Moments at the Summer Olympics Come August 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will descend on Rio de Janiero with the hope of winning gold. As the world watches, stars like Usain Bolt and Ryan Lochte will defend their titles, and brand new faces will become household names. The magic of the Olympics lies in the fact that each time around, records are set, heroes emerge and the world is captivated by the golden moments that become legendary. This year’s Summer Games will be the first ever held in South America and are sure to bring more of the heartwarming stories, intense rivalries and triumphant victories that have defined the event throughout history. Here, a look back at the historic moments that paved the road from the comback of the ancient Olympic Games to Rio 2016.
1896 1896, ATHENS, GREECE: It was a French baron named Pierre de Coubertin who suggested officially bringing the Olympics back to life after they were disbanded over 2,000 years before. Only 13 nations participated in the resurrection of the Games.
1976, MONTRÉAL, CANADA: East Germany—still separated from the West by the Berlin Wall—brought home an impressive 40 gold medals at these Olympic Games. It was later revealed that the East German government was giving steroids to athletes, apparently without their knowledge. Despite the stacked deck, the American women’s swimming team set a world record and won gold in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay as the East German team won gold in all but one other race. Also this year, Bruce Jenner triumphed with a gold-medal-winning decathlon performance, a win made all the more iconic in the last year.
2004, ATHENS, GREECE: The U.S. women’s soccer team beat Brazil 2-1 in overtime, winning the gold medal with a goal-scoring header from Abby Wambach. This victory was the last Olympic event for Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Brandi Chastain—teammates who helped put women’s sports in the spotlight with their 1996 gold medal in Atlanta.
GE TTY IMAGE S
1984
2004
2012
1936, BERLIN, GERMANY: In a sports complex draped in banners bearing swastikas, African American track-and-field star Jesse Owens won three individual gold medals in the 100m race, 200m race and long jump as well as a team gold in the 4 x 100m relay. This also marked the first year of the modern Olympic torch relay, which begins in Olympia, Greece, and culminates in the host city with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. (For the first time in 2016, the torch’s journey can be followed on Twitter @OlympicFlame.)
16 1
PH OTO CRE DITS TE E K AY
1976
DUJOU R .COM
1936
1984, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mary Lou Retton became an icon as the first female gymnast not from an Eastern European country to win gold in the allaround competition.
2012, LONDON, ENGLAND: Michael Phelps walked away from the 2004 Olympic Games with six gold medals and two bronze, narrowly missing the record set by swimmer Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold medals in 1972. Phelps didn’t stay in second place for long, bringing a record-breaking eight gold medals home from Beijing in 2008, and in London, he did the unthinkable when he set the world record for most number of Olympic medals ever won, bringing his total to 18 gold and 22 overall.
CHICAGO CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
ust in time for summer, t e old oast s George the Salon as introduced a minute rus ed earl assage , featuring crus ed fres water pearls and a lend of lime, mandarin, grapefruit and lemon oils, lotions and scru s. 9 4 5 N orth R u sh S treet, georgethesalon. com LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Bigger & Better
Two luxury lines update their presence on Oak Street
ITALIAN ACCENTS
16 2
.
It’s hard to believe, but Italian jewelry house Buccellati has had its home on Oak Street for almost three years now. Though its ornate two-level boutique in the former Esquire Theatre space—with walls covered in Italian silk, hand-carved paneling and a stunning Venetian chandelier—was in great condition, it recently underwent a face-lift to make room for the brand’s new Opera collection and additions to its iconic Hawaii and Macri lines. But don’t worry: The jewelry cases (with new, top-of-the-line lighting) are still filled with the company’s unique handmade jewels, elegant watches and other high-end, one-of-kind pieces. “Chicagoans have been collecting Buccellati for years,” says Andrea Buccellati, the third-generation president and co-creative director. “We are excited to offer a carefully curated selection to discerning clients with true appreciation for Buccellati designs and craftsmanship.”
6 2 E ast Oak S treet, b u ccellati. com
ANCHORS AWAY
o coincide wit t e t merica s up, eing eld in icago t is une, L o u i s V u i t t o n as ust released its merica s up collection. nspired t e arious up acti ities, t is capsule collection offers a complete range of lifest le products read to wear, ags, small leat er goods, s oes and ot er accesso ries ased on t ree ke sil ouettes eac , a and ormal. 9 1 9 N orth M ichigan A v enu e, lou isv u itton. com
ÊFOR MORE ON CHICAGO, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
Lockett etite and ag in ed pa olatto Leat er, , , j immy choo. com
LL LL
1 1 4 E ast Oak S treet, j immy choo. com
LL
WE’VE GOT SOLE
Just in time for the 20th anniversary of the Jimmy Choo brand, the world-famous line has opened a new Chicago store. Extending across 1,960 square feet on two levels, the shop boasts men’s and women’s collections, along with a made-to-order section where clients can bring their dream shoe to life. For brides-to-be, the soles of the bespoke footwear can be embellished with wedding dates, monograms or any special phrase. Now that’s true love.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
These exciting new restaurants offer innovative cuisine (dumplings, anyone?) and creative decor in three very eclectic locations
WHITE OAK TAVERN & INN
This gastropub has taken over the former o n s lace location at e ster and acine, and our taste uds couldn t e more e cited. Specializing in creative, locally sourced dis es t ink roasted salmon wit a daikon leek salad or a crispy half chicken with button mushrooms—the rustic spot also offers craft cocktails and local eers. 1 2 0 0 W est W eb ster A v enu e; whiteoakchicago. com
PACK E D: N ICK MURWAY; SMITH E : MIK E SCH QARTZ ; ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
A new restaurant from star chef K evin H ickey ( F our Seasons, Allium) , The Duck Inn is winning big crowds and serious accolades, thanks in part to its signature rotisserie duck dish ( $ 6 2 ) , which is meant to be shared and is, in our experience, definitel somet ing to uack a out. 2 7 0 1 S ou th E leanor S treet; thedu ckinnchicago. com
Artist and high school English teacher Emily Rose Asher founded her Humboldt Park stationery company Emily Rose Ink after creating the paper goods for her sister’s wedding. “Two guests at her wedding were so impressed with her invitations that they asked me to do theirs, and after a few months, I decided to make it official,” she explains. Now, her whimsical papergoods operation is growing rapidly and has been featured on major wedding blogs such as Style Me Pretty and Wedding Chicks. This summer the designer, who works primarily in watercolor and calligraphy, will unveil a pre-designed collection of invitations. “My mission is to create meaningful keepsakes that celebrate couples’ personal stories through watercolor illustrations and invitations,” Asher says.
1 0 0 0 N orth M oz art S treet; emily roseink. com
Reality World
Bravo star Jeff Lewis, of Flipping Out fame, has partnered with Walter E. Smithe to curate 10 rooms using Smithe’s furniture, textiles and accessories at the designer’s showrooms. On display through September, Lewis’ creations are inspired by Smithe’s California-cool fabrics. Since most Chicagoans can’t hire Lewis to design their living space, this is an opportunity to see his inspiration come to life. 2 0 0 9 N orth C ly b ou rn A v enu e; smithe. com
16 3
THE DUCK INN
A local stationery star prepares custom invitations for the masses DUJOU R .COM
PACKED: DUMPLINGS REIMAGINED
Classically trained chef Mike Sheerin ( Blackbird, icc etti di es eadfirst into t e fast casual sector in t e de ark neig or ood. i erging from t e traditional sian st le dumpling, eerin s seat shop offers unexpected culinary interpretations of t e doug delig t, ot sweet and sa or . ant an insider tip e tamale dumplings are incredi le. 1 3 2 1 E ast 5 7 th S treet; packeddu mplings. com
COMING UP ROSE
DALLAS/FORT WORTH CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
allas legendar tatler ilton, t e first otel wit ele ator music, will reopen as The Statler Hotel & Residences. thestatlerdallas. com
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Open for Business
Sparing no detail, expert curation has arrived in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood and Highland Park Village
.
ccordion ross od ag, , shinola . com
SKILL AT SCALE 16 4
Known for handmade watches, bicycles and leather goods, Shinola is bringing its full lineup of quality wares to a new 1,860-square-foot space in Dallas. Rush to the store, the brand’s second in Texas, to stock up on the new women’s accessory line, which features must-have handbags like the Accordion Crossbody and the Drawstring. As Daniel Caudill, Shinola’s creative director, explains, setting up shop in Dallas was an irresistible prospect: “It’s in this beautiful shopping center and very walkable, but still has a great neighborhood feel.” 5 1 B H ighland P ark V illage; shinola. com
BOUTIQUE FANTASTIQUE
H ighland P ark V illage; dior. com
ior restige Le oncentr eu e oncentrate, , dior. com
BRICK AND MORTAR
Sid Mashburn and Ann Mashburn have long shared a name, but now the beloved shops—which have separately catered to men and women, respectively—are sharing a space. This combined store features an interior atrium lined with trees (to divide the men’s and women’s sections), an open-air tailor shop, a made-to-measure business and, of course, Ping-Pong. No matter your skill at table tennis, it sounds like a winning proposition to us. 3 3 1 9 K nox
S treet; sidmashb u rn . com; annmashb u rn. com
LL
Dallas’ beauty routines are getting a stunning makeover thanks to the latest addition to Highland Park Village, Dior Perfumes & Cosmetics. The destination is the first of its kind in Texas and offers exclusive services, including specially developed facials in the private Dior Cabine spa room and treatments at the custom lip bar. 9 A
CRAFTED COMFORT
Southern charm is wonderfully abundant at these trendsetting Texan establishments Wayward Sons, the latest from locally focused chef Graham Dodds, has stolen our hearts—and appetites. Partnering with This & That Concepts, Dodds has created an inviting environment garnished with plant life and a mix of raw materials, offering seating for more than 20 guests at spaces including a bar, a patio and an outdoor garden. The menu features healthful dishes like parsley-root gnocchi, which Dodds says he’s proud to bring to Dallas. “E veryone should be able to make the right choices,” he says, “and be able to feed their families truly healthy food.” 3 5 2 5 G reenv ille A v enu e; way warddallas. com
Active Cultures
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
The Dallas art scene is getting international this season. The Dallas Contemporary will be exhibiting the work of a globetrotting group of artists, with shows dedicated to the Austrian Helmut Lang (near right), whom you might know as a former fashion designer; the Italian Paola Pivi; and the American Dan Colen. Through August 21. 161 Glass Street; dallascontemporary.org Nearby at the Nasher Sculpture Center, the bright, geometric work of sculptor Joel Shapiro (far right) will be on display in a wide-ranging, eponymous exhibition. Through August 21. 2001 Flora Street; nashersculpturecenter.org
V ickery Bou lev ard; f rdistilling. com
16 5
ÊFOR MORE ON DALLAS/FORT WORTH, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
Thanks to Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co., the artisan whiskey company created by locals Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson, Fort Worth is getting a one-of-a-kind drinking experience. The duo have overhauled a vacant 1927 building and are brewing a very popular whiskey— named, of course, “TX”—that’s already winning awards at big-ticket competitions and gaining a rabid local following. “The feedback we most often hear is, ‘It’s just so smooth and unexpected,’ ” Firestone explains. “We designed it that way.” 9 0 1 W est
DUJOU R .COM
Over two dozen local food vendors, artisans and top chefs have set up camp at the revamped Dallas Farmers Market. One of the new restaurants within the 2 6 ,0 0 0 -square-foot space is Shannon Wynn’s latest pasture-raisedmeat and local-vegetable concept, Mudhen Meat and Greens. Think build-your-own bowls and healthful proteins like beef-and-bison meatloaf and green chili Duroc pork with savory vegetable “noodles.” 9 0 0 S ou th H arwood S treet; mu dheninthe. net
RAISE A GLASS
HOUSTON CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
amil owned M a i d a ’ s B e l t s & B u c k l e s cele rates its t anni ersar t is ear. wner ason aida s great grandfat er, o n Laureto aida, was a master co ler w o opened ouston s aida uccia oe epair ack in t e earl s. maidasb elts. com
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Houston’s Best Buys
Summer’s most exciting retail therapy comes care of these new H-Town purveyors ono Large
racelets il e, oroccan ip clutc , , sou kchic. com
As part of a $30-million Galleria renovation to create a new freestanding luxury building known as The Jewel Box, The Webster—a white-hot Miami fashion boutique—has made Houston the home of its third location, the first outside of its native Florida. “This was truly a labor of love, and I look forward to sharing my perspective on both art and fashion with the city of Houston,” says founder Laure Heriard Dubreuil, whose CV includes stints at Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent. “I couldn’t be happier to partner with Simon Property Group on creating this very special boutique in such a beautiful city.” The 5,000-square-foot space features exclusive product collabs from 20 designers, including Aurelie Bidermann, Edie Parker, Raf Simons and The Elder Statesmen, alongside artwork by the likes of Max Snow, Ellen von Unwerth and Dennis Hopper. 5 0 4 5 W estheimer
R oad; theweb ster. u s rom top ,
aris, e as clutc , , theweb ster. u s
, , L ull sweater
,
L ,
L
rings,
HEART AND SOLE
riginal lip n in na wit w ite sole,
Form meets function in SUAVS shoes, the new unisex slip-ons created by Austin-based designer Monxi Garza after living in cities like Madrid, Shanghai and Austin and not being able to find a comfy walking shoe that didn’t compromise on style. “When starting off my career in Spain, I remember purchasing a pair of very chic slip-on loafers for work and then having to deal with discomfort,” she says. “I had to get my hands on a comfortable, modern slip-on shoe.” Garza did her own research, handpicked the softest and safest materials and tested many prototypes before developing her minimalist footwear. SUAVS envelop a flexible rubber sole and a microfiber terry insole in breathable mesh with leather detailing, and not surprisingly, its name (derived from the word suave, Spanish for soft and English for hip) has dual meaning. su av shoes. com
LOCAL BAZAAR
After three years at the American University in Beirut, third-generation Houstonian Ashley Srouji came home with a trove of treasures she picked up in far-flung markets. “We have great shopping in Houston, but it’s the same things you see other places,” she says. “I was really excited to see all of these unique pieces.” Moved by the craftsmanship of other cultures and driven by her love of fashion and travel, she started a pop-up shop— Souk Chic—in June. Souk is the Arabic word for market, and Srouji’s roving bazaar brings to American soil some of the artisanal accessories she discovered overseas. Her revolving inventory features Greek sandals by Aelia, Colombian clutches by Mola Sasa and Lebanese beach hats and totes by Caren Lola, and will soon showcase Srouji’s own line of sandals, tassel key chains, caftans and other special pieces.
sou kchic. com
LL
16 6
.
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
Aspire. Apply. Achieve. IvyWise is the world’s premier global educational consultancy supporting students in over 40 countries since 1998. Dr. Kat Cohen, IvyWise’s founder and CEO, and her team of expert counselors have over 150 combined years of experience in admissions at the country’s most selective schools. In 2015, 92% of IvyWise students were accepted into one or more of their three top choice schools.
(877) IVY-WISE
Admissions Counseling Tutoring Research
ivywise.com
LAS VEGAS CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
The Summit Club, an e clusi e
acre ummerlin communit , will feature a pri ate om a io designed golf course and multimillion dollar lots for custom estates. su mmerlin. com
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
Guerlain’s fragrance-only boutique at the Bellagio borders the resort’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, which makes perfect sense for, well, perfect scents. The Conservatory “is a 14,000-square-foot floral playground,” says Sarah Curtis Henry, a vice president for the brand. “As the seasons change, the Conservatory reflects this in new artistic creations, as do Guerlain’s perfumes.” It’s true: Guerlain’s master perfumers are inspired by nature, and devotees can take some home as the shop offers limited-edition bottles of the beautiful scents. 3 6 0 0 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; gu erlain. com
Skyfall Lounge Rivea
.
ourmand o uin au e arfum, , gu erlain. com
16 8
THE NEED FOR CREED
A Touch of Ducasse RIVEA
t s t e art de v iv re of t e i iera,” sa s legendar renc c ef lain ucasse, w o s ser ing striped ass carpaccio at is new elano restaurant. menu ric in editerranean a ors, inspired t e food markets of ro ence and tal and com ined wit seasonal alifornia produce.” SKYFALL LOUNGE
e ad acent space to i ea, offering reat taking trip iews, is a colla oration wit mi olog masters roprietors LL . Like c efs, t e t ink a out t ings seasonall , artisanall , alwa s e ol ing t e classics wit a new twist,” ucasse sa s.
House of Creed’s freestanding glassenclosed boutique at The Forum Shops looks as stunning as it smells, which is saying something given the fantastic fragrances inside. This is the brand’s second North American outpost, so it provides a rare opportunity for a whiff of new perfumes like Royal Princess Oud. “All Creed fragrances debut exclusively at our boutiques,” says sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier Creed. “We’re also exploring exclusive boutique offerings in the future.” 3 5 0 0 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; creedb ou tiq u e. com
o al rincess ud, creedb ou tiq u e. com
,
ÊFOR MORE ON LAS VEGAS, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
LL
3 9 4 0 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; delanolasv egas. com
The Element of Surprise
In recent years, plenty of V egas has been driven by heavily hyped headlining DJs. It’s an electronic dance-music scene that Wynn Las Vegas has dominated, but the resort’s new club, Intrigue, offers a different mix of wee-hours fun. Think of it as a surprise party, night after night. “I actually don’t want to tell you what we’re doing,” nn c ief operating officer ean ristie sa s of t e , s uare foot enue t at was formerl r st, w ic closed last ear after a raucous ear run. e plan on c anging it fre uentl . a e we re doing a mo ie premiere, ma e we re doing a st irt da , ma e we e c anged t e interior and t e uniforms to a different t eme.” ings will reall e kept on t e L in t e ultra e clusi e , s uare foot club-within-a-club at the bottom of the stairs. That’s a social-media-free zone, and there are additional old-school elements in this V IP space. “The DJ booth in there is only vinyl,” says Christie, who’s put together a big record collection for the room. “If you don’t know how to spin vinyl, you can’t DJ in the private club.” Don’t be surprised if famous talent looking to scratch a classic itch sneaks over for a set. 3 1 3 1 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; wy nnsocial. com
Beauty & Vegas
DUJOU R .COM
Since Beauty & Essex opened in an attan fi e ears ago, t e perenniall popular restaurant has been notable thanks to inventive fare—try the best-selling lobster tacos—from chef Chris Santos ( pictured) and also its decor; guests enter through a functioning pawn s op. t s a uintessentiall ew York experience, but now it’s available in Sin City thanks to a new outpost in The Cosmopolitan of Las V egas. “E ver since we opened Beauty & E ssex, guests have told us that it’s their favorite restaurant,” says Tao Group co-founder Rich Wolf. “Because our existing brands in Las egas ao, La o and ar uee have been so successful, adding Beauty sse to our portfolio is a natural fit.” 3 7 0 8 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; b eau ty andessex lv . com
16 9
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
IT’S SHOWTIME AT SLS
The Foundry, an intimate performance space for headlining acts at SLS Las Vegas, is an 1,800-square-foot music venue that brought in AWOLNation and Lil Wayne with Method Man and Redman for its jam-packed opening weekend. “The idea was to make this one of those venues that, on certain nights of the year, you can come here and see one of the biggest acts in the world,” says Matt Minichino, vice president of nightlife and entertainment at SLS Las Vegas. “You can see the stage from every angle. You can be two feet away from your very favorite artist.” 2 5 3 5 L as V egas Bou lev ard S ou th; slslasv egas. com
LOS ANGELES CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
odern arc itecture lo ers, re oice LACMA recei ed a gift of t e iconic o n Lautner designed eats oldstein ouse in e erl ills. e propert also includes a ames urrell k space installation. lacma. org
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Confusing maps and highway pit stops are a thing of the past. With the help of the Four Seasons California Collection, “guests can travel seamlessly to all seven properties along one of the most celebrated coastal routes in the world,” explains Ciro Tacinelli, the vaunted hotel brand’s regional director of marketing. The Suite California Getaway program includes Golden State highlights, from a wine-tasting picnic lunch in the Santa Cruz Mountains to cruising through the sandy spreads of San Diego County in stylish vintage wheels as part of the Woodie Beachtown Tour. An expert concierge team and the new Four Seasons app help make your coastal getaway a breeze, too. f ou rseasons. com/ calif ornia
CINDY CITY
Now that the public has had a few months to take in The Broad museum’s impressive survey of contemporary art, photographer Cindy Sherman will be the subject of its first special exhibition. Approximately 120 pieces, mostly culled from The Broad’s permanent collection, will be showcased in Imitation of Life from June 11 through October 2. Given Sherman’s singular way of critiquing gender and media, it’s about time for these humorous and astute visual commentaries to be exhibited in the world’s capital of popular image production. “Cindy Sherman’s work has been a touchstone for the Broad collection since Eli and Edye Broad first encountered it in 1982,” says Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad. “And Cindy is the only artist in the collection whose work we’ve acquired so deeply and regularly, for more than 30 years.” 2 2 1 S ou th
G rand A v enu e; theb road. org
TWO TWISTS ON JAPAN
e wanted to take a concept people know and grew up wit and turn it into somet ing t e e ne er e perienced efore,” e plains nno ati e ining roup founder Lee aen of t e splas ROKU ( 9 2 0 1 S u nset Bou lev ard; innov ativ edining. com . e full sus i ar, creati e menu, teppan grills and e tensi e apanese w iske and eer offerings are oused wit in a glam setting efitting its digs up on t e unset trip. or a stud in contrasts, ead west to e erl ills, w ere Tempura Endo presents an intimate, lu urious et restrained setting and culinar tradition imported directl from apan 9 7 7 7 S ou th S anta M onica Bou lev ard; b ev erly hills- endo. com . ur . . patrons a e commented t at t e feel as if t e e een transported to oto wit out a ing to use t eir passport,” sa s restaurateur oic i ndo. o t ere are e citing new options for people w o lo e tradition and t ose w o lo e to reak it.
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
17 0
DUJOU R .COM
A Trip for All Seasons
LOS ANGELES Creativity Complex
The presence of Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in the heart of the downtown Arts District is the latest game changer to further cement L.A.’s place in the international art scene. “L.A. has been an essential part of H auser & Wirth’s history since the gallery’s inception more than 2 0 years ago,” explains Iwan Wirth, co-founder and co-president of the wit erland ased, glo all in uential operation. ew to t is location auser irt s si t is former useum of ontemporar rt c ief curator Paul Schimmel. The historic former Globe Mills complex’s 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 -plus square feet include vast galleries, an Artbook store, a sculpture courtyard, a public garden and the expansive Manuela restaurant, named for co-founder Manuela Wirth. “We are thrilled to continue exploring new models for what an art gallery can be and do, in this city known around the world as a place for imagination, reinvention and new forms of cultural expression,” Wirth says. 9 0 1 E ast 3 rd S treet; hau serwirth. com
The Sweetest Thing
Extraordinarily colorful and much larger than your average dessert, Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches would never be confused for the classic black-and-white version stocked in freezers around the world. These are bigger and decidedly bolder, with imaginative flavors like Whiskey–Lucky Charms, Pastrami and Fried Chicken & Waffles. The brand started in 2009 out of a converted postal van and has since grown (along with its cult following) to two storefronts in Los Angeles and 10 trucks roaming L.A., New York and Dallas. For everyone else, there are packaged bars, pints and ice cream sandwiches in stores nationwide. To shake things up this summer, L.A. trucks and shops will be stocked with a boozy “Dessert Island” line that includes flavors like Wine Spritz Sorbet, Piña Colada and Coconut Negroni. Happy hour doesn’t get cooler than that. eatcoolhau s. com
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
17 2
DUJOU R .COM
ÊFOR MORE ON LOS ANGELES, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
MIAMI CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
ooftop terrace gardens are t e de rigueur store amenit in t e iami esign istrict. D i o r s new ags ip rings t e total to fi e. dior. com
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
RIVIERA REVAMP
A Star Is Born
LL
ust ecause new owner apital artners re randed an on anc as Carillon Miami Beach, t e midcentur modern propert s original name, doesn t mean wellness as left t e uilding. uests of t e suite otel can take drian olina s oga, reat ing and medita tion classes in t e morning and ook a od scru e ecuti e ice president of spas ind err s go to treatment for summer in t e afternoon. ellness as gone e ond t e spa scene as people pla a more proacti e role in t eir ealt ,” notes err . 6 8 0 1 C ollins A v enu e; carillonhotel. com
17 3
BE WELL
.
Max Mara put on its dancing shoes this spring when the Italian fashion house hosted a performance at its store in the Design District. The event starred Javon Jones, a Detroit-based dancer, choreographer and winner of the first Max Mara Young Visionary Award for the National YoungArts Foundation. Sarah Arison, a YoungArts board member, was among the guests watching the high school senior’s short contemporary ballet set to a tune by James Blake. Afterward, Max Mara presented him with a Christofle silver prize and $10,000 to put toward his dream. “I applied to YoungArts because other participants said it was life-changing, which is something you don’t hear a lot anymore,” says Jones, who began dancing in eighth grade. “The Max Mara Young Visionary Award aims to foster the future of art by recognizing and cultivating young talent,” notes Maria Giulia Maramotti, the brand’s U.S. retail director. “Javon’s original, fearless and provocative craft is emblematic of what will define contemporary art and inspire future generations.” 1 0 6 N E 3 9 th S treet; u s. max mara. com
anks to effre eers eac redesign and c ef de cuisine ic ael awk s summer menu, La Côte at t e ontaine leau is t at muc closer to its renc i iera namesake. ool off eneat w irling fans on t e outdoor restaurant s first oor or lounge upstairs in a ca ana wit ocean iews. t wouldn t e aut entic wit out ro en al ouilla aisse and pissaladiè res, ut t e editerranean meets iami fare also ig lig ts seafood caug t t roug t e otel s leaufis ser ice. ellowtail snapper is most pre alent now,” sa s awk, w o sears t e fis on t e planc a and tops it wit lemon citronette and micro pea tendrils. t s t e perfect portion for one person.” air our seafood dinner wit a c oice of two new e clusi e pours omaine ainte o La te or . . . rewing s tangerine tinged La te efewei en. 4 4 4 1 C ollins A v enu e; f ontaineb leau . com
MIAMI LIVING THE DREAM
1 Hotel & Homes has been so popular with fans of its eco-chic mission that the hospitality brand is only now able to make the big reveal of its stunning penthouse residences. “I don’t think anyone could have anticipated 100 percent occupancy and this level of devotion in the first year,” says Harlan Goldberg, the Douglas Elliman sales director who’s charged with doling out nearly 30 penthouses, priced from $3.3 million to $18.3 million on the 16th and 17th floors. “Their features range from solidoak floors to higher ceilings to Wolf ranges.” 2 3 4 1 C ollins
A Taste of the Town
From upscale salads to decadent doughnuts, there’s no shortage of enticing dishes at these hotspots
17 4
DUJOU R .COM
A v enu e; 1 hotels. com
Eating House chef-owner Giorgio Rapicavoli is going green with his latest boîte, Glass & Vine. The restaurant’s setting in a waterfront park is perfect for light dishes such as Waldorf salad reinvented with raw scallop and frozen grapes. “Summer involves freshness and brightness,” Rapicavoli says, adding the same can be said of an orangeblossom-scented Aperoland-prosecco spritz. ( 2 8 2 0
and you have yourself a great little party,” says chef Michael Lewis. ( 2 5 1 N W
What could possibly come next for a group of ambitious Zuma alums? The answer is KYU, pronounced “cue,” as in barbecue done in the Japanese yakiniku (grilled meat) style. “Friends, family, fire, some good ingredients like crab, lobster and summer corn,
( 2 9 N W 2 4 th S treet; salty donu t. com) Unrelated
2 5 th S treet; ky u miami. com)
There’s a reason why The Salty Donut’s offerings sell out faster than an Adele concert: They’re delicious! Forever pushing the boundaries of what even constitutes a pastry, they’ve spiked doughnut holes with RumChata shooters, elevated the guava-and-cheese Cuban favorite and enveloped a Knaus Berry Farm sticky bun with brioche. Genius.
to the New York culinary institution, Serendipity Creamery’s second location, in Wynwood, champions artisanal flavors like borage-cucumber sorbet and wildflowerhoney-and-pistachio ice cream. “We’re not a
2
cookies-and-cream type of joint,” says proprietor Jessica Weiss Levison, who sources edible flowers from Paradise Farms for toppings. “We’re making crystallized rose petals.”
( 4 2 1 N W 2 6 th S treet; serendipity creamery . com)
3
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
M cF arlane R oad; glassandv ine. com)
1
LOOKING GOOD, FEELING FAENA
LL
Elo, founder of the London Motor Museum and one of the most esteemed car collectors in the world, has created what can only be described as a supercars supper club. Miami Supercar Room houses a gallery of some of the planet’s most impressive automobiles—including a 1935 Pacific by Delahaye, 1929 Rolls Royce Bootch and 2007 Shelby Supercar Ultimate Aero TT—and pairs them with the unmatched exclusivity of a private dining experience. For $3,000, diners can reserve one of six “Pods,” which each house up to six guests, to enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by chef and owner Rafael Perez Cambana of Wynwood’s Peruvian eatery GK Bistronomie, the location’s opening restaurant partner. To get into one of the coveted Pods, guests can work their way through a free membership system based on frequency of visits and type of experience desired. Black allows access to the cars currently on display and the bar; Silver additionally provides entry to the Auto Art Gallery and some dining privileges; and White, the highest level of membership, bestows priority status for dining reservations and other perks. 2 0 2 2 N W
1 st C ou rt, miamisu percarrooms. com
ÊFOR MORE ON MIAMI, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
17 5
FAST FOOD
.
e first step in creating t e uni ue cultural u now known as t e Faena District Miami Beach was, naturall , designing a place for people to sta w en t e isited. ut t is could e no ordinar lu ur otel. e aena otel iami eac , created lan aena and Len la atnik, got its start wit design input legendar director a Lu rmann and cadem ward winning costume designer at erine artin. e result is oll wood glamour meets contemporar art, wit featured works t e likes of amien irst and eff oons and t at s ust t e eginning. utside its rt eco walls, guests can e plore all t at t e aena istrict iami eac as to offer. rgentinian restaurant Los uegos is c ef rancis allmann s onl outpost in ort merica aena orum, a , s uare foot cultural center, was designed em ool aas t e aena a aar pla s ost to a num er of lu ur retailers and incredi le residences a ound, including aena ouse, w ic as alread set t e record for most e pensi e ome in iami, at a cool million. 3 2 0 1 C ollins A v enu e, f aena. com
NEW YORK CITY CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
owntown fas ionistas are ocking to new ut non to ic nail spa Van Court, founded allens, for clean” manicures and pedicures in a plus setting. v ancou rtstu dio. com MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
ART OF THE STEAL
17 6
A fashion-forward newcomer ups the ante for savvy shoppers is spring saw t e un eiling of an attan s inaugural Saks Fifth Avenue OFF Fifth outpost, on ast t treet in idtown. e department store offs oot, w ere price conscious s oppers can select pieces more t an top tier designer rands, as garnered legions of de otees drawn to its t rill of t e unt” u ing e perience. e new location also oasts t e first e er Gilt s op, a walk t roug ersion of t e popular lu ur retail site, w ere weekl in store flas sales will replicate ilt s famed e clusi e access market platform off line. e est retail model com ines an online usiness wit ricks and mortar,” sa s onat an reller, president of ff rice. 1 2 5 E ast 5 7 th S treet; saksof f 5 th. com
After cutting the ribbon on its new Brookfield Place store, menswear label Hickey Freeman is introducing a made-to-measure program for shoppers in Lower Manhattan, where “we’ve noticed a gravitational pull of luxury and fashion,” says CEO Stephen Granovsky. On top of offering custom dress shirts, suits, sport coats, trousers and outerwear in-house, the location, which has its own VIP area and a team of stylists, also touts a concierge service, providing clients with off-site fitting appointments. “Our customers can also expect seasonal trunk shows where we’ll showcase our newest collections in an elevated atmosphere,” adds Granovsky. 2 2 5 L ib erty S treet; hickey f reeman. com
Looks from t e pring ummer price upon re uest, hickey f reeman. com
ollection, ,
THAT’S ANOTHER TORY
lock triped erformance ank, , e ron Leggings, , 2 1 2 -7 7 7 -2 2 2 6
Tory Burch, iconic fashion designer and maven of cool-WASP style, has expanded her thriving empire with the recent opening of the first-ever Tory Sport store, in the Flatiron District. The 39,000-square-foot retail space, with interiors Burch describes as embodying “the casual vibe of a ’70s surf lodge” with “Scandinavian design principles,” will carry the line’s full activewear collection, whose clothing, bags, shoes and accessories combine high-tech fabrics with the bright, elegant aesthetic for which Burch is famous.
1 2 9 F if th A v enu e; tory sport. com
LL
.
Battery Park Bespoke
Dream Team
Fantasy becomes reality at this winning duo of chic Manhattan hotels DREAM DOWNTOWN
With its prime location between the Meatpacking District and Chelsea, a talked-about pool scene and the ever-popular nightclub PH-D Rooftop Lounge, Dream Downtown has long drawn a first-rate clientele. Growing demand from A-list guests inspired a recent $1 million investment to create The GuestHouse, a new 2,000-square-foot, two-story penthouse suite boasting jaw-dropping features like a glass-bottom hot tub, a patio with panoramic cityscape views and, of course, access to Dream’s peerless amenities. “The type of people that stay here are up all night, so we have 24-hour room service, 24-hour concierge,” says Dream VP of Global Sales Rob DelliBovi. And the perks don’t end there. The GuestHouse comes complete with its own private barista and security guard, as well as access to Dream’s storied "sneaker concierge"—an on-hand shoe expert to help guests find and acquire rare kicks—and a DJ-sommelier, who, says DelliBovi, mixes up a “soundtrack for your room to suit exactly what you’re doing.”
From top: The GuestHouse terrace and pool; The GuestHouse master bedroom. Below from left: The presidential living room; the exterior of the Dream Midtown.
3 5 5 W est 1 6 th S treet; dreamdowntown. com
DREAM MIDTOWN
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
PICTURE PERFECT
t onl takes a minute to snap a p oto, t en a few more to edit, add filters and s are with friends—which has led to a unique problem. “We’re just so much more cognizant of our appearance now, because we’re inundated by images of ourselves,” says N ew York City– based dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman. “People are more trained as to what tweaks can be made to make their version of themselves look better, so they want to look like that in reality.” These subtle changes are called “tweakments,” and E ngelman is a master tweaker. E ngelman goes beyond the obvious in her tweakment sessions: To make a face appear more symmetrical, she’ll inject a touch of Botox into the hairline on one side to raise an eyebrow to perfectly meet its mate. To turn up a drooping nose, she’ll inject just two units at its base, right between the nostrils, for an instant lift. Consider it an airbrushing app for real life. 8 2 0 S econd A v enu e; mdcsny c. com
17 7
S treet; dreamhotels. com
DUJOU R .COM
In the midst of a worldwide expansion that includes the upcoming debut of Dream outposts in Phuket and Hollywood, the trendy hotel brand’s original location, in Midtown Manhattan, is the recipient of a recent noexpense-spared refurbishment. Every inch inside the landmark 1895 Beaux-Arts building—from the lobby to the kitchens—has been overhauled, with decor boasting an enticing deep-purple accent hue and the addition of distinctive canopy beds in the 220 guest rooms. The renovation will be officially complete this summer, marked by the opening of a subterranean hangout called Fish Bowl. The aquarium that welcomes guests in the lobby extends downstairs into the game room and bar, where minibowling is among the activities on offer. With Fish Bowl joining other in-house destinations, such as Serafina Broadway, The Rickey cocktail bar and PH-D Terrace, guests will soon have four places to revel without ever having to leave the property. 2 1 0 W est 5 5 th
NEW YORK CITY
17 8
DUJOU R .COM
POWER TOOLS
THE NEVER-ENDING STORIES 416 WEST 51ST STREET
F ollowing an exhaustive four-year restoration and total upgrade, this pristine 7 ,0 0 0 -square-foot town house, originally erected in 1 9 1 0 , combines classic early 2 0 th-century elegance with the supreme convenience and peace of mind offered by a fully wired smarthome. Its state-of-the-art Control4 system ensures total authority over lighting, music, temperature zones and security throughout the manse’s six oors, fi e edrooms and eig t full at rooms. e impressi e propert also oasts two oors wit dou le eig t ceilings, an entertaining level, a private garden, two terraces and a landscaped roof deck. townrealestate. com
When aesthetic laser specialist Jeannel Astarita found herself turning clients away because she didn’t have the tools to treat their needs, she knew she had to start her own business—one with everything on her very long wish list. Now, with an arsenal of carefully selected, noninvasive body-contouring devices at her disposal, Astarita creates intricately customized treatment regimens that can vastly improve a client’s appearance, no surgery required.
E v a S criv o, 1 3 9 F if th A v enu e; 2 1 2 -6 7 7 -7 8 9 5
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
The Joy of Kola
The Metric, the hospitality group behind hotspots including The Wayfarer and Gilded Lily, is preparing to open a refreshing new nightlife concept called Kola House. In partnership with Pepsi, The Metric will transform a former restaurant space in Chelsea into a destination featuring live music, decor by Lenny Kravitz’s design firm and a cocktail menu, curated by mixologist Alex Ott, that utilizes the flavor of the kola nut. “We want it to be an authentic experience,” says The Metric’s Eric Marx. “We didn’t want to make it too buttoned up.” 4 0 8 W est 1 5 th S treet; kolahou se. com
TRAVEL
SMARTER Liberty Helicopters continues to fly clients to their desired destinations. Whether it’s a weekend in the Hamptons or an important board meeting, we have the ability to get you there. Our large fleet of ships, combined with decades of flying experience, makes us stand out against the rest. Corporate | Executive | Commuter | Casino Charters | Airport Transfers Courier Services | Sporting Events | Recreational Destinations
www.libertyhelicopterscharter.com
NEW YORK CITY THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACIALS
Pamper-prone spa lovers have reason to rejoice this season, with the introduction of two cutting-edge visage revamp services
Now available at the Peninsula Spa New York, this groundbreaking antiaging alternative to facial fillers, developed by Biologique Recherche, uses electro-spinning technology—a process not unlike 3-D printing—to create five custom-fitted fibre patches, made with 80 percent hyaluronic acid and a serum comprised of other active ingredients. They're applied directly to the skin, resulting in a fuller, more hydrated appearance that lasts. “This exceptional antiaging treatment visibly lifts and treats the signs of aging,” explains Dr. Philippe Allouche, MD, CEO and co-founder of Biologique Recherche. “Thanks to its action on the extracellular matrix, it also accelerates the healing process.” 7 0 0 F if th
A v enu e; newy ork. peninsu la. com
SOHO SAVOIR FAIRE
ELEMIS BIOTEC
Combining advanced bio-electric technology and high-potency actives with its hands-on therapy, Elemis, in partnership with Georgia Louise Atelier, is paving the way for a new generation of facials. The company’s line of products features a skin-energizing cleanser, day cream and night cream, all of which “really address the way our skin responds to the unique lifestyle each and every one of us leads by targeting the energy levels in our skin cells and rebooting them to allow skin to function at its best,” explains brand co-founder Noella Gabriel.
elemis. com
Biotec Skin E nergising Day Cream, $ 1 2 0 , elemis. com
ÊFOR MORE ON NEW YORK, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
Climbing temperatures tend to entice N ew Yorkers to follow suit by heading up to rooftop venues for after-work libations. A60, the seasonal bar above the SIX TY SoH o hotel, for members and hotel guests only, stands tall among Manhattan’s most desirable open-air boî tes. With inviting interiors and sophisticated landscaping, A6 0 , boasting a delicate blue-and-white color scheme, feels oceans away from the bustling city below. To complement the expansive vistas and refreshing breezes, order up a Sixty Daiquiri, featuring house-made grapefruit cordial, or a Debutante’s Mule, boosted by shiso-infused vodka. 6 0 T hompson S treet; six ty hotels. com/ soho
High in the Sky
With its wraparound terrace and breathtaking views, the iconic Rainbow Room is the perfect summertime urban escape. The recently refurbished landmark aerie, perched atop 3 0 Rockefeller Plaza, is now offering brunch on select Sundays. Updating the traditional countryclub pastime, the venue serves an à la carte menu and features special chef stations offering freshly pressed juices, custom Greek-yogurt parfaits, sweet and savory crepes and bespoke bloody Marys. There’s plenty for night owls, too, with dinner and dancing, as well as Bar SixtyF ive, where tipplers toast and soak up the cityscape in a sophisticated lounge. “But don’t miss out on the view of our great food and libations! ” says managing director N ick Mautone. “Just add good friends.” 3 0 R ockef eller P laz a; rainb owroom. com
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
18 0
DUJOU R .COM
SECOND SKIN FACIAL
HAMPTONS CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
is ul , interdisciplinar artist ona okaer will egin a residenc at ater ill s P a r r i s h A r t M u s e u m , creating work t at com ines dance, mo ing images and arc i al o ects. parrishart. org LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
HEAD TO HEAD
A sneak peek at two of the Hamptons’ newest hotels
BARON’S COVE
THE CHEQUIT
3 1 W est W ater S treet, S ag H arb or; b aronscov e. com
2 3 G rand A v enu e, S helter I sland; thecheq u it. com VIBE
It doesn’t get more serene than this retreat on Shelter Island.
This charming and lively inn boasts waterfront views in Sag Harbor. DECOR
Two on-site eateries, the casual White Hill Café and the seasonally driven Red Maple restaurant, offer options for a wide range of tastes.
Dynasty Cocktail 2 oz. Absolut Elyx vodka 1.5 oz. Yuzu cordial Lime
Stir Absolut Elyx and cordial together over cubed ice, then strain into chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a wheel of lime.
SUMMER SCHOOL
LL
LATEST LUXURIES
This summer, the hotel will host large-format cookouts to make for the most popular barbecue in town.
A boho-chic retail store, Salt Supply, filled with the latest beach essentials, clothing, accessories and gifts, will open this season.
itness guru nna aiser is no stranger to t e out ork, ut t is summer er AKT InMotion studio w ic as a ustling ast ampton location will e offering some t ing entirel new. aiser will e running a four da n ensi e” program, w ic includes dail master classes wit aiser erself, optional otel accommodations, nutritional ad ice, one on one consultations and a gift ag filled wit summertime essentials. e a e options to elp ou sustain our new fitness lifest le and eit er maintain t e results ou e accomplis ed or continue to c ange,” aiser notes. 3 R ailroad A v enu e, E ast H ampton; aktinmotion. com
18 1
DINING
Chef Matty Boudreau prepares all-American dishes that can be enjoyed in the hotel’s dining room or the cozy lobby lounge.
The spectacular sunset views aren’t the only draw at East Hampton’s Bay Kitchen Bar, which sits alongside picturesque Three Mile Harbor. The hot spot is also known for its delicious dishes—we like the small plates and raw-bar offerings—and lively libations, including the popular Dynasty cocktail, made with Absolut Elyx. After you try it at Bay Kitchen Bar, make one at home; the recipe is below. 3 9 G ann R oad; b ay kitchenb ar. com
.
Handcrafted pieces give a warm and contemporary feel.
A chic, nautical design pays homage to Sag Harbor’s seafaring history.
Raise a Glass
TRI-STATE CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
erse it diners a e a delicious new destination c ef amie nott s C e l l a r 3 3 5 , ser ing progressi e merican food and tiki st le cocktails eginning t is summer. cellar3 3 5 . com LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Haute Hotels
Whether brand new or recently overhauled, these phenomenal properties are each putting their best face forward THE ARNOLD HOUSE
There are more than 100 years of history at The Arnold House, and thanks to a recent renovation they’re all being celebrated. “We tried to pull back to the basics,” owner Sims Foster says. “We want guests feel like it’s their living room for the weekend.”
18 2
DUJOU R .COM
8 3 9 S handelee R oad, L iv ingston M anor, N Y ; thearnoldhou se. com
THE NORTH BRANCH INN
8 6 9 N orth Branch R oad, N orth Branch, N Y ; northb ranchinn. com
SPICER MANSION
The eight-bedroom mansion recently underwent renovations to become Mystic, Connecticut’s first luxury hotel. The retreat now blends original features with modern upgrades, including a BMW 7 Series house car, a premium cigar lounge and a six-course tasting menu. 1 5 E lm S treet,
M y stic, C T ; spicermansion. com
THE ASBURY
For years Asbury Park’s big attraction was The Stone Pony, the rock club where Bruce Springsteen got his start. Now the beach town has a new claim to fame: The Asbury, a 110-room stunner featuring a rooftop bar and concert venue, poolside DJs and a selection of impressive dining options. 2 1 0 F if th
A v enu e, A sb u ry P ark, N J ; theasb u ry hotel. com
ALL IMAGE S COURTE SY
This Sullivan County destination might be one of the Catskills’ greenest getaways, but it’s not lacking in classic charm. “Everything is new here,” says owner Kirsten Foster. “But our best amenity is the 1890s hand-set bowling alley and movie screening room with red velvet seats from Rockefeller Center.”
SUMMER AT STORM KING
The H udson V alley’s premier outdoor sculpture park, S t o r m K i n g A r t C e n t e r , is hosting summer exhibitions that pay homage to the past, but also look toward the future. ork from nearl fi e decades of American artist Dennis Oppenheim’s career will be on display in D ennis Oppenheim: T errestrial S tu dio, is first . . e i ition since . lsew ere on t e propert , emerging artist osep ine al orson s latest series of and painted sculptural works can e iewed in Ou tlooks: J osephine H alv orson. Storm K ing is open for the season, with these limited e i itions on iew t roug o em er . 1 M u seu m R oad, N ew W indsor, N Y ; stormking. org
“I’ve always loved the art of storytelling,” says journalist Aaron Hicklin, and his latest endeavor celebrates just that. One Grand, a bookstore in Narrowsburg, New York, offers a selection of books curated by artists from Tom Ford to Tilda Swinton, underscoring the appeal of brick-and-mortar shops. “However small my space and distant my location might be,” Hicklin says, “there’s a magic to a place that sells real books.” 6 0 M ain S treet, N arrowsb u rg, N Y ; onegrandb ooks. com
DUJOU R .COM
THIS GLASS IS HALF FULL
18 3
YAYOI K USAMA, 2 0 1 3 . IMAGE © YAYOI K USAMA. COURTE SY OF DAV ID Z WIRN E R, N E W YORK ; ROBE RT RAUSCH E N BE RG PH OTO BY AN DY ROME R PH OTOGRAPH Y. ART © ROBE RT RAUSCH E N BE RG F OUN DATION / LICE N SE D BY V AGA, N E W YORK ; IV Y BALDWIN PH OTO BY AN DY ROME R PH OTOGRAPH Y; ALL OTH E R IMAGE S COURTE SY
ÊFOR MORE ON TRI-STATE, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
Book It
New Canaan, Connecticut’s historic Glass House, built by postmodernist architect Philip Johnson in 1949, is a hidden pavilion with 360-degree panorama views of its surrounding landscape. From May to November, the 49-acre site features a permanent collection of 20th-century paintings and sculptures, as well as annual exhibits throughout its 14 structures. The serene location serves as the perfect backdrop for this year’s works: Yayoi Kusama’s “Narcissus Garden,” an outdoor landscape installation, and Robert Rauschenberg’s pre-Pop style in the Painting Gallery. Reservations for tickets and tours are highly recommended.
1 9 9 E lm S treet, N ew C anaan, C T ; theglasshou se. org
Clockwise from above: The artist Yayoi Kusama; a work by Robert Rauschenberg; the dancer Ivy Baldwin.
ORANGE COUNTY CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
urfer and anta onica ased p otograp er nt on riedkin captures t e acific cean in is W av e P ortf olio series, on iew at t e L a g u n a A r t M u se u m eginning une . lagu naartmu seu m. org NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
From City To Sand
.
EAT AND DRINK
Javier’s Cantina at
r stal o e is m go to for a stiff margarita. j av iers- cantina. com
18 4
Bear Flag Fish Co.
as t e er est fis tacos in town. newport. bearflagfishco.com alwa s need an iced latte at Portola Coffee, please portolacof f eelab . com
SHOP
Juxtaposition lo e
t e eautiful mi of ome and lifest le goods. j u x taposition. com Clare Vivier lare is a friend, and use er ags in all si es on t e dail . m totall o sessed wit t e renc girl meets alifornia aest etic. clarev . com A’Marees rom t e stunning setting to t e friendl owners and gorgeous collections, t is is a must see for an one isiting . . amarees. com
lice ag, L clarev . com
,
,
NextGen Vegan
LL
ewport s Crystal Cove is m fa orite eac .
After years of making eyecatching swimwear that’s become ubiquitous at Orange County’s pools and beaches, Monica Wise is branching out. “I’ve always had a love affair with beach hats,” she says about the latest accessory in her L*Space by Monica Wise line, which also includes sandals and resort apparel. Her durable hats roll and pack easily, and the three basic styles (fedora, Panama and wide-brimmed) come in various colors to suit different tastes. “It’s a California-cool lifestyle look,” Wise notes. “A hat is a great statement piece.” P anama hat, $ 6 4 ; lspace. com
Beach; caf egratitu de. com
Vegan eating has come a long way from the crunchy cafes of the 1970s. Take Gratitude, the newly opened Newport Beach branch of L.A.’s beloved Café Gratitude, which serves its organic, vegan fare in a beautiful room and also boasts a very contemporary cocktail menu. “It’s the type of place you want to be, caipirinha in hand, regardless of your dietary preferences,” says Lisa Bonbright, CEO of Gratitude parent company Love Serve Remember. Given designer Wendy Haworth’s modern bohemian interior and gorgeous patio—featuring geometrically patterned handmade cement tiles—we wholeheartedly agree. 1 6 1 7 W estclif f D riv e, N ewport
ÊFOR MORE ON ORANGE COUNTY, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
L
OCEAN
STYLISH SHADE
L
Lindsa arton as imported er ision of L. . st le from t e lc em orks outi ue and galler in t e downtown rts istrict to t e newl re amped Lido Marina Village in ewport eac . e pedestrian friendl collection of s seaside ungalows turned into a s opping center in , ut as een recentl re amped to ecome t e . . s ottest retail and food destination, wit tenants including te en lan, enni a ne, erena Lil , esop, o u, u lica in ue and polis, t e sociall conscious personal accessories and menswear rand founded Lindsa s us and, aan. ere t e st le ma en s ares er list of . . musts. 3 4 2 4 V ia Oporto, N ewport Beach; alchemy works. u s
SAN FRANCISCO CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
T h e M i s s i o n D o l o r e s settlement, founded une , , and immortali ed in lfred itc cock s film V ertigo, turns ears old t is summer. missiondolores. org MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
Cloud Wine
Flying private has its perks, but industry innovator Sentient Jet has taken luxury air travel to a new level—ground level. When Sentient Jet cardholders fly to Napa Valley and book a night in one of Meadowood’s Treeline Suites, they get a complimentary second night. Also available in the new members’ benefits guide are exclusive behind-the-scenes tastings and tours of renowned wineries such as Gargiulo Vineyards, Sinegal Estate Winery and Chateau Montelena. “We’re excited to partner with these like-minded brands,” explains Sentient president and CEO Andrew Collins, “and offer our cardholders unique ways to discover this beautiful region.” sentient. com
LL
GOING FOR GOLD
e rainc ild of c ef and owner ason o ommonwealt and partner imot elkner, founder of igilante ospitalit , O r o offers alifornia fare wit a editerranean in uence. et in a pla a court ard across from t e ld nited tates int, t e restaurant offers traditional sop istication and a modern indus trial st le, de eloped local designer odd reedon of llied rc itecture and esign. is es include snacks like ali ut c ic arrones and potato gnocc i wit sage, maitake and truf ed pecorino . ere s also an impres si e amaro cart, w ic is w eeled to our ta le. e want ou to sta and talk, and linger,” sa s elkner. t is t e perfect end to a meal.” 8 M int P laz a; orosf . com
e latest enture from us and and wife restaurateurs nna ein erg and ames ic olas is a real pearl. Leo’s Oyster Bar— named for t eir son is an e e catc ing eater ser ing c ef ennifer uccio s take on classic seafood dis es, including a lo ster roll wit uni utter, mussels en papillote and a signature appeti er of a de iled egg topped wit a fried o ster. uests can was it all down wit specialt cocktails like ett s orning u , wit itters, cocc i and soda. inner and drinks can e en o ed inside t e well designed space or al fresco on an in iting patio. 5 6 8 S acramento S treet; leossf . com
ÊFOR MORE ON SAN FRANCISCO, VISIT DUJOUR.COM/CITIES
il er eedle ea ologne, idnig t lack ea ologne, , j omalone. com
18 5
RAISING SHELL
nion treet is smelling sweet t anks to t e recent opening of Jo Malone London. ur understated sense of st le and elegance fits perfectl ,” ort merican anc eet am sa s of t e rand s arri al in t e istoric neig or ood. e outi ue de uts along wit t e new are eas fragrance collection. ea is suc an intrinsic aspect of ritis li ing,” sa s fragrance director eline ou . are teas are a out craftsmans ip, purit and ritual.” nd so, too, are t ese uni ue scents, si in all, w ic include il er eedle, idnig t lack, olong, ar eeling, olden eedle and ade Leaf ea colognes for ml . aster perfumer erge a oullier didn t tr to replicate traditional tea accords from apanese foot ills, ina or t e imala as, ut created an interpretation, focusing on t eir most surprising and eautiful facets,” for a collection t at is modern in its clarit .” 2 1 5 7 U nion S treet; j omalone. com
.
BITES BY THE BAY
Two new restaurants show off the best in San Francisco dining
HEAVEN SCENT
PARTIES CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
Joan Collins, Jason Binn, Ann Barish and Jennifer Valoppi
SAN FRANCISCO
Shari Ajayi, Allysha Garcia, Nick Cannon, Ariana Tatum and Amber Vanderzee
Victor Herrera, Nicole Villa and Carla Oliva
Jason Binn and Cristiano Mancini
Roberto Coin
Jackie HarrisHochberg and Amanda Zacharia
.
Joan Collins and Tara Solomon
Heather Davis, Nick D’Annunzio and Vene Giufurta Marysol Patton, Alexia Echevarria and Adriana De Moura
Nick Cannon and DJ Fulano
Kwame Jackson
Victor Vega and Joe Dedaj
Sal Lobuglio and Mario Leonardi with cupcakes being served from Little Cupcake Bakeshop
Percy Gibson, Peter Webster, Joan Collins, Roberto Coin and Seth Browarnik
WELCOMING ROBERTO COIN TO MIAMI
WHO: eter
e ster, o erto oin, ame oan ollins, erc i son, driana e oura, le ia c e arria, artina orgomanero asa e WHAT: e grand opening of t e o erto oin iami ags ip store WHERE: ic ael s enuine ood rink
L
18 6
Silvio Hidalgo
NICK CANNON’S COVER PARTY
WHO: ulano and ilipp lein WHAT: cele ration onoring D u J ou r co er star ick WHERE: errace at t e ream idtown otel PRESENTED BY: lite ail , elated entals, n icta
annon
Nick Woodhouse and Joe Leavitt Miles Watkins, Karen Watkins and Harvey Spevak Behati Prinsloo and Erika Jayne
Leon and Barbara Kalvaria Taylor Hill and Chase Hill
Steven Tyler and Binn on the Blackberry PRIV
Katia Graytok and Thierry Chaunu
Brooke Coffey and Martha Hunt
Valeria and Peter Arnell
Alicia Quarles
18 7
Behati Prinsloo and Jason Binn
BE H ATI: GE TTY IMAGE S/ ASTRID STAWIARZ ; STE V E N TYLE R: GE TTY IMAGE S/ ASTRID STAWIARZ ; JOSH LOWE
DUJOU R .COM
Dr. Richard Firshein and Freddy
DuJour’s Adriana Martone and Jennifer Lentol
Louisa Barranca and Denise DeLuca
Brigitte Segura and Vital Agibalow
Josephine Skriver, Romee Strijd and Taylor Hill
A ROOFTOP BASH WITH BEHATI PRINSLOO
WHO: Taylor H ill, Romee Strijd, Martha H unt, Josephine Skriver, E rika Jayne WHAT: The Behati x Juicy Couture collection launch WHERE: PH D at the Dream Downtown H otel
Andrew Heiberger and Haley Lankau
Manhattan Motorcars’ Brian Miller
Lia Love, Guests and Steven Tyler
A HOT CAR FOR A GOOD CAUSE
WHO: Steven Tyler and Manhattan Motorcars’ Brian Miller WHAT: The “Steven Tyler... Out on a Limb” charity show kick-off
with a preview of Tyler’s H ennessy V enom GT Spyder WHERE: LAV O in Midtown N YC PRESENTED BY: Blackberry PRIV and Manhattan Motorcars
BINN AROUND TOWN CITIES
CHICAGO
DALLAS/FORT WORTH
HOUSTON
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
13
15
NEW YORK
ORANGE COUNTY
SAN FRANCISCO
18 8
DUJOU R .COM
10
MIAMI
12
11
14
16
19
18
24
22
20
25
17
21
26
23
27
29
28
33
35
31
32
36
37
DUJOU R .COM
34
30
38
18 9
39
40
41
42
1. CE O of 5 W PR Ronn Torossian 2. Global PR & E vents Manager at Belvedere V odka Mario Panzarino and D u J ou r’s Adriana Martone 3. Chef Michael Mina, Chef Todd E nglish and Chef Scott Conant 4. Carmelo Anthony riding with JetSmarter 5. F ounder of White Spark N icole E sposito, Greg O’Shea and Regional Marketing Manager at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Tamara Grove 6. Len Blavatnik 7. CE O at H ublot Ricardo Guadalupe 8. Lauren Walk and President at Republic Records Charlie Walk 9. E ric Milon, Co-F ounder of InList Gideon K imbrell, CE O of F lagstone Property Group Mehmet Bayraktar, CE O at Capponi Group Michael Capponi and Antonio Misuraca 10. Global Communications Director of Max Mara Giorgio Guidotti 11. Managing Partner of H omewood Capital Douglas Teitelbaum 12. K endall Jenner, K anye West, K ris Jenner and K ylie Jenner 13. President & COO at F ontainebleau Miami Beach Phil Goldfarb and Major Accounts Manager at H ou ston C hronicle Jeana Stone 14. Lala Anthony riding with JetSmarter 15. CE O Americas at Bally Claudia Cividino and CMO at Bally William Daley 16. K ourtney K ardashian and Stephanie Sheppard 17. Myles Shear, Co-F ounder & CE O of Strategic Group Jason Strauss and Bianca N ewton 18. Team F our H undred 19. Lisa H arbert and Chef Todd E nglish 20. Cece Binn 21. Interior Designer K athleen Walsh, ABC N ews Digital E ditor David Caplan, N ortheast Builder Sales Manager at BSH H ome Appliance Group Andrew K arcich, Digital Associate Merchant at Macy’s Jennifer K isty 22. N orth American President at IWC E douard d’Arbaumont 23. F ounding Partner at Iconiq Capital Michael Anders 24. Area Director of Sales and Marketing E rnie A. Arias 25. The Bell & Ross team at 1 H otel 26. H ulk H ogan 27. V ice President at Dom Pé rignon Trent F raser, Senior V P at V euve Clicquot, K rug and Ruinart USA V anessa K ay and CMO & E V P of Brands at Moë t H ennessy Rodney Williams 28. CE O at John H ardy International Robert L. H anson, F ounder of V oyager Spirit E va Jeanbart-Lorenzotti and D u J ou r’s Leslie F arrand 29. F rances Positano and Dr. Rock Positano 30. K arolina K urkova at 1 H otel 31. Colin Cowie 32. You never know who you’ll run into on a JetSmarter f light... 33. Chief E xecutive at E dmiston Jamie E dmiston 34. Robert De N iro and Stan Rosenfield 35. Co-CE O at Turnberry Associates Jeffrey Soffer, K im K ardashian West and K anye West 36. GILT Cupcakes 37. Bradley Theodore, Jeff Tweedy, Jussie Smollett and Jurnee Smollett-Bell 38. Stanley H . Chera, F ounder of Crown Acquisitions Stanley Chera 39. Jason Rabin 40. Binn family by Romero Britto 41. Mitch Walker, Ronn Torossian, Mike H eller, Michael H erman and Rob Ronen 42. Lisa H arbert, Ted H arbert, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and Mo Garcia
COURTE SY
ENDLESS SUMMER
Extend the most joyful season of the year by visiting these destinations come fall Presented by:
PHÚ QUÕC, VIETNAM This peaceful tropical paradise is the perfect place to escape for serious R&R.
LAKE GARDA, ITALY
The views just don’t get better than this.
JIJOCA DE JERICOACOARA, BRAZIL Enjoy the amazing coastal scenery with a cocktail in hand.
BINN AROUND TOWN
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
55
56
57
58
59
60
190
DUJOU R .COM
52
51
54
53
61
65
62
63
66
64
67
68
43. K evin Ryan 44. Jason Binn and President of H ollywood F oreign Press Association Lorenzo Soria 45. President at Palm Bay International Marc Taub 46. Co-F ounder of Z ola N obu N akaguchi and CMO at Z ola Laura H olliday 47. Director of Development at Cipriani Stefania Girombelli and Angelika Ronson 48. E ditor in Chief at Observer Media K en K urson and K aren K urson 49. Group President at E stÊ e Lauder John Demsey 50. Barry Slotnick and Giuseppe Cipriani 51. F all Out Boy, Penny and CeCe Binn 52. Jackson Lewis Lee 53. Cornelia Guest and James F allon 54. Managing Director at B& B Italia Mattia Crippa, Missy and Rocco Basile 55. CMO at Stuart Weitzman Susan Duffy 56. Director of Communications at Dolce & Gabbana V alerio D’Ambrosio and Global Marketing and Communication Director at Dolce & Gabbana Paolo Cigognini 57. President of F endi Americas Gaetano Sciuto 58. CE O of Sean John Jeffrey Tweedy 59. Gloria and Shaul N akash 60. Georgia and Ron F rasch 61. CMO at Aurae Terrence Thomas 62. V P of Sales at TAG H euer N orth America Roland E nderli and Maria Jiminez 63. Bianca E spada and Stuart Slotnick 64. Omar H ernandez and Dr. Richard F irshein 65. V enus E t F leur Co-F ounders Seema Bansal, Sunny Chadha 66. Sr. Director Brand Marketing Luxury Brands H ilton Worldwide Jennifer H offman Jones, V P Global Marketing, Luxury & Lifestyle Brands at H ilton Worldwide H . Stuart F oster and CE O at H L Group Robert H arwood-Matthews 67. Restauranteur John McDonald, Owner of N oho H ospitality & Green Apple Group Joshua Pickard and CE O of E quinox H arvey Spevak 68. Chief E xecutive Officer at IMI Resort H oldings Mike Collins
She writes in a way that is very large to say, “look at me,” and uses very dramatic extensions that command attention.
On one hand, these embellishments are like jewelry for her. Accent pieces that say, “See my style.” On the other hand, that curling stroke is a cover—a hat. She is very private.
The crossbar of the capital E would rightly connect to the next letter. But she constantly stops herself; she doesn’t trust flow. She wants to choreograph everything.
Look at the word taken. The small case letter a is sheltered, housed separately and securely with walls on each side and a ceiling over top. She constantly creates little safe spaces.
192
DUJOU R .COM
There is a formality to this writing. Most letters are separate from the next letter, indicating a strong sensitivity to appearances.
Famous Last Words
The handwriting of fashion icon Daphne Guinness exposes what she’s kept hidden Written by Frances Dodds
F
or decades, Daphne Guinness—heiress to that empire of velvety Irish stouts—has captured international attention for her work as a model, actress, film producer, philanthropist, art collector and avantgarde fashion impresario; no less than Lady Gaga has called her “a living legend and muse to the greats.” The genius of Guinness has always found its origin in the continuous and outrageous reinvention of her public persona, and graphologist Annette Poizner says the handwriting sample above gestures to her theatrical instincts. “The way she’s framed the writing, she’s spaced it like a work of art. There is a self-consciousness and an orientation that has her ever mindful of life as exhibition.” It’s true that Guinness’ well-documented love of couture turned the business of self-presentation into an art form, and the unexpected ensembles she’s donned have made her an inspiration to generations of designers. At 48, however, Guinness is preparing to unveil a transformation of a more interior nature. In the wake of a heartrending period that saw the death of not only her brother, but also her close friends
Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow, Guinness found herself with a desire to revisit an old passion: singing. The result is her recently released debut album, Optimist in Black, a lyrically driven collection of songs with a strong element of showmanship that takes cues from masters like The Doors and David Bowie—the latter having visited Guinness’ studio and heard much of the album before his death. “It’s very raw,” Guinness says. “It’s a horrible tragedy suddenly having these holes in your life. I got really stuck on, Why did this happen? Why couldn’t one stop it all? And what are we supposed to do? This album was talking therapy, in a way. To me, visuals feel like a cooler art—meaning cold—but with music and words it’s very real. You can hide behind the rhyming and put a funny word here or there, but when you pick it apart, it’s pretty obvious what it’s about.” Optimist in Black is a testament to meeting grief head-on, and Guinness motions to the Oscar Wilde quote above as a reminder that there is no true escape from yourself. “Sometimes you wake up and look out the window and think, Oh, not me again, what a drag,” she says. “But really, it’s just impractical to be someone else. Life is a lifelong process.” ■
S o u n d t o o l s f o r c r e a t i v e m i n ds MW60 Wireless Over Ear Headphones
w w w. m a s t e r d y n a m i c . c o m