A Magazine, Issue 81

no. 81 Dec 2015/Jan 2016 LL10,000

The global art scene arrives at the

AĂŻshti foundation Star of beauty royal bright

Shine on this season

Fashion Red temptations for the festive season Beauty Let the new year in with a bang Art Beirut’s art scene just got big Books Monuments saved Design Going Dutch Travel Sun chasers

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Inside No. 81 DEC 2015/JAN 2016

Cityscape

60 Beirut Jewels, tipples and eats 66 London Fishing for design 68 Paris Stress busters and artful tastes 70 Milan Iconic statements and crazy felines 72 New York Rooftops to hideaways

Playground

80 Mixed media Mayaline Hage 82 Twist A surprising year 84 Book Karim Dimechkie

Fashion

92 News Naughty knickers 94 Collection Proenza Schouler 98 Debate Will bare-faced beauty catch on?

100 Exhibition Natural partners 106 Silhouette gentlemen swingout 110 Temptation Red appeal 112 Revolution Robin Givhan 122 Hot stuff Winter trends 126 Accessory An eclectic winter 148 Walk of Shame Movie star awry 170 Art goes pop Funk it up 188 Deep foundation Bold & beautiful 210 Visual Texture Muted style 218 A walk in the Country Nature’s Bounty

Beauty

230 Counter New Year, new trends 232 Controversy Men pulling it back 234 Trend Ballet fit 236 Hair do Bangs revisited 238 Attachment Having a ball

Foundation 257 Destination Beirut

Design

320 Update East to West 324 Tour Mind-bending architecture 328 Monument Rescuing the world

High Art

332 Exhibition What’s on view 336 Emotion Between ruin and repair 340 Renaissance Sursock’s seismic shift 344 Interpretation Subtle violence

Inside Lifestyle

350 City The fortifications of Galle 354 Tradition Macarons go pop 356 Secret Italy’s hush-hush destination 358 Clique Body positive

Last Word

360 Bracelet Vague expression

No. 81 DEC 2015/JAN 2016 LL10,000

The global art scene arrives at the

A• shti foundation Star of beauty royal bright

Shine on this season

Fashion Red temptations for the festive season Beauty Let the new year in with a bang Art Beirut’s art scene just got big Books Monuments saved Design Going Dutch Travel Sun chasers

Cover Her top is by Valentino Photographers Petrovsky & Ramone. Stylist Venus Waterman.

Hair and makeup Siddhartha at NCL Representation.

Model Djaja Baecke at MP Management

VHERNIER_2015Conc_BRACCIALEplisse_SilvieSaliba_AishtiMag_230x300.indd 1

19/11/15 15.56

Publisher

Tony Salamé Group TSG SAL

Associate editor-in-chief Derek A. Issacs

Art directors

Senior art and production director Maria Maalouf Senior art director Mélanie Dagher Junior art director Josée Nakhlé Guest art director Raya Farhat

Editors

Associate editor/Digital editor Christina Tkacik Assistant editor Natasha Tabet France editor Astella Saw UK editor Grace Elena Banks US editor Alexandra Marvar

Writers

Francesca Hornby, MacKenzie Kassab, Jason Lemon, Robert Landon, Kasia Maciejowska, John Ovans, M. Astella Saw, Laura Van Straaten, Stephanie dÕ Arc Taylor, Jasper Toms, Pip Usher, Millie Walton, J. Michael Welton

Photographers

Fashion photographers Tony Elieh, Lucia Maria Morelli, Petrovsky & Ramone, Alice Rosati, Alex Trommlitz Contributing photographers Carl Hallal, Nabil Ismail, Guillaume Ziccarelli

Stylists

Joe Arida, Hélène Fonton, Emily Rosenberg, Venus Waterman

Siddhartha Siddhartha has applied looks for brands and publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, I-D and L’Officiel. She is also part of makeup star Diane Kendal’s keyteam for fashion week in New York City, London, Milan and Paris.

Alexandra Marvar A writer based in New York, Alexandra Marvar also works with filmmakers, start-ups, and other creative professionals. Her ideal evening is spent reading fiction and drinking an Old Fashioned at the bar at Brooklyn’s Prime Meats.

Advertising

Melhem Moussallem, Karine Abou Arraj, Stephanie Missirian

Production and printing

Senior photo producer Fadi Maalouf Printing Dots: The Art of Printing

Responsible director Nasser Bitar

140 El Moutrane St., Fourth Floor, Downtown Beirut, Lebanon, tel. 961.1.974.444, a@aishti.com, aishtiblog.com

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time to shine Welcome to this festive edition of A where the stars most definitely come out – in fashion, beauty, travel and art. From stunning shoots featuring the must-have trends and accessories of the season – our cover Art Goes Pop and our beautiful Deep Foundation feature to inspirational travel destinations for a New Year getaway like Italy’s best-kept secret, it’s all in A. Here at home in magnificent Beirut where the new Aïshti Foundation truly sparkles in the sky, read our 56-page insert on the most talked-about exhibition space in Lebanon, featuring world-famous works from an empowering and enlightening collection. Plus much, much more. It’s time to settle back, enjoy the holidays with A. So to you and yours, yuletide felicitations and a fabulously fashionable 2016!

A ÏS H TI BY T HE SEA, J AL EL DIB

MINI KALIFORNIA

A cityscape

Just in Beirut

Diptyque (below)

This legendary French perfumer and maker of luxury scented candles has concocted the perfect festive fragrance. Three new candles radiate the woodsy aroma of the season: firs, sweetgum, and frankincense.

Available at Aïshti stores

This Maison de Haute Horlogerie opened its first ever store in the Greater Beirut suburb of Dbayeh way back in ’79. Returning to its roots with a second Cadrans in the same location, it now offers its renowned service, inimitable timepieces and celebrated jewelry to a wider audience north of the capital.

SNBSL Bldg., Dbayeh Highway, tel.

04.402.156, cadrans.com.lb

Samsung (above)

Customizing a watch face and changing a watchband has never been easier. Now you can own a watch that matches your personal style whatever the occasion. Slim, sleek and smart, this is one device that is the perfect adornment for your wrist.

AC Holding Bldg., Dbayeh Highway, Main Rd., tel. 01.884.000, samsungctc.com

Joëlle Jewellery (above)

Like moths to the flame, Madonna, Kate Perry and Carrie Underwood, et al, are seemingly attracted to this fourth-generation diamond dealer’s collection. Design and diamonds make the perfect pair, especially when mixed with pop, rock and punk chic to create true femininity.

Available at Sylvie Saliba, Charles Malek Ave., Quantum Tower Bldg., Ashrafieh, tel.

01.330.500, sylviesaliba.com A 60

Room for Three (below)

Two’s company, but three’s definitely… a party. Well, it is now. Passionate cooks Youmna and Zeina serve up tasty menu delights in Bardaro’s latest café-bar where style and simplicity reign. And with its cocktail list both long and varied, there’s plenty of imbibing to be done.

Kfoury St., Badaro, tel. 01.382.969

© Cadrans, Samsung, Room for Three, Jöelle jewellery, Bulgari, Gramm, BMW, de grisogono, Athletes Anonymous, Chateau Musar, Ralph Masri, Théa, Jiao

Cadrans (above)

A cityscape

Just in Beirut

Bulgari Goldea (below)

Inspired by gold and light, Goldea means “Gold Goddess.” Master perfumer Alberto Morillas has developed an aroma of the Orient – notes of musk, orange blossom, raspberry and bergamot, with hints of amber, patchouli, and Egyptian papyrus.

El Moutran St., Downtown, tel. 01.999.159

This new épicerie fine d’Orient dedicates itself to herbs and spices, and all things nice. Into the mix are noteworthy products such as the famed Calisson of Aix en Provence, saffron from Iran, and rose buds from Turkey. Pop in for lunch.

El Arz St., Saifi, tel. 01.448.720, gramm-lb.com

BMW (below)

Can you hear it? No, nor can we. The silence is quite simply the sound of sheer style. Or in other words, the 6th generation BMW 7 series complete with the very latest in design and technology.

Bassoul Heneine sal, Sed el Bauchrieh, tel.

01.684684, Ain el Mreisseh, tel. 01.360708, bashen.com

Vortice by de Grisogono (left)

Fans of de Grisogono are in a spin with the latest addition by this Swiss high jeweler.

Delicate spiral swirls create dynamic and fascinating movements; wearer and jewelry merge as rings and earrings gracefully encircle the skin.

Available at Sylvie Saliba, Charles Malek Ave., Quantum Tower Bldg., Ashrafieh, tel.

01.330.500, sylviesaliba.com

Athletes Anonymous (above)

Mar Mikhael’s got it all: bars, cafés and restaurants. And now a gym, the new playground in town. Swing from monkey bars, beat a boxing bag, and climb a boulder wall.

Working up a sweat has never been such fun.

Chalhoub Bldg., Armenia St., Mar Mikhael, tel. 01.560507 A 62

© Cadrans, Samsung, Room for Three, Jöelle jewellery, Bulgari, Gramm, BMW, de grisogono, Athletes Anonymous, Chateau Musar, Ralph Masri, Théa, Jiao

Gramm (above)

JIMMYCHOO.COM

A cityscape

Just in Beirut Amarilla (left)

Experience the taste of Latin America in Beirut’s Mar Mikhael district. This traditional Lebanese house serves up Latino classics − cuisine or cocktails − within a retro-style lounge and a rather leafy garden.

Badawi St., Mar Mikhael, tel. 01.577.666, 70.705.200

Chateau Musar (right)

In light of their 85th anniversary, it’s time to revisit the distinct signature of Musar.

Renown for aging oh, so gracefully, one only has to have the tiniest of wafts to recognize this pioneer of Lebanon’s wineries.

Ghazir, Keserwan, tel. 01.201.828, chateaumusar.com

Théa (above)

Delve into a universe of subtle and refined flavors where tea − hot or iced, on the go or seated − has never tasted so good. Oh, and with your very own tea kit, too, these unique flavors can be taken home or, better still, offered as an original gift.

Midtown Bldg., Jal el Dib, tel. 04.711.783, espacethea.com A 64

The newly revamped Sursock Museum is a beacon of art and culture on the Beirut scene.

Now, the building’s iconic arabesque motifs are for the taking in the form of rings and earrings by Beirut-based jeweler Ralph Masri.

Exclusively available in the museum’s boutique.

Sursock St., Ashrafieh, tel. 01.202.009

Jiao (left)

If it’s authentic homemade dumplings you crave, then look no further than the Jiao food truck. Ensconced outside Junkyard, Mar Mikhael, this mobile food stop offers an exclusive selection of pan-fried dumplings, Thursdays through Sundays starting 6 p.m. onwards.

Armenia St., Mar Mikhael, tel. 71.400.015

© Cadrans, Samsung, Room for Three, Jöelle jewellery, Bulgari, Gramm, BMW, de grisogono, Athletes Anonymous, Chateau Musar, Ralph Masri, Théa, Jiao

Ralph Masri (above)

A_MAG_LB_PS_SP16.qxp_230x300 10/23/15 11:54 AM Page 1

A誰shti By the Sea Jal el Dib

A cityscape

Just in London

The World Goes Pop (right)

Tate Modern’s exhibition is the first to look at the landmark contributions from artists working in the Middle East, Latin America and Europe, to Pop art – featuring rarely seen works by Ushio Shinohara and Kiki Kogelnik, amongst others.

Tate Modern, Bankside, tel. 44.20.7887.8888, tate.org.uk

Sexy Fish (right)

Charles and Ray Eames at The Barbican (above)

The Barbican’s landmark exhibition delves into the creative process of contemporary design’s most iconic names, Charles and Ray Eames. Unlike others before, the show spotlights the Eames’s trial and error approach to modern design. Silk St., tel. 44.20.7638.8891 barbican.org.uk

Nestled in a cozy corner of Mayfair, Sexy Fish introduces pioneering Asian methods of cooking seafood to London. With art on show by Damien Hirst, who knew fish could be so sexy?

Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, tel. 44.20.7655.0390, sexyfish.com

Canto Corvino (below)

London’s Spitalfields is having a renaissance and the team behind Canto Corvino is behind it. With a mix of cocktails and regional Italian cooking, this neighborhood bar and restaurant is becoming an East London favorite.

21 Artillery Lane, Spitalfields, tel. 44.20.7655.0390 cantocorvino.co.uk

Not one to shy away from controversy, Damien Hirst hasn’t just opened a new gallery, he’s taken over a street. Head to South London’s Vauxhall to view the artist’s contemporary art collection all in one tree lined location.

Newport St., tel. 44.20.3141.9320, newportstreetgallery.com

A 66

©Tate Modern, Barbican, Sexy Fish, Canto Corvino, Newport Street gallery

Newport Street Gallery (below)

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A cityscape

Just in Paris

Hôtel Providence (below)

Past the stylish ground-floor bar, past the stunning gold-tinged tropical prints, the bedrooms here come well equipped with vintage furnishings and a personal marbletopped bar stocked with all the trimmings to make a cocktail or two of your choice.

90 Rue René Boulanger, 10th arrondissement, tel. 33.1.46.34.34.04, hotelprovidenceparis.com

Hôtel L’Antoine (below)

Within walking distance of the Bastille, this Christian Lacroix–designed hotel takes no prisoners. There are photographic murals here, a patchwork of graphic tiles there, and, throughout, a riot of contemporary colors reflecting the vibrant, historic neighborhood.

12 Rue de Charonne, 11th arrondissement, tel. 33.1.55.28.30.11, hotelantoinebastilleparis.com

Karl Lagerfeld, A Visual Journey (above)

Focusing his lens not only on fashion but also on architecture, landscapes, portraiture and abstractions, überstar Karl Lagerfeld, best known as a designer and creative director, reveals himself a curious and surprising photographer.

On view until March 20 at the Pinacothèque de Paris, 8 Rue Vignon, 9 arrondissement, tel. 33.1.42.68.02.01, pinacotheque.com

Salt (below) Juice Lab (below)

© Hôtel Providence, Juice Lab, Karl Lagerfeld, Hôtel L’ Antoine, Salt

Combatting daily stresses and the glitterfueled fatigue of party season, this cool newcomer presents a rainbow-hued selection of vitamin-packed, cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices. Nothing like a mangopineapple-basil juice with a touch of japaleño pepper to jolt you out of a hangover.

83 Rue des Martyrs, 18th arrondissement, tel. 33.9.53.23.33.53, juicelab.com

British chef Daniel Morgan plans his intriguing, daily-changing seafood menus based on the day’s freshest catch.

Accompanied by a succinct list of wines and artisanal beers, these are delectable plates well worth their salt.

6 Rue Rochebrune, 11th arrondissement, tel.

33.1.73.71.56.98, salt-restaurant.com

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LEBANON BEirut S Ouk S +961 1 991 111 Ext 5 95

A cityscape

Just in Milan

La Macchina Del Tempo (right)

Alfa Romeo celebrates its 105-year anniversary with the rebirth of its museum.

The new key design element, the “Alfa red” hue, brings a retro- ’70s feel to the space that also displays 69 Alfa Romeo classics which effortlessly “drive” museum-goers through the automobile’s history.

Viale Alfa Romeo, 20200 Arese, tel.39.02.444.2511, museoalfaromeo.com

Barbie. The Icon (left)

Barbara Millicent Roberts isn’t just a doll: She’s a huge star. The Museo delle Culture chose to honor the fashion icon by showcasing Barbie’s evolution through time, ever since she first appeared as a Teen-Age Fashion Model Doll in 1959, and as a Fashion Editor in 1960.

Museo delle Culture, via Tortona 56, tel.

39.02.8429.3701, mudec.it/ita/Barbie

Meow! The originally Asian Cat Coffee Shop concept has made it to Milan. Crazy Cat Café welcomes cat lovers to take a break and savor velvety season soups and salty cakes in a cat friendly environment. The “purrfect” place for a cuddle buddy.

Via Napo Torriani, 5, tel. 39.02.8454.2739, crazycatcafe.it

The Mandarin Oriental, Milan (above) Pasticceria Marchesi (left)

For nigh on two centuries this historic Milanese café has excelled in the creation of handcrafted fine delicacies. And now it just got even bigger and better (if that’s possible) with a new, central location and new delights to sample.

Via Monte Napoleone, 9, 20121, tel.

39.02.7600.8238, pasticceriamarchesi.it A 70

Formed from four elegantly redeveloped 18th-century buildings, the franchise’s newest luxury landmark opens in the heart of Milan.

As one would expect, there’s exquisite fine dining – presented, no less, by Michelinstarred chef Antonio Guida. A chilled ambience awaits at the Mandarin Bar, and the superb spa promises to soothe tense souls.

Via Andegari 9, tel. 39.02.8731.8888, mandarinoriental.com/Milan

© Alfa Romeo, Crazy Cat Café, Barbie, The Mandarin Oriental, Pasticceria Marchesi

Crazy Cat Café (above)

A cityscape

Just in New York

Kimoto (below)

Among the skyscrapers of Downtown Brooklyn, New York’s very first Asian rooftop beer garden offers clever interpretations of American favorites, twenty varieties of Asian craft beers, and stunning skyline vistas.

216 Duffield St., Brooklyn, tel. 718.858.8940, kimotorooftop.com

Visana (above)

In the East Village, this tucked-away speakeasy (secret entrance through a pizza shop) pays equal mind to dance floor ambiance and health-obsessed cocktail offerings, whole fresh coconuts included.

321 First Ave., tel. 917.639.3453, visananyc.com

St. Ann’s Warehouse (below) Bo O’Connor, personal chef to the one and only Lady Gaga, debuts a menu of full-on American cuisine showcasing “tried-and-true comfort classics” at her new gastro-pub The Pomeroy.

36-12 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, tel. 718.721.1579, thepomeroynyc.com

La Chine (above)

With the Waldorf Astoria’s new ownership comes the elegant new La Chine, where revered chefs have cultivated a menu of authentic, high-end specialties unlike any other Chinese cuisine in Gotham.

Waldorf Astoria New York, 540 Lexington Ave., tel. 212.872.4913, lachinenyc.com A 72

More beautiful than ever before after its $31 million renovation, St. Ann’s Warehouse theater is now housed in Dumbo’s landmark Tobacco Warehouse, featuring an open-air garden and a full program of world-class stage performances.

45 Water St., Brooklyn, tel. 718.254.8779, stannswarehouse.org © Visana, La Chine, The Pomeroy, Kimoto, St. Anne’s Warehouse

The Pomeroy (above)

A誰shti Downtown Beirut TEL. 01.991 111 A誰shti BY THE SEA, Jal el Dib TEL. 04.717 716 A誰shti Verdun TEL. 01.793 777

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A playground _ mixed media

Alone on a desert island…

By Christina Tkacik

Lumi’s frontwoman Mayaline Hage reveals what keeps her sane In this regular feature, we ask a local personality what books, movies and music he or she would take along if they just happened to be stranded on a deserted island. Alone.

It’s seclusion all the way for Hage, but only in short, sharp bursts; just a mere hour, and teleported in at that… and out again. But what would she listen to in that rather short time? Seemingly quite a lot: “A compilation of what moves me the most.” Rock artists include Clinic, Interpol, Sonic Youth, The Beatles, and “to nourish the two sides in me,” a Léo Ferré or Philip Glass album gets thrown into the mix. “To stay in touch with the godlike side of cinema… a Woody Allen pick or a comical French movie, a De Funès or Pierre Richard” does the trick, helping to keep her spirit buoyant. But it’s not all frivolity. A masterpiece – Bergman, Godard or Tarkovsky – is also on hand.

“To feed my esthetic thirst, it’s poetry – Baudelaire, Cocteau or Prévert.” To feed the soul, she reaches for the teachings of Buddha or Rumi. And if she were stranded for more than an hour? “I’d take a good, long novel.”

A 80

©Albumartexchange, Laura Sevennes, Penguin Books New Zealand, Fanart,

A Mag catches up with Mayaline Hage, frontwoman of the wonderful local electroglam-pop band Lumi, along with Marc Codsi, who were recently back in the studio – check out their infectious new tracks “Two Swords” and “Dream About” on YouTube.

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A playground _ twist

The unexpected

The year in surprise albums

It’s impossible to talk about surprise albums without mentioning the “Queen”. Beyoncé more or less invented the genre in December 2013, when she launched her selftitled visual album with no advanced notice. It was such a big deal that Harvard Business School literally did a case study on the impact of the surprise album.

Today, surprise albums are becoming such a popular trend among musicians that a time may be approaching when albums with month- (or year) long promotional campaigns are a thing of the past.

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© One Little Indian Limited/Welhart Limited, Smiley Miley Inc., Cash Money Records Inc.

By Christina Tkacik

For musicians there’s reason to like the surprise album – that is, one released with little or no advanced publicity.

It lowers the pressure to meet audience expectations and allows a level of creative freedom not always available in the music industry. The second reason, of course, is publicity. Surprise!

In case you missed it (ICYMI) here are the biggest surprises of 2015.

January began with Björk’s Vulnicura. For the artsy Icelandic singer, who was also the subject of a retrospective at New York’s MoMa in March, the surprise release wasn’t a publicity stunt, but a response to the album’s being leaked on the Internet. It was originally scheduled to debut in March. Björk accompanied the release with the words “to all the impatient thieves who downloaded the leak.”

The following month, rap’s favorite Canadian exboyfriend Drake surprise-released (or “Beyoncé-d”) his “mixtape” If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late. Though it lacked a radio-ready single, critics hailed it as one of the most cohesive and daring albums of the year.

Summertime brought a surge in surprise albums, beginning with Wilco’s Star Wars, which was the altcountry band’s first album in four years, released for free and with no advanced warning on their website. Lead singer Jeff Tweedy wrote on the band’s Instagram: “Why

release an album this way and why make it free? Well, the biggest reason, and I’m not sure we even need any others, is that it felt like it would be fun.” Fun – remember what that is?

In case Star Wars wasn’t enough to give aging music lovers heart attacks, the following month, rap legend Dr. Dre released his first album in 16 years. Compton, a companion to the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, featured guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. Rolling Stone called it a “brilliant, confounding” album and gave it four out of five stars.

And just weeks later, Miley Cyrus was on stage hosting the MTV Music Video Awards, a confetti cannon wedged in her crotch, when she announced the release of her newest album – for free online. Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz marked a major shift for the former pop princess, and was a collaboration with alt-rock darlings The Flaming Lips. Hipster favorite Ariel Pink even made an appearance. A sweet, sonic, artsy, and folksy album – from Miley Cyrus? It’s the kind of feat you can only pull off with the element of surprise.

However, when surprise is the only constant, it’s not a surprise anymore. By September, when Drake came around with his second surpise album of the year, What a Time to Be Alive, rock critics were already beginning to ponder the demise of the surprise abum. What a time to be alive, indeed.

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A playground _ book

Break your heart Christina Tkacik

Karim Dimechkie’s Lifted by the Great Nothing

But life is funny like that. Today, Lebanese American novelist Karim Dimechkie is in Beirut promoting his debut novel, Lifted by the Great Nothing, about a young boy with an overbearing Lebanese father. And today, in a situation of life imitating art imitating life in a closed loop, he’s staying with his dad in Hamra.

We’re sitting in a sort of goofily girly café in Clemenceau, each of us doublefisting espresso and San Pellegrino. The conversation flows naturally – Dimechkie is an optimistic sort of guy, self-deprecating and generous in giving information about himself. I instantly liked him, despite any back-of-my-mind jealousy regarding A 84

the fact that only one of us sitting at the table is a published novelist. Dimechkie doesn’t exactly fit the traditional image of the brooding novelist. For one, he’s not brooding. He’s tall and fair, with a thick head of hair and an easy smile. He struggles with the label of “Lebanese American author.” “It wasn’t a struggle in any way,” he says. “I’m just ‘white dude’ in the States.”

Struggle or not, growing up with a Lebanese father and a French mother in the United States played an integral role in shaping his mixed identity. “My parents were the kinds of immigrants who were always nostalgic for back home,” he says. Young Karim felt his parents were “studying” Americans – observing their cultural ways and generalizing about their customs. This created some confusion for their son, who attended school with Americans. “At home I kind of felt like a spy, like I was spying on my parents for the Americans; at school I felt like I was spying for both the Lebanese and the French.”

For Dimechkie, the greatest challenge of becoming a writer has been finding his voice. “This idea of dreaming onto the

page is sort of the spiritual element of it,” he says. He lives in New York City’s Lower East Side with his partner and a large dog named Pavlov. And each and every morning he wakes up, drinks a lot of coffee, and paces around the house in his pajamas until he’s ready to begin writing, which he does for a minimum of four hours.

Then comes the editing, which is the work.

All of this is interspersed with compulsive email checking. “The internet is the devil….

I just check my email compulsively even though obviously no one has written me in the last ten minutes. That’s my weird tic. Why hasn’t anyone written me? Then I realize, because I haven’t written anyone.”

Sense of humor is vital, as is selfdeprecation. “I think humor is very vulnerable in a way,” he says. It also makes for a greater emotional impact in artwork.

“Because you made me laugh I’m going to like you, and when something bad happens it’s going to hurt that much more. You’re going to break my heart. I can’t explain why but the best pieces of art, break your heart,” he pauses. “That rhyme was really annoying.”

© Karim Dimechkie

As a child, Karim Dimechkie refused to read. During the long summers of his youth in New Jersey, his father mandated that his children spend an hour reading every day.

But Karim resisted. “I was so contrarian that I would actually prefer to just look at the book and let my eyes blur and pretend to read. Because, to me, I couldn’t get why the hell would I be sitting in that room looking in this page, when my neighbor has a trampoline?”

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A fashion _ news

Fashion fragments ‘Tis the season to stun

Catwalk queen (below)

Lineisy Montero – remember this name. The Dominican beauty walked a jaw-dropping 68 spring/summer 2016 shows, making the runway newcomer one of the most sought after models of the season.

Burberry Festive Film (above)

It’s been 15 years since Billy Elliot danced his way into our hearts, and Burberry is celebrating the anniversary with the Burberry Festive Film. The tribute film includes cameos by Elton John, Romeo Beckham, Naomi Campbell and more.

Visit burberry.com

Knickers Forever (below)

Hoop dreams (above)

The piercing trend shows no signs of slowing. Givenchy’s facial hoops and studs may be impractical off the runway, but Balenciaga proves that cartilage piercings can be edgy and elegant.

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© Burberry, Givenchy, Agent provocateur, Prada, DVF

Forget nice. Naughty wins out this Christmas, and Agent Provocateur’s new Knickers Forever collection has the perfect gift for every stocking.

Visit agentprovocateur.com

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11/30/15 11:49 AM

A fashion _ duo

Power couple

By John Ovans

Š Proenza Schouler, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Morris, Getty Images David M.Benett

Proenza Schouler: still innovate like no other

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Proenza Schouler fall/winter 2015-16 collection worn by Cate Blanchett and inspired by impressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler, sculptor Robert Morris and ’90s grunge

Credited as providing a jumpstart to American fashion, attracting the hippest of crowds at New York Fashion Week, and often referred to by the media as a “power duo,” Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez – the men behind Proenza Schouler – were once youthful upstarts who emerged in a climate where there was a dearth of young American brands ready to take the mantle from the likes of Marc Jacobs.

The two met as students at Parsons School of Design in New York back in 2002 – and were breaking the norm early on when they became the first students to do a joint thesis together, presenting a collection that was double in size to their fellow students. “It’s always good to piss some people off,” the two told Harper’s Bazaar earlier this year. “That’s something we learned at Parsons. Our teachers at school hated us. We were the worst students.” That being said, they graduated with Designer of the Year honors, proving that together they could create a powerful singular vision – one that would lead them to twice-win the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and helm a company with more than 100 employees.

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A fashion _ collection

The appeal that brought them their original success endures to this day: Proenza Schouler is best-known for producing clothes that eschew the avant-garde in favor of that which is simply wearable. McCollough and Hernandez embrace the “commercial” label that is often attributed to them, streamlining an esthetic that is often arty and crafty, and a little rough around the edges – a vibe they claim is due to having grown up in the grungetastic ’90s. The two also maintain to have vastly different points of view, although contemporary art and architecture are a continual point of reference, citing the likes of Sterling Ruby, Gerhard Richter, and David Adjaye as influences.

Their fall/winter 2015-16 collection looked to American abstract impressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler for inspiration and sculptor Robert Morris, as well as the mid-century New York School artists at large. It was lauded as experimental and technically ambitious, with panelling recalling the work of Morris – although the nod to Frankenthaler was less literal. Instead, McCollough and Hernandez took cue from her work process, which involved pouring paint across raw canvas with no particular intention or endpoint in mind. They took the same instinctive approach to the collection, cutting, slashing and draping and cultivating a raw, organic feel.

It was also texturally varied, with chiffon that resembled tweed, sequins and velvet all making an appearance, as well as other fabrics that appeared to have been chewed up by a shredder and then reconstructed.

Elsewhere there were feathers, fox fur, and extensive use of eyelets that took the untamed feel into something altogether more punk, A 96

complimented by black fishnets, leather headbands and stacked heels.

Critics praised the show as the most innovative and energizing of New York Fashion Week – not bad for a brand entering a new period of maturity, with the designers recently moving to the countryside for a bit of peace and quiet. Yet while they spend their weekends gardening and cleaning out the chicken coop, during the week they are continuing to produce the kind of bold and brilliant fashion that sent them skywards to begin with.

Visit proenzaschouler.com

© Proenza Schouler, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Morris, Getty Images David M.Benett

The learning curve up to those highs was steep, however. After Parsons, the buzz surrounding them was deafening, and when Barneys New York ordered the entirety of their graduate collection, the pair found themselves attempting to meet the demands of a large-scale industry.

They produced the order by inviting friends round under the pretext of a cocktail party, and handing them scissors instead, and later, appointed a school chum to be their CEO. They named their brand after their mother’s maiden names.

A fashion _ debate

Yes or no

Backstage at the Alexander Wang Fall Winter 2015 Show

Should the catwalk’s bare-faced beauty look catch on?

YES There’s an early scene in the movie Bridesmaids where Kristen Wiig’s character is lying awake in bed with Jon Hamm, her inattentive friend with benefits, who is sleeping next to her. Sneaking out of bed, she goes and primps in the mirror, reapplies her makeup, adjusts her pushup bra, and heads back to bed, looking perfect, just like a sleeping woman in a magazine.

And after all that, he still treats her like garbage.

For years there’s existed an unwritten rule in society – blame the movies, if you want – that women must always look flawless, never a hair out of place, never a breast sagging. “I woke up like this.” No, really!

But times are beginning to change. Have you seen the T-shirts? Girls walk down the street wearing slogans like “Not your babe,” and “Don’t need a boyfriend.” Young women are rebelling against traditional gender roles and conventions of beauty, especially against those unwritten rules of perfectionism.

And they’re not wearing makeup.

Debuting this fall/winter 2015-16 collection, Marc Jacobs styled models that looked like dewy versions of goth kids. Jil Sander’s models were imperfectly perfect in their own uncovered skin. And Alexander Wang’s models went full-on pale.

The no-trend is defiant. Sure, I look hotter when I’m wearing layers of foundation, but guess what? I’d rather sleep in.

By Christina Tkacik, associate editor, A Magazine

NO Upon hearing the horrifying news that no make-up was the newest beauty trend for 2015, I immediately came out in hives. Do you know what I used to cover those hives up? Makeup. This is because it is good at covering up our imperfections. And the reason we have these imperfections is that we are not all teenage supermodel waifs with perfect alabaster skin for whom the no makeup trend works.

The no-trend is inarguably a terrible one. It would be the same if there were suddenly a trend for having incredibly long legs, beautiful almond-shaped eyes, or an impossibly pert bottom - some people don’t have those assets (I do, incidentally) so it’s not really something they can work with, save for resorting to a head transplant, which isn’t yet medically possible anyway.

Fashion and makeup allow us to present a glammed up version of ourselves, not a version of ourselves that just stepped out the shower.

I challenge you to deny it, you who are reading a fashion magazine, and know full well that we are living in an image-conscious society for whom a face that resembles a crater-filled moon simply will not do. To quote Naomi Campbell, “Check your lipstick before you come and talk to me.”

Gucci Backstage

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© Gucci, Alexander Wang

Words such as “practical” and “low-maintenance” keep getting bandied around by the misguided fashion press, but by the same reasoning we should all be shaving our heads and wearing prisonstyle jumpsuits to keep things lovely and understated in our day-today lives. The fact remains that I do not wish to look like a corpse when I step out the front door, nor at a work, nor at a party.

Š Gucci Tian, Ren Yong, Xie Yingjie, Rachel Feinstein, Lu Yuchao, Nigel Shafran, Cao Fei

A fashion _ exhibition

The art of fashion

By John Ovans

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Fashion and art: The perfect fit

Gucci leads the way as luxury brands look to the art world to help enrich their identities.

No longer content to create art simply on the runway, fashion houses are seeking to dig their claws into the art world proper.

Fashion retrospectives in iconic artistic institutions have become commonplace: In 2015, we’ve seen Alexander McQueen at London’s V&A, Lanvin at the Palais Galliera in Paris, and during the summer in the Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, a show devoted to Cristòbal Balenciaga. The enormous success of these has proved that

positing a brand through a different medium can attract it to a whole new audience – and for this reason, archives have become increasingly important to brands, with their heritage something to build from.

But while critics have been mistrustful about the promotional nature of many such exhibitions, accusing fashion houses of sticking their noses where they don’t belong, it’s not like fashion and art make for an awkward fit. They’re natural partners, only fashion takes a lot more flak as a product: as Alice Gregory from The Wall Street Journal

This and opposite page Gucci’s Alessandro Michele teamed up with stylist Katie Grand to curate a special exhibition entitled “No Longer/Not Yet” in Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai

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articulated, “We think of art appreciation as erudite, but an interest in fashion is considered airheaded. When an art-lover buys art, it’s called “collecting.” When a fashion enthusiast buys clothing, it’s called “shopping.” Art is supposed to be timeless and important, while fashion is understood to be ephemeral and frivolous.

Yet the two creative disciplines continue to draw from one another, not least because it stands to reason that the fashion houses’ creative directors are art lovers themselves. The industry is one that they’ll willingly, and probably skillfully, too, stick their fingers into if given the chance.

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Back in October, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele teamed up with super-stylist Katie Grand to curate a special exhibition entitled “No Longer/Not Yet” in Shanghai’s prestigious Minsheng Art Museum, in which the pair asked seven international and Chinese artists to muse on the subject of, “What is contemporary?” A grand subject that seems deliberately at odds with the pastfacing nature of a retrospective, instead choosing to tackle head-on the intangible quality of “nowness” which defines an impossibly fast-paced industry where a look can be become dated the week after you bought it. Michele, who has been lauded for his modern reimagining of the Gucci brand, drew inspiration

© Gucci Tian, Ren Yong, Xie Yingjie, Rachel Feinstein, Lu Yuchao, Nigel Shafran, Cao Fei

A fashion _ exhibition

This page A sculpture by Helen Feinstein (top) and work by multimedia artist Cao Fei (bottom) Opposite page Exhibits by Gucci Tian (top), photographs by Nigel Shafran, and display tables by Lu Yuchao (bottom)

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from philosopher Roland Barthes, asserting that contemporary means a merging of past and future.

Works included those by Chinese multimedia artist Cao Fei, British photographers Glen Luchford and Nigel Shafran, American neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, American sculptor Rachel Feinstein, British artist and illustrator Unskilled Worker, as well as sound designers John Gosling and Steve MacKley who provided soundtracks for each installation. Particular highlights were Holzer’s work, which used hijacked advertising slogans to show how much they have infiltrated the urban landscape, and Cao Fei’s “Rumba II: Nomad”, A 104

using a collection of vacuum cleaners and a rubber chicken (yes, really) to question urban expansion in China. Beijing-based Fei was a bold and curious choice for Gucci, as her work shows an uneasiness with the fast-changing environment of contemporary China one where luxury brand stores have sprung up at an impossibly fast rate.

This is likely to be a trend that we will see much more of – and certainly, as far as brand marketing goes, the scope for creating something – as with Gucci – interesting, self-questioning and even subversive is enormous. If this is contemporary thinking, then we’re totally on board.

© Gucci Tian, Ren Yong, Xie Yingjie, Rachel Feinstein, Lu Yuchao, Nigel Shafran, Cao Fei

This page Work by Unskilled Worker (top) and display tables by Lu Yuchao (bottom)

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A fashion _ silhouette

Let loose

By Derek A. Issacs

Kiss the skinny silhouette goodbye Gentlemen with less than a lithe figure (that’s probably most of us) can finally heave a huge sigh of relief as the fall season kisses goodbye to the 10-year reign of skinny cuts and tailored suits. Baggy pants are back.

Zegna

There is something quite unrestrictive, rebellious about bellowing baggy pants.

Don’t believe me? Think Oxford Bags, loose-fitting trousers that flew in the face of the stuffy British establishment of the ’20s. Favored by a group Oxford University students, these wide-legged trousers could be worn effortlessly over the taboo knickerbockers, which had been banned from being worn during lectures.

Zegna

Zegna

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Zegna

Over in England at some of London’s chicest nightspots, clothes rationing and even Hitler’s bombs were unable to stem the rebelliousness of bright young things in baggy pants. Not least, at Soho’s most glamorous nightclub of the time, Café de Paris. Ken Johnson and his Rhythm Swingers, led by Ken “Snakehips” Johnson, played swing and jazz as the glitterati – the young and the beautiful − jitterbugged the nightly air raids away to inject glitz into the Blitz.

Until March 8, 1941, that is: One bomb fatally

© Zegna, Bottega, Gucci

A decade or two later in the swing era of the late ’30s and ’40s, a roomier new silhouette allowed for more freedom of movement. The oversized Zoot suits, with their pegged, highwaisted and wide-legged trousers were worn in defiance by young blacks, Italians and Mexicans who filled dance halls across the U.S. with their flexible and sexually charged dance routines.

made a beeline for the packed dance floor.

Music and dance were brought to a tragic end; baggy pants lay in tatters… for that night, at least.

Bottega

Bottega

Baggy pants ebbed and flowed throughout the decades of the 20th century. For the most part, their appearance – or reappearance – screamed: “Loosen up; it’s time to live!” Let’s face it, who can imagine doing the routine of the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers dancers in 1941 film adaptation of the musical Hellzapoppin’ in skinny-cut trousers? The voluminous freedom of the ’70s was not immune. Wide trousers were the hallmarks of rock n’ rollmeets-Saville Row tailors, and Oxford Bags reemerged at Northern Soul dancehalls across the north of England. Over in the States, Barry White’s Love Unlimited sang about a High Steppin’ Hip Dressin’ Fella in a hit of the same name. Seemingly, if your trousers weren’t big then you surely weren’t hip. Skip a decade and at the helm of the ’90s were baggy attire and dance. Impromptu venues, or raves, sprung up in farmers’ fields and in the abandoned factories of decaying industrial cities. Baggy pants and sweatshirts were oversized and shapeless (perhaps not fashion’s best look of the 20th century, admittedly), allowing ravers to fling their hands in the air like they just didn’t care. And they didn’t.

And so here we are in the mid-second decade of the 21st century, where designers have swung to the skinny look’s polar opposite.

Baggy pants are back. Those crucial high waistbands, exaggerated pleats and wider legs littered the fall/winter 2015-16 shows, most notable Ermenegildo Zegna, Bottega Veneta and Gucci. For that ’40s swing look, team your baggies with a Marc Jacobs classic cashmere turtleneck or a light-knit tank tightly tucked in. Finish off with Church’s brogues and an Ermenegildo Zegna leather belt.

Gucci

Gucci

If you have avoided the skinny look because of a few extra kilos, then remember this: high-waisted baggy pants flatten the stomach, elongate the legs and accentuate the buttocks. It doesn’t get better than that.

So let’s swing.

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A fashion _ temptation

Scarlet woman

By Pip Usher

The red dress has a renaissance

On the catwalk, the appeal of the scarlet woman endures, too. The fall/winter 201516 collections explored the ongoing legacy of the femme fatale, but with constructions that sought to overturn patriarchal assumptions of her moral decency (or lack of it). Today’s lady in red wears it with the knowledge of what others will think, yet cares little for their preconceptions. She’s confident in her sexual power, but refuses to be defined by it. It’s a color that suggests a power entirely of her own making. The male gaze is mere afterthought.

Alexander McQueen

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At Alexander McQueen, varying shades of crimson played a fundamental role in the moody atmosphere of the show. Creative

© Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Gucci

In 2012, a psychologist by the name of Adam Pazda decided to study the effect of red clothing upon men. Was it really so suggestive of erotica, he wondered? After showing 25 men a photo of a woman in a white T-shirt or a red one, Pazda asked them to rate her openness to sexual advances. In each instance, they determined her to be more interested in sex if she was wearing red. The color, it seems, long associated with sexuality, temptation and the fallen woman, still holds the male psyche in its sway.

Gucci

Valentino

director Sarah Burton amped up the vamp factor with wild creations that paid homage to another creative mind – that of Tim Burton, the filmmaker behind such macabre classics like Edward Scissorhands and The Corpse Bride. Burton’s own twisted fairytale was presented via an intricately ruched, burgundy creation intertwined with gothic black detailing. Hair was twisted into a riotous beehive atop the model’s head, while skin was creamy-white and lips stained with color. Or there was an intricately laced and feathered gown in vermilion, fit for an enchanted princess. Each dress suggests its own narrative, but the ending remains the same. Take the woman in front of you for granted, they warn, and risk being placed under a spell for a hundred years.

Over at Gucci, make-believe was set aside and sensibility employed in its place. One bookish beauty, demure in her knee-length,

ruby-red dress, flat shoes and bookish set of spectacles, paraded down the catwalk.

Or there was another in a high-waisted, crimson leather skirt. Yet beneath the primness lurked an undercurrent of potent sexuality. A transparent blouse revealed the model’s lack of bra underneath; the ruby-red dress hinted at hidden desire. The result is slow-burn seduction – on her terms.

Valentino can always be trusted to send out a show-stopping red dress, and this season was no exception. The designer’s signature hue is unabashedly enticing, a blend of magenta, yellow and black that demands attention with a voracious appetite.

Valentine’s masterpieces follow the chronicles of a fallen woman on first glance.

Like that delicious apple waiting to be plucked in the Garden of Eden, these gowns transcend the mundanity of life, and the women wearing them represent something deeply desirable. The difference is that these gowns are worn with dignity. Think of an empress presiding over a banquet of visiting dignitaries, and the columned, Grecian cut of his latest gown suddenly takes on new meaning. Valentino’s woman is wearing red, and she’s wearing it proudly.

Naysayers be damned.

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A fashion _ revolution

The Battle of Versailles

By Christina Tkacik

Fashion critic Robin Givhan dishes out

In her first book, The Battle of Versailles, the longtime Washington Post staffer tells the story of an event that changed the fashion world forever: a show at Versailles in 1973 in which American designers – then relative unknowns like Oscar de la Renta – competed against French titans like Yves Saint Laurent.

The book charts the beginnings of haute couture in 19th-century Paris, and ends by discussing Kanye West’s first show at Paris Fashion Week, with plenty of meditations on the nature of the industry in between.

“Fashion can tell us so much about the times we live in, whether it is the preponderance of yoga pants worn outside of yoga studios or the general uptick of interest in menswear,” Givhan says in an interview with A Magazine.

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© Flatiron Books, Shuuterstock, Getty Daniel Simon

Robin Givhan doesn’t need much of an introduction in the world of fashion writing.

Whether the topic is Rick Owens’s latest runway show or Hillary Clinton’s cleavage, the Washington, D.C. based Givhan doesn’t shy away from tackling the sacred cows of fashion and politics. Her listing on the Library of Congress webpage sums it up well: “A reputation for being blunt.” Others might say “fearless.” It’s no coincidence, then, that Givhan is also the only fashion writer in history to win a Pulitzer Prize.

“It’s impossible to really understand the impact of Yves Saint Laurent’s “Le Smoking” without understanding the bias against women in pants, the sexual awakening of women and the impact of street culture on politics and traditions,” she says.

In 1973, Givhan reminds us, the world was in a major economic recession. US racial tensions were peaking. Versailles, in fact, was in a state of disrepair. All these factors had an influence on the clothes. “Fashion is so connected to culture, but sometimes it’s viewed in a vacuum.”

But Givhan doesn’t just look at the historical context; she gets in the mind of designers and takes fashion seriously on its own terms.

full of stories and gossip. He was also very honest about his own behavior and how the industry worked.”

Oscar de la Renta fans who read Battle will be rewarded with delicious snippets of history, for example and exchange between the thenyoung designer, and legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.

Other subjects like designer Stephen Burrows proved intriguing for their lack of introspection, Givhan said. “Interviewing someone like that is fascinating because it’s almost as if they are at arm’s length distance from their own life.”

“Fashion is almost never direct. Fashion messages are oblique, subliminal, vague.

They come at us sideways. Designers like to test boundaries and provoke because that’s part of being creative and inventive.

A designer’s imagination is fed by everything that’s flowing through the culture.”

It’s not a spoiler to say the Battle of Versailles was a resounding success for American designers. The U.S. had previously been seen only as a place of imitation and manufacturing – American designers openly copied the French – but the night of the Battle, the Americans runway shows were fun and modern, while the French show was comparitively safe.

Givhan conducted extensive interviews with models, designers and PR staffers who had helped put together the eponymous Battle.

Of the people she talked to, she says, “Oscar de la Renta was, by far, the most charming and fun. He had a terrific memory and was

For perspective, you might think of today’s rise in Chinese fashion in today’s culture.

Though in the past, China has mostly been seen as a nation of manufacturing and knockoffs, that’s been changing with the rising popularity of Chinese designers. “And 113 A

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‘China: Through The Looking Glass’ recently broke records at the Met to become the most visited Costume Institute exhibition ever – surpassing the Alexander McQueen exhibit.

That’s a lot of visitors who learned about China’s influence on fashion,” Givhan says.

“Slowly, Chinese designers are raising their profile and, like the Americans did more than 40 years ago, stepping onto the international stage to prove their skill and show off their creativity.”

“Asking models to move like drones doesn’t help the clothes,” Givhan says. “And having them look like clones doesn’t allow for a full expression of what American fashion is.”

As for her own tastes, when asked what designers she prefers for a special occasion, Givhan points out, “Well I do live on a journalist’s salary!” But she admits to having Lanvin, Dries Van Noten, and Narciso Rodriguez all in her closet.

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© Vice i-D, Shuuterstock, Getty Daniel Simon

Ultimately, the American designers’ success at Versailles was about the models – a diverse mix of women who were encouraged to express their personality on the stage. It’s a lesson she feels today’s designers would do well to heed.

Every day is an event. We dress you for the occasion. Share your Brooks Brothers story at brooksbrothers.com/stories #MyBrooksBrothers

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Proenza Schouler

Oscar de la Renta

Proenza Schouler

Dior

Dior

Proenza Schouler

Dior

A fashion _ hot stuff

Work the car wash

Michael Kors

Michael Kors

Marni

Gucci

Oscar de la Renta

Gucci

Céline

Gucci

Céline

Sacai

Fur trimmings

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Prada

Prada

Oscar de la Renta

Marc Jacobs

Prada

Marc Jacobs

Balenciaga

MSGM

Marc Jacobs

Fendi

Maison Margiela

A fashion _ hot stuff

Hand in glove

Chloé

Ellery

Céline

Marni

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney

Ellery

Stella McCartney

No hands

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A fashion _ accessories

An eclectic winter Photographer Tony Elieh Stylist Joe Arida

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Gucci clutch, bag and rings

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Prada shoes

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Fendi bag and charm

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Fendi shoes, bags, charms and wallet

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Valentino clutch

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Miu Miu boots

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Loewe clutches

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Saint Laurent bag and boots

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Prada coat, dress, pants, shoes and bag

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Olympia Le-Tan clutches

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Miu Miu bag

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CĂŠline bags

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CĂŠline bags and clutch

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Loewe bag

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Fendi boots

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Proenza Schouler shoes and bag

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Valentino boots and Dolce & Gabbana bag

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Azzedine Ala誰a shoes and bag

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Pucci bag and CĂŠline shoes

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Walk of shame Photographer Alice Rosati Stylist Hélène Fonton Location Los Angeles

Her look is by CĂŠline

This and opposite page She’s wearing a dress and earrings by Balenciaga.

Her shoes are by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a Temperley dress. Her shoes are by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a Temperley dress. Her shoes are by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a shirt and pants by Prada. Her shoes are by Marc Jacobs

Her shirt is by Prada and her skirt is by Alessandra Rich. Her shoes and sunglasses are the stylist’s own

Her look is by Prada She’s wearing a Prada coat and a Michael Kors shirt

Her dress is by Maison Margiela and her shoes are by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a look by Sonia Rykiel

She’s wearing a suit by Etro

This and opposite page She’s wearing a fur coat by Dior and her shoes are by Jimmy Choo

Her skirt and jacket are by Dolce & Gabbana.

Her shoes are by CĂŠline

This and opposite page She’s wearing a dress by Chloé

Her dress and earrings are by Miu Miu. Hair Brian Fisher at The Wall Group Makeup Tamah at The Wall Group Model Ilana Kozlov at Next Model Management LA

Art goes pop Photographers Petrovsky & Ramone

Stylist Venus Waterman

Location Metropolitan Art Society, Ashrafieh

This page Her top is by Valentino Opposite page She’s wearing a top and hat by Dior and pants

by Victoria Beckham

She’s wearing a Moschino top, Marc Jacobs jeans and Céline shoes

Her sweater is by Balenciaga and her vest is by Prada

This page She’s wearing a dress by Adam Lippes and a jacket by Saint Laurent. Her earrings are Sarina Suriano Opposite page Her top is by Cushnie et Ochs, her skirt is by Dolce & Gabbana, and her shoes are by MSGM

Her turtleneck is by Roberto Cavalli, and her skirt is by Balenciaga

She’s wearing a Sacai shirt and Sonia Rykiel pants

This page Her shirt is by Jonathan Simkhai Opposite page She’s wearing a Marni jumper

This page Her jacket is by Saint Laurent, her top is by Cushnie et Ochs, and her earrings are by Sarina Suriano Opposite page She’s wearing a mesh top by Saint Laurent, a leather top by Fendi, a skirt by Prada and CÊline sneakers

She’s wearing a Sacai shirt and pants by Sonia Rykiel. Her shoes are by Fendi and her clutch is by MSGM

She is wearing a Moschino dress and a Fendi jacket. Her bags and She’s wearing Moschino dress and a Fendi jacket. Her bags and charm are bya Fendi charms are by Fendi

Left She’s wearing a top by Balenciaga and a Prada coat. Her necklace is by Delfina Delettrez Right Her top is by Roberto Cavalli and her skirt is by Balenciaga

Her top is by Marni

Her dress is by Moschino and her jacket is by Fendi. Her bags and charms are by Fendi.

Stylist assistant Tosca Rundholz Herand jumpsuit is Siddhartha

by Pucci. Her belt Representation and bag are vintage Hair makeup at NCL Model Djaja Baecke at MP Management

Deep foundation Photographers Petrovsky & Ramone

Stylist Venus Waterman

Location A誰shti Foundation

She’s wearing a Stella McCartney shirt

Her turtleneck and pants are by Barbara Casasola and her bag, earrings, bracelet and shoes are by CĂŠline

This page She’s wearing a Balenciaga shirt and a Marni skirt.

Her clutch is by Loewe Opposite page Balenciaga bag

This and opposite page She’s wearing a top and trousers by Marni.

Her boots are by Prada

She’s in a Moschino suit and a Dolce & Gabbana shirt. Her belt is vintage and her shoes are by Roberto Cavalli

She’s wearing a Dion Lee shirt and a Céline jumpsuit. Her boots are by Prada

She’s wearing a Valentino fur coat and Prada boots

She is wearing a Pucci turtleneck and a Marni skirt

She’s wearing a Céline top

Her top is by Stella McCartney. Her pants are by CĂŠline

This and opposite page She’s wearing a dress and necklace by Dior.

Her clutch is by Stella McCartney and her earrings are by Bulgari

She’s in a Balenciaga blouse

Her top is by CĂŠline and her bag is by Marni

She’s wearing a Dion Lee shirt and a Céline jumpsuit

She’s wearing a Pucci turtleneck

Her top is by CĂŠline and her skirt and clutch are by Stella McCartney.

Stylist assistant Tosca Rundholz Hair and makeup Siddhartha at NCL Representation Model Petra Semes at MP Management

Visual texture Photographer Alex Trommlitz Stylist Emily Rodenberg Location Studio, London

She’s in a look by Dior. Her sunglasses are the stylist’s own

Her coat and pants are by Etro. Her shoes are by Miu Miu and her headphones are by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a Etro shirt and a Miu Miu bag. Her pants, shoes and sunglasses are the stylist’s own

Her look is by Burberry Prorsum

She’s wearing a look by Dolce & Gabbana

She’s wearing a look by Prada

She’s wearing a Tory Burch top.

Hair and makeup Josephin Martens at Bigoudi Model Luca AimĂŠe at Place Models

A walk in the country Photographer Luca Maria Morelli Art direction Alessandro Morelli Hair and makeup Debora Sasso Model Birgit Kos at Elite Model Management

Come alive with nature’s bounty and bring the country life to the very heart of the city. On the subsequent pages, each look is by Dolce & Gabbana.

beirut souks, souk el tawileh - beirut city center, hazmieh, level 1 also available at all a誰zone stores in beirut, dubai, amman

A beauty _ counter

Decked out

Beauty trends to usher in the new year

Short cut Scissor-phobic? Recreate the white-hot bob by tucking long tresses into a turtleneck, like models on Edun’s fall/winter 2015-16.

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Golden child Add some sparkle to the season with gold lips, gilded fingertips and a glittering wink. Look by Tom Ford; Hypnôse Dazzling eye shadow

by Lancôme

© Edun, La mer, Tom Ford, Lancôme

A new beginning January is the time for a fresh start. And what better way to begin than with your complexion? La Mer’s new The Renewal Oil transforms skin into a smooth and glowing version of its former self.

Visit lamer.com

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A beauty _ controversy

The man bun

By Jason Lemon

I got the man bun about two weeks before every other man in the world decided to.

As an American living in Beirut, I saw it as a clever move to blend in with the style sensibilities of the young Lebanese men hanging out in the city’s trendy Mar Mikhael and Badaro neighborhoods.

However, I quickly realized the man bun trend fosters rather strong opinions.

When I adapted to the style, I had mixed reactions ranging from women I had never met stopping me to tell me how much they loved my hair to female friends finding every chance they could to criticize the style. On a daily basis, one friend began threatening to take scissors to it when I wasn’t expecting.

I was accused of being a hipster – a term which I don’t really understand anymore A 232

– and nobody seemed to accept the excuse that I was just trying to look more Lebanese.

Then, overnight it seemed, the trend exploded and I began blending in with the entire male world.

But regardless of the man bun’s increased popularity, it seems everyone still maintains quite firm views on the acceptability or unacceptability of this controversial style.

So, a little confused – I am a grown-ass man and can do what I want after all – I decided to turn to Google to understand the brewing societal war.

A quick search revealed that 63 percent of American women dislike or completely despise man buns, according to a West Coast Shaving survey, which I guess is why I don’t live in America. Additionally, 58 percent of the women surveyed would immediately write off a man who had adopted the style.

Honestly, these high numbers were a bit surprising and off-putting.

I went on to find out that my hairstyle could potentially lead to baldness and I immediately wondered why nobody had been concerned

to write editorials warning women of this fear decades ago. Then Salon informed me that the man bun might have presented a virile masculine appeal when it remained at the fringe of hair fashion, but now that it has transitioned to the mainstream, it has somehow become feminine.

Now, as this hot topic takes center stage on angry style blogs across the internet and as men across the world turn increasingly to pulling their hair back and twisting it just so, I’m faced with a dilemma of sorts. Do I keep my man bun that has finally just come into its own or do I cave to the pressure of my angry friends?

Well, the random love keeps me going.

Even still, many months after I first had that barber pull my hair back tightly forming a topknot, I get the random women – and men – who feel the urge to introduce themselves just to compliment my hair. This hasn’t happened since my faux-hawk several years ago, so for now, I’m keeping it. Haters gonna hate and anyway, maybe next I will do dreads. I’m sure that won’t be controversial at all.

© Shutterstock

There’s no middle ground – only love or hate

MUSAR_INFINITY_23X30.pdf

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A beauty _ trend

Prima ballerina

By Pip Usher

The rise of barre-inspired fitness fitness routine boomed into a brand with cult-like following.

In reality, Pure Barre founder Carrie Rezabek Dorr was sculpting long, lean muscle mass way before Copeland danced hers into the public eye. Starting in the basement of an office building in Michigan, the dancer and choreographer fine-tuned a series of subtle, low-impact movements that would shape a woman’s body into that desired dancer’s silhouette. Targeting hips, thighs, seat, abdominals and arms with precision, Dorr emphasized isometric movements that looked simple, felt brutal and transformed those trouble spots. Throw in upbeat dance tracks and peppy instructors well-versed in motivational jargon, and a homegrown

“Every time you come to class the whole point is that you push yourself to your maximum,” confirms Kim. And while classes tend to be dominated by women, it’s effective on both sexes. Once, she recalls, a Marine attended class with his girlfriend. He could punch through pushups, but his legs were quivering throughout the barre exercises like everyone else.

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“Women, whether or not they have a dance background, aspire to that dancer physique,” says Juhea Kim, a Pure Barre instructor and my guru for the morning. We’re perched on a bench at a location on New York’s Upper West Side, the studio’s clientele of affluent women rummaging through sale bins of workout gear. Class finished minutes before and I’m still in shock at the severity of it. Is it always that hard, I ask?

For those who still prefer their ballet with a dose of high-society, Mary Helen Bowers’ Ballet Beautiful fitness method caters to an exclusive roster of socialites and Hollywood actresses with high-net-worth bottoms to

sculpt and money to spend. The former professional ballerina created a blend of classical ballet with targeted strengthbuilding exercises that proved so successful that she personally trained Natalie Portman for her role as a prima ballerina in Black Swan; these days, she offers private training at her flagship studio in Manhattan or live classes from Ballet Beautiful’s online platform. For those still unconvinced, the brand’s Instagram account is a persuasive masterclass in ballet-chic. In one snap, Gigi Hadid reclines in a black leotard, tights and ballet shoes; in another, a pregnant Bowers dances through her studio in a pastel-pink ensemble with black leg warmers.

As Misty Copeland soars across the stage, women across the country are imitating the exercises that skyrocketed her to fame. Ballet is still an elevated art form, but a demystified one, too, with the allure of the rich and the beautiful and the attainability of any old workout. Best of all, it works. “It really is the most effective thing I’ve experienced to shape and tone a woman’s body in that feminine form,” Kim says, seeking to explain Pure Barre’s phenomenal success. “You do it and you’re done.”

© Purre Barre

It would be easy to point the finger at Misty Copeland. Since the American Ballet Theater’s first African-American principal dancer pas de bourrée’d ballet back into the limelight, the art form’s been having a moment. For starters, Copeland’s athletic physique and African-American ethnicity cultivated an alluring new vision of an art form dismissed by many as elitist. And then there was the sight of her clad in a leotard.

Suddenly, people weren’t just wondering what relevance ballet had to their lives. They were asking: how do I get a body like that?

A beauty _ hair do

More bang for your buck

By Pip Usher

When I was 13 years old, I looked at my beautiful waist-length hair and decided I was over it. After all, I was practically an adult and wanted a hairstyle that would reflect my burgeoning sophistication. So I lopped off my locks and threw in bangs to boot; nothing could be more indicative of maturity than that. Only, I hadn’t factored in my cowlick − or, for that matter, the stubbornly wayward curl of my hair. Faced with the devastating realization that I looked less like Audrey Hepburn and more like Curly Sue, I spent years wishing I’d listened when Mother had warned I’d regret it.

More than a decade later, my hair is long and uncomplicated again. Things should be great − except that now fashion has decided to screw with me. This September, Fashion Week saw one model after the next strut out with a cut that brought back all kinds of hairrelated anxiety. At the Marc Jacobs’ show, swooping side bangs made a reappearance, partially hiding Kendall Jenner’s heartshaped face in an act of tousled, angsty attitude. Meanwhile, at Erdem and Antonio Berardi, the same style was infused with A 236

whimsy side bangs diagonally crossing the forehead before being pulled back into a school-marmish bun that complemented the colorful, girlish collections. And over at Bottega Veneta, a rather severe set of heavy bangs on Edie Campbell complemented the structured nature of her tailored, polkadotted two-piece.

“Bangs are fresh and create a new look for your face,”says Mariell Johnson, a hair stylist for the past 11 years who is currently employed at New York’s trendy Medusa Salon. “They really are for everybody.”

That’s not to say that all hair can pull off the same cut, however. To begin, Johnson recommends taking the time to study your hair. Depending on the texture, different cuts are appropriate. “Finer hair is best with wispy or side bangs,”she advises, while “thicker hair can pull off a blunt or textured bang.”

Once you’ve identified which cut works best for your hair type, it’s worth pondering whether you’re willing to commit to the maintenance of it all. “I

would only discourage someone from bangs if they do not want the bi-weekly maintenance of trimming,” says Johnson.

Frequent trips to the hairdresser aside, it’s also worth factoring in the additional fuss each morning as you whip them into shape. “For polished bangs, it’s best to use a paddle brush,” suggests Johnson. “With a blowdryer, brush all the hair to the left, then to the right against your scalp. It will create a smooth curve, unlike the round brush which may give you more volume than you want.”

There it is: bangs don’t have to be a bad choice. With a little bit of guidance and some careful consideration, they may even turn out to be the best investment piece of this season. So go on, grab the shears. behind you.

© Alexander Wang, Erdem, Botegga Veneta

Do you dare?

A G E N T P R O V O C AT E U R . C O M

F E AT U R I N G

PA LO M A FA I T H

A B C D B AY E H M A L L , G R O U N D F L O O R , L E B A N O N T. 0 4 4 1 7 2 1 7

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Having a ball

George Hakim earrings

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Ralph Masri bracelet; C茅line clutch; Yves Saint Laurent 3-in-1 Kh么l Eyeshadow Eyeliner in Noir Ardent, No. 1

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Dior Prestige Le Nectar; Buccellati Dahlia bowl; CĂŠline shoes

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Céline earrings; Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Liner in Boréale, No. 9, in Zénith, No. 7 and in Minuit, No. 10

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Balenciaga bag; Dior earrings; Buccellati bracelet; Clockwise from top Giorgio Armani Dual Use Powder Compact No. 9, No. 4 and No. 6.5

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Dior bag; Clockwise from left Yves Saint Laurent Pop Water Glossy Stain in Rose Cascade, No. 211, in Orange Drop, No. 212 and in Steamy Violet, No. 210

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Sarina Suriano ear cuff; Dior Prestige La Crème; Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick in Rouge in Rock, No. 36 and Touche Éclat, No. 2

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Cartier ring

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From top to bottom Lanc么me Grandi么se mascara; Yves Saint Laurent Opium eau de toilette; Armani Priv茅 Ambre Eccentrico eau de parfum; Ralph Masri earrings

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Buccellati earrings; Giorgio Armani SĂŹ eau de parfum; Balenciaga bag

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From top to bottom Dior Prestige Institut Sculpting Petal; Sarina Suriano earrings; Jimmy Choo clutch; Dior boots

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Cartier ring

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Tufenkjian earrings

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From left to right Giorgio Armani Maestro Blush Brush, Blender Brush, Concealer Brush and Lip Brush; Dior bag; Sarina Suriano earrings

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Cartier earrings

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Hagopian earrings

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Mouawad ring.

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Pascale Marthine Tayou Chalk fresco F (detail), 2015, Chalks

WIND AND ART DON’T CARE ABOUT BORDER ETEL ADNAN ANTONY GORMLEY ANISH KAPOOR PASCALE MARTHINE TAYOU MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO AI WEIWEI JOSé YAQUE

Open starting december 12 Metropolitan Art Society, Trabaud St., Ashrafieh, Beirut, info@masbeirut.com, T: 70.366.969

Destination Beirut Photographers Guillaume Ziccarelli, Raya Farhat, Carl Halal, Nabil Ismail

Built by the sea upon the ruins of an abandoned sugar factory, the Aïshti Foundation with its majestic red, steel mesh architecture reminiscent of a mashrabiya has defied all expectations to become a defining motif on Lebanon’s coastline. Inside and under a set of zigzags, lights and reflective surfaces blur architectural lines. And the museum, housing some of contemporary art’s most remarkable works, provides a public space that allows visitors to interact and connect with visual art.A pioneering project by David Adjaye, the Foundation has become the weekend attraction, a luxury and art destination in Beirut, and, more than ever, a symbol of the city’s resilience.

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What a party! What positive energy! You, the visitors and the guests, bestowed enthusiasm and optimism in abundance upon Beirut.

If I could have extended the walls of the Foundation to create a larger space, I would have gladly welcomed the entire world. You came from afar, from the world over, to celebrate art, life, and joie de vivre with us. You reflected and then shared this moment of happiness in numerous messages from this small country and its capital Beirut, a place in continuous struggle against instability, terrorism and war. But nothing was able to prevent this mammoth undertaking and creation.

As you may have noticed, the last few weeks prior to the inauguration were a real challenge. Ordinarily, such construction could take five years, yet the project began a little over two years ago. The installation orchestrated by contemporary art critic and curator Massimiliano Gioni took place just a few hours before the opening of the show. And, unbelievably, in the commercial department of Aïshti by the Sea, the installation sets and collections were arranged only the night before. As if that wasn’t enough, the weather elements refused to play ball: the party’s decor, originally scheduled for the promenade adjacent to the sea, had to be relocated inside at the very last minute due to a raging storm that rolled in across the Mediterranean. The speed of these last minute alterations was nothing short of a miracle. I am truly indebted to the teams who gave body and soul in order to deliver the architectural magnificence of David Adjaye in time for the inauguration. Once again, I salute them.

For those who, due to the slow pace of our public services, felt forgotten, or who failed to receive their invitations in a timely manner or even failed to receive an invitation at all, I offer my sincerest apologies. However, I promise that, whatever happens, Aïshti will always continue to celebrate art and life, and no one whatsoever will remain on the sidelines. We will lead by example, raising the bar with enlightened projects. I am quite certain that future events to be organized in Lebanon will greatly benefit from this experience.

I am especially grateful to the media that devoted generous coverage – The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Times, Wallpaper, FlashArt, El País, The Art Newspaper, Le Figaro, POVImages of the World, The Daily Art, Les Echos, Paris Match, Vanity Fair, W.Art, Les Inrockuptibles, to name a few. I thank with all my heart my fellow artists, gallery owners, museum directors, curators and international art dealers, all too numerous to mention here.

Their support for the Aïshti Foundation has been a blessing.

The people who visited from far away in order to share this special moment with us receive my gratitude for their presence, their solidarity, their stories, their photos and messages that are so affectionately encouraging. They helped put Beirut on the world map, and that − that is priceless.

Tony Salamé Founder & CEO of Aïshti 259 A

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A tree by Giuseppe Penone silhouettes against a backdrop of Beirut at dusk viewed from the AĂŻshti Foundation

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New Skin

“Untitled 2012”, Wade Guyton

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© Guillaume Ziccarelli

In the early 2000s, Arte Povera induced a coup de foudre, which in turn triggered Tony Salamé’s passion for contemporary art. Being a novice collector, he quickly became an enlightened amateur who, throughout his acquisitions, attempted to trace the formal and historical relationship between today’s artists and yesterday’s visionaries. The Aïshti Foundation, in which Salamé’s collection is housed, gathers over 2,500 works by 250 artists.

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Gerhard Richter Painter, photographer

Alberto Burri Painter, sculptor

Wade Guyton Installation artist, painter

Agostino Bonalumi Painter, sculptor, draftsman

Charline von Heyl Painter

Albert Oehlen Painter

Alice Channer Textile artist, sculptor

Andra Ursuta Visual artist

Liz Deschenes Visual artist

Gianni Piacentino Sculptor, painter, one of Arte Povera’s members

Pamela Rosenkranz Installation artist, sculptor

Artur Zmijewski Visual artist, photographer, filmmaker 267 A

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Camille Henrot Author, screenwriter, film director, cinematographer

Carol Bove Installation artist

Charles Atlas Video artist and film director

Giuseppe Penone Artist, one of Arte Povera’s members

Günther Förg Painter, graphic designer, sculptor, photographer

Joe Bradley Painter

Jeppe Hein Sculptor, installation artist

Danh Vo Performance, conceptual artist

Daniel Buren Installation artist, painter

Enrico Castellani Painter

Franz West Sculptor, painter, draftsman

John Armleder Sculptor, painter 269 A

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Josh Smith Painter, sculptor

Klara LidĂŠn Artist, installation artist

Laura Owens Painter, illutrator

Kaari Upson Installation artist, multimedia artist, video artist

David Salle Painter, visual artist, photographer, sculptor, filmmaker

Mona Hatoum Installation artist, video artist

Paweł Althamer Sculptor, installation artist, video artist

Glenn Ligon Multimedia, conceptual artist

Lucio Fontana Painter, sculptor, theorist

Mark Bradford Painter

Michael Williams Painter

Rayyane Tabet Installation artist, architect, painter, sculptor 271 A

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Richard Prince Painter, photographer

Rudolf Stingel Conceptual artist

Ryan Sullivan Painter

Piero Manzoni 1933-1963 Arte Povera pioneer

Michelangelo Pistoletto Arte Povera member, painter, conceptual artist

Etel Adnan Poet, writer, visual artist, painter

R. H. Quaytman Painter, contemporary artist

Seth Price Sculptor, video artist, writer

Simon Denny Contemporay artist

Sterling Ruby Painter, actor, photographer, sculptor

Tauba Auerbach Painter, photographer, sculptor

Thomas Houseago Visual artist 273 A

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Urs Fischer Sculptor

Walead Beshty Writer, photographer, sculptor, painter, installation artist

Lucy McKenzie Painter

Wolfgang Tillmans Photographer, artist

Ziad Antar Photographer, filmmaker, installation artist

Willem de Rooij Installation artist

Dan Colen Painter, sculptor

Dan Flavin Sculptor, installation artist

Kersten Br채tsch Painter

Christopher wool Painter

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Fashion meets art

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“For those who doubted Beirut’s importance on the Middle East arts scene, the events of the past weekend will have changed their minds.

A splashy new waterfront art space and shopping mall built by luxury retail magnate Tony Salame opened its doors to a host of visitors who had travelled from around the globe to attend the Aishti Foundation opening.

There were CEOs of fashion brands like Zegna, Fendi, Sonia Rykel, and LVMH as this was a fashion-meets-art occasion.”

Roxane Zand Sotheby’s, October 27, 2015

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Blouin Artinfo

“We’re thinking of having yoga classes in between the sculptures [...]”

“This is a place where art is not intimidating [...]”

“Tony makes the money behind the [gallery] wall and he spends it in here.

Fashion can really open up the audience to art [...]”

Gareth Harris The Art Newspaper, October 27, 2015 The Art Newspaper

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The Light of Now

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“Shop ‘til you Pop art.”

“Tony loves art because it was a vehicle for him to go beyond Lebanon,” [Massimilliano] Gioni said.

“When we build new architectural landmarks, we are proving that we believe in our country.”

Gareth Harris The Art Newspaper, October 27, 2015

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Le Figaro Premium ­ Résistance festive et artistique à Beyrouth

Résistance festive et artistique à Beyrouth

Deux espaces monumentaux avec sept mètres sous plafond dessinés par l'architecte britannique David Adjaye pour la toute nouvelle Fondation Aïshti inaugurée dimanche soir à Beyrouth. A gauche, les grandes surfaces cuivrées de “Tony Salamé a transformé la capitale meurtrie en petit New York de l'artiste américain d'origine libyenne, Walead Beshty, et, à droite, les rayures multicolores du peintre allemand l’art. Une initiative applaudie et très appréciée, alors que l’Etat n’a plus Gerhard Richter qui a transformé ses anciennes toiles en couches sédimentaires. ­ Crédits photo : Valérie Duponchelle

beaucoup d’argent pour la culture et que la guerre gronde en Syrie.”

Valérie Duponchelle Arts Expositions (http://premium.lefigaro.fr/arts­expositions/) | Par Valérie Duponchelle (#figp­author) Le Figaro, November 3, 2015 Mis à jour le 29/10/2015 à 17h26

ÇA C'EST BEYROUTH- Inauguration fastueuse, tout en chaleur orientale, de la Fondation Aïshti du collectionneur libanais Tony Salamé dimanche soir à Beyrouth Nord.

L'arrivée de nuit à Aïshti by The Sea est surréaliste. Pour accéder à ce monument de la star britannique des architectes, David Adjaye (http://www.adjaye.com/), les limousines murmurantes et les taxis «fast and furious» de Beyrouth font un détour invraisemblable par les terrains vagues de la Quarantaine, quartier dégradé hérité du port du XIXe siècle mais dans la visée des promoteurs immobiliers.

Là, sous la lumière des phares qui se suivent, cortège sombre digne de Heat , le filmculte du cinéaste de Los Angeles, Michael Mann, les sacs de poubelles éventrés gisent dans le noir, comme des installations contemporaines sinistres.

http://premium.lefigaro.fr/arts­expositions/2015/10/29/03015­20151029ARTFIG00235­resistance­festive­et­artistique­a­beyrouth.php

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“A powerful affirmation of the Lebanese capacity to overcome, or ignore, obstacles came with the recent opening of the Aïshti Foundation [...]”

“The Aïshti opening sent a wave of confidence through the city’s community.”

Georgina Adam, Collecting The Financial Times, October 30, 2015 2

★

Saturday 14 November 2015

FINANCIAL TIMES

Beirut | The Aïshti Foundation’s shopping mallcum-museum is a sign of the Lebanese capital’s growing art scene. By Georgina Adam

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ebanon’s capital Beirut, the most cosmopolitan of Middle Eastern cities, still bears massive scars of the 1975-90 civil war, with pockmarked buildings and bombed-out wrecks standing alongside recently constructed tower blocks. Many government services are paralysed, notably rubbish collection; the country is struggling to cope with more than 1.3m Syrian refugees, and sits in a region marked by unrest and insecurity.

Yet a powerful affirmation of the Lebanese capacity to overcome, or ignore, these obstacles came with the recent opening of the Aïshti Foundation, a luxury shopping mall-cum-art space founded and funded by the retail magnate Tony Salamé. Before the glamorous inauguration that drew some 2,500 guests, from bejewelled Lebanese socialites to fashion retailers, art dealers, curators and artists, Salamé declared: “We have no government, nothing works, no one has a watch here and contractors won’t give a delivery date! And yet we managed to complete the project in under three years!”

Just 24 hours before the opening, the site was still a work in progress, with workmen scurrying to tuck away dangling wires and finish the flooring. On the morning of the party torrential rain turned some streets into rivers, carrying still uncollected rubbish, and in what must have been a heroic operation, the whole dinner was shifted from the sculpture garden outside the mall to a hastily cleared retail space.

This defiance and resourcefulness characterises the growing art scene in Beirut, where two more museums are planned as part of the redevelopment of Martyrs’ Square. In what is currently a wasteland on the waterfront, the nonprofit, shiny silver Beirut Exhibition Centre offers shows of contemporary art. And shortly before the Aïshti inauguration, the Sursock Museum, housed in a 19th-century mansion, was reopened after an extensive refit and expansion. The Aïshti opening sent a wave of confidence through the city’s community, showing that its art scene is vibrant despite all these troubles.

The Aïshti mall, sited in the northern suburb of Jal el Dib, has cost Salamé more than $100m. The architect is

Consumer culture Clockwise from top: Urs Fischer’s sculpture ‘Dunno’ (2012) and his aluminium panel ‘Mashed’ (2012) at the Aïshti Foundation; Carol Bove’s ‘Prudence’ (2013) flanked by Enrico Castellani’s ‘Superficie rossa’ (2004) and ‘Superficie bianca’ (1998); mall interior designed by David Adjaye

Financial Times

The Aïshti Foundation in Beirut “Salamé says putting the Foundation in his native city was an obvious choice [...]”

“If you don’t share it with people you like, people who should be a part of it, then what’s the point?”

Trophies of Amy Serafin a golden age Time, November 5, 2015 Continued from page 1

two of them hung as loans on museum walls. The third should hang on one.

More interesting, perhaps, is what they reveal about the contemporary dislocation between market value and museum priority.

Most spectacular is Orazio Gentileschi’s “Danaë” (1621). Ever since the reopening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new European paintings galleries in 2013, this seductive, more than two-metre-wide canvas has captured and beguiled viewers. The mythological heroine is the daughter of King Acrisius

David Adjaye and he has enveloped the 4,000 sq metre space in an outer “skin”, a wine-red metal structure. Inside, the mall is an eye-bending mix of black and white, with glass, mirroring, neon and angular marble flooring. At one end, in contrast to the flashy retail area, are the bare concrete walls and white cube exhibition rooms of the foundation, which showcases some of the 2,500 works of art Salamé has acquired in a voracious spending spree that started 15 years ago and has accelerated in the past 10. On two floors, large sliding glass doors enable shoppers to peek through to the artworks on display: at the opening, it was not made clear whether visitors would be allowed to stroll freely through from the temple of marketing to the temple of culture, nor indeed whether they would have to pay to do so.

Massimiliano Gioni, artistic director of New York’s New Museum, curated New Skin, the opening show devoted to abstraction, which ranges from Italian modernists such as Lucio Fontana and Agostino Bonalumi to the contemporary American artists Sterling Ruby, Wade Guyton and Richard Prince. All the works are drawn from Salamé’s collection. On the day of the inauguration, in a visit billed as a “surprise in a secret location”, he unveiled an installation by Suha Traboulsi and Walid Raad inside

Guillaume Ziccarelli

artists rival Orazio in terms of the sheer beauty of his painting, and his cooler, classicising interpretation of Caravaggism was to prove influential, not least in France.

It may well be that the dangerous and visceral humanity of Caravaggio, Orazio’s slightly younger contemporary, is more to today’s taste; he is certainly regarded as a more important artist. But Orazio’s refined style was widely admired in his lifetime. He ended his days in London in 1639, court painter to Charles I. One of a series of three paintings commissioned by Giovanni Antonio Sauli for his palazzo in Genoa in 1621, “Danaë” appeared on the market for the first time only in 1975, with the Brit-

has little in the way of Italian baroque.

The price proved prohibitive, however, and Christie’s and Sotheby’s competed for the picture. Christie’s hoped to place “Danaë” in its Artist Muse sale last week (see page 7). But Sotheby’s New York was able to offer a guarantee on a $25m-$35m auction estimate, and “Danaë” will go on sale on January 27.

Only one Old Master painting has ever made more at auction: Rubens’ “Massacre of the Innocents”, which changed hands for £49.5m in 2002.

There are only a handful of institutions with access to these kinds of funds (one, the J Paul Getty Museum, owns Rubens’ “Lot and his Daughters” from the same series). More to the point, not all institutions would be prepared to pay

The kind of buyer ‘Danaë’ will attract is less an Old Master collector than a

From top: Jan Gossaert’s ‘The Virgin and Child’ (c1520)

As a retailer, Tony Salamé is accustomed to buying in bulk, and this impacts on his acquisition of art the storage unit for his holdings. Here, piled high, were the crated artworks, each marked with the name of the gallery they had been acquired from. As a retailer, Salamé is accustomed to buying in bulk, and he acknowledges that this impacts on his acquisition of art; Gioni joked that he is Salamé’s “dietologist”, tasked with slowing down the purchases and editing them.

Compact and charismatic, Salamé is charming and sociable. He was like quicksilver at the opening, greeting a minister, pressing a falafel wrap on to a guest then posing for photographs with his glamorous wife Elham and four children. His self-made fortune derives from the luxury department store Aïshti (which supposedly means “I love” in Japanese) and 20 monobrand shops in downtown Beirut, as well as other interests; he drew on his large holdings of Richard Prince works to unveil 20 of the artist’s “Instagram” series in these shops at the same time as the opening.

But is this overlap between art and fashion a dangerous path, further blurring culture with consumption? Gioni, diplomatically, thinks not: “The fashion industry has been an incredible amplifier and is a better communicator than art,” he says. “The media responds to fashion more reactively than to art, and that’s become a defining phenomenon since the 1990s. I don’t find this problematic. Fashion opens up the art world, and this centre will do this for a bigger audience.” He waved at glass door dividing the art space from a Dior store.

“Behind this wall, Tony makes money; here he spends it.” aishti.com

a premium price possibly in excess of the picture’s art historical value. In an market now driven by private collectors, the traditional synchronicity between price and importance seems to have disappeared. At this estimate, the kind of private buyer “Danaë” will attract is less an Old Master collector than one of today’s super-rich trophy hunters. Before the auction, “Danaë” will tour to Los Angeles (November 17-18), Hong Kong (November 22-24) and London (December 5-9).

Subtract one nought from the estimate of the cover lot of Sotheby’s London evening sale of Old Master & British Paintings on December 9. It is a jewel of an early 16th-century panel painting by the Flemish master Jan Gossaert. This small and beautifully preserved Virgin and Child (estimate £4m-£6m), which has been in the same family for 85 years, hung in the National Gallery in London from 1993-2012. It was included in the

but a revisitation intensifying the drama of the scene, and certainly the artist’s sparkling bravura paintwork is full of life.

When the prime version of this 1824 masterpiece was offered at Christie’s three years ago with an estimate of £20m-£25m, it sold on a single bid to its guarantor. There ought to have been institutional competition: this is an iconic image by an artist who was to transform European landscape painting, but £20m is a great deal of money.

Perhaps the estimate of £8m-£12m will prove more alluring. sothebys.com

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The Financial Times

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“A major event in the international contemporary art circuit. Tony Salamé and his wife Elham created a micro-climate worthy of Art Basel Miami [...]”

“Until today, these artists have never had a chance to be presented here.[...]”

“Tony Salamé’s resistance is monumental and impressive, and can only be hailed [...]”

Nicolas Trembley Flash Art, November 6, 2015 Point de Vue

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Welcome to Planet Art “Without question, Tony has been one of the most influential collectors of new art during the past ten years,� says art dealer Jeffrey Deitch.

Wallpaper, October 16, 2015

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“Si la combinaison fait tiquer, la sincérité du collectionneur, elle, est désarmante. Tout comme son courage dans un pays grippé, privé de capitaine, grevé par la corruption, qui, de l’aveu de Salamé, “n’a presque rien à donner à ses concitoyens.”

Roxana Azimi Le Quotidien de l’Art, October 28, 2015

Les Echos Beyrouth: au milieu du chaos, des sacs Prada et de l’art contemporain “Enfin Tony Salamé est clairement un preneur de risque courageux car il ouvre de manière exemplaire une institution unique dans son pays en proie au chaos. Tony Salamé a la foi.”

Judith Benhamou Les Echos, October 28, 2015

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“The juxtaposition of art and shopping presented the practice with the challenge to create a design an entirely new typology that would integrate two, often conflicting, worlds,” said a statement from Adjaye “I think the best thing with a project, you forget about the uncertainty in the place, you keep on going,” Dezeen, November 5, 2015

“Explisión de arte en Beirut “El mecenas no ha dudado en rodearse de figuras de primer nivel.”

Alex Vicente El País, November 1, 2015

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Architect David Adjaye with Glenn Ligon

Kristen McMenamy

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Tony and Elham SalamĂŠ, Elisabetta and Pietro Beccari

Tony SalamĂŠ, Minister of Tourism Michel Pharaon, Minister of Culture Raymond Araiji, and Marcel Ghanem

Michaela and Simon de Pury

Alice Channer

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Tony Salamé and Massimiliano Gioni

Karim Hamadé and Raymond Arayji

Jana and Pierre Rabbat

Tony Salamé, Pietro and Elisabetta Beccari, Fausto Ferretti

Maha El Chaer, Caroline Cassia, Karine Bocti, Elham Salamé, Salma Akkawi, Mirna Bocti

Veronica Fernandez (left) and Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani (right)

Daniel Buren, Tony and Elham Salamé David Raffoul and Christina Boulos

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Philippe de Bustros and Tony Salamé Josh Smith, Massimo De Carlo, Tony and Gio Salamé

Tasha, Tony, Elham, Gio and Sandro Salamé

Elham, Marcel Ghanem and Tony Salamé

Elham and Tony Salamé, Mirna El Murr, Pierre Abou Charaf, Georges Salamé

Elham and Tony Salamé, Georgina Adam (right)

Elie and Claudine Saab

Tony Salamé and Josh Smith

Nader and Ghida Hariri, Elham and Tony Salamé, the Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nohad Machnouk Shaun Regen, Tony Salamé, Thomas Dane, David Adjaye

Andrzej Przywara, Gisela Capitain and William Sawaya

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“It was one of the best trips that I have had in quite some time.

Everyone was gracious, generous, in good spirits, and excited to be part of the historic project you are developing at Aïshti with David. The foundation spaces are great and I was super happy with my room.”

Glenn Ligon Architect David Adjaye

Elham Salamé, Cyril Karaoglan and Anne-Hélène Decaux

Glenn Ligon and Willem De Rooij

“You have pulled off something so incredible.

It was so great being there and seeing the tremendous building and the fantastic exhibition. [...] What an achievement you have made, and an influence you are having on your city.”

Shaun Regan Olga Djanguirov, Max Hetzler and Samia Saouma

Jean Marc and Hedieh Loubier

“Spectacular art, beautiful places, wonderful people and the best host ever… chapeau, chapeau! We all thought that we should be coming to Beirut much more often to take advantage of the vibrancy and liveliness this very special town.”

Alexander Schroeder

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Elisabetta and Pietro Beccari

Daniel Buren and Laurenzo Fiaschi

“It was such an incredible experience to witness it and it felt very much like I was in the midst of a great moment in the history of contemporary art.”

Javier Peres

Victoire de Pourtalès and Benjamin Eymère

Xavier Hufkens and Wassim Rasamny

Staffan Ahrenberg and Galina Polinsky

Thaddaeus Ropac

Massimiliano Gioni and Daniel Buren

Patrizia Sandretto and Agostino Re Rebaudengo with their son (left)

“Visiting Beirut was a very impressive and touching experience. I really enjoyed traveling there and I was touched to see how your passion and energy affects the city in a very positive way. I really think your Foundation is an important project and I am so glad to be part of it.”

Pamela Rosenkranz

Emmanuel Perrotin and Santiago Barberi Gonzalez

Mr. Jean Pigozzi Jay Jopling and Hikari Yokoyama

Kristen McMenamy and Juergen Teller

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Gianni Piacentino, Tony SalamĂŠ, Maurizio Cattelan, Daniel Buren Nader Hariri and Mounir Douaidy

Tasha SalamĂŠ and Maurizio Cattelan

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Lisa Cooley and Alice Channer

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Elham SalamĂŠ and Claudine Saab Rana Kotob, Lina Chaker, Hania Khalil

Tasha and Tony SalamĂŠ

Tamara Corm, Gisela Capitain and Giorgio Persano

Nader Hariri and Philippe de Bustros

Marilyn Bouchakjian and Vicken Vanlian Nelly Zeidan, Diala Choucair, Ammar Abd Rabbo

Marianne Helou and Rita de Bustros

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Tory Burch team: Elisa Dal Pos, Francesco Vergani.

Marc Jacobs team: Berengere La Veille, Christian Dionori and Vanessa Van Dyke Maurizio Cattelan and the Burberry team

Carla Abou Abdallah and Mrs. Hajj Moussa

Nora Mansour, Roula Wazni Patrizia Sandretto, Elham SalamĂŠ, Rima Jaroudi, Zeina Abou Hamzi, Nadine Jaroudi

Elham SalamĂŠ and the Valentino team Jay Jopling and friends

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“It’s very moving to be part of what you are doing in Beirut. One of the many privileges of being an artist is the places my work takes me to, and the Aïshti Foundation is the most remarkable by far.”

Alice Channer

Tony, Tasha and Elham Salamé

“What an achievement the building and the collection are, and in a place that I’ve only dreamed of. I want to do as much as I can to reciprocate your kindness. I want Beirut to be this amazing place that I get to visit time and again. I’m completely in love with the city, despite having spent only 48 very jet-lagged hours there.”

Lisa Cooley

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Elham Salamé, Karine and Mirna Bocti

Leila Machnouk and the Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nohad Machnouk

“This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. You pulled something off that is without comparison! [...] unparalleled and the foundation is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

Friedrich Petzel

Lama Nasrallah, Mirna Bocti, Karine Bocti

Monique Younes, Tony Salamé, Christophe Donner

“It was a tremendous weekend and a huge success.”

Eric Brown “The whole building really is a triumph; the spaces for the art are beautifully scaled and have great flow. The art looks great, is beautifully installed - the main thing. And I have to say the stores are also totally seductive and ultra-refined looking - definitely better than anything in NY. The whole experience will long be remembered and savored.”

David Salle

Zeina Boueiri, Elham and Tasha Salamé

“I am completely overwhelmed by the scale of your projects and the extent of your collection. I was really blown away by the great things you are doing. I am looking forward to my next trip to Beirut.”

Michele Maccarone

“The building is extraordinary, the art and its display is world class, and your hospitality was wonderful.[...] It is a tremendous achievement.”

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Wade Guyton and Dirk Weber

Laura and Samir Lahoud Mirna Bocti, Randa Missir, Karine Bocti and Nour SalamĂŠ Abillama

Maurizio Cattelan, Myriam ben Salah, Anabel Jarrett and Melanie Dagher

Bashir Malas and Ghida Hariri

Nelly Zeidan, Diala Choucair, Zeina Kassem, Lama Nasrallah

Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pigozzi and Walid Chammah Agostino Re Rebaudengo, Patrizia Sandretto Maurizio Cattelan

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Mireille Housayni

Pamela Rosenkraz, Massimilano Gioni, David Adjaye, Rayyane Tabet, Bernard Khoury

Elie and Claudine Saab

Pietro and Elisabetta Beccari, Mrs. and Mr. Fausto Ferretti

Massimiliano Gioni, Frida Chammas, Michel Pharaon, Elham and Tony SalamĂŠ

James Crespo and Francesca Messina

Joelle Kharrat and Cherine Magrabi Tayeb

Jeffrey Deitch, Kaelen Wilson Goldie, Massimo De Carlo and Ahmad Tayeb Magda Abilamaa, Zeina Bouieri and Lara Chekerdjian Michel and Pussy el Murr, Raymond and Wadad Arayji, Joelle Hamade

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Daniel Buren

Elham SalamĂŠ

Ozwald Boateng

Ziad Antar

David Adjaye

Maurizio Cattelan

Š Guillaume Ziccarelli

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Josh Smith, Massimo De Carlo, Tony and Gio SalamĂŠ

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Š Guillaume Ziccarelli

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A design _ update

Brave new world

By J. Michael Welton

Riyadh

HOK designed the 80-story Capital Market Authority Tower, now under construction, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates. The A 320

faceted, crystalline skyscraper rises 385 meters, with almost 200,000 square meters of space on 73 soonto-be-occupied floors.

Visit hok.com

Š Faisal Bin Zarah al Rai›idah Investment Compny, Design Museum London, Ben Wilson, Laufen, Studio Intexture

From Riyadh to Los Angeles, design is on the march

Laufen

Sculpted in Switzerland by the company that takes its name from the town, Ilbagnoalessi One seems more a work of art than a functioning bath ensemble. This definite style-setter by Italian designer Stefano Giovannoni – from Alessi.

Visit laufen.com

London

At the Design Museum, Cycle Revolution celebrates contemporary cycling in Britain, from everyday commuting to Olympic competitions – and cruises up to the places that design and innovation might take future riders. Pictured here is Ben Wilson’s Donky Bike, an urban cargo bike that can carry heavy loads.

Visit designmuseum.org

New York

The Hansgrohe + Axor Das Design Competition celebrates excellence in design, sustainability, and real-world use of the companies’ products.

The 2015 residential winner, announced late last year, is Houston-based architecture studio Intexure.

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Chicago

Los Angeles

eVolo magazine is asking architects, engineers, designers, artists, and students to stand up for its 2016 Skyscraper Competition. It’s looking for ideas that redefine relationships between skyscrapers and the natural world, the community and the city. Register by January 19.

Visit evolo.us

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© Faisal Bin Zarah al Rai'idah Investment Compny, Design Museum London, Ben Wilson, Laufen, Studio Intexture

Sure, Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin called the Chicago Architecture Biennial “maddeningly megalomaniacal, deeply humanistic, playfully forward-looking and headscratchingly intellectual.” But it’s a must-see – before January 3.

Visit chicagoarchitecturebiennial. org

Perrier ad 23X30.pdf

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11/24/15

11:05 AM

Š Collectie Gemeentearchief Rotterdam, Ossip van Duivenbode, Claire Droppert,

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City of the year

By Robert Landon

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Going Dutch: Lessons on Rotterdam For our Dutch friend, it’s all quite natural.

We’ve made it to the far side of her country in just over an hour. We’ve arrived into a central station where a chorus of transit systems − bikes, trolleys, taxis, bullet trains − are harmonized within a state-of-the-art facility that manages to be simultaneously monumental and Dutch-cozy. And within minutes, we are pedaling on governmentfunded bikes right into the heart of Rotterdam. For me, an American, and our other friend, a Brazilian, all this order, efficiency and modernist good taste are absolutely jaw dropping.

We have come to learn why Rotterdam was voted European City of the Year by the Academy of Urbanism. And we have already gotten our first lesson at Rotterdam Centraal.

Designed by Benthem Crouwel the station’s interiors are beguilingly warm, thanks to wood-planked ceilings, reddish stone

floors, and floods of natural light. A boldly pleated roof juxtaposes this with its sharply jutting porch roof that bespeaks speed and postmodern complexity. I want to linger, but our “Dutchie” keeps us on the march, dangling names like Rem Koolhaas, Piet Blom, and J. J. P. Oud to inspire our pedaling.

Unlike Amsterdam, Rotterdam was devastated during World War II bombing raids. However, the industrious city, with its strategic port on the Rhine, recovered in remarkable speed. The devastation gave architects a blank slate on which to innovate.

Today Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port generating the wealth to support a rich array of ambitious new buildings, including the gravity-defying Markthal (Market Hall).

Nicknamed the Horseshoe, Markthal is a typology-busting collision between high-end condo and central food market. A single, vast arch rises 40 meters to enclose the enormous central hall. The arch itself is made up of some 200 apartments, many of which have windows that open directly onto the public hall below (the Dutch aren’t freaks about privacy). Even more staggering is the 3,500-square-meter mural that drenches the 325 A

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The gravity-defying Markthal nicknamed the Horseshoe (below), De Rotterdam - OMA headquarters (left) Wartime devastation in central Rotterdam (left) and The Aeolusmast on the Westzeedijk during the E`55 event. (1955) (left)

Across the plaza from Markthal lies another architectural mind-bender: an ’80s classic by Piet Blom known as the Cube Houses. Yes, it’s true that most houses are relatively cubic, but rarely are they tilted at 45 degrees and made to sit on rather spindly-looking hexagonal pylons. Blom says he wanted to create a village within a city. In his mind, each house represented a tree that, together, join to form a forest. Today the project seems dated, but also exudes a certain retro-futurist cool.

So much architecture, and we haven’t even gotten to Rem Koolhaas, whose firm OMA is headquartered here. Unlike Herzog & de Meuron, who have remade modern Basel in their image, Koolhaas, the self-appointed dean of world architecture, has left only a modest mark on Rotterdam.

Still, the Kunsthal, the city’s principle art museum, is considered his breakthrough work. Completed in the early ’90s, it deliriously deconstructs 90-degree angles and other traditional forms of traditional art museums.

Instead, dynamically angled ramps, walls, windows and interstitial spaces urge visitors along a spiraling path through the museum’s galleries.

Our long afternoon in Rotterdam makes it clear why this city is considered one of Europe’s most innovative.

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is Watersquare Benthemplein, a public square that beautifully exposes the inner workings of city’s water infrastructure. There is Dakpark, a kilometer-long park that sits atop a shopping mall. And there is J. J. P. Oud’s 1931 Van Nelle Factory, a UNESCO-protected masterpiece of Modernism that Le Corbusier called “the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age.”

Back on our efficient little train to Leiden, where our Dutch friend lives, we resolve to return another day.

Visit architour.nl

© Collectie Gemeentearchief Rotterdam, Ossip van Duivenbode, Claire Droppert, Joh. van Bueren

entirety of the hall’s interior. The fruits and vegetables, garishly hued and blown up to menacing size, are in fact ultra-HD video projections that slowly rotate like stars in the night sky. It is as if nature’s out-of-control bounty is raining down on us puny gawkers far below.

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Preserving the irreplaceable

ŠWorld Monuments Fund

By J. Michael Welton

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This page Bet Giorgis (known as The House of St. George) is one of eleven twelfth-century rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia The opposite page The most significant interiors of Chancellerie d’Orléans, including mid-eighteenth-century murals, were removed in 1923 and have been stored in suburban Paris ever since

A book to save the world An organization founded in 1965 by a retired U.S. Army colonel seeking to preserve antiquities in Rome is celebrating its 50th anniversary – along with the work it’s done for more than 700 threatened sites.

Col. James A. Gray established the World Monuments Fund (WMF) just in time for the Venice floods of 1966 – a catastrophe that orchestrated a global response. One result was the establishment of the WMF’s Venice Committee, an organization that has now grown into Save Venice Inc, dedicated to preserving the culture of that cherished city.

the use of matching grants. “We leverage at least one to one and two to one, so it’s about twice what we spend,” she says.

WMF is known for its World Monuments Watch, a biannual listing of projects confronting significant threats, published every two years. About half have received intervention and financial support from the organization itself, but many have been helped by other means, such as legal designation or government intervention. “We have about an 80 percent success rate and a two to three percent loss rate,” she says.

The 2016 list, released last October, includes 50 sites in 36 countries, each at risk from the forces of nature and the impact of social, political and economic change. Among them are the National Arts School in Cuba, the Arch of Janus in Rome and the Heneine Palace in Beirut.

Through the WMF, Gray reached out to form WMF chapters across the U.S. and elsewhere. Twenty sites have been rescued by chapters in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York. “The idea of chapters adopting these projects was his,” says Bonnie Burnham, WMF president and CEO. “The colonel was entrepreneurial, offering discounts on hotel bills and museums in Venice.”

To commemorate its 50th anniversary, WMF released late last year a book titled World Monuments: 50 Irreplaceable Sites to Discover, Explore and Champion, published by Rizzoli. No mere coffee table book, its 239 pages are filled with thought-provoking essays by some of the world’s more prominent writers, including André Aciman, Anne Applebaum, William Dalrymple, Justin Davidson, John Julius Norwich, and Fernanda Eberstadt.

WMF now operates on an annual budget of about $20 million, though it stretches those funds mightily through

It’s meant to be read on two levels – first, the projects – and then the places addressed by the authors. “We 329 A

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This page The Church of Our Immaculate Lady (or Kollegienkirche) in Salzburg, Austria (top), was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Four monumental Atlas reinforce the ceiling of the sala terrena of the Belvedere Gardens in Vienna (below) Preah Khan temple complex, Angkor Archaeological Park, Siem Reap, Cambodia (below left)

drafted these writers into the project and brought them into the places,” she says. “Many were people we’ve worked with over the years.”

Its photography was curated by the International Center of Photography, and features striking images from photographers like Edward Burtynsky, Tiina Itkonen, Erich Lessing, Gideon Mendel, and Sebastião Salgado.

In essence, the book is an armchair bucket list for the educated traveler. From Petra to New Orleans and Angkor to the Tempel Synagogue in Kraków, the Mughal Gardens of Agra, India to the Chancellerie d’Orléans in Paris, it offers 50 of the world’s more compelling destinations, cultural heritage sites and significant architectural works.

“It’s a way of engaging the reader in the way of travel experiences around the world, and the challenges we had to confront in order to save them,” she says.

One can’t help but believe that Col. Gray, who died in 1994, would salute it proudly.

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© World Monuments Fund

Aciman pens an essay on Rome, Applebaum covers Cambodia, Davidson writes about Mexico City, Norwich takes on Venice, and Dalrymple explores Easter Island.

“There’s conflict, disaster, the pressure of development and urbanism, and the challenges that cities face when real estate values go up – in Beirut, for example,” she says.

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A high art _ exhibition

Three Figures in a Room Step into the “fight of the century” between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Paul Pfeiffer’s first solo exhibition. Stripped down to their most primal form, the sounds from the ring – grunts, A 334

blows, heavy breathing – don’t pull any punches. Instead, they are magnified until the viewer becomes part of the action.

On view until January 9, 2016 at Galerie Perrotin, 50 Connaught Rd. Central, Hong Kong, tel.

852.3758.2180, perrotin.com

© Paul Pfeiffer/Galerie Perrotin, Geraald Rockenschaub/Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Ali Banisadr/Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, John Bock/Regen Projects, White Cube

On view

In Media Res Looking at the struggle between chaos and composure in his oil paintings, it’s little surprise to learn that Brooklyn-based artist Ali Banisadr was born in Tehran.

Stop by the gallery’s third solo exhibition of the artist to see how vivid colors and expansive landscapes have characterized Banisadr’s fascination with instability.

On view until January 16, 2016 at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 7 Rue Debelleyme, Paris, tel.

33.1.4272.9900, ropac.net Bend It A pioneer of the digital age, Gerwald Rockenschaub first started designing his works on a computer in the ’90s, He continues to innovate in his latest exhibition with a series of irregularly angled plexiglass wall pieces that playfully overlap in an ode to geometry.

On view until January 23, 2016 at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Maag Areal, Zahnradstrasse 21, Zurich, tel. 41.43.444.70.50, presenhuber.com

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Losing the Compass Textiles in their many mediums sit center stage at White Cube’s latest group exhibition.

Exploring their political, social and aesthetic significance over the last few centuries, you’ll find 19th-century wallpapers sitting alongside a series of quilts stitched by Amish communities.

Expect a whole new appreciation for the fabric of your existence.

On view until January 9, 2016 at White Cube, 25-26 Mason’s Yard, London, tel.

44.207.930.5373, whitecube.com

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© Paul Pfeiffer/Galerie Perrotin, Geraald Rockenschaub/Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Ali Banisadr/Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, John Bock/Regen Projects, White Cube

Three Sisters German wunderkind John Bock has built a career on creating outrageous pieces of art that shows no signs of slowing down. After training in Hamburg, he gained notoriety for his enjoyment of the absurd – now, his U.S. debut of “Three Sisters,” an installation and accompanying film, showcases his idiosyncratic sense of humor in a striking visual work.

On view until December 19 at Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, tel. 310.276.5424, regenprojects.com

www.aeronautica.difesa.it www.aeronauticamilitare-collezioneprivata.it A誰shti by the Sea Jal El Dib, +961.4.71 77 16 ext. 273 and all A誰zone stores, +961.1.99 11 11 Produced and distributed by Cristiano di Thiene Spa

Š Annabel Daou, Galerie Tanja Wagna Berlin, Albert Benda Gallery

A high art _ emotion

X marks the spot

By Laura van Straaten

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This page A piece from the Albert Benda Exhibition in New York’s Chelsea Opposite page Adieu, you whom I love a thousand times (2014)

Annabel Daou: Exploring the common link

Artist Annabel Daou’s studio sits just steps from the state, city and federal courts, jails and politicians’ offices that make up the business district of lower Manhattan.

It’s a long way from Lebanon, where Daou lived until 1985 when she received a scholarship to Barnard College in New York City. “Like a lot of others, I got on a boat in a burning port,” she recounts.

Although she has returned often to visit family who never left, “For the most part, I didn’t look back.” But now, exhibiting her work in Lebanon for the first time after years of showing internationally, she suddenly has a chance to do so.

This fall, Daou was part of group show of Lebanese artists called “Territoire d’Affects” at Beirut Exhibition Center. Among the works she created for the exhibit was “This Bruise Won’t Go” (2015), which she says was “about

how being at the threshold of choice creates knots within us.” The work repeats and plays with phrases that use the words “stay” and “go” and mirrors her complicated feelings about fleeing her native land. “I left Lebanon to have space to do what I wanted to do as an artist,” she says. “and I think there is some post traumatic stress and reservations about the limiting nature of having one’s work understood only in the context of nationality.”

Surely the impact of growing up during the protracted wars in Lebanon has made a unique imprint on her as an artist? She agrees that it was “a terrible time to be a teenager,” but also makes the point when it comes to exposure to violence, “That’s something a lot of people can share; it’s not limited to having grown up in Lebanon.”

She expresses more interest in exploring the common links among humans and the palimpsests of human experience through 339 A

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This page Mine (2014), ink on mending tape on Islamic sunn hemp paper, vellum and handmade Japanese paper (top), and (below) a performance entitled Want (2014), ink on mending tape, gilded 24 carat gold leaf

works that incorporate multiple layers and often a bit of rawness. Her go-to materials are paper (especially the pulpiest, most rough-hewn handmade styles) and a nearly translucent document repair tape, which she buys by the lot.

Take her recent solo show, curated

by Jennifer Olshin, at the new gallery Albertz Benda in New York’s Chelsea. The centerpiece appears to be a flat, floaty map of a world − or at least its aqueous parts − rendered in shades of blue. On close inspection, the work reveals itself to be constructed from lightweight Japanese A 340

Then, at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, on view through February 7th, is her contribution to “What We Call Love,” which explores how the notion of love has evolved since the turn of the 20th century.

(Organized by the Centre Pompidou’s chief curator, Christine Macel, this group show puts Daou in the company of 200 of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries including, just from the beginning of the alphabet: Abramović, Bourgeois, Brâncuși, Buñuel, and so on.) Here Daou has contributed “Adieu, you whom I love a thousand times” (2014), a piece related to her “pieces of the love letter: the common tongue” (2014), which was acquired by The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. For these, she worked with “one big mash-up” of 100 historical and literary love letters from around the world: “I just started chunking them all together.” She wove Sappho with Kafka with Tarzan into one long scroll; one piece displays that scroll in its entirely, one shows it ripped and layered.

These pieces, like Daou’s work at large, rest uneasily between ruin and repair, and the emotions that come with each. And for Daou, that, perhaps, is where her native land of Lebanon comes in.

© Annabel Daou, Galerie Tanja Wagna Berlin, Albert Benda Gallery

papers, torn plastic bags and curlicues of Daou’s ubiquitous repair tape on which she has hand-written the letter “x” in ink precisely one million times, hence its title “a million x” (2015). Each “x” is unique; together they form a world.

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A high art _ renaissance

In Sursock shock

Š Sursock Museum

By Christina Tkacik

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Sursock will again provide a forum for cultural dialogue and vistors can feast on some of the most amazing art and archives in the capital

The Sursock Museum reopens, providing a new view of Lebanon

For the past eight years, a transformation has been underway in Ashrafieh. Workers have been digging underneath the foundation of the Sursock residence in Ashrafieh. The house – nearly a palace, was originally built in 1912, as the home of Lebanese aristocrat and art lover Nicolas Sursock. Sursock bequeathed it to the city in his will, and it was turned into an art museum in the ‘60s. But by the 2000s, it was in need of some repairs.

And some new storage space. The resulting space is five times bigger than it used to be.

“It’s almost inconceivable that a project of this scale would even be possible,” says Muriel Kahwagi, head of communications for Sursock.

The digging alone – excavating the enormous space beneath the house for exhibition and storage room – took two years. The structure of the house was void of foundations, requiring reinforcements in order to ensure it wouldn’t fall apart during excavation.

The façade, too, needed to be completely re-worked. The project was undertaken by French architect Jean-Michel Villemot and 343 A

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The Fouad Debbas image collection is one of the largest collections of Middle Eastern photographs in the world

And finally, on October 8, 2015, it happened. The Sursock Museum was open to the public. Opera singers belted Italian operas from the front steps, and the city’s glamorous set sipped wine and Perrier while soaking in art that has gone unseen for nearly eight years. Inside the Museum, gallery goers were catching a glimpse of the city that they hadn’t seen in years.

“There hasn’t been a proper museum for the past seven years,” says Kahwagi. Artists working in Lebanon have had to operate on a small and mostly independent scale, albeit with the help of organizations such as Ashkal Alwan and 98 Weeks. The hope is that now, Sursock will again provide a forum for cultural dialogue. Gallery goers can enjoy a host of exhibits, talks and tours of the city, as well as feast on some of the most amazing art and archives in the city. “It’s meant to be open to everyone… It’s a place full of possibilities.”

Currently, the Museum hosts temporary exhibitions downstairs that seek to map the landscape of contemporary Beirut, reflecting on themes of development and commercialization. In the basement space, there’s historic Orientalist as well as locally made artwork from various centuries, showcasing how the region was viewed in the public imagination through the years.

“We wanted to provide different views of Beirut to help A 344

people reconnect with the museum and with the city,” Kahwagi says.

Other collections, including the Fouad Debbas image collection – one of the largest collections of Middle Eastern photographs in the world – are sure to influence scholarship on the region for years to come.

The Debbas collection includes 30,000 images including postcards and manuscripts, all collected by Fouad Debbas, a Lebanese expatriate living in France. The photographs span from 1800 to the 1960s, and include holdings from Maison Bonfils, one of the first studios in the Ottoman Empire.

Researchers will now have easy access to the collection, once housed at the Debbas showroom; additionally, the Museum is now equipped with the special storage space and digitization laboratory necessary to house such a massive collection.

“Educating the Lebanese eye to images of our past and connecting with a 21st century public is the greatest challenge,” says Yasmine Chemali, who took care of the entire collection in the years after Debbas’s death.

Serendipitously, she was also appointed Head of Collections at the Sursock Museum, where she now overseas the Debbas collection (on long-term loan) as well as every other collection.

As with any seismic shift, it will take time to see how the opening has impacted Beirut’s cultural scene. “It’s a museum, not a bomb that you drop,” says Muriel Kahwagi. “It should take time.”

© Sursock Museum

Lebanon’s own Jacques Abou Khaled, and paid for with public funds – specifically, a small percentage of the taxes from construction permits, says Kahwagi.

Palette of associations

By Laura van Straaten

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Š Walid Raad, The Museum of Modern Art New York, Paul Cooper Gallery New York, Thomas Griesel, Walker Art Museum Minneapolis, The Atlas Group

A high art _ interpretation

This page My Neck is Thinner Than a Hair: Engines Opposite page Civilizationally, we do not dig holes to bury ourselves

Walid Raad and the subtle impact of violence

The expansive survey of 25 years of work by Lebanese artist Walid Raad at New York’s Museum of Modern Art comprises a complex constellation of more than 200 pieces across many media.

Thankfully, the artist himself, in a black T-shirt and jeans, is there to help offer some context in person several times a week.

“Walkthrough,” as Raad calls his live, hourlong, scripted performance has “elements of slapstick, standup comedy, the TED talk, the academic lecture, the artist talk,” he explained in an interview on the eve of the show’s opening.

Visitors who can’t get tickets to the performance (on MoMA’s website) can and should listen to it in full on the museum’s audio guide; you need to hear Raad himself

to grasp his oeuvre and his good sense of humor. (He will also perform when the exhibit travels to Boston in February then to Mexico City next fall.)

Just as Raad’s survey straddles two floors of MoMA, so the survey straddles two of Raad’s main artistic projects. The first project is called “The Atlas Group”, started in 1989.

It combines research on real events with imaginary stories and characters to offer up and question a contemporary history of Lebanon, and more recent work, the Middle East at large.

Raad’s second project on view is “Scratching on things I could disavow,” started in 2007. For this, he uses interrelated series of photographs, videos, sculptures, installations and performance, to evince a 347 A

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discomfort with the burgeoning of the art fairs, auctions, prizes, biennials, museums and galleries alongside the geopolitical, economic and military conflicts that have long consumed the region.

Raad’s intense brown eyes peer from behind rimless spectacles as he explains why his work is rooted in Beirut, even though he emigrated to the USA at age 16 and has raised his now 17-year old daughter here: “I feel like I work in New York but I live in Lebanon because my palette of associations is so linked to Lebanon, the sea, the sky, the colors, the smells.”

A central preoccupation of Raad’s is the long lasting and sometimes subtle impact of violence, specifically the violence of the protracted wars in Lebanon, which began when the 48-year-old Raad was 8.

To explore this preoccupation he folds in testimonies and even “art work” by experts with invented biographies who are quoted and even pictured. Then, even more compellingly, Raad makes use of magical realism – though he is not wont to use that term – by weaving fantastical traits and improbable happenings in with hard social and political realities. In Raad’s new art-world order, he cautions: “Artworks may shrink. And then colors, lines and forms go hide. Some artworks lose their reflections or their shadows. There is A 348

telepathic communication with artists from the future in an effort to hail color that has gone missing.” This is the freshest and most emotional part of the exhibit.

For example, in a series of inkjet prints, Raad posits paintings whose reflections on the shiny floors of the Doha’s Arab Museum of Modern Art have disappeared. He compares them to the reflections of vampires, which cannot be seen, playing on a favorite trope of his, picked up from his intellectual guru, the artist, filmmaker and author Jalal Toufic, whom Raad met almost 25 years ago and of whom Raad once wrote “I am not able to find

my thoughts without passing through his words, books, and concepts.”

As suggested by his multiple references to Toufic, whose writing Raad says it took him ten years to penetrate, this exhibit is not for the casual art tourist. Raad makes the viewer peer around, upside-down and sideways at objects, systems, traditions and history. But for those who willing to do the work, the potential pay-off is big.

On view at New York’s Museum of Modern Art until January 16, 2016, at the Contemporary Art in Boston from February 24 to May 30, 2016, and at the Museo Jume in Mexico City

© Walid Raad, The Museum of Modern Art New York, Paul Cooper Gallery New York, Thomas Griesel, Walker Art Museum Minneapolis, The Atlas Group

This page Let’s be honest, the weather helped (top) and an installation view of Walid Raad at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (bottom)

A lifestyle _ city

Trade winds and birdsong

Romance and creativity in Galle

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Picking my way along the stony walls of the 17th century Dutch fortification in Galle, the jewel of a town on Sri Lanka’s southern tip, I little resembled the chic, graceful figure I imagined when packing for the trip.

Now – in my favorite new throwback 1970s tan leather, wooden-soled platform sandals, I cut a figure more akin to a hunchbacked granny, laden with groceries, accepting the help of a boy scout to cross the street.

But sadly my ordeal wasn’t over. When the rains descended at sunset, I had to take off my leather-and-wood beauties, and replace them with hideous tourist neon pink-andpurple flip flops from the gift shop, spoiling the first-day-of-vacation outfit I’d been planning for weeks.

But by that point, it didn’t matter. I was in Galle. Here, the rain carried in by the

© Shutterstock, Galle Fort Hotel, Fort Printers, Amangalla, Burberry Prorsum, Gucci

By Stephanie d’Arc Taylor

trade winds is warm, the streets smell like tropical flowers and sound like birdsong, and all the buildings are stately colonial houses, with columns on the verandas and birds of paradise in the front gardens, filled to the brim with dark wooden furniture and brass with the romantic patina of the centuries. It’s no wonder the entire old town – the site first fortified by Portuguese traders in the 16th century, but used by merchants from all over the Indian Ocean for long before – is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Here, lucky tourists mingle with a diverse population descended from Sri Lankan forebears, the Portuguese, Dutch, and English traders who colonized the area, as well as the many subsequent generations of European artists who made Galle their home (including the American writer Paul Bowles who for a few years owned an island not far from here). As a result of the decades

of creative minds passing through, the town brims with bookstores, arts spaces, and antique stores (basically museums with price tags) housed in converted bazaars where your purchase can be the latest in a centuries-old tradition of transaction.

Plus, arts events such as the Galle Literary Festival every February, or those hosted by the wacky Sri Serendipity publishing house make Galle the most outward-facing culture capital on the island.

And if strolling lazily through the cobblestoned streets gets old, retire to one of the many respectfully restored colonial heritage houses in the area for a spot of tea grown in the mountains just visible on the horizon, or a game of croquet on the lawn before an afternoon gin and tonic. Perfect beaches stretching seemingly endlessly on either side of the city also pleasantly tempt one away from the pleasures of the town – and here, thankfully, footwear is optional.

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The Fort Printers This 18th century mansion (sensing a theme here?) was once a printers’ workshop, and their presses are still on view in this boutique hotel. Peek inside the courtyard pool for a cocktail in utter relaxation.

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Š Shutterstock, Galle Fort Hotel, Fort Printers, Amangalla, Burberry Prorsum, Gucciww

Galle Fort Hotel Tossing back a Singapore Sling or two as frangipani blossoms lazily drop into the courtyard pool of this restored 17th century Dutch mansion is a smart way to pass a few hours.

Gucci

Burberry Prorsum

Amangalla This spice bazaar constructed 1684 has been converted into one of the best luxury hotels on the island. Stop by for a drink in the lobby bar.

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A lifestyle _ treat

Let them eat macarons

By Christina Tkacik

“Every detail is important. What you see with your eyes, what you smell, what you touch. It all has to be part of the dream.”

(And by the way, the Coppola reference isn’t random. Ladurée provided all the pastries for the film, which starred Kirsten Dunst as the infamous Queen of France.)

Holder first came to Lebanon after the end of the civil war, while working with the Paul chain of bakeries, which his family also owns. Where we sit now, an area known as Wadi Hills, was in ruins. And despite this, the people remained resilient.

“I’m very attached to Lebanese people,” he says. “They have good vibes, which you feel when you arrive.”

Holder talks about vibes and positive energy throughout our interview. A vegetarian and practitioner of yoga and meditation he tries to transmit positive energy to the people around him.

And he’s done this in the form of macarons.

Before Ladurée macarons were rarely found outside Paris: today, they’re available at every other kiosk in the world, from Australia to UAE (few, of course, are as delicious as Ladurée’s.)

How much of the worldwide macaron craze is due to Ladurée? 100 percent he says. “There were never macarons in these places before we took over.”

I’m sipping espresso from gold-rimmed china at the new Ladurée restaurant in Downtown Beirut, pausing to pop a pink macaron in my mouth – there’s an endless supply. A Belle and Sebastian song is playing. Is this real life?

“Ladurée is like being Marie Antoinette in the Sofia Coppola movie,” says Ladurée’s President, David Holder, seated to my right.

“It’s 150 years of tradition but at the same time it has to be a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.”

Holder, then, might be the Iggy Pop of macarons: friendly and charismatic, with long hair and chunky silver rings adorning his fingers.

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Finding the perfect location is always the biggest challenge to opening a new Ladurée restaurant – and Beirut was no exception.

“It was a nightmare,” says Carine ChebliDesplats, Holder’s business partner, of the location scouting process, which took over four years. But the wait was well worth it.

The new building is a subtle mix of Oriental grandeur with high Ottoman windows and an olive tree outside. Perhaps it’s fitting. While Holder and Ladurée are responsible for much of the present moment in macarons, the tradition of almond-based desserts, such as algebra and coffee, actually comes from the Arab world.

© Ladurée

Coffee and cake with the President of France’s Ladurée

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A lifestyle _ secret

Italy, undiscovered The shabby-chic charm of Puglia

It’s time to admit it: Tuscany is overrated. Yes, Italy’s beloved region may be packed with Renaissance-era art and architecture, its rustic, rolling landscapes, and world-class slow food movement drawing crowds of honeymooners and culture vultures alike. And gorging on artisanal, hand-cut pasta while glugging glasses of the famed Brunello wine from a local vineyard estate really is as decadent as it sounds. But the region’s enduring popularity has bred a rambunctious tourist scene that makes a walk around Florence’s Duomo more like an endurance race than an intimate moment with the Masters.

© Masseria Torre Coccaro Hotel

By Pip Usher

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This page the hotel’s thick, white-washed walls, a wintry courtyard scene, and a shabby-chic guestroom.

Opposite page a snowy vista stretches for miles

For those seeking the sweet taste of Italian country life, la dolce vita is best found further afield. These days, savvy vacationists head to Puglia, an area in southern Italy famed for its baroque towns and disheveled olive groves. The roads are less traveled; the beaches emptier – but behind the sleepiness lives a thriving agricultural scene, with Puglia churning out two-thirds of Italy’s olive oil and one-tenth of Europe’s wine. Another particularly charming draw of the region are the trulli, dry stone homes with a conical roof that are now popular second homes for European sophisticates.

When it comes to sleeping arrangements, those in the know head to Masseria Torre Coccaro, a gem of a hotel with sea views.

First built in the 16th century, the resort’s careful restoration has resulted in a

stylish ode to shabby-chic. Thick, whitewashed walls, generously proportioned bathrooms and the elegant simplicity of each cavernous room create rustic comfort – but with all the modern amenities one would expect from a boutique hotel. On summer days, the outdoor pool, cabanaesque sun lounging spots and hammocks offer numerous retreats to escape into a book; during the winter months, indulge in treatments at the hotel’s Aveda spa or curl up in the library, choosing from its collection of more than 3,000 books on design, fashion, art and culture.

Tucked under the vaulted ceilings of an old barn, Egnathia, the hotel’s restaurant, is testament to the region’s commitment to food. Masseria Torre Coccaro is still a working farm, bringing a bounty of fruits, vegetables and olive oil to the dining table

every meal. Ambitious foodies can learn to replicate the authentic fare with cooking lessons at the hotel; if that sounds too strenuous, the hotel’s sommelier is always on hand for a wine tasting.

In between meals, work up an appetite with a variety of sporty pursuits. The 9-hole Coccaro Golf Club, set amidst almond and olive trees, is an unforgettable golfing experience. Hop on a bicycle and meander down ambling country roads, or saddle up at a local stable and gallop down Puglia’s deserted beaches. The best part of all? The knowledge that, at the end of a long day, the linen sheets of your elegant room await.

Contrada Coccaro, 8, 72015 Savelletri di Fasano BR, Italy, tel. 39.080.482.9310, masseriatorrecoccaro.com 359 A

A lifestyle _ clique

Girl on girl

By Kasia Maciejowska

For years, gender equality was about the right of women to be considered on par with men. But women have started to realize that being one of the boys is selling themselves short. Now that Beyoncé’s hit “Flawless” has taken Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s feminist rallying cry mainstream, and Naomi Wolf has reframed female anatomy with her book Vagina, feminist thinking has evolved into something new – carving out female-first spaces in culture.

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Many women start with the area over which they have most control: their bodies. Handling your own wellbeing is a foundational tool in the arsenal of thirdwave feminism. As women reconfigure their goals, they’re writing off “having it all” [translation: being overworked and underpaid] in favor of having it their own way. In fitness terms, that means less of the painful attempts to conform to one ideal body type and more fun working with your own body to optimize its natural shape. Today’s dream body looks strong, capable and synced with a happy mind – probably via a meditation app.

To foster this body positivity, health clubs are emerging that exclude men and channel woman-to-woman support instead. Two of the best are Nike Women’s

© 45 Grand

Are women-only health clubs feminism’s new frontier?

This, previous and following pages 45 Grand is just one of the female-only gyms taking over the scene

45 Grand (a favorite of supermodel Karlie Kloss) in New York, and Skinny Bitch Collective, a celebrityfrequented gym with programs in London, Los Angeles, New York, and Ibiza. Perfectly egalitarian parents still send their daughters to single-sex schools because statistics shows girls get better results without boys around – Nike Women and SBC adhere to the same mentality. 45 Grand epitomizes its female-friendly approach with pink velvet sofas in locker rooms and studios shinier than synth-pop; SBC’s online hub looks like a style blog and features cool girls getting active in creative ways.

Nike’s decision to focus on women as it launches the first of its worldwide training clubs reveals the scale of the female fitness boom. 45 Grand prioritizes female concerns, from new-season sportswear to individual nutrition, luxurious interior design and community events that celebrate female athletic achievement.

While male guests can be invited, they must fit into the female-first regiment and – like old boys’ clubs throughout history – membership is by invitation-only.

London-based SBC has a more strictly man-free policy, despite being founded by male trainer Russell Bateman.

Its female members attend pop-up sessions and receive nutritional advice, but the keynote is that exercising can be fun. “Come play with us” reads their tagline, and classes include competitions and games. It’s the sisterhood rebranded.

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Both SBC and 45 Grand have tapped into what women want now, creating fitness programs built on love for one’s body, rather than anxiety. With the female form always at the core of feminist debate, clubbing together to get sporty is a positive manifestation of society’s obsession with women’s bodies. This year saw the media shift its gaze to gender inequality in professional sports, having previously focused on sexism in business and Hollywood. Sportswomen, having largely been relegated from feminist debate, are now poised to be its poster girls as hard-earned athleticism comes to signify can-do thinking.

It’s been 50 years since the women’s liberation movement burned their bras on a bonfire of Playboy magazines to protest against the Miss America pageant.

They’d smile to see simpering corsetry replaced by hardworking crop tops today.

© 45 Grand

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A last _ word

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