C California Style & Culture by C Magazine

BLUNK SPACES J.B.’s Legacy Lives On ICE CRYSTALS Snow-Ready Rocks and Gems

Winter 2023 / 2024

WOW VOWS Wedding Special

Cover

JUST CHILL Taylor Hill Styles Out the Season

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Prada

Cartier

Givenchy

Chanel

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Conrad Hotels

INSPIRED

Harry Winston

Christian Dior

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Christian Dior

Valentino

VALENTINO.COM BEVERLY HILLS: 324 NORTH RODEO DRIVE 310.247.0103 SOUTH COAST PLAZA: 3333 BRISTOL STREET 714.751.3300 SAN FRANCISCO: 105 GRANT AVENUE 415.772.9835 TOPANGA: 6600 TOPANGA CANYON BOULEVARD 818.912.6370 VALLEY FAIR: 2855 STEVENS CREEK BOULEVARD 929.618.8945

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Van Cleef & Arpels

Jimmy Choo

Douglas Elliman

A VIEW DESIGNED FOR A VISIONARY The details that matter to you, matter to us.

Douglas Elliman

Beverly Hills | Malibu | Montecito | Newport Beach | San Diego

150 EL CAMINO DRIVE, SUITE 150, BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90212. 310.595.3888. DRE# 01947727.

Buccellati

F O U N D E R’S

L E T T E R

E DITORS’ PICKS This month’s wish list

HERMÈS Bag, $11,700, hermes.com.

o you feel the chill in the air? No? Well, winter announces itself in these parts with more of a whisper than a bomb cyclone. But whether it is 72 degrees and sunny or you wake up to snow-capped peaks under a bluebird sky, we have the best sartorial offerings that will remain chic no matter the temperature, as evidenced on our cover star, Taylor Hill. We spent a day with the supermodel in the hills of Topanga as she sported effortlessly cool looks suitable for winter in the American West. Winter also means it’s time to hit the slopes, so we present a seasonal jewelry portfolio of baubles that sparkle on or off the mountains of Mammoth, Tahoe, and beyond. When Chanel chose Los Angeles for its cruise show this year, we were thrilled to see how our West Coast style could inform such a venerable French fashion house. With a relaxed vibe and drawing on classic tropes of L.A. cool, we decided to take the collection for a spin, literally. With roller skates aplenty, a trunkload of Chanel, and a pink motel famous for neon lights, a better Cali combo could not be found. Also uniquely Californian is the work of the late artist J.B. Blunk, who created his iconic sculptures out of fallen redwoods. We visit his daughter, Mariah Nielson, who keeps his memory alive in Inverness, living on his estate and launching exhibitions at her nearby Blunk Space with artists and craftspeople who work in the same spirit of her father. Speaking of spirit, fashion designer JJ Martin, who was born and bred in Santa Monica, lives la dolce vita every day in her adopted base of Milan. Her clothes and homewares are permeated with a playful, infectious energy. The fashion editor turned author, who has her first tome out this month, is the perfect ambassador of a West Coast–Euro mashup, and the results are fantastically fun. Whatever the weather does, it’s all about living and loving and finding beauty wherever you are. That’s what we celebrate 365 days a year.

BOTTEGA VENETA Sandals, price upon request, bottegaveneta.com.

Founder’s Note

Founder, Editorial Director and CEO

Ring, $18,000, margeryhirschey.com. ON THE COVER

Photography by DAVID ROEMER. Fashion Direction by PETRA FLANNERY. Hair by BOBBY ELIOT at The Wall Group using AUTHENTIC BEAUTY CONCEPT. Makeup by KARO KANGAS at Forward Artists using CLÉ DE PEAU. Manicure by ZOLA GANZORIGT at The Wall Group for OPI. Taylor Hill wears GIVENCHY jacket, shirt, and jeans; BUCCELLATI bracelet, TIFFANY & CO. ring; and BULGARI cuff single earring. Studs, Taylor’s own.

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ILLUSTRATION: DAVID DOWNTON.

JENNIFER SMITH

MARGERY HIRSCHEY X GEMFIELDS

Cuvée Rosé. Chosen by the best.

The Savoy London

Laurent Perrier

MAISON FAMILIALE INDÉPENDANTE

Imported by Laurent-Perrier US - www.laurent-perrier.com

P L E A S E E N J O Y C H A M P A G N E R E S P O N S I B LY

Graff

WE ARE L.A. DANCE PROJECT

YOUR HOME FOR DANCE IN LOS ANGELES

Josh Rose for L.A. Dance Project 2021.

LADP

WWW.LADANCEPROJECT.ORG

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Winter 2023 STATEMENTS

Eddie Borgo’s palm-fringed fine jewelry collection................................................................. 47 Five gold bags that give an instant glow............................................................................................ 51

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Louis Vuitton’s high jewelry designer tells the story behind the stones................. 62

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FEATURES

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Taylor Hill heads to Topanga Canyon in winter’s finest............................... 66 Mountain-ready gems sparkle like freshly fallen snow................................. 80

How Mariah Nielson keeps the legacy of J.B. Blunk alive........................... 88 Taking the L.A.-inspired Chanel cruise collection for a spin....................96 JJ Martin’s journey from California cool girl to fashion behemoth..... 104

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WEDDINGS Five heeled shoes to take you down the aisle...................................................... 118

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Catwalk creations to inspire your dress on the big day................................ 120

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DISCOVERIES Cozy cabins for adventure seekers and no skis needed............................. 129

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Carolyn Murphy’s favorite California hotspots...................................................136

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Ralph Lauren

D I G I TA L

C O N T E N T S

T H I S J U ST I N . . .

WHAT’S HOT ON MAGAZINEC.COM FEATU R I NG

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS The Coloradoborn model on her love of the American West and her fashion mentor

STYLE NEWS The hottest trends of the season

TOC DECOR & DESIGN

HILL: DAVID ROEMER. DECOR: SAM FROST. CULTURE: JIMMY METYKO. PEOPLE: CHRISTIAN ANWANDER.

Haute homes from California’s foremost tastemakers

TAYLOR HILL’S STYLE SECRETS

PLUS TH E L ATEST

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CAITLIN WHITE

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Pomellato

P E O P L E

ALANNA HALE

DAVID ROEMER The work of self-taught photographer David Roemer, who shot Victoria’s Secret Angel Taylor Hill for our cover and feature story, “Taylor Takes Topanga” (p. 66), has been featured in many publications, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Numéro, Madame Figaro, and Elle. He has also collaborated with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Lancôme, Cartier, NARS, and Donna Karan. MY C SPOTS Scopa Italian Roots in Venice for authentic handmade pasta • Flour + Water in San Francisco for modern takes on classic dishes • Jinpachi in L.A. for mind-blowing omakase

Alanna Hale, a photographer and living in San Francisco, turned her lens on Mariah Nielson for “Fill in the Blunks” (p. 88). Motivated by the desire to eat well, make connections, and stay curious, her work can be found in a range of publications, such as Architectural Digest, Food and Wine, and The New York Times. MY C SPOTS A Bloody Mary and fish & chips at Nick’s Cove on Tomales Bay • Tank Hill in San Francisco has views nearly as good as Twin Peaks but with half the tourists • Backpacking in the Eastern Sierras; Stanislaus National Forest is mere hours from the city but worlds away

PETRA FLANNERY

CHRISTINE LENNON

Native Californian Petra Flannery, who styled the looks for “Taylor Takes Topanga” (p. 66), grew up in San Francisco, graduated from The University of Southern California, and lives currently in Los Angeles. She is responsible for countless red carpet and fashion favorites over her decades-long career as one of Hollywood’s top celebrity stylists. MY C SPOTS Indian Wells for the tennis • La Dolce Vita in L.A. for the ‘60s decor and dining experience; get the tableside Caesar salad • Sita 1910, a unique shopping hideaway in the Peninsula Beverly Hills for one-of-a-kind pieces

Christine Lennon, who interviewed Mariah Nielson for “Fill in the Blunks” (p. 88), is a former editor at W, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar and a regular contributor to Sunset magazine. Recently she cowrote interior designer Heidi Caillier’s book, Memories of Home, for Rizzoli. MY C SPOTS Ellwood Bluffs in Goleta for a windswept walk on an empty beach (bring tar-remover wipes) • Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria for a world-class wine-tasting experience • For a night at home with friends, Bespoke Bar L.A. cocktail mixes along with a grazing platter from Simple Life Things

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HALE: DANIEL DENT.

Contributors

IWC Schaffhausen

“ I ’ M T H I N K I N G B E YO N D M Y T I M E TO T H E L E G AC Y I L E AV E B E H I N D.” G I S E L E B Ü N D C H E N , S U P E R M O D E L , E N V I R O N M E N TA L AC T I V I S T, M O T H E R

IW3716 THE REFERENCE. P ORTUG IESE R CH RONOG R APH This Portugieser Chronograph builds on the legacy of IWC’s instrument watches for navigation. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 69355 caliber, engineered for performance, robustness and durability. The vertical arrangement of the subdials enhances readability and has resulted in a chronograph celebrated for its iconic design. I WC B O U T I Q U E · S O U T H C OA S T P L A Z A

Caruso

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Jewelry designer EDDIE BORGO, surrounded by inspiration.

YOU’VE GOT A FROND CONTRIBUTORS

EDDIE BORGO makes the majestic palm his muse in his debut fine jewelry collection

CAROLINE CAGNEY KELSEY McKINNON DAVID NASH REBECCA RUSSELL

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“California allowed me the time to study the alluring palm” EDDIE BORGO

rings, captures the organic fluidity of the leaf using 18-karat recycled gold, as well as vintage and antique white diamonds from the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s — a conscious effort to foster a more sustainable approach. “California allowed me the time to study and memorialize the alluring palm, giving its structure new life,” explains the Ohio-born Borgo of his delicate designs, a departure from the geometric forms and punky sensibility that put him on the map in 2008. After living bicoastally for years, the designer finally established his home on the West Coast in 2019. “I appreciate Los Angeles because it gives me a feeling of life and freedom,” Borgo says of the stream of creative energy he has tapped into. “I enjoy having time to be more considered and deliberate in my processes,” he adds. It’s a move that has clearly paid off. eddieborgo.com. C.C. eddieborgo.com

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hroughout history and across cultures, people have associated the tenacious palm tree with victory, abundance, and joyous occasions. It is no wonder fronds are the focal point of Los Angeles–based jewelry designer Eddie Borgo’s debut fine jewelry collection, The Palms by Edward Borgo. Each of the 10 one-of-a-kind iterations, which include glittery drop earrings, collars, and statement

NEW FACETS A radiant sunburst made of chiseled glass and gold leaf surrounded by limestone from a French quarry lines part of the exterior of GRAFF’s first standalone salon in South Coast Plaza’s Jewel Court. Upon closer inspection, the sun’s center holds a jewel case filled — on any given day — with one of the yellow-diamond-set rarities unique to the London-based jewelry house founded by Laurence Graff in 1960. Inside the boutique are bridal and engagement rings, singular collections including whimsical Butterfly designs, looping Tilda’s bow pieces, and blooming Wild Flower suites alongside round diamonds from the Laurence Graff Signature Collection. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-398-8178; graff.com. E.V. GRAFF’s gorgeous gems on display at South Coast Plaza.

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JEWELRY: DAVID WILLIAM. STUDIO: ORI HARPAZ. PREVIOUS PAGE: NOUA UNU STUDIO.

Clockwise from left: Borgo’s studio. A group photo of The Palms collection. A statement ring.

Rosewood Mayakobo

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The continuing quest for beauty, for finding precious natural stones amid rigorous ethical, environmental, and social guidelines inspired Jacqueline Karachi, CARTIER’s director of high jewelry creation, as she and her team of artisans crafted the French house’s newest high jewelry offering, Le Voyage Recommencé. With new angles and new chromatic hues ever mindful of archival tropes, Karachi likens the collection to a journey repeated. Standouts include the Dohara white gold necklace set with three brilliant cut diamonds and complete with colors and motifs in homage to Mughal jewelry from India. Also not to be missed is the Bailong white gold brooch evoking Asian myths with a dragon perched atop an octagonal tourmaline. cartier.com. E.V.

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The KAMPERETT resort line is right at home on a European coast.

MED SEASON “We were having dreams of the coasts of Italy, France, and Greece. Of taking a dip in the cool salty ocean, throwing up wet hair, and slipping one of these pieces over sun-kissed shoulders,” says Anna Chiu, evoking the setting and mood informing KAMPERETT’s first resort collection. Chiu, who co-founded the made-inSan Francisco label known for modern dresses and gowns crafted from impeccable fabrics with Valerie Santillo, said the designers wanted to create silhouettes that lend themselves to everyday wear. As they set about devising a travel-ready wardrobe, they looked to Japanese cottons, linens, and silks for new silhouettes that “could be worn often and with ease.” The result is a poetic assortment of striped or solid maxi dresses, linen sundresses, blazers and pants, and the perfect pocketed shirt dresses. 3686 20th St., S.F.; kamperett.com. E.V.

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OUTSIDE THE BOX As a next step in its design evolution, TIFFANY & CO. has revamped its Palo Alto outpost with an equally transformative façade dreamed up by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and a complete interior renovation of the 6,300-sq.-ft. retail space. For the exterior, Ban conceptualized an “ever-changing visual spectacle” through the strategic use of materials like regionally native American Oak and vertical glass slats that can be adjusted to change color to complement the season or a particular theme. The boutique’s interior now undulates with new rounded selenite cases that showcase the jeweler’s many collections, like its collaborations with Schlumberger and Elsa Peretti — and the new Tiffany Forge collection. 149 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, 650-328-2552; tiffany.com. D.N. TIFFANY & CO. unveils a complete transformation of its Palo Alto boutique.

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TIFFANY: COURTESY OF TIFFANY & CO. MOOD INDIGO: ANDREW PETRICH. VERONICA: JOSH CHO.

MOOD INDIGO offers hard-tofind luxury home goods.

Soft hues reign at ELEVENTY’s new L.A. outpost.

PALETTE PERFECTION

HAUTE HOMEWARES Having worked for such storied American fashion and home brands as J. Crew, Coach, West Elm, Williams Sonoma, and Lucky Brand, veteran retail exec Dave DeMattei (who also currently serves as a consultant to Ken Fulk, Inc in San Francisco) and Patrick Wade have decided to strike out on their own. MOOD INDIGO, a charming little azure cottage

in the pair’s new hometown of La Jolla, offers supremely edited homeware — from furniture and lighting to art from local photographers such as Chad Van Herpe to international talents like Hugo Guinness and Mary Maguire. The space also boasts hard-to-find pieces from Casa Lopez Paris, Juliska, Tensira textiles, and Montes Doggett pottery. It’s definitely a mood. 5670 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla, 858-247-7441; moodindigolajolla.com. K.M.

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VERONICA STYLE Sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard have been creating clothes for on-the-go women since founding VERONICA BEARD in 2010 with dickey jackets. Now the tailored blazers with interior zippers for interchangeable inner layers are part of an extensive line of ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories inside a new Beverly Hills flagship, the founders’ sixth store in California. The line has introduced a host of collaborations over the years, including crisp white sleepwear with black piping made with Petite Plume, which is also on

hand at the boutique designed by Carolina de Neufville, along with suits, gowns, dresses, and trainers — everything needed for life’s daily sprints. 432 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310230-5642; veronicabeard.com. E.V.

Marco Baldassari, whose madein-Italy ELEVENTY line is filled with elevated pieces designed to look sharp and remain sustainable, has just opened up shop in L.A. The sun-drenched two-level boutique in monochromatic light colors combined with rough plaster, oak wood, and Navona travertine has a tactile richness mirroring the line’s collections. Milanese suits with relaxed shoulders are made with wools and linens used by all the Italian houses but in Eleventy’s exclusive hues and patterns. Baldassari favors the lightest hint of color, creating proprietary dusty tones that are easy to wear and blend in subtly elegant ways for both men and women. “The mix has to be very soft: sky blue combines with beige and white, red is mixed with cream, there’s a green you can wear daily,” he says. “Everything starts from the color palette.” 9546 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 424-777-2040; eleventymilano.com. E.V.

WE’RE GOLDEN Bags to make you glow inside and out

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1. CELINE bag, $3,200. 2. BOTTEGA VENETA bag, $3,100. 3. BALENCIAGA bag, $3,100. 4. DIOR bag, price upon request. 5. GIVENCHY bag, $1,950. -R.R.

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Muralist Judy Baca has a new exhibition at LACMA.

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T S Patrick Martinez. Weeping Warrior, 2022.

THE BROAD

L.A.

The Broad, happily, is navel-gazing. The museum’s new show, Desire, Knowledge, and Hope (with Smog), which runs Nov. 18 through April 7, 2024, is composed entirely of permanent collection works by Los Angeles artists. Given its extensive stockpile of pieces by local talent — both those who were raised here, such as Mark Bradford, Lari Pittman, and Doug Aitken, and those who moved here, including Barbara Kruger, Ed Ruscha, Catherine Opie, and Mike Kelley — this is a must-see exhibition. More than 60 paintings, photography, sculpture, and political signage spanning five decades compiled by curators Ed Schad and Jennifer Vanegas Rocha lay bare the complex urban landscape and contradictions of the region and also the way in which the organization’s holdings are evolving after 2020. The show’s title nods to John Baldessari’s 1985 work of a similar name contrasting the city’s grit with its frequent palm-lined beachy depictions. 221 S. Grand Ave., L.A., 213-232-6200; thebroad.org. E.V.

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Muralist Judy Baca began painting The Great Wall of Los Angeles almost 50 years ago. Now LACMA’s new exhibition, Painting in the River of Angels: Judy Baca and The Great Wall (through June 2, 2024), charts her monumental work alongside the young locals and artists who formed the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), depicting regional history from prehistoric eras to the 1960s. Images touch on immigration, land, women’s rights, and racism, and riff on techniques used by indigenous artists, European figurative painters, and Mexican muralists. Baca is also one of this year’s Guccisponsored LACMA Art+Film Gala honorees, the first Chicana artist selected for the distinction. She and SPARC are updating the Wall during the museum’s public hours. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 323-857-6000; lacma .org. E.V.

RAVES AND REALISM “Photography itself is a mystical practice. It is alchemy. It is a medium of approximation, measured chance and impermanence,” writes Wolfgang Tillmans in “On Paper,” an essay included in the catalog for the comprehensive survey of his work, Wolfgang Tillmans: To Look Without Fear (through March 3, 2024), making its West Coast debut at SFMOMA. The show, organized in New York by MoMA, is the Berlin-based artist’s first solo exhibition in San Francisco and includes photography, video, and multimedia installations arranged room by room by Tillmans himself using a mix of frames, Scotch tape, and binder clips. This in-depth look at the Turner Prize winner’s boundary-defying practice over the past four decades covers his early nightclub and magazine shots, still-life works, soldiers, camera-less images, solar eclipses, Truth Study Center media clippings, advocacy, and striking indelible portraiture — all fueled by his irrepressible curiosity. 151 3rd St., S.F., 415-357-4000; sfmoma.org. E.V. Wolfgang Tillmans, The Cock (kiss), 2002.

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SFMOMA: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, DAVID ZWIRNER, NEW YORK / HONG KONG, GALERIE BUCHHOLZ, BERLIN / COLOGNE, MAUREEN PALEY, LONDON. THE BROAD: THE BROAD ART FOUNDATION, © PATRICK MARTINEZ.

OFF THE WALL

Marco Bicego

US.MARCOBICEGO.COM AND YOUR NEAREST FINE JEWELER

BARRIE and SOFIA COPPOLA collaborated on a cashmere capsule.

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The new VAN CLEEF & ARPELS lush indoor space.

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SLEEP LIKE SOFIA

SCALING UP

Barrie creative director Augustin Dol-Maillot to create the madein-Scotland designs comprising what she calls a dream wardrobe in hues of black, white, gray, and pink envisioned for everything from work to travel and leisure. Given the cashmere house’s affiliation with Chanel’s Métiers d’Art, the capsule also marks a full-circle moment for Coppola, who famously interned with the French label as a teenager. barrie.com. E.V.

Details matter to Sofia Coppola. The writer and director has T also developed a much-admired personal style that’s both S polished and low-key. Now she’s collaborating with BARRIE cashmere on a 17-piece capsule of knitwear complete with shocking pink labels. Striped and colorblocked sweaters, jumpsuits, round-neck shirts, scarves, cardigans, jackets, and even slippers evoking Coppola’s signature ballet flats are included. Coppola worked with

ROSEARK REMODELS

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To mark the fine jewelry brand ROSEARK’s 20th anniversary, husband-andwife team Rick and Kayla Rose set out to remodel their West Hollywood atelier with one goal in mind: elevate the experience but stay true to their roots, which have helped attract a loyal following for its unique custom creations and international niche designers. Although the retail space and art gallery still embody a Cali-cool sophistication, upgrades include ironwork detailing throughout, seating areas outfitted

Kayla and Rick Rose of ROSEARK.

in sapphire and smoky blue velvet, and a freshly devised garden oasis. Clients will also find more home décor offerings, including one-ofa-kind bowls and trays, handcrafted objets d’art, cashmere blankets, and patchwork pillows. 1111 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., West Hollywood, 310395-6706; roseark.com. C.C.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS’ new 4,200-sq.-ft. space in Costa Mesa opens with an Art Deco– inspired façade leading through large display rooms and five salons complete with curated libraries touching on themes of love, culture, dance, nature, and fairy tales, plus a bridal salon and the private Poetic salon. Inside the boutique is filled with Alhambra, Perlée, and Zodiaque collection offerings, timepieces, bridal designs, and high jewelry Brume de Saphir ensembles echoing the captivating and everchanging blue hues of waves. Subtly surrounding the sparkling baubles is a series of exacting paper sculptures comprising the Winter Garden installation produced in collaboration with French artist Marianne Guély. The handmade painted flowers and plants influenced by the California location and the French house’s extensive history of botanical design make for a lush indoor landscape. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-545-9500; vancleefarpels.com. E.V.

KNEE-HIGH TIMES The boot is back

1. GIANVITO ROSSI boots, $2,295. 2. SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO boots, $1,950. 3. LOUIS VUITTON boots, $2,080. 4. TAMARA MELLON boots, $1,295. 5. VERSACE boots, $2,025. -R.R.

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VAN CLEEF & ARPELS: OLIVIER BLOUIN FOR VAN CLEEF & ARPELS. ROSEARK: STEPHANIE HELGUERA. BALENCIAGA: ©NOUA UNU STUDIO. FENDI: JOHNNY DUFORT.

BALENCIAGA debuts a full line of skiwear.

TIME FOR AN UPGRADE? Watches that pavé the way to elegance

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WALK IN, SKI OUT BALENCIAGA’s newest California boutique spans two floors of Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza, with more than 9,600 sq. ft. devoted to ready-to-wear for women and men, alongside bags, accessories, and eyewear plus shoes and jewelry inside a space left intentionally raw. Exposed ceilings and beams reveal the building’s inner workings and accumulated history, following house creative director Demna’s experiential Raw Architecture

WELCOME GUEST

concept of incorporating existing structures and using fewer new materials. Patinated tables and polished shelves hold the Fall/Winter 2023 collections. Also on hand are debut skiwear designs made of technical materials foregrounding insulation, visibility, aerodynamism, and protection. Skis, poles, boards, and helmets with bags made from water-repellent recycled nylon are also on offer. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-668-0557; balenciaga.com. E.V.

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Stefano Pilati is applying his keen eye and the freewheeling approach he’s been honing from his home in Berlin over the past few years to FENDI, the storied Italian house helmed by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi. Pilati is the headliner of Friends of Fendi this winter, tasked with curating a collection encompassing both menswear and womenswear that prompted the former Yves Saint Laurent and Zegna designer to reflect on 1920s flappers. He has recast subversive, corsetless silhouettes to create looks that combine tailoring with softer, voluminous constructions. The new pieces join the house’s current collections beyond a series of elegant marble arches fronting Fendi’s new 4,700-sq.-ft. Santa Clara boutique. 855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara, 707-684-3006; fendi.com. E.V.

3. 4. 5. 1. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS watch, $169,000. 2. CARTIER watch, $48,800. 3. HARRY WINSTON watch, price upon request. 4. BUCCELLATI watch, price upon request. 5. GRAFF watch, price upon request. -R.R.

ANIMAL MAGIC Japanese ceramicists Shohei Fujita and Chisato Yamano each have their own artistic practices, but the couple has produced work together as Suna Fujita for nearly two decades. Now LOEWE is collaborating with their studio, which is known for creating teapots, cups, and plates for everyday use that are adorned with hand-painted animals and landscapes riffing on childhood memories and idyllic scenes incorporating their son and the family dog. The Spanish house is adding a menagerie of Suna Fujita characters to an assortment of bags, wallets, knitwear, denim, slippers, and leather accessories just in time for the holidays. The intrepid animals add just the right note of whimsy to brighten the season. 327 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-388-6771; 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-464-7420; loewe.com. E.V. Pandas at play adorn the gathered top of a LOEWE Flamenco bag.

BOOK

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WISE WORDS In her new memoir, Ambassador NICOLE AVANT recalls life lessons instilled by her music mogul father and beloved mother

still remember my thirteenth birthday party. I’d wanted to go roller-skating at Flipper’s with a group of friends, as any thirteen-yearold Angeleno might. I didn’t think it was that much to ask . . . until my dad had other ideas. “Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies is playing at the Shubert Theatre,” he said, “so that’s what you’re doing for your birthday party. Gregory Hines is in it, and Duke’s grandkid Mercedes, too. So you and your pals are going, end of conversation.” This wasn’t bloody-mindedness on his part, though it might have felt that way to a thirteen-year-old. Instead, it was a reminder that when it came to honoring my culture, and culture generally, it was important to realize that I wasn’t growing up in a vacuum. Roller-skating to “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross might have seemed like more fun, but the chance to hear the music of Sir Duke and witness the genius dancing of Gregory Hines? I knew how lucky I was. When my father was a thirteen-year-old, he was kicked out of his house for defending his mother from his emotionally and physically abusive stepfather and found himself alone riding a train to New Jersey to escape his tough family background — no Shubert Theatre for him back then. When Duke Ellington was in the eighth grade, he was told that if he found himself next to a white woman in a theater, he was to behave his best because he was representing his race. My father didn’t need to tell me that story to underline what Duke Ellington went through; he just made us listen to the music and skip roller-skating so that we, too, could be “sophisticated ladies.” There was a whole world of struggle and a lack of opportunity that I needed to know about and to use to fire my own future, because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. It wasn’t just my father who made sure I knew my history, cultural or otherwise. My mother was steeped in history, too — though the lessons she learned from history, and that she imparted to me, weren’t always the ones you might imagine. I remember one year we brought permission slips home because our school

Clockwise from top: Ambassador Nicole Avant. The author’s parents, Jacqueline and Clarence Avant, with Lena Horne in 1966. Jacqueline and Clarence Avant in 2019 at the premiere of The Black Godfather, the documentary they made about Clarence’s life and career.

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COURTESY OF NICOLE AVANT.

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wanted to show us a movie about the death of John F. Kennedy, and some of the scenes would be potentially harrowing for kids. I was probably around ten years old, so this was the late seventies, and back then, parents were a bit different from how they are now — tougher perhaps, less helicopter-y, and certainly more willing to let their children be exposed to the realities of an oftencruel world. There were maybe two kids in my class who weren’t allowed to watch the movie (I dread to think how many would be kept away now), but I remember how fervently my parents wanted me to see it, especially my mom. The movie itself made a huge impression on me. I remember going home and running in to see my mother in our living room. “I can’t believe how Jackie O tried to grab the remains of JFK’s brain!” I exclaimed, before I’d even said hello. That moment, to me, was the most incredible one of the whole film — to love someone so much that you’d do something so unfathomable. “I can’t believe this happened,” I added, which is something I always seemed to say about the history I was learning. My mother saw it differently. “Nicole,” she said, “you have it all wrong.” I was confused. “But Mom, she actually tried to save parts of his brain.” “Instead of being in disbelief, Nicole, or focusing on the gruesome details of the tragedy, you need to say, ‘I can’t believe all these great things these people did. I can’t believe the way they lived for other people. I can’t believe that they got up every day to serve.’” That was why my mother had signed the permission slip in the first place — not so her daughter could be horrified by an assassination, but rather so that she could learn the lessons of the life lived by whatever person was involved, be it President Lincoln, JFK, RFK, or Martin Luther King Jr. The incidentals of their death were just that — incidental. What mattered was the life they’d lived. I would think about this lesson — that life is what matters, not the manner of a death — many times in the months after my mother’s passing. It gave me great comfort, and still does. My mother understood that no one knows how life will end, no one knows what or how long a future is, so the only thing to do is to live fully, to expand one’s horizons as long as one has breath to do so. And when someone is gone, to focus on the good, not the loss. Excerpted from Think You’ll Be Happy (HarperCollins, $28.99). •

N I C O L E AVANT

Clockwise from top: Muhammed Ali with Avant, her mother, and her brother Alex, 1992. Avant with Barack Obama, 2007. Avant with her mother and Grandma Zella, 1972. Young Avant. Bill Withers with Avant at his wedding reception at her house, 1973.

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COURTESY OF NICOLE AVANT. YOUNG AVANT: COURTESY OF WELDON MCDOUGAL.

“Life is what matters, not Statements the manner of a death”

Augsutina’s

Japanese cherry-salmon tartare with jalapeño and trout caviar.

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YESS serves Japanese cuisine with hyperlocal ingredients.

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MAKE MINE A MENLO MARGHERITA When it opened in San Francisco in 2018, Che Fico quickly earned spots on the Best New Restaurants in America lists for Bon Appetit and Esquire. Six years later the accolades haven’t stopped: This spring chef and coowner David Nayfeld was recognized as a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category. Now the Michelin Guide– listed hotspot, which focuses on Italian cuisine with a California influence, has opened Che Fico Parco Menlo in Menlo Park. With a fresh look in mind, Nayfeld called upon interior designer Jon de la Cruz, whose eponymous firm shifted away from

CHE FICO’s décor includes plush red leather booths.

Statements the original taverna’s industrial chic vibe to create more of a contemporary social club for its Peninsula clientele. Elements in the main dining room include plush red leather booths, expressive terrazzo floors, woodpaneled walls, Murano glass chandeliers, and a 270-degree rattan wrapped bar. Accentuated by an expansive indoor-outdoor dining area, it’s sure to become a local favorite for all seasons. 1302 El Camino Real, Ste. A, Menlo Park, 650-384-6514; cheficoparcomenlo.com. D.N.

Before it was a restaurant, YESS was a beloved L.A. Arts District food truck that served up freshly caught seafood — until chef Junya Yamasaki moved into an unused 1920s bank building. Yess is a Japanese restaurant, but an unusual one. The concept is simple: living and cooking with the seasons as they are here in California. Yamasaki collaborates with independent local fisheries to present what’s truly local and sources seasonal ingredients from farmers. The subtle savory fruit salad in a light dashi will be different from week to week. The jewel-like vegetables that top his monk’s rice bowl will vary. A sashimi course is part of each night’s tasting menu as well as a choice of main courses. Tasting menu ($110) only, except for Sunday’s a la carte menu and a few seats for walkins at the bar. 2001 E. 7th St., L.A.; Resy. S.I.V.

After spending time in northern Spain, you’ll be craving scallops, razor clams, and mussels harvested off the Galician coast; salt-cured anchovies from the Cantabrian sea; and inventive pintxos (tapas) from the Spanish Basque Country. The remedy? Santa Monica’s Xuntos, from chef-owner Sandra Cordero. Half Dutch, half Spanish, Cordero spent her childhood summers in Galicia exploring A Coruña’s beaches and stupendous bounty of seafood. “I fell in love with the way people eat there,” she says. The name Xuntos, which means “together” in Galician, is apt. Crowd up to the long bar for prized jamón ibérico sliced by hand, scallops in the shell with saffron butter, crisp-fried fresh anchovies, meaty razor clams, and the famous Padrón peppers. To drink, there’s Estrella Galicia beer, sherries and vermouth by the glass, and Spanish wines from wine director Scott Baker’s well-curated list. 516 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, 424-744-8727; barxuntos.com. S.I.V. Order an array of small plates at XUNTOS.

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CHE FICO: ERIC WOLFINGER. XUNTOS: STAN LEE.

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Clockwise from top left: The Tuscan-inspired villa in Montecito. All the home’s architectural elements were imported from Italy. Amfitheatrof’s development of the L’Aventure necklace from the Bravery High Jewelry collection. The seven-row necklace from the new Deep Time collection. A display of graduated Louis Vuitton trunks. Francesca Amfitheatrof. The Deep Time Flight necklace has a 4.17-carat ruby at the center.

BEYOND BRILLIANCE Statements For Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s latest HIGH JEWELRY collection is rooted in the past

eave it to Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for watches and jewelry, to explain basic evolutionary theory through the lenses of jewelry design with the Maison’s fifth High Jewelry collection, Deep Time. From the genesis of the planet to the creation of life, Amfitheatrof has broken down billions of years of milestones with a record number of precious gemstones in Louis Vuitton’s most expansive High Jewelry collection ever. It includes more than 170 unique pieces, 95 of which were revealed to its most devoted collectors this fall at a presentation held at a private Tuscaninspired villa in Montecito. “Deep Time is a great way to explain our philosophy through the representation of

HOUSE, INTERIOR, TRUNKS: DEWEY NICKS. GEM: HAZIZ AMANI. AMFITHEATROF: ALIQUE.

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the geological phenomena that occurred to create precious stones and diamonds,” says Amfitheatrof. “It’s really interesting to narrate something that happened over billions of years — like the splitting of supercontinents, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and tsunamis — allowing geological shifts to take place and make stones mineable, but to do it through these amazing colored stones and the jewelry itself.” Separated into two overarching ideas, geology and life, the collection comprises 16 themes, 13 of which were part of the recent debut. They include Gondwana (one of two land masses that now makes up five continents), Volcano, Wave, Origin, Flight, and Seeds, among others, and the remaining three will be revealed in January during Haute Couture in Paris. “The Volcano necklace is extraordinary, and definitely one of the stars of the collection,” she says. “The stones are phenomenal, beautifully placed, and vibrant in color. When the light hits them, you’re simply blinded.” Another showstopper is the Seeds

Statements The Volcano necklace has mandarin garnets and pink tourmalines necklace, a single-strand gold and diamond trellis pattern necklace that rests high on the neck and includes 256 carats of rubellite and spessartite garnet cabochons in a nod to the explosions of color found in nature. “It’s super unusual to put those stones together,” she says. “The funny thing is, they had been in the safe [waiting to be used] since I first arrived.” For this jewelry design visionary, the time

spent at Louis Vuitton has been some of the most rewarding in her career. “I’ve never been happier, and what we have achieved in five years is astounding,” she says. “We have an absolutely brilliant team. We work with so much intensity and have so much freedom to dream and be daring, and I think that’s why our High Jewelry collections have been so successful.” louisvuitton.com. 2

LIBERTINE Libertine ilovelibertine.com

WINTER 2023 Well Opener

BURBERRY coat, $3,550, dress, $3,550, skirt, $1,990, and tights, $3,550. JIMMY CHOO boots, $1,350. MARCO BICEGO cuff, $9,500. BULGARI cuff single earring, $1,820.

DAVID ROEMER.

Taylor Hill tours Topanga Canyon in winter’s finest p.66. Mountain-ready gems sparkle like freshly fallen snow p.80. How Mariah Nielson keeps her father J.B. Blunk’s legacy alive p.88. Taking the L.A.-inspired Chanel cruise collection for a spin p.96. JJ Martin’s journey from California cool girl to fashion brand behemoth p.104 California Style & Culture 65

Multifaceted model TAYLOR HILL returns to her beloved American West to talk weddings, her new look, and what happens next

Photography by DAVID ROEMER Fashion Direction by PETRA FLANNERY Words by ROB HASKELL

n September, on the New York set of a cover shoot for the Greek edition of Vogue, Taylor Hill did something she’s been wanting to do for years: She cut her hair. Or, rather, a team carefully vetted by her agent cut it. After all, when you’re a major model with an instantly recognizable chestnut mane, you don’t place yourself in any but the most skilled hands. But Hill, 27, was ready. “When things are going well in your career, you think, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” she explains. “I had really nice hair, and a lot of it. Thank you, Dad! But long hair never really felt like me.” It would be tempting to view

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RALPH LAUREN jacket, $4,990, shirt, $690, and pants, $1,290. BULGARI cuff single earring, $1,820. Studs, Taylor’s own.

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MAXMARA blazer, $2,890, pants, $1,260, and belt, $1,050. POMELLATO necklace, $8,400. CARTIER watch, $10,200. Opposite: MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION cape, $3,990, turtleneck, $650, pants, $890, and belt, $795. GRAFF bracelet, $115,000. CARTIER ring, $1,940.

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GIORGIO ARMANI stole, price upon request, and pants, $1,595. CARTIER necklace, $87,500. Opposite: PRADA sweater, price upon request, and pants, $1,990.

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HERMÈS cardigan, $14,300, jumpsuit, $13,300, and boots, $2,575. MARCO BICEGO bracelet, $4,610. BULGARI cuff single earring, $1,820.

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BRUNELLO CUCINELLI sweater, $1,995, shirt, $2,550, pants, $2,295, belt, $1,295, and coat, $10,995. LOUIS VUITTON boots, $1,840. CARTIER ring, $3,500. Opposite: VALENTINO dress, $16,000. BULGARI cuff single earring, $1,820.

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“I had really nice hair. Thank you, Dad! But long hair never felt like me” TAY L O R H I L L Hill’s transformation in the context of other famous fashion metamorphoses, where a mid-career reboot might give a model a new freshness. This fall saw the ultimate fashion chameleon, Linda Evangelista, back in the zeitgeist thanks to Apple TV+’s The Super Models. Evangelista credits the photographer Peter Lindbergh for pushing her to get a career-defining chop. Hill hasn’t seen the docuseries yet — she’s waiting to watch it with her new husband, the English-born financier Daniel Fryer, next time their busy travel schedules place them in the same city. They can’t ever seem to decide what to watch together, and she thinks it might give him a window into her world. Hill acknowledges that Evangelista was an inspiration for this haircut, but to hear about the last year of the younger model’s life — beautiful, painful, transformational — is to understand that a change to the surface of things signifies something deeper and more personal. It’s a sunny October afternoon in Beverly Hills, with enough of a crisp autumnal breeze to justify jeans and a sweater, but sufficient warmth to necessitate an iced coffee from Joan’s on Third, one of Hill’s inevitable stops on visits to Los Angeles. Hill, sitting on the terrace of her sister and brother-in-law’s house high up in the canyon, is wearing her favorite vintage Levi’s and a big, intensely cozy camel-color cardigan from the German knitwear master Iris von Arnim. It has been a few months since her wedding in Winter Park, Colorado, the town where her parents moved when she was 14, and where she was almost immediately discovered by a talent scout during a riding lesson at a dude ranch miles from her home. Colorado is not only home to Hill — or as close to the notion of home as a fashion nomad, on the road for more than a decade, can claim — but it’s also where she met her husband at Aspen Jazz Fest a few years ago. “I think we fell in love there,” she says, “from day one.” The couple has bounced among

New York, where they keep an apartment; London, where his work is based; and Nashville, where she owns a house and where Fryer, perhaps to the surprise of his old Eton chums, feels very much in his element. “I’m a person who looks at Zillow everywhere I go,” Hill says. “I always want to know what it would be like to live in one place or another. My husband says, ‘You say that everywhere you go, Taylor! Pick a place.’” Five years ago, she visited a member of her team who was based in Nashville and, thanks to her usual scrolling, fell in love with a 1930s log cabin that had a touch of the Rockies in the Music City. It just so happened that her friend Lily Aldridge, the model who is married to Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill, also lived in Nashville and pushed her to join the party. “I love how connected people are in New York, how when you make good friends, they’re really good friends because you’re kind of in it together,” Hill says. “And being in New York feels like being in a nucleus of fashion. But then, when I’m in Nashville” — she offers a deep, theatrical exhale — “I feel calm. I feel at home. And because of Lily, I’ve gotten to meet like-minded people. Nashville’s a little blueberry in a big red state. Musicians have similar lifestyles to models. They’re on the road a lot. So I’ve found people who kind of get it.” Although Hill is perhaps best known as a Victoria’s Secret Angel (she is, in fact, the youngest model ever to land a contract with the brand, at age 18), the designer with whom she has the most natural affinity is Ralph Lauren. They have been working together for a decade and share a romance with the American West. Hill has never visited Lauren’s ranch in Telluride, but she recalls talking about the magic of Colorado with him the first time they met at a casting. “I remember he got out of his chair, walked up to me, held my hand, and said, ‘You look so much like Audrey Hepburn,’” she says. “I said,

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‘Who’s that?’ I was 17. My mom, who was there with me, was so embarrassed. She said, ‘I’ve failed you as a mother!’ Of course we went home and watched all the movies.” Hill, who has essentially grown up on the runway, has had her share of mentors over the years. She says Karlie Kloss was her generation’s supermodel — kind, cool, smart, and hardworking. When she was coming up, the greats of the 1990s were, as she puts it, “these untouchable ghosts. But those girls brought substance and personality and individuality to the business, which transformed it. A lot of modeling is purely physical, but it’s also what you have on the inside and how you project it outward. Artists may work with clay or paint or with their instrument or their pen. In fashion, the medium is us — we get to be the vessels. It’s not just how you look but how you bring designers’ ideas to life.” Social media has changed the business, too, since Hill started in the days before Instagram. And while it is tempting to focus on the toll of social media, particularly the false reality of perfection it presents to young girls, Hill sees its redeeming value. “Social media gave models an opportunity to show people who they really are,” she says. “I’ve never wanted to be perfect. I’ve always wanted to be really organic and just be myself. It’s exhausting not to be. I have no posting schedule. I don’t use it as a tool. I just use it as a way to connect with people.” Never did that sense of connection feel more important than in the spring of this year, when Hill’s beloved miniature labradoodle, Tate — a fixture on her Instagram and well known to her fans — was diagnosed with lymphoma only a few weeks before her wedding. Tate was Hill’s constant companion through the seasonal whirlwinds of an international modeling career, so his sudden illness, at age nine, was devastating. Only days before the wedding, Tate’s condition deteriorated and he ended up in the ICU. Hill rarely left his side. But he pulled through, Continued on P.135

Hair by BOBBY ELIOT at The Wall Group using AUTHENTIC BEAUTY CONCEPT. Makeup by KARO KANGAS at Forward Artists using CLÉ DE PEAU. Manicure by ZOLA GANZORIGT at The Wall Group for OPI.

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SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO jacket, $4,490, and belt, $750. JIMMY CHOO boots, $1,350. POMELLATO bracelet, $22,800. CARTIER earrings, $7,750.

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Balenciaga

SOUTH COAST PLAZA T. 714.668.0557

Photography by MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION Fashion Direction by REBECCA RUSSELL

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It’s time to shine in winter’s COOLEST JEWELRY creations

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BULGARI Divissima earrings, Allegra necklace and rings, prices upon request. MONCLER sunglasses, $360, and jacket, $1,585. HERMÈS top, $1,575.

Top: VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Perlée couleurs rings, $7,700–$11,700, Perlée diamonds rings, $22,900–$24,200. HERMÈS top, $1,575. LORO PIANA shorts, $1,350, and leg warmers, $425. NORDICA boots, stylist’s own. Bottom: GRAFF earrings, $12,500, ring, $11,000, and necklace, price upon request. MONCLER goggles, $410, and vest, $1,090. BOGNER ski suit, $1,990. Opposite: MARCO BICEGO Marrakech necklace, $9,980, bangle, $7,850, and earrings, $1,600, Masai ring, $7,990. BOGNER jacket, $2,900. DIOR sweater, $2,150, and gloves, $660.

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BUCCELLATI Macri Classica earrings, $8,500, and bracelet, $4,600, Torsadé ring, $4,500, and cuff watch, $67,000. DIOR balaclava, price upon request, visor, $860, and jacket, $5,900. VICTORIA BECKHAM sunglasses, stylist’s own. Opposite: HARRY WINSTON Winston Cluster ring and bracelet, Ultimate Emerald Signature timepiece, prices upon request. BOGNER helmet, $850. HERMÈS top, $1,575.

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Hair and makeup by BRIAHNA McNEIL using WESTMAN ATELIER and MOB BEAUTY. Manicure by ERI ISHIZU at Opus Beauty using CHANEL Le Vernis. Model MAYA TOURÈ at Photogenics @touuraya.

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CARTIER Altesse earrings, $72,500, and necklace, $97,000, Panthère de Cartier watch, $84,000, and Berlingots de Cartier ring, $3,600. HERMÈS top, $1,575. BOGNER hat, $150. Sunglasses, stylist’s own. Opposite: POMELLATO Sabbia earrings, $36,550, and necklace, $70,000. LOUIS VUITTON ski mask, $1,290.

How MARIAH NIELSON keeps the legacy of her father, the late, great California craftsman J.B. Blunk, alive among the redwoods

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Photography by ALANNA HALE Words by CHRISTINE LENNON

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J.B. Blunk’s youngest child and only daughter, Mariah Nielson, at home at Blunk House in Inverness.

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PHOTO MIMI ROGERS. © JB BLUNK ESTATE.

ariah Nielson spends her days in a coastal haven dotted with dense redwood groves, an oyster-rich bay, and windswept Pacific bluffs that blur her past and present. As the director of her late father J.B. Blunk’s estate in Inverness, she is the shepherd of his legacy as a multidisciplinary modern California artist known for a rustic, organic aesthetic working in wood and clay. Nielson and her husband wake up every morning in her childhood home, the iconic Blunk House he built from salvaged wood and local river rocks, where even the bathroom sink is hand-carved from a single piece of redwood. Her 5-year-old son sleeps in the same loft she did as a child. At the office and gallery space in nearby Point Reyes, she plays “art detective,” fielding messages from eager collectors who believe they have one of Blunk’s famous phallic stools or chainsaw-carved sculptures. And she curates exhibits featuring the work of artists who feel connected to his playful aesthetic. Blunk and her mother, Christine, were known for hosting

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dinner parties with the tight-knit artist community in town, and Nielson is keeping that tradition alive, too. “Forgive me for the noise in the kitchen,” she says by phone, with a clamor of pots in the background. “I’m making chicken tacos for the team that’s here installing our new exhibition with Adam Pogue and Martino Gamper. We’ve been having dinner together every night.” Nielson understands that part of the job is reminiscing about her unique family history and chatting about her father’s vast body of work, which covers disciplines from wood sculpture to furniture to painting to ceramics to architecture. She began working as the estate director in 2007, then opened the Blunk Space gallery, attached to her office, in 2021. As a trained architect who studied at the California College of the Arts, a design historian with a master’s degree from London’s Royal College of the Arts, and an experienced curator, Nielson has a unique understanding of her father’s contribution to the mid-twentieth-century arts. But the story begins long before then, during afternoons she spent watching her father work. “I would make the 30-minute walk up the steep hill to our house on the ridge after school

From top: J.B. Blunk working in his Inverness studio, 1968. At Blunk Space in Point Reyes, an Adam Pogue textile. Nielson lounging on a Martino Gamper & Adam Pogue collaborative piece in the gallery. Opposite: The home and office, including this brutalist desk, remain largely untouched since the artist’s death.

“His work transcends art, craft, and design” MARIAH NIELSON every day,” she says. “My mom was running Coyuchi, the organic bedding company in town. So I’d walk home, and if I wanted to spend time with my father I’d have to come up with my own projects in the studio. He didn’t mind me being there with him, but I had to stay busy. He’d work until about 6, and we’d all have dinner as a family. He was always working, seven days a week. He was also a very social person and he loved having dinner parties. It just had to be on his time.” Blunk and his contemporaries helped establish the sleepy, misty small town in far west Marin County as a contemporary art destination. But his path to rural California was as twisty and unconventional as his sculpture: He grew up in a conservative Kansas family and came west to study physics at UCLA. “After a year in the program they asked him to take an aptitude test, which I assume meant he was not doing very well,” she says. “That’s when they transferred my father to the ceramics department, which was a major shift in his life.” The influential artist Laura Andreson, who founded the ceramics department at UCLA in the 1930s, was his teacher, and she took his class to a Mingei pottery exhibit at Scripps College. “He saw Shōji Hamada’s work and just knew in that moment that he wanted to be an artist,” Nielson says. “He made it his intention to meet Hamada and apprentice with him.” When he was drafted into the army during the Korean war, Blunk saw it as an opportunity to get closer to his idols in Asia. After he was discharged, he went straight to Tokyo, where a chance meeting with modernist Isamu Noguchi while they were both admiring the same piece of ceramics in a Mingei store cemented Blunk’s future. The two became friends, and Noguchi arranged for

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An Adam Pogue cushion in the center of a room that embodies the Blunk spirit: organic shapes, warm colors, rustic simplicity, and sculptural wood pieces that blur the line between art and craft.

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“I get emails saying ‘ I have a Blunk.’ And I know it’s not” two apprenticeships for Blunk in Japan. Back in the States, he taught ceramics, married his first wife, Nancy, and moved to San Francisco, where he worked odd jobs, sometimes doing carpentry work. Surrealist painter Gordon Onslow Ford hired Blunk to construct the curved roof of his home in Inverness, and then gifted Blunk a one-acre plot on his land to build his own home and studio. For decades until his death at 76 in 2002, Blunk was a prolific artist. He made rugged, organic sculptures from found old-growth redwood stumps and discarded wood pieces from the local logging companies and sawmills, carving them into cubist shapes

with a chainsaw or sanding them into smooth, undulating curves. Blunk’s most recognizable work may be his phallic three-legged stools, although people more familiar with the estate may argue that the house itself, which was initially just a 600-square-foot structure, has become his most iconic work. It took some years, however, for his only daughter to understand the singularity of her father’s masterpiece, that it was not simply an odd house with a little loft nook for her to sleep in. “To be born into a place like this meant it was all I knew. It was normal,” she says. “It was and still is the most specific place. Then in middle school I started to understand the work

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MARIAH NIELSON

my father was doing. By the time I left home at 16 to work as a model in Japan, I spent time learning about the time he spent there and the influence it had on his life.” “My older half-brothers always joke that I got the better version of our father,” she says, referring to the children Blunk had with his first wife. “He was 52 when I was born, so he was older and had some perspective. He was more established. He had collectors and connections, when before he had struggled to make ends meet financially.” Continued on P.135

Nielson’s parents decorated the cozy living room, part of the original 600-sq.ft. cabin, with finds from their travels. Opposite, from top: Rough plank walls and a hand-hewn bed, Blunk’s take on Japanese minimalism, are at home in west Marin County. Nielson at home in the small but functional kitchen.

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Anaiis wears CHANEL cardigan, $4,600, top, $3,200, shorts, $2,100, roller skates, $5,125, earrings, $1,250, necklaces, $1,300– $2,300, and bag, $6,800. Aliana wears CHANEL top, $5,000, shorts, $2,600, roller skates, $5,125, earrings, $875, necklaces, $975– $2,250, bracelets, $1,300 each, and bag, $2,600.

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Photography by GRAHAM DUNN Fashion Direction by KATIE MOSSMAN

Sublime sunsets over the Venice Beach boardwalk inspire the new cruise collection from CHANEL

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Anaiis wears CHANEL top, $2,850, trunk, $500, gaiters, $1,050, roller skates, $5,125, earrings, $1,250, necklaces, $1,575–$2,650, rings, $550– $650, and bag, $6,800. Aliana wears CHANEL top, $3,250, trunk, $750, earrings, $1,575, and bag, $6,200. Opposite: Aliana wears CHANEL top, $3,750, shorts, $2,700, roller skates, $5,125, necklace, $2,550, body chain, $2,500, and ring, $650.

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Aliana wears CHANEL blouse, $5,850, pants, $4,600, earrings, $1,250, necklaces, $775–$1,150, belt (worn as necklace), $1,500. Opposite: Anaiis wears CHANEL top, $2,000, dress, $8,450, roller skates, $5,125, necklaces, $975– $1,225, bracelets, $750 each, and bag, $7,600.

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Anaiis wears CHANEL cardigan, $5,700, vest, $6,200, shorts, $3,750, earrings, $1,500, necklaces, $2,500– $4,500, and bracelets, $1,650 each. Opposite: Anaiis wears CHANEL jacket, $7,000, pants, $4,200, belt, $2,700, earrings, $1,250, and necklaces, $975–$2,300. Aliana wears CHANEL jacket, price upon request, shorts, $2,700, roller skates, $5,125, and necklaces, $1,400–$5,300.

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Hair by ALINA FRIESEN at Atelier Management using ORIBE and DYSON. Makeup by ALEXA HERNANDEZ at The Wall Group. Model ALIANA KING at Vision Los Angeles @aliana.king. Model ANAIIS SCHEERES at Vision Los Angeles @anaaa_miaaa.

nside La DoubleJ’s flagship store in Milan, past the racks of kaleidoscope print dresses and dopamine-boosting palazzowear, is what founder JJ Martin calls the “sacred grotta.” The sunken blue cave-like room, adorned with murals of divine mothers and archangels along with snakes, eyeballs, yonis, and other magical symbols, is part VIP salesroom, part New Age portal where Martin hosts energy healers and kundalini yoga sessions. If it isn’t clear by now, La DoubleJ offers much more than maximalist swing dresses. “The objective is not to just sell a woman a dress

Native Californian JJ MARTIN did the impossible. She moved to Milan and launched a wildly successful fashion brand popping with maximalist prints and suffused in spirituality. Brava!

or a tablecloth, but also to wrap our arms around her, uplift her soul, and help her feel like a million bucks in all aspects of her life,” says Martin, who launched the brand in 2015 with vintage clothing and jewelry and now sells a full lifestyle range, including home furnishings and tabletop ceramics. The company motto, “Raise Your Vibration,” is an expansion of Martin’s personal spiritual practice, which over the years has dabbled in everything from yogic, Vedic, Buddhist, and medicinal journeys to shamanism, plant medicine, ancient Egyptian mystery school, and multidimensional galactic work. Martin, however, insists that one of the easiest ways to raise your vibration is by

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La DoubleJ’s founder JJ Martin sitting pretty with her spirit animal and second “baby,” Pepper.105

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From top: Details of a bejeweled workshop at La DoubleJ. Each copy of Mamma Milano: An Insider’s Guide to Creative Self-Discovery, the Italian Way (Vendome Press, $60) is bound in one of three LaDoubleJ fabrics. Opposite, from top: Martin, who didn’t even know how to cook when she first moved to Italy, is now fluent in the art of the Milanese dinner party. A collection of La DoubleJ’s retro-inspired dessert plates made in collaboration with 1stDibs.

simply wearing colors and prints. “Different chakras are associated with different colors. It’s a wonderful way to lighten yourself. Suddenly things feel sunnier. People are smiling at you. Doors open,” says Martin, who wears prints or colors almost every day. A fourth-generation Californian, Martin was born and raised in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Palisades attending Marlborough School and UC Berkeley. By the time she was in grammar school, everyone had started calling her JJ, short for Jennifer Jane, and her best friend jokingly called her “double J.” She moved to New York and worked in marketing at Calvin Klein before leaving her high-fashion gig to follow her Italian boyfriend (now ex-husband and business partner Andreas Ciccoli) to Milan, which started out as a very isolating experience. “I had no family, no friends, no job, I didn’t know how to cook. I couldn’t take care of myself,” she remembers. Then there was the nightmare of infertility. “That was the final straw where I really left all Western medicine behind,” she says. (Despite not being able to conceive a human child, Martin refers to La DoubleJ as her firstborn and treats it as a living, breathing lifeforce.) Martin’s career in Milan eventually took off, first at the Costume National brand, then as a reporter for Fashion Wire Daily and the International Herald Tribune before becoming Harper’s Bazaar’s and Wallpaper’s Italy editor. As she was burning out from the endless cycle of fashion shows, she fell in love with a “crazy idea” and decided to flip the script. La DoubleJ started off as an online magazine proffering vintage clothes and jewelry before Martin launched her ready-towear line reviving silk patterns from one of Italy’s most prestigious silk makers in Lake Como. The brand, which is now carried at Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Matches Fashion, and Net-a-Porter, never tried to conform to Milan’s old-school fashion legacy. “We pushed maximalism all the way: patterns were

layered, mashed, mixed, and blended by the Vitamix of my own gut. The crazier the print, the wilder the color, the better,” she says. The company is only eight years old, but Martin feels as though it is already an unruly teenager. “She’s like, ‘Get me outta here, I’m not really into my mom anymore. I wanna do my own thing,’” she says, laughing. “I feel like I’m still kind of a controlling mom and I need to back off and realize she’s got her own friends [meaning La DoubleJ’s 70 employees]

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Martin could have glossed over all the messy, challenging times and fast forwarded to La DoubleJ’s multitude of successes (including collaborations with Ladurée and Bulgari), her own personal triumphs (the decadent birthday soirées in Lake Como and the beautiful apartments she designed), and portraits of the brand’s high-energy “sistars,” including Christy Turlington and Oprah Winfrey. But the effusive truth-teller insisted on going through the trenches to

“The crazier the print, the wilder the color, the better” and she’s going to just go hang out with them and do what she wants to do.” Earlier this year, former Chanel CEO Maureen Chiquet joined as chairwoman. Martin’s second baby and spirit animal is a pug named Pepper who accompanies her to the office each day and serves as the company’s muse. Her third child is her new book, Mamma Milano, a 200-plus page account of the designer’s past two decades in Italy. It’s part scrapbook, part memoir, part New Age bible filled with advice for endearing yourself to Italians as an American and starting a business. In the end, it’s a love letter to the city that became her first spiritual teacher. “Above all, it’s about trusting that some unseen universal force always puts you exactly in the place you need to be,” she says.

the company’s scrappy beginnings and her own tribulations to paint the whole picture. In doing so, it becomes another tool to help women activate their own inner goddess. When in doubt, a sparkling feathered swing dress usually does the trick, too. •

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THE BUTTER END’s cakes are memorable art installations.

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RODARTE’s ready-towear wedding gowns evoke a fairy-tale world.

For the fashion-forward bride, the latest lineup of ceremonial confections makes for a personalized statement so breathtaking you may not want to cut into them. “Texture and color are the best ways to transform a cake from a tasty dessert to a memorable art installation,” says Gardena-based sugar artist and owner of THE BUTTER END CAKERY Kimberly Bailey, who receives a steady stream of requests for fabric-like finishes inspired by organza, ruffles, and embroidery. When dreaming up her modern interpretations, Bailey requests close-up photos of gowns from bridesto-be for guidance. For a recent wedding, she used gum paste to create large petal-like folds inspired by layers of tulle that poured out from the bottom of a gown. Delicious. thebutterend.com. C.C.

Sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy of RODARTE have been at work honing their singular vision of romantic, conceptual clothes for almost two decades — grounding their approach to design in music, horror films, stories, and even the landscapes of the California cities and towns where they grew up. Now, after years of creating custom wedding gowns, the multidisciplinary creatives have launched an assortment of enchanting ready-to-wear silhouettes for brides. Here, hand-molded silk flowers and whimsical ruffles adorn

dresses made in silk charmeuse, lace, and layers of soft tulle. The everpresent edge in Rodarte designs remains, ensuring nothing is too saccharine amid the slip dresses, bias-cut frocks, and lace-draped confections. Evidence of childhoods spent wandering through forests reimagining fairy tales and recently viewed films pervades the collection culminating in a white tulle high-neck ruffle dress and a belted tiered version. Is it all a dream? amazon.com/ luxurystores. E.V.

SPARKLING AFFAIRS Shine bright on the big day

1. VALENTINO GARAVANI bag, $5,100. 2. ROGER VIVIER bag, $5,100. 3. PRADA bag, $2,650. 4. GUCCI bag, $6,200. 5. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN bag, $4,490. -R.R.

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South Coast Plaza

Balmain · Berluti · Brunello Cucinelli · Buccellati · Bvlgari · Cartier · Chanel · Christian Louboutin · David Yurman Dior · Ferragamo · Gianvito Rossi · Giorgio Armani · Givenchy · Graff · Gucci · Harry Winston · Hermès Jimmy Choo · John Varvatos · Loro Piana · Louis Vuitton · Mikimoto · Monique Lhuillier · Oscar de la Renta · Prada Ralph Lauren · Roger Vivier · Saint Laurent · Thom Browne · Tiffany & Co. · Valentino · Zegna · Zimmermann partial listing

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COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA

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CREED Carmina, $445, creedfragrance.com.

The palette of J. Lo’s collab with INTIMISSIMI includes champagne and deep green.

GETTING PERSONAL

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Jennifer Lopez captioned a post on an elegant lingerie capsule with INTIMISSIMI, her latest collaboration, “from Verona to Hollywood and made with love.” The made-in-Italy designs comprising Lopez’s This Is Me…Now collection celebrate modern femininity — as does the multihyphenate creative’s new album with the same title — while also nodding to her transformative journey of self-reflection, including her recent marriage. Silks and refined lace combine with delicately placed hummingbird symbols signifying resilience, luck, and vibrant energy. The lacy lingerie designs, plus robes, bodysuits, night-gowns, shorts — and even menswear-cut silk pajamas, in a subtle champagne hue — give brides a goldentoned palette to consider. The collection is also offered in classic black and vibrant green, a shade dear to Lopez, whose career in music, dance, and film, not to mention her myriad entrepreneurial ventures, has spanned more than three decades and counting. intimissimi.com. E.V.

FREDERIC MALLE Malle Heaven Can Wait, $395, fredericmalle.com.

RÉGIME DES FLEURS Tóor-Tóor, $240, regimedesfleurs.com. -C.C.

CROSS POLLINATION For the past decade, brides staging their weddings south of the border have relied on Maria Fernanda Rodríguez of TALLER DE TALLOS to create exquisite floral designs. Now the Mexico City–based creative is expanding her reach to Los Angeles, where her custom arrangements are available at Santa Monica’s Casa Cu. The concept boutique, which highlights the artisan craftsmanship of Mexican and Latin American designers, is an ideal space from which to launch the global expansion of her designs, which now incorporate vibrant California blooms. 923 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 424-268-7009; hello@tallerdetallos.com. E.V. Fresh and dried arrangements are available from TALLER DE TALLOS at Casa Cu.

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Monique Lhullier

South Coast Plaza 714.241.4432 Los Angeles 323.655.1088

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MESSIKA has a fresh line of his-and-hers wedding bands.

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WILLIAMS SONOMA and AERIN have created a must-have tableware line.

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Paris-based jewelry designer Valérie Messika’s embrace of technical innovations and the pace of modern life informs her innovative baubles, and MESSIKA has just unveiled a new selection of must-see solitaires and wedding bands. As the daughter of diamond merchant André Messika, she knows her stones — and now she’s incorporating them into symbolic wedding pendant necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in addition to the requisite rings. For the groom there are Move rings in white gold or black, graphite, or natural titanium, set with a moving, brilliant cut diamond, plus cuffs set with three. For her, there are various Move iterations with one or more diamonds, added pavé details, and even a version with links in white, yellow, or pink gold, in addition to cushion, pear, emerald, and brilliant cut solitaires — and a host of bracelets and earrings to match. messika.com. E.V.

Weddings - News

AERIN and WILLIAMS SONOMA are once again pairing up, this time on a collection of eclectic and elegant tablewear along with silver-plated vases and trays sure to top bridal registries. The entrepreneurial granddaughter of Estée Lauder, who founded the lifestyle brand Aerin, puts her personal spin on porcelain plates with alpine rose motifs in red, white, and pink along with scalloped chargers, napkins, and placemats also inspired by Swiss chalets. Red-rimmed wine glasses and crystalline vases join spiraling taper holders and hurricanes for candlelit dinners. Various

sizes of silver-plated picture frames, ideal for wedding and honeymoon photography, or a silver radial cachepot and petit vase inspired by mint julep cups can be arranged atop a silver bar tray. Not to be missed are stainless steel cups with a silver finish for celebratory glasses of Champagne or sparkling wine. williams-sonoma.com. E.V.

ALL THE HEELS Aisle-pleasing pumps

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1. CELINE shoes, $950. 2. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, shoes, $995. 3. VALENTINO GARAVANI shoes, $1,790. 4. JIMMY CHOO / JEAN PAUL GAULTIER shoes, $1,095. 5. MANOLO BLAHNIK shoes, $925. -R.R.

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Four Seasons Westlake

LOVE EMBRACES THE EXTRAORDINARY www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage • (818) 575 - 3050 • @fswestlake

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Clockwise from top left: MINOTTI S.P.A. TWIGGY armchair designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, $10,120. ALEXANDER KIRKEBY vase, $415. Z.D.G. cutlery set, $436. KELLY WEARSTLER cup and saucer (set of 4), $156. CAREN RIDEAU X GORKY GONZALEZ tray, $125. JAKE ARNOLD FOR PARACHUTE lumbar pillow cover, $89. DIOR MAISON plate, $160.

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Where True Romance Reigns

With our star-studded heritage, timeless interiors and glowing hospitality, El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel, is an idyllic setting for your wedding or gathering. Capture the moment with photographs in our lush gardens, canopied by mature eucalyptus and conifer trees. Gather for a glittering reception on our lawn, lily pond or terraces with sweeping ocean views.

Belmond El Encanto

800 ALVARADO PLACE, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93103 | 805 845 5800 | ELE.SALES @ BELMOND.COM

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Under the OAKS ASHLEY HOLLISTER and ANDREW NORTON exchange vows amid sprawling natural beauty

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Clockwise from left: The couple takes a spin above the Pacific at Hollister Ranch. Cutting the cake at a larger gathering in Carpinteria. A sunlit brunch following the ceremony at the Ranch. A moment alone under the oaks. The wedding at Hollister House. Flowers arranged by the mother of the bride with Tsugumi Rew.

shley Hollister, who runs an international development consultancy primary working with the United Nations, had flown back from Rwanda for a friend’s wedding when flights were canceled and airports closed because of the pandemic. She found herself on her brother’s Santa Barbara front porch across the street from Andrew Norton, whom she’d known since middle school. Norton, an engineer working for a retina imaging company, says, “I looked up and saw Ashley and thought, ‘That’s fantastic; Ashley’s back in town.’” After 10 years in East Africa, Hollister spent most of the pandemic on Hollister Ranch, where her father had spent much of his childhood. She and Norton hiked the rolling ranch land on the Gaviota coast, a 14,500-acre oasis acquired in the 19th century by her great-great-grandfather, rancher and entrepreneur Col. W. W. Hollister, and now run by an owner’s association. “We would just walk and talk and run from bees,” says Hollister. The area’s secluded trails are also where Norton proposed. Given their ties to the land, the pair staged an intimate wedding at Hollister House. “My dad married us and my mom walked me down the aisle,” says Hollister. Her mother, Joanne Hollister, also draped the back entrance of the house with proteas and rhododendrons. The following day, the couple led a hike into the Santa Inez mountains and held a larger reception

Weddings - Feature at Rancho Feliz, Hollister’s aunt’s avocado ranch in Carpinteria. “The whole weekend was a community effort,” says Hollister. “It made us feel so supported as a couple.” • DRESS Vivienne Westwood • VEIL Georgine • MAKEUP 805 Makeup • HAIR Cédric Charneau of Xavier Scordo Salon • VENUE Hollister Ranch • CAKE Room for Cake

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Smashing Pumpkins’ BILLY CORGAN and CHLOÉ MENDEL throw an enchanting affair on their Highland Park estate Photography by DANIELLE SIMONE Words by CAROLINE CAGNEY

Clockwise from far left: First kiss as husband and wife. Last looks. The tablescape reflected Billy’s love for fine china. Finger food. Sketches by designer Gilles Mendel. The groom performs at the after-party.

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MASATO ONODA (FLORAL ARRANGEMENT, CAKE).

don’t even think we ever went on a first date,” says Maison Atia designer Chloé Mendel of the organic evolution of her relationship with her husband, Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan. The couple initially met as friends, and after eleven years of dating — and two children — Corgan proposed to Mendel on her 30th birthday at their home in Highland Park, Illinois, in September 2022. One year later, amid fields of prairie grass, 100 of the couple’s nearest and dearest gathered for a ceremony led by friend and local mayor Nancy Rotering, while their children stood as witnesses. As cocktail hour concluded, guests were led down a path through a vegetable garden that brought them to the reception tent where they enjoyed a candlelit feast among fragrant roses, while

Joel Patterson played jazz tunes. “We wanted the evening to feel like a 1930s affair, as though Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were going to dinner,” explains Mendel of their vision. To make the day even more special, the couple wore couture looks by House of Gilles, which is designed by Chloé’s father, Gilles Mendel

of fashion house J. Mendel. From the silver micro-beading on the bride’s pleated lace gown to the embroidered illustration of their family inside Corgan’s tuxedo jacket, no detail was overlooked. Following dinner, Jimmy Chamberlin, Frank Catalano, and Garson played a set of standards, and the groom — who is gearing up for his 2024 summer tour with Green Day — performed his classic “Tonight, Tonight” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” Late-night revelers danced to ‘80s music and played poker, while in true storybook fashion, children, wrapped in blankets, slept in the pumpkin patch under twinkling lights. “It was like a fairy tale,” says Mendel. • MAKEUP Bridal By Aga • HAIR Jerome Lordet • FLOWERS Kehoe Designs • RINGS Graziela Gems • CATERING RPM Events • CAKE Petal and Moon Pastry • STATIONERY Martha Nippert • EVENT PRODUCTION Nora Events

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OLEEMA MILLER and BRYAN PHILLIPS’ blissful day on the misty North Shore Words by RACHEL MARLOWE

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Clockwise from left: The ceremony took place on the Kualoa Private Nature Reserve in Oahu. The groom, in J.Crew, wipes away a tear, as the bride beams in a custom gown by Monique Lhuillier. Miller wore The Row for the welcome party at their Haleiwa home. The bride performs a hula for her new husband. Custom embroidered vintage Levi’s jackets celebrate the newlyweds.

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TODD GLASER. OPPOSITE: LAUREN ROSS (3), DOUG FALTER.

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ater is a recurring theme in Oleema Miller and Bryan Phillips’ love story. The pair — a former professional surfer from San Clemente turned creative director and designer of the swim and ready-to-wear line MIKOH and a lifeguard turned stuntman — first met while surfing in Oahu. Phillips proposed on the Pont Neuf bridge spanning the Seine in Paris. A year later, when the couple tied the knot at the Kualoa Ranch nature reserve, water played a role once again. “It poured rain,” Miller laughs. “And it made everything just feel magical.”

A self-described control freak, Miller took the creative lead when it came to planning the nuptials, custom designing everything from the florals, linens, glassware, and menu to the wedding favors. “As a designer, you’re always thinking big picture about your brand and the story you want to tell, but I’ve never done something so personal,” she says. For her dress, however, Miller relinquished control to Monique Lhuillier. “What I’ve always loved about her dresses is they all feel so airy, almost ethereal. I had this vision of my veil blowing behind me and my skirt just floating like a cloud — something that felt natural and fit with the landscape.” Ultimately, she wore the gown only for the

ceremony and gave up entirely on The Row sandals she had shipped from Italy. “It was too muddy to wear shoes,” she says, “and the dress got so wet I had to change.” “While I had dreamed about my wedding, I never really knew exactly what I wanted it to look like but I did know how I wanted it to feel,” says Miller. “And in the end the rain and being barefoot just washed away all the months of planning with this quiet calm and allowed me to just enjoy the moment and be truly present.” • HAIR Lo Wheeler • MAKEUP Kecia Littman • VENUE Kualoa Ranch • BRIDE Monique Lhuillier and The Row • GROOM J.Crew

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D I S C CHILLS AND THRILLS

Three WINTER GETAWAYS with cozy comforts and snow-based activities — skis optional

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TAYLOR RIVER LODGE is a remote, off-grid location near Crested Butte that includes a network of remote cabins framed by big sky, towering pine trees, and sheer granite cliffs.

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Clockwise from bottom left: A stretch of river lies just steps from cabins at TAYLOR RIVER LODGE. The saltwater pool. MONTAGE BIG SKY is located in the Spanish Peaks mountain range. Après-ski caviar.

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TAYLOR RIVER LODGE, the sister property to the Scarp Ridge Lodge, is only a 30-minute drive down Crested Butte ski mountain. But even die-hard downhill skiers should not overlook the cozy bliss to be found on the riverbank. Set within a valley in Almont, the eight-acre retreat comprises six one-bedroom cabins, each featuring steam showers and traditional lodge décor (three of which also have lofted areas with twin beds), as well as two single-family homes. After a day of snowshoeing or Nordic skiing, slide into the saltwater pool in the converted barn before an evening of cabin pursuits, from shooting pool to playing darts, before dining by the oversized stone fireplace in the lodge. elevenexperience.com.

Montage Big Sky, Montana From dogsledding to snowmobiling to a guided safari through Yellowstone, MONTAGE BIG SKY has a host of winter pursuits that don’t require a lift ticket (it is located within 5,800 acres of ski terrain in the Spanish Peaks mountain range). To refuel, guests can choose from six culinary outlets, including the Italian-inspired Cortina and Backcast après ski bar and grill — all of which use local river fish and wild game in their menus. Accommodations cater to groups, with a new six-bedroom residence that features two fireplaces and stunning mountain views. But all suites have a soothing stoneclad soaking tub, roaring fire, and wet bar. montage.com/bigsky.com.

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TAYLOR RIVER LODGE: ALISON WHITE. MONTAGE BIG SKY: COURTESY OF MONTAGE BIG SKY. AMANGIRI: KEN HAYDEN.

Taylor River Lodge, Colorado

Amangiri, Utah With a barren landscape of sandstone formations that look straight out of Mars, the AMANGIRI resort is as remote as it gets. In addition to 34 suites, it has recently added the luxury tented Camp Sarika to its accommodations in which 10 canvas-topped pavilions feature their own plunge pool. In the winter, there are plenty of outdoor activities to immerse you in the surrounds. On your doorstep lie the property’s 12 miles of hiking trails and horseback rides along ridge tops and through a maze of canyons. Afterward you can revive yourself at the property’s spa with a Nourishing facial and a Purifying body wrap. aman.com.

Clockwise from left: AMANGIRI’s serene minimalist pool is built around an imposing boulder, with sweeping views of wild desert landscape all around it. Clean, stone-lined suites and pavilions at this desert oasis include outdoor lounges, terraces with fire pits and private plunge pools. Suites are built using natural materials and designed to blend in with the desert landscape.

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A P P LY H E R E S U N

outhern California is known for its temperate climate. But when you take a trip somewhere hot and humid, you should switch up your skincare routine and maybe even get pre- and post-vacation treatments to keep skin clear of breakouts, sun damage, and hyperpigmentation. The sun is going to be your skin’s biggest stressor, and your choice of

sunscreen matters. “Humidity can lead to sweat trapping oil in the pores leading to breakouts,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Nancy Samolitis, a cofounder of Facile Dermatology + Boutique. She recommends looking for sunscreen with ingredients like niacinamide. Increased sun exposure can also cause “the development of excess pigmentation that can lead to uneven skin tone,” says Dr. Samolitis. Help keep those sun spots at bay with brightening and anti-inflammatory ingredients in your skincare, such as azelaic acid, used in conjunction with sunscreen. Start using these products

during your trip, but increase usage when you get home to lift away any melasma and dark spots. Prevention is also important. Days before you hit the sun and sand, get your skin ready for the pore-clogging sweat and increased SPF use. Try an exfoliating mask with alpha and beta hydroxy acids to target all skin layers, like Facile’s The Buzz. Use it at home to remove buildup and prevent blemishes pre- and post-trip, or head to a facialist to get an exfoliating in-office treatment. Skip the peels, though — they might be too harsh before you travel.

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CHRIS CRAYMER / TRUNK ARCHIVE.

Whether it’s sun or snow on the horizon, skin protection starts before you leave home

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4. 3. 2. 1. FACILE The Buzz Exfoliating Mask, $38. 2. PAULA’S CHOICE Azelaic Acid Booster, $39. 3. ELTA MD UV Clear SPF 46, $41. 4. KNESKO Amethyst Hydrate face mask, $42.

S N O W When you abandon 70-degree SoCal weather for a vacation in a chilly, snowcovered locale, your skin is going to go through an entirely different journey. Wearing daily sunscreen is important no matter where you are, but the sun isn’t going to be your biggest issue. Instead, you’re going to want to focus on hydrating and strengthening your moisture barrier before you leave, while you’re there, and especially when you get back. “When you go on vacation, in addition to the cold temperature, you can usually also expect the effects of wind and lower humidity on the skin,” says Dr. Samolitis.

“This type of environment can disrupt the skin barrier leading to dryness, redness, and sensitivity.” Start using your most hydrating products ASAP, especially those with moisture-binding hyaluronic acid like in Facile’s Dew You. Those with especially sensitive skin, who are prone to redness and irritation, should look out for barrier-restoring ingredients like niacinamide, aloe, phytosphingosine, and ceramides, says Dr. Samolitis. A serum like Facile’s Destress can be used at home with your regular routine to help nourish and soothe skin while preventing it from environmental damage. All skin types would also benefit from a facial with a hydrating mask. •

Beauty

ULTRA COOL In 2019, Mia Zee, a former professional ballet dancer, was diagnosed with polymorphic light eruption, also known as an allergy to the sun. All of a sudden, SPF wasn’t enough to protect her skin. In response, she teamed up with lifelong friend Emma Gerber, who she worked with at RE/DONE, to launch a 12-piece collection of UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) clothing focused on a more modern look than what was currently available. “The clothing that existed in the market didn’t appeal to me,” says Zee. “I wore it because I needed to, not because I wanted to. With Claudent, I wanted to create clothing that was protective but that I would also be excited to wear.” Gerber echoes that sentiment. “Clauent is different from other sun protection brands because we’re focusing on the aesthetic and fit of the clothing in addition to highlighting the inherent benefits of UPF fabric,” she says. Los Angeles-based actress Michelle Monaghan, influencer Alyssa Coscarelli, and Pilates instructor Amanda Kassar are already fans. claudent.com.

Focus on strengthening your moisture barrier before you leave CLAUDENT offers stylish options for UPF fabric.

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PROTECTION COLLECTION

Saviors for your skin, come snow or shine

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Nice Ice Frozen Toner Pads, $68, sofiepavittface.com.

Sea Chrome Revitalize Body Oil, $78, biographynyc.com.

Limited Edition Rich Cream, $565, augustinusbader.com.

Beauty

OAK ESSENTIALS

LIGHTSAVER

PAVISE

Perfecting Body Scrub, $38, oakessentials.com.

Activated Mineral Sunscreeen, $45, lightsaverskin.com.

Lip Defense SPF, $59, pavise.com.

CIELE COSMETICS

SALTYFACE

RETROUVÉ

Blush & Protect SPF 50, $34, cielecosmetics.com.

Liquid Bronzer, $36, saltyface.com.

Balancing Face Oil, $190, retrouve.com.

Editing by KELLY ATTERTON 134

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Continued from p.76

TAYLOR TAKES TOPANGA seeming to save the last of his strength for Hill’s nuptials. “It was one of those moments where I realized two things can be true at once,” she says. “I was really grieving, but I was also celebrating. Having Tate there — to see the love he got, for him to be able to say his goodbyes to every person he’s ever loved — was so powerful and special.” “I hate the phrase. ‘He’s just a dog,’” she adds. “If you’ve ever had a soulmate who’s a dog, then you get how deep the connection can be. Maybe it’s weird to say, but I see a lot of Tate in my husband. They both have this brightness about them and are unfazed by anything. I think Tate really approved of Danny. We both got to be there when he passed. It was as though Tate was saying, ‘This is your person, and I know I can go because you’re going to be good together.’” Hill credits her online community for providing her with the support she needed as she was balancing the joy of early marriage against the pain of losing Tate. “I got so much reassurance that I wasn’t alone in what I was feeling,” she says. “Those little moments are why I have such an appreciation for social media. It can be noisy and scary, but it can also be really beautiful.” Hill is in the middle of building a business called Tate & Taylor, an online community and marketplace for pet owners scheduled to go live next year. “The pet industry is very crowded and confusing,” she says. “There’s just so much out there. I want other people to feel like they’re not alone, that there’s a place they can trust.” Tate & Taylor is not the model’s only side hustle. She and her younger sister Mackinley are in the early stages of developing a jewelry brand. Hill also dipped her toe into acting a few years ago, finding a surprise second home. She has a small but crucial role in Danny Turkiewicz’s comedy Stealing Pulp Fiction, which stars John Rudnitsky, Cazzie David, and Jason Alexander. It’s set to debut at the winter film festivals next year. “It’s been a slow build for me,” she says. “I have terrible stage fright, and talking in front of people is not my thing, so acting didn’t necessarily seem like a natural segue.” Her first role was in 2016’s Neon Demon, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. “Man, did I have fun on that set. Something clicked for me. I felt like if I really took my time and learned about the craft, I could do something cool there.” Hill dropped out of high school at 14, and although she believes there are many ways to

get an education, books have been her constant teachers over the years. She is a passionate reader, at times devouring more than one tome in a day. She and her husband love to travel: He encourages her to run, jump, and plunge with him; she helps him relax and do less. Hill travels for a living and cherishes nothing more than carving out time to open a book, whether it’s a novel, nonfiction, or self-improvement. Before Hill got into therapy, she was reading about it. “I feel so grateful to be able to Zoom with my therapist,” she says. “Tune-ups, check-ups, check-ins. It’s been helpful to have a third party to talk to, to process my grief from Tate passing and the challenges of marriage. You’re learning this person and learning how to love someone. It’s life-changing. I want to do my best at growing together and being good to each other.” In September Hill was in Georgia, working with a nonprofit that focuses on rescuing dogs from kill shelters, when she stumbled upon a six-month-old all-black German shepherd. “There were 255 dogs in this camp, and I went around and met all of them, every single one,” she says. “And I was drawn to this one dog who made no sense for my lifestyle, but I just had this tunnel vision for him.” Later Hill located the dog in an adoption center in Pennsylvania, and Salem (she named him after the black cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is now the newest member of the family. As for growing their family in other ways, Hill is in no rush. Her generation of models includes a few very famous young women who have sometimes been accused of doing the work with a yawn or a roll of the eyes. Not so Hill, who still sometimes pinches herself. “I really do love my job,” she says, “and I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me. I didn’t know who or what I wanted to be as a kid. I had no dreams. My parents probably worried about me most of all my siblings because I never said, ‘When I grow up I want to be this or that.’ I’m still weirdly directionless — I let my passions take me where they’re going to take me. But modeling found me, and then I found myself.” •

Runover

Continued from p.94

FILL IN THE BLUNKS Today, as an art historian and curator, Nielson explains that her father’s work defies categorization. She describes his style as very honest, playful, and intuitive. He had a profound connection with nature, and there are layers of meaning, spirit, and intention in every

piece. “It transcends the traditional categories of art, craft, and design,” she says. “Everything he made slipped between those categories.” Nielson has become so attuned to her father’s work that she can tell almost instantly if work is his, even if his signature chiseled initials are missing. “He didn’t keep records about what he made and who he sold it to, and he rarely signed his work,” she says. “When he did, there were well-known signatures that developed over the years. He would spell his entire name out using a nailhead, or he would carve his signature J and B connected with a chisel. I get a lot of emails from people with shellacked wood sculptures saying ‘I think I have a Blunk.’ And I know immediately that it’s not.” When she isn’t playing art investigator (note to hopeful collectors: Blunk wasn’t a fan of shellac), Nielson coordinates exhibits for Blunk Space, which brings us back to that taco dinner-in-progress. Nielson is days away from opening a new exhibit with original work by Los Angeles–based textile artist Adam Pogue, who makes piece-work quilts, pillows, and tapestries on commission and in collaboration with Commune Design, and London-based Martino Gamper, who is best known for his “100 Chairs in 100 Days” project, for which he re-imagined scavenged and salvaged chairs into one-of-a-kind works of art. Both artists are deeply familiar with Blunk’s work, and Nielson invited them to spend time at the Inverness studio. “Adam spent about ten days here over the summer, and Martino has been here at least ten times over the years,” she says. “We don’t call it a residency. We consider it a part of the gallery programming. The place has an impact on the work. I think there are so many lessons to extract from this place in terms of sustainability, and the cross-discipline nature of JB’s work.” Nielson is enjoying the resurgence of interest in her father’s work, which is driven primarily by the interior design community that has embraced his rough-hewn, organic aesthetic — although she is very aware of fleeting tastes. “I wonder how long it will last,” she says. “His style of work fell out of favor in the ‘80s, and I expect that this kind of work will not be of so much interest in ten years. Then it may come back again.” For the moment, she is enjoying watching her son explore the nooks of the house she loved as a child, and the wonder of the surrounding woods. Blunk died in the house, and his presence is very much alive within it. •

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Favorite spa or treatment? The Spa at El Encanto in Santa Barbara for dry brushing, The Skin Elixir Mask, and massage.

S C

Where do you take visiting friends? I like The Georgian Room speakeasy; it’s like a step back in time with the Art Deco décor and live jazz. Or a day trip to San Ysidro Ranch for lunch, shopping in Montecito, and antiquing in Summerland.

O V E R I

What’s in your cosmetics bag? Estée Lauder Double Wear Sheer Makeup, Turbo Lash Mascara, and Pure Color Lipstick; Aerin Rose de Grasse for a spritz.

E S Carolyn Murphy wearing Lois sunglasses, her design with Look Optic.

CARO L Y NZen M U RMoments PH Y

The model and designer’s favorite hot spots Where do you live? I’ve lived all over L.A. — Brentwood, Venice, Rustic Canyon. California has my heart. Where do you feel most zen? In nature; near the ocean or in the country with space and trees. Favorite hike? My favorite parks and hikes are in Big Sur, where the mountains meet the sea and you can smell the earth and the ocean. Favorite beach? I like to walk Zuma to Broad Beach and surf Trancas Point. Favorite relaxing getaway? I love a weekend in Ojai with friends: stay at Thacher House, ride horses, visit the springs, dinner at Rory’s Place.

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Do you follow a diet? Mostly plant-based, always organic and from local farmers. California has great fishmongers in Santa Barbara as well as incredible ranches with free-range beef. Favorite hotel? Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur for the treehouse style, the stars, and the sea. Favorite workout? Anything outdoors: surfing, hiking, Pilates at Good Point Pilates in Malibu. What are you reading? Reading a few and loving The House of Spirits, but I can’t read without my readers! I created The Lois style with Look Optic; it’s made from 100 percent recycled materials and named after my Nana.

Favorite hair products? Innersense Gentle Shampoo, Virtue Conditioner, Milbon Hair Repair, R&Co Pomade, Sam McKnight Nourishing Balm. Favorite musician? Anything by Neil Young, or I just love classical piano, particularly Debussy. Favorite podcast? I’m inept when it comes to podcasts. I prefer being quiet, reading, or listening to music. Favorite home items? Jenni Kayne blankets, candles, and slippers; Matouk or Sferra sheets; Totem Home “marble” plates; Amber Interiors pillows and dining linens; Nickey Kehoe candles, decorative bits, and just about anything; Gjusta Goods for dinnerware, cookware, and spices. Favorite flowers? Wildflowers from the Santa Monica farmers’ market; I find making arrangements therapeutic. Eric Buterbaugh for gifting. Favorite drive? PCH forever. 2

Whitewall

Phil Penman WhiteWall Ambassador Photo Print on Fuji Crystal DPII sealed under Acrylic Aluminium ArtBox, silver | 20 x 30 " | printed and framed by WhiteWall.com The WhiteWall Ambassadors are among the most respected, talented and influential Professional photographers in the world. Professional photographers worldwide, who rely on the gallery quality of WhiteWall for their WhiteWall gallery quality. Discover individual photo products Made in Germany, such as the original photo print under acrylic glass in a Aluminium ArtBox from our in-house manufacture.

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C MAG A Z I N E

WINTER 2023/2024