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A window on the cars, wine, food, art, and people that define the dream

APRIL 2019

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THE

California ISSUE

102

DREW PHILLIPS

PORSCHES IN PARADISE Germany’s greatest gift to forward motion in California, land of reinvention.

BY ROBERT ROSS AND VIJU MATHEW

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

15

REWRITE HISTORY IN 3.96 SECONDS THE 2020 LEXUS RC F TRACK EDITION It’s time for a different path to performance. One that begins from a place of refinement. Because when you craft exhilaration with the same attention to detail you apply to crafting indulgence, you don’t merely repeat history, you write your own. Introducing the all-new 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition, featuring a 472-horsepower1 5.0-liter V8 engine, a titanium exhaust, class-leading power-to-weight ratio,2 carbon-ceramic disc brakes3 and an RC F GT3–inspired carbon fiber rear wing. Capable of going 0 to 60 mph in a staggering 3.96 seconds.4 We didn’t settle for just a performance car; we demanded intensity with elegance, then crafted a Lexus for the track. We come from somewhere else. So we feel like nothing else. lexus.com/RCF | #LexusRCF

Options shown. 1. Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease. 2. 2020 RC F vs. 2018/2019 competitors. Information from manufacturers’ websites as of 12/4/2018. 3. High-friction brakes may require additional maintenance, be louder and have a shorter life than conventional brakes, depending on driving conditions. See the Warranty and Services Guide for more information. 4. AMCI Testing Certified. ©2019 Lexus

THE

California ISSUE

114

JAMES TRAN

THE TRANSPLANT Can Klaus Biesenbach finally fix what ails LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art?

BY CHRISTOPHER BAGLEY

140 122

132

CALIFORNIA COCINA

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

In the Golden State, Mexican fine dining is finally getting the respect it deserves.

Across the West, wildfires have become commonplace, but when flames encroach, who decides whose home will be saved?

BY JEREMY REPANICH

BY RYAN BRADLEY

CITY OF GURUS One intrepid writer embarks on a healing odyssey in LA.

BY JANICE O’LEARY

Departments THE GOODS

24

CONTRIBUTORS

37

48

26

FOOD & DRINK

ART & DE SIGN

28

Glenmorangie’s wild new whisky, California’s unsung wine country, and the next chef you’ll be traveling for.

Street artist JR’s egalitarian new art exhibition, plus the design matchmaker every homeowner should know.

A motorcycle’s elegant form, an enticing plum tart, and vibrant pottery from California.

42

52

ED IT O R’S LE T T E R

OB JE C T IF IE D

34

T HE DUE L

56

TRAVEL

WATCHE S

STYLE

Los Cabos grows up, France finally joins the wine-hotel movement, and a tropical paradise rises in the Andaman Sea.

Greubel Forsey sizes down, carbon takes over, and a super-collector shares his latest timepiece intel.

California’s sustainable fashion and spring’s best leather jackets, plus one diamantaire’s modern mission.

San Francisco vs. LA

66

DREAM MACHINES

THE ANSWERS

GENIUS AT WORK

Hotelier Jeff Klein

160

THE DECIDER

Which California beach would you like most to be marooned on?

70

86

WHEELS

WINGS

Vanderhall’s Venice Speedster, Harley goes electric, Chad McQueen’s new Mustang project, and Audi’s Golden State standout.

Virgin Galactic expands its space fleet and JetEdge’s Bill Papariella on why SoCal and private aviation are a natural fit.

80

88

WATER

TECH

A hybrid yacht newly available for charter, the X-80 super RIB project, high-tech at sea expert Paul Cook, and California’s Newport boat show.

Wilson Audio’s pure sound and a racing simulator even the pros train on.

92

THE SHAPE OF WATER High-performance surfboards crafted with precision.

FIELD NOTES

97

Angelenos’ love affair with the auto, enlightened investing, a Manhattan city slicker aims for ease in La-La Land, and is it time to punt wine scores?

THE BUSINESS

153

C OV E R IL LUST RATIO N BY PIETARI POSTI

1stdibs’ revolutionary new business model, taming the email monster, and Out of Office with the CEO of Landry’s Inc., Tilman Fertitta.

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

19

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Contributors

Ryan Bradley

24

Tom Williams

Janice O’Leary

Christopher Bagley

Finn Campbell-Notman

Williams approaches the craft of photography like a master distiller. “I am a firm believer that boiling down concepts to simple visuals provides the most impact,” says the 23-year-old resident of San Diego, Calif. Tasked to shoot surfboard-shaper Jon Pyzel plying his trade (“The Shape of Water,” p. 92), Williams— originally from the island of Oahu—was in familiar waters, as wave-riding is his primary focus when not behind the lens.

Robb Report’s executive editor, O’Leary considers herself an open-minded skeptic, balancing the embracing attitude of her adopted state of California with the intense scrutiny of a native New Yorker, which came in handy when writing this month’s “City of Gurus” feature (p. 140). She also wrote this month’s Genius at Work on surfboard shaper Jon Pyzel (p. 92). Now living sandwiched between the mountains and sea, she runs the beach and hikes in Malibu with her dog, Ghost, on the few trails left that escaped the town’s recent burn.

A veteran magazine editor and writer who has been based in New York, Paris, and San Sebastian, Spain, Bagley now lives in Los Angeles, where he interviewed museum director Klaus Biesenbach for “The Transplant” (p. 114). “When I first interviewed him 10 years ago in New York, he was happily living in a furniture-free apartment,” Bagley says. “He plans to keep his new LA place mostly empty too, since the lack of art and objects helps him relax.” Bagley has added photography to his repertoire, and he now spends several months a year on the road writing and photographing stories for Condé Nast Traveler and other magazines.

A professional illustrator since 2001, Campbell-Notman was born in London, grew up in rural England, and has lived and worked in San Francisco, Brussels, Andalusia, and Barcelona, his current home. His work is often compared to that of a Golden Age illustrator, owing to his draftsmanship, harmonic tones, and balanced composition. To illustrate “In the Line of Fire” (p. 132), he reimagines the oncoming devastation of last fall’s Malibu wildfires. A series of his works, “The Tainted Sublime,” will debut at the Johanssen Gallery/Direktorenhaus in Berlin this spring.

APRIL 2019

RYAN BRADLEY: MICHELLE GROSKOPF; JANICE O’LEARY: ERIC LEVIN

A native of Southern California, Bradley grew up in a landscape prone to fire. "I was raised in the foothills of Santa Barbara and have seen all the mountains that were the backdrop to my childhood go up in flames at one point or another," he says.

This month, Bradley—who has written for The New York Times Magazine, GQ, WSJ, and Fortune—investigated the complicated dynamics between public and private firefighting agencies, as well as homeowners, “In the Line of Fire“ (p. 132). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their cat.

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Miami, 10 NE 39th Street, Miami Design District, Tel 305 573 4331 Los Angeles, PaciďŹ c Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, Suite G 170, Tel 310 358 0901 New York, Decoration & Design Building, 979 Third Avenue, Suite 1424, Tel 212 334 1271

Ever since we first had the idea for an issue in celebration of California, I’ve been willing its arrival. Whether in fashion or food, art or architecture, cars or culture, the Golden State is leading the agenda. Such is California’s current influence, the hardest part of planning this issue has been deciding what to leave out.

26

APRIL 2019

Paul Croughton Editor in Chief

Francisco, and El Jardín in San Diego leading the charge. Pull up a chair and dig in; tasting begins on page 122.

Elsewhere, hotel impresario Jeff Klein gives us “The Answers,” we explore California’s lesser-known wine country, and we seek enlightenment via a small fraction of the gurus available to locals on their quest for self improvement. Snake oil or a salve for the soul? Make up your own mind on page 140.

Finally, we’ve used two guest typefaces in this issue, chosen for their significance in Californian history and culture: Los Feliz—inspired by the handpainted signs of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles—and Californian Text, which was created for the University of California and was its proprietary typeface in 1938.

Enjoy the issue.

JOSHUA SCOT T

One of the first things locals think of when talk turns to their home state—besides the weather, the beaches, the wine . . . —are the traffic jams. Californians’ relationship with their cars has for decades been one of both dependency and devotion. And if one vehicle had to symbolize that passion it would most likely be Porsche, which is as steeped into Californian folklore as surfboards and perpetual sunshine. Pop fact: The state accounts for a fifth of all Porsche orders globally. And while many own, drive, and treasure their personal rides, in this issue we set out to find the people who turn their level of dedication up to 11—the guys (it tends to be guys) who focus on one particular model . . . and pimp the hell out of it. Not just the iconic 911, but the 356, 964, and 959. More than mere disciples of Ferdinand and Ferry Porsche’s legacy, they are preserving a small part of the marque’s future by uniquely celebrating elements of its past. Discover “Porsches in Paradise” on page 102.

From automobiles as art to, well, art as art: California is part of that vibrant global community, its status now secured as one of the great art cities, along with New York, London, and Berlin. But one of its preeminent institutions, LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art, has rather lost its mantle after a tumultuous few years that have seen three directors depart under clouds. Klaus Biesenbach hopes to change that: MOCA’s new director arrives from New York’s MoMA with a fine track record. Our profile of the Germanborn curator begins on page 114.

In all honesty, it’s hard to think of any aspect of California now without thinking of those flames. The wildfires that swept through parts of the state at the end of last year became one of the most harrowing rolling-news stories of 2018. But for residents, of course, it was all too real. Like many others, Robb Report staffers from our LA office were affected, joining the tens of thousands who were evacuated. And when the dust finally settled, their voices were added to the throng demanding answers. There were numerous questions that needed—indeed, still need—addressing, not least the emotive subject of why some homes were saved while others perished. We heard residents openly questioning if an anti-wealth bias delayed help from reaching certain affluent neighborhoods. On the other side, some asked whether the private firefighting firms employed by insurance companies and wealthy families helped or hindered the wider effort. Reporter Ryan Bradley’s investigation begins on page 132.

We couldn’t spotlight California without focusing on what keeps it moving—food. But defining a Californian cuisine isn’t easy. A mash-up of culinary traditions such as French and Italian—and maybe even Japanese?—perhaps its biggest influence comes from south of the border. And right now chefs in the Golden State working with Mexican cuisine are elevating traditional dishes and re-creating them in haute fashion, with restaurants such as Broken Spanish in Los Angeles, Cala in San

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Ian Barry, founder of the Los Angeles–based Falcon Motorcycles, is crystal clear about his job description. “I translate raw power into elegant forms,” says the custom bike builder, “and then get to experience what that feels like at full throttle.” His 2011 Black Falcon, constructed from scratch save for the Vincent Black Shadow engine, was displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum until last month and is now available for purchase for $800,000.

28

APRIL 2019

NOAH SCHUTZ

Back in Black

ObjectiďŹ ed

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

29

Objectified

Sweet Spot

KRISTIN TEIG

Margarita Manzke and her husband, Walter, have become acclaimed in LA for their outstanding restaurant République.

While Walter handles the savory side, Margarita has mastered the sweet, with people lining up for her baked goods.

Now she’s letting people in on some of her secrets, publishing her first cookbook, Baking at République, which includes her plum tart, featuring fresh fruit perched atop a buttery, rich almond cream.

30

APRIL 2019

Objectified

Soviet Kitsch Ceramics have secured their place in contemporary art, and some of the most inventive are coming out of California. The LA–based artist Bari Ziperstein references everything from capitalist economies to Cold War propaganda in her oeuvre to critique social roles and mores. This vessel is a prime example: A slightly off-kilter classical silhouette is glazed in bold primary colors that conjure Soviet socialist realism posters—with maybe a dash of Roy Lichtenstein’s Pop pow.

32

APRIL 2019

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It’s a rivalry with battle lines drawn long ago. Angelenos dismiss their NorCal counterparts as a mix of tech nerds and old hippies, while San Franciscans accuse SoCal folk of being vapid and silicone-filled. We look beyond the stereotypes to see how California’s most vibrant metropolises (sorry, San Diego) really stack up against each other.

San Francisco

VS.

Los Angeles

POPUL ATION

884,363 city; 4,727,357 metro

3,999,759 city; 13,353,907 metro

WHO CAME F IR ST

Founded June 29, 1776

Founded September 4, 1781

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

(49ers, 5; Giants, 3)

8 20

(Lakers, 111; Dodgers, 5; Kings, 2; Raiders, 1; Rams, 1) R

ST RO N G E ST E A RT H Q UA K E

(1906 Great San Francisco earthquake)

7.9 6.7

(1994 Norrthridge)

H A R D E ST R E S E RVAT I O N I N TOW N

Che Fico

Bavel

OR IG IN AL NAME

U NO

El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula

GOLDEN G ATE BRIDGE, PLAYERS: SHUT TERSTOCK; HOLLY WOOD SIGN: GET T Y IMAGES

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C IAL MAYOR

Marc Benio

Magic Johnson

A RT C O LL E CTO R S W I T H T H E M O ST C LO U T

Doris Fish her (the collection she built with her husband Donald is the centerpiece of the San Francisco Musseum of Modern Art)

Eli Broad (his collection fills the Broad museum downtown and much more)

THE W HE E LS TO B E SE EN I N

Tesla Model 3

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

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$38 million (developer Bill Campbell tore down an existing home on Billionaire’s Row and built a new one to sell) in 2018.

$100 million tie: Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores bought in Holmby Hills and Daren Metropoulos acquired the Playboy Mansion, both in 2016.

Playboy Mansion

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The Goods THIS MONTH’S WHO, W H AT, A N D W E A R

TASTING THE FIELD

Wolfgat is the next restaurant you’ll be traveling for.

René Redzepi, Brazil has Alex Atala, and South Africa has Kobus van der Merwe. You can be forgiven for not knowing that last one, but the chef behind Wolfgat (wolfgat.co.za), a 20-seat restaurant in the sleepy seaside village of Paternoster, a scenic two-hour drive from Cape Town, is about to be the next meal you hop a plane for. h

JAC DE VILLIERS

DENMARK HAS

Kobus van der Merwe forages for veldkos or “field food,” in pastural Paternoster, South Africa.

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The Goods | F O O D & D R I N K

South Africa isn’t exactly new to the culinary scene—foodies are already well acquainted with stars Luke Dale-Roberts and Reuben Riffel—but van der Merwe is doing the country’s hyper-local food movement some real favors with his veldkos, a term that means “field food” in the Afrikaans language and refers to produce gathered in the wild. And his efforts are winning over admirers, as Wolfgat being crowned Restaurant of the Year at the first World Restaurant Awards this past February can attest.

“I cook intuitively with what inspires me from my surroundings: the landscape, the weather, the seasonal transformation,” says van der Merwe, who regularly edits his elegant seven-course menu. Along with fresh seafood from local fishermen and mussels and oysters cultivated in the nearby Saldanha Bay, the chef forages for ingredients found along the rugged Atlantic coastline that aren’t found anywhere else in the country (or the world). “The landscape has a dramatic transformation from semi-desert in summer to a lush green edible carpet in winter,” all of which, of course, yields incredible diversity.

“I cook intuitively with what inspires me from my surroundings.”

Open just two nights weekly for dinner and five days for lunch—with only one seating each—Wolfgat makes for a languid affair. Delicate dishes like rooibossmoked angelfish and dune spinach are distributed inside a snug cottage, under a low-slung wooden ceiling, or on the outdoor patio that spills out toward the glinting ocean. No small detail has been neglected: Breadsticks are served with bokkom butter, a regional delicacy made with salted, dried Cape horse mackerel; biodynamic wines come from nearby wineries; and the soundtrack is either Sufjan Stevens or, more simply, the crashing sound of waves. For a moment, it may even feel vaguely Noma-esque, but here, there’s no brigade of chefs frantically fermenting and pickling—just a handful of hushed staff making and serving dishes full of straight-fromthe-earth ingredients like klipkombers (a seaweed similar to Japanese nori) and tjokka (Cape Hope squid not unlike calamari). It’s a guaranteed adventure for your taste buds, not to mention your vocabulary. Mary Holland

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F O O D & D R I N K | The Goods

Q&A

Bill Lumsden Glenmorangie’s director of distilling is making whisky a little bit wilder.

Chef van der Merwe serves sea lettuce, samphire, and other hyper-local ingredients at his Cape Dutch cottage (above).

To mark the 10th anniversary of its coveted Private Edition series, Glenmorangie has introduced Allta (glenmorangie.com), the first singlemalt Scotch whisky crafted from yeast growing wild on the distillery’s own barley. The master maker behind its creation reveals the granular details.

Dan Dunn It’s often said that whisky is made in the barrel. Is fermentation an unsung aspect of distillation? It’s massively underappreciated. If you don’t have the right type of fermentation, guess what? You’ll have nothing worth putting in the barrel. I’m focusing on fermentation with Allta because it’s been such a neglected part of the process.

How did you discover the wild yeast used to make Allta? I recalled a story from a great whisky writer, Michael Jackson, about a unique “house” yeast the Glenmorangie property was said to have possessed. This story led me to collect Cadboll barley in the fields near the distillery, which later led to discovering the Saccharomyces diaemath, a species of wild yeast unidentified up until that point.

WOLFG AT: JAC DE VILLIERS; ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL; BLOOMING ONION: WONHO FRANK LEE

ROBB RECOMMENDS...

Nightshade’s Bloomin’ Onion Mei Lin didn’t exactly grow up in a culinary mecca. The chef-owner of LA’s recently opened Nightshade (nightshadela.com) was raised on bigchain cuisine—Applebee’s, Olive Garden, and the like—in her hometown of Dearborn, Mich. Though her palate has evolved considerably since, Lin is bringing a taste of nostalgia to her new restaurant with her bloomin’ onion, an upmarket homage to the kitschy appetizer that first appeared on the menu at Outback Steakhouse in the late ’80s. Her version—a Maui sweet onion dipped in buttermilk, dry dredged, and fried to a golden crisp—is a vehicle for Nightshade’s housemade tom yum seasoning featuring lemongrass, kaffir lime, and tamarind. The ode to suburban dining is surprisingly sophisticated, yet it doesn’t ignore what made the original so successful. “It’s about creating a good experience and having fun with the people at your table,” Lin says. Jeremy Repanich

How does the yeast affect the flavor of Allta? It’s going to sound like I’ve made this up to fit the style of whisky, but honestly, it’s this whole thing about baking bread, sourdough bread, and fresh pizza crust. Add a little water to the Scotch, and this lovely bready, cereal-y, yeasty note just leaps out of the glass. More than anything else, that’s the key point of difference compared to the original.

Do you anticipate wild yeast someday becoming as prevalent in whisky-making as it already is in fermenting wine and beer? I know a lot of my peers are working on it, which is why I was so keen to launch Allta when we did. I’m a great fan of James Bond, and one of my favorite films is Thunderball. In the theme song to the film, sung by Tom Jones, there’s a line in there about Bond that really strikes a chord with me: “He acts while other men just talk.” With Allta, we’ve acted.

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The Goods | F O O D + D R I N K

The Perfect Paso Robles Half-Case Booker 2016 Fracture Made of 100 percent Syrah, this signature Booker release is opulent and powerful, featuring pepper-spiked black fruit layered with cured meat, black olive, and espresso. ($98, bookerwines.com) Clos Solène 2015 L’Insolent This Cabernet blend has the soul of Bordeaux and the heart of Paso: Earthy layers of minerality, espresso, pepper, and serious tannins lurk under generous and juicy cassis. ($95, clossolene .com) Daou 2016 Soul of a Lion Adelaida District A Cab with balance, Daou’s best seller comes with exotic aromas of juniper, mint, and cassis, and lush berry flavors wrapped in wellintegrated tannins. ($125, daouvineyards.com)

California’s New Napa

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Daou Vineyards (above) brings together Bordeaux and Rhône varieties in the heart of Paso Robles.

Parrish Family Vineyard 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Creston Dense and aromatic, this Cab lays classic varietal fruit on the table with hints of violets and warm spice.

A bit of age has integrated the tannins beautifully. ($55, parrishfamilyvineyard.com) Tablas Creek Vineyard 2016 Panoplie Adelaida District Intriguingly textured, Tablas’s blend of Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Grenache opens with an earthy nose and follows with a bright and briary raspberry palate. ($95, tablascreek.com)

DAOU VINEYARDS: CHA Z ROBERTS

To paint an enormous region like Paso Robles in broad strokes, of course, is to undercut its strengths. Encompassing roughly 614,000 acres—of which about 40,000 is planted with vineyards—the nascent wine country is larger than Napa and Sonoma combined. Such volume comes with a welcome wealth of diversity. “The diurnal shift here is amazing,” says Jason Haas, partner and general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard, which produces some of Paso’s best Rhône-style blends. “[It’s] the largest of any winegrowing region in North America.” The upshot, according to Haas, is a whole lot of variation—warm enough for late-ripening grapes like Mourvèdre yet cool enough for Syrah and Viognier. “I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the world—and I’m including the Rhône Valley itself in this comparison— where the full array of Rhône grape varieties is compelling each year, vintage after vintage.”

And with each vintage, Paso Robles also becomes a little less obscure. Daou alone is seeing upwards of 50,000 visitors per year, and top producers have begun holding back their best bottles for loyal insiders. Better stock up now—before Paso becomes the next big blockbuster hit. Sara L. Schneider

V

N A PA I S L I K E the Hollywood of winemaking: Its name alone evokes its craft, and its annual releases are eagerly awaited. But a new carpet of reds is rolling out in Central California as sleeper region Paso Robles gains increasing recognition as one of the state’s best sources of Bordeaux-style wine. Bottles of its Cabernet Sauvignons are now regularly earning critics’ scores in the mid- to high-90s and competing with the best of California—and France.

Modern winemakers have been laying down roots in this old ranching countryside for more than 50 years, producing passable, if not quite impressive, Cabs and Rhône varieties. But the region’s real eureka moment came in 1999, when Daniel and Georges Daou, cofounders of Daou Vineyards, realized Paso’s winning blend of Bordeaux-style soils and Napa-like climate (minus some of the rain) and began their search for the ideal spot. Combining that rare formula with the exacting winemaking practices of more established regions, the brothers aimed to produce wines that would pass the ultimate blind test—and 20 years later, they actually do.

“I challenge anyone to open their favorite Napa Cab with our Reserve Cabernet, and you’ll be astonished at the quality it delivers in comparison,” Daniel says.

L’Aventure 2016 Chloe Willow Creek District This blend of Syrah and Grenache is dense and concentrated, with wild blueberries on the nose and plush Bing cherries and black plum on the palate. ($104, aventurewine.com)

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The Goods

TRAVEL

BACK TO BAJA A high-end hotel movement has us coming in hot for Cabo.

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a habit of shortening the names of places they frequent: SoCal, LA, OC. So depending on which coast you favor, you may think of Los Cabos—the Pacific’s favorite Mexican hideaway—in the singular. “Cabo,” as Angelenos are prone to casually calling it, might mean Cabo San Lucas or San José del Cabo, but the image either conjures is roughly the same: margarita-fueled fiestas at luxury resorts dotted with cascading infinity pools on the edge of a golden beach. These days, however, Cabo (we’ll acquiesce to the slang) isn’t quite so one-note,

C A L I F O R N I A N S H AV E

thanks to a collection of new and soon-to-open hotels that are shaking up—or rather, quieting down—the old Baja Peninsula scene.

California-based luxury brand Montage (montage .com) is the first newcomer to arrive, joining the allinclusive resorts that line the “golden corridor,” the flashy designation given to a 20-mile highway that connects the two Cabos. It’s immediately clear that something’s different there: The clinking margaritas and glittering infinity pools are all in place, yet the vibe is low-key. The beach isn’t made for partying— h

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it’s one of the only stretches of ocean in the area that’s calm enough for actual swimming—and the design isn’t clichéd either: Secluded freestanding casas come with private pools and subdued interiors, and the guest rooms and suites all have ocean views.

The Montage is a mold for what the new Cabo looks like—not buttoned-up but certainly better dressed than its old self. Other fresh resorts in the corridor, including Chileno Bay Resort and forthcoming openings from Nobu and 1 Hotels, are pushing a more stylish hook, too, as is Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve resort that

will claim 2,000 acres of Sea of Cortez coastline for just 115 suites and villas when it opens this summer. And then there’s the arrival of yet another Cabo altogether: the East Cape, home to the Cabo Pulmo marine sanctuary and an isolated swath of desert beach that is being reborn as Costa Palmas. The luxury community will include resorts from two more big-time newcomers, Four Seasons and Aman, both of which are going sleek and sophisticated in a clear rejection of wilder times. It’s all proof that Cabo is finally growing up . . . we may even have to start addressing it by its proper name. Phoebe Neuman

SAY HOLA TO THE NEW CABO

1 Hotel Cabo San Lucas Billionaire Barry Sternlicht’s wellness-focused luxury brand brings eco-conscious design and organic cuisine to the sugary sands of Medano Beach. (1hotels.com)

Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos Part of the East Cape’s new Costa Palmas community, the Four Seasons will open this summer on the edge of a 250-slip superyacht-ready marina. (fourseasons.com)

Is Mergui the Next Maldives?

Amanvari Aman’s first Mexican resort is still shrouded in mystery, but we know this much: The 20-room property, which opens next year, will lead the pack in high design. (aman.com)

Zadún Ritz-Carlton’s ultra-exclusive Reserve brand is behind Cabo’s most anticipated opening in decades. Expect two championship golf courses, sprawling villas, and three miles of private beach. (ritzcarlton.com)

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our evangelizing over pristine paradises and unspoiled beaches, we rarely, if ever, find ourselves in a position of real discovery. Mergui, however, might finally be the place to change that.

Chances are you’ve never heard of the archipelago, spread over some 12,000 square miles in the Andaman Sea, with 800 islands—nearly all of which are uninhabited—scattered just off the coasts of Myanmar and Thailand. Though it’s the territory of the former, it looks far more like the latter: Covered in white sands, coconut trees, and little else, it’s population-less, pollution-less, and, until a few months ago, practically tourism-less.

The arrival of two new resorts is

FOR ALL OF

Awei Pila Resort.

changing that, if only minimally, bringing enough luxury to the native landscapes to keep us comfortable, but not so much that we’ll be fighting our way through masses of tourists to enjoy it. The 14-villa Wa Ale Island Resort (waaleresort.com) in Lampi Island Marine National Park gives its guests exclusive run of nearly 15 square miles of virgin jungle and beach. And the 24-bungalow Awei Pila (aweipila .com), which opened in January, is the only private-island resort in the archipelago, claiming nearly half a mile of beach all to itself in a move that sounds more Maldives than Myanmar.

Of course, two resorts does not the Maldives make, but Mergui is drawing

plenty of comparisons to the moreestablished Indian Ocean nation. (Hundreds of empty islands spread over thousands of miles of turquoise water sounds familiar, after all.) Though not as far-flung as the Maldives, the Mergui archipelago is certainly more secluded, something that can be attributed to more than 50 years of self-isolation and internal conflict in Myanmar. But as the country stabilizes, it has begun to open itself up to tourism much in the way that the Maldives did more than 40 years ago. In 2017, Myanmar joined the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC), which promotes investment, trade, free tourist visas, and international representation

Though not as farflung as the Maldives, the Mergui archipelago is certainly more secluded.

among its members. When the Maldives joined a similar association in 1985, it saw its tourism skyrocket in under a decade.

But here’s why Mergui won’t be the next you-know-who: “Our allies in the SASEC are helping Myanmar develop tourism responsibly,” says Andrea Valentin, founder of the nonprofit Tourism Transparency, which researches the impacts of tourism in the country. “As we’ve learned from the Maldives and neighboring Thailand, this is crucial to the longevity of a destination as ecologically rich as Mergui.”

For now, anyway, Mergui is reserved for fewer than 100 travelers—discoverers, you could even call them. Christina Garofalo

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Brain Escape

Sip and Stay is hardly a new phenomenon. You can find it near and far—Napa, Yarra, Douro, and beyond—which makes it all the more curious that France, that glorious beacon of fine winemaking from the Rhône Valley to Champagne, has managed to stay out of the game for so long. Perhaps the French, not entirely famous for their hospitality, simply figured if you had a place to crash, you’d almost certainly outstay your welcome. Lucky for us, however, the country’s best wine regions are finally coming around, opening up their doors and even fluffing a few pillows for the luxury traveler who wishes to linger longer.

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Champagne

Sauternes

Provence

Set amid the vine-flecked undulations of Épernay, the new Royal Champagne (royalchampagne .com) is a cork’s pop away from the region’s top vineyards—Dom Pérignon included. Opened last year, the hotel’s cup runneth over with wine-country extras: Its Michelin-starred Le Royal pairs pheasant and foie gras with the area’s best pours; its master sommelier arranges visits to private wineries, including impossible-to-get-into Billecart Salmon and Bollinger; and its owners even produce their own label, Leclerc Briant, which it stocks in the on-site cellar alongside bottles of Romanée Conti and Lafite-Rothschild.

Southeast of Bordeaux in Sauternes, a new stay among the vines has been born at Château LafauriePeyraguey (chateau-lafauriepeyraguey.com), a 17th-century estate that French cristallerie Maison Lalique has recently converted into an opulent hotel. There, among chandeliers and bespoke mirrors, guests have access to a deep cellar filled with an impressive collection of regional vintages that go back as far as 1893. The hotel’s humble mission is to introduce its visitors to Sauternes’s Premier Grand Cru Classés, including Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey’s own, encased, of course, in an engraved Lalique bottle.

Though the Côte d’Azur is flush with luxury resorts, Provence’s rosé vineyards have long been barren of worthy places to stay. The arrival of Villa La Coste (villalacoste.com) at the Château La Coste winery in Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade finally gives us a reason to skip the commute from Marseille. A vast improvement on the simple hostelries nearby, the 28-suite retreat offers access to the château’s 600 acres of vines and well-received wines, plus a Francis Mallmann restaurant. A 15-minute drive away, Château de Fonscolombe (fonscolombe.fr) has also opened on the grounds of the 300-year-old Domaine de Fonscolombe. Jemima Sissons

APRIL 2019

Think of it as a sports massage for your noggin.

Here’s how it works: After an assessment, Ribeiro mandates one of two cutting-edge treatments. The first, Brain Photobiomodulation, leans on new technology from NASA, with a soft, state-of-the-art helmet that sends varying infrared-light wavelengths to dormant parts of the brain to improve memory and concentration as well as physical endurance and coordination.

The second, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (used by Harvard Medical School) is where it gets really interesting. The treatment—developed to tackle chronic pain, sleep disorders, and even addiction—uses a wireless Bluetooth helmet to apply soft currents directly to the affected quadrants of the brain to either increase or decrease positive or negative neural activity. Think of it as a sports massage for your noggin, improving function, relieving tension, and preparing you for your next big performance—whatever it may be. Kate Donnelly

CHÂTEAU LAFAURIE-PEYRAGUEY: AGI SIMOES AND RETO GUNTLI

Château LafauriePeyraguey brings luxury to the vines of Sauternes.

T H E F U T U R E of wellness has descended on the hills of Alicante, Spain. Sha Wellness Clinic (shawellnessclinic.com), a luxury resort frequented by top athletes and high-powered executives, has launched a pair of noninvasive treatments to condition our most important, yet oft neglected, body part: the brain. Dr. Bruno Ribeiro is the neuroscientist behind the program, which aims to treat everything from anxiety to sleeplessness by accelerating the “cellular activity” in that old dome of yours.

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The Goods

ART & DESIGN

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO Artist JR casts an entire city as his muse.

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of 2018, the French-born street artist JR decamped from New York for San Francisco, where he converted a trailer truck into a mobile studio and, parking it in 22 locations around the city, photographed anyone—and everyone—who showed up. Known for such monumental public art projects as making the Louvre Pyramid “disappear” beneath a lifesize photograph of the museum, he was drawn to the City by the Bay for its incongruent status as a lucrative tech hub with a wideIN THE WINTER

A R T + D E S I G N | The Goods

ROBERTO DE ANGELIS AND JR: CAMILLE PAJOT

a tent to billionaire Marc Benioff. In the latter’s portrait, the chairman and co-CEO of tech giant Salesforce wields a sign proclaiming, “Equal pay for equal work.” It was Benioff who connected JR to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (sfmoma .org), where the completed black-and-white mural, titled The Chronicles of San Francisco, will be unveiled on May 23.

All 1,206 San Franciscans who had their portraits made are in the final piece, an egalitarian decision that JR sees as intrinsic to his practice. “I don’t want to edit anyone out,” he says. “It’s not a casting. It’s not that you look better than this guy. Everyone who comes in is in. It’s not a group photo—it’s a group of photos.”

Composing the mural as he went, JR printed the photographs and cut out the figures the day after each shoot, then collaged them in the truck. Later, he assembled the piece digitally. The final installation and accompanying book will feature apps that allow viewers to tap on any subject in the mural to hear that person’s audio interview.

“It’s really a piece where the actual project for me starts when the mural is installed,” JR says. “I hope people meet each other in front of it and actually connect.” Only in that way, he says, “you realize this guy’s not too far from me.” Julie Belcove

spread homeless population. “It’s strange that a city that has so much wealth in a country like the United States could have so much poverty,” he says.

JR’s goal was to create a mural in the spirit of Mexican painter Diego Rivera— who found inspiration there in the 1930s and ’40s—capturing the breadth of San Franciscans and the city’s unique sense of freedom. “There were people walking naked in the street!” JR exclaims. Encouraging his subjects to present themselves

Left: The Chronicles of San Francisco mural (detail). Below: Cinematographer Roberto de Angelis and JR at work in the city.

authentically, he photographed many bent over laptops but shot others on roller skates or in wheelchairs, holding surfboards or children, dancing or praying. “You see all the extremes,” he says. “In the same day, the same hour, you see someone living on the street and then a multibillionaire—and they totally ignore each other. You’ve got to see the face of the other.”

JR’s team also conducted interviews with every subject, from a woman who spent the bulk of her pregnancy living in

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The Goods | A R T & D E S I G N

is a matchmaker.

No, not that kind—the kind you actually need: She runs Designer Previews (designerpreviews.com), an exclusive service that pairs homeowners with a curated roster of experts to realize their design goals, whether it’s a ground-up build in the Hamptons, a prewar duplex renovation on the Upper East Side, or a total beach-house gut in Malibu.

“I’m like a therapist. I’m like a detective. I’m part bloodhound,” Paul says. Upon meeting with clients for the first time—almost always in their homes—she does indeed act as quite the gumshoe, analyzing them in their own environment to understand what they love and hate. “That’s the journalist in me,” she says, referencing her 25-year career as a design writer and editor.

“Everything about how they live is information for me, and it’s invaluable.”

After discussing the project’s scope, budget, and style, Paul hands over her modern-day Rolodex—an iPad filled with the portfolios of

BEDROOM

FOYER

LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM

THE PROBLEM

“You spend more than one-third of your life in bed,” Berk says—but most of us are still sleeping with an ugly headboard.

“This is my official PSA that sports memorabilia, neon signs, and movie posters do not count as art.”

“We’ve all had that infamous sectional at some point. It’s time for a sofa that works specifically for your space.”

Traditional dinnerware— there’s no reason your plates can’t be as design-forward as the rest of your home.

THE FIX

D O N N A PA U L

Be gone, wood. No more, metal. “Bring warmth into your bedroom with an upholstered option. It will also give you something comfortable to lean against.”

You don’t have to be an avid collector to buy special pieces, says Berk.

“Invest in art that will fill your walls—and your home—with personality.”

“I like to keep the main furnishings neutral in color,” says Berk. You can add color and patterns with pillows and throws.

Go for modern with a handmade set in white that’s “simple and timeless,” says Berk.

Giorgetti’s Ira bed is “sculptural, comfortable, and a statement piece that will set the tone for your room.” (giorgettimeda.com)

Jason Trotter’s Mosaic Configuration series “works with just about every color palette.” (available at Uprise Art, upriseart.com)

Baxter’s Janette sofa “has interesting curves and will always be in style.” (baxter.it)

Jono Pandolfi’s Coupe collection, which was designed in collaboration with New York chef Daniel Humm, will “always be classic.” (jonopandolfi.com)

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BOBBY’S PICK

House Rules Your bachelor-pad days may be over, but design foibles still abound in the modern man’s home. Los Angeles– based interiors guru Bobby Berk corrects four common missteps.

Brooke Mazurek

acclaimed designers and architects like Amy Lau, Jamie Drake, and Jamie Bush—to guide her clients in selecting the right fit. She tells the story of one client, a 34-year-old bachelor in Manhattan who met her after trading hours in his conference room to show her a meticulous chart documenting his impressions of each portfolio. “He had assigned pluses or minuses or some kind of attribution to every designer—but I had already narrowed it down on my own to the same three people he ultimately selected,” she says.

But Paul isn’t just a matchmaker—she’s a bit of a chaperone, too, arranging all client-designer meetings, guiding homeowners through the proposal process, and educating them on the details that leave most of us scratching our heads. And in the end, she says, her job really isn’t all that different from making connections of the romantic sort. “It’s a lot like dating—you know right away if you’re going to hire someone,” she says. “I had a client who said to me, ‘One of the designers came here, and I just couldn’t stand his sandals.’ I always tell my clients, ‘If you don’t like them, don’t hire them—even if you love their portfolio.’” Or their shoes. Arianne Nardo

DONNA PAUL: PATRICK MACLEOD

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The Goods

WATCHES STRIKING A BALANCE Sizing up Greubel Forsey’s smallest timepiece.

noticed that watches are shrinking. Makers have been toning down the diameter and thickness of their timepieces in recent years—it’s as much a reaction to the changing face of their clientele as it is a shift in taste toward vintage models (which by today’s standards are relatively petite). But it still came as a surprise in January when Greubel Forsey, a longtime maker of heavy wrist artillery, introduced its 39.6 mm by 12.21 mm Balancier Contemporain ($210,000, greubel forsey.com)—its smallest timepiece to date.

Partners Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have long been known among collectors for their skilled design and technical expertise. It takes a lot of watch to house the kind of complications they champion, and the result has often been extra-large cases that look fit for Goliath.

By contrast, the Balancier Contemporain, which is limited to just 33 pieces, is scaled quite nicely for mere mortals. Still, it’s a hefty investment for a time-only watch.

(Beyond indicators for hours, minutes, and a small sub-dial for seconds, it has a 72-hour power reserve indicator.) But the Balancier Contemporain does size up to be a much more approachable option for collectors looking to get their hands on one of Greubel Forsey’s standout timepieces without dropping seven figures—or weighing down their wrists. Paige Reddinger YO U M AY H AV E

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You can find a two-story home anywhere.

Here, you’ll find a lifetime of stories.

Enchanting family moments are part of everyday life at Golden Oak at Walt DisneyWorld Resort.

Right now, you can live in this luxurious private community with legendary Disney service featuring custom homes from $2 million. Welcome home to where the magic is endless.

Golden Oak Realty | 407.939.5713 | DisneyGoldenOak.com/Inspired Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, RI WKLV SURSHUW\ 7KLV GRHV QRW FRQVWLWXWH DQ Rij HU WR VHOO RU D VROLFLWDWLRQ WR EX\ UHDO HVWDWH WR 5HVLGHQWV RI DQ\ VWDWH RU MXULVGLFWLRQ ZKHUH SURKLELWHG E\ ODZ RU ZKHUH SULRU UHJLVWUDWLRQ LV UHTXLUHG EXW KDV QRW \HW EHHQ IXOı OOHG )RU 1< 5HVLGHQWV 7+( &203/(7( 2))(5,1* 7(506 )25 7+( 6$/( 2) /276 $5( ,1 7+( &36 $33/,&$7,216 $9$,/$%/( )520 2))(525 *2/'(1 2$. '(9(/230(17 //& ),/( 126 &3 3KDVHV DQG DQG &3 3KDVH

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The Goods | WA T C H E S

you know that carbon makes a watch look pretty cool.

But the modern material is more than a sleek show-off for your wrist—it can build a better timepiece that’s both tough as nails and light as a feather.

It was only a matter of time before carbon made its way into the world of watches. Used in everything from Formula 1 cars to Tour de France bikes—anything that could benefit from incredible lightness and strength—the material made its first appearance in timepieces in the late ’90s, when brands like Audemars Piguet began using it as an alternative to steel, gold, and platinum. In 2013, Richard Mille developed Graph TPT, a carbon-based material that’s six times lighter and 200 times stronger than steel, kicking off a race in material innovation among the industry’s heaviest hitters. And this year, carbon is officially everywhere, from Roger Dubuis’s million-dollar Excalibur One-Off, which took inspiration from the body of a Lamborghini SC18 Alston hypercar, to Panerai’s Luna Rossa Challenger Submersible made with Carbotech, a composite that mimics the material used in racing yacht hulls.

More brands are now following Mille’s example and playing inventor. In January, Ulysse Nardin introduced

BY N O W,

Tag Heuer’s Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillion Nanograph.

Q&A

Michael Hickcox The longtime watch collector talks trends, new releases, and what’s next in horology.

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When Michael Hickcox was gifted his first serious watch—a Patek Philippe Calatrava for his college graduation—he was hooked for life.

Twenty-five years later, the CEO of a technology executive search firm has a collection in excess of 100 timepieces. Here, the connoisseur reveals his picks for the best watches of the year so far. P.R. Which 2019 releases have impressed you so far? My favorite watch at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie was the Vacheron Constantin Twin

Beat Perpetual. Technically, it was one of the most interesting watches of the show. I thought A. Lange & Söhne had some really cool watches—they put a pink dial on their Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, which is a super-complicated watch. They also did a wonderful calendar that they added to their Zeitwerk model. And for a brand that makes fewer than 700 mechanical watches a year, F.P. Journe really just pumps out the innovation. This year he’s discontinuing the Resonance so I’m looking forward to what he’s building for the final version.

Carbonium, a lightweight and eco-friendly material made of the aeronautical-grade carbon fibers found in airplane wings and fuselages that it now offers for its Freak X and Skeleton X watches.

Girard-Perregaux has also recently launched a prototype for its Laureato Absolute Carbon Glass, which integrates colored glass fibers into carbon to create a marbled material that the brand claims is 100 times stronger than steel and completely airtight.

But the biggest development comes via Tag Heuer’s new Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph (left).

Rendered in a blackout titanium case, the watch features a patented carbon-composite

It can build a better timepiece that’s both tough as nails and light as a feather. hairspring designed by Guy Sémon, CEO of LVMH’s Science Institute and a virtual Nikola Tesla of modern watchmaking.

The hairspring is a technological game-changer, nearly impervious to gravity and shock, making it more durable—and potentially more precise at telling time.

Though the invention is exclusive to Tag Heuer, its innovative application is no doubt a glimpse of what the future of carbon watchmaking will look like. P.R.

Did you buy anything at SIHH? I bought one watch from an independent—I have to keep that a secret. I also wanted to buy Audemars Piguet’s white-gold Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin with the pink-gold Tapisserie dial. I would have put down a deposit right then and there, but they are very difficult watches to get, and their celebrity clients get them first.

What trends are you seeing right now? Luxury watchmakers are trending toward having good offers at all price points. IWC had some nice

ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

The Case for Carbon

WA T C H E S | The Goods

THE CARBON KINGS

Yes, But What Is It?

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon $130,200 CASE SIZE: 42 mm PRICE:

Ulysse Nardin Freak X PRICE:

$24,000 43 mm

CASE SIZE:

Roger Dubuis Excalibur One-Off

Panerai Luna Rossa Challenger Submersible

$1,000,063 CASE SIZE: 47 mm

$20,500 CASE SIZE: 47 mm

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Carbon Glass

Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02T Tourbillon Nanograph

PRICE:

PRICE:

PRICE:

Not yet available 44 mm

CASE SIZE:

PRICE:

$25,500 45 mm

CASE SIZE:

using non-in-house mo ovements for their less expensive offering gs. Oddly enough, it means that more peo ople are talking about in-house movem ments again, but I would hope that peop ple recognize that just because a mo ovement’s not in-house, that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Some of the best move ements out there are mass-produced be ecause they’re very rugged and stand d the test of time.

watches that are more affordable, and akk X Ulysse Nardin introduced their Frea model at a lower price point, which is sted really great news for people interes in that watch.

You don’t think that dilutes the prestige of the brand for top collectors ger like yourself? I think there is a dang there, but the brands are managing g it s are well. More and more, watchmakers becoming like luxury fashion brands in their ability to offer less expensive options and really high-end pieces at the same time. One way they do it is by

What are you expecting to see at Baselworld? I’m lookin ng forward to seeing what Rolex and Patek Philippe will wow us with this year. They’re

CLOCKWISE E:

A material made of tiny, but very strong, crystalline filaments, the first carbon fibers were produced by English physicist Joseph Swan in 1860 to create a pre-Edison lightbulb prototype. It wasn’t until a century later, however, when the UK government patented the technology, and then licensed it to RollsRoyce for use in its Conway jet engines, that the material’s incredible strength was discovered. In the decades since, it has been used to reinforce tennis rackets and golf clubs, airplanes and autos, and drones and violins.

so good at making the unobtaniums— remember that term from Avatar? They make these amazing watches and then you can’t even buy them.

Don’t you find that frustrating as a collector? On one level, it’s frustrating, and they do risk alienating customers— a lot of big customers, too. On the other hand, it comes from that Enzo Ferrari strategy where you figure out what the markets want, and make one fewer than the demand. And for some collectors, that just means more interest goes toward the independents.

F.P. Journe, A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet.

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The Goods

STYLE RIDE ON Leather weather is here, and these jackets are just what you need for any spring adventure.

B Y PA I G E R E D D I N G E R PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA SCOT T STYLING BY C H A R L E S W. B U M G A R D N E R

Ralph Lauren leather biker jacket ($998, ralphlauren .com); Eleventy Fresco cotton crew shirt ($395, eleventy.it); Begg & Co. cashmere scarf ($540, beggandcompany.com); 3x1 limited-edition M3 Selvedge jeans ($285, 3x1denim.com); Officine Creative Emory captoe leather boots ($625, officinecreative.store)

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The Goods | S T Y L E

Dior vintage-effect brown calfskin jacket ($4,200, dior .com); Sunspel Cavendish cotton T-shirt ($135, sunspel .com); PT Pantaloni Torino slim-ďŹ t cotton-and-linen pants ($425, barneys.com); Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keeffe Stafford suede sneakers ($450, mrporter.com)

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Tom Ford leather blouson jacket ($5,690, tomford .com); Corneliani polo ($470, corneliani.com); Drakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worsted-wool trousers ($445, drakes.com); Kirk Originals Burton sunglasses ($560, barneys.com); Santoni suede boots ($740, santonishoes.com)

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The Goods | S T Y L E

Clockwise from above: Atelier & Repair’s upcycled styles, Jungmaven’s hemp T-shirts, and Outerknown’s Econyl trunks.

Good on You just for nonconformists, sustainable clothing has become a serious style movement that’s infiltrating every element of our wardrobe—from suiting to skiwear—and, not surprisingly, some of the most innovative concepts are coming from California-based brands. Known for embracing an eco-friendly attitude long before it was popular, LA’s casual lifestyle is especially conducive to new performance fabrics, recycled materials, and experimental apparel.

Reducing waste was the motive behind creative director Maurizio Donadi’s first store, Atelier & Repairs (atelierandrepairs .com), which opened on Melrose Avenue last summer. A veteran of RRL for Ralph Lauren, Donadi’s mission is to address the fashion industry’s glut of waste and leftover inventory by turning timeworn clothes into entirely new garments. Using everything from vintage Levi’s to new and old military fatigues and button-downs, he creates reimagined jeans, chinos, shirts, and jackets. He’s built quite the loyal following, especially for those who can’t part with a favorite pair of jeans: In the ultimate example of fashion upcycling, Donadi can also transform torn and worn denim into bespoke commissions with handpicked fabric patches and other N O LO N G E R

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findings. The same goes for old jackets or ripped T-shirts—they aren’t just updated versions of your old duds, but distinctive new pieces with a lived-in feel.

In Culver City, Outerknown (outer known.com) is on its own quest to reduce and reuse. Launched by world champion surfer Kelly Slater and creative director John Moore, the label is pioneering a

platform of eco-materials, including Econyl, which is made from recycled fishing nets and nylon surplus and used in resilient garments such as board shorts ($98 to $145).

Drawing from the old days of sustainable fashion is LA–based designer Robert Jungmann, whose Jungmaven ( jungmaven.com) has released a collection of hemp clothing that feels like top-quality cotton—and, thankfully, looks nothing like

LA’s casual lifestyle is especially conducive to experimental apparel. the hippie styles of the ’70s. Jungmann is leading a movement in the plantbased material, having recently helped pass legislation that legalized the use of industrial hemp, which is more durable, easier to grow, and therefore better for the planet than cotton. That means more of the brand’s beloved T-shirts are on the way. The cult favorites have a big following, obsessively consumed, one would imagine, as much for their feelgood softness as their feel-good story.

Michael Williams

THE UR-105 CT HOUR SATELLITE INDICATION WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING REGUL ATED BY TURBINES W W W.URWE RK.COM

UR-105 CT

The Goods | S T Y L E

has just returned from a house call in Palm Beach with a bag of diamonds in tow. She collected 15 pieces on her trip, including a massive 50-inch diamond necklace with dozens of stones— all from a client who simply had no use for them anymore. “Like so many women today, her style is more casual and her jewelry too formal,” says Lustig, a fifthgeneration diamantaire in New York.

Why should all those sparkling baubles go to waste, hidden away forever in drawers and safes? That’s where Lustig comes in. Like a trusted tailor or therapist, she has become the go-to jewelry fixer, transforming chunky and dated designs into light, stackable, and actually wearable pieces.

Six years ago, after a decade of dealing stones, Lustig had grown tired of looking at the sea of generic pieces that ruled

J A D E LU S T I G

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Like so many women today, her style is more casual and her jewelry too formal.

her trade, so she established Jade Trau ( jadetrau.com), a custom jewelry house that specializes in turning antiquated styles into modern expressions. One of the first pieces she made was personal: Her grandmother’s 5-carat marquisecut diamond ring, which she refitted into a contemporary east-west setting surrounded by tiny diamonds. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and soon clients were shipping Lustig heaps of old jewelry for similar makeovers. Classic tennis bracelets and three-stone rings were broken apart, and the diamonds were divided between chain links for new bracelets and necklaces; pear-shaped stones were set askew in striking rings; and round diamonds were positioned in a grid bracelet resembling an abacus.

Redesigning family heirlooms can come with emotional baggage, Lustig

admits, “but it’s better to take those precious stones and make them into something you enjoy rather than keep them tucked away.” A client recently brought in her mother’s engagement ring, which she had kept in a safe for years, to create a modern piece she could wear all the time. Lustig set the six-carat pear-shape stone on a simple chokerlength gold chain to give the appearance of floating on the neck. It became the woman’s wear-anywhere necklace.

As for that Palm Beach stash, Lustig is working on a range of designs in sketches and 3-D renderings that will be executed in her workshop (a process that takes from two to four weeks). The long necklace alone has been made into several stacking bracelets, necklaces, and rings—none of which will be going back into a safe anytime soon. Jill Newman

STARR DIGITAL

Diamond Do-Over

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The Answers with . . . JEFF KLEIN

You could call Jeff Klein the unofficial mayor of West Hollywood. The boutique hotelier has been sprucing up the once-seedy LA neighborhood for more than a decade, converting old eyesores like the San Vicente Bungalows and Sunset Tower into chic landmarks where Hollywood’s who’s who go to rub elbows and sip cocktails. Though he has a knack for producing privileged hot spots, the entrepreneur is remarkably down-to-earth—something that makes his singular tastes in everything from fashion to food all the more compelling.

BY JACKIE CARADONIO

Do you have a uniform for certain occasions?

I wear the same thing pretty much every day: jeans, a button-down shirt, and a blazer. My shirts and jackets are usually Brunello Cucinelli—they're stylish without being too stylish, somewhat rooted in the classics, and always beautifully made. And my Acne jeans are the thing in my wardrobe I wear most often.

How often do you train?

I run about five miles three times a week and do the elliptical and free weights twice a week. Running is probably the thing that calms me most.1 It’s hard for me to slow down.

How much do you trust your gut instinct?

2 Naysayers were especially vocal about the San Vicente Bungalows, (formerly Inn), a neglected menonly motel that Klein re-opened in January as an exclusive members-only club.

Very much—I built a career on it. Without trusting my gut, I never would have bought the Sunset Tower or the San Vicente Bungalows. Everyone told me I was crazy to do both,2 but I listened to my gut.

What’s your favorite seat on a plane?

1 Klein’s onto something: A recent study by Brigham Young University found that running mitigates the negative impacts chronic stress has on the brain.

I hate all seats on all planes.

Drive or be driven?

Driven. I don’t care about status symbols, and at the end of the day, cars are really just that.

All I want in a car is for it to be functional. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, and anyway, I prefer to be driven so I can use that time efficiently—answering emails!

What’s your most annoying quality?

I have so many it would be unfair to the others to pick just one.

What is the most recent thing you regret not buying?

This amazing house in Beverly Hills. It was designed by architect Wallace Neff 3 and sits on about 1.5 acres of land. It’s very special … but I couldn’t afford it anyway.

Are you wearing a watch?

I am not wearing one right now, but I have a few watches that are very important to me.

The one that's most special is a Piaget that my grandfather gave my father and my father gave to me. I don’t think it even works anymore—I actually keep it in a vault in a bank—but it’s a gorgeous watch in white gold with diamonds. I also have a Cartier Panthère.

3 The original starchitect, Wallace Neff is responsible for developing the Mediterranean Revival look that became known as “California style” during the 20th century.

Where are your regular tables in London, New York, and Los Angeles?

In London, it’s the Wolseley or Scott’s, which has the most delicious raw bar. In New York, I still love Milos. And in LA, my regular table is at Madeo. There’s an Italian mama in the kitchen, and you can really feel that with the cooking. The Penne Madeo is life-changing.

If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?

Meditation. I’ve never successfully tried it, but I could definitely stand to do it.

When was the last time you completely unplugged?

Probably in Positano last summer. Every year we go to Il San Pietro di Positano, and it’s heaven on earth. Every day we take a small boat out for a new adventure—we visit Capri or a little seaside restaurant and get fresh fish. It’s the one place I don’t feel the itch to look at my phone.

What advice do you wish you’d followed?

4 Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw uttered this enduring witticism in 1931, when asked what he thought the most beautiful thing in the world is. “Youth,” he replied, “and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children.”

Youth is wasted on the young,4 so enjoy it while you have it!

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?

Phuket. My first “fancy trip” as a young adult in my late 20s was to the Amanpuri5 in Phuket, and I have such fond memories of it. I’d love to go back.

What does success look like to you?

Having a lot of free time, which means I am far from successful.

5 Aman’s first resort, Amanpuri opened in 1988, when Phuket was still a relatively unknown beach town.

What’s worth paying for?

Anything that makes the ones I love happy.

Bowie or Dylan?

KENDRICK BRINSON

I worship Dylan. I find his music so relaxing and soothing. Bowie may be cooler, but Dylan’s music is better.

Read the full interview online at robbreport.com/klein.

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in focus BEVOLO GAS & ELECTRIC LIGHTS bevolo.com While visiting New Orleans’ World Famous Royal Street in the historic French Quarter, don’t miss the beautiful, unique collection of Mid-Century Modern pieces from Bevolo.

With pieces assembled from Italy, Scandinavia, France and Vintage MCM designs, it’s truly a must see!

SANTONI santonishoes.com Authenticity is the founding value of Santoni, a brand that innovates by being faithful to tradition. By keeping intact the know-how of the origins, transmitted from one generation of craftsmen to another, and exploring the ability to create unique made-tomeasure pieces, Santoni releases refined products for a demanding and sophisticated clientele.

HÄSTENS hastens.com Waking up in a Hästens bed is an eye-opener about the value of perfect sleep. It’s built with the ultimate combination of nature’s materials – together with tireless craftsmanship. It’s something you can’t see, but most definitely will feel. Every single night.

ONE FOR THE ROAD The three-wheeled Venice Speedster evokes a bygone era during a SoCal test drive.

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open-air cockpit of Vanderhall Motor Works’ (vanderhallusa.com) new single-seat Venice Speedster, I pull on protective goggles and become Sir Henry Birkin, one of the famed Bentley Boys, circa 1932. OK, so differences abound.

Birkin set a lap record at England’s Brooklands circuit in his monoposto roadster, while I’m content to cruise leisurely along Southern California’s Pacific Coast Highway, roughly 20 miles north of the vehicle’s namesake town. And unlike h

SNUG IN THE

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Dream Machines A DEVOTION TO MOTION

The 180 hp Vanderhall Venice Speedster sprints through Malibu.

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The power-train combination can take the 1,355-pound (dry weight) trike from zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds before maxing out at 137 mph. But, unless you’re the next Formula 1 phenom, that top speed should remain hypothetical. Despite performance enhancements that include antilock brakes, traction control, and a fine-tuned suspension with coil-over shocks, the Speedster is more susceptible to road imperfections and hazards because of its wheel configuration and its ground clearance of only 4.5 inches (overall height is just shy of 4 feet).

The turbochargers elicit a highpitched hiss as I accelerate on to the 10 Freeway toward West Los Angeles and try to ignore the fact that the low, raked windscreen offers little protection from road debris or bugs. My vulnerability is palpable, creating a heightened state of alert that is the antithesis of what those in surrounding cars are feeling as they sip lattes and listen to podcasts. And that’s what makes the Venice Speedster so special. At a time when autonomous driving technology seems to be taking over, this is motoring made more visceral, intimate, and daring. Viju Mathew

the late racer’s history-making machine, the Venice Speedster—in Silver Vintage Metallic—has just three wheels.

“The reason we set out in the autocycle segment is because there are less design envelopes we need to work within,” says Vanderhall founder Steve Hall. “The category gives us a lot of freedom.” That sense of liberation also defines the ride sensation in Vanderhall’s offerings, making them perfect for sun-soaked spins. Perhaps that’s why the Utah-based company chose to name most of its line after West Coast communities (other models include the Laguna and Carmel).

Built off the same platform as the two-seat Venice, which debuted in 2017, the front-wheel-drive Speedster— priced starting at $26,950—comprises a proprietary tab-and-slot-constructed aluminum monocoque chassis covered in composite bodywork. The interior boasts aviator-style analog gauges, a Bluetooth-compatible 200-watt sound system, heated leather upholstery, and storage space about the size of a carry-on bag.

Propulsion comes from a 180 hp, General Motors 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (producing 185 ft lbs of torque) paired with a HydraMatic 6T40 six-speed automatic transmission with torque converter.

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“The reason we set out in the autocycle segment is because there are less design envelopes we need to work within.

The category gives us a lot of freedom.”

ROBB RICE

Dream Machines | W H E E L S

TIME INSTRUMENTS FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE WRIST BR 03-94 Black Matte · Automatic chronograph

42mm

100m water-resistant

bellross.com

Dream Machines | W H E E L S

num-framed bike still comes across as a break from tradition, with an X-shaped chassis and large, finned surfaces where a V-Twin would normally live.

Swift and (mostly) silent motivation comes from a lithium-ion battery and an onboard charger that can be replenished via myriad sources—such as a standard household outlet, DC Fast Charge, or J1772 connector. Final performance

[Harley] once fought for the right to protect the distinctive sound of its fuel-burning engines.

(harley-davidson.com) might be the unlikeliest brand to roll down the road of electrification. After all, the 116-year-old nameplate is so synonymous with internal combustion, it once fought for the legal right to protect the distinctive sound of its fuel-burning V-twin engines. Although Harley has been toying with EV concepts since 2014, its first commitment to battery power arrives this August in the form of the LiveWire motorcycle. It’s a seismic shift that has the potential to redefine the brand’s identity.

H A R L E Y- D AV I D S O N

Q&A

Chad McQueen Actor, producer, and founder of McQueen Racing

The new bike departs dramatically from the company’s reverberant machines of yore. For starters, features such as Bluetooth connectivity, navigation, and music settings are displayed on a screen—a far cry from Harley-Davidson’s conventional analog gauges. That digital chic goes more than skin deep, thanks to an app that enables charge status, location, and security alerts to be accessed remotely.

And while certain visual cues—like the bikini fairing and false fuel tank—parrot its gas-powered predecessors, the alumi-

Chad McQueen inherited a need for speed from his old man, Steve. The 58-year-old actor, producer, and former pro racer has been driving hard since the age of 10. Now his California-based McQueen Racing (mcqueen-racing.com) has partnered with Mustang tuner Steeda Performance Vehicles to create the thundering Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt Mustang. Just 300 per year will be offered, with the top version packing a ground-shaking 775 hp. He explains why the world needs a badder, bolder Bullitt. Howard Walker Why did Ford’s new 480 hp Bullitt Mustang need upgrading?

Ford has done a great job with the new Bullitt, but my dad was always looking to take his own cars and bikes to the next level in terms of performance and handling. I think we’ve done that with our supercharged 775 hp version.

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specs are pending, but the essentials are compelling: zero to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds and 110 miles of city range. That makes it quicker and longer-riding than Harley’s Sportster Forty-Eight model with conventional power plant.

Priced at $29,799, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire offers a fresh take on twowheeled mobility; one that subverts the builder’s legacy of blustery, heavyweight bikes. And if the old guard is appalled by the loss of gleaming cylinder heads and thumpy exhaust note, let them consider LiveWire’s carefully executed details, which include a brightly finished polished aluminum motor case and the faint mechanical sound of its gear set, whose pitch and volume escalate with speed.

Harley’s future may not be loud, but it certainly is bright. Basem Wasef

Would your father have gotten a kick out of driving it?

Dad was a huge fan of engineering.

Anything that was over-engineered and crazy-fast, he loved. I think he’d be tickled pink at the power and performance we’ve achieved with this car. We’d have a hard time getting him out of it.

When you drive the first production example this spring, what favorite California road will you take?

I love Highway 74 out of Palm Springs toward San Diego. But these days there’s too much traffic everywhere for me, so I will take it to the Thermal Club in Palm Desert. It has over five miles of great track. And no cops.

Are you still involved with the Boys Republic school in Chino Hills, Calif.?

Yeah, dude. It’s still a pretty big part of my life, as it was my dad’s. For the past 10 years we’ve been holding the Friends

of Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle Show at the school. The next one is coming up on June 1. We get more than 450 cars; last year we had my dad’s old Jaguar XKSS and a Porsche 917. We raise a lot of money for a great cause.

What else keeps you busy?

I’m living pretty much full-time in the desert, in Palm Springs. The beach got too cold for my bones. After my big crash in 2006 [he broke a leg and fractured ribs and vertebrae when his car hit the wall at Daytona International Speedway], the warmth is better for my metal. I also have an old 1971 twin-plug Porsche 911 ST racer that I play with at my local track. I’m just having fun tinkering with cars and motorcycles.

A-List Access: For purchase inquiries about the Steve McQueen Edition Bullitt Mustang, contact Steeda’s global sales director, Joe Day, at jday@steedavehicles.com.

HARLEY: JOSH KURPIUS; ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

Harley Charges Ahead

Beta

Audi’s Golden-State Standout Des gned in Ma bu and unve ed at Monterey Car Week, the Audi PB18 e-tron concept is only the beg nning o the marque’s California connection.

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F R O M S P O R T S - C A R culture to cutting-edge technology, California’s influence on automotive development is undeniable.

For Audi (audiusa.com), the longtime love affair with the state is embodied by the PB18 e-tron concept, an all-electric, race-inspired prototype. The approximately 670 hp coupe, described by Audi executives as “a cross between a supercar and a sportback,” is said to cover zero to 60 mph in about two seconds, ranking it among the world’s fastest four-wheelers.

The PB18 is the first vehicle to come out of Audi’s new Malibu design studio, headed by Gael Buzyn. Unlike traditional creative hubs, the Malibu space is entirely

computer driven. This concept car’s interior, for example, was done exclusively using virtual reality. “We created the PB18 without any clay; we just sent the data and had it milled in Germany,” says Buzyn.

“I’m confident we can now achieve the development of a car almost all digitally.”

Currently in temporary digs, the studio will eventually move to a permanent location in the heart of the beach community, with breaking ground expected later this year. “It had to be Malibu,” Buzyn underscores. “It’s the only place that has all the right aspects of the brand; it’s the perfect embodiment of California lifestyle. Every weekend is like a mix of the Nürburgring and a mini Monterey Car Week.”

W H E E L S | Dream Machines

Soon, Audi’s coastal enclave will not only house a handful of designers, it will also be a place where potential buyers and other VIPs can connect more intimately with the brand. “We want to create bonds with exclusive customers and understand what kind of products would resonate well in this market,” Buzyn explains. “We really want to understand what they expect and how to go beyond those expectations.”

Meanwhile, the German marque continues its push into electrification with the new e-tron SUV (available now) and the forthcoming e-tron GT, expected to go on sale next year. As for a production version of the PB18, Buzyn won’t talk, but he is confident that performance cars won’t go away, especially in Southern California.

“There’s a rebirth here of a passion for cars. People aren’t ready to give up driving.” Laura Burstein

“We created the PB18 without any clay; we just sent the data and had it milled in Germany.”

R O B B R E P O R T. C O M

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Dream Machines | W H E E L S

STATE ROUTE 139

PALMS TO PINES SCENIC BYWAY

h SUSANVILLE TO THE OREGON BORDER

h PALM DESERT TO BANNING

Head northeast out of Sacramento to sleepy Susanville and the start of State Route 139.

According to GPS fleet tracking company Geotab, this is officially California’s loneliest road with fewer than 1,500 vehicles per day using the 143-mile roller coaster. Along the way, it skirts Eagle Lake and slices through Modoc National Forest before ending at the state line.

Stay the night in Palm Springs to put you in the mood for this sliver of driving nirvana. Then cruise south on State Route 111 to Palm Desert and take a right on Highway 74 for an ascent into the San Jacinto Mountains, checking first for road closures.

Catch your breath at Idyllwild before tackling the wild ride that’s Highway 243 to Banning. The I-10 and Highway 111 bring you back to Palm Springs.

Joshua Tree Klamath National Forest Banning

Palm Springs Redding

The Roads Less Traveled centers usually mired in gridlock, the Golden State doesn’t have a glowing reputation for the driving experience. But steer away from the daily commute, and you can find some of the country’s most scenic and challenging ribbons of blacktop to explore behind the wheel. Here are five drives to load into your navigation system. Howard Walker

Susanville Idyllwild

Mendocino National Forest

Palm Desert

San Bernardino National Forest

WITH URBAN TRAFFIC

SAN MARCOS PASS

Sacramento

for a reason STAY: Running Y Ranch Resort—in Klamath Falls, about 25 miles north of the border—boasts the Sandhill Spa and an Arnold Palmer–designed golf course

MILES: 119 (round-trip loop) STOP: Any of the scenic overlooks LUNCH: Restaurant Gastrognome in Idyllwild presents a multicultural menu in rural refinement STAY: L’Horizon Resort and Spa in Palm Springs has been a retreat for Hollywood’s elite since the 1950s

STATE ROUTE 120

RIM OF THE WORLD SCENIC BYWAY

MILES: 143 STOP: Eagle Lake to watch eagles soar LUNCH: Pack a picnic before you go—the road’s lonely

h SANTA BARBARA TO SOLVANG

No one needs an excuse to head to Santa Barbara.

But a good one is to test your heel-and-toe talents on the heavenly ascent that’s Highway 154. This blast to the region’s wine country will definitely steal your breath as you make your way to the Santa Ynez Valley’s Danish-themed town of Solvang, made famous by the film Sideways. Once there, explore the destination’s bakeries, galleries, and tasting rooms it’s so renowned for.

h ROAD THROUGH YOSEMITE

For more than 200 breathtaking miles, State Route 120 slices from Manteca (east of San Francisco), across the spectacular Tioga Pass—the state’s highest at almost 10,000 feet—and on through Yosemite before ending in Benton. The highlight is the 39-mile Tioga Road through the Sierra Nevadas with its seemingly endless—and thrilling—twists, turns, and dips. But first, check that it’s open.

h SAN BERNARDINO TO BIG BEAR LAKE

Take the Cajon Junction exit off I-15 north of San Bernardino and head west on Highway 138 to embark on this 110-mile squiggle of asphalt that spears through some of California’s best-known mountain hangouts, such as Crestline, Arrowhead, and Big Bear Lake. Topping out at around 7,000 feet, the Rim of the World Highway is at its whiteknuckling finest at the section that locals, for reasons that become obvious, call the Narrows.

Los Padres

Sacramento Solvang

Lake Arrowhead Yosemite National Park

Manteca

Lee Vining

Benton

Yosemite Valley

Big Bear Lake

San Bernardino Redlands

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Fresno

MILES: 35 Stop: Lake Cachuma overlook LUNCH: Cold

MILES: 206 LUNCH: The Iron Door Saloon in Groveland is

Spring Tavern, a stagecoach stop in the 1800s, remains a favorite gathering spot near the top of the pass STAY: The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in Solvang is a rustic-chic haven offering 50 miles of horseback-riding trails on 10,500 acres

billed as the oldest continuously running bar in the state, but you can always belly up for a burger if you’re driving STAY: The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (previously the Ahwahnee Hotel) lies in the heart of Yosemite National Park—enough said

APRIL 2019

MILES: 110 STOP: Baylis Park at Red Rock Scenic Overlook LUNCH: The Pines Lakefront, where kale and Kobe beef reside side by side on the menu STAY: The Club at Big Bear Village features villa-style accommodations worthy of any road rally

SHUT TERSTOCK

Santa Barbara

Dream Machines

WATER

New to Charter

Home Is Where the Hybrid Is Hit silent mode, and this 163-foot monster is instantly calmed.

when you can slide? Delivered in 2017 but just recently made available to charter, Home is a hybrid yacht that “gives the sensation of gliding along, as opposed to being driven or pushed,” says captain Mike French.

Silent cruising (essentially putting the vessel in electric mode) is activated at the press of a button, just prior to turning off the main diesel motors, and the near soundless operation—producing only 46 decibels in the master stateroom—kicks in immediately. There is one drawback, however, according to French: “Silent mode is quite slow [top speed is 9 knots], so if you’re in a hurry, it may not be the right way to travel. But, if you’re intent on enjoying the peaceful ambience of the sea, it amplifies Caption xxx xxxxx the experience.”

This of propulsion is also most lorem erasform ipsum et delores.when traveling in calm waters, effective WHY SURGE

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such as the flat and clear stretch along the Bahamas and the Tobago Cays in the Caribbean. Mediterranean hot spots like Italy’s Amalfi Coast also provide the ideal setting to take advantage of all that Home offers—and it’s scheduled to be cruising there this summer.

The boat’s fast-displacement hull form, designed by Van Oossanen Naval Architects and built by Dutch shipyard Heesen (heesenyachts.com), is powered by 840 hp main engines paired with two water-cooled DC electric-shaft motors that give Home a top speed of 16.3 knots (similar to non-hybrid Heesen yachts of the same size).

This hybrid superyacht—with a minimalist interior created by Italy-based design team Cristiano Gatto—is staffed by nine crew members and accommodates 12 guests in six contemporary en-suite

staterooms, including a main-deck master suite with full-height windows and lots of natural light. Onboard amenities (a gym and hot tub, among them) are complemented by aquatic gear for hydroflighting, paddleboarding, or getting towed behind the tender.

At 12 knots, the craft has a transatlantic range of 3,750 nautical miles. Naval architecture by Van Oossanen ensures good seakeeping capacity.

Home is available for charter through Yachtzoo (yacht-zoo.com) for $240,000 per week, plus expenses, in the Bahamas and Caribbean for winter and $295,000, plus expenses, for the Mediterranean in summer. Julia Zaltzman A-List Access: To reserve Home , contact Yachtzoo’s charter fleet manager Jackie Guenther at 954.767.1035.

WA T E R | Dream Machines

Q&A

Paul Cook For the CEO of Fusion Marine Systems, updating yacht tech is what makes him tick.

Fusion Marine Systems (fms.sarl), a leading superyacht technology integrator, recently completed phase one on the update of Oceanco’s 194-foot motor yacht Helios. Paul Cook, the Monaco-based company’s CEO—and a former yacht captain—shares the blueprint for a quality refit and its attendant challenges. J.Z. What are the vital components to the process?

We look at how technology changes will work within the current system yet meet the client’s evolving requirements. It’s also important to understand how the other contractors and shipyard come into play and to strike up a close relationship with them all, including the yacht crew. Finally, the handover, training, and documentation: This part is often overlooked in the rush for the yacht to leave the yard, but we assist our crews and ensure help is always on hand.

What other important factors need to be accounted for?

Time lines are highly compressed in a refit, far more so than with a new build, and you have to work around the yacht’s structure and installations. Other jobs (often noncompatible) are happening simultaneously, which creates a reliance on third parties to provide key elements for our work to be on time and to the required specification.

“If you’re intent on enjoying the peaceful ambience of the sea, [electric mode] amplifies the experience.”

HOME: JEFF BROWN; ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

—Captain Mike French

How does your company’s sustainability ethos come into play?

We try our hardest to reuse or recycle equipment and hardware wherever possible. On board Helios, we repurposed the Kaleidescape theater and entertainment system [onboard server with players in multiple living areas, controlled via app, for buying, storing, and viewing movies and music] from the owner’s areas and placed them in the crew’s quarters at very little additional cost.

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Dream Machines | WA T E R

Beta

In It for the Chase The X-80 Super RIB Project promises to be superfast and super spacious. firm Federico Fiorentino (federicofiorentino.it) has partnered with Sacs Bespoke Operations, the respected Milanese manufacturer of rigid inflatable boats (RIBs), to create the X-80 Super RIB Project. The superfast 80-foot luxury chase boat features an engine capacity of up to 5,000 hp in twin- or triple-inboard configurations.

Fiorentino allows for the speed without cutting into the accommodations.

The X-80 will feature a 269-square-foot full-beam master suite amidships, a twin cabin forward, and crew quarters. Every

I TA L I A N D E S I G N

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Surprisingly, this RIB is spacious enough for a large, full-beam master stateroom.

effort will be made to maximize the space available within the vessel’s length.

Outside, the X-80’s aerodynamic hull features a 646-square-foot open deck with sunbed and living areas.

Owing to a number of successful projects between the Sacs Bespoke Operations division and Federico Fiorentino designers, it made sense for the two companies to team up on the new X-80 for a demanding client. Previous collaborations have included naval architecture

by Federico Fiorentino for Sacs’s Rebel line, as well as a Sacs custom tender.

The initial impetus for the X-80 came from a superyacht owner who wanted a closer connection to the water via a high-speed RIB. The Fiorentino team notes that “while the X-80 was initially conceived for an Italian client, he has since decided not to build.” Luckily for everyone else, hope for acquiring the craft remains afloat. Rebecca Taylor A-List Access: For serious purchase inquiries on the X-80 or to commission a bespoke RIB of your own, contact Federico Fiorentino himself at +39.3488442874, f.fiorentino@federicofiorentino.it

SOME PLACES YOU VISIT, OTHERS YOU KEEP.

On the white sands of Nassau’s Cable Beach, the next era of Bahamian glamour has arrived. So, too, has this rare opportunity for unique residential ownership.

At Baha Mar, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts ® and SLS Hotels offer a limited collection of ocean-facing one- to six-bedroom Residences and waterside Villas.

Indulge in the life that these exceptional Residences can bring: unsurpassed comfort, personal service and a spectacular array of experiences, all with the stunning beauty of the archipelago’s 700 islands at your doorstep.

Where will you create your legacy?

+1 242 788 8866 bahamar.com/residences | residences@bahamar.com BAHA MAR CASINO

R O YA L B L U E G O L F

RACQUET CLUB

ESPA

SENSE® ROSEWOOD

These materials do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy to residents of any jurisdiction where prior qualification is required unless the Developer has previously met such qualifications and no marketing or sales literature will be knowingly forwarded to or disseminated in such jurisdictions. Offers may only be presented and/or accepted at the sales center for Baha Mar. Any offering or programs contained herein are void where prohibited by law. Any purchase of a Residence should be for personal use and enjoyment and should be without reliance upon any Brand identification or potential for future profit, rental income, economic or tax advantages. Baha Mar is not owned, offered, marketed, sold, constructed or developed by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, L.L.C. (“Rosewood”), sbe Hotel Management, LLC (“sbe”) or any of their affiliates (collectively, the “Brands”) and the Brands do not make any representations, warranties or guarantees whatsoever with respect to the Residences, Baha Mar or any part thereof. There exists no joint venture, joint enterprise, partnership, ownership, agency relationship, broker relationship or similar relationship between the Developer and Rosewood or sbe as to the Residences or the development, offering, marketing, sale or solicitation of Residences. The Developer’s use of the names of the Brands (Rosewood, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, sbe and SLS) is pursuant to limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and non-sublicensable licenses from the Brands (the “Licenses”). The Licenses may be terminated or may expire without renewal and without the consent of, the Association or any owner of a Unit at the Condominium, in which case neither the Residences nor any part of Baha Mar will be identified as branded project affiliated with such Brand. ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF DEVELOPER. Prices are subject to change without notice. For correct representations, please refer to the Purchase and Sales Agreement used for the purpose of acquiring a Residence in Baha Mar. All illustrations and depictions are artist renderings used to depict lifestyle only and are not intended to be scenes from or within Baha Mar.* All references to timeframes and dates are estimates and are subject to change based on the Developer’s plans as well as the occurrence of any circumstances that are outside of the Developer’s control**. Actual improvements may be subject to change and views may not be available from all Residences. Future development can limit or eliminate views from a particular Residence. Illustrations of the interior of the Residences may depict options and upgrades and may not be representative of standard fixtures, furniture or features and may not be available***. Any description of furnishings or fixtures is intended to be illustrative of the quality of furnishings and fixtures to be provided in the Residences and is not intended to display what will be available in the actual Residences.****Copyright © CTF BM Operations Ltd. 2019 - All rights reserved.

Dream Machines | WA T E R

Set Sail in SoCal (newport inwaterboatshow.co) is the only yacht exhibition featuring large pleasure craft on the Left Coast.

Though not as high-profile as those in Monaco and Fort Lauderdale, this 46th edition makes a splash as it takes over Lido Marina Village in Southern California’s Newport Beach from April 25 through 28. The in-water event offers up more than 200 vessels on display—superyachts, sailing yachts, trawlers, speedboats—and all kinds of marine vendors shoreside.

Watch for examples from builders such as Hinckley, Riva, Pershing, and Ferretti, among others, including West Coast debuts for the Riva 88 Domino Super, Ferretti 450, Ferretti 670, Pershing 5x, Pershing 62, and Pershing 82.

Tour the show, then stroll the marina’s village and have a little food and drink—or highend retail therapy—as you decide whether to buy that boat. Danielle Cutler

Clockwise from top left: Riva 76 Perseo, Ferretti Yachts 450, Ferretti Yachts 670, Pershing 5x, and the Pershing 70.

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P5X NAV-150, P70-474: ALBERTO COCCHI

T H E N E W P O R T B O AT S H O W

WINGS

Virgin Galactic astronauts Mark “Forger” Stucky and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow.

Beta

Virgin Voyage

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo flew astronauts to space—and back.

Are you ready to sign up?

The view from an altitude of 51.4 miles.

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VSS Unity/VMS Eve take off for a push past the atmosphere in December.

Virgin Galactic’s (virgin galactic.com) SpaceShipTwo (christened VSS Unity) successfully completed its fifth test flight and second trip into space.

After many setbacks, the company in December successfully flew VSS Unity into space for the first time, reaching an altitude of 51.4 miles—past the border between Earth’s atmosphere and space, which NASA defines as 50 miles high. The flight marked a milestone in Virgin Galactic’s efforts to take paying passengers on space flights to altitudes where they will experience weightlessness, see the curvature of Earth, and stare at a pitch-black

I N F E B R U A RY,

sky full of stars. A crowd that included the firm’s founder Richard Branson, a number of its employees, and the press watched from the company’s base in Mojave, Calif., as the spaceship, attached to mother ship Eve, launched from the runway. The two ships flew together to 40,000 feet, whereupon SpaceShipTwo was released. The crew then activated the rocket engine for 60 seconds, propelling the ship to a speed of Mach 2.9 (about 2,200 mph) and powering its climb beyond the atmosphere.

Shortly after passing the 50-mile mark, the crew turned the spacecraft back to Mojave and glided it down to the runway.

VSS Unity lands in Mojave after its inaugural space mission.

W I N G S | Dream Machines

Q&A

Bill Papariella The CEO of Jet Edge International explains why Van Nuys, Calif., is the best hub for private aviation.

In 2011, entertainment-industry entrepreneur Bill Papariella and business partner Richard Bard bought thenflailing Jet Edge (flyjetedge.com), effectively parachuting Papariella out of six years at NetJets, Marquis Jet, and Sentient where he had immersed himself in the business of private aviation.

The two and their team have grown Jet Edge International into a global enterprise providing pretty much all things private aviation. The former Hollywood film executive explains how he plans to pilot the company into the future, and why Southern California is the best place to base it. Danielle Cutler

VSS Unity reaches space for the second time in 10 weeks.

The mission’s two pilots, Mark “Forger” Stucky and Frederick “CJ” Sturckow, were awarded Federal Aviation Administration Commercial Astronaut Wings at a Washington, D.C., ceremony in February. The spaceship carried four space science and technology experiments from NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, making this Virgin Galactic’s first revenue-generating launch. It was also the first human spaceflight from U.S. soil since the final space shuttle mission in 2011, and the first time that a crewed vehicle built for commercial passenger service has reached space.

The fifth test flight, and now second into space, blasted off with three crew members, one of whom was Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor, Beth Moses, the first woman to travel to space aboard a commercial craft. This mission went farther and faster—55.87 miles, reaching a speed of Mach 3.04.

Two more crafts are being built to help meet the anticipated passenger demand.

And while all of the $250,000 seats are currently filled, those interested in booking a flight can sign up for updates on new offerings by registering with the company’s website. Mary Grady

Jet Edge International opened its new flagship headquarters a year ago. Why did you choose Southern California?

Los Angeles, and more specifically Van Nuys, is one of the busiest hubs in the world for private aviation, and the Van Nuys Airport—centrally located in the city and a few minutes from Beverly Hills—is the epicenter. It’s important that Jet Edge has a strong presence here beside our customers.

Virgin Galactic’s founder Richard Branson celebrates the company’s out-of-this-world achievement.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL

What’s next for the company?

Our goal is to operate and manage 100 planes worldwide by 2022, continue to reduce expenses, and, most important, create a digital platform that serves our owners, allows us to view our business in real time, and eliminate mistakes. With this in mind, we recently recapitalized the business with a new private-equity sponsor, Solace Capital. Now we can pursue our growth plans with a strong balance sheet.

What new aircraft are you highlighting in your growing fleet?

Large-cabin Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, and Embraer jets will always be our core assets, and we added a Global XRS, Falcon 2000, and G450 in Q1 of 2019.

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Dream Machines

TECH

Racer Patrick Long—a Porsche factory-team driver—uses CXC Simulations for his own training.

SERIOUS SIMULATOR T H E M O S T G I F T E D of today’s sports cars offer levels of performance scarcely imagined even a decade ago. Perhaps the biggest downside to owning one of these track-ready four-wheelers with 200-plusmph top speeds is that their capabilities simply can’t be exploited anywhere except on a closed racing circuit. And while some examples may see the occasional weekend on the tarmac, the sad fact is that most of these cars are relegated to shuffling along public roads teeming with undistinguished rolling stock.

What’s a would-be Juan Manuel Fangio to do? What if one could simulate the racing experience without ever buying a set of tires, putting on a driving suit, or suffering the indignity and expense of a shunt into the hay bales? The Southern California– based company CXC Simulations (cxcsimulations.com) has developed machines that deliver an uncannily real-

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istic behind-the-wheel experience, replicating all the primary race sensations, like rapid-transition g-forces, feedback of track surfaces, and—ouch!—even unplanned contact with competitors’ cars.

The CXC Motion Pro II simulator incorporates a low-mass motion system that moves the driver’s seat to replicate a specific vehicle’s acceleration, deceleration, cornering, and other tactile dynamic aspects, tricking the brain with movement, sound, and visuals presented on a panoramic wraparound screen that has the option to be as wide as 75 inches.

Enhanced realism comes via the integration of virtual reality by way of the Oculus Rift headset. What makes the Motion Pro II particularly useful to owners with multiple vehicles is the library of CXC software that features numerous makes and models—new and old—and almost every racing circuit around the

world. If a particular vehicle isn’t available, CXC Simulations can create it virtually.

Racer Patrick Long—a Porsche factoryteam driver—uses CXC Simulations for his own training and for working with drivers that he coaches. “You can work on things like trail-braking technique, or getting a sample of a car that is on a DOT [U.S. Department of Transportation–approved] tire versus a slick. The physicality of the car can be simulated by the Motion Pro II, and you can experiment with traction control and ABS.” The Motion Pro II is priced from $52,000. Owners are assigned a support representative who is on call and can update software and troubleshoot issues via remote control from the CXC Tech Center. Systems are designed to be completely upgradable as software advances allow, with the constant addition of new cars and tracks. Robert Ross

ALEX BELLUS

Virtual racing closes in on reality.

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Obtain a property report or its equivalent as required by Federal or State Law and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State Agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of the property. This is not an offer or solicitation in CT, NJ or NY or in any state in which the legal requirements for such offering have not been met. Warning: The CA Dept. of Real Estate has not inspected, examined, or qualified this offering. Fees, memberships and restrictions may apply for certain amenities. Details available. Price and availability subject to change. ©January, 2019. Kukui‘ula Development Company (Hawaii), LLC. All rights reserved.

Dream Machines | T E C H

Speakers of Truth

big league has lots of players, but the company that all but invented the high-end speaker game is Wilson Audio (wilsonaudio.com), formed in 1974 by David Andrew Wilson, a recording engineer with a passion for accurate sound reproduction.

Today, the Utah-based manufacturer sets the record for sonic home runs with its $685,000 WAMM Master Chronosonic, descendant of Wilson’s original WAMM reference monitor—an unmovable monster that in 1980 cost an unimaginable $28,000.

Back then, Dave needed a personal reference monitor for the road, one that delivered pinpoint detail and tonal accuracy with grand-scale dynamics and soundstage, so he created the portable WATT. And while it was designed for his own use and not for sale, a few people heard it, word got out, and soon Wilson’s WATT, sitting atop a companion woofer he called Puppy, became the best-selling $10,000-plus loudspeaker in the history of audio.

By 2010, that speaker had evolved into the Wilson Sasha, recently released in a third generation called the Sasha DAW ($37,900 per pair), the initials honoring the firm’s founder, who passed away in 2018. Important to Wilson’s solid, authoritative sound are cabinets made of proprietary composites, formulated for the specific frequencies of the drivers they house. Cabinets are finished in automotive paint colors familiar to owners of Italian and German sports cars, for looks that complement such a solid sonic performance. Robert Ross T H E LO U D S P E A K E R

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The Utah-based manufacturer sets the record for sonic home runs.

Genius at Work

THE SHAPE OF WATER

Jon Pyzel (pyzelsurfboards.com) didn’t begin

shaping surfboards until he was 24, but his designs quickly caught a wave of approval from the pros. He focused on high-performance models and ones that could multitask. When fans recently compared Pyzel’s boards to a Lamborghini in a poll, he was tickled and surprised, though that’s what he’d been going for: “high-quality, fast, sleek, ultra-high-performance” surfboards.

He’s shaped ones like the Ghost for pros such as John John Florence and a raft of other champion competitors. “It’s one of the first designs in a long time that suits many levels of surfer in many types of waves,” Pyzel explains.

What began as a small operation in 1997 has expanded to two shops, one in Southern California and the other in Hawaii, not far from Oahu’s North Shore and its infamous Banzai Pipeline— where Pyzel boards are known for conquering the mammoth waves. While Pyzel now has retail shops and licensees around the world, he remains very much involved in the creation, making boards by hand and coming up with new designs.

His current favorite is the Shadow, a versatile model his surfer daughter likes to borrow from his stash when he’s not out on it riding Hawaii’s long, hollow, tropical reef rollers.

Jon Pyzel’s highperformance surfboards are crafted with precision so their riders can make waves.

J A N I C E O ’ L E A RY P H O T O G R A P H Y BY T O M W I L L I A M S

1 ABOVE

Fill in the Blank

All boards, even the finished Ghost with its signature flag (at left), start off as polyurethane foam “blanks.”

Most are constructed with a wood stringer in the middle for endurance and strength.

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2 LEFT

The First Cut Is the Deepest

Jon Pyzel’s designs are programmed into a cutting machine, which will then transform the blank into a long board, short board, or other style devised for a particular type of rider or wave. For noncustom boards, this saves the shaper—the artisans who sand, scrub, and carve each board—several hours of work compared to doing the entire process by hand. “Stock boards can be just as good as custom,” Pyzel says. “But there is somethjing very special about getting a board made just for you.”

3 LEFT

Shape Shifters

Pyzel recruits specialized handshapers who fine-tune the newly cut board. They painstakingly sand the foam and make sure the rails—the sides that cut through the water and join the bottom and the deck—are aligned and have either a rounded or sharp edge, as appropriate.

4 LEFT

Tall Tails

The shaper measures the tail to be sure it is symmetrical from the center.

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Genius at Work

5 RI G HT

Making the Cut

When the board comes out of machining, the foam’s striations must be smoothed, and the extra nub is removed.

6 BE LOW

Scrubbing the Deck

The shaper “scrubs” the deck and bottom of the board—smoothing out those vertical lines—before it can be painted and logos are added. Color and design choices abound; many customers are inspired by Pyzel’s Instagram posts or something a professional is riding and request similar colors and custom designs—anything from a cartoon great-white shark or camo pattern to a simple solid color.

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7 R I G HT

Fintastic

Before the resin coating is applied, most boards have their fin box carved into the board; the fins will be attached later.

8 A B OV E

9 R IG H T

Glassed Over

Ready to Ride

Here the board gets a layer of epoxy or resin in the “glassing” stage. The resin is poured over a cloth, seeping through to the board and sealing it. This stage requires quick, precision action to spread just the right amount of resin fast and evenly to keep the board light and responsive.

These boards have just passed quality control, where they are meticulously wiped down so any imperfections can be seen.

They’re checked carefully to be sure sanding didn’t crack or chip the resin and that fins are aligned correctly. Now they’re ready to hit the surf.

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Robert Ross on cars, p. 97

Ian Cauble on wine, p. 98

David Coggins on leisure, p. 99

Paul Sullivan on wealth, p. 100

Field Notes

ROBERT ROSS

Where Cars Drive the Agenda The sun never sets on Angelenos’ love affair with the automobile as transportation, status symbol, and even sleeping companion.

CARS

L

ong before flocks of irksome rent-a-scooters descended on Los Angeles sidewalks and electric vehicles shuffled headto-tail along bloated freeways, cars were Southern California’s symbol of unfettered freedom. Here, the automobile was embraced by Angelenos young and old, rich and poor, honest and not quite so. From the beginning, when LA’s Sepulveda, Sunset, and Olympic Boulevards were the primary arteries linking beaches, the Valley, and downtown, the automobile was our way to connect the dots. And at one point, pepper trees were ripped out of sidewalks along famous avenues and palms were planted instead, their narrower profiles and root structures making room . . . for more cars.

The automobile stood for more than freedom of movement and “Westward Ho!” exploration, of course, and still does. It was never merely a matter of arriving at Point B from Point A—one had to get there in style, whether cruising the boulevard or driving a getaway car. Just as “the hat makes the man,” to quote the title of Max Ernst’s 1920 collage, so the motorcar has—over the course of a century—become the accessory that defines its driver. In the era of the $500 Ford Model A, a $15,000 Duesenberg served to impress as mightily as a block of Beverly Hills real estate. Adjusted for inflation, a Kia-to-Rolls-Royce comparison holds true today. As a symbol, the automobile speaks eloquently about its owner, and sometimes not in flattering terms. Supercars (of which there are arguably more here than in any other U.S. city)—especially those with names ending in “i”—seem to ratchet up the onlookers’ response, eliciting ecstasy or opprobrium: a thumbs-up or an extended central digit.

Probably no city is more admiring of—and dependent on—the automobile than Los Angeles. Here, drive-ins, drivethroughs, and even drive-bys rely on the automobile to ply their respective trades.

Bob’s Big Boy set the stage for informal gatherings of hot-rodders, young men who shaped the enthusiast car culture of the city, especially after World War II.

In their heyday, drive-in theaters, with hospitable outdoor weather year-round, entertained moviegoers while no doubt contributing to the baby boom. For decades, SoCal car washes have orchestrated their own vehicular pageants with processions of gleaming beauties. Fiction writing, film, and even breaking news weave cars into their fabric; the world’s most-watched car chase followed O.J.’s white Bronco on the 405 freeway, while local pizza deliveries soared as viewers sat immobilized, glued to the TV screen.

That Angelenos are attached to their cars was amply brought home to me some years ago when I bought a house in the hills of Los Angeles. It had been foreclosed upon, its previous owner having abandoned the property in apparent haste, leaving behind domestic tidbits including a gerbil habitat and assorted rock-and-roll paraphernalia. In the vacant garage, Alpine’s iconic poster featuring a Lamborghini Countach was stapled to the studs. Sometime afterward, a musical acquaintance with whom I’d shared the story mentioned a popular heavy-metal band, one of whose members was temporarily undomiciled and occupying a garage—sleeping beside his Lamborghini. It all made perfect sense, but only in LA. Robert Ross is a contributing editor for Robb Report.

Illustrations by CELYN

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Field Notes

IAN CAUBLE

Why Drinking Should Be Pointless Wine scores may not be an accurate reflection of quality, especially once age enters the equation.

WINE

W

hen it comes to opinions on bottles of vino, one thing is absolute: They are incredibly polarizing. Points can help the average wine consumer. The world of wine is vast and complex, with hundreds of varieties and regions, so scores can provide a gauge to purchase wine confidently and independently, even if that shelf talker with a 95-point endorsement is all the buyer knows about that bottle.

A high score doesn’t always mean the wine is excellent, however. In many regions a high score merely reflects the style of wine currently trending or preferred by a particular critic. Over the last few decades, especially in California, that translates into very ripe, concentrated, full-bodied wines with a bludgeoning of new oak. Many high-scoring wines are also transient: Because they are designed to be flashy in their youth, they end up aging about as well as a child star in Hollywood (with some exceptions).

A few years back, I tasted a Cabernet Sauvignon from a respected Sonoma County winery that mainly sells direct to its mailing list, so the winemakers really didn’t care about scores. They simply make wine the way they want, leaning toward the balance of earth and fruit typically found in Old World wines. This 2010 Cabernet from a single vineyard in Chalk Hill was pure magic. It was a near-perfect expression of classically proportioned Cabernet, a style found in the golden era of California before the push in the later 1990s for high scores.

It evoked memories of a great Pauillac, a region known to make top wines from Bordeaux’s Left Bank. One month later, a famous critic (to remain unnamed) gave the wine a score of 85! How could a critic who has been scoring wine for decades

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not see the greatness we did? Simple: We have different taste buds, but also, that classic style was not trending.

Our difference of opinion wouldn’t be a big deal except that this critic, who has demonstrated a preference for ripeness, extraction, and oak, wields enough clout to affect the sales of any given winery.

An 85 means a wine might take years to sell through one vintage, but a 95 translates to a quick sellout. So, if winemakers want a high score, picking late and subjecting the wine to heaps of new oak

even 30 years later. To test the system, a friend in Washington State made two wines from the same vineyard: one that he personally enjoyed and one for the critics. Grapes for the first wine were picked at an ideal Brix (or sugar) level (resulting in less than 14 percent alcohol) and put into mostly neutral oak barrels to suit his own vision. The wine designed for scores was made with grapes harvested two weeks later (with much higher alcohol and ripeness), and put into 100 percent new French oak.

“In many regions a high score reflects the style of wine currently trending.” will steer them in the right direction. It also trains consumers, many of whom are seeking guidance, that “good” wines are rich, inky, and oaky. If a Napa winemaker chooses to pick at a ripeness level that was considered perfect in the 1970s, ’80s, and early ’90s, he or she will likely score below 90 points.

A large percentage of high-scoring wines also do not age well, because wines that are harvested later typically have lower acidity, and acidity is a major factor in longevity. Most of the high-scoring wines I’ve had are far beyond their prime at age 10, whereas the classically proportioned wines are still going strong 10, 20,

He then sent both wines in for scoring. Guess what? The version he loved received an 88 and the other scored a 96!

My point is this: The integrity of classically great wine is at risk for those who enjoy it, especially collectors. Don’t assume the score tacked onto a shelf is Holy Writ—drink and acquire what you like. Above all, remember that wine is about the land, the people who make it, and the friends with whom you enjoy it.

A single score never defines the full story.

Ian Cauble is one of just 255 master sommeliers in the world and cofounder of and chief wine officer for SommSelect.com.

DAVID COGGINS

At Ease, Gentlemen LA’s infamous laid-back style suits its residents well, but maybe the rest of us should just be ourselves.

ST YLE

T

he Chateau Marmont exercises a magnetic pull on visitors to Los Angeles. It’s decadent, dramatic, even slightly depraved. For decades, the suites and bungalows have been the site of cinematic misbehavior, Olympian feats of substance experimentation, and massive room-service bills. Yet the Chateau retains a sense of dissolute romance because it contributes to the collective imagination of what Los Angeles was and still is.

Like many New Yorkers (and p people p I from everywhere else, for that matter), m love the Chateau. But when arriving, I’m overcome with insecurity. Over the years in New York, I’ve developed a uniform that makes sense for me: an unsttructured sport coat, an oxford shirt, and a knit tie.

This aligns with my formal naature and love of Italian tailoring. But that same coat and tie in Los Angeles seeems overdressed and stiff: I feel like a dad making urn down an unwelcome appearance to tu the music at his child’s birthdayy party.

People who live in LA havee done an inventory of their own needs and a come to terms with the appeal off outdoor meetings, sneakers with suits, and a wardrobes that are light on ties but heavyy on Lycra. A side effect of living in Los L Angeles seems to be that many resideents dress as if they are going to or from a workout. nia house The same way the ideal Californ offers indoor/outdoor living, so o too have ween gym the barriers been removed betw clothing and casual wear. It’’s always time to exercise in LA, and workout gear seems to be nearly always accep ptable.

This, of course, is one reaason why people in LA look remarkablyy healthy, toned, and camera-ready. It’s trrue off the celebrity element, naturally, bu ut it’s just as true of the poseur, perhaps even more

so since they are still seeking to scale the treacherous peak of fame. But I don’t wear clothes that imply I have just exercised, and my silhouette confirms that. I may be pale, but there I feel paler.

Just look at the average menu in Los Angeles to be reminded how rigorous the healthy standard is. Açai bowls. Soy milk as the default option. Salad with a side salad. This is not me. I follow the rule printed on the Brasserie Lipp menu in Paris (in English so everybody understands): No salad as a meal. But in LA you start to question some of your assumptions. Because Californians look so . . . happy. They may avoid a dark suit and tie with the same vigor that they avoid gluten, but it works for them.

Could it work for me, whose skin doesn’t agree with the sun? How does a man in a suit fit in over breakfast at the Chateau? I tried a Lacoste shirt; in a moment of desperation I might even have worn espadrilles. I was going to be at ease if it killed me. I was going to sit

“Workout gear seems to be nearly always acceptable.”

amid a cloud of nonchalance. It didn’t work, of course. You can never confuse a local, whether it’s an Englishman at his club or a Neapolitan having his sixth espresso of the day. They know who they are, and that allows them to tell who you are. And just as clearly, who you are not.

I realized what I secretly already knew: I am a formal resident of Manhattan who does not merge effortlessly on to the 405. Why not admit it? I couldn’t live the well-adjusted LA life if I tried, even for a few days. I’m not up-to-date on valet etiquette, I don’t know the golf courses in Palm Springs. I went back to my suit and my East Coast neuroses, and it felt better. It felt like me.

I sat by the pool for a few minutes before I went to the airport. I happened to have a knit tie on and thought how incongruous that was in this relaxed setting. Then a handsome older man strolled down to the pool, and he was wearing a knit tie too. Who was this dapper guy who looked perfectly himself?

He walked closer and sat down. Now there were two men in ties sitting at the pool. It was Bryan Ferry, an Englishman—that most formal of all. Los Angep les’s spirit is undeniable. Be yyourself;; there’s no one else to be.

David Coggins is the author of Men and Manners. He lives in New York City.

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Field Notes

PAUL SULLIVAN

Is Responsible Investing Even Real?

Responsible funds, both social and environmental, sound appealing, but do they actually work? It’s all in the execution…

WEALTH

M

ake money, do good, feel good, save the planet. That’s the pitch for socially and environmentally responsible investing. And this form of investing is a good one—clean water, not clean coal, to simplify it. Millennial investors, who don’t yet have enough money to do much with it, and family offices, which have billions at their disposal and the ability to take some risk, are increasingly interested in these funds.

Yet, by one important measure of asset success—fund flows, or the money that goes to a particular strategy— sustainable investments have lagged far behind the hype. And that’s a bit odd

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given some of these funds are actually outperforming their more traditional peers. It’s a scenario that makes little sense but offers opportunity for people with conviction.

Why that is the case is complicated by several factors, though most of them have to do with an age-old problem: It’s easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk. “The enthusiasm and the intent are fantastic,” says Erika Karp, founder and chief executive officer of Cornerstone Capital Group, which has $1.8 billion staked in sustainable funds. “The execution is not.”

Part of the confusion lies in the difficulty in knowing just how much backing these strategies have. In a report last year, the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment said there was now more than $11 trillion invested in sustainable and responsible investments.

Karp calls that way overblown: “Some methodologies would include funds that screen out tobacco, which is not a methodology I agree with,” she says. In other words, excluding so-called sin stocks isn’t meaningful to a strategy that aims to bring a whole new set of tools to investing.

Instead of the trillions some groups float, Karp estimates the assets for sustainable funds are in the billions but growing. While that may seem like a lot, it’s small by any investment measure.

And even mutual fund giants such as Columbia Threadneedle Investments, which is ranked in the top 40 mutual fund companies by assets, have struggled to turn passion into assets to manage. Dan Beckman, head of U.S. product at the firm, oversees one sustainable bond fund and three exchangetraded funds, or ETFs that focus on equities. After four years, the bond fund has just $48 million in assets—having been seeded with $20 million from the firm—and three ETFs that have some $4 million to $5 million in them after about three years. By comparison, the company manages nearly $500 billion in assets, putting sustainable strategies for retail investors at one-tenth of one percent of its assets.

“We hoped that all of these strategies would have been further along in their asset gathering phase,” Beckman says.

“We’ve had no lack of interest in the U.S. social bond fund, but the assets haven’t followed.” Beckman partly attributes

the sluggishness to lagging interest in bond funds and regulatory hurdles that delayed getting the funds approved. But he also says it’s a chicken-or-the-egg scenario: Large investors have expressed interest, yet they don’t want their investment to constitute too large a portion of a fund. “There’s more looking than buying,” he says.

Part of that hesitancy comes from the concerns about returns. There’s a long-running belief that returns will be less in a well-run green-energy company

“The enthusiasm and the intent are fantastic.

The execution is not.” over, say, an oil and gas producer. The data don’t bear that out, however. Since inception, one of Beckman’s ETFs at Columbia is up at the time of writing, while a general index of U.S. equities that is its benchmark is up only about half as much.

So while returns might be positive for an individual investment, funding still lags. And that gets back to what Karp, a leader in the field, struggles with. As a former head of global sector research at UBS, she knows it takes large institutional investors to effect the change that sustainable investments promise. A report in 2016 found that 80 universities had about half of their endowments invested using some form of socially responsible investing criteria, but that amounted to only $293 billion, not the trillions the sector needs.

There’s no quick fix to convert sentiment to action, unfortunately. Karp says it takes time to “progress toward a more regenerative and inclusive global economy.” Yet for individual investors who have courage now, the reward is returns on pace with, or better than, the market— and a feeling that your money is helping the planet, albeit in a small way.

Paul Sullivan writes the Wealth Matters column for The New York Times.

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In California, land of reinvention, nothing is off-limits.

Not even Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest gift to forward motion.

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A 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A transformed into an Emory Outlaw “Bent-Window” Coupe.

aradise

Porsches in Paradise

Hear the word California, and images of Tinseltown’s glitterati cruising through the Hollywood Hills in their Porsches pop into your mind. The German car has become as ubiquitous in the Golden State as surfboards up and down the coast. Yet in a place synonymous with imagination and freedom of expression, it’s no surprise that a handful of custom restorers are riffing on the marque with a bit of six- and seven-figure automotive amalgams.

Porsche and California go way back.

The story began as a family affair in 1948, when founder Ferdinand Porsche and son “Ferry” opened their factory in Gmünd, Austria, with 200 employees.

In 1950, they relocated to Zuffenhausen, Germany, which, almost 70 years later, remains the home of the marque whose reputation for performance, solid engineering, and uncompromised build quality is the envy of every other carmaker.

It wasn’t long before the quirky bathtub-shaped sports cars arrived Stateside and into the hands of amateur racers like James Dean, who bought a feisty 550 Spyder in 1955 from Competition Motors in Hollywood and promptly stacked it up on his way to the races in Salinas.

The accident ended the 24-year-old actor’s life but cemented his name and that of Porsche into the broader public consciousness.

That same year, Max Hoffman, a New Yorker who imported numerous European marques to America throughout the 1950s and ’60s, urged Porsche to develop

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the bare-bones 356 Speedster, which is today among the most collectible Porsche classics. By 1959, Czech-born Vasek Polak, a racing friend of Ferry Porsche who went on to successfully campaign Porsche 917, 934, and 935 competition cars during the 1970s, opened the first exclusive Porsche dealership in the United States. Presciently, he chose Hermosa Beach, a coastal town just outside Los Angeles. California and Porsche were soon inextricably linked.

“California consistently accounts for about 25 percent of all Porsche deliveries in the U.S.,” says Klaus Zellmer, president and chief executive officer of Porsche Cars North America, Inc. “Taken by itself, California is our fifth-largest market in the world, and 26 of our 191 U.S. dealers are in the Golden State.”

Of course, one Porsche model stands above the rest. By the mid-1960s, Porsche was in full swing with its popular 356 series, then hit one out of the park when 911 production began in 1964. Priced at $5,500 in America, the

PREVIOUS SPREAD: DREW PHILLIPS; JAMES DEAN: BET TMANN/GET T Y IMAGES; 911: PORSCHE ARCHIVE; STEVE MCQUEEN: RICHARD C. MILLER /DONALDSON COLLECTION/GET T Y IMAGES

James Dean and his Porsche 550 Spyder photographed on the day he died crashing it near Cholame, Calif.

Porsches in Paradise

356’s successor was an instant win. In 2017, the one-millionth Porsche 911 rolled off the production line, testament to that model’s enduring popularity. “The iconic 911 holds a special place,” Zellmer explains. “America is the largest 911 market in the world, accounting for about 30 percent of annual deliveries for many years now, and California leads U.S. sales by taking more than one-quarter of [911] deliveries.”

Exactly why Porsche captured the collective California imagination is both easy to understand and difficult to fully decipher. There’s the great weather, thousands of miles of scenic roads, and dozens of track venues. But other sports cars enjoy those privileges, too. A vibrant

“Porsche and California are a love story and have been since the 1950s.”

—KLAUS ZELLMER

LEFT: A 911 L Coupe, circa 1968. ABOVE: Steve McQueen puts his Speedster through its paces at Riverside Raceway in 1959.

competition scene has developed around the marque, as have club activities and car shows. But perhaps those things are more a result of Californians’ passion than a cause. Maybe the reason is irrelevant. “Porsche and California are a love story and have been since the 1950s,” says Zellmer. “There is something about driving a Porsche on California roads that creates a bond like no other.”

To maintain interest in any relationship, however, requires passion and creativity. The following figures are demonstrating their commitment to Porsche by paying tribute to its legacy with their own heartfelt homages. Robert Ross

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CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT:

Rod Emory in his shop next to one of his creative restorations; a 1958 Porsche 356 A Emory Special; a 1959 Porsche 356 A Emory Outlaw Sunroof Coupe; a 1960 Porsche 356 Emory Outlaw Roadster; a 1964 Porsche 356 C4S Emory RS AWD Coupe.

Rod

EMORY Emory Motorsports Los Angeles, Calif.

“We take off where Porsche left off.”

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Porsches in Paradise

ew people outside of Zuffenhausen have a Porsche pedigree as distinctive as Southern California native Rod Emory.

His grandfather, a highly respected car builder, owned Valley Custom Shop in Burbank from 1948 through 1962, then worked at a Porsche dealership in Newport Beach, as did Emory’s father. An automotive wunderkind, Emory was only 14 years old when he began restoring his first car, a 1953 Porsche 356.

“I rebuilt it to vintage-racing specs but also made it street legal,” says Emory of his initial example. “I gave it a 1,300 cc engine, a modified gearbox, the biggest drum brakes I could put on it, and then made it as quick as possible. Immediately after I started racing it, people wanted

F

me to do the same thing for them, and so I started building cars for others right after high school.”

Emory Motorsports—located in North Hollywood, about five miles from his grandfather’s old shop—now offers three restoration options, the Emory Outlaw, Special, and RS, all built off the Porsche 356, which was produced until 1965. While the Outlaw remains closest to the original model’s aesthetic, the Special and RS are where the team’s creativity redlines.

“We take off where Porsche left off,” says the 45-year-old Emory. “For the Special, I really start reshaping the car— leaning back the nose and windshield, rolling the rockers—based on the techniques my grandfather taught me. The RS brings in the capabilities of modern Porsches. For that one, we start with two

cars, a 964—a 1990s-era 911—and a 356.

After a 3D-scan of both, we merge the data digitally to see where we should cut, then mash them together, weld them up, and do all the chassis modifications.”

Demand for the renowned restomods keeps accelerating, as evidenced by a waiting list that extends 18 months.

Once the process is begun, each vehicle can take another 12 to 18 months, with prices starting at $300,000 for the Outlaw, $400,000 for the Special, and $500,000 for the RS, including the sourced donor cars.

Emory still keeps careful tabs on what’s happening in Zuffenhausen. “We are always evolving our cars,” he says.

“As Porsche continues to push the envelope and move into other technologies, and as those parts become accessible, we’ll follow suit.” Viju Mathew

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DICKINSON Singer Vehicle Design Sun Valley, Calif.

“The sense of joy and narcissism that exists here is what Porsche as a brand spotted early.”

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B

weather, the girls, the optimism, it struck me immediately. The sense of joy and narcissism that exists here is what Porsche as a brand spotted early. I returned in 2003 to make a solo record and never left.

That’s also when I built my own ideal 911, which was the genesis of Singer.”

After 10 years in operation, his restoration house delivered the 100th example of its reimagined Porsche 911 last summer, and there are at least 100 more commissioned. The focus is the 964, an air-cooled variant built from 1989 through 1994. “The 964 is the best starting point to commemorate earlier generations,” he says, “but it still allows us to go forward and imbue the platform with modern elements, take lots of weight off, and optimize the engine and gearbox.” The starting price for services is $475,000, not including the client-supplied donor car.

Singer’s greatest hit to date is due to

ROB DICKINSON: ROBB RICE; DLS DETAILS: NICK DIMBLEBY; BAHRAIN AND LE MANS COMMISSIONS: DREW PHILLIPS

Rob

ritish expat Rob Dickinson, founder of Singer Vehicle Design, remembers the exact moment that an automobile—more specifically, a Porsche— left him smitten. “I had just had my fifth birthday,” says the 53-year-old entrepreneur, “and we were in the South of France chugging along in a VW Beetle when my father pointed out a 911 driving by us very quickly. I was enraptured.” So much so that he studied automotive design before rock and roll seduced him to become lead vocalist for the 1990s band Catherine Wheel.

Dickinson was introduced to the Los Angeles lifestyle while on the group’s first tour of the U.S. “I remember driving down the Pacific Coast Highway and thinking I’d found home,” shares the former front man. “The car culture, the

Porsches in Paradise

its recent Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS). “Three of our clients asked what we would do if money wasn’t an object,” explains Dickinson. “How good could the 911 be in terms of its true dynamic ability?” The result is a collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering that features customized components from BBS Motorsport, Brembo, Michelin, Momo, Recaro, and other specialists. A DLS commission begins at $1.8 million (sans donor car), and while deliveries have yet to be made, the promise of a coupe carrying 500 hp but only 1,000 kilos (2,204 pounds) is enticing—almost all of the 75 limited allotments have been spoken for. Says Dickinson: “We wanted to take the most evocative era of the most important sports car in the world and celebrate it in a way no one has done before—a wonderful version of a wonderful car.” V.M.

CLOCKWISE FROM

the Le Mans commission by Singer, a restored 1991 Porsche 911; an example of a DLSrevised interior; the 390 hp engine inside Singer’s Bahrain commission, a restored 1991 Porsche 911; Singer’s signature tachometer goes to 11; Rob Dickinson stands by one of the results of Singer Vehicle Design’s Dynamics and Lightweighting Study (DLS).

TOP:

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Bruce

CANEPA Canepa Scotts Valley, Calif.

“It was lightweight and had a great balance of power. That Porsche (the 1968 911 L) was really a driver’s car.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

The Can-Am-winning 1972 Porsche 917/10003; Bruce Canepa and his 1988 Porsche 959SC restoration; a 1989 Porsche 962C; front view of the 1988 Porsche 959SC; a 1967 Porsche 911R, R4.

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Porsches in Paradise

I

went around the corners twice as fast as anything else. It was lightweight and had a great balance of power. That Porsche was really a driver’s car.” Canepa, whose Scotts Valley, Calif., companies Canepa Design and Concept Transporters are known for everything from concours classic car restorations to race-engineered tandem-axle big rigs, is perhaps most renowned for perfecting the Porsche 959, generally acknowledged as the first-ever supercar. “In 1987, that car was so far ahead of its time,” Canepa explains. “The all-wheel-drive system, the twin-turbocharged engine—it was an incredible piece of technology. That car was built to prove that the 911 had a future—a long future—as a production car.” Today, a Canepa-restored 959 is a $2 million–plus proposition and represents the pinnacle of 959 development.

Canepa appreciates recent Porsche

models, too, like his 918, 911 R, GT2 RS, and the forthcoming 935 that he hopes to acquire to complement his original 935.

But ultimately, Canepa admits, “I’m an air-cooled Porsche guy. If someone said, ‘You only get one car, and it’s not a 959,’ then it’s going to be an air-cooled 911.”

Despite having the focused intensity of a racer and a penchant for perfection, Canepa appreciates the pure pleasure of driving, especially in California. “California has a huge car culture, with Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren. They’re all great cars,” he acknowledges. “But if you go out and you drive each one, and then you get in a Porsche, the Porsche is the one you want to drive all the time.” The yearround beautiful weather and the coastal, mountain, and desert roads, he adds, somehow favor the German marque.

“Together, all of those things add up to Porsche. They really do.” R.R.

CARS: Z ACH JAMES TODD; BRUCE CANEPA: ROBB RICE

f you can drive a 935, you can drive anything,” says Bruce Canepa, who still owns his Porsche race car provided by the factory for the 1979 season, so impressed was the marque with his team’s third-place finish overall that year at the 24 Hours of Daytona behind the wheel of a 934 1/2 (only 10 of these were made in 1977).

Indeed, there are very few Porsche owners with the technical acumen to engineer race cars or restore concours classics—let alone those who also have the track credentials—of Canepa. Yet, this Renaissance car man began just like most other young car enthusiasts. For Canepa, the Porsche infatuation started in 1969, when the 19-year-old kid from Santa Cruz, Calif., would sneak out of his dad’s car lot with a 1968 911 L late at night. “I was hooked,” he admits. “It

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Magnus

WALKER Collector Los Angeles, Calif.

MAGNUS WALKER: ROBB RICE

“It was just that dream that I never gave up on.”

agnus Walker, a British fashion designer and founder of the Serious Clothing brand, emigrated from the UK to the U.S. in 1986 and quickly made a name in the rock fashion scene. But long before then, his Porsche love affair started when he was a 10-year-old kid in England.

“My dad took me to the 1977 London Motor Show, where I saw the white Martini Turbo on display,” Walker says. “It just looked awesome, even standing still.

I grew up in a working-class environment, and Porsches were not a common sight in Sheffield. So essentially, it was just that dream that I never gave up on.”

By 1992, he was living in Los Angeles and was finally able to buy his first

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Porsche at the Pomona Swap Meet for $7,500. “That represented the dream come true, a sense of personal accomplishment,” Walker says. “And I’ve been a Porsche owner ever since.”

Walker, nicknamed Urban Outlaw, has a large collection of important Porsches, which he customizes with the help of a small team—but strictly for his own enjoyment, never for another collector. “Then it’s no longer a hobby, it’s a job,” he says. Naturally, he has a couple of favorites. “Without the 1964 911, of which Porsche made just 232, the iconic 911—which has evolved over eight generations—wouldn’t be what it is today,” he says. “Without a doubt, the ’64 is the pearl of the 911s. There’s also the iconic 930 Turbo. Right now I have two ’75s, two ’76s, and a ’77. But perhaps the most

Magnus Walker with his prized 1971 Porsche 911 T; both he and his cars have now been immortalized as Hot Wheels miniatures.

memorable thing I did last year was drive the very same Martini Turbo that I saw as a 10-year-old, back in 1977.”

Musing about the future, Walker says, “My new goal is one of everything Porsche has ever made in a sports car, including the unsung heroes like the 924, 928, 944, and 968. And of course, the VW Porsche 914. For me, it’s all about variety.”

Walker lives in a great place to explore that variety. “Today, I took a drive in my 1979 928, up my favorite road, Angeles Crest Highway, which I would say is one of the top 10 roads in the world. The first thing I do after I’ve been out of town is get in the car and go drive. And nothing beats California roads for that. For me,” Walker says, “Ultimately, Porsche just represents, if you sum it up in one word—freedom.” R.R.

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Klaus Biesenbach, photographed at Echo Park Lake in LA.

The

TRANSPLANT German émigré Klaus Biesenbach has decamped from New York for LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Can he finally fix what ails it?

By CHRISTOPHER BAGLEY Portrait by EMILY BERL

Last summer, when artist Catherine Opie called Klaus Biesenbach and asked him if he’d consider “helping” the troubled Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, he didn’t fully grasp what she meant. Opie is a board member at the museum, which had just lost its director in the latest of several controversial shake-ups, and she has long been friendly with Biesenbach, who was then in his 15th year of a plum gig at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “Of course,” he told her—he’d gladly assist the board in finding a new director. But what Opie was really asking was if he was interested in the job himself.

“I think I was a bit in denial,” Biesenbach recalls. “Then at some point Cathy was like, ‘Klaus, wake up!’”

Today Biesenbach is sitting in the director’s office at MOCA’s headquarters on Grand Avenue in downtown LA, appearing mostly at ease. But few people would have blamed him for hesitating to make the move. Although MOCA, which was founded by a group of artists in 1979, once reigned

as the West Coast’s preeminent contemporary art institution, it has spent much of the last decade floundering while a number of other LA museums and foundations have blossomed around it. The problems have been largely of MOCA’s own making. In 2008 the museum almost burned through its endowment and was on the verge of closing until a $30 million bailout from megacollector Eli Broad provided a lifeline and a new director,

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Jeffrey Deitch, came on board. But Deitch, a New York art dealer who had no previous museum experience, lasted only three years, all of them plagued by staff turmoil and dubious curatorial decisions. In 2014, when Philippe Vergne, of New York’s Dia Art Foundation, took over, many foresaw a return to stability—but Vergne resigned last May amid tensions following the abrupt firing of Helen Molesworth, the museum’s chief curator.

Biesenbach was yet another nonobvious choice to take charge of the Southern California mainstay. The austere 52-year-old German doesn’t drive and has no plans to get his license. He dresses every day in the same uniform: a dark suit or blazer (of which he owns about 100, most of the same brand, though he prefers not to identify it) and a dark tie. His career and his sensibility were formed in gritty urban environments—first in Berlin, where at age 23, shortly after the fall of the Wall, he founded the pioneering Kunst-Werke exhibition space and studio in an abandoned margarine factory (Susan Sontag and Hedi Slimane have been among the artists-in-residence), and later in New York, at PS1 and MoMA. But the sunbleached sprawl of Los Angeles has long attracted big-thinking outsiders, many of whom are wowed by the city’s complexities once they start paying attention to them. “I thought I knew LA before, but I had come here only for work,” says Biesenbach. “Now I see how incredibly textured the cultural fabric is, and how much history is a part of this. I’ve really fallen in love with it.”

Since his arrival in town last November, Biesenbach has been in nonstop discovery mode, turning up everywhere from David Hockney’s house (he brought over a new trustee for a visit with the artist) and an obscure performance festival in Glendale to a Rodarte fashion show at the Huntington Library. Artist Jared Madere took Biesenbach for a ride in his RV—a moving sculpture that doubles as a studio—to Topanga Canyon and Eagle Rock. “I couldn’t believe that you can get an Uber right to Mount Wilson,” says Biesenbach, an avid hiker.

“From downtown it’s just 25 minutes.”

One offhand comment he made to the New York Times—that LA was like “the new Berlin” thanks to its ever-growing concentration of working artists—

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annoyed many local insiders, who caught a whiff of patronizing Eurocentrism in the observation. Biesenbach quickly acknowledged the gaffe. “It was actually great, because everybody wanted to explain to me what the city is about,” he says. “So I had carte blanche to ask the most basic questions.” At his request, local artists have been sending him lists of the most interesting spots that he’d never find on his own. “Now I have over 50 places, and I’m going to all of them.”

Of course, what will really matter at MOCA is not Biesenbach’s intimacy with LA’s hiking trails or underground art spaces, but the bonds he cultivates with the city’s wealthy donors—and their checkbooks. This emphasis represents something of a shift for Biesenbach. Back

on the East Coast, where New York magazine once dubbed him Herr Zeitgeist, his public profile was defined by his often visionary, and sometimes divisive, curatorial efforts. At MoMA he founded the museum’s media and performance department and organized splashy shows including the 2010 Marina Abramovic´ blockbuster, The Artist Is Present. (For art critics there were several hits, including Pipilotti Rist’s 2012 takeover of the second-floor atrium, and one gigantic flop: the 2015 Björk retrospective.) Less known outside the art world are his bona fides as an administrator and fund-raiser. At PS1, after becoming director in 2010, he proved himself a deft executive and increased the number of board members from 11 to

—KLAUS BIESENBACH

`

MARINA ABRAMOVIC PERFORMANCE: MARMADUKE ST. JOHN/ALAMY; RAIN ROOM: BEBETO MAT THEWS/AP/SHUT TERSTOCK

“Now I see how incredibly textured the cultural fabric is, and how much history is a part of this. I’ve really fallen in love with it.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Performance artist Marina Abramović (left) in The Artist is Present, which Biesenbach curated at MoMA; Biesenbach’s Instagram includes shots with MOCA trustees Marina Kellen French and Adrian Cheng; Rain Room at MoMA.

30. He also developed a tight and fruitful connection with Agnes Gund, the renowned New York art patron whom he considers a mentor.

“Something I learned from Aggie is that if you really want to grow, you do it slowly,” Biesenbach says. “You need sustainable growth, not fireworks.

Fireworks are very visible, but they’re just fireworks. And I told this to the board here before I started.” So far at MOCA he has recruited five new board members—and none of them is Lady Gaga, as some were half-expecting, given Biesenbach’s reputation as an enthusiastic befriender of arty celebs.

(Think Tilda Swinton, Patti Smith, James Franco.) The new additions included Hong Kong–based collector Adrian Cheng, tech entrepreneur Sean Parker, and philanthropist Marina Kellen French. MOCA board chairman Maria Seferian credits Biesenbach’s triple-threat background—as curator, director, and founder—along with his natural bent for community engagement, with convincing the board to vote unanimously to recruit him. “Klaus just lives and breathes art,” Sefarian says, “and he thinks very hard about the role of a public institution.”

Biesenbach will also need to hire a replacement for Molesworth and rebuild MOCA’s curatorial staff. But at a time when the very existence of traditional, donor-driven museums is falling under increasing scrutiny—what does it mean for an institution to collect and display artworks, and who gets to decide how they’re interpreted?—many in LA are particularly eager to see how Biesenbach will define MOCA’s place in the

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city’s rapidly shifting ecosystem. The museum’s monolithic and somewhat dated Grand Avenue headquarters sits right across the street from the buzzy, four-year-old Broad, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro at a cost of $140 million; admission to the Broad is free, and every morning groups of eager young Instagrammers line up at the door. Down Wilshire Boulevard is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), currently enjoying a well-funded revival under the direction of another ambitious ex–New Yorker, Michael Govan. And further west lies the Hammer Museum, now in the midst of its own $180 million expansion. Despite all these institutions, and several others, competing for the same set of benefactors and audience members, Biesenbach displays nothing but optimism about MOCA’s prospects, maintaining that the city’s remarkable cultural vitality at the moment makes his job easier since it’s “a tide that’s lifting all the boats.”

Still early in his tenure, Biesenbach is cautious about revealing all the details of his strategy for rehabilitating MOCA’s profile, but he has been offering plenty of hints about it. He’s planning a radical revamp of the museum’s annual fund-raising gala, which was canceled last year amid another round of controversy. (The event was set to honor painter Mark Grotjahn but the artist backed out, citing the museum’s

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“Klaus is someone who really respects this institution, and its past.”

—BARBARA KRUGER

record of feting only white male artists, himself included.) “When I got here I said, instead of having a gala, why don’t we have a benefit?” Biesenbach says. “A benefit is not just a celebration, it has a mission.” This year’s event, on May 18, will be inclusive in the extreme, honoring not one MOCA artist but virtually all of them: At a single table will sit about 350 of the living artists whose works are in the museum’s collection, along with 350 paying civilians. Every guest who buys a ticket is required to comp one artist as well.

Community engagement and ecological activism are other often-overlooked parts of Biesenbach’s track record, and both will become major priorities at MOCA. When Hurricane Sandy blasted New York City in 2012, Biesenbach spearheaded relief efforts in the Rockaways, and PS1 built a geodesic dome to serve as a community center. The wildly popular Rain Room installation at MoMA the following year, though dismissed by some critics as a shallow crowd-pleaser, was actually part of PS1’s “EXPO 1: New York” series, which explored links between technology and ecological collapse. Biesenbach says MOCA’s location in downtown LA—

the current locus of the city’s creative energy as well as its most daunting urban problems—should be central to everything he does. “We were here 40 years ago, and now the city has condensed around us, and so many artists live nearby—so it’s important to keep growing here,” he says. At the museum’s Geffen Contemporary satellite location, a former police car depot, Biesenbach is planning a new green space and clearing out a huge area to make way for multidisciplinary art programs targeted to the local community. The warehouse, as he calls it, is one of several initiatives that show Biesenbach’s natural instincts for combining the institutional and the avant-garde. “It will have educational programs, a book space where kids can read, where people can be creative,” he says. “It will be very open and, I hope, free.”

Nobody can accuse Biesenbach of faking his own personal commitment to downtown. He spent last Thanksgiving working in a Skid Row soup kitchen and lives in the thick of it all, in a rental above the cacophonous Grand Central Market. “It’s a 500-square-foot apartment, and it’s completely empty, and it’s wonderful,” says Biesenbach, whose

all-white Manhattan place was famous for its absence of not only art, but also of sofas and chairs. “I think I don’t need a kitchen here because I can just go downstairs to the market.” Biesenbach is one of those people who somehow manages to be both extremely social and puzzlingly elusive; his spartan MOCA office, furnished with chairs that seem plucked from the Office Depot discount section, offers no more clues about him than his apartment does. His biggest personal touch was removing the built-in louvre blinds from one window so that he can look out into the museum’s courtyard, and beyond. While we’re talking, Biesenbach locates some copies of the original architectural drawings of the building, designed by Arata Isozaki as a study in geometrical forms, and shows me how the simple act of opening the center-hinged square window transforms the whole feeling of the space. “Once I opened this window, I understood the building,” he says.

At Biesenbach’s request, the artist Barbara Kruger recently revived her striking, billboard-size 1990 artwork Untitled (Questions) on one wall of the Geffen. Kruger, a MOCA board member and longtime SoCal resident, says the

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:

MOCA’s main building; Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Questions) at the Geffen Contemporary; Biesenbach’s Thanksgiving Instagram post with volunteers at Regent Theater.

director’s outsider status should not be held against him. “Los Angeles is full of people who’ve come here from elsewhere and who understand this city and believe in its possibilities,” she says, adding that MOCA, with its world-class permanent collection and influential curatorial history, has been especially esteemed by New Yorkers and Europeans over the years. “Klaus is someone who really respects this institution, and its past.”

Biesenbach knows that making the transition from MoMA guy to MOCA guy is a gradual process that will require long periods of patience, and frequent moments of humility. For all the valid buzz about the city’s growing status as a worldwide art capital, it’s still LA, where culture exists on its own terms.

At the end of our meeting, he pulls out his phone and orders an Uber to take him to a trustee dinner in Santa Monica.

When the driver arrives and calls to inform Biesenbach that he’s downstairs waiting, there’s some confusion about the pickup spot. The driver is parked at the Omni Hotel, next door. “I’m not at the Omni, I’m at MOCA,” he tells the driver, who’s apparently baffled. “It’s a museum.”

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California Cocina In the Golden State, Mexican fine dining is finally getting the respect it deserves.

By JEREMY REPANICH

El JardĂ­n dinner selections, include seasonal specials and signature dishes such as Mayan Octopus (bottom right).

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California Cocina

As a young boy growing up in Los Angeles in the 1980s, Ray Garcia could often be found at a carniceria. Strolling through the Mexican meat market with his family, he’d likely be carrying a brown paper bag, shining with spots of grease. Shoving his hand inside to pull out a pork chicharrón and gnaw on the fatty bits of meat has remained an indelible food memory for him.

Decades later, as he prepared to open his contemporary Mexican restaurant Broken Spanish, he wondered how he could bring the childhood favorite to his menu. But simply replicating the greasy pork rinds of his youth with better ingredients didn’t feel like a challenge. “They’re really great, but is this the best I can do with that dish?” he remembers thinking. “I want to present it in a way that excites someone like they’re having it for the first time.” So the chef applied the skills he’d learned at such fine restaurants as the Peninsula Beverly Hills and Fig to reimagine chicharróns. The result is an unctuous slab of house-cured crispy pork belly perfumed with garlic and lovingly dressed with microgreens. “We’ve taken a classic and moved it along.”

Garcia is not alone. Up and down the Golden State, chefs of Mexican heritage are embracing the country’s cooking, while also not allowing themselves to be hidebound by either tradition or stereotypes about what Mexican food should be. The chefs are merging seasonal ingredients, their childhood memories, high-level technique, and creativity to show Americans that Mexican food deserves a place among the world’s great cuisines.

The emergence of Broken Spanish in Los Angeles, Cala and Californios in San Francisco, Taco María in Costa Mesa, and El Jardín in San Diego required a cultural shift to take hold before they could open. The creatives behind

Chef Ray Garcia’s moronga (blood sausage) with peaches and arugula at Broken Spanish in downtown Los Angeles.

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FIRST PAGE: JAMES TRAN; DUCK: DYLAN + JENI

California Cocina

“We’re more than just tacos, burritos, and chips and salsa.”

— C L A U D E T T E Z E P E D A -W I L K I N S , E L J A R D Í N

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them were able to ride a growing wave of inclusion in professional kitchens. While chefs of color still don’t get as many opportunities to lead big-ticket restaurants as white chefs do, their horizons are brighter than in the past. “Our realities are very different than our parents’ and grandparents’ in this country,” Garcia says. “We were able to be heard, to work our way out of the back of the kitchen, and to speak the language of business so we could get investors.”

Coming up in the industry in the aughts, Garcia had the chance to hone his craft and run Fig at the Fairmont in Santa Monica, while Taco María’s Carlos Salgado worked under Daniel Patterson at the Michelin-starred Coi in San Francisco. Yet those credentials weren’t enough to make Mexican fine dining happen. Even as these chefs ascended in celebrated kitchens, the path to culinary success still ran through restaurants serving Eurocentric food. There had to be another change in the culture of food—in the mind-sets of chefs and diners alike. That transformation finally arrived in this decade.

“The trend in food now is to turn toward your own roots—your ingredients, your flavors,” says Gabriela Cámara of the seafood-driven Cala. “It’s about losing the fear of appreciating comfort foods that are close to your heart.”

That’s what Cámara has done, taking the seaside snack of raw fish mixed with citrus atop a crisp corn tortilla and proudly serving it in an upscale setting. “In the past, you wouldn’t have seen a tostada on the menu of any halfway decent Mexican restaurant. It wasn’t a refined food. You’d get them on the beach.” Cámara’s reimagined tostada—made with trout, avocado, fried leeks, and chipotle mayo—balances acidity, spice, saltiness, and fat. “It represents what modern Mexican food is now.”

California’s perch as the country’s leader of contemporary Mexican cuisine owes a lot to its citizens. Roughly 12 million of the state’s nearly 40 million inhabitants are of Mexican heritage.

That population has helped casual eateries and taco trucks proliferate. “Cooking Mexican food in California, you start off where people have a wider knowledge and acceptance of the flavors and spice,” Cámara says. That familiarity has allowed the chefs to take the training wheels off because they’re serving a populace that will grasp the source of their creativity.

EL JARDÍN: JAMES TRAN; CHICHARRÓN: DYLAN + JENI

LEFT: The El Jardin salad with heirloom tomatoes, peaches, triplecream soft cow cheese, sorrel.

RIGHT: Chicharrón at Broken Spanish.

California Cocina

“The trend in food now is to turn toward your own roots—your ingredients, your flavors.”

—GABRIELA CÁMARA, CALA

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Yet, Californian diners’ comfort with Mexican food can cut two ways. Some people don’t want to deviate from their set expectations of the cuisine when they go out, to the frustration of chefs. “We’re more than just tacos, burritos, and chips and salsa,” Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins of El Jardín says. “I don’t want to dumb down what we do for the sake of sales.”

And even as these chefs approach Mexican food as haute cuisine—investing in higher product and labor costs—they still cannot charge what French restaurants do. “Our food is older than French food,” Zepeda-Wilkins says. “It’s just that we were a Third World country, so it’s not put on that level.”

Instead, they must battle the attitude that their food should be cheap. “I’ve overheard a customer in the restaurant say, ‘$14 for a tamale?

That’s crazy!’” Garcia says. “People see Spanish words or names of Mexican dishes and they assign value for what you pay for a tamale from the lady around the corner instead of what you pay for four ounces of grass-fed lamb, in-season mushrooms, corn, and someone rolling the tamales fresh. We’re still a lot less expensive than what our French or California cuisine counterparts charge for similar ingredients.”

Despite the pushback these chefs faced early on, there’s a growing appreciation for what they’re doing and a willingness to pay for it.

“We’re in a much different place than we were four years ago, when people would literally pick up the menu, put it down, and walk out,” Garcia says. And since opening, accolades have poured in: Californios has earned two Michelin stars, and Jonathan Gold, the acclaimed late food critic, crowned Taco María the LA Times Restaurant of the Year in 2018.

Having established their restaurants, these chefs are looking forward to training others who will eventually go off on their own to create yet more contemporary Mexican restaurants, pushing the craft even further and changing perceptions beyond the plate. “People think Mexican is cheap, crappy food. But now Mexican can be super sophisticated,” Cámara says. “That gives people a cultural pride we didn’t see even just a few years ago.”

TRES FRIJOLES: JIM SULLIVAN

LEFT: Halibut ceviche verde with fennel, radish, and sorrel at San Francisco’s Cala. OPPOSITE: Tres Frijoles, pickled pearl onion petals, bean potage, topped with caviar, from Californios.

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In the Line of Fire As climate change accelerates, raging wildfires have become commonplace across the West.

But when flames encroach, who decides whose home will be saved?

By RYAN BRADLEY Illustration by FINN CAMPBELL-NOTMAN

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In the Line of Fire

The fire that burned down much of Malibu in November began like all fires, which is to say it started small. In this case, its first flames licked the brush some distance away, about 35 miles inland, across a freeway and a mountain range, in a narrow, scrub-choked canyon known as Woolsey. The canyon gave the fire its name, but it was the winds—hot, desert winds called Santa Anas—that blew the first night up to 60 miles per hour and that sent the flames screaming down the mountains and blasting their way out to the coast. sparks. And in between the burns, longer stretches of tinder-forming drought.

Couple these dire climactic developments with the fact that people are building more—and larger—homes in particularly fire-prone wilderness areas than at any time in history, and you’ve got a near-perfect cocktail for not just an uptick in disaster but also a never-ending cataclysmic fire season.

Soon after Woolsey, another narrative emerged, this one not about the power of Mother Nature but the power—and limits—of money. It was, like the beginning of a fire, small. And it, too, spread quickly and irrevocably like—well, like a wildfire.

By the morning of November 9, a citywide evacuation order for Malibu had brought absolute gridlock to the Pacific Coast Highway heading south to Los

Angeles. Malibu is a coastal city filled with multimillion-dollar beach houses long favored by celebrities and power brokers. It’s also where the Santa Monica Mountains plunge into the Pacific. The landscape is filled with narrow canyons and windy roadways—choke points aplenty during a mass exodus. Very few evacuating drivers headed north, where they were forced to wait out the crisis in a big beach parking lot in Zuma. Cell service was nearly nonexistent, owing to burned cell towers. Downed power lines caused more bottlenecks and meant that the water pumps needed by the fire crews weren’t working.

Many residents were left stuck in traffic right alongside fire crews, who were also stuck waiting in staging areas, at the sides of roads, or navigating against the crawling line of cars, a giant, awkward, red salmon struggling to swim upstream.

Or, worse, the fire engines were just sitting there, parked, as if the firefighters did not know where to go or what to do.

John Watkin, who lives in the western part of Malibu, near Point Dume,

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ZUMA BEACH: SCOT T VARLEY/DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA / TORRANCE DAILY BREEZE /GET T Y IMAGES; MALIBU: DAVID MCNEW/AFP/GET T Y IMAGES

By 5:30 the next evening, November 9, the winds were so strong and visibility so poor that all aircraft dropping retardant to slow the fire’s march had been grounded. Strike teams—crews of five fire engines, each with three or four firefighters, plus a lead vehicle—were in short supply, spread thin by the Camp Fire in Northern California, which had leveled much of the town of Paradise, and the Hill Fire, which was burning up thousands of acres in Ventura County.

Big conflagrations are complicated affairs, and more and more common— not just in the American West but everywhere, from Australia to India.

Fueling this change is a warming Earth, which brings more hot desert winds like the ones that stoked Woolsey and more intense storms, which mean more lightning strikes, downed power lines,

In the Line of Fire

In this time of pronounced income inequality and political division, was the seeming inaction a result of simmering resentment toward Malibu’s obviously affluent homeowners? describes exactly such a scene. He’d rolled into a gas station, hoping to fill up enough to leave town, when he saw about half a dozen fire trucks parked at the entrance to Corral Canyon, firefighters in the driving seats. He got out of his car and walked over. “I asked them, ‘What are you guys doing?’” Watkin recalls, “and they said, ‘Well, we’re waiting to hear some orders.’”

“Orders?” Watkin said. “Point Dume is on fire! Get out there and do your job!”

By this point, Watkin, who lived inland, was certain his house was gone—and it was. But his friends still had a chance.

The firefighters asked him for the cross streets, for directions to the fire. He couldn’t believe it. “If only there’d been more organization,” Watkin says, sighing.

By midday, as the winds continued

and the fire bore down, homes throughout the city began to burn, and, alongside all the fear and panic, a deep anger began to take hold. Why weren’t the fire crews doing more? Why were they just sitting there? In this time of pronounced income inequality and political division, was the seeming inaction a result of simmering resentment toward Malibu’s obviously affluent homeowners?

A few months after the fire, the outrage boiled over and out into a public forum, when the Los Angeles County Fire Department met with Malibu residents at the town’s city hall. One audience member said he watched as 10 fire trucks “sat there for three-and-a-half hours while 19 houses burned down.” Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Ewald tried to explain—to a reception of

The Santa Monica Mountains, left blackened by the Woolsey fire. LEFT: An LA County helicopter and fire trucks at Zuma Beach.

TOP:

boos and jeers—that it was often left to individual fire captains to assess whether it was safe to move closer to a fire line.

Even so, both Malibu and Los Angeles have launched investigations into why the response was so seemingly haphazard and the evacuation so chaotic.

But many houses had been saved, both in Malibu and famously—notoriously, by this point—on the opposite side of the Santa Monica Mountains, where Kim Kardashian West called upon a private agency to protect her home in Hidden Hills. The exclusive, concierge firefighting force she called in revealed a longstanding wrinkle in our concept of how fires are fought and just who is doing the fighting. Since the 1980s, a not insignificant portion of wilderness burns has spread public and state agencies thin enough that private industry has stepped in. Most of the time, the role has been that of a stopgap, as basic as a timber company sending out some of its crew and equipment to clear a firebreak and haul water, or a rancher loaning a few aircraft to dump fire retardant in the backcountry. But in the past decade or so, the private firefighting industry has taken a more active role on the frontlines.

The company Kardashian West reportedly called is Consumer Fire Products, which has an office in Goleta.

Irene Rhodes, CFP’s founder and CEO, is tightlipped about her clientele. A former firefighter, Rhodes started her business 21 years ago, while her husband was still a smoke jumper. “I know most of these guys; the guys running these fires now are guys I fought fires with,” Rhodes says. “One of the reason I left the fire service was because they didn’t want a woman around.” She had crews working throughout Woolsey, not only in Hidden Hills but also in Malibu. One of her customers—we’ll call him Fred—credits CFP with saving his house after he’d evacuated during a previous fire, in Bel-Air. “All I’ll say is that it gives tremendous peace of mind,” Fred says, “to know an outfit with a 100 percent protection rate is headed to your property.”

Fred, like every homeowner CFP deals with, was assigned a customer code, a string of numbers, directly from Rhodes. From then on, everyone at the company called him and his property by that code to protect his identity while they communicated over radio. Once on site, CFP begins filing reports to the customer, and checks back in or even stays on the property, as needed, not just for fighting fire but in the aftermath.

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“We become like a security company,” Rhodes explains. Prices, which Rhodes would not disclose, are based on the number of structures and property size. Nearly all of CFP’s customers come through referrals. “We’re, like, the best kept secret for A-list clientele.

Gavin de Becker”—the elite security specialist—“refers us all the time.” In some ways the company’s mandate has a stripped-down clarity to it that the public agencies don’t. “We’re just about saving homes,” Rhodes says.

Such sharp focus can cause problems.

Public firefighting agencies certainly want to save homes, too, but their priority is saving lives and containing the fire.

Sometimes, in the process, houses burn.

And sometimes, the private outfits’ single goal of saving homes can get in the way of the public agencies’ overall mission.

Spencer Andreis, a battalion chief for Sonoma Valley Fire, says he’s seen private crews barge into active areas with very little to no warning, which can put everyone at great risk. When firefighters from a private agency are on the ground near a fire line, it might prevent air drops of retardant from swooping in, for fear of endangering the crew on the ground. But calling off the air drop last minute can be risky for the pilot in low visibility, windy conditions. It also delays the overall strategy of fire containment. “They don’t properly check in,” Andreis says, of the privates. “They don’t know what our plan is for the day. They don’t know our overall tactical strategies or what fire behavior we’re anticipating. They are being essentially rogue.”

Andreis has been fighting fires for

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23 years throughout California and the West. He’s only ever had trouble with private forces more recently, in wealthier zip codes. “You go to the National Forest, you don’t see private storming in,” he says. “You go to Malibu, Santa Barbara, Sonoma—that’s where they show up.

Where there’s money and insurance.”

Several insurance companies, including USAA and Chubb, contract with private companies such as Wildfire Defense Systems. The reasoning is simple: Paying for a private fire crew is often less expensive than rebuilding an entire home were it to burn down. Even an insurance policy promising protection, though, is no guarantee a house will remain standing.

One thing that might have helped the chaotic situation was a state law passed last summer—but that will not go into effect until later this year—that requires anyone appearing on the scene of a fire to check in with an incident commander, who oversees all the moving parts—the various agencies, public and private— that are attempting to contain a blaze.

This law goes for individuals and even homeowners as well, not just crews.

In Malibu, many residents refused a mandatory evacuation order and stayed, determined to battle on their own with foam systems or garden hoses, much to the consternation of firefighting forces.

“A lot of people can die in a situation like that,” says Sam DiGiovanna, an ex-fire chief of crews both public and private, and the coordinator of the Verdugo Fire Academy. “You’re ineffective, doing that.

You’re putting yourself in danger and putting fire service personnel in danger.

If you’re asked to evacuate, evacuate.”

The incident at the Kardashian complex, in the town of Hidden Hills, perfectly encapsulates an ongoing, never-ending debate not just among fire professionals, but in the nation at large, between a public good and a private right. Hidden Hills has no dedicated fire department; the town’s streets are all private; it’s essentially a gated community, only incorporated, serviced primarily by private industry, with occasional contracts for public agencies in the neighboring city of Calabasas. Of course, when public firefighting departments are spread thin, they should be allowed to call upon private agencies, as they often do. But private agencies hired by private citizens can muddy those waters and return firefighting to an earlier, messier, more unjust time.

In London, in the 17th through 19th centuries, firefighting was privatized, led primarily by fire insurance companies, which grew out of the Great Fire in 1666.

The fire brigades would compete, and sabotage one another and even building owners who wouldn’t take out policies.

Across the Atlantic, the American colo-

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

LA County firefighters in Malibu Creek State Park fighting the Woolsey Fire; a house burns in Malibu; the ruins of an oceanview house, with burning homes in the distance.

FIREFIGHTERS AND RUINS: DAVID MCNEW/GET T Y IMAGES; BURNING HOUSE: ROBYN BECK /AFP/GET T Y IMAGES

In the Line of Fire

In the Line of Fire

“All I’ll say is that it gives tremendous peace of mind to know an outfit with a 100 percent protection rate is headed to your property,” says one homeowner.

nies relied on volunteer bucket brigades; in the 19th century, fire companies were fierce rivals trying to earn insurance payouts. Gradually, the notion that firefighting was primarily a civic activity took hold. Today, we’re in grayer territory, a mix of public and private, civic and not.

And yet, as in the health care debate, our sense of fairness and democracy can cause us to feel outrage at the special treatment of those wealthy enough to call in a private crew last minute, or afford an insurance policy that has a crew of its own. “I have mixed feeling about it,” is how DiGiovanna put it to me.

One problem, as DiGiovanna sees it, is that some of the people on the private crews “may have taken just a class or two. They’re making judgements about things with little to no real experience, and going into areas where they might not belong. I’m going to say this, first and foremost: Leave it to the professionals. You wouldn’t just let a heart doctor operate on you who’s done it a few times before. Same goes for fire crews.”

Soon after I first spoke to DiGiovanna, he called me. I was out on the road, driving through some of the Woolsey burn area in Thousand Oaks, the inland side of the Santa Monica range from Malibu.

I had come up to a cul-de-sac where several houses had been destroyed, and several more, seemingly randomly, were perfectly intact. There had been some private crews deployed here, via insurance companies, but I wasn’t certain that the houses that were left standing had been houses saved by the privates.

Even a homeowner I spoke to on the street seemed baffled—she knew her family didn’t have insurance that came with a private crew, but her neighbor did, and the neighbor lost his home while hers was standing. Fire is like that, DiGiovanna said over the phone. “The fury of fire—it doesn’t discriminate,” he told me. It’s random and merciless. You could do everything right and still lose your house.

As I walked the cul-de-sac in Thousand Oaks, it began to rain, and the freshly charred earth gave off a rich, smoldering scent. It had rained just days after the fire, too, and already shoots of grasses and wildflowers were emerging from the soil. Still on the phone, DiGiovanna said: “The hillsides are being watered and the grass is growing. I see it, the green, but you know what? It will be hot soon, that grass will dry right up, and we’ll be right back in the pattern we were in, or worse.”

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City of

GURUS Breathwork coach? Aura reader? Intuitive? One intrepid writer embarks on a healing odyssey in LA.

By JANICE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LEARY Illustrations by DMITRY LIGAY

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“Find your psoas!”

I am sitting on a reformer, a contraption that looks like it belongs in a collection of medieval torture instruments but that Erika Bloom, a Pilates instructor with a studio in Los Angeles, assures me will strengthen my core and tone my body into a long, lean machine—if only I can focus. Trouble is, I have not a clue where my psoas is hiding. Bloom helpfully points toward my hip.

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Two subsequent days of sore muscles aside, Bloom’s workout is as much a mental exercise as a physical one, an approach that has built a clientele of discerning—and enviably lithe—celebrity types, including Kerry Washington, Jennifer Garner, and Olivia Wilde. Bloom is among an ever-growing coterie of advisers, consultants, coaches, and such who cater to seemingly every body part— visible and not—of LA’s elite and engender a devotion bordering on cultlike.

Gone are the days when an entourage was just a personal trainer and an agent.

Now it seems you’re not complete without a facialist, an energy reader, a breathwork coach.

That Californians tend to pursue self-improvement aggressively and relentlessly is part of what gives the state its answer-seeking reputation and its optimistic belief in reinvention. And while Hollywood takes its share of hits for being surface-oriented, a quest for inner well-being and outer beauty sans fillers is on the rise, with many of the most in-demand gurus, like Bloom, merging the physical with the metaphysical. I set out to meet a few of these gurus and sample what they’re selling. Is it snake oil or a survival kit for the soul?

One was Martha Soffer, an Ayurvedic doctor and cofounder with her husband of Surya Spa (suryaspa.com) in LA’s Pacific Palisades. Since opening three years ago, the spa has become a go-to for the likes of Kate Hudson and, perhaps inevitably, Gwyneth Paltrow, where experiences range from a $640 half-day session with lunch to a 21-day detox regimen known as panchakarma for a steep $14,450. When Soffer feels your pulse, she’s not counting heartbeats; instead, she explains, she’s trying to find “points of imbalance between the elements of air, water, earth, and fire” in your system, according to Ayurvedic principles.

“When Ayurveda comes into your life, your life changes,” says Soffer, before diagnosing my dosha (or constitution) as having too much vata, which is characterized by the element of air and symptoms of being low on heat and a little strungout or scattered. Guilty. She cautions against spicy food—too inflammatory for vatas (damn, I love my Thai curries and Mexican)—and suggests I try dry brushing my skin and taking baths with ginger to help regulate my low blood pressure and body temperature.

While her advice ranges from the über-practical—use a tongue scraper

“When Ayurveda comes into your life, your life changes.”

— M A R T H A S O FF E R

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in the morning—to the somewhat less so—“stuck energy can be prayed out” of me, Soffer promises—it’s all based in Ayurveda. Soffer hands me a copy of several prayers, written by someone called “Howard in Hawaii,” and together we recite one with the intention of addressing the irksome pain I’ve had in my knee since sitting in a too-tight airplane row. “Stuff happens when I do these prayers,” she tells me. Soffer doesn’t touch the joint at all, but when we finish the prayer, stuff indeed seems to have happened: The soreness is gone.

For my foot pain, she orders up an ionizing bath, which actually does take that ache away, though I’m not sure if it releases toxins from my body, as touted, though the water has turned some funky green color. I’m told if it’s black and foaming, that’s a sign of some serious toxin build up; I feel relieved to have been only mildly toxic. Soffer also prescribes something called shirodara, an ancient—and, admittedly, soothing— practice of drizzling warm oil on the forehead in an attempt to open the “third eye,” or inner vision and wisdom we all supposedly have. I fell asleep snoring. ichael Stone also teeters between the practical and the mystical as a “breathwork coach.” You say you know how to breathe already?

According to Stone, you don’t know the half of it. He would posit that focusing

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on the act of getting O2 in and CO2 out can produce epiphanies. A scientist and chemical engineer by training, Stone made his fortune building and selling businesses before seeking a new path, which led him to psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, MD, and his work with Holotropic Breathwork, a practice Whole Foods founder John Mackey swears by.

The premise is that psychedelic drugs have been a way to connect to deep emotions and altered states of consciousness.

To access those same neural pathways in our brains without the hard stuff, Grof developed a full-day breathing protocol set to loud music that shifts from tribal drumming to sweeping orchestral pieces to spiritual chanting. Most of us, however, do not have the luxury of devoting 12 hours a day to just breathing, so Stone created a 90-minute version he calls Neurodynamic Breathwork (breathwork online.com). He leads clients, who he says include CEOs and scientists, through the steps privately in his Venice Beach home for $250 a session or as a group online for $25.

Here we go then. Wearing an eye mask and lying on a mat with the music cranked, I begin with deep and fast belly breaths for the first 10 to 12 minutes, then let my natural breathing rhythms take over. Some clients, Stone claims, weep as they feel emotions wash over them, while others reach understanding about past trauma. Neither of these things happen to me. But the experience is still sort of mind-blowing. I had expected to doze off, but at the risk of sounding like I’m drinking the Kool-Aid, instead I felt I was pure energy. As the music dissolved into the background, I felt waves of energy sweep through me and my hands vibrate with it. (Stone, who was monitoring the session, says he could see my hands shaking.) Afterward, I could still feel the energy surging in my hands and feet.

Decidedly odd.

“You get benefits from one session,” Stone says, “but when you make it into a practice you strengthen the neural pathways. Train your brain and master your life.” For him, the underlying principle is self-empowerment. “We already have inner intelligence. You just need to access the answers you already have. Breathwork isn’t the only way to do it, but it’s a powerful way.” Breathwork in various

“Breathwork isn’t the only way to do it, but it’s a powerful way.”

—MICHAEL STONE

forms has been part of healing practices around the world for millennia, but Grof’s—and Stone’s—work takes it out of those traditions and into an entirely new place. or other gurus, the answers are right at their fingertips. Lee Rittiner (leerittiner.com) styles the hair of Chrissy Teigen and Jeff Goldblum from his Beverly Hills Totalee on the Alley salon, where he charges up to $300 for a cut. But his clients—famous and not-so—keep coming for the other thing they receive when sitting in his chair: a dose of Rittiner’s own brand of therapy.

Hairdressers have long been the repository for clients’ secrets and troubles, but in Rittiner’s case, his first love was psychology before becoming a stylist. “I fell into this, but now I get to both practice an art and make people feel good,” he says. “In just 45 minutes you can feel

F

incredible about yourself. It can make you feel like a whole new person.”

His sensitivity to men’s insecurities about balding or prominent ears has helped him build a loyal male following.

“There’s no room for error,” he says.

“Hair is the first thing people see when they look at you. Hair is that thing that can make or break you. You have a good hair day, and you feel invincible.”

If it ain’t your hair people notice, it’s probably your face. Facialist Marianna Zimmerman’s ministrations are right at the surface. Her bag of tricks is decidedly modern inside her Santa Monica spa, Quantum Rejuvenation (quantum -rejuvenation.com), which leans toward European technologies, such as an ozoneinfused, full-body, detox cabinet or the Hypoxi exercise pods that purportedly help burn through more fat, improve circulation, and reduce cellulite.

But what’s made her famous among a certain epidermis-obsessed set are her $550 facials. After an extensive round of noninvasive procedures—light microdermabrasion, microneedling, cryotherapy, mini suction cups (this feels better than it sounds), and little glass vacuum-like tools that perform lymphatic drainage—I’ll admit my skin feels pretty good and any puffiness has vanished, leaving my face looking thinner and more sculpted, like I suddenly lost 10 pounds.

The results lasted for days, with no post-facial breakouts. Zimmerman isn’t afraid to tell her red-carpet regulars to lay off the fillers. She believes in enhancing the “individual’s natural beauty” but swears nothing beats an inner confidence: “If you’re happy with yourself, that shows on your skin.”

Happiness might show, but maybe not quite as vividly as a rigorous workout regimen. “When you work muscles in their full range of motion as Pilates does, they become stronger, less prone to injury, and just look better,” says Bloom, the Pilates instructor (erikabloom pilates.com). But she insists it’s not all superficial: “A lot of what exercise is for, is to make our minds feel better, make

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“My goal is to help people illuminate their path with guidance from their soul and passed-on loved ones to fulfill their wishes and dreams.”

—AIDEN CHASE

better decisions, and tune in to our bodies.”

But while Bloom advocates listening inward, other LA gurus claim not all of us are up to the task—and that’s where they step in. Aiden Chase (aidenchase .com) calls himself an intuitive. From his description, which is a little wooly, he falls somewhere between a life coach and a psychic. “There are a million different ways to tune in and connect,” Chase says, then ticks off a few. “Through auras, clairaudience (hearing things), clairvoyance, sitting on a rock in the woods.”

By “reading the energy” of his clients for $395 a pop, Chase helps them “figure out what they want and to look for the blocks that are limiting them from getting to their hopes and dreams,” he says.

“My goal is to help people illuminate their path with guidance from their soul and passed-on loved ones to fulfill their wishes and dreams.” This may sound like California-speak to the skeptical, but Chase does have a crowd of believers.

Angelenos such as Animal Planet star Lexi Beerman and Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dan Yamini, MD, regularly consult him in person, over the phone, or via Skype. “Before I started working with Aiden [in 2011], I would constantly get stuck in my head replaying an old story that I wouldn’t be able to ‘make it’ on my own,” Beerman says. “He has the perfect way of making you feel like, of course I can make it. And I did.”

Chase purports to fix real estate, too, assessing a home that’s not selling or a mall with too many vacancies to identify the places where energy is “stuck.” Potential buyers or renters, he claims, can feel the negative energy left behind by a failed business or angry fights, even if they can’t put a finger on it. Though short on specifics, Chase says he “clears” those past energies out. “I’ve done 40-story office towers,” he boasts,

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“and they lease right away.” Quite how remains a something of a mystery, as none of this can be proven, of course.

And while that might make some of us raise an eyebrow at the least, others in California are less quizzical. nergy is big in LA these days.

Deganit Nuur (nuurvana.com) also reads people’s energies, or, as she calls them, auras. “The aura is your energy skin,” she says. “It’s your first point of contact with the world. And just as your skin acts as a protective barrier, your aura is your psychological barrier.”

Some are more porous—the person might be overly empathic—some are tougher,

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and a healthy one is somewhere in between, she explains.

With clients on both coasts, Nuur finds a clear distinction between New Yorkers’ auras and Angelenos’, with the former giving off the colors of power and survival chakras, and the latter, creativity and emotions. “It’s more touchy-feely,” she says.

“You can project your aura or pull it in—it can be like an invisibility cloak—or you can project it out, on dates, so you’re memorable,” Nuur says. “You have more power in it than you realize.”

Good to know, but, when in California, it’s still more fun to call in the gurus.

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For more than a decade, Viasat’s systems have been standard on select ultra-long-range, large-body, and even biz-liner jets. The owners demanded the fastest, most reliable way to stay connected with their businesses and families. As more jet owners require the best of the best in connectivity, Viasat has seen its business expand beyond long-range aircraft and into the mid-size and super mid-size jet categories.

“Owners don’t want to put their lives on hold in their private jets,” says Viasat’s James Person. “Connectivity has become such a central part of their lives that it’s essential to have the fastest, most complete in-flight systems. They want the same level of experience in their jets as they have in their homes.”

The demand for fast, stable airborne Wi-Fi is not going away. Passengers want to stream video, browse the web, email, text, video conference, and more, simultaneously. The Viasat difference comes through its use of advanced satellites to increase capacity or how many bits of data pass through the satellite at one time.

The more capacity in the network, the more bandwidth, so each user has a faster, superior Internet experience.

Viasat has made enormous investments in infrastructure during the past decade to ensure that its capacity remains greater than any other provider. Its ViaSat-1 Ka-band satellite, when launched in 2011, had more capacity than all other communications satellites combined.

Two years ago, its ViaSat-2 became the highest-capacity satellite ever; It has doubled bandwidth for clients.

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Exclusive satellite technology has made Wi-Fi lightning-fast, plentiful and consistent.

“Lower-capacity systems can’t handle too much activity at the same time,” notes Person. “Our system has more capacity than any of our competitors by an order of magnitude.”

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Since Viasat clients tend to be early adopters, the company has also seen a rise in augmented-reality systems on jets. AR goggles, which allow wearers to simultaneously view four screens or watch a 4K Ultra HD movie, is the future. “These new technologies and our connectivity create a much richer quality of life onboard,” says Person.

“Our clients want to own their journey and our technology is allowing them to create a personalized experience.”

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FLEXJET CONTINUES TO SOAR To accommodate the growing demand for top-quality private aviation, Flexjet is undergoing an ongoing fleet and operational expansion, furthering its position as the industry leader.

PRIVATE AVIATION PIONEER Flexjet continues to grow its business to better serve its increasing customer base.

From expanding its fleet and international operations to its new private terminals in the United States, the company’s recent success signals huge gains in demand for private aviation as the economy continues to improve.

Flexjet is the only fractional provider to offer shares of the Gulfstream G650 ultralong-range, large-cabin business jet.

The company recently took delivery of its third G650, which can travel its range (more than 8,000 miles) faster than any other jet in its class. The G650’s spacious standup cabin is 8.5-feet wide and, with Flexjet’s custom cabin arrangement, it seats as many as 15 passengers, who receive abundant natural light through 16 windows. The G650’s cabin pressure of 3,290 feet is the lowest of any business aircraft, and the cabin system recycles 100 percent of its air every 2 minutes, so passengers will arrive with minimal jet lag. It is also the best-connected jet in the sky, ensuring highly productive flights for

business travelers. The Flexjet Gulfstream G650s feature customized and ergonomic cabins and, as part of Flexjet’s Red Label program, each aircraft has a dedicated crew with an intimate understanding of specific client needs, making the fractional experience feel more like sole ownership.

Also part of the Red Label program are the Gulfstream G450, Challenger 350 super-midsize jets, and Legacy 450 mid-cabin aircraft—all of which are new deliveries. Because the company adds new aircraft so frequently, independent sources consistently cite Flexjet as having the youngest fleet in private aviation. To coincide with its ongoing fleet growth, Flexjet plans to add 200 pilots, while its current pilots have chosen to de-unionize in order to cultivate a more direct relationship with the company and its clients.

Furthering its U.S. growth, Flexjet recently announced plans to open a new private terminal at the Dallas Love Field airport exclusively for Flexjet customers. Coined the “Terminal of the Future,” the facility

will feature a dedicated lounge with full business capabilities, covered valet parking, and 60,000 square feet of hangar and maintenance space, as well as close proximity to chic restaurants, high-end retail stores, and premium entertainment venues. Slated to open in June, the Dallas facility joins Flexjet’s growing network of private terminals, with locations in White Plains, N.Y., as well as Naples and Palm Beach, Fla. A terminal in Scottsdale, Ariz., is scheduled to be formalized this year.

Outside the United States, Flexjet continues to expand its European operations through the recent acquisitions of Sirio, one of Italy’s top providers, and FlairJet in the United Kingdom. These additions will allow a seamless experience for clients traveling to Europe to continue their intra-European travel with the same level of service they expect from Flexjet’s U.S. operations. With the company’s ongoing expansion and dedication to service, safety, and customer satisfaction, it is no wonder that Flexjet is consistently rated among the very best in private aviation.

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The Business

Why 1stdibs Has Gone All “Interiors R Us” A sprawling new super store is key to the chain’s revolutionary new business model.

By Arianne Nardo

F

or most of last year, traditional retail was the bruised punch line of an obvious joke.

Malls were deserted. Bankruptcies made headlines. Major outlets were slashing prices and writing their own obituaries.

Given that apocalyptic backdrop, the decision by online titan 1stdibs—a game-changing force in the interior design world—to open a 45,000square-foot gallery in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood in February is surprising and a little brazen. And that might be why it will work.

“At our core, we’re an e-commerce company, but we also know the inherent benefit— particularly in the design industry—that comes with the physical experience,” says company CEO David Rosenblatt. “Feeling the texture of a textile, sitting in a chair, holding the heft of a decorative object—these can be important considerations to designers and consumers.”

Touch (or the lack thereof ) is the inescapable paradox of 1stdibs. A platform that averages 5 million site visits per month and a gross

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merchandise volume of roughly $250 million in 2018 (up from $200 million in 2017), 1stdibs offers high-end art, design, and home furnishings from global dealers.

The site has more than 4,000 screened sellers from 28 countries and, at press time, 860,000 listings.

So why make a major play for brickand-mortar now? After more than a decade online, digital brands like 1stdibs have learned a few things. It appears that growing a luxury business requires a special type of coddling, and it has to be done on the consumer’s terms. That means a strong presence both online and in-person. 1stdibs formerly had a tradeonly showroom at 200 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, but the new 1stdibs Gallery is a different enterprise in size and scope— most notably, it’s open to the public.

Located in the Terminal Stores building, on 11th Avenue, the space has more than 50 vendors, along with event spaces and reserved areas for client meetings. The exhibitors represent a mix of antique/ vintage sellers as well as contemporary makers, including Aero, Charles Burnand, Karina Gentinetta, Craig Van Den Brulle, and Nate Berkus.

As for whether or not a 45,000-squarefoot space is how people want to shop for design, it’s too early to tell. But Oliver Chen, who tracks retail and luxury as managing director and senior equity research analyst at Cowen and Co.’s Equity Research department, says a combination of digital and physical stores is the future of retail. “If your business is digitally native there reaches a point when you need to go physical,” he says. “A physical store allows you to acquire new customers, and as online acquisition costs go up, this is important.”

A strong digital brand doesn’t guarantee a successful storefront. “It’s difficult to run a store,” says Chen. “You have to consider staffing, training, and you need to link inventory online and offline. It’s important how you structure your rental agreement; how much rent expense is fixed versus variable, and site selection is critical. You need to maximize the kinds of traffic that makes sense for your company.”

There may be some risk involved in such a large-scale store in a high-rent district, but Rosenblatt has already transformed the company since joining in 2012, and he says it’s ripe for change again.

When he joined, the site (founded in 2001 by former real estate agent Michael Bruno) operated like a listing service, charging dealers a set monthly fee and a per-item listing fee. If you wanted a Bauhaus writing desk or an 18th-century marble mantel, you needed the right search terms and a well-trained eye. But it also purveys a certain seductive quality.

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APRIL 2019

“IF YOUR BUSINESS IS DIGITALLY NATIVE THERE REACHES A POINT WHEN YOU NEED TO GO PHYSICAL.”

“The genius of 1stdibs is that there is a story,” says Chicago-based designer Tom Stringer. “These objects are displayed with their history—who the creator was, how they came to be, whether they’re contemporary, traditional, vintage, or antique objects. It is not like buying the very same thing on eBay.” Building on the momentum that brought together interior designers and global dealers (many high-profile

The new 1stdibs Gallery is a way to acquire new customers and sell a 360 degree lifestyle.

ABOVE:

names), the company raised a combined $102 million from Benchmark, Spark Capital, and Index Ventures in 2012. The following year, Rosenblatt transitioned the site from its original, Craigslist-like roots into a robust e-commerce platform.

“1stdibs still acted as the middleman when I joined—customers were able to discover products through 1stdibs, but were unable to buy online,” says Rosenblatt. Since adding a “buy” button, “the average price of a sale through 1stdibs has increased by 40 percent, $2,000 to $2,790,” he says.

“Before the buy button, we would get maybe a few of these large orders a year.

Today we get 15 purchases over $10,000 on a daily basis.”

In 2016 the company diversified its mix and introduced a New & Custom category, featuring more than 2,000 makers and independent brands selling roughly 60,000 newly created works. It is the fastest-growing category on the site, says Rosenblatt, representing over 15 percent of furnishing sales.

In the end, building a luxury experience requires delivering what customers want and how they want to buy it—and that includes, first and foremost, options.

The Business

volume of email is rising at a remarkable rate. The London-based Radicati Group consultancy recently updated its estimate for global annual email growth to 4 percent from 3 percent.

Radicati estimates that more than 280 billion emails circumvent the globe each day among some 3.8 billion e-mail users.

That suggests the average person receives 75 emails per day. You probably receive far more.

“EMAIL LEADS TO ‘WORK FRAGMENTATION’ AS WELL AS HIGH STRESS.”

Taming the E-mail Monster Research shows our excessive email culture is hurting businesses.

But there is a solution.

By Christina Binkley

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHEN COLLINS

T

here is a pervasive and seemingly uncontrollable issue undermining the productivity of business today: email. Managing the mounting onslaught is distracting, time-consuming, and stressful–which is why an emerging movement to reduce—and in some cases banish—email for the sake of a company’s efficiency is gaining traction.

Luxury brands such as Ferrari, Brunello Cucinelli, and Richemont, whose stable of companies includes Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Chloé, are tackling the conundrum head-on with meaningful results, from increased productivity to stronger working relationships, and more businesses are taking a stand.

When the e-mail overload at Richemont, for instance, became an issue, it asked employees in its New York, Dallas, and Shelton, Conn., offices to be mindful of sending emails. An office competition, promoted with a cartoon character named Jane, challenged employees: Is that email you’re about to send really necessary?

The person who reduced their email the most—the winner clocked an astounding decrease of 85 percent—was awarded dinner for two.

The big winner, though, was . . . , well, everyone. Teams reported that mundane weekend emails virtually disappeared.

Conversations that once churned through bouts of forwarding and cc-ing shifted over to teams’ group-chat Yammer accounts, eliminating the mass “Thanks!” email as well as a great deal of political posturing in bcc fields.

People even telephoned.

“It was revolutionary,” says Stuart Robertson, senior vice president of human resources for Richemont North America.

For at least a decade, office professionals have groused around water coolers, beseeching some tech god to create a solution for the emails that flood our bottomless inboxes. Yet even as communication and social media applications abound, none has challenged email’s supremacy— nor even diminished traffic. In fact, the

Estimates and experiences vary widely, but it’s a fair suggestion that office workers devote 25 to 40 percent of their workdays to shuffling emails, and few ever reach the ephemeral inbox-zero goal. Fear of missing out and the urge to respond immediately is strong. But every glance to check for incoming requires 30 seconds to two minutes to return to the task that was interrupted.

In one study entitled “A Pace Not Dictated by Electrons” by researchers at the University of California Irvine and the U.S. Army, email use was eliminated for 13 civilian workers. Subjects had told the researchers in interviews, “My work has become how to manage email.”

That changed quickly. Cut off for five days, participants began to communicate more often in person and by telephone.

Researchers measured the number of times they switched computer screens among various applications and found the subjects switched less frequently, and started spending more time on tasks without interruption. They recorded lower heart rates, leaving the researchers to conclude that email leads to “work fragmentation” as well as higher stress.

Thierry Breton, former French finance minister and chief executive of the French information technology services company Atos Origin, compared the impact of email to “environmental pollution after the industrial revolution.”

“We are producing data on a massive scale that is fast polluting our working environments and also encroaching into our personal lives,” Breton announced in 2011 when he launched an initiative to ban email from Atos. Much like the initiative at Richemont, Atos employees learned to use other, more efficient communication methods—and managed to reduce the company’s email use by 70 percent by

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2015, a spokeswoman says.

Ferrari has limited email usage by barring employees from sending emails to more than three people at a time, while German carmaker Daimler implemented a vacation email deleter that notified senders to wait to resend their message later or redirected them to another person. In France, thanks to a 2017 law, companies with 50 or more employees are required to allow workers to disconnect from technology after hours.

The leakage of work-related e-mail into personal lives is such a concern to Brunello Cucinelli, founder of the eponymous luxury fashion label, that he bans most employee e-mails after 5:30 pm, saying he wants his staff to rejuvenate for the following day’s work.

Luis Suarez didn’t wait for permission or a corporate initiative at IBM, where he worked when he informed his manager that he was going to stop using email in 2008. “People use [email] as a delegation machine,” Suarez says, ticking off the reasons that e-mail didn’t make sense for most of his office communications. “They use it as a political tool. They use the bcc and cc to notify their boss and their boss’s boss.”

Colleagues said they expected him to be fired, and Suarez concedes that he didn’t ask for his manager’s approval before making an announcement on IBM’s internal messaging system that people would henceforth have three options for reaching him: phone, instant message, and social media tools such as group chat (today, there are choices aplenty: Slack, Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp among them).

“You use the best tools for whatever you are doing,” Suarez advises, calling email a Pandora’s box. “If it’s really urgent, you pick up the bloody phone and you call me.”

A decade later and now an evangelist for the minimal email office, Suarez lives in the Canary Islands while working for a Vienna-based data services provider, Panagenda, as a digital transformation and data analytics adviser. He says he receives about two emails per day. I reached him via LinkedIn, and we conducted our interview via Skype. The few work emails he uses, he says, are for private conversations, such as with human resources or discussions of a financial nature, that require more thought than a text message.

Suarez says people often ask him why he has so much free time. “People noticed that I became a lot more effective.”

To think, just a few years ago some executives counted their hundreds of daily emails as a sign of importance or relevance. Today, it could be a symbol of poor time management.

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APRIL 2019

Out of Office with

TILMAN FERTITTA Owner of the Houston Rockets and chairman, president, and CEO of Landry’s Inc.

The world’s richest restaurateur should be happy. He’s just finished writing his first book, Shut Up and Listen, and recently opened The Post Oak, a luxury hotel in his hometown of Houston that he calls his “legacy project”.

Still, he admits he’s mad. One of his latest acquisitions, the NBA’s Houston Rockets, lost the night before and he is frustrated. Since buying the team in 2017 for $2.2 billion— the most ever paid for a U.S. pro sports franchise—he’s approached it with the same level of intensity he’s shown when doing a hostile takeover of McCormick & Schmick’s or pulling an Atlantic City casino back from the brink. In his office, surrounded by samples of Rockets merchandise and even a live feed of the team’s training facility beamed to one of his 10 desktop computer screens, the multitasking NBA owner shares a few secrets. JEREMY REPANICH

What’s the one thing you have to do daily to stay sane?

[Long pause] I’m not sane. [Laughs] Honestly, this is just what I do, and nothing really phases me. I can deal with multitasking 10 things.

Your biggest annoyance at work?

When somebody doesn’t give 100 percent. Also, when they assume something’s done and don’t follow through to make sure it was done.

What do you look for in an employee?

Somebody who wants to always move up, and can tell me where they want to be in five years, or 10 years, or 20 years. I tell young kids that it’s easy to set yourself apart from others if you just do it. You come in a little earlier, you work a little later, and you attack problems. You don’t just sit there and wait for orders.

How long should a meeting last?

Fifteen minutes. I don’t believe in all the bullshit.

Do you prefer email, phone, or text?

Email, phone, and text—I’ll do all three at the same time. I could be talking on my phone with my AirPods in while texting and emailing.

One adjustment everyone can make in their lives to be more successful?

You’ve got to have goals.

If you don’t have goals, you’re never going to get anywhere. You have to make things happen for yourself; it does not happen accidentally.

Best advice you were given?

I really wasn’t given any advice. I’ve just kind of watched everybody out there in the world.

I never had that one particular mentor. I

just knew I wanted to be successful and I felt like God gave me the business mind to do it.

Everybody is given a gift

by God, but you’ve got to find out what that is and then go be good at it. I wasn’t given artistic talent. I wasn’t given musical talent. I wasn’t given athletic talent to play more than high school sports. I just understood the math of business. Not the calculus of engineering a bridge, but revenue, cost of sales, labor, and other expenses—that’s what I know.

One thing you want to improve in your work life?

I’m old enough and I’m successful enough that at some point I need to stop paying as close attention to the details.

But I think that’s why I’ve stayed successful, and succeeded through every recession, and every bad time, because I’ve never changed.

A World of Luxury Awaits

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You going into the water?

Family outing?

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Should there be a roller coaster nearby?

What are you doing?

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Who do you want to be surrounded by?

Volleyballers

Sea lions

Attractive humans At what?

Celebrities

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Do you mind being huddled under a blanket?

Yes

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Santa Monica State Beach

How often do you say “bro”?

Hourly, bro

Rarely, dude Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz

Huntington Beach

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La Jolla, San Diego

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SHUT TERSTOCK

Occasionally