GRAZIA USA: SPRING 2023

LUCY BOYNTON

©2022 Hunter Douglas All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas

LIVE BEAUTIFULLY

What does it mean to live well? To be perfectly at ease, in comfort and style?

Innovative product designs pair with gorgeous fabrics and control systems so advanced, shades can be scheduled to automatically adjust to their optimal position throughout the day. Creating a new world of beauty, convenience and energy efficiency — morning, noon, and night.

ROMA

MOST WANTED

40

CONSTRUCTS OF DESIRE

We spend our lives building things: careers, families, houses, wardrobes. Dare to make your next creation one that dazzles and blooms

50

THE LION, THE GLITCH AND THE WARDROBE

Fashion’s keyboard warriors are known to spin opinions with little context and in the case of Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2023 Haute Couture collection, pitchforks were primed before the show even finished

54

A BIRD IN THE HAND

An ode to our flying feathered friends’ habitats, we decorate their nests with the season’s hottest bags

62

WHAT HAS BEEN WILL BE AGAIN

When it comes to the fashion trends we abandon and embrace, only to throw away again, maybe there’s more to our fickle-hearted consumption than a bit of good marketing

66

ON WATCH

Like birds protecting their eggs, our most prized possessions are the rare and beautiful

LOOKING FORWARD

76

LABOR OF LOVE

The Italian town where fashion mogul Brunello Cucinelli grew up positively impacted his life, and now he’s returning the favor

82 STYLISH STAYS

Top fashion designers and houses put their spin on these chic properties, making them the world’s most desirable destinations for savvy travelers

88 LUCY BOYNTON REIGNS SUPREME

The actress has big shoes to fill playing Marie Antoinette in her latest film, Chevalier, but the skilled star is more than prepared for the task

100 THE SCOUT

When you’re looking to stand out, bold prints, bright colors and subtle sheer fabrics always do the trick

112 LIKE A WORK OF ART

The key pieces of Italian style have rich textures and sculptural lines that attract the eye

120 WANDERLUST

For those dreaming of new adventures, the streets of Marrakech await. Pack enveloping trench coats and soft dresses for looks that are ready to roam

130

BEYOND THE HORIZON

In a natural park in the United Arab Emirates, styles in fluid lines and delicate shades become one with the rhythms of nature

140

FEELS LIKE HOME

When La DoubleJ founder JJ Martin transformed her white-walled Milan apartment into a vibrant space packed with colorful patterns, it was all about following her instinct and not playing by any rulebook

150

OPEN WATER, MIND OPEN

A journey through the Seychelles reveals the world’s an endlessly exciting place—and everything is interconnected

160

A PRESTO!

De Beers’ High Jewellery collection, The Alchemist of Light, pushes the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship

THIS PAGE

Top Left: Bally bag, bally.com.

Top Right: : Kika Vargas top, kirkavirgas.com; Bulgari earrings, rings, bangle, bracelet, bulgari.com.

JOSEPH ERRICO EDITOR & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

ILARIA SVITIC CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CASEY BRENNAN & AARON RASMUSSEN EXECUTIVE EDITORS AT LARGE

COLLEEN KRATOFIL EDITORIAL & DIGITAL DIRECTOR

JACLYN ROTH HEAD OF ENTERTAINMENT

SHELBY COMROE FASHION MARKET EDITOR

HANNAH MILITANO STYLE WRITER

ALEXANDRA SEXTON ART DIRECTOR

DIGITAL

JESSICA BAILEY INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

REBEKAH CLARK FEATURES WRITER

EMILY ALGAR BEAUTY EDITOR

KATE LANCASTER CONTRIBUTING BEAUTY EDITOR

ISABELLE TRUMAN WRITER

JEFF MAZZEO DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA & AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

ANGELA SAVOY-WILLIAMS SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

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DYLAN HOWARD

CHAIRMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & PUBLISHER

MARIA ELIASON EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

ILARIA SVITIC CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

KOKO DRECHSLER SALES DIRECTOR, BEAUTY

PRIYA NAT SALES DIRECTOR, HOME & LUXURY

CAMILLA JONES VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

RICHARD VALLEJOS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

INTERNATIONAL

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GRAZIA

HABITATS

In recent years, people across the globe have been challenged to examine what one’s idea of home looks like. When forced into a living space for any period one tends to ask, “Is this the right environment for me? Are my chosen surroundings bringing joy and enhancement to my life? Essentially, is this the habitat I wish to inhabit?” Such questions, have led to post-pandemic, mass exoduses of millennials, Gen-X’ers and baby boomers from major cities to more mellow and cost-effective areas, yet conversely, the allure of the bright lights, big cities have become the siren call to Gen-Z. The question of what one’s habitat looks like led us to create this issue.

American-born, Italian-based fashion designer JJ Martin helps crystalize this for us (page 140). After living for two decades in her chosen home of Milan, she found herself seeking new digs in the city for her life’s next act. Once landing herself the perfect (albeit totally empty and in need of much work) new apartment, the pandemic hit. Martin was forced to live in a blank canvas for months, which led her to imagine how her new home will look when she finally was able to get to work—and what a magical environment she created!

Alas, our habitats are not just the four walls that surround us when we lock our door. Fashion designer-cum-philosopher-king, Brunello Cucinelli, discusses how the love he has for his birthplace of Solomeo, Italy (page 76) led to a passion project spanning the last decade. He embarked on a “top-to-

tail restoration” of the medieval village his family has called home for years, creating a reimagined public space for his entire community.

If you’re not fortunate enough to visit Solomeo, let alone live there, perhaps a designer hotel visit is more attainable. In Stylish Stays (page 82), our editors scan the globe to bring you some of the world’s best options for chic shortterm luxury.

Finally, what could be a more lavish place to kick up your feet than an English manor house that’s also part stone castle? For our cover story (page 88), we took a trip outside of London to the English countryside with the engaging and diligent Lucy Boynton. The actress, whose star is most definitely on the rise, portrays Marie Antoinette in her new film—a figure who knew a thing or two about making herself at home in a castle. Boynton came to our shoot ready to jump right into character—clad in CHANEL, naturally—as a curious girl perfectly content to forever inhabit her surroundings, which ultimately is what one looks for most in a home.

JOSEPH ERRICO EDITOR & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

CHANEL jacket, CHANEL Fine Jewelry earrings, necklace, bracelet, rings, (800) 550-0005.

On The Cover

The cover shoot for Habitats took place in an old English manor house made of part stone castle outside of London. For British-American actress Lucy Boynton—of past Bohemian Rhapsody and Beatrix Potter fame— she was back in a noble setting after portraying Marie Antoinette in her new film, Chevalier. This time, she slipped into the character of a curious girl in her own world as she explored the historic house. As soon as she arrived, the star was all-smiles on set and lit up like a lightbulb when she touched the Chanel finery she would be modeling. Boynton and the small-yet-mighty crew, which included photographer Nicole Nodland, hairstylist Leigh Keates, makeup artist Alex Babsky and stylist GRAZIA USA's J. Errico, got down to page one business to knock out multiple looks in a short amount of time. Notably, Boynton never complained about the chilly conditions inside the manor—she just kept warm with a hairdryer in-hand. A consummate professional if we ever did see one.

ON THE COVER: CHANEL jacket, earrings, necklaces, bracelet, (800) 550-0005.

Photographs by NICOLE NODLAND

Styling by J.ERRICO Hair by

LEIGH KEATES

Makeup by ALEX BABSKY

Dion Lee dress, dionlee.com; Christian Louboutin boots, us.christianlouboutin.com.

GUEST LIST

Habitats

is an exploration of what it means to feel at home, whether traveling around the globe (Stylish Stays, page 82) or turning a white-walled Milan apartment into a sanctuary, as designer JJ Martin did (Feels Like Home, page 140). There's so much more to get inspired by, including the work of photographer Emre Guven and stylist Selin Bursalioglu, who put Italian fashion on display (Like a Work of Art, page 112). Step inside an enchanting English manor, captured by photographer Nicole Nodland, for Lucy Boynton’s cover shoot (Reigns Supreme, 88), and don’t miss the work of esteemed makeup artist Alex Babsky. Here, meet those telling these amazing stories.

Nicole Nodland

Nodland began her illustrious career as the personal photographer of music legend Prince, touring with the singer and documenting his rockstar lifestyle for two years. She later worked with Stevie Wonder, Lana Del Ray and other music luminaries. She has shot for many esteemed publications.

Alex Babsky

With over 20 years of experience as a professional makeup artist, Babsky is the righthand man for actresses like Florence Pugh, Lashana Lynch and cover star Lucy Boynton. He gets the women red-carpet-ready for events around the globe. For Boynton's spread, Babsky kept her makeup simple, focusing on creating an early ‘70s effect with the star’s signature miles-long lashes.

Emre Guven

Since getting his start in 2006, Guven has established himself as an in-demand fashion photographer. The Turkish-born talent has worked with some of the most recognizable models in the industry, from Isabeli Fontana and Ana Beatriz Barros to Winnie Harlow and Lara Stone.

Selin Bursalioglu

After graduating from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul, the journalist worked at numerous fashion publications across the world, including magazines in Turkey and London. She eventually landed in Italy, where she’s currently the fashion editor at GRAZIA Italia.

GAME CHANGERS

CELEBRATE OUR FIRST INDUCTEES INTO THE CLASS OF 2023: CHANGE AGENTS WHO ARE BLAZING A TRAIL TO A NEW AND BETTER FUTURE—INSPIRING, EDUCATING, AND CELEBRATING INDIVIDUALITY, BEAUTY, AND STYLE EVERYWHERE.

ROSIE HUNTINGTONWHITELEY

The model and Rose Inc founder is all about enhancing one’s natural beauty with her innovative, sustainable and clean makeup formulas

As a model, I’ve sat in makeup artists’ chairs since I entered this industry at 16 years old.

Now, 19 years later, I have experienced hundreds, if not thousands, of beauty products firsthand and I know what I want. I’m truly committed and obsessive about learning about both products and techniques.

I launched Rose Inc as an editorial site in 2018 with the intention to build a community of beauty enthusiasts and experts, and to cement my own authority and passion for both makeup and skincare products. Over the past few years, I have been able to study and review the data from my audience, which has provided vital insight and informed many decisions in the creation of the Rose Inc product line. I’m constantly reading up on all aspects of the beauty industry, from formulations to packaging, trends and data, along with the nitty gritty of business strategy required to run a beauty business. I have worked incredibly hard to create products I truly believe in.

Innovation is at the core of everything we do. We believe in transparent ingredients, sustainable solutions and high-performing, non-comedogenic formulations. I really started to hone in on clean beauty after my son was born in 2017. I felt there was so much confusion around what clean beauty

really meant, and frankly, there were very few products that were truly innovative. What I really craved was a brand with best-in-class, innovative and luxury formulations that focused on products first and was also

bioengineered botanical ingredients that are both good for you and the environment. Our moisturizing Squalane oil, for example, is created through a fascinating fermentation process. Packaging is also very important to me, which is why all of our products are either refillable or recyclable, and many use postconsumer recycled materials.

Aside from continuing to innovate in the clean, sustainable beauty space, my goal for Rose Inc is to push the messaging of selflove and self-acceptance. Our makeup is beautiful and is meant to enhance one’s natural beauty, instead of hiding it. An essential part of my self-care routine is working out. I’ve been exercising all of my adult life. My mother has always been very active and fitness focused. She became an aerobics teacher in the ‘90s, so I grew up watching her as my role model. My childhood was spent outdoors running around and being active, but when I moved to the city, I lost that. That’s when I started going to the gym and working out and I’ve done it ever since. It’s my meditation, the way I release.

transparent. I wanted a brand that I could trust in their ethics as much as the performance of the product assortment.

I started by working closely with my product development team to align formulas and packaging. The formulas are all noncomedogenic and use powerful proprietary

I feel I’m truly beginning the next chapter of my career and that it’s day one every day! Founding Rose Inc has not only been years in the making, but it also feels like my entire career has led me to this point and given me vast and unique experiences, education and the insight required to own this moment.

I’m still learning, and trust me, it isn’t always easy. My advice is to just accept the fact that you can’t be 100 percent “on” all the time and to give yourself some grace.

— AS TOLD TO HANNAH MILITANO

MERCEDES ABRAMO

The newly promoted deputy chief commercial officer of Cartier International discusses rising through the ranks

After studying political science in school, I first worked in a few different industries, including law and banking, before landing at the Ritz-Carlton. I was really drawn to hospitality, where the product is intangible and ephemeral. The value is entirely in the touchpoints that shape a client’s memory. This experience would kickstart a yearslong career in luxury hospitality that led to a graduate business degree in luxury brand management, which ultimately led me to the luxury retail industry and to Cartier.

I started at Cartier in 2008, as director of our flagship Fifth Avenue Mansion, and from there, I moved into several executive retail positions. In 2014, I became the first female and the first American to be named President and CEO of Cartier North America.

When we have conversations about women in leadership—or women in the workplace in general—the emphasis is often on what women do not do, such as self-promote, but there are a lot of things that women often do better than average, like managing with empathy and expressing appreciation for their teammates. Don’t be afraid to lean into that. Also, we tend to have this idea of leaders as the people doing all the talking, but you can’t be a great leader without doing a lot of listening first.

I like to set goals for myself—both personally and professionally—but I also like to remain open, leaving room for inspiration and new opportunities. I’d say that one decision I made for myself early on really helped to shape my path and ultimately led me to where I am today: I didn’t go directly to business school right after university, but instead, I chose to gain invaluable working experience in-between those two touchpoints.

I really enjoyed the fast-paced nature of retail. You can sit in an office and think you know what the customer wants, but until you’ve actually worked behind the counter or on the floor, the reality is that you don’t. The on-thefloor training still really resonates with me today. Working with people you don’t know, people with personalities and styles different from your own—this was a great experience for me, prior

any stage of one’s career path. Remaining flexible, open-minded and curious has provided me with incredible opportunities and experiences, so I’m a big champion of this approach. I have been really fortunate with the balance I’ve found— between planning ahead and remaining open to opportunity—which has afforded me the chance to live and work all over the world.

I love how energetic and fast-paced my role is. I love working with people—my teams, our clients. Making human connections, having real conversations, it takes me back to my days in hospitality and working the retail floor. No day is the same and that is something that truly invigorates, motivates, and inspires me. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic and the general economic turbulence of the past several months, the luxury sector has seen both strong growth and extreme resiliency. At Cartier specifically, we’re seeing continued strong demand for our creations. As you might expect, we’re always thinking strategically about how we can best serve our existing clients, while also anticipating how we can continue to grow and evolve as a business. Currently, we’re seeing very strong growth from clients in new demographics, including clients in smaller, faster-growing cities across the U.S.

to getting my MBA. These dynamics really prepared me for leadership in a way that no book can really teach you.

The best piece of career advice anyone ever gave me was to not be stagnant. Not only do I live by this advice in my day to day, but I like to give this advice as well. Whether this means changing roles within a company, moving to a new city or even going back to school, I think it’s relevant for

Every day I aim to bring my best self to work, and I encourage all of our teams to do the same. I’ve found that leading by example—with enthusiasm and commitment—never stops being a good idea. Creating an environment where everyone feels safe, supported and empowered to share the best version of themselves is our aim. Our ideal habitat is a community where we can genuinely connect and encourage one another to share ideas, ask questions and create, together.

— AS TOLD TO AARON RASMUSSEN

JESSIE JAMES DECKER

From building a successful fashion empire to taking over country music, this multi-hyphenate is hitting all the right notes

I’ve always been the type of person who loves being busy and having my hands full. I was raised by my mother, who told me I could do anything I wanted to do. I’ve always felt limitless in that way. I enjoy dabbling in so many different things—from fashion to music to cooking—and I’ve never wanted to limit myself.

I always knew I wanted to have a fashion line. In high school, I started sketching outfits I dreamed of wearing onstage. I loved Selena Quintanilla, an incredible artist and entertainer, who also had her own clothing line and boutique. I felt if she could do it, so could I.

I knew as young as 15 that I would call the clothing line I’d create one day Kittenish. I started by partnering with a now-defunct brand on a small online collection, which provided me with good experience. As soon as that line sold out, I knew I was onto something big. I started out by making a variety of cute flannels, plaid shirts, cutoff shorts and T-shirts because I am just a girl from Georgia who likes to dress comfortably.

Then, I decided to open a brick-andmortar store. Everyone told me not to do it, but I proved them wrong and had more sales than I could handle within the first month. From there, I knew I could take it to the next level, and we launched an online business and it blew up. It was supposed to be a little side hustle for fun, and it turned into a multimillion-dollar brand.

My husband, Eric Decker, serves as Kittenish President, but he didn’t plan on getting involved. He has a degree in business management and is so smart, so he stepped in when I was struggling, and he really helped us grow the business. We don’t step on each other’s toes, and our working

relationship naturally fell into place. Hiring the right people is important—and don’t be afraid to reach out to your competitors. I have no shame in asking them: “What would you do in this situation?”

I’ve evolved into the woman I am today along with my fashion, and our customers have too.

I’m very analytical, and I like to create and sell products which meet our customers’ needs. I love creating a piece with my team and knowing in my heart it’s going to make someone happy. I love that our products make people feel beautiful and their absolute best—that is my favorite part. One of my biggest challenges is keeping up with the evolving world of social media; it’s not the same as it was three years ago. At that time, I could post something on Instagram and it would reach 3 million of my followers. With today’s changing algorithms, that may not happen, so I have to keep figuring out other ways to market online. We have four Kittenish stores, located in Nashville, Dallas, Tampa and Scottsdale, but I would love to open one in New York; that’s a huge goal of mine. I am so lucky to have a group of smart, quicklearning co-workers around me, and I am fortunate we all work so well together. I’d love for Kittenish to continue to grow and expand. My goal is to have as many people as possible fall in love with the brand.

Since we launched, we’ve hit all of our goals and expectations, and I am so proud of the work we’ve done. My mom always told me, “If you can see it, believe it, achieve it.” I live by that and it’s what I tell my kids—you can make anything happen.

But we still maintain the identity of Kittenish, which is affordable, comfortable and fashionforward but not over-the-top. It’s trendy and accessible. This is our third year releasing our Basics collection, which includes bodysuits, bralettes and more, and we continue to crush it. Going forward, I would love to expand into beauty and luggage.

I am very much a results-oriented person.

I am currently working on new music and my third cookbook, which comes out in the fall. It’s constantly a balancing act, but my family always comes first. I always wanted to be a country singer and get into fashion, but I never thought I would be writing cookbooks! My career has taken me on a different journey than I could have dreamed, and I am so grateful.

— AS TOLD TO JACLYN ROTH

ANNE FULENWIDER

The path to becoming an entrepreneur has been insane and wonderful and terrifying and gratifying! I thought I knew all about what starting a company entailed because we covered entrepreneurs at Marie Claire and I hosted a female founders conference for many years, but it turns out I had absolutely no idea. When I left Marie Claire as editor-in-chief, I had no idea I would be starting Alloy Women’s Health, a telehealth company, online pharmacy and content machine for women over 40. There was definitely a combination of naïveté and optimism behind my decision to leave my prior career; I thought we were going to do content and sell a few nutritional supplements. But then we did our research and realized how huge the problem was—women over 40 just weren’t being served by the current medical establishment at all, and, as a result, millions of women were suffering needlessly. The more we learned, the bigger the project became. I’ve learned a ton along the way, including to trust your gut. No one really knows that much about anything, so you might as well just jump in.

I make a ton of plans, and then nothing works out exactly like you thought it would, so it’s a question of how long are you going to stand around and mourn the way you wanted it to go and how quickly can you assess the situation, make adjustments, and move on. I think intention and velocity are important to get anything started, and then, once you’re up and running, reaction time and ability to change and build on the fly while keeping a relatively cool head are crucial. For example, early on we partnered with a back-end vendor, and we had months of difficult negotiations

and a super hard time getting our working relationship off the ground, and for a while we just tried to force it to work. It didn’t, and we ended it, but had we not been so wed to our original plan, we would have ended it a lot sooner, which would have saved us a lot of money and time.

There were so many little steps that went into the launch. A lot of phone calls and cold

My five-year map for Alloy Women’s Health is to radically normalize the discussion about menopause and hormones, and to partner with major media outlets, pharmacies and health systems to reach as many women as possible and democratize access to the expert care and science-backed solutions they deserve. We’ve just launched a new suite of products and I’m super excited about the direction they will take us. Our first year in operation, the goal was to solve her pain, to provide sciencebased solutions to solve the acute symptoms of menopause. After a lot of work, I’m proud to say we succeeded at that beyond our expectations. Now we want to spark her joy—we’ve launched a prescription orgasm enhancing cream that will improve her sex life, a truly miraculous estriol-based face cream that actually rebuilds collagen and dramatically reduces lines and pore size, and we’ll be launching a solution for thinning hair soon, too. All of the new products are based on solutions that have been out there for years but have never been explained or marketed to women at scale. And the best thing about them is that they have active ingredients based on solid science, so they really work to solve the issues that plague women

emails, the solid backing of our early investors, some serendipitous introductions, a 180-degree change in technical approach two months prior to launch, the eleventh-hour hiring of a 19-year-old engineer, and so many other twists and turns. A few years in, I’d say the only consistent patterns are that the giant, slightly foolish and definitely risky leaps of faith have tended to move us the farthest.

When I’m not focused on business, I’ve gotten really into cooking, and I take our dog on long walks in Prospect Park. I drive my son to rock climbing when I can, just to get some catch-up time in the car, and I go to Upstate New York to visit my daughter at school as often as possible. After years of commuting to midtown in New York City, I am so grateful to work from home, but getting out of the house, and out of the city, is crucial for my mental health.

—AS TOLD TO CASEY BRENNAN

A former magazine editor is helping empower women by offering sciencebased solutions for menopause and more with Alloy Women’s Health

JOE GEBBIA

Iwas an artist growing up. In the second grade, I would make drawings and sell them to friends for $1 a piece. People loved them and I remember that was the first time that I saw and experienced people wanting to pay me for something that I created. All throughout my childhood, through high school into college, I was always trying to come up with ideas that would make people smile. I feel like most of my life has been about bringing ideas to life.

Airbnb is one of those ideas that comes around once in a generation. For Brian [Chesky], Nate [Blecharczyk] and I to be in our mid-20s and have this idea right as the internet was maturing to a point where people would be comfortable staying in the home of a stranger, it was an impossible idea. I remember in the early days, people would say, “This is never going to work; no one’s ever going to use this at scale; you’re better off working on something else.” That was pretty much the advice that we got when we started the company.

What kept us going, even against all those critics and investors that passed on us, is that personal, magical, experience we had hosting three guests in our home. We made $1,000 and were able to make the rent, but there was something more that transpired—there was this social experience of sharing our city with our guests. I remember after they left the apartment, Brian and I looked at each other and thought, “Did we just get paid to make friends?” In all the moments when the world seemed to be against us, we could reflect back on that and say, “If we just keep persevering, we believe there’s enough people like us who will also enjoy this experience of staying in homes and actually feeling like an insider of the city you travel to.”

I think that most success stories, especially

in Silicon Valley, aren’t the overnight successes that most people think they are. For us, it didn’t happen overnight. It took many years to get the company to a scale and a size that had posts in major cities around the world. It was a pretty hard, long journey.

I feel very fortunate in my life and feel there’s a responsibility to give back. I’m also the Chairman of airbnb.org, which provides housing

company; it’s one of my most proud acts of creativity. My latest housing venture is Samara, which provides customizable net-zero studio and one-bedroom accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to homeowners. It began as an innovation team inside Airbnb and is now a privately funded startup. Its mission is to improve the way we live by reimagining the home.

We designed a backyard unit to be useful however life evolves, whether it serves as an inlaw suite or a home office, a rental unit or a space for a new passion, like starting a yoga studio. It’s beautifully designed and we use materials that last a lifetime. It’s all electric and actually produces more energy than it consumes. We send that additional energy back to the main house so it’s like having a little mini power plant in your backyard. Customers can customize their unit and choose certain finishes that make it their own. We also take care of everything else necessary, including the land prep, permitting, all the hard stuff. The installation takes about two or three hours. It’s a new way of thinking about constructing homes. Our goal is to offer the simplest, most well-designed and flexible space for homeowners to grow their income, their family or their interests.

to refuges and people in crisis. It leverages Airbnb’s technology, services and other resources to provide housing after national disasters and is currently assisting over 100,000 refugees of Ukraine.

I stepped back from day-to-day operations at Airbnb last year, but I remain on the board and am one of the top three shareholders in the company. I’m still very connected with the

To me, an immersive designer is somebody that synthesizes a problem, creatively solves it and designs a better solution. There’s an important role of empathy as a designer. You need to understand who you’re designing for. Throughout my career I’ve done ethnographic research, which is when you study the people that you’re designing for by going into their natural environments. I love making things that solve problems and that delight people. I’ve had this incredible experience with Airbnb, this amazing act of creativity, and I’m excited for the next acts to come.

—AS TOLD TO COLLEEN KRATOFIL

The immersive designer who’s the co-founder of Airbnb and the new start-up Samara continues to innovate, create and give back in big ways

The entrepreneur is successfully shaking up the public relations industry by focusing on innovation and integrity

Growing up, I was not what you would call book smart. I struggled academically but always had an immense drive to make something out of my life. One thing was clear to me: I wanted to make a lot of money, which has always informed my entrepreneurial focus. My initial search led me to cryptocurrency, and I invested pretty early in Bitcoin as a very young teenager and benefited from the early boom. I also spent most of my time watching YouTube videos about how to make money.

Over time, I became fascinated by social media and its capabilities, which eventually provided the initial building blocks for what would later become Ascend Agency. I became obsessed with all the ways we could shine the light on businesses and brands, and this was how Ascend Agency was initially born.

When we started in 2020, I had about two immediate competitors offering the same service. I remember studying their business model and thinking to myself, "I can do a much better job." I put this drive into the agency and continued to innovate my model until I completely surpassed the competition in a very short time.

Innovation has always been at the forefront of Ascend Agency's operations. For instance, when we

started, we decided to ditch the traditional PR agency model of collecting a chunk of money as a retainer fee and guaranteeing nothing but well-meaning attempts. This model was giving the PR industry a bad image, and I wanted to change that because I believed it was possible to offer visibility with some guarantee. This decision informed what I call the Ascend Model, which essentially comes with three pillars: a guarantee of placement, visibility and your money's worth.

Over the last two years, we have built strong partnerships with some of America's most prominent media publishers like Hearst, A360 Media, McClatchy and Tribune Publishing. This has expanded our reach to prestigious publications like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, and others, where our clients can enjoy exposure and gain visibility.

Like every business, Ascend Agency also had to go through a steep learning curve. Things have not been all rosy from the word go, but we have managed to grow our client list to over 20,000 clients, which is unheard of within the space of time we have been in business. There’s still so much more we want to do.

JONATHAN JADALI SIMON MORRISS

What we have built at Ascend Agency is truly unique; it's difficult to see any real competitors around because we have grown from a one-service agency to a one-stop shop for all branded content and PR services. We have so many exclusive partnerships with many publications, making it very difficult for other agencies to compete. We also recently launched Ascend Music Group, where we help independent musicians gain visibility by helping them with their releases and playlist marketing. We have also begun purchasing publications, which only adds to our status as an agency and, now, as a publisher as well.

In 2022, we hit the $7.5 million revenue mark, which is amazing for such a young business, and we have now set our sights on the $50 million mark, a goal I am confident we can surpass.

When it is all said and done, our success boils down to our two main pillars: integrity and innovation. That's how we have sailed through every challenge to date, and we don’t intend to change that formula.

—AS TOLD TO JACLYN ROTH

At Genetic Technologies, we’re focused on identifying diseases through a very simple, noninvasive saliva-based test, called geneType, and a questionnaire with your doctor to identify someone's risk [of genetic diseases] within their lifetime. We're really focused on women's health, particularly breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The inspiration has come in two parts—85 percent of breast cancer that gets diagnosed has no links back to a family history. Most people may know about BRCA1 or BRCA2, made famous by Angelina Jolie, for example, but that's only 5 percent of the cancers that are diagnosed in women. We're inspired to make sure that we can identify early, because we

know that early detection saves lives. And that's what really inspires us as a company to bring this technology to women all around the world. There are some people that just don’t want to know and that’s OK, but there are a lot of people out there that go, “Hey, I’d like to know if I’m potentially at risk of getting cancer so I can monitor it and get onto it early.” What's most important is that when someone may be identified as high-risk, there are things that they can do. They can have a mammogram on an annual basis, instead of biannually. They can have more ultrasounds or MRIs, for example, so that

they can be detected at stage one because we know that there's close to a 90.8 percent survival rate if they’re detected at stage one versus stage two or three. It just makes me so proud to be able to help save lives and improve the health of populations worldwide through early detection and knowing your risk.

What motivates me to do this job and bring this technology to the world is deeply personal because my sister passed away from cancer. That’s why I want to change the game so badly. I've worked in the healthcare industry for 25 years. I have a love for having a positive impact on people's lives and I have a love for emerging technologies and building brands, products and businesses. I love helping people and bringing technology to the world that actually improves the lives of individuals, and healthcare is a place that I can do that. That's what drives me and that's my purpose.

—AS TOLD TO COLLEEN KRATOFIL

The biotech boss is changing the way we think about detecting the risk of life-threatening diseases with a breakthrough saliva-based test

DIANA MADISON

Ialways had big dreams to act, but to tell your Armenian immigrant parents that you want to be an actress, you get a response like, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to be a lawyer or a doctor.” So in my head, acting was never going to happen. I studied communications journalism and worked at Entertainment Tonight for two years. When I realized I was never going to get hired there as entertainment talent, I started a YouTube channel called Hollyscoop, and it kind of blew up. One channel became four and I was interviewing some of the biggest names in the world and eventually going on E! News as myself.

I was one of the first YouTubers interviewing people on the platform and was a pioneer when it came to hosting on YouTube. I eventually sold my company right before the COVID-19 pandemic, but about three years prior to that, I was running around the clock. I felt like a chicken with my head cut off. I just wasn’t doing what I wanted to do; I wasn’t fulfilled.

I executive produced the Lifetime show Glam Masters with Kim Kardashian. I was supposed to host it until they said to me, “We’re going to go with a famous actress. She fills all these boxes you don’t.” When I asked if I could be a judge, they said, “You don’t have a beauty brand.” I was kind of devastated. What I thought was the end of the world for me was actually the beginning and a rebirth of my career. I started taking acting classes in my 30s and when I began telling people in Hollywood that I was acting, everybody thought I was crazy. But one person heard me and put me in two movies.

It’s fascinating because you think you have an idea of where you’re going in your career and what you’re going to do, and then life

happens. I like to say, “Sometimes if Plan A doesn’t work out, Plan B, C, D, E, F, G might work out. Be open, and don’t have resistance.” I think it’s important to know how to pivot from situations. I could have taken that rejection and been depressed and complained about it, but I felt that I had more to offer. I wasn’t going to let one rejection stop me from really pursuing my dreams. I’m so happy that the rejection happened, and I’m so grateful

eczema, which I suffered from when I had my daughter. I started with one product, the magic holy oil Glowtopia. It has become a staple with celebrity makeup artists and beauty influencers and went viral on Instagram. It’s hard to make clean products and make them affordable, but that’s what I’m trying to do. With every product I launch, I find an ingredient that’s exotic. My latest, Illumin-EYE Saffron Oil Brightening Eye Cream, is made with saffron oil sourced from Armenia. The saffron oil will brighten under the eyes, the buckwheat oil will de-puff, and there are so many other benefits, from skin tightening to anti-aging. People don’t like to hear that it took four years to launch the brand. I worked on my time off researching plants and remedies and working with labs. It was really a passion project. If you have an idea that comes to you and you want to pursue it, my advice is: Don’t quit your day job. Make time on the weekends. When I walk into a store, like Neiman Marcus or Anthropologie, and see people buying my brand, it trips me out because it wasn’t part of my plan. I want to launch four more items in the next year, but I just hope to be making more products that help people with their skin and help them feel empowered.

for that person who said those things to me because I wouldn’t be acting now. Currently, I’m in production for a documentary with a major studio about justice reform and I’m currently in pre-production for a movie.

I also launched Diana Madison Beauty. I felt like there was a need in the market when it came to clean products that help people with

I believe if you are open and receptive, things will come to you. Then you just have to do what you can and surrender to the chaos. One thing I’ve learned is that if you have a mindset that’s focused on the future, that’s anxiety driven. If you look to the past constantly, that’s depression. If you’re in a mindset of living in the present, that’s pure joy and happiness. I try to live in the present and just enjoy the moment.

—AS TOLD TO COLLEEN KRATOFIL

When one door closes, this actress and beauty entrepreneur knows something better is right around the corner

BRIANNA WU

The founder of clothing company BRIAVIA is a jack of all trades with a

for transforming her hobbies into successful business ventures

Imoved to Los Angeles straight after high school when I was just 18. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do but I felt that I needed a change in life. I had a few friends in L.A., so I visited first and found I enjoyed the culture. I always knew I wanted to be in the fashion space, but my only experience in clothing at that point was essentially just shopping.

I worked in retail when I first moved to L.A. I then did a lot of modeling, social media, fashion blogging and styling. I wanted to try every single part of the industry to figure out what I liked best. After working about 10 different jobs in fashion, I realized I could combine everything if I started my own brand. My business really started off as a hobby. I was reselling old clothes from my closet, and eventually I started my brand BRIAVIA. At the end of the day, I created it because everything that I love to do is rolled into it.

My friends and roommates all helped me pack orders from my house—I was just selling from my room before I expanded to my garage. Now, I’m fortunate enough to have my own studio space in downtown L.A. My friends who helped me in the beginning work full-time with me now. I’m so lucky that I’ve been able to keep everyone together. I love coming into work every day and hanging out with my friends in our studio.

Sometimes, I’ll have a horrible day if my outfit isn’t good. When I was a stylist, I saw that by simply putting on a new outfit, it could change someone’s entire mood. I thought, if I can boost someone’s confidence with clothing, this is the route for me.

My ideal customer is someone who wants

a more minimalistic lifestyle, the woman who appreciates functional and practical pieces that can be worn out on a casual day or elevated while out at night. I truly believe my customers focus on quality over quantity— someone who is trying to build a capsule wardrobe and who wants to shop more sustainably with an impact. Basics are very in

will begin to stray away from fast-fashion companies and support more designers, who are essentially getting ripped off by fast-fashion brands stealing their work. I’m hoping people will shop straight from the designer, so that they can begin to get the credit they deserve.

These days, I escape the daily grind with a different creative outlet. On my personal TikTok account, I post a ton of interior design. During the pandemic, I moved to Utah, and I built a house from scratch. It was interesting getting to design a house rather than clothing. That’s my newest hobby and now I’m creating content for Target Home and Wayfair.

In the beginning, I was just winging it as I went along. I started off more as a designer but as my business has grown, I’ve grown into the entrepreneurial side. No one in my family owns a business, and growing up I never saw any female entrepreneurs, especially Asian women. I liked the thought of doing something different, and hopefully one day I can inspire others.

about how much waste clothing builds in the world. After learning that, my mind was blown, and it led to why I wanted to start my business by providing the basics. Schools should educate on sustainability. If people realized the impact, I think they would buy less fast fashion. I’m hoping that people

Being an Asian entrepreneur, I want to be able to tell my story and show other women that you don’t have to take the traditional route. I want to give a sense of hope for people who don’t necessarily know how to take that first leap. I think my story is special because I started it as a side-hustle without a ton of money. I’d love to mentor other female entrepreneurs in this space one day because it’s a male-dominated industry. We need more women, women of color and Asian women in this space. I want to be able to tell my future kids, “I built this from nothing and it’s something that you can do also.” —AS TOLD TO HANNAH MILITANO

knack

SAI DE SILVA

Iwas late to the game when I got my first internship at 28. I worked for Alberta Ferretti as an intern in their PR department and it was the hardest job I’ve ever done. That was a time when they wouldn’t even give you a MetroCard, but I learned a lot. I thought to myself, “Okay, I definitely want to be in the fashion industry.” And I found myself wanting to be very creative, but I’m not an artist in the traditional sense. I don’t make sculptures or paintings or anything like that, so how could I stand out in this industry? I thought I was going to be some sort of creative director, possibly at a magazine. Blogging was the last thing that I thought I would do. It was a complete accident. It was just something that I did because I liked to write and take photos with my daughter. I was a new mom and starting my blog Scout and the City was an outlet for me. Somehow it kind of turned into a career after BuzzFeed picked it up and they wrote an article on it. People started talking about it, and I thought, “Wait a minute, is this a job?” It just kind of fell into my lap.

It all ended up kind of working out for me, and I’ve kind of been manifesting along the way. I think that’s life, though, right? We may think we’re supposed to go on a certain path, but life is about learning along the way. I went to school as a biology pre-med major. I thought I was going to be a doctor. Sometimes you may think, “Wait a minute, I want to choose this path instead” and you’re so much happier because of it. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, and

you have to be able to pivot and go with it. Looking back, I didn’t realize I would get to this point in my career, but I’m very, very happy I’m here.

I don’t think one should ever stop dreaming. I have so many goals. There’s always something that you can add, some goal that you can crush. There are a lot of brands that I’m still not working with that

I also have this whole other completely different job that I’ve taken on that I’m very excited about with The Real Housewives of New York City. As someone who is a creator and in full control of my image and editing, I think the scariest thing about being on the show so far is allowing someone else to be in control of that. It’s a little bit intimidating and scary for me because I don’t know how everything will be perceived. But at the end of the day, I guess it’s like, what I give you is what you get. The most exciting part of filming the show is that it’s a nice change. I like to do things that scare me a little bit and this is something that I’m embracing. It’s a fun show, we’re entertaining and we’re going to give viewers tons of fashion. I think we’re putting RHONY back on the map and I’m excited to be part of this new cast. Right now, the sky’s the limit. I’m just going to ride this wave and see where it goes.

I would love to be involved with. I’ve been a longtime fan of Chanel. Miu Miu is also another big brand that I absolutely love. As someone who is a glam girl and loves to try all different types of hairstyles and things like that, I would love, love, love to create products in the hair space one day.

Attending shows during fashion month is always a full production with my team but I love that time of year. It’s tiring and exhausting, but there’s creativity behind it and at the end of the day, I love to create. Fashion is just my jam, it’s my personality, it’s the ability to wear your personality without having to say anything. I like to have fun. I don’t take myself too seriously. There are some behindthe-scenes moments where I’m literally changing in the back of a car. It’s not as glamorous as one might think, but I just love it. It’s sometimes a little chaotic and hectic but I’m here to make it look effortless.

—AS TOLD TO COLLEEN KRATOFIL

For the fashionable digital creator and new Real Housewives of New York City cast member, life is all about having fun—with a little manifesting along the way

DESIRE CONSTRUCTS OF

We spend our lives building things: careers, families, houses, wardrobes. Dare to make your next creation one that dazzles and blooms

Creative Direction by MARNE SCHWARTZ & DANÉ STOJANOVIC

Photographs by VLADIMIR MARTI Styled by LAURA JANE BROWN

Rock by GS Scarab Ring in 18k Yellow Gold, Diamonds & Blue Enamel, rockbygs.com.

Boucheron Plume de Paon Pendant Earrings in Yellow Gold with Diamond, boucheron.com.

Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale Platinum Ring with Emerald & Diamonds, chaumet.com.

Piaget Sunlight Rose Gold Ring with Diamonds, piaget.com.

Swarovski Triangle Cut, Blue, Gold-Tone Plated Curiosa Pendant, swarovski.com.

Hermès Long Necklace in Rose Gold, hermes.com.

CHANEL Coco Crush Toi et Moi Ring Quilted Motif in 18k Beige Gold with Diamonds, Coco Crush Toi et Moi Ring Quilted Motif in 18k White & Beige Gold with Diamonds, Coco Crush Quilted Motif Small Ring in 18k White Gold, Coco Crush Quilted Motif Small Ring in 18k Yellow Gold With Diamonds, Coco Crush Quilted Motif Large Ring in 18k White Gold with Diamonds, (800) 550-0005.

Dior Rose Céleste Ring in Yellow & White Gold, Diamonds & Mother-of-Pearl, dior.com. Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Solitaire Ringin Platinum with Diamonds, chaumet.com.

Prada Eternal Gold Multi-Coil Bracelet in Yellow Gold, prada.com. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Lock Bangle in Rose & White Gold with Half Pavé Diamonds, tiffany.com.

Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Long Necklace in Yellow Gold & Diamonds, vancleefarpels.com.

Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée Couleurs Ring in Yellow Gold & Emerald, vancleefarpels.com.

THE LION, THE GLITCH AND THE WARDROBE

Live from their living rooms, fashion’s keyboard warriors wield dismissal, conspiracies and ‘cancel’ bandwagons with increasing abandon. They’re known to spin opinions with little context and in the case of Schiaparelli’s Spring/ Summer ’23 haute couture collection, pitchforks were primed before the show even finished. So, do these faceless commenters offer valid feedback or are they simply quickdraw haters with nothing better to do?

Words by ALISSA THOMAS

Art by KIMBERLEE KESSLER

It’s fashion week and they are eagle eyed. As the show begins (live via social media) so too do their gripes. They declare they’d never wear such a garment. They announce they’re repulsed, bored or bewildered by the styles. They might claim to have “seen this all before” or that Lagerfeld or Elbaz or Westwood did it better. They might compare the clothes to circus costumes or to their grandmothers’ wardrobes, adding #whathappenedtofashion for rhetorical effect.

They are, of course, not the journalists paid to write about the latest in seasonal style. These are the armchair critics, the at-large purveyors, whose scrolling and trolling often leads to ranting about the absurdity of haute couture or the redundancy of prêt-à-porter. And while opinion tussling over mode du jour is nothing new (and an integral part of cultural balance) what has changed is the swiftness of the kicks and the very public platform.

Where once collections were presented to the world beside sufficient explanation in the days, even weeks, after the event they are now beamed to all corners of social media in real time—giving us all front row passes. And unlike with film, music or theater, the fashion runway offers no preview to prime audiences and they are given little to no prior understanding of the intention. All they have is the execution at face, or rather livestream, value.

In the case of Lionhead-gate, also known as Daniel Rosebery’s Schiaparelli Spring/ Summer ’23 haute couture collection, the role of intention and execution met a drastic crossroads. The creative director presented a homage to part one of Dante Alighieri’s 14th Century epic Divine Comedy, Inferno. Within the poem, three beasts appear—the lion, the leopard and the she-wolf—as prophetic apparitions of which the protagonist must overcome. Rosebery romanced the idea with a most Schiaparelli façadedistorted silhouettes, extravagant embellishment and plenty of surrealist pomp and ceremony but, most literally, he celebrated its image by manufacturing artificial heads of the bestial

metaphors onto three of the collection’s gowns. With the image of taxidermy fixed to glamorous couture, and none of the back story, the looks sent shockwaves across social media in minutes. Worn on the runway by Irina Shayk, Shalom Harlow and Naomi Campbell, and again on the red carpet by Kylie Jenner, it drew too close to a trend for skinned minks or big-game hunting. And despite, or perhaps because of, the elaborate precision of the Schiaparelli ateliers (the heads looked nothing short of absolutely real) any theatrical symbolism was lost and PETA was tagged.

“@schiaparelli RIP Aslan.”

“@schiaparelli There’s nothing fashion about pretending to wear dead animals.”

However, in the days that followed, president of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, did not denounce Rosebery’s inspiration, concluding that the looks “celebrated lions’ beauty” and that it was actually “fabulously innovative.” Her anti-conspiratorial take on the concept flailed the fist-wavers and the comments sections were soon overtaken by those defending his artistic connotation.

“@schiaparelli Couture is literally art, it does not need to be 100% understood and approved by the masses. As long as there is no animal cruelty involved, let the artist express himself.”

There is something unique about the public’s reaction to fashion in comparison to other artistic mediums. Perhaps it’s because the sartorial genre is parked in two distinct spaces one that is a fundamental human necessity (ie. the clothes on a person’s back) and another that is a radical, albeit exclusive, expression of modern design. This disconnect acts as a soap box for keyboard warriors who are quick to take offence or forge unfounded conspiracies. And, for those subscribing to the #fashionsgonemad ideology, designers are the ones drawing the blasphemy sword.

“@dietprada

amount called out the label for choosing a celebrity name over a traditional designer.

“@louisvuitton And next: Drake for Gucci.”

Of course, Schiaparelli isn’t the only one on the receiving end. Most designers who choose to merge art or social issues with their aesthetic are met with head-scratching from the wider community. The thing is, we’re not always meant to “get it.” When Viktor&Rolf presented their Spring 2023 collection in January, their use of sideways and upside-down ball gowns challenged the status quo in a facetious, unsettling way, and it was met with the expected grievances.

But does it matter? Do comments trends reflect actual sales trends, running parallel with market value and consumer interest? In the case of Chanel, where online fanatics express constant complaints over the post-Lagerfeld era, you could be forgiven for thinking the brand might be out of favor. However, in the two years following Karl

customers anyway.

In addition to Williams, the industry has announced another two other major appointments for this year. Daniel Lee, whose tenure at Bottega Veneta ended in 2021, has moved to Burberry, while Valentino alum Sabato De Sarno will take over from Alessandro Michele at Gucci. The comments cowboys were quick to cast their opinions, with rhetoric around mourning the exit of wunderkind Michele and excitement over Lee’s ability to “save Burberry” (though his decision to remove the current “serif-font" logo and return to its heritage was a divisive start).

Cavilling modern couture has long been something of a lowbrow sport. Not unlike the kid in art class who repeatedly exclaimed he could have painted The Scream if he wanted to, it seems online commentators just love to hate. Yet, it’s not only the more esoteric corners of high fashion that stir the trolling pot. While haute couture tends to draw the most obvious attention, mainstream luxury has also seen a rise in social chatter. Everything from creative director announcements to company mergers to label acquisitions have become zeitgeist gossip fodder. Those who follow Insta-vigilantes Diet Prada (run by Lindsey Schuyler and Tony Liu) will be well-versed in the ever-dramatic ins and outs of the industry as well as the snap-quick comments from their fashion aficionado followers. The comments-warriors on pages like these are sartorial almanacs, knowing their Micheles from their McQueens, their Vaccarellos from their Tiscis. And they take no prisoners when it comes to calling out derivative design, cultural appropriation or unsatisfactory collections. In 2019, their screenshots of Stefanno Gabbana’s racial tirade resulted in a $600 million damages lawsuit against the Instagram duo.

Zeitgeist accounts such as this (as well as mainstream fashion sites) have created a community for the online sub-genre of unofficial industry experts. Their comments wells have become a meeting place for those preempting matters of the style business. In February of this year, when Louis Vuitton announced singer Pharrell Williams would succeed the late Virgil Abloh as creative director of menswear, gossip went into overdrive. While many decided it was a genius marketing decision, a disproportionate

Lagerfeld’s death, when Virginie Viard became creative director, Chanel’s profits increased by more than 22% with record sales across all categories*. If this is a trend, then it seems online opinion produces little more than hot air, and from people who are mostly unlikely to be

Marie-Claude Mallat, owner of Australian public relations agency MCMPR, explains that the teams behind the designers do need to realize there is weight in social media’s influence. “Since the rise of social media, we have seen brands adapting to larger resource bases—time and people—to manage social media in general. A part of this is social listening and comment monitoring. They monitor both positive and adverse commentary,” she told GRAZIA “[But] there really isn’t one single best approach for all situations. Brands need to assess the comments and evaluate the best course of action. Some of the questions we ask when commentary is adverse is, is there merit to the feedback? Does the brand have a social responsibility in this particular situation to its community to respond or repair? So it’s a case by case assessment.”

After the Schiaparelli incident, Rosebery remained mum on the backlash. In the immediacy his silence drew criticism, yet as time went on it seemed the best approach. However, when labels are accused of more troublesome antics (Balenciaga, Yeezy and Alexander Wang have all recently caused news-worthy controversies) comment riots are an understandable fallout and forces designers to face the music. In these cases, social commentary is invaluable in not only calling out the infractions but likely to help reduce toxic behaviors in the future.

Mallat agrees that depending on the situation, conversation from the community can be constructive. “Many brands have, in fact, found the immediate feedback very helpful. Their community’s engagement with collections, specific items and campaigns gives the brand a read on what has worked. This can impact decisions made around production levels and quantities. With the right approach to production management, this can reduce waste but also maximize the brand’s opportunity to fill demand.”

There’s no doubt that designers today live in a particularly Gogglebox time they are publicly exposed to the opinions of people who aren’t necessarily customers but are heavily engaged in their process. People who have the potential to reach the eyes and ears of millions of others.

Awful! So called “fashion” has become an absurd mockery of demonic propaganda”

“@viktor&rolf What the hell is going on?!”

“@viktor&rolf Between this and the stuffed animals, fashion houses are going crazy if you ask me.”

With this in mind there are also many designers using this exposure to their advantage, with some even designing purely to gain notoriety from the masses (the Big Red Boots those gigantic cartoon-shaped boots all over TikTok by New York art collaborative MSCHF, have reportedly already completely sold out). Whatever the designer’s intention, however, there's no question that they are much more likely to consider social repercussions than their predecessors ever would have.

Nearly three decades ago Alexander McQueen presented his Fall/Winter 1995 collection entitled The Highland Rape. It was an oeuvre of rebellious tartan suits, nipplebaring lace gowns and punked-up Scottish kilts. Shocking and aggressive, its name was meant in a military sense the colonization of his ancestral home of Scotland by England during the Highland Clearances of the late 18th Century and it had nothing to do with sexual assault. While today the term would be taboo in any context, had McQueen presented this collection alongside its title now (and without explanation) it’s likely he would have been canceled for good.

Today, finding a balance between artistic freedom and social responsibility is a very public matter for designers, and deciding when to listen and when to ignore can be challenging. When Elsa Schiaparelli first began including eccentric appliqué and surrealist art in her designs in the 1930s she was met with plenty of conservative criticism. Had her critics' influence been louder and more visible the subsequent future of her label might have been very different.

But it’s not all bad. Even given today’s heavily criticized industry, there are moments that welcome unanimous applause. Most recently, Haider Ackermann’s guest couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier was universally lauded from for its decadent, respectful elegance as was debut designer Rahul Mishra (the first Indian to show on the official couture schedule) whose distinctly innovative show revealed a totally appreciated return to supreme construction.

But perhaps most pertinent was the announcement of the impending return of Phoebe Philo. The leader of minimalist high fashion who left an #OldCeline-sized hole in the hearts of industry die-hards with her exit in 2017, is returning with a namesake label. A barrage of “she’s coming to save fashion!” and “God Bless The Queen!!” comments ensued. It finally seemed there was something everyone could agree on.

“@phoebephilo Okay, but what’s with the bold serif logo font?!”

Guess you can’t please all of the people, all of the time. G

An ode to our flying feathered friends’ habitats, we decorate their nests with the season’s hottest bags

Creative Direction by MARNE SCHWARTZ & DANÉ STOJANOVIC

Photographs by VLADIMIR MARTI Art by KIMBERLEE KESSLER Styled by LAURA JANE BROWN

Marni Venice Leather Bucket Bag With Fringes, marni.com.

Bottega Veneta Small Clicker Bag Intreccio Padded Nappa, bottegaveneta.com.

Valentino Garavani Toile Iconoraphe Le Cinquieme Bucket Bag, valentino.com.

Paco Rabanne Pacoio Cabas Leather Tote Bag, pacorabanne.com.

Valentino Garavani V-Logo Signature Tote, valentino.com.

Loewe Clutch in Nappa Calfskin, loewe.com.

WHAT HAS BEEN WILL BE AGAIN

It’s often that we dismiss our ever-changing taste in fashions as a kind of natural growth. But when it comes to the trends we abandon and embrace, only to throw away again, maybe there’s more to our ficklehearted consumption than a bit of good marketing

Words by PEMA BAKSHI

When I first laid eyes on Balenciaga’s Motorcycle Bag during its zenith in the early 2000s—made immensely desirable by a Starbucks-fueled Mary-Kate Olsen almost two decades ago—its impact was colossal. Even as a pre-teen, the space it occupied in my brain bordered on unhealthy. But as the years went on, my head had been turned to numerous other "It"styles, each evoking a similar sense of necessity, and I had all but forgotten about the Motorcycle. Fast-forward another few years, and I found myself feverishly searching for the bag once again—this time not held back by my lack of income, but by the overwhelming realization that it could become of little interest soon enough. We see this happen all the time. Styles and trends can have a hold on us… until they don’t.

They come around, and we decide we want— or need, in some cases—to hop on board the bandwagon. We may wear them to death, or just a handful of times, or even none at all, but eventually, much of what we covet makes its way to the back of our wardrobes, eliciting deep regret at the thought over time. That is, of course, until they’re ushered back into fashion’s spotlight, once again piquing our interest. Sworn-off trends and outdated styling creep back up to the forefront of our minds with renewed appreciation. While we know it’s only natural that we as humans grow and evolve our wants and needs, our taste, the

thing that influences our changing feelings about clothing, can actually be more constructed than intuitive. In fact, how we learn to interact with clothes, is not so different to how we learn to interact with people.

“To understand why we can lose interest in clothes, we need to look at why we become attached in the first place, as well as what influences our sense of aesthetic taste,” says Professor Carolyn Mair PhD, a Behavioral Psychologist and author of The Psychology of Fashion. “Humans operate on a reward and punishment basis,” explains Mair. “The reward, when it comes to fashion, is that we experience positive outcomes from wearing particular clothes or trends. Those positive emotions feed our subconscious feelings about the clothes themselves.”

While rewards can be external, much of the feelings can be self-imposed, with our own beliefs that we’re looking great to the world, or achieving what we’re setting out to do, giving us enough to generate those positive connections to clothes. How we learn to make these connections—and how they can change—is through our formation of taste and what Mair refers to as "signaling." As social animals, we’re constantly striving to align ourselves with communities. Whether they’re within our proximity or not, these communities we see ourselves as part of help shape the lens with which we see the world, and, in turn, influence our taste. The shifts of influencing and being

influenced by a community can ebb and flow, but the signaling never stops, and it’s important to our sense of social identity. We may not always be conscious of it, but our brains are constantly identifying and soaking up these codes and signals from our surroundings like a sponge. Think of it in the context of the "If you know, you know" effect, just as part of your brain lights up when you spot someone with the same reading material you love, we might evoke this same effect with our style—after all, before our words or bodies talk, our clothes can say a lot.

“Our clothing can allow us to belong to groups through alignment,” says Mair. “Just as the way following certain people, brands or publications on Instagram can align us, dressing in a certain way can do the same.”

When we gain the belief that we’re signaling correctly through our clothing, according to our desired community, that’s when we can form these attachments. Not so much in what they are actually doing for us, but what we project they can do. As our understanding of the world and our community alignments shift or grow, so too does this taste. And while it makes sense to see this as a linear process of "evolving" taste, the resurrection of old trends tells us otherwise. Just as we can lose our love for particular clothes when our ideas of what they do (or don’t do) for us change, we can just as simply learn to love them again.

But as recent years have tested, when we spend years filled with regret, carefully scrubbing our social media of any signs that we ever engaged with "bad" trends, how does it make sense that we could come crawling back to such styles again? According to Mair, the styles may technically be the same, they are different.

“It’s how fashion works,” she explains of fashion’s tendency to revive old trends. “We find new ways to appreciate these styles.” Clare Ferra, founder of luxury vintage retailer IRVRSBL, echoes these statements, telling us, “trends never come back the exact same way… there’s always a twist.”

On a psychological level, this means that the general feelings of positivity about particular clothing can come back after a hiatus, but the way we’re viewing these styles isn’t the same. I.e. our love for old "It"bags may come back, but the taste we’re applying to this style isn’t the same, and we see this in the different ways we might wear old clothes and accessories in the present, as opposed to when we first acquired them.

As many of us have experienced, whether finding an old favorite at the back of your closet or being

inexplicably drawn to the once-untouchables at a thrift store, our opinions of certain clothing can seemingly change overnight. One example of this process in action is the controversial return of Y2K fashion. The era of excess and impracticality has been sweeping the fashion industry at both high-end and consumer tiers. Whether it’s skinny jeans at Celine, butterfly tops at Blumarine or the fervent demand for pieces from John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier’s earlier collections, the most jarring trends of the 2000s are undeniably having an extended moment again, inviting extreme reactions on both ends of the spectrum.

There’s no getting around the business aspect of fashion, of which recycled trends are an integral part of the machine. But while trends from the past have long been recycled, the rate at which these pieces come back around is undoubtedly speeding up. Where we were adopting "vintage" clothing from our parents’ heydays, we’re suddenly being beckoned to appreciate what we had up until recently, grown to believe was just plain outdated. Though the mental process of loving or loathing these clothes is relative to our formed taste, the experience of this process in the digital era is something our brains are still trying to get around.

“It’s impossible to keep up now,” laments Mair, explaining that these responses of love and hate for clothing will naturally feel more polarizing because of how quickly things come and go from the trend cycle. “Pieces aren’t in shop windows long enough to grow on you anymore,” she says.

So, while the connection between our aesthetic taste and our fundamental need for community will always be symbiotic, what we’re seeing now is the lines getting more twisted as subcultures and microfashion movements continue to gain momentum over monolithic trends. And as anyone whose online in the 2020s will attest, the sheer deluge of coverage and production for even the most fleeting of micro-trends can leave us with whiplash, and a bit of confusion to say the least.

Beyond the Y2K revival, fashion will constantly spit out trends to generate a reaction. Even the most polarizing of styles will go from controversial to trendy to everywhere, filtering through all price point tiers, to being popular, to being a bit gauche before they’re back in the thrift shop bins where they may rest easy knowing they will have their time again. Whether or not we decide to jump back on the bandwagon a second, third or fourth time, is a pending matter. G

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ON W A T C H

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Labor of

The Italian town where fashion mogul Brunello Cucinelli grew up positively impacted his life, and now he’s returning the favor

Words by AARON RASMUSSEN

love

At first glance, Solomeo appears to be another picture-perfect sleepy hilltop hamlet in Umbria, Italy. But a closer look reveals that not only is the medieval village home to Brunello Cucinelli and his eponymous global brand that started with cashmere knitwear, it’s also what he calls the “essence” and “heart” of his personal,

entrepreneurial and spiritual journey.

Understanding Cucinelli’s passion for Solomeo requires knowing his long history in the area.

“There are countless moments that make this place so important in my life,” he tells GRAZIA USA. “I grew up in this region, as the son of a farmer. I fell in love with this land in those tender years as a child, watching my family come together after a long day working the land and

never arguing or feeling humiliated.” Rather than weariness or shame, he notes that “there was so much beauty to those moments and it helped me develop an appreciation for simple pleasures and tradition.”

One of life’s more magical pleasures is falling in love, and the destinies of Cucinelli and Solomeo became inextricably linked when he first crossed paths with his future spouse, Federica. “My wife

LOOKING FORWAR D

was born here and we met on the streets of this town when we were just 17,” he recalls. The couple married and raised two daughters, Camilla and Carolina. As children, the girls played in the square under the watchful eye of their grandfather, who passed away last year at 100 years old. “We built our lives and the company here in hopes of preserving the values that we cherished so much growing up, of tradition and family,” Cucinelli says.

His focus on preservation naturally extends to his beloved Solomeo and this idyllic corner of the country. Through The Brunello and Federica Cucinelli Foundation, established in 2010, the entrepreneur has worked hard to preserve the land and historic monuments, including a castle in the center of the hamlet that now houses part of his company. A theater Cucinelli built allows locals to enjoy arts and culture, and next year he plans to open a “Universal Library” in an 18th-century villa that will be stocked with a vast collection of books focusing on philosophy, history, architecture and more of his favorite subjects. “Books have been my companions since I was a young man,” he explains. “Giving an opportunity to others to experience their wisdom is an important dream for me.”

Cucinelli is a firm believer in the concept of genius loci, or feeling the soul of a place and the impression it makes, and the concept has informed many of his

“WE BUILT OUR LIVES AND THE COMPANY HERE IN HOPES OF PRESERVING THE VALUES THAT WE CHERISHED SO MUCH GROWING UP, OF TRADITION AND FAMILY.”

Brunello Cucinelli notes Umbria is a spiritual place, where “stillness and peaceful quiet” can be found in a long walk in the woods or a hike through the mountains. “I am attached and committed to my region.”

decisions—past and present. “The idea of home is so important to me,” Cucinelli says, noting enjoying such deep roots in one place keeps him grounded and symbolizes “stability, warmth, family, light and serenity.” He adds, “We built our home in Solomeo with this concept in mind, respecting homes near us and the landscape built before we became a part of this village’s story.”

And like the generations that preceded him, Cucinelli acknowledges he too is a temporary guardian who must one day hand over the keys to this special kingdom to those who follow. “It is now a vibrant and lively place that has a bright future,” he says of enhancing Solomeo’s soul. “This brings me peace and joy. We have done our best to leave this place more beautiful than we found it and we helped create a culture of respect for preserving the spirit and beauty of this land.”

“WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST TO LEAVE THIS PLACE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN WE FOUND IT.”

“I felt it was important to do something meaningful with my work, and restoring the beauties of our beloved Solomeo and region felt like a project close to my heart and soul,” Cucinelli says. “It became a mission.”

STYLISH STAYS

Top

Words by CASEY BRENNAN & AARON RASMUSSEN

Armani Hotel, Milano

Sleek, modern, luxurious—the Armani Hotel Milano is everything you’d expect from the brand. The seventh-floor reception area starts stays with a wonderful welcome and it’s a great place to take in bird’seye views of Italy’s fashion capital. But before heading to the high-end shops and sights on the streets below—the Duomo is just a 10-minute walk away—the rooms give guests the chance to cocoon for a meditative moment. Oyster, pewter, cream and other soothing shades offer a sense of calm and there’s little ornamentation to distract the senses. A lifestyle manager is always on-hand to ensure every need or whim is taken care of while you’re enjoying the hotel or spending time out and about. But is there really any reason to ever leave? locations.armani.com -AR

fashion designers and houses put their spin on these chic properties, making them the world’s most desirable destinations for savvy travelers

Round Hill Hotel & Villas

by Ralph Lauren,

Jamaica

Since opening in 1954, Round Hill has epitomized Caribbean chic. The resort is spread out over a 110-acre peninsula, complete with a private secluded beach and grounds lush with tropical foliage, and it’s maintained that classic allure over the years thanks to Ralph Lauren. He purchased a vacation home known as High Rock at Round Hill on Jamaica’s north coast in the 1980s and he renovated it with signature RL touches: mahogany paneling, banana leaf rugs, black and white photographs and louvered windows and doors. Now, the fashion designer’s influence is felt all around the resort, from the villas and suites he designed to the Ralph Lauren Cocktail Bar, a watering hole featuring Round Hill’s resident pianist and vocalist. Those who can’t make it to the hotel can recreate Lauren’s breezy seaside vibe at home with his special line of Round Hill housewares. roundhill.com -CB

Fendi Private Suites, Rome

Well-heeled Fendi afficionados visiting the flagship store in Rome can kick off their shoes and stay awhile. The fashion house’s very first boutique hotel, located on the third floor of the historic Palazzo Fendi, is intimate enough to seem like your own personal apartment in the heart of the Eternal City. The property’s inviting lounge serves as a living room and radiates warmth through its travertine walls, velvet seating, Lindsey Adelman Studio bubble chandelier and focalpoint fireplace. Each of the seven suites in the historic building is unique, but all exude the same superior level of coziness and relaxed luxury. Fendi Casa pieces, including beds, couches and side tables, fill rooms appointed with Jan Kath carpets, Giò Ponti mirrors, Fendi Casa linens and other thoughtful touches that make this special place feel like home. fendiprivatesuites.com -AR

Karl Lagerfeld in Estates at Acqualina, Miami

Karl Lagerfeld’s designs continue to live on in the recently debuted South Tower lobby at The Estates at Acqualina in Miami’s Sunny Isles Beach, a $1.8 billiondollar residential development. The stunning lobby features “A Tale of Two Fountains,” a 61-foot backlit glass mural made up of a collage of black-and-white photos Lagerfeld took of the most striking fountains and arches in Rome. Cast-aluminum swans float above banquettes covered in silver pearl fabric. Lagerfeld tied in other Miami hues through his use of cerulean blue, white, gray and pale pink. “Everything Karl Lagerfeld touched benefitted from his brilliant point of view,” Jules Trump, developer of The Estates at Acqualina, tells GRAZIA USA. “The lobbies at The Estates at Acqualina reflect his exquisite taste and impeccable eye for detail with custom features, finishes and furnishings, all conceived and designed by Mr. Lagerfeld himself.” estatesatacqualina.com -CB

Casa de Campo Resort & Villas by Oscar de la Renta, Dominican Republic

Known for his stunning runway looks, the late Dominican-American designer Oscar de la Renta also made his mark on this Caribbean escape. The most exclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, de la Renta built his own oceanfront home on the 7,000-acre Casa de Campo Resort & Villas while also lending his design expertise to the entire property, curating everything from the bedspreads and curtains to staff uniforms, which feature a signature red and white checked pattern. casadecampo.com.do -CB

Hotel Continentale, Florence

A property of the Ferragamo family, Hotel Continentale in Florence can claim the honor of being among the very first design hotels to open in Italy. The property’s chic interior is bathed in white, creating a romantic blank canvas for a visit to the Tuscan city of art outside its doors. History plays an important part in Florence, and the same goes for the 43-room hotel. The medieval Consorti Tower, one of few that survived World War II bombing, is incorporated into the property that’s located on the Arno at the foot of Ponte Vecchio and around the corner from the Uffizi Gallery’s Renaissance masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci and other famed art stars. On a more modern note, the 1950s and ’60s—a creative, stylish and euphoric time in Florence—served as inspiration for Hotel Continentale’s design and can be seen everywhere from the refined furnishings in the lobby and rooms to classic Italian cocktails served on the terrace. lungarnocollection.com -AR

Bulgari Hotel, Paris

Bulgari’s style and savoir-faire shine bright in the City of Light. The Italian maison has hotels throughout the world—Miami Beach and Los Angeles are slated to join the portfolio in the next few years—but the Paris location is arguably its crown jewel. Floor-to-ceiling windows afford interiors plenty of sun as well as stunning panoramic vistas of the French capital in all its iconic, elegant glory. Housed in a former 1970s post office on the Right Bank, the sophisticated Bulgari Hotel, much like the French, eschews gaucheness and embraces refinement in all its many forms, from polished eucalyptus-paneled and Vescom fabric-covered walls to the spa’s 82-foot pool mosaiced in emerald, jade, malachite and gold tiles. bulgarihotels.com -AR

Pelican Miami Beach by Renzo Rosso

When the boutique hotel Pelican Miami Beach was acquired by Diesel founder Renzo Rosso, it received a seriously fashionable upgrade. The historic Art Deco property, situated on Ocean Drive and overlooking the Atlantic, features playfully designed guestrooms and suites as well as a single penthouse, inspired by movie sets. All feature unique vintage furniture and artifacts from the 1930s through 1990s sourced from flea markets around the world. The property’s beachfront Pelican Café offers all-day dining from the Italianinspired menu along with a selection of Italian spumante and French champagne. pelicanhotel.com -CB

Lucy Boynton REIGNS SUPREME

The actress has big shoes to fill playing Marie Antoinette in her latest film, Chevalier , but the skilled star is more than prepared for the task

Photographs by NICOLE NODLAND

Styled by J. ERRICO

Words by COLLEEN KRATOFIL

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“I’M JUST REALLY PROUD TO BE A PART OF SHINING A LIGHT ON [JOSEPH BOLOGNE’S] STORY.”

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Whether you’re a fan of Lucy Boynton from her appearances in projects like Bohemian Rhapsody and Ryan Murphy’s The Politician or have photos of her avant-garde red carpet beauty looks saved on Pinterest boards, the actress has a certain way of standing out—no matter which stars surround her. She’s steadily worked since her first role at the age of 12 in the 2006 film Miss Potter, and yet, she’s managed to stay out of the headlines and have attention focused solely on one thing: her work.

So who is the real Lucy Boynton? While she says she thinks of show business as her “job” rather than her “entire identity,” the schedule of an actor means a typical day doesn’t really exist. “Because of this job, it gets you into a strange momentum,” Boynton, 29, tells GRAZIA USA. Currently, for instance, she’s in a “really odd jetlag space” and waking up at 3:00 a.m. “I'll sit up and read in bed or watch something,” the star says. “Being up at an hour where very few other people are awake has been so cathartic and peaceful and it feels like I'm getting a jump start on my day, but privately, and so that has been a really lovely habit to get into.”

Time off for Boynton includes taking trips home to her native London and catching up on all the things she’s missed while on set. She also values hanging out with friends and family and creating “some semblance of a routine and integrating myself back into my life.” She may even pop by an art class. “I really, really love pottery painting, especially those evenings where you can bring a bottle of wine,” she

shares. “I have an embarrassment of a collection of painted bowls and mugs, but it's so cathartic and fun.”

Boynton keeps her personal life intensely private, which means fans won’t find her sharing on Instagram photos of her love life (she’s been tied to actor Rami Malek), or, say, nights at the pottery studio. For the actress, the healthiest way to approach social media is doing what comes naturally. “I really value it, but I realize that I value it when I'm using it for work,” she says. “It doesn't make sense to me to use it to kind of showcase my private life. I just don’t really have an instinct to show friends or family on it.”

Lately, she’s been busy creating posts to promote her new film, Chevalier, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will hit theaters on April 21.

The drama tells the story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the son of a slave and a French plantation owner, who ascends in French society because of his musical talent as a conductor, composer and violin virtuoso. Bologne (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) befriends—then falls out with—Marie Antoinette, portrayed by Boynton.

Taking on the role of the controversial political figure initially caused the actress pause. “My first question was whether or not we needed to hear a voice like that of Marie Antoinette at the moment,” Boynton explains. “And then I read the script and I felt quite embarrassed by my kind of presumption. I think it was based on this preconceived idea that I had of her, which isn't necessarily accurate. It's just been shaped by the cultural representation of her, in the way that she's been kind of villainized.”

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“I’VE BEEN SO HAPPY, AND I’VE BEEN SITTING BACK AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT EQUATION WAS THAT MADE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS SO JOYFUL.”

Thanks to screenwriter Stefani Robinson’s “fresh take” on the era and how it “pulls it right into the zeitgeist and brings such cultural relevance to it,” Boynton got on board.

“When I first heard the name, Joseph Bologne, I assumed that I wasn't familiar with him at all. It didn't ring familiar,” the actress recalls. “And then I realized that he is who a lot of historians or historical texts have referred to as ‘Black Mozart.’ I had a really interesting conversation with Stephen Williams, the director, about the erasure of people by attributing them to usually successful white men. And too often, that rhetoric is ‘the Black version of’ or ‘the female version of.’ It’s a really strategic way to erase someone and kind of redirect credit elsewhere. Therefore, right from the get-go, this whole thing has been such an education.”

Boynton notes she’s grateful for Robinson’s research and for the work of the historian and fact checker on the film. “I think it's really highlighted the gaps in our historical knowledge, and it's a good reminder that these history textbooks and our curriculum has had a very specific author and it’s important to really challenge yourself and read outside of that in order to get the full picture,” she says. “I'm just really proud to be a part of shining a light on that story."

When it came to her role, Boynton says she was “informed” by past portrayals of Marie Antoinette in pop culture, but she knew it would be impossible to show the “entirety of a human being” in a 90-minute movie—especially one that wasn’t centered on her character. That gave her, she says, “permission to just channel what is important in this story.” In this case, that was the queen’s friendship with Bologne.

Boynton typically doesn’t have a prescribed

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method for choosing roles, nor does she have a bucket list of specific projects she wants to be a part of. Rather, it’s “usually quite instinctive,” she says. “It's a combination of seeing who's already attached, especially the director, because I think if you share the same ultimate goal as the director, in terms of your character and the message of the story and the goals in the takeaway of the film, then it makes for a really exciting process and a really creatively liberating and collaborative one.”

Next on her to-do list, Boynton will be working on an indie movie she feels “really passionate about,” and she’ll be tackling a project with a director she’s wanted to work with for years. “The thing that excites me most is the idea of being caught off guard or just emotionally affected by the script and the character and getting that adrenaline rush of ‘I must do this, and I can't wait to start.’”

That passion for acting ignited in Boynton at 10 years old, when a “game changer” drama teacher started at her school. “We had science teachers doubling as drama teachers and it was something that wasn't taken seriously at all,” Boynton recalls. The new teacher explained technique, gave validity to the craft and “introduced acting to us as an opportunity to discover someone else's experience and live outside of our own life and our own self for a period of time," Boynton says. “I had no concept of how to get there and how to do it. I didn't know any actors, but I knew that it was something I really loved and felt passionate about.”

Boynton considers herself lucky to have found her passion early on. “Once you start to gear yourself in a certain

direction, you become very determined, and everything works towards feeding that ambition,” she says. “To be able to start doing that at 11, 12 years old, I just feel really grateful. I was working with the kindest, most nurturing directors and producers and other actors and I can't believe how fortunate my introduction to this industry was.”

One lesson she learned at the beginning was to continually redefine what success means to her. “I was given the advice that it’s going to change constantly as you grow up, but just keep checking in with yourself and keep deciding and defining for yourself what happiness and success is,” she shares. “Just the acknowledgement that [it] will change as you grow up gives you so much leeway to keep reengaging with what your own goals are. And it keeps you much more sane, I think, to do that rather than trying to fulfill some prescription of what success or happiness should look like.”

What does “success” look like for Boynton at this moment? “It's finding balance. It’s giving my personal life and home life as much attention and feeding and watering as much as I have spent doing it for my work,” she explains. “Being present for friends and life events has made me really happy recently, so I'm definitely putting more effort into that.”

Boynton adds the last few years have been the best of her career thanks to the projects she’s worked on, and she wants to keep the momentum going. “I've been so happy, and I've been sitting back and trying to understand what that equation was that made the last couple of years so joyful,” she shares. “But ultimately, I think [the goal is] balance, as cringe and cliché as it is, and staying true to yourself.”

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“THE THING THAT EXCITES ME MOST IS THE IDEA OF BEING CAUGHT OFF GUARD OR JUST EMOTIONALLY AFFECTED BY THE SCRIPT AND GETTING THAT ADRENALINE RUSH OF ‘I MUST DO THIS, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START.’”

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THE

When you’re looking to stand out, bold prints, bright colors and subtle sheer fabrics always do the trick

Creative & Fashion direction by MARNE SCHWARTZ

Photographs by VLADMIRE MARTI

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LIKE A WORK OF

art

The key pieces of Italian style have rich textures and sculptural lines that attract the eyes

Photographs by EMRE GUVEN

Styled by SELIN BURSALIOGLU

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wanderlust

For those dreaming of new adventures, the streets of Marrakech await. Pack enveloping trench coats and soft dresses for looks that are ready to roam

Photographs by EDGAR BERG

Styled by ANNA CASTAN

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In a natural park in the United Arab Emirates, styles in fluid lines and delicate shades become one with the rhythms of nature

Photographs by VLADIMIR MARTI

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FeelsLike Hom e

When La DoubleJ founder JJ Martin transformed her whitewalled Milan apartment into a vibrant space packed with colorful patterns, it was all about following her instinct and not playing by any rulebook

Photographs by ROBYN LEA

Words by COLLEEN KRATOFIL

hen designer JJ Martin began her search for a new home following a divorce, she spoke to estate brokers, visited spaces recommended by friends, and went through all the routine steps. But after she didn’t see anything that appealed to her, the La DoubleJ designer took matters into her own hands. “I decided to go walk down one of my favorite streets in Milan and I just started interviewing all the doormen,” Martin tells GRAZIA USA about her apartment hunt in the Italian city she’s called home for 21 years. “Doormen in Milan have all the secret insider information.”

Martin was told again and again there were no available apartments—until she got to the last building. “The doorman said, ‘No, I don’t have anything. But I just heard about this amazing place on one of the most beautiful streets in Milan. It’s not far from here. Run over and go check it out.’”

When Martin walked into the space, “every wall was white and there wasn’t a single lamp or lighting fixture, not a sink in the entire house,” she recalls. In fact, she adds, there weren’t even closets or a kitchen. Nevertheless, she knew she had found the one.

“What really attracted me to it was the beautiful light and the beautiful bones of the house,” she says of the space built in 1910. “There was all of this gorgeous molding on the ceilings and around the doorways, and then the floors were beautiful terrazzo marble, as well as parquet with wooden strips that look almost like herring bone, which is very typical in old homes.”

One week after moving into the threebedroom apartment, COVID-19 hit. The government put strict lockdowns into place in Milan, and for three months, Martin was stuck living with nothing but a mattress on the floor, one couch and two lamps. “That was very challenging,” she notes. Martin had to learn to have patience when stores closed and workmen couldn’t enter her home. “I’m the kind of person who likes to always stay busy. I do one thing, then I want to do the next, and the next,” she says. “I really had to learn how to just cool my jets and just do one little thing and then wait. And then do one little thing and then wait. But it gave me a lot of time to just sink into the space and feel it out. But it

Martin’s meditation room features a Tibetan altar placed on a 1950s Italian consul with Balinese fans adorning the walls.

was frustrating, let me tell you.”

She began “planting seeds” by researching furniture and décor pieces online, reaching out to artists, like print designer Kirsten Synge, who created wallpaper in the dining room based off collages Martin found in Bali. Martin also took the time to sort through her belongings, which turned into inventive décor inspiration. “I was going through boxes and when I laid out all of my vintage jewelry on the floor, I was like, ‘Oh, this looks so good on the floor. I wonder if I should just put that on the wall?’” Those necklaces now hang in the bathroom. “A lot of ideas were incubating during COVID and then slowly but surely,

everything just kind of piled up and started swirling,” she says.

For Martin, piecing together the perfect combination of elements in a room is all about following her gut instinct. “I totally experiment,” she says. “I’m not very methodical or organized, and so usually I don’t have the whole thing thought out from start to finish. I always just start with one object—that could be the wallpaper or the couch or the carpet— and then I think, ‘What would accompany that?’ Then when those two are together, I think, ‘OK, what would accompany that?’ It’s really this building block that is based on intuition and there’s a lot of trial and error.”

She’s already changed elements of the home that didn’t quite speak to her, including the muted celery color of her bedroom walls, which are now an oxblood red. “Literally the minute the green went up, I just felt the pang in my stomach. I was like, ‘This is not right. I hate this celery color.’ I walked into the bedroom, and I felt wimpy. There was no energy coming off the walls.” The new and improved oxblood red, she notes, is “like living in a dark, raw cave and I love it. It feels so juicy.”

Part of trusting her instincts comes from understanding the energy colors emit. “I’ve always been attracted to color, patterns, prints and embellishments my whole life, but it wasn’t really until I started my spiritual practice and learned about energy [that I] understood that color holds frequency,” Martin explains. “Different colors are vibrating at different energetics, and you can really draw energy from color. That’s kind of the same approach and outlook that I take with the company. We’re not just doing patterns and prints randomly, it’s really because they create the dialogue within you and within other people.”

Martin’s space is now filled with the kind

The bathroom wallpaper was a ready-to-wear La DoubleJ print before it was recolored for Martin’s space. The brand is launching wallpaper during Salone del Mobile this spring.

“I FEEL THAT HOME IS WHERE YOU CAN UNBUCKLE YOURSELF, WHERE YOU CAN REALLY ALLOW EVERYTHING TO KIND OF MELT OFF OF YOU.”

of delightfully bright hues and pops of prints that she designs for La DoubleJ’s assortment of clothing, accessories and décor. It was important for Martin to have color and pattern that “spoke” to her and felt “very harmonious and balanced and organized.” Because her thoughts can be scattered, she says, “I like to have my environment very organized, and the furniture needs to live together and sit together in a way that brings me peace. I just find apartments that have all white walls and very little decor a little bit heartless and soulless.”

As she transformed the space into her home, one room became a dedicated meditation sanctuary that houses a yoga mat and a bookshelf as well as a Tibetan altar filled with spiritual memorabilia, statues of gods and goddesses, pictures of her parents, and other symbolic pieces. The altar rests on a 1950s Italian console table, and Balinese spiritual fans adorn the surrounding wall. Another special touch in the designer’s favorite room is the handpainted ceiling featuring a gold mosaic inspired

“DIFFERENT COLORS ARE VIBRATING AT DIFFERENT ENERGETICS, AND YOU CAN REALLY DRAW ENERGY FROM COLOR.”

“I have plants in every room. It’s so important to bring nature into your environment,” Martin says. “That’s part of what makes it so cozy.”

by a Byzantine church she once visited in Ravenna. Martin showed her friend, painter Jay Lohmann, a photograph and he snuck over and recreated the mosaic on her ceiling during the COVID lockdown.

From armchairs covered in Holliday & Brown prints reissued by Prada in the early 2000s, to Molteni tables used at La DoubleJ’s office, Martin points out that most of the furniture in her home is Italian, vintage and “almost everything has a weird story about like how I got it.” For instance, a Milanese antique dealer, Raimondo Garau, helped Martin find her 1990s Poliform kitchen that was saved when its previous owner was about to throw it out. Garau also sourced sconces from 1910, the year her building was built. “It’s very cool to have something very Milanaise from the

same decade to put into the house,” Martin says.

The designer’s gift of creating a space that blooms with color and reverberates with energy but still maintains a sense of comfort and serenity is unique—and one that isn’t easily replicated. “It’s just purely feeling based,” she says of her approach. “There are no rules. Once I feel that sense of freedom and that sense of relief when I walk into a room, then I know that the room is complete and that things have been arranged in a way that feels most aligned for my own energy.”

While creating her version of the perfect atmosphere in her apartment may have been a process filled with fits and starts, Martin has finally settled into her own special vision of home sweet home. G

OPEN WATER,

Photographs by CATHERINE DE ORIO, AARON RASMUSSEN, AND PONANT/TAMAR SARKISSIAN

Words by AARON RASMUSSEN

Shark!” I spit the snorkel from my mouth and look up as an expedition leader excitedly waves in my direction from aboard a Zodiac inflatable boat that’s floating nearby. I jerk to my right, where I expect to see my freediving instructor, Francine Kreiss, motioning me to safety. Instead, she plunges forward, kicking her bladelike fins, and tells me to follow. If she’s not terrified, I think, then I have nothing to fear either. I find out later that she has a soft spot for sharks—of all temperaments—but the whale shark that swam by to greet us wasn’t dangerous. I’m thrilled to have caught at least a fleeting glimpse of the hulking filter feeder through my fogged-up mask.

A journey through the Seychelles reveals the world’s an endlessly exciting place— and everything is interconnected

MIND OPEN

The luxurious Le Ponant yacht is the perfect vessel for exploring the jewels of the Indian Ocean.

The waters off Thérèse Island are a playground for scuba divers and aquatic life, everything from sea cucumbers and blue starfish to giant tortoises and yellowfin soldierfish.

Just moments earlier, with the glistening Indian Ocean as our classroom, Kreiss had taught me the techniques of freediving, which requires nothing more than a snorkel, mask and fins. “Relax and breathe,” Kreiss advised me as I floated facedown. Taking in a lungful of air through my snorkel, I learned to jackknife at the waist and plunge vertically downward. Each time I dive, I take an upside-down look around the sandy ocean floor below me where, it turns out, that whale shark had been skulking around earlier like a moody teenager—which it probably was, judging from its size, Kreiss says. I beam when she compliments my form after I perfect my final dive, reaching a depth of around six meters, or nearly 20 feet. I then make the enthusiastic-amateur mistake of asking the adventurer her best dive to date. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that my piddly plunge doesn’t really measure up to what the pros can do—her record dive is an impressive 50 meters, or roughly 165 feet.

Snorkeling back to the picture-perfect shore, a tropical paradise of enormous palm trees and blindingly white sand, I watch from the clear water’s surface as Kreiss suddenly descends and points out the form of a giant stingray whose massive body blends into the ocean’s depths. I just as quickly find myself in a technicolor rave filled with a school of silvery trevally fish orbiting around me and neon-colored parrotfish flashing about like confetti tossed amongst the coral.

Welcome to the Seychelles. This excursion is one of many on offer during my aquatic adventure exploring several of the republic’s roughly 115 islands—there are 41 inner granitic and many of the rest are more remote outer coral islands—scattered around roughly 540,000 square miles off the eastern coast of Africa. A mere finless mammal, my spectacular mode of transportation while I’m here, Le Ponant, is a three-masted yacht sailing under the French flag with the luxury cruise company PONANT.

A day after my shark encounter, we anchor off the palm-fringed beaches of Aride. From the deck of Le Ponant, I watch white terns and other tropical birds slice, swoop and speed across the cornflower blue skies above the island. If the previous day was about exploring aquatic wildlife, today was clearly for the birds. Once onshore, Island

Conservation Society guide Julio Confiance tells me there are no natural predators on this special island that’s the most important bird reserve in the Seychelles and home to more than half a million birds. His advice: Don’t look up with an open mouth!

We slowly weave our way along a path through the dense jungle of this former coco plantation now kept completely off limits to any visitors for six months a year. Endemic species, including the midnightblue and rare Seychelles magpie-robin, prefer to pursue their passions in peace. Coppery Wright’s skinks, a species of lizard, come out to greet me and dart around underfoot. I steer clear of a giant (but harmless) spider that Confiance breezily plucks from its web to show us. The arachnid’s long black and caramel legs stretch the length of the guide’s fingers.

I step in closer when Confiance notices a tern that at first appears to be nesting in the dirt but is actually grounded and unable to fly. He shows us how the bird’s feathers have become glued together with a sticky seed from the pisonia plant—sometimes known as birdcatcher trees—that collects on birds’ wings when brushed against. I notice that the tiny barbed seeds are even clinging to my shoelaces. We work together to gently pull the seeds entangled with the bird’s feathers. When the tern’s free enough to flap its wings, the bird takes a moment to rest in Confiance’s hand—as if to express its gratitude before flying off. The moment is a perfect example of the rare symbiosis between nature and humans that exist on these islands.

Wildlife is everywhere you look in the Seychelles and it’s a rare experience to meet so many animals unafraid to comingle with humans. I feed an ornery 80-year-old giant tortoise affectionately known as T-Rex that happens to lumber by (the animals are full of character and almost impossible not to encounter in the Seychelles). Confiance, meanwhile, shares a little bit about what it’s like temporarily living with a handful of conservationists on the otherwise uninhabited island. They play music, talk and share rum late into the quiet evenings. But I found out they are often not the only inebriated ones on the island: The birds and bats on Aride occasionally overindulge on a fig-like fruit that gets them drunk. While they usually sleep it off, some

occasionally fall from trees after tying on one too many. Confiance recalls how he once found a Seychelles blue pigeon that was so drunk he needed to nurse it back to health for two days before it sobered up enough to take flight.

After several island stops around the Seychelles, a pod of dolphins and a few flying fish welcome us as we reach the Outer Islands and African Banks, two tiny uninhabited islets discovered in 1797 on the edge of the Amirante Bank. Its small scale somehow feels expansive. I travel ashore with my yacht mates and we make ourselves at home on the velvety and pristine white sands of the flat coastline that just barely peeks above the water and only at low tide.

“The African Banks is a pure example of climate change, because before it was bigger,” PONANT expedition leader Jakawan Hoareau tells me.

Hoareau began working in conservation in the Seychelles in 2009, and he explains that some islands he visited as part of the job didn’t exist when he returned years later. “It is very alarming.”

I meander the shoreline—a mere 15-minute round trip. Though the African Banks feels a million miles away from civilization, as I walk along the beach, I spot a single shoe that’s washed ashore and now lays shipwrecked in the sand. I later see it on the deck of the yacht,

and crewmembers tells me they try to collect as much debris as possible. PONANT was established by sailors, and preservation of the marine ecosystem is a priority for the company. The PONANT Foundation, founded in 2019, works with local communities and scientists, and one of the first projects it supported was the clean-up of the Aldabra Atoll.

Fine weather and calm seas are never a promise on a cruise, and as our sailing trip continues, a tropical depression with southerly winds moves in and the skies grow dark. Our time on the most remote location we’ll visit on the itinerary, Bijoutier Island, is cut short, creating the perfect opportunity to explore the five decks of the 288-foot Le Ponant. The recently renovated yacht is intimate (it can accommodate up to 32 guests in 16 staterooms and suites), and the Alizés deck is undoubtedly the heart of the vessel. Bathed in soothing white, cream and navy blue, the glowing Emeraude Lounge is the ideal place to grab a cocktail—or two—and kick back to watch the ocean and islands slowly slide by. There’s also an outdoor marina deck for lounging around or basking in the sun as well as a smaller lounge, gym and spa. I’m already familiar with the midlevel Zéphyr Deck, where mesmerizing views are served up with breakfast, lunch and dinner

The inhabited island La Digue is home to Anse Source d’Argent, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

either in the intimate indoor restaurant, Le Diamant, or on the adjacent outdoor dining area. Perhaps the most stunning discovery I make is the Sun Deck on the very top of the yacht. On brighter days, guests can laze about on beds while sipping champagne served from the deck’s bar and drinking in 360-degree views of the sparkling sea, an amazing experience when the boat is traveling at 10 knots, powered by five majestic white sails towering overhead.

Reaching the end of the cruise, the captain steers the yacht back toward the main island, Mahé. Suddenly clear skies allow for a final day of water sports and we head to the nearby Thérèse Island for our

last scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming in the blue-green water that shimmers like tourmaline in the African sun. At the end of the afternoon, I’m walking along the beach with another passenger so we can board Le Ponant one last time, and we both grow quiet as we watch bits of coral lodged in the sand loosen and disappear into the surf. “The great thing about the trip’s memories,” she says, breaking the silence, “is that nobody can take them away.”

Although our time was coming to an end, it was evident the Seychelles had allowed me to experience the world through a new lens—my eyes (and mind) now wide open.

G The Marine Deck on Le Ponant is the gathering spot for guests throughout the cruise. Expeditions depart from here during the day, and in the evenings, it serves as a lounge for pre-dinner cocktails and activities.

The remote African Banks transport travelers to another world.

a presto!

Step into the Light

De Beers’ newest High Jewellery collection, The Alchemist of Light, pushes the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship. The array of mesmerizing jewelry, divided into seven special sets, is inspired by the power light plays in bringing out the very best of a diamond. The Ascending Shadows collection features seven spectacular pieces in a “stepped” design that captures light and shades in innovative ways. Statement-making rings, earrings, necklaces and a headband all feature pink, blue or green anodized titanium and coated aluminum that amplify the beauty of rare pink and gray diamonds as well as green and brown-pink rough diamonds used within the selection. With designs so striking, lighting up the room is all but guaranteed. debeers.com

De Beers The Alchemist of light ‘Ascending Shadows’ Headband Set in 18K White Gold, Titanium and Blue Aluminum, 17.08 total carat, The Alchemist of light ‘Ascending Shadows’ Earrings Set in 18K White Gold, Titanium and Pink Aluminum, 6.30 total carats, The Alchemist of light ‘Ascending Shadows’ Double Ring Set in 18K White Gold, Titanium and Green Aluminum, 6.39 total carats, debeers.com. Max Mara jacket, maxmara.com.

Photographs by JEFFREY WESTBROOK

Styled by SHELBY COMROE