HAUTE MOVES

as she is — a bare-faced beauty with nothing to hide. “He’ll say, ‘Wash your face; I like the way you look without makeup.’ Which is nice,” she admits, though says that personally, she feels much muchier with a wee bit of war paint than without. But overall, she faces industry pressure daily, especially when someone describes her as “ageless.” While most would love such a description, for Crawford, it’s an ongoing reminder that she is not. (Though here I must disagree too, but I won’t use the “a” word given that she doesn’t like it.)

The euphemism behind aging gracefully was, in fact, the impetus for creating Meaningful Beauty, the skincare line she co-created with Parisian cosmetic surgeon Jean-Louis Sebagh in 2001 (which is re-launching a line of haircare products next year, inclusive of existing items like a shampoo, conditioner, detangler, and scalp spray, as well as a new serum). “It’s funny,” she muses. “Even in my Meaningful Beauty infomercial, they used to say, ‘She hasn’t aged’ and they would show side-by-sides. And I’d tell them to stop, because it puts too much pressure on me. I know all the ways that I’ve aged. My face has gotten much thinner; my mouth isn’t as full. Being told I’m ageless isn’t right, especially because getting older is hard enough, never mind that we live in a youthobsessed culture. So in that sense, the things I’m trying to make Meaningful Beauty about for other women are the things that I have to remind myself about, too. I’m not 25, so why should I be trying to look 25? Why do I want someone to mistake me for a 25-year-old? I’ve had children. I have all this life experience.”

What’s more, she’s proud of herself for letting that life experience play out behind the camera, even if she doesn’t always like what she sees. “When I started modeling, I said, What am I going to do after I turn 25? There wasn’t someone who had a career like me before that I could follow or look up to,” she recalls. “And then, all of a sudden, I was still modeling at 26, 27, 30, 35, 40, and now, 56. There was no way I thought I would still be quote unquote ‘modeling’ to this day. And even though I’m not in front of the camera nearly as much as I used to be — nor do I want to be — any time I get my picture taken, even if it’s just on an iPhone, I’m striking a pose. You can’t unlearn that. So I’ve learned to embrace the different stages. I’m not 56 trying to do the same jobs that I did when I was 25 and 30. I’ve evolved, and the businesses that I have have evolved, too. [These include her hugely successful Cindy Crawford Home collection, which grosses over $350 million annually in retail sales; successful book releases such as Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face and the 2015 The New York Times bestseller, Becoming; global, long-term contracts with brands such as Omega, Revlon, and Pepsi; and the upcoming AppleTV+ docuseries The Supermodels, alongside her fellow icons Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington]. I think that’s why I’ve had such career longevity, and why my audience will follow me — because it feels authentic and it is authentic.”

This bid for authenticity is a big part of the reason why she continues to model today. “There’s one comparison I use a lot, and it’s this: I’m like an aging athlete. I know the game so much better, but I don’t have a 20-year-old neck or whatever. Sometimes I think, screw it. Maybe I don’t want to model anymore. But then I think, gosh, then I’m just further telling women that at a certain age, we’re just expired, and we should go on the shelf. Do I want to play into that for women? And so I don’t. Even though sometimes I don’t necessarily feel as confident, or if I see a pictures of me and there are things I don’t like, I still think yeah, but that’s real. Aging is what happens if we’re lucky; it means that I’m alive.”

And really, isn’t that more, well, meaningful than anything else? To be living, yes, but, in a more philosophical way, actually enjoying being alive, living in the moment? Crawford thinks so, and clearly, she’s doing her best to embrace that ethos right now. And so she reminds herself, while sharing with me, what the phrase ‘meaningful beauty’ really means to her. “The name, and the intention behind the name resonates even more now than it did then. Because, really, what is meaningful about beauty? Why does it even matter? [The answer is] because it gives us confidence. It’s not about beauty, per se, but how you feel. Maybe it gives you a little more energy, makes you a little more outgoing, maybe it makes you more willing to ask a question or take a chance.”

On that note, it feels like the appropriate time to remind Crawford that she nearly broke the internet earlier this summer when she posted an Instagram photo of herself in a Melissa Odabash bikini, a thank you to her designer friend for the suit. “The beauty of having your own social media is that you get to curate. Like, I look pretty good in this picture; I’m going to post it.” She pauses, and says, “I’m probably at an age where I should be wearing one-pieces, but I’ve never worn one-pieces, and it’s [the same kind of dilemma I have with my hair]. I’ve always had long hair; I wouldn’t feel like me with short hair. And I’m kind of worried, like, oh, God. Am I going to have to cut it when I get a little older? Am I too old to have hair this long? [Similarly], whenever I put a one-piece on, I don’t feel like me. And there might come a point where I do have to wear one; I do have a few in my swimsuit drawer just in case it comes upon me one day.”

There’s no should when it comes to fashion, and Crawford knows that far better than I could. Nor are there any rules as to what one should and shouldn’t do dependent upon their age. I find there’s something liberating about her refusal to cede her love of bikinis or her famously long locks in favor of something more traditionally “age-appropriate” (because what does that phrase even mean these days?); in owning that sometimes, in order to feel good about yourself, a little app-induced retouching is necessary. (“You do a little FaceTune once, and then you think, how did I ever live without it?”); and that it’s okay to be all IDGAF, like she was at Burning Man. “There’s certainly no retouching there,” she says dryly. “There was a dust storm, and by the end of it, I had white eyebrows, white hair, and white dust had stuck to my upper lip. It’s kind of impossible to take yourself too seriously when you’re covered in dust.”

As we prepare to part ways, I tell her that her life sounds pretty beautiful, dust-storm induced graying aside. Her response is one of the truest things I’ve heard to date. “Life is life,” she says simply. “And that’s something else I’m working on: not characterizing things as good or bad. It’s just life, right? We tend to be like, ‘life’s so hard’ or, ‘life’s so great’ — but it’s just life, all of it.”

“The good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful,” I say.

“Yes,” she agrees, “but I appreciate the raw and the ugly, too, because it’s real.”

She smiles. Scheduled though it might have been, it’s still her time, and she knows exactly how she’s going to use it. “Now, I’m going to get into my Jacuzzi.”

I think Cindy Crawford may have just found her Playa name.

Maserati Ghibli Trofeo

Bravissimo!

BY TIM LAPPEN

WHEN I WAS OFFERED A WEEK WITH THE MASERATI GHIBLI TROFEO, I didn’t immediately jump at the chance. I knew that the Ghibli was the younger sibling of the Quattroporte, and thought that it must be an underpowered, weaker family member. Boy, was I wrong.

The Ghibli — the smaller of the two four-door sedans in the Maserati family — is named after a strong, hot desert wind in Libya, also called a sirocco. This Maser comes in four flavors, with varying degrees of power and an increasing base price (see chart below).

The Trofeo (“Trophy”) model is clearly the most robust Ghibli in terms of competence and performance. The twin-turbo V8 engine has 538 lb-ft of torque, sufficient for even the most jaded to experience excitement. The eight-speed automatic transmission can also be operated via the paddle shifters, which is my preference. I especially like the throaty sound of the exhaust coupled with the g-force produced on acceleration.

While not too dissimilar in appearance from the other Ghiblis, it does have some special tri-color badging, a blacked-out grill, and carbon fiber at the front splitter and the front intakes. The V8 needs more air for breathing than the V6, so the Ghibli hood provides open vents, another distinguishing detail. The system is clearly effective, as I had no overheating problems during my time with this special car. It drove like a dream everywhere I went — not just to the grocery store or around for errands, but also so on some freeway runs and even up to Mulholland Highway.

On top of the base price, “mine” (for the week) had $25,000 in options, most notably the $3,200 “Pelletessuta,” woven Napa leather textile sports seats designed with Ermenegildo Zegna, of the custom-suit fame, so you know they’re top-drawer. An unusual and elegant fabric, it adds a special look to the Trofeo interior. The high-end sound system and anodized red brake calipers are de rigueur these days, and were included on my car ($2,500 and $1,500, respectively).

The Trofeo is a great car for driving — roomy enough for five passengers, a trunk large enough for their belongings, and enough power to thrill them all. The engine sound alone is worth the price of admission, and it’s even adjustable in case you want to tone it down for the neighbors. With the engine designed by Maserati and assembled by engineers at Ferrari, the gorgeous red cylinder heads on the motor portend what’s to come and look good doing so.

My time with the Trofeo ended way too quickly, but so be it. I had a great experience with the car and came away with a new-found admiration for the folks at Maserati who created it.

+ GHIBLI GT $82,300 base 345 hp V6 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds + GHIBLI MODENA $88,900 base 424 hp V6 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds + GHIBLI MODENA Q4 $91,600 base 424 hp V6 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds + GHIBLI TROFEO $118,500 base 580 hp V8 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds