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constant gardener
raf simons tends to Christian dior’s Haute Couture
closet envy
In bakersfield, the Most lavish dressing Quarters You’ve ever seen
Dream worthy
CALIFORNIA STYLE
zoe saldana From Star Trek Heroine to nina simone, she’ll Put a spell on You
Cover
a bejeWeled FantasY CoMes to lIFe at daWnrIdge estate, 1970s art-to-Wear and all oF sPrIng’s darIng looks
Plus
jewelry & accessories issue
tHe best
130
bags, baubles, sandals (and turbans)
May 2013
$5.99
Where to dine, stay and Play in napa Valley
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features
106 Good Graces From galactic voyages to ’50s jazz bars, actress Zoe Saldana keeps her cool on Hollywood’s wild ride.
112 Grand Gestures Layers of gilded brocade and opulent beadwork at the Dawnridge estate prove more is more this season.
122 hidden Gem Behind the massive wooden gates to Liv Ballard’s Beverly Hills retreat is a home as beguiling as its creative tenants.
130 rites of sprinG Raf Simons fashions Christian Dior’s Haute Couture presentation into a garden of earthly delights.
134 native sons
138 vanity fair
hidden Gem, page 122.
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Dripping in crystals, swathed in hand-painted wallpaper and accented liberally with gold leaf, a Philip Nimmo designed “closet retreat” is one Bakersfield doyenne’s dream come true.
coral von zumwalt
Both vintage and new, alex & Lee’s sought-after talismans are wrapped in California spirit.
ZOE SALDANA in Salvatore Ferragamo dress, De Beers earrings, Harry Winston ring, Page 106.
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22 FOuNDEr’S LEttEr
Olympia’s Hollywood tribute.
hunt. Napa Valley update: move
making dreams come true.
Tommy Hilfiger’s art-filled surf
over Coachella, meet Bottlerock.
shack. Kate Spade’s SoCal outpost.
Pack these tarmac-ready bags.
67 C BEAuty
101 C CuLturE
all-natural skincare launches in
Photographer Catherine Opie
31 C WHAt’S HOt
L.a. and San Francisco. Spring’s
shares her one-of-a-kind portfolio.
a look at new and exciting
sought-after scents. Tracy
people, places and products
anderson arrives in Brentwood
around the state: Creative
(just in time for bikini season).
24 C PEOPLE Who’s who behind the scenes of C.
couples making music, jewelry and opening up shop. maggie
75 C HOmE
Kayne’s contemporary collective.
Three stylish designers accessorize
The coolest finds for Ca kids.
with panache. Plus, Hermès is on track with its latest dinner service.
42 rEPOrtS FrOm tHE SOCiAL FrONt
85 C tHE mENu
From a-list galas to chic red
The zenith of Japanese cuisine.
carpets, partygoing heats up.
mother’s Day brunch tips. The mill, making toast S.F.’s favorite treat.
49 C FASHiON Serpentine charms. Black and
95 C trAvEL
white, in the mix. Charlotte
mila Kunis goes on a treasure
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145 SHOPPiNg guiDE 146 C CALiFOrNiA all eyes on Bette Davis.
ON Our COVer ZOE SALDANA photographed by diego uchitel in a Bottega Veneta dress and de Beers earrings, and bracelet. see shopping guide for more details, page 145. styled by samantha traina. hair mara roszak for moroccanoil
at starworksartists.com. makeup amy oresman for neutrogena cosmetics.
diego uchitel. see shopping guide for more details, page 145
departments
A sconce of crystal flowers and gilded leaves, designed by Philip Nimmo and made by Jean de Merry. OPPOSITE Gold-dipped faucets from P.E. Guerin complement Jean de Merry custom antique glass vanities. Smoky topaz and crystal sconces from Boyd Lighting, via Donghia; custom Stark carpet.
VANITY RENÉE IN FAIR REPOSE
Dripping in crystals, swathed in hand-painted A Hollywood icon of her generation, Winonawallpaper Ryder findsand accented liberally withduring gold leaf, a Philipin Nimmo designed herself most at peace downtime her native San “closet retreat” is one Bakersfield doyenne’s dream come true
BY HEATHER JOHN FOGARTY PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROGER DAVIES Management By Heather John Fogarty Photographed by Roger Davies/Atelier
ROGER DAVIES/ATELIER MANAGEMENT
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In the boudoir sitting room, quilted Nancy Corzine sofas with custom mirror-covered legs and Groves Brothers pillows, flanked by Denis & Leen tables; gilded chairs by Ann Getty; P.E. Geurin coffee table furnished with antique silver legs; crystal spheres from Pegaso Gallery; and a tall Daum sculpture from Neiman Marcus. A Paul Ferrante chandelier hovers above Aaron Shikler’s Study for the White House Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy, in the Paul Montgomery custom wallpapered room.
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Structured boxwoods and antique French and Italian urns in the formal gardens by landscape architect Robert Truxell of Fresno. TOP A Gearys silver punch bowl and Judith Leiber alligator evening bags atop a Baccarat table. The three-way mirror conceals more closet space. An Ann Getty custom chair. Paul Ferrante chandelier. OPPOSITE In the ladies powder room, silk velvet loveseats from Nancy Corzine with Gary Hutton end tables frame an Erika Brunson twig table topped with an antique mirror.
any women dream of adding more closet space, but few of us dare to imagine a 2,500-squarefoot orangerie of antique glass vanities, gilded chandeliers and hand-painted silk wallpaper to serve as a backdrop for Couture dresses, evening bags and treasured works of art. “My mother had a beautiful garden, and it was always an inspiration,” says Diane Lake, a Bakersfield native whose family was in the oil business. Lake has lived in her Bakersfield ranch-style home since her late husband built it for her in 1959. “I spent a lot of time in the early years on the house,” she says, but she had always dreamed of having her own formal French garden and a larger closet. When the neighboring property came up for sale in 2008, she bought it the next day and called Los Angeles interior designer Philip Nimmo to help her create an expansive “closet retreat” and to extend the gardens. Nimmo and Lake worked with landscape architect Robert Truxell to create lush, European-style grounds with structured boxwoods, antique French urns and Italian sculptural pieces. Much like a formal French parterre, the closet itself is like an enchanted garden— a labyrinth of curated spaces that Nimmo designed for contemplation and relaxation. Throughout the closet rooms, the custom Stark carpets and Paul Montgomery hand-painted floral wallpaper in Lake’s signature teal— or what Nimmo affectionately calls “Lake blue”—as well as her collection of early 19th-century French Impressionist landscapes, lend a floral femininity that blends seamlessly with her love of Parisian furniture and fashion. “Mrs. Lake loves old world, but also that old Hollywood glamour—that feeling of mystery with glass and reflections,” Nimmo says. He softened the space using antique mirrored and crystal surfaces, such as the custom Jean de Merry vanities in the ladies powder room, covered in bent antique glass with mirrored baguette backsplashes, and the Baccarat crystal table in the main closet showcasing Lake’s collection of Judith Leiber alligator evening bags. In the perfume room, glass shelves with silver overlay hold some 75 bottles that Lake has found while searching antiques stores from La Jolla to the Right Bank over several decades. In addition to the dozens of Manolo Blahniks and Bill Blass Couture frocks in the closet, the heart of Lake’s collection is art. In the closet’s sitting room, a treasured watercolor and continued on page 144
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The perfume room’s Pop art portrait of Marie Antoinette by Rimi Yang hangs beside an Ann Getty shell chair and a Jean de Merry back-painted vanity showcasing bottles that she’s been collecting for decades—many of which she found at Gearys and John J. Nelson in L.A., and Bergdorf Goodman in N.Y. OPPOSITE Drawings by Manolo Blahnik flank dozens of the designer’s (among others) shoes and boots; “Karina” chandelier, Nancy Corzine ottoman and Ann Getty chair; a dress form features one of Lake’s antique evening bags, from Neiman Marcus.
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turning focus continued from page 104
for the past 20 years, calls those endeavors “tender and proud at the same time.” Her selfportraits, more aggressive, have also made a profound impact. One shows Opie, blindfolded, pierced by 46 18-gauge needles with the word pervert cut across her breasts. In another, a house and two children are carved into her back. The most recent, the 2004 Self Portrait/ Nursing, shows Opie naked, breastfeeding her son, Oliver, with the word pervert now faded. Many of these polemic portraits explore identity and community. High-profile figures make appearances—K.D. Lang, Jenny Shimizu, swimmer Diana Nyad—but there are also the unsung heroes: high school football players trying on their newfound manhood; lesbian couples at home with their children; shopkeepers in South Central standing in front of their wares. “I’m not interested in being a singular identity,” she says. “I’m just not.” She collaborated with fashion label Rodarte and Alec Soth on a book; documented rural Minnesota and the wedding-cake-like exteriors of Angeleno homes. “Her range is astonishing,” says Regen. “And she’s making some of the most painterly photographs I’ve ever seen.” After coffee in Opie’s kitchen we drive to the new Michael Maltzan-designed gallery at Regen Projects in Hollywood, where her latest show signals a coming of age. “I was going back to what inspired me from the early days,” explains Opie. This time, she creeps out of her own paradigm. Gone are the bright, seamless backgrounds, but the formality of 15th-century painting lingers. Some portraits are housed in sweet, cameo-style frames, making the relentless black of the backgrounds lose some of its edginess. Abstract shapes from natural parks are interspersed between the portraits; the forms are wispy, ephemeral. Jonathan Franzen hunches over a War and Peace, practically seething with his legendary grumpiness. Laura Mulleavy whispers in her sister Kate’s ears, the shape of the two figures reminiscent of a Botticelli painting. “They finish each other’s sentences. It’s almost a symbiotic relationship,” says Opie as she walks through the space. Blood drips from Opie’s trainer’s hand in another portrait. “Blood is no longer about identity within a specific community; it’s simply a substance of the body,” she adds. The people she chooses to capture are still from all walks of life, but there is a unifying characteristic: They are, quite simply, loving. “I’ve mellowed,” the artist says. “I decided to go maternal,” says Opie. “I feel secure doing that.” •
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“All of the tile, the Mexican tile which you’ll see on each of the stairs, and the French encaustic tile in the breakfast nook, is original,” says Ballard. “If you look closely you’ll see that no two patterns on the Mexican tile are alike.” Known as the “Chimorro House” by Tichenor & Thorp, the home was built during Prohibition by noted architect Roy Seldon Price. Price also
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designed the landmark L.A. building (formerly owned by Charlie Chaplin) that housed the La Brea Avenue restaurant Campanile. “All I know is that it was built for a single woman, Mrs. Chimorro, which was highly unusual at the time—and was clearly used as a speakeasy,” says Ballard. Today, the generous public rooms, the light-filled bedrooms on the second floor and the many outdoor spaces—including a tea house, and a serene turquoise pool—host less illicit social gatherings. They provide an airy, comfortable space for Ballard and her sons to work and play. “My boys loved growing up here so much. There was always a fun place to hide,” she says. “And they’re both still in school, so they’re still living here with me. I guess they just aren’t ready to leave.” It’s easy to see why. •
vanity fair continued from page 141
and yet all expertly tended to and under control,” says Simons. A heart-stopping formation of exotic wildflower-inspired gowns followed in a blur of gazar, organza, layered tulle, intricate floral appliqué and elegant beading. The ultra feminine collection, “eventually builds to the full flower of the balloon-backed dresses,” says Simons, “whose careful construction belies a seemingly organic shape, with all ultimately controlled by the supreme craft of the atelier.” The ‘supreme craft of the atelier’ is perhaps best exemplified by the care and attention to detail with which each look is fashioned. Simons begins his work on the Haute Couture collection in October, three months before he debuts it on the runway, and his couture ateliers (both frou and tailleur) employ 100 people to create the looks. As Rudyard Kipling famously said, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.” As is the gardener, so is the garden. •
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gouache on paper, Study for the White House Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, rests on an easel. Lake first saw a photograph of the painting in 1969, in a story about Shikler’s portraits for the White House in McCall’s magazine. “I still have that copy of McCall’s,” says Lake, who counts Jackie Kennedy as one of her greatest style influences. When the portrait came up for sale at Sotheby’s in 1996, Lake flew to New York and won it at auction for $178,000. A decade later, she purchased another Shikler portrait of Jackie Kennedy. She has since become friends with the artist. “It was a friendship that was 40 years in the making,” she adds. But perhaps the pièce de résistance of Lake’s collection is a floor-to-ceiling Pop art portrait of Marie Antoinette by Rimi Yang. Following its acquisition, Lake commissioned portraits of the Beatles for her grandson and a painting of Audrey Hepburn for her granddaughter, who will be married in Lake’s garden later this summer. “Our daughter was married in my mother’s garden and I loved that,” Lake recalls. “To have her daughter, my granddaughter’s wedding in this garden, it’s truly something special.” •
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collection began with diaphanous silhouettes, in muted wisteria and lilac, reminiscent of bulbs shooting out from winter’s cold earth. Parades of sharply tailored suits as sleek as a Mapplethorpe orchid stem were followed by more fluid, organic shapes in unexpected chromatic combinations. One exquisite blossom after another bloomed through complex embroidery and exuberant hues of geranium, marigold, gardenia, tiger lily and chrysanthemum. The collection crescendoed with a billowing zinnia shawl draped over a cream bustier, emblazoned with a brilliant bouquet and anchored by tapered cigarette pants. “Silhouettes are in flux this season, seemingly finding their own forms naturally,
rhythm, the order of it. That’s rare to achieve in such dramatic asymmetry.” Brooks and Franke relocated to a wonderland-like home/studio in The Sea Ranch, in remote Sonoma County. Found objects are everywhere: Brooks’ beach flotsam from the 1970s, Parisian flea market treasures, fossils, pearls, whole walls of trays and tool drawers overflowing with sparkling specimens. Their affinity for editorial led them to accessories for Alexis Bittar in 2003; and crystal-encrusted jewelry to complement L.A. designer Emily Factor’s spring, 2011, collection. Another fashion duo, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, asked Brooks, now 72, and Franke, 61, to craft necklaces to accent the Resort 2012 lookbook. From this particular venture came revived interest and new fans. Not too long ago, Michael Purdy, who runs S.F. design store Cavalier with interior designer Jay Jeffers, visited the couple at home. “I saw the [1981] CFDA and [1980] COTY awards in the entryway, surrounded by tapestries...I’d never really seen anything like it before. Lee began pulling out piece after piece, every one I loved more than the next. Then the scarves, then the brooches. It was overwhelming.” Together with Margaret Sche, they cocurated a retrospective at Cavalier last fall. As each catalogued item was considered for the exhibition, Brooks reworked vintage designs and, with Franke, introduced fresh ones. Rorschach collages from 40 years ago have become enormous scarves. They made bracelets—smaller, accessible to a wider set. Home goods are next, including pillows and wallpaper. No matter its age, an Alex & Lee original is distinctive. Adds Purdy, “At first, women might say, ‘Wow, that’s a lot going on. Might be too much for me.’ I say, ‘Put it on. I want you to feel it.’ The pieces really ground you and make you feel strong and confident. At the end of the night, women don’t want to take them off.” •