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Kim Jones

The New Authentic

My greatest satisfaction comes from honing hard workers. Motivating. Inspiring. Rewarding. Because when ambition is fuelled correctly, it drives us further.

........................................................................ Washington Z. SyCip Bookkeeper and Founder of SGV Proud Lexus Owner

EDitor's note

Authentic. If I had to describe our cover girl Kim Jones in one word, that would be it, and it’s for the simple reason that from the day we met, she has been nothing but down-to-earth. What impressed me about her is that unlike some bloggers who take all the freebies they can get, she buys all her clothes. And yes, when big designer brands gift her with items, she returns them. I asked if this was because she wanted to be free and not feel obligated to anyone. She told me that’s exactly the point. I believe in the same principle, and it still surprises me to find a millennial who follows this rule; I guess I was jaded about some people in the industry. Yes, Kim Jones is refreshing, and in this issue, we round up other people and the places who continue to define beauty and authenticity: Aivee Teo’s inspired abode, barbershops that double as a club, and the marvels of Mexico.

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CONTENTS

admired 12

desired 8

On the cover and this page:

Aivee Teo’s imaginative bric-a-brac

Dress, Alice McCall, LCP,

10th Ave. cor. 39th St., BGC.

inspired 20 Barbershops moonlighting as

Photography Joseph Pascual

a gentleman’s club

Styling Kim Jones and Ria Prieto

Creative direction Nimu Muallam

thinkpiece 26

Makeup Mayesa delos Santos

The comedy and the irony of

Hair Jan Edrosolan

no one knowing your age

This page: Baccarat Rouge 540, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Rustan's Shangri-La and Adora

Group Publisher Bea Ledesma Editor in Chief Ria Prieto Creative Director Nimu Muallam Copy Editor September Grace Mahino Editorial Assistants Pristine de Leon, Oliver Emocling Staff Photographer Patrick Segovia External Relations Officer Liza Jison Intern Gabrielle Abrahan

Contributing Writers Chryssa Celestino, Olivia Estrada, Bambina Olivares-Wise Contributing Photographers Tracie Anglo-Dizon, Joseph Pascual, Jilson Tiu Contributing Illustrator Kristine Caguiat

Inquirer RED Magazine-OFFICIAL

Board Chairperson Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez SVP and Group Sales Head, Inquirer Group of Companies Pepito Olarte Sales Director Ma. Katrina Mae Garcia-Dalusong Business and Distribution Manager Rina Lareza Sales Inquiries Email: sales@hip.ph Telephone No: +63 (2) 403 8825 local 239

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Want to see the other issues of Inquirer RED Magazine? Check out inquirer.net/red

ART

Enter the Artist The unsung theatrical interludes in the life of Juvenal Sanso

In the summer of 1961, Spain-born, Manila-bred artist Juvenal Sanso stood in the presence of France’s celebrated stage designer Madame Lila de Nobili: possibly nervous, most probably uncertain, and bearing an impressive portfolio of paintings yet with virtually no experience in the new art he was to do. Notwithstanding the then 32-year-old painter’s obvious want of theater know-how, de Nobili at once suggested that he see one of France’s chief musical scenographers, Gabriel Dussurget. Their encounter set off a decade of Sanso taking on the stage and liaising with French opera’s most prominent composers and impresarios. Similar to the likes of Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí, Sanso has long been a recognized visual artist who pursued an affair with stage design. It was in the mid-60s when he styled the set of “Le Joueur,” articulating a fictional upper crust’s material opulence and moral bankruptcy through golden candelabras with globular lamps, a chandelier in Neo-Baroque style, and the period garb of late 19th-century Russia. The work led critics from Le Figaro Litteraire, the New York Times, and the New York Herald Tribune to sing of Sanso’s merits. Decades and many operas since, Sanso’s framed sketches, archival photographs, personal letters, receipts, and press clippings harking back to years of toiling in the theater now find themselves exhibited in Ayala Museum. In collaboration with Fundacion Sanso, local artists Toym Imao and James Reyes have lent their hands to re-incarnate Sanso’s designs, and young singers from Viva Voce are set to serenade viewers on certain nights. Running for a month starting July 18, the exhibit pays due tribute to a time when all the world was Sanso’s stage. •

LENS FOCUS

Sanso conceptualized the design of Jacques Charpentier’s Beatris which was staged in 1972 (right).

Silverlens gallery presents its latest roster of exhibits

Left to right: Rachel Rillo’s “Pivot III” from Survey featuring Rillo, Isa Lorenzo, Mawen Ong, and Soler Santos; Yvonne Quisumbing’s portraits without faces from Who Are You Wearing; Jet Pascua’s “Descendant” from Transference.

PORTRAIT COURTESY OF INQUIRER LIFESTYLE.

W o r d s P r i st i n e d e L e o n

SPECIAL FEATURE

Natural Elements Beauty unraveled from its natural roots

Words Oliv ia Est ra da P h ot ograph y Pat ric k S e gov ia

Organic components in products are nature’s way of gifting humans with beauty in a bottle. These ingredients are of the same minerals, like amino acids and enzymes, as those in our bodies. The skin synthesizes these products to renew damaged cells and to convert them into addional vitamins. If you’re unsure of what to try, start with natural, plant-derived extracts. These match your skin composition and would prevent you from needing chemical cures. They tend to be kinder to your skin and restore its natural state, eliminating the need for you to experiment with and change products often. Take, for instance, the Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum which contains algae oil and is water-based for a gentle treatment. It improves the skin’s smoothness and firmness without creating the damage usually done by chemicals. For the next day’s makeup, prep your skin with Jane Iredale Beauty Prep Toner to make your makeup last longer. Take Jane

Iredale’s Hydration Spray for a quick, organic refresher when you’re out and about. At night, incorporate the L’Occitane Peony Perfecting Toner into your regimen. Made with peony extracts, it gently tones your face leaving the skin radiant with a smoother and more velvety appearance. Choose a nourishing cream like Neal's Yard Remedies Frankincense Intense Concentrate to lock in moisture with frankincense and myrrh, then keep wrinkles at bay with the Sisleya L'integral Anti-Age that’s created with plant-based ingredients like ursolic acid, phytostimulines, shiitake, and essential oils. With the Rustan’s Beauty Addict card, every beauty purchase rewards you with points to buy a host of natural concoctions. Membership is complimentary for those who are 18 and above and has a minimum singlereceipt purchase of P2,500 at the CP&T division.You can be the first to know about exclusive offers that are tailored to what you need for your daily rituals.

ON THE RADAR

Recent Revolutions The latest on the male agenda: from Armani's nostalgic schoolboy suitcase to the outrageous flamboyance of Gucci's prints W o r d s Gab r i e ll e A b r a h a n

The Bold Men

Color is at the core of the Bottega Veneta Cruise 2017 collection. Creative director Thomas Maier intended the looks of the men’s cruise set to skewer towards functionality and simplicity (think simple bomber jackets and suits) by using basic fabrics and silhouettes. Accessories like weekend bags, meanwhile, are lined with crocodile and matte calf leather.

RAW DISPOSITIONS

Mexican architects Mauricio Rocha and Gabriela Carillo put balance into the latest Hermès furniture line, featured in Milan Fair 2016’s home exhibition. Following the Mexican design philosophy of incorporating industrial materials with traditional construction techniques, the collection is made of leather, an embodiment of the incomparable quality that built the fashion house. A magazine rack that looks like a saddle, a sofa with woven sidings, and a Object n° 1 magnifying Magnifyingglass glassbalancing on a wedge are some of the pieces in the collection, which give an utmost sense of ease that tells you, you’re home.

Urban Suitcase

Giorgio Armani’s Private bag takes its cue from a schoolboy’s backpack but with the craftsmanship characteristic of the Italian fashion house. Quirks aside, it’s designed with an impeccable eye for detail and state of the art construction, each stitching and tiny handpainted corner adding to its impressive masculine panache. On the inside, functionality marries form as its cotton twill lining runs carefully through multiple compartments, embodying a philosophy that Armani has said himself: “To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.”

Leather Sounds

Sound and style are at the forefront of Bowers & Wilkins’ T7 Gold Edition. It boasts the same quality its older brother, the T7, is known for and is housed in a suede-lined leather Burberry case, which comes in both black and tan to match the speaker’s black and gold color combo.

BOOKS

Lit List

The latest titles making

literature out of legends

Hall of Famer

The champ is back with Adidas’ infamous Rod Laver Super from the 1960s relaunched last June. The classic tennis shoe is among many other vintage pieces being restored from the brand’s rich and iconic archive. The latest series of the Rod Laver is similar to its original reproduction except that it comes in woven and checkerboard prints. In honor of the tennis great it was named after, the pair still comes in its original white and navy colorway.

Freshly Oiled

Harking back to post-World War II industrialization, Bellisima! unleashes a collection of vintage Italian cars and motorcycles handpicked by auto journalist Ken Gross from various collections and museums. With vehicles by Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, and Lamborghini, the collection shows the artistry that went into each vehicle’s architecture. Lauded as the pioneers of fashionable car designs, automobiles from this era are regarded as true examples of timeless elegance.

Secrets of the Agent

Tailored Tales

“The way you dress is an expression of your personality,” says Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele in an interview with Business of Fashion. The fashion powerhouse recently expanded its customization service with the second phase of Gucci DIY in their Milan flagship store. As their designs feature everything from leather to denim, plus a selection of multiple prints, there’s nothing like Gucci to create touches of timeless flamboyance in one’s look. The project, which started with the Dionysius bag, is already known for its artistic embroidery, animal and floral patches, and monogrammed letters adorned with Swarovski crystals. Following fashion’s androgynous bent, most of the items in the collection are deliberately unisexual.

Jun Takahashi, Japanese designer and founder of the Harajuku staple Undercover, is releasing a book of the same title. As a compilation of Takahashi’s journey into the fashion world, it contains his sketches, photographs, ideas, collaborations, and essays from fashion writers and curators. It gives an overview of the artist at work, as well as his process and the impressive turns his brainchild took to develop into what it is today.

desiRED

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House Of Mirth

An assemblage of objects from the home of beauty alchemist Aivee Teo Wo rds Ol iver Emo cli ng P h oto graphy J ils o n Ti u

1. Delightfull Matheny Chandelier from Minotti Against the backdrop of simple furnishings, the highlight of Teo’s walk-in closet is a modern, golden chandelier from Italy.

6. Antique Table “For my house, I want to bring something memorable. It reminds me of my childhood and my mom,” says Teo on this vintage addition to the modern abode.

7. Goyard Makeup Bag Believing a philosophy that there should be a balance between utility and beauty, Teo also uses her Goyard makeup bag, one of her husband’s first gifts to her, to carry the devices she uses in her clinic.

2. Coffee Table Books With her inherent fondness for aesthetics, Teo admits that her second passion is home design. “It’s a part of me that I want to cultivate. I want my home to be a reflection of our family," she says. 3. Antique Plates Her collection of antique plates is the first gift she received from her mom. In some way, these plates connect her with her three sisters as each of them also has the same collection. 4. Painting by Marina Cruz Adorned with paintings with whimsical motifs, the Teo residence also celebrates local artistry—evidenced by a painting of 5/20/16 a child’s 5:07 PMshirt by Marina Cruz hanging on a wall.

8. Nemo Chair by Fabio Novembre An unorthodox pair of outdoor chairs, each hiding a face on its back, subtly alludes to how two dermatologists inhabit the home.

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MAKEUP JOAN TEOTICO

5. Sculpture Originally intended for her dressing room in their Singapore home, this fun piece was placed instead in her dressing room in the Teos’ Manila home.

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Collar, Felipe and Sons, LPL Mansions, Makati City, www.felipeandsons.com

Blue Suede Tassle Loafers, Sapatero, LPL Mansions, Makati City, www.sapatero.com

Equilibrium Fountain Pen, Nakaya, www.nakaya.org

Carlton Eyewear, Maison Bonnet, www.maisonbonnet.com

ADmIred

Up in the Air The grit, the grace, and the inexhaustible romanticism in the universe of Miss Jones W ords p rist in e de l e on

In the middle of the dizzying blitz of Paris in March of this year, where Dries Van Noten’s raccoon-eyed army stalked the runways while a hound of street style photographers documented the equally fantastic fashion furor happening outside, Kim Jones was on her phone, The Sartorialist’s Scott Schumann shooting her close by. “It was crazy to see everything!” she says of that moment, partly in awe, partly genuinely weirded out. “It kind of scared me a bit. I just stayed looking at my phone, I didn’t know what to do. I sort of just reintroduced myself to him [after] and said hello.” After viewing, shooting, and writing about the futuristic, sci-fi-inspired Louis Vuitton collection and the Kym Ellery assemblage that re-invents the 19th century corset, Jones returned to Paris again last month to document the new season’s most fashionable and freakish. “I have an upcoming trip to Italy by the end of next month,” she adds. “This season right now is really more in preparation for fashion month, when I’ll be going to all four fashion weeks.” Jones is obviously everywhere. The United Kingdomborn, Australian-bred all-around creative based in the Philippines has been producing digital fashion content for Miss Jones in Australia, San Francisco, and parts of Europe, at the same time collaborating with longstanding powerhouses like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Net-A-Porter. Of course, her days weren’t this frenzied when she first arrived in Manila at 22. “I was actually living not far from here, in Pasong Tamo,” she says. “When I came here, I didn’t know anybody, not a single soul. I just had distant relatives in Davao!” Her website then was also pretty much unknown. Now one of the most visited in Asia (which led a local magazine to call her one of the most influential Filipinos online), the site back then served only as a kind of moodboard. “I started my website even before I’d gotten on TV. But

P h ot ograph y j os e p h pascual

Opposite page: Top, Simone Rocha, www.simonerocha.com; bandeau, Coobie, www.shopcoobie.com.

it was very anonymous,” she says. It featured everything from photography and music to interior design and other creative miscellany. They didn’t always have something to do with fashion, but always conclusively evoked some enchanted imagination. Exhibit A: Laurent Chehere’s whimsical photographs of houses up in the eerie air. “Working in fashion was only like a dream! [I was just] a sheltered, young girl who liked double clicking [on pictures] and saving collages and runway shots,” Jones says excitedly, with that thick accent you can’t quite easily pin down as either Australian or British. In fact, much of Jones is just impossible to pin down. One moment, she was co-host of the 15-minute lifestyle show Etcetera: her look sufficiently pretty, her diction flawless, her presence not so powerful. The next moment, she was getting married to the golden boy of local tinsel town, gracing magazine covers here and there, buoyed in pop fantasy as the local paragon of beauty. It’s hardly an overstatement, when a mass population still vaguely obsessed with the look of fair-skinned chinitas welcomed the reign of one Miss Jones. “There was this social media craze then and everything became so much more accessible. If you wanted to work in fashion or be a writer and stylist, you could. I took that opportunity and desire, and ran with it.” From inspirational reposts to stylized travel photos in Australian beaches, and now, creative shots of collections from Paris fashion week, her blog has catapulted Jones into one of luxury fashion’s local muses. Investing in clothes is decidedly part of the job, she says, laughingly confessing her hopeless obsession with online shopping at Avenue 32, Moda Operandi, Matches fashion, and Farfetch (“Oh my gulay! It is a disease. I am addicted!”), yet also her distaste of simply receiving clothes from brands and brandishing them on her site. “I prefer to buy on my own,” she says resolutely.

Inset: Dress, Alice McCall, LCP.

“It’s more authentic, even more credible to a certain degree.” What might have established Jones as an authority in fashion is how each look, however carefully stylized and calculated—think walking in San Francisco’s muddy forest in a long impeccable Gucci gown (“The dress was completely ruined after”)—attests to a taste that’s all her own. In the middle of an era where runways employ maximalism to achieve some semblance of individuality, even with her enviable arsenal of designer gowns, LV heels, and Maison Margiela blazers, Jones doesn’t seem so satisfied with the picture. She favors subtlety over spectacular panache, real inspiration instead of overly chaotic layers of reinterpretation. “The fashion industry is the second biggest pollutant in the world after oil,” she says, pertaining to how season after season, the runways and the archives already have so much clutter to contend with. Dressing up has become synonymous with dressing too much. “We’re in a season where more is more is more,” Jones complains. “There isn’t a lot that shocks us anymore. In this decade alone, we don’t have that defining look. People argue that it might be normcore. Others argue that the aesthetics of the noughties or this decade is [about] individuality and anti-establishment…I don’t know,” she says, trailing off as if contemplating on how the industry can handle a barely perceived pseudo-existential crisis. “I would love to have been born in the ’30s. So I could be in my mid-20s in the ’50s. There’s a certain romance about that era,” she says of the decade when design ran with mad flights of the imagination, and the worlds of fashion, literature, television, music, and architecture were seemingly on the verge of a different rebirth—and likely everything would show up on her mood board.“That’s why I love traveling so much; it’s about using the beauty around you and being inspired by that.” Heeding this call, after seasons of simply sprinting from one fashion moment to another, Jones will temporarily be settling in one of the world’s largest fashion capitals next year. “It’s really what this year is about: sowing the seeds to be able to make it easy when [my husband and I] go to New York. I think it’s important that I go there. It’s just me deciding what stories I want to take, where I want to take my brand creatively and business-wise.” Jones is impossible to pin down. In fact, sometimes she can’t even name what she does, let alone what she’ll be doing a year from now. It’s easy to allow her the moniker of muse or traveler, albeit from a different time, culling inspiration from wherever in the world she’s in. •

HAIR JAN EDROSOLAN

Opposite page: Coat, Ellery, www.elleryland.com; skirt, Alice McCall, LCP; heels, Nicholas Kirkwood, www.nicholaskirkwood.com.

MAKEUP MAYESA DELOS SANTOS

This page: White skirt and top, Matičevski, www.tonimaticevski.com; heels, Aquazzura, www.aquazzura.com.

Left to right: Shaver series 7000, Philips; shaver series 7, Braun; shaver, Remington, all from Rustanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Makati.

BAred

Change of Tactics Classic additions to the grooming toolbox w ords ol iv e r e m oclin g stylin g n im u m ualla m P h ot ograph y Pat ric k S e gov ia

Clockwise from top: Mer & Mistral Shower Gel, L’Occitane, Power Plant Mall; Relaxing Body Cream, L’Occitane, Power Plant Mall; Roll-on Deo, Clinique for Men, Essences, Power Plant Mall; Body Scrub, Kiehl’s, Power Plant Mall.

Boar bristle brush, shave stand, and butterfly open safety razon, all from Parker, Felipe and Sons.

Left to right: Face Wash, Clinique for Men, Essences, Power Plant Mall; Shaving Cream, L’Occitane, Power Plant Mall; Facial Fuel UV Guard, Kiehl’s, Power Plant Mall; Anti-fatigue Eye Serum, Clarins, Rustan’s Makati.

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Explore new eras and horizons without leaving your safe place. Fall/Winter 2016 is a mishmash of escapist fashion and rebellious garb; from velvet’s comeback and the return of the Renaissance to military references and wearable kitsch, the colder season is not always about orange trees, falling temperatures, or hibernation. It’s about reinvention. •

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Truefitt and Hill Recognized as the world’s oldest barbershop, London’s Truefitt and Hill groomed the men who shaped the history of Britain. In fact, it served as the official groomer of the men from the royal family for nine consecutive years since the rule of Prince George III. The establishment received accolades from revered literary figures such as William Thackeray, George Moore, and even Charles Dickens, who called it “the excellent hairdresser” in The Uncommercial Traveler. Truefitt’s client list has never run out of prominent figures: Frank Sinatra, Alfred Hitchcock, and Winston Churchill had their precious tresses cut in Truefitt’s halls.

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A modern man’s guide to grooming destinations across the globe

John Allan's John Allan’s takes it upon itself to up the ante of men’s grooming services and products. Established in 1988, it considers itself a club with services encompassing almost all aspects of men’s lifestyle needs. While it’s primarily known for its hair services and products, the premiere men’s club aims to keep men well-groomed and pampered from head to toe with other services like manicures and shoeshines. Depending on the mood, gentlemen can similarly grab a drink and join in some intelligent chatter with the other members of the club.

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Bullfrog Located in Milan, Bullfrog merges classic Italian artistry with the American barbershop ambience. At Bullfrog, men are given a treatment that follows their own style, whether it’s for their hair or mustache. Connected to the barbershop is What Original Men Own (WOMO), a tailor shop where men can have their suits and shoes sewn according to their standards. Grooming products and scents are also available at both Bullfrog and WOMO, two establishments that ensure the busy man is always fashionable.

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Gentlemen 1919 After three years of rigorous preparation, Gentlemen 1919 finally opened its doors in Paris last June. Maintaining a classic interior design, it is a venue where time passes by unnoticed. Inspired by the abundance of speakeasies in the United States in the year 1919, the establishment keeps a drinking and cigar lounge at the backroom of the barbershop that can seat 12 people. Their selection of classic cocktails, whiskeys, and cigars allows modern men to pass the time chatting and reveling in the spirits— just like how they used to in speakeasies in 1919.

PHOTOGRAPHY (BULLFROG) EUGENIO MARONGIU

Pankhurst London Along Carnaby Street in London, Pankhurst is where men can duly indulge their senses. Here, gentlemen can sit back in the bespoke leather barber seats made by Bentley Motors and choose from an array of finely made liquor, to be enjoyed before, during, or after a haircut session. While letting the barbers style their mane, patrons can revel in the music piping from Pankhurst’s Naim Audio Stereo.

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Through the Maze In between colorful walls and refined sierras, Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mesoamerican legacy lives on

Wo rds GABRIE LLE A brahan P h otography Trac i e A nglo - D iz on

Opposite page: After a day of exploring, travelers can lounge in the hot pink pools at Merida in the Yucatan. This page, clockwise from top: Colorful pottery from Hidalgo, found at a shop in San Miguel de Allende; a home converted into a boutique hotel in the Yucatan; a Zapotec woman weaving in Oaxaca.

“Mexico is a visual feast, with incredible history, culture, and people,” shares A2A Journeys creative director Tracie Anglo Dizon. From pyramids of the ancient civilizations to museums with pieces by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Mexico offers more than a mariachi band welcome. From Dizon’s own adventures, which include jumping into a 20-meter deep cenote, three lesser known places provide travelers new reasons to visit. Guanajuato Founded in 1559, the UNESCO World Heritage site with its silver and gold mines recalls the past with its colonial-era architecture. Surrounded by the Sierra de Guanajuato Mountains, Guanajuato is infamous for being what they call “the place of frogs,” with its frog-like terrain. Long walks bring travelers to colorful houses and baroque buildings, cobblestone streets lined with museums, theaters, and cafés evoking Europe’s old-world air. There’s also the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a monument recalling the country’s first victory over Spain in 1810, the Callejón del Beso, a narrow alleyway where couples are close enough to kiss from opposite balconies, and the Museo

Iconográfico del Quijote, a museum dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Travelers can then take their fill of Baijo cuisine, known for the local dish pacholas guanajuatenses (ground beef with spices). Oaxaca It has the layout of a traditional colonial town: there’s a town square or zocalo surrounded by cathedrals, government buildings, houses, and schools. According to Dizon, “Oaxaca has a strong artistic tradition, with a large variety of handicrafts produced around the state.” Aside from its black pottery and woven textiles like the tapetes, rebozos, and huipiles, among many others, which are made into shawls and handbags, Oaxaca city is known for their alebrijes or figurines of mythical creatures carved from the wood of the copal tree. Hand painted with natural dyes, each figurine features traditional zapotec designs with varying patterns of dots, stripes, and geometric shapes. Yucatán During the days of the Mayans, one of the indigenous civilizations of the Americas, Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, two of the greatest

ancient cities, were established. A visit to the Yucatán peninsula will put any traveler at ease as the ruins, the scenic views of the forests that still stand as sacred destinations for their religious history, and the archaeological sites all embody the country’s Mesoamerican past. The yellow town of Izamal, on the other hand, is one of the country’s two Pueblos Magicos or Magic Towns. For a town to be considered magical, it must have a rich historical tradition and interesting sites; the yellow-colored town is nothing short of magic especially when toured in a calesa. As for travel advice, Dizon says, “Go with an empty stomach and suitcase, and a curious mind. The food is unlike any Mexican food you’ll have anywhere else in the world, the history is mind-boggling, and the culture is rich, varied, and colorful. And don’t even get me started on the shopping.” •

squaRED

Inside Access Since the imagined glory of the Grand Budapest, emerging hotels have exerted newer myths Words Gabrie ll e A b r a h a n

This page: Hotel Ritz

Hotel Ritz, Paris Home to historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different greats, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Coco Chanel, the equally legendary Hotel Ritz reopens with newly renovated interiors that live up to its glory days. The hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contemporary design sets a stark contrast against its original 19th century pieces. Guests can partake of the cuisine prepared by Chef Nicolas Sale and beauty treatments at the Chanel au Ritz Paris salon.

The President, Laos Tucked in the middle of the Vientiane neighborhood in Laos, the hotel is surrounded by the Presidential palace, temples, and touches of French architecture. It blends Laotian culture with its colonial roots, and its presidential suite comes with a private butler service fit for royalty.

PHOTOGRAPHY (FOUR SEASONS) SEET, KEN/FOUR SEASONS

Clockwise from top left: Four Season’s suite, The President’s café, Amanemu’s spa treatment room, Chablé’s king villa.

Four Seasons Hotel, Jakarta Taking the place of the old Four Seasons hotel, its newest incarnation features romantic French interiors and suites that present a panoramic view of the Jakarta skyline. The new Four Seasons Hotel is designed with the traditional Indonesian style of incorporating the outdoors with indoor areas, proof of how one dynamic space can stand as an art piece all on its own.

Chablé, Mexico In Mexico’s famous Yucatán peninsula, Chablé takes inspiration from the ancient culture of the Mayans, its authentic haciendastyle interior and spa therapies drawing energy from a nearby cenote. Located near the ruins of Chichen Itza and Uxmal, in a sort of underworld within the caves, Chablé’s private cenote offers the first ethereal spa of its kind.

Amanemu, Japan Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word aman, which means peace, and nemu, which means sharing joy in Japanese. The first hot spring hotel by the Aman group, designed with authentic ryokan architecture, is built on the edge of the Osaki Peninsula and complements the surrounding Japanese gardens of Ise-Shima National Park.

Explora Valle Sagrado, Peru In the middle of an old corn plantation, Valle Sagrado sits surrounded by mountains that were formerly home to the Incan empire. Even the hotel’s walls tell a history lecture on their own. Having opened this July, Valle Sagrado’s interiors are layered in traditional adobe and Jahuacollay hawthorn, while salvaged walls reveal the ancient craftsmanship of the Inca masons.

BUSINESS

Childish Antics

From the funny, the flattering, and the fantastic, anecdotes of a life where age is but a numbers game Inte r v ie w Ba m b in a Oliva re s Wis e illust rat ion K rist in e cagu iat

I am eternally grateful to my Spanish grandfather for many things: from the shape of my nose to the desirability of my passport. But to my Asian genes I credit a commodity far more elusive and far more desirable, at least to Caucasians: eternal youth, or a semblance of it. Asians don’t age, my ex-husband (British, white, condescending—you know the type) once observed. Yes, I nodded, but we mature. Caucasians, on the other hand, age but do not necessarily mature. Of course I was speaking then about one particular Caucasian. Through the decades, I have often been mistaken for being younger than I really am, and of course I have delighted in the compliments. Who wouldn’t be chuffed to have a group of 16-year-old boys ask you to the movies this coming Friday while you, a recent bride of 26, are lounging by the pool in Hongkong Parkview? Who wouldn’t be amused and secretly thrilled when 10 year-old kids playing in front of your house in Amman, Jordan, ask you how old you are, and when you say talateen (30), they insist on correcting you and saying, “13 is talatash, not talateen!” Who wouldn’t be surprised and frankly giddy when a 25-year-old hunk hits on your 47-year-old self, thinking you can’t be more than 35? And who wouldn’t be tickled pink when a 19-year-old student (half-English, half-Sicilian, natch) mistakes you, now all of 52, for a fellow student when you settle your own 19-year-old daughter into her dorm room at university? I mean, that took the cake. It’s easy to be blithe about aging when you are somewhat blessed with

the youthfulness gene. While other people fret about their sagging jowls and dulling skin, the dread you profess about the inexorable onslaught of wrinkles is more affected and sympathetic rather than real. You realize as you get older, while the non-Asians around you complain about wrinkles that have marked foreheads and pushed mouths downward a decade or two before they should, that growing up in the tropics, railing incessantly about the sweltering heat, has actually been the best thing: the very humidity that kept you fanning yourself maniacally and dabbing at your face with a tissue is the secret talisman that kept your skin

wonderfully plumped and moisturized. That has held true no matter the unforgiving climes I have found myself living in through most of my adult life, be it in the intense but arid heat of Jordan, the biting winters of Paris, the mercurial seasons of England, the endless blue skies but parched air of Johannesburg. Of course, I slathered myself with moisturizer, but whether the brand was La Prairie or Decleor or Biotherm or Nivea or Dr. Brandt or even Savane, the certified organic South African skincare range I helped launch, my routine was basic and fuss-free: cleanse, tone, and moisturize, perhaps exfoliate once a week. As I got older, I added a serum and facial oil at night-time, and fitted in a facial when I could, but otherwise I eschewed fillers or Botox or surgery. Nature continues to be kind, I will admit, but I’d like to think that approaching life with a certain fearlessness keeps me youthful. As do humor and grace. And getting out of a bad marriage. •

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