MAXIM USA/january 2020 by ANGEL PEACH ENTERTAINMENT

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win.” WIL LI AM SH AK ES PEAR E

MAXIM

STYLE The coolest gloves,

sunglasses, driving shoes and more for your speedy getaways

Danny Green proves his worth as both a shooter and top defender

THE M A LDI V E S The small

tropical nation in the Indian Ocean has emerged as the hottest beach escape

AU TO The reimagined Porsche 911s from California’s Singer are even cooler than the originals

ATHLE TE The L.A. Lakers’

MOTO The MV Agusta 750S Tributo from Italy’s famed Magni revs our engines

LE A DING M A N Russian Doll star Charlie Barnett is one of the most compelling actors around

SUPERCA R Scuderia

Cameron Glickenhaus’s new track-ready hypercar looks to Le Mans and beyond

Romanian model, photographer and actress Catrinel Marlon is worth watching

TOP SHELF The new

American Whiskey Rebellion brings us amazing single malts and more

Meet our Maxim Cover Girl winner who also happens to have been a champion ﬁgure skater

SPIRITS Lenny Kravitz’s

collaboration with legendary champagne house Dom Pérignon

Haitian rapper, actor, producer and Grammy winner Wyclef Jean

RE A L E S TATE How to buy and run a wine estate, from Bordeaux to Sonoma

LE A DING L A DY Up-and-coning

ELIZ A BE TH NGU Y EN

ENTER TA INER The wisdom of

A DV ENT URE An off-road adventure in the Jordanian desert from Wadi Rum to Petra

BE SP OK E TR AV EL Luxury

adventures from travel experts who can do the impossible

TITA N Hedge fund king Ken Grifﬁn has acquired some of the world’s most exclusive real estate

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ON THE COV ER Elizabeth Nguyen wears a robe by Mola Walker and jewelry by Sydney Evan. Photographed by Gilles Bensimon.

Luxury travel blogger and inﬂuencer Christina Vidal (@jetsetchristina) takes a break from paddleboarding at Gili Lankanfushi Maldives

C O U R T E S Y O F @ J E T S E TC H R I S T I N A

WATCHE S Rolex customizer Artisans de Genève’s creations are true masterpieces

B A C C A R A T. C O M N E W YO R K • G R E E N W I C H • PA L M D E S E R T • S O U T H C OA S T P L A Z A • L A S V E G A S • H O U S T O N • M I A M I

The Leading Voice in Men’s Luxury Lifestyle

SARDAR BIGLARI Editor-in- Chief

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GUILLAUME BRUNEAU

art & design director

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PAUL O’DEA

special lifestyle editor A LESSA NDR A A MBROSIO

senior vice president of sales & marketing senior vice president of sales vice president of brand partnerships

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european fashion director

southeast director

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NICOLAS STECHER

west coast director

JEFFREY RINNA

contributing features editor

KEITH GORDON

west coast director

LARRY STEVENS

contributing editor

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vice president of events and experience

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senior vice president of new business lines

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digital director

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deputy digital director staff writer

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The Kings of Custom

Artisans de Genève’s exquisitely rendered custom Rolexes are masterworks in their own right Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

Spike Lee and Lenny Kravitz are not ordinary men, nor would we ever expect them to wear ordinary watches. To say that they are individuals who put their unique stamp on everything they touch is understating the case. Even a rare vintage Rolex Daytona would be a bit too quotidian a timepiece for a pair of idiosyncratic geniuses and true icons who have had such a profound effect on our culture. A unique, bespoke Rolex Daytona with one-of-a-kind design details that acts as both an homage to classic watchmaking and a contemporary expression of timekeeping, however, is the perfect accessory. Of course, there are very few horological design houses that could, or would, carry out such a commission. Bamford Watch Department and MAD Paris spring to mind. But there is only one that could execute it with the panache, style and painstaking attention to detail that is the hallmark of Artisans de Genève, the Geneva based watchmaking workshop that has created some of the most coveted customized Rolex watches in the world. The supremely beautiful customized Daytonas they produced in collaboration with the worldfamous director (Spike Lee’s Cool Hand Brooklyn) and even more renowned rock star (the Lenny Kravitz LK01) were milestones in a watch customization juggernaut that now debuts several designs a year, which go far beyond mere finishes and color changes to create something entirely new yet unmistakably Rolex. Rolex never has, and may not ever, officially endorse customized versions of its watches; any alteration voids the warranty, for one thing. But we have to think that even the stoic gentlemen in their signature Rolex green neckties appreciate the work of their fellow Genevan craftsmen, not to mention the association with the likes of Lee and Kravitz. “Having always had a profound admiration for Spike Lee’s body of work, creating a timepiece reflective to his image was a great challenge,” Artisans de Genève notes. “In our opinion, this fine balance between future and past is one of Spike Lee’s most notable characteristics.” Born out of a chance meeting between Lee and Artisans de Genève’s Creative Director, John Isaac, at an Apple Store, the watch case is an homage to the iconic Rolex Daytonas of the 1960s and the timepiece itself pays tribute to Brooklyn, the borough that looms so large in Lee’s oeuvre. Its key features are a reworked dial and bezel—while the general blue and orange color scheme is remi-

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niscent of Lee’s beloved New York Knicks basketball team—and a custom blue alligator NATO strap, while the name is a reference to the famed Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke. “This watch encompasses excellence, tradition, style and love,” Lee, who notes that he “owns several [Daytonas] from back in the day,” enthuses. “John and I have often talked about what if one of us [had] not decided to go to the Apple Store in Soho that fateful day, we would have never met, there would be no watch. The fact is, the powers in the universe made our meeting possible and I believe it was meant to be.” Among other timepieces, the mods to the Lenny Kravitz LK01 also pay homage to an iconic 1960s “Paul Newman” Daytona, the “John Player Special,” so called because its black and gold color scheme resembles that of the Lotus Formula 1 cars sponsored by the British cigarette brand in the ’70s. To achieve the effect, the LK01’s case was given a blacked-out DLC (diamond-like carbon) treatment while the custom bezel is made of golden Bakelite. The final touch is a decidedly rock-and-roll black leather bund cuff-style strap. “I’ve been collecting watches for more than 20 years now and have always had a special affection for classic timepieces,” Kravitz noted, “loaded with history and life. When I met Artisans de Genève, I immediately seized the opportunity to create my own version of the classic [Daytona]. It was also extremely important that the timepiece was to be made by true experts without any compromise in the quality.” John Isaac tells us that Artisans de Genève’s expertise is hardly incidental, calling the company formed in 2005 a “reunion of retired watchmakers who have worked for the greatest watchmaking houses”; one can only speculate that Rolex itself might be one of them. More recently ADG has evolved its retromodern Daytona design ethos in collaborations with a pair of motor racing legends, Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello. Montoya has not only won Formula 1 races including the Monaco Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix, but the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24 at Daytona as well. Barrichello meanwhile is one of the highest points scorers in F1 history, with an impressive 11 race wins and six years as a Ferrari factory driver to his credit. Both watches are extremely cutting-edge thanks to their openworked “skeleton” dials, a feature of higher-priced models offered by several top luxury watchmakers, but presumably too avant-garde for Rolex (so far). The dials not only add a contemporary flair to the timepieces but reveal Artisans de Genève’s modified automatic movements as well; their artistry does not end on the watch’s surface, another trait which sets them apart from most other top watch customization houses. Both watches are also offered in gold as well; the La Montoya Gold, as it’s called, will be made in a limited edition, available by special order and priced at about $70,000 apiece. As Rolex’s own contemporary Daytona model with its black Cerachrom bezel is it itself an aesthetic homage to the Paul Newman era, upping the ante with a skeleton dial—a first for a bespoke Daytona—has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that Artisans de Genève’s workmanship is truly world-class.

Above: Spike Lee with his custom Spike Lee Cool Hand Brooklyn Rolex Daytona by Artisans de Genève; Opposite, clockwise from top left: The La Montoya Gold skeleton dial Rolex Daytona; a custom Daytona in “John Player Special” colors made for Lenny Kravitz; illuminated markers on a skeleton Daytona design; Spike Lee’s custom Daytona in a blue and orange color scheme

COURTESY OF ARTISANS DE GENÈVE

WATCHES

STYLE

High Octane Five essential items to make every road trip a stylish one Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

1. Christophe Fenwick Driving Gloves Parisian classic car and motorcycle collector Christophe Fenwick decided to create his own line of luxurious leather driving gloves because he couldn’t find any that were stylish enough to suit his rides. He developed an exclusive method of applying a patina to the leather to give some of the gloves a lustrous vintage look. The Type E model retails for about $310 via www.christophefenwick.com 2. Hedon Motorcycle Helmet Hedon’s handcrafted helmets are classic retro and racing style retooled for the modern gentleman. Designed in London, some offer anti-fog double lenses, and three-channel ventilation, and all offer leather linings, wide field of views, and

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killer looks. The Heroine Racer 60’s model is a spot-on tribute to the Swinging ’60s that is fully road legal for the USA. $899 via www.hedon. com. 3. Belstaff Shearling Jacket The famed British brand’s Fraser model is a hybrid of a motorcycle jacket and a fighter pilot’s shearling bomber that offers the best of both worlds. Channel quilting at the shoulders, an asymmetric fastening and four zipped pockets give it plenty of style, while it’s warm enough for mid-winter excursions. The leather will only get better with age. $2,675 via www.belstaff.com. 4. Paul Smith Sunglasses These limited edition Alrick shades packing plenty of panache thanks to leather side shields

instantly sold out when the great British designer Sir Paul Smith originally debuted them a decade ago. Frank Scious of online eyewear boutique Eyegoodies is re-releasing a number of deadstock examples from his vault, but when they’re gone, they’re gone. Handmade in Italy. $459 via www.eyegoodies.com. 5. Tod’s Gommino Driving Shoes Many have tried to replicate the iconic driving shoes made by Italy’s famed Tod’s, yet they’ve all come in a poor second. The pebbled soles which turn up at the back so you can heel-and-toe properly at the wheel of your vintage Ferrari mark out the true originals. They come in some great colors this season including classic gray. $445 via www.mrporter.com.

C O U R T E S Y O F 1 . L A U R E N T N I VA L L E F O R C H R I S TO P H E F E N W I C K 2 . H E D O N . 3 . B E L S TA F F. 4 . E Y E G O O D I E S . 5 . M R . P O R T E R

MOLTO VELOCE

MOTO

The Magni MV Agusta 750S Tributo is a retro, highly-covetable café racer

This just may be the most beautiful modern café racer on the market today. And although many a café racer has an impressive story, the Magni MV Agusta 750S Tributo probably takes the cake. Handcrafted in Italy by a family with MotoGP in their DNA going back decades. Meccanica Verghera Agusta, aka MV Agusta, was born in 1945 in the village of Verghera, Italy, as an offshoot of an aeronautics company founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1907. In 1970 they began producing what many petrolheads would say is the most beautiful Italian production bike ever made, the 750S. With its distinctive red, white, and blue livery it is still as eye-catch14 J A N / F E B 2 0 2 0 M A X I M . C O M

ing today as it was then. Unfortunately, by the end of 1976 MV Agusta was falling into decline and its race team was shuttered. The company sold its last bike in 1980 and did not reemerge, phoenix-like, from the ashes until Claudio Castiglioni acquired the trademarks in 1991. But this story is really about the MV Agusta racing department (Reparto Corse) formed in the late 1940s to campaign in motorcycle Grand Prix. And the man who was at its head from 1950 to 1976, Arturo Magni. He won an astonishing 3,000 podiums from 1952 to 1976, and 270 World Grand Prix titles. With legendary riders such as Phil Read, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini under his tutelage, the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team was simply unstoppable.

C O U R T E S Y O F A L E S S A N D R O O L G I AT I

Te x t b y D U N C AN Q U I N N

It may not quite have been Hesketh Racing under the patronage of Lord Hesketh. But Magni won. And won again. And won again. The MV Agusta Reparto Corse simply dominated the 1950s, ’60s and ’70’s GP race scene. History shows they took a clean sweep of world titles across all four categories for three seasons from 1958 to 1960, and 16 straight wins in the 500cc class from 1958 to 1974. Until Honda came onto the MotoGP scene they simply had no equal. After Arturo Magni left MV Agusta in 1976, the first thing he did was to take production 750cc MV Agustas and retrofit them for customers to full GP race specification. Forty years later, life has now come full circle as his sons build the reimagined MV Agusta 750S. Handcrafted

afresh today and entirely made in Italy by the company Arturo Magni started with his sons in 1977. Featuring bespoke in-house frames, modern 800cc 3-cylinder engines from the MV Agusta Brutale, Brembo 4-pot 320mm floating disc brakes, bespoke 43mm ORAM front forks with adjustable extension, compression and preload, bespoke ORAM adjustable rear shocks, JoNich wheels specially crafted for tubeless tires, and just about every detail you could imagine at the highest specification, this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The 750S Tributo has the looks of a 1970’s Sophia Loren, with the heart and soul of a modern street brawler. We certainly want one. And we know you do too. MAXIM.COM

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SUPERCAR

ROAD WARRIOR

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhausâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Glickenhaus 007 looks to Le Mans and beyond Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

16 J A N / F E B 2 0 2 0 M A X I M . C O M

No American-made car has won first overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since Ford’s legendary sweep from 1966 to 1969 with its iconic GT40s. Former film writer, director and Wall Street money manager Jim Glickenhaus has made no secret that he plans to change that, and the new Glickenhaus 007 from his Sleepy Hollow, New York-based Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus marque might just make it happen. The FIA Endurance Commission, a joint venture by Le Mans governing bodies FIA and ACO, has announced that racing variants of road-legal hypercars will compete in the replacement of its top LMP1 prototype class starting in September 2020, opening the field to the likes

of SCG. Glickenhaus, a world-class Ferrari collector before he got into the manufacturing game, is best known for commissioning the Ferrari P4/5, designed with Pininfarina and unveiled in 2006, one of the most beautiful customized Ferraris ever made. His next venture was the P4/5 Competizione, built in 2010, with no input from Ferrari but with plenty of fans among racing enthusiasts and the automotive press. Paying homage to the legendary Ferrari 330 P3/P4 endurance racers of the 1960s, the P4/5s partly paved the way for SCG’s first in-house car, the SCG 003C, launched at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show, and followed by a street version, the SCG 003S. In 2017, the

SCG 003C became the only privately-manufactured race car ever to score pole position at the famed 24h race at Nürburgring, which runs a close second to Le Mans in endurance racing circles. Likewise the Glickenhaus 007 will start out as an LMPH racer to be followed by a limited run of street-legal beasts—which should be eligible to compete at Le Mans in the new hypercar class. And Glickenhaus seems to be spoiling for a fight. He posted early photos of the Glickenhaus 007 LMPH to social media with the caption, “Cry Havoc and Let Slip the Dogs of War.” Details on the car are scarce so far, but most notably it will have a traditional internal-combustion setup in the form of a a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, bucking the hybrid trend, while its curves and red color scheme are firmly in the Italian

endurance racer mold. Horsepower for the road-legal version has been tipped at around 750 hp, which, if it seems a bit low, might be limited by the new race rules. Testing is set to begin in this year, giving SCG about a year to get ready for Le Mans in 2021. Of course Glickenhaus is likely to face fierce competition from the likes of McLaren, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini and others with plenty of experience building street-legal hypercars that are poised to compete in the new Le Mans class. SCG’s endurance racing credentials will certainly be an advantage. But whether Glickenhaus ends up with a recordbreaking win or not, we predict the limited-run Glickenhaus 007 will sell out quickly even with an expected $1 million-plus price tag.

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JAN/FEB 2020

C O U R T E S Y O F H I L L R O C K E S TAT E D I S T I L L E R Y

TOP SHELF

THE AMERICAN WHISKEY REBELLION A guide to the tastiest new oﬀerings in the industry’s most exciting category Te x t b y N I CO L A S S T EC H ER

t’s hard to miss the veritable explosion of American whiskies popping up on the shelves of your neighborhood spirits shops and watering holes lately. Even casual observers have probably spotted a dozen new labels of native browns, while enthusiasts are eagerly licking their lips at the scores of new options available. There are so many, in fact, that some aficionados are suffering from fatigue. Eager to dig deep into the varied offerings of the new American whiskey landscape, we recently sampled over 100 bottles from across various categories to find those worthy of closer attention—and a healthy pour. “Given the growth of interest in American whiskey and proliferation of craft distilleries, as well as new products by large distilleries, it’s clear we’re in a golden age of whiskies,” David Ozgo, Chief Economist for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), tells us. “We’re enjoying a greater variety and higher quality than ever before.” According to Ozgo, over 2,000 craft distilleries have opened across America in the last decade, everywhere from the frozen void of upstate New York to the tropical climes of South Florida, and the impressive elevations of the Rockies to the scrubby desert brush of the American West. Overall, sales of super-premium whiskey offerings have ballooned 136% from 2013 to 2018. Three categories / trends in particular stand out: American Single Malts, the wild world of Innovations, and Bottled in Bond [see sidebar p. 22]. Among the burgeoning number of options, including different cask finishes, mash bills, single barrels, and more, these are the bottles that we think should be on your radar. AMERICAN SINGLE MALTS While Scotch and Japanese single malts have long held the crown for global whiskey acclaim, it’s time to make room for the Yanks. Formed in 2016, the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission was created to establish, promote and protect this emerging yet underserved category of whiskey. While still not legally recognized, members of the Commission pledge that every bottle is distilled from 100% malted barley at a single American distillery, among other qualifications—authenticating arguably the most exciting thing to happen to domestic whiskey this century.

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HOOD RIVER DISTILLERS / McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey Steve McCarthy is credited with creating the American Single Malt category more than two decades ago. On a fateful fishing trip to Ireland he fell in love with peated Scotch, and upon returning to his little distillery outside Portland began sourcing malted barley from Inverness. Distilling in 60-gallon Holstein copper pot stills, McCarthy harnessed his craft and unknowingly launched a segment that would not gain traction for another 20 years. While retaining an Islay-inspired smokiness, his Oregon Single Malt does not overwhelm with an intense campfire potency—think more Caol Ila than Ardbeg. Credit the mellowing to the Oregon oak it ages in for a minimum of three years. HILLROCK ESTATE DISTILLERY / Single Malt Hillrock is a truly “field-to-glass” endeavor, growing their own organic barley at their Hudson Valley farm and then malting it for 12 hours using imported Scottish peat at the first American malthouse built since Prohibition. The mash is then small-batch distilled using Vendome copper and brass pots, and entirely aged and bottled at their Hudson Valley estate. The Single Malt’s peat adds a whiff of tobacco to Hillrock’s signature notes of cinnamon, clove, and caramel.

WESTLAND DISTILLERY / Garryana 4|1 Fans of Scotch barley aficionados Bruichladdich will certainly gravitate to Westland, who consider the distant Islay distillery soulmates (and

Rémy Cointreau stablemates). Like Bruichladdich, Seattle’s Westland takes the concept of terroir to the furthest levels imaginable—going so far as sourcing peat from a nearby bog on the Olympic Peninsula. Furthering this goal they’ve also turned their attention to wood; the latest edition of their Native Oak Series, Garryana 4|1, partly ages in barrels made of Garry, an indigenous Pacific Northwest oak. Wonderful rounded mouthfeel for this limited expression. STRANAHAN’S / Diamond Peak Colorado’s finest, Stranahan’s Diamond Peak is a testament to exquisite whiskey crafting by keeping it simple: made in small batches with 100% malted barley and Rocky Mountain water, aged in new American white oak barrels for four years, and then finished with the Solera method. There’s also a limited Sherry Cask finish, but when your core product is this good there’s no need to get clever. INNOVATIONS As American Whiskey hits light speed, innovation fuels much of its acceleration. While cousins across the pond rest on tradition, American distillers are rabidly experimenting with new mash bills, forms of distillation, aging techniques and barrel finishes that are opening up doors not even dreamt of a decade ago. Certain entries can seem gimmicky or harebrained, and sometimes they are, but more often these attempts at innovation are well rewarded. HIGH WEST / Campfire Despite its origins in one of the more teetotaling states in the Union, Park City’s High West has garnered a ton of acclaim. And while their limited edition Bourye (bourbon/rye blend) and Yippee Ki-Yay (rye finished in port casks) are worth seeking, it’s their core Campfire we couldn’t stop pouring. Adding a peated Scotch to their bourbon and rye blends, Campfire takes on a paradoxical but explosive taste that somehow marries the vanilla and black cherry sweetness of bourbon with the smokiness of an Islay single malt, resulting in a truly singular whiskey.

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T H I S PA G E TO P TO B OT TO M : C O U R T E S Y O F H I G H W E S T; H O O D R I V E R D I S T I L L E R S O P P O S I T E PA G E L E F T TO R I G H T TO P TO B OT TO M : C O U R T E S Y O F H I G H W E S T; A N G E L’ S E N V Y; S T R A N A H A N ’ S ; W E S T L A N D D I S T I L L E R Y; M I C H E L E C L A R K ; W E S T L A N D D I S T I L L E R Y; W O O D F O R D R E S E R V E ; B A LCO N E S D I S T I L L I N G ; H O O D R I V E R D I S T I L L E R S

BALCONES DISTILLING / Balcones “1” Texas Single Malt Balcones arguably coined the term Texas Single Malt. Launched in 2008, the Waco distillery quickly gained acclaim for its flawless attention to detail and flair for experimentation. Although cofounder Chip Tate is gone, Balcones continues to pour great detail into their product—combining traditional elements (Golden Promise barley, Scottishmade pot stills) with Texan flair (aging in the varied central-Texas climate). Their complex Texas Single Malt boasts beautiful color, cocoa notes and creamy mouthfeel, and has helped earn Balcones more than 350 awards since their first bottle in 2009.

SMOOTH AMBLER SPIRITS / Old Scout Straight Bourbon Whiskey 99 Proof This past fall Smooth Ambler re-released its now legendary Old Scout Straight Bourbon, bringing joy to whiskey nerds worldwide. The pioneering West Virginia distillery gained quick and widespread acclaim for this golden elixir, and pretty much built its business upon it. When you have something this delicious—notes of leather, sweet tobacco and butterscotch with a luscious honeyed mouthfeel—pursue it like happiness. Because once the exclusive batches of Old Scout are gone, who knows how long until it’s back on the market. WIDOW JANE / The Vaults 2019 One of the more exquisite bottles we’ve tasted, Widow Jane’s aptly named The Vaults is the first in a planned annual release that collects the oldest, rarest and best bourbons from their Brooklyn stocks and blends them to perfection. The Red Hook distillery cherry-picks 20 barrels worth of Tennessee and Indiana bourbons aged at least 14 years, blends them and then finishes the married whiskey for nine months in American oak barrels made from staves that are air-seasoned. According to Head Distiller Lisa Wicker, allowing the staves to age outdoors in harsh climes eliminates the wood’s tannins and greenness, yielding unique flavors and notes of anise dipped in dark chocolate. WOODFORD RESERVE / 2019 Master’s Collection Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller Chris Morris has long been renowned for his innovation in the industry. With the recent release of their new Wheat Whiskey, the Kentucky distillery is now the only brand to offer all four of the approved grain styles. But it is Morris’ work with his aptly named Master’s Collection that illuminates his finest artistry, as enjoyed in their latest Chocolate Malted Rye Bourbon expression. When you toast rye for extended periods it yields a chocolatey deliciousness. Think subtle notes of mocha and caramel, with a tasty roasted nut finish.

By Nicolas Stecher Although in the midst of a renaissance, bottled-in-bond whiskies are anything but new. In the nascent liquor industry, additives and bootlegging were rife, so in 1897 the government signed the Bottled-in-Bond Act to assure buyers the labeled spirit was the real deal. Bottled in bond (BIB) guaranteed three things: the whiskey was the product of one distillation season at a single distillery; it was bottled and stored at a federally-bonded warehouse under government supervision for at least four years; and it was bottled at 100 proof. “Transparency in the whiskey industry is paramount—consumers want to know what they are getting,” says Tommy Tardie, owner of Manhattan’s Fine & Rare and The Flatiron Room. “BIB takes the guesswork out of it. There is no question of who distilled it, where it was sourced, the ABV, etc…. It’s all right there on the label in three simple words.” As the proprietor of two of New York’s most acclaimed whiskey dens, Tardie knows a thing or two about liquid gold. A few of his favorite BIBs include two from distilleries located right in New York. McKenzie’s wheated Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey from Finger Lakes Distilling “tastes wonderful,” he enthuses, with notes of “honeyed vanilla, caramel and cherries with a gentleness you wouldn’t expect in a 100-proof whiskey.” And just over the bridge from Manhattan lies New York Distilling Company in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “They’ve been quietly carving out a great of a portfolio of spirits,” Tardie tells us. Their Ragtime Rye Bottled in Bond “is a brand new release for them and I expect it to fly off the shelves.” From Kentucky, the traditional heart of American bourbon coun-

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try, Tardie touts both the Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond and the Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Amaranth Bottled in Bond as standouts. “You may know Heaven Hill from the iconic Elijah Craig, but they produce a bunch of other great brands including this one,” he tells us. “In 2019 they released a new version that’s been aged for seven years—a little more expensive, but worth it. The Amaranth BIB meanwhile is “a onetime, very limited run that uses the ancient grain amaranth instead of rye. The amaranth, also known as the grain of the gods, adds some interesting character to the bottle,” giving it “nutty and earthy notes that you won’t normally find in a typical bourbon.” T H I S PA G E TO P TO B OT TO M : C O U R T E S Y O F W I D O W J A N E ; B E N H I D E R . O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F B A L C O N E S D I S T I L L I N G

BOTTLED IN BOND

exact origins—and no doubt leading to even more exploratory sipping. Its latest limited edition bottle, Batch #9, makes waves through raw power; at 63.8% ABV, or 127.6 proof, it’s one of the most potent bourbons ever released. ANGEL’S ENVY / 2019 Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels This Louisville distillery’s Cask Strength program is truly a family affair. Back in 2012 three generations of the Henderson family melded minds to start extending the aging of their bourbon in hand-selected port wine barrels. That first year rang true: exalted critic F. Paul Pacult dubbed it the “best spirit in the world” in his Spirit Journal. Now in their eighth year, for Angel Envy’s new high-proof (61.2% ABV) limited-edition drop the Hendersons used juice aged between six and 15 years, with the alchemy of bourbon and port yielding unique notes of butterscotch, honeyed apple, overripe banana and toast.

KENTUCKY OWL BOURBON / Batch #9 The original Kentucky Owl Bourbon dates all the way back to the late 19th century when it was founded by a man named Charles Mortimer Dedman. Resurrected in 2014 by Dixon Dedman, Kentucky Owl has been regularly releasing high-quality, top-shelf bourbon without an exact provenance or age statement, making many very curious about its

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J. HENRY & SONS / 5-Year Small Batch Wisconsin Straight Bourbon and 2019 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Blend Joe Henry’s chosen strain of corn, an heirloom red, was first grown by his father on a small family farm in Wisconsin, way back in the 1940’s. With the help of UW-Madison they’ve resurrected this rare strain and now grow it (as well as the rye and wheat) on that same farm for use in their award-winning bourbons. The spirit also ages in an unelectrified barn, allowing Wisconsin’s rollercoaster climate to lay its hands on the barrels’ aging effects. The Henrys’ 5-Year is already near impossible to find, and their 10th Anniversary Blend sold out in a day.

C L O C K W I S E F R O M TO P : C O U R T E S Y O F J . H E N R Y & S O N S ; K E N T U C K Y O W L B O U R B O N ; W O LV E S .

WOLVES / Winter Run When you hear streetwear marketing mavericks are launching a new American whiskey you’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes. But don’t sleep on Wolves—we just wish it was a little easier to get hold of. All 898 bottles of its First Run were snapped up within a week, and the Winter Run of 1,338 bottles released last November quickly followed suit. A blend of whiskey distilled from craft stout beer, aged in French oak for eight years; whiskey distilled from craft pilsner beer, aged in New American oak for five years; a rye selected for its spice; and a single malt whiskey aged for nine years in used French Oak barrels, the latest Wolves experiment hit a bullseye.

JEFFERSON’S BOURBON / Ocean Father and son duo Chet and Trey Zoeller founded Jefferson’s in Kentucky in 1997 with the goal of testing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of whiskey. And who knew how far they’d go to achieve those goals—literally. Their Jefferson’s Ocean expression crosses the equator four times, touching five different continents and over 30 ports of call in its pursuit of extreme aging. Stashing matured Kentucky bourbon barrels in their friend’s research boat, the idea was to test how extreme elements: temperature fluctuations, salt air, and the gentle rocking of the ship would affect aging. The result is a fascinating combo of dark chocolate and dried plums with an aroma of cinnamon and red apples and a touch of salt.

PROMOTION

Maxim teamed up with The Players’ Tribune to host the ultimate Players’ Night Out at the Maxim Masquerade for Halloween 2019. Guests were treated to custom cocktails courtesy of Jack Daniel’s at new NYC hot spot Mister French. Mouth watering bites from celebrity chef and culinary director David Burke were a crowd favorites as were additional beverages from 100 Coconuts Pure Coconut Water, Heineken and Stoli Elit. Mick and Travisty provided the night’s high-energy soundtrack. Guests experienced a site specific art installation by Good Luck Dry Cleaners, a special pop-up performance by hip-hop star Pardison Fontaine,

P H OTO S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E P L AY E R S ’ T R I B U N E

among many other ultra-sultry experiences that tantalized the senses.

SPIRITS

Lenny Kravitz’s rock star-worthy collaboration with storied champagne house Dom Pérignon Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

t’s no surprise perhaps that a rock star would be fond of champagne. Lenny Kravitz’s affinity for Dom Pérignon goes beyond the tour bus tipple however. The iconic musician, record producer and design guru, who was named Creative Director of the LVMH-owned brand in late 2018, has now collaborated with the famed French prestige cuvée, whose heritage dates back to the 17th Century, on three limited edition new bottle designs as well as a candelabra and table-bar intended to enhance the consumption of what is arguably the world’s most famous wine. The collaboration comes on the heels of a series of photographs taken by Kravitz at

for them. Inspired by goldsmiths, Kravitz reimagined Dom Pérignon’s iconic shield in hammered metal, giving it a glamorous sheen and a distinct dose of rock star style. For the even more impressive Vintage 2008 magnum Kravitz designed a presentation case that transforms into a candelabra for “setting the tone for celebrations and rituals”—especially those calling for large format bottles of bubbly. The velvetlined case has a snakeskin-inspired finish, and comes with black candles that can be set in an incision in the top of the box. And the pièce de resistance is a black lacquered table with brushed brass trim with panels that deploy to reveal a hidden compart-

ment holding several bottles of Dom Pérignon–the Kravitz editions, natch–as well as champagne glasses, and an ice bucket in its lighted center. “I wanted to create something that would elevate the ritual of drinking Dom Pérignon,” Kravitz, says, “that would bring people together.” Opening the table, lighting the candelabra and above all popping the bottles should certainly achieve the desired effect, we’d say.

COURTESY OF DOM PÉRIGNON

Toast of the Town

a Dom-fueled dinner party at his house in Los Angeles, images from which were later used in an ad campaign, featuring the likes of designer Alexander Wang, actor Harvey Keitel, former soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata and model Abbey Lee Kershaw. That led to the logical next step for a lover of both wine and design: creating custom labels for Dom Pérignon’s newly released Vintage 2008 cuvée and magnum and the Rosé Vintage 2006 cuvée as well as special gift boxes

Home of the Original Steakburger AN AMERICAN CLASSIC SINCE

1934

REAL ESTATE

HOW TO BUY A

VINEYARD

From acquiring the perfect estate to bottling world-class wine Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

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Marchesi Antinori, outside of Florence, is perhaps the best-designed winery in the world, and shows what aspiring owners can create with beautiful contemporary architecture that in no way detracts from the impressive history of a wine estate MAXIM.COM

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or the truly wealthy, one elegant solution to increased tariffs on French wine readily presents itself: buy your own vineyard. Despite burgeoning interest and a surge in acquisitions eating into available inventory, there are over 80 vineyards and wine estates currently listed for sale with VineyardsBordeaux, the Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate and market leader located in what is arguably the world’s most famous wine region. Chinese buyers now own about 170 vineyard estates, or châteaux, in Bordeaux, Vineyards-Bordeaux cofounder and executive partner Michael Baynes tells Maxim—billionaire Jack Ma, China’s richest man, reportedly owns several of them—and the uptick in investment means that “Bordeaux wine estates are more popular today than we have seen for a long time.” Which we predict also means that prices will only go up from here. As an example, an attractive property with a historic mansion with origins dating back to the late 1700s and about 200 acres, a quarter of which is planted with the classic Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, is listed for about $4.5 million. Of course France is just one of the world’s great wine-producing countries that also offers attractive luxury real estate opportunities. The oenophile investor has options including Tuscany in Italy, Argentina’s Mendoza and the Napa Valley, to name a famous few. Baynes points out that selecting a vineyard depends on an investor’s personal goals and business strategy. His clients’ wishlist often in-

cludes a desirable residence, attractive landscape, vines producing top-quality fruit, well-stocked cellars, state-of-the-art equipment and a fully operational winery with “strong Parker points”—referring to Robert Parker, the world’s most influential wine critic. While some buyers may be primarily interested in enjoying the wine produced on their estate themselves, Baynes points out that with an average yield of 6,000 bottles per hectare (about 2.5 acres) of vineyard, “even a tiny estate produces much more than private consumption would cope with, even [by] the most ambitious of wine drinkers.” If you can sell your wine for a higher price than its production cost,

P R E V I O U S PA G E : C O U R T E S Y M A R C H E S I A N T I N O R I ; T H I S PA G E : C O U R T E S Y M A R C H E S I A N T I N O R I ; O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F S OT H E BY ’ S I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E A LT Y

“THE OENOPHILE INVESTOR HAS OPTIONS INCLUDING TUSCANY IN ITALY, ARGENTINA’S MENDOZA AND THE NAPA VALLEY, TO NAME A FAMOUS FEW”

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Above: More stunning architectural elements at Italy’s Marchesi Antinori; Opposite: A $14.25-million wine-country estate in the Napa Valley listed with Sotheby’s International Realty is an architectural masterpiece in its own right

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says, “steeped with history—think Joan of Arc and Eleanor of Aquitaine—and medieval châteaux, as well as the more common 18th and 19th century architecture that reflected the wine boom at that time.” And in addition to the region’s dozen or so Michelin-starred restaurants, “it’s one hour’s drive to the best beaches and surfing in Europe and just two hours to the ski slopes, all set in the number one wine market in the world,” he notes. As for smart buys in vineyard real estate, Baynes points to the tiny appellations immediately next to the world-famous Saint-Émilion such as Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, Montagne Saint-Émilion, Lussac Saint-Émilion and Puisseguin Saint-Émilion, which “all carry the Saint-Émilion name and brand and have all the attributes of their big brother next door, but in our opinion are underpriced and an excellent purchase right now.” Buying and running a successful winery are of course two very different things. In 2002 entrepreneur Kevin Buckler founded a boutique winery called Adobe Road in Petaluma, California, after looking at established wine properties elsewhere in Sonoma County and in nearby Napa. “I started out making wine as a hobby with a small circle of my close friends,” he tells us. “We’d come together and make

Above: Bordeaux offers some of the most attractive winery opportunities for aspiring vineyard owners, many of them combining historic châteaux with world-class vintages; Opposite: This incredible vineyard estate near Cannes, France, is listed with Christie’s International Real Estate

C O U R T E S Y O F C H R I S T I E ’ S I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E A L E S TAT E

there’s an opportunity to earn a significant return on your investment; just look to Château Miraval, the Provençal vineyard estate purchased by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2011, whose rosé has become a major success. In addition to wine sales, Baynes notes that wine tourism offers another revenue stream for the entrepreneurial-minded. “Wine tourism has been the strongest growth sector of the market in recent years,” he tells us. “In this regard, we see Bordeaux in the same place that Napa Valley was about 20 years ago, as owners and investors look to make their estates more tourist-friendly with wine tastings, tours and accommodations.” Baynes tells us that this summer, Baccarat Hotels & Residences plans to break ground on a new ultra-luxury wine- and food-focused resort located at the historic Château Carignan wine estate. The property will have hotel rooms along with resort residences, and one key feature will be a wine club where “members can buy into the ownership of the winery itself and have access to one of the most prestigious wine collections [and] cellars anywhere in the world, from which they can consume and collect to their hearts desire.” Bordeaux’s scenery and landscapes are “truly stunning,” Baynes

“OWNERS AND INVESTORS ARE MAKING THEIR ESTATES MORE TOURIST-FRIENDLY WITH WINE TASTINGS, TOURS AND ACCOMMODATIONS”

a barrel of Cabernet or Zinfandel, just to enjoy amongst ourselves. After a few go-arounds, I thought, ‘let’s really do this!’ I bought out my partners, gave our project a name with Adobe Road Winery, and got to work.” The main thing to remember, Buckler says, is that “wine is a complicated, relationship-based business.” In that regard it resembles Buckler’s other passion: racing. He has won first overall at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in addition to racking up three other wins at the legendary endurance race, and also scored a GT class win at Le Mans. He has more than 30 racing victories to his credit, mostly won at the wheel of various Porsche 911s. It’s a total he is constantly adding to with his successful team, The Racers Group (TRG). “I run my winery in a similar way to how I run my racing team,” he tells us, “and I know that, to survive in the racing world, you have to do more than one thing—we service race cars, we transport them all over the country, we do professional events, corporate hospitality and much more. It’s no different with Adobe Road; to make the business a success, a competitive spirit is key.” That’s evident in his recent Adobe Road offering, The Racing Series, an acclaimed collection of four wines inspired by his illus-

trious career in motorsports, named Shift, Apex, Redline and The 24. Shift, a blend of Zinfandel, Barbera, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Carignane, comes in a bottle with a metal label that resembles the gated gearshift on a classic Ferrari, while the cork is topped with a five-speed shift knob. Redline, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Malbec, has a label that is silkscreened with a vintage tachometer representing Buckler’s very first racing victory. Apex, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Petite Sirah, is decorated with the apex section of a racetrack on the label. And The 24, a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Malbec, features a metallic Rolex Daytona-style chronograph, in tribute to the timepieces awarded to winning drivers at the race. In October, he broke ground on the first-ever waterfront winery in downtown Petaluma, complete with a tasting room, banquet facilities, corporate meeting suites, an exclusive wine club-only VIP area, and a car museum. Call it the California version of what Baccarat reportedly plans to do at Château Carignan. “It gives us a chance to not only embrace what’s happening in the industry but where the industry is heading,” Buckler says. Something aspiring wine estate owners would do well to take note of.

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BESPOKE TRAVEL

THE ENDS

OF THE EARTH

What true ultra-luxury bespoke adventure travel means now

ant to hop on a private jet, fly to an exotic destination and have an over-the-top vacation? All it takes these days is a decent credit limit. Thanks to a sort of dumbing down of luxury travel in recent years, what was once reserved for the elite traveler is now accessible to almost anyone, as brands try to appeal to a larger audience and, as a result, end up alienating top -tier clients. “Luxury brands often miss the opportunities to reach the highest echelon of travelers by serving downmarket experiences,” as WealthX, a data company that curates intelligence on wealthy individuals from around the world, notes. “It’s the result of a troubling trend of

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mass market luxury, standardized luxury travel marketing [that] appeals to both high net worth [HNW] and ultra-high net worth [UHNW] individuals, and the homogenization of luxury goods and services across these tiers of wealth.” The distinction is an important one as the HNW category includes those with a net worth of $1 million to more than $29 million while to qualify for UHNW status you must have $30 million or more to your name. Take for example a recent article in National Geographic UK that gushed that “Luxury travel operators are increasingly going to the ends of the earth to curate completely personalized trips to inaccessible destinations…. Travel agents have been elevated to travel design-

A skilled helicopter pilot gets extremely close to the volcanic action in Iceland

CO U RT E SY O F M O M E N T U M A DV E N T U R E

Te x t b y JAR ED PAU L S T ER N

ers who can arrange access to places that would be out of bounds to most of us.” We picture said “travel designers” with sleek offices dotted with lots of Italian leather chairs but little in the way of true bespoke offerings. Exactly the kind of hype Wealth-X attributes to “a slew of societal, cultural and technological trends” that have unfolded in recent years, including the “ubiquitous exposure of digital platforms like Instagram and the rise of the sharing economy,” wherein every individual wants an Instagram feed that mirrors that of their favorite celebrity. All of which has led true bespoke adventure specialists to redefine the very concept of luxury travel.

These days, luxury, says London-based Momentum Adventure founder Matthew Robertson, “is about knowledge. We’re able to open doors to the inaccessible and make it possible. We strive for our clients to have an intrinsic experience.” Momentum specializes in true luxury bespoke adventures that are tailored to each client’s exacting desires, some of which can cost $1 million or more and are therefore only within reach of the UHNW set. Many of Robertson’s clients turn to him after they’ve exhausted the limits of luxury travel agencies—sorry, “travel designers”—and their imported office furnishings. But the actual amount spent or even the flag planted on a remote peak isn’t as important as making the experience truly once-in-a-lifetime.

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“It’s less about a goal such as climbing Mount Everest and more about truly engaging with the place you’re in,” Robertson tells Maxim. And so much the better if it’s off the beaten path. “That could be Sweden, Namibia, Colorado or Scotland. The [true] luxury is the memories you create on the journey. That’s not to say our clients don’t use [private] jets and yachts. They most certainly do. But how they travelled or where they stayed is never what they talk about over dinner when they get home.” The experiences that are trending these days for Momentum clients include “submarines, culture immersion, challenges, food, foraging in the wild, [and] unique wildlife experiences,” Robertson tells us. In every locale “we work with the best of the best in the outdoors,” he notes, “from archaeologists and conservationists to ex-special forces and the highest accredited mountain guides and logisticians…. Momentum has spent 30 years building a global network of these people. Without an amazing team, a complicated trip just falls apart and therefore fails to deliver on its promise.” With “personal” submarine technologically having come into its

sibly even win—the legendary Dakar Rally, a true off-road endurance test that can make or break vehicle manufacturers’ reputations. The 2020 version of the iconic race will be talking place in Saudi Arabia for the first time, making it even more of an incomparable adventure. Momentum’s Dakar experience includes your own custom Land Rover Defender-based 4x4 designed by UK-based Bowler motorsport as well as all travel, accommodations, driver training, race support, administration and logistics. “When we first talk to someone, they generally have no set ideas,” Robertson says, “only a desire to expand their horizons…. Our clients are looking for an authentic, inspirational experience. They want to do something truly different. Which is exactly what we offer—a bespoke adventure that happens just once: for the client.” Few men know more about creating truly inspirational travel experiences than Abercrombie & Kent founder and cochairman Geoffrey Kent, widely credited with introducing the first luxury African photographic safari in 1962. “From the beginning, I’ve believed that true luxury is the privilege of discovery, adventure, relaxation and in-

own lately, yet the vessels themselves remaining quite expensive, this is one area of travel that the ultra-wealthy still have to themselves. “We use three different subs, in the Azores [and] Costa Rica,” Robertson says. The company has been known to use Triton subs, the “world leader” in private submarines, whose two-person 7500 series underwater crafts reportedly started at $5.8 million. The cost of Momentum’s bespoke submarine excursions vary, but Robertson says you should expect to pay $100,000-plus to explore the ocean’s depths in style. Momentum is one of the few companies privately chartering subs in the Azores, a volcanic Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic known for its lush landscapes. The company only does these trips by special request, and attractions have included an underwater volcano and a German submarine sunk in 1942, which has been lying mostly undisturbed in over 2,000 ft. of water; the subs have been know to go below 3,000 ft., a depth that very few people have experienced. If land-based adventures are more your speed, for around $1.2 million and up Momentum will set you up to compete in—and pos-

sight, enjoyed in a context that perfectly suits the experience,” Kent tells Maxim. “Seamless service, safety and security are a given. But it is the unexpected that inspires a sense of wonder and elevates an adventure into a true luxury experience.” Kent credits his success to an “adventure by day and comfort at night” philosophy. “Our guests travel to spectacular places in remote destinations with the finest wilderness guides and A&K’s trademark blend of privileged access, airtight organization and outstanding service,” he says. Over the past decade, he adds, “the definition of luxury has changed. It has become much more flexible with an emphasis on experiences and personalized service, rather than the mere physical trappings of luxury.” Now, Kent says, “we find our guests are doing extensive research online and have a better idea of the kinds of experiences they want, requiring more customization and knowledge than ever before. But when it comes to making the final decision, they want the peace of mind that comes from knowing their itinerary has been planned by a specialist, someone with firsthand knowledge and experience.”

Above: Preparing for an underwater submarine excursion; Opposite, top: Trekking in the remote Zanskar mountain range in the Himalayan region; Opposite, bottom: Bikes and helicopters are the preferred mode of travel in some picturesque parts of Iceland 36

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CO U RT E SY O F M O M E N T U M A DV E N T U R E

“SUBMARINES, CHALLENGES, FOOD, FORAGING IN THE WILD AND UNIQUE WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES”

Four years ago, Kent introduced his most impressive offering yet, Inspiring Expeditions, “for the modern adventurer who wants to explore the most spectacular lands and oceans on the planet, and meet the extraordinary people who live there.” For starters, “we recreated Jacques Cousteau’s famous expedition to Palau aboard an exclusively chartered superyacht,” he recounts. “Our guests enjoyed some of the finest scuba diving and snorkeling in the world. Then I led an expedition around the world by private jet with stops on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, Tasma-

nia, Borneo, Everest base camp, Bhutan, Armenia and Iceland.” This past October, Kent embarked on an expedition to Ethiopia with private helicopters holding just two guests apiece, traveling “from the churches of Lalibela to the Danakil Depression—[often called] the hottest place on Earth—to the Simien Mountains, and the tribal peoples in the Omo delta.” The trick, he says, “is to deliver an experience so exclusive and over-the-top that our guests never could have imagined it for themselves.”

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incredible landscape of white sand dunes dotted with ponds of crystalclear waters,” Kent explains. “This journey is not about checking items off a list,” Kent notes. “It is about discovering new experiences in destinations that most travelers completely overlook, and doing so in a way that never sacrifices comfort and style.” Try doing that at your local travel agent, no matter how many Italian leather chairs they have scattered around the place.

CO U RT E SY O F M O M E N T U M A DV E N T U R E

That certainly applies to the Around the World with Geoffrey Kent: An Inspiring Expedition by Private Jet tour he has planned for October 2020, priced at $160,000 per person. In creating it, “I challenged myself to curate a new route that included destinations I’ve been fascinated with but haven’t had the opportunity to visit, such as Eritrea for its unique architecture; Benin, one of the epicenters of African voodoo; and Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil, an

Opposite: The ice cave network inside Iceland’s immense Vatnajökull glacier is one of the most amazing places on Earth; This page: High-end 4x4s and snowmobiles make even the most inhospitable landscapes easy to traverse

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TITAN

AHEAD OF THE CURVE How a ﬁnancial prodigy stayed ahead of the market for more than three decades

n 1987, while many of his classmates at Harvard were out partying and living the stereotypical college life, a student named Ken Griffin was already focused on building his future. The 19-year-old was busy developing the skills and laying the groundwork for what would eventually become a financial empire, amongst the largest such firms in the world. His setup was Spartan and ordinary by most standards, composed of a telephone, a personal computer and a fax machine (eventually enhanced by a satellite dish he placed on the roof of his dorm), but his ambition was anything but modest. Raising $265,000 that included money from his mother, grandmother and two other investors, Griffin sought opportunities to profit off the convertible bonds market. Despite these humble beginnings, it didn’t take long for Griffin to get noticed by the financial community. Attracting the admiration and support of hedge fund Impresario Frank Meyer due to the success of the investment strategies Griffin devised while at Harvard, he returned 70% in a single year working with Meyer, thus drawing the attention and investments of other high-profile financiers. On the basis of those results, the economic wunderkind was eventually able to establish Wellington Financial Group in 1990 with $4.6 million. Rebranded as Citadel in 1994, with the name based on the idea of providing a safe place for funds during turbulent times, the Chicagobased hedge fund today oversees more than $30 billion in capital. Fast forward, and that young prodigy has become one of the titans of the financial world, with a net worth estimated to be north of $12 billion. A pioneer in the area of quantitative research, using complex mathematical models to most effectively invest the

assets under his control, Griffin was years (if not decades) ahead of his rivals in understanding the power of such investment techniques, made possible by the rapid advance of computer technology. Griffin ensures that all areas of Citadel’s business are supported by this advanced level of technological supervision and analysis. Another entity, Citadel Securities, in which Griffin is a majority owner, is one of the largest market-making firms on Wall Street and is estimated to be responsible for around one in five stock trades in the United States. Perhaps it’s only fair that the man who helped invent modern Wall Street’s current reliance on financial technology is still so influential in the very system he played such a major role in crafting. It would be safe to say that he remains one of the most powerful, and followed, personalities in the financial world, given his outsized influence on both the hedge fund and marketmaking industries in the United States and around the globe. While Griffin has become a pillar of the financial community, the larger public has gotten to know the 51-year-old billionaire not by how he makes his money, but by how he spends it. Griffin is one of the most prolific philanthropists in the country, with hundreds of millions of dollars donated to a wide array of charities, including some $300 million to Chicago-based nonprofits alone. Chicago institutions that have been the beneficiaries of his largesse include the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The $125 million gift he gave to the Museum of Science and Industry (soon to be the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry) makes it clear that while Griffin now spends some of his time in New York, Florida and London, the Windy City still maintains a huge

“THE PRODIGY HAS BECOME A TITAN OF THE FINANCIAL WORLD, WITH AN ESTIMATED NET WORTH NORTH OF $12 BILLION”

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PAT R I C K T. FA L L O N / B LO O M B E R G / G E T T Y I M A G E S

Te x t b y K EI T H G O R D O N

J E E N A H M O O N / B LO O M B E RG / G E T T Y I M AG E S

place in his heart and for his philanthropic activities. He also supports educational institutions, including his alma mater, as in 2014 he donated $150 million to Harvard to support needbased financial aid and establish scholarships for worthy students. In addition, despite never actually attending the school, Griffin has given $125 million to the University of Chicago’s economics department, rewarding the world-renowned institution for what he sees as vital leadership in the study and understanding of economics and global financial markets. He has also made headlines for his investments in luxury real estate, and has set multiple records for purchases in cities around the country and the world. These include his January 2019 purchase of a massive apartment at 220 Central Park South that is his pièce de résistance. Located around Billionaires’ Row south of Central Park, and comprising 24,000 square feet, Griffin’s New York City spread cost a record $238 million, beating the previous record for the most expensive American home ever sold by more than $100 million, and setting a new benchmark for Manhattan real estate. Even amongst his new neighbors in the Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed building, global titans and economic powers themselves, Griffin stands above the rest. Later, Griffin reportedly acquired two more apartments in the same building on Central Park South, paying $1.89 million and $2.06 million for the adjacent pads on the twentieth floor. According to the New York Post, “the units appear to be for either staff or guests.”

In Palm Beach, Griffin has now amassed the largest private estate in the posh community, where his well-known neighbors include President Donald Trump, Howard Stern, Steve Wynn, Ronald Lauder and Rod Stewart, to name a few. He owns at least 20 contiguous acres in all according to local media, and this past September, the Palm Beach Post reported on his acquisition of a $99 million property, an eight-bedroom oceanfront mansion—making it the town’s second-largest single seller/single buyer deal ever. The seller was said to be financier and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank H. McCourt Jr. He has also made his mark on the art world, not only in his donations to institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, but as an avid collector of some of the world’s most expensive pieces. He spent a combined $500 million on two pieces alone in 2015, including Willem de Kooning’s Interchange and Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A. According to reports from the before that transaction, Griffin’s art collection has been valued at more than $2 billion, and it currently includes pieces that have been loaned to museums in order to allow the general public to enjoy the works he owns, in itself a form of philanthropic generosity. After all, the only area that seems to inspire Griffin as much as the financial markets are the philanthropic opportunities that his immense wealth enables him to pursue. It’s an undeniably impressive journey for a teenage prodigy who began his career with a fax machine set up in a college dorm.

“GRIFFIN’S RECORD-BREAKING 24,000-SQUARE-FOOT NEW YORK CITY APARTMENT COST HIM $238 MILLION”

The towering building on Central Park South where Ken Grifﬁn paid $238 million for a massive penthouse, smashing the record for the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S

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AUTO

HIGH NOTE

How Singer Vehicle Design reimagines Porsche 911s for gentleman racers

COURTESY OF SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN

Te x t b y D U C AN Q U I N N

Â T

he late 1980s. Somewhere in the wilds of the English countryside, I get my hands on a tired Volkswagen Mk1 Golf. Not the sprightly GTI of legend. Rather a wheezing 1.3 GLS on bicycle tires. In keeping with its wine-colored paint job, it drinks more oil than petrol, but still makes the 6.5-mile twisty country lane run to school in under six minutes. Complete with hedgerow scratches, tire squeals, fading brakes and shaking heads from other petrified road-users.

The four-speed manual stick shift works overtime searching a gearbox that feels like a wooden spoon stirring drippy cake mix. Meanwhile the London City Boys wear red braces, pinstripe suits, flash watches, and speed by in bright red Porsche 911 Turbos. A piece of kit all wheeler-dealers aspired to. Not because they loved driving them. But because of the message they sent. Porsches would slowly go from being badly-engineered Volkswagen Beetle offshoots, to wide-boy 911 whale tail widow-makers, to

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docile Turbo S doctor’s chariots. Somehow a car that never should have shone became the shining example of Calvin Coolidge’s most memorable motto. Persistence won. And I am thankful it did. For without Ferdinand Porsche’s greatest creation having survived through the decades, Singer Vehicle Design founder and creative director Rob Dickinson would never have picked up a wrench and decided to hotrod the car to the point where “everything is important.” I first came across Singer in the company of a friend based in Monaco. Sadly I never got to take his restored Porsche 911, the “Monaco” commission, for a ride. But I often pondered whether the reality

“THIS IS THE WOLVERINE OF PORSCHE 911S. STRENGTHENED. LIGHTENED. UPGRADED EVERYTHING”

COURTESY OF SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN

could ever match up to the level of hype surrounding Dickinson’s shop. In a world of sparkling new machines costing more than a country estate in rural France, why would someone want an old Porsche tinkered with by an English ex-rocker based in Los Angeles? I am trying to be critical as I answer that question both for myself, and for the schoolboy inside me. As the sum of money required to persuade Mr. Dickinson to focus his time and attention could be applied to the combined purchase of a spanking new Lamborghini Huracán and a Bentley Continental GT, with pocket money left over for Cars & Coffee. So how on Earth is this even possibly a smart thing to consider? For I can categorically tell you that it is. With only one caveat: You must share a schoolboy’s appreciation of all things analog. Of a driving experience so pure it literally sings. There are some things that money cannot buy. For everything else, there is Amex. If you have one of the fancy black ones you could do a lot worse than trying your luck with Rob, then sitting and waiting until a car comes your way, which will take control of the situation much like Mike Tyson at his peak. As Iron Mike liked to say, “everybody has a plan… until they get punched in the mouth.” Well, a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer is that proverbial punch in the mouth. Frankly, it will floor you, your mates, and every other character you know with pretensions of having a fancy car. Provided only that you love driving. Heel and toe, precision gear change, dialed-in sort of driving. Man and machine in perfect har

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mony driving. Not 246 mph in a straight line down a closed road in Nevada driving. More like slightly in excess (well, perhaps completely ridiculously in excess) of the speed limit on a country lane designed by a chap with a penchant for spirited driving. This car inspires a desire to take it places. Not to show it off. But to selfishly drink in with greedy pleasure the magnificent feeling of having caught a unicorn in the wild and gotten away with riding it. The PCH, the Stelvio Pass, Edinburgh to Islay, and any number of bonkers trips could be had in this thing. All with a shit-eating grin spread so far from ear to ear you may just be mistaken for a sociopathic Joker. It is simply that good. And you honestly do want to drive it like you stole it. I was lucky enough to get behind the wheel of one of the newest commissions delivered, dubbed the Sine Qua Non restored by Singer. Entrusted to Rob’s care as a 1990 Porsche 911 964 C2, the car was then stripped back to the frame before receiving the Singer Vehicle Design treatment. This is the Wolverine of Porsche 911s. Strengthened. Lightened. Upgraded everything. And clothed in any number of color and detail combinations inside and out to your spec. It’s 4.0 liters of prime German technik, reimagined and re-engineered to a sticker somewhere far north of Singer’s starting restoration price of $475,000 plus the donor car. As you would hope with a machine of this caliber, its owner is not a bean-counting wretch of a man who wants to put it in a glass chamber. Despite the fact that it will no doubt appreciate at a higher rate of knots than the S&P 100. He’s quite the character. With some GT racing chops and a penchant for experiences. Which he got in spades when he bought this. That is for sure. The Sine Qua Non is a thinly-disguised 1970s-style rock ’n’ roll rocket ship expertly forged into a whole that is so much more than the sum of its magnificent parts. Solid. Planted. Quick. From the handbuilt Ed Pink Racing Engine, to the retro perfect gauges, Getrag G50

six-speed stick shift gearbox, and tactile ebony wood gear knob, everything is thoughtful. Everything is right. Balanced. Purposeful. Tight. No more, and no less, than is required for the balance that is perfection. I could continue to wax lyrical about the man-hours spent building this car, or the meticulous attention to detail and perfection of execution that has gone into its realization; but I won’t. It is not that all the technical magic is irrelevant, or that the incredible focus and hard work that has gone into creating such aesthetic and engineering excellence is unrecognized. It is simply that that is to miss the point. This is not a car. This is a means of transportation for your soul. And all of the in-depth technical improvements and subtle aesthetic tweaks are what make the magic. Without them this would just be another very expensive toy. But it isn’t. It is a time machine that takes you to places beyond the wildest dreams of the kid inside us all.

Singer’s founder and creative director Rob Dickinson talks philosophy, performance and Porsches Te x t b y D U C AN Q U I N N

What is Singer to you? It’s a philosophy really. We combine in-depth knowledge of design icons with cutting-edge engineering, modern material science and highly bespoke services. The Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer represents what happens when that philosophy is applied to an iconic air-cooled sportscar. Carbon fiber bodywork, enhanced engine performance, highly evolved dynamics, and the ability to tailor the dynamic response and aesthetics of your car to suit your preference for touring, fast-road or track performance... So I think there are elements of both curating and perfecting in what we do. We understand the heritage and perhaps we are underlining and

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introducing some of these aspects to a new audience for the first time. Why focus only on air-cooled Porsche 911s? That’s testament to the [air-cooled] 911 being such a special car, not just for the aesthetics and the driving experience but in terms of its heritage at iconic races like the Targa Florio and Le Mans. On road, track and rally stages it’s won everything, and that DNA makes the car such an engaging machine. We’re around them all day and we still want to drive them home.

Do you still work on the cars yourself? I don’t wrench on the cars now—though in the early days it was all hands on deck! Now Singer has expert teams working across areas including engineering, procurement, fabrication, mechanical assembly, electrical systems, interior trimming, quality assurance, and test driving, as well as client relations, sales and marketing and more. I have a design team and studio now and remain intimately involved in the overall direction of the company. What will be Singer’s legacy? The Singer philosophy is to distill the essential elements of an experience like driving— what makes a car deliver an emotional connection, whether it’s visually or dynamically. We’re guided by the mantra “everything is important,” so we’ll go to whatever level of detail is required by the collaboration with our clients. And we go beyond the mechanical objects themselves. What we have started to call the Singer experience is our program to provide clients with bespoke experiences centered around their cars. Any legacy will be built on insisting that all these elements are recognized and preserved so that truly engaging, jewel-like machines are around for a long time yet.

COURTESY OF SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN

n 2009 Rob Dickinson, former singer and guitarist for ’90s Brit rock band the Catherine Wheel, founded Singer Vehicle Design in California. Before embarking on a music career, he had studied industrial design and did a stint at Lotus. A longtime car guy, the first ride he upgraded was a 1969 Porsche 911E, known as the “Brown Bomber,” which he made into a “café racer-style 911 that I could drive around L.A. and take to the track.” The overwhelming response to the customized car led to the birth of Singer.

ATHLETE

GREEN MACHINE

The L.A. Lakers’ Danny Green plans slick moves both on- and off-court Te x t b y T I M S T R U BY

The 32-year-old New York native makes big shots—especially big three-point shots—look easy. Now in his eleventh NBA season, Green had a career .405 percentage from beyond the arc, as of November. In 2013, he broke the record for most three-pointers in the NBA Finals, draining 27 against the Miami Heat. He’s won two NBA titles, first with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and last year with the Toronto Raptors. In addition to having a rep as one of the deadliest long-distance shooters, the 6-foot 6-inch guard is also considered one of the top defenders in the league, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2017. In July 2019, the Lakers snatched up the sought-after free agent and rewarded him with a two-year, $30 million dollar contract. Green likewise rewarded the Lakers and their fans with a 28-point performance in the season opener. “It wasn’t like I couldn’t miss,” explains the always-humble Green. “It was more like a good rhythm. I was comfortable. I wasn’t thinking much and when you’re able to play without thinking, it makes it much easier.” That rhythm led to the highest-scoring debut in Lakers history, besting both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James. Even as he has established himself as one of the most valuable role players in the league, the nature of that role—primarily a perimeter shooter—is one of swings. Hot and cold streaks. Sometimes those cold streaks have come at the worst times, like the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals where Green shot a frigid 4-23 from threepoint land against the Milwaukee Bucks, missing 14 of his last 15 at-

Call it The Shot. Late 2019. A Friday night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The 3-1 Los Angeles Lakers, kicking off a grueling three-game road trip, are facing the surprising 3-1 Mavericks. Dallas leads by three with 6.4 seconds left and the entire crowd is on its feet, holding its collective breath. Lakers shooting guard Danny Green inbounds the ball that is then fed, naturally, to LeBron James. As The King drives towards the hoop on the far side of the court, Green rubs off a Dwight Howard screen and makes for the baseline. James leaps. But instead of shooting, he dishes to Green. With 1.1 seconds on the clock, the Lakers guard calmly fires off a high-arching rainbow of a three-pointer. Time expires. The ball swishes through the net and 20,358 fans drop their heads in disbelief. The Lakers go on to win 119100 in overtime. Clutch? Without question. Nerve-wracking? “Nah,” says Green, who’s been in the league too long to sweat a shot, no matter how much is on the line. “I just hope the play works out the way it’s meant to. I hope I get that open look.” Just another day at the office for Danny Green.

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tempts. A brutal experience—bad runs always are—but he’d learned to avoid getting down on himself. To keep searching for that lost rhythm. “Obviously it’s frustrating,” admits Green. “You just have to work through it. Try to get some easy ones. Maybe from the free throw line.” Sometimes it’s simply about fundamentals. “Continue to do other things,” he says. “Play defense. Stay active. Try to do the little things—running the floor, get some good looks, take your time—and just lock in and take each shot like it’s your last.” Although Green’s last NBA three-pointer isn’t coming anytime soon, he’s well aware that’s he’s now an elder statesman in the league. “Every year you have to get smarter,” explains Green. “As your body gets older, you lose a step with everything, whether it’s jumping, speed or explosiveness.” His version of smarts means predicting the angles an opponent might be taking and studying players’ tendencies on and off the ball; evolving in all aspects. “Life after basketball is definitely something I’m looking into,” says Green. To that end, the former communications major is already working towards a possible new career: broadcasting. Green matriculated at the National Basketball Players Association’s Sportscaster U. tutorial, served as an All-Star weekend color commentator for TNT’s Rising Stars Challenge, and in 2018 launched a basketball podcast called Inside the Green Room with Danny Green. At the time it only lasted two months, but new episodes began airing in November 2019. While there’s far less at stake with a podcast then, say, a last second, game-tying three-pointer against a conference rival, Green approaches all of it with the same mentality. “You have to continue to work and stay ready,” he says. “Doing the little things that got me here and not take it for granted.”

AT I B A J E F F E R S O N / G E T T Y I M A G E S

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Doll Face Actor Charlie Barnett is a multifaceted marvel

Te x t b y J O R DAN R I EFE P h o t o g ra p h y b y M A ARTEN D E B O ER

Maybe he’s not quite the man of a thousand faces, but actor Charlie Barnett is showing at least three at the moment. He plays Natasha Lyonne’s time-warp confidante, Alan Zaveri, on Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series, Russian Doll; John Diggle, Jr., the neglected son of two vigilantes, on the CW series, Arrow; as well as Gabe the eccentric-advisorhealer on Netflix’s serial killer thriller, You. “The best actors are the ones who can play a lot of different things,” Barnett tells us. Not to brag, but he did attend the prestigious The Juilliard School and not too long after graduating landed a breakthrough role as firefighter/paramedic Peter Mills on Chicago Fire. “If you’re a chameleon, it’s a credit to your craft. It’s also fun. My biggest fear is be-ing the same person every time.” In only its first season, Russian Doll has taken home a number of awards and represents the highpoint of Barnett’s career so far. When we caught up with him, he was coming out of an audition for Happiest Season with Kristen Stewart to be directed by Clea DuVall. Auditions are easy for Barnett. In fact, he did his first one for Russian Doll without even realizing it. He met Lyonne at a bachelorette party he was hosting for his friend, Samira Wiley, her co-star on Orange is the New Black. “She was sober but I was very drunk at the time,” Barnett says of his first encounter with Lyonne, who co-created Russian Doll in addition to starring in it. “I’m since sober after coming into her world. She’s changed my life a lot. I told her about me being adopted and my issues with de-

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pression and drug abuse, family dynamics, love and loss. We went through everything.” At the time, Barnett thought he was only bending the ear of a new friend. But months later, she called him to see if he’s audition for the part of Alan Zaveri, who like Lynonne’s character, Nadia is stuck in a loop, a la Groundhog Day, this time dying and being reborn again. Lyonne has spoken of the show as a cathartic response to her recovery from heroin addiction followed by a near-fatal heart condition. Barnett and his sister grew up partly on a

sailboat in Florida, the children of a boat builder from Minnesota and an acupuncturist from Utah. The Chicago White Sox trained in Sarasota at the time, making a fan of Barnett from an early age. Olympic diving became his next obsession. However, he says,

“I witnessed a diving accident when I was young and was drawn away,” only to get “into Formula 1 and cars/car racing in general.” There was also a brief flirtation with boxing—he calls it “the hardest workout I’ve been through in my life.” Having varied interests and versatile skills has been to Barnett’s advantage in his career, artfully defying pigeonholing in an industry that pigeonholes everyone. A man of mixed race with white parents, he is an advocate for a myriad of issues from women’s and LGBTQ+ rights to veterans’ rights and mental health awareness . “I’ll probably get some shit for saying this, but yes, there needs to be space made for people of different colors, people of different races and people of different sexual orientation and gender. We always need to hear those stories from them,” says Barnett. “But that isn’t saying that someone who isn’t part of that experience doesn’t have an opinion that is worthwhile. I”m frustrated by that part of the conversation that says straight men can’t be part of this. Shutting those kinds of doors is the main problem we had in the first place. The pool needs to get bigger but that doesn’t mean that people need to be eliminated from the conversation.” Barnett, who lives in Los Angeles, often finds the entertainment business to be a somewhat hypocritical liberal enclave. “They have to see that they can make money off of it. And as much as I say fuck you for that having to be the qualification, okay, I understand you run a business and that’s your job,” he says of an industry that has long put “business” before “show.” He recognizes that Lyonne serves as a creative buffer who enables a series like Russian Doll to flourish away from the prying eyes of note-giving bean counters; a relatively unfettered creative experience he isn’t likely to experience often. “It is something that is challenging, risky and scary for me,” he says of the show. “I feel proud of it. I feel really, really proud of it. I almost feel like just having that, I can walk away.”

S T Y L I N G : E N R I Q U E M E L E N D E Z ; G R O O M I N G : TA S H A R E I KO B R O W N

LEADING MAN

LEADING LADY

WHISTLE BLOWER

Catrinel Marlon is poised to become Hollywood’s next breakout star Te x t b y J O R DAN R I EFE

S T Y L I N G : G I A N M A R C O F U N A R I ; B E A U T Y: C L A U D I A F E R R I W I T H @ L A N C Ô M E

he worldwide ambassador of Swiss watch and jewelry brand Chopard, her visage has graced the pages of international editions of magazines like Vanity Fair and Elle, and her frame has been draped in raiments sans pareil care of prestigious fashion houses like Fendi and Armani. She has also been acting for years in European film and television, which is all well and good for Romanian beauty Catrinel Marlon, but Hollywood beckons. Her new movie, The Whistlers, in U.S. theaters on February 28, just might be the right response. A standout on last year’s festival circuit, it became Romania’s entry for the best foreign film Oscar. “It was a big surprise for me to go so far with a small project,” Marlon tells Maxim in accented English from her home in Rome. “I started eight years ago, different Italian projects and in the U.S., and none of them brought me as far as this little Romanian movie. I don’t know if this will help me. Normally, they call me to do auditions. So, I’ll have more auditions, that’s what I’ll hope.” Directed by Romanian new wave pioneer Corneliu Porumboiu, The Whistlers was nominated for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Critics such as IndieWire’s Eric Kohn said of Marlon that her “dynamic screen presence makes her a genuine discovery.” In it she plays Gilda, a name inspired by the eponymous Rita Hay-worth classic. Living under the thumb of a mafia family, Gilda is a caged bird who will double-cross anyone for her freedom. A cop arrives on a remote island in the Canaries, where he must learn the language of the locals who communicate through a unique series of whistles, before he becomes involved in a complex crime plot back in Bucharest. Gilda is his teacher, his seducer, and if he’s not careful, far worse. Fans of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation might recognize Marlon as Elisabetta, a short-lived stint as fiancé to the show’s David Hodges back in 2013. She was represented for acting by Beverly Hills talent agency UTA at the time, but Marlon says they “gave up on me” after she declined to move to the U.S. “I know how hard it is,” she tells us. “There are a lot of beautiful girls from around the world and they are all trying to become this star in Hollywood. There is a long line. I never feel like I can be one

P h o t o g ra p h y b y U R S U

of the first. Besides, I love Europe.” But on the other hand, “I want to do a blockbuster!” she confesses. “You do one, so people know you. And then you choose. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” As a girl, Marlon found herself on the other side of the camera, photographing graveyards. The recently deceased lay in an open casket, and she went to work. “They look so peaceful. I always loved that. I don’t know why, ” she recalls of her portraits of the dead. A later series of photos includes asylum inmates shot through a keyhole. “I had somebody inside, and I said to my friend, help me to do this for a photography thing. They would all come there and I would give them cigarettes and they would pose for me.” While at high school in her Romanian hometown of Iasi, Marlon ran hurdles on the track team, just like her champion athlete father. One day while leaving practice she was accosted by a stranger. She hurried away but he followed her home. Her father confronted him, and they were eventually coaxed into attending a local fashion event where he was convinced to allow his young Catrinel to take a spin on the catwalk. “From that, somebody saw me, gave me a contract, blah, blah, blah,” she says with customary self-deprecation. For Marlon, it was never a dream to become a model, until she realized she could make more money in one assignment than her father could make in a year. Choosing between acting, art and modeling, she takes all three, though she has reservations about the future of the latter. Most fashion magazines seldom feature models on the cover these days, but celebrities and influencers instead. The money isn’t what it used to be and even at the top levels, it can be an invasive business, like the time an agent suggested fixing her up with some of some of his pro athlete clients to help boost her profile. “I said I didn’t want to do that. There’s nothing wrong with that, I just didn’t want to do it. I came back to Europe and said I will work with what I have: me, Catrinel,” she recalls, speaking from her labyrinthian apartment. Her puppy, Pablo, barks and her boyfriend, film producer Massimiliano di Lodovico, has questions regarding dinner. “There’s nothing else I can want,” she shrugs. “I just say thank you, God, for everything.”

“RATHER THAN CHOOSING BETWEEN ACTING, ART AND MODELING, MARLON TAKES ALL THREE”

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COVER STORY

PERFECT FIGURE

How Elizabeth Nguyen went from being a champion ďŹ gure skater to capturing the Maxim Cover Girl crown

P h o t o g ra p h y b y G I L L E S B EN S I M O N S t y l i n g b y C ARO L I N E C H R I S T I AN S S O N Te x t b y ZE Y N EP Y EN I S E Y

Opposite page: Hat, ERIC JAVITS. Jewelry, ERICKSON BEAMON. Panty, COSABELLA. Boots, REDEMPTION. This page: Jacket, PRIVATE POLICY. Body chain, AGENT PROVOCATEUR.

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ith her sultry gaze, striking features, and sunny, inspiring personality, Elizabeth Nguyen rose to the top of the 15,000 gorgeous women who entered the latest Maxim Cover Girl competition, winning the crown, the cover, and the $25,000 prize money. “I am still at a loss for words,” the 20-year-old stunner tells us. “Being on the cover of Maxim is such a huge honor for me. I have always wanted to become a model but I’ve always seen it as a distant dream. Never did I think it would become a reality.” She’s also an avid athlete and former competitive figure skater, which explains her flawless physique and fierce attitude. “I learned to figure skate, do gymnastics, ballet, tennis, and I even ran for track and field,” Nguyen says. “I became a five-time U.S. national competitor and earned the title of U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) Double Gold Medalist in both the USFS Free Skate and USFS Moves in the Field Tests.” And it’s thanks to years of competitive sports that she’s the fearless competitor she is today; a mentality that has carried her all the way to the cover of Maxim. “I decided to stop hiding due to the fear of not being good enough, to accept myself and to just give it my all.” She took a shot in the dark and signed up for the Maxim Cover Girl competition on a whim, proving that the most important thing is to just go for it. “The funny thing is that I signed up literally in the back seat of my dad’s car while we were on our way to the ice rink for practice. I stumbled upon the ad while scrolling through Instagram. I barely finished submitting the application before arriving at the rink.”

“BEING ON THE COVER OF MAXIM IS SUCH A HUGE HONOR FOR ME” Turns out she was the perfect candidate. Nguyen is the epitome of beauty and brains, having worked towards a degree in biochemistry at California State University, Fullerton with hopes of entering the medical field. “I was aiming to become a pediatric doctor or dermatologist,” she explains. “I grew up in an environment where I was expected to follow a certain path. I was meant to pursue a career in medicine and follow in the footsteps of my relatives and had always accepted that as my goal in life.” Now, however, she’s trading in her ice skates and textbooks for high-powered photo shoots and glossy magazine spreads. “I’m currently on break from school because I want to pursue modeling. I see it as another way of helping others. It’s a way for me to represent minorities and bring diversity to the fashion industry.” Always aiming high and pushing through setbacks is her main mission, and she wants to inspire others to do the same. “I believe people love seeing the honesty of flaws and imperfections,” she explains gracefully. “I am not as tall, nor do I look like the typical model.” However, she’s made it this far. ”I am honored to officially be the first Asian American to win the Maxim Cover Girl contest [overall] and this accomplishment alone already gets me closer to my goals.” Nguyen says she wishes she knew at an even younger age that success wasn’t all that far off. “During my teens, I kept a journal where I wrote down all of my dreams about being in the fashion industry and posing in front of the camera. I thought they were out of reach and were just… dreams.” Winning the Maxim Cover Girl crown is proof that dreams can come true. “I just started modeling a few months ago,” she says, a fact that’s difficult to believe considering how natural she is in front of the camera. “Besides figure skating competitions, pageantry was where I got my first exposure in front of the lights and cameras. I am currently Miss Balboa Island 2020 in the Miss Orange County Regionals, and I am thankful to represent and help my community.” A budding modeling career and its responsibilities come with a price, Jacket, RABENS SALONER. Jewelry, SYDNEY EVAN. Earrings, ERICKSON BEAMON. Panty, AGENT PROVOCATEUR.

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“MODELING IS A WAY FOR ME TO BRING DIVERSITY TO THE FASHION INDUSTRY”

though. “I am currently in a relationship right now… with my job! I’m so busy accomplishing my goals that I’m basically married to my job. All jokes aside, yes, I’m single.” The key to her heart? Anything romantic and simple. “I’m not a materialistic girl, so just cute little romantic gestures will definitely sweep my off my feet. Just something that shows me I’m always on his mind. Like cooking my favorite meal, writing cute notes, sending flowers, you get the idea!” Gentlemen, take note. On an average day, Nguyen keeps busy with volunteer work under her Miss Balboa Island 2020 title, spending time with friends and family, playing with her dogs, and whipping up delicious treats in the kitchen. “I’m a good cook and baker,” she says humbly. “My amazing mom taught me everything she knows. I usually unwind after a long day by cooking and baking for my parents and siblings, and whenever I have the time, I love to create and try out new recipes that are both healthy and delicious.” Of course, being so skilled in the kitchen, she’s not afraid to treat her-

self to her greatest indulgence: anything fried or greasy. “Even though I absolutely love sweets, I’m actually a savory type of gal! French fries, pizza, fried chicken, and burgers. Basically, anything greasy and yummy!” To maintain her slender figure, Nguyen surprisingly enough doesn’t have a rigorously formal workout routine—a convenience she likely owes to her 20-year-old metabolism. “I just try to stay active as much as possible. I walk my dog, stretch every morning and evening, do toning exercises, and sometimes figure skate so I won’t forget how to do it!” As for the future, Nguyen says her aim is to make it big and keep inspiring others by being a shining beacon of hope for minorities trying to break out in the fashion industry. “I hope to give them a voice and the recognition they deserve.” Regardless of where her life takes her, Nguyen says she’ll always be the same humble person she’s always been. “I’m still the same old me. I’m still the girl who loves figure skating, sports, and preparing meals for her parents and siblings. But most importantly, I’m still the same girl who loves to dream.” Bodysuit, ELISABETTA FRANCHI. Earrings, CHROME HEARTS. Bracelet, JENNIFER FISHER.

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Earrings, JENNIFER FISHER. Coat, ASOS DESIGN X CHRISTIAN COWAN. Thong, AGENT PROVOCATEUR.

“I HOPE TO GIVE MINORITIES A VOICE AND THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE”

Dress, VERSACE. Earrings and Necklace, VERSACE. Jewelry, CHROME HEARTS.

Skirt, Ã&#x2DC;UD PARIS. Top, AGENT PROVOCATEUR. Necklaces, HYPSO PARIS. Earrings, ERICKSON BEAMON. Headpiece, ERIC JAVITS. For more information, see page 82. Assistant Stylist, Rap Sarmiento. Makeup, Leslie Lopez. Hair, Matthew Monzon.

MALDIVES

SOME LIKE IT HOT

Te x t b y K EI T H G O R D O N

n 2019 alone there were 20 new resorts planned in the Maldives, a minute archipelagic nation some 370 miles off the coast of India. Made up of nearly 1,200 islands that barely register on a map, it has nonetheless has become the season’s hottest exotic getaway, what the Wall Street Journal calls “a destination for the 1%” that has attracted flocks of celebrities, influencers and well-heeled travelers thanks to its exotic appeal, luxe resorts, and Instagram-worthy scenery (7.4 million #maldives posts and counting). Though it ranks as the smallest country in Asia, the Maldives has

outsized appeal. Perched in the Indian Ocean and comprised of 26 natural atolls surrounded by a protective coral reef system, it has attracted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joe Jonas (who honeymooned there) and Prince William and Kate Middleton. The island nation is famous for the overwater villas that extend over its shallow waters as if to further invite visitors to become part of their spectacular natural surroundings. Perhaps the only thing that can attempt to match the sheer natural wonder of the islands is the level of luxury and privacy that many of the

M I C H E L R E N AU D E AU / G E T T Y I M AG E S

With nearly 1,200 islands, the Maldives is in no danger of being overcrowded—unless you count the celebrities, inﬂuencers and beauty addicts ﬂocking to its shores

An inďŹ nity pool overlooks the pristine beach at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

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MALDIVES

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“IN 2019 ALONE THERE WERE 20 NEW LUXURY RESORTS PLANNED IN THE ISLAND NATION OF THE MALDIVES”

C O U R T E S Y O F T H E S T. R E G I S M A L D I V E S V O M M U L I R E S O R T

world’s top hospitality brands have brought to the A-list archipelago. In the Maldives guests can experience the beauty and tranquility of one of nature’s most stunning environments, while enjoying the fivestar level of service that one might expect only in the heart of the world’s great cities. And with a relatively consistent temperature in the 70s and 80s, it’s a reliable escape any season of the year. Most visitors will fly into Malé, the capital city of the Maldives and the home of the nation’s governmental institutions and its economic center. But with the abundant hospitality and culinary offerings spread across the rest of the nation’s islands, seaplanes or small boats are the preferred mode of transport for getting to and from these prime destinations, adding to the sense of adventure. The reliance on these crafts to travel around the country does make going out to dinner a more complicated affair; but the worldclass resorts more than make up for this with the level of culinary extravagance found on the premises, with many offering multiple restaurants of the highest quality serving everything from Maldivian cuisine using the freshest local products, to European and Asian menus that would rival those in New York, London or Tokyo. In fact, many visitors will find all of their needs and desires fulfilled without ever leaving the island they’ve chosen, thanks to the arrival in the Maldives of many of the world’s most elite hospitality brands, including Raffles, Fairmont and Waldorf Astoria. Just as it delivers first-class service to its guests in the world’s great metropolises, the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort brings its uncompromising luxury to this remote utopia. Located in the Dhaalu Atoll, and accessible by seaplane, the resort offers unparalleled seclusion, but with seven restaurants and the luxuriant Iridium Spa, guests will find nothing less than the epitome of service expected from the iconic brand. Seventy-seven villas, including 44 over water and another 33 on land, range from the merely spectacular garden villas with private plunge pools to the John Jacob Astor Estate, a three-bedroom overwater villa with an infinity swimming pool and amenities one would only find in the most fabulous luxury mansions. If the seven restaurants, each exquisitely designed, don’t satisfy your culinary desires, have your butler arrange a private dining experience for the ultimate romantic evening. When Czech financier Jiří Šmejc, a frequent visitor to the Maldives, decided to develop his own resort, reportedly investing around $220 million, the end result was the spectacular Velaa Private Island Maldives. A playground for the global elite, the island offers plenty of activities for those who prefer a more active time away, with a gym, tennis and squash courts, in addition to a climbing wall and even a golf academy. Housed in a tall, architecturally-striking tower is the teppanyaki grill, Tavaru, which serves mouth-watering offerings with elevated views of the surrounding island and turquoise waters. Velaa also offers one of the most exclusive dining experiences in the entire country, at Gaushan de Silva’s Aragu, where the world-renowned chef lets guests choose from a list of ingredients, with which he creates a menu on the spot that will dazzle even the most jaded foodies. The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, one of several Four Seasons properties in the Maldives, is heavily inspired by its natural surroundings. This UNESCO Biosphere Reserve wilderness allows guests to savor both the expected beach paradise on one side of the property and a lush jungle on the other, a duality of natural seclusion to satisfy any guest’s preferences. Explore the surrounding area with the resort’s Flying Triggerfish seaplane, its DeepFlight submarine or its manta ray program that allows visitors to swim up-close with one of the largest known manta population on Earth. The ThreeBedroom Land and Ocean Suite allows guests to stay both over water and on land simultaneously, with lagoon-based dwellings in one of the most private spots on the entire island. continues on p. 69

The Whale Bar at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

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T H I S PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F @ J E T S E T C H R I S T I N A O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F H U R AWA L H I

“CELEBRITIES AND INFLUENCERS GO FOR ITS EXOTIC APPEAL, LUXE RESORTS, AND INSTAGRAMWORTHY SCENERY”

Private Life For the ultimate Maldives luxury experience, private islands are the answer By Jared Paul Stern

When it comes to private islands, well-heeled travelers to the Maldives are spoiled for choice. You can rent or purchase one with a beautiful house on it, but buying out an entire private island resort

may be the most baller move of all. Essentially you can “own” a world-class five-star property for the duration of your stay. And it’s not just lesser known brands that offer this opportunity. Take The Nautilus Maldives, which opened in 2019. It’s the only Maldivian member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association, which includes some of the world’s finest luxury hotels and resorts, and which maintains an extremely high standard for wine and cuisine. Located in the Baa Atoll, The Nautilus is home to 26 beach and ocean abodes situated like private residences in one of the Maldives’ most picturesque locales. You don’t need to occupy every one of them; just luxuriate in knowing that you and your guests are the only ones allowed to do so. You’ll be attended to by a private butler—there is one assigned to each ocean dwelling—while the property’s five-star dining is described as “unscripted” and “about liberating the palate;” even the menus are mere suggestions, offered as “inspiration only.” Practically the only thing equal to, if not better than, a buyout of the The Nautilus would be a buyout of Kudadoo Maldives Private Island by Hurawalhi, named the best new luxury resort in the world by Luxury Travel Intelligence in 2018. The members-only online resource for affluent travelers cited the entirely solar-powered private island property’s posh overwater residences, of which there are only 15, as well as its host of luxe amenities. These include 24-hour butler service as well as wine and cheese cellars, a spa, private beach, an infinity pool and a high staff-to-guest ratio. Now all you have to do is choose 50 of your closest friends to join you in paradise.

Opposite page: Luxury travel blogger and inﬂuencer Christina Vidal (@jetsetchristina) soaking up the sun at Six Senses Laamu; This page: (Top) Hurawalhi Island Resort is a picture-perfect example of what a Maldives escape should look like; (Bottom) Hurawalhi’s 5.8 Undersea Restaurant gets its name from being 5.8 meters (19 feet) below the sea MAXIM.COM

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O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F S H A N G R I - L A M A L D I V E S T H I S PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F N I YA M A

COMO Hotels and Resorts also has offerings in the Maldives, with a beautiful location on Cocoa Island, but the stunner has to be the COMO Maalifushi, located on the pristine Thaa Atoll in the southern Maldives. In addition to the incredible diving found throughout the archipelago, Maalifushi is also a destination for those luxury travelers who love to surf, as it’s home to some of the premier waves in the entire region. Of course, luxury comes first and one would be hard-pressed to top the experience to be had in the COMO Villa, the most exclusive abode at the resort. The Villa itself offers more than 4,300 square feet of overwater space, managed and curated by the guests’ personal butler and situated to ensure the utmost seclusion and isolation on the property. With two large bedrooms in the Villa, this is ideal for either a couple’s getaway or even a double-date vacation, with isolated sleeping spaces letting couples enjoy their vacations with friends, without sacrificing the privacy they also desire throughout their stay. Living up to its brand’s reputation, the Cheval Blanc Randheli is an artistic experience by design. The magnificent and expertly curated art and design throughout the property is eye-catching yet seamlessly compliments its natural surroundings, and even the dining offerings are considered “culinary arts,” as Randheli’s five restaurants and four bars ensure that each meal is an experience for guests to cherish with both their eyes and finely-tuned palettes. The crown jewel is likely Le 1947, a 12-course gastronomical celebration that combines world-class French cuisine with a playful approach that is ideal in such laid-back surroundings. As for accommodations, each villa has its own appeal, but nothing can top the Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island. On this isolated island just offshore, an entire team of Ambassadeurs, Cheval Blanc’s version of butlers and concierge attendants, take care of every need, desire and whim of guests. And with a master suite in addition to multiple guest bedrooms, it offers an unrivaled option for those with families, or groups of friends wishing to vacation together and enjoy the private spa room, screening room and panoramic views of the magnificent surrounding sea. For those choosing to stay at the exclusive Soneva Fushi resort, a choice exists between the two sides of the island. The more active should choose the “sunset side,” which has extensive reefs for underwater exploring and even dolphins that frequent the waters just offshore. On the “sunrise side,” privacy is the catchword, with endless vistas looking out over the ocean and the ideal piece of paradise for feeling completely disconnected from the rest of the world. As with its fellow Maldivian luxury resorts, Soneva Fushi focuses heavily on providing world-class culinary experiences on the premises, and arguably none offer a finer selection.

This page and opposite: The tranquil and alluring scene at one of the pool villas at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa; Right: The Subsix underwater supper club at the Niyama Private Islands Maldives resort MAXIM.COM

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“GUESTS CAN EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF ONE OF NATURE’S MOST STUNNING ENVIRONMENTS AS WELL AS FIVE-STAR SERVICE”

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Fresh in the Garden, with its organic, planet-based menu, and So Hands On, the sushi bar in collaboration with a three-starred Michelin chef from Japan, are both must-visits for Soneva Fushi guests, while the Once Upon a Table experience is considered culinary theatre, as a rotating roster of renowned chefs create world-class meals without preset menus. But the absolute gem of the roster is Shades of Green, a plant-based, Nordic-inspired, garden-to-table experience. The five-course menu begins with a tour of the garden from which the food is grown, and diners are invited inside the creative process as Chef Carsten Kyster turns these colorful ingredients into truly worldclass culinary presentations. While visitors to the Maldives are more than welcome to journey from island to island, with seaplanes and speedboats available aplenty, the manner in which the most exclusive and luxurious resorts offer every amenity and service within their own property makes secluding oneself in these refuges of tranquility all the more reasonable.

Set Sail With the Four Seasons

COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS MALDIVES

Not all of the Maldives’ most exclusive experiences are found on land. The Four Seasons Explorer is a 128-foot luxury yacht operated by the famed hospitality brand that you can live aboard in high style while sailing between the enchanting islands of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, both home to five-star Four Seasons resorts. The brand offers three-, four- or seven-night cruises aboard the well-appointed three-deck catamaran, which takes you through the incredibly beautiful UNESCO Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve. Each itinerary—with names like Aquariums and Caves, and Sharks and Shipwrecks—features diving schedules arranged so you can view the maximum amount of vibrant undersea life, including manta rays, whale sharks, dolphins and pilot whales. Culinary and cocktail offerings onboard are unrivaled, with chefs and stewards to see to your every need. Only 22 passengers can embark at any one time, and the onboard accommodations include posh staterooms that rival anything you’ll find along the way; the 484-square-foot upper-deck Explorer Suite offers panoramic windows, contemporary teak furnishings, and a signature Four Seasons Bed. Best of all, you don’t even have to get out of it to enjoy the glorious sunrise and sea views.

The Four Seasons has several luxury hospitality offerings in the Maldives including ﬁve-star beachfront resorts and a private yacht with a posh suite that rivals anything on land

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T H I S PA G E : ( TO P ) C O U R T E S Y O F C O M O M A A L I F U S H I R E S O R T; ( B OT TO M ) C O U R T E S Y O F S H A N G R I - L A M A L D I V E S O P P O S I T E PA G E : @ J E T S E TC H R I S T I N A

“CULINARY AND COCKTAIL OFFERINGS ONBOARD ARE UNRIVALED, WITH CHEFS AND STEWARDS TO SEE TO YOUR EVERY NEED”

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Top: A chartered yacht sets out from the COMO Maalifushi resort Bottom: A jetty juts out into the sparkling sea at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa; Opposite: Christina Vidal (@jetsetchristina) enjoying a half-submerged hammock at Gili Lankanfushi Maldives

Deep Dives

By Jared Paul Stern

By Keith Gordon

In 2018 the Maldives made headlines for something that you would normally only see dreamt up by a set designer in a Bond movie—the world’s first underwater hotel residence. The Muraka at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort is more like an entire semi-submerged villa than a mere suite, with two levels, one above the waterline and one 16 feet below it. Under the waves is a bedroom, bath and living room, while topside, there’s a second bedroom, living room, dining room, entertainment space, infinity pool and sundeck. Rates start at $22,000 per night, and you have the option of enjoying luxe services like a seaplane transfer, private chef and even VIP customs clearance. The property also has an underwater eatery, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, so you can continue the vibe, which boasts 180-degree panoramic views of the surrounding vibrant coral gardens. Time to find out if lobster and Wagyu beef taste even better when consumed underwater. Late last year, the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort was planning to follow suit with two villas with underwater bedrooms, and we expect more primo properties to jump on the below-the-waves bandwagon in the months to come. Meanwhile the Niyama Private Islands Maldives resort has its own form of undersea entertainment. Called Subsix, it’s a sort of submerged supper club, accessed via speedboat and a threetiered staircase that descends to nearly 20 feet below sea level. On your descent, you’ll find Italian chandeliers made to resemble coral, while inside there’s a giant clam-inspired bar, and seating designed to look like sea anemones, while the ceiling is covered in swathes of suspended oyster shells, making for a truly surreal nightlife experience. You can order a bottle of Dom Pérignon and sip away while watching an incredible parade of sea creatures, including parrotfish, butterfly fish, moray eels and hawksbill turtles, float past in place of the supermodels one might find at a nightclub in Miami. Since it’s essentially a glass box two stories underwater, there’s probably no danger of making too much noise—the fish couldn’t hear you anyway. Just try not to get deep-sixed.

If there’s one thing that connects all of the atolls and islands of the Maldives, it’s the surrounding Indian Ocean. Crystal clear blue waters, many with reef structures, make it possible to do extraordinary scuba diving and snorkeling from most places within the archipelago, and almost all resorts offer diving opportunities within a short distance of the property. But there are still a few off-the-beaten-path spots that any serious diver should consider visiting during a trip to the Maldives, as they are truly special undersea experiences. Located some 75 miles north of Malé city, Lhaviyani Atoll has been popular with knowledgeable divers for decades, and for good reason. Madivaru Kandu, located nearby, is a high-energy channel that provides for concentrated levels of beautiful sea life while experienced explorers will make a beeline for the two diveable shipwrecks in the area. But while some of these areas are well-established, there are still enormous swaths of lesser-visited dive sites that offer the chance to discover new wonders, and even interact with the 15 species of shark seen in Lhaviyani Atoll’s local waters thus far. Perhaps the most diverse of dive spots in the Maldives, the South Ari Atoll offers dozens of surrounding dive sites ranging from the Vilamendhoo caves to coral-covered seamounts and dramatic dropoffs. Visitors can take a day trip to Maamigili for the chance to see enormous whale sharks, or take the highly recommended night dives that provide an entirely different diving experience. Advanced divers can even find extraordinary dive trips right from the country’s capital city, as North Malé Atoll nearby offers adventurous types the chance to visit the channel at Kuda Faru or the drop-off at Voshimas Tila, where divers can share the water with reef sharks cruising the currents below. There’s also a fantastic shipwreck in the area that has been reclaimed by colorful sea life, providing unforgettable dives for even the most seasoned of undersea explorers.

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Above: The Muraka at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort is like an entire semi-submerged villa; Opposite: Diving with a manta ray at Ari Atoll

T H I S PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F C O N R A D M A L D I V E S R A N G A L I I S L A N D O P P O S I T E PA G E : R E I N H A R D D I R S C H E R L / G E T T Y I M A G E S

With the Fishes

ENTERTAINER

THE WISDOM OF WYCLEF Wyclef Jean shows why he has always been ahead of the curve

n late October, Wyclef Jean performed at Chelsea Music Hall, an intimate venue in New York City. The small setting might seem odd for a music icon; a prolific singer, writer and producer who’s won three Grammy Awards, has collaborated with everyone from Carlos Santana to Michael Jackson to Shakira, and whose nine solo albums have sold nearly nine million copies. But there was no place he would have rather been. The event, entitled Wyclef Goes Back to School, was a showcase for Jeremy Torres, Riley and Jazzy Amra, three up-and-coming artists with Heads Music, an independent label to which Wyclef recently signed. “My passion has always been artist development,” he tells us. “I was excited because Heads was an all-female company and the passion they

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had for upcoming artists was a different emotion than at a major label that just looks at the data and says, ‘Let’s sign this.’” At the age of 50, Wyclef knows the challenges of the modern music industry. It’s radically changed since he cofounded the Fugees and helped create The Score, their 1996 sophomore album, in a studio in his uncle’s house in New Jersey. The days of prowling bars and clubs for hidden talent are history. Quality singers are everywhere, from The Voice to America’s Got Talent to endless YouTube videos and channels. “The mystery is gone, the veil is up,” he says. “As the game changes you have to adjust.” This adjustment has taken him overseas to search for undiscovered artists. When Wyclef ’s performing in unconventional markets like Brazil or Ethiopia, his days are spent in towns listening to the local music, catching the vibe. Looking for the next Shakira. Yet Wyclef understands that finding a memorable voice isn’t enough. “When I look for music, I don’t look for people who can sing,” he explains. “I look for what’s called the ‘vibration.’” He also calls it “the pulse,” and by that he means the intangible qualities that separate a singer from a star. From Lauren Hill to Destiny’s Child, Wyclef ’s regularly proven he’s someone who can recognize that vibration, a skill he says he honed from spending much of his childhood around his father’s church. “Can you imagine Bob Marley on The Voice? He’d lose,” Wyclef says with a laugh. “How about Bob Dylan?” He’s also applying this global vision to a new television endeavor he has in the works. The concept? A Bourdain-esqe show for music. Every week, Wyclef hopes to bring viewers with him on tour around the globe as he delves into different cultures on the search for talent. “Different people could try this but in order to do it, you have to be credible,” he explains. “And I’m probably one of the most eclectic producers on the planet.” Viewers would not only hear the newest sounds, but then dive deep researching the music and artists via streaming platforms. “It’s a space that’s still not really explored and a new way to bring discovery to the world.” But as one of the most multifaceted figures in the industry, his TV show is far from his only iron in the fire. Another passion proj-

ect he’s developing is a musical, tentatively titled Catalog, based on his lifelong body of work. “The idea is to take people back to the origins of my music,” he says. While fans know his hits like “Gone Till November,” he’s worked behind the scenes on countless songs for artists like Whitney Houston and Norah Jones. The Catalog musical will showcase many of those numbers, and as it encompasses his entire career, the project will appropriately start in Newark where the Fugees got their start. There’s also a hook. “Who’s going to sing the songs?” he says. “It’s going to be a worldwide talent show.” Between touring, searching for new artists, TV and musical projects, and a still indefatigable need for composing music, does Wyclef fear that he might be stretching himself a bit too thin? Not likely. “I’ve been telling y’all since I was a kid, I’m the hip-hop Amadeus,” he says. “My brain is like an android. If I was doing the same thing all the time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He cites artists from Gershwin to Basquiat as influences that keep his mind fresh and his desire for diversity constant. A perfect example he gives takes place in the mid-to-late 2000s. Around the height of his stardom with Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” he walked away from it all à la Dave Chappelle. “I wanted to become president of Haiti,” he says of the homeland with which he remains close. “I felt ‘fuck pop culture. These people need me.’” After residency issues put an end to his political aspirations, he didn’t return to the spotlight. He came back, he notes, on his own terms. Those terms included a collaboration with über-DJ Avicii and a trip to Stockholm, where they produced the song “Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)” that became the Official Anthem of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. “Billions of people knew it but I worked under the radar,” says the singer. As for the future, Wyclef is not worried about losing relevance. “I’m 50 and I have a [then-]25-year-old kid like Young Thug doing a song called ‘Wyclef Jean,’” he says. “I’ve got DJ Khaled and Rihanna sampling my work for their song ‘Wild Thoughts.’ It validates to me that I have to keep going with my pulse.” And one thing is for certain—he will be doing it all his own way. “I’m just running the ’Clef race at the ’Clef pace.”

C O U R T E S Y O F K AT I E P I P E R + K A R L F E R G U S O N J R

Te x t b y T I M S T R U BY

COURTESY OF NIKL AS HA ZE

“I’VE BEEN TELLING Y’A LL SINCE I WAS A KID, I’M THE HIP-HOP AMADEUS”

ADVENTURE

THE LAST CRUSADE Getting beautifully lost in the deserts of Jordan

Te x t b y N I CO L A S S T EC H ER

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P h o t o r g ra p h y b y AB D U L L A JA AFAR I

he sun is torrid, and there is no breeze. The entire world feels like an oven set on broil, merciless and angry. And yet we’re grinning idiotically like drunks with bellies full of the good stuff. The reason for our joy is simple: we’re driving high-tech 4x4s through an ancient, rugged landscape. It’s like a cheat code of mechanical differentials, burly body-on-frame fortitude and petrol engines so big they can swallow the nearby cliffs. The thrill is hard to articulate. Barreling down an open swathe of Arab desert, the pedal is floored as the world opens up before us. All around the

cliffs of Wadi Rum, some spiraling almost 3,000-feet into the sky, rise from the red soil like sentries. The sun is about to set over Jordan, hovering not too far above the horizon, so it takes turns shining hot and dipping under the tallest of mountains, playing peek-a-boo with the senses. Suddenly to our left another Infiniti QX80 in our caravan zooms up bravely, mammoth 5.6-liter V8 rumbling, the mechanics clanging on bigger dips, rooster tails of red plumage swirling from behind its rear axle. It doesn’t feel exactly like a race, maybe more like a dance. I hear loud hollering from inside the cabin, and with a bit of surprise I realize it’s not

A phalanx of highly capable Inﬁniti QX80 SUVs crossing the desert in Jordan

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coming from my co-driver Matt but rather from my own open mouth. We just left the ruins and bubbling spring which allegedly played home to T.E. Lawrence in 1916 as he prepped the Great Arab Revolt— as dramatized in David Lean’s legendary 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia— and we’re now pulling up to a towering edifice of stone called the Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The moniker is an ode to Lawrence, but it’s not because he named it; rather it was dubbed so after the British Army officer’s death, as an homage to his memoir of the same name. Let’s just say that Lawrence’s shadow looms large over Wadi Rum. Sitting on the warm hood we watch the sun slowly disappear, lighting up the Seven Pillars with a torch. The land here is ruddy, a rich ochre that meets the orange sky like a Rothko painting. The hue is unlike any you’ve ever seen. It’s been described as everything from blood to brick red, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s more like a pungent rust. The sky as well; both are so rich it’s as if God turned the saturation slider on His Instagram filter up a notch too high. When the sun has completed its burlesque show we jump back in the QX80s and point our bows to another corner of Wadi Rum. Nestled in an alcove deep in the canyons, the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp encompasses an array of geodesic domes, their glass facets shining like weird diamonds in the gloaming. For dinner that night we eat in a cave on the cliff wall, and someone pulls out a bottle of Moët & Chandon from a bucket of ice for a celebratory toast. Exhausted, we stay up smoking shisha, taking long pulls of the sweet tobacco as the curls of smoke rise up into the darkness. It’s still deep evening outside when we awake at 4 am, but you can make out the silhouette of nearby cliffs through our dome windows. Walking out into the desert, washed entirely in purple moonlight, the heart swells at the feeling of acute loneliness and isolation. Dubbed the Valley of the Moon, you just might mistake Wadi Rum for being there, but it’s actually more like other heavenly bodies. Mars, or maybe the 5th moon of Saturn. After all not only was The Martian filmed here but also Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Prometheus and even the new Dune. We load up in the SUVs and head north, beginning a long four-hour trek to a city founded in the 4th century BC by a nebulous civilization known as the Nabataeans: Petra. It’s sleepy and quiet in the cabin as “Scheherazade”—Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic ode to The Arabian Nights—oozes out of the Bose Performance Series Audio system’s 17 speakers. A perfect soundtrack, as we’re on the same dirt road Lawrence once drove his Ford Model T through. Grainy footage exists of that journey, the Ford’s rickety wood wheels looking like they’re holding together for dear life. All around the Lieutenant Colonel ride Arabs on proud horses, muscles rippling in the sun.

That was only a century ago, but with steam locomotives, single shot rifles and 20-horsepower Ford Model T’s for transportation (or 1-horsepower horses) it seems like another lifetime. Still, the overall aura of that era persists here—even if we’re seeing it through the windshield of a 21st century Infiniti. We arrive at Petra just after dawn, disembark and begin our long walk down the narrow canyon to the Nabataean capital city. As the hub of their trading empire, Petra amassed fabulous wealth during the kingdom’s peak, and its placement at the center of a natural geological fortress made it almost impenetrable. The walk in alone requires a milelong hike through the Siqit: a narrow fault cutting through the earth, with smooth stone walls towering above. Parts of the road underfoot date back two millennia; you can make out ruts from wagon wheels polished into the cobblestone. As you descend, horses with carriages clip-clop past, blurring the time/ space continuum. The hike is like an Ayahuasca tea ceremony preparing your mind for takeoff. When you finally break from the Siq into the first plaza— the vertiginous Al-Khazneh (aka The Treasury) opening up before you, carved out of the sheer rock face—your heart drops into your stomach, and it feels like you’ve just been clobbered over the head with an anvil. Even if you’ve traveled the world over, twice, you will have never seen anything like what you will witness walking through the city’s corridors. Prehistoric skyscrapers carved from the sandstone rise up on either side, their facades remarkably unblemished, ornate and grand. As with many, the first time I saw this place—as the secret chamber of the Holy Grail—was in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But no film, even Indy, can compare to the real thing. Al B’doul Bedouins, eyes painted black like Dothraki, ride by on camels and mules, offering tea and selling their wares. Matt and I break off at the amphitheater and climb to the High Place of Sacrifice for a better view. At the top of the 700 steps the wind blows so fierce it almost cools the air. We look down entranced at the carved city and Jabal Al-Madbah, which some believe to be the Biblical Mount Sinai. Sweat beads on our foreheads and streams down our temples. Hours, maybe days, later we climb down the long stairs and head back up the long stretch of the Siqit to the Petra Guest House Hotel at the lost city’s entrance, the one locus of modernity in the area. As soon as we arrive I feel strangely repulsed by the buzz of tourists hammering away on their phones, so I quickly duck back outside. Remembering a cave door we passed en route, I find it and enter; built as a tomb 2,000 years ago, the Cave Bar is appropriately dark, still and cool. I pull up a stool at the end of the room and signal the bartender. Pointing to the draft spout I order a tall mug of Carakale, the local beer, and he delivers it with a smile and a salaam. I drink deep. It is cold, and delicious.

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C O U R T E S Y O F M AT T A S K A R I

“EVEN IF YOU’VE TRAVELED THE WORLD TWICE OVER YOU’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THE LOST CITY OF PETRA”

Opposite: The lost city of Petra; Above, top: the two preferred methods of transport in the glorious desert; Above, bottom: The Memories Aicha Luxury Camp is a true oasis

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CREDITS COVER: Robe ($450), MOLA WALKER; molawalker.com. Necklace ($20,960) and rings ($1,740 and $1,100), SYDNEY EVAN; sydneyevan.com. COVER STORY: P.54: Hat ($985), ERIC JAVITS; ericjavits.com. Body chain (price upon request), ERICKSON BEAMON; instagram.com/ericksonbeamon. Thong ($21), COSABELLA; cosabella.com. Boots ($2,938), REDEMPTION, redemption.com. P.55: Jacket ($580), PRIVATE POLICY; privatepolicyny.com. Body chain ($2,200), AGENT PROVOCATEUR; agentprovocateur. com. P.56-57: Jacket ($255), RABENS SALONER; rabenssaloner.com. Earrings (price upon request), ERICKSON BEAMON; instagram.com/ericksonbeamon. Necklaces ($2,850, $2,090 and $1,410), and rings ($905-$1,840) SYDNEY EVAN, sydneyevan. com. Panty, ($495), AGENT PROVOCATEUR; agentprovocateur.com. P.58: Bodysuit (price upon request), ELISABETTA FRANCHI; elisabettafranchi.com. Earrings (price upon request), CHROME HEARTS; chromehearts.com. Bracelet ($475), JENNIFER FISHER; jenniferfisherjewelry.com. Skates, model’s own. P.59: Coat ($119), ASOS DESIGN X CHRISTIAN COWAN; asos.com; earrings ($550), JENNIFER FISHER; jenniferfisherjewelry.com. Panty ($95), AGENT PROVOCATEUR; agentprovocateur.com. P.60: Dress ($2,725), earrings ($625) and necklace ($625), VERSACE; versace.com. Jewelry (price upon request), CHROME HEARTS; chromehearts.com. P.61: Skirt (price upon request), ØUD PARIS; oud-paris.com. Top: ($250), AGENT PROVOCATEUR; agentprovocateur.com. Headpiece ($3,800), ERIC JAVITS, ericjavits.com. Earrings (price upon

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request), ERICKSON BEAMON; instagram.com/ericksonbeamon. Necklaces ($311 and $133), HYPSO PARIS; hypsoparis.com.

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