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F ront Runners Oscar wild! Mere mortals hoping for a glimpse of movie royalty throng Hollywood Boulevard at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which hosted the Oscars from 1944 to 1946.
Theatre of the Superb SEVENTY YEARS AGO, THE ACADEMY AWARDS CEREMONY WAS REINVENTED AT GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE. BY SPENCER BECK
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY
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lus ça change… As Hollywood gears up for the 86th Academy Awards presentation, it was exactly 70 years ago, on March 2, 1944, that this most-famous American export debuted for its 16th ceremony at the splendidly tricked out Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, a stone’s throw away from its current venue at the Dolby Theatre. Previously held in the more intime settings of hotels such as the Hollywood Roosevelt, the Oscars moved to its new digs to accommodate more non-Industry guests, as well as WWII servicemen and -women, who were given free passes to the night’s festivities. This wartime bit of glitz and glamour also marked the first time since the Awards founding in 1927 that actors in the “supporting” category were offered full-sized statuettes, instead of the plaques previously handed out. Little Oscar, so dubbed by spitfire Oscar winner Bette Davis, who once offhandedly remarked that the bald-headed statue reminded her of her first husband, was for this occasion molded from wartime-appropriate plastic, the sheen of which can’t quite match the more ecologically correct current-day version in stainless steel with gold overlay. The year 1944 was also the last time before 2010 when there were a full 10 nominations for Best Picture. Remember Casablanca? One of Hollywood’s greatest films racked up three Oscars that March, losing out only to The Song of Bernadette, that tour de force that put a very young Jennifer Jones on the map playing a French peasant girl who sees the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. In fact, Best Actress nominee Ingrid Bergman, a friend of Jones’s who accompanied her fellow nominee to the ceremony amidst great fanfare, told reporters at the time, “I cried all the way through Bernadette because Jennifer was so moving… and because I realized then I had lost the award.” It was a good year for Hollywood. And America. Just three months after the 16th Awards ceremony, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe would begin off the rocky coast of Normandy, France. Sadly perhaps, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood’s most-famous landmark, hosted only two subsequent Oscar ceremonies, becoming in later years more of a tourist destination than an Industry hot spot. Still, today, the adjacent Dolby, for all of its supermall splendor, can’t quite overshadow its little neighbor. The ghosts of Hollywood greats like Humphrey Bogart live on at Grauman’s, last year redubbed TCL Chinese Theatre. And current superstars will never resist the pull of that legendary concrete forecourt. After all, what’s an Oscar in Hollywood without a footprint in cement? LAC
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LA CONFIDENTIAL - RHP - MARCH thru APRIL
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F ront Runners Clothes encounters: Charlize Theron checks out Pegah Anvarian’s collection during Spring 2006 Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week.
A Runway We Go! TEN YEARS AGO, LA FASHION WEEK ATTRACTED AN A-LIST CROWD, SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE CITY’S CURRENT FASHION RENAISSANCE. BY ERIN MAGNER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCE BUCCI/GETTY IMAGES
W
hen LA Fashion Week rolls around this month, it’s likely to attract an ambitious crew of self-made bloggers, striving stylists, and upstart designers fresh from FIDM. But the event hasn’t always been so clearly about the clothes—10 years ago, LA staged the first in a series of runway events at which the famous faces in attendance sometimes outshone the fashion. In March 2004, fashion show producer IMG and Smashbox Cosmetics founders Dean and Davis Factor debuted the first Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week at Culver City’s Smashbox Studios, where Academy Award nominees including Angela Bassett, Dustin Hoffman, Owen Wilson, and Jared Leto held court in the front row. The next few seasons attracted equally glossy guest lists; even Vogue editor Anna Wintour turned up in 2005 to host a glittering party for photographer Mario Testino and take in the Louis Verdad runway show. Despite its auspicious start, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s LA run was brief. By October 2008, the novelty had worn off and the number of Oscar winners, boldface buyers, and Condé Nast staffers in the front row had dwindled. As such, leading labels like Jenni Kayne, Corey Lynn Calter, and Juan Carlos Obando moved their shows to the New York runways. IMG pulled out of LA after that season, but SoCal’s style profile has nevertheless continued to grow. LA-based designers are being tapped to head up international brands—think Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent Paris and Jeremy Scott for Moschino. The city has become a hub for fashion-centric tech companies (for more on this, see our “Star Tech 2014” feature on page 124). LA Fashion Week, meanwhile, has evolved into a tapestry of eclectic events showcasing the work of designers both established and on the brink. These sartorial celebrations—including this month’s Style Fashion Week at L.A. Live (March 9–13), and the Simply Stylist conference at The Grove (March 15)—prove that the city’s fashion faithful still know how to party. “We are not trying to be New York,” says Style Fashion Week cofounder Veronica Welch. “[LA has its] own style, talented designers, great manufacturers, and tons of celebrities.... Why would designers not want to show [here]?” LAC
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Spring 2014
92 Sunset Rising
Eveleigh cofounders Nick Hatsatouris and Nick Mathers kicked off the Sunset Strip’s mixology revolution—now, new cocktail spots are following suit.
64 Man of the Cloth 22 Front Runners 38 From the Editor-in-Chief 40 From the Publisher 42 …Without Whom This Issue Would Not Have Been Possible 47 Invited 62 The List 28
American Hustle’s Academy Awardnominated costume designer Michael Wilkinson charts his journey to the top, from dressing opera singers to outfitting the cast of this month’s Darren Aronofsky epic, Noah.
68 The Mod Vivants Husband-wife duo Octavio and Shannon Olivas reveal what’s next for Ceviche Project, their hot pop-up dinner-and-dance party.
70 Painting the Town Green Entertainment eco-advocates Gale Anne
74 Bold Over As she prepares to walk the Oscar red carpet, nominee Lupita Nyong’o reflects on her meteoric rise to fame following 12 Years a Slave.
76 TRUFFL Hunter Nightlife curator Raphael Farasat tells how Downtown’s burgeoning Arts District inspires his next-gen members club, TRUFFL.
82 Southside Story Through film screenings and community partnerships, BAFTA LA is creating peace between South Central’s rival gangs.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE
People
Hurd, Ed Begley Jr., and Allen Hershkowitz discuss how sustainability is finding a home in Hollywood.
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Spring 2014
132 Master Pieces
Spring’s most priceless style trend: museum-worthy prints in electrifying hues.
Culture 84 Art for Heart’s Sake John Baldessari is the namesake of a new building at CalArts—and his celebrated art-world friends are donating their work for a hotly anticipated fundraising auction.
Taste 86 Sky’s the Limit The Mondrian LA is regaining its title as a Hollywood’s hot spot of cool with the debut of Herringbone—an all-day destination for plein-air dining and drinking.
90 The Strip Is Your Oyster Sunset Strip chefs are reimagining the traditional oyster by introducing exotic ingredient pairings and sexy condiments.
92 Sunset Rising Eveleigh cofounders Nick Hatsatouris and Nick Mathers drink to the recent emergence of mixology culture on the Strip.
Treasures 96 California, Here He Comes! Tommy Hilfiger, the king of cool Americana, debuts a new collection inspired by SoCal’s surf culture.
98 Gem Fatale Beverly Hills–based Jay Carlile & Co. is bringing bold color and old-school craftsmanship back to the fine-jewelry world.
Cult French fashion brands are crossing the Atlantic in droves to set up shop in LA.
102 One for the Books Caravan Book Store, purveyor of rare tomes and travel memorabilia, celebrates 60 years on DTLA’s Grand Avenue.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT ASCROFT
100 Paris on the Pacific
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Spring 2014 106 Time à la Mode Classic French watchmakers—Hermès, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels included— offer a luxurious twist on the traditional timepiece.
110 Optical Effects Dior launches Dreamskin, a revolutionary skincare product that harnesses the vitaminrich extracts from exotic plants.
Features 118 30 Seconds to Supernova Rock-star-turned-Oscar nominee Jared Leto meditates on his “transformative” role of a lifetime in Dallas Buyers Club.
124 Star Tech 2014 Seven LA-based entrepreneurs are turning LA into Silicon Valley South with their fashion-focused digital start-ups.
132 Master Pieces
118 30 Seconds to Supernova For awards-season star Jared Leto, 2014 has been nothing short of sublime.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIGEL PARRY
The latest fashion trends mirror modern art with bold, splashy colors and dizzying prints.
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Spring 2014
86 Sky’s the Limit
Chef Brian Malarkey’s new casual/chic LA outpost of Herringbone makes the Mondrian sexy all over again.
140 Urbane Renewal Simple silhouettes make a bold statement for spring.
148 Scion-tology 101 Wealth advisors and analysts outline the dos and don’ts of familial philanthropy.
Haute Property
And Finally...
157 The Gates of Paradise
160 The Artful Lodger
Gated communities have become the new safe havens for LA’s power players—but are they worth the cost of entry?
Abe Gurko, former Studio 54 club kid and Carrie Fisher’s BFF, gets a postcard from the edge… of Beverly Hills.
Jared Leto Photography by Nigel Parry Styling by Kemal Harris at The Wall Group Hair by Aaron Grenia Grooming by Lisa-Raquel for Chanel at See Management Lace-printed shirt, Alexander McQueen ($830). 8379 Melrose Ave., LA, 323-7824983; alexandermcqueen.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES
ON THE COVER:
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SPENCER BECK Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor ERIN MAGNER Senior Managing Editor JILL SIERACKI Associate Managing Editor/Beauty Coordinator KAITLIN CLARK Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Photo Editor REBECCA SAHN Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON Senior Fashion Editor LAUREN FINNEY Manager, Copy and Research WENDIE PECHARSKY Research Editor LESLIE ALEXANDER
ALISON MILLER Group Publisher Associate Publisher VALERIE ROBLES Account Directors TIFFANY CAREY, ELIZABETH MOORE Account Executives ALICIA DRY Director, Event Marketing MELINDA JAGGER Event Marketing Manager ANTHONY ANGELICO Office Manager CAROLYN SCARBROUGH Sales Assistant KELSEY MARRUJO
NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS
ART AND PHOTO
Associate Art Directors TIFFANI BARTON, ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI, ADRIANA GARCIA, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Senior Designer JENNIFER LEDBURY Designers ELISSA ALSTER, GIL FONTIMAYOR Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors JODIE LOVE, SETH OLENICK, JENNIFER PAGAN Associate Photo Editor KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER Photo Producer KIMBERLY RIORDAN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN Fashion Editor FAYE POWER
FASHION
Associate Fashion Editor ALEXANDRIA GEISLER Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO
COPY AND RESEARCH
Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, NICOLE LANCTOT, DALENE ROVENSTINE, JULIA STEINER Research Editors JUDY DEYOUNG, MURAT OZTASKIN, AVA WILLIAMS
EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
Director, Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Editorial Relations Manager MATTHEW STEWART Online Managing Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editor APRIL WALLOGA Social Media and E-Newsletter Editor ANNA BEN YEHUDA Digital Media Developer MICHAEL KWAN Digital Media Specialist ANTHONY PEARSON Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, KEN RIVADENEIRA
Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, KAREN ROSE, JOHN VILANOVA
Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS
ADVERTISING SALES
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing NORMAN M. MILLER Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, CLAIRE CARLIN, KATHLEEN FLEMING, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, GRACE NAPOLITANO, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, MICHELLE CHALA, THOMAS CHILLEMI, MORGAN CLIFFORD, AMY DESILVA, JANELLE DRISCOLL, VINCE DUROCHER, DINA FRIEDMAN, SARAH HECKLER, VICTORIA HENRY, CAROLYN LANDES, MARY RUEGG, LAUREN SHAPIRO, JIM SMITH, CAROLINE SNECKENBERG, KACIE TURPENEN, TERA WASHBURN, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH, GABRIELLA ZURROW National Sales Coordinator HOWARD COSTA Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, EMILY BURDETT, CRISTINA CABIELLES, BRITTANY CORBETT, OLIVIA DAVIS, JAMIE HILDEBRANDT, DARA HIRSH, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, RUE MCBRIDE, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, MARISA RANDALL, ALEXANDRA WINTER
MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President, Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Integrated Marketing Director ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Manager JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Creative Services Director SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designers CHRISTOPHER HARDGROVE, DANIELLE MORRIS Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, HALEE HARCZYNSKI, JOANNA TUCKER Event Marketing Managers CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA, LAURA MULLEN, LAUREN OLSON, CRISTINA PARRA Event Marketing Coordinator ANI GAFKA Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Vice President, Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Positioning and Planning Director SALLY LYON Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Managers BARBARA SHALE, BLUE UYEDA Production Artists MARISSA MAHERAS, TARA MCCRILLIS Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD
ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, AND OPERATIONS
Director, Executive Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Human Resources Director STEPHANIE MITCHELL Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Senior Director, Finance MICHELE EGAN Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Financial Analyst AUDREY CADY Credit and Collections Manager CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants CHRISTINA LESCAY, NEIL SHAH Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Desktop Administrator ZACHARY CUMMO Infrastructure Administrator MOHAMMED HANNAN Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), ANDREA BENNETT (Vegas), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), ERIN LENTZ (Aspen Peak), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH THORP (Capitol File), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons)
PUBLISHERS
JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS DELONE (Capitol File), SUZANNE RUFFA DOLEN (Gotham), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue), JOSEF VANN (Vegas)
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR President and Chief Operating Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Copyright 2014 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published eight times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Los Angeles Confidential magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866-891-3144. For customer service, please inquire at losangelesconfidential@pubservice.com. To distribute Los Angeles Confidential at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemediallc.com. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC (Founder, Jason Binn), a company of The Greenspun Corporation. LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: 8530 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90211 T: 310-289-7300 F: 310-289-0444 NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS: 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003 THE GREENSPUN CORPORATION: 2275 Corporate Circle, Suite 300, Henderson, NV 89074 T: 702-259-4023 F: 702-383-1089
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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Grammy glam! Partying with January cover star Robin Thicke (ABOVE) and LAC publisher Alison Miller and Noelle Scaggs and Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums (LEFT) at Los Angeles Confidential’s Grammy issue party at the Conga Room at L.A. Live.
Our first “Arbiters” panel (FROM LEFT) NRDC’s Allen Hershkowitz, Ed Begley Jr., and host Valhalla Entertainment CEO Gale Anne Hurd, talk eco-friendly Hollywood and the “greening” of the Oscars. See page 70.
French, but then again they’ve given Jerry Lewis a Légion d’honneur, so they can’t be trusted. And maybe the Oscars.... Despite the Academy’s surprising snub of Saving Mr. Banks, kudos to Walt’s company for daring to throw Mickey Mouse to the wind. Amid all the surly, slightly depressing fare this year, the Walt Disney Company—which, remarkably, has never won a Best Picture Oscar as a major studio—joined the current cranky zeitgeist with a film that, although sanitized slightly, manages to give moviegoers a fairly nonsaccharine look at the making of a very sugary American classic: Mary Poppins. Some of Hollywood’s best offerings over the past century have taken a subversive, anti-rah-rah look at the industry’s soul, such as it is (Sunset Boulevard, A Star Is Born, The Player, among my favorites). Bravo to my old boss, [Chairman] Bob Iger, for taking a gamble. P.L. Travers, the complicated, irritable, pseudo-English snob (she was reared in Australia), whose series of beloved children’s books were a staple of English nurseries throughout the mid-20th century, takes on American idol Walt Disney, who desperately wants to buy the rights to her work. What a fun battle! It’s a heightened metaphor, of course, for all the legendary writers Stay up to date with all over the years who have struck a that’s going on in LA at Faustian bargain with Hollywood, la-confidential-magazine.com. opting for $$ over integrity. So Ms. Travers, portrayed deliciously by Emma Thompson, takes a big spoonful of artificial sweetener and signs off on a Disney-fied version of her story. A musical! Dick Van Dyke! It’s almost too much for her to bear. But she resists as long as she dares, even lured into a day trip to Disneyland. Oh, how I’d love to have been a fly on Main Street, USA for that OC excursion once upon a time. Okay, so in real life Walt, the fairy-tale mogul who chain-smoked and occasionally disparaged Jews, never really flew to London, as portrayed in the film, to seal the deal. He still had to work some serious overtime to get Mary’s creator to concede. It took him two decades of trying, but he did. And all’s right with the world… Saving Mr. Banks is a very good movie, and Thompson and Tom Hanks deserved Oscar nods. The Disney curse.... Full disclosure: As a child, I was quite convinced that Mr. Disney and my grandfather were one and the same person. Maybe it was the mustache… or the smoking. When Disney died in 1966, I was devastated. It’s not to be underestimated just how embedded “Disney” was (and still is) in the American psyche, as slightly creepy as that may be. I loved Mary Poppins the musical, which earned a well-deserved Best Picture nomination. Even way back then, however, my starry little blue eyes turned a tad gray during that gratuitous animated penguin sequence, which was slipped in without Travers’s consent. It was too cheesy even for a toddler. In case you’re wondering why the character of P. L. Travers mysteriously cries during the premiere of Mary Poppins—and we know she did in real life—I’m quite sure it was those damned penguins. Who knows? Disney might even have gotten an Oscar win without them.
SPENCER BECK
38
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS WEEKS (THICKE); JOSH BLANCHARD (RED CARPET); REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI (ARBITERS)
America loves Disney. Who doesn’t? Well, maybe the
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
A few weeks ago while walking on the street, I accidentally stepped out of my high heel and onto the pavement.
Celebrating Robin Thicke’s nominations at our annual Pre-Grammys event, with Spencer Beck.
ABOVE: Honoring LA’s prominent and emerging artists—Karl Haendel, Liz Craft, Dan Finsel, Fairfax Dorn, Kathryn Andrews, Erlea Maneros Zabala, and Sue Hostetler. RIGHT: Hitting the Palm Springs International Film Festival red carpet.
Noticing that I was wearing Manolo Blahniks, my friend joked that it was such a Sex and the City moment. Channeling my best Carrie Bradshaw, I recovered as gracefully as possible, and then suffered an immediate fashion identity crisis. Thoughts of New York evoke a strong sense of style for me—it’s pedigreed, sophisticated, architectural, monochromatic, and luxurious. It’s a known entity, and I love the confidence I feel when I dress in New York, even with all of those sensible shoes (PS, NYC: Flats are for quitters). Yet as an LA resident for more than a decade now, I still struggle at times to explain LA style. LA fashion represents an exploration of dichotomies, like women carrying tiny dogs in huge bags, or wearing cropped pants with skyrocketing high heels. There is a deceptive casualness to it all, a look that screams, “I didn’t try!”—the quintessential LA uniform of ultrapremium skinny jeans paired with a $250 t-shirt, or a comfortable designer maxi dress with an enormous luxury statement bag. It’s deliberate, well-planned, nonconspicuous consumption at its best! As a city, though, we are continually on the global fashion stage. Our film and music industries drive pop culture, and the way we visually express ourselves is more impactful than in any other city on earth. If you don’t believe me, think back to February 22 when Amy Adams received a Spotlight Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards for her role in the ’70s period piece American Hustle. The return of bell-bottoms, low-cut shirts, and perms is just around the corner! In Manhattan, fabled New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham has been snapping away on the streets for nearly 50 years now, capturing the fashion trends of the city. Bill discovered icons like Azzedine Alaïa and Jean Paul Gaultier, which leaves me wondering, who is LA’s equivalent arbiter of style? Perhaps I will find my answer during the upcoming shows at LA Fashion Week, March 8–15. Style Fashion Week, Project Ethos, LA Fashion Council, and Concept all have incredible events scheduled Downtown. Plan a few Stay up to date with all that’s nights to take in the shows while going on in LA at enjoying the endless new and excitla-confidential-magazine.com. ing DTLA venues like the already-popular Ace Hotel, Coastal Luxury Management’s highly anticipated restaurant Faith & Flower, or the recently opened avant-garde Swedish retailer Acne. I hope you’ll enjoy our annual spring fashion issue, which our editorial team works so tirelessly to produce each year. If at the end of it all you’re still uncertain of the new trends, just recall what the great Yves Saint Laurent once said: “Fashion fades, style is eternal.” As elusive as LA style may be, there’s one thing I know for sure—we’ve got it, baby! Cheers,
ALISON MILLER
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...WITHOUT WHOM THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE SPRING 2014
Nadine Schiff-Rosen Nadine Schiff-Rosen has cowritten three nonfiction books, served as the vice president of Michael Douglas’s Stonebridge Entertainment, and was a reporter for the CBS Evening News. For this issue, she chats with Industry bigwigs about the greening of Hollywood (page 70). Why do you think the environment is a hot-button issue for celebrities? The
entertainment business has a tremendous cultural reach. When audiences around the world see celebrities driving hybrids, they are inclined to follow suit.
Luke Crisell Born in the UK but based in New York, Luke Crisell is currently the editor-in-chief at fashion boutique Aritzia. He has contributed to New York, Wallpaper*, Monocle, Elle, and others. In this issue, he interviews cover star and man-of-the-moment Jared Leto (page 118). How has Jared evolved since you last interviewed him? He appears to have
developed gills, allowing him to breathe underwater. In all seriousness, though, he seems a lot more relaxed. Do you think he identifies more as a rocker or an actor? I think he has the enviable skill set to
be able to do seemingly anything he turns his hand to extremely well. Lucky bastard.
Jen Jones Donatelli Nigel Parry Nigel Parry began his photography career in London and moved to New York City in 1994. Since then, he has been commissioned by the likes of Rolling Stone, ESPN, and Vanity Fair, and his work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, and the Cannes Film Festival, among many others. On page 118, he photographs cover star Jared Leto. What was the inspiration behind the shoot? Jared is the ultimate cool guy, and
my goal was to capture his character: otherworldliness and serenity! What did you listen to on set? The Cure.
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LA-based journalist and author Jen Jones Donatelli’s work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Variety, and Thrillist. This month, LAC’s resident foodie explores the Mondrian’s new Herringbone restaurant (page 86), accompanies Eveleigh’s Aussie co-owners on a Sunset Strip cocktail crawl (page 92), and takes a tour of DTLA’s arts district with TRUFFL members club founder Raphael Farasat (page 76). How amazing is the view at Herringbone? I spent a fair share of nights at Skybar when I first moved to LA, and though much has changed at the Mondrian since then, one thing remains the same—that stunning view! What is your favorite Downtown hidden gem? The first thing that comes to mind is the “kayak safaris” on the LA River. Who knew there were rushing rapids in the center of the Elysian Valley?
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Robin Thicke
Invit ed
THE MONTH’S PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS AND SMARTEST PARTIES
Grammy Mania! LAC LAUDS COVER STAR ROBIN THICKE AT OUR PRE-GRAMMY AWARDS BASH DOWNTOWN.
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o jump-start Grammys weekend and salute three-time nominee and January/ February cover star Robin Thicke, Los Angeles Confidential, KROQ, and The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE hosted an exuberant dance party in partnership with private jet club Y-Jet at the Conga Room. Over 800 industry heavyweights, celebrities, socialites, and tastemakers toasted to the immense success of Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”—the year’s best-selling single and longest-running chart-topper—with Cîroc custom cocktails in hand, as indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums revved up the continued on page 48
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INVITED
Jeff Adams and Robert Perry
Joseph Atiba and Jordan Lemmons
NeNe Leakes and Laura Govan
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS WEEKS/GETTY IMAGES, JOSH BLANCHARD/GETTY IMAGES, REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI, AND EMMA ROSENBLATT
Lyndie Greenwood
Vicky Canto-Ponce, Christine Zoh, Christina Hsu, Robin Thicke, and Jennie Leuzarder
continued from page 47 already-hyped crowd with an explosive performance of their latest hits. Nail lacquer brand Chrome Girl also supported the affair, gifting VIPs with the season’s latest polishes, as Wolfgang Puck Catering treated guests to hors d’oeuvres that included artichoke tarts, beef sliders, and butternut squash arancini. Mike Posner
Jaime Boreanaz and Melissa Ravo Partygoers fist-pumped to a lively set by LA natives Fitz and the Tantrums.
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MADRID • BARCELONA • MOSCOW • TOKYO • DUBAI • KUALA LUMPUR www.carreraycarrera.com
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INVITED
Elisabeth Röhm, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Shea Whigham, and Paul Herman
Sandra Bullock
Tom Hanks
Lupita Nyong’o
Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala
The annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala fêted its silver anniversary with an elegant ceremony at the Palm Springs Convention Center hosted by television personality Mary Hart. The gala honored industry luminaries for achievement in acting, directing, film scoring, life achievement, and more. Honorees included Lupita Nyong’o, who received the Breakthrough Performance Award for 12 Years a Slave; Matthew McConaughey, recipient of the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Dallas Buyers Club; and Meryl Streep, who took home the coveted Icon Award for her work in August: Osage County. Los Angeles Confidential was a media sponsor for the festival.
Steve McQueen and Chiwetel Ejiofor
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES
Meryl Streep
Mary Hart
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves
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Bruce Dern and Jane Fonda
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INVITED Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter
James Marsden
Evan Rachel Wood
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES FOR THE ART OF ELYSIUM (ART); REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI
Johnny Depp
Kate Bosworth
Art of Elysium Heaven Gala
Nina Dobrev
Linda Perry and Steven Tyler
A bevy of generous actors, artists, fashion designers, and musicians flocked to the Skirball Cultural Center for The Art of Elysium’s seventh annual Heaven Gala. Singer/songwriter Linda Perry received the 2014 Visionary Award—as part of the honor, she helped design the event to illustrate her idea of heaven (in this case, nature). The nonprofit, which aims to integrate creativity into the lives of hospitalized children, also honored philanthropically minded actors Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur with the 2014 Spirit of Elysium Award.
Connie Yang, Kathryn Andrews, and Ruby Lerner
Vincent Johnson, K.J. Baysa, and Eric Lane
Susie Kimball and Siphanette Nhean
Guests enjoyed custom cocktails by Absolut Elyx and premium Champagne by Perrier-Jouët.
Peter Gelles, Mark Murphy, Rob Greene, and Jeffrey Soros
Creative Capital Cocktail Night
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Los Angeles Confidential partnered with Creative Capital—a nonprofit organization that funds, counsels, and develops the careers of artists around the country—for an intimate cocktail party to introduce its flourishing local artists to the larger Los Angeles contemporary art community. VIP guests, including the city’s most elite artists, curators, and collectors, gathered in speakeasy Dirty Laundry for an evening of canapés by Ammo restaurant, while toasting with Perrier-Jouët Champagne to Creative Capital’s upcoming installations.
Jose Rodriguez, Tom Roberts, Thinh Dinh, and Nick Guastaferro
2/12/14 12:31 PM
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INVITED Alicia Keys
Hilary Duff
Carole King and Neil Portnow
MusiCares Person of the Year
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, James Taylor, and Caroline Smedvig
Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, and Zac Brown Kacey Musgraves and Miguel
Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer, Merry Clayton, and Judith Hill
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/GETTY IMAGES, CHRISTOPHER POLK/GETTY IMAGES FOR NARAS, COURTESY OF THE RECORDING ACADEMY®/WIREIMAGE.COM © 2014 PHOTOS BY KEVORK DJANSEZIAN, KEVIN MAZUR, AND MARK DAVIS
The Los Angeles Convention Center brimmed with some of music’s biggest names for the 24th annual MusiCares Person of the Year Gala, honoring Carole King for her philanthropic work and outstanding contribution to music. Grammy Award winners Zac Brown, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Pink, among others, performed before the crowd while Jimmy Kimmel emceed the evening. The program also included a silent auction sponsored by the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which raised funds for MusiCares’ emergency financial assistance and recovery programs.
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INVITED Radha Mitchell
Jeffrey Deitch
Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer Art connoisseurs mingled in Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar as they admired the fair’s many installations.
Orlando Bloom
Alexander Ludwig and Nicole Pedra
Art Los Angeles Contemporary Opening Night Now in its fifth year, Art Los Angeles Contemporary returned to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica with an impressive roster of both international and local contemporary art galleries. The fair, directed by Tim Fleming, engaged art collectors, curators, and patrons with a wide-ranging program that included not only installations, but panel discussions, film screenings, and performances.
Tim Fleming and Moby
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES, MIKE WINDLE/GETTY IMAGES, JOHN SCIULLI/GETTY IMAGES (ART); ALEX J. BERLINER/ABIMAGES (UNICEF)
Ghada Irani
Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Dena Kaye, Caryl Stern, and Jerry Weintraub Leah Remini, Val Chmerkovskiy, and Cheryl Burke
Téa Leoni and Anna Kendrick
Unicef Ball
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Unicef held its annual black-tie fundraising gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to support its long-standing mission to improve children’s lives on a global scale. This year’s dinner honored Oscar winner and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Peace Award, as well as Ghada Irani, U.S. Fund for Unicef Southern California Board Chair, with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award. The evening, emceed by Matt Damon and Jerry Weintraub, featured performances by Tony- and Emmy-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth and Dancing with the Stars’ Cheryl Burke and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Danny DeVito
Sasha Alexander
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INVITED Demi Moore
Allison Williams Shauna Robertson and Edward Norton
Diane von Furstenberg’s “Journey of a Dress”
Louise Roe
Hollywood notables celebrated the 40th anniversary of Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap dress at the Wilshire May Company Building, site of von Furstenberg’s highly anticipated “Journey of a Dress” exhibition. Hosted by Andy Cohen and Coco Rocha, the ultrachic evening chronicled the dress’s rise to become a universal symbol of women’s power and liberation. Portraits of von Furstenberg by renowned artists like Andy Warhol dotted the scene, while the bravest guests took a spin on the exhibit’s disco lounge dance floor.
Ashley Olsen
Abbie Cornish
Rosario Dawson
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLEY GALLAY, STEFANIE KEENAN, AND DONATO SARDELLA
Gwyneth Paltrow and Diane von Furstenberg
Diane von Furstenberg collaborated with exhibition designer Bill Katz, production designer Stefan Beckman, and fashion curator Michael Herz on the show’s unique design.
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Kate Mara, Channing Tatum, and Jenna Dewan-Tatum
Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul
Jessica Chastain
Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Joanna Garcia Swisher
Ben Affleck and Taylor Schilling
Chris Andrews and Emily Blunt
Cheers to Awards Season!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AFI/RANDALL MICHELSON (AFI AWARDS); GETTY IMAGES (BAFTA TEA PARTY); KEVIN MAZUR, JASON MERRITT, AND STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES (WARNER BROS. AND INSTYLE GOLDEN GLOBES PARTY); AND DONATO SARDELLA (CLOVIS TAITTINGER PRE-SAG LUNCHEON)
The New Year kicked off with a bang as entertainment A-listers embarked upon a monthlong celebration of film and TV talent. Verizon and Audi presented the American Film Institute Awards luncheon, during which 10 outstanding productions—including Captain Phillips, Gravity, and Breaking Bad—received recognition for excellence at the Four Seasons Hotel. The festivities continued for Jaguar and Mulberry’s BAFTA Los Angeles Awards Season Tea Party the following day, which treated leading executives, celebrities, and BAFTA members to traditional British tea and scones. Attendees of the event, which sought to raise awareness of BAFTA LA’s notable community outreach and continued on page 60 Julia Verdin and Michael Fassbender
Clovis Taittinger and Jason Collins
Julianna Margulies
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INVITED
Steven Spielberg and Bradley Cooper Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright
Spike Jonze
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AFI/RANDALL MICHELSON (AFI AWARDS); GETTY IMAGES (BAFTA TEA PARTY); KEVIN MAZUR, JASON MERRITT, AND STEFANIE KEENAN/ GETTY IMAGES (WARNER BROS. AND INSTYLE GOLDEN GLOBES PARTY); AND DONATO SARDELLA (CLOVIS TAITTINGER PRE-SAG LUNCHEON)
Uma Thurman
continued from page 59 philanthropic programs, included Cate Blanchett, Martin Scorsese, and Bradley Cooper. Across town at The Beverly Hilton hotel, guests at the 15th annual Warner Bros. and InStyle Golden Globe Awards afterparty reveled amid sculptural chocolate installations courtesy of Godiva and futuristic galaxy dĂŠcor created by Tom Ford Designs. Finally, Clovis Taittinger hosted a pre-SAG Awards luncheon for rising male stars at the Sunset Tower Hotel, which included special guests like Emily Blunt, Jason Collins, and Kerry Washington Jamie-Lynn Sigler. and Ariel Foxman Nigel Lythgoe and Jane Seymour
David O. Russell and Steve Coogan
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Martin Scorsese and Cate Blanchett
Vincent De Paul and Leonardo DiCaprio
2/12/14 12:38 PM
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T he List spring 2014
Thuy-Anh Nguyen
Satya Nadella
Stefanie Napoli
Neka Pasquale
Peter Lodato
Lauri Kranz
Jessica Thurber
Ben Alexander
Laura Tomaselli
Steven Kydd
Noelle Scaggs
Jacquie Aiche
Huan Le
Larry Platt
Dennis O’Connor
Gina Mari
Kendrick Lamar
Michael Fitzpatrick
Joel Hile
Susan Howard
Jeff Adams
Paul Chang
Brian Fowler
Nathalie Pouille-Zapata
Michelle Lee
Chad Fitzsimmons
Larry Fitzgibbon
Terry Heller
Andrea Sun
Greg DeWein
Lourdes Lopez
Courtney Saavedra
Danielle Carrig
Sydney Snyder
Joe Perez
Rachael Honowitz
Ernesto Uchimura
Paola Petrella
Christina Riojas
Brent Weinstein
Greg Daniels
Elissa Kravetz
Franklin Sirmans
Deborah Warren
Teri Hill
Nacole Gray
Sarah Boyd
Natasha Tsimmerman
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Superlatives PEOPLE, CULTURE, TASTE, TREASURES
VIEW FROM THE TOP
Man of the Cloth FOR AMERICAN HUSTLE COSTUME DESIGNER MICHAEL WILKINSON, GOD—AND OSCAR— IS IN THE DETAILS. BY ERIN MAGNER PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVEN SIMKO
W
After “casting a rather wide net” for fashion inspi ration—from Helmut hat do Superman, Twilight vampire Edward Cullen, and American Hustle conman Irving Rosenfeld have in common? It’s Newton photos and mail-order catalogs to Goodfellas and the Rose Bowl not just their elaborate hair; Academy Award-nominated cos- Flea Market—Wilkinson and his team set to work, creating about 60 pertume designer Michael Wilkinson, who’s in the running for an Oscar for cent of the main characters’ costumes from scratch. Although some his sublime work on Hustle, has outfitted them all. And although Planet online commenters criticized all the color and the cleavage as being a bit Krypton, the Washington wilderness, and 1978 New Jersey may have too fantastical, Wilkinson argues that that was the point. “What made this job so much fun for me was that these were characters wildly different dress codes, each character inhabits a world of over-thetop, suspend-your-disbelief imagination—realms whose wardrobes are playing characters… they were using clothes to dress themselves as the people they were aspiring to become,” says the designer, who is part of an practically begging for Wilkinson’s visionary touch. “There’s nothing more exciting to me than finishing up a film that’s set incredibly tight Oscar race that includes fellow Australian Catherine in Greek antiquity, [moving on to] a project set 2,000 years in the future, Martin for The Great Gatsby and British designer Michael O’Connor for and then coming back to the 1970s,” says the 43-year-old Wilkinson, his The Invisible Woman. “So for Amy Adams’s character—a girl born in gentle Australian accent still evident after more than a decade in the States. Albuquerque who comes to Manhattan and pretends to be from English royalty—we wanted to get inside her brain “It’s useful to show that you can do lots of differand think, What does she think a very ent work.” sophisticated woman wears? Maybe her refIndeed, the Sydney native has been working erences aren’t the boardrooms of England, just about nonstop since his arrival in Los but maybe they’re Cosmopolitan magazine Angeles, collecting an array of Costume covers. Maybe she thought a plummeting Designers Guild Award nominations along the neckline was appropriate business attire… I way for action thrillers such as 300, Tron: Legacy, think it gave a clue to the audience that she and Babel. But when producer Chuck Roven— with whom Wilkinson collaborated on Man of —MICHAEL WILKINSON wasn’t the ultrasophisticated person she was pretending to be.” Says Adams, “It’s ironic, Steel—introduced the designer to American Hustle writer/director David O. Russell, Wilkinson knew that he had a different because when I was covered up, I felt vulnerable, but when I was exposed, I felt more powerful as the character.” kind of fantasy flick on his hands. According to Russell, the film’s finely tuned fashion was just as integral “At first, David probably thought, The Superman Gleam weaver! guy? How does that relate to my cool, sexy, gritty to its narrative as the snappy dialogue—and perfecting the balance Oscar-nominated American Hustle 1970s film?” says Wilkinson. “But I think we recog- between fantasy and reality was a supremely tough task. “The movie is costumer Michael about identity and who [the characters] aspire to be, which is really what Wilkinson designed nized that we’re both passionate about all of the over 40 costumes fashion is at its core,” he says. “Michael completely got the movie—it’s pasdetails of how a person presents themselves to the for Amy Adams’s world from head to toe… and that helped liberate sionate, operatic and giddy, yet it’s real and it’s raw… That’s a very specific character alone, including this the costumes from being just starchy, period-accu- thing to do.” His fashion statements clearly hit a nerve with audiences; gunmetal sequin rate clothes.” halter dress. continued on page 66
“At first, David O. Russell probably thought, The Superman guy? How does that relate to my cool, sexy, gritty 1970s film?”
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VIEW FROM THE TOP “[The challenge was] making sure my costumes were as original as David O. Russell’s characters,” says Wilkinson.
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DOWN UNDER ON TOP For Michael Wilkinson, it’s not just clothes that make the man. *downtime pastimes: “Gardening and cooking… It’s [incredible] how many of my colleagues have amazing gardens or throw beautiful dinner parties. It seems to be in the genetic coding.”
*favorite ’70s memory: “I had velour sweaters in all of the beautiful ’70s colors—burgundy, midnight blue, and chocolate brown. I think, subliminally, that affected my choices for Christian Bale’s character, who has burgundy, blue, and brown velvet suits.”
*character whose wardrobe he identifies with: “Clark Kent… he’s kind of hiding in his clothes and doesn’t really want the world to see him!”
*aussie rules: “‘Have a go’ is a slogan you hear a lot [in Australia]… I think that helps us to not be intimidated by trying to make it in such a cutthroat industry. Failure is not a humiliating thing; it’s something you learn from.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAY ENOS, TM AND DC COMICS, A WARNER BROS. PICTURES RELEASE (MAN OF STEEL); © MMXIV PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION AND REGENCY ENTERTAINMENT (USA) INC. (NOAH)
continued from page 65 Russell has received dozens of photos from fans so inspired by the sensual ’70s looks that they’ve started incorporating elements of them into their own outfits. Wilkinson will barely have time for a kip after leaving the Dolby Theatre before his next big career milestone is upon him—the March 28 release of Noah, Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic. “Darren said, ‘I want people to wonder whether it took place [thousands of] years ago or [thousands of] years in the future.’ He wanted it to have a real ambiguity,” says Wilkinson, who took postapocalyptic costuming cues from contemporary art installations, fashion designers Rick Owens and Alexander McQueen, and the shapes and textures of the succulents at Pasadena’s Huntington Gardens. He even had fabrics woven in Morocco from cassette tape ribbons, twine, and drinking straws. BELOW: Wilkinson’s masterful touch is It’s intricacies like these that first lured Wilkinson to Hollywood. He got also behind the his start dressing actors at the Sydney Opera House while still in high costumes for Man of Steel (2013) and school, where his involvement with a whimsical Elijah Moshinsky producNoah, premiering tion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream made him realize he wanted to devote this month. his life to “storytelling with clothes. I remember going home after a night dressing an opera, and I would draw my own versions of the costumes,” says Wilkinson, who admits he was “a bit of a nerd” obsessed with music and art. With the encouragement of his parents—an engineer and a homemaker—he went on to study set and costume design at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art, and then spent the next 10 years working in theater before shifting his gaze to film. “As a costume designer, film allows you to work in such detail,” explains Wilkinson, who was particularly inspired in his early years by the corsetry and crinolines designed by fellow Australian Janet Patterson for The Piano. “Whether color is crushed or pressed, whether there’s a stain on a shirt, whether a wool is four-ounce or 12-ounce; all of those things are apparent on screen. And what I love about what I do is expressing a character through all of those wonderful details.” The advent of HD filming has made Wilkinson’s job more vital than ever—but luckily, he describes himself as a “technology geek” who’s embracing new tools like 3-D design software and body mapping, which allow him to create costumes even more precisely. The Silver Lake resident, who lives beside the reservoir with his writer/designer husband, Timothy Martin, is also hoping to step out from behind the camera a bit more in the years to come, hinting that a documentary and a book about costume design could both be on his to-do list. “I’m thinking a lot these days about expanding the possibilities of what I do,” he says. “I have a mission to help teach the world what it is to be a costume designer.” In Wilkinson’s universe, that job title equates to nothing less than alchemist. LAC
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DYNAMIC DUO
The Mod Vivants OCTAVIO AND SHANNON OLIVAS ARE REINVENTING POWER DINING FOR LA’S INDUSTRY INSIDER SET. BY JASMIN ROSEMBERG
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hannon Provost Olivas was studying abroad in London when she first spotted the ebullient Octavio Olivas bartending in Chelsea. “He had hair down to his shoulders, his shirt was open, [and] he was flaring cocktail bottles like right out of the movies,” says the 31-year-old. Later, she boldly asked the charming law student for his phone number. “I knew when I met him that I was going to marry him,” she recalls. Not only did London introduce Octavio, 34, to the Allentown, Pennsylvania, native who would become his wife just three years later, it also ignited his love for entertaining. After Dreamworks wooed Shannon to Los Angeles with a coveted executive position, the natural-born host began throwing elaborate dinner parties for friends in their apartment. Complete with homemade cocktails and his 1940s Cumbia (Colombianmeets-African) records, the retro-mod events centered around his experiments with ceviche, the citrus-marinated raw seafood his father introduced him to on fishing trips during his Mexico City childhood. The Olivases first realized their supper club concept might have moneymaking potential when their friend Dustin Lancaster offered his lounge The Sidebar at Covell on 11-11-11 for an open-to-all event. Together, the pair executed the first Ceviche Project pop-up: a refined five-course dinner (oysters, three savory ceviches, and dessert) with corresponding wine pairings. “Octavio and Shannon know what it really takes to command a room,” says Lancaster, of the fashionable duo behind what he deems “one of [LA’s] most progressive and entertaining food movements”—one in which tequila shots might accompany dessert and the meal might evolve into a lively dance party. After that, the pair vowed to do one event a month. They quickly sold out 50-person parties at various cool venues, including Soho House, L&E Oyster Bar, and Dominick’s. Incorporating Michelin star restaurant–caliber ingredients (uni, sea urchin, Kampachi), citruses, exotic chiles, and authentic Mexican techniques into artful, never-repeated dishes, Ceviche Project reimagines the dish in a communal, celebratory manner throughout the city—an approach that’s garnered a cultlike following among foodies. The Silver Lake entrepreneurs welcomed a baby girl named Victoria in February, and there is a spate of new projects on the menu for 2014— namely, an intimate 40-seat ceviche bar on the East Side, opening later this year. Octavio recently quit his day job as a nonprofit lawyer to helm the restaurant, where two theatrical ceviche masters (“cevicheros”) donning suits will teach about and prepare ceviche, alongside the handcrafted cocktails and hip-shaking tunes that make this experience about much more than stellar seafood. “This is a celebration—of the ingredients, the music, the host, and the passion,” says Octavio, citing that larger-than-life element that has buoyed the couple over time. “And that passion gets imparted to everybody.” cevicheproject.com LAC
Pop-up stars: Ceviche Project founders Octavio and Shannon Olivas are reeling in LA’s connoisseurs of cool with their freewheeling moveable feasts.
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THE ARBITERS
Painting the Town Green TINSELTOWN NO MORE! ACTOR ED BEGLEY JR., NRDC SCIENTIST ALLEN HERSHKOWITZ, AND PRODUCER GALE ANNE HURD TELL US WHY HOLLYWOOD IS GOING FULL-STEAM CLEAN AND GREEN. BY NADINE SCHIFF-ROSEN
ED BEGLEY JR., the seasoned actor, has long been considered the patron saint of the Hollywood green movement. The first star to drive his electric car to the Academy Awards, Begley continues to walk the walk— arriving at our summit on his bicycle. ALLEN HERSHKOWITZ, PhD, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, has been dubbed, “the grandfather of greening.” He worked closely with the late Academy Awards producer Laura Ziskin to lessen the carbon footprint of the 79th awards, leading to seismic ecological changes in the film and television industry. GALE ANNE HURD, CEO of Valhalla Entertainment, is a producer of more than two dozen television shows and award-winning feature films, including The Terminator, Aliens, and The Incredible Hulk. Her commitment to greening production sets is unparalleled.
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hh… the Academy Awards! Your mind is likely to wander toward decadent excess: stretch limos, bubbly, ice sculptures, couture gowns…. But wait! As the industry has turned green—and we don’t mean with envy—the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is virtually gilt-free (except for little Oscar himself, of course). In 2007 the Academy Awards, produced by the late Laura Ziskin, partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to lessen the carbon footprint of the iconic awards show. It was the year of Al Gore’s seminal film about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, and Hollywood was ripe for an eco-makeover. Goodbye, stretch limousines. Hello, Priuses. The invitation to the most exclusive party of the year arrived printed on high-quality, recycled paper. That year at the glamorous Governors Ball, winners clutching sustainable steel, gold-plated statuettes feasted on organic food from biodegradable dishware—including clamshells. In a country many believed was poised on the brink of ecological disaster, this Oscars ceremony was a game changer. For the first time, viewers of the most-watched awards show around the globe understood by example that environmental change could be achieved through small steps, like a continued on page 72
PHOTOGRAPHY BY REZA ALLAH-BAKHSHI (HEAD SHOTS); COURTESY OF © A.M.P.A.S.® (OSCAR STATUETTE); SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (IVY)
No grass grows under the Academy and its coveted statuette, as both have undergone a Hollywood-style eco-makeover.
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“There’s Leonardo DiCaprio showing up in a hybrid.... Suddenly, it became cool to be green.” —ED BEGLEY JR.
continued from page 70 celebrity walking down a 100 percent recycled red carpet—and talking about it. Since that fateful telecast, an abundance of other productions— from films to high-profile awards shows—have followed suit. In her office at Valhalla Entertainment, CEO and producer Gale Anne Hurd discussed the greening of Hollywood with heavyweights of the environ mental movement Ed Begley Jr. and Allen Hershkowitz: Gale Anne Hurd: First, I have to tell you, mea culpa. I just realized we have halogen lighting in here, which we shouldn’t have, and we are now changing it out! Ed Begley Jr.: But you do have water in glasses instead of bottles. GAH: Well, I always have that. [Points to a recyclable water bottle] But we never renovated after we bought the building. Some places we did, and we put in lighting that turns off by itself. Allen Hershkowitz: Good for you. EB: It’s a process, you know. You can’t do everything overnight. You don’t run up Mount Everest to get acclimated. GAH: Environmental sustainability is about awareness, though. Los Angeles Confidential: How does the greening of the Oscars create public awareness? AH: The cultural visibility of the Oscars is enormous. It gives a certain validation, a cultural shift in the way people are thinking about the planet. It’s a multiplatform event. When you talk about “greening,” you are reviewing all your operations, your vendors, and your supply chains with an eye toward reducing environmental impact. So the Oscars set the bar. For example, the red carpet used to be petroleumbased. Now it is created from 100 percent recyclable plastic bottles. The show is now powered by fuel cells, not diesel generators. EB: It was really the right time to green the Oscars. Certainly with Al
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Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth being nominated [in 2007]. It was great. He won an Oscar before he won the Nobel Peace Prize, so the effect of the message of environmental sustainability that came out of the Oscars was huge! I mean, there’s Leonardo DiCaprio showing up in a hybrid. All that affected the American consciousness. Suddenly, it became cool to be green. AH: We did have one problem. We couldn’t use Priuses for the gowns. The cars had to be gown-worthy. LAC: What does that mean? AH: When we were looking at alternative transportation, [Academy Awards producer] Laura [Ziskin] said, “You can’t mess around with the gowns.” Obviously, people tune in for the fashion. And it’s hard to stuff some of those big ball gowns into the back of a hybrid without ruining the look. But even some actresses are wearing green now. Stella McCartney designs clothes with no animal products. We are making progress. LAC: What’s been a high point? AH: I remember the first year we changed the toilet paper. And we had these little framed FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] statements in the bathrooms. I stood there watching Jack Nicholson washing his hands and reading our sign. GAH: There has been a real ripple effect on other shows as well. AH: From the Oscars, I got invited to do the Grammys and the Tonys. LAC: Can you take us inside the Governors Ball? EB: Everything is sustainable. There is nothing that is disposable— from the cloth napkins and tablecloths to the plates and cutlery. I’m vegan, and [eating’s] never been a problem for me. It’s one of the greenest galas I’ve ever been to. AH: All the food is organic and as local as possible. Wolfgang Puck is among the best concessionaires in food and beverage in terms of being green. All the food preparation is collected for composting or for food
donation—at least the uneaten portions. LAC: What about the paper involved in the production and the balloting? GAH: The Academy has had electronic ballot voting since 2011. EB: It’s been the highest voter turnout ever. GAH: It’s actually much easier. You don’t have to look for that piece of paper that you may have misplaced. LAC: How did you go about “greening” a set? GAH: It was my daughter who guilted me into it. She came on set a while back and saw all these plastic water bottles and says, “What’s up? We don’t use them at home.” So we gave everyone a logo water bottle, and we had water stations. But the most important thing we did was having an early department heads meeting. The star of The Hulk, Ed Norton, sat with everyone on the crew to learn how to do better. LAC: Ed, you have a show called On Begley Street…. EB: I’m using that avenue to get the word out. It’s one of my proudest accomplishments as a performer. Hundreds of people have come up to me, and thousands have written or e-mailed me and said, “I got that little solar oven because of you… because I saw it on the show.” So that really makes me feel good. LAC: Do you still feel resistance to what you’re trying to do? EB: No… GAH: Well, yes. [Laughs] I don’t know how to make certain things easier. If you have two trash cans next to each other, you’ll have one that is for nonrecyclable refuse, and I’ll find myself going through it and taking out the recyclable trash. LAC: So you’re this awardwinning producer and you’re out there picking through the trash? EB: That’s what makes her a great environmentalist. No job is too small. LAC
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF © A.M.P.A.S.® (OSCAR STATUETTE)
THE ARBITERS
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TALENT PATROL
And the winner is... Lupita Nyong’o is collecting award nominations—and plenty of wins—for her poignant turn in 12 Years a Slave.
INSIGHT
task halfheartedly, Nyong’o applied to America’s top drama schools and was admitted into the storied program at Yale. She was not the Favorite LA first in her family to travel abroad for higher edupastime: cation; the actress’s father, Kenyan politician “Hiking!” Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, earned his master’s and Dream PhD from The University of Chicago. collaborators: Just a few weeks before her graduation, [Directors] Nyong’o received the call every actor dreams Alfonso Cuarón, Pedro Almodóvar, of: Director Steve McQueen offered her the the Coen brothers, gritty part of Patsey in his antebellum film and Kathryn 12 Years a Slave. “My heart froze, and then it Bigelow sunk immediately,” Nyong’o says of her initial The latest: reaction. “I was so excited, but being cast in a Nyong’o appears movie with such celebrated actors and me, sudalongside Liam denly it didn’t make any sense. I had to work on Neeson in the just-released rebuilding my self-confidence.” thriller Non-Stop. McQueen, however, had no qualms about hiring Nyong’o even before she received her degree: “I’d auditioned a thousand girls already. When I saw her, I couldn’t believe it; she was just amazing,” he says. Nyong’o may share the screen with heavyweights like Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it is the pivotal role of emotionally and physically tortured slave Patsey—and Nyong’o’s nuanced performance—that is receiving some of the highest praise. “I tried to employ RED-CARPET SHOWSTOPPER LUPITA NYONG’O IS curiosity and a presence; how she had to be so present GOING FOR AWARDS-SEASON GOLD IN 12 YEARS A SLAVE. because she had a volatile master [who might do anyBY JULIET IZON thing] at any time,” Nyong’o says of playing such a complicated character. Her dedication did not go unnoticed by her director: “She held her ground against cting had been a childhood dream of Lupita Nyong’o’s—one that she Michael Fassbender—and let me tell you, that’s an achievement,” McQueen never pursued seriously. But when filming of The Constant Gardener says. “That was it; she was part of the family.” There is no doubt that Nyong’o has succeeded: At press time, she was serendipitously took place near her home in Kenya, Nyong’o found she couldn’t resist the pull of the cameras. As a production assistant, Nyong’o— nominated for two dozen awards for her portrayal, including an Oscar, a who was home on break from Hampshire College—was responsible for the Golden Globe, and a SAG Award. A red-carpet standout, she’s also getting stars of the film, including Ralph Fiennes. “He asked me over lunch one day ample attention from the fashion world, having been named a face of Miu what I wanted to do, and I very timidly said that I wanted to be an actor,” Miu’s spring 2014 ad campaign. “It’s a roller-coaster experience,” Nyong’o Nyong’o reveals. “He took a deep sigh and said, ‘If there is anything else you says of her first awards season. While playing a character like Patsey may be one of the most difficult roles an want to do, do that instead. Only act if you think you can’t live without it.’ “It was hard to take that,” the now 30-year-old Nyong’o admits. “He defi- actor can tackle, Nyong’o is grateful for the opportunity. “It was so rewarding to nitely got me thinking about why I wanted to act.” Not one to approach any inhabit that spirit,” she says. “It was hard… but it was beautiful as well.” LAC
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIRK MCKOY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
Bold Over
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FROM LEFT:
LA native Raphael Farasat “learned about life” during childhood hikes with his father in Franklin Canyon; today, the private club TRUFFL’s founder is inspired by Downtown’s Arts District.
UNEARTHING LA’S HIDDEN GEMS HAS MADE MAN-ABOUTDOWNTOWN RAPHAEL FARASAT FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY ALL OVER AGAIN. AS TOLD TO JEN JONES DONATELLI
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os Angeles is a city of neighborhoods, all with a completely different experience to offer. And as a native Angeleno, I’ve had the privilege of seeing each neighborhood morph over time—like Mid-City, where I grew up (and still live), or Beverly Hills, where I spent many early mornings before school hiking through FRANKLIN CANYON with my dad. Downtown, in particular, is one area that has indelibly shifted; having gone to lots of Lakers games growing up, the experience of going Downtown back then was obviously incredibly different than going to Bestia or visiting the Arts District now. From my vantage point, the potential of the Arts District is the best example of where we’re going as a city. In a lot of ways, it was this area that made me feel like TRUFFL could succeed in LA. The neighborhood is a microcosm of how continued on page 78
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES
TRUFFL Hunter
From urban wasteland to urbane hot spot, the Arts District has become one of Downtown’s most buzzy destinations—and few people are privy to its vibrant transformation quite like Raphael Farasat. His exclusive “members club without walls,” TRUFFL, specializes in providing highly curated private events, and for many of them, the Arts District is both the setting and the source of collaboration. Cases in point: “Fashion x Food,” an eight-course meal inspired by iconic fashion designers like Dior and Prada held at Guerilla Atelier, or “Electro Omakase,” a JapanesePeruvian dinner at a converted warehouse during which Active Child previewed his new album. “Our members want memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” says Farasat, who believes the Arts District is the perfect place for orchestrating just that— thanks to raw entrepreneurial energy and an inspiring cast of characters. In his own words, hear Farasat’s take on this emerging neighborhood and why it’s worth exploring:
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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:
Farasat passes Girl With Bubbles by Kim West, a mural at Third Street and Traction Avenue; Guerilla Atelier pays homage to 19th-century Parisian shops with its compelling mix of merchandise; Handsome Coffee, one of the pioneer businesses in the Arts District, started small but now has a cultlike following.
RAPHAEL PAINTS THE TOWN Cocktail Academy (652 Mateo St., LA, 213-800-3026; cocktailacademyla.com)
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fashion shop in the Arts District. A modern atelier mimics the way people used to shop in Paris in the 19th century—more like a club that’s open by invitation only. That idea is really compelling to me, and when I went there, I was blown away by Carl and his story. For 15 years, he managed Prada in Beverly Hills, where he learned the luxury side of things. People didn’t believe something like that could work in Downtown Los Angeles, so he experimented with a pop-up on the weekends. It was received really well, and he ended up quitting his job to devote himself full-time to Guerilla Atelier. Businesses have the most authenticity when they reflect the tastes of the people who own them. We try to do things we’re personally passionate about, and hopefully that shines through to our members. An example of this is a partnership with COCKTAIL ACADEMY, which operates out of a converted apartment/ bar/office called Apartment A in the Arts District. It’s a loft with a bar and a communal table inside, and it’s absolutely stunning. They hold biweekly cocktail and cultural events, but you would never know it unless you knocked on their door. And that’s somewhat typical of the Arts District—the growth and vibrancy is happening organically, in pockets. I look at HANDSOME
Franklin Canyon Park (2600 Franklin Canyon Dr., Beverly Hills) Guerilla Atelier (821 E. Third St., LA, 310-365-2194; guerilla galleries.org) Handsome Coffee (582 Mateo St., LA, 213-621-4194; handsomecoffee.com) Westin Mitchell Design Group (737 Kohler St., LA, 213-9888335; westinmitchell.com)
COFFEE as a pioneer; it started in a Downtown neighborhood that was considered to be in the middle of nowhere at first, but now it’s one of the city’s premier coffee bars and roasters. That’s why Los Angeles is the perfect home for TRUFFL—it’s a city with a lot of special things happening under the radar, but they take a lot of time to research. You may need to know someone to get in, but once you do, it’s absolutely incredible. And that’s our mission: to give people access to the things they don’t have time to find for themselves. LAC
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES (FARASAT); COURTESY OF HANDSOME COFFEE (HANDSOME COFFEE)
continued from page 76 our city is constantly reinventing itself, and TRUFFL is also a brand of reinvention—based on finding and collaborating with inspiring people. There’s an emerging community that is quality- and passion-driven, spearheaded by young, compelling people. Growing up, Los Angeles was really driven by the entertainment industry, but now there are a lot of creatives blazing trails in hospitality, web, advertising, art, and fashion. We’ve ended up working with many of these artisans, artists, and shop owners, and it’s been incredibly invigorating. WESTIN MITCHELL DESIGN GROUP is a perfect example. It’s a collective of artisans who work in furniture, started by Southern California native Westin Mitchell. A young designer who works with steel, Mitchell started his own studio in the Arts District, and over time, his one-person shop became a 15- to 20-person shop. The group goes to Michigan and other places in the Rust Belt to find materials from the Industrial Revolution and then crafts amazing custom pieces here in the Arts District. I’ve never seen a group of people like that—all between 25 and 35—who have such a commitment to quality and doing things in an old-fashioned but incredibly artisanal way. Another person I admire is Carl Louisville, the founder of GUERILLA ATELIER, a luxury
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SOUTHAMPTON, NY | 12 br, 12 ba, 3 hf ba | $45,000,000 | Web ID: 0054117 Exquisite grace and grandeur offering 18,000+ sq.ft. on 3 floors. Basking in 10+/- acres of park-like privacy on exclusive in the heart of the Estate Section.
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WATER MILL, NY | 7 br, 5 ba, 2 hf ba | $29,000,000 | Web ID: 0056162 This Robert A.M. Stern designed residence, on 4.5+/- acres, offers 300+/- ft. of west-facing waterfront on Mecox Bay with private dock.
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BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY | 7 br, 8 ba, 2 hf ba | $18,500,000 | Web ID: 0056274 Nearly 3 acres on iconic Ocean Road is the property site for a sensational new residence destined to become one of the significant estates of Bridgehampton.
SOUTHAMPTON, NY | 10 br, 12 ba, 3 hf ba | $17,950,000 | Web ID: 0056103 Deeded ocean access. Set on 2.5+ acres with a custom-built 15,000+/- sq.ft. Barnes Coy residence, pool, and tennis, this will be rated among the area’s finest.
sothebyshomes.com/hamptons Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc.
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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY
WHEN BAFTA BEGAN STAGING EVENTS IN SOUTH CENTRAL, IT TORE DOWN THE WALLS BETWEEN THE CRIPS AND THE BLOODS. WELL DONE! BY MICHAEL VENTRE
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here are two inescapable truths about members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA): all the women have seen every filmed version of Jane Eyre, and all the men wear monocles. Well, actually, three: You can bet your last quid that none of BAFTA’s members have ever set foot in South Central LA. Of course, like all lamebrained stereotypes, these need to be addressed and refuted. Some of BAFTA’s women have yet to see the 1943 Joan FontaineOrson Welles version of Jane Eyre. Monocles? It’s probably closer to half the men. But the South Central LA assertion is the most outrageous misrepresentation of all, because in recent years, BAFTA members have opened up their hearts, minds, and wallets to make that area of Los Angeles a much safer and more positive place. A pairing between a prestigious British arts organization and an area infamous for gang violence between the Crips and the Bloods appears to be highly unlikely. But back in 2004, a rash of killings occurred in Helen Keller Park, which is Crips territory. Four kids were killed in that very same park in the previous 12 months. That’s when leaders of the Crips decided enough was enough and began looking for outside help. “We weren’t the first people they approached,” explains Donald Haber, executive director and COO of BAFTA LA. “We probably were not even the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth they approached.” But BAFTA—an organization that began in 1947 in a room at London’s tony Hyde Park Hotel—was the one that said yes. The first move was to stage screenings at the tiny 50-seat community building inside Helen Keller Park.
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From the moment the 2002 documentary Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks was unspooled, the nefarious nickname “Helen Killer Park” was on its way to extinction. Since 2005, no children have been killed in the park. “In those days our bodyguards were the gang leaders,” Haber says. “We knew right away we were affecting people.” Slowly the goodwill spread. BAFTA and the Bloods arranged to have similar screenings on the other side of the 110 freeway in Athens Park. Then the city and county got involved, as well as stars such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Oscar-winning filmmaker Gavin Hood, and private organizations like Pete Carroll’s A Better LA. Now kids can not only play safely in Helen Keller and Athens Parks, but they can have safe passage between the two.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES
Southside Story
Dancing in the park: Debbie Allen Dance Academy students perform at BAFTA LA’s annual Christmas party in Athens Park—now a South Central safe haven.
“Through films and showing positive images of what urban kids need to see, we dropped the violent crime [rate] by 35 percent.” —REYNALDO REASER
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Charity Regist er
OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE.
A NIGHT AT SARDI’S FROM TOP:
The LA County Board of Supervisors presents BAFTA LA Director Donald Haber with a certificate of appreciation for the organization’s work in the community; kids from South Central on their way to a special screening of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
What: The Alzheimer’s Association’s 22nd annual A Night at Sardi’s—a celebrity musical revue and awards dinner—will once again bring together the entertainment community to support and fund critical care and research. The evening will include performances by Hollywood and Broadway stars (last year’s guests included Jason Bateman and Emmy Rossum), while the cast of The Big Bang Theory and musician Glen Campbell and family will all be awarded for their commitment to the cause. When: Wednesday, March 26 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN FORREST, COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES, AND MIKE KELLEY FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS (MOCA)
Website: alz.org/sardis
One of the most remarkable manifestations of BAFTA’s involvement in the area is an annual Christmas party. This past December, an estimated 4,000 kids and their parents and guardians gathered in Athens Park to jump around on giant inflatable contraptions, listen to music (actor/director/ choreographer Debbie Allen made an appearance), consume hot dogs and soft drinks, and most importantly, line up for free toys. “When you talk about a recession, unemployment, and jobs, when you talk about trying to rebuild your family structure, you have to get into a positive community state,” explains Kenneth Jones, a former member of the Bloods, who was born and reared near Athens Park and who has been active for several years in BAFTA’s efforts. He estimated that more than 30 gangs were represented at the 2013 Christmas event. It can be argued that one of BAFTA’s greatest contributions is helping to change the very nature of gangs in that area. “Gangs will still exist,” says Reynaldo Reaser, a former member of the Crips who attended the holiday event. “It’s tribal. How do we get away from the violence and do positive things? Through films and showing positive images of what urban kids need to see. We dropped the murder rate and violent crime by 35 percent. It’s all about our relationships now.” BAFTA is instrumental in establishing a Shakespeare program in nearby schools as well as filmmaking programs, job fairs, and food banks. The organization also works with the major studios in town to show regular free screenings at more than 30 venues in the Los Angeles area. Katy Haber (no relation to Donald) is a tireless BAFTA veteran and homeless advocate, who has not only witnessed the rehabilitation of the two parks but also has seen the organization’s impact in the area increase dramatically. “The community realizes there are people on the other side of town who have everything they need, all the luxuries,” she says, “and that we care enough to share the benefits of what we receive with them. We’re showing the [larger LA] community that they’re not forgotten.” Visit bafta.org/losangeles/about. LAC
THE HUMANE SOCIETY’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY GALA What: The Humane Society has prevented cruelty to animals since 1954 and is now the nation’s largest animal protection organization. A glittering benefit gala will celebrate its 60th anniversary; 100 percent of the funds raised will aid its Farm Animal Protection and Companion Animals campaigns. When: Saturday, March 29 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Website: humanesociety.org
MOCA’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
What: The Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MOCA) annual fundraising events are known for being must-see, multisensory spectacles. This year’s gala, which kicks off a hotly anticipated retrospective of late LA artist Mike Kelley’s work, is sure to be no different. Added bonus: the opportunity to hobnob with brand-new museum director Philippe Vergne. When: Saturday, March 29 Where: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., LA Website: moca.org
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Culture
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The John Baldessari Art Studio
Building at CalArts; John Baldessari, “the father of West Coast conceptual art”; Volunteer Watching, Volunteer Smiling (Isla de Ons, 12/19/02), by Allan Sekula, 2002, and Untitled #19 by Catherine Opie, 2011, are being sold as part of the studio building’s fundraising campaign.
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HOTTEST TICKET
Art for Heart’s Sake SNAP UP A MAJOR BLUE-CHIP WORK—ALL WHILE FUNDRAISING FOR THE NEW JOHN BALDESSARI ART STUDIO BUILDING AT CALARTS. BY ALEXIS JOHNSON
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CALARTS (STUDIO BUILDING); CATHERINE OPIE/REGAN PROJECTS, LOS ANGELES (UNTITLED #19); ALLAN SEKULA/REGAN PROJECTS, LOS ANGELES (VOLUNTEER WATCHING)
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A may be synonymous with the movie industry, but of more than 90 major works donated by alumni and forfor the last half century, it’s been churning out some mer and current faculty members, all of whom are of the art world’s most noted creators. One of the art-world heavyweights in their own right, like Catherine most famous—and admired—of them all is John Baldessari. Opie, Mark Bradford, Sam Durant, Charles Gaines, The artist, provocateur, and teacher has left his imprint Barbara Kruger, Kaari Upson, and Allan Sekula—even not only on contemporary art, but also on the way educa- Baldessari himself. This month Angelenos can check out the preview exhibitors teach art—by not teaching it. The infamous Post-Studio class he headed up at CalArts when he was on tion of work coming from California before it heads to New the faculty from 1970 to 1986 deeply impacted genera- York for the sale. This extraordinary show, curated by fortions of artists, including David Salle, Mike Kelley, James mer REDCAT gallery director and curator Clara Kim, is on Welling, Matt Mullican, and Barbara Bloom. “If you look view at Regen Projects through March 8. In addition, a selection of works are currently for sale online at how John’s students at CalArts at Artsy (artsy.net) through April 19, and affected the art world, he’s probably others will be auctioned at Christie’s in had more influence than any artist on New York on May 14. Proceeds from the the West Coast,” notes CalArts trustee initiative will help CalArts endow stuJill Kraus. dent scholarships and fund the new John So it’s only fitting that the man Kraus Baldessari building. dubs “the spiritual leader of the school” CalArts was actually a Disney creis the namesake of the campus’s newest ation, when Walt and brother Roy studio building—the fundraiser for steered the merger of Chouinard Art which an unprecedented number of Institute and the Los Angeles prominent LA artists are donating origConservatory of Music in 1961 to estabinal art, on view this month. It’s the art lish the first degree-granting institution event of the season. of higher education in the US designed “I had mixed feelings about it,” says especially for students of both the perBaldessari, for many the father of West forming and visual arts. “CalArts from Coast conceptual art, when the school’s the day you get there teaches you to be president, Steve Lavine, asked him about fronting CalArts’ latest addition. —JILL KRAUS an artist and to think like an artist versus giving you projects to fulfill,” says “I felt awkward about having a building with my name on it, but I was happy to help with any Kraus. “It’s probably why there are more famous artists fundraising effort.” Despite his initial hesitation, The who have graduated from CalArts than any other art John Baldessari Art Studio Building, which is dedicated school in the country. It’s a staggering alumni list.” Tom Lawson—dean of the CalArts School of Art, to artist studios and an accompanying exhibition space, was finally christened. “Artists need space to work 24/7,” founder and coeditor of online arts publication East of says Baldessari. “I don’t believe art can be taught, but you Borneo, and an artist in his own right—is also donating a few works to the fundraiser. “[ John] was very instrumencan make art-making easier by providing space.” The building’s monumental fundraising campaign— tal in thinking about, in a practical way, what it would spearheaded by Kraus along with a stellar honorary mean to teach differently,” he says. “One of the classes he committee including Sofia Coppola (CalArts ’94), Ed invented was called Post-Studio…. I think there was a nice Ruscha (Chouinard ’60), Larry Gagosian, Frank Gehry, irony in naming a studio building after someone who was and Michael Ovitz, just to name a few—is expected to first thinking past the studio.” 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., raise more than $5 million. Money will come from the sale LA, 310-276-5424; regenprojects.com LAC
“If you look at how John Baldessari’s students at CalArts affected the art world, he’s probably had more influence than any artist on the West Coast.”
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THIS ISSUE: SUNSET STRIP
Red (hot) Herringbone: The Mondrian hotel’s new “drink, dine, and party” destination has brought a sea change to the Sunset Strip.
Sky’s the Limit COMMANDEERING THE BEST VIEW ON THE STRIP, HERRINGBONE WANTS TO BRING THE MOVERS AND SCENESTERS BACK TO THE MONDRIAN. BY JEN JONES DONATELLI
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELILSSA VALLADARES
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framed picture on James Brennan’s wall depicts him with his wife at Asia de Cuba circa the late ’90s—back when starry nights at the Mondrian hotel’s restaurant and adjacent Skybar were de rigueur for LA’s social set. It’s a fitting precursor to today, 15 years later, now that Brennan and chef Brian Malarkey have taken over that same space to revive the buzz and mount Herringbone. An offshoot of the pair’s successful La Jolla– based restaurant of the same name, Herringbone melds Malarkey’s seasonal seafood sensibilities (think crudos, ceviches, and line-caught fish) with Brennan’s background as a nightlife impresario. “I put in a lot of nights at the Mondrian and Asia de Cuba back then,” remembers Brennan, who helms Enlightened Hospitality Group (EHGRP). “If these walls could talk… it was everything. So when we heard that the Mondrian was interested [in Herringbone], there was a lot of sentimental value for me; I’ve always considered that property an icon.” Malarkey, whose first restaurant job 20 years ago was just down the Sunset Strip at Michel Richard’s Citrus, is now known from his turns in the The Taste and Top Chef; he’s also the driving force behind the Fabric of Social Dining restaurant group (part of EHGRP). His menus largely focus on fresh, local fare and seafood, both of which Malarkey came to appreciate while growing up on an Oregon ranch and spending summers on the coast. Herringbone marks Malarkey’s first foray back into the Los Angeles dining scene since those early years on the Sunset Strip—and what a debut it’s been. The restaurant’s January opening, attended by stars like Leona Lewis and Mena Suvari, is all part of reclaiming the A-list crowd and appeal once enjoyed by Asia de Cuba. “The Sunset Strip was in dire need of a shot of adrenaline,” says Brennan. continued on page 88
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TASTE An inspired chicken liver mousse with caviar is a classic “surf and earth” Brian Malarkey creation.
WHAT TO ORDER
continued from page 86 The idea is to create a “come early, stay late” circuit (à la Malarkey’s cookbook of the same name), in which people start with cocktails, enjoy a meal at Herringbone, and later head to Skybar. “Often with restaurants, either you’ve got the vibe and scene, but the food is just okay, or great food with not really any action,” explains Alan Philips of Morgans Hotel Group, which owns the Mondrian. “Herringbone provides that rare, great, all-around experience—from food to music to design.” Indeed, a live DJ provides the ambient backdrop and an inspired design scheme reflects the $2 million spent to overhaul the space. In tandem with Malarkey’s aim to make the restaurant “fun, relaxed, and playful,” designer Thomas Schoos conceived the indoor/outdoor space to be both chic and cheeky. “When sex is too vanilla, it’s no fun—same thing with furniture,” laughs Schoos, who’s outfitted Herringbone with items such as salmon-skin chairs, gilded whale skeleton fixtures, and his own hand-painted art tables bearing the Herringbone logo. Large sharing and communal tables, and a bustling indoor/outdoor bar create the “social dining” atmosphere for which Malarkey’s Fabric restaurants are known. “We’re trying to break the rules that people have with fine dining,” shares Schoos. “It’s about creating a new type of environment where people can be easygoing and rub shoulders [with other diners].” And the party’s just getting started, according to Malarkey. Not only are he and Brennan planning to take the brand international this year, but they’re also set on bringing back the scenesters along with the foodies. “We want it to be all about having fun,” he says. “Come spring and summer, we’ll be doing a play on street food: tacos, a raw bar, and oysters poolside—we’ll get the whole place popping.” 8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-848-6000; herringboneeats.com LAC
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BEST TABLE IN THE HOUSE Do you prefer sitting outside or in? That is the question. If it’s the former, consider enjoying the expansive view from one of the patio’s sectional sofas, surrounded by open fireplaces and Italian cypress tree arches. If it’s the latter, dine in the restaurant’s center at a glass table with a base fashioned from the metal-coated root of a 400-year-old ironwood tree imported from Thailand. (“The root looks like it’s 24 karat gold-plated, almost like a jewel piece,” says designer Thomas Schoos.) And there are plenty of other appealing options, too, according to Enlightened Hospitality Group’s James Brennan: “If you’ve designed a place where there’s just one table that’s the best, I think you’ve failed.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLARDES (RESTAURANT, MALARKEY); ALEX WEBB (CAVIAR); STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR HERRINGBONE LOS ANGELES (BEST TABLE)
FROM ABOVE: Designer Thomas Schoos crafted a globally inspired interior reminiscent of a Hollywood Hills bungalow; chef Brian Malarkey chats with guests during Herringbone’s packed launch party.
Chef Brian Malarkey’s patented brand of “fish-to-field” is the name of the game here (or, as one server put it: “surf and earth”). Translation: sustainably sourced dishes like local mussels with lamb sausage, chicken liver mousse with caviar, and clam and marrow flatbread. “We’re having a lot of fun with the classics,” says Malarkey, who’s worked closely with chef de cuisine Anthony Sinsay (alum of SLS Hotel and Spago) to refine the menu. Early favorites include the carne asada fries, chicken and waffles with uni, jidori chicken coq au vin, and local abalone-uni Benedict.
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THE DISH
The Strip Is Your Oyster CHEFS UP AND DOWN THE INDULGENT SUNSET STRIP ARE OFFERING INVENTIVE TAKES ON ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST SEDUCTIVE SEAFOODS: THE OYSTER. BY ERIC ROSEN
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he oyster is a scintillating study in contradictions. This tiny, uncomplicated creature that dwells on ocean-bottom rocks can produce some of the world’s most sought-after gems, and under its rough, stony exterior lies one of the culinary world’s most enticing delicacies. Edible varieties of this briny bivalve are culled from as far away as Japan’s icy Pacific waters and the balmier bounds of the Indian Ocean. However, there’s nowhere better to partake of these aquatic aphrodisiacs than the Sunset Strip—LA’s unofficial capital of hedonism. Floral chairs, red overhead lamps, white tablecloths, shiny black columns with golden gilt capitals, and a marble-topped bar lined with plush leather bar stools—everything at Rare by Drai’s (8720 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-3601525; drais.net/rare), Hollywood impresario Victor Drai’s new Sunset Strip steakhouse, is over-the-top decadent. For a taste of delicious understatement, order the delicately flavored Kumamoto oysters, which are served ice-cold with a tangy Champagne mignonette and spicy homemade cocktail sauce for that extra little kick. Another new hot spot on the Strip, Al Bacio Ristorante (8741 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310657-1182; albacioristorante.com), has taken over the former Osteria Drago space; its name comes from the Italian word for that gesture of approval where you kiss your fingers after tasting something wonderful. No doubt diners will be doing that after trying one of chef Christian Simionato’s newest menu items: seared scallops over a bed of butternut squash purée and crowned with a single raw oyster drizzled in umami-shallot mignonette. Simionato was most recently the chef at The Resort at Pelican Hill’s Andrea Ristorante—not to mention a native Venetian—so he knows his seafood. At his recently opened Sunset Strip outpost of Herringbone at the Mondrian (8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-848-6000; herringbone
eats.com/los-angeles), Top Chef favorite Brian Malarkey has a firm focus on seafood, including a daily selection of oysters from both the East and West Coasts that diners can slurp down with their choice of condiments, including roasted tomato cocktail sauce, Banyuls vinegar mignonette, Tabasco caviar, lemon crème fraîche, or just a simple grilled lemon. Among the varieties to look out for are the small and clean-tasting Kusshi oysters from British Columbia and heartier, full-flavored Chincoteagues from the Atlantic. Sunset newcomers aren’t the only ones emphasizing oysters. Stalwarts of the Strip are also serving them up to alluring effect. Katana Robata and Sushi Bar (8439 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-650-8585; innovativedining.com/restaurants/katana) might be all about the Japanese robata-grilled meats, but those in the know settle in at tables on the outdoor patio with a view of the city and a plate of firmly textured Hama Hama oysters on the half shell. Their mild, fruity aftertaste pairs perfectly with a garnish of tangy tomato gelée cubes, sprigs of cilantro, and caviar. At salvage-chic Australian import Eveleigh (8752 Sunset Blvd., LA, 424-239-1630; theeveleigh.com), diners are privy to plump Kumamoto oysters sourced from up and down the West Coast and served with accompaniments like a semi-frozen, granita-style mignonette and a slice of lemon over a bed of ice, or a more exotic ponzu-green onion sauce. Finally, at the Sunset Tower Hotel’s Terrace and Tower Bar (8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-848-6677; sunsettowerhotel.com), the décor and menu hearken back to Hollywood’s golden age with Americana classics such as clams casino, Waldorf salad, and oysters Rockefeller, where the mouthwatering mollusks are broiled to juicy perfection in butter and bread crumbs then served over a bed of arugula with a dash of chive-garnished mignonette. Good enough for John D. … and Jay-Z. LAC
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
There’s nowhere better to partake of these aquatic aphrodisiacs than LA’s unofficial capital of hedonism.
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ON THE TOWN
SIP HOPPING When: A postcardperfect winter afternoon Where: Bar hops to Pearl’s Liquor Bar, The Church Key, and Eveleigh Time: Sunset, appropriately
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: At Eveleigh,
cofounders Nick Hatsatouris (LEFT) and Nick Mathers toast the Strip’s reemergence as a dining and drinking hot spot; the brickwall-backed bar at Pearl’s Liquor Bar overlooking Sunset Boulevard; the dining terrace at Eveleigh.
Sunset Rising EVELEIGH COFOUNDERS NICK HATSATOURIS AND NICK MATHERS DRINK TO THE SUNSET STRIP’S RECENT TACKY-TO-TIMELESS TRANSFORMATION. BY JEN JONES DONATELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE
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hades of pink and orange streak across the sky as the sun sets over Sunset Boulevard, where Nick Hatsatouris and Nick Mathers are toasting Whiskey Bucks high atop the city at Pearl’s Liquor Bar. Having just opened last August, Pearl’s (8909 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-360-6800; pearlsliquorbar.com) makes a fitting place for the Eveleigh duo to discuss the evolution of the Sunset Strip—as one of a slew of new arrivals on Sunset’s dining and drinking scene, including Rare by Drai’s, RivaBella, Chi Lin, and The Church Key (where “the Nicks” head shortly afterward to enjoy canned Negronis). “We’re seeing a huge reemergence of the Strip,” says Mathers. He should know, having essentially sparked the movement with Eveleigh’s debut back in late 2010. Espousing “country comfort” amid its flashier neighbors, the restaurant marks a rustic departure for the rapidly changing Strip, centering on fresh farm-to-table cuisine (a nod to the duo’s Australian roots). Mixologist Dave Kupchinsky’s seasonal cocktail program follows suit, calling on small-batch liquors, locally made bitters, and an eclectic list of artisanal spirits. The approach has earned Eveleigh a 2013 AIA Restaurant Design Award nomination, kudos from Vanity Fair and the Los Angeles Times, and a bold-faced patronage, including H’wood heavyweights such as Anne Hathaway, Emmy Rossum, and Selma Blair. From Pearl’s to The Church Key (8730 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 424-249-3700; thechurchkeyla.com) to Eveleigh (8752 W. Sunset Blvd.,
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West Hollywood, 424-239-1630; theeveleigh.com), we joined Hatsatouris and Ma thers for a spirited cocktail crawl—and got a firsthand account of their ascent to the top. Why was the Sunset Strip the right place for Eveleigh? Nick Mathers: The location found us. It wasn’t about Sunset; it was about this really cool, old barn we found next to our friend’s art gallery. Nick Hatsatouris: When we started scouting places four years ago, Sunset Boulevard was a very different place. How has it changed in the time since? NM: In the past, [Sunset] was really tourist-focused and more like tacky Vegas style. It was living in that plush 1990s era, all about neon lights and white couches, bottle service and flavored vodka. NH: The Sunset Strip Market has been an important part of the recent reemergence. Also, The Roxy has Goldenvoice doing the program and music, which is fantastic because it’s an ongoing curation of great things. Some of the best artists like [photographer Mario] Testino and graffitist Barry McGee have exhibited their work at Prism, the gallery next door. How has Eveleigh helped drive the shift? NM: [Before Eveleigh], you would have had trouble getting an Old-Fashioned continued on page 94
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ON THE TOWN FROM TOP:
The two Nicks say they’d be “chuffed” if they’ve been able to put their “mark” on the Strip; drinks at The Church Key, where mixologists take a wildly inventive approach to the cocktail program.
continued from page 92 or a Negroni on the Strip, or ordering an Aperol spritz or a Campari. NH: I remember being pulled aside at parties and people saying, “I love your place, but you don’t have Ketel One?” [The fact that we] had no Grey Goose or Patron was unsettling for a few people at the start. NM: Now I see a lot of people following suit—not to say that we started the trend, but it’s a lot more mainstream. You can ask for Bulleit bourbon or artisanal spirits and ryes and actually get them. [Places] like Pearl’s and The Church Key are taking their cocktail programs more seriously, and people appreciate that. How did you first connect with head bartender Dave Kupchinsky? NH: Dave was working at The Tar Pit; we’d heard around town that we’d never find someone greater than him. NM: Dave wants to make the best drink possible, whatever that takes. Over the summer, we were the first place in LA to make a Hotel Nacional with fresh pineapple juice; Dave probably went through about $1,000 of product value just to get that drink to the right place. NH: He’s constantly trying [new things]; you’ll see him smoking a port on the back deck in some contraption. He’s like a mad scientist, which is kind of fun. NM: The idea of just pulling out one of those soda guns and pouring… those days are over. It’s so nice to watch bartenders with their jiggers, shaking up the cocktails. That flair and creativity extend to the way drinks are served—the canned cocktails at The Church Key or Eveleigh’s cocktails on tap.
THE NICKS’ PICKS Let these Aussie arbiters of taste map out your next trip down the Strip: Chateau Marmont (8221 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-6561010; chateaumarmont.com): “I love the spaghetti Bolognese.” —Hatsatouris The Church Key (8730 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 424-2493700; thechurchkeyla.com): “A great addition to the Strip!” —Mathers Pearl’s Liquor Bar (8909 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-360-6800; pearlsliquorbar. com): “Pearl’s feels—in a good way—very American; that’s its shtick.” — Mathers
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Soho House (9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-432-9200; sohohouse.com): “It’s got an amazing view and a great international crowd.” —Mathers Sunset Strip Market (open May to October; sunsetstripmarket.com): “The produce is superb; we’ve been able to cultivate relationships with the farmers, which is fantastic.” —Hatsatouris Tower Bar (8358 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-654-7100; sunsettowerhotel.com): “I enjoy having a port or whiskey here!” —Mathers
“We want Eveleigh to be like Sunset Tower, where in 50 years, you can say it’s been [part of the Strip forever.]” —NICK MATHERS
NM: We’ve been doing cocktails on tap for about a year, which is really cool. [The chefs] do a lot of prep prior to service, and now bartenders are doing the same thing. NH: It adds consistency because you’re making it into a recipe, and you’re doing it with no time constraints. We also have a barrel-aged cocktail, [which we store] in a barrel for a couple of months to take on the flavor. What are some of the other unique elements of your cocktail program? NH: On most Mondays, we have a guest bartender series, featuring places around the country such as Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco or Employees Only and Attaboy in New York. There are so many great [mixologists]; having them at Eveleigh entrenches us within the bar community and allows us to give something back to it. NM: Sundays are big, too, because we have a farmers market –based [cocktail menu]. What’s up next in 2014? NM: We’re definitely expanding within the premises, going upstairs for private dining. We’re also looking at buying something nearby as an offshoot, whether it is a bakery or butcher. Maybe we’ll do an Eveleigh hotel one day. We want Eveleigh to be like Chateau [Marmont] or Sunset Tower, [where] in 50 years, you can talk about that restaurant that’s been there forever as part of Sunset. We’re two Australian guys who’ve come over onto a world-significant street—and if at the end of the day we’ve put our mark on it, we’d be really chuffed. LAC
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reasures Americana royalty: Tommy Hilfiger holds court at the threshold of his Robertson Boulevard store.
STYLE SETTER
California, Here He Comes! JUST A YEAR AFTER THE OPENING OF HIS LA FLAGSHIP, TOMMY HILFIGER DEBUTS AN ALLCALIFORNIAN SURF ’N’ TURF COLLECTION FOR SPRING 2014. BY ERIN MAGNER
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN
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faded wooden boardwalk winds between swelling sand dunes. Girls with sea salt –tousled hair emerge from the drifts clad in sporty zipfront swimsuits, low-slung Bermuda shorts, and wet-suit tops. A Beach Boys–reminiscent track by Australian electro band Jagwar Ma fills the air. This quintessential summer scene didn’t play out on Zuma or Surfrider Beach; it was a runway show inside a cavernous Manhattan warehouse, where Tommy Hilfiger debuted his California-inspired Spring 2014 collection during New York Fashion Week. “Imagine athletic girls on a beach who are not paying too much attention to what they’re wearing; they just automatically look cool,” says Hilfiger of the woman he had in mind when designing spring’s neoprene and leather shirtdresses, loosely woven sweaters, and tropical prints. In other words, he says, picture “Kate Moss in Malibu.”
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“[The opening of the new store] was a reminder that California is very cool, very American… and unusual in its own right.” —TOMMY HILFIGER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN (STORE); NATHAN SAYERS (DRESS)
This celebration of the SoCal-casual vibe may seem like a departure for Hilfiger, whose name is synonymous with East Coast – prep staples like polo shirts, chinos, and nautical stripes. Could it be that opening his first LA store on Robertson Boulevard last year sparked the designer’s Cali crush? “I think it had something to do with it,” he muses. “It was a reminder that California is very cool, very American… and unusual in its own right.” Yet Hilfiger insists that the West Coast has been part of his brand’s DNA since the beginning, thanks to a prior stint in LA as a freelance designer for several now-defunct sportswear brands. “In the early ’80s when I [lived in LA], it was a combination of beachy and very relaxed… and this was really before the casual revolution took place in America,” says Hilfiger, a selftaught talent who turns 63 in March. “So when I went to create the Tommy Hilfiger collection 27 years ago, I took that West Coast, active, outdoor lifestyle [as inspiration]… it’s youthful and spirited.” This season’s collection is just the latest in a recent string of flings between Tommy Hilfiger and Los Angeles. Last fall, the brand teamed up with local bespoke shoemaker George Esquivel on a limited-edition footwear collection that’s currently sold in Hilfiger’s stores worldwide. “Cobblers are a dying breed, but George is alive and well,” says Hilfiger. Although the Esquivel collaboration is one-time-only—“We want the shoes we made to be collector’s items,” reasons Hilfiger—the brand has embarked upon a longer-term alliance with LA vintage expert Cameron Silver, cofounder of Decades. Since November, Silver has been curating a collection of vintage pieces to be sold in select Tommy Hilfiger stores, including the
one in LA. “I like showing our customers what our inspiration is… we get a lot of inspiration from vintage,” says Hilfiger. “So [Cameron’s] edict is to bring in great looking red, white, and blue, Americana-inspired pieces, but also fun, unique, and almost obscure items that you don’t see everywhere.” Adds Silver: “Tommy is such a global cultural institution, yet he thinks outside the box and has such an appreciation for mixing vintage fashion with new. We may seem like the Donny and Marie of fashion, as we blend a little countryAmerican prep and rock ’n’ roll glam into our aesthetics.” Add in a new partnership between The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation and LA nonprofit P.S. Arts—one that will provide funding for an arts-education curriculum for autistic and special-needs students at Walgrove and Grand View Elementary Schools in Mar Vista—and it’s clear that Hilfiger will continue to bank plenty of coast-to-coast air miles in the year to come. Is it safe to say this born-and-bred New Yorker might go bicoastal in the future? After all, two of his five children—29-year-old Ally (a fashion designer) and 24-year-old Richard (a hip-hop artist known as Ricky Hil)— have decamped from New York to LA. Hilfiger visits them often, taking time out to paddleboard, check out the Fairfax Avenue streetwear shops, and indulge at Cecconi’s and Chateau Marmont. “I wish I could base my business in LA; then, I would live here,” admits Hilfiger, who, along with wife Dee, recently bought a home in a beach enclave closer to NYC: Miami. “It’s hard to just pick up and move, but I’ve thought about [getting a place here]… someday, it may happen.” 157 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-247-1475; tommy.com LAC
A color-blocked, SoCal-inspired neoprene T-shirt dress ($999) is part of Hilfiger’s new women’s collection, available at his LA flagship on Robertson (LEFT).
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ONLY IN LA
Gem Fatale CHIC ANGELENOS CAN’T RESIST THE ALLURE OF JAY CARLILE & CO.’S HANDCRAFTED DAZZLERS. BY ERIN MAGNER
to] how people made jewelry 70 or 80 years ago, when Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels were just starting to become well-known. It’s about quality, workmanship, interesting stones, and creative designs.” From the brand’s workshop in Belgium, spectacular pieces emerge, including this ring: a 5.22 carat Mexican fire opal surrounded by over 500 white diamonds, orange and yellow sapphires, and green tsavorite garnets. Every detail is thoughtfully considered, from architectural settings to diamond details on the backsides of certain baubles—an impeccable approach that’s enchanting art collectors and A-listers alike. (Elizabeth Banks and Alyson Hannigan are both fans of Carlile’s creations.) “We’re trying to come up with things that have an artistic bent while maintaining a classic appeal,” says Carlile, who has an appointment-only showroom. “It’s all part of creating a jewel to be collected and passed down.” 9595 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 210, Beverly Hills, 310-273-1110; jaycarlile.com LAC
Ay, caramba! Jay Carlile & Co.’s splendid 5.22 carat Mexican fire opal ring, (price on request).
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JAY CARLILE & CO.
“O
ne of the real challenges with jewelry today is just making things that people will wear, because LA is a casual town,” muses Beverly Hills –based jewelry designer Jay Carlile. “Its not like women get dressed up every day…. You go to lunch, and they’re wearing yoga pants.” Carlile’s solution: Create a foundation of elevated basics, like layerable rings, necklaces, and bangles, crafted from hundreds of subtle yet sparkly diamonds. Then add a dash of drama for special occasions—like this month’s Academy Awards celebrations—with bold earrings and cocktail rings handcrafted using exceptional colored gemstones: Think punchy mandarin garnets, mesmerizing moonstones, and a rainbow of rare opals. As the former right-hand man to red-carpet jeweler Martin Katz, Carlile spent more than a decade learning what women want when it comes to jewelry. He made the decision to start his own company in 2011, stating: “We wanted to [return
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STYLE SPOTLIGHT
Heaven and Helsinki Finnish prints giant Marimekko celebrates 50 years of its beloved poppy print in Beverly Hills.
Marimekko’s once-defiant Unikko print graces a new limited-edition collection of clothing and décor.
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Cocktail dresses and chic booties are staples at Sandro’s new LA stores.
Paris on the Pacific IT’S A GOLDEN STATE RUSH AS FRENCH FASHION BRANDS CLAMOR TO OPEN STORES IN LA. It used to be that Hollywood would look to Paris for style cues, but now the roles seem to have been reversed. France’s cult contemporary brands are scrambling to open stores in Los Angeles—perhaps thanks to the unseasonably warm welcome West Coast dwellers gave Isabel Marant when she planted her flag on Melrose Place in 2012. First came Sandro (310 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-281-0083; us.sandro paris.com) and Maje (350 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2810083; us.maje.com)—two luxury labels independently founded by two sisters—that each injected a dose of polished rock ’n’ roll edge into Beverly Hills late last year. Both brands also opened outposts at the Beverly Center (8500 Beverly Blvd., LA, 310-854-0070; beverly center.com) around the same time. On March 1, IRO founders Laurent and Arik Bitton (both music producers) will follow suit, bringing their sleek, skinny trousers and leather biker jackets to both Beverly Hills (325 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; iro.fr) and the beach (1319 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; iro.fr). Finally, The Kooples recently signed its first LA lease on a space from which it will sell its coolly androgynous apparel—perfect for lovers who like to share (100 S. Robertson Blvd., LA; thekooples.com). Ooh la LA! LAC
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MARIMEKKO (POPPY PRINT); PARKER YOUNG (SANDRO)
In 1964, a young designer at Marimekko created the Unikko, or poppy print, as a symbol of protest against founder Armi Ratia’s aversion to natural prints. It turned out to be a serendipitous act of rebellion. Since then, the print has been a fan favorite, adored by influencers from Jacqueline Kennedy to Mindy Kaling and featured on everything from coffee mugs to tea towels to the livery of a Finnair jet. In celebration of Unikko’s golden anniversary, Marimekko has created a limited-edition collection of clothing, accessories, and home goods, which has just arrived in the brand’s Beverly Hills store. Fashion pieces feature three-dimensional florals, while textiles get the graphic treatment with single gigantic flowers in saturated orange and raspberry. Even the color-shy are catered to, thanks to a black and white poppy-printed ceramic tableware line, complete with a special stamped anniversary mark. 370 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310299-2528; marimekko.com
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SECRET CITY
One for the Books CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF BUSINESS, DOWNTOWN’S CARAVAN BOOK STORE KEEPS SERVICE OLD-SCHOOL IN THE DIGITAL AGE. BY ALLYSON REES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES
F
rom behind his wooden desk, Leonard Bernstein has watched Downtown Los Angeles—and his industry—transform for more than 40 years. As the owner of Caravan Book Store on Grand Avenue, which celebrates its 60th birthday this year, Bernstein specializes in rare books, first editions, art, and memorabilia—objects that seem more obscure than ever in the era of amazon.com and e-readers. In Bernstein’s perfectly packed emporium, a 1796 edition of Sir William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England shares a case with an 18th-century diary from French explorer Jean-François de Galaup La Pérouse, while old railroad timetables, hard-to-find sheet music, and movie theater lobby cards also have a home within. First opened by his parents in1954, when Downtown was a hub of specialized shops and department stores, Caravan was adjacent to what was known as “Bookseller’s Row,” a string of shops that no longer exists. After school continued on page 104
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SECRET CITY FROM TOP: On the eve of its landmark 60th anniversary, Caravan Book Store proprietor Leonard Bernstein surveys his notable empire of art and rare books, including antique first-edition volumes.
“Everyone took the streetcar to come Downtown, and they would dress up…. People would come in and talk about books they’d read, books they wanted to read.”
continued from page 102 Bernstein swept and dusted, and listened to the exchange of ideas. “It was a big moment,” he explains. “Everyone took the streetcar to come Downtown, and they would dress up—the women would wear gloves. People would come in and talk about books they’d read, books they wanted to read.” The world was significantly larger then, with train and boat travel taking weeks and months, so Bernstein and his father would often have clients bring back items from abroad. “If somebody said they were on their way to England and asked, ‘Is there anything I can bring back to you?’ that was very exotic,” Bernstein explains. “Now, people from China and Europe walk in the store every day. I have airline pilots who tell me they’ll be in Singapore tomorrow and Atlanta the next day!” A self-proclaimed “armchair sailor,” Bernstein’s passion for travel and exploration, especially artifacts pertaining to California’s gold-rush era, is apparent in the store’s collection of mining memorabilia, maps, and
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expedition journals. But it’s the constant ebb and flow of knowledge between Bernstein and his customers that gets him excited to go to work six, often seven, days a week. “It’s not a static thing; it keeps growing. I have information I share with the customer; the customer has information he shares with me,” he says. “It’s very enriching and intellectually stimulating.” It’s also what Bernstein, 67, suspects has kept Caravan open for more than a half century, surviving the digital age when many similar stores haven’t. Though the neighborhood has gotten a 21st-century face-lift—hot online fashion retailer Nasty Gal’s corporate headquarters shares the same building as Caravan, and the popular Water Grill is just up the street—the shop’s diehard customer base has a soft spot for turning pages rather than scrolling down, and would rather hear personal stories from a shop owner than search online reviews. When asked what’s spurred Caravan’s success, Bernstein recalls an Italian deli that his father used to take him to every Saturday night. “I was always intrigued by the pride the owner had in showing my father a new cheese or a new salami,” he explains. “It’s the same with me—I am the deli of booksellers. You come here and you get the whole experience, from the mustache to the personal service to the stories. I have that same pride.” 550 S. Grand Ave., LA, 213-626-9944 LAC
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA VALLADARES; ILLUSTRATION BY KRISTINE LOMBARDI
—LEONARD BERNSTEIN
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TIME HONORED
Time à la Mode LA BELLE FRANCE INSPIRES A FILM FESTIVAL, AN EXHIBITION AT THE HAMMER… AND THESE CLASSIC TIMEPIECES. BY ROBERTA NAAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD
F
FROM TOP: From Dior Timepieces, this Dior VIII Grand Bal Resille watch ($26,900) is inspired by the accents of the design house’s haute couture dresses. Offered in a limited edition of just 88 pieces, the 33mm automatic timepiece is crafted in white ceramic with pink sapphires on the bezel and the patented Inverse rotor. 309 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-4700; dior.com
The 18k white-gold Charms Extraordinaire Lotus watch by Van Cleef & Arpels ($73,000) is a superb blend of arts—its case is set with diamonds
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and Paraíba tourmalines, while a meticulously hand-painted champleve enamel flower dial also has a gemstone setting. 300 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-276-1161; vancleefarpels.com Cartier’s 18k pink-gold Tank Anglaise watch ($36,200) recalls the brand’s first Tank watches but with updated styling. Set with brilliant-cut diamonds and featuring a silvered, lacquered dial, the timepiece houses the quartz-caliber Cartier 057. 370 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2754272; cartier.com
STYLING BY TERRY LEWIS
rance has long been a mecca for creative expressions in art, music, literature, design—and, naturellement, fashion. Many of the most iconic brands have stemmed from this land of unbridled luxury, among them Dior, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Over the years each of these great French houses have forayed into watchmaking—always remaining “TEA AND firmly entrenched in their heritage to MORPHINE: turn out unusual works of art and time. WOMEN IN In 2011 Dior released the first watch PARIS, 1880 from its now much-coveted Dior VIII TO 1914” Grand Bal collection, clearly inspired by Francophiles around the details of fine couture. With the patLA are flocking to the ented Inverse caliber developed by Les Hammer Museum for this fascinating Ateliers Horlogers Dior in Switzerland, exhibition, which Dior Timepieces is able to display the provides a glimpse mechanical watch rotor on the dial and into the daily lives of bedeck it in jewels and lavish designs that fin-de-siècle femmes. recall the sway of a ball gown, all in an Through May 18 at the Hammer Museum, effort to emulate the hypnotic spell of 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Dior’s sartorial creations. LA, 310-443-7000; Chanel’s ceramic timepieces deftly hammer.ucla.edu recall the bold black and white statements for which the house is known. The brand’s premier watch line is inspired by Place Vendôme and by the Chanel No. 5 bottle stopper. Chanel also creates haute-horological specialty pieces with enamel dials inspired by the Chinese screens from Coco’s legendary home on the Rue Cambon, and continued on page 108
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continued from page 106 offers gemstone, pearl, and gold-chain accents on watches to remain true to its roots. Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels have long been ranked among the world’s finest jewelry brands, of course, so translating their artistry to watches was a natural step. Cartier began creating watches at the turn of the 20th century—the first was built by Louis Cartier for his friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, who used to fly his dirigibles around the Eiffel Tower. Cartier’s watchmaking legacy grew to include many memorable designs, including the Tank watch for men and women, which has been coveted by society types for generations. Van Cleef & Arpels debuted its first watches more than a century CITY OF ago to sate the demands of its graLIGHTS, CITY tin clientele. Today, the house OF ANGELS offers diamond, gemstone, enamel, FILM FESTIVAL and special haute-horology Prepare for a week of watches that are inspired by French film premieres French tradition. Its most memoin Hollywood, from rable timepieces include Parisian comedies and dramas to documentaries and scenes like those found in the family-friendly Poetic Complications series, as well animation. April 21-28 as amazing renderings of flora and at The DGA Theater fauna such as the expertly rendered Complex, 7920 Sunset enamel flowers on the Charms Blvd., LA, 310-2895346; colcoa.org Extraordinaire Lotus watch. Louis Vuitton and Hermès started their legendary ascents by crafting fine leather goods—Vuitton was a maker of the world’s most-coveted trunks, while Hermès was firmly entrenched in saddlery. Today, Louis Vuitton’s timepiece collections feature its LV motif on the straps and the dials, nodding to its pedigree as a luggage maker. Hermès also stays true to its history by utilizing detailed saddle stitching on its sumptuous leather straps. “The top French brands are known for their quality and heritage, for their designs and their unusual thought processes,” says Robert Peterman, vice president of fine timepieces for Hermès. “Our French roots require us to keep a close handle on quality and craftsmanship, and Swiss watchmaking helps us do that.” LAC For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to la-confidential-magazine.com/watches. FROM TOP: Hermès’ elegant Heure H watch ($23,900) is inspired by the brand’s beloved H logo. The watch is crafted in 18k rose gold with an alligator strap. Westime, 1227 Prospect St., La Jolla, 858-4592222; hermes.com
From Louis Vuitton, this steel and diamond Tambour Monogram watch ($7,950) features a dial with a graduated sunray pattern on the outer portion. The Louis Vuitton logo discreetly forms a circle that
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engulfs the center of the dial. 295 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-0457; louisvuitton.com This 38mm automatic Swiss-made J12 Moonphase watch from Chanel ($23,450) is crafted in top-quality ceramic with a diamondset bezel. The dial features a stunning moonphase indication at 6:00, rimmed with diamond brilliants. 125 N. Robertson Blvd., LA, 310-2785505; chanel.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK STYLING BY TERRY LEWIS
TIME HONORED
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Optical Effects FOR YOUTH-OBSESSED ANGELENOS, A NEW SKINCARE PRODUCT IS TAKING ANTIAGING SOLUTIONS IN AN EXCITING DIRECTION. BY CATHERINE SABINO
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must contain a significant amount of powders and pigments for immediate, visible color imperfection results. But those with a lot of pigments don’t always allow for deep absorption.” Noé and her team tried hundreds of combinations while studying how facial skin absorbs and reflects light. Under the microscope, facial skin appears as a collection of small colored dots. The reason we all don’t look like pointillist renderings? The epidermal cell structure is unique in how light interacts with it, according to Edouard Mauvais-Jarvis, scientific communications director for Dior. Epidermal cells provide a natural optical filter, their diffusive properties helping to even out color and texture. “But aging impacts cells that act as filters,” he adds. For its new product, Dior scientists sought to mimic how healthy cells filter by adding special mineral powders found in Japan—one with mica platelets, another with silica particles—to the flower extracts. The powders tested well for their light diffusion properties, minimizing redness and other age-related textural imperfections. As importantly, they didn’t prevent the longoza essences from deep absorption. What’s interesting about Dreamskin is how it appears creamy pink (from the color-correcting mineral powders), but applies transparently. It’s designed to be worn during the day, or under makeup. So there’s a clever bit of trompe l’oeil at work in this latest wearable magic from Dior. Dreamskin Perfect Skin Creator ($110), Dior. Nordstrom, The Grove, LA, 323-930-2230; Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; dior.com LAC
TALKING TONE In light of Dior’s research, Santa Monica dermatologist Dr. Karyn Grossman discusses what happens to our skin with age. In addition to wrinkles and sagging, aging causes dullness that progresses into irregular pigmentation, while harmful sun exposure and pollution generate free radicals in the cells that damage the DNA. As a result, Grossman advises religious use of sunscreen and antioxidants. To further enhance the effects of antiaging solutions, she suggests using an exfoliating brush “to clean your face [to increase] the penetration and effectiveness of [a product].” She adds, “Doing a home microdermabrasion or peel [before applying antiaging creams] can also be effective.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (STREET SIGN, SKYLINE)
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fter women, flowers are the most divine creation,” said the late Christian Dior, who used them to inspire his fabrics and collections. The legacy of Dior’s flower passion may be the reason his couture house is likely the only one with its own gardens—eight flower plots scattered around the world, whose locations were chosen, as if by a discriminating vintner, for the quality of the terroir. Today, the rare and exotic varieties grown in these gardens aren’t just for fashion inspiration; they provide the active ingredients for the company’s line of skincare products, and can also be found in its fragrances and cosmetics. The extracts from two recently discovered plants—longoza and opilia, harvested in Madagascar and Burkina Faso, respectively—form the basis of Dior’s new skincare product, Dreamskin. The natural extracts from one (longoza) are added for antiaging benefits; the other (opilia) helps correct the skin’s color imperfections. It’s unusual for a skin product to be both corrector and wrinkle treatment. But antiaging skincare, perennially a white-hot product category, had to evolve from just treating wrinkles—with numerous varieties of injectable fillers, there are many ways to get good, quick results. Recent studies showed consumers wanting products that mitigate aging’s other side effects—uneven texture and pigmentation, for example—as much as they want over-the-counter wrinkle solutions. Brigid Noé, director of product development and innovation for Dior, says developing a product that improves tone and minimizes wrinkles was no easy task: “Usually formulas
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Jared does Dallas: The actor’s gender-bending turn in Dallas Buyers Club was a study in awardwinning understatement. “I had no interest... in playing a glam-rocking drag queen.” Black wool tuxedo jacket, Dior Homme ($3,700). 315 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8003; dior homme.com. Shirt, Drifter ($152). American Rag Cie, 150 S. La Brea Ave., LA, 323-9353154; amrag.com. Pendant, Pyrrha ($340). 8315 W. Third St., LA, 323-424-4807; pyrrha.com
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SUPERNOVA AS THE COUNTDOWN TO OSCAR COMMENCES, ROCKER-TURNED-RELUCTANT MOVIE STAR JARED LETO IS TRANSFIGURED INTO HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHT. BY LUKE CRISELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIGEL PARRY
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ared Leto, long of hair and full of beard, is sitting in the lobby of The Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan in a chair so ornate it could be more accurately described as a throne. Tapestried cushions rest atop elaborately carved mahogany that pirouettes every which way, culminating in two lions’ heads, one on the end of each of the arms upon which his delicate hands currently rest. He surveys the dimly lit room: low-slung, velvet-covered sofas in rich burgundies and emeralds, assorted oriental rugs, low wood-beamed ceiling, leather-paneled walls, logs crackling in a massive stone fireplace, and, right in front of him, Deepak Chopra. “You see that?” the 42-year old says in a hushed whisper. “Deepak Chopra!” His excitement at the presence of the holistic guru is as visible on his face as it is audible in his voice. “Hold on, this is hilarious. I gotta tell my buddy.” He fires off a quick text. In this hotel—a place where celebrities seem to love to be interviewed almost as much as they love to sleep—Leto seems to be the only one focused on Chopra; everybody else is more interested in him. It’s just a week before he’ll win a Golden Globe for his astonishing performance as an AIDSinfected transsexual with a drug problem in Dallas Buyers Club. And although the subtle nudges and stolen looks and—in one particularly bold case—a request to sit on the couch next to him, are nothing new, this kind of attention is new, even for Leto. That is saying a lot for the
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man who, as the lead singer of arena rock titans Thirty Seconds to Mars, has sold 10 million records, holds the world record for longest-ever consecutive tour, recently played to 150,000 people in Brazil, and who, as an entire generation will apparently never be able to forget, was Jordan Catalano in the cult TV hit My So-Called Life. Leto is so hot, in fact, that Liza Minnelli even wants a piece. “There was a luncheon today for the film, and Liza Minnelli hosted it. You know what she said to me?” Leto says, uncrossing his legs and planting his feet, clad in tight-fitting climbing shoes, squarely on the floor. “She said, ‘I haven’t felt this way since I saw On the Waterfront.’ And she stood up in front of everybody and said, ‘Jared, when I was watching your performance, I felt the way that I do when a friend is going through the hardest time of their life. I felt like I knew you and that I cared for you in the way I would a dear friend.’” His pride here isn’t tempered with arrogance. He says, “If I can support this film, then I’m happy to do it. Perspective and gratitude have a lot to do with it: I don’t make that many films. I don’t know when I’ll next make a film or when I’ll next be a part of this process. People have been rather lovely, supportive, and kind.” Some of those people, like, say, the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have also recognized Leto’s accomplishment in the film in a more tangible way: As well as the Golden Globe, accolades he has racked up so far include a SAG win and an Oscar nomination. If he keeps up like this, Leto, who lives alone in Los Angeles (“One of my favorite things to do is go for a hike in California… I could get homesick for that”), is going to need a bigger mantelpiece.
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COFFEE TABLE, TIMOTHY OULTON ZENNE ($2,695). ABC CARPET & HOME; ABCHOME.COM
Sweater, Skingraft ($216). 125 W. Fourth St., No. 102, LA, 213-626-2662; skingraft designs.com. Gray jeans, Public School ($248). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; publicschoolnyc.com. Future-leather Defender boots, Brave Gentleman by Joshua Katcher x Novacas ($300). bravegentleman.com
“SOMETIMES YOU MAKE AN ACCIDENT THAT’S BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL… [IT’S] SOMETHING YOU ONLY GET BY DOING, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT IN THE DOING, WE DISCOVER WHAT THINGS ARE.”
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“WE ALL WANT TO BE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO SAYS, ‘NO. I’M GOING TO FIND A WAY. I’M GOING TO FIGHT FOR MY SURVIVAL.’”
Leather jacket, Saint Laurent ($5,200). 469 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-4110; ysl.com. Sweater, Raif Adelberg ($1,310). Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; barneys.com. Black jeans, Public School ($168). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; saks.com. Boots, Giuseppe Zanotti ($950). 9536 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-550-5760; giuseppezanotti design.com Styling by Kemal Harris at The Wall Group Hair by Aaron Grenia Grooming by Lisa-Raquel for Chanel at See Management
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“I think there are a number of reasons [Dallas Buyers Club is doing so well],” Leto says, after sending back his undercooked salmon. (“I want it like jerky, like cardboard, please,” he says.) “One is the story. Healthcare is an important issue. At the core there’s a classic fable there: A small group of people are willing to fight for their lives and refuse to say no. We all want to be the kind of person who says, ‘No. I’m going to find a way. I’m going to fight for my survival.’ The other reason is Matthew McConaughey. People love to watch him, he’s a huge movie star, and he’s doing really interesting work. And I thought if it was good enough for him to do it, then it was a good enough project for me to be involved with, because I know that he’s been making really smart choices.” McConaughey and Leto deliver extraordinary performances in Dallas Buyers Club, which begins in 1985 and is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a heavy-drinking, bull-riding Texan who gets diagnosed with AIDS and starts to experiment with new treatments not yet available in the United States. Woodroof starts smuggling in drugs and sets up a club so others can have access to the unapproved substances. While in the hospital, Woodruff (McConaughey) meets Rayon (Leto), a transsexual who becomes his business partner and gets progressively sicker, largely on account of her continued drug use. But the impact of this conflicted redneck would be diffused, if not lost, if it weren’t for Rayon, who acts as the mirror in which Woodroof sees the error of his ways and his terrible, inevitable future. In Leto’s hands Rayon is never ridiculous, and even though she provides some comedic moments, it’s a sympathetic, insightful humor delivered pitch-perfectly. “Rayon could have been played campier, more of what we think of as a ‘drag queen,’” Leto says. “Someone who’s very over the top, external, basically playing dress up. But I had met some transgender kids while on tour, and I learned about them—being a filmmaker, interviewing them. That was the beginning of Rayon for me,” he explains. “I remember sending an
e-mail making it very clear that I saw Rayon as someone who wanted to live life as a woman, not someone who was a glam-rocking drag queen. I had no interest in playing that part, and if that would have been the case, I would have said, ‘No, thank you.’” As it turns out, Leto says “No, thank you” quite a lot. Dallas Buyers Club is his first major film to be released since 2007’s Chapter 27, for which he gained 60 pounds to play Mark David Chapman, the convicted murderer of John Lennon. This time around, Leto lost 30 pounds (McConaughey dropped 50), consuming just 300 to 400 calories a day, and Rayon’s sinewy, emaciated body lends her character a tragedy that is evident in every shot of her hollowed eyes or concave stomach. “Losing weight like that changes the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you think, the way you breathe, the way you feel, the way people treat you,” says Leto, who has gotten back to a healthy weight now and is currently training to hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail (when he will find the time to do this is anyone’s guess). “So that makes it a great asset. You set a bar for yourself where you say, ‘Okay, I’ve done this, so I’ve got to make sure I do all the other things well.’” As for the gap between films, it wasn’t for lack of offers, but as the scripts piled up, Leto was busying himself with fighting a lawsuit (EMI famously and unsuccessfully sued his band for $30 million), making records, directing videos (he makes all of Thirty Seconds to Mars’s films under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins), exploring technology with various ventures, including VyRT, Adventures in Wonderland, and The Hive, and, night after night, playing the biggest stadiums in the world. “As a band, we had more success than we could have dreamed of, but on top of that, I was making things, making art, exploring entrepreneurial interests in technology; my life was full. The most important part of it all is that the time away made me a better artist. It gave me a fuller life to share. I feel like I’ve started again,” Leto says, pushing his hair back and removing the skin from his newly delivered and extremely
well-done salmon. “I’ve never been in a hurry. I’ve always wanted to make the most interesting and challenging work and to be proud of it and to contribute to something special and meaningful. I’ve seen the world many times over. You live a life. But it’s a long race, so you learn to maybe run smarter.” Such emphatic statements might seem slightly overwrought coming from a man who hasn’t achieved the kind of global, cross-platform success Leto has or who—let’s face it—looks a little less like Jesus. But there is a genuine sageness about Leto, who seems to have changed both emotionally and physically since I last interviewed him five years ago. It is hard to imagine a man with that spiky, Emo haircut accepting an Oscar; yet now, with a ponytail, it seems, somehow, entirely feasible. His demeanor is so calming that I suspect the guy across the room interviewing Deepak Chopra is having a far less philosophical time. “I learned a long time ago that, as a visual artist, the process informs the process in the same way that you can run on a treadmill and it’s never going to prepare you for a triathalon or a marathon,” Leto says. “You’ve got to get out to the street. You’ve got to learn about obstacles. You’ve got to make mistakes, because in doing that, wonderful things happen. You can sit around and plot and plan about Rayon or Thirty Seconds to Mars, but it’s not until you do it and fall flat on your face that you learn. Sometimes you don’t make mistakes. Sometimes you make an accident that’s beautiful, wonderful. There’s a moment in the film where I say, ‘I don’t want to die,’ and it’s improvised. I just said what was in my heart and in my mind. But that’s something you only get by doing, and I do believe that in the doing, we discover what things are.” And with that, it’s time to leave, to go and do something else. Leto gets up, looks across the room at Chopra and asks, conspiratorially, if we should say hi. Before I can answer, he shakes his head, thinking better of it, and then says goodbye. He smiles, saying, “But it’s not really goodbye, of course.” LAC
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STAR TECH 2014 Fashion forward! LA style insiders are taking clothes off the runway and on to the web in a whirlwind of e-xcitement. Meet seven techie tastemakers who are determined to make LA the virtual destination of choice for the global fashion consumer. BY MOLLY CREEDEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIGITTE SIRE
THE CLOSET QUEEN | AMBRE DAHAN
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walkinmycloset.com t’s easy to understand how a luxury consignment site started with Ambre Dahan’s closet. Tall, lithe, and with a simple, fresh, Parisian style that has a hint of rock ’n’ roll, the 34-year-old French founder and CEO of Walk in My Closet has an eye for an outfit and a wardrobe to keep clicking after. Having spent nine years in design director roles at Joe’s Jeans (husband is founder Joe Dahan), Dahan came up with the idea of Walk in My Closet—partly because hers needed an edit but also because she wanted to share her collection with friends around the globe. The site acts as a concierge, both facilitating direct sales between buyers and sellers, and also receiving items at one of its four international offices to clean, style, shoot, and sell (“We get these items and they just have a life in them,” Dahan gushes). Launched in May 2013, the space also serves as a virtual fashion diary—members can build a closet using a Pinterest-like button, assembling both items they currently have, and what they’re wishing for. “The idea was to make it editorial,” says Dahan, in her all-white office that sits in a building opposite Balenciaga in Beverly Hills. “It’s inspiration; voyeurism. The community becomes the personal stylist.” In addition to the shopping element, a substantial portion of the site is devoted to content: interviews with influencers about their personal aesthetic (featured members include actress Kelly Rutherford, socialite Julia Restoin Roitfeld, and model Elettra Wiedemann), playlists, mood boards, a packing list app, and trend posts. While customers from around the world are engaging and selling, the items Dahan sells from
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her personal closet are in such demand, members e-mail asking when she’ll be ready to part with the next batch. For now, she’s focused on securing funding to invest in marketing to grow the brand (she currently heads up a team of 10—all wearing many hats) and she plans to add video to the mediums through which influencers are introduced. The appeal of secondhand shopping, she says, is the thrill of the chase. “It’s looking for that special item. It’s kind of a treasure chest to find that unique piece, something that you missed the first time.”
“The site is inspiration; voyeurism. The community becomes the personal stylist.” —AMBRE DAHAN
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LEFT AND THIS PAGE: Ambre Dahan presides over the relaxed, yet glamorous Beverly Hills atelier of her booming luxury consignment site Walk in My Closet.
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“Finally, we’ve had enough gravitational pull around LA where you’re starting to see this virtuous cycle…. We want to stay here and build this community.” —DIEGO BERDAKIN & JOSH BERMAN
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Beachmint’s Santa Monica HQ is home to four e-commerce brands and 100 staffers; a selection of baubles from JewelMint; community bikes for employees; ShoeMint has featured designs by past CFDA winners and celebrities; a mood board in the designers’ work space. OPPOSITE PAGE: Josh Berman (LEFT) and Diego Berdakin survey Silicon Beach.
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THE BEACH BOYS | DIEGO BERDAKIN & JOSH BERMAN
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beachmint.com ntrepreneur Diego Berdakin and MySpace cofounder Josh Berman were working at News Corp., developing new Internet properties for Rupert Murdoch and Peter Chernin, when their attention kept getting pulled to what was happening in the e-commerce world, namely the ascent of companies like Vente-Privee, Ideeli, and Rue La La. “And then we saw Groupon,” recalls Berdakin, 28. “Its growth was one of the most unbelievable things we’d ever seen. What they did was hypercurated… one decision instead of 10. We really believed there was something there—users want stuff delivered to them; they want us to get to know them better, especially around fashion categories.” The technologists set about pairing up with people who knew fashion and merchandising, and in 2010, launched JewelMint with an inaugural jewelry collection designed by actress Kate Bosworth and her stylist, Cher Coulter. Three other membership-based shops followed—ShoeMint, StyleMint, and IntiMint—each of which delivers a monthly virtual showroom to members tailored to their style preferences. Since the company’s founding, collections have been designed at the hands of actress Rachel Bilson, the Olsen twins (who have a small stake in the com-
pany and recently became cochairs of its advisory board), and CFDA winners such as jeweler Philip Crangi. Partnerships with designer Erin Fetherston and luxury lingerie brand Cosabella are on the way this spring. “You look at the value you can save consumers and you’re like: ‘Wow,’” Berman, 44, says of their model, which eschews the vast markups of most department or specialty stores. “They’re getting great affordable luxury for $30 because we don’t have to pay rent [for a brick-and-mortar store].” The brand has raised $80 million in venture capital and has settled its 100 employees into an office complete with yoga classes and community bikes in Santa Monica, a neighborhood that’s been nicknamed “Silicon Beach” for its proliferation of tech start-ups. It never occurred to Berdakin or Berman—both now shoe-savvy (on this day, Berdakin is wearing patterned Soludos espadrilles and Berman, black Louis Vuitton high-tops)—to launch the business anywhere else. “Finally, we’ve had enough gravitational pull around LA where you’re starting to see this virtuous cycle,” Berdakin notes, of the arrival of incubators, venture capitalists, and talent from UCLA, CalTech, and USC. No matter how big the company gets, says Berman, “We want to stay here and build this community in LA.”
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FROM TOP: StyleSaint founder Allison Beal sources design inspiration from her community of fans; fashion books and photos mingle with clothing samples in the design studio.
THE E-CO DESIGNER | ALLISON BEAL
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stylesaint.com hirty-one-year-old Allison Beal garnered a cult following for Style Saint, her sustainable women’s apparel line, well before the brand had debuted a single piece of clothing on its website. “I was terrified of just launching and hoping people would come,” says the former fashion marketing and business development executive. StyleSaint was unveiled first as a social community called “The Saint Society” (“kind of like Vogue meets Pinterest,” she explains), where users can “tear” images from the web and make their own digital magazines. Membership grew organically and today, the company has yet to spend a dollar on marketing. Beal also encourages users to share their inspirations, which will inform silhouettes, patterns, and fabrics of future designs. The first collection, launched in September 2013, was built around silk chiffon and lace, which Beal was seeing pop up all over The Saint Society. “I check on StyleSaint every single
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day over a cup of coffee when I start work,” she says. The eco-friendly pieces are manufactured locally and in small batches, in an effort to minimize waste. The company has been lauded within the tech industry and launched on a very public platform at TechCrunch’s 2012 Disrupt conference, where Beal and cofounder entrepreneur Brian Garrett competed against other start-ups (“I think I was almost the only woman in the room,” recalls Beal, who is often high-heeled, and usually high-energy). They’ve raised about $5.8 million in capital (most of which is from General Catalyst, which also funds buzzy eyewear brand Warby Parker) and are about to move into 7,500-square-foot offices in Downtown LA. Beal’s personal style, effervescence, and grit continue to be the heartbeat of the brand. “I genuinely started a relationship with this group of girls,” she says. “We have ambassadors all over the world who are sharing the voice of StyleSaint. I feel like they’re our street team.”
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FROM TOP: LEAF.tv founders Erin Falconer (LEFT) and Geri Hirsch are catching the attention of top retailers with their stylish how-to videos; scenes from Falconer’s Venice home/studio.
THE VIDEO STARS | GERI HIRSCH & ERIN FALCONER
“I LEAF.tv
was raised by a single mom and had to figure out a lot on my own,” says LEAF.tv (Living, Eating, and Fashion) cofounder Geri Hirsch, 30. “I wanted to build a brand that helps girls learn how to do whatever they want, quickly and concisely…. It’s not only, like, here’s a black dress, but here’s how to wear it four ways.” Styling an LBD is just the beginning of the trove of skills, tricks, and recipes visitors can master by watching LEAF.tv—a site filled with one- to three-minute videos that artfully instruct on how to do anything from making your own tuxedo pants to wallpapering a bathroom. The idea came from two bloggers—Hirsch, of the fashion-focused site becauseimaddicted.net, and Erin Falconer, 37, of pickthebrain.com, which explores motivation and self-improvement. The two met working at a startup five years ago and started shooting lifestyle videos on the side with commerce layered in. “Let’s say you’re a 20-something girl and you just moved
into your first apartment,” says Hirsch. “You don’t know how to cook, and you don’t have a lot of stuff in your kitchen. If you watch all of our videos and see the same All-Clad pan 10 times and you’re like, I can sear a fish on that; I can sauté a piece of chicken; I can also make croutons. Then all of a sudden you think: Maybe I should buy that.” The shorts were eventually picked up by YouTube channel StyleHaul and caught the attention of Barneys New York, which commissioned a shoppable web series. From there, the women raised $900,000 in funding (re-upped this past August) and launched their own YouTube channel in January 2013. It unveiled a stand-alone website in November, filled with videos shot mostly at Falconer’s light-filled Venice home—a place that is pleasant, but not frilly; her appliances and décor feel within reach. Between StyleHaul, YouTube, and their own site, the pair are on track to make 500 new videos in 2014—all while maintaining the blogs that launched them. “It’s exhausting,” Falconer says happily.
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THE APP ACE | ALISA GOULD-SIMON pose.com
P
ose is a mobile app that started with a problem common to any fashion fanatic who’s browsed for a dress with the help of a friend present only via cell phone: “I moved to LA and was communicating with a lot of my friends in New York about what they were wearing—or what they were thinking about buying—over text message,” says cofounder Alisa Gould-Simon, who left Manhattan for LA in 2009 after a stint as a fashion journalist. “There were details that I wanted to know in order to have a better conversation around shopping—how much was it? Can I see a better picture?” Fashion blogs were also gaining steam, and GouldSimon, 29, envisioned a place where she could see what everyone was wearing in one place. A serendipitous encounter with entrepreneur Dustin Rosen, who was working on an app similar to her idea, led to the creation of Pose, which was unveiled in January 2011. “It’s like a magazine built for your phone,” explains Gould-Simon from her company’s Westside office, where a
French bulldog is also in attendance. “But what’s unique to the platform is it’s elevated. A lot of the content is from influencers, top brands, people who are spending time to create amazing images.” Those personalities, who regularly upload shoppable photos of their favorite style finds, include supermodel Coco Rocha, The Man Repeller blogger Leandra Medine, actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and stylist Rachel Zoe, who came on as an investor last year. In total, the brand has raised $4.6 million, and a recent merger with Little Black Bag—a subscription website where members receive bags whose contents they can trade—saw the company double in size and created further opportunities for collaboration. “I think LA is unique for its Wild West ethos. There’s a lot of flexibility to experiment—to really be inventive,” says Gould-Simon, clad in a long A.L.C. skirt and spiky Fenton Fallon necklace. “And because it feels like the underdog, there’s an inclusive and supportive environment. LA really wants one of its own to succeed.” LAC
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“I think LA is unique for its Wild West ethos. There’s a lot of flexibility to really be inventive.” —ALISA GOULD-SIMON
OPPOSITE PAGE:
Lyrics from Madonna’s “Vogue” adorn cofounder Alisa Gould-Simon’s funky chic work space. THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A product shoot features client artwork at Pose’s Westside offices; art covers the walls of the space; the app’s back-end team keeps it running smoothly for millions of users; foosball and an office pup are just some of the perks of working at Pose.
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MASTER PIECES
POP GOES THE SEASON! THIS SPRING, LA EXPLODES IN A KALEIDOSCOPIC ARRAY OF WEARABLE ART. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT ASCROFT SET DESIGN BY SERGIO ESTEVEZ
ON KRISTINE: Natte patchwork silk dress ($10,900), embellished Saffiano leather bracelet ($1,695), and bag (price on request), Prada. 343 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661; prada.com. Cherry stone earrings, Solange Azagury-Partridge ($5,300). To order, call 212-879-9100. Iriza pumps, Christian Louboutin ($625). 650 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-247-9300; christianlouboutin.com ON CHRISTOPHE: Black notch-lapel, three-piece suit, Tom Ford ($4,860). 346 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-270-9440. Santon shirt, Burberry London ($250). Beverly Center, LA, 310-657-2424; burberry.com. Wivern dot woven tie, Thomas Pink ($135). Westfield Century City, LA, 310-8430014; thomaspink.com. Classic lace-up derby shoes, Dior Homme ($900). 315 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2478003; dior.com
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Printed crepe dress, Chanel ($30,200). 400 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-5500; chanel.com. 18k yellow-gold and platinum earrings with white enamel and diamonds, David Webb ($36,500). To order, call 212-421-3030. Heels, Aquazzura ($595). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com
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Silk multicolor fit and flare dress, Etro ($1,882). Two Rodeo, Beverly Hills, 310-248-2855; etro.com. Amethyst Monogram Empreinte Montaigne MM bag, Louis Vuitton ($3,200). 295 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-8590457; louisvuitton.com
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ON CHRISTOPHE: Emerald suit, Hermès ($3,875). 434 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-6440; hermes.com. Shirt, Jil Sander ($570). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; saks.com. Belt, Ermenegildo Zegna ($310). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-444-1534; zegna.com ON KRISTINE: Dress, Yigal Azrouël ($1,090). Nordstrom, The Grove, LA, 323-930-2230; nordstrom.com. Ring, Jennifer Fisher ($265). Barneys New York, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-641-0072; barneys.com
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Organza tiered dress ($3,650) and PVC sandals with metal double heel ($995), Fendi. 355 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-276-8888; fendi.com. 18k yellow-gold and platinum blue and white enamel ring with diamonds, David Webb ($28,000). To order, call 212-421-3030. Beauty Note: Freeze 24-7 IceCream Double Scoop Anti-Aging Moisturizer ($105). Henri Bendel, Beverly Center, LA, 310-358-9378; henribendel.com. Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation ($55). Sephora, Beverly Center, LA, 310-657-9670; sephora.com. La Mer The Radiant Concealer ($70). Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; barneys.com. Estée Lauder Pure Color Blush in Peach Passion ($30). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-2754211; saks.com. Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Raffinement ($59). Saks Fifth Avenue, SEE ABOVE. Dior Style Liner ($34). Saks Fifth Avenue, SEE ABOVE. Kérastase Lift Vertige ($36). Visage Salon @ The Biltmore Hotel, 517 Olive St., LA, 213-228-0008; visageavedasalon.com
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Silk dress, Dior ($10,000). 309 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-4700; dior.com. 18k gold vermeil hoop earrings with turquoise lacquer, AurĂŠlie Bidermann ($205). Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; barneys.com. Red Hotlips silver and red lacquer enamel ring, Solange Azagury-Partridge ($1,050). To order, call 212-879-9100. Photography by Robert Ascroft Styling by Lauren Finney and Faye Power Makeup by Joanne Gair at Walter Schupfer Management for Chanel Beauty Makeup assistance by Georgina Billington Hair by Kevin Woon at Woon Salon/Jed Root Inc. Set design by Sergio Esteves for utopianyc.com Scenic painting by Patrick Perrier for setandscenic.com Manicure by Myrdith LeonMcCormack using Dior Vernis at Factory Downtown Male model Christophe Caron @ Wilhelmina NY Female model Kristine Z. @ MC2NYC
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ON CHRISTOPHE: Suit, Michael Kors ($595). Nordstrom, The Grove, LA, 323-930-2230; nordstrom.com. Shirt, John Varvatos ($228). 8800 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-859-2791; johnvarvatos.com. Tie, The Tie Bar ($15). thetiebar.com. Shoes, Dior Homme ($900). 315 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8003; dior.com ON KRISTINE: Red cady top ($2,195) and cady pant ($1,095), Ralph Lauren Collection. 444 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-281-7200; ralphlauren.com. Brass square signet ring, Jennifer Fisher ($258). Barneys New York, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-641-0072; barneys.com. Multicolor geometric clutch, Roger Vivier ($1,750). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com. Jash black sandals, BCBG Max Azria ($225). Beverly Center, LA, 310-854-0986; bcbg.com
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ON FRANCIS: Suit, Ermenegildo Zegna ($3,395). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-444-1534; zegna.com. Black slim-fit shirt, Calvin Klein Collection ($295). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-662-1901; calvinklein.com. Revolution 43.5 chronograph watch, David Yurman ($6,400). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-444-1080; davidyurman.com. Loafers, Hermès ($890). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-437-1725; hermes.com. ON ILIANA: Zip-up cardigan ($495) and cropped sweater ($495), Vera Wang Collection. To order, call 212-382-2184. Skirt, Giorgio Armani ($1,895). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-546-9377; armani.com. Maxi linear bangle, Pluma ($220). pluma-italia.com. Rebel handbag, Jimmy Choo ($950). 240 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-8609045; jimmychoo.com. Vivian platform sandal, Calvin Klein White Label ($119). Macy’s, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-640-8333; macys.com
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URBANE RENEWAL From Downtown to Hollywood and Vine, sleek is always chic. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT ASCROFT STYLING BY TARYN SHUMWAY
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Shirt, Hermès ($500). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-437-1725; hermes.com. Midnight single-pleat pant, Michael Kors ($195). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-557-5600; michaelkors.com. Watch, Ebel ($2,700). David Orgell, 262 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-6660; ebel.com. ON ILIANA: Sculpted-sleeve shirt, Porsche Design ($775). 236 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-205-0095; porsche-design.com. Suede leather skirt, Yves Salomon ($911). To order, call 970-554-3564. Rose rock candy collar, Ippolita ($995). Bloomingdale’s, South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-824-4600; bloomingdales.com. Spellbound ring, Calvin Klein ($90). Macy’s, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-640-8333; macys.com. Soft Natalia bag, Tom Ford ($3,430). 346 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-270-9440 ON FRANCIS:
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Tan sheer knit top ($830) and tan cotton belted skirt (price on request), Salvatore Ferragamo. 357 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-9990; ferragamo.com. White-gold nappa striped midi clutch, J. Mendel ($3,200). To order, call 212-832-5830
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ON ILIANA:
Light green opal jacket ($4,195) and pencil skirt ($2,095), Burberry London. 9560 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-4500; burberry.com. Ribbed mock-neck sweater, Ralph Lauren Collection ($1,295). 444 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-281-7200; ralphlauren.com. ON FRANCIS: Jacket ($2,495) and pants ($445), Ermenegildo Zegna. 337 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8827; zegna.com. Wide ribbed sweater, Porsche Design ($390). 236 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-205-0095; porsche-design.com
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Leather jacket, John Varvatos Star U.S.A. Luxe ($995). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-545-5551; johnvarvatos.com. White cotton and cashmere turtleneck, Tom Ford ($990). 346 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-270-9440. James stretchtwill pants, Ralph Lauren Black Label ($350). South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-556-7656; ralphlauren.com. Shoes, Jil Sander ($895). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com. ON ILIANA: Revere duster coat with belt ($1,150) and Benny dress ($625), Max Mara. South Coast Plaza, SEE ABOVE , 714-754-7900; maxmara.com. Resin bangle, Gerard Yosca ($45). Lulu Brandt, 1 W. California Blvd., Pasadena, 626-568-8090; yosca.com. Hemingway flap-lock satchel, Mark Cross ($2,995). markcross1845.com. Ankle-strap mule, Jason Wu ($895). Neiman Marcus, SEE ABOVE ON FRANCIS:
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Trench with tab closures, Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers ($975). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-436-1961; brooksbrothers.com. Dress shirt ($345) and belt ($310), Ermenegildo Zegna. 337 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8827; zegna.com. Doublepocket pants, Porsche Design ($460). 236 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-205-0095; porsche-design.com. Captain Centra Second watch, Zenith ($5,500). Watch Connection, 3033 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-432-8200; zenith-watches.com. Low-top lace-up shoes, Brunello Cucinelli ($930). 9534 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-7248118; brunellocucinelli.com Makeup by Matin, Color Consultant for Laura Mercier Hair by Dominick Pucciarello at abtp.com Manicure by Julie Kandalec at Bryan Bantry Agency using Essie Male Model Francis Cadieux at Wilhemina Female Model Iliana at Ford Models
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MAGNA CUM LAUDER FROM LEFT: A 1979 portrait of the Lauder family, taken at the home of Joseph and EstĂŠe Lauder (CENTER); Ronald and Leonard Lauder founded The Lauder Institute, a joint-degree program in international management at the Wharton School; US businessman Ronald Lauder cuts the ribbon at the opening of a playground in the Israeli city of Sderot in 2009.
SCION-TOLOGY 101 Giving money away isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as easy as it sounds, particularly when different generations are involved. Here, philanthropists, advisers, and wealth managers tell how to minimize familial differences and make charitable gifting a smooth sail. BY SUZANNE MCGEE
KENNEDY CONSCIOUSNESS FROM LEFT: The late Robert F. Kennedy with his wife, Ethel, and seven of their children in 1964; the Grand Foyer at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; Anthony Shriver founded the nonprofit Best Buddies International to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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H
oward Graham Buffett has no idea how old he was when he first became aware that something called “philanthropy” existed. While his father, financier Warren Buffett, “was busy making money” and building his reputation as the sage of Omaha, his mother, Susan Thompson Buffett, spent “a huge amount of her time engaged in something that helped or supported other people.” As they grew, Howard, as well as his elder sister, Susie, and younger brother, Peter, were caught up in these projects. “It started with giving away time,” Howard Buffett, 59, recalls. “A big part of my education was seeing my mom act on (her) beliefs, not just talk about them.” The lessons he learned included an awareness of what distinguishes effective
regional arts group—to developing a coherent giving approach. “The aim is to create a legacy and, for many, if not most, having that legacy include impact,” says Karoff. What triggers philanthropic engagement can be as varied as the families involved. “In some cases, an aging benefactor has decided he wants to see his philanthropic gifts fully dispersed while he’s still living; sometimes it’s a personal experience or event, such as a trip by two members of one family to Ghana, which then became a focus of their philanthropy,” says Susan Ditkoff, a partner at Bridgespan, a nonprofit advisory group, and co-head of the firm’s philanthropy practice. One element of “next gen” philanthropy that may startle some older parents or grandparents is their heirs’ preference for and sometimes insistence upon high-impact or transformative giving. Today’s younger
OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARNOLD NEWMAN/GETTY IMAGES (LAUDERS); DAVID BUIMOVITCH/GETTY IMAGES (RIBBON CUTTING); MYLOUPE/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/ GETTY IMAGES (WHARTON); DANIEL C. BRITT/THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES (KENNEDY CENTER); MARVI LACAR/GETTY IMAGES FOR BWR (SHRIVER); AP PHOTO (KENNEDY). THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL HAWTHORNE/GETTY IMAGES (TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS); BEN BAKER/REDUX (TISCHES); BETTMANN/CORBIS (TIME CAPSULE)
THE TISCH NETWORK FROM LEFT: A 2004 portrait of Jimmy, Bob, Jonathan, and Andrew Tisch; NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts building in NYC; Preston (LEFT, CROUCHING) and Laurence Tisch place a time capsule in the foundation of the future Tisch Hall at NYU in 1969.
donors have relatively little interest in seephilanthropy from simply sitting down at ing their names immortalized on hospital the end of every year to write a few checks wings, theater auditoriums or college lecor buying a table for a friend’s charitable — ture halls. They define “community” in a gala. By the time he was an adult, Buffett very different way, as something that isn’t says he realized philanthropy at its best “is — confined to a narrow geographic area or a about listening to people, and trying to HAVING THAT LEGACY particular religious or ethnic grouping. understand their core needs and find a INCLUDE IMPACT.” They’re also more likely to tackle ambitious way to address them.” programs. Bill and Melinda Gates, who Creating that kind of philanthropic —Peter Karoff have publicly declared their resolve to eradsavvy in children and grandchildren is icate endemic diseases such as polio and increasingly a focus of today’s affluent families. “It’s a way for any family to test and articulate their shared val- malaria within their lifetimes, are the poster children for this approach. ues, to define what their family stands for, and to put those values into What distinguishes the Gateses, of course, is the magnitude of their abilaction,” says Peter Karoff, founder of The Philanthropic Initiative, a con- ity to give; the eagerness to take on formidable challenges does not. In sulting firm that advises donors on making the leap from supporting a the past, donors were willing to spend the 5 percent of a foundation handful of favored organizations—an alma mater, a local hospital, a assets that the law requires them to distribute each year to make lives
“The aim is to create a legacy, and, for many if not most
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better. Now, says Sharna Goldseker, managing director of 21/64, which to give away in whatever way they choose.” Sometimes, there are gulfs that specializes in helping families involve “next generation” members in can’t be bridged. Perhaps one family member is an evangelical Christian their philanthropic planning, “the attitude is, ‘That’s great, but wouldn’t and can’t support the giving priorities of his parents and siblings; perhaps it be even better if, by spending 50 percent, we could eradicate the prob- one part of a traditionally Republican family drifts leftward and can’t condone giving money to causes that run counter to his new opinions. “To say lem entirely?’” What is increasingly common, however, is the focus of parents or that family philanthropy is a panacea that can bridge all gaps is a fallacy,” grandparents at the head of the family—typically those who still control says Karoff. “A baby won’t fix a bad marriage; philanthropy won’t make a the wealth—to make philanthropy a family affair. Crafting a personal dysfunctional family functional once more.” Gillian Howell, the national Philanthropic Solutions group executive at approach to giving and simply handing heirs a family foundation to US Trust, says it’s best to start administer isn’t enough these preparing both sides to make days. Goldseker explains, “It compromises as early as possiisn’t possible just to bring those ble. “One of the most memorable individuals into the status quo. events I witnessed involved a [Heirs] bring their own ideas wealthy family, who began an and visions to the table.” annual series of New England Long before they are old vacation weekends focused on enough to understand just how philanthropy by asking the wealthy their family is or what youngest members of the family philanthropy involves, chilthe question of how they would dren or grandchildren can like to change the world,” she develop an understanding of recalls. The patriarch and their privileged situation by matriarch were so moved by becoming engaged in volunOne of The Howard G. what they heard that they were teer work, through a school, a Buffett Foundation’s initiatives is to assist very open to the idea of changreligious organization, or some Afghan farmers and ing the governance and even kind of entity alongside their improve agrobusiness in the impoverished ultimately diluting or reshaping parents. “A grandparent or parcountry. Here, Howard the mission of the foundation ent can say they’ll donate W. and Howard G. Buffett in Afghanistan. they had created in order to money that’s equivalent to the incorporate their young heirs’ amount of time they put in, insights and vision. too,” says Melissa Berman, “I KNOW THAT IT’S IMPORTANT While parents and grandparpresident and CEO of New ents may fear that large gaps York–based Rockefeller PhilFOR THE NEXT GENERATION exist between the generations— anthropy Advisors, who notes and underestimate the extent that family vacations or —Howard G. Buffett to which they need to comproextended family reunions can mise to fully engage their also include a volunteer initiaheirs—when push comes to tive that all family members shove, there’s far more aligncan share: a park cleanup, perment than family elders may assume. A 2013 Merrill Lynch survey haps, or, as children get older, a Habitat for Hu manity building project. showed that 73 percent of the “millennial” generation—those aged ut introducing children to the concept and reality of family roughly between 18 and 35—had values similar to their parents, even philanthropy at a very young age doesn’t mean they’ll fol- though they might express those values differently. “That reflects the low where their elders lead as they get older. “It’s important reality that values are shaped by what people are exposed to; that’s what to be open with heirs about what is coming down the pike,” children model and internalize and express later in life,” says Michael says Brian Wodar, a senior vice president and director of Liersch, Merrill Lynch’s head of behavioral finance. A growing number of younger donors plan on “giving while living”— wealth management research at AllianceBernstein. “If parents aren’t willing to go beyond a certain area when it comes to making grants, then an attitude that often separates wealth creators from their heirs. That’s they should make that clear to their children and grandchildren. If they the case for Howard G. Buffett and his foundation, which was seeded don’t want to be flexible in terms of how that wealth is spent, and they still with gifts from his parents and in recent years has been supplemented by want to have the next generations involved, they have to find some kind significantly larger donations of Berkshire Hathaway stock. Buffett’s philanthropic focus is worldwide food and water security and conflict of compromise.” Bridgespan’s Ditkoff explains that since the first generation tends to be mitigation, and by mid-March, he says, he’ll have visited all 54 fully recthe one who made the wealth, “they feel that they earned it, and it’s theirs ognized African countries, mostly to understand food security issues
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to challenge me, ask me tough questions.”
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and search for innovative agricultural projects to support. “I want to transfer the knowledge and sense of commitment to my children,” which includes his wife’s four daughters, whom Buffett has helped raise, along with his son, Howard Warren Buffett. At the same time, he adds, “I don’t want that to stop me from doing the biggest things that I can today. I’m going to put all my time and resources into addressing these issues.” Buffett said his son had visited 58 countries by the time he went to college—and “our destinations weren’t places like Paris and Cancún.” Three of the children now sit on the board of Buffett’s foundation, and trustees are designated $20,000 apiece every year to direct to projects of their own choice that fit within the broader mission of the foundation.
T
aking a flexible strategy with the legal and financial components of philanthropic giving is as essential as when dealing with generational differences. For decades the family foundation has been the default-giving vehicle. While foundations allow a family unlimited, multigenerational control over grant making, the tax deductions for contributions are less generous than for other vehicles, such as donor-advised funds. (For instance, if donating company stock, family members can deduct its cost; if they are donating to a donor-advised fund, they can deduct the often significantly higher fair market value of those securities.) By some estimates, 70 percent of all foundations have assets of less than $1 million, a level that most experts consider to be inefficient. Michael Cole, president of Ascent Private Capital Management, says that while a foundation— which requires its members to keep tabs of investments, governance, and taxes as well as evaluating and monitoring grants—can be “a great financial parenting and educational tool,” unless a family has or plans to donate more than $10 million to the foundation, the administrative costs are too high to justify this option. The other most popular vehicle is the donor-advised fund, established
under the umbrella of sponsoring organizations, such as community foundations. In recent years a range of nonprofits and special divisions of banks and investment companies like Fidelity have offered opportunities for families to establish their own DAFs. However, there are more constraints: Donors can only suggest or advise, rather than dictate, where they want grants to go; and children who serve as advisors cannot earn a salary for doing so. But for a growing number of families, the lower overhead costs, higher tax deductions, and the increasing ability to bring in children or grandchildren as “co-advisors” are outweighing some of the disadvantages. While families might want to ponder the tax considerations associated with various philanthropic vehicles, the decision about whether or not to be philanthropic is almost never made for financial reasons. “The tax breaks you get for charitable giving are no greater than those you get for losing money in the stock market, and nobody invests in stocks with the intent of losing money,” points out Ramsay Slugg, wealth strategies advisor at US Trust. For Howard G. Buffett, the biggest challenge for philanthropists isn’t whether to set up a foundation or DAF. “The worst thing you can do is to live in your comfort zone,” he says. In the late 1980s, Buffett and his siblings were each allowed to determine the targets of $100,000 per year for their family’s foundation. In 1999 each kid received $26.5 million from their parents to start individual foundations. “Many of my ideas were stupid,” Buffett admits, recalling the notion of funding a camel dairy for Western Sahara refugees. “You learn fast to think hard about what to support, but at least the mistakes were small, while the lessons were big.” Nonetheless he encourages his children to venture into new areas. “I can be a bit of a dictator, but I know that it’s important for the next generation to challenge me, to have someone with a view that’s a little less myopic ask me tough questions. These are the formative experiences that they’ll be putting in their memory banks and drawing on in the decades to come.” LAC
GENERATION X-TRA For California Internet guru/film producer Jeff Skoll, philanthropy isn’t about just writing a check. Who says that being philanthropic can’t go hand in hand with making a profit? Certainly not Jeff Skoll. In Silicon Valley, he’s known as the guy who shepherded eBay from Internet wannabe to global e-commerce force. In Hollywood, he’s got a growing reputation as a producer, making films that entertain audiences, win awards, make money and—not coincidentally—change minds. Think The Fifth Estate; Fast Food Nation; Good Night, and Good Luck; and Syriana. He’s not doing it for kicks or for the chance to hang with George Clooney. As Skoll said shortly after wrapping
the filming of Syriana, “Dubai in Ramadan isn’t that much fun.” What the 49-year-old philanthropist does find fun is supporting a wide variety of entrepreneurs’ iniatives—such as Indian social activist Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College and Microsoft alum John Wood’s “Room to Read” initiative—via his own foundation. Like other Silicon Valley folks who were billionaires by their 30s and who earned that wealth by inventing entirely new kinds of businesses, Skoll sees no reason to put limits around his philanthropic ambitions. Nor does he see his role in traditional terms, as is the
case with many younger, “next gen” donors. For instance, a Skoll Foundation grant typically comes with incentives to help recipients “replicate or scale their impact” and “help engage those whose resources, connections and capabilities are crucial to advancing their innovations.” In other words, Skoll is in quest of change—real change. If that takes him far beyond philanthropy’s traditional frontiers, into the domain of for-profit ventures, and even—gasp—making movies, well, so be it. As a new generation of donors matures, odds are that Skoll will emerge as one of their models and mentors.
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Lexington Social House, has established itself as one of Los Angeles’ most successful dining and entertainment destinations. The “Social House” concept was born from the idea of being an alluring, all-in-one destination. Lexington Social House has become a second home where guests can enjoy upscale dining at the hands of Executive Chef David Feau. Their signature dishes are complemented by inventive cocktails and exciting wines. Lexington Social House is an entertainment venue where renowned artists and some of the brightest stars of tomorrow provide the soundtrack to after-hours celebration and dancing under the stars. 1718 Vine St. Hollywood, CA 90028 323.461.1700 | lexingtonsocialhouse.com
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Haute Property NEWS, STARS, AND TRENDS IN REAL ESTATE
The Gates of Paradise IN PAPARAZZI TOWN, USA, GATED COMMUNITIES HAVE BECOME CELEBS’ LAST RESORTS. BY KATHY A. MCDONALD
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK SPRINGETT
ot so long ago, LA’s high-profile elite visibly put down stakes in the flats of Beverly Hills. No longer. Today’s wealthy—Saudi princes and Oscar winners among them—are willing to pay a premium for real privacy. LA’s ritziest gated communities, from Malibu’s Colony to Beverly Park to Hancock Park’s historic Fremont Place, provide a level of security and (paparazzi-free) privacy that public streets no longer offer. In terms of home size and value, the gated communities linked by the Mulholland corridor are a cut above. Per Mauricio Umansky of The Agency (theagencyre.com), the pecking order descends from number one Beverly Park, notable for the size of its lots and $20 million-plus megamansions. (Umansky has sold 14 of the last 18 homes on the market.) Brentwood Country Estates, home to Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s stylish
just-built manse, follows; then, it’s on to Beverly Ridge Estates and Mulholland Estates, where Christina Aguilera bought earlier this year for $10 million-plus and Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen are neighbors. Bel Air Crest is another popular neighborhood, where $9–$10 million is the ballpark figure to move in. Divided into north and south sections, there are a total of 73 lots in the ultrafancy Beverly Park. In the fall, President Obama attended not one but two fundraisers in the barricaded enclave: the first at former Laker Magic Johnson and wife Cookie’s 12,169-square-foot Italianate-style mansion, set on just over four acres, the second held on the tented grounds of media mogul Haim Saban’s sprawling spread. It’s also where actor and producer Mark Wahlberg is building his 30,000-square-foot châteaulike dream continued on page 158
Haven on earth: This sixbedroom, eight-bath hilltop megamanse in Beverly Ridge, now on the market for a cool $18.5 million, features the obligatory infinity pool, outdoor kichen, famous neighbors like Tyler Perry... and the security of a guarded entrance.
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Recently, President Obama attended not one, but two fundraisers in the barricaded enclave of Beverly Park.
continued from page 157 house—remarkable for its own water park. “North Beverly Park is the most exclusive gated community in Los Angeles,” contends Umansky, who has followed the development’s progress from empty hillside to its current phase, where most owners have a net worth above the $300 million range and several are billionaires, like Viacom’s Sumner Redstone. Umansky’s most-recent listing is a 17,000-square-foot monster mansion on almost two flat acres priced at $23.5 million (BELOW). Owned by former major leaguer Barry Bonds, the seven-bedroom, 13-bath Tuscan villa-style estate is suitably ornate, complete with acres of travertine flooring, two-story guesthouse, sports court, professional-grade kitchen, spa, and the pro athlete’s fully outfitted gym—naturally. Beverly Park buyers “automatically become part of an elite and exclusive club, with some of the wealthiest people in the world as neighbors,” Umansky adds. Nick Segal, president and
founding partner of Partners Trust (thepartners trust.com), concurs, “Beverly Park is the quintessential gated community for stature, status, and cost of entry.” The two guard-manned entrances are a plus, as are the oversize lots. If there’s a drawback, it is the lack of substantial views from most lots. Beverly Park dwellers pay homeowner’s association fees of approximately $2,000 per month and abide by numerous covenants. For instance, no house can be less than 5,000 square feet. International buyers are attracted to the familiar concept “of a compound within a compound,” finds Michelle Oliver (luxuryhouse.com), estates director at Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills South, who says they lean toward the gated communities offering investment potential. These kinds of properties yield the highest leases. Oliver and her partner, Connie Blankenship, are representing a Beverly Park estate available for lease at a whopping $175,000 per month, and “the demand is always there,” adds Oliver. The team is also brokering one of Beverly Ridge Estate’s 14 hilltop megahouses: an impeccably detailed, $18.5 million, 12,500-square-foot villa built in 2005. It harbors six bedrooms, eight baths, an infinity pool, outdoor kitchen, and suitably “grand” interior spaces. Additional selling points are Beverly Ridge Estates’ easy access to the Van
Nuys (private) airport and proximity to the Westside’s sought-after private schools. Boldfaced residents include Tyler Perry, whose custom home on the heights sits on 22 acres. Gated enclaves have long been an LA real estate tradition. The 73 homes found in Hancock Park–adjacent Fremont Place were built in the teens and 1920s and continue to hold their value. Real estate agent Greg Moesser (laclassic estates.com) of Sotheby’s International Realty’s Beverly Hills office finds “Fremont Place is increasing in its cachet; historic properties and gated communities are in demand right now in the metropolitan area.” Many of the mansions were Craftsman-made and have numerous irreplaceable historic details such as original hardwood finishes and stonework. Despite its mid-city setting, Fremont Place is quiet and parklike; all the homes are on large lots and have deep setbacks from the guard-gated streets. Moesser points to the well-preserved A.P. Giannini estate (commissioned by the founder of Bank of America): Situated on two lushly landscaped lots, the home was built for entertaining on an impressive scale, and is listed at $8.5 million. On the opposite side of town, the Malibu Colony is another long-established, guard-gated enclave that continues to hold and excel in value. “Malibu Colony will increase or remain strong because you have a locked-in community in a prime location, which is gated, private, and secure,” explains Stephen Shapiro, chairman of the Westside Estate Agency (weahomes.com). Shapiro is representing a 6,100-square-foot beachfront estate, listed at $18.95 million, noteworthy for its year-round livable size, indoor pool, and 41 feet of beach frontage. Although demand is high, gated communities are in limited supply. Will there ever be another Malibu Colony or Beverly Park in Los Angeles? “It’s tough to get that kind of acreage and raw tract of land,” says Partners Trust’s Nick Segal. Permitting won’t be easy either, advises The Agency’s Umansky. “Planned developments need a certain amount of space to make them feel like an enclave,” agrees Coldwell Banker’s Oliver. Planning and space issues seem to assure there’s a finite opportunity for expansion. Note to the 1 percent: Buy now or be left outside the gates. LAC FROM TOP: Houses in Beverly Park, like these two villa-sized estates on Beverly Park Circle (the one at left being sold by ex-major leaguer Barry Bonds for $23.5 million features a pro-athlete’s gym), must be zoned for a minimum of 5,000 square feet.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY BLAKE RICHARDS (TOP); ESTELLA SNEIDER (BOTTOM)
HAUTE PROPERTY
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STYLING STARTS HERE Styling Starts Here is an event planning company that was devised by lifestyle expert, Melissa Robles, best known for unexpected decor elements and creative details. Melissa has spent years developing events for Southern California’s most affluent residents in the luxury lifestyle sphere with some of the most iconic fashion, shelter and lifestyle brands. For more information: Visit stylingstartshere.com or email mrobles@stylingstartshere.com. Call 714.403.3341
FASHION ISLAND Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island now has the glamorous world of Tom Ford under one roof, with exclusive new Tom Ford shop-in-shops for womenswear and menswear. Fans of the famous American designer can find ready-to-wear apparel and accessories, along with the full Tom Ford Beauty collection and Tom Ford men’s skincare line. 601 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 | 949.759.1900 or neimanmarcus.com
NOT TO BE MISSED events • happenings • promotions
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD “Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem,” a 3D UltraHD motion-simulator ride, and “Super Silly Fun Land,” an interactive play land inspired by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster “Despicable Me” will come to life at Universal Studios Hollywood in Spring 2014. Guests will experience whimsically themed queues, preshow videos and comedic dialogue setting up the fundamental plot: Gru’s scheme to create more mischievous Minions from human recruits. Visit UniversalStudiosHollywood.com for more information.
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HENNESSY LUMINOUS Experience the limited edition Hennessy Luminous—the number-one cognac in the world—now in a pristine, self-illuminating bottle. Light up the night with Hennessy Luminous, exclusively available in the top night clubs of Los Angeles: Greystone Manor, Playhouse, Supperclub, and Sound. Visit hennessy.com/us Photo credit: Jeremiah Lazo
EL ENCANTO’S FIVE-STAR EXPERIENCE PACKAGE El Encanto, Santa Barbara’s only Forbes Five-Star resort, is celebrating this recent acclaim with the Five-Star Experience Package. You’ll receive a complimentary upgrade on a charming bungalow or suite as well as a 50-minute spa treatment upgraded to an 80 minute treatment. The five-star treatment continues with some pampering for your palate: a five-course dinner for two featuring inspired cuisine with locally sourced, artisanal ingredients and breathtaking coastal views. For more information visit elencanto.com. 800 Alvarado Place, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 Call 805.858.5800
2/7/14 10:43 AM
and Finally ...
The Artful Lodger H
ere’s the thing about going through your third midlife crisis: If you are going to do it, do it while living at the home of Carrie Fisher. On the eve of my scheduled return from Los Angeles to New York—which I had escaped in January in order to: A) Completely avoid the winter weather, and B) Deal with Midlife Crisis #3—I paid a visit to Carrie. As always, I was met with a warm greeting, and we sat on the bed chatting, catching up, and catching fire. The rumors had just begun to swirl about the original Star Wars “Dream Team” reuniting for a new trilogy helmed by J. J. Abrams. The possible return to Alderaan put the midlife crisis conversation on the back burner because, well, with all due respect to me, what topic of conversation is more interesting? “Guess who might be Princess Leia… again?” “When were you not?” “You should move into the pool house while you sort yourself out.” “Really?” “Aren’t you a little old to live in New York City?” Ouch. You’ve got to love someone who is that generous—and princesslike. Carrie being cast as Princess Leia was not by happenstance. Coming from Hollywood royalty—namely Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher with a dash of Elizabeth Taylor—set the tone for how Carrie would live her life. Speaking of Debbie Reynolds, her home butts up against Carrie’s, so there is plenty of cavorting with one of the reigning Queens of Hollywood. Debbie’s and my dogs have daily play dates, and we’ve decided that we both want to come back as dogs in our next lives. For Christmas, I bought
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Debbie the book Posh Pups: Dogs Who Live Better Than You Do, and together we imagine having been Elizabeth Taylor’s pooch. Carrie’s digs, Casa Ladera, are equally fit for silver screen aristocracy— perfect for planning our respective New Year’s reinventions. The house was built in 1913 by actor Robert Armstrong, best known for the iconic last line of the film King Kong, “’Twas beauty killed the beast.” Speaking of icons, besides the obvious (Princess Leia), it might interest you to know that Bette Davis and Edith Head have also called Casa Ladera home. Carrie and I found a box of pictures that Edith Head left behind of fittings that were held there for stars such as Grace Kelly. There’s this great photo of Bette Davis, in tennis whites, circa 1937, from The Hollywood Reporter, skipping down the stone stairs to the pool house—my new home. One of these days I must take a photo of myself in the exact same spot and tweet out “@imeanwhat: Who Wore The House Better? Me or #BetteDavis?” Whether or not Princess Leia rides again is secondary to the fact that we both took to working out more and eating well, in spite of the fact that Carrie has become an avid baker. Yes, between aerobic and acerbic workouts, there are countless soufflés, carrot cakes, and banana breads popping out of the oven that Carrie makes everyone else eat... or else. Never mind. There is something to be said about getting ready for your close-up while your friend sheds the deadweight of a midlife crisis—third or otherwise. Or as Carrie would say, “Good anecdote, bad reality.”
Cheers!
ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O’LEARY
ABE GURKO, FORMER STUDIO 54 CLUB KID AND PRINCESS LEIA ALTER EGO, GETS A POSTCARD FROM THE EDGE… OF BEVERLY HILLS.
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THE THEATRICAL EVENT OF 2014 IS COMING TO THE WALLIS
HANNAH YELLAND & TRISTAN STURROCK PHOTO BY PAVEL ANTONOV.
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