fall fashion
Feminine Frontier Style The trendiest Downtown dining Plus Celine Dion Karl Lagerfeld Kelly Wearstler
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niche media holdings, llc
kate
King
Ethereal beauty, earthy attitude, & Her ideal Vegas vacay
OYSTER PERPETUAL GMT-MASTER II
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H A I R CO LO R I S P E R S O N A L D RY S H A M P O O S H O U L D B E TO O T WO U N I Q U E D RY C L E A N S I N G F O R M U L A S TO B R I N G O U T T H E B E S T I N YO U R CO LO R
L I G H T TO N E S Enhances cool hues to balance brassiness D A R K TO N E S Maintains color richness with no dull residue
FRONT RUNNER Elvis Presley finally met his match in the sex appeal department when Ann-Margret joined him in Viva Las Vegas 52 years ago.
Long Live the King
Elvis Presley made a total of 31 scripted flms in his 24-year career, but perhaps the best-known is a colorful MGM vehicle that wrapped in September of 1963: Viva Las Vegas. While the 1950s were the era of the troubled-teen movie—Marlon Brando’s The Wild One (1953), James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Presley’s Jailhouse Rock (1957)—reflecting the decade’s simmering undercurrent of social disorder and the fashions of rock ’n’ roll, hot rods, and greased pompadours, the Swinging ’60s saw a new genre of wholesome, fun-loving romps take their place. A shining example, Viva Las Vegas stars Presley as down-and-out racecar driver Lucky Jackson opposite the fiery redhead Ann-Margret, whose performance in the Elvis-parodying musical Bye Bye Birdie had catapulted her to international fame earlier that year. A triple threat in every sense of the phrase, the Swedish-born entertainer was one of the few leading ladies to go toe-totoe with Presley, and her boundless charisma didn’t go unnoticed by the King’s longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who was quick to express concern over the amount of camera time she was getting in comparison to his client.
14 vegasmagazine.com
by tess eyrich
He was right to be worried. Ann-Margret manages to steal the show as swimming instructor Rusty Martin, and several pieces from her on-screen wardrobe—including her yellow sheath dress and bathing suit—became legendary fashion statements. Even more compelling than the visuals, though, was the electric chemistry that developed between Ann-Margret and Presley, which continued behind the scenes, despite his relationship with then-girlfriend Priscilla Beaulieu. In fact, Presley would remain close friends with Ann-Margret until his death in 1977, famously buying her a circular pink bed and sending her fowers in the shape of a guitar every time she headlined in Vegas. Longtime New York Times flm critic Howard Thompson may have called the movie “as unimportant as a banana split,” but with its rollicking action set around the Strip—including memorable scenes at the Flamingo and the Little Church of the West—it continues to give viewers a glimpse of Vegas in its midcentury heyday. Now, with the arrival of a Graceland-produced Presley exhibition at the Westgate, the King’s star is burning as brightly as ever, and while Presley may be gone, museum visitors can get a look at authentic memorabilia from his most indelible flm. westgatevegas.com V
photography by gab archive/redferns
Elvis and ann-MargrEt burn up thE scrEEn in ViVa Las Vegas.
FASHIONATORS
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contents
september 2015
92
Swan dress, Altuzarra ($2,195). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Lilac floral necklace, Dries Van Noten ($735). Barneys New York, see above
14 // front runner 34 // from the
editor-in-Chief
36 // from the
publisher
38 // ... Without Whom
this issue Would not have been possible
40 // the list 71 // invited
style 45 // house of Karl Chanel’s luxe Métiers d’art collection—designed by the brand’s chief visionary, Karl Lagerfeld—arrives on the Strip.
48 // digital age Fall’s tech-inspired accessories take their cues from our fber-optic future.
The Filet d’Or line from Hermès sparkles in rose gold and white; shop for a cure to ovarian cancer at Grand Canal Shoppes; Prada comes to Wynn; Stuart Weitzman reopens at the Forum Shops.
54 // be dazzled Color reigns supreme this fall—on the runway and the wrist—with timepieces that sparkle in a rainbow of hues.
20 vegasmagazine.com
photography by renÉ & radka
52 // style spotlight
contents
september 2015
66
Todd White gets the party started at Platinum Entourage.
culture
people
57 // dion and on
63 // Lighting Up the
58 // Life of the party No longer the new kid on the block, Life Is Beautiful roars back into Downtown Las Vegas with even more sensory appeal.
60 // CULtUre spotLight
63
Michael Frey is ready for the coming cigar boom.
22 vegasmagazine.com
I Heart Radio’s star-studded lineup comes to MGM; Jerry Seinfeld cracks up the Colosseum; the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s 17th season offers 19 shows; the Barrick Museum is more than half full with glass.
town
With the embargo on Cuban cigars expected to ease, Vegas’s cigar king, Michael Frey, sees a rosy future for America’s most cigar-friendly city.
66 // inside edition Inside his Platinum Entourage, Todd White is hosting a Warholian mix of models, drag queens, hair and makeup virtuosos, and wide-eyed witnesses at his fabulous art parties.
68 // sUrvive to thrive Multifaceted pair Tolga and Christine Marie Katas have embarked on their most important work yet: providing refuge and inspiration for escapees from sex traffcking.
photography by Diego bisquerra (sanchez); Melissa VallaDares (White)
After taking time off to care for her family, Vegas’s best-loved diva is back.
contents
september 2015
77
80
Carson Kitchen adds some color to the Downtown dining scene.
Margaritas are just where the dining party starts at La Comida.
TASTE 77 // Small But mighty Carson Kitchen, the year-old restaurant from Las Vegas’s “rock ’n’ roll chef,” Kerry Simon, anchors an exploding Downtown dining scene.
After years of promising to become a great food destination, the time is now for Downtown Las Vegas.
82 // Black magic Legend says forbidden rice was so named because ancient Chinese emperors wanted to keep it for themselves. Now, thanks to a quartet of Vegas chefs, you too can dine like royalty.
58
Downtown gets even more vibrant during Life Is Beautiful, when artists cover walls with massive murals, like Ruben Sanchez’s prismatic schemes.
24 vegasmagazine.com
84 // taSte Spotlight Public School 702 teaches Downtown Summerlin a thing or two; Therapy offers counsel to fans of Fremont’s former Dollar Store; Herbs & Rye doles out cocktail wisdom; and Vegas gets a new local spirits brand.
photography by sabin orr (carson kitchen); diego bisquerra (sanchez)
80 // NeighBorhood Watch
cellini date
THE CL ASSICAL WATCH BY ROLE X
— rolex
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The Forum Shops at Caesars 702.732.8463
rolex
and cellini are trademarks.
contents
september 2015
features 88 // some kind of wonderful
Globe-trotting model Kate King is as grounded and giving as the words permanently inked on her wrist would suggest. By Ray Rogers Photography by Randall Slavin
92 // west of eden The spirit of the frontier lives on this season with fowing, feminine silhouettes in fashionably delicate fabrics. Photography by René & Radka Styling by Martina Nilsson
100 // luxe 2.0 The Luxury Education Foundation’s board members and leaders of our favorite iconic brands—Dior, Graff, Chanel, Hermès, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Lalique—talk about new strategies, core values, and how new talent is driving success. Moderated by Hitha Herzog
88
Kate King’s personal code of conduct isn’t just about modeling. Dress, Dolce & Gabbana ($7,995). The Shops at Crystals, 702-4316615; dolcegabbana.com. Bois de Rose ring in white gold and diamonds, Dior Fine Jewelry ($25,000). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3496; dior.com
26 vegasmagazine.com
contents 106
This 5,000-square-foot home in The Ridges is a cool, confident essay in contemporary Vegas residential architecture.
september 2015
haute property 106 // MOdERN UTiliTy A stunning home in The Ridges reshapes contemporary Vegas desert architecture.
108 // ligHT iT Up Kelly Wearstler approached her design for the lobby of The Martin much as she did her new lighting collection.
110 // Mix MasTER Kera Camp’s Mix Interior Design; the Almora chair reinterprets Eames with cones; Hermès takes dinner service on a fantastic voyage; and a sofa ft for fve.
113 // dOg days Downtown Summerlin’s Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar adds an always-beenhere neighborhood feel to the planned community’s instant city center.
114 // iMbibE: ROOfTOp baRs 115 // bEaUTy: COsMETiCs COUNTERs
parting shot 120 // las VEgas—fasHiON libERaTOR
It’s not just the epicenter of entertainment; Vegas is also the epicenter of entertaining fashion choices.
ON THE COVER:
Kate King Photography by Randall Slavin Styling by Garth Condit
Dress, Dolce & Gabbana ($5,545). The Shops at Crystals, 702-431-6615; dolcegabbana.com
28 vegasmagazine.com
photography by Silver lining Studio (ridgeS); hair by dominick pucciarello/abtp.com; makeup by robert SeSnek/the Wall group uSing charlotte tilbury; photography aSSiStance by chriS hayden; Styling aSSiStance by katie FiSh; video by brad holland; Shot on location at danielS lane in Sagaponack, ny, via martinarchitectS.com, 631-613-6555
the guide
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MUST-HAVE BACK-TO-WORK ACCESSORIES After a summer full of happy hours and time off, get back to the grind with these stylish accessories.
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SEASONAL FALL DISHES AT NEW VEGAS RESTAURANTS Savor a taste of autumn at these just-opened eateries.
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SEE THE LATEST FROM LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS
ANDREA BENNETT Editor-in-Chief Senior Managing Editor KAREN ROSE Art Director ALLISON FLEMING Photo Editor SETH OLENICK Associate Editor TESS EYRICH Senior Fashion Editor FAYE POWER Copy Editor DAVID FAIRHURST Research Editor LESLIE ALEXANDER
JOSEF VANN Publisher and Vice President of Sales Account Director JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH Account Executives VINCE DUROCHER, IRENA HALL Director of Event Marketing HALEE HARCZYNSKI Distribution Relations Manager JENNIFER PALMER Sales Assistant RUE MCBRIDE
NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Vice President of Creative and Fashion ANN SONG Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS ART AND PHOTO
Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Art Director JUAN PARRA Senior Designer NATALI SUASNAVAS Designer AARON BELANDRES Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors MARIE BARBIER , JODIE LOVE, JENNIFER PAGAN, REBECCA SAHN Associate Photo Editor HALEY HAMBLIN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN FASHION
Associate Fashion Editor CASEY TRUDEAU Assistant Fashion Editors CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON COPY AND RESEARCH
Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Copy Editors CANDACE NICHOLSON, JULIA STEINER Research Editors LOIS BARRETT, JAMES BUSS, JUDY DEYOUNG, KAREN MCCREE EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Director of Editorial Relations MATTHEW STEWART Executive Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Executive Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editors ANNA BEN YEHUDA, TRICIA CARR Online Editorial Assistant CATHERINE PARK Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, MURAT OZTASKIN, OUSSAMA ZAHR Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS ADVERTISING SALES
Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, CLAIRE CARLIN, MICHELLE CHALA, KATHLEEN FLEMING, VICTORIA HENRY, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, NORMA MONTALVO, DEVON MOORE, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, SHANNON PASTUSZAK, MIA PIERRE-JACQUES, VALERIE ROBLES, JIM SMITH Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, LAUREN BROGNA, JANELLE DRISCOLL, JAMIE FOX, SAMANTHA HARRIS, SARAH HECKLER, CATHERINE KUCHAR, FENDY MESY, RILEY O’NEILL, MARY RUEGG, JACKIE VAN METER Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, LISSETTE COLLS, ERIN GLEASON, KRISTINE GUEVARRA, DARA HIRSH, EMERY HOLTON, KARA KEARNS, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, ELIZABETH MITCHELL, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, MACKENZIE WAXMAN, ALEXANDRA WINTER MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Senior Director of Brand Development ROBIN KEARSE Director of Brand Development JOANNA TUCKER Brand Development Managers KRISTIN BARNES, JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Promotions Art Designers KAITLYN RICHERT, CARLY RUSSELL Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, LAURA MULLEN, KIMMY WILSON Event Marketing Managers KELSEY MARRUJO, CRISTINA PARRA, ASHLEY VEHSLAGE Event Marketing Coordinators BROOKE BIDDLE, BLAIR GOTTFRIED Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Director of Production PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Production Artists MARISSA MAHERAS, DARA RICCI, ALISHA SMITH Director of Distribution Operations MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Manufacturing Coordinator KIMBERLY CHANG Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD FINANCE
Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Senior Finance Directors AUDREY CADY, LISA VASSEUR-MODICA Director of Credit and Collections CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Financial Analyst NEIL SHAH Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants KATHY SABAROV, NATASHA WARREN Accounts Payable Coordinator NADINE DEODATT ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS
Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources and Administration STEPHANIE MITCHELL Digital Producer ANTHONY PEARSON Facilities Coordinator ASHLEY GUILLAUME Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR Desktop Administrators ZACHARY CUMMO, EDGAR ROCHE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), SPENCER BECK ( Los Angeles Confidential), KATHY BLACKWELL (Austin Way), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), DAMIEN WILLIAMSON (Executive Editor, Aspen Peak), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons) PUBLISHERS
JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS F. DELONE (Austin Way), DAWN DUBOIS (Gotham), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), ALISON MILLER (Los Angeles Confidential), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue)
Managing Partner JANE GALE Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Chief Operating Officer MARIA BLONDEAUX Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Executive Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Copyright 2015 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Vegas 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 Vegas 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 vegas@pubservice.com. To distribute Vegas at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemedia.net. Vegas magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC., a division of Greengale Publishing, LLC. vegas: 608 South 7th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101 T: 702-990-2500 F: 702-990-2530 niche media holdings: 711 Third Avenue, Suite 501, New York, NY 10017 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003
32 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM
Letter from the editor-in-Chief
Anyone who moves to LAs vegAs
Brittany Snow graced our anniversary cover—and our anniversary party at Omnia in Caesars.
from another city has an occasional surreal meta moment that underscores their new life in a place that is unlike other cities. For me, there was the time Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton, patiently waited 30 minutes for me to finish my conversation with Steve Wynn. It’s in the Proustian response I have to Robin Leach’s booming voice, unchanged since my childhood, which now emcees virtually every community event. It happens each time I explain to my 6-year-old that the beam-topped Luxor pyramid she can see from her bedroom window, despite having occupied the Vegas Strip for a mind-bending 22 years, is not actually ancient Egypt. And so on. Even Vegas natives acknowledge having grown up in unusual circumstances (usually after they leave). In her 1981 New York magazine article “Memoirs of a Gangster’s Daughter,” Susan Berman—daughter of Bugsy Siegel’s partner David Berman—recalled practicing her multiplication tables on a retired slot machine that her father set up in the Flamingo’s counting room. And there was the time he decided to set up a synagogue, with a seder at the Last Frontier Hotel. (“Occasionally, confused guests would wander in
and ask why there was no floor show that night, and we kids would laugh hysterically at their mistake.”) If the Vegas Strip is not your everyday reality, you’re invited to suspend disbelief while you visit. This is why I particularly enjoy our spring and fall fashion issues, whose high concepts seem a little more attainable in a city like Vegas. Anyone who doubts the transformative power of fashion—and this town’s eagerness to embrace whatever persona you’re adopting during your visit—need only stand in line at Omnia on a Calvin Harris night. Thousands of tourists, bachelorettes, and conventioneers, wearing unforgiving sausage casings and seven-inch heels, are turned into what Tom Wolfe would call “gold-lamé odalisques,” a phrase as relevant today as when he wrote it in 1965. You’re a lot more intimidating than you looked in the airport arrivals area. Las Vegas being my year-round reality, I only sometimes summon the energy to shift gears from suburban mom-wear to full-on glam. But there is something empowering in knowing that no matter how criminal my fashion choices may be in another city, Vegas appreciates the effort. As we appreciate yours. It’s our heritage, after all.
andrea bennett
Follow me on Twitter at @andreabennett1 and on vegasmagazine.com.
34 vegasmagazine.com
photography by patrick gray of kabik photo group (snow)
left: With my fellow Miss Nevada judges—Tina Kunzer-Murphy, John Katsilometes, Keith Thompson, Susan Anton, Mike Miller, and Jennifer Lier—in the Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall just before the pageant got under way. right: I met up with chef Curtis Stone and his brother Luke Stone at B&B Ristorante before Curtis went off to judge the UFC Ultimate Cookoff at Lagasse’s Stadium.
ISAIA
saks.com
Fashion Show Las Vegas, on the Strip 3200 LAS VEGAS BLVD SOUTH. 702.733.8300
letter from the Publisher 1
from left:
Our anniversary-issue cover star, Brittany Snow, posed with me on the red carpet at our party at Omnia; Venetian’s vice president of food and beverage, Sebastien Silvestri, helped us celebrate that night.
2
Normally, spriNg is the seasoN we associate with New begiNNiNgs aNd reawakeNiNgs. But in the case of Vegas magazine,
the fall is also a time for newness. In the luxury advertising space, upscale multinational brands roll out highly anticipated new advertising campaigns in the fall, many of which can be found in the following pages. They are designed to envelop, captivate, and inspire our readers, and I believe they do. Fall in Las Vegas also marks the end of summer break, when parents and children return from vacationing in cooler climes, and the start of the new school year. The charity gala season also reemerges, demonstrating the charitable nature of Las Vegans and their thirst for community involvement and betterment. There’s also an invigorating newness in the Las Vegas air. Hotel occupancy rates are terrific; restaurants, bars, and nightclubs are full of revelers; and—lo and behold—Las Vegas’s real estate market is on the upswing! Just drive down any one of Downtown’s gentrifying streets or take a Sunday drive around Summerlin or Henderson and you’ll see new home construction everywhere. This thing is palpable and, quite frankly, downright exciting. Count on Vegas to keep you connected to and captivated by everything luxury. Enjoy our Fall Fashion issue.
// this issue //
on my radar This fall I cannot wait to… 1. Peruse some of Pablo Picasso’s greatest works, hanging in the fabulous Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. 2. Check into Vdara for a Labor Day staycation with my family. 3. See The Book of Mormon at the Smith Center for the second time!
josef vann Follow me on Twitter at @josefvann and on vegasmagazine.com.
36 vegasmagazine.com
photography by patrick gray of kabik photo group (snow); ray alamo (silvestri); © 2015 estate of pablo picasso/artists rights society (ars), new york (picasso); courtesy of mgm resorts international (vdara); (c) Joan marcus (book of mormon)
3
...witHout wHom this issue would not have been possible
HitHa Herzog moderator Hitha Herzog is a retail analyst and an on-air contributor for Fox Business Network, an author, and an associate professor at Parsons School of Design. For this issue, she moderates our roundtable discussion with luxury brand executives for the feature “Luxe 2.0.” What surprised you about the discussion? “In the past, executives would use the same model to market to their luxury customers. With social media, the ‘demographics within demographics’ differ from brand to brand. If you can’t implement a targeted plan based on metrics you get from social media, then your company is going to have problems.” Tell us about teaching social commerce. “I know I’m supposed to be supplying the knowledge, but I learn just as much from the students as they learn from me. I have to continue to update the syllabus every semester because, as we’ve seen, social media trends change within months. Teaching really keeps me on my toes.” What initially attracted you to reporting on the luxury market? “The historical aspect of it. Most of these companies are hundreds of years old and tied to families with rich histories. Covering these companies is a study in art history, socioeconomic theory, philosophy, and market analysis.”
38 vegasmagazine.com
// september 2015
rené & radka
ray rogers
JoHn Curtas
photographers
writer
writer
Our fashion feature photographers, René Hallen and Radka Leitmeritz, work in New York, Paris, and Los Angeles. Their fashion photography has appeared in publications such as T: The New York Times Style Magazine, W, Vanity Fair, and The Wall Street Journal. What and who is on your photography bucket list? “We really enjoy working with celebrities and would love to collaborate on a movie poster. If we had to pick a person to shoot, it would have to be David Bowie.” Words of advice for an aspiring photographer? “Give yourself enough time to create your own style. Despite what many think, you want to be recognized by your work, not by your references.” What is your camera of choice? “For both our professional and personal projects, we use the Leica S-System. We can’t imagine working with any other!”
Ray Rogers is a New York– based writer and editor whose work has appeared in publications such as Details, InStyle, BlackBook, and Ocean Drive. He splits his time between Manhattan and East Hampton on Long Island, where he and his boyfriend document the cuddly, fab, and furry lives of their cats and rabbits on Instagram at @catnipandcarrots. Follow them for a daily dose of cuteness. How was your interview with Kate King? “True to the tattoo on her wrist [which reads “be kind”], Kate couldn’t have been kinder. Even though she’d fown in from London the night before and must have been jet-lagged, she was pleasant, present, and very thoughtful in all of her responses. And she looked incredibly chic—a real natural beauty inside and out.” You’re based in the Hamptons; do you get to Vegas much? “I love Vegas! Every day is a pool party there, and every night there’s incredible entertainment. I also write and edit a lot for Billboard, and getting hometown heroes Brandon Flowers and Wayne Newton together to talk Vegas was one of the highlights of my work year so far.”
Love him, hate him, or fear him, there’s no denying that John Curtas, who wrote our Taste opener on Carson Kitchen, has raised some hackles, and the consciousness of Las Vegas restaurantgoers, over the past 20 years. His culinary exploits have included 15 years at Nevada Public Radio, stints as a critic at numerous magazines, the blog eatinglv.com, and his book, Eating Las Vegas—The 50 Essential Restaurants. He has also appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America and Top Chef Masters and can be seen weekly as the restaurant correspondent on KSNV Channel 3’s Wake Up with the Wagners. What does the Las Vegas restaurant scene need more or less of? “Vegas needs fewer absentee-celebrity-chef food factories. What it needs more of—and is fnally getting—are locally owned, chef-driven restaurants, both in the hotels and in the neighborhoods.” What’s your go-to place to eat? “My favorite haunt isn’t one restaurant, but rather a single street: Spring Mountain Road, aka Chinatown, where an education in Asian eating awaits at over 100 criminally cheap restaurants.”
TAKE CONTROL. LOSE CONTROL. INTRODUCING AUDACIOUS MASCARA EVERY LAYER MULTIPLIES. AMPLIFIES. MESMERIZES. DARIA STROKOUS IN AUDACIOUS MASCARA. PHOTOGRAPHED BY FRANÇOIS NARS. NARS BOUTIQUE – THE FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS NARSCOSMETICS.COM
the list september 2015 Ivan Sher
David Watts
Ariana Grande
Lindsey Patterson
Marc Suciu
Enrique Iglesias
Pedro Zapata
Jeffery Arterberry
Roger Daltrey
Scott Eckman
Sonny Ahuja
Pete Townshend
Dorothy Belshaw
Lloyd Garcia
Charlotte Dutoit
Laura Dowling
Rachael Tharp
Susan Anton
Shelley Gitomer
Lester Carter
John Katsilometes
Michael Brown
Mark Evensvold
Tina Kunzer-Murphy
Alan Bekhor
Jennifer Falcione
Mike Miller
Jana Lane Southard
Sylva Zakian
Keith Thompson
John O’Donnell
Shira Mahler
Dana Martin
Stacey Laricchia
Shane Scheel
Sam Haskell III
Charly Mapes
Ginifer King
Randi Sundquist
Vandana Bhalla
Olivia Harris
Lynn H. Weidner
Christopher Gumiela
Ruby Lewis
Sue Lowden
Noah Auspitz
Erin Brady
Stephanie Pilz
Steven Messer
McKinzie Cogswell
Ross Miller
40  vegasmagazine.com
MADISON AVE | RODEO DRIVE | LAS VEGAS | AVENTURA MALL
Carmen Steffens
B AY S W AT E R B A G
T H E F O R U M S H O P S AT C A E S A R S , 7 0 2 . 3 8 2 . 0 4 9 6
M U L B E R R Y. C O M
STYLE Tastemaker
House of Karl
photography by karl lagerfeld (self-portrait)
las Vegas’s Chanel deVotees are Counting the days until the luxe Métiers d’art ColleCtion—designed by the brand’s Chief Visionary, arl lagerfeld—arriVes on the strip. by kari molvar
Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld continues to seduce the world’s most stylish dressers with another exquisite collection. above: A look from the Métiers d’art collection.
In the world of fashion, there’s Karl Lagerfeld and there’s everyone else. As the creative force behind the legendary house of Chanel, the German designer, artist, and photographer works at a superhuman pace, turning out eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as collections for Fendi and his namesake line, plus numerous collaborations. Yet of all of Lagerfeld’s collections, perhaps the most dazzling is Chanel’s Métiers d’art. Presented once a year, it’s a celebration of the rich craftsmanship of the house’s seven ateliers, including the famed embroidery creator Lesage, the milliner Michel, and the feather specialist Lemarié. The clothes are lavish, and so is the backdrop. Since the Métiers collection debuted in 2002, it has been unveiled in such memorable sites as a rodeo in Dallas, a castle in Scotland, and a barge in Shanghai. Last winter, the new Paris-Salzburg Métiers d’art collection was fêted at the Schloss Leopoldskron palace in Salzburg, Austria, a location that stimulated Lagerfeld’s imagination. Rumor has it that Coco Chanel found inspiration for the famous Chanel jacket in the uniform of a hotel lift operator in Salzburg. continued on page 46
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STYLE Tastemaker
FROM LEFT:
A look from Métiers d’art; Chanel’s embroidered felt 11.12 bag (price on request) and chine felt boot ($1,275); an update of a classic Chanel suit.
“LAS VEGAS HAS A VERY FASHION-SAVVY LOCAL CLIENTELE WHO CAN SHOP ANYWHERE—AND DO.” —BARBARA CIRKVA But as Lagerfeld charmingly points out, “Nobody can prove if she said this herself, but who cares? There was a connection, and that connection doesn’t need to be related to the truth to serve as my inspiration.” To present the more than 80 looks, models such as Stella Tennant and Kendall Jenner walked through a series of candlelit rooms where guests sat on elegant sofas and nibbled on confections. To close the show, Lagerfeld strolled by with model Cara Delevingne, who held a halfeaten pretzel in her hand. This spring, Lagerfeld restaged the entire ParisSalzburg show at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, for a crowd that included Beyoncé,
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Vanessa Paradis, and Julianne Moore. “New York is quite far away from Salzburg, and since it was such a success there, I thought it would be nice to show it to our friends in New York,” the designer explains. The models, the clothes, the dark romantic music—all of it came to Manhattan. The only thing that Lagerfeld couldn’t bring was the 18th-century rococo palace, but that didn’t seem to bother him in the least. “For me, it was like seeing another collection in New York,” he says. “The simpler set showed the collection better than overly ornate gilded rooms.” And the collection was devastatingly beautiful. There was a long, colorful embroidered jacket with
flared sleeves; a floor-length shearling coat; a breathtaking cape made almost entirely of feathers. Many pieces offered fresh takes on Tyrolean styles, like the beaded dirndlinspired dress with a leather bodice, ruffled blouses with high collars and bibs, and knit leggings in Alpine colors of hunter green and dove gray. Even the accessories had a playful, Sound of Music joy to them: headphones with coiled braids that cover the ears, felt bags embroidered with flowers, feathered hats, and black patent-leather clogs. All this luxury would be unimaginable, however, if not for the company’s ateliers. “The commitment Chanel has made to supporting its ateliers is
crucial not just for Chanel but for the entire haute couture industry and ready-to-wear business,” says Barbara Cirkva, the brand’s division president for fashion in the US. “The handcrafted skill that goes into these pieces can never be replicated. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a Chanel runway or Métiers collection that didn’t involve the ateliers on some level, whether it’s hand-woven braiding on a jacket or an embroidered camellia.” Many of these exquisite pieces will find their way into the city’s three Chanel boutiques, where the demand for everything from watches to cosmetics to couture eveningwear continues to
grow, says Cirkva. “Las Vegas has a very fashion-savvy local clientele who can shop anywhere—and do.” Many of the city’s international visitors make a beeline to the boutique in Encore, whose simple geometry and gold and beige interior pay homage to Coco Chanel’s 31 rue Cambon apartment. As for the Paris-Salzburg collection, it’s easy to fall in love with every last ruffled blouse, proving that Lagerfeld has done it again and seduced us all, himself included. “It’s very difficult for me to have favorite pieces,” he says. “I love the collection as a whole. If not, I would only show one dress!” Wynn Las Vegas, 702-77033532; chanel.com V
STYLE Accessories
DIGITAL AGE fall’s coolest accessories take their cues from our fiber-optic future. photography by jeff crawford styling by faye power
MOST MODERN
Studded Mini 3Baguette, Fendi ($2,450). Via Bellagio, 702-732-7766; fendi.com. Knot backless heel, Proenza Schouler ($895). Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300; saks.com
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ProP styling by sergio esteves
Textural accents add a powerful punch to this season’s staples.
TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM. THE VALLﾃ右 DE JOUX. FOR MILLENNIA A HARSH, UNYIELDING ENVIRONMENT; AND SINCE 1875 THE HOME OF AUDEMARS PIGUET, IN THE VILLAGE OF LE BRASSUS. THE EARLY WATCHMAKERS WERE SHAPED HERE, IN AWE OF THE FORCE OF NATURE YET DRIVEN TO MASTER ITS MYSTERIES THROUGH THE COMPLEX MECHANICS OF THEIR CRAFT. STILL TODAY THIS PIONEERING SPIRIT INSPIRES US TO CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONS OF FINE WATCHMAKING.
ROYAL OAK CHRONOGRAPH IN PINK GOLD.
AUDEMARS PIGUET LAS VEGAS THE SHOPS AT CRYSTALS 3720 SOUTH LAS VEGAS BLVD., SUITE 105 LAS VEGAS, NV 89109. 702-889-8828
STYLE Accessories
METAL WORKS
Chrysler suede and specchio pump, Paul Andrew ($1,395). Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300; saks.com. Bal58 Spray shoulder bag, Balenciaga ($3,750). The Shops at Crystals, 702-262-1636; balenciaga.com. Spiral pendant fumoso necklace, Pluma ($597). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com
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ProP styling by sergio esteves
Black and blue get even bolder with an eyecatching glimpse of silver.
STYLE Spotlight feet first
STACKED Take ankle boots to the next level with a chunky heel.
BITS AND PIECES The first piece of jewelry that Hermès produced, in 1927, was the Filet de Selle bracelet, a tribute to the luxury house’s equestrian roots. Now the company is carrying on that tradition with its new Filet d’Or line. Available in rose- and white-gold with diamonds, the pieces incorporate familiar designs, such as the Attelage buckle clasp and an updated Milanese mesh, as well as the bijouterie style of shaping metal with diamonds, as in the 1.56 carat Filet d’Or double ring (ABOVE, $26,200), featuring no fewer than 287 sparklers. The Shops at Crystals, 702893-8900; hermes.com
Dior ($1,710). Via Bellagio, 702-731-1334; dior.com
Three’s Company
AT WYNN, PRADA OPENS ITS THIRD-LARGEST BOUTIQUE. BY LISA FERRANDINO
Prada’s third boutique in Las Vegas has newly opened on the Wynn Esplanade—just in time for fall. It features women’s and men’s ready-to-wear pieces, leather goods, and accessories, as well as footwear from the Fall collection’s quintessential classics, like double-strapped Mary Janes and rubber-soled leather loafers. The shop’s
IT’S NUDES TO ME
With the reopening of Stuart Weitzman’s renovated boutique in the Forum Shops at Caesars—the brand’s original retail location, debuting in 1993—the company is producing six Swarovski crystal–encrusted interpretations of its pavé Nudist collection, all of them unique to Vegas. The dazzling patterns for the shoe-obsessed include posh polka dots, a turquoise chevron, glistening camouflage, and the exclusive Queen of Hearts design, featuring a playing card of encrusted crystals and a red heart topped with a gold crown. 702-369-9222; stuartweitzman.com —JULIANNE NEUMAN
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dramatic interior is framed by strips of black marble, with green fabric walls flanking the brand’s iconic black-andwhite marble checkered flooring, while a mirrored portal leads guests from the women’s space to the men’s—a distinctive design element for even more distinctive fashions. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-7000; prada.com
Gianvito Rossi ($1,065). Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300; saks.com
Stuart Weitzman ($465). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702369-9222; stuartweitzman.com
THE HOTTEST HAMPTONS EVENT— NOW IN VEGAS Shopping counts as a competitive sport in Las Vegas, and local retail athletes are gearing up for the arrival of a highly anticipated tour. The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund is bringing its Super Saturday shopping event to the Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo. At this two-day extravaganza, shoppers can purchase luxurious footwear from Christian Louboutin, jacquard prints and embellished ready-to-wear looks from Tory Burch, signature dresses from Hervé Léger and Diane von Furstenberg, and much more, with special incentives offered by the 160 participating brands—and all of it benefits a worthy cause. At its events in LA and the Hamptons, Super Saturday has raised more than $65 million for ovarian cancer research. “Vegas is the ultimate fashion destination,” says Janet LaFevre, senior marketing manager for the Grand Canal Shoppes and Fashion Show. “It’s the only place in the world where you can shop every top designer and brand in one central location.” September 19–20. Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-414-4525; venetian.com—SYDNEY HAMMER
Tory Burch ($595). Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-369-0541; toryburch.com
Valentino Garavani ($1,495). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-862-4653; valentino.com
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FASHION SHOW LAS VEGAS 702.731.3636 1.800.365.7989 NEIMANMARCUS.COM/CUSP One necklace, while supplies last, and one $50 discount per customer, September 17–20, 2015 at Neiman Marcus stores, NeimanMarcus.com, CUSP freestanding stores, and CUSP.com. Other exclusions apply; see your sales associate or NeimanMarcus.com/CUSP for details.
STYLE Time Honored
Be DazzleD
color reigns supreme this fall—on the runway and the wrist—with timepieces that sparkle in a rainbow of hues. by roberta naas photography by jeff crawford
All the colors of the rainbow are reflected in lively, luxurious timepieces that sparkle with your every move. Top jewelry and watch brands have put their design and engineering know-how to the test, combining sapphires, colored diamonds, and a host of vibrant gemstones in alluring watches that keep time with a timeless twinkle. For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to vegasmagazine.com/watches. V
This Bulgari MVSA High Jewelry watch ($141,000) is crafted in 18k white gold. A 37mm timepiece, it features a full pavé diamond dial, and the case is meticulously set with amethysts, sapphires, and diamonds. Bellusso, Grand Canal Shoppes
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at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-650-2988; bulgari.com From Chopard, this Happy Sport Chrono ($78,530) boasts a mother-of-pearl dial, 6.10 carats of trapeze-cut multicolored sapphires on the bezel, and 0.50 carats of floating diamonds. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3469; us.chopard.com This Graff Butterfly Full Motif watch (price on request) is adorned with multicolored sapphires weighing 3.96 carats, as well as 5.51 carats of multicolored sapphires sculpturally arranged to suggest butterflies. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3494; graffdiamonds.com
styling by terry lewis
clockwise from top: From Jacob & Co., this Rainbow watch ($86,000), part of the Brilliant Collection, features a self-winding movement, 11 multicolored sapphires serving as the markers, and round-cut diamonds as accents. In addition, 5.28 carats of baguette-cut multicolored sapphires (48 stones in all) dazzle on the bezel. Wynn & Company Watches, Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3520; jacobandco.com
shop at www.giuseppezanottidesign.com
the forum shops at caesars 3500 las vegas blvd. south 702 866.0055
giuseppe zanotti design
Fall-Winter 2015
CULTURE Hottest Ticket The residency goes on— but not without some new songs and “inspiring new visuals,” according to the singer—as Celine Dion comes home to Caesars Palace.
Dion and On
photography by Denise truscello
After tAking time off to cAre for her fAmily, VegAs’s bestloVed diVA is bAck. by juliet izon
It’s been more than a year since Celine Dion set foot on a Vegas stage, but the Canadian songstress is ready to return to the spotlight. “I am really excited about the new show,” Dion says. “I have a few new band members that I’m excited to be working with, and I’m adding some new songs while still keeping parts of the original show.” The fve-time Grammy Award winner certainly knows her way around the Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace, where she has performed a whopping 927 times since opening the venue in 2003. But for Dion, one of the most popular performers of all time, having sold more than 200 million copies of her records around the world, the past year has been far from blissful. She put her residency on hiatus in August of last year so she could care for her husband, Rene Angelil, who is battling cancer. “We are taking it one day at a time,” she says. “He is my champ, and I admire his courage.” Dion has been more than willing to sacrifce standing ovations to focus on her family, including her three children. “That was my priority,” she says. But it was at Angelil’s urging that she decided to return to the stage: “Rene really wanted me to come back. I want to do this for him and for my fans.” The new show has already been locked in for 40 performances, starting in August and running through next January. “I’m excited to return to the Colosseum. It’s my home away from home,” says the singer, who keeps a residence in town. “Playing in Vegas is different because it’s my home. I can go home after the show and sleep in my own bed.” Having her sons close by is an added perk. “We enjoy every moment with the boys, from bowling to pet shops, movies, museums, and parks. We’re always on the run!” Dion’s shows generate so much attention and revenue for Vegas that she has been called a “onewoman stimulus package” for the city, although she’s a bit more modest about her impact. “If my performing brings the fans to Las Vegas and helps out, I am all for it,” she says. “Las Vegas opened its arms to me at the very beginning.” And there’s no doubt that this diva will go on. For tickets, call 866320-9763 or visit thecolosseum.com or axs.com. V
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CULTURE See, Hear!
Life of the Party
above:
A mural by Bordalo II, who returns to Life Is Beautiful this year. left: The Killers’ Brandon Flowers will perform solo.
Sbagliato will adorn the city with his eerily lifelike work, like the clothing seemingly hanging from this train.
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When Life Is Beautiful founder Rehan Choudhry and his team debuted their music and art festival in 2013, it was met with near-universal praise. For a less ambitious group, those accolades might have stymied the festival’s evolution. But judging by its growth—this year it will take over 15 Downtown blocks between September 25 and 27—the creative machine behind it is just revving up. A new partnership with Insomniac Events brings a stage dedicated solely to electronic music, adding even more diversity to a roster rich with rock and pop acts, plus hiphop, rap, and reggae artists. “I’m extremely proud of the lineup,” says Craig Nyman, Life Is Beautiful’s head of music and live performances. “Fifty percent of our attendees are from Vegas, so we really try to dial in to what we believe the city wants to see and hear.” Two Vegas-raised acts who played the festival in 2013, Imagine Dragons and Brandon Flowers, will return to the stage, along with fellow headliners Kendrick Lamar and Nyman’s “bucket-list artist” Stevie Wonder. “What’s interesting about our headliners is that they’re fans of one another,” he adds. “Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar have actually performed together at the Grammys, and Stevie Wonder has said how big a fan he is of Kendrick. It’s a really unique situation.” Hozier, Weezer, Death Cab for Cutie, and Duran Duran—playing their only US festival of 2015—will also perform. While it may be hard to look beyond the marquee names, Nyman also recommends checking out the smaller acts, like Royal Blood (“the fastest-rising pop band right now”), Andra Day, and Badbadnotgood, who will perform with rapper Ghostface Killah. “It’s three classi-
cally trained musicians playing hip-hop beats while Ghostface raps over them,” he explains. But the spectacle won’t end with the music. Back for a third year are the speaker series and the celebrity chef –driven culinary segment, as well as an expanded art program, curated by John Doffing, creator of “Painted Rooms” at San Francisco’s Hotel des Arts. More than 35 painters and collectives, including APEX, Anthony Bondi, Cory Bennett, and Eric Vozzola, will leave their marks on the rooms of the vacant motel formerly known as the Town Lodge. Outside, a coterie of painters—led by 1010, a German street artist noted for his colorful depictions of layered portals—will continue Life Is Beautiful’s now-celebrated mural tradition, flooding the streets with Ruben Sanchez’s prismatic schemes, Sbagliato’s eerily lifelike doors and windows, and the wide-eyed animals of Bordalo II, Bikismo, and Pixel Pancho, among others. Also returning is British artist D*Face, whose Roy Lichtenstein– inspired murals “I Gave Her My Heart and She Left Me For…” and “Love Forever,” created in 2013 and 2014, are now neighborhood landmarks. Life Is Beautiful’s long-term plan is to reach prospective fans in cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix. The festival is, after all, produced in partnership with Another Planet Entertainment, the force behind San Francisco’s massive Outside Lands and Treasure Island music festivals. Still, Life Is Beautiful’s organizers remain true to their commitment to keep the event focused on the locals who first supported it. Says Nyman, “At the end of the day, we’re still just a rock show.” September 25–27. $255–$2,495. Downtown Las Vegas; lifeisbeautiful.com V
photography Courtesy of Life is BeautifuL (BordaLo ii, sBagLiato); By Brian rasiC/redferns via getty images (fLowers)
NO LONGER THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ROARS BACK INTO DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS WITH EVEN MORE SENSORY APPEAL. by tess eyrich
AVAILABLE AT DAVANTE The Forum Shops at Caesars DAVANTE SUN The Forum Shops at Caesars
OPTICA Caesars Fashion Show Mall Monte Carlo Resort & Casino The Palazzo The Boulevard Shops at Paris Mandalay Place
MGM Grand Hotel The Venetian Mirage Hotel Aria Bellagio
SCENE The Shoppes at the Palazzo Mandalay Bay Resort
culture Spotlight What’s the Deal With Jerry?
Tove Lo Arrives in vegAs by wAy of stockholm for the fifth AnnuAl iheArtrAdio music festivAl. By tess eyrich
Singer/songwriter Tove Lo has been a radio fxture ever since breaking into the US market with her 2014 hit “Habit,” a deceptively upbeat pop song about the self-destruction that often follows a breakup. As part of its Daytime Village lineup, she’ll appear alongside Hozier and Nick Jonas at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, but before landing in Vegas, she answered a few questions for us. You really made a name for yourself in the US this year. “I grew up watching David Letterman, and now I’ve met him and played on his show. I’m still kind of pinching my arm that it’s all hap-
pening.” Your lyrics are extremely honest; how are American audiences receiving them? “Some people fnd my honesty refreshing and some people think it’s stupid, and I’m fne with that. I don’t need everybody to like me.” Any dream collaborators? “Courtney Love—she Instagrammed the lyrics of my song, saying she loved them. There are so many women I’d love to write with because I work mostly with guys, but I wish I could work with more female writers.” September 18–19. MGM Grand Garden Arena and MGM Resorts Village; ticketmaster.com V
// on exhibit //
hear this
in season World-renowned conductor Donato Cabrera returns to the podium at Reynolds Hall this month to kick off his second season as music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Now in its 17th year, the orchestra will present its most extensive season yet—19 shows, fve of them frst-time weekend matinees—in the Smith Center’s Art Deco–style concert hall, performing works by legendary composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Gershwin, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff, along with contemporary American talents like Philip Glass and D.J. Sparr. The symphony’s brand-new Spotlight Series, meanwhile, invites audiences to experience three smallscale performances—of Baroque, classical, and Romantic music—in the Smith Center’s intimate Troesh Studio Theater. September 12 through June 4, 2016. Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 702-7492000; thesmithcenter.com
Art of GlAss
If you need yet another reason to venture off the Strip, now’s the time to make a beeline for UNLV’s Barrick Museum, where the spotlight is shining on a selection of rare glass objects from the collection of Ruth and Mel Wolzinger. Featuring pieces by a host of illustrious American and European glassmakers, including Tiffany, Quezal, Steuben, Loetz, and Daum Nancy, “Style Moderne” offers a look at decorative art produced primarily throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through January 23, 2016. Barrick Museum, 702-895-3381; unlv.edu/barrickmuseum
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PhotograPhy by Mark Davis/getty iMages (tove Lo); aMy sussMan/invision for Citi CarDs/aP iMages (seinfeLD); aaron Mayes/unLv Photo serviCes (gLass); Courtesy of Las vegas PhiLharMoniC (vioLinist)
SwediSh import
If you have any doubts about comedy kingpin Jerry Seinfeld’s cachet in Vegas, just remember this: He’s one of only a handful of headliners to fll both Caesars Palace’s now-defunct 1,200-seat Circus Maximus Showroom back in the ’90s and the hotel’s 4,300-seat Colosseum, where he has performed yearly since 2003. The quintessential New York funnyman is still a formidable force in the industry, balancing a hit Web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, with the kind of manic touring schedule that would drive most comics into prolonged hiatus. Seinfeld will arrive in Vegas this month for a two-night stint at the Colosseum, where he’ll deliver his singular brand of observational humor, musing on—well, nothing of particular importance. September 18–19. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 866-320-9763; axs.com
LAS VEGAS NORTH PREMIUM OUTLETS LastCall.com/Studios
VINCE THEORY TAHARI DIANE VON FURSTENBERG JOHN HARDY FURLA & MORE
LOOK FABULOUS. BE FRUGAL.
PeoPle Power Strip
Lighting Up the Town
With the embargo on Cuban Cigars expeCted to ease, Vegas’s Cigar king, Michael Frey, sees a rosy future for ameriCa’s most Cigarfriendly City. by michael kaplan photography by melissa Valladares
In a world that never seems to stop imposing restrictions on cigar lovers, Las Vegas is a breath of fresh air—or, in this case, rich, intoxicating air. Sure, Cohibas, Macanudos, and the like are verboten in restaurants and even some sports books, but most casinos maintain a light-up-and-let-live policy. And it’s no wonder: For many a gambler, the blackjack table just isn’t the same without a red-tipped stogie to accompany the hits and splits. And making sure that lovers of fne cigars have plenty of product to choose from is Michael Frey. With Rhumbar in the Mirage (sipping spirits and puffng on a cigar on its Strip-side patio is a quintessential Vegas experience), Casa Fuente in the Forum Shops (the mecca for serious cigar lovers), and the off-Strip retailer Cigar Box, as well as stores in Caesars Palace and New York–New York, Frey has you covered. continued on page 64
From his Caesars Palace store, Colosseum Cigars, Michael Frey is preparing for the coming cigar boom, which he predicts will be particularly big in Vegas.
vegasmagazine.com 63
PeoPle Power Strip INSIDE
LOOK
“cigars in vegas provide a link to the past, to the whole rat pack era of smoking and drinking scotch. it’s part of the vegas image.” —michael frey A longtime Vegas resident who understands that fine cigars go hand in hand with casino culture, Frey is girding himself for the city’s next wave: the anticipated lifting of the US embargo on Cuban cigars. “I think it will create a second cigar boom,” he says, recalling the cigar mania of the 1990s, which still resonates today. “Everybody will want to try Cuban cigars, and a lot of new smokers will come into the marketplace. Even though I hear about warehouses full of aging Cuban cigars, I still believe that demand will outstrip supply and prices will get high. People will be Cuban cigar crazy.” That condition promises to be especially acute in Las Vegas, according to Frey, because “if you smoke two cigars a year, this is the place where you will smoke them.” Frey has spent most of the last 50 years in Vegas. His parents found success in real estate here and had clout with folks in the casino business. It afforded Frey a very Vegasy upbringing. “Most kids go to Chuck E. Cheese’s on their 12th birthday; I got to see Elvis Presley,” he says. “That was my frst date. I was in sixth grade, and we had seats right next to the stage. My dad arranged for Elvis to put a scarf
64 VeGASMAGAzINe.COM
around my date’s neck. She almost fainted. That was my best date ever. Unfortunately, it never got better than that.” Frey’s boyhood also put him in the catbird seat when it came to getting a close look at the city’s showbiz elite. “I remember my parents taking me backstage at casinos,” he says. “We’d see guys like Shecky Greene and Sinatra. Cigars were everywhere and you could smoke wherever you wanted—hell, yeah!” Today, he adds, “cigars in Vegas provide a link to the past, to the whole Rat Pack era of smoking and drinking Scotch. It’s part of the Vegas image.” When Cuban cigars are no longer contraband, Frey predicts that a few things will happen. “For one, the mystique about Cuban cigars will go away,” he says. “Right now people think Cubans are the coolest things.” Once they lose their illicit allure, the hip factor will diminish. He also sees prices spiking, which should bring a boom in counterfeits. “Right now, for every 100 Cuban cigars in Las Vegas, 65 are fake. Since most people can’t tell the difference between a phony and the real thing, the counterfeit business thrives and will continue to do so. It’s crazy now, and it’s going to get even crazier.” V
LOCAL LOVES Favorite restaurant: “My absolute favorite is L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in MGM Grand. I like the look, the style, and the food. Plus, the staff is so great there. Overall, it’s just a brilliant spot.”
top store For clothes shopping: “There’s a cool place that a friend of mine owns in Cosmopolitan. It’s called Stitched (above). They custom-make suits—though I tend to buy off the rack—and have liquor lockers.”
For a night out with the boys: “Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar. The food there is really good, and they have a very nice patio. There are lots of great beers on tap and plenty of large-screen monitors for watching sports.”
where he ta es out-oF-town Friends: “We go to the Mirage and shoot craps. I like the Mirage because it’s the hotel that changed the paradigm in Las Vegas—plus, it always feels like the best small big hotel in town.”
charities oF choice: “I’m involved with Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Larry Ruvo’s a friend of mine, and they do such great work with diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.”
Favorite neighborhood: “There’s a neighborhood called Scotch 80s. It’s an old part of town with big midcentury houses and a real cool feel to it.”
photography courtesy of the cosmopolitan of las Vegas (stitched)
Casa Fuente general manager Michael Fayerverger and actor Dennis Hopper with Frey at the cigar bar during the 2007 CineVegas film festival.
JULY 3, 2015 – JANUARY 10, 2016
Tickets and information 702.693.7871
|
bellagio.com/bgfa
Pablo Picasso, Woman with a Chignon and a Yellow Hat, Oil on Canvas, June 1962, 36 x 28 ¾” © Estate of Pablo Picasso, Paris/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
PEOPLE Desert Patrol “i’ve had an obsession with warhol since i was a kid, so it’s always been my dream to throw wicked art parties.”
InsIde edItIon
inside his platinum entourage, Todd WhiTe is hosting a Warholian mix of models, drag queens, hair and makeup virtuosos, and Wide-eyed Witnesses at his fabulous art parties. by Jessica Hawkins Its well-earned reputation for daring beauty and gravity-defying bodies notwithstanding— our on- and offstage divas have a job to do, after all—Las Vegas has never been a bastion of experimental hair and makeup work. Todd White is changing that. The owner of Platinum Entourage and a sought-after hairstylist and colorist, White also works on the cutting edge of hair and makeup design in felds like avant-garde drag and special-effects editorial photography (as the secret weapon of many local socialites, he’s also a master of polish and sophistication). And now he’s the man behind Inside the Entourage, a series of late-night master classes, cocktail parties for in-the-know stylists, and “show and tell” soirées, where artists bring their muses done up from head to toe.
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“It’s a selfsh endeavor—I’ve had an obsession with Warhol since I was a kid,” White says. “So it’s always been my dream to throw wicked art parties.” White opened Platinum Entourage, Las Vegas’s frst blow-out bar, in 2010 with his husband, Craig West. It became so popular that in 2013, he stretched out into an 8,000-square-foot salon, lounge, and production studio that was just screaming to become a regular party venue. So he launched Inside the Entourage to give Vegas stylists a place to congregate after working solo as editorial freelancers or behind the scenes at shows all over town. “There had never been collaboration among artists here, not like in New York, where I grew up,” he says. “My favorite workshop moments are when established artists come out wanting to share techniques and learn more.” The attendees from White’s A-list database lend the events an Andy Warhol/Factory feeling. During one recent invitation-only gathering, performer Justin “Disco Dollie” Parker arrived in blingedout masculine avant-garde drag with a dramatic feminine glamour face, while others showed up in various levels of androgynous style—from “bearded muscle men in drag” on up—just to be seen by him. Mixed in with these drag experimenters were socialites, businesspeople, local entertainers, and eccentric voyeurs who wanted to take in the spectacular costuming, hair, and special-effects makeup. This month brings the first “show and tell” party, which will feature an over-the-top theme and lastminute invitations via Instagram. The workshop/ party combos have been taking place all summer, with names like “A Beautiful Mess” (hair with a “slept-in look”). “I really wanted to bring advanced education workshops to Las Vegas without people having to sign up for ‘school,’” White says. “Afterward, I have a DJ and cocktails, and everyone sticks around to talk shop.” 6670 S. Tenaya Way, 702-410-5459; platinumentourage.com V
photography by Melissa Valladares
—todd white
PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity
From their Las Vegas home, Christine Marie Katas and her husband, Tolga, are turning her personal trauma into a fight against religious polygamy and prostitution.
Survive to thrive
MULTIFACETED PAIR TOLGA AND CHRISTINE MARIE ATAS HAVE EMBARKED ON THEIR MOST IMPORTANT WORK YET: PROVIDING REFUGE AND INSPIRATION FOR ESCAPEES FROM SEX TRAFFICKING. by SCOTT DICKENSHEETS Tolga and Christine Marie Katas are a motley Las Vegas duo. He’s a former musician and producer, now an inventor and a fashion photographer. She’s a software developer working on her PhD in media psychology. Some years ago, as a single mother, this former Ms. Michigan found herself trapped in an abusive, polygamous, sex-trafficking situation in Utah. After escaping, bereft of resources, she eventually went public with her story on the Investigation Discovery series Dangerous Persuasions, in an episode titled “Prophet or Predator.” Later she met and married Tolga. After years of helping similar victims informally, in 2013 the couple began a program called Voices for Dignity to assist people escaping from religious polygamy and prostitution by providing them with housing and jobs. This fall,
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their message will gain a larger platform when the Lifetime channel captures their efforts in the reality TV series Escaping Polygamy. ON HELPING VICTIMS
Tolga: She’ll get an anonymous call at 2 in the morning and say, “I’ve got to go drop off clothes in the middle of the road.” These women are so afraid [of getting caught], they don’t even want to meet her. The couple once assisted a boy named Willy, an escapee from the notorious Warren Jeffs’s polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Tolga’s uplifting photos and video of Willy were shown on ABC’s 20/20. Christine: When a girl [from the same church], Alissa, saw the footage online, it was a wake-up
call. Within two weeks, she was out of there. As part of Voices for Dignity’s work, the couple employs Tolga’s visual expertise to shoot empowering photos of escapees. Christine: The first person we did a photo shoot with, we worked with her therapist to find out what message she needs to believe about herself— things like “I’m smart, I’m beautiful, I’m strong.” Then we created backgrounds and costumes to help show that. In one she was an African princess. In another she was sitting at a computer, looking professional. When we were done, the therapist said, “That was not a photo shoot; that was a life-changing experience.” Tolga: There’s something about seeing a photo of yourself with a power message. It shows that, Wow, I can do it.
Charity register Opportunities to give.
Christine and Tolga’s efforts will be spotlighted in a new Lifetime reality series.
Show & Shine Car Show
Bite at the muSeum
Benefting Speedway Children’s Charities, which provides for children in educational, fnancial, social, or medical need, the Show & Shine Car Show is a fullday event featuring a display of new and classic cars, an awards ceremony, food trucks, and games for the entire family. Best of all, attendees receive complimentary admission for four to that night’s installment of Nascar’s Whelen All-American Series.
Explore the Nevada State Museum’s exhibits after hours while celebrating the 25th anniversary of Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada—one of Las Vegas’s most valuable resources for the treatment of substance abuse, mental health issues, and HIV/AIDS—at its ffth annual Bite at the Museum. Guests will enjoy cocktails, a sit-down dinner prepared by Vegas culinary talents, a live auction, and an awards ceremony honoring the local donors who have contributed to the center’s work.
When: Saturday, August 22, at 12 pm Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Contact: 702-632-8242; speedwaycharities.org
“people say , ‘that would never happen to me,’ but the truth is, it can happen to anyone.” —christine marie katas
ON PROSTITUTION, POLYGAMY, AND TRAFFIC ING
Christine: Patriarchal, religiously mandated polygamy is not free choice. The United Nations considers polygamy to be a source of inequality and oppression. But here in America, we have shows like Sister Wives making [plural marriage] seem normal, and people assume those women really want to be there. People say, “That would never happen to me” or “That person must be stupid not to leave.” But the truth is, it can happen to anyone —male, female, young or old—because every person has vulnerabilities [that a pimp, polygamist, or exploiter can prey on]. You don’t need physical violence to be a victim of trafficking. It can be entirely through psychological coercion. Tolga: And when they get you spiritually, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t go to the police and say, “He screwed up my mind.” Christine: If any woman feels empowered engaging in prostitution, I say more power to her. But she’s one of the rare ones. People think of trafficking victims as girls brought in from another country, but there are trafficking victims all around us who are invisible. Human trafficking can take place without someone leaving the city of Las Vegas. It has nothing to do with movement; it has to do with exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion. I would also say this: Stop judging and start helping. To get involved with Voices for Dignity, call 702-3052220 or visit voicesfordignity.com. V
When: Saturday, September 12, at 6:30 pm Where: Nevada State Museum Contact: cccofsn.org
BlaCk & white Party Celebrate Aid for AIDS of Nevada at the nonproft organization’s 29th annual Black & White Party, a massive event bringing together more than 3,500 Las Vegans for an evening of fne food, top-shelf spirits, and costumed revelry at the Hard Rock concert theater The Joint, all in support of Nevada’s preeminent AIDS advocacy group. Just be sure to wear your fnest blackand-white ensemble and bring plenty of energy, as a late-night afterparty and Sunday afternoon pool party follow the main event.
BBQ at the Bitter root ranCh
When: Saturday, August 29, at 9 pm
When: Saturday, September 19, at 5:30 pm
Where: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Contact: 702-382-2326; afanlv.org
BrinGinG liGht to the FiGht The Springs Preserve hosts the Light of the World Childhood Cancer Foundation’s annual gala Bringing Light to the Fight, raising funds for the nonproft organization’s diverse initiatives supporting families with children who have been diagnosed with cancer. This night under the stars includes a buffet dinner, a silent auction, and live entertainment, plus testimonials from Light of the World’s founder, Mary Ricciardi, and families who have benefted from its services.
Wave goodbye to summer at one of Opportunity Village’s most popular fundraising events, the annual end-ofseason barbecue held at the picturesque Bitter Root Ranch, with proceeds helping to fnance the organization’s life-enhancing initiatives for adults with intellectual disabilities. The Western-themed evening kicks off with a cocktail reception and includes allyou-can-eat barbecue cooked in an open pit, live country music, raffes, and a horse exhibition. Where: Bitter Root Ranch Contact: 702-880-4068; opportunityvillage.org
FlavorS oF the heart Join a group of Las Vegas’s top chefs at Downtown’s World Market Center in supporting the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association’s multifaceted awareness programs. Now a yearly tradition, Flavors of the Heart invites foodies to sample fne wines and dishes from more than 25 local restaurants, all of which have been tasked with highlighting heart-healthy ingredients and promoting more informed dietary choices.
When: Friday, September 4, at 6 pm
When: Saturday, September 19, at 7 pm
Where: Springs Preserve
Where: World Market Center
Contact: lightoftheworldnv.org
Contact: favorsoftheheart.com
advertiSinG Community talent Show
deSSert BeFore dinner
Now a Vegas tradition, the Advertising Community Talent Show invites performers of all types—singers, dancers, jugglers, magicians, and others—to step into the spotlight for an evening of charitable live entertainment. All acts must include at least one member of the local advertising industry, and ticket sales beneft Safe Nest, Nevada’s leading philanthropic support organization for victims of domestic violence.
Organized by the Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, this year’s Dessert Before Dinner event recognizes seven high-profle women for their philanthropic work in the community and for mentoring the young Girl Scouts they’ve been paired with. As part of the festivities, several Vegas-based pastry chefs will face off against one another in a friendly competition that has them create desserts based on a Girl Scout cookie. This year’s cookie: the shortbread-style Lemonade.
When: Friday, September 11, at 6 pm
When: Saturday, September 26, at 6 pm
Where: Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station
Where: Caesars Palace
Contact: 702-877-0133; actslv.org
Contact: dessertbeforedinner.org
vegasmagazine.com 69
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InvIted
SNOW IN VEGAS PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PATRICK GRAY/KABIK PHOTO GROUP
Pitch Perfect 2 star Brittany Snow toasted Vegas magazine’s 12th anniversary at omnia nightclub. It may have been the height of summer in Vegas, but the climbing temperature didn’t stop Brittany Snow from touching down in Sin City to host Vegas magazine’s 12th-anniversary bash at Omnia Nightclub. Snow, who in 2010 cofounded the Love Is Louder movement to inspire teenage and college-age girls to combat bullying, discrimination, and depression, headlined Vegas’s annual May/June Women of Influence issue, which this year recognized five pairs of women committed to improving the city and paving the way for future generations. Clad in a black three-piece shorts suit, and with boyfriend Tyler Hoechlin in tow, Snow kicked off the party at Omnia by signing an oversize poster of her Vegas cover, posing for photos, and later taking the microphone to toast the anniversary.
vegasmagazine.com 71
INVITED Mia and Mo Younis
// wear with all //
HEART OF DARKNESS WHY TRY TO COMPETE WITH THE LIGHTS OF THE STRIP? OUR 12THANNIVERSARY PARTY’S BESTDRESSED GUESTS KEPT THINGS SIMPLE IN THE MOST FLATTERING
Mitch Cummins, Juliana Renz, and Chaz Green
VEGAS MAGAZINE CELEBRATES 12 YEARS!
Ashley Ross and Sarah Robles
VEGAS MAGAZINE HELD its 12th-anniversary party at Omnia Nightclub at Caesars Palace with May/June cover star Brittany Snow. Guests enjoyed the red-hot club’s main room and rooftop patio; sipped Voss water, beer from Heineken, and cocktails made with Effen vodka; and snacked on sweet treats from Sprinkles Cupcakes. A pop-up shop from the Vegas-based apparel company Crimes of Beauty and a beauty bar staffed by makeup artists from the NARS boutique in The Forum Shops rounded out the evening.
Joseph Lok, David Shin, and James Tang Whitney Bansin
Marianne Tanada and H.L. Greenberg Samantha Jones and Joana Vega
Lisa Song Sutton
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Maureen and Aaron Capista with Jeremy Kottler
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RAY ALAMO OPPOSITE PAGE: COURTESY OF ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES FOR KEEP MEMORY ALIVE
NEUTRAL OF ALL: BLACK.
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Vince Camuto Fashion Show
Henri Bendel Fashion Show
Barneys New York Grand Canal Shoppes
Fall’s top looks from premier boutiques at Fashion Show and Grand Canal Shoppes The Venetian, The Palazzo
From must-have accessories to head-to-toe favorites, we’ll help you shop the season’s most coveted finds.
Island Company Fashion Show Grand Canal Shoppes
Uno de 50 Fashion Show Grand Canal Shoppes
Salvatore Ferragamo Grand Canal Shoppes
Diane von Furstenberg Grand Canal Shoppes
Dynamite Fashion Show
VEGAS-STYLE!
OCRF BRINGS SUPER SATURDAY TO VEGAS WITH UNIQUE SPIN
Regis Galerie Grand Canal Shoppes
Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Show
Agent Provocateur Grand Canal Shoppes
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) will bring popular Super Saturday shopping event to Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, The Palazzo and Fashion Show
September 19-20, 2015. The exclusive Vegas-style weekend will boast:
Pinto Ranch Fashion Show
Special retail incentives and activations from a variety of the 160-boutiques including Michael Kors, St. John, Sephora, Tory Burch – to name a few Fall fashion must-haves guided by A-list celebrities Robert Graham Fashion Show Grand Canal Shoppes
Key selling events inside participating boutiques VIP cocktail reception Gift with purchase
Tory Burch Fashion Show Grand Canal Shoppes
Star-studded culinary delights And much, much more!
Ted Baker London Fashion Show
Kate Spade New York
For more on the fashion-forward fete,
Fashion Show Grand Canal Shoppes
visit thegrandcanalshoppes.com, supersaturday.ocrf.org/vegasstyle.
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// stare power //
SHARING THE STAGE CELINE DION AND ANDREA Holly Madison, Pasquale Rotella, Tal Cooperman, and Ryan Doherty
BOCELLI WEREN’T THE ONLY STARS TO STEAL THE SHOW AT THE 19TH ANNUAL POWER OF LOVE GALA. IN FACT, THEY WERE
Alan Hamel and Suzanne Somers
JOINED BY SOME VERY FAMOUS FRIENDS. Gloria Estefan
Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli
Oxana and Vladimir Kush Veronica Bocelli and Sharon Stone
Matt Goss
Clint Holmes and Kelly Clinton
George Benson
POWER OF LOVE GALA
DESIGNED TO RAISE awareness
and funds for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Keep Memory Alive’s 19th annual Power of Love gala, in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, honored Andrea and Veronica Bocelli for their years of advocacy for Alzheimer’s disease research. Top-notch performers, Martina McBride including Gloria Estefan, Martina McBride, and Robin Thicke, took turns sharing the spotlight, culminating in a duet between Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, while Giada De Laurentiis took on the monumental task of feeding the crowd.
Robin Thicke
Larry and Camille Ruvo
Claire Sinclair
VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 73
INVITED J.B. and Brenda Bernstein with Joe Brown
Inside the exhibition
Ranielle Rivera and Corey Nyman
“PICASSO: CREATURES AND CREATIVITY” OPENING VEGAS MAGAZINE JOINED the Bellagio Gallery of Fine
Art in celebrating the grand opening of the gallery’s newest show, “Picasso: Creatures and Creativity.” On view through January 10, 2016, the exhibit features more than 45 of the renowned artist’s paintings, linocuts, and lithographs, produced between the 1930s and 1970s. Attendees enjoyed Ruinart Champagne and light appetizers while perusing the works, many of them being shown in the US for the first time.
Amanda Parrette, Heather Kim, and Brian McCarty
Lisa Foiles and Shawn Cloninger
Helen Adell, Caroline Bilbray-Kohn, Erin Bilbray, and Noah Kohn
Andrea Bricca and Stacy Sheeley
74 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM
Monica Dietrich, Ericka Kurtz, Erin Mateer, and Jami Parr
Gina Gavan and Terri Janison
Picasso’s Woman with a Yellow Necklace
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RAY ALAMO
Oliva Brown, David McKinnis, Leslie Sinibaldi, and Dominique Bertolone
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taste
Small but mighty
CARSON TCHEN, THE YEAR-OLD RESTAURANT FROM “ROCK ’N’ ROLL CHEF” KERRY SIMON, ANCHORS AN EXPLODING DOWNTOWN DINING SCENE. BY JOHN CURTAS pHOTOgRApHY BY SABiN ORR If someone had told me a year ago that Kerry Simon’s Carson Kitchen would be both a raging success and the spark of a restaurant renaissance, I would have looked at them with the same bemusement I usually reserve for conspiracy theorists and Chicago Cubs fans. A year ago (or three, 10, or 20 years ago), Downtown Las Vegas was a restaurant wasteland. The idea that young couples, suburbanites, professionals, and
entire families would come here to eat seemed as far-fetched as having a mob lawyer for a mayor. But here they come now, not only to Carson Kitchen but to a dozen upscale bars and restaurants that have followed in its wake. Every month, Downtown (yes, we capitalize it now) Las Vegas seems to celebrate the opening of a chef-driven restaurant continued on page 78
Rainbow cauliflower, from Carson Kitchen’s farm-fresh menu.
vegasmagazine.com 77
TASTE SWEET & SAUCY
Simon’s butter burger with cheddar, served with tater tots. right: The open kitchen and swear jar.
When your menu has only two desserts, they’d better be good, and Carson Kitchen’s glazed-doughnut bread pudding and bourbon fudge brownie more than measure up. A third choice appears from time to time—such as ethereally rich banoffee (banana-toffee) pie (pictured below) or Not Your
Father’s Twinkies (given their kick by organic
atop the bacon jam is a melted slab of brie. it’s chock-full of the sweet and savory combinations that simon is so fond of.
wheat beer), and they’re no slouches either—but the frst two have been there from day one, and every table seems to
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me he wanted his menu to focus on accessible, farmfresh food that tastes like something a great chef would serve you in his own home. Not that you’ve ever tasted veal meatballs as caramelized, crispy, meaty, and silky as the ones served here in any chef’s home— or any restaurant, for that matter. Equally forkdropping is the homage to the butter burgers of Minnesota and Wisconsin, this one bathed in the stuff rather than stuffed with it. It’s a hand-formed patty of good, coarsely ground meat, seasoned to a T, and sprinkled with crumbly Boursin atop melted cheddar on a mush-ready brioche bun. It’s a belly bomb to be sure, but a beautiful one. Plenty of chefs have tried doing deviled eggs, but Simon’s Devil’s Eggs— topped with pancetta and caviar—are such a creamy,
crispy, sweet, and salty delight, they’ll have you nodding your head in appreciation. Other must-have starters include the crispy chicken skins with smoked honey, tempura green beans, and “killer” shrimp (deep fried, with rocoto pepper cream)—all of them singular appetizers begging to be shared. And speaking of social plates, atop the bacon jam is a melted slab of Brie. It’s chock-full of the sweet and savory combinations that Simon is so fond of. It’s so good, you will no doubt find yourself reflexively dipping piece after piece of your baguette into it, blithely ignoring whoever entreats you not to fill up on bread. One order won’t be enough, even if only two are sharing it. This is happy, crowdpleasing food, designed to appeal to the party-as-averb folks as well as fussy gastronauts, and no one gets
up from the table without leaving behind a stack of licked-clean plates. Simon, along with partner Cory Harwell and Executive Chef Eugene Santiago, has come up with more interesting ideas and palate-popping flavor combinations for the simple one-page menu than you’ll find anywhere in the ’burbs. Unfortunately, as his restaurant has gained national acclaim (and a huge local following), Simon hasn’t been on the premises to accept the accolades, due to a particularly virulent neurodegenerative disorder known as multiple system atrophy. This restaurant may be his swan song, but he can take solace in knowing that by going small, he went very, very big: serving the best food that Downtown Las Vegas has ever seen and starting a revolution in the process. 124 s. sixth st., 702-4739523; carsonkitchen.com V
order them. The bread pudding uses day-old glazed beauties from next door’s O Face Doughnuts (worth a trip—and a baker’s dozen) that are baked into the doughnutiest pudding you’ve ever tasted. The brownie is as dense and rich as you can imagine. We’ve heard rumors that high rollers (such as Tony Hsieh) like to douse theirs with a shot of Pappy Van Winkle, but we’ve found that it goes just as well with some (more plebeian) Maker’s Mark or Jim Beam.
photography by Chris Wessling (banoffee pie)
or cozy new bar, and in many ways each of them owes a debt of gratitude to this miniscule kitchen in a renovated flophouse. It’s a small place (only 60 or so seats, with room for 30 more on the upstairs patio) resembling a rough-cut, no-nonsense urban watering hole or gastropub, with an intimate connection between patron and staff. The open kitchen is framed by an L-shaped chef’s table, and if you score one of the 25 counter seats, you’ll be so close to the action that you can quiz the chefs on what they’re making as you wait for your plate. There are four tables at the front and an oversize bar in the dining room, which doubles as a cocktail venue, offering communal seating and an array of dishes that will shock you with their intensity and perfection. When Carson Kitchen opened last year, Simon told
taste Cuiscene From Eat, a baby spinach salad with strawberries, sugared pecans, feta, red onions, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Neighborhood Watch
AFTER YEARS OF PROMISING TO BECOME A GREAT FOOD DESTINATION, THE TIME IS NOW FOR DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS. by brock radke When Brian Howard, one of the city’s most exciting young chefs, decided to leave his post at Cosmopolitan’s now-closed Comme Ça to spearhead his own restaurant projects, he knew exactly where he wanted to be. “I’ve been here 15 years, and Las Vegas has done so much for me, helping me hone my skills and become a better chef, and it’s time to give back,” he says. “I really think the best way I can do that is to get away from a hotel and help grow our local dining scene. There’s no better place to do that than Downtown.” By now we’ve all heard about and probably experienced the fast-moving redevelopment that’s
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happening in Downtown Las Vegas, but it may still come as a shock to learn that in a very short time the city’s original core has become the hottest restaurant neighborhood in the Las Vegas Valley— with even recent entrants to the Downtown scene now opening encore acts to capture the area’s wildfire popularity. Where did it start? Well, the first two big culinary trailblazers were Le Thai (523 Fremont St.,702- 778-0888; lethaivegas.com), with its spicy, addictive flavors (owner Daniel Coughlin has since expanded the area’s Asian options by opening the sushi joint Bocho and is partnering with the team from District One Kitchen & Bar on
the forthcoming Le Pho in Juhl on East Bonneville Avenue), and the warm, welcoming breakfast and lunch joint Eat (707 Carson Ave., 702-5341515; eatdtlv.com). Eat’s proprietor, veteran chef Natalie Young, is also opening another Downtown restaurant soon, the fried chicken and Chinese food– focused Chow (1020 E. Fremont St.). Then interesting dining spots began popping up fast. Vegas nightclub pioneer Michael Morton created the comfy Mexican outpost La Comida (100 Sixth St., 702- 463-9900; lacomidalv.com). California pizza impresario Tony Gemignani brought the wondrous Pizza Rock (201 N. Third
photography by Mikayla WhitMore (radio City pizzeria); hannah espina-Ching (Makers & Finders); anthony Mair (siegel’s 1941)
St., 702-385-0838; pizzarocklasvegas.com) to Downtown3rd. MTO Cafe (500 S. Main St., 702-380-8229; mtocafe.com), which has since opened a second location at Downtown Summerlin, started as a breakfast hot spot across from City Hall. Downtown Project, an investor in Eat, created Downtown Container Park (707 Fremont St.), currently stacked with everything from gourmet hot dogs at Cheffini’s (702-527-7599; cheffinis.com) and authentic street food at Pinches Tacos (702-910-3100; pinchestacos.com) to craft cocktails at Oak & Ivy (702-945-6717; oakandivy.com) and a relaxing full-service restaurant in The Perch (702-854-1418; theperchlv.com). And then came the game-changer: the small-plate paradise Carson Kitchen, in the refurbished John E. Carson building at 124 South Sixth Street, along with the madscientist sweets shop O Face Doughnuts (702-476-3223; ofacedoughnuts.com). “Carson Kitchen brought a lot of attention to Downtown, thanks to Kerry Simon,” says Dan Adams, Downtown Project’s director of food and beverage. “More of that would help, not that that’s everything. But it’s really about the chefs and getting them here opening different concepts.” Most people wouldn’t think of Zappos boss Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project as a major player in food and drink, but the development company has the biggest restaurant and bar footprint in the neighborhood. It owns and operates the backyard game–driven Gold Spike (702476-1082; goldspike.com), The Perch, Oak & Ivy, and the Fremont East grocery store The Market, and it serves as partner, investor, or landlord for numerous spots, including La Comida, O Face, Banger Brewing, and the Container Park restaurants. Downtown Project is also involved in the upcoming Fremont East restaurant The Smashed Pig Gastropub (from Nobu Matsuhisa– trained Linda Rodriguez) as well as the sizzling new triumvirate of trendy destinations in the renovated building at 616 East Carson Avenue (at Seventh Street): chef Bradley Manchester’s Glutton (gluttonlv.com), chef Donald Lemperle’s VegeNation (vege nationlv.com), and chef Brandon Trahan’s Zydeco Po-Boys (zydecopo-boys.com). Talk about chefs and distinctive concepts.
“What’s cool about being down here is we still haven’t touched on all the different cuisines and styles of service,” says Adams. “There are so many possibilities left.” And Howard’s dual concepts are perhaps the most exciting of all. First up is Harvest & Larder, opening in October, to be joined later by Grazing Pig Charcuterie, both in a cool, industrialish building in the Arts District, just off Main Street—an area growing in its own right with the recent addition of beer, coffee, and noodle spots. At Comme Ça, Howard was well-known for his house-made charcuterie program, so the prominence of that element makes sense. But it’s only the beginning. “My idea is about showcasing ingredients as fully as possible, about simplicity, and about preserving American history through cuisine,” he says. But most important to Howard is what seems to be the number-one overall goal of Downtown proprietors: opening your favorite neighborhood restaurant, “somewhere where they know your name and what you like to eat and drink.” Perhaps Howard’s restaurants will be the ones that focus an even larger spotlight on Downtown. Or maybe it will be PublicUs (1126 Fremont St., 702-3315500; public uslv.com), a hip, dynamic artisanal bakery and coffeehouse. Or it could be something else, previously undreamed-of dishes from the inventive mind of a chef, known or unknown, who has yet to announce his or her plans. But one thing is certain: It will be exciting to watch—and taste. V
// taste buds //
see change
Whether retroftted, revamped, or rebuilt, these Downtown eateries used to be something else entirely.
Bocho Downtown culinary pioneer Dan Coughlin, of Le Thai renown, follows his first success with a (mostly) traditional sushi joint in a renovated flophouse. Next up: Le Pho, in Juhl. 124 S. Sixth St., 702-750-0707; bochosushi.com
This under-the-radar café, in a former furniture shop on a block of vintage boutiques, specializes in amped-up Latin comfort foods, like spicy mushroom empanadas and chorizo Brussels sprouts. 1120 S. Main St., 702-586-8255; makersandfinderslv.com
radio city Pizzeria New partners are turning a slice house into an innovative Italian restaurant whose ambitious backyard bar, Retroscena, serves more than 70 amari – one of the largest selections found anywhere. 508 Fremont St., 702-982-5055; radiocitypizza.com
siegel’s 1941 The retrofitted steakhouse Flame at El Cortez pays homage to the oldest family-owned casino’s former boss, Bugsy Siegel, and the year he took over the joint. Take a seat in one of the red power booths in the back (with your back to the wall, natch). 600 E. Fremont St., 702- 385-5200; siegels1941.com
Margaritas are a must at La Comida, which has more varieties of tequila than it has seats.
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tAStE the Dish On a rOll: vegenatiOn
At the new Downtown restaurant VegeNation (616 Carson Ave., 702-366-8515; vegenationlv.com), Executive Chef Donald Lemperle serves vegan dishes he describes as “global street food” and spreads his passion for eco-conscious, plant-based dining. In his Save the Tuna roll, the denizens of the deep are replaced with fruit and vegetables as a way of raising awareness about tuna’s dwindling numbers. The forbidden rice is prepared in traditional fashion, with sushi vinegar for acidity, then the purplish grain and sheets of nori are wrapped in a colorful contrasting combination of green cucumber, red pepper, green scallion, and yellow mango. Topped with a bright-orange carrot ginger purée and served with wasabi aioli (consisting of wasabi paste, vegan mayo, and lime juice), the dish is a kaleidoscope of color and flavor, with nary a fish in sight—but it’s so tasty, you won’t miss it. Out Of the frying pan: publicus
Black Magic
LEGEND HAS IT THAT FORBIDDEN RICE WAS SO NAMED BECAUSE ANCIENT CHINESE EMPERORS WANTED TO KEEP IT FOR THEMSELVES. BUT NOW, THANKS TO A QUARTET OF VEGAS CHEFS, YOU TOO CAN DINE LIKE ROYALTY. by JIM bEGLEy perfect pairing: 35 stea s + martinis
At the Hard Rock Hotel, Executive Chef Marty Lopez is adding a creative twist to standard steakhouse fare at 35 Steaks + Martinis (702-693-5500; hardrockhotel.com). Growing up in the Philippines, he was accustomed to seeing forbidden rice in desserts, but even there it’s reserved for special occasions. Lucky for you, no special occasion is required to order his diver scallops. Lopez sears his scallops and
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serves them atop a bed of forbidden rice prepared risotto-style, employing an Asian ingredient in a European fashion. The black rice acts as a canvas for the white scallops, while the creamy shellfish complement the earthy whole grain, and the smokiness from the sear fuses with the nuttiness of the rice. Finished with red bell pepper coulis and garnished with a micro-lettuce salad, the mollusk pairs perfectly with the restaurant’s signature Spicy Serrano martini.
bOwling yOu Over: luc y fOO’s
When Executive Chef Shawn Giordano opened Lucky Foo’s Restaurant & Bar (8955 S. Eastern Ave., 702-650-0669; luckyfoos.com), he created a trio of healthy, organic bowls, including one with forbidden rice. And while the others have since left the menu, the forbidden rice bowl has become a cult favorite. Originally only a lunch offering due to its complexity, it recently made its way to the dinner menu. Why so complicated? Consider the list of ingredients: rice cooked in dashi kombu, water, and bonito flakes; what Giordano refers to as “the trilogy” of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro; garlic chips; basil oil; cotija crumble; roasted acorn squash; pickled kabocha squash; sea beans; poached haricot vert; a soft-boiled egg with curry oil; and, last but not least, avocado with lemon juice. The myriad textures mingle with the sharpness and acidity of the pickles, which contrast with the rice’s nuttiness. It’s an addictive dish—and forbidden no more. V
photography by mikayla whitmore
Lucky Foo’s magnificent forbidden rice mélange.
East of VegeNation, in the quickly gentrifying core of Downtown Las Vegas, PublicUs (1126 Fremont St., 702-331-5500; publicuslv.com) offers a more traditional take on the grain with its forbidden fried rice. Executive Chef Adam Pusateri has assembled a geographically diverse array of dishes, and his Asian-inspired fried rice is studded with pork belly, showcasing the fatty cut. It’s marinated for 12 hours with Chinese five-spice powder and red cooking wine, broiled, then crisped in a salamander. The fat is used to sauté the rice, along with the locally sourced celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Finished with tataki sauce (think a milder teriyaki) and topped with a fried egg and pickled ginger, the dish is an amalgam of savory and smoky, with the robust rice more than capable of supporting the strong flavors.
L I F E I S A C O M B I N AT I O N O F M A G I C & PA S TA - F ED E R I CO FE L L I NI
SEPTEMBER 2015 SALUTEVEGAS.COM @SALUTEVEGAS
11011 West Charleston Boulevard / Las Vegas / 702.797.7777 • redrock.sclv.com • Like us on Facebook.com/RedRock © 2015 STATION CASINOS, LLC. MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS.
TASTE Spotlight play with your food
cheers!
Teachable Moments
HERBS & RYE GAINS NATIONAL ATTENTION ONE MOMENT AT A TIME. BY ROBERT HAYNES-PETERSON In a town with so many watering holes, it’s tough enough to stand out in Las Vegas, let alone the national stage. But that’s precisely what Nectaly Mendoza and his team have accomplished with Herbs & Rye on the west side. Known for droolworthy steaks (the meat is butchered in-house) and a massive classic cocktail program, Mendoza and his bartenders have repeatedly won local and national competitions, and fans of well-made drink from around the globe now put this destination bar on their must-try list when visiting. “Obviously we have great food and cocktails and service,” says Mendoza. “But it’s also the sort of place you could end up meeting your next wife—or losing your current wife. We create moments.” Mendoza credits a dedicated staff and a fluid working philosophy for creating a culture that goes beyond impeccable food and drink. “It’s more about teaching people, not about the actual cocktail, but to drink for the moment.” 3713 W. Sahara Ave., 702-982-8036; herbsandrye.com
Founded by long-time Las Vegas resident Dan Pettit, Azzurre Spirits offers a new, glutenfree spin on premium gin and vodka. Both are derived from apples, grapes, and sugarcane rather than grain, and the gin is enhanced with tropical ingredients such as tangerine, grapefruit, ginger, and rose petals, which tone down the traditionally dominant juniper flavor. “We decided to go back to the simple elements,” says Pettit, “with a blend of ingredients that doesn’t require multiple filtrations and is remarkably smooth to drink.” Available in venues throughout Las Vegas and at Lee’s Discount Liquor. azzurrespirits.com; leesdiscountliquor.com
RECESS APPOINTMENT
The new, 14,000-square-foot Public School 702 in Downtown Summerlin calls happy hour “recess” and indeed, there’s plenty of space to play. The social spot features communal seating, beer pong tables, shuffl eboard, and oversize versions of Connect Four and Jenga. Menu items include Jidori brick chicken with sautéed kale, soffrito, and blistered tomatoes, and for brunch, eggs Benedict pizza (SHOWN BELOW). But save room for the Nutella cookie sandwich, because you’re a grown-up and you can have all the dessert you want. 1850 Festival Drive Plaza, 702749-3007; psontap.com
PSYCHOLOGY 101 EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE THERAPY, even if it comes in the form of oxtail empanadas and crispy fried pig ears—and that’s what they can get at chef Daniel Ontiveros’s airy, industrial 135-seat space Downtown. The friendly, welcoming new Therapy, which opened in June, is already racking up the accolades for dishes like creamy macaroni and cheese with smoked bacon and caramelized onion and In the Gnudi, baked ricotta with truffle honey, fig jam, and cranberry walnut crostini. Even the bread basket—soft pretzel bread and little bacon baguettes served with a spicy beer mustard and sea salt butter—is finding a loyal client, er, fan base. 518 E. Fremont St., 702-912-1622; therapylv.com
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNA DOSCH (HERBS & RYE); BRIAN MANNASMITH (THERAPY); GARY MOSS (CHICKEN); KEVIN MARPLE (PIZZA)
IN SPIRITS
BAM! WE GOT YOU COVERED VEGAS
EmerilsRestaurants.com
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South at The Venetian Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV 89109 PH: 702 414 3737
3327 Las Vegas Blvd South at The Palazzo速 Las Vegas, NV 89109 PH: 702 607 6363
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South at MGM Grand Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV 89109 PH: 702 891 7374
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South at The Palazzo速 Las Vegas, NV 89109 PH: 702 607 2665
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
NOT TO BE MISSED EVENTS • HAPPENINGS • PROMOTIONS
THE LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC
RED ROCK RESORT
THE OGDEN DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS
The Las Vegas Philharmonic celebrates opening night on their 17th season Saturday, September 12, with Beethoven & Brahms, Guest Pianist Andrew Tyson and spirited Music Director, Donato Cabrera. A post-concert cocktail reception will cap the evening, separate ticket required.
It’s the perfect time for outdoor patio dining, and the place to be is restaurant row at Red Rock Resort. Chill out with delicious food and summer cocktails from Mercadito, Hearthstone and Yard House. Indulge in the gourmet choices at T-Bones Chophouse or the Asian specialties at 8 Noodle Bar. And watch for Salute - opening soon - for fine Italian fare.
At The Ogden, striking design and leading edge technology like Nest Thermostats come standard, as do sweeping views of the city and mountains and an inspiring array of restaurants, cafes, boutiques and nightlife — all steps from your front door. This is your home, towering above it all.
Passion, performance, inspiration and celebration, it’s all here. Tickets at lvphil.com or The Smith Center Box Office, 702.749.2000.
Call 702.797.7777 or visit redrock.sclv.com
ESTIATORIO MILOS LAS VEGAS
DERMABELLA MEDICAL SPA
Recognized as one of the finest seafood restaurants in the world, Milos is celebrated for serving the freshest fish flown in daily from the Mediterranean. Located in The Cosmopolitan, it features a one-of-a-kind terrace dining experience where guests enjoy authentic tastes of Greece while overlooking the gorgeous Las Vegas skyline.
Introducing the new Venus Viva!!! Venus Viva is the next generation in Facial Remodeling and Skin Resurfacing. It combines NanoFractional Radio Frequency and SmartScan technology to effectively treat textural irregularities, rosacea, scarring, wrinkles and even stretch marks! Venus Viva is safe and effective for use during all seasons, on all skin types. Vegas magazine readers receive 50% off of all packages.
For reservations, call 702.698.7930
Visit DermabellaMedicalSpa.com for the menu and pricing or call 702.228.0491
Condominium residences from the low $200,000s. Visit OgdenLV.com for more information.
HOLIDAY PARTIES AT CHEF EMERIL’S RESTAURANTS Kick your holiday party up a notch at Chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants, Delmonico Steakhouse, Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House and Table 10. Let the chefs do the cooking this holiday season and delight your guests with customized, off menu and seasonal dishes. Email privateparty.lv10@emerillagasse.com or call 702.216.6499 for booking.
Get away from it all Casual, comfortable dining on the Las Vegas Strip Whether indoor or outdoor by the pool, enjoy trattoria cuisine at Veranda. Delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
For reservations call (702) 632-5121, visit OpenTable or fourseasons.com/lasvegas.
Top ($2,195), skirt ($12,000), choker (price on request), and boots (price on request), Altuzarra. Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-6294200; barneys.com opposite page: Black geometric lace shift dress, Vera Wang ($1,595). verawang.com
some kind of
wonderful Globe-trottinG model Kate KinG is as Grounded and GivinG as the words permanently inKed on her wrist would suGGest. by RAY ROGERS photography by RAndAll SlAvin
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Top ($1,695), bra ($275), and skirt ($4,645), Dolce & Gabbana. The Shops at Crystals, 702-431-6615; dolcegabbana.com. Christian Dior gold hoop earrings, Dior Fine Jewelry ($4,700). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-7703496; dior.com beautĂŠ: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Light to Medium ($68), Cheek to Chic Blush in Ecstasy ($40), Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil in Bronzed Garnet ($27), and K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Nude Kate ($32). charlottetilbury.com R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo ($29). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com. Kate Somerville Dilo Oil Restorative Treatment ($65). Neiman Marcus, see above. Oribe ImpermĂŠable Anti-Humidity Spray ($39). Neiman Marcus, see above
Styling by Garth Condit Hair by Dominick Pucciarello/ ABTP.com Makeup by Robert Sesnek/ The Wall Group using Charlotte Tilbury Photography assistance by Chris Hayden Styling assistance by Katie Fish Video by Brad Holland Shot on location at Daniels Lane in Sagaponack, New York, via martinarchitects.com (631-613-6555)
I
t’s always a good idea to read the fne print. On the underside of model Kate King’s delicate right wrist, in tiny elegant type, are two powerful words: “be kind.” It’s a handy reminder whenever she needs it that no matter what’s going on in her life—jam-packed as it is with exotic locations (from the runways of Milan to palaces in India), a new boyfriend in London, and major success in the halls of high fashion—kindness is key. It’s not just a cute tattoo. It’s a code of conduct that she tries to follow every day. When we meet on an early morning in late July, you’d never guess that King—fresh-faced, clear-eyed, and as graceful as they come—just jetted in from London the night before. But here she is, in a simple but chic striped Sandro dress with gold buttons around the waist and a pair of chunky Zara sandals, with a teal Dolce & Gabbana bag at her side, gamely prepping for a 10-hour fashion shoot in the blazing summer sun. Then again, this is business as usual for the 21-year-old stunner, who has risen through the ranks of catwalk models (when she would clock a punishing schedule of up to 70 shows a season) to dominate in the world of high fashion. You may recognize her exquisite face and penetrating, almond-shaped hazel eyes from her many Dolce & Gabbana campaigns. She is currently the face of the brand’s fragrance, Dolce. The looks may be God-given, but the work ethic and good attitude are all hers. Raised on the outskirts of Toronto, in Mississauga, Canada—which King calls “a great place to grow up”—until she was 11, when her family relocated to Naples, Florida, the “painfully shy” youngster was relentlessly teased by boys in school for her slight build. “There was a group of boys that were really mean to me,” she says. “They’d call me ‘celery stalk.’ It made me a stronger person. I would just yell back. I let people’s comments bounce off of me.” It was good training for what awaited the young King in the often cutthroat world of modeling. Spotted by a scout on the streets of Manhattan at age 13 while on vacation with her parents, she began her career a few years later, at 16. “When I frst started, I was 5-foot10 and weighed 100 pounds, at most!” she says. “I was tiny. I had an agent who was like, ‘You need to lose some weight off your hips.’ I was 16 and just really didn’t know how to process it. It just kind of blew my mind. I knew that it was outrageous.” Her reaction was perfectly sane: “I remember going home and frying some bacon and eating cookies. I just knew it was crazy—even in the beginning, when I was living in a model house with a bunch of other girls. I saw girls who were victims of that and I knew that I didn’t want to be.” Of course, there are sacrifces. “I don’t get to eat pizza every day for dinner followed by cake,” King says. “But I would never compromise my health or happiness in order to have this career.” Today, although she says she’ll break for a berry crumble anytime (“I make a good one”), she eats healthily (this morning it was oatmeal with banana, blueberries, and honey), avoiding meat and dairy for the most part. “That’s a moral thing as well as a health thing,” King says. Her mother is a food scientist working in research and development, she adds, looking at questions such as: How can we make this healthier and more environmentally friendly? To stay in shape physically, mentally, and spiritually, King does yoga at Equinox and runs along the East River in Manhattan. She
lives with her next-oldest sister, a 24-year-old public relations executive, and their close friend in a three-bedroom “quintessential New York walkup, with crown moldings and an iron fre escape.” King is the youngest of four kids, and “my mom hammered into us how important those relationships are,” she says. “There’s nothing like a relationship with a sibling.” Her parents’ love story continues to inspire her: “They’ve been together 32 years. They have a really beautiful story. My mom’s black and my dad’s white. They met in Wisconsin in the ’70s, and my dad’s family was really disapproving of my mom.” Her parents shielded King and her siblings from that fact, ensuring them a loving, nurturing home. “I had a really happy childhood.” She remains tight with all of her siblings, spending time with a sister in London while she’s there on shoots or visiting her new boyfriend and hanging with her brother when she’s in Florida, where she likes to escape the craziness of her globe-trotting model life. Thanks to her lucrative brand deals, King was able to buy a three-bedroom condo not far from where she grew up in Florida, in Estero, where she tools around in her other big extravagance: a white Mercedes. She calls it “a classic Florida-girl car.” “Living in New York, you can get a bit frazzled,” King says. “I think human beings really should live in nature.” Which is not to say she wouldn’t love a razzle-dazzle Vegas trip. “I’ve never gambled, so I’m not a huge risk taker, but it would be fun to play around with just a couple hundred dollars, so that if I did lose it, I wouldn’t be too disappointed. I want to stay in a lavish hotel and walk outside at night when it’s still light out.” Her visit would end, however, in a spectacular canyon or at the Hoover Dam. “It would be amazing to have that quintessential Las Vegas experience and then spend a day in nature, because that can ground you again.” King’s penchant for outré style would ft right in in Vegas, where the exuberant brand she’s so often associated with, Dolce & Gabbana, is wildly popular. She frst turned to statement-making fashion as a child, a reaction to her shyness. “I started dressing myself at 7 or 8,” she says, “with a little heel; a shirt with fur sleeves; happy, sparkly pink leather pants. I didn’t realize I was wearing things that were slightly outrageous. My friends were all in jean shorts and T-shirts and I’m wearing a fur scarf.” These days King gets to let her freak fag fy—“loud and proud!”— in acting classes. “I’ve been studying acting for the last two years, and a lot of it is just breaking down those ideas of how you think you should be and act. So in acting class, I’m more eccentric than anywhere else because I’m jumping up and down and screaming and singing and dancing. If someone walked in, they would think that we’re a bunch of lunatics. But it’s pretty awesome.” For King and many who came before her, acting is a natural progression from modeling. “Stories are really important in helping people learn and relate to each other,” she says. But for now, she’s content to keep modeling as long as she can. “I’m so fascinated by the world we live in and people that inhabit it. I have a job that lets me see parts of the world that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise and meet people that I wouldn’t have met. It makes me really appreciate the things that I have, and it makes me want to be better. It makes me want to do more for the world.” V
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WEST OF EDEN the spirit of the frontier lives on this season with flowing, feminine silhouettes in fashionably delicate fabrics. photography by renĂŠ & radka
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styling by martina nilsson
opposite page: Silk crepon dress, ChloĂŠ ($5,695). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3450; chloe.com. Skinny tie, Ralph Lauren Collection ($215). ralphlauren.com. Red floral necklace (in hand), Dries Van Noten ($1,775). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Suede boots, Gianvito Rossi ($1,025). Barneys New York, see above this page: Yellow and black jacket ($3,950), tweed dress ($5,290), and dark blue crystal and tassel necklace ($990), Lanvin. The Shops at Crystals, 702-982-0245; lanvin.com. Ruffled silk chiffon and organza bib shirt, Oscar de la Renta ($1,390). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3487; oscardelarenta.com. Dreambox studded knee-high laced-up boots, Altuzarra (price on request). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com
Lantern-sleeve lace turtleneck dress, Donna Karan New York ($6,800). The Shops at Crystals, 702-207-2420; donna karan.com. Black lace bustier ($745) and black satin high-waisted panty ($295), Dolce & Gabbana. The Shops at Crystals, 702-431-6614; dolcegabbana.com. Black belt with tassels, Lanvin ($690). The Shops at Crystals, 702-982-0245; lanvin.com. Aqua velvet boots, Dries Van Noten ($735). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com 94  vegasmagazine.com
this page: Coat, Derek Lam (price on request). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Sleeveless ball gown ($8,310) and open-toe boots ($915), Elie Saab. Neiman Marcus, Fashion Show, 702-731-3636; neimanmarcus.com opposite page: Winter white
daisy embroidery dress, Stella McCartney ($4,080). The Shops at Crystals, 702-798-5102; stellamccartney.com. Black lace bustier ($745) and black satin high-waisted panty ($295), Dolce & Gabbana. The Shops at Crystals, 702-431-6614; dolcegabbana.com. Suede lace-up boots, Giambattista Valli ($1,575). Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300; saks.com
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Teint irisé ladder-stitch high-neck dress, Alexander McQueen ($2,645). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3490; alexandermcqueen.com. Les Cuissardes Cabriolet gloves, Perrin Paris ($850). Barneys New York, Grand Canal Shops at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-629-4200; barneys.com. Anneli open-toe boots, Jimmy Choo ($2,395). The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-691-2097; jimmychoo.com beauté: Chanel Perfection Lumière Velvet Foundation in Beige 10 ($47), Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Malice ($45), Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Prélude ($61), and Rouge Allure Intense Long-Wear Lip Colour in Coromandel ($36). Wynn Las Vegas, 702-770-3532; chanel.com. Bumble and bumble Styling Lotion ($29), Thickening Hairspray ($29), and Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil ($39). Globe Salon, 900 S. Las Vegas Blvd., 702-938-4247; bumbleandbumble.com
Styling by Martina Nilsson at Opus Beauty Hair by Laurent Mole at Forward Artists using Bumble and bumble Makeup by Kathy Jeung at Forward Artists using Chanel Model: Erika @ Next Management LA Photography assistance by Adam Rondou
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Luxe .
20 The Luxury Education Foundation’s board members and leaders of our favorite iconic brands—Dior, Graff, Chanel, Hermès, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Lalique—talk about new strategies, core values, and how new talent is driving success. moderated by Hitha Herzog illustrations by Jessica May Underwood photography by Tanya Malott
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Vegas recently sat down with the CEOs and presidents of top luxury brands to get their read on the new luxury economy, how millennials will impact this vital sector, and what’s hot in luxury across the US. The gathering dovetailed with the 10th anniversary of the Luxury Education Foundation (LEF), a public, not-for-proft organization that focuses on educational programs for design and business students at both the undergraduate (Parsons School of Design) and graduate (Columbia Business School) levels. The programs, studying the creation and marketing of luxury goods, also allow students to learn about this highly competitive area of retailing by interacting with senior executives of iconic frms. In turn, these frms beneft by gaining fresh perspectives on their brands from a new generation of talent.
want students to understand that. Today, when you have Raf Simons designing, he’s very involved in the art world, so he collaborates with artists to create fabric for dresses—it modernizes and keeps it going in a very contemporary way. the 2008 fnancial crisis impacted all market sectors. How did your consumer change during the last fve to seven years? rC: I would say nothing changed for Hermès. We found that even during the crisis, customers were willing to invest in certain items. The 2008 holiday season was a very interesting time because we saw very loyal clients still wanting to purchase those investment pieces. vo: We learned that we are not recession-proof. Customers weren’t shopping at the same level. But here’s the thing: For brands like ours—true luxury brands—you don’t start manipulating or changing your approach. So we took a little bit of a hit in 2008, but I think we rebounded very quickly because we didn’t change our formula.
tell us about your relationship to the luxury education Foundation and how your involvement has benefted your brand. robert Chavez: It’s really great to get a new perspective from students. Sometimes when we’ve presented projects and they come back with their observations, we think, Wow, we never looked at it that way. This fall we’ll ask them to focus on the traditional Hermès scarf and come up with new ideas to market and wear it, and to present the scarf digitally in unique and innovative ways.
maz zouhairi: It was similar with us. In 2010, things turned around, and 2011 and 2012 were better years. I would say that the recession did remind us that we have to be relevant, exciting, and fresh to today’s world and time. Luxury is a dream, not a necessity.
vincent ottomanelli: We learn what the students’ perceptions of our brand are from the outside looking in, so we beneft from learning how we can communicate to different generations. Barbara Cirkva: What’s so interesting with LEF is how the program has expanded. Obviously, we’re famous for the Master Class [in which luxury-brand executives work on case studies involving current business situations], and now, over the last several years, we’ve added fve or six different programs. Just 10 days ago, we hosted 25 students from Columbia Business School at Chanel. They spent the day with us so that, from their standpoint, they can understand what happens every day in the world of luxury. What was so rewarding for us on the Chanel side was having the opportunity to interact with the students and learn what was important to them. the maker culture has taken root strongly with millennials in this country. are american students interested in developing craftsmanship skills? or do you fnd that more likely to happen in europe? rC: When you visit the ateliers in France, you’ll be surprised at how youthful many of the new craftspeople are. There’s been this surge in interest of people wanting to do something with their hands, whether it’s making jewelry, working with silk, or stitching leather. With LEF we’re always looking for new programs to offer students, just like the craftsmanship program we launched this year, the 10th program in our 10th year. Pamela Baxter: Students need to be exposed to luxury from the very beginning. You can’t separate craftsmanship from the brand, because it goes back to the beginning of the brand. If you take the Dior brand, it goes back to Christian creating and designing for the brand, and you
Moderator HitHa Herzog Retail Analyst and Contributor, Fox Business Network Panelists Henri Barguirdjian USA CEO and President, Graf Pamela Baxter CEO and President, LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics North America BarBara Cirkva Division President of Fashion, Chanel roBert CHavez CEO and President, Hermès vinCent ottomanelli President and Regional Director, Salvatore Ferragamo maz zouHairi CEO and President, Lalique North America
millennials, the so-called frst generation of “digital natives,” are projected to be the biggest generation of spenders since the boomers. However, millennials are dealing with economic issues that boomers didn’t have to—a long-term slow-growth economy, which is postponing their arrival at certain levels of affuence. they have more debt and less spending power than other generations did at equivalent ages. How are you marketing to them versus how you market to boomers or their successors, gen x? PB: If you look at brands like Chanel and Dior, we are seeing new, young couture clients every day. There is always going to be that customer where there’s no price ceiling—they want something that’s exclusive to them.
“Communicating with social media makes our lives easier because you get instant reaction.” —henri barguirdjian, usa ceo and president, graff
Graff necklace
HIGHER LEARNING How the Luxury Education Foundation nourishes emerging talent and tomorrow’s leaders.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Luxury Education Foundation was established to help students acquire the specialized skills needed to succeed in luxury Chanel clutch
retail. Since LEF’s founding,
RC: We’re not seeing as many millennials as we’d like to. And who we do see are at an entry price point. So it’s their first scarf, first tie, first watch. Regardless of age, there is one consistency: People are genuinely interested in quality and craftsmanship. They want something that is very well made, that’s going to last a long time. But, for example, in the case of ties, a younger customer wants a thinner tie—same quality, just thinner.
more than 500 students from
BC: I think it’s less a generational issue than a lifestyle issue. There are certain badges of honor you want to acquire at different stages in your life. For some individuals, it might be 10 days at an Aman resort. For other people, it’s going to be a Chanel haute couture dress or handbag, or something from Dior or Lalique. But it’s much more individual than it was in the boomer years, where there was more consistency to “what’s your first badge, what’s your second badge?” Today it’s based more on personality and lifestyle.
about half have gone on to
MZ: It’s also about having collaborations that are relevant to a younger audience. All brands are searching for ways to be relevant to the millennials. In terms of being more relevant, I recently visited a Graff store in Vegas and found Beats by Dre headphones with Graff diamonds on them! Henri Barguirdjian: The idea of doing something with Beats by Dre was a cool way to show that we’re not old and stodgy; we can also be hip— so there you go. It was a fun collaboration. VO: It’s interesting what you did with the Beats product. The heritage of our brands is about product. I don’t think it’s necessarily generational; it’s about the quality and the craftsmanship that each of our brands represent. We have been around for over 100 years and everything we do has to be product-focused, and then secondly, it’s how can we communicate that to stimulate [interest from] different generations?
the Columbia Business School and Parsons School of Design have taken courses focusing on the creation and marketing of luxury goods;
work in the sector. The number of executives and brands involved—among them Cadillac, Chanel, Cartier, Dior, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton—has grown significantly over the last decade, like the global goods market itself (worth more than $950 billion in 2014). LEF offers 10 classes, such as Corporate Classroom, in which students spend the day at the headquarters of
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MZ: It depends on the audience. Some of the younger consumers are attracted by celebrities, and that’s their way into a luxury brand like Graff or Lalique. Our classic luxury consumer varies also. There are those who want the limited, one-of-a-kind product, and there are those who want something not limited but with the same levels of craftsmanship and effort behind the design. HB: Our customers want pieces that are understated but with gems of extreme rarity and quality. Nothing ostentatious—I hate to use the word “bling.” What is the consumer buying in the luxury category? What are the hottest items to have this year? BC: We are seeing growth in ready-to-wear and, more specifically, in knitwear. Additionally, shoes continue to be an area of growth for the brand, and the newest US Chanel boutiques feature dedicated shoe salons, which showcase the breadth of the shoe collection. RC: Our single best category this year is the home area. We are finding an exorbitant interest and increase in our home business—decorative items, accessories, furniture. It seems that people really want this Hermès lifestyle in their homes. HB: There is such scarce supply to demand, and our customers are looking for pieces with great rarity and value. This year our Butterfly line [in which gems for jewelry and timepieces are crafted with butterfly shapes] has done extremely well. MZ: We’re investing significantly in the Lalique Art Division. Collaborations with the Yves Klein Foundation, Anish Kapoor, Zaha Hadid, Rembrandt Bugatti, Elton John, and Damien Hirst have helped drive interest from a younger customer.
luxury brands for a glimpse of day-to-day operations, and the new Luxury Craftsmanship Workshop, established this year, in which design students
What do you think are the priorities for luxury customers today? Have buying patterns changed? Lifestyles are more casual. Everything is global. RC: People want to make a subtler statement. Society has
become a bit over the top in terms of celebrity status. I’m just fascinated by this. It’s like, how much less can you wear to a black-tie affair today? And it’s getting crazier and crazier. So you know it’s reaching a tipping point with people starting to think, Wow, where does this all end? I think the real big change with millennials is the concept of less is more. They don’t want lots of anything; they just want a few very good things. And fortunately for us, it plays into who we are. If you’re just going to have one, let me have the best one that I can have.
participate in a two-week program with master artisans CONTINUED ON PAGE 104
What does the luxury customer want today and how are you addressing these wants? HB: I think that there are two things happening. Number one, new consumers have educated themselves very quickly and their knowledge of our world and our product is very impressive. If anything, the whole new way of Hermès scarf
Moderator Hitha Herzog greets Maz Zouhairi as (from left) Barbara Cirkva, Vincent Ottomanelli, and Pamela Baxter look on. top right: Baxter. bottom right: Robert Chavez.
“Las Vegas has been very, very good [for us]. There’s just a constant influx of tourists. And the beautiful thing is it’s not just about the gambling anymore.” —robert chavez, ceo and president, hermès
Ferragamo heel
Henri Barguirdjian. left: Cirkva.
from LEF brands. But it’s
Class—who each work on a design and marketing case study prepared by a luxury firm—who may see their efforts make it to the marketplace. This year, for instance, participants involved in a Lalique case study repurposed the iconic Dior handbag
Mossi vase design as a shot glass. Other groups created
communicating with social media makes our lives easier because you get instant reaction whether you’re doing something right or wrong. Usually you hear much more about the wrong than the right, but it doesn’t matter. It’s information that is thrown out there by the thousands, which before, you had no way of knowing. It becomes an important element of how we react to our clients. BC: When we survey customers after a shopping experience in our own stores, one thing that’s always consistent, and I’m always amazed that it doesn’t change, is how they’re hungry for more of the story. When you say, “What would have made your experience better?,” it’s always that they want to know more of the story. The story of the brand, or Coco Chanel, or that handbag.... Today brands are global, but how do you market to your customers differently from city to city? How does the product mix differ from store to store? PB: I think it’s a matter of lifestyle, so yes, we do merchandise the stores very differently. For example, in Miami, they like a lot more color. VO: Believe it or not, we sell more shearling coats in South Beach than we do in New York City. So you have to be ready for surprises like that in every market. BC: We all just have one brand collection, so we don’t create specific things for other markets, but we might tailor our assortments for them. But I have to say, if there’s something that’s really hot and key on the runway, it’s hot everywhere, everybody wants it. So if it’s very heavyweight, and you’re in California, you still have to have it. HB: Jewelry moves much more slowly than fashion; we don’t have six collections a year. The trends in jewelry go from decade to decade. When you acquire a piece of high jewelry, there has to be a perennial aspect to it, that it’s going to work for years and eventually become a family heirloom. Having said that, yes, you sell much more conservative, understated jewelry in Chicago. The Beats by Dre items are fun in Vegas. You’ll sell more colorful jewelry in Florida than you do in other places.
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My Travel Games—a game carrier for Loro Piana’s gift collection—or responded to Van Cleef & Arpels’s challenge to produce jewelry with a spring theme. Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, president of LEF, notes that
MZ: In Miami, where there’s a more Latin influence, there are other aspects that depend on lifestyle. The Latin culture is much more about weddings. RC: The majority, about 65 percent, of our customers in New York are local. Las Vegas has also been very, very good. There’s just a constant influx of tourists, both domestic and international, that continue to visit the city. And the beautiful thing about Las Vegas is it’s not just about the gambling anymore, as everyone knows. It’s really—it’s an experience. You have some of the best restaurants in the world there, you have great hotels, lots of spa treatments. You look at the Mandarin Oriental. People are going there for relaxation, and it’s hard to believe that you would use the words “relaxation” and “Las Vegas” in the same sentence. But you see that now, and those are the experiences that people are creating for these visitors. How has corporate sustainability factored into the marketing of your brand? HB: It’s part of our DNA and part of what we do. The jewelry industry in particular has been, should we say, targeted more than others. It forced the industry in general and then the individual companies to send out the message that this isn’t the way we do things. PB: Younger generations, and particularly the millennials, are very interested in sustainable practices and ask a lot of questions about where you’re sourcing materials, or how you’re producing. All our companies that have
the Master Class “allows students to experience why a true collaboration between design and business is the basis for success in the luxury industry.” Some of the results are so spot-on, they’re picked up by the firms. One LEF team transferred Hermès’s Balcon du Guadalquivir porcelain pattern to an enamel bracelet. Today it is an Hermès best seller. —Suzanne Charlé
FROM LEFT:
The Hermès Balcon du Guadalquivir Collection.
Barguirdjian, Cirkva, Ottomanelli, Baxter, and Zouhairi.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA DEMIDOVA (HERMÈS, PANEL); COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON (AKHOB)
the students in the Master
“All brands are searching for ways to be relevant to the millennials.”
Diversifying Luxury Las Vegas’s reputation as the high-end shopping mecca for international visitors continues to escalate, despite a strengthening dollar.
—maz zouhairi, ceo and president, lalique north america
been around for 50 to 100 years have to have responsibility, credibility, and follow-through on these topics, because they’re going to get more and more important as the customer gets younger and younger. BC: Another aspect of sustainability is an approach we started taking 10 years ago of buying small artisanal [businesses] where the craft itself was in danger of becoming extinct. I think many of you have done the same thing. Mr. Lagerfeld creates the Métiers d’art collection once a year—that only uses those fve to six specialist houses. When we think about sustainability longterm—and for all of us, the story of our brand is so much tied to what is unique and special—giving these people a lifeline, if you will, to continue their craft is what it’s about as well. V
For years, Las Vegas has been packing all the biggest players in luxury retail onto its four-mile strip, including multiple locations of some of the world’s most exclusive brands. There’s a good reason for the heavy concentration of stores from Tiffany & Co. (four within walking distance of each other), Louis Vuitton (three, also a quick stroll apart), and Chanel (three, two of them within Wynn and encore), and that’s market demand. according to the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors authority, of the 41 million travelers who arrived in Vegas in 2014, 61 percent went shopping. only a decade or so ago, shopping was something to keep gamers’ bored significant others occupied. now many international visitors come to Las Vegas exclusively to buy luxury items—a trend that doesn’t seem to be waning as the dollar strengthens. still, retailers know that to compete with all the entertaining options on the strip, they must provide a bit of extra service, and maybe some entertainment of their own, to keep visitors engaged. enter private lounge areas; entertainment venues; a free (with reservations), permanent James Turrell art installation (Akhob,
shown above)
at Louis
Shopping used to be something to keep gamers’ bored significant others occupied. Now many visitors come to Vegas exclusively to buy luxury items.
Vuitton’s store at The shops at Crystals, its largest in north america; a personal liaison with fashion houses for couture clients staying at Wynn, which will even provide a villa to accommodate fittings; and a concierge service at The Forum shops that will arrange translators for more than 25 languages for shoppers from around the world. Perhaps the most significant trend in the last several years, however, has been fashion houses’ willingness to bypass the usual cities to establish their first Us boutiques in Las Vegas (like givenchy, which opened at Wynn last year). Meanwhile, less-expected brands—such as Mulberry, nicholas Kirkwood, and Charlotte olympia—continue to enter the city’s retail crush at a snappy pace, not only luring well-heeled locals seeking greater variety, but also offering only-inVegas exclusives for trophy-hunting visitors. and while you’re here, look for those graff diamond-encrusted headphones.—Andrea Bennett
Haute ProPerty
Modern Utility
A stunning home in the ridges reshApes contemporAry VegAs desert Architecture. by t.r. witcher
PhotograPhy by bryan hainer
When orthopedic surgeon Tom Kim was contemplating the design of his home in The Ridges, in the foothills west of Las Vegas, he knew what he didn’t want. “I did not want it to be a cookie-cutter house,” he says. “I wanted a lot of versatile rooms.” Working with strong, earthy materials like concrete, ash wood, and black steel and a palette of black, gray, and blue, architect Eric Strain, a principal in the frm assemblageStudio (assemblagestudio.com), designed a cool, confdent essay in contemporary Vegas residential architecture.
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The kitchen sits between two living rooms with high ceilings and plenty of light; even the bathroom (below) welcomes the outdoors.
“WhAT’S ReALLy niCe ABouT The houSe iS ThAT The RoomS ARe SizeD CoRReCTLy. They’Re veRy humAnSCALeD AnD ComFoRTABLe To Be in.” —eric strain Kim gave us a tour of his home one evening as thunderstorms ripped across the city, transforming the Strip into a series of moody, charcoal silhouettes— and making the house glitter in the dynamic light. Kim and his girlfriend moved into the nearly 5,000-square-foot residence in 2013. As configured, the building has four bedrooms and four and a half baths. From the street, it appears divided in two. The double-height single-story southern half contains the public areas—two living rooms and a kitchen—while
the two-story northern half features the garage, the bedrooms, and an offce. Connecting the two is the main entry space, which leads into the dining room. Above the entry, a small roof deck provides views of the city and the mountains. The softly angled exterior walls of the public half are clad in black steel panels—a daring move given the desert heat. Strain notes that in the summer, you can feel the heat of the exterior from six feet away, but the interior walls are cool. How? The walls are pitched and angled on top, which causes the top to heat up more than the base, creating natural air convection over the wall. In short, heat is dissipated in the air rather than in the home. In addition, the steel panels are angled to match the line of a hill to the south and have undertones of blue, this added texture giving the house an effortless aura of gravitas. The rest of the exterior utilizes cinder blocks, concrete-like plaster, and dark-stained ash, which is perhaps the most signifcant material in the home. The horizontal sunscreens that protect the balconies and patios are made of ash, as is the flooring upstairs. Most notably, an ash-clad wall separates the kitchen from the dining room. The public space features two comfortable living areas at either end, both with high ceilings, which have recessed squares that help break up the mass and dampen noise. A functionally designed kitchen sits between them, with a dropped ceiling that helps defne the spaces and keeps the rooms from feeling
too cavernous. Cabinets and extra fridge space line one side of the kitchen, which features two islands clad in Caesarstone. For parties, people can easily move down one side of the kitchen while food is being cooked on the other. The downstairs wraps around a complex of water features: a hot tub tucked discreetly beneath a large overhang, a wet deck, and a pool. The main rooms all open to the outside, including a downstairs bedroom. A spare room in the rear of the house, with a striking blue wall, faces the pool. When the sun is out, light refects off the water and creates a shimmering effect across the whole ceiling. Throughout the house, design touches serve to support the architecture and occasionally offer a counterpoint. The corner of one of the living rooms features a red, foor lamp–size replica of the famous Anglepoise 1227 desk lamp, giving the public space a dash of whimsy. At the edge of the pool stands the striking skeleton of a saguaro cactus; the Sonoran Desert plant doesn’t fare well in the colder Mojave, but in petrifed form it adds a nice grace note. The stairwell wall is covered in an ingenious grid of vertical and horizontal lines scored into the plaster. Andy Warhol prints and a Grace Kelly– themed work by street artist Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) line the walls of the upstairs game room. There are no baseboards in the residence, which lends its rooms the clarity of a museum. “It’s well detailed,” Strain says. “It’s not overdone.” His point is driven home in an upstairs bedroom that features a striking window box: a square of glass set in a black metal frame. From the outside, the window provides a strong accent to the home’s façade; inside, it sits low on the wall, giving the room the compositional coolness of an art gallery. But when you’re lying on the bed, the window lines up perfectly, with the metal frame directing light, especially in the summer. “What’s really nice about the house is that the rooms are sized correctly,” Strain says. “They’re very human-scaled and comfortable to be in, and they’re usable.” V
re: sources
Design globally, shop locally. ghost plant Saguaro skeletons are widely available. Cactus Joe’s (12740 Blue Diamond Road; 702-875-1968; cactusjoelasvegas.com) sells them in different sizes from between $699 to $2,500. light it up A giant-size Angelpoise 1227 lamp
is now available at Lumens (877-445-4486; lumens.com) for $3,750. art fare Kim purchased a number of his prints from the Martin Lawrence Gallery (The Forum Shops at Caesars; 702-991-5990; martin lawrence.com), which sells art from modern masters such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol.
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ABODE & BEYOND
LIGHT IT UP
KELLY WEARSTLER APPROACHED HER DESIGN FOR THE LOBBY OF THE MARTIN MUCH AS SHE DID HER NEW LIGHTING COLLECTION: IT’S ALL ABOUT ENHANCING MOTHER NATURE’S WORK. BY ADAM BAER Whether serving as a judge on Bravo’s Top Design, authoring best-selling books for Rizzoli, or crafting the interiors of a hot new hotel, Kelly Wearstler, well-known for her modified Hollywood Regency style, has spent nearly two decades in the design spotlight. And now this torchbearer for modern chic—and the designer of the common spaces in the Vegas condo complex The Martin (themartin.com)—has a new lighting collection. “There is no trump to incredible natural light,” Wearstler says.
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“But manufactured lighting can provide highlights and add rich texture. When the two achieve a harmony, it allows the mood of a space to transition from day to night with a certain symmetry.” The Kelly Wearstler Lighting Collection, now available in her online store and from Vegas’s LMS Design Group (lms designgroup.com), was born of Wearstler’s passion for textured stones, mixed metals, cast glass, alabaster, marble, and organic forms and scales. “The collection includes any number of
combinations and solutions for truly any space,” she says. “It’s a broad spectrum.” At The Martin, Wearstler took a contemporary approach, with midcentury touches that harmonize with her lighting. “The materiality includes everything from mixed metals in blackened steel, brass, and bronze to mohair and leather upholstery,” she notes. “Graphic marble-pattern floors and cerused woods add rich texture and depth alongside commissioned paintings by Chris DiVincente and Gilad Ben-Artzi. The vibe
is about mixology, alluding to history in a way that feels new and distinctive.” Wearstler is particularly focused on creating lighting products that work together in myriad combinations. “The pieces carry a cohesive voice and complement one another in different ways,” she says. “Some are statement pieces, and others possess a more innocuous, quiet point of view.” The designs are sculptural, but producing exceptionally beautiful light remains a priority for Wearstler. “Our impetus was to employ silhouettes that embody the most elegant lighting combinations,” she explains. In the collection, look to the Zephyr line for fluted
glass and rich metal, Melange for alabaster pieces crafted like jewelry, Precision for perforated metal that diffuses and reflects light, and Utopia for an interpretation of California’s coastal landscape, while Strada is inspired by kaleidoscopes and shadows, and Cubist reflects her appreciation for Alexander Calder’s mobiles. For design mavens who think of Wearstler mainly for furniture and soft goods, her views on lighting may force you to reconsider. “There is nothing sexier than the right lighting,” she says. “Design is storytelling. It’s elevating the everyday to [the level] of art. And for me, it’s sort of falling in love over and over again.” kellywearstler.com V
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK EDWARD HARRIS (WEARSTLER); COURTESY OF THE MARTIN (LOBBY); COURTESY OF KELLY WEARSTLER (CHANDELIER)
CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Kelly Wearstler; her large Cubist chandelier in an aged iron color ($3,150); the lobby of The Martin.
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MINIMAL EFFORT, MAXIMUM EFFECT
KERA CAMP’S MIX INTERIOR DESIGN MARRIES ECLECTICISM AND ELEGANCE. BY T.R. WITCHER Las Vegas interior designer Kera Camp was born with the design gene. “I was the weird kid who moved all my family’s furniture around,” she says. In high school, the parents of Camp’s friends hired her to pick paint colors and furniture. The California native came here to study design at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, and she worked as a designer in the hospitality industry before founding her own firm, Mix Interior Design. Mix handles just about everything: from gut rehabs of vintage condos at the Regency to finding just the right finishing touches for a remodeled kitchen or bath. “I like a mix of styles,” Camp says in explaining the company’s name. “I like mixing old with new.” She has also been known to spot cool items that people are prepared to throw away. With their blessing, she takes this “trash” and turns it into sanded, reupholstered, and restained gold. “I’m resourceful that way.” 3360 Wynn Road, 702-496-6005; mixinteriordesign.com V
ADULT FLOAT
Designed by Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates, this 13.5-foot-long “floating” sofa ($11,500) is the perfect social centerpiece for your next cocktail party. It’s bookended by a pair of Z-shaped parquet end tables. Coasters sold separately. Patina, 1300 S. Main St., 702-776-6222; patinadecorlv.com
CONE OF SILENCE DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS’S LIVING PENTHOUSE features high-end interior furniture and furnishings displayed in a twofloor penthouse inside the Soho Lofts—but you can see it only by appointment (702-340-0680). One of its most striking items is the Almora chair, a revolving chair consisting of two conical plastic shells. It’s a modern interpretation of the Charles Eames chair, from the British design studio Doshi Levien for B&B Italia (bebitalia.com) . “It’s very modern; it’s very sleek,” says Roberto Leyva, director of the Living Penthouse. “It’s the type of chair that you look at and you wonder how it was made.” Prices start at $10,887; the matching ottoman starts at $2,606.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE J. CALDWELL, COURTESY OF KERA CAMP (CAMP); HERMÈS (PLATE); RIVER NORTH (LAMP); PATINA (SOFA); B&B ITALIA (ALMORA)
Mix Master
Inspired by the fine dyeing and weaving techniques of ikat fabric, the new Voyage en Ikat collection from Hermès features a complete porcelain dinner service in saturated, intertwined shades of emerald, ruby, and sapphire. In homage to the journey such designs took along the Silk Road, the collection draws upon eclectic sources—Japanese motifs, Byzantine patterns, even 18thcentury French exoticism—and its pieces are trimmed in 24k matte gold for a finish befitting royalty. The Shops at Crystals, 702-8938900; hermes.com
As clear as the light at noon in Las Vegas, the Nickel Teardrop floor lamp ($936) features a large, teardrop-shaped glass shade hanging from a steel base. Sometimes less really is more. River North, Tivoli Village, 702-331-0344; rivernorthlv.com
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HERE’S TO THE FUTURE. To the next step in a dance with all that is timeless and memorable. Here’s to what we’ve created here: this place, these dreams, this life. Two and a half decades of the fnest living this valley has ever known. And here’s to the curtain rising on the next dramatic act in this breathtaking story. The next chapter of a love story written by visionaries, dreamers and families. It will no doubt be written in steel, stone and earth... But also in shopping bags, play dates and grass stains. Now the heart and soul of this valley has a new heart of its own. Downtown Summerlin®. Another glowing beacon to all who look toward the red rocks and yearn for a better lifestyle. Here’s to the dream coming true all over again in new ways and new places.
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GUIDE The chimichurri mahi mahi is pan-roasted; served on a bed of black beans, sautéed zucchini, red peppers, and onions; and topped with cilantro chimichurri sauce and a pickled carrot, onion, and orange salad.
DOG Days
photography by rebecca SimmS
Downtown Summerlin’S Lazy Dog RestauRant & BaR aDDS an alwayS-been-here neighborhooD feel to the planneD community’S inStant city center. by al mancini For dog owners, few experiences are as tranquil as relaxing in a comfortable chair with your pet lounging contentedly at your feet. And until now, the kind of homey, small-town business that welcomes dogs as well as humans had been hard to find in Vegas’s strip-malled neighborhoods. Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar may be the city’s first major dog-friendly eatery. Well-behaved pups are welcome on the patio, where the servers provide them with free bowls of water to alleviate the Vegas heat. If they’re hungry after a long day of exploring the massive shopping center, the doggie menu features bowls of brown rice, either alone or with a hamburger patty or grilled chicken. The restaurant wants its human customers, dog lovers or not, to feel just as welcome and comfortable. The
pet-free interior conjures images of a mountain lodge with its exposed wood beams and allusions to cowboy culture. Outside, you can gather with friends around the fire pit at night and enjoy the stars through the skylight above. The food here is recognizable, but there’s more attention paid to detail than you might expect. The edamame are seasoned with the Japanese spice mix togarashi. The turkey meatballs contain a smattering of pine nuts. The mahi mahi is served with a cilantro chimichurri sauce. The chicken Sriracha sandwich boasts a Vietnamese-style slaw. Even the bar mixers are prepared fresh daily. Lazy Dog is basically an ideal spot to sit, give your feet (or paws) a rest, and meet your neighbors. 1725 Festival Plaza Dr., 702-727-4784; lazydogrestaurants.com V
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guiDe imbibe
Up in the Air As summer in vegAs drAws to A close, tAke in the views from one of these sky-high bArs And lounges. Commonwealth If you can manage to steal away from this chandelier-lit lounge’s main room or secret bar-within-a-bar, The Laundry Room, head straight up the stairs to the intimate outdoor patio offering a glittery panorama of Downtown Las Vegas. The exposed brick, wroughtiron benches, and twinkling string lights feel as urban as the rooftop bars of New York or Los Angeles. 525 E. Fremont St., 702-445-6400; commonwealthlv.com
Foundation Room From the carved mahogany and gilded mirrors to the Indian tapestries and bronze Buddha statues, Mandalay Bay’s Foundation Room is an up-in-the-clouds hideaway that’s not short on ambience. Perched on the hotel’s 43rd floor, the exclusive club
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offers what many have deemed the most spectacular view of the Strip, as well as a dine-in menu and eclectic live entertainment, including Hawaiian luaus and burlesque shows. Mandalay Bay, 702-6327631; mandalaybay.com
Ghostbar Ghostbar’s moody lounge and open-air patio, complete with white leather banquettes for optimal stargazing, have sustained the excitement about one of the city’s original boutique nightclubs, which opened 14 years ago. It still occupies the same space on the 55th floor of the Palms Casino Resort’s Ivory Tower and remains a hot spot for the young, ultrastylish set hoping to catch a glimpse of the Vegas skyline in its entirety. Palms Casino Resort, 702-942-6832; palms.com
Mandarin Bar Take a seat beside one of the Mandarin Bar’s floor-to-ceiling windows and you’ll have some of the clearest angles on the Strip’s most spectacular sights, including the dramatic architecture of CityCenter and Paris Las Vegas’s Eiffel Tower replica. Come for the views, but stay for the seasonal craft cocktails (including drinks made to complement signs of the zodiac), boozy teas, and live jazz. Mandarin Oriental, 888-881-9367; mandarinoriental.com
Oscar’s What better crash course on retro Vegas could there be than a night at Oscar’s? The glass-domed restaurant looks directly into the mouth of Fremont Street, offering front-row views of the vintage hotels and casinos that turned Sin City into what it is today. Ask for former mayor Oscar B. Goodman’s signature drink, a classic gin martini garnished with garlic-stuffed olives. Plaza Hotel Casino, 702-386-7227; plazahotelcasino.com
Radius Rooftop Pool & Wet Lounge The Stratosphere’s Level 107 Lounge and the AirBar on Level 108 may be the hotel’s two loftiest places to grab a drink, but the rooftop pool Radius, located on the 25th floor, is its newest. You’ll recline in the shadow of the massive Stratosphere Tower at this boutique-style tropical lounge, where the stunning vistas of Red Rock Canyon may steal your attention away from the Strip. Stratosphere, 702-380-7777; stratospherehotel.com
Drink it in
Mixologist Dan Marohnic gives us a taste of what he’s serving at the Downtown bar Commonwealth. As we wrap up summer, are there any seasonal drinks we need to try at Commonwealth before they’re gone? for the gents, we have the kentucky squeeze, a mix of bourbon, citrus, and mint, and for the ladies, the little hot mess, which includes vodka, raspberry, fresh lime, and muddled strawberries. What’s one drink we absolutely have to order off the Commonwealth menu the next time we stop in? the london commons. there’s just something about the aroma of gin bubbling up over fresh cucumber and citrus. Any recommendations for a simple warm-weather drink we can make at home? i always recommend taking the classics and dressing them up for the season. try shaking up cucumber, watermelon, or mint into a traditional daiquiri, margarita, or tom collins.
Vista Cocktail Lounge
VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub
We all know that Vegas’s skyline is one of a kind, but what about those of cities like New York and Tokyo? Save your frequent-flyer miles and head to Hakkasan Group’s new Art Deco– style Vista Cocktail Lounge, located in the center of Caesars Palace’s ground-floor casino, where humongous LED screens disguised as windows showcase the cityscapes of international hubs. Caesars Palace, 702-7317852; caesars.com
VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub’s winding steel staircase and curved brick patio are two of the Rio’s main draws, and the views aren’t the only reason why. Signature drinks like the Witch Doctor, a fishbowlsize rum cocktail topped with foggy dry ice, have developed just as much of a following as the 51st-floor club’s multilevel scenic overlooks. Rio Las Vegas, 702-7776875; caesars.com V
photography courtesy of stratosphere
Unlike many other Las Vegas pools, at Radius the best sights are not all clad in bikinis.
guide Beauty
Oh, You Pretty Things the city with the shiniest veneer doesn’t take beauty lightly—and neither do our favorite cosmetics boutiques. Chanel Beauty The first of Chanel’s beauty boutiques to hit the United States, this blink-and-you’llmiss-it space also carries the brand’s nail polish, fragrance, and eyewear collections. Lightbox mirrors adjust to mimic the transition between day and night, while Vegas-exclusive cosmetic services make good use of Chanel’s limited-edition offerings, like the sheer Les Beiges and ballet-themed La Perle de Chanel collections. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-735-2555; chanel.com
Dior Beauty
photography by brad swonetz (wynn)); courtesy of bobbi brown (brown)
Another domestic retail rarity, Dior Beauty’s store at the Grand Canal Shoppes features two full walls of the luxury label’s iconic perfumes and colognes,
makeup, and antiaging skincare products. So whether you’re running low on the popular Diorshow mascara or just want to experiment with a new fragrance—maybe one from the hard-to-find La Collection Privée?—you can take comfort in the knowledge that Dior’s expert team has you covered. Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702-734-1102; dior.com
Guerlain One of the oldest perfumeries in the world is now also known for its spectacularly designed cosmetics, and they’re all up for grabs at Guerlain’s salonlike boutique inside the Grand Canal Shoppes. The store carries the bulk of the brand’s line, from collectible
perfumes and face creams to the beloved Terracotta baked bronzers and Météorites compacts, filled with loose “pearls” in metallic pastel tones. Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian and Palazzo, 702732-7008; guerlain.com
L Makeup Institute A store for professionals, attached to an academy dedicated to makeup artistry, the boutique at L Makeup Institute offers the brands that working makeup artists actually use, such as Make Up For Ever, Kryolan, Ben Nye, and Cinema Secrets. Plus: Halloween-ready tools like prosthetics and fake blood, false eyelashes, and shelves of high-quality brushes. 5525 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-685-9298; lmakeupinstitute.com
Nars The many products in boundary-breaking makeup artist François Nars’s colorful empire are housed inside this flagship store at The Forum Shops. Find all the velvety lip pencils, cheekily named blushes, and ultrapigmented eye shadows your heart desires, and rest assured you’ll be helped by artists who have been trained by Nars himself. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-749-1541; narscosmetics.com
Wynn Beauty Collection Wynn’s beauty boutique may have a new name (you might remember it as Apothecary), but the shop continues to stock a curated selection of fragrances, skincare products, and cosmetics from luxury brands like Penhaligon’s, Laura Mercier, and Tom Ford Beauty. Ford’s cosmetics can also be found in the new Wynn Collection boutique and the Salons at Wynn and Encore. Wynn Las Vegas, 702-7707000; wynnlasvegas.com V
Find an expansive selection of Tom Ford Beauty products at Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.
Makeup Maven
Beauty pioneer Bobbi Brown talks to Vegas about technique— and her new Telluride Collection. How can we use your new collection for a smoky-eye look? “choose a light-to-medium matte shadow from the telluride eye Palette and apply it from lash to crease. then choose your favorite shimmery shadow from the palette and layer that on top of the matte shadow, also from lash to crease. apply the caviar ink long-wear gel eyeliner to the upper lash line using a liner brush, as close to the base of the lashes as possible, and apply what’s left on the brush to the bottom lash line. to fnish the eyes, apply a few coats of smokey eye mascara to the top lashes and one coat to the bottom lashes.” What are your warm-weather must-haves? “my bb cream sPf 35, because it’s your fve-in-one product for fawless summer skin; my long-wear gel eyeliner; and my Pot rouge, because it’s an on-the-go touch-up tool that’ll give cheeks the perfect glow and a tint of color to the lips.” Vegas is an up-all-night town. Any tips for looking fresh the morning after? “drink lots of water, apply moisturizer, and use an undereye concealer—it’s my secret to the universe!” Available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Fashion Show, 702-733-8300; saks.com; bobbibrowncosmetics.com
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INVITED Katherine Kelley
// talent patrol //
BEYOND BEAUTY DURING THE PAGEANT’S TALENT COMPETITION, THE 14 CONTESTANTS VYING FOR THE TITLE OF MISS NEVADA
Andrea Bennett, Susan Anton, Ardi Najmabadi, and Larry Smith
2015 DAZZLED THE AUDIENCE WITH PIANO SOLOS, OPERATIC ARIAS, CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE NUMBERS, THEATRICAL MONOLOGUES, AND MORE. Alexis Hilts
MISS NEVADA 2015 FOR THE FIRST TIME , the Miss Nevada pageant took over Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center for an afternoon showcasing the poise and talent of the 14 young women vying for the title. Hosting duties were assumed by Clint Holmes and Kelly Clinton, who introduced the contestants and their philanthropic platforms before commencing the separate swimsuit, talent, evening gown, and interview rounds. After the judges—including Susan Anton; Miss Nevada 1995, Jennifer Lier; and Vegas magazine’s editorin-chief, Andrea Bennett—submitted their scores, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell; the pageant’s newly installed executive director, Jodi Hale Fonfa; and executive committee members Audra Baldwin, Larry Smith, and Vanessa Houssels took the stage to present Katherine Kelley the title of Miss Nevada 2015 and Lauren Watson the title of Miss Nevada Outstanding Teen 2015.
Jodi Hale Fonfa and Audra Baldwin
Lauren Watson
Sydney Nelson
Vanessa Houssels and Jerry Metellus
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Aubree Christensen and Caroline Lambert
Contestants during the opening number
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RAY ALAMO OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JEFF RAGAZZO
Angelica Bustos
Robert and Diana Levy
Amy Strodl, Lindsay Cleveland, and Erin Phillips
Karla and Julian Perez
THERAPY GRAND OPENING VEGAS’S HEAVY HITTERS, including Mayor
Carolyn Goodman and Tony Hsieh, flocked to Downtown’s newest gastropub, Therapy, to celebrate its grand opening. Welcomed by owners Jared Weiss and Sig Rogich, the guests toured the loftlike space and sampled chef Daniel Ontiveros’s shareable American dishes, such as fire-roasted street corn and sliders made with fried chicken and red-velvet waffles.
Jared Weiss, Tony Hsieh, and Nicholas Jarecki
Chase Kolebuck and Alexis Desilva Zach and Klover Kallas
Jackie Von Tobel, Trudi Flangas, and Britten Lawrence Lauren and Jared Weiss with Mayor Carolyn Goodman, Britten Lawrence, and Sig Rogich
Mike and Judy Desilva with Jannell and Ron Orr
Brad Mainor and Susie Draney
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INVITED Jewelry by Harry Winston
Judy Stone, Elizabeth Sewell, and Brittany McCoy
Suzanne Nakata, Gina Tulimero, and Gina Ruggieri
HARRY WINSTON SALON DEBUT AT BELLAGIO VEGAS MAGAZINE and Harry Winston
toasted the opening of the luxury jeweler’s new salon at Via Bellagio with a lavish cocktail soirée benefiting Communities in Schools of Nevada. Led by cohostesses Susie
Lauren Browne Sugars and Susie Lee
Marsha Sharpe and Rockell WilliamsonRudder
Lee and Lauren Browne Sugars, guests of the stylish reception perused the boutique’s collection while sipping Champagne from Veuve Clicquot and indulging in a variety of gourmet hors d’oeuvres.
Arda Yemenidjian, Andre Agassi, and Alex Yemenidjian
Michael Severino, Jim Murren, and Bob Spivak
Stacie and Chuck Mathewson
PUBLIC SCHOOL 702 GRAND OPENING DOWNTOWN SUMMERLIN’S NEWEST culinary addition,
Marja Marting, Jessica Depaz, and Ivana Grahovac
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Public School 702, celebrated its debut with a private grandopening party hosted by tennis champion Andre Agassi. Attendees enjoyed an exclusive preview of the gastropub, its farm-to-table menu, and its robust selection of craft beers, all while raising funds for UNLV and Transforming Youth Recovery, a local philanthropic organization dedicated to assisting students struggling with addiction and the recovery process. Larry and Camille Ruvo
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RAY ALAMO (HARRY WINSTON); COURTESY OF TONY TRAN (PS 702)
Iris Zhou, Alvin Jia, and Veronica Gonzalez
A CELEBRATION OF THE AUTOMOTIVE OBSESSION HUNDREDS OF CARS SELLING AT NO RESERVE
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PARTING SHOT
Las Vegas—Fashion Liberator It’s not just the epIcenter of entertaInment; Vegas Is also the epIcenter of entertaInIng fashIon choIces. by mark ellwood to fashion pratfalls. Sporting slicked-down hair and popped-up collars, they move from slot machine to gaming table with the knowing swagger of Derek Zoolander closing Mugatu’s runway. Such fashion faux pas are perhaps unexpected, given the investment Las Vegas has made in style. This is a town where one mall is named for the fashion shows it stages every weekend, while another, the Forum Shops, banks more than $1,500 per square foot each year, making it one of the most lucrative in America. The Rat Pack’s slick look was smelted in Vegas, their slim-ft tuxedos and shiny shoes synonymous with sharp dressing, while the gown-heavy wardrobe that Sharon Stone wore in Casino recalled the glamorous elegance of Sin City’s women during the same era. This is the city where Magic happens, that twice-yearly confab where the rag trade and the world’s retailers come together to set the must-sell trends for the coming season. Somehow, though, few visitors hit the fashion jackpot in Las Vegas. But instead of sneering at the sequined new arrivals, perhaps we should ape them instead. Carey oozes a woozy selfconfdence as she determinedly pours herself into every sheath. This diva knows
how she likes to dress. Steering the same course for more than two decades, she sloughs off red-carpet snark. Carey has a showgirl’s shameless soul, and we should celebrate, even envy, her self-assurance. In much the same way, the outlandish outfts often worn by visitors aren’t so much an eyesore as a marabou-trimmed tribute to the power of Vegas to produce sheer joy. Who doesn’t relish unleashing their inner diva? Safe in our haven, regular folks can dress unencumbered by the fear of embarrassment that might stymie their self-expression at home. When it comes to outré wardrobes and ordinary Joes or Janes in Las Vegas, as Carey would croon, we belong together. V
illustration by Daniel o’leary
Mariah Carey and Las Vegas are a match made in heaven (or at least a drive-through wedding chapel) for so many reasons: her showmanship, her love of goodlifng, the fact that in high school she so rarely showed up for class that her nickname was Mirage. But the main reason the diva is the human embodiment of Sin City? Her wardrobe. Just the mention of her name evokes skinbaring skintight gowns, plunging necklines, and elbow-length gloves, all of it crowned with a mop of highlighted, glam rock–style ringlets. Gloriously unabashed in every outft, Carey is the queen of questionable fashion choices. Think of her as mutton dressed as Lambs (her pet name for her fock of superfans). Carey’s clothing certainly echoes the outfts of the city’s other visitors. Within moments of arriving on the Strip, ordinary Janes are unfettered from their workaday wardrobes and transformed into peacockish glamazons. Their suitcases may have passed a TSA inspection, but the fashion police would have confscated the contents. For dinner, they tiptoe on seveninch stilettos in gowns designed for Dynasty extras. Come daytime, it’s dry-clean-only scraps of fabric that make a dip in the pool impossible. Ordinary Joes are just as prone
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C RA F T I NG E T E R N I T Y S I N C E 1 755 260 years of continuous history is reflected in the Harmony Collection. A new legacy has dawned.
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