T Qatar July August 2013 Issue 20 by Oryx Group of Magazines

Culture July - August, 2013

The Fairest of Them All

Power of One

Kids These Days

Seeing the Light

The depth to which Julianne Moore inhabits a character says more about the audience than the actress. Unlocking the secret to Hollywood’s most genuine star. Photographs by Inez and Vinoodh. Styled by Joe McKenna. Text by Aaron Gell.

Miuccia Prada is a fashion designer by profession, but she’s also an art curator, film producer, fledgling architect, conflicted feminist, avid consumer and unreconstructed socialist. Meet the modern woman. By Andrew O’Hagan. Photographs by Mario Sorrenti.

Eight 20-somethings who have catapulted themselves, and their enterprises, into some of the biggest success stories of our time. Essay by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Photosgraphs by Hannah Starkey. Styled by Kate Lanphear and Jason Rider.

For his fervent private collectors, James Turrell’s celestial skyspaces are an exercise in blind faith. The temperamental artist regards them as test runs for his life’s work in the Arizona desert. Somehow, everyone’s happy. By Edward Helmore. Photographs by Jackie Nickerson.

Clockwise from top: Helen Oyeyemi who wrote her first book when she was 18 and still in school; a runway look from Prada’s seminal spring 1996 collection; the ‘‘skyspace’’ that James Turrell created for Jim Murren in Las Vegas.

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On the Cover: Photograph by Mario Sorrenti. Makeup by Lucia Pica at Art Partner. Hair by Patti Bussa at Green Apple Italia

clockwise from top: Hannah STARKEY; COURTESY OF PRADA; jackie nickerson.

Table of Contents

Lookout Sign of the Times

You may not get room service or a terry cloth robe, but what Airbnb vacation rentals lack in amenities, they make up for in unbelievable, sometimes rather bizarre experiences. By Gideon Lewis-Kraus. Photographs by Frederik Buyckx. 12 This and That

The designer Jasper Conran reinvents the family business; Cubism with a fashion twist; the Palais Liechtenstein in Vienna reopens; the men behind Mercedes Motoring. 15 Turning Point

No one told Joe Mantello that being a leading actor and a Tony Award-winning director was like shooting for the moon. And so, he did it this way. By Jacob Bernstein. Photograph by Sean Donnola.

Lookout Qatar Quality The Treasure Trunk in MIA

In Fashion

The Museum of Islamic Art is a great piece of architecture, and nestled within is a petite chest of collectables. By Debrina Aliyah. Photographs by Rob Altamirano.

Lyrical prints are a natural fit for easy summer style. Photographs by Benjiamin Alexander Huseby. Styled by Vanessa Traina.

26 Anya Bags It All

The British designer wants to have it all in one bag, design perfection and functionality, and gets it too. By Debrina Aliyah. 30 Amouage Breaks Arabian Traditions

An Omani perfumery goes global and enters markets hitherto unknown to traditional olfactory producers. By Debrina Aliyah.

Quality Qatar The Vintage Princess

Raya Al Khalifa collects vintage costume jewelry specifically, but her outlook of fashion is very comprehensive. By Debrina Aliyah. Photographs by Angela Mallari. 42

32 Suspended in Time

Saudi artist Manal Al Dowayan puts the focus on cultural taboos and gender discrimination through art. By Abigail Mathias. 34

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Clockwise from top left: a Konstantin Kakanias illustration of Rafael de CĂĄrdenasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design for Rivieras; Raya Al Khalifa with her vinatge jewelry; Givenchy sweater, QR8,721, and dress, QR73,538; neimanmarcus.com. What Goes Around Comes Around belt, QR357; whatgoesaroundnyc. com. Pomellato rings, QR4,733 and QR21,120; pomellato.com. Jutta Neumann sandals, QR1,037.

clockwise from top left: Konstantin Kakanias; angel MALLARI; Benjamin Alexander Huseby

Behind the T 10

Publisher & Editor-In-Chief

Yousuf Jassem Al Darwish Chief Executive

Arena Yes, Please

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci’s edgy fall collection has the fashion world buzzing. But he has always staked his career on punking the status quo — challenging notions of sexual identity and class bias with the cut of a skirt. By Andrew O’Hagan. Photograph by Liz Collins. 45

Sandeep Sehgal Executive Vice President

The Talk

Alpana Roy

Sofia Coppola’s own life is the very picture of elegant discretion. Who better to critique a celebrityobsessed generation that overshares and hyperconsumes? By Lee Radziwill. Photographs by Jason Schmidt.

Vice President

Ravi Raman

Editorial Editor

Sindhu Nair Chief Fashion Correspondent

Debrina Aliyah

Senior Correspondents

Abigail Mathias Ayswarya Murthy Ezdihar Ibrahim Ali

Correspondent

Sabrina Christensen

Media Report

art

Jemima Khan is a political journalist and a budding documentary film producer. Her latest project? Taking on WikiLeaks. By Sarah Lyall. Photographs by Eva Vermandel.

Senior Art Director

Arena Qatar Alice Goes to Arabianland

Alice Temperley’s Middle East journey is much more fascinating than she anticipated. She goes down memory lane. 55

Venkat Reddy

Deputy Art Director

Hanan Abu Saiam

Assistant Art Director

Ayush Indrajith

Senior Graphic Designer

Maheshwar Reddy

Photography

Rob Altamirano

Marketing and Sales Senior Manager – Marketing

Zulfikar Jiffry

Assistant Manager – Marketing

Thomas Jose

Climbing Everest

Raha Moharrak gives a step-by-step guide to scaling Mount Everest, opening up about her family, the big climb and how her phone hasn’t stopped ringing since she got back home. By Ayswarya Murthy. Photographs by Judith Philip 58

Media Consultants

Hassan Rekkab Lydia Youssef

Marketing Research & Support Executive

Kanwal Baluch Accountant Pratap Chandran

Sr. Distribution Executive

Bikram Shrestha

Distribution Support

Arjun Timilsina Bhimal Rai Basanta P

T, The Style Magazine of The New York Times Editor in Chief

Deborah Needleman Creative Director

Patrick Li

Deputy Editor

Whitney Vargas Fashion Director at Large

Joe McKenna

Managing Editor

Photography Director

Nadia Vellam

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci in his atelier, in a sweatshirt from his fall 2013 men’s collection. Top: Raha Moharrak is all ready to take the plunge. Right bottom: Campaign images from Alice Temperley’s latest collection.

The New York Times News Services General Manager

Michael Greenspon Vice President, Licensing and Syndication

Alice Ting

Vice President, Executive Editor The New York Times News Service & Syndicate

Nancy Lee

Published by

Licensed Editions Editorial Director

T, The New York Times Style Magazine, and the T logo are trademarks of The New York Times Co., NY, NY, USA, and are used under license by Oryx Media, Qatar. Content reproduced from T, The New York Times Style Magazine, copyright The New York Times Co. and/or its contributors 2013 all rights reserved. The views and opinions expressed within T-Qatar are not necessarily those of The New York Times Company or those of its contributors.

Josephine Schmidt Editor, T International Editions Oryx Advertising Co WLL

P.O. Box 3272; Doha-Qatar Tel: (+974) 44672139, 44550983, 44671173, 44667584 Fax: (+974) 44550982 Email: tqatar@omsqatar.com website: www.omsqatar.com

George Gustines Coordinators

Gary Caesar Jessie Sandler

clockwise from top:, Matilda Temperley, JuDITH PHILIP; Liz Collins

George Gustines

Power of One

Behind the T

Cover Story (Page 72) ‘‘Miuccia

has an unbelievable vision, which goes beyond fashion,’’ says Mario Sorrenti, who shot Mrs. Prada for the cover. While in Milan to interview the press-shy designer, the novelist Andrew O’Hagan (right) climbed to the top of the Duomo, ‘‘from where Luchino Visconti once filmed. Mrs. Prada loves those movies too, and I felt, looking over the city, that I was seeing into the heart of that rich and stylish culture that still feeds her work today.’’ 4

Inez and Vinoodh 6

Kids These Days (Page 78) We asked a group of authorities on subjects ranging from music to design to literature to profile the most game-changing men and women under 30 in their fields. Here, their impressions. 1. Andrew Ross Sorkin, financial columnist, The New York Times: Writing this essay reminded me of my 20s. It was an amazing time. It felt like anything was possible. When I started DealBook, I remember being told it would never work. But I didn’t care. I wanted to prove the naysayers wrong. 2. John Maeda, president, Rhode Island School of Design: My conversation with the founders of Instagram was further affirmation that what differentiates products today is feeling and emotion.

5. Aimee Bender, novelist and

professor of English at the University of Southern California: I’m impressed by how Helen Oyeyemi continues to grow and play with form and ideas on her own terms. Hers feels like a mind free and exploratory and unhindered. 6. Liesl Schillinger, journalist and

contributor to The New York Times Book Review (NYTBR): I reviewed J. K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book for the NYTBR in 2005, and hugely enjoyed it. So when I heard Samantha Shannon compared with J. K. Rowling, my interest was piqued. And more importantly, when I read her book, I instantly wanted to know more about her. 7. Andrew Sullivan, founding editor,

British Vogue fashion editor: I admire Alexander Wang’s bold maneuvers, his infectious energy and ability to plunge in deep.

The Daily Dish: Meeting Chris Hughes was like meeting a current version of myself: asked to run a major magazine in my 20s. Except I was never as mature as Chris. And I did not have hundreds of millions of dollars.

4. Brian Stelter, media reporter,

8. Jody Rosen, music critic, New York

The New York Times: I blogged my way into a job at The New York Times, much as Ezra Klein did at The Washington Post. He’s a year older than I, and immeasurably wiser.

Magazine: Benny Blanco was totally charming and eloquent and goodhumored. At one point, he made an analogy involving the difference between toilet paper and wet wipes.

3. Harriet Quick, author, former

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(Page 68) For the celebrated photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, shooting Julianne Moore for T was about exaggerating ‘‘traditional beauty and skin care elements’’: doe eyes, long nails and voluminous hair. Peter Philips, the makeup artist and former global creative director of Chanel Makeup, enhanced Moore’s freckles for the cover by flicking wet eye shadow off of a toothbrush. ‘‘It’s a bit like a Jackson Pollock,’’ he says about the process. The ‘‘extreme message,’’ as van Lamsweerde calls it, isn’t about transformation. It’s about celebrating each element of the actress’s beauty.

Seeing the Light (Page 86) ‘‘He’s a mesmerizing character who holds collectors in his thrall,’’ says the writer Edward Helmore about James Turrell. Jackie Nickerson, who traveled far and wide to photograph Turrell’s art in private collections, was equally struck by the community of spiritual people that ‘‘one of the greatest living American artists’’ seems to build around his work and ideals. ‘‘It’s rare that something like art connects people like that,’’ she says. ‘‘He’s the bridge that connects the collectors with this itch inside their psychic self.’’

T Qatar incorrectly credited the cover photograph for the May/June issue. The cover photograph was by Bruce Weber, not Mario Sorrenti. We apologise for the error.

sorkin: michael cohen; MAEDA: JON KAMEN; STELTER: EARL WILSON; BENDER: MAX S. GERBER; SCHILLINGER: ALBRECHT ALVENSLEBEN; SULLIVAN: COURTESY OF THE DAILY BEAST; COURTESY OF INEZ AND VINOODH.

Lookou

checking in The author arrives at his Airbnb apartment in Antwerp.

Sign of the Times

Su Casa Es Mi Casa You may not get room service or a terry cloth robe, but what Airbnb vacation rentals lack in amenities, they make up for in unbelievable, sometimes rather bizarre experiences. By gideon lewis-kraus Photograph by Frederik Buyckx

One of urban life’s uncommon diversions is the

chance to ransack the drawers of an anonymous neighbor. Airbnb is the Internet service, for those of you who don’t have a Danish architect leafing through your local Lonely Planet at your kitchen table right now, that lets ‘‘hosts’’ rent their extra bedrooms or entire apartments, mansions, tiki huts or goatskin yurts to travelers. In only five years, Airbnb has created a marketplace that offers 300,000 listings in 35,000 cities in 192 countries. It’s been so successful that half the tech start-ups these days go around flattering themselves with Airbnb comparisons: there’s an Airbnb for boats, and one for power tools, and probably one that will let you rent

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out your extra sheep to fertilize somebody’s lawn. Airbnb, for its part, might bill itself as a cheaper, roomier, warmer way to overnight — less deracinated than a hotel, but without the creaky-floorboard unease of a bed and breakfast — but the great unadvertised draw is the chance to spend time amid somebody else’s trappings. In olden times if you wanted to sleep in strangers’ beds, you generally had to have sex with strangers; Airbnb lets you book their linens from your phone. There’s been a lot written about the ‘‘sharing economy’’: on the one hand, services like this make for more efficient resource allocation; on the other, they offload what

was once regulated institutional risk onto the consumer. But somehow these arguments, which will be worked out in the courts and capitols, have tended to ignore what’s actually weird and interesting about this new mode of travel: Airbnb indulges the fantasy that we might temporarily inhabit another life. It’s in part because of this lived experience that Airbnb guests aren’t just users, they’re evangelists. I recently lit out to sightsee three other people’s lives in three nights in three European cities: London, Stockholm and Antwerp. The voyeuristic frame gives some Airbnb experiences a kind of erotic charge, or at least it did during the impromptu Airbnb gettogether I somehow ended up throwing in London, where I was staying in a duplex warehouse in Shoreditch. While I’d been waiting in the freezing courtyard to be let in — Hotels 1, Airbnb 0 — I’d read down the list of my neighbors-for-the-night, which read like the billing for a trip-hop reunion: the tenants had such names as Darq and Magnetised. The owner, who was ‘‘surfing/working’’ in Australia, had described the apartment in an e-mail as “a good space to chill and paint, so feel free to paint if you’d like!’’ Once I finally got inside, the flat revealed itself to be perfectly contiguous with its Shoreditch environment: with its casually abused pleather settees, mannequin torso and panels of decoratively broken surfboard, it looked like one more cafe-bar-bike-repair joint. In Airbnb’s spirit of connectedness, I Instagram-crowdsourced descriptions of the owner’s artwork; one friend commented that it was ‘‘Warhol goes Ke$ha.’’ My bedroom, in a windowless basement, had a stairway that curved upward to meet curtains, which in turn hid a cardboard wall. I hadn’t planned to bring anybody back with me, but the more I talked about the place over drinks at the pub with friends, the more the gang assembled clamored to see it. They could sit around and whinge at the pub any night, but it wasn’t often they got to have a hotel party at a neighbor’s flat. ‘‘It’s ‘Queer Eye for the Absent Guy,’ ’’ my friend Tom said, flicking the switch that backlit the Euripides bust by the bongos, in front of the skateboard-mounted vinyl couch. The group noted the unreconstructed ‘‘Point Break’’ aesthetic and the fact that

everything from the lime-green shag to the wall mirrors had been set at rakish angles. They argued over the rent (probably £4,000 to £6,000 per month), the municipal legality of windowless bedrooms and the merit of the Tesco-brand sweet potato, coconut and chili soup in the fridge. My new friend Anna had never heard of Airbnb, and asked if she could do this in her own flat, up the road in hipper Dalston. I showed her listings on her block. ‘‘Do I have to let them use the bathrooms?’’ she asked. But the promise of voyeurism can undermine itself: once you’ve introduced the kind of self-consciousness that results from having to put verified photos of your upholstery on the Internet, at least some owners take down their Euripides busts. It’s been increasingly noted that one of the unfortunate surprises of the contemporary Internet is the proliferation of corporate uniformity.

This is nowhere more apparent than on Airbnb, where it often seems as though each residence is striving to out-Bulthaup the next. The place I’d booked in Stockholm was an altar to minimalism, showcasing the no-place of international design with the star(c)k accouterments of a boutique hotel: Vitra chair, antique apothecary bottles, home D.J. kit, paperback of Jonathan Franzen’s ‘‘Freedom.’’ My host, Erik, who’d e-mailed me from an H&M address, met me and my friend Christian, whom I brought along from London, at the door in a nice-looking outfit recognizable from one of a variety of commensurate urban enclaves: a fitted denim shirt, indigo knit tie and jeans cuffed up over handmade British boots. Erik didn’t seem put out as we inventoried the possessions that had become, by dint of our arrival, decorations: in the foyer, Comme des Garçons cologne and Lonely Planet’s ‘‘Fiji’’; in the kitchen, home-pickled carrots and dried goji berries. Perhaps to compensate for his recent Airbnb experience in New York, in which english beat the host had dropped off the keys From above: and split, Erik very kindly offered artwork in the London duplex; to spend the rest of the afternoon the surrounding showing us around. As we walked Shoreditch neighborhood. in the fashionable Sodermalm neighborhood, Christian asked him what was new in Sweden. ‘‘Exercise,’’ Erik ticked off, ‘‘and sourdough.’’ By the latter, he explained, he meant a certain consciousness of time, a methodical slowness — foraging for your own mushrooms, going sailing, anything that would get you offline for a while. We strolled through the area where, Erik said, they’d filmed the ‘‘Dragon Tattoo’’ movies, though he admitted

July-August 2013

from top: gideon lewis-kraus; SHUTTERSTOCK.

In olden times if you wanted to sleep in strangers’ beds, you generally had to have sex with strangers; Airbnb lets you book their linens from your phone.

Lookout

Sign of the Times

The place I’d booked in Stockholm was an altar to minimalism, showcasing the no-place of international design with the star(c)k accouterments of a boutique hotel: Vitra chair, antique apothecary bottles, home D.J. kit, paperback of Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Freedom.’ with pride that he hadn’t seen any of them. ‘‘I am also proud to be the last person on earth who hasn’t seen ‘Gangnam Style.’ ’’ The whole experience was an almost cartoonishly apt example of how handily the Internet drove anti-Internet culture: we’d picked Erik’s flat for its international homogeneity, but what we got was a meandering day with odd and engaging Erik. Antwerp, home of such designers as Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester, is exactly the sort of place where the austere tyranny of international design has made a lot of the Airbnb offerings seem sort of bland — sleek and overcurated. I looked, in turn, for the most deranged-looking option: a ‘‘Bohemian’’ flat crowded with Brazilian antiques that seemed entirely sui generis. My host, Tania, was from Rio, and had just begun to list this apartment, atop a bar that she owns with her husband. They kept another flat for themselves across the street, over their BrazilianMexican restaurant. They had decorated the place with work imported from a collective in Minas Gerais, Brazil. On the walls floated jetsam palings emblazoned with disembodied religious limbs: a bloodily outstretched arm over the four-poster bed, a slim cut of a naked torso over the door to the kitchen. There were sculptures made of mounted whale vertebrae, and a coffee table book, captioned in Dutch and Italian, on the life of Steve McQueen. As Tania ran up and down the stairs looking for an entirely unnecessary replacement bulb for the bedside lamp, I gave Erik, of Stockholm, an effusive fivestar review on my phone. Christian grumbled that, Tania’s kindness notwithstanding, sometimes you just wanted to check in and get on with it. As far as I was concerned, the place was great, and Tania’s antics were neurotically endearing. We went over to Tania’s restaurant for nachos and fajitas over Duvels

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before going in pursuit of the ‘‘alternative’’ scene Tania had mentioned to us. We washed up at the Hypothalamus, one of those bars at the end of the world. The ’80s pink patterned wallpaper clashed coherently with the Delft tiles. A drunk quartet of clairvoyants took up their instruments and moved from ‘‘Proud Mary’’ through ‘‘Danza Kuduro’’ to ‘‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.’’ (It was our duty as Americans to supply the Axl Rose caterwauls, which earned us some light applause.) A Lebanese leprechaun wearing a neat Lincoln beard collected donations in an inverted cymbal. Fresh out of euros, we threw our remaining kronor into the cymbal, and he bowed. This was precisely what Airbnb travel, at its best, might offer, if you don’t mind the waiting to be let in, the agonizing search for a functional light bulb and the voluble owners who, after a long day of travel, stand between you and a drink. But if, despite all that, you’ve got the foolhardy curiosity to stay in Antwerp’s only bohoBrazilian lodging, you’ve got a decent chance at ending up at the kind of place no guidebook and no concierge in his right mind would ever think to endorse. We toasted to Airbnb’s special diminishment of ease in travel. Which, for some of us, isn’t a price to pay; it’s the reward itself.

european vacation Below: the entrance to the Hypothalamus bar. Right: Antwerp’s central square.

clockwise from top left: SHUTTERSTOCK; gideon lewis-kraus; SHUTTERSTOCK; gideon lewis-kraus.

CITY LIVING From far left: Stockholm’s Gamla Stan (Old Town); the entryway of the Swedish apartment.

Lookout

This and That A Cultural Compendium

Kickstarters The architect Rafael de Cárdenas has electrified Rivieras, the classic French slip-on, with a sharp new pattern available in four color combos. De Cárdenas says the shoe brand was a natural fit for him. ‘‘I like their form and shape as well as their nod to the ’60s and ’70s French Riviera summer culture,’’ he says. ‘‘I also like that they are called a ‘leisure shoe,’ almost as though wearing them might relax you regardless of whether you’re leisurely or not.’’ QR365

illustration by konstantin kakanias

Not His Father’s Conran Shop Since taking over his father’s venerable stores last year, the designer Jasper Conran has been quietly revolutionizing the brand. At the flagship Chelsea location in London, shelves brim with Marie Daâge Limoges porcelain, vintage Blodwen Welsh blankets and linens as crisp as Granny Smith apples. There are edgier home pieces by Maison Martin Margiela, chic-beyond-chic stainless steel kitchens by Alpes Inox and divine cloud sculptures that the artist Benedetta Mori Ubaldini makes out of chicken wire. Conran has also added an entire section dedicated to the sort of children’s goodies — pink roller skates, giant buttons, paper pompoms — that you want to buy regardless of age. In May, he will reopen the Conran Shop’s location in Marylebone, complete with a Penthouse apartment, fully decorated and shoppable, and a roof terrace. ‘‘I love the idea of the store as a magazine,’’ Conran says. ‘‘It’s about highlighting different things, and discovering and showcasing new talent.’’ 81 Fulham Road, London RITA KONIG

conran portrait: julian broad.

Jasper Conran reinvents the family business.

bright vision Jasper Conran (right) has added new wares like the Vitra Heart Cone chair, chicken wire sculptures by Benedetta Mori Ubaldini and Marie Daâge teacups.

Issue 20, 2013

Lookout

This and That Now Booking

Soak In Japan For centuries, travelers have streamed into Hakone, Japan, to bathe in the bubbling hot springs at traditional ryokans. Kai Hakone, a new high-design hotel and thermal spa on the banks of the Sugumo river, offers a luxuriously modern take on this relaxing tradition. Guests wear chic, black-padded kimonos with their wooden clogs and bob in a series of hot pools that all have views onto pristine woods. Deluxe rooms come with their own little tatami-floored teahouses, and the food — ridiculously fresh sashimi or spring flowers with sesame — is delicate yet nourishing. Bustling Tokyo, reachable in 45 minutes by bullet train, seems a world away. Rooms from about QR1,165 per night; hoshinoresort.com. JULIE EARLE-LEVINE

The Royal Treatment Vienna’s Palais Liechtenstein, one of Europe’s most impressive privately owned palaces, will open for public tours for the first time in May after an extensive restoration. Once the residence of the royal family of Liechtenstein, the Baroque building was bombed during World War II and damaged further when an Allied aircraft crashed into its roof. Its four-year, $135 million face-lift restores the structure to its prewar glory, with a dramatic interior staircase, silk wall hangings and intricate parquet floors. The project was overseen by Hans-Adam II, the reigning prince of the tiny principality — who also owns another commodious palace just outside the city center, where he keeps his noted collection of Old Masters. While some of the revamped building will be marked off for the family’s private apartments, visitors will finally get a peek at many of its gilded Rococo interiors, not to mention the prince’s collection of Biedermeier and neo-Classical art and furnishings. Tours from QR116; palaisliechtenstein.com MICHAEL Z. WISE

Block Party

Not everyone wants to wear flowery prints and Breton stripes. The solution? Cubism! HIP TO BE SQUARE Pierre Hardy cuff, QR4,480; Chanel boot, QR4,640; Renaud Pellegrino bag, QR3,386; Peter Hermann; Fendi bag, QR4,333.

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illustrations by konstantin kakanias; vienna: © liechtenstein, the princely collections, vaduz-vienna.

A grand old pile in Vienna finally opens its doors.

Lookout

This and That

Costume Drama

It’s no surprise that Camille Miceli makes jewelry that is covetable and well designed. The daughter of a French stylist, Miceli began creating jewelry for Louis Vuitton back in 2004 and, since 2009, has been doing the same for Dior. Her superchic personal style has been touted by fashion heavyweights like her current boss, Raf Simons, as well as her former employer Marc Jacobs, who has called her his muse. Each piece in Miceli’s prefall collection for Dior has the ability to single-handedly pull an outfit together. These are objects that are both substantial and restrained — like the Diorama necklace, a breastplate-like collar of goldfinished metal adorned with a single, gleaming red glass stone. JULIA FELSENTHAL

A Fine Feather In ‘‘From Europe With Love,’’ which opened May 2 at the Cristina Grajales gallery in SoHo, the Paris-based designer Sam Baron reinterprets traditional European design with what he calls ‘‘a kind of French sense of humor.’’ He applies a champagne-colored lacquer to Louis XVI-style cabinets, and deconstructs the traditional process of painting these bisque porcelain birds made by the venerable Portuguese house Vista Alegre. ALAINNA LEXIE BEDDIE

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

The Benz Whisperers

It’s not unusual to see a hipster tooling around Silver Lake or Williamsburg in a beat-up old Mercedes. What’s rarer is to find those 35-year-old sedans, coupes and wagons restored to mint condition. That’s the particular obsession of J. G. Francis (above right), who with the help of Sean Johnstun, founded Mercedes Motoring, a boutique restoration company based in Glendale, Calif. Francis says he had an epiphany after buying a 1979 300SD for QR2,550 ($700). ‘‘I’ve heard people say somebody should make a car that will last forever,’’ he says. ‘‘Mercedes did that 40 years ago.’’ The engineering may be superior — and that diesel engine still gets competitive gas mileage — but it’s the design that attracts many of the company’s clients. The classic colors, like mint green and China blue, and a boxy profile make these cars distinct from the S.U.V.’s and egg-shaped hybrids now crowding the roads. ‘‘I have never been drawn to things that are over the top,’’ Francis says. ‘‘I like things that are subtly amazing.’’ mercedesmotoring.com TOM DELAVAN

miceli: nicolas hidiroglou; far left necklace: sarah anne ward; mercedes: SEan johnstun; birds: ari espay.

good as gold From left: Dior Mise en Dior Podium necklace, QR15,658, Diorama cuff, QR4,915, and necklace, QR7,100, and Mise en Dior Tribal earrings, QR1,274.

Lookout

Take Two

A dual review of what’s new.

Bjarke Ingels

Colleen Atwood

Dashing Danish architect and torchbearer for sustainable design. He is working on a pyramidshaped residence in Manhattan and was recently chosen to reimagine the Smithsonian’s campus in Washington, D.C.

Oscar-winning costume designer who realizes many of Tim Burton’s twisted visions, including the goth-metal look from ‘‘Edward Scissorhands.’’ Her first Broadway production, ‘‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’’ is now at Manhattan’s Cort Theater.

I’m the wrong person for this. My first cassette that I got as a kid from my cousin, who I thought was the coolest guy on earth, had Kraftwerk on one side and Kim Wilde on the other. Willie Nelson is totally alien to me.

I have to say, I’m not big into men’s jewelry. But I tried it on my girlfriend and the dark metal looked great with this funky black dress she had on. It looks like something from ‘‘The Matrix’’ — somehow everything in ‘‘The Matrix’’ has this S-and-M aesthetic.

It’s beautiful. I love how it’s very disciplined geometrically, but because of the gradual variation it creates a feeling of something organic. It actually reminds me of some of the architecture projects that I’m working on now.

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Luggage ‘‘AirBag’’ carry-on by Michael Young for Zixag (QR855).

Music The new Willie Nelson LP, ‘‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance,’’ with covers of Django Reinhardt and Irving Berlin.

Jewelry Eddie Borgo torpedo bracelet (QR1,820).

Textile ‘‘Nevada’’ fabric from Pierre Frey (QR838 per yard).

This is an A+ for me. I love that it’s so lightweight. The only weight comes from what you put in the bag, not the bag itself. I went to San Francisco for a ballet job and took it with me, and it worked great.

When I first listened, I had jet lag and was driving — the cadence was so slow, I was sort of like, ‘‘Really?’’ But this is great late-night listening. Willie Nelson can sing just about anything. He’s so diverse.

Because of my work I don’t wear a lot of jewelry on my wrist, but if I did, I would wear this with a simple black dress and let it be the feature. As it is, I barely got to touch it before my 23-year-old daughter put it on her wrist and walked away.

If I had a late-’60s or early-’70s project, this would make a fantastic coat. When you fabric shop as much as I do, you sort of get to know what’s out there. It’s nice to see something using geometrics but in a fresh way.

ingels: Ulrik jantzen; Nelson: David mcclister.

The soft front is really nice, very well designed. I wasn’t big on the hard plastic back. With bags it’s very subjective. I have this Japanese Hideo Wakamatsu bag I love because it looks like a ‘‘Star Wars’’ storm trooper.

Turning Point

Broadway Joe No one told Joe Mantello that being a leading actor and a Tony Award-winning director was like shooting for the moon. And so, he did it his way. By jacob bernstein Photograph by SEAN DONNOLA

center stage Joe Mantello at Bar Centrale, an intimate lounge in Midtown Manhattan that is one of his favorite hangouts.

Playing the pot-smoking, caftan-wearing superagent Sue Mengers in the current Broadway play ‘‘I’ll Eat You Last,’’ Bette Midler swears constantly, trashes some of her former Hollywood clients and even berates members of the audience. A typical quip: ‘‘Now this may come as a shock to you but every single person who works in the theater is gay. Without exception.’’ It’s perfect material for the director Joe Mantello, who has made a career out of dramas in which characters bust through walls of denial and politesse to bring inconvenient truths to the surface. In the world of theater, where stars are born to be actors or creators, but very rarely both, Mantello is an anomaly. He’s earned critical praise, including two Tonys, for directing serious work (‘‘Take Me Out,’’ ‘‘Assassins,’’ ‘‘Other Desert Cities,’’ ‘‘Love! Valour! Compassion!’’), while proving he can also make box office hits along the way. His ‘‘Wicked’’ has so far grossed about $3 billion worldwide. Ironically, it was on stage in 1993 that Mantello first won wide acclaim, playing the neurotic Louis Ironson, a self-absorbed antihero who abandons his ailing boyfriend, in Tony Kushner’s two-part masterpiece ‘‘Angels in America.’’ As an actor and gay man who arrived in New York in 1984 from Illinois at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Mantello, 50, has consistently circled back to the theme of homosexuality. In the 2011 Broadway revival of Larry Kramer’s ‘‘The Normal Heart,’’ he played the fiercely passionate AIDS activist Ned Weeks, based on Kramer himself, whose attempts to break down the stigma and silence surrounding the disease alienate everyone around him. In the forthcoming HBO adaptation of the

Mantello, smoke-free, in his own words: For some reason, I was deeply ashamed of the theater early on. I think it had to do with this growing sense I was gay, although I couldn’t have put a word to it back then. Where I grew up, boys played sports. When Mrs. Windsor wrote in my yearbook, ‘‘Have you ever considered a career in the theater?’’ it was literally like she wrote the word ‘‘faggot.’’ I was never in the closet as an actor. It never occurred to me that my sexuality was something to be ashamed of. So to be an out gay man in ‘‘Angels’’ was thrilling for a lot of different reasons, not the least of which was that there were these extremely complicated, layered characters we were playing. Coincidentally, simultaneously I stumbled on this directing career. My first real job as a director was working with Robbie Baitz on his play ‘‘Three Hotels.’’ It was an incredible collaboration. We were living together at the time, and we could dispense with the formalities that you have to have in a professional relationship. The first Broadway show I directed was called ‘‘What’s Wrong With This Picture?,’’ which closed very quickly. It was just one of those times where smart people get together and it doesn’t work. At first, I gave myself an escape hatch when the results weren’t good. I would say, ‘‘You know, I’m just dabbling.’’ But I started working with really interesting people. And I felt much more in my own skin as a director. Because ‘‘What’s Wrong With This Picture?’’ happened back to back with ‘‘Love! Valour! Compassion!,’’ I realized, I’m not the best director but I’m not the worst. It was a great balance to have this play that won the Tony and this play that closed within two weeks. I understood the spectrum. ‘‘Wicked’’ was difficult. There were complicated personalities involved, and I was younger and I was trying to assert myself. I didn’t know it would be a hit. I really only knew it was a good idea. The thing you learn is that you never know. One of my favorite experiences was ‘‘9 to 5,’’ for one reason: Dolly Parton. I learned what it means to really work hard and do it with a sense of humor about yourself. Every day was joyful. We did two or three workshops, and at each point, the room went crazy. There were investors throwing money at it, and you think, This is going to be a huge hit. But that has no bearing on anything. How you experience it is not how the audience experiences it. I knew about Sue Mengers primarily from her ‘‘60 Minutes’’ interview years ago. And then I read the script and thought, I have to do this. I liked how outrageous she was, that she always told the truth. It’s why I liked ‘‘The Normal Heart’’ and always wanted to play that part. It’s why I like Larry Kramer. Larry has said some terrible things to me over the years, but it doesn’t destroy me. If you love someone, if you respect them, then a fight is only that. But I don’t think everyone experiences the world that way. Sometimes a fight to certain people is the end of a relationship. When I realized that, when I realized people are different, it was a valuable piece of the puzzle.

July-August 2013

band of outsiders blazer, $1,845; openingceremony.us. gant rugger shirt, $135; gant.com.

play, directed by the ‘‘Glee’’ co-creator Ryan Murphy, Mantello will play the gay-rights activist Mickey Marcus opposite Mark Ruffalo and Julia Roberts. Not unlike the unabashedly outspoken Mengers and the combative Kramer, Mantello can be pretty direct himself. But he insists he expects the same thing in return. ‘‘I’m much more comfortable knowing the truth,’’ he says. ‘‘Even if the truth includes bad news. Because then I think I share a reality with the person I’m having the exchange with. I don’t like to be handled, and I don’t want smoke blown.’’ J. B.

Lookout Qatar

There’s a Curator In All of Us Qatar Museums Authority and Fondazione Prada launched a global search for curatorial expressions. There is a latent curator in all of us, apparently. Everything that we collect, everything we surround ourselves with, has a unique, personal meaning. Do you think you can translate this vision into something bigger, something that’ll make people pause and ponder? Then whip together your concept and send it across for the Curate Award, organized by the QMA and Fondazione Prada. You don’t have to be an aspiring or established curator; if you have an idea and know how to communicate it. Make a short video explaining your concept and send it across. Entries close at the end of the year and the winning entry, judged on creativity and social relevance, will be exhibited in Qatar and Italy. AYSWARYA MURTHY

The Wraith Captivates Doha Rolls-Royce admits that nothing like the Wraith has ever been produced before.

pictures courtesy of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha

Now Open

The Rolls-Royce Wraith, which was unveiled recently in Geneva, is now on a tour of the Middle East, seducing potential customers before it eventually hits showrooms in November with a price tag of around QR1.5 million. A heady mix of masculine energy, elegance and edgy design, the Wraith is the ultimate statement of “power, style and drama,” according to Ayman Ghanem, Regional Sales Manager, at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Middle East. “It is designed to look like it’s always in motion,” he says. Equipped with the most powerful engine yet in any Rolls-Royce, the model comes with softest Phantom-grade leathers and expanses of hand-built woodwork called Canadel Panelling. “Another interesting feature is the satellite-aided transmission that knows the curves ahead and adjusts gears accordingly,” he adds. 1,340 fiber optic lamps are handwoven into the roof lining to give the impression of a glittering, starry night sky with voiceactivation commands given from a one-touch call button located on the steering wheel. “The region has been asking for something like this for a while now,” says Mohamed Kandeel, General Manager of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Doha. “The tour car has generated a lot of interest, with this year’s allocation for Doha already sold. We are now taking orders for 2014 production.” AYSWARYA MURTHY

Eight young watchmakers from schools in Germany, Austria, Japan, Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands are participating in the fourth A. Lange & Söhne Young Talent Competition, established in honor of Ferdinand A. Lange, the founder of fine watchmaking in Saxony. After a tour of the Lange manufactory’s workshops in Glashütte, Saxony, the Glashütte Watch Museum and the Mathematics and Physics Salon in Dresden in June, the young men got to work on the assembly of a three-quarter plate and the engraving of a balance cock. The task set in this year’s competition is the “construction of a second time zone display on the basis of an ETA 6498 movement”. The submitted works will be reviewed by a jury of watch experts and the winner, who will be announced in December, will take home the prize money of 10,000 euros, earmarked for advanced studies in the field of watchmaking.

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Pictures courtesy of A Lange & Sohne

Pictures courtesy of Qatar Museums Authority

A Timely Task

More Than Just Filling Space

Pictures courtesy of Katharine Pooley

When Katharine Pooley said “Life just gives you time and space… it’s up to you to fill it,” she must have meant her showroom in particular, because the newly-opened Katharine Pooley showroom in Doha at The Gate Mall is full to its seams. Rare and exquisite objects from distant corners of the globe jostle for attention in this large space. She is a very intrepid traveler and her travel pursuits have taken her to over 200 countries! Hence the eclectic collection and the way she has picked the items touch on her diverse cultural influences. This is the first international franchise of the Katharine Pooley boutique and it is very important for her, she said just before she cut the ribbon to the showroom signaling the official opening. She was accompanied by local partner Nasser Al Ansari, Chairman of Octagon International Qatar. Katharine is not new to the region though; she has been visiting and earlier worked in the region, and she has also designed some beautiful palaces and homes here. She says: “This is an important moment for the company and for me personally as the region remains dear to me. I can feel the energy of the place and it is such a good time to be here.” SINDHU NAIR

Richard Mille’s new boutique was recently inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur’s luxurious Mall, located in its Bukit Bintang district. The launch follows the opening of the Grand Hyatt, Singapore boutique. Both boutique’s incorporate subtle lighting and elegant decor. “Just as my watches are efficient and uncompromising, no details have been spared in the architecture and purveying of the new Richard Mille boutique experience,” explains Richard Mille. The boutique includes a watchmaker’s workshop made entirely of glass, a quiet and elegant VIP lounge, and an array of display cabinets designed to showcase the collection’s exceptional pieces. The inaugural evening began with the traditional ribbon-cutting by Richard Mille, Dave Tan, CEO of Richard Mille Asia, and actress Michelle Yeoh. Two hundred guests were then invited to admire a selection of watches presented to the public for the very first time, including the RM 022 All Gray Carbon (a limited edition of five pieces only available in Asia), the RM 030 Black Carbon (a limited edition of 50 pieces, engraved with the words “Asia Boutique Exclusive” on the back and created only for the RM boutiques in Singapore and Malaysia), and the RM 11-01 Roberto Mancini and RM 39-01 Aviation, two new, highly technical and innovative pieces that joined the collection in 2013.

Pictures courtesy of Richard Mille

Timeless Precision

Lookout Qatar

As you make way to the second floor of Harrods, the gentle but mildly intoxicating aroma of the Qatari coffee, the Qahwa, permeates and pulls you to this space; a nook just beyond the bookstore where you can find a slice of Doha. In-Q, an innovative store experience, offers an insight into the diverse culture, arts, and crafts of Qatar. Visitors to In-Q will be able to view and purchase traditional arts and crafts, books, Islamic clothes, jewelry, and merchandise from Qatar’s world-class museums. “The abhayas are quite popular here and get sold out soon,” says the store manager. There will also be a relaxation area serving Arabic coffee with dates and sweets, giving visitors a chance to sample Qatari hospitality and connect with Qatar’s culture. “We aim to offer people a taste of Qatari culture and heritage during their visit to our retail shop in Harrods,” says Mansoor Al Khater, CEO at Qatar Museums Authority. This is the first retail outlet of its kind to be initiated by Qatar Museums Authority abroad. Sindhu Nair

The Feminine Mystique

Pictures courtesy of Rami Al Ali

Rami Al Ali unveiled his Gustav Klimt-inspired A/W Collection during the Paris Couture Fashion Week. The Syrian-born fashion couturier says that the inspiration for this 26-piece collection was drawn from Klimt’s “Golden Phase”. “I has always admired and related to Klimt’s work, renowned for his focus on the female form,” says Rami.“I also love the aesthetics of his work, with the rich colors and graphical shapes and contours – which is what I found most interesting to transcend into my work. I’ve always loved playing with graphical elements and often infuse my own heritage of arabesque patterns into my designs, so I was excited to continue with this angle but using new inspiratio.” Recently, many Hollywood A-listers have woken up to his designs. Rami says, “So far I’ve been incredibly honored to dress some of the most stunning stars; very recently these have included Beyonce and Kerry Washington, Kelly Rowland, Chanel Iman and Carla Gugino. I would just be happy for this to continue and to see my new collection adorning more beautiful stars on the red carpets of Hollywood.”AYSWARYA MURTHY

Pictures courtesy of Lalique

Crystal Love Housed in the Tanagra boutique in Villaggio Mall, Lalique recently unveiled its collection to its Doha clientele. From tableware, crystal decorative objects and jewelry to personal items or perfume, Lalique is a name synonymous with French luxury. Florence Bulte, General Manager, Gifts explained the brand’s uniqueness. “Tanagra is the ultimate destination for luxury goods for home decoration, so we are happy to be associated with this brand. Our customers expect uniqueness and we are proud to offer only the most exclusive designs to them.” Lalique was established in 1921; to this day each of Lalique’s pieces is manufactured in eastern France and combines artistry with elegance. Five “Master craftsmen of France” are a part of the company’s workforce comprising 390 employees.

Pictures courtesy of Qatar Museums Authority

A Slice of Qatar in Harrods

Pictures courtesy of Damien Hirst

For the Love of Death To be in the office of Damien Hirst, one of the greatest contemporary artists in London, is an experience like no other. And when you see the “infamous” formaldehyde preservations (I saw the least grotesque one – the fishes, also known as Isolated Elements Swimming in the Same Direction for the Purpose of Understanding) at close quarters, you are overcome by an eerie feeling that can be described very mildly as “hair-raising”. Nestled between vintage spaces on 14 Welbeck Street, London, is Science Limited, Damien’s own company that was opened to manage his business interests and give control back to him rather than his galleries. Jude Tyrell, who has worked with Damien for close to three decades, took journalists from the region around the office as she explained the pieces that would make their way to Doha for the much-awaited Damien Hirst solo exhibition – a first not just for Doha but for the Middle East – organized by Qatar Museums Authority. From his earliest paintings, like Spot Painting 1986, which according to Jude is not one of his “favorites”, to the cabinet of medicines, Lullaby, the Seasons 2002, which takes prominence in the main room of his office space, there is no missing the effect each of Damien’s works has on all of the journalists from the Middle East. Starting as a mere lurid, alarming effect, his painting seems to invade the senses, while our mind inevitably tries to get under the skin of the creator to understand his love for the morbid. It will be truly enlightening to see the effect his installations have on the people of Qatar, a country and a population that can best be described as being “rudely woken” to a cultural mapping in progress. Damien’s exhibition, Relics, under the patronage of HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (who also sponsored his earlier exhibition at Tate Modern) will be on view from October 10 till January 22, 2014 at Al Riwaq, the exhibition space outside Museum of Islamic Art building. Sindhu Nair

Pictures courtesy of Qatar Museums Authority

An Ehtifal of Qatar “Ehtifal”(celebration in Arabic) was a three-day family event held on the banks of River Thames as part of Shubbak (window in Arabic), London’s contemporary Arab arts festival, in collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery and Qatar Museums Authority (QMA). Children gathered around the beautiful structure put up by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, and helped create a fantasy landscape in Kensington Gardens by participating in storytelling, live illustration, interactive games and histories pertaining to Qataris living in London. The renowned violinist Waell Abu Bakr weaved his magic on a small group of attentive, foottapping spectators through his soulful music incorporating histories of local London musicians and nightclub owners on the Edgware Road and elsewhere from the 1970s to present. With the Fischli/Weiss sculpture Rock on Top of Another Rock, on loan from the QMA, as the backdrop, this beautiful awakening movement tried to focus on the country’s cultural richness rather than its oil wealth. Ironically, without this wealth, much of this wonderful heritage would have stayed locked within its borders, with the world staying sadly unaware of what it is missing. The Ehtifal Family Day was presented as part of the program for Qatar UK 2013, a year-long celebration, of the relationship between the two countries, organized by QMA and the British Council, as a special contribution to the Shubbak Festival of Contemporary Arts in London. Sindhu Nair

July-August 2013

Lookout Qatar

In Store

The Treasure Trunk The Museum of Islamic Art is a great piece of architecture, and nestled within is a petite chest of collectables. By DEBRINA ALIYAH

PhotographY by Rob Altamirano

Wandering into the gift shop at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is like a little adventure, akin to discovering a vintage gem of a store with quirky yet functional keepsakes. There are no logo-emblazed fridge magnets, or garishly branded coffee mugs. Instead, the world of Islamic art is presented in an insightful collection of branded products with the story of an association behind each of them. The driving force behind this innovative and clever venture, H E Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdulaziz Al Thani, Director of

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Creative Design for Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), takes us on a private tour into the world behind the process of creating little treasures for the gift shop. H E Sheikha Jawaher has a fascination for everything that is beautiful and exquisite, and it is this passion that drives the perfection in the curation of the gift shop. Armed with a deep understanding and appreciation for art, she works with a team of dedicated artists in offices based in both Doha and Paris. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The objective here is to

create a gift shop that is completely in tune with the vision of the museum and its exhibits. We want the gift shop to be an extension of the experience of the MIA and not just a store where you can buy standard souvenirs. We wanted our visitors to take with them something that makes the MIA visit special,” she says.. The work of creating this special experience began during the construction of the museum. With the maestro I.M. Pei envisioning the exterior of the MIA going for a stark and severe silhouette, Jean-Michel Wilmotte worked his magic within the interiors to bring forth the Islamic influences with patterns and figures including the design of the gift shop. H E Sheikha Jawaher and her team stepped in to complete the whole story.

History at hand From opposite, clockwise: The interior of the MIA store; Mask Replica of one of the masterpieces at the MIA,on the forehead, there is a cursive inscription, embellished with floral arabesques that recalls the paradise that killed soldiers may have hoped eventually to reach; Stationary with Islamic characters and motifs; prayer beads with Islamic inscriptions; Replica of the cast bronze fountain head-shaped after the form of a hind, female deer.

H E Sheikha Jawaher has a fascination for everything that is beautiful and exquisite, and this passion drives the perfection in the curation of the gift shop. “The creations of the merchandize is first inspired by the exhibits in the museum. It could be from the permanent collection or from one of the special exhibitions. The idea is to replicate, but also to seek inspiration, translate it into an idea and then produce it in a contemporary manner through our own interpretation. So we seek to make the connection between the past and the present through the items produced. But I have to say, we are quite lucky to have such an extensive collection to work with.” Going through the exhibits, H E Sheikha Jawaher pinpoints what is on-trend at the moment, what ideas would attract the visitors and make them excited, what memories visitors would take away from a specific exhibit and how to bring that to life. After the idea is conceived, the design team then works with the team from the MIA to discuss the viability of the plan to create a coherent story for visitors to take home. The result of this interesting concept is a collection of products that are current, something that appeals to people of all ages. For this season, the gift shop has launched, among other things, a line of stationery items including pencils and notebooks, that follows the Islamic pattern found in the MIA, also similar to

July-August 2013

Lookout Qatar

In Store Plexi Bracelet designed by Ilias Lalaounis, a fourthgeneration Greek jeweler for the MIA. Created for the special exhibition of Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. Inspired by the auspicious inscriptions ornamenting a 15thcentury Timurid oil lamp.

the print-on-print trend seen on the catwalks of Spring/Summer 2013. This is no coincidence, but a deliberate and considered decision to keep up with current trends and visitor choices. The stationery items also have pops of neon colors for the fun element. “I pay a lot of attention to detail. If you look at the notebooks, even the binding has been color-coordinated to match with the rest of the design. I believe that these little details take our products to the next level. And ultimately, they are all very affordable because we want everybody to have a chance to enjoy this experience,” she says.

“We seek to make the connection between the past and present through the collections.” Ambassadors of MIA: Stationary inspired by Islamic patterns reintepreted with a modern touch reflecting the current fashion’s craze over patterns and motifs.

PRINT MOTIFS: Above, Silk Scarf by Thalassa Collection, with a door knocker motif in the form of an interlaced Arabesque door handle pattern inspired by the Mosul Door Knocker.

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

The affordability and functionality of the products have made them very popular. The aim is to produce keepsakes that act as important ambassadors for the museum. “When someone who has never been to the museum receives unique gifts like this, they will be curious and there will be the desire to visit the museum to see the exhibits for themselves,” she says. While most of the items in the gift shop changes according to exhibitions and seasons, several popular items have been restocked, including the Mask Replica and Hind Bookend. The Mask Replica is a copy of one of the original exhibits which is one of the masterpieces of the MIA. It was originally attached to a high-ranking soldier’s helmet during the 15th century Ottoman wars while the Hind Bookend is a reinterpreted copy of the cast-bronze fountain head shaped in the form of a female deer from the 10th century. The two items have been bestsellers among both locals and tourists since the opening of the museum. At the moment, other collections at the gift shops include notepads, binders, and coordinated pencil sets from the Orientalist Museum exhibition; luxurious heavy gold notebooks inspired by the 17th-century Jahangir Album from Mughal, India; pillow sets inspired by a 12th-century Iraqi Book of Fixed Stars;and a select edit of special jewelries from designers who drew inspiration from MIA for their collections. H E Sheikha Jawaher’s quest for perfection is evident in the quality of the products and the partnerships she has worked on. She says,“For example, we use Moleskin as our partners for a special notebook featuring I.M. Pei sketches; and we had a special collaboration with Anya Hindmarch to create leather pieces.” In the coming seasons, there are plans for more Qatari artistdriven pieces that will also serve as a platform for the young generation to showcase their work. The MIA gift shop is only the start of things to come for this very talented visionary. The next task at hand is to design the gift shop of the National Museum of Qatar, which is currently being constructed. “Now that we have this experience, we can use this and move on to the other projects. All the other museums under the QMA will have their own concepts and the merchandizing will reflect the individual museum’s vision,” she says

Lookout Qatar

To Accessorize

Anya Bags It All The British designer wants to have it all in one bag, design perfection and functionality, and gets it too.

There must be something in the air of London. Or it may be the consequence of years of forward-thinking rebellious sub-culture that we keep witnessing the rise of powerful fashion entrepreneurs who defy the structured and often impenetrable industry. And as a woman Anya Hindmarch, carries the torch in a highly fickle and competitive segment – handbags – but make no mistake, the designer does not want to compete, she wants to rise above it all. There was a pivotal moment in the story of the designer’s eponymous label that cemented the deal with fate. It began with style-makers clutching onto an almost nondescript earthcolor canvas bag emblazoned with the scribble “I Am Not A Plastic Bag”. The canvas bag, a collaboration with a global

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

social change movement “We Are What We Do”, sold out minutes after it was launched, and caused such a stir in Taiwan that some people were injured angling for one of the bags. The key to a global trend had been turned and suddenly people from all around the world began hearing about Anya Hindmarch (AH), a brand that previously had only been known to the style-setters. That was some six years ago, and fashion editors are clutching something else bearing the signature ribbon emblem of AH these days. Bespoke Fashion Week folios designed exclusively with the personalized hand-embossed initials of their recipients help the editors keep organized during their trips. But the history of Anya Hindmarch goes back before the

Photographs courtESy anya hindmarch

By DEBRINA ALIYAH

2007 mania.The strong-willed designer premiered her first designs some twenty-five years ago. At the age of 19, Anya had her first store in London’s Walton Street, crafting pieces that were inspired by Florence, Italy. Almost three decades later she now has 56 stores globally, including flagships in London and Tokyo, and a special bespoke store on London’s Pont Street. The brand is soon to have a store in Doha too. Creativity is the fundamental of a fashion label, but the engine to drive such far-reaching business growth demands something more, especially as Anya Hindmarch is still a privately-owned label. “I am obsessed with bags,” says Anya, adding that the craftsmanship, the details involved and the whole process excites her so much that she takes inspiration from everything around. “I come from a family of entrepreneurs so it has always been ingrained in me to pursue my passion and set up my own business even though it really is a very competitive industry,” she says.

The support of the family continues with her husband James Seymour, now managing financial matters for the label. A retrospective of the collections by Anya reveals the creative success formula of the label. Here, there are bags that are exceptionally stylish and functional, almost as if each bag had been carefully designed to meet these two elements cohesively. While functionality is something many creatives abhor for fear of devaluing the design quotient of their work, Anya seamlessly brings in her own quirky touch while maintaining the utility. “I am a mother, wife and businesswomen and I also like to have fun so I design with all these roles in mind,” she says. Anya feels that bags can really make a difference to how a woman feels and the different roles she plays. “My mother gave me my first designer handbag when I was 15 and I will always remember the feeling that it gave me,” she says. “I like my designs to have a sense of humor and an element of fun for the seasonal mainline collections, which does set us apart from other brands. I love the fact that our collections are not just about a fashion season but about sealing a moment in time,” she says. With the arrival of the label’s first point of sale here in Qatar, Anya is already thinking ahead of

what she can do in this new emerging market. Having earlier collaborated with the Museum of Islamic Art to produce a customized line of leather goods for the museum’s gift shop, Anya is fascinated by the growth of the country. “I have only had one trip to Doha so far but it was fascinating. The combination of cutting-edge style and architecture with old-fashioned warmth was very memorable. Our collaboration with the MIA was to bring our iconic labeled pieces, known by many Qataris who travel, but with a special emphasis on incorporating the traditional colors and emblems.” Anya believes Qatar will be a key market in the

Creative energy: Anya at her work space; the bags featured are from her Autumn/Winter collection.

Middle East for the label, and they are hoping that they will be able to move beyond into opening a flagship store and to bring their bespoke services to the market. But of course, these are busy times for Anya. “Our New York flagship opens in August and is a really exciting step for the brand.” Anya Hindmarch is a premier and bespoke accessories label stocked by the world’s leading stores and worn by celebrities including Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer, the Duchess of Cambridge and Angelina Jolie. In 2009, Anya Hindmarch was awarded an MBE in recognition of her contribution to the British fashion industry as well as further responsibilities including: UK Trade Ambassador, non-executive director of the British Fashion Council and trustee of both The Royal Academy and the Design Museum. She was also awarded the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award in April 2012. The first ever Anya Hindmarch London Fashion Week show took place in February 2012 Anya Hindmarch is now available at 51 East department store in Lagoona Mall. The label will start off with a capsule collection of key pieces and special orders will be available. Anya Hindmarch is represented by Al Mana Emerging Brands International in Qatar.

July-August 2013

Lookout Qatar

Having generously tested almost all the concoctions

that were available in the Amouage showroom in Oman, and smelling like a cross between an elegant Arabian princess and a pot of flower hodgepodge, we got into our ride, and the driver, with his clean nose, smiled at us discerningly. He named a few of the scents and then went on to give his own recommendation of his favorite bouquet from Amouage, including some base notes and key ingredients. Oman’s indigenous perfumery has clearly made headway among the people of Oman and was more a matter of pride than pure olfactory knowledge to the locals. On the little intimate tour of Amouage’s six-month-old factory and visitors center in Muscat, a newly-revived romance with the art of perfumery emerges. Bottles of distilled ingredients line the walls, attentive perfumers carefully inspecting their work of liquid magic, and the genuinely pleasurable air of appreciation among the staff is such a far cry from the sterile lab where one can imagine modern-day beauty products are made. The factory, which is really more like a craft workshop, hand-makes about 20,000 bottles a week from the beginning right till the polishing of the bottle before it gets packed into its beautifully designed box. As a consumer, the choice is pretty obvious. Why spend the same amount of money on a factory-line product when you can get it lovingly made by hand? In all honesty, as even the Creative Director of Amouage, Christopher Chong, admits, everyone is making fragrances these days. But while most are selling a lifestyle and harping on about base notes and key scents,

Amouage Breaks Arabian Traditions An Omani perfumery goes global and enters markets hitherto unknown to traditional olfactory producers. By DEBRINA ALIYAH

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Amouage rises above all this, bringing forth first heritage and then a cultivation of olfactory knowledge. “Perfumes don’t work the same on everyone. In East Asia, we don’t come from a culture of wearing perfume and we use it in moderation. You learn the spots and the highlights to make it work. It is all about education,” he says. There is no oud in Amouage’s repertoire, and there are no distinctive Arabian essences. If traces linger, they are mere coincidences. The house is firm on its positioning; it

images courtesy Amouage

Olfactory Pleasure

Sub Section

FATE The new fragrance, Fate, for both men and women, features a base of a rich and velvety blend of frankincense, oakmoss and leather. The fragrances are presented in Amouage’s iconic clear glass-crystal bottles with a rainbow undertone, with gold-plated caps accented with an aurora borealis-inspired Swarovski crystal. Amouage is available at Fifty One East and Paris Gallery. Fate completes the first cycle narrative of a fragrance collection that includes Gold, Dia, Ciel, Reflection, Silver, Ubar, Jubilation, Lyric, Epic, Memoir, Honor, Interlude and Beloved.

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There is no oud in Amouage’s repertoire, and there are no distinctive Arabian essences and if traces linger, they are mere coincidences. is a brand established in Oman but it is an international fragrance producer, drawing deep on bouquets that have layers of culture embedded in them. Its perfumes are often complex, not the run-of-the-mill cheery spritz at your local department store. One is almost invited to rise to the challenge of identifing with the perceptive work of Chong. The creative soul himself is a great pragmatic vehicle for the house, their relationship now firmly validated with the release of Fate, the final perfume in Amouage’s first-cycle narrative. “They love me, they accept me, and I think it’s just because I am honest,” he says of his work with the house. Chong’s fiery and quirky personality is definitely not typical of one associated with a traditional Arabian business set-up, with thoughts of redecorating the brand’s HQ with furnishings from Toys ‘R’ Us. “Offices shouldn’t be boring. I want to send remote cars and helicopters into people’s office to cheer them up, to give them inspiration. Many might think that I am crazy, but I’m not apologetic about my fantasies. We have to move forward. I am a perfectionist and need everyone to be the best. Sometimes it’s difficult but when you push again and again, you realize people will rise to the occasion.” It has been seven years since Chong took the creative helm, and he prides himself being the biggest salesperson in the company. The brand

has been well represented, with an expanding global influence because of his media-savvy and no-holds-barred personality. “The relationship is very important, and it is mutually beneficial. I mean, look at Karl Lagerfeld and what he did for Chanel. The quilted bag was such a fuddy-duddy thing that nobody wanted, and now look at it! Everyone is clamoring to buy one! What Alber Elbaz did to Lanvin? They gave new life to the brands. Raising the profile means higher profits and margins; so it was a smart move for Amouage to push forward with a creative director, and yes, I may look like a glamorous genius concocting perfumes but I am also the brand’s biggest salesperson,” he says unabashedly. With Chong’s Far Eastern roots, the house is now breaking into new territories. They have been on a whirlwind tour to capitals including Singapore, Taipei and Hong Kong, and it is evident that the international approach towards their concoctions has won many fans. “The Far East and Asian market received us so well. Nobody is expecting to smell anything arabesque in the perfumes. We are educating them, and opening new markets. We want to break all stereotypes and frontiers of what Amouage should be.” Naturally, the next chapter of the new narrative will take place on this global stage. The concept behind the closing chapter, Fate, is one that explores the uncertainty of the future and the mysticism of the unknown. But perhaps now we have an answer. “It will be a new story merging Arab and Chinese cultures, bringing them together. It’s me and Amouage. This will be the new frontier, the coming together of two new powerful forces in the world,” says Chong

July-August 2013

Lookout Qatar

By Design

Suspended in Time Saudi artist Manal Al Dowayan puts the focus on cultural taboos and gender discrimination through art. By Abigail Mathias photograph By Camille Zakharia

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AT first glance Saudi-artist Manal Al Dowayan’s art installation “Suspended Together” seems almost lifelike. Two hundred doves hanging together as if captured in flight. What you notice later are the travel permits pasted on the doves. And that sets you thinking... These permits are used by women residing in Saudi Arabia every time they travel. The installation throws light on issues like freedom, peace, women’s rights and unity all at the same time. It was showcased at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011) and was part of the recently-held Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian Art where it was sold for QR1,198,050 ($329,000). Manal was born and raised in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. For a project titled “Esmi” (My name is), she asked hundreds of Saudi women to write their names on large wooden balls depicting prayer beads which were strung from the ceiling. It was her way of breaking the taboo that prevents men from saying the names of women in their lives. In the “State of disappearance” she confronted the media portrayal of Saudi women while in “The Choice” she pushes the tide to include pictures of women in activities they are not allowed to pursue like driving, athletics, voting. The installation depicts the choices that have been taken away from women but brought back in art through Manal’s installations. In “Suspended Together” Manal invited Saudi women of all ages and backgrounds to donate their permission documents, resulting in an overwhelming response. She explains, “It is an installation that gives the impression of movement and freedom. However, a closer look at the doves allows the viewer to realize that the doves are actually frozen and suspended with no hope of flight. An even closer look shows that each dove carries on its body a permission document that allows a Saudi woman to travel. Notwithstanding their circumstances, all Saudi women are required to have this document, issued by their appointed male guardians.” “Suspended Together” carries the documents of award-winning scientists, educators, journalists, engineers, artists and leaders with groundbreaking achievements that they gave back to their society. The youngest contributor is six months old and the oldest is 60 years old. “Regardless of age and achievement, when it comes to travel, all these women are treated like a flock of suspended doves,” says Manal.

But can art be reduced to a price tag? “I totally agree that art cannot come with a price tag,” says the artist, “but then you turn around and everyone is talking about the price of art.” International Acclaim As a fellow of the British Council Cultural Leadership International program, Manal’s experience helped further shape her ideas. “I was fascinated by the vision of a government-led program that included artists within the criteria of ‘global leaders’. In my opinion it was a limited program of training, but the financial aid offered to all

“Many challenges exist, but the fun part is how I navigate around these challenges to produce art. Women are very vocal in Saudi to a much wider audience than the art world offers.”

Picture Courtesy: Sotheby’s

participants to complete a training or a residency of their preference emphasized the understanding of what flexibility and freedom can result in when given to the right people. I chose to join an artist residency in post-revolution Cairo where I prepared a teaching module for artists to address the issue of sexual harassment, and I also conducted a three-week workshop with young artists,” she says. The 40-year-old artist’s work has been showcased in many countries, and is often representative of the emerging art scene in the Middle East. Examples of her pieces are housed at the British Museum in London, the Jordan National Museum of Fine Art and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, to name a few. “My work attracts the curious viewer looking for information that goes beyond what current media has to offer. Generally speaking I have always had a positive reaction wherever I show my work,” she says. In a world where views aren’t always expressed, Manal says, “freedom” and “expression” are words that are variable according to the situation and landscape they belong to. They can be interpreted very differently depending on the context they are being used in.”

In Still Motion Images of Manal’s latest installation “Suspended Together”.

The Artist Behind the Canvas Besides a passion for photography, she loves good food but stays away from cooking. Not surprisingly, she likes “reading novels written about women by women,” and her recent hobby list includes classic cars. “I am more inspired by daily life and the need to express my reaction to it,” she adds. There’s no denying the hurdles that confront a female artist in Saudi Arabia. “Many challenges exist, but the fun part is how I navigate around these challenges to produce art. Women are very vocal in Saudi to a much wider audience than the art world offers. Journalists, researchers, poets, news presenters and activists have existed for many years in Saudi society.” The artist is steadily working on her next project. She says, “My summers are usually quiet and involve a lot of research and preparation for the post-summer activities. I am currently collaborating with Dr. May Dabbagh, a researcher on gender issues in the region, to produce a work that combines both art and science. This project will be shown in 2014.”

July-August 2013

In Fashion

Magical Realism Lyrical prints, free of frippery and cinched at the waist, are a natural fit for elegant summer style. Photographs by Benjamin alexander huseby styled By vanessa traina

Givenchy sweater, QR8,721, and dress, QR73,538; neimanmarcus.com. What Goes Around Comes Around belt, QR357; whatgoesaroundnyc.com. Pomellato rings, QR4,733 and QR21,120; pomellato.com. Jutta Neumann sandals, QR1,037; juttaneumann-newyork.com.

July-August 2013

Quality

In Fashion

Miu Miu dress, QR11,634; miumiu.com. Burberry Prorsum briefs, QR2,367; burberry.com. What Goes Around Comes Around belt, QR357. Pomellato rings, QR9,650 and QR4,733.

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In Fashion

Prada sweater, QR2,585; prada. com. Dior dress, QR65,545.

July-August 2013

Quality

In Fashion

Prada sweater, QR2,257, top, QR3,332, skirt, QR8,867, and belt, QR1,711. Pomellato ring, QR8,193. Dries Van Noten shoes, QR3,132; barneys.com.

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

Model: Anais mali/DNa model management; Hair by Holli Smith using oribe hair care for total management; Makeup by Frankie Boyd at tim howard management; Stylist assistant: pipi loose; manicurists: zhara hanley and sherry gajor; local production: louise sandiford/caribbean crews. shot on location at the golden rock Inn nevis.

Marc Jacobs top, QR13,837; marcjacobs.com. Chanel bikini (top shown), QR4,297; Dries Van Noten pants, QR4,551 bergdorfgoodman.com. Monique PĂŠan necklace, QR47,629; moniquepean.com. Pomellato ring, QR4,733.

July-August 2013

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Vintage View

The Vintage Princess Raya Al Khalifa collects vintage costume jewelry specifically, but her outlook on fashion rings more impressively. By DEBRINA ALIYAH Photographs by ANGEL MALLARI Makeup by DEBI MENDEZ

Raya in her precious Ciner set circa 1970s-1980s Ciner cuffs.

T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

aya Al Khalifa makes her presence felt with her exotic beauty and effervescent personality, which seem to radiate and fill the space she is in. She speaks with an intense passion that makes you fall deeply in love with the subject, in this case, vintage costume jewelry. Her immense recognition and knowledge of vintage jewelry was cultivated early by the devotion and passion for jewelry through generations of women in her family. Looking into the past has shaped her deep appreciation for fashion in the present. There is no blind jostling for the latest trends, but instead a deliberate and educated choice from the best of the season. On a new Oscar de la Renta gown purchase, she remarks: “It is the versatility that appealed to me. It is a gown perfect for special occasions or even a casual jaunt if I just throw a denim shirt over it.” Many women would think thrice about jaunting casually in an Oscar gown, but that’s a story for another day. Expalining her style sense, Raya says, “I like the democratization of fashion in modern times. Fashion should not be elitist. I love and appreciate haute couture and high-end offerings, but as Gianni Versace famously mentioned, fashion is often influenced from subcultures and that inspires designers. This is evident when you review the couture works of houses like Chanel and Givenchy. Fashion is a form of art, and art is a language for all. I do love trends but I appreciate and collect classics. And ever since I became a mother, I have been less serious and more adventurous. It is about having fun and feeling comfortable. I get easily distracted by beautiful things, whether it is an Oscar de la Renta gown or a covetable jacket from Zara.” And indeed, the democratization of fashion is now the hotbed discussion in the industry. Luxury labels have had a long struggle keeping up with the fast revolutions of social media while watching sales slide. Newer brands that are quick to adapt, including Kate Spade and Michael Kors, have jumped on the bandwagon and successfully expanded their empires

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through internet globalization. Social media and use of the Internet have made fashion more available to the masses. With her love for classics, one might assume Raya would abhor this fast paced revolution. But she surprises us yet again. Raya, an avid Instagram and Twitter user sharing her style inspirations, is all for this movement. “I love it,” she says, “There is definitely a broader scope now and you may see people wearing more of a particular item. In Qatar, it is now not uncommon to see a few ladies wearing the same dress at a wedding or event. In the long run, I find designers are able to garner a wider demographic with the Internet. Marchesa, for example, has been a favorite of mine for a while now. I would often try to order a dress but be told it would not go into production after their fashion week presentation because it would not sell in America, where shoppers prefer cocktail dresses. But the globalization of fashion has made it now possible for them to reach beyond just one market, which is great news. Oscar de la Renta is another great example of a classic ‘ladies who lunch’ label that has now attracted new, younger and edgier customers. This is mostly from their online presence, and if you really look at it, the designs have not changed, just the marketing approach.” Raya has spent a large portion of her life in London, and since her marriage to a Qatari, Doha has become home for this gorgeous mother of two. Naturally, the subject of the abaya comes up. While she never wore the cultural garment growing up, she embraces the new look, going against the prejudice that people in the West have towards this cultural garment. “Many friends thought I would loathe it, but it is a preservation of culture and heritage rather than degradation of women. Nobody ever considers the plain white thobe worn by men as an issue, so why the abaya? Women can stylize their abayas like a blank canvas with accessories. I wear mine with statement necklaces and bangles. There is nothing more chic than a flowing abaya, where you can wear pajamas under and still look stylish. It is a total savior for morning school runs, and last-minute dinners. I actually feel free,” says Raya. And in the same approach, she feels that Middle Eastern values do not place any hurdles when playing catch-up with the fast-moving global fashion industry. With the growth of notable regional designers, many are charging forward with their own style, which often reflects perspectives from their own Middle Eastern origins. “Fashion is always evolving, but with the help of social media and new ambitious talent, we are really building a wide portfolio of fantastic designers in the region, who now have the opportunity to sell beyond their immediate location. A few favorites of mine at the moment are Toujouri (Qatar), Razan Al Azzouni (Saudi Arabia), and most recently I have been eyeing Madiyah Al Sharqi (UAE).” Raya’s grandmother was probably the first catalyst to her obsession with collecting vintage jewelry. Her grandmother would tell her the stories behind the jewels that she owned, giving the pieces a deeper meaning and a mysterious life. The stories and jewel assimilation continued with Raya’s mother, and it created a deep connection for the women to their past, and honed their taste for antique aesthetics. In a systematically labeled and organized jewelry closet, Raya painstakingly keeps track of each and every precious piece in her collection. She knows by heart where each individual piece is located, and they are lovingly housed in dust bags. “That love for real jewels, including Cartier art deco

The enamel link bracelet is unsigned, from 1970s

1970s D’Orlan Pendant Necklace with materials of enamel and crystal. Raya is wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown with a Topshop denim shirt.

Hattie Carnegie elephant necklace from the estate of the late Brooke Astor paired with contemporary Graff earrings.

1940s paste brooch and a 1950s paste necklace

Raya sharing a light moment with make-up artist Debi Mendez, whom she met through society weddings.

Jomaz hammered gold and crystal set,late 1970s

Quality Qatar

Vintage View diamond bracelets and Van Cleef & Arpels’ 1970s gold pendants with malachite and rich onyx, grew into a passion for vintage jewelry. We would go to antique markets and over the years, began collecting them. There are some really serious collectors and dealers in the West. We used to buy a lot of deco paste pieces and 1950s beaded heavier baubles.” From a budding interest, Raya and her mother quickly learnt, as the collection grew, and these pieces, just like her grandmother’s jewels came with their own histories. “We became rather knowledgeable on signed pieces from renowned designers of different eras and knew their significance. Some worked at large jewelry houses like Cartier but saw more financial security in creating costume jewelry that was coveted by high society ladies, Hollywood stars and royalty who wanted to accessorize without bringing out their real jewels,” she says,“I now actively sourced for signed pieces, though a lot of famous craftsmen never stamped items that were one-off commissions as props for Hollywood. You can really learn a lot and understand the origins of a piece from the materials used. For example, during the war, designers had to use different metals due to lack of resources or because it was difficult to find paste pieces that were signed.” The private collection is now, one to envy, for those who understand the intricacies of the trade. While Raya does wear some of the pieces, most of the collection remains in her closet to be admired over time. After having her second child, she began investing in larger signed pieces to complement her new wardrobe. “I needed to let go of some items to make room, but felt a responsibility

Raya is wearing a vintage Christian Dior set with Chanel gold cuffs.

While many in the region are accustomed to big names like Chanel, Raya is keen to introduce other prominent brands that were cherished and worn by style icons including the Duchess of Windsor and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Raya talking about the vintage Jomaz gold and crystal set.

1930s-1940s paste dress clips and a deco paste bracelet

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for preserving them. So I decided to sell them and go into the trade, but I wanted to introduce it to the Middle East. I feel the time is right, as a lot of people are starting to appreciate ‘vintage’,” she says. While many in the region are accustomed to big names like Chanel, Raya is keen to introduce other prominent brands that were cherished and worn by style icons including the Duchess of Windsor and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. “My favorite pieces are usually from Ciner, a small familyrun business that stopped producing in the 1980s. Elizabeth Taylor, who we all know was into breathtaking jewels, often wore pieces from this brand. All the pieces were made by hand with glamour and luxury at the forefront of their designs. In Raya’s collection, she has a gorgeous set of threetiered cuffs with red and white baguette-shaped and roundcut crystals decorated with blue cabochons from Ciner. It is a stunning piece of art that always gets the conversation going,” says Raya. In the coming months, Raya will be having private exhibitions to show her precious treasures and perhaps part ways with some. But more importantly, she wants to create a new shift towards the comprehension that costume jewelry is just as exciting as real gems. “Costume jewelry is intertwined with the biggest fashion houses. Coco Chanel pioneered easier dress styles for women but encouraged accessorizing with faux bits and baubles. The careless look of a few strands of pearls and giant cuffs symbolized her modern approach. Costume jewelry has been showcased with the most extravagant couture creations. Desrues in Paris has been producing since the 1920s for Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent as well as Christian Dior, and today they are still creating pieces for Chanel. Oscar de la Renta still makes their costume jewelry by skilled craftsmen diligently creating moulds that whimsical bijoux baubles are produced from.”

Yes, Please

Man of the Moment Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci’s edgy fall collection has the fashion world buzzing. But he has always staked his career on punking the status quo — challenging notions of sexual identity and class bias with the cut of a skirt. By andrew o’hagan Photograph by Liz Collins

Dark prince Tisci, wearing a sweatshirt from his fall 2013 men’s collection, is co-hosting the Costume Institute’s gala for ‘‘Punk: Chaos to Couture,’’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in May.

Yes, Please

the clash The fall 2013 Givenchy show at which Antony Hegarty performed included reinterpreted punk staples, like tartans, leather biker jackets and gypsyinspired florals.

just witnessed my first fashion moment. A fashion moment, to paraphrase Diana Vreeland, is a sudden, shared intoxication, when watchers are offered a perfect release from the ordinary. I’ve been to a number of fashion shows before, enjoying the spectacle, the happy tribalism of the fashion world and the hungry passion of the paparazzi. I’ve attended the parties and heard the Oh My God talk about this season’s unmissable, life-changing thing. But I’d never before stood beside a woman completely dressed in yellow as she wept into her BlackBerry. ‘‘I can’t. I can’t speak. It’s amazing. Like, totally amazing,’’ she said. The crowd was packed into the Halle Freyssinet, near the Quai d’Austerlitz, like Champagne in a dusty cellar, arranged in rows according to our label or our vintage. The space had gone dark, and Antony Hegarty, of Antony and the Johnsons, backed by a full orchestra, began to sing a haunting song. Then the fall collection for Givenchy, designed by Riccardo Tisci, unfolded in a very elevating and emotional parade, part gypsy, part Victoriana, with zippers, Bambi sweatshirts, paisley patterns and deconstructed biker jackets. I could finish by saying the crowd went wild and the rest is history. (They did. And it is.) But the subversive tracings in Tisci’s collection will connect him to fashion history in a different way next month, when he co-hosts the Costume Institute Benefit to open the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s landmark show ‘‘Punk: Chaos to Couture.’’ I’ve loved punk since I was a kid and have always felt drawn to its ribald, cheeky and rather powerful habit of lighting into our complacencies. If you were around in the 1970s and remember how mundane everything was, how mired in self-importance and gray authority, then you might welcome punk’s very necessary spirit at any time. The Met show is bound to open up some excellent arguments, not least about whether the Americans or the British arrived first with punk. But that hardly matters. What matters is whether this brilliantly scabrous, inventive and politically questioning movement is still a relevant life force in the culture today. The answer, if you believe in the influence of Tisci, is yes. When I turned up to meet Tisci at the Givenchy offices on the Avenue George V, where he has been creative director since 2005, I found him to be pleasingly conspiratorial and fun, naughty as an old school pal

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who knows why you dumped your homework. He even had the cigarettes, American Spirit, which he smoked quickly, stubbing them out each time he made a fresh point. Tisci is brown-eyed, roughly handsome and gesticulating — an engine of dark intensity, like the chief troublemaker in a film by Luchino Visconti, with a secret shyness. Basking in the afterglow of that week’s triumph, he was keen to share his distaste for conformity and his ideas for change. ‘‘I know I can make beautiful clothes on the runway,’’ he said, ‘‘but why not give people something to think about at the same time? For me, that is punk. Punk is an attitude — it is being free, it is being honest. When I was young, I felt punk was like me dreaming. I was attracted to all these sounds and to the look of these people. I felt that I had something to say that people didn’t understand. Emotions come from reality, not fakeness.’’ Before talking about his own childhood he lit another cigarette and waved the smoke away. ‘‘My story is intense,’’ he said, ‘‘and if I was born again I would ask God to give me the same story.’’ He was born in Cermenate, Italy, to working-class

counterculture Clockwise from above: a 2008 Givenchy ad; a model wearing a Rottweiler sweatshirt and dog collar in Tisci’s fall 2011 men’s show; a zippered shoe from prefall 2011.

clockwise from Top Right: go runway; catwalking/getty images; go runway. all other images courtesy of riccardo tisci and givenchy.

Arena

parents who had eight girls before they had him. ‘‘My father wanted a boy. And then he died when I was young. I went through suffering but it informed both the head and the heart, making me who I am. We had no money and I grew up amongst these women: they are my greatest inspiration and my biggest fans.’’ He tells a story of difficult teenage years coming to terms with his own creativity in the strong macho culture of Italy. ‘‘I grew my hair long and did my face white. My mother was clever: she never stopped me. I looked like a real freak but I was reading a lot, and that, too, made me dream. It was London and New York I dreamt about.’’

loves success — but he also sees it as the vehicle for a new upgrade in gender equality. ‘‘When you get to a place like Givenchy, you get power,’’ he said. ‘‘I hate to use this word, but, yes, you get power. And you get followers because you are making people beautiful, you are changing people. I can sell more bags, I can sell more beautiful shoes, but, next to that, you have the power to give a good message to people. I had this friend called Leo who was transgender. I helped her through her journey and eventually we used her in our advertising campaign. Everyone was against it, but we did it.’’ It must seem far off to many people, Givenchy, high fashion, the Avenue George V, the Met. But Tisci feels that everything he does comes not only from the little streets of his childhood but also from the little streets of today. ‘‘It’s actually the beginning of my inspiration,’’ he said. ‘‘I make sure that in every collection there is stuff for kids with less money. They might have to save up but it is reachable. My sisters still work in factories, and why shouldn’t normal people have the chance to dream, to wear the Givenchy label? I want my sister, my nephew, my niece to be able to go to a Givenchy store and buy something, not just a princess, you know?’’ I think I do. When I was growing up, the soul of punk was to be found in a safety pin that you could fix to your school blazer as a way of giving the finger to the headmaster. It wasn’t much, yet it was everything, a way of finding your own voice with a small articulation of the word ‘‘no.’’ And if punk has a creative potential across decades, it was always going to be that, even though, in Riccardo Tisci’s case, the articulation is anything but small: it is phenomenal, powerful, classy and moral. One imagines that Tisci’s involvement in the Met Ball is something of a consummation for the boy from southern Italy who once whitened his face and mangled his jeans. ‘‘A lot of the established designers, they don’t really care about the relationship between creativity and social change. That is why I love some of the younger people like Christopher Kane and Rodarte.’’ He smiled at the world beyond his clear Paris windows. ‘‘They really care,’’ he said, ‘‘and it blows me away with happiness.’’

gothic revival Clockwise from top left: at Tisci’s spring 2012 haute couture collection, models wore bull rings in their noses; his spring 2010 men’s-wear show; fall 2007 women’s-wear show; a nose ring from the fall 2012 men’s collection; a 2011 Givenchy print campaign.

Tisci, now an international star, feels he owes no debt of thanks to his native country. He feels let down by its attitude to him, but, more than that, he objects to the chaotic authoritarianism of Italy’s church and state, and you see such rebellion in his work: ‘‘I have been killed so many times in my career for saying things. When I touch on sex and religion — I love sex, and I pray every night — that makes me a bad and a dangerous person in some eyes. But I went for it. I was ready to be criticized.’’ The punk legacy adopted by Tisci leads him toward new kinds of emotional and political engagement. He cares about femininity and its attackers and many of his design ideas stem from that. ‘‘I want to break down the legend of Italian men being macho, you know, the whole thing: Italian women and their large breasts, the football and the pizza, the women always dominated by the men.’’ Givenchy not only has a dreamer as its head, but in Tisci it has a thinker and an activist, too. This, for me, is where the punk ethos, however far it has flown from its origins, comes home to roost: an international luxury goods company has a chief designer who cares about the rights of the people he is selling to. And that is not nothing. He loves the industry — loves fabulousness,

all images courtesy of riccardo tisci and givenchy

‘When I touch on sex and religion - I love sex, and I pray every night - that makes me a bad and a dangerous person in some eyes.’

July-August 2013

Makeup by Aaron de Mey at Art Partner; Hair by Ayumi Yamamoto at Defacto for Shu Uemura.

The Talk

In Praise of Privacy Sofia Coppolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own life is the very picture of elegant discretion. Who better to critique a celebrity-obsessed generation that overshares and hyperconsumes? By lee radziwill Photographs by jason schmidt

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discreet charm Sofia Coppola in her West Village apartment.

family business Sofia, age 3, with her father, Francis Ford Coppola, on the set of ‘‘The Godfather, Part II.’’ Right: her little director’s chair on the set.

SOFIA COPPOLA’S NEW MOVIE, ‘‘The Bling Ring,’’ tells

the true story of a gaggle of San Fernando Valley teenagers so obsessed with the trappings of celebrity that they decided just to steal them. In 2008, this group set off on a nine-month spree in Hollywood, looting more than $3 million worth of jewelry and designer clothes from the homes of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and other TMZtracked starlets — in some cases breaking in by just walking through an unlocked front door. (They had Googled the addresses.) Unlike Coppola’s earlier films, which approach the follies of youth with a sweet sense of melancholy, this one seems to raise a kind of parental alarm. Coppola’s interest in this subject matter was sparked in part by having two young daughters, Romy, 6, and Cosima, 4. Here she chats with her friend Lee Radziwill about the current state of celebrity culture — and how this glittery world fascinates her as a filmmaker, and terrifies her as a mother. Coppola: Lee, I’m so sorry you had to watch my loud and

obnoxious film! Radziwill: Not at all. I thought it was really interesting, and I was interested in why you chose to do this now. Coppola: When I read the Vanity Fair article about these kids, it summed up everything that I think is declining in our culture. And it just doesn’t feel like anyone is talking about it. Kids are inundated with reality TV and tabloid culture so much that this just seems normal. When I go to a concert, everyone is filming and photographing themselves and then posting the pictures right away. It is almost as if your experiences don’t count unless you have an audience watching them. There are even videos of kids having their sweet-16 birthdays and they want a red-carpet V.I.P. theme. This movie was about an extreme version of this. Radziwill: Does that fascinate you or frighten you or bewilder you? Coppola: It frightens me, and it just seems like this trash culture is becoming acceptable as mainstream culture. Radziwill: I find it sad that that’s the way culture is going.

Coppola: Yeah, I guess I was hoping to have some kind of discussion about it in the hopes that we can try to improve things. I wanted at the beginning of the film for it to look as enticing as possible, so you could sort of understand why these kids were obsessed with that world and go along with the ride, so we’re not just looking from a distance. I wanted you to try to experience it through their eyes. But I also wanted to kind of catch up with them, and then for people to start to have other feelings about it. Radziwill: Imagine if your girls were as obsessed with celebrities and clothes! You would be in such despair. Coppola: I know. I don’t know if I would have been as interested in this if I didn’t have daughters and know that they’re growing up in this world. I think that’s the way that it’s affecting, because these are kids in the movie, they’re so young and impressionable. Radziwill: It was amazing to me that there were no alarms and that nobody was ever home. Coppola: Yeah, they never turned on their alarm. The Bling Ring went to Paris Hilton’s house like six times before she noticed. I think she has so much stuff that it took a while before she noticed that someone had broken into her house. Radziwill: Did you actually film in Paris Hilton’s house? Coppola: Yes, she was really helpful to us. Radziwill: Amazing that she let all that be photographed. Coppola: I know, I was surprised. She wasn’t there, but Rogues’ Gallery The stars of Coppola’s ‘‘The Bling Ring’’ (from left): Taissa Farmiga, Israel Broussard, Emma Watson, Katie Chang and Claire Julien.

July-August 2013

clockwise from top left: Courtesy of The Coppola Family (2); Merrick Morton.

The Bling Ring went into Paris Hilton’s house like six times before she noticed. She had so much stuff that it took a while for her to realize someone had broken in.

‘To be private seems normal to me. In a magazine recently there was some personality talking about some private health issue, and I thought, Why not keep that private?’

home free Coppola in the living room of her New York apartment, where she lives with her husband, the French musician Thomas Mars, and their two children.

Coppola: To be private seems normal to me. In a

magazine recently there was some personality talking about some private health issue, and I thought, Why not keep that private? Radziwill: You keep yourself at a distance without being unfriendly. You have dignity, which is really rare in the entertainment world. Everybody wants to be out there until you’re so sick of their faces and their magazine covers that you think, Oh no, not again. With you, at first I thought, Well, she’s incredibly shy, but I understood it so well. Coppola: I also appreciate that you are a fellow suspicious person. I remember you saying that you are suspicious of people, which I am. So it’s always nice when you become friends with someone who sees things in a similar way. Radziwill: What do you think made these kids that way? Was it their upbringing, their parents who didn’t give a damn? Coppola: I feel like they didn’t have a strong family culture. So probably a combination of that and then being bombarded with those values. I try to be empathetic. You can’t totally blame them, because they’re young and T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

they’re being shown that this is what’s valued in that society. But it’s so important, the values of your family. Radziwill: Now, your family is very close. I was wondering if your great serenity and calm came from your childhood? Coppola: Oh, my mom is very calm and quiet, so I think I got that from her. Because my dad is passionate and loud. Radziwill: But you had a very happy childhood? Coppola: Yeah, it was always interesting and I really enjoyed that my parents always included us in their lives. So we got to be around all these interesting people and go on adventures. I mean there definitely were hard times, but — Radziwill: What was the hardest time? Coppola: Well, as a teenager losing my brother. He died in a boat accident when I was 15 and he was 22, and we were very close. I have one brother now, Roman. I think our family is so close because we would go on location with my dad sometimes, and we weren’t around neighborhood kids and so we had to hang out with each other and be friends with each other. Radziwill: What location interested you the most? Coppola: The Philippines for ‘‘Apocalypse Now’’ was the most exotic. I was really little. I was about Romy’s age. We were there for more than a year. That was the most exotic and fun, but I always liked to go on location. When we moved for ‘‘The Outsiders’’ to Tulsa, Okla., my parents just put us in the local school. So I felt like I got to really have a sense of different kinds of people. My dad was always very charismatic and exciting and doing interesting things and having people over and blasting opera and cooking, and so I have good memories. We did not have a boring childhood. Radziwill: Your choices in film are so interesting and so original. What attracts you to the totally different films that you’ve done? Coppola: I feel like when I finish one, the next one is always a reaction to the one before. So after I did ‘‘Marie Antoinette,’’ which was so decorative with so many characters, then I wanted to make ‘‘Somewhere,’’ where it was just two characters, really simple. And then after that, which was so simple and slow paced, I felt in the mood to do this kind of gaudy, flashy, faster-paced one. But I feel like I’m usually just naturally drawn to something. I don’t know what I want to do next, but I feel like doing something beautiful after this. Radziwill: Would you like your children to go into film? Coppola: After seeing ‘‘Cinderella,’’ Romy keeps telling me that she wants to be on the Broadway stage. I’m hoping she’ll outgrow that. We’ll see. Romy is in the Girl Scouts and I was around this group of 6-year-olds, and we were talking about things and a few of them said, ‘‘I want to be famous.’’ I thought, Where does that come from? I don’t think we knew about that when we were 6 years old. Radziwill: I’ve often thought — even though it’s hard to give him even more credit than he has had — that Andy Warhol must have started a lot of 15 minutes of fame. Coppola: I feel like now is the epitome of that idea. Radziwill: It’s such an amazing prediction from somebody who died a good 25 years ago. And it wasn’t spot on then as far as I could tell. Maybe in Andy’s circle, it was starting, but I think he was brilliant foreseeing this. Coppola: I would be very curious what he would think now. This interview has been edited and condensed.

jason schmidt

she let us into her closets and we were in her bathroom. I think it was also this idea of no privacy — no privacy, or mystery or anything. Radziwill: It seems nothing is private anymore. That must particularly fascinate you, because you have such a sense of mystery about you. I find it so amazing that you’ve managed to keep your privacy and keep your mystique. And I think that’s one of the things that has attracted such curiosity about you, because it’s the antithesis of everybody else.

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home front Jemima Khan in the sitting room of her Fulham house, which she decorated herself.

Media Report

The Unlikely Activist Jemima Khan may live the grand life of an English aristocrat, but behind the famous boyfriends and the important hair is a serious political journalist and a budding documentary film producer. Her latest project? Taking on WikiLeaks. By sarah lyall Photographs by eva vermandel

The address is unremarkable and the

street unexciting, but to slip past the nondescript front gate is to enter an alternative universe, a leafy enclave of secluded houses smack in the center of southwest London. This is where Jemima Khan lives, in a house with soaring ceilings that used to be a factory for old-style taxi carriages.

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It was a shock to find this little slice of privilege within a shout of the bustling, thrusting Chelsea soccer stadium; it was a different sort of shock to meet Khan, who presents her own misleading facade. Wearing skinny jeans and a large letter-sweater-style cardigan, she was all long slender legs, glossy flowing hair, radiant English skin and articulate

charm. She offered tea, apologized for the state of her dog-distressed cushions, took off her boots, curled up on the sofa next to Brian — the dog in question — and tossed out a barrage of questions meant to disarm and deflect. She prefers to be interviewer rather than interviewee, she said apologetically, particularly in light of how mean-spirited the British papers can be about someone with her background, and how they can twist words into different meanings. ‘‘I haven’t done any interviews for quite a while,’’ Khan said. ‘‘I am naturally quite an open person, and I always end up saying too much.’’ But she has made an exception in the service of ‘‘We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,’’ a film about the online antisecrecy group and its founder, Julian Assange, that was directed by Alex Gibney (‘‘Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer’’) and of which Khan is an executive producer. Khan has been involved with Assange’s case since he was arrested in December 2010, and she helped post bail for

him, but the movie examines him and his work with a cool dispassion. As she talks about her own work, Khan realizes there is a bit of a perception problem, a slight disconnect — her charmed upbringing and potentially frivolous existence at odds with, as becomes increasingly clear, the seriousminded, hyper-busy reality of her working life. The tabloids persist in calling her ‘‘socialite Jemima Khan,’’ as if that were an official title, like ‘‘doctor,’’ and Khan, 39, has indeed appeared often in the party-photos sections of glossy magazines and Web sites. Her father was the late financier Sir Jimmy Goldsmith; her mother is Lady Annabel Goldsmith, a legendarily charming hostess whose first husband, Mark Birley, named Annabel’s nightclub after her. The two had 10 children between them; Jimmy Goldsmith was an inveterate keeper of mistresses (in fact, Annabel was his mistress before she became his wife) who fathered children with four different women. Life around the dinner table was complicated, noisy and filled with vociferous debate about the issues of the day. Khan was a serious student, ‘‘which is why I don’t understand why my children have to be coerced and virtually waterboarded into doing their revision,’’ she said, laughing, using the British expression for ‘‘studying.’’ But at 19 she dropped out of college to marry the Pakistani playboy/cricket star-turnedpolitician Imran Khan, who exuded charm and exoticism. It was a bit of a shock for everyone. ‘‘A born-again Muslim twice my age who lived in Lahore and wanted to be in Pakistani politics isn’t any father’s idea of a perfect sonin-law for their teenage daughter,’’ Khan said wryly. ‘‘But they both married against their parents’ wishes and eloped,’’ she added, of her parents, ‘‘so they weren’t exactly in a position to intervene.’’ Marry she did. She moved with her new husband to Pakistan, learned Urdu, had two sons and threw herself into political and social causes, becoming a public figure in her own right, her every outfit and utterance dissected and obsessed over. The couple divorced after nine years, growing apart but remaining good friends, whereupon Khan returned to London and embarked on a passionate romance with the actor Hugh Grant. (She remains good friends with him, too, as well as with the literary agent Luke Janklow, another recent ex, she said, adding that she is happily single now.) Along the way, Khan somehow pulled off the neat trick of reinventing herself from Hello! magazine stalwart to serious person consumed by serious issues. She went back to school, finished her undergraduate degree and then studied modern trends in Islam at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Now she is associate editor of the

‘I know people in similar situations who haven’t really worked or who have sort of squandered their money. The result is, I suspect, just massively low self-esteem and an unfulfilled life.’

Imran Khan after their civil wedding, 20 June 1995; with Princess Diana when she visited Imran Khan’s charity cancer hospital in Lahore; with Hugh Grant on 25 February 2006 in Paris.

political magazine New Statesman, for which she writes fluent and incisive political profiles, and is Vanity Fair’s European editor at large. She has also written an article about polygamy for New Statesman and presented a BBC radio program on the subject in Britain. In her spare time, if that is the right way to describe it, she finished a screenplay about a young, haplessin-love British woman whose exasperated mother turns to her Pakistani neighbors to help

organize an arranged marriage for her. That is her first foray away from nonfiction. ‘‘I am completely aware that it is a massive cliché to be working on my screenplay, but at

July-August 2013

Khan and grant: AFP; khan and imran: afp.

family circle Clockwise from top: Jemima, with her brothers Zac and Ben and her mother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, at Ormeley Lodge, their London home, in 1983; with her former husband

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Media Report

least it was commissioned,’’ Khan said cheerfully. ‘‘It could be crap, but I am going to get it done.’’ ‘‘We Steal Secrets,’’ which was released last month, examines the complicated case of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. It also examines in fascinating detail the equally

‘WikiLeaks exposed the most dangerous lies of all, which are those that are told to us by elected governments.’

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home office Khan at her writing desk in the house’s sitting room.

Khan and the other supporters lost their money — and dramatically sought political asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy, around the corner from Harrods, where he has remained, confined to a small studio, since last June. He has never responded to Khan’s e-mails asking him to explain his legal situation, she says, and she said her agreement to help post bail was never meant to allow him to avoid facing the charges in Sweden, but merely to get him out of prison while he prepared a legal case and continued his WikiLeaks work. She has not spoken to him since June of last year. Khan recently wrote an elegant article for New Statesmen about her evolving feelings — admiration turned to disillusionment — toward Assange. While claiming to support the notion of a just society ‘‘based upon truth,’’ she wrote, WikiLeaks has in fact ‘‘been guilty of the same obfuscation and misinformation as those it sought to expose, while its supporters are expected to follow, unquestioningly, in blinkered, cultish devotion.’’ Assange’s supporters have denounced ‘‘We Steal Secrets,’’ saying that its examination of the sex charges against Assange amounts to irrelevant sensationalism. On the contrary, Khan said, Gibney actually unearthed a great many details about Assange’s past that he ended up not putting in the movie. ‘‘Alex is an ethical, scrupulous person, and I think he

decided that it was not relevant to the story, and the Swedish case absolutely was,’’ she said. Meanwhile, Khan is starting work with Gibney on another documentary, about drone warfare. So please do not say she is a socialite. ‘‘There are plenty of things that you can call me, even if they are not flattering, but socialite, I think, is incorrect,’’ she said. Nor should anyone assume that growing up with money has somehow made her feel entitled. On the contrary, Khan said, as the interview wound down, it has cemented her hunger for doing something meaningful. ‘‘I know people in similar situations who haven’t really worked or who have sort of squandered their money,’’ she said. ‘‘The result is, I suspect, just massively low self-esteem and an unfulfilled life.’’ She led the way to the door, through the courtyard, and back to that nondescript gate, discussing why there was a huge hole in the ceiling of her entryway. (It has to do with a shared plumbing connection with a nearby house, and the unwise tendency in that house, apparently, to flush baby wipes down the toilet.) The next day, she sent an e-mail clarifying her position. ‘‘I didn’t mean to suggest that I am not very lucky,’’ Khan wrote. ‘‘I just meant that it’s easy to become indolent, entitled and to lose a sense of purpose if you don’t have to work.’’ She finished: ‘‘In my experience, being busy and working hard is the key to sanity/happiness.’’

eva vermandel

complicated and possibly more interesting, because it is so shocking, case of Bradley Manning, the troubled, sexually confused Army intelligence analyst whose leaking of secret American diplomatic and policy documents to WikiLeaks led to his arrest three years ago. (He is currently awaiting trial.) As for Assange, the movie dissects all his contradictions, examining him as hero and villain, as an advocate of openness and transparency who is also a deeply secretive, possibly paranoid control freak — an ultimately unknowable person. Khan’s connection to the movie came because she was an admirer from afar of WikiLeaks and, for a time, a high-profile supporter of Assange’s in Britain. ‘‘There was a lot of stuff coming out about Pakistan, which confirmed suspicions I had about the sort of double-dealing of the government,’’ she said of the WikiLeaks material. And more simply, ‘‘I don’t like lies,’’ she explained. ‘‘WikiLeaks exposed the most dangerous lies of all, which are those that are told to us by elected governments.’’ She was drawn into Assange’s odd, charismatic orbit after the British authorities placed him in solitary confinement while he fought extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted on charges of sexually assaulting two former WikiLeaks volunteers. Along with other sympathizers, Khan helped post his bail, which ran to the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But then several things happened. Working with Gibney on his WikiLeaks documentary, Khan served as his liaison to Assange and was sucked further and further into the morass of Assange’s suspicious, conspiracy-theorysuffused mind. Assange at first seemed amenable to an interview on camera, but became increasingly, maddeningly obstructive, finally heaping so many conditions and demands that negotiations over the terms completely broke down. Then Assange suddenly jumped bail —

Travel Report

Photographs courtesy matilda temperley

Travel Report

Alice Goes to Arabianland Heat waves, the curious sensation of fine sand under the feet, the mystery of the abaya-clad women juxtaposed with the cool and luxurious mall interiors and women in capricious attire -- Alice Temperleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Middle East journey is much more fascinating than she anticipated. Alice goes down memory lane as she describes her experience.

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Travel Report

First Thoughts I couldn’t believe it! We had to start shooting at sunrise – 5.30am – and finish three hours later as it was so bright and hot. There is such magnificence in the morning and evening light, and there is always a warm breeze, which brought such life to all our fabrics during our shoot at the Banyan Tree, Dubai.

Campaign RULES: Top right: Alice and her team start early; Right: the campaign shots Desert Shoot: Behind the Camera shots of Alice’s campaign for her latest collection.

GET SET, SHOOT: Alice with her team while she and her sister shoot the campaign of her latest collection; Below: some images from the campaign.

Prejudices shattered (if there were any) We have had a store in Dubai Mall, in Fashion Avenue, for the past three years, so any prejudices that I had about the region are long forgotten. I really enjoy working with the Middle Eastern client. They are so expressive in their use of color and embellishment in their private dressing that it is a joy to work with such adventure and enthusiasm.

The mysterious woman in an abaya An abaya is something I would like to add to my collection! On this most recent trip it seems people are becoming more decorated in their abayas – trims, linings and embroideries. I would like to explore designing some into my range. The collections in store now are Spring/Summer and Pre-Fall. I am also bringing in some limited edition kaftans for the region.

Spring/ Summer Collection Top right: The facade of a Alice Temperley store in Dubai. Left: Preparing for the scarf shoot; Below: The team in action.

Bridal view: Top: An uncut version of the bridal gown from Alice’s Spring/ Summer campaign. Below: Alice tries to capture the shoot.

The Middle Eastern mix – what do they need? I can’t claim to be an expert on the region, and am always hungry for feedback from my shop floor in Dubai, and now our new store in Qatar. But we are lucky that I think there is a natural fit – I love designing long flowing feminine gowns with elements of decorative embellishments and details.

July-August 2013

On the Verge

Photo courtesy of Raha Moharrak

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Raha Moharrak navigating the tricky sections of Everestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slope.

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Climbing Everest

Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest, gives a step-by-step guide to scaling challenges both in life and on mountains. She opens up about her family, the big climb, and how her phone hasn’t stopped ringing since she got back home. By Ayswarya Murthy

A reason to celebrate; during Raha’s climb at Kilimanjaro.

Learn to travel before you learn to walk Although Raha Moharrak lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Jeddah till she was 16, her growingup days were anything but typical. “My parents loved to travel and firmly believed that it enriched us,” she says. “Annual vacations were a family tradition ever since I was a baby. We were encouraged to go horseback riding and swimming and soak up the local culture.” This tradition, she believes, instilled in her an uncharacteristic bravery, nurtured a spirit that continuously craved adventure, and taught her to view the world as her muse.

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Be predictably unpredictable

Moha poses at the bustling and picturesque Jumeriah in Dubai.

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Photo credit: Judith Philip

You don’t simply wake up one day and announce to the family that you are going to climb Everest. They’d feel your forehead and ask you to sleep it off. No, it takes a lifetime of conditioning that keeps them in a constant state of “Oh-God-what-is-shegoing-to-do-next”. Raha, it would seem, has been subconsciously preparing her folks for this eventuality since forever. “My family is accustomed to my quirkiness,” she says. “I spent my early childhood days digging up stuff in the garden, climbing trees and generally refusing to sit still.” And Raha grew up thus, perpetually adrenaline-fueled, resembling a shook-up cola can rather than anything human; so much so that when she went sky diving and shark diving on the same day, her dad barely batted an eyelid.

Seek an escape

Photo courtesy of Raha Moharrak

Exploring Nepal’s historic and scenic locales during her downtime.

What would persuade a chirpy art director, living in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, to suddenly pack up her bags and skip to the mountains? Homecoming and, one supposes, hordes of relatives? “When I decided to climb Kilimanjaro, my first summit ever, I had just left my job in Dubai and come home,” she remembers. Bugged by all the talk of women being unproductive, lazy and only fit for marriage and kids, Raha needed an escape, a challenge. Someone suggested Kilimanjaro. And she thought: “Why not?” Never mind that she had never climbed even a hill before. Never mind that her parents had a fit. (“Wait, what?! You are going to live in a tent for a week? And then climb the highest mountain in Africa?!!”) – those technicalities would be sorted out later.

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Subthe On Section Verge Raha’s mountaineering team - Arabs with Altitude

Put together a lovable, crack team of climbers

Friends in high places

Raha at Everest Basecamp

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photo credit: (TOP) Ang Phurba Sherpa; (MIDDLE) Elia Saikaly, (Below) Photo courtesy of Raha Moharrak

Raha had been to the same university as Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani and Raed Zidan, although they graduated many years apart. “So when I decided to climb Kilimanjaro, I reconnected with them for guidance,” she says. The guys, along with Masoud Mohammad, were already many summits old and only happy to take her under their wings. Thus was born a sitcomworthy alliance – Arabs with Altitude: Raha, the offbeat and effervescent “girly-girl”; Raed, the “big brother, father and joker of the group”; the intellectual, caring and charismatic “Moe” Al Thani who always had an interesting story up his sleeve; and “the shy and silent Matt”. We’d definitely watch that show!

In love with vintage at Jumeriah, Dubai

Persistence and timing are everything

Photo credit: Judith Philip

When she first floated the idea of Kilimanjaro (and, eighteen months later, Everest) she admits that her family came down on it with a big fat ‘no’. But Raha was determined. She began systematically wearing them down with statistics, travel company brochures and detailed research on safety precautions. At various points, her fellow climbers from Arabs with Altitude took turns to plead on her behalf. “But in the end, nothing would convince them except when they saw how much I wanted it,” she says. Finally, a strategic and welltimed effort clinched the deal. “When my dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I said ‘I want Everest’ and he gave in,” she smiles. “All he said was, ‘Promise me that you’ll come back safe.’” And she kept her promise.

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The road to Everest; caught between splashes of color and pristine white snow

“I had just finished my third summit when Moe suggested that we climb Everest together in 2013. I wasn’t sure I was ready for it,” says Raha. But realizing this was a now-or-never moment, she fast-tracked her mountaineering experience and climbed almost five mountains in under a year, in preparation for Everest. A self-trained climber, she learnt most of what she knew over the Internet or first-hand during the climbs. Goes to show the heights that just single-mindedness and a broadband connection can take you to: in this case, literally to the top of the world.

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Photo courtesy of Raha Moharrak

Do your homework

Raha poses with the Saudi Arabian flag

Take the plunge

Photo courtesyt: Garrett Madison

“Despite everything, I guess I wasn’t really prepared for how long it would take to reach the peak. Two months of solitude and agonizing cold! I thought I was going to lose my sanity,” Raha exclaims. “And I was more scared of freezing to death than falling off a cliff.” In the wee hours of May 18, she sat huddled in her tent, “uncharacteristically quiet and deep in contemplation. We were going to set out early to beat the traffic on the trail and it was pitch dark outside. I kept telling myself that after coming so far I wasn’t going to let fear take over,” she says remembering their slow march up to the summit at temperatures hovering around -45C. “And then the sun came out and lit everything up. It was like hope.” The final few meters went by in a daze. “Though I have been asked this question several times, I never know how to describe how I felt standing there at the peak. I simply couldn’t believe it,” she says simply.

On top of the world

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Shadow play at Jumeriah, Dubai

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What Raha didn’t anticipate when she stepped off the mountain was that, back at sea level the whole world was talking about her. “I had a moment of ‘Oh God, what did I do?’” she laughs. And then came her own Wikipedia page. “That was hilarious! My friends said that I am now officially single forever.” That aside, she is clearly uncertain how to handle becoming an unexpected poster-child for women’s rights in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia. She was just a girl who wanted to climb mountains. But Raha has only one thing to say on the subject: “If you want something, do not be afraid to say it. Saudi women are too scared to even tell their loved ones what’s on their mind. My family was initially against the whole idea, but now they are my biggest supporters. And I didn’t have to fight them or alienate them to go after my dreams.”

Photo courtesy: Judith Philip

The reluctant activist

clockwise from top: Jackie NICKERSON; FHANNAH STARKEY; Inez and Vinoodh.

July-August, 2013

CUlturE ISSUE

The depth to which Julianne Moore inhabits a character says more about the audience than the actress. Unlocking the secret to Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most genuine star.

The Fairest of Them All Photographs by inez and vinoodh styled by joe m c kenna text By aaron gelL

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Jean Yu slip, QR2,650; Nancy Meyer Fine Lingerie. Makeup application created by Peter Philips and made by Maison LemariĂŠ for Chanel Haute Couture January 2013. July-August 2013

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Palin in last year’s ‘‘Game Change,’’ a role that won her an Emmy Award and the praise of just about everyone who wasn’t the former governor of Alaska. Of course, she nailed Palin’s idiosyncrasies and speech patterns (which, after all, had been done before), but she also accomplished something much more difficult and meaningful: she helped restore a sense of Palin’s humanity, locating an actual flesh-and-blood person beneath the layers of ridicule and snark acquired during the hard-fought 2008 campaign. ‘‘I think whatever you do, you have to have a real amount of compassion for your character as a human being,’’ says Moore, who thought the pressure on Palin was unbelievable. ‘‘She was in a completely untenable situation,’’ but she was game and worked hard. ‘‘She had an incredible natural charisma,’’ Moore says, and a ‘‘crazy innate confidence.’’ At 52, an age when decent roles can be hard to come by for women, Moore is working more than ever. ‘‘What Maisie Knew,’’ a heart-wrenching indie in which she plays a narcissistic rock singer in the midst of a divorce — failing tragically to parent her young daughter, played by newcomer Onata Aprile — opens in May. It will be followed by ‘‘Don Jon,’’ the writing and directing debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in which she plays a grieving widow who tutors Gordon-Levitt’s porn-obsessed mook in the mysterious joys of authentic lived experience, and sexual intimacy. (Moore has often been paired with younger men in her films, and her husband, the director Bart Freundlich, is nine years her junior.) Then comes ‘‘Carrie,’’ based on the Stephen King novel, in which Moore plays the title character’s lunatic mother. Resisting the temptation to camp it up, Moore approached the part as she usually does: finding the confused and desperate woman beneath the surface. ‘‘The only family she has is this child, so when she starts to move away from her and into the world it’s incredibly threatening,’’ Moore explains. ‘‘All she ever does is warn Carrie about the outside world — ‘They’re going to laugh at you, they’re going to hurt you,’ — ’cause that’s been her experience.’’ Suddenly she cracks an odd smile. ‘‘The horrible thing is she’s right!’’ These days, it’s something Moore would know little about. Sitting in the back of a narrow French bistro near her home in Greenwich Village, she is a little unreal in person, her skin so fair and smooth it might have been painted by Vermeer. Her face is an elegant geometry of graceful planes, her green eyes impossibly almond shaped, readily crinkling up with Santaesque warmth but capable of unsettling flashes of fury or raw distress, a facility so many directors have captured on film. Her laugh is the real surprise — richer than one might expect and at times disarmingly silly. It comes out often as she talks about day-to-day life: the recent renovation of her family’s town house, her children (Caleb, 15, and Liv, 12), her obsession with furniture designers like Paavo Tynell and Harvey Probber. And when it does, it’s hard not to think she might just be the most real person in the place.

Creative Movement Director: Stephen Galloway; lighting director: jodokus driessen; tailor: lars nord; photo assistants: joe hume, jeff lepine, jon barlow; stylist assistant: carlos nazario; makeup assistant: emiko ayabe; hair assistant: taku.

here are essentially two kinds of actors: the ones who are seen and the ones who see. The ones who play characters and the ones who study people. The performers and the informers. Julianne Moore falls squarely into the latter, more rarefied, much, much smaller camp. Indeed, however unassumingly, she is its standard bearer. What makes her work so powerful, in films as diverse as ‘‘Far From Heaven’’ and ‘‘The Big Lebowski,’’ ‘‘Boogie Nights’’ and the forthcoming remake of ‘‘Carrie,’’ is that, for this actress, playing a role is not about sunbathing in admiration but about admiring the rest of us, in all of our varied subjectivities. For Moore, taking on the vocal inflections, the mannerisms, the emotional undercurrents and psychic thunderstorms of another human being is essentially just a way of seeing us all more deeply. She looks deeper into her characters, inhabits them more fully, loves them more completely and with less judgment than just about any actor out there. As a result, her best work has, in some small but undeniable way, managed not just to entertain but to elevate and ennoble the rest of us. To some extent, Moore’s signature approach may be an accident of physiognomy and upbringing. There is something uncanny about her appearance, at once beautiful and otherworldly. Flame-haired and lavishly freckled — ‘‘not the adorable few’’ but covered, as she puts it — she grew up acutely aware of being perceived as different. Her attempts to grapple with that fact and to overcome her insecurity inspired her best-selling picture book, ‘‘Freckleface Strawberry,’’ which takes its title from a taunt often lobbed at her in the playground and has spawned two sequels and an Off Broadway musical. Her sense of otherness was heightened by the peripatetic childhood of a military brat, a blur of new schools, accents and cultures — and endless social puzzles to crack. Always a diligent pupil, she spent years studying everyone else, trying very, very hard to pass among us as unobtrusively as possible. Moore’s first appearance on stage was an exercise in being looked at, and she didn’t enjoy it a bit. She was in sixth grade, and she’d been cast as the Little Red-Haired Girl (a made-up role) in a class production of ‘‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,’’ at Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining, N.Y. ‘‘It’s not really a part, it’s an archetype,’’ Moore points out. ‘‘I sat on the stage and ate a sandwich while Charlie Brown talked about me. I was so scared. I didn’t get any pleasure out of that.’’ She has rarely if ever played ‘‘the girl’’ since. Moore has considered the subject of archetypes in some depth, as they are, for better and worse, the raw material of most Hollywood movies. ‘‘That’s what a lot of entertainment is about,’’ she says, adding that such characters are ‘‘representative of things, but they’re not necessarily about people.’’ When portraying an archetype, the job is to perform, which is not quite what Moore does. ‘‘I really admire people who can do that. I really can’t,’’ she says. ‘‘Because my interest is mostly about story and character.’’ Take, for example, her astonishing portrayal of Sarah

For Moore, playing a role is not about sunbathing in admiration but about admiring the rest of us, in all of our varied subjectivities.

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July-August 2013

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P OWER OF ONE Miuccia Prada is a fashion designer by profession, but she’s also an art curator, film producer, fledgling architect, conflicted feminist, avid consumer and unreconstructed socialist. Meet the modern woman. By andrew o’hagan Portrait by mario sorrenti

Italian Renaissance Miuccia Prada wears a blue and white gingham coat from her fall collection. She stands outside her new Fondazione in Milan, designed by Rem Koolhaas and set to open in 2014.

July-August 2013

t had gone dark by the time I found the shop in Milan that belonged

to Miuccia Prada’s grandfather. Near the Duomo and housed in a glass and marble walkway called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the shop is now like a beacon in some modern Italian fantasy of style and wealth. Outside, there might be industrial decline and migration, but here the lights are fantastic and the people are drawn to it like moths. In the opening scene of Visconti’s classic movie ‘‘Rocco and His Brothers,’’ the Parondis come from the south to seek a new life in Milan. They look out from the tram as it goes through the dark city and all they can see is shops. ‘‘Rocco,’’ says one of the brothers to Alain Delon, ‘‘look at those shops and the lights. It’s like daylight.’’ Mario Prada made leather goods. In 1918 his collection included a lizard bag with marcasite and a buckle of lapis lazuli. The highlight of 1927 was a wallet in toad skin and silver. When he died, his daughter took over, and eventually she brought in her youngest daughter, the smiling Miuccia, who was known to the family as Miu Miu. In 1978, she designed a black nylon rucksack that would later take the world by storm. With her husband, Patrizio Bertelli, she transformed the company from being a much-admired, eccentric retailer of luxury goods into a contemporary design powerhouse with sales of over $5 billion. The famous Prada brand, which includes women’s wear and men’s wear, is much copied — ‘‘The job is to do something interesting with ideas,’’ Miuccia told me, ‘‘and if it is copied I couldn’t care less’’ — and the group

ugly meets pretty Clockwise from right: a runway look from Prada’s seminal spring 1996 collection, for which she designed clashing prints that made a statement about conventional beauty; the original Prada store, opened in 1913 in Milan; the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Prada store in Tokyo, which has a faceted green glass exterior that resembles an emerald.

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includes other brands like Miu Miu and the English shoe company Church’s. Mrs. Prada, as she is known, who stands at about 5 foot 4 inches, usually gives little away, but when I met her I found her just about ready to open out of her enigma. Some designers are seekers of trends, but Prada actually is the trend, season after season, leaving others spinning at her heels as she unfolds her singular vision of what a woman can be. People keep saying: ‘‘How does she do it?’’ And the secret may lie in how she connects to the spirit of the age: she is a curious capitalist philosopher with a brilliant instinct for modern desire. She is a designer not afraid to reach into what makes people human, asking odd questions, then coming back with very elegant answers. ‘‘Fashion is about the way we compose ourselves every day,’’ Mrs. Prada once wrote. This was on my mind when I met her at her headquarters in the Via Bergamo. The rain was coming down heavily when Prada arrived in a dark blue Audi and quickly dashed into one of the gray buildings. She was charming from the moment we sat down, and filled, you might say, with the easy laughter of strong conviction, the mirth of certainty. And yet Prada is pleased to live within her contradictions. It may be the thing that makes her able to create menacing, interesting work: in her core she is equally unafraid of failure and success. ‘‘When I started, fashion was the worst place to be if you were a leftist feminist. It was horrid. I had a prejudice, yes, I always had a problem with it,’’ she said. ‘‘I suppose I felt guilty not to be doing something more important, more political. So in a way I am trying to use the company for these other activities.’’ She later added, ‘‘I’m not interested in the silhouette and I’m not able to draw. It’s complicated. I am trying to work out which images of the female I want to analyze. I’m not really interested in clothes or style.’’ We talked about how her sense of style might become an instrument of even greater change. Why, for instance, do women behave as if age is a prison? Isn’t our era’s obsession with youth a form of mass hysteria? ‘‘It is much more of a drama for women, the business of aging. No one wants to age, and I really think we should find a solution. Especially because we live so much longer,’’ she said. ‘‘It used to be that a woman would have only one life, one husband, and if you were bored that was that. Now, you can have two or three lives. So even the concept of family is changing. I think this question of aging will define the society of the future.’’ ‘‘So why not use older models sometimes?’’ I asked. ‘‘Mine is not an artistic world, it is a commercial world. I cannot change the rules.’’ ‘‘But you change the rules,’’ I said. ‘‘If you put an old lady on the runway, other people would do it too.’’ She laughed. In that light her eyes

‘When I started, fashion was the worst place to be if you were a leftist feminist. So in a way I am trying to use the company for these other activities. I’m not really interested in clothes or style.’

previous spread: makeup by lucia pica at art partner; hair by patti bussa at greenappleitalia.com; tokyo store: Nacasa and Partners. Fondazione Prada CA’ Corner building + Arte Povera; Attilio Maranzano; film still: brigitte lacombe; all others: courtesy of Prada.

were green; before I asked the question they were brown. ‘‘Let’s say I’m not brave enough. I don’t have the courage.’’ Yet courage is what she does have. When you take on the fashion world and ask it to reconsider the meaning of beauty, that’s courage. She is not, as insurance men say, riskaverse. I asked her what is the power of ugly? ‘‘This is a question close to the meaning of my job. Ugly is attractive, ugly is exciting. Maybe because it is newer,’’ she said. ‘‘The investigation of ugliness is, to me, more interesting than the bourgeois idea of beauty. And why? Because ugly is human. It touches the bad and the dirty side of people. You know, this might have been a scandal in fashion but in other fields of art it is common: in painting and in movies, it was so common to see ugliness. But, yes, it was not used in fashion and I was very much criticized for inventing the trashy and the ugly. ’’ ‘‘The novelist Flaubert hated the rituals of bourgeois life. You do, also, don’t you?’’ ‘‘For sure. And we have to define what these rituals are.’’ ‘‘Good taste.’’ ‘‘Ah, for sure,’’ she said. ‘‘By definition good taste is horrible taste. I do have a healthy disrespect for those values. I don’t want to sound like a snob, but it comes very easy to me. I have to say that, although I rejected those values for a lot of my life, it was not for very noble reasons. Let’s just say that. I have to be honest. I don’t feel it was very good or very noble to feel more cultured or superior.’’ Prada pleases herself, and she does it with dedication. She makes what she wants to make, which may be why other designers are not only touched by her aesthetic but appear to have graduated from her school of thinking. ‘‘Prada’s designs stem from an inner vision of herself,’’ said the New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn, ‘‘and plainly it’s filled with images from Italian films and conflicts involving beauty. But the upshot is a tangled, whata-woman sexiness.’’ Yet there may be an essence in Prada’s work that says no to selfsatisfaction. It doesn’t say: ‘‘You’re lovely. You deserve this. You’re worth it.’’ It says something more like, ‘‘Who are you? Dare to find out. And dare to be otherwise.’’ This essence has a broad tendency to inflect the moment we are living through. A generation has come about that believes in the virtues of self-invention. I put it to her that she is one of the people who gives lessons in this. ‘‘I had never discovered the real reason for my job, and probably what you are saying is very true,’’ she said, ‘‘that you can choose your life. You can change your mind and change your clothes. We have to talk more because maybe now I know one of the reasons why I do my job.’’

circle of influence Prada’s Transformer, in Seoul, designed by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA firm in 2009. The mixed-use building can be rotated into four different shapes: a hexagon, rectangle, cross or circle.

‘‘I am a novelist,’’ I said. ‘‘I invent people for a living. But so do you.’’ ‘‘You are right. I always thought it was an escape, and ‘to dream’ was something I didn’t like. But this is very true and very good also, that you can use the clothes to reinvent yourself. The first thing a poor person has is her body. People talk about luxury — and fashion is more or less expensive — but it is nevertheless democratic.’’ ‘‘One of the cheaper ways of changing yourself.’’ ‘‘It is one of the first levels of emancipation.’’ She relaxed as the hours passed. When we began talking, she kept making as if to take off her coat and then she would put it back on again, not sure if she felt comfortable. I chose to see this as part of her nature: not getting too comfortable. Yet you can see how enlarged she becomes, comfortable or not, with ideas and with the invitation to search her feelings. For someone so dedicated to change, every day another change, this 64-year-old woman loves the idea of being delighted. From her third-floor office she has a slide that winds down to the ground floor, an artwork by Carsten Höller, that allows at least one burst of delight whenever you feel like it. She doesn’t collaborate with artists in her designs — like the slide, they are a fascinating diversion from it — but her art foundation, supporting and exhibiting art, film and architecture, has made her another kind of impresario, a person who gauges the culture’s stories and stimulates investigation. She has supported a clutch

art appreciation From far left: a still from a short film, directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, featuring Léa Seydoux, for Prada’s new Candy fragrance; Prada’s Fondazione art space in Venice, which will feature a reconstruction of an important 1969 Arte Povera exhibit this summer.

July-August 2013

fashion as well as appealing to people that are fixated with it. There are different levels of understanding. You have to touch people. It’s probably like a song: you have to touch something deep. I’m now trying to open myself much more. In the ’90s, I was considered minimal and this was because I was hiding myself and my ideas.’’ ‘‘You were nervous of criticism?’’ ‘‘Yes. But now I give more of myself. You have to go deeper,’’ she said. ‘‘At the beginning, I didn’t want to give up myself and that was a big problem. A bag is exterior to you, but with clothes you are getting nearer. I knew I would have to give more.’’

here is something industrial about Prada’s headquarters, something that chimes with the outlying areas of Milan, the housing projects and factories shot by Visconti, whose films have long been a reference point for the designer. It is all of a piece with the clothes actually, marrying form and function, the ugly and the beautiful, to make something that redefines the meaning of glamour. Some designers simply put a shine on desire and then issue the appropriate sunglasses, but Prada is busy finding a whole new way of thinking. You’ll pay for it, certainly, but you won’t pay for it by cashing in your powers of thinking because that’s what she does, consistently imbuing her designs with a personal mindfulness. ‘‘Would you say selling is as important as making?’’ ‘‘Yes. If people take money out of their pockets, it means that what you are doing is relevant to them. I hope they don’t just buy because there is a logo

the shape of things From above: the Oscar Niemeyerdesigned Communist Party headquarters in Paris, where Prada once threw a Miu Miu fashion party. Carsten Höller’s ‘‘Scivolo n. 5 (Slide No. 5) (Miuccia Prada)’’ (2000), at Prada’s Milan offices.

too subtle, your voice This is the position she has gets diluted. But you don’t created, where a great modern have to give up the sophistication. The last two designer can be a mogul, days when I’m doing a a curator, a lightning rod and show, the work is, for me, a fan. And to think that Prada’s complicated, but then in the final moments I think, grandfather didn’t want the ‘What is the title of this women in the family to be show?’ And then I try to make it more clear, so that involved in running the it appeals to people who business. maybe know less about

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of filmmakers, like Roman Polanski and Wes Anderson, through short films for various Prada ventures and her friends say she is poised to enter the world of feature films in a meaningful way. A whole generation of artists, including Francesco Vezzolli, Cindy Sherman, Baz Luhrmann and the architects Rem Koolhaas and Herzog & de Meuron, feel connected to her vision of personal transformation. ‘‘I once asked Louise Bourgeois why people were so interested in fashion,’’ Prada told me, ‘‘and she said, ‘In the end, people want to seduce.’ But I don’t think this is enough. I believe it is more complicated.’’ The complication is that the person the Prada consumer often wants to seduce is themselves. We want to test who we can be in an atmosphere not bloated with obvious effort. Prada’s clothes make you feel you are appearing at your most calm and your least demonstrative, which is a kind of freedom for people who yearn to look good but don’t want the yearning to show. Prada trained as a mime, and she performed at La Scala and other places when she was young. She was a communist who believed, like many of her 1960s generation, that change would come not through commodities but through revolution. Well, there was a revolution, but it was, as those who remember the hours after the Berlin Wall came down, a revolution of blue jeans. People in East Berlin were desperate to get to the shops. Prada is one of the brands that came to life around the same time. But Miuccia floats between knowing the truth of this and wanting to discover other truths that might contradict it. ‘‘When you create something that is ‘out there,’ ’’ I asked her, ‘‘like kitchen utensils hanging on a skirt, do you tend to know in advance that this might not be commercial?’’ ‘‘Yes. But I have to do it. There is an understanding that, when I do a show, no one will tell me what to do. Once, at the beginning of my career, I tried to listen to others and it was all wrong. I have to do what I think is right, and now everybody is happy that it is like this. We might later decide to do something more wearable that is based on the original ideas, but, you know, some collections are easier than others.’’ ‘‘Can too much democracy hurt fashion? It used to be so elitist and that’s what people liked about it.’’ ‘‘It’s like when too many people go to a museum, does it destroy the level of the museum? I choose a wider audience. I also think when I’m doing the shows I try to be more obvious, more loud, more clear.’’ ‘‘Why?’’ ‘‘Because I think if you don’t scream, no one listens. If you are too delicate,

but because the object is relevant to them. To sell is to prove that what you are doing makes sense. I’m completely against the idea that we do fashion for an elite — that would be too easy, in a way.’’ I believe there is a small anxiety in Prada. She worries, perhaps, as a feminist, as a thinker, as a person who loves art and culture — with a Ph.D. in political science from Milan University — that the fashion world might be bent on trivializing the world’s problems. She might also worry that a rich fashion designer is disqualified from addressing such problems or talking about ordinary life. But in fact she has pushed consistently for fashion to address some of the more searching aspects of the times. Fashion follows her, and artists love her, because she is properly responsive to change. Most iconoclasts become bigots for their own program: not her. She is ready at all times to be proved wrong.

‘ H

ow important is it for people to love themselves? I mean women.’’ Her smile grew. She called for Champagne. ‘‘Now that you ask me, I ask myself,’’ she said. ‘‘What do you think?’’ ‘‘I think it’s overrated.’’ ‘‘Bravo!’’ she said. ‘‘This is great. This is something I can tell my friends. What a liberation. You can hate yourself!’’ She asked me to give her the card with my question on it. She wanted to save it for later. A tray of the world’s most delicate sandwiches arrived, cucumber squares and triangles with small curls of anchovy set at the corner. Prada’s beautiful, beaten, brown Miu Miu leather coat was now off her shoulders; she was wearing a light brown jumper underneath. She wore a silk, off-white skirt and a pair of burgundy-colored sandals encrusted with fake jewels. Everything she had on her body was invented by her. I told her that if I was in her shoes I’d sometimes be desperate to get away from the brand. ‘‘I’m never in the brand,’’ she said. ‘‘That’s not where you live?’’ ‘‘No. I want Prada to be successful. But the idea of the brand doesn’t interest me, and I never think about it.’’ ‘‘Is your work a self-portrait?’’ ‘‘Yes.’’ ‘‘What makes you so sure?’’ ‘‘It comes from me. It’s my soul. It’s my life. My work and my life are more or less the same thing, and I never consider that the work is something

image control Clockwise from right: Prada’s 2001 print campaign, photographed by Cedric Buchet, which began a pattern of using younger, lesser known photographers; the Double Club, a temporary nightclub set up in London in 2008 by Carsten Höller and financed by the Prada Fondazione; a fall 2013 runway look.

different,’’ she said. The job, the foundation, my personal life, it’s all one thing.’’ You can believe that when you see how her big stores, or ‘‘epicenters,’’ have become not just marketplaces but zones of concentric culture, where a film might be shown and the shop — often built by Rem Koolhaas — might revolve and you might attend a gig by the Hours. This is the position she has created, where a great modern designer can be a mogul, a curator, a lightning rod and a fan. Imagine Andy Warhol at his height with 461 stores operating in 70 countries. And to think that Prada’s grandfather didn’t want the women in the family to be involved in running the business. One of her friends told me she liked Elizabeth Taylor, and I thought of the late film star when I saw Prada’s sandals. Prada admits to a trashier side, and she lit up when I said I wanted to talk to her about Elizabeth Taylor’s diamonds. ‘‘Is it O.K. that she got them from men?’’ ‘‘Yes,’’ she said. ‘‘Sometimes I still feel that women don’t appreciate their position in society. That we are not strong enough to impose our thinking. We don’t like businesswomen: we go against women who appear to be like men. And I always wanted to have aspects of character from everywhere, and not only be one way. I had friends who said, ‘No men, no children, total independence.’ I chose a compromise, a complete compromise. I chose a bit of avant-garde, a bit of fashion, and for me it works. I don’t want to reject my past because I have it so deeply inside myself. To be nice with a man, I don’t think it’s so bad.’’ (She is also the mother of two sons in their 20s.) Prada was the natural choice to dress the girls in Baz Luhrmann’s movie ‘‘The Great Gatsby.’’ In a contemporary way, she understands the conjunction of money and romance and dreams, American or otherwise. She didn’t need a commission: the style of the film could have taken itself from the Fitzgeraldian contradictions and investigations into selfhood that have for years been the hallmark of her work. By the time Prada met Luhrmann and the film’s star, Carey Mulligan, to discuss a possible collaboration, they had already tested some of her clothes on screen. ‘‘You like diamonds?’’ ‘‘I’m interested in jewels,’’ she said. ‘‘I know what it is: I only like antique jewelry because I like the stories attached to them. I like to know who was wearing them. It’s the life of people that interests me. Also, they are beautiful. Flowers and jewels are part of a woman’s history. I like to look at these jewels and wonder if the woman was happy. For instance, I have a brooch which features a boat in the sea and on top there is a little gold rose and over this a spider. And I wonder who gave it to the woman? Was she a lucky woman? What does it mean?’’ She’ll go on thinking. People will go on buying. And one day we might wake up and find that our everyday reality was actually made by shy and pivotal little geniuses like Miuccia Prada, half-capitalist, half-communist, searching for the next big idea and often finding it very close to home. When I left her, she was still waving the little notecard with the question on it about whether a woman must love herself in order to be happy. As her car sped away under the low, gray Prada sky, I guessed that her answer might be that loving oneself is irrelevant. What’s important is to know yourself. ‘‘If it’s fake, it doesn’t work,’’ she had said. ‘‘It has to be true to yourself first and then it might be successful.’’

July-August 2013

kids these days essay BY ANDREW ROSS SORKIN Photographs by HANNAH STARKEY Styled by Kate Lanphear and Jason Rider

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Bill Gates was 20 years old. Steve Jobs was 21. Warren Buffett was 26. Ralph Lauren was 28. Estée Lauder was 29. These now iconic names were all 20-somethings when they started their companies that would catapult them, and their enterprises, into some of the biggest successes ever known. Consider this: many of the truly remarkable innovations of the latest generation — a list that includes Google, Facebook and Twitter — were all founded by people under 30. (Mark Zuckerberg, technically, started Facebook even earlier, when he was 19; at 20 he moved to California to turn it into a business.) The number of people in their mid-20s disrupting entire industries, taking on jobs usually reserved for people twice their age and doing it in the glare of millions of social media ‘‘followers’’ seems to be growing almost exponentially. So what is it about that youthful decade after those awkward teenage years that inspires such shoot-for-the-moon success? Does age really have something to do with it? It does. And that leaves the rest of us — even those of us just a little older — at a bit of a disadvantage. The conventional wisdom is that young people bring fresh eyes and a new perspective to confronting problems and challenges that others have given up on. Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, a venture capitalist who backed Google, Yahoo and YouTube, once described the phenomenon of 20-something entrepreneurs as a generation of people ‘‘who see no boundaries, see no limits, see no obstacle that they can’t hurdle — it is the most stimulating environment that you can ever be in.’’ Vinod Khosla, another venture capitalist, goes further. ‘‘People under 35 are the people who make change happen,’’ he said at an international conference. ‘‘People over 45 basically die in terms of new ideas.’’ That may or may not be true, but it’s only part of the story. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, and now an investor who was an early backer of Facebook, has another, colder theory that may explain it: Ultimately, it’s about money. ‘‘How many people do you know who said when they were young that they planned to work for a couple of years, put some money in the bank, so that they could later pursue their passion and start a new business or strike out on their own?’’ he asked me. ‘‘It almost never plays out that way in practice. What seems to happen is that after some period of time, people are making good money and they’re typically spending all of it and it becomes really hard to dial that back. If you bought a house or have all sorts of obligations of one sort or another it may be very difficult.’’ In other words, it’s the young people who have nothing to lose, with no mortgage and, frankly, with nothing to do on a Friday night except work, who are the ones often willing to take the biggest risks. Sure, they are talented. But it’s their persistence and zeal, the desire to stay up until 6 a.m. chugging Red Bull, that is the difference between being a salaried employee and an entrepreneur. And with the steady march of technology, young people have gained an even greater sense of credibility among their elders — still worried that they themselves don’t ‘‘get it.’’ Since the 1960s, and especially since the rise of the computer era, older people have been more willing to give opportunities to the most talented 20-somethings as the office politics of old break down. Could this latest crop of entrepreneurial success stories have made it in a pre-Twitter era? Sure. But the rapidity of this digital age has hastened their ascent. That’s not to say that most 20-somethings are finding success. They’re not. The latest crop of über-successful young entrepreneurs, bloggers, designers and authors are far, far from the norm. In truth, unemployment for workers age 16 to 24 is double the national average. ‘‘Gen X’’ and ‘‘Gen Y’’ have far less wealth than their parents did at the same age, according to the Urban Institute. One of the biggest challenges facing this next generation — and one that may prevent more visionary entrepreneurs from succeeding — is the staggering rise in the level of debt college students have been left with. If Thiel’s theory is right, it is going to be harder and harder for young people to take big risks because they will be crushed with obligations before they even begin. If you’re over 29 years old and still haven’t made your world-changing mark, don’t despair. Some older people have had big breakthroughs, too. Thomas Edison didn’t invent the phonograph until he was 30.

Chris Hughes

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It was once said — by Michael Kinsley — that Al Gore was every old person’s idea of what a young person should be. It surely applies to The New Republic’s latest editor in chief and publisher, Chris Hughes. He was Mark Zuckerberg’s sophomore roommate at Harvard, a key bridge between the tech world and regular human beings, and made a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars from his tiny share of the company. He moved on to lead the Obama campaign’s groundbreaking use of the Web in 2008. There’s a confidence about him that I certainly never had — when I, another young gay man, was handed the editorship of that august magazine at the age of 27. We’ve only met a couple of times in coffee shops and, despite my 20 years on him, I felt as if I were a kid talking with a grown-up. His hair is slicked down and neatly coiffed, his attire almost fogy, his young, clear, freckled face open. Why on earth would an Internet multimillionaire rescue a boutique political and literary magazine that has almost always lost money? Hughes’s answer — he wants to

Facebook co-founder; publisher and editor in chief of The New Republic

‘‘convene conversations’’ that help change the world — seems a little jejune, but sincere. There’s a vagueness that immediately evaporates when he turns to the object of his desire: ‘‘I love print,’’ he says. ‘‘Because it’s an incredible technology in its own right. It’s colorful, it’s cheap, it’s disposable, it’s sharable, it’s an object.’’ And when you pick up the new New Republic, you can see the love: the hefty solid paper pages, the superglossy cover, the thoroughly designed interior, the graphics, the use of art and photography in ways the magazine never aspired to before. Because it was too expensive. As The New Republic turns 100 next year, it says something about its 29-year-old editor that he is seeking to make new what was recently seen as the very definition of old: paper, print, words, meaning. He is the young person’s idea of what a publisher should be. ANDREW SULLIVAN

July-August 2013

HELEN OYEYEMi Author of four novels, and the

The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Helen Oyeyemi, 28, wrote her first book, ‘‘The Icarus Girl,’’ when she was 18 and still in school. It was met by the British literary scene with amazement and respect. Since that debut, she has written three more novels, her latest being ‘‘Mr. Fox,’’ about a complicated love triangle between a narcissistic writer, his wife and his fictional muse. The book is a bold experiment in storytelling, combining realism and fabulism, humor and darkness, and a new take on folkloric fixtures like the murderous Bluebeard. It’s a heady brew, but Oyeyemi is so fluent with narrative that she seems to revel in its conventions and pick them apart at the same time, fragmenting and reframing in the manner of a Jeanette Winterson. Her age, as fun as it is to report, has really never been a window into her writing style. Besides, she’s seemed wise beyond her years from the very start. Her next book, ‘‘Boy, Snow, Bird,’’ exploring the archetype of the wicked stepmother, comes out in 2014 from Riverhead Books. ‘‘I’m still climbing around inside stories we all know, or think we know, and I’m enjoying that,’’ she says. Oyeyemi is modest about her rise. ‘‘The more forcibly I’m made aware of the fact that I’ll never be the kind of storyteller I most admire, the less I’ll be troubled by that,’’ she says. ‘‘I’ll probably just become more myself.’’ AIMEE BENDER

forthcoming ‘‘Boy, Snow, Bird’’

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alexander wang Fashion designer of his namesake label; creative director of Balenciaga

Wang’s own sweatshirt and pants. Opposite: Philosophy by Natalie Ratabesi dress, QR5,080; albertaferretti.com. Manolo Blahnik shoes, QR2,457.

As a teenager, Alexander Wang was working in a San Francisco boutique after school and remaking thrift finds for his sister and friends. ‘‘I’d hardly call them ‘hits’!’’ he says. Today, he sits atop a multimillion-dollar business that bares his name, and he was recently named the creative director of Balenciaga, one of the most storied French houses in the world. Skeptics of the 29-year-old designer might say that his press savviness, youthful good looks and Asian-American roots — after all, China is fashion’s next big frontier — have served him exceptionally well. But since he left the Parsons School of Design to introduce his own line in 2007, his swift ascendancy has been defined by a marked pragmatism that’s made him a success with retailers and women alike: capturing the nuances of urban cool with merchandise that’s delivered to stores on time at an accessible price.

With his Alexander Wang label, he’s picked up the baton that Calvin Klein and Helmut Lang carried before him, infusing sportswear with an erotic edge that suggests there’s more to life than office rigmarole. At Balenciaga, stepping into Nicolas Ghesquière’s very big shoes, he’s proven he can do a lot more than dress the downtown set. In his debut, Wang has brought a demure elegance to Balenciaga’s architectural heritage, taking classic silhouettes like high-waisted petal skirts, molded peplums and oval-shouldered coats, and toughening them up with paint-crackled mohair, marbleized silk, punkish velvet lace and pristine ivory soutache. Excelling at two very high-profile jobs is a challenge, but this is where the boundless energy and risk-taking nature of youth is at its best. ‘‘I’m a believer in going out there, working for yourself and being very proactive in getting what you want,’’ Wang says. HARRIET QUICK

July-August 2013

BENNY BLANCO Songwriter and music producer

There are a couple of ways to determine if that sound percolating out of your radio is a song by Benjamin Levin, the 25-year-old songwriter-producer who goes by the name Benny Blanco. First, there’s Blanco’s telltale sonic tang: the sugary chewiness of bubble gum, salty hip-hop, rock crunch and a sprinkling of other, often surprising musical ingredients. Then there’s the law of averages: if the radio’s on, it’s probably playing his song. In the last five years, Blanco has become one of pop’s most reliable creators of chart-topping records. He has co-written and co-produced dozens of hits, including 15 Billboard No. 1s, by some of the world’s top artists: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kesha, Maroon 5, Britney Spears. It’s a startling track record for someone whose career began so unpromisingly as a third-rate would-be rapper. ‘‘I think somewhere along the way I realized, O.K., no one’s gonna care about a chubby Jewish dude rapping,’’

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Blanco says. ‘‘I realized I’d be better behind the scenes.’’ Blanco accomplished that career transformation in the time-honored manner of chubby Jewish dudes everywhere: with chutzpah. While still a teenager in the Virginia suburbs, he charmed — or rather fibbed — his way into the record industry.‘‘I would cold-call record labels and pretend I was someone else,‘‘ he says.’’ If I patched my way up to the top, I’d be like, ‘You’ve gotta listen to my mixtape!’ ’’ Eventually, he released a critically lauded collaboration with the Baltimore rapper Spank Rock, and came to the attention of the powerhouse songwriter-producer Dr. Luke, who installed Blanco as one of his go-to collaborators. The rest is Top 40 history. ‘‘It’s a great time to make music,’’ Blanco says. ‘‘It’s becoming harder and harder to decipher the line between indie, pop, country, alternative. On the radio, listeners want to be familiar with the sound that they’re like, ‘O.K. That doesn’t make me uncomfortable.’ But they also want to be like, ‘Daaaaamn! What’s that sound?’ ’’ Jody Rosen

EZRA KLEIN Washington Post columnist;

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Don’t ask Ezra Klein for a from the University of California, MSNBC and Bloomberg pithy anecdote about how he Los Angeles in 2005 with a View contributor got to be America’s degree in political science and, pre-eminent Wonkblogger. ‘‘I more important, with hundreds don’t really believe in of blog posts to his name. He background stories,’’ he says. blogged his way into a job at What he believes in is data — so The American Prospect and let’s start there. Klein’s Wonkblog, hosted by The then came the call from The Post, where Wonkblog Washington Post, gets more than 5 million page will turn two in September. What he wanted to do views a month. His chart- and graph-heavy on his first day — make the ‘‘actual work of analyses — like a recent 4,200-word dissection of a government’’ comprehensible — is what he does health care experiment for elderly Pennsylvanians every day, almost as often on television (he’s a — are routinely among the most popular stories on contributor and a frequent fill-in host on MSNBC) as The Post’s Web site. Wonkblog is something of an on the Web. An MSNBC anchor slot seems experiment itself, out to prove that a quantitative inevitable, seeing as how the channel’s president, approach to Washington can be compelling to a Phil Griffin, is among his biggest fans. But what he mass audience. ‘‘What we’ve been trying to do for sounds most excited about is grooming his fellow a long time,’’ Klein says,‘‘is figure out how to cover Wonkbloggers, all of whom, he swears, are smarter the political world through the lens of policy.’’ ‘‘A than he is. He lets out a laugh. ‘‘I didn’t think I would long time’’ is relative; Klein is 29. He graduated face obsolescence this quickly.’’ BRIAN STELTER

July-August 2013

Author of a forthcoming literary fantasy series; college student

Could an unknown 21-year-old Oxford student named Samantha Shannon be the next J. K. Rowling? Three years ago, Shannon was an intern in the office of the prestigious London literary agent David Godwin. That experience came in handy when, less than a year later, she had a manuscript for ‘‘The Bone Season,’’ an ambitious novel, the first of a projected seven-part series, that she had somehow written between lectures. Blown away by the book’s inventiveness, Godwin promptly sent it to the editor in chief of Bloomsbury, Alexandra Pringle. ‘‘Seven hours later I was still reading it,’’ Pringle recalls. ‘‘I just fell completely in love.’’ Bloomsbury gave Shannon a six-figure advance for the first three books, an unprecedented show of support for such an untested first-time author. ‘‘The Bone Season,’’ which comes out in August, is about a 19-year-old clairvoyant named Paige Mahoney, who roams the streets of London, circa 2059, until the secret police send her off to a penal colony that looks a lot like Oxford. ‘‘Her imagination is so extraordinary,’’ Pringle says. ‘‘She reminds me of the Brontë sisters — the world she’s created is absolutely real.’’ Book rights have sold in 18 countries, and three major studios fought over the movie rights. (Britain’s Imaginarium Studios beat out Hollywood.) Shannon, now in her last year at college, is juggling writing with her studies like she did for the first book. ‘‘I had to cut down on going out with my friends so I could squeeze in writing chapters,’’ she says. ‘‘There was a lot of coffee involved.’’ LIESL SCHILLINGER

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hair by enrico mariotti for kÉrastase at see management; makeup by justine purdue for chanel BeautÉ at tim howard management. Fashion assistants: alex tudela and angela koh.

SAMANTHA sHANNON

MIKE KRIEGER

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& KEVIN SYSTROM Compared to the many programming up for a reported $1 billion last spring. Founders of Instagram marvels clogging the iTunes App store What was Instagram’s secret? Looking in 2010, the offering unveiled by a pair back, the founders made a few key design of Stanford grads one October day decisions that proved critical. First, they didn’t really do that much. It simply let removed the choice of portrait (vertical) or you take a picture with your smartphone landscape (horizontal) by limiting images to (nothing novel about that) and post it a square (both). Steve Jobs’s famous online (ditto). insight that good design is less about what’s added than But putting these two commonplace functions together what’s subtracted has never been more amply somehow made both of them feel fresh. It was, in the demonstrated. Second, Instagram let you ‘‘design’’ the words of the Instagram founders Kevin Systrom, 29, and emotional tone of a photo through instant effects — Mike Krieger, 26, ‘‘like a chemical reaction.’’ bringing the power of Photoshop filters to the mobile Neither of the partners had a typical background in generation and giving the most mundane of snapshots the computer science or design. They describe themselves as instant nostalgia of an old Polaroid. ‘‘torn between the world of art and the world of Instagram has transported users back to the carefree technology.’’ But in that middle ground they struck pay dirt, days when a single, simple button and the right subject and the product instantly became a breakthrough hit. Two matter was all you needed to share a magical moment with years after its debut, the app was one of the iPhone’s most family and friends. It put good design in all of our hands, popular applications, with a user base nearing 30 million, and helped us make our photos — maybe even our lives — success that prompted Facebook to scoop the company seem a little more memorable. john maeda July-August 2013

Seeing

For his fervent private collectors, James Turrellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celestial skyspaces are an exercise in blind faith. The temperamental artist regards them as test runs for his lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work in the Arizona desert. Somehow, everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy. By edward helmore Photographs by jackie nickerson

the light

ith his long white beard and measured manner of speech, the acclaimed light artist James Turrell cultivates the image of a cosmic cowboy. It’s a compelling presentation, and an effective tool in his long-running campaign to seduce patrons and collectors into what he describes as ‘‘another kind of seeing.’’ The ‘‘skyspaces’’ and ‘‘dark adaptations’’ Turrell creates for the homes, gardens, swimming pools, screening rooms, pagodas and pyramids of private collectors — almost anywhere the artist determines that the arrival of light at dawn and its departure at dusk can be captured to its full, revelatory effect — may differ in attribute and design, but they all pay tribute to and serve Turrell’s higher calling: the Roden Crater Project, northeast of Flagstaff, Ariz., that is his inspiration and his burden and will one day be the centerpiece of his substantial legacy. In the late 1970s, he optimistically informed the Dia Arts founder and collector Philippa de Menil that the giant sky observatory he was planning to sculpture into the extinct volcano would be complete by 2000. ‘‘We’re closing in on that date now!’’ he says, impishly. After all, when your work is concerned with the movements of the cosmos, what are a few years here and there? Since Turrell is constantly refining his ideas about light and space, there’s no real expectation he will ever declare it done. Then again, he insists, ‘‘I didn’t expect it to be my life’s work. It’s just this strange furrow I’ve chosen to dig.’’ For now, Turrell’s Roden Crater is closed to visitors. But this summer the art world heavens will align for fans of the artist, with concurrent shows at the Guggenheim in New York, LACMA in Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. In addition, Turrell has scheduled a series of tours of the Crater (patrons only) — all serving to affirm him as a visionary artist whose medium is light itself. ‘‘I want these spaces to engage you, your perception, and for you to be conscious of how you are engaging your senses,’’ he explains. The initiation of a collector into Turrell’s realm can be protracted, often taking years between a buyer’s receipt of the artist’s plans and a work’s completion. (A private Turrell commission typically costs up to $2 million). Thereafter, Turrell’s collectors, ‘‘some very idiosyncratic if not totally eccentric people,’’ as he puts it, are required to maintain the work to exacting specifications. In return, collectors gain something more. In addition to those hotly sought invites to the Crater, they become adjunct participants in his celestial field studies, entries in a geographical sketchbook in which he explores his evolving notions about light and space. To date, he’s installed 82 private and institutional skyspaces, each carefully tuned to its environment and light characteristics. ‘‘I’ve

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been practicing the repertoire I’m assembling at the Crater on all these collectors,’’ the artist, 70, says, pausing to stroke his beard. ‘‘I don’t think they feel used, but there is a direct relation.’’ In describing the importance of journey in his pieces, Turrell mentions a night-blooming cereus known as the Queen of the Night. One could see the flower cactuses bloom in the desert, he suggests, or in a greenhouse in Gramercy Park, where he keeps an apartment. ‘‘It’s the same object of perception but a completely different experience,’’ he explains. Likewise, it’s entirely different working with the soft, moisture-laden light of Scotland or Ireland (where he once lived on an island) as compared with the hard, high-altitude desert light of Arizona. On a recent trip to Beijing, Turrell found the light caused by the smog so

severe that the foreground light bore almost no relation to the background — similar to the effect J. M. W. Turner (like Mark Rothko, a hero) must have seen in 19th-century London. ‘‘I can’t believe how prescient he was,’’ Turrell says. ‘‘He was painting what he saw, and that was before Impressionism.’’ Turrell’s obsession with light, which may have originated with his stint as a high-altitude reconnaissance pilot, turns on the cusp of its coming and going. His goal, as he says, is to capture light as if in a dream: ‘‘We come into sunrise with dark-adapted eyes, so we’re more sensitive to light in the morning.’’ But even a guru knows that there are limits to what his followers will do in their quest for illumination. Art collectors aren’t known for rising early, he points out, ‘‘so I’d be a fool if I just dealt with sunrise.’’

Turrell’s goal is to capture light as if in a dream: ‘We come into sunrise with dark-adapted eyes, so we’re more sensitive to light in the morning.’

‘‘Picture Plane,’’ Los Angeles

feature attraction Jarl and Pamela Mohn’s screening room, open to the elements and bathed in fluorescent LED light, where colors change every few seconds. Previous spread: the skyspace at night; James Turrell.

The idea to commission Turrell to design a screening room was straightforward for the prominent art collectors Jarl Mohn (the founding C.E.O. of E! Entertainment Television) and his wife, Pamela. Turrell proposed that once you strip narrative away from film it’s nothing more than projected light. So by cutting the aperture of the skyspace to the same dimensions as the screen, you achieve a kind of symmetry. ‘‘The idea was so powerful it was as close to an impulse buy as you can get,’’ Mohn says. Turrell didn’t stop there. He proposed designing the entire room: the chairs, the end tables, the fabric on the walls and the carpeting in colors that would serve to heighten the experience. Instead of Turrell’s typically spartan skyspace bench seating, he designed seats modeled after those in an old DC-3 airplane that were then fabricated in Germany. The project took two years to complete, a comparatively rapid build. (‘‘Agua de Luz,’’ a pyramid skyspace in the Yucatán, took seven.) ‘‘I’ve told him many times the room is the centerpiece of our social life,’’ Mohn says. ‘‘He’s created an amazing, magical experience.’’

‘‘Craiganour,’’ Perthshire From the dry high Arizona desert to the damp Scottish moors, Turrell and the music producer Ivor Guest, Lord Wimborne, found that they shared a bond over big landscapes and a sense of scale and time that the wilderness sometimes invokes. ‘‘Craiganour,’’ the earth-and-slate skyspace at Guest’s Scottish lodge, is one of Turrell’s most harmonious installations. For the collector, the piece has come to symbolize the regeneration and conservation work on the estate: ‘‘I was up in a ruined bothy looking through a windowless window frame. I just thought, This is already like a Turrell the way it frames the landscape. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to build one? A place you could inhabit and think about things.’’ Guest took a trip out to Flagstaff and flew around the Painted Desert in the artist’s plane. ‘‘He said, ‘Let’s fly underground,’ and dropped down into the canyon. Then he did a touch-and-go on the side of the crater. It was pretty wild.’’ With Scotland’s low skies and the slate interior of the container, the piece intensifies the ultraviolet blues in the light. ‘‘I don’t think James is just about art, at least not when he’s working to the full extent of his vision,’’ Guest says. ‘‘It’s about a lot of things. He’s a traditional guy but the outcome is very futuristic.’’ open spaces Clockwise from left: Ivor Guest sits against the slate interior of the skyspace at the Craiganour lodge in Scotland; the sporting lodge’s exterior; the skyspace’s oval aperture.

July-August 2013

‘It’s a gateway to the celestial world. It captures me more than a traditional work on paper.’

desert oasis Clockwise from above: the Horizon room in the skyspace Turrell created for Jim Murren in Las Vegas, lit up in magenta; benches separate the piece’s two rooms; an exterior view.

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‘‘Arrowhead,’’ Las Vegas Twenty minutes from the Strip — to quote Milton, ‘‘Where Joy for ever dwells: Hail horrors, hail Infernal world . . . ’’ — Jim Murren, the chairman and C.E.O. of MGM Resorts International, commissioned Turrell to build a skyspace set into the red rocks adjacent to his Modernist home.

The artist proposed to build a small pyramid connecting an Oculus room and a Horizon room. One sees mixed light from the Strip, the other darker light from the sky above. He placed a bench between the two rooms: ‘‘The money shot,’’ Murren says, where the viewer can observe both apertures. ‘‘The color

palettes are dramatically different. I tend to look up, not across, because my life is about the Strip.’’ Murren, who studied art history in college and also commissioned Turrell to install a light work at the CityCenter Las Vegas, asked the artist for a piece that connected him to the land and the sky. ‘‘It’s a

gateway to the celestial world,’’ Murren says. ‘‘It captures me in multiple ways, more than a traditional work on paper or work on canvas — the kind of work I was trained to appreciate.’’

July-August 2013

country outing From left: the interior of ‘‘Seldom Seen,’’ a skyspace in the gardens of Houghton Hall; David Rocksavage stands in front of the skyspace; the 18th-century house.

rrd fpo ‘‘Seldom Seen’’ and ‘‘St. Elmo’s Breath,’’ Norfolk

The collector believes ‘St. Elmo’s Breath’ was inspired by high-altitude reconnaissance missions that Turrell flew over Russia and China, but Turrell says the piece was inspired by the discharge of lightning.

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Houghton Hall, considered one of the finest Palladian houses in Britain, is home to two Turrells: ‘‘Seldom Seen,’’ a skyspace set within the formal garden of avenues and beech hedges, and ‘‘St. Elmo’s Breath,’’ a dark installation of milky pinks and purples in a water tower. ‘‘In the 18th century there was a tradition of follies and gazebos in parkland — things to be discovered — so we were creating a folly in the modern tradition,’’ explains David Rocksavage, Marquess of Cholmondeley. The collector believes ‘‘St. Elmo’s Breath’’ was inspired by high-altitude reconnaissance missions that Turrell flew over Russia and China, but Turrell says the piece was inspired by the discharge of lightning. Either way, the artist’s references date back further. ‘‘In Aleppo, Syria, there’s a 14thcentury mental asylum. The patients were in enclosed spaces with different size circular apertures open to the sky. Every artist works within a frame, but James goes further back to earlier civilizations.’’

‘‘Raising Kayne,’’ Santa Monica Part of Turrell’s skill is to incorporate the lifestyle requirements of his collectors. The Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors chairman and founder Ric Kayne, whose daughter Maggie introduced Turrell to the family, found that he and his wife, Suzanne, could use a skyspace over their outdoor dining area. Turrell came over one evening and sat in their Santa Monica yard. ‘‘I told him I wanted the space to be both social and yet could be meditative and experienced by one,’’ Kayne says. ‘‘He proposed three concepts, and I loved them all.’’ The winning piece can be raised and lowered hydraulically to function as a skyspace as well as a dining area that seats 12. Turrell ended up also designing the new Kayne Griffin Corcoran gallery in Los Angeles. ‘‘His vision is epic beyond most contemporary artists and thinkers,’’ Kayne says.

mood lighting Ric and Suzanne Kayne’s Santa Monica skyspace, which lowers to form an outdoor dining area.

July-August 2013

She considers the piece finished. ‘You have to start somewhere and end somewhere - and let the next person who comes along have something even better.’

‘‘Revised Outlook,’’ Santa Monica Dallas Price-Van Breda knew she wanted an oval-shaped skyspace for her home. ‘‘I think he was hoping we’d order a piece for the swimming pool,’’ she says. Her friends, the avid collectors Norman Stone and Norah Sharpe Stone, have a Turrell pool piece in their Napa Valley farmhouse. ‘‘You have to dive down underneath it and come up in the middle to be able to see the skyspace, and that’s not something I wanted to do.’’ Her initiation began, as it does for many collectors, with a trip to the Roden Crater to gain an understanding of what the artist is trying to accomplish. ‘‘He’s the best one to explain to a potential buyer what it is,’’ says Price-Van Breda, who tends to use the skyspace, which is nestled in the hillside garden, for contemplation. She invites friends to tour her collection and frequently ends the trip at the Turrell. On one such tour, a friend was expelled by the

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group for talking too much. ‘‘I guess people have a different way of experiencing art,’’ she says. Since its completion, Turrell has upgraded the lighting of ‘‘Revised Outlook,’’ replacing the original tungsten yellow light with programmable color LEDs. ‘‘Now I have the be-all and end-all with the latest in lighting strategy and theory,’’ Price-Van Breda says. She considers the piece finished. ‘‘You have to start somewhere and end somewhere — and let the next person who comes along have something even better.’’

Sky light Right: the aperture of Dallas Price-Van Breda’s skyspace. Opposite page, clockwise from top: The collector’s California home, with Turrell’s work at right; hundreds of small LEDs cast a glow that changes how the eyes see the color of the natural sky; the skyspace’s entrance.

July-August 2013

Document

Francis Coradal-Cugat’s original cover art for ‘‘The Great Gatsby,’’ which Baz Luhrmann brings to the big screen next month, depicts a disembodied face floating in a night sky (center). It is one of the lasting images in literature, but that hasn’t kept book designers from trying to outdo it. The scholar and F. Scott Fitzgerald biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli spent his adult life stockpiling those efforts — pulpy paperbacks, fancy slip-covers, French-flapped foreign editions

100

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— and today his trove is not only one of the world’s most complete collections but also an illuminating cross section of 83 years of book design. Now housed at the University of South Carolina, the collection is worth several million dollars but Bruccoli, who died in 2008, claimed he was never motivated by money. ‘‘You don’t buy books as an investment,’’ he said. ‘‘You buy them because it gives you pleasure to read them, to touch them . . . to see them on shelves.’’ JEFF OLOIZIA

dhanraj emanuel

A Book By Its Covers