LA Confidential by Mik Strøyberg

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to those who give. We have deeply rooted philanthropic and cultural partnerships in each community and support the organizations that work to strengthen each city.

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F ront Runners The Kaiser Chiefs onstage at Coachella in April 2012.

desert storm TWENTY YEARS AGO, A CONCERT IN INDIO IGNITED A MUSIC PHENOMENON.

BY MICHAEL VENTRE

PHOTOGRAPH BY CAMERA PRESS/REDUX

ebellion rocks. That was the message that attracted some 25,000 fans to the desert in Indio on November 5, 1993. That, and Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder and his buds didn’t care for the corporate heavy-handedness of Ticketmaster and its control of music venues in Southern California, so the band told the ticket bully what it could do with its service charges in a half-protest, half-celebration on the irrigated turf of The Empire Polo Club. That first event was notable for an inexplicable spate of shoe-throwing at the stage, which prompted Vedder to remark: “Me and Jeff [bassist Jeff Ament] are gonna go to the front gate, and when you guys exit, we’re going to beat the shit out of every barefoot person here.” From that “sole-ful” genesis, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival eventually bloomed. After Pearl Jam bucked the establishment, founder Paul Tollett—the impresario who convinced the band to perform that seminal show in ’93—bucked the odds. Large-scale music festivals had become rare, but in 1999 Tollett gathered acts like Beck, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, The Chemical Brothers, Morrissey, and Perry Farrell at the same location—and on the promise of deferred payment, no less—for the inaugural Coachella festival. It steadily grew in stature, and now—about to mark the 20th anniversary of that Pearl Jam jamboree—it’s a superstar in its own right, having featured such headliners as Madonna, The Cure, Kanye West, and Nine Inch Nails. Last year’s event expanded into two consecutive sold-out weekends, with the same lineup at each. Goldenvoice, Tollett’s company, bought 280 acres of land at the festival site for infrastructure. (A country festival counterpart, Stagecoach, was added in 2007.) Last year’s Coachella fest set the music world abuzz and Twitter atwitter when Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg presented a phantasmagorical collaboration with a hologramlike image of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. The previous year Sir Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance. In a span of 20 years, Coachella, now a music world mega-event, has remained synonymous with sun and fun. And that rocks. LAC

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F ront Runners A favorite of studio heads and stars, the legendary Perino’s restaurant, inside Saks Fifth Avenue, circa 1940.

IT STARTED LIFE IN NEW YORK, BUT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, THE LONGEST-STANDING DEPARTMENT STORE IN LA, IS CELEBRATING ITS 75 ANNIVERSARY HERE! BY DEVIN ALTSCHUL

or decades the storefronts and boutiques lining the streets of Beverly Hills have changed, but the glitz and glamour have remained. One department store, Saks Fifth Avenue, has outlasted it all, though, remaining even more iconic than the stars who roam Rodeo. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Saks Fifth Avenue is the longest- operating store in Beverly Hills. Designed by renowned architect Paul R. Williams, the original 50-foot storefront on Wilshire Boulevard at Peck Drive still stands today, housing the jewelry department. Interestingly, when Saks’s doors first opened in 1938 some of its goods were not visible from the selling floor, but instead were presented individually to each client. Each room in the store was designed to create a residential feel, and the absence of a commercial atmosphere became the distinctive feature of Williams’s design. It was this forward-thinking attitude that transformed Beverly Hills into the style center it is today. In fact, the store was so successful that it eventually was expanded to more than 70,000 square feet. In the 1940s, Williams added the seven-story center structure, and the final section was added in 1995, which is also when Saks leased the I. Magnin & Co. structure across the street at Bedford Drive to house its Men’s Store. While no celebrations are planned for the 75th-anniversary milestone, the store’s vice president and general manager, John Cruz, is proud of its enduring presence in the community and the long-lasting relationships it has created with its clients. “We have had the pleasure of serving the families of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles for generations. We’ve become part of the family, and part of the community,” says Cruz. “Those moments when a Saks customer becomes a Saks friend—those are the most special.” LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAYNARD L. PARKER, COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, SAN MARINO, CA.

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LA CONFIDENTIAL MAGAZINE (March 2013) - Single

Spring 2013

70 Anglo Baby!

Brit “It” chick Louise Roe lights up

LA—and the small screen—as the city’s newest import.

24 Front Runners 40 From the Editor-in-Chief 42 From the Publisher 44 …Without Whom This Issue Would Not Have Been Possible 60 The List

people 62 Couture de Force Can Ben Malka rejuvenate Halston? The fashion vet brings new life to the heritage brand.

66 Holy Olga! Former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko takes on Cruise in this spring’s blockbuster Oblivion.

68 It’s a Beau Monde Beau Laughlin has engineered some of the city’s hippest bars, and now, with a plethora of new spots, he’s destined to make his mark after dark.

70 Anglo Baby! British export Louise Roe is ready to wow the style set as the new host of NBC’s Fashion Star.

72 The Gospel According to John Designer John Varvatos celebrates his 10th anniversary fundraising for Stuart House.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT NATHAN; HAIR BY LUKE CHAMBERLAIN FOR STARWORKS ARTISTS; MAKEUP BY ADAM J. BREUCHAUD FOR STARWORKS ARTISTS

49 Invited

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Spring 2013 culture 76 Springtime in… Los Angeles? Europe’s biggest photographic art fair picks LA as its new home.

80 Arch d’Triomph The Getty reexamines modern architecture in LA with a new “Pacific Standard Time” exhibition.

taste 84 La Famiglia—Hollywood-Style Power dining in LA is a must. Where do people go? Cecconi’s.

88 Power Hour Forget cocktails after work. Drinks at 4 PM are now de rigueur.

90 The Real Deal Cobb salad, a made-in-LA original, is still an A-list favorite.

94 Dining for Dollars

100 Tommy Goes Hollywood Fashion plate Tommy Hilfiger can’t get enough of pop culture— and he’s got the collection to prove it.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD PHIBBS

We sit down with 1600 Penn’s executive producer, director, and cocreator, Jason Winer, to talk about the ins and outs of a power meal.

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style 100 Tommy Goes Hollywood Prep maestro Tommy Hilfiger opens a new West Coast flagship on Robertson Boulevard, replete with his own collection of Hollywood memorabilia.

104 Fashion 411 Everything you need to know about men’s and women’s fashion this spring.

108 Time Honored Hamilton Watch Company fêtes its 120th anniversary and its longstanding relationship with Hollywood and the movies.

features 114 Mad About the Girl Mad Men’s new breakout star, Jessica Paré, takes the small screen by storm.

120 Fashion Is Paramount After more than 100 years, Paramount Studios’ influence on fashion is undeniable.

128 A Cut Above Is LA finally becoming a global fashion force? Meet five buzz-worthy design houses that are making this city an international style mecca.

134 Stripe Tease This spring is filled with stripes!

114 Mad About

the Girl Jessica Paré steals the spotlight on Mad Men.

NAVY COSMIC BEADED SHELL TOP, JASON WU ($2,125). SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, 9634 WILSHIRE BLVD., BEVERLY HILLS, 310-275-4211; JASONWUSTUDIO.COM. PRINCESS-SEAM SHORT, VENA CAVA ($425). BARNEYS NEW YORK, 9570 WILSHIRE BLVD., BEVERLY HILLS, 310-276-4400; VENACAVA.COM. ELISABETH LARGE V EARRINGS, PAIGE NOVICK ($6,601). NEIMAN MARCUS, FASHION ISLAND, NEWPORT BEACH, 949-759-1900; PAIGENOVICK.COM. BEETLE RING, IRIT DESIGN ($2,800). FRED SEGAL COUTURE, 500 BROADWAY ST., SANTA MONICA, 310-451-8100; IRITDESIGN.COM.

Spring 2013

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Spring 2013

143 The Bespoken Word A luxury home in the Hollywood Hills needs more than just a great view.

haute property 143 The Bespoken Word In the competitive high-end market, customized domiciles are requisite.

146 Life in Venice The Google effect is causing Venice property prices to climb, with no end in sight.

guide 149 Bright Things Marimekko brings its signature cheery prints to Beverly Hills with a new flagship.

150 Color Pop! Enliven your living space with bold brights.

feud for thought 152 Get Ready, Set, Go! 36

ON THE COVER: Jessica ParĂŠ Photography by Brian Bowen Smith Styling by Cristina Ehrlich for margaretmaldonado.com Makeup by Amy Nadine Hair by Marcus Francis at The Wall Group Manicure by Ashlie Johnson for Chanel at The Wall Group Dress, Mary Katrantzou (price on request). Similar styles, Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550--5900; marykatrantzou.com. Warrior glass cabochon and Swarovski crystal earrings, House of Lavande ($680). houseoflavande.com. Ramy cuff, Paige Novick ($345). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-759-1900; paigenovick.com. Green jade cabochon ring ($2,300) and lapis lazuli cabochon ring ($2,450), Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-540-5330; tiffany.com

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SPENCER BECK Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor ALEXIS JOHNSON Executive Managing Editor DEBORAH L. MARTIN Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Entertainment Editor JULIET IZON Photo Editor AMY WOLFF Manager, Copy and Research WENDIE PECHARSKY Research Editor LEANNE PHILIP Editorial Assistant/Beauty Coordinator KAITLIN CLARK

ART Associate Art Directors TIFFANI BARTON, ADRIANA GARCIA, JESSICA SARRO Special Projects Art Director ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI Senior Designer JENNIFER LEDBURY Designers ELISSA ALSTER, GIL FONTIMAYOR Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN

FASHION Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS Fashion Editor-at-Large LAURIE BROOKINS Fashion and Accessories Editor SARAH LIEBOWITZ Assistant Fashion and Accessories Editor ALEXANDRIA GEISLER Fashion Assistants HILLARY BARBAKOFF, VALERIA BOUCAS

PHOTO Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors JODIE LOVE, JENNIFER PAGAN, SETH OLENICK Associate Photo Editor REBECCA SAHN Photo Producer KIMBERLY RIORDAN

COPY AND RESEARCH Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, NICOLE LANCTOT, DALENE ROVENSTINE, JULIA STEINER Senior Research Editor JOHN VILANOVA Research Editors JOSEPHINE CUSUMANO, MURAT OZTASKIN, AVA WILLIAMS Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS Editorial Relations Manager MATTHEW STEWART Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Special Projects, West Coast JEFF VESPA Photo Assistant-at-Large ANDREA COLLINS Editorial Business Manager Assistant JOSHUA GARCIA

ONLINE Online Managing Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Producer MICHAEL KWAN Assistant Online Editor APRIL WALLOGA Assistant Online Producer ANNA BEN YEHUDA

TECHNOLOGY Network Engineer MOHAMMED HANNAN Desktop Support Specialist RICHARD DACHTERA Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR

ALISON MILLER Group Publisher Associate Publisher VALERIE ROBLES Account Director TIFFANY CAREY Account Executives ELIZABETH MOORE, BILL MOIR Office Manager CAROLYN SCARBROUGH Sales Assistant KELSEY MARRUJO

NATIONAL SALES Vice President, Sales NORMAN M. MILLER Vice President, New Business Development SUZANNE RUFFA Business Development Director KAREN LEVINE Business Development Manager PAIGE BETANCOURT Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, KATHLEEN FLEMING, DINA FRIEDMAN, LESLIE JUDGE, KAREN LEVINE, LAUREN SHAPIRO, AMY VIDA, DAN RULON-MAXWELL Sales Assistants ANA BLAGOJEVIC

MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President, Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Vice President, Marketing and Social Media KELLI MARUCA Marketing and Database Manager BRIGID TOUEY Integrated Marketing Director ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Coordinator HEATHER MAROLDA Marketing Manager MELINDA JAGGER Marketing Coordinator PAIGE LAWLER Director, Creative Projects SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Director MORGAN REARDON Promotions Art Designer CHRISTOPHER HARDGROVE Market Research CHAD HARWOOD

BUSINESS OPERATIONS Positioning and Planning Director SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Managers KATHRYN MARTIN, GILLIAN SINGERMAN Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Financial Analyst AUDREY CADY Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountant NATASHA WARREN Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Junior Accountant MICHELLE SOTO Senior Credit and Collections Analysts CHRISTOPHER BEST, MYRNA ROSADO Human Resources Director STEPHANIE MITCHELL Office Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME

MANUFACTURING VP, Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Production Managers BARBARA SHALE, BLUE UYEDA Production Supervisor PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Artists MARISSA GABLE, TARA MCCRILLIS Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators MALLORIE SOMMERS, JEANNE GLEESON

NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Director, Editorial Finance and Digital Operations ERIK A. NETCHER Executive Editor CATHERINE SABINO Director, Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD

Copyright 2013 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published 8 times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Los Angeles Confidential magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866.891.3144. For customer service, please inquire at losangelesconfidential@pubservice.com. To distribute Los Angeles Confidential at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemediallc.com. NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC

NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Director, Executive Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Vice President, Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Executive Director of Photography JEFF GALE President, Chief Operating Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS

Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC (Founder, Jason Binn), a subsidiary of Greenspun Media Group. LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: 8530 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90211 T: 310.289.7300 F: 310.289.0444 NICHE MEDIA : 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003 GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP : 2360 Corporate Circle, Fourth Floor, Henderson, NV 89074 T: 702-990-2500 F: 702-383-1089

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Putting on the glitz: At home, preGolden Globes. INSET: The heirloom cuff links.

ABOVE:

With LA Confidential Publisher Alison Miller and Prince Rudolf Kniase Melikoff at the grand opening of Westime on Sunset Boulevard. LEFT: With Account Director Tiffany Carey and Deputy Editor Alexis Johnson at the Joie boutique opening on Melrose.

Awards season is over and the tux (or “dinner clothes,” if you’re old school) is back in mothballs until next year. Golden Globes, Grammys, Oscars… on and on it goes (went), sometimes fun, occasionally boring, always lovely to see the Industry in this town, if nothing else, peacock about in splendid attire. Most of our privileged readers have attended, even hosted and/or been honored, during this extended Hollywood lovefest. For those of you who have not, it might be fun to take you behind the scenes. The TV versions just don’t capture the often un-orchestrated… madness. And I do mean madness. The party began en route to the Golden Globes at The Beverly Hilton (easily the most amusing show), when, backed up through the residential precincts of Beverly Hills in a seemingly endless line of shiny black SUV limousines, we were accosted by a posse of super evangelicals, placards on high, damning all the upcoming frivolity in the most frightening Old Testament terms! (A few swigs of vintage Moët eased the guilt.) Next up: bomb checks (trunks opened, mirrors under the car, sniffing dogs). You can’t be too careful with an ex-president (Clinton) attending, not to mention hundreds of high-profile would-be “stalkees.” Then came the hordes of roped-off, screaming fans, lining the streets as if they were witnessing Cleopatra’s entry into Rome several millennia ago. Plus ça change…. I decided to have a little fun with our driver, and, as my English boss would appreciate, told him to turn on the lights inside our car, à la Her Majesty the Queen, so fans might get a good look at me. Ha! “Do you think they might mistake me for Brad Pitt,” I asked? The driver, silent until then, answered simply, “If we turn the lights off, maybe Harrison Ford.” Hmm… less tip for him! It’s curious that they serve dinner at the Golden Globes. By the time guests finally arrive, having maneuvered the never-ending red carpet, with press and fans whipped into a Stay up to date with all that’s frenzy of catcalling, flashbulbs going on in LA at popping apocalyptically (watch the la-confidential-magazine.com. trains of the couture dresses ahead!), no one has time to eat. (Where does all that wasted filet and sea bass go?) The three-hour ceremony itself? A bit long-winded, really, although the off-camera moments amongst this group of not-so-slightly intoxicated celebs have their appeal. Ben Affleck tripping as he lurches forward to shake hands with a guest at our table… J.Lo and Adele chatting each other up stage left, practically sitting in my lap (I’d love to see that duet!)… Halle Berry waiting tableside to present: She really is the most stunning woman on the planet, even in person, which is not always the case. Highlight for me? Watching my ex-college classmate Jodie Foster “retire” from show biz (or so it appeared) with a grandiose if slightly loopy send-off worthy of Norma Desmond. Then five hours from car pickup, the fun begins anew with the infamous afterparties! More security checkpoints, weaving partygoers (celebs and mortals alike)—high-jinks normally reserved for private affairs high up in the Hills. No “early LA evening” tonight! Suffice it to say: An awful good time was had by all… although at 2 AM, finally at home, I was tempted to crack open the Bible. Cheers.

SPENCER BECK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LOUI SAGASTUME (TOP, INSET); ALISON MILLER (MIDDLE, BOTTOM)

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Celebrating Westime’s new Sunset Boulevard location with founder John Simonian (LEFT) and guest Greg Bailey.

For the love of fashion! Spring fashion is upon us, and Raising a glass—and awareness—for Blessings in a Backpack with (FROM LEFT) Natalie Cole, Tonya York Dees, and Linda Thompson.

ABOVE:

With Marimekko’s colorful CEO, Mika Ihamuotila. LEFT: A Picasso-esque moment at the fabled LA Art Show.

it’s enough to make a fashionista like me giddy! Proof positive that Los Angeles is quickly gaining credibility as the emerging fashion capital, LA’s long-heralded femme-fantastic designers like Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman, and BCBGMaxAzria’s Lubov Azria are now sharing the spotlight with new male counterparts such as Ben Malka, Halston’s chairman and CEO; and Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent Paris’ creative director. It’s a West Coast fashion gold rush of sorts, the likes of which LA has never seen. Even East Coast-centric Tommy Hilfiger is planting roots here with his recently opened 6,600-square-foot flagship on Robertson, while another NYC import, Steve Birkhold (formerly of Lacoste), just took the reigns at Bebe. It’s a battle of the sexes, and in each case, Los Angeles has hit the jackpot. Seemingly gone are the days of Paris-based ateliers in favor of our fair city’s coveted lifestyle and dynamic business environment, a secret well-established Guess cofounder Follow me on Twitter at Paul Marciano has long celebrated. @thealisonmiller and on But this hasn’t gone unnoticed by la-confidential-magazine.com. global luxury brands either and is evidenced further by Rodeo Drive’s complete transformation. Sparkling new locations abound for Bulgari, Valentino, and Prada, while David Yurman, Roberto Cavalli, Christian Dior, and Van Cleef & Arpels are celebrating stunning renovations. Last summer Beverly Hills also became home to a freestanding Patek Philippe, America’s first boutique for this fabled watchmaker. Not to be outdone, even LAX is getting a piece of the action with Westfield’s Tom Bradley International Terminal becoming a new luxury shopping destination. LA’s fashion scene? J’adore! Cheers!

ALISON MILLER

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...WITHOUT WHOM THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE SPRING 2013

erin magner A former editor for Angeleno magazine and Racked LA, writer Erin Magner knows fashion. She has contributed to Nylon, Glamour, style.com, and the Los Angeles Times and this month she spotlights five of the city’s most buzz-worthy designers in “A Cut Above,” page 128. What’s going to be your spring wardrobe uniform? In the warmer weather, I live in colorful vintage dresses from places like Shareen Vintage in Downtown LA and Playclothes in Burbank. Tropical prints are my weakness! What are you most coveting for spring? Clare Vivier told me she’s designing a collection of ultra-simple leather sandals in neutral colors. I will undoubtedly end up wanting every style she comes up with.

eric rosen

bronwyn cosgrave Writer Bronwyn Cosgrave is the curator of “Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style,” an exhibition commemorating 50 years of the film franchise. She is also the author of Made for Each Other, Fashion and the Academy Awards, the first complete fashion history of the Oscars. She has contributed to numerous publications, including Architectural Digest and international editions of Vogue, as well as T magazine, Italian Vanity Fair, and various British newspapers. This issue, she looks back at the sartorial legacy of Paramount Studios, in “Fashion Is Paramount,” Page 120. Which Paramount film is your favorite?

“Chinatown. The film is spellbinding and the costumes are striking. I’m a huge fan of the film’s costume designer, Anthea Sylbert. What is your favorite red-carpet moment? “Recently, the purple-hued

Givenchy in which Zoe Saldana appeared at the Oscars in 2010. She always looks like a star. While at Christian Dior, John Galliano also had a tremendous run on the red carpet. Particularly memorable is the chartreuse, mink-trimmed gown Nicole Kidman wore to the Oscars with pale blue Manolos in 1997.”

When LA-based writer Eric Rosen is not exploring the city’s dining scene for LA Confidential, he is on assignment discovering new culinary trends and far-flung wine regions. Most recently he was in South Africa sipping Pinotage and in South Korea filling up on barbecue. Rosen dove into the myriad iterations of an LA original, the Cobb salad, in “The Real Meal,” page 90. Preferred variation? “I’m a radical when it comes to Cobb salad: hold the blue cheese and give me extra avocados, and— if I’m feeling particularly contrary—a side of Thousand Island dressing instead of vinaigrette.

jana cruder Photographer Jana Cruder captured LA’s rising fashion stars in “A Cut Above,” page 128. Cruder grew up in Western Pennsylvania and now splits her time between Downtown LA’s Arts District and New York. Whose studio or office drew you in the most? “I really loved the vibe of Greg [Chait]’s showroom at The Elder Statesman. It’s a little gem in Hollywood with a beautiful wooden front porch and a magnificent backyard.” What’s your signature look? “Dark skinny jeans paired with a vintage denim shirt and Royal Elastics kicks, accessorized with my pink and red studded scarf from Italy, my vintage chevron bronze necklace, and mismatched feather earrings.”

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Mary J. Blige

Invit ed

THE MONTH’S PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS AND SMARTEST PARTIES

making music THIS YEAR LAC HONORED THE GRAMMYS WITH AN ELECTRIFIED AFTER PARTY!

os Angeles Confidential partnered with Harmony Project and Mary J. Blige, who hosted the magazine’s annual Grammys party at Elevate Lounge in Downtown Los Angeles, to celebrate the Winter issue launch. Guests took in the stunning 360-degree views of the city from Elevate’s modern, spacious patio and nibbled gourmet dipped pretzels and macarons from Macaron Magnifique. As the fashionable guests sipped specialty continued on page 50

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INVITED Sam Kim, Bill Wiley, Pamela Wiley, and Dominika Hammond

Tamar Braxton and Mary J. Blige

David Bromstad

Beatrice Cobo, Jlynn Hausmann, and Annika Kusion

continued from page 49

Guests enjoyed various flavored macarons courtesy of Macaron Magnifique

cocktails crafted with various flavors of Cîroc Ultra Premium vodka (like the Coco Loso with Cîroc coconut, pineapple juice, and a lime wedge), LA’s newest musical prodigy DJ Politik spun tunes. prompting guests to hit the dance floor. continued on page 52

Harry Cartwright, Julie May, and Ryan Stender

PHOTOGRAPH BY BY EMMA ROSENBLATT, TODD OREN, AND MIKE WINDLE/WIREIMAGE

Lori Thomas and Monica Cociu

Dan Di Mezza and Cat Lyon

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Bobby Dacones of Flash Mob America

Jennie Leuzarder

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INVITED DJ Politik

Gina Devito, Denise Gordon, and Julia Parker

Chris Harrison Denise Valbuena and John Duah

Bridget Kelly

Lynn Yeager and DJ Gomez

continued from page 50 To keep the night of entertainment going, Flash Mob America gave a surprise performance to Psy’s 2012 hit “Gangnam Style,” exciting the crowd with their highenergy choreography. Harmony Project is a non-profit assisting at-risk youth in underserved communities though an innovative program of music-based mentoring.

Cîroc’s specialty bar lit up Elevate’s stunning patio

Tilky Jones

PHOTOGRAPH BY BY EMMA ROSENBLATT, TODD OREN, AND MIKE WINDLE/WIREIMAGE

Chelseah Murphy and Esteban Stepflug

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Taeko Carroll of Flash Mob America

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INVITED Ben Affleck

Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford

Helen Hunt

palm springs film fest gala

Tom Hanks, Diane Lane, Martin Sheen, and other A-list guests gathered in the desert for the 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center. LAC sponsored the festival and gala, which was hosted by former Entertainment Tonight anchor Mary Hart and presented by Cartier. Several celebrities like Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Bradley Cooper, Helen Hunt, and Sally Field were honored at the opening gala for their prestigious work in film over the last year. Following the ceremony, guests flocked to the Parker Palm Springs for the afterparty to enjoy coconut lobster skewers and Parmesan artichoke hearts, while DJ Amadayuz spun tunes. Bradley Cooper

Tom Holland and Naomi Watts

Martin Sheen, Sally Field, and Harold Matzner

Eddie Redmayne

Diane Lane and Richard Gere

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAZER HARRISON, MICHAEL BUCKNER, AND JEFF VESPA/GETTY IMAGES

Bryan Cranston

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MIAMI 90 NE 39TH STREET LOS ANGELES 308 N ROBERTSON BLVD NEW YORK SHOWROOM OPENING 2013 FENDI CASA 1 800 634 4043 FENDI.COM

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INVITED

Cameo McMillan, Erica Christian, Dana Rosen, and Emily Landers

Nicole Greco and Ashely Nunes Chandon poured Champagne for the fashionable guests.

joie melrose opening

LAC partnered with Joie to celebrate the brand’s new boutique location on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Fashionable guests sipped Chandon Champagne and enjoyed light bites like caramelized fig, sweet onion, and goat cheese bruschetta and inside out s’mores, while a lipstick reader from Karla Ross Productions gave readings. The brand’s first LA boutique embodies SoCal’s quintessential laid-back lifestyle, while also maintaining the brand’s Parisian heritage through French architecture and décor.

Sharzad Kiadeh, Mike Liotta, Lizzie Mesa, and Katie Abel

Stephanie Janssen, Lili Fakhair, and Alicia Walker

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA ROSENBLATT (JOIE); PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA CLARKE AND NELSON BLANTON/STYLEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS (DANIELA CORTE)

Marissa and Tikoa Millian

Ji Hae Lee, Victoria Chan, Natsuko Danjo, Alisha Budhrani, and Angeli Flores

Jennifer Chan

Peter Vontsas and Anya Sarre

daniela corte leggings bar

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For the first time in the City of Angels, Daniela Corte launched her signature leggings bar with a fête at W Los Angeles-Westwood. The designer and LAC celebrated 12 local tastemakers like author Melissa Magsaysay, E!’s Jennifer Chan, stylist Anya Sarre, and blogger Sharzad Kiadeh, all of whom were showcased in a campaign for the brand prior to the party. Guests were able to shop the collection, which is available at Jill Roberts boutiques and Base at the Mondrian.

Johann Urb, Daniela Corte, Zache Sale, and Richardo Rodriguez

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Rodeo Drive • Beverly Center • South Coast Plaza Westfield Topanga • Americana at Brand

INVITED

Bryan Cranston and Julie Bowen Louise Roe and Josh Slack

Edi Gathegi, Jennifer Finnegan, and Jonathan Silverman

Kate Bosworth and Connie Britton

audi pre-golden globes fête

Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts

Audi kicked off the Golden Globes with a star-studded party at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood. Naomi Watts, Connie Britton, Bryan Cranston, Kate Bosworth, and other guests snacked on truffle pizza, crab cakes, tuna tartare cones, and homemade cannolis, while DJ Michelle Pesce spun tunes. Stars like Julie Bowen, Katie Cassidy, and Liev Schreiber mingled and sipped Brancott Estate wines and specialty cocktails during the très chic evening.

Christoph Waltz

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLEY GALLAY AND MICHAEL BUCKNER/WIREIMAGE (AUDI); CHARLEY GALLAY, MIKE SWINDLE/WIREIMAGE (WEINSTEIN)

Marc Hruschka and Kerry Washington

Amy Poehler

Selena Gomez, Sarah Hyland, and Vanessa Hudgens

weinstein globes afterparty

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Heidi Klum

Following the Golden Globes, The Weinstein Company with partner Chopard hosted an exclusive afterparty at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Jamie Foxx, Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and other Hollywood headliners sipped DeLeon Tequila, the exclusive liquor of the event, while noshing on hors d’oeuvres from restaurants like Katsuya and The Bazaar by José Andrés.

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T he List spring 2013

Laura Schwarz

Chris Payne

Tom Larsen

Pamela Love

Laura Owens

Dawne Czarny

Jennifer Mayer

Emrah Yucel

Kathryn Bentley

Christos Garkinos

Anna James

Michelle Portugali

Jim Dreesen

Stephanie Stone

James Perse

Andrew Meieran

Jerome Goure

Bill Hanley

Laura Bogdaniuc

Ranjan Goswami

Gay L. Harwin

Liat Mazor

Nancy Silverton

Jerry Neuman

Elaine Bauer Brooks

Chandler Rashley

Niki Leondakis

David Harris

Neil Lane

Russ Patrick

Anastacia K. Stathakis

Samantha Hutchinson

Shannon Worker

Rudy Rocha

Gia Cruz

Bruce Schulman

David Cush

Dave Franco

Ida Kay Khabazian

Jill Martinette

Eric Owen Moss

Johnny Wujek

Tracy Anderson

Giselle Sevgi

Eileen Hanson

Terri Reid

Jenny Ricker

Judd Apatow

Matthew Biancaniello

Jacey Duprie

Ron Davis

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Halston chairman and CEO Ben Malka at the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new headquarters Downtown.

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Superlatives PEOPLE, CULTURE, STYLE

VIEW FROM THE TOP

couture de force CAN BEN MALKA REINVENT THE ICONIC HOUSE OF HALSTON IN CALIFORNIA? BY KATHRYN DRURY WAGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISABETH CAREN

he story of the first great American house of fashion is a glittering and a harrowing one, a story of humble beginnings, precipitous ascents, and tragic downfalls. So goes the story of Roy Halston Frowick, a Midwestern boy who triumphed wildly in fashion, nearly lost it all, and died too young. But the story of Halston is no longer about one man; the company and the legend have diverged. Today, a very different personality is telling the story, and the fashion world listens eagerly to hear what the future may hold. Meet Ben Malka, Halston’s new chairman and CEO. Where Halston was flashy—known for his tan, his lavish spending, those endless wild parties, and that entourage of Halstonettes—Malka is a respected CEO, a private person who rarely grants interviews and who prefers accolades accrue to his team, not to him. The storied Halston brand has for —BEN MALKA decades churned through a rotation of owners, licensing deals, and private equity firms. The 2011 departures of onceowner Harvey Weinstein and Sarah Jessica Parker, who served as the creative director and president of Halston Heritage, might have been mistaken by some as a death knell. But 51-year-old Malka seems ready to right the ship, bringing more than $20 million of his own funding—and a clear, aggressive growth strategy—to the company, including the opening of multiple stores across the Looks from the Spring 2013 Halston major markets in the US and Heritage collection. internationally this spring.

“I didn’t create this. Halston did. It’s not as if I came in here and said, ‘Let’s start a brand called Ben!’”

This former president of BCBGMaxAzria Group, Inc. has retail in his blood. His father, Charles Malka, is founder, president, and CEO of Charles David shoes. His mother, who raised Ben and his six siblings in Montreal, no doubt had some management wisdom of her own to impart. And young Ben Malka was running a shoe company by the age of 24. “We had licensed Danskin footwear from International Playtex. One day [in the mid-’80s] Joel Smilow [former Playtex CEO] says to me, ‘We just bought a giant fashion company.’ I asked him which one, and he told me ‘Halston. Do you want to meet the designer?’” Malka, unfamiliar with the brand, replied, “Not really.” Though Malka missed out on meeting the man whose legacy he is tasked with rebuilding, he is now “in awe of him. For me, his claim to fame wasn’t just inventing American sportswear and the importance [he placed on] simplicity of drape. He broke barriers. He understood how to brand a designer. He got close to the press and paved the way for celebrity endorsements in fashion— his best friends were Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, and Elizabeth Taylor. In 1983, he created an accessible line for JC Penney… and got crucified for it. Today, Missoni has been in Target and is seen as a hero. Halston was ahead of his time in so many ways.” Halston was born in Des Moines and reared in Evansville, Illinois. As a young milliner, he famously designed the pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy chose to wear to the 1961 presidential inauguration. He founded Halston Limited in 1968, and by 1973 was such a powerful influence that an Esquire magazine headline asked, “Will Halston Take Over the World?” At times it seemed he had. Certainly, he had conquered the American market, inspiring generations of designers who came after him, including Tom Ford. For as much as he admired European designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Cristóbal Balenciaga, Halston presented a truly American style. He turned to the everyday things women wore, such as halter tops, and reinterpreted them as luxurious garments rendered in chiffon and Ultrasuede. His signature was a minimalist chic with flawless attention to drape, making a woman feel comfortable in any position—sitting, standing, or dancing the night away at Studio 54. Yet his success and talent couldn’t shield Halston from a downfall: drug use, loss of control of his business, and death from complications of AIDS in 1990. When Malka took over Halston, he swiftly relocated the company from New York to Los Angeles, where he has lived since the mid-’90s. He resides in continued on page 64

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VIEW FROM THE TOP

continued from page 63 Beverly Hills with his wife, Anita Jansons-Malka, who is Halston’s executive vice president and oversees the handbag, shoe, and accessory divisions of the company. (Ben has a 24-year-old son, Julian.) Malka hired 150 people; most work out of the Downtown headquarters, with about 15 remaining in New York. With chief creative officer Marie Mazelis and the rest of his team in place, Malka is focusing on the house’s secondary line, Halston’s industrialHalston Heritage. chic offices. This year, the company will begin to open multiple Halston Heritage stores. The first, located on Madison Avenue in NYC, will debut in early March, followed by a 3,000-foot store at the Beverly Center. “Remember, I didn’t create this. Halston did,” says Malka, looking at sketches of the store. “It’s not as if I Halston’s new chairman and came in here and said, ‘Let me start a brand called Ben!’ We have an CEO speaks off the cuff. advantage because we can pull from the incredible things he created.” Malka demurs on naming the international locations, but mentions *the proper length the emerging luxury markets of China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle of a speech is: East. “India, their malls are being developed,” he says. “We just met “One minute, 50 seconds,” which is —BEN MALKA with a large Indian group last week.” how long he spoke as recipient of the 2012 Spirit of Life Award. The award, The Halston Heritage line, which has price Halston and which recognizes people for points of $395 to $895, is sold in stores such as Liza Minnelli outstanding leadership and at Studio 54 in Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. It fea1977. contributions to philanthropy, is tures Halston’s signature minimalism and given by City of Hope, a research flattering silhouettes; the Spring 2013 collection hospital and treatment center for floated on hues of lavender, lemonade, and guava. diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and other Ken Downing, senior vice president/fashion direclife-threatening diseases, in Duarte, tor for Neiman Marcus, calls the line “sexy and California. “I said exactly everything I seasonless, with an effortless chic.” He says that needed to say; I didn’t need people Malka “appreciates the importance of the to talk about my life for two hours.” American style and modernity that Halston represented from the very beginning, and continues to *describe your perfect weekend: infuse that message into the collection to ensure “Playing golf and tennis. Being that it is as relevant to women of today as it was Canadian, my wife and I are very when launched by its founder.” athletic. My wife is also a very avid Says Malka, “Halston Heritage is about being painter, and I paint with her.” on-trend for today. Halston is about the future, about technique, fabric, being the fashion innova*people would be surprised tor.” He’s saving the relaunch of the Halston that I… (couture) side of the business for “Play in a rock band. We play “when I think the time is right. everything from the ’70s to Inspiration in Before I add more things to our alternative to disco. I play guitar and the halls of Halston. plate, we have to be sure of what sing and my wife plays bass. We we are doing and that it captures played about 30 songs at the Halston the imagination.” Christmas party.” Few fashion companies can *in Los Angeles, I see: claim the history and influence of “Good opportunity. You have a city Halston, he points out. “Only that has a huge manufacturing base, handfuls. Tell me another five in skilled laborers, and interesting this country that have this depth brands that have moved here. And of heritage. It’s relevant now, couple that with what creates what he has done. I don’t know emotion in our lives: the arts!” the future, but I’m pretty sure [Halston] will stay relevant for a long, long time.” LAC

ON MY MIND

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CORKERY/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGES (MINNELLI)

“For me, [Halston’s] claim to fame wasn’t just inventing American sportswear.... He understood how to brand a designer.”

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TALENT PATROL

Ukranian-born knockout Olga Kurylenko’s star is rising.

That’s hardly the case for the striking 5-foot-9 French-Ukrainian actress, but if anyone has experienced a broad spectrum of life outside of the Hollywood spotlight, it’s Kurylenko. Born and reared in the former Soviet Union, she remembers a time when she didn’t think she would ever leave her hometown of Berdyansk. “I was going to live my whole life there,” she says, matter-of-factly. “I wasn’t like, ‘I want to be a model. I want to get out of here.’ For me it was impossible, a closed subject. Basta. I wanted to be a doctor. My grandma was a doctor, so I spent my childhood around her in the midst of medical books.” Kurylenko rolls her eyes at the idea that her childhood comes straight out of a Dickens novel. “When I tell people, ‘I couldn’t eat everything I wanted every day.’ They think, ‘Oh, my gosh, she was starving.’ So, we didn’t have sushi. We had potatoes What I love about and cabbage!” LA: “I wake up at The part of her story that does takes its cues from a 6 or 7 and go on fairy tale is being discovered in Moscow on her first hikes. You can’t vacay when she was 13. She and her mother, then a prido that in London mary school teacher, were about to take the train back or Paris.” home when a woman stopped them. “She said, ‘I’m a Movies or television?: scout looking for new faces,’” recalls Kurylenko. “My “Television is too mom said, ‘We’re not from Moscow. We can’t come fast. There’s no back.’” The scout convinced Kurylenko’s mother to time to bathe in send in pictures of her daughter, and a year later the the scene. Cinema young girl returned to Moscow to attend modeling is a luxury.” school, where she took up acting as a hobby. From there, Kurylenko’s career took off, and at 16, she left Ukraine for Paris, by herself. But she soon found she missed acting and made up her mind to pursue it seriously. “Modeling was a very lonely job for me. I never hung out at all those fashion parties. I never felt like I belonged there,” she says. “I started taking acting classes, and then I thought, This is what makes me happier than anything else.” Encouraged by her acting teacher, she auditioned for—and landed the lead in—Diane Bertrand’s The Ring Finger in 2005. “There I was, a nobody. And [Diane] still believed in me,” says Kurylenko, still filled with incredulity. Though she may be modest about her success (including an upcoming star turn opposite Ben Affleck in Terrence Malick’s To FROM BOND GIRL TO CURRENT CRUISE COSTAR, the Wonder), Kurylenko has a way of seducing her audience—direcOLGA KURYLENKO HAS HOLLYWOOD ON BENDED KNEE. tors, producers, and fellow actors included (she is currently dating BY CARITA RIZZO her Magic City costar Danny Huston). In her audition for Oblivion, writer/director Joseph Kosinski says the chemistry between her and Cruise was palpable. “The audition scenes were really tough he’s a model, a Bond girl, and in the postapocalyptic world of Oblivion, scenes,” he says, “but she has a very instinctual process that is different than she plays Tom Cruise’s leading lady, but the part that seems most ironic any other actor I’ve worked with.” Picturing Kurylenko as a sultry action to the actress is that of “Olga Kurylenko—femme fatale.” In combat heroine comes easy to those who have hired her, but it’s all a front, says the boots and without a speck of makeup, it’s clear that Kurylenko, 33, isn’t trying actress. “When I got the part in Quantum of Solace, [director] Marc Forster told to sell the illusion that she rolls out of bed the glam seductress she portrays on me, ‘How come you weren’t worried at the audition?’ I was like, ‘Are you kidfilm and on red carpets across town. “Of course it’s wonderful to be dressed ding me? I was freaking out! He said, ‘I could see in every girl how nervous as a princess,” she says. “You feel like Cinderella. But it’s important not to get [she was], but I couldn’t see anything with you.’ I was double acting. I was stuck in that and think, I am a princess. I play a princess. When midnight acting as a Bond girl and I was acting not to look scared,’” she pauses, entertained by the idea of her perceived self-assurance. “I guess I do that well.” LAC strikes, I turn [back] into a gray mouse.”

INSIGHT

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holy olga!

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TALENT PATROL Veni, vidi, vici! Beau Laughlin is expanding his nightlife kingdom one ‘hood at a time.

says of the industrial/creative Downtown ’hood that’s still relatively obscure, even to late-nighting locals. “It’s still emerging, so you have to ask yourself, Does this make sense?” So far, it seems safe to bet on Laughlin’s instincts when it comes to LA dining and nightlife. He opened a juice bar, Clover, in January, and he and business partner Brett Cranston (along with the requisite partners and investors) own The Hudson and The Churchill, two of West Hollywood’s buzziest bars. (Bill Clinton chose the latter for a post-charity gala gathering that included Ted Danson and Mayor Villaraigosa.) This spring Laughlin plans to Traffic: “When launch a club at the old Voyeur nightclub relatives are in space, and the group has dozens of other projtown they ask how far ects in the works from Venice to Los Feliz. something is. I try When the team initially looked at the to explain that in Downtown space, they didn’t know that LA it’s not Bestia was going in around the corner from measured in their as-yet-unnamed restaurant. (“The harddistance, it’s measured in est thing is naming,” he says. “It’s like naming time.” He prefers a kid.”) Church & State is a couple of blocks 6th Street to get away, SCI-Arc is down the street, and the new from The 6th Street Bridge project is nearby too. Churchill to Oh, and about that alley: It’s all part of the Downtown. plan, since the owners convinced the powers that be to use-permit it as the venue’s patio space, allowing access and events until 2 AM, seven days a week. “We’re going to do a bunch of cool stuff there, from concerts to farmers’ markets to pop-up art galleries. We’re really excited about it!” Laughlin’s boyish buoyancy can be contagious, what with the manners and the good looks and all. But as a selfdescribed homebody (“I love hanging out at the house and being mellow”), the Eugene, Oregon, native is more likely to be seen running the hills around his Beachwood Canyon home than partying into the wee hours with celebs. “A lot of restaurants make the mistake of having a preWITH A NEW CLUB, RESTO, AND JUICE JOINT OPENING THIS conceived notion about concept. We build the concept YEAR, BEAU LAUGHLIN IS ROCKING THE CITY. BY PAUL WISEMAN around the neighborhood and the space itself. Everything we do is about location, the space, and the community.” The Downtown spot is opening in early spring, and will ow does South Santa Fe and 7th Place sound as 2013’s new corner of feature an exposed-brick and wood-beamed post industrial aesthetic with “an cool in LA? That’s where Beau Laughlin and his partners at Cardiff amazing open kitchen” and a gritty, low-ceilinged, Parisian-style jazz bar Giant are opening a basement jazz bar/restaurant in a brick industrial below. Laughlin says to expect an elevated culinary experience in the restaurant and the club “that will make people want to drive down and check it out. building that in a former life was a loading dock for Heinz. “We can’t serve Stellas and mac and cheese,” he says. “No one’s traveling If anyone can make an abandoned ketchup warehouse a center of culinary cool, it’s Beau and the boys. “We’re a little ahead of the curve,” Laughlin, 34, Downtown for that.” LAC

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAMELA LITTKY

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anglo baby! BRIT-CHIC LOUISE ROE SASHAYS INTO TOWN AS THE NEW HOST OF FASHION STAR. BY KATHRYN DRURY WAGNER

t a French café in the middle of West Hollywood, Louise Roe orders a proper cup of English breakfast tea. As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of Surrey, but you can’t take Surrey out of the girl. Still, there’s no doubt that Roe has come a long way. This spring she steps into the spotlight as the new host of NBC’s Fashion Star, filling Elle Macpherson’s size 12 Louboutins. Fashion Star features upand-coming designers competing for the attentions of buyers from Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, and Express—as well as celebrity judges Nicole Richie, John Varvatos, and Jessica Simpson. At the end of each episode, the winning clothing designs are immediately available for purchase; and at season’s end, one “Fashion Star” is granted a $6 million capsule-collection deal. Craziest moment: Fashion Star is “my absolute dream job,” says Roe, 31, who Being rudely propositioned by chased her dream from London to Los Angeles when she heard Steve-O on live the job was available, meeting with NBC execs and racing back TV. to resume filming her makeover show, Plain Jane, all within 24 Signature styles: hours. (Roe hosts both the British and the American versions of M.A.C Morange the show, which airs on MTV internationally.) lipstick; leather The daughter of a travel writer, Roe (recently engaged to pants by Monika model Josh Slack) had set her sights on becoming a journalist. Chiang; shopping at Beckley She earned a degree in English literature and in 2006, was Boutique. interning at Wedding magazine when a cameraphobic editor All the single sent her off to do a TV segment. “I was so nervous, I couldn’t ladies: “Bring on sleep,” Roe says. “And then… I loved it.” She’s juggled print and the color! You are TV ever since, appearing on shows like How Do I Look? and more likely to get Fashion Police; serving as fashion editor-at-large for Glamour; chatted up.” and penning articles for Men’s Health, vogue.com, Elle, and InStyle. True, “you can write in your PJs with a cup of tea, but that adrenalin rush of live TV, I can’t compare it to anything else,” says Roe, who now lives in West Hollywood. “I was doing the Emmy pre-show once, and we lost power to our cameras and earpieces. I still kept going for 20 minutes!” She’s still going: This year, she brought her fashion savvy to the red carpet, covering the Golden Globes and the Oscars for Access Hollywood. Known for a boho, Talitha Getty –inspired personal style, Roe brings her vibrant-hued flair to an eponymous collection of shoes, jewelry, and handbags for the London-based brand Stylistpick. Her line is sold in 27 countries, and there are plans to bring it to the US in 2013. With her UK chic, you might be forgiven for expecting Roe to be all buttered scones and bone china, but she quickly puts that idea to rest. “I love dive bars and sports bars. Give me a big bowl of nachos,” she laughs, amused to be the one to explode her own myths. “I know, you weren’t expecting that!” LAC

Louise Roe—journalist, TV host, red-carpet reporter, and now fashion designer— strikes a pose at Mr. C Beverly Hills.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT NATHAN; HAIR BY LUKE CHAMBERLAIN FOR STARWORKS ARTISTS; MAKEUP BY ADAM J. BREUCHAUD FOR STARWORKS ARTISTS. LEATHER TOP AND SKIRT, TIBI; SHOES, LOUIS VUITTON, JEWELRY, TOPSHOP

INSIGHT

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the gospel according to john DESIGN PROPHET JOHN VARVATOS HELMS THE 10 ANNIVERSARY OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST BASHES OF THE YEAR… TO HELP KIDS. BY CARITA RIZZO

ashion designer John Varvatos’s presence in LA already spans a decade, but 11 years ago, when he was about to open his store in West John Varvatos, Hollywood, the fashion mogul didn’t just want to fashion designer and evangelist throw a big to-do to announce his arrival. Varvatos, for community57, who launched his career at Polo Ralph Lauren minded causes. and Calvin Klein before starting his eponymous line in 2000, wanted to find a way to connect with the community. The father of three started looking for a children’s organization to support and made a visit to Stuart House, a facility established by the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica’s UCLA Medical Center for children who are victims of sexual abuse. “It was a bad morning at Stuart House,” recalls Varvatos. “There were a number of kids who had been brought in that FROM LEFT: Varvatos and wife Joyce with day—very, very young children—and it just ripped Dave Matthews, my heart out. I said to Gail Abarbanel, the direcLeslie Mann, Judd Apatow, and Gail tor, ‘I know you don’t know me, but I really want to Abarbanel at the do something long-term.’ A lot of it was driven by ninth annual Stuart House Benefit. my emotion right at that moment, but here we are, [more than] 10 years down the road.” —JOHN VARVATOS To raise funds for the cause, Varvatos hosts an Varvatos aims to keep the event light, despite the gravity of the movement. annual benefit on Melrose Avenue, where, on a Sunday afternoon, power couples like Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck (this “You can’t just rip people’s hearts out completely. You need to make the day year’s honorary cochairs), Patrick and Jillian Dempsey, and Judd Apatow enjoyable. But people want to be part of the cause. It’s the kind of cause you and Leslie Mann (all previous cochairs) introduce the cause to patrons tak- wish you didn’t need to get behind because there wasn’t that kind of thing ing to the closed streets of West Hollywood. There is luxury shopping; food going on in the world,” he says. “But there is, so we do the best that we can.” by In–N-Out Burger, Cuties, The Munchie Machine, and Nitro Dreams Ice How did you come across Stuart House? Cream (frozen on the spot); and kids activities such as oversized games like No matter where we’ve been with our stores, we’re always very dialed into Giant Jenga and Operation in a tent designated just for them. With past musi- the community. It’s a neighborhood, and you want to be a part of that group. cal performances by Dave Matthews and live auctions hosted by comedians I came out to LA and looked at a number of different organizations that were like Drew Carey and Bill Bellamy, of signed rock memorabilia from bands supporting children. It’s all about the kids in the end, right? So one of those like Green Day and Aerosmith, as well as golf lessons with Alice Cooper, continued on page 74

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANNY CLINCH (VARVATOS), STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES (MATTHEWS, MANN, APATOW)

“There were kids who had been brought in that day... [my involvement] was driven by my emotion right at that moment.”

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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY Steven Tyler and Varvatos clown around at last year’s benefit in March 2012.

Charity Regist er OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE.

Dave Matthews performs at the 2012 Stuart House Benefit.

continued from page 72 groups that I met with was Stuart House. It’s an emotional thing when you listen to these kids because you feel like they’re stronger than you are. When they come out at the other end, they know they did nothing wrong and that they’re dealing with somebody out there who they want to stop. That’s the thing that drives me with Stuart House, continually. Can you recall any stories of triumph? Every year we do a lunch at Ron Burkle’s estate and that’s when they bring out the kids who have come out the other side. These emotionally disturbing experiences can break anyone, certainly young people, but with the support and counseling that Stuart House provides, these kids begin to heal from very traumatic experiences. Those are magical stories because these are young, healthy, productive adults who want to be able to tell everybody how important Stuart House has been to their lives. Those young people want to be —JOHN VARVATOS part of the solution, which is the most endearing thing. What is your annual benefit like? It’s an afternoon event where at least half of the attendees are children. When you talk to the families that day, you know they’re thinking about their children. Most of the people who attend know why they’re there and are there to support. And their children want to get involved, which is really an amazing thing to me. Last year a child came up to me, 7 or 8 years old, and he gave me $5. He had been there the year before and he said, “I’ve been saving my money. I was here last year, and I want to give you this money for Stuart House.” The day [leaves a lasting impression]. We have a concert, and there are things for the kids to do. But we don’t lose sight of the reason we’re there. What’s your fundraising goal this year? Last year we raised several hundred thousand [dollars] on a Sunday afternoon, and this year I want to significantly raise the awareness and kick the number over $1 million. I truly believe we can do it! John Varvatos’ Stuart House benefit will take place March 10. To find out more or to donate to Stuart House, please visit www.johnvarvatos.com/stuart_house LAC

“You can’t just rip people’s hearts out completely... You have to make the day enjoyable.”

GIVING NEW HOPE 2013 BENEFIT

Who: The mission of the nonprofit Children’s Burn Foundation is to provide support for childhood burn survivors and their families. What: The Giving New Hope Benefit, this year honoring Susan H. Mallory, raises money for the CBF. When: March 12, 2013 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Website: childburn.org

A NIGHT AT SARDI’S

Who: A Night at Sardi’s is an annual celebrity musical show and awards dinner that supports the efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. What: Producer and Imagine Entertainment cofounder Brian Grazer will be honored this year. When: March 20, 2013 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Website: alz.org/sardis

GENESIS AWARDS BENEFIT GALA

Who: The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization. What: The annual star-studded Genesis Awards Benefit Gala honors and celebrates those in the media and beyond whose efforts are building a more humane world for animals. Past participants include Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi. When: March 23, 2013 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Website: humanesociety.org/genesisawards

2013 SILVER ROSE WEEKEND Who: Jenesse Center is a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and awareness to help victims of domestic violence. What: The fifth annual Silver Rose Weekend, chaired by actress Halle Berry, includes a gala, auction, and golf at the Wilshire Country Club. When: Awards Gala & Auction: April 6, 2013; Fifth Annual Halle Berry Celebrity Golf Classic, Auction & Awards Dinner: April 8, 2013 Where: Gala & Auction: Vibiana, 214 S. Main St., LA; Golf classic: Wilshire Country Club, 301 N. Rossmore Ave., LA Website: jenesse.org/silverroseweekend

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Los Angeles, CA, by Gary Winogrand, 1964.

springtime in… los angeles? PARIS PHOTO, PHOTOGRAPHY’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS ART FAIR, BYPASSES NY FOR LA.

mages, literal and figurative, have long been part of LA’s Big Picture. But with the inaugural Paris Photo Los Angeles, striking a pose April 26–28 at Paramount Studios, the city comes one click closer to being not only a global capital of arts creation but a vital marketplace for the fine arts as well. What focused Paris Photo—the 17-year-old fair held annually in November that is arguably Europe’s most important for work created “in the photographic medium”—on Los Angeles as opposed to, say, Manhattan, the well-established market mecca and a much shorter plane flight from Paris? Answer: a collusion of both location, location, location, and zeitgeist. “LA is a creative hub with an amazing history in visual arts,” says Julien Frydman, the fair’s director, drawing a timeline from artists Man Ray to Ed Ruscha to Doug Aitken to illustrate how Los Angeles rejuvenates contemporary culture’s understanding of images. “It is a city that questions the language of images, and specifically photography,” he continues,

BY MICHAEL HERRON

underscoring LA’s coming of age as an “undisputed” international art capital by pointing to its collage of private and institutional collectors (LACMA and The Getty, in particular), galleries, working artists, and art schools, as well as the city’s proximity to the Bay Area and relative proximity to Asia and South America (the former being the art market’s current holy grail). The catalyst, however, turns out to have been “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980,” the massive interinstitutional arts initiative celebrating postwar art in LA and spearheaded by The Getty. “The creative energy of the city, celebrated by ‘PST,’ convinced me to open a new fair,” says Frydman. Then there’s Hollywood, which as the maharaja of the globalized motion picture industry makes LA especially exciting to Frydman. “There is a need to get out of the ghetto and to reconnect still and moving images,” he says, explaining how old borders between traditional categories have continued on page 78

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE ESTATE OF GARRY WINDGRAND/COURTESY FRAENKEL GALLERY. SAN FRANCISCO (WINOGRAND)

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Lt. Col. Robert Strim Is Greeted by His Family on Arrival at Travis Air Force Base, CA, by Slava Veder, 1973.

Paramount Studios legendary backlot will host dozens of galleries exhibiting acclaimed photography.

continued from page 76 diminished and how artists are incorporating photography into their practices. “We want to embrace the richness of artistic productions.” Toward that end, Paris Photo Los Angeles’s debut will take place at Paramount Studios, where the approximately 80 local, national, and international galleries participating in the fair will exhibit in at least one or more of the fair’s four sections. The New York Street back lot will host in the neighborhood of 20 solo shows (one gallery per “set”), and a nearby moving images section will showcase works in video by historical and contemporary artists. “From the soundstage to the New York Street back lot, or The Sherry Lansing Theatre, we are using various components of the Paramount studios to make the experience unbeatable,” says Frydman. Additionally, independent curator Douglas Fogle, a former chief curator and deputy director of exhibitions and public programs at the Hammer Museum, will organize a series of special screenings of video and photo-based installations, contemporary moving image works, and talks as part of its Sound and Vision programming. “The location at Paramount is really interesting,” says Philip Martin of LA’s Cherry and Martin gallery, who is both an exhibitor and a member of

“I am excited about an investigation of image generation in a place of image generation.” —PHILIP MARTIN

Julien Frydman, director of Paris Photo Los Angeles.

the fair’s five-member selection committee comprised of local and international dealers. “I am excited about an investigation of image generation in a place of image generation,” he adds, explaining that he too is interested in the blurring of the still versus the moving image. “We represent younger artists like Brian Bress, Erik Frydenborg, and Amanda Ross-Ho, all of whom are intimately concerned with photographic practice, and none of whom consider themselves ‘photographers.’ That’s interesting.” Ultimately, however, after all the artistic, academic, and mercantilistic perspectives are explored, perhaps it’s pure aestheticism that best promotes the new fair in the City of Angels, stemming from and Caption will coordinated with a fair in the City of Light. As Frydman says: “So autumn go here tk. in Paris, spring in Los Angeles.” Fade out. LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE GALLERIE DANIEL BLAU MUNICH/LONDON (VEDER); COURTESY OF THE ARTISIT AND M+B GALLERY (BRANDT); COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES STUDIOS (NEW YORK STREET)

Night Sky Test #2, by Matthew Brandt, 2013.

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ART FULL

arch d’triomph

A watercolor rendering of the Charles Luckman Associates, William Pereira, Welton Becket & Associates, and Paul R. Williams—designed Theme Building at LAX, circa 1961.

THIS SPRING THE GETTY CELEBRATES LA’S MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN A NEW OFFSHOOT OF MEGAFAIR “PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.” BY ALEXIS JOHNSON

s a city profoundly shaped by the car, Los Angeles, a megalopolis veined with endless highways and byways, stands as a unique experiment in the global community. A center for innovation and creativity, often taking a cue from its seemingly limitless boundaries, LA is a postwar incubator for the groundbreaking, literally. This spring, The Getty will once again inaugurate a multi-institution examination of the arts in LA called “Pacific Standard Time Presents”—one of many expected to occur before the second “Pacific Standard Time” slated for 2016 or 2017—this time focusing exclusively on modern architecture, something the city has become justly famous for due to the contributions of iconic architects such as Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, Frank Gehry, and Eric Owen Moss. In “Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A.” (on view from April through June), nine institutions, ranging from heavy hitters like the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to alternative spaces like the MAK Center for Art + Architecture, will display exhibitions examining various components of SoCal architecture and the region’s built environment from 1940 to the present, including a mix of

“We didn’t inherit modernism. We chose it.”—MICHAEL MALTZAN monographic shows of such architects as A. Quincy Jones, with more idiosyncratic takes like the A+D Museum’s “Windshield Perspective” and SCI-Arc’s “A Confederacy of Heretics: The Architecture Gallery, Venice 1979.” “We didn’t inherit modernism,” says famed local architect Michael Maltzan, whose gravity-defying structures can be seen everywhere from the new Regen Projects gallery in East Hollywood to the upcoming Sixth Street Viaduct. “We chose it.” “LA has as many important buildings by Pritzker Architecture Prize award winners as any city (perhaps more) and is the locus of new and continued on page 82

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEHRY PARTNERS, LLP (WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL); THE LUCKMAN PARTNERSHIP, INC., LA SALAS O”BRIEN COMPANY (AIRPORT)

Construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry, began in 1996 and was completed in 2003.

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The Palms House in Venice, designed by Kevin Daly of architectural firm Daly Genik in 2011. The iconic Water and Power Building designed by A. C. Martin and Associates in the early ‘60s.

continued from page 80 influential, locally inspired architecture,” says The J. Paul Getty Trust president and CEO Jim Cuno. “Given our climate, we are out and about in our city and aware more than most of the importance of architecture in defining our living and working conditions.” This architecture initiative, funded by The Getty Foundation, which gave more than $3.6 million in grants to collaborating institutions for exhibitions and catalogs, grew out of the research begun in 2008 by The Getty Research Institute’s Wim de Wit and Christopher J. Alexander, who along with Ravi Singh, are cocurators of the “Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future 19401990” exhibition. This along with MOCA’s “A New Sculpturalism: Contemporary Architecture from Southern California” serves as the survey exhibition for this iteration of the “PST Presents” umbrella. “Overdrive” looks at five components—car culture (including coffee shops, Googie architecture, and even drive-in churches like the Crystal Cathedral); urban networks; engines of innovation (the effect the aerospace and other industries had on materials and design); community magnets like Disneyland, The Getty Villa, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Universal CityWalk, among others; and, of course, residential architecture. In addition to the Richard Neutra in 1951.

Frank Lloyd Wright in 1950.

exhibitions, the initiative is heavy on programming, encompassing everything from CicLAvia’s bike-only architecture tour down Wilshire Boulevard to The Center for Land Use Interpretation’s look at on-site office trailers as “invisible architecture of the urban environment.” In many ways, Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous quip—“Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles”—summarizes the freedom and experimentation available in creative output in LA. (The MAK Center devotes its exhibition for “PST Presents” to a reframing of this quote, examining where the visual arts and architecture intersect in LA in the 1970s.) De Wit, who cites the Universal CityWalk and the temporary structures created by Deborah Sussman and Jon Jerde for the ’84 Olympics as some of his favorite examples of modern architecture in the city, notes that the selected time period was deliberate. Containing the city’s architectural development between the scope of last year’s “Pacific Standard Time: 1945-1980” didn’t do it justice as so many experiments began during the war but could not be realized until afterward (as materials were not available), a succinct cut-off point before the city dramatically changed with the 1992 riots and 1994 Northridge earthquake. “We put everything into context of the development of LA in that period, especially the development of the city between 1940 and 1990. It was already a huge city but then it became a mega-city, and what did it mean for architecture? The city became a sort of laboratory of innovation.” “For the past century, LA has operated as a vast laboratory for architectural experimentation,” echoes Alexander, whose favorite LA structures include the Capitol Records Building, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Building, Lloyd Wright’s Wayfarers Chapel, and the “Binoculars Building,” designed by Frank Gehry and created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, which “always makes me smile and is a perfect example of the often whimsical architectural innovation that this city fosters.” He continues: “The ideas that were devised here not only transformed this region’s built landscape, they influenced the shape of burgeoning metropolises around the globe. LA is now embarking on a vibrant new period of growth. We hope this exhibition will help catalyze fresh insights about this city’s complex past, which may ultimately help guide its future form.” LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BARRY WINIKER/GETTY IMAGES (WATER AND POWER BUILDING); JASON SCHMIDT (PALMS); ED CLARK/TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES (NEUTRA); KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGES (WRIGHT)

“The ideas devised here influenced the shape of metropolises around the globe.” —CHRISTOPHER J. ALEXANDER

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a famiglia— ollywood-style LOVE CECCONI’S WEST HOLLYWOOD? JOIN THE CLUB. THE MELROSE POWER MAINSTAY IS HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR ITS DIE-HARD REGULARS.

Spaghetti lobster, a signature dish at Cecconi’s.

Creating that convivial type of atmosphere is intentional on the part of Marino Monferrato, general manager and sommelier; Andrea Cavaliere, executive chef, Soho House Group North America; and their team. Cavaliere calls it the “Soho House t’s a Friday morning at Cecconi’s, and the restaurant is recovering from the mentality,” in a synergistic nod to its chic sibling up the hill on Sunset. “Nick previous night, when a throng of people piled in after a movie screening for [ Jones] always says that Cecconi’s needs to be a home away from home,” says an impromptu afterparty. It’s not surprising that the group chose the Italian Monferrato of Soho House Limited’s CEO and founder, who took ownership of Cecconi’s in London in 2005. “We see Cecconi’s as an hot spot to fête the debut—especially one of its screenwritextension of Soho House—nice, warm, cozy, comfortable.” ers, who had signed the deal there just months before. Of Cecconi’s also strives to create a member mentality with course, no matter how hard this reporter pokes and prods, its “Friends of Cecconi’s” program. Anyone touting a FOC the staff isn’t giving up the boldface names involved— key chain is privy to an array of perks—from special offers because that’s just the type of place this is. on breakfast, lunch, and dinner to access to such events as It’s also the kind of place where deals like the aforemenexclusive cooking classes inside the kitchen, guest chef tioned go down every day, although regular John appearances, and wine tastings. O’Hurley is quick to distinguish Cecconi’s from more “Nick Jones first started discount programs back in the oppressive power-dining environments. “This is a more UK because he wanted to always have the restaurant social place,” says the former Seinfeld cast member. “No buzzing with a great atmosphere,” explains Monferrato. one is looking over [your] shoulder, looking at who’s sitting with whom.” continued on page 86 —JOHN O’HURLEY BY JEN JONES DONATELLI PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA SAMPLE

“This is a social place. No one is looking over [your] shoulder, looking at who’s sitting with whom.”

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Burrata and black truffle pizza.

WHAT TO ORDER The staff goes above and beyond to create a special one-on-one relationship with each customer.

A barrel-aged Negroni in the restaurant’s cozy bar.

“We see Cecconi’s as an extension of Soho House— nice, warm, cozy, and comfortable.”

Start your meal with a selection of cicchetti (Executive Chef Andrea Cavaliere’s take on Venetian tapas), and then follow it up with an appetizer such as grilled octopus, plin agnolotti, or—from October to December (roughly)—anything featuring white truffles (a signature ingredient that Cavaliere calls “the DNA of Cecconi’s”). “Both [GM] Marino [Monferrato] and I are from the region [of Italy] where Alba is, so we are passionate about truffles,” explains Cavaliere. Chef Perfecto Rocher’s pick? The burrata, zucchini flower, and truffle pizza. 8764 Melrose Ave., LA, 310-432-2000; cecconiswesthollywood.com 310-432-2000; cecconiswesthollywood.com

An in-demand cushy corner.

continued from page 84 “It’s our way of thanking the people who’ve been with us since day one for their loyalty and patronage.” The special treatment certainly seems to pay off: Monferrato estimates that 90 percent of the restaurant’s lunch clientele is comprised of regulars, and Cavaliere says many patrons come in as many as five times per week. Because the restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 8 AM to 1 AM (11 PM on Sunday), people often start their days with a laptop and espresso and end with a group of friends over a lively dinner. “We know what they like, where they like to be seated,” says Monferrato. “It’s such a mixed, eclectic crowd, from architects to agents. We [attract] a beautiful potpourri of diners.” Cecconi’s has also built an John Krasinski impressive roster of celebrity and Emily Blunt are big fans of devotees, includ ing Halle Berry, Cecconi’s Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, authentic continued on page 88 Italian cuisine.

BEST TABLES IN THE HOUSE Monferrato gets the most requests for the open-air patio, thanks to its easy-breezy appeal. And the al fresco quarters also provide a dose of people-watching. “In LA, everybody wants to see and be seen, so [sitting on] the patio makes a statement,” says Executive Chef Andrea Cavaliere. For private dinners and events, the place to be is the 40-person Butterfly Room (featuring a wall installation by Damien Hirst) or the outdoor “Secret Garden,” which is on the side patio.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN LOVEKIN/GETTY IMAGES (BLUNT)

—ANDREA CAVALIERE

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power hour DRIVEN BY AN A-LIST THAT TAKES ITS DEALS AND DRINKS SERIOUSLY, LA HAS REINTERPRETED HAPPY HOUR. BY MATTHEW STEWART

continued from page 86 and the Dancing with the Stars cast, and both Emily Blunt and Eva Longoria celebrated birthdays at the restaurant in 2012. Monferrato says it also attracts many Italian stars, thanks to its authenticity. “I see Cecconi’s as a place for European people,” says former Lazy Ox Canteen chef Perfecto Rocher, who hails from Spain. “It’s run by real Italians, and the result is real food.” Yet don’t mistake Cecconi’s for a snooty, overpriced restaurant—it eschews what Cavaliere calls the “white tablecloth” approach. “People think this place is expensive or exclusive, but we actually want to be the opposite,” says —MARINO Cavaliere. “Everyone is MONFERRATO invited.” To that end, Cecconi’s provides free daytime valet service and hosts family-style “Sunday Suppers,” replete with roving magician and a $50 fixed price for four people. The down-to-earth vibe extends to the staff as well. “They do things that go above and beyond, that create a special sense of a one-on-one relationship,” says O’Hurley. “Marino has gone out and valeted our car for us; I don’t know many GMs who would do that.” But from the Cecconi’s standpoint, it makes sense—after all, anything for family. LAC

“It’s such a mixed, eclectic crowd, from architects to agents. We attract a beautiful potpourri of diners.”

hough the two-martini lunch is only a glamorous memory, that doesn’t mean Angelenos aren’t conducting business over drinks. Mineral water and iced tea may be the midday norm, but in the late afternoon, the Hollywood power crowd eschews mod mixology trends, opting instead for traditional cocktails. As beverage manager at The Polo Lounge, Rob Rouleau mixes with—and for—Los Angeles’s influencers. “People come here and want to be transformed,” he says, “and drink a classic like a Negroni, Manhattan, Old-Fashioned, or Sazerac.” Rouleau notes that although many abstain at lunchtime, the end-of-day Sazerac: The Polo drink is the deal maker’s ritual. “Meetings tend to take place a Lounge at The little later in the afternoon and people are more inclined to Beverly Hills Hotel close a deal—or the week—with a cocktail.” and Bungalows Mist of absinthe Shaw Jones, head bartender of The Grill on the Alley in 1 ⁄2 oz. simple syrup Beverly Hills, welcomes his regular crowd of agents, produc2 dashes Peychaud’s ers, and politicians with tried-and-true Old-Fashioneds, Aromatic Cocktail martinis, and Manhattans. “At 4:30 or 5 PM we get a lot of peoBitters ple coming in for a cocktail. That time of day gives them a bit 2 oz. rye whiskey more freedom to conduct a meeting and share a drink.” Lemon twist Anthony Greco, mixologist at Windows Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, sees the Using a misto sprayer, powerful imbibing Sazeracs and Negronis, which are served in coat the inside of a classic rocks glasses or coupe glassware. mixing glass with Danielle Katz, marketing manager at Mr. C, reports that its absinthe. Add next three ingredents and ice. Stir clientele enjoys the classics with Cipriani’s continental twist. for 20 seconds. Squeeze “Our customers tend to order a martini, Negroni, Oldlemon twist to release Fashioned or Manhattan. Also, we are famous for our Bellini. oils into drink. Serve in Cipriani is known for a more European style of service, which an Old-Fashioned glass. means smaller glasses for cocktails.” This allows the regulars to enjoy a libation, keep their business meetings on track, and glide into LA’s Negroni: Four famously early dinSeasons Hotel Los ner hour without Angeles at Beverly stumbling. Hills 2 orange twists, for garnish 1 oz. Carpano Antica sweet vermouth 1 oz. Campari 1 oz. Bombay Dry gin

The Polo Lounge’s Sazerac.

A Negroni from Four Seasons Hotel.

Mist and coat the inside of the glass with the oil of one twist. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and stir well. Strain into a prepared coupe. Garnish with an orange twist. (Squeeze the twist to release the oils and coat the top of the drink.)

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POWER PLATE

the real meal HAIL, CAESAR? NOT IN LA. THE POWER CROWD HERE DOES THE COBB. BY ERIC ROSEN

ew dishes reach iconic all-American status—hot dogs, apple pie, the club sandwich… and the Cobb salad. Like most great all-American things, this one was the product of necessity, creativity… and a little bit of flair. Legend has it that late one night back in 1937, Robert Cobb, the owner of the legendary Brown Derby restaurant on Wilshire, was roaming the kitchen looking for a snack for himself and a group of friends, including Sid Grauman, the owner of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, who had ended up at the restaurant after a night out on the town. Reaching into the refrigerator, he pulled out everything he could find: lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled eggs, chives, cheddar cheese, cold chicken breast, avocado, and some fried bacon from an on-duty cook. With little idea how they would all go together, he simply chopped them up as small as he could, tossed the ingredients together, and dressed them with vinaigrette. The impromptu invention was such a hit that Grauman came back to the restaurant to order the “Cobb” salad during normal hours, and the name caught on. Soon, most of Hollywood royalty was noshing on the dish, including famed studio head (and tyrant) Jack Warner, and film stars such as Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart. In the 76 years since then, the Cobb salad has spread far beyond the

now-demolished walls of the original Brown Derby. Not only can Angelenos find variations of the salad at restaurants all over town, but the humble (some might say accidental) Cobb salad has made its way on to menus all over the world. It has spawned countless imitators and remains a fave lunchtime staple of Hollywood’s A-listers and up-and-comers. In fact, former Friends costar Courteney Cox famously told the Los Angeles Times that for the 10 years that she, Jennifer Aniston, and Lisa Kudrow worked on the show, they ate the same lunch together every day: Cobb salad. It’s also apparently a dish both Warren Beatty and Annette Bening order all the time at their go-to lunch spot, The Beverly Hills Hotel, although it is called the McCarthy salad there—taking its name from a Hollywood lawyer named Neil McCarthy. Kaleo Adams, the 34-year-old executive chef at The BH Hotel attributes the Cobb salad’s popularity to the fact that “everyone loves salads, and this one is just so simple and easy to eat—if you break down its ingredients, most people eat these things every day.” However, Adams is quick to point out several distinctions that set the hotel’s McCarthy salad apart from the Cobb. “We use two different types of continued on page 92

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOWARD DESHONG/GETTY IMAGES

The original Cobb salad, born 76 years ago, has inspired endless variations.

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POWER PLATE

continued from page 90 lettuce—iceberg and romaine—which enhance the flavors of the greens. The chicken and eggs are free-range, and we roast the beets in advance, which adds a very subtle, smoky taste to the salad.” It’s not just about the ingredients, though. “There’s also how we chop everything,” says Adams. “We chop the greens and egg whites very fine, while the chicken and avocado, which should be chunkier and heartier, are prepared that way— and, of course, [assembling] it tableside is unique.” In many ways, the Cobb salad is the perfect dish to represent LA. It has a little bit of everything thrown in, but it is eminently customizable to suit the city’s notoriously picky eaters. Depending on what a person does or does not want in it, it can be made into literally thousands of permutations. Wolfgang Puck makes a Cobb with lobster instead of chicken for fancier tastes, while Tiara Cafe serves a Thai Cobb salad with green papaya and wonton slivers for those who insist on a more “mod” approach. “I think it’s fair to say that half our guests want our McCarthy ‘their way,’” says Adams, “and they put their personal twist on it, which is great. Many love adding garbanzo beans, which are not in the salad but are often requested. When it comes to removing something, it’s usually the beets, and when it comes to adding something, it’s often more egg whites. I say, let them enjoy it the way they want!” So next time you are out and about town and deciding what to have for lunch, you can show your Angeleno pride by ordering the city’s hometown salad… and have it any way you like. LAC

salad daze!

IN TRUE LA FASHION, EVERY RESTAURANT HAS ITS OWN TAKE ON THE CLASSIC COBB. Wolfgang Puck’s lobster Cobb is now also available at Hotel Bel-Air, along with its famous “Nancy Reagan” version.

The Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows’ McCarthy salad.

The Cobb salad is the perfect dish to represent LA. It has a little bit of everything thrown in.

The original Cobb salad from The Brown Derby, conceived by then-owner Robert Cobb in 1937.

The Farm Cobb at the Farm of Beverly Hills.

The Farm of Beverly Hills Whether it’s Beverly Hills doyennes sailing down from Trousdale for lunch, or power-hungry agents plotting their next exploit, every appetite is satisfied with the Farm Cobb salad. Made with grilled chicken, applewood-smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, romaine, avocado, tomato, blue cheese, and sherry vinaigrette, it will fuel an afternoon of shopping—or deal making. 439 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2735578; thefarmofbeverlyhills.com

Hotel Bel-Air The ladies who lunch at this LA institution have included social lions like Nancy Reagan and Betsy Bloomingdale. It was they who made this particular Cobb salad famous by always asking for its ingredients—avocado, chopped egg, Point Reyes blue cheese, and smoked bacon—all to be chopped as finely as possible before being dressed with vinaigrette. 701 Stone Canyon Road, LA, 310-472-1211; hotelbelair.com

The Polo Lounge The Beverly Hills Hotel caters to a film industryheavy clientele, so rather than a simple Cobb salad, The Polo Lounge serves the McCarthy,

named for a famed Hollywood lawyer. It contains romaine, grilled chicken, eggs, red beets, tomato, cheddar cheese, applewoodsmoked bacon, avocado, and balsamic vinaigrette. Of course—all the ingredients are negotiable. 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills; 310-887-2777; beverlyhillshotel.com

Restaurant at The Getty Center Recharge after an art-filled afternoon with this museum resto’s much-lauded Cobb salad that contains a mélange of lettuce, apples, cranberries, blue cheese, herb-marinated chicken, applewood-smoked bacon, pecans, and a tangy apple cider vinaigrette. Now that’s a work of art. 1200 Getty Center Dr., LA, 310-440-6810; getty.edu

Tiara Cafe Fancy an international take on this West Coast staple? Head Downtown for Fred Eric’s Thai Cobb, replete with grilled chicken mixed with green papaya salad, bacon, spinach, egg, tomatoes, wonton slivers, and a refreshing Thai-inspired dressing. 127 E. 9th St., LA, 213-623-3663, tiara-cafe-la.com

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ON THE TOWN

9200 Sunset Meets 1600 Penn: Emmy Award-winning executive producer and director Jason Winer.

LET’S MAKE A DEAL When: A sunny Monday in January.

BOA Steakhouse on Sunset Boulevard.

Where: At BOA Steakhouse, 9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. Time: A late lunch inside the private dining room.

The trés-mod interior of BOA, popular with the industry crowd.

FOUR INDUSTRY INSIDERS TAKE A BITE OUT OF HOLLYWOOD’S FAVORITE PASTIME: THE POWER LUNCH. BY JEN JONES DONATELLI

h, what a difference a few decades make: in 1996, Jason Winer got his first job in Hollywood as a room-service waiter at the Chateau Marmont, kowtowing to studio executives and actors. Today, those tables have irrevocably turned, as Winer’s status as an Emmy winner (and two-time nominee) and cocreator, executive producer, and director of NBC’s 1600 Penn has him dining with top industry brass on a regular basis. But, as the old adage goes, you always remember your first— and Winer is no different. “The first time I ever went to The Polo Lounge, [producer] Donald De Line took me

there right before I did my first movie [Shining City],” recalls Winer, 40, who has since directed the film Arthur and TV shows including Modern Family and New Girl. “And that was like, Oh, so this is Hollywood power lunching—I get it now.” On this particular afternoon, Winer’s lunch date of choice is one of his managers, Christie Smith of Mosaic Media Group. The setting? Sunset’s venerable BOA Steakhouse—one of numerous venues where they hold semi-regular “state of the union” meetings to determine his next moves. “I remember sitting in the coffee shop with you on the Fox lot, being here at BOA with you,

the first time we met at La Poubelle—a lot of our bigger, let’s-lay-it-all-out meetings have happened over meals rather than in a conference room,” muses Smith, who also represents Daniel Tosh and Nick Kroll. Power dining has also played its part in 1600 Penn’s journey to the small screen. In August, 2011, Winer took a breakfast meeting at Larchmont Bungalow (his “office away from home”) with former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett to share the idea for the show. “It was really the formative moment for 1600 Penn,” says Winer. “Jon was determined not to do a show continued on page 96

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOLLY CRANNA; GROOMING BY ERICA SAUER FOR THE WALL GROUP

dining for dollars

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ON THE TOWN Winer discusses the art of the deal with one of his managers, Christie Smith, of Mosaic Media Group.

Making the Rounds Don’t miss these tried-and-true faves when planning your next power meal.

Barney Greengrass Restaurant Insiders say: Don’t leave without trying the berry-banana pancakes or the Nova Scotia salmon (best enjoyed from the scenic outdoor patio, of course). 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-777-5877; barneys.com

BOA Steakhouse

The houseroasted turkey on pretzel bread is a BOA lunch staple.

“We joke and say that you break bread to make bread. [Power meals] aren’t where business is done, but more where business is born.” —KATIE CATES continued from page 94 about the White House because, to paraphrase him, he was worried that if he did something about politics, it would come out as one long scream…. Now we have a show on the air.” And much like Winer, power dining itself has come a long way—harkening back to the glittery days of yore, when notables like Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, and Groucho Marx convened at legendary hot spot Chasen’s (where, naturally, all three had their own dedicated booths). Though the term “power lunch” first originated in New York in a 1979 Esquire article about the Four Seasons in Midtown Manhattan, Los Angeles is the undisputed epicenter of power dining for all things entertainment. The trend hit its stride in the ’80s thanks to behemoths like Spago and Le Dome (which producer Lynda Obst dubbed “the unofficial industry commissary”) and continues today at staples like The Grill on the Alley and Bouchon. It’s all part of a delicate dance where relationships are made, maintained, and monetized. “We joke and say that you break bread to make bread,” says TV lit agent Katie Cates of the Kaplan Stahler Agency. “[Power meals] aren’t where business is done, but more where business is born.”

The New Normal Though power dining is still very much relevant, the act has taken a distinctly different shape than the flashy three-martini lunches of the past. “There was a time in this business when it was all about who you were having lunch with, but I feel the emphasis on that has changed,” says Winer. “I’m interested in sending the message that it isn’t about the public perception of being seen together, but about the work we might do.” Of course, there are still times when it’s impossible to go unnoticed. After brunching with a well-known actor, Winer’s in-box started filling up with curious queries. “Lots of people saw us together—I got a ton of e-mails about ‘What were you doing with so-and-so?’” For WME agent Holly Jeter, it was a recent lunch at Mariposa with an infamous pro wrestler and a Walking Dead actor amongst a bevy of refined “ladies who lunch” types. “There was so much inherent comedy in the situation,” says Jeter. “You find yourself in interesting situations on a daily basis.” Preferred venues have also shifted with the new regime, though the heavy hitters continue continued on page 98

Rumor has it: Among its regulars are a colorful array of industry types and celebrities like Tyler Perry and Pamela Anderson (who made headlines last May with a raucous impromptu dance party at her table). 9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 310-278-2050; innovativedining.com/ restaurants/boa

Bouchon Rumor has it: Management keeps lengthy notes on VIP guest preferences—from whether the table should be de-crumbed to the people who will only accept wine poured by a sommelier. 235 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-9910; bouchonbistro.com

Café Gratitude Insiders say: This health-conscious haunt attracts power diners who believe in the power of affirmations with dishes like “I Am Connected” (zucchini cilantro hummus or guacamole with crackers or a tortilla) and “I Am Powerful” (organic tea). 639 Larchmont Blvd., LA, 323-580-6383; cafegratitudela.com Café Gratitude’s open deck.

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ON THE TOWN

As for alcohol, it’s generally a no-no —unless it’s not. dinner at the Palm,” she says. “I can try a new place every night and that’s a very cool thing to be able to do.”

The Rules of Engagement

Smith and Winer conduct regular “state of the union” meetings over meals. BOA’s sweet potato soup.

continued from page 96 to dominate—whether it’s chopped salads at La Scala Beverly Hills or Nova Scotia salmon at Barney Greengrass. “I know if I walk into Nate ’n Al’s for breakfast, or The Grill or Barney’s for lunch, there are certain places where you know you’re entering ‘society,’” says Smith. Adds Cates, “Soho House is where all the A-listers go, and The Polo Lounge is still a stalwart of power dining. Where old school meets new school, those are the places that will always be around.” Yet the sheer volume of power meals dictates an openness to different venues. Five days a week, Jeter typically has both lunches and drinks meetings scheduled, so she can be found anywhere from Westwood’s Tanino to E. Baldi to Bedford & Burns (a WME favorite for its proximity). “New spots are cooler than having

If the first commandment of Hollywood is “Know thy enemy,” the second is “Know your power-dining etiquette.” Tops on the list? Knowing the right setting for your power meal. “The intent of the meeting will often dictate where it will take place and what type of restaurant it’s going to be,” shares Smith. “If you have a drink at L’Ermitage, you’re sending a slightly different message [to a client] than if you went to the Village Idiot.” As for alcohol, it’s generally a no-no—unless it’s not. Outside of the proverbial “drinks meeting” or celebratory nighttime dinner, Smith says it’s virtually unheard of to order drinks over a power meal, although it can certainly make an indelible impression. “I met my nowassistant on a Sunday just before dinner; I ordered sparkling water and she ordered a beer,” says Smith, who promptly changed her order to a tequila on the rocks. “I was like, ‘[I don’t believe] the balls on this girl!’ I couldn’t decide if it was a genius move.” (Spoiler alert: the risk paid off—Smith gave her the job.) The question of who pays is a bit more ambiguous. As representatives, Smith, Jeter, and Cates maintain they’ll almost always pick up the bill, and all three estimate that at least 75 percent of their expense accounts goes toward dining. “Things have evolved to where people split checks more frequently, but I was taught that it’s an agency’s obligation to treat your guest,” explains Cates, who formerly worked at Gersh. Conversely, there are no set rules from Winer’s vantage point; while he is often treated by his representatives or studio execs, he often woos potential directors or writers over lunch. Other universally accepted rules? Be punctual, keep texting and phone calls to a minimum, and come to the table with something to say (or, at least, offer). It all points to a healthy respect for the tradition of power dining—and its potential to make great things happen. “When you get together to have a meal, it sets the table for natural things to happen,” says Jeter. “The conversations that result can be eye-opening, educational, and inspirational in ways you never would have expected. What you take away from it is the most important part.” LAC

The dining room at Kate Mantilini buzzes at lunchtime.

Cecconi’s Insiders say: Along with “Friends of Cecconi’s” nights on Mondays, one of the best times to visit Cecconi’s is for its cheekily authentic “British Breakfast Club” on Tuesday mornings. 8764 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-432-2000; cecconiswesthollywood.com

The Grill on the Alley Rumor has it: The restaurant keeps a special stock of diet cranberry juice and diet tonic water specially for frequent patron Sumner Redstone. 9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-276-0615; thegrill.com/locations/ the-grill-beverly-hills-california

Kate Mantilini Rumor has it: The restaurant once served as the filming location for a legendary scene featuring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Michael Mann’s Heat. 9101 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-2783699; katemantilinirestaurant.com

The Polo Lounge at The BH Hotel and Bungalows Rumor has it: Ben Affleck and Kristen Stewart turned heads when they were seen dining together there to discuss a potential role in November. 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-887-2777; beverlyhillshotel.com/ the-polo-lounge

Soho House West Hollywood Insiders say: To gain access, you’ll need to pass the rigorous membership process or accompany a current member. 9200 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-432-9200; sohohousewh.com

Spago Rumor has it: Boldface names like Sherry Lansing, Sidney Poitier, and Joan Collins are all longtime regulars. 176 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-385-0880; wolfgangpuck.com/ restaurants/fine-dining/3635

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Tommy Hilfiger’s memorabilia collection includes (FROM BOTTOM LEFT) Marilyn Monroe’s boots from The Misfits, Sir Elton John’s Union Jack Star Spangled Banner boots, and Tina Turner’s dress and shoes.

TASTEMAKER

tommy goes hollywood WITH THE LAUNCH OF HIS NEW WEST COAST FLAGSHIP, TOMMY HILFIGER OPENS UP HIS PERSONAL COLLECTION OF MUSIC AND HOLLYWOOD COSTUME MEMORABILIA. BY LAURIE BROOKINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD PHIBBS

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Mariah Carey’s custom denim shorts from her 1997 album, Butterfly.

The Hilfiger sweater Michael Jackson wore for his 1995 Vibe magazine shoot. The cowboy boots Marilyn Monroe wore in her last completed film, The Misfits, displayed for auction in 1999 at Christie’s, where Hilfiger purchased them for $75,000. A still, left, shows the actress wearing the boots.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN CALLISTER ONLINE USA, INC/GETTY IMAGES (MONROE)

or Tommy Hilfiger and his newly opened flagship boutique on Robertson Boulevard, timing, as they say, was everything. “I’ve had an eagle eye on LA for a really long time—years, actually. I just couldn’t settle on a location,” says Hilfiger before he scrolls through the grocery list of streets he’s explored—Melrose and Rodeo, among them— remembering the empty retail spaces he’s walked through during any number of California sojourns. An opening near The Ivy on Robertson seemed promising, but again, something just didn’t click, “so I thought maybe I should still wait a little while.” And then the recession hit. Like so many other fashion labels, Hilfiger erred on the side of caution and knew the right opportunity would present itself. Three years later, Hilfiger, 61, has found his new LA home (he had previously been on Rodeo in the late ’90s), a flagship second only to his New York store. When he first looked at the space at 157 North Robertson Boulevard, Hilfiger says there was no hesitation: “I signed the lease immediately, and we started working on it right away. It’s got great foot traffic, and it’s the gateway to the whole Robertson experience. I could not be more excited about it!” The 6,600-square-foot freestanding store is unique in several respects, including having both the men’s and women’s runway collections,

“I’m a popculture fanatic. I don’t want this to be like Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock—it’s not about kitsch or gimmicks.”

allowing celebrities, costumers, and stylists to locally access Hilfiger’s premium label instead of having to have it shipped from his New York flagship. But take a moment to look beyond the VIP services and the air of the store’s midcentury-modern interiors, and you’ll discover —TOMMY HILFIGER the highly personal collection Hilfiger contributes to the store design. Amid this “complete universe” of Tommy Hilfiger, the runway collections and lower-priced lifestyle products, the sportswear and sunglasses, the fragrance and denim, each exuding its own uniquely Hilfiger take on American cool, he has added a selection of pop-culture memorabilia and vintage pieces he’s picked up over the years, a mini exhibit he’ll change around when the mood strikes. For the opening, you’ll find a pair of platform boots from the height of Elton John’s Captain Fantastic period, as well as a Tina Turner leather minidress circa Private Dancer; meanwhile from Hilfiger’s love of cinema, a pair of Marilyn Monroe’s cowboy boots worn in her final completed film, 1961’s The Misfits, is integral to the selection. “I’m a pop-culture fanatic,” Hilfiger says simply. “I love music, I love fashion, I love art, I love entertainment. I don’t want this to be like Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock—it’s not about kitsch or gimmicks. It’s really just about sharing something that means something to me.” Indeed, picture a younger Tommy Hilfiger—his face even more boyish than it still appears today—starting out with a wholly different fashion business in the early 1970s, one rooted in creating the types of clothes—bell-bottoms, fringed jackets—he saw his favorite musicians wearing onstage, yet which he and his friends were unable to find. “In pursuit of continued on page 102

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The new Tommy Hilfiger flagship on Robertson.

“I just thought, Omigosh, I could actually own this. Elton John’s platform boots really are a piece of art, they’ll always have value.” —TOMMY HILFIGER

FROM TOP:

Cavalry twill print panel blazer ($548), pants ($228), and Mac tape-placket shirt ($198); multicolor boat-neck dress ($998), all from Hilfiger’s Spring 2013 Runway Collections.

Benton Stripe long tote ($398), from Hilfiger’s Spring 2013 Women’s Runway Collection.

continued from page 101 this idea, I went to every concert I absolutely could,” Hilfiger recalls. “So I sat in the audience watching Led Zeppelin or Elton John or the Stones—at the time that was really inspiring to me, not only their music but what they were wearing.” And thus a passion took hold. Long after that other business had been eschewed in favor of the Hilfiger aesthetic of today, he was still thinking about those moments, the rock-chic glamour of those onstage experiences and the sartorial messages they sent out to an audience. “So when some of these pieces became available later in life, I just thought, Omigosh, I could actually own this,” he says. “To me, Elton John’s platform boots really are a piece of art, they’ll always have value; but every time you look at them, you also get a certain sensation, a memory of that early experience. I’m inspired by that also.” Yet along with music and entertainment, his key inspiration may always have been the LA lifestyle itself, Hilfiger says. During that in-between period of his career, his 1980s transition from hippie-chic fan to Americanprep superstar, Hilfiger says he was spending a lot of time in LA, designing for other labels while he himself was gaining an appreciation for the devotion Angelenos had for a beachy-casual approach to fashion. “When I came back to the East Coast to design my first [eponymous] collection, I took that inspiration of California beachy lifestyle—the drawstring pants, the sandals, the open-collar shirts that were untucked—mixed it with preppy, and it all came together. Nobody had ever done that before. We were at the forefront of the casual revolution.” Over the years Hilfiger has honed that aesthetic to ultimately walk the fine line between casual and polished, clothes that are never fussy and yet boast a crisp, put-together air; interestingly, you could say the same thing about the current state of LA style. It’s another reason Hilfiger just may be at the right place at the right time: His Spring 2013 collections that open the store should be wellreceived, with their effortless mix of prep-driven separates with a nautical thread woven through and crafted largely in of-the-moment stripes. “I love boating, sailing, anything near the water,” Hilfiger says. “When I started the company 27 years ago, the logo was a nautical flag based on my initials in red, white, and blue. That’s evolved over the years, but it felt like the right time to celebrate that heritage.” The pieces he would point to as favorites—and the most LA-friendly—this season? “On the women’s side, there are some silk pajama pants that are a throwback to those drawstring pants in Malibu, yet they’re done in a very polished, chic way that allows you to wear them for day or evening,” he says. “On the men’s side, I love the blazers, double-breasted with metal buttons, or anything navy and white with just a touch of red. It’s about injecting a chic element into an otherwise-casual attitude.” Ultimately, the same might be said about the flagship itself. “Robertson really was the best decision for us; it’s affordable, slightly more casual than, say, Rodeo Drive, and yet you see very stylish people there.” Hilfiger smiles as he adds, “I’m glad we waited.” LAC

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAN LECCA (RUNWAY); DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES (JOHN); ELIZABETH DANIELS PHOTOGRAPHY (STORE)

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FASHION 411

the golden age GILDED BIJOUX REIGN SUPREME FOR LOS ANGELES– BASED JEWELER EDDERA. AFTER STUDYING IN PARIS under Adalbert Smoliar, then-head jeweler for Van Cleef & Arpels, Camille Eddera relocated to LA before formally launching her namesake jewelry line in 2008. Now a favorite among red-carpet starlets, Eddera’s designs channel old-Hollywood glamour. “I try to create something timeless. I want my customers to leave [my] pieces to their granddaughters,” she says. For her Spring 2013 collection, Eddera captures the colors and architecture of India, creating designs in varying shades of pink, a reference to sunrises over the Taj Mahal. Roseark, 1111 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-822-3600; eddera.com Dentelle cuff, Eddera ($140).

Two looks from Mulberry’s Spring 2013 collection.

california dreamin’ MULBERRY’S SPRING COLLECTION TAKES A CUE FROM ’70 SOCAL COOL.

ertainly no stranger to the Hollywood set, Mulberry, the British label known to name its handbags after stylish celebrities such as Lana Del Rey and Alexa Chung, outfitted the likes of Kate Mara, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsty Hume, and Liz Goldwyn at an intimate dinner at Chateau Marmont. The event proved the perfect backdrop for the new collection of pastel florals and vintage flared silhouettes. Now available in stores, the pantsuits, playsuits, and carwashhemmed skirts come in shades of mint green, peach, mustard, and poppy, and when paired with daisy-shaped buttons and hardware, take on an alluring 1970s California vibe. The collection’s handbags update signature Mulberry styles with scalloped edges, floral cutouts, gecko prints, and gold daisy clasps. Capturing the best of West Coast style, both past and present, this spring line is at the top of our list. Parashu, 928 S. Western Ave., LA, 213-703-8697; mulberry.com LAC

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FASHION 411

Zip-up cardigan, Jean-Victor Meyers Exemplaire, ($1,395). and Louis Leboiteux

basics instinct EXEMPLAIRE MAKES LA LUXURY STAPLES ANYTHING BUT BORING. TIRED OF THE BULKY, ill-fitting silhouettes of typical cashmere sweaters, Parisian design duo Jean-Victor Meyers and Louis Leboiteux set out to create a men’s line of luxury separates focusing on superior fit. “There was a role for us to play,” Meyers explains. “We are bringing a touch of modernity to a very traditional world.” Now in its second season, the collection channels a discreet European sophistication, offering V-neck sweaters, crew-necks, zip-up Jean-Victor Meyers and Louis Leboiteux jackets, and shorts in shades of navy, ecru, gray, and black. “The styles are versatile,” says Meyers, “but Exemplaire is all about the details. We like to mix fabrics like lambskin and cashmere that render a cool look with an edge.” The line’s lambskin elbow patches, visible topstitching, and perforated-leather sleeves certainly lend the pieces a modern appeal. “Luxurious, sober, stylish.... It’s our generation’s idea of luxury,” says Leboiteux. Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-2764400; exemplaire.com

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make a splash

HEAD TO THE BEACH IN NEW TAILORED SWIM TRUNKS FROM SOLID & STRIPED.

LAUNCHED BY FORMER William Morris Endeavor talent agent Isaac Ross this past fall, Solid & Striped caters to both men and boys, offering versatile swimwear with a superior fit. “As someone who spends a lot of time in beautiful climates, I was always looking for a pair of trunks that worked at the beach, pool, tennis court, and lunch table. Solid & Striped is exactly that,” Ross explains. Featuring a unique, quick-dry fabric, the tailored shorts are woven in Italy and come in a variety of solid, striped, and patterned options. “The line is perfect for the LA man. He’s active, constantly on the move, and lucky enough to live in a climate that allows him to go for a swim— or at least a Jacuzzi—year-round,” says the designer. Drawing inspiration from vintage shirting fabrics and the work of lifestyle photographer Slim Aarons, the Spring/Summer collection features lively shades of ice blue, coral, and lilac, as well as introduces a preppy new gingham print that effortlessly combines classic style with current trends. Confederacy, 4661 Hollywood Blvd., LA, 323-913-3040; solidandstriped.com Beach-worthy shorts and shirt from Solid & Striped’s Spring/ Summer collection.

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TIME HONORED

Producer/director Stanley Kubrick on the spaceship set of his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

merican idols HAMILTON WATCH COMPANY HAS HAD A LOVE AFFAIR WITH HOLLYWOOD FOR 60-PLUS YEARS. NOW, IT’S THEIR WATCHES THAT ARE TAKING STAR TURNS. BY ROBERTA NAAS

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“Even though we are Swiss-made, our American heritage is very important to us—it is in our DNA.” —SYLVAIN DOLLA

Hamilton’s signature—and innovative— Ventura style, then and now.

including the most recent, Men in Black 3. “To date, our watches have appeared in more than 400 films,” says Dolla. In February’s A Good Day to Die Hard, the film’s stars, Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney, introduced audiences to the modern Jazzmaster Viewmatic (Willis) and classic Khaki X-Patrol (Courtney) timepieces. Willis also wore a Hamilton watch in the previous film in the series, Live Free or Die Hard. “Watchmaking and filmmaking have a lot in common,” says Dolla. “They both take skill, patience, vision, and commitment. Over the course of the six decades that we’ve collaborated with filmmakers, we have come to understand that all of the hard work done offscreen plays a critical role in creating the fantastic films we see on-screen. For us, too, it is the behind-the-scenes watchmakers, designers, and other offscreen talent that come together to create a Hamilton wristwatch.” “Stanley Kubrick” runs through June 30 at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 323-857-6000; lacma.org LAC

PHOTOGRAPH BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK

andering the Stanley Kubrick retrospective exhibition (on view through June 30) at LACMA, one hardly expects to see a watch on display. But that timepiece was integral to the legendary director, who in 1968, specifically asked Hamilton Watch Company to create a special timepiece, the X-01, for his futuristic film 2001: A Space Odyssey. “We are very happy to see the watch on display at the museum,” says Sylvain Dolla, Hamilton International’s CEO. “When he approached the brand to create something so extraordinary and different for this film, the executives rose to the challenge. That is what Hamilton has been doing ever since: overcoming challenges with innovation.” Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, Hamilton (today located in Switzerland) continues its rich involvements on US soil. Recently celebrating its 120th anniversary, the brand’s legacy ranges from a longtime military association to more than half a century of collaboration with Hollywood. “Even though we are Swiss-made, our American heritage is very important to us,” says Dolla. “We are very proud of this rich background, and we keep our American spirit—it is in our DNA.” Hamilton is a pioneer in the watch world. It was one of the first known watches to provide “railroad accuracy,” and later offered that same precision to the US armed forces during both world wars. Hamilton ceased production of its watches for the public during WWII, so that it could supply servicemen. During that time, the brand became the only watch company to produce more than 10,000 marine chronometers for US naval troops. In the 1950s, Hamilton became known for its innovative designs and for having a strong foothold in Hollywood, beginning with 1951’s Oscarnominated The Frogmen—where the actors playing naval diving heroes wore the same Hamilton watches as US soldiers had worn during WWII. When the brand unveiled the Ventura in 1957 as the first battery-powered electric timepiece, it garnered international attention. Envisioned by Amer ican industrial designer Richard H. Arbib, the watch’s unique shield shape caught the attention of Elvis Presley. As a young GI, Presley felt the watch embraced his sense of style and handpicked a Ventura to wear in the movie The Blue Hawaii—propelling it to original X-01 watch iconic status. Since then, the created for Ventura has been a star in its 2001: A Space own right, having been featured Odyssey. in all of the Men in Black films,

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20TH ANNUAL

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May 3, 2013 HYATT REGENCY CENTURY PLAZA 6:30 PM For ticket or sponsorship information, please contact 310-440-4842 or visit our website at www.erasems.org.

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EVENTS • HAPPENINGS • PROMOTIONS

HUBLOT, OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER OF THE LA LAKERS Swiss Luxury Watch Brand, HUBLOT, becomes First Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers! Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe (right) and Hublot Beverly Hills President Greg Simonian (left) presented Los Angeles Lakers Executive Vice President, Business Operations Jeanie Buss and Kobe Bryant with an Official Lakers clock during pre-game ceremonies at the STAPLES Center on January 29th, symbolizing a new partnership that makes Hublot the official timekeeper of the legendary NBA team. Hublot Beverly Hills, 9470 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 90210. Call 310.550.0595.

MAY 3: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY RACE TO ERASE MS The 20th Anniversary Race to Erase MS will take place on May 3, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. We are proud to be honoring Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne. The Gala evening will feature performances by legendary artists, a live and silent auction, and a gala dinner. For ticket and sponsorship information please contact 310.440.4842 or visit erasems.org Pictured above: 2012 Race to Erase MS

SPOTTED ON MONTANA AVE. . . . Luxury designer couture….MATTI & ME, Compassionate Luxury Consignment Celebrating their first spring on Montana Ave., Matti & Me invites you to peruse their ever-changing collection of the crème de la crème! This high end boutique is sure to become one of your favorite stops for exquisite pre-loved couture. Visit MattiAndMe.com or call 310.907.5883. 1306 Montana Ave., Santa Monica 90403

LUNA D’ORO BEAUTY HOUSE Luna D’oro is the only salon to offer the highly specialized waterless manicure and exclusive line of formulas developed by renown Australian manicurist Christina Fitzgerald, designed to retain hydration in the skin and cuticle. Let us balance your natural beauty with nourishing care as we restore your hands and feet to a youthful and glowing appearance. Luna D’oro Beauty House is located at 9669 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Call 310.717.0971 or visit Luna-Doro.com

MORE WIGGLE IN THE WAG! Offering dog daycare, dog boarding, dog grooming and boutique dog shop, Citydog! Club is for dogs and their humans with a dazzling array of features and amenities in a sleek, modern, fresh environment. Citydog! Club is a safe, healthy and happy experience where fun is unleashed! For more information: West Los Angeles 310.477.0364, Culver City 310.837.8032 or visit citydogclub.com

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Beaded spiral corset, Peter Pilotto ($9,405). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-5505900; peterpilotto.com. Navy satin shorts, Jason Wu ($1,295). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9634 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; jasonwu studio.com. Earrings (price on request) and parentesi cocktail ring in pink gold with green quartz and pavĂŠ diamonds ($9,500), Bulgari. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-7517833; us.bulgari.com. Criss Cross cuff, Irit Design ($2,600). Fred Segal Couture, 500 Broadway St., Santa Monica, 310-451-8100

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mad about the girl How did Mad Men star Jessica Paré steal Don Draper’s heart… and everyone else’s? by scott huver photography by brian bowen smith

essica Paré’s not going to count on things automatically going her way. This fact is made clear by the frequency with which the actress—who during Mad Men’s fourth season started as a supporting player (receptionist-turned-secretary Megan Calvet) and later, in a shocking turn of events, became the full-blown breakout star (and the new Mrs. Don Draper) of season five—knocks on wood whenever she mentions some current or even hoped-for good fortune. Every purposeful little rap seems intended to ensure that her life and career stays in the sweet spot she settled into last year. “I’m so goddamn lucky,” the 32-year-old actress says with an unusual blend of worldliness and wide-eyed wonder. “I can wake up at 4 o’clock, drive to work in the dark, and drive home in the dark, and there’s not one single morning where I’m [forcing myself] to get my ass out of bed into the shower, where I’m not so excited and grateful that I have this amazing job to go to. My drive to work is just this whole symphony of gratitude.” Though Paré played one of the most talkedabout television characters of 2012, she’s

mercifully able to move about her Los Feliz neighborhood mostly unrecognized, and when she is spotted, she frequently surprises sharp-eyed fans with an enthusiasm surpassing their own. “Nobody’s more excited about me being on the show than I am,” she laughs. “My friends and people I work with actually think it’s kind of hilarious when I get recognized, because I’m far more excited than the other person. At first it’s like, ‘You’re on that show Mad Men...’ [To which I reply,] I know! Isn’t it crazy? I get mocked a little bit, but I do feel that way.” Like the devoted followers of AMC’s artfully executed examination of ’60s mores amid the high-powered world of advertising, Paré also had no early indication that her character’s prominence was about to be elevated with the impulsive nuptials—and when she did know, she kept her lips sealed, tightly: “I didn’t tell my best friend or parents that I was engaged to Don Draper,” she reveals. “They found out about it like the rest of the viewers.” As the fifth season got underway, she was aware that the audience regarded Megan with a skeptical eye, expecting her to be either an unwelcome interloper or an easily discarded plaything in Don’s serial-philandering romantic life. “As a fan of TV in general, I’ve often felt that way about other characters on other shows,” she admits. “I’m like, I don’t even know her—why is she coming into my life like this?” But viewers were won over in one scene, thanks to a cannily crafted season opener written by the show’s creator and executive producer, Matthew Weiner. It featured an unexpectedly captivating sequence by Paré performing a mesmerizingly bold/coy rendition of the ’60s French yé-yé song “Zou Bisou Bisou” at her new husband’s largely unwanted surprise birthday party. The song melted his oft-icy reserve—and allowed audiences to fall as hard for Megan as Don had. “I felt like, You want to know what Don loves about this woman? Let me show you,” says Weiner. “He had chosen this young, forward-looking person who was a little bit more symbolic of another generation. The idea was that she kind of seemed like the type of woman that Don Draper wouldn’t like in a weird way, because she was completely fun-loving, youthful, and not depressed.” In fact, Paré served as something of a muse for Weiner, who incorporated aspects of the actress into the fictional Megan. “Despite her physique and glamorous look, she’s a little bit clumsy; that’s very endearing,” he notes. “She’s kind of an introvert—I definitely took advantage of her shyness. I made her French Canadian because she is Québécoise. She’s a very optimistic and warm person, not dominated by neurosis. Her kind of openness and easygoingness was something that I thought was really good for the period and for Megan. When you pair that with someone like Don, who’s pretty reserved and closed off and certainly emotionally unavailable a lot of the time, it just felt like a great match.” Paré reveals that it wasn’t just the combination of sexiness and vulnerability she conveyed in “the whole ‘Zou Bisou’ thing,” as she puts it, that facilitated her embrace: Weiner constantly subverted audience expectations by creating a friendly bond between Megan and her colleague Peggy, revealing her to be good at her job and having her instantly accept Don’s sketchy past as Dick Whitman. “All of those things really gave me everything that I could possibly need to make people

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“She looked like an early-’60s French movie star to me…In terms of acting, she was completely overqualified for [the original] role.” -MATTHEW WEINER

like me, if that was going to happen,” she explains. Then came the interminable wait to see if she’d succeeded, which she was pretty confident she had. “We shot it in August, and it aired the following March, so I was sitting on that shit for soooo long! Like the day after it aired, I was walking around the neighborhood, like, ‘Hey, guys—“Zou Bisou,” right? Hey? You know what I’m saying? No? What the f---? Really? Nothing?’ Nothing. But it’s the kind of show that people watch on their DVR and get off of iTunes, so eventually around June, I was getting into elevators where people would be talking, and it would come up and I’d be so suppressing the urge to break into song. And then I’d be like, Don’t be an asshole, Jessica.”

I Navy cosmic beaded shell top, Jason Wu ($2,125). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9634 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; jasonwustudio.com. Princess-seam short, Vena Cava ($425). Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; venacava.com. Elisabeth large V earrings, Paige Novick ($6,601). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-759-1900; paigenovick.com. Beetle ring, Irit Design ($2,800). Fred Segal Couture, 500 Broadway St., Santa Monica, 310-451-8100; irit design.com. Grace classic pumps, Alejandro Ingelmo ($495). alejandroingelmo.com

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t was the culmination of a long, occasionally thwarted trek toward potential stardom that began in her native Montreal. The daughter of once-aspiring actors—her father ultimately became a university professor, her mother, a conference translator—Paré’s dramatic career launched in high school and quickly built steam with a steady progression of film and television roles that eventually opened doors in Hollywood. She gained particularly good notices in 2004, playing a young woman destined to become a future first lady in The WB’s high-concept sudser Jack & Bobby, but the series was short-lived, and by the time she squared away nagging green card issues, any career momentum she’d gained had been spent and it was back to persistent auditioning. Surprisingly, she says her confidence never wavered before Mad Men finally came along in 2010. “I think it’s helped me that I have a level of sort of self-delusion,” she says. “As actors, we kind of need to believe that there’s something out there for you and you can just keep plugging away. And if you’re not right for a part, it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad actor. It just means you’re not right for that. Thankfully, Matthew Weiner also, I guess, thought that to be true. I hope that he still thinks so.” He does, emphatically. “She has this European quality, this exotic quality—in a way she kind of looked like an early-’60s French movie star to me,” Weiner says. “In terms of her acting ability, she was completely overqualified for what she knew to be the role. And as I started giving her bigger and bigger pieces of work to do, I started seeing exactly who she was.” He’s thrilled that both actress and character have been so wellreceived. “It’s been an absolute joy to see the public get to see something that’s like you almost discovered a treasure, even though she was right there in front of them the whole time.” Embodying a free-spirited Mod in contrast to the other ’60s sirens of Mad Men—Grace Kelly –chic Betty Francis ( January Jones) and bombshellbodacious Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) foremost among them—Paré

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Multicolor floral embroidered silk satin jacket ($6,990) and summer wool gabardine front kick-pleat pencil skirt ($1,050). Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Wren Scott. Similar styles, Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; lwren scott.com. Flying Bird necklace, Lale (price on request). Maxfield, 8825 Melrose Ave., LA, 310-274-8800; maxfield.com. Four-band ring in pink gold and brown marble, Bulgari ($1,300). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-751-7833; bulgari.com

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Floral print and black lace dress, Brood ($2,190). Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; broodby serkansarier.com. Chloe octagonal cuff, Paige Novick ($21,321). Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-759-1900; paigenovick.com. Round earrings ($2,500) and green jade cabochon ring ($2,300), Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-540-5330; tiffany.com Styling by Cristina Ehrlich for margaretmaldonado.com Makeup by Amy Nadine Hair by Marcus Francis at The Wall Group Manicure by Ashlie Johnson for Chanel at The Wall Group

“I didn’t tell my best friend or parents that I was engaged to Don Draper. They found out about it like the rest of the viewers.” -JESSICA PARÉ

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also knew she’d likely be considered something of a sex symbol. “I don’t hate it,” she confesses. “I’m not against sex—I quite like it. It’s a big part of my life. It’s not everything. I feel like that summation doesn’t define me in the slightest any more than being Canadian does. But yeah, it’s certainly not a bad thing.”

he concedes that initially she had concerns that Megan’s fashion sense, with her short hemlines and color blocking, might not suit her personally. “I’ll admit when I first started trying it on, I didn’t see it,” Paré says, telling the show’s celebrated costume designer, Janie Bryant, that it really wasn’t flattering. “But then when somebody did a piece putting the still shots of me in costume in the show next to actual Vogue fashion shoots from 1966 or ’67 side by side, I was like, Oh, you know what? These costumes are kind of me!” When she’s out on the town offscreen, her own tastes run toward designers like L’Wren Scott, Chanel, and Jason Wu, a friend who custom-crafted the black-belted, one-shouldered, cloud-white Grecian- goddess gown she donned for last fall’s Emmy ceremony. There’s an eclectic aesthetic about Paré. She pops into the laid-back café where we met chicly dressed after coming from an AFI luncheon, yet blends in seamlessly with the casual vibe. And while she’s famously pretty, her beauty has a groundedness about it that doesn’t attract an overabundance of attention. She fits in well with the character of her Los Feliz stomping grounds—“my all-time favorite neighborhood,” she gushes, after sampling life in nearly a half-dozen LA areas before settling in a simpatico enclave. Its quirks suit hers (i.e., she plays the ukelele, and though she tries to avoid smoking as a habit, she occasionally indulges in an e-cigarette to keep her from starting up for real again. “How’s that going?” we ask. “On Mad Men? Terrible!” she laughs). That little French ditty she warbled had an unexpected fringe benefit: Suddenly she’s getting music-oriented invitations—including singing a few songs with Scotland’s alt-rockers The Jesus And Mary Chain during a couple of summer tour stops—“which is so appealing to my rock fantasy,” she says. A lifelong music lover and self-confessed “nerd” for pre-punk rockers like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, she’s quite eager to see what musical doors might open for her. “It’s all within my reach right now,” she says, rapping her knuckles against the wooden bar once again, another acknowledgement of aligning stars and their fickle nature. Consider her character’s seemingly charmed existence, which may soon prove distressingly fragile, in true Mad Men style: “I love Megan so much,” says Paré, who remains steadfast in her vow to stay completely mum on sixth-season details but grants that distressing hints about the future of the Drapers’ union may have been planted in the fifth-season finale. “The indication, where Don sees two women at the end of the bar, really hurt my feelings!” she says. “How can he do that to Megan? She’s so good!” LAC

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Gloria Swanson, circa 1930, has her costume adjusted before shooting a scene.

The fabled original main entrance gate to the Paramount Pictures Studio lot as it appeared in 1947.

FASHION IS

Hollywood’s influence on global fashion began 100+ years ago…

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A scene from Paramount’s 2006 production of Dreamgirls, starring Beyoncé.

PARAMOUNT at a little studio called Paramount.

BY BRONWYN COSGRAVE

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works magic—striking a chord yet never taking over a scene. Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Roland Mouret, and Naeem Khan (the New York designer who often dresses First Lady Michelle Obama), among other A-list fashion greats—have all collaborated with Hollywood’s finest costume designers to shape the look of important Paramount films. It was Adolph Zukor himself—whose Famous Players Film Company evolved into Paramount Pictures by 1936—who first established this collaborative method of costuming the players in the studio’s productions. Just as the pioneering film mogul sought out sophisticated material to craft smart scripts and encouraged Hans Dreier to create fantastical sets, high fashion, Zukor rightly concluded, would elevate the quality of motion picture production beyond early cinema’s “quickie” productions and propel Paramount to be a leader among early Hollywood’s “Big Five” film studios. Fabulous costumes also translated to the big screen an aura of luxury and fantasy that was crucial to attracting women to the cinema back then. From the 1920s, women began to regard actresses as fashion icons. So Paramount, along with its rival MGM, pioneered the making of lavish costume pictures. Zukor, a former Chicago furrier, “spared nothing to see that his stars were dressed in the manner the public had come to expect,” says costume designer and historian W. Robert La Vine. By 1923 two American fashion greats, Norman Norell and Howard Greer, were on his payroll. Norma Talmadge was gowned by Greer, who then established Paramount’s wardrobe department “in the tradition of a French dressmaking house.” Greer had worked in New York and Paris for couturiers Lucile, Edward Molyneux, and Paul Poiret. Though he “insisted on perfection” at Paramount he also reveled in the relaxed energy of the studio during the Silent Era. “There were no elaborate or guarded entrance gates through which town cars were driven by liveried chauffeurs,” he recalled. “Through the same swinging doors milled stars, extras, aspirants, sightseers, [and] executives.” Greer launched Edith Head’s career, hiring the former schoolteacher to be a sketch artist, and then promoted her to assistant for both himself and Banton. He “taught her how to draw,” notes her biographer, David Chierichetti. By 1925 Greer and Head formed part of a legendary design trio after Banton—a New York designer favored by high society—was hired to costume The Dressmaker from Paris. “We got along famously,” recalled Greer. By 1927 Greer left to establish his own custom dress salon on a patch of Sunset Boulevard that now houses the Cat & Fiddle restaurant. Banton became Paramount’s chief costume designer. “He was a god there—the greatest,” recalled Head. “Travis knew how to talk to the stars, how to make them feel absolutely beautiful in his clothes. I learned everything from him.” Over his decade-long reign at Paramount—working on 160 films—Banton crystallized what became known as

“Day in, day out they worked sometimes for 12-hour stretches.” —Marlene Dietrich’s daughter Maria Riva recalling her mother’s fittings

My favorite Paramount film is... “The films Marlene Dietrich made with Josef von Sternberg in the 1930s at Paramount are my favorites, from Morocco and Shanghai Express to The Devil Is a Woman. Dietrich was dressed to perfection by Travis Banton. His costumes display a rigorous attention to detail and an appreciation for European fashion.” —Manolo Blahnik designs some of the most sought-after shoes in the world. His work has been featured in numerous movies, from Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette to the film adaptation of Sex and the City.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERNEST BACHRACH/JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION/GETTY IMAGES (SWANSON); JACK BIRNS/TIME + LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES (GATES); COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT (DREAMGIRLS). THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT (SABRINA, SUNSET BOULEVARD); EUGENE ROBERT RICHEE/GETTY IMAGES (DIETRICH); HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES (TAYLOR)

aramount Pictures, that most iconic of Hollywood studios, pioneered the making of films imbued with a fashion-forward flair as far back as the 1920s, when legendary costumers Travis Banton and Edith Head worked behind the scenes in the studio’s vast wardrobe department. So far reaching was the influence of these legendary talents that, close to a century after the release of classic films featuring their handiwork, their legacy remains vital even today. Take the 2013 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collections presented back in Fall 2012, for example, when directional designers displayed collections evoking “Paramount polish.” This catchphrase was coined during Hollywood’s Golden Era to describe the studio’s sophisticated modernity. But because Paramount’s designers, like Banton and Head, never became brand names—or launched labels that lived on like that of their contemporary, Coco Chanel—the styles they innovated as Paramount hallmarks would be lost on the average fashion professional. A film buff, however, would have had a field day in Paris this past fall, where tuxedos—similar to the one Marlene Dietrich famously wore in Morocco, her Paramount debut—“flooded” runways, according to Women’s Wear Daily. From Céline to Christian Dior to Saint Laurent Paris, sleek black trouser suits prevailed. Yves Saint Laurent introduced the tuxedo to women’s fashion in August 1966 and those shown in Paris last year were an homage to his original, called “Le Smoking.” Yet the couturier always acknowledged that Dietrich’s Morocco tux— which Banton masterminded—originally prompted him to create it. Paramount style was also evident during New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September, where Marchesa presented opulent red-carpet finery featuring lavish beading similar to that which Banton conceived for the studio’s screen goddess gowns, and later, L’Wren Scott sculpted dresses with the figure-flattering, bias-cut silhouette Banton had favored for Carole Lombard. Black and white looks, displayed at Marc Jacobs in New York, as well as on his Louis Vuitton Paris runway and at Tom Ford’s London presentation, recalled the work of Banton’s successor, Edith Head. Hollywood’s best-known costumer, Head worked in Paramount’s wardrobe department for 43 years and, for the studio’s early Technicolor films, she made the minimalist palette vibrant by using the color combination to heighten dramatic moments, such as when Grace Kelly appears in a black and white beach costume in a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief in 1955. The revival of Paramount style, noted always for its modern, “effortless” take on opulence, is fortuitous, given that the studio has just celebrated its centennial. For close to a century, its films have perpetuated a tradition of not only impeccably dressing its A-list stars but also integrating high fashion into their screen wardrobes so that it

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Audrey Hepburn and William Holden in 1954’s Sabrina, which costarred couture gowns by Givenchy.

Marlene Dietrich scandalously wore a man’s tuxedo for her Paramount film debut in 1930’s Morocco.

Gloria Swanson plays an aging silent film star in the 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard. Fashion great Edith Head was hired to outfit Swanson.

A scene from the 1951 film A Place in the Sun starring Elizabeth Taylor. Edith Head won an Oscar for Taylor’s costumes.

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John Travolta in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever. His iconic white polyester suit was sourced from a Brooklyn men’s clothing store by the film’s costumer.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK

Christie’s auction house sold [John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever] three-piece ensemble to an anonymous bidder for close to $150,000.

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OPPOSITE: PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT. THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES (HEAD)

“The Devil Is a Woman features some of the most beautiful hats ever seen on-screen. There was a delicacy and subtly to their workmanship. Marlene Dietrich looks extraordinary. She shimmers on-screen. The film had real finesse.” —Milliner Stephen Jones has created hats for innumerable films, including W.E., Coco Before Chanel, Atonement and Marie Antoinette.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s is particularly memorable for me. I first saw it when I was a teenager in Austria and was so taken by the movie’s elegance, from the costumes Hubert de Givenchy designed for Audrey Hepburn to portray Holly Golightly, to the jewels. The pieces— including Holly’s tiara—are made of Swarovski crystal.” —As the first female member of the executive board at Swarovski, Nadja Swarovski is an active supporter of the film industry, working closely with costume designers and the Academy itself.

the “Paramount look.” It could be opulent and effortless, depending on the star and mood of a production. It was typically inspired by haute couture. Banton made trips to Paris to source textiles and glean inspiration. Ultimately, he became revered for creating the outlandish costumes that Marlene Dietrich flaunted in six Paramount films directed by Josef von Sternberg. “Day in, day out they worked sometimes for 12-hour stretches,” wrote Maria Riva, Dietrich’s daughter about her mother’s fittings. Rather than resent Zukor’s “directives” to lavishly apply fur to costumes (to bolster its trade during the Great Depression), Banton reveled in the opportunity, using “yards of mink, sable, ermine, and chinchilla to romanticize Dietrich, and draped the plump shoulders of Mae West with triple-skin scarves of white fox.” When Banton discovered couturier Elsa Schiaparelli’s displeasure that he had acquired an entire stock of beads and sequins from her preferred source, he shipped a supply to her Paris atelier. After the fleet of costumes Schiaparelli produced for Mae West arrived at Paramount and proved too tight, Banton swiftly altered the dresses so the actress could comfortably strut her stuff in Every Day’s a Holiday. Yet two decades later, when Edith Head ruled at Paramount as chief costumer, she balked at the prospect of engaging in a similar joint venture for the Billy Wilder romance Sabrina. Head was “furious” and “almost quit” Sabrina when she was informed that Audrey Hepburn, the studio’s new mega-star, would appear in a couture wardrobe by Hubert de Givenchy. Schiaparelli’s former assistant, Givenchy, was the hot new fashion name and became fast friends with Hepburn when she visited his atelier to pull couture for the film.

ppointed chief costumer at Paramount in 1938, after Banton went freelance, Head had worked hard to get to the top. She had overcome obstacles, like Claudette Colbert dismissing her as an “art student” and Hedda Hopper placing her on her column’s Worst Dressed List. But by the 1950s, Head was considered a “grande dame,” controlling a staff of 50 from her “big, beautiful, super-elegant office,” known around Paramount as “Edie’s room.” In it she displayed the Oscars she earned after the Academy introduced the costume design category in 1948. “Edith would have all her Oscars out in a circle on a round table in her office,” wrote Jay Jorgensen in Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood’s Greatest Costume Designer. “All the people that came to see her were so intimidated.” Head eventually accumulated eight costume-design Oscars, including those for cinematic landmarks like All About Eve. Many believe the refined Oscar-winning costumes she conceived for Elizabeth Taylor’s role as society girl Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun prompted Paramount to launch a teenage fashion line. With Head’s direction, it was a best seller at department stores. Head’s unparalleled success notwithstanding, by 1956, a clause in Hepburn’s contract stated that Givenchy

Edith Head poses with six of her Oscar statuettes, circa 1955.

could produce the wardrobe for her movies featuring a contemporary setting, and the couturier went on to assist in creating costumes for four Paramount productions, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Never before had a Paris designer worked as consistently with a Hollywood studio. The publicity Givenchy gleaned from his work with Hepburn at Paramount—as well as her appearances representing the studio at the Oscars modeling his couture—catapulted him to international fame and fortune. Hermès, too, can trace a pivotal moment of its success gaining worldwide brand recognition to a Paramount production—namely Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. During pre-production, Hitchcock dispatched Head and the film’s star, Grace Kelly, to the luxury brand’s Paris flagship to source accessories for the film. Over the course of the shopping trip, Head discovered a modelperfect muse. So did Hermès. Two years after Thief’s release, a boxy Hermès handbag, known as Haut à Courroies, became the “Kelly” after the actress became the Princess of Monaco and appeared in Life magazine toting one. By 1967, a year after Gulf & Western acquired Paramount, Head heard they might be laying off anyone over 60. She beat them to the punch and left for Universal. The task of costuming Paramount’s films fell to a force of freelance designers. The end of the era marked the beginning of cultural change. Robert Evans became Paramount’s vice president of production and the flamboyant former actor instigated cutting-edge motion pictures notable for their renegade spirit, visionary directors, and directional style. “Paramount produced more films notable for their costumes than any other studio,” observed David Chierichetti of the time.

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groundbreaking status made Amy Heckerling’s comingof-age tale the forerunner of a wave of female-driven stylish films and TV shows, from Sex and the City and Mean Girls to Gossip Girl and Girls. Mona May, the film’s costumer followed von Brandenstein’s example on Fever and embarked on grass-roots research at high schools and luxury shopping malls. She also looked to fashion runways for inspiration and, despite budget constraints, sourced authentic pieces by designers like Azzedine Alaïa and Calvin Klein, whose names were featured in the script. “I studied fashion,” May says. But she carefully selected fashion that, above all, conjured the “sweet” nature of the Clueless clique: Cher, Dionne, and Tai. “With fashion for a film, it is so easy to get lost in trends,” reflects May. “But you can never be ‘too right on’ or it looks pastiche. You have to find something that is right for the character and you can never spin a trend too far.”

or pivotal moments of another Paramount smash, Dreamgirls, its costumer, Sharen Davis, went massive. For the 2006 musical’s showstopping farewell performance—by Beyoncé Knowles as Deena Jones backed up by Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose as “The Dreams”—Davis commissioned Naeem Khan to craft a trio of pewter and gold gowns. Embellished with titanium, each one weighed about 12 pounds and would sell for approximately $10,000. Upon Dreamgirls release, four pieces designed by Khan counted among 120 custom-made gowns by Davis. Yet, when she garnered an Oscar nomination, she magnanimously shared the publicity with Khan. And while Vogue’s contributing editor André Leon Talley recently described Davis as the “African-American answer to Edith Head” after she earned Critics Choice and Costume Designers Guild Awards nominations for The Help—Khan went on to dress First Lady Michelle Obama. Four years later in 2010, working with Gwyneth Paltrow, as she reprised her role as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, and Scarlett Johansson, who assumed the part of femme fatale Russian spy Natasha Romanoff, in Iron Man 2, Mary Zophres lent an edge to the big-budget action adventure by engaging top-notch designers who had relationships with the film’s stars. So Dior—which Paltrow represented for many years, fronting its accessory advertising campaigns—along with Gucci, Prada, and Balenciaga predominated in the sophisticated, executivestyle wardrobe of slimline dresses Zophres assembled to reflect Pepper’s transition from the girl Friday of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark to CEO of his company, Stark Industries. Meanwhile, Johansson wore form-fitting frocks by Dolce & Gabbana and Roland Mouret. Zophres admits acquiring a silk robe by Tom Ford for Robert Downey Jr. that was “hugely expensive” and proved a tad controversial. “I nearly got fired,” she jokes of justifying the expense. But the robe typified Stark’s billionaire style, and at Paramount, fashion—lavish fashion—is still paramount, even today. Zukor would have been proud. LAC

“Anything she wanted she could have.” —Bob Mackie, who conceived 43 elaborate costumes for Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues

“It was 1983. I was a freshman at Beverly Hills High School and I saw Flashdance in Westwood at the Fox Theater. Michael Kaplan captured how dancers dressed and turned it into an international phenomenon. The dance sequences are so reminiscent of mini musical videos. The influence of MTV had hit the big screen.” —Cameron Silver, owner of the star-studded vintage boutique Decades, recently authored the book Decades: A Century of Fashion (Bloomsbury).

“The Great Gatsby is a movie that is able to describe a particular age, the 1920s, yet it remains timeless, similar to other masterpieces like Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus or the Mona Lisa.” —Alberta Ferretti, proprietor of the popular West Hollywood boutique, has dressed a number of women for the Oscars, including high-wattage stars like Uma Thurman.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT (LADY SINGS THE BLUES, CLUELESS, GATSBY ); AF ARCHIVE/ALAMY (FLASHDANCE, IRON MAN)

Like Zukor, Evans authorized the production of more realistic costumes for major productions beginning with Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. Like Hitchcock, Polanski had an “acute visual sense” and was “insistent that the smallest details” evoked the film’s 1965 New York setting. To reflect the consistent heightening of hemlines that year, costumer Anthea Sylbert meticulously assembled a wardrobe for Mia Farrow’s title character featuring miniskirts that gradually got shorter as the film progressed. Polanski’s friend Vidal Sassoon received $5,000 to shape Farrow’s hair into a pixie cut that became iconic upon the film’s release. For Lady Sings the Blues in 1972, Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan—then “Hollywood’s fastest-rising design team”—conceived 43 elaborate costumes in which Diana Ross immortalized Billie Holiday in the musical biopic. “Anything she wanted she could have,” recalls Mackie. Incredibly, three out of the four films nominated for the 47th costume design Academy Award for 1974 were produced by Paramount, including the winner, The Great Gatsby. Receiving the prize, the costume designer, the late Theoni V. Aldredge, never thanked Ralph Lauren, who also worked on the film. She was miffed that the press “turned the spotlight on Lauren” upon the release of the epic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Aldredge always “insisted” that Lauren “had merely executed” designs for Robert Redford to “her specifications.” As films assumed a more realistic edge through the recessionary 1970s, Paramount made the grittier tone glamorous with Saturday Night Fever. Portraying Brooklyn hardware store salesman Tony Manero, John Travolta exhibited flair on the dance that floor rivaled Fred Astaire’s balletic moves. Yet while Astaire cut a dashing figure on-screen in bespoke Savile Row attire, Travolta’s iconic white polyester suit was purchased at a Brooklyn men’s clothing store by the film’s costumer, Patrizia von Brandenstein. The move was deliberate. After scouring Brooklyn discos for research, von Brandenstein concluded that Manero was a “kid who could barely afford to go out on a Saturday night.” The rest is history. Decades later, Christie’s auction house sold the three-piece ensemble to an anonymous bidder for close to $150,000. For 1980’s American Gigolo, writer/director Paul Schrader integrated a superlative wardrobe Giorgio Armani had produced for Richard Gere’s Hollywood hustler character, Julian Kay, so the fleet of suits seductively resonated on screen. The cult-hit status of the stylish melodrama resulted in Armani being the first fashion designer to grace the cover of Time since Christian Dior’s appearance in 1957. His tailoring also became the uniform of Hollywood power brokers, while his women’s eveningwear dominated the Oscars red carpet for decades to come. Gigolo also launched Armani’s sideline as a costumer. Then along came Clueless. With its cast of fashionobsessed Beverly Hills teenage girls, and a script laden with style references, the 1995 comedy arrived at a time when—aside from Pretty Woman—high fashion had been absent from the screen for about a decade. Its

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Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in 1972’s Lady Sings the Blues.

Robert Redford in the original 1974 screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which won the Oscar for Costume Design.

In the 1983 film Flashdance, Jennifer Beals captured the influence of MTV as a welder-turned-ballet dancer.

Costumer Mona May visited high schools and shopping malls to find styles that would suit Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone’s characters in 1995’s Clueless. Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in 2010’s Iron Man 2, which featured big-budget fashion names.

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Clare Vivierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made-in-LA handbag collection is a must-have for women around the world.

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a cut ABOVE

Is LA finally becoming a global fashion force? Meet five buzz-worthy designers who are determined to rename the city ‘Paris on the Pacific.’ BY ERIN MAGNER PHOTOGRAPHS BY JANA CRUDER

CARRIED AWAY! | CLARE VIVIER

LA’s most beloved bag lady, Clare Vivier goes big-time with an upcoming Apple collab.

lare Vivier’s success story is one that only could have happened in the digital age. Her first foray into design was with a line of minimalist leather laptop envelopes, which she conceived while working as a French television journalist. As Vivier puts it, these early pieces were designed for “working women and young women in college—there was nothing stylish for them to carry.” Their popularity led to a full-fledged, made-in-LA handbag collection, which is now rabidly coveted by women around the world, thanks to another invention of the Wi-Fi age: the blogosphere. “My blog was very important to my brand because I was self-funded,” says Vivier, 41, who has been posting about her travels, style inspirations, and design process since launching her line in 2008. “I didn’t have investors or family money to advertise, so I had to figure out a way to create a brand, and I did it through my blog.”

Today, the Clare Vivier brand is marked by a refreshing simplicity—totes, clutches, and iPad sleeves rendered in rich-colored leather, devoid of needless embellishment—a style that appeals to fans like Katie Holmes and Rashida Jones. “It’s classic, but there’s always something a little ‘off’ about it, whether it’s a contrast zipper, a stripe or something else,” says Vivier of her aesthetic. For fall 2013, Vivier is experimenting with printed leathers, and she will also be launching a line of bags for men. Although Vivier has lots of other exciting plans on the horizon for this year—including a boutique in New York and the beginning stages of a sandal collection—the most intriguing is an upcoming laptop bag collaboration with Apple, which brings her journey full circle. “It’s a really good time for Los Angeles designers,” she muses. “There’s a great community of talented creative people here who are very supportive of each other. And the rest of the world seems to be interested in what we’re doing.” Clare Vivier, 3339 Sunset Blvd., LA, 323-665-2476; clarevivier.com

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Clover Canyon Creative Director Rozae Nichols (second from left), along with (from left) Jasmina Hadzimujagic, Shushan Chilingarian, and Staci Inspektor.

BOLD SCHOOL | CLOVER CANYON

Rozae Nichols’ old-world craftsmanship-meets-bold-new-world aesthetic makes Clover Canyon an A-list fave in LA.

ne of the side effects of California living is the constant itch to hop in the car, turn up the radio, and set out on the open road. It’s fitting then that this sense of wanderlust should be the inspiration behind Clover Canyon, perhaps the most invigorating new womenswear label to emerge from LA since its launch in 2011. “When we set out to do the Spring collection, we wanted to celebrate the Southwest road trip,” says creative director Rozae Nichols, 53, a veteran designer and LA native who shuttered her popular namesake line in 2010. “We immersed ourselves in both classical and modern motifs—roadside diners, motels, desert landscapes, old-school low-rider cars, Johnny Cash, and Texas paisleys.” The result, as with every

Clover Canyon collection, is an exuberant visual tapestry of bold color and crisp digital prints—one that’s found favor with everyone from fashion bloggers to Beyoncé. Although a Clover Canyon garment looks thoroughly modern, each one is handcrafted by Downtown LA craftspeople using what Nichols calls “old-world techniques.” This process just adds to the rich story behind the line, which expanded last year to include swimwear and a print collaboration with LA artist Alexandra Grant. “Ultimately, we want to inspire people to travel, tell stories, and have a sense of humor when they’re wearing our clothes,” says Nichols. “What we set out to convey in every print is that total joy and delight in doing what we do.” Clover Canyon designs are available at Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-5505900; clovercanyon.com

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ECLECTI-CITY | VENA CAVA

Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava are back in town to pay homage to native LA style with their spirited indie collection.

ena Cava may have launched in Brooklyn, technically, but the brand’s roots are firmly planted in Los Angeles—at the now-shuttered Holly wood secondhand store The Studio Wardrobe Department, to be exact. It was there that cofounders (and SoCal natives) Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, both 31, first bonded over their obsession with vintage shopping after having been introduced by a mutual friend before their first semester at NYC’s Parsons The New School for Design. “We were both pretty shy and awkward at the time, but when we found out we had the same favorite thrift store, it solidified our friendship,” says Mayock. Fast-forward more than 10 years, and Vena Cava—loved by red-carpet regulars like Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams—has finally returned to its motherland. Last year Buhai returned to LA, opening a West Coast design studio for the label in Atwater Village; Mayock remains in New York, but loves spending time in LA whenever she can. “Vena Cava has always had this undercurrent of old-Hollywood-meets-LAgarage-sale style, but filtered through a New York lens,” says Buhai. “I’m at my happiest here and find it really inspiring—the lifestyle, the colors, the vegetation.” Not that Buhai and Mayock have ever lacked inspiration. Known for creating whimsical zines (next topic: housekeeping) and fashion films, the duo launched a second, lower-priced “sister” line in February called Viva Vena!. “With Vena Cava, we always reference very strong, creative, independent women from the past,” says Buhai, citing Yoko Ono and Joan Didion as muses. “Viva Vena! is inspired by girls we actually know who have this eclectic thrift-store style. It’s really spirited, of the moment, and has a lot of energy.” Interiors, menswear, and an LA boutique are all on the designers’ wish list, and, according to Buhai, being back on the “left coast” is igniting those sparks. “In LA, there’s just this sense of possibility that’s really powerful. You’re able to create new rules because they haven’t been set.” Vena Cava and Viva Vena! are available at TenOverSix, 8425 Melrose Ave., LA, 323330-9355; venacava.com

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Sophie Buhai models a Vena Cava original.

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CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award winner Greg Chait.

MATERIAL GUY | THE ELDER STATESMAN The Elder Statesman’s Greg Chait receives a benediction from the NY fashion brass for his sumptuous, artisanal luxury.

ast fall Greg Chait walked into the 2012 CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Awards gala—an emerging fashion designer’s equivalent of the Oscars—feeling totally Zen. Never mind that he was nail-bitingly nominated for the top prize alongside nine of the country’s most talked-about brands; as the founder of the under-the-radar cashmere line The Elder Statesman puts it, “I wasn’t all that nervous because I didn’t think I was going to win.” So imagine his surprise when his name was called as the winner of the $300,000 jackpot—proof that the fashion establishment believes in his idea of quiet, classic, craft-driven luxury. Since then, The Elder Statesman has gone from being an insider secret to a headline-grabbing force. It’s been a big change for Chait, 34. Not one for self-promotion, he has always preferred to let people find and judge his work for themselves, whether they are discovering one of his hand-knit beanies or cardigans at Maxfield or working with him to commission bespoke throws for a private screening room. “The name ‘Elder Statesman’ means someone who has earned a high rank in society by merit,” says Chait, who worked in the music industry before creating his first cashmere blanket in 2007. “My business is all about materials research and development; it’s the idea of putting something out there [simply because] it’s good.” Going forward, the Malibu-based Chait plans to stay true to the understated nature of his brand, sticking with a small number of stores—“There’s a finite amount that can handle a $6,000 blanket,” he laughs—and following his pre-Fashion Fund plan of slow and steady growth (albeit now with the help of Fashion Fund business mentors Richard and Laurie Lynn Stark of LA-based lifestyle brand Chrome Hearts). “The Elder Statesman was on a really good path before the award,” he says. “It’s really been more of a point of pride for my staff and the people who have supported me from the beginning. It’s given us all an even greater sense of optimism.” The Elder Statesman designs are available at Maxfield, 8825 Melrose Ave., LA, 310-274-8800; elder-statesman.com

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TALE OF TWO CITIES | CERRE

LA’s Parisian power couple, Clayton and Flavie Webster of Cerre, are bringing French flair to the Pacific Coast.

o the untrained eye, the style sensibilities of Paris and LA are as different as croissants and carnitas. But Cerre designers Clayton and Flavie Webster prove that mixing the two aesthetics results in a certain je ne sais quoi. After meeting on a train while working as models in Paris, the now-married couple moved to LA in 2003 because, as Clayton, a 37-year-old California native, puts it: “LA is like the Wild West. You can experiment in a way that would be hard to do in Paris, where you have all of the institutions looking over your shoulder.” Cerre started out as a small line of leather accessories, but has recently grown into a full womenswear collection. In a nod to the Websters’ affinity for the way Parisian couture houses operate, each piece is constructed in Cerre’s year-old Melrose Avenue store, from tieneck silk blouses and draped jersey knits to the architectural felted wool coats being prepped for fall. And in true LA style, that store is often populated by —CLAYTON stylists and costume WEBSTER designers (the Websters just finished making 150 pieces for a “huge movie”), but celebs like Emma Stone, Robin Wright, and Dakota Fanning have been spotted shopping there too. What’s more, the line’s duality doesn’t stop with the nationalities of its designers. Says Flavie, 34: “The collection isn’t fully masculine or feminine… you can see both Clayton and me every time.” Clearly their approach has paid off: They took the line to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York for the first time this year, and are currently looking to open boutiques in New York, Paris, and Asia. “Over the past eight months, we’ve gone from being an atelier to being a brand,” says Clayton. “It took us a long time, but we built it all with our own hands.” Cerre, 8920 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-385-9051; cerre.com LAC

“LA is like the Wild West. You can experiment in a way that would be hard to do in Paris.”

Paris transplants Clayton and Flavie Webster.

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STRIPE TEASE

Crisp whites mix playfully with spring’s hottest trend for a perfect made-for-LA look. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RONY SHRAM

STYLING BY YAHAIRA FAMILIA

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Dress, BCBGMaxAzria ($448). Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-644-4798; bcbg.com. Sunglasses, Prada ($290). 343 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661; prada.com. Column slider bracelet, Lele Sadoughi ($325). Kyle by Alene Too, 9647 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-278- 6200; lelesadoughi.com. Cadmium-red satin wedges, Burberry Prorsum ($695). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-556-8110; burberry.com

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ON BERNARDO:

Navy officer’s twill jacket, Marc Jacobs ($1,395). 8409 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-866-8255; marcjacobs. com. White cotton dress shirt, Salvatore Ferragamo ($250). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-9797654; ferragamo.com. Red striped harem pants, Etro ($747). 461 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2482855; etro.com. ON YANA: Silk shirt, Façonnable ($255). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-966-1140; faconnable.com. Palm cotton duchesse embellished mini short, Michael Kors ($1,995). 360 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-777-8862; michaelkors.com. Big Deal fedora, Eric Javits ($150). Nordstrom, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-6100700; ericjavits.com

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Striped maillot with zipper, Michael Kors ($350). 360 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-777-8862; michaelkors.com. Summerset sunglasses, Dior ($350). Solstice, Beverly Center, LA, 310-659-8611; solsticesunglasses.com

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White cotton dress shirt, Salvatore Ferragamo ($250). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-979-7654; ferragamo.com. Striped silk pajama trouser, Faรงonnable ($315). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-9661140; faconnable.com

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Cotton jacket, Brunello Cucinelli ($2,340). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-957-6930; brunellocucinelli.com. Dusted blue silk button-down, Etro ($700). 461 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2482855; etro.com. Red printed trousers, Salvatore Ferragamo ($750). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-9797654; ferragamo.com. Leather dress shoes, Z Zegna ($550). 301 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8827; zegna.com. ON YANA: V-wire top in poppy, Mara Hoffman ($88). A.sweeT, 253 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-9265; marahoffman.com. Navy divided skirt ($955), scarf ($610), and Florida-strap sandal in marine ($1,450), Louis Vuitton. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-6626907; louisvuitton.com

ON BERNARDO:

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Navy blazer, Michael Kors ($395). Bloomingdaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, 949-729-6600; michaelkors.com. White button-down, Salvatore Ferragamo ($250). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-9797654; ferragamo.com. Patterned shorts, Calvin Klein Collection ($395). South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-662-1901; calvinklein.com. ON YANA: Cotton mesh dress, Chanel ($4,520). 400 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-5500; chanel.com. One-of-akind custom Sailor beret, Eric Javits Archive (price on request). Special order only; ericjavits.com

ON BERNARDO:

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Silk knit Petra jumpsuit, Temperley London ($1,250). 8452 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323-782-8000; temperleylondon.com. Cotton headband worn as belt, Prada ($280). 343 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661; prada.com. Sunglasses, Marc Jacobs ($295). Solstice, Beverly Center, LA, 310-659-8611; solsticesunglasses.com Photography by Rony Shram Styling by Yahaira Familia Hair and Makeup by Jennifer Cruz for Creative Management @ MC2 using M.A.C Male Model: Bernardo Arriagaga @ Ford Models Female Model: Yana Karpova @ IMG Location courtesy of Bimini Bay, a luxury Caribbean destination located 48 nautical miles from South Florida. Known as the gateway to the Bahamas, the island of North Bimini features white-sand beaches, natural mangrove habitats that are home to more than 140 species that look to the island for food and shelter, and turquoise waters, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover shipwrecks sites ideal for exploring and scuba diving. Offering 374 rooms, suites, and villas, Bimini Bay features an infinity-edge pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, two full-service marinas, deep-sea fishing, and a variety of island excursions. For reservations or information, call 877-66602574 or log on to biminibayresort.com.

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Photography By: Serge Raymond

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Haute Property NEWS, STARS AND TRENDS IN REAL ESTATE

The Powell Residence, purchased by Matthew Perry in 2008 (and now up for sale), was originally a 1950s ranch house. Architect Scott Carty, working with Drake General Contractor, transformed it into the modern showplace it is today.

the bespoken word! FORGET MCMANSIONS. WHOM DO YOU CALL FOR TRULY REFINED LUXURY HOMES IN LA? BY KATHY A. MCDONALD

t takes more than just an architect’s creative eye or a contractor’s skill to build truly tailored, multimillion-dollar custom homes in Los Angeles. Design with timeless appeal must meld with au courant finishes, the latest in home technology, clients’ personal requests, and ultimately must satisfy lifestyle trends. As bespoke homes are multiyear projects, intuiting what will be popular in home design takes a soothsayer’s skill. The job becomes even more challenging when developing spec mansions—built without a buyer locked in. “There are some basic components of architecture that don’t [change over time], but how you address them does change,” explains Walter B. Meyer, principal architect and cofounder of Meyer Architecture (meyerarchitecture.com), a sought-after Westside architect and developer who has negotiated the remodels of famed estates (the homes of producer Albert Broccoli and industrialist Armand Hammer, to name but two), along with building commissioned works and neo-Georgian and Tuscan-Revival homes on spec. In comparison to traditional statement homes (Paul R. Williams’ celebcommissioned works of the 1930s are prime examples), many of the newer manses that populate Bel Air, Brentwood, and the Westside’s canyons, aim

for grander statements where the scale of interior spaces is larger and feels more open due to extensive use of windows and expansive glass doors reflecting “a freer lifestyle and the freer use of form,” says Meyer. The floor plan of an ideal contemporary house is no longer defined by a series of squares; instead it unfolds as “a sequence of experiences as you travel through it.” “What they want is views, interiors tending toward modern, and infinity pools,” says real estate agent Arline Bolin of buyers in the $20 million-plus price range. A property must be turnkey, preferably new, and “with a touch of drama,” says the veteran agent of Nelson Shelton & Associates Real Estate, who specializes in custom-built estates. She has listed a spec-built, French Mediterranean–style manse in Bel Air (estatestpierre.com) for $21.5 million; AFCO Construction was the builder. The firm earned its high-end reputation via custom homes in The Oaks of Calabasas, the city’s celebrity enclave. Another go-to firm is Dugally Oberfeld (dugally-oberfeld.com), known for its prime Beverly Ridge estates, which have Italianate exteriors, but are contemporary inside. There’s “a zeitgeist thing that goes around,” notes architect Steve Giannetti continued on page 144

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HAUTE PROPERTY

Attention to periodperfect detail marks Ridgeline, a 7,600-square-foot Spanish-style home in Brentwood designed by Meyer Architecture.

Classic details are key for this 7,500-square-foot Holmby Hills residence remodeled by Meyer Architecture.

“A return to craft at a certain level is a reaction to the computerization of everything.”—STEVE GIANNETTI

continued from page 143 (giannettiarchitects.com). Traditional with a twist is how he describes it. Now at the forefront: a not-unrefined mash-up of traditional and modern. Inside, walls are often blown out, and interconnected rooms are replaced with a loftlike space that seamlessly expands to the outside via sliding glass walls and doors up to 50 feet wide. Giannetti relates that his sophisticated clients often opt for the best of all eras, adding older materials (salvaged beams, terra-cotta roof tiles, reclaimed-plank hardwood floors) to contemporary structures. “People are looking to be grounded in reality and the design aesthetic—a return to craft at a certain level—is a reaction to the computerization of everything,” says Giannetti. The incorporation of texture and materials that look handmade help strike a balance with the modern. There’s a touch of throwback to turn of the 19th century—perhaps an influence of the steampunk style—in the mix of construction elements and interior finishes from various time periods. “In California, people are so much more visually savvy and comfortable in com-

The master bedroom of the Powell Residence, high in the Hollywood Hills, has retractable glass walls that blur the divide between outdoors and in.

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bining things in unique ways,” says the architect. In the kitchen that can mean the introduction of an industrial aesthetic: The current rage for industrial-style lighting pendants over kitchen islands (another must) in a predominantly white room with a farmhouse sink demonstrates this idea. (Filmmaker Judd Apatow captured the look perfectly in his film This Is 40.) Additionally, the kitchen must flow to the outside and be outfitted with gadgets, including everything from dual dishwashers and built-in espresso machines to microwaves, steamers, and wine coolers, for starters. The outdoor, all-stainless-steel kitchen needs to be as equally well outfitted. Outdoor pizza ovens and fireplaces with rotisserie spits are the upto-date add-ons. Home automation via iPad control pad is also on the high-end buyer’s list, finds Gary Drake, founder and CEO of Drake General Contractor (garydrakeconstruction.com). The iPad programs allow homeowners to digitally monitor and control security systems, lighting, heat, and air conditioning by remote control (one client used the system to turn a swimming pool heater on for the kids before jetting home, says Drake). For a recent spec project, a revamp of a 1950s ranch home in the Hollywood Hills (purchased by Matthew Perry in 2008 and now on the market), called the Powell Residence, Drake, along with architect Scott Carty, did much to bring the outdoors in. Sliding glass doors now pocket into walls, and a striking teak deck (level with the house, so no steps) adds to the house’s visual appeal. “Modern requires all lines must be perfect,” explains Drake. One wow factor critical to the sale of modern manses is a dramatic entrance. As Walter Meyer explains, first impressions are doubly important with a spec home and the entrance should “create a sense of arrival.” Meyer created such an entrance for one high-profile client’s newly built 25,000-square-foot Tuscan-style manse. The glass-backed wrought iron doors are flanked by grand stone columns under an imposing pediment. Separate-but-equal, his-and-hers master baths command exquisite detailing, too, reminiscent of a spa at a five-star hotel. “The master bath is not viewed as utilitarian in function, but rather with a sense of luxury and relaxation,” says Meyer. No matter the room, well-thought-out luxury comes first in custom-built real estate. LAC

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PRIME REAL ESTATE

life in venice THE ONCE-FUNKY, OFFBEAT BEACH COMMUNITY IS QUICKLY BECOMING LA’S NUMERO UNO REAL ESTATE HOT SPOT. BY KATHY A. MCDONALD

enice isn’t what it used to be. Although charming clapboard cottages line quiet residential streets and surfers ride bikes to the beach each morning, the area’s once-troublesome reputation and its bohemian vibe are giving way to fashion-forward shops, chic eateries, and a new wave of artsy residents who can afford the nowpricy enclave. The beach-fronting neighborhood’s status has risen exponentially from even five years ago, creating heady sticker shock for homebuyers. Any single-family home priced under $1 million, no matter its size, location, or condition, is snapped up immediately, often with a dozen offers on the table. Venice’s walkability, and an impressive crop of ambitious restaurants (such as Superba Snack Bar and The Tasting Kitchen), friendly hangouts (Venice Ale House and The Otheroom), and businesses (Silicon Beach is Venice’s new moniker thanks to Google’s LA headquarters) appeal to a younger, moneyed set. Anjelica PER REAL ESTATE AGENT Huston Suzy Frank of Abbot Kinney Real Estate (abbotkinneyrealestate.com), property prices in Venice are among the highest in Los Angeles; the norm is between $1,000 –$1,200 per square foot (compared to $871 per square foot in Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills). Lot sizes tend to be modest closer to the beach (2,700 square feet is typical) The exterior of one and between 3,600 –5,500 square of the three cottages that are feet east of Lincoln Boulevard. known collectively Larger architectural homes are as the Lantern House. usually priced between $2 million and $3 million. Zoning allows for multiple units on many properties, attracting investors who are driving the market further upward. “To me, Venice has always been hot,” says Frank who points to the area’s historical appeal to creative types from actors to artists (tour their studios May 19 during the annual Venice Art Walk). Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and

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Kate Beckinsale own properties in the area, and the streets lining the Venice canals are home to an elite crop of TV producers who count The Simpsons and South Park among their credits. Dennis Hopper’s estate recently sold his once-art-filled 15,500-square-foot compound, and a trio of Frank Gehry– designed condominiums, for $5 million. Anjelica Huston’s former Windward Avenue digs, designed by her late husband, Robert Graham, went into escrow for $12 million and is now back on the market for $13.9 million. THOSE MEGABUCKS SALES HAVE spurred other homeowners to push the 15 30th Avenue, an envelope on the market’s high end. Venice’s ivy-covered, 1911-built Craftsman, is for sale desirability means that “the neighborhood is for $5.9 million. evolving rapidly,” says Richard Stanley of 730 Palms Boulevard is a Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage three-year-old, three(richardstanleyrealtor.com). Listed for $5.4 bedroom home worth about $3 million. million, the Lantern House (three cottages on a 5,400-square-foot lot) on Millwood Avenue is a local landmark. The owner’s various oddball vintage collections are included in the sale, notes Stanley. Closer to the beach, just off Speedway, a 1911-built Craftsman beauty—one of Venice’s original manses—sits behind high hedges and is on the market for $5.9 million. Justin Huchel and Laura Kalb of Hilton & Hyland are representing (justinhuchel.com; laurakalb.com). Small lots and proximity to the beach have lead to Venice’s reputation as a residential architecture lab and showplace for functional cutting-edge design from leading contemporary architects as well. “Because the lots are so small, there’s a challenge to maximizing the house’s footprint while still bringing light and space into the dwelling,” says real estate agent Golda Savage of Bulldog Realtors (goldasavage.com). Eclectic The art-filled interior and experimental, “That is what of a Lantern House makes Venice so wonderful,” cottage. The property is listed for explains Savage. And, now, $5.4 million. expensive. LAC

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Abode and Beyond THIS SEASON, HUES IS THE NEWS!

Marimekko’s eye-popping Beverly Hills flagship store.

the bright stuff MARIMEKKO’S FIRST SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OUTPOST IMPORTS VIBRANT COLOR TO THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE. BY JADE CHANG

WPHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JAMES RAY SPAHN

“B

everly Hills is the quintessential LA. It’s a really soulful place for LA,” says Lynn Shanahan, president of Marimekko North America. This winter the storied Helsinki-based company opened its first SoCal store at the corner of Brighton and Canon, with its red Unikko and black and white Kivet print awnings that immediately up the color quotient of the neighborhood. “We found an interesting house on a street with a community of restaurants and were able to transform it,” says Shanahan. The space they chose was previously the home of a rather formal bridal store, but once Marimekko moved in, they knocked down walls and took full advantage of the large windows and high ceilings, installing floor-torafter displays that house every bolt of fabric on offer. Any of these can be custom-made into pillows, tablecloths, napkins, duvets, and beanbag covers by the in-store seamstresses, who can also fashion pants, dresses, skirts, and any other item a customer would like from its vast selection of prints. When Marimekko was founded in 1951, Finland was still mired in the

gloom of the post-WWII era, and the label’s lighthearted, artist-driven prints were seen as a welcome antidote. According to Shanahan, the current state of affairs in the US could use a similar jolt. “I think [our prints are] an impetus for joy,” she says. “People are tired. It was a tough economic year, and people want a lift.” A cheery lift will definitely be found at the store this spring, when new prints that feature offbeat primaries on rich, celadon-green backgrounds are set to debut. They might even edge out Unikko and Lumimarja, a lovely pattern based on the snowberry bush, available in four different colorways, as some of the Beverly Hills store’s most popular looks. LA’s open, breezy aesthetic turns out to be an easy match for the clean lines and bold hues that characterize the brand’s Scandinavian style. As for the part of the city most in need of a Marimekko intervention? Says Shanahan: “Boy, I think there could be a great billboard on Sunset with the flowers and color amongst all the neon!” LAC

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ABODE AND BEYOND guide

in living color SHIFT OUT OF “NEUTRAL” AND CRUISE INTO A SPRING WONDERLAND OF COLOR FOR THE HOME. BY JADE CHANG

Alexandra Von Furstenberg At Alexandra Von Furstenberg they are eager to embrace emerald, the 2013 Pantone color of the year, with acrylic bowls and boxes in the rich jewel tone; this is also the place to go for the designer’s signature neonaccented furniture, a clever way to add an edge to a modern home. 9001 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-461-3250; alexandravonfurstenberg.com

Christopher Guy British interior decorator Christopher Guy’s heirloommeets-modern style has graced luxury hotels around the world (The May Fair in London, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, and numerous Ritz-Carltons) and his coquettish trademark chairs with their crisscross back legs are available in an array of fabrics. 8900 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-461-3250; christopherguy.com

Grace Home Furnishings Add some formal glamour to your abode with Grace Home’s line of custom furnishings, including pieces based on LA-arcana like a buffet modeled after one from the historic Ambassador Hotel. 11632 Barrington Ct., LA, 310-476-7176; gracehomefurnishings.com

Harbinger Opened by two Michael Smith

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alums, Harbinger is the showroom arm of local design firm Lucas Studio and reflects its fearless attitude toward mixing and matching prints and color. The shop carries its own line, as well as textiles, furniture, and wallpaper from lines like BeeLine Home by Bunny Williams and Sheila Bridges. 752 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-858-6884; harbingerla.com

Jonathan Adler It’s hard to avoid creating a happy home with Jonathan Adler’s wildly optimistic colors and cheeky pillows (with embroidered messages like I DON’T GET OUT OF BED FOR LESS THAN $10,000 A DAY) that evoke a mix of ’70s dream world and Hollywood Regency. 8125 Melrose Ave., LA, 323-658-8390; 1318 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, 310-4584545; jonathanadler.com

Kellygreen Home With a focus on “cradle-to-cradle” sustainability and locally made goods, this is the place to go for brightly patterned throws made from postindustrial T-shirt scraps and patchwork stools constructed entirely of reclaimed materials. 2149 W. Sunset Blvd., LA, 213-353-0488; 2525 Main St., Santa Monica, 310-450-6464; kellygreenhome.com

Ligne Roset Bold, modern tones and quirkybut-sophisticated shapes mark Ligne Roset’s innovative

Alexandra Von Furstenberg is known for her neonaccented furniture.

offerings —look out for anything from the award-winning Bouroullec brothers. 8841-49 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-273-5425; ligne-roset-usa.com

MissoniHome at Niche Clothe your living space in the colorful stripes and patterns that mark Missoni’s beloved knitwear. The Italian designer’s furniture collection anchors Niche’s Beverly Boulevard showroom, where you can also find outdoor poufs that range from sunshine yellow to hot pink, and other stunners. 8770 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-855-1755; nichebeverly.com

Poliform Poliform’s roots may be Italian, but one of its top designers, Jean-Marie Massaud, has a serious jones for California, with products named after Ventura, Carmel, and our favorite, Santa Monica—a casually chic seat edged in bright orange. 8818 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-271-7836; poliform.it

Roche Bobois This French company with Bauhaus roots is known for its low-slung Hans Hopfer sectionals available in an array of gyp-set prints and collaborations with modern boundary breakers like Jean Paul Gaultier. 8850 Beverly Blvd., LA, 310-2746520; roche-bobois.com LAC

SMOKIN’ POTTERY Designer Jonathan Adler talks palettes for the here and now. What colors are you loving right now? “Orange and turquoise are my favorite colors. Orange is the color of sunshine and turquoise is the color of the sea. Plus, they work perfectly with my favorite neutral, gray.” What color do people gravitate to in your LA stores? “People gravitate to orange. Orange is the color of California living.” What would your LA life look like? As a New York City potter, I fantasize about how mellow my life could be if I lived in Laurel Canyon—a tangerine Karmann Ghia in the carport, a pair of Birkenstocks on my hooves, Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of The Canyon on the turntable, and moi behind the potter’s wheel. Dreamy!” Jonathan Adler is a fan of bright colors for the home.

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and Finally ...

FEUD FOR THOUGHT

get ready, set, go! GENTLEMEN OF LA: IT’S TIME TO STEP UP TO THE (FASHION) PLATE.

BY ARCHER LIPSHITZ

ressing casual is considered something of a civic duty in this town, so one mustn’t scold the city’s “Bro Brummels” for their adherence to limited-edition sneakers, selvage denim, and… er… baseball caps. (Thanks, Spielberg.) It’s part of our birthright here, isn’t it, to dress however we like at home (where it’s about comfort) and on daily errands (utility, utility!). But when it comes to our evenings out, if you fancy yourself someone who frequents spots with a sense of style, might you consider some semblance of sartorial... um... grandeur?! Or at least courtesy? Dinner at the revamped Spago, opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, opening night at the new Blum & Poe show, one of those slightly outré, descending-from-the-ceiling, dancingchanteuse performances at Pour Vous: I’m out all the time, all over town, at all sorts of fashionable places, and inevitably there are at least a few guys who are, willingly or unwittingly, doing their small part to kill the fab vibe. Khaki pants, Zuckerberg hoodies, graphic tees: We know those characters. If it’s willingly, they’re making a conscious reverse-pretentious choice not to take part, like a costume party attendee who’s not fun enough to dress up. If it’s unwittingly, may God help them, or at least a self-appointed stylist! Does it matter what one wears in tradition-unbound 2013—aside, potentially, from how desirable it makes you appear? Well, maybe not. Then again, it really can’t be all about you. Consider the rest of us out there in the LA night, filling up those rooms (and patios... and occasional roof decks). It’s participatory. You’ve apparently decided to show up. Why be a wallflower? The best evenings are collaborations. Think of those gorgeous rooms themselves, so often fantastically appointed... millions spent on ambience calibrated to make us look good. They are wingmen of the highest order. Let’s resolve this year to return the favor. One needn’t be a peacock, although it would certainly be appreciated by a few of us old-fashioned types. Maybe just a tie... a clip. Hell, maybe just socks with personality. LAC

ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O’LEARY

Cheers!

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