Artful Living Magazine | Autumn 2022

THE NEW RANGE ROVER AND RANGE ROVER SPORT

The pinnacle of refined capability, the 2023 Range Rover delivers unparalleled experience in a luxury performance SUV. A modern and sophisticated interior, underpinned by exquisite detailing and an intuitive approach to relevant technology. From Power Assisted Doors to ‘hot stone’ massage seats — every aspect of the Range Rover delivers a luxurious travel experience. Plus, the available seven-seat Long Wheelbase offers an unrivaled travel experience for seven adults.

NEW 2023 RANGE ROVER / Starting at $104,500*

Created for those who lead by example, the third-generation Range Rover Sport evolves the character and distinction of its predecessors into a vehicle of breathtaking desirability. Its imposing presence is born from its muscular stance and dramatic proportion, while the reductive modern design accentuates its visceral power, performance, and agility.

2023 RANGE ROVER SPORT / Starting at $83,000*

THE LAND ROVER DEFENDER

Everything about the Land Rover Defender bears testimony to the vehicle’s undeniable spirit of adventure. Individually customize your off-road system preferences with Configurable Terrain Response® and stay connected with the intuitive Pivi Pro infotainment system. So, whether you’re rock crawling in Moab or tearing through snow in Alaska, the Land Rover Defender is ready for just about anything.

NEW 2023 LAND ROVER DEFENDER / Starting at $53,500*

YEARS ago, Rudy Luther purchased the British Leyland Franchises from B&K Imports and began selling and servicing such historic makes as MG, Austin Healey, Aston Martin, Jensen, Triumph, and of course, Jaguar and Land Rover. Today we are the largest volume Jaguar and Land Rover dealership in the upper Midwest. We invite you to visit our state-of-the-art facility in Golden Valley to experience for yourself a half-century of dedication and the vehicles that made it possible.

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THE STYLE ISSUE

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“Look Good, Feel Great with Beautiful Skin.”

BY LABYRINTH OF COLLAGES

ROBYN

POOL, MATT WINKELMEYER, SUSAN

IMAGES AND KEVIN MAZUR

CONTENTS

CULTURE

47 TREND

Chris Plantan on the art of bookscaping.

NICE RIDE

Our review of the 2023 Range Rover lineup.

58 AT AUCTION

Fashionistas bid on iconic style photography.

COLLECTING

Why watch collectors are turning back the clock.

69 FARE

Cooking at home with chef Gavin Kaysen.

STYLE

76 MEN’S STYLE

David Coggins’ tips for avoiding top fashion faux pas.

80 FAVORITE THINGS

The Martha Dayton

Design team loves the artful and eclectic.

85 FASHION

Brunello Cucinelli womenswear comes to Martin Patrick 3.

90 DESIGN

Victoria Sass creates a bohemian dream inside her own home.

97 GUIDE

Gifts for the ultimate host in your life.

COMPASS

108 EXCURSION

How Qatar became an art and architecture hot spot.

115 DESTINATIONS

Introducing the world’s new fashion capitals.

121 TOUR

The Artful Living guide to Napa Valley.

PHOTOGRAPHY

MOTTALINI

Your achievements have earned champions.

You’ve

TH MAN

EMEN

Tyler Torgerson, Wealth Planning Consultant, VP; Jeanne Krigbaum, Wealth Planning Director, VP; Nick Gergen, Portfolio Manager, CFA; Jacie Fogelberg, Wealth Advisor, SVP

CONTENTS

HOME

142 PROPERTY GALLERY

Coldwell Banker Realty presents the finest homes for sale.

162 ARCHITECTURE

John Kraemer & Sons and Charlie & Co. Design craft a modern lake home.

170 DESIGN

Bruce Kading turns his talents to his own kitchen.

176 BUILD MA Peterson creates a coastal chic sanctuary.

182 NATURE

A new Hendel Homes project embraces art and nature.

ADVENTURE

189 OBSESSION

Laura Schara’s ode to the cowboy boot.

192 EXCURSION

All aboard a two-week Caribbean sailing trip.

196 EQUUS

Ocala, Florida, becomes an equestrian haven.

INTEL

203 JEWELRY

The Loupe brings exclusive luxury jewelry to the Midwest.

208 HISTORY

Unpacking the storied past of high-end department stores.

213 SCANDAL

A deep dive into the multilevel marketing phenomenon.

220 NORTH NOTABLES

The region’s best and brightest.

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

FROM THE EDITORS

Kate Nelson: It’s undeniable that our world feels more political than ever, and we’re not just talking about who you vote for this November. Politics has infiltrated all aspects of our lives — from the way we spend our money to the media we consume to the clothing we wear. So it seemed only fitting for our annual ode to style to have Artful Living contributor and acclaimed fashion editor Laura Antonia Jordan do a deep dive on that last topic. She brings her unique insider (and uniquely British) perspective to “Who Wore What,” exploring how fashion and politics intersect. (page 128)

Hayley Saunders: Fashion is back in a big way, and it’s a constant theme throughout this issue. Here in Minneapolis, Martin Patrick 3 gave us the inside scoop on its upcoming Brunello Cucinelli womenswear collection set to debut this fall (page 85).

On the auction front, Christie’s recently sold some of the world’s most iconic fashion photography taken by the likes of Helmut Newton, Irving Penn and Ellen von Unwerth (page 58). Plus men’s style guru David Coggins gives his advice for avoiding common faux pas (page 76), and resident outdoorswoman Laura Schara pens an ode to the classic American cowboy boot (page 189).

KN: Looking for a scintillating, scandalous read? Marisa Petrarca wades into the murky world of multilevel marketing to investigate why, even amidst massive backlash, we Americans can’t seem to resist these get-rich-quick schemes (page 213). And Brittany Chaffee takes us back in time to the plush heyday of the luxury department store (page 208).

HS: Of course, style extends beyond just what we wear. It’s also a huge part of our homes, which is on full display in Prospect Refuge Studio designer Victoria Sass’s dreamy bohemian Midwestern abode (page 90). And it even factors into the food we make, as celebrated Twin Cities chef Gavin Kaysen shows in his new cookbook (page 69). However you choose to convey your unique style, we’re happy to be a part of your stylish life.

Happy reading, Hayley Saunders Managing Editor + Associate Publisher

Kate Nelson Editor-in-Chief

Kate Nelson

Editor-in-Chief

Emma Cutler Velez Publisher

Hayley Saunders Managing Editor + Associate Publisher

Margaret Cooper Art Director

AJ Longabaugh

Digital Editor

Genevieve Cossette

Director of Sales

Meg Kelly

Marketing + Events Manager

Mitchell Lambert Business Manager

Halle Klum Intern

Frank Roffers

Founder + Editor-at-Large

Pete Burgeson President

Editorial Advisory Board

Heidi Libera, Chris Plantan, Dana Swindler

Contributors

Writers: Merritt Bamrick, Jennifer Blaise Kramer, Brittany Chaffee, David Coggins, Bonnie Culbertson, Katie Dohman, Amber Gibson, Ashlea Halpern, Laura Antonia Jordan, Chris Lee, Wendy Lubovich, Marisa Petrarca, Chris Plantan, Anne Roderique-Jones, Laura Schara, Marguerite Vanderford Photographers: Victoria Campbell, Spacecrafting, Ashley Sullivan Illustrators: Hilbrand Bos, Labyrinth of Collages, Klawe Rzeczy

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Artful Living is published by North Co., all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission. North Co. cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Artful Living is committed to preserving the environment and demonstrates this by printing efficiently and sustainably. In consideration of environmental impact, this magazine is 100% recyclable.

THE MAGAZINE

On the Cover

Twirling upon our autumn 2022 style issue is Swedish model Caroline Winberg adorned in an alluring fringed outfit that begs to be seen. Originally appearing in Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic, this image showcases Winberg gracefully commanding the attention of the viewer as the tassels of her ensemble sway from side to side, creating movement that seems to jump right off the page. This playful black-and-white portrait has our team inspired to take risks with our wardrobe this fall, whether that be incorporating new textures and fabrics, opting for a statement headpiece, or embracing a more vibrant color scheme. We hope you feel emboldened to step out of your comfort zone, too.

About

Artful Living is one of the top independent boutique lifestyle magazines across the United States with international reach. Founded in 2008, this award-winning quarterly magazine features engaging original content and beautiful design, bringing the best of the North and beyond to an affluent audience with impeccable taste. This elegant, intelligent publication aims to inspire and entertain, highlighting culture, home, style, travel, food, profiles and more. The Artful Living lifestyle brand is headquartered in Minneapolis.

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THE ART OF BOOKSCAPING.

BY CHRIS PLANTAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTORIA CAMPBELL

WHAT DOES EVERY BEAUTIFUL ROOM have in common? Books. They’re like favorite companions that make a space feel personal. Bibliophiles and interior designers agree that decorating with books is one of the most meaningful ways to style your home. They add a sense that real people actually live here. Bookcases and shelves can sometimes be overrated. Instead, surrounding yourself with stacks of novels gives your house a more lived-in feeling. There’s nothing like a beautiful collection stacked to perfection to add character to any space. But there’s an art to this seemingly simple way of bookscaping.

The first place that probably comes to mind for a book stack is the coffee table, but there are so many other intriguing spots in your home to host your literary collection. Plus showcasing an assortment in unexpected areas doubles the pleasure. Towers are an exceptional way to create interest in both traditional and contemporary settings. While they make a strong architectural statement when stacked formally, they can also be piled casually for a more effortless look.

It may sound obvious, but ordering your tomes from largest to smallest is the safest way to go, especially on a table or work surface. Consider composition, subject matter, size and room placement when culling a great collection. Step back every once in a while to get the balance and feel just right. Try multiple stacks to create a skyline of sorts, then cap with a crowning element for a finishing touch.

These favorite trinkets are like the cherry on top and can be swapped out seasonally or complemented by fresh flowers. Consider an art object, a candle, small trinket dishes or other prized items that complete the narrative. For example, an assortment of travel tomes topped with a beloved souvenir or hotel ashtray can tell the story of your most recent adventures and conjure cherished memories.

Above all, your books should reflect your interests, your passions and your personal taste. Take the pressure off and have fun with how you store and display them. As Roman statesman Cicero once said: A room without books is like a body without a soul.

LIVING

BY MITCHELL LAMBERT

LAND ROVER RECENTLY unveiled the all-new redesigned Range Rover and Range Rover Sport as part of its 2023 model lineup. The manufacturer purposefully gave each a modernized face-lift but retained favorite aspects of previous generations, leaving critics thrilled. Although at first glance each clearly resembles this year’s model, slight yet impactful differences will leave current and potential owners yearning for an upgrade.

The Range Rover has been the go-to SUV for those who enjoy riding in style, comfort and luxury for decades. The latest iteration offers exciting new features. The exterior design boasts a simplified look with improved headlights, integrated taillights, a new grill and flush door handles. Inside, a 13.1-inch touchscreen with haptic controls and a completely refreshed interface makes navigating the vehicle’s systems effortless.

Climate control is also stateof-the-art in the new Range Rover. Integrated air purification technology keeps odors, allergens and bacteria at bay. The auto’s fourzone system lets the driver, the front-seat passenger and each of the outer rear-seat passengers regulate their respective spaces.

Those looking for an out-of-this-world audio experience can upgrade to the Meridian Signature Sound System. This package includes a subwoofer with 34 speakers throughout the cabin, creating a concert-like atmosphere on the road. And with the combination of laminated glass and Active Road Noise Cancellation technology, which integrates speakers in the headrests to virtually eliminate outside noise pollution, passengers can enjoy a quiet and immersive experience that no other SUV can offer.

Both models are available with numerous engine types, ranging from standard gasoline to electric hybrid. Auto enthusiasts can rest assured that the electric hybrid models boast the same performance and practicality of a standard Range Rover but with the added bonus of an all-electric mode with up to an estimated 48 miles of range. This lets drivers embark on long-distance road trips with ease while still allowing for work and local commuting using zero fuel consumption.

Overall, the 2023 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport both offer a first-class experience across the board. While the two models may seem similar with their styling and features, they are designed for distinct customers. Those in need of an SUV geared toward comfort with expansive storage space will appreciate the full-size Range Rover, while drivers who want a more nimble, performance-oriented vehicle will prefer the Range Rover Sport. With Land Rover, you simply can’t go wrong.

2023 Land Rover Range Rover

• Starting at $104,500

• Three engine types

• Eight-speed automatic transmission

• Electronic air suspension with Dynamic Response Pro

• Electronic active rear locking differential

• 20-way heated electric seats with power-recline heated rear seats

• Active Road Noise Cancellation

• Cabin Air Purification Pro

• Four-zone climate control

• Curved 13.1-inch touchscreen with haptic control

• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility

• 3D surround camera

2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

• Starting at $83,000

• Four engine types

• Eight-speed automatic transmission

• Electronic air suspension with Dynamic Response Pro

• Electronic active rear locking differential

• All-terrain progress control

• Hill launch assist

• 20-way heated electric seats with power-recline heated rear seats

• Curved 13.1-inch touchscreen with haptic control

• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility

• 3D surround camera

For more information on the all-new 2023 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, visit Jaguar Land Rover Minneapolis in Golden Valley or log onto jaguarlandroverminneapolis.com.

the world

PHOTO BY PEARL PHOTOGRAPHY

STRIKE

THE ART OF SELLING STYLE.

BY WENDY LUBOVICH

A POSE

LEFT: "BRIGITTE BAUER" BY F.C. GUNDLACH • RIGHT: "MAINBOCHER CORSET" BY HORST P. HORST

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY IS HAVING A MOMENT. IN THE MIDST OF A CHAOTIC WORLD, filling our walls with resplendent haute couture imagery makes everyday life feel more glamorous. That’s why buyers from around the world recently took part in two landmark auctions at Christie’s in Paris, where sartorial splendor was on full view.

But why now? Why are glossy style photos so in vogue? Surely recent blockbuster museum exhibitions have helped frame the conversation. This year’s Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the Louvre in Paris, the 2019 Christian Dior retrospective at London’s V&A Museum and the 2011 Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City have all contributed to our passion for fashion.

Although it’s often the designers themselves who spark the greatest interest, fashion photographers have garnered star status as well. In the early years, these creatives were simply responding to a commercial need. But starting in the 1950s, icons like Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Irving Penn began to insert their own artistry into their work, creating striking and sublime images.

Models, meanwhile, have always brought their own bravura. Collectors are keen to snap up portraits with familiar faces from their youth. “People who once dreamt in front of Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington or Kate Moss are now willing to afford one of the famous images,” says Elodie Morel-Bazin, Christie’s European Head of Photography.

All this explains why buyers near and far clamored to take home iconic fashion photography from the Christie’s sale of the Susanne von Meiss collection earlier this year. The Swiss journalist and entrepreneur is refocusing her world-class assortment to concentrate on contemporary works, selling off 110 covetable collectibles. “Susanne von Meiss is a great connoisseur,” notes Morel-Bazin. “Buyers like collections like hers; they feel they can trust them.”

Meticulously chosen around the theme of “allure,” the items represent the crème de la crème of fashion photography through the 20th century. Fashionistas bid online and during a live evening sale on the stellar images, which all carry a posh provenance. And while some sold for impressive amounts, others went for more modest sums, allowing even first-time collectors to join the fun.

The work “Brigitte Bauer” (1966) by German photographer F.C. Gundlach captures the Twilight Zone–infused zeitgeist of the swinging sixties with a woman posed in a psychedelic black-and-white swimsuit. “He was able to reflect in his photographs a mix of elegance and modernity in line with the graphic designs of this era,” Morel-Bazin points out. The work sold for

It’s all about high society panache in the 1970s image “Portrait de femme au chapeau” by American photographer Henry Clarke. Oozing with elegance, the model is posed on a diagonal, her bold hat and long gloves the essence of refinement. The final price tag was €882, an absolute auction house bargain.

Unsurprisingly, snapshots of famed actresses proved popular. A 1955 photograph of the ever swan-like Grace Kelly by Elliott Erwitt sold for €3,780, while a 1971 wind-blown portrait of Brigitte Bardot by Terry O’Neill took in €8,820. The dazzling close-up shows the famous beauty smoking a cigarette.

But sometimes it’s all about the backstory. One of the most iconic images in the sale turned out to be the most intriguing, too. “Mainbocher Corset” (1939) by Horst P. Horst features a woman from behind, donning a lace-up corset with long ties cascading below. The work, which carries a surreal, erotic charge, marks a historic moment for the photographer, who was about to flee Paris on the eve of World War II.

Horst later recalled: “I left the studio at 4 a.m., went back to the house, picked up my bags and caught the 7 a.m. train to Le Havre to board the Normandie. We all felt that the war was coming… and life would be completely different after. This photograph is the essence of that moment. While I was taking it, I was thinking of all that I was leaving behind.” With an estimate of €10,000, this unique work ultimately failed to find a buyer during the prestigious sale, which sometimes happens in the fast-paced auction world.

The star lot of the evening was undoubtedly one of the fashion world’s most admired photographs, “Rue Aubriot” (1975) shot for Vogue France by Helmut Newton. Captured on a dimly lit backstreet, it shows an androgynous model with slicked-back hair in a classic Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking suit holding a smoldering cigarette. In the end, this utterly timeless image sold well above the estimate for €60,480, epitomizing the famous words of Saint Laurent himself: “Fashion fades; style is eternal.”

LEFT: "UNTITLED" BY CHRIS VON WANGENHEIM • RIGHT: "PORTRAIT DE FEMME AU CHAPEAU" BY HENRY CLARKE

time travel

WHY VINTAGE WATCH COLLECTORS ARE TURNING BACK THE CLOCK.

BY MARGUERITE VANDERFORD

WIXON

ESCAPING TIME IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE IN TODAY’S WORLD. GLOWING NUMBERS STARE BACK from smartphones, laptops, dashboards and all the other screens in our lives. Digital alarms startle us into obedience with anxiety-inducing chimes and marimba timers. In the past several years, the pervasiveness of impersonal modern clocks has given way to a resurgence of older, more nostalgic forms of keeping time. And like clockwork, the market for men’s vintage luxury watches

“When people think of wristwatches, they might first think of something utilitarian like a smartwatch,” explains Dustin Reed, vintage watch expert at Wixon Jewelers. “Recently, we’ve seen the floodgates of interest open when it comes to vintage wristwatches with classic designs and historic backgrounds. A vintage watch has lived its own life, with a real history embedded in its patina or hand-wound spring. That unique personality brings the wearer a kind of joy that extends beyond simply carrying something to keep time.”

The craze for vintage timepieces — which Reed defines as 30 years or older — has soared as of late, culminating in the most successful spring auction season New York City has ever seen. New generations of celebrity, from Timothée Chalamet to Henry Golding, are popularizing classic styles à la Paul Newman and Gordon Gekko in the pages of GQ and Vanity Fair Sure, collectors still crave iconic 40- to 41-millimeter military- and diver-inspired timepieces, but demand is also high for dressy 32- to 36-millimeter models that evoke the golden era of mid-20th century design.

For seasoned collectors and newcomers alike, buying and selling in such a sizzling market requires knowledge to complement that enthusiasm. “More options exist than ever before, from eBay to vintage watch websites to consumer marketplaces,” explains Reed. To avoid falling victim to fakes or so-called Frankenwatches — timepieces cobbled together using both original and inauthentic parts — he recommends consulting a trained expert.

“Our in-house watchmakers assess the authenticity of every vintage watch in our collection,” he says. “Everything from the mechanical and cosmetic condition of the parts and movements to the maintenance history to the originality of accessories is verified to put buyers at ease.” Especially for fragile vintage watches without more modern resistance features, an educated eye helps mitigate the risk of miscalculating wear-and-tear. The appeal of partnering with highly educated, non-commissioned experts at a brick-and-mortar retailer extends beyond just fraud protection.

As an official Rolex jeweler and an authorized Patek Philippe retailer, Wixon Jewelers capitalizes upon close relationships with elite brands for the benefit of their clients. “Receiving the most coveted pieces and having access to genuinely rare or uncommon watches helps our clients assemble exclusive collections,” Reed shares. For collectors interested in the long-term value of their acquisitions, that can directly impact financial investment: “Vintage timepieces from major watchmakers like Rolex or Patek Philippe have increased in value over time, trading almost like blue-chip stocks,” he adds. As an alternative asset class akin to antique art or fine wine, luxury watches have even outperformed the stock market amidst economic uncertainty.

Although financial value is certainly a factor, for most collectors, it’s rarely consideration. “At Wixon Jewelers, we match clients with pieces that they genuinely love and are passionate about,” Reed says. “Collections are shaped based on what an individual is drawn to, whether that’s a specific vintage chronograph movement or an iconic brand design.” Once an aficionado has established a focus and started to seek out variations, the thrill of the chase is on. And when it comes to getting started, there’s no time like the present.

dwell in beauty.

O’HARA

BY LIBBY ANDERSON

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

BY KATE NELSON

COOKING AT HOME WITH CHEF GAVIN KAYSEN.

IF YOU’VE BEEN PAYING ANY ATTENTION, YOU KNOW THAT CELEBRATED TWIN CITIES CHEF

Gavin Kaysen is having a big year: two new eateries (Mara and Socca, situated in the shiny new Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis), a new baby (his third son, Crosby, born in June), a new catering company (the aptly named Spoon Thief) and soon, a new cookbook. That’s in addition, may I remind you, to his other Soigné Hospitality ventures: Spoon and Stable, Demi, Bellecour Bakery, and KZ ProVisioning, the pro athlete catering company he runs with pal Andrew Zimmern that fuels sports teams like the Minnesota Wild, Timberwolves and Lynx.

At this point, you (like me) may be wondering how in the hell Kaysen manages to get all this done. If you ask him this very pointedly (like I did), he’ll demure — and credit the incredible team he’s built, now some 160 people. Plus, he says, it’s the example set for him by mentors and friends, like Daniel Boulud and Andrew Carmellini.

“When I worked for Daniel, I was always like, ‘How does he do it?’” Kaysen recalls. “We’d be on a trip to Paris together to cook at an event. Then we’d land back in New York City at whatever time, and the driver would bring Daniel to his restaurant, which he lived above. I wanted to go to bed, but he’d go into work.”

Then there’s Andrew Carmellini, the chef behind some 15 New York City eateries. “I remember him telling me that when you go from restaurant one to restaurant two, it’s a lot harder than going from two to three, three to four, four to five,” he explains. “And it’s true. From a business perspective, when you go from one to two, it’s really tough because you don’t have any infrastructure set up. But when you add the third, fourth and fifth business, you can build that infrastructure.”

This is when Kaysen mentions a hat we don’t often think of him wearing: CEO. “What’s tough about the restaurant business is people don’t see chefs as CEO types; they see us as artist types,” he says. Another hat we don’t often think of chefs wearing? Family man, which Kaysen decidedly is.

In fact, his familial influences — particularly Grandma Dorothy — are what prompted his culinary journey that we’ve all been lucky enough to witness. He pays tribute to her in his new cookbook, At Home, out this fall. As the title indicates, it’s all about Kaysen cooking in his own kitchen.

He tells me a quick side story: how just two years into Spoon and Stable’s meteoric rise, he was working on a cookbook with a big publisher, but it didn’t feel right. He wasn’t ready to immortalize the restaurant onto paper at that point. Now, with the wisdom of the better part of a decade and all those various business ventures, it feels right.

But this book isn’t about how he cooks at his restaurants; it’s about how he cooks at home, for and with his family. “Truthfully, cooking at home for me is a very, very peaceful experience, and I need to do it every week,” he shares. “I don’t do yoga, but I imagine it’s like when people do yoga. I meditate a lot, and it’s a form of meditation for me. If I have a lot on my mind, I’ll cook for three or four hours, just doing meal prep for Linda and the boys.”

Those meditations come in the form of paella (a frequent family request), chicken and dumplings, and Grandma Dorothy’s sunbuckle cookies. She passed before she was able to see Kaysen’s success, but he honors her with little touches at his storied establishments, like the tins filled with cookies that conclude a meal at Spoon and Stable.

In fact, making sunbuckle cookies alongside her when he was just 7 years old is one of his earliest baking memories. “What inspired me to cook food for a living really started with her,” Kaysen says. “I remember making food and seeing how that act brought all of our families together to sit down at a table. As a child, I thought that was a really powerful experience. That was my aha moment — realizing food is a vehicle to bring people together — and I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Of course, that’s easy to say when you’re a world-class chef. What about the rest of us? Kaysen has us covered with step-by-step recipe videos (thanks to his popular pandemicera initiative, GK at Home), plus he gives plenty of kitchen pointers throughout the book. His top tips for success: get yourself properly set up, give yourself plenty of time and do your best to source the best ingredients. Because in reality, “if you have really great salt, really great vinegars, really sharp knives and a cutting board, you’re basically there,” he notes.

Beyond the recipes and the advice, Kaysen tells me, he hopes his cookbook has one clear takeaway: “It’s really about that experience my grandmother taught me, which was put the ingredients together, make a delicious meal and bring everybody to the table. That’s the beauty of cooking.”

Dorothy’s Chicken and Dumplings

Makes 4 servings

This homey, comforting soup is one of the first dishes my grandmother taught me how to make. At the time, I didn’t realize just how many techniques it was teaching me: how to make chicken stock, how to cut various vegetables, how to make and use a roux, and so on. I like making this soup for dinner parties because I can make it ahead, then serve individual portions in little Staub cocotte dishes.

Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. fine sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

cup buttermilk

Stew

¼ cup avocado oil (or canola oil)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes fine sea salt freshly ground black pepper

1 cup white pearl onions, peeled and halved

1 small carrot, peeled and diced

1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 quart chicken stock

cup sour cream

cup finely chopped parsley

1. For the dumplings: In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in the dry mixture. Slowly drizzle in buttermilk and stir gently with a fork; batter should stick together but remain a bit wet. Use your hands to gather batter together into a dough. Cover with a wet towel and set aside.

2. For the stew: In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear chicken on all sides until browned but not cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onion, carrot and rutabaga, and season with salt. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.

3. Reduce heat and add butter and flour. Cook until flour is lightly browned and has a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook 10 minutes. Bring heat up to a gentle boil, add sour cream and whisk to combine.

4. Scoop a dollop of dumpling batter into pot so it rests atop liquid; repeat with remaining batter. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes. Flip each dumpling, replace lid, and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer (dumplings will turn a shade whiter when finished). Season stew to taste with salt.

5. To serve, divide stew among bowls, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy.

For more of Gavin Kaysen’s family recipes, log onto our website.

FASHION FAUX PAS

THERE COMES A TIME IN EVERY MAN’S LIFE WHEN HE LOOKS INTO HIS CLOSET AND DOESN’T like what he sees. Staring back at him is a bombastic tie, an overly daring shirt or, lord have mercy, a pair of leather pants. There might be something he vaguely remembers buying that shimmers or flares, something recommended by a persuasive sales associate. These clothes seem to have been acquired by some other human with demonstrably worse taste than oneself (isn’t that always the way?).

Yes, we’ve all made these mistakes. How do they happen? Well, often a mistake starts from a place of experimentation, of confidence and, dangerously, of sartorial zeal. This is why you should never buy a hat while on holiday. When you return home, your beret suddenly makes less sense when you’re no longer enjoying a glass of Sancerre at the Café de Flore (I’m not sure how hot it looked even while you were in Paris). There might be a pinstripe suit that seems a little too graphic once you’ve stepped away from Savile Row that’s now relegated to a John Dillinger–esque Halloween costume.

The intention might have been good, but context, fit and trend conspired to leave you humbled. If you’re lucky, you didn’t make this error while attending the Academy Awards. The rest of us can pray the offending image is buried deep in the minds of friends and family (and the Google archives). In short, we’ve all aimed too close to the sartorial sun.

Over the course of this column, I’ve advocated for men to take a few chances; we want to expand our horizons, after all. But that doesn’t mean we don’t err from time to time. For instance, you might find a pair of jeans deep in a drawer that seems to have become stonewashed over time (I’d get those out of the house before any witnesses get hurt). Here are some tips for avoiding common sartorial mistakes men make — let us learn from them and carry on to a better dressed place.

Avoid pattern problems.

You get bored with solids? I hear you. Maybe a loved one pushed you into something a little more interesting What you’re often left with is something far too graphic. This happened to me when I had a windowpane jacket made by a Neapolitan tailor. The fabric swatch was a lovely oatmeal brown with a nice blue windowpane. But when it was made up, the contrast was too loud. A friend said I looked like a backup dancer in one of Fred Astaire’s later color films. That stung; you want to be compared to Fred himself — and in black and white.

Beware bold colors.

It’s good to get tonal. It’s also good to branch out. But it’s dangerous to go all the way. Clothing brands and fashion magazines try to sell you on a look for the season, with a color that “pops.” This shows up well in catalogs and store windows. But we don’t live in ad campaigns (thank goodness). So bright red pants are probably best left for models or Italian men who own yachts named Spritz

Don’t get too tight.

Nothing that promises to make you look thinner ends up making you look thinner. Slim-fit is not helping you if it’s tight; it merely makes you look uncomfortable. I have a pair of trousers that I pray won’t split when I sit down (this is not a good thing!). I should probably retire them from the rotation or cut down on beer when I’m fishing. Overly small clothes don’t make you look small; they make you look big.

Dress your age.

Trying to dress like a teenager never works out well (not even for teenagers!). New rinse for jeans? Sneakers named for a basketball player who’s your son’s age? Let’s pass on those.

Keep your hobbies secret.

You like to golf or fly-fish? Fine, but your clothing doesn’t have to telegraph these interests with novelty ties adorned with golf balls (what I call the dreaded “Father’s Day tie”). This is also true of sports team (go Vikings!). We don’t need to be branded with a team unless we’re in the stands having our hearts broken (also: Vikings).

Take it easy on trends.

Are you on the leading edge of the sartorial avant-garde? Do you buy your clothes in Tokyo? Then by all means dabble in the latest trends. The rest of us should let things settle down before embracing whatever is thin, wide, cropped or oversize.

There are many styles that take some getting used to: Fair Isle sweaters, tasseled loafers, herringbone jackets, white bucks, a velvet dinner jacket. The first time you wear these, you might feel a little self-conscious. But these clothes have all been worn successfully by generations of men. While you’re getting comfortable, you can rest assured that you have history on your side. Sometimes you never get comfortable and move on. Maybe you’ll realize, as I have, that white jeans will just never work for you. That’s alright; I’ll survive (and so will you). A little self-knowledge is always a good thing.

A Minnesotan turned New Yorker, David Coggins is the author of the New York Times bestseller Men and Style and writes a style column for Artful Living.

Cosmetic

Martha Dayton and Kelly Perry’s FAVORITE THINGS

THE DYNAMOS BEHIND MARTHA DAYTON DESIGN LOVE THE ARTFUL AND ECLECTIC.

BY CHRIS LEE

MARTHA DAYTON DESIGN’S RESIDENTIAL, MULTIFAMILY AND boutique commercial projects range in style but invariably display a certain refined cohesion. Whether a project occupies a stately Kenwood lot, an expanse of Minnetonka lakeshore or a North Loop condo lobby, the look is edited and sophisticated, tempered with a witty, playful touch.

Spend a few minutes with President/Principal Designer Martha Dayton and Design Director Kelly Perry, and you understand why. They radiate contagious enthusiasm and love breaking the rules. Both followed unorthodox career paths (Dayton as a design director for a local developer and a real-estate flipper; Perry as a Tiffany’s jewelry designer and a Christie’s art consultant). Dayton hung out her shingle in 2005, and Perry joined her shortly thereafter. Since then, they’ve built a well-trained team of interior designers. With assurance born of experience, they instruct new hires: “Keep your skills, but throw out the rules. We don’t have those here.”

Dayton and Perry requested to be interviewed together about their favorite things, and for good reason. They both gravitate toward the eclectic, often drawing on the Twin Cities’ thriving artisan community. As Dayton explains, “Our answers are usually the same, and we run everything past each other. Why do this separately?”

1 | Room

“Currently, my favorite is my own living room,” shares Dayton. During a recent renovation of her 1892 house, she refurnished with the mix of styles she favors: “It was really fun to shop for my own house and have an excuse to spend time on 1stDibs.” She also sourced pieces from International Market Square’s Holly Hunt, AJ Maison and Tapis Décor. “Some things are very old and some are very new,” she notes, “but it’s cohesive.” She particularly loves the wall of gallery-hung art featuring work by beloved local and national artists, pieces by her children, and finds from the Midway Monster Drawing Rally.

2 | Trend

They love today’s eclecticism — a mix of colors and styles we wouldn’t have seen 10 years ago. Perry’s own home demonstrates: “We recently bought a house on Lake Minnetonka, so I got to start all over and bring everything I love into my rooms.” That means layering rugs, pattern, color, old lighting, new tables, coffee-table books and — always — fresh flowers.

3 | Colors

“Basically, everything goes,” laughs Dayton. “Our No. 1 loved Instagram photo combined a multicolor chevron hide rug with a multicolor plaid chair in a historic home in Kenwood.” This is one category where their personal preferences differ: Dayton favors pink and red, while Perry likes green, blue and pink. When designing a space, “we like white on the walls and neutral furniture,” Dayton says. “Then you pop art, books, pillows and rugs. You can change up the art and pillows, and change the whole look of the room.”

4 | Space to Design

The dining room, because it’s a space where you can take a risk. “It’s got every element we like to design with: tables, rugs, lighting, wallpaper, flowers,” shares Dayton. Perry adds: “We both love entertaining, so it’s one of our happier rooms. We love to be able to cook for everyone, then bring them together and gather around the table.”

5 | Accessory

They consider good coffee-table books the essential finishing touch to a well-styled room. “We love layering them,” Perry says. “Everyone needs good coffee-table books and fresh flowers.”

6 | Icon

Both love Iris Apfel, the centenarian fashion icon famous for her bright colors, oversize jewelry and trademark enormous eyeglasses. “She dares to be different and doesn’t hold back on anything,” explains Perry. “She loves her jewelry, her faux furs and her eyewear — all of which we also love. We just love everything about her!”

7 | Shops

Each has a favorite in her respective neighborhood. Dayton loves Kenwood’s Isles Studio, a fascinating shop filled with natural history collectibles and fine home goods. Perry prefers Wayzata’s Historic Studio, a lovely store selling luxurious accessories, paintings and global artifacts.

8 | Destination

The beach, hands down. Though Perry prefers Cabo and Dayton Costa Rica, they both love the sand and sea of the Pacific Coast.

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BY BRUNELLO CUCINELLI

ITALIAN AFFAIR

THIS FALL. BY KATIE DOHMAN

BRUNELLO CUCINELLI WOMENSWEAR COMES

MARTIN PATRICK

PHOTOGRAPHY

ITALIAN CASHMERE IS AN ART. SO MUCH SO that Brunello Cucinelli, one of the world’s leading cashmere brands, has its own School of Contemporary High Craftsmanship and Arts, located in the tiny hamlet of Solomeo, Italy. Its aim is to rediscover and enhance age-old artisanal craftsmanship, passing it down through the generations. And a handcrafted Brunello Cucinelli piece is truly an heirloom, to be passed down through the generations as well.

Brunello Cucinelli is a selective brand, and it’s quite a coup to land its contemporary, elegant apparel in-store. Beloved Minneapolis retail destination Martin Patrick 3, which has been carrying its menswear for five years, matches Brunello Cucinelli’s taste, curation and sense of family ownership. Plus, the boutique has a massive appreciation for the brand’s unique ability to combine raw materials of the highest quality with creativity and know-how that’s the legacy of fine Italian craftsmanship.

It was only a matter of time before MP3’s female clientele started asking for the store to carry the brand’s womenswear, too, explains MP3 Marketing Director Anthony Serino, especially as the historically men’s shop began to cater some offerings to women. “Getting the Brunello Cucinelli women’s line is a huge win for us, because our clientele is very sophisticated and fashionable,” he adds. Furthermore, the success of the men’s business coupled with MP3’s distinct reputation made it an obvious decision for the brand.

MP3’s new director of women’s buying, Samantha Tousey — who has previous experience with Chanel and Dior under her belt — will launch the retailer’s first Brunello Cucinelli women’s collection this October. “The customer in the Midwest wants to look understated, but still wants quality items,” she explains. “Brunello Cucinelli offers an elegant, sophisticated product without being over-the-top like other brands that are more runway-driven. I would call it ‘effortlessly chic.’ You can put something on and immediately look elevated without looking like you’re trying too hard.”

The debut collection will feature a curated selection of styles from Brunello Cucinelli’s fall capsule, which is strongly focused around the holiday season. Fashionistas will have access to a collection in an alluring palette of gray, champagne and rose. Tousey touts everything from elegant outerwear, such as trenches and puffer coats, to exquisite evening pieces, including a showstopping champagne silk dress. While the collection mostly centers around solids, there will be “great fantasy plaids” to discover as well, she says.

But it won’t all be big holiday pieces; the collection will also include Brunello Cucinelli’s famous knits and sweaters, plus other pieces that will fit right in at a “fabulous luncheon.” Tousey raves about a bomber jacket with a monili-detailed applique on the sleeves in a specialty pattern reminiscent of argyle that would pair beautifully with wide-leg trousers. Rounding out the day-to-evening assortment will be leather goods to finish the looks. And with such a stylish selection of effortlessly chic womenswear, it’s clear the partnership between Martin Patrick 3 and Brunello Cucinelli is a match made in fashion heaven.

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midwestern sensibility

DESIGNER VICTORIA SASS CREATES A GLOBAL, ECLECTIC DREAM INSIDE HER OWN HOME. BY JENNIFER BLAISE KRAMER

CHRIS

VICTORIA SASS KNOWS A THING ABOUT global boho design. Born in Minnesota, the Prospect Refuge Studio owner/principal spent a decade in Santa Cruz, California, and studied in her husband’s native city of Copenhagen, Denmark. This unique mash-up of Midwestern charm, coastal casual and urban modern has undeniably influenced her work, which has caught the eyes of some 14,000 Instagram followers and landed her on Architectural Digest’s 2022 list of New American Voices. Her distinctive and collective approach always reflects and embraces its locale, and nowhere is this more apparent and celebrated than in her own family home, set in Minneapolis and deeply steeped in nostalgia.

“Every layer of your life is important,” Sass asserts. “Your experiences manifest themselves in your work and home.” For her, they manifested into a 5,000-square-foot brick dwelling in East Isles. The semi-converted triplex boasts endless grandeur with 12-foot ceilings, giant windows and six bedrooms (including two in the top-floor apartment for visiting friends and family) plus an opportunity to return the residence to single-family living. In doing so, the couple opted to lose a bathroom off the kitchen, letting them open up the floor plan — ideal for keeping an eye on their three young kids. Then it was all about personalizing the large volumes to create “little pockets of intimacy in the vastness of space,” while honoring the property’s history.

“This home has lived so many lives,” Sass says, noting that each room evolved through the remodel, one getting a bit lighter than the next. “As you walk through it, you progressively move through the decades.”

The entry represents the house’s first life and true 1900s glory as the oldest and darkest area, where the original fireplace and woodwork were salvaged. With its glowing paneling and an arched glass window, there were so many curves and angles to honor that Sass knew wallpapering would be a nightmare. So she instead opted for a custom handpainted mural by She She, getting the whimsical effect she was after.

The preserved dining room features another original fireplace and intricate wood detailing juxtaposed with a modern RH chandelier and table

and contemporary Gubi suede chairs. Moody plaster paint gives the walls texture in both this space and the kitchen, where black cabinetry and pendants contrast white trim — a request from her husband, who she laughs would’ve painted everything white given the chance.

While they brightened up much of the residence with touches like white trim and colorful upholstery, nothing is sunnier than Sass’s golden office, where wooden furniture and family heirlooms are married in a yellow box wrapped in Toile de Lapins wallpaper and curtains by Nicholas Herbert. “It’s like working in a little pat of butter,” she muses. “It’s candlelit all the time and works with all the seasons — steaming in the summer and glowy and warm in the winter.”

Given that it’s her favorite room, she’s adorned it with sentimental pieces, such as her grandparents’ plates and patterned draperies tied back with ropes and tassels. When the door is open, just passing by and peeking in offers the same nostalgia she feels on a drive through the Midwest, like spotting a little glowing house in the middle of nowhere. It’s one of those “little pockets of intimacy in the vastness of space,” which she feels are something to respect.

“In the Midwest, we do a lot of interesting things besides pond hockey,” she laughs. “Midwestern design is something to celebrate, and I’d love to see it more appreciated as its own vernacular, like California’s or the Northeast’s. We Midwesterners tend to sweep our culture under the rug, but we have so much nostalgia and heritage.”

In channeling this concept, Sass looked to fellow Prospect Refuge designer Emily Hunt (who she calls her “muse for Midwestern design”) as well as Amy Thielen, author of The New Midwestern Table, a cookbook that made her tear up while reading. Be it plates on the wall, handed-down books, braided rugs, cheerful tablecloths or wallpaper borders done in a new way, these unmistakable throwback moments create emotional experiences.

“I don’t go for trend — instead, I ask, What would my relatives have done?” she notes. “The key is to keep it modern so it’s not kitschy and doesn’t look like a time capsule.” The result is a fresh, bohemian look that has meaning and resonates deeply with others.

“I love a bohemian collective energy,” Sass concludes. “We put offers in on totally done homes, but then, what is there to dream about? Where’s the romance? This is eternally endless work, but I love the work.” While she admits it’s been a slow evolution, most of their home is finished. Now they’re tweaking the second level and finishing off the basement, which is currently still a dirt-floor cellar. But surely, a fantasy awaits and, as Sass says, “the dream will keep going on forever.”

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GOLDENSTATE

HOW QATAR BECAME ARABIA’S ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE HOT SPOT. BY ASHLEA HALPERN

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY FINN PARTNERS

MY FIRST INDICATION THAT QATAR IS a country unlike any other is the herd of metallic oryxes that greets me in the arrivals hall at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Designed by Dutch sculptor Tom Claassen, it’s one of a dozen world-class artworks scattered throughout the terminal. But it isn’t until I’m standing at the paws of a 23-foot-tall pineapple-yellow teddy bear with a glowing lamp for a head — the eerily brilliant work of Swiss artist Urs Fischer — that I really start to wonder: Is this an airport or an art museum? The answer is both.

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums and sister of the ruling emir, is one of the most powerful art buyers in the world. Her taste influences everything in this oil-rich nation. The royal family set a record when it paid a whopping $6.8 million for Fischer’s 20-ton teddy, but that’s chump change for a monarchy determined to transform its sliver of the Arabian Peninsula into a cultural polestar. Those strapping bronze oryxes? They’re just an amusebouche for the aesthetic feast that’s to come.

Qatar has been on a spending spree ever since it landed its bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with more than a million visitors expected to descend upon the capital city come November. The frenzied expansion includes luxe hotels, shiny stadiums, and a slew of new and revitalized museums. Cranes are a staple on the skyline — which is so iconic now that it rivals Manhattan and Hong Kong. Even my Sri Lankan taxi driver, who has lived here on and off for six years, says he gets lost because the city changes so quickly.

I’m in town for the ribbon cutting of the new 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, which is timed to the World Cup draw. Drafted by Catalan architect Joan Sibina, it’s one of the largest sports museums on the planet and the first Arab institution to join the Olympic Museums Network. Its sprawling galleries trace the global history of sport, from Roman charioteers to Jamaican bobsledders, and showcase every Olympic torch from the 1936 games onward. I spend an hour strolling through the Hall of Athletes, taking in the stories of both icons (Babe Ruth, Tom Brady) and trailblazers (Japanese Paralympic swimmer Mayumi Narita).

The National Museum of Qatar, the brainchild of Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel, is another recent addition that stops me dead in my tracks. Circling its exterior, I’m captivated by the building’s curvaceous interlocking discs, said to be inspired by the crystallized petals of the desert rose. I find the collection inside even more striking — especially the Pearl Carpet of Baroda, a 19th century rug embellished with more than 1.5 million pearls, diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. By the time I plunge into the rabbit hole that is Pipilotti Rist’s hallucinogenic “Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You,” the Swiss creative’s first site-specific installation in the Middle East, I’ve become officially entranced by these superlative museums.

But my checklist of must-sees doesn’t end there. Word has it Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas is so in love with his work at the Qatar National Library that he visits monthly. I see why as soon as I set foot in its soaring all-white interior. More than 400,000 books are shelved in a tiered lobby, while a maze of earthy Iranian marble displays collectible manuscripts. A tour typically takes three hours, but I have just one, most of which I spend scooping my jaw up off the floor.

I’m equally impressed with I.M. Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art, which rises like a cubist wedding cake out of the jade-hued Arabian Gulf. Slated to reopen shortly before the World Cup, it’s been undergoing a reimagining for the past 18 months. I sneak into the multistory lobby for a quick look and risk fainting like a Victorian duchess while taking in its glory.

In between museum hopping, I make the rounds to headlining shows at flagship galleries, including a haute couture Christian Dior retrospective at fashion incubator M7. I nosh on luscious halvah ice cream at contemporary Qatari eatery Saasna and

get a behind-the-scenes tour of Culture Pass Club, the country’s first members-only arts club. Situated in a suite of 14 townhouses decorated by Diane von Furstenberg, India Mahdavi and other design luminaries, it’s the kind of place where VIP creatives go to hobnob and rest their heads.

Most enjoyably, I wander the back alleys of Souq Waqif, a shopping bazaar built on the site of a centuryold trading market. My curiosity leads me to a row of Oudh vendors, hand-blown perfume bottles cluttering their shelves, and to spice shops selling mountains of pistachios and dried figs. I shuffle past men puffing clouds of fragrant shisha and women in niqabs ladling out batter for Nutella crepes. In the chaos of it all, I find more art: a giant severed thumb painted gold. One of the best-known sculptures by late French Nouveau Réalisme pioneer César Baldaccini, it stands out in the bustling market like, well, a sore thumb.

This high/low mix seems strange at first, but incongruity is a theme here. Women cover themselves headto-toe in black abayas, for instance, but their hands are adorned with rare jewels and designer handbags. Bentleys and Lamborghinis idle at stoplights, driven by men dressed in princely thobes and gutras, while dust-caked laborers toil in the blazing sun just beyond the windshield. I quickly come to realize that Doha’s mind-boggling growth wouldn’t be possible without the migrant workers who grind away in the shadows, hammering the rafters of half-erect stadiums and delivering mint lemonades to poolside terraces. Most of these laborers come from Southeast Asia, and more than 6,000 of them have died in the city’s breakneck race to World Cup dominance — a distressing fact that any visitor marveling at these vertigo-inducing skyscrapers must grapple with.

In that way, I’m grateful to escape the city. Paradoxically, the most memorable experience I have in Qatar happens in the middle-of-nowhere desert. After bouncing around in the back of a 4WD past gypsum plateaus and Dune-esque scrubbiness, I happen upon the holy grail: four steel slats some 170 feet tall standing upright in the ecru-colored sand.

“East-West/West-East” is the work of minimalist American sculptor Richard Serra. He named it this because viewers are supposed to start on one end, walk a kilometer east, then whirl around and walk back. I just happen to have timed it perfectly, so I’m the only one there as the sun sinks into the horizon, bleeding a tangerine puddle as it goes. Far removed from the glitz and glam of Doha, it’s just me and the art — and we both feel grounded.

BY MICHAEL CAMPANELLA AND FRANK RAMSPOTT

FASHION FORWARD

FASHION FORWARD

INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S NEW FASHION CAPITALS.

BY BONNIE CULBERTSON

FASHION TRENDS SEEM TO CHANGE WITH THE WIND, YET the cities we look to for style inspiration — places like Paris, Milan and New York City — have managed to remain the same. It’s ironic, really, how an industry that’s so of-the-moment can still be stuck in its ways. If we really want to keep the contents of our closets ultra chic, it’s time to consider other forward-thinking destinations that are making their way onto the style map. As forces from technology to globalization continue to shape our lives, these five destinations are poised to become the new fashion capitals of the world.

STOCKHOLM

Sustainability is more than a trend; it’s the new status quo for how we live. When it comes to apparel that supports our planet, Stockholm, Sweden, is leading the way. The city that brought us H&M and IKEA has proven its chops for stylish yet approachable forms. Now, it’s adding green to the mix, pioneering everything from clothing that captures CO2 emissions to textiles made from 100% recycled fabric waste. In addition to hosting famed ecolabels like House of Dagmar, Remake Sthlm and Jennifer Blom, Stockholm is also home to the Sustainable Fashion Academy, which equips global brands with the knowledge and tools to prioritize sustainability alongside economic growth. Between that and hiring longtime sus-advocate Catarina Midby to lead the Swedish Fashion Association, Stockholm is serving up not only style inspiration but also sustainability savvy.

SHANGHAI

International brands are eager to snag a piece of the large, lucrative pie that is the Chinese market, and a showcase at Shanghai Fashion Week is where companies can get an edge over the competition. What started as an event to lure eminent American and European labels to the East has spawned its own class of established Shanghai lines, like effortlessly elegant designer Ming Ma and ultra femme womenswear label Shushu/Tong. And while Shanghai has historically drawn tourists to its black market of knockoffs, the government is taking steps to crack down on fakes. Recently, a court awarded a major damages payout to New Balance by a party selling its label without permission, setting a precedent that will surely scare off faux hawkers and appeal to fashion houses.

THE METAVERSE

In the not-too-distant future, tastemakers may get the scoop on the latest looks not by watching models strut the runway but instead watching their own avatars walk a virtual one. Metaverse Fashion Week debuted this spring, after the pandemic demonstrated a need for online gatherings in lieu of in-person ones. In a place known as Decentraland, attendees sampled brands like DressX, Rarible and the Fabricant by paying to have themselves Photoshopped into their imaginative outfits. Designers can also showcase their work via filters overlaid onto videos or sell certain pieces as NFTs. All of this is made possible using exclusive technology that converts 2D images into 3D experiences. Throughout the week, attendees “try on” clothing virtually then have the threads shipped to them to add to their real wardrobes. While it’s hard to imagine a fashion world based solely online, we’re sure to see the influence of these digital destinations grow as we usher in a new era of couture.

LOS ANGELES

Despite all its sunshine, the Los Angeles fashion scene is starting to cast a shadow over its East Coast counterpart in both creativity and relevance. Its laid-back beach vibe appeals to Gen Zers, who are rejecting the glamorization of New York City’s infamous “work hard, play hard” lifestyle. As the global center of film and television for more than a century, the City of Angels is a natural draw for creatives of all kinds, who shape the aesthetic playing dress-up in costume castoffs. The massive amount of gently used studio garments available here makes it one of the best secondhand shopping destinations in the world. Even as red carpet looks move from the silver screen to our phone screens, Los Angeles benefits from social media’s ability to inform trends, which has officially eclipsed New York City’s editorial-driven influence.

MEXICO CITY

When The New York Times named Mexico City its top tourist destination back in 2016, foreigners flocked here for the food, art and rich culture. In the years since, this vibrant metro has seduced young people from across the globe, who bring with them an influx of new ideas inspired by Mexico’s rich heritage. Ironically, it’s the destination’s ability to deftly draw on tradition that yields such fresh-feeling looks. The cast of characters at the forefront of the style scene is as colorful as the buildings and street murals, like fashion-forward drag queen Carmen Monoxide or Parisian transplants Aude Jan and Charles Gout of Audette, whose handbag line is inspired by Mexico City’s vibrancy.

PHOTOGRAPHY

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TOUR

THE ARTFUL LIVING GUIDE TO NAPA VALLEY. BY AMBER GIBSON

FALL HARVEST SEASON IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE BUSIEST AND MOST EXCITING TIME TO visit Napa Valley. Vintners have waited all year for this moment, and visitors can get a glimpse of the magic behind winemaking. Five separate towns make up the valley, from Calistoga in the north followed by St. Helena, Yountville, Napa and American Canyon at the southernmost point. This tight-knit agricultural community’s poignant resilience has helped it weather recent fires and an ongoing drought, all with a mission of making the most sublime, age-worthy wines for your enjoyment.

STAY

ALILA NAPA VALLEY

Begin the day with cold-pressed juice, coffee and pastries on your private terrace overlooking Beringer’s vineyards at this 68-room adults-only retreat, tucked away on the hillside yet just minutes from downtown St. Helena. Guest rooms boast a calming palette and deep soaking tubs, while the property’s original 1905 Victorianstyle guesthouse is now home to Acacia House by Chris Cosentino. The celebrity chef celebrates California’s bounty with tantalizing dishes like sea urchin cacio e pepe and Napa lamb loin dressed with local produce.

A spirit of holistic health permeates throughout, from complimentary cocktail classes using freshly picked herbs from the garden to treatments at Spa Alila incorporating ancient healing techniques and biodynamic botanicals from Be Here Farm + Nature. The concierge team can arrange for guided bike tours and exclusive access to tastings in winemakers’ homes, ensuring guests experience Napa Valley like true insiders.

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY ALILA NAPA VALLEY,

NEAL FAMILY VINEYARDS AND EMMA K. MORRIS

COMPLINE

This unassuming eatery and wine shop by friends and veteran sommeliers Matt Stamp and Ryan Stetins is a welcome respite from the area’s ubiquitous cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. Here, the wine list features esoteric bottles from across the globe along with hard-to-find California favorites. Plus the convenient downtown Napa location makes Compline a fun stop while exploring on foot. Pick a hidden gem from Austria or Burgundy from the wine shop for dinner; the vinos you’ll discover here are all delicious right now, no cellar aging required.

Pair a glass of grower Champagne with duck fat fries and crunchy farmers’ market crudités dipped in ramp zhug while pondering the small, eclectic chalkboard menu. Executive Chef Jammir Gray infuses global flair into her dishes, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options like red kuri squash agnolotti with chestnut, and stuffed collards with maafe peanut stew and pickled okra.

NEAL FAMILY VINEYARDS

Vintner Mark Neal considers himself a farmer first and foremost. He hails from one of the pioneering families of Napa Valley, farming organically alongside his parents on their Rutherford property, where they grew grapes and walnuts. Young Mark started driving a tractor at age 8, and by the time he was 14, he was making garage wine with his father. Today, he operates the largest organic and biodynamic farming company in the valley, managing 720 acres of vineyards for many of the region’s cult-favorite varietals.

Neal Family also makes just a few thousand cases of 100% estate-grown biodynamic and regenerative organic wines from family property in the Rutherford and Howell Mountain AVAs. The brand is best known for its cabernet sauvignon, but the citrusy vermentino is delightfully elegant as well. Personalized tastings are by appointment only, including tours of the vineyards, caves and winery.

SIP

DINE

Best known for having the world’s largest collection of Napa Valley wines, Press is a perfect archetype of the destination’s signature laid-back luxury. Under chef/partner Philip Tessier’s leadership, the restaurant has evolved beyond just a steakhouse to a celebration of California ingredients that’s equally appealing to pescatarians and vegetarians. First-timers should opt for the new seasonal six-course tasting menu with wine pairings (and add the addictive seeded pretzel epi bread and crispy pig ears, too).

Start with a few small seafood bites — osetra caviar, braised abalone, octopus croquettes — followed by salty pillows of ricotta gnudi delicately wrapped in squash blossoms. There’s yellowtail in lemongrass nage, truffle-glazed chicken or the 60-day aged tomahawk for two before pastry chef Mina Pizarro ends the night with a sweet delicate touch. Many of her desserts, like the riz au lait with Champagne mango sauce, are inspired by her Filipino heritage.

KOLLAR CHOCOLATES

Visit this quaint artisan chocolate shop in the heart of Yountville to watch chocolatiers at work while you shop for mouthwatering sweets to take home. The glossy chocolate bonbons resemble precious jewels and are almost too pretty to eat, but once you bite into the rich ganache, it’s hard to resist devouring an entire box. Flavors here are anything but ordinary; there are pistachio amaretto, passionfruit, lavender and fennel pollen bonbons as well as white chocolate bars flavored with saffron and toasted poppy seeds.

Chocolatier Chris Kollar won Food Network’s Chopped in 2020, and his fanciful confections have been named one of Oprah’s favorite things. He works exclusively with Valrhona, the iconic French brand favored by top pastry chefs globally, and frequently creates limited-edition treats for holidays. Many local wineries, distilleries and hotels offer Kollar Chocolates for pairings and turndown service, plus they’re available to ship nationwide, too.

STAG'S LEAP WINE CELLARS

Arguably the most iconic cab in Napa Valley, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. estate-grown cabernet sauvignon took top honors at the 1976 Judgment of Paris blind tasting, beating out first growth Bordeaux as the best red. This shocking upset earned Napa global respect among oenophiles. Today, winemaker Marcus Notaro works closely with vineyard operations director Kirk Grace, precisely tilling, trellising, leafing and selecting the ideal clones and rootstock to craft world-class wines nearly 50 years later.

Book the new celestial tour and tasting for a guided experience of the caves, glass in hand, followed by a seated tasting of current releases, including flagship FAY and S.L.V. cabs, paired with bites by chef Travis Westrope. Dolmas filled with buffalo milk ricotta and plumped currants bring out FAY’s juicy raspberry notes, while S.L.V. skews more masculine, with cocoa flavors and powerful tannins.

SIP

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY KOLLAR CHOCOLATES, JOHN TROXELL AND STAG’S LEAP

WHO

FASHION

MORE THAN

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY KEVIN MAZUR, RUNWAY MANHATTAN/ MONDADORI, ROBYN BECK, POOL, SUSAN WOOD/GETTY IMAGES, MATT WINKELMEYER, PRINCESS DIANA ARCHIVE AND WALERY

IN MY CAREER AS A FASHION EDITOR, I often find myself occupying two very different worlds at once. The more extravagant, most photogenic parts of my existence coexist with deadlines, bills and grocery shopping (i.e., the very un-Instagrammable bits). It’s not unusual for me to rub shoulders with royalty, billionaires and Oscar winners at an industry event then take the night bus home. I am both an insider and an outsider, a participant and an observer. The surreal is by now completely ordinary.

In Paris in July, as the most recent round of haute couture collections was unveiled, that surrealism was amplified. Real life and pure fashion fairy tale felt simultaneously further apart and more enmeshed than ever.

Because there, as dresses priced at hundreds of thousands of dollars were presented to the 1% of the 1% in gilded salons and capacious show spaces, the real world felt closer than ever. A little context refresher: In Ukraine, the Russian invasion raged on. In the United States, Roe v. Wade had been overturned just days earlier. In France, the previous month’s legislative elections saw President Emmanuel Macron lose control of the National Assembly and revealed a polarized public. Across the Channel, once bulletproof British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had somehow survived scandal after scandal, finally surrendered. (A stark example of the collision of my two worlds: I had the BBC live stream on silent on my phone during one show, eagerly awaiting his resignation speech). On top of that, it was a summer of strikes and catastrophic acts of nature.

To say we live in volatile, terrifying times is an understatement. Local and global politics feel very much like everybody’s business. They always have been, of course, but this is the first time in many of our lifetimes that we’ve witnessed the precarity of supposedly sacrosanct, stable systems and the impact that a few can have on the many.

Putting it clumsily: Politics is everywhere. Putting it bluntly: It’s in. So too, by definition, is fashion. It begs the question: What role does politics play in fashion, and vice versa? Can designers and brands make meaningful political statements? And in our ordinary lives, how much of what we wear is ruled by political motivation? In short, is fashion political? And if it is, should it be?

It’s important to establish what we mean when we say “politics.” There is the official dictionary definition, which pertains to government and legislature, constitutions and elections. But there’s also what I think of as the casual lower-case interpretation, which is broader and less tangible. It encompasses everything from the boardroom (office politics) to the bedroom (sexual politics). Both definitions are about not just asserting our beliefs, but ourselves. And isn’t fashion too about asserting our private selves in a very public way?

• • • • •

The most obviously political show of the fall/winter 2022 collections (which were presented in early 2022, available in stores now) was also one of the most personal. Taking place the week following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Balenciaga show was held in a giant snow globe, originally conceived as a commentary on climate change. Models trudged across a windy tundra, some of them dragging XXL bags as if they’d been hastily usurped from their homes. It felt apocalyptic and horrifyingly familiar. The parallels between what was occurring on stage and what was unfolding in real time on the same continent were alarming.

For creative director Demna, this wail about the state of the world was also poignantly particular. On each attendee’s seat was a T-shirt in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and a

note from the designer explaining how the war had “triggered the pain of a past trauma” when, at age 10, he and his family were forced to flee their home country of Georgia. That, he wrote, was when “I became a forever refugee. Forever, because that’s something that stays in you.”

“In a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist,” his note continued. “Fashion Week feels like some kind of an absurdity. I thought for a moment about canceling the show that I and my team worked hard on and were all looking forward to. But then I realized that canceling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years. I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego.” In merging the global and intimate, Demna produced one of the season’s most moving, most lauded collections.

• • • •

Demna’s Balenciaga show was dedicated “to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace.” Those sentiments are echoed by Ukrainian designers still living and working there. For them, their work, their business, their very existence is now inextricable from politics.

At home in Kyiv, designer Ivan Frolov was awoken by the sound of explosions the morning of February 24. For the safety of his team, he stopped production immediately. “We were OK with any decision employees made, either staying in Kyiv — half of which did — or moving to other places where they felt safer,” he tells me. After a month, however, something strange happened: “We got used to living with constant sirens and running to a bomb shelter,” he says. “Our team who stayed in Kyiv decided to come back to production and started sewing the unloadings for the vests and rocket carriers for the Ukrainian army. We also transferred some of our sewing machines to another volunteer bulletproof vest production site.” Later, he launched Frolov Heart, a charitable initiative supporting the Masha Foundation’s efforts to help children who have lost their parents.

But for Frolov, who has continued to produce his daring after-dark collections, creation is itself a political act: “From my perspective, fashion does matter as it gives people hope and it can be a powerful platform for change. We’re using it to create, which is the antidote to what our enemies do; they destroy.”

To design is one thing, to shop is another. But according to Katimo’s Katya Timoshenko, whose spring/summer 2022 collection was created in Kyiv “under the sounds of air raid sirens,” that’s exactly what people are doing.

For her, there’s something innately political not just about Ukrainians designing and making

clothes, but about buying, wearing and, yes, even enjoying them. When Timoshenko reopened the Katimo store in April, women immediately came in and bought dresses. She was surprised: Why would someone want to buy a new dress when air raid alerts were sounding every few hours?

“I realized that buying a new dress in such a difficult period is a search for support; it’s a life-affirming action that makes you feel alive,” she explains. One customer placed an online order to her home in Kyiv. Even though she was abroad, knowing that a sleek yellow dress would be waiting for her gave her something priceless: hope. “And here, obviously, it’s not about a simple possession,” notes Timoshenko. “It’s much more than buying new clothes.”

Fashion has always been about much more than clothes, but the scale of the industry’s reaction to the war in Ukraine has been unprecedently immense and united. There have been creative responses, like Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri collaborating with Ukrainian artist Olesia Trofymenko for her fall/winter 2022 couture collection. The tree of life, a cross-cultural emblem of harmony and circularity, was the starting point.

And when those pieces, with their extravagant folkloric embroidery, appear on red carpets and at galas, won’t they be so much more than just clothes? Won’t they also be gestures of solidarity? It’s worth noting, too, that Christian Dior — whose work Grazia Chiuri is always respectful to — founded his house in the aftermath of World War II. His response? The radical New Look, which spelled not only a new optimism but the reinvigoration of a very valuable industry.

Designers, brands and prominent individuals have responded to the war with public declarations of support (often via social media, which, for good and bad, is the most easily accessible platform to

show allegiance with a cause). There’s also been financial action, from fundraising to direct donations. Above all, widespread sanctioning of Russia — and the subsequent departure from the powerful market by brands ranging from Chanel to Zara — is a pertinent reminder that fashion is not just an art; it’s an industry. Money talks.

• • • • •

Bolstering fashion’s almost unanimous response to the war in Ukraine is a wider cultural shift, with a spirit of collaboration emerging. Look, for instance, at how enfant terrible Jean Paul Gaultier has handed over the reins of his house to guest designers (most recently, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing), or how Marc Jacobs proudly posts his outfits, tagging the designers behind them. See Fendace, the ultra desirable partnership of what should be two rival Italian houses, Fendi and Versace (or, for that matter, Fendi’s collab with Kim Kardashian’s Skims line).

Taken with the deliberate you-can-sit-with-us spirit surging through the industry, this has a political undertone. It emphasizes community, unity and a marked move away from the partisan divisions that have marred capital P politics for the past decade.

The design duo Marques’Almeida (helmed by Portugal-based couple Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida) has always felt a duty to do more. For them, contributing to the kind of world they want their daughter to grow up in means helping nurture community. This September, they launched the Marques’Almeida Foundation, which puts independent artisans at the forefront.

“We did some mentoring projects with young designers and artists, and that became our whole life,” Marques explains. “At this point, I think what started very instinctively halfway through our career has now become the forefront of everything we do: this whole idea of sustainability, of being active in and empowering our community and celebrating them so that people are seen. This guides everything else. If the next 10 years are centered around that, we are happy.”

“Fashion does matter as it gives people hope and it can be a powerful platform for change. We’re using it to create, which is the antidote to what our enemies do; they destroy.”

Collaboration is not new, nor is it in and of itself political, but it does have a positive social impact that shouldn’t be sniffed at. This was one of the most uplifting consequences of the pandemic, when designers rallied together for a larger cause. Could it be that they found purpose in PPE, the most literal garment of all?

Let’s be cynical for a moment, however, and ponder an important question: Is this all a marketing ploy? Has activism simply become a trend? No doubt many brands have been forced to catch up with the zeitgeist, held to account by #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and the weight of social media, an ever-vigilant watchdog ready to pounce on every inappropriate or insensitive move. Now, to not speak out is to say something; silence can be costly. And while a greater sense of accountability is no doubt positive, it does beg a question of authenticity.

London-based designer Richard Malone is ferociously smart and unafraid to speak out about what he believes is right. A vocal champion of the working class, he focused on sustainability long before it became a buzzword. So does he think that brands have a duty to speak out about the causes that matter to them?

“Now more than ever, what we buy represents who we are. Understanding what brands stand for is important.”

(the luxury group presiding over Versace, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors) are just a few of the many companies that have promised to help their employees access safe abortion care.

The times we’re living in are as economically unsettling as they are socially disconcerting. For brands, dollars mean dollars, whoever they come from. In other words, to risk alienating customers still takes guts. So, yes, it does matter when Ralph Lauren posts to its 14 million followers on Instagram: “We have always been inspired by the ideal of freedom that underlies the American dream. Everyone should have the choice to pursue the life they want to live.” And it can make a difference when Tory Burch publishes an open letter to her team stating that “I am outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, stripping women of the constitutional right to make safe, informed choices about their own bodies” (both brands also pledged formal action). Indeed, standing up for something can be both sincere and savvy; one does not void the other.

• • • • •

“In many cases, it can be a clear contradiction in terms,” he says with characteristic frankness. “Sincerity is something that’s extremely hard to come by in fashion, when the endgame is to profit the same people it has always profited.” For his part, Malone doesn’t believe that sharing memes or TikToks counts as meaningful action: “Real action happens from real experience and difficult conversations that happen in real life.”

In 2018, the Irish designer was crucially active in his support of repealing his home country’s Eighth Amendment, which effectively outlawed abortion (the law was repealed by a landslide in a historic referendum). When he took part in Selfridges’ Anatomy of Luxury campaign, he wrote “Repeal the Eighth” and “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” on the windows of the luxury London department store. (It was promptly removed, and Selfridges released a statement explaining it’s a “politically neutral safe space.”)

So given the fury surrounding the overturning of Roe v. Wade, does Malone think fashion can meaningfully weigh in on that discussion? “I’m not sure it can,” he confesses. “It happens so often that fashion attaches itself to a cause then the people who are actually doing the work — educators, lawmakers, charity workers — get eliminated from the conversation.” Brands that want to make a difference, he says, should take real action, like making direct financial contributions to nonprofits.

At the time of writing, a multitude of brands, from mainstream to luxury, have pledged formal action. Early on, Patagonia promised to cover bail for any of its employees arrested while protesting the Supreme Court’s decision. Gucci, Levi’s, and Capri Holdings

Given the tempestuous nature of today’s unrelenting news cycle, one almost feels sorry for the fashion execs trying to get it right. To run a legitimate, functioning business you must appeal to as many people as possible; but to appeal to people, you must also find a niche and hone not just an identity, but an entire language of desirability. It’s about culture building.

For some brands, society, taste and the zeitgeist have moved on faster than they have, leaving them looking like the wrong kind of throwback. Consider Victoria’s Secret. Once upon a time, the U.S. lingerie retailer’s annual show was one of the biggest events on the fashion calendar, a razzmatazz no-expense-spared bacchanal of panties and professionally sculpted bodies. Then, a series of events (#MeToo, body positivity, the unraveling of Jeffrey Epstein) converged. We all left the chat before they did.

Or look at Abercrombie & Fitch. That tan, whitened-teeth, ripped, preppy aesthetic was one of the definitive looks at the turn of the millennium. Then, murmurs of racism and sex scandals (outlined in Netflix’s White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch documentary) plus, frankly, the evolution of collective taste rendered it too irrelevant.

Both brands have done an about-face and deliberately rewritten their aesthetic language to chime with more woke times. For Victoria’s Secret, the Angels are gone and in their place are new advocates like Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra Jonas who are famous, as The New York Times puts it, “for their achievements and not their proportions.” The company has repositioned itself for the female gaze and not the male one.

Meanwhile, A&F is doubling down on diversity with a social media campaign showcasing the very people it once excluded. A statement from CEO Fran Horowitz, who’s being credited with making the heritage brand cool again, included this promise: “We’re focused on inclusivity — and continuing that transformation is our enduring promise to you, our community.”

The sincerity of these makeovers is up to us, the buying public, to decide. But it’s starkly apparent that, despite multibillion-dollar sales figures, neither of these brands possesses the cultural clout they once did. In the time it took them to rework their mission statements, new names rose to the fore. For instance, diversity and inclusivity have always been part of the DNA of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie line. Authentic evolution is not just about optics.

• • • • •

And what of the clothes that you and I wear?

Most people I know would be mystified if I suggested that their sartorial choices were in any way dictated by politics. But ask them about the choices they made that morning (look at the choices you made this morning), and it’s unlikely they were governed entirely by practicality. Rather, we all communicate messages through our clothes. It’s how we express who we are, who we want to be. What we wear either unifies or separates us; fashion is our fast-track admission to our chosen communities.

Sometimes our intentions are obvious.

Consider Congresswoman Alexandria OcasioCortez’s “Tax the Rich” Brother Vellies dress at the 2021 Met Gala or actress Natalie Portman’s Dior cape worn at the 2020 Oscars embroidered with the names of snubbed female filmmakers.

You don’t need access to bespoke designer creations to say something. Widely available T-shirts, caps and totes fulfill the same literal

purpose: That’s hot! We should all be feminists! You are on Native land! These easily accessible, intentionally unremarkable pieces of apparel are “a means of communication to the masses, a walking billboard to communicate important facets of ourselves without saying a single word,” observes Kacion Mayers, editorial director of Dazed Media, which publishes Dazed & Confused, the British magazine that’s been at the forefront of youth culture since 1991.

But the meanings and messages are there, stealthily conveyed, in everything we wear. Often they’re quiet, aesthetically anonymous even, but still a nod and wink to those in the know. As Katimo’s Katya Timoshenko explains, when we buy clothes, we’re buying the “stories that stand behind these things. When I buy a new dress, not only do I want a new piece of clothing, I want to be part of the brand’s world.”

We now choose which brands to align ourselves with purposefully. And it works both ways; companies also carefully consider who they want to be affiliated with. Look at how Fred Perry withdrew its black and yellow polo shirt from sale in North America in 2020 after it was adopted by the far-right group Proud Boys. Or consider how fashion houses publicly distanced themselves from former first lady Melania Trump. (It wasn’t based on how the born clotheshorse and one-time model looked.)

It’s not only about who you don’t want wearing your clothes, but rather who you do. Today, brands are deliberately associating themselves with individuals who aren’t models or celebrities by trade, be it Proenza Schouler recruiting writer Ottessa Moshfegh to pen its fall/winter 2022 show notes or Mejuri jewelry (in collaboration with creative mastermind Jenna Lyons) casting trans actress Tommy Dorfman and journalist Noor Tagouri in its ad campaigns. Choices like this convey a clear message: We are a brand of substance as well as style.

So, no, it’s not a coincidence that Vice President Kamala Harris wore Black designers to the presidential inauguration or that actress Gemma Chan chose to celebrate designers of Asian heritage for the Crazy Rich Asians press tour. And when Beyoncé sings on this year’s tour-de-force album Renaissance that “this Telfar bag imported, Birkins, them shit’s in storage,” it’s a statement about so much more than a handbag; it’s about championing a queer Black designer. For her, Telfar’s Bushwick Birkin (available for less than $300) now trumps the clout of Hermès’s iconic handbag (which has sold for six figures). Beyoncé is vocally supporting inclusion and accessibility while asserting the authority and autonomy of Black people not only to exist in the world of luxury fashion but to shape it.

These are just a handful of examples of the public figures using clothes as shorthand for their values. “Now more than ever, what we buy represents who we are,” says Chineseborn, London-based, couture-trained designer Huishan Zhang. “Understanding how the things we own are made and what brands stand for is important to our clients.”

• • • •

The red carpet has become fertile ground for political expressions. Just look at singer Harry Styles: At once alpha and camp in his feather boas and pink sequins, he’s redefining masculinity for the mainstream. It’s a pertinent commentary on gender norms. Or consider the archival Versace dress Zendaya wore to the 2021 BET Awards, a deliberate homage to Beyoncé, who wore a shorter version to the same ceremony in 2003 (with its dual sustainable and style-literate credentials, vintage is a smart move). Or recall Kim Kardashian’s ultimate assertion of A-list power: donning the controversial Marilyn Monroe dress for this year’s Met Gala (not just a dress, the dress). It was a play for icon status rather than mere celebrity. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the likes of Selena Gomez, Katie Holmes and Sienna Miller repeatedly wearing Spanish high-street giant Mango — a gesture of accessibility, semaphoring a relatable, down-to-earth quality.

Rihanna is, in my books, an expert political dresser. It doesn’t seem born out of a desire to be provocative, but rather in her complete ease in her own skin. During her pregnancy, she refused to toe the maternity muumuu line. Instead, she leaned into turbo-charged, fashion-fluent glamour with a hefty dose of sexiness, wearing everything from a sheer Dior negligee to a custom Coperni crop top. Even in 2022, this could still shock.

To see not just a woman’s body, but a pregnant woman’s body, in all its unapologetic magnificence felt important. That Rihanna is also a Black woman — a demographic so

often told to know their place — is notable. With every look she said, Know my place? This is my place! Rather than fit the narrative, she rewrote it. Don’t tell me that wasn’t political.

I would argue that dressing sexy is, for women, often an intrinsically political move. A short skirt does not mean we’re “asking for it.” In the summer of 1994, Princess Diana’s black off-the-shoulder revenge dress spelled her emancipation from the royal family. In the 1970s, Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap dress became a symbol of sexual empowerment (no zips or buttons made it easier to slip out of a bedroom without waking someone). And today? We have Lizzo, who absolutely refuses to hide her beautiful body — a more powerful expression of a woman’s ownership of her own sexuality than any motivational quote could ever be.

“Fashion is silly at times. It’s also provocative, upending, challenging and meaningful.”

• • • • •

Similarly, when actress Florence Pugh attended the Valentino haute couture show earlier this year in a gown that revealed her nipples, she received sadly predictable, entirely anticipated backlash. But guess what? She owned it and used it as an opportunity to call out the behavior. “What’s been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman’s body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ve lived in my body for a long time. I’m fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it.”

Pugh’s confidence was certainly admirable, but most must rely on quieter, safer-for-work methods to make ourselves heard. I can’t imagine that any of us have much in common with Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, yet there are lessons we can learn from how they approach fashion. The duchesses are both expert diplomatic dressers, proficient in the art of the covert sartorial statement. They re-wear pieces to assuage any accusations of Marie Antoinette–esque opulence; they dress in the colors of the countries they’re visiting; they champion homegrown designers.

Since Markle departed England for America, there have been subtle changes in her wardrobe that signify an ambition beyond her current role. To some, they indicate a desire to move into capital P politics. It might look unremarkable, but those capacious handbags and sleek folios she has carried on trips to the United Nations (despite, no doubt, having plenty of people to tote her stuff around for her) speak volumes: I am busy. I have important things to do that cannot wait.

Fashion is a dialogue, not a monologue. For many of us, it’s the easiest tool at our disposal for communicating to those around us not just how we want to look, but how we want the world to look, too. What the explicit style statements and the below-the-radar moves, the thrift shop finds and the extravagant custom gowns all remind us is that fashion indeed does matter.

Which brings me back to July’s couture collections. Texas-born Daniel Roseberry opened the week with a dazzling Schiaparelli collection (coincidentally, the designer behind Lady Gaga’s presidential inauguration look, finished with a dove of peace brooch as a beautifully political statement). He addressed the very purpose of fashion head-on in his show notes.

“All of us who work in fashion know that much of the rest of the world thinks that what we do is silly,” he wrote. “It’s a boring criticism, and we all argue otherwise, but if you think about it, fashion is silly at times. It’s also provocative, upending, challenging and meaningful. It’s breathtaking. It’s beautiful.”

He’s right. Fashion can be all those things and more, all at once. And isn’t there a political purpose in beauty, anyway? It’s hopeful; it says life is worth showing up for. I’m not surprised that post-pandemic, people couldn’t wait to dress up again, sending sales of party dresses and high heels soaring. To wear something solely because it’s beautiful is a gesture of respect not only to oneself but to the world around us.

Another thing I’m familiar with in my role as a fashion editor is the need to defend the existence of fashion. I’m armed with retorts for the skeptics: It’s an industry that employs millions of people globally. It’s an art; if we’re not to question the purpose of a Beethoven symphony or a Picasso painting, I don’t see why we should a Valentino gown. Fashion is more than just clothes; it’s a megaphone and an expression of self. It’s about saying we want to be seen, but also heard.

In anxious times, it’s easy to feel silenced, but fashion can help amplify the voices we do have. Will a pretty blouse make you go to a polling place? No. Does buying a handbag replace grassroots activism? Again, nope. But can fashion help shape the world for the better? Yes, I like to think it can.

Even today, not everyone has the right to wear what they want, how they want. It’s still a privilege to dress with freedom. Yes, fashion can be silly, but there’s also sincerity and substance to be found within that silliness. To think it isn’t political is to miss the point entirely.

For more on the politics of fashion, including top first lady looks and the most political fashion moments throughout history, visit ArtfulLiving.com

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Experience the Best with Coldwell Banker®

In today’s dynamic real estate market, having an experienced agent who can help you navigate it is vital. Whether buyer or selling, you want the best of the best, and that’s exactly what you get with a Coldwell Banker Realty affiliated agent.

We’ve been representing luxury properties for 116 years and are proud of our incredible track record in luxury real estate sales. Today, we continue to provide exceptional service to buyers and sellers in our own communities and around the world. On average, Coldwell Banker ® agents handled $267 million in $1 million+ home sales each day with an average sales price of $1.9 million in 2021 1 . It's not a surprise that Coldwell Banker Realty is the leader in luxury real estate sales in the Twin Cities area 2

When you work with a Coldwell Banker agent, you gain access to a variety of incredible resources. Take for instance the RealVitalize ® program, which helps with home improvements and repairs to prep your home for sale—we cover the upfront costs and we get paid back when your home sells 3 . There’s also Exclusive Look, which privately markets your home to our powerful network of agents before it hits multiple listing services and online sites. These are just a few of the programs and resources available to give you an edge in the market.

There really are so many benefits to working with a Coldwell Banker agent. So take a moment and look through the impressive properties in the enclosed Autumn Property Gallery.

We also want to thank those who have entrusted the sale of their home to our talented agents. If you’re considering selling or buying a home, get started today by contacting a Coldwell Banker Realty affiliated agent or visiting ColdwellBankerHomes.com .

Matt Baker President

Minnesota and Western Wisconsin Coldwell Banker Realty

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at participating brokerages. RealVitalize is not

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Banker System nor any of its respective franchisees or affiliated

George W. Stickney

David Stickney

Kevin Stickney

KRISTI WEINSTOCK

200 WILDHURST ROAD | EXCELSIOR

BR 5 BA

Blending contemporary design with traditional charm, this turnkey home is sure to impress.

sandy lakeshore on beautiful Crescent Beach in the Minnetonka school district. Designed by Mike Sharrat and built in 2001 by Narr Construction, every detail has been executed using the finest materials and finished to superior standards.

3600 NORTHOME ROAD | DEEPHAVEN

BR 8 BA |

Exceptional custom home on an estate-like setting, situated on a private 2.37-acre lot set amongst nature and mature trees. Decadent and quality finishes at every turn. Modern open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, great room concept and walls of west facing windows overlooking a pond and pool with seasonal lake views.

19645 MANOR ROAD | DEEPHAVEN

Stunning custom home on a private and

3931 TONKAWOOD ROAD | MINNETONKA

main level

with

walk-out lower-level with

Exceptional walk-out rambler with on trend MCM flair offers main floor living with fabulous entertaining spaces!

fully refreshed residence features open public rooms, tons of natural

and

wooded

JEFFREY

KRISTA WOLTER

457TH PLACE

FARM ISLAND TOWNSHIP

MONARCH

Renaissance Florence was a hub of inventiveness and creativity, and artist Sandro Botticelli was at the center of it all. This major exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Uffizi stars that rarely travel outside Italy. And with a dozen works by Botticelli himself, it is one of the most comprehensive shows on the artist ever staged in the United States.

HOUSE OF GLASS

JOHN KRAEMER & SONS AND CHARLIE & CO. DESIGN CREATE A MODERN LAKE MINNETONKA RETREAT. BY MERRITT BAMRICK

YOU MIGHT NOT CATCH IT AT FIRST — THE GLASS BOX HOME TUCKED INTO THE WOODS OFF MAXWELL BAY.

That’s because the simple rectangular form was crafted to complement the lakeshore site, not compete with it. “What stands out to me is how perfectly it’s designed onto the land,” shares John Kraemer, vice president and director of sales and marketing for John Kraemer & Sons. He had previously worked with the clients on a more traditional house, but everyone was excited to build something totally different on the lake: a 5,500-square-foot modern retreat that fosters a connection to the outdoors.

The property spans nearly 10 acres and brims with the best of Minnesota landscape: rolling hills and bluffs, prairie fields, wetlands, heavily wooded forests, and, of course, iconic Lake Minnetonka. “At the very first meeting, we established that we wanted to blur the lines of indoor/outdoor,” says Charlie Simmons, founding principal and designer at Charlie & Co. Design, who worked in tandem with architect Anthon Ellis on this project. The duo took their cues from the site to celebrate the natural beauty the clients were drawn to.

There was one source of inspiration in particular: a grouping of lodgepole pines. Soaring high into the sky, the trees immediately offered a sense of place and inspired some of the earliest design choices. The slender trunks are mimicked in the verticality of the distressed cedar siding, 10-foot-tall sliding glass doors and trellis-like wooden slats that adorn a stunning skylight in the living room. “The pines are pivotal, because you see them before you even enter the house,” explains Ellis, who positioned the structure as close to the trees as possible (without disturbing the roots, of course). A flat roof keeps sightlines clear, with the trees dramatically exploding beyond the plane.

Once inside, you’re enveloped in natural light and sweeping water vistas. The team stripped away the walls on the lakeside, infilling steel posts with three bays of Marvin sliding glass doors. “It’s 60 feet of dynamic views,” Kraemer notes. But why

should walls have all the fun? A continuous skylight spans the entire public area of the main level, stretching from the kitchen cabinetry to the living room fireplace. It’s lined with wooden slats to filter the late afternoon sun while creating interesting shadow play.

Interior designer Jeremy Wunderlich thoughtfully brought a bright approach, selecting light oak floors throughout and applying a soft stucco with a slightly textured finish to the ceiling and certain walls. It captures the magic of the natural light while beautifully balancing rustic materials like the Friesian limestone featured on the fireplace and entry wall and the dark cedar siding that wraps from the exterior into the living room.

A step through the sliding glass doors reveals an outdoor area fit for both entertaining and respite. The patio is equal to the length of the house, with dedicated space for everything from a family dinner to a solo sunbath, and is covered by a deep roof overhang. Down past the pines sits a detached porch that’s open-air most days but, with the flip of a switch, transforms into a protected hideaway thanks to Phantom screens. Farther afield, an organically placed footpath designed by Topo leads to a hot tub built right into the bluffs, boasting a remarkable lake view even while tucked amongst the trees.

Another standout feature is the two-story glass bridge connecting the public and private zones of the home. It’s complemented by an adjoining light well, which ushers extra brightness into the lower level bedrooms and living area and doubles as a sunken garden. The team even planted two maple saplings in the space as a “thank you” to the inspirational site. “It’s a beautiful tie-in of old and new,” notes Simmons, adding that the young trees have already grown past the first story of glass.

Just like nature itself, the design and build process is ever evolving. “We’re constantly working to find solutions that are even better than what we originally planned,” says Kraemer, a sentiment echoed by the entire team. But one thing is certain: Letting nature shine sure seems like a good place to start.

SMALL WONDER

DESIGNER BRUCE KADING TURNS HIS TALENTS TO HIS OWN KITCHEN.

BY WENDY LUBOVICH

TWIN CITIES INTERIOR DESIGNER BRUCE KADING IS A PATIENT man. He waited 46 years to finally renovate the cozy kitchen in the 1930s Tudor where he and his wife, Marcia, have lived since 1976. The reason for the delay? Kading was simply too busy helping loyal clients create their own dream homes. “I didn’t want to do it until I could do it right,” he says.

Finally in 2022 the opportunity arose, and Kading took it. Tucked along Minnehaha Parkway in Minneapolis, the residence carries a graceful grandeur, with plaster cove ceilings and arched doorways and windows. The idea was to bring that same ambiance into the kitchen, then mix in plenty of modern-day practicality. “My wife needed the space to function well, and I wanted to add lots of detail,” he explains.

Kading started with the kitchen sink, which quickly became a focal point. Specially chosen for its deep, dramatic size, the apron sink is set into a custom-built walnut cabinet that oozes with sophistication. Its two pilasters flank the white basin, while elaborate trim frames the entire console. “I wanted it to look like an antique piece of furniture,” he notes. “It adds a sense of history.”

Known for his layered approach, which expertly blends antiques with subtle variations of color, texture and form, Kading has an encyclopedic knowledge of design periods. So it’s no surprise he brought that same rigor to his own kitchen, where dozens of aesthetic touches add up to a nuanced whole.

Case in point: The upper cabinetry is painted a soft white, while the lower cabinetry is just a hint darker, all to add a subtle play of tone. The glass tile backsplash shimmers in gradations of blue, gray and aubergine (Marcia’s favorite color), lending a vintage vibe and blending softly with the adjacent dining room. Above the stove, a custom hood gleams with a

burnished pewter patina. One thing you won’t see here? The dishwasher, which is hidden behind a faux panel that looks like three drawers; same goes for garbage storage.

But what’s perhaps most appealing is the diminutive nature of the space — too small even for a center island. Kading has certainly designed spacious kitchens for clients, but he’s quite happy to honor the original size of his own. After all, bigger isn’t always better. “It functions quite well; I can walk two steps to get anywhere,” he observes. “There’s a lot of interest in smaller, cozier kitchens again, because with an open kitchen, it’s harder to hide the mess.”

And while this space is indeed on the petite side, the design packs a very big punch. The walls are painted a rich aubergine, offering a vibrant pop against the otherwise neutral palette. Turns out there’s a story behind that color (Benjamin Moore Black Raspberry 2072-20); it was inspired by a piece of pottery the couple purchased on a European vacation back in 2005. “We were in Italy and bought this pot with bright sunflowers and shades of aubergine and plum,” Kading recalls. “We always said we were going to design our kitchen around it.”

So they did just that. The beloved vessel now has a special place in the updated kitchen, lovingly tucked on an upper shelf — a keepsake of the Kadings’ love of travel and food. It’s one of the many reasons this space has quickly become a family favorite, the ideal gathering spot where the couple can entertain their daughter, son-in-law and seven grandchildren. It’s living proof that even after four decades, good things do indeed come to those who wait.

For a closer look into Bruce Kading’s kitchen, head to ArtfulLiving.com.

THE NEW

BY ALYSSA LEE

NAUTICAL

MA PETERSON CRAFTS A COASTAL CHIC SANCTUARY.

BY WENDY LUBOVICH

IT’S PURE AMERICANA: THE DREAM OF LIVING BY THE SEA IN an abode with open views of the shifting tides. That was the idea when MA Peterson set out to create a new house in Cottagewood — only instead, this 4,000-square-foot residence is set along the shoreline of Lake Minnetonka. “I lived in New England for most of my twenties, and I’ve always loved the classic homes along the Atlantic Coast,” the owner explains. “Our goal was to build an authentic Cape Cod shingle-style home, and I think we accomplished that beautifully.”

This home carries that kiss of the sea, complete with a breezy palette, broad vistas and easy charm. From day one, the goal was to optimize the exhilarating views of the lake, some of the best in the area. So they focused on the living room, where three large picture windows highlight the glistening water, like framing a work of art. And then there’s the little magic trick built into the space. During the day, a long bench seat hugs the windows, making this the quintessential spot to read a book. But come evening, press a button and a large pop-up TV gently rises out of the bench, perfect for movie night.

It’s these nuanced, often hidden details that delight. In the main sitting area, for instance, a wall is clad in wood paneling painted a crisp white. But you’d never know it has a secret door that leads into the owner’s suite — a stylish surprise to be sure. There’s also a two-story tower with endless glass to maximize views. And in the dining room, a four-way vaulted ceiling boasts accent lighting with a golden glow. “It’s about clean details that are not overly embellished, creating understated shadowing with subtle drama,” notes MA Peterson Owner/Chief Designer Mark Peterson.

For four decades, the Edina firm has been designing, building and renewing houses that feel like private sanctuaries. Recognized both locally and nationally for its exacting detail, the company prides itself on creating forever homes that are tailored to each individual client. Collaboration is key, and MA Peterson is known for its seamless partnerships with craftspeople, interior designers and even outside architects.

For this latest project, the client had recently become an empty nester and was looking for a new residence to enjoy both on his own and when his two adult daughters visit. The team partnered with Katie Bassett Interiors, who added a quiet sense of coastal chic. Cream-colored furnishings ground the main sitting and dining areas, where a pair of blue-and-white striped chairs provides the pop — a restrained nod to all things nautical. Meanwhile in the airy kitchen, cane-backed stools capture the breezy feel of the beach.

While there’s plenty of panache, there’s also a savvy dose of Midwestern practicality built right in. That’s especially evident on the lower level, where a screened-in room can be converted to a cozy heated space come winter. Plus there’s no need to worry about the intense western sunlight; hidden motorized blinds take care of that. And although it’s not visible from the outside, a generous storage room offers easy access to the lake.

All of these special touches make this bespoke home a joy to live in. True to the mission, it’s a little bit of Cape Cod in Minnesota, a long-awaited chance for this empty nester to celebrate life along the water. “The only thing missing is the ocean,” the owner teases, “but the views of the lake are pretty spectacular.”

OUTSIDE

THE

A NEW HENDEL HOMES PROJECT EMBRACES ART AND NATURE. BY JENNIFER BLAISE KRAMER

DUBBED THE “WHITE GLASS BOX ON THE HILL,” THIS DWELLING LITERALLY checks all the boxes. The owner, a single woman moving from Chicago to the Twin Cities to be near family, wanted a small and striking house that was close to quaint downtown Afton yet surrounded by nature. After finding the perfect lot, she tapped Hendel Homes to begin the dream weaving process.

“The client didn’t need a lot of space, but she wanted it to fit the way she lives,” notes principal Amy Hendel, who enlisted James McNeal Architecture and Design. The team delivered just enough space with 2,000 square feet staggered among a series of modern, monochromatic boxes. Done in mostly black and white inside and out, the rooms include a primary suite, guest room, mudroom, mini office and great room, plus a large covered porch for entertaining.

Although grandchildren are among the frequent visitors, the heart of the home features a custom de Giulio centerpiece that Hendel calls “not your little kid kitchen.” This grown-up zone was made to precisely fit every item, with custom features and lighting at every turn. Iceberg quartzite counters are paired with dovetail custom cabinetry and trim work in cool stainless steel, nickel and mirror. Hidden panels in the backsplash remain streamlined when closed yet open up to a spice cabinet and pantry. Like the rest of the abode, everything is black, white and gray, a palette complemented by six-inch white oak floorboards, sliding doors and oversize windows that let the outdoors flow in.

“She loves nature and wanted large picture windows to frame the art outside,” Hendel says. While the setting is walkable to town, it’s also incredibly private, protected from road noise and full of big, beautiful trees and fields. Snippets of these views look more like snapshots when taken in from strategic windows set at eye level for watching sunsets or snowfalls from comfy armchairs. Given that the client also has an impressive art collection, the challenge became balancing window placement to showcase the natural beauty outside yet retaining enough wall

space to display her paintings and sculptures inside. Once that was determined, it was a team effort to maintain a sense of calm and serenity.

To strike the right tone, Pamela Cariveau of Coco Perry Design chose organic textiles and neutral materials, from creamy tiles and ceramics to muted mohair and woods, to keep things modern yet quiet, complementing the surroundings. “It was important that the interior materials of this home create a dialog between architecture and nature,” she notes. “The subtle colors create a perfect

frame for the surrounding landscape.”

While working with a restrained palette, the designer brought in some striking pieces that played up the existing art collection. One feat was the Bocci dining room light fixture from Filament that’s hand fabricated by draping sheets of thin porcelain over diffusers, resulting in unique shapes for each and every shade.

“From the first moment I saw the renderings of this home, I imagined this cluster of porcelain pendants to complement the lines of the architecture and bring an organic playfulness to the space in the same way that

her art lives in the home,” says Cariveau. “Much to my surprise, when it came time to unbox her art, I came across a Robert Vickrey piece in which the nuns’ habits looked much like the Bocci light fixture shades. This was one of those perfect visual moments that had not been planned!”

More playfulness pops up in accent rooms, from the paper tiger in the office to the patterned wallpaper in the powder room. The muted Schumacher wall coverings made famous in rocker Mick Jagger’s flat are adorned here with organic stone glass blob pendants — another opportunity to spin subtle colors and exciting shapes into a modern, artistic interior statement while not overpowering the beauty outside.

“I love how we created vignettes that marry art, artifact and architecture with the landscape,” Cariveau shares. “By carefully weaving the organic undertones of all the bespoke finishes, each space flows seamlessly to the next while maintaining a connection to nature.”

ADVENTURE

ANDREW

foot loose AN ODE TO THE UTTERLY AMERICAN COWBOY BOOT.

BY LAURA SCHARA PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY SULLIVAN

THE COWBOY BOOT: A QUINTESSENTIAL ICON IN THE STYLE world. It’s fascinating to me that footwear originally worn by cattle herders traveling from Mexico to the United States in the 1600s has landed in the fashion hall of fame. Not only do cowboy boots never go out of style, they’re also season-less. No need to pack them away, as they pair perfectly with your favorite summer sundress or a great pair of jeans come fall.

For years, cowboy boots were the foundation of functional footwear for working men on cattle farms and ranches. The comfortable yet practical boot didn’t become a fashion statement until the late 1970s, when Ralph Lauren debuted them on his runway. From there, Princess Diana was seen tucking her jeans into cowboy boots, and since then, they’ve always had a place at the top of the trend curve. Today, you can find them in endless colors, prints and patterns. Old Gringo is one of my favorite brands, effortlessly combining high-quality craftsmanship with unique style.

My personal obsession with cowboy boots began at a very young age. My dad was a fan, so I needed to literally follow in his footsteps with my own pair of “buckaroos.” I loved the sound they made as I clomped throughout the garage following him around as he tinkered with his fishing boat. My obsession grew so deep that I wore my cowboy boots every day with the same pair of red jeans with a banana patch on the pocket. In fact, my mom had to call the elementary school to let them know I indeed had other clothes but refused to wear anything other than my beloved cowboy boots and jeans.

My Justins, as they’re called in the cowboy world, would travel with me to my grandmother’s farm, where I learned to ride horses. As I grew older, my love for the Western world continued to develop. My sister and I got into barrel racing, a rodeo sport where you and your horse take hairpin turns around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern as fast as you possibly can. This sport required cowboy boots as functional equipment, and I was all for it. I saved up my money and bought a pair of Roper boots. They were the soft leather lace-up style and a bright cherry red color, which brought plenty of fashion flair to the rodeo arena. That was more than 20 years ago; I still own those boots, and they’re still in style today.

There’s just something about the American spirit of the cowboy boot. Once you put them on your feet, your soul takes on this energetic grit and strength that our forefathers needed to survive and succeed in the 1800s and early 1900s. I don’t see the cowboy boot ever going out of style, as it’s so deeply embedded in our history, culture and fashion. Plus, once you and your boots spend some long miles together, they’re as comfortable as house slippers. It’s incredible that a simple boot can be a legendary part of American history yet remain so fashionable for so many years. I forever hold my cowboy boots close to my heart as the memories made and the trails traveled together will never be forgotten.

Laura Schara is a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and cohost of the television series Minnesota Bound.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SLIM AARONS

SMOOTH SAILING

TWO WEEKS ON A BOAT WITH NO WI-FI, NO AIR CONDITIONING AND NO CONNECTION TO THE REAL WORLD? NO PROBLEM.

BY ANNE RODERIQUE-JONES

I’M TOLD I LEARNED TO SWIM BEFORE I could walk. My dad tossed toddler me like a pebble into Missouri’s Table Rock Lake, and I apparently took to the water as if I had fins. My family had a modest lake house in the Ozarks where I learned to water ski as a child. We’d take our small boat out fishing or tie up in a cove to jump off the rugged bluffs. It wasn’t anything fancy, but we were boat people — the sort of folks who establish their own onboard etiquette, converse about wake zones and host cocktail hour on the dock.

I’m now a New Yorker living in a high-rise apartment, where my husband and I are lulled to sleep by a soundtrack of honking taxis and ambulance sirens. I’m no longer among my family of boat people, but my job as a travel writer allows me to occasionally trade in the concrete jungle for the waves: surfing in Hawaii, swimming with sharks, paddling with a dog on a standup paddleboard. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to 50+ countries, but the best experience to date was two weeks spent on a boat.

First, let me be transparent: I’m borderline vain. I religiously highlight my hair, get pricked with Botox, laser my body, tattoo my eyebrows and have an embarrassing amount of shoes. Sure, I grew up as a boat person, but I traded in my deck shoes for wedges long ago, and I admit I felt trepidation about such an adventure. Oh, and did I mention this was our captain’s maiden voyage?

One of our close friends had spent his free time obtaining his ASA 104 captain’s license, clocking hours out of Jersey City. A lover of sports, booze and good times, he was the ideal candidate for a sailor with a mouth to match; his wild side was rivaled only by his deeply analytical nature. So of course we signed up to be guinea pigs on his first solo sail.

Our group of seven friends and strangers in our thirties arrived in St. Lucia for what felt

like a Real World reunion at sea. Our home for the trip? Carto Wines, a 43-foot Beneteau Oceanis monohull cruiser with three cabins and three heads (shop talk: three bedrooms, three toilets), a dining table, a gas stove/oven, a fridge and a sink. There was no Wi-Fi and no air conditioning — no problem, right?

The journey officially kicked off at La Soufrière volcano, where we covered our bodies in mud and soaked in the hot waters. This felt somewhat ceremonious, as if we were washing away our everyday lives, and offered a hint of what was to come: Adventures aren’t always pretty, but they’re often exhilarating.

The next morning, we debriefed on what would be our biggest sail. It was during this time that we settled into our roles: preparing group meals, whipping up cocktail hours, creating the proper playlists and, of course, handling onboard safety. The last of which would prove clutch during the nine-hour sail to Bequia: Our steering wheel chain broke, forcing us to use the emergency tiller to direct the boat. If this weren’t concerning enough, we were also battling a squall; at one point, I looked up to see our sail cresting the water’s edge. But our trusty captain “steered” (I use the term loosely given the circumstances) us to safety, and we arrived with time to sip an icecold Hairoun beer on the beach.

Many of our stops were reachable only by boat, providing adventures that were unique and intimate — and sometimes a bit strange. In the Tobago Cays, I snorkeled among colorful fish, sleek stingrays and graceful sea turtles. (The moment would have been perfect for Instagram, but I’d long forgotten about social media.) On Jamesby, we climbed a cacti-dotted bluff that revealed impossibly blue waters below. In Carriacou, we held a makeshift standup paddleboard yoga class. There was Happy Island, a tiny plop of sand with nothing more than a dive beach bar; then Mayreau,

where we concluded our evening in the wee hours belting out “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” alongside the reggae bar owner, who had a serious penchant for Celine Dion.

By week two, I had ditched my makeup, shoes of any sort and the boat bedroom, which had become beyond stuffy. Instead, I slept out on the bow under a blanket of stars and bathed in the ocean waters. Sunburnt and salty, I had found my sea legs — and I had officially returned to my boat people roots.

On our last day, we swam to the depths of Grenada’s Molinere Bay. Artist and environmentalist Jason deCaires Taylor created the world’s first underwater sculpture park here in 2006, home to 70+ works, like the notable “Vicissitudes.” The ring of life-size figures, cast from local children, is linked through held hands — a hauntingly beautiful image evoking a sense of strength and stability.

At one point in the trip, I took a mental picture: Against the backdrop of a setting sun, wet swimsuits and towels hung from the boat railing. My husband was making burgers on the small grill, the smell of dinner mingling with salt and sunscreen. There were no horns or sirens, no smartphones or laptops. It seemed we had discovered the key to happiness: life on the bow of a boat.

Upon returning to land and to reality, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror (something I’d not done for two weeks), and the image shocked me. My hair resembled a bird’s nest, my skin was wrinkled from the sun and my nails looked as if I’d gone rock climbing barefoot. But I felt glorious. Much like that cleansing volcanic mud bath, it was as if I had peeled away a layer to reveal something — or someone — new. To me, boat people are the sort who believe that experiences, not material objects, are what make one content. And while I won’t be abandoning my high heels again any time soon, I couldn’t agree more.

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HORSE

WITH THE WORLD EQUESTRIAN CENTER, OCALA IS OFFICIALLY A HORSE HAVEN.

BY KATE NELSON

PROVIDED

ANDREW

RYBACK

WORLD EQUESTRIAN

UNTIL RECENTLY, OCALA DIDN’T TOP MANY TRAVELERS’ bucket lists. But with the addition of the World Equestrian Center, the Central Florida city is quickly edging out Lexington, Kentucky, and Wellington, Florida, as America’s horse capital. This world-class sporting complex represents the country’s largest equestrian facility, plus it boasts the only five-star accommodations in town with the Equestrian Hotel. In short, Ocala has officially become a horse haven, attracting athletes and aficionados alike.

Spread across nearly 400 acres (with another 300 earmarked for future development), WEC features 22 indoor and outdoor arenas, including the breathtaking 128,000-square-foot Grand Arena — no doubt the property’s pièce de résistance, situated adjacent to the Equestrian Hotel with unparalleled views. The vast complex is also home to seven restaurants, 25 barns, a veterinary hospital, two exposition centers, a chapel and more.

Competitive equestrians from across the globe and across all disciplines, from jumping to dressage to Western pleasure, are clamoring at the opportunity to show here. No detail was overlooked in developing this exceptional equine-first facility, including discipline-specific footing, dedicated bridle paths and comfortable, climatecontrolled stabling that houses nearly 3,000 horses.

The complex is also expertly equipped to host future international events, such as Olympic Games and World Cups. Unsurprisingly, WEC’s debut has sparked a land rush, with savvy equestrians buying up nearby acreage and even abandoning longtime horse hot spot Wellington for Ocala’s laidback lifestyle and more temperate climate.

The Equestrian Hotel is a horse lover’s fantasy. The inn’s 248 elegantly appointed rooms and suites are dripping in custom decor, from the horse motif carpet lining the hallways to the bedside lamps resembling show trophies. The striking lobby, with its 20-foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, sets the tone from the minute guests walk in the door. Exquisite original artwork is showcased throughout, with each of the five floors acting as an immersive gallery for a different artist. It’s truly a bucket list stay for anyone with an equine appreciation.

Discerning travelers will be delighted by the hotel’s luxe trappings: fine dining, the serene Calluna Spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, well-equipped event and meeting spaces, a relaxing outdoor pool, and plentiful walking paths. High-end shopping here includes a Lugano

Diamonds outpost, the cheerful Mr. Pickles & Sailor Bear Toy Shoppe, and more, with exciting additions on the way and even more clothing, tack and gear shops peppered throughout the palatial property.

Among the Equestrian Hotel’s seven eateries, the premier culinary offering is fine-dining flagship Stirrups, which overlooks the Grand Arena and specializes in steaks, chops and sustainable seafood. The restaurant’s terrace also acts as the venue for Saturday night VIP Viewing and Dining Experiences, with a delectable threecourse chef’s dinner served up right alongside the show-jumping action. The boisterous Yellow Pony is where athletes, owners, spectators and locals gather for craft beer, pub fare and camaraderie after a long day of riding. And there’s a reason Emma’s Patisserie has a line out the door each morning.

Executive Pastry Chef Yohann Le Bescond’s sweet creations — think buttery croissants, French macarons and almosttoo-pretty-to-eat entremets — are most certainly the best part of waking up in Ocala.

The beauty of WEC is that you don’t need to be an equestrian to appreciate all it has to offer, which is precisely how its proprietors planned it. It’s all part of the Roberts family’s vision for a Central Florida golf and equestrian wonderland. The horse-loving clan (who has for decades owned an equestrian facility in Ohio of the same name) is singlehandedly responsible for reshaping Ocala, with trucking magnate Ralph “Larry” and wife Mary leading the way. Their dream was partially realized with the 1987 development of the adjacent private Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, which boasts a riveting 18-hole championship course designed by Ron Garl, three restaurants, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a spa and salon, a stately clubhouse, and 10 distinct neighborhoods of high-end homes and vacation rentals.

And when WEC and the Equestrian Hotel opened in 2021, their vision officially came to life. But the big plans don’t stop there. Over the years, the Roberts have amassed an impressive 6,000 acres of land here, including the notable Ocala Jockey Club. They recently broke ground on a second hotel on the WEC property (set to open in 2024), plus there are talks of additional residential offerings, including miniature farms.

Thanks to the World Equestrian Center and its visionary proprietors, Ocala has officially become America’s premier horse destination. The Roberts’ dedication to the sport is inspiring, and their massive impact evident. They’ve fulfilled not only their own dreams, but that of equestrians and horse admirers the world over.

ARM

THE LOUPE BRINGS EXCLUSIVE LUXURY JEWELRY TO MINNEAPOLIS. BY MERRITT BAMRICK

SOMETHING SPECIAL IS HAPPENING at The Loupe. The luxury jewelry boutique quietly came onto the scene as a concept for JB Hudson Jewelers, but since 2021 is finding its own fashion-forward footing with CEO and Creative Director Kiki McMillan leading the now privately owned specialty shop. She pairs her New York City design prowess with Fashion Director Dee Hewitt’s Los Angeles style savvy to bring their industry knowledge and passion to Minneapolis.

A few steps into Martin Patrick 3 reveals the 400-square-foot boutique, which provides a jewelry collection and shopping experience unlike anything the Midwest has ever seen. “We focus on brands and artists who are thriving on the coasts, but haven’t yet had much exposure here,” McMillan explains. Even since initial concepting, the duo knew they wanted to showcase designers with artisan appeal. “It made for the perfect partnership with Martin Patrick 3,” Hewitt adds.

The Loupe’s collection, which currently features 18 designers, is a well-rounded and thoughtful curation, but also a dynamic one — consistently offering the most contemporary designs on the market. The story behind each piece, be it the craftsmanship, the technique or the inspiration, is what sets The Loupe apart. “Storytelling is in our DNA,” Hewitt punctuates, noting the team’s editorial approach to merchandising. They go a step beyond the trends, bringing a fashion editor’s eye to fine jewelry.

For McMillan, it’s about more than clients making a purchase. “It’s about going beyond what’s beautiful and understanding the selection of that particular piece,” she says. Tastemakers and trendsetters can shop The Loupe a few ways, the latest being by private appointment. New this year is dedicated space in the Colonial Warehouse building, just above the boutique, where individual shopping experiences encourage a special connection to the collection. Whether a one-on-one styling appointment or an elegant afternoon with friends, clients can expect service as luxe as the gems themselves.

Ah yes, the gems — think multicolor emerald and sapphire, decadent opal, and audacious tourmaline for fall. McMillan and Hewitt typically are a bit quieter with color, but they say there’s no denying the deep, rich hues for autumn, made contemporary by unique shape and scale. Large rings are in vogue again, from single- to multi-stone, and layered bracelets continue to trend but with a twist, like combining bangles and cuffs for some high-contrast, ultra personalized arm candy. Plus the team is excited to welcome new hoop earrings from designer Nancy Newberg, who’s known for creatively incorporating diamonds and stones into mixed metals.

“We see jewelry as wearable art,” Hewitt shares. She points to the creations of designers like Kimberly McDonald, Irene Neuwirth and Silvia Furmanovich, who bring a bit of the unexpected to Minneapolis from New York City, Los Angeles and São Paulo, respectively. It’s a keen reminder that exceptional jewelry knows no bounds — a story The Loupe will continue to tell for years to come.

Farmers!

It’s a story that never gets old. Kowalski’s has once again been named a Minnesota Grown Retailer of the Year! We couldn’t do it without the support and partnership of our local farmers and distributors. We thank these businesses for their help in supplying Kowalski’s customers with the best of the best local produce year-round:

UNTIEDT’S VEGETABLE FARM

RUSS DAVIS WHOLESALE

BUSHEL BOY

URBAN GREENS

REVOL GREENS FIRESIDE ORCHARD

ROB’S GOURMET GREENS

THE GREENSTED

MINNESOTA’S BEST ORGANIC GARLIC FOREST TO FORK

PYRAMID SPROUTERS LIVING GREEN SALADS

thank you, ...and many more!

WHITE BEADS DRAPE DOWN PILLARS IN THE DAYTON’S OVAL Room in downtown Minneapolis. A woman known simply as Madame A rules the floor. She’s dressed in all black and carries an alligator bag the size of a fox. Her hair is pulled back in a tight bun, exposing one white and one black pearl earring. Sales girls often find her in the stockroom, smoking a long, flat European cigarette.

Jeanne Auerbacher ran the Oval Room for decades. The space, adorned with petite table sets and glowing lamps, didn’t have a scrap of clothing in sight. One had to ask Madame A for that. She lavished women in the likes of Hattie Carnegie and Gilbert Adrian, the Hollywood costume designer who created Judy Garland’s gingham Wizard of Oz pinafore

Madame A is just one of the many highlights of golden age department store grandeur. Places like Dayton’s were fashion-forward before the phrase had been coined. Even today, these landmark institutions remain important pillars of society, proving that shopping will always hold drama close to the heart.

Long before the tap of a button could summon an Amazon delivery van, department stores summoned the masses. In their earliest days in the 1880s, these shops functioned much like a village square, peddling wares like clothing and dry goods. Window displays did double duty as showpieces and a means of preventing overcrowding inside.

Through the years, department stores developed a flair for the dramatic. Windows were stuffed with World War II support efforts, Cinderella scenes, exotic animals, famous mannequins and even live celebrities. Attractions like an indoor ski hill drew crowds. Chic tearooms appealed to men with their power lunch potential. Elevator operators donned white gloves. Every detail was just right.

The Midwest became a retail mecca thanks to early department stores like Donaldson’s and Dayton’s as well as shopping centers like Southdale, America’s first fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall. Dubbed the Glass Block Store and labeled a “revelation to Minneapolis,” Donaldson’s burst

REVISITING THE STORIED PAST OF LUXURY DEPARTMENT STORES.

BY BRITTANY CHAFFEE

Shopping Spree

gunpowder from the rooftop on opening day in 1889. Trolleys brought marvelers to the five-story building bedecked with plate-glass windows and an interior courtyard.

Dayton’s debuted in downtown Minneapolis a few years later in 1902, boasting mahogany floors, green velvet carpet and a private fitting room. A 32-foot soda fountain and candy store sweetened children’s hearts. In 1919, Dayton’s even hired pilots to deliver goods to out-of-towners.

Speaking of fast-traveling fashion, Dayton’s was also the first American department store to carry sought-after London youthquake styles. Coveted sixties designer Mary Quant agreed to bring her collection and models to Minneapolis for a show aimed at college students. Because of all the buzz, British fashion sensation Twiggy — 17 and wispy at the time — even showed up to reveal her namesake collection.

Savvy retailers quickly realized shoppers would linger longer if they were properly amused and satiated. When it came to show room entertainment, the sky was the limit. The flagship Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City caused quite a commotion when it unveiled an indoor ski hill in 1935. Snow was made from Borax soap. Skiers could learn from top instructors

PHOTOGRAPHY

PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

like Sig Buchmayr. Women bought sportswear and après-ski attire apropos for post-slope dinner.

After all, shopping (skiing optional!) does stoke the appetite. St. Paul’s River Room, when it first opened in Schuneman’s in 1947, charmed with pink booths and crystal chandeliers. Ladies noshed on fresh salads while admiring fashion shows. Children enjoyed puppet breakfasts and matinees. The current Ordway musical inspired the monthly meal themes. Over in Minneapolis at Dayton’s, the 12th floor Oak Grill and Sky Room served up its infamous popovers as well as panoramic views of the downtown skyline, earning the nickname “the public’s penthouse.”

As for a suburban stunner, Southdale opened in nearby Edina in 1956. “Southdale is the first center to have a blight-proof community planned around it,” Austrian architect Victor Gruen told the Minneapolis Tribune at the time Plastic foliage peppered its marble interior. The so-called Garden Court of Perpetual Spring was designed to mimic Vienna’s town squares and featured a 21-foot-tall birdcage. Honorable mentions: a goldfish pond, a performance stage, a childcare center and even a small zoo.

Storefronts became pure theater, with retailers working hard to one-up each other with their riveting displays. In 1913, Chicago’s Siegel-Cooper set the standard by constructing the Brooklyn Bridge out of handkerchiefs. Dayton’s displayed the world’s first “living” mechanical elephant in 1922. In 1938, Lord & Taylor bleached cornflakes to turn its New York City storefront into a blustery winter wonderland. By the forties, families filled the streets to experience window unveilings, with crowds of city dwellers four-deep.

Flower displays served as a thank you to the community. Donaldson’s did it first in 1957, with an installation of 45,000 carnations portraying fairy-tale scenes from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel. Dayton’s followed shortly thereafter in 1960, when its storied eighth floor auditorium morphed into multiple gardens with some 100,000 blooms. A number of shows featured animals. One even included a live circus complete with three elephants, 15 ponies, five poodles, seals and leopards, many of them from St. Paul’s Como Zoo.

Of course, there’s no greater showstopper than show biz. In the seventies, window displays became temporary stages for pop culture powerhouses. The likes of Prince, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Whoopi

Goldberg, Joan Rivers and Magic Johnson posed in the front windows of Barneys New York, all thanks to pioneer provocateur window dresser Simon Doonan. “Everything has to have a little bit of a twist,” he once said. “A little bit of kookiness. A little je ne sais quoi ” Doonan helped set the stage, quite literally, for thinking outside the glass box.

Today, landmark stores the world over keep retail fresh and exciting. In Paris, Le Bon Marché has reading rooms for leisure seekers. In London, Selfridges has assembled a shrine-like shoe gallery. At Tokyo’s Isetan, guests enjoy some post-purchase R&R on the spacious rooftop garden. And back in the United States, the Mall of America is celebrating its 30th birthday this year — a strong statement about the enduring power of retail.

Take it from visionary RH CEO Gary Friedman: “Many who report on retail’s imminent death are overlooking the obvious — we are physical and social creatures,” he wrote in a memorandum dubbed “The Death of Retail is Overrated.” “History will demonstrate that the physical manifestation of a brand will prove to be the most compelling and cost-effective way to engage and inspire customers in a physical world.”

So when it comes to department stores, it seems we’re not far from the Madame A heyday. Everything that’s old is new again. At its core, shopping will always be centered around experience, an inspiring space blurring the lines between retail and reality.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT MCPARTLAND AND PATRICK WARD/POPPERFOTO

Level UP

MULTILEVEL MARKETING THE GREAT AMERICAN DREAM — OR THE GREAT AMERICAN SCHEME?

BY MARISA PETRARCA ILLUSTRATION BY KLAWE RZECZY

JILL DREHMER CLAIMS TO HAVE CRACKED the code to financial freedom. The year was 2015, the place an upstate New York grocery store, where the 36-year-old mom of two discovered that federal assistance no longer covered her kids’ favorite cereal. A revelation ensued: “I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to make some extra income — something.’” As fate would have it, Drehmer found that something in LuLaRoe, a multilevel marketing company that today is riddled with controversy.

The California-based brand peddles women’s clothing to a loyal fan base. Its pièce de résistance are buttery soft leggings covered in quirky prints (everything from butterflies to monster trucks). In theory, this all sounds painfully innocuous, right? After all, we’re talking about pants purchased from someone’s aunt via Facebook. Rumors swirled that LuLaRoe had a shady side, but only recently did its seams very publicly unfurl.

Last year, Amazon Prime Video unveiled LuLaRich, a can’t-look-away docuseries that exposed the company’s deceptive marketing tactics and illegal pyramid scheme practices (oops!). Months before the show’s release, LuLaRoe settled a lawsuit with Washington state for $4.75 million. Why? It was fronting as an MLM but blatantly violating the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection guidelines and Anti-Pyramid Promotional Scheme Act. The brand was selling a get-rich-quick narrative, but in actuality, the overwhelming majority of its “independent fashion retailers” made little to nothing — or even lost money.

For the record, LuLaRoe isn’t alone in battling bad press or litigation. Quite the contrary; the list of controversial MLMs is lengthy, including Amway, Herbalife, Primerica and more. But alas, people still want to jump on the bandwagon. Drehmer is one of some 7.3 million people hoping to get a taste of the American dream, according to Direct Selling Association data.

So what’s the appeal? Why do so many people continue to join MLMs, even in the wake of such immense backlash?

For the unfamiliar, MLMs use a direct-selling business model that relies heavily on word of mouth (or, in today’s age, social media). Unsalaried distributors sell products and services to friends, family and strangers while also recruiting others to work under them. In turn, they get a cut of their recruits’ income, thus directing more and more cash to the top of the food chain.

The legal lines between MLMs and pyramid schemes are dangerously blurry, if not altogether obscured. Although the FTC is tasked with investigating potentially illegitimate MLMs, these organizations remain largely unregulated unless there’s a viable reason to take a closer look (say, a boatload of formal complaints).

“The government can’t and hasn’t looked at every

enterprise that exists,” says Hamline University economist and MLM expert Stacie Bosley. In other words, “you shouldn’t presume all MLM companies are legal, because that’s probably not true.” Ultimately, it’s at the consumer’s discretion to decide whether a brand is legit. Some red flags that an MLM just might be an illegal pyramid scheme? The company prioritizes recruitment over actual sales, requires an upfront investment and doesn’t buy back unsold inventory.

Self-discretion is a big ask in the case of MLMs, especially because this business model is woven into the fabric of our nation’s culture. After all, household names continue their reign in homes across America. To point, Avon and Mary Kay still have a stronghold on our makeup bags, while Tupperware remains a staple in our kitchens.

Those are just the big-name brands. Thousands of companies have cropped up since the MLM model was established in the late 1800s, and they span all categories, including beauty, wellness, financial services, home appliances — even electricity. And they bring in the big bucks, too: a record $42.7 billion in 2021, per the Direct Selling Association.

Cue Drehmer and her new reality. A dutiful LuLaRoe retailer since 2016, she says the company has changed her life. Now debt-free, she’s reached peak financial freedom, including buying a new home, complete with an in-ground pool, separate bedrooms for her boys and a fully stocked boutique that she runs like a storefront business. Sounds a lot like the American dream, right?

The sad truth is that Drehmer is one of few to achieve such success. An astounding 99% of independent distributors lose money, according to FTC research. And yet, that abysmal stat doesn’t seem to scare people off. “Not everyone who comes into contact with these schemes sees themselves in that 99%,” notes Jane Marie, cohost of The Dream podcast, which investigated MLMs as part of its popular first season.

But why? “We seek information that supports our existing beliefs,” Bosley asserts. In this case, that 1% confirms that success is indeed possible — even if the objective data suggests otherwise. We cling to that idea of being the exception, not the rule, with the hope of a fervent gambler.

The economic influence of MLMs is blinding. Equally appealing, however, is the allure of a tightknit community. Add in wine nights, star-studded conventions and “free” cruises, and you have a seriously sweet-sounding social life.

Take it from Jessica Hickson, a former topranking rep with health and wellness company It Works. “Once you’re in, you’re showered with love, encouragement and people lifting you up, making you want to be surrounded only by those people,” she explains. (Sort of like a sorority, but with the possibility of a paycheck.)

Better yet, MLMs proclaim to be an escape from

the 9-to-5 grind, an opportunity to amass wealth on a part-time schedule. We’ve all seen the sales pitch: Be your own boss! Set your own schedule! Work from anywhere! The appeal is seductive — and it works.

It’s so influential that it doesn’t even really matter what products they’re marketing, says Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. “They’re selling this community, this promise,” specifically targeting people locked out of the “dignified labor market” who are unable to bring home a paycheck the traditional way, she explains.

That’s why so many MLM sellers are stay-athome parents, college students and the like. “We’re talking about women who want to feel empowered, who want to feel like they’re interacting with other adults while contributing to the household financially,” Montell notes. “MLMs make such larger-than-life, transcendent promises about what this opportunity will afford their recruits that it feels even scammier, even cultier.”

The term “brainwashing” might seem extreme, but it’s pretty apt. “It’s very confusing to watch a loved one in an MLM, because sometimes they act normal and other times they act like a stranger,” notes Steve Hassan, PhD, one of the nation’s foremost cult experts. What many people don’t realize, he adds, is that this behavior is deeply psychological. For that reason, he’s dubbed MLMs “commercial cults.”

“Brainwashing is better understood as a dissociative disorder,” he says. “Meaning there’s an identity disturbance where you have the group identity versus your identity. The group programs you to suppress your own conscience, your own critical thinking, your own interests and values, and creates a pseudo-identity in the image of the leader of the group.”

The anti-MLM movement is gaining traction online, with thousands rallying on Facebook, TikTok, Reddit and other platforms to try to deconstruct the business model — or at the very least chastise its existence. Hickson is among them. The goal of her popular YouTube channel is to “save all the current #BossBabes from heartbreak, betrayal and shadiness.”

“There’s been a steady trend toward MLMs marketing themselves as a mode of female empowerment,” Marie explains. “What they’re really peddling is self-esteem and personal achievement. You have to pay for rah-rah sessions, conferences and motivational seminars and spend more and more time parroting that on your social media. In a lot of the training materials I’ve seen, these companies recommend you spend as much time posting about your #GirlBoss goals as you do posting about the actual products.”

At the movement’s core is an undying dedication to exposing MLM exploitation, both fiscal and emotional. Although the business model may sound straight-up utopian to some, Montell says these

brands are strategically “weaponizing language”

— in other words, telling people exactly what they want to hear. And they adapt to the zeitgeist. “In COVID times, MLMs pivoted to using more new-age mystical language, talk of holistic beauty and divine alignment,” she adds.

That applies to recruitment tactics, too. A former Arbonne rep who prefers to remain anonymous called it quits amid the pandemic. Her reasoning?

“They started using the pandemic to bring in new people,” she notes. “They were like, ‘People are losing their jobs; they need this.’” But hidden behind that message was the idea that the more people you bring in, the bigger your team, the bigger the profit in your pocket.

It’s easy to write off MLMs as cut-and-dry deception, especially in this age of the ultimate scammer (see: Anna Delvey, Elizabeth Holmes, Adam Neumann). But it’s not that simple. Money aside, proponents also praise the sense of community and the personal freedom.

Take Timothy Brown, AKA “the Avon Man,” who got involved at age 15 and never left. “My father was an Avon representative, so that sparked my interest,” says the optometrist by day, direct seller by night. “I asked my dad to sell for him so I could earn some money to buy a car and pay for the insurance.”

Today, Brown reps Avon in memory of his father, who passed away in 2009. “I’m blessed to continue the tradition,” he explains. “I feel like Dad is living and still selling through me.”

Or there’s 20-something Valeryn Tabares, whose husband joined Avon to escape the daily grind. He got the idea from his parents, who had been reps for 25 years. After welcoming their first child, she too quit her day job to become his business partner and get more family time. The pair bought their house and first family car “solely off an Avon salary,” but she’s more passionate about what it’s done for their relationship: “They say that business can separate you, but I feel like it brought us closer.”

What Tabares describes is, by definition, the American dream. It’s what everyone in MLMs is ultimately seeking: their own version of success, whether that’s securing a swanky pink Mary Kay Cadillac or being able to afford your kids’ favorite cereal. As for the risk of failing? For many, they’re willing to gamble with their lives. After all, the greater the risk, the greater the reward, right?

Objectively, of course, the odds of getting rich aren’t in our favor — but in some perverse way, that’s actually part of the MLM appeal. “We have this exceptionalism mentality in this country, whether we’re seeking spiritual enlightenment, TikTok fame or success as an Amway seller,” Montell concludes. “We think, ‘I know that it doesn’t happen to most people, but I’m confident it will happen for me.’”

For more on multilevel marketing schemes, log onto ArtfulLiving.com.

North

THE REGION’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST.

BY KATIE DOHMAN

Mercedes Austin Mercury Mosaics

“Working with my hands saved my life,” says Mercedes Austin, founder and CEO of Mercury Mosaics. “There’s something therapeutic about working with your hands, and it’s what centers me. It’s the only way I’ve learned to navigate life and do something that adds value to the world. Returning to the trade is the constant thread, though; I don’t really relate to the label of CEO.”

But Austin has, in many ways, skyrocketed: from working as a dusty-booted, hangnailed mosaic artist in a Northeast Minneapolis studio to running an in-demand artisan tile brand in the midst of a very Instagram-friendly expansion, with a new design studio plus manufacturing facilities in both Minneapolis and Wadena — encompassing some 38,000 square feet of handmade, hand-glazed tile crafted by 40 employees.

“Because of my artist background, I don’t have the most traditional ways of doing things,” she shares. “But I don’t let that be the barrier. I figure out where the speakeasy entrance is; I figure out the code to the door.”

The code now looks like clients clamoring for mineral-green fish-scale tile lining the walls of their spa shower or a nearly 3D geo-hex pattern in bold pops of blue, gold and white as a kitchen backsplash above the stove.

“We’re here to wake up your walls in a way that’s thoughtful and beautiful,” Austin explains. “And we invite you to participate in how that looks. We’re super old-school, so you can talk to us and be pen pals with us. But we’re also very forward-thinking, so you can interact with us on your iPad, too. You choose your own journey.” And that goes for their business practices, too, where they’re figuring out how to reuse their “oopsies” and repurpose “misfit tiles,” becoming more sustainable by the day.

“The concept is to never give up,” she affirms. “So many things can go wrong, but at the end of the day, if you believe in what you’re doing and it’s something that inherently brings joy, that’s all that matters.”

Notables

Eric Flom and Nancy Nelsen-Flom

INTERSOURCE by STARK

As far back as September 2020, flooring and design experts Eric Flom and Nancy Nelsen-Flom knew they were ready for a change. They were ready to expand INTERSOURCE, their beloved flooring show room, within Minneapolis’s International Market Square. And somewhere in the back of their minds, they were thinking about a succession plan for the future, too.

They had their eye on prime real estate near the atrium restaurant at IMS and had been in talks with management for months when an offer too good to refuse came along. Longtime luxury flooring brand STARK approached the husband-and-wife duo about becoming INTERSOURCE by STARK. The pair had no plan to sell the company this soon, but the serendipity was irresistible.

STARK brings its heavy-hitting expertise for longtime security — it has been around for 90 years and has some 600 employees — along with a focus on cutting-edge luxury design. Plus the merger frees up the pair to focus on what they do best: working with their clients on both commercial and residential flooring projects (including all hard-surface flooring besides stone and tile), through every step in the process from measuring to installation. “For the community, it’s everything INTERSOURCE was, with the addition of STARK product and custom capabilities, which really expands our offerings,” Eric explains.

“Eric made an analogy, and it’s really true: We took the elevator to the top floor and the entire team got off with us,” Nancy says. It was crucial to them that the team remained intact and that they continue to be involved with the day-to-day operations. “STARK isn’t coming in and booting us out; they value our local knowledge and expertise. It took us 26 years to develop this team, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

As of this fall, INTERSOURCE by STARK will be moving into its larger, newly renovated space just off the atrium with its seasoned team — and with a whole new host of capabilities beyond its already stellar full-service offerings. So to any rumors that the team is out at INTERSOURCE: definitively not true. “We’re still here and intend to be here as long as we’re of value,” Eric says, as Nancy jumps in: “And as long as we’re having fun!”

BY CÉLINE MICHEL

Stephany Eaton PureAlchemy Design

As someone who graduated with a chemistry degree, Stephany Eaton didn’t come at interior design from what most would consider the usual avenues. “It goes back to my childhood,” says the owner and principal of PureAlchemy Design. (Her German parents were both technically educated, her father an engineer and her mother in the architectural field but both with a strong artistic eye.) “For us, it went hand-in-hand. They always said something should be put together well to function, but it should also be beautiful to experience.” During her younger years in Europe, she was surrounded by Old World beauty combined with contemporary design, which influences her work to this day.

After working as a chemist, Eaton began expanding into interior design — and fell in love. Her client base grew, and she left her day job to fully pursue commercial and branded-space design, also earning a degree in sustainable design from Boston College. Her final research project was all about how design impacts human well-being, health and productivity.

It’s that marriage of science and art — the alchemy, if you will — instilled by her parents and reinforced by her training that today powers her interiors business, where she designs sustainable commercial spaces to reflect a company’s energy and to optimize employee efficiency.

Her love of science is evident as she harnesses the power of design to transform and energize environments. Her work is influenced by research on productivity, quality of life, light (fluorescents are a no-no), color (“In Minnesota, half the year is white, so color is important!”), sustainability (she’s a LEED Green Associate) and, of course, layout. “If you have intrigue in how you pass through an office, it enhances well-being and creativity,” she says. And doing it sustainably only makes good sense.

“I love bringing an ambiguous entity like a commercial environment to life for people to live in during their waking hours,” Eaton exclaims. “You see the change in the people who work there, which is the greatest reward for me. Bettering someone’s life by fostering an environment that feeds who they are is good for the human experience, which in turn promotes health and productivity for all of us. That’s a win-win scenario: for the ultimate good of employers, employees and also the human experience in life.”

For a decade now, she and her team have seen the clear results of translating wellness research into transformational environments where employees are actually excited to work. And the science behind it all drives the PureAlchemy mission to this day: to inspire authentic connection to brands, and the work companies do, through creative and dynamic spaces.

ADVERTISER INDEX

6Smith, 219

Abitare Design Studio, 200

Ador Bespoke Homes, 89

Albertsson Hansen Architecture, 57

All Seasons Fireplace, 51

ALL, Inc., 22

Amy E. Haglin Interior Design, 78

Art Resources Gallery, 113

Aulik Design Build, 227

Baldamar, 160

Bridgewater Bank, 42

Brightwater Clothing & Gear, 169

Bruce Kading Interior Design, 57

Celebrity Cruises, 104

Charles R. Stinson Architecture + Design, 12–13

Charlie & Co. Design, 46

Chazin Interiors, 180

Circa Lighting, 20

City Homes, 74

Clairmont Design + Build, 83

Coldwell Banker Realty Global Luxury, 159

Coldwell Banker Realty Property Gallery, 142–158

Coldwell Banker Realty St. Croix River Valley, 168

Crutchfield Dermatology, 27

Custom Christmas Lighting, 195

David Heide Design Studio, 107

Denali Custom Homes, 66

DOM Interiors, 72

Douglas Flanders & Associates, 173

Eminent Interior Design, 127

Eskuche Design Group, 67

Executive Health Care, 73

Fiddlehead Design Group, 35 France 50, 119

Gabberts Design Studio & Fine Furniture, 25 Galleria, 101

Gianni’s Steakhouse, 195

Grace Hill, 169

Gunderson’s Jewelers, 4–5

Halunen Law, 67

Hammer Made, 41

Heather Hansen Real Estate Team/ Coldwell Banker Realty, 106

Hendel Homes, 23

Henri Interiors, 43 Hilltop Prairie, 102

International Market Square, 14–15

InVision Distinctive Eyewear, 207 Jaguar Land Rover Minneapolis, inside front cover, 1–3

Jester Concepts, 225 John Kraemer & Sons, inside back cover Kathryn Kennedy Group/Coldwell Banker Realty, 63

Keenan & Sveiven, 83 Kowalski’s Markets, 206

Kyle Hunt & Partners, 33 Lake Country Builders, 118 Lelch Audio Video, 126 LiLu Interiors, 114

Lucy Interior Design, 73 MA Peterson, 113

Mall of America, 6–7 Marion Parke, 96

Martha Dayton Design, 52 Martha O’Hara Interiors, 68 Martin Patrick 3, 10–11 Max’s, 107

Minneapolis Institute of Art, 161 Minnesota Screens, 84 Murphy & Co. Design, 63 Nancy Norling, DDS, 56

Nor-Son Custom Builders, 44 Noyes & Cutler, 50

Old National Wealth Management, 31

Parasole Restaurant Holdings, 112 Paris Dining Club, 175

Phantom Screens, 84

Pink Wealth Management Group, 211

Plastic Surgery Consultants, 82

PowerHouse SMART Luxury Conference, 194

Prestige Pools, 89

Prospect Refuge Studio, 49

Purcell Quality, 78

Pure Lux Medspa, 181

R.F. Moeller Jeweler, 29

Randolph Interior Design, 207

Rehkamp Larson Architects, 51 Roche Bobois, 8–9

Roth Living, 120

Sanctuary Salonspa, 103

Serene Oaks Dental, 79

Souvenir Whisky, 174

Spacecrafting, 186 Stonewood, 16–17

Strand Design, 127

Streeter Custom Builder, 37

Studio M Interiors, 62

Summit Orthopedics, 39 Swan Architecture, 24

Talla Skogmo Interior Design, 118 Tanqueray/Diageo, 140

TEA2 Architects, 87

Terry John Zila, 212

The Loupe, 19

The Lynhall, 88

The Sitting Room, 191

Top Shelf, 191

Traditions Classic Home Furnishings, 103

Twin Cities Art Week, 218

Vujovich Design Build, 202

Warners’ Stellian, 18

White Oaks Savanna, 21

Wixon Jewelers, back cover

Zawadski Homes, 188

PUBLISHER’S TAKE

AUTUMN ALWAYS FEELS LIKE THE START OF THE YEAR TO me in many respects: back to school (even if I’m not going), back to sweaters and back to a slower pace of life after cramming so much into summer. I’ve gone from dreading the end of summer to fully embracing the change, refresh and reset that fall provides. Here are a few things that are inspiring me this season.

There is truly never time for anything as a mom, and I’ve learned that having a rotating uniform of beautiful yet simple pieces gives me time back to be with my daughter. I’m loving Scandinavian indie brand Totême’s timeless, elegant staples that give a pulled-together look no matter what life throws at me. Think head-to-toe denim, cozy wrap sweaters and cashmere scarves in rich neutrals, like their fall collection that I’m eyeing for the season. A change in weather also calls for self-care that meets the moment. Soft Services was created by Glossier alums Annie Kreighbaum and Rebecca Zhou, who have zeroed in on body care with powerful formulas previously reserved for facial products. I’m entrusting this thoughtful line to exfoliate away my summer skin and nurture it into the dry season. I don’t claim to be a wine expert, but I’m calling it like I taste it. Big Salt is a delicious dry, crisp, minerally organic white that I discovered while dining with old friends. It’s absolutely worth picking up and sharing with your old friends, too. I love hearing how 2020 led people to veer away from what didn’t serve them anymore in the name of creating something beautiful. Ceramicah is a gorgeous example of this. Husband-and-wife duo and former architects Micah Blyckert and Alexandra Cadiz are now creating handmade ceramic lamps and one-of-a-kind vessels that are quickly becoming collectors’ items, like their Raku collection. Local artist and curator Suyao Tian’s work caught my eye immediately, particularly watching her unique use of watercolor during her calming process videos. She just opened her own gallery, Viewpoint, in St. Paul. Tian is absolutely an artist to follow as she continues to share her profound gift with the world.

My very best,

Emma Cutler Velez

Publisher

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY TOTÊME, SOFT SERVICES, BIG SALT, CERAMICAH AND SUYAO

TIAN

“EVENING DRESS, L’OFFICIEL, PARIS, 1989”

FRANK HORVAT STUDIO

PHOTOGRAPHY