C Men's Edition

Fall/ Winter 2019

Cover

DOWNTOWN FUNK MARK RONSON

A S TY

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URE C LT

IF OR NI

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M E N ’ S

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PLUS RANDE GERBER / ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHS / THE MONDAVIS / A VERY MODERN MEMBERS CLUB

& CU

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent

Prada

Prada

Cartier

Cartier

Moncler

Moncler

Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta

Michael Kors

Michael Kors

IWC Schaffhausen

Edition “Le Petit Prince”. Ref. 5010: If you have the courage to strip away all that is superfluous in life and listen to your intuition drawing you towards the unknown, you will be generously rewarded.

to conquer the sky the Big Pilot’s Watch is a testament to the free-spirited who don’t see frontiers as a limitation but as a challenge they are eager to meet. Accurately equipped with an imposing 46 mm case, luminous hands, the iconic Big Pilot crown and the

First of all, you will feel free of doubt, confident, and empowered.

And soon, instead of just following your dreams, you might start liv-

oversized, IWC manufactured double pawl winding C. 52110 automatic movement with 7 days power reserve, it will always be a reli-

ing them. Originally conceived as a tough, easy to read instrument

able companion on your journey.

Bradley Cooper and his Big Pilot’s Watch

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STATEMENTS Venice’s new age barber + shop...................................................................................................................................... 25

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Pulling back the curtain on Bohemian Grove..................................................................................................... 26 Homemade pasta with Felix’s star sfoglino............................................................................................................ 30 Asystem’s total-body approach to the new “it” concept wellness: “betterment”..................... 31

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Hard at work: fall’s utility gear pairs form and functionality..................................................................... 40 The Uber Mafia test-drives a slew of new ideas.................................................................................................. 42

FEATURES Facing the music: celebrity producer/DJ Mark Ronson’s latest album hits a deeply personal chord........................... 44 A new tome follows a tribe of climbers through an epic season across California’s peaks and valleys....................... 58 Second Home’s first stateside co-working space was designed to inspire .......................................................................................... 64

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Carlo and Dante Mondavi cultivate the next generation of their family’s legacy in Sonoma.............................................. 70

DISCOVERIES

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How the guys behind Gran Blanco dined and surfed their way across Baja in the name of research.......................... 77 Cheers to that: Rande Gerber rounds up his Golden State musts............................................................................................................ 82

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OFFICE PORTRAIT: RAINER HOSCH. ROCK CLIMBING: FRANÇOIS LEBEAU. WINE BARRELS: SAM FROST. MARK RONSON: KURT MARKUS. CAMEL FASHION: MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION. INTERIOR: AMY BARTLAM. WAKEBOARDER: BRECHT VAN’T HOF. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

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Gucci

JENNIFER SMITH

Founder, Editorial Director & CEO JENNY MURRAY

Editor & President Chief Strategy Officer

ANDREW BARKER

| Chief Creative Officer JAMES TIMMINS

Executive Creative & Fashion Director

ALISON EDMOND

Beauty Director

Digital Content + Copy Editor

Photo Editor

KELLY ATTERTON

MARIE LOOK

LAUREN SCHUMACHER

Senior Editor

Fashion Market Editor

Contributing Senior Designer

MELISSA GOLDSTEIN

REBECCA RUSSELL

LAUREL LEWIS

Contributing Senior Editor

Assistant Fashion Editor

Graphic Designer

KELSEY McKINNON

MARGRIT JACOBSEN

JACOB WITT

Deputy Managing Editor ANUSH J. BENLIYAN

Masthead

Contributing Editors Elizabeth Khuri Chandler, Kendall Conrad, Danielle DiMeglio, Diane Dorrans Saeks, Andrea Stanford, Stephanie Steinman Contributing Writers Catherine Bigelow, Christina Binkley, Caroline Cagney, Kerstin Czarra, Peter Davis, Helena de Bertodano, Christine Lennon, Martha McCully, Degen Pener, Jessica Ritz, Elizabeth Varnell, S. Irene Virbila Contributing Photographers Guy Aroch, David Cameron, Mark Griffin Champion, Victor Demarchelier, Amanda Demme, Michelangelo Battista, Lisa Eisner, Douglas Friedman, Sam Frost, Adrian Gaut, Beau Grealy, Zoey Grossman, Kerry Hallihan, Pamela Hanson, Rainer Hosch, Kurt Iswarienko, Mona Kuhn, Kurt Markus, Ben Morris, Bella Newman, Carter Smith, Alistair Taylor-Young, Jan Welters

RENEE MARCELLO

Publisher

Executive Director Southern California

Contributing Special Projects Director

Information Technology Director

CRISTA VAGHI

CAMERON BIRD

SANDY HUBBARD

Executive Director Northern California

Client Services & Production Director

Finance Associate

AUTUMN O’KEEFE

AMY LIPSON

TROY FELKER

Sales Development Manager

Finance Assistant

ANNE MARIE PROVENZA

LEE SULTAN

ANDY NELSON

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer C PUBLISHING 1543 SEVENTH STREET, SECOND FLOOR, SANTA MONICA, CA 90401 T: 310-393-3800 SUBSCRIBE@MAGAZINEC.COM MAGAZINEC.COM C-STATEOFMIND.COM

CH Premier

F O U N D E R’S

L E T T E R

EDITORS’ PICKS This month’s wish list

DOM VETRO Primo sunglasses in Tobacco Tortoise, $375, domvetro.com.

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ALANUI

Founders Note

Arrow cardigan in Embassy black and Lapponia white, $3,000, ssense.com.

JOHN ELLIOTT Dip Dye Game shorts in ivory and red, $298, johnelliott.com.

ON THE COVER

JENNIFER SMITH Founder, Editorial Director and CEO

@ccaliforniastyle

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MARK RONSON. Photography by Kurt Markus.

Creative & Fashion Direction by Alison Edmond.

Grooming by Jason Schneidman at Solo Artists using TheMensGroomer.

Ronson wears CELINE coat, top and tie.

JACQUES MARIE MAGE sunglasses.

MAGAZ I N EC.COM

ILLUSTRATION: DAVID DOWNTON. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

have always loved that quote by Mark Twain: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I have a feeling that our cover subject, music’s megatalent Mark Ronson, might agree. From DJ to songwriter to hit maker, Ronson is on a roll – and that he is doing it from his new West Coast perch makes it even more fascinating to watch. We visit his Hollywood studio to talk about working with Bruno Mars and the relationships that inspired his latest album.

When you follow your passions and turn it into a career path, it doesn’t really feel like effort, but effort it does take. Carlo and Dante Mondavi, fourth-generation winemakers, know that firsthand. With winemaking in their DNA, they took on the family business — but on their terms. Producing world-class pinot noirs, their winery, Raen, is a true labor of love and their passion for wine is evidenced in every bottle. We take a trip to Sonoma to check in on this season’s harvest.

For those looking for a creative base to hatch their next big idea, Second Home has hopped the pond to open the most exciting, design-forward co-working space we’ve seen yet. With bright yellow psychedelic pods surrounding a historic bungalow in the heart of a Hollywood “jungle,” the European-bred company is set to become an incubator for a new generation of makers and influencers.

With this jam-packed issue of the Men’s Edition of C Magazine, we live by the ethos of work hard, play harder.

So, wherever your passions lie, find inspiration from creative startups, thrill-seeking athletes, culinary-centric adventures and the best sartorial picks of the season to help you live your best life — in and out of the office.

Salvatore Ferragamo

BEVERLY HILLS BEVERLY CENTER WESTFIELD TOPANGA SOUTH COAST PLAZA FASHION VALLEY SAN FRANCISCO WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR THE FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS THE GRAND CANAL SHOPPES WYNN LAS VEGAS FERRAGAMO.COM

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P E O P L E

DEGEN PENER

FRANÇOIS LEBEAU The S.F.-based photographer behind the rock-climbing tome spotlighted in “Star Rocks,” p.58, François Lebeau has also shot for brands like The North Face, Adidas and Red Bull. MY C SPOTS • Mickey’s Beach is where I’ve had so many great climbing sessions with good friends • The Hotsy Totsy Club taco truck serves by far the best burrito in the Bay Area • For special occasions, I treat myself by driving to the Outer Sunset and getting a bite at Outerlands

A contributing editor at The Hollywood Reporter and the editorial director of the DTLA Book guidebook, Degen Pener illuminated the vision behind new community hub Second Home in “Campus of Cool,” p.64. MY C SPOTS • Our family loves to go hiking in Cleveland National Forest, especially the trail that leads to Tenaja Falls • I live in West Hollywood and we love biking to nearby Ronan, which has incredible pizza • I will never get Filoli, a gorgeous historic estate in Woodside, out of my mind — the English-style gardens are glorious

JACOB WITT

KATHRYN ROMEYN

An independent radio DJ and C’s graphic designer, Jacob Witt has also worked with clients that include artists Mark Bradford and Jill Zachman, and cultural institutions like the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and the Venice Biennale. MY C SPOTS • Doomie’s NextMex has the best vegan tacos in L.A. • Going Underground Records on Melrose has both contemporary and harder-to-find ’80s hardcore/punk records • Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts theater in Beverly Hills shows a lot of great documentaries

Kathryn Romeyn recounted the seafaring adventures of the Gran Blanco team for “Go Fish,” p.77. Formerly executive editor of Foam magazine, she splits her time between L.A. and Bali, writing about travel, design, wellness and adventure. MY C SPOTS • The housebaked bread and avocado butter at Auburn in Hollywood is an actual revelation • Lena Bratschi at Carasoin spa in West Hollywood is the most talented facialist on the planet • I get the chicken tawook every week (with extra pickles!) at Lebanese restaurant Open Sesame in Fairfax

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WORDS BY MARIE LOOK. FRANÇOIS LEBEAU: DENIS DESGAGNÉS. DEGEN PENER: ERIC BUSHARD. JACOB WITT: ROBERT DAVIS: KATHRYN ROMRYN: LAVINIA FINDIKOGLU.

Contribs

Tag Heuer

bespoke luxury by the sea

Hall Wines

hello, california dreaming Inspired by the relaxed allure of a private beach home, the newly transformed Oceana welcomes guests to experience a whole new take on luxury. With residentialstyle suites, exclusive guest-only dining and curated seaside activities, Oceana invites you to explore the best of Santa Monica and beyond.

849 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403 | 310.393.0486 | hoteloceanasantamonica.com

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Hairstylist JASON SCHNEIDMAN poses with his 1964 CHEVROLET Porterbuilt C10 in front of his Venice salon.

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Statements opener

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CONTRIBUTORS KELLY ATTERTON ANDREW BARKER ANUSH J. BENLIYAN

MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION

KERSTIN CZARRA MARGRIT JACOBSEN

A CUT ABOVE

MARIE LOOK KELSEY McKINNON

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Hairstylist to the stars Jason Schneidman strikes out on his own with a gutsy new salon concept in Venice

BRADLEY SPEWAK ELIZABETH VARNELL

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Hairstylist Jason Schneidman had made his name at the fabled Beverly Hills salon of Chris McMillan, so when it came time to strike out on his own to Venice, he wondered: Would his celebrity clientele be willing to cross the 405 for a bimonthly back and sides?

“The blessing was all my clients followed me,” he says. That includes actors Jonah Hill and Rob Lowe, and ex-Dodger Chase Utley.

Reality TV star Scott Disick comes all the way from Calabasas, and musician Anthony Kiedis drives his motorbike in from Malibu. But not every client travels to Lincoln Boulevard to see him for a beard trim, fade or total image overhaul; Schneidman is still in CBS Studios four nights a week to style James Corden’s hair for The Late Late Show.

The SoCal native, who spends his downtime giving free haircuts to the homeless, opened TheMensGroomer this past summer in an industrial space large enough to house his salon slash coffee shop slash lifestyle store, a concept for which he, as a Venice resident of 18 years, knew there was a market. With his own grooming line and a high-end barber truck project popping up at Summit LA19 in November, he’s thinking way beyond your average barbershop. “I want men to look their best. I have a passion for it. I want to share that with people,” he says. 2518 S. Lincoln Blvd., Venice, 310-241-3664; themensgroomer.com. A.B.

DARK ARTS

From top: Schneidman’s tattoos. The interior of THEMENSGROOMER on Lincoln Boulevard with the hairstylist’s 1999 HARLEY-DAVIDSON Sportster street tracker. Schneidman receiving a hairwash.

Statements turn

Photographer JACK LATHAM tracked down the infamous “Phantom Patriot” who broke into Bohemian Grove in 2001.

Much of what is known about Bohemian Grove, the ultra-exclusive gentleman’s club in Monte Rio, is from Alex Jones. In 2000, Jones, the far-right founder of fake news site Infowars, sneaked in with a hidden camera and documented a bizarre ritual for which members wear costumes and cremate a coffin that symbolically contains their worldly cares before a 40-foot owl shrine.

(Sound familiar, burners?)

British documentary photographer Jack Latham’s new photobook, Parliament of Owls (Here Press, $65), explores the lasting effects of Jones’ break-in and the dangers of secrecy. “Alex Jones has gained political influence and the idea of an ‘illuminati’ is back in the public vernacular,” Latham says. The tome stokes curiosity with images of local establishments, stills from Jones’ footage and haunting images of owls.

Whether or not the club is an innocent retreat or something more sinister remains a mystery. K.M.

THEMENSGROOMER: MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION. PARLIAMENT OF OWLS: JACK LATHAM. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

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BRACE YOURSELF Colorful accessories for your wrist

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1. ROXANNE ASSOULIN U-Tube bracelet, $75. 2. CHAN LUU African turquoise bracelet, $75. 3. DAVID YURMAN nylon and onyx bracelet, $375.

4. TOD’S MyColors bracelet, $225.

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TUXEDO 2.0 No collar, no tie, no problem. How to shake up nighttime chic

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Clockwise from top left: FENDI top and pants, prices upon request, and CARTIER sunglasses, $1,145. BURBERRY pants, $820, and shoes, $890.

DIOR MEN jacket, $2,400, pants, $890, and shoes, $1,450, and CAROLINA LEMKE sunglasses, $75.

ALEXANDER McQUEEN jacket and shoes, prices upon request, and pants, $1,280. GIORGIO ARMANI suit, $2,695, BUCK MASON T-shirt, $42, and NO. 21 BY ALESSANDRO DELL’ACQUA shoes, $995.

Photography by MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION Styling by ALISON EDMOND 28

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MODEL: DEVON DRAKKAR AT NEXT MANAGEMENT. GROOMING BY DEE DALY AT OPUS BEAUTY USING DIOR BEAUTY AND ORIBE. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

Trend Tux

Reconnect.

39° 35’ 0.478” S 71° 32’ 23.564” W

MontBlanc

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere montblanc.com

Montblanc Boutique · South Coast Plaza

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Clockwise from far left: Bolognese-style lasagna verde, as seen in AMERICAN SFOGLINO: A MASTER CLASS IN HANDMADE PASTA. Triangoli with pumpkin, butter and sage. Chef EVAN FUNKE of FELIX TRATTORIA.

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AMERICAN SFOGLINO: A MASTER CLASS IN HANDMADE PASTA: ERIC WOLFINGER. ASYSTEM: BJORN IOOSS. THE VINTAGE ELECTRIC: ELLIOT LAYDA. LARI PITTMAN: LARI PITTMAN, COURTESY OF REGEN PROJECTS, LOS ANGELES. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

“F*ck your pasta machine”

News 3 + 4

In his debut cookbook, chef Evan Funke — the maestro behind Abbot Kinney’s Italian hot spot Felix Trattoria — pays homage to the two sfoglini (pasta makers) with whom he apprenticed in Bologna: Alessandra Spisni and Kosaku Kawamura. “It is my responsibility as a perpetual student and custodian of these traditions and techniques to pass on to you what I have learned,” Funke writes — and that he does. In American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta (Chronicle Books, $35), he reveals his from-scratch methods (in line with his Instagramfamous “f*ck your pasta machine” philosophy) for handrolled fresh pasta, called sfoglia, and dishes out recipes for tagliatelle with ragu, tortelloni with butter and tomato, white truffle gnocchi and more. “I am chasing the perfect sfoglia,” Funke writes. “And, maybe … with some perseverance and love, you can find yours, too.” A.J.B.

BUCKLE UP

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5 spot-on-trend crossbody bags

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1. FENDI bag, $2,300. 2.

BALLY bag, $950. 3. PRADA bag, $1,150 4. SALVATORE FERRAGAMO bag, $995.

5. VALENTINO GARAVANI bag, $1,375.

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SYSTEM REBOOT When two serial entrepreneurs start spitballing ideas, fresh new concepts are born. Enter Asystem, a subscription-based men’s wellness brand that is centered around the idea of “betterment.”

“We don’t think of Asystem simply in the context of a skincare brand or a supplement brand. We create products to help men look, feel and perform their best.

In turn, they can give their best self to those around them,” says co-founder Oli Walsh, former chief executive officer and co-founder of creative agency Wednesday.

The product side of the equation consists of Superhuman Supplements (a 30-day supply of prepackaged daily vitamins) and the Performance Skincare range: a cleanser, a moisturizer and an overnight cream. This synergistic daily regimen aims to deliver glowing, healthy skin, and to boost energy, stamina, recovery, focus and sex drive. To further promote wellness, Walsh and co-founder Josh LeVine (who also co-founded cult denim label Frame and skincare brand Davi) will spearhead inspiring web content with The Betterment Project. The duo also plans to regularly host experiences focused around the body and mind, and interpersonal connection at BeachHouse, a 4,200-square-foot space in Venice. asystem.com. K.A.

The BEACHHOUSE social space in Venice.

Below: The ASYSTEM TotalBody set of skincare and supplements, $99/month. Cofounders OLI WALSH (left) and JOSH LEVINE.

JOY RIDE

News 3 + 4

Untitled #4, 2003,

by LARI PITTMAN.

FREE FORM Owls, sea creatures, Victorian silhouettes, folk motifs and overtly sexualized bodies — all these elements and others have had a place in the work of global artist and locally lauded teacher Lari Pittman, famous for incorporating many disparate graphic-based languages into his collagelike paintings and prints. Experience the prolificacy of the 67-year-old Angeleno over his four-decade career in “Lari Pittman: Declaration of Independence,” the most comprehensive retrospective of his oeuvre in 20 years.

Through Jan. 5, 2020. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 310-443-7000; hammer.ucla.edu. M.L.

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The VINTAGE ELECTRIC Roadster, $6,995, plus $150 for the optional Race Mode upgrade.

Melding early 20thcentury style with stateof-the-art technology, Vintage Electric founder and lead designer Andrew Davidge launched his company in 2013 after mocking up battery-charged bicycles in his parents’ garage. Today he has a spacious Silicon Valley factory/showroom and a fleet of five expertly engineered electric pedal bikes, including the new Roadster, which features a contoured black hydroformed aluminum frame, a nostalgic LED headlamp and cognac leather detailing. With a range of up to 75 miles on a full 4.5-hour charge, five power modes and regenerative hydraulic disc brakes, the Roadster is perfect for a leisurely outing or daily commute. And on a day you’re running late, you may even be glad you sprang for the Race Mode upgrade — which adds a 3,000-watt rear hub motor that can propel it to 36 mph. 1725 De La Cruz Blvd., Ste. 4, Santa Clara, 408-969-0836; vintageelectricbikes.com. A.J.B.

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On the 100th birthday of Musso & Frank Grill, we raise our martinis to the fabled Tinseltown joint

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Clockwise from top: The famous neon sign above MUSSO & FRANK GRILL. A rare photo of Charlie Chaplin — a longtime regular — with Paulette Goddard in the Old Room, circa 1935.

An old-school ruby leather banquette. The house martini is often lauded as the best in L.A.

n 1919, an entrepreneur named Frank Toulet opened the doors to a modest French eatery on Hollywood Boulevard — back then just a lonely dirt road — and in short time, after a partnership with restaurateur Joseph Musso, the Musso & Frank Grill became a mainstay for Tinseltown stars and L.A.’s culturati. Over the decades, it earned the patronage of entertainment icons, including Alfred Hitchcock, Rita Hayworth, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra; and literary legends, among them Ernest Hemingway and T.S. Eliot, who, in the years after Prohibition, would congregate in the back room to down a few stiff drinks.

A century later, not much has changed — from the celebrity draw and no-photos policy to the seasoned open-fire grill; not even the wallpaper. “It’s got Humphrey Bogart’s cigar smoke up there,” says Mark Echeverria, the CFO/COO and fourth-generation proprietor, whose great-grandfather took over the restaurant in 1927. “How can you possibly take that down?”

Echeverria takes the preservation of Musso & Frank seriously, bringing in, for instance, a Warner Bros. prop master once a year to treat the original wood paneling. The ’30s-era bar where F. Scott Fitzgerald would make his own mint juleps remains intact, and the menu still offers 1920s staples like lamb kidneys (Charlie Chaplin’s favorite); the ever-popular filet mignon; and the famous house martini, of which they served about 53,000 last year.

Now, the establishment honors its 100-year history with the October release of The Musso & Frank Grill: Some Place to Eat (Story Farm, $40), a book by author Michael Callahan that chronicles the landmark’s storied past and thriving present (including a nod to its many cameos in film and television) and features recipes for its cult classics, like the chicken potpie. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also marked the centennial this fall with a starshaped Award of Excellence on the boulevard, a distinction no other eatery can claim. “Running [Musso & Frank] is so much more than running a restaurant,” Echeverria says.

“People know they could always come here and get that same meal that they’ve had for decades, that same dish that their grandfather had decades prior. ... We’ve always given it to them, and we’re not going to change.” 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-467-7788; mussoandfrank.com. •

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BOOTH AND SIGN: JONPAUL DOUGLASS. MARTINI: TINA WHATCOTT-ECHEVERRIA. ALL PHOTOS FROM THE MUSSO & FRANK GRILL: SOME PLACE TO EAT (STORY FARM).

Musso + Frank

THE ULTIMATE MEN’S COLLECTION

A. Lange & Söhne Alexander McQueen Balenciaga Bally Berluti Boss Bottega Veneta Brunello Cucinelli Burberry Canali Cartier Christian Louboutin Dior Men Dolce&Gabbana Ermenegildo Zegna Fendi Giorgio Armani Givenchy Golden Goose Gucci Harry Winston Hermès IWC

South Coast Plaza

Jaeger-LeCoultre John Hardy John Lobb John Varvatos Lanvin Loro Piana Louis Vuitton Moncler Omega Panerai Prada Rolex The Webster Vacheron Constantin

Canali ©2019 South Coast Plaza

partial listing

San Diego FWY (405) at Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA SOUTHCOASTPLAZA.COM 800.782.8888 @SouthCoastPlaza #SCPStyle

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Ultramodern everyday watches

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M E N T S The DUNHILL Walnut Dash zip folio (center), $1,595.

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NUTTY PROFESSIONAL The history of London-based bespoke menswear house Dunhill is steeped in car culture. Alfred Dunhill initially turned his father’s saddlery business into a vehicle accessories line, and now, over 100 years later, the eponymous label debuts its Walnut Dash fall capsule collection of leather briefcases, phone holders, folios and totes — as well as outerwear and shirts — in homage to its roots. The designs are a clever nod to the curious prevalence of lacquered walnut burl dashboards inside so many 1980s autos, from Aston Martins to Jaguars. Additionally, the lush reflective finish on Dunhill’s Italian calfskin accessories nimbly revives another New Wave staple: patent leather. From $425. dunhill.com. E.V.

News 5 + 6

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FAST AND CURIOUS

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1. CARTIER Santos de Cartier Skeleton watch, $26,800. 2. IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN Pilot’s Top Gun watch, $14,600. 3. PANERAI Submersible Marina Militare limited-edition watch, $41,000. 4. BULGARI Octo Finissimo watch, $15,600.

WILLY CALIFORNIA: DANE DEANER. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

An aerial view of the tracks at BMW PERFORMANCE CENTER in Thermal.

Five years after the debut of the West Coast’s BMW Performance Center at the Thermal Club near La Quinta — the German marque’s second U.S. driving school after Charleston, S.C. — the institution is rolling out a new automotive experience for adrenaline-seeking motorheads. The advanced M Track driving school is an immersive one- or two-day highperformance program that lets you test the limits of a 2, 3, 4 or X Series on the desert track. Taught by professional drivers, the course begins with the basics of performance driving, from panic braking to drifting and skid control, and culminates in a hot lap in the passenger seat for the ultimate high-speed thrill. From $1,550. 86-050 Jasper Lane, Thermal, 888-345-4269; bmwperformancecenter.com. A.J.B.

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MAGAZ I N EC.COM

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS Formal timepieces to make a statement

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From top: The lobby at NEUEHOUSE. An airy meeting room inside the private club and workspace.

NeueHouse occupies the second floor of Los Angeles’ historic Bradbury Building.

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STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

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When NeueHouse debuted its Hollywood outpost in 2015, it opened the proverbial gauntlet for co-working spaces — think The Collection, Phase Two and Second Home. But with both NeueHouse locations in NYC and Los Angeles still at capacity and with long waitlists, the industry pioneer has decided to expand again (thanks in part to a new round of funding from the likes of Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg) with a Downtown L.A. location. Inside the landmark Bradbury Building, the birdcage elevator opens to a second floor filled with posh private offices, an art gallery, conference spaces and a meditation/nap room where members can recharge between meetings.

304 S. Broadway, L.A.; bradbury.neuehouse.com. K.M.

News 5 + 6

CASUAL SUSPECTS 1. MONTBLANC 1858 Split Second Chronograph limited-edition watch, $31,000. 2. TAG HEUER Carrera Calibre watch, $4,150. 3. PATEK PHILIPPE Complications watch, $51,830. 4. VACHERON CONSTANTIN Patrimony watch, $29,200.

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WILLY CALIFORNIA workout T-shirts, $50 each, and board shorts, $80 each.

Willy California is coming for your closet, looking to replace everyday staples with its new line of coordinated athleisure clothing.

“Today’s on-the-go lifestyle pulls us in so many directions. California’s casual-chic style can be hard to master,” shares co-founder Charles Nelson, the L.A.-based entrepreneur who also co-established Sprinkles and Pizzana. “We saw an opportunity to create an effortless wardrobe that is versatile enough to work wherever a man’s day takes him.” Offering everything from underwear to track pants and hoodies, Nelson and partner Jeff Sockwell have fashioned a new uniform for guys, using soft performance fabrics in universally flattering colors like gray, blue and black. willycalifornia.com. K.A.

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SAND STORM A fresh take on camel classics and neutral hues

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MODEL: DEVON DRAKKAR AT NEXT MANAGEMENT. GROOMING BY DEE DALY AT OPUS BEAUTY USING DIOR BEAUTY AND ORIBE. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

Trend Camel

Clockwise from top left: VALENTINO shirt, $850, and VALENTINO GARAVANI bag, $2,745.

FRAME pants, $195, and AMIRI boots, $1,290 (leg warmers only for runway).

LOUIS VUITTON top, $6,555 (sold as 3-in-1 coat), pants, $3,000, and shoes, $1,190. FENDI hat, $450, and sweater, $890. MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION sweater, $490, pants, $490, and bag, $1,490. BURBERRY coat, $5,900, and vest, $1,790.

Photography by MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION Styling by ALISON EDMOND 36

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Anel Sartoria

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“I love the idea of taking something quite simple and rendering it in precious metal,” says Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co.’s chief artistic officer. The American designer and Parsons School of Design graduate — who spent over 25 years mastering his craft at such labels as Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren and Coach in addition to his own eponymous label — relishes nothing more than remaking functional household staples, like an empty tin can or first aid box, in impeccably polished sterling silver. Form and function are preserved, a dash of wit is added. Now, after two years at the helm of the storied jewelry house, reworking collections to include casual variations with a modern point of view, Krakoff is applying his trademark elevated irreverence to a range of new men’s designs this fall. The collection debuts at the house’s boutiques and the Tiffany Men’s Pop-up Shop at The Grove (open through Nov. 27). Signet rings are inspired by celebratory sports rings; new sterling silver and 18-karat yellow gold eyewear is on offer; and there’s even a yo-yo rendered in American walnut. In addition, Dover Street Market Los Angeles will debut limited-release designs, including sterling cuff links and pendants with a tumbled finish.

At the heart of Krakoff ’s new chapter for Tiffany is an open-plan, 17,000-squarefoot Jewelry Design and Innovation Workshop, an under-the-radar oasis of rapid prototyping in Manhattan. In addition to setting precious stones and working with metals, its craftspeople utilized CAD software and 3D printers and scanners to create the wax and resin models Krakoff and his team envisioned for the new men’s offerings.

“I started at the core of what Tiffany is known for in the men’s category: long-

Clockwise from above: Accessories from the new TIFFANY & CO. men’s line, including the Flight bag (top ( right),), $2,200. Tiffany 1837 Makers gold cuff links, $3,400.

Chief artistic officer REED KRAKOFF.

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BEHIND BARS Longer nights call for decadent cocktails

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standing classics [such as] signet rings, ID bracelets, traditional cuff links, simple bands,” Krakoff says, adding, “I reimagined men’s jewelry using new silhouettes, materials and scale.” Inspired by Louise Nevelson’s monochromatic sculptures, Frank Stella’s color theory and the smooth geometry of Marc Newson’s industrial designs, Krakoff ’s fresh, streamlined vision touches everything from the Tiffany T collection wedding rings to minimalist sterling beer mugs and flasks in the Tiffany 1837 Makers line. The result is a clean sweep. tiffany.com. E.V.

JUNGLE BIRD At S.F.’s Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar at the Fairmont, try this rum-based recipe purloined from Kuala Lumpur, with bittersweet tropical flavors. tongaroom.com.

2.

SANDIA PUNCH Calabra on the roof of the new Santa Monica Proper Hotel is awash with sea views and muddled mezcal cocktails like this watermelon cooler. properhotel.com.

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REED KRAKOFF: ALBERT WATSON. STEPHEN KENN: AMY BARTLAM. FORD V FERRARI: TM AND © 2019 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION. JUNGLE BIRD: RICK O’BRIEN. SANDIA PUNCH: ALINA TYULYU.

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LOFTY PURSUITS For those who long to live in the world of Stephen Kenn — maker of relaxed, modern furniture and leather goods — now you can, if just for a night. The new Stephen Kenn Loft, set in a 1920s building in Downtown Los Angeles, offers overnight stays in rooms featuring the studio’s designs as well as those by other local brands, like Morrow Soft Goods and Portola Paints & Glazes. The venture expands Kenn’s footprint in the Arts District, where he and his partner, Beks Opperman, have long kept a showroom and hosted events for the community. The 1,600-squarefoot, open-plan space features a large bedroom suite along with a sunlit lounge filled with cool, low-slung seating, a kitchen, a gym with a vintage military-issue punching bag, a meditation room and a bar. There’s a plan to use the space for a greater good, too. It will host discussions with designers who focus on solutions for affordable housing. “DTLA is a place undergoing a great deal of change,” Kenn says. “We want to be a positive force at the center of that conversation.” $500/night. 1250 Long Beach Ave., L.A., 323-920-4210; stephenkenn.com. K.C.

MATT DAMON and CHRISTIAN BALE co-star in the new film FORD V FERRARI.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES

Above: An Inheritance Collection bed inside the STEPHEN KENN LOFT, where clients of the studio can spend the night. Below: The gym features workout equipment by Japanese label ITANI ATHLETIC.

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ISLE OF CAPRI Stop by The Pony Room at cozy Rancho Valencia Resort in Rancho Santa Fe for a lobster slider washed down with a mezcal and black walnut liqueur margarita. ranchovalencia.com.

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PANIC ORDER The dimly lit interior of The Giannini bar in DTLA makes for a perfect date. Treat your paramour to this sleek kombucha-based Cali classic. thenomadhotel .com/los-angeles.

This fall, 20th Century Fox resurrects the epic 1966 battle of Ford v Ferrari. The feud started when Henry Ford II tried to purchase Enzo Ferrari’s company, only to have Ferrari pull out of the sale at the last minute. Ford, in turn, vowed to end Ferrari’s five-year winning streak at Le Mans. Directed by James Mangold (Logan) and filmed in the California desert, dramatic performances from Christian Bale and Matt Damon as driver Ken Miles and automotive designer Carroll Shelby put an end to the long debate over whether an American-built machine could ever top Europe’s finest engine.

Out Nov. 15. K.M.

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LIKE A HEAT WAVE San Diego’s Fifth & Rose is a slice of Manhattan in SoCal with a list to match.

This fiery cocktail of tequila, cucumber and jalapeno is a must-sip. pendry.com.

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TAKING FLIGHT Looking to infinity (and beyond) for inspiration, jumpsuits have landed

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Clockwise from top left: LOUIS VUITTON jacket, $6,255, and pants, $1,465.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM jumpsuit, $995, FENDI top, $995, and bag, $2,390, and AMIRI boots, $1,390.

8 MONCLER PALM ANGELS jumpsuit, price upon request. GUCCI jumpsuit, $2,400, and TIMBERLAND boots, $198.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO jumpsuit, price upon request, and shoes, $1,150, GUCCI backpack , $1,980, and stylist’s scarf.

3 MONCLER GRENOBLE jumpsuit, price upon request, 7 MONCLER FRAGMENT HIROSHI FUJIWARA backpack , $1,005, and JIMMY CHOO shoes, $495.

Photography by MARK GRIFFIN CHAMPION Styling by ALISON EDMOND 40

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MODEL: DEVON DRAKKAR AT NEXT MANAGEMENT. GROOMING BY DEE DALY AT OPUS BEAUTY USING DIOR BEAUTY AND ORIBE. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

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THE RISE OF Uber THE UBER MAFIA

Mafia

A group of cash-rich former employees of the $50 billion rideshare company are on the hunt for the next big thing

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which is valued at $2.5 billion, has been hamstrung by many of the same labor and regulatory problems that have plagued Uber.

Barnes and his former Uber counterpart in New York, Josh Mohrer, began informally organizing Uber alumni via texts, Slack, Facebook, LinkedIn and occasional meetups. The group has now grown to more than 1,500 people. Last year, Barnes and Mohrer formalized the investing side of that community with the creation of Moving Capital, a syndicate of about 200 former Uber employees with enough cash to dive into startup financing. So far, they have backed 29 new ventures, including Bird’s rival, Lime; luxury email provider Superhuman; and San Francisco’s Standard Cognition, which is developing systems to supercharge the cashierless checkout revolution started by Amazon Go. Many of Moving Capital’s investees have also been introduced by former colleagues. According to Barnes, the explosion of activity from the Uber diaspora, both as founders and investors, is thanks largely to how controversial founder Travis Kalanick ran the company.

He would send employees to new cities and demand they work miracles. “He expected the city team leaders to act as CEOs,” Barnes says. “Where else would you be given the responsibility to build a team of thousands or hundreds of people, manage a balance sheet, put out fires every day, deal with the mayor, the local taxi authority, the press and solve a unique set of regulatory issues?” The result: hundreds of refugees from Uber — a once-in-a-generation success that in a decade went from nothing to a $50 billion global tech

hen William Barnes left Uber in 2017, he was exhausted. “[Almost] six years is a long time at such a fast-growing company,” he says. “It felt like the right time to make a move.” A longtime British transplant living in Los Angeles, Barnes, 40, joined the San Francisco-based ride-hailing upstart as one of the first 50 employees back in 2012. He launched the service in L.A. and ended up managing operations across several states as the West Coast regional manager.

It was a harrowing ride. Around the time he left, Travis VanderZanden, another Uberite, had recently exited and hatched a new plan: Bird, now arguably California’s most omnipresent scooter startup.

Barnes, flush with cash from his Uber stock, was one of Bird’s first investors. VanderZanden would soon go on to raise a huge sum of money from former colleagues and blue-chip investors even though the company,

Words by BRADLEY SPEWAK Illustration by NEIL WEBB 42

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behemoth — who are convinced that they can replicate that success on their own.

There is also a lot of money riding on the belief that this group has the best chance of producing its version of the Paypal Mafia, the moniker given to Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffmann and other former executives from the online payment giant who went on to start even bigger companies. Several of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital firms, from Andreessen Horowitz to Redpoint Ventures, have snapped up former Uber executives on the belief they will be able to spot the next big thing.

Fraser Robinson, the London-based former head of business development for Uber in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, agreed the company experience attracted — and forged — a certain type of person. He says, “If I had to pick one word that defines what they were looking for and optimized for in people at Uber, it’s hustle.”

Jeremy Lermitte spent six years working at Uber: first in New York, where he distributed iPhones to cab drivers to convince them to use this new app no one had ever heard of, and then in San Francisco, where he joined the growth team. The 31-year-old left in late 2018, and in the spring launched RedCircle, a podcast hosting company, which received backing from several former Uber employees. In fact, his five-person team is all exUber. Why? “When you’re forged in the same fire, you understand one another and the same ideologies and processes to build a great product,” he says.

What is not appreciated by the masses of former Uber employees now populating the startup landscape is that Uber was an unprecedented, and probably unrepeatable, ride. And Robinson, 46, warned that many of his excolleagues may be in for a rude awakening.

“A lot of those younger people have had no other experience, other than Uber. They have no idea how hard the world really is,” he says. “They ignore the fact that they had almost a perfect product, they ignore that they had unlimited budget.”

Indeed, for those who got in early enough, simply hanging on for four years (the period of time after which they could take possession of all of their stock options) imbued them with a skewed sense of confidence, and of what success looks like.

A 34-year-old former employee who spoke on condition of anonymity repeatedly referred to the “little bit of money” he made from his time at Uber. When pressed, he acknowledged that the sum was several million dollars — enough to not have to work, but not enough to impress his former colleagues. Instead, he is aiming to build a multibillion-dollar empire with his new company. He says: “If I have like a $20 million exit, it’s probably not that interesting. I might have made more money than that just investing. [I] want to try to do something really, really big, [and] having money does allow you to swing kind of bigger.”

Dmitry Shevelenko, a former business development

executive, left Uber last summer. He cast around for his quintessential “big idea” until he found it: training wheels. His Mountain View startup, Tortoise, wants to fit a tiny set of training wheels to scooters, along with an inexpensive radar chip, front-facing cameras and a microprocessor that will combine to turn today’s rental scooters into autonomous vehicles capable of being summoned to their next job. The cost for each conversion? About $100.

His ambitions stretch far beyond turning Bird’s fleet into ghost scooters, however. Tortoise, he argues, could “change the world” because the technology could be applied to other vehicles: electric bicycles, even delivery robots. “We’re doing for the world of physical things what the Internet did for the world of digital things, which is to make the transfer costs of an item [close to zero].”

Not everyone will be celebrating the blooming of so many Uber seedlings. The company, after all, was blasted for its Cro-Magnon culture, led by Kalanick, which was allegedly hostile to women and a desert of diversity.

Could all of these spinoffs just revive the toxic bro-topia that ultimately forced Kalanick to step down?

Blaine Light thinks not. In 2017, the former senior operations manager launched Qwick, a platform for service industry professionals (bartenders, cooks, dishwashers) to find shifts in real time. Staff at

Uber “If I Mafia have like a $20 million exit, it’s probably not that interesting.

I might have made more than that just investing” F O R M E R U B E R E M P LOYE E

his new company is nearly 50 percent female, and diversity, he asserts, is a primary focus. Of his time at Uber, he says: “Sometimes in hypergrowth, those issues can get away from you.”

Perhaps the best-case scenario is that the Uberites seeking to rekindle the magic in new industries have learned from the mistakes of the past. Shevelenko explains, “Former Uber employees believe that Uber is more impactful than any other group of people in the world, so they can’t imagine just being part of something. It has to be something where they’re playing a really big role that could have a massive impact on the world. Landing a senior director role is not going to get you cred.” •

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Words by HELENA DE BERTODANO Photography by KURT MARKUS Creative & Fashion Direction by ALISON EDMOND 44

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MARK RONSON’S L.A. STORY Feature Ronson

Having moved to the West Coast three years ago, the musician has rebooted his lifestyle and reached peak productivity — making hits with Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus, and writing his most personal album to date

CELINE coat, $3,950, top, $590, and tie, $790. JACQUES MARIE MAGE sunglasses, $525. Vintage Audemars Piguet watch, his own (seen throughout).

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ark Ronson lifts his right arm above his head and points to a large black broken heart tattooed on his inner bicep. “I’m the heartbreak kid,” he says, tracing the heart’s outline: “It’s my sad bangers tattoo.”

We are in the control room of his Hollywood recording studio, a dimly lit carpeted cell full of switches and meters where Ronson spent the last year conceptualizing his new album, Late Night Feelings — a powerful mix of songs about love and loss, featuring powerhouse artists such as Miley Cyrus and King Princess — which came out this past summer. “I feel this is my safe zone,” jokes Ronson of the studio. “If you’re a kid and made a fort with pillows and sheets, this is pretty much a professional version of that.”

Late Night Feelings, Ronson’s fifth studio album to date, is a dramatic change of direction for the British-born DJ-turned-super producer, who is perhaps most famous for the era-defining bounce of “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars. Their 11-times-platinum collaboration spent 14 weeks at No. 1, earned a Grammy for record of the year, has received over 3.6 billion YouTube views, and even

“I have to make some rules now.

I want to enjoy life.

I try to cut off at 8 p.m.”

now, nearly five years later, is still the go-to “wedding f*cking party banger” as Ronson succinctly puts it.

Of the motivation for Late Night Feelings, Ronson says in his trademark languid drawl, “I’d rather hit 100,000 people in the gut [emotionally], than have 10 million people smiling with their hands in the air.”

Of course, Ronson (who has seven Grammys to his name) has done emotional before. Case in point: “Shallow,” the Oscar-winning ballad he co-wrote with Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando for the movie A Star Is Born. Before that, there was his breakout collaboration with Amy Winehouse: he won the Producer of the Year Grammy for Back to Black, her chart-topping 2006 album which explored themes of grief and infidelity.

“I’m a bit of a sponge, I’m empathetic as a producer,” he says. “But I’ve always had this division of labor: they were other people’s albums that I worked on.” Others’ emotions, too. Then he poured his own heart and soul into Late Night Feelings. “It came out of the breakup of my marriage,” explains Ronson, who last year

BALENCIAGA coat, $3,500, and turtleneck , $1,290. Opposite: SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO jacket, $6,900, and T-shirt, $350.

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GUCCI jacket, $2,500, top, $1,200, and pants, $780. Opposite: MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION coat, $3,990. SANDRO T-shirt, $115. FRAME jeans, $210.

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divorced French model and actor Joséphine de La Baume. He says the final track, “Spinning,” sung by Ilsey Juber, is the most personal. “I was reeling,” he says simply. The lyrics, which he co-wrote with the singer, are intense: “I don’t wanna drown, but the waves keep on rolling/ Pour out what’s left in a heart-shaped case/ You can have it all, yeah, it’s yours to break.”

Not that Ronson hasn’t experienced breakups before. “All breakups are cumulative … but we were together for eight years, so it is by far the most significant relationship of my adult life. … This was the one that made me go, ‘Let me take a look at my life.’… There were two other significant relationships that happened during the making of the record that also contributed to it. The only thing that all my breakups have in common is me. When you have six breakups in a row, [you start to think,] ‘When am I gonna get my shit together?’”

The marriage’s collapse was not unexpected, he says. “But it doesn’t make it any less sad.”

Still, he is in no hurry to embark on a new relationship. “I want to date someone for the right reason as opposed to just being with someone for the sake of being with someone. … It’s five months now, probably the longest I’ve ever been single. I had such a habit of jumping from relationship to relationship before, sometimes it would be a week or two [between girlfriends], once it was only half a day.” However, he is not put off by marriage and wants a family one day. “That’s the main thing I want. Children with a partner, that’s the goal.”

Despite the turbulence of the last couple of years, Ronson says he enjoys life in Los Angeles, where he settled in 2016. He often hikes in Griffith Park, which is near his Los Feliz home, a beautiful four-bedroom Spanish Revival house with an old Hollywood vibe. It took him a while to find his feet in the city: “I was living an isolated existence. L.A. is what you make of it. I do feel it’s the epicenter of music now. There’s no way to live anywhere else if you want to be working on the top-level shit.”

He continues, “The thing about L.A. that is so amazing is, I wake up an hour and a half earlier than I do in any other city I’ve ever lived in. It sounds corny, but you greet the day.” So, he’s up at 7 a.m., which doesn’t sound very rock ’n’ roll. “I’m 44 now,” Ronson points out. “I have to make some rules now. Bruno’s thing is to work ’til 5 in the morning. He has so much energy, he’s 10 years younger than me. It’s like, ‘For what?’ I can’t do that shit anymore. … I want to enjoy life and my house, so I try to cut off at 8 p.m.”

Feature Ronson “Being a perfectionist served me in my career.

Not so much in my personal life”

Most days, he spends the mornings at home, walking his two rescue dogs, Pablo and Maisie, meditating, drinking coffee, then going to a local boxing gym to work out before arriving at his studio around midday. Artists come in throughout the afternoon to record with him, or he works alone on material, then he goes out for dinner, maybe to All Time on Hillhurst or Speranza in Silver Lake, with a friend or his younger twin sisters, fashion designer Charlotte and fellow DJ Samantha.

On the weekends, he sometimes goes to Prime Time, a karaoke dive bar in Hollywood.

“It’s next to a Mexican cowboy gay bar called Club Tempo, which is incredible.” Still, his life here is much more tempered than in New York, where he has spent much of his life. “In New York the energy is so voracious and frantic [that] I’m in the bar ’til 3 in the morning. … [But] now I need sleep if I want to feel good the next day.”

Born in London in 1975, Ronson’s childhood was infused with music. His father, Laurence, a real estate developer and music promoter, managed pop acts like Bucks Fizz, and his mother, Ann Dexter, later remarried Mick Jones,

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VERSACE blazer, $3,725, and pants, $1,595. SANDRO top, $245.

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Feature Ronson

LOUIS VUITTON coat, $1,480, and T-shirt, $600. JACQUES MARIE MAGE sunglasses, $525. JIMMY CHOO shoes, similar styles available from $950. His own jeans.

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to co-produce her album Everybody Got Their Something. Soon after, Ronson signed a contract with Elektra Records and released his debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz, in 2003.

Despite his success, he has a reputation for being self-deprecating. “It’s not a shtick. It’s genuinely how I feel — a little English, a little Jewish, neurotic, anxiety-ridden. … But I just realized it’s not helping anyone. ... It feels like old programming that’s past its expiry date. …

That doesn’t mean I have to [become] some arrogant dickhead, but I would be annoyed if somebody on my level was deflecting praise all the time or not owning some of that shit.”

“That shit” includes his work with some of the biggest names in music today: Adele, Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera. Female artists in particular enjoy collaborating with him as he respects their opinions and treats them as equals; Ronson’s lack of arrogance makes him an exception among producers. “I grew up around really strong, amazing women. I had a really f*cking strong, dynamic, intelligent, complicated mom. So I don’t shy away from [women like] that. Maybe some producers have a hard time falling in line to really powerful women.”

In the past he’s described himself as a perfectionist (“It served me in my career, not so much in my personal life; I’ve tried to reframe it as ‘striving for excellence’”) and once said his goal was to reach the music-making level of Quincy Jones (whose daughter Rashida he dated). “He’s my favorite producer of all time.

But I don’t think anyone will ever be like Quincy; he’s a genius. I would like to just continue to make good music that resonates with people.”

As for his personal life, he seems to have reached a more philosophical place and is determined to look to the future. “What’s that Lily Tomlin quote about the past?” He picks up his iPhone to Google it: “‘Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.’ I just love that — we’re all hoping for a better past. But we’re all where we’re supposed to be. There’s pain, there’s heartache. It’s natural to have regrets, but wishing you’d done this or that differently is the biggest waste of time.”

Anyway, he says, at least he got a great album out of his misery. “I wouldn’t wish [for] the pain it caused me or the pain it caused the other person just for the sake of a record. But if you’re going to go through that anyway, then [you might as well get] some good art. It enabled me to make my first emotionally vulnerable record. … I’m very grateful for that. But I don’t want to be the heartbreak kid forever.” X

Feature Ronson lead guitarist of the ’70s band Foreigner (with whom she had two more children, Alexander and Annabel). When Ronson was 8 years old, the family moved to New York, where celebrity house guests were the norm. Al Pacino and Michael Caine dropped by for lunch, Robin Williams once read Ronson a bedtime story, and Ronson’s best friend was Sean Lennon.

Paul McCartney even once rescued a young Ronson from drowning. “We were in Long Island, swimming in the ocean,” Ronson says.

“I was about 7 and ... I got caught in a tide. Paul McCartney was walking down the beach and saw my mom in a panic and went in and grabbed me. When we worked together 30 years later [on McCartney’s 2013 album, New], he ... was like: ‘That sounds familiar.’”

But Ronson does not romanticize those years.

“I had a really f*cking f*cked-up childhood. I love my parents very much, [but] they were not always there, and my dad had his issues. I’ve blocked out most of [ages] 0 to 5 except for a few traumatic memories. It got a little easier

when my mom married my stepdad. Those are my first pleasant memories of family holidays.”

He played guitar in a secondary school band and at age 12 interned at Rolling Stone magazine.

While at NYU, Ronson made a name for himself as a club DJ, mixing the rock influence of his U.K. roots with New York’s hip-hop scene. He attracted the attention of celebrities like Sean P. Diddy Combs, who hired Ronson to DJ his fabled 29th birthday party in 1998.

He used to downplay his background and was mortified when his mother would visit the gritty hip-hop clubs where he was DJing. “My mom would show up and be like [he puts on a posh English voice]: ‘I’m Mark’s mother, can you show me the DJ booth?’ I’d just want to cringe and die. But most people just thought, ‘Oh shit, that’s Mark’s mom, that’s crazy.’

Nobody held it against me.”

But Ronson wanted to be more than just a celebrity DJ, and when Nikka Costa’s manager heard one of his sets, he was so impressed he introduced Ronson to Costa, who asked him PRADA jacket, $4,400. MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION turtleneck , $390.

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SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

Feature Ronson

BOTTEGA VENETA jacket, $2,900, and pants, $1,350. GUCCI top, $1,100. JACQUES MARIE MAGE sunglasses, $525. DIOR boots, $1,200.

Grooming by JASON SCHNEIDMAN at Solo Artists using TheMensGroomer. Location CATCH ONE.

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Balenciaga

Balenciaga

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STAR ROCKS A new book celebrates the most sublime climbs in the USA, with California’s bluffs and boulders taking center stage — naturally

Feature Rock Climbing

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s the in-house pianist at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park, Jesse Lynch had a lot of free time on his hands. Beckoned by the valley’s mystical granite slabs one day in 2006, Lynch — along with his roommate, big wall expert Erik Sloane — slowly hoisted his way up a 5.8 crack at Swan Slab. He was instantly hooked.

Words by KELSEY McKINNON Photography by FRANÇOIS LEBEAU 58

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Feature Rock Climbing

TENAYA LAKE, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK | The sloping ridgeline of Northwest Buttress above the sandy beaches of this alpine lake features 1,400 feet of 5.5 trad climbing on perfect white granite. Here, GABE MATSON turns on “night mode” while ascending one of the higher pitches.

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SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR DETAILS, P.81.

Feature Rock Climbing

EL CAPITAN, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK | Along the Zodiac route, JACOPO LARCHER climbs “The Nipple” pitch (5.13+) at sunset.

“Larcher described the movements up the dihedral as similar to holding a refrigerator in both hands while shuffling feet up a featureless wall,” JESSE LYNCH writes.

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From top: MICKEY’S BEACH, MARIN COUNTY | Oceanside bouldering at this oasis just south of Stinson Beach offers some of the area’s most difficult climbs. DONNER SUMMIT, LAKE TAHOE | Friends prepare for a summer day at the Snowshed Wall, which has long been one of Tahoe’s most popular sites, given the proximity to parking and variety of grades between sport and trad.

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“[Climbing] is a platform through which we transcend barriers of insecurity, fear and doubt. It is a discrete world of tantalizing puzzles, a slow and persistent reliance on creative execution,” Lynch writes. “It is addicting and it is goddamned fun.”

Twelve years later, Lynch, now a professional musician based in Brooklyn when he’s off the wall, is a seasoned climber and a member of a close-knit tribe of individuals who make annual pilgrimages to peaks across the world, who live off granola and out of vans and tents, and gather around campfires to share stories of their shared passion. After meeting photographer François Lebeau at Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, the pair decided to chronicle a full year on the circuit.

In Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America (Rizzoli New York, $50), there are badass action shots of distinguished climbers scaling some worldclass rocks, but there are also images of the quiet moments, the cracked and callused hands and the awe-inspiring vistas from a portaledge. “Its pages comprise grime, sweat, stench, blood, fear, exhilaration and camaraderie … presenting not only the stark nature of the walls, but also uniquely capturing the humanity of the people who journey upward,” Lynch writes. It also comes at a time when worldwide interest in climbing has reached a fever pitch, thanks in part to Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo, which features Alex Honnold’s unfathomable free climb of El Cap in less than four hours, and the fact that rock climbing is set to make its Olympic debut (a move rejected by many purists) in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The book’s start is set in spring with glorious ascents in the American West, where Lynch’s climbing journey first began.

As Lynch writes, “The proportions of [Yosemite] Valley shock the nervous system and stagger the mind. … Pulling wild free moves a few thousand feet off the deck, it’s hard to believe these walls weren’t designed for climbing.”

Summer winds through the peaks of the High Sierras and the varied slabs of Lake Tahoe, with its rewarding views of the water and forests, then crosses the border to British Columbia. Fall is open season for most areas in the climbing world, and one

“The proportions of Yosemite Valley shock the nervous system and stagger the mind”

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of the few opportunities for the “monkeys to roam eastward” and scale New England slabs before the winter cold sets in. Some will then take up ice climbing or focus on indoor training, while others take time off to make money. But in California, the season continues in Joshua Tree National Park — “one of the premier old-school trad [climbing] destinations in the country” — then on to Bishop in Owens Valley in the Eastern Sierra for lower-elevation bouldering. At the end of a long day of problem-solving here, there is reprieve: “Evenings often involve soaking in one of the many nearby natural hot springs, massaging taxed forearms in sulfuric waters while marveling at the snowcapped panorama of the High Sierra,” Lynch writes.

But perhaps nothing epitomizes the best of the west quite like the picturesque boulders and sport crags on the San Francisco coast, at beaches like Mickey’s and Stinson. Here, climbers alternate between chilly dips in the Pacific Ocean and taxing terrain. Lynch offers a cautionary heads-up: “As word to the uninitiated, sections of these beaches are designated ‘clothing optional,’ and au naturel ascents are not out of the question.” •

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Feature Rock Climbing

BISHOP, CALIFORNIA | Just past the old-timey town of Bishop are the famous Buttermilk boulders, where many climbers head for the winter season. Here, LANCE CARRERA skillfully moves past the early highball crux at Gigantor (V3) to be rewarded with sweeping views of the Sierras.

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Feature 2nd Home

CAMPUS OF COOL Words by DEGEN PENER Photography by RAINER HOSCH

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Feature 2nd Home

With its highly curated list of tech companies and nonprofits, world-class cultural program and mi casa es su casa ethos, Second Home is a first for community-focused co-working in California. But wait, it’s not in Silicon Valley?

One of the pod-like private-studio office spaces in the gardens of SECOND HOME, featuring sconces by ALEJANDRO CANO, custom office chairs by HOWE and a SELGASCANO-designed center table manufactured by THE KORTE COMPANY.

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n a corner of Hollywood near the 101 Freeway is a new members club, but its founders, Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton, say it’s nothing like Soho House. Granted, you still need to apply, but Second Home is all about embracing openness.

With five locations across London and Lisbon, their new spot is also a co-working space, but they really don’t like it being compared to WeWork, either. From a design perspective, the socially responsible company that they founded in London in 2014 hardly feels like an office.

Indeed, their first in the United States — despite being a block away from a Home Depot and an under-construction Target — is something quite remarkable in its own right.

Already home to Snapchat’s Snap Foundation, author Dave Eggers’ creative writing charity 826LA, the L.A. chapter of the Sunrise Movement (the group behind the Green New Deal), and companies doing everything from architecture and advertising to music and film production, Second Home Hollywood is enormous, covering 2 acres with more than 6,000 plants and trees. Designed by the Spanish architecture firm SelgasCano, it’s a thrillingly imaginative adaptive reuse of a midcentury building by late Los Angeles architect to the stars Paul R. Williams (who designed houses for Frank Sinatra, Eva Gabor, Tyrone Power, and Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball).

“This building was just totally derelict when we found it,” says Silva, 39, of the main structure, built in 1964 as a community building for the nonprofit Assistance League of Southern California, co-founded by socialite Anne Banning, whose family first developed Catalina Island. He adds, “The site has a really special L.A. history. Paul Williams was the first African-American to be admitted to the American Institute of Architects. He had to overcome incredible challenges. He had to learn to draw upside down, because he felt that white clients wouldn’t let him sit next to them and do sketches, so he had to sit opposite and draw. And he wasn’t even allowed to visit some of the homes and

buildings that he was designing and built.”

The site’s original two-story, Colonial Revival-style building, which boasts one of Williams’ signature sweeping staircases, has now been reimagined as the heart of the creative offices. The architects — who have designed all of the Second Home spaces and who first became involved through a family connection (Aldenton’s wife is the niece of the founders) — have added bright stripes and swaths of color throughout. Reds, oranges and yellows pop up in carpets, chairs and moldings, giving the offices a bold, energetic feel. The campus includes an event space, bookshop, podcast and photo studio, a coffee bar and a soon-to-open public restaurant, Andrews Place, overseen by chef Phuong Tran of West Hollywood’s Croft Alley. “We’ll have a liquor license covering the whole campus,” says Aldenton, 36, “so we’ll be doing fun things things like drink trolleys on a Thursday evening.”

The pair stress that anyone, not just members, is invited to come eat at the restaurant, grab a coffee or attend one of the free events that are a part of Second Home’s cultural program.

Recently, they’ve had Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski and Stephen Dubner, the co-author of Freakonomics, in to give talks. They have also hosted lectures by director David Lynch and architect Thomas Heatherwick at a SelgasCanodesigned pop-up installation, the Serpentine Pavilion, at the La Brea Tar Pits, which is open through Nov. 24. And all local community groups and nonprofits are welcome to book space in meeting rooms free of charge.

“So this building is still a community building,” Silva says. “We’re like the opposite of Soho House. No one is at the front desk to stop you [from] doing whatever you want. We don’t like all that kind of closed, ‘Screw you, you’re not good-looking enough to get in.’ We don’t care what anyone looks like.”

The look of the buildings, on the other hand, is something Silva and Aldenton do care strongly about, but it isn’t just for the sake of aesthetics.

“The environment makes a big difference, because people want to work in places like this,” Silva says. “What we’ve found is that it helps companies located at Second Home recruit better. It’s really hard as a small business to persuade someone good to work for you because you can’t pay as much as Google can.”

Complementing the main building is what the pair call an urban forest. Located in a former parking lot, the garden area is comprised of 60 discrete buildings in biomorphic shapes

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Feature 2nd Home

ROHAN SILVA (left) and SAM ALDENTON, wearing his own Cubitts shades, in the garden at Second Home. “ We’re really excited by this location because we think it will appeal to lots of different types, not just entertainment or tech people,” Aldenton says.

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topped with yellow roofs and has the feel of a retro-futuristic encampment of pods on another planet. Every building — each housing a separate company — is sunk partway into the soil of the planting beds, which makes them cooler, minimizing the need for air-conditioning.

The lush plantings, including birds-of-paradise and king palm trees, are inspired by the city around it. “We see L.A. as this like verdant, luscious garden,” Aldenton says. Silva chimes in, contending most co-working spaces are “soulless, crappy cubicles with, like, a mustache drawn on the wall and some inspirational quotes.

They all look the same. And small teams doing hard things deserve better than that.”

Tiago Pereira, creative director of social impact company Enso — which recently moved from its own offices in Santa Monica to Second Home — says, “We were trying to find a way to be more connected to other communities and other areas of business beyond us. We think they are a very optimistic, multidisciplinary and alive vision of the future. We think it serves us better being close to people pursing all sorts of dreams and wanted to be a part of it.”

Silva and Aldenton also see themselves as business incubators. When it’s completely leased, Second Home will include 250 companies occupying private offices (pricing from $2,800 per month for a four-desk office) and about 400 roaming members (from $400 per month) with access to communal work spaces. They put considerable thought into curating the right mix of companies, making

sure no single industry ever rises above 10 percent of the membership, and they facilitate connections between members via their concierges, aka “breakthrough managers.”

“The idea at the heart of Second Home is about diversity and serendipity. In this building, you’ve got tech companies next to designers next to music companies next to fashion. So we’ve tried really hard to make sure that as many different industries are here, and about 25 percent of our community are charities and social impact organization,” says Silva, whose desire is that all of these people meet and in some ways work together. “There are organizations like PR firms, law firms, recruiters and investors, the kind of people you need around you as you’re growing your thing. It takes a village, right?

We genuinely think diversity makes creativity stronger.” And when a company is so successful that it moves out to its own offices elsewhere, Second Home throws a celebration party for them. “We’re rooting for that. It’s a sign of success for us,” Silva says.

The two business partners first met in London eight years ago. Aldenton — who has two children (and one on the way) with his wife, Isabel Parada Cano-Lasso, an art dealer — started his career as a gardener, then started working for a social enterprise company. “They owned a multitenanted building in East London.

So I learned to create a sense of community in this building. We ended up having Yoko Ono playing at the music venue there, and we had Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a birthday

Feature 2nd Home “This is a city where you’re enabled to dream. People want you to succeed” R O H A N S I LV A

A view of the lobby — featuring Cano-designed yellow chairs made by LA SILLA ACAPULCO — with ANDREWS PLACE cafe and Second Home’s bookstore, LIBRERIA, in the background.

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Clockwise from left: Aldenton. Silva, wearing his signature Swatch watch. A rooftop view of the office pods nestled in the lush tropical gardens.

party on the roof garden I made. I was doing this sort of thing on a micro scale.” Prior to Second Home, Silva — who has a baby with wife Kate MacTiernan, a trained architect and the co-founder of an arts festival — worked as a senior policy advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron. He was involved with such issues as international development, the environment and innovation policy. One of his signature accomplishments was shepherding the development of Tech City, a cluster of technology companies in East London.

Aldenton and Silva met in 2011 through a mutual friend, and after coming up with the idea for Second Home, the pair raised about $5 million in investments in three weeks and opened their first location in a former carpet factory in East London’s Brick Lane.

Second Home — which has also funded the construction of a school in Nairobi, Kenya, designed by SelgasCano — quickly gained a reputation as a place where new companies thrive. “The biggest green energy company in the U.K. is a company called Bulb, and it started at Second Home,” says Silva, who adds that teams based at its London location created jobs 10 times faster than the national average.

Aldenton and Silva say Los Angeles was an easy choice for their first stateside location.

“I mean, the obvious leap is across the pond to New York, but for us, New York is sort of a version of London. And we had the feeling that L.A. is where the cultural energy is emanating from now. Just to be frank, L.A. is cooler than New York, right now,” Silva says. Aldenton adds, “This is a city where I think you’re enabled to dream. People are excited at your slightly wacky, kooky idea and want to see you succeed.” In fact, the pair like L.A. so much that they, along with their families, have moved to the city full time, with Aldenton in Los Feliz and Silva in Silver Lake. “We’ve really fallen for this place,” Silva says. “Everyone in the city has been so open and welcoming and friendly.” Among their favorite spots around the neighborhood near Second Home are the Egyptian Theatre (where they recently saw Chinatown); the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy club; Jitlada Thai restaurant; Musso & Frank Grill (“for oldschool Hollywood food,” Aldenton says); and The Trails cafe in Griffith Park.

Already, the pair are looking around for a location for a second Second Home in L.A. — but they aren’t in a rush. Silva says, “Actually building a community, not just saying you’re building one, takes a really long time.” •

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VINE OF THE TIMES

Feature Mondavi

Two scions of the Mondavi winemaking dynasty have achieved the herculean task of creating a topclass natural pinot that is served at the finest restaurants on both coasts.

How did they do it?

Words by JASON SHEELER Photography by SAM FROST 70

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Feature Mondavi

CARLO MONDAVI (left) and DANTE MONDAVI in the vineyard they named after their grandfather, the legendary winemaker ROBERT MONDAVI.

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nside a former applesauce warehouse in the Barlow shopping district of Sebastopol, Carlo Mondavi sets down his coffee and reads a text message while dodging a forklift with a bumper sticker declaring “Corporate wines still suck.” “You gotta be careful with those, they can’t see you,” he says with a goodnatured, yeah-bro accent, as another forklift backs up between us with gentle beeps.

Then he is off and the Aaron Sorkin-style “walk and talk” begins. “We had a good winter.

The soil was replenished. The rivers were refilled.” Carlo pauses to dig through a barrel of grapes being rapidly filled by a conveyor belt. They’ve already been sorted twice, but he picks out a discolored bunch.

“The rosies,” Carlo says, tossing the underripened grapes into a bin a few feet away.

“Those are what you call the sucky ones.” He sifts through the rest, happy with what he sees.

Then he heads for a tarped container, pries back the cover, cups his hands and gently wafts the air toward his face.

“That is fermentation crashing.” He suggests taking a whiff. Just not too close, he cautions.

“Sugar plus yeast yields alcohol. And gives off heat and CO2.” As he is explaining how people die every year during the harvest, by falling into the bins after breathing in the powerful

“Dad didn’t want confusion.

We were forced to make our own relationships.

Tough love” DANTE M O N DAVI

fumes, I take a big inhale. First cherry, then black tea, and then … a bruised apple? Then lightheadedness. “That’s how people die. It’s like being choked.”

Reclining on a bench, he picks up his nowcold coffee and says, “We’re at 60 percent today, we’ll be done with the harvest in two days.” The pressure to succeed in this winemaking capital is intense — and that’s without taking into consideration his last name.

Carlo, 39, is the grandson of the late Robert Mondavi, perhaps the most iconic figure in the history of Napa Valley winemaking. He and his brother Dante, 35, launched Raen in 2013 with the purpose of producing natural, world-class pinot noir on the Sonoma Coast. By all accounts, they’ve done it. Raen — an acronym for Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally (and a wink at a favorite quote of their dad’s, “rain turns into wine”) — is now on the menu at some of the most lauded restaurants on both coasts, including Eleven Madison Park in New York and The French Laundry in Napa Valley. It retails for around $70 to $100 per bottle. Rajat Parr, a master sommelier and winemaker, praises the wine as “one of the best in America. And there are no absolutes in pinot noir.”

Dante, who is out on the road selling the wine during my visit and splits time between Raen

Feature Mondavi

At RAEN, the Mondavi brothers make wine using the “whole-cluster method.” “It’s the way monks have been making wine for hundreds of years,” says Carlo.

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and their father Tim Mondavi’s wine business (the much celebrated Continuum estate atop Napa’s Pritchard Hill), later describes the taste of Raen over the phone as “not overly jammy or plummy.” He credits the marine soil on the cool and wet Sonoma Coast, which makes for a longer growing season. “They hang longer.

They struggle to ripen, creating more tension and energy in the wine,” he says.

This year’s production may be one of Raen’s biggest. (“About 3,000 cases, as opposed to 10 million at Robert Mondavi, which led to overgrowth,” Dante says.) The crop is from nearby vineyards, one of which is named Royal St. Robert (after their grandfather) about an hour away from the warehouse and a few miles from the coast.

It was, of course, Robert Mondavi who helped establish Napa Valley as we know it today. In fact, most in the wine world would agree that no one did more to promote the virtues of American wine. The son of an Italian immigrant grape exporter, Robert (or Bob as he was known among friends) established his winery near St. Helena in 1966 — after the start of a decades-long feud with his brother, Peter, who had his own success in wine — with the goal of creating American wines just as good as those in France. And he succeeded, building the family business to global conglomerate proportions. In the early 2000s,

Feature Mondavi From top: Carlo executes what’s known as a gentle pumpover at the winery.

Chilling wine in dry ice before lunch. The brothers work on a second sorting at the winery.

Feature Mondavi

Robert Mondavi’s brother, Peter, pioneered the use of French oak barrels in winemaking in Napa Valley in the ’60s — barrels his great-nephews use today.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Dante. Carlo. “It’s never too early to taste test,” says Dante.

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Robert Mondavi Winery — by then publicly traded, encompassing several brands of wine (both fine and cheap), with partners including the Walt Disney Company and the Rothschild family — was acquired by Constellation Brands in a $1 billion hostile takeover.

For a moment, Carlo and Dante (they have another brother and two sisters and all are in some way involved with the family business) appeared content to be scions. In 2009, they, along with their brother, Dominic, posed on a beach with half-full wine glasses for a Bruce Weber feature in Vanity Fair titled “Fortune’s Children.” It included assorted heirs and countesses, a lord, a princess and a Bloomingdale, along with Lapo Elkann and Ivanka Trump.

There were attempts at beer making.

Carlo even snowboarded professionally and debuted Davi, a line of skincare products made from grapes. But creating the ultimate pinot nagged at Carlo and Dante. It’s what they both loved. In particular, a 2002 trip they took to Burgundy with their grandfather couldn’t be forgotten. Among other wineries, they visited Romanée-Conti. “He wanted to show us what he saw back in 1962 that gave him the inspiration to follow his dreams in wine,” Carlo says.

After Continuum was up and running, Carlo and Dante decided to set off on their own. To be certain, Raen is entirely their undertaking. They even tried to rent space at their family’s Continuum estate. “We tried to use the cellar there, and we were told no. It’s very separate. My dad didn’t want to have any confusion. Turned out to be the best thing, as

we were forced to make our own relationships and friendships.” He grinned. “Tough love.”

Chiara Mondavi, their artist sister who works at Continuum and is helping Carlo the day we meet, sighs while talking about the loss of the rights to the family name in the Constellation deal. But then smiles. “We got so big. Now, both with Continuum [which focuses on a single wine from a single estate] and with what Carlo and Dante are doing, we are able to go back and focus. And do everything a little bit slower. At a manageable level, and with family.” She points out the arrowhead tattoo on the inside of Carlo’s right arm, just above his elbow. It’s from an etching she made for Raen’s label, of an arrowhead she found in the vineyard. On the bottle it points down, as a declaration. On Carlo’s arm, it points forward.

Cliche as it might sound, the Mondavi ambition runs through Carlo and Dante’s veins as much as it does the wine. Carlo says he has a 100-year plan — apt, considering 2019 is the centennial of his great-grandfather Cesare Mondavi coming to California to source grapes.

“We will have our own domain, our own winery all on [our own] property. That’s a $20 million investment. The banks just don’t trust us right now. We are having to work to get there.”

The Mondavi name is as inescapable as it is legendary. And, as Parr laughs, it’s a little bit of baggage: “But people don’t just believe the name. They want to taste the wine.” And he notes their particularly nuanced process of extraction and slower fermentation. “It’s their style,” he says. He further notes that Carlo and Dante have engendered goodwill in the wine community. “They have been humble about it.

Many people could have taken the pompous route. They are very careful. Their attitude is not, ‘We deserve it.’ They are more, ‘We are earning the right to make this wine.’” •

“The grapes hang longer and struggle Feature Mondavi to ripen, creating more tension and energy” DANTE M O N DAVI

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D I S C O Discoveries Opener

V E R

GO FISH

BRECHT VAN’T HOF

The team behind new Venice Beach hot spot Gran Blanco took off to Baja California for a bonding trip. Here, co-owner Sam Trude shares their freewheeling itinerary of sunshine, sashimi and sustainability

The GRAN BLANCO crew dives at the kanpachi farms with OMEGA BLUE.

TRAVEL

MY CALIFORNIA

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D I A R Y

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y business partner, Sam Cooper; our chef, Juan Ferreiro; our beverage manager, Jaxon Dobson; and I have all spent quite a bit of time in Baja exploring, surfing and eating, but this past summer, when we had the opportunity to visit James Arthur Smith’s Omega Blue (omegablue.us) sustainable fish farm (he supplies our kanpachi), we decided to take an extended R&D trip along the coastline. We like knowing the story of our ingredients, so we wanted to see the process.

Cabo is a bustling mess, so as soon as we landed we started driving north toward Todos Santos, stopping along the way at two pretty great farm-to-table restaurants, Flora’s Field Kitchen (flora-farms.com) and Acre (acrebaja .com), where we met the chefs and had nice meals.

Hotel San Cristóbal (sancristobalbaja.com) is a really cool hotel right on the beach by Bunkhouse Group, and just south of there are some amazing biodynamic restaurants. Carlito’s Place (carlitoscooking.com) is this little shack with an interesting backstory — the chef/ owner, Carlos Cham, worked at Matsuhisa and Nobu for a long time before deciding to return to Baja where

Travel

Anchored off Espíritu Santo Island, Mexico.

Far right: Omega Blue’s JAMES ARTHUR SMITH with SAM COOPER , SAM TRUDE, JUAN FERREIRO and JAXON DOBSON.

he spearfishes every day and makes amazing sushi and sashimi on the beach with whatever he brings in. We checked out the locally grown coffee at Baja Beans Coffee (bajabeanscoffee.com) after catching some waves at Cerritos, a beautiful right, and Hierbabuena (hierbabuenarestaurante.com) in Pescadero, where the menu changes daily based on the produce they collect on the farm. Close to there, a friend of ours is building an exciting little eco resort called El Perdido with bungalows made from local wood.

The next day we drove to La Paz with James to visit the Omega Blue hatchery on land, where they actually do the breeding. The hatchlings are born there and grow a couple months before being pumped onto a boat to be taken to the offshore sea pens where they get organic feed for two years. We went diving around the pens, and there were heaps of sea lions and dolphins out, too. The little sea lions were really curious, doing circles around us.

BRECHT VAN’T HOF

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Clockwise from above: Kanpachi sashimi with olive oil, fresh citrus and sea salt. Swimming with the kanpachi.

Cooper wakesurfing at COSTA PALMAS. The catch of the day.

As told to KATHRYN ROMEYN 78

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T RAVE L

D I A R Y

GET IN GEAR The kit to carry when you’re on the road

1.

MISSION WORKSHOP THE RHAKE WX WEATHERPROOF LAPTOP BACKPACK We harvested two fish from the farm and took the boat to Espíritu Santo Island in the gulf, where Juan filleted them and did a simple, beautiful sashimi with citrus as we hung out and swam with the eagle rays. I’ve never eaten so much sashimi in my life.

Following that, we drove down the East Cape — it’s really pretty and super remote, with nothing there except for some amazing and uncrowded surf along the way. We visited a new development called Costa Palmas (costapalmas.com) — it’s incredible. The Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas (fourseasons.com/ loscabos) is opening there in October and next up is Amanvari (aman.com/resorts/amanvari). We went out on one of their boats for some fun wakesurfing and toured the marina project.

We pulled off the empty two-lane dirt road back to Los Cabos to look at some little purveyors to see if we could source some interesting clay flatware and bowls for the restaurant. They had great stuff. Before flying out, we overnighted at Viceroy Los Cabos (viceroyhotelsandresorts .com/los-cabos). Everything came full circle when we got back to Gran Blanco (granblanco.com) the next day and the Omega Blue truck pulled up with our fresh fish on ice. •

We harvested two fish from the farm, ate beautiful Travel sashimi and swam with eagle rays

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The Costa Palmas beach clubhouse. Right: The Baja California desertscape.

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Hanriot down puffer jacket, $2,020. Moncler, Beverly Hills, 328 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 424-354-4562; Moncler, San Francisco, 212 Stockton St., S.F., 628-221-7945; moncler.com.

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BRACE YOURSELF p.26 Roxanne Assoulin men’s gilded U-Tube bracelet in brick; $75; roxanneassoulin.com. Chan Luu matte African turquoise single wrap bracelet, $75, Chan Luu, Century City, 424-313-8505; chanluu.com. David Yurman woven bracelet in navy nylon with black onyx, $375; davidyurman.com. Tod’s Mycolors bracelet in orange and grey leather, $225, tods.com.

TUXEDO 2.0

p.34 Cartier Santos de Cartier Skeleton Noctambule watch in large model, with interchangeable straps, $26,800. IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Double Chronograph Top Gun ceratanium watch, $14,600; iwc. com. Panerai Submersible Marina Militare limitededition Carbotech watch, $41,000; panerai.com. Bulgari Octo Finissimo ceramic watch, $15,600; bulgari.com.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS p.35 Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph limited-edition watch, $31,000, Montblanc, L.A., 310854-0049. Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre watch, $4,150; tagheuer.com. Patek Philippe Complications watch with two-tone Ebony black and graphite dial, $51,830, Costa Mesa, 714-850-0222. Vacheron Constantin Patrimony manual winding watch, $29,200; vacheronconstantin.com.

SAND STORM p.36 Valentino shirt, $850, Valentino, S.F., 415-7729835. Valentino Garavani Undercover bag $2,745, Valentino, Beverly Hills, 310-247-0103.

Frame L’Homme slim camel corduroy pants, $195; frame-denim.com. Louis Vuitton Men double layer coat, $6,555, cargo 3d pockets pants, $3,000, and LV skate suede calf leather shoes, $1,190, Louis Vuitton, Beverly Hills, 310- 859-0457; louisvuitton.com. Fendi mesh bucket hat, $450, and bicolor wool sweater, $890; fendi.com. Michael Kors Collection frayed Slubby crew, $490, Dogtooth bell bottoms, $490, and Kennedy Push Lock camera bag, $1,490; michaelkors. com. Burberry Warm walnut neoprene and shearling hooded duffle coat, $5,900, and Warm walnut velvet trim puffer vest, $1,790; us.burberry.com.

MARK RONSON’S L.A. STORY p.44 Celine 3 Buttons Hedi Mac in yellow and black Tabby pattern jacquard coat, $3,950, classic white shirt with modern collar in white poplin, $590, and 3 Pleats leather Aveyron deep fix tie in black, $790, Celine, Beverly Hills, 310-888-0120; celine.com.

Jacques Marie Mage Molino Noir sunglasses, $525; jacquesmariemage.com. p.46 Balenciaga black coated Incognito trench, $3,500, and black cashmere rib knit long sleeve turtleneck, $1,290, Balenciaga, Beverly Hills, 310-854-0557. p.47 Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Striped Shearling Jacket, $6,900, and black T-shirt, $350; ysl.com. p.48 Gucci Malbec fluid drill jacket, $2,500, and Malbec fluid drill pants, $780, Gucci, Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com. Gucci CampCollar Webbing-Trimmed satin shirt, $1,200; mrporter. com. p.49 Michael Kors Collection wool and cotton shearling-lined coat, $3,990; michaelkors.com. Sandro cotton T-shirt in white, $115; sandro-paris.com.Frame L’Homme Slim pants in oat, $210; frame-store.com. p.50 Versace striped blazer, $3,725, and GV print trousers, $1,595; versace.com. Sandro fine knit polo shirt in black, $245; sandro-paris.com. p.51 Louis Vuitton Africa houndstooth car coat, $1,480, and Staples Edition inside out T-shirt, $600, Louis Vuitton, Beverly Hills, 310-8590457; louisvuitton.com. Jacques Marie Mage Dealan Noir sunglasses, $525; jacquesmariemage.com. Jimmy Choo black shiny calf shoes with studs, similar styles available, from $950; jimmychoo.com. p.52 Prada jacket, $4,400, Prada, Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661. Michael Kors Collection Drop Needle turtleneck, $390; michaelkors. com. P.53 Bottega Veneta jacket in wool, $2,900, and pants in wool, $1,350; bottegaveneta.com. Gucci CampCollar embellished satin shirt, $1,100; mrporter.com.

Dior Men boots in black smooth calfskin and technical fabric, $1,200, Dior, Beverly Hills, 310-859-4700.

Shopping Guide

p.28 Fendi blue organza chain shirt and blue viscose pants with chain detail, prices upon request; fendi. com. Cartier sunglasses, $1,145; cartier.com. Burberry black tri-tone tailored trousers, $820, and black leather oxford brogues, $890; us.burberry.com. Dior Men black technical cotton moire taffeta shawl collar oblique tuxedo jacket, with detachable scarf, $2,400, black technical cotton moire taffeta high-waist pants, $890, and derby shoes in black leopard print calfskin, $1,450, Dior Men, Beverly Hills, 310-247-8003. Alexander McQueen ivory light wool silk and black faille reverse tuxedo jacket with crystal chandelier embroidery, price upon request, ivory light wool silk high waisted cigarette trousers, $1,280, and leather shoes, price upon request, Alexander McQueen, Beverly Hills. 323782-4983. Giorgio Armani suit, $2,695, Giorgio Armani, Beverly Hills, 310-271-5555; armani.com. Buck Mason Costa T-shirt in black, $42; buckmason.com. No. 21

by Alessandro Dell’Acqua white patent boots, $995; numeroventuno.com/en-us/.

BUCKLE UP p.30 Fendi silver prints on FF logo men’s bag, $2,300; fendi.com. Bally Cage Sling bag, $950; bally.com.

Prada bag, $1,150, Prada, Beverly Hills, 310- 278-8661.

Salvatore Ferragamo belt bag, $995; ferragamo.com.

Valentino Garavani Undercover men’s bag, $1,375, Valentino, Beverly Hills, 310-247-0103.

TAKING FLIGHT p.40 Louis Vuitton Men Flags dip dye bandana denim shirt, $6,255, and dip dye slim denim pants, $1,465, Louis Vuitton, Beverly Hills, 310-859-0457; louisvuitton.com.

3.1 Phillip Lim Suiting jumpsuit, $995; 31philliplim.com.

Fendi Karlcollage shirt, $995, and Fendi Karlcollage nylon baguette bag, $2,39; fendi.com. Amiri bandana buckle boots, $1,390; amiri.com. 8 Moncler Palm Angels metallic jumpsuit, price upon request; moncler.com.

Gucci brown brick-beige dyed cotton canvas jumpsuit, $2,400, Gucci, Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com.

Timberland Men’s 6-inch premium waterproof boots in wheat nubuck, $198; timberland.com. Salvatore Ferragamo wool jumpsuit, price upon request, and Nabuk alpaca fabric and grosgrain hiking boots, $1,150; ferragamo.com. Gucci blue velvet GG backpack with black leather trim and metal Double G detail, $1,980, Gucci, Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com. 3 Moncler Grenoble Starred ski-suit in nylon, price upon request, and 7 Moncler Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwa backpack, $1,005; moncler.com. Jimmy Choo black suede with white soft leather low top sneakers, similar styles available, $495; jimmychoo.com.

STAR ROCKS p.58 Climbing Rock: Vertical Explorations Across North America (Rizzoli New York, $50).

C Magazine is published 12 times/year by C Publishing, LLC. Editorial office: 1543 Seventh St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. Telephone: 310-393-3800. Fax: 310-393-3899. E-mail (editorial): edit@magazinec.com. Subscriptions: domestic rates are $19.95 for one year; orders outside U.S. and Canada, add $49 postage; rest of the world, add $69. Single copies and subscriptions: shop.magazinec.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to C Magazine, P.O. Box 1339, Santa Monica, CA 90406.

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different from any place out there. It’s in the mountains, and it’s got a unique vibe and energy. It’s got fireplaces and a pool table outside. I’ll take my wife and kids there on a Sunday.

S C O

Favorite date spot? Cafe Habana has the best local scene — you get the surfers, some musicians and celebrities. The carne asada and fish tacos are great.

V E

Favorite drink? If I’m going to have a margarita, I’ll have the Casamigos blanco or reposado on the rocks. If it’s late at night I’ll have an añejo neat.

R I E S

RANDE GERBER The Casamigos co-founder (and Cindy Crawford’s other half) shares his Golden State secrets Where do you live? Malibu. It’s a small beach town with locals who are mostly here for the same reason: to escape the stress and intensity of the city and live a more simple life at the beach.

What is your favorite beach? Surfrider is a great, wide beach, the waves are long. I do stand-up paddle, and my son, Presley, surfs.

Favorite place on the beach? Paradise Cove has been around forever, and once in a while I’ll walk down there. It’s great for a burger or for breakfast.

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MY CA

What’s the secret to a great party? Setting the ambience.

Ambient lighting or candlelight, never direct. If you look good and feel good you want to stay longer.

What’s on your party playlist? An eclectic mix of Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley to Eddie Vedder and The [Rolling] Stones.

Favorite buildings? The Getty Center for its clean architecture; it’s beautiful at nighttime. The architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson and Frank Gehry are interesting to me.

Clockwise from top left: RANDE GERBER . The California Dutch village of SOLVANG. RAY-BAN Aviator Mirror sunglasses, $178. A pair of ’60s-era CHEVROLET Corvettes.

The pool at AUBERGE DU SOLEIL in Napa.

The GETTY CENTER .

CASAMIGOS Reposado tequila, $50. The terrace at MALIBU BEACH INN.

Favorite road trip? The drive up the coast to Big Sur in the 1967 Corvette convertible my wife bought me for my birthday years ago.

What do you drive every day? I have a Chevy Silverado that a company called Rocky Ridge did some work to.

Favorite getaways? Solvang, Big Sur, San Ysidro Ranch, Auberge [du Soleil].

What are your favorite sports? I’m pretty athletic. I like to wakeboard, go mountain biking on the trails, basketball, hike.

Favorite hotels? Malibu Beach Inn, right by the Malibu Lumber Yard.

And Calamigos Ranch, which is

Daily uniform? I keep it pretty simple: Levi’s 501s, Ray-Ban aviators and John Varvatos lace-up boots. •

SOLVANG: FOX_LEI/SHUTTERSTOCK. AUBERGE DU SOLEIL: TRINETTE + CHRIS. GETTY CENTER: LUDOVIC CHARLET/UNSPLASH. MALIBU BEACH INN: LISA ROMEREIN.

D

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