C California Style

C

C

Michelle Pfeiffer Keeping Hollywood in the palm of Her Hand

CALIFORNIA STYLE

C a l i f o r n i a’ s l i f e s t y l e m a g a z i n e

It’s easy beIng green

the Chicest eco pieces from luxe linens to gala-ready gowns

Tımeless Desıgn inspired Homes by tHe s.f. bay, o.C. Coast and on a napa Valley Vineyard

barre nOne Will l.a. ever Have its own ballet?

PLUS all the must-Haves your Kids Will love april 2012

april 2012

$5.99

04 COV_NS.indd 201

2/29/12 12:32 PM

02292012144018

T:16.25 in S:15.5 in

R

View the Runway Show and go behind the scenes with the Ralph Lauren application on your iPhone速 or visit R A LPHL AUR ENCOLLECT ION.COM BE VE RLY HILL S

COSTA MESA

LA JOLLA

LOS ANGELES

MALIBU

T:8.125 in

PALO ALTO

PALM DESERT

SAN FRANCISCO

T:16.25 in S:15.5 in

RALPH LAUREN Collection

T:8.125 in

T:10.875 in

S:10.125 in

CO

C Mag USA Apr MJ2-MB5_LMP.indd 1-2

07/02/12 16:56

93206DP 1 ©2012 CHANEL®, Inc.

FRANCE/ITALIE

USA/ASIE/JAPON

UK/HONG-KONG

“1932” COLLECTION 80TH ANNIVERSARY

RODEO DRIVE 310.278.5055 SOUTH COAST PLAZA 714.754.7295 800.550.0005

•

CHANEL.COM

2/14/12 12:25 PM

THERE ARE PIECES THAT FURNISH A

HOME.

NISH A

RESTORATIONHARDWARE.COM HOME. AND THOSE THAT DEFINE IT. ‰

C april 2012

features

How a blond beauty from Orange County became a star, started a family and moved to Northern California—all while keeping Hollywood in the palm of her hand.

98 a point of view Design world luminary Gary Friedman has created an S.F. Bay haven where he can recharge and dream big.

106 plains drifter

michelle pfeiffer in a Gucci dress, van cleef & arpels earrings, and a pomellato necklace and rings, page 92.

Free your spirit along Santa Barbara’s Gaviota Coast in brush-dusting dresses and effortless spring knits.

112 life at the top A young family finds respite in its Laguna Beach house on a hill.

ruven afanador. See Shopping guide for more detailS, page 119

92 body of work

C 10 ApriL 2012

04 TOC IC.indd 10

2/28/12 5:28 PM

02282012192948

Visit and Shop www.cartier.us

Š2011 Cartier

Ballon Bleu de Cartier

Advertiser:

Cartier

370 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills (310 ) 275-4272 South Coast Plaza (714 ) 540-8231 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park (818 ) 737-3471 250 Post Street, San Francisco (415 ) 397-3180 Valley Fair Mall, Santa Clara (650 ) 325-6170

C

a point of view, page 98.

april 2012

departments 18 founder’s letter

paris has disco fever and

81 c travel

Design that’s built to last.

roger vivier feels the call

a passage to india; Susan Casden’s

of the wild. S.F.’s Mina + Olya’s

best bets for a Sin City splurge.

20 c people

green fashion makeover.

Who’s who behind the scenes of C.

plus, structural gold gems.

87 c culture The future of l.a. ballet.

25 c what’s hot

53 c beauty

Hollywood beauties from the

a look at new and exciting people,

Supermodel anti-aging secrets

Herb ritts archives. SFMOMa

places and products around

for earth Day. a dance

goes mod for its annual gala.

the state: Kishani perera mixes

workout à la Black Swan.

119 shopping guide

it up. Gwyneth paltrow joins “The Conversation.” l.a.’s sought-

57 c hoMe

after celebrity architect. Meet

photographer Claiborne Swanson

120 c california

model/vintner Michèle Ouellet.

Frank’s american dream

raising the Golden Gate Bridge.

in rutherford. The latest eco-chic

On Our COver

36 reports froM the social front

decor. The Huntington’s reopened gardens invite you

Michelle pfeiffer photographed by

C’s party fixture follows the trail

to experience Zen.

ruven afanador in a Bottega Veneta dress,

and all the way to The City of lights.

75 c the Menu Farmshop rethinks the marketplace.

bangle. see shopping Guide for more details, page 119. styled by samantha mcmillen at The Wall Group. hair richard marin for rossano

41 c fashion

a pop-up charms. newton

Ferretti salon, Beverly Hills at Cloutier remix.

SoCal’s French invasion: lancaster

vineyard’s puzzling development.

Makeup Brigitte reiss-andersen at Jed root.

lisa romerein

Pomellato earrings and ring, and rona Pfeiffer

of glamour in S.F., Hollywood

C 12 april 2012

04 TOC IC.indd 12

2/21/12 8:11 PM

02212012221223

436 North rodeo drive 310.271.5555 South CoaSt Plaza 714.546.9377 278 PoSt Street 415.434.2500 Bellagio 702.893.8327

CMagazine_Armani_GAD09_April2012.indd 1

2/6/12 9:24 AM

C Jennifer Hale

Founder + Editorial Director lesley Campoy Publisher

Jenny murray

sue CHrispell

Editor

associate Publisher, west

eDWarD mann

renee marCello

Design Director

associate Publisher, East

florenCe Kane

CrisTa vaGHi

senior Editor

account Director, california

alison Clare sTeinGolD

alexanDra von BarGen

senior Editor

account Director, New york

samanTHa Traina

suZanne perreaulT

Fashion Editor

Production Director

eliZaBeTH KHuri CHanDler

CaTHerine aBalos

arts + culture Editor

sales + Marketing Manager

EDitor-at-largE

Kelsey mCKinnon

erin GWin

senior associate Editor

administrative assistant

annina mislin

Troy felKer

assistant Fashion Editor

Finance associate

JaCKie GooDlin

sanDy HuBBarD

Designer

Director of information services

Henry marC pereZ

allison olesKey

contributing Photo Editor

special Projects Director/sho & company, inc.

amanda ross

stylE EDitor-at-largE

saN FraNcisco EDitor-at-largE

George Kotsiopoulos

Diane Dorrans saeks

circulatioN coNsultaNts/circulatioN sPEcialists, iNc. sPEcial ProJEcts coNtributors

DEsigN EDitor-at-largE

coNtributiNg EDitor-at-largE

andrea stanford

Kendall Conrad

Greg Wolfe, russell marth

melissa Goldstein, natasha mcCoy, stephanie steinman, Carol Wakano

coNtributiNg EDitors

suzanne rheinstein, Cameron silver, michael s. smith,

Jamie Tisch, nathan Turner, mish Tworkowski, Hutton Wilkinson coNtributiNg writErs

Caroline Cagney, susan Campos, Christine lennon, Deborah schoeneman,

sally schultheiss, Chi-lin Chien sun, Gloria m. Wong, nora Zelevansky coNtributiNg PhotograPhErs iNtErNs

Douglas friedman, lisa romerein, Coral von Zumwalt, Cliff Watts

Cameron Bird, Helen mcevoy, seymon oggiano, Cassandra Weinman, ayana Witherspoon, Jessica Zanotti

C puBlisHinG llC Teymour BouTros-GHali

chairman niCHolas Hale

Vice President + chief Financial officer

C offiCes California neW yorK

1543 seventh street, 2nd Floor, santa Monica, ca 90401, 310-393-3800

1120 avenue of the americas, 4th Floor, New york, Ny 10036, 212-626-6980 suBsCriBer serviCe

800-775-3066

WWW.maGaZineC.Com

04 Masthead IC.indd 16

2/14/12 6:13 PM

02142012201536

C MAGAZINE - RHP - APRIL

8407 MELROSE AVENUE

SOUTH COAST PLAZA

DVF.COM

BE THE WOMAN YOU WANT TO BE...

33825DVF_C_MAG_APRIL_v2.indd 1 DATE MODIFIED:

PREPARED BY

ARIELLE

2/14/12 1:33 PM

founder’s letter

f

rom mirrored furniture to coral accessories, trends start at the design top and trickle down to Aisle 4. And unless you have a deft hand incorporating them into your established aesthetic, they’ll stay decidedly “of the moment”—until the next fad hits. How many homes have you visited and felt like the furniture was circa 1995 (and not in a good way)?

Personal style can also appear as though it’s stuck in a time warp. I say it’s better to edit your look to something that is classically beautiful, or modern—and timeless.

In fact, timeless is a good buzz word for April’s Design issue. This month’s stories all reflect

it in one way or another. Take our cover girl, Michelle Pfeiffer, for starters. Her beauty is unchanging, and she is perhaps even more graceful after three decades-plus in the public eye. Witness it yourself in our fashion portfolio and interview with a star who has built a career to last.

Speaking of innovators, Gary Friedman, chairman and co-CEO of Restoration Hardware, has dreamed up a house that will stand the test of time. His Howard Backen-designed home is poised with the most divine view of the San Francisco Bay I have ever seen. A laboratory of sorts for his company’s pieces, Friedman’s Belvedere abode is the perfect place to mix new with old in the most inspired of ways.

We also take a look inside a redesigned getaway for a young London-based family in Laguna Beach. It’s quintessentially SoCal—the warm white walls mix with pops of color from museumquality artwork and modern furniture—it is also timeless. Though contrasting in aesthetics, both hillside domiciles were built with one thing in common: quality living.

And when thinking of vistas, it doesn’t get much more gorgeous than the landscapes along the Gaviota Coast. Our fashion editorial, “Plains Drifter” (p.106), uses this perfect locale to showcase looks with longevity…casual but comfortably chic. No outfits off the catwalk here…these are real clothes that can be worn this spring with ease in the great outdoors.

The best investments, in both home and wardrobe, are things made to last, season after fashionable season. If they’re classic, they will never fail you and never be declared dated,

Jennifer Hale Founder & Editorial Director

We’d love to hear from you

AzAbrA PhotogrAPhy

and that’s central to the spirit of California living. Put your money on that kind of style!

Please send letters to edit@magazinec.com.

C 18 april 2012

04 Founders_Letter IC.indd 18

2/22/12 11:56 AM

02222012135725

US_C Magazine_8.125x10.875_0312.indd 1

09/02/12 17:22

C

people who’s who behind the scenes of this month’s issue, plus their favorite california places

Rachel Roberts “Born and raised on the California coast, I find this story very close to my heart,” says lenswoman Rachel Roberts, who photographed “Plains Drifter” (p.106) near Santa Barbara. A semi-retired model, she now enjoys staying behind the camera and is currently shooting a campaign for the Sea•thos Foundation. C SPOTS • The beach—any beach • Abbot Kinney Boulevard. I live in Venice, so for me, it’s home • Driving up P.C.H., stopping at Grom, Malibu Seafood and Neptune’s Net

Stephanie Steinman “I really wasn’t sure what to expect from India, but it was truly heaven!” says C’s Social Correspondent Stephanie Steinman (“A Feast for the Senses,” p.81), whose next assignment will be in London. C SPOTS • The Beverly Hills Hotel • Hiking Franklin Canyon • Lakers games

Darra Baker “After taking a tour of the property, I felt like I had been on vacation,” recalls Darra Baker of the Laguna Beach home she writes about this month

Samantha McMillen “We were going for a feminine, romantic feel, but

to Traditional Home, Baker is also

Michelle [Pfeiffer] still managed to give everything

a producer, stylist and photographer.

an edge,” says stylist Samantha McMillen (“Body

C SPOTS • Dinner at The Ivy

of Work,” p.92). C SPOTS • Joshua Tree for August’s

• The Montage in Laguna Beach

meteor showers • Hotel Healdsburg • Esalen Institute

• The Huntington Gardens

Ruven Afanador “I’ve always found Michelle [Pfeiffer] so beautiful and mysterious,” says photographer Ruven Afanador on his first assignment for C (“Body of Work,” p.92). “She was everything I imagined, which is very rare.” The N.Y.-based veteran fashion and portrait photographer is now shooting couture collections on Vanessa Paradis and Heidi Klum for Yo Dona magazine.

C SPOTS • Big Sur is my favorite place on Earth • I love the Hotel Bel-Air • The Getty museum

roberts: olivia Millar. McMillen: alex alMeida

(“Life at the Top,” p.112). A contributor

C 20 april 2012

04 C_People IC.indd 20

2/21/12 7:07 PM

02212012210845

be

FASHIONABLY spontaneous.

OVER 120 STORES INCLUDING: Neiman Marcus . Nordstrom . Bloomingdale’s . Macy’s . Apple . Athleta . Vince

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics . Le Pain Quotidien . Sperry Top-Sider . Earnest Sewn . Fleming’s Steakhouse . Jack Spade ShopFashionIsland.com Concierge 949.721.2000

Re

Sp

ce

de

3%

Rebecca Taylor . Kitson . Roberto Coin for Traditional Jewelers . Vineyard Vines . Roy’s . Elie Tahari . Native Foods Café Splendid . Island Cinema . Ella Moss . Carrol Boyes . Kate Spade . Jonathan Adler . Trina Turk . GARYS . Tesla Motors Fashion Island is a registered trademark of the Irvine Company. © The Irvine Company LLC, 2012.

US_C_Mag_US_8.13x10.88_Apr.indd 1

25/01/12 14:33

C what’s hot New Balance

lessons in high-low decor from soCal interiors maven kishani Perera

i

like to think my greatest talent lies in seeing the potential in art, furniture—even people,” says L.A.-based designer Kishani Perera, who mastered the skill of “junking” as a teenager in Cerritos, salvaging cast-off treasures at local flea markets and yard sales. After graduating from UCLA’s architecture and interior design program, Perera opened her own studio in 2002 and, last year, her first store, Rummage, on Beverly Boulevard in L.A., where she also sells custom-created pieces. This month, Perera looks back on it all, from the elegant to the eccentric, in her new book: Vintage Remix (Abrams, $35). kishaniperera.com.

Jean Randazzo

Perera has designed homes for Gary Oldman, Molly Sims (pictured) and Kate Bosworth.

wRitten and edited by kelsey mckinnon april 2012

04 WH_Opener IC.indd 25

C 25

2/20/12 5:23 PM

02202012192442

what’s hot MALIBU

On nearly eight acres of landscaped bluffs overlooking the Pacific, La Villa Contenta—with a 12,000-squarefoot main residence, tennis court and rose garden— is truly one of the most lavish estates in the world.

As of this month, it is on the market as an exclusive long-term lease. $250,000/month; Chris Cortazzo at Coldwell Banker, 310-589-2472; californiamoves.com.

Villa Contenta’s shell inlay-andmarble pool house.

C’est la Mode Française Parisian jeweler Aurélie Bidermann has earned a cult following for her ornately crafted baubles—each infused with an artistic slant.

She’s expanding on her eponymous label with a lower-priced line, Bidermann, which features whimsical brass collars inspired by the sculptures of Rodin. $160-$2,018; barneys.com.

Hot Topic

Ulysse necklace, $1,368.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Amanda de Cadenet

For her new Lifetime Television interview series “The Conversation,” L.A.-based photographer Amanda de Cadenet has tapped her A-list circle of friends to join her in hashing out life’s central themes (sex, career, family and the like). Co-produced by Demi Moore, the show debuts April 26 with Gwyneth Paltrow, Donna Karan, Jane Fonda and Lady Gaga set to appear. Thursdays, 11 p.m.

NEWPORT BEACH

Nice and Easy

C

hi-Lin Sun, with Creative Director Sasha Ritter, opened the charming shop LMNOP (Let’s Make Nice on Purpose) and filled it with home curios, clothing, apothecary items and, of course, love.

Now, save for the daily knitting class, everything is available online. 417 31st St., Ste. A, Newport Beach; lmnop-store.com.

LA VILLA CONTENTA: BERLYN PHOTOGRAPHY. THE CONVERSATION: STEVEN PERILLOUX. LMNOP: CHI-LIN SUN

Paradise Calling

Dolce raffia bag, $2,345.

DREAM WEAVER Perfect for day or night: Dolce & Gabbana’s new basket-woven Dolce bag in metallic baby-blue. Pick one up and you’ll never want to put it down. dolceandgabbana.com dolceandgabbana.com.

A display at LMNOP.

C 26 APRIL 2012

04 WH_Bits IC.indd 26

2/20/12 6:21 PM

02202012202219

T:8.125 in S:7.375 in

190 YEARS AGO

A MAN BET ON HORSES AND CHANGED WATCHMAKING FOREVER .

T:10.875 in

S:10.125 in

In 1821, at a horse race in Paris, Nicolas Rieussec successfully tested his revolutionary invention that allowed time to be recorded to an accuracy of a fifth of a second. The chronograph was born. Today, the Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic is a tribute to 190 years of the chronograph’s technical evolution. 43 mm stainless steel case, skelleted horns and sapphire crystal back, black dial with red gold-plated hands and indexes. Crafted in the Montblanc Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland.

what’s hot Silver Rock Formation, 2011.

A LOOK BACK Bound in silk grosgrain and anointed with a black foil stamp, 688-page fashion tome Lanvin: Alber Elbaz (Steidl, $450) marks the creative’s 10th anniversary at the French house’s helm. Cinematic behind-thescenes documentation captures the magic that went into Hiver, his fall 2011 collection. steidlville.com.

Statement Pieces

G

lass blower Jeff Zimmerman’s sculptures and functional objets hover between liquid and solid states. After stunning collectors and curators at the Design Miami fair this past winter, the N.Y. resident will present new works this month at the Duke & Duke gallery in West Hollywood. dukeanddukegallery.com.

COSTA MESA

WRAPPER’S DELIGHT At SCP this month, DVF arrives with enough wrap dresses and bold-colored accessories to last into summer and beyond. dvf.com.

D. Zelen storefront.

LEFT DVF spring look.

BELOW Tonda clutch, $345.

SAN FRANCISCO

Design Central The Moorish exterior of tastemaker Dan Zelen’s new home and garden shop is pretty unusual for San Francisco, and so is what’s inside. Along with creations both discovered and of his own conception, D. Zelen is the exclusive NorCal stockist for Montecito Design and L.A.’s Inner Gardens. 1228 Sutter St., S.F.; danzelen.com.

A vignette at “Urban Oasis.”

A treasure-filled “Urban Oasis” designed by Hutton Wilkinson for Tony Duquette Studios will be restaged in L.A. before its contents hit the block at Bonhams 20th-Century Decorative Arts auction on April 16. Beyond the room’s Palladian cocktail tables and mother-of-pearl stools, the sale will encompass works by noted designers including Sam Maloof and Dale Chihuly. Meanwhile, in S.F., a 1924 edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses and other rare finds from Berkeley’s shuttered Serendipity Books will be mixed in with Old Master European paintings and Art Deco club chairs as part of Bonhams Period Art & Design Sale on April 15-16. bonhams.com.

D. ZELEN: STEPH DEWEY

For Bounty Hunters

C 28 APRIL 2012

04 WH_Bits IC.indd 28

2/21/12 7:01 PM

02212012210213

BALENCIAGA .COM

INTRODUCING EAU DE PARFU M AS WORN BY CHARLOT TE GAINSBOURG

AVAIL ABLE AT NEIMAN MARCUS

what’s hot spotlight

Forward Planning L.A. architect Michael Kovac erects state-of-the-art masterworks on pillars of innovation and practicality

BY KELSEY MCKINNON

I

A 50-ton pillar anchors Kovac’s living room.

Michael Kovac. The Three Walls project. The architect’s master bath.

PORTRAIT: LEFTERIS. THE LANTERN, THREE WALLS HOUSE: LARS FRAZER. SYCAMORE HOUSE: LISA ROMEREIN. THE SERRA BARN: (TOP) LARS FRAZER; (BOTTOM) MIKE GARDNER. MALIBU BEACH RETREAT (COX RESIDENCE): MICHAEL KOVAC

ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

Kovac-

n the land of Spanish Colonial Revival and Mid-Century designed linking Modernism, one L.A. architect is building a better way Caterpillar tables. forward. Chances are you haven’t heard of Michael Kovac, as most of his entertainment industry clients (Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, Norm Macdonald and Laura Dern, to name a few) rarely allow their homes to be published.

With clean lines and bold forms, Kovac is a Modernist at heart but infuses every project with warmth and depth in ways that are both technically challenging and green. “An average architect can do a perfectly reasonable job with a Spanish house,” says Kovac. “In modern architecture, there are no rules, and I think that’s harder.”

Spielberg and Capshaw initially came to Kovac to build a weekend equestrian property in the Pacific Palisades with a riding ring, stables and a small home on two-and-a-half hillside acres. After the first walk-through, Capshaw explains, “Steven’s mouth dropped, and we ended up actually living there for seven years.” Kovac is also helping restore the couple’s other property (the old Douglas Fairbanks estate) nearby.

For his own 3,400-square-foot abode in the Pacific Palisades (a sort of test site for ideas), Kovac installed a series of energy-saving “passive elements,” including a 50-ton, 23-foot concrete pillar that “soaks up heat like a sponge.”

It then radiates it back into the house when temperatures dip below 71 degrees. Outside, a hummingbird fountain doubles as an emergency drinking supply if the water should get cut off. One non-passive feature Kovak installed is a phone-operated sprinkler system attached to the chimney that sprays Phoschek (the orange fire retardant) when activated.

“It works,” Kovac says. “My wife accidentally set it off.”

Established in 1988, Kovac & Associates takes on between eight and 10 projects annually, ranging from the new Mammoth Center for Excellence (a ski and snowboard training facility) to the Spielberg equestrian estate. Kovac is also developing a line of home furnishings and fixtures which he’s taking to mass market. Interior designer Michael S. Smith, who has worked with Kovac for more than 15 CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Kovac’s balcony.

An outdoor living room. Seaside seating years, says half of his talent is that he’s “able to think three on Courteney Cox’s Malibu property. dimensionally.” The other half? “He’s just a really good Glass doors retract at the Serra Barn, Malibu. The Serra Barn’s master suite. guy.” kovacarchitects.com. •

04 WH_OTW IC.indd 30

2/22/12 11:54 AM

02222012135554

jbrandjeans.com

CMag_JBrand0412.indd 1

2/6/12 2:38 PM

c mIcHÈlE OUEllET 23 ✹ Vintner + Model + Blogger ✹ St. Helena, loS angeleS, new york

born and raised in the Napa Valley, michèle Ouellet, an up-and-coming model and author of the blog Kissser. com, co-founded the wine label lorenza Rosé with her mother, melinda Kearney, four years ago.

STYLE Fresh. ICONS The Rolling Stones girls: Anita pallenberg, marianne Faithfull, bianca Jagger.

UPCOMING PROJECTS Fashion week in N.y. and harvest! Also, a jewelry collaboration with minor Obsessions.

HANGOUT The getty. RESTAURANT Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc. MY CALIFORNIA getting back to my country roots at the calistoga fairgrounds in the summer: sprint car races, the demolition derby…it’s always a good time.

Ouellet in an Altuzarra vest, price upon request, and dress, $1,950, Opening Ceremony. Jimmy Choo pumps, price upon request. Jill Hoffmeister ear cuff, $2,400, Roseark. Bare Bolt rings, $142 each, Roseark.

FASHION EDITOR: SAmANTHA TRAINA. ASSISTANT FASHION EDITOR: ANNINA mISlIN. HAIR: mIcHAEl KENyON FOR URbAN THERApy TwISTED SISTA AT cElESTINEAgENcy.cOm. mAKEUp: SAgE mAITRI FOR THE wAll gROUp. SEE SHOppINg gUIDE FOR mORE DETAIlS, pAgE 119

girl

EDITED by KENDAll cONRAD pHOTOgRApHED by DAVID cAmERON

C 32 APRIL 2012

04 C_GIRL IC.indd 32

2/17/12 11:23 AM

02172012132436

50,32,53,50

GUCCI

WE ARE NOW OPEN IN WALNUT CREEK.

NM

WALNUT CREEK IN BROADWAY PLAZA 925.279.3000

418S12_NMS_C_Magazine_APRIL_Ad.indd 1

418.S12 NMS C MAG APR

NEIMANMARCUS.COM

2/20/12 4:37 PM

C Trunk Show promotion

spr in g forwa r d in st yl e

KATE SPADE NEW YORK

Horseshoe Cove Scout bag, $278. Westfield Century City, Ste. 14, Los Angeles, 310-788-0791; Fashion Valley, Ste. 845A, San Diego, 619-220-8190.

DE BEERS DIAMOND JEWELLERS Enchanted Lotus band, $6,100.

185 Post St., San Francisco, 415-391-1400; South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-641-5820.

ROBERTO CAVALLI

Leopard-print small trunk bag with fuchsia neon trim, $870.

362 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-276-6006; South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-850-1400.

MIKIMOTO

Baroque black South Sea cultured pearl-and-conch brooch with diamonds set in 18-karat white gold, $120,000.The Beverly Wilshire, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-205-8787; South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-424-5440.

RAYMOND WEIL

Ladies’ Jasmine watch, $3,595.

Tourneau, 800-348-3332; tourneau.com.

MAX MARA

Becky leather grommet bag, $1,790. 451 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-385-9343.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

Suede and kidskin runway sandals with gold detailing, $595.

357 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-9990; South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-979-7654.

04 Trunk_Show IC.indd 300

2/22/12 11:53 AM

02222012135409

A n O c e a n f ro n t S a n c t u a ry …

With So Much to Explore

Discover the glamorous excitement of America’s Riviera at this legendary Santa Barbara hideaway, where Spanish Colonial tradition meets casual California chic. Dine with ocean views, feel restored by the spa’s pampering, and lounge beside our magnificent beachside pool. With the thoughtfulness of Four Seasons care, every day feels custom-crafted just for you.

1260 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara, California 93108, U.S.A. Tel. 1 (805) 969-2261 / Fax. 1 (805) 565-8323 / www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara

C

Reports

from the

SOCIAL FRONT Sizing up California’s glamorous scene one red carpet at a time Edited by Phoebe Doheney

Shiva Rose, Jacqui Getty

Brooke Davenport Laura Dunn, Larissa Sabadash

Christina Zilber, Heather Mnuchin

Kendall Conrad

SOLANGE AZAGURY-PARTRIDGE Hosted by C’s Jennifer Hale at the Solange Azagury-Partridge boutique on Rodeo Drive, a group of L.A.’s leading ladies enjoyed a Valentine’s Day lunch without the boys. Cory Martin Events served up strawberry sorbet as guests shopped to support charities of their choice.

Jane Ross

Welcoming the new Pomellato boutique to Beverly Hills, brand ambassador Tilda Swinton invited a bevy of celebrity friends to toast the Milanese maker of exquisite candy-colored fine jewelry.

Proceeds from the evening benefitted MOCA.

Madonna, Demi Moore

Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz

Maria Bell

CAA

Robert De Niro, Sean Penn

When your clients are Tom Cruise and Sean Penn, office parties are inevitably going to be more fun. This year’s annual CAA pre-Golden Globes cocktail soiree took place on the garden patio at Soho House in West Hollywood.

Danny Huston

Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton

SOLANGE: MIKE GARDNER. CAA: ALEX BERLINER. POMELLATO: GETTY IMAGES

POMELLATO

C 36 APRIL 2012

04 RFSF IC.indd 36

2/22/12 6:22 PM

02222012202313

C

Reports

from the

Roberta Armani, Jessica Chastain at Armani Privé

SOCIAL FRONT

PARIS COUTURE Vanessa Paradis at Chanel

The spectacle that is Paris Haute Couture lured a starry who’s-who to admire lapis frocks at Chanel and billowing gowns at Dior— not to mention Armani Priv Privé, Valentino, Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier and Stéphane Rolland.

Valentino Dior Dior Armani Privé

Diane Kruger at Dior

Chanel

Armani Prive Stéphane Rolland

Elizabeth Olsen at Chanel

For S.F. Ballet’s 79th openingnight gala, “Bella Notte,” patrons dined and mixed in storied City Hall, which was transformed into a Renaissance-era palazzo.

Rachel Bilson, Sophia Bush

Carolyn Chang

ART OF ELYSIUM Hosted by Cameron Silver, Art of Elysium’s 5th-annual Heaven Gala honored actor Elijah Wood. Kirsten Dunst, Amber Heard and Rachel Bilson all turned up at L.A.’s historic Union Station for the occasion.

Sloan Barnett, Juliet de Baubigny

Marissa Mayer and Zach Bogue

ART OF ELYSIUM: JEROD HARRIS. S.F. BALLET: DREW ALTIZER

S.F. BALLET

Kate Mulleavy, Kirsten Dunst, Laura Mulleavy

Randi and Bob Fisher

04 RFSF IC.indd 38

2/23/12 7:01 PM

02232012210242

www.raymond-weil.com | noemia collection

South Coast Plaza • Westfield Century City • Fashion Valley Mall Santana Row, San Jose • Westfield San Francisco Centre 800.348.3332 tourneau.com

C_Mag_Noemia.indd 1

2/22/12 11:41 AM

C fashion Carry On A luxe French line unpacks in L.A.

WRITTEN BY MELISSA GOLDSTEIN, PHOTO: LANCASTER PARIS

The perennial quest for the Parisian aesthetic just got easier: Lancaster Paris has set up shop on west coast shores, basing its U.S. headquarters and showroom in downtown Los Angeles. Fittingly, the French accessory brand’s spring collection pulses with a heat-seeking resort vibe in ladylike structured handbags done over in rich sunset hues and disco-chic satchels crafted out of glittering lambskin. It’s very Paris-byway-of-Hollywood—a look that surely requires no translation. $150-$500; lancaster-paris.com.

Canoti Satchel in fuchsia, $328, Jacqueline Jarrot, 818-501-2056.

EDITED BY SAMANTHA TRAINA APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_Opener IC.indd 41

C 41

2/21/12 5:12 PM

02212012201738

fashion SAN FRANCISCO

Power of Two A Bay Area design duo remakes Earth-conscious fashion in its own high-style image

M

TRIED AND TRUE Put your best foot forward this April in J. Crew’s new collaboration with espadrille brand Soludos.

Slip on this perfect alternative to the ballet flat for jaunts to the beach, the flea market or your next road trip to Palm Springs.

From $35; jcrew.com.

Silk Amity blouse and boiled wool Tulip skirt, prices upon request.

WELL SUITED In Saint Laurent Rive Gauche: Fashion Revolution (Abrams, $35), house co-founder Pierre Bergé and fashion historian Jéromine Savignon team up to share the ideas behind YSL’s 1966 game-changing work-attire collection that challenged the notion of the modern suit.

Rag & Bone blazer, $535.

A.L.C. blouse, $356.

Joseph trouser, $455. Chan Luu wrap bracelet, $215.

LOS ANGELES

Double Vision A one-stop shop for the most coveted pieces of the season, Intermix is having a big year already, opening last month at the Brentwood Country Mart, and now Beverly Hills. The Brentwood space boasts a rustic-chic look with smoked white-oak floors, while the B.H. location ensconces an Old Hollywood ambiance in Travertine marble and walls hand finished in pearlized plaster. 225 26th St., S.M.; 400 N. Beverly Dr., B.H.

WRITTEN BY MELISSA GOLDSTEIN, ELIZABETH KHURI CHANDLER AND ANNINA MISLIN. MINA+OLYA: DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY. BOOK: JACKIE GOODLIN

Olya Dzilikhova, Mina Yazdi

elding Iranian and Russian influences with a Californian propensity for all things eco-minded, designers Mina Yazdi and Olya Dzilikhova are pushing the aesthetic of organic fashion into the luxury realm with their fresh new label Mina+Olya.

For the debut pre-fall collection (in stores later this year), the Union Square-based pair will roll out secretary-chic tulip skirts and operaready evening dresses rendered in sustainably sourced cotton, wool, silks and denim. The locally produced brand was founded last year after Yazdi and Dzilikhova resolved to leave careers in financial consulting for greener fashion pastures. Now their mission includes plans for a men’s and a children’s line. minaolya.com.

C 42 APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_Bits IC.indd 42

2/20/12 6:20 PM

02202012202148

C usa 206.375x276.225 13.indd 2

17/02/12 10.55

fashion SAN FRANCISCO Level top, $174, In Residence, L.A.; and Antique pants, $241.

LOS ANGELES

Back in California following fashion school in N.Y. and London, 26-year-old twins Brie and Jenny Maletz have pooled their talents to launch Bren.

Anchoring sweetness with refinement, the 100% L.A.-made label is fashion gone Hipstamatic: down-to-earth browns, blues and nude patterns reminiscent of vintage Missoni; white eyelet short-shorts; and pleated wide-legs as ready for S.F. date-night as Venice brunch. brencollection.com.

Gold and pavé Honeywood cuff, price upon request.

Suede grommet sandals, $265.

Heeling Touch Having cut his teeth designing footwear for L.A.M.B. and Badgley Mischka, S.F.-based Eric Rutberg is striking gold with his eponymous line—everything from studded kid-suede stilettos to Caribbean-feel platforms emblazoned with a rainbow of seed beads. $185-$295; ericrutberg.com.

AU NATUREL Organic forms often influence Mish Tworkowski’s designs—as seen previously with a brooch inspired by Montecito’s Lotusland.

That same spirit carries forward with his Honeywood collection, an ode to the hand-painted petrified wood mural in the new N.Y. Mish Studios. mishnewyork.com.

BRENTWOOD

GOLDEN STATE OF MIND

Jenni Kayne blazer, $595, shorts, $325, and blouse, $250.

T

he sartorially savvy now have two more reasons to hit up the Brentwood Country Mart: First, Jenni Kayne’s new boutique showcases her nautical-chic suiting and signature shift dresses alongside finds from local design darlings such as Clare Vivier and Benjamin Montoya. And, around the corner, Kendall Conrad’s pop-up-turned-permanent space is a sophomore venue for her exquisitely handcrafted leather bags and accessories. Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., S.M.; jennikayne.com; kendallconrad.com.

Kendall Conrad’s new store.

WRITTEN BY CAROLINE CAGNEY, MELISSA GOLDSTEIN, ANNINA MISLIN AND ALISON CLARE STEINGOLD. BREN: MI BELLE PHOTOGRAPHY. OFFICE DESK: KENDALL CONRAD

Sister Act

C 44 APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_Bits IC.indd 44

2/22/12 6:17 PM

02222012202057

M A xM A RA .CO M

BEVERLY HILLS 451 North Rodeo Drive 310 385 9343 SOUTH COAST PLAZA 3333 Bristol Street 714 754 7900 SAN DIEGO Fashion Valley Mall 7007 Friars Road 619 574 0700 SAN FRANCISCO 175 Post Street 415 981 0900 PALO ALTO 187 Stanford Shopping Center 650 327 1100

130264_Max_CMagMarch_x1b.indd 1

C Magazine • April 2012 • Single Page • RHP • Trim: 8.125”x10.875” • Bleed: 8.375”x11.125” • Job # 130264

1/24/12 4:48 PM

fashion LOS ANGELES

Heritage House

H

aving graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, Eloise Lapidus has launched BoBo House, an everyday line of tees, military-esque knits and soft, floral-print frocks. The L.A.-based Parisian draws from the bourgeois bohemians of the 1960s that her father, fashion pioneer Ted Lapidus, once dressed— Brigitte Bardot basking in the St. Tropez sun; Françoise Hardy wandering the arrondissements. “Growing up in Paris, I was mesmerized by the sophistication and beauty of its women and the streets of the city they called home,” the designer says. $72-$190; bobo-house.com.

LOS ANGELES

Suntan wingtips, $1,050, net-a-porter.com.

A WALK IN THE SUN

Red Kita tank, $135.

The man behind L.A.’s bespoke brogue craze is putting an all-natural spin on his latest handmade styles. For George Esquivel’s Suntan collection, the designer capitalized on local rays to color exposed calfskin for a two-tone look. The effect translates to natty “pinking” and “cap-toed” heels. $875-$1,200; esquivelshoes.com.

WEST HOLLYWOOD

LOS ANGELES

HABIT FORMING Shoe and accessories boutique Gregory’s has now expanded beyond its Fred Segal digs with a Robertson Boulevard outpost.

The shop stocks the lust-worthy European exclusives (think Swarovski encrusted stilettos by Gianmarco Lorenzi) that have made converts of Rihanna and Beyoncé, plus a finely edited array of men’s and women’s apparel from ready-to-wear heavyweights including Temperley London, McQ and Balmain. 147 N. Robertson Blvd., L.A.; gregorysshoes.com.

Le Silla clutch, $2,495, and sandals, $4,995, shot by Terry Richardson.

O-WNING IT This season welcomes O by Kimberly Ovitz, the L.A. designer’s diffusion line.

Made from ecofriendly material Tencel, the six-piece collection pairs the original label’s minimalist silhouettes with a healthy dose of relaxed grunge.

Madison, 8745 W. 3rd St., L.A., 310-275-1930; kimberlyovitz.com.

WRITTEN BY CAROLINE CAGNEY, MELISSA GOLDSTEIN AND ANNINA MISLIN. LAPIDUS: LAURIE SCAVO. GREGORY’S: TERRY RICHARDSON

Script tee, $95.

Eloise Lapidus

C 46 APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_Bits IC.indd 46

2/23/12 5:51 PM

02232012195204

BEVERLY HILLS: 324 N Rodeo Drive (310) 247-0103 - COSTA MESA: 3333 Bristol Street (714) 751-3300

Valentino.com

fashion

One Step Ahead

Roger Vivier’s chic new Orange County outpost is a shoe-in

BY MELISSA GOLDSTEIN

Watercolors of the South Coast Plaza store.

Prismick bag sketch.

Tube Yeux Plastique clutch, $2,925, and Prismick T Bar Chic sandals, $1,100.

T

here’s a Mondrian-esque pattern crossed with elements of safari in Roger Vivier’s latest offering. Dubbed Urban Jungle, this spring/summer collection pops in a bold clash of colorblocked ballet flats, geometric clutches and vividly hued python bags that had Creative Director Bruno Frisoni digging into his library of African and French tomes for spark. “I was reading a great book on African masks that clicked my imagination, and the book Les Parisiennes de Kiraz inspires me enormously,” says the designer of the artist’s painted caricatures.

Vivier devotees will be thrilled to shop these latest pieces at the brand’s new Golden State location: a 1,000-squarefoot flagship in Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza.

Like its nine sister boutiques across the globe, the salon takes design cues from the original residence of house founder Monsieur Vivier, whose silver-buckle, square-toe flats captivated women worldwide after they were seen on the soles of Catherine Deneuve in Luis Buñuel’s 1967 Belle de Jour. Accessories are treated as fine art in environs that speak to cultured sensibilities: custom Modernist furniture from Frisoni’s longtime partner, cult French jeweler Hervé van der Straeten; lithographs from European modern masters; and vintage appointments sourced from Paris flea markets. Bienvenue Vivier! rogervivier.com. •

FROM LEFT Creative Director Bruno Frisoni. Prismick small bag, $2,925.

Rose ’n Roll Denim sandal, $1,675.

WATERCOLORS: COURTESY OF ROGER VIVIER. PORTRAIT, SHOE ON STREET: RANKIN. PURSE ON STREET: BENOIT PEVERELLI

FROM TOP

C 48 APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_Vivier IC.indd 48

2/17/12 11:22 AM

02172012132335

CALL 310.275.4211, VISIT SAKS.COM/BEVERLYHILLS. CALL 760.837.2900, VISIT SAKS.COM/PALMDESERT. CALL 415.986.4300, VISIT SAKS.COM/SANFRANCISCO. CALL 805.884.9997, VISIT SAKS.COM/SANTABARBARA. CALL 714.540.3233, VISIT SAKS.COM/SOUTHCOASTPLAZA. FIND US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, iTUNES AND SAKSPOV.COM

Where can you find the new lines in Yigal Azrouël’s new line?

121339_C_MAG_CUT25_M 1

CUT25

BEVERLY HILLS SAN FRANCISCO SOUTH COAST PLAZA

2/1/12 11:10 AM

fashion jewelry box

Vhernier earrings, $4,450.

VOGUE ESPAÑA, MAY 2009: PAOLA KUDACKI/TRUNKARCHIVE.COM. SEE SHOPPING GUIDE FOR MORE DETAILS, PAGE 119

Vintage Gübelin ring, $5,400, Gray Gallery.

Pomellato cuff.

Tom Binns Design earrings, $190.

Gucci bracelet, $1,295.

Bulgari earrings, $3,450.

Solange AzaguryPartridge necklace.

Marco Bicego ring, $2,200, Shreve & Co.

Michael Kors cuff, $125.

Good Form

Architectural gold statement pieces build structure into your look this season C 50 APRIL 2012

04 Fashion_JBOX IC.indd 50

2/21/12 5:10 PM

02212012201722

1 1 9 6

M a d i s o n

Av e .

N e w

Yo r k

N Y

w w w . j o i e . c o m

CMAG_MAR11.indd 4

2/6/12 2:42 PM

PELOPONNESIAN: LIME, NEROLI, CYPRESS, MOUNTAIN SAGE HONEY, BOTANICAL MUSK

BE STRANGE New World Perfumes Reverently Crafted with Organic, Hydro-distilled Essences & Compelling Narratives Handmade in Venice, California Ready-to-Wear, Limited Edition & Bespoke Fragrances for Men and Women

WWW.SIPERFUMES.COM 1138 ABBOT KINNEY BOULEVARD VENICE, CA

C beauty

written by caroline cagney. Photo: Josie Maran cosMetics

Josie Maran will help fund Women for Women International with her special release.

Message in a Bottle

Three “model citizens” give back with style

l

iving in a sustainable way that benefits the planet has always been an essential part of beauty for me,” says natural-makeup entrepreneur Josie Maran. In honor of Earth Day, the California native has teamed up with fellow fashion faces Angela Lindvall and Petra N mcová to design limited-edition labels for her cult favorite Argan Oil—revered as an anti-aging wonder. Proceeds support causes chosen by each model. $48; sephora.com; josiemarancosmetics.com. •

edited by Jenny Murray april 2012

04 Beauty_Opener IC.indd 53

C 53

2/22/12 7:19 PM

02222012212224

beauty

Alonzo King LINES Dance Center

CLASS ACT Technique for all levels and ages

Ballet Arts Westlake Village balletarts.org

Dancing Queens With pliés back in rotation, the barre trend takes center stage. Plus, pleats, flats and chignons leap out of the studio BALLET BASICS GO BEYOND THE BARRE

Contra Costa Ballet Centre Walnut Creek contracostaballet.org Debbie Allen Dance Academy Los Angeles debbieallen danceacademy.com

Le Studio Pasadena lestudiodance.com Sacramento Ballet Sacramento sacballet.org Western Ballet Mountain View westernballet.org Westside School of Ballet Santa Monica westsideballet.com

Pure Barre

Nike, $64.

Repetto, $285.

BODY DOUBLE Ballet-inspired workouts Ballet Bodies Los Angeles balletbodies.com

Fit on Studios Manhattan Beach fitonstudios.com

The Bar Method Throughout CA barmethod.com

Cardio Barre L.A. and O.C. cardiobarre.com

Pop Physique Throughout CA popphysique.com

The Dailey Method Throughout CA thedaileymethod.com

Core et’ Barre Newport Beach coreetbarre.com

Pure Barre Throughout CA purebarre.com

YogaWorks Throughout CA yogaworks.com

Prada Heidi Merrick

ALONZO KING LINES DANCE CENTER: KEIRA HEU-JWYN CHANG. PURE BARRE: CYBELLE CODISH. PRADA: COURTESY OF PRADA

Alonzo King LINES Dance Center San Francisco linesballet.org

C 54 APRIL 2012

04 Beauty_Ballet IC.indd 54

2/22/12 6:24 PM

02222012202443

I m ag I n e

t h e p l ac e s I t w I l l g o .

t h e o r i g i n ato r o f c u lt u r e d p e a r l s . s i n c e 1 8 9 3 .

wilshire at rodeo • beverly hills • 310.205.8787 south coast plaza • costa mesa • 714.424.5440 www.mikimotoameric a.com

14444 MM-April12Cmag_Sakura.indd 1

1/26/12 10:06 AM

C home The lenswoman on her porch.

little House on the Vineyard photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank’s Napa Valley cottage is her idyllic getaway

i

t’s always been a refuge for me,” says Claiborne Swanson Frank of her Rutherford cottage. Her parents gave their daughter the guest house—one of three on the family’s vineyard—when she was 22. What started with “really bare bones” decor has evolved into an eclectic escape for Swanson Frank, who grew up in San Francisco and now lives in New York. The space mixes everything from flea-market finds, to hand-me-downs from her mother, Elizabeth, to her grandmother’s African masks.

“I wanted it to be as charming and quirky and bohemian as possible,” she says. >>

written and edited by florence kane

photographed by claiborne swanson frank april 2012

04 Home_Opener IC.indd 57

C 57

2/14/12 6:24 PM

02142012202553

home

The cottage features Native American paintings and a sculptural mirror

by Ira Yeager. The saddles on the porch are a nod to Swanson Frank’s love of riding.

<< Aside from being her home away from home, it’s on the same grounds where she shot a portion of her first book, American Beauty (Assouline, $75). After moving to Manhattan in 2007 for a two-year stint as an assistant at Vogue, Swanson Frank left the magazine and began photographing her friends, sisters and cousins. The images intended for her portfolio became her initial body of work, “Indigo Light,” presented in 2010 (her premiere show is open at Lu Magnus gallery in New York through April).

“Having one’s portrait done used to be a rite of passage,” says Swanson Frank, referring to the work of John Singer Sargent and iconic pictures of Slim Keith, Babe Paley and Talitha Getty. “It defined who a woman was at that point in her youth. I try to capture women in their greatest beauty and truth,” she says of her book’s subjects, young innovators in worlds such as art, interior design and tech. “Women leaving their marks on America.” •

Picture Perfect Claiborne Swanson Frank’s debut tome includes California creatives in their elements

Model Lily Aldridge graces the book’s cover.

FROM LEFT Actress Lake Bell in L.A., photographer Hilary Walsh in Laurel Canyon, stylist Lawren Howell in Venice and Katie Traina in Napa Valley.

C 58 april 2012

04 Home_Opener IC.indd 58

2/22/12 11:55 AM

02222012135655

W W W. V E LV E T- T E E S . C O M

3735.Velvet C Mag Ad April 12 _Velvet C Mag 1/12/12 10:10 AM Page 1

home SUSTAINABLE STYLE TREASURED CHEST New at Ralph Pucci International: case pieces by Chris Lehrecke made from durable-but-beautiful bamboo plywood. Adorning drawers are egg-shaped porcelain or bronze butterfly pulls designed by Ted Muehling for E.R. Butler & Co. hardware. ralphpucci.net.

WEST HOLLYWOOD

TRUE COLORS

Aniseed Lace

by Catherine Martin, $238/roll.

Sydney Harbour Paint Co. is now open on Melrose Avenue, offering a range of zero-and low-VOC wall hues (including acrylics), Forest Stewardship Councilcertified wallpaper and pre-finished wide-board flooring.

8576 Melrose Ave., WeHo, 310-652-2800; sydneyharbourpaints.com.

Butterfly cabinet, to the trade.

Green Living A century of Earth-friendly home design is documented in Handmade Houses (Rizzoli, $45). Read up on artist Emile Norman’s Big Sur abode, painter Leslie Clark’s Ojai ranch and architect Harry Gesner’s own Malibu dwelling. rizzoli.com.

BOWLED OVER Kim Seybert introduces a new line of biodegradable bamboo dinnerware and serving pieces for spring—simple enough for everyday use; chic enough for special occasions. kimseybert.com.

Cereal bowls, $10 each.

Sleep Soundly

Solace Snow shams and duvet, from $445/twin set.

S

ustainable furniture company Cisco Home now has your nap and nighttime needs covered with its new collection of 100% linen bedding. Each duvet and sham is handmade in L.A. and washed in eco-friendly Mrs. Meyer’s detergents. Pasadena, 626-584-1273; L.A., 323-932-1155; Brentwood, 310-476-7126; S.F., 415-436-0131; ciscohome.net.

C 60 APRIL 2012

04 Home_Eco IC.indd 60

2/22/12 11:59 AM

02222012140026

guCCi ©2012 South CoaSt plaza

Where Southern California finds the very best

BalenCiaga Bottega Veneta Brunello CuCinelli BurBerry Chanel Chloé ChriStian louBoutin Dior Donna Karan neW yorK FenDi guCCi hermèS Jimmy Choo longChamp louiS Vuitton marni miu miu oSCar De la renta praDa roger ViVier SalVatore Ferragamo toD’S Valentino VerSaCe yVeS Saint laurent partial listing

SaKS FiFth aVenue, BloomingDale’S norDStrom, maCy’S

San Diego FWy (405) at BriStol St. CoSta meSa, Ca 800.782.8888 SouthCoaStplaza.Com

34842_12 C_Mag_April FNL.indd 1

2/14/12 10:58 AM

home kids Heath Kids Factory puzzle, $18.

Roger Vivier flats, $315.

Coyuchi dress, $34.

Lately Lily tee, $32.

“The Jellies Experience,” Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Back to Cool

Lanvin dress, $885.

Matthew Carden photograph, from $40.

Mini-me designer duds and fine art photographs keep California kids at the head of the class

Versace sweatshirt.

Willa Naturals sunscreen, $14.50.

Oscar de la Renta dress, $250.

Serena and Lily crib bedding set, $325.

Sprouts Cooking Club, S.F.

Knock Knock Clump-o-Lump creatures, $25 each.

04 Home_Kids IC.indd 62

EDITED BY ELIZABETH KHURI CHANDLER. HEATH KIDS: JEFFREY CROSS. DUNKIN’ DONUTS VEGA: © MATTHEW CARDEN: COURTESY OF LITTLECOLLECTOR.COM. “THE JELLIES EXPERIENCE”: MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM/RANDY WILDER. LATELY LILY: JACKIE GOODLIN. SPROUTS COOKING CLUB: COURTESY OF KAREN ROGERS. CLUMP-O-LUMP: KNOCKKNOCKSTUFF.COM

Eco-kids Eco-eggs, $16.

2/22/12 11:59 AM

02222012140041

TGDM_2064_Pool_Cmag_AD.indd 1

2/21/12 12:29:29 PM

home outside

C

SAN MARINO

ome springtime, ruffles of fruit blossoms cover branches; in autumn, gingkos fall in a yellow haze. Since its public opening in 1928, the tranquil, manicured greens of the Huntington Library’s 1912 Japanese Gardens, canopied with weeping wisteria and graceful black pines, have attracted more than 20 million visitors. Over the years, however, the koi ponds, pagoda house and rock-and-sand karesansui alike fell into disrepair. To commemorate its centennial, Telleen/Jorgensen Director of the Botanical Gardens James Folsom closed the landmark and assembled a crackerjack team of CA specialists and curators (including Gamble House preservationist architect Kelly Sutherlin McLeod of Long

Bridging Time

Huntington visitors in the 1930s.

The 19thcentury pagoda house.

Beach) for a $6.8 million restoration. As a new focal point, donated in 2010 by the Pasadena Buddhist Temple is a ceremonial tea house, built in Kyoto (in 1964 by the father of Yoshiaki Nakamura, who is currently entrusted with its conservation). The structure was dismantled and sent back to Japan to be rehabbed by a master craftsman, then returned and reconstructed. Down to the faux bois trellis detailing, the complete efforts, unveiled April 11, have prepared Henry E. Huntington’s beloved nine acres for another 100 years of history. 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, 626-405-2100; huntington.org.

PETALUMA WEST HOLLYWOOD

Pick Me Up Your fave floral designer might just be appearing for a shop-in-shop or one-day market in one of CA’s chic locales: Winter welcomed Botany Flowers at the Soho House, Natalie Bowen designs at Pot + Pantry in S.F. and Rolling Greens at WeHo’s new PaliHotel.

COMING UP ROSES Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn’s Little Flower School distills the seasons with her stunning arrangements, and lifestyle photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo captures their beauty in the new book Bringing Nature Home (Rizzoli, $45), a romantic traipse through the markets, country and fields. Look for workshops by Owen (and business partner Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua) next month. Don’t miss May 12 at Garden Valley Ranch, a Petaluma landmark treasured for its epic rose fields. 498 Pepper Rd., Petaluma, 707-795-0919; gardenvalley.com.

Rolling Greens bouquets.

NEW WAVE Though hot-cold insulated and condensation-free, the most appealing feature of a S’well is its size—large enough to hold the contents of a wine bottle. $35-$45; swellbottle.com.

WRITTEN BY ALISON CLARE STEINGOLD. JAPANESE GARDENS (2): COURTESY OF THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. ROLLING GREENS: COURTESY OF PALIHOTEL

FROM LEFT

750 ml bottles, $45.

C 64 APRIL 2012

04 Home_Outside IC.indd 64

2/17/12 11:23 AM

02172012132405

SOCIAL FRONT

NEWEST

THE PLACE TO SEE & BE SEEN WITH OUR ONLINE CALENDAR OF CALIFORNIA’S BEST EVENTS WWW.CSOCIALFRONT.COM C Social Front Ad.indd 700

1/25/12 4:11 PM

Cai Guo-Qiang: Sky Ladder is presented by East West Bank Generous support of the exhibition is provided by ANTA Sports Products Limited, China Lilanz Limited, and Fujian Septwolves Industry Co. Ltd.

Additional support is provided by The Bell Family Foundation; Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Restaurant Group; and Joleen and Mitchell Julis.

Mystery Circle: Explosion Event for The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, is sponsored by China Guardian Auctions Co. Ltd.

CGQ-Cmagazine_02mech.indd 1

2/28/12 6:47 PM

C the menu

Hometown Deluxe at Farmshop, marketeering gets a Golden State makeover

spencer lowell

a

month following restau-larder Farmshop’s opening at the Brentwood Country Mart, the Commune-designed setting gleams in marble, warm golden tones, clean whites and cool grays. The well-edited pantry fulfills most any recipe and treasures appear with each lap around the central cheese and charcuterie station, from Grace & I port-soaked figs to a menagerie of nesting Heath Ceramics bowls. It’s a corner store, and there’s a glass bottle of dairy waiting for you—fresh from Petaluma’s Straus Family Creamery.

Chef/entrepreneur Jeff Cerciello ranks among the few culinary tastemakers possessing the experience to successfully rethink the

marketplace as a tangible blend of wine-country rusticity and youthful nostalgia with a decidedly crisp, modern California edge. He was the (not a) right-hand to Thomas Keller for more than a decade as director of the casual dining division of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, launching Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc. He also co-authored the Bouchon cookbook.

“I want to tell a history of California’s generosity through the items,” says the Laguna Hills native, who has tapped a network of purveyors, farmers, creameries, ranchers and bakers to create this flagship. Given his link on the French Laundry food chain, he has found plenty of talent, like Bouchon >>

written and edited by alison clare steingold april 2012

04 Menu_Opener IC.indd 75

C 75

2/23/12 5:01 PM

02232012190213

<< alum Joshua Drew, now executive chef on the restaurant side; and jovial Artisan Market Manager Emiliano Lee, a fromageur recruited for his palate and knowledge about the Golden State’s burgeoning food scene. Lee’s job is to source only the best up-and-comers—preserves and charcuterie alike—and encourage education about them (tags name an item’s town like a sports lineup: Barinaga Ranch Baserri, Marshall, CA). Explains Lee, “If you go into Bi-Rite in San Francisco, it’s about the same square footage but packed. Here, the flow is very open, welcoming, and you can see everything.”

So Brentwood finally has its meeting place. Having found a kindred spirit in James Rosenfield (developer of the country marts in Brentwood, Marin and soon, Montecito), the Farmshop team will debut a Larkspur location this fall. Maybe your corner is next. 225 26th St., S.M., 310566-2400; farmshopla.com. •

FROM LEFT

Poached chicken salad, served family-style.

The wine bar pours regional finds.

TAKING STOCK Five reasons Farmshop is a best-in-show for everything California culinary WELL-EDITED The fusilli from Oliveto Oakland’s artisanal wheat project, Community Grains, even tastes good uncooked.

LOCAL GEMS Baskets of seasonal produce from area growers feel like a roadside stand...in the city.

GRAB-AND-GO Hostess gifts abound, such as L.A.-based Matteo linens and nutty confections

by Napa Cakes Panforte.

HIGH-LOW Culty Groth Cabernet sits alongside Lake County quaff The Girls in the Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.

SAY CHEESE Follow the Sonoma trail right here: Bellwether Farms, Nicasio Valley Cheese Co. and Bohemian Creamery are just a few.

SAN FRANCISCO

Just Say Pho

F

or the Rice Paper Scissors pop-up duo—Valerie Luu, 24, and Katie Kwan, 27—regional Vietnamese flavors tell San Franciscans a story so authentic that Anthony Bourdain recently said of their bánh mì baguette sandwich, “Just about everybody gets that wrong. This is just right.” (Impressive plaudits after only a year in business.) Seven to 10 times monthly, a graphic designer limns a poster announcing anything from a grand nine-course dinner to neighborhoodcasual Vietnamese coffee and beignets slathered in coconut jam. SFMOMA notwithstanding, the venue for “Dungeness Crab House” or “Saigon” might be, say, an industrial space “reminiscent of all the motorcycle shops FROM LEFT Valerie Luu, in Vietnam,” explains Luu. Following Katie Kwan. an eating tour through that country, Adam Barry’s RPS will also appear in 2012 outside S.F. design for their In the meantime, they’re at what Kwan “Hue, the Imperial City” calls “their Cheers bar”—Mojo Cafe— dinner. Crab on Thursdays, in case Tony ever wants and shrimp rice noodle soup. his fix. ricepaperscissors.com.

FARMSHOP (2): SPENCER LOWELL. PASTA, CAULIFLOWER: JACKIE GOODLIN. RICE PAPER SCISSORS PORTRAIT: ALBERT LAW, PORK BELLY STUDIO. POSTER: ADAM BARRY

menu

C 76 APRIL 2012

04 Menu_Opener IC.indd 76

2/22/12 6:22 PM

02222012202343

FASHION VALLEY’S WEEKEND OF FASHION APRIL 27 & 28 The latest spring fashions hit the runway featuring the newest styles in clothing and accessories during Simon Fashion Now. Enjoy a weekend of spectacular runway fashion shows, prize giveaways, interactive style and design competitions, in-store events and discounts. Score free samples, see cosmetic demonstrations and take home your favorite items fresh off the runway! For event details, visit simon.com, like us at facebook.com/FashionValleyMall and follow us on Twitter @fashionvalleyca.

Ann Taylor • Banana Republic • bebe • Betsey Johnson • Charlotte Russe • Custo Barcelona Everything But Water • Gap • HUGO BOSS Store • Karen Millen • Lilly Pulitzer • Max Studio • Steve Madden Ted Baker London • Tommy Bahama • Tous • White House | Black Market • and More

LOCATED AT HWY 163 AT FRIARS ROAD WEST SHOPPING LINE® 619.688.9113

•

Sun Diego

menu FROM LEFT Newton

Vineyard’s parterre gardens. The Puzzle Tray, $499, Zinc Details, S.F. Co-designer Bruce Tharp.

SPRING MOUNTAIN

HOW GREEN IS THEIR VALLEY? Answer: Very. For 2012’s Eco-Chic design collaboration, sustainable stalwart Newton Vineyard (The Puzzle Bordeaux blend) vetted Bruce and Stéphanie Tharp of Materious, a creative duo known for their Ligne Roset vases. The Puzzle Tray serving form, out on Earth Day,

echoes the 112 terraced wine blocks with a golden rectangle of rough-cut FSC walnut. The Newtonian moment didn’t come at first, says Bruce. “Our three-year-old was putting the coasters back after playing with the prototype. She called them puzzle pieces.” newtonvineyard.com.

Natural App-etite

Circa 1910, shoppers eat and drink “under the dome.”

SAN FRANCISCO

Baked In

T

5

Founders Shannan Swanson and Liane Weintraub

he Beaux-Arts-inspired Emporium department store, built in 1896, was long home to a cafe, bar and bandstand below the 102-foot-wide, white marble-and-glass dome.

Tradition continues (at present-day Westfield San Francisco Centre) as Pascal Rigo’s La Boulange du Dome now serves its first cupola-shaped sweets. 865 Market St., S.F.; laboulangebakery.com.

Tasty Brand is improving kids’ nutrition with a different kind of Apple: a game app.

Gummy Riot battles today’s edible villains (no.1 on the most-wanted list: GMO, aka Dr. FrankenFood). Says co-founder Liane Weintraub, “As a parent, instead of something mindless, I’d rather have my kid throw virtual gummi bombs to learn how to make better food choices.” Organic Superfruit Snacks, $30/6; tastybrand.com.

ST. HELENA

That’s how many seats were created for the new Chef’s Counter at three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood, reopening after an overhaul by architect Howard Backen. therestaurantatmeadowood.com.

INSTANT CRUSH With freshly-mixed sodas bubbling up, a Pressé or Cordial from Belvoir Fruit Farms offers a “squash”—as ubiquitous to Brits as an Arnold Palmer—in new lemonade-orange blossom and ginger beer flavors.

04 Menu_Bits IC.indd 78

$10 each, WilliamsSonoma.

NEWTON (3): COURTESY OF NEWTON VINEYARD. TASTY BRAND PORTRAIT: COURTESY OF TASTY BRAND. DOME: COURTESY OF LA BOULANGE

MALIBU

2/20/12 6:19 PM

02202012202103

san f r anci sco .ber kel ey .l ar kspur.new yor k .er i cat anov. com

C travel

A Feast for the Senses India beckons with palatial retreats, gleaming baubles and vibrant swirls of color

BY STEPHANIE STEINMAN

COURTESY OF THE OBEROI UDAIVILAS, UDAIPUR

A

t the mention of India, it seems everyone has an emotional, almost visceral, reaction.

You’ve either just returned and can’t stop raving about it, or you’re dying to go.

For those in the latter category with a slew of questions: Yes, it’s wise to get a few vaccinations before departure. Yes, you need a visa. Yes, it takes 24-plus hours and a few plane changes to get there. Yes, it’s helpful to hire a guide. Yes, The Oberoi hotels (oberoihotels.com) are the places to stay. And yes, you will be eternally grateful you decided to take the leap.

A wee-hours arrival in one of India’s sprawling cities is most likely where you will begin. If your first stop is dizzying Mumbai, ward off exhaustion the following morning with an iced coffee at the famous Leopold Cafe (leopoldcafe.com). Then, have the hotel rent you some classic movies—like Om Shanti Om— so you can brush up and be ready to spot a Bollywood star. In Delhi, cure jet lag with an over-the-top Sunday brunch with the the jet set at Threesixty in The Oberoi, New Delhi. After acclimating, hop an easy flight on one of a multitude of domestic >>

The stunning Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur graces the banks of Lake Pichola.

EDITED BY JENNY MURRAY APRIL 2012

04 Travel_India IC.indd 81

C 81

2/23/12 5:02 PM

02232012190328

travel

RIGHT, FROM TOP Amarvilas.

A rainbow of saris.

Painted elephants at Rambagh Palace, Jaipur.

LEFT, FROM TOP The

Oberai Udaivilas, Udaipur.

A boat on Lake Pichola.

The Oberai Rajvilas, Jaipur.

Earrings from the Gem Palace.

CENTER, FROM TOP ROW Rajvi-

<< airliners—Kingfisher, SpiceJet, Jet Airways—to Jaipur.

Situated in the resplendent state of Rajasthan, this is the India of dreams. Marble statues outfitted daily with fresh garlands stand guard as arriving guests are showered with rose petals at The Oberoi, Rajvilas. Located on 32 verdant acres of pools and fountains, the hotel resembles royal palaces of yesteryear. Spend the morning at the historic Amber Fort, where visitors ride painted elephants to the top.

Views await—as does Hot Pink, a tiny shop beloved by globetrotting fashion insiders for the cashmere shawls, embellished silk dresses and hand-made sandals. Next, treat yourself to the marigolds piled high at Jaipur’s flower market.

Wander through the shopping

meccas of Johri and Bapu bazaars. The inventory is endless, but it’s the colorful silk saris, gold bangles and embroidered slippers you’ll want to snap up. Treasures of the upscale variety fill the must-see Gem Palace, a jeweler’s paradise visited by tastemakers and worldly collectors alike.

Serene Udaipur is a natural next stop. Following a trip to the Jagdish temple, simply unwind and take in The Oberoi, Udaivilas, presiding over Lake Pichola. Jasmine fills the air, peacocks roam the manicured lawns and the service is extraordinary. Practice sunrise yoga; be pampered with a holistic massage at the world-class spa; and enjoy a thali lunch on the canopied terrace. As the sun sets, an enchanting boat ride is met with rose-flavored coolers.

Of course, no trip halfway around the world would be complete without a visit to the Taj Mahal. Located in the city of Agra, it’s easily accessible by train or car. Spend the night at The Oberoi, Amarvilas, where you can gaze at one of the world’s seven wonders—a world away from your starting point. •

BOAT ON LAKE PICHOLA: GETTY IMAGES. TAJ MAHAL, WOMEN IN SARIS: ISTOCK PHOTO. ELEPHANTS: RAMBAGH PALACE, JAIPUR

las. The Oberai Amarvilas, Agra.

Taj Mahal.

C 82 APRIL 2012

04 Travel_India IC.indd 82

2/23/12 5:49 PM

02232012195104

Trim: 8.125” x 10.875“

S A N T A M O N I C A 1343 4th Street (310) 394-5354 S A N F R A N C I S C O 361 Sutter Street (415) 837-1442 S C O T T S D A L E 7051 E. Fifth Avenue, Suite A (480) 947-2450 P O R T L A N D 208 NW 13th Avenue (503) 228-0407 S A N T A F E 110 Don Gaspar (505) 989-3435 C H I C A G O 25 East Huron Street (312) 642-8193 N E W Y O R K 353 Columbus Avenue (212) 780-0930 W A S H I N G T O N D C 3307 Cady’s Alley, NW (202) 339-9885

B A B E T T E S F. C O M

travel As part of Chanel’s “Numéros Privés” installation at the Wynn, an enchanted garden was created to showcase the fine jewelry collection.

Susan Casden

Vegas, bÉbÉ!

Jetting in some 200 fashion plates, Chanel hosts a no-holds-barred bash to remember

the C list

CLOCKWISE frOm LEfT

Alexa Chung. Jessica Joffe, Anouck Lepère.

Nathalie Love, Laura Love. China Chow.

Douglas friedman, Jacqui Getty. The salon-inspired dining room. Vanessa Getty, Balthazar Getty, marissa mayer. Diane Kruger, Caroline Sieber. Jessica Alba. Dree Hemingway.

04 Travel_Vegas IC.indd 84

billy farrell/bfanyc.com

inside sin city One of Chanel’s guests for the grand affair, C ambassador Susan Casden reveals her tips on The strip: STAY The Wynn Las Vegas’ Parlor suites have whimsical decor and an intimate, residentialapartment feeling. wynnlasvegas. com. DINE at the MgM grand Hotel—next to the fancier Joël Robuchon Restaurant—L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers unique counter seating, a tasting menu and wonderful wines by the glass. mgmgrand.com. • BLt Burger at the Mirage Hotel proffers classic burgers, fries and sides until 4 a.m. on weekends—and the Krispy Kreme bread Pudding is to die for. mirage.com. • noodles at bellagio serves an ever-popular Chinese dim sum during lunch hours. bellagio.com. SHOP Pucci at the Forum shops at Caesars carries the Italian house’s latest selections. The majority is resort wear, which is perfect for Las Vegas. caesarspalace.com. • Manolo Blahnik (which we don’t have in L.a.) is at The Wynn shops and has a vast array of fabulous shoes. wynnlasvegas.com. PLAY I like all of the cirque du soleil shows, but the must-see is LOVE, a journey through the psychedelic ’60s set to many of my favorite beatles tunes. cirquedusoleil.com. • Have a look at the Bellagio conservatory & Botanical Gardens. With its ornate displays of seasonal arrangements, it is a breath of fresh air. bellagio.com. • Last but not least, try the latest card game: Black Jack switch.

You play two hands at once with an option to swap the top cards. The game gives the player a higher percentage of splitting and doubling down. •

2/23/12 5:47 PM

02232012195119

PPY12_04_CMagazine_FP_FINAL O.indd 1

2/28/12 11:44 AM

C culture Artistic director and choreographer John Clifford in 1981.

Twists and Turns courtesy of john clifford

revived interest in l.a. dance invites a look at the region’s peculiar past

n

early every major city in the U.S. has its top-tier company: Seattle has the Pacific Northwest Ballet; Chicago hosts The Joffrey Ballet and Hubbard Street; there’s the laser-footed Miami City Ballet.

In the history of ballet here in Southern California, insider drama, a capricious L.A. audience with plenty of alternative entertainment, bad luck and lack of support adds up to a prominent—if not weird—dearth of dance.

Benjamin Millepied might change all that. Though he may be coy about it, he appears to taking baby steps toward forming a company for Los >>

written and edited by elizabeth Khuri chandler april 2012

04 Culture_Opener IC.indd 87

C 87

2/22/12 6:24 PM

02222012202514

culture

ABOVE Tamara Rimes and John Clifford, 1983. RIGHT ABT star Ethan Stiefel attempted a company in Orange County, 2006. BELOW Benjamin Millepied’s 2012 project includes collaborations with composer Nico Muhly and a revival of Merce Cunningham’s controversial 1964 Winterbranch.

Desmond Richardson (here, 2012) of Complexions Contemporary Ballet is considering a move to Los Angeles.

RIGHT

Joffrey dancers DeAnn Duteil and Tom Mossbrucker in Fire, 1982. CENTER, RIGHT Allyssa Bross and Christopher Revels in 2012’s new Los Angeles Ballet’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

<< Angeles—one as marquee as Dudamel’s L.A. Phil or Domingo’s Opera—that’s populated by local dancers and brings together big minds from music and filmmaking to attract massive crowds.

Is the former New York City Ballet principal, star and choreographer for Black Swan, and father of Natalie Portman’s wee one, up to the challenge? We’ll get a sneak peek this month when the Ballet du Grande Théâtre de Genève brings two of his creations to the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Then, Millepied’s official Los Angeles Dance Project will premiere in September. os Angeles is littered with the corpses of dance companies.

John Clifford, who had a decade run in the ’70s and early ’80s with his own Los Angeles Ballet, hopes the next person to start a company understands “that they are building an institution, not fulfilling an artistic vision.”

Like Millepied, Clifford also had a successful career as a dancer and choreographer with the New York City Ballet. While still performing with the NYCB, the L.A. native was approached by a group of balletomanes, Jean Stone (author Irving Stone’s wife), Marvin “Marta” Holen, John F. Kimberling and several others, to found Los Angeles Ballet. LAB performed Clifford’s works and Balanchine ballets, liberally using guest stars from around the globe (including Alicia Alonso, Gelsey Kirkland, Allegra Kent and Peter Martins). They even employed a live orchestra made up of studio musicians, offered eight years of free performances, a full summer season of 23 dates and toured the U.S. five times, as well as internationally.

Clifford cautions that you can’t forget the entertainment factor.

“Balanchine used to say, ‘You are court dancers—your audience

L

paid money. They could have gone to the movies, but they come to see you.’” During his first season in 1974, Clifford crafted a version of La Création du Monde with two performers stark naked.

“We had lines around the block,” he chuckles.

Survival would have meant playing the political game, explains Clifford. He believes that influential patrons Dorothy Buffum Chandler and Nancy Reagan were not on his side when the Music Center contacted LAB (along with several other groups) about becoming the resident company in 1982.

It also may have been bad timing. According to The Joffrey Ballet’s then-Executive Director Dr. Robert Hesse, Nancy Reagan asked Armand Deutsch to bring the New York-based Joffrey Ballet to Los Angeles, and they recruited billionaire real estate developer and arts patron David Murdock to make it happen.

At the time, Reagan’s son Ronald Reagan Jr. was in The Joffrey II company, and a move would mean he’d be closer to her when she moved back to Los Angeles after the White House.

The Joffrey also needed the Music Center if they wanted to survive financially. Incidentally, once the Music Center invited The Joffrey to become bi-coastal, tobacco giant Phillip Morris pledged a significant sponsorship.

“One problem with Joffrey was that if you’re not the home base, you’re second banana,” says Jane Jelenko, who was a member of The Joffrey board at the time. She is currently the president of CDA, the Center Dance Arts at the Music Center (which works to help build an audience for dance—not a specific dance company).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 118 The Joffrey’s official residency

TAMARA RIMES, JOHN CLIFFORD: DONALD DALE BRADBURN. FORMER JOFFREY DANCERS DEANN DUTEIL AND TOM MOSSBRUCKER: HERBERT MIGDOLL. COMPLEXIONS: JAE MAN JOO. MILLEPIED: ALEXANDER WAGNER. STIEFEL: STEPHANO PALTERA. LOS ANGELES BALLET (2): REED HUTCHINSON

TOP

C 88 APRIL 2012

04 Culture_Opener IC.indd 88

2/23/12 7:03 PM

02232012210427

Oh, so that’s why they started calling it a great room.

SUSAN SPATH DESIGN

Whether it’s exquisite furniture or custom designed interiors

by Susan Spath, you’ll find everything you’ve always wanted at Kern & Co. 130 S Cedros Avenue, Suite 100 • Solana Beach, CA 92075 (858) 259-7722 • www.kerncodesigns.com Kern_1009 v2.indd 1

2/23/12 9:23 PM

culture LOS ANGELES COSTA MESA

STRING THEORY

At the Getty Museum, unpublished and iconographic images from the beloved Hollywood lensman show the real “Herb Ritts: L.A. Style.” Apr. 3-Aug. 26; getty.edu.

Now Music Director for Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, violinist Joshua Bell applies his monster technique to a suite of Beethoven’s orchestral works at the Segerstrom Concert Hall. April 26; philharmonicsociety.org.

[

Exposed

Joshua Bell

Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi, Hollywood, 1989.

[

SAN DIEGO

Margaret Bruton, The Harmonica, c. 1930.

SAN FRANCISCO

Mod Squad On April 25, patrons will fête SFMOMA at the annual gala dinner, live auction, supper club and post-modern bash. In Stanlee Gatti-designed environs, they’ll groove to electrofunk duo Chromeo, and bid on work by Doug Aitken (above) and seats at Armani Privé’s Paris show. sfmoma.org.

Super Structure

MONTEREY

VIBRANT STROKES

C

Learn about the interplay between music and form—from L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall to Norway’s Oslo Opera House—in the new tome Site and Sound.

The Monacelli Press, $50.

alifornia Modernists Armin Hansen, John O’Shea, and Margaret Bruton crafted paintings and drawings between the World Wars filled with bright colors and hard-edged geometric shapes. “Monterey Modernism” covers this exemplary break with the Impressionist past, at the Monterey Museum of Art’s Pacific Street location. April 5-June 17; montereyart.org.

JOSHUA BELL: BILL PHELPS. MODELS: HERB RITTS. DOUG AITKEN, LIMITED-EDITION 1968, OF FOAM, WOOD AND BLACK MIRROR, COURTESY OF SFMOMA. BOOK: CLAUDIA URIBE. THE HARMONICA: MARGARET BRUTON

STREET SCENE S.D.’s Little Italy hosts 18 blocks of CA and Mexican prints, watercolors and sculptures at the 28th-annual Mission Federal ArtWalk. April 28-29; missionfederalartwalk.org.

C 90 APRIL 2012

04 Culture_Bits IC.indd 90

2/23/12 7:02 PM

02232012210412

C

MaGaZINe

Accessories Antiques Art Beauty Best of L.A. Beverly Hills Books Boutiques CAliforniA Culture Design Designer Dining FAshion film Furniture Gourmet HeAltH HollywooD home Decor hoteLs Jewelry los angeles music

DeCor

orAnGe

county

sAlons

restAurAnts

sAn Diego san FranCisCo santa BarBara sAntA monicA sHoes shopping spAs styLe travel Venice vintage West hoLLyWooD wineries

Introducing...

www.magazinec.com Plus, our new blog, a dose of C to subscribe call

1.800.775.3066

Prada dress, $5,120.

Ralph Lauren Collection sandals, $995. Broken English earrings.

Pomellato necklace.

FASHION EDITOR: SAMANTHA McMILLEN

C 92

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 92

2/21/12 7:03 PM

02212012210658

Body of Work

HOW A BLOND BEAUTY FROM ORANGE COUNTY BECAME A STAR, STARTED A FAMILY AND MOVED TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA—ALL WHILE KEEPING HOLLYWOOD IN THE PALM OF HER HAND

BY KELSEY McKINNON PHOTOGRAPHED BY RUVEN AFANADOR

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 93

2/21/12 7:03 PM

02212012210659

“My friend once told me, ‘If you can’t do anything else and be happy, be an actor.’ For me, it was just the best option.”

F

our years before Michelle Pfeiffer landed the role of Elvira Hancock in Scarface, she was bagging groceries at the local Vons supermarket in Fountain Valley to pay her way through stenography school. She undoubtedly would have made it to checker and, eventually, become Orange County’s sexiest court reporter, but she didn’t get that far.

At 20, she dropped everything and headed for Hollywood.

Although this was the first time Pfeiffer had deliberately taken her life off track and rerouted it on a new course, it’s something she’s comfortable doing. She is a Taurus, after all, a sign for which change is the only constant. She chose her vocation almost by default, saying: “My friend [actor] Jeff Goldblum once told me, ‘If you can’t do anything else, be an actor. If you can do anything else and be happy—do that.’

For me, it was just the best option.”

Sitting across from one of the world’s most iconic stars, you realize three things immediately: 1. She’s even more beautiful in person than you’d imagined. 2. Against all odds, she’s profoundly level-headed. 3. And, at 53, she still has ambition coming out the ears. Case in point: Next month, Pfeiffer plays reclusive matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard in Tim Burton’s movie remake of the 1960s gothic soap “Dark Shadows.” She says, “I was really uncomfortable doing it, but I decided to pick up the phone and call him. I wanted it. I really did.”

Pfeiffer and Burton first met in 1992 on the set of Batman Returns, where Pfeiffer, vacuum-sealed in a black body suit as Catwoman, clearly made a good impression on the director.

She was just off a string of Oscar nominations for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989), and Love Field (1992) that placed her atop Hollywood’s pecking order—and kept her there. And, she was equally as dogged in her personal life.

That same year, fed up with the L.A. dating scene (what that says for the rest of the pool can’t be good), Pfeiffer decided she didn’t want to wait any longer to become a mother and filed for single-parent adoption. As it happened, a few weeks before her daughter Claudia arrived, she was set up on a blind date with her now-husband, writer/producer David E. Kelley. “I was so nervous to tell him, I mean…imagine!” she says. “I often think that she brought us together. It took the pressure off. I would have totally messed it up without her.” Pfeiffer and Kelley were married in 1993 (Claudia Rose was christened at the ceremony) continued on page 118 and had a son, John Henry, in 1994.

C 94

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 94

2/23/12 4:59 PM

02232012190027

Bottega Veneta gown. Rona Pfeiffer bangle, $9,990, Elizabeth Charles.

Pomellato ring.

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 95

2/23/12 4:59 PM

02232012190042

C 96

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 96

02172012224400

2/17/12 8:42 PM

HaiR: RicHaRd MaRin foR Rossano feRRetti salon, BeveRly Hills at cloutieR ReMiX. MaKeup: BRigitte Reiss-andeRsen at Jed Root. fasHion assistant: asHley avignone. tailoR: susie KouRinian. see sHopping guide foR MoRe details, page 119

HAIR: RICHARD MARIN foR RossANo feRRettI sAloN, BeveRly HIlls At CloUtIeR ReMIX. MAKeUP: BRIGItte ReIss-ANDeRseN At JeD Root. fAsHIoN AssIstANt: AsHley AvIGNoNe. tAIloR: sUsIe KoURINIAN. see sHoPPING GUIDe foR MoRe DetAIls, PAGe 119

Ralph Lauren Collection dress.

Chanel Fine Jewelry tassel necklace, price upon request.

Vram for Gray Gallery necklace.

OppOsite Dolce & Gabbana dress, $3,195. Linda Farrow Luxe sunglasses, $737.

Rona pfeiffer necklace, $8,200, elizabeth Charles.

04 Michelle_Pfeiffer IC.indd 97

2/22/12 7:20 PM

02222012212256

A point o

Design world luminary Gary Friedman has created an

C 98

04 Friedman IC.indd 98

2/16/12 10:40 AM

02162012124750

S.

t of view

n

S.F. Bay haven where he can recharge and dream big By diane dorrans saeks

PhotograPhed By Lisa romerein

On the stone terrace outside his dining room, Friedman watches yachts set out in the morning mist from Sausalito to the west. Furniture, lanterns and pillows by Restoration Hardware.

04 Friedman IC.indd 99

2/16/12 10:40 AM

02162012124750

Gary Friedman stands in front of the new Restoration Hardware Deconstructed sofa and Moroccan pillows.

OPPOSITE The dining room shows a confident mix of an 18th-century Italian monastery table, Ming Dynasty cabinets, Resto side chairs and the newly introduced muslin-upholstered Deconstructed host chair.

E

xquisitely poised on a vertiginous peninsula in the middle of San Francisco Bay, the city of Belvedere is one of the most desirable, dramatic and discreet residential locations in the United States. It is here, on a sun-struck hillside sheltered by pines and native oaks, that Gary Friedman has created his extraordinary domain.

Light-filled and open to the breezes, the villa-style residence epitomizes Friedman’s ideals of symmetry, harmony and balance.

With its Howard Backen-designed architecture, lush landscaping and infinity pool, it affords Friedman and his family and friends a splash of glamour just 30 minutes from the city and 10 minutes from Restoration Hardware headquarters in Corte Madera, where Friedman is the company’s chairman and co-CEO. “My favorite thing is to walk out onto the terrace and watch the sunrise,” he says, relaxed, tanned and dressed head to toe in Brunello Cucinelli. “The golden light hits the hills above Sausalito, and the magical scene looks like Portofino. It’s very escapist.”

Friedman, 54, who grew up in Sonoma, lives and breathes Restoration Hardware. He believes its success is due partly to his decision to “make it personal and something we really believe in,” he says. His first job was as a stock boy at S.F.based Gap after dropping out of college; he went on to become the youngest manager in the retailer’s history. At 35, Friedman was appointed president at both the Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn brands. Responsible for driving meteoric sales increases at Pottery Barn, Friedman jumped ship to join the

then-21-year-old Restoration Hardware in 2001.

The company recently filed for an IPO, and Friedman has revved up his usual fast pace, crisscrossing the country, planning and inspecting potential retail sites (even a restaurant and wine bar are possibilities). As always, he is recruiting talented craftspeople to carry out his obsessions: innovative furniture, lighting and objects to add to the current roster of 24,000 products in the line. Under Friedman’s direction, Restoration Hardware has grown to 81 stores, including Baby & Child boutiques and outlets.

Resto (as insiders call it) is known for its grand furniture and design Galleries meticulously styled with upholstered sofas, reams of Italian bed linens, comfortable chairs, enticing fine rugs by Ben Soleimani and enough Belgian linen and light fixtures to keep a client happy for years. Fans know to set aside a full afternoon for sitting on, touching and ogling every single piece. The newest catalog and Source Book, just mailed, marks a rethink of the merchandise mix: smaller-scale pieces, more romantic looks (including new chandeliers of great charm) and a subtle softening of silhouettes and accessories.

After the 2010 debut of the Gallery in a Palladio-inspired villa in San Francisco’s design district, the company launched similar establishments in Los Angeles, East Hampton and Houston last year. Plans have been drawn for Galleries in Miami and Manhattan, while a Boston location is under construction.

Not surprisingly, Friedman’s house epitomizes the best of Resto with a pair of the latest Deconstructed collection sofas taking pride of place in the living room; muslin-upholstered Deconstructed wing chairs in the dining room; and all beds enveloped in Resto’s luscious embroidered white Italian linens.

Over the intense five years it took to complete the designing, building and interior architecture of the 7,000-square-foot house, Friedman, who is particular about arcane knowledge, learning and insider expertise, received the equivalent of a doctorate in architecture from Backen and partner in his firm, architect Jim Gillam. “The moment I first drove up to the site with Howard, he took one look and sketched out the entrance, the intricate placement of rooms, the orientation to the views,” says Friedman. “We were looking at a bare slope, not yet excavated, and Howard could see the built house. I was very inspired.”

As refinements were made to the structure and floor plans, hundreds of tons of soil were carved out of the steep hillside.

The finished dwelling, with its walls two feet thick, deep windows and hand-trowelled Venetian plaster, nestles comfortably into its surroundings.

continued on page 118

C 100

04 Friedman IC.indd 100

2/20/12 6:22 PM

02202012202319

04 Friedman IC.indd 101

2/16/12 10:52 AM

02162012125451

Friedmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nine-year-old twin daughters, Alexis and Arianna, love to hang out in the media room. LEFT In the mix: a China cabinet, tufted Deconstructed chair and a side table (right) made from scavenged architectural fragments.

ABOVE

C 102

04 Friedman IC.indd 102

2/16/12 10:52 AM

02162012125451

FROM TOP LEFT The textural composition of a lichen-covered leather pedestal table, graphic art and lacquer lamp accents the entryway. A 19th-century American four-poster bed is a bold element in the guest suite.

The multi-purpose kitchen bestows views of Mt. Tamalpais.

04 Friedman IC.indd 103

2/20/12 6:22 PM

02202012202319

C 104

04 Friedman IC.indd 104

2/17/12 11:20 AM

02172012132235

A pair of sinuous vintage Scandinavian chairs juxtaposes with the Deconstructed sofaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentionally exposed burlap underpinnings and tufted muslin. Friedmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s antique French column fragment-and-glass lamps inspired a Resto lighting collection.

04 Friedman IC.indd 105

2/17/12 11:20 AM

02172012132235

Plains Drifter Free your spirit along Santa Barbaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gaviota Coast in brush-dusting dresses and effortless spring knits PHOTOGRAPHED BY RACHEL ROBERTS

04 Ranch IC.indd 106

2/10/12 4:27 PM

02102012183029

Joie sweater, $238, Bloomingdale’s.

So De Mel swimsuit bottoms, $180 for bikini, A Tropical Affair. Stetson hat, $90, sheplers.com.

Kendall Conrad bracelets and rings, worn throughout.

OPPOSITE Joie dress, $418. Vintage RRL jacket. Earrings, stylist’s own.

FASHION EDITOR: EILEEN HAYES

C 107

04 Ranch IC.indd 107

2/10/12 4:27 PM

02102012183029

04 Ranch IC.indd 108

2/10/12 4:27 PM

02102012183029

Etro dress, $1,992.

C 109

04 Ranch IC.indd 109

2/10/12 4:27 PM

02102012183029

model: alice dodd. Hair and makeup: BetHany mccarty. See SHopping guide for more detailS, page 119

Ann Taylor sweater, $98, and scarf (worn as skirt), $58. OPPOSITE Max Mara romper, $1,590.

C 110

04 Ranch IC.indd 110

2/10/12 4:27 PM

02102012183029

04 Ranch IC.indd 111

02102012183030

2/10/12 4:27 PM

model: alice dodd. Hair and makeup: BetHany mccarty. See SHopping guide for more detailS, page 119

life at the top a young family finds respite in its laguna beach house on a hill by darra baker photographed by lisa romerein

04 Laguna IC.indd 112

2/20/12 5:22 PM

02202012192357

Queen palms and banana trees soften the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s geometric façade. opposite A shagreen table, blond wood barrel chairs and fossilized seashell sculptures add texture to the living room.

C 113

04 Laguna IC.indd 113

2/17/12 7:41 PM

02172012214407

d

esign opportunity can strike at the most surprising of moments. Recalls Venice Beach-based decorator Chad Eisner, of C.W. Eisner Inc.: “I had gone to a mutual friend’s Boxing Day party at this very ’80s, 9,000-square-foot second home in Laguna Beach [the family’s primary residence was, and still is, in London]. I looked around and thought, ‘This is a cool house.

It needs a lot of work.’” Two years later, seaside serendipity struck as Eisner and the hostess of that fête, Alison Ravano, ran into each other just outside of Neiman Marcus at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

“She asked me if I could take a meeting about their house. Of course, I said yes!” Eisner remembers with a smile, even after completing the three-and-a-half-year renovation.

The meeting went swimmingly as mother-of-four Alison and Eisner first established their collective desire to replace the domicile’s incongruent shiny black granite and polished glass with a warm, welcoming consistency of creamy limestone and beachy textures.

They also agreed to a game plan that would satisfy a penchant for clean Italian design (Alison’s husband is Italian-born businessman Emanuele Ravano); Texas-native Alison’s attraction to earthy elements of driftwood, metal, water and fire; and, above all, their four children and their need for fun and relaxation at home with their friends and four Akitas.

It was a tall order, but a lovely underpinning of Turkish, “Aramis” limestone from CA-based Exquisite Surfaces was one big, bright answer to a number of design dilemmas. The light-reflecting, honed flooring throughout created a calming seamlessness while remaining true to the Pacific views. “The eye is able to carry out toward the horizon without being overpowered by too many different materials,” Eisner says.

The floor-to-ceiling windows make live paintings of the shimmering pool area and, just beyond, swaying vibrant greens of the backlit banana palm fronds and the glittering blues continued on page 119

C 114

04 Laguna IC.indd 114

2/22/12 6:21 PM

02222012202227

clockwise from far left a

polished steel sculpture reflects the 14-foot deep pool. a bubble chair in the ravanos’ youngest son’s room. long emerald tiles comprise the kitchen backsplash. the oil painting in the dining room is by alex weinstein. Glass jugs sit atop the foyer’s driftwood finished oak table.

04 Laguna IC.indd 115

2/22/12 6:21 PM

02222012202227

C 116

04 Laguna IC.indd 116

2/17/12 7:41 PM

02172012214422

“the eye is able to carry out toward the horizon without being overpowered by too many different materials,” says eisner. clockwise from top left living room end tables are by s.f.’s Jiun Ho. A sculptural kos tub anchors the master bath, as does a fireplace in the ravanos’ bedroom. the living room’s driftwood table, linen sofa and barrel chair. An outdoor lounge area offers views of the pacific. A daughter’s love of pop art comes through in her room. the eldest son’s bedroom. opposite the breakfast nook’s edelman leather calfskin banquette is flanked by a table and chairs from poliform.

04 Laguna IC.indd 117

2/23/12 5:00 PM

02232012190127

twists and turns continued from page 88

Music Center, structured with performances in both Los Angeles and New York, lasted eight years. Bound by constraints such as the company’s deadline to move all operations to Los Angeles by August 20, 1984 (which never happened), difficulties balancing an East Coast board and a West Coast one, and a strict schedule for performances, the board fractured in 1990 over a deficit of approximately $2 million due to strange bookkeeping errors and a failure to pay back taxes. In 1991, the company ended its contract with the Music Center; today, The Joffrey is based in Chicago.

In 2006, the CDA hired a consulting firm to explore what type of company could survive in the basin. The Cultural Planning Group came back with two models for L.A.: a double-metropolis solution which had already been attempted with The Joffrey; and the second, which Jelenko calls the “Miami City Ballet” choice. The idea was to partner with three other concert halls in the region, perhaps Palm Springs, South Santa Barbara and Orange County. A board would draw from all four regions, and the size would be manageable: 25 dancers, not 100.

Around the same time, American Ballet Theatre principal and current artistic director of Royal New Zealand Ballet, Ethan Stiefel, was testing an O.C.-based project along those lines. It sounded fabulous: Stiefel had name recognition from starring in the movie Center Stage; his fiancée, ABT principal Gillian Murphy, was part of the package; and two additional ABT stars, Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, relocated to the Ballet Pacifica school to teach. Music Center patrons Jelenko and Liane Weintraub (founding chair of the CDA), drove down to Orange County to woo in earnest, hoping to share between locations. But before they entered serious talks, Stiefel asked for a guarantee from his funders to pay his dancers. The board balked and the deal fell through. “I personally did not feel comfortable with asking the people who had potentially the most to lose, to take the biggest risk,” Stiefel says.

“In the end, the organization just came up short in a key area: money.”

On the positive side, Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen have achieved a modest success with their regional version of the “Miami City” model. “We tour L.A.,” as Neary puts it. Their Los Angeles Ballet (yes, it’s the same name) visit five different theaters in L.A.: Redondo Beach, UCLA, Long Beach, the Valley and Glendale. Now in their sixth season, the troupe employs 30 dancers and launched

a full-length Swan Lake in March. They have also borrowed Sonya Tayeh, perhaps best known for her “So You Think You Can Dance” choreography; Kitty McNamee, formerly of Hysterica Dance Company; and Josie Walsh, to dabble in contemporary works.

The LAB understands the idea of slowly building an institution. “Creating a dancer takes a long time. It takes eight to 10 years,” says Christensen. And their technique of touring rather than having a home base has worked for them.

At the Music Center, the support for smaller companies such as LAB does exist. “The more quality regional companies we have, the better. You need to have communities where dance is part of the fabric. It cannot just be done from the top level; you have to have both,” says Weintraub.

She is involved in her daughter’s performances with the semi-pro Malibu Ballet & Performing Arts Society, for example. “My daughter’s in The Nutcracker, and for most little children who get passionate about ballet, that’s their gateway drug, so to speak.”

But the path to big-name ballet is perilous.

At least Millepied has several checkmarks on his list: notoriety as a former dancer and choreographer, Hollywood connections and the Music Center behind him, particularly with Glorya Kaufman’s $20 million gift in 2009. “Kaufman really wanted to send a statement during the recession that art matters—that dance matters,” says Weintraub.

“For a long time, those of us in the L.A. dance world felt that we had to apologize for dance here,” adds Renae Williams Niles, director of programming at the Music Center. In November, the Center announced that they expected to back Millepied’s project for two years. “Dance is yet another way to support our community.”

And if Millepied’s baby steps don’t turn into grande jetés, there are others waiting in the wings. Desmond Richardson of New York’s Complexions Contemporary Ballet is contemplating a move to Los Angeles. “We practically sell out every time we come to L.A.” Richardson says. “We’re very commercial, and we are not afraid to entertain.” •

body of work continued from page 94

Kelley has had a highly productive career with hit television series including “Ally McBeal,” “L.A. Law,” “Boston Legal” and “The Practice.” “There were a few years there where I really felt like the First Lady,” says Pfeiffer, who much prefers her freedom of slipping in and out of the spotlight as she pleases. Five years ago, the couple decided that the family needed to spread out and slow down. They bought a property and

relocated to the S.F. Bay area, where Pfeiffer took a four-year break from acting to get the kids through high school. On days like today, she wakes up before dawn, catches a flight to the Burbank airport, drives herself to various appointments (after our meeting, she’s en route to Midway City to have lunch with her mother) before heading back on an afternoon departure. On the verge of becoming an empty nester herself, Pfeiffer is increasing the frequency of these day trips as she takes on smaller projects.

One of them is the heart-wrenching family drama Welcome to People, produced, directed and written by Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, Star Trek, Cowboys & Aliens), which will be released this summer. After roles like Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray or Lamia in Stardust, here, she plays a woman you might actually know: a widow wronged by her deceased husband and left to reconcile their painful past with an estranged son.

Pfeiffer is almost unrecognizable in character.

“I was struck in the editing room by how many choices she would make in advance and how consistent she was in every take.” says Kurtzman. “That only comes from experience.”

Pfeiffer trusts her ability to make choices; it’s how she navigates through life. (She’s also famous for turning down the leading roles in Basic Instinct, The Silence of the Lambs, Double Jeopardy and A Prairie Home Companion.) What’s been omitted from this interview so far are all of her endearing questions about my choices: “Why did you move here?” “Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay?” I fumble, so she steps in, “Oh, I’d love to write a screenplay some day,” and leans in a little closer— “I’ll have to get David to be my ghost writer, shhh!” If that’s what she has her heart set on, consider it done. •

a point of view continued from page 100

“Howard squeezed the maximum views from the house—to the east, the south and the west—and we have all-day sun,” notes Friedman. “Many people would have had picture windows and decks everywhere.

That’s not my thing—or his.”

Instead of vast expanses of glass, Friedman and Backen devised folding doors framed with rich mahogany to give the rooms an intimate, enclosed feeling.

When pushed open, the doors disappear, and the kitchen, dining room and bedrooms open directly onto sheltered and beautifully outlined terraces. “I did not want to lose any view in the kitchen, so I forbade cabinets,” notes Friedman. Instead, he and his team made an apothecary out of the large and practical kitchen island, hiding utensils and

C 118 april 2012

04 RO_SG IC.indd 118

2/23/12 7:05 PM

02232012210558

cooking equipment in custom rolling drawers and under-counter cabinets.

Most impressive is the complete integration of the building’s design and interior decor. Backen’s rooms are perfectly proportioned and minimally detailed with Venetian plaster walls to create a graceful setting for art, antiques, collections and comfortable furnishings on travertine flooring. It’s welcoming. “The whole house is lived in,” notes Friedman.

In full expansion mode, Friedman travels often and heads to Europe or Asia with his teams to source new products and meet with the designers, artisans and manufacturers who helped him reinvent Restoration Hardware. There’s Ben Soleimani of Mansour in Los Angeles now creating stunning, yet well-priced collections of floor coverings.

Friedman also has a partnership with Belgium’s Raymond Libeert of LibecoLagae, the top linen company for which Resto is a major client. (All Friedman’s curtains and upholstery are from this centuries-old firm.) And there are traditional bed-linen makers in Florence and antiques dealers in London and Paris. “When I return from a long trip, it is very escapist here,” says Friedman. “It’s a great gathering place for my family, and it’s ideal for business meetings with discussions going on into the

night. But when I’m alone, there’s a Zen-like, calm feeling that I love.” •

ON OUr COVEr

Gallery, L.A., 310-854-0091; graygallery.com.

Solange Azagury-Partridge 24/7 square necklace, $23,800, Solange Azagury-Partridge, B.H., 310-276-4500. Pomellato rose gold Narciso cuff, $43,000, Pomellato, B.H., 310-858-1300. Gucci studded metal bracelet, $1,295, select Gucci stores, gucci.com. Bulgari yellow gold B.zero1 earrings, $3,450, select Bulgari stores, bulgari.com. Michael Kors gold cuff, $125, Michael Kors Lifestyle, L.A., 310-385-8350. Marco Bicego link yellow gold Jaipur ring, $2.220, Shreve & Co., Palo Alto, 650-327-2211.

Tom Binns gold-plated Baby Diana earrings, $190, Tom Binns Megastore, N.Y., 917-475-1412; tombinnsdesign.com.

Bottega Veneta black chiffon evening gown, $13,000, select Bottega Veneta stores, 877-362-1715; bottegaveneta.com. Pomellato rose gold and brown pavé diamond Tango earrings, $22,600, and rose gold and smoky topaz brown diamond Tango ring, $12,700, Pomellato, B.H., 310-858-1300.

Rona Pfeiffer diamond and sterling cage bangle, $9,990, Elizabeth Charles, S.F., 415-440-2100.

TaBlE OF CONTENTS p.10 Gucci nude pleated dress, $2,150, select Gucci stores, gucci.com. Van Cleef & Arpels Estate diamond earrings with yellow gold, $30,000, select Van Cleef & Arpels stores, vancleef-arpels.com.

Pomellato rose gold and rock crystal Capri necklace, $6,950, rose gold and white topaz brown diamond Tango ring, $12,900, and rose gold and smoky topaz brown diamond Tango ring, $12,700, Pomellato, B.H., 310-858-1300.

C WHaT’S HOT p.32 Altuzarra quilted leather vest, price upon request, josephaltuzarra.com; and jersey ruffle tank dress, $1,950, Opening Ceremony, L.A. Jimmy Choo light-khaki elaphe Alicia pumps with metallic heels, price upon request, similar styles available at jimmychoo.com. Jill Hoffmeister ear cuff, $2,400, Roseark, S.M., 310-395-6706. First Image rings, $142 each, Roseark, S.M., 310-395-6706.

C FaSHiON Jewelry Box p.50 Vhernier Plateau Grande earrings in rose gold, $4,450, Vhernier, B.H., 310-273-2444.

Vintage yellow gold Gübelin ring, $5,400, Gray

liFE aT THE TOp continued from page 114

of the sea and sky. Inside, taking cues from the house’s façade and the vista it absorbs, furnishings all soften and fill voluminous entryway and entertaining areas, allowing guests to pause in each space: a barrel-back, Deco-inspired Italian armchair of blond ash; teal Edelman leather barrel chairs from Inex; and custompieces by Eisner, such as his cream shagreen sofa table and soft-gray-stained walnut dining table.

The museum-quality art and accessories that Alison has collected over the years, in California and overseas, were edited down to the soulful essentials that only enlivened the newly created environs. A pair of rare fossilized shell sculptures flank and add dimension to a flat living room fireplace; a large oceanic oil painting

by Southern California artist Alex Weinstein reigns over the dining area; and sea-glass jugs, bottles and buoys provide colorful reflection. Adds Eisner,

BODY OF WOrK p.92-93 Prada nude gown, $5,120, Prada, B.H., 310-278-8661. Ralph Lauren Collection python sandals, $995, select Ralph Lauren stores, ralphlaurencollection.com. Broken English champagne diamond Parulina Ivy Pear earrings, Broken English, S.M., 310-458-2724. Pomellato rose gold and rock crystal Capri necklace, $11,150, Pomellato, B.H., 310-858-1300. p.94-96 See “On Our Cover.” p.96-97 Dolce & Gabbana black organza gown, $3,195, select Dolce & Gabbana stores, 877-703-4872; dolcegabbana.com. Linda Farrow Luxe sunglasses, $737, lindafarrowgallery. com. Rona Pfeiffer diamond and moonstone collar, $8,200, Elizabeth Charles, S.F., 415-440-2100.

Ralph Lauren collection ivory tulle beaded gown, $14,000, select Ralph Lauren stores, ralphlaurencollection.com. Chanel Pompom necklace, price upon request, select Chanel stores, 800-550-0005; chanel.com. Vram for Gray

“All-white houses can be stark, so we wanted to add hues.”

While the common areas let the hilltop views take center stage, the kitchen, which Eisner completely redesigned to include a generously sized pantry, and a small-yetglam eating nook, spotlights Alison’s cooking and hosting talents. “She’s a complete green freak, and I’m a blue person,” laughs Eisner.

The extra-long 4”x16” glass tiles running along the backsplash create a glistening emerald energy field for Alison, who is often found preparing fresh meals for a rotating roster of guests. An island of recycled glass offers a few shots of Eisner’s periwinkle shades, while an eat-in custom banquette area of Edelman calfskin leather in jade features a three-dimensional Italian seascape photograph hanging above by Londonbased Alex Hartley. All the kitchen and family room elements offer easy-care surfaces of Caesar stone counters, wipe-and-go leather ottomans, and pet-friendly linen sofas—yet the scene looks incurably chic.

In fact, though high on a hill, the house stands ready and willing to receive the Ravanos and their visitors with swaying palms and open doors—in the most relaxed, low-key Laguna Beach way. “It’s not a museum,” says Eisner. “It’s a family house for bowls of popcorn and wet sandy feet.” •

Gallery platinum and diamond chain, $55,860, Gray Gallery, L.A., 310-854-0091; graygallery.com.

plaiNS DriFTEr p.106-107 Joie long dress, $418, joie.com. Kendall Conrad leather cuff, $215, Kendall Conrad, Venice, 310-399-1333; kendallconraddesign.com.

RRL vintage leather jacket, and earrings, stylists own. p.108 Joie cream and orange Emilie B sweater, $238, select Bloomingdale’s stores, bloomingdales.com. So De Mel SoSo swimsuit bottoms, $180/bikini, A Tropical Affair, S.B., 805-730-1625. Stetson hat in natural, $90, sheplers.com. Kendall Conrad brown La Cincha cuff, $215, brass stacking rings, $37 each, Kendall Conrad, Venice, 310-399-1333; kendallconraddesign.com. p.109 Etro blackand-cream silk gown, $1,992, Etro, B.H., 310-248-2855; etro.com. Kendall Conrad tapered bangles, $100-$105 each, Kendall Conrad, Venice, 310-399-1333; kendallconraddesign.com. p.110-111 Ann Taylor cream and brown Cynthia sweater, $98, and mini-check scarf, $58, select Ann Taylor stores, anntaylor.com. Kendall Conrad leather bracelet, $200, Kendall Conrad, Venice, 310-399-1333; kendallconraddesign.com.

Max Mara romper, $1,590, Max Mara, B.H., 310-386-9343. •

COrrECTiON In our March 2012 issue, the Fashion Editor for Nicole Richie portfolio “The Seamless Life” (p.166) was C Style-Editor-at-Large George Kotsiopoulos.

C Magazine April 2012 Volume 7/Number 7 is published 10 times/year by C Publishing, LLC. Editorial office: 1543 7th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401.

Telephone 310-393-3800, Fax 310-393-3899, E-mail (editorial) edit@magazinec.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to C Magazine, P.O. Box 17125, N. Hollywood, CA 91615-7125. Subscriptions Telephone 800-775-3066 or E-mail: Ccccs@magserv.com. Domestic rates are $24 for one year (10 issues); for orders outside U.S., add $15 postage. Single copies available at newsstands and other magazine outlets throughout the United States.

april 2012

04 RO_SG IC.indd 119

C 119

2/23/12 7:00 PM

02232012210156

c

california

story byline

Upon its completion in 1937, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge was considered on par with the pyramids and the Colosseum as one of man’s greatest architectural feats. the S.F. Chronicle first called the quake-proof passing, stretching across 1.7 miles, a “$35 million steel harp.” architect irving F. Morrow helped the art Deco structure to embrace its surroundings with uniform posts placed far enough apart to allow motorists an unobstructed view; sunlight-reflecting vertical ribbing on the horizontal tower; and the international orange paint blending with the landscape while still being visible to ships. Carrying more than 41 million vehicles annually, the wonder is an everyday reminder of California’s innovations in design.

text by kelsey mckinnon

AFP/Getty ImAGes

the GOlDeN Gate BriDGe, 1935

C 120 april 2012

04 C_Cali IC.indd 120

2/22/12 11:52 AM

02222012135308