GRAZIA Gazette: The Hamptons, Issue 4, 2021

GRAZIA

HAMPTONS

VOLUME FOUR

SUMMER 2021

GAZETTE

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW ZARA LARSSON

THE SINGER SETS THE TONE FOR A PITCH-PERFECT SUMMER

GINA BRADLEY, RONNIE FLYNN, JAMES JAGGER, MEI KWOK, EVELYN O’DOHERTY, BETH O’DONNELL, JOHN DE NEUFVILLE, ALEXANDRA RICHARDS invite you to

RACE TO TURN THE TIDE ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS SUNDAY, AUG 15 Havens Beach, Sag Harbor SUP Yoga Class and Paddle Board Lessons Tickets on Sale Now on Eventbrite scan for tickets scan for tickets

weareprojectzero.org

#TURNTHETIDE

TAMARA COMOLLI Boutiques Southampton 27 Main Street NY 11968 Palm Beach 150 Worth Avenue Suite 115 FL 33480 www.tamaracomolli.com

asprey.com

the sunflower collection

The Asprey Bar, 18 Jobs Lane, Southampton NY 11968 Telephone: + 1 917 985 1170

london

new york

beverly hills

miami

southampton

palm beach

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Gucci and the Saltzman Family Host a Summer Celebration in East Hampton. PHOTOGRAPHS BY CARL TIMPONE, DAVID BENTHAL, AND JOE SCHILDHORN FOR BFA.

THE SCENE & The Seen

As the world slowly starts to reopen, the summer event circuit is finding its new “normal”—and GRAZIA has an inside look.

Clockwise from left: Gina Correll Aglietti, Grace Gummer, Amauta Firmino, Jeremy O. Harris, and Derek Blasberg; Event guests; Mark Ronson; Jack Saltzman, Gigi Mcquarrie, Harry Walker, Elizabeth Saltzman, Ellen Saltzman, David Saltzman, Elizabeth Doyle, and event guest.

sipsipSTYLE inin STYLE

WITH OUR LIMITED EDITION GRAZIA ROSÉ

BY ONEHOPE WINE. WITH OUR LIMITED EDITION GRAZIA ROSÉ

BY ONEHOPE W AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH LABOR DAY. AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH LABOR DAY. VISIT ONEHOPEWINE.COM/GRAZIA

VISIT ONEHOPEWINE.COM/GRAZIA

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VOLUME FOUR

Mytheresa x Naomi Watts x Gucci Westman at the Wölffer Private Residence in Sagaponack.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTEO PRANDONI FOR BFA.

From left: Drew Barrymore, Athena Calderone, Gucci Westman, and Martha Hunt; Naomi Watts; Joanna Hillman, Athena Calderone, and Romy Soleimani.

From left: Cornelia Ercklentz, Tracy Anderson, Claudia SaezFromm, Steven Beltrani, and Edward Barsamian; Olivia Palermo and Tracy Anderson.

ZEROBONDNYC

ZEROBONDNYC

ZEROBONDNY.COM

ZEROBONDNY.COM

Grazia Celebrates Grazia Gazette: The Hamptons Volume II Cover Star Tracy Anderson at Sí Sí Mediterranean Restaurant, East Hampton.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOE SCHILDHORN FOR BFA.

From left: Sam Schneiter, Caylin Lewandowski, Dom Perkowski, and Monika Clark.

DSW x Grazia USA Celebrated Stepping Back Into Life at Calissa in Water Mill.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CAROLINE FISS.

ZEROBONDNY.COM

GRAZIA USA

ZEROBONDNYC

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HAMPTONS

GRAZIA

SUMMER 2021

GAZETTE BRENDAN MONAGHAN Executive Vice President, Global Chief Brands Officer

DAVID THIELEBEULE Editor In Chief, Chief Creative Officer BRIAN CAMPION Executive Creative Director CASEY BRENNAN Executive Editor At Large

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Our coterie of Hamptonites who embody success, culture, change, and the art of living well

KEVIN SESSUMS Editor At Large GABRIELLE PRESCOD Market Director RAVEN BAKER Social & Audience Director DEBORAH DRAGON Director of Publishing Operations KATHLEEN BURNS Editorial Coordinator DIANE HODGES Copy Editor

ROBYN BLAIR DAVIDSON

NATHAN ORSMAN

After getting her start in fashion, Davidson launched her by robynblair candy art collection as a cheeky nod to selfcontrol, overindulgence, and not taking life too seriously.

Chances are, you’ve seen Davidson’s whimsical and playful candy art pieces with phrasing like “Chin Up” and “In Case of Emergency” gracing the walls of Instagram’s top influencers, but the home décor collection also includes home goods, furniture, and kitchenware.

The Sydney-born lighting design expert works with high-profile clients to create the perfect interior and exterior lighting designs. The recipient of several IES Illumination Awards, Orsman has worked on residences and commercial spaces around the world, in New York, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Mexico City, London, Saint Barthélemy, and elsewhere.

CONTRIBUTORS SHELTON BOYD-GRIFFITH TY GASKINS MICHAEL KAPLAN REBECCA LEWIS ALFREDO MINEO AMANDA MITCHELL DAMIEN NUNES MARISA PETRARCA AARON RASMUSSEN JUSTIN ROSE AARON ROYCE JOHN RUSSELL JOSH SOKOL MIA UZZELL

DIGITAL JESSICA BAILEY International Editorial Director LILY CHEN Digital Director CHARLOTTE STOKES Fashion Director GRACE O’NEILL Fashion Writer REBEKAH CLARK Features Writer

CHARLES STEWART

The Sotheby’s CEO was a driving force behind the storied auction house’s COVID-19 lockdown pivot: Thanks to Stewart, Sotheby’s held its very first live and digital hybrid auction, which was a huge success.

DONNA RODRIGUEZ

As the VP of Marketing for Barry Sternlicht’s SH Hotels & Resorts, Rodriguez is the brains behind your favorite luxury hotel brands, including 1 Hotels, Treehouse, and Baccarat Hotels & Resorts. Now Rodriguez and her team are gearing up to debut 12 new properties in global cities, including Toronto, Paris, San Francisco, and Melbourne.

ZANNA ROBERTS RASSI

Is there anything that British-born Roberts Rassi can’t do? While you might know her from her high-profile magazine days or her work as a contributor for E! News and Today, the consultant and stylist for major brands (including Target and Adidas) also found time to cofound Milk Makeup with her husband, Mazdack Rassi.

Check out the cruelty-free, paraben-free, and 100 percent vegan line at milkmakeup.com.

EMILY ALGAR Beauty Editor KATE LANCASTER Contributing Beauty Editor ISABELLE TRUMAN Contributing Editor

IN THE Issue

HEADQUARTERS

100 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10005 • PHONE (917) 231-8680 • EDITORIAL contact@graziausa.com • ADVERTISING sales@graziausa.com • MEDIA press@graziausa.com © 2021 Mondadori Media S.p.a. All rights reserved. Published by PANTHEON MEDIA GROUP LLC with the permission of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.a. and Mondadori Media S.p.a.

Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited.

11 THE NEW & THE NOW

14 MOST WANTED

16 LOOKING FORWARD

23 COVER STORY

34 WHAT’S IN MY BEACH BAG?

ON THE COVER Zara Larsson, photographed by Bailey Rebecca Roberts and styled by Ryan Young. Hermès shirt, $1,175, hermes.com; Emilio Pucci culotte, price upon request, emiliopucci.com; Alexandre Birman sandals, $395, alexandrebirman.com; Earring, her own.

GRAZIA USA

shopfavoritedaughter.com shopfavoritedaughter.com shopfavoritedaughter.com

THE NEW & THE NOW

VOLUME FOUR

SUMMER 2021

BRIGHT Idea LOEWE is bringing sunny Spanish style to the chic shores of the Hamptons.

BY AARON RASMUSSEN

S

ummer out East just got even more carefree—and playful—with the opening of the LOEWE Paula’s Ibiza popup shop. Taking over a 270-square-foot section of Ryland Life Equipment in Sag Harbor through the end of August, the temporary space represents the perfect palette for showcasing the craft-led selection of the capsule collection’s summertime staples: ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories.

The Spanish brand’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, has explained how LOEWE’s annual Paula’s Ibiza line in 2021 epitomizes “that vibrant zing of sunny Balearic effortlessness.” The collection, bursting with a Bohemian flair, is designed to be mixed, matched, and layered for laid-back, uncomplicated ensembles that can easily go from brunch to bar to beachside bonfire.

The shop’s whimsical décor cleverly matches the mood of what’s on offer through thoughtfully chosen design elements: LOEWE commissioned Spanish artisan Javier Sanchez to create unique woven animal-head wall sculptures for the pop-up, for example. The pieces perfectly complement Paula’s Ibiza’s own special artisan-crafted woven accessories, such as a pineapple bag constructed in calfskin, a small square basket bag in rainbow toquilla palm, or a straw Panama hat with a knotted leather band. The breezy Mediterranean vibe of the space is carried through with attire that includes a cotton halterneck mini crochet dress with lace-up back. Even the wallpaper adorned with a festive bird design is echoed in a similar parrot-print ruffle dress.

As an added bonus, the pop-up shop is stocked with a curated list of items from the LOEWE Fall/Winter 2021 men’s runway collection and women’s pre-collection, so shoppers out East will get a sneak preview. LOEWE at Ryland Life Equipment, 26 Madison St., Sag Harbor, NY.

GRAZIA USA

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VOLUME FOUR

CAN WE ’Tauk?

ANTICIPATED Arrival

There’s so much to do on The End this summer.

Sara Battaglia’s first-ever swimwear styles are (finally!) here.

BY CASEY BRENNAN

HAIR CARE FOR ALL

BOUNCE BEACH

Bounce Beach Montauk brings serious party vibes to town, taking over the iconic former Sloppy Tuna space with its epic oceanfront brunch parties. Expect lots of rosé and lobster rolls, along with crafted cocktails and Bounce’s famous Jameson-infused French toast.

“Our location in Montauk has been a staple for decades and we are excited to share the new elevated concept in the space throughout the summer,” explains co-owner Cole Bernard. “Montauk is a special place on Long Island and we knew that with everything going on in New York City at the time—coming out of lockdown—that bringing the brand out East to such an iconic beachside location was the best thing.” bouncebeachmtk.com

KISSAKI X FISH CHEEKS

Two of Manhattan’s favorite Asian eateries have joined forces for a summer pop-up at Montauk Anglers Club & Marina. Featuring omakase from sushi spot Kissaki and Thai cuisine thanks to Fish Cheeks, the restaurant will be serving up delicious dishes through the end of October. explorekissaki.com

It’s paradoxical: Some shampoos are filled with damaging and toxic chemicals dirtier than the locks they are supposed to clean. The solution? Paraben- and silicone-free Dr. 14 Shampoo by Lapcos, formulated to prevent hair loss and improve scalp and hair health at the same time. Named for its 14 active (and clean!) ingredients, Dr. 14 Shampoo is gentle, suitable for all hair types, and gentle enough for even the most sensitive scalps.

So, you can lather up with a clean conscience. lapcosusa.com – CASEY BRENNAN

BY MARISA PETRARCA

When Italian fashion designer Sara Battaglia announced that her eponymous womenswear brand would be making its first foray into swimwear, fans of the label rejoiced. “Finally, swimsuits!” one user wrote on Instagram, in response to the brand sharing its breathtaking Spring/Summer 2021 campaign imagery. Others expressed their excitement for Battaglia’s new fashion category with a barrage of fire emojis. Indeed, Sara Battaglia just doesn’t ever stop bringing the heat. Eight years since the celeb-loved designer unveiled her first handbag collection, and five since she expanded into ready-to-wear and shoe lines, her SS21 swim collection, entitled “La joie de vivre” (meaning “the joy of living”), is here. Naturally, the designs align with Battaglia’s signature aesthetic: “sophisticated femininity” meets “modern luxury,” according to the brand.

Her first drop comprises two super-chic one-pieces, aptly entitled Swimsuit N. 1 and Swimsuit N. 2. Both designs feature a sexy open back and are available in two colors for a total of four luxury swimsuit options to choose from.

As for the silhouettes themselves, swimsuit N. 1 is a bandage halter-neck style featuring a large cutout at the midsection, available in black and white monochrome hues. Swimsuit N. 2, on the other hand, has a plunging, halter neckline and an elegant tie-waist. It comes in black for the woman who likes to stick to polished neutrals and a bold shade of red for those who want to make a stylish statement.

No matter which you choose, you’re bound to turn heads at the pool.

Bonus: There’s more to come, as all of Battaglia’s Spring/Summer collections will include swim styles moving forward. sarabattaglia.com

MORTY’S

Head to Morty’s Oyster Stand for the fresh seafood—and stay for the games. This summer, Morty’s is hosting a weekly Question Party?! trivia event every Tuesday night. The popular spot also has a newly renovated indoor/outdoor dining area along with an updated menu thanks to chef Richard Biondo and crafted cocktails care of Beverage Director Annemarie Sagoi. mortysoysterstand.com

DOLCE & GABBANA Pops Up with Carretto Designs

SANTA FÉ X HAVEN HOTEL

Thirsty for a good time? Head to Santa Fé x Haven Hotel, where the all-natural sparkling water line from AriZona Beverages has taken over for the summer. The rooms have been uniquely decorated with the splashy colors of Santa Fé’s flavors: Pink Grapefruit, Raspberry Lime, Orange Mango, Lemon, and Sparkling Arnold Palmer. Don’t miss the merch shop— fanny packs, straw hats, and T-shirts are available—or the hotel’s pool, which is tricked out with custom pool floats and beach umbrellas, perfect for summertime lounging. havenmontauk.com

GRAZIA USA

Can’t make it to Italy this summer? No worries: Dolce & Gabbana is bringing a splash of the vibrant colors and patterns of Sicily to the Hamptons, by way of the brand’s stunning DG Carretto Mobile Pop-Up. While the kaleidoscopic Carretto print is normally found on traditional horsedrawn carts—the meaning of “carretto” in Italian—Dolce & Gabbana’s version has a uniquely American twist: it’s an airstream. The pop-up will allow invited guests to experience the Dolce & Gabbana lifestyle and the remarkable Carretto collection without leaving the East End. True to the brand’s DNA, the DG Carretto experience features the colorful and bold patterns of this Sicilian-inspired collection. As the birthplace of Dolce & Gabbana co-founder Domenico

Dolce, the region has always been a huge inspiration.

Meanwhile, the pattern has proved its timeless appeal: it first debuted in Fall/Winter 1987-1988 and was known then simply as La Sicilia. While the look has evolved since, this Carretto collection stays true to the original craftsmanship that has made Dolce & Gabbana the global powerhouse that it is today. The DG Carretto Mobile Pop-Up will feature ready-to-wear and accessories for women, men, and children in the Mini Me version. Expect glamorous tunics and maxi dresses, as well as nighttime summer staples including crop tops and platform sandals. Didn’t snag an invite?

Pick up your own Carretto pieces at us.dolcegabbana.com.

– CASEY BRENNAN

THE NEW & THE NOW

13

SWIM, For Him

These three brands are leading the charge to the pool.

BY MARISA PETRARCA

THORSUN

When Thorsun debuted in 2015, there weren’t many choices for stylish men. “Swim options for men were pretty limited outside of surf brands, and I wasn’t able to find a pair that mixed both interesting prints with well-engineered, non-shallow pockets,” founder George Sotelo tells Grazia Gazette: The Hamptons.

“I wanted a short that could hold everything—wallet, keys, phone—and not have everything slip out when I sat down.”

Sotelo conceptualized his swim short design at the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro in 2014. After having spent the day bouncing between the beach and street parades, he dreamed of trunks that fused his love of prints with careful attention to function. His first collection took inspiration from Mexican pottery, with deep pockets and an internal security pocket for cash and hotel keys.

In the years since, Sotelo has released six Thorsun collections, comprising more than 30 original prints. thorsun.com

ORLEBAR BROWN

WHAT’S OLD Is New RE/DONE Opens for Business Out East.

British men’s swim shorts brand Orlebar Brown prides itself on its ability to marry comfort and style. The label was founded by photographer Adam Brown, whose interest in starting the company took him by surprise. “In 2005, I went on holiday to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday in Rajasthan,” he explains.

“There were 30 people in the group aged between 25 and 50 years old. Most of them worked in design, took an interest in clothing, but were not obsessed with fashion. Around the pool, the women in the group looked great, but the men did not.

All were wearing brightly patterned, baggy boxer short styles, briefs, or board shorts. The idea for Orlebar Brown became clear when, from sitting by the pool, we had to change to have lunch in the bar.” orlebarbrown.com

BY CASEY BRENNAN

Another addition to this summer’s shopping explosion out East: Beloved vintage-inspired, American-made brand RE/DONE has opened a store for Hamptons denizens. Located at 58 Newtown Lane in East Hampton, the 400-square-foot RE/DONE location brings the brand’s very LA aesthetic to the tony shopping enclave, with its curated assortment of exclusive, one-of-a-kind denim, accessories, and home goods. “The goal for our East Hampton store was to create a space not just for shopping, but for experiencing the ethos of our brand: individuality,” explains RE/DONE CEO & Co-Founder Sean Barron. “Perfect for vintage collectors and fashion lovers alike, one will be able to shop the edit of RE/DONE’s best selling products including one-of-one reconstructed Levi’s and vintage Marketplace collectibles.” shopredone.com

CDLP

Swedish design house CDLP—a leader in the men’s luxury essentials space—was born in 2016, courtesy of sustainably-minded style gurus Christian Larson and Andreas Palm. The design duo recently added two new swimwear styles to their lineup of swimwear must-haves: swim trunks and deck shorts. Naturally, they’re already a hit among the brand’s clients. Each of CDLP’s designs is constructed using eco-conscious materials sourced from Europe. For example, the company’s swimwear comes to life through Econyl, a regenerated nylon fiber from landfill and ocean waste. “We look to biodegradable, organic, and recycled fibers before conventional—that originate as close to home as possible,” says a brand rep, noting that their unwavering “sourcing philosophy” is to “minimize natural resource usage.” cdlp.com

GRAZIA USA

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VOLUME FOUR

MORE AT GRAZIAMAGAZINE.COM

WEEKEND Romance

Do the grueling days in the city have you dreaming of the idyllic countryside? Us too! It’s easy to fantasize about weekends away in lush and luxe tranquility but it’s infinitely easier when these are your clothes.

BY GABRIELLE PRESCOD & MARISA PETRARCA

Loro Piana, $750, us.loropiana.com.

Gigi Burris, $425, gigiburris.com.

Greenpacha, $216, greenpacha.com.

ERDEM

LANVIN

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

SIMONE ROCHA

CAROLINA HERRERA

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS

Erdem, $490, erdem.com.

Gucci, $710, mytheresa.com.

Monrowe, $352, monrowenyc.com.

WOVEN Daydreams When it comes to summertime accessories, the trends can be tricky to navigate but a sun hat is one that stands the test of time.

And let’s be honest, sun protection never goes out of style.

GRAZIA USA

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MOST WANTED Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush in Nearly Mauve, $21, rarebeauty.com.

CREAM Of The Crop Get a rosy glow all summer long

Clé de Peau Beauté Cream Blush in Cranberry, $60, cledepeaubeaute.com.

Miaou corset, $255, miaou.com; Alexandre Vauthier pants, $2,145, mytheresa.com; Gucci loafers, $830, matchesfashion.com; Third Crown earrings, $200, thirdcrown.com.

Hill House dress, $225, hillhousehome.com; J.J. Gray boots, $950, jj-gray.com; JW Pei bag, $79, jwpei.com; Hermès scarf, $320, hermes.com.

Lilah B Divine Duo Lip & Cheek in B True, $46, lilahbeauty.com.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge For Lips & Cheeks in Powder Pink, $34, bobbibrowncosmetics.com.

Tata Harper VitaminInfused Cream Blush in Naughty, $42, tataharperskincare.com.

Markarian dress, $1,695, markarian-nyc.com; Eliurpi hat, $520, similar styles at brownsfashion.com; Brother Vellies sandals, $615, brothervellies.com; Jumz bag, $190, jumzs.com.

Brora sweater, $629, broraonline.com; Sister Jane pants, $98, sisterjane.com; Fendi bag, $6,590, fendi.com; Salone Monet shoes, $285, salonemonet.com; KkCo collar, $55, similar styles on kkcostudio.com.

Cecilie Bahnsen dress, $3,770, farfetch.com; Sleeper shoes, $290, shopbop.com; Brandon Blackwood bag, $175, brandonblackwood.com; Pattaraphan earring, $170, pattaraphan.com.

Doen shirt, $248, shopdoen.com; Khaite leggings, $760, modaoperandi.com; Barkal shoes, $250, barkal.com; Gigi Burris bow, $270, gigiburris.com; Kinn ring, $1,420, kinnstudio.com.

GRAZIAMAGAZINE.COM stylish The most

destination online.

VOLUME FOUR

LOOKING FORWARD

BCALLA Boa Bag, vintage jewelry, LIDOW ARCHIVE, lidowarchive.com.

Opposite page: Contemporary dress, vintage jewelry, LIDOW ARCHIVE, lidowarchive.com.

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LOOKING FORWARD

C

atching up with Jari Jones is no small feat. Born in New Jersey to a Black mother and Filipino father, the 30-year-old trans female actress, producer, writer, and activist has become a global icon on the rise. From her much-celebrated Calvin Klein billboard in NYC, to her Saks Pride campaign, to the Cannes Film Festival premiere of her film Port Authority, co-produced with Martin Scorsese, Jones is everywhere at once. Just after news broke that Jones was signed for representation with CAA, she managed to carve out time in her current filming schedule to discuss her life and career in an exclusive interview with Grazia Gazette: The Hamptons.

ALFREDO MINEO: Congratulations on your recent CAA announcement! You continue to break barriers across so many industries. What does this mean to you?

scend and motivate us. Who inspires you?

JJ: I’m continuously inspired by my transcestors and trans elders in the community! Literally watching someone dedicate their whole lives to activism, to fight for your own liberation? Hero is not even the word to describe it. And then, in that same breath, to have the time and energy to mother you, to teach you how to navigate this world? It feels otherworldly. It feels ethereal.

‘BREAKING BARRIERS ALWAYS FEELS LIKE AN UNSPOKEN HONOR.’

JARI JONES: Breaking barriers always feels like an unspoken honor to the queer folks before me. I am blessed beyond words always to walk in spaces that I was destined for and that I know were paved out for me. Never do I claim that I reached these achievements by myself; I know that me getting to the place I am is most definitely from the support and the love I received from my chosen family and community.

as well. Visibility needs to be seen all over the board, not just the talent or the artist, but the creative directors, the stylist, the writers, etc. As for understanding, allow queer people to tell their own stories and create their own narratives. Allow us to humanize ourselves in a way that you would have no choice but to be invested in our lives. Only the person with the lived experience could provide that.

AM: As an activist, you’re constantly teaching and speaking. What is a subject or topic you’re most passionate about?

JJ: A subject that is always my fight is the uplifting and the empowering of queer folks, especially Black trans folks. So often in media we only see death, hate crime, poverty, etc., when it comes to Black queer people and I want to not only change those narratives, but also to show the light and beauty coming from this community as well. While there is a need to reveal that we are being wiped out at alarming rates, I think there is space to also showcase our achievements, our strides, and our joy.

AM: A lot of fear and hate comes from not understanding the unknown. Some people are deliberately ignorant or disinclined to learn. Others may not know how to learn. How would you suggest people gain an understanding of the community? What resources would you share with people to learn more about the LGBTGIA+ community?

JJ: Honestly, it’s simpler than people think. First, do your research. There are hundreds of writers and bloggers and people sharing their thoughts, their ideas, their stories about their experiences. It’s all there. We cannot lean on the labor of a community that has to survive every day to educate us on how our society is oppressing them. It is the job of those who are not part of the community to go educate themselves. Second, once you have educated yourself with insightful knowledge, get to know trans people. Find ways to interact with us, whether it be funding our projects, supporting our events, or working with our youth.

Those are all ways that you get to have fellowship with us and possibly build a relationship.

AM: You have worked on so many kinds of projects, it is almost hard to describe your talents succinctly. What do you hope people think of when they consider your career?

JJ: As a Black woman, as a queer woman, as a trans woman, I haven’t been awarded the privilege to focus and thrive doing one thing. I knew that if I wanted to make a mark, if I wanted to inspire a generation of beautiful, bold, queer youth—especially Black queer youth—I had to give them an array of reachable dreams, some that weren’t even my own. From modeling, to singing, to acting, to producing, to writing, I have dipped my hands in everything, rummaged in many baskets, so that when I walk into a room, there is nothing that I cannot do. Not only am I showcasing a wide range of the talent of trans queer folks, but simultaneously motivating my community to stack their ammo, to let out all that they are. I wanted to show that you could be successful in many fields and no one could convince you differently.

AM: In life, we have stories to inspire us, stories that tran-

AM: What are your future endeavors?

AM: How do you think we can advance visibility and understanding for the LGBTQIA+ community?

JJ: Put LGBTQIA+ folks in positions of power—real positions of power. Don’t only give them a seat at the table, but also allow them to speak and bring other folks to the table

JJ: My future endeavors consist of deepening my love for the things that make me whole. I can’t choose one because they make me who I am. I want to normalize that Black queer folks are capable of many things and we can move as such, without hesitation, without fear, without compromise. I have vowed to be a part of a representation that would be immortal, that would live past me, and honor the transcestors that live through my whole being.

FEARLESS FUTURE Jari Jones is normalizing Black queer representation in Hollywood.

BY ALFREDO MINEO PHOTOGRAPHER NELSON CASTILLO STYLIST HAILE LIDOW

GRAZIA USA

T: 10.0 inches L: 9.5 inches

7.16 7.23 7.30 8.06 8.13 8.20 8.27 9.03

Wyclef Jean Bob Moses Club Set Armand Van Helden Capital Cities DJ Set Questlove DJ Set Rev Run X DJ Ruckus DJ Set DJ Cassidy St. Lucia X RAC DJ Set & Special Guests

F R I D AY S B E G I N I N G J U LY 1 6 T H c o n c i e r g e @ c a l i s s a h a m p t o n s . c o m F O R TA B L E R E S E R VAT I O N S

calissahamptons.com W AT E R M I L L

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LOOKING FORWARD

SMR DAYS, FINALLY

As the world begins to reopen and long-awaited travel returns, three tastemakers have just the thing for all your summer getaway menswear needs.

BY DAMIEN NUNES PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL WETHERELL

Clockwise from left: SMR Days shorts, $380; shirt, similar styles available online, jacket, $405, pants, $310; shirt, $270, shorts, $240, smrdays.com.

S

ome great ideas come together in a flash, while others travel a longer road, searching for the perfect alchemy of the right timing, the appropriate players, and the perfect circumstances before they can arrive.

Such was the case with SMR Days, a new menswear label built upon the fantasy of global travel and founded by London-based fashion industry veterans Adam Shapiro, Dan May, and Gautam Rajani. Longtime friends Shapiro, a publicist, and May, a fashion director and stylist, first began kicking around the idea of starting a small menswear label together about seven years ago when Shapiro was working for the UK offices of KCD (a New York-based fashion publicity firm) and May was the style director of the men’s online retailer Mr. Porter. While energized by the prospect of combining their expertise into a singular collaboration, the casual discussions between the two fell quiet when life took them in other directions to pursue new professional projects of their own.

That all changed when Rajani entered the mix. In 2017, he became acquainted with Shapiro and May socially while he was working in sales and merchandising at Diane von Furstenberg, a job he too would ultimately leave. He used the break in his normally busy work life to travel to his home country of India to visit family and friends—many of whom are affiliated with the fashion and textile industries—and became inspired by the fabrications, techniques, and craftsmanship he encountered while there. He saw an opportunity, realizing that while such creations could be applied to many women’s resort-minded collections, there were few equivalent offerings for men.

Upon return, Rajani shared his thoughts with Shapiro and May and the original idea for a new menswear label was reborn: this time, a three-way partnership that would fill a niche in the market for elevated, casual, warm-weather mainstays with unexpected artisanal touches.

“What we saw is that when you go to a resort, you either see men wearing white linen shirts or Versace on the beach,” says Shapiro. “Both certainly have their place, but that middle ground where there is something a little more interesting with a little more detail and yet not full-tilt fashion is exactly where we wanted to position ourselves.”

In April 2019, the trio traveled to India, a whirlwind two-week trip that took them to 34 factories and mills, looking for the best fabrications and garments that could work for menswear—and ones that were produced under the most fair and ethical working conditions.

“It was a journey of exploring,” says Rajani, who orchestrated the trip across Mumbai, in and around Delhi, and to Jaipur using his wealth of connections in the Indian fashion industry. “Some of the factories were never factories to me. They were friends in the industry who were weaving a variety of different materials and doing a lot of craftwork in-house.”

By the trip’s end, they had found two factories that met their needs and strict standards. They left India excited and armed with a trove of sustainably minded, natural fabrics like cotton, silk, bamboo, and coconut, which would be the first tangible beginnings of a future SMR Days collection.

From these earliest excursions, India itself was a guiding inspiration for the brand: its warm and humid climate lending itself to a unique expertise in weaving light and breathable materials.

Centuries-old Indian artisanal techniques passed down through generations—such as bandhani dyeing, ikat weaving, block printing, and intricate hand and crewel embroidery—conjured the nomadic lifestyle central to the SMR Days world.

In early 2020, just after successfully premiering the debut collection to wholesale buyers and press during Paris Fashion Week, COVID-19 descended. How would the partners launch a brand built on the idea of travel and wanderlust in the middle of a global pandemic, when most of the world was confined to their homes?

The start of retail sales that had been planned for May was delayed to November of that year.

Still, the three saw an opportunity in the crisis: They decided to launch the brand’s website, SMRDays.com, and an accompanying Instagram. Both served as an editorial platform for sharing inspiring stories of travel, again tapping into their extensive connections to distinguished figures in fashion, art, design, and beyond. They also created SMR Postcards, a curated gallery of photographs from around the world taken by the world’s leading image-makers and meant to be sent on to loved ones, when we couldn’t ourselves escape to the lush, warm-weather destinations pictured.

At the same time, the pause imposed by COVID-19 led to an expansion of their original concept.

“The pandemic allowed us to widen the scope of the lens,” says Shapiro. “This is a brand about travel and wanderlust, but also about ease and comfort. So, it was a natural progression to talk about wearing it at home or in your garden. The pandemic gave us the opportunity to think of SMR Days in a broader sense.”

SMR Days clothes are indeed made for the optimal combination of style and comfort one might seek in ever-warming weather, whether close to home or finally taking off on that longpostponed getaway. Relaxed suiting, lightweight jackets, laid-back resort shirts, shorts, and easy trousers are all elegant enough to be worn to dinner or cocktails, but also are designed to mix and match in a number of ways, giving even the most steadfast white linen shirt or T-shirt and chino shorts devotees a new go-to brand—one with just the right amount of added personality.

“It’s a complete thing,” says May, whose career has suited him well for designing, editing, and styling the line, now in its second season. “From Season One to now, I know what I’d wear everything with. What we have tried to create is a versatile, well-curated, and thought-through offering.”

The results speak for themselves.

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LOOKING FORWARD

A BUDDING BUSINESS Hits The Hamptons Flowerbx brings blossoms to the beach.

BY AARON RASMUSSEN

T

he Hamptons social season is in full bloom, and a London-based flower business that recently expanded to the East Coast has made a particularly fashionable arrival.

Flowerbx—the brainchild of former Tom Ford SVP of Communications Whitney Bromberg Hawkings—now delivers the company’s signature single-varietal bunches of flowers favored by the fashion set to the East End. “I am inspired by beauty, in all of its forms; from art and design to fashion and furniture,” Hawkings says of her interest in aesthetics. “Luckily, flowers lend themselves to all of these mediums and help to elevate each of them.”

Hawkings’s nearly 20 years in the world of highend design gave her a surprising amount of insight into her current work with flowers. When she was thinking about switching careers from fashion to the floral business in 2015, the budding entrepreneur began to notice how designers often chose one type of flower that best reflected their personal style. Her boss, Tom Ford, for example, would often send others white peonies or decorate his home with green hydrangeas. Calvin Klein, on the other hand, opted for white calla lilies, while Miuccia Prada preferred pale pink roses.

Hawkings adapted the concept for Flowerbx and then turned to developing her brand’s business model. She eventually landed on a unique cut-to-order approach to ensure her clients receive only the best quality and freshest flowers. She realized Flowerbx could cut costs and waste by purchasing flowers directly from growers only in the amounts her customers actually ordered. Once her company received the flowers, they would then send them right to the consumer rather than going through shops and wasting time with middlemen.

In 2016, Hawkings officially introduced the company to the world. Within weeks, she had landed her first huge order from designer Michael Kors

and her fashionable fan base has grown astronomically ever since. Louis Vuitton once commissioned her to create a nearly 100-foot floral chandelier that stretched down the Orangerie in the Palace of Versailles, for example, and she now counts the likes of Balmain, Dior, and Jimmy Choo as regular clients.

“I was so relieved that the transition from fashion to flowers was so seamless; both are rooted in emotion, beauty, quality, and desire,” she says.

“I was delightfully surprised that I was working with the same people, the same press, the same restaurant and hotel groups, and the same luxury brands—only with a different medium.”

Hawkings has managed to gain a secure foothold in the floral world in just a few years: Flowerbx is currently in 23 European countries as well as on both the East and West Coasts of the United States. As she continues to expand, Hawkings is now focusing on customers’ needs as the pandemic begins to recede.

“Our clients around the world are craving intimacy and beauty, and these are our favorite types of events to cater for,” she says.

“We are already seeing a lot of intimate entertaining at home. The mood is special but not opulent, with a lot of care given to every detail—and, of course, the flowers.”

What to choose for your own summer soirée?

Hawkings has two floral recommendations she considers stars as late summer approaches and “breathtakingly beautiful” peonies fade out of season. Hydrangeas are “undeniably stunning,” she notes of the flowers’ “saturated summer colors with their bold heads and architectural shape.” She notes her other choice, dahlias, are “most exquisite” because of their multiple colors and shapes, ranging from pom-poms in pale pink to dramatic, colorful spiky “showstoppers.”

And if there’s one thing this former Tom Ford fashionista knows, it’s what makes for showstopping beauty.

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VOLUME FOUR

POSTER Perfect After a year in hibernation, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson is ready to get her show back on the road. After that, the stars are the limit.

BY JOHN RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHER BAILEY REBECCA ROBERTS STYLIST RYAN YOUNG HAIR SIRSA MAKEUP COLBY SMITH

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ara Larsson is—shall we say—fully embracing the freedom and frivolity of the post-pandemic lifestyle. “Yeah, I went out last night and I was not prepared for that,” she says over Zoom from London. “It was just a regular Tuesday! Like, I don’t go out on Tuesdays! But one thing led to another and…” dinner with friends at LPM turned into drinks at Annabel’s and more. “It was worth it, ’cause I had a great night,” she says confidently—if a little hung over.

Luckily, at 23 years old, Larsson is at an age when you bounce back quickly. When she parties hard, she works even harder. Hitting the studio the very next morning, “I wrote a really good song with one of my favorite people,” she reveals.

Really, that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Larsson’s work ethic is awe-inspiring. Since releasing her debut EP, Introducing, in 2013, not a year has gone by in which she didn’t put out new music. We’re not just talking a one-off single here or a guest vocal there; we’re talking multiple songs, many of which have charted internationally, each year since she was 15. Her 2014 debut album, 1, went platinum in her native Sweden.

Three years later and already a household name in Scandinavia, she made a play for international stardom with her second album, So Good. Its first three singles—“Lush Life,” “Never Forget You,” and “Ain’t My Fault”—all reached No. 1 on the Swedish charts, and the album was certified platinum in the U.S. Time included her on its list of the “30 Most Influential Teens of 2016” alongside Simone Biles, Shawn Mendes, and Malala Yousafzai.

Back-to-back world tours in support of So Good followed, and all the while Larsson continued to churn out new singles, many of which would ultimately end up on her second international release, 2021’s Poster Girl.

From a very early age, Larsson knew she wanted to be a singer—and she wasn’t going to wait to do it. At just 10 years old, she appeared on Talang, Sweden’s version of America’s Got Talent.

It was the only musical competition show that accepted kids, she says. “I wanted to be on Idol and X Factor, but you had to be, like, 16. And I was like, I’m not f***ing waiting until I’m 16! I wanna sing now! I want people to see me now!” She ended up winning the competition with her rendition of Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” But while her version of the song became a top-10 single in Sweden, fame didn’t immediately follow. It would be five years before she signed a record deal with Swedish label TEN Music Group. In the meantime, she studied ballet at the Royal Swedish

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VOLUME FOUR

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Ballet School, discovering—fairly quickly—that she didn’t want to be a ballerina. “I stayed in school for two more years knowing I didn’t want to dance, because I loved my classmates,” she says.

“We were just like sisters, honestly.”

That tight-knit, supportive community of young women instilled in Larsson a nascent feminism—though she wouldn’t have called it that at the time—which later blossomed when she switched to a more diverse, co-ed school and witnessed the casual misogyny displayed by her male classmates.

“It was like, Oh, this is what the real world looks like,” she remembers. She began posting about feminism on her personal blog and has been outspoken about her views ever since.

In the meantime, her career was blossoming with increased crossover into America. In October 2019, Larsson wrapped the third leg of her “Don’t Worry Bout Me Tour” in Atlanta, intending to head back out on the road the following summer. We all know what happened next: The pandemic hit. The summer 2020 tour was canceled, and while life didn’t exactly grind to a halt for Larsson—she released three singles last year and continued to write and record remotely from the home she shares with her sister in Stockholm—things did get a little dark.

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“Honestly, I felt a bit lost in the sauce during the whole corona year,” she admits. “I wasn’t performing live, I didn’t really have sessions, and I was like, Do I even like music? What do I want in this? I was really lost, and I just felt like, Maybe I don’t wanna do music. Maybe I actually don’t really think it’s fun. I was just asking myself all these questions.”

Larsson, like so many of us, thinks she might have been just a teensy bit depressed from the lack of social stimulation. That all changed this spring. For starters, she finally released Poster Girl, the long-awaited follow-up to So Good. But what really shook her out of her funk was performing again. Larsson teamed up with Ikea for a live special that streamed on International Women’s Day, and in April she sang with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra for a live radio broadcast. “I was onstage singing with them. I was like, Nah, I love music,” she recalls. “I love to sing. That’s really what it comes down to. I love to sing so much.”

Having lived through the long winter of our social disconnect, Larsson is throwing herself into the roaring ’20s as the world reopens. In May, she re-released Poster Girl as an expanded “Summer Edition,” with two previously unreleased tracks,

an acoustic version of “I Need Love” featuring Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit, a remix of “Right Here,” and recordings of “Ruin My Life” and “Never Forget You” from her performance with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Still, a touch of the bittersweet remnants of COVID linger.

Ordinarily, summer for Larsson would mean playing festivals all over Europe—a part of pre-COVID life that has still not returned. “I think I’ll just do shows in the UK, honestly,” she says with a sigh. “Maybe one in Norway? But it’s very few. It’s not a festival summer.”

Instead, Larsson already has a Scandinavian arena tour scheduled for November and in the meantime, she’s busy writing and recording material for her next album. To confirm for fans: You won’t have to wait another four years, for music, as you did between So Good and Poster Girl.

What to expect? Larsson has said in the past that she wants to move with the currents of pop music, but right now, at the very beginning of the writing process, she’s feeling a little experimental. “I’m kinda down for anything,” she reveals.

So far, that’s leaning toward a classical vibe. Still inspired by her performance with the symphony, Larsson is very into

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strings and horns right now and says she wants to add a cinematic quality to her new work.

“I say to my friends and producers and writers, I’m like, ‘Let’s imagine we’re going to Mars. How are we feeling? How are we feeling when we walk to the rocket?’ And it’s, like, pretty dramatic,” she says. Especially post-pandemic, “I want a little drama. I also wanna be able to dance. I want to go to space and leave mankind behind. And it’s quite sad, because you can’t come back, but you’re also quite hopeful because you’re starting a new chapter for humanity. It’s, like, very deep. Also, when we go into space and you’ve left all your friends and family behind, yeah, you’re hopeful, but you’re also going to a place where Drake is at, and he’s gonna have a dance party at this new planet. So that’s the vibe.”

Still with us? By her own admission, Larsson isn’t always great at articulating “the music part.”

“Like, producing,” she clarifies. “I’m a really good topliner, I can write words and write melodies. But when it comes to the production all I can say is, ‘I don’t like that. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something I don’t like. Let’s try something new.’

That’s it.” (Hence, the extended space travel metaphor.)

Still, she’s eager to learn. During quarantine, Larsson bought a whole in-home studio setup—and then kind of neglected it.

“It’s just sitting there and it’s staring at me and I feel ashamed every time I walk by it, because I feel like, Oh, man, I should know how to do this and I don’t!” she says. “It’s hard. You gotta be nerdy about it. You gotta sit there for hours and hours and hours. I’m really bad at letting myself develop, and that’s what you have to do when you work on things like production. No one’s good when you first start out. But I like things that I am immediately good at!”

One thing Larsson is unquestionably good at? Entertaining.

It’s not just what she does; it’s who she is. “I think deep down, I’m kind of a people pleaser and I want people to have a good time,” she admits. On some level, that’s what pop stardom is all about: the sold-out worldwide stadium tour, thousands of fans singing along, radio ubiquity. Larsson wants it all, and it’s already happening.

“It’s kinda wild, you know, when you watch videos of people’s weddings and they play one of my songs,” she says. “Or it’s their graduation party. You’re part of people’s lives, even if you don’t know them. And that’s kinda beautiful.”

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THE DIANA MYSTERY The Hamptons has seen its fair share of meaningful moments over the years, but one vacation in particular could have changed the course of global history.

The year was 1997, and Teddy Forstmann—the late billionaire businessman who was chairman and CEO of IMG, a global sports and media company—had received a call from his close friend, Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana wanted to find a beachside mansion near Forstmann’s oceanfront spread in Southampton, to spend the summer there with her boys.

BY DYLAN HOWARD

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“

found her something, but five days later she called back and said the security people had said the openness of the Hamptons wasn’t safe,” Forstmann once told Tina Brown for her book, The Diana Chronicles. Supposedly, U.S. intelligence had advised their British counterparts that in order for Diana to visit the Hamptons with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, she would need clearance from her estranged royal cohorts.

“If Diana had only been granted permission to spend her vacation elsewhere like she planned, she would, in all likelihood, be alive today,” said Diane Clehane, author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style. Instead, Diana found herself in Paris with lover Dodi Fayed—a decision that proved to be fatal.

On July 1, 2021, Diana, Princess of Wales would have celebrated her 60th birthday. What if she had spent her 36th summer in Southampton? We can only speculate. If she had lived, how would she view Charles’s marriage to Camilla? What would her relationship with Meghan Markle be like? Would she have been able to prevent Harry’s split with the rest of the royal family?

The world will never know.

Similarly, questions continue to surround the details of her death itself. In 2019, I conducted a new investigation into her death for my book Diana: Case Solved. Along with a team comprising a former detective, journalists, crash scene investigators, forensic experts, and automotive engineers, we pored over every tiny scrap of evidence in a bid to find out what really happened that fateful night.

We retraced all of Diana’s movements while in Paris, conducted extensive on-the-scene investigations at the Pont de l’Alma, spoke to scores of people close to the princess and her team, and interrogated eyewitnesses to the accident and its aftermath.

We investigated the myriad conspiracy theories: that a chasing paparazzi pack had caused the car to lose control, that she was eliminated by shady international arms dealers, that MI6 killed her after learning she was pregnant with Dodi Fayed’s child, and even that Charles had ordered the hit. Ultimately, the evidence led us to one inescapable conclusion.

Diana was not killed by international arms dealers, or the secret service, or, in fact, by anyone deliberately. Her death was not the direct fault of the paparazzi either. It was rather the end result of a tragic sequence of events nobody could have foreseen—or perhaps even prevented.

My team and I not only proved this; we found the evidence that confirms it. However, we also found evidence of another scandal: how a crucial figure in Diana’s death was actually ordered by French police to keep quiet.

If it was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, how did all the myriad Diana conspiracy theories start? And why do they continue to hold traction over 20 years later? The answer lies in two—apparently separate but crucially important—facets of the case.

The first is the sheer incompetence of the French authorities in the immediate aftermath of the crash. The area was not properly sealed off; the scene became contaminated; people were allowed to come and go almost at will, and vital evidence was lost, mislaid, or destroyed—all fuel for those looking to stoke the fires of conspiracy.

In the days and weeks that followed—perhaps in part due to a kind of panic as the attention of the world focused on the French investigators—the situation went from bad to grotesque.

Witnesses were ignored, or their statements lost or discounted. We spoke to one American couple whose important eyewitness testimony was taken via a shaky interpreter, and who then were asked to sign their statements in French—which neither of them spoke. Naturally, they refused, and their voices were not heard.

If a police force were deliberately trying to muddle, obfuscate, or cover up a crime, this looked very much like how they might go about it. Unfortunately for the conspiracy theorists,

they weren’t trying to do any of those things. The banal truth is the actions of the Parisian authorities were nothing more glamorous or sinister than basic incompetence.

The second important factor in the growth of the Diana conspiracy industry was a little more subtle and began 21 months before her death.

Diana’s bombshell 1995 interview with Martin Bashir—an interview we now know to have been obtained through deceit—blew her relationship with the royal family apart. Her revelations about Charles’s infidelity, her desperate unhappiness, and—most of all—how the royal household saw her as, in her own words, a “threat of some kind” was not only sensational television, but also it instantly and irreversibly made her the biggest news story of the decade.

The Bashir interview created a vicious cycle of paranoia and violated privacy. It fueled the world’s ravenous obsession with the princess, which in turn spurred on the paparazzi’s increasingly desperate attempts to satisfy that public lust, which in turn only increased Diana’s belief that someone was out to get her. With every new pap shot, every new headline, the team around Diana became more paranoid. That paranoia only pushed the voracious snappers to greater lengths in their attempts to get a scoop.

It was all to come to a head in Paris on August 31, 1997.

On the night she died, Diana fever was at its peak.

In the weeks preceding her stay in Paris with boyfriend Dodi Fayed, the press pack had followed her every move, and photographs of the princess were at a premium: Get the right shot, at the right time, and you could be looking at a payday worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The public were desperate for Diana news—and the paparazzi were making a killing giving it to them.

When her Mercedes left the Paris Ritz that night, the shutterbugs were always going to follow—and so they did. But it was not the chasing mopeds that caused the crash. As later inquests revealed, the car’s driver, Henri Paul, was seriously over the drunk-driving limit, with blood tests showing he had a level of 175 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, compared with the legal limit of 50 milligrams. We confirmed this with witnesses who had seen Paul drinking heavily throughout the night.

Drunk, paranoid, and perhaps keen to impress the most famous woman in the world, Henri Paul floored the accelerator to escape the paparazzi. By the time he reached the tunnel, Paul was speeding so fast that it took the leading photographers on slow-powered motorcycles or mopeds several minutes to catch up to the site of the crash.

Something other than the press pack had played a part in Diana’s death—and the clues lay at the scene of the accident.

Our investigations at the Pont de l’Alma centered on the old detectives’ mantra: “Every contact leaves a trace.” In this instance, it was at several points between the tunnel entrance and the Mercedes’ final resting spot that we found the all-important clues—still visible today—that would crack the case wide open.

Skid marks where the road dips and veers sharply at the tunnel approach and scrapes and rubber residue on the retaining wall at the entrance had both been missed by the official investigators—an inexcusable error on their part that could have seen the whole investigation wrapped up within days.

We measured all the markings carefully, took detailed photographs, as well as samples from the residue, and brought all our findings to forensic, automotive, and crash scene experts for analysis. Their inescapable conclusion? Diana’s Mercedes, hurtling along at anything up to 96 mph and driven by a man who had consumed the equivalent of a full bottle of wine before getting behind the wheel, had clipped another car coming down the slip road to the tunnel at precisely the point the road veered and dipped.

‘IF DIANA HAD ONLY BEEN GRANTED PERMISSION TO SPEND HER VACATION ELSEWHERE LIKE SHE PLANNED, SHE WOULD, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, BE ALIVE TODAY.’

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The impact had sent the car airborne, careering into the retaining wall before smashing into pillar 13 and killing Diana, Dodi, and Paul.

It was nothing more sinister, or more tragically banal, than that. A car traveling too fast, driven by a drunk, receiving a fatal nudge at exactly the wrong moment.

As to who was driving that mysterious second car—and what happened to them? That was another investigation entirely, and one that would see us interview more witnesses the original detectives had overlooked, uncovering a hurried respray job conducted in the middle of the night—and ending with a confrontation with a man called Le Van Thanh in a quiet Parisian suburb.

What he revealed is perhaps the most extraordinary twist in the whole tragic tale.

An hour outside Paris, I found Le Van Thanh at his home, where his name is on open display at the gate, putting to rest the assumption by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens that the driver would be impossible to find.

The Met was not the only police force that had dismissed Le Van Thanh.

When the initial investigation had investigated reports of a white Fiat Uno seen leaving the tunnel immediately after the crash, the 32-year-old security guard’s name had come up as one of the 4,600 registered owners of such a car in Paris. The most cursory of inquiries into Le Van Thanh was concluded, however, after his Uno was found to be red, not white.

It later turned out that his car had been resprayed, hurriedly (and badly) by his brother, in the hours after Diana’s death.

Le Van Thanh was obviously a major person of interest in the case, but for 22 years he refused to comment. Strangest of all, none of the official investigations seemed to be particularly bothered about this.

I was bothered. My investigation had proved conclusively that the Mercedes had clipped another car at the entrance to the tunnel. After speaking to more eyewitnesses who not only confirmed the presence of a white Fiat Uno at the scene but positively identified the driver, I was certain Le Van Thanh was our man.

I wanted to find him. I wanted to know why he hadn’t come forward to prove his innocence, and to prove there was nothing he could have done to prevent the Mercedes clipping his car.

Was there a reason for his reticence, other than not wanting to be known to history? He

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was not drunk, not speeding; he was just driving home. Diana’s car, of course, was in the hands of professionals who had made all the errors.

Finally, along with a retired homicide detective, Colin McLaren, we met, in the driveway of Le Van Thanh’s house, shuttered off from the road by huge remote control-operated steel gates.

If Le Van Thanh was concerned by our presence, he didn’t show it. Friendly, constantly smiling, he told us through our interpreter that he had already spoken to the French police and that they told him, “There’s nothing to worry about.” He added that they also knew about his hurried respray job, saying: “The police report, they know why I repainted it. That’s why I let them think what they want.”

As we tried to press him on the details of his movements that night, he became less friendly.

It was only after we mentioned the British police that he dropped the bombshell that tied in every aspect of the case.

“You know what the French police told me?” he said. “Don’t go there [to testify in Operation Paget]. He said, ‘Not the same law as in France, don’t go there… don’t go there [to England]. It’s the police, which means they don’t agree with each other.’”

It was this comment that floored me. The man whose car had clipped Diana’s speeding Mercedes, leading (albeit accidentally) to the fatal crash, had been explicitly instructed by the French police to not assist the British in their probe into the accident. The French police telling a crucial witness to not assist a lawfully constructed investigation? I was gobsmacked.

With that, Le Van Thanh turned his back and walked away—never to be heard from since.

Diana’s death was undoubtedly a tragedy, but my investigation has proved it was also an accident. A terrible and freakish combination of factors had come together: her increasing paranoia, the rabid appetite for photographs of her and Dodi, Henri Paul’s drunkenness, and Le Van Thanh’s presence on the slip road to the Pont de l’Alma at precisely the wrong time—to cause her death. There was no conspiracy.

Except perhaps one: The real conspiracy in this tragic tale is the conspiracy of silence.

The French authorities have serious questions to answer—about their incompetence, and about their attempts to silence witnesses who might expose the level of that incompetence.

With what we now know, a new inquest should be opened. In the meantime, the world will be left to wonder if it all could have been avoided with one Southampton summer.

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SUMMER 2021

THE REAL-LIFE RAY DONOVAN Meet the crisis management expert who makes VIPs’ problems disappear.

BY DOMINIC UTTON ILLUSTRATION BY PETER OUMANSKI

F

irst things first: Mitch Schuster is not the kind of guy who normally sits down for an interview about his job.

“I’d love to be able to tell you all the gory details. But, you know, that would kind of defeat the whole purpose of what I do,” he starts off. “The way I try to explain it is this: I help manage problems for the kind of people who value their privacy.”

Some of Schuster’s clients are blameless; others are reaping the consequences of bad decisions. Either way, the negative publicity generated by their actions could be damning to not only those who hire him, but also their families, their employees, or their brand.

The key is to deal with these sorts of situations quickly, quietly, and professionally. That’s why his Rolodex of athletes, actors, business leaders, and other A-listers know what to do when they find their name in the headlines: Better call Mitch.

Much like TV’s Ray Donovan, he says, “I get calls from clients at all hours of the day. That call may come from a player, an agency, or the principal of a hedge fund.” (Unlike Ray, however, his methods don’t involve breaking faces and blackmail.)

Far from a TV fantasy, crisis management has never been more in demand. The 24/7 digital news cycle makes it incredibly easy for incriminating information to spread rapidly. Meanwhile, social media means there are more opportunities to exploit an individual who has fame and fortune.

“The days of athletes and Hollywood celebrities being the only targets are gone,” Schuster says. “Hedge fund principals, CEOs, officers of publicly traded companies, and, really, anyone who has accumulated wealth or status and has something to lose—they are all now in the crosshairs.”

To those VIPs, Schuster’s main job responsibility is minimizing public attention. “My motivation, before anything else, is always to do what is best for the client. Period,” he says. “My ego is never a factor in how a situation is managed.

There are cases I could have publicized but I chose not to.

I’ve had people approach me about doing a TV show, but I have always refused for fear of exposing my clients.”

That insistence on maintaining discretion was evident as he talked about his job in our phone interview. No names

were mentioned, and all examples of his successes remained couched in hypothetical terms. Even as he talked, his phone buzzed: A client he only identifies as “a professional athlete” was arrested; the rest of Schuster’s day will be spent ensuring the public does not find out who or why.

“Some things, of course, do become public, but I would say at least 95 percent of what I do has been quietly resolved and kept under the radar,” he says. “And that makes me very happy.” He quickly points out he does not work alone and steers compliments toward his colleagues. “I consider my

‘I GET CALLS FROM CLIENTS AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY. THAT CALL MAY COME FROM A PLAYER, AN AGENCY, OR THE PRINCIPAL OF A HEDGE FUND.’ team second to none when it comes to connections,” he insists. “And the importance of that just cannot be overstated.”

A native of Dix Hills, Long Island, Schuster focused more on baseball than schoolwork growing up and the discipline he learned on the diamond still serves him well today. “I’m competitive,” Schuster says. “Baseball brought that out in me. I still hate to lose.”

In 2000, he joined New York City law firm Meister Seelig & Fein LLP and quickly became their crisis management specialist—not that anyone really saw it coming.

“This is certainly not a role you would find in most traditional law firms,” he says. “It just happened very organically.

“Shortly after I joined the firm, there was a young client

who wanted to pursue a claim after a very negative, very ugly, and very personal article was written about her,” he explains. “Our managing partner felt that a little of my, let’s call it, ‘New York attitude’ might work in helping to resolve the case. Fortunately, I was able to help and persuaded the magazine to retract the article and issue an apology.”

That win helped kick off Schuster’s career. The client “then introduced me to someone else in the entertainment industry, who was about to go through a very negative public situation of his own,” he continues. “We helped him through it, and then he connected me to someone he knew who was being blackmailed. Again, we were able to resolve that issue so that nobody ever heard about it.”

Schuster concedes that his blue-collar, New York upbringing armed him with the tools needed for the job; given the types of people he often deals with, “street smarts” can be advantageous. “Sometimes those on the other side are driven by money and opportunity and sometimes they are being driven by their emotions,” he explains. “When you are in my position you must be prepared for all contingencies if you want to achieve an amicable resolution.” At the end, all that matters, he admits, is “doing what is best for your client.”

Of course, that comes with risks. As Schuster says, “One time, I received a call late one night, from a guy well known for his violent history. The message was that he was coming to get me. That was certainly not the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.”

“Another time, I had to meet in person with a blackmailer,” he says. “Now, he was a pretty big guy, trained in martial arts, and clearly high on drugs. But, sometimes, you just have to put on a brave face and chest up. It didn’t hurt to know that I had two former law enforcement professionals sitting in a parked car outside the meeting location just in case things went sideways. In the end, it just comes with the job.”

While some attorneys keep track of their wins and losses, Schuster measures success by a different standard. “Winning may not necessarily mean whether money is paid or not,” he explains. “Winning means resolving the matter, so the client does not face adverse consequences, personally or professionally. How you get there can vary. But it’s not my job to judge my clients; it’s my job to help them.”

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34

VOLUME FOUR

What’s In My Beach Bag? SANDRINE CHARLES

For Sandrine Charles, summer is about getting out of town for true relaxation—far out of town. “My favorite summer vacation spot is anywhere in the Caribbean,” shares Charles, founder of Sandrine Charles Consulting and co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council.

Here, the essentials that Charles takes along for the perfect day on the sand.

GRAZIA USA

1 Burberry tote, $1,150, net-a-porter.com.

2 CELINE by Hedi Slimane sunglasses, $400, celine.com.

3 Water bottle, $15.99, amazon.com.

4 Burberry bikini set, $440, Saks Fifth Avenue New York.

5 Portable charger, $39, amazon.com.

6 Dr. Barbara Sturm Sun Drops SPF 50, $145, drsturm.com.

7 Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil, $20, amicole.com.

8 Ami Colé Light-Catching highlighter, $22, amicole.com.

9 Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Tint, $32, amicole.com.

35

SUMMER 2021

WEAR THIS NOW: A Kicky Summer Slingback

The Fendi Colibrì Black Raffia shoe is a warm-weather wardrobe essential.

DYLAN HOWARD CHAIRMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & PUBLISHER MELISSA CRONIN President, Chief Operations Officer

We can’t talk about post-pandemic fashion without a rave for Fendi’s signature Colibrì slingbacks—and particularly the label’s new launches. The design has gone through several iterations throughout the years, but our favorite for the 2021 summer season is the two-toned Black Raffia design, a perfect mix of beachy ease and big-city polish.

You’ve surely seen the Colibrì silhouette

before—easily recognized by its sharp pointed toe, elastic foot-hugging fabric, padded cushion on the back of the strap, and uniquely curved heel. The Italian fashion house initially introduced the sporty yet feminine silhouette on the Spring/ Summer 2018 runway, and it instantly became a staple wardrobe item among industry insiders, celebrities, and fashion

aficionados alike.

Just think: How incredible will these heels look paired with cutoffs and a raffia beach bag to match? Or a crisp white shirtdress that makes your shoes impossible to miss? The truth is, no matter how you style them, these two-toned slingbacks will draw the eyes of everyone at the party—for summers to come.

BRENDAN MONAGHAN Executive Vice President, Global Chief Brands Officer TANYA AMINI Vice President, General Manager SARA SHENASKY Executive Director of Global Events & Marketing JENNIFER YOUSEM Chief Financial Officer JILLIAN MAXWELL Head of Revenue (USA) BETSY JONES Head of Integrated Marketing & New Business Development AIMEE MARETT Vice President Sales, Consumer Brand Partnerships PAUL DOUSSET Chief Innovations Officer Executive Vice President of Business Development BRIAN CAMPION Executive Creative Director ILARIA SVITIC Creative Director, Editorial & Integrated Marketing CAROLINE DADDARIO Director Integrated Marketing & Brand Programming GABBY ZURROW Sales & Business Development Manager CASEY BRENNAN Executive Editor at Large DEBORAH DRAGON Director of Publishing Operations DOMINIC UTTON Chief Writer, Development Officer MELISSA MELENDEZ REALE Chief of Staff HEADQUARTERS • 100 Broadway, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10005 • PHONE (917) 231-8680 • EDITORIAL contact@graziausa.com • ADVERTISING sales@graziausa.com • MEDIA press@graziausa.com

GRAZIA Grazia is a trademark registered and owned by Mondadori Media S.p.a.

MONDADORI MEDIA S.p.a.

Chief Executive Officer Carlo Mandelli; Managing Director International Business Daniela Sola; Head of International Platforms Marne Schwartz; International Marketing Manager Fashion & Design Francesca Brambilla; International Advertising Manager Daniella Angheben; Photos & Rights Manager Melania Landini For further details, please write to graziainternational@mondadori.com © 2021 Mondadori Media S.p.a. All rights reserved. Published by Pantheon Media Group LLC with the permission of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.a. and Mondadori Media S.p.a.

Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited

Fendi slingbacks, $630, saksfifthavenue.com.

GRAZIA USA