WINTER 2014
Out of this world . . .
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WINTER 2014
COLUMNS
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On Our Radar
Outlook
Predictions
Trade Winds
Samantha Ettus wants you to find work-life happiness
24
BY ALEXANDRA FAIRWEATHER
CAVU
76
BY MABLE YIU
34
Antoine Wagner is rocking the photography and film worlds
BY PAIGE WRIGHT
Learn the secrets of a renowned Guild Hall curator
60
Fundrise has a modest goal—to change the way everyone invests in real estate
BY ALEXANDRA FAIRWEATHER
BY ALEXANDRA FAIRWEATHER & LISA GRAHAM
Publishers Alexandra Fairweather Eric Goodman
52
Designers Douglas+Voss Editor Evan Hughes
38
Morningsiders are a hot new folk band that’s straight out of Columbia TKTKTKT KTKTKTKTKTKTK
BY ERIC GOODMAN
46
Jet Stream
80
56
Cellist Nathan Chan has the world on a string—and you’ll love what his next project promises to deliver
Rainer Judd shares how the magic of Marfa, TX, has shaped her life
Climate Change
A Fairweather Moment with . . .
BY ALEXANDRA FAIRWEATHER
68
William Chang is a modernday renaissance man, and his two restaurants and line of shoes are just the beginning
BY MABLE YIU
At Casa Lever there are famous faces at the tables and Warhols on the walls
BY ERIC GOODMAN
72
Ivy Untapped Ready to create the Brand of You? Delisha Grant shares her top tips for identifying your core strengths and passions and leveraging them into a bright future BY EVAN HUGHES
The Art of Living The Upper East Side apartment of Yesim Philip, founder of L’Etoile Sport, is even more beautiful than her chic design eye has led us to expect
WINTER 2014
Out of this world . . .
BY ALEXANDRA FAIRWEATHER & LISA GRAHAM
62
Topping Rose House is truly a fourseason escape in the Hamptons BY EVAN HUGHES
Cover, back cover, p. 1, pp. 22–23: Photography by Rick Day; Stylist: Mario Wilson; Hair and Makeup: Aeriel Payne. Additonal art: Cover background: Shutterstock (elements from NASA); pp. 22–23 background: Dreamstime; back cover background: 123RF. Digital illustrations by Ken Bae.
For advertising and sponsorship opportunities, or for customer service, please contact Fairweather at 646.582.6927 or info@ fairweathermagazine.com. Fairweather magazine, Winter 2014, copyright © 2014, Fairweather Magazine LLC. All Rights Reserved. See the magazine online at www.fairweathermag.com. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
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PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY: RICK DAY; STYLIST: MARIO WILSON; HAIR AND MAKEUP: AERIEL PAYNE. ASTRONAUT: GETTY IMAGES. DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION: KEN BAE
hree, two, one… we have liftoff! Our latest adventures have answered Frank Sinatra’s request: We’ve now finally flown to the moon. Along our intergalactic voyage, we caught up with Columbia astronomy professor Arlin Crotts on his findings about the moon. And we learned the easy way to pursue luxury space travel from Sir Richard Branson and his ambitious Virgin Galactic program. While playing among the stars, we also discovered—and confirmed—the long-rumored Moon Museum. Catching a shooting star, we next managed a lightspeed lift back to earth in time for our meeting with Rainer Judd, who shared her views on the permanent art installations in Marfa, Texas. Speaking of heat, our next stop along route Fairweather brought us back to New York City, where we caught up with environmental activist Laura Turner Seydel. After a busy week of travel, we decided to unwind in the Hamptons with celebrity lifestylist Samantha Ettus. And of course there’s no place we’d rather spend a night than Bridgehampton’s lovely Topping Rose House. As we head back to the station, it’s time to hit the ignition switch once again as we blast off for another amazing adventure!
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OUTLOOK Fashion Faves
Museum on the Moon? One of the rarest and most storied artifacts of the space age is finally getting its due: The “Moon Museum” was the brainchild of Forrest “Frosty” Myers. The idea? Put mini works of contemporary art on a tiny ceramic tile and stow them on Apollo 12, which landed on the moon in November 1969. When Myers got the “runaround” from NASA, rumor has it that he convinced an engineer on the Apollo project to attach the chip to the lunar module. There are reportedly fewer than 20 of the chips in existence, and, without visiting the moon to check, no one can actually confirm that the Moon Museum survived the journey—but we sure love the idea that black-and-white images by Robert Rauschenberg, David Novros, John Chamberlain, Claes Oldenburg, and Andy Warhol are smiling down on us at night! —Evan Hughes 4 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Country Comforts English country homes have a simple style and grace that is renowned the world over. Fleur Rossdale, co-author of Classic Meets Contemporary: Twelve Top Designers Create Interiors for Today, and lecturer at Inchbald School of Design, curated the first-ever British Interior Design show in Regents Park in 1982 and is the ideal person to acquire the artworks and furnishings that can bring out a family’s history—or just speak to their passion for classic English design! To learn more, visit fleurrossdale.com. —Lupe Castro
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SHANA SHNUR; GIULIA ROSATELLI; CHARLES DAVIS; FORREST MYERS
#SS15 had more than a hint of the 70’s about it! BCBG Max Azria’s runway show in New York featured long bell sleeves and extremely lowcut dresses tied up in Obi belts and layered with structured and wrap fronted jackets. And although Herve Leger (far left) was inspired by female warriors, there was a disco air to it. My new discovery, Malan Breton, highlighted the unisex pant suit gloriously, tailored and sharp in bright-colored silks and damasks. London went two ways: the ethnic peasant as seen in Borak Aksu’s feminine mix of lace, applique, and cutouts and Eudon Choi’s floral prairie-inspired looks. Christopher Raeburn’s Ascent collection of sun-bleached floral-printed bombers and hooded jackets whispered “active wear.” Milan went the whole hog, from Moschino doing glamour with pink cowboy boots and gold maxi ball gowns to Pinko Uniqueness (near left) and Etro doing their own takes on hippy chic peppered with Navajo. At the final shows in Paris, Saint Laurent showcased their version of the infamous hot pants while Chanel presented palazzo pantsuits and baggy trousers. —Lupe Castro
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OUTLOOK FORECAST: Winter Wonderlands Winter is setting in, which means it’s time for art exhibitions in Miami, Glüehwein in Aspen, skiing in St. Moritz and, of course, sunbathing in St. Barths.
✹If you have energy following the NYC November Art Auctions, head on over to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (November 21–23) held in the incredible surroundings of Yas Island. Designed by renowned Grand Prix architect, Hermann Tilke, the Yas Marina Circuit has become one of the world’s leading Formula 1 events. ✹In December, visit Miami for Art Basel Miami Beach (December 4–7), Art Miami (December 2–7) and Scope (December 2-7). ✹Following the Miami heat, head to the Hamptons Take 2 Film Festival (December 4–7). We didn’t think New York City Ballet or Art Basel—two cultural hightlights of any year—could get any more elegant. We were wrong. Add Ruinart Champagne to the mix and you’re talking about good taste squared. This fall, Ruinart installed a new Champagne Bar at the David H. Koch Theatre, where NYC Ballet performs, and Ruinart’s Blanc de Blancs was served at the ballet’s fall gala. And if that weren’t enough, Ruinart has also announced a creative collaboration with visual artist Georgia Russell: limited-edition ornaments inspired by Maison Ruinart and the centuries-old carvings on its cellar walls, on display at Art Basel in Miami in December. —Paige Wright
Bloody Good We enjoy a good bloody mary, but always figured the classic, a staple of brunches and coast-tocoast flights, had been around forever. Turns out the cocktail, originally called the Red Snapper, was invented right at New York City’s St. Regis Hotel in 1934 by bartender Fernand Petiot in the hotel’s iconic King Cole Bar (a work of art unto itself, with its lovely restored murals). To celebrate 80 years of tomatoey goodness, the St. Regis is bottling the original Red Snapper recipe for the first time, making it available in limited supplies starting this fall. The hotel’s senior bartender, Michael Regan, enthuses, “I am thrilled to be a part of the celebrations! The fact that the Red Snapper was perfected in the King Cole Bar in this New York landmark is really special.” —Evan Hughes
✹Next, it’s time for films at Sundance (January 22–February 1). ✹Even though the holidays will be over, it is still the season of collecting. Next, back to NYC for the Winter Antiques Show at the Park Armory (January 23–February 1), where there will be exceptional objects from antiquity through the mid-20th century on view. ✹If you prefer to collect wine over art and antiques, make sure to attend the Palm Beach Wine Auction (January 29), which is considered one of the top wine events in the world. Proceeds from the evening benefit educational programs at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. ✹It’s always great to sneak over to Aspen to experience some amazing winter wonderland activities. But let’s not forget to take our skiis overseas to St. Moritz, Switzerland this winter. ✹In February, Palm Beach’s season will be in full swing as will be the 58th International Red Cross Ball (February 28), which welcomes ambassadors, dignitaries and philanthropic leaders from around the world. ✹But, just like the birds return up north, so shall we as the weather gets a little warmer. Just in time for The Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden (February 28–April 19, 2015). FORECAST invites you to share your events with Fairweather magazine at: www.fairweathermag.com.
6 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF RUINART; COURTESY OF ST. REGIS, NEW YORK
A Toast to Good Taste
STUNNING MODERN OCEANFRONT IN SAGAPONACK Exclusive. Exquisite, chic and sophisticated modern home with expansive ocean and farm vistas. Four en suite bedrooms and a rare oceanfront heated, gunite pool. A private staircase leads to a beautiful Sagaponack beach. Multiple outdoor seating and dining areas all have breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. $18,995,000. WEB# 46900. Mary Ann Cinelli ■ direct: 631.537.4347 ■ mcinelli@bhshamptons.com
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Co-Exclusive. New 7,000± sf home with mesmerizing ocean views (Atlantic Beach is only 1,700± feet away). 6 bedrooms, 8 full and 2 half baths, sunken library, media room, elevator. The radiant heated rear patio overlooks a heated gunite pool. The pool house features a kitchenette, outdoor shower, changing room, outdoor fireplace. $8,950,000. WEB# 48121. Martha P. Gundersen ■ direct: 631.903.6131 ■ mgundersen@bhshamptons.com
Exclusive. New modern masterpiece to be built overlooking Shinnecock Bay. With floor to ceiling windows throughout, this sleek 3,500± sf residence will offer a luxe kitchen, light filled living spaces, wine cellar, 4 bedrooms, 6.5 baths. Heated gunite pool, spa, 645± sf recreation studio with full bath, outdoor kitchen, screened porch. $5,995,000. WEB# 47139. John P. Vitello ■ direct: 631.204.2407 ■ jvitello@bhshamptons.com
T H E H A M P T O N S • N O R T H F O R K • N E W Y O R K C I T Y • PA L M B E A C H All information is from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal without notice. All rights to content, photographs and graphics reserved to broker. Equal Housing Opportunity Broker. Brown Harris Stevens of the Hamptons, LLC. 2408 Main Street • P.O. Box 683 • Bridgehampton, NY 11932 • 631.537.2727
OUTLOOK Fall Feast With the cold weather arriving, we’re getting hungry for some comfort food. Of course we turned to Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge, Estancia winery ambassador, and one of our all-around fave kitchen gurus, for a recipe that only tastes difficult. Here, one of Gail’s family favorites to try at home: POTATO & PARSNIP LATKES WITH SMOKED STURGEON Paired with Estancia Monterey County Chardonnay 1 large baking potato (about 3⁄4 pound), peeled and quartered lengthwise 2 medium shallots, peeled, trimmed and halved lengthwise 1 pound parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and halved or quartered, if large 1 ⁄4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 11⁄2 teaspoons salt 1 ⁄4 teaspoon baking powder Canola oil, for frying 1 ⁄2 pound thinly sliced smoked sturgeon, cut into small pieces 1 ⁄2 cup crème fraîche Freshly ground black pepper 1 ⁄2 cup finely chopped fronds and stems from 1 small fennel bulb 1. Set a large strainer over a bowl. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred potato and shallots. Transfer to strainer; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred parsnips. Squeeze excess liquid from potato mixture. Pour off all of the liquid in bowl, then add shredded potato mixture, parsnips, flour, eggs, salt and baking powder to bowl; stir to combine well. 2. In a large skillet, heat 1⁄4 inch canola oil until shimmering. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the canola oil for each latke, pressing slightly to flatten. Fry latkes in batches over medium heat, turning once, until golden and crisp on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Drain latkes on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Serve warm topped with sturgeon, a dollop of crème fraîche, a pinch of pepper and fennel fronds. Makes 28 latkes.
It’s time to upgrade your ravioli! Chef John DeLucie of the celebrated restaurants Crown, The Lion, and Bill’s Food & Drink has created three incredible riffs on the Italian staple: sweet potato with ricotta and pecorino, slow-roasted beet with mascarpone and parmesan, and robiola with truffle puree. (Nope, these are not your Nonna’s raviolis!) Partnering with NYC’s premiere producer of fresh pasta since 1906, Raffetto’s, DeLucie was inspired by the bounty of the fall season. His ravioli dishes will be served at all three of his restaurants and the limited edition ravioli will be available at Raffetto’s on West Houston Street, with a portion of the proceeds donated to God’s Love We Deliver, NYC’s leading provider of meals and nutrition counseling to people living with severe illnesses. “To partner with such an iconic Manhattan brand and at the same time benefit an important charity is really special,” says DeLucie. —Florence Griffin
8 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF ESTANCIA WINERY; COURTESY OF JOHN DELUCIE
Ravenous for Ravioli
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objects as
close as
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ARLIN CROTTS, author of The New Moon: Water, Explore Earth’sand closest neighbor, the Moon, in this fascinatingshares and timely book, and latest Exploration, Future Habitation, his discover what we should expect from this seemingly familiar but strange, new frontier. findings about our closest astronomical neighbor What startling discoveries are being uncovered on the Moon? What will these tell us our place in the Universe? How can exploring the Moon benefit development on with about Fairweather’s ANETA JEDLICKA Earth? This book is a complete story of the human lunar experience, and it presents many littleknown yet significant and interesting events in lunar science for the first time. It will
The New Moon
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PREDICTIONS
Aneta Jedlicka: How did you initially become interested in space? Arlin Crotts: I was born a year after Sputnik won, so it was hard not to be interested in space. They called us the Sputnik babies. appeal to anyone wanting to know more about the stunning discoveries being uncovered about the Moon.
Water, Exploration, and Future Habitation ARLIN CROTTS
• Discover the role and present
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AJ: What’s the most exciting thing we’ve learned about the moon? AC: We have known there is water on the moon since 2009. Since water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, and both of those in liquid form are some of the best rocket fuel, there is basically a billion tons of rocket fuel on the moon—we could launch a space shuttle every day for about 2,000 years with that fuel. We basically have the potential for a “petrol station” out in space, and we could use that fuel to get to Mars.
The New Moon
The New Mo
The New Moon
AJ: Are you excited about the future of space Earth’s habitable closest neighbor, for the Moon, in this travel? fascinating and timely book, and AJ: Could the moonExplore become discover what we should expect from this seemingly familiar but strange, new frontier. humans? AC: The moon has always been side tracked What startling discoveries are being uncovered on the Moon? What will these tell us about the Universe? How can exploring the reasons Moon benefitthat development on really made sense. The AC: Where the water is,ourisplace theinmost important for never Earth? question. But I am not advocating that we moon is the only place in space that is not so book is a complete story of the human lunar experience, and it presents many littlesend humans to theThis moon right away. I think incredibly far away. It is 100 times closer than known yet significant and interesting events in lunar science for the first time. It will appeal to anyone to know more stunningand discoveries uncovered a lot of our questions could bewanting answered by about theMars a lotbeing of the issues that we will have to ARLIN ARLIN CROTTS, about the Moon. ARLIN CROTTS is Professor of Astronomy at robotics. The moon is only a three-second figure out to operate on the moon also apply to Columbia University and has won numerous Professor of Astronomy awards for his work. Having observed objects as round trip for radio or light communications. things that we will have to figure out to get to at Columbia University, distant as ten billion light years and as close as has won the Moon henumerous finds the problems of lunar science What we are going to need to do is start Mars. After all, it only takes three days to get awards for his work. particularly intriguing. exploring telerobotics, which are robots that to the moon and if a mistake happens you can Having observed are controlled remotely by people on earth. always come back in three days. Therefore, we objects as distant as 10 billion lightyears and Then, we will have to figure out how to make first have to figure everything out on the moon as close as the moon, robots that can do the same sort of thing, until we go further in space to avoid any major he finds the problems but more and more by themselves. As far as mistakes from occurring. of lunar science particularly intriguing. eventual human habitation, we have recently discovered that there are these caverns on the For more Q&A with Aneta, visit moon. They are huge. You could talk about fairweathermag.com. To learn more about millions of people living in this space. And ARLIN CROTTS’ discoveries, order The New 45 percent of the soil is oxygen, so it not like Moon: Water, Exploration, and Future generating oxygen would be too hard. Habitation on amazon.com. Cover image: Jacket design by Alice Soloway
10 | WINTER 2014 | of FAIRWEATHER Printed in the United States America
Water, Exploration, and Future Habitation CROTTS
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TRADE WINDS
New Heights A trip on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo may be the ultimate adventure—and it’s a dream that is about to become a reality, reports Fairweather magazine’s publisher ERIC GOODMAN
I must tell you, just clicking on Virgin Galactic’s “Book Your Place in Space” link is a thrill. Imagine what the actual flight will be like! Be a Pioneer These days, real pioneering experiences are hard to come by. Whereas our ancestors braved incredible challenges to explore the planet and settle in destinations far from their comfort zones, our super-connected modern world sometimes feels a bit safe, no? Well, if you’ve got $250,000 to invest in a unique experience, Virgin Galactic is probably the ultimate in guess-what-I-didthis-weekend adventures.
Join an Exclusive Club
12 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Ride in Style Astronauts will ride in SpaceShipTwo, a 60-foot-long carbon-composite vehicle that will carry six passengers and two pilots. Its cabin size is similar to that of a Falcon 900 executive jet, but with ample room for astronauts to float in zero gravity, and two large windows per passenger—one on the side, one overhead—to savor the ultimate view. SpaceShipTwo will be carried by WhiteKnightTwo, another carbon-composite vehicle, which has a unique design resembling a double airplane. Innovative design will make reentry into earth’s atmosphere smoother and safer than has ever been possible in previous spaceflights. To learn more about passenger opportunities and research opportunities aboard SpaceShipTwo, visit virgingalactic.com.
WhiteKnightTwo will carry SpaceShipTwo, a 60-foot-long carboncomposite vehicle, into space.
MARK GREENBERG
More than 500 people have made space reservations to date, and a reservation not only gets future astronauts a spot on a Virgin Galactic space flight but also a visit to Spaceport America in New Mexico to witness test flights of the space ship and carrier craft. (And the lodgings for future astronauts in southern New Mexico are top shelf—turn to page 16 to read “Space Hotel.”) In addition, astronauts have trained on a centrifuge facility in Philadelphia and taken part in zero-gravity parabolic flights across the U.S. They have also been hosted by Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson at his private Necker Island in the Caribbean, game reserve in South Africa, chalet in the Swiss Alps, estate in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the Ice Hotel in the Arctic, and Spaceport Sweden. Future astronauts also get their own Virgin Galactic website, Space Book, a handy way to keep track of perks and pre-flight activities.
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Meet the Afronauts EVAN HUGHES on a documentary photographer who blurs the lines between truth and fancy to create a surreal, imaginative retelling of a stranger-than-fiction African space program.
Fifty years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a well-publicized “space race” that included satellites, manned space flights, and, of course, NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, which culminated in the moon landing in July 1969. But there was another, lesser-known contender in the space race: the newly independent African nation of Zambia. funding from UNESCO never materialized, the little space program that could sputtered. Today, the whole enterprise is shrouded in myth and mystery.
Fictional Documentation
Above: Jambo, digital C-print, 12 x 12 inches. Left: Umfundi, digital C-print, 12 x 12 inches. Right: Butungakuna, digital C-print, 12 x 12 inches.
For an artist fascinated by strange-but-true stories, the Zambian space program was an inspiration. Christina De Middel, a Spanish photographer with a decade of news photography behind her, created a fictional documentation of that long-ago Zambian space program, featuring dreamy, unexpectedly haunting images of the “Afronauts.” De Middel’s series and self-published book of the same name have been celebrated and short-listed in the art world, including the ICP Infinity Prize in 2013, and shown in galleries and museums all over the world.
Reaching for the Stars In 1964, a Zambian grade-school science teacher declared that he was establishing a space academy with the goal of sending a young woman, two cats, and a missionary to Mars. When an application for $7 million in 14 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
De Middel’s series is intentionally mysterious, blending the fanciful with the factual. Elephants and cats appear, as do oil drums. (Reportedly, the Zambian space program prepared its prospective astronauts for the rigors of zero-gravity by placing them in oil drums and rolling them down a steep hill.)
CHRISTINE DE MIDDEL (3)
A Haunting Photo Series
Her experience as a documentary photographer for Spanish newspapers and for NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and the Spanish Red Cross allows her to play with the language of photography in a way that forces the viewer to question the veracity of what they are seeing. In this respect, Afronauts
may remind some viewers of Luis Buñuel’s surrealist documentary film Land Without Bread. But where Buñuel could be satirical, De Middel’s approach is always warm and affectionate. Though that long-ago space program never took off, the Afronauts series speaks to the very human urge to exceed our
limitations. As De Middel has noted, “You don’t have to be American and work for NASA to dream of going to the moon. Cristina De Middel is represented by Dillon Gallery. To learn more about exhibitions and publications, visit dillongallery.com. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 15
JET STREAM
Space Hotel EVAN HUGHES on how it feels to be selected
as Virgin Galactic’s preferred hotel for future Spaceport astronauts The folks at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces in southern New Mexico have been busy lately. Well, wouldn’t you be if you had been named a “space hotel” where future astronauts would reside before taking to the sky and beyond? and artisanal furniture. “The new guest room design reflects the culturally rich style of the hotel along with an adventurous and contemporary attitude,” Long has noted. “The design will be timeless and luxurious.” Renovations in anticipation of Spaceport America are not limited to the hotel’s interior. Hotel Encanto’s already-impressive exterior is experiencing upgrades as well, such as additional poolside terrace rooms and outdoor spaces thanks to Greg Trutza, an award-winning landscape artchitect. Guests will have access to more than 2,500 square feet of gardens, patios, terraces, balconis, fire pits, and fountains.
Fine dining, including customized roomservice options for future astronauts, is a hallmark of the hotel’s hospitality.
The Spanish-style gardens and pool at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces help to create a luxurious, dreamlike setting for future astronauts in Virgin Galactic’s program.
Facelift Before Liftoff A series of renovations and improvements— including private VIP areas, customized room-service menus and concierge services, and upgraded rooms and suites—are in progress as Hotel Encanto prepares for Spaceport America astronauts, part of Virgin Galactic’s ambitious plan to take passengers into space. To date, Virgin Galactic has more than 500 reservations by future astronauts, totaling more than $70 million in deposits. (To learn more about the exciting Virgin Galactic program, turn to “New Heights,” page 12.) Rooms and suites are being remodeled by designer Adriana Long with marble bathrooms, custom-built cabinetry,
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“Future astronauts will come from around the world to New Mexico, so it’s important that they experience the outstanding local offerings and character as part of their experience,” says Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “By partnering with Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, we further our vision of investing in the local New Mexico community while we define the Virgin Galactic Astronaut experience.” Heritage Hotels & Resorts is a collection of culturally distinct hotels and the largest independent hotel chain in New Mexico. To learn more about Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces and other Heritage Hotels & Resorts, visit hhandr.com.
COURTESY OF HOTEL ENCANTO DE LAS CRUCES (2)
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A Fairweather Moment with . . .
Laura Turner Seydel By Alexandra Fairweather
I
met international environmental advocate, eco-living expert, and chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation Laura Turner Seydel for breakfast at the Park Lane Hotel in New York City. She shared the importance of creating a healthy and sustainable future and how we all need to unite as “Planeteers� to protect our planet.
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Above, from left: Rhett Turner, Laura Turner Seydel, Jennie Garlington, Ted Turner, Teddy Turner lV, Beau Turner. Left: Laura Turner Seydel. Opposite: Ted Turner, Laura Turner Seydel, President Jimmy Carter at American Renewable Energy Institute.
A Commitment to Activism “It has been a lifelong progress,” says Turner Seydel on how she became an environmental advocate. “Have you ever read Last Child in the Woods?” She explains how Richard Louv’s book showcases how the nature-deficit in children is leading to rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. “Children grow up devoid of nature either indoors or in front of a screen, and they are less likely to be socially adapted well,” she notes. “We grew up always outside, playing, learning experientially in nature, so we developed an affinity for it.” As a child, Turner Seydel’s father, philanthropist, media mogul and founder of CNN, Ted Turner, had her and her siblings “out on the weekends picking up bottles and trash. You did neighborhood beautification.” Turner Seydel and her husband, Rutherford Seydel, set out to do everything in their power to lighten their footprint on the planet. As they constructed a LEED-certified home, they recognized that it was not just about water conservation, but it was also about the off-gasses of materials and products that make up the pieces of one’s home. The seriousness of these byproducts culminated for Turner Seydel when she participated in a multi-generational study with the Environmental Working Group. “We became a part of the first generational study on toxic-loads. My son (then 12) and myself and my father were tested for about 80 chemicals that are pretty persistent in our everyday lives and we all had chemicals of concern. My dad had high levels of heavy metals like lead and mercury. I had high levels of artificial musk, which is fragrance/added fragrance and my son had high levels of flame retardants.”
OPPOSITE: JAMES BLUE. THIS PAGE: BRIAN CLOPP
An Advocate for Information “It was very eye opening for me. I’m such a huge advocate of sharing information with the chief consumption officers of the home: Moms make 90 percent of the consumption choices, and they do the shopping. They don’t really know what’s in the products, because by law, some of the trade ingredients don’t even have to be labeled. So lead in lipstick, formaldehyde in baby products; it’s really difficult to know. But you can go to Environmental Working Group and punch in any product that you have and it will tell you if it’s a safer product or not.” “The good news is that companies are voluntarily re-formulating their products, because moms have stopped buying them,” Turner Seydel notes. “We need to vote with our checkbooks or credit cards.”
Be a Planeteer! Turner Seydel reflects on Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the American animated environmentalist television program co-created
by her father, Ted Turner, in the 1990s. Recognizing how children who were watching the show could take what they learned from the cartoon and apply it to the real world, the Captain Planet Foundation was founded by Ted Turner in 1991 and is now chaired by Turner Seydel. It helps to establish Learning Gardens in hundreds of schools and provides training on outdoor-classroom management, standards-based curriculum, and lesson kits, so children can learn math, science, history, language arts and health in the context of project-based learning in the garden. Turner Seydel explains, “We are in the stage of establishing curricula. Let’s say if you take tomatoes from the garden and then you cook them and make it a sauce, you are taking a liquid from a solid and that in itself is a chemistry lesson.”
Good Works In 2004 Laura Turner Seydel co-founded Mothers and Others for Clean Air when she realized that Atlanta had one of the highest asthma rates in the country. The organization set out to mitigate outdoor pollution by cleaning up diesel school buses and preventing unnecessary exposure to pollution for children, by monitoring which days were bad air pollution days. Today, they are advocates for renewable energy, electric vehicles and public transportation. Foundation work is nothing new to Turner Seydel. In 1994 she and her husband co-founded Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, when she noticed how much of Atlanta’s lost sewage was overflowing into the river. “The sewage system was a 100 years old,” explains Turner Seydel. “Even though people say they are all about clean water and healthy food, when they get to the polls, they are really voting for jobs and the economy in the short term. But water and soil and biodiversity and the plants…these should not be partisan issues.” Turner Seydel has taught her children well. “My daughter wrote a book about frogs and the plight of frogs when she was 9 years old, so she is really aware of endangered species. My son is working on an app in college to unite students with their legislators and voice their pleasure or displeasure over their votes. He is very interested in the nexus of politics and renewable energy. We have really worked to teach our kids to be responsible. Also, gardening! Kids love to plant in the garden and they love to eat the fruits and vegetables that they grow,” the proud mother notes. “It’s going to take the millennials to rise up and start voting for their beliefs and start holding the older generations accountable and stop them and say this is our inheritance and it can’t be exploited and ruined for profit,’ Turner Seydel insists. “We have to figure out sustainability, and we are getting there—and a lot of corporations are leading the way, and that’s very heartening.” FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 21
A day at the museum . . .
Above: Maurizio Cattelan. 3 editions + 2 AP of Untitled 2007. Taxidermied horses. Variable dimension. Exhibition view: Kaputt, Fondation Beyeler, 8 June, 6 October 2013. Photo: Zeno Zotti. Courtesy, Maurizio Cattelan’s Archive.
Rainer Judd spoke with Fairweather magazine’s publisher, Alexandra Fairweather, about her new screenplay—based on her childhood growing up with her father, renowned artist Donald Judd, and mother, dancer Julie Finch. Not to mention the definition of art, the rewards of establishing the Judd Foundation, and how much fun it was recently drawing on the walls of the Ace Hotel in London.
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From left: Rainer Judd in Marfa, Texas; Judd as a child in Marfa.
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COURTESY OF JUDD FOUNDATION. OPPOSITE: VAJRA O. KINGSLEY
“IT WAS WONDERFUL TO BE IN MARFA for three-and-a-half weeks,” explains NYC native Rainer Judd about her recent trip to the city in the high desert located in West Texas approximately 200 miles southeast of El Paso. “I started going to Marfa when I was two years old,” reflects Judd. In the early 1970s, her father, artist Donald Judd, acquired property in Marfa and the ranch lands of the Presidio County as well as several buildings in town in order to exhibit permanent installations of his work and art he collected. “I do remember the view from the airplane being 26 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
so distinct—the contrast with NYC, where you see all those buildings, and it’s just people, people, people. Then you see the desert and there’s not a single house that you can see from the plane. And I remember starting to really love the contrast of me in a place with no one in it and then me with millions of people.” When asked how she would describe Marfa to someone who has never visited before, she explains, “It’s like an island that is not surrounded by water, it is surrounded by high desert. It changes your sense of time; it differently shifts you in terms of your sense of scale
with the natural world and the night sky. It has this incredible ability to empower you and humble you at the same time. There’s somebody to talk to if you really need someone to talk to, and you will meet people that you are meant to meet, because it’s magical in that way, just like how NYC has synchronicity. But it’s also a character test of sorts: If you like being with yourself then you really like it there, since there’s time to reflect.”
FIRM FOUNDATION Donald Judd’s living and working spaces, including his residence, art studio, architecture studio, library, archives, and range office, reflect the magical influence of Marfa that his daughter prizes. The spaces are managed by the Judd Foundation, which Rainer and her brother, Flavin, serve on the board of in order to restore, preserve and promote the legacy of their father. Rainer Judd reflects on the challenges and rewards of establishing the foundation: “The challenges in the beginning years were of a financial-strategy kind, and I feel for every artist foundation that has to deal with that particular challenge. Now that we’ve moved past that initial phase, I get to enjoy the rewards, and one of them has been working with my brother and our board members and staff. A few things
From top: Architecture Studio/ The Bank, Marfa, TX. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo credit: Jasper Sharp. La Mansana de Chinati/ The Block, Southwest Studio, Marfa, TX. Room, Marfa, TX. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Donald Judd, Marfa, TX. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Opposite: La Mansana de Chinati/ The Block, Southwest Studio, Marfa, TX. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 27
have evolved—one is my own relationship with leading and leadership and how I engage with the foundation and my brother. I think children of artists and heirs take on that kind of responsibility because they feel that it’s their duty, without questioning how they can be happy in it. But when we do things that make us happy—as this foundation makes me—we excite other people.”
PUBLIC SPACE Last year, the Judd Foundation, after a major renovation project at Judd’s studio and home in NYC at 101 Spring Street, opened the space to the public. And while Rainer Judd still views the building as her home, she has found it to be wonderful to open the space to a wider audience. In particular, she has enjoyed seeing students visit the space. She laughs, reflecting on how the children probably think her former 28 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
home looks so bizarre, wondering “’what is this? And why does this exist and what was this guy thinking?’” Rainer Judd is very excited that opening the space to the public will probably not only raise “some good questions in people’s minds” but also hopefully inspire people to go visit Texas. Since 2006, the Judd Foundation has also developed The Oral History Project. The project has interviewed 100 individuals from the creative communities of which Donald Judd was a part in Soho, New York, and Marfa, Texas. Rainer Judd found it particularly interesting how everyone who did an interview seemed to have something they wanted to say. “They understood that it is a moment to tell a story or go on record and really reveal a story what it is that they think is important in the world and life and living in art and their experiences with Judd and the community of Soho,” she says.
PAST PERFECT Rainer has also been reflecting on her own past as she completes a fictional screenplay based on the events in her life. “It is based on events in my childhood and the amazing people that were a part of raising me; it’s told through the eyes of a seven-year-old girl named Luna,” she explains. She considers her process of making the film as “long-form magic making,” which embodies the idea of making “something that holds your attention.” She continues, “I feel really excited, and it’s been an incredible learning process to take stories and bring something together and make something hold. It’s like making a gift to yourself and putting it into one package.” As she has crafted her screenplay, she has realized, “It’s a way to not only pay homage to those incredible people but to your own recollections. You get to have it as a time vault or even better to take the harder stuff in
life and make something poetic and beautiful out of it. I think that’s why we like artists. You take the good and the bad and you elevate it to something that is universal for everyone.” Artists have always played a unique role in society. Rainer points to a recent Willie Nelson song: “He sings that he told his mother he was dealing drugs, and she replies ‘Thank God you ain’t writing songs.’ It’s a beautiful ode to the artist.” She explains, “It’s kind of like how rascals are treated in society; either you get them and appreciate their existence for being the rebels or just distain them and judge them, but it’s such a great role to be the creatures that bring out people’s judgment; it’s what brings about people’s evolution.” Rainer explains how she was always very interested in film. She notes, “It is interesting I know a lot of other Soho kids who were really interested in film… to be in such an interesting environment, it’s almost like you need to integrate interesting subjects, to be so stimulated as a kid…film is a medium that allows you to bring other mediums that you are exposed to together.” She continues, “the visual language has been attractive for me, but it has taken a long time for me to be conscious that I was so visual.” The Soho environment surrounded by artists was an incredible atmosphere filled
Above: 101 Spring Street, New York, Exterior. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo credit: Joshua White —Judd Foundation Archives. Opposite: La Mansana de Chinati/The Block, Northeast Studio, Marfa, TX. © Judd Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo credit: Ann Collier.
Right: 101 Spring Street, New York, 1st Floor, 1974. Whitney Independent Study Program Seminar with artist Donald Judd (center) at his studio. On Judd’s left is Ron Clark and on his right is Julian Schnabel. Courtesy Judd Foundation Archives. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Image © Barbara Quinn.
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with creativity. Rainer and her friends called themselves the EDKs, the eccentric downtown kids. The group were good friends as teenagers and would often cater Donald Judd’s dinner parties. “I think it was while eating loaded down sundaes at three in the morning after catering the party, debating whether we would sneak out and go clubbing or go to bed. We had conversations; we were so snobby, if a party was happening above 14th street, we wouldn’t go. It was just the name that fit, EDKs, there were probably four or five of us. My dad would give us a few bucks for pulling together a pretty amazing meal. We were quite adventurous unbeknownst to my dad at that time...excellent with the incredible clubbing scene with the Beastie Boys and Def Jam… places like Milky Way that were off the map hip hop clubs; there probably were drugs going on, but we were teenagers and we were interested in the music. There was this love of great music and dancing.” Donald Judd always said to his daughter, “You don’t realize how dangerous it is out on the streets,” and “I probably didn’t,” reflects Rainer, who moved back to NYC from Marfa when she was 13 years old, “but I also felt I had a certain amount of street smarts and I felt New York was my territory.” Today, as Rainer goes back and forth between NYC and Marfa, she notes that Marfa has not changed very much, at least not the landscape, which is the most important aspect to her. “The population is still around 2,000, so if you were graphing it, there is different stuff to eat there now, and I think the eight or so people that you might have dinner with have rotated a bit and some really special people of the community that I grew up with and have grown up with have passed, but overall there hasn’t been a big shift for me. It’s one of the special things about it; some buildings still have the same paint. It’s not that different. You still have to drive two hours to the airport or for a medical emergency, a lot of things haven’t changed.”
From top: Rainer Judd’s drawing on the wall of the Ace Hotel; a drawing from her journal.
When asking Rainer about her definition of art, she explains, “I think I have a drawing that says, ‘I can’t stand some people’s art, but I can’t live without mine,’ but, I also feel like it’s something I’ve got to do. I don’t feel like I would be a good person to be around if I wasn’t making it in some form, myself. She recently did an incredible project at the Ace Hotel in London, where she drew on the walls of one of the suites. Rainer continues her thoughts on the definition of art, “Maybe it’s similar to what Gandhi said about God; I don’t mean to make that direct connotation. I remember when I was 18 trying to figure out religion since my dad was an atheist and I was just kind of always going to different churches and for myself was trying to get a hold of what religion was and Gandhi said about God, “I feel It though I do not see It.” And I love that. It is just so democratic, whatever it is to you, so maybe art is like that, you know that thing, yeah, that thing you can’t live without. Whether you are one of the people that take it in all of the time or one of those sweet souls that are a little bit more sensitive that can’t take that much in, it’s that thing you can’t live without.” To learn more about the Donald Judd Foundation and its programs in Marfa and New York City, visit juddfoundation.org.
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VAJRA O. KINGSLEY (2)
ARTFUL MUSINGS
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“I ALWAYS KNEW I wanted to be a curator, because you touch the art and it is the closest you get to being the artist without being the artist” explained Phyllis Tuchman as we sat across from one another in the offices of Guild Hall, where Motherwell: The East Hampton Years, 1944–52 was held August 9–October 13. Despite the celebrated art curator and critic’s previous impressive accomplishments, this exhibition in particular was very special to her as it involved “rethinking the artist, rethinking the work.”
NEARLY FORGOTTEN WORKS The beautiful exhibition included works that brought Robert Motherwell recognition and accolades in the mid-20th century, but until recently had nearly been forgotten. Tuchman said with a slight laugh, “He was the Julian Schnabel of his day,” in order to illustrate the fame that Motherwell experienced during the 1950s relative to his peers. Tuchman continued, “He was in Dorothy Miller’s 14 Americans six years before Pollock, Rothko, or Still got tapped to be in one of those shows.” Robert Motherwell Wall Painting III, 1952 Oil on fiberboard 48 x 72 in. Art © Dedalus Foundation Inc./ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Phyllis Tuchman, curator of Motherwell: The East Hampton Years.
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Right: Robert Motherwell The Homely Protestant, 1948 Oil and tempera on composition board 97¾ x 48¼ in. Art © Dedalus Foundation Inc./ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
MADE IN EAST HAMPTON Determined to bring these works to light and restore them to their rightful place in art history, Tuchman began to work on Motherwell: The East Hampton Years, showcasing works that Motherwell created when living and working out on the East End in East Hampton. She was touched when she discovered that Motherwell viewed his life out east as a “romantic enterprise,” and that moreover, he believed that he “did some of the best work of [his] life there.” Upon her investigation into Motherwell’s time out on the East End, she reflected, “It was just this great story and I was familiar with the photograph of him playing chess with Max Ernst in Amagansett.” His East Hampton years were fundamental, not only for his own accomplishments, but for the establishment of the abstract expressionist community in the Hamptons.
A PHILOSOPHICAL POINT OF VIEW Motherwell’s work is very philosophical in many respects, exploring consciousness and also the unconscious; this exploration appears to draw roots from his academics. “He was a philosophy major at Stan-
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“I am totally in love with the St. Louis painting,” she said, pointing to an image of the work in her notes. “I love the idea that Motherwell talks about these colors being the sand and sky of winter out here and today we would just look at it as an abstract picture with grey and I love that this is just packed with all of this information that we don’t have access to except from the catalogue raisonné and now with my essay.” In many respects these works were forgotten because Motherwell often kept tight control over the selection of works for his retrospectives. Tuchman explained, “In the retrospectives of other artists, you saw the early work, but because Motherwell had such a strong control over which paintings got selected, this work was ignored.” Tuchman joked, “It was his fault.”
Above: Robert Motherwell At Five in the Afternoon, 1948–49 Casein and graphite on paperboard 15 x 20 in. Art © Dedalus Foundation, Inc./ Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
ford and I think he really wanted to prove to people that the glass was half empty and half full, since everyone always says, ‘Are you the kind of person that sees the glass half empty or half full?’ He saw it both ways.” About Motherwell’s surrealist influence, Tuchman explained, “Like a young artist, he wanted to reconcile two things that couldn’t be reconciled, a surrealist technique with a cubist aesthetic and it is a kind of a crazy ambition.” “I was very close with Helen Frankenthaler for many years and she was in many respects like a mother to me, and even though they were divorced, Helen still very deeply loved Bob’s work and the invitation art is a work that she owned; it’s still in the foundation and it is a very important Motherwell, and I knew that well, and during the first few years of our friendship, The Homely Protestant was just in their living room.” I wondered if Tuchman considered a career as an artist herself. “I’m one of the few people that ever saw unpainted, wet works by Helen Frankenthaler on her floor and I spent a lot of time with her and no, I’m not an artist, I know what it takes.”
AN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST COMMUNITY “When I was in Kansas City, as soon as I saw de Kooning’s Women IV, I understood everything about the painting on our cover [of the Guild Hall Catalogue]. He was thinking about de Kooning and then you realized this whole period is bookended by Pollock and de Kooning. When Motherwell goes to teach at Black Mountain the first summer, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner live in his house and then in the summer of 1953, de Kooning is using the studio and painting women. I don’t think Motherwell has ever been given credit for bringing all of the Ab Ex people out here.“ Tuchman also discovered that Motherwell had taught Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. “He led the pack and then influenced the artists of the next generation.” “He loved poetry; he belonged to a generation that loved poetry. Motherwell belonged to such a different generation. In my mind, I’ve always seen Robert Motherwell as spanning the Pony Express to man walking on the moon; it is just a different way of looking at the world and poetry said it all for him.” FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 37
Fairweather magazine’s Mable Yiu got the chance to meet up with up-and-coming band Morningsiders in their cozy townhouse on the Upper West Side.
Morning Has Broken From left: Reid Jenkins and Magnus Ferguson are the folk band Morningsiders. 38 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
LOUISA STICKELBRUCK
RECENT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATES Magnus Ferguson and Reid Jenkins make up the dynamic duo of what they call Morningsiders. After being the only two who showed up during a snowstorm at a meetup for those who got in early to Columbia, Magnus and Reid started regularly bumping into each other in the city while still in high school. Once at Columbia, they starting “jamming” regularly and performing with their friends, for their friends. While it may not be common for Columbia graduates to end up in folk music, both Morningsiders didn’t go to Columbia thinking they would end up with a career in music.
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Left: Morningsiders give an impromptu performance on a West Village street.
RIGHT AND BELOW: NIKITA SIVAKUMARAN. LEFT AND LOWER RIGHT: LOUISA STICKELBRUCK
Below and opposite: Morningsiders shooting a music video with fellow instrumentalists in their Upper West Side townhouse.
Reid, who was an earth science major, said it took multiple small steps that ended up leading him to his music path. “Because of the band, and other things, but mostly the band, I was more comfortable saying I’m not going to do that research career path,” he explains. “The day my thesis was due, ‘Empress’ was featured in a Starbucks commercial with Oprah and Starbucks. It really set in that I wanted this to be a career path after college.” Since graduation, “We try to play a lot with just the two of us, and find awesome people to play with us,” says Magnus. “I think it’s important to pick up an instrument, listen to others’ music, and play as much as we can.” “Magnus used to be a fencer so he treats each show like a fight,” says Reid. How do they get inspired? “We get really excited to go to other people’s shows and get depressed at how good they are, and then get more motivated to get better,” says Magnus. And how do they define “cool”? “All of my older brother’s music is my definition of cool,” laughs Magnus. 40 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
When asked what is one thing they want to share with the world, Reid states, “We are not The Morningsiders, just Morningsiders.�
work-life happiness Known for coaching celebrities,
top CEOs, and professional athletes who aspire to perform at their highest levels in their professional and personal lives, Samatha Ettus is a best selling author of four Random House books, a writer for Forbes, and host of the nationally syndicated radio show, Working Moms Lifestyle. She is often seen making regular television appearances on Access Hollywood, The Today Show, and Fox News, and is a sought after speaker across the country at colleges, corporations and conferences. As a wife and mother of three, Ettus shared with us a little advice on how to find something most of us are seeking, work-life happiness. “I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. But I always woke up in the middle of the night with ideas. I was seeing holes that weren’t filled and wanting to fill them,” explains Ettus. “The first thing I saw was that CEOs had a spark that went beyond their job titles. I was fascinated with those CEOs who had those sparks, so I decided to launch a talent agency for personal brands.” In 2001, Ettus launched the first-ever personal branding agency, Ettus Media Management. “I’ve always cared a lot about branding. I am very good at naming things, I named my husband’s company, and 42 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
I name my friends’ companies, just for fun, it’s a hobby for me. I have this game with my kids, so I’ll name something like a chocolate store and all of my kids have to come up with a name of a store,” laughs Ettus. When structuring a brand, Ettus explains, it is important to not only tell your life’s story, but to tell it in the right way. “I do this speech and I’ll tell my own story in a negative way and here is the same story told again. People don’t realize how much their story really matters. You need to look back as a reel and connect the dots. You never know when you are going to meet someone that is fascinating or is going to change your life.” In order to create your highlight reel, “You look back on your accomplishments. That goes on your highlight reel. You always need to expand the vision of what can go on that highlight reel.” After working with hundreds of CEOs and experts, Ettus decided to write her first book, The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do. “There were a lot of experts and CEOs that I wanted to work with but they couldn’t afford me, so I came up with this idea for a book series, and the idea was I could get all of these experts into my book. I created this cliff notes for life. Putting
the book together made me realize I could get to anyone. I had a 100 experts in a book and they all wrote a chapter,” explains Ettus. “Growing up, I never learned how to set a perfect table, or write a perfect note. I never had down time, so in many respects, it was a self-improvement project for me,” remarks Ettus. The book provides insights from accomplished individuals such as Larry King, Peggy Post, Bob Vila, Bobbi Brown, Bobby Flay, Fikram Choudhury, Donald Trump, and Jennifer Capriati to name a few. When reflecting on what Ettus learned from the book series, she realized, “everyone is accessible.” She continued, “It was just a matter of perseverance.” But she warns, “Don’t ask for things when you don’t feel good about yourself, since there is a lot of rejection with putting yourself out there.” Ettus’s book became a bestseller, prompt-
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Fairweather magazine’s publisher, Alexandra Fairweather, sat down with leading work/lifestylist Samantha Ettus in East Hampton to get the scoop on how we can aspire to more than just a “balance” between our professional and personal lives.
“Sam and the Kidlets”: Ella, age 8, Ruby, age 6, and Bowen, age 4.
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Interviewing Wall Street maven Sally Krawcheck in New York.
ALL POHOTOS COURTESY OF SAMANTHA ETTUS
ing her to close her firm and go on a 23-city book tour. She then got three more book deals with Random House and published The Experts’ Guide to Life at Home, The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster, and The Experts’ Guide to the Baby Years. “I was on a personal branding path and launched my books and quickly realized that you couldn’t talk to women about their careers without talking to them about their lives and how they were integrating work and life, their work and family life, and so many of them were overwhelmed. I also noticed that the happiest women that I knew were women that had a career and family, so how could that be broadcasted in terms of what they were doing right? “I don’t understand why having it all has ever been a marker for anyone. Jennifer Anniston doesn’t have it all. Barack Obama doesn’t have it all. We can’t mention one person that does have it all, so why are all of these women aspiring to it or even asking can you do it? Nobody can and that’s the only answer and the other traditional work/
From top: Samantha Ettus on set at a recent Access Hollywood appearance.
life balance markers that concerned me was juggling.” Ettus points out that when you google “working mom” and you look at the images, you will see a woman in a suit with a baby, juggling and looking miserable. “Juggling is not a good marker,” asserts Ettus. “Most women do not have control over their time, so beating themselves up just ends up zapping their energy at work and at home. When you are at work, you are still a mom. You are not only a mom when you are with your children. Somewhere along the way we got confused with women thinking we have to be with our kids to be a good mom and that’s simply not true, and when you are at work, you are protecting your kids financially, and when you are with them you are physically protecting them,” explains Ettus. Ettus realized that by making significant but simple work/lifestyle changes, women could maximize their career potential but also find greater happiness in their lives. She suggests, “Instead of evaluating yourself on hours you can’t change, you should view your life as a pie, it’s a fully baked pie, and look and say where is my time going and percentage wise, cut your pie. Maybe it is going for your career, romance, your friend or your kids and look at it honestly. I may be able to make small tweaks, so what can I do to make each slice better, so it’s about really making goals.” When hosting her radio show, Ettus often receives calls from mothers that explain that they feel so guilty that they work 6 days a week and only get to see their kids one day. Her suggestion is to plan with your kids on Monday night what you will do on your day off; that way, your children will have all week to feel excited and look forward to your day off on Sunday. “We didn’t change this person’s time, but we changed her relationship with her kids,” explains Ettus. Ettus also points out how important it is for women to talk to their children about their careers positively and with enthusiasm. Ettus explains, “The way women talk about their careers is so huge for their kids, because the one thing is if you do have a career the amazing thing about it is you are a role model to your child and how you use that is really important.” She continues, “I remember a
couple years ago I was talking about a logo for my new company with my husband and my daughter was in the room but she didn’t seem to be paying attention. She was 6 at the time. She came back into the room an hour later and she had sketched out 3 logos and one of them became the inspiration for my logo and I was so touched by it.” Ettus explains how children are sponges and it is important to recognize the influence that parents have and that children learn from not only the stories we share with them, but the way we tell those stories. “We don’t realize how much our passion rubs off on kids and I think the mistake that someone would make is apologizing to their kids for their career. If you apologize for it and feel bad about it, your kids are going to feel bad about it.” “Just be proud of what you do. The guilt thing is such a huge thing to me; it is such a wasted emotion. No one is benefiting. When you are at work, you have to give 100 percent. When you are with your kids, focus on them 100 percent.” The baby years are often considered the hardest time of parenting, so “a lot of women I know will quit their jobs to be home during those years and unfortunately they can’t get back into the workforce when they want to, so if you are going to leave, don’t leave completely, go to part time, do consulting, but always stay in the game,” explains Ettus. But, “the number-one thing for work-life happiness is picking the right partner.” Ettus continues, “If your partner doesn’t believe in your dreams you are never reaching your potential.” Ettus and her husband have worked successfully to be partners both in childcare and in their careers. When her husband launched his last company, he was working long hours and did not have time to see their young children. So the couple looked at his schedule and restructured it. While he faced resistance from venture capitalists when he decided to come home every day at 5:30 pm to have dinner with his family and then return to conference calls at 8 pm, his company became a success and they showed how men and women can see their children every day and husband and wife need to co-parent together as a team.
Above: Samantha Ettus with her husband, Mitch Jacobs, at a book party in Bridgehampton.
“There is no way my husband would have thought to change it, but he knew something was wrong, “ Ettus shares. “I hear a lot of women making excuses for their husbands. When there is only one breadwinner, usually the schedule is tilted in one direction.” When asked what Ettus would like to share with the world, she reflects, “I really believe that every person has a fire within them and whatever you do, whatever it is, the smallest job, do it enthusiastically or else don’t do it at all. Sometimes we get so caught up in careers that we are in that moment where we aren’t in the job we want; everything is a stepping stone and every contact you make in any position you are in is someone that might be a part of your future. If you do anything enthusiastically, you will get noticed.” Currently, Ettus is working on The Experts’ Guide for Women, detailing everything from how to choose the right bra, to how to find true love, to making romance last and managing your finances. To learn more, visit samanthaettus.com. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 45
Antoine Wagner is rocking the photography and film world with his unique vision and decidedly refreshing attitude.
By Paige Wright
Right: Some Were Nowhere, 2010, C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm.
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PREVIOUS SPREAD: PORTRAIT COURTESY OF ANTOINE WAGNER
Above: Ice One, 2010. C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm. Opposite, top: Julierpass #2 , 2013. C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm. Opposite, bottom left: Rheinquelle #3, 2013. C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm. Opposite, bottom right: Saentis #8, 2013. C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm.
Antoine Wagner is a French/American artist, photographer, and filmmaker, born in 1982 in Evanston, IL, who lives and works in New York and Paris. He holds degrees in theater, political science, and film studies. And if that’s not enough to pique your curiosity about this multifaceted artist, his bragworthy lineage may grab your attention: He is Richard Wagner’s great-great grandson and Franz Liszt’s great-great-great grandson.
21st-Century Aesthetic But as impressive as Antoine Wagner’s ancestry may be, it is really beside the point once you see his decidedly contemporary work. In fact, when I asked him to name a formative experience, he
doesn’t mention his work at Bayreuth but instead recalls riding on his father’s shoulder through the Tate in London.
Watermill to Rome It’s no surprise that in 2005, having recently graduated from Northwestern, Wagner was invited to do a residency at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, in Watermill, NY. Or that he recently finished a Villa Medicis residency at the French Academy in Rome. Last year he published an acclaimed book, Wagner in Der Schweiz, a collection of photographs inspired by his esteemed ancestor’s time in Switzerland (the opera composer fled his native Germany for about a decade due to his participation in two FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 49
revolutionary movements). He appears in the documentary film Wagner: The Swiss Years, which premiered on SRF in Switerland and was presented at the Villa Rietberg in Zurich and at the German Embassy in New York City.
to the Masses, about the French alternative band Phoenix. Recently, he collaborated with fashion designer Julien David and his team in Tokyo, learning Japanese in the process.
Tall-Horizon #2, 2010. C-Print, 1200mm x 1500mm.
An Emotional Response A Refreshing Attitude Wagner claims that his art career was inspired by the fact that “I was two feet too short to play in the NBA, but I was the right size to appreciate performances on stage and to be at eye level with the Impressionist paintings hanging in the Paris museums.” His photography has received awards such as the Prix de L’Academie Lyrique Pierre Berge in Paris, and in 2011 he produced and directed the tour documentary From a Mess 50 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Wagner’s work, as seen on these pages, speaks for itself. But the artist is continually surprised by the response he receives from viewers. “I keep wondering how strangers can be touched by my work and express their gratitude so intimately,” Wagner says. His self-effacing attitude and humble response to success seems to feed his creativity. “If you think in terms of career,” Wagner notes, “you easily forget that every project is a new challenge. Luckily, my landlord does not know that!”
Antoine Wagner is at work on an exhibition in Hamburg for May 2015 and plans to direct his first U.S. feature film. To learn more, visit antoinewagner.com.
Join us on our adventures www.fairweathermag.com
Have you made reservations at Casa Lever yet? Opposite: The restaurant’s sleek exterior.
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Fairweather publisher Eric Goodman had a chance to get the scoop from Gherardo Guarducci, the restaurateur behind Sant Ambroeus and Casa Lever, on growing up in Prato, Italy, building restaurants that embody La Dolce Vita, and Casa Lever’s $50 million Andy Warhol collection.
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Eric Goodman: What is your earliest memory of incredible food? Gherardo Guarducci: Eating fresh-caught anchovies and mackerel from fishermen who brought the catch to our home in Forte dei Marmi. EG: What was it like growing up in Prato, Italy? GG: Prato is five miles north of Florence and it distinguishes itself by having a very strong entrepreneurial spirit and culture—business and trade is in the air. Growing up here has inspired me to become more successful and challenge myself, setting goals to help better my career. EG: What’s your favorite cuisine other than Italian? GG: Hands down it is Japanese. There are many similarities between Japanese and Italian cuisine. First and foremost, the great respect for a rich tradition and the raw ingredients. 54 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Above: Casa Lever features famous faces not only at the tables but on the walls, thanks to its Warhol collection. Left: Mid-century vibrancy welcomes diners outdoors. Opposite, left: As beautiful as the restaurant is, it’s the food that keeps folks coming back. Opposite, right: The restaurant’s private spaces make a bold statement.
ALL ANDY WARHOL IMAGES: © 2014 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC. / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
EG: Did you enjoy working in your family’s textile trading business? It appears that everyone that works at Sant Ambroeus seems like one big family. Have you applied any lessons from your own family business to creating this family-like environment in your restaurants? GG: Prato’s textile industry is grounded on family values and spirit. Everyone knows which family owns which business and each comes with colorful qualities. It was always important to me to recreate the family environment at our restaurants. Work is always much more enjoyable when surrounded by family. EG: How and when did you know that you wanted to develop restaurants? GG: Restaurants are the only venues I know of that require one to be comfortable leading people, creating experiences that are unique to all the senses, and be willing to change quickly. One must also be savvy with finances, marketing, management and have a very supple ego.
EG: Casa Lever is celebrating its fifth year. What makes Casa Lever so special? GG: We set out to create one of the city’s best Italian restaurants in a world class ambiance of iconic art and architecture. I think we are there, but still working as hard on it as if it were 2009. EG: Please tell us about the incredible Warhol collection. GG: All the Andy Warhol portraits in Casa Lever are courtesy of private collections. We feel extremely lucky to have such a strong relationship with Aby Rosen and are thrilled he has chosen Casa Lever to display so many of his Warhol portraits. The Andy Warhol portraits at Casa Lever create a unique and distinctive atmosphere for diners. There are only a few places in the world where diners can enjoy a meal alongside an outstanding and significant art collection and we are pleased to have the opportunity to offer this exclusive experience to our guests. The collection is a great point of conversation for diners and it help draws a
diverse crowd to the restaurant, including businessmen, politicians, fashion designers, artists, tourists, etc. Just a few month ago, Aby Rosen expanded his collection and was kind enough to display them at Casa Lever, expanding our collection from 19 to 32 painting valued at over $50 million. The collection now consists of such celebrated names as Alfred Hitchcock, Dolly Parton, Jerry Hall, and Giorgio Armani. EG: Do you enjoy cooking? GG: I have always had a passion for cooking, but I really enjoy grilling fish and meats. EG: Where is your favorite place to go in NYC? GG: Masa at Time Warner Center. EG: What is your favorite dish that is served at one of your restaurants? What is your favorite dessert? GG: The trennette al pesto at Casa Lever—our pesto and tomato sauce takes me back to my childhood. My favorite dessert is the Millefoglie. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 55
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Cellist NATHAN CHAN recently graduated from Columbia College, but has already immersed himself in the musical life of New York City. Here, Fairweather’s Mable Yiu chats with the music prodigy about the role music plays in his considerably well-rounded life.
Cellist Nathan Chan believes that an hour or two of inspired, creative practice is more effective than five hours of “meaningless work.”
When did you discover your love of music? I started my musical journey at the age of three when I began conducting. I am lucky enough to have grown up in a musical family. My mother Rena Ling is a piano teacher and my father Samuel Chan is a cardiologist but also plays the violin in his free time. My sister is a violist who is studying at Barnard College this year. Growing up, conductors were my heroes. I would often watch and emulate conductors on LaserDisc and was hugely compelled by their command of sound and emotion. I guess I had an intuitive connection to the music that still astounds me to this day. Physicality was an important part of how I connected and grew to love music and I feel physicality is still a large component of how I play the cello today. When did you start playing the cello, and when did it become a primary part of your life? I started playing the cello when I was five years old! I think I first truly understood my passion in music when I realized how profound and positive an impact it could have on the people around me. I think there was one defining moment in my life that really solidified my desire to make this “my thing.” When I was 11, I was fortunate enough to be featured in a documentary on HBO called “The Music In Me” in which I performed and spoke about “The Swan” by Camille Saint-Saens. Much of the segment included me describing the musical feelings and emotions behind the piece and so I described the song itself as being bittersweet; its lyrical passages hide an inner turmoil within a dying swan. The ending result was really meaningful, and I am still amazed by it to this day. This experience showed me the importance in communicating my passion as a way to express deep inner emotions to listeners. This emotional aspect of playing the cello has really come to influence the way I approach the world and is the biggest reason why I love it so much.
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How would you compare the music scene in New York compared to the one in San Francisco? I am really loving not only the music opportunities in New York, but the life lessons here too. I feel immensely mobile in this city, which makes me feel so free to absorb the energy and culture here. Playing in both Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall (as a soloist with the Little Orchestra Society and with the Juilliard Orchestra) are two great examples of the musical possibilities in New York. I am excited to start my Masters degree at The Juilliard School this year and really can’t wait to immerse myself in its energy. I really love it. What’s a current project you’re excited about? I am currently working on a project called “Nathan Chan: Breaking the Wall.” I am extremely excited about the project, which is a documen58 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Above: Nathan Chan in a dynamic performance at Avery Fisher Hall with the Little Orchestra Society under Grammy-winning conductor David Alan Miller. Top left: Nathan took up conducting at the tender age of three!
tary made by Shearwater Films, which is a small and talented team of filmmakers in New York. The goal of the project is to explore and showcase the creative musical opportunities to connect audiences with music in a way made possible by a 21st century musician. Ultimately, we would like to see the trailer reach a global audience, but are currently focusing on reaching a demographic in Asia. How do you balance music and your ensemble, String Theory, with school and your social life? Throughout my life, I’ve had great fortune to be able to pursue both music and academia at a very high level. I feel that beyond music and the cello, I am a great “people person.” I think I am outgoing and extroverted in my personality and have used this to bridge both these spheres of my life. I am
ALL PHOTOS COURETESY OF NATHAN CHAN
What inspired you to study at Columbia? When I was deciding upon choices on where to study for college, I made a conscious and deliberate choice to pursue both academia and music at an extremely high level. I ultimately decided on attending both Columbia University and The Juilliard School for their dual degree program. So much of music is being able to relate the entire amalgamation of human thought, knowledge and emotion into your playing. I strongly feel that having this vast wealth of knowledge made possible by a liberal arts education has and will continue to be an important part of the way I play the cello.
I try not to get caught up in whether or not different projects take time away from one another, but instead to see each opportunity enhances the other.
always trying to see how things from different fields of study relate to each other. I try not to get caught up in whether or not different projects take time away from one another, but instead to see each opportunity enhances the other. In this sense, school enhances my musical life and my musical life enhances my social one. I embrace things one at a time and always try to prioritize things in order to keep myself focused and sane. What advice would you give other musicians just starting out? More often than not, one or two hours of the most inspired and creative practicing is much more effective than five hours of meaningless work. Reach out and practice communicating your passion to others. To learn more, visit nathanchancello.com. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 59
With their crowdfunded real estate investment company Fundrise, brothers Daniel and Ben Miller are revolutionizing real estate development and showcasing a model that very well may be the future of investing. GROWING UP IN THE REAL ESTATE world, Daniel and Ben Miller gravitated towards real estate as they watched their family’s company, Western Development Corporation, develop more than 20 million square feet of real estate in its 46-year history. We spoke with Daniel about how their company, Fundrise, is changing the business—and having a positive impact on communities. Daniel and Ben started their careers as urban retail developers, focusing on building unique real estate projects in Washington, DC. “I love the development side,” explains Miller, who gets particularly excited about historic preservation projects. However, as they raised funds for their real estate deals, they noted that the traditional model of raising money from investment funds in New York City and abroad was antiquated, as many funds were not aware of the neighborhoods where the projects were, nor did they have a meaningful connection to the project. In contrast, their friends and neighbors, who did understand their vision for a particular neighborhood, did not have an From left: Fundrise’s Benjamin Miller, Daniel Miller, and Max Kirschenbaum with Benjamin’s dog Zappa.
By Lisa Graham and Alexandra Fairweather
economical process or feasible mechanism to allow them to invest. “Real estate is one of the best investment classes there is,” explains Miller. Even though real estate has historically proven to be an extremely lucrative investment, and while private equity investment in real estate has grown in excess of $100 billion, the majority of real estate investments have been limited to a small, select number of institutional investors. Daniel and Ben set out to give everyone the opportunity to invest in real estate. “Fundrise allows people to invest,” he explains. Moreover, the democratic process “changes the dynamics of real estate and what can be built.” ALTHOUGH THEY FACED SKEPTICS and challenges, spending a year working with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), they crowdfunded the first online equity offering for a real estate property, raising $325,000 from 175 individual investors in 2012. “We opened, in our view, to the broader population who historically has had no way to invest in commercial real estate. Over time, you can have people take part in shaping their communities,” explains Miller. Whereas the traditional process took months to raise capital, they were able to secure financing in hours. After their initial success, they kept successfully raising funds for their real estate properties and they had hundreds of people from across the country starting to reach out to the Miller brothers. “There’s a new generation of real estate developers who are more inclusive who can use technology who are viewing development in a more inclusive way,” remarks Miller. “It will be the norm. It will be creating an efficient and transparent way of making investments,” explains Miller. Currently, Fundrise has
22,000 people on the site and 10,000 non-accredited investors. Fundrise carefully reviews and selects the deals presented on their site and less than 5 percent of the applications received are accepted on the platform. Fundrise is currently active in 15 cities and is looking forward to becoming a national platform. “We see this taking a long time to roll out; a lot of infrastructure has to be built out. People have never invested in real estate and there is going to be a real shift. It is going to allow people in 5-10 years to feel very comfortable with investing,” notes Miller. “Real estate exists in every community; it works in every market,” continues Miller. After their national rollout, their next focus will be Europe. “It is just a matter of resources and focus. You are going to see a lot of global capital flow through the platform,” explains Miller. Prior to Fundrise, Ben and Daniel founded Popularise, a real estate crowdsourcing website that serves as a consumer marketing tool. “When we were doing our real estate developments, really building projects that impacted local areas, we realized we were deciding who to lease to, so we asked people online, to gauge consumer sentiment,” notes Miller. “Now, it’s a consumer marketing tool across the country,” whereby people have a say in how their communities are shaped and defined. Not surprisingly, local governments have also gravitated toward the Millers’ ventures, recognizing their potential to rejuvenate cities and towns as well as prompt innovation, fostering creative, distinct development projects in their cities. “We have a unique opportunity; there is a much broader transformation happening with capital investment: We see how technology has entered the media and publishing world, but it has not entered the investment world, mostly because of regulation. We spent over half a million dollars on one deal so the public could invest in it, but with the JOBS Act, regulations are changing. We think we are going to see huge shifts in who can invest, which will allow for smaller investors. We want to be the largest and most innovative platform for financing real estate projects and make people feel that they can control and be a part of a development.” FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 61
Topping Rose House, an unforgettable hotel and restaurant in Bridgehampton, NY, offers something for every visitor, all year long. By Evan Hughes
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A House for All Seasons
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UMMER VISITORS to Bridgehampton, NY, who’ve enjoyed a luxurious stay at Topping Rose House, with delicious dishes by acclaimed restaurateur Tom Colicchio and chef de cuisine Kyle Koenig, may not realize that the hotel and restaurant are open yearround. But that’s good news for anyone looking for an off-season getaway to the Hamptons. The 22-room Topping Rose House is named after the first owner of the 1842 Greek revival mansion, Judge Abraham Topping Rose. It includes not only the main house and restaurant but also four cottages, wellness facilities, a farm from which much of the restaurant’s bounty is sourced, and a restored barn and contemporary studio available for events such as weddings, birthday parties, business conferences, and yoga and fitness retreats. A stay at Topping Rose House off-season includes everything that a summery stay does: Seasonal snacks inspired by the ingredients available at the property’s farm, exceptional linens and electronics in
COURTESY OF TOPPING ROSE HOUSE (5). PREVIOUS SPREAD: TIM STREET-PORTER
Topping Rose House’s restaurant makes imaginative use of locally sourced produce and seafood—including ingredients grown on the property’s own farm.
the rooms, spa treatments from Naturopathica, and complimentary bicycles and car service in Lexus vehicles to and from the beach and other nearby attractions, such as vineyards and boutique shops. One of the things we love about Topping Rose House is how it seamlessly blends 19th-century aesthetics with contemporary style. Architecture firm Roger Ferris & Partners undertook the property’s renovation, and interior design company Champalimauo was tasked with emphasizing comfort, luxury, and the original antique appointments of the property. An amazing art collection rounds out the “wow” factor for people arriving at Topping Rose House for the first time, with works curated by Wächter Fine Art in New York City. Artists such as Clifford Ross and Peter Dayton provide a nice contemporary statement that goes nicely with the peaceful setting of the Hamptons. The hotel’s restaurant sources ingredients from the property’s farm and from local farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. It is open daily, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch. It’s no wonder FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 65
that Topping Rose House has been named to Travel + Leisure’s annual “It List,” recognized by Hospitality Design magazine for its overall architecture and design, and received an International Hotel & Property Award in 2014 for Best Hotel Design for a hotel with 50 rooms or fewer. Topping Rose House’s general manager, Fiona Riesch, is excited about the property’s plans for the winter. “Topping Rose House will host a tree-lighting ceremony with local carolers and offer special menus in the restaurant for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Eve as well as the Winter Spa Escape (from $1,299 per night) and A Taste of Winter (from $659 per night),” Riesch notes. “The property will be fully decorated for the season with a festive Christmas tree in the main house. Additionally, guests can enjoy complimentary vin chaud with a house-made spice recipe by the fireplace after returning from a brisk fall or winter walk in the area,” Riesch adds. To learn more, visit toppingrosehouse.com.
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COURTESY OF TOPPING ROSE HOUSE (3)
Topping Rose House blends its 19thcentury heritage with contemporary design aesthetics in a pleasing juxtaposition.
PARRISH ART MUSEUM ART. ILLUMINATED.
EXHIBITIONS:
STEVEN AND WILLIAM LADD: MARY QUEEN OF THE UNIVERSE October 26, 2014 to January 19, 2015
ALAN SHIELDS: IN MOTION October 26, 2014 to January 19, 2015
NEW INSTALLATION OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION November 2014 to November 2015
PROGRAMS: GESTURE JAM
Friday, November 14, 6pm
HOP ART
Friday, November 21, 5–8pm
PECHAKUCHA NIGHT HAMPTONS VOL. 10 Friday, December 12, 6pm
DOLLS AND MANNEQUINS AT PLAY IN CONTEMPORARY ART Saturday, December 13, 11am
YOGA AND DHARMA Friday, December 19, 6pm 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976 T 631 283 2118 F 631 283 7006 Roy Lichtenstein, Tokyo Brushstroke I and II, 1994 Fabricated 2008/2009. Painted and fabricated aluminum Long Term Loan by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. Courtesy of Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman and The Fuhrman Family Foundation 2014. Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. Photo: Jeff Heatley
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Steven and William Ladd: Mary Queen of the Universe is made possible by the Joseph and Sylvia Slifka Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Fund for Publications, and William H. Wright II. Additional support for the Artist Residency Scrollathon Project is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, The DeWitt Wallace Fund for Youth at the Long Island Community Foundation, and the Henry Buhl Foundation. Alan Shields: In Motion is generously supported by the Joseph and Sylvia Slifka Foundation, James Keith Brown and Eric G. Diefenbach, Van Doren Waxter, Barbara Toll/The Evelyn Toll Family Foundation, Jacqueline Brody, Barbara Nessim and Jules Demchick, Cynthia Hostetler and Nicholas Ulanov, Robin and Fred Seegal, Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo/Dorothea Leonhardt Fund, Communities Foundation of Texas, Richard A. Smith, Michèle and Steven Pesner, Patricia Birch, Joa Baldinger and Heiner Friedrich, Beau R. Ott and Anna Bogatin, Max Pine, and Janet Roach. The reinstallation of the Permanent Collection is made possible, in part, by the generous support of Maren Otto. Friday Nights are made possible, in part, by the generous support of The Corcoran Group. Public funding provided by Suffolk County.
Fairweather magazine publisher Eric Goodman sat down with William Chang to discuss the genesis of his foodie and restaurant interests—including his favorite dishes at his restaurants—and the dish on his latest venture, the hot southerncuisine belle of the Lower East Side, Birds & Bubbles. 68 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPASSO
Today’s Renaissance Man
WHEN NOT ALLOCATING INSTITUTIONAL capital, William Chang runs his two Manhattan-based restaurants, Spasso and the more recently launched Birds & Bubbles. Did I mention that he also runs the highend men’s shoe line Cobbler Union? Here, Chang shares some thoughts on his many varied endeavours.
From left: William Chang is the restaurateur behind Spasso and Birds & Bubbles; the inviting exterior of Spasso.
What is your earliest memory of incredible food? My first memory of incredible food was on a trip to Asia when I was seven years old. It wasn’t so much a single dish that really had an impact on me, but rather being exposed to a variety of dishes that I had previously eaten in New York that now I was eating in Asia. The preparation of these dishes was a lot punchier in terms of ingredients and flavors, and that experience really helped me to appreciate the difference between good and great food. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 69
What was it like growing up? Did you cook at home? My palate is very much like my mother’s—while she grew up in India, she immigrated to the U.S. and tried all sorts of different food and highly encouraged my sister and me to do the same (though as a child, sometimes we weren’t very amenable to this). As a child attending elementary school, it was difficult. I didn’t want to be the outsider with a greasy lunch bag. I was sent to kindergarten with sushi and curry when all I wanted was a PB&J sandwich and chocolate milk. In retrospect, I’m very grateful for this period, and it’s now inconceivable to think I once preferred deli meat over tri tip. I actually did not cook much growing up. I wanted to, but I wasn’t allowed. Instead, I spent a lot of time helping with prep. As I got older, I spent less and less time at home, as well as the kitchen. Ironically, now whenever I’m home, my folks ask me to cook. Have your traveling experiences influenced your views on food? Whenever I travel, I try to make an effort to try local cuisine, and I’m always on the hunt for new ingredients and new restaurants, even if it’s 70 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
Spasso’s comfortably low-key interior belies the extraordinary offerings on its menu.
in our own backyard. For example, on my most recent trip to LA, my friend’s mother, Won na, introduced me to Buddha’s hand, a lemony type of citrus with a beautiful smell, which I plan to play around with and see what I can do with it. What is your favorite cuisine? Probably my favorite is whatever my mother happens to be cooking that day! But in all seriousness, that’s a tough question. If I had to pick one, I’d have to say American, only because the cuisine now incorporates so many of the methods and ingredients found in other cuisines and because it is such an inclusive cuisine, you have a lot more flavor profiles to work with.
What makes a great restaurant? Devotion and team work. A restaurant is about more than serving a good meal. It’s about serving up a great experience, and that only comes through with a team that can work together and puts the diner first. How and when did you know that you wanted to develop restaurants? It wasn’t until 2008. At the time, I had saved up some cash and had hired a chef to teach me how to cook. Again, never having been taught, I wanted to really start from the basics and learn from the ground up. I really got into it and had considered leaving finance altogether to pursue a career in the culinary arts, but at the end of the day it was tough for me to really leave my first love (finance), so at the end of the day, this was literally my way of having my cake and eating it too. Please tell us about your restaurants, including your latest new restaurant venture. What makes your restaurants so special? Spasso is an Italian restaurant located in the heart of the West Village. It’s an intimate space that is home to some of the best Italian food that the city has to offer, and whose Chef, Ed Carew and co-managing partner, Kareem NeJame work extremely hard to give diners a memorable dining experience. It has gained somewhat of a reputation as a great place for a date, given the solid beverage program, menu, and friendly staff. The menu is always evolving and incorporates an excellent mix of traditional and modern Italian dishes. Birds & Bubbles is much more than fried chicken and champagne, though obviously there will be both! It’s a great place to satisfy your cravings for southern food—with bold flavor and playful twists on traditional dishes. I find it great because the food is savory and flavorful without weighing you down. It’s a unique space, as it’s subterranean, but it gives us access to a beautiful space with an outdoor garden, which I absolutely love. I think what really sets these two restaurants apart from their peers is the lengths at which they get to know their diners and their preferences. Service is a huge point of pride. I’ve always loved a sense of community and found establishments in the city to have a very short ‘institutional memory’. I’ve found high turnover in the staff to be a challenge which we have faced successfully. High turnover inevitably puts a cap on the quality of experience you can hope to give your diners. How do you go about designing a menu? It’s really less of a science and much more of an art. It’s a blend of anticipating what favors people might be amenable to and seeing if you can push the boundaries a little bit and figure out what will leave people pleasantly surprised and wanting to come back for more. You are involved in other ventures in fashion as well as work in finance. Do you see a connection among all of your projects and ventures? I definitely do. They’re all expressions of beauty. I love helping to create things that cause people to stop and reconsider their own sense of what they know to be good and what they think they enjoy, and forcing their tastes to evolve a little bit.
Before tucking into butcher’s-cut steak for two, start with one of Spasso’s red wines.
Do you enjoy cooking? Or prefer eating? I secretly enjoy cooking a little bit more. It keeps me humble, curious, and creative. Where is your favorite place to go in NYC? Union Square. There’s a ton of great energy and it’s a great open space to get way and do some thinking. What is your favorite dish at one of your restaurants? What is your favorite dessert? Spasso: Butcher’s-cut steak for two; Birds and Bubbles: Fried chicken; Favorite dessert: a glass of Laphroaig 18 and creme brûlée. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Stay humble. And ask questions. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 71
HEAT INDEX:
The Art of Living
A
As real estate experts, we regularly visit the beautiful homes of tastemakers and movers and shakers. We have learned that there is truly an “Art of Living” that should be explored, studied and ultimately mastered. Recently, we spoke with the beautiful Yesim Philip, former professional Turkish basketball player and founder of the luxury sport clothing line, L’Etoile Sport, at her gorgeous Upper East Side home to discuss how her lifestyle is a direct expression of who she is. By Alexandra Fairweather & Lisa Graham Photographs by Carrie Buell
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Top left: Yesim Philip’s Upper East Side living room. Above: Philip in her office, with a Natasha Law painting over the sofa.
How did L’Etoile Sport come about? Sports have been part of my life since I was six years old. I started playing tennis actively about five years ago and I couldn’t find clothes that were stylish enough to wear on and off the court. So L’Etoile Sport was born in November of 2011 before fitness apparel had become the new “sportswear.” Now sports are having a huge influence on women’s fashion. Do you find that your experiences as a professional basketball player in Turkey have influenced your line? I guess, playing basketball professionally
made me aware of athletic clothing and what I need to perform better. I lived in these clothes 24/7, so it was important to create something feminine, functional, yet still elegant and classic. What are the inspirations for your line? I take things that are basic, integral parts of everyday life, then mix and mold them together so they are simple but at the same time completely different. So everyday clothes inspire me. What are you most looking forward to with your new line?
Every season is exciting but I am most excited completing a collection and finding perfection. I design for tennis, golf, launching activewear and cashmeres to complete the collection. Having all the parts of the collection in sync with one another is the fun part of it. My ultimate goal is to continue creative work and build a collection that stays true to my brand identity. How do you define “The Art of Living” and how have you expressed it in your home? I believe in simplicity, timeless elegance, and perfection. I try to create that in my apartFAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 73
Philip in her living room.
ment with simple decor but jazz it up with my art. I want my art to pop out, not to disappear in a jungle of furniture. I try to balance the values of innovation and tradition, if that makes sense. Do you have a favorite feature of your apartment? Benches under Jenny Holzer photographs. My husband thought at first they were mismatched, but he loves them now.
I feel like they are the same. I like simplicity with a modern twist yet still classic. Do you have a favorite piece of art in your apartment? I love a Louisa Fishman painting in our living room and Jenny Holzer photographs.
How would you define your style? I think my style represents simplicity with timeless elegance.
Do you have advice for people who are designing their home? It is important to have your own touch in every aspect of the design of your home. Even though you may get help from a designer, make sure that designer shares the same point of view as you.
Do you find that your line, L’Etoile Sport , influences your design at home?
Do you have a favorite neighborhood in New York City?
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It will sound like a clichĂŠ and not cool, but I love my current neighborhood and love being close to Central Park. Why did you decide to live on the Upper East Side? We used to live in the West Village, but when I got pregnant with our second child and found out it was going to be boy, we decided to move closer to the park so he can enjoy the free space it offers.
Above: Philip’s family room features two paintings of her children by Natasha Law. Right: Philip at work on sketches for her incredible collection, L'Etoile Sport.
What are your favorite spots on the Upper East Side? Central Park, Central Park, Central Park. I am heavily involved with the Central Park Conservancy and without the park I'm not sure if many of us would still be living in the city. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 75
Is blogging still of interest to recent grads? I think blogging is here to stay. It is a great way to pique (and keep) public interest and have a “voice” on the Internet. But, blogging only brings benefit when it’s done correctly. If the purpose of blogging is to grow a brand and expand its audience, new posts must be frequent—once per week at minimum. I haven’t even mastered this yet, but I have seen it work for others. Those who are intrigued by your content will crave more of it, and the moment they realize that you blog sporadically is the moment they will inevitably stop being very attentive. It is worth noting that once your blog is established and has a substantial following, the frequency is a lot less important. Also of importance—what blogging was 10 years ago is very different from what it is today. Gone are the days when blog posts had to be several paragraphs to be taken seriously. It is no secret that our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. I think 76 | WINTER 2014 | FAIRWEATHER
COURTESY OF DELISHA GRANT
By Evan Hughes
For someone just getting started, what is the best way to start identifying what their “brand” is? It is important to consider three key components: Talent—What are you insanely good at? Passion—What would get you out of bed in the morning even if you were not paid to do it? Unique identifiers—What characteristic(s) separate you from the pack and would make people stop and take notice? The multimedia age that we live in is really a blessing and a curse. Technology and new media have made it much easier to gain access to a target demographic, but at the same time, the market is almost always flooded with other brands competing for the same target audience’s attention. Cutting through noise and establishing your niche takes immense dedication and consistency. It is not an overnight process. I have found that those who can settle into the area where talent, passion, and uniqueness intersect are much more likely to stay the course and build a sustainable brand.
this is partially why micro-blogging sites like Tumblr have become so popular. Brevity rules the day. This doesn’t mean that lengthy blog posts are a no-go (I’m still a fan of well-written articles that look more like an op-ed piece than a twitter update). It just means that the content must be pretty informative and/or inspiring if you want people to keep reading beyond the first 250 words. Lastly, blogging creates a very unique opportunity to significantly expand your audience overnight. Video isn’t the only thing that can go viral. There are countless stories of bloggers whose popularity skyrocketed by way of one post landing in front of the right set of eyes. You never know when your content may be shared by the right person or picked up by a major media outlet and result in thousands or even millions of new readers flocking to your blog.
Above: “The WeBelieve Brunch,” an initiative launched by Delisha Grant (right) to foster support and collaboration among entrepreneurs and start-up founders.
What role can/should video play in branding yourself? Video is incredibly important in branding yourself, and probably the component that people are slowest to adopt. Appearing on camera can create a level of unwanted vulnerability that can be avoided in other branding elements like blogging. However, this is precisely why video is so effective. It reveals the person behind the brand, or confirms that the person and the brand are really one and the same. This is something audiences seem to be more and more interested in. It makes you “human” and gives your personality and quirks an opportunity to shine through. When done correctly, it can lead to viewers falling in love with you as a person and supporting your associated brand(s) for that reason alone. Social media also makes “guerrilla” style videography completely acceptable. Who says you need an expensive camera and an experienced editor to connect with current and prospective fans through this medium? Just get started, even if it means taping on your smartphone. If you generate a significant following, a media partner may come along and foot the bill for a more sophisticated setup. FAIRWEATHER | WINTER 2014 | 77
Left: The inaugural launch of Ivy Untapped at the Yale Club of New York, November 19, 2013. Below: Delisha Grant with Ivy Untapped cofounders Eric Goodman and Alexandra Fairweather. Bottom left: Richard Rose interviews Ivy Untapped’s cofounders on CBS in February 2014.
Have You Untapped?
In addition to the online platform, where members create profile pages, interact and track the latest updates of their fellow peer start-ups, members also gather monthly at the New York headquarters to attend Ivy Untapped Innovation Sessions, intimate roundtables where select members present their latest venture or business idea to a targeted pool of peers. Presentations are routinely followed by constructive feedback, and at times, heated debate over business plan viability, among other issues: nothing a few baked baskets of macaroons and freshly brewed coffee can’t settle.
How do you hope your recent Ivy Untapped presentation about selfbranding may have inspired participants? I would hope that my presentation inspired others to really leverage their personal, unique brand to fuel innovation in their field, no matter what that field might be. When I decided to leave my well-paying gig as an associate with a Park Avenue litigation firm, some mentors warned that I’d face more challenges than I could ever imagine. As a female attorney of color navigating the technology, new media and entertainment industries, I can’t say that they were wrong. However, not having an automatic seat at the table has become one of my greatest assets. My “otherness” immediately creates intrigue among my target audience, and I have learned to use that to my advantage. It has become the cornerstone of my entire brand in that my approach to business and the law is equally atypical. It is always my goal to help others use their individuality in the same way. To learn more about Ivy Untapped, visit untapped.me.
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CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT: IVY UNTAPPED (2); COURTESY OF DELISHA GRANT
IVY UNTAPPED, one of the fastest growing entrepreneurial social networks serving the Ivy League start-up community, celebrated its official launch on November 19, 2013, with an invite-only reception at the Yale Club of New York. Founded by Alexandra Fairweather and Eric Goodman, publishers of the international luxury lifestyle publication Fairweather, Ivy Untapped provides an incubator-like network for Ivy League students and recent graduates to collaborate on new ideas and business ventures. Having only launched a year ago, members have already started collaborating and breaking ground on their new business ventures—everything ranging from fashion and technology to culinary.
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THEN Keir Dullea in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) NOW Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar (2014)
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