fashion springs eternal
CuSTom oF THe CiTY meeT la’S FaSHion-arTiSan a-liST
CHoW, HollYWooD! inSiDe SoHo HouSe, SPaGo, CeCConi’S anD more
PluS SOPHIA AMORUSO DAMIEN CHAZELLE MONIQUE LHUILLIER AUGUST GETTY
la-confidential-magazine.com
niche media holdings, llc
Julianne moore PUTS RED HOT IN THE RED CARPET
BEVERLY CENTER | 1.855.44.ZEGNA | ZZEGNA.COM
BE YOUR OWN STYLE 24:07
MILANO 13:00
MAxMARA.CoM
BEVERLY HILLS 451 NoRtH RodEo dRIVE 310 385 9343 SAN dIEGo FASHIoN VALLEY MALL 7007 FRIARS RoAd 619 574 0700 SoUtH CoASt PLAZA 3333 BRIStoL StREEt 714 754 7900
W E S T H OL LYWOOD THE GALLERY ON MELROSE AVENUE
8564 MELROSE AVENUE, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90069 MONDAY-SATURDAY 10AM-7PM SUNDAY 11AM-6PM 310.652.0323
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES
RODEO DRIVE, BEVERLY HILLS
THE SHOPS AT CRYSTALS, LAS VEGAS
310-285-9898
702-588-7272
CALIBER RM 033
FRONT RUNNER Fine and Tandy! Eighty-year-old actress Jessica Tandy acknowledges the crowd after winning a Best Actress Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy in 1990. Tandy is the oldest person to date to receive Best Actress honors.
OSCAR GOLDEN
Pitted against archrival awards shows, the Oscars take the prize for best crowd—considering the yearly dose of Meryl Streep, Judi Dench, Glenn Close, and Julia Roberts with which it wows the public. The Titanic-length program celebrates Hollywood’s beloved matriarchs in all their glory—while throwing in rookies for added pizzazz and, at times, slapstick-style interludes (see J.Law falling onstage… twice). But the top echelon of Tinseltown wasn’t always so wrinkle-friendly. Years ago, the prestigious awards show more closely resembled a Miss Teen Hollywood pageant—with a gang of fresh-faced starlets stealing air time from the over-40 club. Even prior to the first televised show in ’53, the Academy tended to favor younger women such as Vivien Leigh, Janet Gaynor, and Norma Shearer—all in their 20s at the time of their first honors—in place of their more mature counterparts. Handed mostly to burgeoning thespians, the Oscar seemed to function as a flashy gateway into the big leagues. It wasn’t until 1981, when 74-year-old Katharine Hepburn snatched up
16 la-confidential-magazine.com
Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in On Golden Pond, that the city began to turn its head toward entertainment’s more experienced performers. But once it did, it remained fixated: In 1986, 61-year-old Geraldine Page was named Best Actress for her portrayal of Mrs. Watts in The Trip to Bountiful, which soon paved the way for 80-year-old Jessica Tandy to become the oldest individual (to date) to win for Best Actress in 1990 for her knockout performance in Driving Miss Daisy. Proceed down the Oscar timeline to the present day, and seasoned actresses are the ones to beat. Queen bee Meryl Streep has raked in no fewer than nine Best Actress nominations since turning 40—which also happens to be the magic number above which four out of five of last year’s Best Actress nominees fell. Similarly, silver-haired stars like June Squibb are earning both accolades from the Academy and—believe it or not—Twitter (#JuneSquibb). It’s a daunting task to rewire an industry so traditionally youth-obsessed, but our leading ladies are ready for their close-ups—fine lines and all. LAC
photography by ron galella/Wireimage
TwenTy-five years ago, oscar winner Jessica Tandy sTarTed a new Trend: golden girls rule Hollywood! By Kelsey Marrujo
ShopFashionIsland.com
Š The Irvine Company LLC, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Fashion Island is a registered trademark of Irvine Company. Assortment of Cheeses and Summer in Provence Cocktail from Fig & Olive. Louis Vuitton Handbag and Necklace from Neiman Marcus.
V i s i t t h e n e w ly e x pa n d e d l o u i s V u i t t o n b o u t i q u e
&
a t o r a n g e C o u n t y ’ s o n ly n e i m a n m a r C u s .
th e p e r fe c t pair ing of
APPETIZING and A L L U R I N G Over 200 shops and restaurants on the coast.
contents
spring 2015
16 // front runner 36 // letter from the editor-in-Chief
38 // letter from the publisher
40 // ... Without Whom
this issue Would not have been possible
42 // the list 85 // invited
style 47 // that’s amoruso! On the eve of Nasty Gal’s second store debut in Santa Monica, founder Sophia Amoruso dishes on her brand’s new era.
50 // neo GraphiC Black and white are far from boring when it comes to spring’s It accessories.
54 // stYle spotliGht Chanel unveils a new fne jewelry collection; Louis Vuitton mounts an interactive exhibition in Hollywood; and more LA style news.
58 // heir time
60 // sister aCt
58
Designer August Getty made a dramatic entrance at New York Fashion Week with his debut womenswear collection.
22 la-confidential-magazine.com
Fresh from their new salon launch, celebrity primping pros the Streicher sisters discuss the art of red-carpet beauty.
62 // the ones to WatCh! The theme of this year’s SIHH watch festival: It’s complicated.
photography by Melissa Valladares
For oil-scion-turned-design-wunderkind August Getty, fashion is a family affair.
contents
spring 2015
94
At Spago, diners can order new favorites, like Meyer lemon cheesecake with blood orange and coriander brittle, below, from the menu... as well as off-menu classics, like the smoked-salmon pizza.
73
“In the last 10 years, there’s been a shift where it’s incredibly exciting to be in LA doing fashion,” says the city’s preeminent red-carpet designer, Monique Lhuillier.
At private club Soho House, chef Michael Magliano has elevated the menu to match the peerless 360-degree views.
culture American Ballet Theatre celebrates its 75th birthday with a landmark new production in the OC.
Whiplash writer/director/Oscar nominee Damien Chazelle, 30, opens up about his frst big movie and what all that award buzz means for his next project.
68 // GO EAST, YOUNG
78 // VALLEY GIRL
Art Basel Director Marc Spiegler reveals why this year’s fair in Hong Kong is set to be the most dynamic yet.
Actress Alison Sudol—also known as songstress A Fine Frenzy—waxes nostalgic about her hometown of Pasadena.
70 // CULTURE SPOTLIGHT
80 // INTO AFRICA
Two gallery veterans rebrand the poster; Parisian art invades LA; and more of the season’s top culture news.
With Imagine1Day, Lululemon founders Chip and Shannon Wilson are determined to help every young Ethiopian get a frst-world education.
65 // RAISING THE BARRE
ARTISTS
people 73 // AND THE AWARD
24 la-confidential-magazine.com
76 // PRIZE FIGHTER
invited
GOES TO…
85 // DESERT DARLINGS
On the eve of the Oscars, Monique Lhuillier talks candidly about her rise to stardom as LA’s top red-carpet dress designer.
Hollywood celebrates the Palm Springs International Film Festival; the awards-season party circuit amps up; and more LA event coverage, A to Z!
photography by melissa valladares (lhuillier); matt armendariz (soho house, cheesecake)
91
contents
spring 2015
102
“It’s an honor to be discussed in this way,” says Julianne Moore of the Oscar buzz surrounding her performance in Still Alice.
Dress, Alessandra Rich ($3,265). alessandra rich.com. Vermeil Le Deux Clous Bracelet, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane ($1,245). 326 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-5051; ysl.com
taste 91 // IN THE HOUSE Soho House West Hollywood has introduced a new member perk: a hot new chef.
94 // À LA CARTE BLANCHE Dine like a H’wood insider by ordering these delectable secret-menu items.
98 // MAÎTRESSES OF THE UNIVERSE
Top Beverly Hills mâitres d’s Rikka Johnson and Pamela Gonyea spill the secrets behind catering to LA’s A-list.
100 // TASTE SPOTLIGHT LA’s Vibiana Cathedral gets a new Neal Fraser restaurant; WeHo’s newest rooftop hot spot; and more of the latest food happenings about town.
features 102 // GODDESS ALMIGHTY
110 // FLEURS DE VIE Spring’s most elegant dresses are anything but garden-variety.
120 // BOOGIE DAYS Seventies-style classics get a streetwisechic revamp this season.
128 // CUSTOM OF THE CITY A made-to-measure creation from one of LA’s top custom clothing and accessory artisans is the ultimate fashion indulgence.
26 la-confidential-magazine.com
photography by kurt iswarienko. styling by deborah afshani
Oscar front-runner Julianne Moore reveals how life inspired her unforgettable character in Still Alice.
contents
spring 2015
142
Laurel Canyon’s funky-cool “ThreeLayer Cake House” has wraparound views worth a breezy $3 million.
haute property 139 // LIGHTS, CAMERA… MANSION!
Real estate agents to the Hollywood set divulge what stars look for when buying a home.
142 // GRAND CANYONS From Laurel to Beachwood, the best city views can be found in the wilds of LA.
abode & beyond 149 // BEACHY KEEN Veteran Hollywood retailer Jamie Rosenthal brings her Lost & Found store empire—and a new home concept—to the Westside.
150 // MAKER’S MARK This season, go artisanal for home décor!
and finally… 156 // GONE GIRL Take a moment of silence for dearly departed Academy hangout Kate Mantilini.
ON THE COVER: Julianne Moore
Styling by Deborah Afshani/Art Department Hair by Marcus Francis/Starworks Makeup by Elaine Offers/Exclusive Artists using L’Oréal Paris Nails by Fleury Rose using Dior Vernis Video: Emilie Jackson Shot on location at The Plaza hotel, 888-240-7775; theplazany.com Dress with gold chain ($8,345) and gold chain knot necklace ($985), Lanvin. netaporter.com. Vermeil Le Deux Clous bracelet ($1,245) and vermeil bracelet ($895), Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane. 326 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-5051; ysl.com. Sandals, Paul Andrew ($1,095). avenue32.com CORRECTION In our Winter 2015 issue’s coverage of the RH West Hollywood gallery opening (page 165), Michael Chu was misidentified as Edward Lee in a photo with Len Schlesinger. We apologize for the error.
28 la-confidential-magazine.com
photography by brian thomas Jones
Photography by Kurt Iswarienko
AWAKEN EYES The NEW Illuminating Eye Gel
This refreshing gel treatment instantly lights up the eyes. The legendary healing energies of Miracle Broth™ help ďŹ ght the early signs of aging. Eyes look youthful, energized and awakened. Newly bright. LaMer.com
N E I M A N M A R C U S - S A K S F I F T H AV E N U E
JOIN US ONLINE at la-confdential-magazine.com
We have the inside scoop on Los Angeles’s best parties, awards season moments, and more. dine
WHERE TO ENJOY SPRING’S FRESHEST PRODUCE From garden-to-glass cocktails to farm-to-table dishes, here’s where to make the most of spring’s bounty.
SEE THE LATEST FROM LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS Couldn’t attend? Browse the newest photos from LA’s most exclusive parties.
style
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE AWARDS SEASON LOOKS We’re compiling a list of our favorite red carpet outfits, and we want you to tell us who wore it best.
COME FOLLOW US
PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIA KLENOVA (DINE); JASON MERRITT, C. FLANIGAN/GETTY IMAGES FOR PSIFF (WITHERSPOON); DFREE (STYLE)
photos
SPENCER BECK Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor ERIN MAGNER Executive Managing Editor DEBORAH L. MARTIN Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Photo Editor REBECCA SAHN Fashion Editor FAYE POWER Copy Editor WENDIE PECHARSKY Research Editor LESLIE ALEXANDER
ALISON MILLER Group Publisher Associate Publisher VALERIE ROBLES Account Directors GUY BROWN, NORMA MONTALVO, ELIZABETH MOORE, MIA PIERRE-JACQUES Account Executive JULIA MAZUR Event Marketing Manager ANTHONY ANGELICO Assistant Distribution Relations Manager JENNIFER PALMER Office Manager CAROLYN SCARBROUGH Sales and Marketing Assistant KELSEY MARRUJO
NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Vice President of Creative and Fashion ANN SONG Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS ART AND PHOTO
Associate Art Directors ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI, ALLISON FLEMING, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Senior Designer NATALI SUASNAVAS Designers AARON BELANDRES, SARAH LITZ Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Photo Editors KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER, JODIE LOVE, SETH OLENICK, JENNIFER PAGAN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN FASHION
Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON COPY AND RESEARCH
Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, JOHANNA MATTSSON, JULIA STEINER Research Editors JAMES BUSS, JUDY DEYOUNG, AVA WILLIAMS EDITORIAL OPERATIONS
Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Director of Editorial Relations MATTHEW STEWART Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Executive Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editors ANNA BEN YEHUDA, TRICIA CARR Online Editorial Assistant CATHERINE PARK Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, KAREN ROSE, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, MURAT OZTASKIN, OUSSAMA ZAHR Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS ADVERTISING SALES
Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, CLAIRE CARLIN, MICHELLE CHALA, KATHLEEN FLEMING, VICTORIA HENRY, KAREN LEVINE, MEREDITH MERRILL, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK, JIM SMITH, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, KRISTIN BARNES, LAUREN BROGNA, MORGAN CLIFFORD, JANELLE DRISCOLL, VINCE DUROCHER, IRENA HALL, SARAH HECKLER, CATHERINE KUCHAR, FENDY MESY, MARY RUEGG, ERIN SALINS, JACKIE VAN METER Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, BRITTANY CORBETT, DARA HIRSH, KARA KEARNS, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, RUE MCBRIDE, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, MICHELLE PETRILLO, ELENA SENDOLO, ALEXANDRA WINTER MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Senior Director of Brand Development ROBIN KEARSE Director of Brand Development JOANNA TUCKER Brand Development Managers CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA, JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Director of Creative Services SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designers KAITLYN RICHERT, CARLY RUSSELL Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, HALEE HARCZYNSKI, LAURA MULLEN, KIMMY WILSON Event Marketing Managers JUDSON BARDWELL, CRISTINA PARRA, ASHLEY VEHSLAGE Event Marketing Coordinator BROOKE BIDDLE Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Manager BLUE UYEDA Production Artists ALISHA DAVIS, MARISSA MAHERAS, DARA RICCI Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Manufacturing Coordinator KIMBERLY CHANG Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD FINANCE
Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Finance Directors AUDREY CADY, LISA VASSEUR-MODICA Director of Credit and Collections CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants KATHY SABAROVA, NEIL SHAH, NATASHA WARREN Accounts Payable Coordinator NADINE DEODATT ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS
Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources STEPHANIE MITCHELL Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Digital Producer ANTHONY PEARSON Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR Desktop Administrators ZACHARY CUMMO, EDGAR ROCHE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), ANDREA BENNETT (Vegas), KATHY BLACKWELL (Austin Way), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), CATHERINE SABINO (Gotham), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), DAMIEN WILLIAMSON (Executive Editor, Aspen Peak), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons) PUBLISHERS
JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS F. DELONE (Austin Way), DAWN DUBOIS (Gotham), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue), JOSEF VANN (Vegas)
Managing Partner JANE GALE Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Chief Operating Officer MARIA BLONDEAUX Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Executive Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Copyright 2015 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published eight times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Los Angeles Confidential magazine’s right to edit. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, photographs, and drawings. To order a subscription, please call 866-891-3144. For customer service, please inquire at losangelesconfidential@pubservice.com. To distribute Los Angeles Confidential at your business, please e-mail magazinerequest@nichemediallc.com. Los Angeles Confidential magazine is published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC., a division of Greengale Publishing, LLC. T: 310-289-7300 F: 310-289-0444 niche media holdings: 100 Church Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10007 T: 646-835-5200 F: 212-780-0003
los angeles confidential: 8530 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90211
32 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
B E V E R LY H I L LS
310 . 285 . 0 3 3 0
S O U T H COA ST P L A Z A PA L M D E S E R T E S C A D A . COM
714 . 957. 6 8 0 0
76 0 . 7 73 . 0 0 25
ASPEN PEAK | AUSTIN WAY | BOSTON COMMON | CAPITOL FILE | GOTHAM | HAMPTONS LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL | MICHIGAN AVENUE | OCEAN DRIVE | PHILADELPHIA STYLE | VEGAS
FASHION COMES AND GOES. Iconic brands—the ones that endure—must reinvent themselves or end up on the glittering dust heap of history. It’s not enough to have a name and a vision. Legendary couturiers such as Mainbocher, Pierre Cardin, and Charles James once ruled the fashion roost—blazing-hot, seemingly invincible brands whose stars eventually cooled. For every memorable house such as Chanel, Saint Laurent, and Valentino, there are an equal number of long-forgotten fashionhouse victims. Sometimes, successful reinventions are nuanced: Witness the relatively seamless transition of Hermès over the past 178 years. Other remakes, decidedly less so. (My grandmother was a longtime Abercrombie & Fitch loyalist; I daresay, she’d take a roll in the grave—but certainly not the hay—met by the buff boys who man the front doors of that shop these days.) Until recently, LA’s fashion cred was decidedly deuxième rang, despite the indisputable influence of Hollywood. Once-upon-a-time local luminaries such as Adrian and Galanos are longingly remembered by the fashion cognoscenti, even if lost to the general public. But all that’s changed. International “high-fashion” labels such as Saint Laurent have retooled themselves to great effect right here in Southern California. That house’s press-shy creative director, Hedi Slimane, engineered the revolutionary relocation of an iconic French brand to Los Angeles, a clarion affirmation of the fashion world’s creeping manifest destiny westward. This past winter, Gucci, one of the very first luxury brands to arrive on Rodeo Drive almost 50 years ago, threw open its remodeled digs with great fanfare, hosting an evening in which LA’s power dressers and power
gays (a benefit for LGBT org GLSEN—Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network—was the charity du jour for the occasion) commingled throughout the three spit-polished marble floors of the spanked-up Beverly Hills mainstay. Amidst the chichi chitchat over fetal-sized hors d’oeuvres and monstrous cocktails, little did anyone know Gucci’s latest creative queen bee, Frida Giannini, was already out the door. And so it goes… Will Gucci weather the latest change? As a longtime fan of the brand (and inveterate fashion spectator), I say yes. Even before Ms. G. and Tom Ford (cross yourself), back when Gucci, the brand, had a lot of class but certainly less sass, the Gucci loafer (the “original,” in black, with the gold buckle and red and green stripes) was the must-have accessory for every late-1970s preppie—worn sans socks, natch. I eventually parted ways with those iconic shoes (the heels were a tad too disco high), but not my loyalty to Aldo and then Tom and then Frida. I’m on my sixth or seventh iteration of the Gucci loafer at this point. I have a pair for work (black, silver buckle), a suede pair for play (brown, gold buckle), even a very comfortable pair I use only for traveling. Stretched out over the years to accommodate my triple-E-width peasant feet, they are easily removed at airports. Once in a silvery moon, I’ll take a walkabout through Tod’s or Ferragamo or Louis Vuitton. Beautiful stores; beautiful shoes; beautiful salespeople. But for 35 years now, through all the reinventions, my heart (and Amex) still belong to Gucci. The power of a brand…
Shoe ins! Toasting Gucci’s remodeled Rodeo digs (TOP) at a benefit for LGBT org GLSEN with journalist/buddy Degen Pener, LEFT, and cohost, Dreamworks exec Chip Sullivan. ABOVE: Talking time with Westime president Greg Simonian at the opening of the store’s chic new Malibu shop. LEFT: Doing the carpet with LAC account director Norma Montalvo at the Craig Shelly boutique opening in Beverly Hills.
SPENCER BECK Stay up to date with all that’s going on in LA at la-confidential-magazine.com.
36
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES FOR GUCCI (PENER); JASON KING (SIMONIAN); ERICA DORSEY (MONTALVO)
LETTER from the Editor-in-Chief
LETTER from the Publisher 1
Scandal stars Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington at the 2014 Costume Designers Guild Awards.
2
With the legendary Roger Daltry at Soho House; celebrating The Imitation Game producers, Teddy Schwarzman, Nora Grossman, and Ido Ostrowsky, with Hamilton CEO Sylvain Dolla (FAR RIGHT) at the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards.
TWO WORDS: TOM FORD. In a little-noticed shot across the bow of pedigreed fashion weeks, Tom Ford announced that his next show will be held in Los Angeles rather than the more established runway destinations of New York, London, Paris, and Milan. Imagine it! In the midst of Academy Awards season, the most coveted invite in town will be a runway show. And we’re not just talking about a major fashion house, but the fashion house—Tom Ford!!! In the event you’ve been under a fashion rock for the past few decades, Tom Ford, previously the creative director for Gucci and YSL, launched his own ’70s-inspired line in 2006 and quickly rose to become one of the most coveted designers in US history. In a nutshell, this visionary perfectionist is a fashion world demigod. So this year, when he presents his Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 collection on February 20, it marks a new era for Los Angeles, one in which the city can benefit from a revitalized credibility for our fashion and textile industries; one in which we can reap the rewards of newfound tourism revenues; and one in which we can celebrate the ever-growing influence that our fair city has in the eyes of popular culture.
If you don’t believe me, just watch the Academy Awards on February 22. It is one of the mostwatched television events of the year, with several hundred million fans tuning in to Tinseltown’s own runway presentation. The media commits as much airtime to red-carpet fashion as to the work being honored. Our cover star this month, Julianne Moore, is the perfect embodiment of this rarified combination of talent and style. In the words of Carrie Bradshaw: “I like my money right where I can see it… hanging in my closet.” We hope you enjoy our annual Spring Fashion issue. I, for one, am in an LA state of mind!
Cheers,
3 Benedict Cumberbatch of The Imitation Game at the 2014 Academy Awards.
// this month //
ON MY RADAR Let the red-carpet madness begin!
ALISON MILLER
Stay up to date with all that’s going on in LA at la-confidential-magazine.com.
38 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette at the 2015 Spirit Awards nominee brunch.
1. 17th Costume Designers Guild Awards, February 17 at The Beverly Hilton 2. 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards, February 21 in Santa Monica 3. 87th Academy Awards, February 22 at the Dolby Theatre
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES (SCHWARTZMAN, COSTUME GUILD); COURTESY OF PIAGET (SPIRIT AWARDS); AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN/FILMMAGIC (CUMBERBATCH)
FROM LEFT:
King Power Los Angeles Lakers. Tribute to the legendary basketball team. Central 48-minute chronograph with four 12-minute zones. Developed and manufactured by Hublot. Case in carbon fiber. Available with 2 straps featuring the team's iconic purple and gold colors. Limited edition of 50 pieces. Only available at the Beverly Hills Boutique. www.hublot.com •
twitter.com/hublot •
facebook.com/hublot
René Hallen and Radka leitmeRitz René Hallen and Radka Leitmeritz (“Fleurs de Vie,” page 110, and “Boogie Days,” page 120) met in Paris, where they were both working separately. Their collaboration draws on everything from commercialstyle graphics to fantasy and surrealism. In 2006, they won the Prague Fashion Photo of the Year and have created campaigns for Kenzo, John Lewis, Aston Martin, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Sephora. Their editorial work has appeared in publications such as Vogue Japan, Wallpaper, W, T Magazine, and Le Monde. What did you love most about the two fashion shoots this issue? Both shoots were so different. We loved working on the florals story, because of the pure approach, and Rachel Roberts is an iconic and inspiring model. Plus we got to have armfuls of flowers in the studio! The ’70s fashion story was about two people hanging out in our favorite place—Downtown LA! It has the most amazing locations and light. What is your favorite subject matter to shoot? We love taking portraits of interesting people, especially from the movie industry (it is LA, after all), but fashion is our passion. How do you get everyone to relax on set? We are open and honest with everybody and try to be clear about what we are going for. It’s important to keep positive energy. Who or what is on your photography bucket list and why? Interesting projects with maximum creative freedom are every photographer’s goal. Our dream is to collaborate on a great movie poster or iconic TV show promotion.
40 la-confidential-magazine.com
// Spring 2015
allYSOn ReeS
lUke CRiSell
Allyson Rees is a journalist, trend forecaster, and creative consultant who writes for a wide array of publications, from WWD to Fashionista. A regular contributor to LA Confidential, Rees also cofounded thepolitesse.com, a career website for young women. In this issue, she visits with the American Ballet Theatre (page 65) and delves into artisanal design, LA style (page 149).
Formerly the executive editor of Nylon, Luke Crisell is a writer and creative director based in Brooklyn, New York. He has interviewed such celebrites as Zoe Saldana, Freida Pinto, Zac Efron, and Amy Adams, and has contributed to publications including New York, Wallpaper, Monocle, and Elle. In this issue, he interviews cover star and Oscar nominee Julianne Moore (page 118).
Southern California has become ballet central with the ABT premiere of Sleeping Beauty, the exhibit at the Disney Music Hall, and the opening of the Gillespie school. Why now? LA’s dance community has always been strong, but Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project has helped generate some major buzz for the City of Angels. What is your favorite ballet? Les Sylphides. It’s a dark horse, but the score is Chopin, so it is romantic and lively—think beautiful wood nymphs leaping around in full skirts and flower crowns. What more could you need? Who is on your interview wish list, and why? Oprah, always. I’ve been watching her since I was 9—she is my idol! Though I’ve had a few opportunities to meet her (amazing!), I’d love to chat with her over a bottle of tequila. Oprah loves tequila.
What was the most unexpected thing you learned about Julianne Moore? How wonderfully unsurprising she is. She was just going about her day, doing yoga, and meeting friends. She put me at ease in about three minutes. You have interviewed many celebrities. What are some of your favorite moments? I interviewed Keanu Reeves and Woody Harrelson on the phone, and Keanu took a call from Robert Downey Jr., then conferenced him into our call. After a while, they forgot I was there and they were all just catching up. Paris Hilton, who I spent quite a bit of time with for a profile, was far smarter and more astute than you would think. There was a distinct melancholy there. Paul Rudd was so open-hearted, as was Matthew McConaughey. Emma Stone surprised me by agreeing to drive across the Mississippi Delta to visit William Faulkner’s house with me while I was spending time with her on the set of The Help.
photography by rené & radka (rené & radka)
...witHOUt wHOm this issue would not have been possible
the list spring 2015
Yael Aflalo
Kristen Wiig
Myorr Janha
Rachel Roy
Jason Arasheben
Taylor Swift
Jenna Hipp
Joy Bryant
Francesca Paige
Rebel Wilson
Dayna Devon
Dave Pope
Sir John Richardson
Karen Johnson
Sean Yashar
Kris Morningstar
Daniel Martinez
Joseph Martinez
Lauren Bruksch
Francois Renaud
Michael Patrick
Stephanie Eglin
Taz Saunders
Rich Roll
Silvio Horta
Marisa Theobald
Marwan Al-Sayed
Julie Piatt
James Crank
Julie Moore
Chloe Dahl
Wheelock Whitney III
Matthew Schaefer
Benjamin Goedert
Nikki Booth
Gia Storms
David Rueda
Jennifer Sidary
Suzy Cameron
Degen Pener
Patti Costantino
Lauren Brown
Helenna Santos
James Kisgen
Katie Dixon
Jeff Wilson
Alexandra Boylan
Rafael de Cárdenas
Ellar Coltrane
Sally Thomas Cooper
Andrea Artenstein
Catherine Johnson
Common
Jason Cooper
Zoë Chicco
Rebecca Rudolph
Charlie Hunnam
Jeff Tweedy
Antonia van der Meer
John Gornik
Sean Douglas
Dao-Yi Chow
Andrew Listermann
Greg Elias
42 la-confidential-magazine.com
W E LCO M E H O M E The New Cosmetics Department at NM Beverly Hills • Now Open
BEVERLY HILLS 310.550.5900 NEIMANMARCUS.COM
BURBERRY DOLCE & GABBANA FENDI GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI GUCCI HUGO BOSS JIMMY CHOO LOUIS VUITTON MONTBLANC OMEGA PRADA SAINT LAURENT SALVATORE FERRAGAMO TIFFANY & CO. VERSACE COLLECTION Z ZEGNA
BLOOMINGDALE’S
. MACY’S . THE CAPITAL GRILLE
BEVERLY BOULEVARD & LA CIENEGA
. LOS ANGELES CA
BEVERLYCENTER.COM
vince.com Los Angeles, California - N o v e m b e r 2 0 14
T h e G r ove
Malibu Country Mart
Melrose Place
Pasadena
R o b e r t s o n B o u l ev a r d
style tastemaker
ThaT’s amoruso! On-a-rOll Online fashiOn star/authOr/nasty Gal-abOut-tOwn Sophia amoruSo is literally breakinG new GrOund with brick-and-mOrtar meGa bOutiques.
photography courtesy of nasty gal
by erin magner
Sophia Amoruso’s philosophy as a retailer can be boiled down to one guiding principle: the “holy sh*t” moment. “It’s not about shock value—that’s pushing it a little further,” explains the Nasty Gal founder. “But I think ‘holy sh*t’ is a good thing and something there’s not enough of in retail. Everything we do should be an opportunity for someone to say not just ‘Holy sh*t, isn’t this dress amazing?’ but ‘Holy sh*t, have you seen the fitting room? I need to take a picture of this.’” It’s an ideology that’s served Amoruso well. Six years after singlehandedly launching Nasty Gal as an eBay vintage clothing store in 2006, it exploded into an e-commerce powerhouse, reportedly hitting $100 million in annual sales and attracting $50 million in investments in 2012. A year later, Amoruso launched Nasty Gal-branded lines of apparel and shoes, both of which channel her signature disco diva-meets-Riot Grrl brand of style. But 2014 was perhaps Nasty Gal’s biggest year to date—Amoruso wrote a New York Times best-selling business handbook, #Girlboss; debuted the #Girlboss Foundation to help support female entrepreneurs; and opened Nasty Gal’s first brick-and-mortar store on Melrose Avenue. And she started 2015 with another bombshell announcement—that she was handing the role of Nasty Gal CEO over to president and chief product officer Sheree Waterson, a shift that will allow her to focus solely on the creative side of the brand. coNTiNued oN paGe 48
#Nofilter: Sophia Amoruso has filled Nasty Gal’s new Melrose Place flagship with Instagramworthy moments courtesy of pop-tastic architect Rafael de Cardenas.
la-confidential-magazine.com 47
style tastemaker
In a nod to Amoruso’s roots as a vintage clothing dealer, the Melrose flagship carries vintage clothing and accessories alongside the new.
Nasty Gal Melrose’s “stairway to heaven” shoe department; the upcoming Santa Monica store will carry an even bigger selection.
The Nasty Gal team set out to give their online customers even more of a good thing at its brick-and-mortar location on Melrose. The result is the ultimate shopping Shangri-La.
Through it all—but especially in the past 12 months—Amoruso has become as much of a celebrity among her millennial client base as the ones that turned up to the Nasty Gal store launch party (Charlize Theron and Sean Penn among them). On opening day, 20-something women lined up for hours—one of whom flew in from DC for the occasion—to take selfies with the 30-year-old Amoruso as if she were Beyoncé. So what does Amoruso think is behind her rock-star status? “It’s crazy… I never anticipated it,” she says. “They’re excited about the story and they know the people running it—at least me—are
part of their generation.” “Sophia’s success is proof that young women want alternate role models to what contemporary culture has been feeding them,” says journalist and Amoruso pal Amanda de Cadenet. “She’s smart, savvy, and self-made; she got where she is by having a vision and going for it.” Amoruso knows that her generation craves connection and community outside of a smartphone screen, which is why she decided to bring her all-digital brand into the physical world last November. “Our girls are just so in love with our clothes and our story. Our brand has a look and a sound and a feeling, and I
48 la-confidential-magazine.com
wanted to bring that to life.” So the Nasty Gal team set about creating an ultimate shopping Shangri-La—one filled with faux fur, sequins, and vintage Chanel, where the salesgirls are always smiling, electro-pop and hip-hop are always on blast, and expletive-worthy moments abound. (Those fitting rooms? They’re made from two-way mirrors. Cue Instagram hysteria.) That first store has proven so successful that another larger one is on deck for this spring. The 6,500-square-foot space on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade will have its own dedicated shoe salon (a nod to Amoruso’s first stints in retail as a shoe salesperson) and,
eventually, will be a hub for events where the Nasty Gal faithful can make friends IRL. “On my book tour, we had girls waiting around for the event to start, and they’re exchanging business cards… whether they have businesses or not,” Amoruso says. “This generation is super ambitious. They want to network and better themselves and learn everywhere they can. That’s the next step—mobilizing our girls around doing more than shopping in the stores.” It’ll be hard for Team Nasty Gal to top the events of 2014, and, in fact, Amoruso is looking forward to some (relative) downtime to synthesize what she’s learned
over the past few years—and plan her upcoming wedding. But she’s well aware that whatever the future holds, it’s going to be more than she can fathom now. “I interviewed all the girls who work in our Melrose store and asked them why they wanted to work at Nasty Gal,” she recalls. “One of them said, ‘Because when I shop at Nasty Gal, I feel like I’m donating to feminism.’ I just can’t get that out of my head… like, that’s our opportunity? When your customers are preaching gospel you haven’t even spoken, you’re definitely on to something.” A holy sh*t moment, indeed. 8115 melrose ave., la, 323-658-1010; nastygal.com LAC
photography by gEtty / John Sciulli (naSty gal); courtESy naSty gal (JEwElry, StorEfront)
“This generaTion is super ambiTious. ThaT’s going To be The nexT sTep—mobilizing our girls around doing more Than shopping in The sTores.”—sophia amoruso
shop at www.giuseppezanottidesign.com
9536 brighton way, beverly hills ca 90210 310 550.5760
beverly center - 8500 beverly blvd, los angeles ca 90048 310 499.2962
STYLE Accessories
NEO GRAPHIC
THIS SEASON, GO MINIMAL CHIC WITH BLACK, WHITE, AND STYLE ALL OVER! photography by jeff crawford fashion styling by faye power
FOR MOD’S SAKE M Cabas tote, Balenciaga ($2,075). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com. White and black bracelet ($285), oblong bracelet ($280), and white outer bracelet ($275), Hermès. 434 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2786440; hermes.com. Agatha bootie, Vince ($450). 8471 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-782-1007; vince.com
50 la-confidential-magazine.com
ProP styling by betim balaman
Bangles, booties, and structured bags bring a bold edge.
Style Accessories 2
1 TOMBOY’S CLUB
STRIPE TEASE
No-frills silhouettes lend a masculine feel.
Sleek and sexy lines are anything but neutral.
4
PUMP IT UP
HIP POP
Go stark raving mod for contrast.
A play on proportion adds visual appeal.
1. Revere belt, Sportmax ($425). Max Mara, South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-754-7900; sportmax.com. Spectator sandal, Paul Andrew ($895). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; saks.com. Clutch, Boss (price on request). Beverly Center, LA, 310-657-0011; hugoboss.com. 2. Ester wedge, Santoni ($805). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; saks.com. Ava resin minaudière, Serpui ($450). serpui.com.br. Lux mini white clutch, Kara Ross ($1,750). Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; kararossny.com. 3. Patent pump with gold-metal detail, Lanvin ($850). 260 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-402-0580; lanvin.com. Striped leather handbag, Dolce & Gabbana ($2,495). 314 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-888-8701; dolcegabbana.com. Sabrina pump, Oscar de la Renta ($950). 8446 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-653-0200; oscardelarenta.com. 4. Cutout medium clutch, Vince ($495). 8471 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-782-1007; vince.com. Chevron pointed pump, Nicholas Kirkwood ($750). Intermix, 110 N. Robertson Blvd., LA, 310-860-0113; nicholaskirkwood.com
52 la-confidential-magazine.com
ProP styling by betim balaman
3
STYLE Spotlight // VIVA ITALIA // 1
happenings
Facet Times
jewelry
CHANEL DEBUTS AN OSCAR-WORTHY FINE-JEWELRY LINE INSPIRED BY PARISIAN JOIE DE VIVRE. BY LAUREN FINNEY Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was as much a part of Paris’s café society as anyone could be, casting aside predetermined social standards of the early 20th century in favor of a bohemian lifestyle (and an equally rule-breaking approach to fashion). This spirit of freedom is evident in Chanel’s newest fine-jewelry collection, Café Society. Each piece stunningly reflects the Art Deco design era, with names reminiscent of the Roaring ’20s (from “Bubbles” to “Jazz”). Signature Chanel Fine Jewelry elements, including onyx, rock crystal, and white diamonds, are highlighted by innovative geometry and new brilliant cuts. Mademoiselle Chanel would most certainly approve. 400 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-5055; chanel.com LAC
//adornments //
Step inside the mind of Louis Vuitton’s women’s artistic director, Nicolas Ghesquière, at a special immersive experience called “Louis Vuitton Series 2 – Past, Present and Future.” Expect art installations celebrating the LV logo and iconic trunk, an accessories exhibit that juxtaposes vintage with modern, a space that re-creates what it’s like backstage at a fashion show, and a 360-degree projection room showing the brand’s Spring/Summer 2015 runway presentation. Through February 22. 1135 N. Highland Ave., LA, 866-Vuitton; louisvuitton.com
ABOVE: A look from Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2015 runway collection.
FINISHING CLUTCHES
Christian Louboutin Paula Cademartori ($1,800). Opening ($2,395). Neiman Marcus, Ceremony, 451 N. La Cienega 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, Blvd., LA, 310-652-1120; 310-550-5900; christianlouboutin.fr openingceremony.us
54
LV LOVE
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
THE XY FACTOR
This spring Salvatore Ferragamo launches A Man’s Story—a digital short film series in collaboration with photographer Francesco Carrozzini celebrating men such as artist and photographer Ryan McGinley and rapper A$AP Rocky (ABOVE), who have made their mark by pursuing their passions. 357 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2739990; manstory.ferragamo.com
2
BOOT SALUTE!
Giuseppe Zanotti celebrates its 20th anniversary this spring with a lavish event in Ibiza, an ad campaign fronted by supermodel Karolina Kurkova, and a commemorative capsule collection. The 20th-anniversary line, dubbed “Rock n’ Roll,” has styles named for everyone from Michael Jackson to rock band Trapt to the “Mrs. West” peep-toe bootie, named after—you guessed it— Kim Kardashian. 9536 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-550-5760; giuseppezanottidesign.com RIGHT:
A sketch by Guiseppe Zanotti from his Spring/Summer 2015 collection.
Freshen up spring looks with a patterned pochette.
Chanel ($1,800). 400 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-5500; chanel.com
Stella McCartney ($1,120). Intermix, 110 N. Robertson Blvd., LA, 310-860-0113; stellamccartney.com
Valentino ($3,145). 360 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-0103; valentino.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCESCO CARROZZINI (FERRAGAMO)
Deco fabulous: The “Midnight” necklace, part of Chanel’s Café Society collection, is crafted from 18k white gold, diamonds, onyx beads, and carved onyx.
H EAR T C O LLE CTI O N
Š2015 - The Franck Muller Group, All rights reserved
STYLE Spotlight // MADE IN LA // 1
neighborhood watch
AMERICANA DREAM
SUNSET RISING
Jean Queens
collabs
TWO LA DENIM LABELS GET A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR IT-GIRL FRIENDS. BY ERIN MAGNER Fashion still hasn’t gotten its fill of celebrity design collaborations, and it’s a good thing—this season is filled with some fine ones, especially on the denim front. Mother Denim (motherdenim.com) has teamed up with supermodel Candice Swanepoel on a ’90s-inspired capsule collection that drops this month—think high-waisted styles updated with slim fits—the sales proceeds of which benefit South African HIV charity Mothers2Mothers. AG (agjeans.com) looked back to the ’60s and ’70s for its partnership with British gal-abouttown Alexa Chung, whose namesake collection includes A-line jean skirts, dresses, and overalls— is it too early to start packing for Coachella? LAC
// fragrance //
ABOVE:
The Runwell 36mm burgundy watch ($800). Shinola, 3515 Sunset Blvd., LA, 323-473-5250; shinola.com
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Scarlett clutches, from $525.
TOTE-ALLY AWESOME
Former Neiman Marcus PR exec Erin Shaffer has gone from selling handbags to making them with Shaffer, a line of minimalist-cool clutches, totes, and bucket bags. The best part? All are made in Downtown LA. Ron Robinson, 8118 Melrose Ave., LA, 323-651-1800; shafferla.com
OLFACTORY TOWN
Although it was born in Russia, 111-year-old fragrance brand Krigler has strong roots in LA; after all, it was the perfume house of choice for Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. So to celebrate
56
2
its new retail space inside the Four Seasons Los Angeles, Krigler has debuted Charming California 215 (from $215), a woodsy-floral love letter to its spiritual home. Inspired by the
scent of the jacaranda tree, which grows in both SoCal and the South of France, today’s Hollywood royalty will surely approve. 300 S. Doheny Dr., LA, 310-273-2222; krigler.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGELO PENNETTA (AG); HILARY WALSH (THE GREAT)
Alexa Chung lounges in the Julie dress ($268) from her new collection for AG.
Forget Melrose and Robertson! These days, out-of-town brands are clamoring to set up shop in Silver Lake—on the 3500 block of West Sunset, to be exact. In recent weeks, this charmed stretch of pavement has seen the arrival of iconic Parisian brand A.P.C.; Australian skincare sensation Aesop; San Fran’s Mollusk Surf Shop; and Detroit watch and leather goods phenom Shinola. Shinola CEO Steve Bock calls the area “one of Los Angeles’s most culturally vibrant neighborhoods”— and now, it’s also one of the most stylish.
After stepping down from Current/Elliott, the denim line they created in 2008, designers Emily Current and Meritt Elliott are getting back into the design game with new womenswear brand The Great. The debut collection is full of easy-to-wear pieces that skew both tomboyish (menswear-style shirting) and ultrafeminine (ruffled baby doll blouses). Says Elliott: “We’ve evolved as people and as designers, and this is our first fully realized expression of that journey.” Barneys New York, 9570 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-276-4400; barneys.com
Style It Guy
Heir Time
August getty’s debut fashion collection gets (majorly) noticed. By AlexAndriA ABrAmiAn When asked to describe his approach to his newly debuted fashion label, August Getty skips the vague musings and instead offers a highly succinct description: “My work is like Michael Jackson’s glitter glove. It was in the middle of the day, and he was coming out of the hospital with that glove on, and he looked like a f*cking rock star,” says the striking oil scion. “That’s what it’s about. Give a performance. It’s all show. And this is certainly for show.” This refers to both his approach to his new collection, August Getty Atelier, which debuts this spring following a show at New York Fashion Week last fall, as well as his spacious Culver City showroom, where he sits amid a sea of high-drama dresses that poof, plunge, cling, curve, slink, slither, and shock. Think leather and laminated lace, hard-edge metallics, and painted velvet. “This isn’t subtle,” says Getty by way of understatement as he walks past a black and white creation that fits corsetlike at the waist and then swells into a fantastical, cagelike bulb at the hips. “That took more than 100 yards of silk tulle,” he says. “I was inspired by wrought iron.” Not that fitting in quietly with the fashion crowd was ever a goal of the 20-year-old designer, whose mother, Ariadne, is the daughter of J. Paul Getty II and whose
58 la-confidential-magazine.com
model sister, Natalia, functions as his muse. “I’ve always been drawn to that line between fantasy and reality,” says Getty, who cites his earliest design memories as repurposing his mother’s shoe bags. “They’d be silk or pink, and I’d take them into the bath with me and wrap them around Barbies. That was my Warhol Factory.” Later, when Getty moved from Los Angeles to London, his father gave him a dress form. “I was 13 then, and I’d buy fabrics and just drape. That’s when I first started to really understand what draping and dresses were all about.” Today, Getty is hard at work creating his next collection, one that he says will be more “sex heavy” than his first. “I’m not one to say that simpler is better. More is more. And right now I’m in a black phase.” When asked about the tattoos that populate his arms, the designer says that most of them weren’t overly thought out. “My sister and I would just go to the tattoo parlor and think of something there,” he says, pointing out one that says, we create our own limits in French, inspired by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Another is simply a drawing of a unicorn. “Unicorns are like me—they’re halfway between fantasy and reality. And I think they’re highly underestimated.” augustgetty.com LAC
photography by melissa valladares
The grandson also rises: Flanked in his Culver City studio by his mother, Ariadne (right), and sister/muse, Natalia, oil scion August Getty is adding fashion to the family portfolio. above: Two looks from Getty’s high-drama Spring/Summer 2015 collection.
STYLE Beauty
Home run! Jenn (left), Kristie (middle), and Ashley Streicher team up for a new salon-cum-creative space, Striiike, in Beverly Hills.
Sister Act
The Streichers’ Secret Weapons
60 la-confidential-magazine.com
Jenn Streicher: It’s great working with someone we already have a relationship with. I just did Emily Blunt for the premiere of Into the Woods, and she sent me a picture of what she was wearing so we could talk about ideas. It’s always a collaboration. I prefer to plan ahead because it’s more fun, but you don’t always get that privilege. What do you love about awards season? Kristie Streicher: The busy-ness and hustle and bustle. There is a lot of positive energy this time of year, especially if a client is nominated. Do you have any red-carpet beauty predictions for this year’s Oscars? JS: Really beautiful skin, rich lip colors, and full brows. KS: I think we will see a lot of fashion dares and some rule breaking.
Jenn, Kristie, and Ashley unmask the hero products in their awards-season beauty arsenals. Jenn: “I can’t live without Beauty Blender makeup sponges (right) and Ardell Professional false lashes.” Kristie: “Surratt Expressioniste Brow Pencil and Blinc Eyebrow Mousse in Dark Brunette (right) pack a powerful punch for the red carpet.” Ashley: “I use Sachajuan Dark Volume Powder to give hair extra texture and volume.”
photography by Ture Lillegraven
Power trio the Streicher sisters STRIIIKE out together with a new beauty biz in time for the Oscars. By Emerson Patrick It’s hard to pin down the Streicher sisters, the triple-threat beauty team to Hollywood stars including Anne Hathaway, Hailee Steinfeld, Emily Blunt, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Even in the rare moment the ladies aren’t with clients (they recently opened the super-chic salon-cum-creative space Striiike in Beverly Hills), they’re “on,” touching up anyone in reach—a flyaway here, a smear of lipstick there. We chatted with the glamazons—Jenn, 40, a makeup guru whose career began at an Estée Lauder counter in college; Kristie, 38, an eyebrow cultivator extraordinaire who started early with Clinique; and Ashley, 31, a gifted hairstylist who began beauty school in her teens—about Oscar beauty and doling out red-carpet treatment. What is your creative process like for a major celebrity event?
Behind-the-scenes celebrity prep must be hectic. Any recent snafus? JS: A client came to our house—I was doing her makeup, and Ashley, her hair. She came with her dress, but forgot all her jewelry, so we loaned her a few pieces, including our grandmother’s earrings. The Streichers are full-service. Speaking of, at Striiike you offer a 15-minute Lightning Strike service, where you all team up to give a client a quick “enhancement.” Left to their own devices, what celeb-tested tips would you offer real women? Ashley Streicher: People think they should wash their hair or get a haircut right before [an event], but one-day dirty hair is better, so it has texture and hold. JS: And don’t ever do your makeup in a dark room. Natural light is best—anything by a window. KS: Use a strong-hold brow gel to brush the hairs up, so they look fuller and more natural. A cheat is to use hairspray. Ashley often sprays it on a spikey brush first. JS: Also, use an eye mask, like Shiseido’s, for 10 minutes before applying makeup to help plump up the area and temporarily erase fine lines. And disasters happen when you are in a hurry, so make sure to give yourself even more extra time than you think you need! Striiike, 9278 Civic Center Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-205-2600; striiike.com LAC
STYLE Time Keeper
The Ones TO WaTch!
What’s trending in luxury Watches this year? a peek inside the first exhibition of 2015 indicates complex and complicated timepieces are leading the Way. By RoBeRta Naas The global sales of timepieces in 2014 are estimated to be nearly $40 billion, with watches from Switzerland accounting for more than half of that sum. That may well be why the world’s first watch exhibition of 2015, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), was the place to be in January. More than 12,000 watch retailers and specialty press descended on Geneva for the SIHH show to witness the unveiling of the newest timepieces by 16 top luxury brands. These watches, many that were half a dozen years in development, will make their way to the US market beginning this summer and will determine the timepiece trends in the year to come and beyond. What can consumers expect? The unexpected and the incredible. While chronographs and calendar watches made strong appearances, so, too, did skeletonized watches, world timers, astronomically inspired pieces, and high complications such as minute repeaters that chime the time. Additionally, tourbillons—watches that have an added escapement to
62 la-confidential-magazine.com
compensate for errors in timing due to gravity when the wrist is in certain positions—continue to be strong as brands vie for the most elaborate tourbillon escapements on the market. Garnering particular attention this year is the category of skeletonized watches. As much of the movement’s metal is carved away as possible to allow the wearer to view, through sapphire crystal and caseback, the elaborate gears and wheels within. Creating a skeleton watch is no easy feat. In fact, a watchmaker spends countless hours whittling away as much as 70 percent of the metal, but must do so in a way that preserves the strength of the piece. Additionally, these tiny component parts are usually further engraved, polished, and finished so that the result is a breathtaking work of art and precision. Cartier has managed to create a particularly sublime skeleton timepiece this year with its new Crash Skeleton. Famed for its unusual case shape (reminiscent of Salvador Dalí’s painting The Persistence of Memory), the watch has
photography and illustration courtesy of Montblanc, parMigiani, roger dubuis, and jaeger-lecoultre
Montblanc’s Heritage Exotourbillon Chronograph Vasco da Gama ($54,000) features an aventurine dial and shows the stars of the Southern Cross. By appointment at Montblanc at Beverly Center, Beverly Hills, 310-854-0049; montblanc.com
been a favorite of collectors since it was first introduced to the world in 1967. The new limited-edition version, crafted in platinum, houses the existing caliber MC 9618 skeletonized movement that had to be completely modified to fit within the Crash shape. Parmigiani Fleurier and Roger Dubuis also focused on skeleton watches this year, unveiling several architecturally inspired pieces. Parmigiani brings together two difficult feats in its new skeleton edition of the Tonda 1950 watch: skeletonization and ultrathin movement-making. Roger Dubuis releases the innovative Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon, which brings the star shape found in its contemporary skeleton movements to the forefront—clearly displaying the elongated star with functional purpose as a key design element. This watch also includes another of the year’s important design trends: the ever-more-complex tourbillon. The race continues among top Swiss watch brands to create increasingly complicated, thinner, larger tourbillon escapements for 2015. Montblanc, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Greubel Forsey, and Cartier are all leaders here—committing themselves to the pursuit of excellence and elegance. Cartier’s watchmakers moved forward with daring new technical feats, unveiling the Rotonde de Cartier Reversed Tourbillon (which minimizes the movement and escapement to new levels for the brand). Montblanc introduces the Heritage Exotourbillon in a special tribute Vasco da Gama edition. Named for the famed explorer who navigated simply by the Southern Cross in the 1500s for a route that would connect Europe with Asia, the stunning version features an
aventurine dial complete with the stars of the Southern Cross in the design. This watch highlights yet another key trend of the year: astronomically inspired watches. The heavens and astronomy trend is one that Jaeger-LeCoultre also taps into with its new Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon watch, which combines moon-phase indication, perpetual calendar, and seemingly free-floating tourbillon escapement. Similarly, Greubel Forsey focuses on astronomy with its seventh invention watch: QP à Équation, which masterfully combines tourbillon, perpetual calendar, and equation of time mechanism (which offers the difference between real time and solar time), complete with season display. Indeed, this new crop of luxury watches—all available later this year—are bound to have a stellar reception. LAC
clockwise from left: Parmigiani Fleurier unveils the ultrathin Tonda 1950 Skeleton ($40,500) crafted in a case of 18k gold. David Orgell, 262 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-6660; parmigiani.ch
From Roger Dubuis, this Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon ($159,500) features a meticulously carved movement with star motif. Milano Bijou, 928 S. Western Ave. No. 253, LA, 213-382-1700; rogerdubuis.com Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duomètre Sphérotourbillon Moon watch (price on request) is all about astronomy. It combines moon-phases indication with double-carriage tourbillon escapement. 9490 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-734-0525; jaeger-lecoultre.com
The race conTinues among Top waTch brands To creaTe increasingly complicaTed Tourbillon escapemenTs for 2015. la-confidential-magazine.com 63
C RA I G
Beverly Hills
S H E L LY
Fine Jewelry & Timepieces
Pure - Rare - Eternal Craig & Shelly custom designs and manufactures fine diamond jewelry handmade by some of the world’s finest artisans, right here in the USA.
20.02 ct. Natural, Fancy Light Yellow
O N E O F A K I N D N AT U R A L D I A M O N D J E W E L RY BY C R A I G S H E L LY. F O R V I E W I N G A P P O I N T M E N T S O N LY.
Beverly Hills 9 6 2 7 B R I G H T O N WAY, B E V E R LY H I L L S , C A 9 0 2 1 0 ( 310) 734-7878 C R A I G S H E L LY. C O M
culture Hottest ticket
Raising the BaRRe
photography by ShutterStock.com
AmericAn BAllet theAtre marks 75 years with the premiere of its sumptuous new Sleeping Beauty in… drumroll, please… orange County. By Allyson Rees
Turn out! The pièce de résistance of ABT’s diamond jubilee will be the longawaited production of The Sleeping Beauty at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts in March.
In the world of ballet, youth reigns supreme. But for its 75th anniversary, American Ballet Theatre is rejoicing in its advanced age with a yearlong celebration. Taking its role as “America’s national ballet company” to heart, the organization is fêting its birthday with bicoastal performances, multimedia retrospectives, and a diamond anniversary gala. The celebration kicked off last October in New York City with a program highlighting what ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie describes as “seminal works that gave us our identity as ‘ballet theatre’”— Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and Antony Tudor’s Jardin aux Lilas. The schedule also included newer works from 21st-century choreographers like Liam Scarlett, The Royal Ballet’s artist-in-residence, who premiered With a Chance of Rain on October 24. Continued on page 66
la-confidential-magazine.com 65
CULTURe Hottest Ticket after Bill gillespie—an aBT board member since 1999, Orange County resident, and visionary dance philanthropist who has also helped create dance scholarships at uC irvine. almost two years in the making, the academy utilizes aBT’s national teaching curriculum and gives students the ability to attend master classes with the world’s greatest dancers. For the Segerstrom Center, the gillespie School is a compliment to the center’s existing community outreach programs, including its performance workshops for Camp pendleton Marines and their families and the Disney Musicals in Schools program, which brings musical theater into low-income community classrooms. For aBT, the school is an investment in another 75 years of world-class performance. Says Dwyer: “We’re committing to developing future dancers, master artists, and future audiences.” The Sleeping beauty runs from March 3–8; tickets from $49. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center dr., Costa Mesa, 714-556-2787; scfta.org LAC
“[The Sleeping BeauTy] iS AN iCoNiC bALLeT oF THe CLASSiCAL CANoN THAT AbT HAS YeT To CLAiM AS deFiNiTive. HAviNg THe geNiuS oF ALexei RATMANSkY To ReALize THiS SeeMed THe RigHT THiNg AT THe RigHT TiMe.”— kevin mckenzie Since then, an exhibit titled “american Ballet Theatre: Touring the globe for 75 years” traveled from the library of Congress to the Walt Disney Concert hall, where it will be on view from March until august. and, of course, the Metropolitan Opera house’s star-studded annual gala will take place on May 18. But lucky for Californians, the pièce de résistance of the diamond jubilee happens on aBT’s West Coast pirouetting grounds—Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the arts. On March 3, aBT artist-inResidence alexei Ratmansky will present an all-new, full-length production of The Sleeping beauty. “it is an iconic ballet of the classical canon that aBT has yet to claim as definitive,” says McKenzie. “having the genius of Ratmansky to realize this seemed the right thing at the right time.” Set to Tchaikovsky’s enduring score, the performance is constructed from notes by choreographer Marius petipa, the ballet master known as the “father of classical ballet.” The scenery and costumes, designed by Tony award-winning designer Richard hudson, are also influenced by the seminal version of The Sleeping beauty for the Ballets Russes in 1921; they are reconstructions of original designs from léon Bakst. The performance is one of many programming
66 la-confidential-magazine.com
highlights in the 27-year relationship between aBT and the Segerstrom Center. From the world premiere of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Swan Lake in 1988 to the co-commission of Twyla Tharp’s Rabbit and Rogue in 2008, the institutional marriage has been prolific. “[Segerstrom Center] remains very interested in helping us realize new works by providing stage time for technical rehearsals,” McKenzie explains. “The ballet world gets no preview period, so extra time in the theater before an opening is invaluable.” Segerstrom Center president Terrence W. Dwyer is also proud of the partnership. “We’re bringing new classics into the community,” he says, citing not only Segerstrom’s aBT programming but also the center’s annual Off Center Festival of contemporary dance and its everchanging roster of Broadway musicals. “We want to make sure there is a really rich mix, so the community can experience all sorts of different examples of great performing art.” in September, Segerstrom Center and aBT will grow their artistic footprint in the community with the launch of the american Ballet Theatre William J. gillespie School, an on-site ballet school for children ages 3–14. aBT’s first academy outside of Manhattan, the school is named
OC Divine! These five spring Segerstrom happenings are well worth braving the 405 for. Calder String Quartet: This fab LA foursome recently wrapped
a Juilliard residency and is back in SoCal with a world premiere from composer Andrew Norman. March 11; tickets from $29. Jake Shimabukuro : Rock, funk, and bluegrass
played on a ukulele? Find out why Rolling Stone called this 38-year-old phenom a musical “hero.” March 22; tickets from $20. garriSon keillor: Listen to NPR’s “Prairie
Home Companion” host tell stories from Lake Wobegon—live and in person. April 13; tickets from $40. Vertigo: Watch Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 psycho-
thriller with a live soundtrack from the Pacifc Symphony. April 30-May 2; tickets from $35. Annie: You saw it in the cinema, now check out the
live version of this iconic musical directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin. May 13-24; tickets from $29.
photography © rMa photography Inc (segerstroM hall); autuMn de WIlde (calder strIng quartet)
Segerstrom Center for the Arts will host ABT’s diamond jubilee as part of its ongoing “marriage” with the ballet company.
TIME MOVES SLOWER MOMENTS LAST LONGER
Stay at Aston Mahana at Kaanapali, Aston Maui Kaanapali Villas or Aston at The Whaler on Kaanapali Beach and enjoy spacious condominium resort comfort. Ask about our new Premium Suites with designer kitchens, sweeping views and indulgent amenities.
844.394.2733 | AstonHotels.com
CULTURE Art Full
Go East, Young Artists In its first two years Art Basel in Hong Kong attracted more than 125,000 visitors, who marveled at works offered by 294 galleries garnering estimated sales of more than $1 billion. As the fair enters its third year (March 15–17), Art Basel’s director, Marc Spiegler, shares an overview of what Los Angeles’s connoisseurs and collectors can expect to see and experience in Asia’s new culture capital.
from top: A. Senna O/G 1, 2014, by the artist Patrick Walsh, known as JPW3; Pose Boedjang Ajam (Pose Playboy Rooster), 2014, by Indonesian artist and sculptor Yunizar; Furniture Art (Shikoku and Hakone), 2014, by LA’s own Mika Tajima.
68 la-confidential-magazine.com
Los Angeles Confidential: An estimated 65,000 people attended ABHK in 2014 [up 10 percent from 2013]; what are some key factors driving this growth in attendance and sales? Marc Spiegler: Art Basel in Hong Kong has established itself as the premier international art show in Asia, giving visitors an opportunity to view the best art from Asia and Asia-Pacific, where half of our galleries have exhibition spaces. The show has also had a tremendous impact on the burgeoning art scene in Hong Kong, further cementing its place as a global hub for the region. What will you be doing in 2015 to make ABHK a standout? Alexie Glass-Kantor, executive director of the Sydney-based Artspace, has very ambitious plans for the Encounters sector, which presents institutional-scale artworks and installations. I am also excited about some of the younger US galleries in the Discoveries sector: Eleven Rivington from New York will present the artist Mika Tajima, while Night Gallery from Los Angeles will show work by John Patrick Walsh III [ JPW3]. 2014 saw an enthusiastic reception for ABHK’s first Film sector. What can we expect to see this year? Hong Kong is a cinema city! The Film sector, therefore, was very well received,
as we presented 49 films by 41 artists. This year promises to be just as strong, with artist/curator Li Zhenhua returning to curate the sector. Themes for his upcoming program include Urbanity, Animated Reality, and Healing, among others. How has Art Basel in Hong Kong’s success helped to expand both the domestic and international “artscape” in Hong Kong? Art Basel focuses an international spotlight on the city’s lively art scene. The show, therefore, is not only an opportunity for galleries from across the world to make new contacts and exchange ideas, but also for the city’s galleries, artists, nonprofit art organizations, and museums to reach a global audience. We work closely with key cultural organizations across Hong Kong—including Asia Art Archive (AAA), the Asia Society, Para/Site Art Space, Spring Workshop, and M+, Hong Kong’s future museum for visual culture—to offer an associated program of events throughout the city during the show. In fall 2014, we started working with HKU Space and Central Saint Martins to create a first-of-its-kind continuing education program on collecting contemporary art for novice art collectors. And this year, there are 29 new galleries exhibiting for the first time. The selection of galleries is our strongest to date! LAC
INSIGHT Los Angeles galleries to watch at ABHK. BluM & Poe: 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd.,
LA, 310-836-2062; blumandpoe.com GAGoSiAn GAllery: 456 N. Camden
Dr., Beverly Hills; gagosian.com niGHt GAllery: 2276 E. 16th St., LA, 323-589-1135; nightgallery.ca SPrütH MAGerS: 5900 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 323-634-0600; spruethmagers.com
PhotograPhy by Charles benton, Courtesy of eleven rivington, ny (tajima); max sChwartz, Courtesy of night gallery (jPw3); Courtesy of gajah gallery (yunizar)
three’s the charm! Art BAsel in Hon ong is set to dazzle the world with its third mega-show this spring. By Matt Stewart
Legendary Long-Stay Lodging
AKA beverly hills crescent at wilshire Designed for weekly or monthly stays, AKA offers stunning furnished residences with spacious living rooms, full kitchens and hotel amenities, including cinema, fitness center, and tranquil terrace lounge. Bi-level town homes, penthouse residences and terrace suites with sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills. Steps from Rodeo Drive, with in-suite dining by Wolfgang Puck’s legendary Spago and private residents’ entrance to Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge. new york city philadelphia washington dc london sTAyAKA.COM 877.666.6914
CULTURE Spotlight exhibitions
// PARIS MEETS LA // 1
DESIGN OF THE TIMES
Poster Modern
ones to watch
Artist Nick Lu takes on LA’s and Paris’s grand opera houses (TOP ROW) and lush hotels (BOTTOM ROW).
OOH LA L.A.!
It may not seem like Paris and LA have much in common—except for the fact that they’re both exceedingly photogenic. But author Diane Ratican and illustrators Eric Giriat and Nick Lu prove there are similarities in the cities’ differences in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?: An Artistic Pairing of Two Iconic Cities (Benna Books, $27)—a volume featuring side-by-side illustrations of the cities’ most iconic landmarks and personalities. Think Watts Tower alongside the Eiffel Tower, or LACMA’s Urban Light facing off against The Louvre’s equally oft-photographed glass pyramid. pleasedonotenter.com
SCORE WORK BY TOP ARTISTS FOR LESS THAN A CROSSTOWN UBER FARE—WHILE GIVING BACK TO KIDS IN NEED. BY ERIN MAGNER Posters aren’t just for college dorm rooms anymore—at least not in the hands of Adrian Rosenfeld and Athena Currey. The former New Yorkers—he, an ex-director of Matthew Marks Gallery, she, an alum of Alleged Gallery and University Settlement—recently launched The Posters, a project that enlists such top contemporary artists as Nate Lowman and Wyatt Kahn to create exclusive large-scale lithographs that are sold for just $55 a pop. A portion of each sale goes to arts education charities like LA’s own Inner-City Arts. “We wondered how it might be possible for fans of art to live with something beautiful, but not precious,” says Rosenfeld. “We knew that great artists and collectors loved posters… so we began floating the idea and everyone was super excited to participate.” theposters.co
//film//
2
A look from Bernhard Willhelm’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection.
REEL ESTATE
AS PART OF a $25 million renovation, The London West Hollywood has unveiled a new 110-seat screening room. The theater, a popcorn kernel’s throw from the hotel’s Gordon Ramsay restaurant, is the largest of its kind for a hotel in LA and features ultra-advanced film technology perfect for premieres and awards-season events. Other elements of the face-lift include five new ninth-floor suites and a 2,600-square-foot fitness center. thelondonwesthollywood.com
70 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 by James McNeil Whistler, 1871.
TRADING PLACES
No need to cross the Atlantic to see some of the Musée d’Orsay’s finest masterpieces—just hop on the 110. Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum and Paris’s Orsay are swapping works this spring; starting March 27 at the Norton Simon, check out pieces by Manet and Cézanne as well as that iconic portrait of Whistler’s mother. nortonsimon.org
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH PAUL THOMAS (WILLHELM); ©PATRICE SCHMIDT/MUSÉE D’ORSAY DISTRIBUTION RMN (WHISTLER’S MOTHER)
Adrian Rosenfeld and Athena Currey
From February 7–May 17, iconoclastic designers Bernhard Willhelm and Jutta Kraus are taking over MOCA’s Pacific Design Center space for “Bernhard Willhelm 3000: When Fashion Shows the Danger Then Fashion Is the Danger.” The once-Paris-based pair, who recently relocated to Beachwood Canyon, are creating a site-specific exhibition featuring video, photography, ephemera, and, naturally, fashion— all commenting on 21st-century consumerism and imagining how we’ll dress ourselves in 100 years’ time. moca.org
Terranea is a land unto itself. A land with its own culture and way of life. A land where good food and good company lead to good times.
Come discover a land not far away at Terranea.com.
people View from the Top Red-carpet magic: With a cadre of faithful celebrity fans and a dose of social media savvy, Monique Lhuillier has become one of the most powerful designers in Hollywood.
And The AwArd Goes To…
photography by Melissa Valladares
Monique LhuiLLier! When it comes to the red carpet, there’s only one la designer Who makes the celeb-rated cut. By Erin MagnEr
The first time Monique Lhuillier dressed a celebrity for awards season—in 2002, she thinks—everything seemed to be going smoothly. It was an hour before the starlet in question was due to depart for the show, her dress fit to perfection… and then the zipper got stuck. “I remember us having to arrange for our team to go there and bring a heavy-duty [sewing] machine, setting it up in that person’s garage, and making it work,” the designer says. “It was flawless—nobody knew—but it was down to the wire.” Lucky for Lhuillier, that first fashion emergency was the only one she’s had to deal with in the ensuing decade-plus of red-carpet dress design, but she’s still prepared. “When it’s awards day, I have multiple teams on alert. It’s just a matter of a phone call, and we can send them to any location to help out.” It’s just days before the SAG Awards (for which Lhuillier outfitted nominee Julia LouisDreyfus in a black column gown with a lace bodice), three weeks before her New York Fashion Week show, and exactly a month before the Oscars, but the designer is surprisingly composed as we sit beside the pool in her perfectly manicured Holmby Hills backyard. Her calm demeanor is even more surprising considering how involved she still is with the day-to-day operations of her brand, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016. On this particular day, she’ll be working late into the night, overseeing fittings for continued on page 74
la-confidential-magazine.com 73
PeoPle View from the Top
her runway collection; her office is in her Downtown LA factory, where she’s involved in “not only the product, but the way it’s photographed, what the messaging is…. On Instagram, I’m the one actually putting that content up,” she says. And she’s doing it all from Los Angeles—the only designer with a consistent red-carpet presence to do so. “Our Monique customer is very much like Monique herself—confident, intelligent, vibrant, and successful,” says Jennifer Sunwoo, executive vice president and general merchandise manager for womenswear at Barneys New York. “She responds to the effortless and understated glamour of the collection because she leads a dynamic, full life.” Lhuillier’s LA story started when she was fresh out of high school, having just moved from the Philippines to join her three siblings in SoCal and attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). Soon after, she met her now-husband (and her company’s CEO), Tom Bugbee, on a blind date—her best friend was dating his roommate—and by the time she received her diploma, she was engaged. “I was a 21-year-old looking for a wedding dress, and there just wasn’t enough selection out there,” she recalls. “I saw a niche I could fill, and I was like, I’m gonna get into the bridal business. I didn’t set out to be a bridal designer, but that’s where I was in my life.” And in LA Lhuillier has stayed, from those early white-dress days through expansions into eveningwear, daywear, shoes, tableware, and engagement rings—even though most brands like hers are based in New York, closer to the top buyers and editors. “We chose to make LA our home, but thinking back to 19 years ago when we first started, it was definitely harder and more detrimental to be here,” she says. “We were outsiders, really, with no experience, just believing in our product. But I’d say in the last 10 years, there’s been a shift where it’s incredibly exciting to be in LA doing fashion. You have your own space and your own voice… there’s less of this
74 la-confidential-magazine.com
commonality that you find in New York, where everybody goes to the same fabric person.” The proximity to Hollywood has also been a boon for Lhuillier’s business. Just about every A-lister imaginable—from Taylor Swift to Michelle Obama— has fallen for the designer’s effortless, yet ethereal confections, and she’s noted a distinct correlation with sales. “The red carpet reaches so many people all over the world with social media; the exposure is incredible,” she marvels. “That has a lot to do with why I’m here today. This is brand awareness for us, and when it’s right, it’s really great.” She’s even collaborated on a collection with one of her most faithful supporters and close friends, Gwyneth Paltrow, designing a capsule collection for the actress’ lifestyle site for holiday 2014. Says stylist Anita Patrickson, whose clients include Julianne Hough and Chanel Iman: “Monique’s designs are the perfect mix of everything you are yearning to see on the red carpet. They’re ethereal, modern, sexy, and feminine—I know [her dresses] will land my clients on the best-dressed list!” Even though Lhuillier’s payroll has grown from two people to 250 (200 of whom are skilled artisans who meticulously construct each gown), it’s remained a family business—and there’s still a lot more growing left to do. She’s scouting locations for flagship stores in London and Hong Kong, working on her first fragrance launch, and considering plans for next year’s anniversary (she hints that a retrospective exhibition is on her wish list). But for now, she’s just looking forward to relaxing in her living room on Oscar night with her 9-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter nearby, watching her “girls” have their moments in the spotlight. “I get the same rush as in the beginning!” she laughs. “Maybe it doesn’t last as long, but it’s still exciting. I know how important that moment is for my clients, so when they choose to wear my gowns—when they have a choice of so many other brands—it’s truly validating. I’m honored every day.” LAC
Monique, C’est ChiC! the dress that put ML on the Map: “It was [a wedding
dress] called the ‘Laura’ [1997]. It was a silk bias-cut in white, really simple and close to the body, with a very low back and two spaghetti straps that tied in the back with two crystals. It caused a sensation. People were calling, saying, ‘Who is this girl? We need to carry this line.’ That dress sold for many years.” quickest turnaround:
“Drew Barrymore wore me to the Emmys when she was expecting her second child—it was a beaded dress, and we made it in three days. I thought she was radiant.”
biggest Muse:“My
mother is so elegant. A lot of her dresses that inspired me were from the ’70s, when they were draped and close to the body. Growing up, I never saw her without lipstick or earrings—even at breakfast.” art addiction:“I’m
an avid contemporary art collector. I like a lot of texture and color. I have a Jason Martin piece that weighs 350 pounds, and it took seven guys two days on a scaffold to hang it.” 2015 oscar styLe predictions:“I feel
like a lot of women are responding to shimmer. Silhouettes are sleeker, but they like a lot of sparkle. I think we’ll also see a lot of white.”
photography by Dennis brack/black star-pool/getty images (obama); courtesy of monique lhuillier (store); photography by ©Dan & corina lecca (2014 collection)
First Lady Michelle Obama wore a Monique Lhuillier creation to the Kennedy Center Honors late last year. right: Monique Lhuillier’s Melrose flagship store is soon to be joined by locations in London and Hong Kong. below right: Lhuillier’s celebrity fans include Emmy Rossum, Louise Roe, Jamie Chung, Anna Kendrick, and Cat Deeley.
FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL 800 606 6090 WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, 00 800 4969 1770 INTERNATIONAL, OR YOUR TRAVEL SPECIALIST OR VISIT MORGANSHOTELGROUP.COM 1100 WEST AVENUE MIAMI BEACH FL 33139
PEOPLE Talent Patrol INSIGHT All in the fAmily:
Chazelle, a Harvard grad, is the son of two academics. His father, Bernard, is a professor of computer science at Princeton, while his mother, Celia, is the chair of the history department and a professor of early medieval history at The College of New Jersey. to cAtch A flick:
Avenue in Santa Monica, especially for repertory screenings. For recent or mainstream stuff, I go to the Landmark on Pico in Westwood.” home boy:
“I live in Venice. I like how it’s a little cooler, a little tucked away. I don’t use the beach, really, but I like that it’s there.”
“I love the Aero on Montana
Prize Fighter
Can a 30-year-old newComer/H’wood outsider steal tHis year’s osCar for best piCture? Whiplash wHippersnapper Damien Chazelle is determined to go tHe distanCe. By Juliet izon “I don’t remember ever wanting to do anything else,” says filmmaker Damien Chazelle, 30, of his chosen métier. His lifelong determination is reflected in his latest opus, Whiplash, one of this Oscar season’s most unlikely hits. The quasiautobiographical film, which he both wrote and directed, is garnering accolades not only for both its stars, J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller, and for Chazelle himself—not only was he nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, but the movie received a coveted nod for Best Motion Picture of the Year. “Because it was such a personal thing to write, the whole question in my mind was, To what extent will anyone else connect with this? So, [the film’s near-universal praise has] been the biggest sort of joy,” he says.
76 la-confidential-magazine.com
Whiplash takes place at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory and centers around the fractious relationship between drumming student Andrew Neiman, played by Teller, and his abusive yet brilliant instructor, Terence Fletcher (Simmons). “I was a jazz drummer—in my case, in high school—in a big-band classroom setting with a very tough teacher and a very competitive climate,” Chazelle says of his Princeton, New Jersey, education. While he’s quick to point out that the character Andrew and he are not one and the same, Chazelle drew on many of his own experiences to craft the script. “I remembered the step-bystep journey I went on as a drummer during those years,” he says. “The emotions I felt, the fear, the ambition, the physical pain, but also the exhilaration of playing. I just burrowed down and wrote.” The resulting script was so seamless that principal photography in LA was completed in just 19 days, an almost unheard of timetable for a feature-length film. “It’s the kind of schedule that only works if you have a really dedicated cast and crew,” Chazelle notes. “There was no room for messing around, so I got very lucky with the people I worked with.” The compliment is returned by his actors: “Damien’s level of musicianship was absolutely essential for this project,” says Simmons. “That was evident in the writing, in the way he shot the musical sequences, and the way he blocked them. The other thing that I think is overlooked is that Damien is just a really sweet, kind human being, and a guy who, despite his prodigious intellect and talent, is very much a collaborator.” In fact, in his next project, a full-fledged movie musical called La La Land, Chazelle will again be pairing up with Teller. “There are so few original musicals these days that aren’t adaptations,” Chazelle says. “I’ve been trying to get this off the ground since even before Whiplash and [now] Whiplash has kind of allowed it to happen. This is certainly my dream project. Well, for now. I’m sure I’ll come up with more dream projects. There’s always something to dream about.” LAC
photography by melissa valladares. shot on location at shorebar
Knockout! Writer/director Damien Chazelle’s quasiautobiographical hit film, Whiplash, tells the the story of a drumming student and his tyrannical teacher.
PEOPLE Native
Valley Girl
Declaration of independence: The Laemmle Playhouse 7 (top), in the heart of Pasadena, is famous for showing the art films and indie flicks Alison Sudol loves. The Colorado Street Bridge (above), built in 1913, connects Pasadena to Los Angeles—the two cities that have most profoundly shaped Sudol’s career.
78 la-confidential-magazine.com
After forging a significantly successful music career as the creative force known as A Fine Frenzy, LA local Alison Sudol is changing her tune for the moment with a fine foray into the acting world. “It’s been a whirlwind and a complete transition, this year,” says Sudol, 30, who after breaking through as an alt-rock singer-songwriter-pianist with indie hits like “Almost Lover,” “You Picked Me,” and “What I Wouldn’t Do”—several of which became staples of film, TV, and trailer soundtracks—now finds herself the one Hollywood’s calling. Following a stint on the critically acclaimed Amazon Prime series Transparent, Sudol headlines the much-anticipated USA Network event series Dig opposite Jason Isaacs. “The older we get, the harder it is to try something new,” she says, “and the harder it is to admit you don’t know something and fail. I’ve basically embarked on a brand-new career—[I’ve found myself] in a lot of new and challenging situations and out of my comfort zone. Accepting and embracing
photography by Melissa Valladares (playhouse)
Singer-Songwriter Alison sudol (aka a Fine Frenzy) haS a new lead gig in Dig and a love aFFair with the Far Side oF the hollywood hillS. AS TOLD TO ScOTT Huver
that there’s a lot of learning to do has changed my outlook on life. It makes me a lot more courageous.” Reared in the San Gabriel Valley since age 5, Sudol embraces her typically complicated relationship with the LA area—“It’s a great, frustrating, wonderful, interesting, annoying, lovely place”—and has been finding renewed comfort in the communal feel inherent in the stomping ground of her youth. “I think because I went to school in La Cañada and spent a lot of time in Pasadena as well, I just have this nostalgic feeling for the area. What I like about it is that there’s a sense of history, and it’s got a real neighborhood vibe overall. It feels like more of a small town than when you’re in, say, Hollywood. It makes me remember being young—like, really young. I’m not nostalgic for being a teenager or my early 20s—those years can just go away forever! But it reminds me of being a little kid. “The first place I ever got up and sang was the lanterman auditorium in La Cañada Flintridge. It’s got great midcentury architecture, which I had no understanding of when I was a kid, but now I look back and think how cool it is. I had a lot of my earliest performances there, for better or for worse—mostly for worse, but enough for better that I didn’t give up! I still remember the smell and the sound of walking along the stage and it being so big and exciting and scary. Certain places are just identified with really strong memories of your youth, and that is one where I spent so much time, in such a charged way, that it’s cemented forever in my memory. “Pie ‘n Burger is what it says it is: It has pie and burgers! What I love about it is that it doesn’t really feel like a typical Los Angeles establishment—it just feels like you’re walking into a time warp. The food, obviously, is great, and the atmosphere’s great. I always feel like life’s a little bit simpler in there. It doesn’t have an agenda. When somewhere has survived—it’s not trying to be nostalgic, it just didn’t see any need to change because it was working and has been working for a long time—I like that feeling. “I’m a bit of a coffee snob, so whenever I go to intelligentsia in Pasadena I’m not disappointed. Number one is the taste, really, but also the obvious care that’s put into it. You can tell they take pride in being baristas. It’s a thing to aspire to; it’s a craft; it’s a skill. I like it when people do whatever they do with care. With the coffee, it’s the richness of the beans. It’s the smell. It’s the flavor. It’s the smoothness. I like a chocolatey, rich cappuccino with a good amount of foam on top. Intelligentsia is always the perfect space to spend time in on a rainy day. “the laemmle Playhouse 7’s just got a cool communal vibe to it. You feel like you’re going to the movies with people who really love and make an effort to see independent cinema. There are so many filmmakers doing beautiful things with a really limited budget and getting these performances out of
Sudol sifts through the eclectic mix of merchandise at Mohawk General Store, a shop filled with exclusive local and independent brands. below: Intelligentsia is Sudol’s preferred hangout for “the obvious care that’s put into [its product].”
“PASAdEnA FEELS LikE morE oF A SmALL town thAn, SAy, hoLLywood. it mAkES mE rEmEmBEr BEing A LittLE kid.” —alison sudol actors who aren’t necessarily major box-office [draws], but really talented, gifted individuals. I see that, and it feels really attainable, like you can make something really powerful with limited means if you have a great idea and talent. Also the risk-taking in independent film is really necessary: things that take you outside of the norm and into really interesting territory. That’s what keeps me going to the movies, frankly. “mohawk general store is one of my favorite stores in LA, period. Say you’re at a party, and you start talking about art and cinema and music and fashion and culture and life, and the more you talk to this person, the more you realize that they’re just totally aligned with the way you see the world. That’s how I felt when I walked into the store. It has a great array of very interesting brands that aren’t just for the typical California girl, and it carries a lot of local and independent designers. I respond to the curation of the store as much as what’s in it… I have a hard time leaving! “I have very mixed feelings about LA. I love that it’s a very open place where you can do anything you want, because LA is what you make of it. So I do love that aspect of it as an artist: that I can work with all different types of people and artists and be influenced by individuals, rather than the city. In the same respect, I do long for more community. Pasadena has a community.” LAC
Sudol’S San Gabriel! Pie ‘n Burger
913 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, 626-7951123; pienburger.com intelligentsia Coffee
55 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 626-578-1270; intelligentsiacoffee.com lanterman auditorium
4491 Cornishon Ave., La Cañada Flintridge, 818-790-8880; lcf.ca.gov/parks-rec/ lanterman-auditorium laemmle Playhouse 7
673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, 310-478-3836; laemmle.com mohawk general store
26 Smith Alley, Pasadena, 626-440-1603; mohawkgeneralstore.com
la-confidential-magazine.com 79
PEOPLE Spirit of Generosity
Chip and Shannon Wilson, the founders of Lululemon, have used their windfall profits to build and fund schools, provide clean drinking water, and change the lives of African children.
Into AfrIcA
Could there be a wider disparity between a hugely successful North American manufacturer of upscale athletic apparel and the educational opportunities available to poor children in rural areas of Ethiopia? Apparently not. Chip and Shannon Wilson, who launched Lululemon Athletica in 1998 out of Vancouver and made a bundle as a result, are determined to reduce that gap as much as possible. The Wilsons have created Imagine1Day, an LA-based nonprofit that works in conjunction with the Ethiopian government to make sure kids in Africa who have no desks, books, schoolhouses, teachers—and, often, safe passage from their humble homes to a classroom—get a chance at something better. “When Lululemon went public [the company raised $328 million in an initial public offering in 2007],” Shannon explains, “we knew that was an opportunity to take some of the money that came to us and to give back in a meaningful way. We started researching all sorts of different issues all over the world. We also considered what we’re most committed to: kids and education. That’s it. After talking to everybody, Ethiopia was the place where we
80 la-confidential-magazine.com
thought we could have the greatest impact.” Since Imagine1Day began in 2007, the organization has helped to build 227 schools, 27 of them from the ground up; install clean drinking water facilities and separate boys’ and girls’ rooms; and fund supplies and teachers’ salaries. This spring Imagine1Day will hold a donors’ trip led by Carrie Maloney, US president of the charity—open to anyone who has the means both to travel there and to donate. The supreme goal is to provide access to quality education for all Ethiopians by 2030. “We picked a number and got behind it,” Shannon says of the 2030 target. “Every time we visit, we’re blown away by how close we are to it.” It was the Ethiopian government’s commitment to improving its educational system and reaching out to partners like Imagine1Day for help that established that unlikely connection. “Massive, massive resources are being poured into the educational system in that sector,” notes Sapna Dayal, the executive director of Canada for Imagine1Day. “We’re supporting the country to achieve its goals through its continued on page 82
photography courtesy of imagine1day
Chip and Shannon WilSon of La fashion favorite LuLuLemon “imagine1day” when aLL ethiopians wiLL have a worLd-cLass education. by michael ventre
Presenting Casbah Cove, a Moroccan-inspired estate featuring a world of possibilities and fully-appointed amenities.
A 8 0 0 . 5 5 1 . 5 5 7 8
P R I V AT E
G O L F
C O U R S E
W W W . B I G H O R N G O L F. C O M
C O M M U N I T Y PA L M
D E S E R T,
C A L I F O R N I A
PeOPLe spirit of generosity Charity register Opportunities to give.
NortherN trust opeN At this annual golf tournament benefting cancer research and treatment organization City of Hope, there’s just as much fun to be had off the links. Expect food from LA’s top restaurants, cocktails in the Riviera Country Club’s new open-air lounge, and a live performance by rock band O.A.R. When: Wednesday, February 18–Sunday, February 22 Where: Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Dr., Pacifc Palisades Contact: northerntrustopen.com
humaN rights CampaigN gala DiNNer aND auCtioN
Chip Wilson in Tigray, Ethiopia, with some of the schoolchildren Imagine1Day benefits. below: Shannon Wilson visits a classroom.
Help contribute to the fght for LGBT rights at the Human Rights Campaign’s biggest LA event of the year. Shonda Rhimes will be just one of the night’s honorees, accepting the Ally for Equality Award for her advocacy both on screen and off. When: Saturday, March 14 Where: JW Marriott Ritz-Carlton Downtown, 900 W. Olympic Blvd., LA Contact: hrcladinner.com
work. There is a level of cooperation with the government there that is very, very strong. At the community level there are also strong relationships.” Seid Aman is the country director for Imagine1Day and is based in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. He said the country still has about 2 million children without proper educational resources, so much still needs to be done. But he relates the story of 10-year-old Akeza, a 4thgrade student. “She is already looking forward to
82 la-confidential-magazine.com
helping her family and her village,” Aman says. “She told me, ‘I know now that education is more important than looking after cows. Cows can’t teach you anything, but going to school means endless learning. In the future, I think that having an education will mean I won’t just have to look after cows. I can do things that help other people.’” You would need a sophisticated GPS and a scorecard to follow Imagine1Day and its global outreach. The Wilsons now live in Southern California, with a family consisting of 9-year-old Duke and 7-yearold twins Tag and Tor; there is also Brett, 26, and J.J., 27, from Chip’s first marriage. There is still an office in Vancouver. The philanthropy’s first annual gala benefit took place in Beverly Hills in November, attended by Gwyneth Paltrow and fitness maven Tracy Anderson, who was the evening’s honoree. Leadership courses in conjunction with Imagine1Day are held in North American outposts as well as in far-flung venues such as Dubai. An effort that began in Ethiopia has stretched like a good pair of Lululemon yoga togs. “This,” Chip says of the improved educational environment in Ethiopia and the reach of Imagine1Day, “was the best return we could get on our investment.” imagine1day.org LAC
a Night at sarDi’s Watch some of Hollywood’s top talent perform Broadway numbers at this yearly fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association (past participants have included Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway). This year’s honorees include the flmmakers and cast of Still Alice and actor/musician Joey McIntyre. When: Wednesday, March 18 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Contact: alz.org/sardis
glaaD meDia awarDs Transparent, The Imitation Game, and Sam Smith are just some of the nominees for the 2015 GLAAD Media Awards, which honor visionaries of flm, TV, music, and publishing for representing the LGBT community in a fair and accurate way. When: Saturday, March 21 Where: The Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills Contact: glaad.org/mediaawards
BaCkstage at the geffeN In honor of its 20th anniversary, the nonproft Geffen Playhouse will present awards to two power couples of LA entertainment: Mellody Hobson and George Lucas, and Sir Elton John and David Furnish. Last year’s event raised $1.4 million for the Playhouse’s programming and philanthropic outreach. When: Sunday, March 22 Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., LA Contact: geffenplayhouse.com/backstage
photography courtesy of imagine1day
“AFTER TALkInG TO EVERyBODy, ETHIOPIA WAS THE PLACE WHERE WE THOuGHT WE COuLD HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT.” —shannon wilson
A Sweet Haven Relocate and enjoy the benefts of elegant Nevada living. MandarinOrientalResidencesLasVegas.com | 866.950.2489
This is neither an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of offers to buy, any condominium units in those states where such offers or solicitations cannot be made. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED OR QUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. This condominium project does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status. © 2014 CityCenter Land, LLC. The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas (The Residences) are not developed, sponsored, owned, offered or sold by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group or any affliate thereof (MOHG) and MOHG makes no representation, warranty or guaranty of any kind regarding The Residences. The developers and owners of The Residences use the Mandarin Oriental name and trademarks subject to terms of revocable licenses from MOHG which may expire or be terminated.
invited Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore
photography by jason kempin/getty images for psiff
DESERT DARLINGS
The crème de la crème of cinema rose To The Top aT This year’s palm springs inTernaTional film fesTival. By Kelsey Marrujo For the faces of Hollywood’s most buzzed-about films, trekking east for the 26th annual Palm Springs Film Festival Awards Gala was well worth the trip. At a reception presented by Cartier, Mercedes-Benz, and Entertainment Tonight—and supported in part by Los Angeles Confidential— this year’s exceptional actors and directors received either an original Chihuly glass sculpture or “The Entertainer” statuette by sculptor John Kennedy. Honorees included Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and David
Oyelowo (Selma), who received Breakthrough Performance Awards; Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), who accepted Desert Palm Achievement Awards; and Reese Witherspoon (Wild), who took home the Chairman’s Award. Festivities continued post-party at the Parker Palm Springs, where VIPs Benedict Cumberbatch, Laura Dern, Richard Linklater, and more celebrated the kickoff of the industry’s golden season. ConTinuEd on pAGE 86
la-confidential-magazine.com 85
INVITED Benedict Cumberbatch, Allen Leech, Alex Lawther, and Matthew Beard
Brad Pitt
Carrie Coon, Rosamund Pike, and Kim Dickens Laura Dern
Richard Linklater
Bérénice Marlohe
Renee Bargh Reese Witherspoon
Ava DuVernay, Chaz Ebert, and David Oyelowo
Robert Downey Jr.
86
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Sir Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino, and Matthew Lillard
OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES FOR GUCCI (GUCCI BENEFITS GLSEN), JASON KING (LAC EDITOR’S DINNER). THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES FOR PSIFF
Steve Carell
Gucci donated a portion of the evening’s proceeds to GLSEN.
Eliza Byard, Kevin Brockman, and Greg Nise
Brittany Gastineau
Chip Sullivan and David Sanders
GUCCI BENEFITS GLSEN GUCCI WELCOMED GUESTS to its newly remodeled
Beverly Hills flagship for a private cocktail party to benefit GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network. Anchoring the evening were GLSEN board members Kevin Brockman, Laura Katzenberg, and Chip Sullivan as well as GLSEN patron Jorge Perez, who welcomed the city’s boldfaced philanthropic names. The occasion raised awareness and lent support to GLSEN’s mission to secure bully-free educational environments for LGBT students. Brian Schumann, Miguel Alvino, and Jorge Perez
Ahna O’Reilly
Randall Slavin
Geoff Stults
Charly Shahin and Robert Behar
Kathryn Drury Wagner
Spencer Beck and Ann Song
Guests enjoyed sweet goodies by Candee by Sandee as they mingled before dinner.
Finn-Olaf Jones and Jordan Shannon
LAC EDITOR’S DINNER
Nick Jones, Kevin Hryciw, and Pat Walters
LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL Editor-in-Chief Spencer Beck and Creative
Director Ann Song hosted a private seated dinner at The London West Hollywood to toast the publication’s invaluable contributors. Guests enjoyed beverages by Newton Vineyards and Chandon, as well as a custom candy buffet courtesy of Candee by Sandee. Sticks and Stones Floral Designs also supported the occasion, completing the ballroom’s décor with delicate tulip centerpieces.
Jessica Abercrombie, Erika Thomas, and Meline Agabaian
Johnathan Lawhorne
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
87
INVITED Attendees ogled Buccellati’s pristine sterling silver animals.
Joseph Gulino, Matt Nordgren, and Keila Leigh Crounse
Buccellati’s signature style evokes old-time glamour while still remaining relevant in the contemporary world.
LAC CELEBRATES BUCCELLATI BUCCELLATI MILANO AND Los Angeles Confidential pre-
sented an intimate evening of shopping to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The philanthropic event, which took place at Buccellati’s Beverly Hills boutique, offered guests a look at the jeweler’s latest luxury pieces as they enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. Chris Bettis, Diane Gordon, and Fisher Pence
Garcelle Beauvais Dale Kristien
Jenna Elfman
Stana Katic and Edward Morrison
Judith Light Kate Burton
THE MUSIC CENTER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO TOAST ITS golden anniversary, The Music Center produced a special
evening of productions by all four of its resident companies—Center Theater Group, the LA Philharmonic, LA Opera, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale—alongside celebrated dance series Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. The milestone event also included the first-ever simulcast from Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, featuring the LA Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Paula Abdul
88 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Demián Bichir
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM DONNELLY (LAC CELEBRATES BUCCELLATI), GETTY IMAGES (THE MUSIC CENTER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY)
Eric Holtzman
M A K E E V E R Y D AY DELICIOUS.
Located in the Glendale Galleria across from the Food Court | 818 – 546 – 1813 | LolliandPops.com
taste this Issue: Celeb-rated! Premier crudo: Hamachi with jicama and passion fruit at Soho House West Hollywood.
In the house
photography by Matt arMendariz
At West HollyWood’s A-list exclusive soHo House, tHe culinAry curtAin HAs been rAised. by Jen Jones Donatelli
Perched above the slate-gray pool table in Soho House’s entryway is a large art print proclaiming, this is where it’s f**kin’ at. And, if this particular Friday afternoon is any indication, it’s not an overstatement. A well-known Australian-born actress is taking a quiet lunch meeting on the garden patio, while a music mogul holds court at a table inside the sitting area. Meanwhile, a comedienne of note is camped out on one of the plush sofas, poring over notes on her laptop. It’s a scene that’s not unfamiliar for Soho House, an iron-clad, membersonly penthouse that has attracted the likes of Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, and Leonardo DiCaprio (who recently celebrated his 40th birthday here). Look no further than the campy “Photo Boudoir” hallway for proof—its walls are papered with black and white photos taken in the on-site photo booth, from a celeb stylist mugging with her son to a jewelry designer pre-
tending to take a bite out of Kim Kardashian’s famed posterior. For optimal privacy, no picture taking is permitted beyond the booth, and cell phone use is restricted only to certain areas. Not even food photos are allowed. “We don’t allow photography because we want to protect the identity of our members and those they’re dining and spending time with,” explains general manager Stacy Bowers. The West Hollywood house is the seventh of 12 total locations to open internationally since Nick Jones debuted the first Soho House in London back in 1995. New openings are planned in Istanbul and Oxfordshire, England, in 2015. The one thing all Jones’ houses have in common? They are all safe, chic havens for the hobnobbing creative set. Adds Bowers, “Privacy is held to the highest standard—people want to know it’s a safe place to be.” continued on page 92
la-confidential-magazine.com 91
taste The rooftop garden room at Soho House West Hollywood is studded with olive trees. right: Executive Chef Michael Magliano. far right: Local burrata with persimmon and saba.
What to order
of the overhaul. “[Soho House] strategically hired me as the GM, knowing I would come with chefs in my pocket.” Tops on her list was Magliano, whom she’d worked with in the past at Tom Colicchio’s Craft. Since starting at Soho House in October, Magliano has focused on revamping the menu to include more seasonal offerings alongside the tried-and-true “House Regular” dishes like lobster spaghetti and chopped salad. “As the name suggests, Soho House is a home away from home for our members, and the food is indicative of that,” shares Magliano. “We try and offer classic comfort food.” For Magliano, the approach is quite a departure from the adventurous fare he was accustomed to creating at Animal. “[This is] unlike restaurants like Animal and
92 la-confidential-magazine.com
creatures of habit,” explains Bowers, who reviews the reservation notes daily to see who’s coming in. “We like to anticipate their needs ahead of time and cater and craft individual experiences for each member.” On Magliano’s end, that means accommodating a lot of unique dietary requests— yet another aspect that’s distinctly different from his former post at Animal (which enforces a strict “no substitutions” rule). “A lot of people would say the amount of requests we get for changes and substitutions is crazy, but it’s not,” he says. “The idea of the House is that if it is truly to be your home away from home, you should have [food] prepared the way you want it.” Bowers recently surprised one member by having her favorite drink waiting at the table when she arrived—and was heartened by her reaction. “She’d never had that experience before,” says Bowers. “She said, ‘Wow, this is my Cheers.’” And, with a renewed attention to culinary and service detail, Soho House, too, is poised to become the place where everyone—member or not—knows its name. sohohousewh.com LAC
Best taBle in the house No matter where you sit, you won’t have to jockey for an amazing view, thanks to the 360-degree skyline backdrop that GM Stacy Bowers calls “the best in the city.” Where you sit—in the reservation-only garden dining room or the indoor sitting room—depends on how you feel that day: “Do you want to see the sun rise or the sun set?” says Bowers.“Every single chair in the place gives a view that’s pretty breathtaking.”
photography by Matt arMendariz
Along with the paparazzifree ethos, Soho House West Hollywood’s main draws have been the bustling social scene and plentiful networking—but not necessarily the dining. (The Hollywood Reporter may have put it best several years back when a source was quoted as saying, “The food needs a bit of work… but then, no one really comes here to eat.”) But Bowers has made it her mission to change that perception. Since coming on board with guns blazing last January, she has completely revamped the culinary team, recruiting Executive Chef Michael Magliano from Animal, pastry chef Holden Burkons from Maude, and former Soho House bartender Brian Stewart (who’d left for Petit Ermitage). “I like to say that we’ve got a sign above the door that says, ‘Under New Management,’” jokes Bowers
Son of a Gun, which come up with supercreative dishes and really play toward foodie culture; in your own house, you’re not necessarily going to go into the fridge and pull out bone marrow or a pig’s ear.” Where Magliano has been calling on his past experience is to enlist trusted vendors who can elevate the level of cuisine with carefully sourced ingredients. Leveraging relationships he formed with artisan farmers while working at The French Laundry, Magliano brings in everything from fresh Hawaiian hearts of palm to custommade local burrata cheese from Torrance. For large buyout events, he’s able to procure even more lavish ingredients, flying in delicacies like wild salmon caught by native Alaskan fishermen. The level of attentiveness has also been raised, with Bowers taking copious notes on each member’s preferences. A private profile is now created for all guests, keeping track of where they like to sit, what they order, and more; because of the membership format, the restaurant has more regulars than most. “When you go somewhere more than twice a week, people tend to become
No feast is complete without a starter of the local burrata. (“We spend more on burrata and mozzarella over the course of a year than you would on a nice car,” admits Exec Chef Michael Magliano.) Popular entrees include chestnut ravioli and Scottish salmon. If you want to veer off-menu, chances are Magliano can deliver: “One of our members likes to get a cookie on the side with his steak. We don’t blink twice.”
Fashion Island | 949.644.2400 Santa Monica Place | 310.593.8300 TRUEFOODKITCHEN.COM
Eggs-quisite! Petrossian’s burger topped with caviar with a side of fries and caviar aioli was a delicious secret... until now.
À La Carte BLanChe
Who orders off the menu? hollyWood’s sWell set gets to pick and choose. By Eric rosEn Like a secret-society handshake or a speakeasy password, ordering off-menu items at a restaurant is the mark of a true dining cognoscente. While just about every eager eater knows the secret menu items at chains like Starbucks and In-N-Out Burger, some of LA’s finest restaurants also offer clandestine comestibles to those in the know, including (natch) their celebrity clientele. So next time you stop into one of these establishments, forego the menu and order one of these recondite dishes like a Hollywood insider. It is no secret that Petrossian Restaurant & Boutique (321 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-271-6300; petrossian.com) is one of the country’s finest purveyors of smoked fish and caviar and a favorite of celebrities like Ellen Pompeo. But diners do not have to go all out on a helping of its prestigious Special Reserve Ossetra caviar to enjoy the briny
94 la-confidential-magazine.com
delicacy. Those who know to ask for it can enjoy chef Giselle Wellman’s over-the-top caviar… burger! A juicy beef patty comes on a brioche bun topped with a fried egg and a trademarked Papierusse caviar “sheet,” made with sustainable white sturgeon Transmontanus caviar according to an exclusive Petrossian family recipe. The dish comes with a side of fries and a 30g Petrossian tin filled with caviar aioli. Up the block, most movers and shakers, including multihyphenate Jennifer Lopez, snag a table at Cecconi’s (8764 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310432-2000; cecconiswesthollywood.com) for a quick prezzo fisso power lunch (or, on their carb-splurge day, to enjoy the signature spaghetti with lobster). However, carnivorous customers can slyly sup on the secret Cecconi’s steak just by asking politely. The restaurant offers cuts that it sources from
grass-fed BN Ranch beef. Cuts vary based on what is available, so one day you might find a porterhouse and another it might be a tenderloin. The meat is accompanied by seasonal sides such as roasted potatoes with a creamy morel sauce or raw kale with shaved artichokes and Parmesan. For power breakfasts, Joan’s on Third (8350 W. Third St., LA, 323-655-2285; 12059 Ventura Pl., Studio City, 818-201-3900; joansonthird.com), that venerable café-cum-marketplace, offers morning customers (including Swedish import Alexander Skarsgård) a veritable bounty of baked goods and am fare. However, one of the biggest crowd pleasers is an off-menu dish that only regulars know to request. Joan’s New Jersey Breakfast Sandwich is an over-easy egg topped with plenty of melted Monterey Jack cheese and crispy bacon, served on a plain bagel. “It’s wonderful,” says proprietor Joan McNamara, as well as practical. “It travels well and is a great to-go item for meetings. In fact, we tend to eat them in our own Joan’s on Third meetings.” A similarly comforting repast can be found at La Dolce Vita (9785 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-278-1845; ladolcevitabeverlyhills.com), which has long been a Hollywood hangout of the oldschool variety (it’s been around for almost 50 years and was a Rat Pack favorite). So it should come as no surprise that its most famous off-menu item is a traditional dish. Diners can order the spaghetti carbonara anytime; the al dente pasta comes drizzled in a rich cream sauce whipped with eggs and Parmesan and sprinkled with salty bits of rendered pancetta, salt, and pepper. Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills paean to California cuisine, Spago (176 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310385-0880; wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants), is perfect for the more glamorously inclined. The restaurant changed both its look and its menu in 2012 after an extensive renovation, but it’s still a favorite with luminaries like Bill Clinton and Tom Hanks as well as an awards season party-circuit mainstay. Watching his word count, Puck removed some erstwhile staples from the printed menu. “We cannot include all our items on the menu. We would have pages,” says Puck. However, Spago loyalists and newcomers alike can order with ease, knowing they can still enjoy some of the classics that put this restaurant on the map. Showcasing Puck’s affinity for Asian flavors, the spicy tuna tartare in sesame-miso cones with soy and wasabi is a perennial favorite. The smoked salmon pizza with dill cream and caviar, which Puck first introduced in 1982 and which quickly became a signature of the restaurant, is another. “It is a different menu now,” says the chef, “but we want everybody to be happy. So when a customer asks for the smoked salmon pizza, or if I send it out to some of our special guests, it is like an open secret that you can get one.” And what is more delicious than being in on a secret? LAC
photography by Melissa Valladares
taste the Dish!
Š2015 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. 14-ADV-15941
taste On the town
clockwise from left:
Ladies who lunch! Bev Hills power maîtres d’s Rikka Johnson of Cut (far left) and The Grill on the Alley’s Pamela Gonyea break bread and shatter stereotypes over a late lunch at Spago; Meyer lemon cheesecake with blood orange and coriander brittle; a chirashi sushi box, with bigeye tuna, salmon pearls, hamachi, bay scallops, Tosa soy sauce, and yuzu gelée.
Maîtresses of the Universe
In a town where everyone is separated by six degrees, it’s no shock that Cut’s Rikka Johnson and The Grill on the Alley’s Pamela Gonyea have intersected at various points along the way. Today, the two maîtres d’s are at Spago, trading stories about the iconic Beverly Wilshire, where Gonyea once worked before leaving for The Grill 14 years ago (and where Johnson now runs the restaurant). “We had a piano in those days, and people would always ask if it was the same one from Pretty Woman,” Gonyea tells Johnson over bites of Spago’s veal tartare and Hong Kong – style lobster. And, much like Pretty Woman, Gonyea and Johnson are firmly mired in a world of Porsches and pinstripes. Both Cut and The Grill serve as meal magnets for industry power players and Beverly Hills business types—and Gonyea’s and Johnson’s job is to keep them coming back. How do they handle the inner workings of catering to LA’s industry A-list? Amid what is generally a boys’ club, both of you have found success as female maîtres d’s/general managers. Pamela Gonyea: A lot of times, if I’m standing at the door with two other managers, people will assume the man is the maître d’. I’m secure enough in my position that if someone thinks I’m a hostess, I say, “Thank you.” [Laughs] Rikka Johnson: I’ve only been in LA for a year, but when I was in DC [at Wolfgang Puck’s The Source], there weren’t a lot of female GMs, so it’s cool to see more women rising to this position. That translates to the kitchen as
96 la-confidential-magazine.com
well—whether it’s female chefs, wine directors, or sommeliers. Each of you serve as both general manager and maître d’ in your respective restaurants. What’s the difference between the two roles? PG: A general manager focuses more on paperwork, while a maître d’ is more about taking care of the guests and running the room, assigning the tables, and overseeing the dining room and staff. RJ: As a GM, you need to have your hand in absolutely everything… but [the maître d’ role] is based on the happiness of the guests. PG: Without that, we don’t have a job. That’s the bottom line. Do you have a special system for keeping track of guest preferences? RJ: Open Table has been a godsend; you can enter notes! We like to gather whatever details we can get: what type of water they drink, the martini they start off with, their favorite red wine, whether they’re gluten-free, whether they come every year for a birthday or anniversary. Remembering these small details is why we have so many regulars. How much of your clientele would you estimate are regulars? PG: 75 to 80 percent—it’s pretty high. Sometimes I’ll be seating people and have to keep checking to see if they’re still following me because they know everyone in the restaurant. RJ: Ours is closer to 20 percent because we have a lot of hotel guests and first-time diners [who want to experience] the Wolfgang Puck name. continued on Page 98
PhotograPhy by Matt arMendariz
In LA, everyone’s A vIP. Meet two MAîtres d’s extraordinaires who know the rIffrAff froM the rIght stuff. by jen jones donatelli
the
PER F ECT
selection of
CULINARY FIG & OLIVE
DELIGHTS You really couldn’t ask for more. From comfort
food to international favorites, there’s no shortage of fabulous and fresh in Orange County. With over 50 restaurants in two shopping centers in Irvine and Newport Beach... we have the variety to please any taste.
Look for Destination Dining details coming soon. ShopIrvineCompany.com © The Irvine Company LLC, 2015. All Rights Reserved. Fashion Island and Irvine Spectrum Center are registered trademarks of Irvine Company.
CUCINA enoteca
taste On the town she was leaving the restaurant, she heard the music and went over and started dancing. Such fun! Each of your establishments has been a power-dining staple for a long time. What’s the secret? RJ: Being [considered] iconic is important. Take Spago, which has been a power player in LA since 1982. In a place where so many trends come and go, it’s not an easy feat to have a restaurant that has staying power. The food definitely plays a role—for instance, the Wienerschnitzel has been on the menu since day one, but the kitchen has found a way to keep the classics and still stay current. Any new developments coming up that you’re excited about? PG: We’re now offering [on-trend] shareable sides with dinners. But we still offer our prime rib special every Sunday! We may not be the hippest concept in town, but we’re doing something right in a highly competitive business. RJ: This year marks the 25th anniversary of Pretty Woman, so we have some fun things planned. For better or for worse, [our hotel] is part of the Pretty Woman experience! LAC above:
When the occasion calls for it, how do you take the guest experience up a notch? PG: It’s one thing when people feel like you [as the maître d’] know them, but when the chef personally comes out to greet guests, they feel so special. RJ: There’s definitely a real wow factor to the chef’s coat. So which tables are in high demand? PG: Generally, everyone wants a booth, but each person’s preferences are different. John Calley [the former Sony chairman] liked to sit in booths on the left side of the room; one time he came in unexpectedly, and I didn’t have any available. He laughed and said, “That’s fine—I’ll sit in the ‘hard hat section.’” He called it that since the right side is where the agents and the real worker bees sit. We also have a big corner booth that seats up to seven people; it’s oddly shaped, almost like a kidney. [Producer and agent] Bernie Brillstein used to call it “Devil’s Island.” What kinds of requests do you get from your VIPs, and how far will you go to accommodate them? PG: We like to think of everyone as important, but we do get special requests. One of our regulars who handles life insurance for high-profile athletes
98 la-confidential-magazine.com
comes in almost daily to sit in our first booth. [That booth] has a glass partition with a glare that comes in from the front door, and it was making his guests uncomfortable. So we had a lightweight wood partition built that can clip on over the piece of glass, and now we put it on every day before he comes in. RJ: We’re a Richard Meier –designed restaurant, so any structural changes like that are a bit more difficult. [Laughs] However, what we have that a lot of stand-alone restaurants don’t is a [private] valet as protection against paparazzi. We also have three different exits so we can accommodate our guests as needed. Both of your restaurants tend to attract both those behind the scenes and in the spotlight. Any memorable anecdotes? PG: I once had to get a celebrity—a big TV star married to a high-profile movie star—out of the restaurant because there were paparazzi swarming outside. Our restaurant isn’t easily accessible—we have really high windows—so the paparazzi had their cameras up on poles, hoping to get a glimpse. I was pretty proud that the booth we chose had no angle where the cameras could get her. We ultimately snuck her out through the back, where they had Range Rovers waiting. RJ: One of our favorite guests is Mariah Carey. There was one night when she was having dinner at Cut and DJ Sku Dizzle, who plays in [our lounge] Sidebar on the weekends, found out and on the fly started to create a set of her songs. When
Let’s Make a DeaL Power gals Johnson and Gonyea know the score. Cut
(9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-5200; wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fne-dining/3789): “What a transformation from the original Dining Room at the Beverly Wilshire, where I worked 14 years ago! The service is impeccable.” —Gonyea E BAldI
(375 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-248-2633; ebaldi.com): “Many of my regulars at The Grill love this place.” —Gonyea thE GRIll on thE AllEy
(9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-276-0615; thegrill.com): “The ultimate power-dining experience, [thanks to] the level of service. It just feels powerful.” —Johnson hInokI & thE BIRd
(10 W. Century Dr., LA, 310-552-1200; hinokiandthe bird.com): “It’s in the middle of Century City, so you’re surrounded by industry people, and both the food and design of the space are innovative and top-notch.” —Johnson MR. ChoW
(344 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-9911; mrchow.com): “Michael and Eva Chow are lovely people, and the food is fantastic.” —Gonyea thE PEnInSulA
(9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-5512888; beverlyhills.peninsula.com): “If I was doing a deal, that’s where I’d go.” –Johnson
photography by Matt arMendariz (lobster); John laMparski/WireiMage (carey)
Spago’s sublime Hong Kong-style lobster is a powerlunch staple. inset: Mariah Carey is a favorite guest of Cut (and its DJs).
G O OD 4 6 # S E TIM inning at the table. W
PaMPeR. TReaT. Relish The MOMeNT. lOve. WiN. ALL THIS—LESS THAN 90 MINUTES FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE. MORONGO.COM
888.MORONGO
Good Times. RATED
BY AAA
TASTE Spotlight // PLATE OUTDOORS //
Redbird mixologist Julian Cox prepares a Fedora cocktail, made with cognac, bourbon, Jamaican rum, orange curaçao, and gomme syrup.
1
books
VEGGING OUT!
DOWNTOWN’S VIBIANA CATHEDRAL GETS THE NEAL FRASER TREATMENT WITH A NEW RESTAURANT, REDBIRD. BY ERIC ROSEN Some of the best dishes take time to come together, and the same can be said of great restaurants. Angelenos have been eagerly anticipating chef Neal Fraser’s next venture since he closed the perennially popular Grace back in 2010; now, with the opening of Redbird at Vibiana—in the historic former rectory (it dates back to 1933) of LA’s first cathedral downtown—their prayers have been answered. Guests can sip signature cocktails at the swanky marble bar, or snag a table in the gardenlike patio for dishes like rabbit porchetta or blue shrimp and grits with mole. Hallelujah! 114 E. Second St., LA, 213-788-1191; redbird.la
// happenings //
The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook contains 100 good-for-you recipes.
ABOVE:
LA might be the home of the food truck, but Australian chef Louis Tikaram is bringing a taste of Thai-style street food to the city with new Asianinspired eatery E.P. Sample soft-shell crab buns, Thai-style jerky with sriracha, and Fijian-style mahi mahi ceviche in the main restaurant, or head up to the enormous rooftop lounge, L.P., and take in the WeHo view. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-855-9955; eplosangeles.com
2
ON CLOUD VINE
Oenophiles, take note: Sonoma wine country’s 2015 barrel-tasting weekends will take place March 6–8 and 13–15. This is an exclusive chance to purchase limited-availability wine futures from houses like Inman Family, Quivira, and Wilson Winery, among others. Tickets start at $40 per weekend. wineroad.com
REVELRY WITH A CAUSE
Roving gourmands will be making the trip up the coast this spring to Carmel-by-the-Sea for Relais & Châteaux’s annual GourmetFest (March 5–8). This edible extravaganza will feature the gastronomic gifts of chefs
100 LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
BEAU THAI
including legendary San Francisco toque Gary Danko and L’Auberge Carmel’s own Justin Cogley. Guests will be plied with one-of-akind tastings and meals, including a Dom Pérignon and Black River caviar pairing lunch, though they
can also get up from the table for activities like a wild mushroom hunt. What’s more, the fun is all for a good cause; proceeds benefit Rancho Cielo and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. gourmetfest carmel.com
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (KEG); COURTESY OF REDBIRD (COX); COREY CRITSER/LANEWOOD STUDIOS (E.P.)
Divine Dining
new in LA
The Ranch at Live Oak is one of the country’s premier luxury wellness retreats, and since it opened in 2010, it has gotten guests into shape with a program that combines intense workouts with primo vegetarian meals. Now those who don’t have the time for a week of virtue in Malibu can still savor the Ranch’s seasonal, nutrient-driven, detoxifying menus with The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook (Rizzoli, $35). The tome includes nutritional information on each of the 100 dishes in it, as well as daily meal plans like the ones guests enjoy during a stay at the ranch. theranchmalibu.com
Make a difference in the lives of people who are living—and working—with cancer. Shop QVC and CEW Present Beauty with Benefits for cosmetics and more. 80% of your purchase price of donated merchandise benefits Cancer and Careers. A little makeup can make a big difference.
Sonia Kashuk makeup artist & entrepreneur Cindy Crawford model & entrepreneur
QVC ® & CEW Present BEAUTY WITH BENEFITS
Tune in WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 at 10pm ET
Algenist / bareMinerals / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics / CHI / Clarins / Clinique / Dior / Dr. Denese / Dr. Dennis Gross / Edward Bess / Fresh IT Cosmetics / Josie Maran / Laura Geller / Links of London / Mally / Perricone MD / philosophy / Shiseido / tarte / TULA / WEN
SPECIAL THANKS TO CINDY CRAWFORD AND SONIA KASHUK FOR THEIR SUPPORT. A public service announcement. Show dates, times, offers, and availability subject to change without notice. ©2014 QVC, Inc. QVC, Q and the Q Ribbon Logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc.
“I’m thrilled [about the Oscar speculation]. And for a little movie that people made because they cared about it... makes you feel hope,” says Still Alice’s Oscar-nominated star Julianne Moore, here in a confection by Fendi ($9,350). 355 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-276-8888; fendi.com. 18k white-gold Juste un Clou bracelet, Cartier ($13,200). 370 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4272; cartier.com. Pumps, Christian Louboutin ($945). 650 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-247-9300; christian louboutin.com
goddess almighty
Beauty. Brains… Balls. in Still Alice, julianne moore delivers yet another heavenly (read: oscar-worthy) performance. By Luke CriseLL PhotograPhy By kurt iswarienko styLing By DeBorah afshani
The sky is low and mercury-colored and seems to press down on New York this afternoon, crushing the holiday crowds that move shoal-like along the sidewalks. The midwinter wind is whipping down Broadway and seeping determinedly through the windows into this loud, overcrowded café, which compensates by having the radiators on overdrive: They hiss and splutter indignantly against the walls, steaming up the windows. Anyway you look at it, this is an odd place to choose for an interview. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a lunch spot in downtown New York that might be busier, and yet it’s here and now that Julianne Moore, who lives a stone’s throw away in Greenwich Village, has decided we should meet. But despite Moore’s rarefied place in popular culture, despite the numerous Oscar nominations (five), and despite her presence in the biggest movie of the year (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1), she moves with ease among the crowds, just another West Village mother who has spent the morning doing yoga and meeting up with girlfriends. In many ways, it’s precisely this anonymity that sets Moore apart as an actress: Her preference—her burning desire—is to watch, not to be watched. Taking off her gray cashmere beanie, she shakes loose her long red hair, and puts her iPad and book, Russell Hoban’s Turtle Diary, down on the table, staring with those crystalline green eyes and grinning widely, her cheeks flushed from the cold: “Well, what do you want to know?” Five minutes later, it’s as if there’s no one else in the room.
T
hough she’s unassuming in person, Moore has played some of the most memorable female characters in the past 20 years of cinema. While she occasionally takes roles in big-budget blockbusters, she is happiest in independent film. From intense, indelible parts in The Big Lebowski, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia to her nuanced handling of repressed female characters in films including The End of the Affair, The Hours, and Far From Heaven, Moore has spent her career shocking, enthralling, seducing, and occasionally terrifying audiences; in what was perhaps her breakout role, as Marian Wyman in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts (1993), she delivers a Raymond Carver-penned harangue whilst entirely naked from the waist down. Moore doesn’t take on characters lightly and when she does, she inhabits them fully, creating work that at its best is nothing less than art—quite simply, as good as acting can be. Not that she would ever talk about her work that way: “All I know is that I feel like I need to accomplish stuff and I guess I try to do it and just forget it. I really care about it when I’m doing it, but then when
la-confidential-magazine.com 103
I’m done with it I have to be done with it, because there’s nothing else I can do.” But even for an actor who seems incapable of turning in a mediocre performance, Moore’s star is burning particularly brightly at the moment. Her role in David Cronenberg’s dark Hollywood satire Maps to the Stars earned her a Best Actress Award at Cannes, where the film premiered, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a musical or comedy. But today we’re here mostly to discuss Still Alice, a tiny film made in three weeks last March, which also earned her a Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Drama and an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, the film is based on Lisa Genova’s novel of the same name and depicts a relatively young woman’s sudden descent into early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (also known as younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease). Moore plays Alice Howland, a linguistics professor at Columbia University who is happily married to John, another brilliant mind, played by Alec Baldwin, with three unusually beautiful children (Kristen Stewart, Hunter Parrish, and Kate Bosworth). After some disconcerting episodes in class and at home, Moore visits a neurologist who diagnoses her with the extremely rare disease. As Alice’s neurological capacity diminishes (a situation heavily accentuated by her position as an expert in communication), we watch her try and deal with it in her daily life, fighting an inevitably impossible battle against what poet Elizabeth Bishop called “the art of losing.” The emotional impact of the film is intensified in the light of its circumstances: Glatzer, who is married to Westmoreland, was diagnosed with ALS, another neurodegenerative disease, after they had taken on the project. As the film took shape, Glatzer gradually lost his ability to speak and communicated on set everyday through an iPad. “What Richard was going through in some ways mirrored Alice’s [experience], and we fed that into the screenplay,” Westmoreland says. “The resonance with the movie was always obvious.” For Moore, who was, like the rest of the crew, working in less than ideal conditions on the low-budget film, Glatzer’s condition brought the work they were doing into vivid context. “He’s incredibly insightful and he’s really smart, and I think the interesting thing for all of us was how quickly that all went away,” Moore says. “Richard is there intellectually… But it certainly added an urgency to what we were doing, and a poignancy, and it really brought home what kind of movie we were making: That this was not pretend.” Moore, who had initially turned down a role in another Glatzer/Westmoreland film, says she knew immediately that she was going to take this one on. “It’s so very rare that you get anybody’s subjective journey through anything in a film,” she says. “We all say that we’re aware of our own mortality, but we’re not. It’s always present but we choose to deny it. In this case there’s a woman who’s forced to say, ‘The end of my life is coming, and I’m going to have to experience it disappearing.’” As Alice, Moore is astonishing, expressing complex, nuanced emotions with just a few tweaks of her facial muscles. Perhaps her biggest accomplishment is never letting Alice’s situation seem hopeless. Watching her, you feel she is struggling to find Alice, even as she seems to lose sight of her; as Alice clings to herself, so Moore clings to Alice, never letting her disappear beneath the surface. “I think there’s this idea about Alzheimer’s that it obliterates the self, but in my experience and in talking to the clinicians and the family members and the patients themselves, I felt like who that person was [before the Alzheimer’s took hold] was very prominent at all stages of the disease,” Moore says. “[Even] in the very final stages, I felt like everybody I met [was] communicating who they were. It’s not like they were gone.”
“I say It to everybody: ‘What do you lIke doIng?’ your lIfe should be pleasurable. I’m a very lucky person; I really, really landed In It.”
104 la-confidential-magazine.com
Dress, Alessandra Rich ($3,265). alessandrarich.com. Vermeil Le Deux Clous Bracelet, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane ($1,245). 326 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-5051; ysl.com
“I’m not by nature a performer. I’m not that kInd of an actor, you know? and some actors are. they’re good at that.”
opposite page: Dress with gold chain ($8,345) and gold chain-knot necklace ($985), Lanvin. netaporter.com this page: Top ($2,345) and skirt ($2,805), Balenciaga. 8670 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-854-0557; balenciaga.com
kids, I say it to everybody: ‘What do you like doing?’ Your life should be pleasurable. You should have relationships that are interesting, travel through the world, do whatever you can. I’m a very lucky person; I really, really landed in it.” When I add that she’s also extremely gifted, she laughs, then hides her face behind her bowl-sized latte. When I ask if she was a self-conscious child, there’s a pause. “I’m not by nature a performer,” she says, tentatively. “I’m not that kind of an actor, you know? And some actors are.” Another pause. “They’re good at that.” Moore’s own children don’t seem particularly enamored by their mother’s star status. “Children have verryyy little interest in what their parents do for a living,” she says. “We have an interest in our parents being our parents. And I don’t want them to see any of it; I just want them to see me as their mother, you know?” But surely they were excited for Mockingjay? She is matter-of-fact, without being dismissive: “They both saw the movie, they both really liked it.” A sip of coffee. “And they haven’t spoken about it since.” Still, now that her son is 17, it’s easy to imagine him going back and—gulp—watching his mother’s performance as a feminist artist in The Big Lebowski (“My art has been commended as being strongly vaginal”) or as the porn queen Amber Waves in Boogie Nights. Moore laughs it off. She credits much of her success to keeping her work separate from her personal life. The trappings of Hollywood over there, her normal existence, with her yoga and coffee dates, over here. “I’m not joking when I say I’m compartmentalized. My home life, my family is separate. My work as an actor, the interviews and the photo shoots and the red carpet, that is in another box altogether.” She runs a hand through her hair. “I think it’s important for me to keep that stuff in a separate box so that I know what it is. If you start to confuse things, and if you start to believe that the interest shown to you in a beautiful dress is commensurate to the work you’re doing as a mother, I think you can get into trouble.”
“All I know Is thAt I feel lIke I reAlly cAre About [work] when I’m doIng It, but then when I’m done wIth It, I hAve to be done wIth It, becAuse there’s nothIng else I cAn do.”
B
orn in Fort Bragg, an army base in North Carolina, Moore had a peripatetic childhood, moving all over with her mother and father, a paratrooper-turned-military judge. She attributes her arresting physicality—those high cheekbones, fiery hair, proliferation of freckles, jewel-like eyes—to her mother, a Scot, and has written children’s books about both: Freckleface Strawberry, which takes its title from a playground taunt and is published by Random House, with whom Moore has a four-book deal, and the recent My Mom Is a Foreigner, but Not to Me. “My parents were amazing, she says. “They said, ‘You can do anything you want to do, you can be anything you want to be, by getting an education.’ But when I said I wanted to be an actor, they were like, ‘What?! We didn’t mean… theatrics.’” She laughs again. “But once I said it they were supportive, and they paid for my school, and I look back and can’t believe it. I say it to my
108 la-confidential-magazine.com
T
alking to Moore is an invigorating experience. Not only is her beauty—so often the subject of writers’ hyperbole—quite remarkable, but she seems utterly genuine, so free from pretense, that you want nothing more than the very best for her. Whether or not she wins an Academy Award, she deserves to. And when you tell her that, her gratitude and excitement is obviously real. Westmoreland says of her performance: “It’s not just the takes you see in the final version that were great. Julianne was producing incredible stuff every time the camera rolled.” When I ask Moore if she felt she was producing extraordinary work, she says simply (and predictably): “No.” But is she at least excited about the Oscar speculation? She beams a smile that consumes her whole face. “Of course I am! To be even in conversation about it, to have people be excited about your work… You know we all love praise. It’s an honor to be discussed in this way. Of course—of course—I’m thrilled. And for a little movie like this, which we barely finished, that people made because they cared about it—and it’s a story about knowing what it means to be a human being, that’s what’s great too. And it makes you feel hope, right?” She stops for a moment, and takes another sip of her latte, staring out onto the bitter streets through the condensation dripping down the windows. “The meaning of everything is in its simplicity, the Our Town-ness of it,” she says. “Because that’s the stuff that kills me! Because that’s what’s valuable. I think that’s why I like movies about people and families and relationships, because that’s the stuff of our lives.” LAC
Styling by Deborah afShani/art Department
This is precisely why the film resonates so emphatically. It addresses a central question of human existence: Who are we? Few things are more confusing or more terrifying than any threat to this idea of self, and it’s one reason Moore’s performance is so devastating. “I saw the movie with my husband,” says Moore, who is married to the director Bart Freundlich (the couple have two children, Liv, 12, and Caleb, 17). “And I was sitting taking notes and heard these sounds, and I was like, ‘Bart?! Are you crying?!’” When I tell her I don’t really blame him, she says: “What’s interesting is in as much as Hollywood deals with externalization—with what people look like and that kind of thing—Alzheimer’s really gets to what’s most important, which is who are you on the inside?” Her fastidious preparation for the role started with a call to the director of the national Alzheimer’s Association, which set up Skype interviews for her with recently diagnosed early-onset patients across America. “I had a tremendous responsibility to get it right. I said, ‘I don’t want to do anything that’s not truthful.’” Moore even went to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York to undergo the tests for the disease and attended support groups for women affected by it. “Julianne’s commitment to the role bowled us over,” says Westmoreland. “With some actors, you have to encourage them to do research, but with Julianne, she tears right into it. The authenticity of her performance is a direct result of that.” Moore talks quickly, with a clarity and intellect that shines through almost every sentence. She’s so engaged in the conversation that 45 minutes go by before we realize that we haven’t even ordered anything, haven’t even been disturbed. “You should put that in the article!” she says, laughing loudly. “But on the other hand, to their credit, they just let two people sit here.” To hear her tell it, for all the ferocity of her performances on-screen, Moore lives an extremely quiet, normal life. I mention a recent reference of hers in an interview in The New York Times to a famous quote of Gustave Flaubert’s: “Be regular and ordinary in your life like a bourgeois, so that you can be violent and original in your work.” Clearly, it strikes a chord. “That’s the kind of person I am!” she says. “I’m not tremendously exotic, I’m not very eccentric, I’m pretty regular.” She laughs. “I live in the West Village, I have two really beautiful children. I have a great husband. I like the city. I like walking around. I really value my ordinary life and my family life. But I also value this life of the imagination, this life of stories. Because I feel like it’s in stories and these narratives that we talk about who we are.”
Dress with gold chain ($8,345) and gold chain knot necklace ($985), Lanvin. netaporter.com. Vermeil Le Deux Clous bracelet ($1,245) and vermeil bracelet ($895), Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane. 326 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-5051; ysl.com. Sandals, Paul Andrew ($1,095). avenue32.com Beauté: L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Blush in Baby Blossom ($11), Colour Riche Dual Effects Eyeshadow in Unforgettable Lilac ($10), Colour Riche Lip Balm in Rose Elixir ($8), and Brow Stylist Sculptor in Blonde ($9). lorealparis usa.com. Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in Incognito ($27). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., 310-275-4211; saks.com Styling by Deborah Afshani/ Art Department Hair by Marcus Francis/ Starworks Makeup by Elaine Offers/ Exclusive Artists using L’Oréal Paris Nails by Fleury Rose using Dior Vernis Video: Emilie Jackson Shot on location at The Plaza hotel, 888-240-7775; theplazany.com As one of the world’s most iconic hotels, The Plaza has set the standard for luxury and service since first opening its doors in 1907. The Plaza is home to The Palm Court, The Champagne Bar, The Rose Club, The Plaza Food Hall, the flagship location of Warren-Tricomi Salon, the only US Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, and The Shops at The Plaza retail collection. Designated as a New York City landmark in 1969, The Plaza is also the only New York City hotel to be selected as a National Historic Landmark.
fleurs de vie THIS SEASON, FASHION BLOSSOMS INTO A GARDEN OF UNEARTHLY, SUMPTUOUS DELIGHTS.
photography by rené & radka styling by martina nilsson
opposite page: Cotton seersucker dress, Hermès ($1,925). 434 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-6440; hermes.com
110 la-confidential-magazine.com
opposite page: Bellini dress
($7,900), resin drop earrings (price on request), and Firenze T-strap sandal ($995), Altuzarra. Neiman Marcus, 9700 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-550-5900; neimanmarcus.com this page: Double linen
embroidered-collar dress, Valentino ($4,390). 360 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-0103; valentino.com beauté: Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation ($62). Sephora, Beverly Center, 310-657-9670 ; sephora.com. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe ($21). Sephora, see above. Givenchy Ombré Couture Cream Eyeshadow in Prune Taffetas and Brun Cachemire ($23 each). Sephora, see above. Tom Ford Lip Color in Sable Smoke ($50). Tom Ford, 346 N. Rodeo Dr., 310-270-9440; tom ford.com. L’Oréal Paris EverStyle Smooth & Shine Crème ($7), Elnett Hairspray Extra Strong Hold ($15), EverStyle Texture Series Energizing Dry Shampoo ($7). lorealparisusa.com
la-confidential-magazine.com 113
Three-tiered silk dress, Lanvin ($5,150). 260 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-402-0580; lanvin.com. Gunmetal crystal flower necklace, Oscar de la Renta ($1,195). 8446 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-653-0200; oscardelarenta.com. Flower Power sandals, Casadei ($895). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310-275-4211; saks.com opposite page: Embroidered
cotton dress, Bottega Veneta ($10,000). 457 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-858-6533; bottegaveneta.com
la-confidential-magazine.com  115
Embroidered tulle gown, Dolce & Gabbana (price on request). 314 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-888-8701; dolcegabbana.com
la-confidential-magazine.com  117
Embroidered bomber jacket ($9,600) and silk Cadi pants ($1,650), Dior. 309 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-8594700; dior.com opposite page: Silk organza
beaded dress ($6,190) and Russian gold flower necklace ($695), Oscar de la Renta. 8446 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-653-0200; oscarde larenta.com Photography by René & Radka at Art Department Styling by Martina Nilsson at Opus Beauty Prop styling by Jason McKnight at Exclusive Artists Hair by Dimitris Giannetos at Opus Beauty using L’Oréal Paris Makeup by Kathy Jeung at Forward Artists using Givenchy Model: Rachel Roberts at Next
la-confidential-magazine.com  119
this page: Suede trench coat ($4,300)
and sandstorm carré ($230), Gucci. 347 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com. Ring, model’s own
opposite page: Silk coat, Dior ($6,600). 309 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-4700; dior.com. Des B Clarice top ($1,095) and Des B Siska skirt ($2,170), Dries Van Noten. Opening Ceremony, 451 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-652-1120; openingceremony.us. Sandals, Emilio Pucci ($1,325). emiliopucci.com
120 la-confidential-magazine.com
boogie days
THE TRIPPY CHIC OF THE SEVENTIES IS BACK IN A POST-MOD EXPLOSION FOR SPRING. photography by rené & radka Styling by Martina nilSSon
opposite page: Ubino poplin tunic
($795) and Cinque linen pant ($450), Max Mara. 451 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-385-9343; maxmara.com. Scarf, Tory Burch ($175). 142 S. Robertson Blvd., LA, 310-248-2612; toryburch. com. Agate belt, Hanley Mellon ($450). hanleymellon.com. Woven fringe handbag, Salvatore Ferragamo ($5,800). 357 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-273-9990; ferragamo.com this page: Henley ($695), cherry
skirt ($1,695), and belt ($425), Bally. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-557-1914; bally.com. 18k yellow-gold and diamond X bracelet ($3,600) and 18k yellow-gold and diamond Cable Classics bracelet ($4,800), David Yurman. 371 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-888-8618; davidyurman.com. High-heel metallic sandal, Gucci ($1,100). 347 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com
la-confidential-magazine.com  123
this page: Viscose linen jacket
($2,250), pants ($950), and scarf (price on request), Emilio Pucci. emiliopucci. com. Bracelet, Chanel ($1,475). 400 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-5055; chanel.com opposite page: Kid mohair
jacket ($3,060) and pants ($1,330), Prada. 343 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-8661; prada.com. Cashmere turtleneck, Ermenegildo Zegna ($895). 337 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-247-8827; zegna.com beauté: Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion ($32), Non-Aerosol Hair Spray ($30), Support Solution ($30). Fred Segal Studio, 500 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310-394-8509; number4 hair.com; Dior Diorskin Star Foundation ($50), Diorskin Star Concealer ($36), Diorskin Nude Shimmer in Amber ($56), Diorshow Mono Eyeshadows in Nude and Panama ($30 each), Diorshow Liner Waterproof in Chestnut ($29), Dior Addict It-Lash mascara in It-Black ($28), Sourcils Poudre Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde ($29), Rouge Dior Lipstick in Trompe L’œil ($35). Saks Fifth Avenue, 9600 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 310-275-4211; saks.com
124 la-confidential-magazine.com
opposite page: Suede belted blouse
($4,050) and suede shorts ($1,895), Chloé. 8448 Melrose Pl., LA, 323-602-0000; chloe.com. Turban (worn as top) ($270) and bangles ($250–$300), Missoni. Intermix, 110 N. Robertson Blvd., LA, 310-860-0113; intermixonline.com this page: Knit top (price on request),
overstitched denim pants (price on request), crepe bra (price on request), light denim PM Epi Twist bag ($3,600), and flower monogram ankle boots ($1,390), Louis Vuitton. 295 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-859-0457; louisvuitton.com Photography by René & Radka at Art Department Styling by Martina Nilsson at Opus Beauty Hair by Dimitris Giannetos at Opus Beauty using Number 4 Hair Care Makeup by Allan Avendano at Opus Beauty using Dior Models: Ellinore Erichsen at NEXT Los Angeles and Niclas Gillis at LA Models Produced by Art Department Producer on set: Tony Milano Photo assistant: Adam Rondou
la-confidential-magazine.com 127
Louis Verdad photographed in his Downtown LA studio with client Bahia Haifi Gold, who is wearing one of Verdad’s custom pieces.
WOMENSWEAR
LOUIS VERDAD Known for his impeccably tailored pieces and feminine, shapely silhouettes, Louis Verdad has been through many incarnations as a designer. Over the years, he’s done denim, developed products for big companies, dressed celebrities like Madonna and Cate Blanchett, and lost, then regained, the rights to his name. Yet he seems to have found perfect happiness as a bespoke designer, working in his atelier alongside his pattern maker and sewers. “I’m involved in every step of the process. I have clients who come in and order 20 pieces, and I have clients who just want one special dress,” says the 40-something Verdad, whose customers tend to be high-profile women between the ages of 30 and 65. Verdad starts by taking 60 measurements on a client. After making a personal pattern for her, he creates the garment in an inexpensive fabric, like muslin, and does a fitting. Once the client is happy with the drape, he moves on to the real fabric and makes additional adjustments. Surprisingly, the whole process takes only a week. “I’m a technician,” he says. Prices for his creations start around $600. LA-based actress Bahia Haifi Gold owns quite a few of Verdad’s pieces and ordered two new dresses for her upcoming screenings. She likes that his clothes “make you want to be a woman and dress up, instead of slouching and wearing jeans. Also, I have curves, I have hips. We are not all android-shaped. With him, you’re allowed to have curves. He gets that.” Indeed, working with clients one-on-one has taught Verdad to “understand the real body of a woman.” Taking the bespoke route, he says, “brought me closer to being the designer I always wanted to be.” By appointment only, e-mail louisverdadpress@ gmail.com to schedule. 213-422-6280; louisverdad.com
Custom of the City
Paris? New York? Los aNgeLes is iNcreasiNgLY grouNd zero for aN emergiNg cLass of masters of made-to-measure—à La mod! By Kathryn Drury Wagner Photography by Scott Witter
128 la-confidential-magazine.com
“His clotHes make you want to be a woman and dress up. witH Him, you’re allowed to Have curves. He gets tHat.” —bahia haifi gold
opposite page: photography by Jon Kopaloff/filmmagic (underwood)
the Ladies maN
// top of the shops //
// MAGIC NUMBeRs //
250,000 The number of beads and sequins designer lorena sarbu used to create Carrie Underwood’s custom gown for the 2014 Country Music Awards—it took 10 days to sew them all on by hand. lorenasarbu.com
glamorous and sleek, La Perla’s Cristallo nero Collection has hand-applied crystals and can be made to measure at the company’s new south Coast Plaza store. The service features bras, slips, and other confections (above), hand-sewn by artisans at the la Perla atelier and further personalized via choice of silks and initials. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-754-7500; laperla.com When Gucci reopened its rodeo drive flagship in october, the redesign included a third floor with a wraparound terrace, dedicated solely to red-carpet dressing. Here, the house’s master tailors are available for private appointments with VIP clientele who shop from the gucci Première and made to measure collections. 347 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-278-3451; gucci.com
tip bits
celeb approved A trained dancer and former ft model, Avion Feminin designer Katherine Tsina Bird brings a strong sense of three-dimensional movement and structure to her work. Yet the designer, who is married to musician Andrew Bird, wants her creations to be multidimensional in another way: A cancer survivor, she gives part of the proceeds from all sales to fund research to cure the disease. Her discerning clients order cocktail and evening dresses as well as day pieces like cashmere coats and button-down shirts. “This is the ultimate idea of luxury, when something is made specifically for you,” says Tsina Bird. “My clients tend to have an appreciation for fabric and are highly educated about fashion.” The elegant fit and silhouette of her designs, which start around $1,200, have attracted the likes of Diane Kruger, Michelle Williams, and Jodie Foster. This spring Tsina Bird will launch Avion Clothier, debuting with a line of luxury utilitarian and unisex shirting. 323-6446850; avionfeminin.com
One of LA’s premier celebrity fashion stylists, Anita Patrickson’s work graces the pages of magazines like Elle and the bods of starlets Emma Watson and Emmy Rossum. “I love custom designs,” says Patrickson. “Custom feels great, and it fits brilliantly.” Her go-tos in LA include shoemaker Andre No. 1 (see page 133) and bespoke denim from 3x1. We asked for a few suggestions on what to consider when commissioning a custom garment: • There are bespoke designers, and then there are tailors and seamstresses. Working with that latter group, she says, “You need to figure out what you want, and then tell them. Come armed with an idea, pictures and swatches.”
• Patrickson recommends going through your closet and pulling out what you adore and wear the most. Then bring those pieces to your clothier and get them replicated in different fabrics. • Evening dresses should be simple. “Keep the silhouette clean and invest in the fabric.” • “Women should take a page out of men’s books and get custom button-down shirts,” Patrickson says. Her favorite LA tailors: Ascot Chang and Mr. Alex. • Make sure you are at your normal size when you commission clothing. “Everyone has a few dresses they bought when they lost weight, and they never, ever wear them again,” Patrickson says.
LA-CONfIdENTIAL-MAgAzINE.COM 129
Johnathan Behr (right) photographed with attorney Andrew Calderone, a bespoke suiting client, in his Los Angeles atelier.
MENSWEAR
Johnathan Behr “The most successful men in the world get their suits made. They don’t pull them off the rack,” says Johnathan Behr, the designer at Johnathan Behr Bespoke Clothiers. “Bespoke is the highest form of tailoring.” In the manner of true bespoke, Behr oversees his pattern makers and tailors, who make clothing by hand behind a door at his appointment-only salon. The majority of Behr’s clients are between the ages of 25 and 35 and in the market for something simple, elegant, and fitted. “Like Cary Grant in North by Northwest,” says the 48-year-old Behr. “The trends have really gone toward classic and minimal.” Suits start around $2,900 and can run to the mid-$4,000s. Behr worked with Mad Men costume designer Janie
130 la-confidential-magazine.com
Bryant to create suits for characters Don Draper and Roger Sterling, and collaborated with costume designer Mark Bridges to make nine of them for Jamie Dornan to wear (and doff) in Fifty Shades of Grey. But he’s also crafted a tie-dyed purple and powder-blue suit for the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, and had a ball tailoring for Jack White, who ordered four suits, including a wild, powderblue tuxedo. When it comes to bespoke, says Behr, trust is key. “You have to be able to look at the designer and go, ‘He has taste. He knows how to dress.’” Looking at Behr, in his impeccable three-piece suit, one senses his clients are in the right hands. By appointment only. 5455 Wilshire Blvd., No. 100, LA, 323-326-8792; johnathanbehr.com
“You have to be able to look at the designer, and go, ‘he has taste. he knows how to dress.’” —johnathan behr
opposite page: photography by bryan bedder/getty images for artists for peace and Justice (craig)
a cut above
// magic numbers //
// The avanT-guardian //
12
Klein Epstein & Parker (K.E.P.) specializes in made-to-measure suits, and the company’s clients are the kind of stylish men who enjoy taking sartorial risks. According to cofounder Miray Kafardian Bik, clients personalize their suits with “crazy” linings such as camouflage, yellow paisley, or bold prints featuring pinup girls and cocktail recipes. Some ask to have their suit’s interior embroidered with affirmations—some naughty, some nice—and power phrases like do not hang up until they die or buy. For Ken Todd—husband of Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame— K.E.P. made a variety of suits in lush velvets, bright wools with satin trims, contrast pick stitching, and bold contrast buttons. Bik adds that K.E.P. recently worked with Chinese pop star Rui to create seven fantastically bright suits (think red, green, electric blue, and yellow) with large peak lapels. He’ll sport them on his upcoming world tour. 367 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 424-777-0709; 2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-668-9008. By appointment only, 21361 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310-456-7444; kleinepsteinparker.com
The areas in a man’s suit that are impossible to measure, according to James Jurney Jr., copresident, Groupe 16sur20. At his seize sur vingt, the custom-fitting technique involves a 3-D camera, which reveals how a client moves and stands, relaxes and tenses. These nuances reveal curved shapes that can be reviewed on video by the company’s tailors in Italy, who then craft suits for celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and George Stephanopoulos. 8618 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-657-1620; 16sur20.co
celeb approved Not oNly does Brioni MAke its oWN fAbrics, it is staffed by wizards. Well, the wizards are really master tailors, but they certainly provide transformative fashion magic by hand-making suits, shirts, ties, and sportswear for the su Misura experience. they’ve dressed Pierce brosnan, daniel craig, and President obama. Waving chalk and pins rather than wands, these craftsmen…
after many years as a model and later working with the Hugo Boss design team, aussie Craig Cochrane opened his own imprint in la, craig cochrane design (craig cochranedesign.com). He offers everything from shirts and suits to overcoats, trousers, vests, and leather jackets in both handmade and machine-made options to accommodate various budgets.
• Put 6,000 hand stitches into just one jacket, 13,000 if it’s a tuxedo. only 17 percent of those stitches are visible. the rest are structural. • oversee 78 ironing phases. • Hand-make the buttonholes by trimming them both inside and outside, and attach the buttons by hand. The Su Misura service is also available for women. 459 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-1300; brioni.com
tip bits
Daniel Craig
What is a common misconception about custom clothing? that it’s too expensive. actually, when compared to a high-end brand purchased off the rack, custom is less expensive. and you have so much more creative control.
What should someone expect during a custom fitting? expert advice that complements the client’s body type and one-of-a-kind garments that are both timeless and in style. How long does a custom fitting usually take? the fitting/measuring is the first process, and takes about 30 minutes. then the design aspect can go into great detail and could take as long as three hours, depending on how many garments we are designing. What should a man bring to his custom fitting? Bring in your favorite garments; that way, i can get an idea of how you’re currently wearing your clothing, and i can offer style and fit advice based on that.
la-confidential-magazine.com 131
ACCESSORIES
Nick Fou
et
The rad haTTer
If you had to pick a poster child for Southern California, you couldn’t do better than Nick Fouquet. His breezy style, stunning good looks (he’s also a model) and laid-back vibe are on the surface; underneath lies a dazzling creativity. Yet Fouquet, a relative newcomer to SoCal, grew up in France and Palm Beach and moved to LA in 2008. His hats—which both Madonna and Pharrell Williams wore to the 2014 Grammys—seem to have a soul and story, like they were out rabble-rousing before settling upon your head. “Hats do tell a great story,” says the 32-year-old designer. “Hats tell a lot about your character. I’ve lived in Nepal, Morocco, and Australia, and my travels inspired a lot of what goes into my hats.” Those toppers start at $600 and often feature intriguing accoutrements, such as feathers or matchsticks, tucked into the hatband. Fouquet makes the hats out of beaver felt in the same manner as 18th-century hat makers, using steam, blocking, and sanding. “The only difference is that we have electricity,” he says. The process begins with using a conformiter to map a client’s head. “It doesn’t give us a size, it gives us a shape,” Fouquet says. Then he makes a last, a molded wooden form the hat is shaped on, for each client. Next “I ask my clients, ‘What do you like to do? Do you like the beach or the mountains? What music do you listen to?’ I want them to get the hat and be like, ‘You captured all the things that I love.’” He welcomes creative input but did draw the line with one gentleman who wanted to commission a hat like Saturn, with rings floating around it. Fouquet’s response: “I don’t think that is going to be possible. I’m not a magician.” His fans would say otherwise. 853 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, 310-310-2315; nickfouquet.com4
Nick Fouquet photographed in his Venice studio.
132 la-confidential-magazine.com
“Hats do tell a great story. Hats tell a lot about your cHaracter.” —nick fouquet
// TOP OF THE SHOPS //
// magic numbErS //
Loro Piana men’s made-to-order Soft Walk-style shoes are available in 19 colors (price on request).
3
The century BC when Agnodike, the first female doctor Men looking for exceptional shoes should try Tod’s made-to-order Sartorial collection, available in the JP Club area of the Beverly Hills store. Using exquisite leather and unique treatments proprietary to Tod’s, the shoes are crafted by artisans before being embossed with the client’s initials. 333 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-285-0591; tods.com At Fendi, the Selleria handbag line is completely customizable. Choose from shapes including the Baguette or Peekaboo, then select from a variety of leathers and linings, with extras like gold accessories or monograms. Each creation has a special plaque inside it. 355 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-2768888; fendi.com
When the Beverly Hills Jimmy Choo reopened in 2014, a sleek, made-to-order area was included in the new layout. There, shoe aficionados can select a silhouette, heel height, and materials (like suede, satin or snakeskin) and play with a palette of colors. 240 Via Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-9045; jimmychoo.com
created an Agnodice handbag for Spring/Summer 2015, customizable in 10 leathers, four options for fittings, and two linings. 236 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-205-0095; porsche-design.com celeb approved
Nineteen colors—including both traditional hues and more bold choices like red, green, and wine—are available for Loro Piana’s men’s made-to-order shoes. The Soft Walk style, in suede, is perfect for summer. 455 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-860-0765; South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 714-432-1301; loropiana.com
the avant-guardian Legendary custom shoemaker Andre No. 1 “can do anything,” says celebrity fashion stylist Anita Patrickson. The 60-year-old business has shod dapper guys like Frank Sinatra, but isn’t scared off by outré requests for thigh-high boots for Jennifer Lopez, either. Making footwear for the band Kiss tested the shop’s design prowess, says senior designer Angel Ramos. “They are large guys, and they really move around on stage. We added brackets, like on Rollerblades, so they could lock themselves into the boots and not fly out of them.” But the craziest order came from Prince: He wanted a pair of acrylic heels with purple blinking lights inside. Andre No. 1 caters to less theatrical customers, too, making heels and loafers, starting around $2,400, and boots, about $3,000. Ramos says the shop takes a 3-D scan of the feet and legs, which is used to create a set of foot molds, and the shoes are handcrafted on top of the mold. Walk on! 7914 W. Sunset Blvd., LA, 323-876-5565; andre1shoes.com
in Greece, was alive. In her honor, porsche design
Some of the most famous men in the world, including Tom Hanks, David Beckham, Charlie Watts, and H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, don the high-style shoes of G. J. Cleverley & Co. The company is headquartered in London, but twice a year, in April and October, the frm visits LA for a trunk show. The bespoke process begins with measurements and a discussion of preferences. Later, a craftsman will carve a wooden last, or mold, unique to the gentleman’s feet, and the shoes are crafted, by hand, over the course of months. (The lasts are kept at Cleverley, so future orders are easier.) According to CEO George Glasgow Jr., the brand’s latest collaboration was for the shoes in the flm Kingsman: The Secret Service, starring Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson—styles that are currently available to buy from online menswear shop Mr. Porter. Appointmentonly fttings will be held April 24, 25, and 27. E-mail george@gjcleverley.co.uk to schedule. gjcleverley.co.uk
la-confidential-magazine.com 133
Martin Katz photographed in his Beverly Hills boutique with client NJ Goldston, who is wearing custom pieces designed by the jeweler.
JEWELRY
MARTIN KATZ The gem dandy
Jeweler-to-the-stars Martin Katz has been creating one-of-a-kind pieces, made with meticulous care, since founding his company in 1988. Only about 10 percent of his merchandise is repeated, he says; “Everything else is made only once.” With his bespoke pieces, “I take opinions from the person who will be wearing it. There’s more input from the client.” Typically, a customer will come to his Beverly Hills boutique to choose an important stone with Katz (he will only set stones he has sold) and ask him to design around it. “It could be a diamond, it could be a colored diamond, sapphire, a ruby, an emerald.” Katz does initial sketches, and then has his Paris-based artists create four refined paintings, which he presents to the client. From start to finish, his bespoke process takes two to four months. The 50-something Katz has done custom designs
134 la-confidential-magazine.com
for many celebrities, including Barbra Streisand and Ashley Judd, and is currently at work on a magnificent necklace with a blue sapphire suspended from it. “Martin spends an enormous amount of time thinking about the right setting for a piece,” says client NJ Goldston, founder and editor of LA lifestyle blog The Blonde & The Brunette. “There’s so much creativity and inspiration, and it’s tailored to a woman’s style; he’s a great listener that way.” Katz’s advice when commissioning a couture-level adornment? “Have a perspective—rather than an ‘I want this exactly’ stance—because when you are going to an artist, you want the artist to do their work.” The glittering end results will reflect what you appreciate about the artist’s style of work. After all, he says, “I can only speak in my voice.” 9540 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, 310-276-7200; martin katz.com
“Have a perspective— ratHer tHan an ‘i want tHis exactly’ stance—because wHen you are going to an artist, you want tHe artist to do tHeir work.” —martin katz
// MAGIC NUMBeRs //
// top of the shops //
26
Just like his great-great-grandfather, the legendary louis Cartier, Jean
The number of carats in the biggest diamond fine jewelry designer todd reed has set into a custom piece. Reed recently opened a 6,000-square-foot flagship space in LA, complete with an in-house workshop. 1511 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310-4507840; toddreed.com
Dousset creates timeless diamond designs. he uses what he calls the signature stone, a gem hidden on the underside of the main stone, to “personalize your engagement ring with a thoughtful detail that only you know and see, to add another meaningful sentiment.” for example, he just created a ring (below) that was inspired by an orchid, the client’s favorite flower, with an oval pink sapphire as a secret detail. 8471 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323-944-0855; jeandousset.com Psst! in the next few months, Alexis Bittar will be adding a feature online that will allow you to customize your own pieces, choosing the metals and stones of your dreams. alexisbittar.com
tip bits When it comes to the splurge of a lifetime, customers are looking for a conversationworthy ring. We asked local jewelers to tell us what is trending in engagement and wedding rings. • According to LA-based fine jewelry designer Kimberly McDonald, custom bridal jewelry requests are on the rise. “Clients will come to me looking for a specific material with my signature touches, such as the irregular diamond bezel. I think the increase in custom pieces has to do with clients breaking free from wearing the same mass-produced stuff everyone else wears.” 8590 W. Sunset Blvd., Ste. 10.1, LA, 310-8540890; kimberlymcdonald.com • “We are moving toward 18k yellow [gold] and less traditional shapes and styles. Think classic but edgier,” says Diane Allen, one of the founders of 23rd Street Jewelers. 1009
celeb approved Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 310-374-9923; 2319 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-828-0833; 23rdstreetjewelers.com • “Halo designs continue to be popular and are getting some fresh updates, such as floral-inspired frames,” says Beth Gerstein, cofounder of Brilliant Earth, which specializes in conflict-free and eco-friendly jewelry. By appointment only. 8797 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood; 310-4845222; brilliant earth.com
Charming and quirky, Irene Neuwirth’s series of custom handpainted portrait pendants have quickly gained a following.
• “A lot of people are leaning toward yellow gold. Three years ago, yellow gold was seen as outdated and not interesting to a new bride,” says Single Stone’s owner, Ari Madilian. Rose cuts and other unusual cuts are also hot, he adds. 607 South Hill St., No. 204, LA, 213-892-0772; singlestone.com
Neuwirth is a Southern California native, but the pendants feature a decidedly old-world technique. The portraits are reverse-carved into colorless, transparent crystal by master artisans in IdarOberstein, Germany, who then use oil paints to color them. The crystal is set in 18k gold with mother-of-pearl, which gives it a luminescent background, and is surrounded by diamonds or turquoise. The style has been a hit with pet lovers Taylor Swift, who dons a cat necklace, and Lena Dunham, who wanted one immortal-
above:
Custom 18k white-gold and diamond ring, Kimberly McDonald (price on request).
izing her dog, Lamby. 8458 Melrose Pl., West Hollywood, 323-285-2000; ireneneuwirth.com
LA-ConfIDenTIAL-MAgAzIne.CoM 135
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
23RD STREET JEWELERS 23rd Street Jewelers is a premier familyowned business co-owned by sisters Diane Allen and Mary Kelley. New arrivals include a rare and beautiful 4.11-carat pear-shaped rose-cut emerald. Our handmade mounting in 18-karat yellow gold features a diamond border exquisitely set with fine round diamonds. 2319 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica, Ca. 90403 310-828-0833 1009 Manhattan Avenue Manhattan Beach, Ca. 90266 310-374-9923 23rdStreetJewelers.com
ENTERTAINER’S PARADISE Private estate on 10+ acres of Lake Austin waterfront. A fabulous property boasting 9 bedrooms, 12 baths, elevator, and billiard room. Fly in via helicopter hangar or coast in via 2 slip boathouse. Pool with swim up bar and private vineyard. Call Maryleigh Dejernett for a private tour at 512.413.6404 www.EstateSelmaHughesAustin.com
NOT TO BE MISSED EVENTS • HAPPENINGS • PROMOTIONS
ESCAPE ROOM LA
THE ANZA A CALABASAS HOTEL
SELVAREY
Sixty minutes, one decked out 1940’s detective agency office, countless puzzles, riddles, hidden clues with 12 participants behind one locked door come together to create Escape Room LA. Located in downtown Los Angeles and conceived by Race LA’s John Hennessy, Escape Room LA participants race against the clock, solve clues and hopefully find the key to escape.
Completely renovated, The Anza A Calabasas Hotel embodies the friendly yet stylish ambiance of Calabasas itself, and features a contemporary design that emulates a So-Cal casual vibe. Located in Old Town Calabasas, it’s ideal for a weekend away or a comfortable place for family and friends.
A new line of rums imported from Panama and co-owned by superstar Bruno Mars is making its way into the hands of some of LA’s best bartenders. SelvaRey is already behind the bar at the Chateau Marmont, Nobu, and A.O.C. among others. Their chocolate infused rum is absolutely sublime.
Visit escaperoomla.com
For reservations, packages and information visit: www.theanzahotel.com or call (818) 222-5300
selvarey.com instagram: @selvareyrum
Get carded, and compliments. BFF or Blemish Fighting Factor. Calms your blemishes without overdrying. Destined to be your Best Friend Forever.
RESTORE. Enhances your skin’s youthful radiance and promotes hydration. Its unique botanicals calm, nourish and protect your skin.
UN-LINER. A true smile saver. It targets fine lines around the eyes and upper lip, and naturally brightens the skin.
She has built a reputation
as the go-to girl for professional skin care with the reigning elite in entertainment. She’s Francesca “Frankie” Paige. When her clients’ careers hinge on beauty and youth, they turn—and return—to Frankie for radiant results.
You’d never guess
that Frankie’s been a licensed esthetician for over two decades. And, frankly, that’s the point. She balances organic ingredients with the latest discoveries in restorative science. Her goal at FP Skin is to become your skin care advocate. Frankie educates her clients about ingredients that produce age-defying results.
Care, free. Purchase the three FP Skin treatments and use promo code ICARE4U to receive a free gift: FP Skin’s signature travel skin care kit, including the Prep, Balance and Restore treatments—a $61 value.
Order at FrancescaPaige.com or 310.860.0898.
Radiant reveiws “I always laugh to myself when people compliment my skin after a treatment with Frankie. It happens every time. The BFF and Un-Liner are my favorite secret weapons. You can literally see the results. I don’t know what I’d do without Frankie!” -Michelle Branch, Musician “I’m lucky enough to see Frankie for facials/all of my skin care needs and her new product line does not disappoint. One of my favorite products is the BFF, but it’s destined to become your literal best friend as well.” -Mandy Moore, Actress/Singer “I’ve been seeing Frankie for my facials for years and I swear she is keeping my skin looking younger now than ever! I’m obsessed with using the Restore and BFF.” -Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Model/Mom/Philanthropist
Performance photos: J. Van Evers
DINNER – HAPPY HOUR – LATE NIGHT – SUNDAY BRUNCH LIVE ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY TO SUNDAY
haute property red-Carpet ready
Lights, Camera… mansion!
For 100 years in La, a movie star’s home has been his paLace. By Kathy a. McDonalD Once there was a defined movie star way of life. Silent-film legends like Harold Lloyd and studio-era icons such as Gregory Peck built grand Beverly Hills or Bel-Air estates and outfitted them with help from famed production designers—carefully tended spreads on multiple acres that had all the trappings of manors fit for European royalty. In comparison to contemporary mansions (which can be upwards of 25,000 square feet), these bygone palaces were modest in size, though thoroughly glam. Today, the mega-manse with surrounding compound seems to have more appeal to international buyers and business titans than Hollywood royalty. (Recent high-profile buys include Sean Combs’s $39 million “chateau” in Holmby Hills and Minecraft video game founder
photography courtesy of jason oppenheim/oppenheim group
continued on page 140
Providing the ultimate escape from traffic jams and prying paparazzi, this architectural home, which recently sold for $7.6 million, is situated atop a gated promontory overlooking Hollywood. Every window has a jetliner view, and glass doors glide open to allow unrestricted—and completely private—access to the outdoors.
la-confidential-magazine.com 139
Producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli’s former French-style spread recently sold off-market for a cool $17 million. Major draws include its très privé cul-de-sac location and eye-popping views of the surrounding hills.
“It’s hard to fInd a great property for any buyer; add In the need for great prIvacy, and that makes It more challengIng.” —david offer Markus Persson’s $70 million spec house at the heights of Trousdale.) Although there are some film stars who live large—Mel Gibson’s multiple Malibu digs stand out—desires have morphed over time. These days, it’s not about square footage; rather, privacy, seclusion, and setting (preferably behind a long, gated drive) are the common denominators for A-list talent when it comes to buy-
Shell shocked: The master bath of this Hollywood Hills hideaway (see previous page) features an eggshell tub and panoramic, 360-degree views by which to bathe.
140 la-confidential-magazine.com
ing residential real estate in Los Angeles. Although her contemporaries and BFFs are in Echo Park, millennial screen queen (and Academy Award winner) Jennifer Lawrence recently bought a romantic, 5,500-square-foot, French-style home in Hidden Valley Estates above Beverly Hills. Her $8.225 million statement house, formerly owned by Jessica Simpson, is on a guard-gated private street and secluded behind tall bamboo (Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are also in the ’hood behind a gated drive; Cameron Diaz and Nicole Kidman have homes nearby—they, too, off the public thoroughfare). One bedroom was transformed into a dressing room with adjacent salon vanity, while the master has an oversize walk-in closet—filled to the crown molding with Dior, one imagines. “The more famous they are, the higher up they go,” says Jason Oppenheim, a real estate agent and founder of the Oppenheim Group (ogroup.com). The ideal is a private driveway and a street inaccessible to tour buses. “The women want a secluded, fairytale, landscaped property, while the guy buyers are view-driven and opt for sexier, contemporary homes,” he says. And once there are kids, then it’s “out of the hills to Brentwood and the Palisades.” One of Oppenheim’s recent listings (which sold for $7.6 million) is a showplace fit for a media star. The architectural home practically flies off its gated promontory over Hollywood—look up on a
summer night to see it glow from the Hollywood Bowl. Each room has in-demand jetliner views, and the infinity pool falls away into the metropolis; the master bath features an eggshell bathtub and Fleetwood doors that open to the air. “It’s hard to find a great property for any buyer; add in the need for great privacy, and that makes it more challenging,” explains David Offer, a topperforming agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (davidoffer.com), who specializes in Brentwood and LA’s Westside. Surprisingly, despite the number of gated estates and enclaves, “privacy is really challenging to get in this town,” Offer says of the number-one request from his highprofile clients, who often search extensively to find a paparazzi-proof property. Homeowners must conform to wall and hedge-line height limits; then there’s the need for a private drive. “You can’t have anyone looking down on you from above or across the canyon,” Offer explains. Two-story homes can be problematic, as the second floor may be visible from the street. Add in a list of requested upscale amenities—home theater, gym, master with expansive closet and bath, family room/kitchen, and guesthouse/staff quarters—and the search becomes even tougher. For over-the-top European-style estates and the affected grandeur of yesteryear, today’s A-listers decamp to… Europe. Hence those headline-making overseas haunts, notably George Clooney’s villa on Italy’s Lake Como or his country estate on its own island in the Thames River, 40 miles from London (a post-nuptial purchase of $16 million). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie remodeled and expanded the Romanesque-style, 35-room, 1,200acre Chateau Miraval in Provence, the famously photographed site of their 2014 wedding. Extras include a moat and two helipads. Private air travel seems a must-have. Offering ultimate privacy and remoteness, Mel Gibson has his 500-acre hilltop jungle estate in Costa Rica, Playa Barrigona (with three manses and beach below) listed with Christie’s Great Estates for $29.75 million—this getaway, too, has its own helipad. But ultimately, in-town trophy properties still draw the most interest. An off-market, $17 million listing from Michael Sutton of The Agency (theagencyre.com) comes with serious Hollywood pedigree ( James Bond movie producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, to be exact). The 6,800-squarefoot French-style home is a quick drive up from Sunset Plaza, but feels a world away. “It’s steps away from trouble, on its own cul-de-sac, and is completely private,” says Sutton. Designed for entertaining, there are views for miles and the ability to live an ultraglam Hollywood lifestyle. Just like the good old days. LAC
photography courtesy of jason oppenheim/oppenheim group (bathtub)
haute property red-Carpet ready
EstateSelmaHughesAustin.com
12021 SELMA HUGHES PARK RD, AUSTIN, TEXAS 10.35 ACRES, 537 FEET OF LAKE AUSTIN WATERFRONT, HELICOPTER HANGAR, VINEYARD, 9 BEDROOMS, 12 BATHS, BOATHOUSE WITH PRIVATE BOAT RAMP ALL ACCESS AUSTIN Maryleigh Dejernett, Broker AllAccessAustin.com 512.413.6404
haute property realty Check
Grand Canyons The “flaTs” of la are for mere morTals. The creaTive crème de la TinselTown sTill opTs for canyon counTry. By Kathy a. McDonalD
142 la-confidential-magazine.com
glam,” explains Julie Jones of Sotheby’s, Sunset Strip Brokerage (sothebyshomes.com), noting that “hip houses with a view and a pool” are in the highest demand. Laurel Canyon’s rock ’n’ roll legacy—check out the Canyon Country Store at the intersection of Lookout Mountain for memorabilia— is well documented. Once home to rock renegade Jim Morrison, the Canyon’s other former residents include Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and, yes, The Monkees (infamous for naked pool parties). Today, home values are well beyond an indie rocker’s reach; moneyed buyers seek out the Wonderland School District and the engaged, politically active community. “The nickname is Mayberry USA,” says Tom O’Rourke of Berkshire Hathaway California Properties (tomorourke.com) of the woodsy “homespun Hollywood” enclave. “With single-family homes so different, views, light, and cachet are the determining factors when it comes to sales price,” contends Christopher Westley of Partners Trust, Beverly Hills (thepartnerstrust.com). Both Laurel Canyon and adjacent Nichols Canyon are natural and semirural, with hidden streams and verdant oaks and sycamores. Beachwood (the easternmost Hollywood canyon) is a bit more citified, with a small grocery store and café at mid-mountain, but it’s still far from a traditional, walkable neighborhood. So why do residents (everyone from Christina Applegate and Andy Samberg to—back-in-the-day— Madonna) brave these hills? “People like the quiet and seclusion,” offers Anthony Stellini, a real estate agent
from top:
Laurel Canyon is home to an eclectic array of architectural styles, from bohemian to contemporary— including the “Three Layer Cake House,” which sold last year for $3 million through Partners Trust; Moby’s former château above Beachwood Canyon, Wolf’s Lair, recently sold for $12.4 million.
with Nourmand & Associates (nourmand.com). “There’s a sense of wildlife and detachment from city living in the canyons,” he adds. With minimal or no commercial development, no billboards, plus feathered and four-footed neighbors, “you can drive up the hill in five minutes and enter your very own world,” says Jones. (A world that can net sales prices that rival tonier canyons west, such as Coldwater and Benedict: At the close of 2014, musician and in-demand DJ Moby sold his Norman-style castle above Beachwood, known as Wolf’s Lair,
for $12.4 million in an off-market listing.) The tranquil upper reaches of Nichols Canyon are even shielded somewhat from city lights. Here, a quick commute home from mid-city can lead to a veritable lodgelike retreat. “There are no maps to the stars’ homes here,” says Scott Segall of Douglas Elliman Real Estate (elliman.com/california), who represents a Hamptons-style gated estate in Nichols Canyon for $5.5 million. “The canyon is huge for people who want privacy. It’s another world up there.” LAC
photography by brian thomas Jones (partners trust); DaviD Livingston/getty images (moby)
Hollywood’s wooded canyons— Beachwood, Nichols, and Laurel, primarily—have an allure that can’t be understood in price per square foot. The canyons are magical and mystical, say the creative types who flourish here; they’re also for homeowners who aren’t put off by a bobcat or deer in the driveway or steep, winding access roads that would challenge a Le Mans driver. At the end of the drive, though, it’s all about the view. “The higher you go, the bigger the price tag,” says Diana Torres of Keller Williams Realty (dianatorresproperties.com). “LA’s chicest buyers—up-and-coming actors, international clients, and movie executives—all want views. They want to be segregated; they want to look down and see everything but not be in it,” she explains. Mt. Olympus properties (off and above Laurel Canyon Boulevard) offer some of the city’s best views with sizable flat lots. Plus, there are sidewalks for families—unusual in any of the city’s canyonlands. In late 2013, a three-acre lot on its own private street at the very top of Mt. Olympus sold for $20 million—film financier and producer Megan Ellison was the reported buyer. The area continues to warrant premium pricing. Two of Torres’s current listings soar above the city at its upper reaches and are priced accordingly at $12.5 million (five bedrooms, five and a half baths, steel-faced ultracontemporary) and $10 million (five bedrooms, seven baths, 5,474-square-foot, 2003-built architectural). Pricing on both sides of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, like the housing stock built out over more than a century, is definitely not cookie cutter. “You can go bohemian or
Reinventing THE TABLE TENNIS
EXPERIENCE
More wiggle in the wag! West Los Angeles
Culver City
310/477-0364
310/837-8032
citydogclub.com Dog Daycare • Dog Boarding • Dog Grooming • Dog Shop
At Polite Table Tennis Co., our focus is narrow. We aim to hand-craft intelligent table tennis furniture and accessories for our clients. We invite you to play a little table tennis with family and friends on one of our premium tables. It’s the polite way to socialize.
Where Food Happens The James Beard Foundation is at the heart of American dining and is open to everyone who loves food. Visit jamesbeard.org to view our calendar of culinary events, learn about our educational initiatives, become a member, and more.
Polite
TABLE TENNIS CO. jamesbeard.org
www.playpolite.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
SPRING INTO FITNESS AT YOUR SERVICE
HUSTLE & FLOW
WUNDABAR PILATES
Hustle & Flow is a boutique fitness studio located on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. We specialize in indoor cycling, yoga, hybrid classes and dynamic strength conditioning. We are a community that prides ourselves on authenticity and encourage a playful atmosphere while refocusing your mind and spirit. We offer KIDS YOGA as well as FREE childcare on Friday mornings.
Adored by Hollywood’s elite and Olympic Gold medalists alike, WundaBar Pilates is So Freaking Good, It’s Patented! Using our WundaFormer - Pilates Reformer, Wunda Chair, Jump Board and Ballet Bar all-in-one - we combine Intensity with Integrity to deliver unparalleled results, helping our clients live, work and play in their best bodies! Making WundaBodies in Studio City, Montrose, Pasadena, Calabasas Santa Clarita & San Diego.
2321 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA We are at the corner of Abbot Kinney and Oxford Avenue. Free parking lot of of Abbot Kinney Blvd. 424.228.5788 | hustleandfowftness.com | Instagram: @hustlefowft
wundabar.com • info@wundabar.com • 818.358.3364 Facebook: WundaBarPilates • Instagram: WundaBar_Pilates Twitter: @WundaBarPilates
THE MAIN BARRE Set in a corner loft overlooking Downtown’s Historic Core, The Main Barre is a boutique fitness studio as unique as its surroundings. Choreographed to great music - each particular and innovative class offers a full body-sculpting workout that mixes dance, Pilates and yoga-inspired movements, friendly and motivating instructors attract a diverse and committed clientele. 560 South Main Street, Suite 4W Los Angeles, CA 90013 213.623.1213 themainbarre.com Instagram: @themainbarre Facebook: facebook.com/themainbarre Twitter: twitter.com/themainbarre
HUMMINGBIRD PILATES Hummingbird Pilates is a fully equipped classical Pilates studio in Beverly Hills that offers private and semi-private lessons as well as classes. Conveniently located at the corner of Doheny Dr. and Olympic Blvd., with parking and showers available, Hummingbird Pilates can help you tone your entire body and improve your health. 367 South Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, 90211 310.278.8157 hummingbirdpilates.com Facebook: Hummingbird Pilates Instagram: hummingbirdpilates Twitter: abeypilates
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
SPRING INTO FITNESS AT YOUR SERVICE
ELITE MOVEMENT
M7 FITNESS
Established in 2008, Elite Movement® is your top of the line fitness studio in LA. We offer Pilates, Barre and TRX workouts in one bright and airy studio. Our goal is to help you move through life with an effective workout routine. Together we can achieve a stronger and healthier you.
M7 is a private fitness studio featuring traditional private and semi-private Pilates taught by highly certified instructors. Our unique offering combines Pilates with Power Plate, Aerial Physique and the healing benefits of an Infrared sauna and an on-site structural integrative therapist all within a beautiful spa-like facility.
835 Via De La Paz Pacifc Palisades, CA 90272 elitemovement.com Social handle IG and Twitter: Elitemovement
625 Montana Ave, Suite M (upstairs), Santa Monica, CA 90403 310.260.0066 m7ftnesscenter.com • @m7ftness
NATURAL PILATES AND BODYWORKS
VELOCITY SPORTS CLUB
Natural Pilates is the premier Pilates studio in the Los Angeles area. Situated across from the iconic Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, the studio caters to clientele throughout Brentwood, Century City, Bel Air, as well as Santa Monica to West Hollywood. Equipped with the latest Pilates and GYROTONIC® equipment, the studio’s STOTT PILATES® certified instructors design personalized workout programs that sculpt your body using various Pilates apparatuses and light weight training.
Velocity Sports Club is Brentwood’s most premier training facility specializing in private training, group training and sports performance for both youth and adults. Let our team of performance coaches bring out your inner athlete.
9869 South Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 277-6386 • naturalpilates.com Facebook: NaturalPilatesBeverlyHills Instagram: naturalpilates
11611 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049 310.820.7800 velocitysportsclub.com @velocitywla
nature doesn’t need people.
c o n s e r v A t I o n
I n t e r
nature is JULIA
HArrIson
roBerts ford
kevIn
spacey
people need nature.
r n A t I o n A L
p r e s e n t s
speaking edwArd
penĂŠLope
robert
norton cruz redford
natureisspeaking.org
The Hunger Is campaign is a collaboration between The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to raise awareness and improve the health of hungry children.
Abode & beyond Artisanal LA! Around the world in 80 ways: Jamie Rosenthal has stocked her new warehouse-size digs with an array of home goods from Turkey, Italy, Senegal, Spain, and more.
Beachy keen
photography by Molly Cranna
Lost & Found Home brings a global-chic sensibility to santa Monica. “It felt like the right moment in time to come to the beach,” says Lost & Found founder and creative director Jamie Rosenthal, who recently opened her first dedicated home store on Main Street in Santa Monica. For over 15 years, Rosenthal’s fashion and lifestyle stores in Hollywood have provided in-the-know Angelenos with casual basics, luxe knits, and tactile separates. Rosenthal’s new home store is an extension of this effortless, eclectic point of view, which landed her a home-product collaboration with Anthropologie in 2014 (a snapshot of the full offering is now available at Lost & Found Home). “Normally when people sell a lot of categories, they have multiple buyers,” she explains, “but since I’m the sole buyer, my taste and vision is singular.” That vision, which Rosenthal has dubbed “ethnic modern,” has a strong Mediterranean influence, inspired by her travels in Tunisia, Southern France, Italy, and Spain. “[The Mediterranean] is incredibly simpatico with the Southern California lifestyle,” she adds. At 2,500 square feet, Lost & Found Home is a 360-degree retail experience.
By Allyson Rees
Oversize luminaires constructed out of rattan, sisal, and recycled jersey—a collaboration between designer Nelson Sepulveda and Dutch lighting brand Ay Illuminate—hang from the exposed ceiling pipes. Vintage Turkish hemp rugs, washed in the sea and dried on the beach, are laid haphazardly (read: perfectly) on the store’s whitewashed wooden floors. This spring, Lost & Found Home introduces large-scale sculptural woven baskets from Cape Town. “They have all sorts of plastic woven in, which is typical of South Africa,” Rosenthal says. “They use a lot of recycled materials in their crafts.” Enamel tableware from Spain, brightly colored woven mats from Senegal, and tie-dye khadi duvet covers from Italian brand BSBEE also make their debuts. In addition, Rosenthal is introducing a custom upholstery service featuring Lost & Found’s internationally sourced textiles. Constantly searching for products with “depth and soul,” Rosenthal believes that artisanal items should be accessible to all: “When you bring handmade items into your home, you participate in that human connection.” 2000 Main St., Santa Monica, 310-450-9782; lostandfoundshop.com LAC
la-confidential-magazine.com 149
abode & beyond The Guide In addition to its collection of art, fashion, and architecture books, OK’s two locations offer an assortment of handmade wares like bud vases from Heath Ceramics, Kent combs from England, and wooden tops from Minnesota. The store also has a whimsical children’s collection that includes cozy felt slippers and colorful wooden blocks. 8303 W. Third St., LA, 323-653-3501; 1716 Silverlake Blvd., LA, 323-666-1868; okthestore.com Craft services: Venice’s General Store specializes in handmade home goods for the surf set.
Maker’s Mark
Handcrafted, painted, and sewn—Goodies in tHese sHops are specially made for la’s artisanally minded a-list. By Allyson Rees
Chay
General Store
New York transplant Chay Wike combines her collection of utilitarian clothing and lifestyle pieces with handmade items from local artists. Patrons can peruse perfume soaps from Cousu de Fils Blanc, brass objects from Suzannah Wainhouse, and ceramic and porcelain canisters from April Napier. 5812 W. Third St., LA, 323-938-1885; chayonline.com
First opened in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood in 2010, General Store’s second location is right at home in Venice’s surfing community. Curated by owners Hannah Henderson and John Moore, the store features a mix of local handmade items for the bohemian-inspired interior, including delicate bronze Equilateral nails by Winsome Brave, A Détacher multicolored “Hairy” fringe pillows, and handmade ceramic hanging planters by Los Angeles–based Heather Levine. 1801 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, 310-751-6393; shop-generalstore.com
Croft House Croft House creates minimalistic handmade furniture out of reclaimed wood and repurposed metals. The studio offers custom furniture design, from pine platform beds to tufted burlap ottomans, in addition to its signature home collection. 326 N. La Brea Ave., LA, 323-424-7743; crofthouse.com
Individual Medley Atwater Village’s Individual Medley is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Monica and Justin Boyes,
150 la-confidential-magazine.com
and it perfectly outfits the neighborhood’s growing families. Moms love the hand-dyed shibori pillows, dads are all about the waxed-canvas accessories, and little ones go wild for the PDC rattle balls. 3176 Glendale Blvd., LA, 323665-5344; individual medleystore.com
Los Angeles County Store Silver Lake’s Los Angeles County Store is stocked exclusively with fine, locally made goods, from bamboo cutting boards to silkscreened tea towels to gourmet mole rub. Specializing in gifts and gift boxes (custom made too), the store is the perfect place to shop for eclectic, LA-centric items. 4333 Sunset Blvd., LA, 323-9282781; lacountystore.com
Poketo Founded by husband-andwife duo Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo (pronounced poh-KEH-toe), opened its first location in Downtown’s Arts District in June 2012. Selling crafts, art, and objects from US-based artisans like Minnesota’s Ben Fiess (ceramic vessels) and Linda Fahey from Pacifica (driftwood utensils), Poketo also has a mini boutique at the buzzy Line Hotel in Koreatown. 820 E. Third St., LA, 213-537-0751; The Line Hotel, 3515 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 213-381-7411, ext: 3076; poketo.com
Tortoise General Store Since 2003, Abbot Kinney’s Tortoise General Store has been providing customers with the best in Japanese kitchen utensils, tabletop items, and innovative home gadgets. Founded by husband and wife Keiko and Taku Shinomoto, the shop also offers quirky objects like wooden brainteaser puzzles, oversize iron scissors, and Higonokami folding knives. 1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, 310-314-8448; tortoisegeneralstore.com LAC
Made in la! Interior designer Amber Lewis waxes artisanal on the city’s furnishings boom. Why have handmade items become so popular here? Folks like the idea of shopping locally and supporting small companies so they can sustain their businesses. What are your favorite places to source artisanal products? I like either the Rose Bowl or the Long Beach Flea Markets—both have pretty incredible vendors, and some of my most prized treasures came from there. Who are some local LA artisans to watch? I am a big fan of Park Studio LA, a small lighting company, and Monroe Workshop, a case-goods artisan. How do you recommend decorating with artisanal furnishings? Start with small pieces that you absolutely love. Adding layers of “found” pieces on top of newer furniture items is the best way to achieve that sought-after, artisanal vibe. amberinteriordesign.com photography courtesy of amber InterIors (lewIs)
OK
314 n. vista street los angeles, ca. 90036 tel: 323.857.5577
INVITED Paz Vega
Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum
GOLDEN GLOBES A GO GO!
Anna Faris and Chris Pratt
RIGHT ON CUE, a wave of posh parties hit LA the week of the
always-anticipated Golden Globes, drawing forth A-list crowds to toast the season’s finest films. Preshow festivities included CAA’s soirée at Soho House in West Hollywood, followed by Disney’s celebration of its Best Picture contender Into the Woods at Fig & Olive. CBS also held a bash for its nominees at SoHo House the day before the big show, as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles honored contenders at its annual BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party at The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Postshow blowouts included The Weinstein Company and Netflix’s afterparty in Beverly Hills as well as Warner Bros. and InStyle’s sleek social at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Gina Rodriguez
Kate Hudson
Will Arnett and Ricky Gervais
Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick
152
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman
Hailee Steinfeld
Julia Goldani Telles
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES (BAFTA TEA PARTY), ALEX J. BERLINER (CAA & WALT DISNEY STUDIOS), MICHAEL UNDERWOOD (CBS/SHOWTIME), GETTY IMAGES FOR TWC (TWC & NETFLIX), AND GETTY IMAGES (WARNER BROS/INSTYLE)
Kate Beckinsale
PR OMOTION
AGO GROUP
RESTAURANTS AND FOOD TRENDS FROM LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL
TASTES OF TUSCANY
E’S ISSU D S I H T EN TR
1
6: Calabasas
Straying from the checkered-tablecloth Italian
4
bistros that pervaded ‘80s LA, Agostino Sciandri ofers Angelenos the favors of Northern Italy through a string of picturesque dining hotspots popular amongst Hollywood A-listers. Ofering house specialties with fresh and seasonal ingredients at each location, Sciandri’s restaurants cultivate a truly European
2
35
dining experience for West Coast food lovers, keeping them coming back night after night.
1. AGO
2. SORTINO
3. THE JUICY BIRD
The Italian Trattoria named after its celebrated chef/partner Agostino Sciandri, sparkles brightly in the firmament of West Hollywood’s prestigious restaurants. Created in partnership with Robert De Niro in 1997, the popular chef looked to bring his own rendition of an upscale Italian Trattoria, specializing in regional Tuscan cuisine.
With a menu offering traditional Florentine dishes, celebrated chef/partner Sciandri has brought Italy to our doorsteps. The restaurant features an open kitchen with a wood burning pizza oven. A lovely covered patio with sheer drapes creates a romantic environment. Sciandri adds, “People don’t come here to look…they come here to eat.”
Dedicated to serving chicken with a real Tuscan taste … freshly-prepared, delicious and juicy, made with the most rich and wonderful scents and flavors from that Tuscan kitchen. “We welcome guests, we enjoy cooking for them, we make sure everyone leaves well-fed, satisfied and looking forward to coming back again.”
8478 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069 323.655.6333, agorestaurant.com
908 South Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90049 310.442.8466, sortinorestaurant.com
Westfield Century City 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067 310.556.0267, thejuicybird.com
4. CAFFE ROMA
5. TOSCANOVA CENTURY CITY
6. TOSCANOVA CALABASAS
This beloved neighborhood hotspot is proud to mark its 35th year anniversary. While newly renovated, it still retains all of its original charm. Dine on the cobblestone patio on a warm evening or beautiful afternoon, join in the sizzle of the night time entertainment or enjoy a late night nibble from Sciandri’s extensive menu of authentic, homemade, Italian delicacies. 350 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 310.274.7834, cafferomabeverlyhills.com
The amazing food, the fashionably fabulous customers and the entertaining environment make Toscanova a favorite for many. Whether colleagues come to discuss deals over lunch, first dates come to fall in love over dinner, or friends come to enjoy the patio dining after seeing a movie, all leave with lasting memories. Toscanova continually offers Chef Sciandri’s new and innovative specials, a modern approach on his classic dishes.
Take a stroll into Toscanova and you will immediately feel like you have stepped off the plane in Tuscany, Italy. You will marvel at the authenticity of richly flavored Italian food by renowned Chef Sciandri and the divinely decadent milieu replete with all Italian servers offering their knowledgeable food and wine suggestions.
Westfield Century City 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067 310.551.0499, centurycity.toscanova.com
The Commons 4799 Commons Way Ste. A, Calabasas, CA 91302 818.225.0499, calabasas.toscanova.com
INVITED
Mark Gurdus, Mari Robinson, and Gahzala Khan John Gornik, Kit Wallace, and Greg Elias
Erin Herrera, Sarah G. Vincent, and Amanda Marks
Tristan deMers and Vanesa Ochoa
CRAIG SHELLY BEVERLY HILLS LAUNCH LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL supported the grand opening of jewelry brand and retailer Craig Shelly’s sparkling new Beverly Hills flagship alongside an intimate group of local trendsetters and stylists. At the gathering, hosted by Craig Shelly owner Craig Shah, guests were treated to a special peek at collections by Craig Shelly, Hearts on Fire, Bohemme, and Pandora as they enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and giveaways.
Emily Ratajkowski
Lauren McCawley and Chanel DeCrow
Kirsten Dunst
Lo-Fang Kid Cudi
Kate Bosworth
COACH TOASTS RODEO DRIVE OPENING TO FÉTE THE reopening of its Rodeo
Drive location, with a new store concept developed by Executive Creative Director Stuart Vevers in partnership with Studio Sofield, Coach threw an extravagant bash
for LA’s tastemakers and fashion influencers. The festivities, which brought forth fashionistas like Kate Bosworth and Liberty Ross, also treated partygoers to performances by Kid Cudi and Skylar Grey. Skylar Grey
154
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
Craig and Shelly Shah
Stuart Vevers and Juno Temple
THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERICA DORSEY (CRAIG SHELLEY), GETTY IMAGES FOR COACH (COACH-RODEO DRIVE OPENING). OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES FOR ART OF ELYSIUM (ART OF ELYSIUM HEAVEN GALA), JOHN SCIULLI (CARLOS SOUZA BOOK SIGNING)
Masha Treivush and Antonietta Mangiacotti
The experience included live performances, 3-D video, a fashion show, cocktail hour, and more.
Jessica Roffey and Ryan Kavanaugh
Matt Sorum and Adriane ‘Ace’ Harper
James Franco and Zach Braff
ART OF ELYSIUM HEAVEN GALA THE ART OF ELYSIUM presented its 8th annual Heaven
Gala in Santa Monica this season, where Hangar 8 was transformed into performance artist Marina Abramovic’s reflection of Heaven—creating an interactive experience for attendees. Participants of the Samsung–sponsored evening, which honored actress Amber Heard with the Spirit of Elysium award for her ongoing volunteer work, included Johnny Depp, James Marsden, and Joaquin Phoenix. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp
Jena Malone
Camilla Belle and Camila Alves
Carlos’s Places is a guide to some of Souza’s favorite spots around the globe—from New York and Paris to London and Shanghai.
Beau Dunn
Jacqui Getty and Gia Coppola Jaime King and Anne Hathaway
Dax Miller and Alexandra von Furstenberg
CARLOS SOUZA BOOK SIGNING
A SELECT CROWD of fashion VIPs gathered at Valentino’s Beverly Hills outpost to toast new book Carlos’s Places by Carlos Souza, worldwide brand ambassador for Valentino and CEO and creative director of jewelry company Most Wanted Design. The intimate event, hosted by Gia Coppola, Lisa Eisner, Jacqui Getty, Jaime King, Lisa Love, Alexandra von Furstenberg, and Rachel Zoe, included cocktails and book signing.
Carlos Souza
Kayte Walsh and Kelsey Grammer
LA-CONFIDENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM
155
and finally... Spring 2015
Gone Girl
Was the late, great ate Mantilini the last gasp of the old-school hollyWood hangout? by sam wasson we eat?”—the impossible question—is like coitus interruptus, like throwing a Rubik’s Cube into an orgy. But when it came to Mantilini, the question didn’t even need to be asked; we would just start walking. Inside, we would keep walking. The restaurant was built for moving from table to table. Once anathema to Hollywood dining, privacy is now at premium; in the hot restaurants of right now, you can’t see anyone, and what’s lost is the sense of community dining, Mantilini’s long suit. The place was brightly lit and open: You could glimpse every table from every other table. It gave the restaurant a commissary feel, both thrilling and politically charged, like the opera in The Age of Innocence (book or movie). Today, the commissary feel is harder to come by. The city is bigger, the business is bigger (way bigger), and the ascendance of foodie culture has challenged, somewhat, the cache of familiar spaces. More and more, there are more and more places to eat, or to try. With all that choice, it’s harder to run into people the way, say, at Morton’s, people would go expressly to run into people; where running into people was good business and good fun. Maybe Soho House has some of that, but of course, it’s a club. Mantilini’s was always democratically above and below the line, just like the commissaries, and as such, true to the best spirit of our community, complaining and all. LAC
illustration by DaniEl o’lEary
The coming of the Oscars makes everyone opinionated, a philosopher, and turns Los Angeles into the showbiz Sorbonne. We go French. Our conversation gets hot, stubborn, stupid, rude, pretentious, enlivening, illuminating, and like decking the halls or lighting the menorah, assumes the religious qualities of ritual. We do do this every year. Yes, we complain about all of it, but for these weeks, complaining is community, and you must admit, community—this thing we Angelenos allegedly lack—is a beautiful thing. So it’s only natural that, this year, as the screeners and screenings come around again, I think back to Kate Mantilini’s Beverly Hills location, where the Academy, that symbolic portion of the community as maddening and mighty as the Oscars, had its unofficial clubhouse. After 27 years, it closed in June. I think I can speak for more than half of us when I say it was never about the food. It was about those two blocks of Wilshire, from the Academy across Doheny, to (that rare thing in LA) a late dinner, moreover, a dinner you could walk to from the theater. That was important. Eliminating the car (again, rare) meant conversation could flow unbroken from the lobby of the Samuel Goldwyn Theater or the Writers Guild Theater across Wilshire, where, invariably, impromptu clusters of picture people would form, and the debate could pour out onto those two blocks and swell into dinner. Because, as we all know, in LA, “Where do
156 la-confidential-magazine.com
A R T D I R : PA U L M A R C I A N O P H : D AV I D B E L L E M E R E
GUESS?©2015