SLOW SAFARIS + TOP RETREATS
THE DIY FACE-LIFT
ENERGY ENZYME
NAD+: THE NEW FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?
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Creating a community of friends and family is one of the primary pillars of wellness. It is, in fact, one of the tenets of Blue Zones and longevity. As spring has sprung, a time for rebirth and renewal, it is often forgotten that those suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and depression are not assuaged by the transition season of longer and warmer days. The escalating anxiousness of the world has caused social withdrawal and irritability everywhere. It is now more important than ever to engage kindly with the people in your immediate community, and Mother’s Day is the great reminder to draw on the divine feminine influences in one’s life.
My own mother, queen Regina, my mother-in-law, Matilda, my sister Andrea, my cousin Nina, my sistersin-law, Margaret, Maria and Madeline, and my friends, some featured here, are pure inspiration and nourishment to me. We create Purist gatherings and wellness retreats (like the Canyon Ranch diary featured in this issue, or the forthcoming post-Mother’s Day retreat at the new awardwinning The Ranch location) to bring the community pillar
of wellness to life. Our curated experiences have gathered together incredible women, where time spent sharing stories and adventures is fulfilling beyond measure.
This issue’s Oscarwinning cover star, Laura Dern, also a mother we admire, teaches us the secret to happiness. As one of the mega-stars of the new dark comedy Palm Royale, Dern gracefully balances a challenging career as one of Hollywood’s leading actresses with raising two college-age kids. And in doing so, her ability to be in the present and appreciate all that exists in her life is where she finds meaning.
Happy Mother’s Day—may we find meaning in every moment.
FEATURES
78 WILD AT HEARTH
Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Laura Dern, who stars in Palm Royale, opens up to Purist founder Cristina Cuomo about film, motherhood and feminism.
88 EYE FOR DESIGN
An inside look at the curated woodland home of writer-designer Hal Rubenstein
JULY 28-AUGUST 4
Bring your family together this summer at our luxury resort in the Berkshires for a special week unlike any we’ve ever offered. Come for a week, or a few days, and experience our programs in fitness, spa, beauty, outdoor sports, culinary arts, and mind-and-spirit activities, specially curated for all ages. Even more, we’ve added summer camp classics, from campfires to scavenger hunts, arts-and-crafts, and field days.
Make summer magic. Book today by calling 866-494-9279 or visiting canyonranch.com/family-camp.
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By choosing Boxed WaterTM , you’re not only helping rid the world of single use plastic, you are choosing an option that is 92% renewable, 100% recyclable and dramatically better for the planet.
Chris Kiely, Dr Gail King, Carrie Leskowitz, Jody Levy, Dr. Frank Lipman, Dr. Lea Lis
Michael Mailer, Nicolas Magrino Ali Margo, Martha McGuinness, Myles Mellor
Kevin Menard, Roxanna Namavar, Anne Marie O’Connor, Dr. Eunice Park
Dr. David Perlmutter, Annelise Peterson, Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber, Dr. Christina Rahm
Erica Robbie,Tracee Ellis Ross, Hal Rubenstein, Dr. Naeemah Ruffin, Caroline Russo
Katie Shapiro, Jim Shi, Brooke Shields, Biet Simkin, Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson
Dr. Carder Stout, Julia Szabo, Abby Tegnelia, Edwina Von Gal,Tess Weaver, Regina Weinreich, Ali Wentworth, Constance C.R. White, Christy Whitman
Julie Wilcox, Lee Woodruff, Sarah Wragge
Contributing Design Director Ben Margherita
Contributing Art Director Mikio Sakai
Contributing Designer
Seton Rossini
Web Managers Tarin Keith, Aubrée Mercure
Contributing Photographers
Melanie Acevedo, Camilla Akrans, Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca, Frederic Auerbach
Lachlan Bailey, David Bellemere, Justin Bettman, Cass Bird, Brian Bowen Smith
Natalie Chitwood, Bob and Dawn Davis, Gregg Delman, Mikey DeTemple
Sophie Elgort, Francine Fleischer, Floto + Warren, Marili Forestieri, Diana Frank
Morgan Maassen, Roberto Matteo Marchese, Mary Ellen Matthews, Peter McBride
Miller Mobley, David Molle, Ryan Moore, Nino Muñoz, Patrick O’Keefe, Matt Sayles
Peggy Sirota, Simon Upton, Cathrine White
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Publisher Helen Cleland, helen@thePURISTonline.com
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go beyond your horizon.
The Lodge at Woodloch embraces a philosophy of pesonal awakening. Find the opportunity to shift from your everyday and re-focus on yourself. Reconnect with your creative and stress-relieving outlets that will continue to benefit you long after you depart The Lodge at Woodloch.
Premier wellness, perfectly close.
who told the origin story of her conscious safari company on page 38.
“Before you book a trip, make sure the company you chose shares similar ethical values as you. To avoid getting trapped by greenwashing, research a bit about the company, but also about that travel agent you book your trip through.”
After years in the corporate jungle, Bausch had grown to appreciate what was truly important to her—time, privacy and freedom—and was seeking to step away from the world of high finance. She co-founded the Chem Chem Association with Nicolas Negre in 2008, and today they have restored a 16,000-hectare (39,537 acres) concession of derelict Tanzanian wilderness through collaboration with the surrounding communities, empowering over 88 percent of the local population while encouraging sustainable tourism.
who wrote about natureinspired design (page 40) and the importance of NAD in the body (page 48).
“My keys to vitality and longevity are found in nature—absorbing the rays of sun, moon, and stars, immersing in every shape and shade of green, and drinking water that I source from natural springs, amplifying some of it further with my molecular hydrogen CellPower device.”
DR. SHARON GIESE
who educated readers about the convergence of semaglutides, food noise, body weight set points and menopause on page 46.
WHAT ARE HOLISTIC METHODS TO BALANCE OR QUIET FOOD NOISE?
“Taking a walk during a traditional eating time to see if you are really hungry. My model patients do this. Another—and generally underpracticed tool—is meditation.”
Sharon Giese, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon, body contour and breast expert, and fat researcher, offers her Elective Weight Loss (EWL) program via in person or virtual consultation.
Dr. Giese started doing fat research over 20 years ago while at Stanford University and Georgetown University. She provides treatments that are customized, with results-driven science.
ANNELISE PETERSON, who wrote about gender bias in modern medicine on page 49.
WHAT WAYS CAN WE COLLECTIVELY PROMOTE EQUALITY IN HEALTH CARE?
“To tackle the structural barriers hindering women at multiple levels within the health care system, we must empower self-advocacy through education (since one cannot self-advocate without being informed), ensure access to proficient doctors, and address the affordability of care.
Amely Greeven’s most recent book is A Bold Return to Giving a Damn with farming legend Will Harris III of White Oak Pastures. She is the co-author of the postpartum classic, The First Forty Days, and is currently working on two books about longevity.
If more women were present in fields predominantly occupied by men, such as surgery, orthopedics and urology, curiosity about the discrepancies in women’s health would increase. Equally important, men should be encouraged to embrace roles traditionally filled by women that require more hands-on care, such as nursing, geriatrics and family medicine, to foster greater respect and ensure better wages for these professions.”
Annelise Peterson is a writer and business development consultant. She has held senior roles at global brands such as Shiseido, Net-a-Porter, Valentino, Calvin Klein and Vogue,
Producer Joanna Plafsky envisions a chilled-out Palm Beach.
BY BETH LANDMANPast The Colony Hotel’s pool scene, about 200 people filed into the hotel’s ballroom, and though it might seem counterintuitive on a stunningly beautiful late March day, the group in search of personal peace headed away from the waves to gather inside.
The event, “A Conversation on Meditation: Happiness and the Brain,” was co-organized by Joanna Plafsky, who coproduced the documentary Saving the Disposable Ones with David Lynch Foundation, along with the 2019 Oscarwinning live-action short film Skin The speakers, introduced by journalist Judith Miller, were an impressive array, including Dr. Tony Nader, a neuroscientist, researcher, author and current leader of the Transcendental Meditation organization, and Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.
Palm Beach may be known for its luxe lifestyle, but 10-carat tennis bracelets and Patek Philippe Nautilus blue dials don’t necessarily bring inner harmony, so Plafsky has made it her mission to help in that pursuit. She offered all the newbie
attendees a complimentary course at the Palm Beach Island TM Center, or one of its affiliates, through this August.
“People in Palm Beach know how to enjoy life in an outer way,” says Plafsky, who has been practicing and teaching TM since she was in college in Berkeley, California. “Here they walk around focusing on what more they can have, but have never learned how to go inward. We are not meant to suffer; we are meant to enjoy life.”
Plafsky says there was an overwhelming response to the event, both from first-timers and those already practicing TM. “People here have told me they are stressed, and that there isn’t anything like TM in Palm Beach,” she says. “They have almost everything, but they don’t have the most important thing of all: deep transcendence that brings divine inner joy, higher consciousness and enlightenment.”
And, of course, TM has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, decrease aggression, and promote better sleep.
“Many companies have now made meditation available to their employees,” says Plafsky. “Our teachers have taught Jerry Seinfeld, Paul McCartney, Hugh Jackman and Howard Stern.”
Now that they’ve helped illuminate the entertainment industry, Florida is the next frontier. tm.org/en-us/centers/ palm-beach-island
East Hampton’s The Retreat works on preventing domestic violence from the ground up.
BY JENNA LEBOVITSIn the ’80s on the East End, talk of domestic violence was hushhush. Pastors, therapists and school employees offered quiet, underground support. Resources in the region were scarce, yet vital, for abuse survivors, so a grassroots movement began: In 1987, a circle of daring and concerned individuals joined forces to establish The Retreat, whose mission is to provide safety, shelter and support for anyone experiencing relationship abuse and to break the cycle of family violence. Five years later, the organization opened the doors of an 18-bed emergency shelter.
“The Retreat’s main goal is to help people have safer, healthier, happier and more meaningful connections and relationships in everyday life,” shares Courtney Hyland, associate director of prevention education at The Retreat. The nonprofit—which is the East End’s primary domestic and sexual violence prevention agency— provides an abundance of free, confidential offerings such as an emergency shelter, 24-hour hotline, legal advocacy and counseling services, and prevention education, which, according to Hyland, “is our jam.”
Awareness and education are key in the prevention of domestic abuse.
taught. In high school, students are involved in Healthy Relationships
Don’t Hurt, a program that educates about consent and bystander intervention strategies, and provides overall support. “It’s a very safe space,” shares Maeve Bailey, current high school student and a Retreat Teen Leadership Council Ambassador. “I loved how each lesson was in the shoes of a teenager and problems you can get into and ways to solve them.”
The prevailing message in all of The Retreat’s youth initiatives is simple: Love is learned. “We see models of relationships—healthy or unhealthy—and we might not know that what we’re experiencing is an unhealthy or abusive behavior,” shares Hyland. For the nonprofit, preventing domestic violence starts with shifting the narrative away from stigma and silence, and creating space for conversation. “The more we talk about it, the more awareness that we raise,” says Hyland. “And that’s our ultimate goal, for everyone to be aware of these behaviors.”
Tips for talking to youth about healthy relationships:
1 Be a role model.
The Retreat’s prevention initiatives start early—as soon as third grade—where they work to help students in local schools identify and express their feelings. The lessons are age-appropriate, relatable and interactive, all the while remaining sensitive to the unique dangers of the digital age. “It can be so tricky—not just for youth, but for adults—to know how to assert boundaries without breaking the relationship off,” shares Helen AtkinsonBarnes, the education program director. “You might have somebody who’s pressuring you for location sharing, passwords or pictures. To be able to know what’s right for you and comfortable, and know when somebody is crossing that line, is important.”
In middle school, the Respect in Relationships program focuses on identifying healthy and toxic behaviors in friendships. How to be a supportive friend, a good listener and how to navigate pressure and boundaries is also
Consider your own relationships first—your feelings, values and expectations; these serve as the model for your child’s relationships.
2 Talk and listen.
Start early and talk often. Facilitate healthy, honest and open adult-child conversations.
3 Be honest.
Discuss and define differences between healthy and toxic relationships, and what kinds of behaviors are never acceptable.
4 Encourage healthy practices.
Help them develop skills for problem-solving, boundarysetting and discovering their passions.
Don’t miss The Retreat’s annual All Against Abuse Benefit—an exciting opportunity to support its mission—on June 8 at the Southampton Arts Center. allagainstabuse.org
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USE CODE ‘PURIST’
Deep down, we probably didn’t need the band R.E.M. to remind us that “everybody hurts, sometimes.” We may try to deny it, but life is a painful enterprise. No wonder the first noble truth of the Buddha is the truth of suffering.
During 2021, an estimated 20.9 percent of U.S. adults experienced chronic pain. In other words, more than 1 in 5 adults is either taking painkillers or wishes they were. The problem with opioid painkillers, of course, is they are highly addictive and sometimes lead to fatal overdoses.
So, when pain comes knocking at our front door, what’s a poor soul to do?
To begin with, there is a difference between pain and suffering. According to the old saying, pain is unavoidable, but how much we suffer is up to us. The challenge is, philosophical aphorisms such as these may be easy to recite, but they are an entirely different beast to experience.
Most doctors will ask you to identify any pain you report on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being like a mosquito bite and 10 being like having your arm ripped off by a lion.
In my personal experience, when the pain reaches into the 8, 9 and 10 levels, it’s extremely challenging to take a spiritual approach to it. All you want is a painkiller.
I’ve never taken morphine, but having recently endured several months of debilitating pain due to a problem with a nerve in my brain that terminates in the teeth, I had to take enormous amounts of Advil, and sometimes the heroin-lite known as Vicodin. Without warning, there were random onsets of pain, several times a day, for weeks and months on end, some of which sent me to the hospital.
Fortunately, I have been taught some useful coping mechanisms—what might be called spiritual tricks—for dealing with pain. None of them will help us avoid pain or make it go away any sooner, but they can change our relationship to it.
The simplest method of dealing with pain is basic mindfulness. Mindfulness exercises can help us notice that what seems to be a monolithic experience is actually constantly shifting and changing. Pain is usually a dynamic process rather than a static situation. Mindfulness can also help us deal with the depression and anxiety that often accompanies long bouts of pain.
There are also ways to combine visualizations with mindfulness of the breath, such as the practice of tonglen,
in which you imagine taking on the suffering of others and cheerfully giving away your own well-being.
An even simpler version of this method is just to think: By going through this suffering, may I serve as a substitute for others so that nobody else ever has to experience this. Basically, this is a way of shifting our stance from one of cowering aversion to a confident and courageous position. “Bring it on,” we say to our pain, rather than begging for mercy.
Of course, by imagining that we are taking on pain on behalf of others, we aren’t reducing pain for anyone else, since unfortunately, there isn’t a finite amount of it to go around. But we can definitely shift our attitude and that can lessen the emotional suffering that often accompanies physical pain. This kind of meditation also allows us to begin to create some space between pain and suffering.
Another method is to think, “By going through this pain, may I pay my own spiritual debts.” This doesn’t mean blaming oneself for misfortune or illness, but it can help to imagine whatever pain we are experiencing is alleviating a karmic burden. (Needless to say, this requires some acceptance of the idea that cause and effect are constantly at work.)
Even if one is not familiar with—or receptive to—the concept of karma, we can shift our basic attitude toward suffering. As my teacher used to say, when we have difficulties, we often say, “Why me?” We don’t tend to say, “Why not me?”
Ultimately, none of these meditative methods are amulets that can magically protect us from life’s vagaries. There will be loss. We will encounter situations we wish we could avoid and be separated from the things and people we love. But if we acknowledge suffering not only as a private, specific, deeply personal experience but also as a universal truth, it can deepen our empathy and give us a genuine sense of connection to all people—as well as living beings of all species.
In this way, pain can not only be mollified by a mind suffused with caring for others; our suffering can become the basis for a more vivid kind of compassion. Genuine empathy is one of life’s most meaningful and stable sources of joy. Pain can be transformed into an opportunity to find a deeper, lasting connection and contentment.
Guild Hall honors Daryl Roth for her lifetime of making magic onstage.
BY REGINA WEINREICHTheater producer Daryl Roth puts on a good show. “My favorite way to produce is from the beginning so that I can assemble the creative team, and work with people I love,” she says, interviewed recently in her corner office overlooking Central Park.
Take Kinky Boots The hit Broadway musical from 2013 originated in a small British indie she saw at Sundance in 2006. Thinking she had to act fast to acquire rights, she found the competition to be less than fierce. “Disney was not about to make something about drag queens.”
A recipient of Guild Hall’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing Arts at this year’s Academy of the Arts gala, Roth quips modestly about the honor: “I’m moving on in years.” Silver-framed legends adorn every surface of her workspace. Oprah Winfrey poses at a performance of Paula Vogel’s Indecent; there’s Edward Albee for Three Tall Women, amid tchotchkes for her 36-year career as producer of over 130 plays (both Broadway and OffBroadway), seven of them Pulitzer Prize winners. A dozen of her 13 Tony Awards stand tall on a shelf. And, leaning against a wall, sparkly red thigh-high boots.
“A producer,” says Roth, “is a facilitator of other people’s dreams. Whether I start something or join, I will only work on projects instinctively important to me.” Certain themes dominate: “family, Judaism, gender, women.” On the eternal tension between art and commerce, she offers, “We hope for financial success. Sometimes the reward is more meaningful if it fills your soul.”
A work-in-progress, Left on Tenth, follows Delia Ephron’s memoir about finding love after her first husband died, and surviving a blood disease similar to the one that killed her sister Nora. While getting treatment, she remarries at
Daryl RothNewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Roth thought of prior successes: “This is between Wit and The Year of Magical Thinking, with a happy ending, a rom-com for this generation. I said, ‘Let’s do a play,’ and introduced Delia to Susan Stroman. They got on like girlfriends do.” They plan for a fall opening. Another new project: a Nancy Drew musical.
Off-Broadway, Daryl Roth’s downtown venue, a refurbished Union Square bank, is the locus for experimentation. When Gloria Steinem approached Roth about making the autobiographical play Gloria: A Life, the producer fulfilled Steinem’s wish for creating a talking circle; in Act 2, audiences took the mic. As COVID restrictions loosened, Roth staged Blindness, a first to open a door to theater’s post-pandemic revival. Just ended to sold-out audiences: Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here, a theatrical evolution of Shakespeare’s villains, along with a Titanic musical spoof, Titanique—yes, featuring drag queens—which wowed the crowds.
On a quiet Hamptons afternoon when she lived on Apaquogue Road, her neighbor Nora Ephron invited her to lunch and gave her Love, Loss and What I Wore, saying, “We’re [she and Delia] going to write a play and I want you to do it.” They devised a girl-talk strategy involving a rotating cast of A-listers on the original idea that clothing and accessories trigger memories.
Her East Hampton home, where she lives part-time with her husband, Steven, a real estate developer, and where her children—Amanda, a life coach, and Jordan, president of Jujamcyn Theaters—have houses nearby, is a place to chill, walk her dogs, garden and wear sweats from Friday till Monday. darylroththeatre.com
Cristina Cuomo takes a satisfying plunge into the bounty of healthy, illuminating offerings at two Canyon Ranch locations.
As a little girl, I would see glamorous, spa-going moms returning from the famed transformative Canyon Ranch, located in Tucson, Arizona, and Lenox, Massachusetts. Decades later, I finally got to visit both wellness resorts, and was pleasantly surprised by how their pioneering integrative approach, drawing on Eastern modalities, yielded effective results for my list of goals.
Their vast daily schedule of fitness classes, from Pilates to strength training to dance, paired with cooking lessons, tarot reading and spiritual talks, was a wonderful discovery of many things I had never done before, and a rediscovery of beloved pursuits. Both locations offer long hikes and bird walks in nature, great for any city dweller. After all, we’ve written in Purist about the benefits of earthing, or grounding—walking barefoot to neutralize electrical potential—and shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, the notion that taking in the atmosphere of woodlands through the senses can help with anxiety, blood pressure and fatigue.
Since I am a proponent of daily walks in the woods at home, I wanted to try new things to fill my dance card at Canyon Ranch. I booked acupuncture and Pilates in advance, while adding on as I explored the menu of opportunities on their comprehensive app, where all my
appointments were organized in a calendar.
Awaking in Lenox to a veil of snow on the ground, I took a deep dive on back-to-back movement classes— early morning stretching, qigong (ancient art of moving energy), intuitive archery, a pickleball clinic and Buff Booty. I did an angel card reading by the great fireplace in the estate’s grand wood-paneled drawing room, where you can feel the peaceful energy of the seminary that once occupied the castle-like structure. The Eastern and energy treatments at the spa, with seasoned therapists, some sauna and cold-plunging, and a new skin-restoring Augustinus Bader facial with a mini-massage, were all worth returning to seasonally.
In Arizona, I wanted to do things not available in Lenox, and played tennis with my group, basking in the desert sun. I checked out the power pool workout and a synchronized desert drumming session, followed by time at the new Canyon Ranch Vitality center, featuring stateof-the-art wellness equipment like a cell-rejuvenating infrared pod. I then incorporated some afternoon mindful pursuits (that both locations feature) like a hypnotherapy session, a nutrition consultation, a healthy cooking class, and ended the day with a sound sleep in the dry desert air, in a newly renovated room.
Bringing a community of Purist friends completed my soul’s adventure, which began as a desire to be more fit in mind and body. They still talk about how yummy the chef-curated meals were. Canyon Ranch found roots as a smoking-cessation and weight-management spa (they continue serving deliciously small portions, to reset your gut), growing into the multi-spa experience that it has become today. As one of the best health and wellness spas in America, Canyon Ranch has perfected an integration philosophy of fulfilling the mind, body and soul through innovative therapies and ancient holistic practices. In an effort to keep expanding accessibility to the wellness world, the Canyon Ranch locations, including one in Woodside, California, and a brand-new next-level Vitality Wellness Club in Fort Worth, Texas, all offer club memberships for day-trippers. canyonranch.com
Welcome to La Casa Dragones, where world-class hospitality meets extraordinary sipping tequila experiences in the heart of San Miguel de Allende.
BY JIM SERVIN
Innovation, quality, luxury, sustainability, and Mexican design and craftsmanship, all hallmarks of Casa Dragones tequila, are majestically embodied in a grand setting for sipping, the newly renovated La Casa Dragones, a collaborative project between Meyer Davis studio, Ana Elena Mallet, Marco Martinez Valle, Raul Cabra and many others.
The four-bedroom home, dating back to 1671, showcases some of the most significant pieces of mid-century Bajío and contemporary Mexican design, a period characterized by outstanding workmanship, natural materials and organic shapes. “It was important for us to honor the historic heritage of the property, while still presenting a modern hospitality space for sipping tequila in San Miguel de Allende,” says Bertha González Nieves, co-founder and CEO of Casa Dragones. Originally the 17th-century stables
of the Dragones cavalry, now transformed into an award-winning design project, La Casa Dragones achieved its distinguished refresh by preserving its historical significance while integrating modern elements. Key architectural features such as the colonial-style facade and traditional interior layouts remained intact.
“Each of the rooms was modernized with handmade mid-century Bajío pieces, inspired by the house and by Los Dragones of San Miguel de Allende,” says González Nieves.
Highlights of the immersive La Casa Dragones experience include relaxing at the Obsidian Bar, created out of black obsidian stones harvested from Casa Dragones’ agave fields. “One can feel transported to our rich volcanic soil, in the heart of Tequila, Jalisco, where we produce our sipping tequilas,” says González Nieves. Here, Meyer Davis studio incorporated elements like the arched vault to reflect the original structures behind
the home’s architecture. The Rooftop Bar, with its couches and fire pit, is the ideal setting for Sunset Sipping, during which guests learn about the craftsmanship of Casa Dragones’ sipping tequilas, while taking in the panorama of San Miguel de Allende’s “Parroquia” church and the surrounding city.
La Casa Dragones’ guests can enjoy an in-depth exploration of four styles of sipping tequila; local restaurants provide tasty small bites to accompany each tequila expression. Reserve for private events and book other special occasions such as its Sipping Tequila Reception and Pairing Dinners. “We have worked with renowned chefs, such as Olivier Deboise and Daniela Soto-Innes, to create once-in-a-lifetime pairing dinner experiences at La Casa Dragones,” says González Nieves. “La Casa Dragones is the spiritual home of Casa Dragones tequila.” casadragones.com
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In sub-Saharan Africa, Chem Chem and Ponya offer a more immersive, reflective, healing jungle expedition.
BY FABIA BAUSCH
I grew up in and with nature, and that meant exploring it on foot, blending into it with the rhythms of my breath, my heart. There were many sacred, silent moments when I let go and felt nature. A freedom began to unfold before me and within me.
When I first traveled to sub-Saharan Africa to “do” safaris, I was very confused and a little disappointed—not by the animals, the environment, the accommodation (maybe the food didn’t impress me), but mainly by the way a safari had to be “done.” In my safari truck, which I had to share with seven other strangers, I’d hear the voice of a charming—but definitely overconfident—guide trying
balanced, naturecentered experience.
to explain everything around us. I just wish he’d let nature speak for itself.
We have become so disconnected from the true mysticism of nature, from the ancient energy that created us all, by our desire to understand everything. Perhaps we are afraid to just be, and open up to the answers that will come, but we don’t have time to be still anymore. My favorite children’s book comes to mind, a fantasy tale about time called Momo by Michael Ende: If we have the courage to slow down, we will become the richest person on Earth—not missing anything, not being late for anything, no “wrong time,” always in the moment.
Back then, I was working for one of the leading investment banks in Europe. I loved the work; it challenged me and made me think outside the box. A few years later, I decided to leave the financial world, with great memories, many things learned (that had nothing to do with finance) and a big dose of curiosity about what life would hold. My partner, Nicolas Negre, and I decided to turn a utopia, a dream, into reality. In Tanzania, one of the last places where the wilderness was still wild, we founded Chem Chem Safari, a small safari business that focused on an ancient wildlife corridor in need of restoration.
When developing Chem Chem, I remembered my early safari experiences, and really wanted to create a different environment, a place where nature invites us to immerse ourselves in it. Where no one tells us when to do what (like in a boarding school), but where we have the opportunity to live life at our own pace, sit down and just be.
Our safari concept was slowly but surely introduced. Living in the Rift Valley surrounded by ancient volcanoes, I feel healing energy that lives gently in the trees, the lakes and the animals. That’s when I felt the need to dig deeper and see if maybe we could create a little cocoon with all the energy, patience and excitement of nature, the vibrations and the forgiveness of nature. Ponya was born. Ponya means “to heal” in Swahili.
Our Ponya menu contains only organic produce and local superfood ingredients, and focuses on a healing balance. We offer silent walks through the bush with a private guide. You will stroll for 30 to 45 minutes on the short grassy plains toward Lake Manyara, right next to the Rift Valley. After the walk, the Maasai guide will light an organic fire, letting the flames take over and releasing negative thoughts and emotions. After meditating around the fire for 10 minutes, the silence will be interrupted by
a few deep conscious breaths. A warm organic baobab tea will be served.
We believe in the healing power of the environment. Downsizing, reducing and making space for emptiness is part of the healing process, allowing you to reconnect purely to your inner compass, your inner voice.
Ponya focuses on overall well-being. It encourages each of us to be true to ourselves, to believe in our callings and dreams. Ponya is dedicated to a conscious lifestyle where we try to be present in every moment, without losing curiosity. We believe that with a strong connection to nature, we have more energy, are better able to deal with emotional and physical challenges, are better able to free ourselves from negativity and are more open to the unknown. We believe that fears, shame, guilt and grief can be smoothed and transformed into feelings that do not hurt us. The energy of nature supports us in following our dreams, believing in our calling, dancing with our happiness. chemchemsafari.com
The lure of healthy, balanced, nature-inspired living at Serenbe and beyond.
BY AMELY GREEVENIf you were to design an antidote to anonymous urban living, or sterile and sprawling suburbia, what might you include? A green village comprising curving, leafy streets that encourage walking and biking. Attractive homes with front porches that invite neighbors to stop by, Centralized spots to grab mail and a coffee, and bump into that friendof-a-friend. A weekly farmers market, and even a village organic farm for your CSA box.
Perhaps you’d add a top-notch school, restaurants with local farm-to-table food and great wine, and while you’re at it, a roster of art and culture offerings to make magic on warm summer nights. These lifestyle pleasures are reality for residents of Serenbe, a “biophilic wellness community” located in verdant Chattahoochee Hills, roughly half an hour south of Atlanta. Since it was founded 20 years ago, this intentional development has placed its bets on the fact that sophisticated and slower-paced village living would become aspirational, and that genuine connection—to nature, to good food and to other people—would make isolated McMansion living feel utterly out of touch.
That bet paid off. Serenbe has surged in desirability in recent years as the quest for a “well-lived life” has eclipsed
the lure of exclusivity and hiding behind hedges. Expats from Los Angeles and New York have ditched the rat race and headed south to discover what their grandparents might have taken for granted—the nourishment that comes from belonging more deeply to a place, the physical and mental balance that returns when you ditch the concrete jungle, the sweetness of knowing that the neighborhood kids are building forts before dinner, and the ingredient you forgot to buy is only a door-knock away.
When entrepreneur Tirzah Shirai moved to Serenbe from LA with her young son, she experienced a profound sensory detox. “I didn’t even know this kind of quietness was possible—no sirens, no car alarms, no billboards. Living with the lush trees, the singing insects and the flora changing with the seasons, my whole nervous system began to unwind.”
At Serenbe, the concept of “biophilia”—the love for the living world—is woven into every aspect of the greater design. The hamlet-like clusters of homes are connected by forest trails as well as roads with ample sidewalks, and edible landscaping like blueberry bushes are placed near crosswalks to encourage dallying. The assortment of beautifully crafted homes, all built to Serenbe’s design
and sustainability codes and never placed in monotonous straight lines and cubes, are built with the land, not against it. (Seventy percent of Serenbe’s land is preserved nature space.) Residents might choose a small adjoined cottage or a sleek-lined and spacious Scandinavian-style home, a white Victorian or an updated version of a southern “shotgun” style house, or they might design their own home with natural materials—a welcoming front porch an obligatory feature. (A specially designed “age in place” campus for seniors will let residents adapt their lifestyle as they age, without ever leaving “home.”) Just as in nature, where cookie-cutter sameness does not exist, Serenbe’s diversity of home designs exist in a harmony of difference, stimulating yet soothing to the eyes.
Around the country, newly developing “agri-hoods” follow similar principles, merging nature, community and food production with compact neighborhood living. Serenbe’s thoughtful “placemaking” ethos has influenced new developments such as Belle Farm in Madison, Wisconsin, and Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park in New York. All evidence, perhaps, that the walls and gates of the old American dream are crumbling and in their place, a more fluid vision of well-being, one rich with regeneration and connection, is rising. serenbe.com
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High-quality rest, movement and stressrelief practices can all combat premature aging.
Six ways your biological age matters more than the number of candles on your cake.
BY DR. FRANK LIPMANYou’re probably familiar with the old saying: “Age is only a number.” Well, it’s one cliche that’s actually getting at something real. Think about your peers. One middleaged friend’s physical appearance seems to have hardly changed in the years you’ve known her and she says she feels much the same as she ever did. Another peer is, let’s be generous here, showing some wear and tear and has clearly lost a step or two. Maybe you fall somewhere in the middle?
Then, take a look at your parents’ generation and the contrasts are likely to be even more startling. Some are going strong, looking and feeling great, while others are fighting chronic conditions, like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, that are taking big bites out of the quality of their lives now and will most likely shorten them on the back end.
So, really, when we think about age, we should consider it in terms of two numbers: your actual chronological age and what researchers and some forward-thinking clinicians are now calling “biological” age, which captures the differences in how our bodies change over time. The good news? Medical science is in the first stages of being able to measure the biological processes that underlie aging, and clinicians—myself included—who embrace “longevity medicine” can use that information to tailor therapies and target lifestyle upgrades to slow that process down. So, how to slow down your aging and work on extending your health span? Read on It’s all about aging—and we’re all doing it Conventional medicine tends to see the world as binary: You’re healthy, until one day, your blood pressure or your blood sugar or your cholesterol levels cross a somewhat arbitrary threshold and then you’re considered not healthy. Out comes the prescription pad, you’re off to the pharmacy and taking your seat on the pharmaceutical merry-go-round.
Longevity medicine, however, takes a different approach, viewing your health and wellness through the lens of aging. It’s no accident that most of us get diagnosed with serious illnesses and health concerns as we pass through our middle years, sometimes in our 40s and very commonly in our 50s and 60s. The reality is, our bodies are starting to go downhill (sorry to be so blunt) as soon as we get into our mid-30s. But, in longevity medicine, with its more in-depth understanding of what’s going on at
the level of the organs, the cells, even the genes, plus the technology and data to measure it more comprehensively, we can identify which parts of your physiology may be slipping at a faster rate than the rest of you. From there, we can take steps to intervene, ideally, before your primary care doc writes you that first pharmaceutical prescription and/or larger health problems get a toehold.
For decades, researchers hunted for some single explanation for why, over time, our bodies functioned less and less well, usually in subtle ways in our middle years, and pretty dramatically as we progress into elder-hood. Today, the best research is telling us that there is no one single smoking gun; it’s a handful of different, interrelated processes that come together to ensure that an 80-yearold looks and feels different than her 30-year-old self. (As well, those forces play out differently in different people; two 80-year-olds may have very different biological ages.) Though a full accounting of this biology is a long one, know that there are a bunch of bad actors at play in the aging game, including: DNA mutations; damage to our cell’s power plants, the mitochondria; shortening of the telomeres that help regulate cell division; clogging up of the cells’ garbage disposal system, or autophagy; difficulties producing properly functioning proteins, the building blocks of the human body; an imbalanced microbiome; and inflammation at the cellular level.
Measuring the damage: the biomarkers of aging
Fortunately for us, this more sophisticated understanding of aging isn’t just theoretical. It’s given rise to a new generation of diagnostic tests that can assess the biomarkers of aging—in other words, the physiological changes that, if left unchecked, may over time result in a range of different life-altering diseases. It’s no longer just about measuring one particular aspect of the body that increases the risk of a particular disease, for instance blood pressure or blood sugar, important as they may be. Some of the diagnostic work that longevity medicine doctors do is a refinement of past diagnostic testing, with better, more precise ways to measure things like hormone levels and cardiovascular or metabolic function, while some tools are entirely new. For example, I’m part of the vanguard of clinicians now making use of testing that analyzes sugar molecules, glycans, that attach to the most common immune system antibody in our blood. That sounds esoteric, but it’s giving us a valuable window into the immune system and how it helps drive the aging process. When we’re younger, inflammation is part of the body’s healthy response to injury and infection. The older we get, the more likely the fires of inflammation keep burning for no good reason, eventually exhausting
the ability of the immune system to defend against real threats. (Some theorists think “inflamm-aging” is the term that best describes most of the bad things that accompany getting older.)
What to do about aging: try reversing your biological age In my practice, I work closely with patients to come up with the combination of anti-aging therapies that is right for them. For some patients it may be hormone replacement therapies, using bioavailable hormones from a compounding pharmacy, if appropriate—declining sex hormones, especially in women during and after menopause, are responsible for dips in overall health as well as troubling symptoms, and they can be addressed. For other patients, we may make use of new peptide therapies, injections of natural compounds—technically speaking, short chains of amino acids—that interact with the body to improve a range of body functions, everything from wound healing to better hair growth. For just about all my patients, we’ll also arrive at the right complement of supplements for additional support.
The lifestyle essentials
I believe longevity medicine may transform the way we practice medicine over the coming decades. It is making good on the promise of functional medicine, that is, getting at the root causes of our health problems rather than just treating a bunch of symptoms. And at the bottom of most of what ails us is the aging process that we’re all going through. You can’t get more “root” than that.
Back to basics
By now, the essentials of healthy living shouldn’t be news to Purist readers, even as doctors are just beginning to get a more precise readout on their good effects with high-tech diagnostics. Eating whole foods, avoiding junky processed food and sugar in all its forms, is such a potent way to lower inflammation and maintain a healthy weight and metabolism.
Movement—whether it’s an exercise program or just everyday physical activity—positively impacts just about every aging process that researchers have so far identified. Stress does the opposite. Constant high levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline age us before our time.
Consequently, getting enough high-quality sleep and engaging in whichever calming practices suit us best, from sitting meditation to walking in the woods to taking a hot bath, is another crucial way to slow down that aging clock. And, of course, we’re more than just physiological clocks. By fully embracing our humanity, by developing the social connections that bind us to families and friends, we make our lives worth living, for as long and as healthily as possible. drfranklipman.com
The buzz on how Ozempic and semaglutides affect food noise and menopause.
BY SHARON GIESE, MDFood noise is not a scientific term. It represents internal chatter and intrusive thoughts about food that can become excessive and harmful. Some people become almost dysfunctional because they think about food all day, disrupting their productivity. Thoughts about food can be triggered by internal cues, such as hormones involved in hunger and appetite or external cues, such as a pizza ad during the Super Bowl or the smell of movie theater popcorn. Food noise is diminished with the use of GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists (a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response). With the help of semaglutides, which belong to the category of GLP-1 medications, a person feels full faster, longer. This feeling is fed back to the brain and is the gut-brain connection.
Willpower against food noise simply does not cut it. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled several weight loss researchers who supported the claim that the brain helps to maintain the body’s set point by regulating how much to eat. The researchers hypothesize that GLP-1 agonists lower the set point by sending feedback to the brain. Food noise is diminished; the volume is turned down. However, this reduction may be temporary. When the medication is stopped, the food noise may return. This is where behavior modification must be practiced. If a patient is not able to access semaglutide or Ozempic, food noise reduction can be improved without medications, by decreasing stress and improving sleep.
Wegovy is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as a weight loss drug for obese people. I wanted to see how the active ingredient, semaglutide, worked for non-obese individuals trying to lose 10 to 15 pounds (or more) that they were over their normal weight. These people I consider to be “overweight,” if only
With the help of semaglutides, a person feels full faster, longer.
relative to their self-image. To minimize cardiovascular and atherosclerotic disease risk factors, one should not gain weight with age.
I recall a conversation I had with a prominent female cardiologist in Manhattan; I told her I was working on losing 10 pounds I had gained around menopause. She replied, “You can’t lose 10 pounds. Your metabolism slowed during menopause.” I was shocked. My metabolism had not changed significantly since my late 30s, when I had an accurate measurement of it. What a disservice to women. I hear stories like this all the time— doctors refusing to listen or help their patients, even obese ones, with weight loss.
Most medical doctors do not view 10- or 15-pound weight gains in men or women as a problem, even though the person feels miserable. Women in the prime of their life, around menopause, can especially be crippled by this type of weight gain. What a shame—successful weight loss really empowers people.
A healthy, normal weight for any individual can easily be calculated by setting a target a little above their lowest weight as an adult. The National Institutes of Health’s CALERIE study showed health improvements following moderate calorie restriction in the non-obese population. I believe those results can be replicated with the aid of semaglutides. My Elective Weight Loss protocol, which utilizes semaglutides to decrease appetite, is very effective for this. I intentionally do not recommend a diet. A “nodiet diet” has been found to be equally as, if not more, effective than a restrictive diet plan. Take time to observe, reflect and make small changes in your nutrition intake as you become more efficient in your eating.
For more information on Elective Weight Loss, contact ewl@sharongiesemd.com or 212.421.3400.
How NAD+ became the body’s secret to staying young. BY AMELY GREEVEN
If you have even half an eye on the longevity space—or on the biohacking rituals of health gurus, celebrities and elite performers—you likely have heard of NAD. When longevity researcher David Sinclair released his bestselling book Lifespan four years ago, his research made this universal molecule famous and an apparent secret of youth. Now, supplementing with NAD’s precursors NMN and NR as well as taking direct infusions of NAD via IV is becoming all the rage. But what is it exactly, and how might it be used as part of a strategy for holding on to vitality and dodging the decrepitude of age? Here, a quick primer.
Considered a cornerstone of cellular health, NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme that is crucial for cells to make energy. There are two forms—NAD+ and NADH—but to simplify, think of NAD as a power source for the biological processes that keep the brain, heart and muscles vital and resilient, and skin glowing and healthy. Crucially, it is intimately involved in vital cell processes like DNA repair, cell signaling and immune system function, especially anti-inflammatory processes, and keeping circadian rhythm regulated for optimal sleep. Some of this happens by activating the family of sirtuin enzymes, a class of proteins that, according to Sinclair and others, help switch on genetic longevity pathways.
NAD is a central player in what some are calling the “health span revolution,” the new studies and practices devoted to helping us hold on to our best health. Research has illustrated how NAD levels decline significantly in cells as we age, and after stresses like sickness, overindulgence, poor diet, extreme exercise and crossing time zones. This decline is seen to be a core driver of poor health and susceptibility to age-related disease. Conversely, research points to the benefits that come from boosting NAD levels such as increasing energy, brain clarity, reduction in inflammation and protection against DNA damage. Experts say that in a few years, we will be as familiar with NAD as we are with vitamin C.
All the obvious lifestyle factors like nutrient-rich food, exercise, restful sleep and proper light exposure help maintain your levels, and research shows that interventions like intermittent fasting may increase them. (Note that not all experts agree on the benefits of IF.) Nonetheless,
many health-seekers are now hedging their bets, and supplementing with oral precursors to NAD like NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) or NR (nicotinamide riboside), in order to feel more energized and clearerminded, and to recover faster from exercise or stress. Topical as well as nasal spray and suppository forms are also becoming available. Top-tier NAD experience comes through IV infusion, a higher-commitment health protocol that provides a higher dose in a very bioavailable form.
Regenerative medicine doctor and NAD researcher Halland Chen says that people with brain fog, chronic health conditions, insomnia and addiction issues, or those in need of a significant health reset, can benefit from a personalized NAD infusion regimen. (He notes that NAD infusions were initially used in detox treatments for drugs, alcohol and pain meds.) It can also be a way for those looking to boost general performance to anchor an overall NAD protocol. “Some choose to do infusion once or twice a year,” Dr. Halland adds, “the way other people might do a biannual cleanse or detox, and then maintain with oral precursors more regularly.” Halland says that the IV form is analogous to taking your car in for a full engine tune-up; the oral version is like changing the engine oil between tuneups. But IVs are not for the faint of heart: A single infusion, if done with highest grade compounded NAD, can take up to three-and-a-half hours depending on body tolerance, cost hundreds of dollars and cause nausea at first. (Halland says discreet infusion pumps are available to take your infusion “on the go”.)
According to Halland, “NAD support is a very emerging field. Nobody has precisely identified the difference between IV and oral NAD, or which is optimal for which situation—moreover, we need more study of how NAD can maximize the body’s energy and healing mechanisms.” Halland hopes that his current research will contribute some of these answers, but until then, it’s likely that your primary care provider might be skeptical of an NAD regimen. “The people drawn to NAD,” he says, “tend to be highly motivated people wanting to take a lot of personal responsibility for their health.” He advises you to do your research, get referrals to a quality provider or supplement, listen to your body, and watch as studies on NAD begin to show its possible fountain-of-youth effects.
Boosting NAD levels can increase energy, clear thinking and slow aging.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen unveils the untold truths behind modern medicine.
In the groundbreaking new book, All in Her Head: The Truths and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women’s Bodies and Why It Matters Today, Elizabeth Comen, M.D., boldly tackles centuries of patriarchal narratives that have disregarded, shamed and even mutilated women’s bodies, minds and spirits. With piercing insight, Comen dissects entrenched systemic biases that continue to shape our understanding of women’s health, underscoring the urgency to take agency over a medical system that has neglected and misunderstood the innate mystery and power of the female form.
BY ANNELISE PETERSON
Comen’s resume includes a Bachelor of Arts in the history of science from Harvard College; she obtained a Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School. She further refined her expertise through a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and a fellowship in oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Recognized internationally for her outstanding contributions as a physicianscientist and an advocate for women’s health, Comen works as a medical oncologist with a specialty in breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center while holding the esteemed position of assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. This academic pedigree empowers Comen to address historical oversights and inequities within modern medicine with the same, or perhaps even greater, authority as her male colleagues. Patient experiences alone fail to make women’s medical complaints credible in a system that overlooks the intricate differences in the female body, fixating solely on breasts and reproductive organs—a phenomenon Comen labels “bikini medicine.” She writes: “No other illness stokes our fears the way cancer does…But the emotion I encounter most in the examination room, more potent and insidious than fear, is shame.”
and unapologetic historical truth to unveil just how little is genuinely known about the inner workings of a body that houses a uterus and blossoms a clitoris.
“Women are 80 percent more likely to suffer from autoimmune disorders than men, for reasons that scientists have yet to understand,” states Comen. “In most cases, these gender disparities are acknowledged but never studied; doctors have long been prone to writing off the differences as hormonal without further inquiry.”
According to speaker and author Gabor Maté, M.D., hailed for his expertise on trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development, overrepresented autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis result from a woman’s suppression of anger. “This is just another story that perpetuates the blame,” affirms Comen. Upon examination of the historical treatment of “hysterical” women, perhaps suppression was the only means to survive a system malignantly steeped in pathological patriarchy: “Soon, doctors were in general agreement that hysteria in women was a function of this innate inferiority, one brought on by their attempting to somehow subvert the passive, domestic, subservient role that was a woman’s biological destiny,” writes Comen.
Through her systematic exploration of each of the 11 organ systems of a female’s body, Comen utilizes humor
Women, as the bearers of life, hold immense power. Through the groundbreaking endeavors of pioneers like Elizabeth Comen, the opportunity unfolds to reimagine a medical system that currently reveres Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man as the ideal. In the dawn of time, there may have existed a girl named Eve, or Elizabeth, or perhaps it was you. Before this girl was molded to believe she was fashioned from a man’s rib, she knew herself as inherently perfect. Her body was a thing of beauty. Her mind was curious, thirsting for knowledge. She saw herself as complete, without the need for validation from a man to feel powerful or worthy. Before the concept of hierarchy or a divine male father figure, perhaps there existed a woman who loved herself fiercely. Her body was her sanctuary. drelizabethcomen.com
Courtesy of Lucia Engstr om Davidson
Lucia Engstrom Davidson’s “Dafne’s Song,” 2023, from the Lovers and Dreamers series, integrates hand-embroidered details, pushing the boundaries of photography. “Through its sculptural quality and trompe l’oeil placement,” the Scandinavian artist says, “the embroidery acts as a bridge between the realism of the photograph, and a nostalgic, dreamlike world.”
Celebrated landscape designer Frederico Azevedo chooses hues that calm and delight.
BY JIM SERVIN
When it comes to color in gardens, this year’s theme is serenity now. To unlock botanical bliss, landscaping maestro Frederico Azevedo suggests fields of lavender and beds of daisies, set against a backdrop of soothing green. “2024 is all about colors that bring joy and calm,” says the native Brazilian, who for 31 years has created some of the Hamptons’ most desirable, sustainable gardens. “I build natural palettes using native and well-adapted flowers like hydrangea, rudbeckia, alliums, echinacea and Agastache, and bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and crocus that lend different moods to the landscape, from peaceful to energetic and lively.”
Soft textures such as lavender or astilbe bring movement and calm, which Azevedo will sometimes balance with vivid colors like golden yellows, stark whites and bright purples. “I find this combination to be very effective at inspiring a good mood,” he says.
Balance is key. The title of Azevedo’s brochure for Unlimited Earth Care, his Bridgehampton-based landscaping design firm, with its carefully curated Garden Market & Concept Store, is The Balance of Colors How does he maintain harmony in a garden or landscape? “It is important to think about which hues are going to be planted next to one another, especially in more dramatic color palettes,” he says. “Shape and texture must also be considered.”
For guidance on choosing a palette, Azevedo recommends consulting a color wheel: “Yellow complements purple, orange complements blue—those
colors brighten one another,” he says. “You can get creative within those boundaries. If complementary colors are too intense for what you’re going for, consider using adjacent colors for a steady mood: golds, yellows and oranges, lavender and pink.”
A major appeal of Azevedo’s gardens is the sense of ease and effortlessness they convey. There is a keen organizational eye at work, but also a feeling for sweeping space and freedom. “I aim for a design that feels almost natural,” he says. “I call it a heightened, or elevated, experience of nature.” Azevedo promotes a generous use of color, while advocating for the careful selection of compatible species. “Some plants are happy living together, such as Miscanthus grasses, nepeta and pink fairy roses,” he says. “The grass provides shade for the roses, and the nepeta flowers attract insects that eat the aphids that bother the roses.”
When in doubt, he says, go green. “I layer evergreens— blue spruces, arborvitaes, Eastern red cedars, Japanese cedars and pines do well in the Hamptons.” For flowering trees, Azevedo often uses white dogwood or crepe myrtle. Evergreen hedges and shrubs offer another way to provide strong foundations for colorful gardens. “Playing with scale and color is easier with a strong backdrop of rich evergreens,” Azevedo says. “I love to design fully green gardens. There are so many hues to choose from. You can’t go wrong, and together they create a very meditative, happy space.” unlimitedearthcare.com
In a powerful new show, artist Anh Duong celebrates the complexities of the human experience.
BY JULIA SZABOThe deeply felt portraits of artist Anh Duong—a French woman of Vietnamese and Spanish ancestry, who divides her time between the two great art capitals, Paris and New York— are beautiful and complicated, like the artist who made them.
Currently on view through May 31 at Manhattan’s Galerie Gmurzynska, The Incoherences of a Gentlewoman is Duong’s solo show of paintings portraying herself and others, including Anjelica
Huston and Susan Sarandon. Imagine a coalition of history’s greatest artists reborn as female creatives, and you’ll begin to appreciate Duong’s contribution to art history. Her selfportraits steal the show. Here she is a figure out of Degas, solemnly lacing up her pointe shoes (Duong once trained to be a ballerina); there, she’s an odalisque with a turquoise sash to match the blue gown of Ingres’ Princesse de Broglie, or an airborne Chagall lady grazing the rooftops of Paris as she floats across the night sky, her long hair flowing like Leonora Carrington. She wears the high hairdo of a periwigged Gainsborough heroine; then, she’s in full body armor, a latter-day Joan of Arc by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, clutching a teddy bear.
“When I paint my self-portrait, it’s not about ‘Hey, look at me.’ Through me, you will see yourself,” says Duong. “I use myself as the mirror for people, especially women, to experience what I’m feeling. I want the viewer to feel, ‘I know what she’s talking about, because I have felt and experienced that too.’”
Laying herself bare, Duong goes unflinchingly nude— tan lines and all—as proudly as the redoubtable Alice Neel. “Louse Point II” has her at a Hamptons beach, her chic black sunglasses reflecting the bustling seaside scene like a modern Manet. Wearing menswear a la Frida
Kahlo or Tamara de Lempicka, Duong redresses decades of gender inequality with grace and glamour.
“I’m dressed as a man in many of the paintings,” she allows. “What does it mean to be male or female? It’s all about exploring and embracing one’s human contradictions. As human beings, we all have contradictions, and we have to live with them.” Her aim, she adds, is to “explore the complexity of the female experience; there are so many contradictions between how society is telling us to behave, and what we dare to be.”
A cathartic must-see, the exhibition is joyously healing for both artist and spectator, particularly older women validated by an artist whose focus is 40-plus femininity, with an unabashed weakness for fashion and beauty. Many are blessed with talent, but few have the discipline that has sustained Duong since fully committing to her art practice some three decades ago. She paints five hours a day, five days a week, although paint isn’t her only medium. Also an accomplished sculptor, Duong calls to mind both Camille Claudel and her lover Auguste Rodin as she calmly conjures 3D portraits in clay, such as the compelling 9-foot figurehead of Diane von Furstenberg, commissioned by Barry Diller for the yacht Eos, and cast in stainless steel.
With this show, Duong seals her fame. But that isn’t why she did it: “You don’t become an artist because you want to be famous or successful,” she concludes. “It’s not a career choice, it’s a human choice. Painting rescued me emotionally; I felt heard, seen, and loved. And I think that’s why you become an artist: You find a way to be yourself in that safe place. You may try and fail to express yourself, but when you paint, it’s there on the canvas, to be seen and heard.” gmurzynska.com
Introducing nontoxic, crystalline Alkemis, the first wellness paint. BY JULIA SZABO
Nothing revitalizes a space like a coat or two of paint— and yet, few elements of interior decor are as potentially detrimental to health as interior acrylic latex (i.e., liquid plastic) and the poisons it may off-gas even weeks or months after it’s applied. Appreciating this design dilemma from firsthand experience, a pair of disrupters created Alkemis Paint, the world’s first wellness paint. As beautiful as it is sustainable, the brand was a sleeper hit at last December’s Design Miami/ 2023.
Alkemi is Swedish for alchemy, and Alkemis Paint has achieved an almost magical transformation. The nontoxic house paint actually raises the vibration of a space. How? By coating it with pulverized crystals, including hematite (believed to reduce stress and promote relaxation) and goethite (for soothing energy). Instead of a bright-white foundation, Alkemis has a clear advantage: Its base layer is translucent quartz, imparting luminosity while harmonizing the chakras and bringing the body into balance. Painting interior surfaces with crushed crystals instead of plastic has a grounding effect one can see and feel.
All-natural, nontoxic, mineral-based paint with zero volatile organic compounds, Alkemis is formulated with artist-quality pigments. The paint is also mold-, algae- and fungi-resistant, with no synthetic pigments, VOCs, plasticizers/phthalates, solvents, alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), hazardous organic pollutants (HAPs), perfluoroalkoxies (PFAs), preservatives, fungicides or biocides typically found in other paints. With 119 unique colors formulated from 10 natural pigments—the very
materials used to create Roman frescoes and the cave paintings at Lascaux—Alkemis offers a fan deck of hues beautiful enough to satisfy Michelangelo, and so durable that the brand guarantees 20-plus years of fade-free, lightfast coverage.
The Alkemis story began in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, when New Yorker Maya Crowne surveyed her apartment decor and craved a change, but hesitated “to suffocate my neighbors and myself with noxious fumes.” What she discovered about latex/acrylic paint—“it’s plastic, so it traps moisture in the wall”—gave Crowne a new mission: to create a healthier paint alternative.
Traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend a wellness retreat, she connected with LA- and New Mexico–based multidisciplinary artist-designer Price Latimer, whose strictly clean-and-green lifestyle has been her survival mechanism ever since she survived a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics that resulted in chemical sensitivity. “With Maya’s background in finance and mine in art and design, it’s been a wonderful and symbiotic partnership,” Latimer says. Adds Crowne, “We both are passionate about art, design, naturopathic medicine, holistic living and wellness in general.”
Design pros may rest assured that their most discerning colleagues and clients will love Alkemis for its good looks— its luscious velvet matte finish exceeds all expectations— without ever stopping to think of all the good the brand does. Professional painters, meanwhile, appreciate that Alkemis is self-priming, enabling speedier room makeovers. alkemispaint.com
Seal the deal on prime real estate in the Hamptons and Aspen. BY NANCY KANE
A Douglas C. Wright-designed beauty at 134 Herrick Road is nestled in the heart of New York state’s first English colony, historic Southampton. A hop-skip to the village center and a gorgeous walk to the Atlantic, this new 7-bedroom (each with its own en suite bath) features traditional architecture paired with modern creature comforts. A grand entryway welcomes guests and leads into a formal living room and sitting room with double-high, floor-to-ceiling windows. You’ll live for that view, one of wraparound porches overlooking the mature landscaping, oversize pool and pool house. Inside, wainscoting and intricate molding make this a quintessentially Hamptons home. The lower level offers additional living space, including a gym and a golf simulator, while additional bedrooms provide accommodations for more guests. Asking $21,950,000, it’s listed with Michaela Keszler of Douglas Elliman.
With 134 feet of waterfront in the Redwood Island neighborhood, a 4-bedroom modern at 192 Redwood Road features an open floor plan with a covered porch to take in those dramatic sunsets Sag Harbor is famous for. The half-acre-plus property features a waterside, heated gunite pool and outdoor shower, complemented by thoughtful outdoor spaces created for entertaining alfresco. French doors open onto the backyard, while inside a custom kitchen with breakfast bar and butcher-block island has Wolf, Miele and Sub-Zero appliances to provide every encouragement for whipping up gourmet meals. Upstairs, the primary bedroom features a luxurious bathroom with double vanities and its own terrace. Listed with Dana Trotter of The Agency, it’s on the market for $7,250,000.
In other Hamptons real estate news, power broker Rylan Jacka, formerly of Sotheby’s International Realty, has become managing director of The Agency, working out of the firm’s East Hampton location. “The Agency’s new East Hampton office, much like the brand, is hip and vibrant. The Agency is an international real estate luxury brand and a thoughtfully curated boutique,” says Jacka. “Because of our size, we are uniquely positioned to swiftly adapt in an ever-changing industry. I’m beyond excited to collaborate with a team that not only inspires me, but also shares a vision in building a successful, collaborative office culture that approaches agent support holistically, while driving success for our clients.”
Aspen is a town for all seasons, and 660 S. Galena Street
is year-round living at its finest. Listed with Susan StoneChen and Simon Chen of SSC & Company, this once-in-alifetime private ski in/out home on Aspen Mountain grants homeowners access to the 5-star, 5-diamond amenities of The Residences at The Little Nell. The residence itself has loads of character—a striking metal chandelier set off by rich wood paneled walls, stone fireplace and log roof trusses exude a luxury ski chalet ambience. Four bedroom suites are outfitted with the finest finishes and two outdoor spaces offer privacy while enjoying views of Aspen and Shadow mountains. Turnkey amenities include concierge services, and access to the rooftop pool, hot tub, fitness center, owners’ lounge, business center and family room. Extras include airport and in-town transportation and skier shuttles. Best of all, there are no HOA fees in perpetuity.
In Aspen’s coveted West End, 725 W. Smuggler Street offers all the magic of the ski resort under one roof. A portion of the home was originally built in 1888 (although it’s not part of the protected landmarks/historic registry), and it was extensively remodeled, rebuilt last year to incorporate an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, wide-plank white oak floors, custom gas fireplace, and marbled wet bar. A floating staircase leads to a full-floor private suite with two full bathrooms. Downstairs, three en suite bedrooms share a seating area with wet bar as well as an additional laundry room. A snowmelt patio, outdoor kitchen and Tesla solar storage are just a few of the touches that make this property unique. Sliding doors integrate indoor and outdoor living, seamlessly blending the patio with the kitchen and living room. Extraordinary natural light and mountain views can be enjoyed from every vantage point; the famed Aspen Institute and the acclaimed Aspen Music Festival are just steps outside your door. Brittanie Rockhill of Douglas Elliman has the listing, asking $21,600,000.
The leaves, flowers and seeds of Queen Anne’s lace (right) have long been used to treat issues with the liver, kidney and bladder, as well as the digestive system. Add the flowers to salads or make a delicious jelly, but be sure to properly identify when gathering wildflowers.
Olivie StraussEmbrace the aging process naturally, by caring for skin and muscles. Bellantz founder and CEO Dr. Naeemah Ruffin shows how.
For centuries, women have sought the secret to an ageless facial appearance. This has been the topic of countless research studies touting treatment interventions, from the most invasive ones, such as cosmetic surgery, to the less invasive, like injectables. Either way, the procedures have undesirable risks and side effects, lack long-term research and must be maintained regularly. But there are only so many surgeries and injectables your skin and muscles can bear before they say “No more.”
Taking a purely holistic and sustainable approach to aging is to create a fit face, like a fit body, where the facial muscles are toned and the skin is healthy and radiant. Having toned facial muscles is vitally important as the body ages and succumbs to fat loss and gravity. To counteract these effects, facial muscles must consistently achieve maximum contraction. This is achieved by utilizing the brain’s neural pathways to enable voluntary facial muscle contraction, which cannot be achieved in other ways such as stimulating facial muscles with facial toning or microcurrent devices. Working with a personalized face fitness trainer who has knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and exercise physiology is essential to achieving face fitness and avoiding harm.
I recommend a three-pronged approach to target all layers of the skin: effective skin care, face exercise and a healthy lifestyle (which includes a nourishing diet). Start with what you love about your face, and begin to enhance that. Seek ways to embrace the facial aging process naturally by caring for the skin and muscles, which become more important in maintaining a youthful facial appearance as we age.
Natural facial rejuvenation, consisting of nonsurgical and noninjectable methods, has become increasingly popular
over the past several years. According to the annual Mindbody Wellness Index, nearly 3 in 10 (28 percent) respondents already do or are interested in doing facial exercises to tone their facial muscles as a natural, holistic and sustainable approach to looking their best as they age.
With over 100 scientifically based face and neck exercises, Bellantz’s face fitness programs utilize muscle anatomy, physiology and biomechanics to improve muscle tone and create muscle hypertrophy. The exercises are tailored to each client’s facial structure and includes relieving facial muscle tension prior to exercise.
Bellantz’s two programs include Core, for beginner to intermediate levels, which meets weekly for six, 12 and 20 weeks, and Lifestyle, for advanced levels, to maintain results and achieve further improvement, meeting monthly or bimonthly. Both programs are available online via video conferencing or in person at Bellantz’s New York City office. Both focus on achieving natural-looking results, and helping clients create habits and routines that sustain the long-term practice of face fitness. Working with Bellantz, there are no side effects or downtime. The protocols can be practiced at home for five to 10 minutes per day. Consistent and accurate practice yields results in four to six weeks, and is sustainable over a lifetime.
Bellantz’s skin care line works synergistically with its face fitness protocols to restore the skin to a youthful, radiant, smooth and hydrated appearance. The ingredients include scientifically proven plant-based stem cells, peptides, fruit acids, antioxidants, brighteners and natural hydrators. All products are made in small batches for freshness and potency. Bellantz also utilizes LED light therapy to boost the skin’s metabolism to repair, renew and revitalize its surface. bellantz.com
brings breathtaking views, glamorous events, opportunities to kick back with your favorite people, and, you guessed it…competitive polo.
You’re cordially invited to watch the world’s best players and ponies with the stunning Elk Mountain Range as your backdrop.
Independence Cup 3rd
ChukkerTV Cup 4th – 7th
Craig Sakin Memorial 9th – 14th
Basalt Handicap 16th – 21st
Emma Challenge Cup 23rd – 28th
High Alpine Cup 30th – 4th
Mount Sopris Cup UGU 6th –11th
Rocky Mountain Open 6th –18th
The Carbondale Classic 13th – 14th
Triple Crown of Polo – Aspen 20th – 25th
Twilight Polo Series 21st
Aspen Arena Series Final 27th
Maroon Bells Cup 28th
The world’s five blue zones all prioritize a plant-based diet, movement and community.
The all-natural, science-driven skin care brand Immunocologie Skincare has just unveiled a collaboration with the eco- and longevity-focused group Blue Zones. The organization, which was founded in 2004 by bestselling author and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, is committed to the study and practice of longevity. The initiative’s main concepts make it easier for people to live better and longer through its ongoing research and identification of the world’s healthiest, longest-living cultures in locations across the world: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.
The partnership—which follows the release of the popular 2023 Netflix docuseries Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, hosted by Buettner—is a natural next step for Immunocologie founder Karen Ballou, whose well-minded philosophy is the guiding ethos of the brand. “I am most inspired by the way Blue Zones has encouraged people to look at one’s lifestyle for longevity,” shares Ballou. “Immunocologie’s holistic approach to skin health aligns with Blue Zones’ principles of working with the Earth, nature and community.”
of pro-longevity tools, such as a meal planner app and online culinary courses plus foods and beverages. The inclusion of Immunocologie’s skin care in the Blue Zones store marks a shared appreciation for evidence-backed well-being and longevityfocused beauty.
With an abundance of skin care brands available in the ever-growing $150 billion global market space, what sets this holistic line apart from the rest? The answer lies in Immunocologie’s thoughtful, multifaceted approach that centers skin health and its microbiome at the forefront. “It needs to be cared for just like we care for our gut health,” shares Ballou. Unlike harsh chemicals used by many other skin care lines, Immunocologie’s mineral- and vitamin-rich lineup restores pH balance and supports the skin’s natural bio-intelligence, enabling it to better heal itself from the negative effects of environmental stressors and maintain a healthy barrier. “We are ‘juicing for the skin,’” says Ballou. “We look like skin care, we act like skin care, but we are more than skin care—we promise skin health with naturally glowing, balanced skin.”
The new skin-health collaboration marks the first ever of its kind for Blue Zones, and features three of Immunocologie’s signature glow-boosting products: cult favorite Vital Clay Mask, detoxifying Vital Ionic Mist and self-heating Lava Mask. Each of the products, which are formulated with all skin types in mind, derives entirely from natural, coldpressed ingredients and joins Blue Zones’ growing roster
Immunocologie is the culmination of Ballou’s lifelong mission to develop clean, effective skin care like no other—one that nurtures the skin from the outside in.
Of the five original blue zones regions across the globe, Ballou has traveled to Loma Linda, which she fondly recounts as “a place of community with a foundation of food for longevity,” and visiting the other four remains at the top of her bucket list. immunocologie.com; bluezones.com.
Revolve Hair, the coveted Hamptons salon, expands to NYC. A first look inside the newly launched West Village location with founder Alicia M. Cook. BY JENNA LEBOVITS
PURIST: How would you describe the brand philosophy behind your new salon location?
ALICIA M. COOK: The philosophy is rooted in the many meanings of the word “revolve.” We focus on personalized experiences that meet unique needs and wishes, along with thoughtful innovation and care. We aim to be a place of transformation and elegance, offering services that reflect our commitment to ongoing improvement, sharp understanding, and a perfect mix of creativity and precision, making our new spot in the West Village is a destination and a sanctuary for beauty and self-renewal.
PURIST: Can you share with us the ethos that drives your salon’s approach to beauty and wellness?
AC: Our ethos is centered on delivering a transformative hair care experience that champions inclusivity and fosters a sense of rejuvenation. We cultivate a professional sanctuary where respect, admiration and a commitment to artistic expression through hair evoke happiness and self-love. This approach is underpinned by values of communication, empowerment, integrity, support and growth, fostering an environment where beauty is recognized as a holistic experience encompassing the mind, body and soul.
PURIST: What inspired the decision to launch a new location in the vibrant West Village neighborhood?
AC: The West Village is celebrated for its artistic legacy and cultural
vibrancy, which reflects our dedication to creativity, innovation and community spirit. The choice to open here springs from a wish to join a neighborhood that cherishes artistic expression and uniqueness. My team and I are excited to add to the local culture of beauty and wellness with Revolve’s distinct approach and philosophy, and to become part of this dynamic area’s fabric.
PURIST: How do you differentiate your service offerings at this new location compared to your existing one?
AC: We are elevating our signature services by integrating unique experiences and treatments designed specifically for the neighborhood’s clientele. This effort includes broadening our sustainable
beauty practices, launching exclusive partnerships with ecoconscious brands and shaping a salon atmosphere that mirrors the artistic and cultural flourish of the West Village. My team and I share a commitment to constantly enhancing our services through robust education and staying ahead of industry trends. By employing the most modern hair techniques and offering personalized service, we ensure Revolve Hair is at the forefront of haircare innovation. Our teams dedication to professional growth means that every visit to our salon is an opportunity for clients to experience the latest in haircare excellence, tailored to their individual needs.
PURIST: Could you walk us through the unique experiences and treatments that clients can expect at your West Village salon?
AC: Clients at our West Village salon can anticipate a suite of bespoke services and treatments designed around our holistic approach to beauty. From hair care rituals that incorporate sustainably sourced products to personalized styling sessions that consider the individual’s wellness and aesthetic preferences— every aspect of the client’s journey is enriched with mindfulness toward environmental responsibility, personalized luxury services and selfcare.
PURIST: In what ways do sustainability and ethical practices play a role in your salon’s operations and services?
AC: Embodying sustainability and
ethical practices is fundamental to our operations, allowing us to offer luxury services in a way that respects the environment and promotes wellbeing. Revolve Hair was founded with the intention to be better every day, in practice and in thinking. The salon is a testament to our dedication to minimizing our ecological footprint while delivering high-quality, personalized experiences that align with our clients’ values and preferences.
PURIST: How do you envision your salon contributing to the cultural and beauty scene in the West Village community?
AC: I envision our salon as a beacon of creativity and self-care within the West Village community. By embracing our ethos of holistic beauty, I aim to inspire a deeper connection to one’s sense of self, the environment and the community. We’re not only a salon but a space where individuals can explore and express their unique beauty, contributing to the vibrant tapestry of the West Village.
PURIST: Can you share any exclusive collaborations or partnerships that will be featured at the new location?
AC: In step with Revolve Hair’s commitment to sustainability and personalized luxury, the West Village salon will boast exclusive collaborations and partnerships with leading eco-conscious and wellness brands. These collaborations will be designed to enrich our clients’ experiences, offering
unique opportunities to engage with luxury products and services that align with each individual’s wellbeing and aesthetic desires.
PURIST: What message do you hope clients take away from their experience at your salon, and how do you see this shaping the future of beauty and wellness in the community?
AC: We hope clients will embrace their visit not just as a routine appointment, but as a meaningful journey toward beauty, wellness and self-discovery. Our goal is for each individual to leave feeling aesthetically refreshed and emotionally rejuvenated, carrying with them a sense of empowerment and a deeper understanding of how beauty can be a harmonious balance between external allure and internal wellbeing. We envision our salon’s influence extending beyond the mirror, shaping a communitywide dialogue about beauty as an inclusive, holistic and ethical practice. This will not only enrich our clients’ lives, but also contribute to a broader cultural shift toward more sustainable, conscious and individualized concepts of beauty and wellness in the West Village and beyond. Each aspect of our salon’s philosophy, ethos and offerings is designed to emphasize well-being, sustainability and personalized luxury, ensuring that each client’s experience is as unique and luxurious as their individual needs and desires demand. revolvehair.com
“I have Hermès bags that have been with me for many years and that I love, as they are timeless and last over time, just like the porcelain I make.” Birkin 35 Togo Parchemin, prices vary, hermes.com
“What connects all these products is that they are not ‘fast fashion,’ but rather timeless and of high quality—things that my brand has, but with a contemporary twist.”
“I complement my outfits with exquisite, elegant silver Bottega Veneta earrings, adding a touch of timeless sophistication.” Small drop earrings, $780, bottegaveneta.com
“The tea and espresso cups from the Jade Collection are perfect for a special breakfast or a delicious afternoon tea at home.” Espresso cup and saucer, $190, taniab.com
“I always use the Jade dinner and dessert plates whenever I’m having friends or family over for a special occasion.” Dessert plate, $200, taniab.com wear clothes from brands Loro Piana their fabrics, classic shapes and softness, which I mix with accessories such as Prada shoes.” Edvin coat, $3,650, loropiana.com
“I love the Jade Collection because it brings the green tones of nature that I adore, but with contemporary touches.You can find it at Scully & Scully in New York, or at their online store. It is Limoges porcelain, which due to its incredible quality, becomes such unique tableware.” Jade Green Collection, from $150, scullyandscully.com
“I wear like for classic and as coat,
Get the VIP experience at Jazz Aspen Snowmass. BY STEVE GARBARINO
With the Elk Mountain Range as its spectacular backdrop, the city of Aspen has for 32 years now hosted its annual Labor Day music festival. Over that time, the stages at Snowmass Town Park have seen the likes of Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Tony Bennett, The Black Eyed Peas, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, Keith Urban and countless other iconic performers. This August 30 through September 1 at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Labor Day Experience, Sting, Brandi Carlile and Tim McGraw join the ranks of those estimable headliners.
At left and center stage, as close as 30 feet from the mics, guests can indulge in one of the most decadently opulent VIP tent-and-patio areas existing. At the boutique-sized festival, 2,000 VIP ticket holders, among about 10,000 attendees annually, will get to indulge in five-star fest food, a bottomless supply of cocktails and upclose-and-personal views of their favorite musicians.
A three-day pass costs $3,000 for silver level; gold ($3,500-$4,200) gets you seats “thisclose” to the stage. The latter consists of about 100 seat holders (though most are standing throughout). Cuisine, including a full-course dinner and dessert buffet, is served to the tables, with allday rotating skewers and small plates. No lines: The fare lands with the drinks. Intermissions are often an hour or more for those to sup it in, hand-clap thereafter.
Last year, the three-day menus balanced easy-tocarry comfort yums (burgers, dogs, charcuterie and the like) with sit-down haute cuisine—the majority of which leaned toward regional farm-to-table green picks and meaty cuts. Down on the “farm,” VIP guests can select from items such as confit duck breast and Boulder Natural Chicken roulade. Despite its landlocked location, some of the standout fare comes from the sea: poached Gulf prawn, lobster crab cakes, pan-seared scallops. And back in the valley, the butchery cuts include Nieslanik Beef’s
grass-fed hanger steak and chef-carved porchetta. Elk Camp rotisserie chicken and fire-roasted shrimp brochette are favorites for a white tablecloth dinner.
Among some of the tastiest JAS performance moments: During the Saturday night of the 2017 festival, according to festival founder Jim Horowitz, Keith Urban took the stage under darkening skies. “The mood was, shall we say, under the weather,” Horowitz says. “Keith played with his band for about 30 minutes, and then it started to lightly rain. Umbrellas and parkas came about, but nobody left. Suddenly, Keith turned to his band and said, ‘I don’t want any of you to get electrocuted, so just get off the stage and I will take over from here.’ And then he proceeded to play a one-hour solo set—each and every song had the word ‘rain’ in the title—and every version was as personal and memorable as you could imagine. He cast a spell over the crowd. It kept raining lightly, by the way, never stopped. I don’t think a single person left until the last note. It was sheer magic. He turned likely disappointment into a triumph. In the end, one of the best days at JAS, ever.”
Last year, the festival hosted Foo Fighters. “Speaking of evolving, they were a current band who routinely fill stadiums worldwide,” says Horowitz. “When you consider their average crowd is 50,000, you start to appreciate just what JAS has become, all happening in this pristine little valley.”
Horowitz, a former pianist, says that the nonprofit event, which raises money for music education, “evolves yearly. It’s a snowball effect, and just keeps growing.” The festival is so anticipated nationwide that 50 percent of the crowd is out-of-towners. Oh, and that VIP pass is largely tax deductible.
For more information and to purchase advance tickets, go to jazzaspensnowmass.org.
Dianne Vavra, owner of vintage boutique Vavra New York, unveils her meaningful faves for the spring season and beyond.
“This candle my friend Jessica
“This candle by my friend Jessica the perfect so beautiful. is divine.” candle, $100, htenstein.com
Lichtenstein makes the hostess gift and looks so beautiful. The lavender fragrance is divine.”
Light my fire candle, $100, jessicalichtenstein.com
“This rare runway filigree is an
1980s rare ligree piece over-the-top statement necklace. favorite kind of jewelry: over This unique jewel is from Lagerfeld era gives me instant elegance, whether with a T-shirt jeans or black a go-to that disappoints.”
My favorite kind of vintage over the top! This Chanel is from the Karl era and me instant whether styled with a T-shirt and or black tie—it’s a that never Vintage rare Chanel runway
early-2000s Chanel runway necklace, $4,995, vavranewyork.com
“I love pieces that tell a story. All the pieces here have a unique story—from the inspiration for the candle
“This vintage 1940s pearlized Lucite box bag with gold filigree trim and handpainted, jeweled courting couple clasp gives me Cinderella vibes. It’s so romantic I love displaying this treasure on my coffee table on top of a stack of my favorite fashion books. I can hide all my goodies in there, or carry this bag day or night for instant nostalgic glam.” 1940s Lucite box bag with courting couple clasp, $295, available at vavranewyork.com
“My skin care must-have to keep that golden hour glow year-round, this glow-producing, collagenboosting, moisture-lock face oil also hydrates and moisturizes.I adore the bright floral, sunny fragrance.” Golden Ray glow face oil, $112, biographynyc .com (Use code VAVRA20 for 20 percent off) adore the
“I love the inspiration for this fragrance: Mediterranean at night—the the warm sea and air combined with the forest Garrigue. include amber, honeycomb, and patchouli.” Sexy Garrigue, $260, veronique gabai.com
“I love the for this the Sea at smell of warm sea water called Notes include vetiver, vanilla and Sexy $260,
imagery or the fragrance notes to the behind-the-scenes story of the stunning Chanel vintage necklace or the apartment sale in Paris where the box bag was found.”
imagery or the notes story of the stunning Chanel necklace or the sale in Paris where the box was found.”
“My 1940s seashell fold-up Swiss travel clock is the perfect ‘by the sea’ bedside accessory.This gold seashell casing with blue marina face adds instant glam to any decor. It’s an extension of my jewelry box that can travel with me wherever I go. It feels so Hollywood and I love it.” Midcentury gold shell traveling clock, $195, available at vavranewyork.com
Follow these expert tips to transform your home bathroom into a relaxing oasis.
BY DR. STACIE STEPHENSONDon’t you just love stepping into your beautiful bathroom for a shower and pampering in the morning, or luxuriating in your bathtub at the end of a long day?
I personally cherish my alone time in the bathroom, so keeping that space as beautiful, peaceful, soothing, organized and clean as possible is a priority. You might not realize how rejuvenating a spa-at-home can be until you try it. If your bathroom doesn’t feel like a calming oasis, you can do something about that. Whether you want to make just a few basic changes or completely remodel your bathroom, here are some tips I’ve found that can turn any bathroom into a spa experience.
Think back to spas you’ve visited. What do you remember that you loved? Browse online photos of luxury spas to get inspired. Although
each spa has its unique character (and so should your bathroom), there are some signature spa elements that you will probably see often, such as:
Natural colors, like white, pale green, pale blue and earth tones
Natural materials, such as ceramic tile, marble, bamboo and wood
Clean lines and clear surfaces with a minimalist aesthetic
Greenery, like humidity-loving plants and small trees (which can certainly be goodquality replicas, if you don’t have a green thumb)
Soothing lighting, not so dim that you can’t read by it or so bright that it’s jarring—natural light and bulbs that mimic natural light work best
Open shelves—think wood or bamboo with
stacks of rolled white towels and luxe personal care products in attractive bottles and jars
Luxurious linens
Plenty of mirrors
Small, soft rugs or bamboo mats for wet feet
Think about your own space and make your wish list.
Before you start buying decor or tearing out fixtures, make your bathroom as minimalist as possible. This means getting organized. It’s easy to clutter the bathroom with personal care products, makeup and hair tools, especially the ones you use often.
Begin by removing everything from the bathroom. Empty the medicine cabinet, linen closet, all cabinets, drawers and shelves. Take out rugs or bath mats, the magazine basket, the bathroom scale, everything under and on top of the sink. Take pictures off the walls.
Next, go through each item. If it’s expired, toss it. If you don’t really like it and that’s why you haven’t used it, throw it out or give it away. If it’s broken discard it (or fix it, if you want to keep it). If you love it but it’s dirty, clean it.
Divide everything you want to keep into two piles: things you don’t use often (such as the first-aid kit, the curling iron for special occasions, the products you bought in bulk, specialty linens, etc.), and things you use at least three times a week (blow-dryer, your regular makeup, your everyday linens).
Next, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, put on rubber gloves and start cleaning (or find someone to do this part, if it’s really not your thing). Open the bathroom windows. Scrub the counters, sinks, tub or shower, and floors, all the way into the corners. Get the base of the toilet, all crevices of the faucets, and wipe down the walls, light fixtures and shelves. Get cobwebs out of the corners and use an anti-mildew treatment on any discolored areas on the ceiling. Spas are squeaky clean, and your bathroom should be, too.
Once everything is sparkling, think about the condition of the walls. They might be fine as they are, but nothing transforms a bathroom like a coat of paint. Consider freshening up the color with soothing pale shades, on all walls or just one accent wall. Common spa colors are pale, fresh greens and soothing blues. You might also consider adding dark wood or light bamboo paneling to one wall (make sure it is suited for use in a bathroom), or covering a wall in tile. A fresh white feels clean and new.
Changing light fixtures can completely reset the look of your bathroom. You could swap out the mirror with a larger one or multiple mirrors, to make the room seem
more spacious. Replace the hardware on cabinets and drawers, even the light switch plates. Metallic or cut-glass fixtures and hardware reflect light and look luxurious.
Return to the bathroom everything you have decided to keep. This might mean reassessing storage. Could you fill your bathroom closet with wire or wicker baskets for better organization? Put items you use less often at the back or sides; keep frequently used items front and center. Could you add or improve under-sink storage for daily serums, lotions, brushes and makeup? Could you add a bamboo shelf for towels and products, or a small cabinet by the toilet for toilet paper? A bamboo tray across the bathtub for holding a washcloth, bathing brush, fancy soap, a book, perhaps a candle or a glass of wine, is an inexpensive and luxurious touch.
One thing you have probably noticed about spas is the fragrance. Consider adding an essential oil diffuser to the bathroom. You could also put some fresh eucalyptus in a vase, or hang it on the wall. Every time the bathroom fills with steam, eucalyptus releases its scent. Stash a pretty tray beside the bathtub with an assortment of your favorite essential oils to add to your bathwater.
Finally, put on the finishing touches that will make your bathroom feel both spa-like and you-like. Think natural and/or modern. Maybe you like botanical art on the walls, or nothing on your newly painted walls, for a more minimalist look. Could you add some plants, like ferns or an orchid? For any items you want to keep on display (like your toothbrush, a water glass, tissues), look for attractive containers or organizers in bamboo, white ceramic or metal. Can you upgrade the rug by the tub or shower? Change your window blinds to curtains or curtains to shades?
Consider upgrading your towels. They don’t have to be white, but big, soft, fluffy towels will feel luxe every time you dry off. A stack of black washcloths are great for removing makeup.
Most importantly, personalize your bathroom even if, in the end, it makes your bathroom feel less like a spa and more like a place made just for you. What do you love?
Folk art, all-gold fixtures, Zen-inspired, ocean-themed, organic everything? Put your signature on your home spa, and you’ll love going in there every single day.
I hope my ideas have inspired you to make some changes, big or small. A bathroom that is clean, decluttered, smells like a spa and makes relaxing easier is all you need to change the whole experience from so-so to sublime. drstaciestephenson.com
At this year’s Food & Wine Classic Aspen, Maneet Chauhan shows how to cook Indian style with ease. BY NICOLAS MAGRINO
Her first cookbook, Flavors of My World, started Maneet Chauhan on the path to culinary glory, which has included founding five restaurants focused on both Indian and global cuisine. (Her newest, eet by Maneet Chauhan, opened in Disney Springs late last year.) Chauhan makes frequent appearances on Food Network, notably scoring a victory in 2021 on Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions II During her upcoming seminar, ”Symphony of Spices: The Ultimate Guide to an Indian Party,” at the 2024 Food & Wine Classic Aspen, guests will learn how to host an Indian
dinner, becoming familiarized with preparing chicken curry, saffron pulau, mixed vegetable pakora (“Indian fritters”) with mint chutney, mango rose lassi, and desserts like the carrot-based gajar halwa.
No stranger to Aspen, Chauhan appeared at last year’s Food & Wine Classic. Her 2024 seminar will focus on making Indian dishes accessible for all: “It’s just a matter of celebrating the beauty and the depth of Indian food,” Chauhan says. The Food & Wine Classic takes place from June 14-16 in Aspen; classic.foodandwine.com
Nibble (and sip) at these new Aspen hot spots.
BY LINDA HAYES
Wind your way to the Aspen Meadows Resort for dinner at the new West End Social, where New York-based Bentel & Bentel have created a Herbert Bayer-influenced culinary sanctuary. Tear your eyes away from the mountain view and focus on chef de cuisine Rachel Saxton’s sharable, highly seasonal menu—Wagyu tartare, seared scallops, dry-aged Maple Leaf duck, grilled baby gem lettuce. Juan Carlos Santana’s wine program focuses on vino from highaltitude regions, from Colorado to Italy, Argentina and beyond. aspenmeadows.com, 888.221.4851
The modern restaurant, bar and cocktail lounge tucked into the new Mollie Aspen hotel (designed by local CCY Architects and Brooklyn-based Post Company design studio) is a must-do. Post hike or bike, claim a stool at the bar for satisfying nibbles, such as sliders on brioche buns, “hot wings” and steak frites, paired with “Refreshing” or “Spiritous” craft cocktails by Gin & Luck (the group behind Death & Co). Dinnertime, the menu amps up with
braised lamb sugo, whole grilled trout and Niman Ranch strip steak. mollieaspen.com, 970.742.1234
THE BOAT TOW
“Aprés all-day” is a mantra of this Hyman Avenue hot spot. A seat at the bar comes with a view of the cocktail action (try the “Welcome to Aspen,” with thyme-infused Aperol, grapefruit, lemon sherbet and prosecco), while patio dining pairs perfectly with people watching. Either way, the emphasis is on shareable snacks such as tuna poke, charred zucchini dip and deviled eggs. theboattowaspen.com, 970.425.0643
Short for the Bar Under Cooper and Kitchen, Buck harkens back to the local watering holes of lore, when skiers could belly up to the bar hot off the slopes for a well-earned post-ski beverage or three. Down a steep stairway, check out the ski wall, then belly up for a pitcher, a classic drink, a burger, maybe some French onion soup reminiscent of the owners’ days at the beloved Red Onion in town. Happy hour menu rules. 303.588.8408
SWAY ASPEN
An upcountry outpost of Sway in Austin, this long-awaited newcomer on Hopkins Avenue is a hit. Sway Aspen aims toward elevated Thai cuisine while incorporating local and regionally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Highlights include crispy whole market fish with chile vinegar, charred bok choy, steamed shu mai with “so good” vinegar, panang neua short rib curry, and garlicky Thai basil eggplant with toasted chile paste and caramelized soy. swaythai.com, 970.429.880
PLUS: THE SNOW LODGE SUMMER SEASON
What’s become an après-ski favorite at The St. Regis Aspen Resort returns for another warm weather season this year as The Summer Lodge. Starting June 13, Chef Robert Sieber will serve up lighter Italian menus and guest chefs will be popping in throughout the season. Stay tuned for its special programming during the Food & Wine Classic Aspen (June 14-16), and another banging music lineup all summer long. thesnowlodge.com, 970.920.3300
The top floor at Matsuhisa in Aspen gets revamped. BY RAY ROGERS
What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday than a tasteful refresh?
When the upstairs of Aspen’s favorite Japanese eatery, Matsuhisa, turned 20 this past year, its owners decided it was time to give the top floor a thorough overhaul, while maintaining the essence of the beloved restaurant.
“We started in 2003, and 20 years later we took it apart and put it back together on the anniversary,” says Todd Clark, partner and director of operations. “We modernized it while still respecting the aesthetic of a Japanese restaurant that’s in a 120-year-old Victorian house.”
The redesign was completed by Rowland + Broughton Architecture.
“The kitchen and sushi bar were completely reconfigured and streamlined for better function and aesthetics,” says Broughton. “The exposed stainless-steel kitchen highlights the craft and precision of the menu.”
Local design powerhouse Rowland + Broughton Architecture, who completed Matsuhisa Denver with the owners several years back, adhered to a tight timeline during the fall so it wouldn’t interfere with the employees’ high-season schedule. They incorporated design elements from the Denver space in the upstairs remodel of Matsuhisa Aspen, including “the dark stone on the floor and walls of the bars, the wood acoustic ceiling, the WhisperSpan acoustic ceiling treatment and an overall organic, edited aesthetic,” notes architect Sarah Broughton. “The restaurant is housed in a historic miner’s cabin, and the historic character is maintained with the refinished wood floors and gable pitched ceilings highlighted with the acoustic material and a new lighting design.”
The team worked directly with Nobu Matsuhisa on the design of the sushi bar, a thrill for Broughton, who’s been dining here throughout its two decades (the yellowtail jalapeno sashimi and shiitake mushroom salad are two of her favorites). “This included working together with the tape measure to make sure the dimensions allowed each sushi chef to be able to handdeliver the sushi directly to each patron,” says Broughton. “His attention to detail and service was inspiring.”
The nine-seat cocktail bar remained in its original position, but was drastically improved, says Broughton. “We redesigned the liquor display with an antique mirror, quartz surface, walnut wood and integral lighting to highlight the bottles.” A perfect location to enjoy Broughton’s go-to, The Gardener cocktail—“a must order!” she raves.
The improvements to the space will also be a boon for the brand’s robust catering business. “It’s a very special place for private events—it’s got an intimate feel, an amazing sound system, and a big-screen TV, so you can play sports or a video if it’s a birthday or anniversary,” says Clark. “You have your own private cocktail bar and your own private sushi bar—what could be better than that?”
Along with the updated finishes, a new kitchen was designed and installed that enabled some menu items from the larger Matsuhisa downstairs to also be available upstairs; there are other new additions to come for upstairs as well.
matsuhisarestaurants.com/aspen
Tahuu Chocolates harness the sumptuous powers of cacao. BY RAY ROGERS
Drawing on cacao’s legacy as a precious commodity known for its healing properties, Julian Arango created Tahuu Chocolates, a new line of bespoke confections infused with CBD and other botanicals, packaged as silver and gold medallions. For thousands of years, cacao was revered by Indigenous communities for protection and abundance, notes Arango, a Manhattan-based chocolatier who hails from Medellín, Colombia. “It was a currency at some point, a very rare item. That’s why I package my chocolates as gold and silver foil coins.”
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London, Arango worked in restaurants from London (The Square) to NYC (Picholine) before launching Tahuu Chocolates with business partner Alexis Cintron, a creative director who designed the colorful packaging featuring the namesake spirit wolf. “The story of Tahuu comes from a Colombian folk tale about a spirit wolf, made of light and thunder,” says Arango. “It’s a healer, a protector. The natives believe he will guide them, so they don’t get lost in the dark forest.”
The metaphor worked perfectly for Arango’s mission to bring light to people via a high-quality piece of chocolate. “I come from coffee and cacao farmers in Colombia, so I
have a deep connection to the plant and the product.”
Incorporating CBD and CBG (a cannabinoid from which other types of cannabinoids, such as CBD, are derived) was a natural fit for the young chocolatier, whose vision was that of a wellness brand rather than a candy company. “There’s barely any sugar in it,” he says. “I use 70 percent dark chocolate, sourced from an eco-friendly company called Luker in Colombia. I bring it here, temper it and mix it with essential oils and the CBD and CBG. It’s a very unique piece of chocolate.”
And a very tasty one as well, with flavor profiles that range from vanilla-coffee bean and cinnamon-lion’s mane mushroom to stimulate brain function by day, to raspberryacai or honey for nighttime chill. His latest creation is a special aphrodisiac chocolate called “Estimula,” featuring a combination of CBD and CBG, plus horny goat weed, “promoting healthy sex, love, partnership and connection,” says Arango.
Just as he believes chocolate can be a healer or spirit guide, in his downtime Arango is also a guiding light, helping people in the recovery space on their sobriety journey. What a delicious way to move through this world. tahuu.co
Gail Simmons, beloved judge, cookbook author and critic on Bravo’s Emmy-winning juggernaut Top Chef, is pumped for the new season, currently airing new episodes every Wednesday. Not only is it the first season with a new host— Top Chef: Seattle winner Kristen Kish, who replaces Padma Lakshmi—but it is also Simmons’ first as an executive producer. “I’ve always been relatively involved over 21 seasons—it’s a very collaborative show—but stepping up into an executive producer position, I definitely was able to play a larger role in the elimination challenges and the guest judge conversations,” she says. “This season is going to feel very different coming off our World All-Stars season in London and Paris—returning home to the Midwest was invigorating.”
For Simmons, this season was an exercise in making changes that were “just enough,” including the elimination of immunity from quickfire challenges. “It’s not about turning it upside down every season,” she says. “It’s about tweaking it just enough that the show evolves and feels relevant, and 21 seasons later, we’re not in the same stock studio space.”
Shouldering an enormous part of this season’s freshness is the new host, Kish. “She’s amazing,” Simmons says. “She’s part of the family; she grew up with us and on the set with us. She understood the position of the chefs, which is very different from the judges’ table in the past.
Gail Simmons at home in
Cobble HillShe knows the questions to ask and how they’re feeling, and also when to push them.”
Even though work has been an exciting whirlwind of changes big and small, it hasn’t kept Simmons so busy that she stopped making homemade meals for her and her family, husband Jeremy Abrams and children Dahlia, 10, and Kole, 5. In the kitchen she designed herself in a stunning converted church in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood, Simmons whips up wholesome meals, strategically.
“My kids are generally really good eaters,” she says. “But they’re still kids. I cook for them what I want to eat, but with one main dish that can be altered. Sometimes we make something simple—like meat sauce or pasta sauce—and I make it with spaghetti squash for me and with pasta for the kids. Or there’s an alteration—we’ll roast a ton of vegetables. My kids will eat it one way and I’ll eat it a different way. But at least we’ve big-batched the healthy stuff, so that we’re all eating that same thing and cooking only one meal.”
The food writer turned TV star is often asked how she gets her kids to eat their veggies. “I don’t make a big deal of it,” she says. “I just keep eating them myself, keep it on the table…they see it and after a while, they’ll just go for it. I often see my daughter reaching for the thing that I’ve tried to force her to eat five times, but when I’m not looking.”
“Film requires a subtlety only offered to the job of being a human being.We never know what we’re feeling from moment to moment.We don’t know what the outcome is going to be.We’d like to be hopeful, but all kinds of things get in our way.”
—Laura Dern
Home is where inspiration is for Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Laura Dern, who in Palm Royale, her new Apple+ TV series, celebrates and critiques 1960s Palm Beach society, while providing a much-longed-for opportunity to share the screen with her dad, veteran actor Bruce Dern. Purist founder Cristina Cuomo speaks with the David Lynch darling and always surprising and accomplished thespian about her mentoring parents, motherhood and how the feminist messages of Palm Royale resonate today.
CRISTINA CUOMO: You’re filming with Noah Baumbach. You won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for your role in his Marriage Story. What does it feel like to be working with him again?
LAURA DERN: It feels great. We’re just finding our characters, which is always such an interesting and delicate process. We’re in the final stages of hair and makeup, fittings and working with the filmmaker on what he wants.
CC: Let’s talk about Palm Royale. What a cast. Tell me what drew you to this series.
LD: About five years ago, my producing partner Jayme Lemons and I were given the book by our other producer, Katie O’Connell Marsh, and we loved this world that is deeply relatable, where positions of power meet alternative lifestyles. The show takes place in Palm Beach in the late 1960s, that moment where a group of women are oblivious to what’s happening around them while clamoring to be seen and valued by being “a member of the club.” I took a long, exciting look at the character of Maxine, whom I had fallen in love with, and felt there was no one more amazing, hilarious and inventive than Kristen Wiig to play the part. I asked if Kristen would be a producer as well. It was really about building a world and building out this show, which was very unique to anything else out there, and then figuring out a way to subversively say something within that world with the character of Linda that I get to play.
CC: That’s a poignant time for feminism, the late ’60s, and Linda has got this great blend of bohemian strength, like you do. She’s so strong in the beginning, but her vulnerability is revealed. I watched the whole series and your character was definitely my favorite, the one we all relate to. How was it playing a period feminist?
LD: What I loved about it is that it’s this rather heightened comedy, and so you can find the fun in it. Talking to this group of women about how if we continue to fight, our daughters will never have to fight for their right to choose, etc. To be in this fever pitch with how absurd it is that we’re not only still here, we’re back here, is just an amazing thing to play around with. I loved the idea that on the outside of this club would be these relationships, as she has with Virginia [Amber Chardae Robinson] and with Ricky Martin’s character, Robert Diaz, who is also fighting for his sense of belonging. It was a really beautiful, fun role that Abe [Sylvia] invented. While inside the bubble, you can get caught up in the surface fun of what these women are clamoring for. Almost halfway through it, you are like: Wait a minute, whose side am I on? What’s really important? How did I get caught up with these women? Linda is a great counter to that.
CC: The operative word you use is club. These women just want to be part of a community and they’re finding their tribe, they’re finding their way through each other. It’s like a feminine circle. Even though they all sort of hate each other, they all love each other. It’s a great story.
LD: Yeah, what do we do? Also, what does one do when they have opportunity, wealth, connection? It’s interesting to consider, and then certainly if there’s a subversive plea within it, it’s thinking about opportunities the few have to save the planet. Just cut right to climate as a primary focus. This is it—we’ve got the next five years for industry leaders to actually make a difference. Certainly consumers have a voice about where they’re going to spend their money, whom they’re going to align with. Few industries will change it, or not. And so it’s amazing when you get into these pockets of great wealth and advantage, as you see in Palm Beach and other neighborhoods. You see people who are radically progressive and doing the deepest work on the planet to take care of others and to save our home, and then right across the street you see the opposite. It’s a fascinating dichotomy, because when people focus, as you said, on the hunger to belong they can lose sight real quick about wanting to matter. Not being popular is terrifying for a lot of people, and many of these female characters have it. Many women want to grow out of the early middle school trauma of “mean girls,” but many of us are still triggered by it, still not wanting to rock the apple cart and all of that.
CC: Everybody is so fragile underneath it all. It’s a beautiful scene with your dad, Bruce. That must be very fulfilling to act with a parent.
LD: It’s so amazing. I’ve had the incredible blessing of working with my mom [Diane Ladd] several times, since I was in my early 20s. There’s an unparalleled intimacy to looking in the eyes of a person who has known you your entire life. It’s part of the dynamic: the good and the challenging. And so to finally have that experience with my dad—we’ve been talking about a film which has been in development for a long time and longed to work together. Finally, I said, You know what, Dad, Abe and Tate Taylor [director] called, saying maybe this is an opportunity to finally get to work with your father. Is this a bird in the hand? He was so game, and he’s such a brilliant artist who shows up and everything is the truth. It was a dream to be with him.
CC: Maybe that thread will continue, if you and your daughter get to do some project together one day. I know that she’s a budding actress.
LD: You never know. It would be amazing. And my son is an amazing musician. Maybe our paths will cross creatively; maybe he’ll score something one day. It is a beautiful
Color, textiles and art bring cheer to her son’s bedroom.
The cozy kitchen, left, and dining space
An inveterate collector, Dern loves one-of-a-kind pieces. Throughout her home, Dern juxtaposes light and dark.
thing to think about getting to work with your loved ones. There’s a label for it these days, and it’s become grossly overused. I won’t even use the word, but all I can say is every great artisan or workman or butcher or seamstress or sound man that I have ever worked with has introduced me to their son or their nephew or their daughter and said they’re working with me now. Working alongside parents is such an amazing experience, and complicated and delicious and funny and all those things. So, I’m lucky to have had those experiences.
CC: One writer I read referred to all things Laura Dern as the “Dernaissance,” which I thought was so beautiful. You’ve played so many characters, from a paleobotanist in Jurassic Park to a prickly Monterey, California, mom in Big Little Lies. Some likable, some not as likable. You make your characters so relatable.
LD: I’m interested in worlds that I haven’t been involved in— to play Renata in Big Little Lies, to know what it’s like to be a woman in Big Tech was really interesting. To get to know women who live in that world was such an eye-opener.
CC: A series allows for a character’s evolution, whereas in film there’s a very concentrated amount of time. What’s your preferred medium—television, film or even stage?
LD: Film requires a subtlety only offered to the job of being a human being. We never know what we’re feeling from moment to moment. We don’t know what the outcome is going to be. We’d like to be hopeful, but all kinds of things get in our way. In a limited series, there is a lot more time to go deeper, which is so fun. And so it takes such great and smart writing, like I had with the genius of Mike White on Enlightened and like we have with Abe on Palm Royale. Abe knows exactly the tone of the show, just like Mike knew the tone of Enlightened, which is a very risky and rare tone. Some people say they prefer theater, because new things happen on stage every day.
CC: As an Oscar winner for Marriage Story, would you say the character of the divorce lawyer was one of the most important ones you played because of the recognition you received, because of the way it resonated with people so much, or both?
LD: It resonated with me because of Noah Baumbach’s attempt to crack open how much we lose in divorce. Two people have been best friends, and suddenly a machine shows up and says, “We’re going to help you get through this.” That machine can be excruciating. We worked very closely with Noah for a good year as he was writing. I’m back with him now in a film. I just want to make movies with him forever, just like I’ll always show up for David Lynch whatever he asks me to do. To have accolades come with a filmmaker you love for a part you really care about,
with a team of people who made it so amazing, and not to mention his life partner is your other director, and you made the two movies back-to-back. I spent a year with Greta [Gerwig] and Noah. It was like one long movie. We were all just together, and then we were together promoting Marriage Story and Little Women
CC: I’m going to pivot into being a parent, since Mother’s Day is coming up. What has been the most rewarding experience of this journey for you?
LD: Knowing the two most incredible human beings I’ve ever known in my life, and that they happen to be my kids. I don’t know if every parent feels that.
CC: I do.
LD: Right. No two people make me laugh harder. No two people do I want to see the world with. I’m here in London and I’m calling like, oh, my god, I had the lemon sole you love. They’re intrinsically connected to you in a way that is like nothing else you’ve ever known. It’s the best experience anyone could ever be blessed to have. The other part is to be in a primary relationship as a grown-up where getting it right matters more than ever. It’s the best opportunity of becoming a grown-up we could ever ask for, because we want so deeply to be that for our kids.
CC: That’s so true. It is the ultimate form of self-reflection. It’s our opportunity to do and be our best.
LD: Especially when they’re little and they catch everything. You’re on a phone call and your 6-year-old is looking at you like, What’s wrong with you? I look back and she says, “Mom, you’re standing in your kitchen, and you just told that person you were late in traffic. Why did you lie?” And there’s a part of you that in your past might be in that space of, “Oh no, you misunderstood.” You don’t want to lie to your child, but you’re just completely having to be confronted with accountability. It’s an amazing thing.
CC: Back to your home, since you were just talking about standing in your kitchen in Brentwood. I noticed that you collect a lot of beautiful things, which is intrinsic to our sense of belonging. Our identities are caught up in the things we collect. What is your favorite thing to collect?
LD: Well, I would say movie memories, so movie memorabilia, things that have been important to my parents, my godmother [Shelley Winters], films I’ve done, a book I received on that film that was such a part of my story. I have a lot of those objects, things that matter to me. Although one of my best girlfriends in the world happens to be the amazing Courteney Cox, and if she were here she’d be angry if I didn’t say to you that it’s vases. Because every time she comes to my house, and she has such incredible taste, she’s like, “Listen to me when I say to you, you can never buy another bud vase again.”
All of the textures and tones in the living room contribute to its feeling of comfort and harmony.
Cultural observer Hal Rubenstein muses on TV shows, costumes and characters, and creating rooms with a viewpoint.
BY DONNA BULSECO • PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE CHITWOOD
IIn the 21st century, television has managed to shake off its nicknames—boob tube, idiot box, the small screen—and continues to draw a brag-worthy swath of viewers to live broadcasts such as this year’s Super Bowl 58, which attracted 123.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen, second only in history to the 1969 moon landing. And despite our obsession with another small screen (our cellphones), research shows there are still some 125 million American TV households with at least one TV screen to watch at home, often in the bedroom.
“I can’t stand the idea of a television in your bedroom—it’s slothful,” says fashion and culture critic Hal Rubenstein, who viewed close to 700 hours of television at New York City’s The Paley Center for Media while researching his newest book, Dressing the Part: Television’s Most Stylish Shows, published by HarperCollins last year. “Beds are for sleeping and other stuff you don’t need a television for.” He and his husband, civil engineer and Compass real estate agent David Nickle, have five screens in their house in Columbia County, New York, but in less predictable spots—the gym, the laundry room, the kitchen, the den and the guest bedroom—where they allow an exception: Guests should feel welcome to do whatever they want.
“Welcoming” is certainly a word that comes to mind when stepping into the couple’s handsome living space with its L-shaped sofa facing the brick fireplace, soaring ceilings, tall windows unfettered by curtains, and an open kitchen where Rubenstein works his culinary magic when entertaining. Each room holds many stories (as in tales, not levels)—and one could envision a miniseries about a couple building a 4,000-square-foot post-and-beam dream home in the middle of a forest
From the crownlike chandelier to the exquisite ceramics (below), each piece holds a memorable story to enjoy and share.
The
or restorative spring retreats.
like they did, happy ending included. In the same way you discover clues to a television character through the costumes he or she wears, you can tell a lot about people in the way they decorate their home, according to Rubenstein: “In the Scandal pilot, costume designer Lyn Paolo put lawyer Olivia Pope [Kerry Washington] in a smart Tory Burch white trench coat, and the instant you saw her you knew she was a takeno-prisoners kind of person.”
That same first impression extends to your home, says Rubenstein. “Everything you do that other people can see should be an extension of you and your personality and what attracts you,” he says. “When you walk in our house, you know who lives here—we are not minimalists. We bought everything piece by piece, and each thing in our house has a story.”
There is pottery and artifacts from trips to Peru, leftover raw glass from glass blowers, and a customized chandelier crafted by Joseph Stannard Design in Norfolk, Connecticut. A love of quality meant the couple were open to gracefully aged and repurposed materials: Their Timberpeg house was built out of reforested wood; floors are antique recycled spruce sourced by Tallon Lumber from barns up in Vermont; and when the couple decided to refinish the basement, they agreed to a new recycled denim insulation suggested by the contractor. “The effect is like you’ve put your denim jeans in a Vitamix blender,” Rubenstein explains.
Many objects were bought at Worth Galleries in Miami, like the huge bell jars transformed into exterior lights. Inside, gorgeous green-glass lamps embellished with gold-painted leaves are placed on a 19thcentury hickory wood credenza from China, while a silkscreen from artist Pat Steir faces off against a piece by Mark Beard, a figurative painter known for the murals he created for Abercrombie & Fitch, and whose work has been shown at the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, New York.
The couple built the house as a weekend place, but nowadays they find themselves lingering there at least half of the week. The light, the views, and the sense of peace and quiet they experience constitute a favorite form of entertainment. “The entire place feels like a retreat; there’s no traffic on the road we live on, and at night the stillness is incredible,” says Rubenstein. “There’s nothing to interrupt your thoughts.”
Your guide to the season’s must-see events across Aspen, Miami and New York.
BY JENNA LEBOVITSAPRIL 18-28
OUTshine Film Festival
Don’t miss Florida’s internationally acclaimed LGBTQ+ film festival, presenting the best in queer cinema. The 26th edition of OUTshine will feature more than 65 films over 10 days, highlighting culturally diverse films that offer contemporary perspectives on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.
Ticket prices vary. Various locations across Miami; outshinefilm.com
APRIL 19-21
Beach Polo World Cup
Featuring eight international teams and more than 120 horses, this year’s Beach Polo World Cup, held in Miami Beach, returns for three days of high-energy fun. Tickets from $75 per day. Between 21st and 22nd
streets at Collins Avenue, Collins Park; miamipolocup.com
MAY 17-19
Redland International Orchid Festival
Step into a sublime floral oasis at the Preston B. Bird/Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park for this worldrenowned open-air orchid festival. $20. 24801 SW 187th Ave., Redland; redlandorchidfestival.com
JUNE 20-23
JAS June Experience
Jam out to jazz, blues, funk, soul and more at Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ June music festival, featuring some of the best current musicians of their respective genres. Tickets from $75. Downtown Aspen; jazzaspensnowmass.org
JUNE 27
Aspen Film Collaboration: Taking Venice
74th Arts presents the powerful documentary
Taking Venice in conjunction with Aspen Film. Following the screening, the film’s director, Amei Wallach, will lead a discussion at the historic Isis Theatre. 406 E. Hopkins Ave.; 74tharts.com
JUNE 27
An Evening With Chris Thile mandolin and Orchestra Mandolinist, singersongwriter, composer and radio personality Chris Thile—known for his diverse and dynamic style— will be serenading guests in the Harris Concert Hall for a special performance. $65. 960 N. 3rd St.; aspenmusicfestival.com
JULY 5-AUGUST
Aspen Valley Polo Club
APRIL 20
Earth Day 2024: Wildflowers of New York City
Don’t miss Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ June music festival, June 20-23.
Prepare for an exciting summer of polo that commences with the Independence Cup on July 5. With over 10 tournaments spanning the summer, viewers can experience the ancient team sport in real time at the Aspen Valley Polo Club. 3275 County Road 100, Carbondale; aspenvalleypoloclub.com
Celebrate nature with the New York Botanical Garden during its Earth Day celebration. Join Andrew Garn, photographer and author of Wildflowers of New York City, as he gives a presentation in the garden. Then tune in to a conversation between Garn and NYBG’s Michael Hagen on the importance of wildflowers in urban environments. Tickets from $39. NYBG, Ross Lecture Hall, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx; nybg.org
MAY 1-5
Frieze New York
Visit The Shed to view the best contemporary art from across the globe. This year’s fair will include more than 60 local and international galleries and collaborations with many of the city’s beloved nonprofit arts organizations. Tickets from $76. The Shed, 545 W. 30th St., Manhattan; frieze.com
MAY 8-11
Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics
The New York Academy of Medicine hosts four days of programming, including workshops and conference forums, to teach attendees about the healing properties and safe use of psychedelics. Three-day pass from $825. The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Ave., Manhattan; horizonspbc.com
MAY 10-14
TEFAF New York Art Fair
The annual fair showcases artwork from some of the world’s leading dealers, with selections on display in the Upper East Side. TEFAF invites you to join them, in conjunction with some of the creative world’s brightest minds, to learn about industry insights, stories and more.
Tickets from $55. Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave., Manhattan; tefaf.com
JUNE 5-16
2024 Tribeca Film Festival
Watch some of the latest groundbreaking films at the annual Tribeca Film Festival, one of the largest festivals of its kind in North America. Over the course of 12 days, hundreds of original features and documentaries will be screened in theaters across NYC.
Matinee passes from $100. Manhattan; tribecafilm.com
Gary
R. DePersiaLicensed Associate Real Estate Broker m 516.380.0538 | gdp@corcoran.com
Sagaponack. Welcome to a Hamptons masterpiece, a brilliant collaboration by a renowned team of professionals including the architectural firm of Fleetwood, McMullen, masterful builders Men at Work, interior designer Mariette Himes Gomez, and landscape impresario Edmund D. Hollander. This Hamptons haven, just repositioned at a lower price, seamlessly blends timeless traditional design with modern elegance only moments to the beach. Nestled on a sprawling 1.38 acre+/- Sagaponack property, this turn-key residence, where the ocean is often heard and its breezes most definitely felt, spans more than 7,000 SF+/-, boasting 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. The exterior, a symphony of meticulous shingled design, features a heated Gunite pool, a 2-car garage connected by a porte-cochere and 2 gated entrances, offering an opulent coastal lifestyle. Enchanting features await within as a bright entry foyer leads to a light-filled interior adorned with 4 fireplaces, walls of French doors leading to the grounds, and a chef’s kitchen equipped with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Miele appliances. Upstairs, the primary wing, a sanctuary of luxury, beckons with stone flooring, a gas fireplace, and a private reading nook. The marble-clad bathroom indulges in opulence with a freestanding soaking tub and terrace access. Three additional bedroom suites complete the second floor. Explore the recreational space in the finished lower level, housing a media room, game room, and a full bathroom for endless relaxation and entertainment. Step outside into the exquisite surroundings, where a custom 60’ heated Gunite pool becomes the centerpiece visible from the spacious outdoor living and dining areas. With north and south terraces, 2 gated entrances, a carport, and an outdoor shower, this residence promises a seamless blend of sophistication and coastal charm. And although perfect as is, Fleetwood McMullen is working on plans to capture outdoor space in order to permit a first-floor guest suite and an additional bedroom suite in the finished lower level so that the next owner can easily expand on this already sumptuous manse. Strategically located south of the highway on Sagaponack’s iconic Daniel’s Lane, this exceptional estate offers an idyllic retreat literally around the corner from pristine Peters Pond beach as well in close proximity to the villages of Bridgehampton, East Hamptons and red-hot Sag Harbor. Now is the time to preview this extraordinary offering to enjoy for Summer 2024 and all the seasons to come.
Co-Exclusive. $12.75M WEB# 908222
A by-the-numbers look at rocker, actor and designer Lenny Kravitz, whose new album, Blue Electric Light, hits the shops on May 24.
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In addition to his music and design career, the singer has acted in at least seven films, including Precious (2009) and two of The Hunger Games series (2012–2013).
16 The artist founded Kravitz Design in 2003. The conceptual creative studio is known for its sleek, sophisticated style, utilizing high-quality materials and classic compositions in a variety of residential and commercial projects.
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A New York native, Kravitz moved to Los Angeles at the age of 10 with his parents after his mother landed a role on the hit television series The Jeffersons In LA, he joined the California Boys Choir for three years and sang with the Metropolitan Opera. By then, the young singer had already written his first song,“I Love You, Baby.” Living in LA sparked a passion for rock music. Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix were among his favorites.
“Love is the most powerful energy there is.”
The multimedia artist owns a farm compound near Rio de Janeiro, built on an 18th-century former coffee plantation. Kravitz purchased the property in 2007 for $3 million. He also owns a home in Paris. In 2005, he sold his Miami Beach mansion for $14.5 million.
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In 2019, he unveiled a new creative venture, a design collaboration with Bisha Hotel, a luxury boutique accommodation in Toronto. Kravitz and his team designed an entire floor of the hotel, which includes 13 rooms and three suites.
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Kravitz has one daughter, Zoë Isabella Kravitz, who has emerged as a successful actress, starring in films such as The Divergent Series: Insurgent Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: First Class and The Batman, and in the TV series Big Little Lies and High Fidelity
40,000,000
The multimedia artist has sold over 40 million albums worldwide to date, and was ranked at No. 93 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists list.
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