Innholdsfortegnelse for Dec/Jan 2019 i Town & Country

“Alvin Ailey pulled things out of me that I didn’t even know were there,” says Donna Wood Sanders, pictured here with the legendary dancer and choreographer in our November 1982 issue. “There was always more to do, more to learn, more to grow.” This December, as the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater celebrates its 60th anniversary at New York’s City Center with premieres and dozens of Ailey classics, Sanders recalls one of her favorite performances: Cry, a solo Ailey dedicated to black women that she danced in front of 5,000 people at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens. Do yourself a favor and look it up on YouTube.…

“Philosophy is a big word,” Karl Lagerfeld said. “I’m just a designer.” It was only a couple of days after Lagerfeld had shown a new collection for Chanel, and he was dodging the topic he’s constantly called on to address by fashion tea leaf readers: inspiration. When he sketches, he continued, he does so “for the garbage bin.” In other words, don’t read too much meaning into his interiors, his sets, his collections. “My secret is I don’t analyze. I don’t have the recipe to tell you,” he told T&C. “Most of the things I do quite well I see when I sleep. I always have a pad next to my pillow.” Lately Lagerfeld has been dreaming of journeys, both physical and of the mind. In November Chanel is expected…

When it comes to fashion, Miami has been derided for decades as the land that style forgot, but the city has been an epicenter of chic since long before Gianni Versace ruled South Beach. In its between-the-wars heyday, Lincoln Road, one of the country’s first pedestrian malls, was referred to as the Fifth Avenue of the South. Granted, the days when Lincoln Road’s garmentos sneezed and fashionable women everywhere caught a cold, when department stores such as Bonwit Teller dominated the strip, are long gone—as faded as last year’s tan. But thanks to a group of ambitious developers reimagining the future of brick-and-mortar retail as a series of experiences and artful adventures, the city is enjoying another moment in the fashion sun. “The goal in retail is to create multiple…

If pinot noir is the vinous equivalent of Instagram and gamay is Snapchat, then cabernet sauvignon is Facebook. It’s ubiquitous and hugely popular, yet somehow deeply uncool. In the Napa Valley, especially, cabernet is suffering something like an identity crisis. This was, more or less, the premise of a seminar called “The Future of Cabernet,” which convened earlier this year at the restaurant Blue Hill in Greenwich Village. A panel of three California winemakers and one sommelier addressed an audience of New York sommeliers and wine merchants. “Among the questions we’d like to raise,” began Dan Petroski, winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa, “are, Can you sell it? And what should it be?” That first question may sound silly. The wine lists of most American steakhouses are dominated by Napa…

“I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed,” Marco Polo said on his deathbed. He had, however, chronicled enough pearls and jewels from his travels to send European sailors to India in search of similar treasures. Instead, in the coastal town of Cholamandal, they met Chinese merchants selling jade and porcelain and a new material called lacquer. The French bought ornate screens covered in it, brought them home, and translated the name of where they had first beheld their beauty into Coromandel. Centuries later Coco Chanel was introduced by her lover Boy Capel to the wonder of Coromandel screens, and they became her lifelong companions (at one point her collection totaled 32). They followed her from her mansion on l’Avenue de…

Muzo, Colombia, has been famed for its emeralds since before the conquistadors. But it wasn’t Muzo’s vibrant green gems that captured the imagination of Coomi Bhasin, the jewelry designer and founder of her eponymous label. “I was drawn to the beauty of the mountain peaks, the rhythms of the river, the flora, and the black sedimentary rocks in the landscape,” she says. As a one-of-a-kind homage, she translated the spell of this tropical paradise into a lush necklace of 50 emeralds amid black diamonds and strings of seed pearls—the kind that are beyond compare.…

Figuring out how best to spend your travel dollars is the most delicious dilemma of a life well lived. On the pages that follow are our suggestions, based on intelligence collected, insiders consulted, and cultural, gastronomic, and geopolitical trends considered. Want to bathe in wellness? Try the Berkshires—or Bhutan. Want to leave the world behind? Head for Namibia—or Norway. Fancy some time travel? Get thee to Romania—or a secret bit of paradise off Panama. Our 25 destinations include places near and far, hot and cold, laid-back and anything but. They all have noteworthy new hotels, and we provide the names of travel specialists who can help you book. Nothing like starting the New Year spoiled for choice.…

FASHION MARK CROSS The Grace Mini Box in winter white with a black racing stripe in caviar leather is a sporty take on the iconic Grace Box. MARKCROSS.com JEWELRY GEORG JENSEN In 1954, legendary Danish modernist, Henning Koppel designed the spectacular 1041 Dish: an undulating form that showcased his organic curves and captured his sculptural vison of the contemporary. Today, Georg Jensen is thrilled to reintroduce this standout piece. The 1041 joins the Masterpieces collection of exquisite silver. For additional information, please call 212.759.6457. GEORGJENSEN.com ASSAEL North America’s foremost purveyor of responsibly sourced cultured pearls and precious coral is now the exclusive source of rare Fijian pearls from South Pacific pearl farmer Justin Hunter. Spectacular 18” Necklace of Fiji Pearls by J. Hunter for Assael, 10-12mm, with Diamond Clasp. ASSAEL.com…

THE FAR EAST When Crystal Cruises’ 200-passenger, all-suite Crystal Endeavor leaves for its maiden voyage in 2020, it will be the world’s largest luxury expedition yacht. With two helicopters, a submersible, and custom features built to navigate the farthest reaches of the planet, the vessel is well equipped for adventure. Its 100 suites, all with butler service and private balconies, take care of the luxury part. Bookings have already begun for the inaugural 17-day cruise, which starts in Tokyo, stops at such Japanese islands as Hokkaido and Rishiri, and then sails through virtually untouched territory in the Russian Far East. Snowcapped green mountains, black sand beaches, and steaming volcanoes make up the scenery, along with strikingly diverse wildlife, from sea lions to brown bears to majestic Steller’s sea eagles. L.K.…

Is everyone a lawyer now? Whenever I turn on my TV these days—that is to say, when I turn it on at seven in the morning and turn it off at around midnight—I see Lanny Davis, Bill Clinton’s (and now Michael Cohen’s) lawyer, or Alan Dershowitz (famous for getting Claus von Bülow and O.J. Simpson off of murder charges), or that guy in Minneapolis, Richard Painter, who was George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer. They’re the new celebrities. When Jeffrey Toobin, a staff writer at the New Yorker and CNN’s senior legal correspondent, walks onstage to interview Sally Yates at the New Yorker Festival, people cheer as if he’s Bradley Cooper. There is also a rascals’ row of permanent fixtures installed around the networks’ fiberglass tables. Their offices are ransacked by…

PHILIP CRANGI Working on various collections for Tiffany has given jewelry designer Philip Crangi a new appreciation for diamonds. “I don’t wear them, but when you see these 50-carat, absolutely bonkers stones, it’s crazy—the kind of thing you only read about.” OLYMPIA SCARRY The artist may have inherited her creative talents from her grandfather, illustrator Richard Scarry, but Olympia Scarry prefers reality to children’s books. “I like thinking three-dimensionally,” she says. She has crafted thought-provoking sculptures from glass, rock salt, and even animal fat. Her personal style is equally compelling—the self-described minimalist has played muse to Raf Simons and Riccardo Tisci, and she walked the runway for Proenza Schouler in spring 2019. DAVID NETTO “I grew up in New York, in preppy, Upper East Side circumstances,” says interior designer (and…

THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH PAGES 154–159 ALAIA DRESS, BARNEYS.COM; ALAIA BELT, NEIMANMARCUS.COM; ALAIA SANDALS, ALAIA.FR. DEBEERS, DEBEERS.COM. TOM FORD, TOMFORD.COM. GRAFF DIAMONDS, GRAFFDIAMONDS.COM. SERGIO ROSSI, SERGIOROSSI.COM. LOUIS VUITTON, LOUISVUITTON.COM. THE PLUS ONE PAGES 166–173 BURBERRY, US.BURBERRY.COM. CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC, CALVINKLEIN.COM. CHURCH’S, CHURCH-FOOTWEAR.COM. DESIGNS BY AHN, DESIGNSBYAHN.COM. DIOR, 800-929-DIOR. DIOR MEN, 800-929-DIOR. GUCCI, GUCCI.COM. LORO PIANA, LOROPIANA.COM. LOUIS VUITTON, 866-VUITTON. POMELLATO, POMELLATO.COM. PRADA, PRADA.COM. TOM BINNS, DOVERSTREETMARKET.COM. SWEETEN THE DEAL PAGES 178–183 BULGARI, 800-BVLGARI. CHOPARD, CHOPARD.COM, DAVID WEBB, DAVIDWEBB.COM. DAVID YURMAN, DAVIDYURMAN.COM. DEBEERS, DEBEERS.COM. HEMMERLE, HEMMERLE.COM. MARTIN KATZ, MARTINKATZ.COM. HOW TO WEAR A DIAMOND PAGES 188–193 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN JACKET ($2,495), SAKS.COM. BRUNELLO CUCINELLI SUIT ($7,695), 212-334-1010. GIVENCHY T-SHIRT ($555), SAKS.COM. LEVI’S SHIRT ($70), LEVIS.COM. RALPH LAUREN COAT ($3,995), RALPHLAUREN.COM. RALPH LAUREN SWEATER ($550), RALPHLAUREN.COM. THE ROW SHIRT ($790), 212-755-2017.…

All year they wait, a flawless formation anticipating marching orders. Tough yet polished, they are champing at the bit to be called for duty. A full set of silverware may come out of storage once a year, but when it does it is a gleaming sight, conjuring visions of elegantly sliced cake and the satisfying pat of butter. The hardware is as vital to the tradition of holiday entertaining as the feast itself. Dinner is served.…

Every year around this time I print out Walter Hoving’s introduction to Tiffany’s Blue Book of 1961. And each year, “Can Taste Survive in America?,” the question that Hoving, then chairman of the board of Tiffany, posed to clients (and ultimately the whole country—the essay was printed in its entirety in an ad in the New York Times), feels more urgent. It’s a treatise on taste, yes, but it has nothing to do with the elitist idea of good taste being about one group knowing more, knowing what is better, than another. Hoving instead emphasizes the importance of integrity of product, of company, of brand, and the necessity to maintain the trust we all place in one another to deliver the best, our best. Alexis de Tocqueville is his counterpoint…

86 CANNON Nestled in the heart of Charleston, 86 Cannon is a luxury boutique inn located in a fully restored, three-story circa 1860s home. It is the ideal getaway for those looking to immerse themselves in the charm and history of the Lowcountry. 86CANNON.com / 843.779.7700 PREFERRED HOTELS & RESORTS Preferred Hotels & ResortsSM represents the finest and most diverse global portfolio of independent hotels and independent hotel experiences. Five distinctive collections allow travelers to craft their own inspirations as they travel the world in search of memories and new opportunities. PREFERREDHOTELS.com OCEANIA CRUISES Experience the world’s most alluring destinations as they were meant to be: amidst ambiance befitting true connoisseurs. With Oceania Cruises, enjoy the finest cuisine at sea and comfortable elegance aboard award-winning mid-size ships. OCEANIACRUISES.COM ORVIS The…

In Becoming (out now), Michelle Obama writes candidly about her life in the White House as well as the journey that brought her there and her experiences since leaving. In a wide-ranging conversation with Oprah Winfrey, the former first lady opens up about writing her book, the difficult decisions the process forced her to make, and why her current state of mind is different from what one might expect. Oprah Winfrey: There are so many revelations in this book. Was writing about your private life scary? Michelle Obama: Actually, no, because here’s the thing that I realized: People always ask me, “Why is it that you’re so authentic? How is it that people connect to you?” And I think it starts because I like me. I like my story and all…

HOLIDAY The combination of diamonds and yellow gold—two classic natural materials—made a strong comeback this year. Once you’ve seen how a piece of jewelry is made, you don’t ask why it costs so much but rather why it doesn’t cost more. It’s an adage magazine editors are fond of, and it’s never more strongly felt than when one is looking straight into the center of a diamond mine, as Town & Country’s Stellene Volandes did last summer. The reality of diamonds as a true and natural wonder stared back at her. “I had always been amazed by the qualities of diamonds—their brilliance and, even more, their strength—but witnessing firsthand how the earth produces them was revelatory. Pure beauty was the phrase that came to mind.” It also made her consider…

Generosity is a hallmark of the holidays. But so is a healthy dose of self-indulgence. It takes 100 years—four generations of cellar masters—for a bottle of Louis XIII cognac to finish production. The first of these virtuosos is tasked with choosing the blend from more than 1,000 samples of eau-de-vie, which have been exclusively mined from the limestone-rich terroir of Cognac’s Grande Champagne cru. Over the next century the original cellar master’s carefully trained successors will refine the nectar—which evokes the brandy’s signature notes of myrrh, honey, plum, honeysuckle, tree bark, leather, and passion fruit—before it goes into a crystal decanter handmade by Baccarat. It may be hard to part with something this beautiful and rare, but aren’t the holidays all about largesse? Lean into the spirit and get yourself…

Your Skincare Black Book DR. MACRENE ALEXIADES The derm with an artist’s eye. Alexiades is discreet about her client list, but, considering her knack for freezing time without freezing faces, it’s clear why it reportedly includes a number of big name actresses and models. “I make you look like your best you and then keep you there for the rest of your life,” she says. Her signature treatment is a liquid face-lift using filler injected behind the hairline. NEW YORK CITY, NYDERM.ORG DR. ROBERT ANOLIK The Michelangelo of Botox and filler. Anolik got an education in Botox’s myriad uses from his mentors (the late Dr. Fredric Brandt chief among them), and he is known for wielding it adroitly for his A-list New York clientele for everything from erasing fine lines…

PORTUGAL BECAUSE NOW THERE’S EVEN MORE TO LOVE. There’s charming Lisbon, the wineries of the Douro Valley, the seaside towns of the Algarve. And now the Alentejo, where stylish Lisbonites go on private home holidays, has three magnetic new places to stay: São Lourenço do Barrocal, a centuries-old estate that is now a dreamy boutique resort (restored by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Eduardo Souto de Moura); on the coast, the design-driven Sublime Comporta, its villas shaped like the area’s traditional rice storage buildings; and the just opened Quinta da Comporta, set between dunes and rice fields. Think the solitude and natural beauty of the Hamptons before they became hot. TO BOOK Virginia Irurita, who devises great itineraries throughout the Iberian peninsula. VIRGINIA@MADEFORSPAINANDPORTUGAL.COM. J.M. ARLES BECAUSE THE ART WORLD IS ARRIVING. Swiss-born…

CAMBODIA BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TEMPLES ANYMORE. For decades Cambodia has been a quickhit trip to Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat tacked onto a longer stay in Thailand or Vietnam. But new lodgings are making the former Khmer Empire a destination in its own right. Set in a wilderness corridor between Bokor and Kirirom national parks, spectacular Shinta Mani Wild has 15 platform tents perched over a rushing river (the creation of uber–resort designer Bill Bensley). The property’s look is inspired by luxury safaris of a bygone era, but its mission is thoroughly modern: to provide employment and protect flora and fauna. You can help out on poaching patrol, go mountain biking, or hit the spa. Farther south are the Gulf of Thailand’s tranquil island resorts. The rustic-luxe villas at…

PANAMA BECAUSE YOU’LL FIND A JACQUES COUSTEAU FANTASY AT YOUR FEET. The islands in the Gulf of Chiriquí, 20 miles off Panama’s Pacific coast, have always been a bit of a secret, sparsely inhabited for centuries, if at all. The difference now? Brand new, high-end lodges committed to preserving the area’s unspoiled environment. Isla Palenque (of the Cayuga Collection brand) opened last July with eight casitas and a beachfront villa estate on 400 acres of protected jungle. Its organic garden dictates the restaurant’s menu, lunch is sustainably caught by fishermen in nearby Boca Chica, and the island’s seven beaches mean you never have to share a patch of sand. In January the sustainable luxury bar gets raised further still with the opening of Islas Secas Reserve & Lodge, on the…

Jessica Goldman Srebnick was standing in front of a cartoon image of Donald Trump urinating on the Constitution, biting her lip with mild concern. It was just days before Art Basel Miami Beach in 2017, and Srebnick, looking both breezy and statuesque in a sundress and sandals, was assessing this particularly provocative panel of a large mural by Lady Pink. The street art pioneer was one of the 12 artists Srebnick commissioned to create something new to coincide with the fair at Wynwood Walls, the outdoor art park that she owns and has cultivated into one of the most Instagrammable spots on earth. Srebnick called over her rather hip mother to listen as Lady Pink cheerfully explained the nearly finished mural; the artist referred to the Trump administration’s recent executive…

REED KRAKOFF For “HOW TO WEAR A DIAMOND” (page 188), the chief artistic officer of Tiffany & Co. photographed seven iconoclasts modeling pieces from his new Tiffany Blue Book collection. “Each individual styled it in a unique and personal way, challenging the rules of high jewelry.” CHRISTINA TOSI The founder of Milk Bar has long collected dessert memories, and in “SWEETEN THE DEAL” (page 178) she shares the sweetest: her grandmother’s Christmas cookies. Tosi’s Milk Bar: All About Cake came out in October. ANDREW GOLDMAN “I pride myself on being a pretty good interviewer, so meeting Chris Wallace—who is arguably the best interviewer alive—was pretty daunting,” says the author, who profiled the Fox News anchor for “MAN IN THE MIDDLE” (page 160). JANINE DI GIOVANNI The veteran reporter interviewed Rosamund…

“I’ve always loved playing dress-up,” says Ella Hunt. And while the actress admits to ransacking her mother’s vintage collection back in her native England, these days the clothes she’s trying on are more likely to come from a costume department than Mum’s closet. That’s because the 20-year-old Hunt, who recently moved from London to New York City, has found herself in seriously high demand. This month she’s starring in the movie musical Anna and the Apocalypse—a dark comedy that shows off her dramatic chops, singing voice, and dance moves—and she’ll also appear in the moody indie The More You Ignore Me. Plus, she’s currently filming a period comedy series about the poet Emily Dickinson for Apple’s yet-to-launch streaming network. All and all, it’s an auspicious start in America. If her…

With its striking crystal netting and glittering silver sole, Rene Caovilla’s Galaxia shoe belies its origins in a thousand-year-old village outside Venice. But it’s that sweet spot, between heritage and high-tech, that marks the tenure of CEO and creative director Edoardo Caovilla at his family’s 90-year-old company. (His grandfather, also Edoardo, founded it.) This glass slipper may have been conceived on a computer, but it’s the craftsmanship in those bejeweled handwoven threads that makes the crystals look as though they’re floating in space.…

Left alone, the fragile skin on your chest is yet another mirror of your age. “I tell my patients you should treat your chest the way you finally started treating your neck and the way you’ve been treating your face for many years,” says Munich-based Dr. Timm Golueke. The biggest issues, according to New York dermatologist Robert Anolik, are hyperpigmentation (both sun spots and an overall dull browning of the skin) and a weakening of the collagen layer, which translates into fine lines and creases. He favors strong, non-ablative resurfacing like Fraxel Dual laser all over, ruby lasers for sunspots, and, to plump the surface, injections of Juvederm’s Volbella hyaluronic acid filler blended with saline to make it more liquid, which is then stamped into the skin with an Aquagold…

SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 23–DECEMBER 21 Joe DiMaggio You seem to be overstimulated in December, but whatever issues might be coming up, you’re also at the beginning of a bright new chapter. Staying focused is vital near the 7th, but all will lighten up after the 23rd. In January your creative vision is in charge, heightening your prospects. Bumps in the road are inevitable, and financial fact-facing is in order, but by month’s end you will get clear signals that you’re getting it right. CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22–JANUARY 20 LeBron James Others may not agree with your plans, but by the 6th you’ll be able to fit all the pieces together. Be a strategist and plan your moves. Jupiter in Sagittarius is an angel on your shoulder urging you to follow your heart.…

RWANDA BECAUSE IT’S NOW THE SWITZERLAND OF AFRICA. President Paul Kagame may have his detractors, but he has so steered his country that today it is known less for its 1994 genocide than for being safe, spotless, hilly, and high-end. The mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park have long been the main wildlife draw here, but now travelers can base themselves in lodges on par with the best in Kenya and Botswana. There’s Wilderness Safaris’ Bisate, a collection of six podlike suites that look like bird’s nests suspended in the cloud forest; One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, which debuts later this year (and will have nine holes of golf in case you need to decompress after a face-to-face with a silverback); and Kwitonda Lodge, opening in August from Singita, the uber-luxe South…

FIND A ONE-STOP-SHOP Located at the intersection of Central Park and Columbus Circle, The Shops at Columbus Circle present premium retail brands, fine dining experiences and rich cultural events, making it the ultimate holiday destination. SELF INDULGE Don’t forget to treat yourself. Lara loves a mix of stacked bracelets, like Vahan’s signature look pictured left and below. Her holiday look is complete with a Vahan statement ring and diamond hoops, and a Longchamp Amazone handbag. TEST DRIVE THE GIFTS If it’s not good enough for you, it’s not good enough to gift! Lara experiences The Harmonist candle scents. Discover your personal Feng Shui element at TheHarmonist.com (Lara’s element is Yang Fire, reflected in her personality—an eternal optimist with warm, friendly, and open traits). SHOP IN STYLE Dressed head to toe…