VOLUME VIII / ISSUE II / FEBRUARY 2024
21ST SNOW POLO WORLD CUP KITZBUHEL · ALULA DESERT POLO · AL HABTOOR SILVER CUP · 39TH SNOW POLO WORLD CUP ST. MORITZ
The
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@USPOLOASSN | USPOLOASSNGLOBAL.COM PA G E 7
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Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher
Joshua Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Michael J. Snell
Lifestyles & Luxury Automobile Contributor
William Smith
Joey Velez
Copy Editor & Philanthropy Contributor
Wellness Contributor
Claire Barrett
Justin "Goliath" Johnson
Head of Photography
Dana Romita
Luxury Real Estate Contributor
Wellness Contributor
Raphael K. Dapaah Art Contributor
Brand Representatives
Amritlal Singh
Design Contributor
Dr. Michael J. Snell - NYC Miriam P. Owens - NYC Stanley Pierre-Etienne - Spain Justin Johnson - Atlanta
Polo Photographers
Contributing Photographers
Ascension Contributor
Tom Landry
Katerina Morgan Justine Jacquemot Irina Kazaridi Helen Cruden Matias Callejo Kathrin Gralla
Xavier Merchet-Thau Aubrey Chandler Eric Carré Eva Espresso Rob Miskowitch Margarita Crotto
Polo Lifestyles is a publication of HT Polo Publishing Co. 995 Detroit Avenue, Suite A Concord, CA 94518 Cover photo by of Anya Taylor-Joy by Georges Antoni She wears Dior and Tiffany & Co. jewelry Content Copyright © Polo Lifestyles 2024 All Rights Reserved. For information or to advertise Contact marketing@pololifestyles.com Read online at www.pololifestyles.com On Instagram & Facebook @pololifestyles A proud partner of Issuu, The Impression and Mixam
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WWW.PO LO WW W. P O L O L ILFIFES E S TTYYLES L E S ..COM COM
AUCKLAND POLO CLUB The 47th New Zealand Polo Open
NATIONAL POLO CENTER Ylvislaker Cup 2024 GAUNTLET OF POLO · C.V. Whitney Cup · USPA Gold Cup · U.S. Polo Open Championships Women's U.S. Polo Open Championships W.O.W. Women of Wellington Polo USPA Junior Open Final Florida Circuit 16-Goal Series COLORADO SPRINGS NORRIS PENMORE EVENT CENTER The Broadmoor Winter Polo Classic GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB USPA North American Cup USPA National 20-Goal Legends of Polo Carlos Gracida Memorial AL HABTOOR POLO CLUB Silver Cup Gold Cup Dubai Challenge Cup AHPC League Polo Masters MIAMI BEACH Miami Beach World Championship
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SCOREBOARDS & COCKTAILS
SNOW POLO WORLD CUP ST. MORITZ
PHOTOS FROM SWITZERLAND Page 48
POLO LIFESTYLES EDITORS & CONTRIBUTORS
Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand
Josh Jakobitz
Claire Barrett
William Smith
Head of Photography
Copy Editor & Contributor
@clairebarrettphoto
@willismith_2000
Publisher Polo Lifestyles @haiti_polo_captain
Editor-in-Chief Polo Lifestyles @joshuajakobitz
Claire Barrett Photography May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
Eric Carré
Eva Espresso
Katerina Morgan
Photographer EC Photography @ti_carre
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Photographer
Eva Espresso Photography
@Eva.espresso
Polo Photographer Horse Polo Art Gallery @horsepoloartgallery
Amritlal Saini
Ascension Contributor Monarch Visionary @monarch_visionary
Raphael K. Dapaah Art Contributor Dapaah Gallery @dapaahgallery
Joey Velez
Wellness Columnist
Velez Mental Performance
@velezmentalhealth
Michael J. Snell
Lifestyles & Luxury Automobiles Contributor @agnello_1
Tom Landry
Design Contributor House on Third @tomlandry2
Dana Romita
Real Estate Contributor Douglas Elliman @danaromita
Justin Johnson
Wellness Contributor Goliath Coaches
@goliathcoaches
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The side of the bed you preDoctors destroy cancer cells with vibration, page 93 fer says a lot, page 76
Ferrari enthusiasts gather at The Breakers, page 66
Couture Week in Paris dazzles, page 124
ANYA TAYLOR-JOY THE DARLING OF DIOR AND FACE OF TIFFANY IS RED-HOT PAGE 100
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ST. MORITZ SNOW POLO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BY IMAGES OF POLO
“T
HIS MIGHT BE A LITTLE OFF BASE…” THE EMAIL STARTED – NOT EXACTLY THE WORDS I WANT TO READ FROM A CONTRIBUTOR WHEN I’M FEELING THE WEIGHT OF A LOOMING DEADLINE. BUT I WAS INTRIGUED. WHAT IN THE EARTH COULD OUR REAL ESTATE CONTRIBUTOR, DANA, BE WRITING ABOUT THAT WOULD BE OFF-BASE? I USUALLY 'SAVE-AS' TO MY WORKING FOLDER AND COME BACK TO READ AND COPY-EDIT LATER, BUT I WAS CURIOUS, SO I OPENED HER DOCUMENT IMMEDIATELY. What I found was an honest, poignant feature about life and pressure, coping and struggling, inspiration and lifestyle, and, yes, real estate. It was the opposite of off base, I emailed back to her. In fact, I would chalk it up to one of her best. “You found a way to write about real estate without writing about the market, or price points or inventory,” I wrote back. “Well done.” Without giving away the whole story, Dana found herself at the MOMA in New York City, anxious for a break from the angsts of life and all that it entails. She immersed herself in art and culture for just a few hours and went home and wrote about it in a way that’s relatable and sprinkled with humor. Our spiritual contributor, Amritlal, returns this month with a feature on Love for our February issue. His profile of three icons: Gandi, Steve Jobs and Amma, is worth a read in every sense of the word. Coach Velez’ second installment in his two-part series on mindfulness coincides with the launch of his podcast, The Mental Break Through, now available on all streaming platforms. I listened to his first episode on Spotify on my commute last night. His columns and podcast topics will be merging soon as he grows his own media company and profile. And it’s been a long time coming, but Polo Lifestyles will officially have a team for the Florida polo season. Debuting as part of the W.O.W. (Women Of Wellington) Tournament, Team Polo Lifestyles will be playing in February and March at Port Mayaca Polo Club and the National Polo Center. Newly minted 10-goaler, Hope Arellano, will headline the team that includes Kitana St. Cyr, Maggie Hill and Meghan Gracida. We invite you to join us in cheering these women on! Best, Josh Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief josh@pololifestyles.com
Beyond first class is a class of one. INNOVATION EXISTS PURELY TO SERVE YOUR COMFORT, SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE VIA MULTIPLE SENSES. A VIRTUAL VOICE ASSISTANT LISTENS TO SERVE YOU. LIGHTING AND FRAGRANCE SUBTLY SOOTHE YOU.
CHOOSE YOUR X.
M B U S A . C O M M E R C E D E S - B E N Z U S A
VOLUME VIII / ISSUE II / FEBRUARY 2024
royalcopenhagen Long live His Majesty King Frederik X and Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark who acceded the throne
gentlemancarworld Porsche 911 versus Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird"
hotelletoinystbarth Barefoot luxury awaits at its finest... lunch on the beach at Le Toiny Beach Club where the sand is your seat
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24s When it's almost -24 degrees in Paris and @ag_photographe braves the weather to capture this image
jemimacwilson AlUla Desert Polo returned to Al-Fursan Equestrian Village sponsored by Richard Mille
m_alabdulghafour From cover photographer @mohammed_ habib who shot the August 2023 cover of Polo Lifestyles in Kuwait
uspoloassn When your polo pony smiles for the camera, you smile, too, in U.S. Polo Assn. apparel on and off the field
onlyforluxury German RV company Stone Offroad Design transformed a Mercedes-Benz Arcos into a luxurious motorhome
mkh.official A smashing finish to a nail-biting match when Habtoor Polo beat Bagash Polo 13-9.5 in the first match of the Silver Cup
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Click and comment on our choices... Tag @pololifestyles. We will share noteworthy comments with you next month.
harrywinston Magnificent cluster drop earrings dazzle with diamonds that steal the spotlight
gqfrance Backtstage at @balmain where @naomi walked in the men's runway show for FallWinter 2024
badruttspalace Guests of Badrutts Palace have prime views of all the action from the lakeside hotel in St. Moritz
classicboats 50 shades of blue with this classic water toy and perfect seascape
baccarat Baccarat x Maison d'Objet for the 30th anniversary and this season's theme: Eden
soulofsailing M/Y Nord 142-meters long was lauched in 2020 by Lurssen with a design by Nuvolari Lenard
graymalin Ski slopes and snow sprinkles from a birdseye view of Aspen, Colo.
khalil_ahli From Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, whose season is in high gear from now until April
dimepiece.co Whether toasting, spraying, sipping or indulging, Champagne Taittinger has a bottle (or two) for you
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21ST BENDURA BANK SNOW POLO WORLD CUP KITZBÜHEL
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BENDURA BANK SNOW POLO WORLD CUP KITZBÜHEL, AUSTRIA
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I
NTOCAST DEFENDED ITS TITLE SUNDAY IN THE SEASON-OPENING 21ST BENDURA BANK SNOW POLO WORLD CUP IN KITZBÜHEL.
In a battle of the unbeatens, Intocast (Matthias Normann, 1, Micky Duggan, 5, Martin Donovan, 6) edged Bentley (Melissa Ganzi, 0, Martin Jauregui, 5, Alejandro Novillo Astrada, 7), 7-6, for the coveted title. It was only the second time in tournament history a defending champion had defended its title. Both Bentley and Intocast each finished with 25 goals in three games. Donovan swept the Most Valuable Player and Best Playing Pony honors. His 10-year-old mare Carta was selected Best Polo Pony. Bentley advanced into the final edging Engel & Volkers (Jan-Hendrik Tobbe, 0, Agustin Kronhaus, 5, Manolo Fernandez Llorente, 7), 8-7. Intocast advanced with a 9-7 win over BOOOST (Peter Cromm, 0, Nicolas Ruiz Guinazu, Adrian Laplacette Jr., 7). World Polo League (Maria Curtichs, 0, Santos Bollini, 2, Nic Roldan, 9) finished seventh with its 7-6 victory over Casablanca (Glenn Lostritto, 0, Juan Redlich, 5, Naco Taverna, 6). Roldan scored the winning goal in the final minute. BOOOST (Peter Cromm, 0, Nicolas Ruiz Guinazu, Adrian Laplacette Jr., 7) finished third with a 6-2 win over Engel & Volkers (JanHendrik Tobbe, 0, Agustin Kronhaus, 5, Manolo Fernandez Llorente, 7) for the Casablanca Cup. Veuve Clicquot (Sebastian Aguetan, 1, Matthieu Delfosse, 5, Patrick Paillol, 6) finished fifth with a 7-5.5 win over Bendura Bank (Niclas Johansson, 1, Pelayo Berazadi, 6, Tito Gaudenzi, 3) in the Kitzbühel Cup final. The snow polo event was started in 2003 by Tito Gaudenzi and his father Reto with four teams and 1,000 fans. It has grown into one of the country’s major sporting events, eight teams and attracts more than 15,000 fans over three days including a sold-out VIP tent of 800 spectators.
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BENDURA BANK SNOW POLO WORLD CUP KITZBÜHEL, AUSTRIA
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AL HABTOOR POLO CLUB 14TH SILVER CUP
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AL HABTOOR POLO CLUB 14TH SILVER CUP
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HE 14TH EDITION OF THE SILVER CUP TOURNAMENT WILL SEE FOUR TEAMS COMPETE ON THE GROUNDS OF AL HABTOOR POLO CLUB UNTIL THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY 2024. The opening match witnessed a faceoff between Habtoor Polo and Bangash Polo teams. Right from the start, the game unfolded as a highly competitive encounter. Tomasito Llorente of Bangash Polo netted the first goal, countered swiftly by Bautista Bayugar, securing the initial goal for Habtoor Polo. Despite the spirited effort, Bangash claimed the lead at the end of the first chukker. PAGE 42
During the second chukker, Habtoor Polo displayed remarkable teamwork, led by Jose Araya who scored the initial goal, strongly supported by his teammates. Habtoor Polo sustained their scoring momentum throughout the match. Despite Tomasito Llorente’s determined play presenting a challenge, Habtoor Polo’s strategic approach and collaborative effort prevailed, ultimately securing their first victory in the Silver Cup 2024. Match Progression: Habtoor Polo vs. Bangash Polo 1 – 1.5 | 2- 2.5| 4 – 3.5 | 9 – 6.5 | 13 – 9.5 Top scorer: Bautista Bayugar The following match commenced between UAE Polo and the Dubai Wolves
by CAFU. Tommy Beresford initiated the scoring with the first goal for UAE Polo. Despite this, Dubai Wolves by CAFU showcased their determination and commitment to victory, with Benjamin Panelo contributing to the team’s score. While Dubai Wolves initially seemed to have the advantage, in the closing minutes of the game, UAE Polo, with their exceptional teamwork, compelled the match into overtime by leveling the score in the last chukker, ultimately securing the win. Match Progression: Dubai Wolves by CAFU vs. UAE Polo 0 – 2 | 2- 2| 3 – 4 | 7 – 4 | 8 – 8 | 8-9 Top scorer: Tommy Beresford
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SNOW POLO WORLD CUP ST. MORITZ
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In St. Moritz, Team Mackage clinched the Snow Polo World Cup title in a showcase of skillful penalty shots due to higher than usual temperatures and uncertain ice conditions.
A
FTER A NIGHT OF SPECTACULAR EVENTS ACROSS THE ÜBER CHIC RESORT OF ST. MORITZ, WITH VIPS HAVING ENJOYED THE SOLD-OUT GALA DINNER AT BADRUTT’S PALACE HOTEL AND DANCED UNTIL DAWN IN THE KING’S CLUB WITH POLO FRIENDS, IT WAS TIME FOR THE SPORTING PINNACLE OF THIS TRULY UNIQUE EVENT AS FINALS DAY ARRIVED. The atmosphere and excitement today was palpable, with 25.000 of spectators who strolled through the Polo Village, enjoyed the exclusive atmosphere in the VIP tent and soaked up the sun in the packed stands as the most glamorous and spectacular snow polo event in the world reached its climax. They were basking in the warm sunshine once again provided by the smiling Gods of Polo. VIPs sipping Champagne Perrier-Jouët, dancing along to tunes pumped out by DJ Mr Mike, applauding the skill of the world-class players on the field, whilst craning their necks to get a glimpse of the celebrities, influencers and international glitterati showcasing the world’s latest fashions. This is a tournament that has to be experienced first-hand, both by the best polo players in the world, who see it as a ‘must do’ tournament and the spectators who need to experience this – and once is never enough. CEO and founder Reto Gaudenzi made the decision that this year's competition would be a series of penalty shoot outs, rather than the usual four chukker format. While the ice is safe at a depth of 40 centimeters, recent warm weather meant preparing the optimal playing surface has not been possible. In order to preserve the high standards of this elite high-goal polo tournament and the highest levels of safety – for both the ponies
and players – each player had to take four penalties each: two from 30 yards out and two from 50 yards. It may have looked easy, but it really was a test of nerve and skill under the close scrutiny of both officials and spectators.
THE CASABLANCA TROPHY It was an all-American battle that kicked off proceedings with Marc Ganzi versus Melissa Ganzi action delighting the crowds. As the first female winner of the tournament back in 2019, Melissa had her work cut out, pitting the skill of her World Polo League team against her husband Marc, competing for The Casablanca Trophy. A flurry of nail-biting penalties defined this match, which came down to a test of nerve. Despite Nic Roldan coolly slotting three goals through the posts for Flexjet, matched by his teammate Martin Jauregui with another goal hat-trick – it was not enough. Alejandro Novillo Astrada, one of the best players in the world, who won the tournament in 2019, showcased his skill as the only player to secure all four shots. His efforts, combined with Melissa’s tally of two, nudged World Polo League into the winning spot, 11-9, to secure the deal.
THE MACKAGE TROPHY The action was narrowed down to the last four teams and next, Perrier-Jouët faced St. Moritz – Top of The World in the Subsidiary Final for The Mackage Trophy. Perrier-Jouët has been the flavor of the weekend, with an impressive 5,000 bottles drunk during the whole weekend. Jonathan Tidswell-Pretorius and Niclas Johansson kicked off proceedings with faultless conversions, while five time winPA G E 49
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ners Nacho Gonzalez and Max Charlton alongside David ‘Pelon’ Stirling added some penalty taking flair with a mixture of backhands, nearside forehands and air shots to score – a true display of the player talent on show in this world-class tournament. St. Moritz – Top of The World, with the born Engadin player and winner for the past two years – Tito Gaudenzi, secured third place and The Mackage Trophy with a 14:11.
THE FINAL By definition featuring the two best teams of the tournament along with their large group of supporters, with The Kusnacht Practice crowd in chic all white team apparel and their Mackage opposites enthusiastically waving flags from the sun-soaked grandstands. It was Lidia Gauss, Captain of the Mackage team and the only woman left in the tournament, who started the scoring account for Mackage, slotting a seemingly effortless goal through the posts and another five 30 yard goals followed from her trio of polo professionals. The Kusnacht Practice answered with six goals at the 30 yard distance with strong play from young British player Hugo Taylor, experienced Nico San Roman and team Captain Eduardo Greghi bringing the half time total to a too close to call six goals apiece. It was all to play for in the final period of play, which saw the true polo pedigree of Jack Hyde shine through. His father ‘The Polo Professor’ Chris – a former 10 goal arena player has won the tournament a record seven times. As they say, “Like father, like son” and Jack confidently followed in his father’s illustrious footsteps in St. Moritz to follow up his earlier two goals
with another two at the 50 yard distance. As the only player in the Final to achieve a clean sweep of goals with no misses, he deserved the Most Valuable Player Award. The final few penalty shots saw both teams matching each other goal for goal, the scores rested at just one apart as Nicolas San Roman took aim for the final time for The Kusnacht Practice, but the ball hit the posts, meaning that first timers to St. Moritz, team Mackage sealed the victory with a close 10-9 score. “In 39 years of the tournament we have only had two lady players win it, the ratio is a little low but we are working on it!” said Reto Gaudenzi on Lidia Gauss as she demonstrated true ‘girl power’ as the second woman in history to win this illustrious tournament. Gauss won The Best Playing Patron Award, presented by TJ Joulak, the General Manager of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, winning a five-night stay at the exclusive resort. The Most Valuable Player was awarded to Hyde, who was presented with a shopping spree voucher of 2,000 Swiss Francs at luxury fashion chain Trois Pommes by FIP President Piero Dillier. While the “Polo Times Best Looking Pony” was awarded by Nick Hine to Ryan Pemble for Ginny, a seven-year-old New Zealand mare, Ryan received a bespoke pony rug and 200 Swiss Francs from Evviva Polo St. Moritz for his groom, Martina Durkechova. The Kusnacht Practice received exclusive designer watches presented by Bucherer 1888. PA G E 51
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After three days of polo action on the frozen lake in this truly unique location, it was time for everybody to say goodbye. The team of 150 who had worked so hard to make the event a success, the players from around the world, the VIPs and public who enjoy the incredible
spectacle that is Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, all bade a fond farewell to polo friends both old and new. This year was a complete sell out, with 25.000 spectators enjoying the event over the three days. Make sure you get your
diary out now to join us next year. It’s going to be even better (if that is possible) as we celebrate Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz’s 40th anniversary on 24, 25 and 26 January 2025… we look forward to seeing you then!
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RICHARD MILLE ALULA DESERT POLO AL-FURSAN EQUESTRIAN VILLAGE SAUDI ARABIA
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N A PICTURESQUE SETTING, SAUDIA WON THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL OF THE RICHARD MILLE ALULA DESERT POLO TOURNAMENT SATURDAY AT AL-FURSAN EQUESTRIAN VILLAGE.
Saudia (Melissa Ganzi, Sayyu Dantata, Adolfo Cambiaso) defeated Richard Mille (Yoanna Hanbury, David Paradice, Pablo MacDonough), 9-5, in front of a packed house of dignitaries, celebrities and fans. Following their victory, Saudia celebrated with the prestigious Desert Polo trophy presented to them by Abeer Al Akel, Acting CEO, Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and Amr Zidan, Chairman, Saudi Polo Federation (SPF).
Ganzi, who made history in 2022 as the first international woman to compete in the tournament, became the first woman to win the prestigious tournament. She was also named Top Female Player. “Being the first woman to play here in 2022 was special but it was even more special to be the first woman to win. “It was amazing to play with Adolfo. It was special. He is such a great teammate as is Sayyu Dantata. This was an incredible magical spectacular tournament. I was honored to be invited to play.” In addition to Ganzi’s honor, other post-final awards were Dantata (Men’s Best Player) and Cambiaso (Top Scorer). There were also awards for Pablo MacDonough (Best Goal), HRH Prince Hamza bin Abbas (Most Promising Player) and Yohanna Hanbury (Sportsmanship). The Best Playing Pony
awards went to Dolfina Absoleta and Dolfina Shayla. In the opening round, Saudia defeated SAB, 8-5 and in the semifinals, Dadan 8-4. Ganzi’s husband Marc surprised his wife flying in for the final. “It’s a great moment for her, she works really hard at not only being a polo player, but being an ambassador for the sport on a global basis,” Ganzi said. “She has introduced so many people to polo and making it accessible to women and children. So for her this is her passion. When someone’s passion is executed it’s a beautiful thing to see. So I’m real happy for her.” The third edition of the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, the one-of-its-kind PA G E 59
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organized polo tournament played in a desert, featured a star-studded lineup. Eight teams, double the number from 2022, featured some of the world’s top players including the 26-goal World Polo League’s Pablo MacDonough and Juan Martin Nero, was held in a purpose-built desert arena in the Equestrian Village. The eight teams, featuring a record 24 players from 12 countries, were AlUla, Richard Mille, Saudia, SAB, Bentley, Dadan, Kaybar and Tayma. AlUla finished third and Tayma was fourth. Top women’s players Nina Clarkin of Great Britain and Lia Salvo of Argentina gave a ladies polo clinic to promote polo for women in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, Ganzi was the only woman playing in the tournament. This year there were seven. The four-day desert tournament was a collaboration between the Saudi Polo Federation, Royal Commission for AlUla, title sponsor and tournament timekeeper Richard Mille and La Dolfina Polo Team. The tournament is a part of the PAGE 60
commission’s commitment to promote the country’s heritage, culture and arts in addition to its equestrian commitment to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s historic ties to its horsemanship heritage. The tournament was also held in 2020 and 2022. “We are incredibly proud to have hosted the third edition of Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, it was a brilliant occasion for everyone connected,” said Ziad AlSuhaibani, Chief Sports Officer, Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). “The onfield competition was magnificent and players, visitors, and media alike really enjoyed a unique experience, one exclusive to AlUla that can’t be found elsewhere on the international polo circuit. “We are working towards Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo being a world-class competition that people travel to from all over the world. It’s true that we’re in the early stages of this endeavor. However, we’ve reached our development targets to date. “Improvements were made to the competition, arena, and entire set-up this time
around, and we have big ambitions for the future. We are committed to bringing more of the best players and teams to compete while increasing interest, attendance, media coverage and international exposure. We are growing the sport in AlUla and this competition is central to our efforts and progress.” Throughout the tournament, luxury hospitality and live entertainment with local musicians honored Arabian culture and heritage for the complete desert polo experience. Faisal Bin Dowees, CEO of SPF, said the strong audience attendance was instrumental to the tournament’s success, pointing out the local community’s enduring relationship with equestrian sports dating back thousands of years. “Polo has remained firmly embedded in the hearts and minds of the Saudi population,” he said. “Interest in the sport is as high as ever and we are looking forward to presenting more opportunities four our people to participate and compete in the near future.”
B Y S H A R O N R O B B / P H O T O S B Y A L E X A N D E R S H E R W I N A N D S A U D I P O L O F E D E R AT I O N
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RICHARD MILLE ALULA DESERT POLO AL-FURSAN EQUESTRIAN VILLAGE SAUDI ARABIA
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RICHARD MILLE ALULA DESERT POLO AL-FURSAN EQUESTRIAN VILLAGE SAUDI ARABIA
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IGH SOCIETY
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THE 2024 CAVALLINO CLASSIC WHERE LUXURY ISN'T JUST WORN-IT'S DRIVEN BY M I C H A E L S N E L L / P O LO L I F E S T Y L E S LUXURY AUTOMOBILE CONTRIBUTOR
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BY M I C H A E L S N E L L / P O LO L I F E S T Y L E S LUXURY AUTOMOBILE CONTRIBUTOR
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Nestled along the sun-kissed shores of Palm Beach, the Cavallino Classic 2024 emerged for its 33rd year as an unrivaled spectacle that seamlessly blends automotive opulence with the timeless grandeur at The Breakers Hotel. This annual gathering, orchestrated by Cavallino Inc. is more than a mere
convergence of cars; it’s a celebration of craftsmanship, history and an enduring love affair with the iconic Ferrari. As the engines start like a petrol-fueled symphony, this gathering once again highlights the indelible portrait of luxury’s heritage with a weekend of design and engineering mastery.
Imagine a setting where Italian Renaissance charm converges with the epitome of Palm Beach luxury— that’s The Breakers Hotel. Standing along the Atlantic Ocean, this historic establishment is the canvas upon which Cavallino 2024 unfolds. For the Classic, The Breakers transforms into a gallery of dreams where Ferraris PA G E 69
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take center stage. Manicured gardens become a runway for the metal horses, with each historic design curated against the backdrop of Mediterranean-inspired architecture and foliage. It’s an immersive experience that brings forward a refined aesthetic of local history paired with the design brilliance of Ferrari. Palm Beach, known for its haute couture boutiques and lavish estates, undergoes a transformation for this much-anticipated weekend every year. As enthusiasts and collectors flood the town, its streets become the ultimate runway lined with perfect palms. But beyond the allure of revving engines and gleaming metal, the Classic plays a pivotal role in shaping Palm Beach’s cultural landscape. The city takes a bold step forward, becoming a playground for those who understand that style isn’t confined to couture, but asserting itself as a destination where luxury isn’t just worn—it’s driven. Beyond the static displays, the Cavallino 2024 was a dynamic affair, featuring PAGE 70
driving events, competitions and social gatherings. The Concorso d’Eleganza was the highlight of the weekend. Onlookers watched as meticulously judged Ferraris competed for coveted awards based on criteria such as authenticity, restoration quality and overall presentation. The track events were where these masterpieces stretched their legs in a display of speed and agility, adding an adrenaline-fueled dimension to the overall experience. In the evenings, the ambiance shifted from engine rumbles to the clinking of fine crystal as participants and guests come together for elegant soirées. This year’s Classic also showcased a unique culinary experience executed by chefs Michele Casadei Massari from Lucciola New York and Juan Manuel Barrientos from El Cielo Miami. Both chef masters created a skillfully refreshing blend of tradition and modernity, a triumph in the union of food and automotive culture. These social gatherings also provided an opportunity for like-minded individuals to exchange stories, share their passion BY M I C H A E L S N E L L / P O LO L I F E S T Y L E S LUXURY AUTOMOBILE CONTRIBUTOR
for automobiles, and forge connections that extend beyond the confines of the event itself. In the automotive world, achieving victory amongst those who also enter at Cavallino is one of the most prestigious tasks. The rigorous IAC/PFA Judging System posed a significant challenge this year for the 55 judges tasked with selecting vehicles for the “Best” accolade. Over the past two years, in addition to the traditional “Best in Show” awards, the “Granturismo” and the “Competizione,” a third prestigious award has been introduced, for vehicles certified by Ferrari Classiche. This new category aligns with Cavallino Classic’s mission to protect and cherish the global heritage of Collectible Ferraris and reflects Ferrari’s dedication to supporting clients in preserving these automotive treasures. To understand the level of excellence present at the 2024 Concorso, of the 150 cars entered, 61 achieved the Platinum Award, scoring an
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exceptionally high 82 out of 100 from the judges. “We are honored to carry forward the 46-year journey of Cavallino Magazine and the 33-year tradition of Palm Beach Cavallino Classic. These two initiatives have significantly contributed to preserving and restoring Ferraris of all periods in America,” said Luigi Orlandini, Chairman & CEO of Cavallino. “As we steer Cavallino into the future, our aim is to ensure every aspect of the event offers a thoroughly enjoyable experience, while also giving back to our community by donating a part of each ticket to charitable projects such as the scholarship fund of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation, or the A.W. Dreyfoos School
of Art of West Palm Beach. The success of this year’s gathering underscores its status as the world’s most important event organized in the name of the Prancing Horse. My heartfelt thanks go to all participants, esteemed guests, and those who support our endeavors, especially our precious Patrons, partners and the amazing team of passionate people who made all of this possible.” This year, the Best of Show Granturismo 2024 was awarded to the 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia #0191 EL belonging to Dennis and Susan Garrity with the Best of Show Competizione 2024 is awarded to the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM #6053 belonging to Chris and Ann Cox. In addition to these awards, the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB
“Competizione” #09063 belonging to Brian Ross was selected from entries with Ferrari Classiche’s “red book” certification as the Best of Show 2024 Classiche Certified. Cavallino Classic also plays a pivotal role in shaping Palm Beach’s cultural landscape. The presence of the Classic enhances the region’s reputation as a symbol of the penchant for sophistication. The event underscores the idea that Palm Beach is not just noted for its locale, but also to its commitment to fostering a community of diversified interest and give-back. Here we see both a space and event unified, bound by a shared passion for the prancing horse.
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BY M I C H A E L S N E L L / P O LO L I F E S T Y L E S LUXURY AUTOMOBILE CONTRIBUTOR
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WHICH SIDE OF THE BED
YOU SLEEP ON
SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOU AS A PERSON
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OST OF US HAVE OUR OWN DESIGNATED ‘SIDE’ OF THE BED, WHICH WE TEND TO STICK TO WHETHER WE’RE SLEEPING ALONE OR NOT. It’s probably something you’ve never really given much thought to - and it only really becomes an issue if you happen to meet a partner who has the same ‘favorite’ side as you. In fact, mattress brand Simba, which you can assume is a pretty good authority on this sort of stuff, says which side you choose to sleep on can actually reveal a few things about you. Yep, according to the company, the side you choose to kip on can reveal things about your personality, including your general mood and attitude to work.
IF YOU SLEEP ON THE LEFT According to Simba, those who opt to sleep on the left side are often more PAGE 76
cheerful than their right-side dwelling counterparts. Not only that, but those who sleep on the left think they are calmer than those who go for the right, and that they’re better in a crisis and more confident in general. Good for them. They also have a higher level of job satisfaction and are better able to cope with a stressful day at work.
IF YOU SLEEP ON THE RIGHT So, it seems all pretty positive for those who prefer the left-hand side of the bed, but what about right? Well, right-side sleepers tend to earn more money, so there’s that. Their slightly less cheerful outlook on life also means that they’re pretty grounded and are usually prepared for any worst-case scenarios.
your bedroom is arranged - but it’s unlikely that anyone who suffers from a touch of claustrophobia would choose to sleep next to a wall, equally those who feel quite safe and secure in a small space will probably choose to sleep away from the door. Simba says that up to 10 percent of couples argue about their side of the bed, which can inevitably lead to one of them being left with the side they don’t really want. If this sounds like you, then there’s some good news as habit and routine are more important than the ‘correct’ side of the bed. Apparently, once we have a side - even if it’s not the one we initially wanted - we tend to stick to it as we get used to it pretty soon. Sweet dreams!
IF YOU LIKE TO SLEEP NEXT TO THE WALL As Simba points out, occasionally which side you sleep may be dictated by how
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ROMANCE AT EVERY CORNER
THE GLEAMING GEM OF PARIS: LE MARAIS DON'T MISS STAYING IN LE MARAIS ON YOUR NEXT TRIP
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N FRENCH, WINDOW-SHOPPING TRANSLATES AS LÈCHE-VITRINE, OR WINDOW LICKING, WHICH IS EXACTLY HOW I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME IN THE MARAIS. THE NARROW, COBBLED STREETS ARE LINED WITH VINTAGE TREASURE TROVES, DELECTABLE PATISSERIES, AND HIGH-END CONCEPT STORES. BUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH COMPRISES THE THIRD AND FOURTH ARRONDISSEMENTS OF PARIS, HAS MUCH MORE TO OFFER THAN RETAIL THERAPY. PAGE 78
Smack in the center of the city, it’s where I tell all first-time visitors to stay: Many of the major tourist attractions are walkable from here, there are several fabulous hotels in the area, and the picturesque backstreets are brimming with endless cafes ideal for people-watching. The neighborhood’s history is fascinating — before its time as the primary home of the city’s Jewish population and later, its LGBTQ+ community, it was all marshland (hence its name — marais is French for swamp). The area was drained in the 12th century and later attracted the noble class and the likes of King Henry IV, who began building their private town houses, known as hôtels particuliers, in the 17th century.
These mansions — many of which have since been turned into museums, like the marvelous Musée Picasso — later fell into disrepair, and less than a century ago, the Marais was up for demolition. Luckily, a cultural preservation law passed in the 1960s and spared it, in turn sparking restorations that have safeguarded the art and architectural haven that we know today. Relics of centuries past — like the city’s oldest covered food market, which now houses fruit and flower vendors alongside a buzzy natural wine bar — and signs of its ever-changing present, like the opulent, newly opened Le Grand Mazarin hotel, are what draw me back to the Marais on each and every trip. Here, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite places in
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the neighborhood, from can’t-miss museums to late-night oyster bars and the best souvenir shops in town. Opulent tapestries, an Instagram-famous subterranean pool, and an emphasis on highlighting local artists sets Le Grand Mazarin apart. The 61-room boutique hotel is a luxurious new hot spot in the Marais. Les Enfants du Marché offers a few hard-to-nab bar stools, hidden among food stalls and fruit vendors in Paris’ oldest food market; go for the seasonal crudos and natural wine. The Musée Picasso is housed in one of the neighborhood’s most beautiful hôtels particuliers, formerly a private mansion. Channel your inner Parisian at lauded vintage stores like En Voiture Simone. Sip on a salty, herbaceous, tomato-infused cocktail at Little Red Door, one of the city’s top speakeasies. PAGE 80
BEST THINGS TO DO A longtime epicenter of arts and culture, the Marais is home to several of the city’s finest museums. At Musée Picasso, you’ll find a mind-boggling collection dedicated to the Spanish painter, all within the walls of a 17th-century mansion that’s a work of art in itself. Another one of my favorite museums in the city is Musée Carnavalet, which showcases the history of Paris from the B.C. era to the present day. Occupying two neighboring mansions, it’s a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture; inside, it’s filled with fascinating relics of the city’s past, like a collection of hanging signs and symbols that were once used in place of street numbers to indicate a business address. In warmer months, the elegant courtyard is a fabulous place to grab lunch.
The Centre Pompidou, Paris’ inside-out architectural marvel that’s home to the city’s prestigious modern and contemporary art museum, has bowled me over on every visit. There’s such a thrill in seeing Paris spread out before you as you ride the glass-enclosed escalators up to the top floor. Every season brings new exhibits — 2024 will see a spectacular retrospective of Hungarian artist Vera Molnár. The museum is set to close for a major five-year renovation in 2025, so I highly recommend going while you still can. Eat your way through Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges… Paris’ oldest food market dates back to 1615 and retains much of its old-school charm today. Wandering this densely packed labyrinth, you’ll be hit with a new smell every few feet: wafts of aromatic couscous, fresh flowers, and smoked ham are what make this bustling market such a joy on every
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BEST HOTELS LE GRAND MAZARIN Swedish interior designer Martin Brudnizki infused each of the 61 rooms and suites at this newly opened hot spot on Rue des Archives with bold, sumptuous colors and textures — think velvet headboards, opulent tapestries draped above beds, and objets d’art from local craftspeople. It’s maximalism of the Wes Anderson variety, imbued with classic French flair. Swing by the bar at Boubalé or go for a dip in the subterranean pool, beneath the mesmerizing Cocteau-inspired fresco, to see what I mean.
CHEVAL BLANC Tucked inside an art nouveau department store, Cheval Blanc is one of Paris’ premiere properties for discerning travelers. It’s centrally located, with 72 gold-accented rooms and suites offering exquisitely romantic views over the Seine. For true indulgence, book the hotel’s three-Michelin-star restaurant, Plénitude, or the renowned Dior Spa.
SINNER PARIS An old confessional, books by Marquis de Sade, stained-glass windows, and a fog machine set the scene at the sultry Sinner. All 43 rooms are kitted out with pink and red accents that contribute to the sophisticated and, to varying degrees, quite sexy atmosphere, particularly in those with dark wood paneling and red-tiled bathrooms. In the spirit of decadence, there’s a Roman bath-style pool and hammam, plus a buzzy cocktail bar where mood lighting and a DJ make it nearly impossible to skip a nightcap on your way back to your room.
COUR DES VOSGES Overlooking Place des Vosges — Paris’ oldest (and most beautiful) planned square — this boutique property from Evok is one of the most subtle, sublime addresses in the city. Check-in happens in the rooms, which makes it feel like you’re staying at your very wealthy friend’s exceptionally curated guesthouse. The building is a historic landmark that has been freshened up with modern metallic accents and cool, cozy velvets. Plus, it’s the only hotel to offer such remarkable views over the square’s manicured chestnut trees and regal, red-bricked arcade. PA G E 81
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visit. Among the ample stands, triedand-true favorites include Le Traiteur Marocain for merguez-laden tagine and thick pita bread, and famed sandwich shop Chez Alain Miam Miam (whose perennially long lines have prompted the opening of another shop around the corner on Rue Charlot). For a sit-down lunch, try to snag a seat at the tiny bar circling the open kitchen of Les Enfants du Marché, a beloved seafood-focused spot dishing up seasonal small plates alongside excellent natural wines from both popular and little-known producers. Visit the Place des Vosges. The Marais’ fashionable history hinges on the early 17th-century construction of Place des
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Vosges, an elegant square of chestnut trees, burbling fountains, and grassy lawns, hemmed in by brick-red arcades that first drew the noble class to the neighborhood. Now a favorite picnic destination for Parisians and visitors alike, it’s a wonderful spot for people-watching with a warm baguette in hand. While you’re here, you might as well take the time to stroll through writer Victor Hugo’s house — now a museum that is full of magnificent artworks and free of charge. Afterward, duck under the square’s southwestern arch to discover the manicured gardens and Renaissance facade of Hôtel de Sully.
Indulge your sweet tooth. The French have mastered the art of dessert, and I’ve found the best way to honor their achievements is to familiarize myself with as much of their work as possible. Rarely do I go more than a day in Paris without indulging in some sort of sweet, whether a jewel-sized macaron, an éclair, or a plump and perfectly petite cream puff. For the former, head to Pierre Hermé, where flavors like Ispahan (rose, lychee, and raspberry) and Agra (praline and mild curry) will absolutely ruin you for the mediocre macarons peddled elsewhere in the city. L’Éclair de Génie boasts colorful, over-the-top creations — think caramelized apple éclairs flecked with
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gold leaf — while Popelini rolls out chic choux, or cream puffs, in an array of classic and seasonal flavors. Wander down Rue des Rosiers. Once the epicenter of Paris’ Jewish quarter, the picturesque Rue des Rosiers is now best known as the home of L’As du Fallafel, a popular (and delicious) falafel spot. Down the road, international clothing shops have largely crowded out the former abundance of kosher delicatessens, bakeries, and butchers, with the few remaining drawing eager crowds with their latkes, pastrami sandwiches, and baked goods — La Boutique Jaune de Sacha Finkelsztajn is a beloved mainstay, easily recognizable with its cheery yellow facade. On the corner of Rue des Rosiers and Rue des Ecouffes sits Florence Kahn, a Yiddish bakery and historic landmark with an unmissable blue mosaic facade that’s been helmed by Finkelsztajn’s protégée since 1988.
BEST SHOPPING I’ve never left Merci without un petit plaisir — a little treat — to take home. The three-story concept store is souvenir mecca, with branded candles and lighters (adorable and affordable) most often taking up space in my suitcase. Anyone in need of retail therapy will find it here, among the brightly colored geometric side tables, matte ceramic tableware, and overwhelming selection of très Parisienne white button-downs. Looking to pick up wine for a picnic along the Seine? A Lot of Wine, which, as its name suggests, stocks quite an impressive array of bottles in their small space, is the place to go. Biodynamic bottles from Alsace sit beside aged rarities from the Jura, all of which are well-priced. Most notably, the staff will gladly talk through any questions you may have. On my last visit, I watched in envy as a family tucked into heaps of cheese and finely sliced charcuterie during a private tasting they’d arranged in the stone cellar. Kitty-corner to the breathtaking, block-spanning Hôtel de Ville (Paris’ City Hall), the BHV lures shoppers seeking everything from hardware supplies to Hermès. It’s sort of an upscale Home
Depot-meets-Bloomingdales, topped off with Le Perchoir, a trendy rooftop bar offering views of the Eiffel Tower during the summer season. Remember what I said about window licking? It’s a favorite pastime of mine at Empreintes, an airy, multilevel concept store that feels markedly under the radar compared to Merci. Founded by the French federation of craft professionals, it’s a gallery-like space that’s brimming with hundreds of exceptional handmade goods — think statement jewelry, sculptural pendant lamps, and enough ceramics to merit buying an extra suitcase. With kilo shops and thrift stores littering every other block of the Marais, it could take une éternité to track down a silk Chanel set or an oversized Isabel Marant coat — if you didn’t know to stop by En Voiture Simone and Nice Piece, that is. The former was long a gate-kept secret of Parisian It girls, while the latter is a celebrity hot spot drawing the likes of Kim Kardashian and Janelle Monáe.
BEST RESTAURANTS Hidden among the fruit vendors and fragrant food stalls of Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, you’ll find a gastronomic mirage of sorts: Less than a dozen stools circle a counter where dishes are plated with Michelin-level precision, and wines flow from noon onward. Local produce and fresh seafood rule the menu at Les Enfants du Marché, with recent delights including tuna crudo from the south nestled alongside scallops from the north and pears from Normandy — la belle France on a plate. Savory Brittany-style buckwheat galettes are loaded with aged Comte, Basque chorizo, and onions caramelized in cider at this iconic crêperie. Breizh Café, whose most charming outpost in Paris remains this sun-soaked corner of the Marais, is my first stop on almost every trip. The warm, wooden space feels like a homecoming. When it comes to classic bistro fare, few places do it as warmly and wonderfully as Bistrot des Tournelles. The menu is straightforward and superbly French: homemade foie gras, crunchy little gem salad with mustard dressing, and steak
au poivre are highlights, plus a crackling crème brûlée. This trendy Italian spot may actually be too sexy for its own good. Sure, the staff and clientele at Carboni’s are universally gorgeous, but it’s the pasta dishes that are almost unbearably seductive. Cacio e pepe is topped with a «Tampopo»worthy marinated egg yolk, while striped squid ink spaghetti is served with cream foam and melted raclette. After dinner, dip downstairs for a negroni and live music at Bar Sotto. When you settle into your red leather booth at Chez Janou, once you’ve taken in the posters dedicated to French filmmaker Marcel Pagnol and the platters of Provençal dishes going around, you’ll soon spot wide-eyed diners clapping in delight as waiters dollop chocolate mousse onto their plates again and again. It’s unlimited, and — along with the decor and extensive pastis selection — the real reason for coming here.
BEST TIME TO VISIT There’s no wrong time to visit Paris — the city offers different delights in every season. I’m most enamored by Paris in the fall, during la rentrée — the period when locals return from summer vacation and the city begins to hum with energy once again. The weather crisps, green and yellow leaves sheathe the sidewalks, and the city looks more out of a film than ever. Winter in Paris is almost unbearably charming: red lights line the ChampsÉlysées, alpine-style holiday markets selling mulled wine and raclette pop up throughout the city, and department stores go all out with their holiday window displays. The high season begins in spring and lasts into August, so flights and hotels tend to be most expensive during this time of year; booking in advance with a low-cost carrier, like French Bee or Norse Atlantic Airways, can help mitigate expenses. This summer, Paris will host the 2024 Olympics, running from July to August. PA G E 83
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Beyond first class is a class of one. INNOVATION EXISTS PURELY TO SERVE YOUR COMFORT, SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE VIA MULTIPLE SENSES. A VIRTUAL VOICE ASSISTANT LISTENS TO SERVE YOU. LIGHTING AND FRAGRANCE SUBTLY SOOTHE YOU.
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TWICE, 12 TIMES OR 24 TIMES A MONTH...
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IS YOUR SEX DRIVE NORMAL?
OW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE SEX? SO REGULARLY YOU LOSE TRACK? ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, OR ON EVERY BIRTHDAY? OR PRECISELY TWICE A MONTH, DIARIZED, LIKE COMEDIAN KATHERINE RYAN?
In a recent interview with The Times, the comedian was both open and specific about the nature of her marital relations; she and her husband Bobby Koostra “have sex exactly twice a month.” PAGE 86
Ryan logs it every time, “in case I do get pregnant.” Whether this revelation engendered a ‘wow, that’s pretty often’ or an ‘actually, that feels modestly achievable’ reaction, it’s rare to hear anyone actually admitting how much – or little – sex they have. Ryan’s refreshing admission has done us all a favor – not least because it opens up the conversation. So, is there such a thing as normal when it comes to how often we’re having sex? And, while it’s not a competition, is there an optimal number of times we
should be doing it for a healthy sex life? When it comes to optimal, a 2015 study of over 30,000 adults seemed to suggest that having sex once a week is the ideal for maximum wellbeing; any more than that and the happiness level of a couple actually levels off. Those findings could be correlational rather than causal, however: research from the online doctor Lloyds Pharmacy found that 52 per cent of Britons have sex once a week; 2020 research from the American National Institute of Health found that the majority of married couples surveyed had sex “weekly” – 60.9 per cent of women
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(although possibly strangely, only 57.7 per cent of men) – compared to, for example, those who indulged only “once or twice a year” (5.5 per cent and 5.2 per cent respectively). As that slightly odd percentage difference shows, however, we can be incredibly diffident when it comes to ‘fessing up about what we get up to between the sheets, and, in our sex-obsessed society, it’s easy to assume everyone else is getting a lot more than we are. A 2018 Ipsos survey asked men and women to estimate how often other people were having sex; the women guessed men were getting laid 13-15 times a month, while the men guessed the women had sex a frankly astonishing 23 times a month.
‘Yeah, right’ would seem to be the likely reaction to those sorts of numbers, judging by an unscientific straw poll of my female friends. “How often are you all having sex?” I inquired of my book club. “[I have an] 11-week-old baby – what do you think?” replies one. “At this point I think I’ve forgotten what it is – egg freezing is a mojo murderer” says another. “Errr…” responds a third. “I think it’s quite hard to put an average on it,” admits another friend in her 40s with three children. “We’ll go through phases. Sometimes we might have sex three consecutive days; other times not for two weeks. It’s always more if we’re out of our domestic context, which I don’t think is a coincidence.” One friend of a friend barely bothers
with sex anymore as she suffers from recurrent UTIs. Another says she hasn’t had sex with her husband in over three months, although insists that isn’t representative of the state of their otherwise rock-solid marriage. The most recent UK National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, from 2012, showed a 20 per cent drop in the amount of sex being had in the UK since the previous survey in 2000, particularly among partnered couples over 25. Gen Z-ers, meanwhile, are famous for having less sex than their predecessors – numerous studies have pointed to the trend. So, it’s complicated. And there’s also obviously a difference between having sex, and actually wanting to have sex which is where a mismatch in a couple can
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become tricky. The latter state can also be further subdivided into sex drive and sexual desire. The former is essentially libido, or, well, horniness. Sexual desire is our interest in sexual activity. The two often go hand in hand, but not always. As one woman I talked to puts it: “I am attracted to my husband; I want to have sex with him. But I just never feel horny.” It’s not surprising. There are an awful lot of things that can get in the way of both having sex, and wanting it, especially for women and when it comes to midlife. Children, menopause, exhaustion, mental health, testosterone, weight gain, medical conditions, medications – the list is seemingly endless.
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A recent survey from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that the flames of passion die far quicker for married women than for their husbands, possibly because they spend more time on household chores and cooking, which kills the urge somewhat. “If my husband’s been lolling on the sofa watching television while I’ve been doing yet another load of laundry and cooking dinner, the last thing I want to do is have sex with him,” admits one friend.
if we don’t have sex quite regularly,” she says, but adds: “If, as a couple, you wait for the stars to align, when everyone feels like it and you’re not too tired and there’s clean sheets on the bed and all the kids are asleep – well, there are just too many obstacles. Sometimes you have to just do it.” Another mid-life married friend likens having sex to putting the bins out or going to the gym; things she never feels like doing at the time, but knows she’ll be glad about afterwards.
“My sex drive – the actual feeling of wanting to have sex – is now so dependent on where I am in my cycle,” says another friend in her mid-40s. “I almost certainly know when I’m ovulating because my sex drive is higher. I worry
Is that the solution then: to put out and shut up? Should we be diarzing sex like we do meetings? And what really happens when one of you wants it much more often than the other?
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SEX IS, "A DEEP INTIMACY, BUT IT’S A DEEP INTIMACY WITH OURSELVES. AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CONNECTION TO YOURSELF, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CONNECT TO SOMEONE ELSE?” There’s no doubt that sex is demonstrably beneficial for both a relationship and your overall health. On the straightforward health front, good sex lowers blood pressure, boosts your immune system, serves as an immediate form of natural pain relief and promotes good sleep. Relationally, regular sex can be an instant way to establish connection, and is linked to a lower divorce rate in married couples. “I’m super aware of it being a really easy way to reconnect and re-establish intimacy,” says my mother-of-three friend. “When you’ve got kids and you’re both working it can be like running a small business together; sex is the only thing that distinguishes your relationship from many of the others in your life. I almost immediately feel better about our relationship when we have sex.” Difficulties can arise, however, if your desire levels are out of whack. “If your libido is matched, it’s not a problem if you have sex every night or once a year,” says Mary Clare Gormley, relationship counselor. When the mismatch happens, however, things can get tricky: not only can resentment build, driving a couple yet further apart, but at the extreme, a lack of synchronized sex can lead to one half looking for sex elsewhere. So what should you do if you feel you need to get back on track in the bedroom? First of all, take an honest look at how often you do it, and whether you’re both happy with that. Being able to have open communication here is key, says Gormley. “If you feel satisfied and happy and you’re having sex every six months and that’s your normal, fine,” says Tatiana Aitken, psycho-sexual therapist . If we’re not satisfied, she says, we need to listen to ourselves and try and work out what it is we want, and how we can get there.
“Explore your own body,” she advises. “Get to know your likes and dislikes; if you have that desire inside to have more sex but don’t feel it in your body, it may be that the way you’re doing it doesn’t quite resonate.” Cyndi Darnell, a sex therapist and the author of Sex, When You Don’t Feel Like it: The Truth About Mismatched Libido and Rediscovering Desire, agrees. “What kind of sex are we having, and who is it for?” she asks. “Is the kind of sex we’re having the sort we want? A lot of people with so-called low libido actually only ‘suffer’ that in response to the quality of the sex they’re having, which is a much more important issue than the quantity.” This can be particularly true for women, she says, for whom ‘intercourse sex’ – what Darnell defines as “the white bread of the sex world” – is not often the most enjoyable. Sex, she says, “is a deep intimacy, but it’s a deep intimacy with ourselves. And if you don’t have a connection to yourself, how are you going to connect to someone else?” Of course, actually connecting with your own desires can be tricky, especially for women. In a 2017 interview, the American psychotherapist Esther Perel nailed the issue. “In order to actually be sexual – which means to be inside her own mounting pleasures, sensations, excitement and connection – she needs to be able to not think about others,” she says. “To think about others will take her outside the woman role and into the care-taking and mother role.” As any mother will tell you, this is tricky at the best of times, especially if you’ve only got half an hour with the kids downstairs watching television. Is there merit, then, in the sort of diarized sex that Ryan and Koostra are having? “It’s not the world’s worst idea,” admits
Gormley. “It’s about saying ‘I’m present, and I’ll get there’.” “I’m often surprised by the extent to which, even if I wasn’t in the mood and didn’t instigate it, sex can be amazing,” acknowledges my mother-of-three friend. “That makes me think you should never turn the opportunity down because you never know how it’s going to go.” For men in particular, says Perel, “sex is the language through which men have license to ask for love, tenderness, surrender, sensuality, affection and more. Often sex is the only keyhole he has to fulfill these emotional needs.” And having the power, as a woman, to fulfill those needs can in itself be a turn-on. The good news is, it seems things can get better with age. Recent research conducted by care home provider KYN found that one in five people over 70 are still sexually active, and 36 per cent say their desire and libido have not decreased as they got older. A large-scale study conducted in the US by Cosmopolitan magazine and the Kinsey Institute meanwhile found that 74 percent of women over 60 said their orgasms are just as good or better than ever, and that “an expanded definition of what it means to get your groove on” means sex can get even hotter in your golden years. The key thing in all of this, is that not feeling like something is different to not wanting it. If you don’t want something, don’t do it. If you don’t feel like it – well, that’s the bit to explore. Nail that (if you’ll pardon the pun) and who knows where your sex life could end up? PA G E 89
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DOCTORS DESTROY
99% OF CANCER CELLS USING VIBRATION
S
CIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED A NEW WAY TO DESTROY CANCER CELLS.
Stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells. Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bio-imaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells.
“They are more than one million times faster in their mechanical motion than the former Feringa-type motors, and they can be activated with near-infrared light rather than visible light.” The use of near-infrared light is important because it enables scientists to get deeper into the body. Cancer in bones and organs could potentially be treated without needing surgery to get to the cancer growth. In tests on cultured, lab-grown cancer cells, the molecular jackhammer method scored a 99 percent hit rate at destroying the cells. The approach was also tested on mice with melanoma tumors, and half the animals became cancer-free.
The research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas, says the new approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells. “It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers,” says chemist James Tour from Rice University.
The structure and chemical properties of aminocyanine molecules mean they stay in sync with the right stimulus – such as near-infrared light. When in motion, the electrons inside the molecules form what’s known as plasmons, collectively vibrating entities that drive movement across the whole of the molecule. “What needs to be highlighted is that
we’ve discovered another explanation for how these molecules can work,” says chemist Ciceron Ayala-Orozco from Rice University. “This is the first time a molecular plasmon is utilized in this way to excite the whole molecule and to actually produce mechanical action used to achieve a particular goal – in this case, tearing apart cancer cells’ membrane.” The plasmons have an arm on one side, helping to connect the molecules to the cancer cell membranes while the movements of the vibrations bash them apart. It›s still early days for the research, but these initial findings are very promising. This is also the kind of straightforward, bio-mechanical technique that cancer cells would find it hard to evolve some sort of blockade against. Next, the researchers are looking at other types of molecules that can be used similarly. “This study is about a different way to treat cancer using mechanical forces at the molecular scale,” says Ayala-Orozco.
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KEYS TO A LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIP
Achieving intimacy might be as simple as simply asking for what you want
I
AM NOT AN ADVICE COLUMNIST OR COUPLE’S COUNSELOR OR RELATIONSHIP GURU, BUT I AM FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT I KNOW THE TWO SECRETS TO A HAPPY RELATIONSHIP. SINCE I STUMBLED ON THEM PURELY BY ACCIDENT AND THE ODDS OF YOUR DOING SO AS WELL ARE SLIM, THIS VALENTINE’S DAY I AM GOING TO SHARE BOTH OF THEM WITH YOU, IN THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY—WHICH, INCIDENTALLY, IS ALSO HELPFUL TO MAINTAINING A HAPPY RELATIONSHIP.
I learned the first secret one evening after dinner, when my partner was sitting on the couch reading and I was sitting on the same couch feeling bored and inclined to pester her. As a rule I love nothing more than to pass the time peacefully reading by her side, but that particular night I was antsy and avoiding my work and PAGE 96
just in the mood to talk. Occasionally I would venture a little conversational gambit—“Did you see that story in the Times about earworms?” “There’s something weird going on with my big toe”—to which my partner replied with a distracted mm-hmm. My inability to focus on my own book rendered her own absorption impressive, if also, in the moment, somewhat alarming: Since she was 70 pages into a three-volume, two-thousand-page history of the Spanish Empire, it seemed possible she could be reading it for the next nine or 10 years. In a fit of unpremeditated need, I suddenly exclaimed, “Pay attention to me!” Thus did the reign of Isabella I end, at least in our household. My partner looked up at me for the first time that evening, put down her book, and laughed. It wasn’t just that my outburst was out of character, although that was part of it, since most of the time I have a very high tolerance for hanging out alone with my thoughts. It was the utter nakedness of the demand, my failure to dress it up in explanation or diplomacy or apology. That made it funny in the way that so many unexpected
and abrupt things are funny, like a man looking down at his phone and walking straight into a swimming pool. And it made it effective in a way that my earlier and more subtle efforts had not been. I can’t recall exactly what my partner said in response, but I think it was something along the lines of “Come here, you nut.” But here is why “Pay attention to me” is one of the secrets to a happy relationship: Although it seems like a childish outburst, it is in fact (if I say so myself) the essence of emotional maturity. To ask for what you need, to say plainly what you feel: Even the most sane and stable and loving among us sometimes struggles to achieve that kind of unvarnished honesty in our relationships. Out of the best of intentions, a kind of coyness meant as kindness can creep in. That evening, I wanted to respect my partner’s contentment, I wanted to weigh my needs against hers, I wanted to be thoughtful and supportive of her, as I think of myself being—all admirable and important goals, of course, but what I really wanted, at that precise moment, was
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to feel the warmth of her focus on me. “Pay attention to me”: What partnered person does not want that with some regularity, since attention and connection is the origin and essence of any happy relationship? I can’t begin to tell you how many times since that night on the couch one of us has deployed that line, when the other has gotten a little too zealous about achieving Inbox Zero or fallen under the spell of a 400-season Netflix series or vanished into her phone. It is always said as a joke, it is always meant affectionately, and it always, always works.
ferent theories about how best to accomplish this. Mine involves carefully inching the comforter from one end of the cover to the other, like a technical challenge involving puff pastry on The Great British Bake Off. Hers involves standing on the bed and shaking the comforter madly, like a daredevil tourist during the Running of the Bulls. Needless to say, these two methods are not compatible. We had started to debate, in increasingly testy tones, the relative virtues of each one when my partner, in a fit of exasperation, said, “Just do it my way!”
The other secret to a happy relationship also came to me via an accidental outburst, this one by my partner. One afternoon during the first year of our marriage, we brought a load of fresh linens up to the bedroom and began making the bed. Both she and I enjoy things like doing the laundry and washing the dishes, so we had never really argued about household chores. But on this occasion, we had washed the comforter cover, thereby setting ourselves up for a domestic task even more annoying than folding a fitted sheet: stuffing the comforter back inside. It turns out that we have very dif-
I don’t remember which of us started laughing first. Has anyone ever invented, on the fly, a better strategy for defusing conflict in a relationship? Contained in her plea was an acknowledgment that there was nothing objectively better about her solution to the comforter-cover problem, and therefore no reason at all why I should defer to her instead of her deferring to me—except that she wanted me to. But once that reason was stated plainly, it was perfectly sufficient. I married her because I adore her, after all, so why not do what makes her happy? Something about “Just do it my way!” reminded us both
of how silly the dispute was in the first place, and how even sillier it would be to let it cause any friction between us. We finished making the bed in high spirits, and that phrase, too, entered our shared vocabulary. These days, when confronted with any of the countless situations couples must negotiate together in which compromise simply isn’t an option, we now do it her way and do it my way with about equal frequency. What “Just do it my way!” has in common with “Pay attention to me” is that both remind us that we can simply ask for what we want from one another, no matter how inexplicable or trivial. Both sound a little selfish, and they are; I don’t recommend deploying them in a classroom or a workplace, or even in a relationship that isn’t characterized by mutual respect and adoration. I suppose that’s by way of acknowledging that the real secret to a happy relationship is getting together with the right person in the first place. On the other hand, there’s a pretty good case to be made that the right person is someone who wants to pay attention to you and make you happy—and someone for whom you want to do the same. PA G E 97
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ANYA
TAYLOR-JOY
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“We had a genuine ball,” Anya Taylor-Joy enthused. “That horse is my new obsession. I fell in love with him the second we locked eyes across the paddock – I was like, ‘Hello! We’re gonna be friends for life’.”
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ANYA TAYLOR-JOY From Argentina to the United Kingdom to Hollywood, the darling of Dior is also the face of Tiffany & Co.
Anya Taylor-Joy’s clarity of purpose has been evident since, aged 16, she wrote a detailed letter to her parents outlining her plan to quit education and become an actress. Happily for audiences everywhere, they were supportive of her decision. She had long felt a leaning towards the creative industries, drawn in particular to what she calls the “magical quality” of films to provide solace during what was sometimes a difficult childhood. At private school in west London, she was bullied and felt like an outsider, perhaps still unsettled by the family’s move from Buenos Aires, where she had lived until the age of six after being born in Miami. On arrival in the UK, she spoke only Spanish, and found herself missing the rural beauty of Argentina. “My first memory is that things were gray – and that wasn’t a color I’d seen much of before,” she recalls. Although at the time the transition was “rough”, with hindsight she is grateful for how adaptable it made her, noting that the five months in Sydney she spent shooting “Furiosa” represent the longest she has lived anywhere since she was 16. “I feel like, as a kid, I got the best possible training for the nomadic nature of this job... Now, when people ask me where home is, I say, home is wherever I’ve slept for longer than two nights.” To make settling in easier, she surrounds herself with her favorite things: candles, her guitar and piles of books to fulfill her appetite for reading. “It’s massively impractical – I end up traveling with an insane amount,” she said. Challenging herself has been a theme in Anya’s career as much as her reading habits. After she was scouted as a teenager,
while walking her dog in Knightsbridge, by the Storm Management founder Sarah Doukas, she auditioned successfully for a couple of minor television roles, but her breakthrough came when she was offered a part in Robert Eggers’ period horror film The Witch. “I remember it was the same day I got asked to be in a Disney Channel pilot, and it was so exciting to be offered anything at all that I ran around the house like a loon,” she says. “But I just had this really good feeling about The Witch that made me willing to forego the Disney experience for the thing that felt unknown to me, the thing that felt sacred.» Filming took place in a remote location six hours away from Toronto, with barely any connection to the outside world, and Anya remembers it as a formative professional experience. “It gave me the cornerstones of the way I work now, which is essentially the idea that there is no hierarchy on set: you work hard, you stay on top of the shots and you don’t assume anyone else is going to do that for you,” she says. “Your title doesn’t stop at actor – you’re a creative on this film, and that’s how you need to approach it.” Premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, The Witch – and Anya’s compelling performance as an innocent young girl who gradually succumbs to the forces of evil around her – garnered critical acclaim, much to her surprise. «I thought I’d done a really bad job, and I saw myself failing miserably with this dream I’d had for such a long time,» she says. «I guess I’m not always the best judge of my own work.” Fortunately, others were more confident of her talent, and a string of interesting roles followed, including a skillful double act with Olivia Cooke as a pair of disturbed schoolgirls in 2017’s sleeper hit Thoroughbreds and the lead in the BBC’s television adaptation of Jessie
Burton’s novel The Miniaturist, which made the most of her haunting beauty. (It is hard to believe she was picked on at school for the same facial features that now put her in constant demand from luxury houses such as Dior, which announced her as its global brand ambassador for women’s fashion and beauty last year.) Her vivacious turn as Emma Woodhouse, in Autumn de Wilde’s colorful film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, proved that she was an adept comic actress, and for many viewers – myself included – was synonymous with the freedom of pre-pandemic life, having been in cinemas across the UK just before the country shut down. “I remember thinking, I’m really glad it’s this film and not one of my others that people are watching right now,” she says, laughing. But it was in the depths of lockdown that Anya’s fame went stratospheric, when Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit became essential pandemic viewing. As Beth Harmon, an orphaned chess prodigy grappling with drug addiction, she demonstrated her extraordinary commitment to character acting, developing a particular way of handling the chess pieces that even professional players admitted they found convincing. «I haven’t chosen to become a method actor, nor do I want to be,» she says, «but I’m noticing that the more I work, the more that line gets blurred.» She collaborated with the director, Scott Frank, to shape every facet of the role from the outset –including Beth’s red hair, which was her idea. «I just saw it all in my head immediately – I knew exactly how to do it,» she tells me earnestly. «Before the audition, I must have swallowed the book in an hour, and PA G E 103
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I physically ran to meet Scott. I felt Beth really strongly.» The Queen’s Gambit was watched by 62 million households in its first 28 days, Anya’s performance received rave reviews and she was deluged with requests for interviews, television appearances and brand affiliations. Even now, her level of notoriety sometimes takes her by surprise PAGE 104
– most recently when she had to ‘beam in’ to the Toronto International Film Festival to promote her latest film The Menu, a gory satire on the world of fine dining in which she stars alongside Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult. “The whole cast were sat on the stage and then they put my face up on this huge cinema screen behind them,” she says. “When I saw myself pop PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGES ANTONI
Keeping busy has helped Anya navigate life as an international superstar, partly because being on location allows her to remain blissfully ignorant of what is happening back home. “There are these massive billboards with my face on them in New York, and I’ve never even seen them,” she says. “I think that’s been good for my headspace.” She does acknowledge, though, that jumping from project to project might not be sustainable for her mental health in the long term. “In 2019, I made Emma, then had one day off and did [Edgar Wright’s psychological-horror film] Last Night in Soho, then had a day off and did The Queen’s Gambit. I remember driving back from the English countryside to start work on Soho the next day thinking, right, you’re allowed one hour to cry. You get one hour to heave and sob and be grateful for the incredible experience you had, and then you need to start focusing on what you’re going to do tomorrow,” she says. “But I’m curious to see how it’s going to work out in the future because, well, I have a bit more of my own life now.” Though generally positive about her experience of Hollywood, she remains conscious that women have to work much harder than men to assert their rights. “In the past couple of years, I’ve definitely learned how to say ‘Hey, that’s actually not OK with me’, or ‘You’re not
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listening to me’ – and I don’t think I’d have got there had I not been pushed in a certain way, because I’m naturally a people pleaser. But eventually you get stepped on enough that you start to stand up and say no.” Her own success gives her confidence that the industry is not entirely corrupted. “I think everything has an equal measure of light and dark,” she says philosophically. “I’ve definitely been through the dark experiences PAGE 106
of it – but I’m noticing that, in terms of long-game strategy, kindness will out. If you work hard and are good to people, they want to keep working with you, and then another door opens.” There is certainly no shortage of doors open to her right now; if anything, the challenge is to choose which to go through. “Saying no is genuinely difficult for me, because I always want to PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGES ANTONI
do everything,” she admits. “But I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I can ask myself, do you feel passionate enough about this to spend seven months living all the way across the world, away from everyone you know and love? Will that sustain you? And if the answer’s yes, you should probably do it.”
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ALL BOARD THE WORLD’S MOST-LUXURIOUS TRAIN THROUGH ITALY
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OMETIME BETWEEN THE EXQUISITE HERB-STUFFED GUINEA FOWL AND THE PEAR COMPOTE LATHERED IN WHIPPED ZABAGLIONE, THE CAREFULLY ATTUNED EARS OF THE SERVERS IN THE SUMPTUOUS EMERALD L’ETOILE DU NORD DINING CAR PRICKED UP. PAGE 110
Whatever they were doing — refilling flutes of Champagne, crumbing tablecloths with silver spoons — they froze, as one extravagantly mustachioed member of the impeccably tailored waitstaff came marching down the narrow aisle. “Hold the glasses!” he called out. “Hold the glasses!” The rest of the servers echoed Italian Hodor, and my fellow passengers and I gripped our drinks, not knowing why. The brakes squeaked, and the train jerked,
making any untethered china and crystal chatter like winter teeth. It wasn’t murder on the Orient Express, but maybe a minor heart attack. This literal bump in the road on my overnight October journey from Venice to Brussels on the Venice Simplon-OrientExpress, A Belmond Train was jarring not because there was any danger involved — except maybe a chipped glass or two — but because the onboard experience otherwise unfurls so seamlessly, with such
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WITH FOOD BY CHEF JEAN IMBERT, A SWISH BAR CART, AND NEWLY REDONE CABINS, THE VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENTEXPRESS, A BELMOND TRAIN, JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
cinematic choreography and élan, you forget you’re in the real world and not a period picture. As VSEO manager Pascal Deyrolle tells his team at the beginning of the season, “We are not in the railway business, we are not in hospitality. We are in show business.” And I am in the literary business, a postwar novelist riding out Prohibition in Paris. Marco, s’il vous plaît, un autre Champagne. I returned to the lovely lunch (Michelin star collector Jean Imbert designs the onboard menus) as the waitstaff returned to pouring and crumbing and being extravagantly mustachioed, and Lake Garda filled the windows with big pools of blue. The Orient Express history is storied and about as complicated as Agatha Christie’s
titular whodunit. Save for some wartime interruptions, the OG OE’s iconic Paristo-Istanbul journey ran from 1883 to 1977. In 1982, The New York Times wrote of the line’s resurrection under hotelier James Sherwood, “with service three times a week between London, Paris and Venice [...] and for part of the trip the cars will use Orient Express rolling stock from the 1920’s, all meticulously restored to Art Deco splendor.” The train became the launching pad for Sherwood’s OrientExpress Hotels, Ltd., which changed names to Belmond in 2014 (the train was allowed to keep the OE surname), which was then purchased by LVMH in 2018. Meanwhile, Accor purchased the Orient Express name in 2022 and will debut Rome-to-Palermo trips on Orient Express La Dolce Vita next year, as well as a transcontinental service on the future Orient
Express in 2025. Deyrolle, who started on the VSOE in 1992 as a cabin steward, has seen the recent ascendance of train travel from inside the industry: “COVID-19 accelerated the need and want for a more sustainable way of traveling, and you’re getting a lot more players coming into the market.” Next year, Belmond brings back its Singapore roundtrip on the Eastern & Oriental Express, and Dreamstar Lines plans to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with the first overnight service between the cities since 1968. In 2025, a team that includes veterans of Eurorail and Mama Shelter will debut Midnight Trains, billed as a “hotel on rails” running from Paris to 10 European cities. PA G E 111
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On the VSOE, the low-stress logistics of getting from A to B are great, but I came for the in-between. It’s 24 to 36 hours of immersive theater whose curtain goes up as soon as you see the staff gathered alongside the gleaming, brass-trimmed navy train. Parked there in Venice’s Santa Lucia Station (and later, each time the train paused during the journey), folks on the platform going about the daily doldrums of life lit up. Eyes wide, phones raised to get a shot of the myth on wheels. My fellow passengers, too. They lined up to have their photos taken with the staff outside the train in Venice, like Disney tots waiting to meet Princess Elsa. “The guests, no matter how big they’ve made it in the world, how famous they are, how important they are, when they see the train standing at the platform, they are kids,” Deyrolle said. How many brands rent that kind of space in the Western subconscious? My Swiss steward, Melissa, a Belmond veteran, met me at the door to my carriage and whisked me on board and into my suite, one of eight that were fully renovated in June 2023 by in-house designer Marianne Khan. The landscapes
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the VSOE traverses inspire four different designs: the forest, the countryside, the mountains, and (my cabin) the lakes, expressed in saturated blue fabric trimmed with white and gold. A silver bucket of Veuve Clicquot, caviar-beaded canapés, and an overflowing bowl of plums, rambutans, grapes, and other fruits awaited on the white-clothed table, and the mirrored built-in bar came stocked with still and sparkling water, Mariage Frères teas, and branded Orient Express stationery and postcards. Melissa poured Champagne and introduced my second steward, Thibault, who talked about the suite’s woodwork and marquetry the way people talk about their children, tracing the swooping lanes of rosewood and mother-of-pearl across the interior shutters, which fold open to reveal a window into the hall. A grander version of the same art deco pattern curls up the wall behind the royal blue sofa, giving the effect of a headboard once the stewards convert the couch into a double bed while you’re at dinner. “See the blue here?” Thibault pointed to the swooping arcs of periwinkle wood, then detailed the specific dying process used so the oak
absorbs the color while its whorls of grain remain intact. After lunch in L’Etoile du Nord (one of three dining cars on board) and late-afternoon coffee served by Melissa and Thibault in the suite, it was time to dress for dinner. The preposterousness of putting on a gown or tux — the VSOE has a strict dress code — to eat in a vehicle careening across the countryside at 100 miles per hour is precisely why it’s so romantic. “We are all on stage, we all wear a costume,” Deyrolle said. “Our guests wear a costume, and they play a part in the play.” After drinks set to live piano in the swanky Bar Car 3674, dinner unfolded in the ivory-and-gold L’Oriental dining car among painted cranes and macaws perching on black-lacquer wall panels. Like the waiters, we felt the brakes before we heard them and held our cups and bottles close. “Hold the glasses,” we called to one another casually, across our cocktails and the tableside cheese tray. Talented actors, we’d learned our lines in record time.
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IT'S NEXT-GEN TIME TIKTOK INFLUENCERS
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SHAPING THE TRENDS OF 2024 AND GIVING A HOROLOGICAL EDUCATION
CARTIER BALLON BLEU STARTED IT ALL. TRANG TRINH GOT IT FOR HER 20TH BIRTHDAY, AND FIVE YEARS LATER SHE’S BEST KNOWN AS @GIRLS.O. CLOCK TO HER 44,000 FOLLOWERS OF TIKTOK, WHERE SHE’S ONE OF THE MORE POPULAR VOICES IN A BOOMING ECOSYSTEM ON THE PLATFORM THAT CAN BE SUMMED UP BY ONE HASHTAG RESPONSIBLE FOR 1.2 BILLION VIEWS IN THE PAST YEAR: #WATCHTOK. Besides Trinh, a new class of enthusiasts is leveraging social media to cater to the growing market of female watch collectors. There’s Brynn Wallner, 33, who created @dimepiece.co (a tongue-in-chic name for a cheeky content platform with some 47,000 followers on Instagram alone) after she was laid off from Sotheby’s in 2020, and Zoë Abelson, 34, a dealer and founder of Graal, a vintage watch source, who is known as @WatchGirlOffDuty to her 27,000 followers on Instagram. Those followers are so engaged that Abelson created a WhatsApp group that includes more than 500 members just to take shop (see, “Watch this Space,” right). “Yes, it’s a place to connect over this passion, but it’s also a place where they aren’t going to feel intimidated about asking a question about a certain watch,” Abelson says. PAGE 116
That’s a quirk of the often-insular watch industry, which for all its innovation can be forbidding to newcomers. It was once predicted that the iPhone would spell doom for analog wristwatches, but the common thread between these next-gen gurus is that they’re using our smallest
screens to kick the doors open to future collectors like themselves. And the watch world is embracing them back. It has not gone unnoticed that women bought some $24 million in watches priced $1,200 and above in 2019; that number is expected to grow to nearly $27 million
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by 2027, according to a study by Allied Market Research. “Influencers bring a dynamic and personal touch to the educational process,” says Rebecca Ross, vice president/head of sales for watches at Christie’s. Ross credits them with driving more women to bid on and
buy timepieces, and for helping millennial clients become one third of all bidders and buyers in the category, a record. “They provide insights, stories, and perspectives that resonate with a wider audience, including those who might be new to the world of watch collecting.”
Ginny Wright, CEO of Audemars Piguet Americas says, “Platforms like TikTok and Instagram lend themselves to providing greater context and richer storytelling for consumers, while also exploring the industry’s vast creativity and detailed history in a way that feels digestible.” Watches are, for lack of a better word, complicated. They’re PA G E 117
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SHAPING THE TRENDS OF 2024 AND GIVING A HOROLOGICAL EDUCATION incredible feats of engineering rooted in a rich 17th-century heritage that deals in scarcity and exclusivity. Historically, the watch world has been something of a secret society, with arcane lingo and prohibitive admission fees. The industry has also predominantly marketed its products to men, who still hold many of the highest C-suite positions. Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre and Ilaria Resta, CEO of Audemars Piguet as of August, are exceptions to the rule. Today’s tick-tock prophets are democratizing points of access by speaking directly, if not exclusively, to women through the lingua franca of the moment: pop culture. For @ dimepiece.co, that might mean a deep dive into the Audemars Piguet limited editions owned by LeBron James, whereas Trinh anchored a crowdsourced post about watch engravings with a picture of Jacqueline KennedyOnassis and her famous Cartier Tank. It was lapped up by more than 73,000 viewers. “If you see a picture of a cool celebrity wearing a watch, you’re drawn into the bigger picture, as opposed to ‘This is a Patek 2499, for example, with a particular complication,’ which is like speaking a foreign language says Malaika Crawford, the style editor at Hodinkee, the watch news and e-commerce platform. “Instead, they give cultural context clues someone can understand.” For Trinh, celebrity, sports, fashion, and design are lenses that make PAGE 118
the watch space more inclusive. By offering a platform, and inviting comments, she’s cutting down the fear factor and amplifying a conversation that would otherwise be restricted to a trade show in Geneva or Miami. “A lot of people see an appointment at an auction house as a place for the one percent, or an appointment at Audemars Piguet as something outside of what they’ll get to be part of. But the value that influencers are providing is sharing those experiences really can be accessible,” Trinh Says. Even if, or perhaps because, the price point isn’t yet. In 2020, Trinh may have been on a fashion assistant’s salary, but that fateful Cartier gift had already wound up her professional clock. She wanted to learn more but couldn’t relate to the sources available. She started @girlsoclock to fill a gap. Her five-year goal is simple: create a community for literacy and communication, and nurture that audience to grow from simply watch-curious to watch-obsessed. At least one future collector is intrigued. A year ago, the depth of my knowledge did not extend beyond a Rolex Datejust, but now that I’ve entered the chat, I find myself daydreaming about a certain vintage gold Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse with a leather band. Then again, maybe I’ll shoot for the stars and aim for a Piaget Limelight with a turquoise dial and sapphire set case. Only time will tell.
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FASHION & STYLE
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GEORGES HOBEIKA
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ARMANI PRIVE
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VALENTINO
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CHANEL
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GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
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DIOR COUTURE
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CONTENT PHOTOS COURTESY COURTESYTHE THE IMPRESSION CONTENTCOURTESY COURTESY THE THE IMPRESSION IMPRESSION // PHOTOS IMPRESSION
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HOUGH THIS SEASON OF MEN’S FASHION STILL HAD A FEW OF THE MAXIMALIST RUNWAY SPECTACLES THAT THE BIG HOUSES RELY ON TO GENERATE HYPE AND ENGAGEMENT, IN MANY WAYS IT FELT LIKE A MORE THOUGHTFUL BODY OF WORK THAN IN RECENT SEASONS. PAGE 148
Whether it’s global conflict, fears of recession, the rise of AI, or the changing of fashion’s corporate structure – probably all of these – something was in the air to make designers dig deep and reflect on a fundamental design level. While gender fluidity still isn’t nearly as present as it was, say, a few years ago, Fendi, Loewe, and Gucci all made successful efforts to break from the mold of rigid masculine archetypes and infuse a sense of feminine freedom into their collections.
It should come as no surprise that Rick Owens earned the top spot. Marking a break from his typical routine of showing at the Palais de Tokyo, the designer invited the fashion flock into his home – an intimate gesture that emphasized the deep sense of humanity subtly present in a collection that used proportional amplification to emphasize the inhumanity of a time when the global news cycle is shaped by conflict and genocide.
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MANSION OF THE MONTH VILLA LA TORTUE
MARIGOT, ST. BARTHS, FRENCH WEST INDIES
A CARIBBEAN ESCAPE AWAITS PRICE UPON REQUEST
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VILLA LA TORTUE
YOUR CARIBBEAN ESCAPE AWAITS
V
ILLA LA TORTUE IS A TURNKEY MASTERPIECE, READY TO FULFILL YOUR EVERY DESIRE FOR A LIFE OF OPULENCE AND RELAXATION. EMBRACE THE PRIVILEGE OF CALLING THIS LUXURIOUS PROPERTY YOUR OWN. DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE PAGE 156
TO MAKE VILLA LA TORTUE YOUR PRIVATE HAVEN IN THE HEART OF ST. BARTHÉLEMY’S MARIGOT HILLSIDE. Parking is a breeze, with ample space and easy access for a seamless arrival and departure experience. The ground level of Villa La Tortue offers two en suite bedrooms, one of
which has been thoughtfully converted into a well-equipped gym, catering to your fitness needs in style. Ascend to the upper level, where the crown jewel of the villa awaits – the principal en suite bedroom. This elegant haven boasts a spacious walk-in closet and a private terrace, providing the perfect vantage point to soak in breathtaking views of Marigot Bay.
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On this level, you’ll also find a convenient guest bathroom, as well as two additional en suite bedrooms, each offering a tranquil retreat for guests or family members. The contemporary charm of Villa La Tortue is evident the moment you step inside. The main level welcomes you
with an open floor plan that seamlessly blends the kitchen, complete with a wine cooler and bar, with the inviting living and dining areas. These spaces effortlessly flow onto a covered terrace, where al fresco dining takes on a whole new meaning against the backdrop of a glistening pool.
Perched atop Marigot Hillside in St. Barthélemy, Villa La Tortue is a newly renovated masterpiece that redefines luxury living. This fully air-conditioned sanctuary boasts five spacious bedrooms, each with its own exquisite en suite bathroom, spread across three meticulously designed levels. PA G E 157
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NANTES PAYS DE LA LOIRE 44000 FRANCE
PRICE $29,967,206 USD BEDROOMS 8 / BATHROOMS 2 FULL INTERIOR 10,7639 SQ FT. / EXTERIOR 317.29 ACRES NANTES, PAYS DE LA LOIRE, 44000 FRANCE HUS STUD FARM This exceptional estate comprises not only a historic chateau but also one of France’s biggest equestrian facilities with PAGE 162
the capacity to house approximately 400 horses. The castle has been restored and offers 1000 sq. meters of perfectly renovated living space including an indoor pool, a steam room and a gym. The spacious grounds comprise 128 hectares including private access to the River
Erdre, a 30-meter mooring, extensive equestrian training facilities including show jumping and dressage with 200 hectares extra rental. Restored outbuildings, helicopter pad and only 35 kilometers from the international airport. The sale includes 300 horses.
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CASTILLO CARIBE CARIBBEAN LUXURY IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS PRICE UPON REQUEST
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N
OW YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL: LIFESTYLE, LUXURY, LOCATION AND LIMITED TAX LIABILITY. WITHOUT DOUBT CASTILLO CARIBE IS ONE OF THE FINEST BEACH-FRONT ESTATE HOMES IN THE WORLD OFFERING EVERY LUXURY FOR MODERN DAY LIFE WITH ALL THE LIFESTYLE OPTIONS ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM THE CAYMAN ISLANDS AND THE CARIBBEAN.
Although the Cayman Islands enjoy year-round sunshine and a temperate climate, this benefit is eclipsed in most people’s eyes by the Islands’ offshore status. The Cayman Islands are well known as a financial center on the world’s stage and provide the highest quality of lifestyle available in a tax
neutral environment, making it very appealing to people of high net worth to seek residency here - a position that is actively encouraged by the local government and, as a British Overseas Territory, is a very stable option. There are a number of destinations in the world that are able to offer offshore status to a greater or lesser degree, but the Cayman Islands have no local taxes whatsoever: no property tax, no income tax, no capital gains tax and no inheritance tax. Castillo Caribe offers a rare opportunity to combine this with privacy, security, luxury and lifestyle all on a pristine white sandy beach overlooking the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. The space afforded here is too limited to provide adequate description of all the properties features and amenities, please request a detailed package by emailing: heather.carrigan@sothebysrealty.com.
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In Search and Unexpected of Solace Sparkling
A Lambrusco Renaissance
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WILLIAM SMITH
@willismith_2000 COPY EDITOR & CONTRIBUTOR
W
INE, AND NEARLY ALL ALCOHOL FOR THAT MATTER, WAS MOSTLY ABSENT FROM THE HOUSEHOLD OF MY YOUTH. WE DID, HOWEVER, HAVE A SPARSELY STOCKED “LIQUOR SHELF.” IT WAS A MOTLEY CREW WITH A SAD AND FADED BOTTLE OF RYE, A HALF-EMPTY BOTTLE OF PEPPERMINT SCHNAPPS, AND TWO BOTTLES OF WINE (PREVIOUSLY OPENED AND TRUDGING TOWARD ACETIFICATION) – A MANISCHEWITZ CONCORD GRAPE AND A BOTTLE OF RIUNITE LAMBRUSCO.
I don’t ever recall my parents partaking from this bounty, but I remembered the Riunite because there was also a ubiquitous marketing campaign at the time of television commercials rejoicing in the splendor of “Riunite on ice. That’s nice.” Flash forward to a recent conversation I was having with a sommelier friend of mine who was enthusiastically endorsing Lambrusco as a wine we should all consider drinking as spring arrives. I went
down a rabbit hole – deep – and this month decided to delve into the underappreciated and much maligned Lambrusco. When many people think of an Italian sparkling, their mind immediately associates the type with Prosecco. Rightly so. There is more prosecco sold each year than French Champagne or Spanish Cava, combined. I remember the first time I had an Italian sparkling that was not prosecco – it was a delicious red sparkling Brachetto d’Acqui. I was smitten. It was that same sense of being enamored that I experienced in tasting several great bottlings of Lambrusco for this month’s column. Lambrusco hails primarily from the Emilia-Romagna region where it’s as old as the Etruscans who cultivated the grape for wine. Lambrusco has eight distinct DOC regions whose names also somewhat overlap with the six varieties of the Lambrusco grape that are indigenous to the region. During the 1970s and 80s, the global wine market – and especially in the United States – was flooded with mass-produced versions of Lambrusco that were saccharin sweet and served, as Riunite suggested, over ice. And this is the lasting impression of Lambrusco in many minds. In fact, when I posted on social media about my research into Lambruscos, most responses ushered in the memories of many people’s parents indulging in the wines decades ago and few commented on their own recollections of tasting these wines since. Today’s Lambrusco wines are not your parent’s Lambruscos. Yes, you
can still buy the typified style of decades ago – I found a 1.5 liter of a mass-produced version at a local, mega wine seller for $7.99 USD – but current offerings are shockingly sophisticated and complex, and because they remain under the radar, can be found at a tremendous value. In fact, a current renaissance among winemakers of Lambrusco is bringing to market diverse styles, carefully crafted by veteran winemakers, and that obliterate the common understanding of the varietal. This month we tasted four standout bottlings from three different producers. CLETO CHIARLI
Perhaps no name is more synonymous with both the history of Lambrusco wines and their renaissance than Cleto Chiarli. The winemaker’s founding predates the unification of Italy by a year and over the past 160 years, six generations of the family have consistently produced some of the finest examples of Lambrusco. Among them is Centenario Amabile. It was a snowy day when we tasted this wine, but it felt like winter in a glass. On the nose, it had the floral and talc profile of a Brachetto d’Acqui with distinctive hints of fresh violets. In the glass, it is an intense ruby-hued sparkling whose bubbles felt quite timid in PA G E 169
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the background. It frothed wonderfully upon pouring, accentuating the depth of color. On the palate, a crisp acidity encapsulated an unctuous berry profile with plums and cherries and their delicious syrup when baked. This is a dry Lambrusco and it even finished much like a fruit-forward pinot noir might. At just 8 percent alcohol, enjoy. The second bottling from Cleto Chiarli that we tasted was the Lambrusco del Fondatore. Again, a completely dry version of the varietal, upon pouring, an abundance of freshly picked and ripe strawberries on the nose. In the glass, this is a sophisticated Lambrusco. Hints of savory herbs linger in the background of what we decided was a flavor profile akin to a watermelon Jolly Rancher, but on steroids. Its deep garnet color in the glass is enticing in its own right. This is food-friendly wine - think a lobster salad or charcuterie with cured and marbled cuts. FUSO21 PODERE CIPOLLA DENNY BINI LAMBRUSCO DELL’EMILIA
Denny Bini is one of those small producers working diligently to change the impression of Lambrusco, producing just 6,000 bottles a year.
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I was a bit skeptical when I spotted the bottle and took note of its "bottle cap" top
and playful label. I got over the skepticism in an instant when I popped the top of this delicious, bone-dry offering of Lambrusco, feeling blessed that a local wine shop scored this rarity. It is all bramble on the nose and the palate, like walking through a ripe blueberry patch and sampling the fruit all along the way. It has a bit of floral on the nose as well and some fun and aggressive bubbles. Just fine to drink on its own, this is also an incredibly food-friendly wine that has savory, herbaceous notes that would turn a simple grilled filet of beef into something extraordinary. This is the bottle to bring to a party and share the renaissance of Lambrusco.
VIGNETO SAETTI LAMBRUSCO DELL”EMILIA “ROSSO VIOLA”
For those leaning into the natural wine trend, we tasted the Lambrusco dell’Emilia “Rosso Viola” from Vigneto Saetti which true to the natty style, has a fair amount of funk on the nose that never dissipated, even after some time in the glass. However, from a flavor profile perspective, this wine developed exceptionally well with some time to breathe and became that much more enjoyable for the wait. The semi-sparkling delivery of bubbles was perfect, as this is most-definitely a food wine. The berry-forward dryness
would be a perfect accompaniment to a pan-roasted sea bass with English peas. As you undertake your own journey down the proverbial rabbit hole in discovering Lambrusco, just be aware that there are many styles, including some that can be quite sweet (and less food-friendly, in my opinion). But if you try one and it’s not what you were expecting, try another. Additionally, don’t be too surprised if you cannot find a plethora of options locally. This renaissance is still new and, as with anything, the more consumer demand, the more options become available. If you can’t find something locally, several online retailers have the wines described in this month’s feature and others. And in case you were wondering…. yes, I did try that old stalwart Riunite Lambrusco as part of my research. It was a tad too sweet for me and much less complex a flavor profile than one finds in the other more upmarket offerings. Still, if you’re down in the rabbit hole, grab a bottle alongside others and experience the evolution of the type and maybe even relish a few memories from your youth. On ice. That’s nice. As always, Salud!
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TOMMASO CHIARLI ON THE PROMISE OF LAMBRUSCO Lambrusco is a generational family affair at Cleto Chiarli and Polo Lifestyles checked in with Tommaso Chiarlo, a member of the fifth generation of the family to lead the winery. Cleto Chiarli is considered to be among the premiere producers for classic sparkling red Lambrusco. What does it mean to the family to represent the very best wine of this type? During my five years with the company, I realized the importance of Chiarli's heritage and production operations, both in the Lambrusco world, but also in the local community. All of this makes us extremely proud, but
also brings with it a big responsibility toward a healthy and prosperous eco-system as we create Lambrusco. In addition to this, we also feel obliged to preserve the authenticity of wines, and also to explore new possibilities and marketing trends to promote Lambrusco – which though we create other wines, will always come first among our own brand. That is something we should never forget at Chiarli. Why do you think Lambrusco remains underappreciated as a worldclass sparkling wine? While it is definitely a unique wine and a unique wine category with no rivals, red sparkling wines
hardly come to mind when consumers pick a wine. This is the first challenge. Second, the dark era of Lambrusco played a major role in declassifying the brand in people's minds. Additionally, the area sees a lot of small quality producers who have a hard time convincing importers and distributors to promote the wines worldwide. This creates a lack of availability of quality Lambrusco in various markets and therefore costumers find it hard to find. This is getting better though. What is your outlook for sales and appreciation for Lambrusco outside Italy? We have seen a renaissance of quality, authentic
Lambrusco DOC in many important markets in the past 10 years, with the USA and Canada at the lead. Although this is still a small percent of distributed Lambrusco, this creates the opportunity for wine critics and sommeliers to rate and write about it. This is very important. The growing interest, although a bit slow, is positive. With time, the region was forgotten; but now it presents itself as a newly discovered region for wine tourism. This is definitely a positive engine for the promotion of Lambrusco. For example, at Chiarli, we hosted over 4,000 visitors in 2023 at our Cleto Chiarli winery.
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THE LUXURY REAL ESTATE REPORT
MANHATTAN
THE INTERSECTION OF ART, MUSEUMS, REAL ESTATE & LIFESTYLE
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DANA ROMITA
I
REAL ESTATE CONTRIBUTOR @danaromita
AM A LUXURY REAL ESTATE BROKER IN MANHATTAN; WE HAVE DISCUSSED A BIT OF WHAT THAT ENTAILS DAILY, BUT IT WAS A SUPERFICIAL GLANCE. IT IS CONSTANTLY EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING IN MANY WAYS STAYING FOCUSED, REMEMBERING CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH OF YOUR CLIENTS AS IF THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES YOU ARE HAVING. NAVIGATING HIGH PRESSURE, FAST-MOVING DYNAMICS WITH COLLEAGUES BALANCED WITH THE LONELY EXISTENCE OF AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.
How do we stay relatively sane and highly functioning in this milieu? I am still in a discovery phase but have made significant progress. Part of that has been becoming comfortable in my own skin, knowing who I am and embracing it. In short, I have learned to accept that I am a major nerd and am allowing this to benefit my mental welfare! Yesterday, as I was feeling a soupçon of guilt about indulging in one of my favorite past times while faced with a full workday ahead (this was Sunday), I arrived at MOMA for a quick walk through the Picasso in Fontainebleau exhibit. I enter exhibitions and retrospectives with my mind ready: to learn, to question, to critique; excited for the mental challenge which lies ahead. I plant myself in front of the first wall of writing, ready to open my eyes, spin my wheels -and to take my glasses on and off multiple times to make sure that
I am not missing some aspect of a piece that may be obfuscated by my purported need to wear progressive lenses. I now have most of these conversations in my own head, as over the years I noticed the confusion and boredom on the faces of those who accompany me when I start sharing my thoughts. I am no art expert-student-critic; it is my absolute passion for the subject and my small frustration over the fact that I cannot spend my days immersed in artistic and literary or historic academia that drives me. I know that I idealize the daily existence of those who arduously work, day in and day out, in these disciplines, but I continue to indulge this fantasy. Does this personal passion relate in any way to my career choice? Yes. Manhattan is undeniably one of the world’s cultural centers. The architecture and decoration of our magnificent pre-war buildings, contemporary gleaming towers, the PA G E 173
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sculptures, arboretum and botany carefully chosen for our public spaces – it distinguishes our unique island. But the mere existence and experience of life in Manhattan has inspired all cultural disciplines since humans first inhabited the area. The beauty, the struggles, the intensity and the uniqueness of life in Manhattan continues to stimulate artistic achievement beyond simple comprehension. Ergo, my first point is that Manhattan real estate, and the Manhattan lifestyle - in all its diversity and art - are inextricably intertwined. Second, I will make it personal. My career in Manhattan real estate is not a casual choice for me. If it were, then the potential for success would be limited. The history of the greatest city in the world fascinates me perpetually. I walk through the laundry room of a pre-war building and wonder about the people who have stood in these historic caverns, those who did the excavation, laid the stones – what were their lives, their PAGE 174
stories that define these edifices for perpetuity. These days, my generation and younger are ultra-focused on work-life balance: recharging, restoring, boundaries, unwinding and mindfulness. My tendency has been to roll my eyes and to brace myself for some kind of life-coachy lecture when I hear these terms. I do understand the importance of having an outlet, particularly for those of us whose careers are especially detrimental to a work-life-health balance, but I never gave it much thought. I don’t clear my head at the gym, I can’t play a musical instrument, sing or draw particularly well. The thought (no pun intended) of meditation sends me running for the hills. Then one day, I walked into the Metropolitan Museum, which I do a few times a month, but never considered why. Walking in, I breathed a palpable sigh of relief. There it was.
Immersing myself in an artistic, historical institution, listening to a three-hour podcast about Stonehenge, watching a documentary about Henry V or standing in the laundry room of a 100-year-old building all give my brain a reprieve from the pressures of being a luxury real estate broker on the one of the top-performing teams in Manhattan. I know you might chuckle at the absurdity of that statement. But these things remind me that my daily concerns, stress and pressures are so trivially relative to the scope, beauty, magnitude and complexity of humanity. My mind is immediately lifted out of the moment, opened, lightened – and I notice myself start to breathe. Most importantly, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the world in which I have the privilege to live and work – with all its imperfections, challenges and ugliness - it is still a magnificent gift. Thankfully, cultural enlightenment and
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mental healing are not relegated to the grandeur and magnificence of institutions like the Metropolitan Museum; as I mentioned earlier, it can occur in some of the most mundane locations. Take a moment to let the everyday of our lives elevate your thoughts. Louis Nevelson’s imposing piece at MOMA, Sky Cathedral, is described as, “A shrine filled with everyday objects found in her Manhattan neighborhood.” And she calls it a Cathedral, elevating the everyday to something worthy of quiet contempla-
tion and worship. Andy Warhol said, “I just happen to like ordinary things. When I paint them, I don’t try to make them extraordinary.” Mark Rothko regarded his art as a profound form of communication, “Conveying the ‘scale of human feelings, the human drama’” – the human experience. Maybe that’s what people mean by mindfulness; I’m not exactly sure. Whatever you are drawn to for balance, mental
well-being, release – let it be your own. You don’t have to choose from a list but find it and embrace it. Even writing these articles provides me with that reprieve and escape – and I and deeply grateful to those who push and gently remind me each month to get something done, and thankful to those who magnanimously opened this door for me. Thank you to those of you who take the valuable time from your day to read. PA G E 175
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ALIGN WITH YO SPIRITUALITY · FAITH · QUESTIONS · GROWTH · FOCUS
T H E C E L E S T I A L M A N D AT E F O R A R A D I C A L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N I N D E V OT I O N A L L I V I N G
WHAT SPIRITUAL MASTERS KNOW ABOUT
HOW TO LOVE
“May the tree of our lives be rooted in the soil of love, may good deeds be the leaves, kind words be the flowers, and peace be the fruit. May the world flourish as one family, united in love. May we thus be able to create a world in which peace and contentment prevail. This is Amma’s sincere prayer.” - Mata Amritanandamayi Devi AMRITLAL SAINI
SPIRITUALITY CONTRIBUTOR @monarch_visionary
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HAT DOES IT TAKE TO TRULY TRANSFORM THE WORLD? TO INSPIRE THE UNITING OF NATIONS IN A VISION THAT FUELS THE AWAKENING OF OUR UNIFIED SERVICE? WHERE DO WE TURN WHEN IN SEARCH OF THE KEYS TO RESTORE OUR SPIRITUAL POWER AS ANCIENT EARTH AWAKENS US TO OUR HIGHER SELVES? What lessons can be learned from the many realized saints whose bare feet and purified intentions have magnetized this planet with the spiritual wisdom that is PAGE 178
now being remembered across her many roots?
INSPIRATION FROM MOTHER INDIA “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers… because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”- Steve Jobs With 53 temples for every 100,000 people, India is often revered as the spiritual capital of the world, renowned as a source of rich and diverse spiritual teachings and traditions that have spread across Mother Earth’s many continents, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. India has seeded the incarnation of profoundly compassionate and driven guardians of the spiritual realms who have redefined the Western perception of self, health, purpose and sacred communion; all aspects of self-expression
that amount to Bhakti, our overflowing love for our Divine Mother creator. A land whose spirituality and mysticism has inspired countless social innovators,
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OUR PURPOSE IN SY N C W IT H YO UR V IB E
R E N E WA L · C O M M U N I T Y · S U P P O RT · E X P LO R AT I O N · E N E R G Y artists and activists, India has rooted, in her spiritual practices, rituals that instill, from a young age, a connection to one’s soul divinity. India’s ancient Vedic yogic teachings are now being globally embodied, as a cure for many of humanity’s social ailments and diseases, by those consciously guiding Humanity through our Ascension – our transformational alignment with the cosmic flow that restores our original state of existence. Vedic seers believed that unless acquired wisdom was properly activated within the human vessel, clearing distortions and inherited social biases, the capacity for true spiritual comprehension atrophied, i.e. neural and nervous system pathways withered away, limiting the higher senses of the divine mind. Hence, the mantras, devotional hymns in ancient Sanskrit that contain the vibration of profound wisdom, were taught to children as Vedic initiates, prior to the detailed explanation of their meaning, so that the students could properly sense the radiance of the Absolute Truth. Without a full sense of Truth, all we receive is a shade of our full spectrum reflection. Chapter IV, Verse 20 of the ancient Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita, “The Song of God,” translates, “Relinquishing attachment to the fruits of work, always contented, independent of material rewards, the wise do not perform any binding action, even in the midst of activities.” It is believed that billionaire inventor Steve Jobs was directly inspired by this
verse of Lord Krishna’s teachings when he stated, “I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.” Jobs, who left Reed College after one semester, entrusted to the promise of his future to his blossoming sense of self as he backpacked to ashrams throughout India for seven months in 1973 for the most influential education of his life. After seven months of enduring the necessary life tribulations and revelations to initiate his own profound realizations, he returned to California with a shaved head, in traditional Indian dress and passion for Zen Buddhism. Upon his return, in 1974, Steve Jobs announced,” There is no one that embodies better what I want to become, other than Gandhi; he changed the world.”
In 1985, when Steve Jobs was ousted from the board of Apple, he changed his style of glasses to circular Gandhian glasses. Reinvigorated with purpose, he began master-architecting what would evolve as an industry-disrupting force, Pixar, the animation studio which brought CGI to life, forever evolving the storytelling experience – how we communicate life’s most important lessons to our future generation of leaders. Upon his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs’ advertising campaign, “Think different,” which ran for five years, bolstered the Apple brand and reestablished the counter-culture aura of its earlier days, setting the stage for the immensely successful iMac all-in-one personal computer. When asked by Time Magazine about his choice for the Person of the Century in 1999, Jobs, who kept a picture of India’s revered Mahatma in his walPA G E 179
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EXPLORING THE TEACHINGS ON HOW TO LOVE let, replied, “Gandhi is my choice for the Person of the Century because he showed us the way out of the destructive side of our human nature. Gandhi demonstrated that we can force change and justice through moral acts of aggression instead of physical acts of aggression. Never has our species needed this wisdom more.” Suffering under the heavy stress of an early budding Facebook, when Mark Zuckerberg asked for Job’s counsel, he advised the young executive to visit the same ashram he had first encountered in Uttarakand – the temple of world renown yogi, mystic and saint, Maharaji-ji. In 2008, Zuckerberg visited for one month to gain clearer purpose and stronger conviction in his company, establishing a vision that clearly succeeded in bridging people divided across nations. Aware of his looming death, Jobs meticulously planned his own funeral. At his 2011 memorial service, hundreds of influential leaders in business, politics and pop culture received a spiritual introduction to the Kriya Yoga teachings held within Hindu, yogi, saint Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi,” the only book remaining on Jobs’ iPad the last few months of his life. In a TechCrunch Disrupt interview, billionaire CEO of Salesforce.com, Marc Benioff, remarked upon his emotions whereby receiving the mysterious, small brown box at his mentor’s memorial: “This is going to be good… I knew that this was a decision he made, and whatever it was, it was the last thing he wanted us ALL to THINK about.”
THE ASCENSION OF A GREAT SOUL: MAHATMA GANDHI In his first TV interview, when asked, “If England does not grant your demands are you prepared to return to jail again?” With a welcoming smile, Mahatma Gandhi replied, “I am always prepared PAGE 180
to return to jail.” When the question was furthered with, “Would you be prepared to die in the cause of India’s Independence?” Smiling and laughing, Mahatma corrected his interrogator, “This is a bad question.” At the time of Mahatma’s birth, India was preparing to heal from the traumatizing experience of her British colonization: poverty, malnutrition, disease, cultural upheaval, economic exploitation, political disadvantage, and systematic programs - all aimed at creating a sense of social unworthiness and racial inferiority amongst her people. Under its colonization of India’s profoundly mystical race, the British introduced the Macauly system of education in India to groom Indians with Western knowledge and override her rich history with Western ideals. The Macaulay’s system mandated the immediate stopping of the printing by the East India Company of all Arabic and Sanskrit books, and discontinued all support of traditional cultural education beyond the Sanskrit College at Benares and the Mahometan College at Delhi, which were deemed inadequate to maintain traditional, civilized learning. On October 2, 1869, with the birth of Mohandas Karamchaud Gandhi, India’s celestial plea for redemption was answered. Incarnated into an elite family, young Mahatma was initially molded into his father’s image, a lawyer and an important government official. Arranged into marriage, at age 13, Mahatma was encouraged to earn his law degree at the Inner Temple of London. After a twoyear attempt at his own legal practice in India, a disheartened Mahatma returned home to be called to South Africa, where he personally experienced the humiliating discrimination policies against the dark-skinned Indians who had been imported as laborers. Mahatma soon became an outspoken critic against the ruling Boers, who, of
European descent, saw themselves as racially superior, as God had established a hierarchy of being, in which white Christians were superior to people of indigenous races. In 1907, when Boer legislature mandated all Indians register with the police and be fingerprinted, Mahatma, along with many other Indians, refused to obey this law. He was imprisoned, for the first of many times, for disobeying what he believed to be unjust laws. Inspired, while imprisoned, by Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Civil Disobedience,” Mahatma adopted this term to describe his strategy of non-violently refusing to cooperate with injustice, though he preferred the Sanskrit word Satyagraha, meaning devotion to Absolute Truth. Following his release from jail, he continued to protest the registration law by supporting labor strikes and organizing a massive non-violent march. Finally, the Boer government agreed to a compromise that ended the most objectionable parts of the registration law. Mahatma’s twenty years fighting for human rights in South Africa prepared him for his life’s work in India. As he left South Africa in 1914, the leader of the Boer government remarked, “The saint has left our shores, I sincerely hope forever.” Mahatma returned to India, a hero in his native land, having abandoned his Western clothing for the simple homespun dress of the poor. His homecoming was a proclamation to India to assert their independence from British domination. He preached sovereignty to the Indian masses, encouraging them reclaim their sense of self, Bhakti, by spinning and weaving in lieu of buying British cloth, not only to reclaim the country’s economy, but to also invoke the art of living. In 1930, in his most spectacular act of civil disobedience, Mahatma led thousands of Indians upon a 240-mile protest
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to the Arabian Sea where he picked a pinch of salt. His righteous invocation of humanity’s divine right to our elemental resources sparked a mass movement among the people all over the country to source their own salt, a direct defiance of British authority which forced the Indian economy upon the government monopoly.
immaculate vision raised awareness of all hypocrisy, malpractices, and dogma in all religions to provide a blueprint of inspiration for future social movements around the world. Nonetheless, his alignment to truth manifested the demons amongst the very people he yearned to lead into their salvation, against their own acts of self-defilement.
To resurrect India, Mahatma compelled equality amongst her divided people, directly calling out the evils that undermined peace. The second evil was Hindu-Muslim disunity caused by years of religious hatred. The last evil was the Hindu tradition of classifying millions of Indians as a caste of untouchables, India’s lowest social class, who faced severe discrimination and could only practice the lowest occupations.
Mahatma’s last months were shadowed by communal strife between Hindus and Muslims. As he walked barefoot through the scorched villages in East Bengal, locals threw shattered glass upon his path. Gandhi pleaded for amicable settlement between India and Pakistan, but on January 30, 1948, he was assassinated in Delhi on his way to an evening prayer. A young Hindu Brahmin, named Nathuram Godse, who viewed Gandhi’s acceptance of partition as a betrayal of
Though a frail man, his iron will and
the Hindu population, fired three shots, point-blank into Mahatma’s chest, the bullet holes resembling a garland of love for his great works upon his beloved Mother Earth. Mahatma’s dying words were reported to be “Ram, Ram” meaning “God, God.” Sixty-three years later, the last words of Steve Jobs echoed his lifetime spiritual guide: “Oh wow, oh wow.”
PAVING THE WAY FOR PEACE It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful? - Mahatma Mohandas Karamchaud Gandhi
Upon our time to rise, our greatest work will be to release the dark hold upon our minds, for our greatest wealth is the evolved sense for our true spiritual self, attained through the deeds embodied
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EXPLORING THE TEACHINGS ON HOW TO LOVE to redeem our souls of our own backward-twisted lives. Born September 27, 1953, as Sudhamani, “ambrosial jewel,” now honored globally as Amritanandamayi Devi, the hugging saint, has demonstrated the power of conviction in self, Mahatma’s Satyagraha, to fully embody a divine resonant force that invokes within those forgotten a mission to serve the collective heart’s calling. Incarnated into a poor fishing village in Kerala, Southern India, the self-realized spiritual master walked and talked by six months, and at age three was composing beautiful, extraordinarily profound hymns to her beloved Krishna, whom only she could perceive. While others felt the gift of her presence, her own family met her divine moods with immense shame and disdain. As a child, her immense empathy for the suffering guided her in transforming the intense pain, starvation and cruelty inflicted upon those in need through her own spiritual alchemy, witnessed through her divinely embodied states of ecstasy. Her rebellious acts against the irrational customs of the locals, such as consoling the poor with what little they had, refusing an arranged marriage, and living along in a small temple built upon the family’s property, delivered so much shame upon her family that her own relatives attempted to poison and even maim her. Nonetheless, through divine intervention, all pursuits to limit her spiritual progress were halted, and soon, through the spread of word, a pilgrimage of devotees began to acclimate around her. Gradually, her own family began to accept that just maybe, their daughter was worth something more. By 1981, Mata Amritanandamayi Math was officially registered as an ashram, slowly gaining attention from seekers
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around the world. By 1987, at the age of 34, Amma, the name given to her by her followers, meaning “Mother,”, answered an invitation to begin her first world tour, holding programs in Singapore, the United States and Europe. In 1989, when Amma received enough money to build her first temple, putting the needs of others before her own, she redirected the funds to build an orphanage for 500 displaced children, and hence launched her first humanitarian program, Embracing the World, which now spans over 48 countries, run by volunteers, with special consultative status to the United Nations. In October 2002, Amma was presented the Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence at the U.N. in Geneva. Amma holds the first-ever UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. In October 2022, the Government of India appointment Amma as the Chair of India’s Civil 20, an official engagement group of the Group of 20 - the premier inter-governmental forum for the world’s developed and emerging economies to address financial stability on a global basis. Amma’s spiritual gift, darshan, which she delivers to her devotees, is her fully accepting hug, which, when experienced by those prepared, is felt as a clearing of the karmic debris from their auric field. Amma’s free public programs are held throughout India, Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan as well as Malaysia, the Middle East, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South America and the United States. To-date, 40 million souls have received the grace of her healing embrace. In a country where women’s equality continues to be of the greatest challenge, as the founder of internationally acclaimed, humanitarian-focused Amrita Hospitals and Amrita University, Amma’s supernatural demonstration of
the divine potential laden, unraveled, coiled within us all, is of profound inspiration of what we each can achieve, as she spreads her light as far as her vision can reach. Amma’s ashram, Amritapuri, built upon her small shack in Kerala, is now the international spiritual headquarters for her life’s mission. Housing her 3,500 and growing monastic disciples, Amritapuri towers over the seashore where she begged her Lord Krishna for guidance, after nearly drowning herself in despair over the blind lack of acceptance and compassion of her very own people. From its humanitarian donations by awakened cosmic citizens across the planet, Embracing the World has invested over $1.68 billion in worldwide charitable activities to fund 162 projects across 48 countries, executed by her 17,000 volunteers spanning all ages and backgrounds, indiscriminately benefitting all those in need. TEACH US HOW TO LOVE How powerful is a living embodiment of the divine mother? How powerful can you be, as you deliver your true self into a world that is preparing for peace? As we seek guidance to our daily existence, strength to maintain conviction upon our path, the masters and innovators before us, demonstrate the power revealed as we welcome death, as our greatest gift in realizing ourselves. For within of us lies the power to serve the kingdom that manifests itself through our surrender to the fire that fuels that universal dream of cosmic peace and harmony. What is wealth, without the guiding sight of those born to lead us into the light? How will you be, as each step you take, becomes one of true belief, honoring the women who have deliver man into being? To Divine Mother creator, I beg, each day, Teach Us How To Love.
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MOLD YOUR MIND "THE MENTAL BREAK THROUGH" NOW ON SPOTIFY
BECOMING MORE MINDFUL STRENGTHEN YOUR FOUNDATION COACH JOEY VELEZ
MENTAL WELLNESS CONTRIBUTOR @velezmentalperformance
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HAT DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A HOUSE? WELL, YOU FIRST HAVE TO START WITH THE FOUNDATION. WITHOUT A SOLID FOUNDATION, NO HOUSE WILL NEVER BE AS STRONG AS IT CAN AND OUGHT TO BE. That is what we discussed in last month’s column, building a foundation for mindfulness through breathing and sitting meditation (and if at this point you do not know what I am talking about, I suggest you go back and read that column ). Once you establish your foundation, you can begin to put up the frames that are going to be instrumental in strengthening your house. So, this month, we will be discussing the framing of your house, which are first, core performance facilitators and second, another mindfulness exercise, the body scan.
CORE PERFORMANCE FACILITATORS The core performance facilitators are PAGE 184
what lead to performing at your most optimal level, which can all be enhanced through mindfulness practice. The are five core performance facilitators – concentration, letting go, relaxation, establishing a sense of harmony, and forming key associations. Concentration is all about how quickly one can regain focus after being distracted. It is easy to get caught up in your reaction to what is happening, which makes it all that more challenging to get the most out of life, as it pulls us out of the consciousness of the present moment. Mindfulness practice helps you direct your attention to present moment anchors, which in turn, helps strengthen your ability to focus each time you bring your attention back from the distraction and to the present moment as an anchor. The second performance facilitator, letting go, can be a difficult task. Often times, the reactions you experience feel so real that your mind overcompensates and identifies them as being actually factual. And letting go of something your mind has identified as “fact” is not easy. What mindfulness teaches is not about how to prevent these reactions from occurring, but noticing that these reactions are taking place and then re-directing your attention back to the present moment – this is completing one repetition of attentional practice. Not only that, but this practice of enhancing bodily awareness may actually help you
better distinguish what your body is experiencing. The third performance facilitator is relaxation and this is about getting your body to properly utilize its resources, both physical and mental. When your body is tense and nerves heightened, basic functional movements become more and more difficult. This process causes you to waste more energy than required, which will end up impacting your cognitive functioning because you have less energy resources available for critical thinking. The fourth performance facilitator of establishing a sense of harmony can actually be viewed as a combination of the first three performance facilitators because you are able to move beyond focusing on a single anchor and can stretch your attentional capacity to concentrate on more of what is going on around you. Having this type of harmony with both the internal and external environments can allow optimal performance to come more natural. Finally, with forming key associations between things, your mind is more adept at identifying cues in your environment that can help guide your attention back to the present moment.
BUILDING SELF-AWARENESS: THE BODY SCAN The body scan can be used as a tool to reestablish contact with the body and cultivating moment-to-moment awareness. What the body scan does is focus
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THOUGHTS MATTER your attention on different parts of the body, noticing what sensations are there, observing any reactions to those sensations, and letting them go as you move on to the next area of the body. This process can help release excess tension from each area, which then allows the body to work more efficiently, which can then lead to more optimal performance. Undertaking a body scan is not difficult. Begin by positioning yourself comfortably on the floor, lying on your back with your arms next to your body, your palms facing upward, and your eyes gently closed. Notice sensations in the places where the back of your head, shoulder blades, buttocks, calves, heels are making contact with the ground. Direct your attention to your breath, allowing the muscles in your abdomen to soften and relax, letting that region expand and deflate as you breathe down into your belly. If you notice chest breathing, that’s okay. Just try to breathe naturally, letting the pace and depth of your breath find a comfortable rhythm. As you breathe in this way, see if you can notice the sensation in your torso as it fills with air with each inhale, and then deflates with each exhale. The goal is not to relax your muscles, although this may happen. Your intention is to acknowledge the sensations with your full attention, and simply let them go. If a particular sensation calls for your attention, do not resist. Instead, listen to that call and take a moment to direct your attention to it. Welcome this sensation into your experience. Acknowledge and appreciate this communication from your body. Once
you have heard what your body has to say, gently let go of the intense sensation and bring your attention back to where you are. Then direct your attention to your feet. With this focused awareness, begin to scan the toes on your feet. Notice sensations with open curiosity, as if you are noticing these subtle sensations for the first time. If you are having trouble noticing anything in your toes at this time, that is okay, just let your experience be whatever it is at this moment. Now, let go of the sensations you have noticed, allowing your field of awareness to receive what new sensations may come. As you let go, gently shift your attention to the bottom of your feet. As you breathe in, explore the sensations in the ball of your foot, arch, and the heel. Do you notice any differences in the feelings at the top and bottom of your foot? Is there discomfort? Whatever you may find, bring an attitude of warmth and acceptance. On your next exhale, shift your attention up your ankles, calves, and knees. Allow your focused attention to move up your lower leg, exploring new sensations. Is there any tightness you can sense? Can your attention find its way into the joint of your ankle or knee? What are you sensing there? Your attention may be drawn away from the sensations within regions of the body by thought, memory, or planning for the future. This is natural and to be expected. Our minds are very busy, and no blame is to be placed when the mind wanders. That is just what minds do. Acknowledge what has drawn you away, and gently bring your attention
back to the region you are focusing on at this moment. Take a moment to allow the focus of your attention to relax and expand over your entire body, as you become aware of all sensations happening at once. As you breathe, notice a quiet and calm body as the mind and body are connected as one. Now, take a final deep breath, gently wiggle your fingers in your toes, open to refocus your eyes, and bring your attention back to the world around you. Following after the diaphragmatic breathing and sitting meditation exercises from last month’s column, take a moment and reflect on what you just did with the body scan. What was your experience like? What thoughts or feelings did you notice? How do you feel now that the body scan is complete? How might the body scan impact your ability to perform? Every experience can be a learning experience, so take the time to reflect on what this experience was like for you.
FINAL THOUGHTS Mindfulness practice is not about being perfect but about staying committed to continuing to build one’s mental muscle. It may be frustrating when you lose concentration on the present moment, so it is important in these moments to simply notice what you are experiencing, and then gently guide your attention back to the present. Over the next month, shoot for 5 to 40 minutes at least three times a week as you continue to build your mindfulness practice. The foundation has been laid, frames are being put up, and watch your house come together! PA G E 185
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