VOLUME V / ISSUE VIII / AUGUST 2021
I N A N D A' S C E L L C C U P · I TA L I A P O L O C H A L L E N G E · F E S T I VA L D E C A N N E S · R O YA L W I N D S O R C U P · T H E G O L D C U P
VALENTINO COUTURE MERGES ART & FASHION
INADEQUATE REST COSTS BILLIONS BALENCIAGA CASTS JUSTIN BIEBER IN FALL 2021 CAMPAIGN SIGN THE KIDS UP FOR POLO SCHOOL IN SOTOGRANDE
ALL EYES ON OLYMPIC EQUESTRIANS
LET THE GAMES BEGIN FLYING OVERSEAS THE RULES TO KNOW A DEEP DIVE INTO COVID-ERA TRAVEL
HOW SOCIALITES FLATTEN THE CANCER CURVE IN THE HAMPTONS
KICK DISAPPOINTMENT TO THE CURB ONCE & FOR ALL CANNES 2021 FASHION LIGHTS UP THE RED CARPET A PEEK INSIDE THE GUCCI VAULT
THE BELLIGERENT BEERS OF BELGIUM
VOLUME V / ISSUE VIII / AUGUST 2021
Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher
Joshua Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief
William Smith
Aubrey Chandler
Copy Editor & Philanthropy Contributor
Contributing Photographer
Claire Barrett
Lifestyles Contributor
Eva Espresso
Wellness Columnist
Cezar Kusik
Trends Contributor
Raphael K. Dapaah
Wellness Contributor
Jyoti Paintel
Polo Lifestyles is a publication of HT Polo Publishing Co. 995 Detroit Avenue, Suite A Concord, CA 94518
Head of Photography
Contributing Photographer
Wine Contributor
Art Contributor
Spiritual Contributor
Stanley Pierre-Etienne Style Contributor
Anne-Isabelle Saint-Pierre Style Contributor
Brand Representatives Anne-Isabelle Saint-Pierre - Dubai Michael J. Snell - The Hamptons Stanley Pierre-Etienne Caribbean Jessica Foret Wax - Santa Fe K & Co. Media - Los Angeles Contributing Photographers Alice Gipps PH.IPC/Max Giorgioni Georges Kamper
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Katerina Morgan
Contributing Photographer
Michael J. Snell Joey Velez
Brett Chody
Panthil Dwivedi
Content Copyright © Polo Lifestyles 2020 All Rights Reserved. For information or to advertise Contact editor@htpolo.com Read online at www.pololifestyles.com Cover Photo of Germany's Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera Shot by Alkis Konstantinidis The photo on this page was shot at Inanda Polo Club
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COWDRAY PARK POLO CLUB The Gold Cup British Ladies Open Championships GREENWICH POLO CLUB East Coast Open INANDA CLUB The Africa Polo Open SANTA BARBARA POLO & RACQUET CLUB FMB Silver Cup USPA America Cup Pacific Coast Open DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY Coupe PGH Trophee de Bourbon Open de France JACKSON HOLE POLO CLUB Back in the Saddle (Virtual) MYOPIA POLO CLUB Chairman's Cup
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SCOREBOARDS & COCKTAILS
THE GOLD CUP
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM COWDRAY PARK POLO CLUB Page 42 POLO LIFESTYLES EDITORS & CONTRIBUTORS
Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher Polo Lifestyles @haiti_polo_captain
Josh Jakobitz
Editor-in-Chief Polo Lifestyles @joshuajakobitz
Panthil Dwivedi
Wellness Contributor PanthilWrites.com @panthildwivedi
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Claire Barrett
Head of Photography
Claire Barrett Photography
@clairebarrettphoto
Eva Espresso Photographer
Eva Espresso Photography
@eva.espresso
Raphael K. Dapaah Art Contributor Dapaah Gallery @dapaahgallery
Michael J. Snell
Lifestyles Contributor MJS Groupe @agnello_1
Jyoti Paintel
Spiritual Contributor Polo Lifestyles @jyotipaintel
Aubrey Chandler Photographer Polo Lifestyles @aubreychandler
Cezar Kusik
Wine Contributor Polo Lifestyles @cezartastesearth
Joey Velez
Brett Chody
Trends Contributor Polo Lifestyles @brettchody
William Smith
Wellness Columnist
Philanthropy Contributor
@velezmentalhealth
@willismith_2000
Velez Mental Performance May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
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An American-Moroccan cultural exchange, page 60
Festival de Cannes' fashion and style, page 120
International travel hacks for jetsetters, page 100
The belligerent beers of Belgium, page 162
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS
Enjoy the special coverage and features throughout this edition of the TOKYO 2020 Olympic Games page 17
TOKYO 2020
I
N MAY 2004, I TRAVELED WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS FROM UNIVERSITY TO ATHENS, JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE CITY WAS SCHEDULED TO HOST THE OLYMPIC GAMES. IN ANTICIPATION OF THE EVENT, ATHENS HAD BEEN COMPLETELY TORN UP AND WASN’T QUITE PUT BACK TOGETHER. I RECALL DISTINCTLY THAT EVEN THE AIRPORT WAS IN SUCH A STATE OF DISARRAY, REMODELING AND NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT WE EXITED THE TERMINAL WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ANY SORT OF SECURITY THROUGH A VERY LONG, UNLIT HALLWAY THAT EVENTUALLY LED US TO A TRANSPORTATION AREA. All major highways were being resurfaced, a tour guide explained, so back streets were the only options for Athenians and tourists alike, navigating centuries-old winding and weaving cobbled streets every time we ventured out. On the third day, a small group of us abandoned the official bus tour and took off on foot, armed with maps and appetites for local Greek cuisine. We ate our way across Athens. If security was minimal at the airport prior to the Games, it was nonexistent at construction sites for official events. We gave ourselves self-guided, back-door tours of the major sporting venues, pleading innocence anytime we went a little too far and were waved out of a certain area. That July, back in my university apartment, I watched every minute of the Olympic Games broadcast from Athens, excited to see the finished stadiums and venues that were just shells a few months prior. I probably bored my roommates with detail after detail of what I’d seen in Athens in May. Michael Phelps was winning and winning and winning that year, and it was funny to think that he – a gold-medal Olympian – and I were about the same age. In 2021, I’m no longer in the same age demographic as the swimmers or gymnasts, but the AARP reported that the equestrians are among the oldest athletes participating in the Tokyo Games, so I still have something in common with the athletes I’m most interested in this time around! As of press time, Team USA took silver honors in Dressage, while Team Germany defended their gold-medal status. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl graces this month’s cover. Another Jessica – Jessica Springsteen – is a featured member of Team USA in this month’s edition. With major Olympic equestrian events yet to come, our headline, Let the Games Begin, is suited to the anticipation of some of our favorite equestrian events. So, enjoy the Games and enjoy this issue of Polo Lifestyles, our perennial summer issue, before we transition into autumn and the changes that will bring. Josh Jakobitz josh@pololifestyles.com
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VOLUME V / ISSUE VIII / AUGUST 2021
africapoloopen Africa's grandest polo tournament honors the African equestrian culture from Nigeria to South Africa
globalpolo What beauty and majesty the sport of polo represents... here's a close up of a very special pony at Santa Barbara
plaza_athenee
Over 1,900 geraniums adorn the exterior of the Hotel Plaza Athenee for their "saison d'ete" page 22
usequestrian Horses arriving in Tokyo for the 2020 OIympic Games
jasonoppenheim A breakfast view to envy of top realtors before the kick off their day in Positano
sidelines_magazine Olympians, their treasured horses and coaches are about the only people in attendance at #tokyo2020
dolcegabbana Jennifer Lopez stepped off the tarmac dressed head to toe in D&G with Ben Affleck by her side
kandcomedia Who doesn't like to start their day (occasionally) with a donut or two?
tiffanyandco Have diamonds, will stack... it's the kind of sparkle you just can't miss when you stack up @tiffanyandco
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Click and comment on our choices... Tag @pololifestyles. We will share noteworthy comments with you next month.
douglasellimancalifornia When we think of luxury real estate, we think of Beverly Hills - check out this listing by DE
kingdejia The perennial photographer of high-impact Nigerian polo, Deji Atte, captures gorgeous shots on the field
usagymnews It's silver medals for Team USA gymnists early in the Games #Tokyo2020
fei_global Gold medals for the German dressage team at #Tokyo2020 Olympics
lunionsuite Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the tennis portion of #Tokyo2020 her first Olympics appearance
usequestrian A tender moment captured after an exhilarating performance
fiolprosecco The official drink of summer is rose, but rose with bubbles takes it to another level
officialwatches
This watch by Patek Philippe says, "Please, ask me what time it is," over and over
assouline We can't think of many other books we'd like to see on our coffee tables... page 23
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THE ROYA L W I N D S O R CU P G UA R D S P O LO C LU B
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALICE GIPPS
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T H E R OYA L W I N D S O R C U P
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALICE GIPPS
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T H E R OYA L W I N D S O R C U P
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALICE GIPPS
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C CELL I N A NDA C U P S OU TH A F R I CA
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C CELL I NA NDA C UP
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HE 2021 CELL C INANDA AFRICA CUP PROVIDED AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY OF SPORTSMANSHIP ROUNDED OFF WITH A THRILLING MATCH BETWEEN TEAM CELL C SOUTH AFRICA AND SAO POLO TEAM NIGERIA. STREAMED LIVE ON THE OFFICIAL INANDA CLUB YOUTUBE CHANNEL THE MATCH HAD POLO ENTHUSIASTS GLUED TO THEIR SCREENS AS THE TEAMS SHOWCASED THEIR OUTSTANDING SKILLS AND HORSEMANSHIP TECHNIQUES WITH SAO POLO TEAM NIGERIA PREVAILING OVER TEAM CELL C SOUTH AFRICA. page 36
“Congratulations to Team Sao Polo on their sterling performance. The visiting team showed exceptional field prowess as a result of their well curated team-work,” said Hazel Chimhandamba, Executive Head of Marketing at Cell C. The near perfect weather and excellent field conditions allowed for a fast, exhilarating polo match, which concluded with an exhilarating penalty goal by Sao Polo Team Nigeria’s favourite player, Magaji Saidu Barda securing team the victory, the 2021 championship title and trophy. Stirring commentary by the presenter of the day, Matt Poll, kept polo enthusiast thrilled as the two teams fought tooth and nail in the high-scoring grand finale. First goal of the day was scored by Magajis Saidu Barda from Sao Polo Team Nigeria,
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P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y M A S O N C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
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C CELL I NA NDA C UP
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kickstarting the team’s winning streak. The nerve-racking first chukker ended with a score of 1-2, in the favor of the visiting team. Thokozane Zondo scored a brilliant field goal in the second chukker landing his team on a score of 3-3 at the end of the second chukker, staging a dramatic second-half comeback. Sao Polo Team Nigeria’s Magaji Saidu Barda took their 3rd penalty of the day and scored with a clean shot to seal victory for his team with a final score of 4-7. Sao Polo Team Nigeria’s Captain, Ope Oyinlola expressed gratitude in his comment, “Thank you to the Inanda Club for a great day on the field, we came a long way to play polo here.” He then added, “ Thank you Craig James for inviting us, always a pleasure participating in this event; thank you to the sponsors Cell C and to my team, well done on the win.” “I’d like to thank Cell C for their ongoing support in making the Cell C Inanda Africa Cup possible.” said James, Inanda Polo Manager. James was also the captain of the Inanda Blue team that won the Curtain Raiser match, against East Rand earlier in the day. In true Africa Cup fashion, the excitement of the day was rounded off by a thrilling Horse vs Machine Race, with Zompie Totetsi out galloping the prestigious Ferrari 458 Italia (Type F142).
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T H E G OL D CU P
C OW DR AY PA RK P O LO C LU B
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALICE GIPPS
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THE GOLD CUP
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I TA L I A P O LO CHALLENGE
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ITALIA POLO CHALLENGE PORTO CERVO - BAYLANDI CUP 2021 JULY 21-24
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY PH.IPC/MAX GIORGIONI
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ITAL I A P O LO C HALLEN G E 2 02 1
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY PH.IPC/MAX GIORGIONI
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ITAL I A P O LO C HALLEN G E 2 02 1
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY PH.IPC/MAX GIORGIONI
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I TA L I A P O LO CHALLEN G E 2 02 1
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY PH.IPC/MAX GIORGIONI
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C ULT U RA L E XCHAN G E
ON TH E PO LO F IEL D : M O R O C C O & USA
E
IGHT AMERICAN FEMALE POLO PLAYERS SENT A WEEK IN THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO AS PART OF 2021’S ONGOING CELEBRATION OF 200 YEARS OF MOROCCAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS. ALL MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN POLO ASSOCIATION (APA), THEY DIVIDED THEIR TIME PLAYING POLO BETWEEN RABAT AND MARRAKECH. THE APA COMMISSIONER, MICHAEL FARAH, AND MOROCCAN APA GOVERNOR, RABII BENADADA, HOSTED THE DELEGATION. page 60
Benadada organized a four-day women’s polo event between the eight Americans, split into Hollywood and Beverly Hills teams. To further promote the development of women’s polo in Morocco, the organization of the first Moroccan women’s polo team coincided with the APA’s trip. Stephen Weeks, cultural attache for the Embassy of the United States in Rabat, greeted the delegation with a welcome dinner and personal tour of the embassy’s exhibition, “Of Voice and Stone: 200 Years of History in the American Legation Building and Morocco,” at the National Library. “This exhibit tells the story of people-to-people relationships, of how Moroccans and Americans have accom-
plished extraordinary achievements together over the years, decades and centuries,” said Farah. “These achievements have left a permanent mark on our shared culture, in music, science, art, sports, and so many other areas.” In addition to playing Polo, the delegation took camel rides, experienced shopping in Rabat’s local markets and the souks in the old Medina of Marrakech, as well as enjoyed traditional Moroccan dinners and folklore. The delegation included the Hollywood women’s polo team: Captain Rosy Keyfauver (Calif.), Kendra Lauren Gros (Colo.), Julie Empey (Calif.) and Kelly Coldiron (Okla.); and the Beverly Hills women’s polo team: Captain Megan Judge (Calif.), and included Susan Harris (Calif.), Mary Linares (N.Y.) and Kerstie Allen (Fla.).
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CU LT U RA L E XCHAN G E
ON T H E PO LO F IEL D : M O R O C C O & USA
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C U LT U RA L E XCH AN G E
ON THE PO LO F IEL D : M O R O C C O & USA
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MJS GROUPE
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HOW SOCI ALITES FLATTEN THE CANCER CURVE IN THE HAMPTONS R A I S I N G AWA R E N E S S A N D F U N D S TO SUPPORT THE SAMUEL WAXMAN C A N C E R R E S E A R C H F O U N DAT I O N
HIGH SOCIETY
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THE HAMPTONS HAPPENINGS
AN EVENING TO FLATTEN THE CANCER CURVE
T
HE SAMUEL WAXMAN CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION (SWCRF) WAS PROUD TO HOLD THE RETURN OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHARITY EVENTS OF THE SUMMER, THE HAMPTONS HAPPENING! SOCIALITES, INFLUENCERS AND NEW YORK’S ELITE CROWD CAME OUT TO SUPPORT THE 17TH ANNUAL EVENT THEMED AROUND HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND THE CULMINATION OF THE GLOBAL WALK TO FLATTEN THE CANCER CURVE WITH SWCRF PARTNER, WALK WITH A DOC. page 70
Event committee members Maria Fishel and Kenneth Fishel were the gracious hosts of the ticketed fundraiser on their illustrious estate in Bridgehampton. Each year, the foundation selects honorees that aid in its mission, with this year’s honorees including HUGO BOSS, Fashion Inc. represented by Rodolfo Esparza III; Dr. Kenneth Mark, Skin Cancer & Cosmetic Dermatology Expert; Natalie Cohen Gould, Cofounder of Come Back Cycle, Director of Wholesale, FP Movement; and Chef and Restaurateur David Burke, of David Burke Hospitality Management. The summer event, which was founded by Chair President Marion Waxman, and was co-chaired by Mark D. Friedman of Brown Harris Stevens, Jessica Mackin of James Lane Post, and Randi Schatz. SWCRF founder
Samuel Waxman MD, along with event committee members Christine Arlotta, Antonella Bertello, Erica Fineberg, Maria Fishel, Jacqueline Frank, Norah Lawlor, Jamie Koff, Christine Prydatko, Suzanne Sabet, and Michael Snell. Notable attendees included: the Waxmans, the Fishels, Esparza III, Dr. Mark, Chef Burke, Cohen Gould, Jamie Koff, Mark D. Friedman, Chris Wragge, Harry Carson, Ramona Singer, Jean Shafiroff, Tommy Tollesson, Eric Winnick, Randi Schatz, Ann Liguori, William T. Sullivan, Cesar Ricci, Michael Nierenberg, Elin Nierenberg, Jonny Nierenberg, Tori Chanenchuk, Ali Nierenberg, Erica Fineberg, Steven Carter, Philip Greenwald, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, Michael Tadross, Matthew Yee, Vincent Wolf, Suzanne Sabet, Hormoz Sabet, Debbie Shlafmitz,
PHOTOS BY ROB RICH/SOCIETY ALLURE & SEAN ZANNI/PMC
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Opposite page: Dr. Samuel and Marion Waxmans and Maria, Kenneth and Bradley Fischel This page, left: Ramona Singer and Chef David Burke This page, right the cocktail bar was hopping all night:
HIGH SOCIETY
Howard Shlafmitz, Sarah Shlafmitz, Craig Rivera and Cordelia Rivera. This year, the Hamptons Happening was a cocktail chef-tasting experience, which featured a dozen chefs and distilleries from the surrounding NYC and Hamptons area providing elevated samples of their favorite dishes, cocktails and mocktails. The event also featured appearances by VIPS like Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson of the NY Giants, Chris Wragge, anchor of CBS 2 Morning News, Singer of The Real Housewives of New York, and a performance by Freestyle Love Supreme, a Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical Improv Group. After the opening performance by Freestyle Love Supreme, Wragge
welcomed guests to the Hamptons Happening. Following a brief interview and foundation overview with founder Dr. Waxman, the honorees were awarded by Sullivan, Executive Director of the SWCRF. This year, the foundation was pleased to announce that with tickets purchased and auction item bids, the event raised more than $400,000. The virtual walk’s mission was to raise international awareness and funds for life-saving cancer research. It was held in partnership to The Hamptons Happening where participants logged their steps during the 11-day span with the aim of accumulating a total of 25,000 miles, enough to travel around the world. The virtual fundraising walk collected an amazing $100,000 for can-
cer research which after a year focused on other global priorities, is much needed! Waxman noted “The incidence of cancer is rising around the world, with advanced age being the most significant risk factor. More than 60 percent of Americans diagnosed with cancer are 65 and older.” SWCRF, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and National Institute on Aging, is leading the way in funding the scientists who are working towards the next breakthrough in cancer treatments. Events such as The Hamptons Happening help to raise awareness and the funds necessary to continue the crucial research and propel their mission forward. page 71
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HAMPTONS HAPPENINGS
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PHOTOS BY ROB RICH/SOCIETY ALLURE & SEAN ZANNI/PMC
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HIGH SOCIETY
Opposite page, left: Philanthropist Jean Shafiroff; right: Chris Wagge and Dr. Waxman page 73
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BACK TO (POLO) SCHOOL
S OTO G R A N D E 'S P RESTIGIOU S NEW T R A ININ G P R O G R AM F OR YOU NGSTER S
W
HEN THE SCHOOL YEAR KICKS INTO HIGH GEAR IN SEPTEMBER, FOUR STUDENTS AT THE SOTOGRANDE (SPAIN) INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL WILL SPLIT THEIR SCHEDULES BETWEEN CLASSROOM TIME IN THE MORNINGS AND POLO SCHOOL IN THE AFTERNOONS. THESE FOUR WILL COMPOSE THE FIRST CLASS OF THE SOTOGRANDE POLO ACADEMY, OR S.P.A. FOR SHORT.
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S.P.A. is the vision of Christian Byrne, a second-generation Sotogrande expatriate whose family has visited and invested in the local area for decades. Sotogrande Polo Valley, an exclusive polo community and resort, hosts the S.P.A. on 100 acres with three polo fields, 150 stalls, three on-site coaches, eight pros and grooms, four concierges, five groundskeepers and 70 horses, all developed by Christian in the last six years.
polo lesson here in Sotogrande when I was 14 years old.”
It’s fitting that Christian has chosen Sotogrande as the center for the S.P.A. since it was here where he learned to ride and play polo as a teenager. “I’ve been coming to Sotogrande for years and years,” he said in a telephone interview with Polo Lifestyles. “I took my first
“There are over 300 days of sunshine in Sotogrande,” he said, beaming through the telephone. “The lifestyle element – golf, tennis, sailing, polo – is all at your fingertips. Outdoor activities call for sunshine and Sotogrande’s geography happily provides that.”
From there, he spent a year in Argentina, living and learning about the sport, but also the business around it. He returned to the United Kingdom, but quickly settled into the Andalusian countryside of Sotogrande, where he started by renting a small ranch and acquiring horses when he was only 23 years old.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SOTOGRANDE POLO ACADEMY
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SOTOGRANDE POLO ACADEMY
LIFESTYLE
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Byrne’s dream for the S.P.A. grew from a desire to make polo more accessible, outside of the nearly impenetrable polo communities that exist within different geographic pockets. “The biggest feedback we received when we started talking to families about the program was that polo was far too difficult to access, so it wasn’t really being considered as an option, even within equestrian families,” he said. Byrne spoke to over 25 families interested in the fall term with the S.P.A. before narrowing the selection of inaugural students to four (as of press time). “We feel that the program, as it’s staffed right now, can really accommodate up to eight students. At that number, we can give the attention and focus necessary to start grooming polo players,” Byrne said. The schedule calls for a morning of classes at the Sotogrande International
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School, followed by four hours of training at the S.P.A. in the afternoons. “To get to be a three-goal player by the age of, say, 14, you need to be riding every day. This program is focused on that, but also very high standard of service with a family-oriented, down-to-earth basis.” This term’s classmates range from 13 to 16 years old and come from Switzerland, Spain and Russia. In addition to school and training at the S.P.A. they – along with their parents – will have access to the networking that makes Sotogrande so attractive. “We attract a pretty interesting array of polo personalities here in Sotogrande – from Middle Eastern sheiks to Argentine high-goalers,” Byrne said. “Plus, we will start bringing in other youth teams eventually to play chukkers and matches against our S.P.A. Team.”
D
ropping off S.P.A. students or visiting them on the weekends couldn’t be easier with Polo Valley’s access to luxury housing, including their top-notch Marina Penthouse, complete with four bedrooms, a breakfast chef and easy access to a fantastic array of shops and restaurants. Stay in style and comfort, with up to 8 guests, in Puerto Sotogrande. From the rooftop views of the sea and passing yachts to the selectively curated art and furnishings of four bespoke bedrooms, you won’t know if you want to be inside or outside! Located in the heart of the marina area, with easy access to Polo Valley or the beach, you might just have to squeeze both into your schedule. The Marina Penthouse has all of the makings of a truly spectacular stay in Sotogrande.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SOTOGRANDE POLO ACADEMY
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S . P. A . M A R I N A P E N T H O U S E
LIFESTYLE
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TOKYO 2020
VOLUME V / ISSUE VIII / AUGUST 2021
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THE GERMAN DRESSAGE TEAM TOOK GOLD MEDALS
LET THE
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GAMES BEGIN OLYMPICS
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Above: Team Great Britian finished with bronze medals and Above right: Team USA took home silver medals for dressage. Team Germany, previous page, defended their gold medals
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TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES
OLYMPICS
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TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES BEHIND THE SCENES
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QUESTRIAN POWERHOUSE GERMANY WON THE DRESSAGE TEAM GOLD MEDAL IN TOKYO TUESDAY, JULY 27, WITH A TRIO OF ISABELL WERTH, JESSICA VON BREDOW-WERNDL AND DOROTHEE SCHNEIDER. The United States won silver competing with German-born riders Sabine Schut-Kery and Steffen Peters, alongside Adrienne Lyle. "It's exactly what I wanted (a medal) for my team... I cried when I came out, gave Mopsie a big hug and just thanked him from the bottom of my heart," Team USA's Peters said, referring to his gelding. "It's an incredible feeling when an animal fights for you in the arena."
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Germany has won every Olympic dressage team gold since 1984, apart from 2012 when Britain snatched it on home turf.
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OLYMPICS
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Team Germany's Jessica von Bredow Werndl salutes the limited capacity crowd following a performance that helped her team reach the gold medal page 88
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TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES
OLYMPICS
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P U T T I N G TO DAY ' S TO P LU X U R Y L I S T I N G S AT T H E F I N G E R T I P S O F H N W B U Y E R S
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by telling the story of your uniquely valuable estate within each Mansions Of The Month feature, be it situated in the greater Miami, Malibu, Montecito, Monaco, Austin, Houston, Dallas, Wellington or Palm Beach - or any other magnificent destination.
Reserve your Mansions of the Month space in upcoming issues of Polo Lifestyles. Contact your dedicated team: marketing@pololifestyles.com Click here to read the Rancho San Carlos case study - After languishing on the real estate market for years, it was a featured property in Polo Lifestyles - and closed less than 60 days later for $63 million dollars. page 90
C HÂT E AU D E V E R S A I L L E S Le Grand Contrôle
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGE KAMPER
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JES SI CA SPR I NGSTEEN J O IN S T E A M U SA AT THE
TOKYO OLYMPICS
TO R E PRESENT AMERIC AN S HOW JUMPIN G
OLYMPICS
K
ENT FARRINGTON, LAURA KRAUT AND MCLAIN WARD WERE NAMED TO THE AMERICAN SHOW JUMPING TEAM FOR THE EQUESTRIAN EVENTS AT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS. The announcement of the team on Monday drew special interest on social media. Perhaps that was because of the team’s fourth member: Jessica Springsteen. Farrington, Kraut and Ward have impeccable jumping credentials. All three
have gone to the Olympics before, and Ward has won two gold medals. None of them, however, has a parent who recorded “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” Springsteen has achieved quite a bit in her sport at age 29, young by equestrian standards. Two of her teammates are in their 40s, and Kraut is in her 50s. Springsteen is ranked 27th in the world and boasts strong finishes at equestrian hubs like Rome, Windsor and St. Tropez. But she has always drawn more attention than a typical 27th-ranked equestrian, whether for her purchase of a gold-medal-winning horse, a win in a big event or her riding wear (custom
Parlanti boots with magnets on the bottom to stick to the stirrups). In case you haven’t figured it out by now, her father is Bruce Springsteen and her mother is Patti Scialfa of his band. Lest we overlook four more key members of the American team, the horses were also named: Gazelle, Baloutinue, Contagious and Springsteen’s mount, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve. Show jumping is contested in an arena where horses tackle a course of obstacles as high as five feet. The other equestrian events are dressage, in which horses are judged on precise movements, and page 95
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the three-day event, which combines both of those events and adds a grueling cross-country race over hurdles. Equestrian competition is expensive and has often drawn its contenders from a certain rarefied subset, including Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen page 96
Elizabeth II, who competed in the threeday event in 1976, and her daughter, Zara Tindall, who won a silver medal in 2012. Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of the former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a billionaire, has competed at the Pan Am Games but not
the Olympics. The jumping events take place Aug. 3 to 7 in Tokyo. Springsteen has a great chance at a medal: The United States won a team gold in 2004 and 2008 and silver in 2016.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY GEORGE KAMPER
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A D E E P D I V E I N TO C OV ID - ERA TRAV EL
FLYING OVERSEAS? T HE RE A RE A LOT OF RULES TO KNOW
I
NTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVELERS, MANY GROUNDED FOR OVER A YEAR AND ITCHING TO BE ON-THE-MOVE AGAIN, HAVE PLENTY OF QUESTIONS AND PLENTY OF COMPANY. INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO SURGE THIS SUMMER. AMERICANS ARE THINKING OF EUROPEAN VACATIONS AGAIN. “WE’VE HAD PEOPLE ASKING A LOT ABOUT EUROPE,” SAYS CHICAGO-AREA TRAVEL ADVISER KENDRA THORNTON OF ROYAL TRAVEL & TOURS. “NOT NECESSARILY BOOKING BUT WANTING TO KEEP TABS ON IT.” page 100
In addition, residents of the U.S. with family members in other countries are eager for a reunion after pandemic-enforced separations. People may be traveling abroad for work as well. They’ll run into quite a range of travel restrictions and entry requirements. NPR correspondent Jason Beaubien was surprised to see his face on a giant screen in an airport in Sierra Leone, where thermal scanners take the temperature of everyone in the crowd simultaneously. Airport personnel takes aside anyone who registers a fever for evaluation. Travelers headed to Peru should pack a face shield. You have to wear it in crowded spaces such as an airport. What’s more, the protocols may change as new variants, such as the highly contagious Delta variant, spread and take
hold in different countries. So if you’re itching to travel abroad or have already booked a trip, you probably have a lot of questions. Here are some guidelines that might help you deal with the new rules of international flight. The United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to get vaccinated before you go. Air travelers should be fully vaccinated regardless of the risk level in the country you’re visiting, according to the health agency. Keep track of the ever-changing guidelines and restrictions for your destination. U.S. travelers can check specific travel requirements through the U.S. State Department website or your destination's Office of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Health. In addition, the CDC provides guidance on travel to other countries, which
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are ranked from “very high” risk of COVID-19 transmission to “low” (among them China, Iceland and Rwanda).
in your destination by contacting the American Embassy or Consulate there, or the country’s embassy in the United States.
Avoid countries in the “very high” category unless it is essential travel. There are 60 countries on this list, ranging from Argentina to Yemen.
And changes occur almost daily in this matter, so it’s good to keep an eye on the State Department’s or the country’s official website for updates.
Some countries are closed to visitors but make exceptions. Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom and Uruguay are a few examples. But some of these “no visitor” countries may make exceptions for the death or serious illness of a family member. If those are your circumstances, you may be able to visit. But the authorities might not take your word for it. Expect to have to show proof of the reason for the visit, such as a death certificate or a doctor’s note about a family member’s illness. You can inquire about rules
Bring your vaccination card. Some countries want to see your vaccination card, so make sure your official CDC vaccination card is filled out with the date of your dose or doses (if you received a two-dose vaccine). It’s a good idea to make a copy of the card or have a photo on your phone as backup, suggests Thornton, the travel adviser. Lost your card? Reach out to your vaccination provider or contact your state health department’s immunization information system.
You can also present the World Health Organization international certificate of vaccination, also known as a yellow card. You can ask your vaccine provider to add your COVID-19 vaccination info if you already have a card. Or if you need one, you can purchase it through the U.S. Government Bookstore, which has seen a 55 percent increase in sales in the last six months. Cards were on back order, but became available again last month. Or you can purchase one from the WHO, which means waiting at least a week for shipment from Switzerland. What about vaccine apps? Vaccine apps that show your record could be accepted as well, but there’s no guarantee that border control will accept these as proof, so bringing a paper record is a good idea.
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Citizens of the European Union will soon have a Digital COVID Certificate system that provides a scannable QR code to verify vaccination status and coronavirus test results. This should smooth travel between member states but won›t help a vaccinated tourist from outside the EU. Airlines are trying to help their customers meet the vaccination and testing requirements of various countries by developing their own apps. The International Air Transport Association has rolled out its own IATA Travel Pass, which many major airlines around the world will use. But officials say calling it a vaccine passport, as many people are, is a bit of a misnomer. “It’s more of a digital credential associated with your vaccination or testing profile,” the IATA’s Nick Careen says. “So the consumer can use that to help them through their passenger journey.” British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates are among the global airlines running trials of IATA’s travel pass app, which is expected to go live soon. Other airlines, including American, will be using an app called VeriFly. American’s Preston Peterson said that because the requirements for entry differ by almost every single country and, in some cases, by the region within a country, the app will give the customer the peace of mind to know that they comply with those different regulations. page 102
“A customer can submit their documentation, have it verified and then they receive a green check mark, or effectively, an OK to travel status, that we as the airline trust, the customer can trust and then they know they’re ready to go,” Peterson says, adding that the app will update in real time as entry requirements for various destinations change. But even proof of vaccination may not be sufficient to ease your entry. Some countries don’t care if you have a vaccine card, as they can be easily faked or forged, or a digital vaccine pass on an app. They’ll still insist on a PCR test to determine if you’re infected several days before flying into and out of their airports. Most countries are asking airline personnel to verify the test. A positive result means the trip is off. That’s the case in Egypt, some European countries and Israel. And you can’t leave Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, after arrival in the country without taking a coronavirus test; airport personnel usher everyone to the clinic tent right after baggage claim. Even if you’re vaccinated and tested negative for the coronavirus, you may have to quarantine. Samoa, for example, requires a minimum 21-day quarantine for all incoming passengers. Keep up on testing requirements before your departure. They definitely change. Because of the high rate of cases, Namibia on June 1 changed its visitor entry rules from a simple self-test for the coronavirus to a typically more expensive laboratory test conducted before leaving your home country and not older than seven days before your arrival.
The State Department site dates its updates so you can see when a change was made, and it also provides links to specific country guidelines provided by U.S. consulates and embassies. Check the latest requirements three days before your flight just to make sure. Some airports, such as Chicago’s O’Hare International and Los Angeles International, offer on-site coronavirus tests, but these can be pricier options than you might find elsewhere. And airport testing sites might have limited hours, so check before you head to the airport. Get alerted. It’s a good idea to sign up for notices on international travel from the State Department, says Zane Kerby, president of the American Society of Travel Advisors. In Portugal, for example, increased cases of the COVID-19 variant known as Delta, identified as likely more transmissible and causing more severe disease, has put the country at a higher risk level. Bring proof of health insurance. Even if you’re a veteran traveler who knows that your insurance carrier covers you overseas, be sure to check on COVID-19 coverage before you leave. Some countries, such as Argentina, require that you have a notice from your health insurer that specifically mentions COVID-19 coverage as proof that you are covered for the virus. Cambodia requires all foreigners to purchase insurance from the government on arrival: $90 for 20 days of coverage. Also check to see if your policy covers medical evacuation insurance, or consider buying a separate policy if not. Travel specialists say it’s a
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A D E E P D I V E I N TO P O ST- C OV ID TRAV EL
wise investment during a pandemic. The CDC offers great background information on health insurance and foreign travel on its site. If you buy a supplemental plan, the State Department site recommends looking for one that will pay for care directly rather than reimburse you so out-of-pocket expenses are limited. Brush up on testing requirements. All air passengers coming to the United States — residents who have traveled abroad and visitors as well — are required to have a negative coronavirus viral test no more than three days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past three months before they will be allowed to board a flight to the United States. That test can be either a so-called molecular test done at a laboratory that can detect specific genetic material from the virus and is the most precise test, or an
antigen test — which can be done as a self-test — which detects proteins on the surface of the virus if you were infected. Embassy and consular notes on the State Department’s travel website offer detailed information on locations for a molecular test in each country if available. In some countries, the test is free. Or it could cost up to $200. Check the State Department travel site, which offers frequently updated, detailed testing requirements and resources for many countries. Self-tests are a limited option. Right now, only two airlines are making self-tests easily available United and American – and you need to be able to perform the self-test while conducting a telehealth visit with a designated clinic. For more information, contact United or American if you will be returning home on either carrier or eMed.com, a telehealth company handling the testing to see if you qualify for the self-test, even if
you’re on another carrier. If you’re not vaccinated, though, you may want to choose a lab test rather than the self-test for re-entry, “especially if you’re returning from a country experiencing high rates of COVID-19,” says Matthew Binnicker, vice chair of practice in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic. That’s because the lab test can be more accurate than the selftest, according to guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Don’t forget your mask. While some jurisdictions around the world are beginning to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, the Transportation Security Administration in late April extended its mask requirement to Sept. 13 (and could extend it further) for U.S. airports and on board U.S. airlines. Many foreign carriers have the same rule. page 103
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P I O T R C Z AY KO W S K I
MOUNTS A HORSE A N D TA L K S A B O U T B O U N D A R I E S , BRANDING AND EQUINE BONDING page 106
W R I T T E N A N D E D I T E D BY J O S H JA KO B I T Z
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“I
’M THE WRONG PERSON TO ASK ABOUT SUFFERING DURING THE PANDEMIC,” SAID PIOTR CZAYKOWSKI ONE EVENING IN MAY ON HIS WAY HOME FROM THE OFFICE IN WARSAW.
“Since September 2020, it’s just been insanely busy for me.” Czaykowski simultaneously runs his modeling agency and talent management company, Chili Models, along with a tech start-up called Faceionized, an app for smart phones that uses facial recognition, neuroscience and orthodontics to determine major personality characteristics. He launched a beta-version of the mobile app in September. Stringent testing of the app and its AI have determined an accuracy rate of 87 percent. But Czaykowski’s business – modeling, talent, branding – requires perfection. “One of the things you’ll notice about me is my drive. I just go and go and go. I actually feel guilty taking five minutes for myself here and there; I’m working on that,” he said sincerely.
Born at the end of Poland’s communist period, Czaykowski doesn’t recall life under communism, but what is impressed in his childhood memories is the dramatic way that society changed after Poland opened. “I witnessed factory workers become factory owners; so much ingenuity among the Polish people in the years (after the fall of communism). I saw that every idea could make a profitable business.” Witnessing those opportunities, plus his education both in Poland and abroad (he studied English intensively in New York when he was only 11 years old), prepared him for the competitive world of modeling, talent management and branding. He lived and worked in Greece and then spent four years working as a model in Milan before returning to Poland. “When you’re a model, the work is ‘waiting.’ So you fill your time with exercise and fitness. You have to be so thin, especially in Milan, but also in perfect shape. You have to fit into a sample size, but you have to look perfect in underwear, too,” Czaykowski said. Those formative years set his discipline for the six-day-a-week routine he still spends in the gym. “My gym time is between 6 and 8 a.m. or it just doesn’t happen,” he
said. “There’s no squeezing it in later in the day. I have tried and failed… wasted a lot of money on trainers and memberships for afternoon appointments.” Czaykowski turns 36 this year (he was 33 in the cover photo he shot with Jakub Plesniarski for L’Homme Officiel Poland a few years ago) and he’s focused on gaining more muscle mass. “I have to eat a lot, which I love,” he said. “Although I don’t model much right now, I stay ready.” The cover shoot was his first up-closeand-personal experience with a horse in years. “I rode a little bit as a kid in Poland,” he said. “But to be perfectly honest, I was stressed out and afraid at first.” The stress wasn’t 100 percent due to the horse. The shoot was scheduled last-minute, and he knew it was going to require nudity. “Nudity was something I really struggled with as an adolescent, but I was self-aware enough to realize it and try to start dealing with it, losing one piece of clothing at a time in a sauna or locker room situation. As a runway model, backstage you have 45 seconds to change your entire outfit, including underwear. But no one is looking, no one is making you uncomfortable.” The page 107
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first time he arrived at a shoot knowing it was going to be nude, he found the set serene and inviting. The photographer had gone out of his way to minimize the number of people on set. “Getting naked for a camera requires an atmosphere of trust on set and with the photographer,” he said. On the day of his equestrian-themed shoot in a suburb of Warsaw, the shot list started with him nude. “That wasn’t going to happen,” he said. “We shot the cover shirtless, but not nude. Then, as
we established the trust and I saw the photos coming out, the atmosphere shifted, and I was comfortable disrobing. The photographer, Jakub (Plesniarski), was incredible.” His equine partner noticed the shift in his body language, too, and responded. “I felt that connection between myself and the horse,” he said. “People talk about that kind of connection, and I really felt it. It was meditative. Once I was free of my negative energy, the horse reacted to my emotions and it was just surreal.”
MUSIC Czaykowski recently took on his first music video producer for the Polish artist Mary Komasa, whom he met as a teenager in the club scene in Warsaw. “There were like five or six clubs and a crowd of a couple hundred teenagers who were at the hottest spots every night.” Komasa is an alt-pop artist whose English-language music is, in Czaykowski’s opinion, the next big thing in the industry.
POP CULTURE “In the early 2000s, (NBC’s sitcom) “Friends” was airing in Poland, and we had coffee houses open in Warsaw for the first time in my lifetime. We went to this one between classes that had a big sofa just like Central Perk. We thought, ‘This is really it, we’ve made it.’”
HE TRAVELS LIGHT “When you’ve lived as a model – out of a 25-kilo suitcase – for years and years, you don’t need much. These days, all I really need to leave home is my phone. Everything is on my phone.”
SELF-ACCEPTANCE As a kid, he endured self-esteem issues with his looks, weight, emotions and sensitivity. “It was a long and bumpy road to self-acceptance,” he said. “Along the way, I learned how to say ‘no’ to things I don’t enjoy. Saying ‘no’ isn’t rude or mean; it’s self-protective.”
HIS MOM AND GRANDMA HAVE SEEN HIS NUDE PHOTOS “My mom loves them. My grandma said, ‘You look good,’ to me, which is probably as much as you can ask your grandma to say about your nude photos.” page 108
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FASHION & STYLE
A PEEK INSIDE THE GUCCI ARCHIVES FESTIVAL DE CANNES 2021 FASHION page 113
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RESTORED AND RETROFITTED, THE PALAZZO SETTIMANNI WELCOMES THE
GUCCI ARCHIVES
M
ARKING ANOTHER MAJOR MILESTONE OF ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, GUCCI OPENED THE NEW HOME OF ITS ARCHIVE COLLECTIONS ON 1, 2021.
The archive is housed at Palazzo Settimanni, a historic 15th-century villa which was built by Florentine aristocrats in the Santo Spirito neighborhood, where artists and artisans had their workshops along the banks of the Arno. It has gone through many changes and changes of ownership over the centuries, with different owners completely changing its interior character through renovations and additions. Gucci acquired the building in 1953, using it variously through the decades to house its first Florentine factory, workshops, and a showroom. Under Alessandro Michele’s creative direction, the palazzo has recently been restored to its historic glory – though not without
some visionary contemporary additions – creating a dialogue between past and present.
to its home and cultural heritage of creativity, entrusting the entire process to local specialists and craftspeople.
“My task was to bring many objects back home, virtually helping them return to the family,” said Michele. "To a place that ostensibly preserves the past, but which is actually a bridge to the contemporary. An ancient building is a living thing. Like fashion.”
The collections are divided up and organized by theme, from housewares or stationery to handbags and dresses. Each section allows visitors to experience how Gucci transformed through time, maintaining its signature character, while always changing to meet the moment.
Across the five floors, including the basement, all the structures accumulated in recent times have been stripped away to reveal vestiges of 19th century decorations, 18th century trompe l’oeil, late 17th century frescoes and even earlier ornamentation; all these elements have been deliberately left intact or restored to their original splendor without being moved or altered. The only significant alteration has been the removal of the canopy in the entrance hall, added in the 1990s, to let in more light and restore the central portico to its original proportions. Throughout the restoration process, Gucci maintained strong links
“Palazzo Settimanni, now free of earlier additions, is transformed into a magical place to which I have restored a sense of porousness: you pass through it, air gets in, you can walk through it as if it were a journey,” Michele explained. “(It was important that) I restored to the Palazzo a fairy-tale aura which, for instance, allows the small entrance hall to become a gateway to a dream dimension. I envisaged it as a sort of secret place within the House, an inner sanctum from where one sets out for Gucci’s holy land.” page 115
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“My task was to bring many objects back home, virtually helping them return to the family,” said Gucci's Creative Director Alessandro Michele. "To a place that ostensibly preserves the past, but which is actually a bridge to the contemporary. An ancient building is a living thing. Like fashion.” page 117
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CANNES 2021 FASHION page 120
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P HOTO G R A PHS C O URT ESY T HE I M PR ES S I O N
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CANNES 2021
FASHION
T
HE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST RED CARPET. FOR 75 YEARS, THE EVENT’S LINEUP OF PREMIERES AND PARTIES HAS ENRICHED THE FILM INDUSTRY WHILE PROVIDING STYLE DEVOTEES WITH A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS ARRAY OF STANDOUT FASHION. page 122
Cannes’ dress code is famously strict and arguably passé, but it has ensured the festival’s position as the premier showcase for haute couture and decadent gemstones. Cannes is not casual. Unless you’re this year’s inimitably cool jury president, Spike Lee, you don’t get to walk the steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès wearing sneakers. In 2020 there were no premieres or parties due to the coronavirus pan-
demic and its travel bans, but this year the event comes roaring back. With a jury that includes chic international talent like French-Senegalese director Mati Diop, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, and Tahar Rahim, the fashion was bound to be good, but guests were already exceeding expectations. From the moment Gyllenhaal walked into day one’s first photocell in a sleek Hedi Slimane-designed black trousers and tube-top combo from Celine, things were off and running.
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P H OTO G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y O F F E S T I VA L D E C A N N E S
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On opening night at the world premiere of Leo Carax’s Annette, there were impressive outfits as far as the eye could see. Jessica Chastain delivered gothic vibes in a corseted Christian Dior Haute Couture gown paired with nearly 200 carats worth of Chopard rubies, while Lou Doillon twirled in Gucci’s gold lamé. Step up the staircase, and you’d find Bella Hadid posing in vintage Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture, nearly stealing the show from the movie stars. Not to be outdone, Annette’s star Marion Cotillard dazzled in a silver, tealength Chanel Haute Couture look with so much sparkle it gleamed once the paparazzi began to snap Cotillard’s picture. All in all, it was a thrilling return to form and proof that the red-carpet magic lives on.
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{PRIVATE VIEWING}
VALENTINO COUTURE 2021
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A S E R I E S B Y R A P H A E L K . D A PA A H I N T R O D U C I N G T H E - N E X T- B I G A R T I S T S T O T H E W O R L D O F A R T C O L L E C T O R S A N D C U R AT O R S
VERNISSAGE ART MERGES W I T H FA S H I O N AT VA L E N T I N O INT RODUC ING KERSTIN BRATSCH ANASTASIA BAY ALESSANDRO TEOLDI JAMIE NARES MALTE ZENSES
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE IMPRESSION
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VALENTINO COUTURE PIERPAOLO PICCIOLI SUCCESSFULLY MERGED HIS COUTURE HOUSE WITH FIVE ARTISTS FOR HIS FALL 2021 SHOW IN VENICE
B
ANASTASIA BAY
UILT IN 1568 AS GIANT SHIPYARDS, THE GAGGIANDRE WAS A PRODUCTION CENTER IN THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL ERA AS WELL AS THE CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR THE SERENISSIMA FLEET BEFORE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE EXHIBITION SITE FOR THE INAUGURAL INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION IN 1980.
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that idea of industrialism for a couture collection that paid homage to the artisans at the Roman atelier, the builder of Valentino haute couture. The first model stepped onto the white walkway in a short cocoon red satin cape-dress and a large, plumed hat with red feathers flying in the air behind her, opening a stellar Valentino Haute Couture live stream show from Venice. This show elevated haute couture to a new level regarding clothes, gestures, and aesthetic language. At one end of the dock, the English artist Cosima provided the live soundtrack to accompany the models as they strode on the white painted wooden platform
K ER ST I N B R ATS C H
plank in an otherwise undecorated Gaggiandre. Pierpaolo Piccioli has a clear mission in his work at the Valentino fashion house: to put haute couture back on the pedestal in the center sphere of fashion for this Roman heritage brand founded on the codes of couture in the early 1960s. Piccioli involved a new generation of young artists, mainly painters from around the globe, bringing them to Rome to interact with the artisans at the couture atelier. The designer hoped, that by bringing together these artists and craft people from different realms of art and fashion, to start a conversation to work together, merging the painters’
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A L ES SA N DR O T EO L DI P H OTOGR A PHS C O URT ESY T HE I M PR ES S I O N
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ideas and the craft into a three-dimensional haute couture dress. The hands of the artists and the hands of the atelier performed the artistic tasks together.
German artist Malte Zenses concocted graphic lines into abstract dots and lines on a cashmere, belted ecru short jacket, and matching skirt.
The French-born Anastasia Bay transferred her bold color abstract figurative work onto a white asymmetrical cut long dress with deep purple, red, blue, pink, and emerald green abstract shapes. The English Jamie Nares deployed her single brush strokes from her paintings like one of her blue brush paintings, ‘It’s Raining in Naples’ onto a collarless A-line white coat and a long dress decorated with giant red brush strokes along the length of the cape and dress. The
The vibrant colors – the bright pink of a shredded fabric corset top, the light and dark Fuschia pink of a single breast coat and long dress, the shiny violet of a turtleneck overhead cape dress, the light emerald of a long asymmetrical dress, or the marigold of a fitted sleeveless short sheath dress – reminisced that magisterial haute couture spring 2019 show in late January 2019 in Paris or even the especially with the voluminous ball strapless corset gowns in red pleated silk
or the Van Gogh yellow taffeta gown with fly away puff sleeves emerging at the end of the show. As the models posed at the end of the dock platform and the camera mounted on the drone flew higher, giving a panoramic view of the models forming a standstill tableau, there is something majestic to the vibrant and brilliant bursts of colors and shapes viewed from above. There is also something magisterial to this momentary living painting, something that in fashion perhaps only haute couture can achieve, especially haute couture at Valentino.
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M A LT E Z EN S ES
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CELEBRIT Y TREN D
BALENCIAGA CASTS JUSTIN BIEBER
BRETT CHODY Trends contributor @brettchody
J
USTIN BIEBER HAS BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT SINCE NOVEMBER 2009 WHEN HE RELEASED HIS EP WITH THE NOTORIOUS HITS “BABY,” AND “ONE TIME.” page 142
In the last 11 years, his prominence has ebbed and flowed, but he has remained a quintessential figure in international pop music. He’s had a few dark moments here and there (including a DUI arrest in 2014), an infamous on-again, off-again relationship with Disney actress and pop princess Selena Gomez, a dozen or so hit collaborations (I’m looking at you, “Despacito”) and six successful studio albums of his own. Bieber was first discovered by record
executive Scooter Braun in 2008 after he posted song covers on YouTube. He immediately became a teenage heartthrob, capturing the hearts of young girls across the globe. His latest album, “Justice,” dropped in March 2021 and skyrocketed to popularity. His song “Peaches” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was predicted to be one of the songs of the summer by TIME Magazine. As of the week of July 24, 2021, it’s sitting at a comfortable number 11 slot on that same list.
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BALENCIAGA
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Bieber has seemingly done it all. He’s amassed 185 million Instagram followers, is happily married to model Hailey Baldwin (to many Jelena fans’ dismay), and is reportedly working on more music this summer. His latest feat? Being the newest face of luxury designer brand Balenciaga for their Fall 2021 collection. The singer’s collaboration with the brand was announced on July 23 when the official Balenciaga account tweeted a video featuring Bieber with the unembellished caption, “Justin for Balenciaga.” The 15-second promotional clip pans across
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the singer’s outfit, which includes an oversized leather bomber, gray sweatpants, white high socks, a pair of chunky sneakers and a black version of the brand’s infamous City bag– and ends with him striking a power pose. Bieber looks sharp, stylish, and understated, a far cry from his last major partnership with Calvin Klein underwear in 2015. The Balenciaga campaign, shot by artist and photographer Katy Grannan, also features French actress Isabelle Huppert. The Bieber x Balenciaga collaboration took some by surprise, while others saw
a move like this coming. GQ called it “A new step in the singer’s road to redemption, a sign of acceptance into the high-brow graces of the fashion world’s cool kids.” Vogue featured the campaign image as one of its “Photos of the Week.” Justin’s fans, also known as Beliebers went crazy over the news. As Bieber continues to mature as both a singer and a human being, this campaign is most definitely a step in the right direction. BRETT CHODY TRENDS CONTRIBUTOR POLO LIFESTYLES 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BALENCIAGA
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MANSION OF THE MONTH CITE DES PAPES AVIGNON, FRANCE
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MANSION OF THE MONTH
AN INCREDIBLE MANSION AND GARDEN IN AVIGNON
H
IDDEN OUT OF SIGHT IN THE LARGEST PRIVATE GARDEN OF THE CITÉ DES PAPES, THIS NEOCLASSICAL-STYLE MANSION, DESIGNED AS AN OASIS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, INVITES YOU TO ENJOY THE GOOD LIFE. page 150
Inside the ramparts, at the foot of the Palais des Papes, the property occupies the site of a cardinal’s residence which extended in the 14th century to the Place des Carmes. Forming an island of over 4,000 square meters surrounded by greenery, its presence remains imperceptible from the adjacent streets. Planted with many species, its vast garden surrounded by Florentine cy-
presses, bamboo beds and ball-shaped boxwood offers a green parenthesis that makes you completely forget the heart of the surrounding city. In addition to its terrace inviting to lounging, it also hosts an orangery, a swimming lane as well as a hammam, sauna and jacuzzi. Te north wing of the house dates from the 18th century, but in the 19th century an insurance company acquired
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the property and built a mansion there as an extension of the north wing. In the early 1910s, it was acquired by an industrialist who never lived there but rented the building to various Avignon notables. In the 1980s, the building became the CELA (Center for Linguistic Studies in Avignon) for around thirty years, which hosted many artists and personalities
during the Avignon Festival. In 2009, it was finally acquired by two aesthetes passionate about art and architecture who decided to bring it back to life. Built in neoclassical freestone, the mansion has many bay windows and patio doors opening onto the garden on the ground floor. This consists of a suite of reception rooms: two lounges, a dining room, a library and a large kitchen.
18th-century woodwork, old floors and classic gypsum work alongside ingenious furnishings, such as the presence of a contemporary spiral staircase giving access to the first level directly from the kitchens. On the first floor, there are two large and comfortable guest suites with their separate shower rooms and toilet rooms, as well as a private apartment. page 151
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MANSION OF THE MONTH
On the second floor, three suites follow one another, each comprising an entrance hall or living room, a large bedroom and a shower room with an adjoining toilet. Access to the last levels under the attic leads into two page 152
spacious bedrooms with two shower rooms and two washrooms. This rare property is now marketed by the Patrice Besse Agency. AGENCE PATRICE BESSE
Tel. :+33 01 42 84 80 85
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62 WEST 62ND STREET PHAB, UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN
PRICE $9,995,000 BEDROOMS 6 / BATHROOMS 7 FULL / 2 PARTIAL INTERIOR 5,622 SQ FT. / EXTERIOR 4 TERRACES THE DETAILS Although geographically it sits between Central Park and the Hudson River, the Upper West Side is arguably an attitude as much as it is a place. Many of its residents have a passion for embracing all the cultural riches that New York page 156
offers, and it’s been a favorite neighborhood of people who produce much of that culture — actors, writers, professors, musicians, and others. Much of the bookish quality of the Upper West Side is due to some of the institutions that call it home (or sit on its edges) — Columbia
and Barnard (just north, in Morningside Heights), Fordham Law School, Julliard, and other smaller schools. Welcome to 62 West 62nd Street-Phab, a magnificent condo duplex penthouse with 14.5 rooms, six bedrooms, seven baths and much more.
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93 EATON SQUARE BELGRAVIA LONDON, U.K.
A Grade II-listed home in London’s Belgravia neighborhood that was once home to Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin as well as American businessman Henry Ford II, has come onto the market for £23 million (US$31.45 million). The property consists of a main residence at 93 Eaton Square and an interconnecting two-bedroom mews house, according to the listing posted last week by Beauchamp Estates. The main residence was given an official Blue page 158
Plaque in 1969 for its historic significance as the former home of Baldwin (1867-1947).
post for two more stretches, from 192429 and 1935-37.
In total, the property includes 7,489 square feet of living space with three reception rooms, six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and two kitchens, the listing said.
In the grand main reception room and the adjoining dining room, Baldwin had entertained politicians such as Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, and the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, according to Beauchamp Estates.
Baldwin and his wife, Lucy, bought the house in 1908 before he became prime minister in 1923. He would hold the
Baldwin sold the house upon his retirement in 1937. In the early 1980s, Henry Ford II (1917-87), the eldest grandson
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of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and former CEO of the automaker, and his wife, model and photographer Kathleen DuRoss, purchased the house, the listing agents said. They commissioned architect Jeffrey Smith and design house Colefax & Fowler to refurbish and decorate the interiors of the house in English country style. When Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher left office in 1990, Mrs. Ford lent the house to Thatcher and her husband Denis until they purchased a
home of their own in 1991 in nearby Chester Square, according to the listing. Mrs. Ford died in 2020 at the age of 80. Important collections held in this residence, as well as her Palm Beach, Florida, home and her English country home, Turville Grange in Buckinghamshire, had been auctioned via Christie’s earlier this year. The property has a patio garden and a garage, and the mews house has potential for extension, according to
Beauchamp Estates. “This blue plaque residence at 93 Eaton Square has been the Belgravia home of two legendary prime ministers… and been the London home of one of America’s most celebrated dynasties,” Gary Hersham, founding director of Beauchamp Estates, said in a statement. “If extended and remodeled, a new super prime residence could be created that could significantly uplift the current value of the property.” page 159
Special Report BELGIAN
BEERS
THE BELLIGERENT NONCONFORMISTS
BY CEZAR KUSIK
SOMMELIER & WINE WRITER
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In Search ofNonconformists Belligerent Solace SPECIAL REPORT
BELGIAN BEERS
THE BELLIGERENT NONCONFORMISTS
CEZAR KUSIK Wine Contributor @cezartastesearth
W
INE HAS
BEEN AN INTRINSIC PART OF MY PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIFE FOR DECADES NOW. IT HAS PROVIDED ME WITH MEANS TO LIVE, IT HAS GIVEN ME OPPORTUNITIES TO TRAVEL WORLDWIDE, DINE AT SOME OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS, AND DRINK SOME OF THE MOST DESIRABLE WINES. MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, THROUGH WINE I HAVE MET SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE WITH WHOM I HAVE FORMED LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS. page 164
My experiences with libations, however, did not start with wine. It was in fact beer from which I got my first buzz. Growing up in communist Poland where basic food shortages were a common occurrence, quality wine was nonexistent. Wine was considered a bourgeois product unworthy of a true proletarian worker. As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any wine until my arrival to California in my mid-20s. Now beer is my “off duty” drink. It allows to me to relax by removing myself from the professional attachment to wine, but still getting a groove on. I like to say, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Belgium beer.” The reason why the Belgian brews are my beers of choice is their one-of-a-kind multiplicity of styles and a liberal, nearly nonchalant non-conformity of brewing methods. “In Belgium, there are no styles of beer,” proclaims Peter Bouckaert, the Brewmaster of New Belgium Brewing,
and that statement perfectly defines the individuality and creativity of Belgian brewers. In contrast, the German beer industry adheres to a 500-year-old purity law, Reinheitsgebot, which restricts the number of ingredients in beer making to four: water, hops, barley, and yeasts. The modern tradition of brewing beer in Belgium dates back to the 12th century, but its heyday occurred much later. It was at the end of the 18th and the first decades of 19th centuries, during and after the French Revolution, when large groups of clergy, among them monks escaping persecutions, fled France and settled in the neighboring countries of Belgium and the Netherlands. Catholic monks of different orders have always played a crucial role in wine and beer making in Europe. Historically, many monasteries have managed to be self-sufficient; growing and raising their own food, making their own wine, and brewing their own beers, a tradition cultivated even in present times.
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There is an exclusive and coveted category of beer called Trappist. (The Trappist order of monks is a fraction of the Cistercian order characterized by rigid regulations of silence and austerity of lifestyle.) Presently, there are only fourteen breweries recognized by the International Trappist Association: 6 in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and one in the US. There is set of specific requirements which must be met for a beer to be labeled Trappist and display the seal of Trappist authenticity. In particular, it must be made exclusively within the walls of a Trappist monastery. The profits from sales must be used to sustain the monastery, the monks, surrounding communities, and designated charities. All Trappist breweries boast their own, unique recipes and follow the highest quality protocols.
SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR BELGIUM BEER STYLES White Ale, known as witbier, is made with as much as 40% of wheat and often “spiced” with ingredients like coriander, orange peel, and nutmeg. This style is made unfiltered giving it a hazy, pale appearance. These beers usually come with a moderate alcohol level of 4.5%-5.5%. Saison or “season” in French. This style originated in farmhouse breweries of Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium. Brewed during cold months, saison was intended to be consumed by farm workers during the summer. (I guess there was no heavy machinery involved) This is a very broad category with numerous interpretations of the style from light to heavy in body, murky to clear in appearance, and spicy, fruity, herbal in flavors, with alcohol levels ranging from 4.5% to 9%.
Dubbel requires twice the amount of grain. They are red to dark brown in color, with the color imparted from the use candi sugar, which usually contributes to the flavors of raisins, caramel, and chocolate. The best Dubbels are often bottle-conditioned resulting in generous carbonation. Alcohol is on a higher side: 6%-8%. Tripel: Yes, you guessed it! Here three times the amount of grains are needed during the brewing process. And as predicted the alcohol content in this style goes up. You should expect a range of seven to 10 percent. Despite the high ABV, good tripel should not be boozy due to its balanced body. This style was popularized by Westmalle Brewery in 1956 and the flavors are complex: herbs, tropical fruits, nuts and flowers. Quadrupel. And there is this monster! Quadrupels are of deep amber, coppage 165
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Belligerent Nonconformists
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per-brown color with intense flavors of malty richness, roasted chestnuts, coffee, pumpkin spice and more. At its most dangerous a Quadrupel can boast up to 14 percent of alcohol. Flemish (aka Flanders) red and brown ales are produced in the West Flanders region. These beers are usually blended and barrel aged. Red versions tend to be more savory with aromas of barnyard and cheese rind, where browns offer sweeter flavors of caramel, chocolate, figs and black currant. Lambics are wheat beers brewed mainly in the Pajottenland region of Belgium. While most modern beers are brewed with the use of cultured strains of yeasts, Lambics are fermented by exposure to native, ambient yeasts. That spontaneous fermentation results in a beer unlike any other with in-your-face
sour, bright funky flavors underlined by subtle earthiness. These beers usually undergo a long aging period which can vary from three months to three years. A fruit lambic is made by an addition of fruit during the brewing process. Kriek (cherry) and Framboise (raspberry) are the most popular. There is a subcategory of lambic beers called Gueuze. It is a blend of carefully selected old and new batches of lambics (similar to non-vintage Champagne). Gueuze must be barrel aged and bottle fermented, contributing to its high carbonation and pronounced sourness. These are the main, classic categories of Belgian beers, most representative of the industry. Within these categories there are variations and variations of variations.
If imitation is the best form of flattery, Belgian brewers should feel extremely flattered. Belgian beer making has given birth to an international trend. Inspired by their versatility and quality, brewers from all over the world have been producing Belgian style brews. The American beer industry is among the top of those imitators in crafting Belgian style offerings. Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City and their Long Strange Tripel, Russian River Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa and their Damnation strong golden ale, and one of my favorites from Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland Maine and their witbier. These are just a few of my personal choices in the plethora of American made Belgian style beers. CEZAR KUSIK WINE CONTRIBUTOR POLO LIFESTYLES 2021
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ALIGN WITH YO SPIRITUALITY · FAITH · QUESTIONS · GROWTH · FOCUS
KICK DISAPPOINTMENT
TO THE CURB ONCE AND FOR ALL “When Dorothy saw that the Wizard of Oz was a bungling — though well-meaning — old man, she felt deep disappointment, but that was the turning point on her journey of learning to trust herself… As Dorothy learned, there were no coattails to hang on to, no shortcuts to the summit, no godfather to do things for her. Disappointment was a necessary step on her path to adulthood — that is, to taking care of herself while still supporting and being supported by others.” DAVID RICHO, AUTHOR AND THERAPIST ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH Jyoti Paintel Spiritual contributor @pololifestyles
F
IRST, LET’S AC-
KNOWLEDGE THAT DISAPPOINTMENT IS RARELY INVISIBLE. IF WE ARE FEELING IT, THEN THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT OTHERS ARE OBSERVING IT, AND MAYBE EMPATHETICALLY ABLE TO FEEL IT, TOO. A COMPLICATED AND LAYERED PRIVATE EMOTION, SUCH AS DISAPPOINTMENT, MIGHT BE CONpage 170
FUSING AND DISTRESSING TO EXPRESS PUBLICLY - AND WE MIGHT NOT EVEN KNOW WE ARE DOING IT. Disappointment is a portal, a powerful threshold toward true perception and true understanding. It is the end of a lengthy process that many of us go through trying to find somebody or something to carry us, to do the work of personal evolution for us. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, we’re constantly trying to be saved and give away our own power until one day we encounter the Wizard, find him to be weak and a fraud, and realize that we were the wizard all along. I wanted this month's column to be a discussion of disappointment into something that still conveyed the message of positivity and hope.
Certainly, there is enough to talk about these days when it comes to disappointments with the world being in the fragile state of constant emergency. The perpetual unpredictability of life under pandemic lockdowns is difficult, and yes, it is also disappointing to deal with this unpredictability and the reality of constantly pivoting. DISAPPOINTMENT AS A TOOL FOR GROWTH “The more we shelter children from every disappointment, the more devastating future disappointments will be.” - Fred G. Gosman While this is true of children, it can be said of adults, too. When we attempt to shield ourselves from disappointing and difficult feelings associated with marital, social, familial or professional problems,
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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 find others in the same state, because after a while when we are depressed, we need constant reinforcement that we do indeed have a valid reason to be totally miserable- and yes, misery does love company. Instead of having a pity party when we face a major life disappointment like a break-up, a medical setback, a career shakeup or a financial problem, we can try to turn the story around into a revelatory moment that becomes a catalyst for our life toward change. When we acknowledge this, we taste the bitterness of failure, we desire something sweeter and this turns us in the correct attitudinal direction. The greatest teacher or force of change in my life hasn’t been happiness but rather disappointment, whether it was personal or professional. In the past, I was unwilling to even acknowledge the things in my life that were toxic because I lacked the maturity to see that my own decisions had led to my situation. GOING WITH THE FLOW INTO CLEAR WATER Disenchantment is usually a signal something is in transition. If we ignore the disappointments, they have a way of showing up in situations that we don’t know how to deal with maturely since we didn’t prepare ourselves. we are creating an unrealistic bubble of denial that can start spilling into all
areas of our existence. We might even find reasons to be disappointed daily or
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of the past on the back burner and enjoy the moment. Keeping our failures or hurts somehow out of sight and out of mind is, however, only a temporary fix. Even though we might be in a better place emotionally, or socially or even financially to reflect and prepare for future tumbles, we rarely do during times of peace and stability. Sooner or later though, when some setback occurs or obstacle is encountered, we find ourselves confronted with the unresolved feelings we either had let simmer or remain buried - and they might have even grown in potency. THE ENERGY OF DISAPPOINTMENT: HOPE AND FEAR “It is better to know and be disappointed, than to not know and always wonder.” Oscar Wilde The energy of expected disappointment stemming from unresolved past disappointment can actually be powerful enough to prevent us from seeing things as they truly are. Our ego operated under the false premise that it is possible to control events to avoid disappointment. So, one way to define disappointment is that it’s the discomfort of refining or correcting the ego. Disappointment is life’s way of inviting you to wake up to your own conditioned
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ideas about how things should be, and to the ways in which your own unprocessed disappointment could be causing you to manifest disappointment wherever you look. By shedding old ideas about what life is supposed to be you open up to what life actually is, and what it is asking of you. You then expand into your pure potential as a person.
more painful to experience than simple emotions like anger and sadness. Those are emotions you can sort of “do.” You can be angry: you can yell, groan, moan, growl and hiss. You can be sad by crying it out. But with disappointment, you just have to sit there feeling terrible in a heavy, overcast field of gray. There’s no way around it.
SITTING INSIDE THE FEELING OF DISAPPOINTMENT
STEPPING INTO YOUR POWER
Another reason I kept encountering disappointment in the past was that I was carrying a lot of unprocessed and unacknowledged disappointment from my childhood. My childhood was deeply disappointing in many ways. I was disappointed by most of the adults in my life on a regular basis. When we have unresolved emotional trauma, we often manifest experiences mirroring that emotional state. In yoga we say that the dancer is the dance, that the experiencer is the experience. It doesn’t sound fair, but this is why we refine our consciousness: in order to have a brighter, freer world reflected back to us. Another key to transcending your disappointment is fully feeling it. A wise woman once told me that part of being a mature adult is learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions. I can tell you from experience that disappointment is not an easy emotion to sit with. I find it
With a hearty embrace of disappointment, we can finally stop looking outside for our power. There’s no place like home. I invite you to look for the places where you are placing an expectation on a person or a situation and soften around it. Move into your heart space, look for where you could be stepping into your own power, and welcome whatever outcome arrives. Only then can you truly be free. In the same way that fear is an indication that you’re headed in the right direction (once you’ve embraced this approach to the spiritual path), accelerating disappointment can be a useful signal, too, if you learn how to listen to it, how to feel it fully, and how to use it as a catalyst for your own version of a leap forward. JYOTI PAINTEL SPIRITUALITY CONTRIBUTOR POLO LIFESTYLES 2021
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MOLD YOUR MIND INADEQUATE REST COSTS BILLIONS 'SICK & TIRED' OF BEING TIRED JOEY VELEZ MA, MBA @velezmentalperformance Healthy Lifestyles Contributor
O
UR BODIES REQUIRE CERTAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS TO FUNCTION AT AN EFFECTIVE LEVEL. ONE OF THOSE PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS IS SLEEP. YET, MOST INDIVIDUALS DO NOT ACTIVELY INCORPORATE SLEEP AS A PART OF DAILY ROUTINE. THIS COULD BE IN PART THAT SLEEP IS A MORE NATURAL PROCESS: AT THE END OF THE DAY WE GO TO SLEEP, THEN WE WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
Another reason could be the popular catchphrase, “I will sleep when I die,” which according to research, might be sooner than you think if you adopt this philosophy. At the end of the day, a lack page 174
of sleep can have a detrimental impact on your performance, especially in the workplace. Taking your sleep more seriously can not only have a positive impact on a personal level, but also from an organizational standpoint.
RELATIONAL AGGRESSION When an individual is running on less sleep than required and heads to work the next day, not only will their individual performance suffer, but the overall team performance may suffer as well. One of the ways that performance is impacted in the workplace is through what is called relational aggression. Relational aggression describes behaviors intended to harm others through manipulation of their social status, relationships or self-esteem. Therefore, not only does relational aggression undermine team cohesion and overall performance, but has an annual cost of $14,000 per employee, all due to a lack of sleep. Not only is there a financial impact, but research with military units showed that those displaying relational aggression due to a lack of sleep also showed more signs of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Key message: stop overlooking sleep.
WHAT YOU CAN DO Maybe you are in a profession or situation where it simply isn’t possible to get the necessary eight hours of sleep. However, there are some strategies that you can incorporate that can increase the quality of sleep you receive. Those strategies include deliberate breathing, planning a mid-afternoon nap, and making sacrifices. Research shows that deliberate breathing can help you fall asleep more easily. Deliberate breathing involves activating your diaphragm, which is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle that extends across the bottom of the thoracic cavity and as the diaphragm contracts, the volume of the thoracic cavity increases, and air is drawn into the lungs. During this process, the diaphragm triggers the vagus nerve, which regulates many critical aspects of human physiology, including the heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and digestion. This process clears your mind and allows your body to calm down. A more relaxed body makes it easier to fall asleep. A mid-afternoon nap is a great way to restore energy and minimize the impact of lack of sleep. This does not have to be a nap where you are lying in bed under the covers, but rather shutting your
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eyes for an extended period of time. Try to plan 10 to 25 minutes where you can close your eyes and shut down. It is interesting to note that our own internal sleep-wake cycle is set up in such a way that we automatically experience a drastic dip in the afternoon – in other words, our bodies are actually programmed to nap in the afternoon. By planning a mid-afternoon nap, you are doing what your body naturally wants to do, which can provide you with much needed energy for the second half of your day. Lastly, to get more sleep in your life, you may have to make sacrifices. For
example, when you get home late from work, instead of watching an hour of television before bed, get an extra hour of sleep. Instead of watching television for an hour, read a book for 30 minutes. Fixating your eyes on a television actually hinders melatonin secretion because of the blue light that is omitted from the screen. This impacts sleep because melatonin is needed to help our mind and our body shut down when it is time for bed. This area was particularly difficult for me because breaking habits is difficult. While changing these habits may be difficult at
first, it will not take long before you start seeing the benefits of a more effective night’s sleep.
FINAL THOUGHTS To make sleep more effective, start focusing on quality instead of quantity. Make the necessary sacrifices at night to help you get to sleep faster. Find time in your schedule to sneak in a brief nap. Incorporating these strategies, taking your sleep more seriously, can help you wake up with more energy, feel recharged throughout your day, and perform up to your capabilities. page 175
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HEALTH IS WEALTH STAY COOL THIS SUMMER SIMPLE AYURVEDIC TIPS PANTHIL DWIVEDI Wellness contributor @panthildwivedi
A
YURVEDA ORIGINATED IN ANCIENT INDIA AS THE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH, WELL-BEING AND LONGEVITY OF AN INDIVIDUAL. AYURVEDA FOCUSES NOT ON THE DISEASES, BUT PREVENTION OF DISEASES BY OPTIMIZING HEALTH THROUGH PRINCIPLES OF page 178
ADAPTING TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND ADAPTING TO AN INDIVIDUAL’S ENVIRONMENT. AN INDIVIDUAL’S IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN HOW AN AYURVEDIC DOCTOR WOULD PRESCRIBE THE BEST COURSE OF TREATMENT. THREE PREDOMINANT INDIAN SEASONS AS WE KNOW ARE SUMMER, WINTER, AND MONSOON, AND EACH OF THESE UNIQUE SEASONS HAS AN IMPACT ON YOUR BODY.
Every season alters our immediate environment and even when we do not realize it, it has an impact on our health and body. Keeping it simple, during winter our bodies demand more warm, high in calorie, fat-rich diets as the body needs more energy to keep itself warm. During summer our body likes light foods to keep us cool otherwise our bodies expresses the heat through boils, breakouts, acidity, and heartburns. According to Ayurveda, summer (Grishma Ritu) represents Agni and vayu which means our environment would be hot, dusty, dry, lifeless -representing fire and air. Hot lifeless air, dust, and intense heat make our body lose water, lose electrolytes, and
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lose energy. Hence it becomes important to make some lifestyle changes to aid our body in staying healthy and active during summer. Here are some ayurvedic tips to help you stay cool this summer, and healthily beat the heat.
KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. The most important thing to remember during sunny summer days is to keep your body hydrated. Water is life for a reason, and during summer it becomes pivotal as our body is continuously losing water, even when you are not sweating profusely, the body still is losing water. Also, we tend to lose electrolytes during hot sunny days, so drinking plenty of healthy cooling juices with natural electrolytes, sugars and vitamins becomes very important.
AVOID HOT (PITTA) FOODS. Our body is already dealing with hot air, hot arid weather, and has switched on the internal mechanism to naturally keep it in a cool state. So try to help the body stay in a breezy state by avoiding eating heavy oily, spicy foods that can trigger more heat in the body resulting in conditions like migraines, acid reflux, heartburns, boils, acne breakouts, and body odor. Instead, consume fruits, berries, fresh vegetables, honey, yogurt, jaggery, lentils to avoid the body working too hard to digest complex food, and is easy for the body to replenish it with necessary nutrients.
AVOID HEAT-GENERATING DRINKS. Avoid drinking liquids that by nature are hot (pitta by nature). Coffee and tea are prime examples of this. Heavy
caffeine intake can, in any season, produce acidity and heartburns as it is pitta by nature, and during summer, if consumed excessively, can be harmful to the body. Also avoid soups and broths with heavy vinegar, garlic, oils, spices as they can generate heat in the body. Instead, drink plenty of natural coolants recommended by Ayurveda as black raisins-fennel-infused water, cucumber water, coriander-infused water, pomegranate juice, grape juice, mint apple juice, lemonade. These light cooling drinks will provide your body with the essential hydration it needs during summer.
PERFORM YOGA AND PRANAYAMA. Practice yoga, meditation, and pranayama, and, if possible, start your day with yoga. Practicing yoga in the morning will help calm the body and the mind and pranayama will help kick start the vigor. Heat often is concentrated around the digestive system during the summer months so focus on asanas that help stretch and relieve the abdomen, core, and spine. Surya namaskar can be an excellent yoga practice to start with if you are a beginner.
TRY AYURVEDIC HERBS FOR KEEPING HAIR AND SKIN HEALTHY. Along with taking care of the internal body and metabolism by eating and drinking light, watery, cooling fruits and vegetables, it is important to nourish skin and hair. Smooth your skin with natural cooling clays (to keep skin dirt and oil-free as our skin secrets more oil during summer), sandalwood,
cucumber and mint paste, papaya, honey, yogurt, aloe gel to keep skin cool and clean. Hydrate skin with rose water, jasmine water, cucumber water, and paste. Use coconut oil for hair massage. Cleanse your hair with mild natural shampoos.
WORKOUT IN THE MORNING OR THE EVENING. Work out in the morning or evening to avoid the intense heat and overheating your body. Working out under hot conditions can stress the body, overheating it and leading to excessive sweating. This can lead to heat exhaustion, loss of water, loss of electrolytes, and can make you feel intensely tired and sore. Sometimes, overheating can also lead to issues like cramps, headaches, nausea, and acid reflux. For this reason, try to schedule your workouts during early mornings or evenings to avoid overheating your body and inducing heat stress/exhaustion. Weather plays a major role in how our body functions, and it is important to act in accordance with the principles of nature to avoid stressing our bodies. By forcing pitta natured foods, drinks, and activities on our bodies during summer, heat is going to express itself in adverse health conditions. Ayurveda suggests simple principles to follow during summer including avoiding excessive consumption of heavy food, heavy meat, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and indulge in light foods, natural juices, infused herbal water, fruits, veggies, light exercises, meditation, yoga to help the body manage the heat stress and stay cool and efficient during the summers. page 179