V O L U M E V / I S S U E V I I / J U LY 2 0 2 1
P O LO R I D E R C U P · G R E E N W I C H P O LO C LU B · P R I N C E O F WA L E S C U P · C A R T I E R Q U E E N ' S C U P
40 WEIGHT TRAINING & WOMEN A NEGLECTED PARTNERSHIP
BRING SAINT-TROPEZ ENERGY TO YOUR OWN BACKYARD
THREE SURPRISING WINES FOR A SUMMER ROAD TRIP
THE TRAVEL BUG
HOW THE JET-SET CROWD BALANCES RISK WITH REWARD
DIORIVIERA
THE POSH POP-UP OPENS IN MONTECITO JUST IN TIME FOR POLO
IMPOSTER SYNDROME: FIGHT THE BATTLE WITHIN
2 021 E D IT IO N
SIMONE BILES KAMALA HARRIS NAOMI OSAKA JILL BIDEN CHRISTINE LAGARDE MACKENZIE SCOTT THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ISSA RAE AMANDA GORMAN AN D MOR E
@USPOLOASSN
USPOLOASSNGLOBAL.COM
VOLUME V / ISSUE VII / JULY 2021
Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher
Joshua Jakobitz Editor-in-Chief
Claire Barrett
Head of Photography
Eva Espresso
Contributing Photographer
Cezar Kusik
Wine Contributor
Raphael K. Dapaah Art Contributor
Jyoti Paintel
Spiritual Contributor
Stanley Pierre-Etienne
Aubrey Chandler
Contributing Photographer
Michael J. Snell
Lifestyles Contributor
Joey Velez
Wellness Columnist
Brett Chody
Trends Contributor
William Smith
Philanthropy Contributor
Panthil Dwivedi
Style Contributor
Wellness Contributor
Anne-Isabelle Saint-Pierre
Polo Lifestyles is a publication of HT Polo Publishing Co. 995 Detroit Avenue, Suite A Concord, CA 94518
Style Contributor
Philippe Lucas
Luxury 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 Vanessa Gordon Alice Gipps Juan Lamarca Kennedi Carter
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Katerina Morgan
Contributing Photographer
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 Simone Biles by AB+DM The photo on this page was shot by Aubrey Chandler of Tt'Shauna Lightbourn and Mateo Coles
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ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE POLO CLUB GUARDS POLO CLUB Indian Empire Shield Cup COWDRAY PARK POLO CLUB The Gold Cup British Ladies Open Championships MARRAKECH POLO CLUB International Women's Day Polo Cup GREENWICH POLO CLUB East Coast Open INANDA CLUB AON International Polo The Africa Polo Open SANTA BARBARA POLO & RACQUET CLUB USPA Silver Cup The Pacific Coast Open DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY Coupe PGH Trophee de Bourbon Open de France
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SCOREBOARDS & COCKTAILS
CARTIER QUEEN'S CUP FINALS EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM GUARDS POLO CLUB Page 56 POLO LIFESTYLES EDITORS & CONTRIBUTORS
Ambassador Claude-Alix Bertrand Publisher Polo Lifestyles @haiti_polo_captain
Panthil Dwivedi
Wellness Contributor PanthilWrites.com @panthildwivedi
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Josh Jakobitz
Editor-in-Chief Polo Lifestyles @joshuajakobitz
Charles Ward
Mansions of the Month IdeaWorks Global @ideaworksglobal
Claire Barrett
Head of Photography
Claire Barrett Photography
@clairebarrettphoto
Eva Espresso Photographer
Eva Espresso Photography
@eva.espresso
Raphael K. Dapaah
Jyoti Paintel
Art Contributor Dapaah Gallery @dapaahgallery
Spiritual Contributor Polo Lifestyles @jyotipaintel
Michael J. Snell
Aubrey Chandler
Lifestyles Contributor MJS Groupe @agnello_1
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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The Dioriviera pop-up just in time for polo, page 148
Forged from steel, these are Sleep at the Palace of Versailles, page 78 a must-have, page 162
Bring Saint-Tropez energy to your backyard, page 62
WOMEN + POWER
The 2021 Edition is a curation of the year's movers and shakers, with original essays and features on women you should know about. Page 88
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NEW BRIDGE POLO CLUB
I
WAS HOME MAKING DINNER WHEN THE TELEPHONE BUZZED. WE’RE LATE-DINNER KIND OF PEOPLE, SO IT SURPRISED ME THAT THE PHONE WOULD STILL BE RINGING, BUT WITH POLO (ALMOST) BACK IN FULL SWING ACROSS ALL TIME ZONES, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t good news: Charles Ward, a long-time polo sponsorship guru as well as the Mansions of the Month curator for Polo Lifestyles, had succumbed to heart failure at home in Dallas. Charles’ reach into the polo communities across the world over the last 40 years has been vast and deep. We mourn the loss of a colleague, but celebrate the life of a man who lived to his fullest every day of the year. He’d often call me from the treadmill at the gym, where even at 81 and fully masked (and muffled), he was determined to get his steps in. He had no shortage of ideas or inspiration. He will be missed by all of us. Death is a powerful reminder of the preciousness of life. As we disseminated ideas and curated our finalists for the annual Women+Power issue, we celebrated the repeat names and new faces, too. Our cover model, Simone Biles, is a first timer on our list this year – what an amazing athlete, who’s currently preparing for the Summer Olympics in Japan. Naomi Osaka will join her there, returning to her homeland following her withdrawals from both the French Open and Wimbledon after taking a stance against the mental anguish athletes endure at those big tournaments. Kamala Harris and Dr. Jill Biden are no strangers to Women+Power, and this year they return in slightly different capacities: Vice President of the United States and First Lady of the United States,. Katherin Jansen, a vaccine researcher at Pfizer, was instrumental in the thorough testing and retesting of the Covid-19 vaccine prior to its global distribution. Her contributions to vaccines over the decades are innumerable and she could be an entire cover story herself. Jacinda Arden, prime minister of New Zealand, shut her country down as Covid-19 cases broke out around the world while simultaneously ensuring that the 5 million residents and their businesses would survive the lockdown. Sitting on the bench of the highest court in the land is Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Her late colleague, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is one of the Women+Power alumna no longer with us, but Sotomayor is holding the Court to the same high standards as RBG. Also standing for justice, but through different methods is Dr. Amani Ballour who administered an underground hospital in war-torn Syria called The Cave. Also delivering billions in aid are Melinda French Gates and Mackenzie Scott, whose foundations are not only leading the way in giving, but challenging traditional giving methods and processes. It’s a good time to be a woman. Josh Jakobitz josh@pololifestyles.com
Beyond first class is a class of one. INNOVATION EXISTS PURELY TO SERVE YOUR COMFORT, SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE VIA MULTIPLE SENSES. A VIRTUAL VOICE ASSISTANT LISTENS TO SERVE YOU. LIGHTING AND FRAGRANCE SUBTLY SOOTHE YOU.
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VOLUME V / ISSUE VII / JULY 2021
adi_livyatan Just listed - 5115 Encino Avenue, Encino - 7 Bed | 7 Bath | 9,000 sq ft Offered at $8,995,000
globalpolo Celebrate who you are all year long with gear from @uspoloassn that urges you to #liveauthentically
poloclubpuntacana
Daily exercise with loving and dedicated grooms at the Punta Cana Polo Club in the Dominican Republic page 22
chapman_collection Designer Sally Chapman is branching out into furniture with this equine tabletop concept
chevalblancstbarth Garden views and vistas from the exclusive retreat island of Saint-Barthélemy
privatenewport Hydrangeas upon hydrangeas upon hydrangeas... seems that summer is here to stay in Newport
klearpics UAE Polo took home honors from the @cartier Queen's Cup after a year of hiatus during Covid-19
kuwtk Keeping Up With The Kardashians wrapped its final season and final episode after 14 years of production
soulofsailing The massive Dilbar, at 156 meters, in comparison to any other yacht in the Quai de Milliardaires
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Click and comment on our choices... Tag @pololifestyles. We will share noteworthy comments with you next month.
debeersofficial Diamonds are always in season and DeBeers encourages you to stack yours this summer
thejaipurpolo Vintage Mercedes, an Indian prince and a polo pony... what else do you need to make a more-perfect photo?
nereidesgroupfficial The Nereides Group announced the press conference at @ festivaldecannes for POLO the film
edithanneduncan Bespoke interiors and exteriors from Edith-Anne Duncan give incredible summer vibes for a porch party
olivier_rousteing Balmain's creative director is the star of a documentary, Wonder Boy, about the search for his birth mother
themarcjacobs Marc Jacobs' Instagram live will be projected onto the side of Bergdorf Goodman at 754 Fifth Avenue
uspoloassneur Get comfortable and look chic at the same time with fun looks from U.S. Polo Assn.'s European line
plaza_athenee
If you need a weekend feel on a Monday (or Tuesday), La Cour Jardin is the solution to all your problems
ferrarioflongisland The new Ferrari Portofino M made is debut at the Long Island EHP Resort and Marina page 23
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POLO R ID E R C U P DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY P O L O PA R K Z U R I C H RAISES THE TROPHY
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INAUGURAL POLO RIDER CUP
POLO PARK ZURICH BEATS DEAUVILLE POLO CLUB IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO RAISE THE TROPHY
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HE FIRST EDITION OF THE POLO RIDER CUP CONCLUDED ON SUNDAY, JUNE 20TH AT THE POLO CLUB DU DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY, WITH THE FINAL BETWEEN THE TWO UNBEATEN TEAMS FROM THE TOURNAMENT, POLO PARK ZÜRICH AND DEAUVILLE INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB. Polo Park Zürich defeated Deauville International Polo Club by 10-4. The first two chukkers were balanced bepage 28
tween both teams, with only one goal lead in favor of the Swiss team at the end of the second chukker, but from the third chukker, Polo Park Zürich dominated the match. Polo Park Zürick scored an additional three goals at the fourth chukker with impressive goals from Min Podesta and Carlos Solari that scored all the team’s goals. At the start of the final chukker, the result was 10-3 and the 15 year’s old Ulysse Eisenchteter, scored his second goal of the match, but Polo Park Zürich remained unbeatable in the match.
Elena Venot was named the MVP for the tournament, and Min Podesta pony ‘Pirómana’ won the Best Playing Pony award. Before the final, it was played the match between Hong Kong Polo Association and Empire Club of Coachella Valley for the 3rd & 4th place where the Hong Kong team beat the American team by 6-5 goal in a close match. The fourth chukker ended in a tie, 5-5, but Thierry Vetois scored the goal and gave the win to his team in the last chukker.
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE POLO RIDER CUP
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P OLO R I D E R C U P 2 02 1
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE POLO RIDER CUP
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE POLO RIDER CUP
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P OLO R I D ER CU P 2 02 1
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE POLO RIDER CUP
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GREENWICH POLO CLUB SUMMER SEASON
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TH E JU ST E R I N I & B R O O K S PR I N C E OF WAL E S CU P R OYAL CO U NT Y O F B E RK S H I RE P O LO C LU B
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THE PRINCE OF WALES CUP
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T H E P R I N C E O F WA L E S C U P
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T H E P R I N C E O F WA L E S C U P
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T HE CA RT I E R QU E E N ' S CU P UAE PO LO T RIUMPH S AT G UA R D S P O LO C LU B
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MJS GROUPE
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CLOUD9 BRINGS SAINT-TROPEZ ENERGY TO THE HAMPTONS R O S É W I S H E S , C H A M PA G N E S H OW E R S , A N D C AV I A R D R E A M S
HIGH SOCIETY
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THE HAMPTONS WELCOMES
ENTOURAGE ROSÉ
WITH A SAINT-TROPEZ VIBE
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HE HAMPTONS ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH EXTREME PARTIES AND THE FLASHIEST BRANDS. BUT WHEN TWO HOT SPOTS COLLIDE, YOU GET…CHAMPAGNE GUNS? TOMMY TOLLESSON, MANAGER OF CLOUD9 ALPINE BISTRO WHO RUNS THE ASPEN RESTAURANT (ONLY ACCESSIBLE ON SKIS), BROUGHT HIS NEW BRAND – ENTOURAGE ROSÉ OUT EAST. WHICH, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IS PERFECT GIVEN ROSE IS THE ONLY REAL BEVERAGE IN HAMPTONS.
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HIGH SOCIETY
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Guests were welcomed to the home of Jane DeFlorio who hosted the lavish event at Wonderland, their sprawling estate located in elite East Hampton Village. When the host mandates attendees’ dress code set to ‘bikini/skichic,’ you know inevitably it will be a great time. Flashy socialites stepped out of their Bentleys and Aston Martins to be welcomed with truffled grilled cheese topped with caviar and delectable fresh tuna tacos. Not to mention loads and loads of Entourage Rosé. While DJ NicoleRosé (also appropriately paired) set the vibe with her tracks, guests were invited to mix and mingle within the perfectly manicured back gardens that featured a Cloud9 ice sculpture and ‘Ski In – Dance Out’ spelled along the privet in pink mylar balloons. During his welcome, Tollesson spoke and shared his gratitude for attendance. The rosé that he created with friends a few years ago was inspired by his love of Saint-Tropez and Aspen, utilizing grapes from Provence. Of course, as he planned to launch his wine in 2020, the world came to a screeching halt, so Tollesson began shipping cases to clients
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craving a connection to these resort destinations. “If you can’t go to Saint-Tropez and Aspen, maybe Saint-Tropez and Aspen can come to your house,” Tollesson said. With many parts of the globe working on its reopening, he began an expansion to cover points of interest like Palm Beach, Dallas, New York and of course, the Hamptons. “What I like about this wine is that it’s so light, but it’s got that minerality and goes really well with food,” said Caroline Williams, a sommelier and founder of Curated Cellar. “It’s low enough in alcohol you can drink it during the day.”
Nick Norcia. Celebrity Dermatologist Dr. Ken Mark and wife Aleksandra stayed cool by enjoying their rosé in the pool, which was definitely a smart decision. No Cloud9-style party is complete without their signature champagne shower which included passing cases of bottles of Veuve Clicquot and even two champagne guns that attendees and used to shower the crowd while dancing. Needless to say, it was definitely Rosé wishes, Champagne showers, and caviar dreams for this crowd.
Hostess Jane DeFlorio was seen enjoying the rosé wearing jean shorts and a fabulous fur hat while Pir Granoff, a partner in Amagansett’s Best Pizza & Dive Bar donned ski pants and goggles while those like Anna Nikolayevsky, founder of Axel Capital Management, caterer Janet O’Brien, and Julie and Billy Macklowe, sported typical Hamptons attire. Amongst the bikini bods and bro shorts Christine Prydatko, Co-Founder of James Lane Post mingled with Michael Snell, founder of The MJS Groupe and Tick-Tock sensation
P H OTO G R A P H E D BY VA N E S S A G O R D O N
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Top, right: Guests of Entourage Rose Second row, far right: Janet O'Brien (in pink), Pir Granoff, Carly Beddo Third row, from left to right: Julie Macklowe and Caroline Williams; guests of Entourage Rose; Michael Snell, Launch Host Jane DeFlorio, Christine Prydatko, Nick Norcia; and DJ Nicole Rose
HIGH SOCIETY
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CHAMPAGNE SHOWERS COURTESY OF ENTOURAGE ROSÉ
HIGH SOCIETY
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MJS GROUPE
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PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUAN LAMARCA
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HIGH GOAL GIN A FRO M P O LO P L AY ER NIC ROLDAN MERICAN POLO PLAYER NIC ROLDAN JUST DOESN’T SIT STILL. BETWEEN PLAYING IN MAJOR HIGH-GOAL TOURNAMENTS AND CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN, HE’S ALSO DEVELOPING HOMES IN WEST PALM BEACH AND, MOST RECENTLY, DEVELOPING A GIN INSPIRED BY HIS TIME PLAYING POLO IN THE U.K.
We caught up with Roldan while he was off the coast of Cannes and he generously answered a few questions about High Goal Gin before getting back to the party.
LIFESTYLE
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The liquor market is extremely saturated, what sets High Goal Gin apart and what’s your niche? It’s an exciting time to be involved in the liquor market and, pun intended, there seems to be a real thirst for new and original offerings. High Goal Gin is an elevated “new world” Gin, with notes of fresh citrus and mint. It was inspired by the culinary epicenter of Charleston, South Carolina, worldly yet unmistakably American. Gin re-imagined. What’s your favorite way to enjoy High Goal Gin? And what do you like to pair with it? At the moment, my personal favorite is one of our signature cocktails, hence it’s called “The Roldan.” It’s made with muddled strawberries, basil and High Goal Gin. However, what makes High Goal Gin unique compared to other gins is that to really appreciate its notes, you should drink it on the rocks with a sliver of lemon peel and a sprig of mint. What do you want consumers to taste and experience when they drink High Goal Gin? High Goal Gin is a refreshing and modern take on a classic spirit. It is made in 3000 bottle batches using locally-sourced Charleston botanicals including mint and Meyer lemon. It’s original in how light and refreshing it is. Where can we find High Goal Gin right now? We are excited that High Goal Gin is on the menus of some of Palm Beaches’ most esteemed establishments such as Cucina, The Colony Hotel, Lola 41, Cafe L’Europe and Sant Ambroeus. Presently, we enjoy distribution in Florida and South Carolina, while our network grows all the time. Additionally, the discerning are able to order High Goal Gin direct on our website HighGoalGin.com. What’s one thing about developing High Goal Gin that surprised you? The most surprising or interesting experience we have had developing our gin has been understanding the different palates, perfecting a new taste that is light and refreshing and popular to the overall demopage 74
graphic. Reaction from traditional gin drinkers has also been surprising with their very positive reaction to our flavor. How has your platform as a professional polo player helped you in launching High Goal Gin? Gin and polo have long been intertwined as of course polo provides a wonderful setting in which to sip on a G&T. It’s the perfect summer drink. How would you explain the ‘High Goal’ part of your brand to a consumer who’s not familiar with polo? High Goal Gin was born of the Game
of Kings. High Goal Gin leverages the aspirational qualities of polo to elevate American Gin to a new level, not only in the United States, but globally. Have you always been drawn to gin or is this a new venture for you? When I was playing in the UK regularly, I met with a couple of friends for drinks and one of them was a real gin lover. We would often meet at a local place which offered over 200 gins in its bar, this fascinated me and it became a bit of an education learning about the high variety on offer and the differences in the spirit. From there, it grew.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LIBBYVISION.COM
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY AIRELLES
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ROYAL SPLENDOR FIT FOR A KING (OR QUEEN)
LE GRAND CONTRÔLE S L E EP I NSI DE THE GATES OF VERSAIL L E S
TRAVEL
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T BEGAN LIFE AS A MODEST HUNTING LODGE BUILT BY LOUIS XIII IN 1623, BUT UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF LOUIS XIV, VERSAILLES BECAME A MAGNIFICENT PALACE RENOWNED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Over the course of more than 100 years, and during numerous successions to the
throne, the building was embellished and enlarged to accommodate the court of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. Now considered one of the finest achievements of French art, the Palace of Versailles remains a cultural symbol of royal splendor. Set within the gates of Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle was built in 1681 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis XIV’s favorite architect and an icon of French
classicism. The grandiose building once played host to Europe’s political and cultural elite, from ambassadors and artists, to musicians, writers and scientists of the Enlightenment. Now, more than two centuries later, Le Grand Contrôle has been entirely restored, offering guests an exclusive peek into the world of Versailles. Unlock access to the 2,000 acre-strong gardens, retrace famous footsteps and explore page 79
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LE GRAND CONTRÔLE AT VERSAILLES
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the palace halls and apartments like never before.
lighting has been sensitively designed in keeping with 18th-century styling.
With 14 sumptuous Rooms and Suites replete with period furnishings and fittings for a royal stay, guests are invited to step back in history, but one coupled with contemporary comforts.
Throughout their stay, guests will enjoy revamped takes on royal classics - from the Alain Ducasse restaurant to the Valmont Spa. As always, the art of French service is taken to sublime levels as guests are treated like nobility at every opportunity.
Paying homage to the rich history, every element at Le Grand Contrôle touches upon its former 18th-century splendor, from carefully sourced interiors, right down to the uniforms worn by the welcome team. Furniture and paintings that once had a place in the palace have been reunited with their former home. Technology has been thoughtfully considered throughout; in place of TVs, guests will instead discover views of the Orangery Garden and the Lake of the Swiss Guards beautifully framed by drapery, whilst the
When it comes to sustainability, historical traditions have been replaced with 21st-century thinking, with new technology embraced throughout the hotel. Geothermal energy has been used to heat the building whilst LED lights give new life to antique chandeliers. Ingredients for the restaurant have been sourced from local suppliers, and guests will find zero single-use plastics in rooms.
TRAVEL
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LE GRAND CONTRÔLE AT VERSAILLES
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TRAVEL
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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
Polo Lifestyles proudly announces its strategic alliance with Idea Works Global’s luxury guru and famous polo sponsorship marketing powerhouse, Charles Ward. Change your listing from For Sale to Sold 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
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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.
C HÂT E AU D E V E R S A I L L E S Le Grand Contrôle
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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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+
WOMEN POWER 2021 EDITION
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WOMEN + POWER SIMONE BILES
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O LY M P I C G Y M N A S T
HANKS TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, THE GREATEST GYMNAST IN HISTORY WAS FORCED TO SPEND PART OF THE LAST YEAR FINDING SOME EQUILIBRIUM IN A LIFE THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ALL ABOUT THE WORK.
Championship medals, four never-before-been-done moves named after her, and a performance level so fearless, it raised the bar for the entire sport. And she’s still at the top of her game, making her one of the best all-around athletes of our time, a competitor whose name will forever belong in the same breath as Serena Williams and Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.
But more on all that later. Right now Simone Biles is just like the rest of us, signing onto Zoom from home, waiting to get back out there.
“I lived, I traveled, I did things I couldn’t do because of gymnastics,” she says. Now, as she prepares for the 2021 Olympics—maybe her last—the 24-year-old is approaching her sport with a new sense of joy.
But for all the gold and GOAT talk, it’s easy to forget that this is a woman who redefined the limits of what the human body is capable of while carrying the mental burden of competing for an organization that failed to protect its athletes—including her—from a documented culture of abuse. And that was before the stress of 2020 hit and the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, which were meant to be Biles’ last, became uncertain.
Biles spent most of quarantine here during the early, anxious days of the pandemic, grappling with the fact that her chance to finish the career she’d sacrificed her entire life for might be stolen by the pandemic. Navigating a postponement would mean another year of pushing her body to its limit, and Biles’ job relies on her body—a finely calibrated machine conditioned by thousands of hours of workouts to peak at precisely the right moment every four years.
Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in history. No caveats, no gender qualifiers, no getting around the fact that at 24 she’s broken just about every record there is to break. Twenty-five World
During the last year, Biles used her unexpected downtime to buy her own house in Texas, a space she designed for her and her two Frenchies, Lilo and Rambo.
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Then it became official: In late March, Texas went under total lockdown. No more training. For seven weeks Biles sat idle, weighing how to commit herself physically and mentally to the uncertainty. It took a toll. “I got to process all the emotions,” she says. “I got to go through being angry, sad, upset, happy, annoyed. I got to go through all of it by myself, without anybody telling me what to feel.” She became depressed. She thought of quitting. But that didn’t last long. “I wanted to give up,” Biles says. “But it would have been dumb because I’ve worked way too hard.” The decision to stay in gold-medal shape, even if the next Olympics weren’t for another year, wasn’t just about keeping her body in peak condition.
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It would also mean shouldering the mental burden of another year of having to compete as part of USA Gymnastics, the governing body of the sport. “I think that’s been the hardest part,” Biles says. USAG has come under sharp criticism—with many powerful words from Biles herself—for failing to protect its athletes from a documented culture of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Biles is the only known survivor of sexual abuse who is still actively competing for the organization, according to Insider, and her presence in the gym is a source of constant pressure on both USAG and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (also accused of failing to protect its athletes) to conduct further independent investigation. “I’m still here, so it’s not going to disappear,” she says. “We have power behind it.”
Biles bears the responsibility gracefully, despite the unfairness of asking survivors to be the spokespeople for their own abuse. I ask her how she deals, especially in a sport in which mental focus is so important to winning medals. “Probably by compartmentalizing,” she says. “I try not to think about it because I can’t afford to—if I let them rule me, they’re winning.” The gymnast has already achieved an unmatched level of excellence, so choosing to put herself through another year was to prove to no one but herself that she could, that at 24 she was better than ever, and that even after everything she’s been through, she still loves her sport. “I know I’m doing it for me,” she says. “I do it because I still have such a passion for it.”
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WOMEN + POWER KAMALA HARRIS
V I C E P R E S I D E N T O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S
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ICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS HOLDS THE TIE-BREAKING VOTE IN AN EQUALLY DIVIDED 50-50 U.S. SENATE, BUT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT BIPARTISANSHIP IS HIGH ON THE AGENDA.
To that end, she has a lot of work to do, and she’s digging in. Harris recently relaunched the annual ladies’ dinner for female senators, which had been skipped as part of Covid-19 protocols last year. The private dinner was held at the Naval Observatory on Tuesday, June 15, for all female U.S. senators. Harris, herself, is a former U.S. Senator from California. It was the first known time that Harris hosted lawmakers in the vice-presidential residence since moving in April, a process that was delayed due to renovations. She invited all 24 female senators: 16 Democrats and eight Republicans.
The Vice President even made the cheese puffs herself, Stabenow tweeted to her followers. Afterward, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told Fox News that Harris was a gracious host and that the dinner was a “lovely event,” while adding that it “wasn’t a policy discussion at all.” Pushed on whether there was any policy talk, Blackburn said it was an “evening of relationship-building.” Blackburn said the dinner is an annual bipartisan event for the women of the Senate, but that last year’s gathering had been canceled due to Covid-19. Harris is a former U.S. senator from California -- the chamber’s only Black female senator while she served -- before being tapped as now-President Joe Biden's running mate during the 2020 election.
Now as vice president, Harris returns to the Senate to be the tie-breaking vote and Pres. Biden has tasked her with spearheading the administration’s efforts on voting rights. The Senate is also negotiating on the President’s key priorities including an infrastructure package. Harris had recently returned from her first foreign trip as VP to Guatemala and Mexico as she sought a serious strategy for stemming migration from the Northern Triangle. The senators who attended included Tammy Baldwin, Marsha Blackburn, Maria Cantwell, Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins, Catherine CortezMasto, Tammy Duckworth, Joni Ernst, Dianne Feinstein, Deb Fischer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Maggie Hassan, Mazie Hirono, Amy Klobuchar, Lisa Murkowski, Patty Murray, Jacky Rosen, Jeanne Shaheen, Debbie Stabenow, Tina Smith and Elizabeth Warren.
“What a wonderful bipartisan… dinner at our @VP’s residence!” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) tweeted. In photos, Harris is seen toasting the group from her seat at the table between Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Aka.) The senators dined on mahi-mahi and ended the night with strawberry rhubarb croustades and vanilla ice cream, according to a menu shared by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) The meal was paired with wines from Harris’ home state of California. page 95
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WOMEN + POWER NAOMI OSAK A
T
HIS SUMMER’S TOKYO OLYMPICS ARE EXTRA SPECIAL FOR NAOMI OSAKA — IT’S NOT ONLY THE JAPANESE 23-YEAR-OLD’S FIRST GAMES, BUT ALSO HER HOMECOMING. “I have never competed in an Olympic Games before, but I can say, as an athlete, I’m excited to be competing in the most prestigious athletic event in the world,” Osaka said. “Like most competitors, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my entire life, and the fact that
T E N N I S S U P E R S TA R
they are being held in my birthplace of Japan, I just feel like I can’t stop smiling about it.” While Osaka is filled with excitement about this year’s games, she also feels immense pressure to perform. “You have to mentally prepare for these large-scale moments, and there are a lot of pressures associated with the Olympics because your country is looking up to you,” Osaka said. Osaka has recently spoken out about her mental health and how the scrutiny that comes with being in the spotlight as an elite athlete affects her.
While competing at the French Open in May and June, Osaka said she didn’t want to do post-match interviews because they triggered her anxiety. She added that she’s struggled with depression since 2018. Osaka was fined $15,000 for skipping a press conference. She ultimately resigned from the tournament, but the decision prompted a debate of how governing sports organizations treat athletes from a mental-health perspective. Osaka, who also withdrew from Wimbledon in June, said in May that the pandemic allowed her to slow down and focus more on her emotional and mental well-being. “I get impatient at times and have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy every moment,” she said. “This has helped me on the court to calm my nerves and dismantle some of the pressures that come with the stage.” Osaka said that focusing on gratitude and remembering that success isn’t built overnight help keep her humble through the ups and downs. Like all athletes, Osaka’s training regimen had to change a lot during the pandemic, and once the postponement of the Olympics was officially announced, she tried to stay positive. “It was tough at first, but I appreciate that it would have hit some athletes harder,” she said. “In tennis, while the Olympics is the pinnacle, in my opinion, we are lucky enough to have some other big events throughout the year. While it was disappointing, I put it into perspective and realized that it was a much tougher year for so many people.”
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Osaka flipped her mindset and decided to enjoy the downtime and break from endless travel between tournaments. Usually, Osaka’s training is always focused on the next major tournament, and her schedule varies accordingly. “I also have to change surfaces from hard courts to clay to grass, so all of that is a factor into my movement and on-court practice as well,” she said. Over recent years, Osaka has centered her passion for activism in her athleticism. At the 2020 US Open, during the height of the Black Lives Matters protests, Osaka used her public platform to highlight racial injustice. Throughout the tournament, she wore seven face masks, each bearing the name of a Black person who had been killed by police violence or racial profiling, as Insider’s Darcy Schild reported. “There was a lot happening in the world, and there were issues that were bigger than all of us, and I felt I needed to say something, even if it wasn’t through words,” Osaka said. “I didn’t feel that with all that I was seeing in the world around me I could just show up and play as if nothing had happened, as if lives were not unjustly taken.” Osaka hoped the move could spark further conversations about systemic oppression. “That was the very least I could do,” she said.
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WOMEN + POWER MEGHAN MARKLE
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ROM HER HOME IN SANTA BARBARA, CALIF., ACTRESS-TURNED-PRINCESS MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX, CONTINUES TO TAKE THE STRIDES NECESSARY TO PROTECT HER FAMILY BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE.
THE DUCHESS OF SUSSEX
United Kingdom. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, 2, and Lilibet MountbattenWindsor, who will be one month old on July 4, have been the subject of her, and her husband’s, concerns since the beginning of her pregnancy with Archie.
Much has been said, leaked, rumored and confirmed in the whirlwind around the royal couple, who left Great Britain last year, first for Canada prior to settling into life in Southern California.
Hounded unbearably by the paparazzi and cut off from her social life in London, the Duchess confided in an interview taped earlier this spring with Oprah Winfrey that she reached deep levels of depression. Together with His Royal Highness, the Duke of Sussex, the royal couple planned an exit from the confines of traditional royal life.
The Duchess is the mother of two royal children with direct, albeit lengthy, paths to the throne of the
Now, in the midst of an ongoing effort to clarify the reasons, which are many, for their exit from royal duties,
they offered a proverbial olive branch to the head of the family: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Their second child's given name, Lilibet, is after Elizabeth; while her middle name, Diana, is an obvious ode to Harry’s late mother, the Princess of Wales. Lilibet, who was born in Santa Barbara, may not be eligible for any titles as the U.S. Constitution bans titles of nobility for American citizens. On Lilibet’s birth certificate, the Duchess is listed simply as Meghan Rachael Markle. The Duchess in particular has been clear about her intentions for – and costs of – protecting her children: without royal titles, the children don’t qualify for palace-provided security. This means that
as her children grow older, enter into kindergartens and schools, the security made available to their parents as the Duke and Duchess won’t follow and protect the great-grandchildren of the British monarch. For Meghan, the angst of her children’s vulnerability was unbearable. Her husband, Prince Harry, is, of course, the son of a woman driven to death by the paparazzi even with a security detail in place. At least in Santa Barbara, the press and paparazzi are kept largely at bay by the American ideology that the privacy of children of celebrities, presidents and personalities should be respected. However untraditional raising royal children in the United States may be to one of the most traditional families in the world, the Duchess of Sussex and her family continue to make the hard decisions necessary, and to ensure that the tragic fate of other royal outsiders is not ever repeated.
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WOMEN + POWER JILL BIDEN
F I R S T L A DY O F T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S
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FTER JOE BIDEN WAS SWORN IN AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON JANUARY 20, JILL BIDEN TOOK HER RIGHTFUL PLACE AS FIRST LADY. SHE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS SECOND LADY UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND HAS WORKED AS AN EDUCATOR THROUGHOUT HER LIFE — A ROLE SHE HAS CONTINUED page 102
EVEN AFTER SHE MOVED TO THE WHITE HOUSE. On June 25, she joined a broadcast of the Daytime Emmys to co-present (alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) a posthumous award to Alex Trebeck. Biden called the late TV game show host “warn and funny” and said she loved how “he brought our families together every evening, racking our brains to keep up with the smartest contestants. Thank you, Alex. We miss you.”
It is the human moments like these that remind us that the First Lady’s role in the U.S. Government system doesn’t come with a job description. Each First Lady carves out her own priorities and platforms. As Biden settles in a job with which she is no doubt familiar, we surmise that her areas of interest may be similar to those from her days as Second Lady: working with and advocating for military families, highlighting the importance of community college education and women’s issues ranging from breast cancer prevention and gender equality in the United States and abroad.
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WOMEN + POWER AMANDA GORMAN
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YO U T H P O E T L A U R E AT E
HO KNEW? THE YOUTH POET LAUREATE SENSATION, AMANDA GORMAN, WHO WOWED US DURING AMERICAN PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S INAUGURATION IN JANUARY 2021 CONTENDS WITH SPEECH AND AUDITORY PROCESSING CHALLENGES.
Never would this have been imagined while listening to Gorman’s truly memorable performance that day. This is a quintessential example of how one’s passion for her art is more than enough to rise above a diagnosis, inspire others and be remembered. It also illustrates that where a deficit exists, there are ways to compensate for it. In addition to the auditory processing disorder, which had been diagnosed when she was in kindergarten, Gorman has speech articulation-related challenges which make it difficult to pronounce certain words and sounds. Consequently, she learned how to read later than her peers and depended upon special accommodations in school, given to students with disabilities. But once she learned how to read, she began to immerse herself in books, started to write her own material and discovered how adept she was at these pursuits. An appearance at the Library of Congress, the publication of her first book of poetry and being named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate soon followed.
It takes a great deal of courage to reveal one’s vulnerabilities, and when they come to light, the wow-factor that already surrounds an exceptionally talented person is elevated to a whole new level. The true strength of that individual surfaces when what had been overcome along the road to glory becomes known. page 103
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WOMEN + POWER M AC K EN Z I E S COT T
I
MAGINE FOR A MOMENT BEING OBSCENELY, OUTRAGEOUSLY RICH. I KNOW YOU’VE DONE IT BEFORE. YOU PROBABLY HAVE A LIST OF PRIORITIES—COLLEGE TRUSTS FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, A BIG YACHT, A PRIVATE ISLAND WITH A PRIVATE JET. FORGET THAT LIST. THAT LIST IS PUNY. THIS IS THE KIND OF RICH WHERE NOTHING EXCEPT A SECOND HOME ON AN EXOPLANET IS OUT OF YOUR REACH.
PHILANTHROPIST
That is the position in which MacKenzie Scott found herself in July 2019, when her divorce from Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, was finalized and she became the owner of four percent of Amazon’s stock. She was a single woman in her 50th year with about $38 billion to blow. Since then, Amazon’s share price has grown like the piles of cardboard boxes it leaves on homes’ doorsteps, so estimates of her wealth are even higher, something like $57 billion. And that’s after giving $5.9 billion away. People have given away that much before. But not usually so fast. Or without starting a foundation first. Or without any of the recipients asking for it or even knowing in ad-
vance. Or with so few strings attached; the organizations can use the money in any way they see fit. According to Candid, an organization that tracks spending in the charitable sector, Scott was responsible for 20 percent of all the COVID-19-related philanthropic funds given away globally last year, and almost 75 percent of those given by individuals. More than half of the money given to BIPOC communities by rich people last year came from her. Scott was rich before her divorce, of course. Increasingly so, during her 25-year marriage to Bezos. But perhaps because the wealth was not strictly hers to dispose of, she was not noted for her extravagant giving. In fact, she was
not noted for her extravagant anything. She drove a Honda minivan. She wore a $700 jersey dress to the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar party. Some of the dinners she hosted at her home were potluck. So it’s probably not surprising that even before the stock transfer made her one of the richest women in the world, just a month after her divorce was settled, and two years ago this month, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, a public promise to give away the bulk of her wealth. “We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand,” she wrote in her pledge. “In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share.” Warren Buffett’s a signatory to the pledge, as are Bill and Melinda Gates; Sara Blakely, who invented Spanx; and Michael Bloomberg, among more than 200 others. But in her first year of giving her money away, Scott has been behaving quite differently from her fellow philanthropists. And in doing so, she is quietly changing the way the trillion-dollar-a-year philanthropy business operates.
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WOMEN + POWER S H A R O N STO N E
S
HARON STONE SPEAKS CANDIDLY ABOUT HER DECISION TO COME FORWARD WITH DETAILS ABOUT HER SEXUAL ABUSE IN HER NEW MEMOIR, THE BEAUTY OF LIVING TWICE. She recalled horrible memories from her past for the book, including a time when she and her sister, Kelly, were sexually abused by a grandfather when they were younger. Detailing that she and her sibling “made this decision together” to reveal the abuse in her memoir, Stone said, “We spoke to my mother and at first she was very stoic and wrote me a letter about how disconcerting all this information was. The whole pious, horrified, I-don’t-really-want-to-talk-aboutit-directly kind of thing.” Following a familial confrontation at her sister’s home, “Mom had a major breakthrough,” said Stone. “When I finished the book, I read it to my mother over a three-day period. And I had the flu at the time. I was in bed and she got in bed with me as I finished the book, and then I recorded an hour and a half of her talking,” she added. “And then I rewrote a lot of the book. That’s when I dedicated the book to her.” The Basic Instinct star says her memoir is coming after decades of reflection and coming to believe that as women reach the age of 40, “white male society starts to tell women you don’t have worth.” “I think that as we grow older, we have this societal pressure when people start to try to tell us that our worth is diminished,” Stone told Oprah Winfrey during page 106
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a taping of Super Soul Sunday. “I think when we get to 40 as women, that’s an incredibly powerful place. Though the patriarchy tells you that your worth diminishes after 40, I don’t believe that at all. Your worth becomes so much more.” The actress also spoke to Winfrey about a near-death experience and her recovery after having a near-fatal stroke, alongside the trauma and abuse she experienced as a child. Her outlook on her openness is simple: it’s better to share these aspects of her life publicly. Otherwise, “People will make it all up for you,” she said about keeping details to herself. “There’s been pretty much an
adult lifetime of people making up my life for me,” she said. “I’ve had quite a bit of tummy trouble waiting for this book to come.” “Now I’m going to go out in the most menacing, disruptive, psychologically aggressive period that our world has been in since the ‘60s and be vulnerable and open,” Stone said. “I understand that I’ll be met with a certain amount of that. But I don’t want to gird my loins. I don’t want to be defensive. I want to prepare to be open and present. Because that’s the purpose of my journey.”
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WOMEN POWER
S O N I A S O T O M AY O R
A S S O C I AT E S U P R E M E C O U R T J U S T I C E
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N JANUARY 20, 2021, VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS, A DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANTS, AND SONIA SOTOMAYOR, THE NATION’S FIRST LATINA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, MET ON THE LARGEST STAGE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO RESET A NATION IN CRISIS.
Harris and Sotomayor exchanged only a few words as they recited and repeated the vice presidential oath, but their presence marked perhaps the strongest visual cue of an abrupt change of course. In choosing Sotomayor to administer the oath, Harris picked an ideological sister who has journeyed the same path, littered with familiar obstacles, to mark a turn in the direction of the country. As Sotomayor delivered the 71 words of the oath, Harris became the first female Black vice president, a woman born of an Indian mother and a Jamaican American father, and she joined Sotomayor in a small society of women at the top echelon of government. Harris was inspired by Sotomayor’s legacy, a source familiar with the decision said. For progressives -- especially young women, daughters of immigrants, African Americans, Indian Americans, Jamaican Americans, Latinas, children of the projects -- the sight of the two women together sent a strong signal as the new government settled in for a bumpy ride. page 107
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WOMEN + POWER ISSA RAE
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H O L LY W O O D P O W E R H O U S E
SSA RAE, THE "INSECURE" STAR, USED MODERN TACTICS TO GROW HER AUDIENCE AND MADE TIMELESS MOVES TO BUILD SYNERGIES ACROSS HER BUSINESSES. After an 18-month break, Insecure is back. Rae needed that time off to live life. “Insecure takes nine months out of my life. I’m pulling from life experience, and if you’re not living, then what are you really making?” she recently said. Her break also included four movies, a newly launched record label, a coffee shop in Inglewood, and more projects on the way. The multi-hyphenate shows no signs of slowing down. Rae says she models herself after Oprah, Diddy and Ellen. But those three came up in a different time. Some of their tactics aren’t relevant for Rae, who started on the Internet. She developed her own playbook, but still learned from those who came before. Her journey is more relatable for the rising media mogul. In 2007, Rae launched "Dorm Diaries," a YouTube series on black life at Stanford University. To get the word out, she used Facebook. The social network had just expanded to let anyone become a user. While many of us frantically hid our profiles from potential employers, Rae went all the way in. “It started with Facebook randomly, trying to add friends. When they opened it up to the world I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to add all the Senegalese people.’ And that was a community, an African community where we shared stuff amongst each other,” page 110
Rae said. “Three shows down the line when I launched "Awkward Black Girl," I already had a fan base from the other two shows. I really learned from my mistakes, learned what people wanted to see, then studied the analytics. By the time that show came out, there was an audience. It wasn’t huge or anything, but it was enough for them to share with their friends, and they would share with their friends.” "Awkward Black Girl" took off because of its strong base and word of mouth. Rae launched a Kickstarter for season 2. She nearly doubled her $30,000 goal. Similarly, Rae’s Facebook groups brought together awkward black folks from all walks of life. Her content attracts those who can watch her show and say “YES! That’s def me.” Her audience is used to being the only ones in the room. Rae’s official Facebook page now has over 250,000 fans. Rae built up her leverage. When HBO came around in 2013, it took some time but they got it right. Now, anyone who’s seen both Awkward Black Girl and Insecure can see the differences. The premium cable show has more sex appeal than Awkward Black Girl ever had. It’s HBO, what did we expect? But despite the glamour and glitz, the show maintains its awkward-as-hell identity. Rae doesn’t own Insecure, HBO does. But she uses its intellectual property for a growing number of ventures. There are four key areas. First, she uses Patreon to host behindthe-scenes interviews with Insecure cast members. She also grants exclusive access to events and offers other perks.
That Patreon revenue is used to support other diverse and talented creators. This challenges a misconception on Patreon. It’s often viewed as a donation platform for budding creators. But why should creators leave Patreon after they break out? Sure, Rae no longer needs that revenue to live life. But it’s more valuable to shift it to initiatives or philanthropic efforts that fans value. Otherwise, it’s harder to convene these passionate customers. Second, she teamed up with Atlantic Records to launch her Raedio record label. The artists she signs will likely get their music played in Insecure and Rae’s other digital properties. Raedio recently acquired a music supervision company to oversee the use of music in both film and TV. Raedio also partnered with Kobalt to collect publishing revenue and manage its library. Kobalt exec Jeannette Perez said it’s the first time they’ve worked with someone who bridges all her companies together. Third, she has an upcoming show on HBO Max called Rap Sh*t. It follows a fictional South-Florida-based female rap group trying to break out. All these initiatives start to converge. Fourth, she’s launching a new mobile game, Insecure: The Come Up. Fans of the TV show can bring the game to life as Insecure animated figures. They’ll be able to unlock parts of Los Angeles, improve their community, and get involved in all the uncomfortable situations they desire. It’s quickly become an entertainment universe. Each business reinforces another.
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WOMEN + POWER CHRISTINE L AGARDE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PRESIDENT
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UROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PRESIDENT CHRISTINE LAGARDE HAS SOME ADVICE FOR YOUNG WOMEN IN FINANCE: “DON’T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF, EVER,” SHE SAID JUST LAST MONTH.
The first female European Central Bank president also supports gender quotas on boards of banks. “I wouldn’t say binding targets, but I would say targets for which management is accountable,” she said. “There might be circumstances where you simply are close to target, not on target. And you want to just reassess and identify why you missed the target. But targets, absolutely.” Only two percent of top-level appointees in private sector banks are women, she noted. “There is a long way to go. Grit your teeth and smile. It helps.” The former French trade, agricultural and finance minister entered politics after a career as a lawyer. She later became the first female head of the International Monetary Fund before taking the top post at the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank in 2019.
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WOMEN + POWER A M A N I B A L LO U R P E D I AT R I C I A N
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R. AMANI BALLOUR IS AFRAID OF LOUD NOISES. THE SOUNDS REMIND HER OF THE FIGHTER JETS AND FEROCIOUS SHELLING THAT FORCED HER TO RELUCTANTLY FLEE HER NATIVE SYRIA IN 2018. The 32-year-old pediatrician does not find relief in the quiet of her sparsely furnished two-room apartment in Gaziantep, Turkey. In the stillness, she remembers the young patients she calls “my children,” those who survived and the many more who didn’t. For two years, from 2016 to 2018, Ballour ran an underground field hospital known as The Cave in her hometown of Eastern Ghouta, near the Syrian capital Damascus. There, she witnessed war crimes including the use of chemical weapons and chlorine bombs, and airstrikes on hospitals, attacks that tar-
geted a place of refuge and those already wounded. Her work in that role formed the gravitational center of a new, aptly named documentary, “The Cave,” from National Geographic Documentary Films that was nominated for an Oscar this year. As the conflict dragged on, the patients, some as young as a few days old, continued to pour in by the thousands, injured from the battles, weakened from the war, some with shrapnel wounds, others with missing limbs, and many coughing and suffocating from chemical attacks that had been repeatedly condemned by the rest of the world.
and, according to Ballour, offered the remaining residents a choice: Leave in buses or stay back and be killed. So she and her team made the difficult decision to close down the cave and leave, moving first to Idlib in northern Syria and then crossing into Turkey, where Ballour has been for the last two years. In January, she was awarded the Council of Europe’s Raoul Wallenberg Prize for her humanitarian efforts. Last weekend, she attended the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif. And, today, she and her husband are applying for asylum in Canada, hoping to start afresh and move forward.
“There was no safe space,” Ballour says. “Imagine being the victim of an airstrike, you’re treated in hospital, and then bombed there too. The hospital was hit many times. I’ve been asked to verify how many strikes. Believe me, I couldn’t count them all.”
But the memories of the war continue to haunt her and make it difficult for her to work with children again. “When I see sick children, they remind me of my children in Ghouta,” she said referring to all the children who came through the cave and she considered her own.
In 2018, Assad’s Russian-backed forces intensified their attacks on Ghouta
“I can’t forget them.” page 113
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WOMEN + POWER JACINDA ARDERN
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PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND
EW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN HAS SAID SHE DIDN’T THINK SHE WAS TOUGH ENOUGH FOR A LIFE IN POLITICS, IN A WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW WHERE SHE ALSO DISCUSSES PREPARING FOR COVID-19 AND HOW RELATIONS WITH THE US HAVE EVOLVED.
“The biggest barrier for me was probably the fact that I didn’t necessarily think that the traits that I held and valued the most were those that would be easily accepted in politics,” Ardern said. “You know, I talked a little bit about feeling like I wasn’t really tough enough for the environment of politics.” Ardern said that line of thinking assumed politicians “need to be really thick skinned” and can’t be a “sensitive person” or “outwardly display your compassion or empathy.”
Ardern has led New Zealand’s center-left Labour party since 2017 following a period when a slew of middle-aged male leaders -- four in less than a decade -had failed to ignite enthusiasm in voters. Her nomination energized voters and she ended up as Prime Minister following the September 2017 election in coalition with the conservative New Zealand First Party and the liberal Green Party. In October 2020, Ardern won a second term in office, this time in a landslide victory that allowed Labour to govern alone. Although she hasn't been recipient of the constant commentary on clothing or the blatant sexism experienced by previous female politicians, women of her generation should not trivialize their own experiences, Ardern said. New Zealand may be a country of just 5 million people, but Ardern has attracted global headlines for being an unusually young Prime Minister, for giving birth while leading a country and for her swift, effective action against Covid-19.
Ardern discussed what it was like preparing New Zealand for the pandemic and the extreme lockdown measures her government enacted. “I literally felt like we were preparing New Zealanders for war,” she said, recounting how she heard people had stopped to watch her announcement about the country’s Covid-19 alert system on their phones in the supermarket. “The magnitude of it felt really significant.” Ardern enacted what she called a “little stamp it out strategy, which has enabled us to eliminate Covid-19,” instead of trying to flatten the curve of infections as many other nations attempted. The choice came off the back of a meeting with her chief science adviser, who said flattening the curve wasn’t going to work in New Zealand, citing the rate of infection and hospital capacity. Ardern also highlighted how she is cautiously optimistic about international relations now that Joe Biden is US President. “The change of leadership in the United States for us, undeniably, has created a change in tone,” she said. “The issues of global importance, such as climate change, we were incredibly pleased to see that was one of the first moves that was taken by the Biden administration.” Ardern revealed how her childhood experience of living in a small town called Murupara, where many people fell into poverty following job losses, had made her question why some people lived comfortably and others didn’t. “It took me a long time to decide that politics is the place to do something about it,” she said.
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WOMEN + POWER K AT H E R I N J A N S E N
VACC I N E R E S E A RC H & D E V E LO PM E NT
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OR THE PHARMA BEHEMOTH PFIZER, THE RACE TO DEVELOP A COVID-19 VACCINE WAS NOT JUST ABOUT BRINGING A QUICK END TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC. IT WAS ALSO ABOUT THE COMPANY’S REPUTATION AMONG SCIENTISTS, POLITICIANS AND THE PUBLIC, AND IT’S ABOUT PRIDE: DEMONSTRATING THAT ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DRUG MAKERS IS AS NIMBLE — AND MORE FORMIDABLE — THAN ANY UPSTART BIOTECH.
Pfizer and its upstart rival, Moderna, were the first companies to launch large clinical trials to prove their vaccines’ efficacy, and on the same day: July 27, page 116
2020. But Pfizer was counting on one scientist to give it an edge: Kathrin Jansen. The company’s head of vaccine research and development, Jansen, has led the development of the world’s two best-selling vaccines, against human papilloma virus and pneumococcus, at two different companies. Since March 2020, when Pfizer partnered with the German startup BioNTech to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, Jansen has led a 650-person team night and day on Zoom meetings from her Manhattan apartment, occasionally making the trip to Pfizer’s vaccine headquarters in Pearl River, N.Y. “I stay out of the way,” she said, “Because I’m not needed in the laboratory.” For all the pressure, William Gruber, a longtime Pfizer vaccine executive, said
of Jansen: “She does not sacrifice quality for speed. In other words, it’s got to be right. She is a hard-nosed scholar of vaccine development.” Jansen and her industry were put to the test, as the world was desperate for a weapon against the pandemic. Developing a vaccine this fast had never been attempted. But Jansen was – and is – known for her calm, but commanding, manner and devotion to data over groupthink. “She’s exactly who we needed in that position,” said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She fights for the vaccines she thinks are important, he said. “People who think pharmaceutical companies are evil should spend time with people like Kathrin Jansen.”
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WOMEN POWER
M ELI N DA FREN CH GATES
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PHILANTHROPIST
ELINDA FRENCH GATES MET WITH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS AND LAWMAKERS IN JUNE TO DISCUSS ISSUES SUCH AS PAID LEAVE. AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN PHILANTHROPY FOR HER CONNECTIONS TO THE GATES FOUNDATION AND HER SIGNATURE ON THE GIVING PLEDGE, THE INVITATION IS AN OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT OF HER ROLE IN SHAPING POLICY THROUGH PHILANTHROPY.
She visited Capitol Hill to meet with senators including Patty Murray of Washington, French Gates’ home state. French Gates, who announced her divorce from Bill Gates in May, visited the White House to meet Ron Klain, the chief of staff; Susan Rice, the domestic-policy advisor; and other senior administration officials. A spokesperson for French Gates said, “Melinda French Gates met with leaders in Washington, D.C. to discuss the continued global response to the pandemic and thanked policymakers for their leadership in the global vaccination effort. Melinda also highlighted the need for a federal paid leave policy to support our economic recovery and get people back to work.” French Gates' investment firm Pivotal Ventures aims to advance social progress in the U.S. The company, which French Gates founded in 2015, advocates policies such as paid leave and childcare - part of President Biden’s infrastructure plan. Paid leave allows workers to take time off without missing a paycheck. French Gates has said it’s important for Congress to expand paid family and medical leave in the U.S., especially as the economy recovers from the pandemic. Biden’s American Families Plan is designed to offer more affordable childcare and boost the pay of childcare workers. The White House has estimated that it could benefit 5 million children in the U.S.
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WOMEN + POWER AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE
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DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL
N PAPER, THE JOB OF RUNNING THE LITTLE-KNOWN DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL IS A SMALL ROLE FOR SOMEONE WHO MADE THE SHORT LIST FOR VICE PRESIDENT AND LATER HOPED FOR A TOP NATIONAL SECURITY JOB.
Yes Susan Rice, one of the few senior Black women officials in the West Wing, has been brought in with a mandate to elevate the council and to operate as part of a policy troika alongside Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, and Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council. “She has made it so that she’s always going to have a seat at the table, or she’s
going to break in the door,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary. “People knew that when she came in.” This was not where she originally thought she would end up. But during the transition, when it was unclear whether Democrats would win control of the Senate, Rice’s conversations with the Biden team switched from cabinet positions, like defense secretary and secretary of state, to White House roles that would not require Senate confirmation. Democrats gained control of the Senate in January, but Rice had already been named to her current post. The domestic policy job typically goes to someone who is not a household name, but is steeped in domestic policy. The staff and budget of the Domestic Policy Council is a small fraction of what Rice had when she oversaw an
almost 400-person National Security Council during the Obama administration. Rice currently has about 40 people reporting to her, with plans to add more by drawing on employees working in government agencies. “The Domestic Policy Council has never been as robust in terms of process and inter-agency coordination as National Security Council and the National Economic Council have been,” said Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff. In accepting the position, he said, Rice told him she wanted the resources to make the Domestic Policy Council more of an internal force. “We wanted her to have an N.S.C.-like process,” Klain said. “She’s said, ‘Well, then I need an N.S.C.-like staff and budget.’ We weren’t quite able to match the N.S.C., but we did significantly plus up the number of staff she has.” Now, Rice occupies the West Wing office that was previously inhabited by Stephen Miller, President Donald J. Trump’s top policy adviser. Aware of the symbolism of a Black woman who has been vilified by conservatives occupying the space where Mr. Trump’s most hardline immigration adviser used to dictate policy, Ms. Rice has decorated it with Haitian art and scented it with sage. Instead of having a principal deputy serving under the director, she has appointed four senior deputies who are experts in their fields. “I’m not a health care policy expert,” she said. “The single deputy structure means everything is a bottleneck. I’ve got these high-powered deputies and that’s how we’re going to get stuff done.”
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WOMEN + POWER THE K ARDASHIANS THE ART OF SELF - PROMOTION
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FTER 14 YEARS AND 20 SEASONS, “KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS” AIRED ITS FINAL EPISODE IN JUNE. Shown in dozens of countries, the program has made megastars of Kim Kardashian West, her mother Kris Jenner, and her sisters Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie. With Forbes estimating Kim’s net worth at $1 billion, it’s made them very wealthy too. Regardless of whether you love them or loathe them, it’s hard to deny their influence stretches far and wide. Here are just some of the ways the famous family made an impact. Part of their success comes from their willingness to be seemingly open on camera.
The ensemble never shied away from talking about beauty or beauty secrets. “I would say that Kim in particular has had a profound effect on global notions of what we think a beautiful woman looks like,” said Jones. “Part of that is in the ways that she presents herself as a work-in-progress.” The show frequently depicted the Kardashians’ glam squad, providing professional services such as make-up, tans, styling and haircare. “Audiences will identify with people who look more like them, so if this were a show of tall, thin, blonde women, I don’t think it would have been nearly as successful,” said Jones. But, she pointed out, in recent years especially, the Kardashians’ appearances have become less relatable. “There is a limit and I think their fans realize that,” she said.
“They consciously and deliberately played themselves,” said Dr. Meredith Jones of Brunel University in London, explaining how that level of authenticity is appealing to audiences.
The Kardashians are inextricably linked to social media: Kylie and Kim are in the top 10 most-followed accounts on Instagram, while Kendall, Khloé and Kourtney all feature in the top 20.
Jones is hosting her second Kardashian symposium - or Kimposium - later this year and she is an expert in popular culture and gender studies. For her, humor is also one of the key reasons the show has achieved longevity. “People don’t think of the Kardashians as being funny, but they really are quite good at producing humor,” she said.
For Jones, the family members are pioneers, shaping the way we use social media to present a curated form of our identities and images. “It’s impossible to separate their images and their success from the success of Instagram,” she says. It wasn’t long before the Kardashian family began to monetize their following.
“While the women constitute a matriarchy, the men, like Scott Disick, are these kind of comic fools and so in many ways, in a patriarchal society.”
“They created influencers,” said comedian Marcy Jarreau. She’s one half of the "Kar Dishin It" podcast, which breaks down the reality show episode by episode, and discusses the latest
Kardashian headlines. Fellow comedian and host Jessica Jean Jardine said, “They made it not weird to use social media, which was designed to be a peek into your life for your friends, as an entire marketing and distribution system for their own businesses.” It’s these businesses, which include Kylie’s cosmetic lines, Kim’s beauty and shapewear products and Khloé’s size-inclusive jeans brand, that have helped earn the family millions of dollars. “All of Kim’s famous friends are doing the exact same thing,” said Jarreau, “but they have done it the best.” We’ve seen them tackle complex issues, such as Caitlyn Jenner, who used to be married to Kris, coming out as transgender and her subsequent transition; Kim and Kanye West’s use of a surrogate, their divorce proceedings - and all kinds of blended family situations. “The idea of your life, your relationships and your occupation staying constant, I don’t think that is what people relate to anymore and they model that over and over,” said Jardine, adding they “created a mirror” for people who live in non-traditional family structures. Kim credited Kanye with changing her attitude to her business ventures. Having endorsed products such as toilet paper and bespoke emojis, she now focuses on marketing things that fit her brand. “He’s just taught me as a person to never compromise and to really take ownership,” she said. “Before, I was really the opposite. I would throw my name on anything.” page 121
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WOMEN + POWER OPRAH WINFREY
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MEDIA MOGUL
PRAH WINFREY, THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE BILLIONAIRE, HAS EMERGED AS A GENEROUS PHILANTHROPIST. WINFREY HAS ADVOCATED FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION ACROSS THE WORLD AND OPRAH’S ANGEL NETWORK HAS RAISED MORE THAN $50 MILLION FOR CHARITABLE PROGRAMS. The Oprah Winfrey Show was the number one talk show for 24 years, garnering Winfrey all kinds of awards and accolades – and money. “The first couple of years were fine. It was great. I was making money, I was having fun,” Winfrey said. “But the remaining 22 were phenomenal because I stopped trying to do a show and told my producers we have only one intention and that is, how do we serve our audience and be a force of good in their lives?” With that mind for more than three decades now, just ahead of Father’s Day, June 20, Winfrey joined forces with actor Sterling K. Brown and several other celebrities for a special celebration of Black fatherhood and contribute to the undoing of inaccurate portrayals of Black fatherhood in the media. “I wanted to turn the table on that narrative of Black fathers not being present in their children’s lives,” Winfrey said on June 14. “It’s chipped away at the fabric of who we are as a society and a world,” said the OWN network founder. “The images on the evening news or portrayals in films, gangsters, stories that show absentee fathers, or focus on men being in prison, away from their children and not caring page 122
about their children, that’s what you’ve heard, but that isn’t what we know and feel.” Winfrey recalled that while filming her hit show she witnessed firsthand how uncommon seeing a Black father was for her audience. “I remember the very first time I was doing a show on parenting, on single parents. And my way of showing or widening the screen at the time was just to include a Black father in that group of parents, but not make a big deal about it,” she recounted. “I remember a woman standing up and later saying she had never seen a Black father reading to his children. That was not an image anybody had seen on screen. And so, a lot of the white people who were watching the show were like, ‘That’s a foreign concept to me.’” While the concept may have been foreign to some viewers, Winfrey had known her whole life that Black men do take care of their children. The talk show host was born poor to a single teenage mother in Mississippi. As a teen she was sent to live with the man she knew as her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Tennessee. Vernon truly did not know if she was his child, but the possibility was enough for him to step up. But Vernon is anything but an exception. Winfrey says she grew up knowing countless men just like him. “I saw that over and over again in my father’s barbershop. Men would come in, hardworking men, doing everything they could in their lives to support their families, working sometimes two and three jobs to do that,” she added. “So that’s the story I know of Black fathers — the ones I grew up with and the man I know. The narrative of the absentee father, it’s not accurate that that is the only picture.”
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THE MARLEYS
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WOMEN M POWER
MEGAN RAPINOE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER
EGAN RAPINOE IS STILL REELING FROM THE SUMMARY JUDGMENT THAT STRUCK DOWN PART OF THE U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM’S EQUAL PAY LAWSUIT.
The two-time World Cup champion, who was just named to the team’s Tokyo Olympics roster, attended the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of the HBO Max documentary LFG, streaming now. The documentary follows the team’s equal pay lawsuit and the crushing blow in May 2020 when a judge ruled in favor of the U.S. Soccer Federation on the most consequential aspects of the lawsuit. The summary judgment is still surprising to Rapinoe, and some of the team’s members are seen reacting emotionally in the climax of the documentary. “I just will never not be shocked by the summary judgment,” Rapinoe said. “I’ll never not be shocked by the things that they say. I’ll never not be shocked by the positions that they’ve taken.” Rapinoe is referencing the federation’s controversial 2020 filings, which implied the men’s team deserves higher salaries and funding due to their biological advantages and responsibilities. The fallout from the filing led thenU.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro to resign and the team to hit back by wearing their warm ups inside out before a game a few days after. The federation also apologized for the filings and hired a new legal team to take over the lawsuit. “It always hurts really to have, you know, not just anybody say that about you, but to have someone who sees you so up close all the time and understands all the work that you put in,” she says of the relationship with the federation. “It was almost a little bit natural and probably cathartic to be able to not have to be superwoman all the time,” Rapinoe says. “Just to be able to kind of say how difficult it is and how much of a toll it takes and how we wish we could be putting our talent and resources and creativity and intelligence to something else. But you know, this is what’s required at the moment.”
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“This is something that goes so far beyond even our team or what we’ve had to deal with,” she continues. “We need to be able to stand up there and be really proud of something for basically all women in the world.”
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WOMEN + POWER ESTHER PEREL THERAPIST
new season might have been recorded against the backdrop of the pandemic, Perel found that her patients didn’t necessarily want to discuss the health crisis directly. Rather, it acted as an almost invisible force, catalyzing other difficult conversations that had been bubbling under the surface and were suddenly exacerbated: about racism, inequality, money, gender, burnout, and more.
On the first season of her eponymous podcast How’s Work? With Esther Perel, the renowned relationship therapist mused that “We take home to work, and we take work home.” That was 2019. Two years and one global pandemic later, and those already fuzzy boundaries have blurred even further. “People who work remotely, they›re not working from home,” Perel said. “They are literally working with home. There is an immediate collapse of all their roles.” As Perel explained, America’s work culture had already shifted to an “identity economy” pre-COVID. We’d come to
view our work not only as a means of income, she said, but also a source of fulfillment, purpose, and community. Which made it all the more devastating when the workplace ceased to exist as we knew it, and all the more important to understand and cultivate the new ways we relate to one another. The second season of How’s Work?, that premiered April 6 exclusively on Spotify, explores the specific tensions, conversations and challenges that arose between coworkers in 2020. As with the first season, each episode features a real therapy session between Perel and two anonymous individuals. But while the
“They were often quite brave,” Perel said of her patients, who included co-founders, direct reports and managers and same-level colleagues. “It›s easier when you bring your spouse or your boyfriend or your girlfriend, your partner in life. Then you have a kind of intrinsic motivation. But to bring your manager to have a difficult conversation about money, about gender, about race, about jealousy in the workplace, about why promotions sometimes trump friendships? These kinds of conversations in the context of everything that was going on was very, very powerful.” Perel herself has felt a major shift in the way she practices therapy and the way she relates to her patients. Couples answer Zoom calls from bed; she’ll sometimes go on long walks while conducting a session. For the first time in her life, she doesn’t have an office, an experience she likens to being “a painter without a brush.” Said Perel, “I am myself in lockdown and I too experienced the isolation of being in a small room where I›m trying to have an opening to the world, through a conversation, right?” page 127
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GROUND-BREAKING SUPERMODEL
EET LEYNA BLOOM, THE FIRST TRANS WOMAN OF COLOR IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S SWIMSUIT ISSUE
“Trans people are not used to having moments like this,” the model and actress said. “It’s kind of like you have to be pinched: ‘Oh, this is really happening.’”
Model and actor Leyna Bloom will be the first transgender woman of color to grace the pages of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue when it lands on magazine stands this month. But Bloom, who’s both Black and Filipina, is no stranger to firsts: In 2017, she became the first trans woman of color to be featured in Vogue India, and in 2019, she became the first to star in a film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival for her appearance in “Port Authority.”
“These are huge moments,” Bloom said. “But it’s just like, why has it taken so long?” Bloom said she is also one of the few Black transgender women to have signed with a talent agency, which she sees as a path to better representation for trans women of color in the fashion and entertainment worlds. “I think more agencies, more movies, more films, more fashion shows need to not only hire trans talent but also make sure that the people they are hiring — the crew, the casting directors — represent that, also,” she said. Bloom, a native of Chicago, is only the second trans woman to have been featured in Sports Illustrated (Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio became the first last year). In a statement, the magazine said Bloom’s “presence as the first trans woman of color to be in our issue is a result of her lifetime dedication to forging her own path that has led to acceptance, love and change.” Bloom is also busy pursuing an acting career. She recently starred in the final season of the hit Netflix series “Pose.” She said it was her first time acting under the direction of another Black trans woman, writer and director Janet Mock. “I feel like we need more people investing into trans narratives and stories that are not about sensationalizing and sexualizing our experiences but that are about normalizing our experiences so we can just live and breathe in those spaces,” she said.
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ONATELLA VERSACE IS READY TO LEAVE BEHIND THE DARK TIMES. FOR RESORT 2022, THE VERSACE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER PRESENTED A JOYFUL COLLECTION, WHICH FELT LIKE AN ULTIMATE MOOD LIFTER. “I think there’s a renewed sense of optimism right now and I wanted this collection to speak to that,” Versace said. “This season is about having fun with fashion again and it feels right to put something positive into the world. We will never return to the old world or to the old ‘normal;’ there’s no going backward. This is what the new-now looks like to me.” For new-now, Versace intended a new version of things that are familiar but that can be interpreted through different lenses to obtain something exciting and fresh. In this perspective, she took signature shapes and motifs and applied them a psychedelic filter. A trippy, swirling print, inspired by ’70s music posters, with the wording “Love.Versace. Medusa” rendered in bubbly fonts, was splashed on T-shirts tucked into A-lined miniskirts or on men’s plissé shirts and shorts. The same psychedelic vibe was infused into another pattern that peppered the marble-printed denim outfits. The lineup’s print extravaganza also included chain motifs used on draped silk dresses and plissé skirts, while the Greca monogram, which debuted with the fall 2021 show, made a comeback in the Resort 2022 collection in new color variations on an array of items, from shirts and suits to windbreakers and accessories. Versace’s original glamorous and precious spirit resonated in the use of metallic chains inlaid into the garments, creating charming trimmings and precious embellishments. If tweed jackets and separates with a bourgeois feel were twisted through acid colors and intentionally unfinished details, offering a new, unapologetic take on the Ladies Who Lunch look, latex dresses in candy colors were designed for the fiercest girls in town. For Donatella Versace, it’s certainly time to have fun and break free.
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WOMEN + POWER D O N AT E L L A V E R S A C E FASHION ICON
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WOMEN + POWER ANNIE MURPHY
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ATCHING ANNIE MURPHY IN AMC’S KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF WILL MAKE YOU RETHINK EVERYTHING YOU LOVE ABOUT SITCOMS. THE NEW SERIES, STARRING MURPHY AS HOUSEWIFE ALLISON, SHEDS A COMPLETELY INVENTIVE LIGHT ON THE TROPES THAT HAVE DEFINED GENERATIONS OF TV — AND WERE OFTEN LITTERED WITH SEXIST, LAZY, AND PROBLEMATIC STEREOTYPES.
ACTOR
But Kevin Can F**k Himself isn’t a finger-wagging look back at popular shows that glorified the basic straight white man. It’s a dark comedy about one suburban woman who is done being the punchline and wants to deliver the punches herself. When we first meet her, Allison’s life is defined by her messy, unappreciative and inconsiderate husband Kevin (played by Eric Petersen) who can’t do anything for himself. At her wit’s end and desperate for a new life, Allison finally decides to take control and win back her independence. She finds ways to screw over Kevin — and maybe even get rid of him for good.
The heady and complicated role of Allison called for an actress who could seamlessly bridge the character’s conflicting emotions. She’s the dutiful wife at home, but seething with anger the moment Kevin leaves the room. Murphy, now an Emmy winner following her career-defining role as Alexis Rose on Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek, shines as the miserable, but resourceful, Allison. The leading role is on the other side of the spectrum from Alexis, but it still allows Murphy to tap into her humor and her best acting tool: physical comedy. The unexpected comedic elements of her character were a big priority for Murphy on set, and her dedication to making Allison funny, but totally unappreciated, displays the hopelessness of her situation. “It was really important to me that the audience be able to see glimmers of who Allison used to be — before these 10 years had kind of chipped away at her personality and her heart and her mind,” Murphy said. “It was important to me that she had a sense of humor even though her sense of humor is not understood in the sitcom world, and she’s told she’s not funny.”
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Murphy tapped into her character through accessing her own repressed anger. “I see bits of me, my dear girlfriends in (Allison), both positive and negative ways. I think the one thing that I was a little bit worried about was like, ‘Oh, she’s really angry — really, really angry and really frustrated.’ In my head I was like, ‘I’m not that angry or frustrated.’ And then I very quickly realized, ‘Oh, yeah, I really am,’ and I’ve just been stuffing it all down for a very long time so I could go about my day,” Murphy said.
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WOMEN + POWER D A N A R O M I TA
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R E A LT O R & P H I L A N T H R O P I S T
HEY SAY THAT REAL ESTATE IS ALL ABOUT LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. BUT IN THE LAST YEAR, THE WORLD-RENOWN, PERFECTLY SITUATED REAL ESTATE MARKET OF NEW YORK CITY GROUND TO A HALT. THE EXODUS TO UPSTATE NEW YORK AND THE HAMPTONS WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE’D EVER WITNESSED, BUT WITH EACH PASSING DAY AND WEEK, NEW YORKERS ARE FINDING THEIR WAY BACK TO THE CITY – AND THE REAL ESTATE MARKET REFLECTS IT. “We stuck with New York,” said real estate agent and philanthropist Dana
Romita, who stayed in the city despite the pandemic. “We bundled up and ate dinner on sidewalk patios of our favorite restaurants in the middle of winter to support the restaurateurs. Now, as we return to some semblance of normal, the city has changed, real estate has changed, we’ve all changed, but New York will always remain.” Romita, an agent at Douglas Elliman New York, said her current NYC and New Jersey listings aren’t staying on the market long, and even rental properties are going for over-asking monthly rent. But moving properties quickly isn’t Romita’s modus operandum. “When I list a property, I visit it and think about who would be the perfect owner or tenant for the property? I have one right now, for example, and I just know it would be so great for an English family as their New York residence, so I’m marketing it in the U.K.”
She also regularly donates her commission to charity and she’s on the board of numerous charitable foundations and endeavors, including the Bergen Family Center, Table to Table, and Madison Square Boys and Girls Club. Her parents instilled philanthropy in her from a young age: her great-grandparents operated an orphanage just outside of Rome after World War II for Italian war orphans. Her New York and New Jersey philanthropic work centers around food security for children and youth. “We generally don’t think about food security as something dramatically affecting Americans, but it is a plight upon the children all around us. How can you expect a child to function highly in school when they’re hungry? Lord knows, I can barely make a decision on an empty stomach,” she said. The feeding programs with Table to Table ensure that children get the same level of nutrition and provision that her own children enjoy at home. “We can feed kids during the week, but what about the weekend? We’re teaching kids how to prepare easy and tasty meals with ingredients we provide so that’s there’s no interruption in their nutrition on Saturdays and Sundays.” Romita’s own relationship with food – and feeding her loved ones – is a foundational part of her nature. “She is an incredible mom,” said longtime friend and fellow New Yorker Michael Snell of Romita. “She full-stops every morning to cook breakfast for her son who’s still at home.” Her daughter, who recently graduated from NYU, is also the recipient of mom’s cooking. “I’m always dropping something off,” Romita laughed. “It’s just who I am!”
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WOMEN + POWER SHANI DHANDA
D I F F E R E N T LY A B L E D A D V O C A T E
“T
HE WAY IN WHICH I VIEW DISABILITY IS THAT MY CONDITION DOESN’T DISABLE ME; I’M ONLY DISABLED WHEN I EXPERIENCE BARRIERS OR BIAS,” SHANI DHANDA SAID IN AUGUST LAST YEAR. This statement is typical of Dhanda, who at 3-ft 10-in defies expectations, and challenges people to think differently, wherever she goes. page 136
Born with a genetic bone disorder, commonly known as ‘brittle bones disease’, Dhanda had broken her legs six times by the time she was 14. But her mother never treated her any different than her siblings, and Dhanda learned not to ask for help, but demand change. She has worked for Virgin Media for three years as a diversity and inclusion specialist, is founder of the Asian Disability Network and Asian Women Festival, and was named on BBC‘s 100 Women List 2020. With remote work
more acceptable than ever, the opportunities for the disabled community are growing, and Dhanda’s ambitions remain incredibly high in 2021 – expect to see more transformative initiatives soon. In 2019, Dhanda launched the Diversability Card, the UK’s first official discount card for disabled people, aimed at reducing financial pressures for disabled people and their families who can incur extra living costs of up to GBP $583 per month.
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WOMEN POWER
RADHIKA JONES VA N IT Y FA I R E D ITO R
I
N THE GLAMOROUS WORLD OF FASHION MAGAZINES, RADHIKA JONES HAS MADE A STATEMENT BY NOT MAKING A STATEMENT. AFTER BECOMING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF IN 2017, SHE MOVED THE MAGAZINE AWAY FROM GLAMOROUS STYLIZED COVERS AND INSTEAD FEATURES CELEBRITIES IN NORMAL CLOTHES INSTEAD OF BALLGOWNS AND COUTURE. “As the editor of Vanity Fair, but also as a scholar of literature, and someone who’s worked in media and publishing for a long time, I think that there are ways in which our cultural perceptions of things like glamour, of celebrity and fame, even of talent have been narrower than they needed to be,” said Jones. “And I think that it’s so interesting and necessary at this moment in time to be able to widen the aperture on all of those concepts.” Jones has moved the magazine and online content to be more representative of all types of backgrounds and lifestyles and to highlight the cultural zeitgeist. Her approach is resonating with readers—twice in 2020, Vanity Fair broke its record for new monthly subscriptions, a staggering feat in the changing world of media. page 137
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WOMEN + POWER JENNIFER STROUP
J
ENNIFER STROUP SELLS SOME OF THE MOST LUXURIOUS CARS IN THE WORLD TO SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE CELEBRITIES IN THE BUSINESS. HER FATHER INSTILLED A LOVE FOR CARS IN HER FROM AN EARLY AGE, AND IT’S OBVIOUSLY PAID OFF. STROUP WORKS HARD AND PLAYS HARD. During the pandemic, when she couldn’t host client dinners, she’d meet clients for a socially cognizant drive to Malibu. “No one needs a $400,000 Rolls-Royce automobile,” said Stroup. “It’s firmly in the ‘want’ category. That’s where I come in: I work with my clients to figure out which built-to-order automobile is best suited to them.” We caught up with Stroup in Beverly Hills following her photoshoot on Mulholland Drive with her own purple McLaren 720 Spider. Polo Lifestyles: First question(s), are you always just always such an early bird?
LUXURY AUTOMOBILES What’s your daily schedule like? JS: Yes I am an early bird! I am usually up between 5 to 6 a.m. every morning. I try to power through emails, read the news and get all my appointments lined up for the day. I also try to get in small bit of exercise, even if it is brief, and fuel up with some nourishment. I also have a few beloved furry children that I like to spend time with in the morning before my day gets hectic. Polo Lifestyles: Second question, how did you get started in the business and what was your path like? JS: My dad didn’t have any sons, and I loved cars so I would always go to car shows with him. I started working within the NASCAR and American Le Mans circles and then found that my days would be better spent in the sales industry. I transferred to the West Coast shortly after that. With a total of 22 years within the automotive sales arena, I can definitely say that I am within my specialty and enjoy what I do. Polo Lifestyles: As life is full of ups and downs, what has been your greatest challenge in business and how did you overcome it? JS: My biggest challenge has been being a woman in a primarily male-dominated industry. I overcame it through building my in-field experience with an almost-thirst for knowledge, ultimately allowing me to become one of the top global sales advisors in the business, consistently year after year. My job doesn’t stop at selling a car, I assist in making a lifestyle decision – one that affects my clients every day, so the confidence that I back when helping
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someone choose a luxury automobile is based around my knowledge and addition to that person and what kind of positive addition it would be to their life. Continually providing that level of service is a 24/7 task, and it is not limited to one client, everyone is treated in the same highlight as they should be. Polo Lifestyles: Where, in your opinion, is the luxury automobile industry headed in the next 18 months? And what will surprise us? JS: In 18 months, which will be December 2022, I believe the luxury car market will be somewhat normalized with the supply versus demand and I think we will see an uptick in electrification offerings from the luxury and sporting car sector coming to market during this time. From a design perspective, we see all luxury manufactures taking a turn to focus on the minute details that would impact the driver and, in many cases the passenger, experience. Refined materials, higher value leathers and wood applications and a much stronger focus on design-centric performance will be a great addition to any line that it is applied. Polo Lifestyles: What would clients say is the Jennifer Stroup signature? JS: My smile, definitely. And that I go the extra mile for them: I really do all kinds of things for my clients. I’m even the godmother of one of my client’s children. There’s a lot of trust built into the relationship. Polo Lifestyles: And power. JS: Yes, and power.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY BROOKE MASON
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WOMEN + POWER Tt ' S H A U N A & A U B R E Y C H A N D L E R C R E AT I V E T E A M
T
HE MAGICAL MOMENTS THAT TRANSPIRE BETWEEN MODEL AND PHOTOGRAPHER TRANSFORM A DIGITAL IMAGE FROM “OKAY” TO “YES, PLEASE.” PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE THEIR FAVORITE MODELS, AND MODELS, IN TURN, HAVE THEIR PREFERRED PHOTOGRAPHERS. Such is the case of model Tt’Shauna Lightbourn and photographer Aubrey Chandler, who approached Polo Lifestyles earlier this spring regarding an idea for an editorial shoot in West
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Palm Beach. Chandler had previously shot an editorial fashion piece for Polo Lifestyles in 2018. She pitched the idea of posing in couture at a ranch setting and introduced us to Lightbourn, her muse for the shoot. The daughter of Bahamian and Haitian immigrants, Lightbourn’s presence, while wearing the new Carolina Herrera collection and diamonds from Provident Jewelry, in front of the camera was captured perfectly by Chandler. Lightbourn may be new to Polo Lifestyles, but she’s been on the Miami fashion scene for some time. Between modeling editorial and runway, she teaches aspiring models runway techniques and studies natural healing.
The all-female creative team of Chandler, Lightbourn, makeup artist Darcy Goicochea, stylist Giselle Knee and assistant Joyce Carpio met at Olexa Celine’s Sebilion Ranch in May to squeeze in as many wardrobe and locations changes as possible before the afternoon rain fell and ended the photo shoot naturally. Miami-based Junior Olympic equestrian champion Mateo Coles joined the ensemble in a co-starring role opposite Lightbourn. Both Lightbourn and Coles share mixed Haitian heritage and accompanying presence in front of the camera. U.S. Polo Assn. dressed Coles in a yellow polo with white breeches and riding boots to complement Lightbourn’s couture looks.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AUBREY CHANDLER
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Tt'Shauna is wearing Carolina Herrera's turquoise lace dress, $1,610, and Inside-Out Diamond Pave Hoops, $9,950, and 5.51 carat emerald cut diamond ring $201,000 from Provident Jewelers
Opposite page On Tt'Shauna: Carolina Herrera's white lace dress with black taffeta bow and skirt, $960, and ruby and diamond ring, $150,000, ruby and diamond earrings, $125,000 from Provident Jewelers On Mateo: U.S. Polo Assn. yellow polo with his own timepiece, breeches and boots
M A K E U P A RT I S T: DA R CY G O I C O C H E A | S T Y L I S T: G I S E L L E K N E E S T Y L I S T A S S I S TA N T: J OYC E C A R P I O
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WOMEN + POWER R ASHIDA JONES
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HEN IT COMES TO FAME, ACTOR RASHIDA JONES HAS SEEN IT ALL. GROWING UP IN HOLLYWOOD AS THE DAUGHTER OF SUPERSTAR MUSIC PRODUCER QUINCY JONES AND MOD SQUAD STAR PEGGY LIPTON, JONES WATCHED AS SOME PEOPLE ROSE TO SUCCESS — AND OTHERS SEEMED TO FADE AWAY.
In her own household, Jones’ mother felt uncomfortable with her quick rise to fame at such a young age and became
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more introverted, while her father continued to become more famous. “It changed the dynamic of our household,” Jones says. “People think [fame is] this wonderful, magical heal-all, and it’s actually the opposite. It can be a poison. It can be intoxicating and destructive.” Initially, Jones wanted no part of show business or fame. Instead, she focused on academics, aiming to become a lawyer or a judge. But then, as a student at Harvard, she began doing comedy shows, and her attitude shifted. “I had a ton of friends in college who became comedy writers,” Jones says. “And I think being friends with funny,
witty people at a certain age makes you want to, I don’t know, do that for a living.” Jones went on to co-star in seven seasons of the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. She currently co-stars with Kenya Barris in the Netflix series #blackAF. In the new film, On the Rocks, Jones plays a writer and mother who suspects her husband is having an affair. Her father, played by Bill Murray, gives her advice based on his own, outdated view of masculinity. Jones filmed On the Rocks shortly after losing her mother to cancer and becoming a mother herself. It was a tumultuous time, and she nearly turned down the role, but she’s glad she didn’t. “In a weird way, this movie was kind of a salvation for me because (director) Sofia (Coppola) is such a tender, present director and friend,” Jones says. “To land in this world for a couple months when I was kind of going through the hardest period of my life was like a real gift.” Jones has been open about the casting difficulties around her biracial ethnicity. “Inherently, being biracial, you just live in the middle,” she said. “The nice thing is that there is some part of that which makes you like a bridge, in a sense, because you kind of always feel like a bit of an outsider. But when I was younger, there were (fewer)biracial people on TV and film. People were confused how to cast me. I remember having panic to be cast in something with a family. I had to have a discussion with the director, the writer, whomever, and say, ‘I want to be represented the way my ethnicity is in real life. I don’t want to cover up anything.’”
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WOMEN + POWER SHAMIN ABAS
“H
OW HAVE YOU BEEN HANDLING THE LAST YEAR?” MAY BE THE MOST OVER-ASKED QUESTION OF 2021, BUT THE ANSWERS NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE. HUMAN BEINGS, WHEN FACED WITH THE UNKNOWN, CAN BE INCREDIBLY RESOURCEFUL AND RESILIENT. There was this weird temptation, perpetuated and reinforced by Netflix and Disney+, to wait out the pandemic in front of the television. A meme to this effect circulated on social media: “For the first time in history, staying home from work and day drinking makes you a hero.” But not all of us are wired to watch the world spin off its axis from the comfort of our living room. Entrepreneurs, industry leaders, event planners, media titans and mavens and others analyzed the evolving situation and retooled business models and methods that were adaptive to the environment and limitations. Shamin Abas is no stranger to retooling her business model in the first place.
LUXURY EVENTS AND PR She launched her firm of the same name in West Palm Beach, Fla., before moving her headquarters to New York City. When the pandemic hit NYC hard last spring, she moved and retooled her communications and PR firm once again, moving to and setting up shop in Sag Harbor, N.Y.
was on technique and riding correctly.
“I’d been coming to Sag Harbor for a few years,” Abas said from the cottage she rents in Sag Harbor.
What has felt right so far includes flexible schedules and unassigned workplaces for her team members. One of her event directors is renting a house in Turkey while working remotely. “She’s around a whole new environment, constantly being inspired by what she’s seeing in this alt-life in Turkey,” Abas said. “What I want – and what she’s bringing – is that inspiration that will create a signature money-can’t-buy experience when the time is right.”
“As the pandemic worsened in NYC, I decided to head here again, thinking I’d be here for six weeks max.” As weeks turned into months and then the yearmark passed, Abas stayed put in Sag Harbor, taking advantage of the area’s low contagion factor, high vaccination rate and the community’s affinity for intimate gatherings. She also reignited a long-time love: horses. “Legend was love at first sight,” Abas said, referring to her ex-racehorse. The personal and emotional connections she’s missed with other humans during the pandemic, she’s found with Legend. “Now, I design my day and schedule around being with Legend.” She’s started with some low jumping, just to get her blood flowing. When she took riding lessons as a child, the focus
“These days, I’m exploring the energy between Legend and I,” Abas said. “The pandemic turned our world upside down and forced us to stop and think about what we love, but also what doesn’t feel right.”
Last summer’s limited social programming was heavy on Covid practices: sanitized cars, individually packaged food and beverage, clean pens and designer face masks. But this year, Abas is in planning mode to bring back her signature event, The Bridge, a garden party with food, wine and rare sports cars. The exhibit of horsepower brings in connoisseurs from far and wide. Closer to home for now, the horsepower getting her through each and every day is 18 hands-high and enjoys treats. She’s grateful to him for the emotional exchange and unconditional support. “Riding at my age is so different now. Feeling successful means conquering the fear of small cross rails,” Abas said. “I love the feeling of taking flight, plus knowing every nuance of Legend while I improve my horsemanship.”
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DIORIVIERA POP-UP DELIGHTS MONTECITO THE POST-COVID CONSUMER page 147
DIORIVIERA
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THE POSH POP-UP ARRIVES IN MONTECITO JUST IN TIME FOR POLO
DIORIVIERA
D
IOR’S POSH POPUP “DIORIVIERA” IS THE LATEST LUXURY LABEL TO CALL MONTECITO, CALIF. HOME FOR THE SUMMER.
gorgeous pop-up is just 7 minutes west on Highway 101 – and if you’re already staying at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, you’ll find the Dioriviera pop-up in the Cabana Pool area, which includes Dior’s takeover of the Bocce Courts and Garden Bungalow Suites.
While you’re in Santa Barbara for the exciting high-goal polo season, this
Upon entering the Bungalows, you’re welcomed in a warm Dior oasis with
Maria Grazia’s toile de Jouy prints wrapping the walls in neon framboise pink and lime green. The Bungalows lead out into the ultimate Dior haven, where you lounge under Dioriviera umbrellas in Dioriviera hammocks and fold-out chairs. The Bocce Court has also been rebranded by Dior for the duration of the capsule collection pop-up. Montecito is one of 11 exclusive page 149
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pop-up boutiques worldwide this summer. Other pop-up locations include Mykonos Village, Mykonos Nammos, Forte Dei Marmi, Cortina, Capri Il Riccio, Ibiza, Bodrum, Los Angeles, New York and Montenegro. The Montecito Dioriviera pop-up is carrying a selection of both Dior Women’s and Dior Maison products from the Fall 2021 collection, including the irresistible Lady D-Lite, Dior Caro and Dior Book Tote bags, D-Connect sneakers,
Dior Granville espadrilles and Dway mules as well a DiorClub ponchos, scarves, jewelry and visors. New sailor tops bear the names of dream destinations, including California and Los Angeles. Small clutches and vanity bags with interchangeable straps complete the sunny wardrobe.
games and fans – complement this celebration of the art of living alongside a series of decorative objects, stationery, cushions and place mats. The pop-up runs through September 6, 2021. If you love it, you don’t have to leave it at the end of your visit: all products are available for purchase.
Matching summery Dior Maison essentials – a surfboard adorned with the Christian Dior signature and a toile de Jouy motif, a parasol, a hammock, beach
The Dioriviera Pop-Up at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito is located at 1759 South Jameson Lane. It is open seven days a week all summer-long.
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S H OP T H E D IORIVIE RA C O L L EC T I O N T HI S S UM M ER I N M O N T EC I TO
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THE POST-COVID CONSUMER
DESIGNERS DELIVER THE TRENDS WE CRAVE
CH RISTOPHER JOH N ROD GE RS
T
O SAY COVID-19 CHANGED THE WAY WE SHOP WOULD BE A SWEEPING UNDERSTATEMENT. THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC RIPPLED ACROSS THE FASHION INDUSTRY, DISRUPTING EVERYTHING FROM DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION. Meanwhile, the consumer reached for their sweatpants and began to reconsider their shopping habits. However, as lockdowns start to lift in areas worldwide, what are fashion’s consumer priorities now and into the future? Will comfort continue to reign supreme? Or will we see an emergence of new trends and tastes on the horizon? Leading Fashion Psychologist, and founder of Fashion is Psychology, page 156
VA L EN T I N O
Shakaila Forbes-Bell, weighs in to identify the trends that will shape the consumer mindset for the seasons ahead.
GLAMOUR 2.0 One of the most immediate fashion-after-effects of the pandemic will be a return to all-out-glamour. Sweatpants – be gone – the consumer is looking to socialize – and sparkle while doing so. Good news is in the cards for both brands and retailers. “In China, consumers have responded to life returning to normal with ‘revenge buying’. This is defined as the overindulgence of shopping to compensate for the inability to make purchases for so long,” said Forbes-Bell. Although a date can’t be set, with vaccinations rolling out globally, shoppers have already returned to stores to refresh their wardrobes for a summer of postponed events and socially cognizant
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soirées. Early signs of a glamour-revival are on the horizon throughout Resort collections, with Pucci donning iridescent sparkles, while Kevin Germainer, Saint Laurent, Valentino, and Paco Rabanne placed occasionwear firmly back on the cards for this Fall. However, sparkle and shine come with a sustainability health tag – something that lockdown-consumers have become all the more aware of. “Customers have expressed a decreased desire to buy clothes simply because they’re fashionable and an increased desire to buy more mindfully,” explains ForbesBell. “This shift will certainly contribute to a rise in rental shopping for occasionwear.” “It takes 66 days on average to form a habit,” said Forbes-Bell. “Therefore while revenge buying and escapism dressing may burst onto the scene, the longer the pandemic continues, the easier it will be for the purchase of simple,
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K EV I N G ER M A I N ER
P HOTO G R A PHS C O URT ESY T HE I M PR ES S I O N
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comfortable, products that promote self-care to become a permanent fixture in our wardrobe.” But as we mark the beginnings of a new financial recession, will the pendulum swing back into the realm of minimalism? Let’s rewind for a second to the financial crash of 2008, a year that marked the end of a logo-mania, bling and overindulgence. As many lost their jobs, homes, savings or all three, a new aesthetic was born that reflected recession spending. The more-is-more attitude suddenly felt drastically out of touch and untrustworthy to the average consumer, who
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began to strip back their wardrobe and home to the bare necessities, purchasing goods that were practical, basic and durable.
consumers seek simplicity and adopt a sociological approach to shopping which favors pragmatism over materialism,” said Forbes-Bell.
Phoebe Philo’s era at Céline captured the zeitgeist of the late 2000s and early '10s: beautifully refined, effortless and grounded in the everyday, Philo quickly became one of the most sought-after invites and names to be wearing on the luxury fashion scene. What followed was the birth of ‘normcore,’ to be cool in this period of the millennium simply required a good pair of jeans and a simple white tee.
So, while consumers may be drawn to the odd outlandish piece and statement accessory, “It makes sense for many people that their wardrobe as a whole will become more utilitarian with a distinct focus on comfort.”
“Studies suggest that in times of crisis,
Australia Fashion Week, running throughout the beginning of June has already seen a more stripped back approach to dressing; St Agni’s stripped back palette and two-piece ensembles feeling decidedly Philo-esque.
HO US E O F S UN N Y
B UR B ER RY
MIU MIU
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BALE N C IAGA
DOPAMINE DRESSING A trend that’s rife with millennials and Gen Z who are on the hunt for a hit of feel-good fashion, ‘dopamine dressing’ has swept social and is set to stay as consumers seek mood-lifting looks that offer escapism from pandemic-induced monotony. Bright colors, cartoon-prints, retro patterns and novelty accessories are high on the agenda. “Nostalgic thinking has been shown to lift our mood, giving us a positive outlook and even make us feel physically warm. We embody these feelings when we embrace the revival of old-school fashion trends,” explains Forbes-Bell. The look is already being embraced throughout Resort 2022 collections.
Designers like Christopher John Rodgers is channeling rainbow colors and head-to-toe florals, while Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga have gone to market with ’90s inspired accessories, jelly clogs and beaded necklaces. A flurry of emerging brands from Maisie Wilen, Marshall Columbia, and House of Sunny are reviving print messages with swirling psychedelics, Y2K patterns and optimistic slogans – the perfect social clout. Of course, many of these iconic patterns and decade-defining items are brand new to many consumers, and ForbesBell explains the science behind the retro-rush: “Research has shown that a rush of dopamine accompanies fresh experi-
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ences. So, when old brands give new offerings, we experience both nostalgia and novelty and are essentially getting a psychological rush on two fronts,” said Forbes-Bell. From novelty candles, kitsch prints and the omnipresent checkerboard trend, it’s safe to say that dopamine-induced spending has not only hit our wardrobes but our home lives too. “Given the tumultuous nature of the last year, it’s expected that people will be looking to various places to lift their spirits,” said Forbes-Bell. It’s time to welcome in a new dawn of feel-good fashion. Anna Ross Special to Polo Lifestyles 2021 page 159
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ANDREY KAZANTSEV
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VERNISSAGE
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
PONIES FORGED IN STEEL
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H
ORSE POLO ART GALLERY BY PERENNIAL POLO PHOTOGRAPHER AND DESIGNER KATERINA MORGAN IS AN ONLINE ART GALLERY DEDICATED TO POLO, HORSES AND EQUESTRIAN ART, ALREADY REPRESENTING MANY GREAT CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. MORGAN RECENTLY ADDED ANDREY KAZANTSEV, A RUSSIAN SCULPTOR, TO HER CURATION.
“We are very happy to represent Andrey, a very talented sculptor, at our art gallery. He works exceptionally well with polygonal steel sculptures, creating the perfect forms of animals. Andrey feels and shows the absolute harmony and beauty of animals. Each sculpture has stunning personality and soul. His contemporary forms are perfectly suited with modern interior design and with exterior landscape, like gardens in pri-
vate residences or luxury horse stables,” said Morgan. “We invite you to discover and enjoy his amazing artwork.” And discover Kazantsev’s work we did. His steel structures are magnificent and we can visualize them in a den, at the center of a garden or even on a trophy table at a polo tournament. Kazantsev was kind enough to answer our questions. Q: What is your favorite thing about designing with steel? A: I like working with steel because it lends itself well to processing: it can be bent, welded, ground. It is strong and durable. I love the possibility of different finishing options. Stainless steel can be roughly ground or polished to a mirrored finish. Corten steel can be naturally rusty, and that looks cool, too. Q: What is the process of designing with steel? A: The design begins on the computer. First, I create a 3-D model. I cut off all page 163
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unnecessary things, move the edges, make sure that the image is recognizable, but without unnecessary details. I like the relief shapes. After the 3-D is ready, I divide it into separate parts. I reflect on how the assembly will take place, how the parts will be joined, where the welding will be and so on. Then I convert these parts into files for a laser machine and into drawings. When the parts are cut, I start assembling. The parts must fit together exactly perfectly, without the slightest gap. Then the edges will turn out to be smooth and clear. After welding and grinding, polishing or painting takes place, depending on the wishes of the customer. Q: What inspired you to design horses from steel? A: I like the power of the horse, grace and muscle relief. Such forms can be very well-conveyed in the technique that I work with, which is why I decided to create these sculptures. I love to create all types of animals, like dogs, cats, bulls, deer, lions, rhino, etc. Q: Where are you showing? A: My works are presented from the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain and more in private galleries like the Horse Polo Art Gallery by Katerina Morgan.
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Q: How can collectors buy your art? A: Most of the sales happen directly through my Instagram page, but also you can purchase or order commissioned sculptures through Horse Polo Art Gallery, the price is the same. Q: Do you have a favorite piece? A: It’s hard to choose one thing, it’s like asking which of your children is your favorite, but I really like one of my latest models - the Bull.
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TH E TR AV EL BUG
JET-SETTERS WEIGH RISKS & REWARDS
BRETT CHODY Trends contributor @brettchody
A
S WE ARE ALL ANXIOUSLY WATCHING COVID-19 CASES DECREASE, VACCINATION NUMBERS RISE AND RESTRICTIONS LOOSEN, AMERICANS ARE CATCHING THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BUG ONCE AGAIN. FIFTEEN MONTHS AFTER EUROPE CLOSED ITS BORDERS, COUNTRIES ARE NOW WELCOMING AMERICAN TOURISTS WITH A NEGATIVE COVID TEST RESULTS – AND AN AIR HUG FROM SIX FEET AWAY. page 170
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe closed its borders to travelers from the United States. The continent, like most of the world, was rocked by the coronavirus and life as we knew it was put on hold.
reported that Europe is the United States’ number one tourist destination, and the American travel drought due to COVID-19 has cost the industry billions of Euros. But thankfully there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
While seasoned American globetrotters were crushed with the realization, it was the prolongation of the travel ban that really shook the global jet-set community. Stephanie Fisher, a Chicago-based luxury travel advisor, recalled the moment she realized that travel was out of the question.
Fisher says some of her clients could hardly wait to be on European soil once again. She explained that Greece was the first hot destination for travelers eager to flex their passports post-lockdown. “Now Italy and France are right there with Greece,” she said. Fisher believes that this summer will be a particularly special one to visit Europe, as some people are still hesitant to travel because of COVID-19.
“As a lifelong traveler with childhood memories of flying over the Egyptian Pyramids, floating in the Dead Sea and watching the sunrise over the Ponte Vecchio in Florence; watching the world shut down one country at a time was extremely unsettling,” Fisher said. The European tourism industry was dealt a mighty blow because it relies heavily on American visitors. EuroNews
“This summer is an opportunity to experience Europe without the large crowds and tour buses. This summer will be filled with unique moments of viewing the Mona Lisa in Paris, seeing Athens’ Parthenon, Rome’s Trevi Fountain, and other major destinations without the tour bus tango that makes
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AIRELLES
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for the congested travel of past years that we were all accustomed to and many times dreaded,” she said. “The world’s collective timeout has given the earth time to recover and renew. For example, dolphins have been seen swimming through clear water in the canals of Venice, something we could not have even dreamed of seeing just a year ago.” Madison Nicolson, a rising senior at the University of Southern California and an enthusiastic globetrotter who has resided in both London and Madrid was absolutely crushed when she found out she would not be able to go to Europe for the foreseeable future because of the coronavirus. “European travel is probably one of the most important things in my life,” Nicolson said. “After living in Madrid,
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I just really feel like it’s a part of who I am, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. When I found out about COVID and how we weren’t going to be able to go for so long, I was extremely upset, especially because my job last summer was supposed to be in Europe between Madrid and London,” she said. But like some of Fisher’s clients who could hardly wait to travel once the borders opened, Nicolson and her family planned a summer vacation to Montenegro and Croatia as soon as travel restrictions to those destinations loosened. “When I found out we were going this summer, I was giddy because we hadn’t been in so long. It was incredibly weird to take a whole year off from being here and seeing friends and exploring,” she
said. “I’m just so grateful to be able to travel again and soak up all the different cultures and experiences that exist in European countries.” While COVID-19 took away so much, Fisher thinks that travelers will be better off now that they have felt what it’s like to not jet-set across the globe. “This past year plus has taught us that travel is a privilege, not a right,” Fisher said. “And as we begin to explore the world again, I hope that we all look at travel with a new perspective, one filled with optimism, compassion and open hearts for the world we live in. After all, we are all in this world together.” BRETT CHODY TRENDS CONTRIBUTOR
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AIRELLES
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MANSION OF THE MONTH
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MANSION OF THE MONTH
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ILFIGER’S QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISH COUNTRY ESTATE WITH BREATHTAKING PANORAMIC VIEWS OF THE SOUND SITTING HIGH ABOVE SEA LEVEL. CONTINUE THE WONDERFUL HISTORY OF THIS SPECIAL PROPERTY OF AN ERA OF TIMELESS REFINEMENT. A HOME THAT WELCOMES YOU. A LIFESTYLE OF MEMORIES, ENJOYMENT
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view. Impressive, private and so inviting, with dignity and charm. Continue the tradition with your dreams! Step back in time to a kinder place. JANET MILLIGAN REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL M. +1 203.253.1770 O. +1 203.869.4343
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PRICE $40,000,000 BEDROOMS 7 BATHROOMS 9 FULL / 4 PARTIAL INTERIOR 13,343 SQ FT. / EXTERIOR 17.2 ACRE(S)
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MANSION OF THE MONTH
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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 184
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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$13,650,000 NOW $10,850,000
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BY CEZAR KUSIK
SOMMELIER & WINE WRITER
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Road trip Wines THE SEARCH FOR
SUNSHINE
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In Search Road trip Wines of Solace IN SEARCH OF SUNSHINE
WINES FROM A ROAD TRIP FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
CEZAR KUSIK Wine Contributor @cezartastesearth
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REMEMBER WHEN WE CAME TO THE BAY AREA 30 YEARS AGO. IT WAS JULY. A FRIEND TOOK US TO THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE AND THE FOG WAS SO THICK THAT YOU COULDN’T SEE THE WATER, LOOKING DOWN OVER THE RAILING. THE WIND BLEW OFF MY NEWLY PURCHASED “I LOVE SF” BASEBALL HAT AND I SAW IT FLYING OFF INTO THE MILKY ABYSS. page 192
It was 51 degrees and I remember thinking that it must be a mistake, that we landed in the wrong part of the country. This cannot be the California I knew from posters and movies. That was 30 years ago, and not much has changed in the weather department since. This past May, it was a straight three weeks of miserably chilly and aggressively windy weather in San Francisco. Annoyed was the way I felt. “It is May” I thought, “we are in California, and I am wearing a puffy jacket.” What a hoax! I had enough. It was time to pack up some good wines into my new Mini Cooper, hit the road, and visit some friends in southern California where the sun shines high and warm, and the beaches are actually for… “beaching.” My itinerary was sunshine-focused: Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs. I
have friends in each of the places, so the accommodations were gratis. Here are three wines I picked from an extended lineup that I enjoyed with my friends over those eight days spent basking in sun. 2012 AMBYTH ESTATE PRISCUS When it comes to natural/bio-dynamic viticulture and wine making AmByth can be considered the quintessence. Owned by a Welshman, Phillip Hart and his wife Mary Morwood Hart, (AmByth means “forever” in Welsh) the winery’s focus from its inception the farming of the vineyards and the making the of wines through minimal human and technological intervention. The winery was born in 2000 with the purchase of two plots of land in the Paso Robles region in central California. It received
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Left: AmByth Estate and right: The author enjoying AmByth Estate
Demeter Association’s Bio-dynamic Certification in 2006. AmByth is a farm winery, where olive and nut trees, garden vegetables, farm animals, and bees coexist in a harmonious and naturally healthy ecosystem. Since 2011 all wines are vinified in amphora vessels, the same method used by Georgians and Romans centuries ago. After selective hand picking, the grapes are foot stomped, and the wines are fermented through a spontaneous fermentation with the use of ambient yeasts only. No chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, or sulfites of any kind are used during the entire process of wine creation. This is the general description of the wines on AmByth’s website. “All our wines are vegan, paleolithic, unfiltered, raw and alive. Zero additions of any kind, including sulfites.” I met Phillip, the wine maker, a few years ago at San Francisco’s 25 Lusk restaurant. We held a winery dinner wherein Chef Matthew Dolan created a tasting menu to pair with AmByth wines. Phillip’s undeniable and genuine enthusiasm was contagious. He spoke of his wines as if they were his offspring; with care, respect and pride.
From that event I saved a bottle of 2012 Priscus. This Cuvée is a blend of white Rhone grapes: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, and Roussanne. From the first moments in the glass, everything about this wine was special, sublime. It had a slightly murky, (no filtration) deep golden color with slight hints of orange. It seemed to capture the rays of sun and radiate from within. Its consistency was unusually viscous for wine; nearly oil-like, coating the walls of the wine glass lavishly. The wines aromatics oozed from the glass even from a distance and exploded upon the first sniff. It was magical! The abundance of fairy tale-like associations and warm childhood memories: honey suckle, dry apricots sprinkled with nutmeg, orange peel glazed with pine sap, linden flowers in full bloom with honeybees buzzing around, and yet, there was still more, but mere words fail in capturing that magic. The wine’s temperature was around 55 degrees but on the first sip it filled my mouth with reassuring warmth confirming its unique concentration. On the palate the wine was dry, and it offered new flavors: crushed hazelnuts with herbal hints of bay leaf and oregano, and a firm minerality of drying up stones after summer rain.
We sat on a balcony with a sprawling avocado tree nearby casting a cooling shade, and hummingbirds zigzagging through the hot afternoon air of West Hollywood. After the initial cavalcade of superlatives, we went quiet. We just swirled, we smelled, we savored, and we smiled. We smiled that smile which meant that words will only do us wrong and all these scents and fragrances lingered, suspended in both the visceral and the cerebral realm of our ids. Onward, I spent the next two days in San Diego where I visited my friend Ally. The weather was unusually cool; upper 60s and overcast. San Diego was mainly whiskey time. Ally is a manager at Whisky House, a bar and restaurant that, according to the Guinness Book of Records, possesses the largest selection of whiskies in the world. But that is a topic for another story. I was driving down from San Diego toward Palm Springs Valley on a Friday afternoon. My car thermometer was going up a degree almost by a minute. When I hit Cathedral City, it showed 106 degrees. After the initial shock, my body adjusted, and it seemed to be comfortably absorbing heat. It was time for some white wine. page 193
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Road trip Wines
2017 INFINÉ 1937 PINOT GRIGIO TRENTINO DOC When I was opening a well-chilled bottle of Infiné 1937, one of my friends glanced at the label. “Pinot Grigio?” she said facetiously. “I thought you can do better”. We all laughed. I poured the wine and we tasted. “Whoa!!!” my skeptic friend exclaimed. David S. Taub was known as “The father of Pinot Grigio” as recognition for introducing the wine to America. His lifelong passion for Italian wines and specifically Pinot Grigio culminated in the creation of Infiné. Coming from an unusually high elevation site of 1,300 feet in the mountainous Northern Italian region of Trentino, the grapes pack intense flavors as well as high acid lending to an impressive concentration in the resulting wine. The fruit is hand harvested page 194
and gently pressed to ensure the purity of the juice. Infiné 1937 is a serious, full body Pinot Grigio with a multi-layered structure and good aging potential. It offers well balanced structure with flavors of grapefruit, guava, apple, and herbaceous notes of cumin and fennel. In the mouth, the wine persists with a long mineral finish. 2017 PARPINELLO MONICA DI SARDINIA Later that day, after sunset, we were grilling some meats. I pulled a bottle of 2017 Parpinello Monica di Sardinia; a lighter wine from what I would usually choose for a meat-fest but, considering the 92 degrees at 9:30 p.m., I decided to keep it frivolous. Monica is a red grape variety native exclusively to the Island of Sardinia. Believed to be brought there by the Spanish conquistadors, the grape is
one of the most common grapes in the region. Its main allure is its familiar simplicity. Usually priced under $20 a bottle, the wine is of medium to light body with enticing flavors of red mountain berries, pine cone, white pepper, and hints of gaminess. We prepared BBQ ribs, grilled sausages, and pork chops and the wine’s unpretentious versatility paired seamlessly with all of them. I was reluctantly leaving Palm Springs. San Francisco’s forecast was showing low 50s with gusty winds. After 8.5hour drive, listening mainly to Leonard Cohen and Joe Cocker, I was crossing the Bay Bridge. The car thermometer was showing 51 and the violent, cross winds were jolting my Mini Cooper. I resigned: San Francisco summer is a hoax. CEZAR KUSIK WINE CONTRIBUTOR POLO LIFESTYLES 2021
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ALIGN WITH YO SPIRITUALITY · FAITH · QUESTIONS · GROWTH · FOCUS
FINDING COMPASSION:
DEPARTING THE COMFORT ZONE “At a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people’s attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.” DALAI LAMA, 2010 Jyoti Paintel Spiritual contributor @pololifestyles
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EVENTS OF 2020 WERE A LOSS OF OUR COLLECTIVE INNOCENCE AS HUMAN BEINGS, BUT THE HIDDEN LESSON AND VIRTUE IS WE NOW POSSESS A COMMON COMPASSION FOR EACH OTHER. Since we were unprepared for the pandemic and the numerous other side-effects of a world that was ailing page 198
long before it was under siege by a virus killing humans; we were not accustomed to dealing with raw emotions about the frailty of human life. But it helped to heroic examples of health professionals and other humans showing compassion, resilience, and enough courage to take their oath at the risk of their own lives. I am in awe of those willing to put their own lives at risk to help- this is the most profound act of compassion: to save someone’s life. As a result of the past 16 months, I frequently like to emphasize the point that the common threads of humanity that bind us together now - staying healthy and also doing our part to keep others healthy- is inherently a profoundly compassionate bond. As true as it is that ‘each one of us does not wish to suffer.’, it can also be said that each of us does not wish to see the suffering of others.
VIEWING CONFLICT AND STRUGGLE THROUGH THE LENS OF COMPASSION “For there is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one’s own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels with someone, for someone, a pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes.” ― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being In many realms, things have not yet returned back to normal. This is especially true in our social interactions in the world, be they professional or personal, relationships between many of us have suffered or had to adapt to only digital contact as the main source of that crucial and irreplaceable exchange we long for - real human contact. Going to the office every day, meeting friends
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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
for lunch or for a drink at the local pub often led to spontaneous, fun, and mysterious encounters so now with those opportunities missing, many of us are relying on our current relationships to provide extra support. It’s no surprise that many people are breaking up with their partners during this time - we might be losing compassion because we are asking too much of others. Instead, we should be asking others how we might be of better help to them. In my experience, the latter is far more rewarding and satisfying on all levels. TAKING IT OUT ON OTHERS: EXPECTATIONS AND PROJECTIONS I have now taken up residence in Costa Rica to pursue training as a yoga teacher, to meditate, and to continue my personal work to learn about the practices of meditation and holistic health. My adventures (and misadventures) give me the inspiration to share my life’s ups and downs with my readers in the hopes that they too can relate. When I first got here, I really started to lose my patience with the task of setting up in a foreign country. The language and cultural barriers aside, the news rules of pandemic living meant simply more rules everywhere, new ones every
day, and we have no choice but to find a way to comply. So naturally in this agitated state I invited more interpersonal conflicts, complications, and struggle. My well-planned and thoughtfully intentioned journey to finding my place of serenity in beautiful Costa Rica had suddenly become chaotic, both internally and externally. Since I was angry and frustrated about it, I kept inviting more of the same until I took a bit of self-reflection to adjust to a new attitude. “If you want everything, give everything up.” Daodejing It is hard to challenge old attitudes and beliefs and my need to be right, or to win arguments (even fairly), was taking precedence over finding ‘peace’- that precious ethereal Stardust I had been searching for. I decided that I was going to stop taking out my problems on others. If someone triggers an intense emotional reaction in us, then it signals an issue that belongs to us and that we must first address before we assume it is the other person trying to injure us. To give another our generous compassion in this way frees the other person from guilt and responsibility of our judgment. In this way we can create peace and a place for growth
to exist in an organic way. The virtue of resisting the urge to instantly react to our emotional upsets, but instead to absorb the pain momentarily and reflect is not a pleasant process but can be a surprisingly productive one. As with any process it can take practice but suppressing our upsets is harmful and also unnatural - little children don’t hide their emotions until they have been taught to behave properly. Of course, we cannot act like children, yet our tendencies can easily fall back on these tactics. We cannot expect others, be they family, partners, friends, or even our closest colleagues to prioritize navigating our lives and emotions over their own. In this way we are allowed to be selfish because another common truth, as demonstrated on every in-flight safety primer, is that it is vital (lifesaving) to secure our own source of oxygen before we help others less able. Yet, we do place demands on others, often without really knowing what they are facing. When the reaction we seek is not returned, we find we have gone on a quest of self-disappointment. The best way to clear up any problems is to ask a simple question to the people you interact with daily and to ask it often with sincerity: how can I be of help to you today?
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MOLD YOUR MIND IMPOSTER SYNDROME
FIGHT THE BATTLE WITHIN JOEY VELEZ MA, MBA @velezmentalperformance Healthy Lifestyles Contributor
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HEN YOU FAIL TO REACH A GOAL, DOES YOUR MIND WANDER INTO SELF-DOUBT, ASKING YOURSELF IF YOU’RE GOOD ENOUGH? IF SOMETHING TAKES YOU A WHILE TO COMPLETE, DO YOU EXPERIENCE FEELINGS OF SHAME OR DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT? OR WHAT ABOUT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT YOUR BELIEF ON THE KNOWLEDGE YOU HOLD?
Based on your answers to these questions, you may be experiencing the phenomenon of impostor syndrome, which is when one struggles with the sense that they have not earned what page 202
they achieved and are in danger of being considered a fraud. About 80% of individuals experience feelings of impostor syndrome, which can lead to an increase in anxiety and depression, less risk taking, and increased burnout. However, it is possible to use these feelings to your own advantage. Setting high standards for yourself can ramp up the self-doubt meter when you fail to meet those standards, but you can use those same set of standards to ramp up the confidence and self-belief meter. Change your tune, change your trajectory towards achievement.
I AM NOT A FRAUD! Impostor syndrome is an internal dialogue where you are consumed with thoughts about not measuring up to others, self-doubt, lack of self-confidence, or feeling like you are about to be exposed. In the past year since starting my new career, the more information I gained through collaboration with others, the more I felt like I did not measure up. I began to take feedback extremely personally. If I did not perform above the standard, then I would question my ability to function in the job. Everyone experiences impostor syndrome differently. Mine centered around feelings of embarrassment. It
really started when I taught in front of several colleagues after being on the job for approximately four months and to describe this teaching sessions as not having gone well would be an understatement. Where the impostor syndrome came into play was that while I felt that each was not my best, I felt like it met the standard, but the feedback I received told a different story and I was extremely upset and embarrassed. I started saying “Why am I here?”, “They do not think I am good enough”, “Maybe this career is not for me”. I started questioning my master’s degree, thinking that I did not fully apply myself during graduate school, and ultimately feeling like I had been exposed as being incompetent to my colleagues…a fraud.
This is an example of how impostor syndrome can lead you down a dark path. Taking one situation and beginning to question all the work you put in to reach that point. I was able to make it through the difficult time and understand that one poor performance does not erase the five plus years of work I put into my education. With the support from others and through self-reflection, I was able to fight these feelings of not measuring up and turn those experiences into opportunities to grow and get better.
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WIN THE BATTLE WITHIN One strategy to combat these impostor feelings is by first understanding and acknowledging your strengths. Understanding your strengths provides you with support for the abilities that you possess. Take inventory on your mental (i.e. motivation), physical, and interpersonal (i.e. communication skills) strengths. Once you understand your strengths, reflect on how they can help you in times of struggle. For instance, when you make a mistake, answer the question “What strength can I leverage to recover or learn from this situation?” Or when you experience self-doubt, “What strength will help you stay confident?” This strategy allows you to have a game plan for when you experience mistakes. Another strategy to combat impostor feelings is by developing a support network of individuals to help you through times of struggle. Being able to express what you are experiencing with others can not only reduce isolation and loneliness but can also help you develop a more realistic picture of who you are and what your strengths are. Often,
when we make mistakes, we paint is very counterproductive picture of ourselves and become very narrow minded. Use those around you to help you see the bigger picture, to see what you are really made of. Another strategy is to celebrate your successes. It is very common in our society to hone in on the mistakes and all the areas we need to improve. While this is indeed a fundamental aspect of growth, only focusing on what you did wrong can lower your confidence and belief in your abilities. Therefore, do not forget to look at the things you did well. No matter how small or big, reflect on those aspects of your performance where you excelled and want to continue to do so. Whether it is the effort you put in, recognition you received, or improving from your previous attempt, celebrating small success can help build momentum for the long haul. Finally, and this ties in with the preceding strategy, is to choose to focus your attention on progress rather than perfection. While it is understandable to strive for perfection, trying to be perfect will potentially set you on the
path toward coming up short. If you try to be perfect and fail, you are less likely to learn and grow from your mistakes and more likely to skip past the details where you excelled. It is acceptable to be frustrated when you do not achieve your desired results, but do not let that take away from the work you put in. Set your process, focus on your process, and reflect on how that process worked and use that to build towards your next task.
FINAL THOUGHTS There are a lot of aspects in our lives that we do not control. However, one aspect that we do control is our own thoughts, which can either build you up or chop you down. One thing to understand is that our thoughts are not always right. Sometimes we say things to ourselves in the heat of the moment that we either do not mean or are just not true. Have your thoughts work for you and not against you. Take inventory of the strengths you possess, find that peer support network, celebrate those small wins, and focus on the process that you take in striving for perfection so that you can continue down the path of overall growth and development. page 203
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HEALTH IS WEALTH WEIGHT
TRAINING
AND WOMEN A NEGLECTED PARTNERSHIP
PANTHIL DWIVEDI Wellness contributor @panthildwivedi
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HEN IT COMES TO WEIGHT TRAINING AND LIFTING, WE ARE CONDITIONED TO ASSOCIATE THESE ROUTINES WITH MEN. PICTURE A TYPICAL GYM ON A TUESDAY EVENING: WHAT DO YOU SEE? A BUNCH OF GUYS WORKING OUT, FIGHTING WITH BARBELLS AND DUMBBELLS? page 206
BE HONEST, NOW, DO YOU SEE WOMEN PUMPING IRON, RESISTANCE TRAINING, WRESTLING WITH WEIGHTS? I DON’T. The stereotype is real and runs deep when it comes to weight training and its association with men. Generally, men train to look muscular, so they pick strength training. Women generally train for weight loss (thank you, cultural conditioning) so they opt for cardiovascular training: the treadmill, stair master, Zumba and yoga. But we live in 2021, so let’s break apart the fitness stereotypes, especially the ones associated with weight and strength training.
Weight training is a super-efficient form of exercising wherein we use resistance (weights) to stress our muscles and body, and while doing that, we are not only utilizing our muscles, but we are also utilizing our full cardiovascular potential. For example, doing 15 dumbbell squats is not only intense for the body, but also on your cardiovascular system. Now, there is ample research being conducted that shows how beneficial weight training can be for women, but many women avoid it for various reasons, primarily being the stereotype that weight training can make women look muscular and bulky. Even though cardiovascular exercises provide the body with great health
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benefits (such as keeping disease at bay and increasing longevity), it lacks the functionality and impact that weight training can provide in terms of improving bone density, muscle toning, and in increasing both strength and stamina. Also, it can be a more efficient and fun way to reduce weight, shred fat, increase muscle strength and have rock-solid cardiovascular health without having to run for hours every week. Let us discuss some key benefits why women should not shy away from going to the gym, picking up those free weights, and embarking on their weight training journey.
IT IMPROVES BONE DENSITY. Bone density is very important when it comes to women and their health. Women have smaller, thinner bones than men, and they tend to lose bone density for a variety of reasons. Weight training induces required stress on the bones. Cardiovascular exercises are heavily focused on only the legs, which can be beneficial for bone health of the lower body, but overuse can cause longterm bone injuries (shin, knee and ankle pain to name a few).
On the other hand, weight training utilizes the entire body, hence not over pressurizing only joints and bones of the lower body but using important bones and joints of the entire body such as the spine, back, shoulders, neck and hips in a functional way, which when supplemented with a healthy diet, can increase bone health and density in women to a greater extent and reduce risk of bone-related problems like arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis.
INCREASE MUSCLE MASS AND MUSCLE DEFINITION. Moderate weight training, regardless of gender, rarely turns anyone into a bodybuilder. The entire stereotype that moderate weight training turns you into a muscle monster is a fallacy. Weight training for 30 minutes on three or four days a week won’t turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger. To turn into a bodybuilder, whether you are a man or woman, you need a totally different and profoundly more intense workout program, diet plan, and lifestyle. The best thing that weight training will do is help you tone, improve your
muscle definition, and increase both your muscle mass and skeletal muscle strength. These are extremely healthy benefits as your body is using the unwanted fat by exercising on those tough spots and replenishing the lost mass with lean muscles.
REDUCES THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES. A sedentary lifestyle is considered one of the key lifestyle markers of cancer, arthritis, blood pressure, diabetes and neurodegeneration. There is ample research that supports that engaging in moderate weight training may reduce the risk of such chronic diseases. Weight training engages your entire body in different ways, kick-starting various molecular cascades essential for a healthy body and efficient metabolism, and can also add immense value to a cardio routine.
SUPPORTS FAT LOSS AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. Weight training involves a lot of compound exercises and movements, which means there are many body parts involved in performing an exercise. page 207
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HEALTH IS WEALTH W E IGHTS AND WOM EN : A N EG LECTED PARTN ER S H I P
Compound movements engage your muscles, core and cardiovascular system simultaneously, utilizing the stored fat as fuel for energy to keep pushing forward. Doing such compound movements, like push-ups, squats and deadlifts, not only burns the fat, but replaces it with lean muscles which makes one look athletic and well-structured.
HELP REDUCE STRESS AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. With all the anatomical and metabolic benefits that weight training provides, the cherry-on-the-top benefit of weight training that most of us ignore is stress relief. Research is continuously being
conducted analyzing the benefits of weight training on mental health, and research after research is being published in peer-reviewed journals suggesting that weight training can improve one’s mood and help with mental health issues like anxiety, panic attacks and depression. The COVID-19 pandemic showed us is that we can easily do weight training in the comfort of our homes. There are plentiful online training options available with tutorials that cater to weight training enthusiasts - from the beginner’s level to the advanced level. They also provide workout routines for every level, so one can start by follow-
ing basic routines, understand the basic exercises and then make the way up to more advanced levels of routines and exercises. If you’re already a member of a gym, consult with the fitness trainers there, and opt for personal coaching for the first few weeks to understand the dynamics of the complex compound exercises to avoid any injuries and adapt to the routines easily. For starters, keep weights very light and follow routines from acclaimed trainers or consult a trainer or perhaps even a fitness professional if one is suffering from any ailments or has predisposed health conditions or injuries. PANTHIL DWIVEDI WELLNESS CONTRIBUTOR POLO LIFESTYLES 2021
So how much weight training is enough, and not to cross the fine line between bodybuilding and weight training to develop strength, stamina, and muscle definition? One does not need to completely adopt weight training as their sole form of exercise routine. What they can do is incorporate it into your normal workout routine. So, if you are working out for 6 days a week, you can perform cardio or yoga three days a week and do 30-45 minutes of weight training during the other three. This way you can maintain an average workout time of approximately 150 minutes a week while keeping a 24 to 48 hours rest period between two weight training days for recovery. page 208
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