$5.99 AUGUST 2017
Vive la
XAVIER NIEL
DASHING FRENCH BILLIONAIRE
FRANCE
LUXURY DESTINATION
RICK PORCELLO BASEBALL’S BEST PITCHER
BENTLEY
EXCLUSIVE, EXPENSIVE, EXHILARATING
Alexis Ren
SOCIAL MEDIA
STAR
SAM WORTHINGTON
ON THE CHASE IN MANHUNT: UNABOMBER
S U B S C R I B E TO
F O R A S LO W A S $ 1 . 2 5 AN ISSUE
G O TO M A X I M .C O M
DON’T BE ANTISOCIAL F O L LO W M A X I M E V E RY W H E R E
“I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.” John D. Ro c kef el l e R S R.
MAXIM
ALEXIS REN
The model and social media star opens up
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SUMMER DA ZE
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Everything you need to stay cool by the pool
Red Sox ace Rick Porcello has one of the best arms in baseball
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GA ME, SE T, M ATCH
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Serve up style on and off the court
Our insider’s guide to the ultimate luxury destination
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Tools to keep you looking razor-sharp
The brutal motorcycle race that pushes off-road riders to the limit
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ZERO SUM
54
Italdesign’s Automobili Speciali unit unveils its first supercar
Striking images from photographer Manny Roman
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60
A look at the summer’s hottest films
Photographer Chris Burkard captures nature’s most remote landscapes
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On the trail with Sam Worthington in Manhunt: Unabomber
The luxury British automaker combines history and innovation
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AUGUS T DRINK S
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Expand your cocktail horizons with these latesummer libations
French billionaire Xavier Niel’s colorful, and enormously successful, career
CLOSE SH AV E
MA XIM MOV IE S
THE HUNTER
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PITCH PERFEC T
V I V E L A FR A NCE
THE HELL PIT
SIMPLE PLE A SURE S
THE AW E INSPIRER
THE BENTLE Y BA L A NCE
THE X FAC TOR
On the cover: Alexis Ren wears velour pyjamas by Oud. Photographed by Gilles Bensimon.
GILLES BENSIMON
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STYLE
SUMMER DAZE
COURTESY OF THE BR ANDS
Everything you need to stay cool by the pool
Clockwise from top left: Hibiki whisky, SUNTORY. Panama hat, J.CREW. Field watch, WEISS. Floral shirt, JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARÇONS MAN. Walnut speakers and amp, GROVEMADE. Wilson sunglasses, GARRETT LEIGHT. Garden sun chair, RÖSHULTS. Trancoso wooden beach bat-and-ball set, FRESCOBOL CARIOCA. For more information, see page 78. 8
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STYLE
GAME, SET, MATCH
COURTESY OF THE BR ANDS
Serve up perfection on and off the court
Clockwise from top left: Sneakers, MONCLER. Wimbledon hat, RALPH LAUREN. Chronograph, CHANEL. Terry wristbands, LACOSTE. Tennis racquet, ELISABETH WEINSTOCK. Titanium bottle, S’WELL. Barrel bag, FRED PERRY. The Stylish Life book, TENEUES. Portable ball machine, WILSON. Striped socks, NEIGHBORHOOD. Polo shirt, MONCLER GAMME BLEU. Speed blade glasses, DISTRICT VISION. For more information, see page 78.
GROOMING
close shave
No. 1
Tools to keep you looking razor-sharp
P h o t o g ra p h e d b y m ar k p l at t S t y l e d b y pau l o ’ d e a
No. 3
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No. 5
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No. 7
No. 8
1. Imitation-pearl straight razor, DOVO. 2. Verso shaver, REMINGTON. 3. The Winston razor, HARRY’S. 4. Straight razor, EZRA ARTHUR + MAX SPRECHER. 5. 34C safety razor, MERKUR. 6. Five-blade razor, ESHAVE. 7. Venice CNC safety razor, WEST COAST SHAVING. 8. Double-edge razor blades, MERKUR and MÜHLE. For more information, see page 78. 12
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TOUGH ENOUGH FOR ALL SEASONS
Nothing can stop our Bluetooth speaker from rocking outdoors. Rugged, portable and completely waterproof, this wireless speaker features 8+ hours of play, built-in speakerphone and accent lighting. Model shown: iBT372, other Weather Tough models include iBT371 and iBT374
iHome.com iHome and Weather Tough are registered trademarks of SDI Technologies, Inc. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. Proudly Designed and Engineered in the USA. Not all models available at all retailers.
Water and Dustproof
AUTO FOCUS
ZERO SUM Italdesign’s Automobili Speciali unit unveils its first supercar, as fast as it is rare
dual-clutch transmission. Despite an output of 560 Nm of torque, the Zerouno maintains traction thanks to the vehicle’s AWD system, also shared by Lamborghini. The results are epic: The car’s projected top speed is 205 mph, with a zero-to-62-mph time of 3.2 seconds. The Zerouno also features integrated carbon-ceramic brakes, with eight pistons at the front and six at the rear, as well as a perimeter carbon-fiber turbine to cool the brakes. Italdesign plans to build just five units of the Zerouno, each customized to the buyer’s specifications. The company is also offering the “Corsa” package, a track-only version of the supercar with accentuated aerodynamic features, carbon-fiber monocoque seat frames, a racing rear wing, and a titanium muffler to match the titanium exhaust system that comes standard. With a starting price of 1.5 million euros, the Zerouno offers the supercar exclusivity that the hyper-popular Huracán cannot. —Keith Gordon
c o u r t e s y o f i ta l d e s i g n
For nearly half a century, Italdesign has been the go-to consultant for the world’s automakers— the McKinsey of car designers. From the early stages of brainstorming to engineering and production, the Italian maestros have worked with brands such as Lamborghini, Audi, and Maserati to create some of the most celebrated vehicles in recent history. Now, Italdesign Automobili Speciali is launching its very own vision of a modern supercar with the Zerouno. Sharing some components with the Lamborghini Huracán (both Italdesign and Lamborghini are owned by Audi AG), the Zerouno boasts an entirely carbon-fiber and aluminum chassis, and bodywork made exclusively from carbon fiber. This is all due to a singular focus on lightweight construction. The Zerouno features an Audi Sport 5.2liter, naturally aspirated V-10, similar to the powerplant found in the Huracán. Producing 610 horsepower, the engine is paired with a 7-speed
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GET E XC L U S I V E ACC E SS S I G N U P F O R YO U R W E E K LY MAXIM NEWSLETTER G O TO M A X I M .C O M / N E W S L E T T E R
SCREEN
MAXIM MOVIES
The Dark Tower Idris Elba stars as the gunslinger Roland Deschain, on a quest to protect the Dark Tower, a structure that supports all realities, in this sci-fi western based on the Stephen King series. The movie incorporates elements from several novels in King’s eight-volume serial epic. Matthew McConaughey stars as Deschain’s nemesis. The Dark Tower is the first of a planned franchise that will span film and television. (Sony Pictures, August 4)
Hollywood’s greatest auteurs— Nolan, Soderbergh, and Bigelow—heat up the summer
Detroit The latest from Kathryn Bigelow, the Academy Award–winning director of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, tells the true story of one of the largest citizen uprisings in U.S. history: the July 23, 1967, 12th Street Riot in Detroit. The story centers around the Algiers Motel Incident, in which three people, all black men, were killed by police, and nine other civilians were badly beaten. With a script by frequent collaborator Mark Boal, Detroit stars John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), with John Krasinski and Anthony Mackie. (Annapurna Pictures, August 4)
Logan Lucky Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, The Knick) comes out of moviemaking retirement with this heist comedy. Two brothers (Channing Tatum, Adam Driver), trying to reverse a family curse, plan an elaborate robbery during the CocaCola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The star-studded supporting cast includes Daniel Craig, Hilary Swank, and Katie Holmes. (Fingerprint Releasing, August 18)
Inception director Christopher Nolan delivers what could be the most riveting war movie since Saving Private Ryan. Dunkirk tells the harrowing true story of the evacuation of close to 400,000 allied troops, surrounded by German forces, from the beaches of northern France across the English Channel during WWII. Starring Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, and Cillian Murphy. (Warner Bros., July 21)
War for the Planet of the Apes In the third installment of the franchise reboot, Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, the leader of the apes, who is forced into war with humans led by a merciless colonel (Woody Harrelson) determined to eradicate the ape civilization. As Caesar fights to save his species, he faces his own darker instincts. To the victor goes the planet. (20th Century Fox, July 14)
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c lo c k w i s e f r o m to p : f i n g e r p r i n t r e l e a s i n g / b l e e c k e r s t r e e t; s o n y p i c t u r e s e n t e r ta i n m e n t i n c . ; wa r n e r b r o s . e n t e r ta i n m e n t i n c . ; 2 0 t h c e n t u ry f ox ; a n n a p u r n a p i c t u r e s
Dunkirk
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SMARTEN UP TO SHRINK YOUR GUT Superfood Shake Can Help You Break Through Your Weight Loss Plateau BY CHRIS HANSEN
B
eing a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval. Most of the time I dive into research, give the product a try, and send the company honest feedback about what they’ll need to change before I’ll recommend it. Plus my hectic job and my determination to stay fit means I’m always hunting for a quick and nutritious way to fill up on nutrients my body needs. So I can confidently say, “I’ve tried it all”. Last Tuesday work was especially hectic, but I’d booked with my $200 an hour personal trainer, Tony, a triathlon winning, organic-to-thebone fitness guy with a ten mile long track record of whipping the “who’s who” into shape in record time, so I had to go. He noticed that my set count was down and playfully asked, “Feeling a little tired today?”, as he handed me a bottle from his gym bag. After one sip I figured that there was no way this could be healthy because the creamy chocolate flavor was just too delicious. Still, he’d never risk his reputation. With more than a healthy dose of scepticism I decided to investigate this shake he’d called INVIGOR8 Superfood. Turns out, it’s a full meal replacement shake, which stunned me because virtually every other shake I’d researched had tasted chalky, clumpy and packed with hidden “no-no’s” like cheap protein, tons of artificial ingredients, not to mention harmful synthetic dyes, additives, sugars, preservatives, and hormones. And even though INVIGOR8’s full meal replacement shake cost more than many of the shakes I’ve tried, it was about half the price of my favorite salad, and the nutrition profile looked second to none. Wanting to know more, I reached out to a few of the people who were talking about it on trustworthy fitness forums. By the next morning three people got back to me saying, “As a trainer I love Invigor8. It’s definitely helped me to have more all-day energy, plus build the kind of lean sculpted muscle that burns more fat.” “Yes, I’ll recommend it, it tastes great, and I really like how it keeps me feeling full for hours.”
“I’m a marathon runner and a friend recommended it to me. Drinking it has become a part of my regular training routine, because my time has improved, my energy is up, and I’m thinking more clearly than ever before.” I decided to take my investigation one step further by researching the development of INVIGOR8. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the company went to great lengths to keep INVIGOR8 free of harmful ingredients. The makers of INVIGOR8 were determined to make the first 100% natural, non-GMO nutritional shake & green superfood. The result is a meal replacement shake that contains 100% grassfed whey that has a superior nutrient profile to the grain-fed whey found in most shakes, metabolism boosting raw coconut oil, hormone free colostrum to promote a healthy immune system, Omega 3, 6, 9-rich chia and flaxseeds, superfood greens like kale, spinach, broccoli, alfalfa, and chlorella, and clinically tested cognitive enhancers for improved mood and brain function. The company even went a step further by including a balance of pre and probiotics for optimal digestive health, uptake, and regularity and digestive enzymes so your body absorbs the high-caliber nutrition you get from INVIGOR8. As a whole-foods nutritionist with a thriving practice I understand the importance of filling my body with the best Mother Nature has to offer. I have always been reluctant to try new products because I was never sure of the impact they would have on my energy, and weight. INVIGOR8 is different, not only because it’s delicious, but because it helps me to maintain the energy I need to run my busy practice, while helping me to stay fit and toned. Considering all of the shakes I’ve tried, I can honestly say that the results I’ve experienced from INVIGOR8 are nothing short of amazing. A company spokesperson confirmed an exclusive offer for Maxim readers: if you order this month, you’ll receive $10 off your first order by using promo code “Max10” at checkout. You can order INVIGOR8 today at www.DrinkInvigor8.com or by calling 1-800-958-3392.
LEADING MAN
THE HUNTER
Sam Worthington plays an FBI agent on the trail of a terrorist in the much-anticipated series Manhunt: Unabomber
Sam Worthington isn’t interested in getting to know the real-life people on which his characters are based—at least not before he creates his own vision of them. The British-born Australian actor learned the hard way not to get too close to source material. “I did a movie once where the guy was a real-life guy and he would hang out in my hotel lobby and at the end of my day, he’d be there and he’d say, ‘How’d it go? Did you portray me correctly?’ ” By correctly, Worthington surmised, the man meant flatteringly. But Worthington’s loyalty is always to the character, whether the inspiration for that character likes it or not. That’s a principle he took to this month’s Manhunt: Unabomber, a Discovery Channel series in which he plays FBI profiler Jim Fitzgerald, the real-life agent who helped solve the Unabomber case in 1996. When Worthington finally did meet Fitzgerald, who served as a consulting producer on the series, he was straightforward: “I said, ‘I’m going to portray the good side and the bad side, so be prepared.’ But I think he’s happy the story is being told.” Worthington has become a master storyteller since his career’s surreal launch in Hollywood, when he landed the lead in James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster, Avatar, which became the world’s highest-grossing movie in history. Manhunt marks an opportunity to flex different muscles, the chance to develop a character over the course of a television series and tell the untold side of a famous story. In 1996, the infamous Unabomber case came to a close after Ted Kaczynski, a Harvard graduate, was turned in by his brother. Since 1978, Kaczynski (played in the series by British actor Paul Bettany) had mailed a series of bombs that killed three people and wounded 23 others, targeting airlines and universities (hence the moniker). Although the case was one of the most famous of the 20th century, Manhunt unveils details that were hidden from the public for decades. To develop the character, Worthington immersed himself in books, interviews, and audiotapes by Fitzgerald. “The script helped tremendously—that’s your bible to getting in and understanding,” Worthington explains. “When I met [Fitzgerald], I thought, ‘I’ve already cemented this and hopefully you like the approach.’ ” The actor believes that the risk of meeting real-life characters is that they can romanticize the past and their actions. “There’s so much material a person can give you, but this was 20 years ago and you might not get to the nuts and bolts that can help you,” he says. “You’re going to have a glorified approach, and the negative aspects will sweep away.” Instead, Worthington’s goal is to find truth in his work rather than a rosetinted version. “The truth is always an elusive thing you try to capture,” he says. “That’s why some movies work and some don’t. You either found the truth or you were faking.” Manhunt also presented a new challenge to Worthington, whose career so far has focused on the big screen: the faster pace of a TV drama. “You’re doing the equivalent of four films back-to-back, and I found that very interesting. The speed of the medium is insane, and it was a whole different set of skills. I learned here that speed is your friend.” In Manhunt, Worthington was presented with a unique opportunity, because while the Unabomber case was one of the most notorious domestic terror incidents in FBI history, Fitzgerald’s role was unsung for many years. Going in, the actor had no idea that Fitzgerald played such a large part in solving it. Because of the grisly nature of the crimes, Worthington felt an added obligation to get the story right. “I do believe you have a responsibility to the victims, and that was always paramount to our minds: This guy killed people.”
b e a u g r e a ly/ t r u n k a r c h i v e
Te x t b y a . d. par k
Worthington plays FBI profiler Jim Fitzgerald, whose role in the Unabomber case was previously unsung
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DRINK
LATE SUMMER LIBATIONS
August is the perfect month to expand your cocktail horizons
August is a strange drinking month. Summer is winding down and fall looms. You’re over rosé and can’t do another Tom Collins, but it’s not quite cider season and whiskey doesn’t seem right in the stifling heat. In other words, it’s the month to experiment. Maxim asked some of the best bartenders in America for their go-to August cocktails, and they didn’t disappoint. So drink up—summer’s not over yet.
Perfect Daiquiri
By Jesse Vida & Jillian Vose, BlackTail, New York “The Perfect Daiquiri is the perfect balance of sour, sweet, and spirit,” says Vida, the head bartender at BlackTail. “The perfect combo of texture, brightness, and depth. It never outstays its welcome and is a great cocktail to enjoy all summer long and as we head into fall.” 1 ounce lime juice ½ ounce rich cane syrup 2½ ounces BT rum mix (1 ounce Caña Brava, ¾ ounce Plantation 3 Stars, ½ ounce Barbancourt white, ¼ ounce El Dorado 3 year)
into a chilled cocktail or coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon-peel rose.
Pomme & Circumstance
By Tony Abou-Ganim, Libertine Social, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas “This cocktail is refreshing for late summer but also easily segues into fall with the addition of Laird’s applejack and apple brandy, as well as apple juice,” Abou-Ganim says. “The dried apple slice garnish is the final touch to welcome the fall season. You can even serve the cocktail in a glass bottle for late summer/early fall entertaining.” 1½ ounces Laird’s applejack ½ ounce Laird’s apple brandy ½ ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur 2 ounces cloudy, unfiltered apple juice Splash fresh lemon juice Chilled ginger ale In a mixing glass add Laird’s applejack and apple brandy, Canton, cloudy apple juice, and lemon juice; shake with ice until well blended. Strain into an ice-filled goblet and top with chilled ginger ale. Stir to mix, and garnish with a fan of dried apple slices.
This Is Not a Rosé
By JP Fetherston, Columbia Room, Washington, D.C. “It might not be a rosé, but this cocktail is inspired by and meant to evoke the crisp pink wines of southern France,” Fetherston says. “It’s a blend of fino sherry, dry vermouth (from Imbue), mezcal, fraise des bois (wild strawberry) liqueur, Campari, cucumber water, and trash cordial. The latter is a tart ingredient we make from the trimmed bits of our citrus, fruit, mint,
and cucumber garnishes. Pink wine is going to have to share some real estate with pink cocktails in the summer drinking stakes.” Original version, served at the Columbia Room Punch Garden 1 ounce Tio Pepe fino sherry 1 ounce Imbue Classic dry vermouth ¼ ounce Del Maguey Vida mezcal ¼ ounce Giffard Crème de Fraise des Bois ¼ ounce Campari ¼ ounce trash cordial 1 ounce cucumber water For the home bartender’s version, swap trash cordial with grapefruit juice. For cucumber water, macerate sliced cucumbers in water for at least 10 minutes. Strain. Batch ingredients and refrigerate.
63 East Adams
By Jack McGarry, GreenRiver, Chicago “The 63 East Adams is a delightful late summer drink. We created it with late summer very much in mind,” McGarry says. “At its most basic core the 63 East Adams is a sour. We’ve nuanced it with blackberry and amaro, with the punchy Old Forester as a backbone. It’s what I call a ‘session’ cocktail—you can have a few in one session.” 3 blackberries ¾ ounce each: Cynar amaro, lemon juice, and ajwain honey syrup (or regular honey syrup; McGarry uses a 2:1 honey-to-water ratio) 2 ounces Old Forester Signature bourbon Shaken. Serve in a sling glass with cracked ice. Garnish with smoked black peppercorn spray (optional if you’re making it at home) and lemon expression.
Combine ingredients, shake, and serve in a sour glass.
Ni Hao, Ginger
By Brett Esler, Whisler’s, Austin
fa r r a h s k e i k y/ d i m s u m m e d i a
This drink is geared toward the martini drinkers out there, but uses baijiu, a Chinese liquor, as the base spirit instead of gin or vodka. It’s crisp, bright, and smooth, with ginger and slightly herbal background notes. 1½ ounces Byejoe baijiu 1 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur 1 bar spoon Suze Saveur d’Autrefois gentian liqueur Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir gently for a good 20 seconds. Strain
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The cocktail This Is Not a Rosé at Washington, D.C.’s Columbia Room is meant to evoke the pink wines of southern France
GOOD SPORT
PITCH PERFECT
Don’t let his struggles this season fool you. Red Sox ace Rick Porcello still has one of the best arms in baseball.
Rick Porcello shifted anxiously in his chair, waiting for his interview with the MLB Network to begin. Surrounded by family and friends, the Red Sox right-hander had just completed his best season in the majors, putting up career-topping numbers in wins (22), innings pitched (223), ERA (3.15), and strikeouts (189). Now all he could do was wait to find out if the campaign was enough to earn him the American League Cy Young Award, presented to the league’s best pitcher. It was. When the decision was announced, live on
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air, the New Jersey native was swarmed by his loved ones in a giant bear hug. They had reason to be thrilled, and not just because the Cy Young is one of baseball’s top honors. It had been a tough road there for Porcello. A celebrated prep star, a struggling young pro, an ace with unhittable stuff—Porcello had been all of these things over his career. But if anything, the ups and downs that defined Porcello’s journey to Cy Young winner made the celebration even sweeter. Indeed, if there’s a living, breathing example of what makes baseball such a rewarding, and
frustrating, game, look no further than Porcello, a towering pitcher with a masterful sinker. Mere months after winning the prestigious award, Porcello’s unhittable 2016 seems like a distant memory. This year has gotten off to a rocky start for the 28-year-old right-hander, who has struggled through the spring, unable to find last year’s consistent form. But that’s just part of being an elite pitcher in the big leagues. “The real challenge is the ability to stay at the Major League level,” Porcello tells Maxim. “I am sure you’ve heard the saying ‘It is a game of adjustments.’ Porcello keeps his hitters guessing by purposefully hiding the ball until the last possible moment
R I C H GAG N O N /G E T T Y I M AG E S
Te x t b y K EI T H G O R D O N
AN AMERICAN CLASSIC SINCE 1934.
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declined a scholarship offer to attend the University of North Carolina, instead choosing to enter his name in the MLB draft. Porcello signed with one of the biggest names in baseball representation, notorious hardball negotiator Scott Boras. Signing with Boras sent a clear message to the 30 major league franchises hoping to acquire the young ace: You can draft Porcello, but you might not be able to sign him. Boras has earned a reputation of keeping his clients off the field until they are awarded top-level contracts. That’s why Porcello was still available when the Tigers’ 27th pick came around.
A DA M G L A N Z M A N /G E T T Y I M AG E S
That’s what makes it so difficult. Everyone is constantly adjusting to a better way to try and beat you. Your opponents are constantly trying to exploit your weaknesses, so it’s a daily battle.” The 6'5", 205-pound Porcello was drafted in 2007 by the Detroit Tigers. Even in a class that included future all-stars like David Price, Madison Bumgarner, Jason Heyward, and Matt Wieters, Porcello was perhaps the most intriguing prospect. After dominating the competition with Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey, Porcello was named Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. He
The Tigers decided to pony up, offering him a four-year, $7.28 million contract, a record for a high school player. “Once I was offered a contract to sign, I weighed a lot of factors,” says Porcello, who at that point was still considering playing in college. “Ultimately my family and I decided that starting a professional career at the age of 18 with an organization we thought very highly of, and a great deal of financial security that came with signing a contract, was the right decision for me.” Porcello rewarded the Tigers with six years of solid work, winning double-digit games in each of the six seasons, culminating in the 2014 campaign when he posted what were at the time his best numbers in ERA (3.43), wins (15), and innings pitched (204). In 2014, Porcello was traded to Boston and soon offered a four-year, $82.5 million extension. Initially, the deal seemed a misstep for the Red Sox; Porcello struggled in his first season with the team. He bounced back in 2016 with a career year and a Cy Young victory over his former teammate, superstar Justin Verlander, cementing his status as one of baseball’s best pitchers. This season, however, has turned into a frustrating exercise in inconsistency. “Right now it’s a mix…I’ll locate well on one batter, and the next batter I’m leaving stuff over the middle of the plate. I’ve got to be more consistent, for sure.” Even Red Sox manager John Farrell struggled to explain Porcello’s difficulties this season. “He’s in a stretch when he’s making a mistake, or a mislocated pitch,” Farrell told the media, following a game in early June. “He’s a little snakebit right now, to be honest.” For his part, Porcello is staying positive. And to be fair, many pitchers would gladly take his struggles over their own, since Porcello has never had an ERA above 5.00 in his career. “I’m not far off,” he recently told Reuters. “I definitely feel good about some of the stuff I’m doing.” There have been promising signs, including strong starts in early summer against the Blue Jays and Twins. But turning things around while in the glare of the spotlight is a challenge. This is something the average fan doesn’t quite appreciate. “Don’t get me wrong; we play a game that we love for a living and get paid handsomely for it, so I’m not complaining or comparing it to the stresses that each and every person deals with in their everyday life. It is still a game,” Porcello says. “However, it’s a really hard game. Even when things are going good and you are feeling great both physically and mentally, it’s a grind. Some things are just completely out of your control. You can execute a pitch exactly how you wanted to and still not get the result you were looking for.” But as opposing batters have learned time and again over his career: Don’t count out Rick Porcello.
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Lace camisole, MONKI. Panties, INTIMISSIMI. Bracelets, VANINA.
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he light in Southern California moves from shades of straw gold to hazy peach—basically, your perfect selfie conditions. With palm trees in the background and Alexis Ren in the foreground, mooning the camera from a skateboard, you have the makings of social media magic: a single video clip, and then—bam!—5,034,764 views on Instagram. Ren, the 20-year-old model and Instababe extraordinaire (9.4 million followers and counting), is sanguine about why she gets all those likes. “Confidence is what people tend to gravitate toward, and also, obviously, sex. I don’t consider that a bad thing, though. If a woman likes to post about her body, that doesn’t make her a slut, desperate, or dumb. It still blows my mind we are stuck in that perception of womanhood. It’s 2017. Come on, people!” Ren grew up in the tony coastal town of Santa Monica, surfing, skateboarding, and getting plenty of second glances for that body. At the age of 13 she was scouted to model for the surf chick label Brandy Melville, and photos of her in a bikini soon went viral, laying the foundation for a mini empire that blended traditional commercial jobs with a huge social media following. Earning notoriety at such a young age was “surreal,” she says. “It’s still weird.” Thanks to her manga-esque proportions—Bambi eyes, a 23-inch waist, and a gym-earned rear view—and a knack for conveying a bubbly, jet-setting sex appeal, Ren was at the vanguard of a tribe of genetically blessed “influencers.” For millions of young girls, anything she does is #goals; fans obsess over everything from her diet to her sex life. For years, her relationship with fellow social media star Jay Alvarrez only added to her fans’ sense that they knew everything about her, and the pair banked on that oversharing, posting dreamy YouTube videos that garnered millions of views. Last February, the couple confirmed their split, and this spring, in the run-up to launching her own fitness label, Ren Active, Alexis took to Twitter to explain that being Alexis was not all jaunts to Hawaii and lounging by the pool with a puppy while wearing a G-string. “I’ve gone through a lot as far as health,” she wrote. “I overworked myself to the point of malnourishment.” Now, Alexis says, she’s in a better place. “I’m stronger, happier, and healthier than I’ve ever been…In the last six months I’ve opened up to my followers about my struggles in my day-to-day. I think being vulnerable to other humans is a form of strength.” She also takes pains to point out that she’s not just some girl in a swimsuit. “People think I don’t have substance and I’m just another pretty face. I have been through a lot of life experience for a 20-year-old. People tend to judge a book by its cover. I love being unexpected and gaining respect for who I am and not how I look.” If you’re thinking of pickup lines, she says, channel your inner Elon Musk. “I love a guy who knows who he is, can make me laugh, and challenges me intellectually…I love talking about space, our society, and what the future holds for us as a civilization.” But lest you imagine Ren takes herself a little too seriously these days, she always defaults to a rather cheeky sense of humor, as evidenced by a recent Instagram series showing her having lunch and not so coyly lifting her white T-shirt to show some generous underboob as she tucks into a burger and kale salad. Because why the hell not?
Opposite page: Fun fur, chOyO. Bikini bottom, MONKI. Chain, cAROLINE NAJMAN. Bracelets, VANINA. This page: Shorts, cADOLLE. Sunglasses, ThIERRy LASRy.
Cotton top, SAINT JAMES. Velvet bikini bottom, ALBERTINE.
Suede dress, DELPhINE DELAFON. Satin bra, cADOLLE. Patent leather mules, MAISON ERNEST.
Satin bomber jacket, BOMBERS ORIGINAL. Corset and panties, cADOLLE. Necklace and earrings, ShOUROUK.
Panties, ANN SUMMERS. For more information, see page 78. Makeup, Lili choi for calliste. Hair, Alessandro Rebecchi at Artlist. Nails, christina conrad with M.A.c cosmetics at calliste.
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THE FRENCH
RIVIERA France’s gilded southern coast continues to draw global elites to its lavish hotels, star-studded bars, and glistening shores Te x t b y J U S T I N RO H R L I C H
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ritish playwright and novelist W. Somerset Maugham famously described the French Riviera as “a sunny place for shady people.” This charmed stretch of coastline has always exuded intrigue, with a dash of raffishness lurking underneath its impossibly graceful surface. The mixture can be even more intoxicating than the area’s much-lauded rosé wine; Maugham purchased a villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in 1927 and spent the rest of his days—he died in nearby Nice 38 years later— living there.
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SAINT-JEAN-CAP-FERRAT “This is a place where light plays the first part,” Henri Matisse once wrote about Saint-JeanCap-Ferrat. “Color comes afterwards. First you have to feel the light, absorb it into yourself.” Cap Ferrat, as it is familiarly known, has played host to everyone from the political elite (Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, and Bill Clinton have all spent time here over the years) and Hollywood royalty (Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Edith Piaf, Roger Moore, and Jean-Paul Belmondo were frequent visitors) to royalty royalty (King Leopold II of Belgium owned an estate in Cap Ferrat, as did Baroness Beatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild). The town, which is also known as Billionaires’ Playground, still attracts the world’s wealthiest people. Advertising mogul and arts patron Lord Maurice Saatchi vacations here, as do Andrew Lloyd Webber, Angelina Jolie, and Bono, who owns a villa nearby, in Eze-Bord-de-Mer. Even if you already know how to swim, it might be worth your while booking a lesson with Pierre Gruneberg, an instructor at the Four Seasons Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat since 1950. Former clients, according to the hotel, include W. Somerset Maugham, Ralph Lauren, Elie Wiesel, Brigitte Bardot, several members of the Kennedy family, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, and Paul McCartney. There are five beaches on which to work on your tan in Cap Ferrat, including Cros deï Pin, Paloma Beach, and Plage Passable. The largest is Cros deï Pin, which sits directly next to the Port de Plaisance. Windsurfers and sailboats are available for rent at the nearby Club Nautique. Paloma Beach, which overlooks the bay on the Sainte-Hospice peninsula, is a few
Above: View from the grounds of the Four Seasons Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat. Right: The hotel’s glass funicular whisks guests down toward the sea.
minutes’ walk from town. Lounge chairs are available for €26; the beach is open daily from Easter to the end of September. The restaurant—also called Paloma Beach—serves spectacularly fresh local fish and offers an extensive selection of Côte de Provence wines. There’s also the private Plage Passable, which has stunning views of the Villefranche harbor. Loungers and umbrellas are priced in three tiers: Those closest to the water go for €45/day, those in the second row rent for €42, and the third row costs €30. Lunch and dinner are served, massages are available, and the sunsets are not to be missed. For a slightly deeper experience, speak to Olivier and his team at Cap Ferrat Diving, located directly under the watchtower in Cap’s main port. Both snorkeling trips and scuba dives are available; excursions leave from the town dock, and night dives happen every Thursday. You’re in France, so gourmet meals are a given. Dine alfresco at the Michelin-starred restaurant La Table du Royal. La Cabane de l’écailler, also Michelin-starred, is known for its sublime oysters and platters of succulent fruits de mer. For the ultimate in sophisticated elegance, book a table at Le Cap—yes, its chef is Michelin-starred too—located in the Four Seasons Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat. Dinner only. CANNES See and be seen at restaurant/bar/club Baoli, situated along the legendary Croisette at Port Pierre Canto. The door policy is strict, so come correct. La Chunga sits directly opposite the famed Grand Hyatt Hôtel Martinez. It starts out as a restaurant when the doors open at 8 p.m. and
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go-to lodging choice for boldface names. Built in 1911, the Carlton boasts nine suites named for celebrities associated with Cannes. The Sir Sean Connery suite, which features four bedrooms, four baths, and its own private elevator, will reportedly set you back €25,000 a night. The Five Seas Hotel is a discreet five-star boutique hotel with 45 beautifully appointed rooms. The Presidential suite comes with its own terrace and glass-and-stainless-steel Jacuzzi. ANTIBES Located between Cannes and Nice, Antibes has attracted sophisticated travelers since the mid-19th century. Pablo Picasso spent six months here in the 1940s, painting, drawing, and making ceramics. Château Grimaldi, where he stayed, is now the Picasso Museum. Le Bacon, a favorite of chef Alain Ducasse, received its first Michelin star in 1979. Its bouillabaisse may ruin any other you’ll ever taste. Acclaimed chef Christian Morisset’s Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit is right in the heart of old Antibes. His son Mathias works with Morisset in the kitchen as his pastry chef; his wife, Josiane, runs the front of the house. Tasting menu for the table from €123. Overlooking the Bay of Nice, Les Vieux Murs is where executive chef Stephane Arnal turns out expertly prepared Provençal specialties. Try the oven-roasted turbot and the truffle risotto. The glittering guest registry at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc has included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ernest Hemingway, and Rita Hayworth. The hotel was cash-only for many, many years; the property only began accepting credit cards in 2006. The intimate Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel is not far from disgraced financier Bernie Madoff ’s onetime estate. The 35-room resort has welcomed Jay Z and Beyoncé, and you can treat yourself like an international superstar—albeit temporarily—while you’re here. (Seaside massages are available.) F. Scott Fitzgerald once lived in a villa that later became the Hôtel Belles Rives, where he wrote Tender Is the Night. The hotel’s Piano Bar Fitzgerald not only keeps the legend alive, it also boasts an award-winning pastry chef in the kitchen, Steve Moracchini. The area hosts an annual music festival, Jazz à Juan, which has featured such artists as Keith Jarrett, Wynton Marsalis, and Stevie Wonder. Take in a pro basketball game at the Azur Arena Antibes, where the Antibes Sharks, part of the top LNB Pro A division, play their home games. Of course, Antibes’ 48 beaches along 16 miles of coastline make for a decent afternoon too. Left: Brigitte Bardot on the beach during the Cannes Film Festival in 1953. Right: The luxurious Hôtel du Cap-Eden Roc was cashonly for many years.
O P E N I N G S P R E A D : R U T H R O S E / C O N TO U R BY G E T T Y I M A G E S . P R E V I O U S S P R E A D : C O U R T E S Y O F F O U R S E A S O N S G R A N D H Ô T E L D U C A P F E R R AT. T H I S S P R E A D, F R O M L E F T: H U LTO N A R C H I V E / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; A L A M Y S TO C K P H OTO
evolves into a club later on. Don’t miss the fried lobster at chef-owner Robert La Spina’s Le Cosi in Cannes’ Old Town. Vegetarian? They’ll happily accommodate you at this beloved local spot. Cannes, known, of course, for its film festival, has also long been legendary for its nightlife. The summer season–only Gotha Club can hold up to 2,500 people—and generally does. The bar usually closes at 5. Door charge: €25, even when big-name acts (A$AP Rocky, Akon, Martin Solveig) are on the bill. Tone things down a bit at Le Bar à Vin, a classic French boîte with a deep wine list. Sip a martini at the swanky Bar l’Amiral. The Carlton Bar in the InterContinental Carlton Cannes Hotel is another hangout for the thirstier members of the exceptionally well-heeled set. Have a Guinness or three at Morrison’s, an Irish pub with sports—in English—on the TVs. Continue the pub crawl at The Quay’s, which features live music on Thursdays and Sundays. Cannes is home to more than a dozen public beaches, two municipally managed beaches, and 33 private beach clubs and restaurants. There are five beach zones to pick from: Gazagnaire, Port Canto, La Croisette, Boulevard de Midi, and Rochers de la Bocca. The public Plage du Midi is one of the most casual of the bunch and is popular with locals. Luxurious hotel options abound here. The Grand Hyatt Hôtel Martinez has played host to, among other celebrities, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria, and Robert Pattinson in recent years. Bring your credit card—the Martinez penthouse suite goes for about $43,300 a night. The InterContinental Carlton is another venerable old-line property that has long been a
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OTHER SOUTH OF FRANCE THE
The oft-overlooked Occitanie region is the country’s best-kept secret
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ever heard of Occitanie? That’s forgivable, because as of last year it didn’t even exist. When parliament recently reduced the country’s regions by nearly half, the area formerly called LanguedocRoussillon joined with Midi-Pyrénées, located in France’s southwest corner next to Spain, to become Occitanie. (The term, which dates to the Middle Ages, refers to a large southern European realm where people spoke a Latinderived language called Occitan.) Even locals aren’t yet used to the new terminology and often revert to the old names, which can be confusing to visitors. This is a shame, because Occitanie— or whatever you want to call it—is a jewel. “We consider it the real South of France,” says Jodi Kennedy Gaffey, an American expat who owns and operates the property La Tour du Chateau. The area, she says, is more relaxed, more authentic, and less touristy than, for example, nearby Provence or the Côte d’Azur. It includes miles of Mediterranean beaches, hundreds of vineyards, and charming, postcardperfect villages. “People want that authentic experience, and something no one else has done. That’s what you find here.” You’ll want to rent a car to explore the many towns and vineyards the region offers. Occitanie is also home to historical riches. The remarkably well-preserved Pont du Gard, about an hour’s drive east of Montpellier, the area’s second largest city, is the tallest Roman aqueduct in the world, at 160 feet high. It was named a unesco World Heritage Site in 1985. To the west of Montpellier is Cité de Carcassonne, a glorious medieval fortress that could be a set in
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The Lord of the Rings. Stay at Hôtel de la Cité, which offers sojourners the rare privilege of sleeping within a unesco site. Another great option for exploring the environs is by boat; Le Boat (leboat.com), in the city of Narbonne, rents bateaux that you pilot yourself up the Canal du Midi, a man-made waterway considered among the greatest engineering feats of the 17th century. While not as famous for its vin as Burgundy or Provence, Occitanie is actually France’s largest wine producer. For generations it made the country’s cheapest wine—the swill for the troops. But a concerted effort in recent decades to focus on quality over quantity has resulted in some world-class vintages. The region includes 549,194 acres of vineyard area (more land than
in all of Australia), spilling out 327,360,000 gallons of wine—75 percent red, 13 percent white, 8 percent rosé, and 2 percent each of sparkling and fortified/sweet. (Interesting fact: Sparkling wine was actually created here, in 1531, by monks at the Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire; 150 years later
the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon traveled through and later introduced the wine to the province that made it famous, Champagne.) Among the best options for wine in the region are Domaine d’Aigues Belles, a winery that dates back to 1870 and is known for its Pays d’Oc classification. La Jasse Castel, run by winemaker Pascale Rivière, is renowned for its Terrasses du Larzac appellation, which is gaining in popularity in the States. Both wineries export their products to the U.S. and offer visits and tastings that are available by appointment. Château l’Hospitalet, a hotel and winery on the outskirts of Narbonne, is owned by Gérard Bertrand, a former professional rugby player who is one of the most renowned winemakers in the area. British wine critic Jancis Robinson dubbed Bertrand the Prince of the Languedoc, and a number of his stellar wines are available in the U.S. Bertrand owns 13 wineries throughout the region, all focused on biodynamic processes. Be sure to spend at least one evening at the Château l’Hospitalet restaurant, L’Art de Vivre, where the young chef Laurent Chabert serves up gastronomic cuisine using the locality’s finest ingredients. The property also plays host to an annual jazz festival, this year featuring Norah Jones and George Benson. For a taste of charming village life, book a stay at Kennedy Gaffey’s La Tour du Chateau, in a gorgeous medieval tower that looks over the Canal du Midi. Situated in a village of just 500 residents, the château caters to groups of 10 to 12 people with private gardens and a saltwater pool. It also offers cooking classes with private chefs and guided tours of the region.
Above: The Canal du Midi, a 17th-century engineering marvel. Right: The medieval fortress in Carcassonne, one of France’s most popular tourist destinations.
O P P O S I T E PA G E : T H O M A S C L AV E I R O L E . T H I S PA G E : G E T T Y I M A G E S
Te x t b y M I TC H M OX L E Y
A WINE OF ONE’S OWN
France is home to some of the most famous wine regions in the world— for good reason. But these days, smaller and more experimental winemakers are also flourishing, offering enough variety to please every palate. Here’s your guide the country’s best off-the-beaten-path vineyards. Te x t b y JA S O N W I L S O N
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rance has nearly two million acres of vineyards, spread across more than 300 appellations, that produce roughly eight billion bottles of wine per year. Long story short, there’s a lot of vin in France for a tipsy traveler to explore. Yet most wine tourists stick to the well-trodden path: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhône. Not that there’s anything wrong with those worldclass regions. But if you’re the kind of person who’s willing to try rare and unique grapes that you can’t always pronounce, the kind of drinker who’s unafraid of natural wines recommended by tattooed sommeliers, and the kind of traveler who likes to venture away from the masses, then consider the following wine itineraries.
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SOUTHWEST FRANCE For lovers of obscure grapes who want an alternative to show-offy Bordeaux When I think of interesting but affordable wines, I think of Southwest France, and places like Tarn, Haute-Garonne, and Gascony. These regions are only a few hours’ drive from Bordeaux, but instead of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and sauvignon blanc, the best wines here are made from négrette, tannat, mauzac, fer servadou, and petit manseng. No, I’m not just making up gibberish. Those are the names of grapes that come from Fronton, Madiran, Marcillac, and Gaillac. You might not have heard of those places, but these are not upstart, up-and-coming nouveau regions. They’re actually quite ancient. Winemaking, in fact, flourished here with the Romans, long before it did in Bordeaux.
Perhaps the most convenient appellation in the Southwest is Fronton, a perfect day trip from the city of Toulouse. Made with négrette, a delicate red that’s perfumed like a Mediterranean garden with exotic dried herbs and wild plums, Fronton wines can be red or rosé. One of my favorite Fronton producers is Domaine Roumagnac, located in the village of Villematier and dating back to 1880. For centuries, people have been making big, jovial, rustic reds around the Gascon village of Madiran, where the tannat grape is king. Tannat had a small blip of notoriety in the mid-2000s when scientists found that it contained the highest, most potent levels of polyphenols, those antioxidants that prevent an array of health problems. Madiran wines are muscular, dark, and juicy, perfect for when the weather turns cold and leaves begin to fall. Bottles of Madiran wash
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down the decadent meals of Gascony, where I was fed so much rich foie gras and pressed duck that I feared my hosts might be forcing me toward the same fate as the geese. A classic producer in the village of Viella is Château Viella. At the other end of the spectrum are the lighter-bodied, blood-purple wines made with the fer servadou grape, which is called braucol in the town Gaillac and mansois in Marcillac, its two main growing areas. The small town of Gaillac, in particular, is a wonderful base for exploring the Southwest. LOIRE VALLEY For laid-back wine drinkers who love good value and natural wines “Visit the Loire because it’s one of the home bases of natural wine,” says Rachel Signer, editor of the new wine magazine Terre and a Loire fanatic. “People are fighting to make what they believe is authentic wine that really represents terroir, and they are open-minded and unpretentious.” Signer suggests traveling with the same unpretentious spirit: “Don’t think too much. Email some producers for appointments, grab a French dictionary, book some random hotels, and go.” Loire wines range from white (muscadet, chenin blanc from Vouvray and Savennières; sauvignon blanc from Sancerre) to rosé (the famed Anjou) to red (cabernet franc). Signer adds, “The Loire is interesting because it offers unique heritage varieties only found there, such as pineau d’aunis, Romorantin, menu pineau, and others worth checking out.” Cabernet franc from the Loire will be a particular revelation for American wine drinkers weaned on big, oaky, fruity reds. It still remains a bit of a mystery here in the U.S. Give most American consumers a label that reads Chinon or Bourgueil or
Saumur-Champigny and their eyes will glaze over. “Are those medical conditions or characters on Game of Thrones?” someone once asked me. But as novice wine drinkers evolve toward more savory wines, cabernet franc is the gateway. In French bistros, Loire Valley cabernet franc has for decades been a traditional house red, underscoring how well it pairs with so many different dishes. SAVOIE AND ISÈRE Alpine wines for those who love mountains, tasting, and exploring Stretching from Grenoble to Chamonix, the famous names in skiing also boast a vibrant wine culture. Combine tasting with trekking through the mountains, where winery and café stops afford amazing views of Mont Blanc. Cool-climate wines are all the rage on hip wine lists. And some of the rarest grapes in the world are preserved at high altitudes. Have you ever tasted white wine made with jacquère or altesse, or reds made with mondeuse or persan? Or sparkling wines made with gringet? There are nearly 1,400 wine grapes in the world, but 80 percent of the world’s wines are made from only 20 grapes. Expand your horizons! CHAMPAGNE For those who can’t resist the bubbly and don’t want to stray too far from Paris OK, this isn’t exactly off the beaten path, and you don’t need an explanation of the importance of Champagne, the drink of celebration. The finest bubbly has always been associated with prestige, status, and luxury. “Knowledgeable wine geeks have always talked about top Champagnes with the same
reverence they reserve for the finest wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy,” says David White, author of the recent But First, Champagne: A Modern Guide to the World’s Favorite Wine. “Champagne has a fascinating history. Since its earliest days, the region has witnessed more bloodshed and heartbreak than almost anywhere else in the world—but also helped lubricate more celebrations. It’s just a magical place.” Today, the province and its wines are in the midst of a renaissance, with a new wave of smaller producers making grower Champagne, wines made by the farmers who grow the grapes. According to White, there’s never been a better time to explore Champagne— both the region and its wines—which is about a two-hour drive from Paris. He suggests visiting a mix of larger, prestigious Champagne houses, such as Taittinger and Ruinart, where White recommends visitors descend into the winery’s ancient chalk cellars, or crayères, excavated thousands of years ago by Roman slaves, and smaller, buzzy grower Champagne producers, such as Pierre Gimonnet & Fils and Champagne Dosnon in the Aube. For an unforgettable splurge, White recommends visiting Anselme Selosse, a winegrower who White says “has had a larger impact in Champagne than anyone since Dom Pérignon. An evangelist for responsible farming and minimal intervention winemaking, Selosse makes the region’s most compelling wines.” Stay at Anselme Selosse’s 10-room Hôtel les Avisés. Selosse doesn’t offer tours, but he does offer “aperitif conversations” in his cellars. They are given entirely in French, and he offers them to hotel guests on Monday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. “One would be hard-pressed to find a more special place in Champagne,” White says.
O P P O S I T E PA G E : C O U R T E S Y O F C H Â T E A U V I E L L A
A VISITOR’S GUIDE SOUTHWEST FRANCE Where to Stay: Hôtel/Restaurant La Verrerie, Gaillac hotel-tarn-la-verrerie.com; +33 (0)5 63 57 32 77
LOIRE VALLEY Where to Stay: Auberge du Centre, Chitenay auberge-du-centre.com; +33 (0)2 54 70 42 11
SAVOIE AND ISÈRE Where to Stay: L’hotel la Clé des Champs, Montmelian lacledeschamps-hotels.com +33 (0)4 79 84 12 01
CHAMPAGNE Where to Stay: Hôtel les Avisés selosse-lesavises.com; +33 (0)3 26 57 70 06
Where to Taste: L’Enclos des Braves, Gaillac lenclosdesbraves.com; +33 (0)6 08 30 27 81
Where to Taste: Catherine & Pierre Breton, Bourgueil domainebreton.net; +33 (0)2 47 97 30 41
Where to Taste Domaine Belluard, Savoie domainebelluard.fr; +33 (0)4 50 97 05 63
Where to Taste: Taittinger taittinger.com +33 (0)3 26 85 45 35
Domaine du Moulin, Gaillac ledomainedumoulin.com; +33 (0)5 63 57 20 52
Olga Raffault, Savigny-en-Veron olga-raffault.com; +33 (0)2 47 58 42 16
Domaine Nicolas Gonin, Isère vins-nicolas-gonin.com; +33 (0)4 74 18 74 81
Pierre Gimonnet & Fils champagne-gimonnet.com; +33 (0)3 26 59 78 70
Domaine des Terrisses, Gaillac domainedesterrisses.com; +33 (0)5 63 57 16 18
Nicolas Joly, Savennières coulee-de-serrant.com/en; +33 (0)2 41 72 22 32
Domaine Finot, Isère domaine-finot.com; +33 (0)4 76 13 45 57
Champagne Dosnon champagne-dosnon.com; +33 (0)3 25 29 19 24
Left: Château Viella, a classic wine producer in Southwest France
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THE ROTHSCHILD REIGN
Sure, France’s expansive wine industry includes countless under-the-radar vineyards and rare vintages pushing back against tradition and winemaking norms. But there’s nothing wrong with sticking with the classics. There’s a reason the same vineyards produce the most desired wines year after year, and perhaps none better exemplify this elite winemaking tradition than two properties in Bordeaux owned by the Rothschild family, the world’s premier banking family for centuries. In 1853, Nathaniel de Rothschild purchased Château Brane-Mouton and its 222 acres of vines and renamed it Château Mouton Rothschild. Fifteen years later, Baron James de Rothschild snapped up the nearby Château Lafite, creating Château Lafite Rothschild, with 277 acres of world-class vines. These neighboring vineyards have become two of the elite winemakers in the world, each producing vintages that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle, with some of the rarer bottles costing tens of thousands of dollars or more. Bottles of Lafite average just shy of $1,000 apiece, while Mouton remains slightly more affordable, at an average of just over $600 a bottle. The pinnacle belongs to a 1787 Lafite that supposedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson and sold at auction for more than $150,000. In fact, so many bottles produced by these Rothschild properties are purchased as investments that finding affordable bottles to drink can be a challenge. A challenge we eagerly accept. —Keith Gordon
Above: A bottle of 1787 Lafite held by Baron Philippe de Rothschild in the cellar at Château Mouton Rothschild; it supposedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson and sold at auction for more than $150,000. Opposite: Baron Eric de Rothschild at Château Lafite Rothschild.
F R O M L E F T: T H E L I F E P I C T U R E C O L L E C T I O N / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; C H A R L E S O ’ R E A R / C O R B I S / G E T T Y I M A G E S ; J A C Q U E S L A N G E / PA R I S M ATC H V I A G E T T Y I M A G E S
Two Bordeaux properties owned by the legendary banking family produce France’s most sought-after vintages
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THE ROMANTIC’S GUIDE TO PARIS If you’re looking for love in the City of Light, you need to know how to date like the French
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aris is renowned for being the most romantic city on earth, so what better place to find a soul mate? But to find l’amour here, you’ll need to know the rules of dating. Because courtship in the French capital is slightly different than it is in the States—it’s less a tiresome transaction and more a cherished ritual. “For Parisians, there is no real dating protocol,” says David Vermeulen, CEO of the Inner Circle, a dating app that is bringing European dating sensibilities to the U.S. “There is no moving through ‘bases,’ no expectation of sex just because you both intimated it all evening, and no guarantee of a relationship past a certain, given number of dates. Many Parisians have never had a one-night stand, and the notion of dating multiple people until you decide to be exclusive is entirely alien to Parisians—kissing marks out exclusivity.” Flirting is in Parisians’ genes, Vermeulen says, “and giving good chase is seen as the height of good manners.” Still, he notes, Parisians aren’t particularly overwrought about dating. “Wining and dining comes naturally to them, and so when it comes to a date, no matter how casual the plan and quite unlike Americans, Parisians focus on creating an intellectual and sensuous connection over food and drink.”
What this all means is that you’ve got to relax, play it cool—and totally nail your first date, because you might not get number two. You also need to know where to take her. (If you’re
looking for a date via your phone, the Inner Circle is a good place to start; it includes recommendations of popular dining and drinking spots.) You’re going to need a full day—and, hopefully, a next morning—to pull this off. Parisians love walking, and for good reason: Paris, with its cobblestone streets, gorgeous architecture, and vibrant bistros with outdoor seating, is among the most walkable cities there is. Take her to the up-and-coming 10th arrondissement, which has a Brooklyn feel, with many popular bars and restaurants to explore. Take a walk or a bike ride along the Canal Saint-Martin, where groups of locals picnic over cheese and wine. From there, head over to the eclectic Belleville neighborhood and get a cocktail (served in a punch bowl, to share) at La Commune, whose plant-filled front patio is the perfect place to while away a hot Paris afternoon with a prospective fling. If it’s more of a classic Parisian vibe you’re after, head toward la Seine to Tuileries Garden, next to the Louvre, and then stop for an afternoon chilled bottle of rosé at Rosa Bonheur sur Seine, a lively bar on a boat at the edge of the river, across from the Petit Palais. For dinner, book a table for two at Paris’ hottest restaurant, Clown Bar, near Oberkampf Metro, the domaine of Sota Atsumi, a Japanese At the cocktail bar Little Red Door, bartenders concoct drinks based on your mood
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chef trained at some of France’s best restaurants. Make sure at least one of you orders the unparalleled duck and foie gras pie with a date reduction sauce—c’est incroyable. Pair with a bottle of 2016 Côtes du Rhône syrah-grenache, and cap it off with the lemon tart for dessert. After dinner, wander over to the nearby cocktail bar Little Red Door, where the bartenders can concoct custom drinks based on your mood. (Have fun with this.) Another excellent date-dining spot is Le Mary Celeste, an adorable corner bar that serves exquisite tapas. (It was a finalist for Best International Restaurant Bar at the Spirited Awards, the Academy Awards for cocktail bars.) After eating, stroll the neighborhood and stop at one of its many world-class cocktail bars— Candelaria, PasDeLoup, Bespoke, to name a few—for an after-dinner digestif. If you really want to show her you know what’s what in Paris, spend the evening in the Pigalle neighborhood. Once a red light district (and near the famous Moulin Rouge), it’s now the coolest nightlife area in the city. If you’re still hungry, get a table for two near the window at Buvette, the sister restaurant of the Manhattan eatery of the same name. Order a bottle of Côte de Brouilly, a few apps (we recommend the artichoke and burrata), and the best coq au vin you’ve ever had. Follow that up with chocolate cake and whipped cream. Let’s say things are going really well. Book a room at the aptly named Hotel Amour, designed by artist André Saraiva (cofounder of Le Bain nightclub in the Standard hotel in New York), the place that started the Pigalle revival. OK, with its abundance of erotic photography, we admit this place oozes sex more than romance, but it is incomparably cool. Take it slow the next morning, but when you’re ready, hop in an Uber to Les Enfants Perdus, which serves one of Paris’ most incredible weekend brunches, featuring delectable pastries, creamy ravioli, and mouthwatering oeuf cocotte. Relax, sip on a café au lait, and then celebrate your budding romance with a bottle of Champagne. Congratulations; you’ve now got a Parisian girlfriend.
The lively boat bar Rosa Bonheur sur Seine
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THE HELL PIT
Red Bull’s brutal Hare Scramble race pushes the toughest enduro riders beyond their limits Te x t b y K EI T H G O R D O N
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s Graham Jarvis maneuvered his motorcycle through dense forest, leading the pack of some 500 riders from around the world in the 2015 Red Bull Hare Scramble, his excitement turned to despair. The trail, part of a brand-new section of the course known as Downtown, had led him to an impasse, a section of ravine so clogged with rocks, trees, and loose soil that even Jarvis, a world-class offroad rider, couldn’t navigate his bike through the morass. Even worse, his competition, the most elite riders in the world, were hot on his trail, speeding along the narrow avenue through the woods. A crippling thought crept into the minds of Jarvis and the other riders leading the pack, one that can be debilitating in a race as difficult as this one: “I can’t do this.” Pushing the world’s best enduro riders beyond their limits has always been the signature mission of the Erzbergrodeo, the premier off-road motorcycle event on the planet, and its over-the-top finale, the Red Bull Hare Scramble. The creators of this masochistic event are two Austrian motorcycle journalists, Andreas Werth and Karl Katoch. Back in the mid’90s, enduro and off-road moto racing was practically nonexistent, both in terms of public awareness and participation. To fix that, the pair decided to design a world-class motorcycle event at the Erzberg iron mine in Eisenerz,
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Styria, Austria, whose terrain promised the perfect challenge for the world’s best racers. From an event that first drew 120 riders to the inaugural event in 1995, today the Erzbergrodeo features 1,500 riders from 38 countries, as well as thousands of support staff, mechanics, and spectators. When rider Jonny Walker finished the 2014 Hare Scramble in just 1 hour and 37 minutes—the race typically takes around four hours—organizers were determined to alter the course to offer more of a challenge. The result was the new deep-woods section, Downtown. It’s safe to say that Jarvis and his fellow competitors were the victims of a slight overreach by the race designers; Downtown earned the moniker “Green Hell.” Jarvis and his fellow riders realized there was only one way out of the Green Hell, a solution counterintuitive for a group of ultra-competitive, adrenalinepumping moto racers: teamwork. Over the next half hour, the competitors worked as a unit, pushing, pulling, or carrying their bikes up the steep and muddy slope, often requiring cables to drag their machines to the top of the trail. When the group reached the end, they rode across the finish line together, and the four riders became the first cochampions in the event’s history. Only one other rider finished the course under the four-hour deadline—a remarkable solo effort by Spaniard Mario Roman. In the end, only five riders of the 500 that began completed the legendary course within the allotted time.
O P P O S I T E PA G E : P H I L I P P L AT Z E R / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L . T H I S PA G E , C L O C K W I S E F R O M TO P L E F T: S E B A S T I A N M A R KO / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L ; YA N A S TA N C H E VA / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L ; P H I L I P P L AT Z E R / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L ; S A M O V I D I C / R E D B U L L C O N T E N T P O O L ( 2 )
Two races highlight the four-day event: The Iron Road Prologue and the Hare Scramble. All 1,500 riders who descend on the mine are eligible to enter the Prologue, a 13.5-km race from the bottom of the mine to the top of the neighboring hillside, along a nerve-racking stretch of loose gravel, dramatic drop-offs, and hairpin turns. Speed is everything: A rider’s time in the Prologue determines if he will be included among the top 500 riders invited to participate in the Hare Scramble. The fastest 50 riders in the Prologue form the front line of racers in the Scramble. One of the most intriguing aspects of the event is the diversity of racers. It’s common for pro factory-sponsored bikers to ride handlebar to handlebar with part-time amateurs and weekend warriors with a surplus of courage and a deep thirst for punishment.
i Mobility & Ability Elite riders like Red Bull KTM’s Cody Webb have their pick when it comes to the top off-road motorcycles, but like many of his fellow competitors, Webb rides a customized version of the 2017 KTM 300 EXC. The KTM is an off-road and enduro specialist, designed for mobility and agility on the toughest terrain. Significantly lighter than its predecessors and peers, with a dry weight of 221 pounds and an engine design that ensures better mass centralization, the two-stroke bike provides all the torque a rider needs. Webb has personalized his ride with rotor guards, master cylinder protectors, unbreakable levers, and a beefy skid plate. With a six-speed Enduro gearbox possessing an advanced dirt-blocking design, and a lack of linkage in the rear suspension preventing the bike from snagging on inhospitable terrain, the 300 EXC is the one to watch at this year’s Red Bull Hare Scramble. KTM also offers a basic version for under 10 grand, a far easier ask than following Webb and his 300 EXC out of the Erzberg iron mine.
Opposite page: Jonny Walker clears a steep hill climb. This page, clockwise from top left: The chaos of the Hare Scramble; Wade Young after finishing the race; Andreas Lettenbichler helping to drag a bike through “Downtown”; the start of the race at the bottom of the mine; some rocky sections that are essentially boulder fields.
PORTFOLIO
SIMPLE PLEASURES
Portrait photographer Manny Roman’s images captivate with their striking simplicity
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f nice guys finish last, Manny Roman is the exception to the rule. The Miami-born, New York City–based photographer is feted as a world-class portrait photographer, but you’d never guess it based on his humility and honesty. And those attributes are exactly what’s led to his success. As he describes his method, “I approach the model with my truest self and express that, to me, they are beautiful just as they are and their essence is what I want to capture.” As a child, Roman was fascinated by cameras, and after some practice shoots with his older sister, he approached local South Beach modeling agencies in search of work. Soon, he’d established himself in the industry as the go-to photog for portraits and high-style projects. Roman is candid about what drew him to his subject matter: “Women. They have always been my inspiration, from the classic beauty of Lauren Bacall to the sultry appeal of Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren. I’ve always admired the way women move, laugh, and flip their hair.” While his work is diverse, his portraits stand out for their stark austerity. “I used to think the simplicity aspect was easy, but it isn’t,” he says. “Many times it’s easier for models to hide behind the makeup and clothes, but once you ask them to be shot with no makeup, it’s as if they feel naked.” Getting a model to a place of comfort is paramount. “The most challenging part is getting my subjects to a vulnerable point. If they do not trust you then it’s hard to achieve that memorable moment I aim to capture, which is the magic in my portraits. It comes down to trust and a mutual understanding of what my subject and I want to achieve.” —Keith Gordon
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Pro surfer Timmy Reyes, pictured here, is featured in Burkard’s latest film, Under an Arctic Sky 60
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ADVENTURE
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Awe InspIrer Photographer Chris Burkard has gained a worldwide following by capturing the wonder of nature’s most remote landscapes Te x t b y JAM E S J O I N ER P h o t o g ra p h e d b y C H R I S B U R K AR D
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here’s a solid chance you already follow adventure photographer Chris Burkard on Instagram. His feed, a patchwork of brilliant colors, bucket-list locations, and tiny people in epic landscapes, has amassed a staggering 2.6 million fans. In an ecosystem packed with adventure-chasing storytellers, Burkard is king. Unlike many “influencers”—people who’ve built an army of followers to double-tap formulaic photos for fame and fortune—Burkard didn’t quit a graphic design or marketing day job to jump on the social media bandwagon. At a veteran age—for the medium, anyway—of 31 years, Burkard has been chasing his photographic dreams for well over a decade. “It’s funny; people want this dreamy story that everything happened so quickly and was effortless, but it was a total pain in the ass, to be completely honest,” Burkard says with a laugh, his voice showing a hint of a California surf-dude accent. Growing up in Pismo Beach, he and his family took trips to places like Yosemite and Joshua Tree that fostered a love of the outdoors. A high school affinity for art classes eventually led him to photography, which he found “more real.” At first he wanted to be a landscape photographer, but quickly realized he’d never make a living. Instead, he combined his admiration of huge landscapes with documenting the California culture surrounding him. “I saw my friends surfing and I was like, That’s where I want to be. I want to be in the water, or in the mountains,” he says. “I went after it with everything I could.” Tenacity turned an internship at Surfer magazine into a full-time position, sending Burkard chasing surfers and waves around the globe. For many, landing a staff gig at one of the biggest surf magazines in the world would set the tone for a lifetime soaking up sun in exotic locations on someone else’s dime. But Burkard began to find it grating. He would arrive in Indonesia or Nicaragua, for example, expecting wild adventures, only to find “high-rise hotels, Wi-Fi, and fine dining.” Refusing to accept a never-ending summer’s complac e n c y, B u r k a r d began seeking “places that had been thought of as too cold or dangerous to surf.” This has led to what’s already amounted to a lifetime of adventure in places such as Alaska, Norway, and even Russia, where he was detained for 24 hours in a “gnarly private holding room with a one-eyed guard at the door and bars on the doors and windows” for arriving a day before the date on his visa. He was deported to Korea for a day before returning to finish the 12-day trip. It was Iceland, however, that captured his heart. Burkard has been there 27 times over the past decade, documenting epic winter surf under dancing northern lights. This has culminated in his most recent film, Under an Arctic Sky, which follows six surfers en route to a remote national park, where they find themselves struggling to survive in the region’s worst storm in 25 years. His days are now spent working as a director, public speaker, and commercial photographer (and starring in commercials himself). The one piece of wisdom he’d offer aspiring photographers? “So often you see people pair their photography with some dead poet’s quote, telling you the mountains are calling and they must go,” he laughs. “Don’t describe what you can already see. Take the time to describe what it felt like when you were there. You’re the storyteller, and the sooner you put yourself in your own stories, the better they will be.”
“ThaT’s where I wanT To be. I wanT To be In The waTer, or In The mounTaIns.”
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Burkard has amassed 2.6 million Instagram followers with his epic images
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C H R I S B U R K A R D/ M A SS I f
luxury
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BENTLEY BALANCE By combining a rich history with modern flexibility, the luxury British automaker has managed to appeal to buyers old and new Te x t b y DAN C AR N E Y
P H oTo G R A P H E D BY l o ï C T H é B A u D. H I G H - E N D R E To u C H E R : E m I l I E D E S m E u l E S . o P P o S I T E PA G E : C o u R T E S Y o F B E N T l E Y m oTo R S
T H I S PA G E : To m C l A E R E N w I T H T H E B E N T l E Y C o N T I N E N TA l G T V- 8 I N A m B E R C o lo R AT T H E C A S I N o D E m o N T E - C A R lo.
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he late W.O. Bentley founded Bentley Motors with the aim of achieving utter perfection in his cars. But the company’s current design director, Stefan Sielaff, is a fan of subtle imperfection—the Cindy Crawford’s–mole kind of flaw that is more an exclamation mark on perfection than a detraction from it. “You get into a Bentley and you see that it’s done with love and care,” Sielaff says. “You can see the human touch and that it was not done by robots. You need this little touch of imperfection. If something is too perfect and too precise, it’s not natural anymore; it’s artificial.” Sielaff believes that humans innately seek these indications of mortality amid the sublime. “If you have that little dark spot on the cheek, it’s lovely and human and absolutely beautiful. That’s why it’s called a beauty spot.”
Bentley earns its place in both the country club valet lot and the NBA player’s parking space because of its unique ability to blend traditional luxury and modern performance. This dissonance provides the creative energy that keeps Bentley fresh to a younger generation of buyers, while other brands risk becoming musty and outdated. A brand like Ferrari stands for performance, and Rolls-Royce means opulence. Bentley’s unique history allows it to bridge the two, thanks to the company’s record of racing success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and historical races at venues such as Brooklands, in England. Without that racing pedigree, Bentley’s traditional stately styling and sumptuous, leather-wrapped, wood-paneled cabins, combined with the company’s old boys’ club ambience, could otherwise doom it to irrelevance among customers with more years still ahead of them than behind.
Opposite: The Mulsanne Hallmark Series by Mulliner utilizes the finest luxury materials and precious metals, including a gold “Flying B” mascot. This page: Social media star Tom Claeren stands beside a Continental GT, in front of the legendary Monte Carlo Casino. maxim.com
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Bentley strives to balance these competing demands, aiming to ensure a connection to the company’s rich heritage without being trapped by it. The company was founded in 1919 in Cricklewood, Northwest London, and delivered its first car in 1921, with the goal of producing automobiles that would rise above the dangerous, unsophisticated, and noisy vehicles of the era. That very first car carried Bentley’s now-traditional radiator housing and “Flying B” hood ornament. Success on the racetrack was a critical endorsement of a car’s durability in those days, so Bentley entered the daylong Le Mans sports car race. The company’s team of “Bentley Boys” won the fabled event in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1930, building an enduring reputation for speed. Bentley’s flagship Mulsanne model draws its name from the famed Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, where cars traveled flat out for 3.7 miles before organizers installed two chicanes in 1990 to slow them down. Because Bentley’s success came not with lithe sports cars but hulking luxury machines, the company was dubbed “the world’s fastest lorry”—British for truck—possibly by Ettore Bugatti. The company backed that up with an astounding feat of speed on public roads. Bentley chairman Woolf Barnato (who personally drove in the 1928, 1929, and 1930 Le Mans wins) bet £200 that he could drive Bentley’s Speed Six coupe from the glitterati holiday spot of Cannes, on France’s southern coast, to Calais, on the north coast, in less time than it would take the “Train Bleu” express train to make the same run. He did it easily, establishing the legend of the Bentley “Blue Train.” Bentley cemented its stature in 1952 with the R-Type Continental, a car described at the time by Britain’s Autocar magazine as “a modern magic carpet which annihilates great distances.” The R-Type Continental was not only the fastest four-seat luxury sedan in the world; its clean lines tapering behind its towering Bentley grille established the template for Bentley design that endures today. “This bodywork was extremely modern in the 1950s,” Sielaff says. “It contains everything we are now doing with the new Continental we are delivering at the [International] Motor Show” in Frankfurt in September. The R-Type Continental’s body was built by Mulliner, which was established in the 1500s as a shop for horse-drawn coaches. Mulliner continues today as Bentley’s special
The Continental GT is available in three varieties with a W12 engine (GT, Speed, Supersports) and two versions with the eco-friendly V-8 model (GT and S). Inset: Photographer Maximilian Dietz stands beside an R-Type Continental, produced from 1952 to 1955. While only 208 were ever produced, they served as an inspiration for the Continental GT some five decades later.
These machines are three feet longer than a regular Mulsanne, and feature four rear seats in rows of two that face each other. Other recent specials include the Bentayga Fly Fishing and the Bentayga Falconry, two specially fitted SUVs that combine exclusive sports of the wealthy with a posh, go-anywhere vehicle able to deliver owners to their destinations. These models provide the chance to try new materials that will help keep Bentley appealing to a new generation of customers, Sielaff believes. Traditional materials convey the warmth that is central to the atmosphere
The EXP 10 Speed Six concept offers a look into Bentley’s future. The design team focused on utilizing new methods of fabrication and design, such as 3-D printing, while maintaining Bentley’s heritage and reputation for craftsmanship. The interior (top) is Bentley’s most performance-focused to date, while the exterior (bottom) is inspired by the aerodynamic shapes of aircraft wings and fuselages. 68
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projects group, which builds customers the most mind-boggling specialty models imaginable. Only two things restrain Mulliner’s capacity for customization: good taste and government regulations, Sielaff says. Customers who want tacky modifications or ones that upset people, such as animal fur, must turn to the aftermarket for their modifications. Sometimes, however, customers are even willing to pay for exclusive custom bodywork. Mulliner built a series of 10 extended-body Mulsanne Grand Limousines for a “royal household in the Arabian world,” Sielaff says.
inside a Bentley, so buttery leathers and gorgeous woods remain key ingredients in the Bentley mélange. But the Bentayga Falconry by Mulliner, for example, tests a new cork fabric on its flight station and refreshment case, and the company is looking at ceramic finishes to give hard surfaces an appearance different from that of traditional polished or plated metal. “We are experimenting with these materials,” says Sielaff. “They are not the cheapest, but they look brilliant.” And with interest from younger customers in upholstery that provides
the sensation of leather without the involvement of an animal, Bentley is developing alternatives. “Millennials have a lot of money to spend and obviously they want something a bit more youthful,” Sielaff says. But any change will be measured. “The front end and the headlights: I’m not saying it must have four round headlights, but it should have something rather soft and round and not harsh, insect-like eyes.” He adds: “Though we are pushing into a more modern statement, a Bentley should always still be immediately recognizable as a Bentley.”
The car that sparked Bentley’s legacy and reputation, the Bentley “Blue Train.” Officially the Speed Six coupe, the legendary model earned its nickname by winning a bet that it could get from Cannes to Calais in France before the express “Train Bleu” arrived. maxim.com
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C o u R T E S Y o F B E N T l E Y m oTo R S
Clockwise from top left: As with most Bentley features, the wheels can be customized in multiple finishes. Comprising 50 vehicles across Bentley’s Mulsanne line, the First Edition is the pinnacle of Mulliner’s custom shop, featuring custom wood veneers, exclusive colors and materials, and even a sterling silver vanity kit. The Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase is Bentley’s way of providing first-class air travel at sea level: Extended rear legroom and reclining seats provide the epitome of comfort and luxury for those who prefer to be driven by a chauffeur. The Mulsanne EWB First Edition features airplane-style seating and an optional Champagne cooler. Sold in China, the Continental GT Speed Black Edition is a one-off creation, taking the exclusivity of Bentley to a new level. Opposite: Bentley has an extensive partnership with horologist Breitling, resulting in an optional dashboard tourbillon clock that costs well over six figures.
TITAN
THE
X FACTOR French telecom billionaire Xavier Niel has had a colorful— and enormously successful—business career Te x t b y J U S T I N RO H R L I C H
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“I lIke beIng an outsIder,” nIel has saId. “It Is better In France on the outsIde.”
He represents what scares them—the big battlefield between the old and new economy.” However, Niel said, “If people like us don’t start to change things in France, nothing is ever going to change. Today France is the fifth largest economy in the world. But if we don’t change things, we will be the 25th biggest in just 10 years.” Niel, whose partner, Delphine Arnault, is director and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton, hits all the right marks in displaying a decidedly anti-establishment public persona, which seems to emanate naturally from the manner in which he conducts his private life. “I like being an outsider,” Niel has said. “It is better in France on the outside.” His kids attend public schools. He eschews a private office, preferring to sit among everyone else in a bullpen-style configuration. He avoids star-studded events and instead spends his off-hours exploring—and partying in, reportedly—the catacombs beneath Paris with fellow “cataphiles.” Niel’s outsider thinking has come in handy, like in January 2012, when he ventured into the cell phone business, launching Free Mobile. It offered unlimited calls, texts, and internet for €19.99 a month, going headto-head with Orange, SFR, and Bouygues Télécom, all of which charged more than double that. The three major players attempted to block Free from getting an operating license, to no avail—during Free Mobile’s first year in operation, the company took hold of almost 8 percent of the overall French market, signing up more than five million customers. For his latest feat, Niel bought the Halle Freyssinet, an abandoned railroad building in Paris that dates back to the 1920s, and has turned it into what he calls the world’s biggest start-up incubator. Niel funded the enterprise, which is called Station F, with €250 million of his own money. (Niel spent about $90 million on the Paris campus of 42, and a reported $100 million on the one in California.) The Station F website says start-ups, of which there will be 1,000, will be moving in this summer. The timing really couldn’t be better, an American director of Station F
p R e v I O U S S p R e a d : R e v e L L I - b e a U m O N T/ S I pa v I a a p I m a g e S
n December 2011, the businessman Xavier Niel posted a mysterious message on his Twitter page. “The Rocket is on the launch pad,” it said, cryptically. Two years passed without another mention. Then, in March 2013, this: “#42 invents a new paradigm for developer education: open admission, no tuition fee, peer-2-peer learning...1000 students/year.” Niel was unveiling a somewhat radical concept of a coding school, which opened its first location in Paris in 2013. Its name, 42, is a nod to Douglas Adams’ sci-fi classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which the number is the so-called “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” That first year it received 20,000 applications; 19,000 of those people didn’t get in. The lucky ones went on to three years of training, all completely gratuit. In 2016, 42 opened its second campus in Fremont, California. There are now affiliate branches of 42 in Ukraine, South Africa, and Romania. Niel has said he plans to increase capacity to 10,000 annually in the not too distant future. So far, 42 seems to have been well-received by the broader tech community. “My God is 42 impressive,” computer scientist and Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham recently raved, on Twitter, naturally. “This is not another programming bootcamp. It’s another MIT.” 42 is yet another of the many successes serial entrepreneur Xavier Niel has realized in his colorful career. Worth some $8.74 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he is one of the richest men in France. He owns the country’s second-largest internet service provider and thirdbiggest mobile phone network. He co-owns the venerable French newspaper Le Monde, as well as the rights to “My Way,” the song made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1969. He has been called, variously, the “French Steve Jobs,” the “French Richard Branson,” and the “French Bill Gates.” Not bad for a high school dropout from the blue-collar Paris suburb of Créteil. Niel was born in August 1967 to Michel Niel, a patent consultant, and Camille Fernande Perrot, an accountant. When Xavier turned 14, Michel bought him a computer—a Sinclair ZX81, with a now-laughable 1 kilobyte of memory. He quickly taught himself to code. “It was something magical: something that did whatever I wanted,” Niel told the Financial Times in a 2013 interview. “And I think there was my dad’s love of computing and electronics. Perhaps Freud could say something about that.” Niel had the entrepreneurial urge from a young age, and when he was 19, he started 3615 DUCUL, an adult chat service hosted on France’s preinternet Minitel platform. The World Wide Web was on the horizon, and Niel made sure to keep his eye on what he knew would eventually become a larger, more profitable ball than anything Minitel-related. In 1993, at the age of 25, Niel launched France’s first-ever ISP, WorldNet. Never one to rest on his laurels, Niel unveiled another internet service provider, Free, in 1999. In 2000, he sold WorldNet, right before the collapse of the dot-com bubble, for upward of $40 million. The financially shrewd Niel escaped without a scratch. (WorldNet went under in 2002.) Free upended the French telecom market by offering broadband service for €29.99 a month. No one else had done this before, though they quickly followed Free’s lead and brought down their pricing to match. The world also had never seen a “triple-play” package of internet, phone, and TV before Free rolled it out in 2001; the idea of bundling these services wouldn’t reach American shores until 2005. “He represents the internet world and the internet economy, something that is not really appreciated in France,” a French business school professor once explained to the New York Times. “He is not one of them.
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after all), and a private bar/lounge. Best of all, the commute to Station F will only take 10 minutes. If French law didn’t require him to leave 75 percent of his fortune to his children, Niel has said he’d simply give it all away. “In life, you need a house and a car. After that, you have a choice. You can spend your money on artworks and sit down and look at them. Or you can use your money to help people.”
C O U R T e S y O f w I L m OT T e & a S S O C I é S
told U.S. News & World Report. “Given the situation with Brexit, given the situation in the U.S. with Donald Trump, we see a lot of entrepreneurs reevaluating the go-to places,” she said. Next year, once Station F is up and running, Niel plans to open what he calls a “co-living space” for his resident entrepreneurs. According to the company, this will include 100 shared apartments, in three towers, with a capacity of 600. There will be athletic facilities on-site, a café (this is Paris,
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An artist’s renderings of Station F, which Niel says will be the world’s biggest start-up incubator
CREDITS COVER Velour pyjamas, OUD ($650); oud.paris. SUMMER DAZE P.8: Hibiki whisky, SUNTORY ($72); thewhiskeyexchange .com. Panama hat, J.CREW ($65); jcrew.com. Special issue field watch, WEISS ($1,250); weisswatchcompany.com. Floral shirt, JUNYA WATANABE COMME DES GARÇONS MEN ($399); endclothing.com. Walnut speakers and amp, GROVEMADE ($599); grovemade.com. Wilson sunglasses, GARRETT LEIGHT ($365); garrettleight.com. Garden sun chair, RÖSHULTS ($3,265); shop.roshults.com and studiotwentyseven.com. Trancoso wooden beach bat-and-ball set, FRESCOBOL CARIOCA ($245); available at mrporter.com. GAME, SET, MATCH P.10: Remi sneakers, MONCLER ($395); ssense.com. Wimbledon Cross Court hat, RALPH LAUREN ($80); shop.wimbledon .com. J12 Superleggera chronograph, CHANEL ($9,000); chanel.com. Terry tennis wristbands, LACOSTE ($20); lacoste.com. Newport tennis racquet, ELISABETH WEINSTOCK ($1,415); elisabethweinstock.com. Titanium bottle, S’WELL ($42); swellbottle.com. Classic barrel bag, FRED PERRY ($90); fredperry.com. The Stylish Life book, TENEUES ($55); teneues.com. Portable ball machine, WILSON (from $1,145); sportstutor.com. Striped cotton socks, NEIGHBORHOOD ($55 for pack of three pairs); available at mrporter.com. Striped detail polo shirt, MONCLER GAMME BLEU ($355); farfetch.com. Nagata Speed Blade glasses, DISTRICT VISION ($249); districtvision.com.
CLOSE SHAVE P.12: Imitation-pearl straight razor, DOVO ($165); westcoast shaving.com. Verso shaver, REMINGTON ($150); remington products.com. The Winston razor, HARRY’S ($20); harrys .com. Straight razor, EZRA ARTHUR + MAX SPRECHER ($895); ezraarthur.com. 34C safety razor, MERKUR ($40); westcoast shaving.com. Five-blade razor, ESHAVE ($90); eshave.com. Venice CNC safety razor, WEST COAST SHAVING ($180); westcoast shaving.com. Double-edge razor blades, MERKUR and MÜHLE (from $6); westcoastshaving.com and muehle-shaving.com. ALEXIS REN P.28: Lace camisole, MONKI ($20); monki.com. Bracelets, VANINA ($60 each); vanina.me. Panties, INTIMISSIMI ($20); intimissimi .com. P.30: Fun fur, CHOYO ($315); choyojoo.com. Bikini bottom, MONKI ($15); monki.com. Gold-plated chain, CAROLINE NAJMAN ($85); carolinenajman.com. Bracelets, VANINA ($60 each); vanina.me. P.31: Silk shorts, CADOLLE ($230); cadolle .com. Sunglasses, THIERRY LASRY ($450); thierrylasry.com. P.32: Cotton top, SAINT JAMES ($20); saint-james.com. Velvet bikini bottom, ALBERTINE ($75); albertine.co. P.33: Suede apron dress, DELPHINE DELAFON ($1,305); delphinedelafon.com. Satin bra, CADOLLE ($250); cadolle .com. Patent leather mules, MAISON ERNEST ($400); maisonernest.com. P.34: Satin bomber jacket, BOMBERS ORIGINAL ($75); bombers-original.com. Corset ($900) and panties ($150), CADOLLE; cadolle.com. Swarovski crystal necklace and chandelier earrings, SHOUROUK (price upon request); shourouk.com. P.35: Panties, ANN SUMMERS ($15); annsummers.com.
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MAXIM (ISSN 1092-9789) August Issue, Volume 21, Number 6 is published monthly except for combined issues of Dec/Jan and June/July by Maxim Inc., 268 West 44th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10036. One-year subscription rates: for U.S., $24.97; for Canada, $34.97; for all other countries, $54.97 in prepaid U.S. funds. Canadian GST Registration #867774580, Publications Agreement number 40031590. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Maxim, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6. We sometimes make our subscriber list available to companies that sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. For subscriptions, address changes, adjustments, or back issue inquiries, or if you would rather not receive third-party mailings, please visit us at Maxim.com/customerservice or write to Maxim, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235, or call 386-447-6312. Copyright © 2017 Maxim Media Inc. MAXIM® is a registered trademark owned by Maxim Media Inc. All rights reserved.
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