During Estée Lauder’s 49 years at her eponymous company, she oversaw the creation of a dozen fragrances and encouraged women to create fragrance “wardrobes” tailored to every occasion and mood. The brand’s Legacy Collection, which launches on February 1, revives five Lauder creations with the help of Frédéric Malle (whose fragrance brand was acquired by the Estée Lauder Companies in 2015) and perfumers Anne Flipo, Carlos Benaïm and Bruno all they have collaborated with Malle on previous fragrances. During an interview inside Lauder’s well-kept office near Central Park, Malle explained how he revamped the fragrances using more modern perfume-making techniques. He noted that, in Lauder’s day, perfumers combined base scents that were “like pre-mixed mini perfumes” to create a final scent. “They contained things that weren’t necessary and created background noise,” Malle said. To update the guys, any non-essential ingredients in these bases were removed — “it’s like cleaning,” he said. The new collection has notes ranging from fresh and herbal to musky and sweet. Originally launched in 1969, Azurée evokes dry Mediterranean shores with notes of herbs such as basil and tarragon, as well as jasmine, spicy cardamom, bergamot and cumin, which Malle enhanced in his version. For White Linen, a classic floral bouquet of rose and jasmine, Malle used pure labdanum, an amber resin from the rockrose plant, which was not available when the fragrance debuted in 1978. Knowing, a seductive fragrance from 1988, “had a bit of ’80s Muzak in it,” Malle said. The modernized version is a fruity chypre with raspberry, blackcurrant, rose and patchouli. The overall goal of the collection, Malle said, “is to revive this work and show how good Mrs. Lauder was.” The Legacy Collection is available February 1st, $280, esteelauder.com.
Eat here
In Istanbul, a Red Velvet Bistro by the Owners of Arkestra
When Debora Ipekel, a former music business executive, and her husband, Cenk Debensason, a classically trained chef, first came up with the idea for a new restaurant venture in their hometown of Istanbul, they wanted to create an experience that included the two of the world. “Hospitality goes beyond serving great food — it’s about creating an atmosphere that reflects who we are,” says Ipekel. Arkestra, named after the Sun Ra Arkestra, the pioneering jazz group formed in the 1950s, opens in September 2022. Inside a large villa in the neighborhood of Etiler, a wood-paneled dining room on the ground floor serves the Debensason’s varied menu. dishes such as tuna sashimi with sushi rice ice cream and seasonal mushroom risotto. On the next level is a bar called the Listening Room, which has lounge seating, low cocktail tables and a large library of vinyl records. Drawing on her career in music, Ipekel curates late-night sets alongside guests such as Chicago disco legend Sadar Bahar and Turkish DJ Barış K. “We want the music to be eclectic, timeless and psychedelic — similar to the food we serve ,” she says. This month, the villa that houses the Arkestra welcomed the couple’s new bistro, Ritmo. Hidden behind velvet curtains with mirrored ceilings and rococo furniture, the space has a decadent, playful feel complemented by snack selection such as oysters with champagne sauce and churros with spicy chocolate sauce. arkestra.com.tr.
Artist Emily Weiner is drawn to the kind of instantly recognizable images that tap into the unconscious and communicate across time. After years of honing her style while also working as an art curator and writer, she’s recently made waves with her vibrant, almost spiritual oil paintings of urns, columns, graceful hands and theater curtains framing ombre skies and stark moons. Her new pieces, soon to be a solo show at Red Arrow Gallery in Nashville and featured in the inaugural group show at Mexico City’s König Galerie outpost, continue in that vein while expanding her visual lexicon. On one canvas, Weiner has painted a sweeping spiral of teal that moves toward a tiny half-moon in the center. Hanging next to him on the Red Arrow will be his fiery twin — a spiral mirror rendered in rusty red. (Some of the other works are themselves symmetrical, and fittingly, the solo show’s name, “Never Odd or Even,” is a recursive scheme.) Weiner, who emphasizes the paintings’ ecofeminist, futuristic bent, says the spirals represent the idea of eternal return. he sees them as “cosmic trumpets”. In another work, a glowing moon can be seen through an Ionic slit reminiscent of a cut-up painting by Lucio Fontana. elsewhere, silhouettes of receding faces suggest mountains or monoliths. “I was thinking about the idea that this is a polluted world that is inevitably going to be saved by a patriarchal god, and I was trying to subvert that,” Weiner says. “How can we care for this landscape we live in as a mother would?” “Never Odd or Even” is on view at Red Arrow Gallery, Nashville, from February 3rd to 24th, theredarrowgallery.com; “Surreal Surroundings” runs at König Galerie, Mexico City, from February 5th to March 8th, koeniggalerie.com.
Gift This
Italian jewelry handmade from Roman heirlooms
Growing up in Naples, Italy, Francesca Ruggiero was surrounded by history, but it wasn’t until she inherited a collection of ancient coins from her grandfather that she truly felt connected to it. The coins date back to the Greek and Byzantine period, almost 2,000 years ago. These, along with her interest in myths and legends, inspired Ruggiero to create her first fine jewelry. Now running her own label, Kiaia, which she founded in London in 2013, the designer spends her days hunting down coins engraved with Greek gods and famous Roman emperors, which she transforms into her signature necklaces, charm bracelets and rings. . The pieces are handcrafted in Italy, where the vintage coins are encased in 22 or 18k raw gold to preserve them. In February, Ruggiero brings Kiaia’s one-of-a-kind pieces to New York. Also launching is a new collection of Unity rings meant to connect the past with the present. Designed to be worn on two fingers, two gold bands are connected by a heavy chain that represents the strength of connection. On view at the Nouvelle Box Showroom at the Chelsea Hotel, New York, from February 4 to 6, by appointment only; kiaia.com.
Covet This
Two longtime antique collectors are selling their treasures
Textile designer Carolina Irving and art collector Ian Irving first met while working at Sotheby’s. Brought together by a shared interest in antiquity, the couple married in 1989. For two decades, they traveled the world, searching for 17th- and 18th-century treasures in shops from Istanbul to India (as well as catalogs and auction houses closer to their home in New York). “He opened my eyes to the decorative arts, such as eccentric German silver pieces, tulip-shaped bowls and Japanese objects covered in silver and gold,” Carolina says of Ian. “We weren’t just collecting for value. It was being surrounded by objects that spoke to us.” Now separated, but still dear friends, the pair are selling a collection of antiques at a live auction at Sotheby’s, their original meeting place. “The Pleasure of Objects” reflects the duo’s distinct but overlapping tastes—her eye for textured objects that exhibit a mix of cultural influences and his expertise in antique European silver. Most of the pieces once lived inside Carolina and Ian’s Upper East Side apartment. Among them is an Indo-Portuguese brass and mother-of-pearl from the early 17th century, and Carolina’s favorite: a portrait of Doña Isidora Navarro, daughter of a large upper-class Spanish family. Dated around 1810, the painting features details such as the high-waisted empire dress made with gold fringe and the flowers in her hair, reminiscent of similar portraits by Francisco Goya. “I love seeing a piece like this,” says Carolina, “and imagining the story behind it.” “The Pleasure of Objects: The Ian & Carolina Collection’ auction starts on January 30, sothebys.com.
