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“LADY DIOR” BAG BY EDUARDO TERRAZAS “Lady Dior” bag in multi-color calfskin, screen-printed and embossed with high frequency techniques. Jewelry in ruthenium color metal. “LADY DIOR” BAG BY EDUARDO TERRAZAS “Lady Dior” bag in white calf skin, black patterns crafted thanks to high frequency techniques, bi-color handles in patent black and white calf skin. Leather covered charms, jewelry in silver-tone metal . “LADY DIOR” BAG BY J IA LEE “Lady Dior” bag in off-white cowhide printed with flowers, embroidered with organza and glass beads. Jewelry in aged silver-tone metal . “LADY DIOR” BAG BY WANG GUANGLE “Lady Dior” bag composed of a layering of leathers in contrasting colors and effects. Transparent sides, handles and charms. Jewelry in silver-tone metal . “LADY DIOR” BAG BY JOANA VASCONCELOS Large “Lady Dior” bag in black shiny calfskin with LED inlay, handles in shiny black calfskin and red patent calfskin. Jewelry in ruthenium color metal and red resin heart-shaped charm. MINI “LADY DIOR” BAG BY J IA LEE Mini “Lady Dior” bag in black cowhide printed with flowers, embroidered with organza and glass beads. Jewelry in ruthenium color metal . “LADY DIOR” BAG BY KOHEI NAWA “Lady Dior” bag in printed metallised leather, decorated with PVC patterns bonded at high frequency and filled with red gel . Jewelry in Ultra Black finish metal . “LADY DIOR” BAG BY J IA LEE “Lady Dior” bag in off-white cowhide printed with Dior and floral patterns, embroidered with organza and glass beads. Jewelry in aged silver-tone metal. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of Dior.

As a Miami kid, my family used to spend weekends driving down to Key Largo to swim, fish, and cavort before ending the day in a ramshackle diner gobbling down fresh fried yellowtail snapper and luscious key lime pie. Part of the adventure was the 20-mile treacherous, swampy, two-lane stretch after Florida City, with makeshift roadside memorials to those who didn’t concentrate. While north Key Largo has thankfully preserved most of its thick, luxuriant semi-tropical foliage, the southern end became a stew of strip malls, dive shops, craft boutiques, small marinas and momand- pop motels. In fact, for most travelers, the green-andwhite mile markers (Key Largo: MM 118 to MM 90.7) served as mere distance calculators on the southwest trek to the final destination – Key West. Click below to launch slideshow > Thanks to the recent Homestead road expansion, Key Largo now stands securely as an extension of South Florida, an easier destination than traveling north in the constant, annoying traffic to Broward and the Palm Beaches. Like its giant Miami-Dade neighbor, this island paradise contains its own mini-boom marked by upscale hotel properties. It includes Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton of over 60 five-star urban landmark and beach resort hotels “handpicked by their unique character.” What is most striking about this former 1890s pineapple plantation remains its sensitive environmental “footprint.” Nestled in a delightful 14-acre hardwood hammock of gumbo limbo, palms, bougainvillea, poisonwood, mahogany, tamarind, and red, black and white mangroves, the 200- room resort at MM 97 overlooks treetops, the shallows of Florida Bay, and the nearby Swash Keys that mark the southern border of Everglades National Park. The recently renovated Baker’s Cay Resort boasts six new 370-square-feet bayside rooms, six 760-square-feet two-bedroom kitchenette suites on the north wing, and 10 deluxe 730-square-feet one-bedroom suites. The décor reflects the intersection of water and foliage accented by fishhook wall adornments, colorful yellow throw pillows, long wood tables, sofas and mid-century lounge chairs, lantern bedside lamps, and large, high beds with an extra-big pillow decorated with nautical knots and a manatee motif. The airy mood is enhanced by bright white walls, sturdy cottons and textiles, and attractive Cubanpatterned shower wall tiles complemented by Lather bamboo crème toiletries. “The color palette throughout the interior and exterior design are variations found on the marine graphics on our docks and elements on the water’s edge - yellow sun, canvas white sand, natural woods and big leaf green,” says LA-based Principal Designer Dayna Lee (with partner W. Ted Berner III) of Powerstrip Studio. Past large banyans, monstera, and the porte-cochere, enter the lobby through a 20-foot wooden door surrounded by multiple windows heightening the resort’s upscale, open-air “fishing camp” vibe. To the left, meeting rooms and a ballroom are softened by a small, cozy library, pool table, and fitness center. Before the reception a native limestone encrusted elevator reinforces the natural elements component of the design concept. Even the nearby gift shop sells sustainable products like 4ocean recyclable bracelets, Stream2Sea biodegradable sunscreen, natural fiber Hemlock sun hats with vibrant liners, The Keys salt scrub, and Maaji reversible swimwear from Colombia. Next door, the petite Green House Hair & Beauty Salon offers cuts, waxing, hand and foot care, bridal preps, and an excellent deep tissue massage. Click below to launch slideshow > Explore the property by walking to the Hammock Wing and Ben’s Garden where two heated pools and bar face the lush interior landscape. Opposite of that, on Hammock Beach, you can read and relax surrounded by mangroves, buttonwood, sea grape, and the very swimmable shallow waters of Florida Bay. Next to the main dock (fun for light fishing), aqua fans can stop by Scupper’s Watersports on Coconut Beach and Tiki Bar for jet skis, sunset cruises, and parasailing (scary, but exhilarating at 600-feet high!). In addition, their eco-tours reveal the hidden treasures of Florida Bay’s mangrove islands with osprey nests, roosting brown pelicans, the amazing mangrove root system, roaming stingrays, and bottom creatures like sea anemones, sponges, starfish and the “sexy” nudibranch, member of the sea slug family. With my love of fishing, I decided to join Capt. Casey Scott of Sea Monkey charters (seamonkeycharterfishing.com) dockside on his 30-foot Contender with twin 250 H.P. Yamahas for a morning on the ocean reefs. A fourthgeneration Islamorada fisherman, he also takes guests on his 18-foot flats skiff with 115 H.P. Suzuki in the shallows of Florida Bay backcountry for snook, tarpon, redfish, and sea trout. After crossing Tavernier Creek to the Atlantic, we sped towards a shallow reef. A slow, drifting chum trail soon brought a golden cloud of yellowtail snapper and we shortly limited out. On deeper reefs, over 100 feet, I caught several small sharks and a small mutton snapper. Capt. Casey was attentive and instructive, giving tips on how to properly set up the bait, hooking the fish, and in all cases keeping only what was legal for consumption. (For large groups, try all-day party boat fishing with Captain Chan on his 65-foot Gulfstream at Oceanside Marina MM 99.5.) In fact, Baker’s Cay Resort has just initiated a Dock to Dish local seafood tour in keeping with its sustainable practices ethos. Guests can fish with Capt. Casey and take their catch to Executive Chef Andy Papson, who guides them in preparing their dish using fresh herbs from his rooftop garden. That evening, I ate in the outdoor terrace of their Calusa dining room. Decorated with bright blue Cuban cement tile, “wave” ceiling fans, and oversized straw basket fixtures, Calusa serves a hearty Creole-Caribbean cuisine that works well with fish, chicken, and meat. Starters varied from bodega chowder with shrimp, conch, corn, bacon, and sweet potato to crudo, ceviche, and yummy Haitian chicken drummettes. My yellowtail was cooked in banana leaf using a chermoula rub and Johnnycakes. Meat lovers will enjoy the bone-in stewed short ribs with creamy collard greens, and roasted provisions or root vegetables. New Orleans-trained Chef Papson ends the meal with dreamy, light beignets in a terrific chicory crème anglaise. Click below to launch slideshow > Downstairs, facing Coconut Beach, Dry Rocks is Baker’s Cay Mexican cantina and tequila/mezcal stomping grounds; there’s even a Yappy Hour (4-5 P.M.) for dog-lovers with Cay-9 kibble and Bark Brew! Try sharing small plates with queso blanco, quesadilla or loaded yucca fries or fresco tacos with mojo pork or skirt steak followed by churros with nutella de leche or the guava-glazed key lime pie. Best of all, tequila fans have a wide choice from the hard-to-distill Del Maguey Wild Jabali Mezcal ($45) to superstar Gran Patron Piedra Extra Anejo ($120). For me, it was a simple “King of Largo” with barrel select Patron Anejo tequila, lemon juice, and syrup to help process the spectacular red-orange sunset westwards on vast Florida Bay. Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo is located at 97000 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, Florida, 33037. For more information, visit bakerscay.com or call 305-852-5553. Words by Charles Greenfield. Images courtesy of Baker's Cay Resort Key Largo

“It was so serendipitous because I get a call from my PR firm saying you wanted to interview [me] and you would only do so, if I come to New York, right?” Nelson De La Nuez asks with a laugh. This is true, I only conduct interviews in-person. “And it’s just so weird that I was going to be here!” Nelson’s publicist reached out to me back in July regarding his collab with TCG Toys (the company that released jigsaw puzzles showcasing four of Nelson’s iconic pieces of artwork) and I kept it to follow up, and I just happened to reach out days before he was scheduled to be in NYC (where I reside) to visit an art gallery that represents him, DTR Modern Galleries. It all worked out serendipitously —as Nelson said— especially since he is rarely in Manhattan. Nelson and I are in The Plaza Hotel’s Champagne Bar. The King of Pop Art is dressed in dark jeans, a light blue button-up, and a navy blue blazer with a white pocket square. “We came here to take pictures with my artwork, but they sold it all… I’ve been doing 17-hour days for the last two weeks, so it’s just been nuts... I can’t keep up with the demand,” says Nelson. Not a bad problem to have. “Not a bad problem to have! After this meeting I had today with the owner, it’s going to get even crazier, so I’m going to need to really, really step it up.” Nelson’s artwork is showcased in DTR Modern Galleries’ West Palm Beach, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York locations. “Next week, we’re doing Chicago and that’s through Bruce Lurie [Art] Gallery in L.A. Every time we do an art show in that caliber, you get about 100,000 people that show up, so I can easily sell 8-15 pieces. So between that and the galleries, it’s a challenge. At this point, if anyone comes in and wants my work, we’re just going to have to put them on a waiting list.” Next year, Nelson will begin to roll out a number of exciting new projects that will put him on another level. “I’m really, really excited about that.” High Maintenance Nelson has been doodling ever since he can remember. Born in Havana, Cuba, his parents moved the family to the United States when he was 7 years old. “I come from a country where I rarely watched any TV and I was basically just outside living a normal life as a kid, riding my bicycle. And then I come here, and got to experience everything —it was the mid ’60s— the music, the movies, advertisements... it all just really hit me.” America’s pop culture fueled his creativity. “My art from the very beginning was kinda cartoonish, kinda pop, but not like it is today.” Before Nelson pursued a career as an artist, he had “all sorts of weird jobs” He obtained his real estate license at 18, then went into the title insurance business. “I just hated those jobs. The thing is, I followed the money.” In the mid-’80s, he quit his job and threw himself into art. “You can’t buy happiness. No matter what you’re doing, you just gotta be happy. When I started this, it was never about the money. I just want to do this.” He worked 18-hour days for six months. Four of his mixed media collages were taken to a gallery and sold in less than two weeks. “Pieces like, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch. Cocktails from Hell.” The artwork varied in size and sold for around $1,500-$1,800, Nelson guesstimates. “It gave me a lot of confidence, because they sold.” Let's Fly Away Nelson credits his success to the pieces’ titles, the imagery, and composition. Ultimately, his work was much different from anything anyone else was creating. “You have to do something to catch peoples’ attention if you’re ever going to make any money.” These satirical/parody works of art can be found on his Museum of Humor Art website. Clever and familiar, Nelson’s early artwork features fictional characters (The Jetsons, Mickey Mouse) as well as historical figures (Vincent Van Gogh, Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein) placed in unexpected situations. Take his piece, Cereal Killers, where cereal box mascots are being held up at gunpoint. “I was collaging, taking different periods of time and juxtaposing. I did that for about ten years, and became very well-known for that. I went from that to my King of Pop Art and my pop culture series.” Nelson wasn’t an overnight success. It took time for him to build the following he has today. “I started within my community. I started doing shows. I would do the Beverly Hills show twice a year, and I started getting celebrities buying my work: producers, writers, and what have you. It was kinda word of mouth… Somebody came to visit a Hollywood star or producer and they saw my work and they contacted me. Carrie Fisher probably bought over 200 prints from me. She would buy them and give them as presents.” Nelson’s collectors include, Britney Spears, Sarah Jessica Parker, Paris Hilton, Howard Stern… Summer to Remember In 2009, Nelson’s career really took off. It was the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, and Warner Brothers invited him to be one of a handful of artists to create art for the momentous occasion. [One of the producers was a collector of Nelson’s work.] Being that The Wizard of Oz is one of Nelson’s favorite movies, he jumped at the chance. Each artist was asked to create one piece of art that would tour the world. However, Warner Brothers loved Nelson’s piece so much that they asked him to create as many pieces as he wanted to. “I ended up doing around 6 or 7 pieces for them. It got me to a point where people were talking about me. And the one piece I did, Ditching Dorothy from my satire series, actually made it to a stamp.” This same year, the King of Pop Art met the King of Pop, who purchased three pieces from him. “It was sad because I had met Michael Jackson in May of 2009, and then I went over to his house to deliver the artwork around June 15th, two weeks before he passed away. Michael loved my work and he wanted to come over to the studio. He wanted to buy my Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band because he owned The Beatles library. Between The Wizard of Oz stuff and the whole Michael Jackson scenario —which is crazy to say the least— it kinda put me on the map.” Recently, Nelson completed and sold a massive 24-donut sculpture. “I’m always trying to just think outside the box. When you’re a creative individual, after awhile, you just want to keep expanding and expanding and pushing and pushing.” He would like to create more sculptures, and just created some large clipboards. “That’s kind of experimental… Sometimes I will take something that’s very mundane that people will never look at and be inspired to make that into something, like a matchbook. I’m always looking for the next idea.” To spark his creativity, Nelson relies on music and scent. “I’ll put on a candle and music to get me going. Lately, I’ve been listening to more books. My three loves: I love art, I love science, and I love music. So while I’m creating, I’ll listen to Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe. I’m always trying to reach a high level of consciousness.” He adds that he’s not a drinker and doesn’t do drugs. His latest series is called, My Glamorous Life. “It’s about taking the yacht, going to the South of France, and flying on a really expensive G5. There are a lot of people that want to live that lifestyle and they’ll resonate with my art because they want to hang it up and show it off. It’s a series that really has hit home with a lot of people.” He is also working on a black and white sketch series to show his process: where it starts, what the middle looks like, and the final product. “I feel that there’s still a market for people that [think], OK, that’s great. I might not be able to afford the finished product or the sketch, but let me see what he did prior to that. I’m toying with that.” Yacht Life While Nelson’s large-scale artwork sells for thousands and thousands of dollars, he wants everyone to be able to enjoy it. “I have small to medium-sized prints that the average John Doe can afford, and then I have original pieces and I have in-between stuff, like my sketches ’cause I feel that art isn’t just for the elite. You want to make it for everybody and so with that said, you have to have different price points. And the great thing about that is that you can actually make a pretty good living by selling, not just the original, but all of these prints, like I have on my website. I’m just blessed to really be doing what I’m doing. And it was never about the money, it was always about loving what I do.” Does your home have a lot of your art in it? “Yeah, but not because I’m egotistical — I have it up just so I can see what it would look like on a wall and how I feel about it 6 months to a year later. There’s some pieces that I’ve done for me. I live in a 5,000 square-foot Spanish house... It’s like a testing area. The entire house is all my work, from pieces I did 20 years ago to pieces I just did 3 weeks ago. And it’s an ever revolving door. As a matter of fact, I just had a piece that was very unique, a one-of-a-kind. I didn’t want to sell it and somebody offered me the right price and I sold it,” he says of 12 foot-by-9 foot Wizard of Oz anniversary collage. “I had just bought a new home and it had this huge, 18-foot wall, and I did it just for that wall.” A collector bought that and another original titled, A Break in at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both were too big for his new house, so it all worked out for Nelson. “Very serendipitous. Very weird. Sometimes the universe has little ways of telling you certain things, so you have to listen… I would have never been here with you if you would’ve called a week later. The right timing,” he says with a smile. Take the Money and Run COMMISSIONS “I did ShoeDazzle; it’s Brian Lee and Kim Kardashian. Brian Lee approached me and said, ‘Hey, we love the Material Girl piece; the Darling, all I require are fabulous shoes.’ It was a commission. It’s in their lobby. It’s: Darling, all I require are dazzling shoes. I do commissions every once in awhile. It’s not my thing because it takes away from my creativity. I just did one for Azul Airlines…. I put together a pilot and a stewardess kissing and the plane in the background says, Azul Airlines with the thought bubble. Here’s another concept I did.” He shows me his watch. “Corum is a Swiss company known for their bubble watches. I created three new pieces for them. I’ve done very high-end luggage, Heys. I’ve done shirts. I try to brand my art with high-end ticket items. I just finished a deal with a Canadian company to do a line of high-end puzzles. I’m very picky as to who I partner with. Delta Airlines bought a lot of art from me for their New York hub, L.A. hub, and Atlanta hub. The next project I’m doing with Delta is Miami. They saw me from a gallery. Everything, again, is like: I do business with this person and then this person sees it, and then this person tells this person. It’s all word of mouth ’cause we have never advertised. I feel blessed. I feel happy. I feel that I’m at a point in my life where I’m just living what I always wanted to do. It’s taken a long time to get here.” WORDS OF ADVICE “If you truly want to achieve any success in life, you’ve gotta know who you are, and then you gotta know what you want to do. And the third thing is, you just gotta go for it…. Everything you’ve ever wanted is already in you. You just gotta get it out of you. It worked for me and I think it will work for anybody.” A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE KING OF POP ART “I’ll wake up at 12:30 pm, let’s just say on an average, right? Stay in bed, watch about a half hour of news, and take a shower, maybe grab a smoothie, and go into the studio. Now it’s 1-1:30 pm. I get home 12:30 at night. Sometimes I’ll bring my lunch in because I don’t have time to go out. Sometimes my wife [Stacy] will say, ‘Come home, you gotta eat.’ And sometimes, I literally even forget to come home. I lose track of time. This has happened ever since I was a kid, I just get lost in my own world. It’s like I don’t want to be anywhere else. I just want to be with the ideas and thoughts that are in my head. I pretty much entertain myself. And the other thing is, I like doing it all alone. I don’t want to be bothered. I don’t want distractions. I gotta be positive all the time. If the weather is gloomy all the time, I get down. I had a great childhood...I live in my own time capsule. I don’t drive much. I just got to my house and my studio [which are 3 miles apart]. I don’t really socialize much, which I miss. I miss having that interaction. This is just my life. After this, I’m heading to Bermuda, then I’m going to the Caribbean, because I have to take some time off.” WE WANT MORE Are you attending Art Basel Miami? “Bruce Lurie, for the sixth year, is representing me at Art Basel, and I am actually going this year. I usually don’t go to these shows, because I don’t have time. I’m looking forward to going and hanging out and seeing what it’s all about. I look forward to that show every year because it’s probably the best show for me, not just for me, a lot of people. You have people that go there from all over the world just to shop, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.” Do you get out to Miami often? “I do. My kids live in Ft. Lauderdale. My one kid lives in Ft. Lauderdale and the other one lives in Miami, so I’m going to make the trip to see my kids and go to Art Basel.” Where do you like to hang out in Miami? “I used to like South Beach; South Beach has changed a lot. I always stay at The Ritz in Ft. Lauderdale, that’s where we’re staying this year. Here’s the thing, this is why I don’t live in L.A. I live in a suburb of L.A. — I can’t be distracted. I gotta live in an area that is just a small, quiet little town where I just go from here to here and I live my own little life. My partying days, I did that for so long that it was a distraction. And I started really getting good when I left all that behind. Don’t get me wrong, I love having fun and I wish I could do it more often, I just don’t have the time for it. I love what I do, so it’s not really work, but I gotta balance me out. I just like to go out and do these kind of trips and just live lavishly, because I deserve it. Life is short. You don’t know what’s going to happen, so I like to enjoy my life and this is the time to do it, not twenty, thirty years from now.” What would people be surprised to find out about you? “I’ve always been a crazy guy. I was like the worst kid. I’ve been kicked out of school for making faces; I was the class clown. I guess you have to be a little weird and a little quirky to do what I do. I’m the guy, if you dared me to do something, I would do it. Go over there and kiss a girl, and I got slapped at a movie theater. I was that guy. I guess that’s why I started doing satire, because I wanted to make people laugh through my art. I’m not this serious work-hard-every-day artist, I have a really dry sense of humor. I’m not like this rigid guy, so sometimes that shows in my work.” Who inspires you? “I’m inspired by everybody. One of my favorite artists was René Magritte, the guy with the top hat and the apple. I’ve done a few parodies on Magritte, it’s on the MoHA website. But I’m inspired by everyone —from Warhol to Magritte to everyone… Art is so subjective. I’ve always been inspired by color and composition.” For more information, visit: kingofpopart.com | theMOHA.com and follow Nelson on Instagram: @KingofPopArt Words by Vanessa Pascale · Photos courtesy Nelson De La Nuez. First image titled "First Class Girl Sketch."

In the 1990s, Debi Mazar’s cat-eyed glamour was spotted everywhere, alongside close friend Madonna. Arm-in-arm they strolled red carpets across two continents and partied with a glittery group of social provocateurs. As an actress, Debi came on the scene and shone brightly in the 1990 iconic mob film, Goodfellas, as Ray Liotta’s coke-addled mistress. She then appeared alongside actress Annabella Sciorra in Spike Lee’s 1991 interracial romance drama, Jungle Fever and followed that up with two more Spike Lee films, Malcolm X and Girl 6. In 1995, she spiced up the screen as one half of Sugar & Spice, alongside Drew Barrymore in Batman Forever. More recent projects include her role as sharp-tongued publicist Shauna on HBO’s runaway hit series, Entourage, which aired from 2004- 2011. Her characters have always been quick to offer a sarcastic comeback or some bold advice, no effs given. If film and television casts can be compared to ingredients, then Debi is surely the hot sauce. These days, the mom of two teenage daughters splits her time between New York City and Italy. She landed on TV Land’s hit TV series Younger, now going into its seventh season, where she takes the reigns once again as irreverent artsy urbanite, Maggie. The show centers around a Gen-X divorcee who poses as a millennial to jump-start her career in book publishing, only to have worlds collide in parenthood, work, and love. When speaking with Debi, she gives it to me straight, no chaser. A dye in the wool New Yorker with an Avant-Garde spirit, Debi shares her views on friendship, parenthood, social media, and the art of risk-taking. On Younger, your character Maggie is the catalyst that gives the other characters permission to make bold decisions that they wouldn’t ordinarily make. In your own life, who has given you permission to draw outside the lines? Debi Mazar: I surround myself with many friends that do that for me; it’s not just one person. Certainly, it starts with my husband. I obviously run things by him. In my life, I’ve had people I looked up to who were older, or who had sage advice in their soul to offer. Sometimes it could even be my teenage daughters. Their thoughts are generally so pure. My older gay male friends always have sage advice, and my girlfriends, [the late fashion designer] Isabel Toledo being one of them, and Madonna being one of them… ultimately, you know deep in your soul what you should do, and I’ve always been a risk-taker. Are you as bold and irreverent as the characters you’ve played? DM: I think I’m bolder than my current character on Younger, for real! Maggie is a little more Bohemian, and she’s artsy. I sometimes wish she could be even bolder. I know she’s a catalyst for the story. Often, in my life, I’m just like, “Oh please, just fucking do it already!” I think I’m a little bit more the type of person in my own life who will say, “Do what you need to do,” as opposed to merely suggesting. There have been times with the character of Liza [played by Sutton Foster], where I wish my character, Maggie, could have offered her that type of direct advice. But we have to tell a story and stretch it out for television. Younger just finished its sixth season, and you’re going into your seventh season. It’s amazing when you consider how much competition there is for people’s attention these days. Why do you think the show has resonated with your audience? DM: Our show is about female relationships, for the most part. They’re strong women who are bonding together and lifting each other up. In a world that is so crazy, I think that is a big part of the show’s appeal. Our show is also filled with humor, it’s extremely positive and light. It really is entertainment. The marketing machine that TV Land and Viacom put together, in terms of promoting the show and how they continue to promote the show, has been aggressive and fun. I give them a lot of credit for throwing it out into the stratosphere, especially on a network that was all about reruns. When I first got offered the show and they said it was on TV Land, I said, “Wait, isn’t that the rerun channel?” That reminds me of what Dave Chappelle said about the first season of Chappelle’s Show airing on Comedy Central. He said, “That wasn’t exactly the place to be at the time.” Sometimes it takes one groundbreaking show. DM: Yeah, I was like, “Oh, that’s weird. I don’t know.” [Laughs.] Of course, I would love being next to I Love Lucy, but they were doing this whole new launch of original programming when Younger started. Having the platform of Hulu, and wherever else you can watch Younger, that’s helped enormously to blast it out, and the show has sold well, globally. I hop through airports constantly, and no matter where I go people tell me they watch Younger. Ultimately, our show is about love. I would consider you a Gen-Xer, like me. There is a Gen-X versus Millennial component to the show that speaks to a lot of people. Do you long for what was, or are you more of an embrace-the-times-we’re-in kind of person? DM: I’m a mother of teenagers, so I’ve had to deal with Millennials and Gen-Z, and I find them so refreshing. I am a Gen X type of person in terms of where I live, and liking how things used to be, and yes, I do complain that I liked New York City better when it was less crowded. I liked the city when it was edgier and not so antiseptic and cleaned up. On the flip side, I’m also a modernist and someone that looks to the future. I can’t sit around talking about how things used to be, because you have to exist in how things are and make your next decisions based on that. I can easily decide that I’m moving to Italy tomorrow, because I married an Italian and we have a country home in Florence. And I can choose to really go a whole other route, pretend like I’m in the Renaissance, and live in the country and tune out a lot of stuff. But I’m kind of addicted to certain things at this point. I have Instagram and I sit and check my phone for things all the time. Darren Star is the brilliant creator of Younger. What would you say are the hallmarks of a Darren Star (Beverly Hills, 90210; Sex and the City; Younger) television series? DM: Darren likes to push buttons in terms of sexuality. He likes to push buttons with love triangles, the dynamics of friendships, and with fashion. He loves all of that. If you watch any of his shows, there is always an element of people that are living on the edge, having to make decisions; they are dressing up and going out; they are having fun; and they’re voracious and hungry for things. His shows are funny, witty, fast-moving, and nice to look at. The greatest thing Darren does is write wonderful female characters. I mean, remember when Sex and the City was happening? A lot of people were like, “I’m the Samantha of my group,” or “I’m the Carrie.” With my character, Maggie, on Younger, I’m happy to play a lesbian. I think it appeals to a huge demographic within the LGBTQ [at this point Debi laments that she may be leaving out some letters] community. It’s relevant. Darren Star recently claimed there is a statistic showing that women are often put in positions of power during extreme corporate shake ups, placing them on what he referred to as “the edge of a cliff,” and making them more vulnerable to failure in their respective positions. In Younger, Hilary Duff’s character, Kelsey, experiences this when she is put in charge of Millennial Publishing during a shake up in the company. Do you think the audience is ultimately looking to be entertained by her failure, or inspired by her success? DM: I think the audience is watching to see what happens. We all live on the edge of not knowing whether we’re going to be a failure or a success, and failure and success is something that is measured by ego. It could be measured in many different ways. I don’t know if that is a proven statistic, but I happen to think that women are stronger than men in many ways. Women turn shit around all the time. There are a lot of success stories in Corporate America of how women have turned things around. So, I don’t really know where that statistic comes from and I don’t think it’s a male or female thing, necessarily. Half of it is luck and timing, anyway. Do you think someone can become extremely successful playing by the rules, or do you think that rules must be broken while chasing a dream? DM: A rebel has to break rules. You have to take chances, and you have to fall on your face before you get back up and know that you made a mistake, and you can try to do it differently. I think you have to break the rules to a degree… in a smart way. Who in your life has made you most proud to have been born a woman? DM: It’s interesting, because I wanted to have a son, but I got daughters. I’m proud that they ended up being girls, because they’re magnificent. I look at Malala [Yousafzai] paving the way. She was tortured; being a woman representing a society and getting shot in the head, and then going out there and being an activist. There’s the Gloria Steinems of the world, and a billion other women of the world. Had they been born men… I just think that gender isn’t necessarily the answer. The gender discussion now is so big that sometimes people aren’t born women and they choose to become them. And, hey, that’s a beautiful thing too. Why do you think ageism is so prevalent in American culture specifically? DM: Oh God! Well I think it’s not just America, unfortunately. Since you live in Italy for part of the year, would you say it is similar or different in that respect? DM: I feel young for my age, to a degree, but my body doesn’t always feel so young because I’m not, and it’s just how it is. Throughout history, men were always the presidents in America. We still haven’t had an American president that’s a female. When I’m in Europe, people appreciate people, whether they have leathery skin or not. It’s about character and their souls and their mind. I do feel appreciated in America, because I think it’s about the frame of mind of the person who might feel the ageism. I might not be able to go out and get a job that a 20-year-old is getting, but I don’t try to do that. In fact, when I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I was chasing after the roles of grandmothers on sitcoms. I don’t care about the number. As an actor, we all have to be different shapes, sizes, colors, and have imperfections. That’s what makes us look interesting. What are your thoughts on Younger’s lead character Liza relaunching her career in publishing by lying about her age? The series starts off with her pretending to be 26, although she is a 40-year-old divorcee with a teenage daughter. DM: When the series starts off, her character was damaged. She was a divorcee suffering from a broken heart, a broken family, living in the suburbs, truly devoting herself to her child, which we all do. Suddenly she is single and going, “Oh my God, my daughter is moving out and going to college. What the hell am I going to do?” When she comes to my apartment, I am there to save her and wrap her up in my arms and be a friend first. I tell her, “I love you, you’re great, you’re beautiful.” When all of these [job] interviews are not working out, I suggest she have some fun and change it up. When I first started my career, I didn’t have a lot of acting credits and I fudged a little bit on my resume to make it look better than it was, because I wanted to get some action. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hustling, embellishing, and trying to convince people that you can do the job. Speaking of this generation leading the way, what’s one piece of technology that you can’t live without, personally and professionally? DM: Instagram, hands down! I’m able to post a still-life image that I find beautiful, or I’m able to show something that I shoot a picture of that’s funny and makes people laugh. I’m able to share a photograph of a throwback from a moment in my life. It’s a reflection of my sense of style, my sense of photography, my sense of depth of field, color, and comedy. To me, Instagram is really that and I keep my feed positive. On the flip side of it, when people come after me for my anti-Trump stuff or political stuff, I just block certain people. I don’t want to read into it and fall down that rabbit hole. I love WhatsApp because you can talk to anybody all over the world, and I also love how in Europe everyone walks down the street voice messaging into their phone’s mic, instead of texting. That’s my new favorite thing to do. Towards the end of season six of Younger, Maggie is having a steamy fling with actress Nicole Ari Parker, who guest stars on the show. What was that like? DM: You know, Nicole Ari Parker did the two episodes of our show and we never closed out the fact that we’re having this little affair. Then I date a guy after her. It shows that Maggie’s hot to trot, and she’s on the market. Your character is very fluid, sexually? DM: Actually, she’s not fluid, but she is just seduced by a single moment with a man in that one episode. So, she’s not fluid. But if Darren [Star] decides I’m fluid in season seven, then I guess I will be [laughs]. But he decided, at least in season six, that I wasn’t, and I’m fine with that. If I have to, I’d much rather make out with girls than make out with guys, because I’m married, and I only want to kiss my husband. I get that. DM: I mean, if I have to, it’s okay, it’s part of my job, but it’s much easier for me to go on set and be like, “Look, we got this. Let’s make this fun.” Sometimes you get these actresses who get a little bit nervous. I just make them feel calm and loved and feel easy about doing the scene with me. Nicole [Ari Parker] and I had moments where we’d be on the street ready to make out for a scene, and I taught her how to kiss me for the cameras. We didn’t have to put tongues down, we just put our lips together and smash our faces together like they did in the 1920s movies. It doesn’t have to be this groping, weird thing. Actors can make it look good if they know what they’re doing. It’s really about the suggestion of sensuality. You’ve had a group of eclectic and fabulous friends over the years. What kinds of people do you typically gravitate towards in your own life? DM: I’m that person that supports all people. I love fucked up people; I love straight shooters; I love people that are very by the book. I just see beauty in all kinds of people. When you let go of the norms and you allow people to be who they are, you find beauty and strength in them. Younger airs on TV Land on Wednesdays at 10/9c. Catch up on Seasons 1-6 on TV Land On Demand or on Hulu and PlayStation Vue. Follow Debi Mazar on Instagram: @debimazar. Words by Allison Kugel | Photos courtesy of TV Land | Transcription/Typesetting by Carolyn Strum

For DIOR’s spring-summer 2020 ready-to-wear collection, the starring role goes to nature once again, in light of contemporary challenges. This celebration of diversity flourishes both in the show’s set as well as in the lush creativity of the silhouettes. Maria Grazia Chiuri paid poetic homage to this passion for her latest Haute Couture collection, through to the show’s set, creating a lush rose garden, like a secret garden and a “refuge of the marvelous,” inside the iconic salons of 30 Avenue Montaigne, the House’s vibrant and historic heart. Click to view collection > Images by Hannah Reyes

DiorSoLight1, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest sunglasses, is a true eye-catcher. Inspired by the world of dance, the ultra-thin sunglasses feature an oversized square shape, with a mask-like effect, which contrasts with the lightness of their frame. Available in ivory, pink and black, this style features tone-ontone lenses, along with the Dior signature in gold-plated metal. It appears in Dior’s 2019 campaign, shot by Harley Weir, as well as in a video starring models Selena Forrest and Ruth Bell alongside dancers from choreographer Sharon Eyal’s company. For more information, visit www.dior.com/en_us/products/search?query=DiorSoLight1 Images by Morgan O Donovan

Marisol Nichols had many odd jobs growing up —she was a cashier, she pumped gas, she worked at the car wash—but acting was never one of them. “It was a complete accident,” says Marisol, now 46 years old. “In college, on a whim, I tried out for a play and I got the lead role. Then they asked me to join their speech and theater team that competed with colleges all around the U.S. Two months later, I won the national championship.” It was hard to ignore this calling, so she decided to give acting a real shot. “It was the one thing I was really good at,” she says. Marisol had found something that she liked —something that gave her the stability she never had growing up. It didn’t take long for her to land roles on TV. She appeared on Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER. Then in 1997, Marisol landed the role of Audrey Griswold on the fourth installment of the iconic National Lampoon’s Family Vacation film series, Vegas Vacation, alongside Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. “First of all, I was like, they are never going to hire me. The Griswold’s are the quintessential American family, and my name was Marisol, and I was Latina. I’m like, there’s no way,” she chuckles. “They kept calling me back to audition, but I never thought for a second that they’d ever hire me. And then I got it. It was amazing! I had grown up watching those Vacation movies and I always loved them. Then all of a sudden, I was in one… in Vegas! And I had never been on a movie set in my life, so it was amazing and a great experience for me.” Marisol continued to book roles on popular TV shows, including Boy Meets World, Friends, CSI, Law & Order, and 24. In 2017, Marisol brought Hermione Lodge to life in The CW’s hit series, Riverdale. “I really liked that she was this woman who had been humbled and was starting over with her daughter [Veronica, played by Camila Mendes] and doing everything that she could—at least in the first season—for her daughter,” says Marisol. Being a mother in real life, Marisol could relate. “My daughter and I have a really good relationship,” she adds. Most recently, Marisol has been filming the new Saw movie (currently untitled), alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock. This was very exciting for her, as Marisol is a huge horror fan. “I’m old school. I like to be scared. A movie that will actually scare me, I’m into,” she laughs. “It’s an emotion that is fun to poke at once in a while.” Marisol shares that the characters will encounter the classic Saw traps and be forced to make nail-biting choices, keeping with the same style seen in the previous films. Marisol portrays tough cop, Captain Angie Garza. Like a lot of her acting roles, and in real life, Marisol is a strong woman, ready to kick some butt. “I love that character —tough. I spent a lot of time with cops. I do a lot of hands-on work. And I really like cops —to me, someone who has dedicated their life to seeing the worst of humanity every single day, and then is being shit on for it, and still getting up and doing it, is pretty amazing.” Playing Angie was so different from playing Hermione, which made it even more fun for Marisol. “It’s like playing dress up.” Marisol teased that there will even be some humor amongst all the gruesomeness. “Chris Rock brings his own flavor to it. Chris is really funny and knows how to bring humor in the middle of a scene —I could never do that,” she says. “There is a little more character work in this one than in the past Saw movies. We learn about who Chris is, who my character is, how I got there, what my relationship is with Chris’ character and Samuel L. Jackson’s character.” While Marisol’s acting career took off pretty quickly, maintaining that kind of momentum in Hollywood is difficult. To succeed, Marisol prepares a lot, but most importantly, maintains her enthusiasm despite the rejection that comes her way. “What you don’t see is 40 auditions, 50 no’s for a yes. You don’t see all the times I try my ass off and it doesn’t work. For me, the real challenge is getting through the no’s, to get to the yes’s.” Marisol is not one to give up. “You just keep going and going. One of these is going to be right for me. And I’m stubborn, and you have to be. Never stop fighting for what you want.” Click below to launch slideshow > That innate stubbornness has resulted in Marisol booking a number of recurring roles on TV. Her favorite role was her character in NCIS. “She was this tough ATF agent, and I really like that. It was really fun.” And for completely different reasons, she loved her character in Teen Wolf. “It’s supernatural stuff. I like that… There is nothing redeeming about this character, she is completely horrible, and her entire role is to kill her child so she can move on and become more powerful herself. It’s psychotic, but there is fun in that. She was tough as nails.” Marisol has been working in entertainment for over twenty years, which enables her to treat acting like any other job, rather than a lifestyle. “You have your ups and downs, and you get humble at times. Sometimes you are on top, and then it can all go away tomorrow. Then, you’re back at square one. Those experiences that I’ve had over the last twenty years, have kept me normal.” She also has other projects in the mix. Last month, the actress designed two jewelry collections with Different Class in Milan. When Marisol is not on set or auditioning, she is with her 11-year-old daughter, Rain, doing normal mom things. “I’m a single mom, raising a kid. There is a lot of attention to my job, but at the end of the day, it’s still a job that I have to keep up, because I have to pay bills because I have to raise my kid.” Balancing work and her personal life is not easy, but Marisol makes it work. Often, she tries to turn work trips into mini vacations with her daughter. “I do my best, I’m not always perfect. I bring my daughter with me wherever and whenever I can. She is homeschooled, so it makes it a little easier for her to travel with me. But she also has her life and we have to balance it out. I try not to leave her for more than a week. We are too close.” Marisol is also very passionate about defending human rights. In 2015, she established the Foundation for a Slavery Free World, a nonprofit organization fighting human trafficking. She was trained by CIA operatives and went undercover to put sex offenders behind bars. “There are thousands of pedophiles in prison right now because of me. There are thousands of sex offenders registered as sex offenders because of me. I wanted to do more than just raise awareness.” Stopping human trafficking and increasing the safety of all women and children is among her top priorities. When Marisol discovered that this was happening to American citizens right here in the United States, she made it her mission to help put a stop to it. “I don’t understand why we don’t stop everything under the sun to stop it. Then, when I learned this was happening to children—that was it. Why do we care about anything else when kids are being raped for money? That’s insane. So, I started my non-profit because I had to do something, I couldn’t just go to sleep. I had to do something. While I’m doing everything else, this is my focus.” Watch Marisol on Riverdale and don’t miss the new Saw movie slated for release May 2020. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @MarisolNichols. For more information on Foundation for a Slavery Free World, visit: www.slaveryfreeworld.org Words by Claudia Paredes, Photographer: Michael Blank, Styling: Sara Acevedo, Hair: Gui, Makeup: Crystal Tran. First image courtesy of Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions and Archie Comics.

Tiffany & Co. just unveiled its iconic annual Blue Book Collection featuring rare gemstones and meticulous design: Tiffany Jewel Box. A cross-section of art and science—the new high jewelry collection magnifies nature’s artistry and delivers gleaming pieces in seven themes. Flight, Flora, Frame, Icons, Mosaic, Sculpture and Ribbon offer a journey through interwoven design, featuring increasingly more rare stones through pendants, brooches, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings. “The Blue Book Collection for 2019 features some of the world’s most unusual and exquisite gemstones, like black opals, padparadscha sapphires and Imperial topazes, which are just not seen that often,” said Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co. chief artistic officer. “To highlight their unusual beauty, we created designs that showcase both how intense and exceptionally rare they are.” Drawing from Tiffany’s innovative craftsmanship, the collection encompasses a series of 11 brooches, each differentiated by design elements inspired by nature and unified by an accompanying bespoke vessel handcrafted at Tiffany’s legendary hollowware workshop. Among the objects is a dragonfly with custom-cut diamond wings taking flight from a sterling silver envelope and a stunning platinum floral brooch with blue sapphires and custom-cut rose-cut diamonds nestled in a 24k gold vermeil crate that was inspired from a Tiffany archival design. For the first time in recent history, the Blue Book collection features watches inspired by the jewelry and men’s jewelry with a series of lapel pins and signet rings that elevate these classic designs. Click below to view larger image > “We wanted to create a collection that speaks to connoisseurs of the unusual and unexpected, to people who are looking for something they’ve never seen or worn before,” said Krakoff. “The collection celebrates our passion for discovering and introducing rare gemstones, presenting them in unique designs that are both masterfully crafted and very modern in their sensibility and attitude.” For more info visit www.tiffany.com/high-jewelry/blue-book Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Critically acclaimed and international bestselling author of Sex and the City, Candace Bushnell, celebrated the launch of her newest book “Is There Still Sex in the City” at Casa Tua’s private members club. The event included an intimate conversation with Bushnell about sex, love and after 50. Guests in attendance included Kinga Lampert, Mayi de la Vega, Stephanie Sayfie, Lisa Heiden, Christy Martin, Jilian Sanz, Erin Newberg, Danie Gomez-Ortigoza and Kelly Blanco. The intimate evening was part of Casa Tua’s series of curated cultural happenings offered only for members of the club. Casa Tua members have access to many benefits including the opportunity to participate in invite-only events from art exhibitions and fashion launches to the legendary Casa Tua karaoke night. Casa Tua members are treated like family, and accordingly, enjoy all the benefits as members of a very special community. In her newest novel, Bushnell looks at love and life from all angles—marriage and children, divorce and bereavement, as well as the very real pressures on women to maintain their youth and have it all. One of the most buzzed about books of the summer—a TV series in the works with Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, with Bushnell as executive producer and writing the pilot— “Is There Still Sex in the City” is a pull-no punches social commentary and an indispensable companion to one of the most revolutionary dating books of the twentieth century. By ML staff. Courtesy: The Club at Casa Tua

Maria Grazia Chiuri's latest sunglasses, DiorSoLight1 is a true eye-catcher. Inspired by the world of dance, the ultra-thin sunglasses feature an oversized square shape, with a mask-like effect, contrasts with the lightness of their frame. Available in ivory, pink and black, this style features tone-on-tone lenses, along with the Dior signature in gold-plated metal. It appears Dior's 2019 campaign, shot by Harley Weir, as well as in a video starring the models Selena Forrest and Ruth Bell alongside dancers from choreographer Sharon Eyal’s company. For more info visit Dior. By Morgan O Donovan, Images by Dior

Once again this year, celebrated artists from around the world reimagine the iconic Lady Dior. Enjoy our favorites! JOANA VASCONCELOS “Lady Dior” bag in black shiny calfskin with LED inlay, handles in shiny black calfskin and red patent calfskin. Jewellery in ruthenium color metal and red resin heart-shaped charm. JIA LEE Mini “Lady Dior” bag in black cowhide printed with flowers, embroidered with organza and glass beads. Jewellery in ruthenium color metal. ATHI PATRA RUGA Mini “Lady Dior” bag in blue lambskin embroidered with pearls, sequins, crystals, tubes embroideries and quilted satin and leather inlays of different colours. Jewellery in yellow gold-tone metal with hand-hammered finish. WANG GUANGLE Mini “Lady Dior” bag composed of a layering of technical fabrics in contrasting colours and effects. Transparent sides, handles and charms. Jewellery in silver-tone metal. EDUARDO TERRAZAS Mini “Lady Dior” bag in black calfskin embroidered with a marquetery of painted wood. Handles and charms in resin, jewellery in ruthenium color metal. RAQIB SHAW Mini “Lady Dior” bag in shaded blue calfskin embossed with high frequency techniques and printed with a pattern highlighted with gold profiles. Jewellery in aged gold-tone metal. Charms in aged gold-tone metal decorated with enamel and Swarovski crystals. RINA BANERJEE Mini “Lady Dior” bag in grey calfskin and transparent nylon embroidered with glass beads, moonstones, feathers and hand-embroidered leaves and cowry shells. Wooden ribs textured resin handles and charms. Jewellery in dark ruthenium color metal. MARGUERITE HUMEAU “Lady Dior” bag reinterpreted with 3D printing techniques. Organic compound handles. Jewellery in satin finish silver-tone metal. WANG GUANGLE “Lady Dior” bag composed of a layering of leathers in contrasting colours and effects. Transparent sides, handles and charms. Jewellery in silver-tone metal. JIA LEE “Lady Dior” bag in off-white cowhide printed with flowers, embroidered with organza and glass beads. Jewellery in aged silver-tone metal. ATHI PATRA RUGA “Lady Dior” bag in black fabric with 3D effect embroidered with pearls, fabric and metal flowers and crystals. Jewellery in yellow gold-tone metal. MICKALENE THOMAS “Lady Dior” bag in printed calfskin embroidered with a multicolour patchwork of pearls, crystals, plexiglass fragments, hand painted patterns and patent leather. Handles set with multicolour gradient Swarovski crystals, charms in iridescent metal. EDUARDO TERRAZAS “Lady Dior” bag in white calfskin, black patterns crafted thanks to high frequency techniques, bicolour handles in patent black and white calfskin. Leather covered charms, jewellery in silver-tone metal. RAQIB SHAW “Lady Dior” bag in navy blue calfskin embossed with high frequency techniques and printed with a pattern highlighted with gold profiles. Jewellery in aged gold-tone metal. Charms in aged gold-tone metal, enamel and Swarovski crystals. MARIA NEPOMUCENO “Lady Dior” bag in red velvet and red lambskin, embroidered with natural pearls, colourful beads, sequins and macramé flowers. Jewellery in aged gold-tone and glitter metal, charms covered with leather. KOHEI NAWA “Lady Dior” bag in printed metallised leather, decorated with PVC patterns bonded at high frequency and filled with red gel. Jewellery in Ultra Black finish metal. KOHEI NAWA “Lady Dior” bag in printed metallised leather, decorated with PVC patterns bonded at high frequency and filled with red gel. Jewellery in Ultra Black finish metal. KOHEI NAWA “Lady Dior” bag in printed metallised leather, decorated with PVC patterns bonded at high frequency and filled with silver gel. Jewellery in Ultra Black finish metal. EDUARDO TERRAZAS “Lady Dior” bag in multicolourcalfskin screen-printed and embossed with high frequency techniques. Jewellery in ruthenium color metal. By Miami Living, Images courtesy of Dior

Danica Patrick and I are seated in Manhattan’s bustling Nomad Hotel. Dressed in a black leather moto jacket, black pants, and black boots juxtaposed with a delicate top and dainty gold necklaces and rings, her outfit is much like her personality: tough (you have to be to make history in the male-dominated sport of race car driving) and edgy, yet soft and inviting. In New York City from Green Bay, Wisconsin, the recently-retired barrier-breaking, record-setting race car driver has spent the past week promoting her new podcast, “Pretty Intense” and recording interviews for her show. Danica’s drive has not slowed down at all since retiring from race car driving last year —she has simply changed lanes and kicked her brand into high gear. Her podcast shares its name with her book (a 90-day program to sculpt your body, calm your mind, and achieve your greatest goals) that she released in December of 2017, and is a fitting description of Danica. “I would think that on some level, we all kinda want the same thing and we can get it. There are more specific goals, but fundamentally, it’s really just about how can you be happier more of the time?” While doing podcasts to promote her book last year, the idea for her own podcast materialized. “I had never done podcasts before ... and podcasts are really big. So I did them and I thought it was a cool platform… Coming off my racing career, I felt like I wanted an opportunity and a platform to still be able to inspire people, so a podcast became my new platform,” says the 5 ‘2” brunette powerhouse. Her first guest was fellow athlete Alex Rodriguez, aka A-Rod. “I just want them all to be great,” she says about her episodes. “I don’t want any average conversations and I don’t want to say or ask anything predictable.” At the beginning of each podcast, Danica says, “I believe that each and every one of us has the power within ourselves to create the life that we really want…” Now that you’re in this new phase, what do you really want out of life? “I would think that on some level, we all kinda want the same thing and we can get it. There are more specific goals, but fundamentally, it’s really just about how can you be happier more of the time? How can you not let expectation levels affect your mood? How can you make sure that you don’t take things personally? How can you look and think the best of everyone, including yourself? Self-talk, how you talk about yourself to yourself. I mean, for me, it’s just a journey of how can I be happier more of the time, and there’s so many different little areas to go into to make that happen.” Here is a woman who is constantly working on her mind and body and wants to inspire others along the way, so it’s fitting that Danica chose “growth” as her 2019 word of the year. With the year coming to an end, do you feel you achieved this? “The podcast has helped me grow a lot. The intention for the word is that, the things that I do, does it help me grow or does it not? And the thing is about growth, it never comes from your comfort zones, so, how far and how many times can I step outside my comfort zone to find growth?” “I don’t have the same schedule. I don’t live in the same place. I have a different relationship. There’s tons of stuff that’s different with my day-to-day. I’m in the growth thing.” Since launching the “Pretty Intense” podcast this summer, she has recorded about thirty episodes with a guest list that has included Bobby Flay, Howie Mandel, and Gloria Steinem. Thirty episodes sounds like a lot but Danica confesses that she is still getting used to being on the other side of the interview. “For me to be interviewed on a podcast in front of, I don’t care how many people, you could have the whole world watching, I wouldn’t be nervous ’cause I’m just talking about myself. But when you’re the one that’s leading, directing, and guiding the ship of an interview, it’s a totally different story.” Danica shares that she was nervous while conducting a live podcast recently. “I’ve learned so much about being interviewed through interviewing. I learn about myself through it, too.” Being the interviewer and hearing other peoples’ stories has made her more empathetic, more understanding, and less judgemental. This past year has really pushed Danica out of her comfort zone. Since she has changed careers, life is completely different. “I don’t have the same schedule. I don’t live in the same place. I have a different relationship. There’s tons of stuff that’s different with my day-to-day. I’m in the growth thing. It’s a regular practice. I recently took a solo trip and I’d never done that before. I wanted to for like, twenty years. It’s interesting to go to dinner by yourself, without your phone, you just look around; there’s nothing else to do… If there’s ever a recommendation for how to know yourself better, I always say, being alone is the most beneficial —has been for me.” Indulging in more alone time has enabled Danica to learn more about herself and become more aware of her tendencies, habits, and hobbies. Recently, Danica realized she had a persona she upheld around others. “You are going off subconsciously programmed expectations of who you are as a person. One thing I learned that was really interesting, I don’t walk nearly as fast when I’m alone as I do when I’m with people. And obviously there’s something that comes out of me when I’m with people that makes me think: I need to be the leader. I need to be aggressive. I need to be strong. I need to be intense. Even just walking —that’s not really me.” Danica is embracing this newfound time with herself, and likes being able to plan her day around the things she enjoys doing. “ I guess that’s why they also say that being single is probably helpful. You kinda figure out who you are a little bit more... I haven’t been single much,” she muses. “It just keeps getting better, especially when you’re open and vulnerable, openminded, willing to communicate.” Danica has been in a relationship with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for nearly two years. Talk about Aaron is peppered into her podcast (this is where I found out that he thinks of her as the Stephen Curry of food because of her matcha pancakes). What attracted you to Aaron? “I met him a really long time ago, and I just remember thinking he was really funny and we just have a lot of similar interests. We remember meeting for the first time, but it wasn’t for five years —I mean, we both had whole other relationships during that time. We just kinda kept in touch a little bit, but mostly, just saw each other at the ESPYs or maybe one other random place along the way. So it was more just like we knew each other, but we didn’t really know each other. Once we really got to know each other, we were like, Wow, we have a lot more in common than I thought. And we’ve only gotten to know that better and better, on deeper levels and so it just keeps getting better, especially when you’re open and vulnerable, open-minded, willing to communicate. It’s almost like an interview, right? In an interview, you get to know that person better through these stories. You have empathy. You have understanding. You have less judgment. Same thing in a relationship.” This season, you’re likely to find Danica in the kitchen. She loves to cook, especially during the holidays. “Thanksgiving is usually at the house with a bunch of players. Football season is during the holidays, so it’s a lot of time at home. It will be football and cooking,” she tells me about their upcoming plans. Some might be surprised to find that Danica considers herself quite the caretaker. “I love to take care of people. I love to cook, open up wine, make ’em comfortable, have the music on, whatever. Help them have a good time. In a relationship, that goes into little thoughtful things —leaving things for him in the fridge when I leave. Like, I made a dozen waffles for him and left them in the fridge, so he had dinners —breakfast for dinner [their favorite]— when I was gone. Just little things like that,” she says with a smile. You learn a lot about Danica from her podcast, this is where I heard that the cute couple love breakfast for dinner and that Danica dropped out of high school and moved to England to advance her racing career. “I learned how to cook when I was there. My third year there, I was fully alone, so you learn how to cook when you have to live alone, y’know?” If you follow Danica on Instagram, you’ll see that she’s really into health and fitness, and is the first to advocate for healthy eating. “Anybody that thinks healthy food tastes bad just doesn’t try hard enough or they really don’t want to eat healthy and they’re just coming up with an excuse. I mean, look, that’s very, very aggressive and blunt, but the truth is, you do have to put a little effort into it. You have to find what you like. Pizza, cakes... that all tastes great. You can learn,” she says. “My diet goes through many phases and the window of creativity gets a little more narrow when you keep eliminating more and more ingredients, but you just come up with more new ways to prepare them,” says Danica. She has eliminated gluten, dairy, beans, and grains from her diet. “We eat a lot of fish. We don’t really eat so much meat as in birds or cows. Salads are actually harder to make than people think. I’m mostly eating paleo without the meat parts.” When it comes to dinner, cooking vegetables, like squashes and potatoes, are on her go-to list. And there’s always room for life’s indulgences, especially great wine. Cooking, eating, and wine —these are Danica’s simple pleasures. In 2009, Danica bought property in Napa Valley to develop her own vineyard and named it, Somnium, which means dream in Latin. “I can’t tell you how many times I have signed an autograph for a child and added the note —dream big! It is a life motto— it’s how I think, how I live, and what I preach!” Danica states on her website. Passionate, driven, and always ready to do the work needed, we can’t wait to see where Danica’s dream-chasing takes her next. Keep up with Danica on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @DanicaPatrick and www.DanicaPatrick.com and check out her podcast “Pretty Intense.” Words by Vanessa Pascale • Photo credit: Scott McDermott