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An Elemental Retreat on the Wild Oaxacan Coast |
 | | Left: one of Monte Uzulu’s 11 suites. Right: an elemental concrete tub in a ground-floor suite.Elke Frotscher |
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By Michaela Trimble T Contributor |
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For over 20 years, the Mexican creative director Alan V. Favero has vacationed on the Oaxacan coast. Eventually, he purchased his own land in the fishing village of San Agustinillo so that he could build Monte Uzulu. An hour south of Puerto Escondido and perched atop a lush hill with views of the Pacific Ocean, the minimalist resort was conceptualized by architect Mariana Ruiz in collaboration with lighting designer Paola Jose of the creative studio Sombra and Favero’s interior and industrial design firm, Taller Lu’um, which routinely collaborates with more than 15 different artisan groups across Mexico to preserve centuries-old techniques. Built with an eye to maintaining the natural balance of the local ecosystem, the 11 bohemian suites offer sun-drenched terraces and feature sustainable macuilí wood furniture carved by local carpenters, straw lamps and handmade basketwork made in Michoacán, along with cobalt cotton textiles woven in nearby Teotitlán del Valle. After a weeklong residency at the property, mother-son duo Karen Drijanski and Eduardo Plaschinski (of Niddo, Mexico City’s most revered cafe) inspired the menu at the property’s restaurant, Temporada, which is made up of dishes that highlight the flavors of Oaxaca’s generous bounty. Rooms start at $128, monteuzulu.com |
Rosie Assoulin’s New Raw Wine, Vivanterre |
 | | From left: Vivanterre Contact SGU ($30) and Vivanterre Gamay MVB ($35).Courtesy of Nicole Cohen |
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A couple of years ago, the New York-based fashion designer Rosie Assoulin got bitten by the orange wine bug. “I became obsessive and would look for it everywhere,” she recalled. She told her husband and business partner, Max — the duo work not only on Assoulin’s popular namesake brand but also their latest clothing line, By Any Other Name — that they were going to make their own orange wine one day. “He ignored me,” she added with a laugh. Skip ahead to around this time last year, and the pair were in the Auvergne region of France, examining the grape harvest. This week, they are launching Vivanterre with two debut vintages: a Gamay and an orange wine. They worked with natural winemakers Patrick Bouju and Justine Loiseau, as well as Cedric Nicaise (the wine director of Eleven Madison Park) to refine the taste. And they asked Omar Sosa of Apartamento magazine to design the labels, which evoke the sun as well as the terroir and the crunchy wax seals of older wines. For the Assoulins, making their own organic vintages makes perfect sense in this moment. “We want to connect with other human beings — we’re aware of meals and family time, and what sharing a bottle of wine means to us,” said Assoulin, who noted that Vivanterre translates to “living earth” in French. “Almost everyone has, in some way, a potager (kitchen garden), even if it’s just scallions growing in a Mason jar on a windowsill. We’re all reckoning with nature, and it’s something we need to make the center of our conversations.” From $30, vivanterre.com. |
Leather Unisex Sandals Built for Comfort and Style |
 | | Left: the Emme Parsons Bari sandal in black. Right, from top: the Bari sandal in tan suede and tobacco and the Simone sandal in black.Left: Charlie Ann Max. Right: Dimitri Newman |
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Gender inclusivity in fashion has made great strides, but footwear always seems to be one step behind. Rarely does a shoe come in a full-size range for all potential customers. Enter Emme Parsons, whose Los Angeles-based, eponymous footwear line is already admirable for its elegant craftsmanship and commitment to sustainability. Parsons recently revisited two of her best-selling styles, the Bari and the Simone — both names are of Italian origin (where Parsons’s production takes place) and have historically been gender nonspecific — updating them with thicker straps and a welted leather fussbett (“footbed” in German), a 19th-century innovation that replaces the shoe’s flat insole with a form-fitting alternative. Fussbetts are quite comfortable and healthier for feet in motion. What’s more, when Parsons learned she could produce both the Bari and Simone in sizes up to IT46, she knew it was a perfect opportunity to offer her well-designed staples to the men and women whom her current shoes didn’t fit. “Our customers are drawn to styles that are comfort-focused and easy to slip on and off but still feel refined and elevated,” she said. As a cross-department shopper myself, it’s a relief to know my days of longing for a testosterone-free sandal are over. emmeparsons.com. |
4 Restoring Lip Balms for the End of Summer |
 | | Clockwise from left: Supergoop’s Play Lip Balm, $10, supergoop.com; Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Bitten Lip Tint in Chérie, $36, victoriabeckhambeauty.com; Neova SmartSkincare’ Cu3 Lip Repair with Copper Peptide Complex, $26, neova.com; Iris & Romeo Power Peptide Lip Balm in Berry, $26, irisandromeo.com.Courtesy of the brands |
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Though now often hidden under masks, lips still need special attention — especially in the summer, when sun and saltwater take a toll. A good place to start is with a versatile moisturizing balm like Supergoop’s Play Lip Balm, which has SPF 30 and comes in a clear formula ideal for layering over lip shades. Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Bitten Lip Tint has a light but supple gel formula containing squalane and sodium hyaluronate, which sinks in (meaning no transfer onto masks) for a rosy flush. An intense hydrating wash of color can be found in the San Francisco Bay Area-based brand Iris & Romeo’s Power Peptide Lip Balm. Rich in biomimetic peptides that stimulate collagen production, the balm also gives lips a more voluminous appearance. For lips that may already be burned or severely dried from the elements, Neova SmartSkincare, a brand dedicated to healing and preventing photoaged skin, developed Cu3 Lip Repair, to be used post-procedure or sun exposure. A thick layer worn at night seals in moisture and will leave overexposed lips looking remarkably better by morning. |
Fine Jewelry Charms Inspired by Finger Foods |
 | | Left: Mociun’s charms in a room inspired by Ricardo Bofill’s Cement Factory, with handmade micro-size décor, including a porcelain cat by the ceramist Eleonor Boström and a wooden bar cart made by Tammer Hijazi of Bower Studios. Right: charms include a yellow gold clam casino, rose gold shrimps, green gold avocado, green gold snap peas, yellow gold carrots with pavé set orange sapphires and green gold asparagus with green diamonds.Left: Nicholas Calcott. Right: Mociun |
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The Williamsburg-based fine jeweler Caitlin Mociun has built a loyal customer base for her Bauhaus-inspired designs with Victorian touches (think turquoise, diamonds and yellow gold for an engagement ring, and antique glass intaglio seals for a necklace) made entirely with ethically sourced or vintage gemstones. Not too long ago — inspired by great jewelry designers such as JAR and Hemmerle — Mociun began creating limited-edition charms made to resemble miniature versions of her favorite foods. Previous iterations included New York street food (on offer were diamond doughnuts, golden hot dogs and slices of pizza) and pool party fare (gold fried chicken and pearl-and-diamond encrusted shucked oysters). The latest menu options in what Mociun playfully calls her Fine Foods Collection are all crudités and finger foods: dainty diamond-coated carrots and radishes, avocados with tiger’s-eye as the pit (the stone fruit consists of two charms, so you can gift one half to a friend or loved one), as well as olives made from olivine, grapes made from grape garnet and diamond-studded pink shrimps (in rose gold, obviously, to approximate the look of the cooked shellfish). Each charm (only 82 were made in total) comes with a slender book of matching cocktails designed by the photographer and mixologist Vivian Cromwell. “I wanted the charms to be really pretty, to be a proper nod to the food they’re referencing,” said Mociun, who added that she is always hoping to delight women who are buying jewelry for themselves. mociun.com. |
 | | The Los Angeles-based fashion designer Pierre Davis hand-embroiders a T-shirt from No Sesso’s spring 2020 collection.Scott J. Ross |
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The designer Pierre Davis’s intention to create a brand for everyone — “all identities, shapes, ages and colors” — can be seen in No Sesso’s clothing, each piece of which is a declaration of creativity, joy and, perhaps most notable, freedom. She often works with recycled fabric, taking apart hard-loved thrift-store finds and putting them back together according to her own vision, and perhaps the upcycled pieces’ raw hems and exposed seams are a testament to reinvention itself, just as patchwork — a recurring motif throughout Davis’s collections — might be a metaphor for the fact that we are all complex beings composed of myriad experiences and desires. In the video, a still from which is displayed here, the designer recreates a hand-embroidered T-shirt from No Sesso’s spring 2020 collection. Go to #TPresents or #TProcess to see more — and follow us on Instagram. |
And if you read one thing on tmagazine.com this week, make it: |
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Correction: Last week’s newsletter misspelled the surname of Fotofolio’s co-founder. She is Juliette Galant. |
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