Latest news with #Roman-inspired
Eater
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Evan Funke's New Hollywood Lounge Goes Big on Roman Street Food
A new Roman-inspired cocktail lounge from acclaimed chef Evan Funke and Giancarlo Pagani, the managing partner of Mother Wolf Group, is headed to Hollywood. Bar Avoja opens in the short-lived former Mars cocktail bar space, tucked behind Mother Wolf, on May 30. Mars first opened in January 2024 with a $5,000 a year membership that came with a personal spirits locker, priority seating, and invitations to special events; the bar closed in April 2025. At Bar Avoja, Funke will prepare a menu inspired by handheld Roman street food, alongside folded and thin-crust pizza and cocktails. A frittatina di carbonara, a pasta stuffed fritter, is filled with spaghetti swirled with guanciale, black pepper, and egg, or eggplant, mozzarella di bufala, and ricotta salata. A fried arancini, a popular street food in the Eternal City, draws inspiration from cacio e pepe, with crema di pecorino romano and black pepper. At Bar Avoja, Funke will also prepare wood-fired pies. The Portafoglio folded to resemble a pocket, is topped with oxtail meatballs, braised greens, and fonduta di pecorino; the Wolfgang with smoked salmon, herb cream, and trout roe; and the Palermo with sugo di cipolla (onion sauce), caciocavallo, wild oregano, and sauteed bread crumbs. Funke's signature Palermo-inspired focaccia, sfincione all'aglione, will also be on the menu. Gelato and cannoli with ricotta and Santa Barbara pistachios will be available for dessert. Cocktails are made to pair with Funke's cooking, like the Morso Di Vita with Grey Goose, Chinola passion fruit, tomato, basil, and lemon, as well as the Santa Infuocata, mixing Malfy gin, Meyer lemon honey, and Olio Santo olive oil. Alongside cocktails, Bar Avoja will also serve wine and mocktails. Bar Avoja retains elements of the luxe Mars interior, like the intimate red leather seating and an accent wall with wire cages displaying bottles of liquor. Small glass tabletop lamps cast a gentle line downward onto dark wood tables, with strips of metal dividing the top into quarters. It's a venue that's easy to settle into for a few hours, catching up with friends over a bottle of wine and bites from Funke. The bar will be open Thursday to Saturday, by reservation only. For fans of Funke's cooking at Mother Wolf and his eponymous restaurant, Funke, the arrival of Bar Avoja offers an enticing new upscale cocktail option in the neighborhood that's guaranteed to have some top-notch food. Bar Avoja will open at 1545 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028 on May 30 with hours on Thursday to Saturday, from 6 p.m. until late. Reservations are required and available on Resy . Sign up for our newsletter. 1545 Wilcox Avenue, , 90028
Elle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
See Dior's Ghostly Tribute to the Roman Theater
An extravagant patroness, a hallowed theater, and a mysterious evening of 'living pictures': these are the spirits that Maria Grazia Chiuri sought to recapture in the Dior cruise 2026 collection and its accompanying short film, Les Fantômes du Cinéma. To understand these ghostly revivals, we must travel back to the living. The collection was heavily inspired by the life and luxuries of countess Anna Laetitia Pecci, more commonly known as Mimì Pecci-Blunt, who was a dedicated couture client and a lifelong patron of the arts until her death in 1971. Across her salon in Paris and mansion in Rome, Pecci-Blunt often played host to artists including Salvador Dalí, writer Alberto Moravia, composer Henri Sauguet, and more. In 1958, the countess purchased and guided the Teatro della Cometa in Rome for a single glorious season. While the theater changed hands through the years before falling into obscurity, Dior took it over in 2020, leaving its restoration in Chiuri's hands. Five years later, on the precipice of the venue's reopening, Chiuri took to the Villa Reale di Marlia to reignite Pecci-Blunt's vision through a multifaceted runway presentation. Both the collection and film directly reference one of the countess's glamorous evenings in Paris in 1930—the Bal Blanc, where guests dressed in white, as if transforming into alabaster sculptures, doubling as the venue's 'living pictures' entertainment (as demonstrated by the runway's all-white ensembles and glimmering Roman-inspired trompe l'oeil). The result is a scene of exceedingly fragile beauty. In ushering these fashionable ghosts into the present, a feeling of temporality remains. For Chiuri, this is by design. The creative director worked closely with the Italian costume house Tirelli to replicate exact pieces from the costumer's archive using period-accurate preserved lace, as seen on the powdered-faced actors flitting through the film. As Chiuri explained on Instagram, one snag on a manicured rose bush and the character's crinoline-laden gown could crumble. On the runway, the models were visions in white, black, and beige, gliding down the pebbled pathway in billowing sheer skirts, tuxedo jackets, and minimalist column dresses. The collection felt not only like a tribute to Pecci-Blunt's and Tirelli's legacies, but also a nostalgic culmination of nearly a decade's worth of Chiuri's delicate designs. An interesting through-line between womenswear and Dior Men also showed up. Many of the models sported lace masks, another direct reference to the dress code for Bal Blanc that undoubtedly added to the allure and warranted a warm standing ovation. However, it's impossible to not call back to the striking satin masks in Kim Jones's final collection for the brand during the fall 2025 runway season. Ultimately, Chiuri remains a passionate patron of the arts, dedicated to crafting a sartorial narrative down to the finest details of femininity. Much like Pecci-Blunt's Bal Blanc guests and Tirelli's creations on the silver screen, Chiuri is deft at bringing a character's vision to life.
Vancouver Sun
05-05-2025
- Vancouver Sun
In my Princesss Cruise era
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content I didn't want to do much more than lounge in a deck chair when I planned my cruise on Discovery Princess. Yes there were excursions I had to do – ride a trolly in San Francisco, visit the San Diego Zoo, and see the La Bufadora in Ensenada, Mexico, a blowhole that shoots water metres into the air several times a minute – but those outings were planned by or for my daughter. I just wanted to get away from the office, eat good food and relax. Article content Article content Article content Discovery Princess proved to be worthy of the stewardship. Full disclosure: I sailed on the Sun Princess in 2023 and knew Princess Cruises was synonymous for — luxury, indulgence, pampering, and entertainment that didn't require I get out of a cushioned seat. Yes I was going to pack on a few pounds and be catered to while sailing along the California coast down to Mexico, at times just watching the horizon dip. Article content The Lotus Spa is located on deck 5, just past customer service. I was welcomed by the sound of babbling water, offered a cucumber-infused water and given a tour by a friendly hostess. Article content Article content There are treatment rooms for: massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, wraps, exfoliating scrubs and more treatments than I needed. I was more enticed by the large hydrotherapy pool at the heart of the spa. This is The Enclave – which anyone can use even if you don't get a spa treatment. A pass is required to use The Enclave or you can get a package that allows you access every day of your cruise. Article content Article content I booked a deep-tissue massage for the next day. My massage involved a lot of kneading, and just the right amount of pressure to leave me feeling like Gumby. From the massage table I drifted to The Enclave's three steam rooms one after another. The Hammam for a steam bath, the Laconium for its dry heat and finally the Roman-inspired Caladium. By the time I dipped into the hydrotherapy pool I was stress-free and swooning. From there I gathered myself long enough to take the short steps to a heated stone lounger. Article content I vacillated in the space between basking and dozing content to soak in the heat. It was only FOMO that got me off the lounger to check on happens elsewhere onboard.
National Post
05-05-2025
- National Post
In my Princesss Cruise era
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content I didn't want to do much more than lounge in a deck chair when I planned my cruise on Discovery Princess. Yes there were excursions I had to do – ride a trolly in San Francisco, visit the San Diego Zoo, and see the La Bufadora in Ensenada, Mexico, a blowhole that shoots water metres into the air several times a minute – but those outings were planned by or for my daughter. I just wanted to get away from the office, eat good food and relax. Article content Article content Discovery Princess proved to be worthy of the stewardship. Full disclosure: I sailed on the Sun Princess in 2023 and knew Princess Cruises was synonymous for — luxury, indulgence, pampering, and entertainment that didn't require I get out of a cushioned seat. Yes I was going to pack on a few pounds and be catered to while sailing along the California coast down to Mexico, at times just watching the horizon dip. Article content The Lotus Spa is located on deck 5, just past customer service. I was welcomed by the sound of babbling water, offered a cucumber-infused water and given a tour by a friendly hostess. Article content Article content There are treatment rooms for: massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, wraps, exfoliating scrubs and more treatments than I needed. I was more enticed by the large hydrotherapy pool at the heart of the spa. This is The Enclave – which anyone can use even if you don't get a spa treatment. A pass is required to use The Enclave or you can get a package that allows you access every day of your cruise. Article content Article content I booked a deep-tissue massage for the next day. My massage involved a lot of kneading, and just the right amount of pressure to leave me feeling like Gumby. From the massage table I drifted to The Enclave's three steam rooms one after another. The Hammam for a steam bath, the Laconium for its dry heat and finally the Roman-inspired Caladium. By the time I dipped into the hydrotherapy pool I was stress-free and swooning. From there I gathered myself long enough to take the short steps to a heated stone lounger. Article content I vacillated in the space between basking and dozing content to soak in the heat. It was only FOMO that got me off the lounger to check on happens elsewhere onboard.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-04-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
As others exit Union Square, Bulgari opens new flagship in historic S.F. building
Bulgari, the Italian luxury jeweler and accessory house, has opened its new San Francisco flagship in the historic 1908 Hastings Building at the corner of Grant Avenue and Post Street, deepening its commitment to Union Square even as other high-end retailers exit the city's once-bustling shopping district. The 3,500-square-foot boutique at 206 Grant Avenue replaces Bulgari's previous location on Stockton Street and showcases the brand's signature blend of Roman-inspired architecture and contemporary luxury. The space includes two salons for private client experiences, a custom chandelier featuring 300 crystal wands by Italian glassmaker Venini, and a decorative panel by Milan-based studio Pictalab that merges the skylines of Rome and San Francisco. 'We're proud to bring a unique blend of artistry, tradition and modern energy to the heart of this iconic city,' said Hervé Perrot, Bulgari's North America president, in a statement to Women's Wear Daily. 'San Francisco, with its rich history, vibrant culture, and global spirit, is the perfect place for us.' Founded in Rome in 1884 and now part of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton portfolio, Bulgari will offer its signature collections of fine jewelry, watches and handbags at the new location. Oakland-born actress Zendaya is an ambassador for the brand. Originally expected to open in fall 2025, the boutique now anchors a luxury corridor that includes Dior, Cartier and Harry Winston. The space was formerly occupied by The North Face, which vacated in early 2024 at the landlord's request. Grosvenor, the property's owner, revealed at the time that it had been in negotiations with Bulgari for over a year before the lease was finalized. It invested millions to reconfigure the space ahead of Bulgari's move, to cater to the brand's 'unique needs' 'Grosvenor was intentional in their selection of an iconic, long-term partner for one of the most productive and elevated retail intersections on the West Coast,' said CBRE's Laura Barr, who brokered the deal, in a statement. 'This will serve as a capstone not only for Grant Avenue but another win for the Post Street corridor which continues to strengthen.'
