Latest news with #renaissance
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
‘Democrats Don't Need to Become G.O.P. Lite'
Now is an agonizing time for Democrats. Some days are dominated by feelings of despair, others by recriminations. But in fact the Democratic Party is on the cusp of a renaissance if it plays its cards right. The claim that a revival may be near at hand might seem bizarre, given that the party is at its weakest point in at least half a century. It is all but shut out of power in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. Its popularity is at a record low, according to a report by Third Way, a center-left think tank and advocacy organization. Since 2022, according to Gallup, more Americans identify and lean Republican than Democratic, the first time that has been true since 1991. Leading figures in the Democratic Party, such as Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, call the Democratic brand 'toxic.' Democratic support has collapsed among non-college-educated voters, who make up some 64 percent of electorate. Voters are leaving blue states for red ones. And if that were not enough, based on current demographic trends, blue states will lose up to a dozen electoral votes after the 2030 census. Despite this, Democrats have an opening. The Trump administration's wall-to-wall incompetence, and the human suffering that is resulting from it, will become more and more obvious. Disenchantment with President Trump and his party is already spreading. But can Democrats exploit the opportunity? To help figure out an answer, we conducted written interviews with 19 Democrats, from progressives to centrists. They included officeholders, analysts, strategists and state party chairs chosen because they represent a range of views and experiences and have given careful thought to how the Democratic Party needs to change. We also plowed through a stack of white papers, articles and published interviews. These Democrats agree that attacking Mr. Trump is not sufficient; the party must make a new offer to Americans. They also agree on a main theme of that new offer: making the American dream affordable for the middle class and especially the working class. But Democrats across the ideological spectrum, not just on the party's right flank, also recognize that their economic message will fall on deaf ears if they cannot re-enter the cultural mainstream and stop talking down to ordinary people. Rahm Emanuel, a former Democratic representative in Congress and mayor of Chicago who served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff, was blunt: 'If you're outside the mainstream on culture, the public will never trust you enough to listen to your ideas on economic 'kitchen table' issues.' When It Comes to 'Prosperity', Republicans Have an Edge. But That Hasn't Always Been True. 'Which political party do you think will do a better job of keeping the country prosperous?' Source: Gallup By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-greece-hotel-pool-ATHENSRIVIERA0825-cadc779727d54f8e98d3c4755b21a2e2.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
How to Spend a Perfect Long Weekend in the Athenian Riviera—Where to Eat, Shop, and Stay
In the 1960s, the stretch of coastline just south of Athens—beginning at the port of Piraeus and sprawling some 40 miles along the western shore of the Attica Peninsula—was the place to see and be seen. Brigitte Bardot, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Frank Sinatra, and other celebrities vacationed there, camping out at the Astir Palace—the grande dame of Riviera elegance and a fixture in films, fashion shoots, and society pages. In the 1970s, however, once travelers could reach the Greek islands directly by air, the area's fortunes began to fade. From left: A guest room at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens; the property's façade. Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens But the tides are changing once again. In 2019, the Astir Palace reopened as the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens , kicking off a renaissance that, in the past two years, has included the arrival of more stylish hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs. Related: How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Athens, Greece, According to Travel Experts Like Rick Steves The suburb of Vouliagmeni, where the Four Seasons sits, saw the opening last year of the Astir Marina, with 50 berths for yachts and mega-yachts. There's also a shopping complex, with boutiques for Greek fashion brands like Zeus & Dione and Karkalis. Oven Manufactory, a bakery and coffee shop in the heart of Glyfada. In the upmarket neighborhood of Glyfada, 10 minutes north of Vouliagmeni, the Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens has been generating buzz since it opened in the fall. The brand's first European outpost is housed in a Modernist building from the 1970s, which has been given an update by the French design firm Ciguë and has a swim club where guests can stretch out by the pool on retro-striped loungers. Related: This Clifftop Sanctuary Was Just Named the No. 1 Resort in Greece—With Glittering Aegean Sea Views All Around New restaurants are diverging from traditional taverna fare. Among them is Bungalow 7 , where chef Dinos Fotinakis—who made his name at Mykonos's acclaimed Beefbar—has crafted a menu that elegantly blends classic Italian dishes with Asian flavors, such as carbonara with Wagyu bacon and matcha tiramisu. Also worth a stop are Sofi's Eatery, a café and deli that's become a popular brunch spot in Vouliagmeni, and Oven Manufactory, a sceney bakery and coffee shop in the heart of Glyfada. From left: A niçoise salad from Sebastian, the restaurant at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens; Sofi's Eatery, a deli and café in Vouliagmeni. From left: Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens; Thomas Gravanis Sandwiched between these two glamorous neighborhoods is the One&Only Aesthesis , set within 50 acres of forest reserve overlooking the Saronic Gulf. There are 95 bungalows spread across the grounds—some tucked among olive trees and bougainvillea, others right on the water—each with wood paneling, floor-to-ceiling windows, and expansive outdoor spaces with showers and fireplaces. Nearby is 91 Athens Riviera , which was opened last June by Greek hospitality brand Domes. Accommodations take the form of futuristic tents, with canvas strung across domed structures, and include all the trappings you'd expect on a luxury safari, like canopy beds and private plunge pools. A version of this story first appeared in the August 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Age of the Aegean ."
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Gucci goes alfresco in Florence as it awaits buzzy new creative boss
If rebirth is what you want then Florence, home of the renaissance, is a good place to start. Gucci, which has just switched designers after a period of plunging sales – 24% down in the last quarter of 2024, and 25% down in the first of 2025 – showed its latest collection in a catwalk pageant that began in the 15th-century Palazzo Settimanni, where the actors Paul Mescal, Viola Davis and Jeff Goldblum, a Florentine resident, had front row seats, and continued on the city street outside to where Gucci employees and local fashion fans, seated in bars and cafes, watched an alfresco lap of the show. If you hit the factory reset button in Florence, and make it glamorous, can you call it a renaissance button? Gucci has its fingers crossed. In the most recent Lyst index, which tracks digital engagement to assess which names are leading the fashion conversation, Gucci fell five places to No 17, an ignominious decline for a proud Italian brand. After the abrupt departure of the designer Sabato De Sarno, let go just two weeks before Milan fashion week in February, the house awaits the arrival of buzzy new hire Demna, who will leave his current post at Balenciaga this summer and present his first Gucci collection later this year. An outdoor event is a risky move, and a thunderstorm hours before had the top brass jittery. But when the sun came out for a perfect Tuscan golden hour, it felt like the luck of Gucci, unable to catch a break for the past two years, might have turned. The design team had produced an upbeat parade of Gucci's greatest hits. Jewel-coloured brocade mini-shift dresses, kaftans slashed to the navel and lush faux-fur chubbies leant into the charismatic jet set 1960s glamour that is foundational to Gucci – think Elizabeth Taylor filming Cleopatra in Rome, or Jackie Onassis on holiday in Capri – while jodhpur silhouettes nodded to the equestrian heritage of the home of the horsebit loafer. There were forward-facing hat tips to the tastes of the incoming boss, in exaggerated quarterback shoulders and oversized coats, looks which Demna has made his signature during his decade at Balenciaga. And in the meantime, there was an astute sprinkling of easy-sell accessories: belts with double and single G hardware, oversized sunglasses and eyecatching painted shell jewellery. Florence, where Guccio Gucci founded his brand in 1921, was a tactical retreat to home turf, but Gucci will not be licking its wounds for long. Demna – an acclaimed but controversial Marmite appointment – is a punchy throw of the dice that aims at getting Gucci back on the front foot as a fashion leader. Owners Kering know that Gucci's best eras have been its most audacious: the 1990s, when Tom Ford reinvented its old-timey affluence into a sexualised sophistication that made shoppers all over the world go weak at the knees, and a decade ago when Alessandro Michele's exuberant and radical gender-fluid, vintage-curious, humour-led aesthetic made the brand meaningful for a new generation. Demna, who uses only his first name professionally, likes to ruffle feathers. He once replaced a Paris catwalk show with a specially made episode of The Simpsons, and caused outrage selling pre-scuffed dirty trainers for £400 and a premium leather take on Ikea's famous blue Frakta shopping tote for £1,600. A child refugee who fled Georgia as a child, he was one of the first to use the fashion week spotlight to show support for Ukraine. In 2023, an advertising campaign featuring children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage gear caused a global backlash, an error of taste and judgment for which he apologised. The Kering deputy CEO, Francesca Bellettini, has described a mood of optimism at Gucci. On Demna's appointment she insisted that 'the work that he is going to do is building on what we have been doing … not throwing everything away and starting from scratch, absolutely not'. But she added that 'after the nomination of Demna, I never received so many CVs of creative people and designers who want to join the team'.
