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BlackBook/New York

Industry Insiders: Filippo Bartolotta, Your Italian Pal

By

Bryce Longton

Industry Insiders: Filippo Bartolotta, Your Italian Pal Filippo runs Le Baccante Tours, pretty much the finest custom tours in Italy. He’s a wine fanatic -- easy to see if you get him started on the topic, as his dark eyes get wide, and he starts emphasizing his words with fist pounds on the table. He’s a portable concierge, knowing exactly who to call if you want to stay in a private villa for a month, sample the best aperitivo in Milan, hit the hottest clubs in Turin, or the imbibe the newest wine bar in Florence. Le Baccante caters to a variety of interests: shopping, eating, partying ... whatever your pleasure, he knows how to feed it. He’s also supremely connected; he’s hosted private dinners in Salvatore Feragammo’s home, and can get you into the kitchen of any restaurant you care to name. You want this guy on speed dial if you’re in Italy.

Point of Origin: Florence, Italy. He spent five years working in London (hence his charming British English accent) and one year studying in Holland, which he touts as “the year of my life” -- perhaps due to the fact that 85% of the students were “beautiful women.”

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Derek Lam’s Travel Kit for Kiehl’s

By

Nick Haramis

Derek Lam’s Travel Kit for Kiehl’s Derek Lam began his career assisting Michael Kors in the 1990s. Since 2003, he's branched out with his own unique label, and has most recently been responsible for the Tod's ready-to-wear collection. His jet-setting lifestyle often finds him boarding planes for exotic locations around the world. So how does the womenswear designer brave a long flight, with all the crying babies and turbulence? Here, while discussing his new limited-edition travel kit for Kiehl's, Lam reveals the secret. Two words: Lip. Balm.

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Industry Insiders: Lionel Ohayon, Design’s Dark Magician

By

Chris Mohney

Industry Insiders: Lionel Ohayon, Design’s Dark Magician Lionel Ohayon's ICRAVE has designed and architected some of the coolest bleeding-edge restaurants, clubs, lounges, and hotels of recent years. From New York to Los Angeles, and Las Vegas to Miami, ICRAVE venues draw praise from nightlifers and aesthetes alike -- and Ohayon promises more to come.

Point of Origin: "I'm a French Moroccan Jew. I was made in Morocco, but born in Canada where I grew up and studied architecture at the University of Waterloo. After working and studying in Paris and Rome, I came to New York at the bequest of a client/friend who had recently gotten engaged to the daughter of a billionaire and needed help on a sprawling mansion. I never finished that project (I don't think it’s finished yet); it’s not destined for completion. But I did get a virus in my system called New York, and never left. New York is my junk."

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