Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images "So many memories are connected to being outdoors," Roman says. One of HiNote's recent projects is a special collaboration with JJ Martin, founder of Milanese brand La Double J, offering 16 vibrant templates from cocktail hour invitations to sweet messages of encouragement. If you purchase an Italian wine apprenticeship with master sommelier David Lynch ($3,200), the box will be lined with corks. Trevor also applauds his wife's passion for "grandmother chic." 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Theyre not necessarily light weight or modern but they say: Ive arrived, and Im ready for some serious fun. My parents always had friends around and there was a lot of entertaining, and summer was spent hereall summer.. ", At the time it was a breakthrough idea. Back in 2020, Traina an author ( From Napa with Love ), former vintner and influential creative found herself glued to her phone, checking on friends and family via texts: "I'm embarrassed to admit the hours I spent reading and sending those blue and gray bubbles." As a child I knew I wanted to do what my grandfather [Robert] and father [Tim] did. Britt felt that this emphatic backdrop would help the art to popwhich, against all odds, it does. They are confident and bold in how they live. I already know the best trees for climbing, the ultimate hide-and-seek spots and where to build a fort, he says. Crabb, a Napa Valley pioneer who founded the To Kalon winery. Weekends in Oakville are generally spent sans guests and are passed mostly outsideby the pool or on the tennis courtsin the company of the Trainas two children, Johnny and Delphina, and their Jack Russell terrier, Honey. There's this incredible mix of business and art and creativity that's producing a new Renaissance." When I first arrived at the French Laundry, Napa Valleys iconic images of vineyard-latticed hills dotted with chateaus and bountiful farms and orchards resonated with me. In a Thursday morning ceremony at the historic Hofburg imperial palace in Vienna, San Francisco tech entrepreneur and socialite Trevor D. Traina was officially installed as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Austria. Wake up to the day's most important news. Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard. Meadowood just opened their new spa, and it is pretty incredible and special. Below the house is something almost as dramatic: a 3,000-square-foot basement blasted out of solid granite to display the photography collection away from sunlight. ", The couple love to entertainTrevor sits on the boards of seven nonprofits, and one of Alexis's projects at the winery is "to partner with companies that celebrate pleasures complementary to wine drinkingincluding Chicago's Vosges Haut-Chocolat, domestic caviar from Tennessee, and iced coffee from New Orleans." "That was a pretty serious acquisition, but it would probably go for a lot more than that now," he notes. Now theyre reinventing the narrative of wineand doing a good job at it. A signed pair of golf pants worn by Gary Player in the 1960 British Open ($10,000) will come wrapped with white golf tees. Sam Whiting is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Located inOakville, in the Napa Valley, the home was built in the 1860s by H.W. Pictured from left to right: Alexis Swanson Traina, Claiborne Swanson Frank, Veronica Swanson Beard; photo by Trevor Traina. The wife and mother of two also runs a carefully curated A writer and filmmaker (Golden Globe for, By Alexis Traina. The landscape architect Madison Cox, who created the elegant treillage-framed white gardens, suggested that the front doors be painted lacquer red, an antic touch that hints at the drama inside. RSVP OUI to our newsletter and get all the latest scoop on beauty and wellness trends, tips and features. My name is Alexis Swanson Traina, I am a wife, mother of 2 young children, blogger, and also Creative Director at Swanson Vineyards, where I have worked with my dad since graduating from college. Newport Estate of Ruth Buchanan - Traina Family Summer Home Downstairs in the green-and-white conservatory filled with lush trees, a Richard Serra circle painting and a giant skylight. Michael Taylor decorated Trevors parents homes, and his grandmothers house in Newport, Rhode Island, was done in the 1960s by Valerian Rybar; Thomas Britt decorated the homes of Alexis parents. One hundred percent! she says. Cory Empting got his first job at a vineyard at 15 and immediately became obsessed. Trevor Traina is married to Alexis Swanson. It was the treat and experience of a lifetime.". Alexis own style of entertaining is charmingly high-low. Theres so much growth in being able to explore new creative endeavors, and thats what I think is so fascinating about life, says Alexis Traina. "He thinks on a much grander scale!". "It was interesting to see how many people at dinner were also at the Academy Awards," he says as he settles in to a vibrant-blue Etro-upholstered chair. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. ), For Alexisthe daughter of Elizabeth and W. Clarke Swanson Jr., a renowned vintner, whose grandfather started the national food-production company that bears the family namewhats outside of the house is equally important. Alexis Traina Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. He is every bit as knowledgeable about the decorative and decorating arts. Johnny sits atop "Herby," a . Alexis, meanwhile, grew up in a series of homes that were the bravura handiwork of her godfather, the decorator Thomas Britt, working with her mother, Elizabeth Swanson, whom he describes as "high-octane creative. It wasn't all work. Alexis and I were married there on the front lawn, Trevor recalls, and our son was christened here. Traina is married to Alexis Swanson Traina and has two children. We interviewed and photographed peoplesome of whom appear in my book, some of whom dontwhose spirit, innovation, and creative gifts we think define this magical place today. The old house had less room, but was very charming., Even with its updates, the Napa Valley getaway is a far cry from the couples primary residence, in Pacific Heights. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Wine: Alexis Swanson Traina and Target launch Modern House Hamish Bowles is entranced. Our food guy is a well-known food critic." All of our good times were up here, Trevor, son of the late shipping mogul John Traina and the philanthropist Dede Wilsey, says of the six-acre property. Alexis parents, Elizabeth and W. Clarke Swanson, uprooted their family (Alexis sisters, Veronica, a clothing designer, and Claiborne, a photographer, are based in New York) from Naples, Fla., in 1985, when they purchased 100 acres on Oakville Cross Road and started Swanson Vineyards. Part of HuffPost News. The silver-haired free spirit is known for amassing one of the most legendary prop closets in the valley, filled with trinkets and tchotchkes to adorn her candy-colored tablescapesthink confetti, party hats, miniature American flags and a collection of tap-dancing shoes for after-dinner amusement. Trevor in turn applauds his wife's "fabulous and whimsical eye," informed by legendary decorators including Tony Duquette, Michael Taylor, and Thomas Britt. The enormity of the renovation might have defeated some newlyweds. Elizabeth and Clarke Swanson. Both Trevor and Alexis grew up absorbing exuberant taste as a baba soaks up rum. Here, time slows down, and things like cars, wine and friendships evolve and improve with age. Alexis and Trevor Traina: Ode To Joy | Vogue The family tree also includes great-great-grandfather Herbert Henry Dow, who founded Dow Chemical; Trevor's onetime stepmother, bestselling novelist Danielle Steel; and his former stepbrother, Sean Wilsey, author of the bestselling memoir Oh the Glory of It All, which redefined sibling rivalry, the perils of wealth and why children should never have unsupervised access to their stepmother's lingerie drawer. gh-low. Alexis Traina was reunited with her familyher sisters, fashion designer Veronica Swanson Beard and photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank, and parents were in Austria for the celebration. Trevor's collection had its genesis when, aged 22 and newly graduated from Oxford and Princeton, he found himself at the Seagram Building in Manhattan on the first day of his first job. Photo: Photographed by Drew Alter. Over the weekend, Traina celebrated his 50th birthday with a series of lavish parties attended by San Franciscos high society. We were lucky; the point of entry was much different then than it is now, Alexis says. Subscribe. "Trevor has vision that I don't," says Alexis. In fact, we planned a big outdoor christening, but it rainedand it never rains in Napa. The quick-thinking couple cleared out all the furniture in the seldom-used formal parlor to allow about 60 guests to gather inside for the ceremony. Top Image: Carlo Mondavi is equal parts entrepreneur, winemaker, and goodwill ambassador. When the winery sold, she decided to put some of her best ideas down on paper: From Napa with Love (Abrams, $25) released in September, takes readers on a whimsical armchair tour of the valley through the eyes of some of its most notable denizens (filmmaker Roman Coppola, wine proprietress Ann Colgin, artist Ira Yeager and the like) with scrapbook-style itineraries, entertaining tips and a glimpse inside Alexis magical life at the end of a private road off Highway 29. The mother of two is married to entrepreneur and philanthropist Trevor Traina, attends many society galas and. ", His first Big Idea came in the mid-'90s, when he tried to buy a cordless telephone. The house we built together in San Francisco is very contemporary, with my photography collection and objects weve inherited and purchasedits a more sophisticated mix, in a sense, Trevor says. Traina firmly believes in taking Richard Branson's "funtrepreneurial" approach to his businesses. Arriving at their historic, Victorian-style Oakville home, its easy to understand why the pairknown for their notable art collection, philanthropy and omnipresence on the San Francisco social scenepack up their kids almost every weekend and head here to unwind.