Off the Cuff: Getting to know luxury’s top-tier talent

April 18, 2025

Read the latest in Luxury Daily's "Off the Cuff" series

“Off the Cuff” is a Q&A series from Luxury Daily exploring the career paths, current projects and next steps of those shaping the world’s best luxury brands.

The interviews feature a Proust-style twist, allowing readers to get to know industry leaders on a personal level.

This week, we revisit some of our past guests’ responses to one of our favorite questions:

Who, in any industry or sphere, would you most like to share a long lunch with and where would you take them?

I have always been so enamored and inspired by Jane Fonda for what she has accomplished in her life and career, both on and off the screen, with her activism and really using her platform so purposefully and vigilantly all these years for women's rights, environmental reform and climate change and using her voice by taking action.

I also find what Melinda Gates has built with the Gates Foundation and donating $1 billion for women's rights to be incredible. Not only has she pledged this unprecedented amount of money, she has also worked tirelessly on the ground for her cause.

Not only do these two women use their platforms and voices to spread their messages, but they are also down in the trenches doing the work and leading by example. A lunch with the two of them would be the ultimate dream and superb power lunch.

I would take them someplace that was classic NYC — Odeon, Balthazar, Gramercy Tavern. Or I would love to take them someplace right in my ‘hood, the West Village, like Via Carota.

– Sarika Rastogi, head of marketing and communications, MCM

I would have most liked to share a long lunch with Virgil Abloh. His innovative approach to fashion and design, seamlessly blending streetwear with high fashion, has always been captivating.

I would take him to the Bentley Residences in Miami, a space that embodies luxury and sophistication. There, we could delve into a conversation about the intersection of design disciplines, exploring how to continually push the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship in our respective industries.

– Chris Cooke, head of design collaborations, Bentley Motors

I have always admired Belgian fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, not just for her impact to fashion and creating the iconic wrap dress that is flattering for all women but also her philanthropic work to empower women.

I’d love to take her to Sarabeth’s near Central Park and hope we’d have an easy-flowing conversation, which would continue into a walk through the park on a beautiful day.

– Julie Burns, executive director, Monogram

I would have loved to have the late Iris Apfel, a fabulous and unabashedly original fashion icon, for dinner.

I’d invite her to my candlelit garden, which is exploding with blooms right now and matches her exuberant style perfectly. Her philosophy of abundance and positivity is something I deeply admire.

– Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing, South Coast Plaza

I would love to have a long lunch with travel novelist and nonfiction author Pico Iyer. Reading his work always transports me to new places, not only in the literal sense of a new location to learn about, but it also never fails to make me wonder, learn something new about myself and find a level of connection to a subculture in some other part of the world.

I can just imagine this conversation with Pico being such a respite and one that I will always remember to take me out of the chaos to a calmer, quieter place where I can remind myself to have that bigger perspective on life I spoke about earlier. I would probably take him to a local diner near where I live, and we’d continue our conversation as we take a walk at a nearby park.

– Kaisy Mae O’Reilly, SVP and chief marketing officer, Stuart Weitzman

I was so inspired when Michelle Obama, Melinda Gates and Amal Clooney joined forces last year to advance gender equality and combat violence against women. I would love to have lunch with all three of them together, to hear about each of their journeys and how they come together as a power group.

And I would invite them over to my home to have a relaxed, comfortable lunch.

– Samina Virk, U.S. CEO, Vestiaire Collective

Steve Jobs did so many things so well, but one thing was identifying all of these disparate pieces of technology that are out there but maybe were not optimized for the consumer’s needs, and thinking about them from the consumer’s perspective. This allowed him to then package them all together with a single interface that was most relevant for the customer.

We are attempting to emulate that approach with Spirio and everything else that we do. I would love to brainstorm with him about how we can do these things even better than we’re already doing them – because “Continuous Improvement” has, and always will be, a Steinway mantra.

So, I’d ask him to come to our factory, either in New York or Hamburg, tour the facility and have lunch here.

– Ben Steiner, CEO, Steinway & Sons

Taylor Swift is someone I love. I admire the business empire she has built and the strong community she has created, especially among women.

I would love to share a long lunch with her at the renowned Rotunda restaurant in our San Francisco store, of course followed by a shopping experience. It would be fascinating to discuss her career, the way she’s navigated her success and the positive impact she’s had on both the industry and her fanbase.

– Stefanie Tsen Ward, chief integrated retail and customer officer, Neiman Marcus

If I could, I’d share a long lunch with Albert Einstein. He is the original genius.

Beyond his scientific genius, I admire his imagination and his ability to dream up what others couldn’t see. I would ask him how he thinks science and art are intertwined.

I’d take him somewhere serene, like a relaxing seaside spot, where we could discuss the intersections of science, art and creativity over a simple, thoughtful meal.

– Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer, Aston Martin

Muiccia Prada. She has been a leader in creativity, creating beautiful things that are not boring, using art and technology in equal parts. She continually breaks new ground in both her fashion collections and her marketing. She’s been a game changer in the fashion world – foregoing trends and being true to her aesthetic, ideas and her customer. Her foundation has been a space for innovation for over two decades.

She continually inspires me. Of course, we’d eat in Ristorante Torre in Milan.

– Karen Silveira, creative director, 1stDibs

I'd love to meet Bob Iger – I am fascinated by his leadership at Disney. As the storytellers of modern times, I admire how they continually adapt to the changing landscape of entertainment.

I would take him to L’Ami Louis, at the back corner table, for a long and leisurely lunch.

– Alex Assouline, president, Assouline

I would love to meet Roger Federer, not only because I'm a tennis fan, but because I'm deeply inspired by professional athletes who possess remarkable focus, mental agility and passion for their craft.

If given the chance, I’d gladly forgo lunch and ask if he’d join me for a match — of course, on one of the stunning tennis courts at either Raffles or Fairmont.

– Omer Acar, CEO, Raffles & Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

I would love to have a lunch with Andy Warhol. The more I learn about his work, life, art, methods, the more I want to know and discuss how and why.

I want to be there at Regine in the early 1980s with him and Yves Piaget.

– Stéphanie Sivriere, director of high jewelry, jewelry and watchmaking, Piaget

I would love to have lunch – actually tea – with filmmaker Sofia Coppola. We would go to Bergdorf Goodmans’ BG Restaurant (where else?).

I’d love to hear about her creative process and her inspirations beyond cinema and then we’d go shopping in the store, naturally.

– Elle Strauss, chief creative officer, Bergdorf Goodman

We love long lunches at Billecart-Salmon.

In a dream world, I would love to share one with Nicolas-Francois Billecart, my great-great-great-grandfather, who founded our house in 1818, to show him what we are doing with his legacy. Hopefully he would approve.

– Mathieu Roland Billecart, CEO, Billecart-Salmon

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