PSST - High Roller Checklist

COURTESY HK LANE

Hot Property
Situated in the exclusive community of Mirada Estates on the edge of Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, this $18.5 million mountaintop house in Rancho Mirage features 17-foot walls of glass and breathtaking views of more than 272,000 acres of pristine wilderness. Sitting on 2.9 acres, it has four bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and almost every amenity, including a 1,800-square-foot guesthouse, infinity pool, outdoor kitchen, and energy-efficiency features. David Prest is the architect, Randy Patton is the interior designer, and Nelda Linsk of HK Lane is the agent.

Trump’s Tassels
Tassels originated in the Victorian Era in 1900 as adornments for the queen’s gowns, sea captains’ hats, and the finest furniture. They gained street cred in the roaring ’20s as flappers dangled sparkly fringes while defying Prohibition. The embellishment finds new fame in contemporary design, such as in Ivanka Trump’s new jewelry line and the film remake of The Great Gatsby (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), both putting a fresh spin on a sophisticated classic.

Seed pearl tassel earrings and necklaces are detailed with 18K white gold, hand-carved onyx, 1.76-carat diamond caps, and black silk. Earrings $9,900; necklace $7,900. Exclusively at Frasca Jewelers in Palm Desert. Modeled by Caitlin Kuvalanka.


Peak Performance
Connoisseurs of fine music and food have been to the mountaintop — to Idyllwild, the village intertwined with a Grimm’s fairy tale-style forest. Little resorts and spas tuck between boulders and towering trees. Eateries like GastroGnome and Café Aroma satisfy discerning taste buds. Boutiques delight shoppers. And horseback riding and zip-lining engage outdoors types.

Check it all off your list after dropping off your prodigious child at Idyllwild Arts Academy, the world-renowned private boarding school — and the most expensive in the nation with $60,000 annual tuition.

The 62-year institution unfolds over 275 acres with 300 students, more than half of which come from 25 other countries.

Luminaries like Bella Lewitzky and Ansel Adams, as well as contemporary personalities like Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paula Abdul, and Shepard Fairey have taught here. Many students continue to Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School in New York. Some become stars in their own right: Neal Bledsoe of Smash, Casey Abrams of American Idol, and Marin Ireland of Hope Springs.