Beverly Johnson was the first supermodel I ever met.

It was 1988, and I’d started my own design business in a swanky new building in Universal City. Beverly was visiting the office next door and somehow—lucky for me—was encouraged to drop by mine. We became friends right off the bat, and she let me tag along to many memorable dinners and parties on both coasts. We’ve remained friends ever since.

    About ten years ago, Beverly introduced me to her super-model-turned-gardener friend, Kelly Emberg, who, fast forward to today, is our GENLUX garden editor. Both Beverly and Kelly rose to stardom primarily because of Vogue. Beverly became the first black model to grace its cover in August 1974, and Kelly dominated its covers in the early ’80s. You may also remember Kelly through her catchy Cover Girl commercials that rang out, “That face, that face, that Cover Girl face!” Or maybe because she was, for many years, the girlfriend of bad boy rockstar Rod Stewart.

   Today, Beverly and Kelly are living proof that age is only a number. The now 60-somethings look as radiant and beautiful as ever on our GENLUX cover in their matching yellow Halston halter dresses photographed on the beaches of Malibu by Marc Baptiste and styled by Mimi Lombardo. I have Rod to thank for inspiring the title for Beverly and Kelly’s feature story: Forever Young (p74).

    In this “ageless” issue, we also feature actress Maeve Quinlan—youthful at 57—whom we know from her 11-year role as Megan on The Bold and the Beautiful. The stunning images of Maeve are courtesy of genius photographer Andrew Matusik, who recently moved back to LA from New York, and Corinne DiGiaimo, a brilliant up-and-coming stylist from Texas (p28).

In the serendipity department: I had the opportunity to meet a woman whose photograph I’ve gazed at a thousand times over the last 30 years. In photographer Slim Aarons’s famous image, Poolside Gossip, two women are seen chatting while nestled on white chaise lounges behind the Kaufmann Desert House—the home designed by architect Richard Neutra. The photo captures the essence of Palm Springs life in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The woman on the right in the picture is Nelda Linsk, who, at the time, owned the magnificent home. Last week, Nelda was honored at the second annual Beverly Johnson’s Mother’s Day Shop for a Cause Extravaganza to benefit The Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. The event was sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue and GENLUX. Through pre- and post-event conversations, I expressed how it would be my dream to recreate her photograph at the famed estate. Stay tuned.