The Great Estate
Fashion-Industry Mogul JEFF ABRAMS Invigorates El Mirador
Written by Lorie Dewhirst Porter
Photographs by Dewey Nicks
Jeff Abrams is a very busy man. In addition to helming his global fashion brand, Rails, with 200 employees and 15 retail stores across the United States and Europe, heʼs a passionate preserver of El Mirador, the historic Montecito estate formerly owned by Chicagoʼs meatpacking Armour family.
“Once the house was revealed to me, I had this emotional, visceral response. It reminded me of being in Europe.”
In the early 20th century, El Mirador was a sprawling 70-acre estate, replete with Italian and Japanese gardens, an outdoor theater, and a private zoo. Over time, as with many grand estates, the land was subdivided and sold to separate owners. In 2018, Abrams fell in love with a 1990s Mediterranean-style mansion built on one of the property’s parcels. Created by local designer Michael DeRose, it was commissioned by legendary art dealer Stephen Hahn, beloved benefactor of the Music Academyʼs Hahn Hall. “Once the house was revealed to me, I had this emotional, visceral reaction to it,” Abrams told one interviewer. “It reminded me of being in Europe.” The property also includes a magnificent old adobe structure flanked by a pool and a tennis court.
With the advice of local interiors doyenne Elizabeth Vallino, Abrams has been gradually furnishing the 12,000-square-foot residence. “I just want it to be a comfortable place to live,” he says. “Even though the spaces are grand, I want them to feel cozy and at home.” Abrams has acquired several adjacent properties that also formed part of the Armour estate, including the original gatehouse, the farmhouse with horse stables, the Japanese garden, and the stone grotto. He now owns 30 acres, nearly half of the original El Mirador estate. “I actually bought a couple of golf carts,” Abrams admits, “because if you’re really spending time walking around here, it could take a fair amount of time.”
“Every time I come here, I feel thankful and want to show respect for the fact that I have access to this.”
In addition to golf carts, Abrams acquired a tractor and other industrial equipment to grapple with maintaining the extensive grounds. Fortunately, the property has its own well to provide water for the extraordinary plantings that continues to thrive under Abrams’ watchful eye, aided by DeRose, who also does landscape design.
Abrams has also grown accustomed to sharing the property with local wildlife. “There are definitely predators and prey,” he says. “Coyotes and foxes and bobcats and bears and mountain lions; and then you have all these animals that are trying to survive. This is a glamorous setting, but you also have to respect that you’re in nature.”
All this may seem grandiose, but Abrams has earned it fair and square, having launched his business in 2008 with a $5,000 investment and no fashion background; today Rails generates more than $750 million in retail sales.
“Iʼm approaching this property with a sense of humbleness,” he says. “Every time I come here, I feel thankful and want to show respect for the fact that I have access to this. That’s also what drives me to maintain it and be a caretaker; I know how long it’s taken to get here, and how much hard work it takes.”
