Water Mill Welcomes A New Land Baron

Andy Warhol has long been associated with Montauk thanks to having purchased a magnificent property there decades ago. Now there is some connection to Water Mill thanks to a house bought for $5.5 million by Fabien Baron, whose resume includes having been editorial director of Warhol’s Interview magazine.

What is described as a 3,500-square-foot “compound” on Mecox Road south of the highway has 5 bedrooms and 6 baths, multiple living areas, and a renovated eat-in kitchen. The two-story main house was built in 1730 and is now surrounded by plenty of lush trees and shrubbery on the total 1.4 acres. The property also features a formal dining room, exercise room, private guest quarters, a study, a pool, and a structure that can serve as a pool house or guest house.

This should all be roomy enough for the many hats Mr. Baron wears. He was born in France, the son of a Parisian newspaper designer. As a student, he pursued design, sculpture, and painting, and in 1982, Mr. Baron took his talents to New York, where he became an art director for the Barneys clothing store. Six years later, he was in the magazine business, assisting in the reinvention of Italian Vogue.

In 1992, Mr. Baron went to work for Liz Tilberis as the creative director of Harper’s Bazaar. That same year, he also went to work for Calvin Klein, becoming the brand’s creative director. He got into the filmmaking business too, directing the Madonna (now a Bridgehampton neighbor) documentary “Sex” and the music video for “Erotica,” the title track of the accompanying album. That began a career path of directing commercials for Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Givenchy, and other fashion companies in addition to Calvin Klein.

It was in 2008 that Mr. Baron became editorial director of Interview, after another Water Mill resident, Peter Brandt, took over the magazine. Reportedly, the most famous issue under his watch was the December 2013 one that featured a topless Clare Danes on the cover and a profile of her by Dustin Hoffman. Another was the February 2014 issue, with Kanye West on the cover.

During all this activity, he found time to create Baron & Baron Inc., a boutique advertising agency specializing in fashion, fragrance, and cosmetics luxury brands.