Books
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Bunny Mellon at The National Gallery of Art
Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend Are you in DC this weekend, and happen to be a huge fan of Bunny Mellon, like we all are here at High End Weekly? Then we strongly urge you to head over to the East Building Auditorium of the National Gallery of Art.
Here are some tidbits of the upcoming book signing – as per the museum’s website.
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Bunny Mellon: The Pursuit of Perfection
- October 15 at 2:00 pm.
East Building Auditorium - Meryl Gordon, director of magazine writing, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, New York University, and author of The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark (2014) and Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach (2008)
Rachel Lowe Lambert Lloyd Mellon (1910–2014), also known as Bunny Mellon, was an American gardener, horticulturalist, philanthropist, and art collector. She represented the epitome of American aristocratic self-taught taste. With an unerring eye and an unlimited budget, she brought a modern sensibility to the extraordinary art collection that she and her husband Paul Mellon amassed, which included many works now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Acclaimed for designing the White House Rose Garden for her friend John F. Kennedy and famed as a garden designer and fashion trendsetter, Mellon was press-shy during her lifetime. To write Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend, the first biography of this influential woman, author Meryl Gordon drew on Mellon’s journals and letters and interviewed more than 175 people. In this lecture, Gordon discusses the interplay between the public and the private Bunny Mellon, as well as her close friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
A book signing of Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend follows.
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The Jet Set Life: Q&A with Nina Flohr
Nina Flohr, VistaJet’s Creative Director High End Weekly™ recently caught up with VistaJet creative director Nina Flohr to talk about the company’s newly released book, The Art Of Flying, published by Assouline. The uber chic, and cosmopolitan creative director also spoke to us about the importance of customer service, the changing expectations of their clients, technology, and of course, art and design. VistaJet is a global company, with offices in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Beijing. They currently flies Hong Kong-based clients on a nearly daily basis.
High End Weekly™: Tell us about your latest book, The Art of Flying.
Nina Flohr: The Art of Flying is a creative collaboration between VistaJet and Assouline Publishing. It has been a passion project of ours as the book explores aviation’s fascinating past from the mid-twentieth century to the present. This vibrant cultural history takes readers on a tour of air travel’s technological developments as well as the constant interplay between art, architecture and air travel that has always made flying a reflection of its time and a symbol of the cutting edge. The book features many of the inspirations from which we created the VistaJet brand.
© Mike Kelley HEW: How do your customers experience VistaJet’s general culture each time they fly?
Nina Flohr: Our customers expect a very high level of quality, service, and attention to detail as part of their daily personal or business routine. It is our belief that this same standard of excellence should apply to air travel. VistaJet owns a branded fleet of over 55 aircraft and offers an unprecedented consistency in service, whether clients are flying for business or pleasure. VistaJet’s worldwide service area covers all major routes, we are proud to provide special training so that our VistaJet employees understand the importance of our customers’ local cultural requirements.
© courtesy Lufthansa Archive 
© courtesy Bombardier Business Aircraft HEW: How has VistaJet focused on the lifestyle experience they offer to their passengers, and been able to communicate that side of the brand to them over the years?
Nina Flohr: VistaJet’s focus on comfort and style is apparent from the moment our passengers step on board. Our aircraft immediately differentiate themselves from competitors with their distinct silver with single red stripe livery, while our crew are dressed in custom cabin uniforms featuring Moncler coats. Additionally, like many of our passengers, we have a passion for design and art. As a result, we have embarked on a series of artistic initiatives to promote younger contemporary artists like RETNA and Ian Davenport to create bespoke designs for the tails of a few select aircraft, as well as, Jean Philippe Dehomme to illustrate our 10th anniversary story book. This strong design aesthetic continues into the interiors of the planes as they are outfitted with rich woods and buttery leathers that would not be out of place in our clients’ homes. To further enhance the comfort of our passengers we have partnered with a range of beloved brands from around the globe such as Nobu for a custom in-flight menu selection and bookshop Heywood Hill on curated in-flight libraries. Furthermore, we have developed the Ultimate Sky Sleep program to enhance customers’ onboard sleeping experience. It includes custom fitted mattresses, hypoallergenic feather duvets and pillows, high thread-count linens, cashmere blankets, eye masks and socks, brushed cotton pyjamas, cozy slippers, alongside an amazing new raw organic skin care regime by The Body Deli.
The Art of Flying Cover The VistaJet culture is to understand and anticipate our customers’ needs. We are not European or Asian. We are truly global in how we think and operate. As a result, our customers are not stepping into our culture, but instead we are allowing them to feel at home when they fly with us. Nina Flohr
HEW What are the biggest challenges you face today when it comes to improving your customer experience?
Nina Flohr: As a company, we always want to be at the forefront of in-flight cabin service so there is constant work to be done to keep the on board experience relevant for our customers. One of our primary focuses is continuing our expansion into new global markets , this means further adapting the cabin experience to reflect the cultural differences of our various service areas. For instance, when our aircraft fly to Asia, they are equipped with the necessary dinner ware for Asian style meals and offer a selection of Asian snacks along with traditional favourites.
© courtesy Lufthansa Archive HEW: As you build a luxury brand, what insights do you have about the future of the luxury sector given customers’ changing expectations?
Nina Flohr: The future of the luxury sector will see companies offering increasingly personalized services to their clients. For VistaJet, we customize the in-flight experience to match a client’s needs be that in-flight catering from their favourite restaurant, providing specialized entertainment and menus for children, we know how important pets can be to their families, they are also welcome on board and we take special care to ensure the aircraft is equipped for their needs as well. The definition of luxury is increasingly becoming tied to having the comforts of home and feeling at home, wherever you may be.
Alain Girard/Blue Storm Média © VistaJet HEW: Lets talk about technology. What role does technology play in improving the VistaJet experience?
© courtesy Bombardier Business Aircraft/VistaJet Nina Flohr: Technology plays a central role in the VistaJet experience for passengers who are traveling for business. While Wifi is standard in all our aircraft, we’ve recently made a commitment to secure even faster, more consistent wifi capabilities for our aircraft, which should become available in 2016. For in-flight entertainment, we’ve introduced iPads equipped with new release movies, TV shows, games, music and magazines as well as a custom content magazine called Voyager containing exclusive articles and interviews created quarterly for VistaJet travellers. On a technical rather than experiential note, our entirely customized operations software called Global View churns out statistics on a daily basis to aid with logistics and fleet optimization in order to ensure that passengers can go anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.
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Visionary Women On The Rise
Last week Thursday, the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society hosted its annual New York cocktail with a panel discussion on “How to Accelerate Women’s Economic Growth” at the Skyroom of the French Institute, aka Alliance Française. The evening was co-hosted by the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, Madeira Global and FIAF, with the support of Assouline. Celebrated author Angella Nazarian, also signed copies of her new book, Visionary Women, a highly inspiring good read that I highly recommend.
“When we connect with others, we can create fuel that will make this world a better place and certainly fast forward women and girls,” Kim Azzarelli
“I am a true believer in peer mentorship. It’s a must for the advancement of young women and girls.” Angella Nazarian, author of Visionary Women published by Assouline.
(L-R) Women’s Forum consultant Jean-Christian Agid, President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez, author Melanne Verveer, author Angella Nazarian and author Kim Azzarelli attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Angella Nazarian signs a book at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
View of atmosphere at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Author Angella Nazarian, author Melanne Verveer, author Kim Azzarelli and President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez speak at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Angella Nazarian speaks at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
“We are at an inflection point where data shows that women are rising more and more to the top. The data also shows that when we invest in women and girls, we can get to the world we want to see.” Ambassador Melanne Verveer, co-founder of SenecaWomen 
President of FIAF Marie-Monique Steckel (L) speaks at Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Kim Azzarelli attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Model Tasha de Vasconcelos attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Publisher Martine Assouline, President and CEO of Pro Mujer Rosario Perez, author Melanne Verveer, author Angella Nazarian, author Kim Azzarelli and publisher Prosper Assouline attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
(L-R) Publisher Prosper Assouline, Alexandre Assouline, President of FIAF Marie-Monique Steckel and publisher Martine Assouline attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Theater producer Francine Lefrak (L) and author Kim Azzarelli attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Jessica Seeley (L) and Women’s Forum consultant Jean-Christian Agid attend Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) 
Author Jenny Santi attends Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society New York Cocktail at French Institute Alliance Francaise on September 17, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Assouline) “Twenty years after the Beijing conference, it is time to speed up the empowerment of women around the world, to be more energetic, and to create more opportunities,” notes Jacqueline Franjou, CEO of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society.
Among the powerful women portrayed in Visionary Women, Rosario Perez, former president and CEO of Pro Mujer, concluded that “We can’t underestimate the power of showing someone who they can make it.” A member of the Women’s Forum Mexico Advisory Committee, Perez added that “women in Latin America do not have the same access to opportunity and resources but they have the will and drive. Our mission at Pro Mujer is to provide that helping hand so that women can help each other.”
Among the other attendees at the cocktail event were former and future delegates of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society, such as Martine and Prosper Assouline; Alexandre Assouline, Rising Talents Laetitia Garriott de Cayeux and Hannah Seligson; Actress Kiera Chaplin; television producer Carole Holmes Delouvrier; member of the House of Lords and 30% Club co-founder Mary Goudie; Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Executive director Olivia Flatto; Assouline Vice-President Stéphanie Labeille-Sczyrba; philanthropist Francine LeFrak; corporate social responsibility expert Susan McPherson; Art dealer and gallery owner Eric Mourlot; Starlite Randall; authors Jenny Santi and Delphine Schrank; visual artist Jessica Seeley; FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel; Founder of Amor and humanitarian Ambassador Tasha de Vasconselos; WeConnect International President Elizabeth Vazquez; and Marissa Wesely.
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The Must-Have of The Week
1. Peter Muller-Munk; Normandie pitcher 
2. Roi Fou Mat at Avenue Road 
The Milan Weave Grainy Leather Cesca Tote at Lulu Guinness 
Richard Schulman, Portraits of the New Architecture 2, Assouline 
Georges Pelletier, Glazed ceramic fish sculpture, signed, Circa 1970, France. 
Ocean agate table on patinated steel base, Curator’s Eye 
Antonio Pineda Modernist coffee set c. 1959-60 1. Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk (www.cmoa.org). 2. Roi Fou Mat at Avenue Road , www.avenueroad.com. 3. Milan Weave Grainy Leather Cesca Tote at www.luluguinness.com. 4. Richard Schulman, Portraits of the New Architecture at www.assouline.com. 5. Georges Pelletier, Glazed ceramic fish sculpture, signed, Circa 1970, France, www.hartergalerie.fr. 6. Ocean agate table on patinated steel base, www.curatorseye.com. 7. Antonio Pieneda Modernist coffee set at www.historicaldesign.com.
- Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Bauhaus, Books, Design, Gifts, HEW Hotels, Shopping, The Metropolitan Museum, Vyna St Phard
Shopping at The Met with Vyna
The Metropolitan Museum Gift Store“To the making of many books there is no end…” And The Metropolitan Gift Shop is an authority on supplying the world’s most outstanding reading materials. After a recent visit to the New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts, I decided to commemorate the occasion by visiting the gift shop and adding a few more books to my home library. I’m in the process of doing some research for a garden that I’m designing, and dedicating to the memory of my mother, and found the Gardening section had the right amount of variety of designs and styles which were quite helpful. In addition, I picked up a number of books ranging from architecture, fashion, and decorative arts. Would you like to find out exactly which ones were my favorites? -
Artful Gifts with A Past
Sonia Delaunay’s fashionable gifts from The Met StoreNow is the the time to get a head start on your holiday shopping. After all, immediately following Labor Day comes a barrage of holidays, and if you love the arts, and have some of those hard to please artsy friends, we suggest you try the shopping experience from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual holiday catalogue. Once we looked through its pages we were delighted to find merchandise collections inspired by and evocative of objects in the Museum’s vast holdings.
Like the previous years before, The Met has continued a tradition that began in 1870, their merchandising staff work closely with art historians, master craftspeople, and responsible manufacturers to assure that each of their publications, reproductions, and adaptations offers superior design, quality and value. These holiday introductions (and many more) are also available at store.metmuseum.org and in the Met’s retail locations: 1000 Fifth Avenue (within the Museum) and Rockefeller Center (15 West 49th Street). -
When Furniture Becomes Sculpture
Reading Rooms: A group show curated by Matthew WeinsteinSebastian & Barquet: February 28– April 5Reading Rooms is a group show of authors and designers curated by artist Matthew Weinstein. Weinstein will arrange seven reading areas in a large open space, using Sebastian + Barquet’s extensive archive of modern, postmodern and contemporary furniture. Each area will consist of a seat and a lamp; maybe a side table, a rug or an object will further define the arrangement. Each of these arrangements has been inspired by a novel chosen by Weinstein, and these novels will be available for people to read. For the duration of the exhibition, anybody can come in and read, for as long as they like. They will either be attracted by the novel or by the seating area when they make their choice of where to sit. In the open space, readers can watch each other read or viewers can watch people reading. A silent performance will take place every day in Reading Rooms, based on who is in there and what they are doing.Sebastian + Barquet is pleased to present Reading Rooms, a group show curated by Matthew Weinstein with selected works by Geoffrey Bradfield, Wendell Castle, Joe Colombo, Pedro Friedeberg, Graham Greene, Arturo Gomez Guerra, Johanna Grawunder, Anna Kavan, Aranda & Lasch, Peter Macapia, Carlo Molino, Ico Parisi, Charlotte Perriand, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Krueck & Sexton, Georges Simenon, Muriel Spark, Andrzej Stasiuk, Lynne Tillman, and Mae West.As the physical object of the novel dissolves into pure information, it’s relationship to artistic issues of physicality and visual imagery becomes more and more tenuous. The look of book covers that we remember from our formative years of reading, the smell of certain books, the size of them and the typeface that we are given (as opposed to the ones we can choose on a digital reading device) are all dying properties. But the body must rest someplace while the mind reads. Where we read, what we recline or sit on while we read, the light that illuminates the space around us while we read and the rug or floor beneath our feet while we read are enduring physical factors that define our experience of reading. If you read Moby Dick on an iPhone over the course of a year of subway commutes, your experience of it will be very different from your experience of it if you read a chapter a night before going to sleep in your own bed.We are often alone while we read, but often we are in bed with a partner, on the subway, in an airplane or in a coffee shop. Reading is a way of establishing one’s privacy while one is in public. Pretending to read is a classic way of avoiding talking to someone, or of spying on someone. This exhibition is about public and private space as people can elect to be reader or viewer. The envelope of space around the reader becomes a kind of sculpture; a thing we know we are not supposed to approach too closely or pass through.Reading Rooms also considers the challenge that reading poses in a fast paced culture. It is a challenge to break from one’s day and sit down and read for half an hour. Reading is a way of claiming time as well as space and privacy. It is becoming, more and more, a personal rebellion against the social demand that we pack more and more activities into the non-expansive space of one hour.For more information or images contact at info@sebastianbarquet.comGallery Hours: Monday–Friday, 10-6 PM
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The Whimsical World of François-Xavier & Claude Lalanne
Lalannes and friend at their Parisian homefrom the archieves of LIFE magazineAnimal Kingdom
My recent gallery tour at Sotheby’s reminded me of how wonderful Lalanne’s works truly is when I saw several of his most iconic pieces on display. The dynamic french duo have won the slow and steady race of producing what some called “the supreme art of living” with their beloved works of art. From monkey shaped fireplaces, rhino-shaped desks to a flock of sheep, Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne have created a whimsical world where we can engage with art and design – in a joyful and meaningful way.
François-Xavier Lalanne, “Mountons De Laine”, 1967, wool, patinated aluminum,electro-formed copper and woodPhoto courtesy High End Weekly™
Gingko Bench, Claude Lalanne, 1999. Aluminum,From Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 SalePhoto courtesy High End Weekly™
Claude Lalanne, chairs and table fom Lila Acheson Wallace Garden, Dewitt Wallace Deocrative Arts Museum. Part of Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 Sale
Lalanne Park Avenue Exhibition in NYC
François-Xavier Lalanne, Les Autruches, 1966
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
Oiseau à Bascule, François Xavier Lalanne, 1974Image via Wallpaper
Required Reading: Claude & Francois Xavier Lalanne from RizzoliNOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you. - Bill Cunningham, Books, Celebrities, Food, Le Cirque, Life and Style, Restaurants, Sirio Maccioni, The New York Times
A New Chapter for Le Cirque
What makes a restaurant legendary in a city that has seen its fair share of great restaurants come and go through the revolving door? Let me offer a suggestion. Perhaps the formula for success should be a restaurant with a combination between Italian cuisine alongside the french classics? If that is the case, than Le Cirque, celebrated for its fine dining and frequent celebrity spotting, has managed to achieve this coveted feat since 1974.
So this evening, when I head out to the book launch of A Table at Le Cirque, I know that it will be a charming occasion to mingle with my friends, and perhaps chat with the seductive Sirio Maccioni, who most famously, created a buzzing social club for titans and tastemakers from all walks of life, from every U.S. president since Nixon, kings and Hollywood royalty; café society and business magnates.
Above photos property of Le CirqueAll rights reservedAs I’m writing this post, I’m also glancing over the pages of A Table at Le Cirque… It is the first book to chronicle the fascinating stories, fabled history, the glitz and glamour, and the iconic recipes from the restaurant that is synonymous with luxury. The first half of the book recounts Maccioni’s journey from Montecatini to Manhattan and Le Cirque’s rise to glory. There are hundreds of photographs and drawings, and they all represent a visual history of the world inside the tent (some of them captured by The New York Times society photographer Bill Cunningham who posted himself, in rain or shine, in front of the entrance to capture the comings and goings. I see fashion titans Oscar de La Renta and Carolina Herrera; moguls Donald Trump and Swifty Lazar; socialites Blaine Trump and Nan Kempner; media mavens Barbara Walters and Liz Smith; music legends Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Ross; celebrities Woody Allen and Sophia Loren, to name a few. I also get to go inside the kitchens of each tenured chef from Jean Vergnes to Olivier Reginensi, each of whom brought something amazing to the table, as well as witness the reinvention of Le Cirque at the three Manhattan locations the restaurant has occupied in its storied history.
My favorite Chocolate Soufflé at Sirio Maccioni’s Le CirqueThe second part of the book shares the recipes that have kept everyone coming back for four decades. Le Cirque has been credited with inventing a cornucopia of plates that have become legendary: Jean Vergnes’s Dover Sole Le Cirque and Spaghetti Primavera, Alain Sailhac’s Fettuccine with White Truffles, Daniel Boulud’s Lobster Salad, Pierre Schaedelin’s deconstructed Caesar Salad, Jacques Torres’s Bombolini, and Sottha Khunn’s update on Chicken Diable. Enticing isn’t it? Now even you can try these delicious dishes at home by obtaining this movable feast at their online store. What are you waiting for? -
Take a splendid trip to Venice!
Rubelli Scenes from the Opera Are you ready for another book giveaway?
The generous, and spirited folks at Donghia are pleased to present you with a copy of their latest book, Rubelli, a story of Silk in Venice.
Rubelli Fifth and Sixth GenerationHow do you win this magnificent book that is fast becoming a “must have”in every design enthusiast’s library? Simple.Follow Us at:
The winner will get to pick up the book from the New York Donghia Showroom.And we’ll make our announcement onFriday, October 19th.Ciao!
