Celebrities
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The Weekender: Oscars Fashion
America’s Biggest Night of FashionI must have been in my late twenties when I read this article in the Wall Street Journal which dealt mostly about what it felt like in tinseltown if you weren’t nominated for an Oscars that year. From what I gathered, the situation can be quite brutal. From going around being completely ignored as if one is wearing a cloak of invisibility, to being virtually marginalized. And what happens if one commits a faux pas and wears the wrong dress at the nation’s biggest fashion night?Nicole Kidman at The Oscars, 2004Chanel CoutureWell, you’ll be perceived as a fashion victim, or worse yet – as someone who doesn’t heed to the occasion, and thinks that Oscars night is just about the awards and not about the fashion. This week, I had the pleasure of attending the 6th Annual Meet The Oscars, Grand Central (at The Vanderbilt Hall) where Academy award winner, Melissa Leo was present to mark the occasion. Each of the Oscars on view will depart New York today, en route to the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Los Angeles. Ms. Leo, a native New Yorker, gave the press an enjoyable speech about what it meant to win the best supportive role for her movie, The Fighter, in 2011. She explained how enjoyable it was for her to take her Oscars around, and share the joy with her friends and family.
And knowing that she’ll always be considered for acting roles, because she was now an academy award actress. She wasn’t being presumptuous, she was simply speaking about the realities of things. I can personally tell you that I did get my opportunity to hold this precious statue, and it felt wonderful – even though it was a temporary joy. This iconic object held a power of its own. Once you have it in your hand, it suddenly signifies something much more than a statue, and so began the seduction. It’s quite easy to understand why many actors and actresses feel that Oscars night should only be about receiving the highest honor that the academy of motion pictures will ever bestow on them. But at the same time, you can imagine that a potential winner would want to look his or her very best while receiving such an honor, yes? This coming Sunday, at the 84th Academy Awards, I hope to see Meryl Streep, whom I predict will win as best actress for her role in the Iron Lady, raise the fashion bar like she’s never done before. It’s clear that Ms. Streep does not care much for fashion, and being a paragon of grace in her field, perhaps she believes she doesn’t have to. But maybe, just maybe, she’ll surprise us all, when we see her take to the red carpet (I wouldn’t hold my breath though). It’s a fashion designer’s dream to compliment the stars with creme de la creme couture, during this special occasion, but unfortunately we’ve seen more than our share of missed opportunities. In modern times, the stars’ fashion sense on the red carpet have been getting dimmer and dimmer. But perhaps this Sunday will be different. Perhaps.
Left: Elizabeth Taylor, 1964, wearing a demure, yet elegant dress by Dior. Right: Grace Kelly, circa 1955, Edith Head gown
Marisa Tomei, 2009Versace
Zoe Saldana, 2010Givenchy couture
Halle Berry, 2011Marchesa couture
Melissa Leo, 2011Marc BouwerNOTE: 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.
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Memorable Actors: The Twiggy Effect
Role Model New York Fashion week is over and done with, and yours truly is thankful for that fact – most of us have already move on to London! Last week, some notable fresh faces went down the runway, and this brought a moment of “repose” as I reflected on an iconic figure from the 1960s named Twiggy. Many of us, are already familiar with her, and know that Twiggy is an actor, model and businesswoman, who embodied style and grace. How grateful I am that even in the 21st Century, she is still in the midst of fashion!Lesley Hornby, better known as Twiggy Lawson
What strikes me the most about Twiggy is that she has remained strong and confident throughout her career, and her popularity hasn’t waned as seasons passed. This is quite a feat considering that most models and actors usually do not experience this outcome. Yes, she was and still is a role model for many people in the entertainment and fashion industries. Her good girl image remained unchallenged, even ’till this day. She is an advocate against drugs, and a leading animal activist. In numerous occasions, Twiggy has spoken out against the trend of waif-thin models, explaining that her own thin weight as a teenager was natural. “I was very skinny, but that was just my natural build. I always ate sensibly – being thin was in my genes.” Back then, even Diana Vrelland, of Vogue Magazine, counted herself as a fan by saying: “She’s no flash in the pan. She is the mini-girl in the mini-era. She’s delicious looking.”https://www.highendweekly.com/2012/02/memorable-actors-twiggy-effect.html
Higher Grounds
Above: Twiggy with Richard AvedonIn the heights of the 60s, Twiggy was flying high as a top model, and kept her style as “young and elegant”.
AndrogynousShe was named “The Face of 1966” by the Daily Express in England.
Left: Twiggy was able to retire from fashion at the ripe old age of 19, but by then, she was well and truly rich and famous. She later proved to be a true businesswoman. Right: Twiggy in the movie: The Boy Friend, 1971.
What is the Twiggy Signature Look?
Left: French Fashion Designer, Yves St Laurent wool dress, fall/winter 1965–1966. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. William Rand, 1969 (C.I.69.23). Right: That famous hair breaded do which is so often duplicated by models today – yet, no one took it to the same level as Twiggy did.
Of Note: Yves St. Laurent, began showing shorter skirts in his fall/winter 1965 collection, including his famous “Mondrian” dress which was inspired by the work of painter Piet Mondrian. The designer, and his contemporaries continued with that trend throughout the 1960s, although he became more famous during this period for introducing the concept of the formal trouser suit for women into haute couture.
Woman on topTwiggy at 60 still remains in the forefront for women of her age. According to Wikipedia, she was “The only one of the famous celebrities to survive being cut from the Mark & Spencer fashion team in 2010”.Photo courtesy: Bryan AdamsNOTE: 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.
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The Weekender: The Winter Antiques Show & The Bard
The Importance of Being FashionableA couple of days before I went to a Press Preview at the Bard Graduate Center, I had no idea who Jane Harding was. Although the actress was not so well known here in the United States, back in France, she was all the rage. It is said that during her lifetime, Ms. Harding was one of the most photographed women in the world. Enter Staging Fashion, an “absolutely required” exhibition for fashionistas, and those who are so enthused by the celebrity culture.Woman’s Hat by Joseph G. Darlington and Co. Philadelphia, circa 1908 – 10.Straw, silk flowers and leaves.
The show is mostly about how celebrities like Jane Harding, Lily Elsie, and Billie Burke dominated the fashion scene back in the early 20th Century. They managed to do so by one important medium – Photography. Carefully staged photographs represented a vital self-promotional tool by which the actresses asserted their status as Fashion Arbiters. Sound very much like our current culture right? Back then, the images by Harding emphasized an image of an attractive, elegantly dressed, and poised woman, who offered herself for admiration and at the same time, scrutiny. A close collaboration between photographers and actors was crucial back then as it is today. The promotional interest between the media to its public is phenomenal and is ever increasing. In this sophisticated exhibition, Fashion and Theater came together beautifully to form a brilliant and lasting marriage.January 18 – April 8, 2012The Bard Graduate Center18 West 86th StreetNew York City
Left: Reutlinger Studio (French, 1850-1937). Postcard of Jane Hading in La Pompadour, ca. 1901. Hand-colored photograph with glitter. Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White. Right: Foulsham & Banfield (English, 1906–1920). Postcard of Lily Elsie in The Merry Widow, ca. 1907. Private collection.
Photographed by Bruce White.
Advertisement for Rogers & Thompson’s Soirée Silk featuring Billie Burke. Photograph by Sarony Studio. From The Theatre (September 1916): 165. Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White.
Jane Hading: Paul Boyer. Jane Hading in Plus que Reine. Cover of Le Théatre (May 1899). Private collection.Photographed by Bruce White.
Postcard of the Théâtre du Vaudeville and the Boulevard des Italiens, ca. 1905. Hand-colored photograph. Private collection. Photographed by Bruce WhiteAll photos courtesy of the Bard Graduate Institute.© All Rights ReservedThe Winter Antiques Show 2012The illustrious Winter Antiques Show opens today at the Park Avenue Armory for the 58th Year in a row. This year, be prepared to get reacquainted with old dealers and meet new ones. Jonathan Boos is displaying an impressive collection of Alexander Calder’s standing mobiles.Originally gifted by the artist to a family who cared for his mother in the 1950’s, these pieces were kept there for over 50 years and now are ready to embrace a new home. Highlights from the show included a rare and important African-American Pictographic Plantation desk, ca. 1870, from Madison, Mississippi. This particular desk is attributed to “Willie” Howard, a favored slave at Kirkwood Plantation, owned by pre-Civil War Governor McWillie. Art Deco dealer, Maison Gerard, have several new acquisitions from Leuleu. They are exquisite and offer themselves as perfect additions to any art deco collector. Another exciting dealer to look for is Keshishian. Mr. Eddy Keshishian, a carpet dealer from London, is exhibiting a jaw-dropping Art Deco carpet made for the Maharajah of Indores palace. This magnificent piece demonstrates the widespread appeal of Art Deco design, which was originated in France and quickly spread as far as India. Go inside the show, by visiting us on Facebook, for more photographs. The Winter Antiques Show benefits the East Side House Settlement which was founded in 1891 to help immigrants and lower income families on the East Side of Manhattan. In 1962, it moved to the South Bronx where it serves 8,000 residents annually within one of America’s poorest congressional districts, the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx.
My Fair LadiesQuintessential Victorian fairies from the 19th Century
Clockwise: From Nicholas Grindley Works of Art, Ltd. A ceremonial fan of circular leaf shape made of three boards crudely joined together and carved on the face with radiating ribs with an incurved lip at the top. Thai, 18th – 19th Century. Egyptian gilded and painted cartonnage mummy mask. Ptolemaic Period, c. 4th – 3rd century BC, from Rupert Wace Ancient Art. Foreground – One of three remarkable series of Alexander Calder standing mobiles (untitled) from Jonathan BoosPhotos property of High End Weekly™ -
Aspen Fashion
Aspen is a long way from its past as a mining camp in the Colorado Silver Boom. Nowadays it is THE destination as a ski resort and an upscale tourist center. Aspen is a mixture of high-end luxury estates and condos intermixed with equally impressive shopping stores – especially on Hunter Street. My first trip to this nature paradise was in the early 2000s when I was working at an investment bank, in New York City. The company arranged for the managing partners to stay at The Little Nell, and accommodations for the little people was at The Ritz Carlton down in Prospector Road. Let’s just say, I didn’t complain. Although the hotel was lovely and all that, what really impressed me was the mountains, and the sheer beauty of my surroundings. This place tugged at my heart then as it does today. And the reason is simple – the beautiful mountains. When given the choice between vacationing at a beach front property or in the middle of the mountains… The hills come calling – every time.
Haute SkiClockwise: Chanel signature skis, Quilted nylon moon boot from Tecnica, and Dolce and Gabana 2011 ski wear collection.
March 11-14, 2012Fair Price
Clockwise: Yes, knitwear can look sexy. This fair isle jumper dress from Direct Aska is inspired from the D&G Ski bunny collection. Sheepskin lined platform boot from Topshop,the right fit for every budget. Techno, and stylish. Ski cape from Napapijri.Maria Carey: Aspen Chic
Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey, Aspen 2011
Mariah Carey outside the Dior South Galena Street, Downtown AspenNOTE: 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.You May Also Like
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Fairchild Baldwin at The OC Concept Store
Like the memory of the iconic Audrey Hepburn, I predict that these bags will soon see their way to immortality, as the quintessential bag. Shown here in black broadtail with leather trim and shiny silver handles, these limited edition small “O” bag from Fairchild Baldwin are designed to go from day to evening. All of the bags from their collection lined in 100% silk satin. Available in garnet kangaroo with leather trim and gunmetal handles, cream broadtail with leather trim and 10k gold handles, smooth black Italian leather with gunmetal trim and handles, and grey flannel with cognac leather trim and gunmetal handles. From the OC Concept Store.
Left: Hourglass shape coat from Lanvin’s winter collection. Right: Lightweight, weekend Bobby duffel bags with signature “O” accent for men and women. Shown here are the french blue with navy trim, and the grey flannel with tan trim. Also available in silver and espresso brown pebble.
Mariah Carey looked fabulous in this Merino wool pale gray cape, perfectly accessorized with a thin brown belt. Whoever her stylist is, all I can say is well done! Her sunglasses reminds me of the Tom Ford pair we carry in our Amazon store. The Jill bag from the OC Store is flat, lightweight, and offers a perfect compliment to her ensemble. It is designed for convenient travel and everyday use, plus it serves double duty as a clutch. Brown pebble leather with orange stitching and brass handles.NOTE: 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. -
Memorable Actors: Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy
A Class Act There’s no better way to start this series of Memorable Actors other than with Audrey Hepburn. She had that mega star voltage, as well as that coveted, immeasurable style and grace.
And from the looks of things, Audrey’s beauty was beyond skin deep, and I think just about anyone would agree with that statement. Not only was she a Hollywood legend, mother, wife, and humanitarian (not necessarily in that order), she was also the most stylish woman of her time.
These images of her wearing Givenchy are some of the best possible ways that I want to remember her by. She looked event more dazzling in that designer gown (pictured below) she wore in the 1954 film Sabrina. That was a double wow!!
Audrey HepburnNOTE: 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. -
Jeff Koons Plate Launch and Signing at Bernardaud
Famed visual artist Jeff Koons at Bernardaud. 
Jeff Koons 
Jeff Koons Plate
Michel Bernardaud, Jeff KoonsJeff Koons
Atmosphere
Eva Lorenzotti, Liz Swig
Jean Shafiroff, Jeff Koons
Doreen Remen, Jeff Koons, Yvonne Force Villareal, Casey Fremont
From Left: Claudette Blackwood, Anne Marie Kishbauch, Michel Bernardaud, Jeff Koons, George Kakaty, Corinne Oats, Staff
- At The Auction with Vyna, Auction Houses, Celebrities, Christie's, Events, Haute Couture, Jewelry, Life and Style, The Weekender
The Weekender: Elizabeth Taylor auction featured at Christie’s
The auction house devoted all 300,000 square feet of its facility to this museum-quality exhibit of Elizabeth Taylor’s Collections of jewelry, fashion, accessories, fine art, film memorabilia, costumes and decorative items. What can one expect to see at this once in a lifetime exhibition which is divided into four major sections?Left: La Peregrina, a natural pearl, diamond and ruby necklace by Cartier. Right: Pair of Natural Pearl and diamond ear pendants by BulgariThe Diamond Room: Which offers an up-close tour through Ms. Taylor’s most iconic jewelry, boasts an exquisite 33.19 carat D-color stunner, called the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. The Lifetime Achievement Room: A special display of Elizabeth Taylor’s impressive honors and humanitarian awards, intermingled with memorabilia and costumes from her many beloved film roles.The Icon’s Closet is an awe-inspiring walk through. It is a treasure trove of flawlessly-maintained haute couture and ready-to wear fashion and accessories (many of which the actress brought herself with her own money, and without help from a throng of stylists), with over 200 designer handbags alone. Finally, The Art Gallery – the first comprehensive exhibition of her most impressive fine art collection, includes master works by Van Gogh (valued at $12 Million, it is the priciest item from the entire collection), Frans Hals, Degas, Pissaro, Renoir, and Warhol.The auction is expected to exceed $50 million in total (I believe that the actual realized figure will quadruple that number). Tickets to the landmark exhibition are on sale now at www.christies.com/elizabethtaylorviews. Portion of the profits generated by the exhibition admissions, events and select publications related to the exhibitions will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, which was founded by the beloved actress in 1991. Ms. Taylor passed away on March 23 from congestive heart failure at the age of 79.Christie’s20 Rockefeller PlazaNew York City212-636-2000
The Essentials: The little black dresses
Photos credited to: Associated Press
Lot 347A Tiziani black velvet ‘Scorpio’ evening cape labeled ‘Tiziani Roma’, 1968-1969Estimate: $2,000-$3,000
Lot 52“The Night of the Iguana Brooch”A diamond and multi-gem brooch by Jean Shlumberger, Tiffany & Co, circa 1964Gift from Richard Burton upon the occasion of the premiere of the film Night of the Iguana, August 11, 1964Estimate: $200,000-$300,000
Lot 1758A black patent leather shoulder bag labeled ‘Lanvin’, probably 2000s, with an acrylic green marbled handle, magnetic closure and chunky goldtone chain strap, with a black ribbon tie and an interior integrated swivel mirror: 8″ High, 12″ Wide, 3″ DeepEstimate $300-$500Photos courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd. 2011
Making a StatementPhoto credited to: Getty ImagesThe jaw-dropping Elizabeth Taylor Jewelry Collection which is up for auction this month, finally made its grand appearance at Christie’s. The show is open to the public tomorrow, Saturday, December 3, and ends on Monday, December 12. Among other things, this exhibit reveals that not only was Dame Taylor a genuine Hollywood icon, but she was also a connoisseur of art and fashion, and of course, her lifetime passion – jewelry. The auction starts on the evening of December 13 with Elizabeth Taylor’s most iconic jewelry. Orianne Collins, jewelry designer and owner of OC Concept Store, hosted the preview event at Christie’s (check out my interview with Ms. Collins).
Photo credit: Getty ImagesNOTE: 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. -
The Look Book: Carine Roitfeld
Carine RoitfelNOTE: 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. -
Katy Perry goes Deco
Tonight I’m going to a Glamour Magazine party, and I’ll be channelling the 1920s fashion. This week, my love for Art Deco was reawaken, yet again, by looking at these photographs from David LaChapelle’s photos of Katy Perry. So I’m totally inspired now, and will be wearing a favorite art deco dress – minus the thigh high hosiery.
Katy Perry photographed by David LaChapelleNOTE: 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.
