Christmas in New York 2013: Bergdorf Goodman (and a Vanderbilt mansion)

The dress is by Giambattista Valli, the stole is from Oscar de la Renta.

It’s been a tradition of mine for the past few years to see the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows and my favorite time to go is at night when it’s easier to see the windows without any glare or reflection. There are also less people at night so you can actually get up close and have a good look at the amazing clothes, accessories, and displays.

The theme of the Fifth Avenue Bergdorf windows this year is “Holidays on Ice”. They were a little more low-key than last year’s over the top windows but I loved them anyway. My favorites were definitely the Valentine’s Day window, the Halloween window—which features a 1/8-scale model of Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s Fifth Avenue mansion—and the Groundhog Day window.

The entire window. So girly and pink and wonderful!

Have a look at the inside of the cabinet!

The ode to Halloween.

I love the Edward Gorey feel to this window. The dress is a custom-made Naeem Khan.

The mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II depicted in the Halloween window stood on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, where Bergdorf Goodman now stands, from 1883-1928. It was, and remains, the largest private residence ever built in New York City. I of course had to go look it up once I read that. Here is a photo of it.

The mansion of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, at 1 West 57th Street and 5th Avenue.Wow! Old glamorous New York!

The 4th of July window.

I love that red coat by Thom Browne!

The Arbor Day window.

What a great detail on this shoe by Charlotte Olympia.

The April Fool’s Day window with its upside-down view.

The Groundhog Day window was one of my favorites.

I love seeing the delight people take in these windows, which feel like a series of gorgeous presents from Bergdorf Goodman to every person who walks by and stops to take a look. After seeing the movie Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s earlier this year I understand how much work and planning goes into these displays, which makes me appreciate them more.

It’s always fun to watch people’s reactions to the windows!

It really is a magical time in Manhattan when the stores put up all their holiday lights and displays on Fifth Avenue. You can feel the happy energy in the cold air and that combined with so many beautiful things to look at—I don’t feel the need to own them, looking at them is enough for me—plus sharing all that beauty with a friend, as I did this year, reminds me how very much I still love New York.

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and a happy kickoff to your holiday season!

L'Wren Scott Got the Red Memo

An ad for L’Wren Scott’s collection at Banana Republic.

I’m very excited about designer L’Wren Scott’s upcoming collection at Banana Republic. I have become more interested in her aesthetic over the past year after reading a few articles and interviews with her that trace her career path. She was a model before becoming a celebrity stylist and she started her own line in 2006. My mother and I checked out her clothes at Barney’s once and were impressed with the attention to detail and the classic and ladylike feel to the collection. It also seems L’Wren never met a sequin (or lace) she didn’t like and I can definitely relate to that!

L’Wren is the beautiful brunette. She is 6’3!

L’Wren’s regular line is quite expensive—have a look here to see what I mean—so I’m happy she’s doing a collaboration with Banana Republic so I can add some of her designs to my closet without breaking the bank.

A write-up about the Banana Republic collection in the November 2013 issue of Vogue.

Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani in Diabolique, 1996.

Did you know L’Wren was one of the costume designers in the remake of Diabolique with Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani? I loved Sharon Stone’s feminine yet structured yet va-va-voom look in the movie. It had a vintage vibe to it and this was back in 1996 when vintage was not as popular as it is today.

The sequined cardigan and red clutch will find a home with me!

There is a lot of red in L’Wren’s collection for Banana Republic and I can definitely see one of the sequined sweaters and the lips clutch finding their way into my closet. The collection is available in stores and online on December 5.

Let this be your friendly reminder that Adrienne and I would love for you to join us for “How I Wear My: Red”. We are accepting photos until December 3, 2013.

As for the lovely L’Wren, an interview with her that I liked is at The Telegraph. There is also a fun read about her beauty routine over at Into the Gloss. If you want to see the amazing Paris apartment she shares with boyfriend Mick Jagger, you can check it out here.

UPDATE: Due to a timing conflict Adrienne and I have to reschedule “How I Wear My: Red” so we will now accept pictures until December 8, 2013.

Sailor Style by Jean Paul Gaultier

“Lascar” gown from the 2000 haute couture collection.

Although it only comprises eight of the looks at the exhibit The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, now on view at Brooklyn Museum, the sailor ensembles had, for me, one of the biggest impacts of the show and the most personal relevance.

I’ve always loved Gaultier’s take on stripes and this was no exception. Since was my father was in the Navy I feel especially close to these clothes. Peacoats and stripes are in my DNA!

The sailor collection at the Brooklyn Museum.

What I particularly love here is how Gaultier takes a simple concept and explores it, making it more extraordinary and fun. There is nothing more classic than a naval uniform no matter what country you sail for, but I love that Gaultier pays homage to the elements of international sailor style by pushing it toward its limit or by turning it on its head.

Princess Caroline of Monaco wore this gown in 2000.

I love the addition of the ostrich feathers!

“Bateau-lavoir” ensemble from 2002. Check out the back below!

This took 152 hours to make. The blur on the left is Mr. Gaultier himself!

A Palm Leaf Jacket-Hat from the 2003 “Buttons” collection.

The pants are from 1983. I love the pairing of these two pieces.

Ahoy shipwrecked leather-wearing sailor!

Love this dress though I caught the mannequin in a scary facial moment!

This dress is from 1997. I love the alternating patterns of lace.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is on view at the Brooklyn Museum until February 23, 2014.

Paris in Love: A Memoir

If you are looking for a book to enjoy over the coming holidays—with their sometimes unexpected pockets of downtime for reading!—I highly recommend Paris in Love: A Memoir. Author Eloisa James—aka Mary Bly when she’s penning romance novels—has written a beautiful book full of surprising epiphanies. Sometimes they come in the form of things she sees in Paris, sometimes they come from her husband and kids, sometimes they come from her thoughts on writing. You will find yourself, as I did, relating to many of them.

James and her husband, Alessandro, both professors, decided to sell their house in New Jersey and move to Paris for a year with their children, aged 15 and 11, after James’ bout with breast cancer. Her book comes from the Facebook posts she wrote over the course of their year in Paris, giving it its fast read in bite-size bits, with more leisurely essays in between. The result is a standout offering on the Americans-who-love-Paris theme since James, while charmed by the City of Light, never loses sight of the fact that she and her family are staying there a year, not forever. She observes Parisians but doesn’t try to become one of them. The entertaining way she writes about her children settling in—middle and high schools sound very tough in Paris!—makes you want the whole family to move to Germany, Scotland, Tahiti, anywhere really, just to see what would happen, and what insights James could glean from them, and herself, that would find relevance in all of our lives.

A few of my favorite parts of the book:

“Ballerinas fall out of the conservatory on our street, eager for a smoke. They cluster around the steps, hip bones jutting. Today, two of them are resplendent in pink tutus, absentmindedly stretching their hamstrings.”

“Parisian life is small and quiet. I pack the children off to school and then think greedily about how many hours I have before they come home. I have come to the conclusion that silence and time are the most precious commodities.”

James also has lush, wonderful writing concerning both age and fashion.

“Alessandro and I followed an exquisite pair of legs out of the Métro today. They were clad in flowery black lace stockings and dark red pumps. Their owner wore a coat with five buttons closing the back flap, and gloves that matched her pumps precisely. We walked briskly up the steps, and I turned around to see the front of the coat, only to find that the lady in question was at least seventy. She was both dignified and très chic. Old age, à la parisienne!

“At lunchtime Alessandro and I strolled over to a Hôtel Drouot auction preview featuring vintage haute couture, that is, designer clothing made completely by hand. I tried on a Chanel opera jacket that must have weighed fifteen pounds, thanks to the exquisite, heavy gold embroidery and beading—thousands and thousands of tiny hand stitches and shining bright beads. For just a moment, I felt like Grace Kelly.”

I savored this book every night, along with a Lindt truffle, and James, a lover of chocolate herself, would approve I’m sure! There are wonderful sections in the book about Paris at Christmastime, so treat yourself right and pick up a copy of Paris in Love to luxuriate in over the holidays.

I highly recommend having a few Lindt truffles while reading Paris in Love.

And have some chocolate on stand-by!

You can learn more about Eloisa James at her website, www.eloisajames.com

Jewels by JAR

This stunning Zebra Brooch by JAR is from 1987.

If you are in New York City over the holidays, go have some glittery fun with a visit to the amazing new exhibit Jewels by JAR, opening today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. JAR are the initials of Joel A. Rosenthal, an American jeweler who lives and works in Paris. This is the first retrospective of his work in the U.S. and marks the first time the Met has devoted an exhibit to a contemporary artist of gems.

Colored Balls Necklace, 1999.

The Bronx-born and bred Rosenthal attended Harvard University, moving to Paris shortly upon graduation. After stints including opening a needlepoint shop and a brief move back to New York to work at the famed jewelry house Bulgari, Rosenthal decided to start his own jewelry business under his initials JAR. He and his partner, Pierre Jeannet, opened their tiny shop in Paris on the Place Vendôme in 1978.

Fleur de Lys Stained Glass Brooch, 1987. Amethysts, garnets, tourmalines, diamonds, silver, gold.

Rose necklace, 2001. Rubies, sapphires, garnets, beryls, diamonds, silver, gold.

More than 400 JAR masterworks are on display, on loan from collectors around the world. Jane Adlin, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Met, who organized the exhibit, noted that Rosenthal is most known for the extensive use of pavé in his jewelry. She also said, “You could put any of the pieces on a coffee table or a dressing table and they would function as a work of art.”

Iris Brooch, 2000. Sapphires, diamonds, silver, gold.

Ms. Adlin is exactly right. JAR’s flower brooches are absolutely amazing (and huge!), but what I loved most were his animal brooches. I have never seen anything like them in terms of workmanship, size and beauty. They are stunning and well worth a visit.

Sheep’s Head Brooch, 2006. Oriental pearls, sapphires, silver, gold. I just love it.

Butterfly Brooch, 2013, of diamonds, spinels, aluminum, gold, and silver.

More gorgeous butterflies (and a dragonfly!) by JAR. Beyond gorgeous!

The butterfly brooches take up an entire wall at the back of the exhibit.

Elephant Brooch, 1987. Agate, Oriental pearls, diamonds, silver, gold.

I am amazed at the detail as shown here...

...and here.

Sheep’s Head Brooch of sapphires, aluminum and gold, 1997.

Elephant Head Brooch, 2013. Diamond aigrette, titanium, agate, silver, gold. One of my favorites.

Jewels by JAR is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art through March 9, 2014.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)
New York NY 10028

Bob Hall of Fame

Donna Tartt in her signature bob and menswear-inspired clothes.

When I went to the Donna Tartt reading late last month, to hear her read from her latest novel, The Goldfinch, I was reminded of how much I love her hair. She usually wears it in a trim bob which suits both her frame—she is quite petite—as well as her sartorial style, firmly rooted in menswear-inspired pieces. The night she read at Beth Elohim in Brooklyn she wore a black velvet jacket, a white blouse, black trousers and shiny black shoes. She looked amazing.

Donna’s hair is definitely in my Bob Hall of Fame and of course I have a few other ladies I would add to this list! What I love about the bob is that you can take it either way—play up its severity by wearing borrowed-from-the-boys clothes, as Donna does, or use its sleekness to highlight your femininity.

I do let my hair grow out but I always come back to the bob. Every time my glamorous Ukrainian hairstylist hands me the mirror so she can show me the back of my hair that she just perfectly cut, I always tell her, “I feel like myself again.”

Catherine Zeta Jones in Chicago. I know it’s a wig but God do I love this bob.

Here are a few other babes I would place in my Bob Hall of Fame. Sometimes, like the ultra-sexy Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago, above, they have a bob for a movie role, or a photo shoot, while others claim the bob as their signature style. Every one of these babes in bobs have reminded me why this cut is, for me, the ne plus ultra of hair.

I love this picture of a smiling Louise Brooks, bob mother of us all. Photo from Doctor Macro.

You knew Anna Wintour would be on this list. Hers is my hair ideal!

Kate Hudson in Le Divorce. Another wig but I love this longer bob on her. Do not get me started on the Kelly.

I am a big fan of Linda Fargo’s silver bob. Please God, give me this hair when I go gray.

Natalie Portman in a photo by Mario Testino for Vogue, 2004. Love love love this look on her.

Cameron Diaz in There’s Something About Mary. I loved her messy bob in this film.

Linda Evangelista always looked great in a bob. And I loved her as a redhead!

Madonna in 2006. She needs to stick with a choppy bob like this one. It suits her!

The hair! The makeup! The sequins! Smokin’ hot! Did Katie Holmes ever look better?

I am NOT including myself in the Bob Hall of Fame, but when my bob goes right it looks like this:

For “How I Wear My: Black & White” in January my hair cooperated for once!

Would you add to this list of bobs? If so, do tell me who wore it and what you loved about it! Do you favor one particular hairstyle that you always return to?