W articles from April 2006

W archives from April 2006

And then there was one.(services and achivements of Frida Giannini)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... When Tom Ford left Gucci in 2004, the fashion house raised more than a few perfectly plucked eyebrows by promoting three little-known designers to the helm. Alessandra Facchinetti was named head of women's wear; John Ray was to design men's...

Royal debut.(Marc Jacobs boutique)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Marc Jacobs has called Paris home since 1997, when he took the reins at Louis Vuitton, so it was always surprising that the City of Light lacked a Marc Jacobs boutique. That situation was remedied in January, when the designer opened his first...

Lord flies.(The Month in Fashion)
April 1, 2006... Two thousand and five was a tumultuous year for department stores. Neiman Marcus was sold, Federated Department Stores bought May Company, turning Marshall Field's into Macy's, and Saks Inc. sold off some of its divisions. If January is any...

Youth quake.(products and management of Alexander McQueen)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... To introduce his first diffusion line, McQ, Alexander McQueen culled inspiration from his teenage years in East London, re-creating a British youth club for the launch party during the Milan men's Fashion Week in January. He took over an old...

On made.(products and management of Nuala)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Since launching Nuala six years ago, Christy Turlington Bums has expanded the brand to include not just yoga-inspired clothing but shoes and accessories as well. Now the supermodel is giving the label what she calls "a new spin" with the help...

Red-hot Prada.(facility closure due to extensive smoke and water damage)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Downtown New Yorkers will have to travel a bit farther afield to get their Prada fix this season after a five-alarm fire ripped through four stories of 575 Broadway, the landmark structure that houses the label's Manhattan flagship, in January....

Stepping down.(Paper Denim and Cloth reduces the prices of jeans)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Just when the purchasing public was getting used to forking over $200 for a pair of jeans, premium denim pioneer Paper Denim & Cloth announced in January that it will substantially lower its prices, from $150-$240 to $100-$160. "I'm not sure...

Red alert.(The Month in Fashion)
April 1, 2006... U2 frontman Bono is no stranger to fashion, having launched the socially conscious denim line Edun with his wife, Ali Hewson, and designer Rogan Gregory last year. Now he's teaming up with Giorgio Armani, the Gap, Converse and American Express...

The golden child.(social aspects of Robert Redford)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... What kind of woman catches Robert Redford's eye? That was the million-dollar question in the early Seventies when every Hollywood starlet--including Faye Dunaway, Candice Bergen and Mia Farrow, who eventually won the plum role--was vying for...

Drama queen.(Fast Forward)
April 1, 2006... Onstage and on television, Laura Benanti has played any number of serious, dark and unhappy heroines. There was the somber Cinderella who leaves her philandering prince in the 2002 Broadway revival of Into the Woods, which scored her great...

Altared States.(Letter From the Editors)
April 1, 2006... April There are times when magazine editors strive--struggle, even--to link stories thematically in some kind of razzmatazz special issue. And then there are times when, completely inadvertently, a thread appears to weave through several...

Reese rules.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Congratulations on a wonderful story about one of my favorite actresses, Reese Witherspoon ("She Is Reese--Hear Her Roar," February). An intelligent woman in addition to being a creative, versatile actress, Reese stands out from her peers. She...

Girl, you'll be a woman soon.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... After years of reading scandalous stories about Mary-Kate Olsen in the tabloids, I was surprised to see her looking so stunning on the cover of your January issue. In the accompanying interview ("MK"), she proved that she has grown into a...

Clothes encounters.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I appreciate W for its artistic fashion spreads. However, the shoot "Glory Days" (February) was a disappointment. Those pictures belong in a gallery, not a fashion magazine. The photos have drama, but most of the time I can't discern what the...

Rebel Yell.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Many of the young artists profiled in February's "The Renegades" feature were born into wealth and art-world connections. So how exactly does that make them renegades? And as for being "subversive," as the introduction called them, you have got...

Patriot act.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I feel compelled to respond to comedian Kathy Griffin's complaint that Steven Spielberg was "trampling" on her First Amendment rights when he requested that she apologize for her joke about Dakota Fanning being in rehab ("The Joker," February)....

Correccion.(Readers React)(Correction notice)
April 1, 2006... I was very pleased to see that you dedicated part of your January issue to the Duchess Cayetana of Alba ("Lady of Spain"). She is a walking piece of history, and her story has captivated many, including myself. However, you were incorrect in...

Sue Me.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I have never been in the entertainment business, nor do I know former superagent Sue Mengers. However, is it possible to have her as a monthly contributor to W? "What Makes an Agent Run," in which she reminisces about her career and weighs in...

Getting your goat.(UNCENSORED)
April 1, 2006... What's the hottest high-society gift in London these days? Hint: It has four legs and smells like a barnyard, in 2004 the British charity Oxfam started a program through which donors can give live goats and other livestock (costing around $40...

Millennium man.(works of Karl Lagerfeld)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... KarlLagerfeld's taste for antiquities is legendary. He has gone through an 18th-century French phase, had his Art Deco days and even made his way to a Memphis moment. But the designer has auctioned off many of those dusty treasures, and when he...

Bar seen.(celebrities in bars and restaurants)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Patrons at Los Angeles hot spots--even those for whom reservations are not a problem-are opting to perch at the bar for dinner. "It's more anonymous", says Dan Harrington, the manager at Jar, who has seen Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Bryan...

Museum trip.(UNCENSORED)
April 1, 2006... Is the Louvre tiring of its Old Masters? After Audrey Tautou took a spin through the museum for Ron Howard's adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, model-turned-actress Laetitia Casta led a video tour as a way of introducing more contemporary art to...

Maybe baby?(Mary Kate Olsen in Edie Sedgwick biopic, Factory Girl)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Rumor, swirled that Mary-Kate Olsen would play Brigid Berlin--a self-proclaimed "overweight troublemaker"--in the Edie Sedgwick biopic, Factory Girl. But in her first film role without her twin sister, Ashley, she'll actually play a fictitious...

Lounge act.(Simon Hammerstein opens a nightclub)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... As a theater director, Simon Hammerstein, the 28-year-old grandson of Oscar, has worked on puppet operas, Shakespearean spoofs and existential dramas. So he's planning great theatrical effects for The Box, his 5,000-square-foot, $2 million...

Extreme measures: the Battle of Little Big Frock? Hardly. This spring the opposite ends of the style spectrum peacefully coexist.(Trend)
April 1, 2006... Fashion has never been an "everything in moderation" sort of industry. After all, many who work within its stylish confines swear by that venerable adage that it's impossible to be too rich or too thin. But when it comes to...

The play's the thing: New York is a big fashion playing field, with everything from megastars to the new kids on the block competing for attention. Both groups are capable of creating wonderful collections.(Fashion Flash)
April 1, 2006... New York -- an egalitarian playground in the great, elitist empire of fashion. It's a place where everybody can--and does--come out to play. Where scores of unknowns, upstarts and un-talents can easily infiltrate an overwhelming schedule,...

The life of Bryan: designer Bryan Bradley brings a fresh spirit to Tuleh with a hit fall collection.(Fashion Flash)
April 1, 2006... On a mild Saturday morning in early February, an air of calm greets visitors to Bryan Bradley's Chrystie Street design atelier. The creative force behind Tuleh is putting the final touches on his fall collection, which he is to present in the...

Flight of fancy: party-prepping young New York socialites descend on the Versace atelier.(Fashion Flash)
April 1, 2006... Girls just want to have fun--a notion with which Donatella Versace is thoroughly familiar. As she is with being an engaging hostess, Italian-style, of course. Just ask the five young New York socialites who were Versace's guests during a...

Style bytes: fiestas, fairy tales and a few fashion hookups.(Fashion Flash)(Interview)
April 1, 2006... In 1988 Jean-Charles de Castelbajac gave us a coat made of 40 teddy bears. Is it any wonder that his favorite fairy tale is Peter Pan, about the boy who refuses to grow up? Here, W chats with the man. W: You've always shown an affinity for...

All together now.(fashionspeak)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... According to the folks at Merriam-Webster, the word "nave" denotes the hub of a wheel. In fashionspeak, however, it's come to represent the multi-designer approach of Onward Kashiyama's new line, Nave, which secured its first freestanding...

Spade in Mexico.(hand embroidered pillows)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Few people know that Kate Spade's new ready-to-wear line, which launches this spring, has its roots in the hand-embroidered pillows of Cabo San Lucas's Hotel Twin Dolphin. It was there, a decade ago, that Spade found and fell in love with the...

Tsubi or not to be: meet Dan Single and George Gorrow, the bad-boy designers behind Australia's hottest line, Tsubi.(Fashion Flash)
April 1, 2006... Tsubi designers Dan Single and George Gorrow aren't necessarily auditioning for the next season of Johnny Knoxville's Jackass, but they're certainly giving that crew some serious competition in the outrageous pranks department. Consider this:...

A Brazilian affair: journalist-turned-restaurateur-cum-retailer Stephanie Monserrat Laurent is making her mark on Manhattan.
April 1, 2006... A grid of small, thonged clay derrieres greets guests entering the tiny, 585-square-foot enclave on Manhattan's Upper East Side. A few feet away from that cheeky wall hanging, a vine-and-streamer-covered juice bar bears a handwritten placard in...

Special delivery; the ultimate street accessory goes glam.(leather bags designed by Marc Jacobs)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Like the doctor's kit and the bowling bag before it, the messenger is the latest utilitarian carryall to get the designer treatment. Given the wayward-schoolgirl theme that Marc Jacobs showed for spring, it's hardly a surprise that he also...

Evening time: after dark, the serious diamonds come out to sparkle.(product information of diamond watches)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Diamond watches ere night-time's new favorite adornment. And when black tie is in order, only the most decadent of these timepieces will do. Graff's sparkler, with its band of emerald-cut gems set in an art deco crisscross pattern, is...

High and mighty: step boldly in spring's big, beautiful heels.(preferred shoe of the original power woman)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The platform is back--and more flamboyant than ever. The preferred shoe of the original power woman, which first emerged in the Forties and enjoyed a revival in the Seventies, makes a high-profile return this season. Now it's all dolled up in...

White hot: the pristine shade takes new shapes.(clothing and handbags in white)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... This spring, fashion is having a love affair with white. Balenciaga is expressing its ardor in lace tops; Calvin Klein, in artsy cotton dresses; and Tao Comme des Garcons, in trenchcoats made of crocheted doilies. Designers are giving a similar...

Links to the past: an old favorite gets a glittering makeover.(product information of bracelets)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Smaller than a cuff and cleaner than an armful of bangles, the smart, unfussy link bracelet makes an appealing return for spring. Chic variations rift on the traditional all-metal basic, as designers experiment with scale and incorporate new...

Pop stars: pop art-inspired shoes have a kick all their own.(product information of women's shoes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... When Roy Lichtenstein created his pixelated heroines and Andy Warhol his Marilyns and Jackies, the artists probably didn't worry much about what their subjects wore on their precious feet. This spring, however, several designers might have...

Shop girl: Natascha Demner mixes third-generation know-how with an eye for impressive gems.(jewelry works of Natascha Demner)
April 1, 2006... As a child, Demner learned about rubies and diamonds from her father at the dinner table. Though she deals in precious antique jewelry on a particularly gem-filled stretch of Madison Avenue, Natascha Demner is not about to match her...

Precious and few: a fast-food empress's gems, diamond-topped pens and delicate Indian jewels make the news this month.(Accessories Flash)
April 1, 2006... The Write Stuff When it comes to pens, it's usually men who start to salivate. But throw diamonds into the mix and any accessory-addicted woman may find herself with a serious case of pen envy. To celebrate its 100th birthday this year,...

Belle fleur: this spring designer are splashing botanical prints on everything from flirty dresses to evening bags.(Shopping)
April 1, 2006... Carolina Herrera Silk chiffon and cashmere top, $1,990, at select Neiman Marcus stores Gucci Silk bag with enamel flower, $2,350, at select Gucci stores; gucci.com Sergio Rossi Satin wedge, $525, at Sergio Rossi ...

Don't ask, don't tell? There are certain secret treatments women get but don't discuss. Ever.(women's grooming)
April 1, 2006... Holed up in a plush suite on a high floor of New York's St. Regis Hotel, the woman sits patiently. With her shapely figure, taut skin and extra-long flaxen tresses, this modern-day Rapunzel awaits her hero. But in this version of the tale, it...

Something in the water: Scott Vincent Borba has made sipping skincare the latest celebrity trend.(Beauty Flash)
April 1, 2006... With his perfectly lint-free black sweater, square-toe Gucci loafers and shaped eyebrows, 32-year-old skincare entrepreneur Scott Vincent Borba looks as if he just came from a dress-for-success seminar taught by Tom Ford. His obsession with...

Life-altering beauty: for these 10 must-have items, innovation is everything.(Beauty Flash)
April 1, 2006... [1] GoSmile Smileceuticals Elixir A mouth-freshening mist that contains antioxidants, herbal extracts and none of the usual alcohol. $29; at Sephora. [2] Neutroqena Advanced Solutions Body MicroDermabrasion System used in conjunction with the...

Into the bleach: a writer of Asian descent explores a brave new world of blond.(Beauty Flash)
April 1, 2006... The first time I was tempted by the siren call of hair color was in seventh grade, when the so-called popular girls at school simultaneously put a single, chunky caramel streak in their hair. For a Eurasian girl with fine, pin-straight, nearly...

The Natural.(Beauty Buzz)
April 1, 2006... The Natural Patyka, the three-year-old organic skincare line from France, has recently immigrated to the States. Almost-edible-sounding products such as Eucalyptus and Spearmint Bath and Shower Gel and Neroli Organic Face Cream are packed with...

Delicate Wash.(Beauty Buzz)
April 1, 2006... Delicate Wash Cleansing has always been tricky for those with sensitive skin-related issues like rosacea and eczema. Until recently, most cleansers left delicate complexions dry and irritated. Happily, Audrey Kunin, the dermatologist behind the...

Golden Locks.(works of Alyssa Dee Krauss )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Golden Locks Jewelry designers have long modeled their creations after flora and fauna. For her new line of earrings, Alyssa Dee Krauss found inspiration much closer to the lobe. Her delicate danglers are meant to imitate--and...

Couture Coifs.(fashion shows in Paris)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Couture Coifs The hair at the fall 2006 haute couture shows in Paris was almost as intricate as the five-figure dresses on display. Tresses were woven into loose, lived-in updos and braided with ribbons, lace and crystals. Hairstylist Odile...

Eye Openers.(Beauty Buzz)
April 1, 2006... Eye Openers Clients travel from across the country to experience New York makeup artist Soul Lee's magic touch with false eyelashes. Lee, who specializes in individual-strand application, claims that with proper care (minimal mascara,...

Feelin' groovy: as circa-Seventies furniture begins to blip on collectors' radar, two Frenchwomen find themselves back in fashion.(Home Flash)
April 1, 2006... With furniture collectors moving past the Bauhans-meets-midcentury aesthetic, the over-the-top creations of the late Sixties and the Seventies are looking more and more right. Thankfully, this time around, disco-era decor is less about shag...

Souk's on: long overshadowed by Marrakesh, Tunis is coming into its own.(Travel Flash)
April 1, 2006... C'est impossible," says my driver, Hechim, easing his car through the market-day throngs outside the ancient medina in Tunis. I'm not Arab, he points out, and everyone will stare: "You'll come out pink!" Too true, but after much discussion, he...

Queen for a day: in a pair of upcoming films, Helen Mirren takes the throne as two very different rulers: Elizabeths I and II.(EYE)
April 1, 2006... Early in Helen Mirren's career, after she'd spent nearly a decade upon the boards with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English actress decided to become a French actress. "I thought I'd had enough of being an English actress," Mirren recalls...

Feeding Frenzy.(EYE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... It takes a lot to make New York's socialites feel invisible, but that's just what happened at Donatella Versace's fete for the reopening of her Fifth Avenue store during Fashion Week. Kate Hudson, Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Lopez, Heather Graham...

Mr. and Mrs. Sunshine: meet the married directing duo behind Sundance's biggest hit.(Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris share their experiences)
April 1, 2006... Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris both smile a lot, but when they're asked about the record-breaking sale of their debut film, Little Miss Sunshine--which Fox Searchlight snagged at Sundance for $10.5 million after an all-night...

White's nights: in a new memoir, Edmund White chronicles his countless love affairs.(EYE)
April 1, 2006... For many readers of Edmund White's highly autobiographical fiction, the prospect of a memoir from the author might seem redundant. His best-known work, a trilogy of novels (A Boy's Own Story, The Beautiful Room Is Empty and The Farewell...

Twist of fete.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Every Couture Week, fashion's finest trek to the Bois de Bologne for the annual Sidaction AIDS benefit gala--and this time it was an exceptionally hot affair. "Is it me, or is it boiling in here?" asked L'Wren Scott, hiking her gown into a...

Just dandy: biographer Ian Kelly takes on 18th-century fashion icon Beau Brummell.(EYE)
April 1, 2006... When British biographer Ian Kelly digs into a topic, he digs deep. For his first book, Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef, he learned to create choux-pastry swans with chantilly cream. So when he took on the...

Paper tiger: best known for his ingenious use of cardboard, architect Shigeru Ban takes on disaster housing and multimillion-dollar museums with equal enthusiasm.(EYE)
April 1, 2006... Sitting under the lattice of cardboard tubing and high-tension wire that crisscrosses his futuristic Paris office, an elegant shed perched on the roof of the Pompidou Center, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban looks a little bored. He wears a...

Picture perfect.(Phillips de Pury and Company)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Mario Testino proved he's still the most popular kid in town at his opening at Phillips de Pury & Company. Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani joined cohosts Drew Barrymore and Anna Wintour to honor the Peruvian shutterbug....

Movable feasts.(parties of fashion industry)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... New York Fashion Week was a foodie's paradise, with a slew of swanky dinners all over town. Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa proffered a banquet of sushi at Morimoto. Uma Thurman, Ashley Olsen and Mena Suvari provided the star quotient, while...

Karma Chameleons.(Kate Moss, who becomes another celebrity)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... There's nothing like a bold switch of identity to make the audience look at someone in a new way. And that's the case with Kate Moss, who becomes another celebrity, Marilyn Monroe, in "Performance." While their looks seem utterly dissimilar,...

Performance: Iconic Kate Moss takes on another, very different icon, with sultry poses, frilled dresses and tops, and artfully ruffled blond hair.
April 1, 2006... Chanel Haute Couture's silk tulle sequin and bead embroidered dress, at Chanel. Paris. Early Halloween vintage hat. Beauty Note: For lush bedroom eyes, L'Oreal Paris Volume Shocking 2-Step Volume Construction Mascara works like a dream. ...

Les demoiselles de la nuit.
April 1, 2006... Ladies of the night, dressed to thrill, ply their trade in the opulent environment of the late Dodi All Fayed's Paris apartment. Chanel Haute Couture's wool crepe dress, to order at Chanel, Paris. Wolford hosiery; Lanvin shoes. Anne-Valerie...

The Simpson: on her own for the first time in her life, Jessica Simpson opens up about walking away from her marriage and why her music career could be next.(Profile)
April 1, 2006... At 16 two, years before she released her first album and began dating her soon-to-be ex-husband, Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson got her own checkbook. "She bounced all the checks, So we thought it best to wait a while says her mother, Tina...

2 for tangier: in their dazzling modernist villa on a cliff overlooking the Srait of Gibraltar, France's jetsetting man of letters Bernard Henri Levy and his chaneuse wife make time for love, philosophy and haute design.
April 1, 2006... The engines of the gleaming Falcon 50 are purring when the last passengers arrive, minutes before takeoff. In a plush private terminal at Aeroport du Bourget, the Teterboro of Paris, a glamorous couple sporting huge wraparound sunglasses and...

Marriage, argentine style: on an estancia two hours west of Buenos Aires, a polo player celebrates his marriage to his longtime sweetheart, but not before a last splash in the pool.
April 1, 2006... It's three o'clock on a flawless 80[degrees] December afternoon at La Concepcion, a 10,000-acre estancia two hours west of Buenos Aires. In three hours, 500 guests are expected to arrive for the wedding of Delfina Blaquier to Ignacio "Nacho"...