W articles from December 2006

W archives from December 2006

Moss appeal.(The Month in Fashion)(Kate Moss signs deal with Topshop)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Scandal? What scandal? Kate Moss has rebounded quite nicely from the drug-related brouhaha of last year. This fall the eminently stylish model not only starred in more than a dozen ad campaigns but also received the ultimate fashion-world...

Manhunt.(Paulo Melim Andersson replaces Phoebe Philo at Chloe)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Phoebe Philo is evidently a hard act to follow. After the designer's January departure from Chloe, it took the label nearly 10 months to find someone to step into her shoes. Finally, in October, the fashion house tapped Paulo Melim Andersson as...

Showstopper.(fashion shows)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Ever since the creation of 7th on Sixth in 1993, New York's biannual fashion shows have been centered in Bryant Park. But after the spring 2007 shows in September came a shocker: Bryant Park Corp. wants to oust Fashion Week from its leafy...

The art whirl.(The Month in Fashion)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... When French fashion tycoon Francois Pinault's Palazzo Grassi art foundation opened in Venice this past spring, industry observers joked that it was only a matter of time before his archrival, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, attempted to one-up him....

Table talk.(The Month in Fashion)(Marc Jacobs launches Marc Jacobs Waterford collection )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Despite the endless array of chic eateries in Paris, Marc Jacobs has become more of a homebody since relocating to the City of Light. The designer has taken to entertaining friends at home in his 7th arrondissement apartment, and now he'll be...

Here's the skinny.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2006... Madrid Fashion Week's decision to ban underweight models set off a wave of international chatter. After much speculation about whether catwalk organizers in New York, London, Milan and Paris would follow the Spaniards' lead, all decided to...

Double vision.(The Month in Fashion)(Viktor Horsting, Roll Snoeren plan for October runway show)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Viktor Horsting and Roll Snoeren have had a very busy fall. Not only were the quirky Dutch design duo planning their October runway show--which featured dancers and Rufus Wainwright singing "Over the Rainbow"--but they were also launching their...

Night at the movies.(The Month in Fashion)
December 1, 2006... French luxury house Hermes has long understood the power of film. Its two most famous bags, the Kelly and the Birkin, were named for screen sirens. (Grace Kelly and Jane Birkin, to be exact.) So it seems fitting that the label's Madison Avenue...

Bella Donatella.(Flashback)
December 1, 2006... With her platinum-blond mane, slinky ensembles and deep perma-tan, the unabashedly glamorous Donatella Versace has always adhered to the "If you've got it, flaunt it" school of thought. "I am the true material girl," she declared to Win 1992....

Spring roles.(Fast Forward)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The rock musical has a history of introducing young talent to the world of fame and fortune. In 1968 Diane Keaton refused to take off her clothes for the Broadway production of Hair and landed The Godfather a few years later. Richard Gere got...

Photo Op.(Letter From the Editors)
December 1, 2006... December W staffers have found themselves in some interesting situations over the years. There was the time a team from the magazine arrived for a fashion shoot in a developing nation south of the border: Finding their trunk full of shoos...

Paradise found.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... The November Art Issue is my new favorite. I have leafed through the magazine numerous times just for the sheer dazzling effect of it all. I especially enjoyed the Richard Turtle and Mario Sorrenti fashion shoot, "Eden." The photos are so full...

Sister act.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... Thank you so much for your profile of Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the creators of the Rodarte fashion label ("Sister, Sister," September). It is always inspiring to see deserving designers get recognition for their talent and drive. Please...

The right stuff.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... Julie Belcove managed to cover controversial artist Jeff Koons with an unparalleled freshness ("Koons World," November). It would have been easy to slip in an image of his X-rated romp with then wife La Cicciolina, but instead...

A touch of mink.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I'm usually not a big enthusiast of using real fur in fashion, but I must make an exception for your photo spread titled "A Dramatic Play" (October). The shoot was a bold and eccentric display of this season's finest mink, chinchilla and fox...

Picture perfect.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... The October cover featuring Janet Jackson ("Janet") was magnificent. All of the elements (hair, makeup, wardrobe) came together brilliantly in a shot that sums up celebrity glamour. You made Janet look arguably the best she has ever looked....

Camera obscura.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... As a relatively new subscriber to W, I totally adore certain features of your magazine. The large format is particularly worth emphasizing. Due to your wonderful supersize pages, everything just seems to pop out. So it is from the position of...

The (other) Donald.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I found the article about Donald Judd's children preserving their late father's work ("Family Values," November) very informative. And I would like to take the opportunity to encourage your readers to visit the Chinati Foundation in Marfa,...

Prague spring.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... The October fashion shoot "Czech Mate" was a disappointment. Photographer Michael Thompson captured some of the sooty mystery of Prague but none of its elegiac beauty. Except for the text on a trolley, nothing marked the photographs as having...

Splitting hairs.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... I have to disagree with the negative view on men's hair trends presented in "Male Pattern Badness" (November). In particular, I thought it was in very poor taste to accuse Clay Aiken of having a "Liza Minnelli look" and to feature a picture of...

Call waiting.(Uncensored)(bejeweled phones introduced by Boucheron)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Vertu, the status symbol for those who can afford a cell phone that s the price of a car, ups the stakes, introducing its first-ever bejeweled phones by BOUCHERON. The SIGNATURE- PYTHON, of which 26 were created, features 20 carats of...

Light fixture.(Uncensored)(Alex de Betak creates a rotating chandelier )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Talk about lighting up a room. Fashion show producer and furniture designer Alex de Betak has created a rotating chandelier that's a life-size depiction of supermodel Gisele Biindchen. Six feet tall with 120 crystal fiber-optic lights, In...

Dirty laundry.(Thomas Keller, Laura Cunningham, French Laundry and Per Se )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Thomas Keller won three Michelin stars for Napa Valley's French Laundry and for Manhattan's Per Se, but has he lost another star along the way? Laura Cunningham, the chef's gorgeous girlfriend in charge of his dining rooms, has abruptly parted...

Docu dramas.(Uncensored)
December 1, 2006... Karl Lagerfeld so dislikes The Beautiful Fall, Alicia Drake's book about his ancient rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent, that Paris's trendiest shop, Colette, removed the item from its shelves. Meanwhile, Giorgio Armani cooperated with fashion...

Mouret the merrier.(Uncensored)(Roland Mouret)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The usually discreet Roland Mouret has come clean about some clandestine activity he's engaged in over the past few years. The French designer famous for his Calaxy and Titanium dresses--who recently signed with American Idol producer Simon...

Plum and get it: it's violets anew as designers tap into the allure of the color purple.(Trend)
December 1, 2006... There was no mistaking the inspiration behind Stefano Pilati's spring collection for Yves Saint Laurent. A soft amethyst light bathed the Grand Palais, where purple cushions softened the stark bleacher seating. And in their towering heels, his...

Both sides now: for spring, designers went futuristic or romantic.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2006... Robot versus romantic. Such was the defining dichotomy of the European spring collections, characterized by Dolce & Gabbana and Balenciaga on one side and Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton on the other. The shows presented additional...

Pop Kors: with his gig on Project Runway bringing him an unlikely new fan base, designer Michael Kors is enjoying the ride.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2006... Anyone with a television set or a tabloid fixation knows that, after 25 years in the business, Michael Kors is not just one of the big guns of American fashion design. His high-profile side gig on Project Runway has made him a household name...

Mothering instinct: the winner of the first MaxMara Art Prize comes under the spell of an Italian lullaby.(Fashion Flash)(Margaret Salmon )(Biography)
December 1, 2006... Video artist Margaret Salmon may be besotted with her two-year-old daughter, but getting little Philomena to fall asleep is often a waking nightmare. Salmon, 31, has always used music as a tool to keep her daughter calm and entertained and, of...

Discreet charm: Barbara Tfank makes elegant, under-the-radar clothes.(Fashion Flash)
December 1, 2006... Did you have some tea? What about a cucumber sandwich?" offers Barbara Tfank. "This isn't just about shopping." But despite her gracious exhortations, the perfectly turned out ladies gathered for a tea party-cum-trunk show display little...

Style bytes: all the purl's a stage--at least to some.(Leslie Hall)
December 1, 2006... Rap chanteuse Leslie Hall of Leslie and the LY's makes the unlikeliest of style icons. She hails from the small town of Ames, Iowa. She still lives at home with her parents. And as she not so gently puts it in one of her songs, "It ain't easy,...

Foxy knits.(Fashion Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Grace Kelly-inspired cardigans are hardly your typical groupie garb. But Kitsune, the Paris and London clothing and music collective associated with such acts as the Rapture and Bloc Party, is finding harmony in polite basics. "We've never been...

High seas: encrusted jewels lifted fresh from the ocean.(Accessories Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... In terms of jewelry, the life aquatic can be the life exotic. Rene Boivin's starfish brooch comes heavily encrusted with amethysts and cabochon rubies, along with an esteemed pedigree. Of the original three made in the Thirties, one was owned...

Beachy keen: subtle accessories that are built to last.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... Indulging in the season's It accessories, however short their shelf life, certainly has its fun. But every girl can use a few classic pieces to weather the trends. When it comes to getting decked out for warmer climates, no one knows more about...

Natural instinct: Cathy Waterman unearths some of the world's most exotic gems for her new collection. Ammonite, anyone?
December 1, 2006... It's safe to say that Cathy Waterman's designs have been mesmerizing jewelry lovers ever since she entered the business 16 years ago. Case in point: Last summer while Waterman was trying on a jacket in the Lanvin boutique in Paris, designer...

Sweet and lowdown: flat sandals raise the glamour quotient.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... High, higher, highest. Shoes have been going in one direction for so long, a countertrend was inevitable. While vertiginous stilettos and platform wedges are still riding high, now designers are gussying up their archrivals: classic flat...

Follow the flock: jewelers are putting peacock feathers on proud display.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... The flamboyant Oscar Wilde may have worn peacock feathers in his shirt, but today, jewelers do him one better with standout pieces that pilfer shamelessly from the preening fowl. Swiss watchmaker Piaget goes straight to the source for its...

Major league: they don't call Laurence Graff the king of diamonds for nothing.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... From the day Laurence Graff designed his first $200 diamond engagement ring at a workbench in Hatton Garden, London's medieval jewelry district, he was smitten by the compelling stone. "I used to carry diamonds around in my pocket," he says,...

Rock steady: live large with over-the-top jewels.(Accessories Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... If you thought colossal cocktail of seasons past were big, consider these pieces, featuring stones bulked up to unbelievable proportions. Piranesi's hard-to-miss ring features a rose-cut citrine weighing in at 38.34 carats, as well as a...

Good evening: a trio of diamond watches for after dark.(Accessories Flash)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Nighttime is the right time for a slim-faced, decorative diamond watch. A slight tug on the flower charm of Van Cleef & Arpels's Secret Dentelle reveals a simple face otherwise hidden behind a floral facade. Another black-banded design, this...

Best of times: in its 125th year, Movado honors an incredible design legacy.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... In 1947, when independent designer Nathan George Horwitt created a jarringly modern black watch face, adorned only with two white gold hands and a single dot at 12 o'clock, retailers didn't give it the time of day. "The reaction was 'Nobody...

Hot to the touch: gems that glow from a fire within.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... What woman doesn't long for a little fire in her life, especially when it comes via dazzling gems? A number of jewelers now feature stunning pieces that flaunt stones in fiery shades of orange and red. With its fittingly named fire opals in...

Pendant ultimate: indulge in intricate necklaces with a feminine touch.(Accessories Flash)
December 1, 2006... Graceful diamond pendants are taking a page from the decorative days of yore. From the rose window shapes ornamenting necklaces by jewelers like Leslie Greene and Tiffany & Co. to the crisscross latticework version by Penny Preville, these...

Tote le monde.(Night Day: From ostrich clutches to gem-studded totes, there's a luxe new handbag for any hour.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... For 20 years the name Stuart Weitzman has been synonymous with shoes. Now the designer is adding to his repertoire, launching a handbag line for spring. The ambitious 55-style collection ranges from braided totes with an equestrian bent to...

Rock on.(Night Day: From ostrich clutches to gem-studded totes, there's a luxe new handbag for any hour.)(Kara Ross)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Jeweler Kara Ross, known for her wood necklaces and jet cuffs, is venturing into handbag design. Her 12-piece collection, in the works for two years, includes clutches and satchels in ostrich, croc and lizard accented with geometric gemstones...

Photo finish.(Night Day: From ostrich clutches to gem-studded totes, there's a luxe new handbag for any hour.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Photographer Monica Rich Kosann has developed some inventive ways to display images. Three years ago she started restoring vintage compacts and cigarette cases, refashioning them as picture frames. Next she designed a line of lockets, and now...

Indian stunner.(Night Day: From ostrich clutches to gem-studded totes, there's a luxe new handbag for any hour.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Somewhere between earning a degree in finance and studying classical dance, Sonal Adhikari found her calling. "In India I had seen a really beautiful beaded bag," says the Chicago native. "I thought, Why don't we make these a little more...

Everything nice: vive la difference--indulge in a variety of holiday treasures, whether for the earthy type or the slick hipster.(Shopping)
December 1, 2006... [SPICE] Faberge 18k gold, enamel and emerald pillbox, $13,330, at Neiman Marcus [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Louis Vuitton Canvas wallet, $540, and organizer, $095, at Bloomingdale's, New York [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Beauty buzz: Jane Larkworthy elaborates on new ways to chill out, make over and spruce up.(Beauty Flash)
December 1, 2006... 1 | SLOW BUILDUP New York City makeup artist Loraine Abeles wanted to create a makeup line with colors she could never find in stores. Her new collection, Loraine, sold exclusively at Annie O., a boutique in the Hotel on Rivington on the Lower...

Black magic: the appeal of a dark hue--set off by sparkle--never fades.(Beauty Chic)(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2006... Precious Metal Housed in a sleek black and silver case, MAC Richmetal Highlighter instantly brightens a sun-deprived winter complexion. Swipe the creamy potion--which comes in four shades to suit a variety of skin tones--on cheekbones,...

The bold and the beautiful: wallflowers, beware: the spring shows were on striking looks.
December 1, 2006... For the past few years, the words "classic" and "simple" have littered the notebooks of beauty journalists backstage at the spring shows. But, after primavera upon primavera of flushed cheeks and undone chignons, the spring 2007 presentations...

Posh spice.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)
December 1, 2006... Hermessence, master nose Jean-Claude Ellena's two-year-old collection of unisex scents for Hermes, has added a new essence to its stable: Paprika Brasil--inspired by the spicy spirit of South America--mixes warm clove and capsicum pepper with...

The thick of it.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)
December 1, 2006... Fekkai More Scalp-Purifying Shampoo is loaded with Niaplex, a niacin-based formula said to combat the buildup of DHT, a hormone that causes thinning hair. The product's crisp, fresh scent and chic packaging make it a more glamorous option than...

Straighten up.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)
December 1, 2006... The blend of silicones in Stylist Linear Serum, from the new Profound Beauty line, leaves locks sleek, straight and shiny. And because the product works by coating the cuticle, it also protects against damage from styling heat and helps prevent...

Touch of bubbly.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)
December 1, 2006... Celebrate the dawning of 2007 with Bliss Spa's newest vintage, "Spaahh"-Kling Body Butter. A rich moisturizer, packed with the same coconut oil and algae extracts that make the spa's Blissage 75 massage so soothing, it leaves skin glowing and...

Get lippy.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)(SkinMedica TNS Lip-Plump System)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... SkinMedica's TNS Lip-Plump System not only imparts that coveted bee-stung look, but when used over time, it also improves lip texture and fights fine lines. First, smooth on Lip Renewal, a blend of natural tripeptides, collagen and human growth...

Fruits of the vine.(Cold Comfort: Winter's indulgences pamper locks, lips and limbs.)
December 1, 2006... L'Extrait, an antiaging facial serum that's part of Dior Beauty's new L'Or de Vie skincare line, contains grapevine sap, which the company claims is an even stronger antioxidant than the more commonly used grape skins and seeds. For a bit of...

Totally Tokyo: the current must-sees in three happening hoods.(Travel Flash)
December 1, 2006... Pity the unfortunate travel writers whose job it is to keep the annual editions of Tokyo guidebooks up to date. "Here today, gone today" is a common refrain in this trend-obsessed city, where entire neighborhoods rise and fall as quickly as...

Optical illusion.(EYE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Any doubt that the art and fashion worlds make perfect dance partners was put to rest when luminaries of every description gathered at Pace Wildenstein to fete W's first Art Issue. Megacollectors Mike Ovitz and Aby Rosen toasted the marriage of...

Designing woman: after decades of conceiving critically acclaimed architectural projects, Zaha Hadid tries her hand at furniture.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... Is Zaha Hadid the Miranda Priestly of the architecture world? One can't help I but wonder as her chauffeured black stretch BMW speeds through the streets of East London. Ensconced in the Nasca leather-upholstered backseat, Hadid is glued to her...

Magic Hour.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... Jean Paul Gaultier celebrated the 30th anniversary of his eponymous fashion line with a lavish magic show at the Olympia in Paris, starring many of his industry friends. Suzy, Menkes channeled her inner geisha, traipsing onstage in a kimono. In...

Dream lover: Bill Condon makes Dreamgirls sing at last.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... It was a pitch meeting that could have been scripted in Hollywood: Bill Condon, director and Oscar-winning screenwriter, was in David Geffen's baronial dining room, arguing against hope for the chance to turn Dreamgirls, the legendary Broadway...

Home sweet home: an exclusive look into Clarence House, Prince Charles's humble abode.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... Prince Charles has known Clarence House since he was in diapers, sleeping under quilt covers decorated with drawings of nursery rhymes in a room with chintz curtains. Now 58, he is once again calling the four-story, 40,000-square-foot town...

Royal flush.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... The Chateau Marmont may not immediately suggest 18th-century prerevolutionary France, but these days it's the closest thing Hollywood has to a royal court. "It has its Versailles-like proclivities," said Andre Balazs, the hotel's owner, at a...

Funny lady: in a new Hollywood satire, Catherine O'Hara creates another comedic gem.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... In Christopher Guest's new comedy, For Your Consideration, Catherine O'Hara plays a mediocre actress who I finds herself attracting unexpected Oscar buzz. The movie within a movie in which her character stars is called Home for Purim, and its...

Hey, big splendor: in his new book, Alexis Gregory takes a peek into grand European homes.(Private Splendor: Great Families at Home)
December 1, 2006... Schloss St. Emmeram, the Bavarian estate of Germany's Thurn und Taxis clan, has been the site of some outlandish events over the years. In 1986, for example, the 500-room structure, which holds the distinction of being Europe's largest family...

Diamond nights.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... In front of 1,300 guests at London's Earls Court, Giorgio Armani unveiled his capsule collection for (Product) RED. "This is a very special event for a very special cause," said Leonardo DiCaprio, kicking off the televised megabash. "And thank...

Opera queens: on opening night, the Metropolitan Opera crowned its new monarch, Mercedes Bass.(EYE)
December 1, 2006... Was it an opening night or a coronation? As Mercedes Bass swept into the Metropolitan Opera House in a wedding dress-like white satin ballgown, dripping in diamonds, there was no question that this was her night. And why not? Earlier this year,...

Social distortion.(evening parties)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... New York's social season started at a gallop with the Museum of the City of New York's annual late-summer cocktail party, this year sponsored by Graft and J. Mendel. Marina Rust, Lauren duPont and Renee Rockefeller were out in full force, but...

Holiday books.(Books)
December 1, 2006... WHEN IT COMES TO HOLIDAY GIFTS, COFFEE-TABLE BOOKS ARE ABOUT AS ORIGINAL AS FRUITCAKES (AND ALMOST AS HEAVY). DEMONSTRATE YOUR IMPECCABLE TASTE, AS WELL AS YOUR DEEP AFFECTION FOR THE RECIPIENT, WITH A WELL-PRESERVED VOLUME FROM ONE OF THESE...

See it.(Venus)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... [VENUS] There is a special quality to late-career artistry: As the instrument of genius--the body--breaks down, the mode of expression becomes simpler but more potent. Consider Billie Holiday's Lady in Autumn, Monet at Giverny and, now, Peter...

Skip it.(The Fountain)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... [THE FOUNTAIN] Pretentious, costly poppycock: Darren Aronofsky's latest movie, The Fountain, shows what happens when a brilliant imagemaker lets his addled imagination run wild. As the movie's three parallel storylines spanning 1,000 years...

Say what? What happens when you take your two-year-old to too many fashion shows? she starts asking for carats, cocktails and couture--and critiquing your look.(W JUNIOR: SPECIAL SECTION)
December 1, 2006... Donna Karan is not a woman accustomed to receiving wardrobe advice. But recently, thanks to her three-year-old granddaughter. Stefania DeFelice, the designer has been showered with style pointers. "Why are you wearing fiats? You should be...

Tiny dancers: for more than two decades, Manhattan's ballet academy east has been the place for posh private schoolers to practice plies.(W JUNIOR: SPECIAL SECTION)
December 1, 2006... Inside a studio at New York's Ballet Academy East, 15 three-year-olds are doing demi-plies. "Nooo, put your hands on this bar," says one bossy toddler to a smaller girl, whose bunched-up underpants are clearly visible beneath her leotard. After...

Teen scene: when it comes to status consciousness, teens trump even the social flock. Here, what's too cool for high school from coast to coast.(W JUNIOR: SPECIAL SECTION)
December 1, 2006... CHICAGO HOT SCHOOL New Trier High School in the ritzy suburb of Winnetka FASHION FAD Backpacks are a no-no. Books are toted in TimbuK2 messenger bags. HIP HANGOUT Sarkis Care in Evanston ("Sark's," if you're in the...

Let them eat cake: forget three-legged races and ice cream. Today's birthday parties have petting zoos, runway shows and five-figure price tags.(W JUNIOR: SPECIAL SECTION)
December 1, 2006... Well-dressed men and women sat sidesaddle on camels; a snake charmer and his slithering cobra drew stares; goats, sheep and ponies wound their way through the crowd. Suddenly, a tiny girl appeared atop a dromedary and was greeted with...

Million-dollar babies: at London's fanciest nursery school and day-care center, toddlers arrive with bodyguards, study French and lunch on roast lamb.(Pippa Pop-ins nursery school)
December 1, 2006... Imagine, if you will, your typical nursery school: crayon masterpieces adorning the walls, crushed Cheerios on the floor and primary-colored plastic as far as the eye can see. That's not Pippa Pop-ins. The cofounder of West London's poshest...

Tot shot: with her Peter Pan spirit and society name, children's photographer Melonie Hennessy draws tout Paris to her studio.(W JUNIOR: SPECIAL SECTION)
December 1, 2006... "Would you like a slice of cheesecake? It's homemade!" trills photographer Melonie Hennessy from the kitchen of her sumptuous Paris triplex. Infectiously whimsical, the 35-year-old is not your typical French hostess. This is a woman who chose...

Undercover: now you see it, now you don't. Delightful little dresses play a flirtatious hide-and-seek with short skirts, high heels and lots of trimmings.
December 1, 2006... Anna Molinari's silk jacket with Swarovski crystals, by Rossella Tarabini, to order at Fred Segal, Los Angeles. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Beauty Note: A hearty swoop of Shiseido Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow in Aqua Shimmer is rich in...

Baron: collaborating with architect John Pawson, uber creative director Fabien Baron and his companion, Malin Ericson, have built a minimalist farmhouse in the remote and rustic reaches of southern Sweden for their summer holidays.(At Home)
December 1, 2006... Rare is the person who can appear simultaneously blase and gleeful, but Fabien Baron manages. Beneath the jaded fashionista, there's a hilarious inner child. Here we are, for example, on a glorious midsummer night in southern Sweden at his...

Cameron Diaz: if ever a movie star belonged on the beach, it's Cameron Diaz, the ultimate California girl. But in this age of predatory paparazzi, relaxing on the shore--or in town or anywhere--is hard work.(Profile)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... It takes a lot to ruin Cameron Diaz's day, but on this sunny Wednesday in October, after the actress has spent two hours stuffing herself with crabcakes and Coke, giggling and wisecracking and breezily dishing out the California-girl charm that...

Mystery man: with an against-type role in the can, not to mention his first child on the way, Tobey Maguire may finally be ready to act his age. Just try getting him to talk about it.(Profile)(Interview)
December 1, 2006... Tobey Maguire is not exactly what you'd call hot. Cute, sure. Adorably boyish, even. A director he worked with in his youth described him as "not your prototypical action-handsome-hero guy" and "intelligent and thoughtful." He does have...

Out of Africa: filled with Blue Period Picassos, kente cloth and a massive collection of African art, the Johannesburg mansion De Beers heiress Mary Slack shares with her five dogs is a wonderland of vibrant colors. Now she's bringing her eclectic taste for sub-Saharan paintings and sculptures to downtown Manhattan.
December 1, 2006... Mary Slack is a woman who knows her Jackson Hlungwanis from her Sam Nhlengethwas--and then some. Of course, to most Americans those names don't mean much, but in Slack's South Africa, where as both collector and dealer she has helped give such...

Swiss miss: the countess discovers the many hidden pleasures of Switzerland, from Roger Federer to petting zoos.(Last Laugh)
December 1, 2006... Sitting on a wooden bench on a still afternoon with the sky the color of an agate, I heard a singsong clink, clink, clink off in the distance of this alpine Swiss village. Cowbells. I was used to hearing them in the Austria of my girlhood, but...