W articles from January 2005

W archives from January 2005

Breaking up is hard to do.(The Month in Fashion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... For the second time in four years, designer Jil Sander has parted ways with the label that bears her name. Early word is that the split, announced in November, was once again the result of clashes between Sander and Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of...

If the shoe fits.(The Month in Fashion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Bring on the beads--Badgley Mischka's back in business! Dynamic design duo Mark Badgley and James Mischka were forced to cancel their spring collection due to a restructuring at their former parent company, Escada. But, much to the delight of...

Another Gucci shake-up.(The Month in Fashion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... There's no use complaining about working conditions at Gucci Group. In the wake of Tom Ford and Domenico De Sole's prolonged and much publicized departures, Gucci faced the threat of yet another executive exodus in October when word leaked out...

Sale at Barneys.(The Month in Fashion)(Jones Apparel Group Inc. acquires it)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The bidding war over Barneys New York went down to the wire in November, with an odd assortment of suitors--including designer Elie Tahari and financier Nelson Peltz--competing for ownership. Finally, Jones Apparel Group, the mid-tier maker...

Fur flies.(The Month in Fashion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Fur coats and frosty weather are a natural combination, so it makes perfect sense that J. Mendel chose an Alpine ski resort as the site of its latest store. After debuting an Aspen location last year, J. Mendel designer Gilles Mendel singled...

Straight and narrow.(Kate Moss)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Three decades before Kate Moss's impossibly thin frame grabbed the attention of the fashion world, there was Twiggy, the original working-class waif who said little and weighed even less. The shy 15-year-old from Neasden, England, was a shampoo...

Call of the wild.(Letter From the Editors)(Trunk Show)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... January Believe it or not, the day-in, day-out of producing a fashion magazine like W can get, well, never boring to be sure, but routine. Busted deadlines and busted budgets are a matter of course. Fortunately, they're overshadowed by the...

Outer limits.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Thank you very much for putting Natalia Vodianova on the cover of your November issue! But I was astounded to see that she did not appear in any fashion shoots in the magazine. As she is my favorite model, I would have loved to see her inside...

The out-of-towners.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Susan Watters's "Party Politics" (November) was spot-on in its analysis of D.C.'s ailing society scene. The partisan divide will only deepen with the election results. I also think that the easy accessibility of fashionable and cultural events...

Ford Motors.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I am so over Tom Ford ("International Male," November). Please, no more. We get it, he's talented, but I think I have literally read this exact same article in about five other magazines in the past few months. Liz Smith Oliver ...

Kerry'ed away.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Why did your "Washington Wives" (November) story featuring first ladies include Teresa Heinz Kerry? Stick to style, W--your attempt at predicting the next first lady was wrong! Sharman Hickman Avondale, Ariz. I am terribly annoyed...

Service with a snarl.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Just yesterday I was lamenting the pervasive rudeness of my neighborhood beauty "professionals." I just don't feel pampered when I arrive for an appointment only to hear unsolicited comments about my job, diet and outfit. (What should one wear...

Boys will be girls.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I always skim the "Readers React" page and have observed the conservative leanings of some of my fellow readers. I anticipate that you'll receive some negative mail concerning 'A Sexual Revolution" (October), and I'd like to counter that...

Nuova Vita.(UNCENSORED)(La Dolce Vita)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... La Dolce Vita, the Seventies-era Beverly Hills hangout of Frank Sinatra and the Reagans, has gotten a makeover. The red-sauce joint and former Hollywood hot spot had faded worse than celluloid in the sun when Alessandro Uzielli, grandson of...

Roman's holiday.(UNCENSORED)(Roman Abramovich )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Not content with his spectacular rags-to-riches story-and his status as the wealthiest man in Britain-Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is seeking royal stardust as well. The London oil magnate has just bought Chateau de la Croe, former...

Love, Swede love.(UNCENSORED)(engagement of Princess Victoria)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... European tabloids are panting at the news that Princess Victoria of Sweden is about to announce her engagement to her personal trainer, Daniel Westling. Victoria, who has battled anorexia and studied at Yale, will, through a change in the...

Type-caste-ing.(UNCENSORED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... It's not no secret that many models want to act, but for her film debut, Sophie Dahl has made the unlikely choice of Bollywood over Hollywood. Dahl stars as a documentary filmmaker in the comedy The King of Bollywood--already out in India--in...

A vine romance.(UNCENSORED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... If a $500 splurge at Alain Ducasse just doesn't feel decadent enough, don't despair: That hefty sum will buy only one course at the cozy supper that wine guru Robert Parker Jr. and uber chef Joel Robuchon are hosting December 17 at Rosewood's...

Art of glass.(UNCENSORED)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... You've heard of the It girl and her It bag. Now comes the It house-the "iT" house, actually-a 1,000-square-foot glass complex from TK Architecture, the Los Angeles firm that created the much ballyhooed Dia: Beacon in upstate New York. TK's...

Peeling is believing: the latest and greatest in complexion correction is off with the old, in with renew.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... FOR MOMENTS OF YOUTH Aficionados of the facial peel have always loved how it brings out the best in the skin. As effective as professional-level peels can be however, they've always carried the very real risk of irritation. But the latest...

Anna's American adventure: it was only Anna Molinari's third trip to New York, so she made the most of it.(Fashion Flash)
January 1, 2005... He has wise, intelligent eyes and a very determined expression," Anna Molinari says, contemplating the iconic oil-on-canvas portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. "But he's not very good-looking." And so the Blumarine designer,...

Paris match: meet the hyper-hip Parisians behind the city's cutest boutique and its hottest nightspot.(Fashion Flash)
January 1, 2005... The coquette, of course, is indigenous to Paris, and nowhere is that girly flirtiness flaunted with as much modern joie de vivre than at Madame Andre, the very small, very hip and very pink new boutique on rue du Mont-Thabor. Measuring a little...

The queen of quilted: Frances Stein, who spent 24 years reimagining accessories at Chanel, packs her bags.(Accessories Flash)
January 1, 2005... In this age of second acts, with venerable French fashion houses having cleared the cobwebs and become chic again, it's easy to forget that even Chanel was once, for a moment, a mess. Coco Chanel died in 1971 and, to hear Frances Stein tell...

Heuer ground: with his new Monaco V4 watch, Jean-Francois Ruchonnet is putting TAG Heuer in the fast lane.(Accessories Flash)
January 1, 2005... When you see the timepiece that designer Jean-Francois Ruchonnet has created for TAG Heuer, you may be tempted to tell him that his watch is fast. After all, inspiration for the Monaco V4 struck when Ruchonnet, an avid car buff, was under the...

Fantasy aisle: this season's gowns--grand, ethereal visions in tulle, satin and lace--are sure to make any bride's drems come true.(Bridal Flash)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2005... [opposite] Vera Wang's appliqued ivory silk and Chantilly lace gown with green velvet sash, price available upon request, at Bridal House, New York; 800.VEW.VERA; Caressa's 18k white gold and diamond earrings, $1,875, at Maddaloni...

An affair to remember: Darcy Miller's new wedding scrapbooks balance the sentimental with the chic.(Bridal Flash)
January 1, 2005... Darcy Miller has spent the past 14 years working for Martha Stewart--and boy does it show. Pay a visit to the serenely glamorous Park Avenue apartment where the editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings lives with her husband, Andrew...

Bliss and makeup: from a seaweed soak to p.c. skincare, self-absorption takes on a new meaning.(Beauty Flash)
January 1, 2005... Quilt Trip No company knows better than Chanel how to put a fresh spin on the classics. This season the label has filled its signature compact with a quilt-embossed block of apricot oil-infused highlighter to create the beauty accessory of...

On the verge: say hello to beauty's most likely to succeed" of 2005. The waiting list looms ...(Beauty Flash)
January 1, 2005... PLASTIC SURGERY LINDA LI M.D., Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, 310.273.6252 Li, 35, specializes in breast augmentation and reconstruction, liposuction and tummy tucks. She uses liposuction to create slimmer, but not emaciated, figures, and...

State of Grace: what's a self-mocking preset like Topher Grace doing in Hollywood? Succeeding despite himself.(EYE)
January 1, 2005... Anyone who wonders, What kind of name is Topher Grace? should remember that once upon a time, "Gwyneth Paltrow" sounded odd too. Grace--who called himself Christopher until he affected the preppy diminutive while at boarding school--is a young...

Day and night: think getting dolled up for a black-tie is hard? Try dressing flawlessly for lunch, too.
January 1, 2005... They don't call them the ladies who lunch for nothing. This fall the Marisas, Muffles and Marjories of the social world traipsed from the Escada store (where they received their very own Eluna bag) to the Alberta Ferretti showroom for Cobb...

Big tipper: The Tipping Point launched Malcolm Gladwell to fame. Will his new book send him over the top?
January 1, 2005... Malcolm Gladwell has lived in six apartments since moving to New York City 11 years, ago and is about to make it seven. I like moving, says the unmarried writer, 41, sitting in his swanky TriBeCa condo ("stunning 2 BRs, 2 baths loft with 700...

Man about town: on Giorgio Armanis recent visit to New York, the stars came out to play ... and play ... and play.
January 1, 2005... If Giorgio Armani wasn't exhausted by the end of his weeklong October trip to New York, his frequent date, Eugenia Silva, could barely pick herself off the floor. "Just one more event tonight," Silva said, sighing. It was Thursday--the...

The high life.(January)
January 1, 2005... In "Trunk Show," designers do a whimsical elephant walk with ritzy fashion for pachyderms. These aren't the sort of things you'd usually find in a circus--instead of the standard tulle ruffs, the clothes are custom-made adaptations of Chanel...

Trunk show: fashion should be fun. And what's more fun than an elephant in adress? Three elephants--superstar pachyderms Rosie, Dixie and Tai--done up in poufs, polo shirts and tweeds, all created by some of the world's greatest designers.
January 1, 2005... Tai and Rosie wear Chanel's cotton tweed pantsuits. Chanel hats and earrings. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tai is in Ralph Lauren Blue Label's cotton mesh polo shirt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tai wears a black satin-striped cotton...

Being Julia: as she sends two new movies and two new babies out into the world, Julia Roberts defends her right to be miserable onscreen--and to be content in real life.(Profile)(Biography)
January 1, 2005... JULIA ROBERTS' MOTHER IS CALLING, AND ROBERTS ISN'T PICKING UP THE PHONE. She stares at it while it rings once, twice, five times, before reluctantly deciding not to answer. "Now it'll probably ring about 25 more times," says Roberts,...

On Safari: decades of poaching and tourism have marked Tanzania's national parks, but safari guide Peter Jones knows a remote place where the Masai rule and the lions still roar at night.(Travel)(Biography)
January 1, 2005... The wake-up call comes at dawn. "Hello?" trills a musical Tanzanian voice through the tent's canvas wall. "Water is ready." As he does every morning, the young camp attendant has left an enamel pitcher of steaming water in my latrine,...

Au Courances: a marquis and his family carve out a happy home in a storied French chateau, thanks to a flair for design, a love of tradition and a little compromise.(At Home)
January 1, 2005... "Mangiare!" shouts the Marquise de Ganay, marching her brood through the cavernous halls of the Chateau de Courances with all the gusto of a real Italian mamma, albeit one of highborn French descent. Today, the pack includes four of the...

Jacobs: this year marks an anniversary for Marc Jacobs--it's been 20 years since his unorthodox but highly successful business partnership with Robert Duffy began.(Profiles)(Biography)
January 1, 2005... SOME TIME AGO, HELMUT LANG, TOM FORD AND HEDI SLIMANE MET AT AN ESQUIRE MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT MEN'S DESIGNERS. They all wore the one costume that has come to serve as their profession's sovereign purple: a black...