W articles from March 2006

W archives from March 2006

Seasonal sale.(Apax Partners Holdings Ltd. acquires Tommy Hilfiger Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... After months of speculation, Tommy Hilfiger finally sold to Apax Partners for $1.6 billion just days before Christmas. In addition to the various Hilfiger labels, the deal includes the Karl Lagefeld division--encompassing both Lagerfeld Gallery...

Strike three.(transit strike hits retail sales)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The three-day transit strike that hit New York in December took a serious toll on the local fashion and retail communities. Most New Yorkers struggled to get to work, which caused staff shortages industry-wide. As a result, many small boutiques...

Margiela madness.(Belgian designer Martin Margiela opens store in New York)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Belgian designer Martin Margiela has long been regarded as the industry's biggest enigma. He doesn't make public appearances and never takes a bow after his runway shows, cultivating his mystique with tactics like sending out show invitations...

A taste of the Kaiser.(Karl Lagerfeld to launch new clothing line)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Karl Lagerfeld has been in a New York state of mind for the past year, buying an apartment in Gramercy Park, presenting Chanel's prefall collection in New York in December and working on a variety of photography projects in his new Chelsea...

Ready for his close-up?(Victor Alfaro to launch new clothing collection)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... From Gucci's meteoric rise under Tom Ford to Isaac Mizrahi's collection for Target, fashion loves a comeback story. Victor Alfaro is hoping he'll be the next one. Since moving to West Hollywood from Manhattan two years ago, things have been...

Literary milestone.(Diesel S.p.A.'s Renzo Rosso celebrates his birthday)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Diesel chief Renzo Rosso chose to celebrate his 50th birthday in a series of unusual ways. Rather than splurge on a high-carat jewel, he tattooed the letter "R" on two fingers of his right hand. Instead of a traditional bash, he had about 30...

Clicking away.(Nordstrom.com updates its web site)(Bottega Veneta Inc. launches new web site)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... High-profile dot-corn bombs at the turn of the millennium made fashion executives wary of e-commerce, but the online rag trade is starting to get back on track. In December Bottega Veneta launched a new Web site that allows customers to...

Saks shake-up.(The Month in Fashion: Tommy sells ... Manhattan standstill ... Alfaro's comeback)
March 1, 2006... Industry insiders whispered that it was coming for months, but it still hit like a bombshell when Fred Wilson, the high-profile chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Fifth Avenue, found himself out of a job in January, a year before his...

Drama king.(stage costume designer Paul Tazewell's works)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... When The Color Purple opened on Broadway in December, Oprah Winfrey stole the spotlight by attending the premiere with her former nemesis, David Letterman. Since then, the creative stage costumes, designed by Paul Tazewell, have been attracting...

On the Beaton Path.(Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton)
March 1, 2006... For the better part of the 20th century, photographer Cecil Beaton had access to everyone beautiful and chic. Wallis Simpson, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and most every top-rung socialite sat for his straightforward portraits, which...

Photo Finish.(photographer Florian Maier-Aichen's works and opinions)
March 1, 2006... Florian Maier-Aichen may trek through the Swiss Alps or hire a helicopter so he can photograph his landscapes, but once he sees his shot, it takes only one or two frames to get the job done. "That's the best--fast and not so tedious," says the...

The extreme skin makeover without the extreme measures.(Neutrogena Corp. develops Advanced Solutions Facial Peel )
March 1, 2006... If you're like most women, you probably spent many summers basking under the midday sun. You never thought it would happen, but now the years of sun damage are starting to surface on your skin, making it look duller, less even and more wrinkled...

Living history.(Letter From the Editors)
March 1, 2006... March It is a classic paradox that fashion is about both constant change and an eye well trained on the past. The trick lies in merging the two. Designers generally take a flexible approach to history, liberally mixing references--Twenties...

Loving Reese to pieces.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... Reese Witherspoon is a breath of flesh air ("She Is Reese--Hear Her Roar," February). She is as bright as she is beautiful. After watching her as an adorable and talented teen actress in movies like Freeway and The Man in the Moon, I found her...

Arrested development.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I have been silently annoyed by your recent cover girls like Katie Holmes and Lindsay Lohan--two children who are miles away from fashion-icon status. However, after seeing your choice for the January cover, I can no longer remain quiet....

It's not easy being Kate.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... Reading the Readers React letters regarding Kate Moss and her drug use, I was shocked to see how many people are so willing to pass judgment on a woman they most likely will never know. One reader stated, "Any ordinary person caught in Moss's...

Penn state-ments.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I enjoyed the photographs of the Penn State students in your January issue ("Penn State"). it was an interesting premise to try to capture as broad a concept as American university life within one school. The students chosen definitely...

Five-Star review.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I thoroughly concurred with the observations of the Countess about the cattiness of restaurant critics ("Louise Critiques the Critics," January). In my opinion, restaurant critics are a lot like a high school clique, bullying the new kid (i.e.,...

Hello, Dolly!(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... What a delight to see Dolly Parton in the pages of W (Flashback, "What a Pair," January). Your article mostly touched on her sartorial sass, but let's not forget that she has always kept the volume up on her point of view as well. Our current...

Send in the clowns.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... Thank you for your coverage of Kathy Griffin, the rather acerbic comedienne ("The Joker," February). I have long been an admirer of her and her unabashed candor. She is brave in a town (Hollywood) that does not celebrate sticking out in the...

Picture perfect.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I'm a big fan of your wonderful magazine and especially your sumptuous photography. In the February issue, the centerfold of Reese Witherspoon's perky, pouty face in microscopic dose-up was particularly arresting. And Mario Sorrenti's steamy...

Biblical proportions.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc. contracts Padman Lakshmi for a planned program 'Ten Commandments')(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... In April Padman Lakshmi, the model-turned-actress and wife of SAlman Rushdie, will star in a new version of Ten Commandments, to be broadcast on ABC. Opposite such actors as Dougray Scott and Omar Sharif, she plays Princess Bithia, the Egyptian...

Reproduction rights.( )(Earl Spencer and Theodore Alexander launches new furniture range Althorp Living History)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Maintaining a home in the English countryside is a financial pain in the arse, but Earl Spencer thinks he has found a solution. The late Princess Diana's brother, who inherited the family seat of Althorp in Northumberland, and furniture...

Chinese box.(Chinoiseries)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Chinese Box since the watercolors of Bernd H. Dams and Andrew Zega are so painstakingly detailed and so long in the making, there is rarely a chance to buy new work. Now, with Chinoiseries (Connaissance et Memoires), collectors needn't wait....

No stone unturned.(UNCENSORED)
March 1, 2006... Sharon Stone may be the face of Dior's new skincare line, but the 48-year-old actress, who reprises her role as the murderous Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction in late March, is also moonlighting as a newbie fashion...

Grand Hotels.(UNCENSORED)
March 1, 2006... Interior designer Jacques Garcia knows plenty about hospitality. The Frenchman has decorated many Paris boites, including the Hotel Costes, L'Hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Pres and Laduree on the Champs-Elysees. This year he'll oversee renovations...

Lady Chatterley undresses.(Ann Summers launches Lady Chatterley lingerie line)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... D.H. Lawrence had no qualms about offending delicate tastes when he published Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1928, but even he may have balked at a line of Lady Chatterley lingerie. The racy collection is the brainchild of Ann Summers, a British...

Eighties something: skinny designer jeans, black leggings, Madonna and Norma Kamali. They're baaack!(Trend)
March 1, 2006... One of fashion's first rules is that everything comes back. Yet the axiom is hardly black and white. Some looks boomerang with more frequency than others--the high-necked Victorian blouse, for instance. Then some never go away: Hello, oversize...

Romantic interludes: the world of fine French lingerie blends sexiness and femininity--with whimsy ever-present.(Fashion Flash)
March 1, 2006... It seems only natural that a portion of Marie Antoinette's vast clothing allowance at Versailles would have gone toward the three yards of fresh, new ribbon required to wrap and tie her royal peignoir each day. But a later event in the doomed...

Knitting Pretty: skilled artisans with a lifetime of experience are shaping the latest, hippest sweaters.(weaving, knit clothing)
March 1, 2006... When you're looking for a fashion tip: Grandma knows best. Just ask a new generation of cutting-edge European knitwear designers who are employing a far-flung network of grannies. Equipped with skillful fingers and age-old knitting know-how,...

The Sweater Girl: cult-favorite designer Tess Giberson raises her profile at the helm of TSE.(Tse Cashmere)
March 1, 2006... Pinned to the bulletin board in Tess Giberson's office at TSE's headquarters in New York's Meatpacking District is a typed list of names for colors. There are up to 80 possibilities for each. It's an unexpected tidbit of poetry: Purple...

Ladies of the Canyon: for Nina Garduno and Leisha Hailey, life is one big art project.(plans to build a recording studio-store-nursery-beer bar-performance space)
March 1, 2006... Leisha and Nina, Nina and Leisha. Put them together and they're almost like one person--Nisha--with one utterly original sense of style. The couple first met in Los Angeles seven years ago, and together they've become possibly the town's most...

Desert heat: there are hot times ahead as neutral tones turn steamy this season.(fashion and clothing accessories trends)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... A sandstorm of sorts hit spring runways when designers turned up the heat with a new, sexy version of safari chic. Think beige is blah? Think again while pondering the sizzling neutrals that strolled the catwalk--from Dior's nude sheaths to...

Hot tropic: lush, vivid jewels shine with under-the-sea appeal.(Accessories Flash)
March 1, 2006... Who doesn't dream of escaping to a desert island when early spring still feels more like winter? These tropically inspired jewels are just the thing for an aquatic fantasy, be it a lazy day at the beach or an underwater adventure. The delicate...

Inside the belt way: for spring, distinctive belts put a flattering focus on the waist.(clothing accessories)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... With winter getaways on everyone's agenda and swimsuit weather on the horizon, it's no wonder that waistlines are getting serious scrutiny these days. But this time around, the focus is more on fashion than fitness. Belts--whether narrow or...

Graphic arts: strikingly bold jewels with a mod edge command attention.(Accessories Flash)
March 1, 2006... For some, it's the undulating curves of a Frank Gehry building or the ruffles of an Yves Saint Laurent blouse that wake up the senses, while others respond to the clean lines of a Mies van der Rohe chair and just about anything Calvin Klein....

Good jeans: denim gets an uptown overhaul with ladylike accessories.(Accessories Flash)
March 1, 2006... In the fabric world, denim is like Madonna: the subject of constant reinvention. Thanks in part to young Hollywood, its recent incarnations have tended toward the flashy and trashy. There's the Britney Spears look-- dangerously low-rise and...

True calling: a bohemian couple is lured by Henry Beguelin's siren song.(Accessories Flash)
March 1, 2006... Even if you believe in love at first sight, you've got to admit it's a mighty rare thing--which makes Paul and Cristina Nicoletti's story as enviable as it is unlikely. The couple, who helm the American retail presence of Italian luxury...

Ribbondance: fine watches paired with pastel grosgrain bands work day and night.(Accessories Flash)
March 1, 2006... Diamonds have long been a watchmaker's best friend, particularly when it comes to time pieces meant for keeping evening hours. But lately designers are feeling the need to kick a bit of the stuffiness out of diamond-bezel watches by outfitting...

Prep time: canvas bags trimmed in candy-colored leathers take the limelight.(accessories)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... It's hard to beat the utility of a big canvas boat bag for heavy-duty toting--though it's not a traditionally runway-ready look. But this season designers have come to the rescue with upscale riffs on the preppy classic, turning out crisp,...

The dress code: fill your closets with dresses that suit every mood-flirty, prim or just a touch racy.(Shopping)
March 1, 2006... Moschino Cheap & Chic Taffeta dress, $730, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York Anne Klein Silk dress, $395, at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores Alexander McQueen Silk dress, $2,180, at Alexander McQueen, New York Yves Saint Laurent Silk...

See spot run: beauty companies claim there's a better way to kiss those unwelcome age spots goodbye.(Beauty Flash)
March 1, 2006... One way or another, it seems, spots are out to get us. In our teens it's ache that spoils our dewy complexions. Then, in our late 30s and 40s, another kind of blemish makes its mark: age spots. They can be tiny, pinhead-size specks dotting...

A revised model: has the beauty industry soured on fashion's top girls?
March 1, 2006... At a dusty gas station in the middle of nowhere, two little boys gawk at a glistening, sweaty vision of Cindy Crawford in all her long-limbed, beauty-marked splendor as she downs a condensation-beaded can of Pepsi. "Beeeaaauuuutttiiffuulll...

Ripe of picking: la primavera gets unseasonably warm with sultry lip glosses, hot scents and boudoir makeup.(Beauty Flash)
March 1, 2006... 1 Just Like the Real Thing Scents often inspire memories of romance or melancholy, but in French perfumer Camille Goutal's case, her favorite fragrance left her with feelings of frustration. For five years Goutal tried to bottle the...

Totally smooth intimate shaving--without the pain and irritation.(modern necessities)
March 1, 2006... Surprise your valentine with a completely smooth intimate experience without the pain and embarrassment of waxing! With the Body Bare Intimate Shaving System, women and men alike can experience a smooth sensual shave anytime. This revolutionary...

Color maintenance.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2006... Introducing DevaCare No-Fade Color Maintenance, Deva's cleansing and hydration system specifically formulated for maximum color hold and moisture balance. Botanically infused, enriched with vitamin C, and always 100% sulfate free. For sale in...

Experience the truth.(Modern necessities)
March 1, 2006... Ole Henriksen's award winning Truth Serum-Collagen Booster is loaded with anti-oxidants to fight off environmental aggressors and moisture-binding ingredients to keep your skin nourished, 1 hydrated, and protected. Infused with Ester C, a...

Start the season in style.(Modern necessities)
March 1, 2006... Inspired Silver makes them affordable. Discover hot new styles from Inspired Silver including the heart-shaped basket rings available in Sweetheart Red (#1107) or Pink Innocence (#1176) for $39.95 each. Order online at www.inspiredsilver.com or...

Curls gone wild: after years of fighting frizz and too-cute corkscrews, a curly-haired girl finds validation.(hair styling)
March 1, 2006... Growing up in the Seventies, I always wanted Charlie's Angels hair a sultry middle part, feathered wings and lustrous tresses snaking down my back. Alas, with my head of shorn curls I looked more like Little Orphan Annie or Nancy of Nancy and...

The best in day spas and skin care salons.(ADVERTISEMENT)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2006... EAST COAST: ELIZABETH GRADY SKIN CARE SALONS 800 FACIALS, www.elizabethgrady.com 40 salons in 5 states: CT, MA, NH, NY & NC "Business is beautiful[R]"- John P. Walsh, President Word of mouth--that's how we got to be known...

Bill's thrills: design guru Bill Sofield unveils a new collection of furniture for deep-pocketed sensualists.(Home Flash)
March 1, 2006... When Bill Sofield launched his home furnishings collection four years ago, design fanatics rejoiced. After all, Sofield was the man responsible for the sleek modernist interiors of the Gucci boutiques the veritable design temples of the late...

Greenhouse effect: Londoners in the know lunch at Petersham Nurseries.(Going Out)
March 1, 2006... It's a restaurant with dirt floors and a kitchen housed in a former garage. Guests sometimes have to run through the rain to get to the bathroom, the heating system is still a work in progress, and the gas has been known to conk out, leaving...

Vegas baby: along with pal George Clooney, bar mogul Rande Gerber takes a gamble on the Strip.
March 1, 2006... There's a help-yourself bar in the corner of Rande Gerber's New York office. But in lieu of Grey Goose, Jack Daniel's and Maker's Mark--the kind of refreshments one would expect to be served by the impresario behind the Whiskey Blue, the Stone...

All in the timing.(the parties of the fashion industry)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The Getty Center in Los Angeles was decorated with sparkling stars of both the crystal and Hollywood variety for a dinner celebrating the launch of Dior's new Christal watch, Kirsten Dunst, Joy Bryant and Eva Mendes joined hosts Jamie and Steve...

A Born Lady: from pitching in to help make India independent to midwifing haute decor, Lady Pamela Hicks recounts her epic, if unsung, life.(EYE)(Biography)
March 1, 2006... All her life, Lady Pamela Hicks has avoided the limelight, perhaps because everyone around her claimed it first. In the beginning, there was her extraordinary father, Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and...

Smoke and mirrors: at 27, director Jason Reitman has already mastered the Hollywood hustle.(EYE)
March 1, 2006... There's nothing like a studio bidding war to launch a novice filmmaker's career. Immediately after director Jason Reitman premiered his debut film, the comedy Thank You for Smoking, at the Toronto Film Festival last September, the...

Holding court.(the party circuit around New York)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... As temperatures dropped in New York, designers and celebrities found ways to turn up the heat. At ACRIA's annual gala, held in the late Stephan Weiss's West Village studio, the likes of Jeff Koons, Gabby Karan de Felice and Genevieve Jones...

To catch a thief: Robert Wittman has made an art of recovering stolen masterworks.(EYE)
March 1, 2006... Last September, Robert Wittman, a gray-haired father of three based outside of Philadelphia, boarded a plane bound for Copenhagen, where, as he'd arranged, $250,000 in cash was waiting for him in a nondescript black bag. Upon arrival, he headed...

Argento Provocateur: Asia Argento directed a film based on a book by JT LeRoy, only to discover he didn't exist.
March 1, 2006... Asia Argento is a lot of work. The 30-year-old actor-director fills the air with a thick cloud of cigarette smoke and a haze of contradictions. In fact, she's not unlike a character in the mythic universe of JT LeRoy, whose book of short...

Frozen Assets.(EYE)
March 1, 2006... Mention Chanel and women hop to attention. Diane Kruger, Mia Maestro, Ashley Olsen, Helena Christensen and Lindsay Lohan all braved the windy streets of midtown Manhattan to attend the fashion house's special prefall presentation at its...

Latin flavor: the daughter of a famous French clan takes on Chile.
March 1, 2006... Her itinerary alone tells the story. This morning Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle, a charter member of the wine world s new jetset, is sitting for an interview at her plush Geneva apartment, which overlooks the famous gray-blue lake. In the...

What a drag: Chiwetel Ejiofor acts out as a cross-dressing diva in Kinky Boots.(EYE)
March 1, 2006... If you've ever laid eyes on Chiwetel Ejiofor, either onscreen or in person, you might have trouble imagining him as the drag artist Lola in the new British comedy Kinky Boots. A flamboyant drama queen who saves a small-town shoe factory with a...

Chic to chic.(celebrity clothing styles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Only the most stylish ladies can keep up with the ever-escalating international social whirlwind that is the party circuit. Whether channeling Old Hollywood or figures in Old Master paintings, these women embrace public outings as opportunities...

Novel concept: with her new book, Maile Meloy turns her reputation for quiet realism inside out.(A Family Daughter)
March 1, 2006... Two nights a week, Maile Meloy, a delicately framed strawberry blond, straps on an NHL-worthy helmet and face mask, picks up a fearsome-looking oar and climbs into the UCLA pool to play kayak polo. It's a rough-and-tumble sport, not something...

Greek unorthodox: expat artist Konstantin Kakanias--and his creation, Mrs. Tependris--are back.(EYE)
March 1, 2006... Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias is cooking lunch in the tiny galley kitchen of his Hollywood home, formerly the detached ballroom of a mansion that once belonged to Barbara Stanwyck. With a flair that would make TV chef Emeril Lagasse jealous,...

A new discovery: the beauty culture of AMOREPACIFIC.(SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2006... As a journalist, Lisa Ling scours the globe--traveling from international cities to remote destinations--to reveal and report on people and places influencing global culture. Among her many travels, she recently visited AMOREPACIFIC'S own...

Globe trotting.(celebrities on the night of Golden Globe Awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Celebrity gridlock is one kind of traffic that Angelenos don't mind, especially when it takes over the marble halls of the Beverly Hilton on the night of the Golden Globes. Most of the evening's stars, like Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe and...

Patriot Games: Bill Clinton's close presidential staff is banding together once again and taking London by storm.
March 1, 2006... One afternoon late last year, Kris Engskov was busy making lattes behind the counter at the Starbucks on London's Great Portland Street when he got a surprise visit from his former boss. The 35-year-old Arkansas native, who'd recently been...

Becoming Suzy: Aileen Mehle--also known as W gossip queen Suzy--reminisces with her alter ego about how she got her start.(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Herewith and herein, please find an inty-inty inquisition in which kind, gentle, patient Aileen Mehle attempts to interview her rambunctious, recalcitrant alter ego, Suzy, in an effort to extract from her by fair means or foul where, when, why...

A little contrast.(March)
March 1, 2006... This issue juxtaposes the chic with the scruffy and slightly menacing, within a single feature or from story to story. "Noir & Blanc," for instance, riffs on Nouvelle Vague cinema and the Paris student riots of '68, along with Che Guevara, a...

La sauvage: punked-out hair, racy bodysuits, minis and tight pants, oh my! The new-wave eighties live again in some of the season's most daring looks.
March 1, 2006... Louis Vuitton's black silk bathing suit, at Louis Vuitton, 866.VUlTTON, vuitton.com. Louis Vuitton hat; LaCrasia gloves; Focal hosiery. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alexander McQueen's black silk crepe dress, at Saks Fifth Avenue and...

Laplage: on the Riviera, luxurious moments pass. Time goes by in high style when you're wrapped in sporty looks that have a touch of Katharine Hepburn glamour.
March 1, 2006... Agnona's white linen pants, at Elsebe, Greenwich, Connecticut; Agnona, New York, Los Angeles and South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, California, agnona.com. Givenchy sunglasses; bracelets from Aaron Faber Gallery, Kentshire Galleries and Demner;...