W articles from May 2004

W archives from May 2004

The Gucci denouement.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... For all the global intrigue over the identity of the successors to departed designer Tom Ford--with rumors flying about Mare Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez and Alexander McQueen--the Gucci Group's parent, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, ultimately chose...

Comfort shoes.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... Many people may feel fashion designers are secretly masochistic, yet there is growing evidence that at least some companies place as much emphasis on comfort as they do on style. Pucci recently joined forces with Sabeit, an Italian footwear...

The Pamela principle.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... "Trust me. There's lots more than spandex." So said Pamela Anderson, former star of Baywatch, of the latest celebrity branded fashion line, The Pamela Collection. While there is, in fact, lots of swimwear in the line, Anderson was quick to...

Missed manners.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... In this day and age of stylish entertaining, turning to Emily Post for advice simply isn't enough. It takes a fashion designer like Kate Spade to sort out the details of decorum with a modern eye, while also maintaining a respect for tradition....

Love handles.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... Jonathan Adler is expanding his collection of whimsical ceramic home designs to incorporate a new line of handbags, which the self-confessed homebody said were inspired by sitting on the couch. For style muses, Adler turned to TV heroines like...

Projects in development.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... The latest craze among fashion designers is to customize their own cameras, which isn't to say they don't occasionally have some image issues. Cynthia Rowley, for one, ran afoul of organizers of New York's central fashion-show venue recently...

Ready to where.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... Imagine checking into a resort where the Giorgio Armani-attired staff leads you to your Armani Casa-appointed room, and where the mints on the pillows come from Armani Dolce. Give it a few years, and you can even live there. In an ambitious new...

The story of O.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... This fall, the ladies who lunch will have to find a new restaurant--one that's closer to the mall. That's because Oscar de la Renta, he of the $10,000-and-up ballgowns, is introducing a new collection for mainstream department stores called O...

Life after fashion.(The Month in Fashion)
May 1, 2004... Tom Ford might be nervous about his next career move, but at least one former fashion star has found success in another medium. Since closing his signature dress shop in London more than a decade ago, Victor Edelstein, a favorite of...

Lady Jane.(Flashback)
May 1, 2004... At a New York dinner party in the Forties, the young widow Jane Pinto-Reis Brian Mannheimer braced herself for a less than enchanting evening in the company of Charles W. Engelhard Jr. "I was feeling low because I thought I was getting the...

Street wise.(Fast Forward)
May 1, 2004... It's tempting to describe A Grand Don't Come for Free, the new CD by Mike Skinner, the British rapper who performs under the moniker The Streets, as a "concept album," a "rap musical" or even--God help us--a "rock opera." But on a recent...

Group mentality.(Letter From the Editors)
May 1, 2004... May A few years back the noted Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam published the critically lauded book Bowling Alone. The jauntily nonacademic title was a reference to the demise of bowling leagues in Middle America despite the growing...

Model moment.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... What a lovely cover (April)! The subdued and painterly image of model Gemma Ward in a Roberto Cavalli dress was just what I hope for from W--an inspiring blend of fashion and fantasy. It was refreshing to be given a break from those ubiquitous...

Artistic license.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... In receiving your February issue, I was disappointed and a little disgusted at the fashion shoot "Splendor in the Grass." Photography is an art. I fully understand that. But these photo shoots don't focus on the clothes, and instead cast the...

Diverse pleasures.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... As a professor and an observer of the media, I must say that W continues to come of age. My wife has been a subscriber for maw years, but when she showed me Bruce Weber's "Spring Break" (April), I thought it truly a fabulous break with...

Charmed life.(Readers React)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... What a pleasure it was to read about Ivanka Trump ("The Apprentice," March). Apparently, being born into a privileged family has not dissuaded her from taking advantage of life's opportunities with humility and appreciation. What pride her...

Lost in translation.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... Though Olivier Theyskens is Belgian, he may be too French for his own good. The designer, who has been turning out fabulously chic clothes at Rochas since 2002, now also handles the house's perfumes. During the recent couture shows, he quietly...

Stratus sphere.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... Well-heeled travelers tired of mingling with the riffraff in the first-class lounge may be ready for a new Visa card geared toward the private jet set. Stratus Rewards, an invitation-only program launching this spring, will allow cardholders to...

Castle castoffs.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... In what is sure to be the grandest European yard sale in years, antiques dealers Axel Vervoordt (whose clients include Valentino and the Aga Khan) has asked Christie's to set up shop at his fairy-tale castle near Antwerp this month. Vervoordt...

Gross indecency.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... Calling all supermodels! Now that Madonna has acquired the film rights to Michael Gross's fashion-industry tell-all, Model, Hollywood will soon be on the lookout for a new crop of run way beauties eager to stretch. Sources say the...

The light stuff.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... As France gears up for the May holidays, the annual bikini anxiety has seized Paris. While fashion magazines are filled with crash-diet tips--le Atkins has finally made the crossing--leave it to the French to propose a more palatable regime:...

Stone face.(Uncensored)
May 1, 2004... Like the gods of Easter Island and the presidents of Mount Rushmore, supermodel Erin O'Connor has been immortalized in stone. British sculptor (Matthew Spender chose her as his subject for a series of statues to be displayed in Siena this...

Prep rally: forget The Official Preppy Handbook. Take a page out of spring's guide to country-club cool.(Trend)
May 1, 2004... Greetings, Muffy, Buffy and Biff. The new prep school chic offers more than just your average roster of starchy tennis whites, boat shoes and L.L. Bean bags. The look gets a jolt this season with a new, sexy edge--flirty strapless sundresses...

Girls' town: feminine looks, from bold colors and patterns to ribbons and lace, ruled the collections, turning every fashion capital into a girly outpost.(Fashion Flash)
May 1, 2004... Bang! THe sound of a door slamming shut on an era and designer going out in a blaze of glory. Tom Ford's much-anticipated adieu to fashion framed the European fall collections, creating a tension that swelled to theatrical proportions while...

Canadian gothic: Melissa Auf der Maur, who rocked the bass in Hole, goes solo this month in high style.(Fashion Flash)
May 1, 2004... Some say letter writing is a dying art, practiced mostly by older folks who have resisted the easy gratification of e-mail and instant messaging. Certainly one might not expect a flame-haired rocker, a girl who once shared stage space with...

The grand Duke: with her jewelry collection--now at Christie's--heiress Doris Duke proved that bigger is better.(Accessories Flash)
May 1, 2004... Columnist Cindy Adams first meeting with Doris Duke wasn't really a meeting at all. Visiting her friend, Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos--then on trial for racketeering--at her suite at the Waldorf Towers in New York in 1988, Adams recalls...

Stuck on you: after many seasons in eclipse, the brooch is back, and it's making a bold statement.(Accessories Flash)
May 1, 2004... Designers are taking inspiration from an old aphorism this season: Just be yourself. With ladylike looks everywhere, they're showing sophisticated, playful accessories that add a personal touch, and some of the most notable are brooches....

L.A. confidential.(A backward glance: Victorian, Old Hollywood and Seventies inspirations or origins add interest to the latest accessories)
May 1, 2004... It should come as no surprise that a conversation with Neil Lane always turns to red-carpet glamour. After all, the Los Angeles jeweler knows a thing or two about the subject. In recent years, Lane's stunning estate jewels have graced Charlize...

Freeze frame.(A backward glance: Victorian, Old Hollywood and Seventies inspirations or origins add interest to the latest accessories)
May 1, 2004... Last spring Simon Jablon unlocked the doors of one of his family's unused warehouses in London and stumbled upon a vintage gold mine. In the mid-Eighties, his mother, Linda Farrow, a designer of sunglasses and the wholesaler for such labels as...

Rainbow coalition.(A backward glance: Victorian, Old Hollywood and Seventies inspirations or origins add interest to the latest accessories)
May 1, 2004... "Stanley Kubrick meets Victorian," is the way Brooklyn designer Alexis Bittar describes his new boutique on Broome Street in New York's SoHo. That translates into turn-of-the-century wallpaper, iron columns, a clear Plexiglas wall and a...

Cuff love.(A backward glance: Victorian, Old Hollywood and Seventies inspirations or origins add interest to the latest accessories)
May 1, 2004... The Italian accessories company Tod's is offering something new to satisfy you appetite for luxury. The leather goods purveyor is celebrated for its handcrafted shoes and bags, and now it is setting its sights on jewelry. "It's a natural...

Showing his metal.(A backward glance: Victorian, Old Hollywood and Seventies inspirations or origins add interest to the latest accessories)
May 1, 2004... "To me, jewelry is like the chrome on a car," says Paul Morelli. And although his designs aren't mechanical or flashy like that metal, they are certainly as eye-catching as the details on a sophisticated automobile. Based in Philadelphia,...

By the sea; whether island hopping or lounging on the shore, these beachy looks make for fun in the sun.(Shopping)
May 1, 2004... Dolce & Gabbana Canvas and leather bag, $895, at Neiman Marcus nationwide; www.dolcegabbana.it [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Giorgio Armani Viscose and elastin maillot, $295, and enamel pins, $295 each, at select Giorgio Armani...

Free styling: the fall runways' best beauty looks provided a chic mix of drama and intrigue.(Beauty Flash)
May 1, 2004... Leave it to fashion's creative forces to transform the everyday into an opulent adventure. Just as Carolina Herrera converted a simple ski vest into a luxe for affair for fall, hair and makeup also found elegance in the less-than-obvious. This...

Best of the brightest: skin-clarifying products, best-sellers in Japan, bring their glow stateside.(Beauty Flash)
May 1, 2004... In the cosmetics industry, there used to be an axiom that distinguished West from East: Americans like to look bronzed (resulting in our mania for self-tanners), while Japanese women prefer pallor (hence the yen for skin-whitening products)....

Girls on film: in a cinematic new advertising campaign, four glamorous actresses see Revlon red.(Beauty Flash)
May 1, 2004... Scene: Interior of an old bookstore as late afternoon light spills in. Close-up on Julianne Moore as her eyes glide along a row of books. Pulling one from the shelf, she drops her candy apple red purse. A Revlon lipstick rolls out onto the...

Summer stock: from boudoir to beach, the season's most coveted beauty essentials.(Beauty Chic)
May 1, 2004... [GOING FOR BRONZE] Glitter Girl Sure to be a beach-bag essential, Glow by JLO All-Over Shimmer Powder Brush adds a subtle sparkle from head to toe, $25. At Macy's. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sunny Disposition As luxurious as...

Slatkin & Co.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... Slatkin Body Therapy--the most luxurious body, bath and hair products--available exclusively at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman & www.slatkin.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Bond No. 9--the essence of New York.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... You're a New Yorker. You love this city. So, switch to a New York scent already. Come quickly for a sniffing session at our 9 Bond Street, 680 and 897 Madison Avenue boutiques or Saks Fifth Avenue. For more information visit us at Saks.com or...

Trouble.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... The new fragrance from Boucheron. An enchanting fresh Oriental fragrance for women who command attention... unsettle convention... and spark... Trouble. The collection $65-$165. Visit www.neimanmarcus.com for further information or...

ReVive.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... Sans Veines Body Repair Cream does double duty as a reparative treatment to reduce and eliminate spider veins and as a deeply penetrating moisturizer. Tiny prisms mask imperfections so your body looks fit and flawless from every angle....

Stella by Stella McCartney.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... Stella McCartney's first fragrance is a feminine and sexy scent, blurring the line between fragility and strength. The softness of the rose is contrasted with a sensual touch of amber to create a modern day edge with a vintage spirit. The...

Amorepacific.(spring beauty chic)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... The Future of Firming! AMOREPACIFIC's... NEW Contour Lift Eye Creme. Fill, Firm, Fortify. To Sample: Bergdorf Goodman 212.872.2770, AMOREPACIFIC SoHo 877.55.AMORE. www.amorepacific.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The best in day spas and skin care salons.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... East Coast: Elizabeth Grady Skin Care Salons (800) FACIALS 30 salons in 5 states: CT, MA, NH, NY & RI website: www.elizabethgrady.com "Where Beauty Meets Medicine[TM]"--John P. Walsh, President Elizabeth Grady skin-care...

A cutlery above: Danish luxury design icon Georg Jensen celebrates a century of silver.(Home Flash)
May 1, 2004... Scandinavians are known for their low-key emotions and minimalist, high-concept designs. But in a departure from understated Nordic tradition, legendary Danish silversmith Georg Jensen is about to throw a yearlong party: The company is...

Better than Botox[R] * ?[TM].(Anti-Aging Breakthrough)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... "WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT A STRETCH MARK REMOVER WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE ANTI-WRINKLE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE DECADE!" In a remarkable turn of events, arguably one of the strangest in the history of cosmetics, women across the country are...

Top-secret strategies for beautiful skin.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... You won't believe your eyes after using Reparative Formula, the latest breakthrough creation from Dr. Michelle Copeland Skin Care. This elegant cream, loaded with the latest anti-aging complex, greatly diminishes fine lines and wrinkles around...

Looks and luxury!(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... For coffee that tastes as good as it looks, discover the exquisite design and impressive engineering of Capresso. The Impressa F9 from Jura-Capresso is a Super Automatic Coffee Center. It grinds, tamps, brews and cleans in less than 60 seconds....

The jet set.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... You're destined for style with exquisitely designed accessories by Leslie Singer. A favorite among fashion insiders, the graphically charged high gloss patent tote ($150) works alone or together with the very luxe silk crepe scarf ($285) that...

Age-defying amino acids.(Modern necessities)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... Have anti-aging treatments left your skin red and irritated? Even the most sensitive skin will benefit from the hottest new skincare craze, amino acids, boscia's Restorative Amino-3P Firming Treatment uses Palmitoyl Penta-Peptide, a combined...

Critical eye: palace intrigues from Henry II to JFK ... and Tony Kushner's return to Broadway.(Reviews)
May 1, 2004... Bill Clinton felt the nation's pain for years, but what about his damn pain? The poor sucker gets himself impeached--impeached!--for dallying with a single intern, whereas his presidential role modal, John Kennedy, made West Wing whoopie a...

Well trained.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... At the Frick Collection's Young Fellows' Winter Fete, guests weren't merely awe-struck by the decor, but by the honorary chair, Carolina Herrera. After giving an afternoon of interviews about her new scent, Chic for Men, Herrera greeted a brand...

The naturals: a forceful group of A-list eco-activists is doing its best to turn Tinseltown green.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... It's the morning after the Academy Awards, and in offices across America, people are gathering to discuss the problems with Liv Tyler's hair and Charlize Theron's bronzer. But in ah ecofriendly conference room at the Santa Monica offices of the...

Reality bites: darling of Miuccia Prada, Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli marries Hollywood with handicrafts.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... It is a wet winter day in Rome, and inside the film studio where Roger Vadim shot Barbarella a group of plump signoras in black dresses, young studs with overgelled hair and twentysomething girls in stilettos are sitting around a television...

High minded.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... A spate of high-brow evenings kept New York's brightest amused--and booked. Ethan Hawke and Kristin Davis read correspondence between some of history's most famous lovers at the New York Public Library for a Chanel-sponsored Young Lions event,...

Midler America: a hit CD, a smash tour and a new movie ... everything's coming up roses for the Divine Miss M.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... Any member of the Hollywood elite not on hand at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles tonight--Oscar night--is most likely glued to a plasma-screen TV at home. But not Bette Midler. The artist usually known as the Divine Miss M is at the...

The light brigade: thanks to its famous disciples, the Kabbalah Centre is attracting plenty of attention--and criticism.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... In a crowded synagogue social hall in Beverly Hills following a festive turkey dinner, a throng of men lock their arms around one another's shoulders and offer up a song of tribute to a venerated rabbi and his wife. Meanwhile, at an adjacent...

Love connection.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... More than 600 guests--including Matthew Williamson, Jacguetta Wheeler, Frederick Windsor, Jasmine Guinness, Rosamund Pike, Missy Rayder, Bryan Adams and Anouck Lepere--flocked to London's Cafe de Paris to honor Bay Garnett and the return of her...

My big fat Greek drag show.(Eye)
May 1, 2004... Nia Vardalos thought Greek weddings were stressful, but that was before she tried dressing up as a man who dresses up as a woman, In her new film, Connie and Carla, a Thelma and Louise meets Victor/Victoria comedy, she and Toni Collette star as...

Starring roles.(May)
May 1, 2004... It's a piquant pleasure to see one's favorite stars in something a bit unexpected. And there has always been something a little wild about supermodels. Both those elements are explored in two fashion features this month. The first, "Showgirl,"...

Showgirl: how do you become a showgirl? Steven Klein and Naomi Campbell take us through the backstage preparations, from the feathers and lame to the shot of a little something extra.
May 1, 2004... Rochas's silk lace bustier, at Barneys and Bagutta, New York; Calvin Klein's nylon and Lycra spandex briefs, at Calvin Klein Underwear, New York, 877.CK.U.SOHO. Louis Vuitton shoes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jean Paul Gaultier's silk...

Tanzania: what could be a better backdrop for a natural beaty than a savannah in Tanzania? Here, Kate Moss shows off some dramatic looks in drop-dead settings.
May 1, 2004... [opposite] Luella's silk dress, at Henri Bendel, New York. Scott Wilson necklace [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Beauty Note: Adding a few drops of Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF 30 morphs any makeup or moisturizer into a weapon...

Uma cum laude: it was the year of living dangerously, onscreen and off. Still dressed to kill, Uma Thurman talks about love, fashion and dismemberment.(Profile)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2004... though she has played a comic-book villain, a genetic superhuman, a Greek goddess, a slick uber spy and a killing machine, Uma Thurman has only ever been a reluctant participant in her own mythmaking. Interviews bemuse and exhaust her, and she...

Nouveau Russe: the residence of choice for fashionable, free-spending Muscovites, London is in the grip of a Russian revolution.
May 1, 2004... Most Chelsea Football fans travel to the Saturday matches in London by foot or by tube. But thanks to 37-year-old Roman Abramovich. the team's Russian owner--and the UK's richest man, with a net worth of 5.5 billion pounds--an increasing number...