W articles from October 2008

W archives from October 2008

Reversal of fortune.(The Month in Fashion)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Talk about a quick turnaround. A year after being handpicked by Harvey Weinstein and Tamara Mellon to serve as creative director of Halston, Marco Zanini parted ways with the label in July. To recap, Zanini showed...

Bid farewell.(The Month in Fashion)(Yves Saint Laurent's extensive art holdings)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After recovering from the shock of Yves Saint Laurent's death in June, the fashion world quickly began speculating about the fate of the extensive art holdings that the designer amassed throughout the years with his...

Lam chop.(The Month in Fashion)(Derek Lam sold a majority stake to Vienna-based Labelux Group)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Another month, another designer sale. In July, just weeks after Tuleh and Rachel Roy announced that they'd found new financial partners, Derek Lain sold a majority stake in his company to Vienna-based Labelux Group...

Wearable art.(The Month in Fashion)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gianni Versace's appreciation of the arts was well known. He collected both contemporary and classical pieces and often found inspiration for his designs in the work of Gustav Klimt, Alexander Calder and Andy Warhol....

Coming to America.(The Month in Fashion)( Topshop )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anglophiles, rejoice: Topshop is finally crossing the pond. The uber trendy Brit bargain retailer will open its first U.S. location in New York's SoHo in November. The four-floor, 40,000-square-foot emporium will...

Diesel fuel.(The Month in Fashion)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Diesel is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, and the label's owner, Renzo Rosso, has bought himself a great big present. In late July he acquired a majority stake in Viktor & Rolf, with plans to turn the quirky...

Risky business.(The Month in Fashion)(Mango)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mango might just be the bravest fashion chain in the industry. The Barcelona-based company plans to become the first international retail brand to open in war-torn Iraq. But don't expect flirty dresses or, well,...

Hair apparent.(The Month in Fashion)(Elan Sassoon)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] His father is possibly the world's most famous hairstylist, and he's already run a chain of high-end medi-spas, so it was only a matter of time before Elan Sassoon--son of Vidal--started building his own beauty...

Order of appearance.(Flashback)
October 1, 2008... Estee Lauder, the publicly discreet former beauty queen who was better known for her s perfumes than for her private activities, had an impressive list of firsts attached to her name. She personally handed out the industry's first-ever makeup...

Dynamic duo.(Fast Forward)(Clifton Brown and Linda Celeste Sims)
October 1, 2008... Clifton Brown was such a clumsy kid that his grandmother enrolled him in tumbling class when he was just four. The experiment took, and Brown soon turned to ballet, but an awkward growth spurt at 13 gave him pause. It was then that the...

Mad men.(Letter From the Editors)(Raffaello Follieri)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unless you married your high school sweetheart (and haven't divorced him), there's probably some man in your romantic past you shudder to remember. Perhaps it's the one whose kitchen stocked exactly one plate, or...

Star Wars.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I loved seeing Tilda Swinton in the pages of W, especially with the cover line "Tilda Swinton Is the Thinking Man's Movie Star" (September). It is absolutely true--so why is Kate Hudson on the cover and not La...

Adieu, Monsieur.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... Merci beaucoup for your affectionate collection of anecdotes regarding the passing of Yves Saint Laurent, the most singular 20th-century couturier since Chanel ("Yves Saint Laurent," August). All of Saint Laurent's creations, not only le...

Encore, Encore.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... She's still got it! Supermodel. Superactivist. Supermommy. Michael Thompson's intriguing shoot of Christy Turlington Burns ("Champion," August) proves that just because a model is closing in on the Big 4-0 doesn't mean she has to retreat from...

Girls Gone W.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... I'm beginning to question your editorial decisions. The "Summer Camp" cover of July's issue was more like a Girls Gone Wild DVD cover than a fashion magazine shoot. The August cover featuring the luscious Penelope Cruz was stunning--but when I...

Mideast misconception.(Readers React)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First, bravo on a marvelous photo shoot that truly captures the grit and intensity of Cairo ("Cairo," May)! I must respond to a letter written by Allyson Rowen Taylor regarding that pictorial ("Readers React," July)....

The perfectionist.(Uncensored)(Kiehl's and Brad Pitt's Aloe Vera Liquid Body Cleanser)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... When Kiehl's collaborated with BRAD PITT on the first-ever beauty product to be Cradle-to-Cradle certified--meaning it creates minimal waste--the company discovered just how diligent the actor is. For its Aloe Vera Liquid Body Cleanser, which...

Sealed with a kiss.(Uncensored)(Sylvie Fleury to design wineglasses for Dom Perignon)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Swiss Pop artist Sylvie Fleury flexed her funny bone to design a pair of Dom Perignon--commissioned wineglasses, due out in October. The artist, whose work riffs on everything from the luxury fashion world to UFOs, imprinted a whimsical trompe...

Full metal jacket.(Uncensored)
October 1, 2008... With plenty of Russian oligarchs and Arab princes settling in London in recent years, famed department store Harrods has debuted an array of bulletproof clothing for men, made by Colombian manufacturer Miguel Caballero. Should old rivalries...

Hollywood hoax.(Uncensored)(Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... In reporting on the filming of Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up to Borat, in which he plays a gay Austrian fashion reporter, Web sites such as IMDB and the Smoking Gun, as well as newspapers like the UK's Sunday Mirror and the Minneapolis...

West Coast Waverly.(Uncensored)(Sam Nazarian)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Sam Nazarian, owner of Los Angeles hot spots Hyde and Area, says his latest venue won't have a velvet rope or even a sign. An unmarred door on the back wall of the Bazaar--a tapas restaurant in his new hotel, the SLS at Beverly Hills--will lead...

Trend: gilt trip: fashion's got the Midas touch this season.
October 1, 2008... It's captivated conquistadors, Cleopatra and Wild West settlers. We're talking gold, of course, and that flaxen flair has captured the runway set too. Marchesa's Georgina Chapman. for one, round her inspiration on a recent sun-kissed cruise...

In his own fashion: the fashion press may not get Ralph Rucci's message, but his ladies love the designer's luxurious, elegant clothes.(Fashion Flash)
October 1, 2008... No matter how chicly appointed, a one-bedroom rental apartment hardly presents an expected lodging for the works of Cy Twombly and Francis Bacon. Yet Ralph Rucci's modestly, proportioned Manhattan residence on the Upper East Side boasts the...

Retail therapy: mantras, chakras, chants--no, it's not a tarot card reading. It's the latest merch-meets-metaphysics obsession.(Fashion Flash)(Leila Astarabadi)
October 1, 2008... Leila Astarabadi is a fashion fanatic--she shops at Barneys New York and has a closet rife with Prada, Rick Owens and Jil Sander. "I love Lanvin," says the willowy redhead, her tresses spilling down in perfectly coiffed curls. "For me, lately,...

Mob scene: with his new film, RocknRolla, Guy Ritchie makes gangsta chic.(Fashion Flash)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there are a couple of things you can bank on in a Guy Ritchie film, it's that the plot will be complicated (Is that bookie the brother of his rival's boss? Does the gangster, who may or may not be a pimp, owe his...

Indecent exposure: for fans of sky-high hemlines or layers of frothy tulle, it's standing room only.(Fashion Flash)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On her international press tour to promote this past spring's Iron Man, a radiant and lithe Gwyneth Paltrow donned a veritable parade of dresses, all with hemlines that hovered precariously around the top of her...

Sneak peak: once a quiet success, Elie Tahari makes it loud and clear that he's serious business.(Fashion Flash)
October 1, 2008... Elie Tahari has done well for himself. He presides over a sprawling West 42nd Street office filled with midcentury furniture, impressive photographs by Nan Goldin, David LaChapelle and Herb Ritts, and bowls of green apples and almonds. He also...

Opal essence: in vibrant greens and oranges, October's birthstone dazzles in myriad ways.(Accessories Flash)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Not quite ready for a cold snap? Brilliant opals call to mind turquoise waters and fiery sunsets. Cartier's sea green opal and emerald bead bracelet, one of the sumptuous pieces that debuted at the Biennale des...

In the clear: transparent accessories stage a comeback.(Accessories Flash)
October 1, 2008... Sixties Mod masters may have forged the way with see-through plastics, but a new generation of designers is having a lucid moment. At Calvin Klein, Ulrich Grimm, creative director of shoes and accessories, takes its gladiator to glossy heights...

Bloom town: jewelry house Faraone Mennella enters the floral business, and it happens to be a family affair.(Accessories Flash)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Just south of Naples, Italy, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, and east of the small city of Torre del Greco, acres and acres of floral farmland blaze a path of vibrant color through the surrounding greenery. The...

Sign of the times: astronomy-inspired gems are out of this world.(Accessories Flash)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The sun, moon and stars may light up the sky, but these celestial-like luminaries are a bit more attainable. Van Cleef & Arpels's dreamy watch plays with the duality of day and night, employing discs of sapphires and...

Family gathering: with new creative projects on deck, Carleton and Nicholas Varney share the spotlight.(Accessories Flash)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Would you like a Starburst?" jewelry designer Nicholas Varney asks by way of introduction. He pops one in his mouth, tosses a handful to a visitor and proceeds to delve into the pros and cons of various gummi-bear...

Color me happy: rainbow-hued accoutrements strike a bold, cheerful note.(Accessories Flash)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Multicolored baubles may be less serious than traditional diamonds and pearls, but that doesn't mean they're light on luxe. Consider Piaget's glow-in-the-dark timepiece dappled with dazzling pastel dots that resemble disco lights. H. Sterns...

Natural instincts: for Jacques An Lanh, the stuff of dreams lies in the organic.(Accessories Flash)
October 1, 2008... There's something slightly clandestine about meeting Jacques An Lanh at Harry's Bar, a storied watering hole situated a stone's throw from Paris's Place Vendome. Once settled into a dark corner of the wood-paneled room, the jewelry designer...

Gray expectations: going gray has never looked so good, as designers favor charcoal chic in everything from a belt and beribboned shoes to a mink-embellished frock.(Shopping)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... BR Monogram Wool and silk dress, $225, at Banana Republic, bananarepublic.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Michael Kors Patent-leather belt, $395, michaelkors.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ralph Lauren Collection Wool and...

Everlasting love: Ralph Lauren's newest fragrance comes straight from his heart.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... Who says love don't cost a thing? Not designer Ralph Lauren, who has put a $2,200 price tag on it. At least that's how much he'll charge for the luxury edition of his new perfume, Love, Ralph Lauren, when it goes on sale at Neiman Marcus and...

Medicis man: feng shui-loving CEO Jonah Shacknai's groundbreaking drug company is changing the way we age.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... Every so often, before he started the $465 million pharmaceutical company Medicis, Jonah Shacknai would observe the curious habits of women at department store cosmetics counters. "I used to watch the way they would look in the mirror," says...

Vanity fairest: lovely and all done up in leather, the season's most stunning beauty cases are the stars of the show.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... In an age when Ziploc bags double as our TSA-mandated cosmetics, totes and recycled cardboard is considered chic, it s nice to see that some people still remember the meaning of old-fashioned luxury. Venerable British firm Smythson is behind...

The feminine mystic: ob-gyn-turned-best-selling author Christiane Northrup is taking the idea of the mind-body connection to the next level.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... There are many activities that can make two minutes seem like an eternity--getting a tattoo, say, or anticipating an important phone call. But most of them pale in comparison to struggling to keep your eyes shut, your palms facing skyward and...

Body artist: fall's most enticing beauty entries smooth, soothe and shade.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... Shape Up Elizabeth Arden Prevage Body Total Transforming Anti-aging Moisturizer is powered by idebenone, the same wrinkle-and age spot--reducing antioxidant that made the Prevage face moisturizer an instant hit in 2005. To address...

Gone, Baby, gone: when a favorite lipstick or shampoo disappears from shelves, beauty addicts take desperate measures.(Beauty Flash)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Jamee Gregory's favorite shade of nail polish, Chanel Rose Baby, was discontinued five years ago, the socialite and author tried to be a good sport about it. She bought every remaining bottle she could find and,...

Dear Abbey: Rocco Forte's new luxury hotel in Prague doubles as a monastery. Please do not disturb the monks.(Travel Flash)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] For Sir Rocco Forte, there are few hotelier habits more irksome than penny-pinching when it comes to the minibar bill. The founder and chairman of a namesake hotel chain winces at the thought and covers his deeply...

Leading men: these six character actors have seen the ups and downs of Hollywood over the course of their years in the business. This fall, however, they very well may be giving the performances of a lifetime.(Men's Flash)
October 1, 2008... Josh Brolin A YEAR AFTER HIS BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THIS HOLLYWOOD RENEGADE MOVES ON TO A ROLE OF PRESIDENTIAL PROPORTIONS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BY KEVIN WEST When Josh Brolin last got into a...

Wish you were here.(EYE)(celebrity getaways)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Social life in the Hamptons flatlined this past summer as the usual party fixtures sought excitement further afield. But who could blame them for trading in crowded Route 27 for the beaches of the Dominican...

Working girl: with two major dramatic roles this fall, wise child Dakota Fanning grows up.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Given that she's 14 now, one might expect Dakota Fanning to exhibit just a tiny smidgen of adolescent angst. But the preternaturally excitable actress, who somehow comes off as both young and old for her age, is so...

Wild west.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The social scene along the California coast was relatively tame this summer, save for a few noteworthy blowouts. First on the agenda was the Traina clan's biennial Fourth of July barn dance--if you could call it...

Inside information: English interiors czar David Mlinaric reveals his design secrets in a new book.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Interior designer David Mlinaric's earliest memory is of taking shelter during an air raid in a riverside grotto, which he sensed had once been very special. In the 1720s, poet Alexander Pope built this subterranean...

Sally go lightly: in Mike Leigh's unexpectedly upbeat new film, Sally Hawkins plays one of indie cinema's rarest creatures: a truly happy person.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... When Sally Hawkins showed up for her first day of work on Happy-Go-Lucky, the latest film from English director Mike Leigh, there were a few crucial things she wasn't aware of, such as what the movie was about, who else was in it, and whether...

Play ball.(EYE)(the 24th Cartier International Polo Tournament)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] "I grew up with polo. My father and brother are professional players, and she's dated a few," explained Jemma Kidd, giving a playful nod to her friend Sarah Woodhead The chums were guests at the 24th Cartier...

Euro star: bearded dandy Sebastien Tellier is France's hottest new musical export.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If rumors of a renaissance in French pop music are to be believed, then homegrown crooner Sebastien Tellier makes for a fittingly louche poster boy. He has certainly ticked all the right boxes so far, with a vote of...

Triple-A bond: critics' darling Marc Forster directs Quantum of Solace, the costliest James Bond film ever.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... Just after nightfall on a muggy evening in Colon, Panama, an air-conditioned SUV exits the grounds of the hotel Melia Panama Canal past two armed checkpoints. Director Marc Forster slouches into its passenger seat, spent after a long day...

Hamptons hush.(EYE)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Each summer, the New York party train chugs out to the Hamptons, where every weekend promises another big scenic bash. But this season, something seemed off. There was the usual number of events, if not more, but...

Brinkmanship.(fashion)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Lights, camera, passion! In LOVE/HATE, a beautiful couple goes at it War of the Roses style, on the verge of mayhem while dressed to the nines in formal cocktail attire. Also gussied up is EMOTION, featuring breathtaking looks for the grandest...

Love hate: there's thin line little black dresses elaborately detailed cocktail, frocks and dramatic evening coats are the thing to wear when channeling one's inner operatic diva.
October 1, 2008... Alexander McQueen's METALLIC CRYSTAL-ENCRUSTED SILK DRESS. MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA VINTAGE BODYSUIT; LOUIS VUITTON GLOVES WITH CHAINS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BALENCIAGA'S SILK CREPE TOP, BY NICOLAS GHESQUIERE, AT BALENCIAGA, NEW YORK;...

Emotion: bold, dramatic and lush--with their rusting fabrics and ultrafull skirts, these looks seem made for nights at the opera and the most formal of balls.
October 1, 2008... CHRISTIAN LACROIX HAUTE COUTURE'S SILK SATIN AND LEATHER COAT WITH FOX FUR COLLAR, CHRISTIAN-LACROIX .COM; ALAIA'S VINTAGE BATHING SUIT, AT KENI VALENTI, NEW YORK, KENIVALENTI.COM; DIOR JOAILLERIE NECKLACE. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Helmut Lang: three years ago he shocked the fashion world by walking away from the groundbreaking label he founded. Now the designer-turned-artist unveil his New York.(Profile)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] It's one of those glorious, cloudless days of summer, and Helmut Lang, the avatar of stripped-down, urban cool, strides past the restored 1790 farmhouse, the shingled chicken coop, the organic vegetable garden and...

Queen Anne: despite her highly publicized personal trials, Anne Hathaway is emerging with more confidence both in her roles and in her life.(Profile)(Interview)(Cover story)
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] THOUGH OUR INTERVIEW HAS BEEN PLANNED FOR WEEKS AND CONFIRMED REPEATEDLY BY HER PUBLICIST, IT'S STILL SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE WHEN ANNE HATHAWAY WALKS THROUGH THE DOORS OF THE RUSTIC NEW YORK CAFE SHE'S CHOSEN AS...

Kristen: Kristen McMenamy turns up in shapely pieces--tight or not--with simple silhouettes in low key tones.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YVES SAINT LAURENT'S SILK SATIN BUSTIER, AT SELECT YVES SAINT LAURENT BOUTIQUES; NEIMAN MARCUS, 888.888.4757; ATSUKO KUDO'S LATEX BRA, AT ATSUKO KUDO, LONDON, ATSUKOKUDO.COM; ROBERTO CAVALLI'S WOOL SKIRT, AT CHOICES,...