Town & Country articles from January 2007

Town & Country archives from January 2007

Think Small.(showhouse)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... BIGGER ISN'T always better. But then again, I suspect you know this. Just look around. McMansions have become a blight on the landscape. Oversized portions in restaurants are a waste of food and hell on the waistline. SUVs guzzle gas and...

In praise of Milan.(In Your Own Words ...)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I wanted to thank Pamela Fiori for sharing her thoughts in "Warming Up to Milan" ["Traveler's Notebook," October]. I never thought I could miss my hometown so much. Like many other natives, I didn't appreciate this beautiful city enough while...

Room service redefined.(In Your Own Words ...)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I was thrilled to read October's "Penthouse Serenade," by Sarah Medford. The Lowell is one of the most elegantly appointed and tastefully decorated hotels in New York City. Designer Michael S. Smith emphasized the importance of hiring a good...

Mixed messages?(In Your Own Words ...)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I enjoy Town & Country every month, but I felt I needed to write after reading Pamela Fiori's November editor's letter about her desire to change the perception of the magazine as being an elitist, for-members-only publication. Just a few pages...

Four-star thanks.(In Your Own Words ...)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Wow! Learning that Town & Country's tastemakers have named the Four Seasons their favorite restaurant in the world is delicious news ["Luxury Survey," November]. We, its owners, truly love people and enjoy treating them to the world's finest...

Correction.(READER MAIL)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... In November's "Arts & Culture," an image from the film Becky Sharp was misidentified. The actor shown was not Alan Mowbray but Sir Cedric Hardwicke.

Town & country's horoscopes 2007: a yearful of promises, predictions and possibilities.
January 1, 2007... Capricorn December 22-January 20 You haven't lost your touch, Capricorn--yet not too long ago you were beginning to wonder if you'd ever get your life back on track. You have, of course, and how could it be otherwise when you're ruled...

Sounds of music.(PARTIES: Carnegie Hall)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Setting the Bar: If a concert is held at New York City's Carnegie Hall, rest assured that it will be stellar, for only the world's most talented and distinguished musicians grace its stage. This past fall, that standard of excellence continued...

In perfect philharmony.(PARTIES: New York Philharmonic)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Study in Contrasts: At the New York Philharmonic's Opening Night in Black and White benefit, nearly 1,000 New York luminaries--dressed in their formal, black-and-white finest--celebrated the start of the orchestra's 165th season with Champagne...

Glove story.(ON THE TOWN: Small pleasures in the Big City)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Tucked away on a cobbled street in Lisbon is LUVARIA ULISSES, possibly the world's cutest little glove shop. Since 1925, it has the hands of local sophisticates with custom gloves in every cut and color imaginable. The gloves are sized to...

For baby boppers.(ON THE TOWN: Small pleasures in the Big City)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... An exuberant Ella Fitzgerald singing "Good Morning Blues" and accompanied by bouncing toddlers rattling pastel maracas is the typical start to a WEBOP! day in New York City. Created in 2004 by Jazz at Lincoln Center and Lori Custodero, Ph.D.,...

Mini to the max.(ON THE TOWN: Small pleasures in the Big City)
January 1, 2007... Everything about MINIBAR is small. Everything, that is, except the big flavors and even bigger ideas that chef Jose Andres packs into more than thirty tiny dishes that come together to make a meal here. At this sushi-bar-sized eatery, situated...

Quince-essential.(ON THE TOWN: Small Pleasures in the Big City)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... It's all lovely and amazing at QUINCE, a tiny spot in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood. Housed in a 19th-century apothecary, this fifteen-table restaurant has been refurbished with elegant details. Burnished-wood floors, burgundy...

Super cooper.(ON THE TOWN: Small Pleasure in the Big City)(Mini Cooper S)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a pivotal scene from Les Miserables, the street urchin known as Gavroche sings of the dangers of underestimating little people: "We may look easy pickings, but we got some bite!" I had the same thought as I test-drove the newest offering...

Cameo role.(ON THE TOWN: Small Pleasure in the Big City)
January 1, 2007... "This boutique is the culmination of my family's 150 years in the cameo business," says Amedeo Scognamiglio of Amedeo, the 400-square-foot shop he recently opened on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Scognamiglio is particularly hopeful about this...

A touch of nature.(IN THE COUNTRY)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is more than the title of one of American poet Robert Frost's most famous works. It's also a wonderful reminder of one of life's simplest yet most complex pleasures: nature. Too often we seek out the...

Down on the farm.(IN THE COUNTRY)
January 1, 2007... A charmingly bucolic plot surrounds your country house, but it seems to need something more. A herd of cattle or sheep would be lovely, you think, if they didn't demand so much care--and so much room! Some smaller animals, you decide, would be...

Tiny trees.(IN THE GARDEN)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... For most people, when it comes to a small tree for the garden, selecting a Japanese maple is the obvious solution. Choosing one, however, is to miss out on a great variety of more adventurous alternatives less than twelve feet tall. These small...

American hamlets.(IN THE COUNTRY)
January 1, 2007... Urbanites have long escaped city straitjackets for the soul-satisfying serenity of small-town rural retreats. But as more travelers discover these getaways, tranquillity gives way to traffic and crowds. Here, six places that keep the peace. ...

Carolina Zapf.(FASHION & STYLE)
January 1, 2007... OCCUPATION: Owns and designs for Baby CZ, a children's clothing line she started five years ago, after the birth of her first child, Lily (pictured here, at home). BACKGROUND: The daughter of renowned German furniture designer Otto Zapf and a...

Kids' stuff.(FASHION & STYLE: News)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Some of the brightest, funnest clothes and such for the littlest members of your family. 1. Louis Vuitton denim skirt ($240), 866 VUITTON. 2. Playsam lacquered-wood toy cars ($45-$50), at Kid O, NYC, 212-366-5436; kidonyc.com. 3. Heidi Klein...

Shoes you can use.(FASHION & STYLE: News)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... If the LBD (little black dress) is every woman's wardrobe staple, shouldn't the LBS (little black shoe) be too--especially when embellished with special details? From top: MALOLES ballet flats with scalloped patent-leather trim ($375). ELIE...

Small Change.(FASHION & STYLE: News)
January 1, 2007... From key chains to card holders, mini-sized leather goods are not to be underestimated: they say as much about your personal style as your handbag does. From top: LAMBERTSON TRUEX card case ($245). SALVATORE FERRAGAMO metallic leather wallet...

Micro technology.(FASHION & STYLE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Remember when we thought a Walkman was small? Today's miniature must-haves make that innovation seem like an absolutely gigantic relic. Tiny Tunes APPLE calls its new 1GB iPod Shuffle--which holds up to 240 songs and clips onto...

Arm yourself.(JEWELRY)
January 1, 2007... The more, the merrier: thin gold bangles accented with stones should be piled high. Clockwise from top right: suzy FABRIKANT 18k rose gold, yellow gold and white gold, and diamond ($1,230-$2,025), 800-432-8895. SEIDENGANG 18k gold, diamond and...

The tiniest pearls.(JEWELRY)
January 1, 2007... The dainty seed pearl, made popular in the Edwardian era, looks wonderful when accented with diamonds. From left: ANNALU PONTI pearl bracelet with diamond clasp ($28,300), at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC, 800-558-1855. TIFFANY & CO. pearl and diamond...

Small time.(WATCHES)
January 1, 2007... They may be delicate, but there's nothing subtle about these watches. Clockwise from top left: BULGARI stainless steel with diamonds (:$4,150), 800-BULGARI. CARL F. BUCHERER Alacria Midi in 18k yellow gold with diamonds ($19,700), at Daniele...

Petite perfumes.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
January 1, 2007... For a scent with staying power, downsize your fragrance to a potent perfume. Don't be fooled by the dainty flacon; just a touch of the concentrated formula lasts all day. Or consider carrying a slim eau de toilette or cologne, like the ones...

Little lipsticks.(EDITOR'S CHOICE)
January 1, 2007... For me, getting dressed for a night out is a cinch compared with the time I spend cramming my touch-up makeup into my adorable matching clutch. So when I spotted Serge Lutens's refillable lipsticks ($75 each; refills, $55), I knew that my days...

Beauty on board.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... As of press time, passengers can once again bring cosmetic liquids, aerosols and gels aboard their flights. But the rules are strict; toiletries must be travel-sized (three ounces or less) and carried in a see-through, quart-sized ziplock hag....

Pack with packettes.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
January 1, 2007... Since the new travel regulations took effect, you've been putting most of your cosmetics in your checkable luggage, but no matter how cleverly you've packed, you still worry that one of those shampoo or lotion bottles will open and wreak havoc...

When small works: two cosmetics companies run by hands-on mavericks prove that success comes in all sizes.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
January 1, 2007... BENEFIT: Founded by twin sisters Jane and Jean Ford in 1976, Benefit is a line of makeup and body products with playful packaging and fun names like Dr. Feelgood, Moon Beam and Hollywood Glo. By Popular Demand "In the late seventies," says Jane...

The case for compacts: carrying your makeup with you has never been easier, thanks to these portable palettes.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
January 1, 2007... THE SPRING VIOLET Bobbi Brown's limited-edition Violet Face Palette ($50) gathers three eye shadows, a blush and three lip colors that are all just right for spring's soft-lilac trend. bobbibrown.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE...

Little masterpieces: cultural treasures that beckon us to take a closer look.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... DELECTABLY DOWNSIZED The National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C., may hold one of the nation's biggest art collections, but many of its greatest paintings are proudly and delightfully... little. The museum is big on small pictures,...

Small steps.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt Museum)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... New York's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has organized the country's first major retrospective of a minor but charming art form: miniature staircases. Young woodworkers in 19th-century France built many of these models as student...

Great books for the very young.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)
January 1, 2007... Bedtime-story hour is a cherished ritual for my three-year-old son, Andrew. Since, like many children, he loves to read the same books over and over ,,re I BIB come to appreciate titles that are open-ended in their approach. Rather than relying...

Pocket epics.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... While many of the most important novels also happen to be the fattest, the list of great short novels and other little books is actually quite long. Here's a subjective selection, made along chronological lines (the number of pages depends on...

Teeny achievements.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Even though its name means "small" in Italian, the piccolo is not the tiniest instrument used by the New York Philharmonic. That distinction belongs to the finger cymbals. Peter Reynolds's Sands of Time (1993) is the world's shortest...

Screen gems.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Just as we prize favorite "unknown" books or out-of-the-way bargain emporiums, we all have little movie gems, works not small in size but insufficiently known to the rest of the world, that we press upon friends and hope they'll embrace as...

Good sings, small packages.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... It's grand, it's loud, it's--tiny. Opera, considered one of the largest-scale forms of Western art, thrives in miniature. Anyone who has seen Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte in a 300-seat theater knows that intimacy brings a new dimension to sung...

Keep the popcorn coming.(ARTS & CULTURE: Little Masterpieces)
January 1, 2007... We might call TV the small screen, but the best made-for-television movies and miniseries are anything but puny. And when it comes to lavishly done epic productions that make you feel as if you're in a theater, not your living room, British...

Luxembourg grows up: with a new concert hall, a new museum of modern art and a booming shopping and restaurant scene, this pocket-sized country is finally ready for prime time.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
January 1, 2007... THOUGH LONG beloved by bankers and safe-haven-seeking nabobs of finance, lilliputian Luxembourg used to be so far off the radar screen of sophisticated travelers that if they weren't going there to check on the balances in their bank accounts,...

Diminutive destinations.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
January 1, 2007... T&C asked seven sophisticated travelers for their favorite small getaways, from boutique hotels and country lodges to quiet villages and tiny islands. James de Givenchy JEWELRY DESIGNER "In the summer, I usually visit Saint-Briac...

A brief on brewing.(DESIGN TRENDS: Espresso)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... European-style coffee has permeated the American palate, and a crop of new espresso makers--with enough bells and whistles to convert any caffeine lover from her filter routine-promises delicious shots. Breville's 800 ESXL (above; $449.95;...

Coffee, Italian-style.(DESIGN TRENDS: Espresso)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... If you've savored a great java jolt at a restaurant or bar recently, there's a good chance it was from lily. The Trieste-based company, founded in 1933, now serves six million cups daily, in 41,000 establishments around the globe. And no other...

Piping hot.(DESIGN TRENDS: Espresso)
January 1, 2007... These new espresso cups and saucers will entice you to downsize. From left: Miriam Mirri's Babette ($70) and Dominique Perrault's Ring ($108), both for Alessi, www.alessi.com. Platinum Space from Haviland ($303), www.haviland-limoges.com. Chef...

Four women who share a passion for objects crafted by hand have launched their own stylish, pint-sized companies.(Boutique Businesses)
January 1, 2007... Born in the city of Paris and trained in the fine arts, Sydney Albertini became a ceramist because she couldn't find the dinnerware she wanted. Her signature line of hand-painted plates (above), made in her East Hampton, New York, studio,...

A petite powerhouse: she started young, cooking as a child in her mother's kitchen. Now Giada De Laurentiis is whipping up Italian favorites on the small screen and becoming a bigger star every day.(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... "PICTURE, PLEASE?" A photographer gently pulls a tiny, young-looking woman from her front-row seat at the Louis Verdad show at L.A. Fashion Week. Soon, half a dozen cameras are blazing. The woman, in a black Christiane Celle dress and a black...

A little shelter: now that dwelling lightly on the land is a national preoccupation, small houses are becoming de rigueur.
January 1, 2007... IS SMALL THE NEW BIG? It certainly seems so. Trendsetters, architects and online pundits all preach the gospel of small. A spate of high-design shacks, huts, cabins, yurts, tree houses and playhouses for adults are rising from coast to coast,...

Too cute: the smaller the dog, the bigger the bite ... out of your heart.
January 1, 2007... A WEALTHY YOUNG woman with a high profile totes her small dog everywhere she goes. Adored by her public one moment, criticized the next for (among other vices) overindulging her pet, she's a magnet for rumor and scandal. Today's tabloid...

Children's charities mini happy returns: how you can do a lot for a tot or a teen.
January 1, 2007... CHILDREN TRULY ARE small wonders--in their joyful aliveness as well as in their trust in adults to give them love, care and guidance. Not only that, children actually are us--as we used to be and as we still are inside. It's easy, then, to...

So what's NEUE?(Neue Galerie New York)
January 1, 2007... A GREAT SMALL art museum is one whose contents you can savor in a morning's visit yet enjoy again and again. No U.S. museum better qualifies than the Neue Galerie New York, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Even with only 4,300 square feet of...

An intimate spa: until recently, you went to Connecticut's Mayflower Inn for luxury and romance; today, you can also go for facials, yoga and other restorative treatments.(Travel narrative)
January 1, 2007... WHEN IT COMES TO SPAS, small, in my opinion, isn't better--small is best. I'll go for the intimate place with a pared-down yet interesting menu of classes and treatments any day. And so I felt right at home at the new Mayflower Spa, in...

Weddings.
January 1, 2007... Mr. and Mrs. Matthew David Hudson (Elizabeth May Oliver) Hilton Head Island. South Carolina [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs. William McNeil Haraway (Erin Frances Kelly) Highlands, North Carolina [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr....

Horoscopes.
January 1, 2007... January Capricorn December 22-January 20 You've done a great deal of thinking and analyzing over the past few months. Now you're ready to act. And being a realistic Capricorn, while you're not expecting your plans to fall instantly...