Town & Country articles from June 2003

Town & Country archives from June 2003

Just because it's June. (Editor's Letter).(Editorial)
June 1, 2003... As a rule, Americans look forward to summer, a time of hope. June signals the end of the school year and that blissful period when socks come off and convertible tops come down. As we enter warmer weather and better days, our thoughts naturally...

Time your attire. (This Month's Mailbox).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... I am invited to a 3:00 P.M. wedding. The reception is at 6:00 P.M. at a very fine restaurant. Would it be okay to wear a suit to the ceremony and then a dress to the reception? ARLYN H., via e-mail Either outfit is fine for either...

Suit yourself. (This Month's Mailbox).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... My sister has asked me to help make choices for her wedding, a small day function with a morning ceremony and an afternoon reception. Would it be acceptable for the groom and his attendants to wear regular two-button suits with conventional...

A wedding proposal. (This Month's Mailbox).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... I totally disagree with the tradition that the mother of the groom must be third in importance after the bride and her mother. I have two sons, and by following that idea, I will always be left out. This should change! Somebody someplace,...

Color conundrums. (This Month's Mailbox).(wedding attire)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... My fiance and I have never been married, nor do we have children. Is it okay for me to wear a bright-pink wedding gown? HOLLY E., via e-mail Pale pink might be okay, but in general, brides stay away from bright colors. What shades...

Why balk at black? (This Month's Mailbox).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Town & Country remains one of my favorite publications, but I was somewhat dismayed at the advice that wearing black to a wedding "still doesn't seem quite right, so avoid it" ["Editor's Letter," February]. I can't think of a more considerate...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2003... The Caravaggio painting pictured on page 155 of our April issue should have been identified as The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, not The Calling of Saint Matthew. We regret the error.

Dazzling debuts. (Parties).(twelfth annual Crillon Debutante Ball)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... INVITATION TO A WALTZ The twelfth annual Crillon Debutante Ball, sponsored by Mikimoto, was held in the gilded salons of Paris's H6tel de Crillon. BELLES OF THE BALL Twenty-three debutantes represented eleven countries. Among them: Xenia...

Opening ceremony. (Parties).(twelfth annual Crillon Debutante Ball)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The festivities began with a predinner parade of the international debs--dressed in glamorous gowns from such haute couture houses as Christian Dior, Valentino, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and Chanel--escorted by gallant gentlemen and...

Jardin of delights. (Parties).(Norton Museum of Art)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... THE SOIRIEE The Norton Museum of Art's annual Bal des Arts benefit. THE SETTING "A Night in the Gardens of Versailles" was this year's theme, to tie in with an exhibition on French art and fashion. But the party actually took...

The night was young. (Parties).(Frick Collection fund raiser)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... MIX... One of New York's most active and attractive junior committees. WITH... One of New York's most treasured museums. AND THE RESULT? "An Evening of Nouveau Glamour," the Young Fellows of the Frick Collection's...

Chicago chic. (Parties).(Louis Vuitton's new megastore)
June 1, 2003... THE EVENT A celebration of Louis Vuitton's recently opened megastore in Chicago. Carrying the entire range of Vuitton products, the shop is the first of its kind in the Midwest and the second largest in the country. THE TURNOUT ...

Circus Mexicano: to the delight of epicures south of the border, Le Cirque founder Maccioni has exported his family's showmanship down Mexico way. (On The Town).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The ringmaster has done it again. First New York, then Las Vegas and now Sirio Maccioni has brought the buzz and sparkle of LE CIRQUE to the Camino Real hotel in Mexico City. From the moment it opened last December, this latest--and, says...

Traffic buster. (On The Town).(the Segway )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... "It's intuitive, just like a magic carpet would be." When Seattle resident Phil Torrone discusses his new SEGWAY, his excitement is hard to miss. Using the two-wheeled, electric transporter to commute to work, Torrone is an early adopter of a...

Chicago papers. (On The Town).(specialty boutique Alphabetique)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... After visiting several paper boutiques in Paris, sisters Kristyn Caliendo and Karyn Chapas determined that Chicago lacked a truly great paper shop of its own. "It became our dream to start one," says Chapas. Their store, ALPHABETIQUE, which...

Trillin's travels. (On The Town).(Feeding a Yen: Savoring Local Specialties from Kansas City to Cuzco)(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... If in life, eating is a sublimation of desire, then in literature, food is a metaphor for other longings. Few recent books have made that connection as well as Calvin Trillin's quirky and deceptively simple FEEDING A YEN: SAVORING LOCAL...

Rick's place. (On The Town).(Restaurant Review)
June 1, 2003... Don't let the tiny typeface fool you: rm, Rick Moonen's new seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, is a big hit. Moonen first proved his mettle as a seafood master at nearby Oceana, where he worked for ten years. Now at this lively (though...

Stonewalling. (In The Country).(Luppino Landscaping & Masonry)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... When I was a kid, I built a fortress on a rocky promontory at the edge of the woods behind our house. Well, it was really just a U-shaped stone wall, barely a foot tall. But it served its purposes, as stone walls tend to do: it defined my...

The state of real estate. (Nantucket News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... How's the market on Nantucket holding up? Brokers claim that the top end (waterfront, waterfront, waterfront) remains strong: there have been four $9 million-plus transactions in the last year (including the $9.8 million sale by Island...

Shoe inn. (Nantucket News).(Vanessa Noel Hotel)
June 1, 2003... Plasma-screen TVs; Philippe Starck-designed bathroom fixtures; Frette linens in the guest rooms; a caviar bar done up with leopard-print banquettes and faux privet hedges. This is clearly not your oldfangled Nantucket inn-it's the one-year-old...

Island insiders. (Nantucket News).(favorite spots)
June 1, 2003... Some longtime residents and summer visitors share their favorite recent discoveries around Nantucket: DAVID HALBERSTAM, writer: "SFOGLIA (130 Pleasant Street; 508-325-4500) is a relatively new Italian restaurant with an excellent, simple...

White nights. (in the garden).(Brugmansia x candida and Datura inoxia)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A friend recently admitted that his favorite way to view his garden was on a night prowl. He reminded me, too, that one of writer Vita Sackville-West's favorite nocturnal destinations was her White Garden--many of the best evening bloomers are...

A joy ride. (Nantucket News).(the Maserati Coupe and Spyder)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Few names in the automotive world are more potent than MASERATI, which stands for speed, glamour and gorgeous design and virtually defines the world's image of an Italian sports car. Now, after a ten-year absence, cars bearing the historic...

Creme de la creme. (Nantucket News).(Creme Cremaillere ice cream)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Here's the scoop. CREME CREMAILLERE ice creams are some of the best we have ever had the good fortune to sink our spoons into. What makes them so delicious? Probably the fact that they're French custard-style and come from the kitchen of one of...

Fashion & style news.
June 1, 2003... All We Want for JUNE is... to be draped in resplendent pearls. K.C. THOMPSON'S tenstrand coin-pearl necklace with a butterfly clasp in 14k white gold ($2,395) will make any woman feel as if the world is her oyster. At k.c. thompson, NYC,...

Slide away. (Fashion & Style).
June 1, 2003... Great for a day at the beach or an afternoon in town, casual thong sandals come in many styles. MISS TRISH OF CAPRI sandals with turtle detail ($215). CAPUCINE & CAPUCIN glass-bead Necklace sandals ($125). MYSTIQUE shell sandals ($100). FARYL...

Shade yourself. (Fashion & Style).
June 1, 2003... Protect your face (and look fabulous) with a colorful cloth sun hat. ORLA KIELY green floral cotton hat ($60). GINKA BY NEISHA CROSLAND blue silk Chickweed Bo Peep hat ($99). EDWARD AN pink cotton-twill reversible hat ($98). HABLE CONSTRUCTION...

Tokens of thanks. (Fashion & Style).(groomsmen's gifts )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... These groomsmen's gifts are sure to be a hit with the guys who stand up for you on your wedding day. MONTBLANC Meisterstuck Solitaire Doug black resin and stainless-steel fountain pen ($475). Sterling-silver engravable oval cuff links by LINKS...

Make him glad to be a dad. (Fashion & Style).(Panasonic's SD A/V recorder)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PANASONIC'S digital e-wear SD A/V recorder ($399.95) is pocket-sized, lightweight and stylish. With it he can take digital photographs, shoot family videos, listen to downloaded music, record his own voice and tape up to one hour of his...

Organic gems. (Jewelry).
June 1, 2003... Rough, unpolished stones give jewelry a natural look. FEDERICA RETTORE 18k-gold, ruby and rough-cut diamond drop earrings ($2,460), at Barneys New York stores, 888-822-7639. TONY DUQUETTE 18k-gold, citrine and rock-crystal ring ($1,800), at...

From the sea. (Jewelry).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Let these sparkling creatures swim into your jewel box. NICHOLAS VARNEY South Sea pearl, sapphire and emerald stingray brooch ($89,000), at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC, 800-558-1855; Greenleaf & Crosby, Palm Beach, 561-655-5850. Cabochon-turquoise,...

Gentle persuader: as determined as she is charming, Patricia Phelps De Cisneros is going to change your mind about Latin American art. (Connoisseur's World).
June 1, 2003... For anyone who likes to look at art, it's a great privilege to meet great collectors. Some of my most treasured memories have come in the course of writing for this magazine--of chatting, for example, with courtly Paul Mellon in his book-lined...

Secret source. (Connoisseur's World).(Chahan Minassian)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The hyperrefined interiors that Chahan Minassian creates for clients in London, New York, Tokyo and Mustique are rarely published in magazines, so he's not as well known as a number of his top-tier design colleagues. It follows, then, that the...

As time goes by. (Connoisseur's World).(Bobby Short at New York's Cafe Carlyle)(Nightclub Review)
June 1, 2003... To hear entertainer BOBBY SHORT deconstruct cabaret, with its liberal mixing of pop, jazz and theater, is to gain new appreciation of an art form steeped in nuance. "It can be a very intricate and difficult scene" says Short, the genre's great...

Pillow talk. (Connoisseur's World).(Jacob's Pillow dance festival)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Celebrated as much for its bucolic setting (in the rolling Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts) as for its distinguished seventy-one-year history, JACOB'S PILLOW is America's preeminent dance festival. If you've never been, go this...

Terence's tunes. (Connoisseur's World).(JVC Jazz Festival)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Since the late 1980s, Spike Lee has been commissioning the great trumpet player TERENCE BLANCHARD to write music for his films, including Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever and the recent 25th Hour. This summer, when the world-renowned JVC Festival...

Art market: celebrity photos. (Connoisseur's World).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... J. Lo, eat your heart out. Risque images of the pop diva du jour may sell glossy magazines, but in galleries and auction houses, collectors insist on more iconic fare. There, pictures of Madonna, Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson--enduring...

Passage to pleasure: John Cantrell takes a Silversea cruise and, happily, gets lost at sea. (Traveler's Notebook).
June 1, 2003... I didn't go anywhere special. Or see anything special. Or do anything special. But I recently took one of the best breaks of my life--a few days spent on one of the four ultraluxury ships that make up the Silversea cruise line....

Bill and Mike's excellent adventure. (Traveler's Notebook).(White Shadows Country Inn, New Zealand)(Hotel Review)
June 1, 2003... When Angelenos Bill Bailey and Mike Harris ran away to New Zealand four years ago, they wanted to become part of their new community, and they didn't want to be bored. So they built a sweet stone cottage attached to the main house on their $1.5...

A villa in Monaco. (Traveler's Notebook.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Once the home of designer Karl Lagerfeld, LA VIGIE, a landmark three-story Belle Epoque villa (left) perched on a lush point overlooking the French Riviera, is now arguably the best rental in all of Monaco. Since Lagerfeld moved out, the Art...

Custom caftans. (Traveler's Notebook).(from Lotty Bunbury)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Lotty Bunbury, a designer and longtime Mustique resident, made her first caftans last Christmas, when a friend custom-ordered twenty for gifts. Delighted with the results, Bunbury added caftans to her beachwear collection; now they are being...

Half moon escape. (Traveler's Notebook).(Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay)(Hotel Review)
June 1, 2003... I love going to San Francisco, but often I return feeling that I have missed something. After a recent visit to the RITZ-CARLTON, HALF MOON BAY (above), I figured out that I had been missing exactly what the hotel offers--a taste of the ideal...

Urban renewal. (Traveler's Notebook).(This is New York)(This is San Francisco)(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... Miroslav Sasek's frolicking cityscapes in This is New York and This is San Francisco--now reissued by Universe--are just as charming as they were in the 1960s, when the Czech author and illustrator published his award-winning children's travel...

Jewels of the trade: a look at fine design and craftsmanship. (Special Advertising Section).
June 1, 2003... 1. ASCH GROSSBARDT The new collection from America's leading inlaid jewelry designer includes branches of natural coral, set with 14 karat gold and diamonds--the hottest color in its natural form. For more information, visit...

Top glosses. (Beauty Mark).
June 1, 2003... Put your matte lipsticks away; you won't need them again until fall. In our minds, summer is synonymous with a glistening gloss in a pretty pink, peachy gold or eye-popping red or purple. 1. From top: BLISS Nude Peach ($18), at select Saks...

After wax. (Beauty Mark).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Yes, body and face waxing--ripping out hair from its follicles--can really hurt. The aftermath need not, though. Both J. SISTERS' new Tranquility cream ($19.50; 212-750-2485) and PETER THOMAS ROTH'S Soothing Repair Ointment ($45; 800-PTR-SKIN)...

A helping hand. (Beauty Mark).(Cle de Peau Beaute Treatment Essence SPF 9 )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A well-tended pair of hands can signal style and sophistication as clearly as a pair of Manolos, which is why we love CLE DE PEAU BEAUTE's hand and nail treatments. The Treatment Essence SPF 9 ($37), a lotion, keeps your hands looking their...

Sun-kissed. (Beauty Mark).(Guerlain's Terracotta SunSational Powder)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Whether you're a devotee of GUERLAIN's signature Terracotta bronzing powders or new to the cult favorite, you're in for a summer treat: Terracotta SunSational Powder ($50), a limited-edition bronzer in a new compact twice the size of the...

Haute hair. (Beauty Mark).(Lancome Hair Sensation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Two skin-care companies are bringing their expertise to hair with the launch of shampoos, conditioners and treatment products. LANCOME Hair Sensation ($16-$22), which consists of milky balms and delicious scents, lets you treat your hair as...

Eye-opener. (Beauty Mark).(Estee Lauder's Re-Nutriv Intensive Lifting Eye Cream)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Evelyn Lauder, of ESTEE LAUDER COMPANIES, has clued us in on a surprising cause of puffy eyes: dust mites. The microscopic insects, which thrive in pillows and other bedding, deposit waste products that can trigger puffiness if you're allergic....

Costly creams: a look at what's behind your moisturizer's hefty price tag. (Beauty Mark).
June 1, 2003... From where I sit, today's skin creams look like far more than hope in a jar, to use the words of Revlon cofounder Charles Revson. Still, I don't blame skeptics for questioning the astronomical prices of the top creams--between $250 and $500 is...

Tea totaling: scientists say tea is a healthy dose of preventive medicine. (Health).
June 1, 2003... You don't have to be a doctor to know that tea can soothe a scratchy throat, ease a headache or simply take the edge off a long, hard day. But scientists have recently found other reasons for us all to drink a cup of tea--or four. Numerous...

Casa de la renta. (Design).(Oscar De La Renta's new furniture design)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... After years of designing their clothing, OSCAR DE LA RENTA is now ready to outfit his clients' homes, indoors and out. Teaming up with Century Furniture, he's developed a collection for town, country and terrace based on antiques in his own...

Design trends.(home furnishings)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... 1. Frenchman XAVIER DOHR has modernized the art of passementerie, using unexpected trimming materials to beautiful ends. His wooden tassels are ideal for curtains, but would also add graceful oomph to bed canopies and posts. Distributed to the...

Family finances, part two: strengthen the ties that bind with a gathering of your clan--soon. (Wealth).
June 1, 2003... When Florida executive Susan Remmer Ryzewic and her family began getting together after the sale of their closely held business, she learned something surprising: they didn't know how to communicate well. Not, at least, on important issues....

So, what do you expect? Baby on the way? Look to be pampered, but don't become an enfant terrible. (Social Graces).
June 1, 2003... Since becoming pregnant, I have been astounded by the number of moms-to-be who turn into divas. It's one thing to accept a seat on a crowded bus, but it's another matter entirely to demand treatment befitting Cleopatra. An example: while I...

Pacific time: a steady diet of sun, surf and sand castles awaits the Blum family at their southern California beach house.
June 1, 2003... Ten years ago, at the Bel-Air Country Club, Scott Blum watched as a beautiful blonde woman's attempts to refine her golf swing were repeatedly suspended by a series of men who used tips on putting and slicing as an excuse to flirt with her....

Sally Quinn reveals what it took to restore beauty and magic to an infamously unhappy Hamptons house by the name of Grey Gardens.
June 1, 2003... It was a 1972 cover story in New York magazine that first made me aware of Grey Gardens. I'll never forget how appalled I was reading about the Beale women, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's aunt and first cousin. Known as Big Edie and Little Edie,...

Sweet bitterroot: in western Montana, conservationists Lewis and Suzie Coleman build a refreshingly modern home on the range.
June 1, 2003... Here's a profound truth: things ain't what they used to be. Across the Mountain West, solitude is rapidly giving way to crowds, scenery to traffic jams. And life in Montana's Bitterroot valley, in the western part of the state, is no exception....

Halcyon days: things are looking up down on Stiles Colwill's Maryland farm.
June 1, 2003... Stiles T. Colwill has a farm, ee-aye-ee-aye-oh. And on that farm he has one mutt, two rottweilers, five Jack Russells, thirty or so broodmares, two birthday-gift cows and two mares of a certain age that were once Alfred Vanderbilt's. Colwill is...

"A" for effort: welcome to the academy, the former Long Island schoolhouse where designer Thomas O'Brien has established his own curriculum for stylish living.
June 1, 2003... When Thomas O'Brien opened the glamorous, mercury-mirrored doors of Aero Studios in Manhattan's SoHo eleven years ago, the design firm and furniture gallery became a style maker overnight. Aero's artful assemblage of classic, vintage modern,...

Maine refuge: on Mount Desert Island, Susan Lyall is preserving the past and foreseeing a bright future for one of America's most revered summer colonies.
June 1, 2003... Anyone wondering how much is left of Maine beyond mail-order clambakes and balsam sachets will enjoy these recent photographs of August Moon, a hundred-acre private camp on Mount Desert Island. Canopied by mature spruce and fir trees, with...

Weddings.
June 1, 2003... Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis Christopher Stewart (Stacey Helene Davis) Washington, D.C. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Frasch (Georgia Hobaica) Pound Ridge, New York [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs. Michael Sonne Dickson...

Horoscopes.
June 1, 2003... Gemini May 22-June 21 You've been through the wringer during the last few years, but now you're fit and ready to conquer new worlds. Saturn, the taskmaster of the zodiac, slips out of your birth sign on the 3rd, and you'll zip into action...