Town & Country articles from September 2003

Town & Country archives from September 2003

What's in a word?(comments on elegance and fashion )(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... Our annual fall fashion issue, with its theme of elegance, always causes me to do a lot of thinking about what that eight-letter word really means these days. It must mean something--why else would it be on the minds and the lips of so many...

Pore no more.(reducing size of skin pores)(treating patches of dry skin )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... How can I reduce the size of my pores and get rid of the rough areas around my nose and chin? JANET W., via e-mail The best way to reduce the appearance of pores is to prime your face with products that contain salicylic acid....

Parallel lines?(effectiveness of dermatologist-created skin care products )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Are dermatologists' products--either a line they carry or ones they prescribe--really better than those you find at department stores? ANDREA M., via e-mail Not necessarily; it depends on the formula. Some dermatologists create their...

A blushing bride.(cosmetics and cosmetic application for eczema sufferers )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... I have very red cheeks (because of eczema). My wedding is coming up, so I would like to conceal the redness as much as possible without appearing white--especially in photographs. Is there anything I can do? FEY, L., via e-mail To help...

Fade out.(products to treat skin discoloration, sun damage )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... What is the best product--either cosmetic (e.g., Olay, L'Oreal) or natural (e.g., lemon juice, rose-hip oil)--to fade discoloration or sun damage on the face? HELEN Y., via e-mail We haven't used natural products for those conditions,...

Pretty women.(members of high society at special events )
September 1, 2003... Town & Country has been covering parties--benefits, balls and blowouts--since its inception in 1846. Every year we especially look forward to the spring, when a parade of elegant women grace the season's events (and spearhead them, too). This...

In glorious bloom.(New York Botanical Garden's Conservatory Ball )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... PARTICULARS Every year in early June, the spring party season reaches its pinnacle with the New York Botanical Garden's elegant Conservatory Ball, attended this year by 650 floraphiles. GREENHOUSE GALA The glass-domed Enid A....

Cinderella story.(Washington Ballet's annual ball )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... FAIRY-TALE FETE A Cinderella's Ball theme prevailed at the Washington Ballet's annual black-tie gala. ENCHANTED PALACE The splendor of the newly restored Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, in Washington, D.C., provided the ideal...

The stork club.(Chanel fashion show and fund-raising event )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE COLLABORATORS Chanel and Bergdorf Goodman teamed up to present Chanel's fall/winter ready-to-wear collection at a lively luncheon at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. THE CAUSE The Lying-In Hospital at New York Weill Cornell...

Town & country takes center stage.(2003 Couture Design Award)(Couture Jewelry Collection and Conference )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Memorial Day weekend, the elite of the jewelry and watch industry come together for the ninth annual Couture Jewellery Collection and Conference, the definitive showcase of the best jewelry designs from around the world. Each year, Town &...

Ovation.(Placido Domingo and Friends Concert and Gala )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE LIBRETTO The Los Angeles Opera's second annual Placido Domingo & Friends Concert & Gala featured not only the best of opera but also some rock, blues and Broadway surprises. THE OVERTURE Cocktails and a silent auction on the...

Rhythm & blues.(Blowin' the Blues Away, benefit performance )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE THEME More than 830 jazz lovers attended Blowin' the Blues Away, Jazz at Lincoln Center's spring benefit at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, hosted this year by actor Laurence Fishburne and cosponsored by Cole Haan and JPMorgan Chase. ...

Charity overdrive.(events and fund raisers )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... AT THE WHEEL The Women's Committee for Hospice Care in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, steered itself through its fifteenth annual (and highest-grossing) Grand Night for Hospice Ball. THE PASSENGERS Movers and shakers of greater...

What's new, pussycat?(Tiger Mountain, exhibition at Bronx Zoo )
September 1, 2003... Unless your name is Siegfried or Roy, you've never gotten this close to a tiger like Norma and lived to tell about it. Yet, thanks to a new exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, you and a great cat can go nose to nose (guess whose will be bigger?, and...

Chef's choice.(Delfina )(Restaurant Review)
September 1, 2003... On a recent visit to San Francisco, I barely had time for even one meal. Where to eat in this city of wonderful restaurants? During my relentless interrogations of Bay Area chefs prior to my trip, one name kept topping everyone's list: DELFINA....

Circle of trends.(restaurants in New York's soon-to-open AOL Warner Center)(restaurant Atelier )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Every neighborhood in New York has its restaurant row, but the city byway that will soon lay claim to the most impressive and poshest newcomers is CENTRAL PARK SOUTH. Already home to the illustrious Jean Georges, Alain Ducasse at the Essex...

Oliver's Twist.(chef Jamie Oliver)(London restaurant Fifteen )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Eighteen months ago, Jamie Oliver (left), British TV's Naked Chef, sought out fifteen unemployed young people (ages sixteen to twenty-four) who had never set foot in a professional kitchen. He then trained them in the art of cooking, mortgaged...

Little things mean a lot.(furniture designer Ilaria Miani)(her showroom in Rome )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Rome-based furniture designer ILARIA MIANI has made it a priority to create small items for the home. (They are often the hardest ones to get right, she reasons.) Thus, for the past two decades, when she couldn't find the appropriate...

Swiss Family Kaufmann.(opening of Kaufmann de Suisse jewelry store in Manhattan )
September 1, 2003... At the KAUFMANN DE SUISSE stores,jewelry is truly a family affair. The tale begins almost fifty years ago, whenE. Pius Kaufmann, a native of Switzerland, opened the first Kaufmann de Suisse boutique in Montreal. (That shop, on Crescent Street,...

Nirvana at Kinara.(spa in West Hollywood, California )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... If the word weren't already so played out, the creators of a new spa in West Hollywood might easily have called their venture Synergy. However, when veteran restaurateur Christine Splichal and skincare expert Olga Lorencin-Northrup put their...

Med madness.(restaurant Zaytinya in Washington D.C. )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Mediterranean restaurants have become quite the rage in American cities, but none has the range--or the sizzle-of the new ZAYTINYA, VA, in Washington, D.C. Located in the Penn Quarter, a once-dodgy area that has come back of late thanks to...

Whale adjusted.(remodeling, new exhibits of American Museum of Natural History )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A marvelous example of successful cosmetic surgery is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Two-plus years and $25 million might seem a bit extreme for a little nip-and-tuck, even in Manhattan, but if it...

Leather girl.(designer Kendall Conrad)(Tauro leather handbags )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Kendall Conrad says her TAURO SANTA BARBARA handcrafted leather bags look the way they do because "I grew up riding horses, lived on the beach and was greatly influenced by the fact that my father [author Barnaby Conrad] is a former bullfighter...

Greenwich birdhouse.(unveiling of Kimberlin Nature Education Center at Audubon Society's Riversville Road Sanctuary)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Audubon Society's 295-acre Riversville Road sanctuary in Greenwich, Connecticut, is home to myriad species of birds and features fifteen miles of hiking trails that wind through wetlands, forests and fields. The preserve now hopes to play...

French Flora.(Plant Days, horticultural exhibit)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... On the third weekend of each May and October, Helene and Patrice Fustier and Helene's brother, Olivier de Nervaux-Loys, host the celebrated Plant Days at their Chateau de Courson, southwest of Paris, near Dourdan. The event is known for its...

The pampered pooch.(Down Town Dog, pet shop)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... A dog may be man's best friend, but a dog's best friend is a master who shops at the DOWN TOWN DOG, in Lake Forest, Illinois. This cozy store is chockablock with all things canine: chew toys of every description, freshly baked goods...

California kitchens.(cookbooks California Dish: What I Saw; Vineyard Kitchen )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... In Jeremiah Tower's innovative memoir/menu digest, California Dish: What I Saw (and Cooked) at the American Culinary Revolution (Free Press; $25), the restaurateur and host of PBS's America's Best Chefs gives us a wonderfully colorful field...

All we want for September is ...(clothing and accessories )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... All We Want for SEPTEMBER Is... a fun and flirty coat--like this one in supple cashmere by TOM FORD FOR YSL RIVE, GAUCHE ($4,995). We love the unexpected combination of ruffles and trench-coat details. At YSL Rive Gauche, NYC, 212-980-2970;...

Posh palettes.(alligator, crocodile skin handbags, footwear )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Show your true colors with exotic skins in autumnal shades. Clockwise from top: ASPREY alligator 167 bag ($10,200). PRADA crocodile sling-backs with flower detail ($2,840), TOD'S crocodile Mocassino Zip bag ($12,000). PRADA crocodile and...

Lady day.(clothing and accessories )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Ease, prettiness, perky sophistication: the classic dress code of Hollywood's Doris Day-and the trend-setting parts she played. Pearls for the girl next door. HONORA freshwater cultured-pearl necklace ($3,600) and earrings ($1,250). ...

Pull it together.(suede handbags )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Suede drawstring handbags in vibrant hues look fresh for fall. From left, bags by KATE SPADE ($435), RALPH LAUREN ($795), REED KRAKOFF FOR COACH ($398) and SALVATORE FERRAGAMO ($970). For shopping information, see page 249. [ILLUSTRATION...

Entrenched.(Hermes raincoat and accessories)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Time was when a sea of trench coats on Fifth Avenue meant the weatherman had predicted stormy skies, and men viewed these coats strictly as wardrobe workhorses. But times have changed, and today's trenches tip the fashion scales as our new...

Custom polo.(Ralph Lauren polo shirts )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Since its inception thirty-five years ago, the RALPH LAUREN polo shirt has entered the pantheon of classic American fashion--it's as familiar as Levi's jeans and penny loafers, and as much a favorite. How do you make a great shirt better?...

An elegant pair.(Ermenegildo Zegna footwear)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... ELRMENEGILDO ZEGNA'S product offerings are extensive, ranging from tuxedos to travel bags. But the Italian fashion powerhouse has never made footwear--until now. This year, Zegna has teamed up with compatriot Salvatore Ferragamo to create its...

Time is precious.(wristwatches )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Be dazzled by bejeweled watches. Clockwise from top: CHANEL diamond Cosmos cuff watch (about $310,000), at Chanel Fine Jewelry boutiques, 800-550-0005. AUDEMARS PIGUET emerald, pearl and diamond Haute Joaillerie Collection watch ($990,000,...

Finger poppin'.(finger rings)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Big brash rings steal the: show. Clockwise from VALENTE MILANO Aqua Collection spiral rings ($8,800 BOUCHERON topaz and yellow-diamond ring with yellow-sapphire briolettes ($53,900), STEPHEN WEBSTER Dom Perignon Rose Collection ring with...

Girl singers: from nightclubs and concert halls to recordings, today's best vocalists put a new spin on old favorites.
September 1, 2003... Renee Zellweger's Roxie Hart killed to be one in last year's film phenom Chicago. Michelle Pfeiffer draped herself across a piano and did her version in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Even Nathan Lane vamped for the chance in The Birdcage. Each of...

Forsythe's finale.(Connoisseurs's World)(WILLIAM FORSYTHE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Choreographer WILLIAM FORSYTHE has quietly changed the face of classical dance during the last two decades, but his work is far less known in his native U.S. than it is in Europe, to which he moved in 1973. This month, Forsythe, fifty-four,...

Man with a leica.(Connoisseurs's World)(Henri Cartier-Bresson)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Henri Cartier-Bresson once described photography as nothing less than a way of life. That belief accounted for the humanism and the humility that informed his most memorable images. But now, at the age of ninety-five, Cartier-Bresson finds that...

Shockingly Schiaparelli.(Connoisseurs's World)(Philadelphia Museum of Art features styles by Elsa Schiaparelli)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... ELSA SCHIAPARELLI considered herself as much an artist as a dress designer, and the exhibition devoted to her clothes that opens this month at the Philadelphia Museum of Art certainly supports her view. She gave the world the color known as...

Aha, Zaha.(architect Zaha Hadid)(Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art's opening exhibit )(Interview)
September 1, 2003... To appreciate Zaha Hadid's design for the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, which opened in June, it helps to know her favorite museum. "I've always loved the Guggenheim in New York," says the London-based...

The Goldenthal variations.(Connoisseurs's World)(Elliot Goldenthal)(Biography)
September 1, 2003... Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, composer ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL (below) found that the world's music was literally at his doorstep. Jazz, blues, rock and Latin and Caribbean rhythms swirled around him. Following formal training at the Manhattan...

Best of Bearden.(Romare Bearden, paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The biggest museum exhibitions of 2003 have deepened our understanding of artists who are already household names, as epitomized by the Museum of Modern Art's monumental "Matisse Picasso." This month, an under-recognized American painter gets...

At ease on Grenada: guests who land at Laluna find that one of the Caribbean's latest luxury retreats is also one of its most relaxing.(Traveler's Notebook)
September 1, 2003... Turquoise Caribbean waters lap against a crescent beach. Carved four-poster Balinese beds are languidly draped with mosquito netting. Italian cuisine--a lusty rigatoni, a delicate tiramisu--enlivens the menu. Laluna, a sixteen-cottage lair...

Rome revival.(hotels Exedra, Aleph in Rome )
September 1, 2003... Few people need an excuse to visit Rome, but now that the Boscolo Hotels group has opened the EXEDRA and the ALEPH, you have two more reasons to go. Located in a busy, recently revived neighborhood near Rome's railway station (and just a short...

Robuchon's return.(Traveler's Notebook)(Joel Robuchon)(Restaurant Review)
September 1, 2003... After a seven-year retirement, French superstar chef Joel Robuchon has made his Parisian comeback by igniting a revolution: gourmet counter dining. At L'ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON, in the Hotel Pont Royal, diners slip onto comfortable red leather...

Sedona's new spa.(Mii Amo)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... If you're a fan of spas and grand western-American landscapes, MII AMO should be high on your list of places to visit. Set against the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, the spa, which opened in 2001, instantly lured creative and corporate types...

Asian flair.(Traveler's Notebook)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Sophisticated travelers to Asia have long admired the exquisite creations of LOTUS ARTS DE VIVRE, a Bangkok-based, family-owned company that sells its handmade jewelry and accessories in twelve of the region's best hotels. But lately the...

Country weekend.(cosmetics )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE LOOK Fall weekend escapes call for rich, gold-flecked colors that warm the face and complement the beautifully textured fabrics of the season. For a clean and dewy look, avoid using a powder unless it's translucent. Makeup should...

Cityscape.(Beauty Mark)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... THE LOOK Urban colors are feminine and tasteful, just like the fitted jackets and slender skirts they're worn with. Start with a subtle eye shadow on the lid, then line eyes with a metallic gunmetal-gray, silver, gold or garnet shadow. For...

A secret life: in her heartrending memoir, Joie Davidow speaks for the first time about growing up with a face she didn't want.(Beauty Mark)(Interview)
September 1, 2003... When Joie Davidow was five, her mother told her that angels kiss beautiful babies, leaving the print of their lips on the child. "But when your guardian angel saw you," Joie's mother said, "she was so overwhelmed by your beauty, she couldn't...

Urban animals: a top Manhattan vet explains why city-dwelling pets are a breed all their own.(Amy Attas)(veterinarian services company City Pets )(Interview)
September 1, 2003... Dr. Amy Attas caters to the vet set. Her New York City-based company, City Pets, offers veterinary house calls--and only house calls (for a fee that's about 20 percent more than that for a traditional office visit, plus the cost of...

Deco moment.(home furnishings and textiles )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... References to Art Deco are everywhere, from fashion runways to master bedrooms. Fabrics on back wall, from left: METAPHORES's embossed-stripe Antigua, at Donghia, 800-366-4442. NANCY CORZINE's quilted-silk Diamante and Velvet Roses,...

Design trends.(home furnishings)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... 1. New York architect CAMPION PLATT loves the practicality of British campaign furniture. His own smart interpretations include the Wellington chair ($3,300), a folding rocker in gunmetal steel and deepest-brown leather, and nineteen additional...

Stepfamily planning: becoming a stepparent or a stepchild? Negotiating a new marriage's impact on your financial life requires careful--if not fancy--footwork.(financial planning for stepfamilies )
September 1, 2003... "Families are so mixed nowadays," wrote Oscar Wilde in An Ideal Husband (1895). "Indeed, as a rule, everybody turns out to be somebody else." Indeed. And in mixed families--that is, stepfamilies--few issues can faster transform a perfectly...

"Whatever" do you mean? With a single word, we can now dismiss one another quickly and definitively.(word use in popular speech )(Column)
September 1, 2003... I'm not exactly sure who first used it on me. It might have been my treasured teenage niece or one of my beloved step-granddaughters. Either way, I have the distinct memory that it was someone younger than I, someone to whom I was delivering a...

Get ready for winter: brave the elements in the warmest, most stunning coats of the season.
September 1, 2003... Does the thought of chilly weather set you on edge? This supersoft cashmere swing coat by Stella McCartney ($3,045), belted snugly at the waist, will provide all the comfort you need. Cashmere turtleneck by Michael Kors ($950); leather...

Choose your muse: fall's accessories pay homage to fashion's past. Take a look at four women whose styles still inspire.
September 1, 2003... Do you prefer tailored elegance or something flirty? Dressing down or putting on the Ritz? Designers went back in time this season to create looks for every taste--frilly ruffles, glittering sandals, luscious skins and bold geometric...

The long and the short of it: Town & Country goes to great lengths to bring you autumn's best looks for a special night out.
September 1, 2003... The evening may be long, but that doesn't mean you'll be short on fun. For starters, try this lace number with fur trim by Chanel ($7,795) and silk clutch by Oscar de la Renta ($920). Diamond and pink sapphire earrings and diamond ring are by...

Courteney's next move: she's ready for her new real-life role, as a TV producer, in fall's most fashionable daytime designs.(Courteney Cox Arquette)(Interview)
September 1, 2003... Nine years after she first stepped onto the set of Friends as Monica, the rather uptight chef who likes to have things just so, Courteney Cox Arquette is ready to switch roles. The Southern beauty who regularly lights up Hollywood's red carpet...

30 Must-haves for fall: our latest take on wardrobe essentials that no well-appointed T&C woman should be without.(fashion and accessories )
September 1, 2003... 1 THE LITTLE MOD DRESS Black still rules, but with a verve and whimsy reminiscent of the 1960s. Note the wide patent-leather belt on this Celine by Michael Kors woolboucle shift ($1,450). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 CHAINS THAT CHARM...

The late great Kate: Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003).(Obituary)
September 1, 2003... If any actress embodied the expression "her own person," it was Katharine Hepburn. A Connecticut Yankee down to her bones, she died in the hamlet of Fenwick, in the coastal town of Old Saybrook, at the family property where for ninety-six years...

What to wear this fall.(clothing and accessories )
September 1, 2003... As autumn rolls around, it's time once again to break out those wardrobe staples--suits in corduroy, tweed and pin-striped wool, as well as the always-indispensable navy blazer. This year, however, bear in mind that it's not just the clothes...

Weddings.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Tate Jacobs (Sarah Tompkins Stifel) Alexandria, Virginia [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs. Michael David Kaminer (Colleen Marie Kelly) Little Palm Island, Florida [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs....

Today's children.(children's clothes and photographers )
September 1, 2003... Baby CZ Inspired by the birth of her daughter, fashion designer Carolina Zapf created BabyCZ to make simple, elegant baby clothes in the softest cashmere, cotton and silk. Offering perfect treasures for your little ones and gorgeous gifts...

Horoscope.
September 1, 2003... September Virgo August 24-September 23 The most important thing you need to know this month is that Mercury is moving backward through your sign. Thus, no matter how driven and intent you're feeling, be prepared to unsnarl some tricky...