Town & Country articles from September 2006

Town & Country archives from September 2006

In your own words ...(READER MAIL)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Pamela Fiori's special reports on New Orleans in our June issue prompted so many thoughtful letters that we've devoted this month's column to several of them. When I saw "New Orleans Now" on the June cover, I did something I have never...

Correction.(READEAR MAIL)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... A caption on page 173 of our June issue misidentified Chris Lynch, the chef de cuisine at Emeril Lagasse's eponymous restaurant. He is pictured at center. We regret the error. We always love to bear from you. Write to us at tnc@hearst.com....

A night to remember.(PARTIES: The Juilliard School)
September 1, 2006... Best of the Best: It is no surprise that some of the world's most esteemed artists attended the Juilliard School, in Manhattan. But it is major news when famous alumni of that institution come together for an evening of spectacular...

Meet them in St. Louis!(PARTIES: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis)
September 1, 2006... Fun at a Formal: There was no need for a grand ballroom with chandeliers and fine china at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis's annual spring gala. Instead, to celebrate its thirty-first season and the opening of a new rehearsal and office space,...

House party.(PARTIES: New York Metropolitan Opera)
September 1, 2006... Taking the Stage: To see a performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera house is exhilarating, but to actually be on its famous stage? That is something truly special. Every year, the Met treats the generous guests at its On Stage event to an...

Forever pink.(PARTIES: Breast Cancer Research Foundation)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Stay the Course: Evelyn Lauder, the woman behind the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), knows that when a formula works, you stick with it. For several years now she's thrown a Hot Pink Party, one of the country's most successful...

Full of heart.(PARTIES: The Sweetheart Ball)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... One Generous Idea: What started off as a small party in Dallas has turned into one of the city's most prominent and exclusive events, the Sweetheart Ball. Created by a group of women after a friend was diagnosed with a heart condition, the...

In Latin style.(PARTIES: El Museo del Barrio)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Family Fun: At major Manhattan benefits, large corporations usually buy most of the tables. But at the annual galas of El Museo del Barrio--the city's only museum devoted to Latin American art--families host many tables, and that creates a...

Never-ending drive.(PARTIES: The Henry Ford Estate Dinner Dance)
September 1, 2006... Preserving a Legacy: For the eighteenth year in a row, the Henry Ford Estate hosted a grand benefit in support of Fair Lane, the Dearborn, Michigan, home of the automotive visionary and his wife, Clara. Built in 1915, the property, where many...

Town meets county.(ON THE TOWN)
September 1, 2006... Even the most ardent fans of city living head to the country when they need to recharge. So perhaps it was inevitable that Geoffrey Zakarian, chef and owner of the popular New York eatery Town, would eventually do the same. With a gentle nod to...

Cool in Bangkok.(ON THE TOWN)
September 1, 2006... Named for the color of the sea that inspires its cuisine, Cy'an, the Mediterranean-influenced restaurant at Bangkok's Metropolitan hotel, provides an oasis of cool serenity in the midst of Thailand's hot and hectic capital city. Its Australian...

Pint-sized protocol.(ON THE TOWN)
September 1, 2006... "Manners matter," says Diane Diehl, the creator of PETITE PROTOCOL, a program offered at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles that aims to teach youngsters of the Lindsay Lohan era a thing or two about conduct. "Civility is not just about how to...

Bal Harbour's bounty.(ON THE TOWN)
September 1, 2006... Bal Harbour, located between South Beach and Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, is arguably the world's most stylish square mile. The village boasts the nation's first alfresco shopping center devoted exclusively to high fashion, a destination with...

The well-housed horse.(IN THE COUNTRY)
September 1, 2006... If you're interested in architecture and you like horses, then you'll love STABLES (Rizzoli; $45), with gorgeous photographs by Gabrielle Boiselle and text by Olga Prud'homme Farges and Alice Vayron de la Moureyre (translated from the French)....

Getting personal.(IN THE COUNTRY)
September 1, 2006... Embroidered monogrammed linens hark back to a more gracious era--well, perhaps not for the seamstresses and nuns who spent interminable hours bent over their needlework. But at Joan Adler's PERSONAL BEST MONOGRAM SHOPPE, in Washington Depot,...

Tomatoes.(IN SEASON)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The garden is still ripe for picking, and you're eating tomatoes as if there's no tomorrow. So it's easy to forget how disappointing the pale, mealy, out-of-season versions can be. But when those dark days inevitably return, there are two ways...

Hardy orchids.(IN THE GARDEN)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Many years ago on a Nova Scotia beach, I chanced upon wild orchids happily growing right down to the water's edge. It used to be that discovering orchids grown out of doors in anything less than a tropical zone was the botanical equivalent of...

Great Gewurztraminer.(IN THE COUNTRY)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Some wines are demure. Then there's Gewurztraminer, the downright forward, sippingly sexy white wine of France's Alsace region. It practically leaps out of the glass and asks for a date. Gewurz means "spice" in German, and you can taste a...

Cuffs luxe.(IN THE COUNTRY)
September 1, 2006... Chagrin Falls, located twenty miles southeast of Cleveland, in the Chagrin River Valley, is a picturesque small Ohio town with its own rushing waterfall. Just off Main Street is a handsome 19th-century brick house that was once home to the...

Anna Mouglalis.(FASHION & STYLE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... OCCUPATION: Actress in numerous French and Italian movies (best known in the United States for her role in Nightcap, or Merci Pour le Chocolat, which starred Isabelle Huppert) and model, featured in Chanel's ad campaigns for Allure perfume...

A fresh twist on tapestry.(FASHION & STYLE: News)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... This fall, designers are taking their cues from ancient Eastern grandeur, emphasizing richly ornamented fabrics and accessories. Lush velvets and metallic brocades, glittery paisley prints, tassels and gold details suggest the colorful motifs...

Spot-on.(FASHION & STYLE)
September 1, 2006... Take a walk into the wild with animal-print shoes, bags and gloves. Clockwise from top: ROGER VIVIER pony-hair bag with buckle ($1,600). TOD'S pony-hair gloves ($595). BRIAN ATWOOD pony-hair Lucile heels ($625). GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN suede...

Glove story.(FASHION & STYLE)
September 1, 2006... Hands that are well manicured deserve to be well accessorized, too. These luxurious leather gloves are the perfect length (sitting just past the wrist or beyond) for protecting a lady's skin from the elements. Clockwise from left: HERMES orange...

Boot up!(FASHION & STYLE)
September 1, 2006... Black ankle boots are all the rage this season, and for good reason: they look equally great with pants or skirts worn with black opaque tights. Clockwise from top: MANOLO BLAHNIK FOR THAKOON suede Cortinany with laser-cut detail ($785)....

Bastian of good taste.(FASHION & STYLE)
September 1, 2006... Rarely does a new menswear designer get us really excited and get his debut collection into Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. But Michael Bastian has done just that. As the men's fashion director at Bergdorf's from 2000 to...

Gehry's goodies.(FASHION & STYLE)(Frank Gehry)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... World-class architect Frank Gehry is known for his twisting steel structures, his playful furniture (made of layers of cardboard or woven strips of maple) and now for his line of sculptural jewelry for TIFFANY & CO. Gehry's latest pieces...

Fit for a queen.(JEWELRY)(baroque pearls earrings)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... First made fashionable by royal courts during the Renaissance, baroque pearls are known for their irregular shape and timeless appeal. Clockwise from top center: ANNALU PONTI pearl earrings with 18k gold and diamonds (price on request),...

Old-world charm.(JEWELRY)
September 1, 2006... The romantic look of oxidized metal set with diamonds dates to the 1800s. Jewelers layered silver over yellow gold, and the silver, through exposure to the air, blackened over time. Today that effect results from modern technology, but it's...

Swiss chocolate.(WATCHES)
September 1, 2006... What a delicious combination: an 18k-rose-gold case accented with a rich brown face. From left: VACHERON CONSTANTIN Overseas Dual Time ($36,400), 866665-1755. FRANCK MULLER GENEVE Crazy Hours on a crocodile band ($20,600), at Levinson Jewelers,...

Cocoa colors.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
September 1, 2006... Take a peek at the latest makeup offerings, and you'll see that this season brown has shed its drab and dreary side. Deep chocolates, milky lattes, hazelnut swirls and almond confections create smoky, inviting eyes; bring color and warmth to...

Love those lips.(EDITOR'S CHOICE)
September 1, 2006... I was seated next to fashion's chicest designer, Carolina Herrera, at a luncheon recently--always a pleasure--and noticed what a pretty lipstick she was wearing. It wasn't just the color; it was also the texture: creamy, not shiny. When I asked...

Fekkai moves to fifth.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)(Frederic Fekkai)
September 1, 2006... Frederic Fekkai, the powerhouse hairstylist from Provence, France, is a newly, and happily, married man (collective sigh from smitten women everywhere) with a new apartment in the works and a new salon-10,000 square feet of salon, to be...

Not your everyday hair.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
September 1, 2006... New York-based personal-care company CO. Bigelow has turned its knack for creating star products (like its Lemon Body Cream) to hair care, and we bet that fans of the apothecary will be eager to lather up. Stock your shower with the...

Test for radon.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Seventy thousand women in the U.S. die of lung cancer every year. But if you don't smoke, chances are that lung cancer ranks low on your list of concerns. And if you're rarely exposed to secondhand smoke, then it's likely the disease isn't even...

Lush lashes.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)
September 1, 2006... Oh, no--my eyelashes had gotten shorter! And sparse! About ten months ago, I noticed this unfair trick that nature plays on us as we mature. So I started going without mascara some days to let my hashes "breathe." I also began using eyelash...

Now at Barneys.(BEAUTY & HEALTH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The famous Paris plastic surgeon Jean-Louis Sebagh garners quite a waiting list, and his clientele is nothing short of spectacular: supermodel Cindy Crawford, a regular in her jet-setting days, made the trip for Sebagh's skin-enhancing...

Slick on suede.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... Makeup artist SCOTT BARNES's LipSuede ($24), that is. His new lipsticks are as soft and supple as their namesake. At selected Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

Conceal with a Wand.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... VALERIE BEVERLY HILLS Magic Wand Concealer ($35) unleashes powerful forces: antiseptic teatree oil and nourishing vitamins A and E. But its real charm? Cake-free coverage, valeriebeverlyhills.com.

Lather with organics.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... INNERSENSE Hair Bath shampoos ($22 each) gently cleanse hair with a detergent derived from apricots, and conditioners ($25 each) moisturize with natural emollients like ricebran oil. innersensebeauty.com.

Drink in good scents.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... Perfumer MANDY AFTEL used her taste buds to create Aftelier Hydrosols ($20-$30 each), distilled waters with trace amounts of aromatic plant oils such as passion-fruit oil. Add four drops to a glass of water for a taste of aromatherapy,...

Ring in the night.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 71 percent of Americans get less than the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation can increase the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. New York fitness expert...

Pump a french soap.(BEAUTY & HEALTH: Must-Dos for September)
September 1, 2006... As much as we love a good old-fashioned block of Marseille soap, we were ecstatic to discover a liquid version in six scents ($19 each) from LA COMPAGNIE DE PROVENCE MARSEILLE. Put a bottle next to your kitchen or bathroom sink....

La Prairie in paradise.(BEAUTY AND HEALTH)
September 1, 2006... This past April, my daughter Erica, aged ten, and I flew to the Cayman Islands on a mission. My assignment: to attend the opening of La Prairie's Silver Rain Spa at the Ritz-Carlton. Hers: to have fun and swim three times a day. We ended up...

Picture-perfect.(BEAUTY AND HEALTH)
September 1, 2006... Eugenia Silva stays beautiful and busy for a living. The international model and ambassador for Giorgio Armani also co-owns Kala (6 Calle Blanch de Navarra; 011-34-91-319-8806), a beauty and accessories boutique in her native city of Madrid....

Young & gifted: our age-old fascination with prodigies.(ARTS & CULTURE)
September 1, 2006... Back in the summer of 1986, a petite violinist was muscling out Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade" with force and assurance when her E-string broke in midmovement. Worse yet, she happened to be onstage with the entire Boston Symphony Orchestra, and...

Virtuosos on the verge.(ARTS & CULTURE)
September 1, 2006... Ah, adolescence: difficult for everyone, potentially fatal to a wunderkind who's about to lose the -kind part of his or her formula for success. What follows is a short list of child stars who are currently hoping to stretch their fame beyond...

Stars still burning bright.(ARTS & CULTURE)(In memoriam)
September 1, 2006... Some prodigies don't ever fulfill their early promise, but in music, especially, many young talents, like those below, continue on to significant careers. Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896): Famous in her youth as a solo pianist, she married...

The kid stays in the picture.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Jodie Foster (born 1962): She had a huge acting career at a young age, with a star-making role in 1976's Taxi Driver. (She went on to win two Oscars in her twenties.) In 1991 she explored the subject of child prodigies in the first film she...

For Jake's sake.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Brief article)(Children's review)
September 1, 2006... Illustrated children's books can often put a friendly face on a formidable cultural institution. Two standouts of the genre include You Can't Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum, from 1998, and 1982's The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. Now...

Barney by the bay.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Matthew Barney)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Andy Warhol believed that the truly ambitious artist aspires to make movies, and in the 1960s he shot some notorious ones of his friends with sixteen-millimeter film. But Warhol never imagined a career like MATTHEW BARNEY's. An art major at...

High-octane Mercedes.(ARTS & CULTURE)
September 1, 2006... New York's Metropolitan Opera, which opens its season on September 25 with a gala performance of Madame Butterfly (the new production stars Cristina Gallardo-Domas and Marcello Giordani and is staged by the film director Anthony Minghella), has...

Paris for antiques lovers.(ARTS & CULTURE)
September 1, 2006... There are certainly larger international antiques fairs, but none are more fun than the BIENNALE DES ANTIQUAIRES, in Paris. This month (September 15 through 24), the fair is back in the brilliant Belle Epoque setting of the newly renovated...

Wood works.(ARTS & CULTURE)(Harold J. Wood)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Harold J. Wood made his name by applying 19th-century craftsmanship to 20th-century aviation materials. Until six years ago, the British-born Wood owned Aviart Group, a company based in San Antonio that specialized in transforming the interiors...

Farm fresh in Italy: a celebrated restaurant on the Amalfi coast gives new meaning to homegrown specialties.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
September 1, 2006... BEFORE YOU MEET Alfonso Iaccarino, you might get to meet Josefina, the goat. I had reserved a table for lunch at Don Alfonso 1890, the most acclaimed restaurant in southern Italy, in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, a little hillside village sixty...

Canadian cooking.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
September 1, 2006... At PANACHE, in Quebec City, chef Francois Blais is reinventing French-Canadian cuisine. The eatery opened two years ago in a 19th-century maritime warehouse adjacent to the Auberge Saint-Antoine, a Relais & Chateaux hotel in the now-vibrant...

Away with Alidad.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
September 1, 2006... Add some Andalusian flair to your next trip with the Sac de Voyage, a lightweight duffel from the Moorish-style ALIDAD COLLECTION FOR PIERRE FREY. This special fabric and accessories line was created for the French home-furnishings company by...

A writer's Paris.(Literary Paris: A Guide)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2006... Much has been written about the many authors who have made the French capital their muse. A new book, LITERARY PARIS: A GUIDE, by Jessica Powell (The Little Bookroom; $24.95), offers a refreshingly concise and user-friendly look at twenty-eight...

An oasis in Angkor.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)(Hotel De La Paix )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... The new HOTEL DE LA PAIX in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is as gorgeous as an Art Deco ocean liner, and it offers service and comfort that would put many Western hotels to shame. A short drive from the breathtaking sites of Angkor Wat and its...

Grove-Y.(TRAVELER'S NOTEBOOK)
September 1, 2006... Peaceful olive groves flank the pathway to LA BASTIDE SAINT ANTOINE, an 18th-century country chateau in Grasse, not far from Cannes, on the French Riviera. Run by Michelin two-star chef Jacques Chibois, the house opened as a restaurant in 1996...

Exotica refined.(DESIGN TRENDS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... As usual, Ralph Lauren has read our collective mind: he knows we've all been buying up a storm in the Web's new global marketplace and that by now we probably own a few treasures from faraway lands that (a) aren't very well made and (b) don't...

Kelly Wearstler: on patterned carpets.(Q+A)(Interview)
September 1, 2006... The Beverly Hills-based decorator recently launched a collection of area rugs with Patterson, Flynn & Martin; she used one of the prototypes in her bedroom, above. All of your new carpets have bold motifs. What were your inspirations? ...

Your attention, please! Learning to keep quiet when others have the floor.(SOCIAL GRACES)
September 1, 2006... IN 1989 THE SEATTLE chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick invited me to give an address at their annual banquet. Except for courtesy invitations they'd sent to a couple of female politicians, this would be a gathering of about four...

A weekend in the country: it never looked this good--or this modern.
September 1, 2006... It's high time to replace those old-fashioned tweed togs of yesteryear. On the ladies, Ralph Lauren Collection moss turtleneck gown ($3,898) and alligator belt ($1,295); Sportmax vest with raccoon trim and rabbit lining ($2,230). Kokin...

All manner of shape: simple but striking contours are making their mark.
September 1, 2006... Tapered A cinched, slender waist and soft, unstructured shoulders are the defining elements of this Donna Karan Collection double-faced-felt coat ($3,895); the three-quarter-length sleeves add fifties flair. Nancey Chapman 22k-gold and...

Cary Grant Mr. elegance: he was class itself--and in a class by himself--but he didn't start out that way. A new book, Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style, by Richard Torregrossa (Bulfinch Press), charts the evolution of an icon.(Biography)
September 1, 2006... THE RISE OF CARY GRANT the movie star has been well-documented by many biographers and film historians, but there is one aspect of his extraordinary life and career that has been largely overlooked: his enduring influence as a man of style, a...

To the hilt: special nights out call for sumptuous fabrics and glittering jewels.
September 1, 2006... Ruffles and Swarovski crystals are the main accents on this just-above-the-knee silk-organza dress by Salvatore Ferragamo ($7,500). Conroy & Wilcox baroque pearl earrings ($2,600): Mikimoto pearl necklaces (from $3,130). Christian Louboutin...

Form and function: sculptural accessories are in fashion for fall.
September 1, 2006... Dare to dazzle with Valentino's sequined Basquiat Robot ($2,450) and black python Diva ($2,550) bags. OPPOSITE: Slick silver accents jazz up autumn's neutrals. Clockwise from top: Sergio Rossi suede heels with silver chain straps ($580), Gucci...

Jacinda's day: watch out, world--a new Australian star is on the rise.(Jacinda Barrett)(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... "Loving what you do makes an extraordinary difference," says actress Jacinda Barrett, speaking from her home in the Hollywood Hills. Although she is functioning on only a half-night's rest and is mere hours away from boarding a plane to visit...

35 must-haves for fall: pick and choose from our latest list of seasonal essential and luxuries.
September 1, 2006... 1 SHOWSTOPPER Brian Atwood Dorian heels with a Swarovski-crystal flourish ($645). At selected Neiman Marcus stores, 800-937-9746; Bob Ellis, Charlotte, NC, 704-366-6686. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 A FRAME BAG Shape up with Bottega...

The way it was: T&C celebrates the photographic legacy of the late Slim Aarons.
September 1, 2006... Few readers of Town & Country would have known that his real name was George. That he was originally a country boy from New Hampshire. First learned photography in the army during World War II. Eventually won a Purple Heart. Started shooting...

Weddings.
September 1, 2006... Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Curtis Right (Elizabeth Philips Schwarzman) New York, New York [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs. Brian Scott Saroken (Harlan Elizabeth Fabrikant) Palm Beach, Florida [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. and Mrs....

Horoscopes.
September 1, 2006... September Virgo August 24--September 23 September is a signal period for lift-altering changes and moves. No more hesitating on the brink. Your confidence is soaring, and you're ready to do whatever it takes to launch a daring new...