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subscribe to style file blog via RSSMind The Gap
October 29, 2010
She’s got the gap-toothed simper, blond tresses, and sexy curves to be the next Lara Stone, but Ashley Smith needs no comparisons to boost her super-in-the-making status. The 19-year-old Texan parlayed some potent pre-season buzz—she caught the eye of André Saraiva back in June—into key castings at Balenciaga and Chanel during fashion month. Now she’s shooting with Miles Aldridge for Vogue Italia and set to be the new face of Alexander Wang’s T line. Not too shabby. Did Smith sell her soul to the devil for the privilege? Maybe not, but she models as if she did in photographer Kathy Lo’s new book, Kiss, loosely based on the German deal-with-the-devil legend of Faust. Lo, a rising photographer who’s shot for The Journal (where she was also photo director), spends her days in the studio of Douglas Perrett, the casting director behind COACD. (He cast Kiss, which stars, besides Smith, male models Aris Sayd and Erik Johnson.) The book launches tomorrow at Salon Shizen, which co-published it in addition to doing the models’ hair and makeup. And for the party, the salonistes will also be offering hair styling and makeup to attendees in preparation for Halloween.
Kiss launches tomorrow from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Salon Shizen, 627 E. 6th St., NYC. To RSVP, e-mail kiss.rsvp@gmail.com.
tags: Ashley Smith, COACD, Douglas Perrett, Kathy Lo
A Bit Of Versailles On The Bowery
October 29, 2010
Candle lovers no longer have to make the pilgrimage to Cire Trudon’s century-old Left Bank shop. The company’s owner, Ramdane Touhami, has opened its first U.S. outpost below the Rogan store on the corner of Bond Street and Bowery. Stepping into the ground-floor space, though, you’d swear you were in France. Complete with handmade mirrors, stucco moldings, and antiques that are for sale, the store has been modeled after Versailles’ Galerie des Glaces, which is fitting considering it was Cire Trudon tapers that lit Marie Antoinette’s last hours. In addition to the familiar candles, there are new room sprays and perfumed stink bombs—just the thing for scenting a garden party or, maybe, a particularly smelly 6 train platform. A second Paris boutique is in the works in the precise location of the original Cire Trudon shop dating to 1643 on rue de l’Arbre Sec. A London store will likely follow.
Cire Trudon is open now at 54 Bond St., NYC.
tags: Cire Trudon
So In Love
October 29, 2010
“The best design,” Cartier’s director of image, style, and heritage, Pierre Rainero, said last night at dinner at the Lion in New York, “requires no explanation.” That’s the beauty of the brand’s Love collection, which was founded in the seventies by designer Aldo Cipullo’s now-iconic Love Bracelet. Its closure system is legendary: A tiny screw affixes it semi-permanently onto the wrist, only to be removed by the included screwdriver. According to Rainero, around the time of its debut, salespeople encouraged couples to buy them in pairs and toss away the key, as it were, making a commitment to love for life. (They were also instructed to avoid selling them to singletons, at least those who weren’t buying them as gifts for significant others.)
For the latest edition of the Love collection (in Cartier stores and online today), however, not all of the pieces are so permanent. Pendant earrings in white gold and diamonds, drop necklaces, and sapphire-and-amethyst-crusted rings round out the offerings. But Love will always be known for its bracelets, and its newest is a stylish update, not to mention a fine concession to a more contemporary view of “forever.” Love everlasting? It’s a beautiful goal. But just in case it doesn’t work out, the pink gold chain comes with an easy-to-open lobster-claw clasp.
tags: Aldo Cipullo, Cartier, Pierre Rainero
Dead Can Dance
October 29, 2010
The evening might have been a tribute to the dead, but El Museo del Barrio’s annual Día de los Muertos party Thursday night was very much alive. The scene was like a high school reunion: Melissa George and her date, Bibhu Mohapatra (left), exchanged hugs with guests like model Liliana Dominguez, artist Gabriel Orozco, and makeup artist Alexa Rodulfo. It was the kickoff to what’s looking like a three-day Halloween weekend—and Mohapatra, for one, was excited. “My friend has a glass house that is very James Bond and there are a bunch of us going there,” he said. But for his costume, he’s channeling a slightly less suave film hero. “I am going to be Freddy Krueger going Bollywood.” (And George? She hadn’t planned on much—”I might go to Abracadabra tomorrow,” she conceded.)
The evening may have been Mexico-centric—Día de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition, after all—but there were two ambassadors from the wider world: Miss USA, Rima Fakih, and Miss Universe, Ximena Navarrete, representing their respective constituencies. They danced amid traditional day of the dead decor: skulls, candles, and framed photos of the dead, including one of our most-mourned recently departed—Michael Jackson.
tags: Aleda Rodulfo, Bibhu Mohapatra, Gabriel Orozco, Liliana Dominguez, Melissa George, Museo del Barrio, Rima Fakih, Ximena Navarrete
In A Pickle, A New Report On Retail’s Heavy Hitters, Kate To The Stage, And More…
October 29, 2010
Because—sigh—we’re still interested in such things despite our better judgment, we must dutifully report that Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is dressing up as a sexy pickle for Halloween. (She has an avowed appetite for the things.) Our suggestion for next year: turnip. [WWD]
A new feature on the financial-management site Mint.com allows users to see the average amount spent at various stores nationwide, based, it says, “on data aggregated anonymously from over 4 million Mint.com users.” The top shop for clothes/accessories/jewelry in New York? Prada, with an average per-visit spend of $639.87. [Data.Mint.com via Fashionista]
Kate Moss, who is no stranger to a microphone—she’s been guesting on albums and warbling for as long as she’s been dating rockers—took to the stage in Qatar, where she belted out Gershwin’s “Summertime” to an appreciative crowd. [Page Six]
And he may be a fictional character, but that’s not stopping him from releasing a book of his wit and wisdom. Sterling’s Gold by Mad Men’s Roger Sterling—a.k.a. silver fox John Slattery—comes out mid-November. In recent episodes of the show, Sterling’s been shown struggling to complete it; looks like he’s just about wrapped it up. [Arts Beat]
tags: John Slattery, Kate Moss, Mad Men, Prada, Roger Sterling, Snooki
L’Atelier Gn Opens For Business
October 29, 2010
Paris designer Andrew Gn is famous for a well-moneyed clientele and elaborately embellished clothes. Now, he’s bringing them together in a private, by-appointment salon in one of the Marais’ most charming hôtel particuliers. “We wanted to create a space which is entirely our own, not done according to the commercial trends of the moment, but with a sense of beauty and elegance that will not date, just like our clothing,” Gn told us. The space that once housed his showroom and offices has been completely renovated and is now lit with an eighteenth-century Murano glass chandelier that he split in two—at 13 feet high, the original was too large for the room. On one side, gold-leafed black lacquered doors inspired by Whistler’s Peacock Room give way to dressing rooms. The opposite wall is decorated with a mural by the Iranian artist Roshanak Varasteh, beyond which is a smaller sitting room entirely covered in black and gold silk inspired by a William Morris Arts and Crafts design. “That’s where my girls will sip Champagne and eat macarons,” he said. Here and there are antiques, mostly from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from Gn’s own collection. In other words, the salon is just as lavishly appointed as his clothing. That should appeal to his growing fan base in Hollywood—Eva Mendes, Rachel McAdams, and Beyoncé among them. Call it personal shopping, Paul Poiret-style; Gn took inspiration for the salon from the famous couturier’s Atelier de Martine. He may be looking back, but he’s also looking forward: a new Web site, www.andrewgn.com, went live this week.
tags: Andrew Gn
Where To Get Lucky Next Week
October 29, 2010
You could wait around for the department stores to have an 85 percent off sale, but our guess is, you’d be waiting a pretty long time. Or you could just swing by Lucky’s seventh annual Lucky Shops next week. The shopping bible has rounded up some of its favorite designers for a deeply-discounted shopping event in New York City. They’ve shared a few exclusive sneak peeks with us as to what you can expect, like accessories from Botkier. Monica Botkier’s Balenciaga-ish Elliot satchel, normally $575, is yours for $200; her high-buckled monkstrap boot, usually $675, is only a cool hundred bucks. There’ll be giveaways and cocktails, too, the sort of thing we usually advise against—drinking and shopping can lead to some impulse buys. But at these prices, you can afford it. Click here for tickets and more information. (Plus: Get there early and you might be able to snap up one of Style.com’s limited-edition anniversary T-shirts, including tees by Lanvin and some of the other designers who are sold out on our site. We raided our editors’ personal stash for the last few.)
Yea, Nay, Or Eh? Belle Of The Ball
October 28, 2010
She may have been at GQ’s Gentlemen’s Ball yesterday, but there was no chance that Demi Moore was going to step back and let Mr. Kutcher have the whole spotlight. Mrs. K stepped out in a gold-embellished frock from Christophe Decarnin’s red carpet-friendly Fall 2010 collection for Balmain. She kept her accessories accordingly minimal, from her blown-straight hair to her simple black pumps—this is one dress that more than speaks for itself. We’d say she does the look proud. What do you say: yea, nay, or eh?
tags: Ashton Kutcher, Balmain, Christophe Decarnin, Demi Moore
8 Isn’t Enough
October 28, 2010
Project No. 8—the avant-leaning New York retail mini-chain that now encompasses Project No. 8, the men’s shop No. 8b, and Project No. 8a at the Ace Hotel—is adding another sibling to its family: a new Project pop-up, opening in Tribeca today. “It was sort of comically last-minute and off-the-cuff,” says owner Brian Janusiak with a laugh. “We had the opportunity to take it and we thought, I guess we just should.”
The tiny shop will feature the same mix of designers as Janusiak and partner Elizabeth Beer’s other stores, but with a new emphasis on more limited and more expensive items. “There are certain things from these designers that we kind of keep in the back [of the other stores] and bring out special, or if somebody asks,” Janusiak goes on. “In a way, Tribeca’s a totally different neighborhood, a different demographic. It allows us to bring these things into a public space, when they’ve been very private.” The stock will include pieces by the Belgian accessory designer Natalia Brilli, Pyrex jewelry by Jane D’Arensbourg, and Paris-made bags and small leather goods by Isaac Reina, an Hermès alum who has worked with Maison Martin Margiela and currently collaborates with Cacharel.
The Tribeca space will remain open through mid-February, for anyone eyeing a high-design Valentine’s Day present. But for the major gift-giving season before then, there’s a second pop-up on the way: A Paris temporary store in the Marais, opening Thanksgiving Day, which Janusiak describes as a “special-project gift shop.”
Project No. 8’s Tribeca pop-up opens today at 186 Duane St., NYC, (212) 966-3904, and is open Wednesday through Friday, 12 to 7 p.m., through February 14, 2011.
tags: Brian Janusiak, Elizabeth Beer, Isaac Reina, Jane D'Arensbourg, Natalia Brilli, Project No. 8
Power To The Pythons
October 28, 2010
Jack Vartanian hadn’t been thinking of snakes, per se, when he began working on his Spring ‘11 jewelry collection, the designer explained last night at an unveiling dinner at Le Charlot on the Upper East Side. But when he happened on a Brazilian rock, striated with epidote, which he turned into a chunky, faceted cocktail ring (above left), the combination of colors got him thinking. The stone resembled nothing so much as an abstracted python skin, and from it, the 25-piece Python collection was born. (Only part of it was on display last night, due to a customs snafu—snakes on a plane, indeed.) The pieces pick up on the theme of serpents—they’re prevalent in his native Brazil, Vartanian explained, where they symbolize the cycle of nature, birth and rebirth—in sapphire, black quartz, and that epidote stone. Snake heads became rings twining around fingers (above right), cuffs, earrings, and pendants, and the faceted cocktail ring found expression as a pair of dangling earrings, too. They were met with a hiss of approval by dinner guests like Zani Gugelmann, Bettina Prentice, and co-hostess Kate Young. But Vartanian’s best spokesperson has always been his wife, the gorgeous Brazilian model Cassia Avila. She sparkled in the new collection, looking every bit the serpentine beauty herself.
tags: Bettina Prentice, Cassia Avila, Jack Vartanian, Kate Young, Zani Gugelmann
