Meet the Band: Making of a Show’s Blue Hawaii

For some, Blue Hawaii evokes an Elvis Presley Sixties surfer flick. Around here? It’s the new must-hear band, whose song Try to Be serves as the soundtrack for Making of a Show, Tabitha Denholm’s behind-the-scenes film of Tory’s Fall 2013 show. Slightly ethereal, coolly ambient, it perfectly sets the mood — but what is the song, from Blue Hawaii’s debut album earlier this year, really about? We spoke with one-half of the Canadian duo, Raphaelle Standell-Preston (pictured here, right, with Alex Cowan), to find out.

Pre-Fall 2013: Details, Details

Beading, embroidery, soft shearling — these are the sort of special details that transform a t-shirt into a statement-making masterpiece, a jacket into a jeweled treasure. Here, we take a magnifying glass to our collection’s most intricate embellishments. Click each outfit for a closer look.

Word of Mouth: The Stones in Hyde Park

In 1969, the Rolling Stones took the stage at London’s Hyde Park for a legendary outdoor concert. The crowd, some of whom had camped out overnight, numbered up to 500,000. Mick Taylor made his live debut, and thousands of white butterflies were released — a tribute to original guitarist Brian Jones, who had passed away just two days prior. Today, exactly forty four years and a day later, they’re commemorating that music milestone with another performance in Hyde Park. If you miss it, don’t worry, they’re returning for a second performance next Saturday. Just note that, this time around, the shows are capped at 65,000 seats.

Tory On: The July 4th Getaway

“Happy 4th! We’re all wishing you a wonderful and relaxing extra-long weekend! I plan on being poolside with friends and family. Here, a simple blue-and-white table I set with fresh-cut peonies.” — Tory

Get the easy recipe for Tory’s favorite summer cocktail, The Southside, here and download her latest playlist here.

Recipe: The Southside Cocktail

Tory’s favorite cocktail to serve during the summer is the classic Southside, which seems to work with any occasion. Get the recipe here.

Tory Entertains: July 4th Lunch

The best way to spend a long, hot weekend? By the pool. Tory set a casual table for six in her favorite blue-and-white color mix, set off with freshly-cut peonies.

Book of the Week: For Which It Stands

It’s not easy categorizing Americana art, let alone the contemporary take on it. But the new book For Which It Stands by Farameh Media offers a compelling look at the subject, with an impressive collection of works by over 60 artists ranging from Barbara Kruger and Tom Sachs to Vik Muniz and Maurizio Cattelan. With 400 pages of intimate interviews and oversized images, it’s a dynamic cocktail of the nostalgic, provocative, witty and surprising, where fast food’s Golden Arches (painted in pretty porcelain blue) meets origami greenbacks and a jumpsuit-wearing Vanna White.

McDonald’s — Four Gentlemen (Plum, Iris, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum), 2007 by Li Lihong

Video: Pre-Fall 2013

Set to the dreamy tunes of Jenn Grant’s Walk Away, our Pre-Fall 2013 video taps into the transition mode of the season, which lingers between the laid-back leisure of summer and fall’s more tailored, pulled-together mode. It features models Bette Franke and Cora Emmanuel — shot on a North Carolina beach by Matt Baron — as they channel not just the season’s cool and easy style but its attitude, too.

Shop the collection

Cat’s Meow: Christian Lacroix

Drumroll, please. Tomorrow, Christian Lacroix makes his return to the couture stage with a highly anticipated collaboration with Schiaparelli, to be unveiled at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris — coincidentally, where he showed his final collection four years ago. Here, the fashion legend tells us all about the project, his earliest fashion memories and how his “impossible conversation” with the equally legendary Elsa Schiaparelli would go.

Tory’s Playlist: Summer Lovin’

Summer and great music go together like…the beach and bikinis. So we’ve put together the perfect playlist for some sun-kissed fun — just in time for July 4th. Whether you’re by the pool, at a picnic or lounging in the sand, just turn up your speakers and kick back.

To Do: Summer Break at Station Independent Projects

Not that you need another reason to celebrate summer, but Station Independent Projects on New York’s Lower East Side opens its first gallery show of the season tomorrow. Aptly titled Summer Break, it features a potpourri of works ranging from Matthew Oates’ portrait paintings and Katherine Daniels’ beaded sculptures to Miles Ladin’s cool fun-in-the-sun poolside photos (right).

Most Wanted: The Printed Dress

Any time. Anywhere. Any place. A great printed dress is a universally flattering day-to-evening uniform. With their cool abstracted graphics, our silk Judi dress, left, and cotton voile Brigitte dress embody effortless dressing — with maximum impact. They’re essentially all-in-one outfits. Just add shoes.

Pre-Fall 2013: Looks, Decoded

Master the art of layering — a half-tuck here, a sliver of skin there, and, of course, the ne plus ultra of nonchalance: draping a coat over your shoulders. We break down four Pre-Fall looks and teach you how to recreate these “undone-done” styles here.

Click images to shop each look — or shop the complete lookbook here.

Pre-Fall 2013: Tory’s Shoe Guide

If the shoes make the outfit, let us show you how to hit a sartorial home run — from the ground up. Here, our guide to what pant/skirt/dress silhouettes work with which shoe styles for the most flattering look.

Click images to shop each style — or shop the complete guide here.

Wimbledon: Why We Love It

The drama promises to be high at this year’s Wimbledon. Serena Williams will try to surpass sister Venus’ five-win record. Nadal and Federer are in the same draw. As the matches kick off, here are our top 10 reasons why we love the tournament. And if you’re in London, don’t forget to visit our London City Guide for the best things to do, see and eat, beyond the courts.

What’s Your Sign? Cancer

We’re officially in summer and…the water sign of Cancer (June 20th – July 22nd). What does that mean, aside from rising temperatures? Astrology expert Susie Cox tells us here.

Karen Finerman On: Finerman’s Rules & Financial Smarts

There are certain women whose lives beg that question, how does she do it all? Karen Finerman is one of them. She’s President of the Manhattan-based hedge fund Metropolitan Capital Advisors, a regular on CNBC’s Fast Money and a mother of not one but two sets of twins — plus she’s on the boards of The Michael J Fox Foundation and the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Her latest book Finerman’s Rules is dedicated to giving women advice on life, love and business, all of which she shares here in addition to a stock tip or two. If you’re looking to be more financially savvy, this is one feature you can’t miss.

Daphne Oz On: Relish Reading & Healthy Eating

Daphne Oz’s latest book Relish covers more than just the culinary basics you’d expect from the Co-Host of ABC’s food-centric talk show The Chew. Sure, there are chapters on breakfast and cocktails with recipes aplenty (Whole Wheat Blueberry Sticky Buns and Grapefruit Thyme Spritz), but she also writes about fashion, décor and hosting the perfect party. Think of it as a big-picture book to enjoying your life to its fullest. Wearing Tory’s Pat cardigan and Kelby skirt, Daphne took some time to chat with us, and even shared some words of wisdom from dad (that would be Dr. Oz).

Refinery29’s Christene Barberich On: The Best Books

Refinery29’s Editor-In-Chief Christene Barberich’s list of favorite fashion books reads like a Who’s Who of fun and fabulous, larger-than-life, powerful women. Here’s a name-drop: Coco, Diana, Nora…. Read on.

Tina Brown On: Topsy & Getting Filthy Rich

As Editor-In-Chief of The Daily Beast — who has a few books under her belt — Tina Brown knows the literary scene. So we wanted to know: What’s on her must-read, must-give list? We discovered her favorites, which run the gamut from a Spanish cheese maker’s tale to a Coney Island pachyderm.

Behind Design: Hillary Kerr’s Bookshelves

Style’s not just a fashion thing. Hillary Kerr, Editorial Director and Co-Founder of Who What Wear, opened up her L.A. office to us — namely, her beautifully curated bookshelves. She gave us her tips on chic book display and talked books, books and more books. See the companion piece to our story on Who What Wear’s new sister site, Domaine.

Goodreads’ Elizabeth Chandler On: Good Reads

Reading might seem like a solitary affair — you, curled up in a chair, with a good book — but as Elizabeth Chandler’s proven, it can be pretty social too. With her husband Otis, the former journalist co-founded Goodreads, a popular social-media site for book lovers, where you can review, share and recommend your favorite reads. So what’s on Elizabeth’s literary roster? A little Tolstoy, a little India, a little horse riding and…oh, keep reading to find out.

Author Lea Carpenter On: The NYPL & The Written Word

When compiling a list of the iconic destinations that make New York New York — Central Park, the Met and the Statue of Liberty — we would be remiss to overlook the place where literature lovers can seek refuge from the bustle on the street: the New York Public Library. As a nonprofit institution, its vibrancy and survival are due, in large part, to champions like author Lea Carpenter. For more than 15 years, she has been supporting the landmark through fundraisers, reading programs and by co-founding its Young Lions group. We asked Lea about her passion for the library and the written word (her new book, Eleven Days, is out now) and using books as positive reinforcement.

Pamela Fiori On: Getaways & Being a Bibliophile

If you’re looking for a good getaway, Pamela Fiori is your girl. She’s written a host of books for Assouline on the world’s best leisure locales, from St. Barths to Palm Beach. She gives us an inside guide to its latest entry In the Spirit of the Hamptons, for which she wrote the forward, and shared more travel and literary recommendations, too.