Spotlight On: Tony Caramanico

Since picking up his first surfboard in 1963, artist Tony Caramanico has been riding the waves around the world, from Montauk to St. Barts, all the while recording every kick-flip and reef break in surf journals. Five years ago he turned these collaged objets d’art — a striking mix of photos, illustrations and text — into prints, available at Clic Gallery. Tonight, a few of them are going up for auction at a party in St. Barth (6 PM – 8 PM, at Le Sereno) to benefit the non-profit St. Barth Essentiel, which conserves the island’s culture and environment. “The bottom line,” says Tony, “is that I’ve always been a surfer. The rest of it has been filling in the blanks.”

Alexandra Durbin On: Maui

There’s something about Maui. Alexandra Durbin, the Creative Director of new digital design firm Maui New York, checked in with us from her brother’s wedding in…Maui, where she test drove Tory’s surf shirt. For Alexandra, this is where life, family and inspiration collide.

Tory On: Swim

Going someplace warm and sandy? Here, Tory talks about her favorite kind of swim looks, from always-flattering silhouettes to how she wears them.

Film: Thomas Campbell’s Aberrations of Summer

We asked legendary surf filmmaker and fine artist Thomas Campbell to translate our latest swim collection through his sunny, soft-camera lens. We got Aberrations of Summer, his dreamscape of a film, starring surfers Danica Elbertse, Shannon Lewis and Tanner Prairie and an undisturbed swath of beach in central California. The fifth character is the soundtrack by The Mattson 2. Watch the film and then read Campbell’s inspiration.

Resort 2013: Inspiration

Our Resort 2013 collection was inspired by a cocktail of sun-kissed inspirations, from Mediterranean getaways and the colors of the islands to the leisure lives of Marisa Berenson and Jackie Kennedy. The mood is relaxed yet upbeat while the prints and patterns are playful and bright. It’s everything we love about those lazy days in the sun.

Happy Holidays!
xxTory

I found this picture recently. I was five years old, standing in front of our Christmas tree at our home in Valley Forge. Every year, we went to the local tree farm and picked the best tree we could find. We spent the entire day decorating it with as much as we could — ornaments, lights, spray snow, tinsel, anything. My mother would finish it off with an angel that we had had for years. I loved wrapping gifts (still do!), and played a joke on one of my brothers one year. We had a bet to see who was the nicest and who would get the most presents from Santa. I spent the entire night wrapping anything I could find — bricks, oranges, kitchen utensils. We woke up the next morning, and his pile was huge! Needless to say, he was a bit disappointed.

Tory’s Playlist: Holiday Party 2012

Rock the holidays with our special party playlist. From Van Morrison and David Bowie to Shaggy and Justin Timberlake, there’s a little something fun for everyone….

David Netto On: Oyster Stuffing, Circa 1975

Decorator David Netto’s style can be described as that place on a Venn diagram where retro Upper East Side meets modern, pared-down LA. It makes perfect sense, then, that this Christmas, in his glass box Neutra-designed Silver Lake home, he plans on serving a dish that reminds him of his childhood at 83th Street and Fifth. On the menu? Oyster stuffing served up by his personal chef, Reggie Southerland (on the left). Here, Netto shares both the recipe and the Proustian memories of his youth.

Must Hear: Do They Know It’s Christmas

Every holiday season we return to this song and video and remind ourselves to open our hearts to people around the world struggling to find basic sustenance. Food and shelter. Bob Geldof founded Band Aid almost thirty years ago to help aid and address those trapped by famine in Ethiopia. This video helped spread the message throughout the world. To this day, what a great song and what a great collection of artists. How young they were. How great they are….

What’s Your Sign? Capricorn

What does the earth sign of Capricorn ((December 21st – January 19th) — and the New Year — have in store for you? Astrology expert Susie Cox reveals all.

Tory Entertains: Santa’s Cookie Plate

One of our favorite traditions is baking cookies for Ol’ Saint Nick. He likes them, and so do we. Here, a quick recipe from Chef Dana Minuta for shortbread cookies and spiced hot chocolate.

Tory Entertains: Yuletide Dinner

Calling all holiday chefs! We got the perfect pan-roasted chicken recipe from Lorraine Wallace, who’s made her husband — news anchor Chris Wallace — a chicken dish every week since he started hosting Fox News Sunday nine years ago. Our dessert, meanwhile, comes courtesy of Tory’s favorite holiday book — Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As for how we whipped up a fictional recipe, you can thank Yummy Books blogger Cara Nicoletti for that.

Word of Mouth: Mayan State of Mind

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and everyone feels fine with that. While scholars, including Nasa, have thoroughly debunked the theory that the world will end on December 21 when the Mayan calendar ends, it hasn’t stopped hosts who love a good theme from throwing apocalypse-eve parties. Andrew Allen is hosting a Mayan Mercer Countdown tonight, complete with Jeffrey Bilhuber décor and a burlesque troop (they definitely had those in ancient times, right?). So what would Allen do if it really was the end of days? “The usual…throw on a pair of cashmere socks and have an end-of-the-world party,” Allen says. Guest Annie Churchill adds, “I’d go to the ocean with a bunch of my friends, have a bbq with great music, dance, talk and huh hum…until the end.”

Holiday Getaway: Aerin Lauder’s Aspen

For Aerin Lauder, founder and Creative Director of AERIN, the holiday plan includes fireside backgammon rallies with her boys and being the first on the mountain in Aspen.

Spotlight On: Christian Leone & Leah Park’s Vaunte

Christian Leone and Leah Park have a thing for start-ups. They met at Gilt and, after a few years, hatched a plan to change the way people shop second hand. With the recent launch of Vaunte, the two go into the homes and closets of the people you’d be buying vintage from. And the best part? They photograph the sellers themselves wearing something up for grabs. It’s a delightful mix of closet voyeurism and shopping. And, as Leah says, it makes for a great conversation.

Day in the Life: Amanda Hearst & Georgina Bloomberg

Leadership and activism are ingrained in Amanda Hearst and Georgina Bloomberg’s DNA. Their annual Friends of Finn gala, which took place last night, raises awareness about inhumane conditions in puppy mills and funds to combat them. Hearst — and owner of said Finn — is Marie Claire’s Market Editor (and great granddaughter of publishing legend William Randolph Hearst). Bloomberg is a professional equestrian (and daughter of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg). The co-chairs live on opposite coasts but always join forces for a paws, a hoof, a wing. Here, they took us through the day leading up to the event.

Just One Thing: A Fedora

What a difference a felted topper makes. It’s a wardrobe game-changer — no matter your look, whether casual or polished, a fedora ups the ante on your insouciance factor. Can it go beguiling and sexy? Mais oui. Consider Maria Schneider in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris (above).

Which reminds us, it’s Tango’s 40th anniversary. For all that’s been written about its X-rated provocation, the movie endures for its push and pull of emotions and now-iconic snapshots of the Seventies, from the powerful score to its mesmerizing cinematography of Paris. And the fashion. Schneider’s Jeanne seduces in nonchalant fur coats, belted minis, knitted scarves and that one unforgettable fedora.

Last Tango in Paris photo by Bettman/Corbis

Penny Killebrew On: A Kenyan Christmas

Back in 2007, a mass email went out to friends to see if anyone was interested in a job managing a family-run cattle ranch in Nairobi. For most, it was worth a daydream before returning to the grind of everyday life. But Penny Killebrew bought a one-way ticket to Africa and changed her life. Today she and her husband live in Northern Kenya with their son Finn and manage the luxury resort Kinondo Kwetu. Here, she tells us about holidays filled with tribal dancing, seashell decorations, shooting stars, Swahili music and skinny-dipping. Just be warned, if your New Year’s resolution involves making a big change, being more adventurous and taking risks, Killebrew’s description of a Kenyan Christmas is sure to inspire and tempt.

Insider’s Guide: Lisa Lozano’s Jamaica

Imagine if hunting for hermit crabs and sunning on a sandy white beach were a part of your job description. It’s not work in the traditional sense, but Lisa Lozano finds there is no better source of inspiration when designing LiloTati, her children’s swimwear collection, than an annual family vacation to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Here, the mother of two tells us what to do and where to go on the island, including the best undiscovered beach.

Book of the Week: The New Art Book

Holiday cocktail parties are as much about the cocktails as they are the conversation. And if you need a primer on differentiating Magritte from Man Ray or Stieglitz from Steichen, here’s a book to add to the pile by your bedside: the 2012 edition of Phaidon’s The Art Book. It’s an upgrade to the original that came out nearly two decades ago. The premise is the same — an easy-to-grasp A-to-Z introduction to all the artists you need to know. This time, the lineup includes newer media like performance art and video installations (over 100 additions). The beautifully illustrated tome makes a great gift, too, for art lovers and smarty-pants wannabes alike.

Roseate Spoonbill, 1835-8, by John James Audubon

Patrice Farameh On: Gifts for the Book Lover

Can a book be considered a work of art? You bet, if you’re talking to Patrice Farameh. A longtime book producer and consultant, both here and in Europe, the Iran native launched her own publishing house Farameh Media last year with a focus on visually arresting coffee-table tomes. Here, we got her take on all things literary — including the all-important question of what to gift the bookworm in your life.

Word of Mouth: Donna Karan & Stephan Weiss

Donna Karan and Stephan Weiss are one of fashion’s most enduring love stories. They met by chance when she was just 19, went their separate ways and found their way back to each other a decade later. They were married for 18 years before Weiss passed away from lung cancer in 2001. Weiss was Karan’s business partner, yes, but in many ways her muse. He was an artist in his own right, and now, Karan has put his sculptures and drawings on display at Urban Zen. If you’re in town for the holidays, stop by to see Connecting the Dots.

Sally Singer and kids
Nino Mier
Frankie Rayder

Book of the Week: Asleep at the Chateau

Everyone knows all about the Chateau Marmont, even if you’ve never stepped foot inside this storied hotel on Sunset Boulevard. It’s where James Dean auditioned with Natalie Wood for Rebel Without a Cause. And where Jim Morrison once leapt off a fourth-floor balcony. And where Lindsay Lohan was, well, infamously Lindsay Lohan.

But you’ve never seen Jork Weismann’s side of it. In his recent book Asleep at the Chateau, the photographer showcases the hotel’s quieter moments with arresting shot after shot of celebrities asleep at the Chateau — including Patti Smith, Bret Easton Ellis, Johnny Hallyday and Frankie Rayder, in various states of slumber and, sometimes, undress.

SoulCycle On: Holiday Fitness

It’s the morning after a night of eating, drinking and being merry — and it was a doozy. Now what? SoulCycle co-founders Julie Rice (left) and Elizabeth Cutler weigh in on staying fit during the holidays.