Tory’s Playlist: Cocktails, Anyone?
Shaken or stirred? These tunes are for holiday evenings with friends, starting with a bowl of cherries courtesy of The Mills Brothers and ending with Regina Spektor’s Ne Me Quitte Pas.
Best Dressed: Francesca DiMattio
Rising art star Francesca DiMattio is a deft mix master both in the studio — she’s famous for her coolly spliced sculptures and paintings — and the dressing room. She’s not afraid of playing with proportions (as in this version of Tory’s Elise dress) or going super-tailored one day and dressing “like a six-year-old girl in striped leggings, clogs and short cotton dresses” another. Though busy with shows in London, Manhattan and Clinton, New York, the artist took some time off to talk inspiration and her go-to gallery style.
Spotlight On: Nate Berkus
Rather than serve up another book about decorating how-tos, Nate Berkus shares a more intimate story in The Things That Matter. In it, he reveals his backstory and spotlights his favorite interiors that echo with the owner’s personality, whether it’s Fabiola Beracasa or Dr. Ruth. “There’s so much out there — in shelter magazines, on television — that it gets confusing,” he says. “The goal of the book is to clear that up. People’s homes should tell the story of who they are.” Here, Nate continues the tale — and shares his advice on home entertaining and décor.
Expert Guide: Christopher & Heather Tierney
Siblings Heather and Christopher Tierney consider themselves “experience makers.” Mission accomplished. Their bar Apotheke is a throwback to Old Europe absinthe dens while restaurant Pulqueria (handily, right next door) is a virtual slice of Mexico City. To celebrate the start of holiday season and all things cocktail hour, the duo share secrets from behind the bar, including how turn kale into a sexy-sounding drink.
Holiday 2012: Lookbook
If Fall was about a ladylike sophistication, then this Holiday season ups the ante in the most glamorous and refined way. It’s festive, yes — there’s plenty of sparkle throughout; just check out the crystal-covered heels — but the look is still coolly feminine and elegant. Think classic LBDs with subtle beading, lightly ruffled blouses paired with lace pencil skirts and louche print pajamas meant for nights on the town. All simple, striking and sexy.
Shop the lookbook and discover why, this time of year, quiet refinement speaks volumes.
Tory On: The Little Black Dress
Gearing up for rounds of holiday revelry? No doubt, the Little Black Dress will (and should) be in rotation. We asked Tory why she loves the look and why it works for so many different style tribes. Here, she’s wearing our Bovary dress and Pixie pump.
Trend: Lace Time
Lace is the new…lace. Truly a timeless trend, it looks especially right when the holiday season rolls around. We find the combination of covered up, yet coy — now you see a little skin, now you don’t — so much sexier than something overtly showy. Done in dramatic blacks and teals, these not-so-straight-laced styles are dressed-up but effortless: some slightly tousled hair and a glittering earring or clutch completes the look (and proves that lace is definitely more.). Shop the looks.
Ruthanna Hopper Brill On: Marin County
Tempted by the idea of a California getaway complete with hippie vibes, fall foliage, sand castles and wine tastings? Then consider heading to Marin County, just north of San Francisco. Here, L.A.-based author Ruthanna Hopper Brill — who counts Marin as her childhood home — tells us all about its leisure life and why she keeps going back.
Spotlight On: Pools: Reflections
Pools: Reflections is author and photographer Kelly Klein’s follow-up to her massive 1992 tome on the subject. This time, she introduces us to a whole new series of pools, each tempting us to jump right in. To say they’re breathtaking is an understatement — the one in Peru’s Equis House, for example, is practically suspended in the air. Here, Klein reveals her favorite and why she’s long been fascinated by what she calls these “sculptures in the earth.”
Book of the Week: Rebel Chic
As a new book Rebel Chic shows, Katharine Hepburn was the anti-fashion fashion icon. Starting in the 30s, she ignored prevailing Hollywood notions of beauty (read: ultra-feminine) and trademarked a certain kind of nonchalant glamour. Throwing a long fur over jeans (in itself a revolutionary move) and flats? Genius. There’s an accompanying exhibit at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Here, our favorite Hepburn quotes.
Word of Mouth: Julian Opie
Artist Julian Opie is putting a whole new spin on the term “window dressing.” You can check out his current exhibit at Manhattan’s National Academy Museum & School just by rounding the corner of Fifth Avenue and 89th Street. No entrance necessary. A few selects from his famous Walking Series videos — where tech meets classic figure drawing meets everyday traffic sign — are on display in the museum’s windows. Not in New York? Watch one of his films here.
Verity Walking in Dress (2), 2011 by Julian Opie
Spotlight On: Creel & Gow
Consider Jamie Creel and Christopher Gow the ultimate collectors of curiosities. In their new NYC boutique Creel & Gow, you’ll find everything from whale tusks and malachite obelisks to vintage furnishings by Pierre Giraudon. Here, the co-owners give advice on gifts and collecting 101.
Video: Look We Love — Tweed On Tweed
Just as Bob Dylan had Blonde on Blonde, we can apply that theory to some of our favorite style pairings: Color on color. Print on print. Texture on texture. It all works. Here, we took a traditional fabric (tweed) and multiplied it by itself. Layering on texture feels especially right for fall. The only trick is to keep the colors similar so they don’t compete — and you’ve mastered the mix. Get this look, or shop all tweed.
Meet the Photographer: Penny Ashford
There’s always an element of the unexpected in Penny Ashford’s photographs. A simple shot underwater turns into a dreamy abstract of pigments and light while landscapes, with her curvy horizon lines, toe the line between the real and imagined. We talked to the Boston native about her inspirations, obsessions and how to get the perfect […]
Dr. Clifford A. Hudis On: Breast Cancer Awareness
As part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we spoke to Dr. Clifford A. Hudis, who’s Chief of Breast Cancer Medicine Service at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He talked about the newest updates in breast cancer research and treatment and helped us separate fact from fiction.
Three things you want everyone to know…
The most important things to understand about breast cancer are that it is usually curable (about four out of five women diagnosed with it will not die from it), that treatment and its toxicities are increasingly limited and targeted so that the price for cure is reduced, and that prevention is possible.
Sally Wu On: Shanghai Art Scene
By trade Sally Wu’s a fashion designer who does knitwear for a host of New York brands. But she’s also an art aficionado, who’s done her own exhibits (e.g. 2008’s “Shanghai Kaleidoscope” at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum). So when she told us she was heading home to Shanghai for a month to check out the art scene with close friend and ICP curator Christopher Phillips, we asked for a full report. Here, Sally on the recent SHContemporary and current Shanghai Biennale shows.
Skull sculpture by Zhang Wei Ran at SHContemporary
Insider’s Guide: Gabriel Rucker’s Portland
With our new Portland boutique opening today, we decided to chat with longtime resident Gabriel Rucker, the James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur behind popular hangouts Little Bird Bistro and Le Pigeon. Here, he gives us the inside scoop on this foodie-favorite city, as well as what’s on the fall menu right now at Le Pigeon.
Tory’s City Guide: Portland
Step aside, Fred Armisen. We’re planting our flag in Portland, with a new boutique at Pioneer Place opening today. If you’re in town, check out the store and explore all the cool spots Tory discovered in our new Portland city guide. From the best places to stay (including a hotel with pet psychic sessions) to outstanding restaurants (honey-balsamic ice cream, anyone?) and must-see vistas (Mount Hood, above), we’ve got you covered.
Go to Tory’s Portland City Guide here.
Celeb Style: Light and Shades
We love the way these celebs styled their favorite Tory Burch pieces. Even when they opted for simple whites, they worked the look in diverse ways, from ultra-polished to effortlessly street-chic. The same goes for their sunglasses, although there is one thing in common here: the actresses all swapped those de rigueur black-frame sunglasses for something lighter — and with a bit more personality.
Fall Getaway: Leonardo Ferragamo
Sailing master Leonardo Ferragamo, President of Nautor Holding and son of the late Salvatore Ferragamo, loves to compete — he just finished racing his company’s flagship regatta, the Rolex Swan Cup when we caught up with him. But he also knows how to make the most of lazy weekends on the waters off the Tyrrhenian coast with friends….
Spotlight On: Angela Adams
Atlanta-based lawyer Angela Adams loves fashion and color and has one of the sunniest dispositions we’ve ever seen. But don’t be fooled — in the courtroom she is a fierce litigator. Here, the working woman talks to us about her job, dress code and…lobster bars.
To Do: AFTER at R20th Century
Where does inspiration end and appropriation begin? Find out at Kelly Behun’s new AFTER exhibit at New York’s R20th Century gallery. “The show is about acknowledging reference,” says Kelly. “All the pieces represent methods of sampling, appropriation and deconstruction.”
Not only did the interior designer, with associate Alex P. White, curate selections from other artists, but she also introduced a small collection of her own art-meets-furniture designs. There’s a macassar ebony and ceramic table inspired by Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx and — our favorite — a faceted mirror featuring Charlotte Rampling’s image, up close and personal.
Tory’s Playlist: New Fall Music
Here are some songs to ease us into fall. They include new records by some of our old favorites and a couple of our new favorites, too.
What’s the Word: Zhoosh
Everyone zhooshes — that’s fashion speak for smartening up a look. We all know how to say it —
/ˈZHo͝oSH/ — but it’s anyone’s guess on spelling it. According to the Oxford dictionary, it’s zhoosh. But both Architectural Digest and The Independent go with zhuzh. Carson Kressley, who brought that term into popular parlance on Queer Eye nearly a decade ago, says tszuj. It can also be spelled as zhooj, soozh, tsuz, jhoosh and joozj. Or the French jeuge and Russian czuzh. (Thanks, Google!) Sure, you could go with words like primp or tweak or spruce or finesse, but zhoosh — however you spell it — just has that certain…je ne sais quoi.