AVENUEinsider July 1, 2011 by AVENUE Magazine

JULY

2010

the modern contessa

nathalie von bismarck success story kathryn korte, president and c.e.o. of sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international realty, inc. Author, Entrepreneur, Designer Nathalie von Bismarck

peggy siegal reports

from the cannes film festival

W e s t 8 6 th s t r e e t

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AVENUE

JULY 2010

VOL. 34 NO. 7

FEATURES 30

CROWN JEWEL Countess Nathalie von Bismarck is not your everyday German noble. The Canadian-born wife of Carl-Eduard von Bismarck is a designer, entrepreneur, author and mother of the next Prince. In this issue, she talks about her courtship with Carl, conversations with world leaders and unexpected lesson in compassion. written by janet allon photographs by gilles bensimon styled by cricket burns

YES SHE CANNES! Movie publicist extraordinaire Peggy Siegal takes her annual trip to the French Riviera for the Cannes International Film Festival where she mixes it up with the cast of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Mick Jagger and 40-year-old Naomi Campbell. written by peggy siegal with photographs by peggy siegal and others

REALTY SUCCESS STORY Kathryn Korte, president and C.E.O. of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. reflects on her company and her contributions to it.

COLUMNS 8

CHRONICLES Frantic socializing before summer and a well-deserved rest for aching feet. By Debbie Bancroft

this page Countess Nathalie von Bismarck wears a dress by Catherine Malandrino. Ring, earrings and watch by Van Cleef and Arpels. Photographed by Gilles Bensimon. Styled by Cricket Burns.

PYTS Celebrating opera legends like Plácido Domingo and haute couture with hot young designers. Only in New York . . . By Peter Davis

2 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

Experience a Whole day of Fun in One Legendary Place Explore Imaginary Worlds! Don’t miss the BAREFOOT BOOKS shop, featuring daily story time for all ages. Discover sing-along stories, multicultural travel adventures, fairytales, pirate story collections and more! Mon.-Sat., 11am, 1pm & 3pm Sun., 1pm & 3pm LOCATION: 2nd ﬂoor, past Wild Republic

Be a Celebrity Stylist! Head to our STYLED BY ME BARBIE salon to customize your own Barbie. Choose from a closet of clothes, then watch your doll come down the fashion runway before you take her home! LOCATION: 2nd ﬂoor , at the back of the store

Unleash the Inner Artist! Visit our MAKE MEANING Pottery Studio for hours of creative fun. Choose from over 200 pieces and our staff will help you paint, ﬁre and glaze your special work of art! LOCATION: 2nd ﬂoor , next to the Big Piano

767 5th Ave., New York, NY (212) 644-9400

AVENUE

JULY 2010

VOL. 34 NO. 7

OBJECTS OF DESIRE Asian inspirations and neon dreams. By Cricket Burns

SUMMER READS New books from some of our favorite writers, including Danielle Ganek, Alexandra Lebenthal, Susan Fales-Hill and Christina Oxenberg. By E.F. Ulmann

OLD NEW YORK Skyscraper originals: The Woolworth Building and the Bryant Park Hotel. By Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel

WORLD ACCORDING TO Artist Ross Bleckner

...

DEPARTMENTS 14

ON THE AVENUE Party pictures from recent events.

ARTS CALENDAR What’s on view at galleries and museums.

on the cover this page

Gown by Marchesa. Jewelry by Van Cleef and Arpels. Photographed by Gilles Bensimon. Styled by Cricket Burns. Hair and makeup by Dyana Nematalla for Yves Durif at The Carlyle. Photographed on location at New York City’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée.

Peggy Siegal on the Côte d’Azur for the Cannes International Film Festival. Photographed by Peggy Siegal.

letters to the editor AVENUE welcomes “Letters to the Editor” Please address to Executive Editor Janet Allon, 79 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY, 10016 jallon@manhattanmedia.com 4 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

correction In AVENUE’s June issue, we mistakenly credited the blue dress worn by cover subject Mika Brzezinski. The dress, which appeared on the cover and in three photos on pages 52-53, is by Nicole Miller, not Nicole Farhi. We sincerely regret the error.

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AVENUE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Pamela Gross EXECUTIVE EDITOR Janet Allon jallon@manhattanmedia.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cricket Burns cburns@manhattanmedia.com ART DIRECTOR Jessica Ju-Hyun Lee Ho jlee@manhattanmedia.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Kari Milchman kmilchman@manhattanmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Debbie Bancroft

Peter Davis

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Jackie Astier

Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel

Serena Boardman

Lorinda Ash

Alex Hitz

Lacey Tisch-Sidney

Bettina Zilkha

PALM BEACH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ren茅e Morrison PRODUCTION MANAGER Mark Stinson mstinson@manhattanmedia.com ADVERTISING DESIGNER Monica Hsiao-Hsuan Tang mtang@manhattanmedia.com FACT CHECKER Alexandria Symonds INTERNS Christina Zipf

Rebecca Toback

PRESIDENT Julie Dannenberg jdannenberg@manhattanmedia.com EXECUTIVE SALES DIRECTOR Jill Esterman jesterman@manhattanmedia.com DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Barbara Goodwin bgoodwin@manhattanmedia.com SALES DIRECTORS Amanda Redling aredling@manhattanmedia.com

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chronicles

DEBBIE BANCROFT

Luncheons, charitable causes, screenings and book parties worth getting dressed up for

Tottering Into P Summer

re-summer solstice in New York is a season bursting with blossoms, benevolence, beauty and, oh yeah, a little sex in the city . . . 2. New York wags her sophisticated finger at us and says, ‘Go to your quaint cottages and seaside villages, but don’t forget where the center of the universe is—and be sure you come back.’ I don’t even want to leave! What can you say about an event that isn’t just sold out but has a waiting list? Such is the case with the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Spring Ball, chaired this year by the formidable Tory Burch, Shelley Carr, Dee Dee Ricks and new New Yorker Jamie Tisch, all ably assisted by their dedicated president, Heather Leeds. Thousands of Bronson van Wyck’s handcrafted, feather butterflies wafted in the Pierre’s Grand Ballroom over the heads of merry philanthropists like Muffie and Sherrell Aston, Ann and Mario Grauso, Alexandra Kotur, Sara and Charlie Ayres, ultimate auctioneer Jamie Niven, and Lee Sherman and Christopher Meloni, Claude Wasserstein, Ashley McDermott, Hoda Kotb and Jane Hanson (scurrying to their table, hosted by Caryn and Jeff Zucker, their NBC boss. Scurrying is good), Jay and Tracy Snyder and many more swell folks just like them. I was lucky enough to sit at the ‘music’ table with Tory’s beau, Lyor Cohen, vice chair of Warner Music Group, and Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 (not Maroon 5—don’t ask, I shouldn’t have.) The only thing better than watching Grammy award-winning Mary J. Blige sing her version of “Stairway to Heaven” is watching it with her colleagues—pure beneficence. And all this love brought in $1.4 million dollars to help honoree Dr. Charles Sawyers continue his research for his Oncology and Pathogenesis Program. Chest swollen with pride for my charitable brethren, and also for myself—having made it through the night on ill-advised 5-inch platform heels—I hitched a ride with David Patrick Columbia, whom I thought was my friendly competitor. While exiting my yellow chariot, I missed his helping hand and went careening off said platforms into the garbage bags on the curb. Did I detect a smirk? Might he have thought, ‘Hah! I’ll go to twice the store openings that crumpled chronicler will! Victory is mine!’? And to compound the now-fiery pain and humiliation, dear David chose that moment to introduce me to Bunny Williams, who caught the whole sordid episode. I think it was her garbage bag I impaled. I hobbled, in flats, to The 13th Annual Women & Science Lecture and Luncheon, my favorite lunch of the year. The Rockefeller University, home to 23 Nobel Prize winners also houses this

chronicles

Top Row: Mary J. Blige and Heather Leeds; Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo; Bronson van Wyck and Tory Burch Bottom Row: Andrew Saffir and Courtney Love; Rachel Roy; Euan Rellie and Lucy Sykes Rellie

important program, which has raised $14 million since its inception, one million on this day, with the help of Chairs Katerina Alevizaki-Dracopoulos, Judy Berkowitz, Samantha Boardman-Rosen, Patricia Rosenwald and Lulu Wang. Rock U’s always stimulating and understandable speakers shared insights on cardiovascular disease and stroke. Among the pearls: don’t be so sure your cholesterol-lowering drug is so safe. I felt every side effect as I took notes. Helping the cause: Deeda Blair, Renée Rockefeller, Nancy Kissinger, Duane Hampton, Charlotte Ford, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn (newest reality show star!?), Princess Firyal of Jordan, Serena Boardman and Alexandra Lebenthal. Less lofty, but pretty darned important to me, was how I would attend Andrew Saffir’s Cinema Society screening of Sex 10 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

and the City 2 in my orthopedic shoes. Bottom line: I couldn’t. Fortunately, I had my trusty daughter/cane (children do come in handy) to support what would turn out to be my last round through this writing on heels. We tottered to the Cinema Society- and HP-sponsored screening, fell into our seats (well, she delicately descended), then I, minus cane/kid, went on to Cinema Society and Nadja Swarovski’s Monkey Bar dinner for decidedly sexy types like Euan Rellie, Meredith Melling Burke, Kelly Bensimon, Rachel Roy, Courtney Love, Rachel Dratch, Rob Wiesenthal and Richard Johnson. I paid for that last night in heels. I rarely go out anymore, and when I do, it’s in Aerosoles slippers. However aesthetically compromised, I simply couldn’t miss Anne Hearst McInerney

and Jay McInerney’s party for Candace Bushnell and her new book, The Carrie Diaries, the coming-of-age story of the iconic character who leads this whole “Sex and the City” parade—in heels. Candace was, of course, receiving, slinky and tall in her Blahniks. I spilled onto the couch and watched my friends, including Diandra Douglas, Roger Waters and Laurie Durning, Nicole Miller, Stephen Drucker (Town & Country’s new editor), Alison Mazzola, Alex Kuczynski and her dad, former Peruvian Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, A.M. Holmes, Charles Askegard, John Demsey, Mary Boone and Griffin Dunne all mill around looking so tall and mobile. I’ll see you soon, when hopefully my feet will be up for a night out in heels once again. !

“While exiting my yellow chariot, I missed David Patrick Columbia’s helping hand and went careening off said platforms into the garbage bags on the curb. Did I detect a smirk?”

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PETER DAVIS

City of Dreams M

anhattan is about the mix. I love that I can fly from a black-tie dinner, seated across from legendary Plácido Domingo, to a bohemian fashion launch to the CFDA Awards, the Oscars of fashion—all in less than two weeks. Beat that social schedule! My seat across from the divine Mr. Domingo is at the El Museo del Barrio Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street. Domingo is given a lifetime artistic achievement award by my table’s host, Oscar de la Renta. One of the night’s chairs, beautiful Yaz Hernandez (in a silk and gold metal Brian Reyes dress) tells me, “We have guests from every Spanish-speaking country, besides our friends from New

York. It is such an international evening. I adore watching everyone dress to the nines—they know we Latinas love to dress up. Una nocha fantastica!” Also in the room is star stylist PJ Pascual, Carlos Campos, Moises de la Renta, Narciso Rodriguez, Candy Pratts Price and Gillian Miniter in a Gustavo Cadile dress. “Plácido Domingo’s speech is the highlight of the night,” Miniter gushes like a true fan. “He is so sincere and such an icon.” Rising design star Christian Cota also meets a role model: Mr. de la Renta. “I’ve always looked up to him,” Cota says. “We chatted about my vest, a mint lasercut embroidered and beaded piece from one of my past collections.” From black tie to boho-chic for N.Y.C.

girl Emilie Ghilaga’s launch of her fashion label: With Love, Emilie Ghilaga. The young designer took a five-month jaunt to Jaipur, India, and came back with a line of dresses. Ghilaga’s gig is held at the photography studio of Fadil Berisha. A platoon of PYTs shows up, most in Ghilaga’s bold dresses. “Seeing all my friends wearing the dresses and looking like goddesses, watching something like this unfold at this point in my life is bewildering, reassuring and truly lovely,” Ghilaga says. Hannah Bronfman, who dates rapper Asher Roth and is about to launch her own line called Green Owl, which will be 100 percent organic and sustainable, tells me, “I love seeing all the girls in the dresses, but each girl really

Oscar de la Renta and Valentin Hernandez Carlos Campos, Nazira Handal-Poffel and Rodner Figueroa

Mo ises de la Renta Chr isti an Cota

Alexa nd ra Le be nth al Narciso Rodiguez and Candy Pratts Price

Yaz Hernandez

Plácido Domingo and Oscar de la Renta

A month of celebrating everything from operatic legends to haute couture

Alixe Laughlin, Charlotte Bocly and Emilie Ghilaga

Wil liam Big iell o and Jessica Ash ner

Tamara Mellon

Emma SnowdonJones Hannah Bronfman

Brian Ermanski

Ma ry Alice Ste phe nso n

Meredith Melling Burke, Peter Som and Roopal Patel

©PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM

Charlotte Bocly, who is studying criminology and sociology and interning this summer at Rikers Island Prison Complex, is slinked into the short and sassy “Charlotte the Harlot” number in a candy-color swirl. makes them her own. For Em and myself, it is all about how you wear the dress.” Charlotte Bocly, who is studying criminology and sociology and interning this summer at Rikers Island Prison Complex, is slinked into the short and sassy “Charlotte the Harlot” number in a candy-color swirl. “Of course, it is incredibly flattering to have a dress named after me,” she says.“I find it personally hilarious because ‘Charlotte the Harlot’ is a term we coined together, years ago. Nobody knows me better than Emilie. She of all people knows how much I love to throw on a short, sexy tube dress and prance around.” Girls try to buy dresses and even model in a staged photo shoot. Bocly’s dress is an instant hit. Stylist Alexa Winner announces, “I can’t resist purchasing the ‘Charlotte’ dress in metallic silver, and I am looking forward to wearing it with my 7-inch Frank Nathan heels.” It’s high heels and haute fashion at the

CFDA Awards at Alice Tully Hall. Everyone who is anyone in the style monde is there (way too many to list). PAPER’s Kim Hastreiter wins the Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism and ends her speech by saying, “Just because you’re cute, connected, rich and famous doesn’t necessarily mean you design great stuff.” So who did the CFDA voters think made good stuff? The evening’s awards end with the biggies. Child actress Dakota Fanning (looking very grown up) gives Alexis Bittar the Accessory Designer of the Year Award, actor Anthony Mackie hands David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of cult label Rag & Bone the Menswear Designer Award and, after four years of being nominated and not winning, Marc Jacobs beats out favorite Donna Karan for the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Jessica Biel presents Jacobs his award. “I don’t much believe in prizes for doing

work that I’m so passionate about,” Jacobs tells the crowd. “And I’m not one for long speeches.” He thanks all his employees—a long list—by first name and shows gratitude to all the “stylists and bloggers.” He concludes by recognizing his longtime business partner, Robert Duffy. Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour presents the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Kors, mentioning that she remembers using a Kors dress 29 years ago in a shoot. A short film of Kors moments is screened, which includes a black-and-white television commercial for Lucky Charms cereal that Kors did as a child actor. Then the designer and “Project Runway” judge takes the stage and makes special mention of his mother, Joan—who has been his inspiration and muse for decades—calling her “my best supporter and cheerleader all these years” and getting visibly choked up. As they say, mother knows best. ! JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 13

on the avenue 1

ORIGINAL DESIGN David Yurman’s 30th anniversary at the Madison Avenue boutique

David Yurman celebrated the company’s 30th anniversary with an exclusive grand opening cocktail reception for the New York City flagship shop. David and Sybil Yurman hosted guests Jamie Tisch, Muffie Potter Aston, Ann Caruso, Alexandra Lebenthal and many others at the three-floor townhouse. A percentage of sales from the reception will benefit The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. 1

1. Terry Williams, GGMichelson and Edward and Arlyn Gardner 2. Tawana Tibbs and Bruce Gordon 3. Mark Standish, Soledad O’Brien, Andrew Chang and Tommy S.

BIG NIGHT

Sidewalks of New York Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City raised more than $2 million at its 31st annual Sidewalks of New York Gala in the Waldorf=Astoria’s Grand Ballroom. The Allan Luks Public Service Award was presented to Richard Franchella, the BigsNYC Corporate Award to Mark Standish, the BigsNYC Communications Award to Deborah Roberts, and the BigsNYC Sports Award to Michael Oher. Soledad O’Brien was mistress of ceremonies and Gerald L. Hassell the dinner chairman.

1.ToryBurch2.TomLeeds,SybilYurmanandDavidYurman3.JamieTisch4.EmmyRossum and Evan Yurman 5. Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss

HIGH SOCIETY

“Patron Party” at the home of Sachiko and Lawrence Goodman

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Sachiko and Lawrence Goodman hosted the annual Bruce Museum “Patron Party” at their waterfront estate, Hickory Hill, in Greenwich, C.T. George and Carol Crapple, Ralf and Carmina Roth, Malcolm and Natalie Pray, Thomas Peterffy and other guests enjoyed a rare tour of the art-filled home and a silent wine auction. Bruce Museum Director Peter Sutton addressed the Greenwich social set, along with Patron Committee Chair Lucy Day and Renaissance Ball co-chairs Tiffany Burnette and Lisa Chase-Jenkins. 1

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FASHION FORWARD: © Patrick McMullan==Photo - NICK HUNT / PatrickMcMullan.com

1. Hamish Bowles and Carolina Herrera 2. Michael Bruno and Adriana Caras 3. Cynthia Lufkin 4. Alexandra Kotur and Gillian Miniter 5. Alina Cho

FASHION FORWARD

“A Posh Affair” at The Plaza Hotel

Hamish Bowles, Amy Fine Collins and Lorry Newhouse hosted the kick-off dinner for Lighthouse International’s annual POSH fashion sale featuring top designers. The event honored fashion icon Carolina Herrera and Michael Bruno, president and founder of 1stdibs.com. Graydon Carter, Cynthia Lufkin, Douglas Hannant, Somers Farkas, Marjorie Gubelmann and many more came out to the Oak Room for a little fun before the intense shopping began.

1. Sachiko Goodman 2. Jerry Crowley and Dottie Herman 3. Lucy Day and Teresa Rogers JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 15

on the avenue 1

PREP COOL Mika Brzezinski’s book party on the Upper East Side

J. McLaughlin hosted an intimate cocktail party to honor Mika Brzezinski, a big fan of the retailer’s clothing, and her new book, All Things at Once. Jay McLaughlin, Kevin McLaughlin and Steve Siegler welcomed friends to Kevin and Barbara McLaughlin’s Upper East Side townhouse. Alex Kuczynski, Liliana Cavendish, Somers Farkas, Bettina Zilkha and Alina Cho were among their guests.

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1. Bettina Zilkha and Richard Mishaan 2. Renée Steinberg and Brooke Garber Neidich 3. Dr. Harold Koplewicz

TO SELL

Richard and Marcia Mishaan’s cocktail party at 180e93.com Richard and Marcia Mishaan hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the establishment of The Child Study Center Foundation and honor Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz and Brooke Garber Neidich. The event featured the unveiling of Mishaan’s model apartment at Greystone Property Development’s LEED-certified building, 180e93.com. Joining the designer and honorees were Renée and Richard Steinberg, Bettina Zilkha, Gillian Miniter, Jamee Gregory and many others. 16 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

1. Mika Brzezinski and Jay McLaughlin 2. Barbara McLaughlin and Kevin McLaughlin. 3. Liliana Cavendish and Hunt Slonem 4. Cece Cord and Lisa Fine

DESIGNED TO SELL: ©PATRICK MCMULLAN==PHOTO - J.T. WHITE/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM

DESIGNED

LEADING HEARTS

Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research fundraiser at Espace

The second “Teens Making a Difference” Junior Event raised $70,000 for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation and drew more than 300 New York high schoolers who mingled with the likes of Tinsley Mortimer, Mark Indelicato and Esti Ginsberg. The evening also featured a fashion show with designs by Michael Kors, Jill Stuart, Calvin Klein, Cynthia Rowley and others. 3

EVERY-BODY POLITIC: © PATRICK MCMULLAN==PHOTO - CHANCE YEH/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM

1. Susan Fales-Hill 2. President Bill Clinton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jonathan Tisch and Marie-Josée Kravis 3. Lizzie Tisch and Dennis Basso 4. Sarah Howard and Dori Cooperman.

EVERY-BODY POLITIC

The launch of Jonathan Tisch’s new book at MoMA

Jonathan Tisch’s book, Citizen You, was celebrated at The Museum of Modern Art with toasts by former President Bill Clinton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and MoMA President Marie-Josée Kravis. The Tisch family turned out in high numbers, including Lizzie, Joan, Alice, Tom, Billie, Laurie, Merryl and Jim Tisch. Other notable guests included Charlie Rose, Chuck Scarborough, Alexandra Lebenthal and Dennis Basso.

1. Tinsley Mortimer 2. Daniella Rich and Andrew Warren 3. Elizabeth Hilfiger JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 17

on the avenue 1

FOLKS AND MIRRORS “Reflection” opening at the Nathan Bernstein Gallery

Opening night of “Reflection” at the Nathan Bernstein Gallery drew quite a crowd. In addition to Nathan and Katharina Otto-Bernstein, aesthetes included David and Simone Levinson, Carol Becker and Leonard Stern. The group show features the work of Lynda Benglis, Sanford Biggers, James Lee Byars, Tony Feher, Douglas Gordon, Jacob Kassay, Roy Lichtenstein, Nancy Lorenz, Donald Moffett, Anne Peabody, Louise Nevelson, Shinique Smith, Marc Swanson, Andy Warhol and Rob Wynne.

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SMART SET

The Women & Science Lecture and Luncheon at The Rockefeller University The 13th annual Women & Science Lecture and Luncheon featured a discussion about cardiovascular disease and stroke in women among renowned scientists Jan Breslow and Barry Coller and Professor Holly Anderson of Weill Cornell Medical College. Guests included Claude Wasserstein, Renée Rockefeller, Agnes Gund, Caryn Zucker, Marjorie Gubelmann and Cristina Greeven Cuomo. 18 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

1. Cornelia Bregman and Katharina Otto-Bernstein 2. Eugenia Bullock, Nathan Bernstein and Janna Bullock 3. Zoltan Csanadi and Lea Miller 4. Charles and Ellen Scarborough

SMART SET: ©PATRICK MCMULLAN==PHOTO - WILL RAGOZZINO/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM

1. Samantha Boardman Rosen 2. Ulla Parker and Cristina Greeven Cuomo 3. Caryn Zucker and Amanda Cutter Brooks

R. COURI HAY

Yuval Almog, Vladimir Yakunin and Irinia Nikitina at the Musical Olympus Festival

Melissa Berkelhammer and Dr. Paul Cotterill at Martial Vivot Salon Pour Hommes Cindy Guyer and Mark Rose at 180 East 93rd Street

Penélope Cruz wearing jewelry by Gilan

bold-faced names

William Ivey Long and Michelle Marie Heinemann at the National Arts Club

Elaine Sargent and Somers Farkas at 180 East 93rd Street

Doug Benach, Diana Quasha and Richard Mishaan at 180 East 93rd Street

Monique Breaux at 180 East 93rd Street

Baker at Chez Josephine, the restaurant owned by the legendary singer’s son, Jean-Claude Baker. Dr. Paul Cotterill (www.drcotterill.com) attended the publication party of The Bearded Gentleman, in which he’s quoted as the world’s foremost hair transplant surgeon. Artists Terri Lindvall and Michelle Marie Heinemann chaired a benefit exhibition of their work for the Yorkville Common Pantry at the National Arts Club. Ashley and Sharon Bush were among the players who had the courts at the Southampton Racquet Club (www.southamptonracquetclub.com) looking more like a Vogue spread than a tennis match. The private club’s director, Diego Vallone, has played with everyone from Oscar de la Renta to Tom Brokaw. Richard Mishaan christened the model apartment he created for Greystone Property Development’s 180 East 93rd Street (www.180e93.com) with a party for the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Developer Doug Benach asked the designer to make the pages of his book, Modern Luxury, come alive. Mark Rose (www.markroseevents.com), who is our town’s “Master of Event Décor,” created breathtaking arrangements of White Delphiniums flown in from France for the occasion and Mock Orange Blossoms, only in season for three days. Taking the tour were Cornelia Guest (who served her signature chocolate chip cookies), Jamee and Peter Gregory, Marcia Mishaan, Christopher Spitzmiller, Ashley and Andrea Stark, Jonathan Farkas, Nicole Miller, Janna Bullock, Pamela Fiori and Albert Hadley, who admired the chic lucite nesting tables by Monique Breaux of Posh Exclusive Interiors (www.buyposhrooms.com). Richard Steinberg, the exclusive broker for the seven apartments, spoke about the care that was taken to make the building LEED-certified. ✦

Away We Go Eclectic events celebrate culture both here and far

t. Petersburg, the Venice of the north, is one of the cultural capitals of the world. Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin helped the city celebrate its 307th birthday. The most glamorous event was the Illusion Ball, held in President Yeltsin’s Library. The magical night featured 30 pairs of white-tied ballroom dancers who waltzed with guests in the historic building’s Grand Hall. The party was the highlight of the Musical Olympus Festival, which was founded by noted concert pianist Irina Nikitina to showcase prize-winning young musicians. The festival celebrated its 15th year by gathering 27 artists from 14 countries with the help of Vontobel, the Swiss investment bank, and BMW. The dazzling pianist, Ilya Maximov, who won the Audience Prize, will perform under the Olympus Festival’s baton in London, Berlin, Zurich and at Carnegie Hall in 2011 (www.musicalolympus.ru). The smart set, including Prince Charles, Presidents Clinton and Jacques Chirac, Plácido Domingo and Kim Cattrall, all stay at the city’s best address, the Grand Hotel Europe, built in 1875 (www.grandhoteleurope.com). Drew Barrymore, Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek are all fans of the Turkish jeweler, Gilan (www.gilan.com). This summer, its Fifth Avenue store is trumpeting their Heritage collection, which revives the use of historical rose-cut diamonds. Samir Tahan, who worked for Gianfranco Ferre in Paris, is the jeweler’s new U.S. Ambassador. Hunt Slonem unveiled his portrait of Josephine

JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 19

arts calendar

compiled by

JASMINE LOMBARDI

Feasting the Eyes This month’s selection of art and antiques on view or for sale auctions CHRISTIE’S

July 14-15: The Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum Collection 20 Rockefeller Plaza 212.636.2000 DOYLE NEW YORK

July 20-21: Jewelry, Watches, Silverware and Coins 175 East 87th Street 212.427.2730

galleries ANTON KERN GALLERY

Shio Kusaka July 15-Aug. 20 532 West 20th Street 212.367.9663 JAMES GRAHAM & SONS, INC.

Max Jansons: Love Through Aug. 27 32 East 67th Street 212.535.5767 JULIE SAUL GALLERY

The Pencil of Nature July 1-Aug. 20 535 West 22nd Street, 6th floor 212.627.2410

Charlotte Park’s Tara, 1960. Oil on canvas, 34 by 34 inches. At Spanierman Gallery LLC.

LEHMANN MAUPIN

535 West 22nd Street, 3rd Floor 646.230.9610

exhibitions

SPANIERMAN GALLERY LLC

Modern Gallery Selections - 2010 July 8-Aug. 7 45 East 58th Street 212.832.0208 YANCEY RICHARDSON GALLERY

Incognito: the Hidden Self-Portrait / Summer Group Show July 15-Aug. 27 20 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography Opens July 2 1000 Fifth Avenue 212.535.7710 THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917

Opens July 18 11 West 53rd Street 212.708.9400 SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

The Geometry of Kandinsky and Malevich Opens July 9 1071 Fifth Avenue 212.423.3500 WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Jill Magid: A Reasonable Man in a Box Opens July 1 945 Madison Avenue 212.570.3600 ✦

COURTESY OF SPANIERMAN MODERN, NEW YORK

Lush Life: Curated by Franklin Evans and Omar Lopez Chahoud July 8-Aug. 13 201 Chrystie Street 212.254.0054

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Will you have to settle for cookie-cutter designs? Most landscapers have a limited variety of trees to sell you. The result is cookie-cutter landscaping. About half of our multi-million dollar inventory is big and/or unusual trees. Photograph by Douglas Young

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22 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

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24 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

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summer reads

E.F. ULMANN

Between the Covers Some irreverent, saucy and charming summer reads from some of AVENUE’s favorite authors . . . just in time for the beach

“If you pick up the East Hampton Star, you’ll learn the who, what and where. The why and how are more likely found in the pages of Dan’s Papers.” That quotation is taken from the foreword to In the Hamptons Too (State University of New York Press), a sequel to Rattiner’s In the Hamptons: My Fifty Years with Farmers, Fishermen, Artists, Billionaires, and Celebrities. Rattiner tells stories of the Hamptons in his own special way—with dry humor, irony and a sparse, Hemingway-like style. One of his more memorable yarns is when he and a pal crashed a party in East Hampton in 1967 with the intent of picking up girls. They had heard there were going to be a lot of women at this particular get-together. It turns out, the party was for the women’s movement, attended by proto-feminists like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan. Despite the lack of success in his intended mission, Rattiner and Friedan became friends. Critic Dale Launer described Christina Oxenberg’s writing style as having hints of Tom Wolfe by way of Joan Didion. Maybe so. Oxenberg, an essayist for several magazines, among other endeavors, and the daughter of Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, is very funny. “One of the most lethal wits of the western world,” says Robert Kennedy Jr. about her latest book, Do These Gloves Make My Ass Look Fat? (CreateSpace). Taki Theodoracopulos, who has published her pieces on his website, says, “Oxenberg has always scandalized polite society—she is, after all, the daughter of a royal princess—and has chosen to live in the manner of her Left: Author Danielle Ganek Above: Her new writing: outrageously, ironically, comically at times, book, The Summer We Read Gatsby Top: In the but fearlessly brave and above all true and fresh.” Hamptons Too by Dan She is uncommonly exotic: her mother is the Rattiner aforementioned princess; her father, Seventh Avenue

ummer reads, beach reads, call them what you will. If you have decided to postpone Proust or Joyce for another year, here are some new books that may amuse. In Danielle Ganek’s witty second novel, The Summer We Read Gatsby (Viking), the setting is Southampton and the story is about two formerly estranged half-sisters who inherit a rundown cottage they can’t afford. It may include a Jackson Pollock and a first edition Gatsby, and it does come with an eccentric artist in residence. The book is a charming comedy of manners set in the end-of-an-era summer of 2008, and Ganek is pitch-perfect on the workings of Hamptons high society, colorful characters and fabulous parties. Dan Rattiner is an East End institution, as is his 50-year-old eponymously named Dan’s Papers. Rattiner writes most of it, and his stuff is surprisingly good. As Alec Baldwin says,

26 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

socialite Howard Oxenberg. Her sister, Catherine, is the actress. She is a direct descendant of George I of Greece and Tsar Alexander II, during whose reign the serfs were emancipated. Quite a background. Ivanka Trump—daughter, of course, of New York’s version of royalty, Donald Trump, and first wife Ivana—is an American princess whom you will not find in the Almanach de Gotha. This is not to say there is anything pretentious or shallow about Ivanka. As she says in the first sentence of her book, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life (Simon & Schuster), “In business, as in life, nothing is ever handed to you.” She graduated summa cum laude from Wharton, started her own jewelry company, is a vice president of the Trump Organization and a boardroom judge on the T.V. show “The Apprentice.” Get this book for your high school daughter. Another no-nonsense daughter of a tycoon turned author is Alexandra Lebenthal. A Princeton graduate, she is a big deal in finance as president and C.E.O. of Lebenthal &

Top: Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostesses, edited by Florence Fabricant with photos by Ben Fink Left: Alexandra Lebenthal, author of The Recessionistas Below: Christina Oxenberg, author of Do These Gloves Make My Ass Look Fat?

Dan Rattiner and a pal crashed a party in East Hampton in 1967 with the intent of picking up girls. They had heard there were going to be a lot of women at this particular get together. It turns out the party was for the Women’s Movement, attended by proto-feminists like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan. Company and its multi-family office, Alexandra & James. She’s also active in several leading New York cultural institutions. Somehow she had time to write a first novel: The Recessionistas (Grand Central Publishing), about four socialites whose swell Upper East Side lives are turned into turmoil after the bottom drops out of Wall Street in 2008. It’s the story of expulsion from a modern Garden of Eden and what happens when the economic collapse spells ruin for Manhattan’s pampered elite. Is it a tragedy or a comedy? You make the call. Born in Rome, educated at the Lycée Français in New York and an honors Harvard graduate, Susan Fales Hill has a debut novel out called One Flight Up (Atria Books). She is an award-winning television writer and producer and has also written a memoir about her fabulously stylish mother. The novel is about four long-time girlfriends whose history together goes back to a posh Upper East Side school. Fales-Hill puts infidelity front and center, with the women as perpetrators rather than just victims. Hmmm. Laura Bennett’s Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday? A Mother’s Guide to Sanity in Stilettos (Ballantine Books) is an irreverent take on

modern motherhood. She’s a politically incorrect parent who gives her kids junk food and plays favorites. Children, she observes, don’t need constant supervision form neurotic, perfectionist parents. Allow kids to make mistakes and entertain themselves and they’ll turn out just fine. Too bad the Duke of Windsor is no longer around. He could have written a foreword. He is reputed to have said, “The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.” And lastly, here’s an idea for the perfect houseguest present. It’s Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostesses (Rizzoli) by members of the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering, also written and edited by New York Times food writer Florence Fabricant with delicious photographs by Ben Fink. The book shows how it’s done by some of New York’s loftiest hostesses, but in a downto-earth way that will charm your country cousins. Besides, you’ll be doing a good thing: A portion of the proceeds go to the Cancer Center. ✦ JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 27

old new york

BARBARALEE DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL

Bold Business Two skyscrapers evoke ambitious capitalism in Manhattan during the early 20th century

28 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

A striking view of the Woolworth Building and its surrounding structures, circa 1913. This, the tallest tower in the world until the Chrysler Building went up 16 years later in 1929, became the standard for the great skyscrapers of New York to come.

most sought-after residences in Manhattan. However, in 2007, the building’s owners decided to abandon this plan in favor of maintaining the existing office spaces. In 1923, 10 years after the Woolworth Building opening, the 23-story American Radiator Building went up. Conceived by architect Raymond Hood as a neo-Gothic affront to typical office buildings, the structure’s unusual black and gold exterior was meant to evoke flaming furnace embers, and therefore the heat generated by American Radiator products. Like the Woolworth Building, Hood’s office tower announced capitalism as a force pushing

the business world ever upward, while still achieving universal beauty. Today, the high-rise is occupied by the trendy Bryant Park Hotel, with celebrated tenants such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Both stunning examples of architectural ingenuity, the Woolworth Building and the American Radiator Building were heralded as state-of-the-art structures of their time. As these two buildings reached new heights, they set the standard for New York City’s modern skyline. On the following page, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel takes a closer look at the bold architecture that paved the way for today’s archetypal skyscrapers.

The Pictorial News Co., N.Y.

ew York has always teemed with ambition, and this became particularly manifest in the early 20th century as the city became the center of commerce of the United States. Fueled by the Industrial Revolution, skyscrapers blasted up out of Manhattan’s ground to amazing new heights, permanently defining the city’s visual landscape. Two such structures, the Woolworth Building and the American Radiator Building, became landmarks of the period’s big business and architectural daring. The Woolworth Building, which cost $14 million (more than $289 million today) to construct and was paid for in cash, crowned the empire of F.W. Woolworth Company, a major retail chain of the day. To mark its grand opening in 1913, President Woodrow Wilson pressed a button from the White House that lit all 80,000 of the epic structure’s light bulbs simultaneously. Such fanfare and marvel would define the 792-foot skyscraper for years to come. In the past decade, its top section was to be converted into luxury housing, including a five-story penthouse that would have surely constituted one of the

Woolworth Building 233 Broadway Built: 1911-13; 1980s Architect: Cass Gilbert Designated: April 12, 1983

The Woolworth Building is one of the most famous skyscrapers in the United States. Designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1913, it was the tallest building in the world until the Chrysler Building topped it in 1929. In terms of height, profile, corporate symbolism and romantic presence, this graceful, Gothic-style tower became the prototype for the great skyscrapers that permanently transformed the skyline of New York City after World War I. The Woolworth Building was commissioned in 1910 by Frank Winfield Woolworth, proprietor of a multi-milliondollar international chain of five-andten-cent stores. For the headquarters of his vast empire, Woolworth wanted a building that reflected not only his personal success, but also the new 20th-century phenomenon of mass commerce. Gilbert’s building attained these goals, and at its inauguration, was nicknamed the “Cathedral of Commerce” by thenprominent cleric, S. Parkes Cadman. Gilbert objected to the frequently ecclesiastical association made between the Woolworth Building and a Gothic cathedral. He had great respect for the aesthetic significance of architectural historicism; but as a Midwesterner aware of the technological advances of the Chicago School, Gilbert was a keen advocate of the modern aesthetic of functionalism. He held that a building’s surface should express its structure, and in the case of the skyscraper, its construction around a steel cage. The Woolworth Building is massive yet elegant in its soaring verticality. Unlike most earlier tall buildings, it avoids the traditional subdivision into base, shaft and capital, presenting instead a silhouette based on two setbacks, creating three sections of progressively smaller dimensions culminating in a pyramidal roof (originally gilded) and four tourelles. The elevations of the 30-story base and the narrower 30-story tower are divided

into continuous vertical bays of windows and Gothic-traceried spandrels, set off from one another by projecting piers that emphasize the underlying construction. Gilbert chose to cover the building in a skin of ornamental terra-cotta rather than masonry (except for the first four stories, which are limestone), to stress the fact that the walls themselves were not load-bearing. He used polychromy to enhance the shadows and accent the main structural lines. The overall color is cream, with highlights in buff, blue and gold; the colors become stronger higher up on the tower. The interior, monumental civic space is divided into an arcade, a marble staircase hall in the center and, beyond that, a smaller hall. The decoration continues the Gothic motif of the exterior, and is rich in marble, bronze Gothic filigree, sculpted relief, mosaic vaults, glass ceilings and painted decoration. The Woolworth Building is a key monument in the creation of New York as a skyscraper city because it established the basic principles for such construction after 1920. The tower has celebrated the gilded age of New York City commerce ever since. During the 1970s, the F. W. Woolworth Company undertook a major restoration of the building’s exterior, replacing much of the terra-cotta with cast stone.

The American Radiator Building, built in the early 1920s, surprised and pleased the public with its novel black brick and gilded terra-cotta color combination.

Bryant Park Hotel, formerly the American Standard Building, originally American Radiator Building 40 West 40th Street Built: 1923-24; 2001 Architect: Raymond M. Hood Designated: Nov. 12, 1974

Raymond M. Hood established himself as one of the foremost architects in the United States with this, his first major commission in New York. Although the structure’s massing, setbacks and gothic ornament were not unusual architectural features in the 1920s, the black brick and gilded terra-cotta accents startled both the profession and the public. This color combination was not present in the original design, and was added only after ground had been broken in early 1923. The black brick gives the skyscraper a unified, slab-like effect, much admired at the time of its completion. Hood set the main body of the tower back from the east and west party walls, thus ensuring that the structure would always appear as a lone tower despite later construction of tall buildings in the area. The entire ground floor was a showroom for American Radiator products. It then served American Standard, Inc., in the same way. Hood’s original display floor was distributed over three levels, with an almost unobstructed view from the front to the rear of the building made possible by an advanced form of the portal-braced steel frame. At the back of the showroom was a wrought-iron grill based loosely on late Gothic metalwork, which led down to the boiler room where gleaming American Radiator heating equipment worked quietly and efficiently. Every aspect of the structure was meant to attest to the high quality of the company’s products. Dramatic nighttime lighting was added soon after the building’s completion at the company’s own initiative. American Radiator was so pleased with its headquarters that Hood received the 1928 commission for its European headquarters in Argyll Street, London. The American Radiator Building here in New York was later restored; it reopened in 2001 as the Bryant Park Hotel. ✦ JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 29

Nathalie von Bismarck

Very

Modern

Countess photographed by GILLES BENSIMON

■

styled by CRICKET BURNS

Nathalie von Bismarck may have married into German nobility, but she’s not one to sit around on her royal throne. This hardworking, Canadian-born Countess is a designer by training, an entrepreneur with a new children’s hair salon on the Upper East Side and author of an upcoming book. She recently sat down with Janet Allon to talk about how she met and was courted by Count Carl-Eduard von Bismarck, the historic meaning of their union and how she learned about compassion—the hard way. Hair and Makeup by DYANA NEMATALLA FOR YVES DURIF AT THE CARLYLE Photographed on location at New York City’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée Beaded dress by Marchesa. Ring, earrings and watch by Van Cleef and Arpels. Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples. JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 31

When Nathalie Bariman, a young, statuesque designer from a wealthy family in Montreal, met her Prince Charming, she had no idea he was in line to be an actual prince. She had literally bumped into him outside a spa in St. Bart’s, and as a result of that collision, he asked her out to dinner. As it happened, they boarded the same plane back to New York and shared a taxi home after both being stood up by their car services. Here, they chatted some more, and she learned he was not married. Cut to two months later when Bariman’s phone rings in Paris. It’s Carl calling. (Everyone pronounces it “Calle.”) He has heard they will overlap in St. Moritz. It’s her first time there. He’ll show her around. In St. Moritz, the courtship begins in earnest, although it hits a few moguls along the way. The first time Calle arrives to pick Nathalie up for a date, his car is filled with other women. She tells him: “I don’t know who you think you are, but you have 10 minutes to get rid of those women and then come pick me up.” He is taken aback. “No one talks to me like that,” he says. He arrives 10 minutes later with a single red rose. No girls. They dine until 5 a.m. Instant connection. “We just clicked,” she recalls. “It was total brain stimulation, totally comfortable.” Their first romantic kiss came atop a snowy mountain where they went for a cup of hot chocolate. It was, she says, a “wonderful kiss.” Back in Paris again, the phone rings. It’s Calle. Look at this website, he says. Paparazzi stalked them to the top of the mountain using telephoto lenses to capture their embrace. “The Trapper & The Australian Snowflake,” reads the caption. The press has mistaken her nationality—perhaps taking her for an Elle MacPherson-type—but the message is clear. Her boyfriend is a Count, Carl-Eduard Graf von Bismarck (“Graf,” she now learns, means “Count” in German), from the storied von Bismarck family in Germany, and his love-life is considered fair game, photo-stalker’s prey. “I broke up with him and moved to London,” she says. Nathalie is telling the story inside of Carousel Cuts, a charming hair salon for children that she opened just two months ago in the heart of the Upper East Side’s strollerville: Third Avenue in the 90s. It is a whimsical place where toddlers can sit on painted horses for their very first haircuts, sip Hawaiian punch, munch on popcorn and visit the photo booth while their mothers relax with manicures, pedicures, facials, reflexology and healthful lunches. Moms can even pick up cocktail dresses, tunics or beachwear of Nathalie von

“God put a skinny person in a fat person’s body. It taught me compassion.” —Nathalie von Bismarck

Right: Gown by Marchesa. Cocktail ring by Van Cleef and Arpels. 32 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

JULY 2010 路 AVENUE MAGAZINE | 33

Bismarck’s design, or adorable little ensembles for baby, which she also designed. Birthday parties can be arranged. She has thought of everything for new mothers, a group for whom she has more than the usual compassion. You’ll see why. Getting back to her story, once in London, Calle pursues her relentlessly. “I’ve never seen such persistence,” Nathalie says, “Roses, CDs, funny e-mails and, finally, one day, a knock on the door.” Five months later, he proposes, and in September 2004, they are married under a chuppah in an intimate ceremony in a Hamptons garden, a rabbi and a priest presiding. Chances are, the Bismarck dynasty has never seen a countess quite like this. Nathalie von Bismarck fits the bill physically all right: tall, blonde and raised with impeccable manners. But she is also Jewish, educated at the Ramaz School in New York and deeply attached to Israel. So deeply attached, in fact, that she served in the Israeli army at one point. It was a somewhat youthfully impulsive move, she says. When she was 18, friends from Canada were signing up and so did she. Then the Gulf War started. “It was not fun,” she says. Israel remains a great love. “I think Israel is a beautiful pearl in the middle of this whole mess,” she says. “That’s what makes it so sad.” At one function that the new couple attended in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel leaned in and said, “You two have united history. Some people will turn in their graves. The next Prince of Bismarck will be a mix of both religions.” The point was driven home when Nathalie was pregnant and Israeli leader Ehud Barak put his hand on her belly and said, “Who would have thought, a Jewish von Bismarck?” After Calle and Nathalie were married, they moved to the family’s Castle Friedrichsruh outside of Hamburg, Germany. It was, Nathalie says, a different universe, with white swans out the window and a beautiful butterfly garden. Their lives were filled with glamour, travel, red carpets and press. “It was like I died and went to another world,” she says. Suddenly, she had the responsibilities of a countess, which she embraced. And Calle embraced her. On trips to Israel for Passover and Rosh Hashanah, he still knows all the Hebrew songs. For those in need of a quick history lesson, the patriarch of the von Bismarck clan, Calle’s great great grandfather, was Prince Otto von Bismarck, primarily known as the architect of German unification, and the country’s first chancellor, the so-called Iron Chancellor. Calle is the eldest son of Prince Ferdinand, making him the heir. Though married twice before, he had never had children. When Nathalie became pregnant, the message was clear. “I thought I would get my head chopped off if I did not give birth to a son,” she says. The first sonogram gave the welcome news, and Nathalie breathed a sigh of relief. A son would make everyone happy. She points out that by the Jewish

At one function that the new couple attended in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel leaned in [to Nathalie and Carl-Eduard] and said, “You two have united history. Some people will turn in their graves. The next Prince Bismarck will be a mix of both religions.”

Left: Gown and ball ring by Bottega Veneta. Necklace, earrings and bracelet by Van Cleef and Arpels. JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 35

religion, children take their mother’s faith, so the Jews would claim him. But her husband’s Protestant faith is patrilineal, so they would have their Protestant prince—a true win-win. But there were other challenges ahead for Nathalie. Pregnancy did not agree with her and her weight ballooned. It nearly doubled, in fact, in the course of the pregnancy. She topped out at 245 pounds. Her doctors had never seen anything like it, she says. She wrote a book about the experience, which is being released in September. Called Invisible, it is a chronicle of those difficult months and what she learned when she fell over a divide that she never knew even existed: the line between thin and fat, cruel and kind, visible and invisible. Hers was not one of those pregnancies confined to a discreet bump on the belly. She looked, she says, obese. The experience, she recalls, taught her compassion and the true meaning of friendship. There were insensitive comments, cruel looks, friends who no longer recognized her and horrible indignities suffered at the hands of the airline industry. A low point that she recounts in the book came when she broke the toilet seat. Even her normally supportive husband did not come through with the right sentiment when that happened. “Oh great! Now what am I going to do?” he said. That night, he slept on the couch. They say everything happens for a reason, and Nathalie von Bismarck seems to believe it. She is svelte again, having now survived her second pregnancy—a girl this time. “God put a skinny person in a fat person’s body,” she says. “It taught me compassion.” And for her husband, it was all well worth it. “Look at the children!” he says. “We have two great kids.” Having always spent time in the Hamptons, the couple has moved to New York for the children’s schooling, and young Count Alexei von Bismarck, 4, and sister Countess Grace von Bismarck, 2, are flourishing. Home is still Germany, but for now Calle and Nathalie are hoping to franchise Carousel Cuts all over the states and Europe. They’ve already scouted in Los Angeles, and Harrods in London could use such a spot, don’t you think? Carl von Bismarck does. He has to hand it to Nathalie. “I’m very proud of my wife,” he says. “She’s a great personality, and she has come a long way.” Her friend, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, couldn’t agree more. “Nathalie is a wonderful friend, warm, kind and down to earth,” she says admiringly. “She is blessed with charm and a great sense of humor. She has the unique ability to be able to laugh about herself. What I admire most about Nathalie, however, is her courage—she doesn’t even consider the possibility that something can’t be done, she just does it. And that is irresistible.” ✦

Paparazzi stalked them to the top of the mountain using telephoto lenses to capture their embrace. “The Trapper & The Australian Snowflake,” read the caption. “I broke up with him and moved to London,” Nathalie says.

Right: Gown by Marchesa. All jewelry by Van Cleef and Arpels.

36 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

Brett Ratner and Princess Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco

Lawrence Bender, Jean Pigozzi and Naomi Campbell

PenĂŠlope Cruz

Michael Douglas, Sara Langella and Frank Langella

Graydon Carter and Anna Scott-Carter

Wendi Murdoch and Bono

Carey Mulligan

Salma Hayek and FranĂ§ois-Henri Pinault

Shala Monroque and Michael White

Annie and Ed Pressman

Marion Cotillard

The Edge and Jim Gianopulos

Cannes-Do Tireless über-publicist Peggy Siegal recently mixed it up on the Côte d’Azur with international cinematic royalty at the 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival. In her exclusive diary, she shares behindthe-scenes moments hanging with the cast of the new Wall Street, bumping into Mick Jagger repeatedly, chatting via BlackBerry with Sharon Stone and crashing Naomi Campbell’s 40th birthday party. Thursday, May 13

Peggy Siegal

I arrive a day after the clouds of volcanic ash have created chaos for weary transatlantic travelers straggling into the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. Michael Douglas, camouflaged in a red baseball cap, whisks us through customs, and Sebastian, my Brad Pitt look-alike driver of three years, takes me to nerve central: The Carlton Hotel. Now begins the 10-day gathering of movie stars and storytellers posing on the iconic red carpet as overdressed royalty. Filmmakers know their careers hang on the praise or pans of fans, critics and Twitters. Everyone has their heads buried in their BlackBerry, from screening rooms and sidewalks to black-tie dinners. The glamour and decadence of promotional parties piggyback and compete for festival coverage around the world. The social pressure is enormous. Let the games begin. Today is the first press day for Twentieth Century Fox’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Cannes’ most highly-anticipated film with premiere tickets going for $12,000 on the black market. Having a cameo in the film, I am allowed to attach myself to the entourage as a friend of the court. Oliver Stone, Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf with girlfriend and co-star Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin and Frank Langella sit on a long couch at the Palais Stéphanie chatting with Matt Lauer. Not realizing this is a live feed on NBC’s “Today Show,” I begin talking to the cast as stagehands leap to muzzle me. It is 23 years since Gordon Gekko strode into global consciousness as the symbol of Wall Street greed. Best Actor Oscar-winner Michael Douglas is being treated as a returning hero, complete with body guards and screaming fans wherever he goes. That night, Fox Co-Chairs Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman host a cast dinner at the fabulously cool Tetou, where bouillabaisse is $125. Nothing like promoting a film about the excesses of the rich and powerful right in the playground of the same.

Friday, May 14 Wall Street fever is omnipresent on the Croisette. Journalists rush to their 8:30 a.m. screening and press conference. “This is a story about family,” Oliver Stone tells them. “A story about people who are balancing JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 39

their love of power and money with their need for love.” (The studio is not pushing “sequel” or “financial.”) The reaction is sensational. Oliver manages to slip in his two documentaries, South of the Border and Showtime’s mini-series,“Secret History of America.” Michael Douglas mentions Solitary Man. Shia is off Sunday to start Transformers 3 and Josh Brolin is in the middle of filming the Coen brothers’ True Grit. Michael Mailer, his brother John Buffalo Mailer, who plays Shia’s best friend in Wall Street, and André Balazs are ensconced on Taki Theodoracopulos’ 135-foot sloop, Bushido in the harbor. Taki is stuck in London. Michael is my date for the premiere. We arrive at the Palais and wait at the bottom of the red stairway to heaven amidst a few thousand hysterical fans and pushy paparazzi. The traffic is at a standstill. The first to arrive is Martin Scorsese. Wrong director. He is screening a pristine restoration of Luchino Visconti’s masterpiece ll Gattopardo (The Leopard) at the Debussy theater next door and can’t get into his own event. He walks the wrong red carpet, waves, poses and goes in a back entrance to join icons Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale. The entire Wall Street cast has arrived except Michael. His limo pulls up and he is on the phone with Catherine Zeta-Jones in New York, describing the scene. He emerges with pure joy on his face. A video crew follows the cast up the steps, simultaneously showing their arrival on a huge screen inside the theater. Thierry Frémaux, festival general delegate in charge of selection, introduces the film. Producer Ed Pressman, bit player Jean Pigozzi, Wendi Murdoch, Diane Lane with friends Naomi Campbell and George Lucas with his girlfriend, economist Mellody Hobson, are seated around the cast. The film gets a standing ovation as the ecstatic, relieved and exhausted talent move on to an exclusive dinner party in the gardens of the private Chateau de Fayeres.

Cap. There is no press at this party, but Graydon Carter has recently assigned a major profile in Vanity Fair on Pigozzi so he watches over his assigned writer, Ingrid Sischy, who watches over his assigned photographer, Brigitte Lacombe, who quietly snaps Bono, The Edge and Paul Allen with Pigozzi. Guests try not to stare at Princess Caroline of Monaco with her breathtakingly beautiful daughter Charlotte and her tall thin handsome sons Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi. As I leave, Mick Jagger emerges from a bedroom and, seeing my camera, says “no pictures” in unison with me. Graydon Carter (another Wall Street alum with a speaking part as himself) has invited me to the Vanity Fair dinner. Overreacting to my elevated status, I dress in a pale yellow organdy concoction with a ruffled mini-skirt that flows into a long train. Remember Bjork’s swan outfit at the Oscars? Well, I look like a chicken. Gucci’s Frida Giannini co-hosts in honor of Marty Scorsese and the 20th anniversary of his Film Foundation. Guests range from Queen Noor of Jordan to Google’s Eric

The hottest guest is Valerie Plame Wilson, the outed C.I.A. agent, who’s in this film and is also portrayed by Naomi Watts in Doug Liman’s Fair Game. Valerie and Naomi are joined at the hip throughout the entire festival.

Saturday, May 15 At 8 a.m., armed with my press badge, I head to the Palais to see Mike Leigh’s highly touted Another Year. My phone rings and I am instructed to go see Ellen Barkin’s Shit Year instead, where she bravely portrays an aging actress in love with a younger man. I run back to the Palais to see the first hour of Cannes’ beloved Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger— because Woody personally gave me tickets for the premiere, which I can’t make. Now I can tell Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Woody that I loved their film, not mentioning the abbreviated screening. Avant-garde art collector and photographer Jean Pigozzi has his annual poolside lunch at his Villa Dorane, overlooking the Mediterranean. Michael Douglas and Frank Langella arrive together having just finished dozens of four-minute international television interviews next door at the Hôtel du 40 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

Schmidt, whom I introduce to Camilla Belle as “Larry from eBay.” Harvey Weinstein arrives with pregnant-with-a-girl Georgina Chapman, and guests wish him luck with his other baby, the pending deal to buy back Miramax. Meg Ryan arrives with Countdown to Zero producer Lawrence Bender. She tells me she is moving to New York City in the fall and raising money to direct her first film. Graydon’s dinner guests include his charming wife Anna, Ellen Barkin with Bryan Lourd, Pedro Almodóvar, Gael García Bernal, Kate Beckinsale, Tim Burton, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Deneuve, Lapo Elkann and his siblings John and Ginevra, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault, Julie Taymor, Juliette Binoche, Roman Abramovich’s girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, Larry Gagosian’s girlfriend Shala Monroque and shoe designer Christian Louboutin, who tells me he sues cobblers who paint their soles red. Three hundred additional guests join the after-party downstairs on the patio of the Eden Roc, where Vanity Fair and Gucci signage lighting up the infinity pool. Time and time again, Graydon Carter rules the global social scene—from L.A.’s Oscars, to N.Y.’s Tribeca Film Festival to Cannes—with these extraordinarily historic evenings.

Peggy Siegal and Jeff Skoll

Shia LaBeouf

George Hamilton and Joan Collins

Angela Ismailos

Doug Liman

David and Debra Reuben

Tamara Mellon, Derek Blasberg and Dasha Zhukova

Elizabeth Banks

Charles and Sydney Finch with daughter Oona

Michael Mailer and Andr茅 Balazs

Javier Bardem

Sandy Brant, Paul Allen and Ingrid Sischy

JULY 2010 路 AVENUE MAGAZINE | 41

Sunday, May 16

Diane Lane and Josh Brolin

Camilla Belle

Jennifer Lopez, Frida Giannini and Marc Anthony

Debbie and David Reuben invite me for brunch and a tour of their Golden Gate Villa, built by King Leopold of Belgium for his daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth. The villa, also once owned by King Hussein of Jordan, is set high on the hills with a breathtaking harbor view. David was born in Baghdad, grew up in Mumbai, lives in London and became the aluminum king of Russia. He just built a 242-foot yacht called Siren. We go to La Colombe d’Or in the village of Saint-Paul de Vence for lunch with filmmaker Angela Ismailos, whose documentary (Great Directors) will premiere at MoMA in June. Billy Zane, George Hamilton and Joan Collins are dining. Then on to Charles Ferguson’s documentary, Inside Job, an analysis of the 2008 global financial crisis narrated by Matt Damon. Sony Classics’ Michael Barker and Tom Bernard usher in Oliver Stone as the lights go down. At the end, Oliver announces, “Finally, a serious film about finance.” The Reubens then take English director Tom Hooper for a tour of Siren. Tom, in Cannes to appear on a panel about British filmmaking, is finishing his hot new film for Weinstein, The King’s Speech, a true story about King George VI, who ascended to the throne with a speech impediment. Colin Firth is the king, Geoffrey Rush is his Australian speech teacher and Helena Bonham Carter is Queen Elizabeth. Tom is mesmerized by David’s tales of wild and lawless Russian mafia manipulating the metals industry. Diana Jenkins, Jeff Skoll and Lawrence Bender invite guests to join Her Majesty Queen Noor and Sir Richard Branson on Diana’s Yacht Oasis in celebration of Participant Media’s Countdown to Zero, a documentary about the escalating nuclear arms race. This exclusive dinner is on the eve of the premiere. Fireworks, compliments of the Doha Film Institute, erupt from the Majestic Beach and light up the harbor. The hottest guest is Valerie Plame Wilson, the outed C.I.A. agent, who’s in this film and is also portrayed by Naomi Watts in Doug Liman’s Fair Game. Valerie and Naomi are joined at the hip throughout the entire festival. Walking home on the Croisette, I stop in at the lavish Doha party, still going strong at 2 a.m. On the pulsating dance floor are the rich from the Middle East with visions of becoming movie moguls. In addition, Abu Dhabi has created a screenwriting grant, invested in Fair Game and co-finances films for Participant Media. Doha has a film institute, a film festival and various ventures with the Tribeca Film Festival. Martin Scorsese, Terry Gilliam and Tribeca’s Craig Hatkoff have long gone home, leaving the sheikhs to dance with me.

Charles Finch, elegant British media man, holds his second annual Finch’s Quarterly Review Dinner at the Hôtel du Cap Eden Roc. The guest of honor, French director Bertrand Tavernier, is presented with a white gold IWC watch (the luxury brand who sponsored the fête). This dinner is a Cannes favorite for the fabulously chic, including Charles’ American wife Sydney, Mick Jagger with son James and L’Wren Scott, Kevin Spacey, Glenn Close and stunning French actress Julie Gayet. Tom Hooper and I are on our way to Paul Allen’s boat party on his humongous 414-foot yacht, Octopus. I offer to get Dominic 42 | AVENUE 2010 Salma Hayek MAGAZINE and Naomi· JULY Watts

COURTESY OF GUCCI/GETTY IMAGES

Monday, May 17

Cooper (Mamma Mia! and The Duchess) and his Tamara Drewe co-star Luke Evans in. Michael Mailer and André Balazs, feeling no pain, think nothing of crashing and crawl into my car. Since Paul Allen’s security is so tight, I send them back to their own yacht. Tom and I bump into Tim Burton, president of the Cannes jury. Tim tells Tom, “My wife [Helena Bonham Carter] says she saw The King’s Speech and loves it. She never watches herself on film and has never seen my Sweeney Todd.” Ryan Gosling, Benicio del Toro and Kate Beckinsale drink pink and white champagne and dine at sushi bars with waitresses dressed in kimonos while Paul Allen plays the guitar with his rock band. Of course the yellow submarine in the hull remains the biggest attraction of the night.

Tuesday, May 18 I attend a brunch for the world’s most talented documentary filmmakers at the Majestic Hotel. I see Lucy Walker (Countdown to Zero and Waste Land), Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile), Tim Hetherington (Restrepo), Charles Ferguson (Inside Job) and Thom Powers, artistic director of the new festival, DOC NYC.

Nothing like the arrival of Mick Jagger at the premiere of Stones in Exile, reminding us of the intoxicating mix of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, to liven things up. Police control crowds that line up hours before the sold out 7:30 p.m. showing at the Palais Stéphanie. T.V. crews and photographers create more chaos. Tom Hooper and I squeeze inside, waving V.I.P. passes as Mick introduces the film in pantomime French. This 60-minute documentary, directed by 40-year-old Stephen Kijak, is commissioned as an accompaniment to promote the release of a digitally remastered “Exile on Main Street” album. In 1971, for tax reasons, the Stones relocated to the Villa Nellcôte on Villefranche-sur-Mer down the road in Nice. Keith Richards, addicted to heroin at the time, had rented the villa for a year. Over a hot summer the band recorded parts of that album in a basement studio. The result is a mesmerizing look at the creation of rock ‘n’ roll. Back on Paul Allen’s seven-deck vessel for the second time this week, Paul, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger host the after-party for Jagger. I mention to Mick that his terrific interview with Larry King re-ran this morning in Cannes. He says, “It’s not easy to out talk Larry and give a 40-year history of your career in one hour.” Naomi Campbell, Camilla Belle, Adrien Brody and Emily Blunt mill around Mick. He eventually slips out early.

Karl is so famous in France that the Croisette is lined with six-foot white Coca-Cola bottles painted with life-size Lagerfelds. Hot couple Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis send the photographers into a tizzy as they arrive at Canal+Patio for a dinner hosted by Chanel and Madame Figaro in honor of Paradis and Karl Lagerfeld. Karl is so famous in France that the Croisette is lined with six-foot white Coca-Cola bottles painted with life-size Lagerfelds. Weinstein Company’s Blue Valentine, originally seen at Sundance, premieres. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams give the performance of their lives in this time-shifting relationship drama. Once again, a Cannes standing ovation. At midnight Harvey throws a party at the Nikki Beach Rooftop at Palais Stéphanie. Director Derek Cianfrance and producer Jamie Patricof are elated by the reception.

Wednesday, May 19 Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem make a rare joint appearance. He is the frontrunner and eventually wins Best Actor for his heartbreaking portrayal of a poverty-stricken, dying father in Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s Biutiful. Penélope and Chopard President Caroline GruosiScheufele host a lunch on the terrace of the Martinez Hotel to benefit Haitian earthquake victims. Penélope auctions off dresses donated by Scarlett Johansson, Anne Hathaway and Julia Roberts, among others, and raises 270,000 euros.

Thursday, May 20

Approaching the 17th annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS event, I am stuck in limo-lock outside the Hôtel du Cap. Having spoken to Sharon Stone a few weeks ago at the Behind the Burly Q screening she hosted for Leslie and Robert Zemeckis, I knew she was filming The Burma Conspiracy in Thailand and so was not coming tonight. In the past she has raised $290 million for AIDS. I email her to say she will be missed. She responds with, “Have a marvelous time. Tonight has that wonderful light. The God light. I am saying a prayer.” Alan Cumming sings “That’s Life” and says he is channeling Sharon Stone. Giorgio Armani’s table is loaded with so many stars even I stop and stare. Russell Crowe, Kate Beckinsale, Benicio del Toro, Luke Evans and Jennifer Lopez chat from side to side. Mick Jagger, Marion Cotillard, Michelle Williams, Elizabeth Banks, Kirsten Dunst, Diane Kruger, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rachel Bilson and Naomi Watts are nearby. Chopard bedecks every star in the tent with jewels and simultaneously emails a press release detailing the carat count. Paris Hilton, here with her parents Kathy and Rick and brother Conrad, is gorgeous in white. The Hiltons have been to the races in Monaco and are headed to London the next day to buy antiques for their refurbished Southampton summer house. Ryan Gosling is playing keyboards and singing a very sexy song: “Harvey is watching me” and “Johnny Depp JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 43

and Sean kissed for AIDS and they liked it.” The audience is eating it up because there is nothing else to eat. Where is the dinner? Ryan Gosling is bringing the house down singing, “Rich motherf-----s say AIDS ain’t cool. Put your money in your fists.” Harvey announces, “Ryan has just been cut out of Blue Valentine. The film stars Michelle Williams making love to herself.” Harvey brings up Emily Blunt and says he will pay $30,000 if Ryan and Emily kiss. Harvey ends up kissing Ryan. I email Sharon Stone, “You would have saved this one.” Punk icon Patti Smith sings “Because the Night” and Chris Tucker improvises a medley. BlackBerrys hit the table tops as guests jump up to sing along. A day with President Bill Clinton goes for 180,000 euro and is sold twice, Tom Ford brings in a staggering 600,000 euros for a private Karl Lagerfeld photo session. Mary J. Blige performs “Just Fine” and Patti Smith comes back on stage. What a night. AmfAR raises almost seven million euros and Chairman Kenneth Cole is delirious.

Friday, May 21

I have lunch with David Reuben at the Eden Roc. We watch Naomi’s support team arrive on the dock from a yacht with bags of clothes. I spot the French PR guy from last night and, never having met Naomi Campbell in my life, I am now obsessed with going to her party. I ask/beg if he can help me. He sends me on a wild goose chase around the hotel to other horrified PR girls. I am shameless and determined. Dinner is on the Siren in front of the Eden Roc. David thinks I am nuts. I am sitting on a 242-foot yacht. Why would I want to leave? Stephen Kijak is my partner in crime. David sends his 40-foot tender to fetch Doug Liman’s gang from his 40-foot sailboat. Eight disheveled filmmakers arrive and Doug is holding a pot of pasta he heats up in the galley. Stephen never tells the French PR guy he wants to come and I can’t stand it any longer. We decide to crash. We take the tender to the shore

There is no press at this party, but Graydon Carter has recently assigned a major profile in Vanity Fair on Pigozzi, so he watches over his assigned writer, Ingrid Sischy, who watches over his assigned photographer, Brigitte Lacombe, who quietly snaps Bono, The Edge and Paul Allen with Pigozzi.

I am beginning to suffer party fatigue after eight days of crawling home at 4 a.m. Doug Liman and his producer, Avram Ludwig, finishing their Fair Game press day at the Carlton beach organize a sail on their chartered boat. I bring along directors Tom Hooper, Lucy Walker and Stephen Kijak. We snap photos of each other with super yachts behind us, kibbitz, gossip and relish the free time on the sea. By 9 p.m. we all are back on the party circuit again on the Carlton beach at the Style Star Night hosted by W Magazine for new and so popular Editor in Chief Stefano Tonchi. Members of the film crowd who do not have to stay for a possible Palme d’Or awards at Sunday’s closing night ceremonies have recently left town. The fashion crowd has just flown down from Paris for Naomi Campbell’s 40th birthday bash hosted by her Russian billionaire boyfriend Vlad Doronin Saturday night at the du Cap so they all show up for Stefano. Style Star is a company that pioneers short artsy branding fashion films for the Internet like the ones Marion Cotillard does for Dior. Juliette Binoche sits next to Stefano as fashion designers whisper into her ear she will win Best Actress. Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, Peter Dundas of Pucci, Roberto and Eva Cavalli and Kenneth Cole are also there. Directors Angela Ismailos, Tom Hooper, Lucy Walker and Stephen Kijak are at my table, along with Naomi Campbell’s French press agent. He invites Stephen to her party. We end up at Jimmy’z, the private disco. French actress Julie Gayet gets us in. We dance until 4 a.m. 44 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

Saturday, May 22

where we miraculously bump into Fizzy and Aidan Barclay, owners of The Daily Telegraph in London. They are on the dock leaving the party and heading to their 243-foot yacht. Fizzy is talked into giving us her wristbands. Our laughter attracts the attention of the two security guards at the top of the stairs. They let us in anyway. We are attacked by a dozen aggressive PR girls at the check-in desk. Dressed beautifully, I announce our names, “Fizzy and Aidan Barclay,” saying, “we just went out for a smoke.” PR girls respond in unison, “OF COURSE, COME IN!” Stephen, a man who can handle Mick Jagger and his merry men on a film set, is floored. We waltz in to the greatest birthday bash ever held at a film festival. Grace Jones wears body paint and sings “Happy Birthday” with J. Lo and Mary J. Blige. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and her 21-year-old daughter, Beatrice, run out the door to deal with the breaking scandal of Sarah’s bribery sting. The Black Eyed Peas sing, “Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night!” I arrive home Sunday and dive into preparations for Michael Douglas’ tribute at The Film Society of Lincoln Center Monday night. Tuesday we work on HBO’s Smash His Camera at MoMA and Wednesday we’re back at MoMA for Davis Guggenheim’s screening of Waiting for Superman hosted by Bill Gates. So goes my life. ✦

Kate Beckinsale

Meg Ryan and Sir Richard Branson

Bryan Lourd, Oliver Stone and Ellen Barkin

Naomi Watts and Valerie Plame Wilson

Lucy Walker, Tom Hopper and Stephen Kijak

Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn

JULY 2010 路 AVENUE MAGAZINE | 45

Heart Home

Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. President and C.E.O. Kathryn Korte brings her spirited personality and deep sense of commitment to real estate

athryn A. Korte, or Kathy, as her colleagues call her, is coming up on her 26th anniversary with Sotheby’s International Realty. The young president and C.E.O. is a true success story, rising through the company’s ranks from assistant manager of the Manhattan brokerage office in 1984 to her current position in 2006. “I came to Sotheby’s straight out of college,” says Korte. “When I started, there were about 15 agents in Manhattan; now there are more than 150 here, and nearly 2,000 nationally.” It’s Korte’s job to oversee both them and the successful development of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand in her current, as well as future, markets. “I’m so lucky to have worked in the growth cycle of the company,” she muses, “to be a part of its journey and really take it where it is today.” Korte is an enthusiastic speaker, friendly, with an effortless demeanor that belies how hardworking and accomplished she is. Petite with short blond hair, she’s the type that wakes each morning eager to see what the day will bring. And in her case, it’s always something different. “In April, I was at the global networking event in San Diego where there were more than 600 agents from the Sotheby’s

International Realty® network gathered for three days of meetings, guest speakers and networking,” she recalls. “A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting a property in Charlottesville, V.A., and working with the auction house to help secure the sale of the contents and identify potential buyers of the estate property. Next week, I’ll be in San Francisco to announce a new manager.” Korte greets each undertaking with the eagerness and energy of someone much newer to the job, but she also brings the wisdom of her vast experience to everything she does. “At times it can be exhausting, but it’s also exhilarating,” Korte notes, reflecting on her many and diverse responsibilities. “Sitting here everyday would not allow me to deliver what I need to deliver. I have to be in the field to understand what the agents’ needs are and what the clients’ needs are. So I divide my time between New York, working with my corporate teams, and the field, wherever that may be.” And at Sotheby’s International Realty, the field is virtually boundless. “Our affiliate network covers 400 marketplaces throughout the United States and 40 other countries and territories, so the exposure we provide for our properties is tremendous,” Korte says. “We put our clients in the hands of

Kathryn A. Korte, President & C.E.O. of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 47

the best brokers, and our brokers in the best marketplaces.” In addition to New York City, those include flagship markets like the Hamptons and Greenwich, C.T., as well as top West Coast markets, San Francisco and Los Angeles, to name just a few. “Being in these markets, we are able to service our clients for life,” Korte observes. “They may buy something in Manhattan, then later a second home in the Hamptons. Down the road, maybe a place in southern California for their daughter who’s going to college there. And they may retire in Palm Beach, and so on.” Because Sotheby’s is active in so many different areas, it creates market reports to cross-reference real estate trends and help educate clients. “People want to understand a property’s worth,” Korte explains. “For example, how does a Fifth Avenue townhouse compare to a Beverly Hills estate? Our market reports tell you.” And because Sotheby’s is almost as global as the Internet, it may be poised to embrace all the Web has to offer better than most brokerages. “I’m working with new technology to understand the client of today and of the future,” Korte explains. “We’re getting very involved in social networking in a way that makes sense for us. Say you learn on Facebook that somebody is having a

baby. As a real estate broker, I’d wonder if the family now needs a bigger apartment. Maybe they’re not ready today, but three months from now they might think of me as someone they can trust, and work with me going forward to identify their next home.” Korte is also working with agents to set up their own profiles on Facebook as well as LinkedIn. “It’s not just marketing your listings,” Korte says. “It’s really understanding how to use these different tools in order to promote the brand and to promote yourself, as much as it is to sell the property.” Even as Korte modernizes Sotheby’s International Realty, she pays homage to its rich past. “Sotheby’s has a venerable history that began with the auction house back in the 1700s and continues today,” she explains. “We have a legacy of

“We put our clients in the hands of the best brokers, and our brokers in the best marketplaces.” —Kathy Korte service and expertise when it comes to evaluating and securing the best prices for fine property and treasured assets.” Even though the auction house no longer owns the operations, it still owns the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, and the two share a client base. “We still work closely together. If I need to pull someone out of Chinese Works of Art because a client has a piece to sell, I know who to call at the auction house,” Korte adds. As for the future, Korte says, “We want to continue to grow, but grow where it’s appropriate, in markets that we identify with the Sotheby’s brand.” In keeping with her positive personality, Korte embraces the silver lining of the past few years’ hardship. “We’ve all been through some huge economic changes, and it’s forced us to work more smartly,” she recalls. “At Sotheby’s, we’ve made our operations leaner, but they’re stronger and better for it. Now, we’re ready to take off when the markets do come back—and the high-end market already is.” Perhaps her steady confidence is the result of her affection for people. After all, while markets rise and fall, people remain steadfastly loyal—at least they do to Korte. She engenders trust and allegiance in her agents, and in turn is completely devoted to them. “I hired one agent 10 years ago to work in our Manhattan office,” Korte remembers. “He recently moved away to Palm Beach. When our manager down there decided to go into sales, I called this agent and offered him the job. He stepped into the role, and the morale there is now off the charts.” For Korte, real estate is a people business. “It’s all about bringing the right people together,” she says, adding, “and putting people in the right places.” ✦

48 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

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FAMILY BUSINESS HIGH-END MANHATTAN ENTERPRISES

léron

THAT SURVIVE AND THRIVE ACROSS GENERATIONS

a second chance léron a second chance 50 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

FAMILY BUSINESS

The name Léron has been synonymous with luxury linens since the company’s inception in 1910, when Charles and Margaret Forster founded the custom-made linen company on 57th Street in Manhattan. Today, a century later, Léron is no longer the Mom & Pop linen boutique it started out as, but rather an international institution steeped in tradition and a lineage president David Forster is proud to perpetuate. “I really am inspired by my father and my grandparents,” says Forster, who followed his father Norman Forster as head of the business in 2001. “They’re the ones that really set the tone for the company. We’ve never tried to deviate from that, but rather stay true to the idea of what luxury linens are all about.” Named after its once principal supplier in Paris, Léron is now located in one of New York’s truly iconic buildings, the Decoration & Design Building on Third Avenue, which opens its doors to private individuals and designers alike. The unrivaled adherence to craftsmanship, quality and style sets Léron in a category all its own, and explains why its luxury linens are found in the finest homes across the country, including The White House. Considered couturiers in the creation of its custom linens, Léron specializes in exquisitely executed one-of-a-kind bed, bath and table linens, primarily handmade with fine fabrics from Italy, Portugal and France. With hundreds of original designs in its collections, Léron offers styles ranging from classic to contemporary. They must be seen and felt first hand for the total luxury experience. “From the beginning we’ve been all about custom linens,” Forster says. “Customers who come to us find that we can create something in their colors, in a quality they like, with their monogram, and in their particular size. When I describe what we do, I think of women’s fashion where there’s Ready-to-Wear and Couture. We’ve always been about couture linens.” Above all, the singular element that leaves Léron unparalleled is the service they provide to their customers, including the ones unable to make it in to their Upper East Side showroom. Keeping with tradition, Léron continues making house calls to customers. “Our sales associates show up at clients’ homes with their suitcases full of samples,” whether it’s on Park Avenue or Palm Beach,” Forster says. “We go all over the world. Our clients might have three or four homes around the country, and we try and service them whether they’re up in Maine, in Nantucket or on a ranch in Montana. "We're all about serving the customer." Léron has been fine tuning the definition and execution of being a fine linen business for three generations. From its beginnings on 57th Street, 60 years on Fifth Avenue, 20 years on Madison Avenue to today, Léron is a family business with a lineage Forster says he’s proud to continue and move into the 21st century. “If you're lucky to love what you do, to admire and respect the product, then you're willing to do all that it takes to deliver such quality to your customer, not an easy feat in any era,” Forster says. “Only then, when you're truly hooked, do you fully appreciate what it took your parents and grandparents to build and sustain a luxury brand.”

212.753.6700 ■

D&D Building ■

979 Third Avenue, Suite 1521 ■

léron

At Léron , custom-made linens have been in the family for three generations

www.leron.com

JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 51

FAMILY BUSINESS

a second chance

The mother-daughter duo of Maria Ridolfi and Natalie Rivera curate the collection at A Second Chance Designer Resale Boutique for fashion aficionados All the elements of pure fashion fantasy await shoppers from the moment they step under the pink awning of A Second Chance Designer Resale Boutique on Lexington Avenue. There, crocodile Hermes Birkin bags and a Chanel jewelry collection containing pieces from as far back as the 1950s are just some of the precious finds customers encounter. The Upper East Side store boasts a collection as all encompassing as the designers it includes, making A Second Chance a comprehensive resource of high-fashion offerings. Mother-daughter duo of Maria Ridolfi and Natalie Rivera opened the shop nearly 17 years ago. Today, they accept vintage, new and gently used items for consignment, as well as purchase select pieces from Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Everything in the boutique has been authenticated and is of impeccable quality and condition, putting A Second Chance in a category all its own and making it a favorite amongst fashion’s faithful followers. “A Second Chance is a haven for new and pre-loved designer items that you never knew you always wanted,” Ridolfi says. “It’s like walking into the closet of someone who has it all.” In said closet is a plethora of handbags, accessories and jewelry from a variety of luxury designers—think Lanvin, Pucci, Prada, Marni and Gucci—as well as the aforementioned fashion houses. Perhaps what is most unique is A Second Chance’s incomparable offering of Chanel handbags, which Rivera says is the cornerstone of its collection. “My mom has always been obsessed with Chanel, and I’ve been bitten by the same bug,” laughs Rivera, who began operating A Second Chance alongside her mother a little more than a year ago after she left a job in corporate fashion. “I loved it, but I wanted to do something more family oriented,” she explains. Today mother and daughter are often found working side-by-side in the shop, interacting with customers and examining new arrivals with a sharp eye for authenticity and genuine appreciation. It is Ridolfi and Rivera’s expert opinions as much as the pieces they select that keep their customers coming back. “It’s the nature of this business,” says Ridolfi in regards to the welcoming environment that A Second Chance cultivates. “We really develop relationships with our customers, and they love the fact that we’re a mother-daughter team.” “We really complement each other,” Rivera continues. “My mother’s been doing this for 17 years; there’s so much she knows. And I have a fresh perspective from my experience in fashion. Through our partnership, we’ve really been able to develop the business. Our collection is the best it’s ever been.” And it’s only getting better—and bigger. After falling in love with a storefront on Prince Street this past spring, Ridolfi and Rivera decided to expand A Second Chance with a second location that will open its doors this summer. “Things we never thought were possible are happening,” says Rivera, “and it’s very exciting.” A Second Chance is open for business Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday by appointment or chance. For more information, please call 212.744.6041 or visit www.asecondchanceresale.com.

A SECOND CHANCE 1109 Lexington Avenue ■ 52 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

New York, N.Y. 10075

Local Experts Worldw ide

MANHATTAN PROPERTIES

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MANHATTAN BROKERAGES I sothebyshomes.com/nyc EAST SIDE 38 EAST 61ST STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10065 T 212.606.7660 F 212.606.7661 DOWNTOWN 379 WEST BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10012 T 212.431.2440 F 212.431.2441 Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. is owned and operated by NRT LLC. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark. Les Bords de l’Epte a Giverny, used with permission.

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financial roundtable Robert Elliott

Jennifer Lee

Tony Guernsey

Doris Meister

Speaking of Money AVENUE recently asked a panel of high-ranking financial executives where they think the economy is headed, what investors need to know right now and how the industry is doing post-Goldman and Greece

high-net-worth individuals already have, which is a lack of trust for their providers, a lack of trust in financial institutions in general and more demands for transparencies. I think it undermines all of us who are trying to be forthcoming with our clients.

global, is how can you do that in a global capacity if you have a patchwork quilt-like regulatory environment? AVENUE: Goldman Sachs was the blue chip of financial institutions. They were the most powerful people, and they were just hung out to dry in those hearings. TONY GUERNSEY: I think that it was politically

JENNIFER LEE: We’re also seeing a different level of client engagement. Client engagement seems to ebb and flow with market cycles, and we’re getting a different level of questions about transparency and liquidity that I actually think are a positive for most of us who think about those things already.

driven. The hearings came just when they were ready for regulation. I thought Blankfein did a pretty good job. We need derivatives. If people are running a business and borrowing money to pay it at 1.5 percent and they think rates are going up to 7 percent, they’re going to want to lock in their rate long-term and buy a derivative. That’s just a start, Derivatives 101. After that, they become really complicated. A lot of these products were created because a client wanted to hedge a specific exposure in their portfolio.

JOE QUINLAN: The industry has to be careful in the sense that not only do you have regulation coming down the pipeline in Washington, but also the United Kingdom, Brussels, France, Germany, the G20—so my biggest issue when serving clients, because many of them are

AVENUE: Should our readers be worried that they won’t be able to structure their portfolios in the way that they would like to because of regulation? DORIS MEISTER: Our C.E.O. Bob Kelly is the chair of the Financial Services Forum, which is

58 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

working on regulatory reform, and I think the collective view in the industry is we want to work with Washington to get reforms in place, and most firms do agree some reform is required. So, for example, institutions should be allowed to fail, but there must be a way to unwind those institutions so they don’t create disruption. Derivatives are a good thing; let’s just make all of our derivatives more transparent and create clearinghouses for them generally. The industry is working hard to come up with some sort of reform that achieves consumer protection without damaging the industry, and protecting the U.S. banks from being at a disadvantage vis-a-vis global competitors. AVENUE: What kinds of questions from clients keep recurring against the backdrop of the news? JL: We’re getting fewer questions about the safety and soundness of our financial institutions, and more about the risk sitting in the client portfolios. Clients are much more focused on liquidity than they have been—certainly not more than they were a year ago, but more than three years ago. RE: I think that’s a function of the fact that

ANDREW SCHWARTZ

AVENUE: Everyone is talking about events in Washington, D.C. I thought maybe we’d talk a bit about the Goldman Sachs inquiry, and what it means for your industry. What’s a client to think? ROBERT ELLIOTT: The Goldman inquiry does nothing but exacerbate a problem that

Joe Quinlan

we had a 14-month bull market. Before, the question was, “Are we at the abyss?” We had to talk people off the ledge from an investment point of view. Some of our clients who got out of the market are trying to figure out the best timing for an entry point back in. DM: Investors have moved away from the panic zone but are still very anxious. They look at fixed income returns and money market returns and see how low they are, and yet that’s the less risky place to be compared to equities. This is a really hard time for investors because while they want more return, they’re still worried about risk. They’re looking for advice. AVENUE: Lets talk about the economy. Where do you think we are in terms of the recovery? JQ: We had a nice bounce off a low, but some economists would say that historically this is a weak recovery. I don’t disagree, but I like durability more. If we can maintain a 3.5 percent growth rate into early next year, I think that’s pretty good. The key will be the earnings-driven, job-driven component. Private capital investment is increasing, exports are picking up, we’ve seen the consumer hang in there, so we can pull away this government

stimulus and not roll over the cliff. And that’s the biggest issue with the client, who is wondering how we transition from a public sector-lead recovery to a private sector expansion. TG: I think what we’ve seen is mostly increased productivity. Businesses that had 60 people 5 years ago now have 45 making twice the revenue. It’s not good for the unemployment stats of New York City, which is 10 percent, but the productivity is getting so much better. How much has the government stimulus helped? The question is, do you believe private enterprise or the Federal government is better in growing American companies? Take a look at what government agencies manage today: Fannie Mae, Social Security, Medicare . . . every single one of them is in a deficit. Will healthcare turn out to be any different? At the same time, it’s a really exciting time for clients. Clients are asking us to create an overall strategy where they are willing to give away some of the upside to protect themselves from the downside. RE: There’s a lot of concern about anti-capitalist, anti-high-net-worth sentiment in Washington. There’s a sense that it’s going to be more expensive to do business. The higher capital

gains tax rates are certainly not positive for the investor class. Even if we get through a pretty good expansion and a fairly decent bull market, there’s no easy answer for a high-net-worth individual. JQ: A lot of clients I talk to are just back from California, where state spending, and deficits, really hit home. Even though we’re well into a recovery, it sure doesn’t feel like it at the state level. DM: We think that growth will be in the 3-4 percent range in the United States in the near term, because of all the stimulus and exports. But we see the problem coming more as you look 5 and 10 years ahead because we’ve substituted public debt for private debt and face a huge deficit as a result. Plus, we’ve just passed the health-care package, which will push up costs and taxes on the individual level. And there are other fiscal issues looming over the next decade that are going to create a higher tax environment and a drag in economic growth. Demographics are working against us because we have an aging baby boomer cohort. It’s going to be challenging. JL: I can’t remember a time in all my years

ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS ROBERT ELLIOTT, Senior Managing Director,

JENNIFER LEE, Regional Managing Director, Wells Fargo

Bessemer Trust

Private Bank

TONY GUERNSEY, Head of National Wealth

DORIS MEISTER, Regional President, BNY Mellon

Management, Wilmington Trust

Wealth Management

JOE QUINLAN, U.S. Trust, Bank of America

JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 59

financial roundtable

AVENUE: What about the death tax? RE: I think it’s outrageous that Congress just left planners and individuals with no ability to make intelligent decisions. Because, as we all know, if you do die in 2010, and the tax is retroactive, it’s going to be challenged in the courts, which will keep things unsettled. I do think that people should expect higher rates; obviously the death tax is not going away. It brings into focus the importance of good estate planning and making sure you transfer your wealth as efficiently as possible. AVENUE: The markets went way up, although they’ve gone down since then. Did the markets get ahead of the economy? Should we be careful with the equity markets and our assumptions for them? JL: We certainly did have a nice run, but there are enough question marks and uncertainty on the horizon that there is going to be some continued volatility. But volatility is not in itself a bad thing if you’re looking at the total portfolio of a client, as opposed to just one slice, which is the U.S. equity market. We think that there is going to be some continued volatility. How you manage that volatility is probably the more important question. JQ: I do think from here forward it’s going to be very choppy and curvy because different economies are moving at different speeds. Central banks are raising rates in, say, Norway, Israel, Brazil and China, and the Federal Reserve will probably raise rates later this year. 60 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

“We had a nice bounce off a low, but some economists would say that historically this is a weak recovery. I don’t disagree, but I like durability more. If we can maintain a 3.5 percent growth rate into early next year, I think that’s pretty good.” —Joe Quinlan, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Given those factors, it’s much more a sector stock picking market now as opposed to a year ago. It’s more difficult. DM: We agree that it’s picking up by sector for now, with a bias toward the sectors that are going to benefit from cyclical recovery or export growth. TG: It’s referred to as “G2”: Goldman and Greece. Goldman seems to be getting out of it. But Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland—how far is this going to go? This feels exactly like Latin America 20 years ago. Someone commented recently that British Petroleum has about $23 billion in risk-reserves and wondered if that is enough to take care of this oil well problem. Greece received over $147 billion and it didn’t seem enough a day later. JQ: The EU is a big chunk of the global economy. What’s interesting to our clients is we’ve been more bullish on the dollar than most folks, but a lot of people worry about being eclipsed by any currency. This is dollar strength—this is going to drive investors in the dollar, particularly overseas. AVENUE: Let’s get back to diversification. The old models, do they hold as well? Because they all went off the map. Do we

need to rethink it? RE: I always thought it was a thinking person’s version of asset allocation. It’s thinking logically— where can investors reduce risk and hedge without using derivatives? It hasn’t gone away. DM: We definitely believe in diversification, but the question is more how you talk to clients about what the appropriate asset allocation is for their particular situation. Whereas before investors wanted to focus on return, we are steering the discussion toward weighing risk against return. And now when we have these conversations with clients, we look at what their lifestyle is, their retirement objectives, and make sure that pot of money to preserve those goals is safe and solid. Then, if there is excess capital that can be used for other purposes, such as philanthropy, we can strategize in terms of that. JL: A lot of people thought if they were diversified, it would immunize them from negative returns. It wasn’t meant for that; it was simply to mitigate risk. So I think we need to change the nature of the conversation about investment choices that we make, and a lot of that’s been happening in the last two years as a result of what we’ve lived through. AVENUE: We have regularly talked about private equity, and hedge funds and

ANDREW SCHWARTZ

talking to clients when taxes weren’t a part of the conversation. The question becomes, how central are they to the conversation in any environment? Part of the concern today is that we don’t know. It’s the uncertainty that’s causing the pause in making decisions.

alternatives. Have they taken a knock? DM: We still see hedge funds and alternatives as an important part of an asset allocation for the right client. Many clients, depending on which hedge fund they were invested in, experienced disappointment in terms of returns or illiquidity. But in a moderate-return, high-volatility environment, hedge funds play an important role in helping people achieve their objectives. JQ: Our clients are still interested in these, but they are not ready to execute. There is still a lot of distrust and lack of confidence that is emblematic of the broader industry.

Aggressive investors have 80 percent equities and 20 percent in cash and fixed income. Although many investors define themselves as aggressive, the question is can they withstand a 38-percent loss in one month? If they say no way, they’re not an aggressive investor because that is what can, and has, happened.

ANDREW SCHWARTZ

AVENUE: Through the stock market or . . . JQ: Through the stock market or the currencies themselves and structured product notes. RE: I agree: emerging Asian debt.

the panic and the fear. That is why it’s important to categorize money, which is must-

infrastructure and technology spending. As companies and countries come through this

have money to live my life versus nice-to-have

cycle, they are going to have to invest in replacing aging systems.

—Tony Guernsey, Head of National Wealth Management, Wilmington Trust

a metric to determine the risk for clients. Car insurance is wonderful at doing this: People who can afford to get into an accident pay a $5,000-deductible and $200 a year for insurance. People who can’t afford it pay a $5,000-loss and have a $250 deductible. They’ve done it. They’ve quantified risk right there.

developing Asian currencies.

DM: People are more sensitive to the risk discussion these days. They are willing to be more cautious because they felt it—they felt

“I think what we’ve seen is mostly increasing productivity. Businesses that had 60 people 5 years ago now have 45 making twice as much money. It’s not good for the unemployment stats of New York City, which is 10 percent, but the productivity is getting so much better.”

AVENUE: The press has not been fabulous— there have been guys taken out in handcuffs again. Tony, how have your clients been viewing those alternatives? TG: Yes, alternatives are very much back with a 20-25 percent allocation. The problem in the wealth management business is we don’t have

structured product now so we’re buying into

JL: One of our investment themes is

AVENUE: Does that mean they want to buy a dam in Brazil or Dell stock? Help us here. JL: I’m not going to suggest buying an individual stock, but investments in real assets, such as commodities, may be one way to take advantage of the spending. DM: I’m going to stick with the equity side and bias toward companies that benefit from exports through emerging markets, and also companies that are likely to benefit from the cyclical upswing.

money for other goals? JQ: I would allow one more, which is defense. RE: In terms of planning, the ones who suffer in this environment might be charities, but even more, kids—and maybe that’s not a bad thing. Some parents were uncomfortable with how much they were leaving their kids anyway, and maybe giving them real capital in life later is a great idea. I mean, that’s one of the silver linings of a decline. AVENUE: In the 12-month view, put your best foot forward . . . JQ: Our best play right now is the dollar against the surplus currencies. We’re building a

TG: To anticipate the next one, you’re going to have a problem in municipal deficit budgets . . . I think people better start thinking about that and what it could mean. JL: I agree. You know, before last year, the potential issues with municipals were not on the horizon. TG: I think it will be fine, but I think it will be interesting. JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 61

AVENUE Shows

Antiques & Art at the Armory

SAVE THE DATE

(previously the December AVENUE Antiques & Art at the Armory Show)

September 29, 2010 5:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. Private VIP Preview for AVENUE readers Please RSVP preview@manhattanmedia.com or call 646.442.1628

September 30-October 3, 2010 Open to the public

The Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue New York City For details & show hours please visit avenueshows.com or call 646.442.1627

SPECIAL EVENTS SCHEDULE TO-DATE (check avenueshows.com for updates):

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 10:00a.m. to 11:00a.m. Designer Breakfast Panel Discussion Decorating with Antiques in the Modern World Panel of leading designers moderated by Susanna Salk, author and contributor to The TODAY Show and 1stdibs.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1 4:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. The Royal Oak Foundation Lecture Jewels of Scandal and Desire: British Jewelry Collections and Country Houses Presented by Curt DiCamillo, Executive Director, National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 3:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. The Royal Oak Foundation Lecture Treasures at Hampton Court: Tudor Magnificence to Modern Palace Presented by Dr. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces Exhibitor Images: William Cook Antiques, Sabbadini of America, M.S. Rau Antiques, John Atzbach Antiques, Michael Pashby Antiques, Fleur, French Country Living LTD, Steven Neckman Inc.

THE ROYAL OAK FOUNDATION Americans in Alliance with the National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland

travel

London Calling When School’s Out, The Lanesborough, London’s Premiere Hotel, Is in

hen school’s out for the summer, London is a fabulous place to take the kids. The Lanesborough, London’s premiere address, has just introduced the perfect family summer holiday package that is packed with history, culture and fun. Head Concierge Colin Short created the three-day program, which showcases the city ’s countless attractions. The program is on offer anytime from July 25th through September 5th and should keep the kids enthralled, and the adults more than entertained. 64 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

The Lanesborough, London’s premiere address, is across from Hyde Park and adjacent to the grounds of Buckingham Palace. It’s the perfect spot for a family summer holiday.

■ DAY ONE: Historical Sweep

Includes a visit to The Tower of London and a peak at the crown jewels, a collection which includes the world’s largest diamond, among other gems. Next stop is a step back into history at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s legendary architectural masterpiece. Then families are treated to a stroll down Covent Garden’s charming cobblestoned streets. Among the attractions there are some of London’s most entertaining street performers. Afterwards, guests return to The Lanesborough for Afternoon Tea, a traditional British affair with London’s only tea sommelier. Finally, top off the day’s activities by enjoying an evening of theatre in the West End.

■ DAY TWO: Royal Flush The kids will feel like they are timetraveling when they imagine a day as a royal at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, and the Official Residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Next, explore the favorite palace of England’s most notorious ruler, King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court is just a half hour from London, and you won’t want to miss its hidden secrets, historically authentic kitchens, amazing gardens, legendary tales and mysterious labyrinth.

■ DAY THREE: Buckingham Palace and Beyond

Buckingham Palace is just a stone’s throw away from The Lanesborough and families can view The State Rooms, Royal Mews and The Queen’s Gallery all before watching the ever-popular Changing of the Guard. No visit to London is complete without taking in the city’s most famous landmarks, including The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The Lanesborough offers families a view from a cruise on the famous River Thames capped off with a ride on the London Eye observation wheel. Finally for those who want to shop or just gawk, this day ends at Harrods, the world’s most celebrated department store, located just a short stroll from The Lanesborough. Above: Regency style guestroom. ■ ALTERNATE EXCURSIONS:

Guests need not feel limited to these destinations. The Lanesborough’s concierge team can arrange alternative excursions to suit each and every family’s needs. For some, that might include a picnic in Hyde Park, a visit to Hamleys, one of the world’s largest toy stores, a trip to the Imperial War Museum to admire the finest collection of tanks and military vehicles, a celebrity-filled afternoon at Madame Tussauds, and a unique view of history at the Natural History Museum and The London Dungeon. Art and culture lovers can throw in a visit to the Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery and a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. The Lanesborough offers numerous complimentary amenities to make a family summer holiday even more comfortable and memorable. When they are not out taking in the sights, children and teens can take advantage of personalized gifts, daily treats, their own dedicated kids butler, family pajama night with popcorn and ice cream sundaes, unlimited movies, books and games, and Sony VAIO laptops in every room. When Mum and Dad need

Below: Pampering for weary parents is offered at the Spa Studio.

Above: Award winning Afternoon Tea.

Below: The dining room at Apsleys, a Heinz Beck Restaurant.

a night out, The Lanesborough offers babysitting services. Also family-friendly: complimentary cots, highchairs and guaranteed connecting rooms. More pampering for parents includes fine dining at the Michelin-starred ‘Apsleys—a Heinz Beck restaurant,’ which features traditional Italian fare. Spa Services at the Spa Studio invites even more relaxation for weary parents, with its wide selection of treatments and soothing surroundings. The summer family program includes four nights in a twobedroom Apsley suite, which comfortably accommodates two adults and two children, for £6,750 plus VAT. This rate is available for bookings from July 25 – September 5, 2010 and includes three days of activities, as well as a Lanesborough chauffered car to escort families to each site. It's a vacation none of you will forget. ✦

THE LANESBOROUGH Telephone number: +44 (0)20 7259 5599 Website: www.lanesborough.com Email: info@lanesborough.com JULY 2010 · AVENUE MAGAZINE | 65

When renovated, is the duke-semans mansion the first $100 million mansion in neW York?

This never before seen photo reveals a glimpse of the former glory of 1009 Fifth Avenue, the 20,000 square mansion, with 27’ feet literally on Fifth Avenue and a 103-foot long Beaux-Arts façade along East 82nd Street, a one of a kind location that also floods the interior with incredible light. The rest of the interior detail and incomparable scale of 1009 Fifth Avenue can only be seen by qualified buyers who have signed a confidentiality agreement. If a 3-bedroom condominium at 15 Central Park West, Apt 38A, with 2,848 total square feet can sell on December 12, 2008 for $27,000,000 or $9,480 per square foot, what is the renovated value of a 20,000 square foot townhouse that is truly one of a kind? The highest price per square foot ever paid for a townhouse was at 118 East 70 Street, 20 feet wide, for 6,007 approximate square feet on March 28, 2006 at $22,625,000 or $3,766 per square foot. And that house was between Park and Lexington Avenues, not on Fifth Avenue! The scarcity factor has helped Manhattan townhouses hold their value in varying market conditions. Some buyers feel they are “as good as gold.” It is a very short leap to imagine a house with the unique location of The Duke Semans Mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue being worth $5,000 a square foot or more -- easily reaching or surmounting a total value of $100,000,000. 1009 FiFth Avenue is oFFered At $50,000,000 For more information and a floor plan please visit: Web ID: 1083649 PAuLA deL nunZio Senior Vice President, Managing Director Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker 212-906-9207 pdelnunzio@bhsusa.com 445 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022

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Irene Lowenkron

Caroline E.Y. Guthrie

Cathy Franklin

THE DREAM HAS BEEN CREATED

GRAND PARK AVENUE 12

PALACE ON THE PARK

Fifth Ave. Excl. 5,300SF duplex condo w/ full Central Park views & more! This 4BR w/ grand entertaining space, FDR & 2 add’l dens holds a position never to be recreated again. $19M. WEB# 1095281. Penny Toepfer 212-906-9250

70s/Park Ave. Excl. Grand prewar residence, meticulous renovation. Soaring ceilings, elegant archways, 33’ living room, 25’ formal dining room. Chef’s EIK. $18M. WEB# 1018479. John Burger 212-906-9274

CPS. Excl. Absolutely the best views of Central Park through 75FT of windows. 5,200SF, 6BR, 7 baths. Triple mint condition. $16M. WEB# 757276. Craig Filipacchi 212-452-4468

VIEWS OF CENTRAL PARK & BEYOND

HIGH FLOOR FOUR EXPOSURES

STUNNING PARK AVE PENTHOUSE

CPS. Excl. Views of Central Park, full-ﬂr 11 rm apt. Maint includes utilities & basic cable. Pied-a-terres allowed. Pets allowed with board approval. $9.975M. WEB# 1054504. Maria Torresy 212-906-9317 Richard F. Ferrari 212-396-5885

500 Park Ave. Excl. High ﬂoor 3,550SF (329.80 meters) condo apt. in one of the ﬁnest postwar bldgs in NYC. 3BR, 4 bath, EIK, FDR, LR with 3 expos. City views. Pets ok. $7.5M. WEB# 1082846. Elese Reid, ELC Div. 212-396-5861

UES. Excl. Wrap around terr home w/ views of Central Park. Meticulously renovd Park Ave PH. 3BR, 2.5 bath, wbfp, EIK, great views. $7.15M. WEB# 1035895. Samuel Thomas Milbank 212-906-9248 Kathy Cooper 212-906-9260

THE ICE HOUSE

WALK TO THE MET

SPECTACULAR HOME OFF SUTTON

Tribeca. Excl. Rare luxury Tribeca condo premier block. Sprawling light 3BR, 3 bath, granite, stainless kitchen. Fireplace, CAC. Open views, 24/7 doorman. $3.4M. WEB# 1127137. Brahna Yassky 212-906-0506

80s/Fifth Ave. Excl. Lrge 3BR, 3 bath (master has Jacuzzi). XXX mint with moldings, W/D, wind kit & music thru out. Triple paned windows. Many large closets. $2.995M. WEB# 1127115. Cheryl Bassin 212-906-9201

Sutton Place. Excl. 7 rms in premier Coop, 3BR, 3 bath, LR, FDR, Kit, dressing rm. Magnfcnt proportions & Overlooks Town Tennis Club. $2.395M. WEB# 1109637. Cathy Franklin 212-906-9236 Alexis Bodenheimer 212-906-9230

MacRae Parker

Arabella Greene Buckworth

Elsie Nelson

Craig Filipachi

Jenny Park Adam

Sarah Orlinsky-Maitland

Brian Manning

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.

Joanne Greene

Kathy Sloane

FULL FLOOR PLUS ROOF TERRACE

ARTISAN TOWNHOUSE

TEN ROOM PRIME PENTHOUSE

UWS. Excl. Brand new full ﬂr PH in boutique prewar condo, 5BR + 5.5 bath, open LR/DR/den w/fp, EIK, city & river views, prvt roof terrace, FT DM, gym, play rm. $13.5M. WEB# 902430. Lisa Lippman 212-588-5606

SoHo/Nolita. Excl. 4BR, 4.5 bath TH, sleek modern, historic hand crafted ﬁnishes, 2 terrace, juliet balconies, private basketball domed skycourt. $14M. WEB# 1021882. Wendy Maitland 212-317-3660 Susan Green 212-317-3675

67th/Park Ave. Excl. LR, libr, MBR, each with wbfp, french doors, sunny South wide wrap terraces. FDR, 2nd BR, EIK, 3 staff rms, wine rm, $10.9M. Also avail 2BR guest apt. $1.45M. WEB# 1127692. Elizabeth Sierzega 212-906-9217

Wendy Maitland

John Burger

Jean Meisel

FULL FLOOR - SPECTACULAR VIEWS

HIGH CENTRAL PARK VIEWS

GRAND TRIBECA LOFT

58th/Sutton. Excl. Dramatic space, 40th ﬂr in top FS bldg. Double LR, terr, FDR, 5-6BR + maids. Huge master w/spa bath - 40’ of wind & overlooks Empire & Chrysler. $5.495M. WEB# 1065101. Jessica Ushan 212-906-9325

Central Park South. Excl. Spacious 2BR, 2 bath apt, oversized windows framing CP views from step down LR, DR and MBR. Full kitchen. Hotel services available. $4.2M. WEB# 1118775. Sally Hallows 212-906-9345

Tribeca. Excl. Stunning loft, 3BR(cnvt4), 3.5 bath approx 4,021SF, 10FT ceilings, classic columns, exposed brick walls, sleek modern open kit! $1043/SF. $4.195M. WEB# 1116493. Judith A. Furgiuele, CFA 212-588-5693

Leslie Coleman

Richard Rothbloom

Diane Abrams

THE IMPALA CONDO’S FINEST

FABULOUS FULL FLOOR LOFT

GLAM LOFT 1BR + HOME OFFICE

76th/1st. Excl. Spec views from every window. Triple mint corner 2BR, 2 bath w/ sep DR. High ﬂr, spilt BRs, E/S/W expos. Gas FP, hi ceils, WD, DM, garden, gym, garage. $2.295M. WEB# 1112804. Curtis Jackson 212-317-7774

Tribeca. Crisply renovated 2BR full ﬂoor loft. High ceilings. Key-locked elevator. Courtyard. FT Doorman. CC: $1,041.77. Tax:$646. $1.59M. WEB# 1076372. Paddington Zwigard 212-906-0539 Parnell O’Connell 212-906-0513

Lower Fifth Ave. Excl. Gorgeous 4BR, 2 bath with MBR suite. 30ft LR, Spacious Kitch, over 11ft ceils, PW Co-op w/virtual DM. Pristine condition, new ﬂrs, pet friendly. $1.4M. WEB# 1026771. Kathy Sloane 212-906-9258

Nancy Teague

David Kornmeier

fabulous homes in the hamptons

HISTORIC OCEAN AVENUE, EAST HAMPTON COMPOUND

BAY FRONT BRIDGEHAMPTON SOUTH

East Hampton. Three beautiful acres in East Hampton Village is home to a Dutch Colonial main house that has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 4 fireplaces and chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen. The property features a gunite pool, a white antique playhouse, a 2-car garage, refurbished carriage house with work space and a half bath and sunken tennis court. This unique setting offers mature specimen trees, established landscaping and is just a short distance from both the Village and ocean beaches. Exclusive $12.5M WEB# 33660

Bridgehampton. At the end of a long secluded drive this recently renovated and designers own 3 story Traditional in Bridgehampton South features 8 bedrooms and presides over a luxurious 2.9 Acres. This turn of the century classic home features a spacious living room with fireplace, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen and covered porches. Situated on Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek the propert has a heated pool, bocce court, gardens, and 400 ft. of waterfront with dock. Exclusive $10.995M WEB# 31739

S t p m f p E

GEORGICA GEM East Hampton. Stunning stonework, extensive moldings and custom built-ins can be found throughout this 5 bedroom 5 full and 3 half bath residence. Not to be missed are five Connecticut fieldstone fireplaces, the professional kitchen, inviting living and dining rooms complimented by an enclosed porch overlooking the gunite pool/spa and lovely gardens. The pool house, outdoor shower and built in outdoor Viking Grill complete the perfect entertaining environment.

TIMELESS IN BRIDGEHAMPTON SOUTH

Bridgehampton. Custom built traditional on 3.7 acres. 8 bedrooms and 7.5

baths. Master bedroom with en suite bath and media room on the second floor as well as 2 of the other bedrooms. Separate guest wing. Taking advantage of the privacy and views, the outdoor spaces include a covered porch with outdoor fireplace, and an oversized gunite heated pool. There is room for a pool house and tennis.

t f 3 p

Exclusive $7.495M WEB# 53182

Exclusive $8.45M WEB# 54711

Michael Schultz, VP, Associate Broker 917.882.8338 michael.schultz@corcoran.com Susan Ryan, Salesperson 631.680.3321 susan.ryan@corcoran.com

NEW YORK

SOUTH FLORIDA

THE HAMPTONS

Equal Housing Opportunity. The Corcoran Group is a licensed real estate broker. Owned and operated by NRT LLC.

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SOUTH OF THE HIGHWAY

CONTEMPORARY BEACH HOUSE

Sagaponack. Overlooking 15 acres of beautiful farmland, this 5 bedroom, 6 bath traditional in Sagaponack South is new to the market and available for immediate purchase. The house features a renovated kitchen with granite counter tops and maple cabinets, formal living room with fireplace, screened in porch, den and finished lower level. The property features a two car garage, heated pool with pergola, stunning vistas over the reserve and room for North/South tennis. Exclusive $7.999.999M WEB# 52418

Sagaponack. Down a long secluded drive and just shy of 4 acres this Futterman designed beach house overlooks 15 acres of stunning farm field reserve and is an easy stroll to the ocean. The home features four en suite bedrooms, a light filled living room with stunning views from every window; a gourmet cooks kitchen, dining room, den and second floor office. Step outside to enjoy the heated pool with pool house and full bath, basketball half court and outdoor fire area. Room for tennis and expansion of main house up to 9,535 SF+/-. Exclusive $7.85M WEB# 54243

NEW WATER MILL SOUTH

NEW SAGAPONACK SOUTH TRADITIONAL

Water Mill. Situated South-of-the-highway, this

Sagaponack. On a cleared, private flag lot this charming traditional is only a short stroll to the Ocean. Situated on a 1.8 acre this 3 BR, 2 bath home is bathed in light and offers an oversized living room with fireplace and open kitchen. Potential for tennis. Exclusive $5.995M WEB# 14202

traditional features 6 bedrooms and 8 baths, a formal dining room, living room and den. Oversized 3 car garage, heated pool with separate pool pavilion and recreational cottage with full bath. Exclusive $5.995M WEB# 54458

WATER MILL SOUTH HISTORIC VILLAGE Water Mil. Published for its stunning interiors and gardens, this village 3 bedroom 2.5 baths home has a gorgeous gourmet kitchen with top of the line appliances, marble counters and living room with fireplace. Exclusive $2.795M WEB# 23904

Michael Schultz, VP, Associate Broker 917.882.8338 michael.schultz@corcoran.com Susan Ryan, Salesperson 631.680.3321 susan.ryan@corcoran.com

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DIAMONDS IN THE SAND

SOPHISTICATED AND ELEGANT

VILLAGE OF EAST HAMPTON

300 DEGREES OF WATER VIEWS AND FRONTAGE

Montauk • Panoramic View offers 68 residences, ranging in size from 1,200 to 4,500 square feet, set on 10 oceanfront acres with 1,000 feet of beachfront. Innovative and sophisticated, these homes have sensational details and finishes. Replete with concierge service, porters, beach and pool attendants, on-site housekeeping and trainers at the state-ofthe- art fitness center, this unique property enjoys unparalled service in the Hamptons. Enjoy this breathtaking setting without any thought of maintenance. You may work hard all week but, once you arrive at Panoramic View, you won t have to lift a finger. Exclusive. Priced from $1,600,000 to $10,000,000.

East Hampton • $2,100,000 • This stunning move-in condition home has just been expanded, beautifully decorated and further polished and is now available for sale. Set in the heart of East Hampton Village, this shingled traditional offers a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen and four bedrooms, three baths. Additionally, there is an office with ensuite bath. Outside, a heated gunite, marble-dusted pool is set in a manicured courtyard with two slate patios and meditative areas. A two-car garage completes the residence. Stores, train station, restaurants and entertainment could not be closer and, yet, you would be on a quiet cul-de-sac. Exclusive. F#61097 | Web#H498

Robin Kaplan, SVP 631.267.7384 | 516.971.5801 rkaplan@elliman.com

East Hampton • $5,700,000 • This ultra luxurious 8000+square foot home was designed for creative living. Think fabulous dinner parties, movie nights, steam showers, dips in the saline spa, massages in the outdoor pavilion, or romantic strolls on your very own secluded beach. Shy 2 acre parcel, 6+bedrooms, 8.5 baths, 7 fireplaces, 3 car garage, leading green construction, sophisticated and elegant architecture. Co-Exclusive F#68263 | Web#H13176.

East Hampton • $3,395,000 • The most enviable position on Gardiner’s Bay is on Sammy’s Beach. This retreat looks north, south, east, and west with utterly spectacular views in every direction. There is a magnificent great room with fireplace surrounded by decks, and a gourmet kitchen. The master suite, two guest bedrooms and two baths, all open onto spacious decks with smashing vistas. In pefect condition, the house sits on 1-acre dune with over 100 feet of sandy beach frontage, and across the way is harbor frontage with mooring rights on Three Mile Harbor. Co-Exclusive. F#55743 | Web#H0155743.

Josiane Fleming, SVP 631.267.7383 | 631.766.8950 jfleming@elliman.com

YOUR SOURCE FOR ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE

MANHATTAN

LONG ISLAND

PRUDENTIALELLIMAN.COM

THE HAMPTONS

©2010. An independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. is a service mark of Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property outlines and square footage in property listings are approximate.

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THE FINEST PROPERTIES WORLDWIDE!

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Bronx A wonderful opportunity to secure a view, elevation and location second to none. An elegant 5 bedroom plus staff residence with 3 car garage and separate cabana at the lakeside pool. Without a doubt, the most sought after lakefront location on the Island. $16,000,000. Exclusive

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Magnificent direct lakefront residence w/breathtaking water views. Totally renovated 5BR/5.5BA w/pool and dock. New price $9,950,000

Representing Palm Beach’s Finest Properties Christian J. Angle 561-629-3015 cjangle@anglerealestate.com

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the world according to . . .

Q&A AVENUE’s back-page column asks New York notables our version of the questionnaire made famous by Marcel Proust

Artist Ross Bleckner

ROSS BLECKNER AT WHAT HAMPTONS ADDRESS WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?

OR EAST ENDER, PAST OR PRESENT?

CLICHÉ? LEAST FAVORITE?

Barnett Newman.

(a) It’s the center of the world. (b) If you can make it here . . .

My house. WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO NEW YORK?

I grew up here, then stayed to become a famous artist. WHEN DID YOU FIRST FALL IN LOVE WITH THE EAST END? WHAT HAPPENED?

As a child, when my parents and I took a vacation in Montauk.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DINNER PARTNER?

Eric Freeman.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER SOCIAL EVENT?

ACRIA. WHO IS THE SMARTEST NEW YORKER YOU KNOW?

Barnett Newman; everything he said was incomprehensible to me.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING NEW YORK OR HAMPTONS MOMENT?

I haven’t gotten caught yet. WHO IS THE FUNNIEST?

Andy Stein. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TIME OF DAY/YEAR IN THE EAST END?

WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

WHAT’S YOUR WORST “WORST DRESSED” NEW YORK OR EAST END MOMENT?

Early October, late afternoon.

Tony Judt.

I always dress the same.

WHAT NEWSPAPER COLUMN DO YOU READ FIRST IN THE MORNING?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WATERING HOLE FOR LUNCH? FOR DINNER?

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE NEW YORK MOMENT?

Nicholas Kristof because I like to know what I should have done or didn’t yet do . . . but might.

(a) I never eat lunch out. And (b) eating and swimming isn’t good for you.

9/11.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE NEW YORKER

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NEW YORK

A famous artist. ✦

80 | AVENUE MAGAZINE · JULY 2010

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

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710 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10065 TEL 212 355 9292