October Quest

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Arts

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Sunny, Well-Priced Prewar 3BR. Move right in to this mint 3BR with open southern views from the double LR w/WBFP, MBR & 2nd BRs. Conveniently located on East 63rd btwn Park & Lex & renov thru-out, with a gracious layout, lovely windowed kit, library & dining. W/D, full-time doorman & pets okay. $2.75M. Web #1191898. C.Taub 452-4387

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Exceptional High Floor 14 Rm Duplex. CPW. 1st offer. Elegant 32 ft LR has superb Central Park views. Formal DR, powder rm, libr/den adjoins the new EIK w/CP views. Upstairs: 6BRs, 5 bths, informal LRs & DRs, 2nd kitch & gym. Perfect home for entertaining & comfortable living in a legendary building. $25M. Web #1161694. C.Kurtin 452-4406

Opulent Landmark CPW Classic 6.5 w/Direct CP Views. The Century opened in 1932 & instantly became known as one of NY’s preeminent Art Deco prewar condos. This magnificent residence on a hi flr w/ an immense stretch of windows that span from E to W & 2000+sf palatial space. $5.395M. Web #1116427. WD.McCullough 917-693-5363

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124

102 94

CONTENTS A rts & C ulture Issue 84 the houses that ralph built After twenty-five years of

revolutionizing the retail experience, Ralph Lauren raises the bar again,

with new stores in New York and Paris. by Daniel Cappello

94

a room fit to inspire

118

To celebrate Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer

Center’s Antique Show Preview Party, Quest asked five interior designers from the

Society’s design committee to create a room for each of the event’s co-chairs.

102 nights in zebra stripes Remembering the author’s early days writing Liz Smith

columns under the legendary “Cholly Knickerbocker” pen name.

110

on being beatonhA

Cecil Beaton sold to Sotheby’s before his death. by Georgina Schaeffer

by

new book showcases works from the forty-two scrapbooks

118 the legacy of the ring A photographer’s first viewing of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibeluugen turned her into a full-scale “Ring Nut.” by Nancy Ellison

124

polo’s second coming

Looking back on the evolution of polo through

the years and its modern-day resurgence.

by

G eorgina S chaeffer

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60

144

CONTENTS 66

C olumns 16

Chronicles of the the social scene.

Social Diary

56 60

62

HARRY BENSON

observations

Fresh Finds

fashion

books

66 72

Social Calendar

76

78

by

D avid P atrick C olumbia

Our guide to the month’s best benefits, balls, and more.

Remembering a winter afternoon with gallerist Leo Castelli.

Reviewing Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945. by Taki Theodoracopulos

Our favorite new must-haves. by Daniel Cappello and Elizabeth Meigher

The fortieth anniversary of designer Roberto Cavalli.

by

D aniel C appello

The ZooBorns.com founders debut the cutest books of the year. by Elizabeth Brown

canteens

Todd English brings his hybrid taste to The Plaza’s Food Hall. by Daniel Cappello

136 Appearances Hilary bids farewell to summer with a stay in Southampton. by Hilary Geary 138

young & the guest list

Partying with the junior set.

by

Elizabeth Brown

144 snapshot The first-ever Quest playlist is filled with songs inspired by our fair city.

Editor-in-Chief

David Patrick Columbia c r e a t i v e d i r ec t o r

james stoffel e x ec u t i v e e d i t o r

georgina schaeffer senior editor

rachel corbett FASHION e d i t o r

daniel cappello a s s o c i a t e a r t d i r ec t o r

valeria fox A s s o c i at e e d i to r

Elizabeth Brown Societ y editor

Hilary Geary interns

oliver ames Natalia Restrepo SAMantha TWEDDELL Contributing writers

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editor’s letter

“In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh / There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York / These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York…” —Empire State of Mind.

ThIS SONG by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys is just one of the latest musical odes to New York. You hear it often out at night these days; it’s the most modern spin on Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” I don’t think there is another city in the world that has so many songs written about it and inspired by it. There are songs about Harlem. Songs about Broadway. Songs about Downtown. Songs about Uptown. And many of them, I would even hedge to say most of them, revolve around dreams.

Dreaming big is what makes New York happen. It’s what people who live here live on. It’s our culture. And who exemplifies bigger dreams than Ralph Lauren? Sure, everyone knows the story of the boy from the Bronx who made good, but a lot more than just luck went into the Ralph Lauren empire on 72nd Street.

Daniel Cappello explores this in his cover story.

Certainly another defining aspect of the city that never sleeps is the nightlife, a subculture all its own. (As the “Lullabye of Broadway” from 42nd Street lyrics go: “When the Broadway baby says good-night, it’s early in the morning…”) For certain, we have the best chronicler about town, David Patrick Columbia, reporting in Quest’s pages. But this month, gossip legend Liz Smith weighs in on how Café Society all began in her piece, “Nights in Zebra Stripes,” about El Morocco and the Cassini brothers. Café Society certainly had its critics at the time (hard liners who believed you should only be photographed three times in your life—birth, marriage, death). But the crowd at El Morocco was young, rich, and fabulous (even by today’s standards). There is gaiety in the photos that hasn’t faded with

14 QUEST

time. It’s postwar America—at the very height of the empire.

There were, however, great sacrifices made during World War II, as Taki notes in his column this month.

We also take you out to the North Shore of Long Island, inside a culture that is growing: polo. Over the summer, I watched some friends play a “pick-up game” in Newport, just about a month after I had read the Financial Times special report on the sport. So, when some Left: a poster for 42nd Street, friends invited me to a tailgate at one of the many famous Meadowbrook Polo Club for the odes to New York City.

Harriman Cup it was too great of a Below: Quest’s team won story to pass up. Photographer Alexis the Ambassador’s Cup at Theodoracopulos and I hopped the Mashomack Polo Club. in a car and headed to Westbury to capture the day. And then, later this month, “Team Quest” won Ambassador’s Cup at the Mashomack Polo Club. This sport is having a second coming not seen since the days of Tommy Hitchcock, Michael Phipps, Stewart Iglehart, Laddie Sanford, J. Watson Webb, Devereux Milburn, and Winston Guest.

Elsewhere in this Arts and Culture issue, you will find a story on the illustrious photographer and costume designer Cecil Beaton. His prodigous scrapbooks kept by Sotheby’s are being published in a new book. The design committee for the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering contribute some beautiful sketches this issue. And Nancy Ellison takes us on a photographic journey through Wagner’s opera The Ring. We’ve also included our first Quest playlist on our back page, which our staff put together to remind readers of the great city we inhabit. Visit iTunes to download the songs and, remember, in the words of Charles Honi Comes: “Philosopher or deacon, you simply have to weaken. Dig those shuffling feet.

You can’t keep your seat. Professor, start that beat.” u

Georgina Schaeffer

on the cover: Ralph Lauren, photographed

by Carter Berg, at the new Ralph Lauren store at 173 Boulevard Saint-Germain, in Paris. This fall, Lauren dedicated his flagship store at 867 Madison Avenue, in New York, exclusively to men’s wear. This month, he opens a new women’s store at 888 Madison Avenue.

Untitled 1988 - 89 / 46 x 50 in., o/c

w w w. w a l l y f i n d l a y. c o m

LEONARD NELSON AN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST (1912 - 1993)

Three Decades of Masterworks, 1960 - 1980 New York exhibition opening November 9 TH, 2010

WA L LY F I N D L AY G A L L E R I E S I N T E R N AT I O N A L , I N C. 1 2 4 E A S T 5 7 T h S T. • N E W Y O R k , N E W Y O R k • T E L : 2 1 4 - 4 2 1 - 5 3 9 0 NE W Y OR k • L O S A NG EL ES • BA RC ELO NA • PAL M B E ACh

EST. 1870

ART WALLY FINDLAY

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A

David Patrick Columbia

NEW YORK SO C IAL DIARY Autumn in New York.

Fashion and Uniting the Nations. We went from the quiet almost lazy days of summer, when sometimes it seemed as if the town had been abandoned, to this.

Fashion Week, U.N. Week, and blam. Traffic in the city was bumper to bumper.

I had lunch one day at Swifty’s with Dennis and Terry Stanfill, their daughter Francesca, and our mutual friend Sassy Johnson. The Stanfills are in from southern California to visit their daughter and son-in-law Dick Nye at their house in Southampton.

The conversation began with stories about the nowmythic world of Babe Paley.

Although she’s probably unknown to most, if not all people south of forty or forty-five, Babe Paley was an unusually serene celebrity in her day, a symbol, an arbiter of taste, known for her

beauty and her style.

In her day, the garment industry in New York was a huge employer, and its products were crucial to the community’s labor assets. To be a figure of fashion meant many things, not the least of which was industry and government.

In other words, jobs.

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The image of Babe Paley had influence. The woman herself provided ongoing reams of publicity and decades of table talk, and all of it scandal-free (her husband was another story). She and her two sisters, Minnie (the eldest) and Betsey (the middle) were famous in America for being the daughters of the nation’s first neurosurgeon, Harvey Cushing, and for marrying three of the richest men in America. Every red-blooded American girl’s pre-Feminist dream.

Babe Paley was the most famous of the sisters because of her talent for fashion, and because she was the 18 QUEST

Kari and Jay McDowell

Terence Gallagher and Joe Morrow

good-looking one. She was considered by some to be more influential than Jackie Onassis, and it may have been so because to this day, like the women at our Swifty’s lunch table, there remains a vivid interest in her and especially her physical image.

On hearing her name, all three women at lunch instantly recalled a time they “saw” her. A Babe Paley sighting had a memorable effect on women, right up there with Garbo. Francesca recalled the time that Kenneth, the famous hairdresser of that era, told her that Babe was never sure if she looked right.

The great irony of insecurity

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Melissa Errico and Patrick McEnroe

masking as confidence.

Her beauty was classic but almost cold in photographs— and not sexy. Nor did she have the reputation for being a femme fatale like Pamela Harriman or Jackie. Far from it, she was regarded by many as the victim of a philandering, yet controlling, husband.

There was an innocence in her eyes that could be interpreted as slightly vacuous.

But the camera promotes lies while telling the story. She did not have the reputation for being intellectually sharp, but she was not vacuous. She was kind to friends and strangers, and a gentle woman in her comportment. Besides being

a fashionable figure in the historical sense, many people had great affection for her.

However, she was a trophy wife of that antideluvian prefeminist era, comparable to a great thoroughbred. Her magic was the power of her image.

It began for her in the same way it begins for young women today: with the camera, borne out of a desire to be seen.

Unlike women today, she did not seek it out per se. She and her sisters grew up in Boston, where her father practiced. In 1930, her sister Betsey married James Roosevelt, eldest son of Eleanor and Franklin, whose election to the Presidency two years later raised everyone’s

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A profile, including the Cushing sisters. By the mid-1930s, young Babe (she was fifteen when Betsey married) was in New York and working for Harper’s Bazaar.

Her world was populated by fashion photographers, and she was a likely subject for the magazines—a tall, slender beauty with poise.

And she was well-connected.

She soon became an excellent example to promote.

The fashion P.R. empress Eleanor Lambert once told me that Babe Paley’s artistry was composing her outfits.

Eleanor said that if you hung each item side by side you’d see a perfect composition of color, shape and mood. That

always sounds a little airyfairy to me, except Eleanor Lambert was a pro and knew of what she spoke.

Meanwhile, back at Swifty’s lunch, Sassy recalled the time she was running Halston’s couture and Babe Paley came in to look at some clothes. She wasn’t feeling well (it was the beginning of her fatal illness), and asked Sassy, who was a similar size and shape, to try on a couple of things so she could get an idea of what it looked like.

While Sassy was doing that, Halston—by that time the Halston of Studio 54, an aggressively willing victim of the drug culture and a nasty piece of work when he felt

like it in the office—made an insulting remark to Sassy about what she was doing.

Halston was frequently abusive toward her and others in front of his big customers, although none of them ever said a word to him about it.

On this occasion, however, Paley quietly said, “Well Halston, that is a very rude thing to say to Sassy.”

Halston, Sassy recalled, was stunned. No one had ever called him on it.

I saw Paley only once.

And very briefly, in 1969, at the campaign headquarters of Carter Burden, in an old storefront on 79th and Second Avenue. It was Election Day night. Carter had just won

a city councilman seat and there was a celebration. He was then married to Amanda, the beautiful daughter of Babe Paley and Stanley Mortimer. So, the Paleys made an appearance at the victory celebration of their son-in-law.

By then I was curious to see what she looked like in the flesh because all the girls working in the campaign referred to her with a kind of hushed reverence. It seemed exaggerated, but it was sincere.

On this night, the place was mobbed with people waiting for the victor to speak to his troops. Standing off to the side, I noticed Babe moving through the crowd, followed

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by her husband. He looked every inch the tycoon— tanned, blondish silver hair, silver tie, dark suit. His wife’s image was already familiar to me from photographs.

That night she stood out to these eyes not because of her elegant little black dress, but because she was wearing heavy pancake makeup on her face, as if she had just come from an on-camera interview.

There was also a lethargy to her gait, as if exhausted.

Although it may have been, since she didn’t look happy, that she was just bored and wanted to get to dinner.

Coincidentally, the time that Terry Stanfill told us she saw her, she had the same impression.

A few years later Babe 22 QUEST

Judith Martin, Paulina Porizkova, Joni Evans and Lesley Stahl

Paley was diagnosed with lung cancer and died one day after her sixty-third birthday, in July of 1978. Some who knew her believed that “exhaustion” was because of her illness. Others believed it was her deep disappointment with the way her own life played out. Whatever it was, it was also an element of her lasting charisma, something that would have escaped her thinking.

The autumn melee began with the kick-off of Fashion Week. The Couture Council of the Museum at F.I.T. hosted its annual benefit luncheon at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. They honored Karl Lagerfeld, who made the trip from Paris for his award.

More than 550 attended. It

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was completely sold out, with a waiting list of more than two hundred, and more than $600,000 was raised. Many women wore their best Chanel and Lagerfeld. At about 12:30 the white-haired, ponytailed master arrived with an entourage in two large black vans, dressed in his trademark suit (this one in a blue-gray)

by Hedi Slimane with its high collar, matching blue tie, and studded driving gloves Lagerfeld’s arrival had all the hoopla of a movie star, and he conducted himself accordingly. The man’s image is now classic, and exactly what you see in photos. His style draws attention to himself and it’s all very charming. One on one, he is direct and friendly, and on this day appeared very

pleased to be there.

The fashion in the room, which reflected his work, was divided by generation. At the center of it all was Daphne Guinness, whose shoes looked like (and probably were) white ballet slippers poised on a very steep Lucite heel, accessorized by what was said to be her own diamond clips.

Guinness has a look that is all her own, with her chocolate and vanilla coif worn up, also accessorized with more diamonds. Indeed, on the back of her dress was a black velvet bow, to which was attached a diamond brooch with a canary yellow diamond in the center.

Someone told me that she was wearing $1 million in diamonds. True or not, it was

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A T h e a s s o c i at i o n t o b e n e f i t c h i l d r e n ’ s j u n i o r c o m m i t t e e p a r t y at t h e g a n s e v o o r t h o t e l

Heather Maulucci and Anil Stevens

spectacular to see, and even more spectacular to consider.

The stilettos are now so high that some women look like they might just topple over if they make a misstep, a reflection of our high-risk society these days.

Despite the cloudy skies above, it was a very bright, sparkling Friday, and on the promenade of Avery Fisher Hall, with its towering walls of glass, the scene was a vibrant, sometimes dazzling fashion parade. There was also a sense of summer’s end and the beginning of life again in New York.

Dr. Joyce Brown, president of F.I.T., delivered the 24 QUEST

Delvina Smith and Benjamin Watson

Loren Brill and Alexandra Elovitz

opening remarks, referring to Lagerfeld as “the highest level of design genius…a source of tremendous influence and inspiration…” She then turned it over to Simon Doonan, who was emcee. Actress Diane Kruger presented the award and spoke of her relationship with Lagerfeld, whom she met when she was very young.

Among those attending: Rachel Zoe, Anna Wintour (who hosted the designer’s table), Veronica Webb, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Andre Leon Talley, Martha Stewart, Gwen Stefani, Elisa Sednaoui, Diane von Furstenberg, Alan Cumming, Sharon Bush, Hamish Bowles, Glenda

Doug Phillips and Claudia Davidson

Isaac Flanagan and Alexandra Richards

Bailey, Sharon Handler, Michelle Harper, Iman, Kathleen Hearst, Pamela Joyner, Kim Kassel, Pat Kerr, Steven Klein, Harold Koda, Cynthia Lufkin, Carol Mack, Jane Tranell Marino, Shala Monroque, Gigi Mortimer, Ximena Navarrete, Valerie Steele, Elyse Newhouse, Lorry Newhouse, Helen O’Hagan, Sharon Hoge, Lisa Perry, John Pomerantz, Candy Pratts Price, John Richardson, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Liz Rohatyn, Hilary Geary Ross, Ann Rapp, Ellen Scarborough, Elizabeth Stribling, Nadja Swarovski, Barbara Tober, Patricia Underwood, Robert

Verdi, Kim Vernon, Mitzi Perdue, Barbara Winston, Susan Magrino, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Amy Fine Collins, Susan Fales-Hill, Nina Griscom, Linda Fargo, Ken Downing, Fe Fendi, Pat Shiah, Carol Mack, Sarah Wolfe, Lauren Santo Domingo, Susan Magrino, Andre Leon Talley, Mickey Boardman, Pamela Fiori, Billy Norwich, Coralie Charriol Paul, Somers Farkas, Francesca Stanfill, Deeda Blair, Susan Gutfreund, Caroline Weber, Tiffany Dubin, Nancy Silverman, Donna Rosen, Marjorie Rubin, Judy Price, Jamee Gregory, Coco Kopelman, Jill

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A Kargman, Barbara Cirkva, to name only a few.

Luncheon chairs were: Vanessa Getty, Gretchen Jordan, Alexandra Lebenthal, Leigh Lezark, Charlotte Moss, Kara Ross, Allison Sarofim, Caroline Sieber, Lizzie Tisch, Vanessa Trainer, Lynn Wyatt.

Honorary luncheon chairs were: Daphne Guinness, Lady Amanda Harlech and Virginie Viard. Also attending, the Council’s Board of Directors: Liz Peek, Yaz Hernandez, Suzi Cordish, Anne Goldrach, Michele Gerber Klein, Michelle Harper, Celia

Hegyi, Eleanora Kennedy, Alexandra Lebenthal, Doris Meister, Charlotte Moss, Peter Scotese, Jean Shafiroff, Adrienne Vittadini, and Whitney Wolfe.

The following Monday night there was a preview of Judy Price’s “Notable and Notorious” exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York. Looking at the luxurious garments, along with the accompanying owners’ histories (Babe Paley was one of them), you get a strong sense of the women as individuals and the world

they inhabited.

Dress was a matter of tradition and habit. There was a regimen. Look at archival photographs of the mid-day crowds on Fifth Avenue sixty, seventy years ago. Most of the people were middle-class, working men and women. Yet there was a high sense of style compared to today, and it was pervasive, in the women and the men. It was agreed upon in metropolitan life.

Just as the rain let up one Friday, I went down to 583 Park Avenue, where Oscar de la Renta was presenting

his Spring collection at 6 p.m. Oscar has been showing exclusively in this landmark church, designed by Delano and Aldrich, for a few years now. It is a clever choice. The venue speaks to its customers with austere and elegant allwhite interior.

It looked like the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen there.

Many of the guests (there was some press too) were industry people, as well as many of the de la Rentas’ friends. Annette de la Renta was there, as were her friends Nancy Kissinger, Mercedes Bass, Barbara

D av i d yu r m a n ’ s l u n c h eo n at t h e h a m p to n c l a s s i c

James Lipton and Richard Johnson 26 QUEST

B. Smith and Dan Gasby

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Morgan Whalen and Sessa von Richthofen

David Yurman, Diana Taylor and Sybil Yurman

Sailor Lee and Christie Brinkley

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A the grand opening of lavo ny

Marcus Schenkenberg

Walters, Carolina Herrera, Donna Acquavella, Mica Ertegun, Catie Marron, and Lou Lou de la Falaise, in from Paris. Among those I saw on that side of the runway were Emilia Saint Amand and Robin Gerstner, Susan Braddock, Jo Hallingby, Stephanie Krieger, Evelyn Lauder, and Jamee Gregory.

I was reminded again of the exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York. It’s the same timelessness. On the 28 QUEST

Andrew Goldberg

Jason Strauss

Dori Cooperman

Brian Mazza and Tinsley Mortimer

runway: soft, sometimes pastel colors, fabrics that looked as if they produced a soft breeze. The girls were tall and willowy, and as elegant as the clothes. After the final runway tour, de la Renta made his brief signature appearance, was given a standing ovation, which he acknowledged with a high wave of the hand, and then disappeared backstage.

Then there is Daphne Guinness. She was there, and all over the fashion pages that

Gregg Bello and Allison Melnick

Noah Tepperberg and Paul Sevigny

week. I don’t know her, but her recherche chic is just too good to pass up. I could just stare at her (I won’t, I won’t).

She’s a very good-looking woman, and there is great vulnerability behind that delicate and girlish face, and a comportment that speaks an haute confidence that’s not necessarily true.

Then there’s the glitter, and it’s almost thrown away.

For example, that yellow diamond pin on the back

of her tiny Scarlett O’Hara waist at the Lagerfeld lunch.

It’s the closest moment we’re ever going to get to our fin de siècle, like the Bourbons and all those mistresses, not to mention poor Marie Antoinette. Because I don’t know Guinness, I don’t know what her motivation is, but the result is, to my way of thinking, what in the musical theater used to be called “The Eleven O’clock Number.”

The one with the tune you’d

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The Spirit of the Future . . . The Soul of the Past

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A be whistling after the final curtain (if it was a hit), on your way out of the theater.

That’s fashion.

On a Monday night I went over to the New York Public Library for the President’s Council Fall Dinner. Invitations to library dinners and luncheons are at the top of my list. They draw a specific cross-section of the city’s cultural, philanthropic, and business leaders, and at the events, the writers do the talking.

Guests on this night were treated to a discussion, really a Q&A, between Jon Meachem and Ron Chernow. Meachem is the former editor-in-chief of Newsweek and has written

several books, including a biography of Andrew Jackson, and is currently working on a biography of Thomas Jefferson. Chernow has had a prolific career as a biographer, of Alexander Hamilton, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the Warburg Family. He has just published a biography of George Washington, and that was the subject of last night’s discussion.

As Paul LeClerc, the chairman and CEO of the New York Public Library told us in his introductory remarks, Chernow uses the library all of the time and even wrote one of his books

entirely there.

The following night, I went down to Cipriani 42nd Street, where New Yorkers for Children held its annual Fall Gala to benefit youth in foster care in New York City. There are 16,000 young people in foster care in the city. It’s a hard life and a hard way to start out. New Yorkers for Children tries to assist as many as they can. “Alone” is the operative word that afflicts all of these children.

“Dark” is the other word.

There is light in all of us. New Yorkers for Children raised funds to provide college assistance scholarships, tutoring programs, job training, and

networking opportunities.

Students who attend college are provided with allowances, a laptop, living supplies, as well as guidance in making new lives.

They raised $1.6 million.

I think that’s a record. Jamie Niven, from Sotheby’s, conducted an auction that moved them up the few notches to take them to a record.

It was the first major dressy gala of the season and drew a very big crowd, which was somewhat surprising if you read the financial news. And it made record numbers. It is now mainly a group of young women and some men who run this benefit. They sell a

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Kate Allen and Claudia Overstorm 30 QUEST

Heather Leeds, Melinda Blinken and Michel Witmer

Mary Snow, Lisa Errico and Alexandra Lind Rose

Cece Black and Marjorie Reed Gordon

Mary Carpenter and Liz Gardner

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A lot of tickets. The dress-up is part of the entertainment—a big part. The result of their efforts affects the lives of many young New Yorkers starting out alone without any other sense of support.

And NYFC support is real, it makes the difference. As Shantel Schloss, winner of last year’s Spirit Award (given to a student who has excelled), pointed out, “education is everything.”

Through education people can begin to see and realize the possibilities in their own lives.

On the first full day of

autumn, it was very warm, and slightly muggy. Then, in early evening, came thunderclaps and a heavy downpour, cooling things off a bit.

It was also the third day of U.N. Week. Riding across East 57th Street heading toward Fifth Avenue, the orange cones were up, dividing the six lanes: two in the middle for VIPs, diplomats, and their security escorts only.

Then there were two bus-only lanes, one in each direction, and two lanes for the rest of us hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers on one of the

busiest thoroughfares in the nation at mid-day.

New Yorkers have gotten used to the droit de seigneur of our politicians, riding around in caravans, pushing all other traffic aside with their sirens and blue-and-red whirling lights, on their way to more important matters than our day-to-day lives (even though they’re often just on their way to lunch or dinner). It’s particularly galling in the current atmosphere, where taxpayers are being told we have to cut back for this, that, and the other while these guys

are basically traveling in the lap of luxury and convenience, while at the same time leading us down the path to hell in a handbasket.

Aside from all the diplomatic events, the town was hopping. Over at Lincoln Center there was the opening night of the New York Philharmonic season, with Alan Gilbert conducting. It was the annual black-tie gala with dinner following.

Maestro Gilbert opened the evening conducting the orchestra in “The Star Spangled Banner.” Everyone

T h e H u m a n e S o c i e t y o f t h e U n i t e d Stat e s ’ g a l a at t h e p i e r r e

Dalia Oberlander and Nick Brown

Deborah Peeples, Frances Hayward and Alison Mazzola 32 QUEST

Charlene Nederlander

Alana Tabacco and Michael Ellison

Charles Askegard and Sharon Bush

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

Amanda Hearst

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A C i r c a h o st e d t h e k i c k - o f f pa r t y fo r n e w yo r k e r s fo r c h i ld r e n

Marisa Noel Brown and Zani Gugelmann

Selita Ebanks, Maryse Thomas and Angelo Peruzzi

stood and many sang. I had forgotten this tradition before a concert, and was emotionally stirred and uplifted by the music and the message. They evoked memories of the purity of patriotism we were taught in my New England school, which imparted the values of honor, courage, brotherhood, liberty, and justice for all. It was a green world then, in my memory, far fresher and more vibrant than what we see daily in these blustering times. It was a beautiful moment.

The program opened with the U.S. Premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Swing 34 QUEST

Lara Meiland Shaw

Mario Singer and Steven Butensky

Devon Aoki and Chris Del Gatto

Symphony (Symphony No. 3). The Marsalis work was a co-commission of the New York Philharmonic with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and The Barbican, London. The world premiere was held this past June in Berlin.

Fashion and Dashin’.

Entitled to arrogance. A recent issue of New York magazine ran a cover called, “Who Runs New York?”

Answer: read the magazine.

And then you tell me. I flipped to a photograph of the “most photographed” partygoers since I’ve personally

photographed most of them. I recognized all but two or three.

But found myself turning the page before looking them all over—but more on that later.

I turned to the article on a hedge fund manager named David Tepper. One of the paragraphs starts out: “Tepper has a pair of brass testicles. Cartoonishly huge and grotesquely veiny, they are affixed to a plaque inscribed with the words ‘The Most Valuable Set of All Time.’

Whatta guy!”

From another part of the piece, Tepper has “certainly got a touch of arrogance, but

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he’s really entitled to it…”

Comes with the brass testicles, no doubt.

Let ‘Em Eat Cake, the revival. Then I turned to a piece, “Looking for the Next Mrs. Astor.” This is a variation on a magazine edit idea that’s on its way to becoming as old as Mrs. Astor was at the time of her tabloidized demise. Any such search should be preceded by another: “Looking for the Next Mr. Astor.”

New York’s nominee was Lauren Santo Domingo, née Davis, a long, tall drink of water from Greenwich who

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A married one Andres Santo Domingo, one of the heirs of Julio Mario Santo Domingo who practically owns Colombia and is reputedly worth almost as many billions as David Tepper made last year.

The comparison between Lauren Santo Domingo and Brooke Astor was purportedly based on their activity in charity events, their rich husbands, and their contributing editorships at a Condé Nast publication.

However, Mrs. Astor came into her own as a social queen only after her nettlesome, very rich, and no longer young husband kicked the bucket

and left her millions to give to charity, as well as millions to give to herself. She was in her mid-fifties at the time. The world she lived in required from her more than a gaggle of friendships like those Santo Domingo reportedly has with up-and-coming dress designers who give her “access to clothes months before they hit the shelves.”

The main difference between Brooke Astor and any Considered Successor today is that Astor played a public role like a good actress, and she played it well. The role required dignity, integrity, charity, intellect, propriety,

manners, and charm. She was eminently prepared from a lifetime of experience, and she fulfilled them all authentically.

She was a woman who knew exactly what she was doing under the circumstances. Like any good regal personage, she made others feel good about being in her presence with those qualities. Whatever her weaknesses, they were played out after her departure from this life, a final stroke of good luck.

The money helped Brooke Astor—did wonders of course—but essentially it was her personality that elevated her to media heights rarely

achieved in any age by a woman of means.

Of course Brooke Astor was born into an age quite different from that of a young woman like Lauren Santo Domingo. The requisites for Social Queendom today are apparently: long legs, short skirts, very high heels, an expensive handbag, and an iPhone. And maybe her own reality TV show. Although it didn’t work for the natural choice: Tinsley Mortimer.

Which brings me back to the aforementioned New York list of the forty most photographed people on today’s social scene, according

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Miguel Fabregas, Rachel Meakins and Ally Menoutis

Dasha Krasniakova and Richard Beard 36 QUEST

Paula Medeiros and Shad Azimi

Alexia Pentheroudaki, Evina Vassilies and Stacy Drosatou

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e t i f fa n y l e at h e r c o l l ec t i o n l u n c h eo n h o st e d by m u f f i e p ot t e r a sto n

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to data compiled from the photo archive of Patrick McMullan. Patrick and his small army of photographers for hire cover 70% of the photographable social activities in New York. He’s been doing it for decades now and is by dint of time, Ole Reliable.

Looking at the chart, which has Fern Mallis as the most photographed of all, indicates that the list was compiled during Fashion Week since Mallis is the head of it all and was everywhere because she had to be, as were Patrick’s photographers. A number of other individuals on the list 38 QUEST

John Truex and Faye Waddleton

Daniel Boulud, Muffie Potter Aston and Richard Lambertson

were also ubiquitous on the Fashion Week scene, hence their presence. Then there are the charity girls, whose relationships to the society photographer is best described in Alexandra Lebenthal’s novel The Recessionistas.

Lebenthal, who besides writing, also works in business, identifies herself as one whose presence in front of the camera is often no accident. She identifies it as a game, not unrelated to chess in some ways.

There is a theory making the media rounds these days that society in New York is no longer what was because of

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the women’s movement. I’ve expressed the observation several times that all the changes in our society over the past half-century are the result of all the liberation movements, beginning with Civil Rights and moving right along into feminism and gay liberation.

Society of the eras of the Mesdames Astor— first Carolina and her granddaughter-in-law almost a century later—was defined, however, by groups where both women reigned. At the beginning of the 21st century, now Mrs. Astor-less, there is a society motivated not by the

desire to “belong,” as it was in the days of the Mrs. Astors, but by the desire to be seen and noticed, which is best achieved by the photograph.

The motivation is often couched in terms of being a volunteer for a good cause.

It is true that many women (and men) are motivated to volunteer for a good cause, but, for many, it’s mainly about the attention—not unlike the attention you get when you look in the mirror.

Which could even lead you to conclude that the answer to New York magazine’s question, “Who Runs New York?” might be the bathroom mirror.

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A J . mc l au g h l i n c e l e b r at e d t h e g r a n d o p e n i n g o f i ts l e x i n g to n av e n u e sto r e s

Liliana Cavendish and George Farias

Joan McLaughlin, Julie McLaughlin, John McLaughlin and Jay McLaughlin

Liz Lange and Jane Wagman 40 QUEST

Lib Goss

Katie Tozer and Jack Lynch

Kevin McLaughlin

Chris McLaughlin, Steven Siegler and Dale Jones

Liz Carey and Barbara McLaughlin

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

Milly De Cabrol and Jeffrey Podolsky

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A L i s a B i r n b ac h a n d C h i p K i d d l au n c h e d t r u e p r e p at b r o o k s b r ot h e r s

Anne Vincent and Charles Nordeen

Chris Schumacher, Kate Schelter, Natacha Polaert and Kelechi Odu

Andrew Bevan 42 QUEST

Alvina Patel

Carter Peabody, Janie Bryant and Chris Wallace

Kurt Anderson

Lisa Birnbach

Chip Kidd and Thom Browne

Arthur Wayne and Leslie Stevens

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

Avery Baker

RO G E R E R I C K S O N

N E W F A L L O F F E R I N G S

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A T h e n e w yo r k b ota n i c a l ’ s a n n ua l r o s e g a r d e n d i n n e r da n c e honoring friederike and jeremy biggs

Friederike Biggs

Peter Sacerdote, Ann Johnson, Bonnie Sacerdote and Charles Johnson

Marvin and Mary Davidson with Jean and Harry Burn 44 QUEST

Marge Champion and Lewis Cullman

Melissa Bradley and Jeremy Biggs

Richard and Maureen Chilton

Roly and Eliot Nolen

Dotty and Lionel Goldfrank

Caroline and Robert Williamson

c u t t y m cg i ll

James Benenson and Ken Roman

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D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A q u e st c e l e b r at e d t h e 4 0 0 at d o u b l e s

Shirley Lord Rosenthal

Camilla Bradley and Thorne Perkin

Kiwi Hilliard, Chuck Wittingham and Missie Taylor

John and Ingrid Connelly

Chappy Morris, Fernanda Kellogg, Kirk Henckels and Jamie McGuire

Bartle Bull 46 QUEST

Eleanora and Michael Kennedy

Barbara Harbach, Bill Harbach and Wendy Vanderbilt

Mary Hilliard and Landon Hilliard

Grace Meigher and Wendy Carduner

Martha Glass, Nicole Limbocker and Barbara Glascock

Dennis Basso, Barbie Bancroft and Michael Cominotto

o l i v e r a m e s / dav i d pat r i c k co lu m b i a

Mark Gilbertson and Libby Fitzgerald

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A q u e st c e l e b r at e d t h e 4 0 0 at d o u b l e s

Alex Donner, Gail Hilson and Bob Hardwick

Carol Mack, Somers Farkas and Amy Fine Collins

o l i v e r a m e s / dav i d pat r i c k co lu m b i a

Mai Harrison with Donald and Muffy Miller

Brad Hvolbeck

Jacques Leviant with Emilia and Pepe Fanjul

Missy and John McCloy with Georgina Schaeffer and Marcia Schaeffer

Marc de Bary and Mary McFadden

Sherrell and Muffie Potter Aston with Si Anthony

Daniel Benedict, Elizabeth Meigher, Andrew Saffir and Elizabeth Brown

Denise De Luca, Di Petroff and Gigi Stone

Ann Jeffery and Emilia Saint-Amand

Marc Rosen and Arlene Dahl

Asher Simcoe, Chris Breck and Chris Leach OCTOBER 2010 47

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A fa s h i o n ’ s n i g h t o u t at c a r o l i n a h e r r e r a o n b ot h c o a sts

Kimberly Kassel and Lizzie Tisch

Tyler March and Anna Mostrom 48 QUEST

Lindsay Sacks, Kyle Martino and Eva Ammuri

Caitlin Davis and Kingsley Carson

Olivier Vermeiren and Kimberly McGowan

Ludwig Heissmeyer, Caroline Browns and Marc Puig

Wilson Cruz

Paul Norton

Lindsay Fox and Flo Fulton

Brittany Lichliper and Lee Rittiner

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

Caitlin Sleichter and Alexandra Algorri

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A t h e s i x t h a n n ua l f ê t e d e s w i f t y to b e n e f i t t h e m ayo r ’ s f u n d o f n e w yo r k c i t y

Margo Langenberg, Edgar Batista and Sabrina Forsythe

Donald and Susan Newhouse

Emilia Fazzalari and Alia Varsano 50 QUEST

Rob Speyer, Megan Sheekey and Michael Bloomberg

Sheryl Lieberman and Amanda Rees

Whitney and Robert Douglass

Stephen Attoe, Blaine Caravaggi and Robert Caravaggi

Tom McCarter, Frances Scaife, Todd Romano and Polly Onet

Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild

Ana and Peter Bertuglia

Robby Browne

A performer

Patty Harris and Rod O’Connell

Darren Walker and Liz Smith

Annette Tapert and Peter Rogers

Ana Vilma Soler and Tobie Roosevelt

pat r i c k m c m u ll a n

Diana Oswald and Michael McCarty

Wolf Jakubowski

Kathryn Steinberg

MAGNIFICENCE AT 25 CC

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UES. Excl. Gracious 9 w/ picture windows on park, formal LR & Library each with fireplace, large master suite facing south with dual large marble baths, closets galore, Maint: $7,065. $23.5M. WEB# 988683.

Sol Howard 212-906-9213

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Fifth Ave. Excl. Rare high full flr PW duplex on Central Park. 3BR, 3 bath, LR, libry, DR, chefs EIK, wbfps, dbl staff rm/4th BR w/bath.

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80th/E. Excl.

Renovated to perfection, 4 story plus finished bsmnt.

Living room, dining room, chef’s kit, 2 play rooms, 5BR, 5 bath, 2 powder rooms, deck & garden. Beautiful. $10.45M. WEB# 1116494.

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Graham Uffelman

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STUNNING UES TOWNHOUSE

TRUE PERFECTION ON FIFTH

4BR CONDOMINIUM W/TERRACE

Miriam Sirota

70s/bet Park & Lex. Excl. 5 story mint Townhouse. Charming block. Masterfully renovated, magnificent design + light. Soaring ceilings, 5 fps. Chef’s eat-in-kitchen. South garden + terrace. $7.995M. WEB# 1046893.

John Burger 212-906-9274

UES. Excl. Glam XXX mint renovn. Grand classic 6 w/huge terr on 5th Ave in white glove Co-op. 2BR, 3.5 bath, LR, FDR, EIK, maids rm, lndry rm. $6.5M. WEB# 1107275.

Cathy Franklin 212-906-9236 Alexis Bodenheimer 212-906-9230

70s/Park Ave. Excl. Hi floor apt in established condo, 70th & Park. 2,700SF w/4BR, 4 bath + 600SF Terr. Outstanding open city/park views. Great light and spacious layout. $5.25M. WEB# 1029779.

Caroline E. Y. Guthrie, ELC Div. 212 396-5858

Rajan Khanna

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.

D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A T h e s e v e n t y - f i r st a m b a s s a d o r s c u p at t h e m a s h om ac k p o l o c l u b

Teresa Colley

Teams line up for play

Kristina Zimmerman, Claudia Styger, Vera Hassen and Wendy Svarre

Karen and John Klopp

Players pose after the Hunter-sponsored match

Antoine Serval, Bruce Colley, Caroline Geerling, Sam Metzger and Davis Colley

Simon and Caroline Merison with Carolyne Roehm 52 QUEST

Team Quest

Sam Ramirez of the Moncler team

The Quest team bests the Assouline team

c u t t y m cg i ll

Carlos Mansur, Prosper Assouline and Roderick Vere Nicoll

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event

a golden gala for silver hill

Appreciative of his own treatment at Silver Hill Hospital, Michael Cominotto will honor the institution on November 11. Together with his partner, Dennis Basso, he plans to host a gala at Cipriani 42nd Street, with all proceeds benefitting the hospital’s scholarship fund for young people needing treatment. The evening will also celebrate the hospital’s eightieth anniversary of restoring mental health.

Dr. Sigurd Ackerman, president and medical director, says, “The event is the inspiration of Michael, who has 54 QUEST

remained closely connected to the hospital as a volunteer. Because of the event, we have been able to make many new friends and spread the word about the meaningful work we do.”

Silver Hill Hospital is located in New Canaan, Connecticut where it serves as a preeminent resource for patients seeking the best possible treatment for psychiatric and addictive disorders. u For more information on the event, call 212.843.1741 or e-mail shh@hgnyc.com.

Co u rte s y o f s i lv e r h i ll h o s pi ta l

At Silver Hill Hospital, patients receive superior care in the midst of a picturesque setting.

MADISON SQUARE PARK

SPRAWLING 7 ROOM HOME

Gramercy/Flatiron Exclusive Beautiful loft-like 2,646SF condo in small boutique full service building.

Elegant gallery, 15’6x26’2 Living Room w/14’4 ceils. FDR, beautiful bright kit w/many features & three private BRs w/en suite bths. $4.750M. Web#1812386 Louise Phillips, EVP 212.381.3329

70s/WEA Exclusive Features grand gallery; expansive entertaining space; chef’s EIK; 2 huge BRS; 2 mds rms Converted to BRS; 3 renovated baths. High Ceils, herringbone flrs & orig prewar detail. W/D. Excel cond. Preeminent 1916 DM Bldg. $3.150M. Web#625428 Pat Harbison, EVP 212.381.2205

GRAND CLASSIC 6 (OR 7) 70s/East Exclusive This over-sized “6” easily becomes a 7-room home! Imposing entry gallery, sunken Living Room w/wbfp, grand FDR, butler’s pantry, windowed Eat-in-kitchen, 2 MBR’s + maids room. Fab details! White-glove prewar co-op. $2.595M. Web#1849014 Dan Danielli, SVP 212.381.3325

DOWNTOWN COOL ON UES

FABULOUS 3 BEDROOM, 2.5 BATH

SUNSETS & SAILBOATS

80s/East Exclusive Sophisticated, lofty, 2 Bedroom, 2.5 bath condo built 2005. High floor, high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, great light and open city views. Magnificent finishes in stateof-art kitchen & baths. Concierge, gym, play room, garage. $2.35M. Web#1883804 Karen Wigdor, EVP 212.381.3207

East 74th St Exclusive Apt. entry foyer leads to beautiful Living Room/Dining Room w/ planted terrace & gorgeous Views. Gourmet open kitchen.

Beautiful master bedroom & 2 other bedroom’s.

High floor, great open views & terrace, has it all! $2.199M. Web#1871751 Monica Podell, EVP 212.381.3231

70s/West Exclusive Super Schwab! Mint O’sized 2BR/2Bth, reno kit w/granite counters, subzero fridge.

Direct river views w/ o’sized wndws, great storage, top FS Co-op in Manhattan pets ok, near best Rest & shops, low maint. $1.395M. Web#1866718 Amelia Gewirtz, EVP 212.381.2219 Andrew Phillips, EVP 212.381.2227

LUXURIOUS WATERFRONT TOWNHOUSE Rowayton, CT Located on the site of the old Stephens Oyster Warehouse, this is one of four new luxury townhomes offering extraordinary views of Five Mile River. All amenities, including elevator & maintenance free living. $2.95M. Web#98440622 Jeanne Hurty 203.656.6545 Liz Beinfield 203.656.6595

Halstead Property, LLC I Halstead Property Connecticut, LLC 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.

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CALENDAR

OCTOBER Dinner at 6:30 p.m. at The Union League Club. For more information, call 212.763.8591.

12

dancing with the stars

The Stars of New York Dance will hold a dance competition beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the New York Marriott. For more information, call 917.623.7299. flawless fête

The Skin Cancer Foundation will host the annual Skin Sense Award Gala at 6 p.m. at the Pierre. For more information, call 212.725.5176. fabulous fiesta

Casita Maria will celebrate FIESTA, its annual fund-raising event, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mandarin Oriental. For more information, call 914.579.1000.

16

Han Couture

NTDTV will host the Global Han Couture Design Competition at 1 p.m. in the Metropolitan Pavilion. For more information, call 646.736.2969.

18

lovely birdie

Debra of America’s twelfth-annual Mats Wilander Celebrity Tennis and Golf Classic will be held at the Westchester Country Club.

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call 212.868.1573.

19

We are family

Couture from China will walk the runway as NTDTV hosts the Global Han Couture Design Competition on October 16th, with runway shows begining at 1 p.m. For more information, call 646.736.2969.

1

2

The Sophia Institute will host the three-day Women of Wisdom Conference in Charleston. For more information, call 843.720.8528.

The New York Culinary Experience will host a cooking class at 9 a.m. and at the French Culinary Institute. For more information, call 646.314.4413.

wise gals

pony up

The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation’s Pink Pony Fund will partner with Charity Buzz for an auction that will take place through the 21st. For more information, call 212.251.2500.

56 QUEST

culinary camp

3

Pier 60. For more information, call 646.736.2969.

7

Pirouette in the city

The New York City Ballet will hold its fall gala at 5:30 p.m. at Lincoln Center. For more information, call 212.870.5585.

Chinese Cuisine

The winners of the third-annual Chinese Culinary International Competition will prepare a banquet of Chinese cuisine at 5:30 p.m. at

The Family Party will be held at 5 p.m at the American Museum of Natural History. For more information, call 212.769.5166.

Hollister awards

The fiftieth anniversary gala Hollister Awards Dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Pierre. For more information, call 212.573.9224.

20

cosmopolitan cocktails

Girls Quest will host an annual benefit at 6:30 p.m. at the Cosmopolitan Club. For more information, call 212.532.7050.

Children of peace

The Catholic Guardian Society and Home Bureau will host the twentyfifth annual Child of Peace Award

Fall fête

The Associates Committee will hold the Fountain House Fall Fête at 6:30

CALENDAR

OCTOBER

28

at the opera

The New York City Opera will open its season with cocktails at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Center. For more information, call 203.228.5090.

November 1

Action for awareness

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation will host this month’s Lung Cancer Awareness Luncheon at the Waldorf=Astoria. For more information, call 646.290.5154.

3

living Landmarks

The New York Landmarks Conservancy will hold the 2010 Living Landmarks Celebration at 7 p.m. at the Plaza. For more informaion, call 914.235.1490.

Driving miss daisy

Enjoy cocktails and a performance from the New York City Ballet at its fall gala at 5:30 p.m. on October 7th. The event will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, followed by a Supper Ball. For more information, call 212.870.5585. p.m. at Fendi. For more information, call 212.874.5457.

Hotel. For more information, call 212.687.3924.

21

25

Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research will host the Angel Ball at 6:30 p.m. at Cipriani Wall Street. For more information, call 212.254.6677.

Broadway will salute Arts Horizons with cocktails at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and awards at the Edicon Ballroom. For more information, call 212.672.0509.

Preview party

heart of gold

The Society of Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center will host the twenty-second annual Preview Party for the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show at the Park Avenue Armory in New York at 6 p.m. For more information, call 212.639.7972.

God’s Love We Deliver will hold the annual Golden Heart Awards Celebration at the IAC Center at 7 p.m. For more information, call 212.294.8162.

Guardian angel

22

art and antiques

The twenty-second International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show will be held at the Park Avenue Armory. For more information, call 212.642.8572. girl power

The Feminist Press at the City University of New York will host its fortieth anniversary gala reception at 6 p.m. at the Roosevelt 58 QUEST

humanitarian horizons

host its Green Ball at 7 p.m. in Central Park. For more information, call 212.310.6619.

27

An American SoirÉe

The French American Foundation hosts its gala dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Waldorf=Astoria. For more information, call 212.829.8800.

The American Cancer Society will hold its fall theatre benefit for Broadway’s Driving Miss Daisy.

The evening will include an 8 p.m. performance at the John Golden Theatre. For more information, call 212.237.3888.

8

gaga for guggenheim

The Guggenheim Museum will host its annual Guggenheim International Gala at 7 p.m. at the Museum for African Art. For more information, call 212.423.3500.

26

Toast at tiffany’s

The associates committee will host a benefit party for Lenox Hill Neighborhood House starting at 7 p.m. at Tiffany & Co. For more information, call 212.744.5022. jump around

The Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles will hold its sixth anniversary gala at 6:30 p.m. at Espace. For more information, call 203.869.2002. party in the park

The Central Park Conservancy will

View many of the world’s most influencial art and antique dealers from the U.S. and Europe at the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers show on October 22nd. For more information, call 212.642.8572.

huge 8 on pArk, terrACe

Best of fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue • $11,900,000 • Pierre Hotel Tower!

Baronial, 6-room home perched on the 25th floor with expansive views of Central Park and the Midtown skyline. Residential living with Hotel Amenities. Web#1288186. Anne Z. Easton 212.891.7078

ClAssiC duplex home

72ndSt/off Park Ave. • $2,295,000 • Elegantly redesigned 2/3 bedroom duplex features expansive great room, large eat-in kitchen, double sized master suite, guest room/den, 3 deluxe baths + maids room. Web#1238226. Marcy Stein,SVP 917.597.2418

Fifth Ave, 86th Street $3,495,000 • Rambling 3+ master bedroom with usable terrace over the Park and Museum. Also, formal dining room, library, maids.

A fabulous space to renovate. Open views all around.

Gym, garage. Web#1282683.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Brown 646.338.2026, 212.319.5432

unique gem in luxury Condo

Financial District • $1,499,000 • Sun-drenched 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Superb design details. 10.5 ft. beamed ceilings with views of Rector St. Close to everything. Deck/roof lounge, billiards room, gym, valet services. Web#1277946. Flemming Brown 212.337.6113, Ariel Cohen 212.337.6105

CAviAr dreAms + full pArk vieWs

Central Park South • $3,200,000 • Postcard views of Central Park from the ultimate 1 bedroom!

Professionally designed to pamper, this spacious home features a state-of-the-art lifestyle in a F/S Pre-war. Web#1290606. Corinne Pulitzer, EVP 212.650.4832, 347.297.1022

sprAWling high front

East 73 St, Park Ave. $2,495,000 • Wraps SW corner at 73. Sunny open views.

Large square foyer, bar, PDR opens to living room. Corner master bedroom, paneled library/MBR. Spacious windowed kitchen. Gracious layout. Gym, bike room.

Web#1282678.

Elizabeth (Lisa) Brown 646.338.2026, 212.319.5432

mAnhAttAn

long islAnd

16’ Celings World ClAss Apt

Financial District • $795,000 • Building designed

by Armani Casa, top-of-the-line finishes, convertible 1 bedroom. Sophisticated amenities: Hamman spa, pool, gym, golf simulation, billiards, roof deck, valet. Web#1236920. Flemming Brown 212.337.6113, Ariel Cohen 212.337.6105

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.

H A R RY B E N S O N

IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY It was a cold winter’s day in Febru-

ary, 1979. I took a cab to Soho and was met at the door of the Leo Castelli Gallery by a smart, dapper little man. When we met, the first thing Castelli said to me was, “Let’s have lunch. I’m going to bring my favorite piece of modern art with us.”

It turned out to be his handsome Dalmatian, Paddy. “Look at his spots, black and white, magnificent...” But when I suggested the dog might not be allowed inside the restaurant, Castelli just smiled.

On the walk to one of his favorite Italian haunts, Castelli spoke to friends as they passed by. Outside the restaurant, people would stop to say hello—hugging and kissing, and chatting all the while. You could safely say he was the King of Soho. He told me how great it was to see the area being transformed from an industrial site into a center for the art world.

I photographed him around Soho and in the gallery. His former wife, Ileana, stopped by the gallery while I was there.

It is where he seemed most relaxed, sitting with Paddy among the art work.

60 QUEST

Very fastidious about his clothes, he hung his overcoat carefully on a hanger.

We got along quite well, and he would explain what he looked for in art. As we spoke, he casually mentioned up-andcoming artists. I probably should have listened more closely. It was fascinating hearing him ruminate about all the artists he represented.

After a while I had to rush off as I had another assignment that day. But then we did go on to meet from time to time at art openings and such.

Leo Castelli was a superstar with an elegant demeanor, always dressed to the nines. He was on the cutting-edge—showing Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella before anyone else did, and exuding such confidence in these artists that the whole art world followed suit. He enjoyed life so much he seemed like someone who wanted to live forever. He intimated as much.

I would say quite simply that Leo Castelli loved his life and loved his art and loved the adventure in discovering new artists and presenting them to the world. u

Leo Castelli with his dog, Paddy, in his Soho gallery in 1979. A Frank Stella sculpture dominates the wall behind him.

P h oto C r e d i t G o e s HERE

Ta k i

winston’s war

Winston Churchill in a parade giving his sign for victory.

The latest hagiography about

Churchill to hit the Americas, Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945, was written

by Sir Max Hastings, an old adversary of mine who is a damn good military historian but also a first-class poser and 62 QUEST

as phony an aristocrat as I’ve ever come across. Max was knighted about eight years ago for services to journalism—he was Conrad Black’s editor at the Daily Telegraph—a knighthood he deserved almost as much as he deserves a thrash-

ing for pretending to be something he’s not. Both his parents were ink-stained wretches, as journalists are referred to by those in the know, and like their son, both put on upper-class airs they picked up by observing their betters.

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Ta k i

Richard H. “Dick” Case parachuted into France with the 101st Airborne Division on D-Day; a B-24 Liberator on a bombing mission over Germany in 1945.

Nevermind. The Hastings brood is neither the first nor the last to embellish their antecedents, but in Max’s case it’s a pity because he does write like a dream, especially about war.

(He’s written more than twenty books.)

His latest is a whitewash of a man I consider a war criminal for allowing the Dresden bombing to take place during the closing days of World War II and the continuous firebombing of unarmed German civilians in the same period. Again, nevermind. There were bigger monsters on the world stage at the time, Churchill being probably the best-intentioned among them.

According to Hastings, Churchill was an aristocrat and an imperialist, an anachronism even in the 1930s. He had the deserved reputation as being impulsive, excitable, vain, bombastic, and unreliable. As first lord of the admiralty, in 1915 he had made the disastrous decision to seize Gallipoli, sending thousands upon thousands of Australian troops to die before Turkish machine-gun fire, but then Churchill thought nothing of sacrificing descendants of convicts. He also hated Indians, not our kind, but those of the sub-continent. He called them “stinking babus,” and was on record as saying that he hated Indians, “a beastly people with a beastly religion.”

He also said that Gandhi “ought to be lain bound hand and foot at the gates of Delhi and then trampled on by an 64 QUEST

enormous elephant with our new viceroy seated on its back.”

It gets worse. He defended imperial atrocities against Dutch farmers in South Africa, recommended concentration camps as causing “the minimum of suffering,” and after 15,000 deaths in the camps, he dismissed them as an irritant. As war secretary, he unleashed the notorious Black and Tans on Ireland’s Catholics in 1920 to burn their homes and beat civilians. He advocated using poisoned gas against Iraqi tribes, and favored terror against civilians.

Not very nice, an American upperclassman might say in typical understatement, but then Churchill was not a very nice man. In fact, he was a monster, less so than Hitler and Stalin, and equal to that other monster of ours, Roosevelt. Hastings does not ignore such details, but brushes over such them and mentions Winston’s excessive smoking and drinking, the two habits I certainly approve of.

The author observes that Churchill’s chief leadership qualification was that he was supremely focused. While Hitler dreamed more about “Greater Germany” than on how to win, Winnie “governed on the basis that all other interests and considerations must be subordinated to the overarching objective of defeating Germany.” One very interesting part of the book has to do with the special relationship. It illustrates that it was a figment of

English imagination. Roosevelt actively sought to subvert the empire. He held secret meetings with the Soviets, and routinely undermined Churchill’s attempts to provide guarantees to Eastern European nations. (Stalin smirked to FDR that Poland “was a source of trouble for 500 years.”

Roosevelt smiled back.) In one notorious incident in Teheran in 1943, Stalin suggested to FDR that the Allies shoot 50,000 German officers out of hand, and Roosevelt rejoined jovially that it should be 49,000. Churchill, to his credit, walked out of the room.

Hastings has harsh words for writers like my friend Pat Buchanan, who thinks that Britain could have avoided entanglement in the war by allowing Germany and Russia to destroy each other. I am of the same opinion.

Hastings writes that Nazi Germany would have turned against the West once it had disposed of Soviet Russia.

I believe that the war would have remained a stalemate in the East, America and Britain together would have made peace with Hitler once he had been weakened in Russia, the Jewish question would have been solved without anything involving a final solution, and at present Europe as I used to know it would be a great civilization in tandem with the good old U.S. of A. But that’s the beauty of history. “What ifs” are as much fun to write about as the real thing. u

ROBERT A. McCAFFREY REALTY Garrison • Cold Spring, NY • 60 Mins NYC

143 Main Street, Cold Spring, NY 10516 Tel: 845.265.4113 • www.mccaffreyrealty.com

Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess MLS

info@mccaffreyrealty.com

Garrison/Cortlandt

$1,650,000

Courtside. This rustic stone barn, whose distinctive architecture sets it apart from the ordinary, has been converted into 10,000 square feet of luxurious living space. The home features large public rooms, country kitchen and 7-8 bedrooms and a separate 2 bedroom apartment, ideal for guests, staff or income. The beautifully landscaped 4 acre property, surrounded by preserved land, also offers a tennis court and gunite pool.

PUTNAM VALLEY

$1,850,000

Exquisite Arts and Crafts home on 20 private acres. Restored 1932 residence offers great room with cathedral ceilings and stone fireplace, gourmet eat-in-kitchen, 4 bedrooms and 2 full and 2 half baths. The property includes a separate stone building with finished great room, stone patios, rambling creek with waterfall and pond, stone walls and a sauna.

GARRISON

$1,250,000

Built in 1995, with European flair and dramatic details, this classic country home offers spacious living room with 30-ft ceiling, formal dining room and mahogany paneled library, all with fireplaces. High ceilings, herringbone wood floors and security system add to the appeal. The 2+ acre setting blooms with gardens, an in-ground pool and seasonal stream.

EAST FISHKILL, Dutchess County

$2,495,000

Wiccopee House. Circa 1894, this beautiful estate sited on 17.6 acres, includes the 7000 square foot Georgian style main house featuring 6 bedrooms, gleaming wood floors, multiple fireplaces, period details and a gourmet kitchen. The well-proportioned rooms and classic styling invite a gracious country lifestyle. Additional features include a 100’ x 30’ barn with a 2 bedroom apartment, paddock, pool, and tennis court.

Member of Westchester/Putnam, MLS • Mid-Hudson MLS (Dutchess County) Greater Hudson Valley MLS • (Orange, Rockland, Ulster, Sullivan Counties) For more information on these and other listings, many with full brochures and floor plans, visit our website: www.mccaffreyrealty.com

Quest

Fresh Finds by da n i e l c a p p e l lo AND e l i z a b e t h m e i g h e r

fall is in the air, and no

month feels as crisp or as cool as October does. So go ahead and plunge into fall fashion’s best. Don’t forget that it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means that many companies are devoting proceeds from special products to breast-cancer research. So whether you’re in need of a new fur, or just want to support the cause, why not splurge a little?

The Tiffany orange topaz cushioncut pendant with diamonds set in platinum is the perfect color for autumn. Price upon request. Tiffany & Co.: 800.843.3269 or tiffany.com.

Asprey’s Notting Hill bags come in calf with crocodile trim ($5,900) or ostrich with crocodile trim ($12,250). Asprey: 853 Madison Avenue, 212.688.1811, or asprey.com.

Get your fur on with this dark silvery sable coat with black alligator trim. $195,000.

Dennis Basso: 765 Madison Avenue or dennisbasso.com.

66 QUEST

In celebration of Cavalli’s fortieth anniversary comes this animal-print scarf in different silks. $600-800. Roberto Cavalli: Roberto Cavalli boutiques or robertocavalli.com.

The iconic alligator Ricky 33 bag comes in pink, with all profits benefiting Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation’s Pink Pony Fund. $16,995.

Ralph Lauren: 888 Madison Avenue or 212.434.8000.

These ear pendants, from the Évasions Joaillières Collection, come with white gold, tanzanites, onyx, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds.

Price upon request. Cartier: 653 Fifth Avenue, 212.446.3400,

V i n c e n t W u lv e ryc k © C a rt i e r 2 0 10

or cartier.com.

Partial proceeds from David Yurman’s woven rubber bracelet with silver clasp will benefit breast cancer research. $275.

David Yurman: David Yurman boutiques.

Lilly Pulitzer has Twenty-five percent of proceeds from the limited-edition Dream sunglasses ($120) and notebook ($15) will benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. BCBG: BCBGMAXAZRIA boutiques or bcbg.com.

a sleek array of fall cocktail dresses, including the Shauna tunic in cotton sateen. $198.

Lilly Pulitzer: 1020 Madison Avenue, 212.744.4620, or lillypulitzer.com.

OCTOBER 2010 67

Fresh Finds

The Prestige earrings with

Perfect for carrying around

12-mm. white South Sea

town: the gold-metal frame

pearls, diamonds, and kunzite,

faux alligator clutch.

set in platinum. $33,000.

$155. J. McLaughlin: 1004

Mikimoto: 730 Fifth Avenue

Lexington Avenue,

or mikimotoamerica.com.

1311 Madison Avenue, or jmclaughlin.com.

Veronica Beard’s modern cuts on classic jackets hit the nail on the Ten percent of proceeds from the

head, including

Sweet October watch, with

this India Jacket with beach dickey.

pink cabochon crown, will benefit Susan G. Komen

$945. Veronica

for the Cure. $1,250.

Beard: Available at Edit NY,

Raymond Weil:

212.876.1368.

Bloomingdale’s.

Brilliant-cut diamonds, like drops of dew on a spider web, trigger

68 QUEST

Go gaga for anything by

a fascinating theater

Sinclaire 10, including

of light on these white

this gray wool-viscose blend

and rose gold bracelets.

Benson Frill Coat. $495.

$20,125. Wempe:

Sinclaire 10: Saks Fifth

700 Fifth Avenue or

Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue,

212.397.9000.

800.347.9177.

Prep it up this fall with a modern twist on favorite

Why just beach it

checks and prints—not

on your fall Caribbean

to mention bow ties—such as

escape when you

this look by Michael Bastian.

can rent Fifty-Fifty, the sixty-ft. ocean sport

Michael Bastian: Barneys New

fishing yacht, for the

York, 660 Madison Avenue,

day? Casa de Campo:

212.826.8900.

800.877.3643 or casadecampo.com.do.

Nothing is softer than the sueded feel of J. Crew’s vintage flannel shirt in winterbrook plaid. $69.50.

J. Crew: 800.562.0258 or jcrew.com.

From Basel with love: the Oyster Perpetual Explorer 39-mm. stainless steel Rolex with Oysterlock bracelet. $5,625.

Rolex: 800.36.ROLEX or rolex.com.

Splash on a citrus cocktail of pink grapefruit, bergamot, and tangerine with Lacoste Essential Sport. $42-65. Lacoste: Bloomingdale’s, 1000 Third Avenue, 800.777.0000.

The soft-leather Range Hold-All bag features New Zealand deerskin and jacquard lining. $2,355. Montblanc: 598 Madison Avenue, 212.223.8888, or montblanc.com.

OCTOBER 2010 69

o p e n h o use

Sotheby’s International Realty

spoke with Quest about the benefits offered by a global brand.

How does being a global brand enhance Sotheby’s International Realty’s ability to serve its clients?

KATHY KORTE: Our brand was founded, and is still owned, by Sotheby’s, a centuries-old organization that is recognized and respected around the world. We deliver global opportunities that provide our clients’ properties with unparalleled exposure to qualified buyers from Los Angeles to London, from Hong Kong to Sao Paulo. When local buyers understand that we can identify a mover and shaker 00 QUEST

from anywhere who can meet the asking price, they step up more quickly.

DIANE LEVINE: When recently listing a townhouse on Central Park West, our agent was able to call a Sotheby’s auction expert and assist the homeowner in evaluating the selling possibilities of the contemporary art on the oversized gallerylike walls of the home. Our connection also allowed us to advertise the home in a Sotheby’s contemporary art catalogue, providing exposure to buyers with a need for a home to house their collection.

How does Sotheby’s cater to its clients differently than other agencies?

DL: Many of our clients with New York City homes own multiple homes. Since

co u rte s y o f s ot h e by ’ s i n t e r n at i o n a l r e a lt y

worldwide experts

we are part of a vast international network, we are able to connect them with a professional realtor with expertise and housing inventory in other locations.

When an agent refers a client to another agent, they want to be assured that they’ll receive the same expertise.

How does Sotheby’s International Realty provide for an international client differently than a local client?

ELLIE JOHNSON: Our management team is extremely skilled at hiring agents who are multicultural, embrace diverse lifestyles, and are well educated and traveled. These traits, combined with their real-estate expertise, allow them to provide our clients the utmost care.

What is the relationship between the company’s New York City office and affiliated international offices?

EJ: Sotheby’s International Realty in New York City serves as a hub for global training in partnership with the auction house and affiliate corporate leadership. On any day, I might find myself having a meal with an affiliate owner, discussing their markets and creating strategies.

What can Sotheby’s International Realty uniquely offer its clients, with offices around the world?

EJ: Our agents have a unique opportunity to instantly become part of one of the world’s largest luxury real-estate networks, allowing them to immediately promote properties on a global scale to affiliate offices in thirty-nine countries within twenty-four hours of the property hitting the market.

DL: Our clients’ listings in New York City are showcased on prominent display screens in hundreds of affiliated offices worldwide. While walking in Rittenhouse Square recently, I saw our New York City apartments and townhouses showcased on the full-window screen of an office.

How does the Sotheby’s International Realty brand support agents differently than other agencies?

KK: Our name opens doors to exceptional properties and a qualified, international client base. Our agents benefit from working in a tailored, local office while accessing the career-enhancing benefits of a larger organization. We also provide the opportunity to network and market properties at Sotheby’s events.

This fall, we will participate in Sotheby’s Asian Auction Sales in Hong Kong, Impressionist Sales in New York City, and the Russian Sale in London. u

Recent sales include an historic East Hampton barn, above, and a Palm Beach residence, below. Opposite, top: A recently sold Manhattan townhouse. Headshots, clockwise from top left: manager Diane Levine, manager Ellie Johnson, and president and CEO Kathy Korte.

O C T OB E R 2 0 1 0 7 1

dresses that typify the shapely “new femininity” ushered in

by Roberto Cavalli in the ’90s.

Opposite page: The 200-page book Roberto Cavalli, with images by the photographers Mert & Marcus, celebrates Cavalli’s forty years in fashion.

P h oto C r e d i t G o e s HE R E

This page: An exhibit of Cavalli

Fa s h i o n

an italian master turns 40

By daniel cappello

he is known the world over for a signature look: a rather risqué, somewhat outré—wholeheartedly sexy—style. This year, Roberto Cavalli, the indisputable ambassador of Italian joie de vivre, celebrates his fortieth anniversary in fashion. And, for Cavalli himself, it’s more than just about a milestone of having made it in a fiercely competitive industry; rather, it’s a sweet moment to reflect on what has been the realization of a fortyyear-long dream. “I keep making dreams,” the designer says.

“Every one of us needs to dream. We must keep on dreaming.”

For a young Cavalli, that dream took hold long before he decided to become a fashion designer. Cavalli grew up around the tradition of art and color in his home city of Florence, Italy, and within his own household, at that. His grandfather was Giuseppe Rossi, a prominent exponent of the Macchiaioli pictorial trend, whose work was even displayed at the Uffizi Gallery.

Cavalli had an imagination all his own, and eventually enrolled in the Florence School of Art, where he trained as a painter.

O C TO B ER 2 0 1 0 7 3

Fa s h i o n

“During these first forty years, I followed a dream of beauty,” Roberto Cavalli says. “I designed dresses for women that were the highest expression of beauty—and garments for men who need the beauty of women.”

Upon graduation, in the late 1960s, Cavalli found himself drawn away from the easel and toward a different craft, silk mastery, along the shores of Como. He devised an innovative technique that allowed him to print his patterns on whole garments rather than just the parts. He quickly teamed up with Mario Valentino, the virtuoso of leather clothing, to use the same printing technique on leathers.

In 1970, Roberto Cavalli made it to the Salon du Prêt-àPorter in Paris, and the Cavalli label was set. The designer made his mark with his printed-leather evening gowns and swimwear.

His prints would become trademark, and would carry him into fashion fame. In the ’70s, they would appear on jeans; later, in the ’90s, they would become hugely popular in re-interpreted, modern dress forms, helping to define a new, shapely feminine silhouette. Cavalli’s interest in—and enhancement of—curvy, vivacious women would secure him as a favorite of Playboy bunnies and silver screen goddesses alike.

Today, Cavalli dresses make frequent appearances on the red carpets of Hollywood, New York, and Cannes. His clothing, as well as his ever-expanding accessories lines, have branched into multiple labels across price points. His looks are just as likely to be spotted on the set of “Sex and the City” as they are in the cafés and nightclubs that he owns. His stores continue to expand and evolve. “Cavalli,” be it man or label, has become synonymous with the joyful and playful moments of life. Here’s to forty epicurean years of life—and many more to come. u Opposite page: From the house of Cavalli, various signature prints and, from top left, a vintage ’70s coat; vintage ’80s navy-and-stripe looks; Roberto Cavalli photographed in the ’70s (in car); a vintage ’70s patchwork look; a deep-V look from Spring-Summer 1999; Roberto Cavalli with models in the ’70s; a vintage ’70s open-collar shirt. This page, clockwise from top: Aishwarya Rai in Cavalli at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival; Cindy Crawford in a Fall-Winter 2001 Cavalli print dress; Roberto Cavalli with the Spice Girls; Roberto Cavalli with Milla Jovovich; Donna Sotto le Stelle in Cavalli; Roberto Cavalli in Florence.

7 4 Q U EST

co u rte s y of ro b e rto cava ll i

Books

ZOOBORNS “People connect with these pictures and then learn about what they can do to help,” says Andrew Bleiman, a self-proclaimed “animal nerd” and co-founder of ZooBorns.com, an animal photography blog that launched in 2008.

Bleiman teamed up with childhood friend Chris Eastland, who had a background in design and photography, to co-found the site. Within a year, they were receiving 40,000 views per day, and interest from literary agents soon followed.

“When Simon & Schuster offered us a deal, we had to take it,” Eastland says. “We wanted to reach the most people with our message.”

Now, the two are preparing to release two books. Available this month, ZooBorns is meant for children and adults, alike, with photos and background information about each species. And available early next month, ZooBorn! Zoo Babies from Around the World is intended for infants, featuring large images of creatures making eye contact with the reader.

For the two books, Bleiman and Eastland are collaborating 76 QUEST

with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Ten percent of the revenue from the books will support the organization’s Conservation Endowment Fund. “It’s really about the ways breeding programs at accredited zoos and aquariums support conservation efforts in the wild. These cute faces are just ambassadors,” Bleiman says.

The book raises awareness about the evolving function of accredited zoos and aquariums in society. Once theme parks, today these institutions are centers of research. “Sure, I legitimately think that these are the cutest animal books that have been published, but it’s more than that,” Bleiman says. “It’s about educating people as we entertain them.” u Above: Hasani the gorilla. Inset: The new book ZooBorns! Opposite, clockwise from top left: Loggerhead Sea Turtles; Lesser Anteater of the Tamandua genus; Monifa the Pygmy Hippo; Asian Small-Clawed Otters; Rooby the Red Kangaroo; Radar Ears the Fennec Fox.

J a s o n Co ll i e r / c h r i s e a s t l a n d / C h e r l K i m / G e o r g e N i t i k i n / Da r le n e S tack / Lo r i n da Tay lo r

by Elizabeth Brown

canteens

english invasion you’ve been there before: in the thick of the Fifth Avenue midtown stretch, slightly fatigued, somewhat hungry, not quite sure what you’re in the mood for, but knowing it’s something that probably doesn’t exist in that culinary hinterland. It’s that stretch of Manhattan smack in the middle of power breakfasts and business meetings—yet wholly unhelpful when it comes to food that’s reasonable, enticing, and caters to what New Yorkers want and expect in a meal.

7 8 Q U EST

For that, Todd English has come to the rescue, with his Plaza Food Hall, which he recently opened at the abuzz-again Plaza Hotel. English has something of a hybrid allure; he rose to fame as a Boston chef, but also managed to stick his fork into a slice of the New York pie, opening an outpost of his highly acclaimed Olives in Union Square. Even his physical appearance calls to mind a raffish combination of Jude Law-meetsJoaquin Phoenix (from the clean-shaven, good-looking days).

m i m i r i t z e n c r a wf o r d

By DANIEL CAPPELLO

There’s no shortage of culinary delights at The Plaza Food Hall, Todd English’s latest venture.

This hybrid sexiness is at the core of his latest venture. As its name suggests, this is a food hall—a fancified food court of the shopping-mall variety, if you will, offering something for everyone at stations that include, among other things, a bakery, a wine bar, a produce market, a pizza oven, a sushi bar, and a fresh ocean grill. Still, for what its name and purpose suggest, the Plaza Food Hall is far from a kitschy kitchen; instead, it has a certain appeal of that original city of English’s, Boston, and its famous Faneuil Hall—and the great rush you get when walking into a historic building filled with so many (greasy, salty, downright tasty) food offerings. Or, perhaps more apt, one might say that this is an American version of a European food hall, such as the famous Food Hall at Harrods, in London, or La Grande Épicerie at Bon Marché, in Paris.

It’s easy to do too many things not so well instead of doing one thing just right, but English hasn’t overreached his grasp on the possible here. Sure, it’s a dicey bet to try to pull off sweet-and-sour squash caponata and roasted baby beets with pistachio and Manchego at the wine bar while simultaneously serving up spicy cilantro-jalapeno-blackened tuna rolls at the sushi bar, all the while turning out fig-and-prosciutto pizzas.

Still, on a recent night, no one dining at any of the different stations seemed to mind, and no one noticed any lack of authenticity or inventiveness in any of the stations’ endeavors. On the contrary, the ampleness of choice—each one of which executed fairly finely—was met with approval and applause.

For the diner, elitist or amateur, there is no dearth of delica-

cies. If time for a sit-down over cheese and charcuterie isn’t in your schedule, many things are ready to go, including attractively arranged woven baskets with foodstuffs, or sweet nibbles from the bakery. The Plaza Food Hall is also a sort of international specialty market, with olive oils, vinegars, spices, coffee, cocoas, and artisan jams available for purchase. The most seasoned and curious of gourmands might also like to drop by the Demo Kitchen, which offers cooking lessons (worthy of a return trip and review all its own). As if the charred octopus with grilled leeks and almond romesco wasn’t enough. u

presents

CAREER TRANSITION FOR DANCERS

25th ANNIVERSARY

SILVER JUBILEE A S TA R- S T U D D E D R E T RO S P E C T I V E

Monday, November 8, 2010 • 7:00 PM “extraordinarily spectacular...”

– The New York Times

“dazzling... sizzling... ” – Variety

Hosted by

Angela Lansbury

With appearances by

Marvin Hamlisch

Bebe Neuwirth

Ann Reinking

Chita Rivera

Lisa Niemi Tommy Swayze Tune Plus show-stopping numbers from 42nd Street and Chicago

Edward Villella

Karen Ziemba

And special performances by artists from

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater American Ballet Theatre The Joffrey Ballet MOMIX National Dance Institute Parsons Dance Honoring

Twyla Tharp ROLEX DANCE AWARD CAREER TRANSITION FOR DANCERS’ AWARDS

Actors’ Equity Association • American Federation of Television and Radio Artists American Guild of Musical Artists • Screen Actors Guild The Barth Family • Cynthia G. Fischer Trisha Brown CAPEZIO DANCE AWARD For more stars and surprises for this one-night-only event, visit Produced and Directed by Executive Producer

careertransition.org

Ann Marie DeAngelo

Alexander J. Dubé PERFORMANCE ONLY TICKETS AT $130, $75, $55, $45

Patron Tickets and Tables contact Marjorie Horne at 212 228 7446 x 33 or careertransition.org•Group Sales: 718 499 9691•Artists and program subject to change 25th Anniversary Chairs Michele Herbert • Anka K. Palitz • Nicole Sexton • Allen Brill 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Sponsors

Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation Actors’ Equity Association • American Federation of Television and Radio Artists • The Barth Family • Dance Magazine and Pointe Michele and Lawrence Herbert • Anita Jaffe • Lloyd E. Rigler–Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation • Screen Actors Guild Photos: A. Lansbury by Michael O’Neill; M. Hamlisch © Shel Secunda; B. Neuwirth by Tom Bloom; C. Rivera by Laura Marie Duncan; T. Tune by Evin Thayer; E. Villella © Philip Bermingham; K. Ziemba by Laura Rose

Greystone - Symmetry and grace combine. At end of cul-de-sac in neighborhood of fine country estates, impressive stone clad Center Hall Colonial. Elegant 7500 square feet of perfectly finished living space.

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Country Sophisticate - Stunning Shingle Colonial with fabulous Western views. Classic moldings and high ceilings. Elegant Two Story Entrance Hall. Living Room with Fireplace. Formal Dining Room. Library. Family Room with Fireplace open to Country Kitchen.

Five Bedrooms. Pool and Spa. Three landscaped acres in established family neighborhood of country estates. $2,399,000

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0 AM A SNO SNT SRTE R I C, HC, OCNONNEN TU I CTU0T6 80 36 08 3 0 8 0 8M SO EE T E.T G. RGE R EE NEWNIW CH C ETCI C I CFH FE IN PE . CMO M G RGE R EE NEWNIW CH IN PE RP ORPO ER TR I ETSI .ECSO . 2 .0 32 .0636. 16 .6912. 09 02 0 0 KATHY ADAMS . JENNIFER BENEDICT LISA BILHUBER . BERDIE BRADY ANN BRESNAN . BONNIE . LESLIE CARLOTTI CHURCH . BARBARA CIOFFARI . JOSIANE COLLAZO . PATRICIA COUGHLIN KATHY ADAMS . JENNIFER BENEDICT . LISA .BILHUBER . BERDIE BRADY . ANN. BRESNAN . BONNIE CAIE .CAIE LESLIE CARLOTTI . JULIE. JULIE CHURCH . BARBARA CIOFFARI . JOSIANE COLLAZO . PATRICIA COUGHLIN JEFFREY CRUMBINE . MAUREEN CRUMBINE . EVANGELA . BLAKE DELANY . VIRGINIA DOETSCH . CANDY DURNIAK . JACKIE EKHOLM . LEE FLEISCHMAN . JOYCE FOWLER . JANIE GALBREATH JEFFREY CRUMBINE . MAUREEN CRUMBINE . EVANGELA DALI .DALI BLAKE DELANY . VIRGINIA DOETSCH . CANDY DURNIAK . JACKIE EKHOLM . LEE FLEISCHMAN . JOYCE FOWLER . JANIE GALBREATH KATHERINE GEORGAS GOSDEN . MARY ANN GRABEL HOLDCROFT . JEANNE HOWELL . ROBIN KENCEL . SHARON KINNEY . ELIZABETH KOLDYKE-BOOLBOL GILA LEWIS KATHERINE GEORGAS . JANE. JANE GOSDEN . MARY ANN GRABEL . SARA. SARA HOLDCROFT . JEANNE HOWELL . ROBIN KENCEL . SHARON KINNEY . ELIZABETH KOLDYKE-BOOLBOL . GILA. LEWIS MALONEY . VILMA MATTEIS . DEBBIE MCGARRITY . CINDY MEEKER . JIM MEEKER . ELLEN MOSHER . LAUREN . CONNIE NORSWORTHY . LIZ OBERNESSER . MARGARET RYDZIK SALLYSALLY MALONEY . VILMA MATTEIS . DEBBIE MCGARRITY . CINDY MEEKER . JIM MEEKER . ELLEN MOSHER . LAUREN MUSEMUSE . CONNIE NORSWORTHY . LIZ OBERNESSER . MARGARET RYDZIK MARIANNE SCIPIONE . FIFI SHERIDAN . LAURIE SMITH . DOUGLAS STEVENS LYN STEVENS THORMAN . TYLER TINSWORTH . BEVERLEY TOEPKE . JOE WILLIAMS . MIHA MARIANNE SCIPIONE . FIFI SHERIDAN . LAURIE SMITH . DOUGLAS STEVENS . LYN .STEVENS . TORY. TORY THORMAN . TYLER TINSWORTH . BEVERLEY TOEPKE . JOE WILLIAMS . MIHA ZAJECZAJEC

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80 M T RSETERTE E. TG R I CWHI ,C C 6 8 03 60 8 3 0 8 0A SMOANS OS N . EGERNEW EN HO , N CN OE NCNTEICCTUI TC U0 T G R EGERNEW I CWHI FCIH NFEIPNREOPPREORPTEIRETS I. C EN E SO. M C O. M2 0. 3 2. 60 63 1. 6. 96 21 0. 90 2 0 0 KATHY KATHY ADAMSADAMS . JENNIFER . JENNIFER BENEDICT BENEDICT . LISA BILHUBER . LISA BILHUBER . BERDIE . BERDIE BRADY BRADY . ANN BRESNAN . ANN BRESNAN . BONNIE . BONNIE CAIE . LESLIE CAIE . CARLOTTI LESLIE CARLOTTI . JULIE CHURCH . JULIE CHURCH . BARBARA . BARBARA CIOFFARI CIOFFARI . JOSIANE . JOSIANE COLLAZO COLLAZO . PATRICIA . PATRICIA COUGHLIN COUGHLIN JEFFREYJEFFREY CRUMBINE CRUMBINE . MAUREEN . MAUREEN CRUMBINE CRUMBINE . EVANGELA . EVANGELA DALI . BLAKE DALI . DELANY BLAKE DELANY . VIRGINIA DOETSCH . CANDY DURNIAK EKHOLM . LEE FLEISCHMAN JOYCE FOWLER JANIE GALBREATH . VIRGINIA DOETSCH . CANDY DURNIAK . JACKIE. JACKIE EKHOLM . LEE FLEISCHMAN . JOYCE. FOWLER . JANIE .GALBREATH KATHERINE GEORGAS . JANE GOSDEN MARY KATHERINE GEORGAS . JANE GOSDEN . MARY .ANN GRABEL . SARA HOLDCROFT . JEANNE HOWELL . ROBIN. ROBIN KENCELKENCEL . SHARON KINNEYKINNEY . ELIZABETH KOLDYKE-BOOLBOL . GILA LEWIS ANN GRABEL . SARA HOLDCROFT . JEANNE HOWELL . SHARON . ELIZABETH KOLDYKE-BOOLBOL . GILA LEWIS SALLY MALONEY . VILMA. MATTEIS . DEBBIE MCGARRITY . CINDY. CINDY MEEKER . JIM MEEKER . ELLEN. MOSHER . LAUREN MUSE . MUSE CONNIE NORSWORTHY . LIZ OBERNESSER . MARGARET RYDZIKRYDZIK SALLY MALONEY VILMA MATTEIS . DEBBIE MCGARRITY MEEKER . JIM MEEKER ELLEN MOSHER . LAUREN . CONNIE NORSWORTHY . LIZ OBERNESSER . MARGARET MARIANNE SCIPIONE . FIFI SHERIDAN . LAURIE SMITH SMITH . DOUGLAS MARIANNE SCIPIONE . FIFI SHERIDAN . LAURIE . DOUGLAS STEVENS . LYN STEVENS . TORY THORMAN TYLER TINSWORTH . BEVERLEY . JOE WILLIAMS MIHA ZAJEC STEVENS . LYN STEVENS . TORY THORMAN . TYLER. TINSWORTH . BEVERLEY TOEPKETOEPKE . JOE WILLIAMS . MIHA .ZAJEC

b ru c e w e b e r ( t h i s pa g e )

a ll i m a g e s co u rt e s y o f p o lo r a lp h l au r e n

the Houses that Ralph Built By daniel cappello

This page, clockwise from top left: A rendering of the women’s and home store at 888 Madison Avenue; the new Boulevard Saint-Germain store in Paris; the men’s-only Rhinelander flagship. Opposite page: Ralph Lauren.

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par excellence. With a pillar in preppy chic, Lauren has built a global empire around the notion of the idealized American guy gone right. The company’s founding as a maker of ties, over forty years ago, could be likened to its prep-school period of life: casual, carefree, collegiate. Over time, Polo Ralph Lauren has gone on to graduate, enter the world, and capture the collective imagination of the American culture that it represents, and now helps to define.

Looking back, the genius of Ralph Lauren’s first retail experience was extraordinary. When we walked into the Mansion in those opening days, we marveled at the life we aspired to—as This page: The Polo section of the newly opened Ralph Lauren store on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Opposite, clockwise from top left: The re-opening of the men’s-only Rhinelander flagship at 867 Madison Avenue offers customers more accessories than ever, like these from Purple Label; a three-piece suit from the current Purple Label collection; a view of the newly refurbished Purple Label dressing room at 867 Madison; a relaxed Ralph Lauren in 1997 and on the cover of Fortune magazine; a look from this fall’s Polo Ralph Lauren collection.

v i c to r s k r e b n e s k i ( r a lp h l au r e n ) / b e n b a k e r ( f o rt u n e )

at 867 Madison Avenue, two men were parting ways. “I love this store,” said the man approaching the genial doorman under the blue awning. “It’s like going home.” “Well,” replied the other man, who kept on walking, “I’d like to know where you live!”

Indeed, for twenty-five years now, the “Mansion,” as it’s often called, has become such a part of New Yorkers’ lives that it truly does feel like home—or, a home away from home, if you will, with all the trappings of an Upper East Side manse: fresh-cut flowers, wooden floors, a majestic staircase, the worn Oriental rugs, a fire burning in the colder seasons. A second home where, almost by incident, you stop to do some shopping.

When he opened the Mansion, in 1986, Ralph Lauren revolutionized the retail experience, being the first to usher in the branded retail environment. That same year, he was the first American designer to open a store in Paris, with a flagship on the Place de la Madeleine. With his women’s and men’s fashion lines, he fast became the arbiter of American taste. In Ralph Lauren’s case, it’s always been the casual privilege of the WASP lifestyle

s h e i l a m e t z n e r ( o p p o s i te pa g e , s k y l i n e )

Earlier this month, outside the Ralph Lauren global flagship

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and Andrew Lauren are the picture of the all-American family in 1999. Opposite, clockwise from top left: A relaxed American interior look from Ralph Lauren Home, Spring 2007; Ralph Lauren’s fashion sense derives from WASPy sports like cricket; Ralph Lauren on the covers of Time (1986) and Cowboys and Indians (2005); sketches for the dress that Ralph Lauren designed exclusively for Gwyneth Paltrow, which she wore to accept the Oscar for Best Actress; Ralph Lauren, here in 1984, has always been his own greatest brand ambassador.

b ru c e w e b e r ( m e n ’ s co lle c t i o n ) / d i c k h a l s t e a d ( t i m e ) / b ru c e w e b e r ( co w b oy s )

This page, top: The Lauren family in 1976. Left: David, Dylan, Ralph, Ricky,

b a r b a r a wa l z ( l au r e n fa m i ly, 1 9 7 6 ) / v i c to r s k r e b n e s k i ( 1 9 9 9 p o rt r a i t ) / f r a n ç o i s h a l a r d ( H o m e )

if picking up a mesh polo here, or a cashmere cable-knit sweater there, might grant automatic access to the club, and later to the three-piece suit that’s so natural in the boardroom. Using ad campaigns and a consistent product image that has changed ever so slightly over the years—never jolting us from that original point of view—the brand expanded, taking our aspirations along with it. Polo Ralph Lauren, the cornerstone of the company, grew up, much like the prep-school kid himself. Then came Ralph Lauren Purple Label, embodying the sophisticated, grown-up world of the modern gentleman; Ralph Lauren Black Label, representing a fitted Milanese look in strong tones, infused with a new urban edge; and then, for the man who’s achieved all and can now rest—or work out—the chic active wear of RLX.

As the company’s labels expanded, including multiple women’s lines, so did its brand-building stores. When Lauren débuted RRL, a line inspired by life on his Double RL ranch in Colorado, RRL stores followed, outfitted with all the decorative riggings of the cowboy life. That $600 wool-and-linen sweater with longhorns seemed authentic among the scads of beaten-up cowboy boots, saddles, and duffles. In New York, different stores began to target different types of “Ralph” men: on Bleecker Street, the European-framed man could safely count on customfit Polo shirts and edited pieces from Black Label; in SoHo, the active downtowner could consistently bet on RLX aplenty.

This year, the story has come full circle—and now looks beyond, to the future of the in-store retail experience in all

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This page: The Lauren family in 1998. Opposite, clockwise from top left: The newly revamped Rhinelander flagship offers more shoes than ever, and has raised the level of customer service, including complimentary shoe shines; Ralph Lauren is as much about lifestyle as it is about fashion; a full selection of Ralph Lauren timepieces is available on the ground floor of 867 Madison; Ralph Lauren continually refashions the classic woman; reports of Polo Ralph Lauren’s going public; Ralph Lauren Home; paint-splashed preppy style.

sheila metzner (women’s) / oberto gili (home) / carter berg (men’s)

own brand-appropriate space. The dignified Purple Label now holds court on all of the stately second floor, which also offers Rhinelander exclusives like sartorial suiting, tartan briefcases, and made-to-measure luggage. Further upstairs and even more forward-looking, the fourth floor showcases a dedicated RLX room with concrete flooring, white plaster walls, and a ceiling light-box—all of which are more Porsche Museum in Germany than Rhinelander. Throughout the Mansion, clients can consult iPads and use touch screens to shop in-store or online, and also have use of a car service and a personal concierge.

An astute investment in the company’s heritage—and in the

bruce weber (this page) / martyn thompson (shoes, accessories) / françois halard (car)

of its technological polish. Earlier this spring, Lauren opened another new store on one of the most famously chic streets of the world: the Boulevard Saint-Germain, in Paris. Housed in a seventeenth-century hôtel particulier, complete with limestone edifice, wrought-iron balcony railings, traditional zinc-andslate roof, Versailles-style parquet flooring, and painstakingly preserved original detailing throughout, the store is home to a premier assortment of all labels and accessories, for both men and women. It also boasts a Ralph Lauren watch salon (the first in France), and perhaps most impressively, the critically acclaimed restaurant: Ralph’s. It’s quite a move for an American, especially one whose background isn’t food, to open a restaurant in the city known for consecrating its claim as the world’s gastronomic epicenter; it’s quite another to be so quickly admired for it.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Lauren has consolidated his stronghold on the 72nd Street intersection of Madison Avenue, all the while improving the experience of shopping at Ralph Lauren. The Rhinelander mansion was recently rededicated as an exclusive men’s retail environment, with each label meriting its

in Paris; Ralph Lauren; a fashion-forward look from Spring 2008. Opposite, clockwise from top left: The Lauren family in Paris for the opening of the Saint-Germain store; current Collection evening dresses for fall; Ralph Lauren is presented with the Légion d’Honneur by President Nicolas Sarkozy in April of 2010; the Purple Label section of the Saint-Germain store in Paris; Ralph Lauren on the cover of a May, 1992, international edition of Elle Homme; men’s accessories in the Saint-Germain store; sketches for Fall 2007 women’s looks.

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c a rte r b e r g ( co lle c t i o n d r e s s e s , l au r e n a n d p r e s i d e n t s a r ko z y ) / b ru c e w e b e r ( e lle h o m m e )

This page, clockwise from bottom left: The opening of Ralph’s restaurant

s u s a n wo o d ( r a lp h l au r e n ) / c a rte r b e r g ( wo m e n ’ s lo o k ) / s e b a s t i e n m i c k e ( fa m i ly )

future of luxury shopping—has been erected across the street, as the women’s flagship at 888 Madison. Its Beaux-Arts limestone façade, painted-wood windows, and decorative ironwork conjure the grandness of Avenue Montaigne, and serve as a feminine counterpart to the Rhinelander. With three floors of women’s wear, and a fourth dedicated to the Home Collection, ladies will feel at home anywhere, from the footwear and jewelry salons to the Blue Label, Black Label, and Collection niches.

For Ralph Lauren, it’s been a year of accolades, milestones, and new starts, with reflections on the subtle evolution of his creation.

Far less subtle is the undeniable: the evolution of global fashion is being led by an American institution. Polo Ralph Lauren is the future. For those of us who’ve grown so accustomed to it, we’re looking forward to going back home—to Ralph Lauren. u

a room Fit to inspire

“THE ANTIQUE SHOW preview party is an incredible evening when the

art, antique, and philanthropy worlds converge in support of the Society and its mission,” says Heather Leeds, president of the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. To celebrate the event this month, Quest asked five interior designers from the Society’s design committee to create a room for each of the co-chairs of the event. The designers share the inspiration they gleaned from each of the chairmen and their volunteerism.

For more information about the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, please visit thesocietyofmskcc.org.

Co-Chair:

Melinda Blinken Designer:

Geoffrey Bradfield

I wish all of my clients were like Melinda Blinken. It was a breeze being inspired by this gracious lady. The idea was to create a fantasy library for her husband, Ambassador Alan Blinken. Although I am a modernist, the room was to capture a more traditional feel. Dark green lacquered walls became the foil of the room, and I designed radiused brushed bronze frames to highlight the bookcases that housed the ambassador’s collection of first editions. The period pieces in the room include a Louis XVI mantelpiece, a collection of Chinese porcelains, and an antique area rug. Adding to the eclecticism is an eighteenth-century Venetian mirror and a pair of bronze and leather twentieth-century chairs.

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P h oto C r e d i t G o e s HERE

Co-Chair:

Lisa McCarthy Designer:

Darren Henault I was first introduced to Lisa McCarthy

via photographs. All of the photos were of this beautiful woman draped in elegant and tailored evening gowns. I thought, “This woman needs a manse on Fifth Avenue.” Then I spoke with her at her beach house in the Hamptons and I discovered a lovely, down-to-earth woman, who works hard at the things she’s passionate about and cares for her family. She had just gotten back from taking her son to college. (She flew him herself in her plane! No wilting flower, this one.) I created an elegant room that she might work in out at the beach. Soft, soothing, but architecturally strong, with good sensible pieces of furniture—with a little glamour thrown in.

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Co-Chair:

Michel Cox Witmer Designer:

Joy Moyler as an art collector, Michel describes himself as “merely one of a long line of caretakers of beautiful things. I am only sharing the gift, waiting for the next caretaker who will hopefully love and respect them as much as I do.”

Michel’s favorite room in his home is the Great Room. He loves large windows and light and enjoys watching the shadows dance about throughout the course of the day. Michel loves Armani/Casa for its sleekness of line in the furniture, its sensuality, and its quiet sexiness. I incorporated the polished rosewood furniture pieces and hand-blown Murano glass accessories for their reflective nature and sensual qualities.

Michel’s favored palette is every imaginable incarnation of white and beige. This soft palette acts as an enormous canvas for his vast nineteenth-century Old Masters works and early twentieth-century contemporary art collection, including Picasso (a 9 8 Q U EST

hands-down favorite). I added buttery golden tones in the upholstery and textured mesh silver drapery to add another layer of richness. Details reveal gold leaf and silver picture frames amid the antique French Ormolu desk and clock. Upon entering the residence, blended wafts of verbena and lavender bring Michel back to childhood memories of growing up in France.

Michel is compassionate. When asked who he would look forward to being seated beside at dinner he instantly responded, “The Chilean miners. It is hard to imagine what discomfort they endure. They are a true testament to the human spirit, enduring the worst conditions possible, yet possessing great character and the ability to smile.” I wanted the room to reflect a comfortable space for extended conversation and gatherings.

Michel is surrounded by exquisite keepsakes in his home, but he is quick to say, “Nothing is more important than people.”

Co-Chair:

Libby Fitzgerald Designer:

Ernest de la Torre The edict for this room was sexy but calming, soft but edgy. This translated into a room of exotic finishes, custom textiles, and layers of texture both visually and tactically. The walls are upholstered in custom woven linen flecked with silver thread in a pattern that creates a horizon line across the room

that grounds you, punctuated by a custom dresser covered in python under an Eric Freeman painting. This horizon line element is picked up opposite the curtains, hand-loomed with a lower third that changes color from light to dark blue. Layered behind the curtains is a subtle but sexy element: curtain sheers embroidered with crystal beads of varying hues to mimic the front curtain. The bed niche is constructed of panels of poured resin resembling mother of pearl, the sheen of which contrasts with a custom bed, upholstered in light blue hand-washed silk velvet and a light gray alpaca bed cover. Crystal bedside table lamps sit on custom parchment wrapped bedside tables. The room is grounded with a hand-tufted silk rug that looks like water. Above it is a Ayala Serfaty ceiling light of sky blue silk origami, which gives the eye a resting place when in bed.

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Co-Chair:

Daisy Soros Designer:

Alex Papachristidis After looking at Daisy Soros’s apartment,

I got a feel for her refined taste. Through our conversations, I was delighted to learn that she loves antiques as much as I do. We came to the decision to use eighteenth-century Italian furniture, and to combine it with contemporary art and objects by Mark Rothko, Giacometti, and Lalanne. Since she said she didn’t want a lot of pattern, she liked the idea of a neutral palate with plum accents, and one or two fabrics with stripes or checks. Her love of Chinese porcelain developed into a Chinese-inspired custom Gracie wallpaper in cream, silver, and gold with plum flowers. This sophisticated room for Daisy and her family to live in and enjoy is a reflection of her connoisseur’s eye.

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Nights in zebra stripes

By Liz Smith

This page: Igor Cassini at the legendary El Morocco club in New York City. Opposite: Princess Irene Galitzine shares a laugh with

j im mitc h e ll

Cassini at a table in El Morocco.

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Way back at the end of the 1950s, when my agent,

Gloria Safier, heard that I had been let go with hundreds of others in what was called “the Eisenhower recession” and lost my high-powered job at NBC as a producer, she got busy. She already knew a man named Don Maher, who was running Igor Cassini’s P.R. firm, Martial & Company. The latter operated in tandem with Cassini’s well-known, internationally syndicated society gossip column, which the Hearsts syndicated under a famous byline they owned—Cholly Knickerbocker.

Gloria barked at me over the phone: “Call this number. Go see Don Maher. Cassini is looking for a column assistant.” I murmured, “But I don’t know anything about society or these people.” Gloria was disgusted: “Nevermind. You can learn.”

I had an interview with Maher, who told me sotto voce not to let Cassini beat me down to a smaller salary than such and such. And then I saw Igor Cassini, who was suave charm incarnate. He seemed distracted. It was obvious that he wanted to get the interview over with. He had heard I was a TV producer and knew I had a journalism degree. That was enough for him. “You’re hired!” he said. He named a $200-a-week salary, which was less than Maher had advised I accept. But I, failing to do the arithmetic in the pinch, accepted. Cassini immediately said, “Call me Ghighi. It’s been my nickname since I was a curly-headed child. And if you use ‘Igor,’ then people get me mixed up with my brother, Oleg, the fashion designer. So I’m Ghighi to my nearest and dearest, and I hope you will become one of those.” I was thoroughly charmed. What a guy! Dynamic, sexy, European, famous.

“I know all about your brother,” I said. “He was married to the beautiful Gene Tierney; he makes Hollywood costumes.”

Ghighi smiled: “Not anymore. Now he is in New York and runs his fashion business. Oleg and I are very different 1 0 4 Q U EST

and yet much alike.”

I read up on the two Cassinis. Vogue’s Diana Vreeland had characterized them as having “joie de vivre—a built-in sense of pleasure—beautiful manners—and the knowhow to mix them with business.”

I looked up some Cholly Knickerbocker columns and despaired. How could I contribute to a world I knew nothing about? I saw that Cholly wasn’t modest. The column often began: “Between you and me and lamppost and 20,000,000 readers…” Igor Cassini had been writing it since September, 1945, a time he described as “the heyday for gossip columnists.”

Cassini assured me that I’d catch on to “Cholly” style.

“Anyway, you don’t have to do anything at first. I want you as a backup to Ed Wilcox, my assistant. You’ll work here in this townhouse in the ’60s. We operate the column out of the basement. Up here”—he waved his hand to indicate luxurious townhouse paneling and carpeting—“we talk with Fiat, Pirelli, and the rest of my public-relations clients.”

Did I say to my new employer, “Isn’t that a conflict of interest, journalism and public relations under the same roof?”

I did not. I was both too apprehensive and too glad to have a

This page: Laurie Mickel, Judy Peabody, and Igor Cassini on the dance floor at El Morocco.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Humphrey Bogart, here with Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe, battled for a toy panda at El Morocco; all that was left of the Stork Club by 1964 was its cocktail book; John and Jackie Kennedy at El Morocco with Igor Cassini.

job.

Soon after starting, Don Maher introduced me to a friend of his, Jim Mitchell. “He’s going to be John Perona’s new P.R. guy for El Morocco. You can teach him the ropes.”

Mitchell stood there in his elegant overcoat wearing a homburg.

When he took it off, I swear he had his hair parted in the middle like some hayseed. He was trim, polite, but seemed naïve. I felt he’d never make it in the rarefied atmosphere of El Morocco.

Even I knew that much.

I had been to the famous nightclub a few times with Cassini. He introduced me around, “Get to know the owner, John Perona, the 1 0 6 Q U EST

hat-check girl, Eileen McKenna, the maitre d’, Angelo Zuccotti, all the waiters. They’re a fountain of knowledge.” But it was difficult for me to go to El Morocco alone. I couldn’t be brazen like Walter Winchell, Leonard Lyons, or Earl Wilson. They were men and known faces. As a woman in the ’50s, I couldn’t just go up to strangers at their tables, joke around, and swap secrets.

But Jim Mitchell changed all that for me. He would provide access to El Morocco for as long as it operated as a Café Society nightclub—that is, until the 1970s. And I had been wrong in my precipitous judgment. Jim Mitchell turned out to be just right. He was good-looking in his black tuxedo, well-bred, charming, WASPy—a gent open to learning anything and everything. He had connected emotionally with the old pro John Perona, walking in off the street to present himself with his University of Miami education, as a promotional godsend.

Perona loved him. And Perona had opened his famous nightclub on East 54th Street when Prohibition ended in 1933. Once he formulated his blue-and-white zebra-stripe décor with the white plastic palm trees, he announced an opening. That very night, the elegant Angelo, always in white-tie and tails, stood at the front door turning everyone away. In truth, El Morocco was empty inside.

People outside heard the music but there was no way Angelo would let them in. It created a demand and, from that night on, people stormed the place. Perona’s pal, Jack Dempsey, came every night, and soon the world was being photographed in El Morocco by the bad boy of society, Jerome Zerbe. Kings and tycoons demanded the number-one booth. (It seemed to always be occupied by Lyndon Johnson, Aristotle Onassis, or Clark Gable.)

Only the very elegant, social, and extremely secure would request to be seated in El Morocco’s “Siberia,” on the far side of the dance floor. Other than the Smart Set showing off, Siberia was a dumping ground for wannabes and the nouveau riche.

The nightclub developed its feuds, its hierarchies, it regulars, and its history. Here, Humphrey Bogart battled a woman over a toy panda, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor posed in paper crowns, and the “swordsmen” of Café Society measured their penis sizes in contests held in the men’s room upstairs. General hilarity ensued both up and downstairs. The winner of the contest was a triumphant man of the world, Porfirio Rubirosa, competing against Baby Pignateri, Melton Berle, Bruce Cabot, Forrest Tucket, and New York’s E. Haring “Red” Chandor. One could hear these guys cackling while the rest of us were sitting in the elegant Champagne Room for upstairs dinner.

Jim Mitchell admitted to me up front that he didn’t know a thing about the world he was entering. “Don’t worry,” I said, vastly amused and feeling superior. “I’ll help you.” But before long, he was doing the helping. He called me every day with news of what happened last night at El Morocco. We soon ran items about this everyday in Cholly Knickerbocker.

People in “real” society had once only gone out on Thursday, cook’s night out. Soon they found it was more fun than staying

This page, clockwise from top:

at the “number one booth;”

job with Mary Stanford;

Cassini celebrates his birthday

the Cassini brothers dancing;

Liz Smith and Igor Cassini in

at El Morocco with Florence

Diana Vreeland said the Cassinis

1983; Humphrey Bogart, here

Smith, right, and Molly Phipps.

had “joie de vivre.” Opposite,

with Bacall and Jimmy Durante,

Lyndon Johnson always sat

from top: the writer on the

preferred to sit in “Siberia.”

O C T O BER 2 0 1 0 1 0 7

home and Café Society was born. The original Hearst-created Cholly Knickerboker had been an effete, snobby, sniffy dude named Maury Paul. He was the one who dubbed it “Café Society.” Rich people were discovering that they couldn’t just see their names in the press when they were born, married, or died. It was all society, all the time.

The masses looked up to them, down on them, and became riveted with their comings, goings, buying habits, marital affairs, fistfights, and exits in a huff. The so-called upper crust was there to emulate, envy, make fun of, and tear down to size.

Soon Jim Mitchell insisted that I come to El Morocco every night for dinner, to observe. This was not a hardship. Perona moved El Morocco to Second Avenue in the fifties but nothing changed. I would show up on Jim’s arm and eat dinner, usually alone. He’d come and go but said he had to wear his tux—his uniform—and stay alert. “I’m on duty!” he’d report, coming to give me tidbits, tell me who was who, and even introduce me to the likes of Gloria Guinness or Hedda Hopper or CZ Guest.

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The food was great; the champagne was free. Sometimes Jimmy and I closed with the orchestra’s last strain, potted to the gills. Pretty soon, Jim lost his naïve, innocent look. Now he knew everything that was going on in upscale New York.

And he “owed” me for helping him, but I “owed” him for my sources. We became a great team. We began to be invited places together, to Monaco, for instance, and to Palm Beach and to Newport and to Mexico.

The column actually got better and better. More about the actual doings of the upper crust, more inside stuff, more meaningful gossip leading to big business, more of what had actually happened last night in New York and what Cassini had dubbed the “Society of Achievement.”

I was speeding along writing about a world I had hardly even dreamed existed. I thought for a minute that it was important. The perks were immense, the attention gratifying.

Cassini loved it; it left him free to travel and not to worry so much about Cholly Knickerbocker. He fired Ed Wilcox so that, at times, I was totally on my own, writing the column by myself. It was heady, unrealistic, and actually ridiculous.

I remember he said to me one day, “I’m going to Antibes for a month and while I’m gone, you will write about ‘The Most Beautiful Women in International Society.’” He gave me a list of thirty; I knew only Gloria Vanderbilt because she was an acting client of my agent.

When I protested that I couldn’t do it, Ghighi said, “Talk to Gloria Schiff. She knows everything. She’ll help you.” So I interviewed the delightful Schiff about the women and I looked them up. The daily deadlines came like bullets but somehow it worked. Seymour Berkson, who was the distant top authority at the New York Journal American, called to congratulate me: “Kid, I know Cassini’s imprint is on it, but everyone knows who wrote this brilliant series.” I thought I was on my way and might, someday, have the column on my own.

This was the beginning of five years as a ghost to Igor Cassini, a job I came to adore, enjoy, and eventually lose in a cataclysmic manner when my boss was indicted for being an unregistered agent for a foreign government’s tourism.

Igor Cassini had to resign and pay a fine.

When I finally tried to get the job on my own, at Igor’s urging, Hearst’s powers that be were kind but dismissed my experience and lack of standing, saying I had no cachet, no image, no name. They told me they were giving the column to Aileen Mehle and would call it Suzy Knickerbocker.

She was a beautiful, glamourous, and saucy woman—a fixture herself in some parts of society. So I saw their point. I saw that Lizzie Knickerbocker was not to be. My fate lay elsewhere. u

This page: Actress and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was a regular at El Morocco when Liz Smith was a reporter. Opposite page, above: Gene Tierney with her husband, Oleg Cassini; below, a signed photograph from Gene Tierney to Igor, or “Ghighi.�

on being beaton By georgina schaeffer

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A photo of Sophia Loren, right, is off-set by a Renaissance-style scene in one of photographer Cecil Beaton’s scrapbooks. Inset:

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a photograph of Beaton.

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the playit-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.� –Cecil Beaton

A ss o u li n e

O C TOBE R 2 0 1 0 1 1 3

“i really only like the company of artists, of people

who create things,” observed Cecil Beaton in 1968. “I’m amused with all sorts of other people [for] a variety of reasons. They can be funny, decorative, or in some other way impressive. But to come into the aura of artists is to breathe extra oxygen.”

The English photographer’s work helped define the twentieth century—from his fashion photography at Vanity Fair and Vogue to his celebrity shots in Hollywood, Beaton captured an era of American and European life before World War II. After the war, he went on to design costumes for Broadway and film, two of which (Gigi and My Fair Lady) were awarded the Academy Award for Costume Design. Beaton was also an avid diarist—he published six during his lifetime.

After suffering a stroke in the 1970s, he sold his archives to Sotheby’s, which among volumes of work, included forty-two scrapbooks. Now, a monumental new book, Cecil Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook (Assouline), recounts the journey of this artist’s awe-inspiring life. u These scrapbook pages are culled from forty-two of Cecil Beaton’s own scrapbooks, which are owned by the Cecil Beaton Archive at Sotheby’s London. There is no official dating on the books, nor is their a way to establish if the content of the pages is contemporaneous.

So, in this book, they are published to follow the narrative threads that fascinated this prodigous photographer throughout his life— much to the delight and interest of readers. For more information, visit shopassouline.com or visit the publisher’s bookshop at The Plaza Hotel.

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A ss o u li n e

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A ss o u li n e

“Perhaps the world’s second-worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.” —Cecil Beaton

Die Walkure Act Two. High in the mountains, Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie and warrior daughter of Wotan, leader of the gods, pauses to note the approach of Frika, Wotan’s wife and the goddess of marriage. Fricka reproaches Woton for not following the treaties. When Wotan realizes he is caught in his own trap, that his power will leave him if he does not enforce the law, he agrees to his wife’s demands, setting off a series of events that

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changes the course of everyone’s lives.

the legacy of the ring written and photographed by nancy ellison

DO YOU REMEMBER the first time you were a Ring Nut? I do. My first Ring was in the spring of 2009: the dress rehearsals for the final performances of the Romantic Otto Schenk production of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibeluugen at the Metropolitan Opera—the raison d’etre for my new photography book, Wagner’s Eternal Ring.

I took nearly 10,000 photographs sittng on the wooden armrest of row sixteen’s center seat using the uncommon but fluid monopod, which gave me the exact line I wanted and allowed me the freedom to draw closer to the emotional reality of the drama—in effect to enter Wagner’s world. u

The photographs in these pages are published in Ellison’s new book, Wagner’s Eternal Ring (Rizzoli 2010).

OCTO B ER 2 0 1 0 1 1 9

Siegfried Act Two Alberich keeps vigil near Fafner’s cave, brooding over his lost treasure. When the Wanderer approaches, bathed in an eerie light, the Nibelung at once recognizes him as Wotan. The god assures him that he no longer cares about the Ring—that he is now only an observer of destiny. Alberich is perplexed that his enemy offers him counsel, but there is approaching danger.

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OCTO B ER 2 0 1 0 1 2 1

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Gotterdammerung Act Two At night, before the Gibichung hall, Hagen dreams of his father, the Nibelung Alberich, who forces him to swear he will regain the Ring.

Hagen summons the Gibichung vassals to welcome Gunther and his bride, Brunnhilde. He does this by sounding the war alarm; the vassals are surprised to learn that the occasion is not a battle, but their master’s wedding.

polo’s second coming

By G eo r g i n a S c ha ef fer p h oto g r a phed by a l exi s t h eo doracop ulos

1 2 4 Q U ES T

one fall day, train cars full of New Yorkers stepped off the

platform at Westbury and automobiles motored down Polo Drive to take in an afternoon of sport. But this day was not in 1926. It was this year, and it was the twenty-sixth annual Harriman Cup. Polo has seen a resurgence in recent years, taking on a new popularity not seen since its Golden Age in the 1920s. To what the game owes its new following is hard to say. Certainly more women play the game now, amateur pick-up games are more popular than ever, and the sport has an ever-growing fan base.

The Harriman Cup, which commemorates the life of Averell

Harriman, is an alumni match between the University of Virginia and Yale University (the latter of which Harriman attended). For the last two years, this game has been hosted by the Meadowbrook Polo Club, the oldest polo club in the country. It was during the golden years of polo that Meadowbrook reigned. Its 1926 Open drew a crowd of 30,000 fans to see Laddie Stanford and his “Hurricanes� play against Argentina. The Westchester Cup, This September, Meadowbrook Polo Club in Westbury hosted the annual Harriman Cup, a polo match between University of Virginia and Yale alumni.

This page, clockwise from top left: Yale spectators arriving at the 2010 Harriman Cup; “Hubba” Stenbeck with Max Stenbeck; players in international polo match at Meadow Brook field, June 1913; Christopher Breck, O. Eva Baczynska, and Dominique Punnett at the tailgate hosted by Amelia Osborne and Christopher Breck; Phoebe Dick and Camilla Bradley make a new friend; UVA players taking the ball down field; the tent at this year’s event sponsored by J. McLaughlin. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: action off the field included a game of twister; George Gordon Moore, W. Averill Harriman, Tommy Hitchcock, and William “Willie” Tevis in 1929; a kiss for good luck; the best-playing pony checks out his trophy; a football pass between chukkers; ladies on the field after the match; the awards ceremony. Center: brother and sister duo Charlie and Amelia Osborne.

between the United States and England, drew as many as 45,000 people. “As early as 1 p.m., there were little picnic parties spread out on the grass behind the stands, munching hard boiled eggs, ham sandwhiches and what not...The panama hat and white flannel trousers survived among the males...and a lot of the gals clung to their sports clothes,� described writer Damon Runyon.

Those words still ring true of the atmosphere of polo in Westbury today. Amelia Osborne and Christopher Breck hosted a similarly styled tailgate with guests still dressed in the vestiges of their summer wardrobes. While the sport on the North Shore of Long Island (and the rest of the country) all but ended during and directly after World War II, it is with the efforts of current chairman Luis and Julie Rinaldini and Brian Lazarus that the game of polo rises again for a new generation.

While the sport all but ended on the North Shore of Long Island during and directly after World War II, the game of polo rises again for a new generation.

1 2 8 Q U ES T

v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t ir e m e n t . . . C u rr e n t E v e n t s . . . i n s u r a n c e . . . s t o c k s . . . I n v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e In t

Money Matters Gregory C. Leo

Senior Vice President Chief Investment Officer IDB BANK, US Private Banking

assessing the year past and planning for the future We needn’t check the thermometer to know that 2010 is winding to a close. As year-end approaches, most of us take time to assess the year and think of those near and dear to us, both individuals and organizations. During these dif-

ficult economic times, it’s challenging to help others, yet it’s the time when many need help the most. So, as you plan your finances and think about year-end tax strategies, you should consider helping your favorite charity and potentially get

some tax relief in the process.

There are many ways to make charitable gifts, each potentially having different benefits for you and the charity. Since there are potential tax benefits associated with charitable giving, we suggest you consult your tax advisor before making any gifts. So, to help with your year-end planning, let’s review some of the different gifting strategies and benefits.

While you can give anything to anyone, if you want some tax benefits, the recipient must be an approved charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. While helping friends and family may be good for them, and make you feel good as well, the IRS won’t be nearly as supportive.

It’s also important to note that while you can give any type of property, the value of cash and marketable securities have little

Above, from left: Industrialist, businessman, and major philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie; the Fine Arts Wing at Carnegie Mellon University.

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tv ir ee sm tm en en t .t. s . C. .u. Frr i neanntc E ev . .e . Rnettsir . . . eI NSU m e nRtANCE . . . C u rr . . . setnotc E kv s .e. n . It nsv. e . . si t nm su er nat n s .c. e . F. i. .ns a tn oc ce k .s. . .R. e In tv ir ee sm tm en en t .t. s . C. .u. Frr i neanntc E ev . .e . Rnetts

From left: The New York Public Library at Bryant Park in 1908; Brooke Astor, whose major philanthropic work included gifts to the library.

doubt compared to non-cash gifts. When giving all other assets you will need a qualified appraisal to determine the value of the gift. There are also some limitations on the amount you can reduce your income through gifting. A cash donation can reduce your adjusted gross income by up to 50%, while you can reduce it by only 30% when making non-cash donations. Donations of greater amounts can be carried forward five years. With that said, here are a few ways you can make donations to your favorite cause.

Cash Donations are the easiest—write a check and take the deduction. Since you give up all benefits of the donation you may be apt to give less.

Non-Cash Donations are most advantageous when the property you are gifting has appreciated in value. You can deduct the fair market value of the property. The charity, since they are tax exempt, can then sell it without tax ramifications. Since you avoid the capital gains tax it allows you to give more than if you paid the tax. To get the full value of the deduction the holding period of the asset must allow it to qualify as a long-term gain. Unless the property is a publicly traded security you will need a qualified appraisal.

A Charitable Remainder Trust could be best if you’re looking to gift prop-

erty but still want income from it. While the charity won’t receive the assets until your death, you get the deduction today and receive the income from your property during your lifetime. A CRT works especially well if you’re gifting appreciated property that produces little or no income. Once you make the gift to the trust, the CRT can sell the property without tax liability and reinvest the proceeds in income producing assets. Since you retain an interest in the gift, you might be willing to make a larger donation.

A Charitable Lead Trust is the opposite of a Charitable Remainder Trust where the interest of the charity leads, and remaining trusts assets pass to you or the designated beneficiary at the term’s end. A CLT allows the charity to be the recipient of a donation during your life and is particularly attractive if you expect a surge in income but expect to have less income later. A CLT can also be attractive if you don’t need current income today but want to keep an asset in the family.

Using a CLT, you receive a deduction based upon the present value of income expected to be paid to the charity; however, the trust assets remain in your estate.

A Private Foundation is best for larger donations and will give you the most control over the assets you donate. While you

must follow a number of rules designed to ensure the foundation serves charitable interests and not public interests, you do control how the money will be used. You will receive a tax deduction today for the donation you make but don’t need to choose the charities until you distribute assets, which is typically done annually of at least 5% of foundation assets.

Donor-Advised Funds are offered by larger public charities and allow you to recommend the charities that receive donations. A donor-advised fund is much simpler and less costly to set up than a private foundation yet affords similar benefits. When you make a gift to the fund the charity will set up an account in your name with the assets you donate. You receive a deduction for your gift, which is best made with appreciated assets.

There are many ways to help your favorite charitable organization. Hopefully you can find one that fits your needs and desires. While writing a check is the easiest, giving appreciated assets could further reduce the net cost to you. As with all tax-related matters, you should first consult your tax advisor.

For more information, call 212.551.8086 or visit idbbank.com.

v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t ir e m e n t . . . C u rr e n t E v e n t s . . . i n s u r a n c e . . . s t o c k s . . . I n v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t

Money Matters Peter E. Tony GueRNsey, Jr. Chief Client Officer, Wilmington Trust Company

leaving the most for your beneficiaries Throughout the year, the Wealth Management market has a number of conferences where our clients and their advisers learn how to better manage their money. The presenters at these conferences concentrate on product: which hedge fund to join, when to re-commit to private equity, when has gold and commodities reached its peak, is the threat of inflation really twenty years away? These subjects are known as the “hard” issues, but what has emerged and what has become across the board more important are the “soft” issues of giving back.

In 1974, Harold, was an eighty-fouryear-old immigrant who came to the U.S. at age seven with $3. Over the years, Harold amassed a fortune of $124 million as a result of his successful career engineering the New York City subway system. He had a wife, Violet, and three dogs. Every Tuesday and Wednesday for the last fifteen years of his life, Harold took the train from Tuxedo Park to the vaults of his private bank to clip his coupons on his municipal bond portfolio, his only investment class.

It always bothered Harold that he got social security payments. Yes, he qualified for them and paid into the system, but neither he nor Violet needed the money.

When the checks came, he refused to cash them. In the front foyer of his house, in a huge Steuben glass bowl were months, years of checks from the U.S. Treasury.

He also hated details. His main chore later in life was to try to create the perfect tax position whereby he had no income or capital gains for the sole purpose of 132 QUEST

not having to file an annual tax return.

He kept $2 million in his non-interest bearing checking account. We couldn’t convince him to invest this sum into an interest-bearing instrument. Yet, after dozens of letters and calls to the federal government, even after hiring an attorney, he was unable to shut off receiving his social security checks.

As Harold got on in age he was unable to sign his name, so he hired the bank to pay his bills. Here we discovered the extraordinary part of his wealth: in reviewing his checking account on any given month, after five to seven standard checks, there were cancelled checks to more than two hundred charities (almost 2,500 donations a year). Anyone who

would send him an appeal letter; he’d give $500. Each year thereafter, if he was contacted by the same charity, he’d double his donation. When questioned why, he said he felt all of charity was the same; he was too old to be able to determine a difference in need; and they all needed the money more than he did. George outlived Violet and his three dogs by six years. He died in 1987, and from at least 1974 until his death, he had given away over $16 million, yet left an estate worth over $150 million. His instructions under his will were simple: distribute his estate equally to every charity he had ever given to. That took the bank (and eventually an actuary firm) a lot of research.

In the last forty years, improved strategies about the “soft issues” of giving back have emerged. We have many experts at Wilmington Trust who work on these issues every day.

And, Harold, like many self-made entrepreneurs in America, quickly discovered that working here gave him the unexpected reward of great wealth. Yet, he also wanted to make sure he gave back, and in his own way, he surprised many with their own unexpected rewards.

For more information, call 212.415.0510 or email tguernsey@wilmingtontrust.com.

J.P. Morgan, Jr., who dedicated his father’s library, the Morgan Library (right), to New York City.

t ir e m e n t . . . C u rr e n t E v e n t s . . . i n s u r a n c e . . . s t o c k s . . . I n v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t ir e m e n t . . . C u rr e n t E v e n t s

Henry Clay Frick and the comprehensive fine art collection that bears his name, The Frick Collection (right), at One East 70th Street.

At Northern Trust, we’re seeing a new generation of philanthropists find ways to contribute to the causes they love.

For many people, it can be a challenge to convert good intentions into successful practice. To donate with a clear purpose and effective strategy, it’s important to do it right—taking stock of goals and resources while carefully learning about potential charities to support.

The following information comes from Northern Trust’s “Philanthropy and the Next Generation: The Principles of Effective Giving” and is meant to serve as a best practice guide for philanthropists, especially those just beginning.

A Formula for Charitable Giving Success: Whether you are preparing to make your first-ever charitable contribution, or you’re an experienced philanthropist, effective giving is based on a few essential principles: 1. Articulating your philanthropic goals 2. Educating yourself to give responsibly 3. Deciding how you want to give 4. Deciding what you want to give 5. Evaluating outcomes and impact You may tackle these issues separately or concurrently—there is no perfect plan. But abiding by these principles, bringing a critical eye to your process of giving, and incorporating the right tools for measurement can help you to be a more effective philanthropist for years to come.

Articulating Your Philanthropic Goals: As you explore your philanthropic moti-

JEFF KAUFfMAN

President and Chief Executive Officer Personal Financial Services Northeast Region Northern Trust

becoming a more effective philanthropist vations, try to answer the question: If I could change one thing in the world, what would it be? You may have a few areas of interest so try to be specific in what you seek to accomplish and focus energy and resources on a few measurable action items. Start crafting your goals.

1. Doing some personal reflection: What are you passionate about?

2. Have an open discussion with family members, friends, colleagues, and peers.

3. Consider core family values: Why are you drawn to an issue or group?

4. Seek out a philanthropic mentor, someone with experience who can serve as a guide.

Educating Yourself to Give Responsibly: The field of philanthropy is a dynamic topic in and of itself. There are numerous philanthropic membership organizations and peer networks whose aim is to share resources, help donors learn best practices, and provide guidance so donors

can avoid common mistakes. There are large national organizations that support their members primarily over the internet, through national publications and with annual conferences. There are also smaller membership organizations focused on the local grantmaking community that offer workshops, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and a library of resources.

About Potential Recipients: Educating yourself on the issues is another important step in the giving process.

Once you pick a cause, it is important to become familiar with its particular set of challenges and gather more in-depth knowledge of the root of the issue and how it is currently being addressed.

If you have identified an area of interest but no specific donees, you can talk with experts—academics, nonprofit professionals, or peer grantmakers—to find out what resources are needed or which potential partners may be underserved.

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v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t ir e m e n t . . . C u rr e n t E v e n t s . . . i n s u r a n c e . . . s t o c k s . . . I n v e s t m e n t s . . . F i n a n c e . . . R e t

Money Matters

Left to right: Bill Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; early mathematicians with an abacus; Warren Buffett supports many charities.

Finding Nonprofits that Fit Your Mission: As you search for a charity you support, there may be quite a few organizations that fall within the scope of your mission. You might find nonprofit recipients through word of mouth, by talking to your friends and colleagues about their activities, or through someone in your family who knows of a charity doing good work. The idea of “giving back” to the organizations that have made a difference in your life might be one fulfilling way to start engaging in philanthropy: your high school or college alma mater for example.

Colleges and workplaces may also have resources available to help you connect your interests with philanthropic needs or to match you with a mentor.

Another option is to find a charity via the internet, where there are free online databases that allow you to search a catalogue of nonprofits by issue or category, organization type, geography, budget level and other criteria.

Due Diligence: Just like any other investments you make in your life, doing research to assure your philanthropic recipients have “good credentials” is another important step of effective giving. You should always make sure the organization is a 501(c)(3) 134 QUEST

public charity, so your contributions are tax deductible. One easy way to get familiar with any nonprofit is by reading its annual report, which offers a good introduction to the organization along with key financial and budget items. For further due diligence, resources such as GuideStar, the Internal Revenue Service, or the Better Business Bureau can provide a more complete picture of the organization’s financial health and fiscal responsibility.

Deciding How You Want to Give: The next important step in the charitable giving process is deciding whether you would like to give gifts of cash or securities. There are various channels and methods of giving that you may want to explore as well: 1. Outright Gifts of Cash or Securities 2. Donor Advised Funds 3. Private Foundations 4. Online Giving 5. Giving Circles 6. Volunteer Time and Skills Deciding What You Want to Give: How much and how often you feel comfortable contributing to a charitable cause will depend on your financial situation and level of comfort with the organization. If you’re contributing financially, it is wise to start small and work up to

the level that suits you best. The same applies for time you might want to give as a volunteer. The decision about what you give—cash or appreciated stocks, or in-kind donations of materials like books, clothing, or school supplies—should be made in consultation with your financial and tax advisors.

Evaluating Outcomes and Impact: After making a gift to a charitable organization, you will likely want to consider the impact of your gift on the recipient, the cause, and the communities you are supporting. If you’ve decided to make several gifts to the same charitable organizations, you may want to formalize a process for soliciting feedback. Factors to consider are whether any measurable statistics are available to illustrate improvement, what has worked well and what hasn’t, how a specific gift made an impact, and any other additional information about what’s happening around that issue.

Whether you have years of philanthropic experience, or none whatsoever, you can make meaningful charitable gifts, and knowing that your contribution of assets, time, or non-cash goods is making the difference is well worth the effort.

For more information, call Jeff Kauffman at 212.339.7474 or see northerntrust.com.

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know when to review and upgrade your insurance policy Valuable items can go uninsured because individuals assume they will be covered under their homeowner’s policy in the event of a loss such as fire, water damage, or theft. This is not the case.

It is important to evaluate the sufficiency and quality of insurance regularly, as well as reappraise collections every three to five years.

What do you mean by “upgrading” your insurance?

We often encounter individuals and families who have “outgrown” their insurance or their provider. In short, their insurance program has not kept pace with changes in their life and lifestyle. For instance, many people have their homes insured with the same insurer and agent that they had when they were first entering the workforce or purchasing their first home.

Does this mean I will have to pay more for my insurance?

No. As your needs change, the quality of insurance and the services that you require also change. However, it need not always cost more to have the right insurance coverage in place. A sophisticated insurance broker who understands your lifestyle is more likely to tailor coverage to your needs, notice deficiencies in your coverage, and find creative ways to structure your program to reduce premiums.

How do I know when to review my insurance needs?

An expanding household, a growing portfolio, increased social prominence and professional success, and greater philanthropic involvement are all signals that it is time to review and upgrade your insurance. Unfortunately, it often takes a lawsuit, an uncovered loss, or a poorlyhandled claim for an individual to recognize that their insurance has become inadequate for their needs.

Give me an example of a critical time to take a look at my insurance program.

When renovating or constructing a home.

Jonathan h.f. crystal Executive Vice President Frank Crystal & Co.

The chance of a property loss or a liability claim is dramatically higher. The first step is just to notify your insurance broker in advance of the construction or renovations, so that they can properly advise you. A qualified broker can assist you in confirming that you and your contractors maintain the appropriate insurance.

What about protecting my art, jewelry, and other valuable collections?

A passion for collecting usually develops over time, as does the collection itself. Initial acquisitions may be quite modest—a small piece of art, a fine bottle of wine, a precious piece of jewelry—but collections can grow dramatically in the span of a few years.

What are some of the other areas that I should consider as my lifestyle evolves?

We are always conscious of the exposure associated with domestic employees: babysitters, housekeepers, cooks, gardeners, drivers, caretakers for a second home, etc. Each employee may only work a few hours a week, but they bring with them the risk that they could be injured or that they could injure someone else, as well as the potential to bring an employment-practices complaint, such as an allegation of wrongful termination or discrimination. Addressing these exposures requires proper workers compensation, personal liability, and employment practices liability insurance.

What other life events should trigger a re-evaluation of insurance?

Welcoming a new child is a good time to re-consider one’s life insurance needs, and we also ask our clients to consult us whenever they are considering extensive foreign travel, large-scale entertaining in their home, or chartering or purchasing aircraft and watercraft. u For more information, call 212.344.2444 or visit fcrystal.com.

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so long, summer by hilary geary

From left: Joanne de Guardiola’s book party for Susan Fales-Hill; a portrait on display at Robin and John Pickett’s party for The American Dog at Home.

there’s no place in the whole world sweeter than August in Southampton.

This year’s weather was as good as it gets, one sunny day after another adding up to a long, glorious summer. I have to say this resort gets first prize without any contest in my book! The uncrowned beaches are wide and long, the golf courses are world136 QUEST

class, the Meadow Club’s pristine grass tennis courts rival Wimbledon, plus there are tons of fun dinners, book parties, movie screenings, and more.

My favorites are the little dinners where you can really catch up with pals, such as the one Carol McFadden gave at her house. Carol gathered together friends old

and new and treated us to a scrumptious dinner with summer favorites, such as baby white corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes with perfectly grilled lamb chops.

On another night, Jane and Peter Marino hosted their annual concert and dinner with violinist Hahn Bin, accompanied by John Blacklow. What a joy it was to listen

to this talented duo while we sat in Jane and Peter’s treasure-filled house, decorated of course by Peter the great! After the concert we dined al fresco on his covered porch, surrounded by their vast grounds that are studded with glorious Lalanne sculptures and specimen trees. Among the guests were Kathy and Billy Rayner, David and Julia Koch, Judy and Alfred Taubman, Alexis Gregory, and more.

I must mention the movie screening of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps at the Southampton theatre. It was such fun to see the cameo appearances by Graydon Carter, Grace Meigher, Julia Koch, Christopher Mason, Hamish Bowles, Amy Fine Collins, Peggy Siegal, and others. The theatre was packed with “locals,” such as Deborah and Leon Black, Bob Colacello, Anne Eisenhower and Wolfgang Flottl, Henry and Marie Jose Kravis, Teddy Forstman, Donna and Bill

Robin and John Pickett threw open the doors of their grand Southampton house, designed by Francis Fleetwood with high ceilings, fireplaces galore, wrap-around porches, and lush landscaping, for a preview book signing for The American Dog at Home by Christine Merrill and William Secord. You do not have to be a member of the canine club to adore this wonderful coffee-table book filled with enchanting portraits of adorable pooches, usually posing regally in their owners’ glam houses. Guests sipped icy vintage French rose champagne as they ooohed and aahed at this divine book, which the Picketts graciously gave to all their guests. A big crowd showed up at the cocktail party, including Freddie and Virginia Melhado, Jay Keith, Julian Robertson, Timmy and Susan Mortimer, Freddie and Carol Guest, newlyweds Pat and Ed Ney, Tony Pilaro, Darcy and

la had all the gals over to her divine house for a buffet luncheon to toast Susan FalesHill and her new book, One Flight Up. All the ladies arrived in pretty summer pastel pants and dresses to applaud their talented pal. Among the gals there were Kathy Hilton, Susan Mortimer, Karen LeFrak, Judy Taubman, Jesse Araskog, Audrey Gruss, Kitty McKnight, Somers Farkas, Debbie Bancroft, Dana Hammond, Nancy Silverman, and Cornelia Bregman.

On that same eve, Catie and Don Marron gave a cocktail party at their lovely house in Susan’s honor, too!

More books! Lars Bolander had a book signing of Lars Bolander’s Scandinavian Design at Nancy Corzine’s Southampton store, which overflowed with his fans. You all know that Lars is not only a brilliant decorator with impeccable taste, but has shops that are filled with ultra chic treasures from all over the world, too. Anoth-

Guests at the de Guardiola book luncheon. From left: Kathy Hilton and Judy Taubman; Dana Hammond and Felicia Taylor.

Aquavella, Roberto and Joanne de Guardiola, Bruce and Maria Bockmann, Rudy and Judith Guiliani, Aby and Samantha Rosen,Virginia Coleman, Senator Frank and Bonnie Lautenberg, Katharina and Nathan Bernstein, Nina Griscom and Leonel Piraino.

On another flawless late summer eve,

George Gould, Annabelle and Denis Coleman, David Teiger, plus many more who were featured in the book, such as Bruce Bierman, Kathleen and Tom Eyles, Tina Flaherty, Lauren and Gray Hampton, Lorraine Schacht and Sherry Mandell, and others.

Speaking of books, Joanne de Guardio-

er afternoon book “do” was Anne Hearst and Jay McInerney’s party at their glamouros “farm” to toast Taylor Plimpton’s first book, Notes from the Night: A Life after Dark, which cannot help but remind you of the host Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City.

Summertime is a wonderful season! u OC T O B E R 2 0 1 0 1 3 7

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THE YOUNG & THE GUEST LIST This month, Elizabeth Brown checks in with the junior set everywhere from the Meadowbrook Polo Club to Lincoln Center during Fashion Week, stopping at Doubles to celebrate the Quest 400.

by Elizabeth Brown Ben Broderick, Christian Tookes, Doug Berman, and Van Bloys, all Choate alums, attended the Harriman Cup, where UVA played against Yale.

Case Carpenter, Jon Behrendt, Katie Parker-Magyar, Dane Evans, and Dana Greechan at the polo match.

Pete Hansen borrows a friend’s dog, taking it for a walk on the field.

Kat Biersbach displays the flag as the national anthem sounds through the crowd.

Matt Holt joins Amelia Osborne and Chris Breck, who hosted a tent.

Alex Persson dips Helen Howe while dancing to live

A spectator enjoys the sunshine at the

music following the polo match.

Meadowbrook Polo Club.

medora hartz / E. Hedley

“all charming people, I fancy, are spoiled. It is the se-

cret of their attraction,” wrote Oscar Wilde. Between taxis and take-out, I feel like we are all sort of spoiled in Manhattan.

And, over the past month, I’ve certainly met a few charmers, from the Upper East Side to the West Village ...

On September 7, The Cinema Society hosted the premiere of The Romantics. The cast, including Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel, joined the audience, snacking on free popcorn and soft drinks. (Stars—they’re just like US!) Afterward, guests traded concessions for cocktails atop the Gansevoort Park Avenue South at Plunge.

A couple of days later, Q and What2WearWhere.com celebrated Fashion Week with a preview of Lavo. With

Gatecrasher and others requesting invitations, I suddenly felt very see-and-be-seen. The event was a smash, with beer flowing like wine and beautiful women instinctively flocking like the salmon of Capistrano. Then, I hopped into a cab to Avenue with two boys from from Lavo, deejaying “The Next Episode” and “You’re So Vain” from my iPhone. We toasted our arrival with champagne. Cheers!

That saturday, I met Quest’s Georgina Schaeffer and Alexis Theodoracopulos at the Meadowbrook Polo Club for the twenty-sixth annual Harriman Cup. We posted at a friend’s tent, which was decorated in C. K. Bradley ribbon, Southsides, and the smiling faces of Ryan Jones and Chris Leach. By the sixth chukker, I had witnessed enough seersucker to last the winter.

OCTOBER 2010 139

And then it was Fashion Week. Apparently top-siders are gauche? So, off to the tents with my Ray-Bans and a dash of mink. The season’s must-have? Starbucks Silly Bandz, available in the shape of Frappuccinos, hearts, and stars.

On the 14th, I joined Quest’s Daniel Cappello and Q’s Elizabeth Meigher at Lincoln Center for Luca Luca and Tibi (oh, herro, purple onesie). Outside, I chatted with Refinery29.com’s Kristian Laliberte and Paper’s Luigi Tadini before dashing crosstown to Brooks Brothers.

There, we celebrated the launch of True Prep by Lisa Birnbach with Chip Kidd. It was quite a coming together of whole new old worlds, with Choate alums mixing with Deerfield alums.

I mixed with Paper’s Peter Davis, a Pomfret alum, and Mark Gilbertson, a Lawrenceville alum. As the book reads: “... we love to connect to and for one another ... We think these connections help pave our way to—if not heaven, at least a long weekend on Nantucket.” Or, as it were, Chelsea ...

Next, I attended the alice + olivia presentation on West 20-something Street where I gossiped with Life & Style’s Juliet Izon and congratulated Danielle Snyder and Jodie Snyder of DANNIJO on their shoot in September’s Quest. Then I was off to Lavo’s opening until goodness knows what time! By week’s end, under-eye bags were chicer than my Bottega Veneta. They, after all, showed that you were young and on the guest list!

Chip Kidd, Lisa Birnbach, and Thom Browne toast True Prep. Right: Andrew Bevan and Arthur Wayne at Brooks Brothers.

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Carter Peabody.

The Cinema Society screened Buried with Ryan Reynolds at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on the 16th and Vampire Weekend performed at Radio City Music Hall on the 17th. For the concert, Frances Cain and I attempted to dress like hipsters, both choosing to wear white tank tops, black leggings, and black boots. Pathetic, I know. At least we topped off the night with a bucket of PBRs at Brother Jimmy’s.

On September 18, Emily Fincke and I hosted a supper with a prix fixe menu at Freemans. Before our meal, several of us met for martinis, heeding Amanda Senatore’s advice: “While everyone enjoys a stiff drink, no one enjoys a stiff guest.” Shortly, we were off to the Lower East Side to greet eighteen of our nearest and dearest, including Cleary Hallett, Jon Stone, and Tanner Zucker. Too many servings of macaroni and cheese later, we waltzed away to dance the night at Automatic Slim’s.

The Quest 400 was hosted at Doubles on the 23rd, Quest’s Chris Meigher’s birthday! Guests enjoying the cocktail weiners included Camilla Bradley, Vanity Fair’s Amy Fine Collins, and Di Petroff. Come midnight, I was to be found onstage at Session 73, singing “Happy Birthday” to Quest’s Georgina Schaeffer.

Now, I must depart to browse the Interwebs for a Halloween costume. Any recommendations? I'm thinking something very, very conservative. u

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Mark Gilbertson, Peter Davis, Christian Leone, and

Lindsay Torpey-Cross, Alex Polkinghorn, Anne Moody, and Frances Cain at Lavo.

Vanity Fair’s Amanda Meigher and Geoff Collins attend an event hosted by Q and What2WearWhere.com.

DJ Vice, with Nicky Hilton, performs at the opening of Lavo on September 14.

Hailey Feldman and Samantha Pebley at Lavo on September 9.

Amanda Senatore, Emily Fincke, and Adelaide PolkBauman flip through Quest at Lavo.

Christie Schiff and Luke LaBranche at Lavo on September 9.

Dani Stahl and Shoshanna Gruss at the opening of Lavo on September 14.

Georgiana Bland, Jordan Leventhal, and Lara Glaister

Elizabeth Meigher, Zoe Coady, Elizabeth

celebrate the beginning of Fashion Week at Lavo.

Tuke, Di Petroff, and Karen Klopp.

OCTOBER 2010 141

Medo Anisha Lakhani, Billy Kreitsek, and Dabney Mercer joined Matthew and Nicole Mellon at Doubles for The Quest 400.

Exonians Elizabeth Brown, Nathaniel Weiss, and Caroline Smith enjoy a prix fixe menu with old and new friends at Freemans on September 18.

Judah Friedlander attends the Cinema Society’s screening of The Romantics.

Medora Hartz and Tanner Zucker converse over cocktails at Freemans on September 18.

Karen Craig, Malin Akerman, and Olivia Palermo at the premiere of The Romantics.

Hilary Rhoda attends the premiere of Buried at The Tribeca Grand Hotel.

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Alixe Laughlin and Mary Snow join others to

Ryan Reynolds and Andrew Saffir at the

celebrate The Quest 400 at Doubles.

SoHo Grand Hotel with the Cinema Society.

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medora hartz / Alexander porter / bfa

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Clockwise from top left: Elle’s Nina Garcia with Stacey Bendet of alice + olivia; Tinsley Mortimer at the presentation in Chelsea; Models display the new collection; Caitlin Moe and DJ Mia Moretti perform at the alice + olivia presentation during Fashion Week.

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New York PLaylist

ty Ci rk t Yo lis

1. New York, New York. Written by Leonard Bernstein, for On the Town.

2. Drop Me Off in Harlem, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong 3. 59th Street Bridge Song, Simon and Garfunkel present a list of our favorite odes 4. Manhattan. Written by Rodgers and Hart. Performed by Mickey Rooney. to the city. Top row, from left: 5. Downtown, Petula Clark Duke Ellington and his band; song 6. Angel of Harlem, U2 writer Cole Porter by his piano; 7. Lullaby of Broadway, from 42nd Street. Performed by Doris Day. Bono from U2. Second row, from 8. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel left: Frank Sinatra; Ella Fitzgerald 9. The Boy from New York City, Manhattan Transfer performs; Simon and Garfunkel; 10. Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes, Paul Simon Bobby Short breaks from his performance 11. Puttin’ on the Ritz. Written by Irving Berlin. Performed by Harry Richman. to talk to Dina Merrill. Third row, 12. New York State of Mind, Billy Joel from left: Leonard Bernstein writing lyrics; 13. Autumn in New York. Written by Vernon York. Performed by Ella Fitzgerald.

Billy Joel; Rogers and Hart.

14. New York, Freddie Mercury 15. Arthur’s Theme (The Moon and New York City), Christopher Cross 16. New York, New York, Ryan Adams 17. New York City, John Lennon 18. New York, New York, Frank Sinatra Countless musicians have been

inspired by New York. Here we

BONUS TRACK: Sweet n’ Low Down, from My One and Only. Performed by Tommy Tune and Twiggy.

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Key to the cure Get the shirt. Shop the weekend.

Show your support.

Join Saks Fifth Avenue in the fight against women’s cancers. Get the shirt, designed by Donna Karan, exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue this october. then shop october 21 to 24, when Saks donates 2% of sales to local and national women’s cancer charities.* Special thanks to uma thurman, the 2010 Ambassador for Key to the cure.

*Saks will donate 2% of sales thursday to Sunday, october 21 to 24, up to $500,000.

Saks Fifth Avenue will also make a donation of $375,000 to the Breast cancer research Foundation®. Visit saks.com/Kttc to learn more.

800.429.0996 © SAKS FIFTH AVENUE 2010 ONLINE: SAKS.COM FACEBOOK.COM/SAKS TWITTER.COM/SAKS