TODAY’S WOMAN A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE RECORD-REVIEW
J
M A RCH 2 7, 2 015
New
THE POWER OF THE INDIVIDUALITY IS SPRING’S FASHION MANTRA
I
By TRACI DUTTON LUDWIG
t was a long winter, but spring has finally arrived. Time to shed those snow boots, puffy parkas, hats and gloves. Thick tights are making way for bare skin. Heavy pants have been replaced by flirty dresses. Goodbye ear warmers; hello sunglasses! Designers — euphoric over the change of temperature — have turned out a glorious mix of stylish trends, relaying a cast of characteristic attitudes. In this season of abundance and variety, you’re sure to find many new fashion favorites. You’ll know the right match when a look speaks in perfect harmony with your personality. To help guide your shopping adventure, we’ve gathered together a rundown of some of spring’s hottest trends.
Shirtdresses Far from the corporate uniform, women’s fashion takes an offbeat nod at menswear this season. Blue oxfords, white button-downs, starched cuffs and collars have escaped the realm of husbands’ pinstriped suits. Instead, they’ve been transformed into short feminine frocks. Contemporary designers have reinvented the shirtdress with double high slits, dropped waists, decorative belts and inventive necklines. Worn with heels, flats or boots — and possibly enlivened with a neck scarf or bold jewelry — the shirtdress is a chameleon of many moods. But in all its manifestations, it’s a fun, crisp look for spring. The only drawback, of course, is the ironing.
Leg up Are they pants? Shorts? Modified skirts? Whatever they are, culottes are experiencing a revival — big time. More wearable than 2014’s obsession with shorts, culottes are a playful way to stay cool and show some leg this spring. Just remember, knee-length or mid-calf styles can hit the body at an unflattering point of the leg, so make sure the overall silhouette flatters your body. Look for shapes that narrow the leg, cinch the waist and create flattering move-
Noir Sachin & Babi, printed tank, and hi-low skirt; available a Neiman Marcus.
INSIDE HEALTH Beware the brittle bones of osteoporosis ...2A
TW PROFILE After 20 years, Donovan-Duff ’s legacy lives on...3A
FASHION Detail oriented: spring accessory report...5A
BEAUTY Style and dye pros offer quality tips for your best look...6A
TW PROFILE Telling stories in the digital age is Wallach’s niche...7A
ment. Combined with tailored jackets and smart shoes, culottes are appropriate garb for the office. However, when transformed by a silky, backless halter, culottes transition seamlessly into evening. With a tank top and platform sandals, another look emerges — casual and relaxed. A word of caution — because the silhouette interrupts the leg line, the feet can risk looking stumpy. Counter this by wearing high heels, platform espadrilles, stacked ankle booties or anything that laces up the calf. These shoe styles will add height, draw attention to the ankle and refine the foot.
Sexy shoulders Some years it’s all about arms or backs or legs. This spring, shoulders have taken the spotlight. The current obsession lusts for one-shoulder tops and dresses, incorporating fabrics’ sinuous drapes or alluring stretched diagonals. Having developed from last spring’s preference for completely off-the-shoulder silhouettes, the current oneshoulder looks are more interesting and dynamic. Exploiting the sexiness of shoulders, one-shoulder silhouettes are supremely flirtatious in their simultaneous play of reveal and conceal. In stretch fabrics, these tops make great casual separates. In dresses, the neckline plays up femininity or can be styled for dramatic effect. From a practical standpoint, and for confidence in movement, the one-shoulder silhouette trumps strapless any day.
High contrast Like vintage movies, black and white never goes out of style. The classic partnership is dramatic, elegant and refined. To keep the look fresh this season, choose modern silhouettes with interesting textures, graphic patterns or unusual details. A lack of balance can be visually dynamic. Look for much more black than white — or much more white than black. Diagonal divides of color, shapely cutouts, angular hemlines and interesting sleeve shapes invigorate the timeless appeal of black and white with a 21stcentury touch. Blue and white combinations and all-white outfits are popular modifications of the trend. White can be harsh, however, so be sure to play with textured surfaces Continued on page 4A
TODAY’S WOMAN
E
Single-owner estates sales are Elaine Whitmire’s specialty By EVE MARX
laine Whitmire, Birmingham, Ala., native, is vice chairman of Americas for Sotheby’s, where she has worked for 34 years. After a long tenure and many changing titles, she has in recent years honed her own specialty, which is single-owner sales. Whitmire has pitched, directed and overseen the sales of the estates of many boldfaced famous name clients, including Gianni Versace, Andy Warhol, Geoffrey Beene, Brooke Astor, Bill Blass, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, and most recently, Bunny Mellon, whose storied estate in Virginia was auctioned last autumn. In 1987, Whitmire moved to Katonah to raise a family. She has been commuting by train to the city for decades. When asked if she has always been attracted to beautiful things, Whitmire smiled her characteristic Cheshire grin. “My grandfather was a painter,” she said, her Alabama drawl still quite evident. “My parents were noted collectors of 18th century furnishings.” While Whitmire has been celebrated and often quoted in the press for her high profile sales, the majority of her auctions are the estates of people whose names you probably don’t know. She spoke glowingly of her sale of the art and furnishings of Jayne Wrightsman, the widow of Charles B. Wrightsman, a noted art collector and philanthropist. “Jane and her husband began collecting in 1952 and together amassed one of the finest private collections in America of the decorative arts,” Whitmire said. Many of the objects comprising the Wrightsman Galleries ended up going to the Metropolitan Museum. “We sold the contents of her London residence,” Whitmire said. “She had impeccable taste. Very high society.” Bill Blass, she said, was a favorite. “I loved his clothes, his friends, his story,” she mused. She called the Versace sale “bittersweet” because it took place only a year after his death. The Mellon sale generated an enormous, if not ex-
Elaine Whitmire traordinary amount of press. “Mellon is one of those names like Rockefeller and Vanderbilt,” Whitmire said. “They were very private. Their home had never been photographed.” Whitmire said she’s always had an eye for detail. “I took a test recently that told me I was more inclined toward the visual than the math of life,” she said. “I’m drawn to art. I like storytelling. I’m interested in the story of a person’s collection. My job at Sotheby’s is telling other people’s stories through what they collect.” She said technology has forever changed the auction business. “When I first started out, there weren’t cell phones,” Whitmire said. “There weren’t computers. Now a client can get ahold of you 24/7.”
JOHN MEORE PHOTO
And thanks to technology, sales are all global. “Everyone can participate in a sale and you can see every catalog online,” she said. Over salad and broccoli rabe pasta and a bite of ricotta cheesecake at the Blue Dolphin restaurant in Katonah, where she most often takes her Saturday lunch, Whitmire talked about what it means to be a woman in her industry. “Just as much as to the clients, how you present yourself to colleagues is incredibly important,” she said. “You have to be confident without being cocky. You have to show yourself to be a team player. Women get a bad rap as leaders. You have to be fair and smart. And take on opportunities as they present themselves and be open
whether you think you want to be or not. Don’t be a wallflower. You have to speak up. And this is very important. Women have an obligation to raise up other women.” Whitmire said that being a team player doesn’t mean that a woman should be the person who always gets the coffee. “Don’t fall into that trap,” she said. The hardest period of her life was when her daughters were young and she was a full-time working mother. “That was the hardest part,” Whitmire said. “I had a job I loved.” She talked about her schedule that often required traveling for work, and living with nannies, which might sound like fun but really wasn’t, not to mention the lack of privacy in her house. Her children often begged her to stay home. “The bonus was that they grew up seeing a person who was passionate about her work,” Whitmire. “For me, working full time was the right decision.” While people might imagine that someone in Whitmire’s position would have an inside track on fabulous auctions, Sotheby’s employees are not allowed to buy in their own sales. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t fall in love with stuff. “At almost any sale there’s always something I personally love and want,” she said. “I get really attached to these sales. I really put myself into them. I want to do right by the client and make sure their story is told well. I get very involved but I can’t ever buy. We are not allowed.” Whitmire is a collector herself. “I collect what I love,” she said. “Everything in my house is from someone I love, or a period of time that I love. I’m interested in the provenance of things, and by that I don’t mean just in what country it was made. I have an early 19th century Austrian chest of drawers that has been with me my whole life. It was in my mother’s entrance hall. I just love the color. My grandfather’s art on the wall. I don’t care what’s on trend. I’ve got to love it and it’s got to mean something to me. I have formal things surrounded by things that aren’t formal at all. I’m not formal. Dogs are allowed in my living room.”