WAG Magazine May 2013

May 2013

Stacy London: One cool lady Prince Harry’s hot to trot (polo ponies) Tiffany’s, ‘Gatsby’ and the red-hot Jazz Age

heating up

Pooling their resources

Karine Laval • Everything But Water

Warming to climate change?

Feminist fire

Eileen Fisher • Nancy Armstrong • Willa

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Melting iceberg straight ahead • 12 Wet ’n’ wild • 14 Shooting pool • 18 Girl power • 20 in the flow with eileen fisher • 22 Skin care for the younger set • 24 Wild about Harry • 28 Princely chukker • 30 SoulCycle offers a different spin on fitness • 32 Not quitting his day job • 34 Crowning glory • 36 Mending senses • 40 a woman of style and substance • 47 A singular style • 55 better shred than dread • 58 Made in the shade • 60 Lighten up • 64

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Poolscape 01 by Karine Laval.

Real hope.

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may 2013

38 wear

Features

WAGvertisers

Just add water

42 wear

Out of the past

44 wear

Onward, Alex Soldier

51 way

The sporting life

61 wares

Setting an artful table

66 hot spots

Chappaqua – in their own words

68 wonderful dining Back to the beginning

70 wagging

A tale of love and loss under the sun

71 wanders

The eternal sunshine of Costa Rica

74 w’reel deal

Silver screen sizzles for the summer season

76 where are they now?

The thrill of the Chase

78 well

Nothing hot about the stem-cell face-lift

79 well

Hot flashes might be a warning of heart disease

80 wit

We wonder: What gets you hot?

82 when&where

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Upcoming events

84 what’s new

Hitting the high notes with Alysa Haas

86 worthy What’s hot

87 watch

We’re out and about

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With Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas

8 Meet the visitors 10 Editor’s letter Cover photograph from Stacy London’s “The Truth About Style” (Viking).

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PUBLISHER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dee DelBello MANAGING EDITOR Bob Rozycki EDITOR Georgette Gouveia SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Caitlin Nurge Harrison CLASS & SASS COLUMNISTS Martha Handler • Jennifer Pappas

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editor's letter

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Georgette Gouveia I’m hot – and not necessarily in a good way.

Let’s just say that I’ve reached that moment in the prime of womanhood when my internal thermostat is moving faster than a roller coaster. The result is that I’m sometimes very hot (and then very cold) in a matter of seconds – a challenge I’ve met with fans (electric and hand); vitamins B and E; and lots of iced, flavored seltzer, which I carry around in my 16-ounce, Mayor Bloomberg-disapproved Avengers cup.

Not to mention a sense of humor and a certain perspective. What menopause has given me – apart from a more balanced figure, thank you very much – is an understanding that being warm or hot is not all it’s cracked up to be. All kidding aside, hot flashes can be a sign of heart trouble down the road, as Dr. Erika explains in a provocative column this month.

And while we might enjoy warm weather – particularly after a hard winter – global warming is no day at the beach, as we explain in an essay that looks at why scientists who say that cataclysmic climate change is now inevitable have such a hard time getting that message across.

But we wouldn’t be WAG if we couldn’t have some fun in the sun with our Heating Up theme. We jump into the pool with fine art photographer Karine Laval and Sabra Krock, whose Everything But Water – at The Westchester and new to Greenwich – offers some of the hottest swimsuits of the season. But first we show you how to get in shape for them with Tarice’s profile of Dr. Ian Smith and his “Shred Diet,” a soulful visit to SoulCycle and Martha and Jen’s intrepid foray into fencing before we let you relax at the Dream Spa & Salon in Greenwich.

Or at home. Mary demonstrates how to lighten things up there in time for summer in her profiles of awning expert Gregory Sahagian and interior designers Samantha Knapp and Antoinette and Louise Lombardi, while spicing up your table with some gorgeous place settings, courtesy of the recent DIFFA Dining by Design event in Manhattan.

There’s hot rock from Saw Mill Club’s Kevin Kane and hot rocks from Alex Soldier as well as Tiffany & Co., whose glittering collaboration with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin on this month’s “The Great Gatsby” recreates the cool-hot Jazz Age. Among those helping us to look hot while staying cool is cover-girl Stacy London, whose own career is red-hot with a new book, her own production and style companies and the return of her “What Not to Wear” on TLC next month. Stacy is, as you’ll see, one terrific lady, honest about the ordeals that have shaped her life

and passionate about using them to make women look and feel better about themselves. She reminds us that if there’s one thing that’s always hot, it’s women and women helping women, whether it’s fashion designer Eileen Fisher supporting the Women’s Enterprise Development Center in White Plains or Sabra Krock supporting Living Beyond Breast Cancer or Nancy Armstrong serving as the catalyst for the capital behind “Makers,” a PBS’ document about the feminist movement.

(See Patricia’s story.)

And speaking of women, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give a shout-out to our own new red-hot mama, Andrea. She and hubby Gannon are the proud parents of Stellan Daniel, who arrived right on time Easter weekend.

I miss Andrea. I miss her contributions more. And I look forward to her return.

And since Stellan is so good at deadlines already, I might just start him out on the Oops box.

Oops!

In our story on Oscar de la Renta’s new home design stuff (“Oh, Oscar,” page 47, March), we were a teensy bit too specific about Emily HullMartin’s title. She is fashion director for home at Bloomingdale’s.

Then in our story on chef Brian Lewis (“Garden of Edible Delights,” page 72, April), we attributed the fine photograph to the wrong photographer. It was taken by Alexandra K. Ralph.

Now for the biggie: In our piece on animal magnetism (“You’re An Animal. Now Kiss Me,” page 15, April) we misidentified this bird that looks like one of those fascinators a woman might wear to a royal wedding. It’s a six-plumed male parotia, Paroti sefilata, from the Bruce Museum Collection. Photograph by Paul Mutino. (We know: Bird watchers everywhere are fainting as we speak.)

Apologies all, but especially to Mr. Parotia.)

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Melting iceberg straight ahead Does global warming have a PR problem?

By Georgette Gouveia

H

umorist Art Buchwald, who taught us all a lot about living until we die (which in his case was in 2007), was asked toward the end of his life what he would miss most about the future.

Global warming, he said, because he loved wearing shorts.

It’s the kind of snappy answer you’d expect from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist. But it also says a lot about global warming. Like Rodney Dangerfield, it “don’t get no respect.”

We know all about global warming, don’t we? Increased greenhouse gases.

(Thank you, fossil fuels and deforestation.) Melting polar ice caps. Retreating glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Heat waves. Droughts. Heavy rainfall. More hurricanes like Sandy. Loss of coastlines.

Population relocation. Decreased crops.

Higher food prices. Species extinctions.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

But hey, it’s not all bad, right? I mean, everybody likes shorts and summer. Or as some of my friends observe, “New York will be like Miami year-round.”

Yep, just like Miami – if Miami were under 10 feet of water.

Hearing the Miami comparison, former Congressman Richard L. Ottinger laughs, too. But as founder and dean emeritus of the Pace Energy and Climate Center in White Plains – dedicated to finding economic and equitable alternatives to traditional fuels – Ottinger knows that global warming is no laughing matter.

“People have been led to believe it’s something way off in the future and it isn’t,” he says. “It’s going to affect everyone.”

In other words, Hurricane Sandy was just the tip of the, uh, melting iceberg.

Maybe it’s the “warming” part of global warming. “Warm” is such a nice word, isn’t it, with suggestions of a winning personality, spring’s return, fun in the sun or maybe cocoa and a roaring fire at Christmas. Somehow, “warm” doesn’t say “unhappy polar bears.”

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But they will be and so will the rest of us. In an installment of PBS’ “Moyers & Company” – in which Bill Moyers interviewed one of the leading Cassandras on this issue, research scientist Anthony Leiserowitz – Moyers notes that global warming is “the crisis that could make all the others irrelevant.”

“It’s the message from the most informed scientists in the world. …And they say that unless we slow the release of global emissions from fossil fuels, slow it enough to keep the planet’s temperature from rising by two degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the earth’s polar ice sheets will melt away – with catastrophic consequences.”

He went on to say that two major scientific reports have concluded the two degrees Celsius increase is “all but inevitable.”

Sheesh. Sounds pretty dire, doesn’t it?

Yet according to Leiserowitz, who studies risk perception and decision-making as director of the Yale Project on Climate Communication, only 16 percent of Americans are alarmed enough to want to get moving on solutions. Almost 30 percent are concerned, but think we’ve got plenty of time to figure this out. A quarter of us are cautious fence-straddlers. Eight percent are disengaged from the issue, with another 8 percent dismissive of the problem. But the latter 8 percent – which embraces everything from an oil industry skeptical of the scientific data to creationists who believe that a God-centered nature sorts out itself – is highly effective, Leiserowitz says, in communicating its opposition.

Which begs the question: Does global warming have a PR problem? It’s not a superficial consideration. People learn through storytelling, whether visual or verbal and written, mostly verbal and written. It’s one of the first demands children make of their parents: “Tell me a story.” And in a 24/7 information age of Instagram and the Twitterati, he who seizes and drives the narrative, controls public opinion.

Ottinger acknowledges that global warming, or climate change, has a pub-

Illustration by Dan Viteri.

lic relations problem. But there’s more to it than that, he says.

“We’re a very present-oriented society and we don’t act on long-term consequences well enough.”

That’s reflected in the 30 percent in Leiserowitz’s data who are concerned but, like Scarlett O’Hara, will think about it tomorrow. Besides, they have more immediate concerns – the economy, immigration reform, gay marriage, North Korean nut-job nuke threats, what Kim Kardashian should do about her weight gain, etc.

Then, too, Ottinger adds, “it’s such a huge problem” – global warming, not Kim’s weight – “that people say, What can I do?”

Right, I mean, if scientists say it’s inevitable, what’s the point?

Except that it’s not too late to stop compounding the problem. On the Moyers’ program, Leiserowitz talks about the acid rain problem, which was solved by a cap-and-trade system in which the amount of sulfur dioxide

emitted from smokestacks was capped over time, with efficient companies selling their emission rights to companies that needed more time to meet the standard.

But it’s not just a case of Congress or corporations acting. Ottinger says individuals can drive more fuel-efficient cars, insulate their houses and invest in renewable energies like wind and solar.

He himself is using geothermal energy with an upfront cost of $30,000 that will pay off in 10 years.

Yet in a fragile economy, the last thing people might want to hear is the cost of a problem that appears abstract, amorphous, faraway or even nonexistent. A recent proposal by the Obama administration to reduce sulfur emissions in gasoline was met by a range of possible price increases (1 to 9 cents a gallon) and an equal array of public opinions – although according to Leiserowitz, two-thirds of Americans believe that environmental protection either has no ill effect on the economy

or actually helps it.

So if this is not about money, then what? Maybe it’s about the need for a grassroots movement that would swell to Washington, D.C., like the civil rights’ and women’s movements, Leiserowitz suggests. Maybe it’s about women – the social fabric of our world, as Anna Quindlen once described them – banding together, the way they’ve done to change the culture on breast cancer and drunk driving. Or maybe it’s a case of an idea whose time has come.

There’s change in the air, and we’re not talking just climate change. This past winter, President Barack Obama discussed the environment in his inaugural address and State of the Union speech. Recently elected Pope Francis – who took the name of ecology’s saint – has stressed the importance of nurturing nature from day one.

If not now, when? If not us, who?

Otherwise, with those polar ice caps dripping, instead of “blah, blah, blah,” we may be saying, “blub, blub, blub.” n

“We’re a very presentoriented society and we don’t act on long-term consequences well enough.”

— Richard L. Ottinger

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Wet ’n’ wild

By Georgette Gouveia

W

e’re mainly made of it and largely surrounded by it. So you would think we would have an easy relationship with H2O, particularly when it’s framed and contained at a spa or in the bath or a pool.

But no, no. Water, it turns out, is a wellspring for our ambivalence, a source of cleansing, healing and reinvigoration but also a conduit for our deepest, darkest desires.

“Water is the element of birth, life and also death,” says Karine Laval, whose photographs of swimming pools are so haunting, dreamlike and even airless that you hold your breath looking at them. (See related story.)

Both the spa and the swimming pool have their antecedents in the Great Bath, a 40- by 23-foot brick-lined pool built circa 3000 B.C. at the site of Mohenjo-Daro in what is now Pakistan. But as with much of our culture, our fascination with swimming, bathing and, uh, spa-ing come from those hygienic, athletic ancient Greeks and Romans.

The Greeks enjoyed swimming, bathing after a hard workout and even bathing before rigorous debates in the gymnasiums, Alev Lytle Croutier writes in her sensuous book “Taking the Waters: Spirit, Art, Sensuality” (Abbeville Press). Alexander the Great, the fastidious Greco-Macedonian conqueror of the Persian Empire, was a great proponent of bathing, particularly at the end of his young life in Babylon when the bath was a source of distraction – he would listen to his admiral Nearchus’ sea tales there – and a way to counteract the raging fever that was quite possibly the result of malaria.

Bathhouse blues

The Romans, who devoured Greek culture and aspired to Alexandrian legend, out-Greeked the Greeks by building public bathhouses of marble and mosaics that were fed by their ingenious aqueduct system, stoked by underground furnaces and accompanied by pools, gardens, libraries, galleries and stadiums. These baths, which were not necessarily sexually segregated, were the destination spas of their day.

The emperor Nero is said to have described this as “Sanitas per aquas” (“health through water”), whose abbreviation may be the origin of “spa,” although some hold that the word comes from Spa, Belgium (ancient Roman name, Aquae Spadanae). The emperor most associated with the subject, though, was Caracalla, who created a complex of bathhouses and libraries, the ruins of which are now a tourist attraction.

“Strigils and Sponges” by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1879, watercolor.

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The Baths of Caracalla (212-216) were a kind of Goldilocks spa experience – a cold room, a hot room, a room that was just right – plus gyms for boxing and wrestling and a roofless swimming pool warmed by two bronze mirrors reflecting the sun’s rays, all of which were graced by rippling sculpted tributes like the hyper-muscular Farnese Hercules.

However, we needn’t get all warm and fuzzy about the guy, who murdered his co-ruling brother in front of their mother – and that was just for starters in a career marked by family assassinations and religious persecutions. Ironically, Caracalla was assassinated during an act associated with the bathroom – relieving himself – the circumstances of which are said to have inspired the expression “caught with your pants down.”

No sex, please, we’re medieval

The Baths of Caracalla, destroyed by those uncouth Ostrogoths – can’t take them anywhere – would be recreated gracefully in an 1899 painting of the same title by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, an artist for whom water was a decorous metaphor for sex. The medieval European Christians would have none of that though. They knew their Bible – King David lusting after a bathing Bathsheba, Susanna being spied on in her toilette by those dirty old men. Unable to separate the hygienic aspects of bathing from its more prurient potential – the way the Jewish people did in their purifying rituals and commu-

nity baths (mikvahs) – the medieval Christians threw the bath out with the proverbial bathwater. Bathing became strictly proscribed, so much so that some rulers congratulated themselves on bathing a couple of times – a month.

No wonder the aristocracy always had perfumed hankies in front of their quivering nostrils. So much for cleanliness being next to godliness.

The oases of that cleanliness were the hamams, or Moorish baths, which flourished particularly in Spain.

More intimate versions of the Roman baths, the hamams featured massage rather than physical exertion and were always sexually segregated. Perhaps it was that very segregation and intimacy that led Jean-Auguste-Dominque Ingres to create “Le Bain Turc” (“The Turkish Bath”), an 1862 oil painting that is little more than an excuse to depict a group of luscious female nudes, lounging about in a setting lush with flesh.

It was in the 18th century that Europeans once again plunged into the idea of water’s medicinal properties.

Soon everyone who could was flocking to Bath, England (see Jane Austen) or the various Continental “Bads” – including Baden-Baden and Marienbad (which would serve as a muse for the bittersweet 1961 film “Last Year at Marienbad.” ) The 19th-century saw the rise of the private bathroom – pioneered by the ancient Minoans and Egyptians and developed by the French aristocracy – along with the swimming pool. Americans, however, didn’t embrace the

Water, it turns out, is a wellspring for our ambivalence, a source of cleansing, healing and reinvigoration but also a conduit for our deepest, darkest desires.

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private bathroom until the following century. But then they did so with gusto – making bathrooms larger and brighter in color, experimenting with Jacuzzis (introduced in 1968) and hot tubs (a decade later), egged on by soap advertisers who had a financial stake in keeping women luxuriating sexily in the tub. (Showers, first introduced in the 16th century, have been viewed as more active and masculine, Alev Lytle Croutier writes, although anyone who has seen the Head & Shoulders commercial of a “showering” Michael Phelps – running his hands through his thick hair as the water drips down his back – could argue that it is as orgasmic as any shot of Marilyn Monroe rising Venus-like from a pool.)

What lies beneath

“The Baths of Caracalla” by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1891, oil.

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Over the last half-century, the individuality and intimacy of the bath, the pool and the spa have heated up the artistic imagination. The bath, for instance, has been the setting for everything from romantic comedy (see Julia Roberts’ Disney prostitute slipping delightedly beneath the bubbles in “Pretty Woman”) to chilling violence (Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” which has made any number of movie lovers think twice before stepping into the shower.)

The pool – with its mixture of serene surfaces and tomb-like depths – has spawned a number of layered artworks. In “The Swimmer,” a 1964 story by the late Ossining resident John Cheever, a suburban Narcissus swims his way across a landscape much like Westchester (the 1968 movie with Burt Lancaster was shot in Connecticut), the pools nestled into a patchwork of stately homes and winding roads taking him deeper into a past that brings him face-to-face with the oblivion of his present.

In his California swimming pool paintings of the 1960s and ’70s, David Hockney plays with surface and depth in a different way, using flat blocks of color and wiggling lines to create an artifice and theatricality that is as dreamlike as Karine Laval’s photographs.

“I never thought the swimming pool pictures were at all about mere hedonist pleasure,” Hockney says in the catalog for the 1988 Hockney retrospective, which traveled to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “They were about the surface of the water, the very thin film, the twodimensionality.”

Ah yes, pay no attention to the nude young men lounging by or emerging from those pools, their tan lines emphasizing their buttocks. Kind of cheeky that disingenuousness, right?

Except that in some of those paintings, like “A Bigger Splash” (1967), there are no nude youths, Ingres’ bathers or Alma-Tadema nymphs, no Michael or Marilyn, no conspiring Hitchcock victim or disenchanted Cheever Everyman.

There’s just the souvenir splash of the preceding swimmer and the diving board and presumably, you approaching its edge, ready to take the plunge. n

17

Shooting pool

By Georgette Gouveia

K

arine Laval is, in a sense, haunted by water. The French-born, Brooklynbased photographer swims, sails and surfs in it. But most important, she photographs it – pools in particular – in a breathless fine art way that conjures Hockney and Hollywood. Her new “Altered States” series, on view at the Bonni Benrubi Gallery in Manhattan through May 24, flows from her earlier work in a new direction. (You can also see her photographs at everythingbutwater.com. See related story.)

She’s been busy with the “Altered States” show, so we’re happy she had time to ruminate about her magnificent obsession:

Karine, people – artists in particular – have always been fascinated by water and by pools. Why have you been so captivated by them?

“That’s true, it’s been a bit of an obsession. I’ve always been drawn to water and water’s edges. I learned to swim very young, grew up sailing with my family and regularly visiting my father in the Caribbean, where he lived when I was a teenager. And I surf. I find water to be appeasing, healing and liberating, and I see the element as a vehicle for transformation

“Untitled #23 (Echo)” (2012), from the “Altered States” series. Copyright Karine Laval/ Courtesy of the artist and Bonni Benrubi Gallery.

18

and self-reflection.

“But water is also a primordial element.

We come from water, are made of water and couldn’t survive without it. I think this is one of the most important challenges we’re facing now – how to preserve and share this endangered natural resource.

One of my new projects focused on the Los Angeles River and the paradox of a city lacking its own water supply.

“I am also very interested in the confrontation of man-made and natural environments, the notion of space and architecture – especially modernist architecture, which often integrates the natural elements and materials with simple, geometrical lines and shapes….

“I also find swimming pools interesting, because…there is also a theatrical aspect to them in the way that people’s activities and repetitive gestures are contained within a delineated space….”

connection to childhood as I mentioned before.

“But pools also have a nostalgic and even morbid connotation, which has often been explored in literature and movies. I particularly think of the short story ‘The Swimmer’ by John Cheever, ‘The Great Gatsby,’ François Ozon’s movie ‘Swimming Pool,’ or the scene in ‘The Graduate’ when Dustin Hoffman’s character goes underwater and feels completely claustrophobic. A swimming pool can be the scene of mundane activities, but it can also be the scene of drama and a tragic end. The stillness of the water, as opposed to the openness and movement of the sea, reinforces that morbid aspect.”

pool as a place of both life and death. In what ways?

“As I said before, there are a lot of public swimming pools in Europe and I believe that swimming used to be on the curriculum of every school when I grew up in France. We’re fortunate to be almost entirely surrounded by coastlines in France with the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic, the Manche (the English Channel) and the Northern Seas, so it’s very easy to go to the beach.”

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“I find pools to be ambiguous places BROWN probably why I’m so interested PANTONE 4625C in the subject. On one hand, pools are a place of social and physical/sportive activities. In this sense, they evoke leisure and the pleasures associated with life when one plays or relaxes. Pools also have that strong

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You were born in France, a country that has a definite maritime history. How did your early life there and education shape your love of water?

Now you’re a Brooklyn girl, and Brooklyn is very hot right now around the world. But do you get much chance to swim in the city?

“Actually, I do. I live in Williamsburg, a few blocks from the infamous McCarren Pool which reopened last year after a few decades of abandon. I went to swim a few times last summer, but I also take some day trips to Fort Tilden Beach or Long Beach if I’m not out in Montauk or Fire Island.”

You’ve said you prefer the beach to a pool, at least by day. So when do you prefer the pool?

“I go to a pool when I can’t access the ocean.”

Your new show has just opened. Is the work in it a departure for you and what’s next in your career?

“My new show is titled “Altered States,” which references different states of transformation such as physical transformation and distortion, altered states of consciousness and perception, mythological metamorphosis, but it also evinces the transformative power of the camera. Although the work still has connections to water (the images were produced in a swimming pool), it is a real departure from my previous work in both tone and depth. The

images veer towards abstraction and what remains of the human figure is almost an illusion or a trace. It is more about shape, color, texture and the depiction of a world at the edge of the real and surreal.

“Only time will tell what’s next in my career. I’m already working on several new projects combining different mediums and I’m always trying to explore and push the boundaries of my practice.”

OK, fantasy question: You’re at the pool, a day off. What are you reading? What are you sipping?

What are you wearing? And who are you with?

“I’m always excited by the prospect of reading by the pool, but I often get distracted by the activities going on around or the heat and the blinding sun. However, I recently discovered an amazing e-book publisher called MAPP coming out of London. They do an incredible job at publishing and making available rare and out-of-print art books. I just finished downloading a series of six books titled “Conversaciones/Conversations.” One of them is about Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez. I’m very excited to dig into them this summer. A glass of chilled white wine with my cat will be a perfect way to end the day by the pool.”

For more, visit karinelaval.com. n

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19

Girl power Nancy Armstrong lets feminism’s voices be heard

By Patricia Espinosa Photograph by Bob Rozycki

Nancy Armstrong at her home in Greenwich.

he shocking truth is that the story of the women’s movement had never been told before, at least not in a definitive documentary.

So when Nancy Armstrong learned of this while attending a New York City fundraiser in 2010 for Dyllan McGee, a filmmaker who was trying to get a documentary about the women’s movement off the ground, her reaction was one of utter disbelief.

“Are you kidding, this hasn’t been done?” she remembers thinking.

It was then – after meeting Gloria Steinem and being galvanized by her words and by the excitement in a room full of women ready to move the project forward – that she took action, enlisting the help of AOL to get the film done.

“Makers: Women Who Make Ameri20

ca” made its PBS debut in February and was number one on Twitter the night it aired. The epic three-hour documentary brings the story of the women’s movement of the past 50 years to life through the voices of women who have been groundbreakers. Hundreds of dynamic interviews were produced and used to craft the story assiduously. Those live interviews continue on makers.com – a historic digital archive AOL developed showcasing hundreds of trailblazing women. More than 35 million people have visited the site, 48 percent of those being men, which proves that remarkable stories are compelling regardless of gender.

Over a cup of tea at her Greenwich home, the “Makers” web producer and mother of three (Jack is 11, Hope 9, and Summer 7) explains how she came to be involved in the project and why it is so

important to her to get these stories told.

“I had taken time off to start a family and raise them, but I was getting the itch to do something else. I had done volunteer work” – she still is on the American Red Cross’ board of directors – “but wanted something else and was looking for something I could use my skill set.”

When she heard Gloria Steinem speak of the genesis of the women’s movement and the gender inequality that still exists, she realized she had found what she was looking for.

“It’s just that thing that she does where she speaks and you’re like, ‘I’ll get on that bandwagon,’” she says of the charismatic activist.

Nancy arranged a meeting with Dyllan McGee to see if she could get involved in the project. Dyllan immediately said yes and asked if she could help produce the interviews, the web and anything else

that would help further the project.

“There was a white space on the story of the women’s movement and this opportunity to be able to tell this story through the voices of the women who were on the front lines who lived it, with the exhilaration and the pain of the ERA not passing, all of those ups and downs … the victories and the losses. So to have their voices (heard) is incredible and made it so much more exciting to show the archival,” she says about the nearly 200 interviews that can now be viewed on makers.com that she helped produce.

After gaining a better understanding of the scope of the project during the meeting, she realized “Makers” would be perfect for AOL, where her husband Tim is CEO, because he was looking for women’s brands and content to develop and nurture under the AOL umbrella.

That night, she told Tim about the

Women’s 2.O Meeting Project, (as it was originally called until a branding company at AOL wisely renamed it “Makers”) and suggested he meet with its executive producer, Dyllan, to see what he thought.

“I could see the dots were already lighting up in his head,” Nancy says about Tim’s first meeting with Dyllan. She recalls, “Two minutes into dinner he said to her, ‘AOL will fund the whole thing.’

I think he blew Dyllan off her chair… I don’t think she was expecting that.”

The venture would be good for women, but it would also be good for AOL. “There’s no reason that women shouldn’t have an equal opportunity to the pursuit of happiness in life and ‘Makers’ is a powerful way to show men, women and children the power of chasing big dreams and using all your talents to make a difference in your chosen area of passion,” Tim says. “Helping half the population of the world grow and achieve is a great thing for society and a great business opportunity for AOL.” His wife says she’s proud that it was a man who saw the significance of this project.

“It was a man who said this is gamechanging, we have to do this.” And that the man happened to be her husband made it all the better.

It’s clear Tim was inspired by his wife.

“Living with a strong and talented

woman is a helpful thread in my work life, because I see the benefit of diverse and talented opinions.”

Tapping into her personal network proved vital to landing those first big interviews, like those with Marlo Thomas and Martha Stewart. Because once those were in place, the others soon followed.

“Makers” is now in its second wave of interviews. That’s why Nancy describes the video archive as an “evergreen” project that continues to grow, like her recent interview with Mia Hamm, which will soon be added to the site.

Part of the motivation for getting involved in “Makers,” Nancy says, was to give her daughters and all girls the respect and sense of gratitude for the movement as well as the hope of inspiring them to believe that if these women could succeed under adverse conditions, they can do anything.

“They should appreciate that and understand where they want to go based on how far we’ve come … to take responsibility for that opportunity.”

It’s an opportunity that did not elude the dynamo growing up. Encouraged by her mother, Nancy sang and acted as a child, pursuing that dream in Chicago and Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in psychology. She had co-starring roles on “Third Rock from

the Sun” and “L.A. Heat” and a lead role in the comedy pilot “Kinks.” Besides numerous stage performances, Nancy wrote, directed and produced the one-woman show “A Look Beyond the Attitude,” which she performed at The Cinegrill theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

“It was a man who said this is gamechanging, we have to do this.” And that the man happened to be her husband made it all the better.

But after eight years in LA, she had an epiphany. “I decided that instead of playing someone who was doing something interesting, I wanted to actually be someone who was doing something interesting.”

With that, the statuesque brunette – who says she was too tall for Hollywood (at 5 feet 10 inches) and always wears heels now because, “If I can’t be an actor, I might as well tower,” packed her bags and enrolled in graduate school at Boston University to study communi-

cations and public relations, which she says was a natural offshoot of being an actor. Next came a job in Manhattan at a boutique PR firm, then on to Ogilvy Public Relations, where she worked until she got married and became pregnant, choosing to become a stay-at-home wife and mom.

Thanks to the waves of suffragists and feminists, she could make that choice.

“You can have a career, be a working mom,or a stay-at-home mom. The whole point is that you have a choice,” she says.

Still, while the expectations have shifted, the reality has not. Today, women account for 47 percent of the labor force and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, make only 77 cents for every dollar men earn. Women currently hold 4.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions.

In the 113th Congress, only 20 of the 100 senators are women (still the most in U.S. history, though), while women make up 79 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives. Clearly, there’s more work to be done.

“We’re in the next wave of feminism where women are in these fields but not necessarily in the leadership positions,” Nancy says. “I think society is at a crossroads where we need to figure out how to let families be families and still use that creative force from women.” n

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in the flow with eileen fisher

By Georgette Gouveia

T

hings are looking way up for Eileen Fisher Inc. The Eileen Fisher LAB Store in Irvington’s historic Bridge Street complex recently reopened after four months of renovation as a result of flood damage from Hurricane Sandy.

“I was really sad that we had to close the LAB Store,” says Fisher, who lives nearby. “Not only is it my favorite place to shop and experiment with the clothes, but the LAB Store has become a community hub where we hold crafting and upcycling workshops, book readings and events.”

The hurricane wreaked its havoc on the place – unmooring the store’s huge plate glass window, sending a couch into the middle of the selling area, scattering scarves like mud-stained leaves and ruining many of the one-of-a-kind fixtures. Miraculously, the window didn’t break and is now back in place welcoming customers.

New features like the eclectic fixtures underscore the store’s unique mix. It’s the only Eileen Fisher store that sells one-of-a-kind samples along with recycled clothing (some from Eileen’s personal collection) and new pieces.

The reimagined store will have a new wall that highlights all the season’s basics – the elevated system pieces that Eileen counts on to get dressed simply, quickly – and elegantly.

All proceeds from recycled clothing sales support Green Eileen, which sells recycled clothing at a store in Yonkers and a new one in Seattle, as well as causes benefitting women and girls. It was in her capacity as a champion of women entrepreneurs that Eileen was recently honored by the Women’s Enterprise Development Center Inc. (WEDC) during the unveiling of her spring line at Bloomingdale’s in White Plains. (See Watch in this issue.)

A busy woman, Eileen graciously took time to answer a few questions about subjects dear to her heart:

Eileen, why is it so important for you to support WEDC? “While it’s often said that I started my company with $350 and a vision, it was really the support of friends that kept me moving forward. Not all women have this, which is why we need organizations like the WEDC. They offer counseling and training, in addition to capital. While the financial support is crucial, it’s really the energy behind it that makes the difference. When someone believes in you, the possibilities are endless.”

What were those early days like and how have they informed your involvement with women entrepreneurs?

“The early days were fun and filled with opportunity.

One season I chose a fabric that didn’t perform well and learned a wise business lesson: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

“Overall, there was a community of people around me willing to offer help and advice. I took my first booth at the Boutique Show (in Manhattan), because a friend pushed me to show my idea – and it turned out customers liked it. Friends supported my vision and helped me with the work – producing samples, packing shipments, etc. I saw that collaboration between individuals could achieve more than I could do alone.

“These early days informed me about women en22

Eileen Fisher’s trademark silhouettes continue to attract fans.

Photographs courtesy of Eileen Fisher Inc.

trepreneurs, because they were my customers. Specialty store buyers advised me in the beginning. They answered my questions about styles and how to price garments. I learned that creating and owning your own business is a way to build confidence and promote financial independence. But it’s not something that happens overnight. It needs cultivation. ...”

What would you like to say about the spring collection and what may we look forward to for fall?

“Spring for me is keeping things simple – with an edge. My favorite spring item is the harem pant. It’s our own take on a trend, and I have to admit I’m addicted to the comfort. Our harem pants are stretchy and easy but really make a statement. They look great with so many of the things in my closet, particularly our new reversible sweater with organic linen stripes.

“Harem pants have been such a hit we’re moving

them forward to our fall collection. You’ll also see uneven hemlines, luxurious ombre knits and mottled silk prints. We’re introducing waxed denim jeans – made with organic cotton. You might think that the combination of a waxed, leather-like surface and organic cotton doesn’t go together, but we like to support farmers who are growing cotton in a way that sustains wildlife and ecosystems.”

Eileen Fisher invites women-owned businesses to apply for her ninth annual Business Grant Program for Women Entrepreneurs. The program celebrates women at the helm of innovative companies that foster environmental and economic health in their communities. Up to five grants of $12,500 will be awarded to prospective applicants. Recipients will also attend a two-day conference in New York City, meeting with past beneficiaries and Eileen Fisher teams in early 2014. For more information about the program or to submit an application, please visit eileenfisher.com/grants. n

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Willa, center, is flanked by friends.

Skin care for the younger set

By Patricia Espinosa Photographs by Katie Murphy Photography

The sun is something of a frenemy. While we all look forward to the warmth that spring and summer bring, protecting ourselves from the ravages of too much sun exposure is essential to having healthy, beautiful skin. And starting at a young age makes sense considering that 80 percent of skin damage happens before you’re 18.

Willa, a new line of natural skin-care products for girls developed by Greenwich mom and former Hollywood film producer Christy Prunier, protects young skin and aims to get tweens and teens started on a path to healthy skin, free of harsh chemicals. Its mantra is, “Start young, stay young.”

Willa “Face The Day” is an oil-free SPF 30 tinted face protection specially formulated to go on silky-smooth and absorb instantly. Girls love it because it’s not sticky and won’t leave their face white like a ghost. And for a hint of daily glamour, 24

“Born to Glow” is a natural SPF 15 tinted body lotion with a touch of shimmer that hydrates skin while evening-out skin tone.

“The whole idea is to get the girls to do it on their own without you having to nag, so we had to make sure that every product was formulated so that they like using it,” Prunier says.

The product line consists of 18 different items ranging from foam cleansers to lip gloss, all made using yummy natural ingredients like green tea extract, shea butter, acai berry fruit oil, grape seed oil and jojoba seed oil that smell and feel great on your skin. There’s even an acne spot treatment click pen appropriately named “Take Action” for those pesky breakouts tweens love to obsess about.

The idea for Willa Skincare came four years ago while Prunier’s eldest daughter and company namesake was taking a bath and complained to her mother about having to use her younger sister’s baby products.

“Why isn’t there something for me,” Prunier remembers her 8-year-old asking.

“OK, let’s find you something,” said the mother of three (Willa, now 13; Jack, 11; and Julia, 7), who looked in earnest for something just for Willa but quickly discovered a gaping hole in the marketplace for natural skin care products for girls.

Instead, what she found was “junk that’s pink and loaded with chemicals,” which Prunier says is more appropriate for the trash can than for a girl’s skin.

That void in the market along with her own dramatic skin care story of facial skin cancer at the age of 29 propelled the entrepreneur to start her own skin-care line for girls.

Because when it comes to healthy skin, dermatologist agree, it’s all about prevention and starting young.

“I thought, I don’t wait until Willa gets a cavity for her to brush her teeth,” Prunier says. “I don’t wait for her to become diabetic to say let’s eat healthy. So why

would we wait for them to get a breakout or a sunburn to get them to protect their skin?”

Pointing to a scar on her face from surgery she had to remove skin cancer, she says, “I didn’t want my girls to repeat my story.”

Like many of us in our youth who didn’t know better, the young Prunier rarely used sunscreen and remembers baking in the sun with a cookie sheet and baby oil, thinking the tan made her look healthy. And it wasn’t just the unprotected sun exposure that caused damage to her skin.

“I didn’t wash my face regularly and used harsh medicines on my acne.”

The first three years at Willa Skincare were spent on research and development.

Every product formed started with the benchmark that it had to be natural.

There were focus groups with girls and ones with moms, too, all with the goal of

Pointing to a scar on her face from surgery she had to remove skin cancer, she says, “I didn’t want my girls to repeat my story.”

— Christy Prunier

Christy Prunier with Willa.

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Willa in NYC holding “Face The Day” oil-free SPF 30 tinted face protection.

Photograph by Gina Kim Photography – all rights reserved.

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trying to understand girls and what they did and didn’t want in a product. Interestingly, one of the things everyone learned is only one in 10 girls washes her face. Why? Because it turns out it’s not fun, facial cleansers get in your eyes and they don’t necessarily smell good.

The feedback from the focus groups proved invaluable to the genesis of Willa Skincare and informs every product formulated, down to the packaging.

“We’ve learned so much from these girls, ” Prunier says.

But probably the most influential tween has been the brainchild, Willa herself. The seventh-grader (at Eastern Middle School in Riverside) didn’t just come up with the idea. She’s actively involved in the company, too. From the beginning, she helped navigate packaging, what products to use and gave feedback like “you need to add a clip so that we can attach it to our bag.”

Once the website was developed, she went to meetings with her mom and made her contribution. She even gets involved with the company’s social media as guest editor on the Willa Blog.

“Just having the voice of that tween girl was really, really helpful,” Prunier says.

Today, the tween continues to be involved in new product development and visits the New Jersey lab to weigh in on each product. The mother-daughter duo spend one day on the weekend dedicated to Willa Skincare, but Prunier is quick to point out that her daughter has a full life, which includes friends, school, piano, dance and track.

“I think she has a really good balance and a really normal life.”

Last year, Target launched the line in 300 of its stores. Next came J. Crew, Harrods, Henri Bendel, Drugstore.com and most recently, Amazon. Remarkable, especially given it all happened in Willa’s first year of selling its product.

For more, visit willaskincare.com. n

MBG0413293-WagMag May13(PR)-BC.pdf

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An overnight bag, belts and cufflinks made from recycled materials by Elvis & Kresse. Images courtesy of Atelier360.

Wild about Harry

By Georgette Gouveia

P

rince Harry of Wales will be playing at the Greenwich Polo Club May 15 – the culmination of a week of sporting and charitable events across the colonies – and already the press is ramping things up.

“No naked billiards in Sin City for Prince Harry this time,” the Daily News declared in its March 26 roundup of the princely doings.

Ah yes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas – unless you’re Prince Harry. Then every little naked romp with today’s fetching female is documented and dissected.

Of course, it doesn’t help that Harry’s faux pas tend to be considerably larger than having a wad of chewing gum stuck to your shoe.

We know Prince Harry, don’t we? “The spare,” as the press labeled him – somewhat unkindly – before he was even born.

“The naughty one,” as he was described by the woman who loved and knew him best – his late, lamented mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

He has certainly done his best to live up to that reputation. There’ve been the youthful indiscretions – the drinking, the pot-smoking, the skirt-chasing – and those actions that are so wrong-headed as to defy youthful indiscretion, like wearing a Nazi uniform to a 2005 costume party. (“Royal Nazi: Prince Harry in swas-

28

tika shock,” the saintly New York Post screamed.) It was particularly mystifying when you consider how much his own people – even his own family – endured at the hands of Hitler.

“It was a poor choice of costume and I apologize,” he said.

One thing about Harry: He’s always contrite.

After playing strip billiards in Vegas, he acknowledged: “I’ve let my family down.”

To say nothing of his pants.

But here’s the thing, too: As many times as Harry has apologized that’s as many times as his family and public have forgiven him. For there’s something about Harry, isn’t there? The classic baby bro, a chunk of charm and a ton of trouble, the mischievous Hermes to big brother William’s self-possessed Apollo.

It couldn’t have been easy, could it? The adored parents always at loggerheads, the family battleground spilling across the pages of the tabloids. The protective older brother – as much a best friend as a sibling – yet still the more favored, particularly now that he’s met his match in the winning Catherine. (If only Harry would take up with her kid sis Pippa. There’s a fun pair for you.)

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? We see Harry in memory still – a ginger-haired little boy hurling himself into his beloved mother’s arms, then

walking bravely in her funeral cortege, his head down, his fists clenched so tightly, biographer Christopher Andersen wrote, that his palms bled where his nails dug into them.

That’s Harry, too – the airman who served three tours in Afghanistan, the everyday bloke who’s as comfortable with elderly relatives as he is with the homeless, the sporting philanthropist who understands that there’s no point in talking the talk unless you’re prepared to walk the walk.

In Greenwich, he’ll be playing for something called the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup, named for the charity he founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children there who face the challenges of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Sentebale means “forget me not.” Prince Harry hasn’t. To see him cuddling these children is to see the spirit of his mother shine through him.

We are strangely marvelous creatures, aren’t we? Our qualities are neither good nor bad but context makes them so. The very passion, risk-taking, wild-heartedness – but heartedness nonetheless – that drives Harry to dally with the ladies or race Ryan Lochte in a pool is the same lust for life that spurs him to lay it all on the line on the dusty plains of Africa and Afghanistan.

For those of us who were the Prince

Williams in our families – with fond memories of the Prince Harrys in our own lives – Diana’s “naughty one” is like a Mediterranean vacation, albeit with a hefty bar tab.

As for those who think otherwise, Prince Harry isn’t the first man about town who might finish in a more serious place than where he started. (Sts. Augustine and Francis of Assisi, anyone?)

Once upon a time, there was another Prince Harry – goofball, layabout, drunkard, womanizer, associate of degenerates – or at least that’s how Shakespeare portrays him.

This Harry became Henry V, one of England’s greatest kings.

So there’s hope for Prince Harry – and all of us. n

Royal accessories

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IntroducIng the brIstal

the best of assIsted lIvIng noW comes to WhIte PlaIns s Another Quality Community By The Engel Burman Group

What does The Bristal mean to me?

s

Friendship.

Calvin, Resident of The Bristal

“As a young man in the Merchant Marines I traveled through Central and South America, through the Caribbean Islands… even to my native Trinidad. I was Chief Electrician and that became my livelihood stateside after 20 years of service. What I really loved were the languages and meeting new people. I remember fun times in Buenos Aires with my friend Oscar, and knowing Spanish and Portuguese helped me get around. Now I have a good friend at The Bristal that likes old stories and music like I do. Just spin some Motown and we’re back in ‘65 enjoying music and memories. I’m lucky to live at The Bristal.”

Read more about Calvin’s travels at thebristal.com/lifestories

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Princely chukker

By Louise T. Gantress

P

olo, along with horse racing, is often referred to as “the sport of kings” – no doubt owing to its use as a training game for the elite cavalry of the ancient Persian emperors.

So it’s perhaps fitting that sports fans in the region will be given a taste of this royal treatment when Prince Harry of Wales takes part in a charity match at the Greenwich Polo Club May 15.

The Greenwich Polo Club (GPC), which was established in 1981 by publisher and art collector Peter M. Brant as a high-goal venue, is one of the few clubs in the world that could host this type of event. The excellent condition of GPC’s regulation 10-acre field and spectator stands as well as its gracious facilities has earned GPC national and international recognition as one of the premier clubs.

The GPC has previously hosted royalty, including Prince Harry’s father, Charles, Prince of Wales; and his uncle, Prince Andrew, Duke of York. This will be the first time the club will host Prince Harry.

GPC’s selection as the site for the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup – named for the charity Prince Harry founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho – also acknowledges the club is no stranger to charity events, hosting several during its regular season. (It also presents regional competitions, such as the East Coast Open.)

Preparations for the royal visit began with normal scheduled renovations to the clubhouse and grounds. Security for the Sentebale Cup is being handled jointly by the U.S. and England. Food for the luncheon and an invitation list of a select 400 is also being handled by a separate agency not affiliated with the club.

The luncheon precedes the game, which will be a four-chukker (four-period) match. (In similar events, a table near the prince fetched $50,000.) The elite guest list includes Torquhil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll. Dress code is “smart casual” and women normally wear flat shoes, as by tradition spectators are invited onto the field during halftime to trample back the divots, as safety for ponies and riders is paramount.

The English discovered polo – which had spread to India – in the 1850s. It came to America in 1876. Participants play four to eight chukkers on horses – called ponies here – that gallop up to 40 mph over a playing field that is more than five times the size of a football field. When shot by a skilled player from a running pony, the 3½- inch hard plastic ball can reach speeds of more than 100 mph. So polo requires strength and determination 30

Sporting eyes will turn to the Greenwich Polo Club May 15 when the club hosts Prince Harry of Wales in a charity match. Photograph by Dan Burns. Courtesy Greenwich Polo Club.

plus a sense of strategy to be aware of your position and the opposition in rapidly shifting play. It is not a game for wimps.

Call it hockey on horseback.

But polo’s also similar to golf in that it has handicaps, referred to as ratings.

Tournaments match those of comparable ability or adjust based on players’ ratings, which begin at negative 2 and reach 10. A rank of 10 is very rare among the tens of thousands of players worldwide. Skill, knowledge of the game and playing time count, but as you move up in rank, the quality of the horse matters more. Prince Harry – whose playing time has been interrupted by military service – is a 1-rated player. Teams are made up of four players with four ponies each, which the players change between chukkers. It’s easy to understand why this is the sport of kings – be they of England or Wall Street.

But it is charity as well as sport that will be at the heart of the May event. Prince Harry, together with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, founded Sentebale (“forget me not” in that country’s Sesotho language) in 2006 in memory of their mothers. Sentebale works with grassroots organizations to benefit the most vulnerable children in Lesotho. The cup site moves, having been held previously in the United Kingdom

and Brazil. At the Brazil match, Prince Harry was first to leap off his pony to aid a fallen player, who suffered head trauma in a collision with another rider. (It is legal to bump another player’s pony with your horse to ride him off-course. Even the best riders can fall, as Prince Harry did in a match on Governor’s Island.)

Such concern demonstrates the compassion of a prince who is a complex young man. On this American visit, Prince Harry – who served three tours as an airman in Afghanistan – will focus on injured veterans in visits to the Warrior Games in Colorado and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. While there, he’ll go to the Capitol to promote The HALO Trust’s efforts to clear land mines – a cause dear to the heart of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Prince Harry will also visit Hurricane Sandy-ravaged parts of New Jersey, all before the event in Greenwich. The Prince has been honored with the Golden Heart Award for his work for children and the Atlantic Council Award for his work to benefit wounded soldiers.

At Greenwich Polo Club, Prince Harry will play either the No. 1 or No. 2 position for the Sentebale Land Rover Team.

The first position is noted for accuracy in hitting the ball, while the second is the

hardest-working. It’s not known whether the prince will have time to test the ponies he rides in the game. However, according to Leighton Jordan, the club’s managing director, the horses are “professionals” and are of “high-end quality” with “drive and ability,” while Prince Harry is “an accomplished polo player.” Riders and ponies are a “combined competitor” and it is “widely agreed the horse contributes up to 70 percent of the game, transporting the player to the ball with G-force speed and agility.”

Polo star Nacho Figueras, who is also a spokesmodel for Ralph Lauren, will captain the St. Regis team, which will include polo patron Peter Brant. Figueras previously played against Prince Harry in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Cup on Governor’s Island in 2009. Then his Black Watch team defeated Prince Harry’s team.

The Greenwich Polo Club’s season begins June 2, with Sunday matches in June and July, resuming in September. The home teams are White Birch (Brant’s team) and AirStream (Peter Orthwein’s team). Admission is $40 per car. The gate opens at 1 p.m. and people often picnic before the match. Dogs on a leash are welcome. Games begin at 3 p.m. For more, visit greenwichpoloclub. com. n

31

SoulCycle offers a different spin on fitness

By Georgette Gouveia Photographs courtesy of SoulCycle

The locker room of one of SoulCycle’s Los Angeles studios.

M

any workouts talk a good game about mind, body, spirit. SoulCycle – which is heating up riders from Hollywood to the Hamptons – is one that aims to deliver. The luxury fitness brand puts a new spin on, well, spinning with candlelit, choreographed workouts that combine elements of yoga, dance, light weightlifting, Eastern philosophy and, of course, biking while emphasizing the entire body and a communal experience. The newest location is a 5,000-plus-square-foot site in downtown Greenwich with a pristine modernism offset by its cheery optimism. Part of it has to do with the touches of bright yellow and blue-gray against the all-white backdrop, particularly in the SoulCycle Boutique. But mostly the spiritedness of the place comes from its philosophy – crystallized in the neon sign that reads “Take your journey. Find your body. Change your soul” – and from the exhorting instructors and other upbeat staffers.

During WAG’s visit to the Greenwich site – the other area studio is in Scarsdale – we were guided by receptionists Chelsea Ellis and Ossi Pennella, who showed us the immaculate locker rooms and showers for men and for women; the Listening Bar, where you can sample the various instructors’ playlists; the Polaroid Wall of riders and staffers’ pix; and the boutique featuring both private label stuff and SoulCycle’s own clothing line. Alas, we were too late to sample the lunchtime class, but the fact that we were not admitted once class started demonstrates SoulCycle’s commitment to creating an enveloping environment in which the rider can pay serious attention to mind, body and spirit. Ellis for one is sold.

“SoulCycle to me is life,” she said.

Class is set in a darkened, candlelit room in which 62 riders have their own space and yet feel the proximity of others. Ellis remembered the first time she got on a Soul32

Master instructor Stacey Griffith teaches at various SoulCycle studios in New York City.

Photographs courtesy of SoulCycle.

Cycle bike, wearing the special shoes that clip on to it: “It felt so good. Riding to the music is infectious.

And you’re close enough together that you feed off the energy. You feel everyone’s energy. It’s a very unique experience.”

For a taste, check out Kelly Ripa of “Live With Kelly & Michael” doing a SoulCycle workout on YouTube. Other celeb fans include her sometime co-host, CNN’s and “60 Minutes’” Anderson Cooper.

How SoulCycle got started is something of an urban legend. Two strangers – one, Julie Rice, a hard-charging L.A. talent manager; the other, Elizabeth Cutler, a Far East-trekking seeker out of Chicago – found themselves transplanted to New York and in search of good cardio.

The two met at lunch, started their business humbly in 2006 in the back of an Upper West Side lobby and the rest is, as they say, Soulhistory, with 14 Soul sites – 11 in the New York metro area and three in Los Angeles.

WAG caught up with them recently by email to get their spin on their hot, hot, hot biz.

Julie and Elizabeth, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions from WAG. We’ve had a taste of SoulCycle, but what in your opinion makes it different from other bikebased fitness centers?

“SoulCycle has revolutionized indoor cycling by making it a full-body workout. SoulCycle uses one pound weights on the bike, simultaneously toning the upper body and core, while getting an intense cardio workout.

Riders burn between 500 and 700 calories in 45 minutes.

It’s like a cardio party on the bike.”

It looks pretty intense. Is the workout suitable for everyone, or are there some people who shouldn’t be doing it?

“SoulCycle is for everyone. We ride in candlelight to provide an accessible, nonintimidating sanctuary. SoulCycle’s philosophy is ‘Mind, Body, Cardio,’ and our goal is to make fitness joyful every day, every ride. Of course with any type of exercise, consult with your doctor if you have any medical issues or are pregnant.”

What do you like about this kind of indoor biking as opposed to other kinds of exercises?

“We each had taken our fair share of indoor-cycling classes and had ideas on how to elevate the experience.

We both believed indoor cycling could be inspiring. We both believed you could incorporate an upper body and core workout into the routine. And finally, we believed with some great branding, a beautiful environment and outstanding customer service, the 45-minute class could be transformed into a unique experience each time.”

How often are you two on the bikes?

“Like most women, we’ve had to find the balance between running a business, being moms and finding the time for exercise. We’re happy if we can ride three to four times a week.”

SoulCycle will be coming to the Rye Ridge Shopping Center in Rye Brook this summer.

What else is on the horizon?

“In addition to opening in Rye Ridge … we have an aggressive expansion plan in place to bring SoulCycle to people across the U.S. and beyond. This includes expansion in our current markets – the New York/tristate area and Los Angeles – and new markets, including San Francisco and London. SoulCycle is on track to double its footprint in the next year and operate upwards of 60 locations in the next five years (nationally and internationally).” n

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Maria Bowen and son Carter

Not quitting his day job

By Andrea Kennedy

Kevin 34 Kane

A

bove the colossal tennis courts at Saw Mill Club in Mount Kisco, past the women exercising their glistening triceps, club Vice President and General Manager Kevin Kane pauses in his office from tennis matches and shaking members’ hands.

“This (job) makes my musical life easier,” he says with a smile.

In that life, he’s a ceaseless songwriter who jams with top session musicians in his band Kevin Kane and the Grifters. It’s a side gig that feeds his need for making music sans the artistic stress of making it big to bring home the bacon.

“If your art becomes commerce – if you’ve crossed the line where you’re using it to make a living – you have a more difficult relationship with your art,” he says. “If you want to get to where you want to be creatively, the only way to do it is (be) ridiculously independent.”

The sentiment rolls out groovy and unaffected, like Dylan’s lyrics. (Kane’s pouf of curls isn’t a far cry either, while his ultra-round specs mimic Lennon’s.)

Tunes shoot for a throwback to when music was “easier,” more handcrafted,

more accessible, less produced. Think vinyl and live recordings, Jackson Browne and The Band, Tom Petty and Paul Simon, Neil Young with a dash of polish.

“Alive,” Kane says. “It’s just an alive sound.”

He’s never shot for mainstream, to sell a million records – or a billion downloads, as it were – but lo and behold, Kevin Kane and the Grifters are set to release their second album next month. “Road to Recovery” follows less than a year after their first record, “Dangerous World,” and with a richer Grifters’ folk-rock vibe.

“Making a Grifters’ sound was the most important part about it,” Kane says. “‘Dangerous World’ and ‘Road to Recovery’ all share a wonderful musical hook and really quality lyrics regardless of what the topic is.”

Kudos for the albums credit Kane for “songs that stick like glue with a voice I can’t get enough of.” Praise came from Emily Saliers, the blonde half of the singer-songwriter duo Indigo Girls, who also happens to be Kane’s cousin.

(Back in the day, Kane bought Saliers her first guitar.)

“It’s crafting long-lasting, sturdy songs with lyrics that don’t go away,”

Kane says.

Lyrics get political (“Get America Working”), social (“Dangerous World”) and romantic (“My World in You”), gleaned from the consciousness of Kane and Yale college buddy Eric Goodman.

It’s a relationship revival from their college days when the duo played local haunts like Toad’s Place and took their rock opera (back in the wake of “Tommy”) to the university’s theater.

Their ensemble has grown since then, with Kevin Kane and the Grifters featuring some of the finest studio musicians in the area – Clifford Carter, keyboard and music direction, who has played and produced with artists ranging from the Four Tops to James Taylor; Joe Bonadio, percussion, who recently worked on Sting’s latest album in London; Jack Daly, bass, when he’s not performing with Lenny Kravitz; and Kat Raio, backing vocals.

At the helm with singer-songwriter Kane is Grammy-nominated music engineer and producer Hal Winer of BiCoastal Music, the Ossining-based music production company that’s gearing up for an LA expansion. Kane linked with Winer at a charity event

with Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas, held at Saw Mill Club, and the duo have been collaborating on what’s now Kevin Kane and the Grifters ever since.

“When we get together we get a chance to make what we want to make, to make ourselves happy and make ourselves proud,” says Kane. “Now we’re starting to play live.”

In lieu of shooting for widespread airplay – they are ridiculously independent, after all – the band opts to hit the live circuit at spots like the Towne Crier Café in Pawling and the Winery at St. George in Mohegan Lake. Kane says he plans to synchronize schedules with the Grifters for about a dozen live gigs in the coming months.

“If you’re ridiculously independent,” he says, “you get to push what your view of the world is, and ours is that live people ought to be playing these.”

Put your ears on Kevin Kane and the Grifters’ tracks via Amazon, iTunes or at kevinkaneandthegrifters. com. Better yet, listen on BiCoastal Music’s independent (naturally) online shop, bcmtunes.com, where higher fidelity playback pumps superior Grifters’ sound. n

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Change up the look of your hair by visiting a salon that features products from SHE by SO.CAP.USA Hair Extensions.

Crowning glory

Hair’s the way to change your mane look – extensions

By Mary Shustack Photographs courtesy SHE by SO.CAP.USA You’ve exercised your body into its best shape ever.

The fashions of the moment are ready in your closet.

So why not heat up your look even further with one more step?

Finally get the hair you’ve always wanted – even if you’ve not been able to grow it yourself.

Ron Cardillo Sr., the president of a hair-extension company headquartered in Mahopac, says the perception continues that a style created with hair extensions is just for special occasions.

“The reality is it looks great for everyday wear,” he says.

“It’s a great way to give yourself a little lift.”

And he should know.

Available at more than 10,000 salons across the country, SHE by SO.CAP.USA Hair Extensions are the fashionable offerings of the company, which traces its roots back to Italy.

SHE got its start 30 year ago in Yonkers, as the North American branch of a 40-year-old Italian company.

And in the world of fashion and design, that’s quite a good starting point, Cardillo adds.

“Europe usually sets the trend in styles, especially Italy.”

Cardillo says the trends for spring and summer are clear, with a real move on “getting away from the one color.”

“The newest trend is sort of combining the colors,” with a darker tone near the scalp and hair graduating to lighter tones as it ends. “It sort of breaks up the monotony.”

It’s also trendy to mesh colors together, with a darker and lighter blond side by side, for example.

Finally, he says, a burst of unexpected color, whether it be red or green or blue, can really create an impact.

Scary? “To be honest with you, it looks good on most anybody’s hair,” he says. What he admits sounds “far-fetched,” 36

isn’t. “Once it’s into somebody’s hair, it gives them a little more personality.”

As he says, “Color is the way to go.”

With hair extensions, especially those from SHE, people don’t have to worry that their hair-color formula is being correctly mixed or applied.

“It’s guaranteed because whatever they see, that’s what they get,” he says of the SHE extensions.

“Once it’s in their hair, it becomes part of their own hair.

It’s washed and styled the same way.”

The key to the company’s success, Cardillo says, is its comprehensive training program that puts an unwavering emphasis on education and certification.

“Once the client goes to one of our certified salons, they’re guaranteed these people know what they are doing,” he says.

And SHE has a star-studded following, though Cardillo won’t name names.

“Several celebrities out there are using our product but they’re very … hesitant,” he says.

“Trust me,” he continues. If you look on television, you’ll see “a lot of it is what we do.”

Hair extensions, he adds, aren’t just for glamour – or for women.

The product, he says, can work on men with many in their 40s and 50s becoming clients.

“We come in and we actually give them back what they were looking for, or we give them what nature never gave them.”

Cardillo, whose own background is as a hairstylist, a licensed trichologist (working with those with hair and scalp problems) and an EMT, has always had a great respect for what hair means to people.

What Cardillo is passionate about is helping those going

through chemotherapy. As hair begins to grow back, extensions can help them quickly restore their hair and change their perspective.

“Wash it, style it, swim,” he says. “There is total freedom and tremendous security.”

Of note, the company’s Pink Hair for Hope campaign has included the participation of more than 1,000 salons and raised more than $2 million to fight breast cancer.

Throughout the company, Cardillo says, there is a commitment to quality and variety. There are more than 90 shades available in textures including straight, medium wave and curly. Only the best hand-selected, 100-percent European-type human hair, pre-bonded with 100-percent Keratin tips to ensure a long-lasting and healthy bond, is used.

“Our technology keeps improving all the time,” he notes.

“Our company spends a lot on research and development.”

Next up, he says, is reintroducing the cold-fusion technology (a new ultrasonic approach), “which is going to be great.”

And there is always the day-to-day way Cardillo conducts business.

“Everything is hands-on,” he says. “We don’t hide behind the desk.”

This family-owned business includes not only Cardillo and his three children, but also grandchildren who help out in the warehouse after school.

As Cardillo says, it’s the “old-fashioned way to run a company.”

And everyone helps with the company’s mission, Cardillo says.

“We just want to help people to look better and feel better, because that’s what it’s all about.”

For more details on SHE by SO.CAP.USA Hair Extensions, visit socapusa.com. n

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wear

water

Just add

By Georgette Gouveia

When I needed a swimsuit for my recent trip to Indonesia, I took myself over to Everything But Water in White Plains’ The Westchester, and almost immediately fell in love with a ruched cobalt blue maillot, along with a matching crocheted cover-up and one of crocheted turquoise flowers that I paired with a black maillot with a meshed sweetheart neckline. I learned then and there that you don’t have to be Esther Williams – I’m dating myself but what the heck – or look like Esther Williams to feel like a Diana Nyad.

That’s what Everything But Water can do for you. The company has all the top designers and some you’ve never heard of. But the proof is in the striking selection – serene blue, crochet, strapless bandeaus; jewel-colored maillots with angular designs; bikinis in Pop Art color blocks’ sleek black halters. All remind women that they can be sexy and sophisticated. No wonder the Orlando, Fla.based company has stores all over the country, including a new one in Greenwich.

Still, shopping for that new swimsuit can be something of a trial. We asked Sabra Krock, who owns the company with husband Randall Blumenthal, to hold our hand: Sabra, WAG’s May issue is all about Heating Up and women are sure to be doing just that in your company’s swimwear. Which bathing suits would you advise for the woman who wants to look hot and for the one who wants to be cool and sophisticated under the sun?

“The best suit is the one that makes you feel beautiful and confident. It’s fun and exciting to follow the latest trends in silhouettes and styles, but truly you’ll look and feel your best in a great-fitting suit that flatters your best features.

Also, wardrobing your resort look works wonders. You’ll look chic and sophisticated in a cover-up, hat and accessories.”

You have stores all over the United States, including one at The Westchester in White Plains and a new one in Greenwich. Do you attribute Everything But Water’s popularity to working with top designers like Michael Kors and Robin Piccone?

“We attribute our success to our fit and style expertise, our commitment to customer service and the breadth and depth of our year-round selection. We offer head-to-toe resort fashion in a relaxed, luxurious shopping environment with a carefully curated mix of each season’s best looks.”

What are some of the trends you’re seeing in swimwear this season? I myself think Piccone’s crochet bandeau is divine.

“I love that suit, too. It’s feminine and sleek at the same time. The summer trends we are most excited about include crochet, pastels and green (due to emerald being Pantone color of the year).”

What’s the one mistake women make when purchasing a swimsuit?

“Not getting the right fit. Finding the right fit requires a great salesperson and some patience to try on a number of styles and brands to find what works best for you.”

38

Trina Turk / Short sleeve rash guard top, $68.00 / Thin tie side bottom, $76 / Available at Everything But Water Greenwich Avenue

Robin Piccone – One-piece crochet bandeau, $130.

Becca – Underwire halter top features scalloped edge, $78; tab-side hipster bottom features scalloped edge, $58.

As you’ve suggested, accessories have become very important in swimwear. Should the coverup, sandals, hat etc. be matchy, matchy or should they be about mix and match?

“Style is very personal and there is no right or wrong. Some women love a coordinated look and others like to play with different trends and styles.”

Your website features links to your artistic and charitable programs.

Tell me about these.

“As a company, we are passionate about supporting charitable causes, especially female-related causes, given that we are primarily a company of women for women. In particular, we put a lot of time and effort behind breast cancer support and awareness, supporting Living Beyond Breast Cancer with sales of a dedicated product every October. In November, we also support lung-cancer prevention and treatment with a shopping event that supports LUNGevity. Lung cancer kills more women every year than breast cancer.

“We also love to feature artists that

share a similar passion and sensibility to our brand.”

How did you meet fine art photographer Karine Laval, whose haunting pool images grace your site? (See related story.)

“We have a program called Art in Store, in which we feature on a rotating basis artists whose work is water-themed. We are lovers of art and it’s our privilege and pleasure to give special artists we find exposure in our store and bring beautiful art to our customers. Before Karine, we featured Christian Chaize and next we will show the work of Kerry Mansfield.”

Same fantasy question I asked Karine: You’re by the pool, a day off. What are you reading? What are you sipping? What are you wearing? And who are you with?

“Reading a fashion magazine – in particular I adore The New York Times’ T magazine – sipping a fruity cocktail like the ones we provide… and splashing around with my husband and our 4-yearold son.” n

Karla Colleto – One-piece halter monokini, $299.

39

Mending senses New Greenwich spa is a hot place to cool down

By Georgette Gouveia Photographs courtesy Dream Spa & Salon

The gray and white interior design by Dream Spa & Salon founder Lori Dodd.

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t the new Dream Spa & Salon in Greenwich, you can heat up and cool down at once in the Dream Experience.

It’s a shower/sauna in which spa founder Lori Dodd collaborated with Klaff’s home design staff to feature rainwater, light therapy, chromo therapy with different hues, thermo therapy with sauna-style heat and aroma therapy with scented oils dispersed in the air.

Indeed the Dream Experience illustrates the Mae West maxim: “Too much of a good thing … can be wonderful.”

That bit of West wisdom is among the quotes and single words inscribed on the spa’s white walls in silvery letters that bridge the clarity of print and the elegance of script. They contribute to a sensuous environment that transports you to another world, even though you’re mere feet from tony Greenwich Avenue.

Sinuous woodwind sounds intrigue the ear without being intrusive. The fresh, earthy scent of South African Charlotte Rhys’ line of spa products, exclusive to Dream in the United States, wafts through the air, suggesting a woodland in spring. Touch comes into play in a variety of services, ranging from massages to manicures. A gray and white interior design, dotted with silvery touches (beaded curtains and desk skirts), soothes the eye. Dodd calls it “50 shades of calm.”

But perhaps what really defines Dream Greenwich as a delight for the senses is the way the staff – including manager Sandra Warren, coordinator Desiree Miranda and resident colorist Pia Garcia – quietly engage you with coffee, tea and a receptive manner.

40

Spa founder Lori Dodd.

“When you come in here, you’re going to escape everything else,” Warren says, “and you’ll come out feeling completely detoxed.”

“We like to think of ourselves as a destination spa within a day spa,” adds Dodd, who opened Dream Greenwich last June, about a dozen years after creating Dream Westport in her hometown. “We promote ourselves as a luxury wellness environment.”

What separates Dream Greenwich from many other spas is its commitment to the concept.

“Thank you for dreaming,” Miranda says as she an-

swers the phone to book a mother-daughter bikini wax.

Clients – 65 percent female, 35 percent male, Dodd says – come a few minutes early to relax in the Dream Lounge with tea, ginger snaps and magazines. The spa’s inspirational words guide you through the intimate 3,500-square-foot space to nine treatment rooms that include a Couple’s Room.

“The environment is part of the experience,” Dodd says. “We all need a place to go to. …In Westport, people come to us when they need to get away. We’re a friend. …

We’re trying to promote that in Greenwich, too.”

Dodd came to the spa biz with a background in interior design, cosmetics and high-end retail (at the old Barneys in lower Manhattan). When she married and moved to Westport, she brought her love of spas with her. In a freestanding building there, she created a “clean, classic, timeless” spa – green walls, dark wood floors – that opened in August 2000. Dodd says she waited a long time for the right opportunity and locale in Greenwich, which turned out to be the site of a former day spa. Dream Greenwich has a different vibe from Dream Westport, one she describes as “hip and groovy, but calm.”

The clientele ranges from preteen girls having their first spa experience with their moms to businessmen who equate keeping up their looks with a competitive edge.

But to all of them, Dodd says the same thing, “We invite you to dream.”

The Dream Spa & Salon, at 151 Greenwich Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays by appointment. For more information, call (203) 6292525 or visit dreamdayspa.com. n

“Riding with Pegasus gave me wings and a sense of accomplishment. Finally I found a sport that I was able to excel at. In the saddle, I for once felt ‘normal.’”

Pegasus provides the therapeutic benefits of mounted and unmounted equine-assisted activities to people with needs. We are a PATH International Premier Accredited Center that serves more than 225 students ages 4 and up each year at our chapters in Brewster, Darien, Greenwich and Pleasantville. Our program team of instructors, physical therapists, occupational therapists and licensed educators are PATH-certified professionals.

We recently launched two new programs that serve an even broader range of students. Pegasus Patriots is designed for our heroic military veterans, and Wings provides therapeutic services to disadvantaged youth, victims of abuse and human trafficking, and at-risk individuals.

Pegasus relies heavily on community support to provide our services. Here’s how you can help: • Make a gift to support our therapeutic programs • Become a volunteer • Donate a horse to our program or adopt or sponsor one of our current therapeutic horses • Refer a potential student (A limited number of full grants are available for Pegasus Patriots and Wings students for 2013 sessions. Contact us regarding eligibility.)

Contact us at (845) 669-8235 or info@pegasustr.org, or visit us online at pegasustr.org.

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wear

A bejeweled Carey Mulligan as the elusive Daisy Buchanan in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Great Gatsby.”

Photograph by Matt Hart.

42

Out of the past Tiffany is borne back to ‘The Great Gatsby’

By Georgette Gouveia

Some like it hot and that includes Tiffany & Co. This spring the iconic Manhattan jeweler – and its equally iconic Blue Book of goodies for customers to drool over – celebrate all that jazz, anythinggoes flappers, the Roaring ’20s, the sleek beauty of Art Deco and the city that remains its most perfect expression, New York.

It’s no surprise that the company should seek inspiration in the Jazz Age. The approximately 200 pieces in the 2013 Blue Book include some of the designs Tiffany created with Oscar-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin for Baz Luhrmann’s film of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal 1925 novel, “The Great Gatsby,” slated for release May 10. Much of the inspiration for the feathery diamond headbands, multistrand bracelets, flowering rings and ropes of pearls

that appear in the film – which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the mysterious Jay Gatsby, a man tragically in love with an idea of a woman – came from the Tiffany Archives.

In turn, Tiffany has been inspired anew by that time. Necklaces and drop earrings echo the Chrysler Building, that bauble of Jazz Age dreams and still one of the finest extant examples of Art Deco, the elegantly angular style that defined the periods between the two world wars. Dazzling stones and handcarved onyx fan out on black lacquer.

Diamonds in richly saturated pink, orange, blue and green capture the brilliant pastel palette of the ’20s.

After savoring these Blue Book designs, you’ll be forgiven if you feel that you, too, like the characters in “Gatsby,” are but “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

For more, visit tiffany.com. n

Art Deco-inspired ring with a 10.52-carat, emerald-cut tanzanite, diamonds, tsavorites and platinum. $23,000. © Tiffany & Co.

Earrings of emerald-cut aquamarines, diamonds and platinum. Price available upon request. Photograph by Richard Pierce.

Ring of pavé diamonds and a center diamond Pendant with a conch pearl and rose-cut of 5.25 carats, E color, VS1, in platinum. diamonds in platinum. $45,000. © Tiffany & Co. $875,000. Photograph by Carlton Davis.

Monogram cuff links of navy enamel and 18 karat gold. Price upon request. © Tiffany & Co. All images are from The Great Gatsby collection.

43

wear

Alex Soldier and wife Galina with daughter Maria, executive director of the brand, at the Princess Grace Awards 2010 Gala. Photograph by Jerry Lackay.

Clockwise: Blue topaz in yellow Coronaria; Sunflower ring, $25,000; Cocktail rings, variably priced; and Long Lava earrings, $18,500. Jewelry photographs by Maria Soldier.

Onward, Alex Soldier Jeweler conquers with hot rocks

By Georgette Gouveia Like the great Russian danseur Rudolf Nureyev, Manhattan jeweler Alex Soldier was born straddling two worlds – Europe and Asia – in the city of Perm in the Ural Mountains. It’s a region rich in gold, adamants and folk tales of craftsmen who can give souls to stone.

That’s what Alex aspired to. But first he earned a master’s degree in computer engineering before turning in 1981 to his real love – art. In just six months he went from intern to chief designer at the largest jewelry manufacturer in the Urals. In 1990, he came to the United States and immediately set out to develop new methods of fashioning pieces out of 18k gold, platinum and gemstones.

He conquers jewelry lovers with rings that seem lit by the sun, whimsical earrings in organic forms and cuff bracelets in various sizes that are stunning inside and out.

“His jewelry is an art,” says Hannie Sio-Stellakis of Neiman Marcus in White Plains, where his pieces are featured in the precious jewels department. “Not only are they attractive to the eye, but they’re attractive to the touch.”

Recently, I had the pleasure of catching up with this alchemist of two worlds, who can turn stones into poetry:

Alex, our theme this month is “Heating Up.” So which of your pieces would you recommend to heat up our spring/summer looks?

And conversely, which of your pieces would help us look cool and sophisticated in the coming wilting temps?

44

“I would say that the entire color palette is stimulating, for it speaks in so many ways.

I like to work with all the stones and metals, since each one is unique and presents an endless spectrum of possibilities. Spring and summer naturally add more color to our lives. I love seeing bright colors, as they lift our spirits and fill our lives with joy. The vibrant color combinations of my Astra and Coronaria collections will make your heart beat a little faster, while the timelessly elegant and bold Sunflower, Snail and Lava pieces will make one stand out from the rest in any weather conditions.”

It’s evident that craftsmanship is a big part of your success. Even the inside of the cuff bracelets contains marvelous scrollwork. Tell me about your design philosophy.

“I see artistry and craftsmanship as two parts of one whole. One cannot exist without the other. Detail is an imperative part of my vision. Ever since I made my first sculpture at 14, detail has been embedded into my DNA. In order to increase the amount of detail, I invented a special structure where each creation consists of several components, each bearing its unique metalwork for which I invented my own tools.

“These techniques are really groundbreaking, as no one before had paid so much attention to detail, structure and texture in the world of jewelry or precious miniatures. Historically, you had a casted piece that was made of a single piece of polished metal. My jewelry and sculptures, on the other hand, are made of so

many intricate components that you often need a magnifying glass to be able to see all of them. Same goes for my decorative finishes.

“I still remember my avant-garde collection debut in 1996 at the Jewelers of America Show in New York, where buyers looked at me as if I had two heads when I was showing my collection with all the versatile metal finishes. Because all they were used to seeing back then was highly polished trinkets and such. Seeing texture and unusual shapes everywhere nowadays, I feel blessed and proud that I was able to change the way people think about jewelry – not just as another accessory, but as a work of art that offers endless possibilities to its wearer. I feel inspired when my clients tell me how their jewelry or sculptures that they own continue to fascinate them after years, as they keep discovering new details in them.”

How are your pieces made? Do you have a team crafting them or do you do all the work yourself?

“All of my pieces are made by hand under microscope in our gallery in New York City. I have a team of talented people who work for me. They didn’t have any formal jewelry training before, that’s one of my requirements, since my designs are very detailed and crafted with the outmost care and precision that require one to step outside the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship, of what they may already know or have been taught before. So in my case, any previous jewelry training is a disadvantage. I train from scratch so that

my team may have an expanded vision instead of set structure in their mind. Of course, I still make a lot of pieces myself, especially the ones that are more complex.

Bench work is an imperative part of my art. Just like a painter cannot exist without canvas and brushes, I cannot exist without creative process.”

Why did you want to be a jewelry designer and how did you get started?

“I was computer engineer before jewelry, fascinated with computers and artificial intelligence, since it was fairly new and mysterious world, like space and cosmos. I dreamed of building my own robot, but it all changed when I met my wife (Galina). She saw my drawings and attention to detail and inspired me to try my talents at jewelry. I didn’t know anything about jewelry nor did I have any previous training in it. So I went to the jewelry plant and asked for whatever position they had available. They assigned me that of an electrician and in less than a year I became its chief designer.”

What’s next for the Alex Soldier line?

“Creative process is always a mystery that can’t be predicted. I constantly work at my bench and the present moment in which the thought materializes through creative process never ceases to surprise me.”

For more on Alex Soldier’s jewelry, visit alexsoldier.com and neimanmarcus.com. n

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a

woman of

and substance

style –

By Georgette Gouveia

Images from Stacy London’s “The Truth About Style” (Viking) 47

Stylist Stacy London is one honest woman.

She’s honest about the successful battles with psoriasis and an eating disorder that have helped forge her character.

She’s honest about the fact that men and women can’t have it all unless they have lots of help.

(And even then they don’t necessarily have it all. She, a single woman who puts a lot of work into a multifaceted career, doesn’t.) She’s honest about the illusions of reality TV and the fashion industry.

And she’s honest about bulky, artsy-craftsy crochet as a cover-up. Not a fan.

“I’d rather have a macramé plant-holder than a crochet sweater,” she says – a remark that sends the reporter’s mind momentarily scurrying to her own closet.

It’s an honesty born of a hard-won confidence that’s not afraid to be saucy – as the playful photographs of her in her new book, “The Truth About Style” (Viking, $32.95, 215 pages), demonstrate. But it’s also the honesty of a woman on a mission – to help women look and dress their best, not as they fantasize, not as Hollywood and Seventh Avenue dictate, but as they can right now.

“Concentrate on your strengths,” Stacy says, “and live alongside your weaknesses. You might like your boobs better than your hips. But that doesn’t make your hips bad.”

It’s the kind of advice she and co-host Clinton Kelly might dispense to style-seeking contestants on their addictive hit TLC series, “What Not to Wear,” for which Stacy puts in many a 16-hour day. Recently, she’s been shooting the last 13 episodes of the 10-year-old series.

(They’ll begin running in June.) And while she’s sad that it’s ending, she’s working like mad to make sure the series goes out on a high note.

“It’s a little more complicated this year,” she says in a phone interview, “a new level of crazy.

Clinton and I are going to style separately and compete. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And it’s a way to give our fans, who’ve been so loyal to us, something to remember us by. Very few shows are fortunate enough to know they’re going to end.

We wanted to use (this season) to say, ‘Thank you.’”

48

Stacy acknowledges that she wasn’t always so polite and considerate of others’ feelings.

“I think when I first started, people thought I was a real bitch. I think being on TV long enough, opinions changed. And I changed. I’ve learned to be empathetic with people.”

armor for me,” she says. “I think when I gravitated to style, fashion changed for me. I used to think I had to be perfect, that if I showed weakness, people wouldn’t trust me. But real trust comes from being able to show your flaws.”

Silver lining

Today, Stacy is here to say she’s been there and, in the words of her book, “I get it.” She understands that for many women, who don’t think they’re rich, thin or beautiful enough, fashion is intimidating.

But, she says, fashion is fleeting. Style is timeless.

“Fashion is just what the industry turns out year after year. It’s the only industry that affects women’s self-esteem. Do you care if the Mini Cooper comes out in a color that’s not flattering to you? No, of course not. But we care what Saint Laurent Paris is doing.”

Rather than worrying about that, Stacy says, we should be listening to ourselves, our bodies and our tastes.

“Style is all about your individual sense of how you want to present yourself to the world.

It’s about loving what you’ve got instead of wishing for what you’re not. It’s so easy and so difficult.”

This is what Stacy wants to impart. This is why she’s founded her own TV production company – “a lot of what we see on reality TV scares me” – and why she’s co-founded Style for Hire, a personal styling company for which she serves as stylist-in-chief and the clients are co-creators.

“I tell people (Style for Hire) is not about my creating you but teaching you what you can do for yourself, shopping and spending your money wisely.”

Stacy’s approach is sisterly, both in the universal and feminist senses of the word. Biology may have dictated the competition among women for male providers and fathers of their children. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

“Instead, we can be nurturing, caring supporters of women and men,” she says. “We can be mentors, great sisters. …I feel fortunate to live in a time when women are coming into our own.”

Stacy wants to make sure her voice is heard at this moment but not in a scolding way.

“I’d like to be the voice of reassurance,” she says. “Whatever you’re doing now, you’re doing good, you’re doing OK.”

Reading Stacy’s life story – which she describes in “The Truth About Style” as if she were sharing it with you over coffee – you might think that her sisterly compassion was the noblesse oblige of a privileged New York City upbringing. Venture capitalist mother.

Academic father (founding dean of the New York University Gallatin School). Education at Trinity and Vassar colleges. Stints at Mademoiselle and Vogue, the latter giving her the opportunity to observe the likes of Kate Moss, the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and, of course, Anna Wintour.

Or you might think that Stacy’s compassion resulted from the challenges she’s endured, beginning at age 11 with a case of psoriasis so severe that classmates compared her to the Elephant Man. (Ah, children – so gracious.)

With time and the use of the topical steroid Diprosone, the psoriasis went away but not the scars – particularly the emotional ones – or the distinctive Lily Munster silver streak that blazes from her right temple through her dark hair and that may have been a reaction to the psoriasis treatment.

While she was at Vassar, she battled anorexia, which she calls “the darkest, blackest place imaginable,” then entered a period in which she couldn’t stop eating. At 5 feet, 7 inches, Stacy went from 89 to 180 pounds.

She got through Vogue – where size 4 is a large – with flannel shirts and flowing skirts. (It was 1992 and the grunge era.)

“Thank you, Marc Jacobs,” she says.

It took a while for Stacy to accept what she’d been through, to see the light scarring from psoriasis as a souvenir of what she endured, to arrive at the moment when she recognized the white streak in her hair as “as a badge of honor.”

“I think at first (those challenges) made me less compassionate,” she says. “I hated that little girl covered in red scabs. But the more I started to forgive myself, the more power I found in sharing my story with others.”

“I always had a thing for fashion, more as

Coming into her own

49

Stacy’s tips for looking hot while staying cool “Confidence does matter. It’s always hard in spring/summer to cover up when there’s less material.”

For those who aren’t especially fond of their legs, the good news is that the midi skirt is back. Keep

it looking smart, Stacy says, with a heel, especially a wedge.

Arms not your fave? There’s lots of lace from which to choose a great, sexy camouflage, Stacy says. Stay away from bulky crochet though.

“Fit is everything,” she adds.

“And there’s so much to choose from.”

Got curves? Celebrate them in ladylike ’50s styles.

Got legs? Show them off in ’60s silhouettes, which also work for straight, boyish figures and even those with a tummy.

Got a waist? Accentuate it. “I always say, ‘Don’t waste a waist.’”

Finally, when it comes to bare skin, less really is more, Stacy says.

“Choose a quadrant of the body to expose and cover the rest up,” she advises. “Its stops you from looking like a slut.” n

50

way

The sporting life A spirit of the Hamptons – from sophistication to

recreation – runs through this Bedford country estate Photographs by Tim Lee

51

Presented by Houlihan Lawrence

EASTFIELDS at a Glance • Bedford • 12,000 square feet • 20 acres • Bedrooms: 7 • Baths: 8 full, 3 half • Amenities: Gated estate, river views, fireplace, guest/caretaker cottage, high ceilings, horse property with direct access to Bedford Riding Lanes, patio, heated indoor pool with spa, privacy, sauna, indoor tennis court with viewing lounge, kitchenette and powder room, gym, recreation/billiards room, arts and crafts room/workshop and playroom, attached four-car garage and water access.

• Price: $7.995 million

52

hose in search of the perfect balance of sophisticated country-estate living and all the amenities that go with the sporting life will likely be more than pleased with Eastfields.

Quietly set along the Beaver Dam River, this gated 20-acre property features park-like splendor just minutes from the charming village of Bedford.

The seasons will come and go, but those lucky enough to call Eastfields home will have year-round access to an abundance of recreational options. There is an indoor professional tennis court and heated pool, while equestrians can delight in having direct access to the Bedford Riding Lanes.

Privacy is paramount at Eastfields, with towering trees and sprawling lawns providing the perfect complement to the sheer beauty of the adjacent river.

There’s a sense of tranquility, one that gently transitions into the Colonial, shingle-style main house where light streams throughout.

An easygoing sophistication ties together the stunning interior, providing a

perfect backdrop for the glorious views found from each of the three levels of living space.

The home’s dynamic design is immediately evident from a visitor’s first steps inside.

A dramatic front-to-back entrance hall showcases the picturesque surroundings, offering a sweeping look through a wall of windows overlooking the river.

Refined and sophisticated though not overly formal, the public spaces, with river views and a classic elegance, offer memorable backdrops for entertaining.

The light-filled living room, dining room with fireplace and music room and sitting room/library with wet bar are particular highlights, while the gourmet country kitchen, with butler’s pantry, and Great Room offer warm and hospitable environments for more casual gatherings with family and friends.

Multiple French doors throughout the main level flow out to a riverside terrace, creating the perfect environment for easy indoor/outdoor entertaining, perhaps on the stone terrace.

Among the many other interior highlights are an expansive master suite with two baths and twin dressing rooms, five 53

additional bedrooms and a two-bedroom guest/staff apartment. There are countless options for at-home entertainment, including a recreation/billiards room, arts and crafts room/workshop and playroom.

For the sports enthusiasts, professionalcaliber facilities offer recreation in any season. The indoor tennis court features a separate entrance, viewing lounge and service kitchen.

An adjoining wing includes several spa baths, a sauna, gym and an inviting recreation room, perfect for relaxing after the game.

The 60-foot indoor pool features a hot tub and is framed by windows and doors.

During the warmer months, these can open the space, connecting indoors and out.

Offering a winning combination of a prized location, refined architecture and world-class amenities, this exceptional estate represents one of Bedford’s most illustrious offerings.

For more information, contact Angela Kessel at Houlihan Lawrence Bedford Brokerage at (914) 234-9099, ext. 359; (914) 841-1919; or at akessel@houlihanlawrence.com. n

54

A singular style

By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki

Samantha Knapp of Tiger Lily’s 55

O

n a late-March morning, Samantha Knapp stands within her stunningly fresh booth at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show on Pier 94 in Manhattan.

With more than 400 exhibitors vying for attention on this preview day designated for press and trade members only, Tiger Lily’s has managed a rare feat.

The Greenwich design studio and custom workshop, showcasing an array of head-turning looks backed up by luxe materials and quality craftsmanship, has made a vivid impression in its debut at the prestigious show.

And that’s just what Knapp, herself a striking study of Boho-chic in animal prints, cobalt blue and sky-high funky heels, had hoped for.

“We’re just trying to go from local to a little broader customer base,” she says, pausing to catch her breath before an afternoon that finds Tiger Lily’s booth jampacked with those eager to know more.

And what those visitors are seeing – from a geometric-shaped ottoman covered in Mongolian sheep skins to a classic slipper chair gone wild with hot-pink tufting to a studded bench boasting square nail heads, faux fur and a shimmering silver finish – has certainly caught their attention.

For Knapp, it’s rewarding that the drive behind Tiger Lily’s is being understood.

“It’s important to me to just make it really personal, that there’s still a real thought behind everything we do.”

For her, it was a bold move that ended up as mission accomplished.

A family affair

Custom work done at Tiger Lily’s is displayed in the studio.

56

Catching up with Knapp at the company flagship, a burst of creativity tucked in an industrial section of town, a couple of weeks after the show, she is still buoyed by the show. It was a high-profile step on a road that finds her mixing an unwavering determination with a clear, artistic vision.

And it’s one that’s shared.

Tiger Lily’s is a Knapp family affair, a company started by her mother, Betsy Knapp, more than 20 years ago.

“She was the original do-it-yourselfer,” Samantha says of her mother. “She’s got an eye.”

Her mother and stepfather, Robert Knapp, are actively involved in the business that outgrew a space on Putnam Avenue a few years ago.

“My support here is like second to none,” Samantha says. “I’m so blessed.”

Today, her mother keeps her finger on client relationships, and projects and is a great finder of vintage and antique pieces, with her stepfather handling everything from the financial side to the day-to-day details.

“I’m definitely running my side of the show,” Samantha says. “The diversification that we needed to keep going had to happen.”

And that drive seems innate.

“None of us are technically ASID or whatever,” Knapp says, referring to the American Society of Interior Designers.

“We’re street designers.”

In fact, Knapp came to the business three years ago as a second act.

“It’s amazing for me because I’m selftaught,” she says. “I was a journalist.”

Broadcast stints at television stations around the country culminated with a move to WCBS-TV in New York.

“I had the dream job,” she says. “This is what I was waiting for my entire life.”

Six months later, with cutbacks and no contract, she was done.

Trying to decide what to do – and not moving forward – her stepfather encouraged her to join Tiger Lily’s, a career switch that still makes her laugh.

“I actually failed interior design in Greenwich High School.”

Hard at work

There’s no shortage of things being accomplished at Tiger Lily’s, itself a treat for the eyes with 3,700 square feet of activity. There are on-site custom upholstery and furniture design under way. Home accents and accessories fill the showroom, an airy space that includes surprises at every turn. The eye jumps from one vignette to another, an artful jumble of centuries and styles, fabrics and textures.

“We shop for vintage finds and we bring them in and refurbish them,” Knapp adds, selling them both in-house and online through a variety of sources.

“You just try to pick things that you love and other people (will) appreciate.”

A vintage movie projector, for example, stands on a sleek nail-head accented buffet.

“I had dreams of turning that into a lamp,” Knapp says. Until then, it’s a quirky accent ideal for a film buff.

Steps away, a onetime Indian blanket has been turned into both a bolster and a pair of throws.

Mirrors, she says, always sell.

“I think people like to see themselves,” she notes.

A quick glance might yield a Colonialstyle bench or Asian figurine, an anchorthemed Melamine plate or an oversize clock originally used at swimming meets.

There are rattan ceiling chairs and quirky sconces and the most formal of European chairs covered in cowhide.

“I really don’t like anything to match that well,” Knapp explains.

Customers can choose an accent or have an entire room done.

“If you’re designing for a room and the people have stuff already, we come from there,” she says of her starting point.

It’s not about Knapp: “I try to put myself in my clients’ shoes.”

When it comes to samples, it’s a neverending array of fabrics and trims, wallpapers and carpets.

“We like to laugh ‘We’re the D&D of Fairfield,’” she says, referencing the noted Manhattan to-the-trade design resource formally known as the Decoration & Design Building. “All the sales reps come to see us and give us the latest and greatest.”

For Knapp, it simply fuels her imagination.

“I don’t do a lot of drawings. I visualize it.”

Doing the work

A large workshop with all work done on site is what makes Tiger Lily’s stand out, Knapp says.

A sofa in the workroom features not only a lushly textured fabric but a trim so sleek and slender it’s barely noticeable. But it is, a fine detail that sums up the whole approach here.

“This is what makes it go from something anybody can get to what makes it super personal, what nobody else has,” she says.

As Knapp walks visitors through the workroom, she chats with those involved in all kinds of projects. There are seamstresses working on upholstery projects, craftsmen at the hammer, others painting. There’s a sense of motion, an air of creativity.

“It’s a little organized chaos in here,” Knapp says. But it works. “We have a good energy together,” she says.

Some things await further work: “I still don’t love it,” she says of an unusual tripletiered chair before she steps into a tiny room where some experiments are under way.

“This is kind of a fun area for me,” Knapp says. Mid-century chairs, lamp bases, vintage frames and other odds and ends are cluttered about.

“We do a bunch of stuff in here,” she says, motioning to a stack against a wall.

“Right now, I’m into antique frames.”

Ready for her close-up

In the design industry, visibility is key.

To that end, Knapp continues to seek out chances to help spread Tiger Lily’s name.

She offers a glimpse into another highprofile project, Housing Works’ Design on a Dime 2013, a benefit held in Manhattan.

“It’s the reminder of being in the community and giving back,” she says.

Her vignette, officially billed as “Tiger Lily’s of Greenwich for Robert Allen,” a 75-year-old textile and design company, is to be a twist on “The Wizard of Oz,” a peek into Dorothy’s dressing room.

“She’s no longer upset about leaving home,” Knapp says. “She’s rocking it in Oz.” Knapp is also a chair of the decorative arts committee of the National Arts Club in Manhattan, seeking out featured guests for a monthly series of design-themed lectures.

“I’ve got to find them,” she says, making a playful dig at the work it entails. “It’s

another part of the drama, another part of the work.”

She’s also become an expert at staging, helping create inviting interiors for properties up for sale.

“At the end of the day, I’m trying to grow a brand. If you’ve got an idea, I’m down.”

And she’s also vocal, as in a provocative blog that traces the ups and downs of the business.

Every bit, after all, raises the exposure.

“We’re just trying to get people in and excited about what we do,” she says.

Forward motion

As she awaits her proverbial big break, Knapp realizes the design show in Manhattan was a huge step.

“It’s such an accomplishment for us,” she says. “I’m really so proud of us.”

And as she sits in the showroom, surrounded by her signature pillows – offbeat shapes in quirky patterns with bold lettering – it’s time to get back to business. This morning will turn into an afternoon that includes a television shoot and countless phone calls she’ll juggle from her balcony office perched over the

showroom floor.

But on any day, clients are more than welcome to come in and browse.

“We like people to stroll in, see what it’s all about and then book,” she says, noting appointments ensure they get full attention.

After all, that’s what it’s about at Tiger Lily’s.

It’s like the signature pillows where words range from the unexpected, such as “Halo” or “Cosmic,” to those that seem to mirror what the company is all about – “Journey,” “Dream,” “Dazzle.”

And of course, Knapp’s favorite: “One Love.”

For more on Tiger Lily’s, at 154 Prospect St. in Greenwich, call (203) 6296510 or visit tigerlilysgreenwich.com. n

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57

Better

‘Shred’ than dread

By Tarice L.S. Gray

S

pring is the time of year some may find most intimidating.

It is, after all, when we realize swimsuit season is nearly upon us. Getting in shape becomes a revisited goal for those who’ve lost track of their resolutions.

And as the weather entices us to shed the layers that kept us warm – and completely covered – many of us want a little more time to prepare to do that.

As the adage “easier said than done” suggests, many who desire to have the hot body that makes wearing less more attractive are stumped on how to go about a physical transformation successfully. In Dr. Ian Smith’s latest book “Shred: The Revolutionary Diet,” he addresses ways to control calories. He also talks about the particular questions that befuddle most on-again, off-again dieters: How do you push through that frustrating plateau?

What do you do when nothing else is working? “‘Shred’ started because very close friends of mine occasionally emailed me and said they had reached a plateau in weight loss and they needed a jump start,” Smith says.

As the author of the best-selling books “The Fat Smash Diet” and “The 4 Day Diet,” he says he had a good foundation to take diet plans a step further. He revisited those questions that emerged to come up with a new strategy.

The good doctor fused some of the ideas in the best-selling books that preceded “Shred” – detoxing and cleansing as well as creating a meal plan – with a fairly new concept. “Diet confusion,” he says, may be the missing component for those needing an extra push to shed pounds.

The idea is to trick the body into increasing its metabolism.

Smith says it’s the same thing that happens with a regular workout routine.

Muscles can stop developing, because they get used to the expectations of the workout. You reach a plateau and you have to overcome that. Fitness gurus advise people to switch up their routines as a way of con58

fusing the muscles. In the same way, diet confusion – changing what you eat each day – can boost your metabolism. Those who follow “Shred” will constantly be eating, he says. Every three and a half hours, they’ll consume one of four meals or meal replacements or one of three snacks a day.

The results are impressive. Smith says members of his shredder nation reported an average weight loss of 20 pounds or four inches, and two sizes in just six weeks, in plenty of time to prepare for a fabulous swimsuit season.

It took time and research for Smith, a Danbury native, to develop this approach, because this wasn’t his original path. Years ago he attended Dartmouth Medical School (now the Geisel School of Medicine) with the idea that he would become an orthopedic surgeon. But he was sidetracked by opportunity.

Smith became a medical correspondent for the “Today” show and a columnist for Time magazine. It was during his time distilling medical advice – between 2002 and 2003 – that he says he received his “calling”.

“So many of my readers would send me emails after reading my columns, and most of the vast majority of the emails were about diet, nutrition and supplements,” he recalls.

The information that was out there had too many dieters “desperate, confused and hopeless. I wanted to help my readers know how to navigate in a healthy way the very tricky course of weight loss.”

He ventured into the world of nutrition and fitness using resources and research that medical doctors could access and released his first diet book, “The TakeControl Diet,” in 2005. Over the years he’s continued to write about the topic and has developed a following that is inclusive of a celebrity clientele. The former resident physician on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” Smith says his dieting methods are designed for all people but adds that high-achievers re-

spond best to the weight-loss program.

“Those people typically have the essentials it takes to be successful,” he says.

“Tenacity, belief, vision, willing to dream: Those are the things that make people successful in business, entertainment or in weight loss.”

Still, he says that everyone has the potential to succeed, especially on the “Shred” plan, because it’s adaptable to any person’s lifestyle. And swimsuit season can be just the motivation you need.

“You can do it.

It just takes commitment,” he says. “Focus on the small changes in life instead of on the big result.” n

Dr. Ian Smith

ROAM &

a hip haute new boutique 19 WEST ELM STREET GREENWICH, CT wheninroam.com facebook.com/fortheloveofroam

203.625.0200

Made in the shade

ONE STOP fOr all yOur gardENiNg NEEdS

By Mary Shustack

G Complete landsCape design & installation | tree & shrub planting pruning | lawn installations/renovations | patios masonry | stone walls

Katonah Nursery,Inc. Visit our spacious greenhouse

HOURS: MON.-SAT. 8-5PM, SUN. 8-4PM, 914.232.3570 194 ROUTE 100 (OPP. SOMERS MANOR), SOMERS, NY

60

www.KatonahNursery.com Find us on Facebook

regory Sahagian is ready to up the cool factor of your home.

Sahagian heads up Gregory Sahagian & Son Inc. in Hartsdale, a family-owned, fullservice awning company.

When the weather heats up, Sahagian has ready solutions to help you not only create shade but add a cool blast of style through a wealth of design options.

“When I first started selling, awnings were a luxury item,” he says. “Now they are considered a necessity.”

He’s quick to share details from the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association that offers data showing that fabric awnings and exterior shades can help reduce home-cooling costs by more than half. He adds that people are more healthconscious, striving to limit exposure to the direct sun. And he says they also appreciate having an outdoor “room” where they can do everything from eat or read to nap or visit with friends.

“People are definitely entertaining a lot,” he says.

It all makes for busy days for Sahagian, who began his business after some six years on the wholesale side of things. The field has grown a lot, he says.

In addition to awnings adjacent to swimming pools or those shading windows, there has been a clear move toward one specific product.

“In the residential market, the trend in the last five years is the retractable awning,” Sahagian says. “You can have shade when you want it, and you can have sun protection when you need it. … It sounds weird to say awnings are now high-tech but they have become that.”

There are motion sensors that retract awnings in advance of a storm or those with sensitivity to the sun, opening up without a human prompt. This latter option, he says, is particularly popular on East-facing properties that dot the Sound Shore communities.

As with any part of home décor, color trends continue to be a factor in awning selection, with Sahagian pointing to a popularity of earth tones, especially browns and forest greens.

“When I first started in this business 25 years ago, everything was yellow or blue,” he says. Today a blue awning is a rare installation and then most often on waterfront property.

Customers, he adds, often echo the

aesthetic or color scheme of the home, extending it right outside to create a unified feel.

With more than 600 patterns and nearly a dozen material choices, Sahagian says that’s certainly easy to do. He proudly features made-in-America Sunbrella products, a name familiar to many.

“They make awning fabric,” he says.

“They make furniture fabric. They make marine fabric.”

While Sahagian’s client base is primarily in Weschester, he serves the whole tristate region and sometimes beyond.

“In the Northeast, the season is very short,” he says, with most installations completed between late March and the end of July.

Since Hurricane Sandy, business has been booming, Sahagian says, between people making repairs or those suddenly needing awnings after the loss of shadeproducing trees.

When Sahagian does a job, he says, the products are durable.

“If I do an awning for somebody, it’s going to be 10 or 12 years before they call me back for a re-cover.”

That means in addition to cultivating new residential clients, Sahagian is constantly expanding his network of architects, building management companies and real estate developers. This complements his year-round client base that also includes more than 40 country clubs and a number of national chain accounts.

Back on the home front, Sahagian says today’s residential clients are more educated than in the past. At a home consultation, his role has transitioned from teacher to facilitator.

“When I first started, I had to educate the consumer,” Sahagian says. “I go to a person’s home now, I don’t have to sell them.”

He urges homeowners to do their homework to find someone who is not only licensed and insured, but also wellrespected, reliable and yes, creative.

“The customer really has to do their due diligence with who they really choose to do business with these days,” he says.

Sahagian – joined in the company by his oldest son, Gregory, and several nephews – says customers have come to rely on the dedication and tradition behind his company, things that have kept it thriving since 1990.

For more on Gregory Sahagian & Son, Inc., call (914) 949-9877 or visit gssawning.com. n

wares

Setting an artful table

Ralph Lauren Home

61

New York School of Interior Design

Federico Delrosso

Parsons The New School for Design

62

Beacon Hill

Interior Design Magazine, design by Ali Taylor

Gensler/Herman Miller

Echo Design

Design Within Reach

By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki An array of stylish tables were set as DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS held its 16th annual Dining By Design benefit at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in Manhattan in late March.

Notables from the worlds of fashion, interior design, art and architecture teamed up to create breathtaking dining “environments� that served to inspire all those who toured the installations created within Pier 94. The benefit portion of the exhibition, which included tours, a gala dinner and a cocktail party, raised more than $600,000 for DIFFA.

Rachel Laxer Interiors with Robert Kuo

Fashion Institute of Technology 63

Lighten up Mother-daughter design team offers tips for warm-weather décor Story and photograph by Mary Shustack

J

ust as we switch up our wardrobes when the warmer weather arrives, our homes can benefit from a seasonal revamp.

Antoinette and Louise Lombardi, a motherdaughter design team based in Thornwood, know well how just a few simple moves can keep things looking cool as the days get hot.

On a recent afternoon, the Lombardi ladies took WAG on an informal tour through their well-appointed showroom, Rug & Home Gallery + Design.

Taking note of the ready examples stylishly filling three full floors, we came away with a treasure trove of ideas on how to shake off those lingering vestiges of winter and get our surroundings springing back into shape.

“It’s just like if you have a black suit and you put on a different pair of earrings or a pin,” Antoinette says, “you change the look.”

Use the same approach when addressing your living space, Louise adds.

“With a few little switches around, you can change the room.”

With more than 25 years in the business, Antoinette – also known as “The Rug Lady” – has a keen perspective on what people really want, teaming up with her daughter to meet clients’ decorating needs, from a single rug to an entire home. Over time, the company has grown to specialize in fine rugs and home furnishings along with design services, custom window treatments, room makeovers and rug restoration and cleaning.

But back to the task at hand. Transitioning a home into the warmer months is a refreshing exercise that doesn’t require a major investment of time or funds as a ready example shows.

A mirrored tray, one that could easily be pictured weighed down with holiday treats or a bowl filled with evergreens, is today sitting on an oversize ottoman to create a casually chic coffee table of sorts. Louise says that Antoinette has been playing with the tray since its arrival.

“Everywhere she puts it, it changes the look,” she says. “And it’s just a ‘silly’ tray.”

But, as Antoinette notes, it’s a great example of how versatile the simplest of things can really be.

“Some things work in a lot of different places,” she says. “That’s really the trend of everything, the more transitional.”

From windows to carpets

When it comes to windows, the ladies offer everything from fabric to trim to hardware.

Most people won’t replace an elaborate window treatment, more of a year-round design element, but there is always the opportunity for a simple update.

There is a wide selection of bamboo and solar shades along with blinds, plantation shutters and more.

Even creating a treatment for a neglected window can be a style boost.

“It’s a lovely way to frame the room, to bring the outside in,” Louise says, adding that for many home64

It’s “not a lot of commitment,” she adds, yet can create a light-and-airy first impression.

Accents away

Antoinette Lombardi, left, and her daughter Louise Lombardi at their Rug & Home Gallery + Design showroom in Thornwood.

“It’s just like if you have a black suit and you put on a different pair of earrings or a pin. you change the look.”

— Antoinette Lombardi

owners, “less is more now.”

Linen, she notes, is also “quite popular.”

And don’t forget to look down. Rugs are a great way to mix things up, whether buying a new throw rug or simply maximizing the effect of an heirloom piece.

Take a traditional Persian rug. In the winter, it’s a reassuringly classic touch. Rust and dark charcoal pillows might decorate an adjacent sofa, tying it all together.

Come spring, draw out another hue, perhaps with a mustard, turquoise or ivory pillow.

“Pull out a different color. Absolutely,” Louise says.

Suddenly, it’s a lively focal point that calls to mind a vibrant marketplace on a summer afternoon. As Louise says, “That’s the beauty of having rugs with different colors.”

And rugs are also a way to start a home’s summery transition with flair.

“Change your entrance rug to something springtime and bright,” Louise says.

It can be the smallest touch that makes all the difference, too.

Louise points to a pair of simply framed canvases filled with bold graphics, an example of what she calls “fun, bright art” – and a way to add instant interest.

“There may be a wall people always ignored,” Louise notes.

Certain design elements have been coming on strong.

“We’re doing a lot of texture – shag rugs, vinyl,” Louise continues.

Vinyl-covered items featuring nail-head accents offer an industrial-chic look, while a floor covering featuring an animal-print theme adds both drama and Hollywood glamour.

Embodying a vaguely seaside air while adding a certain lightness are mother-of-pearl accents and items of Mercury glass, from vases to candlesticks.

It’s all about capturing that glimmer of light.

“Hanging a mirror is nice,” Antoinette adds. “You can bring the natural light to your house.”

Color is always a way to lighten things up. Simply changing out a vase from a heavy brass orb to a fanciful porcelain piece in tangerine can bring a dose of sunshine. Many people, Antoinette notes, will also change their bedding to reflect the seasonal change, a practical move than can also offer another chance for a fresher feel.

A mahogany end table might be moved to the attic for a few months, replaced with one crafted out of acrylic and glass. Perhaps you bring out the more whimsical lampshade for summer as well.

These accents often transition within several surroundings, as Louise notes many clients are selecting options for multiple residences.

“People go to their summer homes,” she says.

Throughout, it’s all about the approach – and the attitude.

“I love mixing,” Louise says. “I love to bring in a splash of color in one item because it really makes an impact.”

A particularly striking vignette features a charming array of plum shades. It’s a little gem of an alcove

by Louise, who says she follows trends but refuses to be dictated by them. It’s the way she also deals with clients, ready with options but making sure the end result is what they want.

After all, that is what the best designers do – help clients create environments that meet their needs but also reflect their personal taste and style.

As the Rug & Home Gallery’s tagline says, “Love your home from top to bottom.”

Thanks to the tips shared by the Lombardi ladies, that can be accomplished in a most stylish manner, no matter the season.

For more on the Rug & Home Gallery + Design, at 722 Commerce St. in Thornwood, call (914) 7412486 or visit rug-lady.com. n

Invite them to your NEW Garden.

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The Art of Landscaping 65

hot spots — chappaqua in their own words, directly to you

Couture dossier

Dr. Corinne Menn

whispering pines of chappaqua

FOUNDERS: Yulia and Andrey Omelich

Sell it. Spot it. Swap it ™

Dr. Corinne D. Menn, a board-certified gynecolo-

Products and services: COUTUREDossier is the Ultimate Trading Platform of Luxury ™. It’s an innovative and fun Wall Street-like model of buying and selling to fashion. Our customers love the idea of being in charge of their fashion portfolios. Whether it is to raise money for new lifestyle adventures or a new purchase, it’s ultimately up to them to decide what to do with their fashion asset. They can Swap it, exchange it for anything else in the store; or Spot it, sell it same day for cash; or Sell it, leave the item and get paid later – ultimately it’s their decision. COUTUREDossier is a fun place to shop too.

You can find here timeless designs by Chanel, Hermès, Prada, Dior and Christian Louboutin. Limited edition purses and beautiful clothes, once featured on celebrities, become available to you at a fraction of the retail price.

Background: Over a decade, Yulia Omelich worked in both the diplomatic world and Wall Street, managing a large portfolio of Fortune 500 companies in a wide variety of industries. Omelich decided to leave the fast-paced world of Wall Street to take care of her two sons, now aged 14 and 3 and start a career that would allow her to do so. “My passion was always retail fashion industry....”

So, with the support of her husband, she leveraged the lessons she learned from working with the world’s top retail brands and built COUTUREDossier.

Greatest strengths: Yulia and Andrey both believe that it is because of its flawless reputation in the retail and ecommerce world that COUTUREDossier was able to grow its customer base to more than 1,000 in two years.

Proudest moment: “My life today. ... My children and a chance to do what I love –– get to know interesting people, work with the amazing editors and TV producers, hearing their stories and most importantly making people happy by helping them find the “IT.”

gist, has recently opened a private practice in Chappaqua for women and adolescents. Her unique practice has a patient-centered approach, addressing areas often overlooked.

67 No. Bedford Road • Chappaqua • (914) 777- 2838 COUTUREDossier.com 66

For teens, a place of their own Dr. Menn offers a welcoming and private setting with a focus on preventative care and sexual health education.

Establishing a relationship with a gynecologist early on in a girl’s life allows adolescents to have a confidential and reliable place to address their health.

For women, a holistic approach The focus is on preventative gynecology throughout a woman’s life. Dr. Menn has a particular interest in menopause management, is active in The North American Menopause Society and is a certified menopause practitioner.

For cancer survivors On a personal note, Dr. Menn is a 12-year survivor of breast cancer and dedicates time in her practice to address the unique needs of fellow survivors. Patients dealing with a cancer diagnosis are faced with a myriad of health issues that may significantly affect their quality of life.

Medical oncologists and surgeons are primarily focused on treating and curing the cancer, but a survivor’s health needs extend beyond beating the disease.

Dr. Menn can help women navigate the medical system and deal with sensitive issues, including fertility, body image, menstrual dysfunction, premature menopause, sexual dysfunction and intimacy and long-term survivorship health. In addition, Dr. Menn offers breast cancer genetic testing and counseling for high-risk patients.

16 So. Bedford Road Suite 3E • Chappaqua • (914) 238-0350 drmenn.com

WHISPERING PINES FLOWER SHOP of Chappaqua has the flowers and gifts you need for every occasion. Specializing in unique floral design, Whispering Pines offers customized floral arrangements for every life event possible, from a day-brightening bouquet to fullscale wedding design. With extensive experience in event flowers, Whispering Pines can make your next party, corporate function or event memorable and extraordinary. But don’t just think of Whispering Pines for floral design – you can also find an extensive selection of seasonal plants for indoors and outdoors, as well as beautiful hanging baskets. In addition to cut flowers and plants, Whispering Pines also carries a wonderful selection of gift items such as vases, planters, candles and more.

Owner and designer Beth Hundgen is a lifelong resident of the Westchester area and has been involved in the floral business since her teenage years. Her father John Kuck founded Whispering Pines Florist and Garden Center in Somers in 1956 and her family has owned and operated the business since then. She obtained her undergraduate degree in horticulture and greenhouse management from Colorado State University in 1981, and shortly thereafter returned to her family’s florist and nursery business in Somers. In May of 2004, she opened Whispering Pines Florist of Chappaqua. Although she enjoys all aspects of this industry, she is most creative with floral design. Over the years, she has participated in national and international design, winning many competitions.

91 Bedford Road • Chappaqua •(914) 238-5661 Whisperingpinesofchappaqua.com

designer symphony boutique

breathe pilates and yoga

wee zees

New women’s designer boutique fashion for all your special occasions: Cocktail Dresses, Evening Wear, Resort Wear, Contemporary Day Wear, Accessories, Bags, Shoes ––– Westchester’s newest and most exciting Premier Boutique. Owner Marie Flavin Brouder is the buyer and creative director and offers a highly edited selection of European, Australian, American and other international designers. She is aiming to bring a luxury shopping experience with a European essence using state-of-the-art technology and a beautifully designed interior.

The Boutique will also offer luxury services, including in-house tailoring, symphony styling service, trunk shows, Champagne, chocolates, refreshments and lots of fashion events.

Featured Designers: Issa London, Nicole Miller, Katherine Kidd, Theia, Badgley Mischka, Monique Lhuilier, FeeG, Roberto Cavalli Class, Amen, Plein Sud, Evocateur, Goldsign, Piper Gore, Suboo, Camilla, Vic, Coye Nokes, Nigel Preston & Knight, Ivy Kirzhner, Serpui Marie, Marc Cain, Save the Queen, Osklen, Carmen Marc Valvo, Alexandre Birman & Mawi.

There are lots more of the hottest and most soughtafter emerging designers coming for fall and winter 2013.

Come shop our accessories wall and sip some champagne on our gorgeous white leather couch beneath the crystal chandeliers and enjoy a luxurious shopping experience.

With this message receive 20 percent off all spring/ summer items and a complimentary styling session as we celebrate our opening!

Check out our Facebook page for the latest updates facebook.com Opening this month!

27 S. Greeley Ave • Chappaqua • (914) 861 2678 Website coming soon

Intimate, friendly and focused on you Pilates teaches us that the breath is at the center of every challenging core exercise and Yoga asanas or poses are initiated and powered by breath awareness. At BREATHE you can explore and practice the discipline that best resonates with you or practice both as you develop a deeper appreciation and awareness of who you are and what you are seeking. Your very best physical, energetic and emotional self will soon emerge and your overall wellness is guaranteed to improve. Make yourself a priority — release negative patterns and cultivate the most vibrantly healthy, best-possible version of yourself.

They’re dedicated to bringing clients specialized, hands-on experience conveniently located in the heart of Chappaqua. The teaching staff is knowledgeable, highly qualified and completely dedicated to providing practitioners with specific attention and personal details.

Let yourself shine at BREATHE! Together you will inhale light, strength and personal power and exhale all of our attachments to those things we no longer need.

83 N. Greeley Ave • Chappaqua• (914) 238-0184 breathepilatesandyoga.com

Walk through the doors of WeeZee – World of “Yes I Can!” and you’ve entered a sports and play zone like no other. WeeZee is Westchester’s only “family play space,” offering kids and parents 18,000 square feet of sports, fitness and “sensory” fun, enjoyment and relaxation. Designed for kids of all abilities, ages 1-12, the colorful, interactive facility boasts an expansive gym equipped with the latest state-of-the-art sports and fitness equipment and games, along with a host of highly engaging, interactive and imaginative sensory activities that exercise and strengthen intellectual, physical and social skills. Staffed by an amazing team of Sensory Coaches, WeeZee is a matrix of large space and small rooms containing 135plus unique attractions, including a “Rainforest & Storm Zone,” a “Vibration Station,” an “Oxygen Bar” and “Cyber Action Floor,” as well as sport stalls and reaction training to help with hand-eye coordination and a Music Room with a sound studio and a karaoke room, to name just a few. The equipment and programs at WeeZee are based on a plethora of research by the autism community.

All children can benefit from WeeZee’s activities and programs, including those with sensory integration issues.

Parents are invited to “play for free” or unwind in the “Zen Den” that features dim lighting, soothing music, iPads and full-body massage chairs, while their children are fully supervised as they follow their Sensory Fitness Plan or engage in Free Play. WeeZee also hosts parties for birthdays, graduations and bar mitzvahs. WeeZee’s popular after-school program and summer camp include transports from many elementary schools in Westchester County.

Conveniently located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua, right off exit 33 on the Saw Mill River Parkway (in the Chappaqua Crossing complex), WeeZee is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week and offers pricing packages that start as low as $50 per month.

World of “YES, I CAN!”

480 Bedford Road • Chappaqua Crossing • Chappaqua weezeeworld.com 67

wonderful dining

Jay Lippin preparing a meal.

Glenn Vogt and John Crabtree in the wine cellar of the Chappaqua restaurant.

Back to the beginning Story and photographs by Bob Rozycki

L

ife is a circle, maybe more oblong than round, for Jay Lippin.

Jay, an amiable bear of a man, is the new/ old chef at Crabtree’s Kittle House Restaurant and Inn in Chappaqua, where he worked the kitchen in the early ’90s.

Jay was a sous chef at Montrachet in Tribeca in 1991 when John Crabtree lured him to his storied restaurant nestled in a hollow off Route 117. John and Jay were pioneers back then, being the first in the region to post on their menu that the food was locally sourced and organically grown. Jay nods in agreement, remembering how farmers would bring produce and game to the back door of the kitchen.

But Jay’s tenure at Kittle House was a mere two years in when the siren call of the city sent him packing. The parting was amiable, according to both men. Jay then worked at Odeon in Tribeca and Café Luxembourg on the Upper West Side before returning to Westchester at Mighty Joe Young’s in Hartsdale (2003-07).

He opened Backwoods BBQ in New Jersey and last year won the cooking competition on Food Network’s “Chopped.” He went “corporate” last year, becoming culinary director of Village Super Markets, which 68

owns a number of ShopRites in New Jersey.

A fortuitous call from John and Glenn Vogt, partner and general manager, hooked Jay. “I missed cooking the way I love,” Jay said. “The Kittle House is like family. I felt like I came home.”

John said the two men’s paths often crossed over the years. “We had been hoping to get together again.”

Now that he’s back, what can Kittle House’s clientele expect?

“My style is more developed. I still love the basic ingredients. The thing is not to overwork the food. Not to hide it with sauces,” Jay said. “Use butter, but go light on the butter … keep it clean.”

“Keep it fresh, keep it simple,” is the mantra in the kitchen. It’s also keep it local and make sure it’s sustainable. The fish purveyor he uses can tell Jay the name of the boat captain and when and where the fish were caught. Two popular items on the menu right now are Loch Duart salmon from the highlands of Scotland and trout from Pennsylvania.

With an affinity for game, Jay has venison and guinea hen on the menu, both locally sourced.

Jay says he hones his skills by reading magazines and

books and tearing out articles and filling notebooks with his finds. “I’m constantly tweaking.”

What John loves about the renewed partnership is their ability to talk things out when it comes to the menu.

“We communicate well,” John says. “We have to share knowledge.”

No arguments? No, the men reply.

Really?

OK, they relent. If there is an impasse, it passes quickly.

It is after all, all about the customer.

“Listening to what the customer wants. That’s the secret to being in business 31 years,” John says.

With that in mind, John says he is looking at a June opening for his new venture, RiverMarket Bar and Kitchen, at Hudson Harbor in Tarrytown.

Using reclaimed maple for its flooring and reclaimed spruce for its ceiling, the site will feature a wine store and an indoor famers market. Leading the kitchen will be John Holzwarth, most recently the chef at The Boathouse in Westport.

“Tarrytown is the gateway to the Hudson Valley. This will be a great destination,” John says.

“We’re going to follow the same philosophy as we do here” at Kittle House. n

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wagging A tale of love and loss under the sun

By Sarah Hodgson

There is no way to predict what a day will bring. If there were, perhaps we could shape the effects of time, but such are the risks of those who chose to love and live.

Bill Kelly* woke early that Saturday morning as the sun crested the horizon, its rays reaching in like fingers through his east-facing window.

“Morning Maggie,” he whispered quietly as he stretched his arm to caress the dog who lay pressed against his bedside.

“Let’s go get the paper.”

Bill let Maggie out the side door and she trotted down the driveway, returning in moments with the morning news.

“Hey Cathy,” Bill called out to his wife.

“It’s another Indian Summer. Let’s take the kids down to the river for a picnic and a hike.”

It was decided, and the usual Saturday morning leisure was surpassed by the general chaos of gathering, feeding and packing, slathering sunblock and herding their three young sons into the minivan.

“Maggie!” their oldest son exclaimed, pointing to the nose poking through the blinds and pressed against the picture window. “We can’t leave her behind. She wants to come.”

Bill and Cathy exchanged glances. It was true: Maggie had always come, but at 11 years

old, arthritis had diminished her agility.

“Your call, Bill,” Cathy said. “It’s going to be a hot day.”

Sensing their parents’ waffling, the two older boys leapt into action.

“I’ll get her,” Joey said, leaping from the car.

“We’ll need to bring water and keep her in the shade,” Cathy shouted from the open window.

“I’ll grab her water dish, mom,” Rudy said as he followed his brother.

Four-year-old Alex, tightly secured in his five-point-harness car seat, looked up from his Kindle. “Maggie come.”

And come she did, trotting down the walkway, her lips parted wide in a satisfied smile.

With a hearty hoist Joey lifted her rear, and she plopped where she landed, her large, blocky head angled over the center console.

“All in?” Bill shouted out as he turned to make sure the boys had secured their seatbelts. “OK, old girl. Think you can keep up with us?”

Maggie did her best that day, though she and Bill took more breaks as the kids raced ahead on the stone and rooted pathway.

“You taught them to walk, remember girl,” Bill cooed as he sat with his beloved dog under the shade of a large, knotted

pine tree. At lunch Maggie fetched just a few sticks before stretching out on her favorite flat rock. The heat emanating from above and below lulled her into a dream state, her paws twitching as she no doubt revisited her earliest puppyhood with her littermates, then on to adolescent squirrelchasing, and finally to memories of running alongside her boys as they scootered and cycled away from their parents. Even the hand that reached to interrupt her sun-baked slumber was folded into a dream of caresses that were never-ending.

“Come on, old girl, it’s time to go home.”

Before driving off, Bill did his final head count.

“Where’s Maggie?” he questioned.

“She’s with me,” Rudy called from the back seat. “She’s pooped.”

Arriving home minutes before 4 p.m., Rudy jumped from the car to meet his friend, as Bill lifted the sleeping Alex over his shoulder.

“Mom, I’m starving. Can you make me a snack,” Joey shouted as he dragged the towels up the pathway. Cathy’s phone rang. Her mom would be over in a half hour to help with dinner. Distracted, Cathy bumped the car door closed with her torso and hurried in to use the bathroom. That simple gesture would haunt

her for years afterward.

How much time elapsed before they missed their Maggie’s presence? Not much. Where was she?

Maggie had been left in the car. And when Bill raced out to get her, she had already suffocated. She was gone.

Accidents ... do ... happen. No fault.

No intention. I knew Maggie. She was the Kellys’ first baby, their fur-child, and they had brought her to my puppy school. I’d follow them through the years, periodically visiting their home to welcome the birth of a child or to help Maggie gain impulse control as the boys became more mobile.

The news of her death chilled me. How often have I worried about my own dogs, who routinely hop into the car in hope of a new adventure, and my children, who often leave the car ajar? I obsessively warn my clients of the hazards of dogs and heat.

Dogs cannot perspire to cool their body temperatures. They overheat quickly and need water to avoid rapid dehydration.

An automobile heats like an oven, even with opened windows in temperatures above 65 degrees.

Please be careful with your pets this season. *Note: The names of the family and dog have been changed to protect their privacy. n

Pet of the Month Maybe it’s the droopy eyes. Or the ears down to there. Or the mournful expression that says, “Here I am. Now love me.” But Basset Hounds – from the French “bas,” as in “low” – have always had their place in the cash-register hearts of New York and L.A. Elvis Presley sang “Hound Dog” to a Bassett Hound named Sherlock when he introduced the song on “The Steve Allen Show” in 1956. Bassets have been the sidekicks of TV detective Columbo, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on “The Dukes of Hazzard,” the Maytag Repairman and even Lassie. A Bassett named Jason is the face of Hush Puppies.

We at WAG have a soft spot in our hearts for Cleo, the wisecracking Basset played by Bernadette and voiced by Mary Jane Croft on the 1950s series “The People’s Choice.” Some of us even had stuffed versions of Cleo to play with in our kiddie years.

In that venerable tradition, we give you Bass, a 5-year-old who’s had a tough time, having been left at a high-kill shelter. Fortunately, one of the SPCA’s rescue friends got him out just in the nick of time. Since then he’s been fostered and is now up for adoption.

The SPCA says Bass is “an amazing dog,” a total goofball who’s great with other animals and kids. Though quite energetic, Bass likes his quiet family time, too, and nothing more than a good belly rub. In other words, he’s a lot more than a hound dog.

To meet Bass, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. Please note: The SPCA does not accept deposits, make appointments or reserve animals for adoption even if it has spoken about a particular dog or cat with you. It’s always first-come, first-served among applicants, pending approval. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call (914) 941-2896 or visit spca914.org. n 70

Bass demonstrates that real male hounds can wear pink as he shows off a pair of Isaac Mizrahi New York shades ($98), courtesy of Bloomingdale’s in White Plains.

wanders

The eternal sunshine of Costa Rica

By Cappy Devlin

Toucans are among the many brilliantly plumed birds in Costa Rica’s national parks.

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C

osta Rica is an ecotourist’s paradise – a beguiling land of unending sun, an oasis of calm.

Whether you’re looking for city nightlife, jungle adventure, the excitement of watching volcanoes erupt or relaxation on white, sandy beaches, this country has something for every traveler, from honeymooners to families to individuals looking for an ideal vacation.

Costa Rica packs a punch in a small package. The whole country is only 150 miles wide from Atlantic to Pacific and 250 miles long from border to border, about the size of the state of West Virginia. San José is the capital city of Costa Rica and is by far the largest city in the country. Its main attractions include the National Theatre of Costa Rica, casinos, shopping malls and fabulous restaurants.

But for a really hot time, you’ll want to get up close and personal with Costa Rica’s active volcanoes. At Poás Volcano National Park, you can walk through a cloud forest sculpted by volcanic emissions or gaze at Poás’ enormous crater and its deep, green lake.

Just as spectacular is the Arenal Volcano, site of thermal hot springs. Long dormant, the 3,000-year-old, 5,500-foot Arenal erupted in July 1968 and has been active ever since, putting on an unforgettable smoke and light show nearly every day. Nighttime viewing is the most spectacular, with glowing lava and mini-explosions illuminating the sky.

Further thrills await there when you take the zip-line tour. Soar from treetop to treetop through the jungle canopy, 275 feet up on the Sky Trek, a 3,280-foot-long zip-line. For a slower pace, you can go on the Sky Tram for a 15-minute aerial tour of the rainforest that takes you to the Miguel Angel Observatory, where you’ll have panoramic views of the Arenal Volcano. Recommended hotels there – The Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort and The Springs Resort & Spa.

On a clear night, the Arenal Volcano, among the most active on earth, explodes with ash and lava. Courtesy of Tauck.

A walk amid the clouds

Enhancing the country’s natural beauty is the Monteverde Cloud Forest, nestled high in the Tilaran Mountain Range. You need to stay two days in the cloud forest to take a guided tour on the Skywalk, which combines trails and suspension bridges through the forest canopy in search of flora and fauna.

Tiny Costa Rica, home to more than a half-million species, is ablaze with candy-striped toucans, scarlet macaws and resplendent quetzals. Monteverde hosts the largest variety of butterflies worldwide, while the companion Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is a 765-acre haven for jaguars, ocelots and monkeys. Rec72

ommended hotel there – Peace Lodge, which is within the private wildlife refuge of La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park.

Pacific overtures

There is a certain atmosphere that permeates Costa Rica’s mid-Pacific region.

It wraps itself around you and frees you from stress and troubles. The wildlife is abundant and you are likely to spot scarlet macaws, toucans and monkeys. The Quepos area is the home of the Manuel Antonio National Park, combining rainforest and white sand beaches. It’s also a mecca

for Hollywood celebrities, who come to enjoy the serenity of the place combined with an active nightlife that includes restaurants, bars and discos. From Manuel Antonio, you can experience white-water rafting, guided rainforest waterfall walks, horseback-riding, snorkeling and sports fishing. (Recommended Hotels there – Los Altos Beach Resort & Spa; Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort; Gaia Hotel & Reserve.)

Guanacaste is also in the Pacific region of Costa Rica. This picturesque area offers hundreds of unspoiled tropical beaches lining its shores. Guanacaste offers rain-

forest canopy tours, horseback-riding, river-rafting and even just floating down the Corobicí River. It’s the ideal place if you want to enjoy water sports such as surfing, fishing, snorkeling or scuba-diving. This area has some of the best deep-sea diving and fishing in the world – and some of the best relaxing as well.

Recommended hotels there – Four Seasons; JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa; Westin Playa Conchal; Hilton Papagayo Resort & Spa; Hotel RIU Palace Costa Rica.

Travel tips: To fly to Costa Rica, I recommend going from Newark Liberty

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White water-rafting through 10 miles of rapids affords you a dynamic experience of nature.

Courtesy of Virtuoso.

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a few days of relaxation in the Guanacaste area. During holiday seasons more direct flights are added.

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For more, visit Cappy’s Travel at 195 N. Bedford Road, Mount Kisco, call (914) 241-0383 or email Cappy@ travel-by-net.com. n

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w’reel deal

Silver screen sizzles for the summer season

By Sam Barron

A still from “Blue Jasmine,” written and directed by Woody Allen. Woody Allen could make the phonebook and I’d defend it. Well he did. It was called “Cassandra’s Dream.”

31 – “After Earth”– Can we just agree to call this movie “Welcome to After Earth,” in honor of Will Smith’s immortal line in “Independence Day”?

The first time I saw the trailer, I thought the movie looked intriguing, but wanted to find out how who the director was. No director was named in the trailer, which I thought was odd, given this is a big summer movie.

Then I went online. And my heart sank -- M. Night Shyamalan. (Expletive) Have you seen “The Happening”? It is atrocious. And this movie will probably be awful. I will wait for Will Smith to say “Welcome to After Earth.” He won’t.

I will be disappointed. There will be an ending that is really stupid, and cause the Internet to freak out.

Also: “Epic” (the trailer is, well, epic.

YouTube that, too); and “Hangover Part III (we’re accepting the sequel didn’t happen);

June

The trailer for “The Great Gatsby” is the best two and a half minutes you will have all year.

Summer is the best. Baseball kicks into gear, there are BBQs, “So You Think You Can Dance,” but most important, summer is when the hottest movies of the year get released.

Growing up without AC (somehow my parents were never charged with child abuse), I took advantage of any opportunity to get out of the heat, so I used to see a ton of movies.

This summer, what movies will live up to the hype? What will be this summer’s dud?

May

3 – “Iron Man 3” – Are we allowed to finally acknowledge that “Iron Man 2” was not that good? Jon Favreau made “Elf,” which gives him some leeway. But he does not know how to pace a popcorn flick.

But I have hope for “Iron Man 3.” Favreau is out and Shane Black is in. Black wrote “Lethal Weapon” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” making him possibly the Jewish messiah. (I do not know if Black is even Jewish.) If there’s one person who can really rev up “Iron Man,” it’s him.

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10 – “The Great Gatsby” – Have you seen the trailer? No, seriously, have you seen the trailer? Given the declining periodicals’ industry, I don’t know if it’s wise for me to steer you to the Internet, but go to YouTube and watch this trailer.

I’ll wait.

Yeah, you’re pumped aren’t you?

Gatsby is one of the best books of all time. The movie has Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. It’s directed by Baz Luhrmann. Seriously, watch the trailer again.

24 – “Fast and Furious 6” – Do you know someone and wonder if he’s a d-----bag? Well, sit him down and watch “Fast 5.” If he thinks “Fast 5” is awesome and freaks out when The Rock and Vin Diesel fight, then, no, he is not a d-----bag. If he sits there and points out how implausible the whole thing is and does not freak out when The Rock and Vin Diesel fight, then yes, he is a d-----bag. Fast and Furious Six looks amazing.

14 – “The Bling Ring” – Emma Watson. Sofia Coppola. The poster for this movie should be like one of those’80s action movies where it says: WATSON COPPOLA “BLING RING.” Emma Watson has finally realized she’s really hot. She’s started doing more adult roles and doing sexy shoots for magazines and clothing lines. It’s been awesome. In this one, she and a bunch of friends rob celebrities’ homes.

Sofia Coppola made “Somewhere,” which I loved, which means I have issues and should probably move to Brooklyn.

This movie is going to be amazing. There will be a Phoenix song played at a pivotal point and I will cry.

14 – “Man of Steel” – British actor Henry Cavill is the latest to don the hallowed cape.

28 – “White House Down” – When I was 13, I came up with an idea for a movie where the President is about to get impeached, so in order to clear his name, he takes the White House hostage. And what would it be called? “Hostage to the Chief.”

People laughed at me and never liked the idea. “White House Down” is the second movie this year in which the White House gets taken hostage. So obviously, a lot of people think it’s a good idea.

Of course, neither of those movies was

written by me and thus I am stuck writing this column. I’ve wasted my life.

Also: “The Internship” (Vince Vaughn will talk really fast, and the movie will really suck); “This is the End” (Two Emma Watson movies on the same day!)

July

26 – “Blue Jasmine” – A new Woody Allen movie? Yes! Yes! Yes! Woody Allen is one of my heroes, and not just because he taught me the best way to meet women. I am a Woody Allen apologist through and through. I loved “Scoop.” I couldn’t stop laughing at “To Rome With Love.” I loved “Cassandra’s Dream.” OK, that one kind of sucked, but I really want to see it again just to make sure. I almost had a heart attack watching “Match Point.”

The man can do no wrong, unless you’re a family court judge.

It should be noted; I have not seen any footage or even know what this movie is about. But I’m the guy who loved “Whatever Works.”

Also: “Lone Ranger” (Johnny Depp’s will be quirky and eccentric. It cost $200 million);

August

2 – “300: Rise of an Empire” – Oh wow, August. We’re really reaching here for sequels. Let me sum up the original for you: Gerard Butler. SPAAAAAAARTA! (Cue slow motion shots of arrows being flung and people charging into battle.)

Also: “The Smurfs 2” (I’m glad I don’t have kids); “Planes” (Seriously, Disney is just trolling people with this, and once again, glad I don’t have kids)’ and “One Direction: This Is Us.” (Now I’m really glad I don’t have kids.)

Of course, there are tons of other movies coming out this summer. And summer always brings a great collection of movies to your local art houses that deserve to be seen, so check those out, too.

But with the movies listed above, it’s sure to be one long, hot summer. (Hey, that was a movie, too.)

To read Sam’s daily musings on movies, follow him on twitter at @sb_ wreeldeal. n

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The thrill of the Chase Finlay’s star rises at the New York City Ballet

By Georgette Gouveia

Lauren Lovette and Chase Finlay in Christopher Wheeldon’s “Polyphonia.” Photographs by Paul Kolnik.

When Chase Finlay was summoned recently to his boss’ office – the boss in this case being Peter Martins, ballet master in chief of the New York City Ballet – he was admittedly a bit nervous.

Finlay, who hails from Fairfield, was coming off a supporting performance in Martins’ “The Sleeping Beauty,” and it just wasn’t happening for him. There are, we know, days like that, and Finlay – as self-possessed a 22-year-old as you’re likely to meet – is notso-surprisingly philosophical about it.

“You kind of have to go out and let the nerves out,” he says. “If (the performance) doesn’t happen, you go back to what you know in rehearsal. You have to say, ‘I’m doing everything I’ve done all of my life,’ and stop freaking yourself out.”

Still, no one likes to hear that his presence is required in the boss’ office, does he? But Finlay had nothing to worry about. What 76

Martins wanted to tell him was that he was being promoted to principal dancer, the company’s highest rank.

That Finlay should attain it so quickly – after his breakthrough performance two years ago in the title role of George Balanchine’s seminal neoclassical ballet “Apollo” – is a surprise to no one. Not Martins. Not The New York Times, which hailed the appearance of a new star. And not us at WAG, who featured Finlay on our September 2011 cover, one of our most popular issues to date. No one was surprised except Finlay.

“I laughed in disbelief,” he says. “I didn’t expect anything like that.”

Perhaps the disbelief stems in part from knowing his success has been hard-won.

Three months after appearing on the cover of WAG, Finlay experienced a tear in the patellar tendon under his right knee.

“It was pretty tragic,” he says. What was most heartbreaking was that it came so soon

Lauren Lovette and Chase Finlay in Jerome Robbins’ “West Side Story Suite.” Photograph by Paul Kolnik.

after his breakthrough. “I felt I might lose everything.”

The injury, Finlay recognized, was born of his very success. To prove himself, he’d been dancing corps de ballet, soloist and principal roles.

“I love working hard more than not,” he says.

Knees, however, are not so crazy about it.

(Just ask Rafael Nadal.) What followed was a series of PRP (or platelet rich plasma) injections, in which the patient’s own blood is spun in a centrifuge, separating out the plasma, which is then injected into the damaged area to promote quicker healing.

Then came the really hard part for Finlay – three weeks of staying off the leg. That was followed by daily physical therapy and “baby ballet classes.” He missed all of “The Nutcracker” and winter season of 2011-12 and part of last spring.

Yet the nine-week ordeal was something

of a blessing in disguise.

“I learned the correct way to use my body,” Finlay says. And that meant embracing an economy of movement that sacrificed none of his natural grace, power and beauty.

Feeling “great,” Finlay is looking forward to tackling some of the great Balanchine ballets that are already in his repertoire, including “Mozartiana,” “Symphony in C” and the “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” and some that are not yet, like “Stars and Stripes” and “Theme and Variations.” Though very different, all require speed, amplitude, bravura technique, musicality and a commanding stage presence – none of which is beyond Finlay.

“The only way to grow is with experience,” he says, “going out there… and continuing to rise to the occasion.”

The New York City Ballet’s spring season runs through June 9. For more, visit nycballet.com. n

77

well Nothing hot about the stem-cell face-lift

By Michael Rosenberg, MD

K

ing Solomon said “there’s nothing new under the sun,” and one can certainly apply this adage to one of the most recent “advances” described in plastic surgery.

In the New York Times April 3, there was an article headlined, “The debate over stem-cell face-lifts.” While many surgeons are advertising this new technique for facial rejuvenation, many plastic surgeons believe it corresponds to a nonsurgical approach called fat grafting or liposculpture, which has been widely used for many years. So what is myth or hyperbole and what is real?

In traditional fat grafting, fat is removed from one area of the body, typically the abdomen or thighs. The fat is harvested with a syringe or liposuction technique, typically under local anesthesia and then spun down to separate the fat from blood and anesthetic. The fat is then injected in a series of small increments into areas like the lower

78

eyelids, cheek or malar area, temporal or sideburn area and nasolabial folds and marionette lines (the lines between the side of the nose and lip and at the edges of the lower lip). The injected fat can then survive as a graft in its new location, giving a fuller, more rounded and youthful appearance to the face and a healthy glow to the skin. Not all the fat will survive in its new position and the procedure may need to be repeated to maintain the results (similar to injectables such as collagen, Juvaderm and Restylane). This is where the stem cells come in.

What are stem cells and what is the role they are supposed to play in rejuvenating the face? We all start as a twocelled organism and over approximately nine months, through cell division and specialization, develop into completely functioning individuals. This process requires plenipotential stem cells to develop into different classes of cells, from heart cells to kidney cells to fat cells. Some of these cells maintain

the ability to develop into different classes of cells after birth and these are the adult stem cells that all the excitement is about.

Theoretically, these stem cells could be harvested to regenerate injured tissues and considerable research is currently aimed at this specific point.

Now localized collections of fat cells in humans are known to be natural reservoirs for adult stem cells, and the theory is that these stem cells can be injected with fat cells to rejuvenate the face. But is this theory worth a $5,000to-$10,000 procedure?

Two major plastic surgery groups sponsored a study to develop a position paper on this very topic and the results are underwhelming. To date, the hype about the stem-cell face-lift appears to be just that, hype, and there is a lack of evidence supporting the claims. The task force wrote that “the marketing and promotion of stem-cell procedures in aesthetic surgery is not adequately supported by clinical evidence at this

time.” With that said, more evidence is currently being gathered to address this question, and there may be a role for this approach in the future.

For now, there is the traditional surgical face-lift for facial rejuvenation and nonsurgical approaches, such as fat injection and filler injections like the above mentioned Juvaderm and Restylane, as well as Radiesse or Sculptra. There is so much that can already be done in this area, with newer approaches on the horizon. As always, “let the buyer beware” is one of the best pieces of advice I can give to prospective patients. If you are interested, do the research on your own, speak to friends, family and your physician for advice and consult with well-trained surgeons familiar with both surgical and nonsurgical approaches to facial rejuvenation. In general, I would try not to be one of the first people to undergo a new procedure.

Please send any questions or comments to mrosenberg@nwhc.net. n

Hot flashes might be a warning of heart disease

By Erika Schwartz, MD

I

always wondered how my mother’s generation dealt with hot flashes. My mother never mentioned having one and neither did any of the women in her age group that I knew. It was only with our generation (by that I mean 40-plus) that hot flashes made their grand entrance into the common consciousness to a larger degree – despite the fact that the effects of menopause have been treated with estrogen since the late 1800s.

I became a physician in the 1970s and my training did not cover preventive medicine, menopause or specifically the use of hormones either to aid in menopause or prevent disease. It’s only in the past decade that true prevention, a topic covered mostly by the media, is starting to penetrate our health care system.

In the process, research – such as the work of scientists who have studied hot flashes and heart disease for decades and presented their findings at a meeting of the International Menopause Society in

Rome in 2011– has demonstrated that hot flashes may be warning signs of heart disease when they are persistent and extremely frequent.

Heart disease is the biggest killer of women in the U.S. More than 350,000 women die of heart disease every year, while around 28,000 die of complications from therapies for breast cancer or the disease itself.

While I don’t want to minimize the need of a cure for breast cancer, I want to stress the possible connection between hot flashes and heart disease since most women die of heart disease.

Hot flashes – which can also occur before your period, pre-menopause and after childbirth – are caused by pulses of hormones released by the pituitary gland as we age, asking our ovaries to produce the hormones of youth, which are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. At menopause and even before, the production of these much-needed hormones decreases, resulting in hot flashes.

Thus hot flashes are not just a nuisance

and we are best advised to do something to get rid of them rather than grin and bear them. We can eliminate them easily and safely with bioidenticals (human identical hormones made from plant extracts) – estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid. With the exception of testosterone, all these hormones are available in FDA-approved creams, tablets and/or patches by prescription at your pharmacy.

But make sure your doctor knows how to use hormones in wellness and disease-prevention or else you will continue to suffer and risk chronic illness.

Supplements like oil of evening primrose, used occasionally for short periods of time; black cohosh; vitamin E; omega-3 and -6 fish oils; and vitamin B complex support hormone balance. But they won’t help prevent heart disease, even if they can get rid of the hot flashes for a while.

But what about the link between hormones and breast cancer? That fear dates from the Women’s Health Initiative, an eight-year study that looked only at Premarin, an estrogen made from the urine

of pregnant mares, which is not identical to the human hormones.

If you take bioidentical hormones, change your diet to a more natural, vegetable-based one; minimize alcohol, caffeine, processed foods and sugar; do more exercises that improve and maintain your cardiac status and keep your bones strong; sleep eight hours a night; and take some of the supplements I mentioned above, hot flashes will quickly disappear.

You will feel better, continue contributing to society and be an active participant in preventing the chronic illnesses of aging like heart disease from robbing you of a life of high quality.

It’s your choice after all. Live in fear and discomfort, accepting hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and other symptoms of menopause, or do something about it.

Take control of your life and find the doctor who cares and knows enough about you, bioidentical hormones and prevention to help you feel better.

For more, email Dr. Erika at Erika@ drerika.com. n

please join us for a

PARTY ON THE POND Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 6:30pm

You are invited to a magical evening on the banks of the beautiful Larchmont Reservoir - James G. Johnson, Jr. Conservancy to benefit Sheldrake Environmental Center.

Waterfront Cocktails • Dining by PLATES • Auctions Musical Performances by: Larchmont Music Academy Student Jazz Ensemble and homegrown HONORING: Richard Cherry: Founder & CEO, Community Environmental Center Wendy Weinstein Karp & Matthew Karp: Owners, PLATES Restaurant and PLATES Catering

Fun, Outdoor Party Attire...Leave your Heels at Home RSVP by May 20th, 2013 For more information, contact Party on the Pond HQ: 914-632-9274 or Info@PartyonthePond.org or visit PartyonthePond.org Sheldrake Environmental Center, 685 Weaver Street, Larchmont, New York 10538

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wit wonders: What gets you hot?

anderson

belsito

cappa

dancygier

duffy

Fabrizio

festa

kochman

luciani

mirabella

monohon

steen

“A great negotiation really gets me going. Knowing that I have put together a buyer and seller so that it really works for both of them. The home-buyer is thrilled beyond compare and the home-seller can move on with his life.”

– Roberta Anderson, Realtor, William Pitt/Sotheby’s in Danbury, New Fairfield Resident “Food, good food. Spicy Latin food gets me hot. I like to cook as well.”

– Maria Belsito, Fundraiser, Wartburg Adult Care Community in Mount Vernon, Bronxville resident “Romance novels. They offer the fantasy of being in someone else’s world for a while.”

– Rose Cappa, Event planner, Pleasantville resident “I love when it starts to get hot outside. My favorite seasons are spring and summer. The warmer weather means I can get outside and train for a great passion of mine, other than dentistry – triathlons. When the temperature goes up, I can often be seen out on the roads or trails running or riding my bike super-fast, working up a sweat to keep fit.”

– Dr. Benjamin Dancygier, Founder, Valley Pediatric Dentistry in Yorktown, Carmel resident “I would say adventure and excitement, anything spontaneous that lets you get up and go.”

– Doreen E. Duffy, Associate director, Alumni Relations, Office of Institutional Advancement, Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx resident

“The rising stock market. Dow 15,000 gets me hot.”

– Ann Fabrizio, Deputy director, ArtsWestchester in White Plains, Harrison resident “Someone who has a nice sense of humor, whom you can be yourself with. That turns me on.”

– Ken Festa, Sales associate, The Man’s Store, Neiman Marcus in White Plains, Yorktown Heights resident “The Florida sun. I just came from Florida, where I saw my twin grandchildren.”

– Rhona Kochman, Life coach, White Plains resident “What gets me hot is the thought of shapewear in the summer. Time to start thinking beyond the Spanx, shed those layers and feel good in the skin we’re in…. no need to feel like a sausage in casing just to look slim. Look for lightweight knits with some structure that’ll offer smoothing and shaping without the added fabric.”

– Jené Luciani, Style expert, journalist and TV personality, White Plains resident

“….When I have the opportunity to work with new clients, I try to learn as much about them as possible. My mind starts to kick into overdrive of the many possibilities of a design direction I can think of. Using my imagination, I can visually see new concepts appearing in my head. I get a vision and when it clicks, the client can see the excitement of my face. Then when the designs that were merely a vision in my mind finally become a reality, that gets me hot. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment knowing that we hit a home run and made the clients look their very best.”

– Mario Mirabella,

Founder of MSM DesignZ in Tarrytown, White Plains resident

“Probably a chauffeured Maserati filled with chilled Perrier water.”

– Barbara Z. Monohon, Chairwoman and CEO, Westchester County Taxi and Limousine Commission in White Plains, White Plains resident “What gets me hot is incandescent light bulbs and why businesses and building owners are still using a 120-year-old technology that wastes 95 percent of its energy giving off heat. LED lights (light emitting diodes) give off very little heat, consume 50 percent less electricity than fluorescent (lights) and 80 percent less electricity than incandescent light bulbs and last for eight to 10 years based upon 12 hours of operation per day….They are also eco-friendly (no mercury). By utilizing less energy, LEDs lower our carbon footprint and help the environment….”

—Alan R. Steen, USA LED Lighting Solutions in Southbury, Stamford resident

Compiled by Alissa Frey. Contact her at afrey@westfairinc.com.

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Celebrating 50 years in business! Hal Prince is known for providing outstanding talent for Weddings, Bar/Bat mitzvahs, milestone birthdays, any reason to celebrate! Hal Prince has what you need to make your party memorable.

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT DJs c MCs c dancers c bands c orchestras c classical ensembles c jazz trios c theme entertainment

241 Main Street, Mt Kisco, NY, 914 241-3300 or 146 East 37th St. NYC, 212.354.4100 • www.halprince.com

when&where SATURDAY MAY 4 THROUGH SUNDAY MAY 19 Striking Stricher

An exhibit of works by Gerard Stricher, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays or by appointment; Canfin Gallery, 39 Main St., Tarrytown. (914) 332-4554, canfingallery.com.

FRIDAY MAY 10 ‘BOARDWALK BOUND’

Dinner, cocktails and a silent auction to benefit the Westchester Children’s Museum, emceed by author and television personality Jené Luciani, 7 p.m.; The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, 3 Renaissance Square, White Plains. $200. (914) 421-5050, discoverwcm. org/gala.

‘SUPPER AT THE SHORE’

Cocktails, dinner, a live auction and awards presentation at the Children Dream Foundation’s annual fundraiser, 7 p.m.; Coveleigh Club, 459 Stuyvesant Ave., Rye. $250. (914) 763-0409, thecdf.org.

SATURDAY MAY 11 RIVERSIDE ART AUCTION

A benefit for Hudson Valley Artists and the Garrison Art Center, 3:30 p.m. live auction viewing and silent auction opens, 5 p.m. live auction, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. sunset picnic and live music; Garrison Art Center, 23 Garrison’s Landing. CarindaSwann@theriversideartgalleries.org

ROLL OVER, BEETHOVEN ‘GUYS WITHOUT DOLLS’

A benefit for the Woman’s Club of White Plains Foundation, exclusively for men, features dinner, beer, wine, scotch-tasting, blackjack, craps, Texas hold’em and raffles, 7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.; CV Rich Mansion 305 Ridgeway, White Plains. $100 (includes bag of playing chips), $10 scotch-tasting.

(914) 494-2004, womansclubofwhiteplains.org.

The Hudson Chorale performs works by Ludwig von Beethoven, with professional soloists and full orchestra, 7:30 p.m.; Irvington Middle/High School, 40 N. Broadway, Irvington. $25, $10 members. (914) 462-3212, hudsonchorale.org.

‘SOUVENIRS’

A concert by Ars Antiqua followed by a buffet of European cheeses and wine, 7 p.m. ticket desk opens, 8 p.m. program; Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 191 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua. $30. (914) 238-8015, ars-antiqua.org.

SATURDAY MAY 11 THROUGH MONDAY MAY 13 STUART WEITZMAN TRUNK SHOW

A retail event to find the hottest silhouettes and perfect fit, with an opportunity to pre-order styles, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 11, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 13, Stuart Weitzman – Greenwich, 120 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich. (203) 622-5036, stuartweitzman.com.

MONDAY MAY 13 ‘THE GLORIA AWARDS: A SALUTE TO WOMEN OF VISION’

Ms. Foundation for Women’s 40th anniversary celebration honors the achievements of women activists and leaders, 6 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and awards ceremony; Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 E. 42 St., Manhattan. Call for ticket price. (212) 742-2300, forwomen.org.

Sheryl WuDunn

WEDNESDAY MAY 15 ‘NINA SWIM TRUNK SHOW’ Sheryl WuDunn, the first Asian-American to win a Argentinean swimwear designer Augustina Palacio Pulitizer Prize, serves as keynote speaker at a lun‘IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN’

cheon benefit for YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Hilton Rye Town, 699 Westchester Ave., Rye Brook. $175. (914) 9496227, ext. 147, ywcawpcw.org.

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hosts a party with cocktails, shopping and styling, 6 to 9 p.m.; ROAM, 19 W. Elm St., Greenwich.

(203) 625-0200, nicole@wheninroam.com.

THURSDAY MAY 16 ‘ENTERTAINING AT THE WHITE HOUSE’

A glimpse into the complex events taking place at the White House from a current and historical perspective, presented by MPI WestField, 6 to 9 p.m.; Hyatt Regency Greenwich, 1800 E. Putnam Ave., Old Greenwich. $65 nonmembers, $55 MPI members, $40 students. Mpiwc.org.

SPRING BENEFIT

Fine food and fellowship to celebrate the achievements of VNS Westchester and its honorees, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Sunningdale Country Club, 200 Underhill Road, Scarsdale. Call for ticket price. (914) 682-1480, ext. 649, vns.org.

SATURDAY JUNE 1 CELEBRATING COMPASSION

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester’s 19th annual Humanitarian Award Dinner, 7 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by a sit-down dinner, awards ceremony, live and silent auctions and dancing; Lexus of Mount Kisco, 275 Kisco Ave., Mount Kisco. $350. (914) 666-8069, ext. 112, bgcnw.com.

‘FUN, FUN, FUN’

The annual gala benefit and concert for Dana’s Angels Research Trust features The Beach Boys, a cocktail reception, a pasta bar and silent and live auctions, with hosts Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford,

SATURDAY MAY 18 PARTY WITH THE ARTIST

A reception for artist, author and illustrator Regina Gelfer, whose paintings are on exhibit at the Somers Library during the month of May, 2 to 4 p.m., 82 Primrose St., Katonah. (914) 523-6284, somerslibrary.org.

MONDAY MAY 20 ‘CELEBRATING GREENER NEW YORK’

New York League of Conservation Voters’ spring gala pays tribute to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and honoree David W. Levinson and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 6 p.m. cocktails, 7:30 p.m. dinner; Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, 62 N. River St., Manhattan. $750. (212) 361-6350, ext.

204, nylcv.org.

‘DAY OF GOLF’

A golf outing and dinner to benefit United Way of Westchester and Putnam, 11 a.m. registration, noon lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6 to 8 p.m. cocktails, dinner and awards; Westchester Hills Golf Club, 401 Ridgeway, White Plains. $300; $1,100 foursome. (914) 997-6700, ext. 732, uwwp.org/ golf.shtml.

6 p.m. reception and concert to follow; Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford. VIP gala tickets: $350 and up; concert tickets: $110, $85, $60, $50.

(203) 325-4466, scalive.org.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 5 ‘ANNUAL POOLSIDE SUMMER BASH’

Viva Diva Wines’ party with VIP host Perez Hilton, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., NoMa Social Restaurant, 1 Radisson Plaza, New Rochelle. $50. (914) 8431434, vivabrandsusa.com/events.

2013 -2014 EXPERIENCE. SOMETHING. REAL. CASSANDRA WILSON SAVION GLOVER THE VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY YAMATO DRUMMERS OF JAPAN MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA MICHAEL FEINSTEIN IMANI WINDS JOSHUA BELL AND MORE...

TUESDAY MAY 21 ‘CASTLES OF NEW CASTLE’

Pictured: Savion Glover photo © Lois Greenfield

New Castle Historical Society’s 10th annual tour features a showcase of five homes with a range of architectural styles, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; New Castle Historical Society, 100 King St., Chappaqua. $75 nonmembers, $50 members; $25 optional buffet luncheon at Crabtree’s Kittle House, 11 Kittle Road, Chappaqua. (914) 238-4666, newcastlehs. org.

SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR 2013-2014 GO ON SALE THIS MONTH— PLEASE CALL THE BOX OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

914.251.6200 WWW.ARTSCENTER.ORG 83

what’s new

hitting the high notes with Alysa Haas

J

By Georgette Gouveia

azz vocalist Alysa Haas celebrates the release of her new CD, “SPASM!,” with her Metropolitan Room debut May 19.

The show and CD will include contemporary and new arrangements of romantic and comical songs by Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Bernstein, Loesser, Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, David Cantor and Cyndi Lauper.

The musical director is pianist Jeffrey Klitz, who has been musical director of many Broadway shows, including most recently “Priscilla Queen of The Desert” and “Guys and Dolls.”

In addition to Klitz, the band includes Paul Beaudry on bass and Tony Jefferson on drums.

Haas has appeared in various New York cabaret venues, including Don’t Tell Mama, Rose’s Turn, The Duplex, Cleopatra’s Needle and Brandy’s Piano Bar. She was featured in the Cab Calloway Awards at the Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford. She received her early dance and musical theater training at the Northern Westchester Center for the Arts in Goldens Bridge, which was founded by her mother, violinist Bira Rabushka, and holds a bachelor’s degree in musical theater from Fordham University and a master’s in speech pathology from New York University. She’s also attended master classes with actors Lucie Arnaz, Laurence Luckinbill and Adam Arkin.

Besides writing, producing, directing and choreographing in the theater and working in independent films, Haas has done work on NBC’s “Smash” and “Law & Order: SVU: and CBS’ “Blue Bloods.”

Haas is director of adult classes at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan and the newly formed teen and children’s programs.

Tickets for the May 19 show – which is at 7 p.m., with the doors opening at 6:15 p.m. – are $20, plus a two-drink minimum. A VIP Gold ticket for $115 includes open bar, appetizer, premiere seating and a private booth. The Metropolitan Room is at 34 W. 22nd St. Tickets can be obtained by calling (212) 206-0440 or visiting metropolitanroom.com.

To book Haas or purchase her CD, visit alysahaas.com. n Singer Alysa Haas. Photograph by Dorothy Shi.

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January 2012

NOVEMBER 2012

CINDY JOSEPH Model for the ages

the zeN of Jeff Bridges

lighten up

all keyed up John Ford is master of the 88s

We’re on the couch

time to

Double-take

STELLA MCCAFFREY DESIGNS

estraDa brothers make fashion waves

ALEX DONNER

in the key of life

Choices MADE For the younger set

Steven Visscher gives ‘Boardwalk Empire’ punch

psych-oh! sych-oh!

June 2012

PAULA ZAHN IN TUNE WITH THE ARTS

Josie Natori light, Breezy, sexy fashioNs

Bam!

August 2012

From the bar to baton

MARY JANE DENZER

Grande dame of retail

MONEY ANGEL Stephanie Newby

ivanka’s fashion Bouquet earthy delights

tony Award winner ted sperling

from Persia to The Botanical Garden

those lips, that strut…

taking root

Must be Mick

Winston Flowers arrives in Greenwich

tv’s money man aDam Johnson

shaping the land

virginity as a gooD thing?

at home

sculpting summer

Byers, Kramer and Johnson with Daniele Churchill

tom beebe makes you wanna look

stacy Bass

A shutterbug alights

swinging on kiawah islanD

we love

JUST FOR YOU: AN EXCITING WAG MEMBERSHIP FOR YOU WITH FABULOUS VIP PERKS!

mag.com WHERE CLASS MEETS SASS FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF

worthy ON THE ROAD 2013 AUDI S8 progress.audiusa.com 2014 ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE S astonmartin.com/en/cars/rapide-s 2014 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH www.astonmartin.com/cars/vanquish FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA f12berlinetta.com ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOM rolls-roycemotorcars.com/phantom-family MASERATI QUATTROPORTE web.maserati.com/maserati/en/en/index/models/Quattroporte.html MAYBACH 57 maybachusa.com/57/maybach-57.php MERCEDES-BENZ CL-CLASS mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/class/class-cl

IN CUISINE BAANG CAFE & BAR OF GREENWICH Unique setting with vibrant colors 1191 E. Putnam Ave. Riverside, CT 06878 (203) 647-2114 decarorestaurantgroup.com BARCELONA GREENWICH Spanish tapas in a chic setting 18 W. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 983-6400 barcelonawinebar.com/greenwich.htm BATONNAGE WINE BAR A romantic feel in a refined atmosphere 10 Marble Ave., Pleasantville, NY (914) 769-4040 batonnagewinebar.com BIANCO ROSSO Trendy Italian cuisine 151 Old Ridgefield Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 529-3800 biancorossorestaurant.com DARIEN SOCIAL Classic American restaurant with unique dishes 10 Center St., Darien, CT 06820 (203) 614-8183 dariensocialct.com GABRIELE’S 35 Church St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 622-4223 gabrielesofgreenwich.com HUDSON GRILLE 165 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains (914) 997-2000 hudsongrilleny.com MATCH Innovative menu in the heart of South Norwalk 98 Washington St. South Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 852-1088 Matchsono.com MODERNE BARN Casual and sophisticated dining 430 Bedford Road Armonk, NY 10504 (914) 730-0001 modernebarn.com OLIO RESTAURANT Local and organic 934 Hope St. Stamford, CT 06907 (203) 817-0303 oliostamford.com

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What’s hot

SOFRITO Puerto Rican Cuisine 175 Main St., White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 428-4740 Sofritowhiteplains.com SPLASH RESTAURANT & BAR Picturesque view of the Long Island South 260 Compo Road South Westport, CT 06680 (203) 454-7798 Decarorestaurantgroup.com THE BRAZEN FOX A popular hotspot with outdoor seating 175 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY (914) 358-5911 thebrazenfox.com THE COS COBBER New restaurant with old-school feel 31 E. Putnam Ave. Cos Cob, CT 06807 (203) 992-1333 Thecoscobber.com THE GNARLY VINE Fresh ingredients in a candle-lit space 501 E. Main St. New Rochelle, NY 10801 (914) 355-2541 thegnarlyvine.com VILLAGE SOCIAL KITCHEN & BAR Welcoming space with a rustic feel 251 E. Main St., Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 864-1255 villagesocialkb.com VINTAGE 1891, LARCHMONT WINE LOUNGE Sleek setting with an array of wine 2098 Boston Post Road Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 834-9463 vintage1891.com VOLTA – GELATERIA CREPERIA Classic cuisine with a French and Italian fusion 30 Spring St. Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 883-8841 volta.us

IN SPIRITS

Ridgefield, CT 06877 (888) 927-9660 kokofitclub18.reachlocal.com

KATE MIDDLETON

RADIANCE MEDSPA OF WESTCHESTER State-of-the-art cosmetic medical equipment and services 360 N. Bedford Road Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 242-4882 Radiancewestchster.com

LUKE BRYAN

SCARSDALE YOGA STUDIOS A luxurious and authentic yoga experience 7 Popham Road Scarsdale, NY 10583 (914) 874-5555 Scarsdaleyogastudios.com SOULCYCLE GREENWICH Full-body indoor cycling workout 266 Mason St. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 653-7685 soul-cycle.com/soul-east/soul-greenwich.cfm THE PILATES BARRE An authentic pilates experience 28 Prospect St. Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 438-2222 pilatesbarrecore.com

109 CHEESE & WINE Cheese, wine & specialty food shop 109 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 438-5757 109cheeseandwine.com

FITNESS & HEALTH DOWNUNDER WESTPORT Surfing instruction, rentals and SurfSET a simulator to surf indoor year round 575 Riverside Ave. Westport, CT 06880 (203) 956-6217 downunderct.com FAIRFIELD HOT YOGA A twist on traditional yoga 85 Mill Plain Road Suite E, Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 254-8199 fairfieldhotyoga.com KOKO FITCLUB OF RIDGEFIELD A unique technology-driven fitness program 88 Danbury Road

MILA KUNIS NOVAK DJOKOVIC PEYTON MANNING PINK RIHANNA ROBERT DOWNEY JR. ROGER FEDERER RYAN GOSLING RYAN LOCHTE SELENA GOMEZ TAYLOR SWIFT TIGER WOODS TOM BRADY ZOOEY DESCHANEL

ON THE TUBE and BIG SCREEN

THE STAND JUICE CO. Detoxifying cleanse just in time for summer 87 Mill Plain Road Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 873-0414 thestandjuice.com

“42” 42movie.warnerbros.com

YOGA-SPA A hot yoga studio with a variety of classes 321 Tarrytown Road Elmsford, NY 10523 (914) 345-9642 yoga-spa.com

“SHAMELESS” sho.com/sho/shameless/home

Z8 FITNESS Zumba fitness and salsa Primary location: White Plains Presbyterian Church 39 N. Broadway White Plains, NY 10601 (646) 389-3488 z8fitness.com

SKINNY GIRL COCKTAILS skinnygirlcocktails.com EOS GREEK CUISINE 490 Summer St. Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 569-6250 eosgreekcuisine.com

LINDSEY VONN

CELEB SCENE ADAM LEVINE AMANDA SEYFRIED BEN AFFLECK BEYONCÉ KNOWLES BLAKE SHELTON BRADLEY COOPER BRUNO MARS CARRIE UNDERWOOD CHANNING TATUM DEREK JETER EMMA STONE FUN. HAYLEY WILLIAMS HUGH JACKMAN JENNIFER LAWRENCE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

“MAN OF STEEL” (Coming June 14) manofsteel.warnerbros.com

“THE FOLLOWING” fox.com/the-following “THE GREAT GATSBY” thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com

SPRING & SUMMER BEAUTY TRENDS ADAM BRODERICK SALON & SPA A fusion of urban and chic 89 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 431-3994 Adambroderick.com BLUSH BEAUTY A beauty bar (914) 921-2980 34 Purchase St. Rye, NY 10580 blushinrye.com BLUE MERCURY Hottest makeup and skin-care products for the summer 62 Main St. Westport, CT 06880 (203) 227-6900 Bluemercury.com DRAGONFLY HAIR STUDIO High-end green hair salon 8 John Walsh Blvd.

Peekskill, NY 10566 (914) 271-1336 dfhairstudio.com LUSH COSMETICS Fresh, handmade cosmetics 7 Backus Ave. Danbury, CT 06810 (203) 744-5874 Lushusa.com

MILKSHOP Closet detox, personal shopping and e-styling (646) 226-9174 milkshopny.com STATIC A hair and skin lounge 180 Mamaroneck Ave., North Loft White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 997-2600 statichair.com

SWEETS & BITES CHOCOLATIONS Frozen hot chocolate and an array of sweets 607 E. Boston Post Road Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 777-3600 chocolations.com CHOCOPOLOGIE SOUTH NORWALK Fierce chocolate delights 12 S. Main St. Norwalk, CT 06854 (203) 854-4754 Chocopologie.com COCOA CHOCOLATE SHOP Hot chocolates, brownies and barks 2107A Boston Post Road Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 834-6464 Cocoacholatesshop.com CRUMBS BAKE SHOP Signature cupcakes 48 W. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (877) 278-6270 crumbs.com GG CAKES Cake in all varieties – including cake-pops 114 Antler Ridge Ossining, NY 10562 (914) 941-3526 ggcakesny.com HAUSER CHOCOLATES Redefined truffles 137 Greenwood Ave. Bethel, CT 06801 (203) 794-1861 hauserchocolates.com ISABELLE ET VINCENT Chocolates and traditional French desserts 1903 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 292-8022 isabelleetvincent.com PEACHWAVE A variety of frozen yogurt flavors 32 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 403-3765 peavewaveyogurt.com PINKBERRY GREENWICH Handcrafted frozen yogurt 369 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 863-2000 pinkberry.com SWEET REXIE’S Modern day candy with more than 200 selections 1552 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 254-3254 sweetrexies.com TAZZA CAFÉ 408 Main St., Ridgefield, CT (203) 403-3332 6 Heritage 202 Center, Somers, NY (914) 276-2233 382 Main St., Armonk, NY (914) 273-0788 tazzacafeny.com

watch Yes, Giorgio!

Spring has indeed sprung and one of the most striking signs of it recently was the Spring Armani Collezioni show at Neiman Marcus, The Westchester in White Plains. The designer is famed for his severely elegant looks – straight skirts, fitted jackets and pants and ladylike sheaths in richly subdued monotones – gray, white, beige, black and, of course, midnight navy, the basic black of Armani.

This season, however, finds Armani in a somewhat playful mood, with grenadine – a luscious coral that’s a signature of the collection – making its appearance in sweaters and accents on sheer floral blouses that will definitely have the ladies first donning their camisoles lest they be accused of wardrobe malfunction.

Guests from the nonprofit world – fortified by crabcake sliders, tea sandwiches, lobster bisque shots, thimbles of chocolate mousse and mini lemon-sorbet cones, orchestrated by event planner Rose Cappa – murmured and nodded approvingly. But perhaps they reserved their greatest admiration for the event-ending showstoppers – a flowing, goddess-like creation that signaled the return of the jumpsuit and a fitted gown with a plunging back whose shimmering straps and bodice detail offered a modern twist on Empire style.

Nevertheless, the most breathtaking selection may have been a gray cocktail dress, whose glittering collar and softly gathered fabric would flatter any figure.

– Georgette Gouveia Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

1. Beth Sharkey, general manager and vice president, Neiman Marcus 2. Veronica Cardenas, sales manager, Armani, Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman, describing the collection 3. Ahoy, matey: Jenny’s ready to sail in horizontal stripes.

4. Amber is coolly casual in white pants, dark blazer and a splash of grenadine.

5. A sheer floral peeks out of a creamy pantsuit.

6. A jaunty striped cover-up conceals darling shorts in a thinner stripe.

7. Quintessential Armani – A midnight navy pencil skirt and shell topped by a richly textured, fitted jacket 8. A show highlight – A softly gathered gray cocktail dress to caress any woman’s curves (or give her some) 9. A simply fabulous modern twist on Empire style 10. The jumpsuit is back and how in this flowing, goddess number.

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All photograph identifications are from left unless otherwise noted.

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watch High style along the Hudson

A handful of local interior designers, craftsmen and artists were among the more than 400 exhibitors who gathered for the 12th annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show, held on Pier 94 in Manhattan. The showcase also included lectures, book-signings and exhibitions open to the trade and public.

Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

1. Beth Weintraub of Beacon 2. Meggy Wagner, Art Beyond Borders in Scarsdale 3. Charles A. Johnson of Katonah 4. Thomas Throop of New Canaan

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Design for a cause

The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) launched its 16th annual “DINING BY DESIGN� tour with four days of events running concurrently with the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan. This year, DIFFA honored two of its greatest supporters, designers and artists Isabel and Ruben Toledo, as well as longtime board member Rick Wolf. The event brought together some of the most talented and celebrated individuals in the worlds of fashion, interior design, art and architecture to create spectacular, over-the-top dining environments and raised more than $600,000.

Photographs by Marion Curtis, StarPix.

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5. Alfredo Paredes and Felecia Webb 6. Cindy Allen and David Rockwell 7. Cyndi Lauper 8. Evette Rios 9. Isabel and Ruben Toledo 10. Geoffrey Zakarian 11. Scott Mirkin and Susan Blond

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Heaven sent

It was former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who said, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” So I guess all of us who attended the unveiling of Eileen Fisher’s Spring Collection at Bloomingdale’s in White Plains during March – Women’s History Month – will all be heavenbound. For there we were, celebrating women, and none more celebrated than Fisher herself, who’s been a big supporter of the nonprofit Women’s Enterprise Development Center in White Plains.

WEDC, which just opened an office at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, provides programs and services to women looking to start and expand businesses.

Indeed, 10 percent of the proceeds from the show’s sales benefited WEDC. “(Eileen’s) very passionate about women entrepreneurs…and so we’re happy to support WEDC,” said Cheryl Campbell, managing director of the foundation, which was honored for its support

by WEDC President Barbara Venturi.

– Georgette Gouveia Photographs by Georgette Gouveia.

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1. Lindsey Looney, Cory Crayn and Diana Tronzano 2. Denise Daly; New York State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins; Anne M. Janiak; and Maria Ferber 3. Tanya Scott, 4. Barbara Venturi and Cheryl Campbell 3

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BAUBLES ON THE AVENUE

It was a twilight gathering amid a sparkling array of accessories when jewelry designer Alexis Bittar came to town for the grand opening of his eponymous Greenwich boutique. Longtime collectors decked out in Bittar jewelry mingled among the flutes of Prosecco, nibbled on canapés, chatted with the designer and admired the latest creations by Greenwich Avenue’s newest neighbor.

– Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

5. Mallory Mason and Alexis Bittar 6. Nancy Lapiesha and Naowna Simon 7. Ronald Kawitzky and Emma Murphy 8. Devin Sims and Jennifer Dolan 9. Leigh Welsh and Corinne Welsh 8

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watch A delicious affair

More than 400 guests attended the 28th annual “Great Chefs” event at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, supporting community health at Greenwich Hospital.

The event honored two notable chefs, Angelo Vivolo of the eponymous Manhattan restaurant and pastry chef Lisa Maronian of Sweet Lisa’s Exquisite Cakes in Cos Cob. 1. Carolyn Crabtree and Frank A. Corvino 2. Chefs Lisa Maronian and Angelo Vivolo 3. Shelly Tretter Lynch and Babe Rizzuto 4. Chefs from NoMa Social 5. Corrine Kelly, Fahad Ahmed and Jackie Henderson

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A happy return

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Sage Yoga hosted a grand reopening party to celebrate its homecoming to its original studio location at 6 Maple Ave. in Armonk. Sage’s teachers and community welcomed the studio back to the space where it started 12 years ago.

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Spring into art

The Katonah Museum of Art recently toasted “Spring Benefit” honorees Leslie Needham and Tricia Swift at a reception attended by representatives of local community organizations.

Photographs by Andrea Minoff.

6. Kirtley Cameron and Peter Michaelis 7. Ashley Diamond, Lisa Shrewsbury and Cathy Alessio 8. Lynn Ryan and Tricia Swift 9. Veronique Pittman and Stephanie Small

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10. Stacy Geisinger and Susan Rubin 11. Liz Cahn, Jill Galowitz, Emily Ansbacher and Laura Jensen

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Breakfast (and cocktails) at Tiffany’s

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Tiffany & Co.’s recent launch of its “Gatsby”-inspired Blue Book Collection and windows at the Fifth Avenue flagship was a day fit for Scott and Zelda, Truman Capote and his Holly Golightly and all the other literary ghosts of New York.

First, there was breakfast at Tiffany’s to unveil “The Great Gatsby”-themed windows, a collaboration between Richard Moore, Tiffany’s vice president of creative visual merchandising, and Catherine Martin, production/costume designer on Baz Luhrmann’s new 3-D “Gatsby,” due out May 10. (Martin and Tiffany also joined forces on the film’s jewelry and certain home design elements. See related story.)

Over finger sandwiches, petite quiches, mini muffins and blood-orange mimosas served on Tiffany china and stemware, Luhrmann hailed the windows as “little pieces of theater. It’s public art....”

He can be forgiven for being biased, of course. Not only is Martin his collaborator. She’s also his wife. But in this case, such prejudice is totally justified. The windows are breathtaking, with ropes of chandeliered beads, lotus-shape lights and glass Champagne bubbles, all in service of feathery diamond headbands and seed-pearl rings linked to multi-strand bracelets that imitate Indian jewelry and henna hand designs.

One of the most spectacular effects was also one of the simplest – a daisy-shaped diamond ring, in honor of Gatsby’s elusive beloved, sitting on a miniature swing.

After breakfast, members of the press – more Holly Golightly than Daisy Buchanan – got a sneak peak at the 2013 Blue Book Collection and a chance to see how the other half lives. I couldn’t resist trying on the Jean Schlumberger fish bracelet, crusted in Yankee Doodle-colored gems, that weighed a ton and might’ve belonged on Joan Crawford’s wrist.

The day ended with cocktails at Tiffany’s as guests previewed the “Gatsby” jewels and savored special Daisy and Gatsby drinks and hors d’oeuvres in a black and gold Art Deco setting as DJs in boaters spun such ’20s classics as “I Want To Be Loved By You.” We were definitely feeling the love.

– Georgette Gouveia 1. Catherine Martin and Richard Moore collaborated on the whimsical, glamorous “Gatsby” windows at Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship.

Photographs by Ricky Zehavi for Tiffany & Co. 2. Chriselle Lim 3. AndrewAndrew 4. Kelly Framel 5. Christopher Young, Richard Moore and James Aguiar 6. Melanie Lazenby, Chiu-Ti Jansen, Barbara Regna and Elizabeth Kurpis Photographs by Joe Schildhorn/BFAnyc.com.

7. AndrewAndrew flank Fiona Byrne and Kelly Framel 8. Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann 9. Virginia Smith, Linda Buckley, Rickie De Sole Webster and Michael Kowalski Photographs by Matteo Prandoni/BFAnyc.com.

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watch Hearting the Food Bank The Food Bank for Westchester Inc. hosted its “Take Heart Against Hunger” Valentine’s Day wine-tasting dinner at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion. The evening, which featured a five-course gourmet dinner and a live auction, honored Thomas R. Lalla Jr. of Pernod Ricard USA. 1. Joanne Carroll Homlish, Tom Lalla, Anne Ring, Jean Marie Connolly and Scott Boilen.

Photograph by Lynda Shenkman Curtis.

2. Joe Masterson, Rick Rakow, Charles Day, Marsha and Eli Gordon 3. Adam Handler and Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson 4. Joe, Jennifer and Bobbie Gottlieb with Alan Marcus

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Children’s library

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More than 200 people gathered for the 15th anniversary Crystal Gala of the Huguenot Children’s Library in New Rochelle, held at The Fountainhead in that city. The evening, which included cocktails, dinner, a benefit auction and dancing to the sounds of Remixx, raised more than $30,000 for the library.

Photographs by Cristina Cerone.

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5. Angela Derecas Taylor and Lisa Bonalle 6. Angela Pilla Soares 7. Alvin and Terri Prettyman Bowles, Lori Hall Armstrong and Michael Armstrong 8. Betsy and Lance Kravitz 9. Stephanie and Steve Piccone 10. John and Kathy Iannotti

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Ossining at 200

More than 200 guests gathered for the village of Ossining’s kickoff bicentennial event, “Ossining in 3D,” with a special opening reception in the Ossining Public Library’s Budarz Theater. The occasion featured an historic photograph and art exhibit as well as a reading from the original village of Sing Sing incorporation.

11. George R. Camp, Mayor William R. Hanauer and John C. Wunderlich III 12. John Codman III, Richard A. Leins and Catherine Borgia 13. Deborah Van Steen and Martha Mesiti 14. Elizabeth Wunderlich

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Spring happenings at Neimie’s

In preparation for Neiman Marcus’ “Magic and Mingling Spring Fundraiser,” Beth Sharkey, vice president and general manager of the White Plains store, and the Neiman Marcus Westchester team hosted a pre-party for the members and friends of the Junior League of Central Westchester.

Guests were treated to mimosas and light bites, along with giveaways and makeovers by beauty experts from Bobbi Brown, Lancôme and Le Métier de Beauté. The afternoon continued with a runway show highlighting the Neiman Marcus spring trends.

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1. Rhonda Schnipper and Lynn Marvin 2. Laura Kim and Helen Murphy 3. Lauren Mintzer, Allison Weiss and Lisa Copeland 4. Suzanne Nukho, Julie King, Sylvia Dundon and Claire Paquin 5. Lily Reinersman and Teresa Black 6. Roona Korde-Samos and Sharon Smolkin 7. Marcy Berman-Goldstein and Leslie Chang 8. Models with Hannie Sio-Stellakis 5

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Comedy tonight

The Child Abuse Prevention Center of New York hosted its annual “Comedy Night” fundraiser at the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in Elmsford. The center works with more than 1,000 Westchester families each year to break the cycle of abuse.

Photographs by DDR Public Relations.

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9. Rita Bonanno, Wendy Leason and Dawn Dankner-Rosen 10. Laura Schwartz and Raymond Hart 11. Michael Blitt, Sylvia DeNardo, Lino Sciarretta, Howard Landeck, Maggie Mobasser-Scott and Joe DeNardo.

Photograph by Aaron Kershaw.

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‘Note’ worthy

It was a night of arts and fond memories as Axial Theatre held its annual benefit, “An Evening of Note,” at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville. The event included a reading from “Radiance,” a new play by Axial’s artistic director Howard Meyer opening this month; a piano performance; a live auction; and a filmed tribute to the late arts and entertainment editor Robert Heisler, whose distinguished career embraced stints at The Journal News, the New York Daily News and the New York Post.

Photographs by Adam Glatzl.

12. Bruce Apar and Michael O’Toole 13. Michael J. Smith and Janet Langsam 14. Lori Franzese and Ann Gulian 15. Dan Forman and Aisling Mulhern

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watch Honoring doctors

The eighth annual Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. National Physician of the Year Awards took place at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan. The evening consisted of cocktails followed by dinner and the awards presentation.

Photographs by Patrick McMullan.

1. John Brisson and Dr. Jo A. Hannafin 2. Dr. Michael R. Harrison and Gretchen Harrison 3. Alberto Porciani and Lorena Bassas 4. Joice Williams and Dr. Sterling B. Williams 5. Dr. Carol Shields and Dr. Jerry A. Shields 6. Dr. John and Ingrid Connolly 7. Charulata Badlani and Dr. Gopal Badlani 8. Dr. Max Gomez and Dr. Richard Edelson. Photograph by Matthew Carasella/SocialShutterbug.com.

9. Dr. Karen Burke and Shelley Goldberg. Photograph by Matthew Carasella/SocialShutterbug.com.

10. Dawn Halfaker and John K. Castle.

Photograph by Matthew Carasella/ SocialShutterbug.com.

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Helping Sandy victims

Richard Scott Salon and Day Spa in Mount Kisco held its 10th anniversary celebration and community fundraising event to benefit the Hairdressers Helping Hairdressers Pro Beauty Association’s Disaster Relief Fund. The effort benefited beauty professionals affected by the hurricane.

11. Jean Jacques Barret and Danielle Norris 12. Front: Nadia Manginelli, Angela Arevalo and Elena Petrescu. Back row: Stephanie Fernandez, Deena Kinsella, Jayne DeLucia, Guissell Arango, Sabrina Whalen, Laura A. Loyola.

13. Joseph Norris, Vikki Norris, Richard Mason and Pamela Mason

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A walk in the park

Friends of Westchester County Parks celebrated its 35th Anniversary April 10 at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle.

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14. Bill Mooney, Kathleen O’Connor, Joe Stout and Kevin Plunkett.

15. Geoff Thompson 16. Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson and County Executive Rob Astorino

Want to be in Watch? Send event photos, captions (identifying subjects from left to right) and a paragraph describing the event to afrey@westfairinc.com.

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class&sass So I think that the fencing went well the other day. What do you think, Martha? I can’t believe what a great workout it was. My thighs were burning from that strange squatting position we had to hold while advancing and retreating from each other. I remember doing quite a lot of retreating from you. You’re an animal. (I’m still sporting the bruise on my leg and arm from where you got me.) I’m a little worried that if I continue taking lessons, after a few months my arms won’t match up. I’ll have one Popeye and one Olive Oil. But it’s such a great sport if you like to poetically poke people. I did a little research online and it said that ballet was developed to mimic the graceful movements of fencing. Come to think of it, I did feel quite graceful, albeit somewhat sweaty and swarthy. My hair, which had been fairly coiffed upon arrival, looked like it should have been the crowning glory on Bozo the clown. All I needed was a red nose. a natural fencer – and your left-handedness M You’re gives you a huge advantage. What I like about the sport is that men and women can face off against one another and men don’t necessarily have the advantage since strength isn’t as important as skill and finesse. And though I found the mask much too claustrophobic to add this sport to my exercise repertoire, I agree that it was a fantastic workout. By the next morning I could barely get out of bed, because all that lunging aggravated my pulled hamstring (compliments of Barry’s Bootcamp). I swear working out these days is one step ahead and two backward as something is always tearing, getting sprained or breaking down.

And I’ll just bet you know where I’m going with J this one. My husband, who used to be a professional basketball player and still suffers from momentary bouts of youthful athletic passion, just tore his Achilles tendon on the first day of our 12-day vacation in the Bahamas. He was going up for a dazzling dunk shot while playing hoops with our 14-year-old daughter. And he’d only recently finished recovering from two knee surgeries. There’s an old joke that goes: If you’re over 50 and nothing hurts, then you’re probably dead. Well he’s quite lively. He hurts a lot. Which makes me thankful that I never played sports competitively when I was younger.

All of my ligaments and tendons still seem to be fine and well-functioning. My lack of pain probably also has something to do with the fact that I don’t like to sweat, pound, pump or push anything, to any great extent.

It’s so true. A few years ago I was at a cocktail party M with some of our neighbors, most of whom were in their mid-60s, and all but two of them had had their hips replaced in the last 10 years. The two who hadn’t believed exercise was highly overrated, while the rest of them had been avid athletes until they’d been sidelined by their surgeries. So much for the phrase “use it or you’ll lose it,” because I’ve noticed that my couch potato friends (one of whom defended herself by saying “I workout – I run my mouth, push my luck and jump to conclusions”) seem to be faring far better than those who are more active. You’d think we’d have inherited bodies used to hard-core work-

By Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas

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outs from our hunter/gatherer forbearers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. And unlike you, I love to work up a good sweat. But now I’m wondering if sweat isn’t actually my body’s way of crying.

Well, I don’t like any class that has the words “boot J camp” attached to it. I don’t enjoy standing in a pool of my own sweat while being yelled at to go faster on a hamster wheel (treadmill) when I’m barely hanging on as it is. If I had wanted to go to “boot camp,” I would have joined the Army. At least I would have gotten a free education out of it. That perk would have made the physical torment a tad more bearable.

I hear you and I, too, will be steering clear of M boot camp workouts (at least until my hamstring heals). But I do love to Zumba! For me there is nothing better than shaking my booty and shimmying my boobies in a darkened room to current pop songs with a

bunch of women, most of whom are (thankfully) close to my age and agility level. Now if only the clubs in New York City would admit me so I could show off all my new moves.

Wag Up • The Fitness Studio in Ridgefield – It’s clean, it’s small, and most important, it’s all-women all the time! (M) • The Lululemon fitness line. It’s so cool it makes you look chic even while you’re sweating. Sometimes I wear it around town just to give people the impression that I do exercise. (J) Wag Down • Too much vermouth in my martini (M) • Too much pressure to look good in my bikini. Look, we made a rhyme! (J)

Email Class&Sass at marthaandjen@wagmag.com. You may also follow Martha and Jen on Facebook at Wag Classandsass or access all of their conversations online at wagmag.com.

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