WagMag September

Designing her own ‘Love Story’

CLOSET ENVY

Marco Zuccaretti’s skilled creations

DEE OCLEPPO HILFIGER New career in the (Judith Leiber) bag

LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR What women want

VERONICA BEARD It’s all in the name

THE PERFECT PROVENANCE A world of style - and taste

PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN WAG COUNTRY WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE SEPTEMBER 2017 | WAGMAG.COM

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2017

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48

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50

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Rich in every sense of the word

Eros and anguish in Rodin’s ‘body’ of work

On designing a successful life

The RealReal deal

A ‘Perfect’ place to shop (and eat)

Veronica, times three

A European master craftsman

A straight-shooting second act

The joy of Saks

The art of fashion

Sporty jeans are in their genes

Fashioning a practice to help youth

Designing a conservation movement

A gem of a jeweler – and a guy

A fashion collection for the enterprising woman Giving new meaning to ‘Cover Girl’

Capturing painters in sculpture

Hitting the right chord

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Dressed in art

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COVER STORY

ALI MACGRAW

This page Ali MacGraw’s ali4ibu collection features fashions and accessories created around the world in support of economic self-sufficiency for women.

Photograph by Rob Brinson. Courtesy the ibu movement.

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FEATURES H I G H LI G HTS

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WEAR Where clothes do make the man

64

WEAR A ‘Golden’ designer

68

WAY Where classic meets modern

78

WARES The color conundrum

80

WHERE’S EUROPE? Fashion conscience

82

WEAR Scenting the Caribbean – even at home

84

WEAR The Seoul of skincare

86

WANDERS Mi CasaSandra, su CasaSandra

92

WANDERS Sweet Lisbon dreams

94

WANDERS A stranger in the paradise

96

WONDERFUL DINING Fairytale fine dining

98

WINE & DINE Oysters and wine, a fashionable pairing

100

WHETTING THE APPETITE Jackie Ruby’s Pomodoro and Sausage Sauce

102

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? How Chazz and Gianna spent their summer vacation

104

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Golden days at Old Salem Farm

106

WELL Think twice before attending a ‘Botox Party’

108

WELL Chocolate can (alas) still wait

110

WELL Use – then lose – fitness technology

122

PET OF THE MONTH Like father, like son

124

WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events

130

WATCH We’re out and about

144

WIT Is fashion a passion?

COVER:

Actress, author and activist Ali MacGraw and model KC Murray in fashions and accessories from the ali4ibu collection.

See story on page 72.

Photograph by Rob Brinson, courtesy the ibu movement.

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COVER STORY

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WHAT IS WAG?

Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.”

We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.

HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 3 Westchester Park Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-694-3600 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call 914-694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at 914694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com

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It’s a question we posed to our Wits in this our “Exploring the Fashionable” issue. Many of our respondents said “Yes,” because it affords them an opportunity to express their individuality.

You are what you wear. (See Danielle’s enlightening piece on Muslim fashion.)

But in today’s world, it’s not enough for fashion to be decorative and expressive. As Marta notes in her Where’s Europe column about sustainability, fashion is no longer only about looking and feeling good. It’s about doing good.

What you wear is what you do.

Never has that been truer than for our cover subject Ali MacGraw, who began her life in Bedford and Pound Ridge and her career in fashion as a model and photographer’s assistant.

I first interviewed her years ago for Gannett and found her to be a woman of both physical and psychological grace. At that time, she had just lost her house in a fire and was staying at a guesthouse on the estate of her former husband, producer Robert Evans.

I’ll never forget what she said to me when I asked her about the fire: “As I stood there watching it, I thought, ‘I guess this is the experience I’m meant to be having now.’” Grace and courage.

Mary encountered that same spirit when she recently interviewed MacGraw, who was generous with her time for our cover about the ali4ibu collection. As Mary writes: “It’s her first design work for the ibu movement, a Charleston, South Carolina-based organization that encourages economic self-sufficiency for women worldwide through ‘the art of their hands.’”

She’s a goddess in an issue that’s a pantheon of them. Another is Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, the Greenwich-based Judith Leiber creative director (and wife of Tommy) who’s on the board of directors of Autism

OOPS!

Speaks, which we wrote about in November 2014 WAG, and Glam4Good, whose extraordinary site uses style as a jumping off point to bring awareness to everything from hunger to genital mutilation.

Jeweler Robert Procop — whose saturated designs keep drawing us to The Vault at The Saks Shops at Greenwich — has worked with Angelina Jolie and Brooke Shields to help Afghan schoolgirls and battered women and children in Los Angeles respectively.

Procop and Hilfiger are just a couple of the names you’ll find in our salute to Greenwich — a town with deep pockets and a willingness to dig into them for others.

Greenwich is one of our two subthemes this month — you know how we love a good subtheme — the other being sculpture. This year marks the death centennial of one of the genre’s giants — Auguste Rodin, whose passionate, richly textured works are the inspiration for a new exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rodin’s gift for expressive, figurative work lives on in Greg Wyatt’s 10 busts for the new Hudson River School Artists Garden at Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison. Boscobel is a reminder of all the wonderful nonprofits supported by the subjects we profile in this issue and that we cover in every issue. We hope our stories will be an inspiration for you to get more socially conscious — in your own fashion.

Georgette Gouveia is the author of the newly published “The Penalty for Holding” (Less Than Three Pres) and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com.

Readers may find her novel “Seamless Sky” and weekly installments of her “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” on wattpad.com.

In our article on “When Sport Meets Art” in August WAG (page 12), we misidentified the actress who played Eleanor Gehrig in “The Pride of the Yankees.” It was Teresa Wright. Apologies to Wright, who no doubt is cheering for the Yanks in that big baseball diamond in the sky. And our story on the Bedford Playhouse, “Bedford Playhouse Readies for its Close-Up” (Page 98), had the wrong website. It’s bedfordplayhouse.org.

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SEPTEMBER 2017

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BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Along Greenwich Avenue. Photograph by Sebastian Flores.

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hen I was a child, I was fascinated, haunted even, by a Walker Evans photograph that showed a rain-swept Main Street in Saratoga Springs in 1931.

For a long time, I couldn’t figure out why the photo had such a hold on me. And then one day it hit me: The long, elegant, sloping thoroughfare, with its cars parked smartly at an angle, reminded me of Greenwich Avenue.

For many of us, Greenwich — which we salute in the opening section of this “Exploring the Fahionable” issue — is the place of our childhood and the place of aspirations, the place we know first and the one we hope to know last. A White Plains kid, I shopped on the Avenue, savoring vanilla ice cream cones at the luncheonette at the old Woolworth’s.

(Remember that?) Many was the hour that I did my homework at the park off Indian Field Road or took in the musty specimens at the old Bruce Museum.

I would cover that museum in its stately reiteration as senior cultural writer for The Journal News.

But it wasn’t until I became the editor-in-chief of WAG magazine that I began to appreciate the Shakespearean “infinite variety” of the town — settled in 1640 by, among others, Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law of Massachusetts Bay Colony founder John Winthrop, and named for the borough in London by which the world keeps time.

People may not keep time by Greenwich, Connecticut, but they certainly avail themselves of

its many facets, from the bucolic beauty of the backcountry, home of Greenwich Polo Club; to the breezy, beachy vibe of Old Greenwich to the historicity of Cos Cob and its Bush-Holley House, which would play a key role in the development of the American Impressionist movement. And that’s just to name some of Greenwich’s distinctive neighborhoods.

“The landscape alone is so varied,” says Greenwich native and resident Jen Danzi, sales associate at The Tamar Lurie Group at Coldwell Banker in town. “You have the downtown with its restaurants and shops, the beaches, the yacht clubs and country clubs. The schools are marvelous. There’s Tod’s Point for summer sailing. And Greenwich Library has a lending library from which you can borrow not only books but art.”

The idea of a library in which you can borrow artworks says something else about Greenwich: It is some kind of rich. The largest town on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, Greenwich is home to many hedge fund and financial service companies. Its wealth is crystallized by Greenwich Avenue, the high-powered spine of the town, whose tony boutiques and retail stores — Saks, Hermès and Ralph Lauren, among them — cascade down to an exhilarating waterfront anchored by the interdisciplinary Bruce Museum and the palazzo-like Delamar Greenwich Harbor hotel.

With big wallets, however, come big hearts.

When WAG’s Phil Hall interviewed Greenwich resident and former New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira for our February cover, he made no bones about his high standards for retirement: Only activities with a charitable purpose need apply. That’s why he’s on the board of the socially conscious, community-minded Greenwich International Film Festival. And August cover guy and New York City Football Club star David Villa — who spends time with his family in Greenwich — also enjoys giving back to the kids of the South Bronx, where the team plays at Yankee Stadium. In the following pages that make up our Greenwich tribute, you’ll read about Judith Leiber accessories creative director Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, who’s on the board of Autism Speaks and Glam4Good.

But to see Greenwich charity in action, you’ve got to attend one of the big events like the Breast Cancer Alliance’s annual luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich. To join 1,000 women — and, as we like to say, a few good men — in standing and clapping rhythmically as breast cancer survivors strut their stuff in a runway show organized by Greenwich Avenue retail mainstay Richards is to have a moving experience.

It makes you happy to spend time and money, in Greenwich — even if it no longer has the Woolworth’s vanilla ice cream cones.

For more, visit greenwichct.org.

e

eros and anguish in rodin’s ‘body’ of work

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

AUGUSTE RODIN — WHOSE 100TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY IS BEING COMMEMORATED

BY EXHIBITS WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING A SHOW AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART OPENING SEPT. 16 — FASHIONED SOME OF THE MOST ICONICALLY SENSUOUS BRONZE AND MARBLE NUDES IN THE HISTORY OF ART:

Auguste Rodin’s “Orpheus and Eurydice” (modeled probably before 1887, carved 1893), marble. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“The Thinker” (1879-89), which gives us the poet Dante as brooding hunk; “The Kiss” (1889), with its lovers lost in the passion of their embrace — her right leg between his legs, his right arm on her left thigh; “The Age of Bronze” (1877), a male figure inspired

by Michelangelo’s “Dying Slave,” whose upraised arms can convey exhaustion, defeat or a kind of languorous lust.

But Rodin (1840-1917) — a working-class Parisian who had spent part of his youth in the Roman Catholic Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, where the canny founder and future saint, Peter Julian Eymard recognized that the young man’s calling lay in the aesthetic not the ascetic; and who had once designed decorative porcelains for Sèvres — was not interested in merely idealizing the body. For him, the physical was the path to understanding a man’s nature and human nature. Working from nude models, whom the acutely near-sighted sculptor would observe closely from all angles, Rodin would mold their features into clay that was later refined and cast in plaster and, ultimately, bronze or carved into marble, using texture and pose to crystallize the subject’s psychological essence.

“What makes my ‘Thinker’ think is that he thinks not only with his brain, with his knitted brow, his distended nostrils and compressed lips,” Rodin once observed, “but with every muscle of his arms, back and legs, with his clenched fist and gripping toes.”

His “St. John the Baptist Preaching” (1878), modeled after an Italian peasant, appears to be walking, talking and gesturing, somewhat awkwardly. His “Balzac” (1891-98) casts the doughy novelist as a stout and stout-hearted, cloaked figure, his sunken eyes in his oversized head blazing toward the future. And his “The Burghers of Calais” (1889) slump, slouch or look toward their self-sacrifice.

Later in life, Rodin moved from the sensuous to the sensual, creating erotic drawings of the female nude — he excelled in two-dimensional as well as three-dimensional works — as well as studies of dancers, including Isadora Duncan, on whom he had amorous WAGMAG.COM

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designs. By then, the 20th century’s dawn, Rodin was emerging from a romantic triangle that, along with the push-pull of the beautiful and the brutal, the idealistic and the realistic, would enable him to find pain as well as pleasure in his depictions of love.

In 1883, Rodin was substitute-teaching when he met sculpture student Camille Claudel, 24 years his junior. He was already devoted — in his fashion — to Rose Beuret, the seamstress he had taken up with almost 20 years earlier, though far less so to their son, also named Auguste. (Rodin and Beuret would ultimately marry — in the year they both died, 1917.)

Nevertheless, Rodin and Claudel spoke the same aesthetic language. She posed for him, assisted on his commissions and did her own wonderful work, including an 1892 bronze bust of Rodin noteworthy for its textured Rodin-like character.

It could not, would not, end well, however. Claudel and Rodin split in 1898 and, after her nervous breakdown, her embittered, negligent family confined her to an institution where she lived until her death in 1940. Claudel’s relationship with Rodin became the subject of the 1988 film “Camille Claudel,” a post-feminist cautionary tale about what happens to a woman who subjugates her life and her art to a man.

It’s temptingly easy to see biography in art, to locate Rodin’s ambivalent romantic figures in his relationship with Claudel — even though the troubled lovers of some of his best-known works (“The Kiss,” “Fugit Amor”) began three years prior

Auguste Rodin’s “The Embrace” (1900-10), graphite, watercolor and gouache on cream wove paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

as designs for “The Gates of Hell,” a door depicting Dante’s “Inferno” in relief for a Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris that was never built.

Still, the rapture and despair of love is ever-present in his works at museums like The Met, whose Rodin exhibit will contain a permanent show with rotating elements of almost 50 marbles, bronzes, plasters and terra-cottas, along with complementary

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paintings by admired contemporaries and friends like Claude Monet, in the newly installed and refurbished Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Gallery.

(An adjacent gallery will feature an exhibit of related material through Jan. 15.)

Here Cupid tries to flee Psyche, his wings high and taut as he remains bound by her straining embrace.

Orpheus covers his eyes so as not to glimpse and thus lose Eurydice as he leads her from Hell while she, uncomprehending, whispers in his ear. And the Adam and Eve who nestle like innocent babes in the marble womb that is “The Hand of God” become the separate, monumental bronze figures who hang their heads in shame. (There is another cast of this Eve at the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo in Purchase.)

Even “The Kiss” — a bronze cast of which is part of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich — seems less a tribute to the harmony in romantic love when you consider that it represents the adulterous Francesca da Rimini and her brother-in-law Paolo Malatesta, who wind up in Dante’s “Inferno.”

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” Shakespeare observed. But in the hands of a master like Rodin, its bramble path has made for great art.

For more, visit metmuseum.org, brucemuseum.org and pepsico.com/sculpture-gardens.

And for more on Rodin celebrations in other museums in the United States and Europe, visit Rodin100.org/en.

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on designing a successful life

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY DEE OCLEPPO HILFIGER

THERE ARE GODDESSES, AND THEN THERE ARE GODDESSES — YOU KNOW, THE WOMEN WHO ARE AS LOVELY IN GRACE AS THEY ARE OF FORM AND FACE.

Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger in a dress by Tommy Hilfiger.

Photograph by Tatijana Shoan.

Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger is one of those goddesses.

We first met Dee when she served as a panelist for the Bruce Museum’s provocative “Art of Design” fundraiser, which we covered in April WAG. We were struck then by how grounded she is for someone who is co-owner, creative director and global ambassador of the Judith Leiber clutch and accessories brand and wife of designer Tommy.

Spend time on Dee’s website and you’ll see that grounded translates into well-rounded. This is one lady who does everything she puts her hand to well, whether it’s launching a new Judith Leiber collection this holiday season or whipping up the protein pancakes (cottage cheese, rolled oats and eggs) that are a favorite of Sebastian’s, her son with Tommy. The former model is also the mother of two tennis-playing sons from her first marriage to former Italian ace Gianni Ocleppo and stepmother to Tommy’s four children from his first marriage.

Family, including Tommy’s eight siblings, is of paramount importance to Cleveland-born Dee, who grew up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island — the daughter of a Turkish radiologist (father) and British microbiologist (mother).

Today, she divides her time between the Hilfiger home in another Greenwich — Connecticut — and homes in other locales while serving with Tommy on the board of directors of Autism Speaks — an organization founded by Bob Wright and his late wife, Suzanne (WAG November 2014). (The Hilfigers have two children who have been affected by the disorder.) Dee is also on the board of Glam4Good, designed to spur social change through style.

How does she manage it all? With some sleep and a great deal of passion: Dee, we loved the versatile handbags you created under your own label (now part of Kate Spade) and what you’re doing with Judith Leiber. Why did you decide to create handbags as opposed to another accessory?

“Since a very young age, I have always had an obsession with handbags. I remember digging through all my mother’s handbags as a child looking for candy and loot, and I remember always admiring her collection.”

Does a handbag as a fashion item say something about a woman that no other accessory does?

“I believe a handbag says a lot about a woman's taste and personality.

Is she edgy or more conservative? Does she need a lot of stuff with her at all times or is she fine with fewer items? Is she a working girl or a stay-atWAGMAG.COM

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Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger brings her own brand of playfulness to her first collection of minaudières for Judith Leiber. Courtesy Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger.

home mom? Does she care more about design and status or functionality?

What’s new for the collection this fall?

“My latest endeavor is the first holiday collection I have designed as creative director of Judith Leiber. I love this brand and we have done some very fun, edgy and exciting new styles.”

Your website is about a way of life, particularly with a large extended family. What’s the secret to your work-life balance?

“Work-life balance can be tricky, but the first secret is to love what you do. If you really love what you do, the balance is more seamless and less tiring.

I also think, above all, health and getting enough sleep is crucial when you are juggling a large family and work obligations. Strength and mental focus affect not only your decision-making abilities but your interactions with everyone around you. Make sure not to forget to care for yourself while taking care of the rest of the family.”

You and Tommy have done much to raise awareness of the autism spectrum. Do you 20

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think the public now has an understanding of it or are there still misconceptions? Any plans for fall events?

“I believe that there are still many misconceptions and misunderstandings about autism. It is a very broad and complex condition that differs dramatically for every individual, and the most frustrating part of it is that a cause or cure still has not been found.

“I look forward to our upcoming event on Nov. 18 called ‘Night of Too Many Stars,’ where some of the world's most hilarious comedians perform standup and skit routines in order to raise money and awareness for autism. Definitely my favorite fundraising event by far.”

Is there a particular exercise that’s your go-to for de-stressing?

“Going for a walk outside is my favorite way to get some exercise and de-stress.

“I usually go with my husband and it gives us a chance to talk about a lot of things we wouldn't otherwise get to discuss during our busy days.”

I know you and Tommy are big tennis buffs.

Will we see you at the Open and do you have a rooting interest?

“Tommy and I both love tennis and have become quite close with Rafa Nadal. He was our global spokesmodel for both our underwear and tailored clothing campaigns.”

Who’s your favorite designer, apart from Tommy?

“I would have to say I love and wear a lot of Valentino and lately Johanna Ortiz.”

Is there one beauty ritual/product that is always a must?

“I think beauty always starts with good hygiene so, as an example, I absolutely cannot fall asleep without first washing my face and moisturizing.”

How would you sum up your philosophy of home décor and home life?

“I think our philosophy of home décor and home life is avoid clutter, stay organized and surround yourself with people and things that you love.”

For more, visit deeocleppo.com.

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The type of neighborhood bank you grew up with. The bank has it all: impressive products and services, great rates and a terrific team that always goes the extra mile to make customers happy. The friendly experienced team offers expert suggestions for checking, savings and a full line of loan products, including commercial and residential mortgages, HELOCS and business loans.

Frank J. Gaudio, president and CEO, said, “We recently opened a branch in Stamford at 900 Summer St. and we have a Lending Office located one block away at 773 Summer St. Our bank is growing and we are focused on bringing our unmatched personal banking experience to more communities. A number of consumers and business owners in Westchester have expressed their desire to have our special brand of services there, which is why the bank has been looking to expand to Western Greenwich and into Westchester.

“Our Stamford and Greenwich advisory boards,” continued Gaudio, “provide a strong foundation for the bank and in turn the bank strongly supports them. Our motto is Together We Grow Our Businesses. We have fun at our advisory board meetings where successful partnerships are built. They provide interesting networking opportunities for our diverse group of business owners/professionals, who share tips and current trends. We encourage the members to look to one another first for fulfilling their personal and business needs.”

With the help of advisory board members the bank has built its B2B (Business to Business) Network up to a robust membership of 2,500 and growing. Each year the bank hosts a B2B event with 1,800-plus attendees and 45-plus exhibitors.

An exciting venue with live bands and a delicious sampling of food and drink create a spirited fun environment for businesses to showcase what they do best. Everyone comes together to exchange ideas and get to know one another better.

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Rachel Vaisman. Courtesy The RealReal.

THE REALREAL DEAL

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

t

he RealReal is the cutting-edge of consignment, separating the wheat from the chaff — that is, the actual Chanel from the faux — to bring secondhand luxury goods to devotees online. With offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., it also has managers in all major markets.

Just a few of its impressive numbers are: • Close to $400 million in revenues in 2016, • Six million members/shoppers, • Five million items sold, • 950 employees across the United States and • 40 cities with in-home pickup service.

Based in New York City, senior director Rachel Vaisman often travels around the metro area to visit with consignors. (We met her when she served on the Bruce Museum’s “Art of Design” panel in March.) Here she offers us insight into what makes The RealReal such a hot business: How is The RealReal different from brick-andmortar luxury consignment shops or something like eBay? “The RealReal is the leader in authenticated luxury consignment with a certified expert behind

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every single item. The consignment company reinvented luxury resale and has changed how people think about and consume luxury goods. The RealReal provides the largest selection of pre-owned authenticated luxury items, including women's and men's fashion, fine jewelry and watches and fine art and home. Consignors earn up to 70 percent of the sale price and items sell quickly. The company also has luxury consignment offices in six U.S. cities that offer free fine jewelry and watch valuations from certified gemologists, as well as a white-glove consignment service in every city. The consignment site is also opening its first permanent brick-and-mortar store in New York City this winter.”

You say that The RealReal has changed the way people think about and consume luxury goods. How so?

"People value value more than ever and are becoming more mindful about their consumption habits. They now realize the potential ROI (Return on Investment) of the items they have hanging in their closets and in their jewelry boxes. The RealReal offers consignors an easy and fast way to sell their luxury goods for maximum value and gives

consumers a trusted place to buy luxury goods for less. We’re changing the way people shop as they now carefully consider the resale value of luxury items before buying."

Say I have a Chanel handbag I want to sell.

Take us through the process.

“The RealReal makes consigning very easy.

We have a team of luxury managers in all major markets across the country who can come to your home to pick up your Chanel handbag along with any other pieces you would like to consign. If you do not want someone coming to you, you can ship to us by using one of our prepaid shipping labels. We also have six luxury consignment offices across the U.S. where you can drop off your items in person.

“At these locations, you can also make appointments to have your fine jewelry and watches valuated by our graduate gemologists and horologists. Once an item is in our warehouse, it is authenticated, photographed and listed for sale on our site. The only next step for you would be to enjoy your commission.”

What percentage of the original cost are you selling the item for? And what percentage of the sale will I make as the original owner?

“It depends on the item and the primary mar-

ket and the market is always changing depending on what’s trending and new.”

How and when did The RealReal get started?

“Our founder and CEO, Julie Wainwright, came up with the idea to sell luxury consignment after visiting many women's consignment boutiques in San Francisco. The owner of one of these shops, Rati Levesque (now The RealReal’s chief merchant), became Wainwright's first employee. Starting in 2011, the pair worked out of Wainwright's home in Marin County (California), receiving and photographing goods and shipping them by hand. By 2013, they were in a Sausalito warehouse and raising venture funding.”

What brands/items are its biggest sellers and why?

“The classic heritage brands are always our best sellers. They’re timeless.”

Is it true that the company once returned a pair of $100,000 earrings found in a consigned purse?

“Yes! Make sure to clean out your handbags before your consign. We have certainly found valuables like cash and jewelry in consigned items and have always returned them to the rightful owner.”

How did you become involved with the company?

“I spent 10 years in luxury buying at both Christian Dior and Gucci. In 2012, I met Julie through a friend working at her new startup. I was instantly inspired by Julie and her vision. It was a no-brainer decision to join her.”

Have you ever purchased anything from The RealReal and what was it?

“Yes, I have a serious shopping problem. My favorite item to buy is shoes. At 90 percent off retail, I cannot get enough.”

You mentioned at the Bruce Museum’s “Art and Design” panel that with three children under age 5, your world revolves around Disney princesses and dinosaurs. What about The RealReal’s offerings for junior fashionistios and fashionistas and what have you bought yours?

"We have stunning designer clothing and accessories for children. I love buying the Stella McCartney pieces for my girls and Dolce & Gabbana for special occasions. The prices are so great that I don't have to stress about something getting dirty, and, if I do keep it in great condition, I can re-consign it when they grow out of it.”

For more, visit therealreal.com.

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t

Among the treasures you’ll find at The Perfect Provenance are shoes by Vanessa Bruno, bags by Perrin Paris and neoclassical Fornasetti coasters. Photographs by Sebastian Flores.

A ‘PERFECT’ PLACE TO SHOP (AND EAT)

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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he sign on the door says “Poussez,” French for “push.” It’s a harbinger of what is about to be an unusual experience, one that brings a taste of both France and downtown Manhattan to Greenwich.

Inside The Perfect Provenance, books on Bruce Springsteen happily coexist with those on Dale Chihuly, whose dynamic glass sculptures are on display at the New York Botanical Garden. A set of exquisite neoclassical Fornasetti coasters grabs the eye and holds it in a section on home design.

Upstairs, a creamy blue hobo bag by Perrin Paris charms while the label’s clutches, which contain a space for your hand to hold them, make you chuckle at the ingenuity. And a pair of peep-toe, lace-up, bottle-green pumps by Vanessa Bruno whisper, “Let’s dance away together.”

Did we mention the food at The Perfect Provenance? Café 47’s menu — under the direction of chef Arik Bensimon, formerly of the now-defunct Le Farm in Westport — is small but choice. The lobster roll — dressed with seamlessly flavorful ingredients — is braced by avocado slices, two well-done

strips of bacon and a toasted bun, a fitting New England treat. We wash it down with one of the imaginatively named iced teas, then enjoy the delicate apple tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a recording of Edith Piaf singing “Je Ne Regrette Rien” plays. (Oh, Edith, that could be the foodie’s national anthem.)

It’s as if you took ABC Carpet & Home and placed it into a suburban Victorian.

The Perfect Provenance’s founder, Lisa Lori, laughs at that. “It’s a nice comparison,” she says.

We meet later on the phone, but in a sense we already know her, because we know her tastes. It’s a reminder that part of who you are is what you wear, how you dress your home and what you put on your table. In Lori’s case, it’s a reflection of a woman who worked in marketing luxury goods for a quarter of a century, including at her own public relations firm. With three boys, she didn’t want to continue to commute from Greenwich to Manhattan. Looking about, Lori saw that there weren’t a lot of boutiques left in town. She figured there would

be a clientele for the products she likes — if only she would offer them.

Now a year old, The Perfect Provenance has a Français feel. “When you work in luxury goods, a great deal is French,” Lori says. As is the word “provenance,” from provenir, meaning “to come forth.” “Provenance means to find the origins of something,” she says.

For Lori and her “special, curated” collection, those origins could be anywhere from California to Asia to the Mediterranean. “These products are from places that have artisans and craftsmen. It’s anti-mass production. I believe when people know how something is made, they’ll understand the price.”

The inventory and menu change every eight to 11 weeks. The theme of early fall revolves around wine country.

“I want you to carry away a vacation feel,” she says. “It’s all about creating an experience and a sense of community. People buy things and when they look at them, they remember where they were and who they were with when they bought it.

“When you buy something,” she adds, “you always treasure it.”

That may be especially true at The Perfect Provenance.

For more, visit theperfectprovenance.com.

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM | @WAGMAGAZINE WAGMAG.COM

SEPTEMBER 2017

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v veronica, times three

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY VERONICA BEARD

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Veronica S. Beard and Veronica M. Beard and their Dickey Jacket (inset). Courtesy Veronica Beard.

MEET VERONICA BEARD AND VERONICA BEARD AND VERONICA BEARD. Two are friends and sisters-in-law, married to brothers. The other is their fashion business, which they began in 2010 with the Dickey Jacket, a blazer in three styles — Classic, Long and Lean and cropped Schoolboy — accented by a gray hoodie Dickey. It’s the foundation of the brand and of a company that blends Veronica Miele Beard’s more tailored look with Veronica Swanson Beard’s more boho chic quality.

The two are complements in other ways. Jersey Girl Veronica M. spent years in finance — she helped Philippe Laffont launch Coatue Management LLC, a technology hedge fund, where she was partner and COO — before following her heart into fashion. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and their five children.

The bicoastal Veronica S. worked in sales for designers Narcisco Rodriguez and Alberta Ferretti.

She, too, now calls New York City home with her husband and three sons.

We first met the pair at the Bruce Museum’s March “Art of Design” panel and were enchanted by their sisterly approach to business. But don’t let us say another word. Here’s what they had to say — with one voice — when we caught up with them recently: OK, ladies, we have to begin with the name(s).

Does it spark confusion, commentary? How do you refer to yourselves?

“Yes! The airport is our favorite place to run into confusion when we check in together. Internally, we refer to each other as VMB and VSB.” You are sisters-in-law and friends. How does that translate into a company dynamic? Do you complement each other?

“It's been the glue that binds. We are family, so in the end, we must agree, and no disagreement is too big to overcome. We complement each other, because we are so different and therefore have a lot of different strengths. We always have two perspectives, but one vision.”

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The Caroll Jacket, $695; the Davis Cameo Sweater, $450; and the Garrett Sweater in Navy, $375.

Your clothes have an uptown-meets-downtown vibe. What’s the inspiration behind the fall collection?

“Fall is inspired by American style and the cool classics that every woman needs to have in her closet. Our collections ride the line between cool and classic.”

I know you two are excited about your Jeans

and Shoes line, launching this fall. Tell us about it.

“With our new Jeans and Shoes, we've completed the Veronica Beard uniform. We've designed the perfect jeans to go with our jackets and the perfect booties and flats to go with those jeans. We put a lot of time into creating jeans that have the perfect fit and even a hidden skinny pocket.”

o VENUE RENTAL

Showcase MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 5:00 – 7:00 PM

This year saw the launch of a new downtown boutique. How does the store design relate to your fashion designs?

“Designing a chic, layered store is a lot like designing a collection. There needs to be print, color and texture. A room that feels like it's bursting with all the goodness you want but is still balanced is like a perfectly merchandised collection.”

For more, visit — what else? — veronicabeard.com.

Prepare to be amazed!

Tour our Spectacular Spaces and discover all the possibilities our elegant venue has to offer.

Meet our Events Team to learn how we can transform our space to make your vision a reality.

Mingle with other event industry professionals, explore our indoor and outdoor spaces all while enjoying wine and refreshments.

DATE Monday, September 25, 2017 TIME 5:00 – 7:00 pm Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

FREE ADMISSION

RSVP not required but for more information or a private tour, contact: 203 899 0606, ext. 208, or lauren@steppingstonesmuseum.org Mathews Park, 303 West Avenue • Norwalk, Connecticut • steppingstonesmuseum.org

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a european master craftsman

BY LAURA JOSEPH MOGIL PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN RIZZO

Marco Zuccaretti.

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WHETHER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CUSTOM KITCHEN BOASTING THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF EUROPEAN-STYLE CABINETRY OR A BESPOKE LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTED BY EXOTIC WOOD VENEERS IMPORTED FROM ITALY, FISHKILL RESIDENT MARCO ZUCCARETTI, CO-OWNER OF TECH WOODCRAFTING IN PEEKSKILL, IS THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN TO TURN TO. Zuccaretti, who’s been creating upscale cabinetry and furnishings for more than 40 years, is in high demand these days by designers, architects, general contractors and individual homeowners alike, and even did the custom mahogany woodworking for Robert Kennedy Jr.’s library and office in the environmentalist’s former Bedford home.

A native of Rome, Zuccaretti embarked on his career when he was just 16, apprenticing under his uncle in a local shop that built sailboats. “I spent a dozen years creating all the wooden furnishings and accents for boat interiors — from kitchens and beds to paneling and partitions — learning all the secrets of European cabinetry making,” Zuccaretti says. “When you work on a boat you have to build in odd and tight spaces and maximize the use of every square inch, so that really helped me hone my craft.”

In 1989, at the age of 28, Zuccaretti decided to try his luck in America. He first worked at a cabinetry shop in the Bronx, where he met his current partner, Romanian-born craftsman Sorin Handrea. The two started their current business out of a small garage in Fishkill back in 1997.

With a burgeoning base of customers in Westchester, Greenwich and Manhattan, the business grew to the point that they were able to move five years ago to Tech Woodcrafting’s current location at The Hat Factory (an original hat factory built in 1895 that now leases commercial space and artist studios) on North Division Street. They currently have a 4,000-square-foot workshop and an additional three full-time employees to help them with more than 100 jobs a year.

As wood dust flies in the wind and workers saw planks and sand down joints, Zuccaretti proudly walks around his shop and explains what distinguishes his European style of cabinet making.

“American cabinets have wood frames but ours are frameless. All the doors are expertly overlaid atop the cabinets so that there's no face frame showing,” he says. He points out how the cabinet doors attach directly to the sides of the cabinet box and not to the frame. After installation, all you see are the flat doors and drawer fronts.

“The end result is a more sophisticated style 32

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Marco Zuccaretti and Sorin Handrea are co-owners of Tech Woodcrafting in Peekskill.

with very simple and clean lines that can work with a variety of design themes throughout the home,” he says.

What also makes his Zuccaretti’s company stand out is that all the furnishings are built bottom-up from scratch on site. “Basically, everything is custom-made here, from the cabinet boxes and doors to the drawers and crown moldings,” he says. The little he does import into his shop includes the high-quality hinges and hardware that hold together the solid cabinetry as well as a wide variety of exotic wood veneers, most of which come from Italy.

“We build and set up the kitchens we are working on in the shop exactly how they’re going to look in the house, making sure all the doors match and the cabinets fit together correctly,” Zuccaretti says.

“When it’s 100 percent perfect, we take it apart to be painted or stained before we install it in the house.”

As far as what’s in style when it comes to kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, Zuccaretti says, “Maple wood, Shaker-style doors, which feature a border frame with a flat inset panel, are very popular right now.” When asked about what color customers want them painted, he says it’s “white, white, white” and insists that goes for 90 percent of the kitchens he’s worked on over the past 10 years. (For bathroom cabinetry, there’s a slightly larger range in hue, with recent demand surging for gray, beige and, surprisingly, light blue.)

However, one of the more en vogue kitchens Zuccaretti recently completed was a New York City apartment on Central Park South. His shop created bamboo cabinetry and shelving for the entire home, plus bamboo panels that slide over the refrigerator, dishwasher and ovens so that the appliances are virtually invisible when you walk into the kitchen and the room seamlessly blends in with the rest of the apartment.

Another fashionable standout is an 800-square-foot kitchen in White Plains, where Zuccaretti installed European cabinetry finished in vintage gray oak, a man-made veneer with a beautifully textured grain imported from Italy. The project, which included more than 40 cabinets, featured wooden doors hand-embellished with aluminum banding alongside aluminum-framed glass doors. This distressed wood style was carried throughout the kitchen, including all the drawers, a large central island, a wine rack and detailed crown molding.

“Our goal was to combine our traditional craft with a modern style to create a truly unique kitchen,” he says.

In terms of libraries and dens, Zuccaretti says there’s been a growing demand for cabinetry and shelving made from American walnut as well as exotic, grained wood veneers imported from Italy. For example, his shop just completed

the woodworking for a library, personal office and paneling on a large Greenwich estate using a popular veneer called Sapele, which he says is “a reddish-brown African wood similar to mahogany that’s known for it’s light and dark ribbon-like striping.”

Keeping up with today’s technology, Zuccaretti’s projects include the latest advances in LED lighting systems, which he expertly builds into his jobs.

“We make floating shelves with light strips lined inside the wood, cabinets that only light up when you open them, illuminated toe kicks and RGB (red, green, and blue) lighting, where you can choose the color you want your space to be lit,” he says.

“We’re even doing clothes closets with lighting incorporated into the hanging rods.”

Mixing his traditional craft with the ever-changing innovations in his field is an exciting challenge for Zuccaretti. Even though he’s been working for more than four decades, he still loves what he does every day. “When you start a kitchen, work very hard on putting it all together and then see the finished product, it’s extremely satisfying,” he says.

“What gives me the most pride and joy in what I do is to see the smile on the customer’s face and how happy they are when the job is completed beyond their expectations.”

For more, email marcocabinets123@gmail.com or call 914-213-2340.

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Says Lesley Jane Seymour: “The highlight of my career was creating the More Impact Awards, which celebrated women of a certain age doing MORE with their lives. Michelle Obama spoke as well as Robin Wright.”

Courtesy Lesley Jane Seymour.

l

A STRAIGHTSHOOTING SECOND ACT

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

esley Jane Seymour is a heroine of ours as she must be to every woman — no, make that everyone — who went through the downsizing wrought by the digital age and lived to tell.

But digital is like the Lord: It giveth and it taketh away. The plainspoken, thoughtful Seymour, the onetime editor-in-chief of Marie Claire and the now defunct More, used social media to build her brand and platform. She’s now an expert moderator — she served up the questions at the Bruce Museum’s March “Art of Design” panel — and founder of CoveyClub, a forthcoming online networking site for women who are 40 or more and fabulous.

WAG caught up with the Larchmont resident recently as her ideas about being a writer/editor then and now were bubbling: You lost your job as editor-in-chief of Marie Claire in 2006 and then, 10 years later, your post as editor-in-chief of More, in part because of downsizing in the digital age. What was your initial reaction on each occasion?

“Each time was different. When I left Marie Claire, readers had no way to find me. It was really a pre-digital age — pre-social media. Ten years later, I had time to build my social media following. After I left More, I had hundreds of notes from readers asking me to do something else. It’s wonderful and gratifying to see how social media keeps you from being invisible.”

So ironically, social media, the scourge of print, also enabled you to connect and reconnect with those who were outraged at More folding. How else did

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social media help you to reignite your career?

“I was able to poll 627 former More readers to find the research for my idea for CoveyClub, which is an online/offline platform for women who want to live their most authentic lives. Covey is a small group of birds. I wanted to be small and cozy instead of large and impersonal.

“Social media allows me to create a 6,000-strong waiting list for the club, which will launch in the fall— with a monthly digi-zine, blog and online events. I also have started my podcast called the Covey Cast on podbean and at iTunes. It must be at least three times a week that I hear from individuals whom I don’t know who read More and tell me amazing stories about how I or the magazine influenced their lives. That would not have been possible in the past.

The one-on-one connections were not possible.

“But yes, technology is killing the print publishing world. It is making it unnecessary for the advertisers to go through the print media to reach their customers. They can now reach out directly to their users. Unfortunately, the print world trained users to think all print was free when in reality it was supported by the invisible hand of advertising. For that reason, the financial bridge between consumer and content is broken. I’m trying to find a way to fix the bridge so that media can be user-supported. It’s not like readers don’t want content. It’s not like wonderful editors and artists don’t want to create it. But the bridge between the two that allows the exchange to happen is crumbling.”

You mention CoveyClub, which is designed as a networking site for women of, ahem, a cer-

tain vintage. What is it like to create your own start-up?

“Things are slow when you do it all yourself. Hilariously, all of the courses about starting your own business encourage you to give up control and hire people. I suppose younger people grapple with letting go. But I want to give up control. Alas, when you are starting up, there are no employees. More important, where the heck is the IT guy when you need him? My biggest stumbling block is having no one to delegate to. Please sign up below if you want to be delegated to. I need help.

“The reason for CoveyClub is that there is nothing out there that is intelligent and thoughtful for women our age. I want to be the place you go to learn, think and take away ideas. I will also traffic you to the right sources that are worth your time. There’s a lot of garbage out there — especially for older women — and it’s not worth wasting your time on.”

You also write that we should always be working on our brands. How did that smart philosophy help you to reinvent yourself?

“At More we spoke a lot about building your own brand. One of our big stories was a 10-page report on how to do it. People still talk about that piece. Most people know they should be working on their ‘brand’ but have no idea what that means. Millennials get it.

That is what they do every day on social media. If you are not of that age, however, it can be confusing. One of the live/online seminars I’m holding will be about how to build your own brand. I will invite experts to talk about it and will offer participants real steps. It’s hard and ephemeral. But it definitely works.

“Each of us has a unique voice and view of the world. That is the essence of the brand. However, not everyone can share that online. For extreme introverts it would be excruciatingly painful. You have to have tough skin out there. But many of us can figure out how to do it.

‘I think being honest and telling the brutal, honest truth as often as you can, is the key to my brand.

There’s so much hedging and pretending. I like to cut through the clutter with the truth.”

Do you think that fashion and women’s magazines are increasingly vulnerable to going the way of More in the digital age, or will magazines survive in print form?

“I have thought for a long time that there was too much clutter and not enough differentiation in the printed material that is out there.

There is a lot of mindless copying. Things are not unique, nor do they have an unusual voice to connect with. Print is also, in the digital age, extremely expensive to create and distribute.

Did you know that we did fashion photo shoots that were on pennies — $17,000 to $35,000, compared to other companies, which spent upwards of $300,000 on a shoot — but still could no longer make the financials work?

“I believe that we are going down to two brands in each category (a high and a low) and then deep

pockets of print in the ‘enthusiast’ areas — like cars, cigars, sports, etc. But readers have to realize that if they want a print product, they will have to no longer view it as ‘free.’ The industry created a consumer with expectations that are now outdated.

“There will be magazines but fewer of them. Think of the horses you see in Central Park or the radio you listen to on your commute to work. Not the center of the world anymore, but with a reduced place. Not the whole pizza, but a slice.”

We’ll pose to you the question we posed at the Bruce Museum’s “Art of Design” panel you moderated: Are we in danger of being dumbed down by digital?

“Yes, there is a lot of dumbed down digital. That is because people have taken the same formula for print (free content supported by ads) onto digital.

What that means is that click bait dominates. Click bait creates clicks, which is what advertisers want.

(Luckily, they are now finally moving more toward engagement but the click game has been why everything is junky.)

“As I say in all my presentations for CoveyClub is the reason why it’s a club and the reason why I want the reader to pay something to enter is so I don’t have to resort to running the best clicked headline at More, which was “Burn Fat Faster.” To keep up with our clicks, I had to order up a story to match the headline every 6 months. This is not reporting news. It is filling clicks. I would rather have better engagement and fewer clicks and create a real community. That is the CoveyClub goal. The hard part has been finding what readers will pay for. I’m working on that right now..”

There are editors who really prefer to be writers and editors who prefer the editing process.

What kind of editor were/are you?

“I’m both a writer and an editor. I love to connect through words. But I realize that I don’t have all of the answers to everything. Assigning pieces to people with expertise or a better voice or insight is an unusual combination that I intend to follow. I don’t want to be a blogger for that reason. I don’t have something to say about everything. I’m not a guru.

So CoveyClub will be a mix of my voice and others.

“I want to find the best voice for everything.

Nonetheless, I love to write and report. I’m naturally curious about everything. Wanting to continue learning and contributing to society is a hallmark of CoveyClub members. We are not done —no matter what our ages.”

Editors of women’s and fashion magazines are often glamorous. How would you describe your style and how do you achieve it?

“Well, I used to be glamorous — because that is what the job demanded. I’m amazed at how I love to dress down now. Not putting on makeup every day is wonderful. And it makes you less fussy about the aging process. You don’t notice every line and wrinkle (which seem to appear over night).

“I love fashion — always have. That’s why I began my career at Women’s Wear Daily. I can recall every moment in my life by what I wore. But when your job is to sit down at your dining room table every day, there is no point in putting on your Spanx and a shift dress. I’m on the lookout now for great casual wear. You can see my efforts with all the videos I’ve made with Leslie Hsu of Leslie’s Finds on the CoveyClub Facebook page. She is helping me redress myself for my new life. I’ve sold most of my designer stuff on The RealReal. But a lot still hangs in my closet unused.

“I still believe that if you don’t look great, you don’t feel great. One influences the other. And it’s cheaper than a shrink. Finding your personal style can be an issue when you reinvent. We will cover reinventing your personal style on CoveyClub.”

What one writer from any period in history would you have loved to have had at one of your publications?

“Margaret Mead was among the famous writers at Redbook. Not when I ran it, of course. But I loved the idea that these big, famous thinkers thought highly enough of women’s magazines to take time out to pen stories for them.

“Women’s magazines have always been given short shrift by the male-dominated magazine business. They are written off as dumbed down and unimportant. This was particularly the case when it came to winning prizes at the male-dominated American Society of Magazine Editors. It was constantly astonishing how stories we did over and over in the women’s books, when purloined by the men’s magazines, were suddenly award-worthy. I recall once when a men’s magazine about outdoor life published a piece about a woman getting raped on a trail and was huzzah-ed for ‘stepping out’ and doing something so worthy. We’d been writing about these things — and more — for years.

“When I ran Marie Claire and 9/11 happened, our readers knew about the Taliban already because we’d done stories about it. But we were shunted off as ‘women’s stuff.’ I always thought of fashion magazines as sports magazines for men. Sports magazines always won accolades and awards from men.

They never got that fashion was our sport. And that a lot of us were doing amazing content.

“Was there some dumb stuff? Yeah. But so there was dummy stuff for men, too.

“I intend to find those same important writers again for CoveyClub.”

What’s your next horizon?

“We love Larchmont where we moved 22 years ago, two days after my daughter was born. But now, my husband and I kind of rattle around in a beautiful three-story home by ourselves. JJ is settled in New York and Lake is in Boston. We are not snow/ ice people so we are thinking of where to go where we can be warm. Not sure of what that means yet.”

For more, visit facebook.com/coveyclub/ and coveycast.podbean.com/.

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l THE JOY OF SAKS

BY PHIL HALL

ast October, Saks Fifth Avenue announced the appointment of Joe Gambino as vice president and general manager of The Saks Shops at Greenwich. For Gambino, this new assignment offered something familiar. A Connecticut native, he had been out of state for the previous three years, holding similar positions at Saks stores in Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, and the return to his home state was gratifying.

But the assignment also offered something rather different. Unlike the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and the retailer’s other stores in major cities, the Greenwich experience is smaller, more intimate and the antithesis of the one-stop-shopping approach that dominates retailing.

“Our customers in Greenwich love to shop in a boutique, intimate environment,” Gambino says. “To do that, the only way to expand was to go into four separate locations.”

In addition to the main Saks outlet on Greenwich Avenue, shoppers have three additional Saks stores within walking distance — the company’s first shoes-only store, 10022-SHOE, which opened in October; The Collective, a modern designer fashion offering that debuted in February; and The Vault, the first free-standing jewelry store within the Saks network.

Joe Gambino. Photograph by Sebastian Flores.

In some ways, The Vault is a significant departure for Saks, which always had a jewelry component within the wider retail setting but never as the center of attention.

The 6,000-square-foot Vault, Gambino says, seeks to differentiate itself by providing merchandise that cannot be found elsewhere.

“The majority of the vendors we carry are exclusive to Saks,” he adds. “Three of the vendors — Amsterdam Sauer, Anita Ko and Noor Fares — are being launched for the first time in Saks. A lot of the pieces we have over there are one-of-a-kind. When it comes to fine jewelry, people don’t want to see themselves coming and going on the avenue. They want to know they have the only piece out there.”

Gambino acknowledges that jewelry appreciation is a highly subjective matter, and he diplomatically sidesteps 36

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a potential gotcha question that seeks to separate good jewelry from great pieces.

“Jewelry is emotional,” he says. “What separates good from great is in the eye of the consumer. It’s what they want. There’s fashion jewelry; there’s more traditional gemstones; there’s edgier stuff. We have price points from $2,500 up. I wish I could say there was an average customer. It runs the gamut. It’s male; it’s female; it’s a more mature customer; it’s a more youthful customer.

There is jewelry in there for everyone. And we have clients from Westchester, Fairfield County, even further up from New York state and Connecticut and customers coming up from New York City.”

Having worked in different parts of the country — prior to joining Saks, he was with Macy’s and Belk in New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia — Gambino is aware that the one-size-fits-all never truly fits when syncing a retailer to a market. And failing to have an ongoing conversation with the wider community could isolate the retailer from the area’s social and economic life.

“As a general manager, my focus is to key in on what is important to our clients and communicate that to the merchant organization and to make sure we have what that community stands for,” he says. “Our markets are so very different. Houston is a very different market from Greenwich, which is a very different market from San Francisco. We have to be unique in those places, because the sensibilities differ all over the country.”

For Greenwich, Gambino observes, the separate shops can create a potential problem with customers lugging bags back and forth across Greenwich Avenue. As a result, the Saks operation in Greenwich enables shoppers to aggregate their purchases for a free same-day delivery within an area encompassing 12 ZIP codes. (The Vault is not part of this service.) Gambino also stresses corporate social responsibility as a key element in being a good neighbor within the community. Saks has partnered with such local nonprofits as Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich United Way, the Greenwich International Film Festival and the Bruce Museum for supportive endeavors.

Of course, there is a wider community online, and Gambino is no stranger to the doom-and-gloom predictions of the internet’s potential destruction of the brickand-mortar retailers. But he’s not buying that doomsday scenario, and instead highlights what he calls an “omnichannel approach to shopping,” where the digital world enhances traditional retailing instead of annihilating it.

“The customers changed the way they shop, and our response has to be very different than it was six months or a year ago,” he acknowledges. “It continues to evolve rapidly. We find people do a lot of research online. But ultimately, they want to come into the store. It’s no longer about getting in and out of a store quickly. It’s about, ‘Why am I in a store?’”

And why is Gambino still in the Saks store? Well, he is one man who honestly loves his job.

“When I put my feet on the floor in the morning, I’m excited to come to work,” he says, with a big smile. “I love the teams that I’ve worked with and I love our clients. Every day is something different, and it’s an exciting time to be in retail.”

For more, visit saks.com.

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d dressed in art

JOHANNA GOODMAN’S SINGULAR ‘BEINGS’

BY MARY SHUSTACK

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THE WORLDS OF FASHION AND ART INTERSECT IN A MOST STRIKING MANNER IN A SERIES OF WORKS BY NYACK-BASED ILLUSTRATOR JOHANNA GOODMAN.

Above, from “The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings, Plate No. 215” by Johanna Goodman. Photograph courtesy Johanna Goodman. Inset, Goodman in her studio. Photograph by Rodger Stevens.

“The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings,” showcased in a solo show at the Piermont Straus gallery in Piermont earlier this year, is filled with women — and a few men — dressed in outfits fashioned out of architectural elements, scenes of nature, bold colors, textures or patterns — or just about anything that Goodman’s imagination creates.

Goodman, who grew up on Long Island, attended art school at Boston University before transferring to Parsons School of Design in New York.

There, she would earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration in 1992 and has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator ever since.

Goodman’s work has certainly been recognized, including awards from The Society of Publication Design, American Illustration and Communication Arts. In July of this year, Goodman was awarded The New York State Council for the Arts/New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship grant in the category of Book Arts.

A glimpse into her client list — from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York to Smithsonian magazine, West Elm to Time magazine, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Rolling Stone magazine, Le Monde to The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times to The Paley Center for Media, among others — hints at the diversity that has also found Goodman’s work included in several books about illustration, art and collage.

Design director and author Logan Bradley has described her work this way: “‘The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings’ is an exciting collection of fantastical collages… Goodman, who studied at Parsons School of Design, has that remarkable ability of being able to create shockingly good work in a myriad of styles. This is no mean feat. Chopping and changing styles, and being successful with each of them, shows a true creative talent… However it’s Goodman’s ‘Imaginary Beings,’ an ongoing personal series, that stands out as being wondrously refreshing. Using various textures and body parts, Goodman collages together bizarrely beautiful formations. The costumes and figures that fill the catalogue are strangely disjointed, with cumbersome proportions and voluminous gowns made up from a selection of textures that keep surprising you at every turn. The playfulness of it all recalls the joyous absurdity of Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ the haute couture of Comme des Garçons, or, dare I say it, the costumes of ‘The Hunger Games.’ They’re odd, wildly imaginative and WAGMAG.COM

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as they’ve been depicted historically through art, literature, and commerce.”

strangely beautiful, and surely they reveal a little bit of Goodman’s own whimsical nature.”

Goodman tells us that she’s “always made art.

My parents were very encouraging and creative themselves. They made art, though not as a trade, and were very involved in the Pop Art scene of the ’60s.”

Between projects, Goodman told us a bit more, taking time to answer a few of our questions.

What is the process — by hand or digital — and where do you find your source materials? Do you create works individually or as themed groups?

“While I’ve done some by hand (or analog), most of the series has been done digitally. So the final ‘original’ art is a print. Sometimes they are done singularly and sometimes as a series. And some series have been done in stages, not necessarily sequentially. Some examples of series I’ve done are The Women’s Marches in Washington, D.C. and NYC, science-themed for the march in support (of) science and facts, New York City, The Hudson Valley, Textile, Sculptural, Nature and Landscape, Global, the Elements (overlapping with science), Color, Animal and Abstract.”

How would you describe the works in “The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings”? What initially sparked the series and how many have you now created? ‘“The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings’ is an ongoing series of work begun in 2015 that sprung from over 20 years of portraiture and collage work. Now at over 200 plates, the body of work seeks to explore a range of themes in popular culture, including the role of the individual in fashion, in history, in the artistic imagination and, more broadly, the collective consciousness.

“The body of work draws its inspiration from a wide spectrum of sources, including Magical Realism, Surrealism and Symbolism and, more specifically, references such cultural artifacts as talismans, idols, totems and all of the material detritus that surrounds all of us all the time. These characters are composites embodying notions of ‘the warrior,’ vulnerability, industry, the universal and the personal. They reference these identities

Your designs feature women wearing unique “outfits.” Do you feel this work is about fashion and clothing — or are you using the manner of dress to present ideas, observations, commentary and the like?

“For me the work is about fashion and costume as well as expression and commentary and concept. These beings are a perfect diving-off place for me to visually explore whatever it is I’m thinking about at that moment.”

With your work now reaching a wider audience — everything from the “Subway Muses” project for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York to a signature collection of prints and home goods for West Elm and skateboard designs for Habitat Skateboards — does having a higher profile affect your creative process?

“So far no, not at all. I’m doing what I love and it’s flowing freely. The art directors I’ve worked with have given me almost complete creative freedom, which I think is the best art direction because then I don’t tighten up and can keep tapping into whatever bizarre forces I’ve been tapping into that are driving this series.”

The series is such a showcase of creativity, and it seems your sources of inspiration could be endless. Will “The Catalogue of Imaginary Beings” continue indefinitely?

“That’s a good question. At the moment I have no plans to end the series as I’m still compelled to keep making more. I love working on the series and seeing where it’s going. I’m finding the work immensely satisfying and I hope it keeps resonating with viewers. I hope to eventually publish the series in book form in the spirit of Audubon’s renowned compendium of birds and have a gallery show of large- scale prints to accompany it.”

For more, visit johannagoodman.com.

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Right, Bella Pilar in her home-based studio in Los Angeles; and above, inset, Pilar’s designs feature her signature take on fashion. Photographs courtesy Papyrus.

THE ART OF FASHION

BELLA PILAR’S DISTINCTIVE — DELIGHTFUL — DESIGNS

BY MARY SHUSTACK

a

Anyone with a fashionista in her life has likely purchased a Bella Pilar card in a local Papyrus.

From Rye to Greenwich, White Plains to Westport, the upscale card and gift boutiques prominently feature her fashionable work.

While greeting cards have been the mainstay of her association with the company, today Papyrus also features Pilar’s work on everything from tote bags to cosmetic cases, gift wrap to notebooks.

Sometimes that work includes playful animals such as puppies or birds, but most often, it’s her signature “girls” taking center stage in scenes celebrating milestones, holidays, friendship or just a great pair of shoes.

All is decidedly feminine, charmingly whimsical — and wholly recognizable.

So WAG eagerly headed to Manhattan on a recent rainy afternoon, invited to meet the artist at the Papyrus on 42nd Street.

Pilar, a New York City native now based in Los Angeles, was doing a card/art signing for this Artist in Residence event.

And within moments of entering, we were chatting away with the personable Pilar about everything from art to fashion to her family ties to the Hudson Valley.

Pilar, who has been creating exclusive designs for Papyrus for some 10 years, was also showcasing her new line of desk accessories.

“I dreamed about it… of having my art this accessible,” she said. “I always wanted to have my artwork out there in an affordable, accessible way.”

A LIFE IN ART Art came naturally to Pilar, who grew up on the Upper West Side and studied fashion design at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, where she may have had hints about her future.

“My favorite part of designing clothing was drawing it. I just enjoyed drawing the girls.”

Back in New York, Pilar would eventually work as a makeup artist, her fine art taking a back seat.

“For years, it was just what I did for fun. I’d do makeup as a business.”

That was until a clever business card changed that.

“Actually, my first illustration job was because I used an illustration of a girl’s face on a card. Most people had photographs of makeup.”

The image caught the eye of an art director and, Pilar said, “One job slowly led to another.”

Collaborations, she said, suit her.

“I love to paint other people’s visions. I feel like it’s a way of sharing my world with other people.”

Over the years, she has worked with companies ranging from Tiffany & Co. to Target, along with a number of charitable efforts. She has sold her work as prints and on canvas and has had designs grace mugs and jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts and key chains. A particular project does stand out.

“Papyrus started being a sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week,” she said, which found Pilar creating designs for laminates, schedules and VIP products for the Lincoln Center shows.

“It was amazing. Two and a half years, five seasons… I was definitely in my element.”

It was also a full-circle moment, as Pilar had worked fashion week as a makeup artist years before, when the shows were held in Bryant Park.

IN THE CITY, AGAIN Though the rain may have curbed the attendance at the Papyrus event, for Pilar, the pace was “nice, because I get to talk to people.”

No matter the venue, it seems one question is a constant.

“It’s always about hair,” she said with a laugh.

(And yes, she wishes she could offer every card’s subject in every hair color).

Overall, Pilar welcomes the feedback.

“I take all the comments in and process it,” as she heads back to her studio.

So, how did this diehard New Yorker end up on the West Coast?

“I blame it on my husband,” Pilar said with another laugh, noting he’s in the film industry.

There are, though, frequent family trips back to New York, especially with her sister still living in the city and her parents now based in Grandview-on-Hudson.

“I was just there yesterday,” she said of the riverside community, noting her daughters were there on this day — and that her mom’s a regular at the

Papyrus in the Palisades Center in West Nyack.

In recent years, Pilar’s two girls, now ages 11 and 9, have inspired her to reach out to a younger audience leading to book illustrations and licensed products such as lunch boxes and diaries.

INSPIRED WAYS For Pilar, inspiration is ever-present.

“It’s kind of endless because it’s fashion. It doesn’t end. It doesn’t go away.”

She might admire a passing woman on the street or, more often, have an idea sparked by a window display.

“Seeing new trends and styles is always on my mind. I just look through my fashion magazines for inspiration.”

Should there be a momentary lapse, this fashionable lady does what ladies have long done — turns to a classic.

“If you run out of ideas, you paint a little black dress,” Pilar said.

No matter the project, her approach is constant.

“I sketch first,” she said. “And I’ll often spend more time sketching than I do with the painting… I’d say every day I sketch. I sketch in coffee shops a lot.”

Sometimes it’s simply for research as, “Most of those ideas never get painted.”

But when they do, it’s all by hand.

“There’s so much digital,” she said, noting she’s old-school all the way, with gouache (an opaque watercolor paint), brush and paper her tools of choice.

“I paint on paper then I scan it,” she said, a computer necessary for getting her designs to her clients.

With a home-based studio, one might imagine Pilar allows herself plenty of “dress-down” days, but that’s far from the truth.

“You’ll never find me in sweats,” Pilar said in no uncertain terms. In fact, she said she’s been known to wear her own LBD and full makeup “to sit in my studio painting.”

That way, she said, “I just feel like I’m ‘ready to go.’”

And go she does, constantly creating what surrounds her on this day. At one point, a customer looked around and broke into a broad smile, saying to Pilar, “Thank you for… all this.”

It’s such moments, when she hears how her “little pieces of art” have connected with someone, that Pilar finds so rewarding.

“If they want to save it, frame it, cherish it… what more could I want?”

For more, visit bellapilar.com or papyrusonline.com.

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Photograph courtesy Tenacity Jeans.

s

SPORTY JEANS ARE IN THEIR GENES

BY DANIELLE RENDA

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isters Kendall, Kiersten and Karlyn Tupper were connoisseurs of the “pants dance.”

That is, the not-so-subtle set of shimmies needed to slide into slim-fitting jeans.

But it wasn’t by choice.

The sisters often had trouble finding jeans that flattered their curves, built from years of sports training and conditioning. It was out of this frustration that the forthcoming Tenacity Jeans was born.

“No more feeling squeezed, constantly readjusting shirts to hide the puckered waist band, or grabbing the back of your pants to stop the gapping,” Kiersten says. “Gone are the days when we succumb to wearing leggings, jeggings and athleisure clothes, because the jeans do not fit properly.”

As lifelong sportswomen, the sisters spent their childhood outside of Syracuse participating in lacrosse, soccer, dance, figure skating and snowboarding. As adults, they continued playing lacrosse, Kiersten and Karlyn at the University of

Connecticut and Kendall at Cornell University.

And it was after a summer lacrosse game that the sisters first played with the idea for Tenacity Jeans. “(My sisters and I) joked around that we would design jeans for active females and call the company something cool,” Kiersten says. “This seed of an idea was planted about six years ago and has been growing ever since.”

The sisters decided on Tenacity Jeans, a name that reflects their drive for success. Despite living in separate areas — Kiersten resides in Kerhonkson, a village in Ulster County, while Karlyn lives in Syracuse and Kendall in Spokane, Washington — they don’t allow the distance to affect their goals.

“We view our business and ourselves as tenacious, and we are determined to deliver a great product for women like ourselves,” Kiersten says.

The sisters began experimenting with patterns and styles, eventually deciding on the ever-popular skinny-taper jeans, though their strategy for fit remained the same.

“We specifically engineered these jeans to accommodate for larger thighs and butts and taper for a smaller waist,” Kiersten says.

The brand made its debut on Kickstarter, an online crowd-sourcing platform, where the sisters have, thus far, raised $6,953. Though falling short of their initial $20,000 goal, they received valuable feedback about their product. When it came time for the production stage, the women-owned business chose to remain homegrown.

“Tenacity Jeans are grown and sewn in the United States,” Kiersten says. “Currently, our cotton and denim are sourced from mills in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina, and the jeans are manufactured in Texas.”

The jeans, designed for women of all ages, are made from a high-quality denim blend and include a contour waistband, as well as a feminine hygiene pocket (for an extra Tampon). The midrise style offers coverage, while the back — where the sisters often encountered a loose, flapping waistband — lays flat. Back pockets are purposely placed to highlight the derriere.

“Pure elation is an understatement when I put on my jeans,” Kiersten says. “No better feeling than when they seamlessly come up over my thighs and butt without having to do the ‘pants dance.’”

Tenacityjeans.com is scheduled to launch this fall, when it will offer jeans, sizes 2 through 14, in navy blue for $79.95. The sisters have plans to expand the sizes and colors, as well as develop a business casual line to include khakis and slacks.

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Therese Rosenblatt. Photograph by John Rizzo.

a

FASHIONING A PRACTICE TO HELP YOUTH

BY JANE K. DOVE

dolescence has always been a difficult stage in the journey through life but perhaps never more so than in today’s digital fishbowl.

Therese Rosenblatt, a psychologist who practices in Scarsdale and Manhattan, devotes a portion of that practice to helping young people sort through their problems. She says that the pressure they are under today can lead to anxiety and depression and a host of other issues, including hostile relations with parents, eating disorders and troubled peer relationships.

“I see my role as helping them to get back on a good developmental track,” she says.

“When they come to me, they have sometimes had many setbacks. They need to learn to deal with their own inner issues and goals and learn healthy ways of broadening their perspectives. I try to lay out some options to help get relief and get them back on track to a more relaxed and fulfilling adolescence.”

A NEW WORLD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE “Years ago, adults assumed all adolescents were happy simply because they were young,” 46

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Rosenblatt says. “But that is no longer the case.

We realize that adolescents, who I classify from age 10 to mid-20s, are dealing with a lot of change both inside themselves and in the outside world.

There is a tremendous pressure to become this perfect, achieving mini-adult and sometimes the tug of war between reality and expectations just causes a break.”

Rosenblatt says she believes most of her patients know they are troubled and want help.

“I am very moved by the number that work hard and use the therapy. Even with those that start out being resistant, I can sometimes find ways to engage them and break through, ultimately getting good results.”

Many of the pressures her young patients face come from society, with parental expectations trickling down to the kids, she says. “For an adolescent, dealing with this kind of outside pressure can be overwhelming. Many end up putting more pressure on themselves than is necessary. Societal pressure cannot be underestimated. Adolescents are expected to mature faster and younger in about every sphere of life.”

DIGITAL PRESSURES The 24/7 internet poses additional challenges.

“Adolescents are losing attention span and the ability to communicate effectively with others in the ‘real world.’ And kids expect instant results and feedback on almost everything. Many have lost the idea that sometimes others need time to think things over to come up with a coherent response.”

In the age of rapid reaction, dating has even greater pitfalls. “It they do not get an instant, positive response to a text, they think the worst and wonder what they said wrong,” she says. “This is unrealistic and increases their anxiety.”

But on the plus side, the digital world can be a blessing for the socially awkward. “They can make connections more easily, without meeting face-toface and have a screen. Great social skills are not required and the pain of someone just disappearing into cyberspace is not as sharp as in reality.”

SCHEDULED TO DEATH Over-scheduling is the enemy of us all, including adolescents.

“We have gotten to the point where it’s just too much,” Rosenblatt adds. “Today’s adolescents mimic tightly scheduled and stressed-out adults.

Adolescents sometimes need to just do nothing, a skill which is almost nonexistent.”

Young people need time to play and to experiment with different sports and hobbies. “They

FOR AN ADOLESCENT, DEALING WITH THIS KIND OF OUTSIDE PRESSURE CAN BE OVERWHELMING. MANY END UP PUTTING MORE PRESSURE ON THEMSELVES THAN IS NECESSARY. SOCIETAL PRESSURE CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED. ADOLESCENTS ARE EXPECTED TO MATURE FASTER AND YOUNGER IN ABOUT EVERY SPHERE OF LIFE. — Therese Rosenblatt

need to see different ways of interacting in the world. Taking time to lie in a hammock and look up at the clouds can be a very good and healthy thing to do.”

Instead young people often seem on that quest

for perfection that manifests itself not only in overachieving but an unrealistic body image.

“There’s so much in the media that it’s overwhelming to young people,” Rosenblatt says. “The ubiquitous images put on the pressure to conform and sometimes this leads to a need to control.”

Young people can develop eating disorders in an attempt to control their food intake, telling their parents to back off, that this is an area where they are in charge. “We have become a society where tremendous emphasis is placed on the female body and its beautification,” she says. Everything is about how young women look.”

Unrealistic body images — for boys as well as girls — are not the only threat to the young body.

Rosenblatt sees substance abuse as a symptom rather than a cause. “Teens who engage in substance abuse simply do not feel valued. Many also feel that it is impossible to socialize without drinking. It is a reaction to the tremendous demand to be socially facile and many face it down with drugs or alcohol. Special counseling is required if this becomes more than a passing issue.”

Rosenblatt has extended her adolescent practice up into the mid-20s because she says so many young people need it. “In today’s world, maturation and development are very different from a few decades back. I am happy to treat young patients in a broad age range and feel that I get very good results with this approach.”

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

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p

Renee Ring and Paul Zofnass, the couple behind the Westchester Wilderness Walk, at the 2016 Westchester Land Trust gala.

DESIGNING A CONSERVATION MOVEMENT

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

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aul Zofnass and Renee Ring live deliberately.

It’s a necessary trait for a couple who went wandering around their backyard one day, then spent 10 years cobbling together 150 acres of greenway and 8 miles of hiking trails in order to save them.

The road that got them there was winding.

It’s the story of how Pound Ridge’s Westchester Wilderness Walk (the largest of Westchester Land Trust’s preserves) came to be. In 1982, Zofnass and Ring bought their wooded farmhouse 45 miles from New York City. Their “backyard” then was an initial 6 acres of wild, rugged terrain that ran into an unbounded amount of land. They spent weekends hiking aimlessly or cross-country skiing, wondering where it all ended.

“The reason we bought the place was because we were surrounded by woods,” Zofnass says.

Eventually, they stumbled upon the unwelcome sight of orange surveyor stakes, an ominous sign that plans were brewing for subdividing and developing the land that abutted their beloved woods. This unleashed in them a spirit of revolt.

“If the land wasn’t conserved,” Ring says, “it would be gone forever.”

THE PATH FORWARD

Zofnass went in search of a tax map of the area to determine who owned what, then knocked on doors to persuade neighboring families to join him and his wife. Next came years of imagining, rethinking, enticing and persuading each neighbor. “Everyone has his or her own issues, problems and goals,” he says.

As Ring put it in a tribute to her husband, Zofnass had embarked on a labor of love. “He tracked

down absent landowners and convinced them to part with huge swaths of their property. He studied the intricacies of land conservation easements and figured out how to use the tax laws to leverage acquisitions. He met with developers and educated them about the benefit of clustering their planned lots to preserve wetlands and vistas.”

The family teamed with the Westchester Land Trust, a nonprofit that uses conservation easements as a tool to help protect specific land areas.

A conservation easement amounts to a promise never to build — presumably in perpetuity — allowing owners to keep their land but donate its development rights.

The Westchester Land Trust (Ring and Zofnass serve on its board) has helped protect nearly 8,000 acres of land in the county and proved invaluable, Zofnass says, in helping him and Ring develop their concept as well as plan the best routes for tightly wound trails that loop and switch back through points of interest for hikers.

With problems addressed, neighboring families came aboard. They sold or gave away their parcels until a viable plan took shape.

“Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau and his wife, “CBS Sunday Morning” host Jane Pauley, gave their land outright. It was a pivotal move that

helped pave the way forward. The preserve is now a tapestry comprised of six parts, spreading to add wetlands, steep cliffs and easy access from the road. From a practical standpoint, the effort they’ve made also preserves a significant amount of indirect acreage in terms of effect on the land and environment.

THE WILDERNESS WALK

The topography of the preserve, which officially opened in 2001, is typical of Westchester and includes upland forests, wetlands, edge habitats and rocky outcroppings. Zofnass is the chief steward.

“We all worked on it,” Ring says. “But it was Paul’s vision. He was dragging us out there every weekend.”

With names like Crotchedy Old Oak and Layer Cake Rock there was fun to be had in designating favorite sites.

There is Paul’s Falls (“Because I kept falling there”) and Trudeau’s Point of View, an homage to his contributing neighbor. “Because he always had a point of view,” quips Zofnass before he turns serious. “I wanted him to know just how much we appreciated what he did.”

Hikers can look out for the fancifully named rose-breasted grosbeak or the yellow-throated

vireo as they wander the trail system, the entirety of which could take anywhere from two and half to five hours.

The Northern Loop includes Quartz Quarry and Awesome Oak. But the southern and central loops “are the most popular because they are the most accessible,” Ring says. Among her favorites are the Central Roundabout and the Eastern Loop that has the Grand Stone Staircase. “The eastern loop is exciting,” Zofnass agrees.

Uncrowded, well-maintained and marked trails — often edged with branches carefully placed by Zofnass and other family members — are tightly packed and nonetheless challenging due to mud, tree roots, uneven rocks, streams and wetlands.

“It’s a fun trail,” Ring says. “Kids really enjoy it.”

There are maps, self-guided tours, educational plaques and humorous signs posted by Zofnass.

Hikers love the humor, he says. Ring, not so much.

“Not all spouses think their husbands are funny,” he adds with a laugh.

Neighbors clear trails and report damage, tending the land. A trust has been set up to help with maintenance into the future.

This adds credence to the idea that we take care of the things we love.

For more, visit westchesterlandtrust.org.

PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PRINCE HARRY, SNOOPY HAS SPIKE – YOU KNOW, THE BAD-BOY BABY BRO WHO’S A CHUNK OF CHARM AND A TON OF TROUBLE. That’s what WAG Weekly is to WAG. In our e-newsletter, we let down our hair (and occasionally, our grammar) to take you behind behind-the-scenes of the hottest parties and events, offer our thoughts on the most controversial issues of the day, share what couldn’t be contained in our glossy pages and tell you what to do and where to go this weekend – all while whetting your appetite for the next issue.

If you can’t get enough of WAG — or you just want to get WAG unplugged — then you won’t want to miss WAG Weekly, coming to your tablet each Friday a.m.

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WEAR

A GEM OF A JEWELER – AND A GUY

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

hen we spied Robert Procop’s blue topaz and diamond cuff — with its Eiffel Tower hinges — at the spring launch of Saks Fifth Avenue The Vault, The Saks Shops at Greenwich, we were smitten.

And then when we saw the related necklace and earrings — not to mention a pink cabochon sapphire ring — well, we just knew we had to have Procop’s pieces in WAG’s September fashion issue. (If only we had the pieces for ourselves.)

What makes them showstoppers? He’ll tell you below that it starts with the stones. But it’s the way he “paints” with the stones — juxtaposing them to create pattern and texture — that makes his work unusual.

What makes him unusual is the way he applies some of his collections/collaborations in service of others. Procop has collaborated with Angelina Jolie on the Style of Jolie collection, whose angular gold settings are at once ancient and modern, to benefit the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict 100 percent. (The partnership has opened an all-girls school in Afghanistan, not far from Kabul.) Procop and Jolie also give all the profits from emerald sales of their collection to school building projects worldwide. And the tax from Procop’s emerald exports benefits the school near the Muzo mines in Colombia.

The Brooke Shields collaboration/collection, Legacy Brooke, is more romantic with its diamond-studded filigree. Legacy Brooke benefits Los Angeles House of Ruth, which provides temporary and transitional housing for battered women and children. (Procop is based in L.A.) It’s the kind of work that makes the modest

From left, Brooke blue topaz bracelet; 18.28–carat oval color change celebration ring; 10.02-carat cushion bluish violet changing to purple sapphire ring. Photographs copyright Robert's University Studies: California University of Northridge, Business.

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jeweler — who took time recently to talk shop with WAG — “a price above rubies”: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND GORGEOUS CREATIONS. YOUR WORKS ARE SO RICH — SATURATED IN COLOR AND SPECTACULAR IN DESIGN. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? “I’m inspired by each gemstone’s color, brilliance and shape. Every gem has its own personality and I design around what complements the gem.”

WHY JEWELRY AS A CAREER? “My father was a lighting and mechanical engineer, so at a young age I learned to use tools and lighting under microscopic conditions. These lessons added to my fascination with rocks and gems. At 16, I worked a summer job in a jewelry loan store and, with my experience, progressed to trading gems to pay for my university studies.

As the stores I supplied needed fine jewels, it was a natural progression to design and manufacture jewelry to highlight the gems. I’ve been taught by some great masters and I’m blessed to have this as a career in a trade so fascinating.”

TAKE US THROUGH THE CREATIVE PROCESS FROM DESIGN TO MANUFACTURE. “I study the gem in our laboratory and design the cut and faceting. I see how the gem reflects in the morning, at midday and how it captures the light at night. I see how it lays with other gems, how it reflects against different precious metal colors to complement each other. I lay it on my hand and imagine how it would best complement a finger. The gem dictates the design around it.

“After thinking of each gem’s unique combination of shade, color and brilliance and what sculpture would complement the jewel, I start to craft out an initial design, sketch down my thoughts and the process is formed from there.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN A DEDICATED SPACE LIKE SAKS FIFTH AVENUE THE VAULT AT THE SAKS SHOP GREENWICH? “It is a dedicated showcase in the round. It gives the opportunity for collectors to view a taste of our collections and craftsmanship. In this showcase, we feature a few special, rare color gemstones and highlights from the collaboration with my friend Brooke Shields.”

WHAT ONE PIECE FROM THE COLLECTION WOULD YOU SELECT AS A GO-TO, CAN’T-MISS PIECE FOR A WOMAN TO WEAR ON ANY OCCASION? “There are two unique sapphire rings with naturally changing colors. The jewel that gets the most attention is Brooke Shields’ five-row sugarloaf Legacy Bracelet.”

For more visit, robertprocop.com or saks.com.

I FEEL SO POWERLESS. WE HAVE TO WATCH HER EVERY MINUTE. FAMILY AND FRIENDS STOPPED COMING AROUND. HE KEEPS SAYING: “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME.” IT’S DESTROYING OUR FAMILY. I FEEL SO GUILTY WE HAVE TO MOVE HER INTO A HOME. IT’S SO HARD TO CARE FOR SOMEONE WHO’S MEAN TO YOU. HE HIDES THINGS ALL THE TIME. I’M GRIEVING THE LOSS OF SOMEONE WHO’S STILL ALIVE. WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START.

LIVING WITH FTD IS HARD. LIVING WITHOUT HELP IS HARDER. THERE’S COMFORT IN FINDING OTHERS WHO UNDERSTAND. WE FINALLY FOUND A DOCTOR WHO GETS IT. I GOT SO MUCH ADVICE FROM OTHER CAREGIVERS. UNDERSTANDING MORE HELPS ME DEAL WITH HER SYMPTOMS. SEEING THAT OTHERS MADE IT THROUGH, I KNEW I COULD TOO. WE HONOR HIM BY ADVOCATING FOR A CURE. NOW I’M BETTER AT ASKING FOR HELP. NO MATTER HOW BAD IT GETS, WE KNOW WE’RE NOT ALONE. It can feel so isolating and confusing from the start: Just getting a diagnosis of FTD takes 3.6 years on average. But no family facing FTD should ever have to face it alone, and with your help, we’re working to make sure that no one does.

The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) is dedicated to a world without FTD, and to providing help and support for those living with this disease today. Choose to bring hope to our families: www.theAFTD.org/learnmore

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WEAR

WHERE CLOTHES DO MAKE THE MAN

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

ay “Savile Row” and it immediately conjures an image of a man in a suit — smart, classy and impeccably tailored. That’s because since 1846 it has been the first and last word in bespoke (made-to-order) tailoring for men.

Anderson & Sheppard, Davies & Son, Dege & Skinner, Ede & Ravenscroft, Henry Poole & Co., H. Huntsman & Sons, Meyer & Mortimer, Kilgour and Norton & Sons are among the bespoke tailoring firms on London’s “golden mile” that have dressed everyone from Cary Grant to Hugh Grant, from Prince Albert to his great-great-great-great-grandson Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

Now comes a book — actually this is its second, more compact incarnation — from men’s fashion editor/expert James Sherwood and Thames & Hudson called “Bespoke: The Master Tailors of Savile Row” ($40, 287 pages) and it is a humdinger, with its yummy pink binding and gray, tweedy covers.

Between them you’ll find the story of Savile Row organized chronologically, thematically and by tailor, along with a foreword by Tom Ford, looking natty and sexy in an open-shirted tux that we have to assume is not a Savile Row suit (“….if I did not design my own men’s collection, I would have virtually my entire wardrobe made on Savile Row,” he writes).

But you do not have to know a waistband from a welt pocket (“outside pockets on a suit coat finished with a horizontal band of tone-on-tone cloth”) to enjoy this book, which is rich in reproductions of paintings as well as celebrity photographs.

To say it is raining men here is an understatement.

The doorway to Huntsman’s showroom at No. II Savile Row. To the far right is a painted shield celebrating the house’s Royal Warrant as leather breeches maker to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) in 1861. Guy Hills All images from "Bespoke: The Masters Tailors of Savile Row" (Thames & Hudson.)

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The Beatles play their last live gig on the roof of the Apple building at No. 3 Savile Row in 1969: a “happening” that many of the tailors still remember today. Both Paul McCartney and John Lennon are wearing Tommy Nutter suits. Getty Images.

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1

There are men in form-fitting trousers that show off the silhouette of the leg — and then some — in a way that would’ve made Regency dandy Beau Brummell proud (Prince Albert again, Mick Jagger). There are men in uniform (Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh).

There are men in plaid. And there are men you might not know but would want to (a particularly dashing Prince Eddy, who would’ve succeeded his father Edward VII had he not died of influenza; and the tenderly handsome, pooch-loving Prince Felix Youssoupoff, who would become famous, or infamous, as the man who murdered Russian royals manipulator Rasputin). They’re all gorgeous.

There’s a smattering of women here to keep the guys honest — Iman in a striking red satin gown with husband David Bowie in Spencer Hart bespoke at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Ball; Gwyneth Paltrow in a Vivienne Westwood gown with a fascinatingly cantilevered décolleté, accompanied by Jude Law in Kilgour bespoke; and Nicole Kidman in chartreuse chinoiserie by Christian Dior Couture (one of the best Academy Awards gowns ever) with then-hubby Tom Cruise in Richard James Bespoke block. The caption reads in part: “Nowhere was the ability to make a man walk taller apparent than when worn

by Tom Cruise at the 1997 Oscars….” Meow.

Fortunately, “Bespoke” is only peppered by snark. And just as well, otherwise we’d have to point out that it should read “more apparent than.”

And that “North by Northwest” — starring Cary Grant, the ne plus ultra of bespoke — was a 1959 film, not a 1946 one. That’s like a missing button or a pulled thread on a bespoke suit.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t stop “Bespoke” from being a terrific book for men who aspire to style — and the ladies who love them for it.

For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.

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4 1. Head of ceremonial tailoring Keith Levett tailoring a full state footman’s coat. Models of this coat tailored by the house in 1902 for King Edward VII’s footmen are still in service to the royal household.Henry Poole & Co. 2. Ambassador’s court coatee tailored by Gieves & Hawkes’s bespoke workroom and embroidered by London’s oldest and finest hand-embroiderers, Hand & Lock (founded 1767). The house made an identical model for Michael Jackson in 1989. Guy Hills/2010.

3. A Henry Poole & Co. bespoke suit with the correct system of white baste stitches clearly visible. When a tailor adds superfluous baste stitches to impress a customer (a trick used in the window displays of made-to-measure tailors on the west side of Savile Row), it is called “flash basting.”Henry Poole & Co. archive.

4. Henry Poole & Co. proves that traditional Savile Row can compete with Carnaby Street: models sent by Poole’s to San Francisco for British Fashion Week in 1971. Henry Poole & Co. archive.

5. Dashing Tweeds’ “Center Point” Bauhaus-inspired design, tailored by Huntsman and modeled for The Rake by performer Ian Bruce of The Correspondents in 2009. Guy Hills/2009.

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From left, double stripe shirt with detachable collar, suede jacket and solid border poncho. Photographs courtesy Worth New York.

A FASHION COLLECTION FOR THE ENTERPRISING WOMAN

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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orth New York is a fashion house by, for and about women. It was founded in 1991 by a woman, Caroline Davis — along with the late designer Richard Kaplan and textile manufacturer Jay Rosenberg.

It has created a team of some 500 stylists around the country, who show the collection in their homes and receive a percentage of the sales, women like Lucy Haynes, Davis’ daughter and a top seller out of Nashville; and Meg McAuley Kaicher, who recently showed pieces from the collection at her home and at J House, both in Greenwich. (The collection is again on view at Kaicher’s home through Sept. 6 and at J House from Sept. 14 through 28.)

But most of all, the collection of women’s wear and accessories has something for every woman, especially those who love a couture look and feel but not necessarily couture prices.

“We dress every woman and every lifestyle,” showroom coordinator Angela Smith says over coffee at J House. “We meet the needs of working women, the woman who lunches and the women at leisure.”

And they do it with three collections, one of which pays tribute to pioneering aviator — and

WE MEET THE NEEDS OF WORKING WOMEN, THE WOMAN WHO LUNCHES AND THE WOMEN AT LEISURE. — Angela Smith

The Amelia Atlas Square, with a blossom for every stop on Amelia Earhart’s groundbreaking flights.

onetime Harrison and Rye resident — Amelia Earhart. The Journey On collection, with its on-trend military snap, includes a map-like scarf with flowers marking Earhart’s global stops. The Ivy League collection draws on menswear for inspiration. Think plaid, argyle and intarsia, a multicolored pattern. Last but not least, there’s Lady Luxe, a collection that enables women to channel their inner Faye Dunaway from her “Network” heyday in rich earth tones.

Dunaway was giving her breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde” in 1967, the year Davis, a New York City resident, decided she wanted to buy a luxury vacuum. When her husband suggested it was extravagant, Davis determined to become financially independent. Luxury direct sales of women’s clothes was the route she took, moving from local representative to manager and founding The Carlisle Collection in 1980.

Davis was out of Carlisle 10 years later when Kaplan approached her about luxury direct selling, and soon Worth New York was born.

The clothes are designed at the Manhattan flagship but made overseas of Italian fabrics.

“We can offer couture quality at good values, because we don’t have standalone retail stores,” Kaicher says.

“I’d say the pieces are priceless,” Smith adds.

And so is Davis’ philosophy by way of author Jill Ker Conway, Smith College’s first female president: “A strong group of women peers is the most powerful thing a woman can have.”

For more, visit worthnewyork.com. For Kaicher’s home sale, email mmcauley@worthnewyork.com.

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Colorful Islamic dresses with ducat decoration.

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GIVING NEW MEANING TO ‘COVER GIRL’

BY DANIELLE RENDA

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ou may not know her name, but you will recognize her face.

Nura Afia is CoverGirl’s newest brand ambassador — and its first ever to wear a hijab.

The video blogger from Denver, Colorado, is Muslim and wears the traditional headscarf, covering her hair and neck.

Though by tuning into her YouTube channel, Babylailalov, where CoverGirl discovered her — she now has some 14 million views — it’s hard to tell that Afia, with her exotic beauty and captivating eyes, was once self-conscious about practicing hijab.

“Honestly, growing up and being insecure about wearing the hijab, I never thought I would see Muslim women represented on such a large scale,” she has said.

Recently, however, the garment has been part of a universal fashion push to promote cultural diversity, particularly targeting Muslim women.

Earlier this year, Nike introduced its sports hijab, a lightweight, waterproof alternative for female

Muslim athletes. Last year, Dolce & Gabbana unveiled its Abaya Collection, an assortment of colorful hijabs and abayas (a cloak-like, floor-length garment worn over clothing) in feminine prints and patterns. This same year, H&M brought in Mariah Idrissi, its first model to wear a hijab in its advertising, stating that the needs of its Muslim consumers are being heard — and answered. D’Jakarta, a high fashion brand designed by Anniesa Hasibuan, graced the runway at New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, 2016, with 48 free-flowing, floor-length, pastel ensembles, all of which were outfitted with hijabs. Hasibuan was the first to feature a full collection that included hijabs with every look — and she received a standing ovation for it.

But designers’ efforts to incorporate hijabs into their collections — and hijab-wearing models into their advertising — are not aimed at reinventing the religious garment as a trend. Rather, it’s to promote equality, both inside and outside of the industry.

Such efforts have received their share of push-

Fashion portrait of a Muslim woman. Courtesy dreamstime.com.

Build the Future

Celebrate the Present

tober 2016, Tagouri posed for Playboy magazine while wearing a hijab — and black pants, a leather jacket and white Converse sneakers. She received some flack for this decision, but her message was that confidence has roots in modesty — and the hijab fully reflected this concept.

Salma Omar Bagadood, a Saudi Arabian graduate of Iona College, contrasted Muslim and Western fashion for her dissertation, “Public Relations & Communication: A Comparative Case Study in Avenues of Communication of Women’s Fashion in the West and the Muslim World.” The conclusion of her study compared the fashion motivations of American women with those of Muslim women — particularly those of Saudi Arabian women, who live in an Islamic state — and found common ground.

“Saudi women, in general, are not different from women in the West, in the sense that beauty for them is a goal, including the relation between the sexes,” Bagadood wrote.

The fashion industry says the hijab is not something to be ashamed of. It’s a symbol to wear proudly.

And by the looks of these fabulous hijab-wearing women, it’s only speaking the truth.

To check out Nura Afia’s makeup tutorials, visit her YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/ Babylailalov.

Honor the Past

back. The burkini — the lightweight swimsuit designed by Aheda Zanetti that covers everything but the face, hands and feet — has been banned in many towns in France, which has particular rules about the public expression of religion.

And despite the growing population of Muslim women in the United States, they continue to fall victim to discrimination and harassment — and are even denied work — simply for wearing the hijab, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Sometimes, these women are forced to remove the headscarf in exchange for entry into certain places.

For these women, publically removing the headscarf, a symbol of respect for their religion and the sacred text of the Qur’an, can be demoralizing.

But people like Afia, Idrissi and Hasibuan are determined to break this cycle.

Afia, who began creating her videos as a pastime following the birth of her now 5-year-old daughter, today views the hijab as a symbol of empowerment.

Color coordinating her makeup with her hijab, Afia shares her posts with some 345,000 Instagram followers, some 221,000 YouTube subscribers and millions of tourists and New Yorkers alike who pass by the CoverGirl billboard in Times Square.

Other women, like Muslim journalist Noor Tagouri, are taking a different approach. In Oc-

“As physical therapy, Alex’s experience at Pegasus has surpassed her therapist’s expectations. It has also proven to be excellent speech therapy. Alex’s time at Pegasus enriches her life beyond measure. She would not be the happy, confident young lady she is without it. I am proud of what Alex has accomplished as a rider, delighted that she has found a passion in horses, and grateful to Pegasus for making all of this possible.”

- Alexandra’s father, Ed Founded in 1975, Pegasus provides the many benefits of equine-assisted activities and therapies to people with special needs, individuals at risk, and soon, military veterans. We are a PATH International Premier Accredited Center serving more than 200 participants ages 4 and up each year at our chapters in Putnam and Fairfield counties. Our programs offer a wide range of opportunites for sport, recreation, learning and socialization. Through the incredible therapeutic power of the horse, participants gain self-confidence and strength in a nonjudgmental environment created to help them meet their individual goals and celebrate the joys of success.

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capturing painters in sculpture STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

BY RYAN DEFFENBAUGH

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IN HIS 1836 “ESSAY ON AMERICAN SCENERY,” THE PAINTER THOMAS COLE WROTE THE “RIVER SCENERY OF THE UNITED STATES IS A RICH AND BOUNDLESS THEME. THE HUDSON FOR NATURAL MAGNIFICENCE IS UNSURPASSED.”

A bronze bust of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, by sculptor Greg Wyatt at Boscobel House and Gardens.

The England-born Cole’s love for the Hudson River and America’s natural landscapes led him to found a movement in landscape painting that would define America as the new Eden in the decades that bracketed the Civil War. While never officially organized, the group of landscape painters it attracted later became known as the Hudson River School. And though its artists would eventually travel the world to paint landscapes, they would primarily be known as the artists of the Americas.

This fall, Boscobel House and Gardens will launch a sculpture garden with Greg Wyatt’s bronze busts of 10 artists considered fundamental to the school. Besides Cole, they are Asher B. Durand, Frederic E. Church, Albert Bierstadt, Jasper F. Cropsey, Sanford Robinson Gifford, John Frederick Kensett, George Inness, Thomas Moran and Thomas Worthington Whittredge.

For the onetime home of States Dyckman — known as a fine example of Federal architecture and decorative arts as well as for its commanding Hudson River views that include West Point — launching a sculpture garden dedicated to the Hudson River painters “makes perfect sense for a number of reasons,” says Steven Miller, executive director of Boscobel House and Gardens.

“The Hudson Highlands really was quite famous in the mid-19th century as a location for artists to depict, and those artists were largely involved in the Hudson River School. So it’s kind of the hub of the school and then the spokes go out to the Adirondacks, Berkshires, Maine and into the Northwest and the rest of the globe. ” The Boscobel mansion itself was first built in Montrose sometime between 1804 and 1808 — it was later moved to its current site — about 20 years before Cole would sell his first set of landscape paintings.

“Even though our historic mansion collection focuses on the Federal period in the early 19th

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century, this is an appropriate inclusion because we are in such an important part logistically of the Hudson River School,” Miller adds.

Sculptor Wyatt has deep ties to the region that inspired Hudson River School painters as well.

He directs the Academy of Art at the Newington-Cropsey Foundation in Hastings-on-Hudson, which preserves the neighboring home of Jasper F. Cropsey and displays many of his works. (The foundation underwrote the sculpture garden.)

Wyatt — sculptor-in-residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, home to his 40-foottall bronze “Peace Fountain” — also grew up across the river in Grandview-on-Hudson, where he says he’d often venture through the area’s wilderness.

While he wouldn’t become aware of the Hudson River School’s significance until he studied art history at Columbia University, Wyatt describes similarly gathering inspiration from his natural surroundings.

“I wouldn’t get in rowboats, as they did, and anchor off the Palisades and do oil sketch studies,” he says. “But I would go to Hook Mountain, an easy bicycle ride from Grandview. I could look at the geology.”

Wyatt started the sculpture garden project by consulting with historians and museum curators to come up with a list of the 10 most important painters to feature.

The sculptures include a biography of each art-

Sculptor Greg Wyatt at Boscobel’s Hudson River School Artists Garden in Garrison.

ist, placed on the back in bronze letters. The sculptures also integrate famous works from each artist.

A waterfall expressed in bronze runs through the statue of Thomas Moran, a reference to his painting “The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.”

Moran’s powerful depictions of Yellowstone are credited today with inspiring Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park. Indeed, the Hudson River School is credited with influencing the establish-

ment of the National Park Service as a whole. In the 1960s and 1970s, the artists’ work was used as inspiration for a new environmental movement. That’s a part of the painting school’s historical significance that Wyatt hopes to bring awareness to.

“I really have at least two paths in which I’m reaching out — documenting the importance of environmental preservation and which artists in particular deserve our eternal respect,” he says.

The sculptures will be situated just outside the main entrance of Boscobel. Wyatt has completed and placed seven of them already, with the final three set to be placed in the fall.

The phased installation of the sculptures has, Miller says, given Boscobel a rare chance to observe reactions to a new exhibit before it’s fully rolled out.

“I’ve watched people engage with these sculptures since the first four went up and it teaches them about the Hudson River School. A lot of people who come here are not from America. A lot of people are not familiar with the Hudson River School. So this is an opportunity to teach in a meaningful and informative way.”

There is a reception for the Hudson River School Artists Garden at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 7. Everyone is welcome, but reservations will be required.

For more, visit Boscobel.org.

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WEAR

a ‘golden’ designer

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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THE PACKAGE CAME WRAPPED AS IF IT WERE A DELIVERY FROM FORT KNOX. AND WELL MIGHT IT HAVE BEEN: “TEMPLE ST. CLAIR: THE GOLDEN MENAGERIE” (ASSOULINE) IS GOLDEN INDEED, FROM ITS LETTERING AND PAPER EDGES TO ITS ORGANIC CREATIONS WHICH ARE INSPIRINGLY, THRILLINGLY PAIRED WITH SOME OF THE GREAT WORKS OF ART.

The Landing Falcon ring of gold with spinel and diamonds.

Photograph © Harald Gottschalk.

But the book is just one of the latest accomplishments of the jeweler, who is celebrating 30 years in the business. In July, her 18-karat, eightring “Tolomeo” pendant with mixed sapphires and diamonds was added to the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, making her only the third American artist — after Louis Comfort Tiffany and Alexander Calder — to be so honored. The piece — inspired by the first-century philosopher Ptolemy, who believed the earth was the center of the universe — crystallizes what makes St. Clair a great jeweler. Yes, precious metals and stones employed in imaginative designs that capture the beauty of flora and fauna are part of it. But, above all else, there are ideas here.

“Temple St. Clair is a storyteller,” Dominique Forest, chief curator of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Jewelry, Musée des Arts Décoratifs observed at the time of the announcement. “As she delves into astronomy, the Middle Ages and antiquity, her work represents a luxurious and voluptuous vision.”

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From left to right, book cover, Sea Dragon earring with emerald, ruby, Ceylon sapphire, royal blue moonstone and diamonds; and Bat ring of gold with green tourmaline, sapphire and diamonds. Sea Dragon and Bat ring photographs © Harald Gottschalk.

In “The Golden Menagerie” — whose works have been presented at the Louvre, The Salon Art + Design at the Park Avenue Armory and the DeLorenzo Gallery in Manhattan — that vision leaps on, around and off the page, offset by artworks and literary quotes.

The Night Owl ring — made of gold with a star sapphire, a Ceylon sapphire, an emerald and a diamond — is accompanied by the words of poet Philip Sidney: “O you virtuous owl, the wise Minerva’s only fowl.”

It’s truly a ring fit for the goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts and war in a just cause. The sweet-faced Sleeping Fox ring of gold with spinels, Mandarin and

Malaya garnets, emeralds and diamonds, nestles in the snow across from a fox detail from “The Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries” at the Musée de Cluny in Paris. The Frog Prince ring of gold with a Mandarin garnet, tsavorites, a Ceylon sapphire, cat’s eyes and diamonds, clings to a vine, “Hidden in the glorious wildness like unmined gold,” as naturalist John Muir wrote. And those are just some of the rings.

They speak of a woman whose love of nature and culture was nurtured at an international school in Switzerland and in travels from North Africa to India and Japan. In her 20s, St. Clair wound up in Flor-

ence where she earned a master’s degree in Italian literature and where an ancient coin, purchased by her visiting mother, proved the key to a life in the decorative arts. Tasked with commissioning a local goldsmith to offset it with jewelry, St. Clair took the coin and a sketch to the goldsmiths of the Palazzo dell’Orafo and a career was born.

It is one, she has said, that enables “a hopeless hunter and gatherer, a bit of a wanderer and a selfmade jewelry historian” to draw — and to dream.

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a ‘love story’ to the world ALI MACGRAW DESIGNS HER LATEST ACT

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY IBU MOVEMENT

Ali MacGraw, right, and model KC Murray, both wearing fashions and accessories from the ali4ibu collection.

Photograph by Rob Brinson.

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A GLIMPSE THROUGH THE GLASS DOOR INTO THE MANHATTAN SHOWROOM YIELDS A LITTLE JOLT OF EXCITEMENT. There she is — Ali MacGraw, as radiant as you would imagine her to be.

Sure, it’s decades after the iconic actress, model, author and activist had her signature turn in “Love Story,” but her fame, along with that familiar smile, has endured.

While not expecting a diva, we are still surprised to meet an utterly down-to-earth woman, one whose warmth, humor and kind spirit will captivate us all over again.

MacGraw, who grew up in Westchester County, has come to studio four nyc, a textiles showroom and design studio, this evening to host a trunk show for Women without Borders, the ali4ibu collection.

It’s her first design work for the ibu movement, a Charleston, South Carolina-based organization that encourages economic self-sufficiency for women worldwide through “the art of their hands.”

Ibu (pronounced ee-boo) is a term used in Indonesia to designate a woman of respect.

And it now also describes a collection of clothing and goods handmade by women artisans around the world, with some 70 artisan groups in more than 30 countries having the means to be independent, to educate their children and be active members of their communities.

Before the program begins, we settle into a window banquette for a one-on-one with MacGraw to hear more not only about ibu but also fashion in general and Westchester, “not that they remember me,” she says with a laugh.

ALI AS IBU

MacGraw met ibu founder Susan Hull Walker in MacGraw’s longtime adopted hometown, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The women first connected over textiles — and the famed Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, for which MacGraw is one of some 2,000 dedicated volunteers.

“It’s boot camp, let me tell you,” she says.

MacGraw tapped into her passion for goods like those featured at the market for her work with ibu, creating fashions that are wearable, comfortable and inclusive of all sizes and body shapes — for women “not married to their zippers and whalebones.”

But it’s certainly deeper than that.

As she will tell the gathering a little later, around the world male/female relationships are often fraught with inequity.

“In many cultures, the balance is a little bit off,” MacGraw says. Ibu, she adds, helps “do something

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Fashions and accessories from ali4ibu collection. Photographs by Rob Brinson, above, and by Melissa Toms, following page.

to correct the balance.”

“I’m at an age now where active rage doesn’t suit us,” she says. “I’ve had many causes. I’m doing this as a service because I love it… I love the authenticity of it. I love the heart of it.”

She says that as a mother — she has a son, Josh Evans, from her marriage to Hollywood producer Robert Evans — and grandmother, she realizes it’s the “hardest of jobs” and relates to the women around the world trying to make money to help their families.

Work for ibu, she says, “has suddenly made it possible for that child to have a uniform,” which in turn allows them to attend school and start a chain of change. “I love what this is about.”

For MacGraw, it’s also been quite an adventure.

“I get to play in the sandbox,” she says of the collaboration that produced some 100 items crafted by women around the world, from Morocco to South Sudan, Tanzania to Pakistan to Navajo artists in New Mexico.

The fashions, MacGraw says, are “really what

I’ve worn my whole life.”

Such a genuine connection plus her “great design sensibility” have made MacGraw an ideal ambassador, says ibu’s founder.

“She’s lived her life a life of service,” says Hull Walker, also at studio four nyc. She finds MacGraw committed “at every level.

“She is a style icon who has always dressed in an ‘ibu-like’ way.”

In addition, having someone such as MacGraw involved can only further the cause.

“The fact that people around the country love her, of course, that opens doors for us.”

Those same people, Walker adds, also embrace how ibu works, “in a very nonaggressive way, without preaching.”

Instead, the message, MacGraw will add, comes through the layers of fashions that showcase different cultures and traditions.

“We’re, therefore, connected to women all over the world.”

HER OWN JOURNEY

MacGraw is a woman who is indeed known around the world, named one of “The 50 Most Beautiful People In the World” by People magazine in 1991.

But she seems to have carved out a lovely balance between public and private. She tells us of loving nothing more than curling up in bed at home, with a stack of magazines and a pot of tea.

Still, she is no recluse.

She’ll participate in a program at the Albuquerque Film & Music Experience. She’ll be photographed at an animal-rights event with drummer Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses fame. And in February 2016 she had romantics everywhere delighting in her return to Harvard University, where much of “Love Story” was filmed, with co-star Ryan O’Neal. (They were in the area for a Boston engagement of A.R. Gurney’s famed play about a lifelong relationship, “Love Letters,” a bit of genius casting).

MacGraw, the daughter of commercial artists and now counted among the famous graduates of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, followed early career days — from assistant to Diana Vreeland at Harper’s Bazaar to photo assistant to model — with quite the dramatic start in acting.

A memorable debut in 1969’s “Goodbye, Columbus” brought her the Golden Globe Award for the female Most Promising Newcomer.

Next was “Love Story,” the 1970 romantic drama that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress (Glenda Jackson won for “Women in Love”) and captured the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama.

ENDURING STYLE

The personal stamp she brought to her roles is also found throughout her work with ibu, as she continues to talk us through the collection.

“This bag is a copy of a bag I bought 20 years ago,” she says of a tote, the original picked up in London.

“I’m someone who likes to travel with as little as possible,” she says. “If you take this bag whenever you’re traveling, that’s it.”

She will hop up to pull out a jacket — from Swat Valley, Pakistan — and show off its embroidery, one of many examples she’ll share.

“These are made lovingly with centuries-old embroideries and weaving,” she says.

For MacGraw, the ibu design process began with her own blue African trade beads, noting blue flatters all skin tones.

From there, the collection grew, with many pieces interpreted in blues, white and orange.

Throughout, it’s all about ease and comfort, as demonstrated by her own tunic, which, when traveling, “You basically rinse it out.”

She said she’s also tired of products made in third world-countries where workers are exploited.

“In my opinion, we can’t be that sort of

high-handed society.”

Ibu clothing offers something more.

“We get the thrill of wearing those fashion traditions,” she says, though they are indeed fitted for “Western bodies” — and can accommodate attributes such as her own “gigantic shoulders and big feet” — and Western habits.

Such as? An aversion to ironing, as MacGraw says, “Right … this is called the 21st century. Let’s get real.”

The accessories also make a statement, she says, showing off an armful of bangles. She reels off phrases such as, “I am peace. I am joy… some kind of message that we lucky people get to choose how to react to the world right now.”

MacGraw pauses a moment, “It sounds like such drivel, but it’s really what I believe.”

STYLE THROUGH THE YEARS

For MacGraw, the ibu collection’s encouraging women to create their own statement look is just a continuation of her own life’s journey — and a distillation of her fashion sense.

“In the ’60s, when I was in my 20s, everybody did that,” she says of searching for distinctive dress, mentioning her own days walking down Manhattan’s Third Avenue in search of ethnic clothing.

It’s all about having a definite point of view. She points to Marchesa Luisa Casati, the eccentric Italian heiress, muse and art patron, or “the way Katharine Hepburn dressed,” but adds she also likes to look “a bit organic.”

She says those who blindly follow trends for the sake of trends are seeking approval: “What it’s saying is, ‘Do you like it? Am I cool?’”

Today, she says, “the magazines” make it clear you can “do almost anything you want,” especially women of a certain age.

“We have permission, as older people, to mix it all up.”

But then she always has, telling us about a talkshow appearance “when ‘Love Story’ came out,” she was pregnant and wearing what she describes as a “Syrian wedding dress.”

“I remember the look Johnny Carson gave me,” she says with a smile. She was clearly not wearing the expected uniform of a young celebrity — “miniskirt and stilettos.”

It was then, as it is now: “I love fashion, or should I say I love style.”

WESTCHESTER DAYS

MacGraw tells us she was born in Bedford and the family moved to Pound Ridge during her teens, where she fondly recalls a farmhouse on Honey Hollow Road.

“It was very isolated, but my parents were artists,” she says. The town, though, fascinated the young MacGraw.

“I was ‘in’ Pound Ridge,” she says. “I loved it.”

The natural surroundings just resonated with her.

“I want to be able to go to the woods, to see the

brook… There was something great about seeing a horse go by,” she says of the days before the area became a true “bedroom community.”

And Bedford also holds special memories, adding that she loves “the fact that they’ve absolutely preserved that Village Green.

“I think it’s an amazing experience for children.”

With her own memories, including simple pleasures such as her brother riding his bike to go buy her a candy bar, New York remains important.

“I love this part of the world,” she says, also mentioning New York City. “I get East as much as I can.”

AT HOME, AT PEACE

When back in Santa Fe, the noted yoga enthusiast tells us that classes, of late, have been curtailed because of “fragile shoulders.”

But she remains devoted to its own pace at home, “It’s my meditation. I absolutely believe in it.”

Its popularity, she says, is good to see but she does wonder if those who practice truly experience yoga’s spiritual aspect.

“Otherwise, it’s not yoga. It’s exercise.”

For MacGraw, it’s done “in order to shut down all that chat.”

She is frustrated, she adds, by today’s fixation with technology, especially among younger people.

“I think the future would give us some bad marks,” about not limiting children’s time on electronics, she says.

But, she adds with a laugh, she’ll readily turn to her 6-year-old grandson for help setting up a movie to watch.

In the end, she says, “It’s not for me to criticize.”

Indeed, throughout both the ibu project — and, it seems, her own life — MacGraw says it’s all about how you react to “being alive on planet Earth.”

It’s about, she continues, “seizing what is beautiful, what is kind and good.”

For MacGraw, “All of that is ibu for me in action.”

For more, visit ibumovement.com.

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WARES

THE COLOR CONUNDRUM

BY JANE MORGAN

Color can give any room a dramatic accent.

Courtesy dreamstime.

est known for fashion design, the Fashion Institute of Technology also has a brilliant interior design program, which I was most privileged to attend.

Although it wasn’t my focus, I was constantly bombarded with the edgiest real-time trends in clothing design, occurring at the epicenter of the fashion world — New York City. This being the 1980s, the atmosphere was swirling with outrageously dressed kids bucking to assert their individualism/conformism. (I’m not sure which.) I have to admit that the guy to my left wearing a cape and opera pumps was a challenge to my sheltered suburban upbringing.

During my freshman year, my studio design professor espoused his fervent view that “You can’t talk color.” Well, now that I don’t need his approval, I can heartily disagree. We don’t necessarily need to look at a swatch to help us conjure a color in our mind’s eye.

In fact, colors are part of our collective consciousness.

They are cultural, historical, geographical and personal all at the same time. Colors convey emotions and stimulate responses. There is indeed a psychology behind the often-reflexive choices we make in creating an environment that reflects our personalities.

A BRIEF REVIEW OF COLOR PSYCHOLOGY • Red is the color of energy, passion, action, ambition and determination.

• Orange is the color of optimism. Orange represents enthusiasm, creativity, attraction, encouragement and stimulation.

• Yellow/Gold is the color of sunshine. It is associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy.

• Green is the color of nature. Green symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, fertility and safety.

• Blue is the color of the sky and sea. Blue symbolizes trust, peace, depth and stability.

• Purple is the color of imagination, mystery and magic.

Purple symbolizes royalty, power, nobility and luxury.

• Pink is about unconditional love and nurturing.

• Brown is an earthy color that is associated with security, protection and comfort.

• White is associated with light, goodness, innocence and purity.

• Black is associated with power, elegance and formality. Black symbolizes strength, authority and prestige.

So what do your favorite colors say about you?

In the spirit of participation, I will tell you that the colors in my own home are red, orange, gold and green with black accents. I don’t think my blood type would tell you much more about me.

HOW TO CREATE A COLOR SCHEME There are so many “authorities” claiming to “know” which colors look well together. While it is true that there are certain well-established palettes that never go out of style, approach trends cautiously and with a curatorial eye. I am literally flipping through an ID magazine right now that is suggesting we all “energize” our dining rooms by painting the ceiling red and the walls pink, with blue as a “pop” color. This is way beyond pop. This is chaos served on a multicolored plate. Not every color should be the center of attention. I’m also pretty sure you will never need to paint your ceiling red under any circumstances.

MONOCHROMATIC COLOR SCHEME This scheme uses variations of a single color, as in light, medium and dark browns or grays with black and white accents. This palette is easy to live with and will always exude quiet elegance as long as there is a good mix of lights and darks.

ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEME This scheme uses two or three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, as in green, yellow/gold and blue. This scheme is also not hard to pull off and creates a lively, well-coordinated space.

COMPLEMENTARY COLOR SCHEME This scheme uses two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel, as in blue and orange. The complementary color scheme is high contrast and so one of the colors should be chosen as the dominant color, while the other acts as the accent. A palette like this creates a dramatic look.

COLOR FOR FALL The hot paint color for autumn is plum, an elusive and enigmatic deep shade of purple. Dark walls are the latest thing right now but don’t go overboard.

Dining rooms, powder rooms, the foyer and other ancillary spaces show this trend to its best effect.

Designers become recognized for using “signature” colors. I encourage you to embrace your favorites enthusiastically, instead of slavishly following the pack, because nothing is more fabulous than confidence.

For more on colors and their meanings, visit colorpsychology.org. And for more on Jane, visit janemorganinteriordesign.com.

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Alpaca fibers.

FASHION CONSCIENCE

BY MARTA BASSO

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ong gone are the days when business schools used to teach that the main objective for a company was to make a profit. Long gone are the days when corporate social responsibility was only a PR necessity and not a firm’s priority. Long gone are the days when fashion brands used to maximize margins and reduce production costs without caring so much about the implications.

Just over four years ago, the Western world woke up to a devastating piece of news: The Savar Building at Rana Plaza, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, had collapsed, leaving more than 1,100 dead and 2,500 injured. Among other shops and offices, the Rana Plaza was home to a couple of clothing factories, where some of the most well-known European and American apparel brands were manufactured.

This event, together with the Pakistan factory fires in Karachi and Lahore just a year before, shed light on the harsh daily reality the clothing factory workers were living — extremely low wages, unacceptable working conditions and no security measures whatsoever. CEOs representing renowned apparel brands and fashion corporations spoke out and took action to improve safety standards and compensations and committed to improve labor condi-

tions in developing countries.

But this was just the tip of the iceberg, because the real change was not coming from companies, but from customers themselves: Fashion was no more just about looking and feeling good, but it was beginning to be more about doing good.

“Today, CEOs and brands are asking themselves a new set of questions,” the Sequoia Lab Team writes in a column for The Guardian. “How do we position our products to reflect this new customer mindset? How do we preserve our DNA while taking a sustainable approach? What should we do internally so that the message of conscious branding is understood, integrated and transmitted throughout our organization?”

And those questions have arisen in the minds of the top management of the most important luxury maisons as well, especially the ones working with South American fiber — pima cotton, alpaca and the softest and warmest fiber in the world, vicuña.

It is evident that sustainable fashion is no longer a matter of brand reputation. It is a matter of an innovative and conscious value proposition.

Sustainable fashion takes a circular approach.

It starts from the raw materials, with attention to

the sources. Then it touches manufacturing activities, considering workers’ conditions and process safety. It follows the logistics and the sales process to land finally in waste management and control, which has to be 100 percent eco-friendly.

Even though critics argue that this concept is just a way to increase prices and to improve brand equity, the industry is growing constantly. Volumes of sustainable fabrics have grown by 19.7 percent year-on-year, and some apparel companies have formed coalitions to tackle environmental and social challenges together, such as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Programme or the Better Cotton Initiative.

Still, this is just the beginning. Data shows that there are bigger challenges on the sustainable fashion road: McKinsey & Co. predicts that in the clothing industry, CO2 emissions will increase by 77 percent, water use by 20 percent and land use by 7 percent in 10 years. Also, the most important challenge is still to be solved. In a world in which consumers keep their clothing items half as long as they did 15 years ago, how does the industry match sustainable practices and the fastest fashion ever?

The need to develop standards and practices for designing garments that can be easily reused or recycled is evident, as well as the need for further investments in low-impact fibers and processes. But fashion businesses are optimistic about what 2018 has in store. We all hope that not only we will never ever see a Rana Plaza again, but we will be able to be good to planet Earth thanks to what we wear.

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Photograph courtesy Nateeva.

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SCENTING THE CARIBBEAN — EVEN AT HOME

BY DANIELLE RENDA

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ropical waters, tantalizing sunsets and tranquil breezes.

There’s hardly anything more relaxing — and eagerly awaited — than a getaway to the Caribbean.

But the experience doesn’t have to end when the vacation does.

Fragrance brand Nateeva renders sweet-smelling reminders of paradise, all year long.

Founded by Jay McSherry and Hope Freeman of Teaneck, New Jersey, Nateeva’s collection of scents — inspired by native flowers — bottles the essence of the couple’s favorite faraway places.

“Nateeva is about letting your senses take you on an exotic journey to places you’ve visited — or wished to travel to,” Freeman has said.

The pair partnered with perfumer Laurent Le Guernec to create the first three scents — Nateeva St. Martin, Nateeva Bahamas and Nateeva Jamaica. St. Martin draws on the hibiscus flower with a blend of essence of orange flower, mimosa absolute, jasmine mist, amber droplets and sheer musk. Bahamas recreates the scent of the yellow elder flower with a fusion of linden blossom, ginger and sandalwood. And Jamaica looks to the lignum vitae flower (Latin for the “tree of life”), with soft notes of mandarin, frangipani (plumeria) and coconut water.

This summer, Nateeva welcomed three new scents — St. Thomas, a floral, feminine fragrance with citrusy undertones; Aruba, a long-lasting perfume with hints of sandalwood, reminiscent of the beach; and Dominican Republic, a lighter essence spotlighting the cactus flower.

WAG particularly enjoyed Aruba, a spicier smell, though the entire collection is a must-wear.

The fragrances’ packaging features floral designs

and colors that complement the aromatic blend, with patterns inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, as are the fragrances themselves.

“Visually, I’ve always been enamored with the bold, colorful flower paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe,” Freeman has said. “She’s painted many of the flowers that have found their way into Nateeva fragrances, like hibiscus and plumeria. I love that her work is spare and romantic at the same time.

“And I think some of that sensibility is what I get from Nateeva, which is a very candid reflection of the amazing islands I’ve visited.”

In addition to adding more fragrances, the brand will soon offer body lotions, body washes, candles and diffusers as well.

“We’re looking forward to creating remarkable fragrances for destinations in the Pacific and, who knows, maybe the Indian Ocean,” Freeman has said.

And though the brand pays tribute to Mother Nature and her many salient gifts, it also pays homage to companion animals. The Nateeva Fund donates a percentage of proceeds from its products to efforts aimed at addressing the stray population, the spread of diseases among animals and the lack of veterinary medical supplies and education in the tri-state area as well as animal shelters and humane societies that care for cats and dogs.

So, with a single bottle of a Nateeva fragrance, you’re instantly transported to a dreamy coastline, and you’re helping to improve the welfare of domestic animals: Count us in for sure.

Nateeva perfumes are available in 3.4-ounce bottles for $125.

For more, visit nateeva.com.

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k

WEAR

THE SEOUL OF SKINCARE

BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

Sulwhasoo is a brand in the hot K-beauty (Korean-beauty) trend. Courtesy Amarte and Sulwhasoo.

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orean beauty products — commonly called K-beauty — are enjoying a worldwide moment and it’s easy to see why. The South Koreans have a different perspective on how to care for their skin, as I discovered when I spoke to Dr. Craig Kraffert, a board-certified dermatologist, president of the Amarte skincare line and founder of DermStore — featuring a variety of brands, including some for acne and hair loss.

What makes K-beauty different? According to Kraffert, all Koreans — men, too, but especially women — “view the care of skin as something to savor and enjoy….When it comes to daily skincare regimens, the ‘sense of urgency’ and compulsion to hurry and finish are typically absent.” In other words, the Koreans love to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the skincare process, and they view it as a privileged activity of indulgence, enjoyment and respect. Quite a difference from us rushed Americans, who typically eat breakfast on the go and apply lipstick in the passenger seats of their cars.

Amarte is famous for a few of its cult products. The first is the Amarte Natural Finish BB Cream, which moisturizes with argan oil, brightens with elemental sulfur, protects with broad spectrum SPF 36 and tints with fine mineral pigments. (The Koreans love to layer.)

Another trending Amarte beauty product is Overnight Express Therapy, which uses a sponge-like silk protein to deliver retinol and peptides to your skin while you sleep. Sweet dreams. The Amarte Ultra Veil is also a showstopper — probably the most elegant sunscreen you will ever wear.

Laura Chen, Sulwhasoo’s marketing manager, gave me the scoop on this brand, which has a rich heritage of more than 50 years of ginseng research. The brand originated in 1966 with the launch of the first ginseng-based cosmetics product — ABC Ginseng Cream — and evolved into a portfolio of more than 60 products available in the U.S., delivering innovative ingredients, technologies and formulations.

This year Sulwhasoo celebrates the 20th anniversary of First Care Activating Serum, which is Korea's best-selling serum product. First Care Activating Serum made its

debut in 1997 as the first boosting essence based on traditional Korean medicinal herbs, opening up a whole new category within the beauty space and changing beauty routines in Korea and abroad. Indeed, this is a great product, although I’m especially partial to the utterly gorgeous Essential Rejuvenating Eye Cream EX that is lightweight and luscious (made with gingko leaf and honey) and also the Perfecting Cushion (I use No. 17 beige) with SPF 50. They’re the perfect marriage of medicinal herbs and modern science.

The ombre/gradient makeup category is growing fast in Korea. Laneige has brought this innovation to the U.S. with the recent launch of Two Tone Lipstick products that were introduced at Sephora in June. The lipstick’s fashionable high gloss and semi-matte formula combines two curated shades in one sleek tube.

One of my favorites from Laneige is its Water Bank Moisture Cream, which is enriched with mineral water, biogen technology and minerals to impart nutrients to your skin. This product has won more than seven Global Beauty Awards.

I’m also in love with the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, which delivers intense doses of moisture to your dermis while you cozy up under your comforter and snooze. It’s also infused with apricot and evening primrose. (One is sold every 12 seconds worldwide.) Last but not least, Laneige has a complementary Lip Sleeping Mask that is like putting fresh strawberries on your smackers but also contains hyaluronic acid and minerals.

You’ll wake up to wonderful, kiss-worthy lips — and who doesn’t love that?

For baby-soft skin, consider Tatcha’s Balancing Ritual for normal to oily skin. There are four steps — purifying with camellia oil; polishing with rice enzyme power; softening with anti-aging superfoods (I’m all-in for that); and moisturizing with the water cream. It’s dermatologist-tested and formulated without mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, sulfate detergents, urea — and the other so-called “dirty 30” you don’t want to use on your skin.

And just when you thought you could only turbocharge your car, now comes Vitabrid C12, from Hyundai IBT Co. in Seoul. Its star product, Vitabrid C12 FACE Brightening Powder, is a transdermal Vitamin C that you mix with water or your favorite skin cream to revitalize, brighten and rev up your facial skin cells. It’s also a Cosmoprof “Trendsetting Award Winner,” whose Vitamin C is used to stimulate collagen production.

Now go out there and show off your glowing complexion.

For more on Debbi, visit gorgeousglobetrotter. com and marketingauthor.com.

FALL LINE COMING SOON herdedeferme.com We use only the fur pelts gathered from alpacas that have passed from natural causes; an eco-friendly process that doesn’t harm our furry friends.

WANDERS

MI CASASANDRA, SU CASASANDRA

BY JEREMY WAYNE PHOTOGRAPHS BY IAGO LEONARDO

s

ize, as we know, or should know, doesn’t really matter, but there’s something faintly reassuring that the sign that my greeter, Eduardo, is holding and which bears my name, is by far the biggest in the sea of signs and placards outside arrivals at Cancún International Airport. “Welcome to Yucatán,” Eduardo says as he whisks me into the air-conditioned comfort of the smart shuttle bus waiting nearby. Four minutes later, we swing into the private terminal at the northwest end of the airfield and, just moments after, I’m installed in a Cessna, barely bigger than a grasshopper, with Francisco, my pilot, at the wheel, weaving between the big jets and onto the runway. In a jiffy, just like that, we’re airborne.

Goodbye urban sprawl, goodbye overcrowded beaches, goodbye Cancún. Time seems suspended up here in the Dodger-blue afternoon sky, flying across what’s left of the Yucatán tropical forest, out to the island. But a mere 25 minutes later, we are coming in to land. Hello, sandy landing strip littered with palm fronds. We bob along the sandy strip like a pingpong ball skittering across the floor, coming to a guttural stop on a patch of grassy green. Welcome to Isla Holbox (say it OllBOTCH), where the Gulf of Mexico meets the limpid, warm waters of the Caribbean. Kamila and Heber from CasaSandra are waiting for me with an ice-cold face flannel and the golf cart (there’s no other motorized transport on the island) and, in no time flat, we’re riding the cart along Holbox’s ineffably pretty “main street,” past the island’s one ATM, toward the hotel.

Another cloudy day on Holbox.

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A CasaSandra suite with daybed. Below, CasaSandra at night.

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If I could describe my perfect place in the sun, Holbox would be it. It’s small of scale, charming but not cute, as gentle on the eye as it is on the spirit.

Its gravel streets are lined with shops that combine the practical with the entirely useless, and the shopkeepers are as laid-back as a five o’clock mojito, untroubled whether you choose to buy or not.

Of course, Holbox is not exactly undiscovered.

Island aficionados have been coming here for yonks and an alternative jet set (call it a Cessna set) is well-established. Discerning backpackers make their way here in droves and yet somehow Holbox has retained its innocence, partly because it is difficult to get to. (The private air transfer from Cancún will set you back $1,000. Otherwise it’s a two-hour drive from Cancún to the tiny port of Chiquilá and a ferry across.) And partly because, mercifully, so far the developers have stayed away. Most important of all, despite a sprinkling of rustic bars and tequila shacks, there is no riotous party scene. Nature and the sheer beauty of the island are the reasons people come. Isla Hobox is the thinking man’s and woman’s Tulum.

On the other side of “town,” CasaSandra is the first hotel you come to. It’s also the loveliest in town, and, with only 18 rooms, feels more like someone’s home than a regular hotel. That, of course, is the point, and it’s hardly surprising, as CasaSandra started life 15 years ago as a private house, built by Cuban artist Sandra Pérez, who came to Holbox to find solitude and to work.

There is something of the visionary about Pérez, who embraced eco-tourism and sustainability before so many others leapt on the bandwagon.

Natural materials and fibers like hemp, rattan and cotton are all around, and the hotel’s own branded Yucatán Herbal products — including, soap, body lotion and sun protection — are superb. Sleeping under a mosquito net in my exquisite ocean suite, using CasaSandra’s brilliant organic mosquito repellent, I did not get a single mosquito bite during my stay. On my first night I had the best night’s sleep I have had in a year and, by day two, severe lower back pain, which had been plaguing me for months, had all but disappeared.

In the small central area of the hotel, artworks, books, ceiling fans and beautiful lampshades abound. Such a great look. Steps away, on the hotel’s dreamy beach, they make refreshing CasaSandra cocktails, like smoothies, using chaya (the aromatic, spinach-like plant from the Yucatán Peninsula) and mint. Just add vodka or rum to taste. I could live on those, and, if I did, I reckon I’d live longer.

Do rise early for yoga by the pool, and do arrange a trip to swim with the whale sharks, the world’s largest extant fish species and as tame as your household pet. They are Holbox’s pride and joy. And you must take a boat out to the trio of islands, as I did. First Isla de la Pasíon, where you go to walk the trails, or climb the lookout for the views, or watch the pink flamingos do their own peculiar ballet on the sandbar. Next, Yalahau, to bathe in its natural cold spring. They say swimming here rejuvenates you and I for one believe it. Last but not least, speed across the water to Isla de las Pajaros, bird island, to see egrets, wood storks, pelicans and boat-billed herons gyrating, before alighting in the treetops. On the way back across the water the day I visited, I saw shoals of dolphin leaping in the late afternoon haze.

What else do you do in Holbox? Not much — and that’s the joy of it. Days quickly fall into a benign rhythm. Sunrise yoga followed by a breakfast of mango and pineapple, just-baked banana bread, with eggs and empanadillas for the hungry. Then mornings on the beach, 20 steps away, with a late lunch, a tiradito, say, under the palms at CasaSandra’s enchanting beach bar. After lunch, a siesta may beckon, between cool sheets. Then, as the shadows start to lengthen, margaritas on the beach or at Luuma, the prettiest bar in town. For dinner you’ll find me at Esencia, the hotel’s teeny-tiny restaurant, which looks magical at night, with its candlelight and soft music, and Chef Alonso’s perfectly executed dishes, ceviche, shrimp bisque and grilled mero (grouper) to name but three.

But incontrovertibly lovely as these things are, I’ve forgotten to mention Isla Holbox’s greatest asset, and that is the people who live and work here.

Because even if you were to forget the serenity of CasaSandra (unlikely), or the beauty of the island (impossible), you could never, ever forget the warm and smiling Holbeños.

PLEASE VISIT OUR BOOTH AT Old Salem Farm North Salem, NY

September 13-17 2017

JT FARM II LEWISBORO, NY

THE PRICIEST HOME SALES IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY IN THE PAST YEAR

Professional equestrian facility sited on 20 open acres.

This lovely horse farm includes two barns w/a total of 16 stalls, wash stalls, tack rm & laundry. Additional shed row stalls. Heated indoor ring, 85 x 160 outdoor ring, Grand Prix field w/natural jumps. 8 paddocks.

4 BR home w/an additional grooms apt. Adjacent to the 4700 acre Pound Ridge Reservation. Close to Old Salem Farm. Within an hour of Fairfield, Ox Ridge, & Hits horse shows. 1 hour to NYC. . MLS# 4720490 Price: $3,850,000

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NORTH SALEM, NY

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ictorian built in 2000 w/great details feels of old house renovation. Newly refurbished rms w/ open floor plan, the top-of -the -line kit. ,L & D rms. Mahogany Library w/ Fplce. Master Suite: BR, sitting rm w/Fplce & wet bar, master bath, walk-in closet. 3 addtl. Fam.BR’s each w/own Bath. L.L. Plyrm. w/Bath. 3 Stall Barn, Tack, Wash Stall & grass Paddock. On historic Baxter Rd one of the most beautiful roads in Westchester.

Walking distance to 150 Ac. of Conservation Land w/Trails & open fields for riding. 1 BR, 1 Bth Apt. over garage w/own entry or access from house.

Wrap-a-around Porches. 3 Car heated gar. Views! This house could not be duplicated for the price. MLS#: 4706431 Price: $1,995,000

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ARMONY at Grant Farms awaits on this private lane. As the water hits gently on the pond you are transported to your own little paradise. This meticulously maintained turnkey 4 bedroom 3 ½ bath center hall colonial w/great flow. Set on 5.1 acres with breathtaking views you will enjoy the comforts of home with a kitchen made for the serious cook in the family. Professional kitchen, tumbled tile backsplash, granite tops, mahogany cabinets, wine refrigerator on the island & plenty of storage, formal DR, hard wood floors throughout, Crown Moulding, French doors, 2 fireplaces, cathedral ceiling with beams in the MB w/a large walk in closet, full house generator, new above ground oil tank, generous sized closets. Full finished walk out basement that could be used as a separate suite for your guest.

MLS#:4728841 Price: $925,000

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NORTH SALEM, NY

istoric stone bridge leads to circa 1900 former mill transformed to magical home. Living Room with Fireplace leads to Sitting Room that adjoins screened porch positioned over the Titicus River. Lower Level serving as dining room has River Views and door opening to flagstone terrace with perennial garden. Lovely flat lawn leads to the river with open views of fields. 38 Acres of conservation land across the road.3 bedrooms & two full baths. Garden Shed. Kennel. 2 car garage. MLS#4627888 Price: $850,000

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POUND RIDGE, NY

ollow the stone walls down bucolic Fancher Rd to this 6 BR, 5 1/2 Bath Colonial set amid tranquility on 6.8 acres. Open Flow & High Ceilings provide glorious light & warmth. Gourmet Kitchen, Fam Rm w/Stone FPL, Din Rm, Liv Rm w/FPL, Office, Wet Bar, Bed/ Study w/Full Bath, Mudroom. MB w/Stone FPL, Sitting Area, Walk-In Closets & Master Bath w/Steam Shower, 4 addt'l Beds & 3 Full Baths, Huge Walk-Up Attic, 2 Laundry Rms. Addt'l Finished 2,200 Sq Ft on Lower Level w/Rec Rm, Game Rm, Theatre, Gym, & Walk-Out. Private Backyard w/Bluestone Patio & Gunite Salt-Water Heated Pool. 3 Car Heated Garage, Full House Stand-by Generator. MLS# 4701347 Price: $1,749,000

ONTHEGREEN • BEDFORD • NEWYORK • 914.234.3642 • VINWHIT.COM

JUNE FARM, NORTH SALEM NY Tasteful restorations including a spectacular kitchen addition. 6 Bedrooms, 4.1 baths. 4 fireplaces. Lower level gym, playroom, wine room & laundry. Patio off the terrace sports a new stone fireplace. Ponds, streams and bridges lace the enchanting 13 park-like acres. Magnificent heated pool set in totally private oasis including a waterfall spa, dramatic landscaping. 2 Bedroom Pool House with a separate Studio. One bedroom Guest House. 2 car garage. Special country home to be cherished for generations. Quick 10 minutes to the train & highway 1 hr. + to NYC. MLS#4733647 Price: $3,500,000

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ONTHEGREEN • BEDFORD • NEWYORK • 914.234.3642 • VINWHIT.COM

WANDERS

A view of the Alfama, the oldest district in Lisbon.

SWEET LISBON DREAMS

BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

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isbon is one of the most diverse capitals in Europe, with each district offering delightful sites to experience. You can enjoy museums devoted to ancient and modern art, renovated castles, shopping in the malls and markets plus an energetic nightlife. I highly recommend that you stay at the world-class Corinthia. With the Corinthia’s signature luxury hotels in Budapest, London, Malta, Prague and St. Petersburg — and two new hotels coming to Brussels and Dubai — the Corinthia is definitely a deluxe hotel brand to put on your radar.

So why Corinthia Hotels? It’s an insider secret.

Corinthia is a collection of hotels founded by the Pisani family of Malta in 1962. It is a business known for its discreet service, valuing authenticity, passion, precision and understanding, with a nod to local architecture and cultural traditions.

Undoubtedly, the best place to stay in at the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon is the Presidential Suite. It offers unparalleled space: a master bedroom with a king-size bed, an optional second bedroom, a large living and dining room, a fully equipped kitchen, a separate study area with a printer and library and two bathrooms.

Presidential Suite guests enjoy 24-hour private checkin and checkout, VIP guest relations, escort to and from Lisbon airport, complimentary Wi-Fi and internet access and a private shopping service.

Guests in the Presidential Suite are also granted access to the Executive Club Lounge, offering silken service and panoramic views of the city, where they can enjoy a complimentary breakfast plus interna-

tional newspapers and magazines. There’s also a dedicated reception desk.

The hotel’s Sete Colinas and Tipico restaurants feature the best of Portuguese cooking, using seasonal produce to create traditional dishes and contemporary Mediterranean and international cuisines, while the Terrace Lounge provides guests with an al fresco setting.

Of course, I am partial to the Corinthia’s spa, where I relished an Age-Defyer Face & Eye Treatment — a luxurious and regenerating 90-minute facial for maturing skin to help minimize lines and wrinkles around the eyes, neck, lips and jawline and combat the signs of aging. It includes a deep cleanse and skin analysis, plus a personalized mask and scalp massage. The spa has 13 treatment rooms and a heated swimming pool and is home to products made by the brand ESPA. My pampering included ESPA’s Optimal Skin ProCleanser, Promoisturizer and ProSerum made with turmeric — the hot new product.

After your soigné spa treatment, you can book the hotel’s private chauffeur service and have a smooth journey through Lisbon where you can savor massa sovada, the rich, creamy sweet bread; linguiça, the red, paprika-laced sausage; and Port, the after-dinner wine. Or you might want to shop for some blueand-white textiles or head to a club for the haunting melismas of the fado, the Portuguese blues. Whether it’s an airport transfer, shopping, business or sightseeing in Lisbon, there’s nothing like an exceptional car with an experienced chauffeur.

Book directly on corinthia.com for a host of exclusive benefits, including the Best Rate Guarantee, free room upgrades and late checkout. Wishing you Sweet Lisbon Dreams.

Where to go? Here’s a quick guide to some of the rest of the best that Lisbon offers. Fasten your seat belts for a great ride to enjoy the following: • Elavador — The word is Portuguese for elevator and also is used to describe the funiculars that are mostly situated toward the north end of Lisbon. Journeys cost about three Euros and take customers from the low seafront up to the higher residential areas.

• Thieves Market — A great place for stylish vintage gear. The largest and most famous is in the Campo de Santa Clara.

• The National Palace of Queluz — Located on the outskirts of Lisbon, the palace is one Europe’s last great Rococo buildings. Designed as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza in the 18th century, it’s a must-see just for the extravagant Robillon Wing.

• O Polícia — Founded in 1900, O Polícia is one of the oldest restaurants in Lisbon. Named to highlight the history of the founder, Teotónio Lázaro Miranda, who hung up his police uniform for an apron, this top restaurant is still in the family, now being run by his great-granddaughters.

• Belas Clube De Campo — Golf, anyone? Hidden away in the valleys of the Sintra hills (just a half-hour

drive from the city center), Belas Clube De Campo is shielded from coastal winds, meaning players can enjoy this championship course year-round.

Designed by William “Rocky” Roquemore, the Belas course has an eighth hole that was christened “Augusta” because it resembles the 13th hole at Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club.

• Luvaria Ulisses — This is one of Lisbon’s longest-standing dedicated glove shops. Proving you don’t need to travel to Italy for long-lasting, quality gloves, the artisans of Luvaria Ulisses have been making gloves for Lisboan high society since 1925.

The bespoke glove maker (which hasn’t been redecorated since it opened) may only have room for a couple of customers at a time, but this doesn’t stop everyone from returning time and time again.

• Conserveira de Lisboa — A guide to Lisbon wouldn’t be complete without including Conserveira de Lisboa. While it isn’t unknown, it is one of the most unique stores in the city for it sells just one thing — sardines. Inside are thousands of cans covered in striking vintage designs. The store stands exactly as it did when it opened in the 1930s, right down to the vintage cash register.

• Custard tarts — Known as Pastéis de Nata in Portugal, these have a reputation for being the world’s best, infused with lemon and cinnamon.

For more on Debbi, visit gorgeousglobetrotter. com and marketingauthor.com.

Westchester Philharmonic October 15, 2017 at 3 pm Jaime Laredo, conducing Jinjoo Cho, violin

Mozart, Dvorˇák and Beethoven.

December 17, 2017 at 3 pm Winter Pops! with Ted Sperling Laura Michelle Kelly, vocals

Padrão dos Descobrimentos is a monument that pays tribute to Portugal’s questing spirit.

THE

ethan allen HOTEL Traditional elegance, exceptional service & award winning cuisine

Special appearance by Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin Broadway, American Songbook, holiday and classical favorites.

February 11, 2018 at 3 pm Ted Sperling, conducting Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin Beethoven and Saint-Saëns.

April 8, 2018 at 3 pm Edgar Meyer, double bass soloist-leader

Bach, Bottesini, Meyer and Mozart.

June 17, 2018 at 3 pm Jaime Laredo, conducting Anna Polonsky, piano Orion Weiss, piano

Rossini, Mozart and Mendelssohn.

Tickets: (914) 251-6200

Jinjoo Cho

or westchesterphil.org

Concerts are presented at: Performing Arts Center, Purchase College 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY. Programs, artists, dates and times subject to change. ©2017 Westchester Philharmonic, Inc.

MEETINGS | CELEBRATIONS | RESTAURANT 21 Lake Avenue Extension, Danbury, CT www.ethanallenhotel.com 203 • 744 • 1776

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A STRANGER IN PARADISE

t

BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

There’s a quote that says: “Paradise is not a place, it is a state of mind.” Wrong. Paradise is very much a place. Once at this “place,” your state of mind kicks in and then, voilà, paradise. This was my profoundly pleasurable experience recently on my first visit to Costa Rica.

The country calls itself by the bright name “Happiest Country on Earth.” It is a small nation located in Central America bordering Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Costa Rica is known worldwide as a peaceful nation that has one of the oldest and best democratic systems, as well as for abolishing its army in 1949 to create better education and health care for the country.

Small Distinctive Hotels of Costa Rica is an internationally recognized hotel collection since 1997. It represents a group of luxury boutique hotels located throughout some of the most diverse and beautiful areas of the country, whose properties are committed to excellence in service, amenities and sustainability. I was fortunate enough to visit a few of these properties and experience, firsthand, the best of Costa Rica — one of the rarest and most exceptional locales in the world.

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS Located less than an hour from the Juan Santamaría International Airport in the central Pacific area, the Peace Lodge was a fine place to capture the essence of Costa Rica and begin my adventure. The Lodge is in a cloud forest on the grounds of the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park. I like the sound of those words — cloud forest. Doesn’t it conjure up images of being in an amorphous white mist, a mystical place, somewhat like a dream wonderland?

Well, that’s how I pictured it and I wasn’t far off.

Peace Lodge is in a privately owned park nominated by the nation’s largest newspaper as one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica.” In Condé Nast 94

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Traveler magazine, the Lodge is in its Best Resort category and the Travel Channel’s “Honeymoon Hot Spots” calls it one of the most romantic destinations in the world.

Though not on a honeymoon, I can certainly attest to Peace Lodge’s romanticism from the moment I stepped inside my terra-cotta-colored room. I had a Jacuzzi on my private terrace and a humongous river-rock fireplace that was ideal for cozying up to on cool evenings. My shower was dark and cavelike with the delightful option of turning a knob and having a waterfall cascading on my head (instead of a boring shower). More river-rock encompassed my tub and sink, and whatever wasn’t covered in rock was designed in undulating scallops, the entire décor setting a Gaudi-like mood.

The property offers a host of activities from horseback riding to climbing to the top of the active Poás Volcano, which reaches to more than 8,800 feet above sea level. I went to the edge of a deep crater looking down on active geyser and lava eruptions. I was told that the last major eruption was in the mid1950s and that its Botos crater, a shimmering cold green lake, had not erupted for more than 7,000 years, so I felt pretty safe. Climbing the volcano is one of the most popular tourist activities in the country — not to be missed. (Editor’s note: The volcano has since been emitting clouds of steam and noxious vapors, and tossing up rocks and boulders, resulting in it being closed to visitors.)

My favorite experience at Peace Lodge was visiting the private wildlife refuge within the Nature Park with Michael, my knowledgeable and informative guide. The exhibits include jungle cats, exotic frogs, butterflies, hummingbirds, reptiles and an aviary.

I told Michael that I’d like to skip the reptiles and, upon learning that some of the frogs were not enclosed but hopping all over their enclosure, I opted to skip that one, too. However, I did hold a hummingbird feeder and allow tiny, furiously flying creatures to flock around me and sup. While I didn’t encourage any brightly billed toucans to land on my head in the aviary, I got some amazing photos.

MONKEY MISCHIEF An hour-long ferry ride took me across the Gulf of Nicoya to my next stop, the Florblanca Resort, in the Santa Teresa Pacific Coast area with just 10 villas on seven acres of white sand beach. Taking a winding jungle path, replete with howler monkey cries and a flock of scarlet macaws flying low overhead, I was shown to my villa. My host threw open the door and I was taken aback, confused and bewildered. In fact I was standing in a grand “room” with three walls, the fourth open to the flora and fauna beyond and kitted out with a large hammock. Crystal chandeliers hung from the towering ceiling, while a pretty glass dining table and chairs rested in a far corner and a comfy sofa adorned with fluffy pillows was against a far wall. My living room! Somewhat more daunting was my bathroom at the end of a long hallway. Though encircled by a 6-foot-high enclosure, the bathroom was open to the jungle. No, I’m serious. Private, yes,

pretty, of course, but surrounded by a tropical rain forest. Needless to say, for the gal who refused the reptile/ frog exhibits, middle of the night forays to this part of the villa were done warily, but I hasten to add, safely.

My wild and crazy bathroom was an utterly unique experience that I won’t soon forget.

Another intriguing Florblanca episode — lying in bed one night and hearing rain on the roof, but not your typical “rain on the roof.” No, this was a hard rain a-falling. For about three hours the rain was so hard, so dense, so profound that I truly feared the roof would cave in. And once the rain let up, a loud crash resonated from my open-air living room. Too tired to check it out, I waited until morning when I was astonished to find two heavy plates from last night’s meal lying broken on the ceramic tile floor, and remnants of my ravioli dinner gone — the plate licked clean. Remarking to a staff member about the rain and my late night visitor, she took it all in stride.

“Oh, we have rains like that nightly,” she said, and to my query about some possible monkey business, just to keep everything animated and fun.

ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR Villa Caletas is located on a rainforest hilltop on the Central Pacific Coast of Puntarenas and combines the unique pairing of a mountain and seaside resort. From my room in Zephyr Palace, in a separate section of the hotel’s grounds, I had heart-stopping views of a tropical rainforest with an emerald green ocean beyond. Dining that evening at the Amphitheatre Restaurant, gazing at a perfect sunset and enjoying an inspired repast, was a sublime way to kick off my Villa Caletas rendezvous.

This property is truly one of a kind with an imposing history. Frenchman Denis Roy designed and built it — and it all began with a dream. Roy dreamed of a place where one could breathe the scent of the ocean and be near the warmth of the sun. He discovered it at the foot of a mountain covered by the jungle and rising 1,150 feet from Caletas beach — all the way up into the clouds. He moved to Costa Rica and began the outrageously ambitious project of constructing Villa Caletas. Four hundred men worked — first just to build a road that stretches for 1.5 miles from the highway to the property.

There were obstacles aplenty, including no water for months and no telephone lines for years.

Somehow, someway, Roy’s dream was realized — resulting in a five-star luxury boutique hotel, inspired by Victorian architecture with a Neoclassical influence.

I enjoyed 360-degree panoramic views overlooking tropical gardens, an infinity swimming pool and the Serenity Spa offering couples’ packages with names such as Passion, Romance and Sensual. Weddings and honeymoons were made to be celebrated here — at the private beach, at the Amphitheatre or in magical Zephyr Palace.

The word “romance,” according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure and something real.

Seems like Webster defined Costa Rica. Come see for yourself.

WONDERFUL DINING

p FAIRYTALE FINE DINING

BY ALEESIA FORNI

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Photograph courtesy The Castle Hotel & Spa.

erched high above the Hudson River amid curving roadways and lush forestry sits a structure that seems more fitting for your favorite childhood Disney story than for a place located just a few dozen miles north of New York City.

The 45-room Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown, complete with a 75-foot tower, was constructed by businessman and playwright Gen. Howard Carroll at the turn of the 20th century. The Norman-style building, dubbed Carrollcliffe by the family, later served as the headquarters for an investment counseling firm before it was designated an historic landmark in 1981. In the mid-1990s, The Castle was transformed into a luxury hotel, restaurant and event space. Further upgrades in the ensuing decades included renovations and restorations, along with the addition of 24 guestrooms and the THANN Sanctuary Spa. Still, the building has somehow managed to retain a certain character from its crenellated past, with architectural elements including stone exteriors, vaulted ceilings and preserved moldings.

Along with serving as a haven for brides and grooms celebrating their special day, The Castle is also home to Equus, a seasonal, French-inspired fine dining restaurant with panoramic views of the terraced grounds and the river.

As we pull up to The Castle’s entrance on a recent weekday evening, we find ourselves wondering aloud whether Cinderella herself will be joining us for dinner. We pass through the bright, airy Garden Room and, unable to resist the delightful weather, take up residence at a table on the stone terrace.

Much like the castle it calls home, Equus’ menu has undergone its own makeover in recent months with the addition of Keith J. Suarino. The chef de cuisine’s resumé includes tenures as executive chef at Italian market and food hall Eataly and Fort Lauderdale’s Vintro Hotel and Kitchen.

Suarino’s style is nothing short of imaginative, something that may not come as too much of a surprise for someone who also boasts a win on Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen” among his accomplishments. During the competition, which asks contestants to bid on opportunities to sabotage their opponents, Suarino won opportunities to force other contestants to swap their filets of fish for a bucket of fish guts.

“I was definitely the villain,” Suarino says with a laugh.

Reality television tropes aside, Suarino’s passion for food and his vision for Equus are far from a reverie.

Clockwise from top left: Sweet pepper and cauliflower soup; filet mignon with wilted spinach; corn meal-crusted scallops; and citrus-marinated chicken. Photographs by Aleesia Forni.

His vision is perhaps best embodied in one of our starters, a golden beet ricotta gnocchi. A twist on the starchy staple, Suarino’s dish features ricotta cheese, a sprinkling of crunchy walnuts and a topping of fresh greens. An anchovy crema adds an unexpected, delightful flavor.

A hearty sweet pepper and cauliflower soup is an absolute standout. I still find myself daydreaming of the creamy, slightly spicy dish and its goat cheese mousse.

Similarly, a fresh, artistic and perfect-for-end-ofsummer heirloom tomato gazpacho features a red pepper foam and pickled cilantro.

Seafood also takes the stage on the restaurant’s menu, and both New England clams and grilled octopus are splendid additions for a late-summer evening under the stars.

Entrées include an eight-ounce filet mignon, which sits on a bed of wilted spinach and a delectable paprika chili butter. Citrus-marinated chicken is sourced from the Hudson Valley, but with pickled pearl onions and a mandarin-rosemary jus, feels somewhat lacking in the flavor department.

Still, Suarino’s signature inventiveness is undoubtedly present with the additions of a watercress and dragon fruit salad.

Our evening ends with a raspberry and pistachio éclair — light, bright and perfect for sharing.

A Bronx native, Suarino harbors fond recollections of The Castle, recalling childhood visits to Nyack where he would gaze at it across the Hudson. A young Suarino pondered the goings-on within the dreamlike setting, hoping that one day he might be able to make a trek to the top of its highest tower.

Dreams do come true.

For more, visit castlehotelandspa.com.

WAGMAG.COM

SEPTEMBER 2017

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WINE & DINE

OYSTERS AND WINE, A FASHIONABLE PAIRING STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY DOUG PAULDING

he adage of only eating oysters and other shellfish in months containing the letter “r” is centuries old and, thus, from before refrigeration probably had significant value. The hotter months — May, June, July and August — have no “r” in their spelling and food would spoil much quicker then. Today, with proper refrigeration and microbiologic understanding, along with the commercial farming of 95 percent of oysters, this year-round offering is safe and delicious.

Commercially farming fish can create a host of negative issues not found in line or net-caught wild fish. But commercially farmed oysters actually create a cleaner, safer oyster, with more dependable taste and texture and a certain environmental friendliness as no ocean-floor dredging is necessary. Oysters filter and clean their water environment and will absorb some of the local water flavors that will affect the taste. “Terroir” is the wine word used to describe that certain something that soil type, wind, weather, altitude and orientation of the vineyard will impart to the grape, affecting the flavor and maybe the texture of a wine. “Merroir” is a newly coined word to describe a region’s effect on oysters and their flavors, which is profound.

In the United States, East Coast oysters tend to

Guy Bascou, president of AOC Picpoul de Pinet wine region in Languedoc in the south of France.

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have a high salinity, a brininess and freshness that will transport you, if only briefly, to the seashore.

West Coast oysters tend to have more of a cucumber flavor — fresh, lively and sweet. I have been to massive oyster farming operations in the Languedoc region in the south of France. In a protected bay area adjacent to AOC Picpoul de Pinet wine region, oyster farmers have installed scaffolding with lines on which to “plant” or attach baby oysters known as spats, which will grow into millions of oysters.

The farmers have installed solar motors to lower the lines covered with oysters slowly into and out of the bay twice a day to mimic the tides. This system allows for oyster flavors as nature intended.

The first time I tried oysters on the half-shell was many years ago and the friends I was dining with slathered each oyster with so much cocktail sauce, the essence of the oyster was lost. Since then I have tasted them with several oyster “sommeliers,” who know some truths about oysters. Of course, they can put flavor descriptives to myriad oyster-producing regions. And each likes little or no additives or flavor enhancements. I met Julie Qiu, an oyster expert, at an over-the-top Taittinger Champagne celebration in Manhattan recently and she told me, “I like to eat my oysters naked.”

Of course, I knew what she meant but the imagery was fun. And I tasted several varieties of oysters with her explaining the flavorful differences while we sipped Taittinger’s Champagne.

So what wine would you pair with oysters? Any crisp and acidic white wine would enhance the experience. I might choose a bubbly wine like the newly created and released Louis Pommery sparkling wine from California. The Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc has a bracing lemony acidity that gives flavor and perspective to the oyster. (It’s by Kim and Erica Crawford, who sold New Zealand’s Kim Crawford winery to a bigger operation and moved on to create Loveblock, a boutique and better version of New Zealand wines.)

When I interviewed Guy Bascou, president of Picpoul de Pinet, he told me, “There is no wine that goes with oysters better than Picpoul de Pinet. Most wines slide underneath the oyster.

Picpoul de Pinet will rise up and go over the oyster, enveloping it with acidic freshness.” I’m still not sure what he meant by that but he said it with passionate conviction.

Brancott Estate of Marlborough, New Zealand, also makes a few Sauvignon Blancs in different price ranges that all will enhance the oyster experience. And you wouldn’t go wrong with a Chenin Blanc or a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.

Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, gently oaked Chardonnay, virtually any dry and crisp white wine or Rosé will bring you to a happy place.

With the oysters or not.

Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

Proprietor, Bobby Epstein of the legendary Muscoot Tavern in Katonah, invites you to experience his newest restaurant—

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WHETTING THE APPETITTE

Photograph by Sebastián Flores.

A DISH FOR SUMMER’S END POMODORO AND SAUSAGE SAUCE

BY JACQUELINE RUBY What better way to celebrate a hot summer’s end and the advent of brisk evenings than with a pomodoro (tomato) and sausage sauce. There is nothing better than this and your friends will be more than happy to feast on this dish.

For more, contact the Saucy Realtor at jacquelineruby@hotmail.com.

Tableware courtesy Casafina.

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INGREDIENTS: • 4 cans plum tomatoes • ½ cup chopped basil • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley • 6 garlic cloves • 2 bay leaves • ½ cup red wine • ½ teaspoon ground fennel • 2 tablespoons tomato paste • 6 Italian sweet fennel sausages • ½ teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 tablespoons olive oil – divided.

• 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.

DIRECTIONS: 1. Pour cans of tomatoes into a large bowl and break them up.

2. Gently poke 3 knife slits into each sausage.

3. In a fry pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté sausages 3 minutes.

Drain sausages.

4. In a 4-5 quart pan, add remaining oil and sauté whole garlic cloves about 1 minute.

5. Then add red wine and reduce about 3 minutes.

6. Add plum tomatoes, tomato paste, fennel, salt and pepper, bay leaves, Parmesan cheese and sausages and stir.

7. Cook on low heat and simmer about 1 hour.

8. When sauce is finished, cut sausages into chunks, add parsley and basil and serve over your favorite pasta.

E R OA R I N

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MUSCOOT

Voted!

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One of New York States Top 15

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Stop in and experience the charm of this historic eatery, a neighborhood favorite since the Roaring ‘20s! Enjoy our cozy tavern where it’s always lively and cheerful or relax on our patio overlooking our horseshoe and bocce ball courts.

Live music on Saturdays and some Fridays On Sundays, enjoy outdoor live music from 4 to 8:30 Happy Hour Daily from 4-6 and again from 9-11 on Thurs, Fri and Saturday nights.

105 Somerstown Turnpike, Katonah, NY (Corner of Rt. 100 and Rt. 35) www.muscoottavern.com 914 • 232 • 2800

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The cast of “A Bronx Tale: The Musical” at one of Chazz and Gianna Palminteri’s cast party barbecues at “Casa Palminteri” in Bedford.

Chazz Palminteri is second from left, top row.

Photograph by Gianna Palminteri.

o

HOW CHAZZ AND GIANNA SPENT THEIR SUMMER VACATION

BY JANE K. DOVE

ur truly wonderful summer was split between our house in Westchester, working in New York City and enjoying a beautiful beach house on Long Beach Island,” says Gianna Palminteri, actress, producer and wife of actor Chazz, WAG’s May 2011 cover subject. “We had so much fun with the young people we are working with and mentoring in different productions and also found the time to work on our own projects as well.” ”A Bronx Tale: The Musical,” at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre, has enjoyed popular acclaim, with Chazz writing the book, producing it and playing the father figure that Robert De Niro played in the story’s 1993 movie iteration.

“This obviously took up a lot a time and energy over the summer, but one of the best parts of it was our cast coming out to our big house in Westchester and enjoying all that we have to offer there.”

The spacious home has large grounds, a pool, tennis courts and several friendly dogs.

Gianna says the young people in the cast enjoyed relaxing every Monday after putting in six strenuous days on the stage. “Even though it was only one day off out of the week, it gave them some time to unwind and recharge.”

Chazz also kept busy teaching at the Manhattan Film Institute on Long Island, where he focused on film production and acting. And if that weren’t enough to do, the couple is working together on “The Wool Gatherers,” a drama playing at a down-

town theater festival that has been nominated for some top awards.

Says Gianna, “Not to be left out, I traveled regularly to Tampa to lend help to the Broadway Theater Project where I put on musical theater workshops and taught acting and performance.”

Musical and theater talent appear to run strongly in the Palminteri genes, with son Dante performing as a singer-songwriter throughout the metro area. “He just closed in a play, ‘Generation Me,’ that won first prize in a competition, along with eight other awards, in early August.”

Daughter Gabriella also has a desire to perform. An active camper, she helps to mount shows at the Sunrise Day Camps in the Hudson Valley and Long Island. The camps are designed to answer the needs of youngsters who have had serious medical treatments.

Gianna says the family usually went to Italy in the summer but this season called for a different approach.

“We had to split things up geographically and make sure ‘A Bronx Tale’ was well taken care of.

We have gotten a tremendous amount of satisfaction with these wonderful young people, many of whom are going to be well-known in the future. We were both so happy to have had the fun time with them every Monday and to get some extra time mentoring and guiding them in a relaxed setting.”

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e

xperience xcitement

September 13 - 17, 2017 •Boutique Shopping • Pony Rides • Gourmet Dining • Shopping • Live Music • Face Painting • VIP Tables • Johnny Res Concert

©The Book LLC

Benefiting JustWorld Int.

www..eAmericanGoldCup.com

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The Wells Fargo Stagecoach pulls into the American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm.

GOLDEN DAYS AT OLD SALEM FARM

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

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he unwinding days of summer are coming to what always seems like an abrupt end. But you’ll find it’s an easier transition from the beaches to the schoolbooks when you’re loafing on grass watching tall boots and breeches at the 47th annual American Gold Cup (Sept. 13 through 17), now in its sixth year in the undulating verdure that is Old Salem Farm in North Salem.

The prestigious jumper competition — featuring an international cast of amateur and professional riders of all ages and classes — culminates Sept. 17 in the competition for the actual Cup itself, the $216,000 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping New York CS14*-W, a qualifier for the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final, to be held in Paris.

Among the favorites are Olympic silver medalist Kent Farrington, No. 1 on the Longines FEI Ranking list, and reigning World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, No. 2 on the list. Farrington took the Cup last year despite being knocked off his saddle as his Belgium Warmblood mare, Gazelle, spooked at the end of jump-off.

(He landed upright with a crowd-amusing bow.)

They’ll be competing on a course designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade.

Other events include the $35,000 Hermès Sellier Cup (won last year by North Salem resident Georgina Bloomberg) and the $86,000

Fidelity Investments Classic CS14 (won by Catherine Tyree after her year-long recovery from a broken leg.) Both of these will be held Sept. 16.

The Gold Cup is more than equestrian thrills (and the occasional spill). As the staccato blasts from a ringmaster’s coach horn echo through the hills and pastures of northern Westchester County, families can roam the bucolic venue, ride ponies, enjoy face painting or collect autographs from Olympic champions.

Discerning shoppers can wander pop-ups along what’s been coined “Boutique Row,” featuring Hermès and Danbury Porsche. Other shops carry everything from apparel to antiques to accessories; from portrait art to pet clothing. Or you can reserve a table in the two-tier VIP Hospitality Pavilion, which offers a catered buffet and bird’seye views of the Grand Prix and practice rings.

The Gold Cup is free to the public Sept. 13 through 15. On the evening of Sept. 15, tickets ($20) are available for the JustWorld International Benefit Concert, supporting life-changing programs for impoverished children in Cambodia, Guatemala and Honduras and featuring Johnny Rez from NBC’s “The Voice.”

Tickets for Sept. 16 and 17 are $20; $15 for children ages 4 through 12. The final will be featured on NBC Sports Network at 11 p.m. Sept. 18.

For more, visit justworldinternational.org and theamericangoldcup.com.

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WELL

THINK TWICE BEFORE ATTENDING A ‘BOTOX PARTY’

BY JOSEPH O’CONNELL, M.D.

Dr. Joseph O’Connell.

Courtesy The Aesthetic Center of Connecticut.

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ave you ever been invited to a “Botox Party”?

They’re usually at a girlfriend’s home or sometimes held in a location unusual for medical services, such as a hair salon or an art gallery. You’re tempted by the apparent low price and the prospect of a fun evening out with friends. Today, Botox and similar drugs, known as neurotoxins and fillers aren’t just for wrinkles. The more skilled injectors can change facial shape and even shore up loose necks.

Before you head into the dining room for your injection, there are a few things you might want to consider: • What do you know about the training and skill of the provider? Does he or she have an office or admitting privileges at a local hospital if a problem were to occur? Are they reachable by telephone or is the only means of contact by email? Will an appropriate medical history, including allergies and medication use, be taken prior to treatment in a HIPAA compliant setting? Plastic surgeons spend four years in medical school and a minimum of six years in a residency program in which neurotoxins and fillers are an integral part of our training.

• Does the provider have professional liability insurance and, if so, does it provide coverage for a surgical procedure performed in a private home?

Mine doesn’t.

• If you’re considering hosting a party, ask your insurance agent if your homeowner’s policy will cover the costs of medical or hospital care for an attendee. You might want to purchase a supplemental umbrella policy if the company will sell you one. If a needle turns up in a landfill or some other unexpected location, expect an expensive visit from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for improper disposal of medical waste.

• Because alcohol is usually provided and there’s the inevitable peer pressure, the question arises as to whether you are truly giving your informed consent for the procedure(s) you’re about to undergo.

The injector shouldn’t be partaking in the alcohol.

• Neurotoxins and fillers must be injected using a meticulously clean or sterile technique. In Connecticut, we must cleanse treatment areas with a special product that kills all foreseeable bacteria and viruses, including HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis, after each patient. Is the dining room table or living room chair where you’re being treated cleansed in this manner? I doubt it. How is the provider washing his or her hands between patients?

Are they using a bar of soap in the bathroom? Also, it’s unlikely that a fellow party attendee will divulge that they have hepatitis C or HIV in a group setting.

• Watch for the bait-and-switch. There’s almost no medical reason to treat multiple areas, to use multiple products at one sitting or to purchase creams for afterward. Doctors have an ethical obligation not to sell you something that isn’t in your best interest. Lay people don’t.

• If the price is too low, be suspicious. When it comes to these events, there are often multiple layers of middlemen and none of them works for free.

The homeowner must receive some benefit as does the “organizer” (or hair stylist) and even the doctor providing the product when the injector is a nurse or physician assistant. Most doctors pay roughly the same amount for injectables — provided it’s a legitimate U.S. product. The market is rife with illegally imported and even counterfeit products, so it’s buyer beware. Legitimate U.S. Botox will have a hologram clearly visible on the box. Ask to see it along with the lot number. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

• Ask if the provider will enroll you and then accept the national Allergan rebate program known as Brilliant Distinctions. If not, ask why. You might end up paying more in the long run.

• Like it or not, aesthetic services are taxable in our state. If you’re asked to pay only in cash and it’s an even amount, you might want to check with the Department of Revenue Services to see if the provider has a tax ID number and is complying with the laws that we all must follow.

• There are still other issues like maintenance of medical records, emergency preparedness and proper lighting.

• Don’t be fooled by confusing medical “boards” and other essentially meaningless credentials.

There’s no American Board of Medical Specialties that certifies “injectors” or “aesthetic physicians” and there’s no approved board with Allergan, “aesthetic” or Botox in the title.

• What about procedures in hair salons and dental offices? Sorry, but these locations are outside my cleanliness/sterility comfort zone.

Unfortunately, when considering a medical or surgical procedure in the home, there’s more to it than meets the eye and I believe that it’s part of a physician’s duty to inform patients fully. If you’re invited to a Botox party, think first and do your “homework.”

For more on Joseph O’Connell, M.D., visit the New Waggers page in this issue.

It’s game time for WAG editor-in-chief Georgette Gouveia’s new novel, “The Penalty for Holding,” at Barnes and Noble’s concept store in Eastchester. Join her Sept. 7 for a reading from the work — about a gay, biracial quarterback’s search for identity in the NFL — along with nibbles, bubbly and a no-holds-barred discussion of sports, culture and sex.

We’ll be dancing in the end zone from 5:30 to 7 p.m. RSVP to info@thegamesmenplay.com.

thegamesmenplay.com

WELL

Life Time Athletic Westchester trainers in action (from left) – Myrna Brady, Samantha Sciavillo, Marc Vaccaro, Justin Hood and Jeremy Torres.

CHOCOLATE CAN (ALAS) STILL WAIT

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEBASTIAN FLORES (Editor’s note: For August WAG, I began a mini version of the “60day Challenge” at Life Time Athletic Westchester in White Plains to see if I could tweak my exercise routines and eating habits to drop 10 to 15 pounds. Here, my odyssey continues…)

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JULY 14 have a breakthrough that is more mental than physical yet helps me physically. Finally, I get it. All the treadmill work and weightlifting rotations are designed to make me fitter — leaner, tighter, more energized. I have turned a corner about getting up at 6 a.m. I now do it without thinking about it. And though I still watch the clock, I am slowly building more endurance.

JULY 15 “Barre Strength” class with instructor Lydia Magnoli, one of the ancillary programs at Life Time.

Somehow, I thought this would actually have ballet positions and stretches. I was primed to do tendu.

But although the room is designed like a ballet studio, the class is more about isometric exercises that work isolated muscles subtly yet deeply. This seems easier than my weekday cardio/weightlifting classes, but that illusion makes it much more of a challenge. Still, I persist. I may not have Lydia’s ideal (to me) body — long, lean but with a curve. But I can certainly practice her attitude of gratitude.

JULY 19 Another weigh-in and while I’ve only lost half a pound, I’m feeling good about my training. Plus, I excelled at situps. (Finally, something I can do.) Class ended 10 minutes early so we could toast classmate Julie Staple on her July 23 nuptials with Champagne.

I toasted but did not imbibe (so virtuous). Saving my calories for birthday cake July 22.

JULY 24 I survived the birthday weekend (five parties) nutritionally by eating only a small portion or a few bites of the birthday desserts. This wasn’t satisfying to me, but I have put in so much hard work that I cannot go backward.

Today, I met with trainer Natalia Pagni to go over the nutritional aspect of my weight loss program.

She advises drinking lots of water (four to six 12- to 16-ounce bottles a day); taking a multivitamin, Omega-3 (fish oil) and a probiotic for “gut health;” going gluten-free and dairy-free as “a good way of keeping down inflammation, which can prevent weight loss;” eating protein with every meal; and small meals every three to four hours.

As she talks, I realize I need to rebalance my Mediterranean diet to include more protein and water and less fruit. I’m also going to buy eight pound weights and work with Life Time onboarding specialist Samantha Sciavillo to create an exercise program I can do on my bike that will help me hit my target heart rates. (Plus, as a writer and eternal student, I’m going to love writing in the Life Time food journal and manual Natalia gave me.)

JULY 26 Another weigh-in day, and it’s a miracle that I gained no weight, considering my birthday celebrations. It shows just how hard it is to lose weight, though. Today our Team Burn is on the treadmills while Team Boot Camp — it’s just what the name implies — works out nearby. (There are four teams

benches; a terraced, palm-lined waterfall; a pool with jets and aquatic plants; and statuary that includes an equestrian sculpture of Joan of Arc and a bronze and granite memorial to our 15th president, James Buchanan, that features two fine male and female nudes.

I would’ve walked all the way to the Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, farther down on 16th, but in the heat and humidity of a D.C. summer I thought it a bit much.

in ascending order — Burn, Cut, Boot Camp and Alpha — with the idea that you would ultimately progress through them.) Those poor Boot Camp devils — doing pushups on the treadmill, running on the maximum incline, extending one leg back and forth on the treadmill while squatting off of it, hands in prayer position. Believe me, you need to be praying to do all that. Our group is glad to be on the team we’re on.

I get my first taste of an apparatus called the F 12 — all pulleys and bars. One of the exercises involves leaning slightly over the bar on your toes, your body on a diagonal. Some classmates find this hard but I like it.

AUG. 9 My last class and I’m feeling a mixture of relief, regret and accomplishment. While I lost only four pounds, I feel as if I have greater strength, muscle tone and endurance. The mixture of cardio and weights has been a big help with my rehabbed shoulders and foot issues. (One woman in the class told me it got her off blood pressure medication.) And I’m ready to go forward with the home workout Sam devised for me.

I only wish I had the time, money and schedule to continue the class as I think I could drop the weight I want staying in the program another two months.

As Natalia said to me, “It really does work.”

For more, visit lifetimefitness.com.

AUG. 4-6 After missing one class thanks to my Achilles sinuses, I had to miss another to head to Washington, D.C., for the OutWrite book festival. And while The Dupont Circle Hotel blends elegance and economy, liveliness and solitude in a way that includes a nice gym, I felt the hotel’s historic setting calling me, so I walked (and walked) up New Hampshire Avenue to 16th Street and the faded Italianate glory that is Meridian Hill Park with its many pebbled steps winding about niches;

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WALK WITH US ~ DONATE Proceeds fund Support Connection’s Free Breast & Ovarian Cancer Support Services Bring help & hope to people fighting breast and ovarian cancer!

Be a part of a community that cares supportconnection.org

Support Connection is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization. We do not receive funds from Relay for Life, the Avon Walk, Making Strides, Susan G. Komen, or any other national cancer organization.

walk@supportconnection.org 914-962-6402

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WELL

burn? That’s fine, but is that information helping you achieve a long-term (or even a short-term) goal?

SPECIFIC GOALS

Giovanni Roselli. Courtesy Giovanni Roselli.

USE – THEN LOSE – FITNESS TECHNOLOGY

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”

– Albert Einstein 110

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Client No. 1 “After meeting with my doctor, she noticed that I’ve been having high blood pressure, so she asked for my maximum heart rate during exercise to be no more than x beats per minute.”

Client No. 2 “I’ve been really tired the last few months and I have not been getting much sleep nightly, around five hours. I want to concentrate on getting more sleep and setting a more consistent bedtime.”

Client No. 3 “I don’t know much about quantity and quality of calories in foods and I’ve been having trouble losing weight. I want to make a conscious effort to learn more about nutrition and be more aware of how many calories the foods I am eating have.”

These clients sound encouraged adopting new healthy habits. Part of my job is to help them attain the information they need and use it to make the necessary behavior changes. Once the changes are established, maybe the technology that got them started in the right direction is no longer necessary. have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I know it is necessary and important, but I often wonder if we, as a society, are becoming too reliant on it. Although not everything that Marty McFly and “Back to the Future II” predicted may have come true (just yet), we are in an era in which technology is dominating the world. The fitness industry is no exception.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYTHING

It seems like every week there is another app, device or piece of equipment to measure something. If you want to use technology, choose wisely by defining the specific goal of what you want to get out of the device.

Do you want to know how many steps you are taking in a single day? If yes, what will that information do for you?

Do you want to know how much sleep you are getting nightly? OK, why? How will that affect tomorrow?

Do you want to know what your heart rate is during your workout and how many calories you

USE IT THEN LOSE IT

It may be that we have gotten to a point where we rely so heavily on technology that we are actually losing our ability to think for ourselves and to take ownership. We mindlessly use a GPS to get from point A to point B. Since the advent of automatic dialing, compare how many phone numbers you can remember with the numbers you could recall 10 years ago.

As children, we are continuously weaned off relying on our parents so that we can become self-reliant individuals. As a coach, I strive to wean clients off the technology that may have initiated their new start.

Can we survive in this world without using technology? Yes, but it would be difficult. Maybe we can start relying on our technology a little less.

Or maybe the Cubs will win the World Series as “Back to the Future II” predicted. Well, I guess the film can see into the future pretty well.

Reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

SCHOOL LIST

PREPARING THE NE X T G ENER ATION

START THE SELECTION PROCESS.

Top private school open-house dates not to miss!

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TOP PRIVATE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE DATES NOT TO MISS ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL 950 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-946-4800 // stepinac.org Top administrator: Thomas Collins, president Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 15, 2-4 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 24, 6-8 p.m.

BI-CULTURAL DAY SCHOOL

2186 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Conn. 06903 203-329-2186 // bcds.org Top administrator: Jacqueline Herman Open house dates: Sunday, Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m. to noon Tucked away on a graceful, 13-acre green campus, the Bi-Cultural Day School is a preschool through eighth grade Jewish day school that integrates a STEAM-based, dual curriculum that encourages critical thinking and curious minds. Beginning with the school’s perspective, “Play with a Purpose,” early childhood program, the school’s nationally recognized faculty teachers tailor teaching strategies to suit each child’s individual learning style and cultivate his or her unique interests, needs and abilities.

BRUNSWICK SCHOOL

100 Maher Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-625-5800 // brunswickschool.org Top administrator: Thomas Philip Open house dates: Sunday, Nov. 5; time to be declared.

Vibrant and growing, Brunswick School has been defined and distinguished for more than 110 years by its commitment to “Courage, Honor, Truth.” The school offers rigorous academics, including an advanced science-research program and 28 advanced-placement courses. It also offers comprehensive arts, drama and music and a renowned language program that includes instruction in Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, Latin and Greek.

THE CHAPEL SCHOOL

172 White Plains Road, Bronxville, N.Y. 10708 914-337-3202 // thechapelschool.org Top administrator: Michael Schultz, principal Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 1, 1-2:30 p.m. for sixth through eighth grade; Tuesday, Oct. 3, 7-8:30 p.m. for preschool; and Sunday, Oct. 15, 1-2:30 p.m. for kindergarten through fifth grade In its 71st year, The Chapel School offers an expanding roster of extracurricular programs, which include guitar, recording, violin and cello with Concordia faculty; National Junior Honor Society, technology and communications club, band, drama and musicals, select choir, golf, square, basketball, cross country and track.

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SCHOOL 575 White Plains Road, Trumbull, Conn. 06611 203-261-6230 // kingsmen.org Top administrator: Brian Modarelli Open house dates: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m.

EAGLE HILL SCHOOL 45 Glenville Road, Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-622-9240 // eaglehillschool.org Top administrator: Marjorie E. Castro Open house dates: Tuesday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m.; Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, 9 a.m.; and for the Foundations Program, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m., and Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2018, 9 a.m.

FAIRFIELD COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield, Conn. 06824 203-254-4200 // fairfieldprep.com Top administrator: Rev. Thomas M. Simisky Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 1, 2-4 p.m.

FAIRFIELD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2970 Bronson Road, Fairfield, Conn. 06824 203-259-2723 // fairfieldcountryday.org Top administrator: John R. Munro Jr. Open house dates: Monday, Nov. 12, 1-3:30 p.m., family open house; Thursday, Jan. 17, 2017, 10-11:30 a.m. parent lower school look and learn, preschool through third grade; Saturday, Jan. 19, 9-10:30 a.m., parent middle school and supper school session, for fourth through ninth grade students FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, N.Y. 10458 718-367-7500 // fordhamprep.org Top administrator: Christopher Devron Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 29, 1-4 p.m.

FORMAN SCHOOL

12 Norfold Road, Litchfield, Conn. 06759 860-567-8712 // formanschool.org Top administrator: Adam K. Man Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 9, 8:30 registration, 9 a.m. to noon program In a traditional boarding school setting, students of the Forman School are guided in learning strategies by specialists who are also coaches, mentors and dorm parents. The school’s 100 percent college placement rate reflects the passion for learning that students experience.

Its 125-acre campus includes four athletic fields, a gymnasium, a rock-climbing wall, science center, ingenuity lab and dormitories and a new visual and performing arts center includes a 300-seat theater and state-of-the-art classrooms.

OPEN HOUSE | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 | 12 p.m.–4 p.m.

  

Class of 2017 accepted to over 200 Colleges and Universities 93% received Academic Scholarships $34.7 million received in Academic Scholarships

500 West Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale, New York | 914.761.3300 | www.mariaregina.org 112

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Where Every Voice is Heard With a typical class size of 10, our students and teachers build relationships that enrich learning and change lives.

Small School… Big Opportunities… Endless Possibilities.

260 Jay Street • Katonah, NY 10536 • 914.301.7451 admissions@harveyschool.org • harveybacktoschool.net

A coeducational college preparatory school enrolling students in grades 6–12 for day and in grades 9–12 for five-day boarding.

ADMISSIONS OPEN HOUSE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 AT 9 A.M.

School of the Holy Child An all-girls, Catholic, independent school for grades 5 through 12

Learn how Holy Child students find joy in learning, attain academic excellence and are prepared to attend the nation’s most selective universities, including Columbia University, Georgetown University , Harvard, MIT, and more. www.holychildrye.org | (914) 967-5622 WAGMAG.COM

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TOP PRIVATE SCHOOL OPEN-HOUSE DATES NOT TO MISS FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK

Pre-school 85 Palmer Ave., Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 914-250-0521 Elementary School 111 Larchmont Ave., Larchmont, N.Y. 10538 914-250-0469 Middle and High School 145 New St., Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 914-250-0451 fasny.org Top administrator: Joël Peinado Open house dates: Saturday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. (To schedule a private tour, contact admissions@fasny.org or call 914-250-0401).

A Westchester County independent, coed nursery through grade 12 day school, FASNY’s unique bilingual curriculum, open to non-French speakers from nursery to kindergarten and from ninth to 12th grades, ensures students acquire academic fluency, mental flexibility and open-mindedness key in tomorrow’s world. Double language immersion in preschool brings children to bilingualism, a ninth through 10th grade all-English International Program culminates in an 11th grade IB track, tailored to rising bilingual FASNY students, local non-French speakers, and qualified international students.

FUSION ACADEMY FAIRFIELD 2150 Post Road, Suite 304, Fairfield, Conn. 06824 475-888-9256 // fusionfairfield.com Top administrator: Amanda Sylvester Open house dates: date to be declared.

FUSION ACADEMY GREENWICH 66 Gatehouse Road, Stamford, Conn. 06902 203-323-2191 // fusiongreenwich.com Top administrator: Maggie Roche Open house dates: Sunday, Sept. 28, 5-7 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Thursday, April 5, 2018, 6-8 p.m.

FUSION ACADEMY WESTCHESTER 701 Westchester Ave., Suite 200E, White Plains, N.Y. 10604 914-285-9036 // fusionwestchester.com Top administrator: Stephanie Gold Open house dates: Thursday, Oct. 12; Wednesday, Nov. 8; and Wednesday, Dec. 6. Times to be declared.

GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORK 50 Partridge Road, White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-948-6513 // gisny.org Top administrator: Ulrich Weghoff Open house dates: Friday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m.; Friday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m.; and Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, 10 a.m.

GERMAN SCHOOL OF CONNECTICUT Campus located at Rippowan Middle School 381 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Conn. 06905 203-548-0438 // germanschoolct.org Top administrator: Renate Ludanyi Open house dates: Saturday, Sept. 9, 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

GREEN MEADOW WALDORF SCHOOL 307 Hungry Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. 10977 845-356-2514 // gmws.org Top administrator: Bill Pernice, pedagogical administrator Open house dates: Friday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m.; Friday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m.; Friday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m.; Friday, March 16, 9 a.m.; and Friday, May 11, 9 a.m.

GREENS FARMS ACADEMY 35 Beachside Ave., Greens Farms, Conn. 06838 203-256-0717 // gfacademy.org Top administrator: Janet Hartwell Open house dates: Tuesday, Oct. 3, 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m., and Thursday, Dec. 7, 8:30 a.m., preschool through fourth grade; and Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m., grades five through 12

GREENWICH ACADEMY 200 N. Maple Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-625-8900 // greenwichacademy.org Top administrator: Molly H. King Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 15. Time to be declared.

GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 41 North St., Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-869-4000 // gcsct.org Top administrator: Patrice Kopas Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 15. Time to be declared.

THE GREENWICH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 401 Old Church Road, Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-865-5600 // gcds.net Top administrator: Adam Rohdie Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m.

THE GREENWICH SPANISH SCHOOL The O’Connor Center 6 Riverside Ave., Riverside, Conn. 06878 203-698-1500 // greenwichspanish.org Top administrator: Rosario Brooks, director Open house dates: date to be declared.

THE GUNNERY 22 Kirby Road, Washington, Conn. 06793 860-868-7334 // gunnery.org Top administrator: Peter W. E. Becker Open house dates: date to be declared.

HACKLEY SCHOOL 293 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591 914-366-2600 // hackleyschool.org Top administrator: Michael C. Wirtz Open house dates: Saturday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m. to noon, upper and middle schools; Saturday, November 18, 9:30 a.m. to noon, lower school, kindergarten through fourth grade

LEARNING BEYOND WALLS Broadcast the news.

Study abroad.

Program computers.

Make your own blueprint.

Real World Experience = Real World Success FALL OPEN HOUSES

Upper School—October 19 at 6 p.m.

K–12—November 4 at 9 a.m.

Barat Center—November 10 at 9:30 a.m.

CSHGREENWICH.ORG

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THE HARVEY SCHOOL

260 Jay St., Katonah, N.Y. 10536 // 914-232-3161 // harveyschool.org Top administrator: Bill Knauer Open house dates: Saturday, October 14, 9 a.m.

The Harvey School offers a wide array of extracurricular activities in fine and performing arts, interscholastic sports and community service. The school features an international student program, including week-long and semester-long exchange programs, optional five-day boarding, offering the benefits of a boarding school with the comfort of home on weekends and an award-winning robotics program.

IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL 73 Southern Blvd., Danbury, Conn. 06810 203-744-1510 // immaculatehs.org Top administrator: Mary R. Maloney Open house dates: Sunday, October 1, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

IONA PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School, grades K-8 173 Stratton Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 917-699-7744 Upper School, grades 9-12 255 Wilmot Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 ionaprep.org Top administrator: Brother Thomas Leto Open house dates: Sunday, October 22, noon to 3 p.m., and Wednesday, October 25, 6-8 p.m. for the upper school; and Thursday, November 2, 7 p.m. for the lower school JOHN F. KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 54 Route 138, Somers, N.Y. 10589 914-232-5061 // kennedycatholic.org Top administrator: Father Mark G. Vaillancourt Open house dates: Wednesday, October 18, 7-9 p.m., and Sunday, October 22, 1-4 p.m.

THE KARAFIN SCHOOL 40-1 Radio Circle, Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 914-666-9211 // karafinschool.com Top administrator: Renee L. Donow Open house dates: date to be determined.

For more information on our admission reception, please visit brunswickschool.org/admissions/

DISCOVER YOUR

The power of you, unleashed by a Masters education.

Brunswick Quarter page ad 2017_1.indd 1

MIGHT

6/27/17 5:51 PM

The Masters School is an independent day and boarding school for grades 5–12 that empowers independent thinkers through active intellectual exploration. Located on 96 beautiful acres, the School embraces a diverse and vibrant convergence of ideas, cultures, arts and athletics.

Masters students confidently find their own voices, take risks, develop their talents and emerge ready for college, career and life and motivated to be a power for good in the world.

OPEN HOUSE

Grades 9–12 | Oct 21 at 12 noon Grades 5–8 | Nov 4 at 12 noon RSVP to (914) 479-6420 or admission@mastersny.org Private busing options.

49 Clinton Avenue | Dobbs Ferry, NY | mastersny.org

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TOP PRIVATE SCHOOL OPEN-HOUSE DATES NOT TO MISS KING SCHOOL

MARIA REGINA HIGH SCHOOL

1450 Newfield Ave., Stamford, Conn. 06805 203-322-3496 // kingschoolct.org Top administrator: Thomas Main Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 15, middle school and upper school open house, 1-4 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 5, lower school open house, 1-4 p.m.; and coffee and conversation event, Tuesdays, 9:45 a.m.

King School’s personalized approach to teaching and learning is the essence on which the students thrive. King, a preschool through grade 12 independent school, has embraced the “person” in personalization – the student’s passions, goals and challenges. Underpinning the teachers’ deep understanding of each student is a comprehensive student learning profile, introduced in preschool and developed through senior year.

500 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530 914-761-3300 // mariaregina.org Top administrator: Valerie Reidy Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 28, noon to 4 p.m.

Celebrating 60 years of excellence, Maria Regina High School is committed to the values of scholarship, service and spirit. The school challenges young women to develop their intellectual potential and talents through individualized academic programs, strong athletic, extracurricular and service opportunities, all in a strong, spirited atmosphere.

THE MASTERS SCHOOL

49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 10522 914-479-6400 // mastersny.org Top administrator: Laura Danforth Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 21, noon, grades nine through 12; and Sunday, Nov. 4, noon, grades five through eight The Masters School is a leading co-ed day and boarding school for grades five through 12 that enriches students’ minds, preparing them for success in college, career and life. Located on 96 beautiful acres, Masters is a diverse and vibrant convergence of ideas, cultures, arts and athletics.

All students benefit from an active seven-day campus and an accessible faculty, 60 percent of whom live on campus plus an outstanding performing and visual arts program and athletics program featuring 37 teams and new 75,000-square-foot athletics and arts center.

LÉMAN MANHATTAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School 41 Broad St., New York, N.Y. 10004 Upper School 1 Morris St., New York, N.Y. 10004 212-232-0266 // lemanmanhattan.org Top administrator: Maria Castelluccio Open house dates: Tuesday, Sept. 5, lower and upper schools. Time to be declared.

MAPLEBROOK SCHOOL 5142 Route 22, Amenia, N.Y. 12501 845-373-8191 // maplebrookschool.org Top administrator: Donna Konkolics Open house dates: date to be declared.

MILLBROOK SCHOOL 131 Millbrook School Road, Millbrook, N.Y. 12545 845-677-8261 // millbrook.org Top administrator: Drew Casertano Open house dates: Sunday, Sept. 23, 9 a.m. to noon

THE MONTFORT ACADEMY 125 E. Birch St., Mount Vernon, N.Y. 10552 914-699-7090 // themontfortacademy.org Top administrator: David Petrillo Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 15, noon to 3 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 18, 6-9 p.m.

NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL 635 Frogtown Road, New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-972-0771 // countryschool.net Top administrator: Robert P. Macrae Open house dates: Sunday, Nov. 5, 1-3 p.m., early childhood and lower school open house; Wednesday, Nov. 15, 6:30-8 p.m., middle school open house NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NEW YORK 44 E. Second St., New York, N.Y. 10003 212-600-2010 // nordangliaeducation.com Top administrator: Adam Stevens, interim principal Open house dates: private visits available upon request.

NOTRE DAME CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 220 Jefferson St., Fairfield, Conn. 06825 203-372-6521 // notredame.org Top administrator: Christopher Cipriano Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 22, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL 22 Spackenhill Road, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12603 845-242-2340 // oakwoodfriends.org Top administrator: Chad Cianfrani Open house dates: date to be declared.

Be known Be challenged Be you

Rippowam Cisqua School

In our new Innovation Center, students explore their ideas, manipulate real world materials, and test new technology through our hands-on approach.

“Rippowam provides my daughter with countless opportunities to be creative — to make things she never thought she could, and to see her talents and interests realized in exceptional and meaningful ways.” – Parent ’22 Rippowam Cisqua School is a coeducational, independent country day school for students in PreKindergarten through Grade Nine.

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Contact us at admissions@rcsny.org or (914) 244-1296 to schedule a visit.

Come visit us!

Open House October 21, 2017

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Open House Dates: Saturday, November 4, 2017 Saturday, January 20, 2018

French-American School of New York Growing Global Citizens

Accepting non-French speakers: • In Nursery, Pre-K and Kindergarten: Bilingual immersion • In High School: IB Diploma Programme taught in English Bilingual Co-ed School • Nursery (3 years old) through Grade 12 Campuses in Scarsdale, Larchmont, Mamaroneck

www.fasny.org • (914) 250-0401 WAGMAG.COM

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225 Danbury Road, Wilton, Conn. 06897 203-762-8100 // olfcatholic.org Top administrator: Stan Steele, principal Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 15; Monday, Feb. 4, 2018 and Monday, April 29, 2018. Times to be declared.

A co-educational National Blue Ribbon School offering preschool through eighth grade learning. Small class sizes, individualized instruction, and STEM curriculum allow for mastery of core academic concepts, achieving excellence beyond standardized testing norms. Experienced and caring teachers create a nurturing environment that motivates children to reach their highest potential. A hallmark of the school is the emphasis on “Service above Self” with community events scheduled throughout the year to develop strong character, moral values, and respect for self and others.

REGIS HIGH SCHOOL 55 E. 84 St., New York, N.Y. 10028 212-288-1100 // regis.org Top administrator: Fr. Daniel Lahart Open house dates: for residents of the Bronx, Manhattan and Westchester County, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; for residents of all other areas, Monday, Oct. 9, 1-4 p.m.

RIDGEFIELD ACADEMY 223 W. Mountain Road, Ridgefield, Conn. 6877 203-894-1800 // ridgefieldacademy.org Top administrator: James P. Heus Open house dates: Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to noon

RIPPOWAM CISQUA SCHOOL

Lower School 325 W. Patent Road, Mount Kisco, N.Y. 10549 914-244-1200 Upper School 439 Cantitoe St., Bedford, N.Y. 10506 914-244-1250 rcsny.org Top administrator: Colm McMahon Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 21, 1-3 p.m., upper school open house, grades five through nine; Sunday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., lower school open house, preschool through fourth grade Rippowan Cisqua is opening a new upper campus, which will include a 2,460-square-foot library and media center, a 2,400-square-foot innovation center, two full-floor visual arts studios, two new immersive science labs, a new courtyard and amphitheater, a new dining hall with an outdoor dining terrace, an additional athletics practice field and increased classroom spaces.

RUDOLPH STEINER SCHOOL 15 E. 78th St., New York, N.Y. 10075 347-289-7565 // steiner.edu Top administrator: Open house dates: Tuesday, Oct. 24, 7-9 p.m., for nursery through sixth grade, parents only; Tuesday, Oct. 16, 6:30-8 p.m., grades seven through 12, parents and students welcome; open classroom experience, Saturday, Nov. 4, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for parent-child program, nursery and kindergarten, parents and children welcome; and curriculum night for nursery through grade 12, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 7-9 p.m., parents only RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 3 Cedar St., Rye, N.Y. 10580 914-967-1417 // ryecountryday.org Top administrator: Scott A. Nelson Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 15, lower school; Monday, Oct. 22, upper school; and Monday, Oct. 29, middle school

SACRED HEART GREENWICH

1177 King St., Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-531-6500 // cshgreenwich.org Top administrator: Pamela Juan Hayes Open house dates: Thursday, Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to noon; Thursday, Nov. 2, 9 a.m. to noon; Thursday, Dec. 7, 9 a.m. to noon; Thursday, Jan. 11, 2019, 9 a.m. to noon Founded in 1848, Sacred Heart Greenwich offers a rigorous and integrated program in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). Upper school students can enroll in a three-year science research program, which offers internships at medical colleges and research institutions. Students interested in the arts have use of a full performing arts theater, art studies for the lower, middle and upper schools, a storytelling room, an outdoor amphitheater and a broadcast journalism studio.

SAINT BARNABAS HIGH SCHOOL 425 E. 240 St., Bronx, N.Y. 10470 718-325-8800 // stbarnabashigh.com Top administrator: Theresa Napoli Open house dates: Thursday, Oct. 19, 6-8 p.m.; and Saturday, Oct. 28, noon to 2:30 p.m.

SAINT JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL 2320 Huntington Turnpike, Trumbull, Conn. 06611 203-378-9378 // sjcadets.org Top administrator: William Fitzgerald Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 15, 1-4 p.m. (pre-register online); Thursday, April 4, 7-8:30 p.m. spring open house SAINT LUKE’S SCHOOL 377 N. Wilton Road, New Canaan, Conn. 06840 203-966-5612 // stlukesct.org Top administrator: Mark Davis Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 29, noon to 2 p.m., upper school open house; Sunday, Oct. 29, 2:30-4:30 p.m., middle school open house

EARLY CHILDHOOD OPEN HOUSE Sunday, November 5th 10:00am -12:00 noon Lunch will be served at the conclusion.

RSVP by November 2 nd Denise Rafailov at 203.329.2186 ext 1310 or drafailov@bcds.org

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Register for Open House!

Oct. 15 and Nov. 5 kingschoolct.org/openhouse

Discover the academic difference.

Pursue your passions, engaged by a challenging, student-centered, PreK-Grade 12 academic program and supported by a kind community. Be understood as a learner and a person.

A co-ed college preparatory school educating students from 30 towns.

Exceptional Faculty

. Academic Excellence . Personalized Approach . Community

Exciting Changes Happening at Soundview Prep!

• Flexible Support Center

Helping Soundview Prep students with organizational skills, writing, note taking, homework, and test preparation.

• Music Production and Recording Courses • Senior Internship Program • STEAM Makerspace • Science Research Program • Expanded AP Course Offerings • Campus Renovation and Construction • Shuttle Service from Metro-North Stations

Soundview Preparatory School

370 Underhill Avenue, Yorktown Heights, NY • 914.962.2780 • soundviewprep.org

Independent, co-ed day school for grades 6–12 • Picturesque campus 4-to-1 student-faculty ratio • Excellent college placement • Rolling admissions

J O I N U S F O R A N O P E N H O U S E! – S U N DAY, O C TO B E R 15: 1 - 3 PM WAGMAG.COM

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Here’s where student potential becomes actual.

One-to-one classrooms give students the space to flourish emotionally, socially, and academically.

Fusion Academy Westchester

Fusion Academy is a revolutionary private middle and high school where positive relationships and

FusionWestchester.com 914.285.9036

one-to-one classrooms unlock academic potential. Scheduling and curriculum are personalized, students may enroll at any time, and no homework goes home. Along with our full-time program, we also offer tutoring, test preparation, classes for credit, and a robust roster of electives that motivate and inspire.

Connect with our campus today to set up a tour and see how Fusion Academy can help!

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SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD

2225 Westchester Ave., Rye, N.Y. 10580 914-967-5622 // holychildrye.org Top administrator: Melissa Dan Open house dates: Saturday, Oct. 14, 1-4 p.m.

A college-preparatory school for girls, fifth grade through 12th grade, that strives to develop “women of conscience and action.” Accomplished and dedicated faculty members foster the spiritual development, individual talents and interests of each student. This is realized through rigorous and comprehensive academic, arts, athletics, service and global programs.

SOLOMON SCHECHTER SCHOOL OF WESTCHESTER Lower School, K-5 30 Dellwood Road, White Plains, N.Y. 10605 914-948-3111 Upper School, 6-12 555 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, N.Y. 10530 914-948-8333 schechterwestchester.org Top administrator: Michael Kay Open house dates: Sunday, Oct. 5, high school; Sunday, Nov. 12, lower school; and Sunday, Dec. 21, middle school. Times to be declared.

SOUNDVIEW PREPARATORY SCHOOL

370 Underhill Ave., Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 10598 914-962-2780 // soundviewprep.org Top administrator: Ken Cotrone Open house dates: Monday, Oct. 15, 1-3 p.m.

Soundview Preparatory School is an independent day school for grades six through 12, offering several academic specialties, including a flexible support center, music production and recording course, a senior internship program, a science research program and expanded AP course offerings.

THE SPENCE SCHOOL Lower School 56 E. 93rd St., New York, N.Y. 10128 Middle and Upper School 22 E. 91 St., New York, N.Y. 10128 212-289-5940 // spenceschool.org Top administrator: Bodie Brizendine Open house dates: Thursday, Oct. 25, 5:30-7:3- p.m., lower school sampler; and Tuesday, Oct. 30, 5:30-7 p.m., middle and upper school sampler THE STANWICH SCHOOL 275 Stanwich Road, Greenwich, Conn. 06830 203-542-0000 // stanwichschool.org Top administrator: Charles Sachs Open house dates: Thursday, Nov. 2; Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 (snow date, Thursday, Jan. 25); and Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

Times to be declared.

THE STORM KING SCHOOL 314 Mountain Road, Cornwall-On-Hudson, N.Y. 12520 845-534-7893 // sks.org Top administrator: Jonathan W. R. Lamb Open house dates: Saturday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to noon; Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m. to noon; Saturday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. to noon; Saturday, April 24, 2018, 10 a.m. to noon; and Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to noon

THE URSULINE SCHOOL

1354 North Ave., New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 914-636-3950 // ursulinenewrochelle.org Top administrator: Eileen F. Davidson Open house dates: Saturday, October 28, 12:30-3:30 p.m.; middle school, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2017, noon to 2 p.m.

The mission of The Ursuline School is to educate, inspire and empower a diverse population of 800 young women in sixth grade through 12th grade by providing them with a 21st century Catholic, college-preparatory education. The school belongs to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association and has 33 teams of student athletes.

THE WINDWARD SCHOOL Lower School 13 Windward Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10605 Middle School 40 W. Red Oak Lane, White Plains, N.Y. 10604 Windward Manhattan 202 W. 97 St., New York, N.Y., 10025 914-949-6968 // thewindwardschool.org Top administrator: John J. Russell Open house dates: Thursday, Sept. 7, 12:30 p.m., open house for all of Westchester’s fifth grade students; Thursday, Sept.

7, 1 p.m., open house for all new students in Westchester County attending first through fourth grade TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 926 Newfield Ave., Stamford, Conn. 06905 203-322-3401 // trinitycatholic.org Top administrator: Dave Williams Open house dates: Tuesday, Oct. 17. Time to be determined.

WHITBY SCHOOL 969 Lake Ave., Greenwich, Conn. 06831 203-869-8464 // whitbyschool.org Top administrator: Simone Becker, head of lower school; Jonathan Chein, head of upper school Open house dates: Sunday, Nov. 5, 1 p.m.

WOOSTER SCHOOL 91 Miry Brook Road, Danbury, Conn. 06810 203-830-3900 // woosterschool.org Top administrator: Matt Byrnes Open house dates: Saturday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m.; and Sunday, April 22, 2018, 1 p.m.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA-WILTON 225 Danbury Road, Wilton CT • 203.762.8100 • www.olfcatholic.org

Faith Knowledge Respect Join us on Sunday, October 15 TH 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. for a

SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE PRE K3 – GRADE 8 We offer 7:30 a.m. drop off and after school until 6 p.m.

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PET OF THE MONTH

Wilson and Finn. Photograph by Sebastian Flores.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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i

f 8-year-old Wilson and 2-year-old Finn resemble one another, that’s because they’re father and son.

Or at least that’s what the SPCA thinks. It’s not as if the organization could ask them when they came in as strays. The SPCA figured they’d been spooked by fireworks as so many people were setting off fireworks even before July 4th and that someone would come in to claim them. Sadly, no one has come forward.

Which is a shame, since they are quite a pair. Finn is sweetly energetic but not as energetic as you'd expect a Beagle his age, probably because he follows around his dad, who is more mellow. Wilson is a total ham. He loves everyone and wants nothing more than to sit next to you and get this belly rubbed. He

also loves to carry his toy around with him like a binky. (Hey, who’s the kid and who the dad?)

Although these two are different in age, the SPCA hopes they can find a home together since they have clearly been together their entire lives and find comfort in each other. They are good with other animals, too, and seem to do well with everyone they meet.

To meet Wilson and Finn, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor.

Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. 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.

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SEPT. 9 THROUGH OCT. 21 Blue Door Art Center presents “Assyrians in Yonkers: a Tale of Hope and Survival,” an exhibit exploring the As-

WHEN & WHERE

syrian community in Yonkers — what it is, its history,

THROUGH SEPT. 27 Hendrick Hudson Free Library presents “Contrasts and Similarities,” an exhibit that features the work of Judy Challis and Judika Lieberman. These two friends and artists have bonded together over their love of art and creativity despite contrasts in their artistic media, personal lives and family upbringings. Times vary, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose; 914-739-5654, henhudfreelibrary.org

archival photographs, artifacts, videos and maps, as well as contemporary paintings and sculpture. 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, 13 Riverdale Ave.; 914-375-5100, bluedoorartcenter.org

SEPT. 10 “Ozgen and Guests” provides a rare opportunity to experience a program of belly dancing with Turkish dancer, teacher, choreographer and director Ozgen, joined by bel-

SEPT. 1 THROUGH 4 Explore the Mark Twain Library’s 57th annual Book Fair, – and one of the oldest and largest – book fairs in New England, founded by Samuel Clemens himself in 1908. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Redding Community Center, 37 Lonetown Road (Route 107); 203 9382545, marktwainlibrary.org

'Paradigm Shifts' Sept. 14 through Nov. 25 at Heather Gaudio Fine Art.

its present realities and its future. The show includes

ly dancers from the Northeast, all hosted by Norwalk belly dancer, Tava. 7 p.m., Factory Underground, 16 Isaac St., Norwalk; 917-848-6402; http://ozgenshow.bpt.me

The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art presents “Tradition and Chaos,” a panel discussion that explores the work of senior artists now on view in the center’s cur-

SEPT. 14 Experience the Scottish Highlands at the Norwalk Historical Society’s “Highland Fling Scotch Tasting” Fundraiser, with Gregg Glaser, spirits and beer connoisseur, and publisher/editor of Modern Distillery Age. 7 p.m., Mill Hill Historic Park, 2 E. Wall St., Norwalk; 203-846-0525, scotchtastingmillhill.brownpapertickets.com

rent “Between I & Thou” exhibition. The panelists will offer insight into the artists’ lives and the challenges and advan-

SEPT. 6 Savor the works in the latest Westport Artists Collective Pop-Up Show at the Westport Arts Center. Fifteen artists were selected by the members who exhibited in the previous pop-up. 6 p.m., 51 Riverside Ave.; 203-2227070, westportartscenter.org

tages of continuing to work as older artists. 2 p.m., 1701 Main St., Peekskill; 914-788-0100, hvcca.org

SEPT. 11 Ability Beyond hosts its annual golf championship with proceeds to help provide critical support – including home care and job training – to more than 3,000 people with

SEPT. 8 India Center of Westchester presents its fifth annual Parampara, an evening of classical Indian dance and music. 6:45 p.m., Yonkers Public Library, 1500 Central Park Ave.; 914-418-5775, indiacenter.us/index.html

SEPT. 9 Discover Jena Thomas (one of the 40 top MFA students in the country selected by New American Paintings magazine) at the opening reception for her solo exhibit, “Liminal Landscapes,” at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery. 6 p.m., 96 Bedford St., Stamford; 614638-9847, alvarezgallery.com

See one of the largest collection of Beatles autographs and their respective artworks in “The Beatles Art Show & Sale” (in honor of Paul McCartney’s upcoming performances at Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center). 5:30 p.m., C. Parker Gallery, 409 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich; 203-253-0934, cparkergallery.com

disabilities in Connecticut and New York. Luncheon and a scramble-format/shotgun start tournament followed by cocktails and awards dinner. 11:30 a.m. start, Centennial Golf Club, 185 John Simpson Road, Carmel; 203-826-3183, abilitybeyond.org

SEPT. 14 THROUGH NOV. 25 “Paradigm Shifts,” a group exhibit featuring paintings

by Charles Arnoldi, Ricardo Mazal and Manuel Mérida.

10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Heather Gaudio Fine Art, 66 Elm St., New Canaan; 203801-9590, heathergaudiofineart.com

SEPT. 13 THROUGH 17 ArtsWestchester, the city of White Plains and White Plains BID present “Jazz Fest White Plains 2017,” a five-day celebration of jazz throughout White Plains. Performances throughout the week include Pablo Mayor and Ray Blue at ArtsWestchester, Paquito D’Rivera at White Plains Performing Arts Center and much more, culminating in a full-day outdoor

The Klein Memorial Auditorium holds its annual fundraising gala, which includes Erin Sullivan’s sensual, playful “With Love, Marilyn.” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. gala; 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. performance. The Klein, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport; 800-424-0160x2, avontheatre.org

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festival along Mamaroneck Avenue. Locations, dates and times vary. 914428-4220, artsw.org/ jazzfest

Etienne Charles performs at 'Jass Fest White Plains 2017,' Sept. 13-17.

N AT I O N A L F O L K D A N C E E N S E M B L E O F C R O AT I A

“A n a u d i e n c e o f 5 0 0 0 c e r t a i n l y appreciated some of the most skillful and inventive performances of the national dance ever seen at the Royal Albert H a l l .”

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SEPT. 23 Abigail Pogrebin at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Sept .16

SEPT. 16 Franklin Street Works, the Stamford-based experimental art space, presents its fifth annual benefit, “Get Out! Making Art Public.” The party, held in its tented back patio, will honor Connecticut arts advocate Tamara Dimitri and Chicago artist Cheryl Pope. 5 p.m., 41 Franklin St., Stamford; 203-253-0404, admissionwww.501auctions.com/getout

Abigail Pogrebin will be the featured speaker for the Selichot service that precedes the Jewish High Holidays. Pogrebin is the author of the new book, “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew.” She will unpack Selichot – one of the least-understood, but potentially most-heart-opening holidays. Books will be available for sale following the lecture. 5 p.m., Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, 220 S. Bedford Road, Chappaqua, 914-238-3928 bethelnw.org

Lizz Wright, the Georgia-reared gospel, jazz and blues singer (and August WAG subject), joins saxophonist, singer and composer Grace Kelly. 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org/events/lizz-wright-2/

The sixth annual “Picnic in the Park” Fall Fundraiser kicks off at the Pelham Picture House with cocktails, popcorn and an advance screening of one of the most buzzed-about movies of the fall, “Battle of the Sexes.”

After the film, guests will head to the park directly across the street where they will enjoy a gourmet picnic dinner, followed by dancing under the stars. 6 p.m., 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham; 914-738-3161, thepicturehouse.org

SEPT 16 AND 17 Audubon Greenwich presents its 19th annual “Fall Festival and Hawk Watch.“ Attractions include raptor shows, petting zoo, climbing wall, hayrides, rides in a Tesla Radio Flyer, food and more. 11 a.m. to 5p.m., 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich; 203-930-1349, greenwich. audubon.org

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SEPT. 16 THROUGH OCT. 8

“The Friend Strong Musical: It’s Easy!” A new family musical that celebrates the power of friendships with an anti-bullying message follows Jed Travis, a sixth grader at Goodwin Middle School, where bullies make his life miserable. With help from a wise custodian and a futuristic app, Jed and one unwitting bully learn how their words and actions affect the future. Times vary, Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main St; 914-591-6602, irvingtontheater.com

SEPT. 17 New Rochelle Opera presents a “Bernstein and Friends” concert, featuring selections by Leonard Bernstein and his contemporaries in a celebration of the 60th anniversary of “West Side Story.” 3 p.m., Christopher Murphy Auditorium, 45 Mayflower Ave.; 914-5760365, nropera.org

Join the Norwalk Preservation Trust in its seventh annual Living History Tour, entitled “Over Here: Norwalk In the First World War,” as it explores the social, artistic and architectural heritage from that time, by visiting the homes, monuments and memorials that tell the story of Norwalk during the Great War. 1 p.m., Wall Street Theatre, 71 Wall St; 203-853-7495, norwalkpreservation.org

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum hosts its 10th annual “Old-Fashioned Flea Market.” Extensive and newly expanded selection of vendors and items, including antiques, repurposed furniture, collectibles, jewelry, crafts, household items, clothing, toys, specialty and farm-to-table foods and much more. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mathews Park, 295 West Ave. Norwalk; 203-8389799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com

SEPT. 22 Explore the foundation of today’s mystical art, science fiction imagery and fantasy drawing at the opening reception for “Illustrations of Imaginative Literature: The Korshak Collection,” a glimpse into the history of images produced for the science fiction, fantasy, horror and adventure genres of literature. 6:30 p.m., Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road; 203977-6538, stamfordmuseum.org

Pianist Anthony de Mare performs his work “Liaisons: Reimagining Sondheim at the Piano,” which brings together 36 of the world’s foremost contemporary composers to “reimagine” one of Sondheim’s songs as a solo piano piece. 7 p.m., Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Ave.; 203-222-7070, westportartscenter.org.

SEPT. 23 AND 24 The 56th annual “Armonk Outdoor Art Show” showcases fresh and diverse art of more than 185 juried artists from 29 states as well as Israel, Canada and Cuba.

A broad spectrum of art from every medium will be on display, including painting, mixed media, printing, sculpture, photography and wearable art. The two-day festival also includes family-friendly activities, diverse food, craft beer, wine vendors and more. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 205 Business Park Drive; armonkoutdoorartshow. org

SEPT. 23 THROUGH NOV. 11 Clay Art Center presents “Reinvented: Future Now,” an exhibition that offers insight into the future of technology and ceramics. The showcase, curated by Adam Chau, features 12 ceramic artists who utilize digital technology within a traditional studio practice. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047, clayartcenter.org

SEPT. 24 Copland House celebrates the sounds of migration during its “Passages” concert. The event features the world premiere of “Fragrances by the Sea” by Copland House Resident Angel Lam, as well as music by Yehudi Wyner, Reena Esmail, Saad Haddad, John Mackey and Aaron Copland. 3 p.m., Copland House, 455 Byram Lake Road, Mount Kisco; 914-788-4659, coplandhouse.org

SEPT. 28 In “Acting and Resisting!,” actor and activist Mark Ruffalo, fresh from his Broadway stage performance in Arthur Miller’s “The Price,” speaks about climate change and environmental policies. 8 p.m., Quick Center for The Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203254-4010, quickcenter. fairfield.edu

"With Love, Marilyn," at The Klein, Sept. 9.

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE for movies and the performing arts

september

Non-profit 501 (c) (3)

8 Charlie Daniels Band

Special Guest Scooter Brown Band

9 Stephen Kellogg

Special Guest James Maddock

Partially Underwritten by Joe & Colleen Cugine

Great Shows This Fall!

203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG october

7 Cash is King

The Ultimate Johnny Cash Experience Special Guest Rock This Town

8 Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy Tour Emerson, Lake & Palmer Lives on!

10 UB40 Legends Ali, Astro & Mickey

11 Blues Traveler

12 Andrew Dice Clay Live in Concert

13 Tracy Morgan

14 Guitar Army ft. John Jorgenson,

Lee Roy Parnell, Joe Robinson

16 Lizz Wright with special guest Grace Kelly 18

An Unpredictable Evening with

Todd Rundgren

19 The Simon & Garfunkel Story

A theatrical concert about one of music’s most successful duo’s!

21 Jon Cleary

with Special Guest Jimmy Greene

22 Twised Sister’s Dee Snider Special Guest KILLCODE

23 Zeppelin Complete

Presented by Candy Store Entertainment

29 Comedian Nick DiPaolo 30 Country Music Legend Larry Gatlin

october

5 Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre In Concert 6 Comedian Steven Wright

30th Anniversary Tour Special Guest Los Colognes

14 Paul Revere’s Raiders

Special Guest The Way-Back Machine

15 Three Dog Night

Special Guest Doug Wahlberg Band

16 Tape Face

As seen on America’s Got Talent!

17 Sergio Mendes 19 Boney James

Special Guest Project Grand Slam

20 Mary Wilson of The Supremes 21 The Fab Four The Ultimate Beatles Tribute 22 American Dance Spectacular A Thrilling tour of American dance!

23 An Evening with Bruce Hornsby 25 Dennis Quaid and The Sharks 26 Renaissance A Symphonic Journey featuring the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra

27 Martin Sexton Trio 28 Christian McBride’s New Jawn

with Josh Evans, Marcus Strickland & Nasheet Waits Special Guest Steve Clarke Trio

y

Richard Shindell, Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky of Cry Cry Cry. Photograph by Beowulf Sheenan.

HITTING THE RIGHT CHORD

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

ou know how parents tell artistic children that they should have something to fall back on?

Singer/songwriter Lucy Kaplansky seemingly took that advice. After beginning her career as a singer/songwriter in New York’s folk scene in her late teens, Kaplansky chucked the career to pursue an advanced degree in psychology.

But she continued to make music. If you’ve ever heard her sing, you know that was a wise move.

After releasing a few of her own solo albums, she teamed up with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell to form the trio Cry Cry Cry, releasing one album nearly 20 years ago. In the coming months, a reunited Cry Cry Cry will be performing a series of concert dates, including one in Tarrytown, which Lucy discussed with us recently: At the time of the release of the eponymous “Cry Cry Cry” album in 1998, you, Dar Wil-

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liams and Richard Shindell had already established yourselves as singer/songwriters. How is it then that three solo artists decided to record an album such as “Cry Cry Cry”?

“Dar and Richard had done a bunch of gigs together. During sound checks, they would sing cover songs and harmonize. They had fun with it.

Richard and I had done the same thing, because he and I had done gigs together for years. Then they had this idea to make an album of that stuff.

I wasn’t there, but apparently Richard said, ‘That’s a great idea. Let’s see if Lucy wants to do it, too.’ I got this call from Charlie Hunter, their manager, asking me if I wanted to do this, but I remember thinking, ‘This is never going to happen,’ because these things never happen. Then it started to happen (laughs).

“Charlie pushed us all along and we started making some song choices and a label got involved.

The whole thing was just for fun and it turned into something much bigger than any of us had imagined. Somehow the vocal and personal chemistry between us just hit a chord, so to speak.”

What do you remember about the process of selecting material for the “Cry Cry Cry” album?

“My memory is that everybody came up with something, but Richard and Dar really came up with the lion’s share. Richard found this great song, ‘By Way of Sorrow’ by Julie Miller. Dar heard James Keelaghan do ‘Cold Missouri Waters’ at some festival. I forget who came up with Ron Sexsmith’s ‘Speaking With the Angels.’ I don’t remember what I came up with. Maybe I didn’t come up with anything that stuck.”

If there was a new Cry Cry Cry album, what songs/songwriters would you want to include?

(Laughs) “Great songs. That’s always been the criteria for me. If a song is great, it doesn’t matter to me who wrote it or how well-known it is. I’ve done a lot of cover songs in my career and that’s always how I’ve chosen them. What people respond to more than anything is a great song.”

Cry Cry Cry is on a reunion tour this fall. What are you most looking forward to about being on the road with Dar and Richard?

“It’s really fun. Being out on my own has its perks. Like, I’m in charge. It’s my show. I can do what I want. But generally, being out with a couple of friends is just more fun. It becomes something else. It becomes this thing about laughing and camaraderie and, of course, singing together, which is really my favorite thing. Singing with someone else is what I love to do more than anything else.”

We’re glad you mentioned that. Your 2012 album “Reunion” featured a fantastic array of guest artists, including Jonatha Brooke, Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka and even Richard Shindell. When can we expect a new album by you?

“That’s an interesting question. I was just thinking about this. When you called (for the interview) I was trying to finish a song. I’ve got a bunch of songs at this point, about six that I think are good enough. It’s a strange time for people like me, because CDs aren’t selling. Last time I put out an album, it absolutely stopped selling because of streaming services. A question for people like me is, ‘Why do I need to make an entire album of 12

songs? What If I put out six songs?’ What difference does it make (laughs)?”

We always say that you can’t sign a streamed album. When you do a show, don’t you want to have product that you can sell?

“Absolutely. And that is the only place to sell them. If I put out an EP of six or eight songs and didn’t feel like I had to make a full album, maybe that’s the legitimate way to go now.”

Your song “Land of the Living,” from your 2004 album “The Red Thread,” has taken on even greater meaning in the age of Trump.

“I’ve gotten a lot of requests for it lately. It was something that I always played for a long time.

As 9/11 receded and we had a different president, it didn’t feel as relevant. Lately, it’s been feeling more relevant. And there’s been an uptick in requests for it. It’s one of those songs that’s about a larger issue, a whole bunch of things that are troubling in our current political environment. I probably will be doing it a lot.”

Lucy Kaplansky performs as a member of Cry Cry Cry Oct. 28 at Tarrytown Music Hall. For more, visit tarrytownmusichall.org.

WESTCHESTER’S LARGEST COIN, CURRENCY AND GOLD DEALER Neil S. Berman

Author of “Coin Collecting for Dummies” and “The Investor’s Guide to United States Coins”

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WATCH

WIZARDS OF ‘OZ’

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More than 150 guests enjoyed Visiting Nurse Association of Hudson Valley’s 23rd annual awards presentation, “An Evening in Oz,” at the Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. The gala, hosted by Janine Rose, honored Ronald Corti, Maura Del Bene, Robert Simione and Beverlyn Fray and raised funds to support the VNA of Hudson Valley’s innovative and charitable community programs.

1. Maura Del Bene and Michele Quirolo 2. Ron Corti 3. Adela and Laurence Elow

3 4

GOLF FOR GOOD Donors and community and business leaders some 150 strong attended United Hebrew of New Rochelle’s 32nd annual golf tournament and dinner, at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase. Golfers enjoyed a festive cocktail hour and a reception with an awards ceremony, raffle prizes and silent auction.

The event raised more than $161,000 for direct care of residents at United Hebrew’s campus of comprehensive care, which includes skilled nursing and rehabilitation, assisted living and Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Attendees contributed an additional $22,000 at the event for United Hebrew’s enriching music and movement therapy programs.

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4. John Starks, Jay Cirocco, Paul Tozzo and Tony Nardozzi 5. Elaine Healy 6. Peter and Roberta Tomback and Malcolm Lazarus 7. Rick Rakow, Rita Mabli and Dan Forman 8. Carolyn Murphy

COCKTAILS IN THE GARDEN

The Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden in Suffield, Connecticut, held its second annual “Cocktails in the Hatheway Garden” fundraising event. More than 100 guests enjoyed an evening rich in history, fantastic food, music and world-class wine all to benefit one of Connecticut Landmarks’ nonprofit historic properties.

9. Michele Holcombe, Judy Hanmer, Debora Reynolds and Rita Sullivan. Front row: Melissa Mack and Sheryl Hack

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S R A E Y

2017 2018

October 2017 6 SITI Company: Hanjo 8 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra / Cicely Parnas, cello 13 Jazz at The Center: Branford Marsalis Quartet 15 Westchester Philharmonic’s 35th Anniversary Opener 20-28 Purchase Repertory Theatre: The Crucible 20-21 Kyle Abraham / Abraham.In.Motion November 2017 3 Black Violin 4 Jazz at The Center: A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie 5 National Theatre Live: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead 11 Moscow State Symphony Orchestra 18 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center 19 National Theatre Live: Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf December 2017 3 The Suzanne Farrell Ballet 9 Brentano Quartet Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical 12 15-16 The Rob Mathes Holiday Concert 17 Westchester Philharmonic Winter Pops!

17 National Theatre Live: Follies

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January 2018 20 Kronos Quartet 27 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center February 2018 2 Globalfest presents The New Golden Age of Latin Music featuring Las Cafeteras & Orkesta Mendoza 10 wild Up 11 Westchester Philharmonic Friends & Family Concert 17 Velvet Caravan 24 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center 25 American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook March 2018 2-3 L.A. Dance Project 10 Sarah Chang, violin 23 Orpheus Chamber Orchestra / Lisa Batiashvili, violin 31 RUBBERBANDance Group April 2018 8 Westchester Philharmonic: Eternal Spring 15 Jeremy Denk, piano 21 Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center 28 Big Band Dance Party with Purchase Jazz Orchestra May 2018 5 Jessica Lang Dance

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June 2018 17 Westchester Philharmonic: Keys, Kegs & ‘Que

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RIVERTOWNS SOIRÉE

Members of the Rivertowns community gathered at a private home in Irvington to celebrate the community’s tradition of caring for those in need through UJA-Federation of New York and the empowerment of philanthropy. Funds raised at the event went to UJA-Federation, which supports programs that provide food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, independence for the elderly and jobs for the unemployed, as well as stimulating education programs for people in New York, Israel and nearly 70 other countries.

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1. Alan and Nancy Block 2. Jason Laks, Brian Friedman and Jay Stein 3. Heidi Kaufman Lackowitz, Karen Greenbarg and David Strauss 4. Laurie Davidowitz, Elissa Strauss and Laura Maya

RECORD BREAKERS The Music Conservatory of Westchester raised a record-breaking $245,000 at its 16th annual Golf and Tennis Classic held at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase. The day began with a round of golf and tennis and was followed by an awards dinner. This year's entertainment was emceed by Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis and featured performances by fellow Tony nominees Robert Cuccioli and Mary Bridget Davies. Honorees included longtime Conservatory trustee Laurence Keiser, actors and philanthropists Chazz and Gianna Palminteri and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Darlene Love.

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Constantine Maroulis Alice Cabral Cheryl and Joel Breitkopf Darlene Love and Nancy Goodman Chazz and Gianna Palminteri,Jon Chattman and Jean Newton 10. Nicole D’Onofrio, Andrew Dye and Tina Brescia

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HISTORIC TURN OF THE CENTURY MANSION

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A HOME RUN

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Celebrities and superstars from the world of sports were in the lineup of the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation’s annual Golf and Tennis Classic at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. The event supported the foundation and its educational initiative, Margaret’s Place, a program that provides a “safe room” in schools for victims of domestic abuse. Since its inception in 2002, Safe At Home has reached more than 72,000 students through individual and group counseling, schoolwide campaigns, peer leadership and educational opportunities that help young people overcome their fears and end the cycle of violence through education.

1. Justin Marcus, John Starks and Bob and Michael Devlin 2. Joe Torre and Rob Manfred 3. Ali Torre and Joe Cohen 4. Ken Daneyko and Tim O’Neill 5. Yolanda Jimenez and Dan Boever 6. Johanna Redpath, Steve Kroft and Jim Redpath 7. Christie Ronan, Debbie Matera, Jorge Posada and Bob and Beth Murray 8. Tom Gullikson, Tom Kushner and Len Simard 9. Tony La Russa, Ann Dean and Jim Leyland

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Westmoreland Sanctuary

Floral Lecture & Workshop Series “Winter Wonderland”

Loving the Landscapes of Winter.

Designing Your Own Special Wreath & Tablescape

Thursday, December 7th 10:00 am - 12:00 Noon

INTEREST IN WINTER LANDSCAPES LECTURE Guest Speaker: Glenn Ticehurst RLA, ASLA Benedek & Ticehurst, Landscape Architects and Site Planners P.C. Bachelor of Science, Environmental Studies & Bachelor of Landscape Architecture – SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry/Syracuse University.

10:00 am – 11:15 am WREATH DESIGN WORKSHOP WINTER INSPIRED WREATHS & TABLESCAPES Guest Speaker: Nadia Ghannam Bachelor of Fine Arts - Cornell University Masters of Arts - Queens University 11:15 am – 12:00 Noon Coffee, Tea and Cookies to Follow $35.00 – Materials Included To Register, Visit WestmorelandSanctuary.org 260 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Mt Kisco, NY 10549 914.666.8448

Westmoreland Sanctuary.

Celebrating 60 Years of Preservation, Conservation and Appreciation of Nature.

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RUNWAY FOR HOPE

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The Hudson Gateway REALTOR® Foundation, together with the Women’s Council of REALTORS® raised more than $17,000 at their “Runway for Hope” Fashion Show at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The event featured fashions by Lord & Taylor in Eastchester and were modeled

by HGAR Realtors.

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Kathy Milich and Ann Garti Xiao Hua (Delica) Herman Kenyatta Jones Arietta Mary Prenon, Bonnie Koff, Terri Crozier, Stephanie Liggio, Roseann Paggiotta, Sarah Hughes and Carol Dorado 5. Dorothy Botsoe and Molly Jensen

NEW LEADERSHIP AT JLCW

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The Junior League of Central Westchester (JLCW) recently announced its incoming board of directors for the 2017-18 term. This year the JLCW board will lead more than 250 members in the communities of Eastchester, Greenburgh, Scarsdale and White Plains.

6. Marianne Chao, Sarah Sheehy, Midge Lesniewski, Sarah Schaeffer-Roth, Sandra Katz, Alyse Streicher, Thrusha Henderson, Jessica Gleason, Dana Miele and Valerie Phillips

DREAMS COME TRUE The dream of a new JCC, the first to open in Westchester in 40 years, was realized recently when more than 150 members of the community came together to celebrate the opening of the Harold and Elaine Shames Jewish Community Center in Tarrytown. The new JCC has added two indoor swimming pools, a 6,000-square-foot fitness floor, a gymnasium and more. Susan Tolchin emceed the event, which acknowledged the donors who made the new nonsectarian community center a reality and also the outgoing Executive Director Frank Hassid and the new Executive Director, Rabbi Andrew Ergas of Hartsdale.

7. Richard Spitz, Peter Boritz and Alan Raboy 8. Rob Astorino, Bernie Kimberg and Billy Dreskin 9. Drew Fixell, Charles Lesnick, Brian Smith and Mary Jane Shimsky 10. Elaine and Harold Shames

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WATCH

‘ANNIE,’ HILL AND BILL

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Former secretary of state – and Democratic presidential nominee – Hillary Clinton joined her husband, former President Bill Clinton, at the Westchester Broadway Theatre’s production of “Annie” on July 28. The Chappaqua couple saw the musical and took time to meet chef Alexandra Sampaio, complimenting her on the dinner.

1. President Bill Clinton, Alexandra Sampaio and Secretary Hillary Clinton

GO RED

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The American Heart Association recently celebrated its 14th annual “Go Red for Women” luncheon at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook. With more than 250 in attendance, spanning representation from the social, medical, corporate and pharmaceutical communities in the region, “Go Red for Women” raised more than $200,000 for research and education aimed at fighting heart disease and stroke in women.

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Christine Wayne and Kim Salveggi Jen Miller and Mara Schiavocampo Ellen Komar and Judy Campisi Lisa LaRocca Ginny Kuper

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SUPPORTING THE AUTISTIC

Hundreds of walkers came out to support BluePath Service Dogs at the organization’s first walkathon at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Yorktown Heights.

The family-friendly event raised more than $80,000 to further BluePath’s mission of providing the autistic with service dogs, offering safety, companionship and opportunities for independence.

7. Tricia Zarro and family 8. Caroline McCabe-Sandler and Jody Sandler with Roxy 9. Erica Stanzione and Michelle Brier 10. Sue Wicks with Roxie

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KENYA, TANZANIA, ETHIOPIA & RWANDA TOURS Exceptional Camps & Lodges | Authentic Experiences | Private tours for groups and families with children

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“OUR ADVENTURE IN EAST AFRICA WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE, FROM THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF WILDLIFE IN AMBOSELI AND REMOTE VILLAGES IN SAMBURU, TO BREAKFAST OVERLOOKING NGORONGORO AND SCENERY ALONG THE PLAINS OF THE SERENGETI. THIS WAS A TRIP NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN.” — Evan Anthony, Cambridge MA

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CREATING LEADERS Leadership Westchester, the signature leadership-training program of Volunteer New York!, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The evening began in the YoFi DMAC theater, where the 2017 class of Leadership Westchester went through its graduation exercises as the 20th class to complete the program. Following the graduation, there was a party at Zuppa Restaurant where alumni of Leadership Westchester joined in. Over the last six months, the Leadership Westchester Alumni Association has helped raise more than $50,000 to support the future of Leadership Westchester.

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Albert Rogers and Alisa Kesten Joan Grangenois-Thomas and Laura Rossi Hamra Ahmad and Sue Fuirst John Foligno and Robin MelĂŠn Noam Bramson and Colleen Gardephe Norman Fulton and David and Dan Severance Heidi Siesfeld and Sharon Douglas Jeanette Gilbert and Joe McCoy Marjorie Lang and Steven Sonet Juliana Wynohradnyk and Scott Morrison Robert Cordero and Geoff Schmits Janine Napierkowski and Jared Rice Ethan and Ken Fuirst and Kevin Langtry Ed Forbes and Joseph Pizzimenti Jeffrey Shaver Mike Sava Carmelina Myers

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WE WONDER:

WIT

IS FASHION A PASSION? *

Lori A. Auster

Sam Carmona café worker, Pelham resident

George D'Angelo

chairman of the board, The First Bank of Greenwich, Cos Cob resident

David Dumitrescu bank teller, Eastchester resident

president and CEO, The First Bank of Greenwich, North Salem resident.

“Yes, because it is creative and an instant transformation psychologically and physically.”

“Fashion is an interest. I dabble in fashion.”

"It's always been a passion since I was a youngster and then became active in the music industry. The two go hand in hand."

“For me, it depends on how much time I have in the morning. Before I go out someplace nice, I try to look good. And at work, I look good, with a nice suit.”

"Yes. I was raised by two seamstresses, my grandmothers, who were both very fashionable.”

Claire Gilvar

Matt Gresia owner, Canswer, Scarsdale resident

Kayla Hillis

waitress, Venice, Florida, resident

Alex Palmiere

Ashley Walters

“I developed a passion for clothes and accessories in my early 20s after having spent many years in uniform at school and as a midshipman in the British Royal Navy. I love how the right accessories have the power to completely transform an outfit.”

“Absolutely, fashion is a passion, because people use fashion to represent who they are.”

“I like it, but it’s not a passion for me. Makeup is definitely a passion. But I wouldn’t say clothing or accessories are.”

“It is. Wearing what I want, because I want to wear it and not caring what anyone thinks about it. And that makes me the individual I am.”

“It is. I like it, because it’s a form of expression in which everyone can be themselves and yet still be different.”

D.D. S., Scarsdale resident

founder, Booked Parties, Chappaqua resident

student, Eastchester resident

*Asked primarily at The Westchester in White Plains.

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Frank Gaudio

makeup artist, Bronx resident