WAG magazine - September 2020

TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG on fashion’s environmental consequences SUSAN RICE dispenses ‘Tough Love’ Pandemic-proofing your house KRISTEN N. GIZZI opens Hope’s Door IS COUTURE COVID-RELEVANT?

Fashionable visions

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MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016 2018, 2019

ANDRÉ LEON ALLEY survives ‘The Chiffon Trenches’ WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

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SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2020

12 What’s Trending 14 The stylish uses of enchantment 18 Tough enough 20 Training two- and four-legged creatures 22 Caring for others – while taking no guff 26 Equestrian style 28 ‘Stardust’ memories 32 A mayor for our times 34 An inside look at the new Wegmans 38 A ‘Love’ letter to the world 40 ‘Radio’ days 44 That’s Italian 46 Environmental 'actionist' 48 The gift of Gabby 51 The shape of things to come 60 Home design for the Covid era 62 A designer of distinction

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COVER STORY André Leon Talley: His heart on his sleeve

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WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

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FEATURES HIGHLIGHTS

80 HOME & DESIGN 56 – A contemporary house by the sea 64 – Create style, not fashion TRAVEL 80 – Escapes to paradise 82 – ‘Scent’sational travel fragrances 86 – An idyllic setting for meeting others – or just yourself FASHION & BEAUTY 74 – And the Oscar for best costume design goes to…

76 – Nourishing the 'theater of life'

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FOOD & SPIRITS 90 – Luxe WAG country dining, revisited 92 – Judging wines – and making new friends 94 – Coffee break South Indian style HEALTH & WELLNESS 96 – Defying the odds – and the status quo PET CARE 98 – Pets of the Month WHEN & WHERE 100 – A September to remember

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WITS 104 – Is fashion still relevant in the age of the coronavirus?

TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG on fashion’s environmental consequences SUSAN RICE dispenses ‘Tough Love’ Pandemic-proofing your house KRISTEN N. GIZZI opens Hope’s Door IS COUTURE COVID-RELEVANT?

Fashionable visions

JUDGED A

TOP

MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016 2018, 2019

ANDRÉ LEON ALLEY survives ‘The Chiffon Trenches’ WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE

SEPTEMBER 2020 | WAGMAG.COM

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COVER: Andre Leon Talley Photograph by Margaret Fox.

WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

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WAGGERS T H E TA L E N T B E H I N D O U R PA G E S

Dee DelBello

Dan Viteri

PUBLISHER dee@westfairinc.com

EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/CREATIVE dviteri@westfairinc.com

EDITORIAL Bob Rozycki MANAGING EDITOR bobr@westfairinc.com

Georgette Gouveia EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ggouveia@westfairinc.com

ART Sebastián Flores ART DIRECTOR sflores@westfairinc.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

COVER STORY: JEREMY WAYNE, PAGE 52

Sebastián Flores, John Rizzo, Bob Rozycki

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gina Gouveia, Phil Hall, Debbi K. Kickham, Doug Paulding, Giovanni Roselli, Bob Rozycki, Gregg Shapiro, Barbara Barton Sloane, Jeremy Wayne, Cami Weinstein, Katie Banser-Whittle

PRINT/DIGITAL SALES PHIL HALL

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

Anne Jordan Duffy ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/SALES anne@westfairinc.com

WILLIAM D. KICKHAM

Barbara Hanlon, Marcia Pflug, Heather Sari Monachelli ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

MARKETING/EVENTS

RAJNI MENON

FATIME MURIQI

Fatime Muriqi EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR fmuriqi@westfairinc.com

Marcia Pflug SPONSORS DIRECTOR mpflug@wfpromote.com

DOUG PAULDING

CIRCULATION Brianne Smith CIRCULATION SALES bsmith@westfairinc.com

Sylvia Sikoutris CIRCULATION MANAGER sylvia@westfairinc.com

JOHN RIZZO

GIOVANNI ROSELLI

Billy Losapio ADVISER

BOB ROZYCKI

WHAT IS WAG? GREGG SHAPIRO

CAMI WEINSTEIN

BARBARA BARTON SLOANE JEREMY WAYNE

KATIE BANSER-WHITTLE

Irene Corsaro ADVISER

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., 701 Westchester Ave., 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 914-694-3600, 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

EDITOR’S LETTER

BY GEORGET TE GOUVEIA

THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE BEST OF TIMES FOR FASHION, THE SUBJECT OF WAG’S SEPTEMBER ISSUE. The coronavirus with us for the foreseeable future and more and more people working from home, we are becoming Sweatpants Nation, as the Aug. 9 cover of The New York Times Magazine suggested. Add to this the economic woes that brick-and-mortar stores were experiencing in our Amazon age before the pandemic even hit and it’s no wonder that retail stalwarts like Lord + Taylor and Neiman Marcus and brands like Brooks Brothers, J. Crew and Jos. A Bank have filed for bankruptcy protection. Visit department stores nowadays, where sales are steep — which is both good and more than a little sad. Even some of the couture houses, which you figure can survive on the strength of the 1 percenters, skipped the recent online Paris Fashion Week to pour their precious resources into their staffs.

But “hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” (Thank you, Emily Dickinson.)

Other fashion houses like Dior collaborated with filmmakers to create fashion showcases that are mini works of art, reminding us that fashion is not just some bit of fluff offering momentary enchantment. It’s about surviving and thriving, too. (See our opening essay.)

Few people know more about that than one of the industry’s giants, our cover subject and White Plains’ own André Leon Talley, former creative director of Vogue, with the emphasis on the word “former.” In what is now known as cancel culture, Talley was most definitely canceled by Condé Nast and its artistic director, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. But Talley has, as Jeremy writes, lived to tell the tale in his juicy memoir “The Chiffon Trenches,” whose title alone suggests the iron butterfly quality that defines the fashion world. (We wrote about Talley when he 10

WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

received the Katonah Museum of Art’s Himmel Award in 2015, and we must say he made our day when he complimented us on the maroon ensemble we selected for the occasion. A kind gentleman. We wish him well.)

Some fashion, accessory and beauty labels are taking this moment to launch new chapters. St. John’s new creative director, Zoe Turner, is seeking to put her stamp on the knitwear powerhouse, cocooning us elegantly perhaps as a way to gird us for the virus’ challenge this fall. (Who says fashion isn’t a kind of armor?) With spas in London, New York and other megacities, Pietro Simone brings his skincare collections — one for everyday use; the other, anti-aging — to Neiman Marcus Sept. 15. And the legacy of French jeweler Frédéric Zaavy continues in the new book “Stardust” by Hudson Valley photographers John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler and in the efforts of his former partner Lisa Chen to realize his remaining designs. (Once you see his truly artistic, nature-inspired pieces, you’ll be a fan, too.)

The high cost of fashion — in terms of our environment — is one of the subjects environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg covers in her “Inconspicuous Consumption,” which she’s sure to discuss in an online appearance with Katonah’s Jay Heritage Center Sept. 10.

The daughter of author Caroline Kennedy and the granddaughter of a woman who knew a thing or two about fashion, journalism and publishing — Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — Schlossberg has a funny, conversational style all her own and an unusual way of viewing the world. Put it this way: You’ll never see goats and cashmere the same way again.

Another person with an unusual take on things is our own Phil, who explores the peculiar history of Oscar’s Best Costume Design Award and then pivots for a piece on Trattoria 632 in Purchase and designing fine Italian fare. The latter is one of any number of stories in this issue that interprets “design” broadly as

well. So we talk with Kristen N. Gizzi, executive director of Litchfield Crossings, New Milford’s largest shopping center and an advocate for Hope’s Door and its efforts to end domestic violence. Jeremy visits Denise Balassi, president and lead designer of South Salem-based Spaces of Distinction — originally known as Interior Consultants — a multifaceted design firm specializing in high-end, luxury residential and hospitality design; and Chris McNally — founder of Falcon, a Manhattan-based project quality management company — who discusses how homebuilding has changed in the age of Covid-19.

We also have stories on designs for educational diversity (new Iona College board member and marketing dynamo Gabrielle Gambrell), a life in public policy (former U.N. Ambassador and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, who will deliver a keynote at the Westchester Women’s Summit online Sept. 9 and 10); leading a city through crisis (Jeremy on White Plains Mayor Tom Roach); and on training equestrians (Ruth Nicodemus, owner of Serenity Show Stable in South Salem, and Kara Hanly Raposa of Old Salem Farm in North Salem).

Finally, we’d be remiss if we did not mention that we took first and second place recently in the nationally judged New York Press Association’s contest for Best Magazine. The judges said WAG is “very smart and stylish.” As Cami notes in her column on stylish home design — as opposed to fashionable home design — fashion is now, what’s hot, what’s trending. Nothing wrong with that. But style is classic, forever. Fashion is the weather. It comes and goes. Style is climate, the overarching picture. Fashion is personality. Style is character.

We at WAG know that we bring a sophisticated, cultured style to the publishing world. It is that style that we have adhered to in some dark days and that we believe will see us through.

For more, visit Georgette Gouveia at thegamesmenplay.com.

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September is the month when our thoughts begin to turn to a nip in the air and the comfort of a homemade bowl of soup. Or maybe, like us, you’re always up for a cup of chicken broth with lunch or as a quick pick-me-up.

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This is the second time we’ve tried Zoup!, and we must say that the veggie or chicken broth is perfect for one of our favorite, full-proof recipes, butternut squash soup.

In a stockpot, combine two large packages of cubed butternut squash with a 32-ounce jar of Zoup! chicken or veggie broth and 1 cup of water.

While that cooks, core and peel two Golden Delicious apples, slicing them into eighths.

Sauté the pieces in a frying pan with a little unsalted butter and cinnamon until they’re slightly soft.

Place the sautéed apples in the stockpot and let that all cook down to a pulp. Once that occurs, blend the

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WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

mixture with an emulsifier until it’s smooth.

For an extra velvety texture, stir in a ½ cup of half and half or whole or skim milk, depending on your caloric desires.

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, cinnamon and/or pine nuts and serve this ambrosia of the gods immediately.

We defy you not to go back for a second helping. For more, visit zoup.com.

Photograph courtesy Zoup!.

APARTMENT CHIC

ZEN AND THE ART OF DRAWING

One of the biggest challenges in the pandemic is keeping the mind both busy and calm. Art is a perfect solution, although many of us are not exactly budding Picassos. Enter Buddha Board, ($14.95 to $34.95) which will have you doing Japanese-style calligraphic paintings in no time, with no muss or fuss as you paint on the board’s surface with water, losing yourself in an absorbing water dance. As the liquid evaporates, so does your image and you are free to entertain the next one.

You’re also free psychologically as you experience the art of letting go.

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Photograph courtesy Buddha Board.

With all the talk of heading to the ’burbs, real estate in WAG country is red hot right now, and that includes apartments. By now, you’re a pro at decorating your spaces. But it never hurts to have some savvy tips from an expert, right? Manhattan interior designer Chelsey Brown, founder of the blog “City Chic Décor,” has written the new “Rental Style: The Ultimate Guide to Decorating Your Apartment or Small Home” (Skyhorse Publishing, $24.99, 161 pages), with tips on turning tight quarters into terrific places. We particularly like her invest, don’t invest, either/or section, because, let’s face it, why spend money when you don’t have to? So don’t spend too much on things that are heavily used that you’ll want to change out — a sofa, a coffee table, rugs and items of décor. But do invest in mirrors, wall art and curtains.

It makes sense. But then, she had us at her love of books and faux flowers.

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Photograph courtesy Skyhorse Publishing.

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STYLISH USES OF ENCHANTME

THE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Is couture still relevant in the age of Covid and police crackdowns?

The fashion houses certainly hope so, Indeed, they are betting on it. While retail stalwarts Lord + Taylor and Neiman Marcus and brands Brooks Brothers, J. Crew and Jos. A Bank file for bankruptcy protection, many of the fashion houses recently unveiled their Autumn-Winter collections online for what would’ve been Paris Fashion Week. There is always an element of the otherworldly about these shows, and few were more so than that of Dior, whose collaboration with Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone (“Pinocchio”) evoked the swooning surrealism of Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and the misty mythology of J.W. Waterhouse’s Pre-raphaelite paintings, set to something out of Erik Satie’s seductive, serpentine “Gnossienne No. 1.”

In the video, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=yxBFwqRbI8c a group of seamstresses at the fashion house prepare tiny mannequins with Dior creations. These are then conveyed in a large dollhouse transported by two bellhops -- who would be right at home in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” — to an Arcadian setting. Curious naiads at water’s edge, an Echo still pining 14

WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

for her Narcissus and a Daphne who seems distracted from smooching with her Apollo in a leafy bower (unlike the Greek mythological Daphne, begging to be turned into a laurel to escape his attentions) — all select designs from the bewitching maquettes that will be transformed into their goddess gowns.

But let’s for a moment rewind the video, back to where the seamstresses put the finishing touches on the miniature creations.

What do we spy there? A seamstress sews a cinched waist ball gown while another hangs a tulle creation and a third snaps a cream jacket fitted at the waist that looks like the top of the legendary Bar Suit, with its flaring midi-length black skirt. Immediately, we are transported back to postwar Paris.

The time was 1947, and Christian Dior — who had continued to design throughout the Nazi occupation, establishing his own house in 1946 in a small Second Empire hotel that had been built by Count Alexandre Walewski, Napoleon’s natural son — had decided to create what he called “flower women.” Gone were the straight, knee-length skirts and long, shoulder-padded jackets worn by self-sacrificing, working women during the war years. Dior’s

Christian Dior’s silk shantung and wool Bar Suit, seen here in a Denver Art Museum display, helped usher in his “New Look” in 1947.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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“Corolle” collection — from the botanical corolla, or circlet of flower petals — would blend closely woven fabrics, bustiers, corsets and petticoats to underscore the female figure.

Not everyone was on board. Some scoffed at the impracticality of reams of material at a time still marked by deprivation, while feminists criticized the traditionally female silhouette that they thought (rightly) signaled women’s return to a more conservative role. However, women themselves, Farid Chenoune writes in the estimable “Dior” (Assouline), were ready: “They yearned to be like the ‘flower women’ who paraded in the enchanted world that was the Dior salon, with their tiny waists, high busts, delicately sloping shoulders and exaggerated hips, to have voluptuous curves once more and a cinched-in waist; to feel the swooningly, bewitchingly feminine movement, the elegant swirl, whirl, flounce and flair of these entrancing gowns with their layers of petticoats and yards of fabric, swooping down to flirt (within a mere foot or less of the Parisian sidewalk) with the hemline of desire.”

Living in Paris, the writer Nancy Mitford wrote enthusiastically to her sister Diana Mosely of Dior’s “Anna Karenina clothes.” But it was Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow who gave the collection the name that has come down through fashion history — “the New Look.”

Soon the New Look was everywhere, from Hollywood (Leslie Caron in “An American in Paris,” Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday,” Grace Kelly in “Rear Window”) to the halls of power (Argentina’s first lady Eva Peròn). But few embodied it the way Princess Margaret, the rebellious younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, did. On Nov. 21, 1951, the petite but curvaceous princess arrived at the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars in Paris in support of the Hertford British Hospital there, garbed in a cream tulle Dior ball gown — embroidered and appliquéd in golden sequins, rhinestones, raffia and mother of pearl — that she had worn for her 21st birthday and a Cecil Beaton photo shoot to mark the occasion. It may have conjured Dis16

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Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón at a 1949 gala at Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón embodied Christian Dior’s ultra-feminine New Look. Lyricist Tim Rice would capture this in lyrics for “Rainbow High” (“Evita,” 1976): “I came from the people.

They need to adore me. So Christian Dior me from my head to my toes.”

ney’s “Cinderella” (1950), but there was a real-life princess championing a designer who in turn would help make her a fashion icon.

Six years after that ball, Dior passed away. Yet the look he created 73 years ago has had its descendants in John Galliano’s edgy iteration for its 60th anniversary in 2007 and in Raf Simons’ 2012 debut collection. The New Look has also inspired a number of fictional treatments, as in the 1992 film “Mrs. ’Arris Goes to Paris,” based on the bittersweet 1958 Paul Gallico novel about a London charwoman determined to have a Dior ball gown of her own; the 2016 PBS “Masterpiece” series “The Collection”; and “The Crown,” which recreates Princess Margaret’s photo shoot in her “Cinderella” gown.

In echoing the company’s history in both the video and its designs for fall, Dior --now controlled by fashion juggernaut Bernard Arnault, head of LVMH — isn’t merely paying tribute to its storied past. It is sending a message that even in catastrophic times, fashion can be an oasis of enchantment.

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TOUGH ENOUGH

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

When Susan Rice addresses the Westchester Women’s Summit, a virtual event taking place Sept. 9 and 10, attendees may well be looking at the next U.S. secretary of state.

Rice’s distinguished career in public service has mainly tapped into her expertise in foreign policy. Under President Barack Obama, she served as the 24th U.S. National Security adviser (2013-17) and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2009-13), having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent.

During Bill Clinton’s second term (19962000), Rice was on the staff of the National Security Council and assistant secretary of state for African Affairs.

But her time in the spotlight has not been without controversy. Frank about others and herself to the point of bluntness — a quality she has shared with many of her predecessors as National Security adviser and/ or U.N. ambassador, like John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Henry Kissinger, Jeanne Kirkpatrick and mentor Madeleine Albright — Rice was accused of misleading the American public about the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith and former Navy SEALS Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods. (On TV interviews following the attack, Rice used talking points from a CIA memo, the CIA being responsible for security at U.S. embassies. Ten investigations led by congressional 18

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Republicans over two years concluded that she had not intentionally misled the public about Benghazi.) Nonetheless, Republican opposition was enough to cause Rice to withdraw her name from consideration for secretary of state when Hillary Clinton resigned from the post in 2012.

“Before the days of (President Donald J.) Trump, (Secretary of Education) Betsy DeVos (Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice) Brett Kavanaugh, and our collective acquiescence to the narrowest of confirmation margins, I believed that the secretary of state (and other senior-most positions) should not be chosen along party lines,” she writes in “Tough Love: My Story of Things Worth Fighting For” (Simon & Schuster, 2019). “It is a role too important to our national security and international leadership to be used as a political football. That is still my view, though now it may seem quaint and antiquated.”

Perhaps not so ironically, Rice’s foreign policy expertise and Benghazi were the reasons some experts predicted she would not get the nod as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate — which may

The candor Susan Rice displays in her autobiography “Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For” extends to herself.

perfectly position her for State. The question then becomes in a Joe Biden administration, Will this time be different?

‘CIVIL WAR’ VETERAN Negotiating and navigating the rough waters have been Rice specialties from an early age. She is a product of two sides of the black experience. Her maternal grandparents, Mary and David Dickson, were Jamaican émigrés — to Portland, Maine, in 1912 — whose children would distinguish themselves in World War II, academia and medicine. Rice’s mother, education policy expert Lois Dickson Rice, was known as the mother of the federal Pell Grant subsidy system. Her father, Emmett J. Rice, was the grandson of a South Carolina slave who would found a school in New Jersey. A member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, Emmett Rice would become a Cornell University economics professor and the second black governor of the Federal Reserve System.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., the elder child of rigorous academics — brother Emmett J. “Johnny” Rice Jr. is 20 months younger — the tomboyish Rice was expected to hold her own on current events and dinnertime debates when she wasn’t rooting for her beloved Redskins, as the Washington Football Team was known until recently.

(She remains an avid tennis player.) At National Cathedral School, a private girls’ day school, she hit the trifecta as class valedictorian, student council president and athlete.

It foreshadowed collegiate success — Phi Beta Kappa and a Truman Scholarship at Stanford University; a Rhodes Scholarship to New College, Oxford University and a master and doctorate of philosophy in international relations, with her dissertation on Zimbabwe and peacekeeping lauded as the United Kingdom’s most distinguished in international relations.

But the family’s academic success belied strife at home, “a civil war battleground” contested, she writes, by her divorcing parents: “Arguably, my parents were never well-suited. My dad was not only brilliant and charming, but quick-tempered, impatient, and at least somewhat chauvinistic. My mom was beautiful, ambitious and smart, but high-strung, domineering, overly powerful but latently insecure. Ultimately, they agreed on little, except politics, some friends and their love for their children.”

Learning to serve and volley against competing parental interests no doubt was useful in charting the partisan landscape of the Obama years, in which she and the administration would be vilified for doing too little (in Syria) or too much (Libya). Even counting on successes with the ebola fight in West Africa, sanctioning Russia over its attempts to control Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal, Rice writes, “Failure, as I discovered early, is an inevitable result of policy making. We did fail; we will fail. Our aim must be to minimize the frequency and the prices of failure, while learning from our mistakes — and hopefully not the wrong lessons.”

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE Post-Obama, Rice has been a distinguished visiting research fellow at American University’s School of International Service, a member of Netflix’s board of directors and a contributing opinion writer to The New York Times, in whose pages she has advocated for her hometown becoming the 51st state, a reevaluation of our relationship with China and congressional assurances of fair elections this fall.

She is also an advocate of bridging the partisan divide — which for Rice begins at home.

She and her husband, former ABC News executive producer Ian O. Cameron, are the parents of son John David Rice-Cameron, former president of the Stanford College Young Republicans, and daughter Maris, as progressive as her brother is conservative.

“I believe, as always, that we must choose each other,” Rice concludes at the end of her book. “Individually and collectively, we can and must bend the arc of the moral universe — toward both justice and unity. We do not live in a zero-sum America. Your failure can never be my success. Our national creeds, of equality and “Out of Many, One” — E Pluribus Unum — must till guide us.”

The Westchester Women’s Summit — which will feature Susan Rice and former Fox News host and #MeToo pioneer Gretchen Carlson, https://www.wagmag. com/beyond-the-cliff/ along with various workshops — takes place 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 9 and 10. Admission is $175 and must be completed by Sept. 6. For more, visit web.cvent.com/event/48697d7f-e2e5480a-be4e-6a47491faa31/websitePage:64 5d57e4-75eb-4769-b2c0-f201a0bfc6ce.

SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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TRAINING TWO-AND FOUR-LEGGED CREATURE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

In a sense, fans of the equestrian trainer Ruth Nicodemus have John Wayne to thank.

Growing up in Irvington — the daughter of a couple who ran County Auto & Commercial Towing in Yonkers — she fell in love with a different kind of horsepower. (Her mother always liked to say it was because of her own love of the Duke’s movies.)

Whatever the reason, “I absolutely love horses,” says Nicodemus, who began riding on the horse show circuits around age 10, reaching the United States Equestrian Foundation (USEF) Medal finals and the ASPCA Maclay Regionals before turning professional at 18 and earning a degree in equine studies from Pace University. “There’s something about how majestic they are. They can be so kind and carefree. Their personalities are unique.”

Nicodemus revels in that uniqueness as owner and trainer of Serenity Show Stable Inc., celebrating its sixth anniversary this month. Despite the coronavirus, which doesn’t affect horses, the past few months have been busy and successful ones for Nicodemus. Her students have competed at shows in Saratoga and Princeton, taking a number of first-place blue ribbons. She’s also done well with sale horses.

Nicodemus operates her business out of our neck of the woods as well as Wellington, Florida, the winter capital of the equestrian world. (Because of the virus, she’ll be returning to Wellington early this year, in October.) This past spring, she moved her northeast operation from North Stamford to JT Farm in South Salem.

“We were in Florida in January when we decid20

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ed to make the move toward the end of March,” Nicodemus says. “( JT Farm) was closer to more things, closer to clients.”

With 51 acres of pasture, the farm has two extra-large sand rings with carefully maintained footing, a heated indoor arena, a Grand Prix field with natural jumps and access to more than 45 miles of trails on the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation bridle paths. Meticulous care extends to the well-ventilated barns for her stable of between 15 and 20 horses and ponies — a mix of mares and geldings mostly.

“I do have one stallion, a young jumper,” Nicodemus says. “They get a bad reputation.” But just because they’re hot to trot, so to speak, doesn’t mean they can’t be taught to be great in the ring, she adds.

Indeed, Nicodemus schools her four-legged and two-legged students alike, children as well as adults, in the equitation, hunter and jumper disciplines. Equitation is all about the rider’s form; hunter, all about the horse’s. In jumper events, horse and rider must navigate a series of obstacles with speed and accuracy. In each, horse and rider must be as one.

“If you’re going to find a bright side to the coronavirus, it’s that it has slowed things down so we can go back to basics.”

At Serenity, lessons are individual and held at staggered times. Nicodemus, who started teaching at 16, takes a personal approach to horse and rider.

While she thinks anyone can learn to ride, it has to be the right fit.

“Trust your instincts,” she says. “Come in. Let’s have a conversation. If this isn’t the right place for

Student Blyth Novick with trainer Ruth Nicodemus.

Photographs by Nick Gagliardi.

Ruth Nicodemus.

you, we’ll help you find it.”

She refutes the idea that horses are forced to become equestrian athletes.

“There is nothing you can do to make 1,500 pounds of animal do what it doesn’t want to do,” she tells us, elaborating on her experience with her fourlegged pupils in a quote sent from her publicist: ““My children’s hunter, The Lone Ranger, was a school horse turned show horse with a little TLC and a whole lot of flat work. My big equitation horse, Tom, was a former Grand Prix horse and taught me all about jumpers and how to believe in myself.

So many of my investment horses have taught me about persistence and work ethic. The ponies I’ve had the pleasure of keeping in my program have taught me patience.”

Patience — it’s important to Nicodemus, a Stamford resident, who meditates, using guided imagery and visualization, and holds yoga classes at the farm on weekends outside. These help with core strength but also with the quality found in the name of her business — serenity.

“With all that’s going on in the world, take a breath,” she says. “It’s a gift.”

There are still a couple of more places for students at Serenity Show Stable in Wellington. For more, visit serenityshowstable.com.

SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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CARING FOR OTHERS— WHILE TAKING NO GUFF

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

If “God is in the detail” — as any number of people have said — perhaps that’s partly because details reveal the whole. In the case of Kristen N. Gizzi, she loves nothing more than dinners al fresco at her Westchester home with her daughters and their friends. She’s also the pet mom of Gracie, a sickly Lakeland Terrier she adopted who needs special care. But then, Gizzi is a caring person. And she applies that caring nature to her philanthropic pursuits as well as her work as general counsel of the family-owned ECCO Group of companies in Yonkers, specializing in industrial construction, management and development; and executive director of her family’s Litchfield Crossings, New Milford’s largest shopping center.

“Litchfield Crossings…that has been my baby,” she says. “I’m involved with everything from leasing to marketing and social media.”

That hands-on approach is critical in this time of the coronavirus. Early on, Gizzi contacted her tenants — Aber Nail & Spa II, AT&T, Big Lots!, Home Goods, Kohl’s, Panera Bread, Petco, T.J. Maxx, Union Bank and Webster Bank — to let them know what the protocols would be for reopening, in accordance with CDC and WHO guidelines. She also put the word out on social

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media. Since Litchfield Crossings is an outdoor mall, social distancing was not an issue per se, Gizzi says. But it was important to her to pay attention to sanitization in the common areas and to safety for events like the classic car show held at dusk on Tuesday nights through September.

“It’s amazing,” Gizzi says. “Leasing in general has been affected. Everyone is hesitant to commit.” At present, plans for a 15,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art daycare center are on hold. “I also want to make sure that when you’re doing something sensitive like that, that it’s right.”

Still, there were a number of other deals she had been working on for a while. Litchfield Crossings is building a 5,500-square-foot building for Chipotle Mexican Grill and Jersey Mike’s Subs, with one more space there to be leased.

Though Gizzi says “I was always interested in the law,” corporate law was not what she set her sights on. Growing up in Yonkers, she says, “my dream was to be a prosecutor. I always had this sense of right and wrong. I saw injustice, and I wanted to do something about it.”

After attending the University of New Hampshire, she received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and became an assistant district attor-

Kristen N. Gizzi. Courtesy Kristen Jensen Productions.

ney in the office of Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown — “the best D.A. there was,” she adds. But after three years, she says, “I saw I wasn’t changing the world. I wasn’t passionate about politics.” She left, joined a White Plains law firm, did litigation and hated it. She started her own practice around the time her father, John F. Gizzi, had a heart attack. Joining the family business — for which she answered phones and did filing as a teenager — was as natural as it was perhaps inevitable.

“I love it all, even the retail construction,” she says. “I’m learning… and it’s creative.”

Gizzi thinks of her grandfather, a carpenter whom she watched build his own home. With building in her blood and an expanding body of knowledge, she revels in being a woman in what has been a man’s world.

“You walk into a meeting and they look at you as if this girl won’t know what she’s talking about. But then you call them on something and they’re surprised. You have to hold your own. You can’t take s- - -.

“It took many years. A lot of male workers were not thrilled I was there.” But over time, she has earned — no, demanded — respect and broken through what is a concrete ceiling.

Gizzi’s tough-tender style and legal background serve her in good stead as president of the board of directors of Hope’s Door, a Hawthorne-based nonprofit dedicated to eradicating domestic violence. And not just against women, Gizzi adds, but against men and members of the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals. The virus has exacerbated domestic violence, first by isolating everyone at home, including victims, so it is underreported and there have been fewer resources; and second by hampering fundraising. (On July 23, Hope’s Door and the Music Conservatory of Westchester joined forces for a virtual Hope’s Door fundraiser that featured Broadway star, and WAG’s April cover subject, Melissa Errico. Another virtual fundraiser is planned for Oct. 1. ) “It’s a very different time with the loss of revenue,” Gizzi observes. “The need is great.”

A witness to domestic violence herself, she is particularly excited about the organization’s programs for young people that offer awareness of teen dating violence as well as coping strategies to help end the cycle of violence that often begins at a young age. (The Hope’s Door Teen Symposium is set virtually for Oct. 26.)

Along the way, she hasn’t forgotten to care for herself. She does Pilates — “my outlet for anxiety,” she says. And then there are those family dinners and making S’mores.

“Those are the things that matter. I learned that from this pandemic. It’s put us in touch with what’s important — like it or not.”

For more, visit litchfieldcrossings.com and hopesdoorny.org.

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STYLE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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The American Gold Cup may have jumped the fence at Old Salem Farm in North Salem — moving on to Traverse City, Michigan — but there is still plenty of equestrian action slated for the farm this month, with competitions in equitation, which judges the form of the rider; hunter, judging the form of the horse; and jumper, with its timed obstacles.

One equestrian who has excelled in the worlds of jumpers and hunters is Kara Hanly Raposa, who joined the farm’s team of trainers in May. Growing up in Westchester County, Raposa ultimately transitioned from jumper to hunter. But as she says on Old Salem’s website: “I like all of it. I like teaching and bringing kids and adults along and I like working with young horses. I like it all”: Kara, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Though for many years you trained at your family’s farm in Clinton, New York, you’re actually from our neck of the woods.

What does returning to the area mean to you?

“When I was in elementary school, we lived in Larchmont, and I rode at Boulder Brook (Equestrian Center in Scarsdale). We then moved to Scarsdale, where I continued riding at Boulder Brook until my final junior years that were spent at Coker Farm (in Bedford).

“Coming back to the Westchester area is like coming home. I competed my entire junior career here. I have so many wonderful memories and am looking forward to making more.”

Working with Show Jumping Hall of Famer Rodney Jenkins, you transitioned from jumpers to hunters and ultimately became an elite hunter rider.

What was it about hunter competition that appealed to you more?

“I always considered myself more of a

jumper rider out of the junior ranks. I never really had hunters as a junior. I was lucky enough to go work for Rodney Jenkins. He was a magician with horses. I got a different perspective of hunters. Watching and learning from him encouraged me to become a better hunter rider.”

You school children and adults alike — as well as horses, of course — in equitation, hunter and jumper. What is the most important thing you try to impart to your two- and four-legged students?

“I would say keeping your students and horses confident and having a consistent program helps to have a successful outcome. Not every day is going to be easy, but do the best you can and try to do what’s right for the two- and four-legged. Having a good support team always helps. It’s a partnership and it takes time.”

Finally, September is traditionally our fashion issue, though this year we are broadening the theme to design in general. Equestrian outfits look so elegant and hot — in every sense of the latter word. How does the design of the equestrian "uniform" support the rider?

“Equestrian style has evolved into being functional and stylish. The fabrics have become more technical. Breathability and flexibility are common now. Safety has come to the forefront with airbag vests becoming normalized. Style is moving forward with a lot of the new, but we still have the best of the good old classics.”

Old Salem Farm has jumper and hunter events scheduled for Sept. 8 through 13, 15 through 19 and 23 through 27. Because of the coronavirus, spectators will not be allowed on the property. For more, visit oldsalemfarm.net.

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‘STARDUST’ MEMORIES

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA Ten years ago, the French jeweler Frederic Zaavy contacted John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler — the Highland Falls, New York publishers/photographers behind coffee-table tomes on Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry and Madeleine Albright’s pins — about doing a book on his life and work. There was nothing unusual about this.

Over the previous 10 years, Zaavy would call the couple to chat about the proposed work until they finally met at The Carlyle in Manhattan in 2006 to talk about it.

The 2010 request, however, was different. Zaavy, who had survived esophageal cancer in 2007, had seen his cancer return, this time to his liver. He was dying.

Taylor and Dubler would spend the last two years

Frederic Zaavy’s studio in Paris.

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of Zaavy’s life photographing him, including in Spain, where artist Lorenzo Fernandez painted his portrait, and in Comporto, Portugal, where the painting was unveiled in the summer of 2011, a month before Zaavy died on Sept. 15 in his native Paris at age 46. The resulting book, “Stardust: The Work and Life of Jeweler Extraordinaire Frederic Zaavy” (fall, Kubaba Books, $75, 245 pages) considers an elusive, mystical man who wanted to be the best jewelry designer there ever was and created richly textured works of art in gemstones that will long outlast a life lived briefly but fully.

“Stardust is the origin of all matter in the universe, including the diamonds Frédéric ‘painted’ with and loved so much,” Taylor and Dubler write in the epilogue to the book, whose text is mainly by Gilles Hertzog. “He was fascinated that, in addition to their beauty, diamonds resonated deep time. However, he was undaunted by time and space, which he deemed to be inconsequential. He thought of time in eons and knew his moment here would never be enough. Months before he died, he said to us, “I am already dead,” but then carried on as if he would live forever! He often acknowledged that he had been here before and would someday return.

“He once suggested putting a large, concave mirror,

Clockwise from top left, Frederic Zaavy’s signature Nymphéas Bracelet (2005), Vagabond Ring (2004), Complete Ribbon Ring (2011) and Seahorse Brooch (2004).

SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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The Iris Bracelet is Frederic Zaavy’s masterpiece and a testament to his romantic and business relationship with Taiwanese businesswoman Lisa Chen.

Photographs by John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler for the new “Stardust: The Work and Life of Jeweler Extraordinaire Frederic Zaavy” (Kubaba Books).

encrusted with diamonds, on the moon. His fantasy was to direct a laser at it, for the world to be dazzled by the returning sparkle. Possible? Maybe not. But, certainly, a magnificent vision.”

Zaavy’s vision — of nature and light and gemstones as colors on a palette — was apparent in his creations.

The Seahorse brooch (2004), made of white and yellow diamonds, alexandrites, amethysts, aquamarines, demantoids, Paraiba tourmalines, colored sapphires, tsavorites, hauynes, gold and silver, with an elaborate cockscomb and jazz hands. The wavy, floral Ludmilla Ring (2003), from the “Ballet Series 2,” made of Padparadscha, violet and pink sapphires, spinels, platinum, gold and silver. The Nymphéas Bracelet (2005) -- a homage to Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” series and the namesake of Zaavy’s 2007 exhibit in New York and London, a floral abstract in white, natural vivid blue, vivid yellow, vivid violet, vivid pink and vivid black diamonds; alexandrites; fire opals; aquamarines; moonstones; rubies; natural Padparadscha, blue, pink and violet sapphires; tsavorites; demantoids; platinum; yellow gold; and silver.

Few works, however, compare to his masterpiece, the Iris Bracelet (2011), composed of a central vivid yellow diamond enveloped in purple, yellow and white diamonds, sphenes, demantoids, tsavorites, palladium, gold and silver in a series of seemingly endlessly un-

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folding petals redolent of a yellow iris. It was the piece that Taiwanese businesswoman Lisa Chen — Zaavy’s professional and personal partner for 10 years and mother of their son, Milan — chose to purchase from his collection at the end of his life. She was the Theo to Zaavy’s Vincent in a complementary relationship of finance and artistry forged by a love of beauty. With her financial help, Zaavy — who decided to forgo the family’s diamond business in exchange for globetrotting adventures that would take him from gemologist to designer — set up his first atelier in Paris in 2000.

After the pair split five years later, Zaavy teamed briefly with Fabergé as the legendary makers of jeweled eggs sought to refresh the Russian-born company. With the “Fabergé interlude” over, Chen was back ordering Zaavy’s designs.

Today, she, along with his sister Martine — who was both a soul mate and, at 10 years older, a second mother to Zaavy — are the keepers of his flame. As his website notes, “The man is dead, but the work is there.

There remains 204 drawings, 204 paintings of light that are waiting to take shape.”

Says Chen in the book: “With his colleagues at the Paris workshop, I am going to try to publish his work, so that he lives on forever.”

For more, visit fredericzaavy.com and kubababooks.com.

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White Plains' Mayor Tom Roach

A MAYOR FOR OUR TIMES

BY JEREMY WAYNE

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It’s hot outside, broiling actually, but White Plains Mayor Tom Roach is looking cool and collected today, spruced in his signature mid-gray suit, pale blue shirt and well-polished black Oxfords. And if his tie looks familiar — swirls of pale-blue ogees on a dark-blue background, it is possibly because I have the same one.

We’re sitting in the Common Council chamber in City Hall in White Plains, his honor and I, around the kind of vast, baronial oak table that makes social distancing a breeze, talking about masks. Mine’s a standard issue, single-use face mask, but the mayor’s is an altogether more pukka affair, a slimline respirator mask, which seems to caress the mayoral face, tapering off with the elegance of a duck’s bill. Effective too, I’ll bet.

“Masks are not comfortable,” declares the mayor. “But they’re only a minor inconvenience.” He has not always been as attentive to his mask as he is today, he confesses. When he visited Burke Rehabilitation Hospital to honor health care workers at the height of the pandemic, his mask was actually broken. A mayoral wrist-slap, or the equivalent thereof, was administered and a new mask produced. The mayor learned his lesson.

It’s refreshing to see that, even in a time of crisis, Roach has a sense of humor, which is not to say he isn’t also deadly serious about Covid-19. His firm and assured leadership has served the city well through the worst of the pandemic and continues to do so. His evening broadcasts across all manner of media — robocalls, texts and email — as comforting as any bedtime story.

Tom Roach was born in White Plains and his kids are the fifth generation to be born in the city. The family, though, was originally from County Mayo in the west of Ireland and the family name, he says — actually Norman in origin — toughened him up for politics. Kids can be cruel, he explains. “Mind you, it helped that I had Peter Wolf in my class, ’cause he got a lot of grief, too.” He waits for the penny to drop. “I mean, if your last name is Wolf, why would you call your kid Peter?”

At a time when the word “diversity” is, or should be, on everybody’s lips, the mayor is proud that White Plains has long been a city for everybody. Since he’s been in office, he’s seen his brief (he is an attorney, after all) as ensuring that the city is a place for people of every economic persuasion, that folks from every background “belong.” He says this is what makes White Plains stand out from many other communities. “We

don’t have a hospital on this side of town or that side of town. We have a hospital for everyone. We have a school system for everyone.”

How has the city been doing, I wonder, before Covid-19 raised its dangerously ugly head? “We were doing great. We were thriving. We were the go-to destination.” The city was taking proposals for its trains station properties — with work at White Plains Metro-North station already far advanced, giving the city a long overdue, slick new gateway, and business was generally booming. “(Our plans) were exciting and wonderful. We had Cirque du Soleil trying to get in here. Their management kept saying the only place they wanted to be was White Plains.”

The mayor, outward-looking, resourceful, aesthetically minded, called Lennar — the people responsible for the luxury residential building project at the corner of Mamaroneck Avenue and East Post Road, who are also developing the Westchester Pavilion a few blocks away — and a deal was struck. Cirque du Soleil would come in for a two-month residency downtown, “with all the revenue but also the pride.”

The mayor, it seems has a vision for good design and for quality. And he has consistently shown that quality building and development pay their way.

Immediately prior to Covid, the city’s savings were up, commercial vacancies downtown were at their lowest in decades and crime was low. The real estate market was strong.

But then the pandemic struck. “It was like being on the deck of a battleship and being fired at all day long,” reflects the mayor. Every day there was a new situation to deal with. A typical day would be checking email on waking, then going out to the food banks the city had created. Next up was checking in with Susan Fox, CEO of White Plains Hospital (which he did at least once a day, every day the pandemic was raging) and personally delivering supplies to homeless shelters and care homes (“I always go direct to the superintendents. They’re the ones that know what’s going on.”) Then there were county calls to take and, vitally, getting on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily press conference, pad and pen in hand. What does Roach think of the governor, a fellow Democrat? “I think he’s handled this crisis really well,” says the mayor.

And the federal government? “The federal government is a whole other story,” he says, with a roll of the mayoral eyes.

Working in a near-deserted City Hall, writing and recording the robocall which, at the height of the crisis, went out daily to all White Plains residents, was another challenge undertaken by the mayor, with help from Special Projects Director Jill Ianetta. “You have two minutes and 30 seconds and nothing is worse than, on your ninth attempt, you get it done and then the message informs you that the recording you made has overrun by seven seconds and you have to start all over again.”

It was a struggle, he says, to get it done by 7 p.m. “And if we didn’t, there’d be complaints.”

I compliment him on his Spanish, which is now reduced to just one line, although he used to record all messages to the city in Spanish himself. (That task is now undertaken by his Chilean assistant, Mariam Elgueta.) He says, modestly, that it is only “high school level,” but admits to having an aptitude. “I think my pronunciation’s pretty good,” he says chirpily. “And I can order a beer in any language.”

A runner and impressive marathoner (personal best: 2:47:47,) running as well as talking with colleagues during the crisis has helped keep Roach sane and focused. Reading is a favorite pastime. At the time we meet, he has just finished Margaret Atwood’s “The Testaments,” the sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and is getting stuck into Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Overstory.” “Phone directories,” he calls these books, referring to their size, while acknowledging that the term is now archaic. He also meditates.

In a post-Covid world, he is looking forward to returning to Canada — Toronto and Montreal are favorite cities — and, in the shorter term, perhaps getting up to the Adirondacks for a break with his family, although he feels anxious being away from White Plains. His weekly robocalls, meanwhile, will continue for the foreseeable future, as — in his own words — “we are learning to adapt and live our lives in this new environment.”

He himself understands the importance of the calls, if not the almost totem-like significance they have acquired within in the city. “You have to give people information,” he says wisely, “and you have to give them hope.”

For more, visit cityofwhiteplains.com.

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INSIDE THE NEW WEGMANS

BY PETER KATZ

The employee area of the 732-car parking lot at the new Wegmans in Harrison was almost full while the area reserved for customers was empty when we toured the long-anticipated food store in Harrison just two days before its grand opening on Aug. 5.

Inside of the 121,000-square-foot store at 106 Corporate Park Drive, some of the 500 new employees were busy stocking shelves and making final preparations at specialty sections that range from an area with fresh seafood to a bakery, a section where meats are aged, a freshly prepared salad station, an area for hot foods, a cheese shop, beer section and row upon row of shelving and displays for the rest of the approximately 70,000 packaged, fresh, organic, and frozen items the store has in stock.

There's a coffee bar, a place for pizza and a casual restaurant known as The Burger Bar. Wegmans has been inviting residents to open an account via its internet site so they can preorder groceries for curbside pickup or delivery. It also has an app that allows prepared foods and meals to be preordered.

The store is on a 20-acre site that Normandy Real Estate Partners bought for $26.5 million. The Harrison store opening follows a July 29 store opening in Morrisville, North Carolina. Wegmans has 102 stores: 47 in New York, 18 in Pennsylvania, nie in New Jersey, 12 in Virginia, 8 in Maryland, six in Massachusetts, and two in North Carolina. It has approximately 50,000 employees and in 2019 its sales were $9.7 billion. The company was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Rochester.

Harrison store Manager Matt Dailor told us that getting ready to open safely in the midst of a global pan-

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Harrison store Manager Matt Dailor pushes a grocery cart.

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demic has posed some unexpected challenges.

“It’s redesigning how we do our business, but we still have to be focused on providing an absolutely exceptional experience,” Dailor said.

He added that a lot of effort has gone into making sure that the newly hired employees love what they do.

“If we do that then we can provide an exceptional experience when shoppers come in and they’re going to love shopping with us. Obviously with Covid right now in the world that we’re in, making sure we’re doing that in a way that’s extraordinarily safe both for our customers and the employees is certainly more challenging than business as usual six or eight months ago.”

Dailor said they have placed numerous visual cues around the store to remind people about the need for social distancing and the wearing of masks. Store capacity will be monitored and the number of people allowed in at one time will be metered.

“We’re going to have lines in the front of the store,” Dailor said.

“We’re anticipating that we won’t be able to let everybody in at the same time specifically so that we can make sure we keep an environment inside the store where customers and employees can make sure they have adequate space to maintain some distance.”

Dailor said that the store is featuring a contactless scanning program that allows customers to scan the barcodes on items they’re buying as they shop, bag the items as they go and then use self-checkout.

“You don’t have to have anyone else touch the food that you’re buying,” Dailor said. “As an entire team here in this building we’re excited to show them a world-class experience that’s extremely safe....”

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Anthony Nunziata. Courtesy Michael Kushner Photography.

A ‘LOVE’ LETTER TO THE WORLD

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

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Even in these uncertain times, one thing remains true: Crooners will never go out of style. From longtime legends such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett to a next-generation artist such as Michael Bublé, crooners have helped the lovers among us overcome insurmountable odds. With his solo debut “The Love Album,” Pelham Manor native Anthony Nunziata takes his place among the greats. A blend of standards and originals, “The Love Album” is a fine introduction to Nunziata, who may already be known to some for his musical performance collaborations with identical twin brother Will as the duo Will & Anthony. As the song says, “What the world needs now is love” and Anthony Nunziata provides it in abundance: Anthony, do you recall when it was that you first discovered that you had the natural ability to sing?

“My dad always encouraged me to sing. I loved singing along to all the music playing around the house. Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., jazz standards, Broadway songs, Billy Joel, R&B: I loved all of it. I was a shy kid, though. I really found my voice and gained the confidence to really ‘sing out’ in high school after getting a lead role in the musical ‘The Secret Garden.’ From there, I just kept at it and never looked back.”

Of course, it’s one thing being able to sing and quite another to parlay that into a performing career. Do you remember when you realized that that was in the cards for you?

“Boston College choir director John Finney gave my brother

Will and me the opportunity to sing as soloists with the Boston Pops during the beginning of my sophomore year. Every year the Pops came to Boston College to perform alongside the choir in the Conte Forum Arena. Singing alongside my brother, backed by the Boston Pops, with thousands of people in the audience, was a dream and it felt right. That amazing opportunity really unlocked what could be possible with hard work and luck.”

Who do you consider to be your top musical influences?

“I have so many musical influences, in so many genres, and that list is always growing. Here are three artists I was inspired by today -- Al Jarreau, Lionel Richie and Lori McKenna. My list of all-time favorites includes Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Luciano Pavarotti, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Lady Gaga.”

The last couple of years has been a busy time for you and includes the release of your full-length solo debut recording “The Love Album.” What does it mean to you to have completed such a project?

“I'm really proud of our album. I say ‘our’ because my team consists of some of the best musicians in the business. I've always envisioned for my solo album to mix together originals and my favorite classics.”

As you said, “The Love Album” is a blend, ranging from pop standards such as “Feeling Good” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to show tunes like “Somewhere.” What was involved in selecting the cover material for the album?

“My goal was for the album to tell a love story — to explore all the facets of love. I began going through all my favorite classic songs and, along with my arranger Tedd Firth, we came up with arrangements that express a sense of urgency, sensuality and timelessness. I love Al Jarreau and R&B and the classic singers in the adult contemporary genre, and I wanted to fuse all of these sensibilities for the songs. I wanted each song to have its own arc, its own defining feel and sound.”

Four of the songs on “The Love Album” — “Love Me Anyway,” “I Found A Home,” “Will You Have Me Back?” and “Will You Be My Everyday?” -- are originals co-written by you. What inspires you when it comes to songwriting?

“I try to keep my spirit open for inspiration at all times. I enjoy tapping into the nuances of love, belonging, family, everything Christmas, my hopes for the world — all the while exploring familiar sentiments in a fresh way. When not creating songs in set songwriting sessions, ideas come to me in the shower, while I'm exercising, on a plane or train, during a phone call with a friend, while meditating, waking up from my sleep. This is why I always make sure I have a charged phone with me to sing melodies, lyrics, ideas directly into the voice memo app. You just never know when inspiration is going to hit.”

Before the release of “The Love Album,” you and your twin brother Will released the album “Love Always.”

Does birth order have anything to do with the billing when you perform as Will & Anthony?

“I wish. I was born first. In college, while we were getting our first singing gigs together and we were thinking about our brand name, "Will & Anthony" seemed to roll off the tongue better than Anthony & Will. I tease my brother that this is why I usually get an extra solo in our concerts.”

The two of you grew up in Pelham Manor. Do you have a favorite memory of the time that you spent there?

“I got my first taste of what ‘giving back’ is all about through events sponsored by the Pelham Civic Association.

I fondly remember the annual wrapping of gifts at the Town House for families in need. The organization's spirit of generosity taught me to love thy neighbor through love, kindness and by taking action. I am also grateful for the amazing education I received at Prospect Hill Elementary School, Pelham Middle School and Pelham Memorial High School.

I would not be the artist I am today without my teachers — Trish Devincenzo, John Orefice, Debbie Myers and countless others.”

What can you tell the readers about Arts Matter!, the educational outreach initiative and master class workshops you do with your brother?

“Whether touring solo or with my brother, what brings me the most joy is conducting master classes and workshops whose goal is to educate and hopefully inspire students to fearlessly pursue their passions. My workshops incorporate elements of song study, acting and singing technique, a little bit of therapy and motivational speaking. I take a holistic approach to working with students. My goal is to create a safe space for students to freely be themselves — to express themselves in a judgment-free zone — all the while helping students build the tools in their artistic toolbox toward showing up, both onstage and off, as the best possible version of themselves.

With everything on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, have you found ways to continue performing, via livestream, for example?

“In March I performed a few livestream concerts. Since then, I've been deep into songwriting for two album projects as well as for other artists. My team and I have written 14 songs in the past two months. It's been such an emotional time that has forced me to do a lot of soul-searching. On a personal level and on a worldly level. I'm beginning to book up private Zoom concerts for organizations, families, groups of friends. I'm excited to bring these personal concerts to people. If readers would like a private concert you can reach out through my website. anthonynunziata.com.”

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‘RADIO’ DAYS

BY GREGG SHAPIRO

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(From left to right) Rachelle Garniez, Amanda Homi and Terry Radigan.

Photographs by Albie Mitchel.

Are you a fan of female musical trios? Do you also dig the music of Tom Waits? Then you’re in luck, because VickiKristinaBarcelona (Rachelle Garniez, Amanda Homi and Terry Radigan) has just released its debut album “Pawn Shop Radio” (Storysound Records), on which they perform distinctive interpretations of 10 Waits songs, from the 1980s’ “Jersey Girl” through 2011’s “Chicago.” Homi’s name may be familiar to those who recognize it from when she was in the early 1980s smooth jazz duo Homi & Jarvis (and from her gigs at the Hastings-on-Hudson Metro-North station. More on that in a bit.)

Since then, she’s kept busy making music in various incarnations. With VickiKristinaBarcelona, she may get even more well-deserved recognition. Homi was kind enough to answer a few questions shortly before the release of the album: Amanda, how did VickiKristinaBarcelona come into existence?

“We came into existence because we’re all musicians and songwriters and we live in the New York area — in Brooklyn and Manhattan. We’ve all known each other on the music scene over the years, but we hadn’t actually played together in that sense. Terry Radigan, the guitar player, had a songwriter series. People would come in and play their original songs. We realized that we had fun and we started singing together. Instrumentally, it also made sense. Terry’s a guitar player, Rachelle’s a multi-instrumentalist and fantastic accordion player, I’m a percussionist, and we all sing.

We thought, ‘It’s a good combination. (laughs) We could be a band.” It really started for fun, honestly. It should always be for fun.”

It sounds like you are all having fun, too.

“We really are. It wasn’t as if we said, ‘Let’s start a band and make a record and start touring.’ It was sort of the opposite. We all have our own careers and worlds in music going on. It was more, ‘Let’s get together. It’s going to be fun,’ which I think is a good thing.”

What can you tell the readers about the genesis of band’s name, VickiKristinaBarcelona, which is obviously a reference to the Woody Allen movie?

“It is, indeed.”

But there’s some variation as well, especially as the movie is actually “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

“The first thing that I always liked about that name is that it’s a bit random. You’ve got Vicki, Kristina and then suddenly there’s a city name in there. We are all fans of the film and the female leads are strong characters. The female-centric thing, as well as them being American and European.

We’re that way, too. Terry has an American background.

Rachelle has a lot of the European cabaret influences. I’m originally from England but have been living in New York and I’ve traveled to many countries. My love is world music and percussion from different cultures.”

I recently interviewed Freda Love Smith, who was in the trios Blake Babies and Some Girls (both with Juliana Hatfield) and she’s now in the new trio Sunshine Boys, and she talked about her fondness for threepieces. What do you like best about being a trio?

“A trio seems to me like the perfect combination in so many ways. Just practically speaking, it’s easier and less expensive to get around. You can all fit in a large car. I have a PT Cruiser that my mother gave me when she moved back to England. We can all fit in the PT Cruiser with all of our gear and get around. I’ve also always been fond of trios. Friendships, when I was in high school, were always a trio. You can also cover all your bases musically with a trio.

You’re able to see each other onstage.

“When we first started, I was playing more cajón (a boxshaped musical instrument) and sitting down. None of us liked that. We’re all lead singers, so that was one of the first things that evolved. Now, it’s usually Rachelle in the middle with the accordion, I’m keeping time on one side and Terry’s keeping time on the other. By the nature of Rachelle’s instrument, it creates this kind of glue that holds everything together. It’s not traditional and we often have to convince people that the drummer doesn’t sit down in the back. This is more like the folk singer tradition where we’re all standing up with our instruments.”

VickiKristinaBarcelona’s new album “Pawn Shop Radio” is described as “the songs of Tom Waits reimagined with love.” Please say something about the influence of Tom Waits’ music on you personally.

“Tom Waits’ music is remarkable. What a poet. And such diversity in the writing style. The storytelling. Which is why we found it to be such a great vehicle for us. We’re all storytellers and songwriters and everybody can identify with a character in his songs. What we love about the Tom Waits songbook is that we can take these songs and reinvent them however we see it. It’s the beauty of the musician being able to interpret it and make it personal to them.”

With so much material from which to choose, what was involved in the process of selecting songs for “Pawn Shop Radio”?

“Obviously, the songbook is vast. We have a lot more than that in our repertoire, but we honed-in on the ones that felt right. We also wanted to reflect a certain diversity on the album. Even as far as different lead vocalists, different styles that we cover, making sure that there’s enough energy and time for reflection in the tempos when you’re putting together an album. We know when we perform, you can see how the audience reacts (to songs). That’s one of the wonderful things when you’re a band and you’ve played together for a while. Before you record, you’ve already done this music with an audience, because it is an interactive thing as I’ve found as a performer. The audience is a big part of the process. “

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Late last year, the Dan Zanes-produced Waits tribute album “Come On Up To The House,” featuring Aimee Mann, Phoebe Bridgers and others, was released. Now we have “Pawn Shop Radio.” Why do you think Tom Waits is having a resurgence, and specifically with women?

“He’s a great songwriter, a classic, one of the greats in songwriting. With women, it’s the chance to be able to listen and interpret a melody and perform the songs and open up a whole new audience. Sonically, Tom Waits’ voice is low and gravelly. Sometimes it’s not easy for people to hear the melody. I think a female voice makes it easier for the listener to recognize the melody and hear it in a different way. The melodies are beautiful. I think we discovered the same thing. You’ve heard this Tom Waits song but until you actually try to decipher the melody and sing it yourself, it can be a bit vague because of that register.”

What would you say is the biggest difference between the Amanda of VickiKristinaBarcelona and the Amanda of Homi & Jarvis?

“Oh, (laughs), you’re going way back.”

That’s both the gift and the curse of Google.

“I know. I love it. I was really young when I did that record and it was an amazing experience. I had just arrived in New York and there I was with all these incredible worldclass musicians and producers. I was finding my way. I had just started writing. It really is the same person. With Homi & Jarvis, it was a duo and we blended and it was all about the vocal harmonies and duets and sharing. That’s a real similarity between then and now. I think I’ve emerged as a writer and a musician. I didn’t play percussion back then. I used to write on keyboards. I wasn’t someone who would do that in public. Now in VKB, I play harmonium and other instruments. I’ve just begun even in that world. And I’ve always loved the idea of collaboration.”

You have an interesting connection to the Westchester County region in that you had regular live performance gigs at the Hastings-On-Hudson Metro-North station. What can you tell me about that?

“Yes, t was so much fun. I guess it was about five years ago. They decided randomly to have music at the train station. When you go inside, there was a little café set up there, a concession, where when people would go and wait for their train, they could have a cup of coffee and a snack. The people who ran it decided that it was going to waste. After hours, nobody stays at the station. Everybody is going home. They rush to their cars. The idea was, get to know your neighbors. Who are your fellow commuters? Peter Valentine, the band member who started it, is a Hastings resident, so he knew about this. The band was four friends who had played together on various recordings but hadn’t actually had a band like this before.

We soon discovered that not only local people came, but people who lived in the city took the train up for the gig and then hopped back on and went home.” (laughs) I also understand that VKB’s last show before the pandemic lockdown was at the First Unitarian Society of Westchester in Hastings as part of the “Common Ground Concerts” series. Were you performing songs from “Pawn Shop Radio”?

“Yes, it was a wonderful and memorable VKB gig. We did all the songs from the album. We had a wonderful audience. Lovely in a Unitarian church.

They did a wonderful job with the sound. It was a great experience.”

For more, visit vickikristinabarcelonaband.com.

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THAT’S ITALIAN THAT’S ITALIAN

BY PHIL HALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

BY PHIL HALL

Benny Gashi prepares dough for a pizza.

When it comes to the Business 101 mantra “location, location, location,” the family-run Trattoria 632 certainly hit pay dirt when it opened 10 years ago on Anderson Hill Road in Purchase.

“It's directly across from (Purchase College and we're about 300 yards away from (PepsiCo’s) world headquarters,” says general manager Anthony J. Mangone, whose mother, Marie, owns the restaurant. “Around the corner is Mastercard’s world headquarters and Morgan Stanley. Then you have Manhattanville College and then, of course, all of the corporate along the King Street viaduct. We're uniquely positioned in the area.”

Over the past decade, Mangone says the restaurant received “tremendous support from the community throughout that entire time, and we've grown with the community.” But with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the restaurant industry faced its greatest existential threat in modern times. Mercifully for Mangone, the goodwill and rapport that Trattoria 632 built paid off when the going became more than tough.

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“We are extremely lucky to know that during this entire time the community is giving back to us and they've supported us throughout that entire process,” he says.

Mangone acknowledges that Trattoria 632 was luckier than many of its competitors, because it operated takeout and delivery options for years, thus enabling it to pivot to the new not-normal with greater efficiency.

The restaurant’s patio was put into use when the moratorium on outdoor dining was lifted and the resumption of indoor dining allowed Mangone to welcome back many patrons, albeit in an environment with a 50% capacity seating limit.

Nonetheless, getting from mid-March’s abrupt business shutdown to today’s not-entirely-normal situation created more than a little stress for Mangone and his team.

“It's been a struggle,” he says, exhaling. “We've had to adapt to a change in behavioral economics. There have been heightened levels of concern as to who's delivering the food and, with compliance regulations set forth

by the CDC and the governor’s office, who's preparing the food. Ultimately, we’re trying to create an environment where people continue to feel comfortable having you deliver and prepare food for them and their families. And that's been what's most difficult — trying to install that confidence.”

Still, the stress of the past several months took its toll on the establishment, most notably in regards to staffing.

“I was able to keep most of my staff,” Mangone continues. “I would say about 80% to 85% of my staff stayed on board. Those are people that have been with me the longest and we tried to do it based on a seniority level.

And little by little, we're bringing people back as sales starts to increase and people become more comfortable with going out to restaurants.”

Mangone adds he currently has 12 people working at the restaurant, and he credits the staff with being a key

Two of the fish entreés.

element in its success.

“Most of the people that work on our team have been with us in excess of four to five years,” he says. “That's not ordinary in the restaurant business, which tends to be very transient in nature. We make sure we provide a very comfortable work atmosphere where each person — from the dishwasher to the busboy to the chefs to the servers — is an important part of making our business grow.”

Of course, the food helps to bring patrons in, and Mangone highlights Trattoria 632’s veal chop as its most popular staple while insisting the pizza is “probably the best pizza around.” Mangone’s mother also serves as pastry chef, and her carrot cake and cheesecake are top favorites with the sweet-tooth crowd.

The kitchen is also busy with a rotation of specials — Mangone recommends the pistachio-crusted halibut — adding that “it's important for people to have variety.” Creating specials is one of Mangone’s happier experiences at the restaurant. The filet of sole stuffed with jumbo lump crab meat and served over spinach or quinoa is his favorite.

“We spend a fair amount of time exploring different ideas and working with the members of my kitchen in coming up with creative ideas to serve to our community,” he says. “We know that we're very fortunate that people come here three or four days a week, so the last thing they want to see is the same special on the menu every week. We have to be on our toes so that we're showing people that we can do different things.

“For instance,” he adds, “last evening we had a stuffed beefsteak tomato, with farro, kalamata olives, provolone cheese and pine nuts. Tonight, we're going to be featuring zucchini blossoms stuffed with goat cheese and ricotta. We have dayboat scallops over vegetable farro.

We like to move those items around and offer different ideas so when people come in, they're not just getting the same staple items that are on everyday menu.”

Mangone is beginning to see the restaurant’s catering business trickle back as more people return to work, although it is still some distance from where it had been.

He looks forward to the end of the coronavirus and a brighter future.

“Hopefully, by that point, the science will have caught up with the virus and there will be a cure where people will feel comfortable going out again,” he says. “The hospitality industry has been decimated by the thought of people going into a restaurant and catching this virus.

Although there's been no scientific evidence showing that people were catching it in a restaurant, we've been labeled with that bias. If there is a cure a year from now, I believe our establishment will be even stronger and our customers will be back. I think people are pent up in their homes and want to be able to enjoy themselves.”

For more, visit trattoria632.com.

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Tatiana Schlossberg.

Photograph by Elizabeth Cecil.

Tatiana Schlossberg is part of perhaps the most storied American family of politicians and public servants to date. Her grandfather, John F. Kennedy, was the 35th president of the United States; her granduncles Robert F. and Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, U.S. senators of distinction — to name just a few who have served.

But while Schlossberg is proud of her family’s political accomplishments, she says, “I’m not an activist. I’m a journalist,” echoing the path followed early on by her grandmother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Schlossberg’s beat is the environment and climate change, her passion for these subjects — which she’ll discuss in “A Conversation About Climate,” a virtual event of the Jay Heritage Center in Katonah Sept. 10 — evolving over time.

Growing up in New York City — the second of author and former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and designer Edwin “Ed” Schlossberg’s three children — Schlossberg would play in Central Park but wasn’t particularly drawn to nature. In high school, she saw “An Inconvenient Truth,” the 2006 Oscar-winning documentary about Al Gore’s attempts to raise awareness about global warming. At the University of Oxford, from which she received a master’s degree in American history after graduating from Yale University, she read a lot of environmental history. After a stint at The Record in New Jersey, she took on the environment as a Metro reporter for The New York Times.

All of which prepared her to write “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have” (Grand Central Publishing, 2019), a delightfully conversational consideration of the strands that we’ve woven into today’s environmental crisis.

This is a particularly acute moment for the environment, with the coronavirus throwing it into sharp relief in two seemingly unrelated ways that are nevertheless connected. On the one hand, the absence of humanity during a global shutdown led to a not-so-silent spring of fat, chirping birds; lusher gardens; and atmospheres containing less industrial noise and air pollution. On the other hand, we wouldn’t have had the lockdown

ENVIRONMENTAL ‘ACTIONIST’

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA “Nobody ever made a greater mistake than he who did nothing, because he could do only a little.”

— Edmund Burke, 18th century Irish statesman

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WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

and all these effects had we not had the rapid spread of a coronavirus that seems to have made the leap from bats to humans, with Wuhan, China’s Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market a focus although not necessarily, some experts now believe, the point of origin.

The coronavirus, Schlossberg says, “is connected to the wider pattern of animal degradation. There are lots of animal-borne diseases, including Lyme, dengue fever and malaria.”

For Schlossberg personally, the virus’ height in New York was “an incredibly scary time.” Her husband, George Moran, M.D., whom she met in college, is a urologist and surgical resident at NewYork Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The stress of having a husband on the frontlines was compounded by the wrongful deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African-Americans at the hands of police.

“Like many people, I was upset and sad to see what was going on around the country…,”Schlossberg says.

But as with “environmental grief” — which she writes in her book has five stages, “denial, anger, trying to use less plastic, depression, determination” — churning emotions about injustice can lead to knowledge. In “Inconspicuous Consumption,” Schlossberg counters fear — the feelings of dread and powerlessness she experienced when initially reading about climate change — with facts.

“As I began to learn more about the many aspects of climate change,” she writes, “I saw that these discrete threads are all actually part of a giant tapestry telling a story about pollution and waste and also about people and culture and history. It didn’t make me feel less alarmed, but I did start to feel less anxious and scared. I started to feel that I understood what was happening in the world, the I could evaluate what politicians and scientists and business leaders were saying, and I found that I felt like a more informed and more responsible citizen.”

The threads Schlossberg weaves in “Inconspicuous Consumption” — technology/internet, food, fashion and fuel — are both surprising and unsurprising. Since September is WAG’s annual fashion issue — and, more broadly this year, a design issue — we were particularly curious to read what she has to say about fashion, a $2 trillion

to $3 trillion industry that she writes is opaque about its approach to sustainability, putting the burden on the consumer to demand changes.

Schlossberg broaches this subject from the viewpoint of five fashion trends — denim, althleisure, fast fashion, rayon and cashmere. In the cashmere section, she gets off some good lines about how the Empress Josephine championed shawls made from the soft, warm fabric, gifts from her husband, the Emperor Napoléon. (“Was he compensating for something?” Schlossberg cheekily wonders. “We may never know.”)

She goes on to spin a vicious circle of a tale about how the collapse of the Soviet Union and the greater opening of China led to increased production of cashmere from the fleece of goats herded by now independent producers on the grassy plains of the Gobi Desert that borders China and Mongolia. More goats has meant less grass to feed on — since goats go “whole hog,” Schlossberg writes, eating the blades down to their roots — which means inferior cashmere, which leads to the purchase of more goats to feed on less grass in an ever-widening desert.

In telling this and other stories, Schlossberg lets us consumers off the hook, not so we will absent our responsibilities but so that we will not be afraid to do something, knowing we can’t do everything. We may not all be activists, but we can all be actionists — “reduce reuse, recycle,” she says — while acknowledging that the roles of corporations and governments must be increasingly larger than our own.

One thing we all can do is vote, Schlossberg writes, noting that the first Earth Day in 1969 led to the targeting of 12 congressmen with the worst environmental records — the so-called “Dirty Dozen” — in the 1970 election, in which seven of them lost. And that in turn led to the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

She sees that reverberating with the freshmen elected to the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterms, many of them young women of color, and their advocacy of a Green New Deal.

“Making even small changes will definitely be much better than where we are now,” Schlossberg writes. “And better may not be perfect, but better is good.”

For more, visit jayheritagecenter.org and tatianaschlossberg.com.

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GIFT OF GABBY

THE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

Gabrielle Gambrell is a dynamo. Her energy and enthusiasm crackle along the telephone line, galvanizing her poised, stream-of-consciousness speaking style.

“I’m Gabby,” she says by way of nickname and description. “I have the gift of gab.” Not to mention passion and intelligence. Note her cleverly titled website, giftofgabrielle.com. That alone should clue you in to a woman who at a young age has already had a prodigious, groundbreaking career in marketing and communications. Most recently, she served as vice president and head of marketing and communications at Columbia University’s Barnard College — the first black woman to hold that title as well as the youngest since the college’s founding in 1889.

That Gambrell is now applying her marketing and communications gifts to a bigger role at Iona College — she’s been named to the board of trustees as the appointed representative of the college’s alumni board of directors, where she has served since 2017 — is no surprise.

“I fell in love with the place,” she says. “Going to Iona was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Not only did she earn a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with honors and a master’s degree in public relations with a concentration in entertainment and sports at the school, but it afforded her networking opportunities and introduced her to her future husband. (More on that in a bit.)

After serving as an intern and then production assistant on ABC’s “Live With Regis and Kelly” — she praises Regis Philbin, who died July 24, and Kelly Ripa as class acts — and contacting “every single alumni in media and entertainment” on the college’s list, Gambrell connected with Martin “Marty” Daly, a senior executive at CBS. What followed was a series of executive positions — manager of communications at CBS Corp., director of communications at NBCUniversal and worldwide director of communications and public relations at the advertising agency FCB Global — in which she was able to expand the companies’ accomplishments in and commitment to diversity and inclusion. (At NBC, she launched #NBCBLK28, using the 28 days of February, Black History Month, to honor 28 innovators and game changers age 28 and under.)

Now Gambrell says she’s excited to do the same as an Iona trustee, having already met with student leaders, whose enthusiasm for these subjects mirrors

her own. The college, she adds, has done a good job with diversity and inclusion. She remembers as a student taking a history class that opened her mind to the rich story of Haiti and its contributions to world culture. But Iona can do more, she says, as we all can.

“Black history is American history,” she says. “I think at this point we have to be authentic about what American history is.”

Education is a Gambrell passion. A fourth-generation college graduate, there was never any doubt where this West Los Angeles native was headed as she road the bus to Palisades Charter High School, formerly Pacific Palisades High School, watching dolphins dance upon the ocean along the way. With kids bussed in from all over LA, “Pali,” consistently rated one of the best high schools in the United States, has had a diverse student body. But when you got to the AP (Advanced Placement) classes, the student body was less diverse, Gambrell says. She made sure that she was in those AP classes and not only served as editor in chief of the school newspaper but actually taught a journalism class at the school at age 16. When it came time for college, Gambrell remembered the tradition of going away to Howard University in Washington, D.C. was well-established in her family. But New York was her media-centric goal and Iona was on her short list, along with Columbia and Syracuse universities. She interviewed for Iona aboard the Queen Mary. When she visited the campus, it all clicked.

In addition to her work as a career mentor and an advisory board member of Iona’s sports, entertainment and media innovation department, Gambrell is a New York University graduate adjunct professor of integrated marketing and communications. Having taught online, she’ll be teaching on-site this fall. (Iona offers courses in-person and online.)

“My preference is to be in the classroom,” she says, adding, however, that she is surprised at how much can be accomplished online, including office hours on FaceTime and Zoom. She’ll be juggling the classroom with a busy life at home in White Plains. She and husband Jeffrey Gambrell, who is assistant vice president of asset management for the New York City Economic Development Corp., are the parents of 10-month-old Jeffrey II. “He’s an active little one, already trying to talk and walk and lighting up our lives.”

Like mother, like son.

Gabrielle Gambrell.

Photograph by Francesca Andre.

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THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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When we think of St. John fashions, we think perhaps of the form-fitting knit power suits worn by former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Condeleeza Rice and crusading women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred, along with the polished gowns favored by former first lady Michelle Obama, actress Angelina Jolie and model Christy Teigen. But there’s a new creative director at the brand, and while she’s been tasked with remaining true to the essence of a label that was founded in 1962 by Marie and Robert Gray, it’s clear that she’s putting her own stamp on it as well with her first full St. John collection this fall.

Zoe Turner, who holds a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in her native London, learned womenswear and knitwear from some of the best — Alberto Ferretti, for whom she worked as a designer; John Galliano, for whom she served as senior designer at Dior; Raf Simons, for whom she served as Dior’s head designer, director of knitwear; and Max Mara Fashion Group, for which she served as freelance consultant.

“I think it’s very important for me to take the legacy of the (St. John) brand and to clean it up a bit,” Turner told WWD last fall. “It’s just got so much beautiful history. I’ve got a background of knitwear as well, so it’s really an important project for me. I really want to remain deeply rooted to the company, and I hope to bring the company into a new era of modern luxury.”

For fall/winter, Turner has swathed the St. John woman in yards of fabric. Sleeves are voluminous. Pants are palazzo in a homage to the trending 1960s and ’70s. Even when a tweedy jacket or a top — in neutrals or abstract tiger stripes — is fitted, pants and skirts fan out from it. It’s as if the designs, dovetailing with the age of the coronavirus, were meant to cocoon us in the most beautiful way possible.

MASKS OF THE MOMENT With masks a way of life for the foreseeable future, it’s no surprise that fashion brands have gotten into the act. St. John is making luxury care masks as well as nonsurgical face masks and customizable “back to work” masks for bulk purchases to help companies brand their solidarity as they head back to the office.

These sleekly elegant masks come in a variety of fabrics, styles, colors and patterns and retail for $40, $45 and $50. For more, visit st.johnknits.com.

Zoe Turner's Autumn Fall collecation for St. John girds you in fabric. Courtesy St. John.

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HIS H

BY JEREMY WAYNE

There’s a wonderful scene in André Leon Talley’s unputdownable new “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir” (Ballantine Books, 304 pages) when Talley, having just been summarily axed from conducting his traditional red-carpet interviews at the 2018 Met Costume Institute Gala, has a lightbulb moment. All but canceled by Condé Nast and abandoned by Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editrix in chief and Condé Nast artistic director, but nevertheless seated at a not-exactly-Blist table with John Galliano, Vera Wang and Rhianna, Talley finds a fake smile stretching across his lips, and his hands clenching in silent disgust. Suddenly, though, he feels resolute. Before the evening has scarcely begun, he stands up, and with a twirl of his Tom Ford black double-face faille cape, sweeps out of The Met, down to his waiting car and home to the sanctuary of his house in White Plains.

A great exit, as all dramatic persons know, is as effective as a great entrance and Talley has seen a few of each in his time. He is, of course, the former creative director of Vogue, one of the most influential fashion writers and observers of the age, and his new memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches” (Random House Publishing Group, May) is a candid look at those who

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have inspired and created fashion, and those who have worn it, over the last 50 years. His time at the top has been well-recorded, but now Talley is turning his fall from grace — a sad tale, and one that says as much about the capriciousness of the fashion world as it does about the author — into something of a cottage industry.

The fall — or “Condé Nast’s special ability to spit out,” as Talley puts it — is hard. Not that losing your job, any job, especially in these straitened times, is easy. But there’s a special indignity, a nuanced ignominy, about being slowly squeezed out of an organization like Condé Nast, the global publishing and now mass media company, headquartered at 1 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Talley’s world at the top of Condé Nast — Condé Nasty to its detractors, of which I am not one — was habitually one of first-class transatlantic air tickets, weeklong stays at the Ritz in Paris and waiting town cars — always the waiting town cars. (Condé Nast editors don’t — or didn’t — do Ubers.) It is something of an irony, too, that while Condé culture dictated that hand-written thank you notes on heavy, engraved stationery were the default response for some trifling service rendered, after decades-long service, instead of a golden handshake — some magnificent jewel in a small box, perhaps, or (as André himself only half-jokingly suggests,) a Bentley, there was only…silence.

None of which is to say that “The Chiffon Trenches” is simply one big moan or foray into the realms of self-entitlement. It isn’t. For the most part, it’s a rather delicious cocktail — one-third fashion lexicon, one-third social diary, and one-third kiss and tell, even though there is only one rather chaste kiss for Talley in the entire book.

So, not too much titillation but an awful lot of telling — of Wintour’s singular habits; of Karl Lagerfeld’s extraordinary munificence, coupled with his peculiar practice of dumping close friends of several decades standing, as punishment for a misplaced remark or other minor solecism; of spilling red wine over Diana, Princess of Wales, and flying to Lagos, Nigeria, with bestie Naomi Campbell for Arise Fashion Week (“better than any trip I had ever taken.”)

Of course, much of the tale has been told before. The daily routine of Andy Warhol’s Factory, for instance, or hijinks in Studio 54, has been chronicled almost ad nauseam. Books a-plenty have been written about these, documentaries and movies shot. (“The Gospel According to André,” a 2017 film about Talley’s life, which shares a good deal of the content of “The Chiffon Trenches,” is a case in point.) New York City in the late 1970s and early ’80s is the sociologist’s dream, as 54

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André Leon Talley at Michael Kors Fall Collection, New York, February 2006. Photograph by Everett Collection for Shutterstock.

“The Chiffon Trenches” by André Leon Talley (book cover) Original jacket photograph by Colin Gray, design by Roberto De Vicq.

well as a media industry of its own, the public’s interest in which shows no signs of abating.

The spectacles, though, can be rose-tinted. New York may have been the place to be at the start of the 1980s if you knew the bouncer at “Studio,” or had easy access to a white charger (pace Bianca Jagger,) or at any rate possessed the sort of pocketbook to buffer you from the prevailing winds. But, for most New Yorkers, it was a fairly desolate time, what with the crumbling infrastructure, sky-high taxes and soaring crime. (The Guardian Angels, New York’s very own vigilante force, had been created in 1979.) Hard to believe now, but when I first set foot on Manhattan island in October, 1977, coming from still-sleepy England, I felt I was taking my life in my hands walking the two blocks from Kips Bay to the nearest Gristedes. And as for the subway — not that the denizens of André Leon Talley’s world likely traveled underground — despite Mayor Ed Koch’s best endeavors, it spelled certain death if you accidentally looked a stranger in the eye.

But “The Chiffon Trenches” is a love story, too, and an especially poignant one at that. In the modern idiom, Talley has been a man who has loved too much, a vulnerable man, and he lays it bare rather touchingly in the book. Love, of course, takes many forms, but they are all covered here. First and foremost, his love for his grandmother who, “as was typical in Southern black households,” he lived with and whom he called Mama. Mama’s influence is felt throughout the memoir, her propriety and

work ethic always an inspiration and a guide.

Next, his love for Diana Vreeland, the legendary Vogue editor who gave Talley his first break, working as a volunteer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in 1974, his first year in New York. (One failing of the book: His relationship with Vreeland, clearly seminal, is never developed or explored.) The church, too, has been a great love of his life, so much so that “The Chiffon Trenches” is dedicated to Talley’s Baptist minister in New York, Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, senior pastor of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church; and the elegant, cultured Lee Radziwill, “magnificent in (her) simplicity,” to whose loving memory the book is co-dedicated.

With Wintour, things are a little more complicated. The love, or at least an approximation of it, at first so freely given, is ultimately unrequited, or at any rate withdrawn, and Talley’s sense of loss cycles through querulousness to pain to calculated indifference. The most important woman in his universe for years, Wintour, he concludes, is “not capable” of “simple, human kindness.”

Starting out, of course, the world, at least the fashion world, had loved him back. “I was tall, thin and adored by all who met me — Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, and most of all, Karl Lagerfeld,” he writes, about his early days in Paris and his first “big” Paris show (Yves Saint Laurent, where he was seated “front-row and center,”) for Women’s Wear Daily. “My great friends were the important people of the Paris fashion world.”

Fast forward decades and the break with Lagerfeld (“he was like a brother to me for 40 years”) was perhaps the most painful of all. It was illogical, not understood — and, it must be said, borne with an almost stiff-upper-lip stoicism in the circumstances — by Talley, a man who is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.

If “I always wanted love,” is his affecting conclusion, he has at least been blessed with many great friendships along the way — friends no longer here, like Loulou de la Falaise (Saint Laurent’s muse) and Oscar de la Renta; and many still going strong, Campbell, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs and Beyoncé among them.

While it’s all too easy to read this silkily penned, extremely colorful memoir as a study in psychology — and you’ll note I haven’t even touched on Talley’s eating or his weight, and frankly there is quite a lot of comment on both in the book — “The Chiffon Trenches” should be read and enjoyed for what it is.

That’s to say, a right old romp through the literally revealing, often shocking and always entertaining world of fashion and the people who create it. Take it that way, and you will have an effervescent, optimistic late-summer read.

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WAY

HOME & DESIGN

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Here’s a house on Bayside Terrace in Greenwich’s Riverside section whose open, airy design will not stand in the way of your love of the water. While 10-foot ceilings in the two-year-old, 6, 412-square-foot, three-story abode showcase modern-profile millwork, classic picture-panel walls and numerous windows and glass doors frame views of Greenwich Harbor.

Other features include a 2 ½-story foyer with a sweeping staircase, a lovely living room with a fireplace, a spacious formal dining room with custom millwork and a family room with a modern fireplace. The kitchen contains stainless chef’s appointments, a gorgeous marble waterfall-edge island and quartz prep counters with a matching back splash.

The beautifully appointed homeowner’s suite has a fireplace and a balcony with glass railings for more water views.

The large, finished lower level contains another bedroom and bathroom. (There are five bedrooms and five full baths in all as well as one half-bath.)

The list price is $3,395,000 for a house that is not in a flood zone but that will flood you with many happy memories of days at water’s edge.

For more, contact Steve Archino at 203-618-3144.

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WARES

HOME & DESIGN

HOME DESIGN FOR THE COVID ERA

BY JEREMY WAYNE

uilding a home — that is to say, building a home from scratch, as opposed to creating the perfect home over a number of years — is not something to be undertaken lightly.

It should go without saying that a custom home needs more thought and commitment, to say nothing of cost, than, say, a custom-made shirt. Get the initials wrong on a shirt cuff and your liability may be no more than a couple of hundred bucks. Get a house wrong and you’re stuck with a very expensive lemon.

Enter Chris McNally of Falcon, a Manhattan-based project quality management company he founded after a long career embracing residential home design and construction. His pedigree in the industry is impressive. It’s been

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more than 30 years since he co-founded First Impressions in London, a firm of contractors specializing in painting and plastering. His business partner had been at trade schools at a time when, for instance, it was a breach of code even to paint doors with rollers. He acquired an understanding of the highest standards of workmanship, as well as a respect for reliability.

After decades spent working with top construction experts, McNally saw a gap in the market, namely, how he could strengthen the owner’s input by acting as the owner’s expert intermediary. And that’s how his company, Falcon, was born. Any project structure, McNally said, has three primordial co-ordinates — the owner, the architect and the builder. And while they are all interdependent, the

owner’s input is key. Put another way, if you are the kind of person who can build a multimillion-dollar home, chances are you may actually be too busy to spend time on the details of the project (although they do say that if you want a job done, you should ask a busy man, or woman.)

What Falcon does it to act as a direct agent for the owner, ensuring that the project is completed on time, on budget and in line with the owner’s original vision. How is it achieved? “We bring foresight gained from years of experience,” McNally told me on a recent phone call. “We implement systems developed from all our experience and establish and maintain lines of communication among all parties.”

One way to think of Falcon, he says,

Modernist home and guest house designed by Ali Tayar, Block Island, Rhode Island.

Photograph by Joshua McHugh.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, who along with their house became the celebrated subjects of a documentary, a Broadway musical and a telefilm. (The house was subsequently owned by The Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and his writer-wife Sally Quinn, who greatly improved it.) Its new owners directed McNally’s team to recreate painstaking details of the 1897 house, working from historical photos, while adding glamorous upgrades and a worldclass landscape design, thus allowing the house to live up to its name.

But in the wake of Covid-19, the definition of home — and garden — has undergone a radical shift, says McNally.

And the pandemic has brought about new responsibilities. “The New Definition of Home: The 4 Most Important Things to Think About When Building Your Home Now” is a monograph he has written on the subject, and which he has shared with WAG. The following are among his key points:

DESIGNING FOR VERSATILITY

Chris NcNally Photograph

by Chris NcNally.

is as both a manager and a fixer. Just as sports stars and politicians have their managers and fixers to look out for them in any situation, so Falcon protects the owner by managing and fixing anything that arises when buying, building and living in a property.

Recent projects have been homes and apartments in New York City and upstate, as well as in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He also acted as owner’s representative for the major restoration, starting in 2018, of Grey Gardens, the famous oceanfront house in East Hampton, best-known as home of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, the hording aunt and cousin of

Our living spaces, notes McNally, are now doubling as offices, schoolrooms, shopping centers and storage facilities.

People need dedicated areas for work, study and Zoom meetings. And, as he rightly observes, since schedules for various family members are not always in sync, the home needs to allow for a variety of activities, with separate spaces for privacy. “Good design will support rather than resist this,” he says — a rationale that is itself hard to resist.

ENTRANCE AND HALLWAYS McNally sees the main entry as what he calls “a truly transitional space that allows you to peel off the outside world before entering your home.” It should, he notes, contain ample closet space, along with a discreet PPE station for masks, gloves and hand sanitizing. It should also have a bench for exchanging outside footwear with neatly stowed inside shoes. “Make entering your home a pleasing ritual, with health considerations built in,” he advises.

KITCHEN AND “FLEX SPACE” The kitchen, he points out, should obviously be designed for the extra cooking you’ll be doing. He also makes the important point — without sounding unnecessarily alarmist — that

a kitchen should have ample storage for perishables and extra pantry goods.

(It doesn’t exactly make you think nuclear shelter, but it does make you think.) Easy to access trash, recycling and compost bins are also a key feature for any new kitchen. Your “flex space” can also function as a secondary work area and a backup study area for kids, who sometimes need to escape their bedrooms to avoid isolation. Adults need to be able to multitask near the kitchen, and this is the perfect place to do it. “Storage in flex space needs to be well-planned to avoid any clutter.” What exasperated parent would not agree with that?

BEDROOM McNally mentions designing a bedroom as an electronics-free zone.

He says studies have shown that using devices at night stimulates the mind and body when we should be shutting down. He quotes the Sleep Foundation: “Using TVs, tablets, smartphones, laptops or other electronic devices before bed delays your body’s internal clock . . . suppresses the release of the sleepinducing hormone melatonin and makes it more difficult to fall asleep.”

THE OUTDOORS Plan for ways to connect to the outdoors from inside, offers McNally. He says homeowners might think about adding window boxes with flowers to turn a balcony into an attractive space for their morning cup of coffee. “[Even] if you only have a tiny Juliette balcony, put a sitting area next to it so you can open the French doors and read a book or have a snack while enjoying fresh air and a pleasant view.”

While much of the above is simply good design (and it is harder to design something simple than the other way around, according to McNally,) additionally there is a whole raft of innovation and technology that can make your new custom home healthier, more ecologically sound and energy-efficient.

McNally’s message is that with thoughtful coordination from the top down, you’ll get a home that’s safe, healthy, simple to use and a delight to live in for decades to come — in short, he says, “a house that works.”

For more, visit falconereps.com SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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WARES

HOME & DESIGN

A DESIGNER OF DISTINCTION

BY JEREMY WAYNE

Greenwich house, butler’s pantry. Photographs by Kim Sargent.

elebrating 25 years in the design field as well as a recent name change, South Salem-based Spaces of Distinction — originally known as Interior Consultants — is a multifaceted design firm specializing in high-end, luxury residential and hospitality design.

I am sitting with the firm’s president and lead designer, Denise Balassi, in the not too shabby kitchen of a patrician 9,000 square-foot Greenwich mansion, the home of one of Balassi’s clients, a

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house that she first worked on 15 years ago and where she has just finished a magnificent, yearlong renovation.

Despite a power outage following a major mid-summer storm, there’s great coffee to drink and a tray of freshly baked muffins and mid-morning cookies to enjoy, thanks to a generator and a gracious hostess. And electricity or not, there’s no shortage of mood lighting to set the tone, but frankly, the natural light flooding in through the kitchen and football-field-sized family room windows

gives us all the light we are going to need or want.

After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she got her interior design degree, Balassi went to work in Manhattan, putting in time with two commercial design firms before taking a break to have a family. She returned to work full-time when her youngest child reached school age and worked at first for a residential and commercial design business in Westport before going out on her own two years later.

Although the business has changed and developed over the years, many essentials remain the same. She has a core team of just three. Her design assistant, Sage Bardani, is fully proficient in CAD (computer-aided design -— the thrilling, computer-generated constructions you see on TV design shows, more of which later,) while the business would not run, says Balassi, without her amazing office manager, Judy Romano, who has been with her for 13 years.

Sophisticated clients know what they want, and Spaces of Distinction knows how best to meet their demands.

The tech-savvy team uses the latest CAD and 3D modeling software and is exceptionally skilled at space planning, architectural detailing and interior design, from creating initial floor plans to placing the last decorative detail.

Covid-19 has meant incorporating new safety features into home design, as well as repurposing existing rooms, and the three colleagues are absolutely up to the task. The new protocols, meanwhile, are going to have to fit seamlessly into the big picture. For instance, Balassi just received a request for a mudroom that will allow people to sanitize themselves on entry, which is to say hand sanitizer and wipes at the ready, a comfortable bench to change into indoor shoes and somewhere to drop clothes for the wash, as soon as you get inside the door. “The pandemic has really prompted people to rethink their homes,” she says.

Balassi works not only in the tristate area but also in Massachusetts, the Carolinas and Florida. Good planning and excellent organizational skills see projects completed on time and to the clients' complete satisfaction, with their highest expectations not only met but often

exceeded. Although a recent commission in Saddle River, New Jersey — which Balassi refers to as the project from hell, not altogether jokingly — certainly had its challenges, even that was successfully concluded, leaving a happy and satisfied client at the end of it.

For any project, a great contractor is key, says Balassi, supported with weekly or bi-weekly site meetings.

“People don’t understand the process until they go through it. They don’t understand how time-consuming it is, how expensive it can be if you don’t do it right the first time around, and how important it is to find those right professionals to get you from point A to point B.” She adds that while some people can handle a major renovation alone, for others the process is completely overwhelming, and that’s where she comes in.

On a tour of the Greenwich home — which includes a sumptuous library, a dream bedroom suite for a teenaged son and even an indoor kennel (with an inbuilt food and water station) for the much-loved family pet — Balassi explains her unique approach. “We’re basically psychologists,” she says. “When you get to design someone’s personal living space, you get to know every little nuance — which child excels in this, which child does that; the work habits of the parents; is there a nanny in the house; are there grandparents to consider?”

Meanwhile, I’m keen to know her thoughts on HGTV and the endless diet of home-improvement and DIY we viewers are continually fed, and for which we seem to have an insatiable appetite. Have they been helpful? She shrugs. They have, she says, but in one sense only, and that is opening people’s eyes to what can be done. “You have this tiny house, say, and “Property Brothers” or “Love It or List It” comes in, and they knock a wall down here or build something there and it shows people all the possibilities which would never have occurred to them.”

Where the shows fall down, however, according to Balassi, is that they put out the false message that major renos can be done in just six weeks, or that a dazzling, new, state-of-the-art kitchen can be installed for $20,000. While this by no means detracts from the overall entertainment value of the shows, it is

Top and bottom left, “Lily Pulitzer” rental house, Palm Beach.

Greenwich house, kitchen.

nevertheless hugely misleading. Balassi puts it simply: “Their budgets are very unrealistic. And what you don’t see on the camera is a lot.”

At Spaces of Distinction, they listen carefully. As they work with clients for one, two or even three years, she and her team get to meet the extended family and develop a clear understanding of their lifestyle. “We are more than consultants and decorators. We’re designers and creators, who offer our clients a timeless home environment.”

Back in the Greenwich all-white, allbright kitchen, with its two vast islands, top-of-the-line Lacanche stove imported from Burgundy, France, and its adjoining, midnight blue butler’s pantry leading through to the formal dining room, Balassi is keen to point out that a smaller space might have its challenges but can absolutely have “distinction,” too. Her own 1,800 square feet condo, she says, is just one example, somewhere she has worked creatively to utilize every spare square inch.

And indeed, right now, she is working on a 1,500 square-foot condo in Charleston, renovating the kitchen and enlarging the master bathroom. And in a

changing marketplace, where people are valuing their personal space more and more, she has recently renovated four homes, two in Kiawah and two in Palm Beach, converting them for use as rental properties. One, which was formerly the Palm Beach home of Lily Pulitzer, was a poorly laid-out 1920s plantation-style house. It is now a swish seven-bedroom stunner that rents for a not-to-besneezed at $125,000 a month.

Interestingly, while Balassi’s homes would all seem to be luxurious, her own definition of luxury has more to do with comfort and ease of living than with size, “You know, people live in ‘smart’ homes and it causes them more stress than it does anything else,” she says. And modern technology, as used for instance in “luxury” five-star hotels, can be a curse as well as a blessing, she observes. The Greenwich homeowner agrees. “We spend a lot of time away, and when we come back from the airport and walk in through the garage door, I say to myself, ‘I love my home.’”

Balassi enthusiastically concurs. “If you love your house and you love your environment, that’s true luxury,” she says.

For more, visit spacesofdistinction.com.

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WARES

HOME & DESIGN

CREATE STYLE, NOT FASHION

BY CAMI WEINSTEIN

reating a stylish home is different from creating a fashionable home.

Personal style transcends fashion and that’s why I always encourage my clients to create stylish versus fashionable homes. Fashionable fades while style remains, both in clothing and the home. There are so many times in meeting people and then seeing their homes that their personal styles come through. Their homes, like their wardrobes, are extensions of themselves. I like to help clients achieve that goal. Here are some tips to tap into your inner self and create a personal home for yourself: 1. Don’t be afraid of choosing colors and furniture that reflect what you love and feel comfortable living in. Many people come to a designer wanting all new colors and a new style in décor.

More often than not they return to the colors and styles of furniture that they love — usually in a newer more fashionable hue and maybe a more updated version of their furniture choices.

2. If you like clean, organized spaces, then I don’t see many collectibles in your future. But if you want to add some style, go for a few larger pieces, maybe a striking vase that you can fill with different flowers as the seasons and your mood changes or some sculptural pieces. I keep several styles

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Don’t be afraid to create your own personal style, WAG’s interior design columnist Cami Weinstein says. Here, artwork, a few big pieces like a globe and a mix of traditional and modern lighting accent a rich, warm study.

and sizes of vases in my home and change them according to the flowers that are available. Flowers give your rooms a fresh perspective and keep rooms from becoming static.

3. Select artwork that appeals to you, not what is currently in fashion.

Artwork can be expensive and you will most likely have it over many years so select what you love. As you move or change living situations you will always be able to find space for your art collections. Collecting art becomes a form of personal style. Don’t be afraid to collect what you love and appeals to you most. Art is style, not fashion.

4. If you feel overwhelmed with all the design choices out there, a professional can guide you through myriad choices so that your personal voice can be found. I for one do not like theme decorating. It leaves no room for personal style. It just becomes clichéd fashion. This doesn’t mean you have to strictly adhere to one style but more of an eclectic mix may be in your future.

Eclectic approaches are the most interesting and the most difficult to achieve. Sometimes mixing can create a certain magic and other times a complete flop. A professional can help with curating and editing your choices.

5. If you have a love for travel and adventure, try to bring back pieces that can be added to you home’s décor. Not only do these pieces evoke memories,

but they create a personal experience and style in your home.

Don’t forget your entertaining style.

I love old porcelains but many of these pieces are delicate and require washing by hand. Instead of facing a pile of dishes at the end of an evening, I mix more contemporary pieces with the old.

This way my tables look unique and I have only a few dishes to wash by hand.

6. If you love neutral rooms but they sometimes feel flat, decorating your table for a dinner party is a great way to bring in both color and pattern that you would normally shy away from.

Once the party is over, colorful dinner patterns, linen napkins, tablecloths and candles can be put away and you are back to your calm spaces. Not only do I include flowers and candles on my dinner table but, often I add porcelain birds, sculptures and small gifts for takeaway presents for friends when they are ready to leave the party.

Thinking of your guests having fun and being comfortable is another way to create a personal style.

When creating your home, think in terms of what is personal and pleasing to you in the form of colors, styles, patterns and artwork, and don’t be afraid to follow your own instincts.

Create style and not fashion.

For more, call 203-661-4700 or visit camidesigns.com.

TOP PRIVATE SCHOOL OPEN-HOUSE DATES NOT TO MISS.

WAG COUNTRY'S PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS

ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL 950 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, New York 10605 914-946-4800 // stepinac.org Top administrator: Thomas Collins, president THE BI-CULTURAL SCHOOL 2186 High Ridge Road Stamford, Connecticut 06903 203-329-2186 // bcds.org Top administrator: Jacqueline Herman BRUNSWICK SCHOOL 100 Maher Ave., Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-625-5800 // brunswickschool.org Top administrator: Thomas Philip

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CUSHING ACADEMY

39 School St. Ashburnham, Massachusetts 01430 978-827-7000 // cushing.org Top administrator: Randy R. Bertin VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE DATES: Domestic students: Oct. 13, 6 to 8 p.m.

Nov. 10, 6 to 8 p.m.

International students: Oct. 15, 7 to 9 a.m.

Nov. 12, 7 to 9 a.m.

For more, cushing.org/admissions

DARROW SCHOOL 110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon, New York 12125 518-794-6000 // darrowschool.org Top administrator: Simon Holzapfel EAGLE HILL SCHOOL 45 Glenville Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-622-9240 // eaglehillschool.org Top administrator: Marjorie E. Castro FAIRFIELD COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1073 N. Benson Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 203-254-4200 // fairfieldprep.com Top administrator: Rev. Thomas M. Simisky

THE CHAPEL SCHOOL 172 White Plains Road Bronxville, New York 10708 914-337-3202 // thechapelschool.org Top administrator: Michael Schultz

FAIRFIELD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2970 Bronson Road Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 203-259-2723 // fairfieldcountryday.org Top administrator: John R. Munro Jr.

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SCHOOL 575 White Plains Road Trumbull, Connecticut 06611 203-261-6230 // kingsmen.org Top administrator: Brian Modarelli

FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, New York 10458 718-367-7500 // fordhamprep.org Top administrator: Christopher Devron

Open minds.

Courageous thinking.

Build an educational foundation of selfdiscovery, creativity, and student-centered learning. We set a better standard for education so King students are unstoppable.

PreK-Grade 12: LEARN MORE kingschoolct.org

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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS

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FORMAN SCHOOL 12 Norfold Road, Litchfield, Connecticut 06759 860-567-8712 // formanschool.org Top administrator: Adam K. Man

GERMAN SCHOOL OF CONNECTICUT Campus located at Rippowan Middle School 381 High Ridge Road Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-548-0438 // germanschoolct.org Top administrator: Renate Ludanyi

FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK Preschool and Elementary School 111 Larchmont Ave. Larchmont, New York 10538 914-250-0469 Middle and High School 145 New St., Mamaroneck, New York 10543 914-250-0451 fasny.org Top administrator: Francis Gianni

GREEN MEADOW WALDORF SCHOOL 307 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge, New York 10977 845-356-2514 // gmws.org Top administrator: Bill Pernice, pedagogical administrator GREENS FARMS ACADEMY 35 Beachside Ave. Greens Farms, Connecticut 06838 203-256-0717 // gfacademy.org Top administrator: Janet Hartwell

GERMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEW YORK 50 Partridge Road White Plains, New York 10605 914-948-6513 // gisny.org Top administrator: Ulrich Weghoff

GREENWICH ACADEMY 200 N. Maple Ave. Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-625-8900 // greenwichacademy.org Top administrator: Molly H. King

GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 41 North St., Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-869-4000 // gcsct.org Top administrator: Patrice Kopas THE GREENWICH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 401 Old Church Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-865-5600 // gcds.net Top administrator: Adam Rohdie THE GREENWICH SPANISH SCHOOL The O’Connor Center 6 Riverside Ave., Riverside, Connecticut 06878 203-698-1500 // greenwichspanish.org Top administrator: Rosario Brooks, director THE GUNNERY 22 Kirby Road Washington, Connecticut 06793 860-868-7334 // gunnery.org Top administrator: Peter W. E. Becker HACKLEY SCHOOL 293 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, New York 10591 914-366-2600 // hackleyschool.org Top administrator: Michael C. Wirtz

CUSHING DEVELOPS CURIOUS, CREATIVE, AND CONFIDENT LEARNERS AND LEADERS.

OPEN HOUSE INFO SESSIONS DOMESTIC STUDENTS October 13 & November 10, 2020 6:00 - 8:00 pm EST INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS October 15 & November 12, 2020 7:00 -9:00 am EST More information at www.cushing.org/admissions

FOUNDED IN 1865

•

GRADES 9-12, PG

•

LOCATED ONE HOUR FROM BOSTON

CUSHING ACADEMY • 39 SCHOOL STREET • ASHBURNHAM, MA 01430 • 978.827.7300 • ADMISSIONS@CUSHING.ORG •

WWW.CUSHING.ORG

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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS

THE HARVEY SCHOOL 260 Jay St., Katonah, New York 10536 914-232-3161 // harveyschool.org Top administrator: Bill Knauer

IONA PREPARATORY SCHOOL Lower School, grades PK-4 to 8 173 Stratton Road New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-633-7744 Upper School, grades 9-12 255 Wilmot Road New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-632-0714 // ionaprep.org Top administrator: Brother Thomas Leto

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JOHN F. KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 54 Route 138, Somers, New York 10589 914-232-5061 // kennedycatholic.org Top administrator: Father Mark G. Vaillancourt

MAPLEBROOK SCHOOL 5142 Route 22, Amenia, New York 12501 845-373-8191 // maplebrookschool.org Top administrator: Donna Konkolics

KING SCHOOL

500 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, New York 10530 914-373-8191 // mariaregina.org Top administrator: Anna Parra VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE DATES: Oct. 24 Prospective students may also schedule a virtual shadow day with a student ambassador. For more, contact ​ admissions@mariaregina.org​.

1450 Newfield Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-322-2496 // kingschoolct.org Top administrator: Dr. Karen E. Eshoo OPEN HOUSE DATES: Nov. 8, 1 to 4 p.m.

MARIA REGINA HIGH SCHOOL

An Iona Prep education is one of the best investments you can make for your son’s success.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S

IONA PREP CLASS OF 2020!

INVEST. INSPIRE. IGNITE.

As Coronavirus reshapes education, Iona Prep continues to shape Catholic learning. Be strong. + Graduating classes have earned more than $130 million in academic, merit‑based college scholarships over the last five years. + Lifelong alumni network that enhances college and career trajectories. + Seniors have been accepted to their top choice schools, including Boston College, Cornell, Fordham, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Vassar and many others.

Begin your IONA PREPARED journey this Fall.

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PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS

THE MASTERS SCHOOL

49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522 914-479-6400 // mastersny.org Top administrator: Laura Danforth OPEN HOUSE DATES: Q & A Sessions Middle School (Grades 5-8) Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

Upper School (Grades 9-12) Sept. 24, 7 p.m.

Middle and Upper School Open House: Oct. 24, 10 a.m.

The Masters School is a leading day and boarding school for students in grades 5-12 that empowers independent thinkers through an expansive curriculum based on active intellectual exploration and a student-centered

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approach. Located on 96 beautiful acres, the School is a diverse and vibrant convergence of ideas, cultures, arts and athletics. Masters also offers two boarding programs. A five-day program pair combining the benefits of boarding during the week — full-time access to faculty and school resources and an inclusive community of fellow boarders — with the convenience of going home on the weekends. Students in our seven-day program have a fully immersive experience that includes a variety of weekend activities.

NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL 635 Frogtown Road New Canaan, Connecticut 06840 203-972-0771 // countryschool.net Top administrator: Robert P. Macrae

MILLBROOK SCHOOL 131 Millbrook School Road Millbrook, New York 12545 845-677-8261 // millbrook.org Top administrator: Drew Casertano

NOTRE DAME CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 220 Jefferson St., Fairfield, Connecticut 06825 203-372-6521 // notredame.org Top administrator: Christopher Cipriano

THE MONTFORT ACADEMY 125 E. Birch St. Mount Vernon, New York 10552 914-699-7090 // themontfortacademy.org Top administrator: David Petrillo

NORD ANGLIA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, NEW YORK 44 E. Second St., New York, New York 10003 212-600-2010 // nordangliaeducation.com Top administrator: Adam Stevens, interim principal

OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL 22 Spackenhill Road Poughkeepsie, New York 12603 845-242-2340 // oakwoodfriends.org Top administrator: Chad Cianfrani REGIS HIGH SCHOOL 55 E. 84 St., New York, New York 10028 212-288-1100 // regis.org Top administrator: Fr. Daniel Lahart

OUR DOORS TO LEARNING ARE ALWAYS OPEN Learning at Masters has always transcended the walls of the classroom.

Masters students find their own voices, and emerge prepared for college, career and life.

LEARN MORE Register for an online Q&A session: Middle School (Gr 5-8) September 22, 7:00 PM Upper School (Gr 9-12) September 24, 7:00 PM Register for Open House October 24, 10:00 AM 49 Clinton Ave., Dobbs Ferry, NY | mastersny.org | 914-479-6420 | Coed, Grades 5-12. Day, 5- and 7-day boarding

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RIDGEFIELD ACADEMY 223 W. Mountain Road Ridgefield, Connecticut 6877 203-894-1800 // ridgefieldacademy.org Top administrator: James P. Heus RIPPOWAM CISQUA Lower School 325 W. Patent Road Mount Kisco, New York 10549 914-244-1200 Upper School 439 Cantitoe St., Bedford, New York 10506 914-244-12500 // rcsny.org Top administrator: Colm MacMahon RUDOLF STEINER SCHOOL Lower School 15 E. 79 St., New York, New York 10075 Upper School 15 E. 78 St., New York, New York 10075 212-535-2130 // steiner.edu Top administrator: The College of Teachers, a group of faculty and staff, serves as the school’s governing body

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RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 3 Cedar St., Rye, New York 10580 914-967-1417 // ryecountryday.org Top administrator: Scott A. Nelson

SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL 34 Convent Ave., Yonkers, New York 914-966-3144 // sacredhearths.org Top administrator: Rev Maurice Moreau

SACRED HEART GREENWICH

SAINT BARNABAS HIGH SCHOOL 425 E. 240 St., Bronx, New York 10470 718-325-8800 // stbarnabashigh.com Top administrator: Theresa Napoli

1177 King St., Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-531-6500 // shgreenwich.org Top administrator: Margaret Frazier OPEN HOUSE DATES: Oct. 8, Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Jan. 14 Upper School Open House: Oct. 15, 6 p.m.

K-12 Open House: Oct. 24, 9 a.m.

Barat Center Open House: Nov. 20, 9:30 a.m

SAINT JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL 2320 Huntington Turnpike Trumbull, Connecticut 06611 203-378-9378 // sjcadets.org Top administrator: William Fitzgerald SAINT LUKE’S SCHOOL 377 N. Wilton Road New Canaan, Connecticut 06840 203-966-5612 // stlukesct.org Top administrator: Mark Davis SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL 148 E. Main St., New Rochelle, New York 10801 914-632-0248 // salesianhigh.org Top administrator: John Serio

PRIVATE & BOARDING SCHOOLS

SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD 2225 Westchester Ave., Rye, New York 10580 914-967-5622 // holychildrye.org Top administrator: Melissa Dan SOLOMON SCHECHTER SCHOOL OF WESTCHESTER Lower School, K-5 30 Dellwood Road White Plains, New York 10605 914-948-3111 Upper School, 6-12 555 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, New York 10530 914-948-8333 schechterwestchester.org Top administrator: Michael Kay

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THE STORM KING SCHOOL 314 Mountain Road Cornwall-On-Hudson, New York 12520 845-534-7893 // sks.org Top administrator: Jonathan W. R. Lamb

THE URSULINE SCHOOL

1354 North Ave. New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-636-3950 // ursulinenewrochelle.org Top administrator: Eileen Davidson VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE DATES: Nov. 1, 1 to 2 p.m.

Nov. 4, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

THE SPENCE SCHOOL Lower School 56 E. 93 St., New York, New York 10128 Middle and Upper School 22 E. 91 St., New York, New York 10128 212-289-5940 // spenceschool.org Top administrator: Bodie Brizendine THE STANWICH SCHOOL 275 Stanwich Road Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 203-542-0000 // stanwichschool.org Top administrator: Charles Sachs

The Ursuline School in New Rochelle is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). Its mission is to educate, inspire and empower a diverse population of 770 young women in grades 6 – 12 by providing them with a

21st century Catholic, college preparatory education. Ursuline transitioned seamlessly to distance learning when required.

Their prior investment in technology and creative teachers allowed students to fully continue their education from home during the pandemic. Virtual showcases featured student musicians, artists, global scholars, and science researchers. The school motto, Serviam, “I will serve,” focused recently on supplying food pantries. The school will be ready for fall reopening whether all in person, distance learning, or a combination of these. Personal counseling and their unique personal cevelopment program will support students virtually or in person.

THE WINDWARD SCHOOL Lower School 13 Windward Ave. White Plains, New York 10605 Middle School 40 W. Red Oak Lane White Plains, New York 10604 Windward Manhattan 202 W. 97 St., New York, New York, 10025 914-949-6968 // thewindwardschool.org Top administrator: John J. Russell

DREAM IT. BELIEVE IT. Program a robot. Sing a song.

Lead a team. No glass ceilings here.

Whether your future is in finance or on the soccer field, we’ll give you the tools you need to explore the world—and run it.

We inspire young women to be thoughtful global leaders.

For more information on all of our Virtual Visits & Events, visit us at

SHGREENWICH.ORG

SHGREENWICH.ORG

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THORNTON-DONOVAN SCHOOL 100 Overlook Circle New Rochelle, New York 10804 914-632-8836 // td.edu Top administrator: Douglas E. Fleming Jr. TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 926 Newfield Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06905 203-322-3401 // trinitycatholic.org Top administrator: Dave Williams

TRINITY-PAWLING

700 Route 22, Pawling, New York 12564 845-855-3100 // trinitypawling.org Top administrator: William W. Taylor Director of admission: JP Burlington

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EXPERIENCE TRINITY-PAWLING SCHOOL — FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME Until we are able to invite families to our campus, our Admissions Team is committed to helping families learn about the value of a Trinity-Pawling education—including our distinctive programs, outstanding faculty, ethos of effort, and a community like no other!

We are available to answer questions and talk about life at Trinity-Pawling in our Virtual Visit Q&A sessions, every day of the week. Families can book a time for a virtual visit at trinitypawling.org/admissions/virtual-visit WHITBY SCHOOL 969 Lake Ave., Greenwich, Connecticut 06831 203-869-8464 // whitbyschool.org Top administrator: Simone Becker, head of lower school; Jonathan Chein, head of upper school

WOOSTER SCHOOL

91 Miry Brook Road Danbury, Connecticut 06810 203-830-3916 // woosterschool.org Top administrator: Matt Byrnes Wooster is a school built on relationships — particularly between students and teachers, and among students — and we’ve designed

our online learning system to reflect that. We have prioritized time for teachers to meet with individuals and in small groups. We’ve also prioritized students' ability to collaborate as they learn. Wooster School has built a blended foundation for our classes over the last five years or so. The pandemic is serving as an accelerant, but not for anything that we did not already hope to do. A blended foundation simply means that we are best utilizing all of the resources at our disposal, as intelligently and efficiently as possible, to create the best possible learning for our students.

Boarding and Day for Boys - Grades 7-12 / Postgraduate

To educate and instill a value system that prepares young men to be contributing members of society amidst the challenges of an ever-changing world — it’s our mission!

SCHEDULE A VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION TODAY!

admissions@trinitypawling.org 845-855-4825

This educational experience could make all the difference in your son’s future.

Learn more about the benefits of a Trinity-Pawling education at www.trinitypawling.org

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THE URSULINE SCHOOL

1354 North Avenue | New Rochelle, NY | 914.636.3950 Visit us virtually: ursulinenewrochelle.org/admissions-center

Virtual Open House October 24, 2020 Scholarship Service Spirit

For more information on how to register, visit www.mariaregina.org or contact admissions@mariaregina.org SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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FASHION & BEAUTY

AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN GOES TO…

BY PHIL HALL

A

mong the categories that fill the Academy Awards, the honors for Best Costume Design have always existed somewhere under that proverbial radar in terms of sparking public debate or controversy.

But if you take a deeper dive into the category’s history, it seems to be among the most intriguing of the Oscar competitions.

The Best Costume Design Oscar was fairly late to the 91-year-old Academy Awards lineup. It wasn’t added to the categories until the 1948 competition.

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In “La Dolce Vita,” Anita Ekberg revels in Rome’s Trevi Fountain in the iconic strapless black gown that helped earn Piero Gherardi a 1961 Oscar for Best Costume Design (Black-and-White) and made women realize that basic black wasn’t just for mourning. (Audrey Hepburn wearing a black Givenchy gown in the equally iconic opening of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” the same year would have a similar effect.) Courtesy The Criterion Collection.

According to Jerry Dean Roberts, author of the blog “Over-Thinking Oscar,” this delay was a reflection of the film industry’s slow recognition of technical achievements.

“Oscar himself stands atop a reel of film encircled by five holes, each of which represents those original five branches of the film industry — producing, directing, acting, writing and engineering,” Roberts explains. “In the early years of the Academy Awards, much of the technical and artistic work such as editing and costume design was seen as menial work. Over time the industry got bigger and more prolific, and the need to reward them individually became necessary.

That’s why it took so long for the costuming award to be formed.”

Initially, the academy split the Best Costume Design Oscar into parallel categories for color and black-andwhite films, similar to the divisions in the category for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Roger K. Furse’s costumes for Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” took the first black-and-white category’s prize while Dorothy Jeakins and Barbara Karinska, better known for her work for New York City Ballet, shared the color category for the Ingrid Bergman version of “Joan of Arc.” The awards were combined into a single category for the 1957 and 1958 films, then split up again until 1966, when Irene Sharaff won the final award in the black-and-white category for her “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” costumes, which succeeded in making the glamorous Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton appropriately frumpy and rumpled respectively.

For many years, costume design and editing were the only technical categories in which women had a conspicuous level of representation. And women have traditionally been the more dominant force among the winners. The category’s top champion has been Edith Head, who was nominated 35 times and won eight awards.

In 1954, the Best Costume Design category broke with Academy precedent in offering the first-ever Oscar to a work of the global cinema. The Japanese drama “Gate of Hell” was chosen for the Best Costume Design (Color) Oscar over Hollywood epics “Brigadoon,” “Désirée,”

In “Gate of Hell,” Machiko Kyo wears the 12th century Japanese finery that earned Sanzo Wada the 1954 Oscar for Best Costume Design (Color). Courtesy The Criterion Collection.

“A Star is Born” and “There's No Business Like Show Business.”

Over the years, the costume design category would seem to be more appreciative of foreign-language films than other technical categories. Among the international works to win this award were three Federico Fellini classics — “La Dolce Vita,” “8½” and “Fellini Casanova” — along with Ingmar Bergman’s “Fanny and Alexander,” Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” and the Gerard Depardieu “Cyrano de Bergerac,” while 23 foreign-language films received nominations over the years, including such diverse works as “Seven Samurai,” “The Gospel According to St. Matthew” and “Death in Venice.”

Why has this category been more generous to foreign-language works?

“I suspect the answer is Hollywood’s age-old yen for exoticism,” says David Sterritt, editor-in-chief at the Quarterly Review of Film and Video. “The more foreign-seeming the look, the more it entices the eye and sticks in the mind.”

Joe Meyers, former film critic with the Connecticut Post, points to a

period of time when the full academy seemed more accommodating of global cinema and offered a greater number of nominations in major categories to subtitled fare.

“I am always amazed at how hip to foreign films the academy was in the ’70s,” he says. “With Best Picture nominations for ‘The Emigrants’ and ‘Cries and Whispers’ and nominations for actors like Isabelle Adjani and the Best Director nomination for Lina Wertmuller for ‘Seven Beauties.’

You don't you see as much of that now. In that period they seemed to really loosen up, but then they got conservative again.

Go figure.”

Oddly, the Best Costume Design category rarely seemed to celebrate concepts that found their way into consumer fashions.

There have been a couple of notable exceptions. Edith Head’s strapless dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor in “A Place in the Sun” created a bare-shouldered sensation in 1951 at the height of Christian Dior’s ultra-feminine new loock, while Piero Gherardi’s bold black strapless gown worn by Anita Ekberg in “La Dolce Vita” helped turn black from being the color of mourning clothes into sexy evening attire — especially if you plans to go dancing in Rome’s Trevi Fountain.

Meyers notes one of the most obvious omissions from the category’s history involved the trend-setting androgynous outfits favored by Diane Keaton in “Annie Hall,” adding that the 1977 competition included a highly unlikely nomination for the costumes in the disaster flick “Airport 1977.”

“Those were the days when studios really put everything behind advertising, hoping that a turkey like that would at least get some technical nominations,” he says. “And, sure enough, it did.”

The unlikely “Airport 1977” recognition could also be attributed to perennial nominee Edith Head sharing

the nomination with Burton Miller.

Jerry Dean Roberts acknowledges one flaw in the category involves its “slant toward rewarding the designer rather than the designs.”

Another anomaly with the category involves its fixation on historical dramas rich with period clothing or fantasy films with stylishly bizarre designs rather than contemporary productions with current fashions. Over the past half-century, only three films with contemporary settings have won this category — “Travels with My Aunt” (1972), “All That Jazz” (1979) and “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (1994) — but their designs were packed with eccentric theatricality rather than current styles.

Jill Schary Robinson, a Hollywood historian and daughter of MGM mogul Dore Schary, wistfully recalls that the contemporary films of Hollywood’s Golden Age offered costuming that inspired men and women to dress with more sharpness and style.

“Think of the films where the costumes were by Adrian and Walter Plunkett,” she says. “It was a period of great fashion design. That mode of design had grace and charm and dignity. We don’t dress the same way. We don’t have movies where people wear ball gowns. Today, nobody really gets dressed and the costume designs are not particularly original.”

That’s not to say that every film with memorable costume design received its due with a nomination or an award. “‘Lawrence of Arabia’ didn’t get a nomination for costume design,” complains film blogger Roberts.

“Neither did ‘Sunset Boulevard.’ How about ‘The Wild Bunch’ and ‘True Grit’?

Believe it or not, no nomination for ‘A Clockwork Orange.’ What about the Indiana Jones pictures? How about ‘Back to the Future’? It sounds silly at first, but talk about period designs.

Recently, I was surprised that there was no nomination for ‘Wonder Woman.’”

Yet Roberts admits that the “list of omissions by the academy in any category runs the risk of becoming a list of grievances. I have my gripes, but in the interest of time and good taste, I’ll leave it right here.”

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FASHION & BEAUTY

NOURISHING ‘THE THEATER OF LIFE’

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

G

rowing up in a big Italian family featuring strong women, Pietro Simone was fascinated by the choreography of women’s beauty rituals. At a young age, he knew that he wanted to recreate the satisfaction they displayed with their lotions and potions. His Essential and Prestige Collections — which we were introduced to during a “Beauty Made in Italy” Zoom conference this summer and whose signature technique for facial lymphatic drainage we’ll learn about in another Zoom event this month — address skin maintenance and anti-aging respectively. (The collections will be available at Neiman Marcus beginning Sept. 15.) Recently, we had an opportunity to e-mail some questions to Simone, who views skin as “the theater of life”: Pietro, thank you for answering our questions and for your Zoom presentation. First, I must ask how you are doing in London. How did you weather the virus and how are things there now?

“It was my pleasure sharing my passion, motivation and dedication for skincare. Regarding the virus, I don't think London is very different from

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New York City, and things are slowly reopening. Every day, new measures are being put in place and I trust that people will be respectful of them.”

You have five spas worldwide, including the flagship in London and one at The Greenwich Hotel in Manhattan, which use specific techniques, such as your signature facial lymphatic drainage treatment.

How have you had to adapt your practices for the coronavirus era?

“Despite the very different opinions, I have always loved and used masks in my London clinic as I think it is a great service for myself and for my clients. I have added the visors and the use of more gloves, even for facial treatments. Sometimes people have the preconceived idea that gloves are impossible to work with during facial treatments, but they've always been a must for me.”

You have said, "Skin is the theater of life." How is skin theatrical?

“The skin is the theater of life, because too many times we just think of our skin on a superficial level.

However, the skin is an organ, the largest one, with so many different functions and, for this reason, the skin

Pietro Simone.

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shows a lot about yourself. Diet, water intake, lifestyle, stress, even emotions affect the skin. For 20 years, I've been performing facials almost every day and I have learned to listen, read and understand the skin. So the skin is the theater of life. It shows a huge amount of information about each individual person.”

You have two distinct skincare lines. Would you elaborate on the differences?

“The two different collections, Essential and Prestige, are based on different skin concerns. The Essential Collection is the 'must-have' for your skin maintenance — hydration, nourishment, antioxidants, waterbinding properties, revitalization and daily support, while Prestige is an intense anti-aging collection that's targeted for skin in need of more advanced technologies. It is fundamental to the anti-aging process and improving the skin's texture. The two collections can be combined together without any problem.”

Both use the Italian Bella Complex, which in turn uses one of our favorite vegetables, tomatoes, or more specifically, tomato seed oil. How do the five key ingredients help the skin?

“The Italian Bella Complex is the current breakout star of my skincare collections that's created from a culture-rich Italian foundation of unique inspiration and authentic, active core ingredients. My ultimate aim is to form brilliant synergy on the skin, building on its integrity with high-tech innovation, combined with natural Mediterranean jewels of the earth that deliver exceptional visible results.

“Italian Bella Complex is a perfect unison of purity and performance, including: • Cold pressed, filtered tomato seed oil lipoactives, sensory selected from Puglia, which have the ability to neutralize the effects of free radicals and improve skin tonicity; • Annurca apple extracted from the volcanic region of Vesuvio, which has anti-fatigue, anti-stress properties and reactivates the skin’s natural defenses.

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Prestige Colllection. Photographs courtesy Pietro Simone.

Essential Colllection.

It also has an anti-glycation action and helps to brighten the complexion and even out skin tone; • Tuscan grapeseed oil, which is rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, D, E and essential fatty acids (EFAs) and is a potent anti-wrinkle combater; • Edelweiss merestamatic cell cultures sourced from the Alps of northern Italy, which possess antioxidizing and anti-aging properties that protect against photo-aging and environmental aggressors, while lifting and firming the skin. Edelweiss is also known to promote collagen production; • Vinacciolo oil, sourced from the abundant agricultural Tuscany region and Sicilian almond oil, which extensively nourish and smooth the skin.”

You've talked about watching fascinated as the women in your family applied their skin creams when you were a child. Why did you want to make skincare for women your life's calling?

“Luckily enough, I never had to choose what to do. I felt that it was my mission to recreate those satisfied faces. I am the result of love from many inspiring women in my life — mum, grandma — a big Italian family and other female mentors who, over the past 20 years, have taught me the value of love and an aspect of beauty that's more healing than fancy.

And here I am more passionate and dedicated than ever before.”

What is next for you and your company?

“I’ve been working intensely to create my ultimate anti-aging and age management skincare collection where I’m also trying to reach a level of sustainability that hasn't yet been offered in luxury. In the meantime, I’m curating and creating what before was only a fantasy and now this dream is becoming reality.”

For more, visit pietrosimone.com and neimanmarcus.com.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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ESCAPES TO PARADISE

BY JEREMY WAYNE

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"

There are two kinds of lobster in this world,” the lady on my left was trilling, in a highpitched, imperious voice. “The kind you get in Scotland — sweet and fleshy and oh so tender.

And then there is the kind you get here, on this island, which is basically nothing but rubbery old tire.”

The lady on my left (and please forgive the namedropping) was Princess Margaret, late sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and the island in question was Mustique, that heavenly fleck in the Windward Islands of the Caribbean Sea, forming part of St. Vincent abd The Grenadines. Being seated next to a princess is the sort of extraordinary thing that happens on Mustique, and you simply get on with it.

But back to those lobsters and while it’s true that the crustaceans of the Caribbean are always going to play

Sea front pool landscape, Cobblers Cove.

Photograph by Miguel Flores-Vianna.

Les Jolies Eaux, Princess Margaret’s former house on Mustique.

Courtesy The Mustique Company.

Pool restaurant at Hotel Esencia. Photograph by Tanveer Badal.

second fiddle to their Scottish or New England cousins, in every other respect Mustique is a veritable paradise on earth. What’s more, St. Vincent and The Grenadines have reported only 57 cases of Covid-19, and, as travels restrictions in the island country slowly begin to ease for visitors from the USA (visit bb.usembassy.gov for daily updates), now is the time to consider a safe, socially distanced winter vacation.

Only three miles long by a mile wide, Mustique is real Robinson Crusoe stuff, with its palm-fringed, white sand beaches and totally laidback vibe. Yes, you might meet Bill Gates, Katy Perry or even Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge at the check-out at the island’s tiny general store, but they won’t bat an eyelid and neither should you.

As for accommodations, they’re limited, which apart

from the island’s extraordinary natural beauty, is really the joy of the place. In other words — exclusivity. Stay at the Cotton House, the island’s original hotel, comprising suites and stone cottages dotted around the lawns, many of them designed by artist Oliver Messel or inspired by his “gingerbread” designs, cool and stylish. Or take a room at Firefly, a private house turned B&B, which over the years has upgraded to a full-service hotel, although it still has only seven rooms. As Firefly’s owner, Liz Clayton, says on its website, “Firefly has a relaxed and friendly house-party atmosphere. It is not for the boring, the pretentious or the stuffy” — which is really all you need to know.

If you’re socially distancing with intent, though, or merely enjoying your solitude, you could spend a couple of weeks in a villa on Mustique — the ultimate luxurious vacation. There are dozens available for rent (including Princess Margaret’s former home, Les Jolies Eaux,) starting at around $40,000 a week for a four or fivebedroom house in high season. Other than your immediate companions, the housekeeper, cook, servers and a couple of gardeners (all villas come fully staffed,) you would never see another soul if you didn’t want to.

Barbados, where Jet Blue and American Airlines have recently resumed service from New York (Barbados is also the hub for onward travel by small plane to SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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Social distancing on Mustique.

Courtesy The Mustique Company.

Mustique,) is another island with low incidence of Covid-19, slowly reopening to visitors from the USA. Barring the “second wave” we all dread, my prediction is that Barbados is going to be a hot destination this winter.

Although a different proposition from miniscule Mustique, 300 square-mile Barbados is the most developed country in the eastern Caribbean, with great roads, hospitals, schools and air connections.

And right where you want to be, or at least where I want to be, on Barbados’ Platinum Coast — the gentler, Caribbean side of the island as opposed to the more rugged Atlantic side — is Cobbler’s Cove, reopening midOctober. A well-established, family-owned small hotel, that combines an English country house atmosphere with an authentic West Indian vibe, Cobblers is looking spruce after a recent makeover by UK design firm Soane Britain.

Out have gone the slightly tired bedspreads and passé batiks, in have come zingy stripes, bright white louvred doors, fresh, new rattan, screen painted linens, soft pastels and acres of cotton voile.

Situated right on the beach, the bliss of this smaller property is that you’re never more than steps away from the water, with accommodations either in the great house (built in 1940) or in any one of the deliciously fresh oceanfront suites. Service is great, sweet and smiling, and Cobblers’ Camelot restaurant serves some of the freshest, most appetizing grub on an island that has often struggled in the culinary department. No rubbery old tire served here, thank you very much.

Up a bit and left (as they say in the classics,) but still in the Caribbean, Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula right now, like the Eastern Caribbean, is somewhat restricted, but with luck the situation will improve soon. (For latest updates, 82

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go to mx.usembassy.gov.) New on my radar near Tulum is Hotel Esencia, an Italian duchessa’s former residence on the ivory sands of Xpu-Ha, the last unspoiled tract of coastal Yucatan. Like the other properties in this month’s roundup, whitewashed Esencia — owned, since 2014, by art collector Kevin Wendle — is a bling-free zone, sophisticated, you bet, but totally understated. Many of the suites come with their own indoor or outdoor plunge pool, with lush jungle all around and the Caribbean Sea at the end of every lane and walkway.

Every guest room is self-contained, and the resort boasts an impressive set of Covid-19 protocols. But if it’s significant distancing you’re after, then the star accommodations have to be Esencia’s three villas, two of them duplexes with their own swimming pool, outdoor terraces and spacious living areas.

The third villa, “Yum-Ha,” is a majestic colonial-style threebedroom house on its own lush, 15-acre property next to the hotel and just a three-minute walk from the beach. With its large swimming pool, private butler and full housekeeping services, this is a step-and-a-half up from even the most glamorous glamping.

Ready to go? Then run de route, as they say in Bajan (Barbados) creole, because you don’t want to wait a couple of months to make reservations and then find there’s no room at the inn. Just see that your chosen hotel or villa has a fair cancelation policy in place and check that you are following all the Covid-19 rules for the country you are visiting, as well as for returning home, continually up until your time of departure. No one wants to be caught short abroad — even in paradise.

For more, visit cottonhouse.net, fireflymustique.com, mustique-island.com, cobblerscove.com and hotel-esencia.com.

A W IN N ER AGA IN

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‘SCENT’SATIONAL TRAVEL FRAGRANCES

BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM Amorvero perfume in Italy was inspired by the legendary Hotel Hassler Roma above the Spanish Steps. Courtesy Hotel Hassler.

say that your olfactory sense is your strongest.

Now you can relive some of your travel experiences — or make new memories at home — with these terrific time-tested scents from around the world.

One of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ favorites, Agraria has been on the world’s radar screen ever since she was discovered buying the acclaimed $60 “bitter orange” clove/citrus potpourri at Bendel’s in New York. Today, Agraria still makes the beloved Bitter Orange in many iterations, including a room spray. (I even wear it on my wrists, I love the scent so much. You’ll never smell anything else so uplifting).

What’s making headlines now is Agraria Lemon Verbena, as it is the exclusive amenities brand for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts' 63,000 rooms around the world. “InterContinental needed a fragrance for men and women that would work across all cultures, and it has proven to be enormously popular,” says James Gentry, CEO. Lemon Verbena shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap bars, lotion and hand wash are also available in a retail size. And in this time of quarantine, you may want to try the brand’s new prebiotic hand sanitizer that won’t strip your hands of their natural oils. agrariahome.com/ agrariaplus. agrariahome.com/bitterorange-potpourri/ Meet Your Maker, a new luxury hotel in Hudson, New York, features exclusive personal items for purchase created in celebration of The Maker’s hometown, including the limited-edition The Maker Hudson Eau de Parfum. This

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This lovely scent from Uptown Perfumery, named "New York", comes in a mini suitcase and smells divinely of honey. Courtesy Uptown Perfumery.

Agraria's famous "Bitter Orange" potpourri was a fave of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Courtesy Agraria.

gender-neutral, woody, spicy fragrance captures the vibrant character of the city and was created by The Maker founder and fragrance architect Lev Glazman, (he was one of the founders of the acclaimed cosmetics company Fresh), in collaboration with Christopher Draghi, a local fragrance maker and co-founder of Source Adage. All of the proceeds from The Maker Hudson Eau de Parfum will be donated to the Hudson community to benefit youth organizations and small businesses.$40 for the 10ml. rollerball. themaker.com/ hudson-eau-de-parfum When In Rome. There’s nothing quite like staying at the Hotel Hassler Roma, the iconic five-star hotel located atop the Spanish Steps. Now you can easily transport yourself to Italy — without the jet lag — with the signature fragrance of the Hassler hotel, Amorvero perfume.

It was created by the hotel’s amazing general manager, Roberto Wirth, who always stands by-the-ready to offer his guests haute-couture hospitality. The perfume features Italian jasmine and tuberose enhanced with bergamot,

The Maker Hudson rollerball is a unisex fragrance from the new Meet Your Maker hotel in Hudson, New York. Courtesy Meet Your Maker.

lemon and mandarin — warmed by amber and vanilla, and comes in a variety of products for bath, body and home. $189 for 50ml of perfume. shop. hotelhasslerroma.com/en/beautywellness/amorvero-perfume Four Favorite Destinations: Interested in taking a $65 one-way trip to Hawaii?

Well, you can, and to France, Italy and New York for that matter, too. It’s all possible with the Harlem-based Uptown Perfumery, where you can purchase adorable mini suitcases filled with vegan and cruelty-free scents based on these four destinations. The Hawaii aroma is fig-tastic and a must-have; New York boasts a delicious black honey that simply must be added to your boudoir; France features a luscious lily-of-thevalley, and Italy offers — what else?

— a succulent Limoncello. Each mini suitcase sells for $65 and is made in a brownstone in the city. If you can’t take a vacation right now, these are the next best things. uptownperfumery.com/ vacationsets For more about Debbi, visit DebbiKickham.com

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AN IDYLLIC SETTING FOR MEETING OTHERS – OR JUST YOURSELF

BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

Lake Placid Lodge offers serene settings.

Photographs courtesy Lake Placid Lodge.

The

“All at once, summer collapsed into fall…”

— Oscar Wilde

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sweet, intoxicating fragrance of cedar and balsam pine is the first thing that hits you when you arrive at Lake Placid Lodge, a beloved 19th century mountain camp transformed into a lodge of unparallel rustic splendor.

Lake Placid is the jewel of the Adirondacks, clear and cold in winter, and strewn with leafy islands waiting to be explored in summer. This is a majestic hotel built by hand in the Arts & Crafts tradition, perfectly at home in its lakeside setting. There are 13 sumptuous rooms and seventeen luxurious cabins at the water’s edge.

The woods and water enfold the

lodge, the sun warms its wide stone porches. Each room has a fireplace at its heart and wilderness visible through its diamond-paned windows. Above all, there is comfort and welcome, wherever you go.

Tucked in the mountains of the Adirondacks, this exquisite Relais & Chateaux property is a nostalgic sliver of pleasures from yesteryear. It is here that the seasons are experienced at their purest. An authentic autumn hideaway, the lodge allows you to spend crisp days and enchanted nights curled in front of a crackling bonfire sipping hot cocoa before sinking into a cocoon of fairytale bedding.

Corporate retreats at Lake Placid

Lodge commence for you and your guests in the fireplace-lit lobby with a glass of Champagne and go from there through endless adventures and activities that the Olympic Region of these mountains offer. The Lodge’s farm-to-table kitchen is glad to create menus that will delight and inspire.

From planning through execution, experienced meeting specialists are on hand to anticipate and accommodate you every step of the way.

They offer full meeting and activity coordination services, many of which take place in two distinctive meeting spaces. The Adirondack Room has huge French doors that extend the meeting space outdoors to the massive stone patio where the Whiteface Mountain serves as a backdrop and two large wood-burning fireplaces blaze. This room, 25 by 50 feet, is both grand and airy. State-of-the-art audio visual equipment includes a high definition screen, surround sound with microphone and high speed internet access. The room can seat up to 70 guests for meals or 150 in rows for a presentation.

The Baby Bootlegger Room is named after the gleaming, streamlined wooden boat that won the 1924/25 World Cup and cut a dashing wake in Lake Placid. The room is anchored by a stone fireplace and a huge outdoor fireplace just outside on the porch. At 20 by 19 feet, it is ideal for small board meetings and private dinners for up to 14 people. Audiovisual equipment is available upon request.

In the age of the coronavirus, however, the Lake Placid Lodge is equally a good place for you to meet yourself. As we leave this sometimes sweltering summer and look ahead to the freshness of autumn, the lodge is offering a Columbus Day special package (Oct. 7 through 14), four nights in a luxurious suite or private cabin, breakfast and a $100 Lodge credit per stay. Hurricanes, tornadoes, repressive heat, be gone.

And daring to look ahead to the new

Lake Placid Lodge wine cellar.

year, for some truly golden moments , you may want to consider Lake Placid Lodge’s Valentine’s Day Special, which includes, on arrival, Champagne chilling in your room, daily made-to-order gourmet breakfast served in-room, a massage for two, a private dinner in the wine cellar and a guided snowshoe, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing day trip with a packed boxed lunch.

Just about 15 years ago, Lake Placid Lodge belied its name when disaster struck in December 2005.

An electrical fire started in an unused downstairs kitchen in the main lodge and swept through the historic wooden structure dating from 1882. The staff acted quickly to evacuate the

building and no one was hurt — not even Steamboat, the cat. With the main lodge all but destroyed and the adjacent cedar lodge heavily damaged, there was nothing left to do but carry on and rebuild. That’s just what happened, with rebuilding and renovation amazingly taking less than three years. In September, 2008, the lodge reopened. Similar to the original buildings in structure and style, the new lodge is blessed with a number of “corrections,” including modern electrical and technological updates.

So despite this devastating blow, the Lake Placid Lodge has been recreated — now even better than ever.

For more, visit lakeplacidlodge.com.

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THE ELEGANT Have you ever heard of Pippa, the cheetah? Pippa’s name used to be Kitten, and thankfully her new owner changed it. Kitten is not an appropriate name for an animal that can accelerate up to 70mph. (For comparison, horse racing speeds are in the 37mph range.) And as the world’s fastest land animal, has an enlarged heart and lungs that allows the enrichment of blood with oxygen in a short time for them to recover quickly.

As you may remember, Pippa was the 8-month-old female cheetah who was formerly owned as a pet by a British family who were leaving Kenya and wanted her to remain in her homeland. Who was her new owner to be? Joy Adamson, world-renowned wildlife conservationist who rose to acclaim with the publication of Born Free, her true story of raising and releasing to the wild Elsa, her lioness cub. And yes, like Elsa, Pippa was able to return to the wild, too, as told in Adamson’s book The Spotted Sphinx. During Pippa’s former life with the British family, she was reared with young children in their home near Nairobi. As a new member of the family, the cub would accompany the family on their shopping visits and became a popular guest in the dining room of several restaurants.

Due to their timid and social nature, cheetahs show no hostility towards humans. Compared to other African cats such as the lion or leopard, the cheetah is slightly built, slender, elusive, always on the alert and instinctively hides.

Although the name cheetah, which comes from the Hindi word cita meaning “spotted one,” originated in India, today they are found only in Africa. With high infant mortality rates due to their preference to hunt during the daytime in open grasslands with little cover, their global population numbers were estimated at 7,100 in 2017.

There are so many fascinating things to discover about cheetahs and all the other creatures that can be found on safari with John Rizzo’s Africa Photo Tours. It’s an unforgettable trip to see the “Big Five” (buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinoceroses) – all waiting to be discovered by you. Rizzo, an award-winning photographer, leads a team of experienced guides, specializing in safari and tribal tours within East Africa – Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. His experienced team brings an intimate group of guests of all ages to see wildlife as well as visits with the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana people.

For more, visit africaphototours.com

T SPHINX

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LUXE WAG COUNTRY DINING, REVISITED

BY JEREMY WAYNE

been 15 years since I first visited the Homestead Inn, the small luxury hotel in Greenwhich with Thomas Henkelmann’s eponymous restaurant attached. At the time I was a spy — sorry, “mystery guest” — for the prestigious hotel and restaurant group, Relais & Châteaux, of which the inn was, and still is, a member. Here, in sunny Connecticut, I was thrilled to find a superb French restaurant, complete with the smoothest French maître d’ (“Monsieur, I am giving you ze very best seat, with ze best view, in ze ‘ouse.” Me: “Really?”

Maitre d’: “Mais oui — right opposite Madame”) and a wine list that could have made adults, or at least wine-loving ones, weep. A bottle of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne - one of Champagne’s finest, made entirely from the Chardonnay grape - cost nearly $300 with tax, I recall, a small fortune as far as my pocketbook was concerned.

But perfectly served at just the right temperature, poured with a gentle flourish by an expert sommelier into wafer-thin, long-stemmed crystal glasses, the golden tincture was worth every cent.

I’ve returned to Restaurant Thomas Henkelmann a few of times over the years, on my own dime, and Henkelmann has never let me down.

Eating there means always to be

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transported to another world. Because gracious and refined as the restaurant is, it is never, ever stuffy. And blessed with a charming terrace, the restaurant, which reopened for dinner only in mid-August, has been able to adapt well to Covid-19-age dining.

Henkelmann’s cuisine, meanwhile, is rich and sophisticated, with luxury produce carefully sourced and infinite care taken over even the simplest white sauce. Duck, lamb and game birds, which will come into their own again in the fall, find a natural home on his menus — and if you see sweetbreads, or any dish with Périgord truffles on the menu, my advice (with apologies for any uncharacteristic use of the vernacular,) is to go for it.

Terrace at Thomas Henkelmann Restaurant, Homestead Inn. Courtesy Homestead Inn.

Pizza at The Inn at Pound Ridge

by Jean-Georges.

Photograph by Francesco Tonelli.

At The Inn at Pound Ridge by JeanGeorges, the following is so loyal that within days of reopening in July, the restaurant was sold out for both lunch and dinner services for a full three weeks ahead. (It is marginally easier now to find a reservation than it was at first, but only marginally.) And it’s easy to see why. The inn has a glorious garden, just made for social distancing, and it’s at its oxslip and eglantine best at dusk on a summer’s evening. But if I was looking forward to a midsummer night’s al fresco feast on a recent visit, I was to be disappointed. Arriving ahead of my guest, I was greeted by a fairly strict host, who immediately ushered (I forbear to say shoved) me to a table in the restaurant’s otherwise deserted

dark underbelly, about as cheerful as a not top-tier cell in the Bastille. I raised an eyebrow. “Seating is indoors unless you request outside when booking,” came the fairly stern reply. (I hadn’t seen an option to request “outside” when booking online and, revisiting the site now, I still don’t.)

A compromise was, however, reached. We settled for an oversized round table by the open French doors, and tucked in, after what seemed like an interminable wait, to blindingly fresh tuna tartare, fried calamari with a big-kick citrus-chili emulsion, and slightly down-in-the-mouth, grilled Maine lobster. Not a bad lobster, exactly but not a juicy or especially fleshy one either. On the other hand,

a pizza with black truffle, shared as an “intercourse” extra dish, was monstrously rich, a heaven-made marriage of woodsy truffle and melting fontina.

One thing to note is that most of the food currently being served at the Inn comes in disposable containers (although the pizza was served on a regular plate), and we drank from real glasses, despite what the website says — namely, that the glassware, too, is disposable. Who knows? Maybe they just the chuck the lead crystal out with empties in Pound Ridge.

At Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which I’ve always thought deserves as much praise for its tongue-twisting name (perversely, I always want to call it Stone Blue at Hill Farms, or some other Spoonerish play on the original), a virtue has been made of necessity.

Dinner is currently being offered in two sittings and comprises preordered picnic baskets that serve between two and eight guests, the smart wicker baskets and the stylish containers and dinnerware they contain enough to give the word “disposable” a good name. In keeping with Blue Hills’ “no menu” approach, diners can opt for a fish, meat or vegetarian themed supper, but after that it’s down to chance and what’s been brought in from the farm and fields that day.

I say “chance,” but it’s hardly much of a risk. Dan Barber, to my mind, is the most exciting and “authentic” chef working in the Northeast right now. But even so, for diners with specific dietary needs or allergies, or plain picky eaters, this may not be the way to go. On the other hand, if you share Barber’s love of the land, his celebration of the humblest fruit or vegetable grown with care, his passionate sense of the importance of sound animal husbandry — and all of this coupled with his innate skill as a restaurateur, the $195 per person tag (excluding wine) you pay for a picnic dinner, on the patio or in the grounds of Blue Hill, will be money well spent.

For more, visit homesteadinn. com, theinnatpoundridge.com and bluehillfarm.com.

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JUDGING WINES – AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY DOUG PAULDING

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“Dear Mr. Paulding, We would like to invite you to help judge our annual International Amateur Home Wine Maker Competition in Manchester, Vermont, in August.”

With that, I became a wine judge. I have judged for beer, sake, mead and hard cider competitions a few times.

I was on the Santé magazine wine and spirits reviewing panel for several years. But this was the first time I was asked to participate as a judge for a wine competition. This particular event was first scheduled for April, then May and then in July, when Covid-19 kept postponing it. So with state mandated safety protocols in place, 30 judges converged on Manchester, Vermont on Aug. 21 to judge homemade wines for three days. And during the event, the state of Vermont sent a state inspector to ensure all required safety measures were actually being followed.

Any gathering of wine professionals is always enlightening. Each comes to the event with a specific body of wine knowledge and there is never a perfect overlap of knowledge or interests.

Some arrive with a writing background, some with grape growing/winemaking history, some from the sommelier field and some through wine certification programs with some letters after their names. But each comes with his fortés and interests, and conversations are always lively, fun and informative.

This particular Wine Maker Competition began in 2002 with Brad WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

Brad Ring, publisher of WineMaker magazine, at his annual Amateur Home Wine Maker Competition.

Ring, publisher of WineMaker magazine.

This year, 10 panels of three judges each were to taste 2,519 entered bottles from all 50 states and six other countries. A $25 entry fee accompanied each bottle and application. Prizes were awarded for the top few entries in each category.

I understand the value of a commercial wine winning awards to push sales, but these are amateur home fermenters. I asked Brad the value of awards for the home winemakers. “First, it gives the winners bragging rights maybe. But more importantly, for a small fee, it gives the winemaker an impartial juried sense of what was right and what was wrong about their wine. We encourage from our judges, in fact insist on, descriptives and wine terms, successes or failures on each technical sheet and these are all delivered back to the winemaker.”

We began judging Friday, Aug. 21, at 2:30 p.m. and went almost to 10 p.m.

Saturday we started at 9 a.m. and went through to almost 10 p.m. again. Sunday we began at 9 a.m. and wrapped up by 1 p.m. That’s a lot of tasting, especially considering each wine had to be analyzed with appropriate adjectives and ratings for every entrant. Each table of three judges tasted more than 800 wines. Each judge had a page specific to each wine, with five criteria to rate — appearance, aroma/bouquet, taste, aftertaste and overall impression. A perfect score for a wine was a 20 but most fell in the 9 to 15 range. At my table, when the three of us were done

with a wine, we discussed flavors and the score we each gave. If there was more than a four-point discrepancy on the 20-point scale, and sometimes there was, we had to retaste, discuss and arrive within that four-point happy place.

Some of these wines could easily be big successes on the commercial market. Many were good and adequate wines for home consumption and sharing. And a few shocked the palate commanding a “What the Heck”? Home winemakers can buy kits to add flavor to a wine naturally or synthetically, a shortcut to the desired flavor. They can add oak wooden staves, oak chips or liquid oak essence. They can add smokiness from a bottle. They can add vanilla, licorice or black pepper extract, each designed to emulate proper oak barrel cellar aging for a tiny percentage of the cost. Any of the wines that appeared synthetically manipulated for some holy grail of flavor didn’t go far with me. But those wines that appeared honest and well-made without much intervention usually ascended on the judges’ rating sheets.

The days were long and exhausting, and the tasting became a bit numbing after a while, even with “taste and spit” being the preferred and necessary approach. But over the long weekend, I met a few grape growers, a few winemakers, a writer or two and a somm or two. It was a great way to make a few new friends.

Write Doug at doug@dougpaulding.com.

TRATTORIA 632

Restaurants in Westchester County change plans but not dreams amidst the pandemic....

The very popular family eatery, Trattoria 632 is excited to welcome back their loyal diners and greet new ones as they open for indoor and outdoor dining on their new patio. Delivery and take-out of their full, extensive menu is also available. Patrons can rest assured that Trattoria 632 has taken every measure and precaution to ensure a delectable and safe dining experience.

Nonna Marieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homemade cakes and pies are no exception! She is serving her famous carrot cake and original cheesecake recipes and Trattoria 632 is delighted to see their customers smiling again!

632 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577 914-481-5811 trattoria632 .com

WHAT’S COOKING?

FOOD & SPIRITS

FILTERED SOUTH INDIAN KAAPI (COFFEE) Ingredients 2 tablespoons South Indian coffee granules ¾ cup 2 % milk 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

COFFEE BREAK

SOUTH INDIAN STYLE

BY RAJNI MENON

South Indian coffee is flavorful, bold and strong. I always woke to its amazing aroma brewing in my mom’s kitchen.

Coffee granules are soaked in hot water and then put through a three-part coffee filter. In some cases, dried ginger is added for a distinctive taste. This is a simple coffee but one enjoyed by all.

For more, visit creativerajni.com.

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Directions: 1. Using a cappuccino machine, brew the coffee in a stainless steel mug.

2. Heat milk in another mug in the microwave for 35 seconds. Set aside.

3. Add the milk to the stainless steel mug, then the sugar and froth the mixture.

4. Pour the coffee into a mug and enjoy.

TRADITIONAL METHOD: 1. Place the coffee granules in a three-piece Indian filter, adding hot water to the top part.

2. Let it seep for a couple of hours to the bottom of the filter.

3. Pour the coffee into a mug, add frothed milk and sugar and mix well. Enjoy.

Been avoiding seeing your orthopedic specialist?

Maybe it’s time to stop putting it off.

At Yale New Haven Health, we’ve instituted a comprehensive 10-step safety program in all of our facilities to ensure that everything is clean, safe, and ready to treat you at a moment’s notice. There’s never been a better time to take advantage of our world-class medical expertise in the presence of new, world-class safety measures. greenwichhospital.org

DEFYING THE ODDS – AND THE STATUS QUO

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

this month, I sat down with longtime fitness colleague and friend Maurice Johnson and I am proud to share his story — a story about living a life in defiance of the status quo and how it’s served him.

Tell us about yourself. Who are you and what do you do?

“My name is Maurice Johnson. I am a fitness professional, inspirational speaker, Spartan SGX coach and racer and soonto-be husband to my best friend, yoga teacher and business partner Jennifer Netrosio.”

When and how did you get into fitness?

“I was a chubby kid and had low selfesteem. My fitness journey began when a neighbor took me to a track one day. He had me run five laps with a sprint at the end. During that sprint, I was no longer the slowest kid, the fat one or the least athletic of everyone. During that sprint, I heard the wind in my ears and everything changed.

My fitness journey began.

That moment sparked an obsession in me for fitness that led to me becoming a fitness professional, a second-degree black belt in mixed martial arts, a natural bodybuilder, a powerlifter and an obstacle course racer. I dedicated my life to fitness and motivational speaking. I began telling my life story through my signature group fitness format — Superhuman: The Class.”

What was your biggest challenge growing up and how did it shape you?

“I faced many challenges growing up. I grew up in White Plains in a neighborhood that was largely affected

WELL

HEALTH & FITNESS

For

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by the crack epidemic. I am one of four children, so there were six of us living in a two-bedroom apartment. My mother often took in others as well, so there were seven, eight, up to 12 people living in our apartment at one time.

“But the biggest challenge I faced was at 9 years old. I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle and it left me fighting for my life. Ironically, the doctors said that me being chubby saved me because I was able to survive the impact. What I remember most from that accident is wanting to go home. I spent one week in the ICU and approximately a month in the hospital. All I thought about was being able to go home.”

How did that experience shape you?

“After my accident I went through a really tough time. The accident left me with scars on my face and body and missing teeth. For a time I even lost some of my fun-loving nature and began developing an aggressiveness.

My aggression was further fueled by being bullied at school. I hated the way I looked and became depressed. I was poor, chubby and missing teeth. Finally, at 13 years old, after that day at the track, I decided to defy my own victim mindset.

“I loved watching ‘BodyShaping’ with Kendell Hogan and started wondering if I could do what he did. While getting ready to play football in high school, I lost 42 pounds. I became curious, asking, “What if I can do more?” That curiosity helped fuel me to not only defy the status quo but also to defy the criticism that I was too fat, too slow, that I couldn’t fight, I couldn’t dance, or wasn’t smart enough.

Every single thing someone told me I could not do or I wasn’t enough, I defied, and I did.”

Does your curiosity and defiant spirit help or hinder you in your career?

“I believe it helps tremendously.

When someone tells me that I can’t do something, I have a switch. I automatically want to defy it. If you say I can’t do something, it fuels me to go do it. Someone told me I wouldn’t be successful in the fitness business, but I stayed the course and now I am going on my 18th year as a fitness professional.

People have challenged my intellect, so I kept educating myself. Now I have seven professional certifications related to fitness, health and wellness. And when

Maurice Johnson – fitness pro and motivational speaker. Courtesy Maurice Johnson.

Covid-19 brought life as we knew it to a halt, my partner and I made an immediate pivot and launched a virtual platform.”

Tell us about your new virtual platform and what makes it special?

“Superhuman Soul represents the union of opposites, the coming together of both yin and yang energies to create and maintain a life that is fulfilling and balanced. Fitness, yoga and wellness programs are our absolute focus and our schedule is designed in such a way that we encourage students to take advantage of each type of programming.

“Specific to the classes that I deliver, I end every class with a segment I call the ‘elevation celebration,’ where I bring students to stillness and deliver inspirational messages — encouraging the students to observe the greatness that lies deep within.

The greatness that we absolutely must defy the status quo to find.”

What is your personal mission?

“To inspire people to believe in themselves. To believe that they are worthy of all that they seek and to take that belief and turn it into action. “ What is your focus today?

“I remain curious and live by the acronym A.N.D. — adventure never dies.

I continue to ask myself, ‘What if I can do more?” My focus is on expanding my education and honing my craft. My work as a fitness professional focuses on teaching proper movement while incorporating behavior change and health and wellness coaching methodologies. I use all of the above as a way to enhance one’s overall human experience.”

For more, visit superhumansoul. com. And reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

Eager Beaver Tree Service

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Courtesy SPCA.

PET OF THE MONTH

PET CARE

DOUBLY DYNAMIC

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They’re a “delicious duo” whose names conjure images of an Italian café — perhaps on the Amalfi Coast? Amaretti and Pizelle are two peas in a pod, so the SPCA would really love to find them a home together or with a person or family who already has a social dog so they would each have a buddy. The two did great in their foster home but take some time to warm

WAGMAG.COM SEPTEMBER 2020

up to new people. (They’d do best in a quiet home with older children.)

They are funny little Terriers and at 7 months old have a lot of spunk. Such big personalities for such little dogs.

Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. For more, e-mail shelter@spca914.org.

A WRITER TRYING TO OUTPACE HER PAST A DELIVERY MAN ON THE FRONTLINES AND THE GLASS DOOR THAT DIVIDES YET CONNECTS THEM

AVAILAB JMS BOO LE AUG. 12KS

FROM WAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EDITOR COMES A BRIEF TALE OF LOVE AND LOSS IN THE TIME OF CORONA THEGAMESMENPLAY.COM SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

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WHEN & WHERE

SEPT. 1 THROUGH NOV. 1 "Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e" examines historical perspectives on women and their depiction in art of the Edo Period in Japan (1615-1858).

Featuring more than 40 woodblock prints created in the ukiyo-e style, referring to the “floating world” of everyday life, this Bruce Museum exhibit highlights female characters in literature, kabuki theater and poetry; the courtesans and geisha of the Yoshiwara district; and wives and mothers from different social classes performing the duties of their station, in an attempt to gain some insight into the lives of women in pre-modern Japan. Reservations required. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-8690376, brucemuseum.org.

SEPT. 2 THROUGH 19 Mamaroneck Artist Guild presents “MAG Goes Plein Air,” a group show of works in all media that are created or inspired by outdoor settings and images. The exhibition will be displayed online and at the gallery. Noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, 126 Larchmont Ave., Larchmont; 914-834-1117, mamaroneckartistsguild.org SEPT. 6, 13, 20 AND 27 Walking: Join multidisciplinary artist, TEDx Speaker, PTSD specialist, nature-lover and teaching artist Amy Oestreicher for a series of six online workshops to claim your own walking practice for connection, discovery, resilience and play. Explore the strategies by which artists have conceptualized the art of walking – as practice, performance, art, meditation, pilgrimage or simply locomotion. Walks guided by intuition, by boredom, by maps, by the senses, simply by chance. Six prompts will be posted online and then four participatory Zoom workshops will be held at 4 p.m.

Sundays. amyoes.com/walk

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SEPT. 8 THROUGH 11 ArtsWestchester will combine two of its signature annual events to present a virtual celebration of jazz. On Sept. 8, the organization’s staple ArtsBash event will kick off a four-day “JazzFest” White Plains program with a Virtual Mixology Party, featuring cocktails and live jazz music. “JazzFest,” which is presented with White Plains and White Plains BID, will consist of conversations and demonstrations, as well as diverse performances through Sept. 11. This series of programs will be held on Zoom and Facebook Live.

Times vary; 914-428-4220, artsw.org/ jazzfest SEPT. 8 THROUGH 24 Artist and studio manager Liz Bannish leads “Homespun Cyanotype,” an online workshop to create cyanotype prints on paper and fabric bases. The cyanotype, or “blue-print,” is an iron-based photographic printing process that responds to UV light. Each class will begin with a reading on Anna Atkins, the British botanist who bound a cyanotype-filled log of British seaweeds in 1843. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk; 203-899-7999, contemprints.org.

SEPT. 11 THROUGH 13, 18 THROUGH 20 AND 25 THROUGH 27 See three regional artists paint canvases, commissioned by The SoNo Collection, in the new mall in South Norwalk over three weekends. This is part of the #SonoArtCares project, in which 10 artists paint live between July 17 and Sept. 27. See Naomi Clark Sept. 11 through 13, Kristin Schnitzler Sept. 18 through 20 and Duvian Montoya Sept. 25 through 27, 1-4 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, 100 N. Water St.; 203842-2823, thesonocollection.com.

SEPT. 12 The Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden will host a virtual tai chi class with Paul Wood via Zoom. The class will focus on learning tai chi, a form of martial arts that focuses on meditation and movement, and qigong exercises for

relaxation, health and balance. 1:30 p.m.; 914669-5033, hammondmuseum.org The Hudson River Museum invites audiences to its outdoor amphitheater for a free performance by violinist Harini Raghavan and her band. Raghavan draws from her formal training in classical Carnatic (southern Indian) music and her work at Berklee College of Music in electronic production to create her version of Indian electronica. 8 p.m., 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers; 914-963-4550, hrm.org The Pelham Art Center will present an in-person opening reception for its exhibition “Domestic Brutes,” which features sculpture, installations and paintings by contemporary female artists from the greater New York City region. The artists examine questions of identity, beauty and body, as well as women’s social roles, to provide their interpretation of feminism in American society today. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 155 Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525, pelhamartcenter.org SEPT. 15 The Pequot Library hosts an illustrated online talk by architect Donald M. Rattner about his new book “My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation.” Whether you're an artist, writer, design professional, entrepreneur, worker in a creative industry or someone who pursues a personal passion for pleasure, this talk will help you begin turning living space into creative space. 6 p.m., Zoom; 203259-0346, pequotlibrary.org, Kicking off Ridgefield Playhouse’s twomonth-long “Diversity Film Series” is Spike Lee’s biopic “Malcom X,” anchored by a powerful performance by Denzel Washington and inspired by Alex Haley’s “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” Post-screening interview by Cheryl Washington designed to stimulate community dialogue. 7 p.m., 80 East Ridge; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org For the complete calendar, visit wagmag.com.

For more, visit artswestchester.org and culturalalliancefc.org.

CELEBRATING LIFE, LOVE, & THE POWER OF FLOWERS SINCE 1925 4th Generation, Locally Grown & Locally Owned

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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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FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS AWARD WINNER 2018 103 SEPTEMBER 2020 WAGMAG.COM

WE WONDER:

IS FASHION STILL RELE VANT IN THE AGE OF THE CORONAVIRUS ?

behavioral specialist Carmel resident

Kim Alicea

Brittany Bearden

publicist West Palm Beach, Florida, resident

Amanda Cosenza

“Yes, I believe fashion is still relevant throughout any era. Even though people are mostly staying home during this time, I find that I have actually had more time to do online shopping and play around with different style aesthetics.”

“It's still relevant when you leave the house. It may be relevant, but it's not as prevalent, since so many of us are working from home and don't leave the house as often. I don't wear jewelry anymore, because I'm convinced the virus would stick to it, and I can't just throw it in the washing machine, like with my clothes.

Makeup is out with masks.

It's just a mess. Masks have become the new fashion statement. People compliment each other on cute masks the way they used to compliment each other on clothes. I even saw a Lilly Pulitzer mask the other day, and the woman's dress was an exact match to the pattern.”

“Yes, fashion is still relevant. Our clothing is an outward expression of our identity.

Even if we are just sitting in the house, wearing your favorite articles of clothing still has that same feel-good effect. While most days are spent in comfier clothes, even those have my own particular fashion style attached to them.”

Siobhan Dolce

Nadia Hussaini HR generalist Greenwich resident

CEO, Sam Morris PR Briarcliff Manor resident

“Absolutely, it always matters.

First things first, you need to sell yourself on yourself, and to do that you need to look great. Carpe le net a porter. There’s no time like the present.”

“I believe that the fashion industry has been negatively impacted due to the pandemic because of people losing their jobs and limiting their spending habits. However, many others like me, for instance, have been using fashion as a way to have some sense of normalcy again. Eye makeup for example, has been pretty popular during these times because it’s one area that people can change up and have fun with while wearing their mask. Since malls have started to reopen, people will begin to slowly get back to their daily routine but also keep their spending to a minimum.”

“Absolutely. In such uncertain and crazy times, being able to express oneself is important now more than ever, and fashion is a primary way to do that — especially with the growing trend of graphic/designer masks people are buying and wearing around the world, plus it being an election year.”

real estate broker Rye resident

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publicist Denver, Colorado, resident

Sam Morris

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YOUR HEALTH IS ESSENTIAL The last several months have taught us a lot about what’s essential. Essential workers.

Essential supplies. Essential businesses. Now it’s time to attend to another essential – your health. Not getting prompt, proper, regular medical care can have long-term consequences.

At White Plains Hospital and our physicians’ practices, we’ve exceeded the state and federal guidelines to protect you. Infection control was always our priority, and now we’ve taken further action, creating separate COVID patient areas, implementing extensive cleaning practices, and screening for all staff and patients.

Because staying safe means staying healthy. And your health is essential.

Learn more about our safety precautions at wphospital.org/safety