december 2013
Edward Villella
Brings back the luster Mysterious, mythic jade Seasonal shimmer: Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier, NYC Ballet and more Barbara Berger’s discerning eye Luminosity – Baccarat, chandeliers and sconces Chic choices for the holidays
Meet Italian jewelry designer Marco Bicego December 7, 2013 10am – 3 pm
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December 2013
A gem of a ballet • 12 red hot rubies • 14 soul of stone • 16 queen of diamonds... • 20 cartier diamond • 22 leaving the door a-jar • 26 A dazzling legacy, celebrated• 34 A brilliant vision • 40 Flaunt it if ya got it • 44 return of the ‘prodigal son’ • 47 a new vision for stained glass • 55 clearing out the nest • 57 glittering cocktails • 64 Chic Choices • 66
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This Theodore B. Starr, Inc. Swan-billed flask, ca. 1890, Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Miss Maude Lacey, is featured in “Gilded New York” at the museum. Photograph courtesy Museum of the City of New York.
Presents of Mind
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December 2013
30 wear
Features
Looking sharp
32 wear
Baubles, bangles, big shiny things
38 wares
Lighten up!
51 way
Designing a dazzling ‘Haven’
58 wear
Goddess gowns
62 wonderful dining Hittin’ the heights
75 wanders
Afghanistan’s thread of survival
78 w’reel deal A day in the life
80 well
No jewel like our armed forces
81 well
Genuine pearls of wisdom
82 wagging
Dealing with our ‘children in fur’
84 when&where Upcoming events
86 wit
We wonder: what makes you a gem?
88 watch
We’re out and about
96 class&sass
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waggers
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new waggers Linda N. Cortright,
editor and publisher of Wild Fibers magazine, moved from suburban Philadelphia nearly 20 years ago to become a cashmere goat farmer in rural Maine. She did more than just change her ZIP Code and her wardrobe. She eventually started the magazine. For the past 10 years, she has traveled to more than 40 countries, exploring the importance of natural fibers. It has been the wildest journey of her life.
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Ronni Diamondstein
is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer, PR consultant and former school library media specialist and teacher. Her dog, Maggie Mae, writes a column for Inside Chappaqua magazine. For several years, Ronni worked in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and lived in a building called The Pencil, the perfect place for a writer.
editor's letter Georgette Gouveia
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As we get older, the birthdays tend to blur. But there’s one birthday – I must’ve been 8 – that I will never forget. There was a party at my grandmother’s house with lots of relatives and a Georgette favorite, spaghetti and meatballs. “I wouldn’t bite into that meatball without looking at it first,” Aunt Mary cautioned. And sure enough, sitting right in it, as if on a cushion of satin, was a gold ring with a ruby, my birthstone. I couldn’t have been more shocked and delighted, but what I remember most were my relatives, many of them gone now, and how tickled they were for me and my surprise. I still have that ring – and several other rubies to keep it company. To me, they are reminders that gems, the subject of our December issue, have many different kinds of value. There is, of course, their actual monetary value, which has a lot to do with supply and demand, as you’ll see in our piece on rubies. (How could I resist?) But rubies only begin to hint at the treasures in these pages. There are marvelously organic jewels by the elusive, exclusive JAR, the subject of a new show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; big statement pieces by Oscar de la Renta and Alex Soldier, two WAG faves; the mythic mystery of jade via Audrey Ronning Topping; fab alternatives to jewelry for guy gifts, courtesy of Andrea Kennedy; and fantastic baubles in our gift guide like Tiffany & Co.’s mistletoe brooch, sure to guarantee that you’ll be stylish and kissable throughout the holiday season. Then there are the jeweled colors of Baccarat in Mary Shustack’s story and of Visions in Glass in Jane K. Dove’s piece, as well as the sparkle of sconces and chandeliers selected by the impeccable Brian J.
McCarthy in an article by New Wagger Ronni Diamondstein. (Welcome, Ronni.) But gems are also great metaphors. There are pearls of wisdom from Dr. Erika Schwartz and wild-things whisperer Sarah Hodgson, a gem of a digital auction house that Patricia Espinosa discovered, a jewel of a dancer/ choregrapher in Edward Villella, who’s come back to us in New York after founding the Miami City Ballet and putting it on the map. Villella is an actual gem. At the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine created the male lead in “Rubies,” the middle section of his ballet “Jewels,” on him. Indeed, December WAG is a bit of a City Ballet love-in with articles on that ballet and an appreciation of the company’s ballet master in chief, Peter Martins, Villella’s old dressing room-mate, who used to lead the “Diamonds” section of “Jewels” with Suzanne Farrell. Of course, no issue on gems would be complete without a salute to Elizabeth Taylor, who possessed some of the most magnificent stones but, as you will read, was never possessed by them. Taylor – whose greatest treasures were husbands Michael Todd and Richard Burton, her four children and her work with AIDS – reminds us that what we value most is our family, our friends and our own integrity. It’s a theme echoed again and again in these pages, in Dr. Michael Rosenberg’s memories of his time as an Army Reservist during the Iraq War; in Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas’ column on female friendships; in the WAGwits’ responses to our question of the month; and in the Watch pages that salute nonprofits such as the Breast Cancer Alliance of Greenwich and guest speakers like “NBC4 New York” anchor/reporter – and breast cancer survivor – Pat Battle. (Talk about sparkle.) What do these pages tell us beyond the price or quality of a stone? They tell us in this the season of light and giving, that you, too, are a jewel – multifaceted, dazzling and enduring, a gift to the world.
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A gem of a ballet By Georgette Gouveia
Savannah Lowery in “Rubies” from George Balanchine’s “Jewels.” Photograph by Paul Kolnik. Courtesy of New York City Ballet 12
reativity can happen anytime, anywhere – as you ride the tram (Einstein and his Theory of Relativity) or stand transfixed before the ruby-emerald stop-go of a traffic light (Leó Szilárd and the atomic chain reaction). Or when you’re introduced to jeweler Claude Arpels by your friend, Nathan Milstein. It was just such a meeting – aided by a later visit to the gems in Van Cleef & Arpels’ Fifth Avenue flagship store – that inspired George Balanchine to create one of his loveliest ballets, “Jewels,” which the New York City Ballet will present during its winter and spring seasons at Lincoln Center. “Of course, I have always liked jewels. After all, I am an Oriental, from Georgia in the Caucasus,” Balanchine wrote with critic Francis Mason in his “Complete Stories of the Great Ballets.” “I like the color of gems, the beauty of stones; and it was wonderful to see how our costume workshop, under Karinska’s direction, came so close to the quality of the real stones (which were of course too heavy for the dancers to wear).” Presented in three acts – “Emeralds,” set to Fauré; “Rubies,” set to Stravinsky; and “Diamonds,” set to Tchaikovsky – “Jewels” is more than a tribute to precious stones. Balanchine had toyed with creating another act set to Schoenberg and celebrating sapphires but found blue a hard color to project across the footlights. The ballet is, dancers and critics alike say, a choreographic autobiography, a touchstone in New York cultural history and a tribute to the women he created it on and the eternal feminine. Among the women who have danced “Jewels” is City Ballet principal dancer Sterling Hyltin, who was featured in WAG’s October “Extremities” issue and has performed the leading ballerina role in “Rubies,” the program’s fiery, kicky midsection. For her, “Jewels” is about three important places in Balanchine’s life. “‘Emeralds’ is about France,” she says. “‘Rubies’ represents America for him. It’s edgy and sexy. And ‘Diamonds’ is the perfect homage to Russia and Tchaikovsky.” Edward Villella, for whom Balanchine created the leading male role in “Rubies,” along with many others, agrees. “It was three ballets connected for one evening. ‘Emeralds,’ French Romanticism; ‘Rubies,’ American Neoclassicism; and ‘Diamonds,’ great Russian imperialism: These jewels were under the umbrella of other elements.” Balanchine shied away from such interpretations. He wanted the movements and above all the music to carry thoughts and feelings. Of “Rubies” as a metaphor for America, Balanchine writes, “I did not have that in mind at all. It is simply Stravinsky’s music.” But it’s also easy to see what Hyltin and Villella mean. Paris in the 1920s was, in a sense, where it began for Balanchine creatively. It’s where he fled after the horrors of the Russian Revolution, captured vividly in Bernard Taper’s definitive biography, and where as ballet master for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes he created important early works like “Apollo” and “Prodigal Son” while collaborating with the finest composers and artists of the day – Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Matisse, Picasso and Georges Rouault. With its diaphanous costumes and floating lifts, “Emeralds” – set to music from Fauré’s opera “Pelléas et Mé-
lisande” and vocal suite “Shylock” – is as haunting and elusive as la mer. “In ‘Emeralds,’ there is an aquatic sense and sounds like the possibility of water,” Villella says. And French perfume. “Emeralds” reminds you that Van Cleef & Arpels is also a perfumer and that Balanchine would give different fragrances to his ballerinas so he would always know who was in the theater. With all due respect to Balanchine, “Rubies” is America, where in 1934 he and Lincoln Kirstein founded the School of American Ballet. Its first performance was held later that year on Edward M.M. Warburg’s summer estate in White Plains. After World War II, Balanchine and Kirstein founded Ballet Society, which became the New York City Ballet in 1948. Perhaps it’s more precise to say that “Rubies” is America at least in its jazzy incarnation, evoked in Stravinsky’s playful “Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra” and the hip flexing and high kicks of the lead ballerina, shown off to great advantage in a short red tutu. “On the surface, you see a jazzy man and show woman as the principals, but you hear other elements,” Villella says. “It’s like another layer to it. The jazzy person was also like a jockey and his partner, a filly. It brings humor to it.” Now back in New York after years at the helm of the Miami City Ballet, Villella looks back fondly on Bal-
anchine creating the central roles in “Rubies” on him and Patricia McBride. “Any time you work with Balanchine it is an amazing occasion. We know he was a genius, the greatest choreographer of all time. He knows us so well. Like a master tailor, he creates a suit that fits so well. He made us look terrific. As always he educated us, showed us something.” In “Diamonds,” set to the last four movements of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D, Balanchine showed us that you can go home again as he returned to the Russia of his youth. As the ballerina and her cavalier lead the company in a series of stately dances, you’d be hard-pressed yourself not to feel you were back at the court of Nicholas and Alexandra at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. But “Jewels” is also about another city – New York. Lincoln Center marked the revitalization of its West Side in the 1960s, and “Jewels” was one of the first works created for the City Ballet’s new home there, the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater). Along with the new theater came a new breed of dancer, editor Lynn Garafola writes in “Dance for a City: Fifty Years of the New York City Ballet” that has come to define the Balanchine ballerina – fleet of foot yet ample in movement, sensual in body yet pure of heart. She was Violette Verdy, Mimi Paul, Sara Leland and Suki Schorer
Wendy Whelan and Tyler Angle in “Diamonds” from George Balanchine’s “Jewels.” Photograph by Paul Kolnik. Courtesy of New York City Ballet.
in “Emeralds”; McBride and Patricia Neary in “Rubies”; Suzanne Farrell in “Diamonds.” They were Balanchine’s real gems, she writes. Just as “Jewels” and his other ballets are ours. “Jewels” will begin Jan. 22. For more, visit nycballet.com. And check out New York City Ballet’s 12-part documentary series, city.ballet., which has launched on AOL On Originals, AOL’s premium video platform, at cityballet.com. The series, which includes interviews with ballet master in chief Peter Martins and more than 25 dancers from all ranks of the company, was conceived and is executive produced by NYCB board member Sarah Jessica Parker. n
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Red hot rubies By Georgette Gouveia
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Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend and sapphires may be more popular, but there is something about rubies, isn’t there? They’re the color of crimson in firelight and all that it conjures – warmth, passion, confidence, power. “A ruby is an extremely gorgeous, extremely rare stone,” says Eli Aviram, co-founder (with brother Beny) of Spark Creations, whose ruby rings – in classic square-cut and more fanciful, abstract floral designs, cushioned by tiny diamonds – grace stores such as R&M Woodrow Jewelers in Rye. Making the ruby rarer still on these shores – politics. “You’re not allowed to bring them into the United States from Burma (Myanmar),” says Aviram, who gets his rubies from Madagascar. “Other countries have rubies you can import. But they’re not as high in quality.” Now that Myanmar is moving toward liberal democracy and rapprochement with the U.S. – in May, Thein Sein became the first Myanmar president to visit the White House in 47 years – Aviram expects the embargo to be lifted.
But don’t expect the price of rubies to go down. “We live in a global market,” Aviram says. “If the U.S. doesn’t buy from Burma, the rest of the world does.” Once the ban is removed, there will be a greater supply here, but there will also be a greater demand. For that reason and also because diamonds are a known, fixed commodity, Aviram says a woman would be better off financially with a colored gemstone like a ruby for an engagement or keepsake ring as the value will only increase. Of course, the heart wants what the heart wants. And what kind of feminine heart wants a ruby? One that is fearlessly independent, “a woman of character,” Aviram says. Think of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her 17.68-carat ruby ring – a wedding present from Aristotle Onassis that sold for $290,000 at the 1996 auction of her estate – or her ruby and emerald earrings and necklaces. They’re reminders not only of her love for India – where rubies and emeralds are a popular jewelry design combo – but of Vincent van
Gogh’s belief that red and green are the colors of passion. July-born Jackie came by her rubies naturally. They were her birthstone. Some women need no such excuse. Though Elizabeth Taylor was better known for her diamonds (see related story), she sometimes succumbed to the ruby’s siren call – particularly when she learned that Ari had given Jackie a ruby. Then the “battle of the rubies,” as Taylor’s husband Richard Burton called it, would be engaged. Liz’s 8.24-carat ring sold for more than $4.2 million at the 2011 auction of her estate, setting the record for price per carat at $512,925. A necklace sold for more than $3.7 million. You don’t have to be a Jackie or a Liz to own a fine ruby for several thousand dollars. You only have to educate yourself about the gem. As with a diamond, the only precious stone that’s harder, a ruby is judged by the four Cs – color, clarity, cut and carat. Color is very important, says Rob Woodrow, co-owner (with brother Michael) of Woodrow Jewelers, who takes a Goldilocks approach to the perfect ruby hue.
“Not too dark, not too light. In between is just right.” Along with what Woodrow calls “a robust red,” seek a stone that is relatively clear (although if it is entirely free of inclusions that may indicate it has been treated). Not yet ready for a ruby? Don’t let timidity rob you of the gem’s legendary healing power. Since the time of ancient Egypt, the enduring quality of rubies has led to the belief that they bestow well being when worn close to the skin. (Indeed, Burmese warriors were said to have inserted them under their skin to protect themselves from being wounded.) In that spirit, Roberto Coin – a Venetian jeweler whose designs are found in Woodrow, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus, among other stores – has inserted a small, synthetic ruby inside each work since 1996, allowing for direct contact with the skin, and in a sense, the heart. Woodrow demonstrates this by opening an Art Deco-style black enamel and diamond 18-karat gold bracelet: “It’s a hidden treasure.” n
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Tripod Incense Burner in sea-green shades of nephrite: Qing Period, Qianlong Era (1736-1795) Height 8 inches. The tripod shape is defined by three lion pawed legs capped by lion heads supporting the urn and heavy handles with lion head protons holding rings.
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Soul of stone – The divine jade By Audrey Ronning Topping
“Jade is Heaven.” — “I Ching,” the “Book of Changes” (China’s oldest book of wisdom) What is the magic that sets jade apart from all other gemstones and causes men to speak of it in the language of legends and myth? To the Chinese, jade is more precious than gold or diamonds, for these are of the material realm while jade is of the spirit. The unique stone was chosen by the Chinese as the vehicle for communication with the unseen powers of the universe, as a charm against disease and evil spirits and as an emblem of imperial authority. It is believed to embody qualities of solar light and commune with the powers in Heaven. And if you don’t believe this, don’t buy a piece of Heaven. One legend tells how the Storm God grasped the rainbow with one hand and forged jade axes with the other to throw down to man, who was the helpless prey of all wild animals on Earth. Man perceived the origin of his precious gift and thereafter called jade, “the Stone of Heaven.” Another legend claims that when China was invaded by the Tartar hordes, the Imperial Dragon shed tears that were petrified into jade. Still other myths hold that the propitious air of Heaven and Earth is always condensed into jade. Jade is literally China’s crown jewel. Whatever its origin, jade has inspired people for centuries. Jade objects found in excavations of royal tombs have been analyzed and proven to be part of an evolution that had its beginning around 5000 B.C., during the Neolithic period. Some 2,400 years ago, Confucius said of jade: “Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents Heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountains and of water, represents the Earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents the truth.” The belief in the mystical aspect of jade prevailed as the stone became a popular medium among carvers. It developed into a major art form in later dynasties, includ-
ing the Tang (618-907), Song (960-1179), Ming (13681644) and Qing (1644-1912). Most impressive is the fact that jade was used not only to create exquisite jewelry, belt buckles, vases and handles for a scholar’s desk, but it began to be carved into large scale objets d’art to be enjoyed from a strictly aesthetic point of view. The emphasis on aesthetics is well-represented in jade excavated from the imperial tombs dating from the Neolithic period.
Pi Yu and fei-ts’ui
There are two kinds of jade. One stone is known by the Chinese name “pi yu” or nephrite, the other is “fei-ts’ui” or jadeite. The two types are held in equal esteem and are similar in appearance. They have much in common, but each has its own distinctive properties. Nephrite is a silicate of magnesium with a fibrous texture. It was mentioned in China’s early 5,000-year-old written history as one of the world’s toughest stones. Jadeite (the jewel jade) is a harder stone composed of silicate of aluminum microcrystalline. It was discovered much later than nephrite in the Kochin hills of northern Burma (the country now known as Myanmar). Carvers began using jadeite in China about 1785, but it took another hundred years before it was fully recognized as jade and treated with the same respect as nephrite. Jadeite, therefore, cannot claim antiquity like nephrite. It is evaluated by the inherent quality of the stone and how artistically it is carved. Fine jade has always been rare and in its most highly valued hue, pure emerald green, it was used to create the finest jewelry for China’s aristocrats
and is still used today. It is rarer than the finest nephrite but, alas, easier to imitate.
In every hue
Both stones in their pure form are colorless. The color comes from the presence of other minerals. Perhaps more than any other quality, the color of jadeite distinguishes it from nephrite. In general, the colors of jadeite tend to be vivid and clear. They contrast with the soapy, heavier, almost aged-looking hues of most pieces of nephrite. Jade appears in an infinite variety of shades. There are nine classical colors that correspond to the seven colors of the rainbow, plus black and white, but between them exists an endless spectrum of tones. The Chinese, in an effort to name them, have called upon almost every known animal, mineral and vegetable. They have given the colors such names as mutton fat, chicken bone, shrimp, kingfisher, betel nut, ink, chalk, lavender, sandalwood, spinach and orange peel. Other names conjure up beautiful poetic images like moss-entangled-in-snow, spring-water-green, and sky reflected-in clear-water. To the ancient Chinese, these hues were more than colors. They were symbols of nature’s basic elements, of the universe and the influence of planets.
Against a woman’s flesh
Prices of the jade are rising steadily as the supply diminishes and more of the world learns to appreciate the varied stone. Pearl S. Buck, the author of “The Good Earth,” wrote in her book “My Several Worlds:” “Jade is a possession to be cherished by anyone who can find it or buy it or steal it. Chinese women ask for jade ornaments for their hair. And old men keep in their closed palms a piece of cold jade, so smooth that it seems soft to the touch. Rich men buy jades instead of putting their money in the banks, for jade grows more beautiful with age. The poorest courtesan has her bit of jade to hang in her Inset: Dragon pin. Qing Period (ca. late 19th-20th c) length 4 inches. Spinach jadeite dragon, symbol of the emperor, worn for protection. The ruffled feather head represents the ascending node of the moon and flared tail the descending node of the moon.
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ears or use in a hairpin and the most successful and popular actresses wear jade instead of diamonds, because jade is the most sumptuous jewel against a woman’s flesh.” And it gives her an air of eternity. In ancient China when people “joined their ancestors,” all the orifices of their bodies were stopped with jade for purity. Jade was believed to have preservative and protective qualities that would prevent deterioration. During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), the bodies of emperors and wealthy aristocrats were encased in jade burial suits, constructed from thousands of square plates of precious jade threaded together by gold and silver wires or silk ribbons, depending on the status of the diseased. The burial suits were first documented in 320, but most archaeologists thought they were mythic. Their existence, however, was confirmed in 1968, when two jade suits made of 2,498 plaques of solid jade threaded with 2½ pounds of gold wire were discovered in the Han Dynasty tomb of Prince Liu Sheng and Princess Dau Wan. Burial suits were believed to be an armor for immortality, but only crumpled skeletons were found inside. Yet the jade suits were intact and are still being exhibited worldwide, thus bringing a form of immortality to the royal couple – and jade’s admirers. n 18
1. Traditional jade chops are still used to sign official letters and scrolls. This one belongs to Audrey and is used to sign photos and personal letters. It is decorated by a lioness on top. 2. Except for antique nephrite contemporary jade objects and jewelry are just as valuable as the older ones. This Jade lotus blossom with a red coral button was made in Taiwan. 3. Probably late Qing Period (19th C). The color of this nephrite mythical beast, Fu-Dog, is translucent pearl. It is a leonine version of a fu-dog with a fierce head that swivels. 4. Goose-grease nephrite with smudges of rare burnt orange. Late Ming Period (ca. 17th C.) Height 3 inches. A semi-abstract Imperial Dragon, symbol of the Emperor, and the Phoenix, symbol of the Empress, are entwined around this exquisitely carved pendent. Inset below: A jade ring set in diamonds; Qing Period (late 19th C). This most valuable jadeite is called Imperial Jade and used mainly for jewelry. Jadeite is harder than nephrite and is best known by the emerald green stone imported from Burma during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Photographs by Bob Rozycki.
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Not all jade is heavenly Today Asian bazaars in New York City and the rest of the world are often bulging with jade of all kinds – but beware: Not all of them feature genuine stones from Heaven. Some, unfortunately, are more of an earthly quality. There is fine rare jade to be found, but also bogus jade, imperial green jewel jade but also dyed and glass jade; antique jade carvings but also tawdry, overly ornate soapstone substitutes. How can one distinguish the heavenly jade from the fraudulent? Richard Gump, one of America’s foremost jade experts, says in his book, “Jade, Stone of Heaven,” that there is no simple method by which to determine if you are looking at jade or one of its substitutes. “You must learn by study and experience, just as a diamond expert learns his profession. Jade feels cold, smooth and hard to the touch, but so do many other stones that look like it. Some imitations, like soapstone, quickly absorb the warmth of the hand and feel uneven or soft.” A number of other stones resemble jade – serpentine, jasper, rose and green quartz, dyed onyx, Indian jade and aventurine are sometimes sold as such. The most com-
mon substitutes are Peking glass and plastic and stained green chalcedony, sometimes called “new jade.” Green glass is sometimes used in beaded necklaces. If held under a magnifying glass, it can usually be recognized by the air bubbles. Jade appears to have a slightly dimpled, almost porous surface. The quickest way to tell glass from jade is by applying a drop of water from the tip of a match stick. The water disperses on glass but stands out like a bead on jade. Good jade feels silky in texture and when polished is rather oily in appearance. Antique nephrite can also be faked. If the carvings are worn away in odd places or look as if they have been deliberately rubbed with dirt or sandpaper, something is fishy. Fine old antiquities have no sharp corners but still look fresh and vigorous. Jade improves with age and handling. Carvings in the so-called “new jade” often appear in tourist shops in China and in jewelry shops in New York City. They are usually of inferior workmanship representing Chinese figures with flowing robes. Most are a sickly yellowish green color with a waxy appearance. — Audrey Topping
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queen of diamonds... and pearls, emeralds By Georgette Gouveia
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usbands may come and go, but diamonds, as the James Bond film says, are forever. So it was for Elizabeth Taylor, who had a lifelong love affair with jewelry. Indeed, she even wrote a coffee-table book called “My Love Affair With Jewelry” (Simon & Schuster), a delicious source on the screen legend’s gems, as is Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger’s made-to-devour “Furious Love” (Harper), about her Puccini-esque relationship with the man she loved so much she married him twice. (Richard Burton, husband Nos. 5 and 6). As Kashner and Schoenberger write, Taylor had a complex relationship with jewelry, using it to measure her worth as an actress, movie star, sex goddess and wife, even as she deployed it at times to draw attention away from her beauty. A child star of such memorable classics as “Lassie Come Home” and “National Velvet,” Taylor soon discovered that if diamonds weren’t a girl’s best friend, they were certainly good company. “She had learned early how to extract gifts from her directors and producers, like tributes paid to royalty by their subjects,” Kasher and Schoenberger write. “Queens are meant to accept tribute and having already become the first actress in history to be given a million-dollar-plus salary for her services (on ‘Cleopatra’), she was the closest thing America had to royalty. She had become accustomed to deference. Even her name befitted a queen.” This would sometimes create trouble for frugal movie moguls and married producers who didn’t want to get in trouble with their accountants – or wives – by paying gemological homage to Liz, who remained undeterred in her quest for baubles of their affection. As she began filming what was to be one of her greatest roles – the corrosive Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” for which she won her second Oscar – Taylor made it clear that she expected Warner Bros.’ head Jack Warner to give her an $80,000 brooch she had her eye on and producer Ernest Lehman to give her a piece of David Webb jewelry. When the men balked for fiscal and marital reasons, respectively, Taylor used jewelry to send a none-toosubtle message, showing off on-set a double rope of 9½-millimeter pearls bestowed on her by Martin Ransohoff, producer of her previous film, “The Sandpiper.” 20
Her directors were savvier, figuring jewelry was a small price to pay for keeping a goddess happy. Franco Zeffirelli, who directed her and Burton in “The Taming of the Shrew,” gave her a gold bracelet that had belonged to Napoleon’s sister from Bulgari’s flagship on the Via Condotti in Rome – a place that was to play a key role in her electrifying love affair and tempestuous marriages to Burton. Other directors, faced with insuring the personal gems she often insisted on wearing in her films, were no less resourceful. Anthony Asquith, who directed the couple in “The V.I.P.s,” persuaded her to wear a copy of her emerald and diamond brooch that was part of Bulgari’s “Grand Duchess Vladimir Suite.” It was this brooch that had signaled the flowering of her relationship with Burton on the set of “Cleopatra” (1963). Beset by paparazzi and Vatican denunciations,
Taylor would take refuge in Gianni Bulgari’s aforementioned shop, where Burton bought her the first pieces in the suite, an emerald and diamond necklace with a detachable pendant that became a brooch. (It was, Kashner and Schoenberger write, more than the $100,000 Burton had planned on spending, but still economical, Taylor reasoned, as a two-for-one.) The generous Burton – a coal miner’s son who took great pride in lavishing jewels on his beloved and expensive gifts on his family – would add the other pieces in “the Grand Duchess Vladimir Suite” to his wife’s collection – a ring, pendant earrings and a bracelet. Other Taylor hubbies displayed their affection in gems as well, with producer Mike Todd (No. 3) giving her a 27-carat diamond she called her “ice skating rink” and singer Eddie Fisher (No. 4) presenting her with a pair of yellow-diamond earrings, a brooch and a matching
ring for her 30th birthday, even as she was in the midst of “le scandale,” as Burton called their affair. (Cast off, Fisher later billed her for the jewelry. “I probably paid it,” Taylor cracked.) Burton’s gifts were the ones that made the headlines. There was “La Peregrina,” the $37,000 pear-shaped pearl that Philip II of Spain gave to his wife, Mary Tudor, elder daughter of Henry VIII, and the 50-carat, heart-shaped Taj Majal diamond, so-called because it belonged to Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj as a monument to his favorite wife, Queen Mumtaz. No jewel was more famous, though, than the ready-to-be-auctioned, 69.42-carat, 1½-inch long diamond, set in a platinum ring with two smaller diamonds, that Burton frantically acquired from Cartier for $1.1 million in 1969 as he stood by a pay phone at The Bell Inn in Wales, where he
Elizabeth Taylor, with Richard Burton, wearing Jean Schlumberger’s Fleur de Mer clip of diamonds, sapphires, platinum and 18-karat gold as a hair ornament. Photograph by Ron Galella. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
and Taylor had gone to see his sick brother, Ifor. Even to this day you have only to mention Taylor’s name to the staff at Cartier’s Fifth Avenue store to elicit an “Ah, the diamond” and a knowing smile. The Taylor-Burton diamond, as it became known, was the bourn they set how far to be beloved – to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.” But it also showed off the multifaceted couple’s sense of humor, as when they appeared on the 1970 season opener of “Here’s Lucy,” in which Lucy (as in Lucille Ball) got the ring stuck on her finger and had to lend Liz a hand, literally, on a receiving line. Yet if jewelry was a fabulous token of the couple’s love, it could also be dispensed with when that love played itself out. Taylor sold the Taylor-Burton diamond for $3 million during her staid marriage to U.S. Sen. John Warner (No. 7) to help out with their expenses. “It represented a different phase in my
life,” she said. “The fun phase.” Taylor was about a lot more than the fun phase. “Elizabeth always rose to the occasion when disaster struck,” Kashner and Schoenberger write in “Furious Love,” ready to help friends, family and foes alike, even sending condolences to Joan Rivers, who had made fun of her, when Rivers’ husband died. A contributor to Jewish causes from the time she converted to the faith in 1959, Taylor really emerged as a philanthropist with her work on behalf of HIV/AIDS sufferers in the 1980s as the disease was gripping the world and few would touch it. Inspired by the death of co-star Rock Hudson, she got in bed with AIDS patients to demonstrate it could not be transmitted casually and co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, helping to raise more than $270 million. It was as if her movie stardom was but the springboard to her real life’s work.
Even in death – she died at 79 in 2011 – Taylor continues to help others, with a portion of her estate, valued anywhere between $600 million and $1 billion, earmarked for her AIDS charities. That estate has been enriched by the 2011 auction of jewelry, costumes and artwork at Christie’s for $184 million and revenue from her White Diamonds fragrance, which made about $75 million at retail in 2011, according to Forbes magazine. No doubt Taylor would be pleased. Though she loved possessing gems – sometimes touching them as if they were talismans – she was never possessed by them. “One day somebody else will have them,” she wrote, “and I hope that new person will love the jewelry and respect it as much as I do. …I’ve never, never thought of my jewelry as trophies. I’m here to take care of it and to love it, for we are only temporary custodians of beauty.” n
“Queens are meant to accept tribute and having already become the first actress in history to be given a milliondollar-plus salary for her services (on ‘Cleopatra’), she was the closest thing America had to royalty. She had become accustomed to deference. Even her name befitted a queen.” — kasher and schoenberger
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Cartier diamond The multifaceted Peter Martins By Georgette Gouveia
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Peter Martins leading rehearsal. Photograph by Paul Kolnik. Courtesy of New York City Ballet.
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t was February 1976, and the New York City Ballet’s winter season had just finished with a flourish, a sparkling performance of George Balanchine’s “Chaconne,” set to music from Gluck’s sublime “Orfeo ed Euridice” and led by an Olympian pair of dancers whom the press not-so-jokingly referred to as “Mr. and Ms. God” – Peter Martins and Suzanne Farrell. As we mere mortals were reluctant to end the spell that had settled over the then-New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, an ovation of 20 minutes ensued – an unusual occurrence at City Ballet, which frowns on the theatrical star treatment found at other companies. At one point, Farrell, perhaps Balanchine’s greatest muse, curtsied to him on one knee and he motioned for her to rise, almost embarrassed by the gesture. Then Martins returned to the stage with her, catching a hurled bouquet Willie Mays-style. “Sign him up for the Mets,” one wag in the audience said through the applause. Perhaps indeed. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind in those days that Martins, a Westchester resident, could’ve played outfield for the Mets and the Yankees,
helped out the Knicks and the Rangers and still been able to squeeze in a matinee or two. “Like a Cartier object,” his former boss, Lincoln Kirstein, who founded the seminal City Ballet with Balanchine, once said of Martins, “a heroic dancer, with a heroic stance.” And like a Cartier object – A diamond? Why not, since the “Diamonds” section of Balanchine’s “Jewels” afforded him one of his most magisterial roles – he contains many facets. One of the greatest danseurs of the 20th century, Martins was also the gallant partner of many of its finest ballerinas, the diamond setting of their gemstones. (The kind of man who gives you his undivided attention and acts as if you’re the only other person in the room, Martins can make any woman look and feel good.) As a choreographer, he has ranged from the witty abstraction of “Calcium Light Night” (1977) – his electric first work, set to Charles Ives – to provocative reinterpretations of classic story ballets like “Romeo + Juliet,” “The Sleeping Beauty” and “Swan Lake.” As ballet master in chief, he has seen dancers like Darci Kistler, whom he married; Peter Boal; Nicolaj Hübbe; Kyra Nichols; and Damian Woetzel give way to a new stellar roster that includes Megan Fairchild, Robert Fairchild (no relation),
Fairfield’s Chase Finlay, Sterling Hyltin, Maria Kowroski, Sara Mearns, Tiler Peck, Amar Ramasar and Andrew Veyette. Martins has also presided over a number of noteworthy celebrations and festivals, including the 1988 American Music Festival to honor the company’s 40th anniversary, the 1993 Balanchine Celebration that presented all of his works in chronological order and the 2008 Robbins Celebration, in memory of Jerome Robbins, who was for many years City Ballet’s other resident choreographic genius.
One diamond to another
Through the Diamond Project, which Martins created in 1992, the City Ballet has commissioned 55 ballets by 31 choreographers, including Christopher Wheeldon, who combines Balanchine’s gift for patterning with Robbins’ talent for theatrics, and former principal Benjamin Millepied, the new director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2000, Martins and the Project’s principal benefactor, Irene Diamond, founded the New York Choreographic Institute, which gives select choreographers the space in which to experiment. This year marks Martins’ 30th anniversary at the City Ballet helm. To be accurate, he and Robbins became co-
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Peter Martins rehearsing dancers Sara Mearns and Robert Fairchild. Photograph by Paul Kolnik. Courtesy of New York City Ballet.
ballet masters in chief when Balanchine died in 1983, with Martins running the day-to-day operations. He assumed sole artistic directorship in 1989 and also serves as artistic director and chairman of the City Ballet-affiliated School of American Ballet. While Martins has navigated the transition and his stewardship with aplomb, building the company’s endowment to a reported $164 million, there have been periodic postings of small-craft warnings. Critics have complained about everything from too many ballets (his) that leave them colder than his native Denmark to a lack of input from former dancers. Farrell, with whom he had a complex relationship, was dismissed as a teacher and coach in 1993, four years after she retired from dancing. Perhaps the greatest criticism has been what some have seen as the dilution of Balanchine style, to which Martins responded strongly when interviewed by The New York Times’ Roslyn Sulcas this past spring: “I think it is sheer (expletive)! Where does style start? With the music. No other ballet company that I have encountered, and I really mean that, can, on a consistent level, dance Balanchine at the intended tempi. There are no dancers in the world who dance Balanchine like the New York City Ballet does. Often when I read style used in this way, it’s the wrong term anyway. The critic is talking about feeling, soul. But the one thing that Balanchine hated was indulgence and emotion in dancing. He taught us that we dance with our bodies, at the right speed; that’s all.”
Apollo ascendant
Balanchine also said, “To be a choreographer, it is first of all necessary to be a dancer, a good one.” 24
“Martins was a great one,” critic Francis Mason writes in the book “Peter Martins: Prince of Dance.” What made Martins such a superb danseur was a blend of many qualities, but especially a sculptural way of moving to music and filling space – this is what critics mean by plasticity and amplitude – and a lightness, quickness, ease and speed that were particularly astonishing in a dancer of Nordic proportions. (Martins is 6 feet, 2 inches.) Many of these attributes were honed at the Royal Danish Ballet School in his native Denmark, which specializes in the technique and works of 19th century choreographer August Bournonville. “The Bournonville technique, as many have pointed out, bears resemblance to Balanchine technique in its demands for intricate footwork, jumps, exposed open dancing, great technical finesse,” Martins observes in his candid autobiography, “Far From Denmark.” In Denmark, he also benefited from instruction by Stanley Williams, who would come to teach at the School of American Ballet and who trained and/or coached some of the most memorable male dancers, including Rudolf Nureyev, Edward Villella and Fernando Bujones. It was over dinner with Williams one summer night in 1967 that Martins, who had been itching to come to America, got a phone call that was like something out of the musical “42nd Street”: The City Ballet’s Jacques d’Amboise was injured and Balanchine was looking for someone to dance “Apollo” (1928), his first great neoclassical ballet, with Farrell at the Edinburgh Festival. The abstract, angular, quirky “Apollo” – one of the defining moments in Modernism – is about a young god coming of age. Martins danced for Balanchine, and Balanchine “told me I was dancing ‘Apollo’ too classically,
and I was not giving it the suggestions of character and imagery that he had built in,” he remembers in “Far From Denmark.” “Each step and phrase demanded a positive, clear accent and a strong attack.” But though Martins was fascinated with Balanchine and accepted an invitation to join the City Ballet as a principal dancer in 1970, he didn’t quite get it. That would come after – after Farrell left the company temporarily, leaving him without a partner; after Balanchine shocked him by saying he had become uninterested. That conversation and the 1972 Stravinsky Festival would prove to be the turning points in Martins’ dancing career. From then on, he absorbed Balanchine like a sponge, flung himself into choreography that was neither traditionally classical nor necessarily pretty and formed a partnership with the dark, petite Kay Mazzo that contrasted vividly with his raw blond power. But his greatest partnership was with the Garbo-esque Farrell, who matched his plush line, command and adult sexuality. To see them in the pas de deux from the “Diamonds” section of “Jewels” is to behold a Russian empress and her devoted hussar. By the end of his dancing career, Martins had come full circle, from the fledgling god testing his mettle in “Apollo” to the widowed hero in “Orpheus,” who surrenders to grief – his and ours – not by emoting but simply by giving himself over to Stravinsky’s music and Balanchine’s choreography. Others now lay claim to his roles. (See related story on “Jewels.”) But then, he was only ever their custodian, as he told The Times’ Sulcas: “I am the messenger, the link.” One forged with platinum. n
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Leaving the door a-JAR
An exclusive jewelry designer steps out onto the world stage By Georgette Gouveia
JAR, “Colored Balls Necklace� (1999), rubies, sapphires, amethysts, spinels, garnets, opals, tourmalines, aquamarines, citrines, diamonds, silver and gold. Private collection. Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris. 26
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any jewelers long to make a big splash, adorning celebrities with their pieces, selling them in the glitziest emporiums. Not so the man who is so private he goes by his nonetheless distinctive initials – JAR. For more than 35 years, the Bronxborn Joel Arthur Rosenthal and Pierre Jeannet, his Swiss-born partner, have toiled away under the radar off Paris’ fashionable Place Vendôme in a shop so discreet that the only visible window dressing is a folded pink velvet screen. Mon Dieu, you would think they were making the kind of erotic art movies that win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival or something. But, of course, ultra-privacy is a tantalizing kind of exposure. I mean, all this just whets the appetite, doesn’t it? Prepare to have that appetite sated as “Jewels by JAR” runs through March 9 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, the place where young Joel
would sketch and visit favorite works and where, according to the catalog essay by Adrian Sassoon, he “started seeing.” How private is JAR? Put it this way: His rare exhibits include a three-hour, invitation-only 1987 show at the National Academy of Design in Manhattan in which guests used flashlights to see the works in a dimly lit room. OK, that was partly because the late-to-arrive showcases had the wrong lighting for the pieces. But still, the mystique of his marvelously organic, secret creations had been planted. How private is JAR, he of the impeccable designer résumé (High School of Music and Art, now the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts; Harvard University; Otto Preminger; Bulgari, Cartier)? Put it another way: We now know that in 2001, he accomplished the tricky balancing act of using variously colored sapphires across spherical shapes to create a pair of earrings
JAR, “Raspberry Brooch” (2011), rubies, diamonds, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Collection of Sien M. Chew. Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.
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JAR, “Camellia Brooch” (2010), rubies, pink sapphires, diamonds, silver and gold. Private collection. Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.
JAR, “Tulip Brooch” (2008), rubies, diamonds, pink sapphires, garnets, silver, gold and enamel. Private collection. Photograph by Jozsef Tari. Courtesy of JAR, Paris.
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that would echo the preternatural eye color of their owner – Elizabeth Taylor. (See related story.) “Bull!” the catalog quotes her telling Rosenthal. “My eyes are not violet. They’re blue like yours.” We can’t say for sure. The slim, stunning catalog contains no pictures of him, just one of his hand holding some of his favorite gems. As Sassoon makes clear from the get-go: “…Rosenthal would prefer that we use our own eyes to look at his creations in person or through the images in his books, rather than ask him too many questions. “The significant exception to this intimacy,” as Sassoon puts it, was the 25-year retrospective, “Jewels of JAR,” held in 2002-03 at the Gilbert Collection, Somerset House in London. “The questions of who really made these pieces and who wore them were frequently touched on at the time in newspaper and magazine articles, but the JAR manner is to let the jewels speak for themselves.” So what do these pieces say? That they’re made by a person of imagination who relies on top ateliers to execute a vision that he demonstrates and communicates rather than draws, someone who is not afraid to mix precious and semiprecious stones with other materials to achieve his painterly, sculptural flights of fancy. Consider JAR’s “Lightning Necklace” (2012), which features strands of diamonds crackling along 14 spheres made of aluminum, silver, platinum and gold. It looks like the earth being born. Nature is JAR’s greatest inspiration. Some of us might not want to wear his “Zebra Brooch” (1987), made of agate, diamonds, a sapphire, silver and gold. But we would happily pin his fiery “Camellia Brooch” (2006), made of aluminum, diamonds, silver, gold and enamel, or the “Butterfly Brooch” (2013) that’s the color of Henry James’ “boundless deep” close to the heart. It is the heart of the wearer that JAR is perhaps most concerned with. “Brooches,” Sassoon writes, “often have hidden qualities on the reverse, which, as with the rings, can only be discovered from being handled. Settings of very small diamonds, for instance, might cover parts of hinges and bridges that bring together a complex sculpture. Sometimes a small diamond is set into the clip on the back of an earring, a private pleasure.” And don’t we all want more of those? For more on JAR, visit metmuseum. org. n
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Looking sharp For men, it’s not
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Lancet “Golden Mile.”
Kestrel “Autumn Harvest.”
Monarch “Barbary.”
Geneva “Cayman.”
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Lancet “Hieroglyph.”
Geneva “DMT.” All designs and photographs by William Henry.
Nothing wrinkles the forehead of a shopper like the bane of buying for the man who has everything. Really, we women can be so easy to check off the holiday gift list, thanks to the trillion spinning cases of dangles, bangles and baubles. But jewelry for men? “Men are famously difficult to buy for when it comes to jewelry,” says Win Betteridge of Greenwich’s Betteridge Jewelers. “There is simply not much jewelry that a conservative man is going to wear comfortably.” Rob Woodrow of Rye’s R&M Woodrow Jewelers says in the last 20 years demand for men’s necklaces, bracelets and rings has “totally disappeared.” He’ll carry some David Yurman items for the rare interested party – and a Neiman Marcus rep says Yurman pieces are a good bet if you happen to be in the market – but mostly it’s just wedding rings (if that) among the local crowd. “If they are young, it’s even tougher,” Woodrow says. “If somebody comes in here looking for a gift for a young man, if it’s not a watch, forget about it.” And how many watches can one guy have? But just because demand for traditional jewelry has dwindled, demand for gifts for the discerning male hasn’t. So Woodrow looked outside the (jewelry) box for an inspired option, and he found it with a 6-foot 2-inch Georgia boy selling pocket knives. “I call myself a cultured redneck,” says Kerry Cromer. He’s a former model who’s traveled the world and is now the regional rep for William Henry, the men’s luxury goods brand. His biggest sellers are the company’s extravagant pocket knives. “We use dinosaur bone, meteorite, mammoth tooth, all exotic materials,” Cromer says. “And they’re all numbered. Every piece is different. So if you own a piece of William Henry, you absolutely own a one of a kind.” The Lancet “Knucker” has an inlay of 100,000-year-old fossil coral with patterns of deep sea blue, and the amber-hued dinosaur bone on the Ventana “Katsumi” comes from a 100 million-year-old Apatosaurus. And lest the ladies forget that diamonds aren’t only a girl’s best friend, the Lancet “Golden Mile” features a bevy of brown diamonds and citrines in nickel silver. Their blades are Damascus steel –
beautifully patterned and with a particularly powerful reputation. “Our knives are the Rolls Royce of pocket knives,” Cromer says. Classic, elegant and pricey, yes – but these are also made in America. Editions run in a quantity of less than 1,000, with many running less than 100 and as little as five. Buyers can even request custom pieces of the knives for tailor-made “jewelry,” as Cromer calls it, that’s both artful and practical. “People ask me, ‘What is my husband going to do with a pocket knife?’ and I laugh,” he says. “Those same people come back to me and say, ‘My husband can’t leave the house without it.’ If an envelope needs opening, they cut it with a knife. If there’s a loose string on their suit, they cut it with a knife. If you have a knife, you find many uses for it. And that’s the truth.” Cromer adds with his Southern twang that lots of folks still remember when men never left the house without their pocket knife, pocket watch and handkerchief. Woodrow says his dad used a pocket knife every day to cut an apple. And for a man
Halcyon Days “Gear Stick.” Courtesy Halcyon Days.
with high taste, what’s more elegant than accomplishing utilitarian tasks with a functional piece of art? “The knives make for impressive gifts for the Dad who has everything but appreciates the weird and wonderful,” says Betteridge, who also carries William Henry in Greenwich. Money clips are still in the game, too. And though according to Cromer (and Woodrow) they don’t sell quite as big, like knives they let men make a stylish statement. “Men have taste just like women,” Cromer says. “A money clip is an extension of their personality, and they never go out of style.”
Tiffany & Co. “The Great Gatsby.” Courtesy Tiffany & Co.
We all know the guy who couldn’t care less about toting a wad of dough in a rubber band, but quel faux pas to pull that out after a nice dinner. “If a man takes out nicely folded cash in a money clip inlaid with a beautiful dinosaur bone, it’s a conversation piece. Then he can say, you know, ‘Oh, this?’” says Cromer, who also knows full well (and firsthand from his modeling days) how men relish the chance to flaunt their goods. Then there are cuff links, which seem to be having another day, thanks to a popculture resurgence in proper haberdashery. A rep for Tiffany & Co. says the brand saw a boost in cuff link sales from its Jazz
Age-inspired Ziegfeld Collection after the release of Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby,” which featured the jewelry. Then again, among the pressed three-piece-suit crowd, cuff links are mainstays. “People who like a classic look are utilizing them,” Woodrow says. “People who have custom-made shirts and that kind of thing in most cases are doing them with cuff links.” He names Lalique and Baccarat as top picks as well as new, playful, hand-decorated styles from Halcyon Days featuring icons like ships, flags, animals, golf balls and gear shifters. “Cuff links are loved, because they lend a bit of personality to a man’s style,” says Betteridge, who also stocks a bevy, including “carved gold bulls and bears for the stock-picker or sterling silver fly-fishing lures for the banker who daydreams of trout streams.” So leave the wrinkles to someone else when you’re looking for your hard-to-buy guy and give functional jewelry a try. You may just inspire a collector, making your future gifting in the bag. n
1 1 1 4 E P U T N A M AV E . G R E E N W I C H , C T 0 6 8 7 8 / / 2 0 3 - 6 9 8 - 6 9 8 0 / / A N E X T R A O R D I N A R Y H O T E L A T Y O U R F I N G E R T I P S / / W W W . J H O U S E G R E E N W I C H . C O M 31
wear
Baubles, bangles, big shiny things
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f you’re going to wear jewelry, why not go glam and go big? The rocks presented here are sure to knock your socks off. And yet, they’re so finely crafted that they will never detract from the most important jewel in the crown – you.
Oscar de la Renta “Every woman needs extraordinary jewelry,” Oscar says, and we agree. As with his couture and home accents, de la Renta is never afraid to be bold and go for baroque. His pieces use large, intensely colored Swarovski crystals and glass stones – such as these in Neiman Marcus’ exclusive aubergine shade – and set them in 24-karat gold plate cuffs and geometric pendants. We love that the earrings are clip, allowing for easy removal as you kick off your heels – after kicking up your heels – put up your feet and exult in another sartorial, social triumph. Necklace, $885; cuff, $535; earrings, $465; ring, $295. Available at neimanmarcus. com.
Alex Soldier Alex Soldier’s antiquity-inspired aqua chalcedony and diamonds Symbolica collection were a favorite of blonde beauties this summer, from Paris Hilton at the Cannes Film Festival to Christie Brinkley on the cover of Social Life magazine. But now Soldier has turned from the bearable lightness of these sea-colored stones to the saturated emerald hue of his Astra earrings and stingray cuff and Coronaria brooch, all limited edition pieces made in New York City. The filigree design and shadowy settings render the stones the color of absinthe in firelight. Intoxicating indeed. Earrings in green agate and white quartz doublet with black spinel, $3,500; matching cuff, $1,900; brooch in green agate and white quartz doublet with rhodolite garnets and signature metalwork, $2,500. Available at neimanmarcus.com.
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José and Maria Barrera These New York-based designers are known for their drop chandelier earrings and cuffs in crystals and semiprecious stones. But they also know just how devastating a big stone can be when it’s set among beads. (Princess Diana’s midnight sapphire brooch in her pearl choker, anyone?) Here a necklace of red lacquered shell beads, red glass stones and Austrian crystals, accompanied by a matching five-strand bracelet and the aforementioned earrings, supply the drop-dead effect. Necklace, $740; bracelet and earrings, $525 each. Available at neimanmarcus.com, where you’ll also find more clip drop chandelier earrings from this duo.
IT’S A GREAT DAY AT CHERYLYN
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A dazzling legacy, celebrated By Mary Shustack Photographs courtesy Baccarat and Rizzoli New York
“Crinoline” chandelier, thirteen lights, c. 1895. Photograph © Baccarat 1764: Two Hundred and Fifty Years, Rizzoli New York, 2013.
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A
red carpet and velvet ropes drew attention to a most glittering Madison Avenue façade on a recent autumn evening. The atmosphere – at once festive, exclusive and oh-so-chic – was most fitting, as the Baccarat flagship was hosting a Champagne reception to launch “Baccarat 1764: Two Hundred and Fifty Years.” The 420-page book, destined to be a favorite of collectors who have long scooped up the company’s signature crystal creations, has been published by Rizzoli New York ($85). The French luxury brand, its name recognizable around the globe, would spend a couple of hours celebrating in grand style, with not only Champagne, but hors d’oeuvres and a book signing with Murray Moss. Design entrepreneur Moss and writer
and historian Laurence Benaïm teamed up for the commemorative volume’s text, which delves into everything from historic Baccarat pieces commissioned by royalty and heads of state to the contemporary collaborations with designers such as Philippe Starck. It is filled with historic photographs and drawings from the archives that chart the company’s growth and operations, taking readers on a journey that touches on everything from its glassblowers to its advertising campaigns to its celebrated clientele. Mingling among the partygoers who came out to honor the book were Courtney Plumb, the manager of the Baccarat boutique in Greenwich, and Daniela Riccardi, the company’s global CEO, in town from Paris. Riccardi, who was previously CEO of Diesel, joined Baccarat in June and has shared her thoughts with WAG on the impending 250th anniversary – and the book.
“I am thrilled to be joining Baccarat during such an iconic time. Baccarat is rich in history. It has been at the center of the life of illustrious personalities for two and a half centuries. The brand has a wealth of stories that until now have not been compiled together in such a beautiful and comprehensive way.” Baccarat, a treasured source for fine crystal, jewelry, lighting and gifts, is truly having its moment in the spotlight. Established in 1764 by decree of King Louis XV, Baccarat has crafted a prestige that continues to build through its glass service and tableware, vases, chandeliers, jewelry, perfume bottles and so much more. Notable have been items ranging from the glasses commissioned by Louis XVIII to the majestic candelabras made for Czar Nicholas II. Maharajas were clients, as was Prince Rainier, who had pieces made for his marriage to Grace Kelly. The iconic Harcourt glass, created in 1841, remains a part
of the toniest of tables around the world. The book is a celebration of advances in technology, artistic partnerships, a love of fine living and at its heart, French craftsmanship. Baccarat’s passion for excellence is reflected in its team of glassmakers, cutters, engravers and gilders who today continue to be led by a master of art and 22 best workmen of France. So whether you’re longing for an artfully shaped wine decanter or a light-catching necklace, a dramatic wall sconce or a vase seemingly designed to showcase lush roses, Baccarat is at the ready – with a reputation that can only continue to grow. Have you heard about the Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York, which will debut next year on West 53rd Street? Clearly, the second 250 years of Baccarat history are poised to begin. And Moss, who spent that celebratory Manhattan evening signing the book and greeting so many Baccarat admirers, took a few moments in the days following the event
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Clockwise from top left: “Charles X” pitcher, 1828; “Un Parfait” glass, from the “Harcourt Darkside” collection, Philippe Starck, 2005; State glassware for King Louis-Philippe, 1840; “Mille Nuits” candelabrum, Mathias, 2012; Pair of flasks from the “Malmaison” service made for HSH Prince Rainier and HSH Princess Grace of Monaco, 1956; Pair of covered “Simon” vases, presented at the Universal Exposition in Paris, 1867. All photographs © Baccarat 1764: Two Hundred and Fifty Years, Rizzoli New York, 2013. 36
to answer a few questions that give WAG a behind-the-scenes look into the book.
years, Baccarat has been avant-garde, existing not in the history books, but in the present, in that epoch’s ‘moment.’ This ancient company is contemporary.”
WAG: How would you describe being an integral part of writing “the” book on Baccarat – daunting, overwhelming, exciting? “At first one has one’s nose pressed up against the proverbial window, looking in from the street – an intruder, not knowing how to enter this span of centuries. Chronologically? Historically? In verse? In poetry? Explanatory? Descriptively? Objectively? Subjectively? “I decided to begin the process as truth would have it – a general consumer, with preconceptions and a certain amount of ‘baggage.’ I hung around the perimeters of the manufactory, the administration offices, the museum and Heritage Department at the Paris Baccarat Maison in Place des États-Unis. They got used to me, perhaps forgetting I didn’t really belong. Soon, however, I had a seat at the table, and permeated every corner, every attic, every cranny of every aspect of the world which is Baccarat. Once you fall in love with a collective dream of perfection, you don’t want to leave that family. Forever now, Baccarat is my ancestral home, and there are 700 people in my new family. “You can only talk about Baccarat from the heart. After all, the clarity of the re-
Are you a collector of Baccarat? If so, might you share a bit about your own feelings about the brand and its legacy? “I do collect Baccarat, exclusively the drinking glasses, but I have my favorites, the majority of which are currently out of production, sadly, but hopefully will come back to us. The periods circa 1925 and 1937 were my favorite, along with some spectacular pieces from the 1970s. “These are all strong pieces, works which are sculpture as much as vessels to contain and pour liquids. They embody equally technology of the day, extraordinary savoir-faire and courage. “They work the crystal like a cowboy breaks in a wild stallion. With respect, but with uncompromising determination. Georges Chevalier was perhaps Baccarat’s greatest cowboy. His crystal glasses are worthy of a king’s table, yet retain the savage scintillation of a beast that will not be entirely tamed.”
Maison Baccarat, Moscow. Photograph © Baccarat 1764: Two Hundred and Fifty Years, Rizzoli New York, 2013.
markable crystal renders it mostly invisible. If you do not fall in love with what it represents, you are unable to see it. “So, to answer your question: How would I describe being an integral part of
writing the book? … Being in love.”
What most surprised or impressed you during your research? “For every day, every minute of its 250
The Baccarat flagship is at 635 Madison Ave. in Manhattan. The Baccarat Greenwich boutique is at 238 Greenwich Ave. Call (203) 618-0900. For more on the company, visit Baccarat.com. n
Brotherly love for Baccarat When Rob and Michael Woodrow, the brothers behind family-owned R&M Woodrow Jewelers in Rye, think of their core brands, Baccarat comes to mind. The section of their Purchase Street store dedicated to gifts has a strong Baccarat presence, from the shelves, cases and even an artful window display devoted to the brand. “This side of the store was designed with Lalique and Baccarat in mind,” says Rob, who notes they have been featuring Baccarat crystal creations for more than 25 years. Indeed, customers wandering into the space will see a bounty of Baccarat, from vases to candlesticks to glasses, along with figurative works. The Buddhas, in varying sizes, are recent additions, while a honeypot is a most whimsical choice. And then there is also the jewelry, including a stunning array of pendants that catch the light and glisten on a recent afternoon. “Their jewelry is really beautiful,” Rob says. Most customers, he adds, come to Woodrow already familiar with the Baccarat name and have been buying strongly for decades. “We’ve always done very well with barware in Baccarat – and vases,” he says, pointing out the “Serpentine” vases that continue to sell so well.
Michael, left, and Rob Woodrow of R&M Woodrow Jewelers hold a Baccarat honeypot. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
And this time of year, when people are looking for a special gift, Baccarat offers many choices. There is simply something there that turns even the most traditional choice into the truly memorable. “Even a pair of whiskey glasses is just a nice presentation,” Rob adds. Beyond the actual appearance, he says giving a Baccarat gift has deeper meaning. “It says something for itself. Baccarat’s basis is perfection. Everything is done to perfection.” And at Woodrow, that fits right into the mix. R&M Woodrow Jewelers is at 21 Purchase St. in Rye. Call (914) 967-0464 or visit woodrowjewelers.com. – Mary Shustack
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wares
Lighten up! By Ronni Diamondstein
A German eight-light ormolu, crystal and red-mirrored chandelier from the Dresden Spiegelmanufaktur, circa 1810 at Sylvain Levy-Alban, Paris, $60,000. levyalban-antiquesparis.com.
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Just as a fabulous brooch can punctuate a stunning suit, an exquisite chandelier or an extraordinary sconce can make a statement in your home. Lighting plays a key role in creating atmosphere in a room, and Brian J. McCarthy, an A-list interior designer, knows how to do just that, as the new book, “Luminous Interiors” attests. McCarthy, who began his career with the legendary Parish-Hadley, has headed his own New York-based interior design firm, Brian J. McCarthy Inc., for the last 20 years. He shares some insights into selecting fixtures that dazzle. “For me sconces and chandeliers are objects of art. They serve the purpose of lighting, but they are sculptures.” There are so many types of sconces and chandeliers with jewel-like qualities. The 20th-century glass beads from India fascinate McCarthy and he notes, “Murano glass that has been used for the last 300 years can be from the most crazy and outrageous designs to simple and refined.” About selecting the perfect chandelier or sconce, McCarthy says, “As is true in every facet of decorating, the first pick establishes a voice. If you listen, it leads you.” The architecture and scale of the space are the first considerations. “Start with a central fixture, the larger piece, and then you can begin to focus in on other pieces. See how they play together.” And he adds, “I love mixing a modern space with classical 18th-century designs and vice versa.” McCarthy, enamored with the work of Italian artist Achille Salvagni, loves the tactile quality of a piece that is done by hand in wax. “You can feel the hand of the artist in the piece. You can see the artist working on it. Its simplicity is elegant and refined.” Another favorite is William Haines Designs. His Ice Crystal sconces look like an assemblage of ice cubes in a wonderfully abstract composition that floats. “I love that Billy Haines was able to bridge the divide between classic traditional and mid-century modern.” McCarthy fancies the Dresden Spiegelmanufaktur chandelier, which evokes the late 18th-century Russian chandeliers that inspired the French, Germans and Austrians. “I love the very architectural form and the cascading tiers in crystal and gilt bronze that make me think of an Emilio Terry garden folly.” The Million Flower chandelier by Flavio Poli reminds McCarthy of a piece of JAR jewelry, with its transcendent use of clear and colored glass. “This piece absolutely feels as though it is breathing through the magical use of shading from amber to coral rose and the lightness of the form.” As for trends in lighting McCarthy says, “There is so much more sophisticated technology with the new LED cool lights that have really transformed the market with the many forms of light and range of colors.” And here’s a tip from McCarthy about the secret to perfect lighting: “It’s simple: I love dimmer switches. They give you the ability to change the mood and the atmosphere in a room.” n
1.
5.
2.
3.
6.
4. 1. Million Flower chandelier by Flavio Poli at Galerie Erik Bausmann, $1,111,111. bausmann.de. 2. Oyster Sconce, concave, hand-hammered and patinated bronze with illuminated onyx by Achille Salvagni at Maison Gerard, $12,000 each. maisongerard.com. 3. New Leaf Sconce by Marc Bankowsky at Maison Gerard, $6,000 each. 4. Gilt bronze and crystal 18-light chandelier almost certainly by Werner & Mieth at Carlton Hobbs LLC, $385,000. carltonhobbs.com. 5. Anonymous, a rare hammered gilt metal and glass chandelier, probably French circa 1940, at H.M. Luther, $476,000. hmluther.com. 6. Ice Crystal Lucite sconces designed by Billy Haines at Donna Parker Habitat Limited Antiques, $14,500 for the pair. habitatltd.com.
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Barbara Berger
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A brilliant vision Exhibition and book celebrate the Barbara Berger jewelry collection By Mary Shustack Photographs by Pablo Esteva
M
any years ago, I had a colleague who would often jazz up her workday outfits with dramatic brooch-
es or oversize rings. She told me that when she was having a bad day, she’d just look at her dazzling baubles and imagine herself at the most exciting of cocktail parties. Such can be the transporting power of jewelry, be it fine or faux. You can envision yourself a Hollywood starlet or a Russian princess, a flapper swinging her pearls or a sophisticated study in Art Deco lines. The way jewelry can tap into the various facets of someone’s personality – and reflect her interests and tastes – is on most glittering display these days at the Museum of Arts & Design on Columbus Circle
in Manhattan. It’s there that “Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger” continues, no doubt launching countless jewelry daydreams along the way. Berger, the daughter of a diamond merchant, grew up in New York. On a teenage trip to a Paris flea market, she began collecting. And while a longtime resident of Mexico City, she travels the world continuing to collect, as the exhibition’s guest curator Harrice Miller shares. “At the last minute, she was adding in pieces as she was buying it,” Miller says with a laugh. Miller, the noted Manhattan-based jewelry historian, appraiser, dealer and author, says she was already working on the text for “Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger” for Assouline when the museum approached her to serve as guest curator for the exhibition, which was also organized by
David McFadden, the William and Mildred Lasdon chief curator at MAD. “Instead of calling it costume jewelry, we purposely called the book ‘fashion’ jewelry, because it really reflects the fashion of its time.” Miller says she has known Berger for nearly a decade, first meeting her when the collector became a client. The Berger exhibition, Miller notes, is “specific to her taste – but her taste is very expansive.” As Miller says, “It’s a really good range of almost 100 years of the best.” For museumgoers – and those who pick up the lavish companion title – it’s a real opportunity to savor a near-overwhelming treasure trove. “It’s very rare anyone gets to see these pieces,” in person, Miller says of the hundreds of necklaces, bracelets and brooches on display, culled from a collection that
tops 4,000 pieces. The exhibition features works from well-known costume-jewelry designers and firms including Miriam Haskell, Trifari, Kenneth Jay Lane, Coro, Boucher and Schreiner. There is also work by contemporary artists, from Lawrence Vrba to Iradj Moini and pieces created for fashion houses ranging from Chanel to Dior, Yves Saint Laurent to Dolce & Gabbana. The jewelry is sometimes abstract, other times figural. Images range from flowers to sailboats, crosses to swans. Materials include plastic and metals, glass and feathers, simulated pearls and enamels, velvet and Lucite. The exhibition is as eclectic as it is historic, touching on pieces representing a broad range of designers, styles, materials and eras. You can be admiring an elegant, circa-1940 fur clip by Eisenberg one mo-
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ment and then be slightly surprised by the pop-cultural references of the 1980s “Safe Sex” collection by Billy Boy. Throughout, the jewelry captivates and challenges, often inviting closer inspection. “The mission of this museum is all about design and manufacturing, so it was important people could see some of the way, the methods of designs and manufacturing,” Miller says. The exhibition has been getting plenty of attention. Elyse Zorn Karlin, the Port Chester-based jewelry historian, author and curator, led a tour of the exhibition for members of the Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, of which she is a founder and co-director. “People were just blown away by it,” she says, noting she often went back. “I saw it three times because every time someone comes into town they wanted to go see it.” What struck Karlin from the moment she saw it was “the scale and the number of pieces.” In addition, she says the exhibition helps educate, showing how events and trends “in the marketplace, the news, in design” have an impact on the jewelry designer and his or her work. Karlin says that many people with just a passing knowledge of costume jewelry will simply be amazed “that there are pieces this fabulous.” For Miller, the pieces indeed are not only fabulous but also illustrate Berger’s devotion. “Barbara, she buys from the heart. She buys what she loves. There’s no rhyme or reason.” And that is just fine, as Berger herself notes in the video that accompanies the show. “The basic thing in fashion jewelry is to have a wonderful time, and to be who you are, to present your personality.” But it’s perhaps in her words about her connection with jewelry that will resonate most with those who have themselves gasped over a truly special piece. “It’s never been who is the designer, what it costs. It’s always been… ‘It spoke to me.’ I would just see it as ‘This, I have to have.’” For more on “Fashion Jewelry: The Collection of Barbara Berger,” which continues through Jan. 20 at the Museum of Arts and Design, visit madmuseum.org. n Clockwise, from above left: Cross brooch from Chanel, circa 1960s; Miriam Haskell bib necklace, circa 1950s; Yves Saint Laurent face torque necklace, circa 1980s; Marcel Boucher 1941 “Praying Mantis” brooch; Mimi Di N bib necklace, circa 1960s/70s; and Lawrence Vrba “Fourth of July” bib necklace, early 1990s.
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life begins with one simple pleasure introducing “something different” from the Irthly collection Beautiful jewelry by casual people.
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Alaxendre Cabanel, “Olivia Peyton Murray Cutting (Mrs. William Bayard Cutting), 1887,” Oil on canvas. Museum of the City of New York, gift of the daughters of Mrs. William Bayard Cutting through Mrs. Bayard James. Inset, from top: Opal brooch, ca. 1885, Gold, opal, diamonds, enamel. Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Harry Harkness Flagler. Tiffany & Co., Pendant brooch, ca. 1900, Platinum, diamonds, sapphire. Museum of the City of New York, Bequest of Mrs. V.S. Young.
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Flaunt it if ya got it Museum showcases Gilded Age glory By Mary Shustack Photographs courtesy Museum of the City of New York
When you step into “Gilded New York,” which recently opened at the Museum of the City of New York, be prepared to gasp. Yes, the inaugural exhibition in The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Gallery is that dazzling. It’s an evocative travel in time, a slipperclad walk back into the city during the Gilded Age. It’s a time of diamond tiaras and French-made ball gowns, of calling cards tucked into engraved cases and tea sipped from hand-painted service collected on a grand tour of Europe. The gallery and the installation of the exhibition have been designed by New York-based William T. Georgis Architects to evoke a Gilded Age domestic interior. And that it does, complete with herringbone wood flooring, decorative wallpaper, mirrored window shutters and lush drapery, all further enhanced by a historic chandelier that holds court mid-gallery and a fireplace mantel, both from the museum’s collections.
This yearlong exhibition is quite the exploration of the city’s visual culture at the end of the 19th century, a time when its most elite – think Vanderbilts and Astors and their crowd – allowed their fashions, jewelry and decorative arts to signal their status and wealth. The exhibition has been organized by Donald Albrecht, the museum’s curator of architecture and design; Jeannine Falino, an independent curator and museum consultant; and Phyllis Magidson, the museum’s curator of costumes and textiles. A companion book, also called “Gilded New York,” is co-published with The
Monacelli Press. Edited by Albrecht and Falino, the volume features essay by both, along with Magidson and others. The exhibition pieces were drawn from the museum’s collection but also tapped other institutions, companies and private collectors. “It’s 40 percent the museum’s collection,” Albrecht says. Other items have been loaned from entities ranging from The Metropolitan Museum of Art to The Metropolitan Opera, from Tiffany & Co. to the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park. Deciding what to include did provide a challenge, as is the case with most exhibitions.
“These things always evolve organically,” Falino, a New Rochelle resident, says with everything again falling into place “once you start to put together the picture of what that life was like.” With items ranging from fine jewelry to oil paintings, sculpture to porcelains, peacock-feather fans to men’s walking sticks and pocket watches, the exhibition seems designed to have a wide appeal. “I hope that it’s going to be very broadbased,” Magidson says. “Certainly connoisseurs will respond to the objects.” Standouts range from the Rehan Jewel, a Marcus & Co. gold pin in the shape of morning glories – luminous with pliqueà-jour enamel and created for stage actress Ada Rehan around 1900 – to the Tiffany & Co. diamond tiara created for the 1894 wedding of Julia Kemp, the daughter of pharmaceutical magnate George Kemp. Inset: Tiffany & Co., Brooch, ca. 1900, 22K gold, sapphires, zircons, enamel. Tiffany & Co. Archives.
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Gowns will be rotated throughout the exhibition and will include, from left, Fancy dress costume by Maison Worth, representing Electric Light, 1883, Worn by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt II to the Vanderbilt Ball. Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Countess Laszlo Szechenyi; Voided velvet evening gown by Maison Worth, ca. 1894, Worn by Mrs. Stanford White. Museum of the City of New York; and Satin damask wedding gown by Maison Worth, 1878, Worn by Annie Schermerhorn, Museum of the City of New York, Gift of Miss Fannie M. Cottenet.
The era’s extravagance is summed up by this historic image of a group of prominent New York gentlemen dining while remaining on horseback. Byron Company, C.K.G. Billings Horseback Dinner at Sherry’s, 1903. Museum of the City of New York, Byron Collection.
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There is incredibly detailed micro-mosaic jewelry, likely a souvenir from a visit to Italy, Venetian glass and stunning examples of decorative vases from England. As Falino says, “They weren’t like the postcards that most of us bring home.” Two Charles Frederick Worth gowns, which will be rotated with others over the course of the show, glimmer at the far end of the gallery anchoring a tableau in front of the fireplace. “Our collection is acclaimed for its amazing group of Worth gowns,” Magidson says, in particular the incredibly detailed Electric Light gown worn by Alice Vanderbilt (wife of Cornelius II) to the Vanderbilt Ball and here displayed next to a vivid silk damask evening dress. As Magidson says, “The red dress is no slouch either. It’s fiery red, Ferrari red.” From case to case, wall to wall, one is easily enveloped into an earlier time, a way of life that simply doesn’t exist anymore. It’s a bit of nostalgia, perhaps, that causes Falino to say, when explaining the practice of calling cards held in fanciful cases, “This was all before cellphones – obviously.” For a time, though, it’s nice to step back. And when you do, don’t be tempted to rush past the introductory area, where continuously looped photographs on monitors take you from the famed 1883 Vanderbilt Ball to the pages of the society’s papers and magazines that chronicled society’s never-ending festivities. As is pointed out, as well, while it was most definitely a time of splendor and excess, it was also a time of burgeoning national pride, an era when New York was establishing itself as a sophisticated destination for arts and design ready to compete, equally, on the world stage. And that, in itself, is kind of dazzling. “Gilded New York” continues to Nov. 30, 2014 at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. (at 103rd Street), Manhattan. For more, visit mcny.org. n
Return of the ‘Prodigal Son’ By Ronni Diamondstein
Edward Villella Photograph by Gio Alma.
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he Prodigal Son has always resonated deeply with Edward Villella. It was one of his greatest roles at the New York City Ballet, in George Balanchine’s spare but moving choreography. It was the title of his 1992 autobiography. And in a sense, it is a metaphor for the present chapter of his life, for like the Biblical character, he has come full circle, back to the place where he started and has been greatly loved. He has come home. And as with the Prodigal Son, the return has been preceded by a rough patch that tested him. As most culture-watchers are aware, Villella – one of the greatest dancers of the 20th century, who brought an American athleticism, virility and sheer guy-ness to the art of the danseur – left the Miami City Ballet last year. Some say that after founding the company in 1986 and building it into an institution with an international reputation, he was forced out in a power struggle with its board. Villella spoke candidly to WAG about his departure last year, which had the dancers and the founding artistic director alike in tears. “We are subject to boards; they are local unto themselves; and as an artistic director you have knowledge of that. It was a clean canvas and a major opportunity to bring New York-style culture to Florida. …But I found out there was a Miamian way.” Looking back on that time is still bittersweet. “I miss the dancers. They grew up with me, and I
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grew up with them.” Nonetheless, Villella is proud of the troupe and what it was able to do. “I left with the pleasure of having achieved something.” And, he adds, “I am thrilled to be back to the culture, the energy and vitality (of New York). You know what they say, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.’” He’s proved that once again, choreographing “Reveries” for Ice Theatre of New York recently.
His dream
“Choreographically, Mr. Villella’s ‘Reveries’ was a cut above everything else on the program, which also included premieres by Charles Klapow and Ice Theatre’s artistic director, Douglas Webster,” Brian Seibert wrote in his New York Times’ review. “‘Reveries,’ made with translation help from Mr. Webster, is set to the ‘Élégie’ from Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3, a suite famously choreographed by Mr. Villella’s old boss, George Balanchine. Beyond a few direct quotations, ‘Reveries’ is saturated in Balanchine. Its subject is the elusive muse. ... At the end, (Kim) Navarro is raised, seemingly unattainable, and (Brent) Bommentre, apart, turns away. Yet, by turning to Mr. Villella, Ice Theatre has narrowed the gap between its skilled skaters and that elusive muse, Terpsichore.” A confluence of events steered Villella in this direction. His wife, Linda Carbonetto – a former Canadian national figure-skating champion whom
Edward Villella and Patricia McBride in “Harlequinade,” 1965. Photograph by PhotoFest, New York City.
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Kim Navarro, Edward Villella and Brent Bommentre at an Ice Theatre of New York performance of Villella’s “Reveries” in October. Photograph by Darial Sneed.
he met while choreographing an ice ballet for a 1977 Dorothy Hamill TV special – took a class at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers where the Ice Theatre of New York performs. Two-time Olympic gold medalist and North Salem resident Dick Button, with whom he’s also collaborated, approached him about choreographing a piece for Ice Theatre of New York. “It was a wonderful challenge,” Villella says. Indeed, choreographing for skaters is different from choreographing for dancers. Skating is both art and sport, where the preparation for jumps is more evident and where the extension of the line of the body is hampered by an inflexible skate boot. “The greatest challenge for me was the vocabulary,” Villella says. “We found a way to communicate through gestures and words.” Working closely with Webster, with whom he “hit it off from the start,” Villella diagrammed “Reveries,” then went with the skaters to Sun Valley, Idaho, for a workshop performance. In the end, he says, “the storytelling transcended the steps, which was fascinating.”
Baseball to ballet
It’s fitting that Villella’s latest work should bridge art and sport. It’s something he’s always done. Growing up a rough and tumble kid in Bayside, Queens, the bully on the block, he got hit in the head at age 9 playing baseball. When Villella’s mother found him unconscious on 50
their doorstep, she realized she couldn’t leave her son unsupervised while she took his sister to ballet class. Little Eddie would have to go along. Not one to sit still, he soon was drawn in to the activity of the little girls. “I was a very physical kid and liked the jumping, so I joined them one day,” Villella recalls. “I found I could do it.” Humiliated by the guys on his block for taking ballet lessons, he wore his baseball uniform to dance class. But before long, Villella entered the City Ballet-affiliated School of American Ballet. He wasn’t done with sports, though. He earned a bachelor of science degree at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, lettering in baseball and becoming a championship boxer. In 1957, he returned to the School of American Ballet and was invited to join the City Ballet, where he soon became a soloist and then a principal dancer in 1960. At the City Ballet, which Balanchine founded with Lincoln Kirstein in the 1940s, Balanchine and also Jerome Robbins were creating American styles of dance that required a new breed of dancer – fast, playful, sexy and capable of capturing thought, theatricality and emotion in movement. With his compact, muscular physique, dark good looks and particular blend of grace and power, Villella fit right in, creating indelible impressions in the “Rubies” section of “Jewels,” the lead in “Harlequinade,” Oberon in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and perhaps most famously the title character in “Prodigal Son.” “I didn’t grow up a prince among royalty,” Villella says.
“I grew up as an athlete and had the natural inclination to move in that way so Balanchine worked with my natural ability. I was in a wonderful place at a wonderful time.” One that afforded him the opportunity to observe Balanchine’s and Robbins’ complementary styles. “Balanchine was prepared, anytime, any place. Musically it was all in his head. And you would start with the steps.” As for Robbins who cast him as the boy in the ballet studio in an updated “Afternoon of a Faun,” Villella says, “He had a different point of departure, calculated and very structured. Working with two geniuses under the same roof was one of the greatest moments in history.” Though he says he is no prince, Villella could certainly play one, like the Nutcracker Prince in a TV version of “The Nutcracker” that also featured his frequent dance partner Patricia McBride. He even spoofed his baseballballet roots appearing as himself dancing Prince Siegfried in a student production of “Swan Lake” in a classic episode of TV’s “The Odd Couple.” Such appearances reminded audiences that this ruby of a dancer – whom injury forced from the stage for good in 1975 – was always willing to transcend the rarefied heights of ballet to mix it up with us mere mortals. “I’ve had a wonderfully satisfying time. I’m thrilled to be able to make contributions in whatever way I can based on my background and place in history. My favorite word is ‘explore,’ and this is what I am going to do.” n
way
‘Haven’
Designing a dazzling
By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki, Tim Lee and IMAGEination Presented by Houlihan Lawrence
THE HAVEN at a Glance
• Purchase • 7,785 square feet • 2.1 acres • Bedrooms: 4 • Baths: 5 full, 1 half • Amenities: First-floor master suite with his-and-her baths and dressing rooms, high ceilings, private setting with pond and teahouse, convenient to Westchester airport and all major roadways, less than 35 minutes to New York City, flowing floor plan, separate guest/housekeeper quarters. • Price: $4.4 million
Ruth Amiel
he vibrant way Ruth Amiel and her late husband, Norman, lived their lives is reflected, most artfully, in The Haven. The quietly elegant two-acre escape in Purchase is a testament to a love of design, the arts and truly, what life can be. A circular driveway leads you to the estate, anchored by a stately paleyellow residence accented with columns, flanked by urns and surrounded by modern sculptures scattered about the tasteful landscaping. Intricately scrolled ironwork over glass on the front doors gives the first glimpse into a spacious home filled with one-of-a-kind architectural details and an endlessly eclectic collection of art. Step inside, on the honed marble floors dotted with Oriental rugs, and immediately be embraced by the sweeping view of the back of the property. There, the spaciously inviting patio gently gives way to a view of a stunning pond with a most unexpected feature – a Japanese teahouse – creating a most captivating scene. Imparting a tranquil tone that is sensed throughout The Haven, the focal point sums up life here. “Nobody may go across that bridge without leaving behind, on this side, their negative thoughts and feelings,” Amiel says. Even the Torii gate is inscribed with characters that translate to “Shalom,” or peace. And that is palpable. “We have kept it pure in feeling,” she says of the scene, asking a visitor to pause and simply take it all in. “It’s not silence. It’s quiet, and there’s a difference.” The Haven, though, is not a place suited only to contemplation. “We’ve had parties out here, I can’t begin to tell you,” Amiel says. Indeed, today the home is still host to special events,
with family gatherings that draw dozens to the table.
A HOME, BY DESIGN
“I designed the house. This is my baby,” Amiel shares. Amiel, who trained in architecture at Cooper Union, would continue her work during World War II. “I drafted at the Brooklyn Navy Yards,” she says. But in designing The Haven, she would complete her masterwork. Amiel and her husband, a salesman in the printing industry, had lived 48 years in Manhattan with a country home in Pawling. With their three children grown, it was time to create something just for them, a dream home designed to their exact specifications. “I spoiled us both,” Amiel says. “I didn’t need children’s space, so I got selfish.” The home, more than 7,700 square feet, is far from indulgent, though. Every inch has a function and every design detail is thoughtful. Rooms are expansive, never cavernous. “This house was built for two people, and everything here was for our pleasure and comfort,” Amiel says, playfully adding, “If you happen to be a guest, we have a little space.” And while the space indeed proved a haven for the couple, it remains a home that can easily transition into a new owner’s needs. “There’s a lot of ways to use this house and all of them … wonderful,” Amiel says.
A WALK THROUGH
Entering the home, you aren’t confronted by the workmanlike get-in-and-hang-up-your-coat routine. This entryway is dramatic yet warm, with a second foyer of sorts in which you find the closet at the foot of the sweeping staircase. The unexpected space is completed by a charm-
ing powder room where vivid wallpaper and German altar lamps add flair. “What I find, I use,” Amiel says of treasures picked up on her travels over the years. Admire the living room, a two-story space with classic appointments and artistic work surrounding the fireplace. An impromptu tour kicks off in her husband’s office/ study, a spacious room with traditional amenities complemented by a highly detailed ceiling, its vaulted imagery broken only by a pair of birds fluttering overhead. The master suite, a wing of sorts, is expansive. Again opening out to the backyard, the bedroom itself is a study in elegant simplicity with patterned hardwood flooring and again, understated artful accents. French doors open to the outside. “As you can see, the whole side of this house goes out to nature,” Amiel says. And that nature is always invited in. “Sometimes we leave all the doors open … I say sometimes – often.” The room carries a sense of retreat, a place where you can truly rest. “This has been a wonderful sanctuary for us,” she says. “You get up in the morning and have a cup of tea outside.” The bedroom flows into a pair of elaborate baths, one featuring a Japanese soaking tub. “I cannot abide by medicine cabinets,” Amiel says and indeed each bath features a full closet for toiletries and the like. The oversize dressing rooms, created both for Amiel and her husband (whom she calls a “clotheshorse”) further enhance the sense of luxury. A small hallway is a stunning art gallery showcasing Amiel’s Japanese embroidery, just one element of her decidedly artful life. Throughout the home, the Amiels’ collection is complemented by her own drawings, paintings, 53
photographs and more. They all combine, along with the one-of-a-kind architectural touches, to add layers of meaning and artistry to the surroundings. A formal dining area leads the way to a sophisticated European kitchen, which itself then flows into an open family room and eat-in area. This side of the home also includes a charming guest bedroom with its own bath and a mudroom from which one can access the three-car attached garage, the professional-grade laundry room and the full guest/staff apartment above. An unfinished basement runs the length of the footprint, space now partially used for an exercise area but readily adaptable to uses ranging from in-home theater to family room to, as Amiel jokes, “a bowling alley – really.” The second floor is, again, a place where style and function live side by side. 54
Climb the grand staircase and come upon a landing, an exquisite sitting area perched above the living room and again, offering stunning views of the pond and teahouse. A pull-out couch is at the ready for creating another guest space. Continue a few steps to enter the studio, a space that simply says “art.” It’s Amiel’s own light-filled workspace, where one day she might paint or another work on her photography. There’s a comfy couch to one side, a place where, she says, her husband might have spent hours reading while she worked away. Amiel, herself an author of 1973’s “Finally It Fits,” a patternmaking book she wrote with her friend Happy Gerhard, notes it is yet another space that could easily convert to an office or several small bedrooms. It, too, has access to the outdoors with a small terrace.
A NEW CHAPTER
It all adds up to a home that truly has been so much
more than just a place to eat and sleep. “I come back to a serenity here,” Amiel says. “That’s hard to find these days.” With Amiel planning to move back to Manhattan, she hopes the legacy she and her husband created during nearly two decades living in The Haven will continue. “There is an aura that I felt was built into this house,” she says. “This house has been pure joy.” And while she realizes the time has come to move on, she remains confident The Haven’s history will continue to grow. “I’ll be sad to see it go, but I will be grateful if someone appreciates it.” For more information, contact Lisa DeFonce at Houlihan Lawrence at (914) 227-5045 or ldefonce@houlihanlawrence.com. n
A new vision for stained glass By Jane K. Dove Photographs by Bob Rozycki
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hroughout its thousandyear history, stained glass has evoked visions of ornate, jewel-colored windows featuring religious stories and motifs in cathedrals and churches around the world. Color and pattern enrich all of our lives and stained glass, with its stirring designs and intricate craftsmanship, has a special power to impart emotional resonance. New techniques in the craft now make it possible to bring this timeless craft into today’s homes. Traditional stained glass is colored by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. The densely colored glass is then crafted into windows where small pieces are arranged to form intricate patterns or pictures held together by strips of lead. The end result is beautiful, but can
block some degree of light. Today there is a new process, stained glass overlay, which produces gorgeous designs that still allow the full transmission of light while preserving privacy. The finished product offers the look and feel of traditional stained glass with all of the strength and security of safety glass. Stained glass designer Richard Dymes, owner of Visions in Glass in Bedford Hills, uses stained glass overlay to achieve the results his clients want. Stained glass overlay, or SGO, is a unique process that combines multiple materials, including glass, lead, multilayered polyester film and bevels to form a solid piece of decorative art glass. “Each piece that comes from my shop is custom designed to meet the needs and desires of our individual customers,” Dymes says. “All can be installed over, or in place of, existing glass.”
Dymes learned his craft from his uncles. “They were hobbyists, but highly skilled,” he says. “After learning the art, I worked in the corporate world for a while and then left it to do something I really wanted to do – the making of stained glass.” Dymes says his craft is “creative, artistic and long-lasting. I derive a lot of satisfaction from working with my customers to produce beautiful designs that also fulfill practical needs, such as privacy screening. Visions in Glass offers a full range of custom and standard designs for every room and for windows of every size and shape.” “We go from custom beveled entries and elegant master baths to kitchen cabinets, domed ceilings, windows, doors and sidelights, baths, showers and spas, room dividers, ceiling panels, mirrors, window shades and much more,” he says. “Our unique seamless construction allows for greater design freedom and eliminates the need for support rods and cumbersome installation. With beautiful bevels and over 300 different colors and textures, we can create the perfect design solution for our clients.” Dymes says most of his custom creations get started when a client comes in with an idea.
“They may get the concept from a book, magazine or a friend’s home,” he says. “Much of what I do is for privacy, especially in bathrooms.” Once an idea is born, he says, he will produce a full scale drawing in black and white. “We then get down to the task of selecting glass and colors, which are overlayered onto the glass with Mylar film.” Designs are as varied as the client’s imagination and can incorporate an endless array of motifs, from floral to landscapes, from Art Deco to decorated geometrics. Dymes takes an interactive approach with his customers, talking to them throughout the process. “We may go through several full-scale drawings before we get exactly what they want,” he says. “It’s up to us to interpret what the customer wants, because a lot of times they really aren’t certain. They just know they want ‘something,’ and we have to give them the guidance they need.” For example, Dymes will ask his clients what their first requirement is. “Is it privacy? Or is just decorative? Is it for display or for something else? Dymes says stained glass overlay doors with sidelights are very popular. 55
“Many people want to see out and not have people see in, and we can achieve this result by creating a peephole in a strategic spot.” Projects like this take six to eight weeks from inception to completion and installation. In addition to homeowners, Visions in Glass also serves institutional clients, including churches. “For example we installed seven stained glass windows at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh,” he says. “Each of the windows told a story and was elaborate and extremely detailed.” Dymes works on both new and existing construction. “We are very flexible in what we do and work with both homeowners and builders.” 56
Many of these want windows with lots of clear glass as a major design element. “The clear glass can be accented with floral elements, Art Deco design or geometrics,” he says. “Today, people want light coming into their homes while still preserving privacy.” “Extremely satisfying” is the way Dymes describes his work. “I enjoy starting with just a rough idea and bringing it to beautiful life. And I love it when my married clients, who may have had mixed feelings along the way, will turn to one another after their first look at their new installation and say, ‘We were right. It was worth it.’” For more information, call (914) 244-3240 or visit visionsinglass.net. n
clearing out the nest By Patricia Espinosa
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verything But The House, an online personal property and estate sale provider, has taken the age-old tag sale business and transformed it into an easily accessible online market for buyers and consignors. For those who delight in discovering hidden gems, the site offers a breadth of product where bidders can shop from the more than 20 sales that occur each month on its site. For the seller, it offers a solution to selling everything – from antiques to artwork, furniture to collectibles – quickly, easily and profitably. “In a sense, we’ve opened the doors to an otherwise tough-to-reach estate sale to anyone with access to the Internet,” says Jeff Inglis, EBTH’s general manager and a Southport resident. “You no longer need to drive 30 to 90 minutes just for the opportunity of finding something you may like at an unknown price. Instead, spend a couple minutes choosing from an ever-changing collection of high-end furniture, fine jewelry, rare sports collectibles or artwork, in which every item you see starts at $1.” More tech savvy than a consignment shop and traditional estate sale, EBTH’s online sales platform allows buyers to participate in local auctions from anywhere in the world. With more than 38,000 registered bidders across the United States and internationally, its audience ranges from a homeowner in need of a few household items like a couch or dining-room table to a variety of collectors and art dealers looking for rare artwork or unique collectibles. Sales occur over a seven-day period, and an inperson sale preview is offered during that time that gives local interested buyers the opportunity to see every item in person. Each and every bid starts at $1. This is done to attract as many potential buyers as possible and to drive up the price ultimately. As the sale progresses
and prices rise, bidders become attached to an item and often end up spending more than what a “buy it now” price would generate. EBTH prides itself on providing sellers with a better alternative for selling their personal property and the best bottom line. Its unique business model has served the company well since opening its “virtual doors” in 2008 in Cincinnati where founders Jacquie Denny and Brian Graves posted their first estate sale online. Today, the company has expanded its business to other communities across the country, including Fairfield and Westchester counties. “Our clients come to us in various circumstances, but in general, they have a need to sell the contents of their home in a relatively short period of time. They understand the significant advantages online selling provides versus a traditional estate sale,” say EBTH sales consultant Lynn Dolan. The process for the homeowner, she says, is very easy and transparent. “We have a professional team that will photograph and catalog all of the items you choose to sell within your home. We then create a targeted marketing and advertising campaign to ensure your sale receives maximum exposure. The sale goes live for seven days with an option of a preview, and then once the sale ends, we arrange to have all of your items picked up or shipped out within three days. All you have to do is sit back and experience the peace of mind that our service provides you the best opportunity to receive the most value for your items.” Riverside resident Julie Rubich says about her experience selling items on the site, “The process requires that you have these coordinators, whom you’ve
Client’s personal items are photographed then uploaded to the EBTH website where they will be sold in a seven-day live auction. Photographs courtesy of EBTH.
never met, in your home over the course of several days photographing your personal belongings. It has the makings of an uncomfortable couple of days, but to tell you the truth, we had a lot of fun.” She adds, “As a seller, you can be as involved or detached as you want from the process. I think for best results, it’s important to be involved with the coordinators and be as informative and descriptive about your items as possible to maximize the interest in your sale. Know where it was purchased. Tell a story about it. What I found was that the furniture and accessories from recognizable retailers and manufacturers did the best. I think people trust the outcome of buying something on the Internet from Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn.” For those considering selling their items at a consignment shop, one must
first take heed of how many items a consignment shop is willing to sell, says EBTH sales consultant Stephanie Inglis. Consignment stores are very selective and, in most cases, she says, will take only one or two items. “And how many potential customers will they be seen by? “Another thing many people don’t realize is that in order for consignment shops to make the most money, their inventory needs to be at or near maximum capacity. So where are they going to place your item in the store? Is it showcased in the front or is it located towards the back of the store collecting dust?” For many, EBTH has already proven itself. “If you’re wondering what to do with the wedding gifts that have never been used – you know, the ones you didn’t register for but got anyway – this is the perfect platform,” Rubich says. “There are buyers out there for almost anything.” For more about EBTH, visit ebth. com or call Jeff Inglis at (203) 5176441. n 57
wear
Bateau neck beaded and embroidered tulle bodice crepe evening gown, $ 898.
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Bateau neck deep V back gown with dramatic cascade back, $648.
Strapless evening gown with dramatic high-low hem and beaded waistband, $598.
godDess gowns Monique Lhuillier goes light and airy
Short lace sheath with grosgrain corset with open back, $398.
Bateau neck deep V back faille evening gown with contrast detailing, $698.
Bateau neck jersey gown with cowl back with beaded insert, $489.
Lace cap sleeve cocktail dress with grosgrain detail and front neck keyhole, $398.
Strapless twist bodice faille evening gown with high low fishtail skirt and dramatic train, $698.
Boat neck 3/4 sleeve short cocktail dress with contrast lining, $498.
Long crepe gown with sweetheart neckline and tulle Watteau back, $698.
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Strapless lace cocktail dress with ballet length skirt, $798.
Was Monique Lhuillier born full-grown from the sea like some Aphrodite/Venus on a mother-of-pearl half-shell? Her designs – a favorite of brides and celebrities like Michelle Obama and Drew Barrymore – have always had this marvelous frothy, diaphanous quality, as if they were spun from sea foam. Lhuillier’s Spring Collection continues her penchant for
the light and airy with cutouts, mesh and high-low hems that play peekaboo with the public. Textured fabrics like matelassé and embroidered organza add volume without being heavy. Dresses and goddess and mermaid gowns – in pastels ranging from petal to fuchsia as well as an abstract hydrangea print with a translucent, watery effect in pink – flow around the body while subtly caressing it.
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Jewel neck stretch lace cocktail dress with illusion tulle cutouts, $398. Photographs courtesy of ML Monique Lhuillier.
Bateau neck beaded and embroidered tulle bodice crepe evening gown, $898.
This spring, coral will continue to impress, but then, so does the strong graphic of black and white: For more, visit Monique Lhuillier’s revamped website, moniquelhuillier.com, which now features e-commerce, a link to her jewelry collection with Blue Nile and The Journal, which includes her blog and social media feed. n
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Mary Jane Wolfram, patient of Dr. Charles Noyer, gastroenterologist and Dr. Philip Weber, surgeon
wonderful dining
hittin’ the heights The new 42 shines like never before
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By Andrea Kennedy Photographs by Bryan Bedder
n the dark of night, the royal blue hue of The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester roof lights up the White Plains skyline like a sapphire. Follow that same blue down the hotel’s second floor corridor, and its neon lure will lead you with anticipation to a glassed-in elevator that skyrockets you to 42, the recently redesigned restaurant by Chef Anthony Goncalves. With its singularly lofty perch, lush design, world-class menu and 360-degree views, 42 is a natural crown jewel. “We get to look at the entire county, to watch the seasons change,” says Goncalves. “It’s extremely inspirational up here looking out. It’s special.” After the renovation, the panorama from Manhattan to the Hudson Valley remained one of the only constants. A new layout opened up the floor plan so each table enjoys the view. Dark, organically shaped plates of smooth-fired concrete replaced white tablecloths and traditional china. The new SkyLounge swims in hip-low lighting and subdued neon while the dining room uses a fresh palette of pearl leather and deep brown woods in furniture and flooring. The transformed Swarovski chandelier centerpiece lends romantic crystallized candlelight. It’s comfortable yet sophisticated, the way a chic blazer can be dressed up or dressed down. And though Goncalves says jackets are far from required – he’s a T-shirt guy, after all – you’ll want to put on the Ritz for the New Year’s Eve blowout bash where partiers can linger at the open bar, shimmy to DJ Ski-Hi (so apropos) and graze 42 fare before watching the White Plains ball drop from on high. “It’s not a (sit-down) dinner, it’s a party,” he says. “Delicious food. Dancing everywhere.” Whether or not you’re in your party shoes, get thee to the new 42 for the food. Made famous by Goncalves’ renowned Iberian-inspired New American offerings, the menu also evolved to include tapas like those from his former Bellota to drive a more sharing-friendly experience. In fact, the entire tapas section of the menu is titled “Share,” though it’s a tall order to let one bite escape your clutches. This concept comfort food includes beef and pork in a puff pastry with luscious burrata; succulent pan-roasted foie gras with corn cake, mustard membrillo and green apples; and meaty grilled octopus with habanero mayo that will make any cephalopod first-timer see the light. “You can just come here for tapas and share everything,” he says. “We’re good with that. You can make it what you want to make it. You can make it into a four- or five-course dinner.” And you don’t need to wait for a promotion, birthday or anniversary to stop in. “That’s not only what we’re here for. We’re here to do 62
dinner and to have fun, and the atmosphere is now conducive to that style.” He calls his style “casual and refined.” Patrons can consult the sommelier about an import from Châteauneufdu-Pape or opt for a domestic Rogue Dead Guy Ale. The feel, he says, is more like his family’s former outpost, Trotters Restaurant, which translates to high hospitality and accessibility as well as a cutting-edge culinary experience. This winter, he’s planning a seasonal surprise Chef Anthony Goncalves. concoction of seven citrus fruits. The envelope- pusher known for playful and high-design presentations hints at “some vessels” arriving reins and chef’s whites for the first time. to the table in the new year, plus a smoked and smoky scal“It was easy for me. I love food,” he says, and launches lop dish served up in a humidor. into his family’s obsession with mealtime. “We were eating “One of my best dishes is Portuguese fried chicken,” breakfast talking ’bout lunch, eating lunch talking ’bout Goncalves says, describing what folks in the know simply dinner, eating dinner talking ’bout the next day’s dinner. call PFC. “We put a lot of love into it. We have a 24-hour That’s what we do. We make sausage. We make wine. We preparation period where it’s soaking in this beautiful liq- make tomato jams. We do it as a family. Now it’s extended uid.” to everyone here.” He spikes his buttermilk with Portuguese spices, adds A decade after his formal foray into professional cookfermented peppers, then gives the coated deboned chicken ing, he went from a 650-square-foot kitchen and virtually thigh a pan fry before handing it over to an 800-degree no culinary know-how to an executive chef with a spot at pizza oven. the top of the Ritz and a kitchen seven times that size. “Then I top it with tomato honey, which is something I “I have made a lot of friends doing this,” he says. “You grew up eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner with cheese make chef friends that had other doors open for them, and in Portugal,” says Goncalves, who spent summers there they open up the doors for you and the world changes.” with extended family and now draws inspiration from a He’s not shy about namedropping who helped turned life lived more simply, revolving around food and family. the knob, calling Manhattan restaurateur Drew Nieporent “What we had was like a tomato marmalade, so we did a of Nobu and Tribeca Grill fame “my rabbi.” He speaks tomato honey.” of inspirations “Daniel” (Boulud) and “Jean-Georges” Though the thin, crispy crust and possibly the tenderest (Vongerichten) and how “it’s beautiful to dine with those chicken you’ll find make the meat alone a game-changer, guys.” He travels to, cooks with and hosts his “Portuguese the garlicky kale and particularly the cheddar grits make chef brothers” like the acclaimed Luis Americo and Marco the whole dish bucket-list fodder. Don’t just take our word Gomes and points to a tight-knit local chef community. for it. It’s also a favorite of some New York Knicks. But relationships aside, sans heart and hustle Goncalves As far as celebrity chefs go, Goncalves generally flies be- would not be the epicurean force he is today. low the TV radar – “Today” show airtime excluded – but “We did it through reading, wanting to learn, experiencthat’s not to say he doesn’t run in powerful circles in and ing it, going and traveling,” he says, with the “we” encomout of the food world. He says he’s “like brothers” with passing his tight-knit kitchen team that has stuck it out. Knicks’ Coach Mike Woodson and is friendly with the “It’s been 10 years of investment of trying to get to where I team as well as many of the Rangers. am now. Through it, lots of mistakes.” He’s also “family” with mighty local business figures like Molecular gastronomy, for one, though more a phase 42 partner and local real estate magnate Louis Cappelli. No than a mistake, “wasn’t me,” he says. Nor were the previous doubt his keen social savvy helped propel his metaphoric – iterations of 42. and literal – rise to the top. “I feel like I’m back,” he says. “And I’m glad I’m back.” Just 10 years ago, Chef Anthony was simply Anthony, For more information or to purchase tickets for New when changing tides at Trotters left the eatery without a Year’s Eve, call (914) 761-4242 or visit 42therestauchef. Not one to leave the family in a lurch, he took the rant.com. n
SkyLounge. Inset from left, beef and pork pastry with burrata and Portuguese fried chicken..
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Glittering Cocktails Moderne Barn’s Matthew Christoff on glamming up the bubbly stuff Story and Photograph by Andrea Kennedy
Moderne Barn’s Sparkling Season.
Sparkling Season In a Champagne flute, add: 1/2 oz cranberry-orange syrup (recipe below) 1 oz Chambord Liqueur 5 oz sparkling white wine Garnish with 1-2 cranberries in syrup
Cranberry-Orange Syrup
In a sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 cups of fresh cranberries and 3/4 cup of sugar. Add the zest and juice of 1 orange, 1 tablespoon of ground cloves and 1/2 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Heat for 2-3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Sauce thickens upon standing. 64
Classic Champagne Cocktail In Champagne flute, add: 1 sugar cube 2 dashes Angostura Bitters 1 oz brandy or Cognac 5 oz Brut Champagne Garnish with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry
Moderne Royale
In a Champagne flute, add: 1/2 oz Aperol Liqueur 1/2 oz Red Verjus 1/4 oz Cointreau 5 oz Sparkling white wine Garnish with an orange twist
Nothing beats the pop of a cork. And when an occasion calls for Champagne, everyone wants in. Something about fizzy drinks in fancy flutes just puts people in a party mood. But how many of us bandwagon revelers are guilty of taking a few sips and leaving the rest on the table? This holiday season, a solution for the culprits – the Champagne cocktail. Glittering along with the rest of the sequined season, these celebratory bevies give a sweeter alternative to straight-up bubbles. “People might be scared off by the dry, bready qualities that you can get from Champagne,” says Matthew Christoff, wine director at Moderne Barn. He’s earned the Armonk eatery Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence both years since his arrival in 2011 and has some nose-tickling tips for this season’s party hosts. “Try the classic Champagne cocktail, which is a sugar cube with a dash of bitters topped with Champagne,” says Christoff. “The sweetness gives it a nice refreshing quality and the bitters provide layers of flavor.” Moderne Barn uses Basement Bitters from Gardiner’s Tuthilltown Spirits, though Christoff says Angostura bitters with their “good, balanced spice and dryness” are a versatile go-to for the home bar. For bubbles – always the last pour in the glass – he uses Piper-Heidsieck Brut or Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, the latter he calls a “really exceptional” California sparkling wine made in the Champagne tradition. And with wine of this caliber, he says, less is more. “Look at the proportions of the drink,” says Christoff. “If you’re just going for texture as opposed to the drink being based on the Champagne flavor, it makes the most sense – and out of respect for the actual producer and the quality of the wine – to go with something like Prosecco.” Bellini lovers know Prosecco is the way to go, but don’t limit yourself to peaches. Hit your local market for seasonal fruits like winter raspberries for a fruity concoction of your own. “One of the most delicious and easy-to-
make drinks is made using fresh fruit purees,” says Christoff, who went that route for his wife’s most recent birthday. “You simply sauté your fruit on the stovetop with a little bit of sugar and maybe some orange zest to pull out a lot of the flavor. Then puree it and over ice you pour that puree and a bottle of Prosecco. It looks great, it tastes phenomenal, and it’s simple and really well-prepared.” For parties, hosts can mix large batches to serve immediately or delight guests with a Champagne cocktail bar where revelers can select their own fresh fruit flavors and refill at a whim. And when planning menus, pair the aperitif with salty hors d’oeuvres like brioche crostini or small bites like Moderne Barn’s Coquilles St. Jacques, broiled bay scallops with black truffle gruyere cheese fondue. Festive mains do the trick, too. “Going into the holidays, you have clove and cranberry and orange flavors so your classic white meats are going to go really well, like turkey or roast chicken and dishes like that,” Christoff says. He’s now using fresh cranberries cooked down in spiked syrup for Moderne Barn’s festive Sparkling Season. The wintry elixir uses Lamberti Prosecco over an ounce of Chambord, which at about 30 percent alcohol will add flavor without diluting the Prosecco. As a general rule, Christoff adds, reach for liqueur, not liquor, to complement bubbly best. “You have to be careful with your use of high-proof alcohols because if you pour a good Champagne on a shot of vodka you’re losing that beautiful texture,” he says. Another way to preserve those precious bubbles – always serve them in a flute. How often do you get to break them out anyway? Well, Christoff may more than most. “I personally love drinking Champagne any time of the year,” he says with a smile. Moderne Barn is at 430 Bedford Road in Armonk. For reservations or more information about the eatery’s special Christmas Eve or New Year’s menus, visit modernebarn.com or call (914) 730-0001. n
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Holiday Spectacular
Linda Eder's Holiday Show
Thurs & Fri, December 19 & 20
The Holiday Spectacular returns to the Playhouse with Tony-winner Debbie Gravitte and an impressive array of family-friendly holiday songs, stories, featuring various local talents from the area.
Sunday, December 8
Delighting audiences with an unforgettable concert of popular standards and holiday favorites! BROADWAY & CABARET SERIES
A Rockapella Holiday!
Thursday, December 12
With only 5 guys and a microphone – they prove the best instrument is the human voice.
BROADWAY & CABARET SERIES
John Tesh
Big Band Christmas Saturday, December 21
This This twelve twelve piece piece big big band band takes takes your your audience audience on on aa journey journey through through big big band bandclassics! classic! BROADWAY & CABARET SERIES
Hot Tuna Acoustic
Martin Sexton
From their days playing together as teenagers to their current acoustic and electric blues, probably no one has more consistently led American music for the last 50 years than Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady.
Martin Sexton is one of the most talked-about arrivals on the "new folk" acoustic music scene. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter has an amazing vocal range!
Tuesday, January 7 ROCK SERIES
Saturday, January 18
ROCK SERIES
Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam
Taylor Dayne
Best known for hits "Feelin' Alright," "Only You and I Know," "We Just Disagree" and more!
Dance Pop Diva, Multi-Platinum recording artist with hits “Tell It To My Heart”, “With Every Beat Of My Heart”, “Heart Of Stone”, “Love Will Lead You Back” and more!
Friday, January 24
Thursday, January 9
Phil Vassar
ROCK SERIES
Classic Albums Live: Dark Side of the Moon
Friday, January 10
DOYLE COFFIn ARCHITECTuRE SInGER SOnGWRITER SERIES
Country Music Hitmaker...As a singer/ songwriter, Phil has hit the Top 5 seven times with songs like “Carlene,” “Last Day of My Life,” “American Child” “In A Real Love” and “Just Another Day in Paradise.”
An Evening of Insights and Live Readings
Sylvia Browne
Saturday, January 25
ROCK SERIES
Sunday, January 26
A Whole New You Series
Petey Hop and the CT Blues Society Showcase
Playing all of ABBA’s greatest hits including “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia” and more!
ARTIST SERIES
Guitarist extraordinaire Petey and his band perform rockin' roots, blues and old school country music with a modern touch.
ROCK SERIES
Boston’s Lead Singer Fran Cosmo
Thursday, January 16 LEAF EMERGING
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon note for note – cut for cut!
Arrival: The Ultimate ABBA Tribute Band
Tuesday, January 14
Browne has helped tens of thousands of people gain control of their lives, live more happily and better understand the meaning of life.
ROCK SERIES
Friday, January 31
ROCK SERIES
Singing all of Boston’s hit songs “More Than a Feeling,” 65 “Peace of Mind,” “Rock and Roll Band” and more!
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Gifts for all occasions compiled by mary shustack
Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
When in ROAM… There’s a gem of a boutique just steps off Greenwich Avenue, and it’s well worth the short hop down Elm Street. ROAM, the fashion-forward style emporium of Babe Rizzuto and her daughters, Sophia and Tatiana Wojczak, is a year-round destination for fashions and accessories with flair – and plenty of personality. Rizzuto shared a few coldweather suggestions with WAG, including the chalet-chic, goat-fur Regina boots from Italy, available in onyx or winter white, featuring shearling lining and lug sole ($499). Accessorize with Adrienne Landau raccoon earmuffs in “new silver grey” ($154) and We Are Owls cashmere-and-silk scarf with lace pattern ($182). ROAM is at 19 W. Elm St. Call (203) 625-0200 or visit wheninroam.com.
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VICE, TEMPERED BY VIRTUE
Photograph by Bob Rozycki.
Marquis Vodka is in the midst of its launch in the New York metropolitan area, being poured at fine restaurants, nightclubs, bars and hotels, along with a retail presence. And when you sample the ultra-premium brand this holiday season, don’t feel as if you’re partaking in a vice… completely. See, its maker “believes in a world where a vice should be tempered by a virtue.” And that means the brand is proudly donating 20 percent of its retail revenue to its charitable partners. What does that exactly mean? Buy a bottle and follow the instructions and you can designate where Marquis sends the funds generated by your purchase. For example, one bottle will provide one hot meal delivered to a senior citizen through Meals on Wheels. As they say, hit me again. $40. For more, visit marquisvodka.com.
TRUFFLES NOT MERE TRIFLES
You’ve got to love the slogan for this sweet treat from Godiva: “Every Truffle Tells a Story.” The newest selections are said to sum up both the legend and evolution of Godiva, hence the name Legacy Truffle Collection. This season, sample the 1946 Original Dark Truffle (top left), the Gingerbread Cookie Truffle (right), the Black Pearl Tahitian Vanilla Truffle (not shown) and the Honey Vanilla Mousse Truffle (top right). All truffles ($2.25 each) are imported from Belgium and available exclusively at Godiva chocolate cases. For more, visit godiva.com.
Photographs courtesy Godiva.
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Chic
choices NEW YORK’S (HIDDEN) GEMS
esy ph court Photograequot Press Globe P
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Want to take a trip to those destinations that make New York a truly singular place? Well, thanks to award-winning journalist Mitch Broder – a longtime Westchester resident with a clear devotion to the city – it’s easier than ever. Pick up his new book, “Discovering Vintage New York: A Guide to the City’s Timeless Shops, Bars, Delis & More” (Globe Pequot Press, $16.95). The handy volume is artfully jam-packed with details of Broder’s visits to Manhattan classics such as Café Carlyle, Sardi’s and McSorley’s Old Ale House, but it also takes you along to those perhaps lesser known, from the Nom Wah Tea Parlor to Marchi’s Restaurant to The Silversmith. Broder’s onto something; all these places have lasted some 50 years each and he shares their stories, their charm and their enduring appeal. For more, visit Broder’s blog (which sparked the book) at mbvintagenewyork.blogspot.com.
Some very sweet gifts
Photograph by Lorenzo Gori-Montanelli
If you’re wearing one of Danielle GoriMontanelli’s best-selling designs, be warned – someone might want to take a nibble. And they can’t be blamed, as the felt jewelry-and-accessories artist’s signature pieces carry a licorice allsorts motif. Gori-Montanelli, a Sarah Lawrence College graduate who’s a veteran of na-
tional and international craft shows as both a silver-jewelry artist and more recently felt, sells her work online and in galleries and museum shops across the country. The licorice is just the sweet start, with designs ranging from fruits to flowers and plenty more. From $48. For more, visit studiodgm.com.
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A Greenwich gem
Alexis Bittar, the Brooklyn-born jewelry designer long featured in fashion magazines and on many a red-carpet celebrity, opened his first East Coast store outside Manhattan back in the spring. Those who know the Greenwich boutique’s dazzling inventory will agree it’s quite the destination for daydreaming. WAG is happy to showcase a few Bittar designs to get that holiday shopping under way. For more, visit Alexis Bittar at 371 Greenwich Ave. or alexisbittar.com.
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1. Elements Jardin de Papillon Gold and Ruthenium Mosaic Moss Agate Doublet Earrings, $295. 2. Elements Gold Jardin de Papillon Sanctuary Pendant with Moss Agate and Labradorite, $345. 3. Elements Jardin de Papillon Pave Vine Pendant with Labradorite Caviar, $345. 4. Miss Havisham Pavo Nova Marquis Wire in Lavender with Ruthenium, $250. 5. Lucite Neo Bohemian Long Vintage Fringe Wire Drop Earrings with Ruthenium, $175. 6. Lucite Santa Fe Deco Marcasite and Stone Medium Ombre Hinge Bracelet with Ruthenium, $295. 7. Lucite Neo Bohemian Large Pave Curb Link Bracelet with Ruthenium, $395. 8. Miss Havisham Hyperion Gold Large Sculpted Pendant with Pave Accents, $225. Photographs courtesy Alexis Bittar.
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choices Scent-sational idea
Hair Do
When it comes to personal grooming, Stamford-based Conair is a most-popular choice. Options for stylish gifts this season include InfinitiPro by Conair AC Motor Styler ($35, right); the Curl Secret ($99.99, below left) and for the gentlemen, the Conair For Men 2-Blade Cutting System ($25, below right). For more, visit Conair.com.
Photographs courtesy Conair.
WAG’s November cover boy Eli Manning has long supported the work of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, the Yorktown Heights nonprofit that provides free guide dogs to visually impaired and autistic individuals. This holiday season you can do something for the organization by purchasing a special scent. Pour Le Monde, a perfume company that creates 100-percent natural fine fragrances to benefit and increase awareness for charities around the world, has this year dedicated its Empower scent to the local organization. The crisp, sparkling citrus perfume – described as having “top notes of grapefruit, lemon and mandarin interspersed with an herbaceous mix of spearmint, lemongrass and basil” – sells for $95 for the 1.7 ounce natural spray bottle. For each purchase, 10 percent of the net sale goes back to the charity. For more, visit pourlemondeparfums or guidingeyes.org.
Photograph courtesy Pour Le Monde.
PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PRINCE HARRY, SNOOPY HAS SPIKE – YOU KNOW, THE BAD-BOY BABY BRO WHO’S A CHUNK OF CHARM AND A TON OF TROUBLE. That’s what WAG Weekly is to WAG. In our e-newsletter, we let down our hair (and occasionally, our grammar) to take you behind behind-the-scenes of the hottest parties and events, offer our thoughts on the most controversial issues of the day, share what couldn’t be contained in our glossy pages and tell you what to do and where to go this weekend – all while whetting your appetite for the next issue. Josyane Colwell LeMoulincatering.com | 914-469-6762 70
If you can’t get enough of WAG — or you just want to get WAG unplugged — then you won’t want to miss WAG Weekly, coming to your tablet each Friday a.m.
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Magical mistletoe
This season, you won’t need a bit of greenery dangling from an arch in your home to steal a kiss. Thanks to Tiffany & Co., you’ll be kissable every time you wear its mistletoe brooch. The piece – which echoes the mistletoe chandelier that decorates select Tiffany stores like the one at The Westchester in White Plains – continues the silver and jewelry emporium’s love affair with nature. The leaves are made of tsavorite, a vivid green gem discovered in Africa and introduced by Tiffany, with the stems fashioned from 18-karat white gold. Diamonds and South Sea cultured pearls add a bit of ice and snow to make you shiver. Still, this is one piece to warm the heart. $53,000. For more, visit Tiffany & Co.
Photographs courtesy BaubleBar
Extra sparkle
BaubleBar, the by-appointment-only boutique on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, has unveiled a new “guest bartender” for this holiday season. Shopping in person or online, be sure to check out Sparkling Essentials made with Swarovski elements, the perfect way to glam up the basic LBD for that holiday party – or New Year’s Eve. Selections include a Crystal Medallion Bib ($74), an Emerald Cut Gem Necklace ($68) and Crystal Boho Drops ($48), clockwise from top left. For more, visit baublebar.com.
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A charming story
Auburn Jewelry – WAG introduced you to Mount Kisco jewelry designer Samantha Levine’s company back in October – has unveiled Charming, its newest line of custom jewelry. The charms come in 18 colors with the ability to customize with ease. As Levine says, “Our unique design lets you easily add and exchange charms in seconds, enabling your bracelet to evolve as quickly as your outfit.” Current designs include initials, states, zodiac signs and numbers, with Levine at the ready to help you create a custom design. Levine details two holiday promotions under way. Purchase your first charm ($66 to $85), as well as the sterling silver toggle bracelet and use the coupon code “Charming” to receive the bracelet for $10. If you buy five or more charms or pendants (which can include the first charm), use the code “Holiday” to receive 10 percent off your whole order. In addition, the Elle line features pendants, keychains, earrings and cuff links in 14k gold and sterling silver, with customization also available. For more, visit auburn-jewelry.com/ charming. Photographs courtesy Auburn Jewelry and by Bob Rozycki.
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wanders
Afghanistan’s thread of survival By Linda N. Cortright
Linda Cortright 75
Part of the IDEA-NEW’s sericulture training includes learning the right time to harvest the mulberry leaves to feed the silkworms.
After surprisingly little persuasion, some of the woman allowed Linda Cortright to take their photograph. All photographs courtesy of Wild Fibers magazine.
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bout a year ago, my assistant handed me a message: “George called from Afghanistan. He will call you back.” Two thoughts came to mind: Who’s George? And are you sure he said Afghanistan? Less than six months later, I was in seat 44B (it’s a middle seat) heading for Kabul. After overnighting in a heavily guarded compound in between CNN’s headquarters and a former poppy palace now occupied by Afghanistan’s minister of the interior, I boarded a plane for Mazar-i-Sharif, a comparatively peaceful city near the borders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Thanks to George, I would spend the next week researching the revival of Afghanistan’s silk industry and a few hours scrambling the lowlands of the Hindu Kush range chasing cashmere goats. It’s my job. I am the editor and publisher of Wild Fibers, the only publication in the world focused on the importance of natural fibers (think cashmere, silk and alpaca) and the role they play in cultural identity and environmental balance. Imagine Margaret Mead trolling the planet armed with size eight knitting needles as Al Gore runs along taking notes. Just as we are learning to be conscientious consumers of what’s on our plates, it’s equally imperative to know what’s on our backs. During my 10-year magazine career, I have traveled to the far corners of the Gobi Desert, the high Himalayas and the snowfields of Tibet, not to mention the wilds of Kazakhstan, the deserts in Oman and the region above the Arctic Circle, all to understand and honor the natural fiber industry. But Afghanistan? Until I hung up the phone with George, I don’t think I would have considered going there under any circumstances. Yet it’s not every day someone from the State Department calls my modest office in midcoast Maine and says, “Do we have a story for you.” Great opportunities are sometimes well-disguised, even if under a burka. Traveling to Afghanistan as a female, an American and a journalist is not exactly flying under the radar, and in the months leading up to my reservation in seat 44B I spent more than a few sleepless nights wondering what I would do if things went desperately wrong. Eventually, I stopped worrying. Instead, I grew increasingly excited by the opportunity to tell a story about a part of the world that is so badly tarnished by bombs and bloodshed. There was no way I would miss my flight. Afghanistan possesses exquisite beauty both in its landscape and its people. Sadly, few ever talk about that side. In 2008, IDEA-NEW, an Afghani initiative spon-
sored by USAID, began reintroducing sericulture (silk farming) to northern Afghanistan. For centuries the raising, reeling and weaving of silk has been an important economic driver to communities, offering women the opportunity to earn income while remaining at home to raise their families (on average six to 10 children). Decades of war not only created a mass exodus with displaced refugees scattered permanently beyond their native soil, but also left once fertile land to fall barren. With this forced eviction, ancient traditions and knowledge soon disappeared as well. Statistically speaking, a specific skill or expertise can be entirely lost in just two generations. IDEA-NEW wanted the women in the outlying villages of Balkh Province to learn the art of sericulture but with a few amendments afforded by relatively modern technology. Sterility, for example, is a huge factor in sericulture. Silkworms – actually, the larvae – will get sick and die after just one sneeze. Unlike traditional practices, the women are now provided with sterile Styrofoam padding as bedding for the silkworms, which minimizes the number of germs but feels “modern” and unfamiliar to most. On a Thursday afternoon in spring when poppies would typically start to bloom (Balkh Province is now considered poppy-free, thanks to Gov. Atta Muhammad Nur, a former warlord), I was driven in a bulletproof vehicle with two armed guards in the front seat and a second armed vehicle behind me to a small village that was a combination of mud and cinderblock architecture. The streets were empty save for one man working in the fields wearing baggy gray pants and a weather-stained turban. Even the hoe he carried looked downtrodden. A small stream paralleled the main road. I suspect two thirsty camels could have sucked it dry. At first glance, this picture doesn’t evoke visions of great warmth or beauty. But like a warm homemade apple pie tightly protected by a thick crust, so is the heartbeat of the village. Escorted by my guard and translator, I snaked through a series of unmarked doors until I arrived in a courtyard filled with budding trees and a small green where children were playing. Off to the side, nearly 30 women ranging from ages 20 to 70 were seated on the ground waiting to meet me. They were just one small group of the more than 2,000 women IDEA-NEW has trained in sericulture. Many of the women were wearing full burkas with veils that flowed down to the ground. Others (including myself) had only their head covered. For most, if not all, I was the first Western woman they had ever set eyes on. Seemingly separated by dress, culture and background – let alone political and
Local weaver and entrepreneur Rabia Maryam from Mazari-Sharif holds homegrown, handspun and naturally dyed silk.
religious beliefs – I wedged myself onto a patch of dirt between two women whose eyes I could not see. I was determined not to let the tension stop me. Through my translator (who had been educated in the U.S.), I asked the women how they would use the money (about $125) they would receive after two months of raising silkworms – a six-hour process including feeding, cleaning and rotating trays of thousands of tiny larvae three times a day. Almost immediately, the tension began to subside as they talked about sending their children – particularly the girls — to school. They were like proud mothers anywhere, anxious for their children to have the best opportunities the world can offer, and yet also aware that a young girl in Afghanistan sits precariously on the edge of academic opportunity or an imprisoned world of marriage.
Could it be that thousands of squishy, wormlike creatures would make a lifetime of difference for one little girl, let alone an entire village? It could and it has. Still, the majority of families in Afghanistan are living on the fringe, a fringe they have been clinging to far too long. Opportunities for change are limited at best and yet, a few extra dollars can lead to education and assurance, which is exactly where change begins. I was proud to bring this story to readers as the cover feature of this past summer’s issue. The magic of wild fibers – and Wild Fibers – is discovering their importance in the thread of human existence. It’s a message we all need to heed – and more than worth the price of a few sleepless nights. For more, visit wildfibersmagazine. com. n 77
w’reel deal
A day in the life
Sam’s 2013 gem is the tragic, haunting “Fruitvale Station” By Sam Barron
O
ne fear of kicking my movie addiction was that by not seeing as many movies this year, I’d be missing out on the unheralded gems that made OCD moviegoing worth it. (You can read all about that in the July 2013 issue of WAG). But luckily, that’s not been the case. While I have feasted on my usual assortment of blockbusters, I’ve still been able to seek out the gems at the local art house. (Disclosure alert: I saw some of these movies in Canada. Local can mean many things to many people.) But one of these independent movies stood out from all the rest – “Fruitvale Station.” I hate when people use hyperbole to talk about movies. There’s nothing like hearing that a film was blessed by God only to be underwhelmed when it comes out. So allow me to be a hypocrite for a second. “Fruitvale Station” is, without a doubt, the best film I’ve seen since “Rabbit Hole” came out in December 2010. That’s more than 800 movies ago. Two takeaways: a) Holy crap, I saw too many movies. And b) This means “Fruitvale Station” was great. “Fruitvale Station” is the last day in the life of Oscar Grant III, who was controversially killed by police while riding the BART train in Oakland, Calif., on New Year’s Day 2009. (Since it’s based on a true story, there are no spoiler alerts here.) It stars Michael B. Jordan and was directed by first-time director Ryan Coogler. It’s safe to say I was pumped for “Fruitvale Station” when I first heard about it. Jordan had become one of my favorite actors since I first saw him on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.” He followed that up by starring in “Chronicle,” one of the coolest sci-fi films you will ever see. “Fruitvale Station” won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, which is a great indicator of quality. Recent winners include “The Sessions,” “Circumstance,” “Precious” and “The Wackness.” We’ll just ignore “Happythankyoumoreplease” in 2010. Coogler was the wild card. First-time directors are always a dicey proposition. I’ve seen many movies that just don’t come together due to first-timers trying too hard or just not having the experience to tell a story. Plus, he’s 27. I’m instantly 78
Michael B. Jordan and Melonie Diaz in “Fruitvale Station,” Sam’s favorite film of the last three years. Courtesy of The Weinstein Co.
bitter of anyone younger than I who has found success in film. Though I was written up in The New York Times before him. I saw “Fruitvale Station” at the Varsity Cinema in Toronto, my favorite theater in the world. The stage was set for something magical. Almost 90 minutes later, the movie ended. I sat there with tears in my eyes. (It’s a dusty theater). I didn’t want to move. I needed to just sit there and take in what I had just seen. I came up with the term top-10 goose bumps for when I know I’ve seen something special. You know, a movie is so great, you get goose bumps. Very early on, “Fruitvale” passed the top-10 goose bump test. A movie becomes a classic when you almost can’t handle what you just saw and have to sit through the credits for a chance to breathe. Previous credit movies include “The Ides of March,” “Cinderella Man” and “Buried.” I was about to embark on a fun-filled day in Toronto, yet I could not get “Fruitvale” off the brain. What makes “Fruitvale Station” work is that it’s so restrained and matter-of-fact. It’s simply a day in the life of a guy vowing to turn that life around, and it happens
to be the day he dies. We see him interact with his daughter, the mother of his child, his mother and his old job. We see what makes him a good person and we also see the flaws he’s carried throughout his life. Through various vignettes and flashbacks, we get a true, fleshed-out portrait of who Oscar Grant is, which makes his death all the more senseless and tragic. It would’ve been easy for this movie to have taken the bait. It could’ve had big, swelling speeches by the main characters as the music soars to let us know when we should cry and when we should be outraged. The climactic scene at the BART could’ve looked like an action sequence. Instead it shows how a simple train altercation spiraled out of control with a cataclysmic ending. But by using restraint and raw emotion, it allows everything to really hit home and truly have an effect. Never has an argument for less is more been made clearer than by “Fruitvale Station.” Jordan is obviously terrific in this movie and when he gets snubbed for an Oscar nomination, I’m going to be pissed. The performance of Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) as Oscar’s mother is one that has been overlooked. Much of
the dramatic weight of the movie falls on her shoulders and she pulls it off and then some. I wasn’t sold on Spencer after “The Help” feeling she won in a weak year. But I am now. And Chad Michael Murray is in it too. So in case you’re wondering, is there a better Chad Michael Murray movie than “A Cinderella Story”? Surprisingly, yes. Without trying to spoil anything, the final scene of “Fruitvale Station” is so heartbreakingly depressing that it kills me. To this day, I still think about it. Every time I talk about “Fruitvale Station,” I worry about hype and unmet expectations. Even though I felt it was, don’t expect to go into “Fruitvale Station” to see a movie blessed by God. Go in with an open mind and watch yourself become absorbed by simply watching the last day of Oscar Grant. To make things even more awesome, Coogler’s next film is rumored to be “Creed,” a spinoff of the Rocky movies in which Rocky Balboa would train Apollo Creed’s grandson to box. And Jordan would play Apollo’s grandson. Oh my God, I’m already waiting in line. Not to worry, editors. I think we have our Best of 2014 column ready to go. n
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well No jewel like our armed forces – and their reservists
A
s I was writing this column on Veterans Day, I was moved to reflect broadly on the effects of war on military surgeons in general and one military surgeon in particular. Many key developments in health care have their origins in wartime where the treatment of injured troops has driven innovation throughout history. From the development of the ligature, or suture, in 1537 by Ambroise Paré during the Siege of Turin, to the refinement of diagnostic ultrasound in World War II, to the modern practice of helicopter evacuation of trauma victims to the site of emergency treatment, care of our soldiers has led directly to improvement in care of all of our peoples. By the time of the war in Afghanistan, American and British medics saved more than 90 percent of
By Dr. Michael Rosenberg
Over the next four months, I was involved in more than 95 operations on soldiers returning from the war.
Dr. Michael Rosenberg in his Army Reserve fatigues. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Michael Rosenberg.
soldiers who were injured. As for myself, I was inspired to join
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the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps when I was a resident surgeon at Columbia University. The hospital’s chief of plastic surgery at that time was Dr. Norman Hugo, who later served as president of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. After attending his lecture where he showed us before and after pictures of soldiers he had operated upon at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center during the Vietnam War, I was inspired both to become a plastic surgeon and join the Army Reserves. After years of training, my own chance to serve came in 2003. Two days before the war in Iraq began, and 10 days before I was due to leave, I received a phone call from the duty sergeant in my unit, the 4219th United States Army Hospital, informing me that my services were required by the Army. “The call” came in the middle of my office hours, and in fact the patient I had just seen was booking her surgery with my office manager on a date that would be right in the middle of my service. I was somewhat apprehensive about explaining to a new patient that I was canceling her surgery five minutes after she scheduled it, but her reaction shocked me – in a good way. She would be the first of many patients, professional colleagues, friends and family members who were exceptionally supportive of my leaving for active duty. No matter what their feelings about the war itself, almost everyone I spoke to was understanding about my leaving (and putting them
out), and most considered my mission of providing top level care to our soldiers to be extremely important and necessary. I have always believed that there is no situation that would justify sending our soldiers into harm’s way without an excellent health-care system in place. On March 20, 2003, I took my two duffel bags and went to Fort Dix, N.J., for preparatory training before beginning my work with our soldierpatients. Besides the daily running and exercise to get into shape, we received multiple vaccinations and lectures on topics ranging from security to the rules of war. It was also necessary to spend a great deal of time reviewing our procedures for handling potential victims of chemical and biological attacks. Despite the length of time we spent on this training, I am relieved that so little of it was necessary. After three weeks, we were cleared to go and were sent on to our service site, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Walter Reed is the tertiary care medical center at the heart of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, and our mission was to provide definitive care to our Army and Air Force soldiers returning from Central Command (Afghanistan and Iraq). We reservists joined our “regular” Army colleagues who hadn’t been deployed to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain or Germany. Over the next four months, I was involved in more than 95 operations on soldiers returning from the war. When soldiers were brought in by air evacuation, the entire staff was tasked to mobilize all the members of the health care team that are necessary to get the soldiers whatever care they need within the first hours of their arrival. Whether it’s surgery, intensive care or rehabilitation as an outpatient, everything is geared to getting the soldier cared for as quickly as possible. Thankfully, the number of soldiers brought to us was relatively small, and as soon as possible, they were sent back to facilities closer to their own homes. Although my time in service was not long, the bonds with colleagues who served with me and some of the patients we cared for remain until this day. Please send any questions or comments to mrosenberg@nwhc.net. n
The genuine pearls of medical wisdom
W
hen I was in medical school and then in training in Brooklyn at Kings County Hospital, I saw the most gruesome and unusual medical and surgical problems you could ever imagine. Gunshot wounds were routine; horrible diseases, both acute and chronic, filled the halls of the more than 1,000-bed hospital; and the ER was a place where more people were seen in a day than live in any of our beloved Westchester or Fairfield neighborhoods. The Brooklyn ER was like a war zone. Rooms filled with terribly sick asthmatics of all ages. The C1-critical care area, where cardiac arrests, trauma victims, the elderly and the very sick were cared for, was where we lived. I had no idea there was anything unusual about the way things were at Kings County. To help us learn more, we had weekly grand rounds in which the smartest and the best among us – all young, hot-dog, newly minted doctors – presented the most unusual cases while our elders, professors highly experienced and intimidating, would grace us with medical pearls of wisdom that never ceased to amaze or impress us about the treatment and diagnosis of the very sick. Life in that hospital was life in its own reality unrelated to the rest of the world. By the time I made it to Westchester, the ER at Westchester Medical Center seemed so far removed from the MASHlike atmosphere in Brooklyn, I thought I was put out to pasture. Granted, there was some trauma, but the gunshot wounds were few and far between, and the too-common, horrific child abuse cases greatly diminished. But to my surprise, so were car and hunting accidents as well as undesirable encounters with deer, boats and trains. Of course, there were plenty of the much maligned but overabundant sexually transmitted diseases. But then, that was a long time ago. What I learned at Kings County and applied at Westchester was acute care – how to identify sick people, how to diagnose them quickly and how to treat them, get them out of the hospital and back to their lives and families as fast as possible. When I went into private practice in Irvington, I wanted to connect with the patients and be part of their lives. I wanted to apply all the pearls of Kings County and Westchester to people who did not need acute care. In time I realized the best thing to do
By Erika Schwartz, MD
was to help people stay away from the hospital. That’s when I entered the world of prevention and started acquiring real pearls of wisdom that changed the way I live my life and became rules to help my patients live theirs. This issue is about gems and that’s exactly what we need in our health. It’s a time of dramatic change in health care, a time when people don’t know where to turn or how to figure out their own health needs, so I thought I would share the most important things I learned, use and am happy to tell you are helping not just me but also my patients and thousands of people I come across in my daily travels. Please read these and share them with the ones you love, but above all, use them for yourselves. 1. You are in charge of the outcome of your life. When you are 40 or 50 and you look at what your life looks like, it is all the result of choices you have made. So when you make a choice, don’t blame anyone else or follow anyone else for that matter, just make your choice and make sure you can live with it. Example: If you go to the doctor and have a test done, what will you do with the result? Ask the doctor, if you aren’t sure you agree or are clear about it, just don’t automatically do it. The goal is not to find something wrong at all costs. The goal is to live a peaceful, balanced life. 2. Take the lead in the doctor-patient relationship. This is where you have total control and if you don’t choose to be in charge, you may get hurt. The doctor is there to serve you. His or her advice may or may not apply to you. “Doctor knows best” is wrong and totally false. Doctor doesn’t live in your body, so you have to learn to listen to your body and use the doctor’s advice as it applies you. If you like your doctor, you are more likely to do well than if you are afraid or dislike your doctor. If you don’t share everything with your doctor – what medication you are taking, what naturopath you are seeing, supplements, hormones, other information you may think irrelevant or are afraid to divulge – you are shortchanging yourself, not the doctor. If the doctor doesn’t listen or belittles your choices or behaves unkindly, leave the doctor. Otherwise, you will get hurt. 3. Don’t make decisions based on fear. Our entire health care system is based on intimidation and fear-mongering. If you want to live your life feeling good about yourself and your choices,
eliminate fear. The only fear that is justifiable is the fear of death. But then, we are all going to die, so the sooner you accept that fact and stop obsessing about it, the sooner you will actually live. 4. Make decisions alone. Do not live by committee. When I see a patient come in with three family members or friends, I worry the decisions he or she makes are tainted by others’ opinions. I don’t mean don’t get opinions, share information, research or talk to trusted counsel. I mean decide alone. Don’t allow your decision to be made by others. They won’t be living with the consequences. 5. Common sense is free and not taught in medical school. The “pearls” I learned in my intensive training years and applied in my disease-focused practice did not take into consideration the invaluable lessons of common sense. For that reason, they did not work.
That’s when I entered the world of prevention and started acquiring real pearls of wisdom that changed the way I live my life and became rules to help my patients live theirs.
For more information, email Dr. Erika at Erika@drerika.com. n
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wagging Dealing with our ‘children in fur’ By Sarah Hodgson
I routinely fall in love with the strangers who approach me (as Sarah, the dog trainer) unexpectedly and without hesitation regardless of the situation, putting such great value and hope in my words that they’re blind to the company at my side or the cocktail in my hand. I see such people everywhere – in the movie line, at the coffee shop and it never ceases to amaze me how they cling to my presence like a life raft and hang on my every word. Some ask for advice on choosing a dog and others for a quick puppy tip, while some of the questions go much deeper. A recent conversation went something like this: “Hi Sarah, can I ask you a quick question?” Before I’ve had a chance to answer, they divulge their wonderings: “My dog has started to bark and snap at people when we’re walking in town, and I just don’t get it. Rexy (a Cairn Terrier mix) pulls toward people with his tail wagging, all alert and happy, and when they reach out their hand to pet him he lunges and snaps. I yell at him to stop, but it’s getting worse. He keeps going up with his tail all a-flutter – so that means he’s happy, right? – but then he snaps at them and that’s bad, right?” The longest diatribe I’ve experienced went on for five minutes, but, as I’ve said, I have great empathy for people who feel
so frantically desperate and equal gratitude that I’ve been granted the knowledge to help. I strive for an answer that will reveal some pearl of wisdom, a gem of truth to help them both empathize with their pets and see their own reactions in a new light. The first step in good training involves compassion, which in my situation extends to both the dogs and the people who love them. In the case of happy-dog-snapping-atstranger, I recall saying something like, “I’ve seen you out with Rexy, and I agree he’s very alert – but I see it as a little hyper-alert, like he’s trying to keep track of everything going on around him and it’s a little overstimulating. When dogs are held securely on a leash, they often feel more trapped than “happy” as it contorts their posture in unnatural ways. As dogs are nearsighted, they approach unfamiliar people and objects to “scent” them. When the person leans in for a face-to-face greeting, Rexy is translating this as confrontation, and this is why he snaps.” My answer generally gets a moment’s pause, at which point I scribble my number on a napkin or hand the questioner a business card. For a full-fledged solution to dog problems I must meet the dog faceto-face. There are other standard pearls I toss out, knowledge that is sadly not main-
Pet of the Month For our December “Gems” issue we have a jewel of a dog that Vladimir Nabokov would’ve surely loved. Meet Lolita, an adorable Pomeranian who recently came into the SPCA of Westchester as a stray. The 10-year-old is so wiggly and happy and just wants to be curled up on your lap. While she is outgoing and good with everyone she meets, she can be a bit of a diva at times so we think she’d be happiest in a home where she is the only dog and can get all the attention herself. Lolita has a sweet nature, though, and is good with kids and even cats. She may be a senior, but we expect she has many doggy years ahead of her. To meet Lolita, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call (914) 941-2896 or visit spca914.org. n
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stream in the dog-training profession, where dominance tactics still hold too much sway. I leave you with my top three: Children in Fur Clothing – Science has finally caught up with my belief, proving beyond doubt that dogs have the mental equivalency of a 3-year-old child. I laugh to think my toddler has more in common with dogs than he does with me. Regardless, it’s a wonderful launching point to begin training dogs and people. My clients are routinely amazed at just how intelligent their dogs are and how with little effort they can teach their dogs to do just about anything. If you think of dog training as teaching another kind of language and recognize that dogs, like kids, love attention, then you’ll appreciate just how powerful positive reinforcement can be. Hip-to-Head Approach – Grasp this: Humans approach face-to-face. Dogs approach head-to-tail. People recognize each other through sight; dog’s through scent. Approaching a dog quickly head-on is as disrespectful as a dog jamming its nose into your crotch. You say – “But it’s a sign of affection.” And I say, “Likewise your dog is just feeling the love as he inhales your scent. But if you want to live in harmony, you’ll need to meet in the middle. The best way to interact with your dog is side-to-side. Next time you’re attaching a leash, removing a tick or administering
medication kneel or sit next to your dog, reward him with treats and move calmly. Greeting a dog you don’t know? Stand sideways or with your back facing their head, not in front.” Don’t Dominate, Communicate – This phrase is my new slogan. Although some training and behavior modification models have taken giant steps forward in the scientific world, many dog trainers and training franchises still extol dominance theories. They claim that since dogs are related to wolves, you must act like a pack leader. These trainers are misinformed. Natural wolf packs are organized by a set of parents, who direct their cubs. Wolves have about as much in common with dogs as we do with apes. Dominance is situational, not universal. I dominate my dog when I hold the food bowl over his head as I have the resource he wants, but when we hike, his nose is superior and when chasing a deer, I don’t even try to keep up. In those instances his natural ability both dominates and dwarfs mine. Good dog-training is about good communication. I encourage my clients to think of their dogs like children in fur clothing and parent them as you would a toddler, with structure, love and patience. Sometimes, you’ve got to let them win a game. In a word, benevolence. It makes the world go ’round. n
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when&where Sunday
Monday 1
THROUGH DECEMBER
Tuesday 2
December 2013
Wednesday
The JCC of Mid-West- sary tour includes special p.m., Tarrytown Music With Christmas carols chester hosts a commu- guest Amy Helm, 8 p.m., Hall. tarrytownmusichall. and refreshments at Main nity-wide Hanukkah cel- Tarrytown Music Hall. org and Spring streets. (914) ebration. Jccmw.org. 941-3189, celebrateossining.com.
A performance of the Dickens chestnut at the Church of St. Mary-inthe-Highlands in Cold Spring. (845) 809-5750, hvshakespeare.org.
HANUKKAH PARTY
Los Lobos
‘A CHRISTMAS The band’s 40th anniver- CAROL’
KENNY & AMANDA SMITH
Await the return of a certain hit PBS series by seeing how New Yorkers of the period dressed with “Downton Chappy – Costumes of the Downton Abbey Era” at the Horace Greeley House of the New Castle Historical Society in Chappaqua. (914) 2384666, newcastlehs.org.
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An Indian classical dance performance and traditional Indian art workshops at Pelham Art Center. (914) 738-2525, pehlhamartcenter.org.
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‘NEXT GENERATION’
Collaborative dance performances at Stamford Center for the Arts. (203) 325-4466.
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE POOR FOOLS
A rock performance at the A bluegrass performance Emelin Theatre at Mamaat the Emelin Theatre in roneck. Emelin.org. Mamaroneck. Emelin. org.
A ‘DOWNTON’ FIX
CELEBRATE DIWALI
Saturday
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OSSINING’S HOLIDAY TREE Grateful Dead tribute, 7 LIGHTING
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Friday
5
Dark Star Orchestra
3
Thursday
‘SPARKLE, NIGHTS OF 10,000 LIGHTS’
Garrison’s Boscobel House & Gardens’ illumination event. First three Fridays and the first three Saturdays in December. (845) 265-3638, boscobel.org.
Mmm, soup
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“Stone Soup” will be performed at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for grades K-5, Ridgefield Playhouse. Visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
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HOLIDAY MUSIC
Rockapella Giacomo Gates and Duo Holiday
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perform holiday songs at The five a cappella singthe Hudson River Muse- ers of Rockapella perform um in Yonkers. Hrm.org. holiday favorites, 8 p.m., at The Ridgefield PlayJim Brickman house. Call (203) 438“The Magic of Christ- 5795 or visit ridgefieldmas” concert, 8 p.m., Tar- playhouse.org. rytown Music Hall.
JOHN PIZZARELLI
Funny Night
A Christmas concert presented by the Stamford Symphony at the Stamford Center for the Arts. (203) 325-4466.
Comedy Central Presents Nick Kroll and Friends, 8 p.m., at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Visit thecapitoltheatre.com.
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Score and Martin Fry join Jessie’s Girl for “Turn Back the Cap: 1980s” at 8 p.m. at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester.
Blessed Unrest presents a fresh take on the classic at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck. Emelin. org.
Z100’s Jingle Ball 2013
SMALL-SCALE VIEWS
Back in Time
‘A CHRISTMAS Tiffany, Rob Base, Mike CAROL’
Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias headline the concert at Madison Square Garden. Ticketnetwork.com.
An exhibition at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich. (203) 869-0376, brucemuseum.org.
REBEL ENSEMBLE
A provocative approach to Baroque and Classical works in the Music Room at Caramoor in Katonah. (914) 232-1252, caramoor.org.
‘THE NUTCRACKER’
Connecticut Ballet’s annual holiday presentation, with a cast of 60 dancers at Stamford Center for the Arts. (203) 325-4466.
‘THE NUTCRACKER MAGICAL MATINEE’
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A film plus festivities at The Picture House in Pelham. (914) 738-3161, thepicturehouse.org.
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Holiday Spectacular
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Debbie Gravitte, 7:30 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
Holiday Spectacular
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Big Band Christmas
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Debbie Gravitte, 5 p.m. John Tesh, 8 p.m. (203) and 8 p.m., Ridgefield 438-5795 or ridgefieldPlayhouse. playhouse.org. ridgefieldplayhouse.org.
al. e r . ing
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VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR
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CHRISTOPHER O’RILEY, piano & MATT HAIMOVITZ, cello
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DERVISH: MUSIC FROM IRELAND
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February GARRICK OHLSSON, piano
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THE CROSSROADS PROJECT
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CHANTICLEER
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THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR and Other Eric Carle Favourites
22 UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE
VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR © Lukas Beck
GARRICK OHLSSON © Pier Andrea Morolli
13 eighth blackbird May
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12 LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO
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MICHAEL FEINSTEIN’S THE GERSHWINS AND ME
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ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET
HARLAN JACOBSON’S TALK CINEMA Tuesdays 12/3, 1/28, 2/18, 3/18, 4/29, 5/13. Saturday 3/1.
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN © Gilles Toucas
ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET © Lois Greenfield
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Pictured at top: Doug Varone and Dancers photo © Cylla von Tiedemann Major Sponsorship for the season is provided by The Vivian and Seymour Milstein Endowed Fund. The Great Orchestras and Chamber Music Series are made possible by generous support from the Tanaka Memorial Foundation Special thanks to Corporate Sponsors Steinway & Sons and Pernod Ricard USA.
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914.251.6200
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wit wonders: What makes you a gem? “Quality and integrity.”
— Pat Caffray, Greenwich resident
“I can be tough during the day as a prosecutor and fun in the evening, putting on Mickey Mouse ears with my daughter.” — Christine Chartier, Westchester County district attorney’s office, Bronxville resident “My positive attitude.”
— Patricia Cinquemani, sales associate, Richards in Greenwich, North Salem resident
“My daughter is my gem. She keeps me going every day and puts a smile on my face.” — Liliana Deleno, office manager for Dr. Richard Liebman, Pelham resident “I’m a therapist and I feel that my most gem-like ability is reflected in my daily life of teaching my clients to face their immediate fears and challenges with courage and determination. I help empower them to understand that although the past is not retrievable, their future can be much more happy and positive.” — Innes Frey, founder, Family Solutions of Westchester, Goldens Bridge resident
“My ability to make people shine is what makes me a gem. There’s nothing I enjoy doing more than bringing hope to people’s hearts and putting a smile on their faces. My own life experiences have made me strong like a gem as well.” — Gisele Guerrero, owner of Gisele’s Hair Salon, New Rochelle resident “I tend to always be happy.”
— Kathleen Hillyard, Greenwich resident
“I’m a gem, because I collect $307 million a year.” — Tod Laudonia, tax collector, town of Greenwich “The time that I spend with my patients and my determination to make them happy is what makes me a ‘gem.’ I’ve learned that the end result for patients was not simply making them look good aesthetically, but it was making them feel good as well.” — Dr. Scott Newman, MD, FACS, owner and plastic surgeon of Advanced Plastic Surgery & Laser Center, Yonkers resident
“I’m a diamond in the rough, and the reason I’m a diamond in the rough is because I’m always a work in progress and haven’t peaked yet. I always believe the best is yet to come. Exteriors are always deceiving. I always sparkle from the inside out.” — Debbie Nigro, radio personality and media entrepreneur, “The Debbie Nigro Show,” WFAS-AM 1230 and wfasam.com, New Rochelle resident “My ability to empathize is one of my better qualities and what makes me a ‘gem.’ As a hotel entrepreneur, wife and mother of two (soon to be three), I am constantly exposed to many people from all walks of life. I believe in the importance of recognizing the successes and struggles of others and, to the best of my ability, trying to accommodate people wherever possible. ... When my employees know I will go the extra mile for them, they are more than willing to do the same for me.” — Maria Pampafikos, co-owner and vice president of The Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers, New City resident “My boys make me their gem. I have two and they are very close to me.” — Nicole Reynolds, businesswoman, Greenwich resident
“I like to go above and beyond to make people happy.” “My love of my family.” — Marilyn Green, banker, Scarsdale resident Compiled by Georgette Gouveia. Contact her at ggouveia@westfairinc.com. 86
— Carla Sheehan, consultant, Fairfield resident
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watch Call to Battle
Pat Battle – anchor/reporter of “NBC4 New York” and breast cancer survivor – brought 980 women (and more than a few men) to their feet and close to tears as she recounted her own struggle with breast cancer at the Breast Cancer Alliance’s recent “Kick Up Your Heels, Step Out For Pink” event at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich. Battle’s talk – at once earthy, self-deprecating, poignant and inspiring – was just one delicious highlight. There was an inspirational “Survivors’ Celebration” fashion show, featuring breast cancer survivors strutting their stuff; an elegant fashion show by Mitchells/Richards, an event sponsor; fun prizes and giveaways; specially designed Manolo Blahnik pink suede pumps; and a scrumptious lunch that concluded with cupcakes frosted in the alliance’s signature sherbet colors. Photographs by Georgette Gouveia. 1. Celeste Wecker, Jean Marie Jamieson, Pat Caffray and Jennifer Gerstel Ringelstein 2. Nicole Reynolds and Aundrea Amine 3. Patricia Cinquemani, Iwona Kelly and Anne-Lie Kleeman 4. Miriam Kendall and Lisa and Jim Fleming
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5. Loren Taufield and Julie Johnson 6. Kim Dean, Joan Whipple, Jane Canning and Jamie Warner 7. Kim Augustine, Mary Jeffery and Anne Jones 8. Sharron Phillips, Wendy Sarasohn and Diane Fellows 9. Scott Mitchell, Tomomi Arikawa and Andrew Mitchell-Namdar 10. Giovanna Miller, Jieun Wax and Nicole Reynolds 11. Kathy Clark, Brett Holey, Pat Battle and Yonni Wattenmaker 12. Lori Feldman, Jasmina Denner and Lisa Merzon
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Doctors in the house
There were plenty of doctors and medical staff at the inaugural Doctors of Distinction Awards founded by The Westchester Medical Society along with accounting and consulting firm Citrin Cooperman and the Westchester County Business Journal. Held at The Bristal at White Plains, the event honored Drs. Robert Amler, Jason Carmel, Lawrence Faltz, Avraham Merav, Robert Raniolo, Jeffrey Sherman and Argyrios Stampas. Photographs by Bob Rozycki. 1. John, Rose, Cathy and David Raniolo 2. Dr. Avraham Merav and Dr. Lari Attai 3. Amanda and Dr. Jason Carmel 4. Liz Bracken-Thompson, Laurence Gottlieb, Geoff Thompson and Al DelBello 5. Deb Viola and Barbara Greenberg 6. Eitan Keren and Keren Merav 7. Bill Zaboris, Gil Watkins and Alan Zverin 8. Elyse Faltz, Lucy Engelhardt and Dr. Lawrence Faltz 9. Bill Mooney Jr. and Bill Mooney III. 10. John Torres and Ravi Patel 11. Dr. Robert Raniolo, Fred Mascla and Kevin Plunkett 12. Sherita and Dr. Robert Amler 13. Kat McKee and Tina Dorfman 14. Jorina Fontelera and Gloria Stampas
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watch Celebrating family business
It was an SRO crowd at an award program recognizing family entrepreneurs sponsored by WAG’s sister publication, The Westchester County Business Journal. The event was held at Mapleton at Good Counsel in White Plains. Winners – Red Oak Transportation, Strategy Leaders, Murphy Brothers Contracting and Adcorp Media Group – were chosen from 27 nominees. Photographs by Bob Rozycki. 1. Amanda Dalessio, Tina Broccole, Eva Broccole and Mike Manfrieda, all of Adcorp Media Group 2. Marsha Gordon of The Business Council of Westchester and John Ritacco of CMS Bank 3. Edward Stoppelmann of Red Oak Transportation and Susan Lauer of Aspire Consulting 4. Grant Schneider and Carlyle Hicks 5. Kymberly, Jonas, Sharon and Michael Weiner 6. Elaine Finegan and Chelsea Wendlinger 7. Darwin Davis Jr. and Ted Lee 8. Liane Rigano and John Bona 9. Jennifer Foster, Stephen Shealey and Barbara Carlsson, all of People’s Bank 10. Krystal Pisani, Justin Burton and Kaylyn Touhey, all of Red Door Spa 11. Cliff Fisher and Karen Lehman 12. Morgan and Josh Caspi and Stacey Cohen 13. Diane Dudzinski and Michael Murphy 14. Marie and Christie Bertoline 15. Rosary Murphy and Kathie Anechiarico, both of Murphy Brothers Contracting
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Working women
The Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce’s second annual Working Women’s Luncheon was a sellout Nov. 7 at Westport’s town-owned The Inn at Longshore. Bankwell Financial Group President and CEO Peyton R. Patterson told the 130 who attended to be the CEOs of their own life stories, to develop a plan and to remain on course. Lisa Parrelli Gray, chamber president and executive director, introduced her with the friendly admonition to listen up: “If I could ask the gentlemen in the room to be quiet,” she said to the mostly female audience. Photographs by Bill Fallon.
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1. Tina Sommers 2. Lucy French, Jeffrey Ruden and Diane Knetzger 3. Mark R. Gray and Robert Hojnacki 4. Jacqueline E. McCaffery and Allison Matthews 5. Mersene Norbom with the instructions to her roll-out gift basket 6. Jamie Lombardi and Erika Shea 7. Vicki Volper 8. Lisa Parrelli Gray 9. Peyton R. Patterson
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A film in bloom
Two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth appeared at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville recently with “Jerome’s Bouquet,” a short that she and her husband, Chris Calkins, directed. Following the screening, they were joined onstage for a Q&A by Tracy Shayne, who appears in the film, and actor Nikhil Melnechuk, one of its producers. A reception concluded the evening, which was presented in partnership with The Actors Fund.
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10. Tom Exton, Bebe Neuwirth and Steve Apkon 11. Chris Calkins 12. Tracy Shayne and Nikhil Melnechuk
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watch Canine celebration
The SPCA of Westchester’s annual “Top Hat and Cocktails Gala” at the Ritz-Carlton, Westchester raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the many homeless and abused animals in the organization’s care in Briarcliff Manor. Supporters enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a video, dancing, a silent auction and sit-down portraits with a professional pet photographer. There was even a doggy ice cream bar for canine companions to enjoy. 1. Alexa and Rachel Kitaygorodsky 2. Barbara Kobren, Shannon Laukhuf and Lisa Rockefeller 3. Jason Berg 4. Irma Jansen, Matthew Vaccaro and Heidi Lobel 5. Deborah Mehne, Lisa Rockefeller, Maria Milito, Barbara Kobren and Shannon Laukhuf 6. Maria Milito and Marie Shelto 7. Megan Whitten 8. Shirley Lindefgeld and Sherley Weld
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Breaking the glass ceiling
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The YWCA of White Plains & Central Westchester held its fall symposium, “The Future of Women and Work: Leaning in, Opting Out and Breaking the Glass Ceiling,” at the YWCA in White Plains. Attendees engaged in a discussion with leading advocates on women’s advancement in the work place. 9. Zenaida Mendez, Mecca Santana, Maria L. Imperial, Lesley Jane Seymour, Kara Underwood and Dr. Pamela Stone 10. Zenaida Mendez 11. Mecca Santana accepting an award on behalf of Gov. Andrew Cuomo 12. Maria L. Imperial and Kevin Plunkett 13. Kara Underwood and Dr. Pamela Stone 14. Christina Rae and Barbara Newman Mannix
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Celebrating Greenwich
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Some 350 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich Oct. 20 for the Greenwich High School Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction ceremony and dinner. The night, spearheaded by Coach Pat Mediate, was filled with memories and emotion – a lot of laughs and a few tears – as the high school honored John “Zeke” Bella (Class of 1947), former New York Yankees’ outfielder and umpire; Sue Merz (Class of 1990), Olympic gold and silver medalist in women’s ice hockey; and Steve Young (Class of 1980), former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, who is, of course, no stranger to halls of fame. Attendees enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a three-course meal, silent and live auctions and entertainment by the school’s string quartet, cheerleaders, and jazz band, which turned back the clock to the 1940s for some pop standards. But mostly, guests thrilled to hearing the inductees talk about the role Greenwich and its school system has played in their personal and professional lives. Photographs by Georgette Gouveia.
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1. Margaret Mullen-Merz and Sue Merz 2. Steve Young meets the press 3. Kathleen and Sonny Hillyard 4. Eleanor and Patrick Mediate, Jimmy Librandi and Tina Mediate 5. Christine and Jeffrey Chartier 6. Brian Curley, Tod Laudonia, Pat Cortes and Bob Begley
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Shining on
Hundreds of guests attended Greenwich Hospital’s 2013 “Harvest Moon Gala” at Greenwich Country Club to support services provided by the hospital’s Emergency Department. During the evening’s program, Connecticut state Sen. Scott Frantz received the President’s Award, that is given annually to individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to Greenwich Hospital and the communities it serves. 7. Lorena and Dr. Christopher Davison with Vicki Leeds Tananbaum 8. Dana Marnane and Bruce Savage 9. Peter and Gila Acker and Maura and Frank A. Corvino 10. Doctors Anate and Jeremy Brauer 11. Scott and Icy Frantz
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watch In full bloom
The calendar may have said fall, but spring was definitely in the air as the White Plains Beautification Foundation paid tribute to Peter Gisondi Sr. at Westchester Hills Golf Club. The White Plains native, who has found success in both painting/contracting and real estate, was hailed for his support of the foundation and its Adopt-A-Park program, through which he has dedicated two Gisondi Family Gardens to the memory of his parents. Guests enjoyed a night of good food, drink and fellowship, along with proclamations celebrating Gisondi from Assemblyman David Buchwald, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and White Plains Mayor Thomas M. Roach. Photographs by Roland Barnes and Jean Bello. 1. Barbara and Richard Dannenbergs with Irving and Esther Natter 2. Ray and Claudia Doherty with Michael and Karen Quinn 3. Peter Gisondi Sr. and Michael Divney 4. Ray Broderick, Mitzi Renz and Isabel Becerra 5. Amy Paulin and Thomas M. Roach 6. Jim Scully and John Iodice 7. Maria Gisondi and Anthony Gisondi Sr. 8. David Buchwald and Peter Gisondi Jr. 9. Peter and John Gisondi
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A Grace-ful event
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The 31st anniversary Princess Grace Awards were presented Oct. 30 at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, marking the fifth year that they were designed by jeweler Alex Soldier. The gala included 24 honors for emerging artists in theater, dance and film as well as the presentation of the Prince Rainier III Award to legendary screen and stage actress Cicely Tyson. Filmmaker and New Arts Axis director Wendy Levy and New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck received the Princess Grace Statue Awards during the black-tie ceremony. Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco presided over the festivities, which were chaired by William and Serena Lese and Sandra van Essche. Lily Safra was the crown sponsor.
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10. Maria and Alex Soldier 11. Paula Zahn 12. Lynn Wyatt 13. Princess Charlene and Cicely Tyson 14. Tiler Peck
Celebrating a legacy
The Baccarat flagship on Madison Avenue dazzled on a recent evening as a red carpet and velvet ropes signaled a special night was under way inside. The glittering boutique designed by Rafael de Cardenas hosted partygoers, who sipped Champagne and toasted the release of “Baccarat 1764: Two Hundred and Fifty Years.” Global CEO Daniela Riccardi was even on hand from Paris to mark the occasion.The Rizzoli New York title, with text by Murray Moss and Laurence Benaïm, celebrates the luxury brand’s legacy. Photographs by Patrick McMullan.
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1. Amy Lau and Julia Noran 2. Geoffrey Bradfield and Georgina Schaeffer 3. Melba Ruffo di Calabria, Jaime Jiménez and Daniela Riccardi 4. Michelle Klein and Wendy Goodman 5. Renee Landegger and Katy Donoghue 6. Carol Prisant 7. Robert Couturier and Carolina Von Humboldt 8. Murray Moss and Rafael de Cardenas 9. Philip Gorrivan, Aviva and Reid Drescher and PierreEmmanuel Maire 10. Vicente Wolf, Jacqueline Terrebonne and Leslie Smith 4
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A hand for the disabled
More than 300 people attended Abbott House’s recent “The Dignity of Family Life Award Dinner/50th Anniversary Gala” at picturesque Marina Del Rey in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. The event raised more than $162,000 for the New York-based nonprofit, which serves children, families and the developmentally disabled. 12. Gregory T. Mooney, Al Roker, Meredith Vieira and James L. Kaufman 13. Diane N. and David H. Wade, Dr. Robert C. and Jody Rawdin, Barbara Kammerer and Susan M. Corcoran
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Want to be in Watch? Send event photos, captions (identifying subjects from left to right) and a paragraph describing the event to hdebartolo@westfairinc.com. 95
class&sass I am very much a girl. I love shoes, clothes, shopping, chocolate, playing dress up, getting compliments, chick flicks and, yes, jewelry. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend after all, or are they? I grew up somewhat of a gypsy and traveled a good deal of the world before I saw my 20s. I really have no roots to speak of. I am a drifter. Having said that, I consider my friends to be my best asset by far. They ground me, make me laugh, bedazzle me and, best of all, make me look good, better than any sparkling gem. Without them, I’d be just be plain shabby. I adore them all and all for different reasons. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I need them desperately. Truer words were never spoken. M I have this great plaque hanging in my office that says, “A good friend will come and bail you out of jail... but a true friend will be sitting next you say saying, ‘Damn... that was fun!!’” (It probably wasn’t the best quote for my impressionable teens to be gazing upon but, in my defense, it did keep a smile on my face during some of my more trying parenting moments.) Girlfriends just seem to get one another. They provide free therapy that’s always spot-on (even though it’s sometimes hard to hear). I can tell them all about my, uh, most recent body changes and they’ll not only be able to relate, they’ll suggest remedies. And just when I get worried that maybe I’m not that much fun anymore, we have a Girls’ Night Out and I realize I’ve still got it going on (at least in my warped little head I do). My network of friendship is one J of the things (even though period pains, labor pains and the various pains of menopause are a never-ending reminder) that I have loved about being a woman. And like you, I know that when a problem arises, I have a plethora of women to choose from who will help me through. Even at times when I just need to vent, they will indulge me. I truly believe that one reason men are attracted to women (besides the obvious) is that we LISTEN. We will comfort them and cradle their hurts, and that is just what is needed in these trying times. I loved the BFF party we orgaM nized. Spying some really tacky, cheap (post-holiday) Valentine’s Day lingerie, we decided to have a small girlfriend party at my home. We dressed up in our favorite evening gowns, sipped
By Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas
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specialty drinks made with vodka and fresh pomegranate juice, dined on delicious dishes we’d all prepared and then danced to our favorite tunes as we tidied up. Afterward, we got a bit more comfortable in our matching lingerie to take some silly pictures for our scrapbooks and then spent the remainder of the evening reminiscing about the journeys we’ve all been on, together and apart, and how truly fortunate we are to have each other in our lives. I think GEM = Girlfriends Empower Me. Lord! That lingerie was THE J WORST. We looked like candy stripers gone wrong. I think that was also the night that I was supposed to bring the dessert, right? And being the fabulous cook that I am, I made the fine decision to put baking powder in the cake mix instead of baking soda. They both kinda looked the same, and they both had the word “bak-
ing” on the label. I figured, how bad could it be? As it turned out ... BAD. My Mexican Wedding Cake looked and tasted like Play-Doh. You guys were good sports about it, though, and managed to choke down a few bites as you laughed through your tears. So I lift my glass of vodka and pomegranate juice (sans tacky lingerie) and make a toast to another year of great friends, great food and great fun. toast to that. We definitely M I’ll looked more like candy strippers than candy stripers. I don’t think I ever told you that my best friend and I were real-life candy stripers when we were in high school. We actually signed on because we adored those red-and-white striped jumpers. When our shift ended, we’d walk around town for another couple of hours hoping that someone we knew would see us and marvel at our cuteness. It almost made up for the
plethora of truly disgusting bedpans we had to clean. Almost but not quite. Wag Up Valentine’s Day, My Birthday, J May Day, Mother’s Day, Groundhog Day and any other day that I get to celebrate something. Why not? Watching reruns of girlfriend M shows featuring Lucy and Ethel, Laverne and Shirley, Mary and Rhoda, Wilma and Betty, Thelma and Louise, Alice and Trixie, etc. Wag Down I get home and discover J When that the store forgot to take off that stupid, plastic, alarm tag thingy, that the clerks somehow always seem to miss. C’mon! Women who bash each other. I M think we all need to chill out a bit and stop judging one another. We should be allies, not enemies.
Email Class&Sass at classandsass@westfairinc.com. You may also follow Martha and Jen on Facebook at Wag Classandsass or access all of their conversations online at wagmag.com.
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