Fashion Oscars

Can I tell you about...the CFDA Awards Night. Every year, as you may already know, the fashion industry holds it's very own awards night, it's our Fashion Oscars. This year, as in previous years it was held in the New York Public Library.My date for the evening was my friend Zani Gugelmann, who had just flown in days before from a friend's wedding in Florence. Since this is our version of the Oscars, who and what you wear is crucial and almost political. Zani had gone to several designers (she knows most of them) for options, Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel and Peter Som for Bill Blass Couture. She also had a selection of my clutches to choose from. It would all depend on the day itself and how these dresses looked after hair and make up was done. Despite the fact that you can throw a dishrag on Zani and she will look great, we weren't taking our chances. It's all about the choices you make at the last minute. In the end, Bill Blass won hands down. The dress went perfectly with my ombre' sequined Sasha minaudiere.It was chic as hell and fit Zani like a glove. Made of silver grey hammered silk, it had a plunging neckline and a slim bodice that ended with a train in the back. A black grossgrain sash nipped at the waist and tied with a bow in the back. Simple, elegant and sexy. Peter was thrilled of course.
We barely made it to the event. The car ran late and the traffic uptown was horrendous. We got in at the nick of time and Patrick (McMullen) snapped away right before we were ushered into the Library.We sat beside Karolina Korukova(supermodel, hello!)and Edmundo Castillo(Sergio Rossi designer) right beside the stage so I was able to get these side views of the speakers, including Posh's (Victoria Beckham) legs!The awards itself was as brief as it could have been. Awardees kept their speeches short and to the point. Mayor Bloomberg got an award, Candy got the Eugenia Shepperd award, Carolina Herrera a lifetime achievement award, Dries Van Noten the International Award, Tom Ford for menswear, Francisco Costa for womenswear and Tory Burch for accessories. The dinner was held after the awards at the adjoining Bryant Park Grill. We were seated with Peter, PR diva Vanessa von Bismark, Tracy Reese and Candace Bushnell (author of Sex & the City, hello!). We had a nice chat about the upcoming series of Lipstick Jungle.
The food was blah(unfortunately)! Edward Wilkinson (Lafayette 148 designer) was livid because he was allergic to everything on the table and left in a huff after the main course arrived. But these events are never about the food anyway. It's all about networking, gossip, mini reunions, people watching and having a blast.
The crowd thinned towards the end as people slipped away. Outside the restaurant, crowds had gathered smoking(so 80's) and plans were being hatched for the next party venue.I had to leave early ( again!) because of my morning flight the next day for Asia and I hadn't finished packing so I left Zani in the hands of Nate Berkus, Brian Atwood and stylist Rachel Zoe. They were definitely not calling it an early night. No doubt it would have been fun to stay out but it wasn't meant to be. There's always next year, right?!

The Night Before

Can I tell you...about the Swarvoski / CFDA cocktail party. Every year, Nadja Swarovski hosts a cocktail party in honor of all the nominees and awardees before the Awards night. This year, they held it at Norwood, a private club ( yeah, another one) on 14th street in Chelsea.I went with my friend, the statuesque and effervescent Zani Gugelmann. Anybody who knows Zani knows she knows how to 'represent'. Tonight she was representing me. She wore my "Martina" gold laser cut clutch with a white linen Dolce bustier dress and gold platform slingbacks. FYI, this clutch is sold out everywhere but you can still borrow it. Just log on to Bag Borrow or Steal.She turned heads everywhere and the photographers couldn't get enough of her. CFDA members, press and fashionistas quickly filled the 4 story brownstone/clubhouse. The drinks flowed and the food was abundant. Not only did they have servers walking around with trays of nibbles but they also had an impressive smorgasboard on the second floor. A live band kept everybody in a great mood.Everybody showed up. Dries Van Noten ( receiving the International Award)flew in from Antwerp, Diane (DVF), Michael (Kors),Stan (Herman), the boys from Proenza, Doo Ri, Thakoon, Richard and John (Lambertson Truex),Amy Larocca of NY magazine,Laird Borrelli and Meenal Mistry from Style.com, Brian Coats from GQ, Jim Shi from the Daily and the girls from Vogue.
Ashley Olsen was seen chatting with Candy Pratts Price(Style.com), who is receiving an award. I suspect an accessories collection by the wonder twins in the making.Roopal Patel was catching up with Eugenia Gonzalez and Michael Bastian(menswear nominee).Linda Fargo showed up wearing a stunning Tony Duquette necklace, turning everybody green with envy!Fresh in from LA, Monique L'huillier and her husband Tom huddled in a corner with TV host Mary Alice Stephenson. Could Monique be the next guest judge in "America's Smartest Model"?Gilles(Mendel),Zani and I were tempted to extend the party elsewhere but we knew better.We still had to look fresh for the next evening's festivities. After all, this was just the party the night before.

Capri-cious

Can I tell you about...Capri. This hotspot has been on my list forever and I've been waiting for the perfect time to go. That time came right after the leather show in Bologna this past May, it was now or never. I convinced David to join me for an extended weekend. Designers all over the world have been inspired by this limestone island for years and I wanted to know why.From as early as 30 A.D., loyalists like the Roman emperor Tiberius all the way to the 1960's with fashionable jetsetters like Jackie O made their seasonal pilgrimages to soak up the sun and the sea. Now, Dolce & Gabanna, Giorgio Armani and Sophia Loren have homes on the cliffs and Michael Kors comes every summer. We rendezvoused at Naples airport and took the hydrofoil over. It was the start of their high season so it wasn't as crowded although you'd never know it from the crowds.I had compiled a "must" list from from friends so I was more than ready to DO Capri.
Here are my highlights:
1. eat lunch at Da Paolino, a restaurant under a grove of lemon trees. All the dishes are accented with lemon...obviously. Truly a must when in Capri. Super delish!
2. If you can manage it, I highly recommend staying at J.K. Place. Talk about Heaven on Earth! The service... superb, the food... fresh and delicious, the view... breathtaking. The rooms are sumptuous, luxurious and relaxed. Every detail is thought out. Think Ralph Lauren meets Kelly Wearstler.
3. If you are lucky enough to catch Lorenzo driving his red vintage Fiat then you know what "la dolce vita" means. For that brief moment while he drove us through the winding roads and the cliffs I felt like I was in a scene in some chic Fellini movie. It was his grandfather's car and it's the only vintage taxi car in Capri.
4. People watching and aperitivos at Hotel Quisisana is a tradition for anyone staying in the island. I love traditions like this. After a full day of walking, we deserved those Bellinis!
5. Trek over to Farilgione, remember those Dolce ads? Musn't miss the famous Lido, La Fontalina. Molto, molto chic! Sunbathers use Hermes beach towels and Goyard totes as their beach bags!
6. Hire a boat to take you around the island and to the Blue Grotto. It is quite an obstacle course but totally worth the trouble. The reflection was a blue that I've never seen before. This is what they call Capri blue or Azzure! It's best to see it is at high noon when the sun is in the perfect angle to reflect through the small opening of the grotto.
7. buy Capri sandals. No trip to Capri is complete without a pair of these and I was obsessed! I had 3 made! They will make them while you wait and you can choose whatever upper design and color you want. These are bespoke shoes to go. You do a quick fitting to make sure they fit and then they are hammered and secured into place and presto, you have your own Capri sandals. I went to 3 different shops just to try them all out. My favorite was Signore Aldo Lella's shop. He is still running it and has pictures with Jackie O during her visits to Capri.
8. shop at Carthusia for scented soaps, room sprays, perfume,etc. These are recipes and formulas handed down by generations of Carthusian monks since 1380, imagine? It's very easy to go buy a little bit of everything in this store. How can you not love a brand that has a mermaid as part of their logo?
Alora, that's my edited lowdown on Capri. Ciao, ciao!

Karl spotting

Can I tell you about...my Karl story? If you work in fashion, eventually you will probably have a Karl story, whether it's a close encounter or a mere sighting.
It all started so innocently one day as I was shopping at Colette (mecca for all fashionistas) in Paris. As I was perusing their very edited mens section, suddenly from the corner of my eye was a flurry of activity, a rush of people and a heightened sense of drama. Lo and behold, Herr Karl was on a shopping spree! His entourage included perenially chic Lady Amanda Harlech and his body guard / eye candy / driver / personal stylist(!)/runway model Sebastien Jondeau.I pretended not to notice as I inched in on the scene. The more non-plussed you look the more they will leave you alone, it works, I guarantee. As Karl tried several jackets, he looked to Sebastien for approval. I found this quite amusing. "C'est va non?", "Genial", "Super", "Sympa" and other fabulosities were thrown into the mix. Suddenly the blase' attitude one usually encounters at these chic boutiques was replaced by nervous attentiveness. It was funny to see these sales associates all flustered and subservient. Minutes later, I was in for a bigger surprise. Karl waited in line to pay at the register!Can you believe that?! There was no VIP treatment. How refreshing! I'm guilty of my own celebrity stereotypes but this is Karl we are talking about. Everybody else in the register pretended very hard not to notice him.Outside the store however was a completely different story. A sizable crowd had gathered when news of Karl had reached the pedestrians. Everybody was trying to take their best shot of him from cameras to cell phones.Well, if you can't beat them, join them. Voila, here are my photos. Upon looking at these less than stellar attempts of being a paparazzi, I think I'll keep my day job. LOL!

Mirror, mirror

Can I tell you about...my trip to Versailles. Every time I go to Paris, which is twice a year, I have every intention of going but somehow I end up not. I enjoyed Sofia Coppola's movie about Marie (Antoinette) so much that this time, I was determined to go. Fortunately my friends Victor and Raymond wanted to come along as well. Versailles was having an exhibition titled "When Versailles was furnished in Silver", showcasing all the silver objets that were made for Louis XIV.The show brings together 200 massive pieces of silverwork gathered from collections of European royalty and was conceptualized by interior designer Jacques Garcia. This was right up his alley especially after his hedonic and opulent interiors for Hotel Costes.This was the first and will be the last exhibit to be ever held in the King's apartments. Apparently, there is nothing grand enough to show here after this.Can we talk about grand? Maybe I should say OTT(over the top)! Human scale candelabras, 770 pound silver tables, 900 pound silver ornate mirrors and even an indoor fountain! This is Liberace's fantasy come to life. Walking through the halls, lit by candlelight as they would have been during those times, I imagined what it must have been like. Marie and Louis wining and dining amid all that pomp and circumstance. The candle light ambience helped tone down the ostentatiousness of these pieces.According to history, Louis XIV silver period was short lived. He was forced to melt some of the pieces in an effort to raise money for his troops. Fortunately, quite a number of them were spared the meltdown and this exhibit showcases all of them for the 1st time in history.Coincidentally, I also wanted to see the Hall of Mirrors which was opened to the public last year after three years of restoration. 357 mirrors and $16 million dollars later, it was definitely worth the wait. Apparently, not a single mirror broke during the work. Now, that TLC! The hall was never totally shut down, as they did the restoration section by section. This way, visitors could still see one of the most visited attractions in France.We walked around the gardens after leaving the chateau. Those gardens seemed to go on forever. We hoped to reach the Trianon but time flies when you're having fun and it was closing time.It's not like I'm never coming back. Hello, there's always the next trip, right?!

Baba Cool

Can I tell you about...Salon Baba.
While I was in Paris last March, my friend Victor Magsaysay wanted to take me to one of his favorite secret places in Paris, called Salon Baba. The salon is situated in the 8th Arrondisement, a hop and a skip away from Fabourg Saint Honore', past the American Embassy. It's tucked away into this unassuming street(rue Jean Mermoz) and the lighting inside is moody to say the least.From the outside you can't quite figure out what kind of business is done here except for a few clues from his eclectic window display.Peeking in, you can see books lined up the walls, men's shoes line the upper shelves, some bric-a-brac, a big desk with a computer, some guys having coffee and voila, having their shoes shined! Officially, he runs a shoe shine parlor and his specialty is cirage-glaçage(high gloss shoe shine), but he's much more than that. He's more like an MC, a host if you will of a very exclusive social club where only the chicest men and sometimes women are allowed entry.Victor has known Baba for 6 years since he moved to Paris. He was introduced to Baba by a friend eager to share his secret with Victor and now he was sharing his secret avec moi.It seemed very clique'y in there, like an old fashion gentleman's club. The boys were dapper, witty and handsome. A girl dropped in dressed in a bright acid yellow coat, skinny jeans and a helmet(she's rides a motorbike) just to say salut, have coffee and join the debate.Politics was the topic of the moment but quickly transitioned to sex. Quelle surprise! Politics and sex go hand in hand these days. The debate got a little heated but all in good fun. It was all very amusing to watch and listen. It's so much more interesting when you can barely understand what's really going on, isn't it?!Apparently, royalty, celebrities, company big wigs and super models drop by on a regular basis just to hang out or possibly get their shoes shined. Even the late runway Diva and YSL favorite Katoucha was a regular.
"He's tougher than any New York club doorman I know. Nobody just enters that little room if he doesn't like you", Victor proclaimed.
Here are a few "facts" known about Baba:
1.He is from tribal royalty in Senegal.
2.His father was a diplomat and was once ambassador to France.
3.His mother was a famous black beauty and a star of several French movies in the late 60's. Her name escapes me.
4. Exactly when he moved to Paris remains a mystery, much like his age.
5. He is one of Paris' best kept secrets...until now.I walked out of there all giddy and bouncy. That Baba serves a mean espresso. I didn't even get my shoes shined, but that wasn't the point to begin with. I'm definitely coming back to visit on my next trip and maybe this time, I'll get my shoes shined.
p.s. Baba Cool is the French way of saying Hippie Chic.