Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2015 - January 2016 i Town & Country

1967 BEST & BRIGHTEST “What do you think of the Best-Dressed List?” Town & Country asked in 1967. “I throw [the ballot] in the nearest wastebasket,” designer James Galanos said. Undaunted, the magazine published a register of 15 fashionable New Yorkers, including Marisa Berenson, whose looks “do not require the glitter of jewels.” Though that emerald and diamond brooch does bring out the green in her eyes!…

LESLEY M.M. BLUME For “MUSE AND MASTER” (page 102), Blume visited the Manhattan home of painter (and Picasso paramour) Françoise Gilot. “It was like walking through the looking glass into another world, one filled with ghosts of some of the 20th century’s greatest creative minds,” says the New York City–based journalist, who writes about cultural history. Her next book, Everybody Behaves Badly, out in June, documents the real-life events that inspired Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. ERIC KONIGSBERG “The only certainty for me was what a hell this must be for a child’s parents— both the accuser’s and the accused’s,” says the writer about the recent sex scandal at St. Paul’s—the elite boarding school in New Hampshire—which is the subject of this month’s Manners and Misdemeanors column, “ANNUS HORRIBILIS”…

Pablo Picasso had a reputation for captivating and then subsuming his paramours—with one glaring exception: French artist Françoise Gilot. Just 21 years old when she met him, Gilot was a strong, definite presence. Her independence rankled Picasso, but it appears to have also worked on him like catnip. Throughout their nearly 10-year relationship, he liberally documented her image in paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Gilot did gradually become part of the Picasso machine, acting as assistant and archivist and bearing two of his children, but she never wholly succumbed to him. For hours every day she locked herself in her own studio and painted, shutting out his world and building her own. Eventually they parted ways, but their fraught love affair has long captivated the public. It has been the subject…

“Rather than dictate to people how to use furniture, I want to make it possible for them to use it the way they want to,” says Marta Sala (right), whose home furnishings company, Marta Sala Editions, made its debut in Milan earlier this year. The 14-piece collection was designed by Rome-based architects Claudio Lazzarini and Carl Pickering, whose buildings and interiors are known for an elegantly luxurious brand of modernism. Many of the pieces are dualpurpose or modular, such as the brass and marble Megan (above right, from $5,025), which is both a floor lamp and small table, and the Wanda upholstered chair (from $1,790), which comes in numerous configurations. All are made in Italian workshops. “Collaborating with artisans gives a kind of soul to these pieces,” Sala says. That…

PRIMAL INSTINCTS Cartier has been interpreting the panther—in diamonds, onyx, and gold—for more than a century. The Nero ring, below, in jasper and emeralds, now joins the pack. SOCIETY WALKER Cartier panthers have been collected by, and served as loyal companions to, various 20thcentury arbiters of taste, including, from top, Daisy Fellowes, Marella Agnelli, and Barbara Hutton. CARTIER NERO RING (PRICE ON REQUEST), 800-227-8437 PREMIER BREED The panther first appeared in this Cartier invitation from 1914, though it has long been used by artists as a symbol of exotic—and irresistible—danger.…

LIKA BEHAR Lika Behar’s “olive branch” earrings are handmade with 24K pure gold wrapped around rare sleeping beauty turquoise drops. Completely handmade using ancient jewelry-making techniques, each pair is unique. Available at Susan Robinson Fine Jewelry, Tyler, TX. For more information, please visit susanrobinsonjewelry.com or call 903.581.5530. DONNA DISTEFANO A precious dream in evergreen, this rare and phenomenal 22K Harlequin ring by Donna Distefano contains a natural Colombian emerald of exceptional vivid color. Expand the boundaries of your imagination with a custom jewel from a legendary goldsmith. For more information, please visit donnadistefano.com or call 212.594.3757. JYE New to Jye’s Rose Cut Collection is this fun yet fashionable butterfly ring—an eyecatching piece made in 18K white gold with 13.32 carat multicolor sapphires, 2.35 carat premium cut round diamonds, 0.11 carat…

Boarding school is a distinctly perverse and alienating experience. I can say that with authority, because I spent four years at one, and on good days I still manage to convince myself I emerged the better for it. The hard part isn’t being away from home, it’s confinement among one’s peers in one of the most high-pressure settings one is ever likely to experience. “Other boys and girls go home at the end of the day or disappear into the streets,” Nelson W. Aldrich Jr. wrote in Old Money, his landmark study of the American upper class. “But in boarding school there’s no privacy, no money, and no help, except from the larger family of the school itself. There’s no dreamy solitude, no slack time, no lazing around. One’s entire…

The dynamic culture and ancient grandeur of India appeal to older children with the stamina for an action-packed journey. Kay Merrill of Are We There Yet? Family Adventures creates never-adull-moment trips, such as this 10-night itinerary, which begins in the capital, New Delhi, and proceeds through the state of Rajasthan. It offers interaction with local young people “who share with you stories of their life journeys,” Merrill says. KAY MERRILL, ARE WE THERE YET? FAMILY ADVENTURES, 415-945-6215, KAY.MERRILL@ANDAVOTRAVEL.COM WHERE TO STAY India offers an almost infinite range of experiences and accommodations. For the full-on royal treatment, Merrill suggests beginning with three nights at the five-star Lodhi Hotel in New Delhi. After that, spend two nights in Agra at the Oberoi Amarvilas (each room has a view of the Taj Mahal);…

A memorable 2001 interview with David Lynch included a section on the film director’s eating habits, which are eccentric to say the least. Lynch sticks to the same menu each day, varying the food every six months or so. At the time of this particular story his lunch was a salad blended in a Cuisinart “so each bite tastes the same”; his dinner was two-inch cubes of cheese, cut up for him by his girlfriend and served in a napkin. When the writer, John Powers, asked about this redundancy, Lynch replied that it was “reassuring…there are no surprises there.” I was reminded of that when I spent time with Jean Pigozzi, the renegade art collector, photographer, venture capitalist, and occasional clothing manufacturer, after visiting his apartments in Paris and New…

HORN OF PLENTY It’s not often that a rhino makes it onto a cover with the lovely Uma Thurman [“Africa’s Ark,” October]. And how wonderful to see a positive article about an African country doing all the “right stuff.” Botswana should be an example to many other countries with endangered species. It would have been super to have included a photo of those two handsome Khamas: the president and the minister. The world needs more leaders in their mold. Barbara Belding, SANTA FE, NM Your October story may have been well meaning in raising the awareness of the plight of rhinos. But to give away the locations and destinations, along with a map, simply adds to the poachers’ arsenal. Now they know where to go to hunt the remaining animals!…

DEL GATTO Chris Del Gatto, Co Founder, and former Chairman & CEO of circa, proudly announces the launch of his most exciting endeavor to date: “DEL GATTO.” DEL GATTO provides an entirely innovative array of services for people looking to sell their fine jewelry, diamonds and timepieces wisely. It gives sellers the convenience of transacting in person or online, and the ability to receive unprecedented prices. A key division is its global consumer-toconsumer marketplace, IDoNowIDont.com. For more information, please visit del-gatto.com or call 212.681.9550. JANE IREDALE Achieve effortless holiday beauty with the newest products of the season from jane iredale. The limited edition In the Blink of a Smoky Eye Smoky Eye Kit is a modern eye shadow palette containing eight versatile shades along with a step-by-step guide to help…

By New York standards, Jade Frampton and Samuel Homburger’s relationship began as a longdistance one: She was living in the Financial District; he, on the Upper West Side. When they started seeing each other, in September 2009 (thanks to a successful blind date set up by Jade’s mom and Samuel’s aunt, who live in the same building in Miami), Samuel, account director at the Week, made the journey to Jade’s apartment every time to pick her up, even if they were going back uptown. “It was very chivalrous,” says Jade, the senior fashion market editor at Elle. “I haven’t had anyone pick me up at my door, ever.” Eventually the two moved in together on the Upper East Side, where proximity to Central Park meant weekly Sunday strolls with their…

BEATRICE BORROMEO NOUVEAU ROYALE With this ring thou wedst a lifetime of Grace Kelly pastels and ladylike accessories. PRINCESS CHARLOTTE VS. PRINCE GEORGE RIVAL SIBLINGS An arsenal of gender-appropriate toys and clothing for their upcoming—and ongoing—battle to be cutest royal heir. MALIA OBAMA THE INTERN How to please every moody teenage girl who spent most of her year at the White House and the summer on the set of Girls. WANG JIANLIN SPORTY BILLIONAIRE The richest man in China— and subject of a New York Times exposé—just bought the Ironman competition. He better be able to keep up. RON PERELMAN MUSICALLY CHALLENGED MOGUL Here’s one way to drown out the sounds of his former Carnegie Hall board members (and all that classical music, too). DAVID GEFFEN THE FISHER KING A…

“Why does everything I do turn Byzantine?” Coco Chanel once asked. The designer’s fascination with the motifs of the age is often traced back to a trip to Venice; the mosaics and gold filigree of San Marco, and the iconography inside the church, cast a spell that inspired costume jewelry that would have made Empress Theodora proud. This past July the house bearing Coco’s name once again sailed to Byzantium, with the Talismans of Chanel fine jewelry collection, which features several pieces inspired by the empire. The influence was particularly apparent in the Magnétique suite, shown here, which uses rock crystal, one of the most popular stones of the period, as well as a lacelike gold pattern that reveals the skin of the wearer, another Byzantine trope. Roman philosopher Pliny…

SUZY LANDA Suzy Landa’s collection of future heirlooms, crafted one piece at a time in New York City, feature pristine gemstones gathered from all over the world and carefully nested in casually elegant settings. Pictured here is an 18K gold one-of-a-kind ring highlighting a large, rare 20 carat oval rubellite cabochon surrounded by diamonds and pink sapphires. For more information, please visit suzylanda.com or call 212.874.2346. PASQUALE BRUNI Giardini Segreti is the name of the whimsical new collection by Pasquale Bruni dedicated to the secret courtyards of Milan. Giardini Segreti are pieces of jewelery in gold and diamonds which are born to sinuous leaves. Rings dress the hands in an intriguing and feminine way, giving every woman the chance to create her own garden, with the union of two or…

Most brands adhere to strict budgets when developing new products. After all, a serum or cream has to perform and make sense for the bottom line. But the privately owned company Sisley takes an almost outrageously spareno-expense approach: Researchers are not permitted to check the cost of an ingredient, lest it influence their decision about whether to include it in one of Sisley’s formulas, some of which take a decade to develop. “We care about our products being better,” says Philippe d’Ornano, chairman of the family-run firm. (His sister Christine serves as international VP.) “And we are not on the stock exchange, so we have no pressure from outsiders, which allows us to really take our time.” This philosophy was ingrained in the d’Ornano siblings by their father Hubert, who…

.COM FOR ADDITIONAL READINGS BY KATHARINE MERLIN, GO TO TOWNANDCOUNTRYMAG.COM SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 23–DECEMBER 21 Jennifer Connelly Consider your choices carefully in early December: The new Moon of the 11th is all about fresh starts and connections. In your personal life you need to carve out some precious time to focus on the people who count, and as the new year begins, Mercury’s retrograde motion is telling you to rethink certain financial arrangements and tighten your grip. By January’s end, details will cohere, so don’t stress out, and do stick to your game plan. CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22–JANUARY 20 Alexander Hamilton Mars in Libra tends to make you somewhat impetuous in December. With Venus in Scorpio, you really need to think about reaching out to those people who share your vision, because…

A ski trip in spring offers thinner crowds and better value than you find during the December and February school breaks. The Vail resort, centered on a single mountain, has three main entry points of “varying degrees of family-friendliness,” according to Meg Austin of the Travel Society (MEG2BOOK@GMAIL.COM, 970-763-5010). There’s something here for all family members, from tentative toddlers to speed-demon teens. WHERE TO STAY The five-bedroom mountaintop villa Game Creek Chalet is the ultimate in luxury and privacy—although its off-the-beaten-track location makes it unsuitable for very young children. Book a private chef and have your ski instructor meet you on top of the mountain in the early mornings. The Lodge at Vail, in bustling Vail Village, is in the thick of things, but there’s no ski school nearby, so…

A luxury trip to this wonderland off the coast of Ecuador—where the fauna are utterly unafraid of humans—requires booking at least eight months in advance and being flexible about travel times; every nature lover in the world wants to come here, and visitor numbers and flow are strictly regulated. The payoff: wildlife encounters that can’t be had anywhere else. “I have fallen asleep on the beach and woken up next to a snoring sea lion,” says Allie Almario of Myths and Mountains, a specialist in the area. ALLIE@MYTHSAND MOUNTAINS.COM, 800-670-6984 WHERE TO STAY For the ultimate in elegance, charter a private cruise. There are about 70 ships available in the islands; one standout is the M/Y Grace, an exquisite historic craft named for Princess Grace, who honeymooned aboard. The 145-foot…

Alfred Ford might have been any old corporate road warrior, in his pressed khakis and soft traveling shoes. He had come up from Calcutta, a three-hour drive along dusty roads clogged with mule-drawn carts, arriving in Mayapur, West Bengal, to look in on a big building project rising near a bend in the Ganges River. In his VIP suite, across from the site, he slipped into a loosefitting kurta and wraparound dhoti, a strand of beads creeping out from under his Indian shirt. A murmur of song began to rise in the distance. He caught the tune, barely moving his lips. “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare.” For 40 years Ford has been repeating the mantra just as his guru instructed, 1,728 times daily, counting off under his…

GIA How do you choose a diamond with the most sparkle? Look closely at the quality of the diamond’s cut. Visit online to learn more about diamond cut and 4Cs quality factors. For more information, please visit 4Cs.GIA.edu. ULTHERAPY FDA-cleared Ultherapy® uses noninvasive ultrasound to gradually lift and tighten skin on the neck, under-chin and brow, and smooth the décolletage— without surgery or downtime. The procedure is scientifically proven to stimulate the body’s own collagen production and can help you achieve a fresher, more youthful look. For full product and safety information, including possible mild side effects, visit Ultherapy.com/IFU. For more information, please visit ultherapy.com. STEPHANIE KANTIS Stephanie Kantis is known for her bold design while still incorporating a feminine edge. The collection is designed with cultural influences and truly…

FRANÇOIS PAYARD Third generation Pâtissier François Payard has delighted New Yorkers with his legendary macarons and innovative confections for decades. His latest book, Payard Cookies, shares recipes of bestselling cookies from his patisseries, cafes, and restaurants. His cookies, chocolates, and other confections are also available for nation-wide delivery from his SOHO headquarters. For more information, please visit payard.com. PLEASE B SEATED Whether you’re hosting an intimate dinner, a wedding, or gala, Please B Seated has the party rentals to make your event memorable. Browse our collection of rare and exclusive seating, china, linens, and glassware, and allow our sales staff to help you create an event your guests won’t soon forget. For more information, please visit pleasebseated.com or call 516.441.7412. CHÂTEAU D’ESCLANS “ROCK ANGEL” ROSÉ Located just north of St-Tropez…

It can be tricky when an artist, even a confident and prolific one like Mark Bradford, becomes wildly popular. One sure result is that when collectors and museums tilt at the same prize works of art, the prices rise—as they did in October, when Constitution IV, Bradford’s shimmering square filled with muscular incisions in black, white, and blood red, sold at Phillips for $5.7 million, twice the high estimate, breaking his previous record of $4.39 million, set only five months earlier. But the L.A. native, who split his boyhood between South Central and Santa Monica, has pioneered an innovative hedge against his own runaway success. He now strongly suggests that collectors interested in buying one of his works acquire a second, comparable piece and donate it to a significant museum…

1964 The vintage Tiffany bracelet reflected the rich, decorative style of the period, but it needed a “modern attitude.” 2015 The new piece echoes the movement of the original in gold and rose-cut diamonds. TIFFANY MASTERPIECES BRACELET ($225,000), TIFFANY.COM. The 1961 Tiffany & Co. holiday high jewelry catalog came with a manifesto on taste in America. Chief among chairman of the board Walter Hoving’s concerns: Could it survive? He also outlined the measures his company had taken to assure that it would. The first step had been to separate the Tiffany “sheep from the goats” in 1955 by holding a clearance sale—the first in the brand’s history. The company then gathered designers and stylists who understood the “new policies” and would create pieces that measured up to “higher standards of…

GRAND MASTER MEET THE MYSTERY MAN WHO IS SKETCHING THE FUTURE OF HIGH JEWELRY. You may already own a Giampiero Bodino without knowing it. The Italian jeweler has served for several years as creative director of the Richemont Group, which includes the legendary houses Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Officine Panerai, becoming so admired for his ability to fuse Old World traditions with innovation that the company urged him to open a house bearing his own name. The pieces he has created—like the necklace of chains with spinel and emerald Maltese crosses above—are surprisingly modern and flexible. The same cannot be said of the location of the collection, which can be seen only by appointment inside a historic house, the Villa Mozart in Milan. S.V. Jewelry LEXICON Torque Neck•lace…

The popularity of the no-makeup makeup look was the death knell for any product with loads of glitter, as a frosted finish is a dead giveaway that you did not wake up looking like this. But the new takes on shimmer highlight a face’s features rather than spackling them with sparkle. It helps if products are applied to a smooth canvas, which can be achieved with the hydrating saviors here, coming to our shores just in time for the big chill.…

THE TREATMENT Hotel Jerome’s Auberge Spa Longtime area resident Sarah Villafranco, a former ER doctor, and her Osmia Organics line offer healing formulas for allergy-prone skin, but the Spa Series is all about relaxing the mind and rejuvenating the body. Test the alpine-scented products at the historic Hotel Jerome’s Auberge Spa. The Extreme Hydration Replenishment, an 80-minute treatment for face and body, uses Osmia’s Rosemary Body Mousse ($42) as well as Colorado honey. $275, HOTELJEROME.AU BERGERESORTS.COM THE WORKOUT Highland Bowl For bragging rights that will impress even a local, tackle the lung-busting hike to the 12,392-foot summit of Highland Bowl. It takes an hour (though you can hitch a ride on a snowcat to skip part of it), but it offers 360-degree views of the Elk Mountains. Post-hike, refuel at…

There was a time when luxury travel for families would have been an oxymoron. Luxury was for adults— why spoil it with children, yours or someone else’s? Not that there’s anything wrong with that…on occasion. But what if you could find places that appealed to all ages and still felt like an indulgence, that were relatively easy to get to and yet not overrun by every other family on vacation, and that offered a variety of options for adventure (for them) and relaxation (for you)? We think the destinations on the next five pages (recommended by top family travel specialists) hit all those marks, offering high end, kid-friendly possibilities for every taste. We’re not saying these places address every challenge facing today’s families (“What did I say about texting while…

America’s national parks are packed during the summer. Still, it’s a glorious season to see them, and the key is to go to less visited areas, says Sam Highley of All Roads North, a specialist in luxury U.S. road trips (SAM@ALLROADSNORTH.COM, 310-402-2381). Highley’s itinerary—best for families with elementary school–age children or older—begins in San Francisco, hugs the rugged Northern California coastline, with its giant redwoods, and stops in Mendocino and Sonoma, less crowded alternatives to Big Sur and Napa. WHERE TO STAY Brewery Gulch Inn in Mendocino is a luxury B&B perched on a bluff above the ocean; its Meadowview Suite can accommodate a family of four. In Sonoma, Beltane Ranch is an idyllic hillside vineyard with surrounding gardens and orchards that give it an all-ages appeal. The historic Evergreen…

When Julianne Moore bounds into the Judd Foundation on a stormy day in October, she unleashes a squeal of delight, the sort of sound generally directed at, say, One Direction’s Harry Styles. “This is soooo cool,” she says. “I’m so excited!” Her enthusiasm—genuine and disarming—is for the location, 101 Spring Street, the New York City home and studio of the late artist Donald Judd. Restored and opened to the public in 2013, the Judd Foundation is a pristine time capsule of how he lived and worked, and Moore has been pining to visit. “A friend was going to take me here a while back,” she says, “but I couldn’t go, and I keep meaning and meaning to come.” Moore—casual in loose-fitting blue jeans, blue blazer, and Adidas Rod Laver sneakers—pulls…

Grooming by Thora using Chanel Les Beiges at Kate Ryan Inc. Nails by Fleury Rose for Dior Vernis. Set design by Philipp Haemmerle Inc. Child wrangling by Meryl Salzinger.…

Louis Auchincloss’s story “The Landmarker” tells of an heiress who owns a beautiful old building in Manhattan and her dear friend, an architecture aficionado, who begs her to save it from being torn down. He is passionate and persuasive. She is receptive. The reader feels hopeful. But then hope runs into reality. At the end of the story, the old man turns a corner one day to find that his beloved building is no longer there. Like the demise of that building, the closing of F.A.O. Schwarz came as a shock even as it felt inevitable, the erasure of yet another orienting point on the map. If you grow up in New York City, as I did, you become inured to the continuous erosion of the landscape of your childhood.…

Whether you’re one for an extravagant evening out or a quiet gathering at home on December 31, a glass of champagne—to mark the year that has passed and celebrate what is to come next—is certainly in order. More and more, the bubbly is flowing into the lush curves of a coupe. The speakeasy staple, which encourages a generous pour right up to the top, is joined here by our idea of culinary comfort: elegant blinis piled high with crème fraîche and caviar, and that old ballpark miniature, pigs in a blanket—a welcome addition at any table no matter how formal the occasion. Throw in festive decor in the form of gold confetti, starburst centerpieces, and kitschy hats, and the night is ripe for a fitting, fizzing toast to 2016.…