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subscribe to style file blog via RSSNow Boarding: StndAIR
May 24, 2012 3:15 pm
Long weekends usually mean long drives, thanks to the inevitable crowds heading to their weekend getaway destinations. Not if André Balazs has anything to do with it—the Standard hotelier has brought back his eight-passenger seaplane, StndAIR, for its second year in a row just in time for Memorial Day weekend. In keeping with The Standard cool factor, every passenger will get their choice of one of three styles of Warby Parker sunglasses (and in Parker fashion, a pair of prescription glasses is distributed to one of the billion people worldwide without access to affordable eyewear) upon boarding the weekend flight, which departs from the East River. Forty-five minutes later, and perhaps a few glasses of André Balazs Reserve Beach Rosé down, you are in East Hampton. And if you want an anything-but-standard experience, you can now book StndAIR for charter services to any port within 300 miles of Manhattan.
A one-way flight on StndAIR is $525. To find out more, visit www.stndair.com.
tags: Andre Balazs, East Hampton, StndAIR, The Standard
Perfect Gowns
May 24, 2012 1:17 pm
Part Two of the sweeping Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology’s exhibit Fashion, A-Z opened at noon today. At this morning’s preview, editors, who trekked through the dreary mist, were cheered up by the sights of famous ball gowns and sparkling cocktail attire. “I’m always wowed by Charles James,” said the exhibit’s co-curator Jennifer Farley. She was nodding to a strapless silk taffeta gown the color of a dusty rose (pictured), from the actress Lisa Kirk, that could have doubled for sculpture. “I’ve heard that he was difficult to work with, but he was a perfectionist,” Farley added.
James, of course, was not alone in his technical feats. In contrast to Part One of the exhibition (originally called The Great Designers: Part One), Farley and Colleen Hill showcased some of the big American names, like a jewel-encrusted Ralph Lauren long-sleeved gown, a black and ivory chiffon red-carpet number by Hollywood costume designer Irene Lentz, and a purple silk jersey Norman Norell stunner from 1965, glittering with sequins that had been hand-sewn and reinforced individually. “To think there was that kind of quality in ready-to-wear,” Farley wondered aloud.
Of the 60-plus looks, there were also neat tie-ins. In one section, there was a short-sleeved dress by Pierre Balmain. Further into the exhibit, Balmain’s mentor Edward Molyneux was represented. And for runway fans, there were current pieces as well, which might inspire nostalgia. In wide white and blue striped silk, a Raf Simons for Jil Sander floor-length dress from Spring 2011 was modern and sporty, which contrasted with an unforgettable Chantilly lace black ball gown by Olivier Theykens for Rochas directly across the walkway. The romantic nighttime look, from the Spring 2004 collection, is sure to elicit some sighs.
Fashion A-Z, Part Two at the Museum at FIT, Seventh Ave. at 27th St. On view May 23 to November 10.
tags: Charles James, Colleen Hill, Edward Molyneux, Jennifer Farley, Norman Norell, Olivier Theykens, Pierre Balmain, Raf Simons, Ralph Lauren
In The Kitchen With Ricky Lauren
May 21, 2012 4:38 pm
“Sitting around the table and telling each other stories, making jokes and laughing,” Ricky Lauren (pictured) tells Style.com. “Those are the fondest memories I have of our summers in the Hamptons and of meals we’ve shared there together.”
For her latest book, Ricky Lauren The Hamptons Food, Family and History, Ralph Lauren’s other half has invited the world in on those cherished, private moments at their homes in the Hamptons. The cookbook is filled with 130 delectable recipes (some of them passed down in the family for generations) and rich photographs, complete with stories from Lauren about their family pancake “breakfast factory” before the kids went off to day camp and Ralph’s barbecue requirement: frankfurters. “One of our favorite salads, from the book, is my daughter Dylan’s Sunshine Salad (page 151). She made that up by herself to surprise us (with the help of her babysitter) when she was very young,” says Lauren. “She put it on a big round platter with the rays made out of slices of orange, mango, papaya, banana, and chicken—she wanted to make it look like the sun!” Here, Lauren shares her phyllo vegetable stack recipe (page 119) with Style.com. To get all of the recipes, the book ($40) is available on RalphLauren.com.
Phyllo Vegetable Stack
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow zucchini, finely chopped
1 green zucchini, finely chopped
2 cups crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 sticks butter, melted
5 sheets phyllo pastry dough
Grated Parmesan cheese
Paprika
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Saute the onion in butter, then add garlic. Add the zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms, then the tomatoes and basil. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Add 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Set the vegetable mixture aside.
Brush the butter on each sheet of phyllo pastry. Layer like a Napoleon, starting with the phyllo, then spooning the vegetable mixtures on top and spreading it over the pastry dough. Then repeat. Finish with a layer of phyllo. Sprinkle the top layer with Parmesan and a dash of paprika. Cut the phyllo into 2-by-2-inch squares. Bake in a 400 degree F oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove and serve warm. Stack three squares on top of one another to form a tower.
Serves 4 to 6.
tags: Ralph Lauren, Ricky Lauren
Fashion And Art Converge At The Whitney
May 21, 2012 3:12 pm
It had all the fixings of a standard fashion show—front-row fixtures like Michael Stipe and Jen Brill, makeup by James Kaliardos for MAC, hair by Bumble and Bumble, and in-demand models from agencies like IMG and Ford, but K8 Hardy’s Untitled Runway Show at the Whitney Museum on Sunday was anything but typical. The multimedia performance artist, known best for her cult zine FashionFashion, put together a collection of over 30 looks as part of her exhibition for the 2012 Biennial. For Hardy, the presentation was a way of creating a dialogue about commercialism and the way fashion affects society’s views on women rather than a vehicle for showing off her design chops.
The crowd of art enthusiasts waited patiently for about half an hour before the first model stepped out onto the wood and steel runway set, installed for the occasion by fellow Biennial artist Oscar Tuazon. Walking to amped-up reggaeton beats mixed up with Neutrogena radio ads and high-pitched nail art tutorials that had some audience members covering their ears, each model affected her own signature strut based on Hardy’s instructions. “I used to love the shows where models would dance down the runway,” Hardy told Style.com after the show. Some shuffled slowly with a moribund limp, others did ballet-like pliés and leaps, and one girl even staged a convincing runway stumble and tumble. Each catwalker wore teased-to-the-max wigs and face paint that resembled another spoof on the now-famous Tanning Mom.
Read the rest of this entry >
tags: FashionFashion, James Kaliardos, Jen Brill, K8 Hardy, Michael Stipe, Whitney Museum
Rodarte At The Opera
May 21, 2012 9:37 am
Their past projects include the Fra Angelico Collection at LACMA and the solo exhibition States of Matter at MOCA, but Pasadena natives Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s latest artistic endeavor is their largest undertaking yet: designing the costumes for the L.A. Philharmonic’s production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, led by Gustavo Dudamel. For a short, four-performance run, the show presented itself as an opportunity for Rodarte to firmly secure itself as part of the city’s art establishment—not to mention to work with the legendary Frank Gehry.
Gehry’s set design transformed the Walt Disney Concert Hall—also of his design—into an abstract interpretation of Don Giovanni’s mind. A meeting of the minds is the right way to describe the sisters’ collaboration with Gehry, too. “We would have these meetings with Frank and would talk about things that had nothing to do with opera,” Laura Mulleavy told Style.com, citing the need to “learn each other’s language.” “But in that sense it was indirectly working on the project, because we needed to understand the way he was going to come up with the idea and eventually design a set, and then we would design the costumes to go with it.” Rodarte’s creations included two beaded gowns for each female lead, using silk, sequins, and intricate hand embroidery in a largely gray and white palette that introduced strategic color in the second act. For the men, they used denim (a first for the pair) to create a striking combination of straitjacket and armor, dressing each in a chest plate with a hand-painted marble finish—representing the chess pieces in Don Giovanni’s world.
In both lead time and inspiration, the Mulleavys’ operatic costume debut was a departure from their normal design process. “You are working with material that is so classic that everyone knows it, so you’re starting from a ground point that’s already decided for you,” Laura said of the source material for the year-long effort. But though they’re familiar with defining characters in their collections, these costume designs were part of an evolving collaboration that entailed multiple moving parts. “When you’re designing for characters, you really have to become a costume designer. You’re not the sole decider and you’re not a fashion designer in that situation.”
Don Giovanni concludes its run at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, L.A., with performances May 24 and 26.
tags: Frank Gehry, Gustavo Dudamel, Kate Mulleavy, Laura Mulleavy, Rodarte
The Guys Who Set Paris On Fire
May 18, 2012 1:52 pm
The song of Fall ‘12 Paris fashion week? No question—Zebra Katz’s (pictured, left) vogue culture-referencing “Ima Read.” Credit for that goes to Rick Owens (pictured, right), who blasted the song as the soundtrack to his fire-and-brimstone (literally!) Fall womenswear show. (”It’s a Rick Owens show, it’s not Disney World,” the designer shrugs.) Dazed & Confused brought the two provocateurs together for a video interview and a little photo shoot. Clothes, naturally, are by Rick Owens. The hat is Katz’s—but if Rick started making them, we’d have no objections. Check out the full video here.
tags: Fall '12, Rick Owens, Zebra Katz
Helping Haiti, One Brushstroke At A Time
May 17, 2012 5:50 pm
“I was in Haiti for my very first time,” says the designer and big-time Haiti activist Donna Karan, “and I got back to my hotel one day and saw this amazing artwork on the walls. I said, Oh my God, who did this?” As it turned out, the artist was leading contemporary Haitian artist Philippe Dodard, and he happened to be standing right behind her at that moment. (Apparently, timing really is everything.)
After that chance meeting, Dodard’s strong graphic ink wash paintings became the inspiration for Karan’s Spring 2012 graphic collection of body-hugging dresses and full skirts (of which a portion of the sales benefited the artisans of Haiti). More recently, the pair combined their artistic efforts for a new exhibition at North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), entitled The Luminous Breath of the Human Spirit. On display, there are six dresses from Karan’s Spring collection (pictured, left) and 37 works by Dodard (who now serves as the general director of the National School of Arts in Haiti). “I want to create art that awakens rather than satisfies the mundane desires of the clientele—art that embodies different answers to our human problems,” Dodard tells Style.com of his work. That is the bigger picture to this ongoing partnership between Karan and Dodard (they have collaborated on design and metal projects through initiatives of her Urban Zen foundation, and both contributed to photographer Russell James’ Nomad Two Worlds multimedia project, which has been showcased around the world and is now on display at Urban Zen)—the duo is revitalizing and rebuilding Haiti through art.
“I have always said that the answer to Haiti is in the hands of the people,” says Karan, who, since meeting Dodard, has been back to the country countless times. “It’s the artists, the most creative people, who will revive it.”
The Luminous Breath of the Human Spirit is on display through June 20 at MOCA, 770 Northeast 125th St., Miami, Fla., (305) 893-6211. To learn more about Karan and Dodard’s collaborative efforts, visit UrbanZen.org.
tags: Donna Karan, Haiti, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Philippe Dodard, The Luminous Breath of the Human Spirit
She Loved To Love You, Baby
May 17, 2012 4:31 pm
A disco queen has died. “Last Dance” quips may be expected. But Donna Summer’s influence was great. She didn’t just have a moment—she had 17, the epic length of “Love to Love You, Baby,” the track she recorded with Giorgio Moroder, the Italian producer with whom she helped to shape the entire genre of dance music. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, borrowing may go one better—and everyone from Madonna to Whitney to Diana to Beyoncé has sampled Summer. Several generations of one-namers recognize her as one of their own.
Summer’s onstage style may not have been as influential as some of her fellow seventies dollies. But her music gave the beat to the better part of a generation. She had a catalog of hits nearly unrivaled among disco divas, and continued well into the pop/R&B of the eighties: In addition to “Love to Love You, Baby” and “Last Dance,” there were “I Feel Love,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls,” “On the Radio,” and “She Works Hard for the Money.” She won five Grammys and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The fashion world has long appreciated Summer. In 2010, she and Marc Jacobs duetted on “On the Radio” at the opening of Louis Vuitton’s New Bond Street maison. (Kim Jones, Vuitton’s menswear designer, later called on Moroder to create and spin the soundtrack to his Fall ‘12 men’s show, too.)
Summer died this morning, following a private battle with cancer. She was 63.
tags: "Last Dance", Beyonce, Donna Summer, Kim Jones, Louis Vuitton, Madonna, Marc Jacobs, Whitney Houston
At Victoria Bartlett, Skin Is In
May 16, 2012 1:43 pm
Fans of VPL won’t be surprised to hear that designer Victoria Bartlett is obsessed with anatomy—VPL is short for Visible Panty Line, after all. But her fixation on the body goes beyond her signature maxi dresses with the bra-cup tops. Tomorrow night, Bartlett is hosting an opening for an exhibition at her Mercer Street store in Soho that she curated with Renee Vara, in which she invited 15 artists to submit work based on the theme (and shown under the title) Second Skin. Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Jack Pierson, Collier Schorr, and Mark Borthwick are among the participants. Hrafnhildur Arnardottir (a.k.a. Shoplifter) is doing a performance in the shop window. All the work except hers will be for sale. “It could be literal, or it could be interpretive,” Bartlett says of the submissions. “It’s also about what’s underneath, getting under your skin, annoyance—all those different points are represented.” Ugo Rondinone’s wax and earth pigments sculpture, nude (xxxxxxxx) (pictured), could almost double as a mannequin. You won’t find any clothes hanging from it before or after the opening—the show will be up for two months—but more than likely his piece and the others will influence Bartlett’s own work. The crossover of media “keeps me ticking,” she says. “It’s fodder for my brain.”
Second Skin opens tomorrow at VPL, 5 Mercer St., NYC.
tags: Collier Schorr, Hrafnhildur Arnardottir, Jack Pierson, Mark Borthwick, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Second Skin, Victoria Bartlett, VPL
Kicks In Space
May 15, 2012 10:56 am
The latest of Tom Sachs’ forays into space will take him to Mars—or at least as close as you can get with the Park Avenue Armory as your launching pad. Sachs, the fashion-favorite artist/provocateur who’s made space travel a particular fascination (when he’s not erecting giant Hello Kitty idols outside Lever House), brings Space Program: Mars to the cavernous Armory for a month-long installation beginning tomorrow. For the show, he’s created all of the viscera of a beginning-and-after space mission—in the words of the official statement, “exploratory vehicles, mission control, launch platforms, suiting stations, special effects, recreational amenities, and Mars landscape”—and, to dress the part, a new capsule collection in collaboration with Nike, dubbed NIKECraft. Would-be Sachs-tronauts can suit up in a sneaker (the Mars Yard Shoe, above, $385), trench, jacket (printed with the periodic table), and tote, all of which will be available at the exhibition space’s pop-up gift shop as well as at stores like Dover Street Market, Colette, 10 Corso Como, Union in Los Angeles, and at Opening Ceremony online beginning May 18.
Space Program: Mars opens tomorrow at the Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave., NYC, www.armoryonpark.org.
tags: Dover Street Market, Hello Kitty, Nike, NIKECraft, Opening Ceremony, Park Avenue Armory, Space Program: Mars, Tom Sachs
