6 posts tagged "Grace Kelly"
Turk Delight
Trina Turk has had her hands full lately. The designer, in New York this morning to present her Fall ’12 collection, reports that she’s continuing to expand and focus on her menswear line, Mr. Turk, in addition to rolling out a very sizable, two-part Fall women’s collection and recently completing a line for Banana Republic.
“We pulled some of the classic, Palm Springs-inspired prints from the Trina Turk archives,” she says of the Banana Republic collection of summer wear, which hits stores in June. As for her latest offerings, the influence of artist Sonia Delaunay can be seen in her Fall Modernist Maverick collection of geometric-print silk dresses and color-block separates in bold blue, red, and green tones, with black and white accents recurring throughout. Success shined through in some of the more simple numbers, like the solid-color silk shirts and a mod, black and white long-sleeve dress.
For the second half of her Fall collection, she took a slightly “more subdued” approach, honing in on Hollywood heroines of the Hitchcock genre, like Grace Kelly. “The lookbook for this was actually shot on the Paramount lot,” Turk told Style.com as she held up an alpaca wrap coat (appropriately named after Kelly), followed by a series of pieces in eye-catching jigsaw plaid and leopard feather print georgette (pictured). Not to miss out on the peplum wave, Turk also showed conservative version in a black and cream floral. Some of the best efforts came in the outerwear department, which included a wool motorcycle jacket with leather trim and an ostrich shrug coat in a muted mauve shade. Overall, the looks were smart and wearable—both qualities that Turk fans have come to love, and expect, from the designer.
An Old New Cross To Bear
It’s been a journey from the stables through the French Riviera to get Mark W. Cross & Co. to the accessory floor of Barneys.
“Originally, Mark Cross was a maker of all things to do with horses—saddles, bridles, and harnesses,” explains Neal Fox, the chief executive officer of the 166-year-old Boston-based leather brand. “As time went on, the company added every conceivable product made of leather for men and women.” The company’s history is richer than most. Onetime owner Patrick Murphy expanded its offerings to include fine china, crystal, evening bags, and cigarette cases, and his son, Gerald, later took over the firm. Gerald and wife Sara Murphy are more famous for their close circle of confidantes than for their accessory design, per se: The Murphys were society legends in the twenties, and entertained the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter, and the F. Scott Fitzgeralds; the novelist is said to have modeled the glamorous, feuding Dick and Nicole Diver from Tender Is the Night on the couple.
So for the label’s relaunch after a 1997 closure, the new design team looked to house history to provide the inspiration. Among the bags set to hit Barneys New York exclusively on December 10 are the Scottie (above), inspired by the original Mark Cross top-handle satchel and named for the Fitzgeralds’ daughter; the Grace box bag, a replica of the one Gerald made for Grace Kelly’s character to carry in Hitchcock’s Rear Window; and the Marina clutch, based on a vintage piece. The bags come in vegetable-tanned Italian leather in nude, cuoio, black, and “Mark Cross red.” Exotic skins are in the works for next season.
The Doors Of Studio 54 Reopen, Grace Kelly The Barbie, Oprah And Ralph Lauren Join Forces Again, And More…
The wild nights at Studio 54 are long over, but a new show hosted by Marc Benecke, who manned the door, and Myra Scheer, a former assistant to Steve Rubell, will bring the club to life once more. The show, which makes its debut Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Channel 15, will host guests who frequented Studio 54, including Carolina and Reinaldo Herrera, Pat Cleveland, and Stephen Burrows. [WWD]
Barbie is paying tribute to Hollywood starlet-turned-princess Grace Kelly with three collectible dolls as part of the Barbie Collector series. The dolls come with some of Kelly’s most iconic looks, including the blue gown she wore in Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, her wedding dress, and a floral black dress she wore at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955. [Vogue U.K.]
The fashion world went nuts when Oprah scored an on-camera interview with Ralph Lauren (the designer’s first in decades) during the final days of her show. As it turns out, that was just a warm-up. On October 24, the two will take the stage at Lincoln Center for a benefit gala, which Oprah will host and lead a conversation about Lauren’s life and career. [WWD]
Spin dedicated its September issue to artists and style, featuring St. Vincent front woman Annie Clark on the cover. To preview her new album, Spin will host a soldout August 25 show on the roof of the Met—the first concert to ever be held on the museum’s rooftop. [Spin]
The New-Old, Old-New, And The Old-Old
At Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is a shopper’s Shangri-la, but (surprise, surprise) all isn’t as it seems. On the hunt for jewelry, you quickly realize that the many black-around-the-edges estate pieces that catch your eye probably aren’t much older than a kindergartner. These new-old pieces hold little allure. Next!
On the advice of a couple of chic acquaintances, I sought out Sevan Bicakci, a jewelry designer whose pieces—mostly spectacularly bejeweled rings (above)—aren’t masquerading as anything but the mini works of art that they are. (Strictly speaking, Bicakci is located on a street radiating out of the bazaar, but he’s in the neighborhood.) Bicakci, 38, began apprenticing at the age of 12 and by now has developed techniques that boggle the mind, like micro-mosaic work—there may be thousands of tiny tiles on the side of a ring. Knowing that, it won’t surprise you that the workshop’s annual output is a minuscule, inhuman-level-of-attention-to-detail 400 pieces.
“We like to push limits and conquer new areas,” said Bicakci’s creative director, Emre Dilaver. (Bicakci, who looks a bit like a Turkish Alber Elbaz, doesn’t speak English.) But the beauty of these innovative pieces is how they plumb the city’s Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman heritage as well as Greek mythology for inspiration. Each piece is an exquisite little history lesson. And while the rings appear purloined from the treasury of Emperor Justinian—the gold-haloed visage of his wife, Empress Theodora, adorns one specimen—they’re quite modern, certainly modern enough to sell at Barneys and Browns. These are happily the Old-New.
And within the Bazaar, there are true Old-Old treasures to be found, too. Try Mavi Kose, which has the added allure of historical significance—Grace Kelly is said to have shopped there. Located in the Old Bazaar section, Mavi Kose’s two stalls are presided over by the Yoda-like Mr. Diran Ozculcu. You can try on one of the antique diamond brooches and pendants, vintage watches, and more by applying to an aide, but to bargain and buy, you sit with the man himself, as I did when getting serious over a pair of rose-cut diamond earrings. I took the occasion to do a little fact-checking. Is it true that Grace Kelly shopped here? I asked. He nodded. One time or many times? The answer: many times. I bought the story and the jewels.
A New Crop of Nominees Prepares To Dress The Part
With the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations this morning, awards season has officially begun. And while many are furiously debating who’ll make it up to the Beverly Hilton hotel stage to collect their statuette, we’re more concerned with the action outside—the red carpet. What are this year’s crop of nominees going to wear?
Nine‘s Marion Cotillard is a no-brainer: She’s a Dior girl, fronting the house’s campaign for the Lady Dior bag; here’s hoping Galliano puts together something suitably shocking for her bravura turn as Nine‘s neglected wife. (We’d wish for a half-on, half-off Fall ’09 Couture look—perfectly appropriate for the flick’s many bedroom scenes—but January in L.A. can be chilly.) Her co-star and co-nominee Penélope Cruz tends to favor long, elegant gowns (vintage Balmain to the Oscars in 2009, pictured; Versace a few years before), and there’ll likely be more of the same. Likewise from Meryl (twice nominated for Julie & Julia and It’s Complicated): We can see her in a sensible Alberta Ferretti (again) or maybe Carolina.
Luckily, it’s a great year for young actresses to shake things up. Emily Blunt, nominated for her portrayal of Queen Victoria, would look great in a simple, regal gown—maybe an Alexis Mabille? Carey Mulligan (An Education) has been stepping out in Prada, where she could pick a crystal-studded stunner. (Careful not to outshine Shia.) And Precious‘ Gabourey Sidibe—a first-time nominee—has been opting for jewel tones in her many appearances to promote the movie. She’d look great in a gem-colored Devi Kroell from pre-fall ’09.
On the TV side, there’s bound to be the requisite dose of Mad Men proper. Betty Draper cut loose this season, ditching Don and heading for Reno—any chance nominee January Jones will, too? We’d love to see a little Vegas gold, especially for an actress who’s played the Grace Kelly card so often. (And, while we’re on the subject, no nomination for Mad Men‘s Elisabeth Moss?)
But there are upstarts here, too. If anyone can pull off evening shorts or a jumpsuit to an awards show, it’s gotta be Big Love nominee Chloë Sevigny. Ditto Drew, who’s making the rounds for Grey Gardens with her co-star and co-nominee Jessica Lange one final time. (The pair was nominated for Emmys, too; Lange won.) Call us literalists, but wouldn’t it be great to see Barrymore and Lange—who played Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, the quintessential cat ladies of the twentieth century—in feline frocks from Miu Miu’s kitty collection?