Edited by Karla Martinez and Vanessa Lawrence

Catherine Middleton in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen:
“The bride was perfection in this McQueen lace and satin wedding gown paired with a Cartier tiara.”

Carole Middleton in a Catherine Walker coatdress and Jane Corbett hat:
“The ice blue color of this coatdress is so pure and elegant and love the subtle silver detail on the cuffs and front closure.”

Miriam Gonzalez and Prime Minister Nick Clegg:
“Gonzalez sure brought some Spanish spice to this British affair, from her swiss dot tulle net dress to her bright floral headpiece.”

Pippa Middleton in Alexander McQueen:
“Has a bridesmaid ever looked so perfect? The color and lace elements echo her sister’s stunning dress, without drawing attention from it.”

Princess Victoria of Sweden:
“Most people went for solid color and she was no exception, in hard to miss, curve-hugging tangerine. Even her hat and clutch match.”

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands:
“Love this belted nude lace number—at once proper and stylish.”

Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Felipe of Asturias and Princess Letizia of Asturias:
“Letizia’s lilac-mauve sheath with bracelet length sleeves is as lady-like as her trim figure.”

Sophie Winkleman:
“The jaunty, asymmetry of this hat works considering the movie star face it frames. And her navy jacket is equally sharp.”

Samantha Cameron in Burberry dress and Erdem necklace:
“Leave it to Sam Cam to throw down some fashion while still representing her country: this ruched, turquoise sheath read as well on TV as it does here.”

Zara Phillips in Paul Costelloe and a Philip Treacy hat:
“The high necked, heather grey neckline is a nice antidote to some of the more cleavage bearing numbers.”

David Beckham in bespoke Ralph Lauren and Victoria Beckham in her own design, both in Philip Treacy hats:
“Female Becks thankfully went the loose route in covering her baby bump. And her husband sure does seem to be enjoying his top hat and morning suit.”

Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock in Akris:
“Love the beautiful, elongated, Peter Pan-esque collar on this dress. Something of a trial run for her own upcoming nuptials?”

Photos courtesy of Getty Images.

A week ago, when explaining why New York appealed to her, Giovanna Battaglia told me she sees it as a city that seemingly contains ten cities within it. Well, Thursday night I experienced at least two of them, despite the fact that all of my activities occurred in a twenty or so block range of each other. First stop was Sotheby’s over on York Avenue, where the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation was hosting its fifth annual Connoisseur’s Dinner. During cocktails, guests got an exclusive preview of the Impressionist and Modern Art lots.

Since I arrived on the very early side, I had a chance to admire works from Picasso, Gerhard Richter, Roy Lichtenstein and two portraits of Helena Rubenstein placed side-by-side: Graham Sutherland’s stately version of her in a red brocade Balenciaga look and Pavel Tchelitchew’s eerier take, a haunting, green-toned painting covered in sequins.

Waiters passed around beggars purses of caviar and coconut shrimp, while a sophisticated crowd wearing lots of real jewels and long, black dresses strolled through the galleries, throwing out choice sentences like, “That’s why it’s good to have a younger wife!” and “Oh, you got yours dirty, dirty” (in reference to a martini).

On my way out, I ran into Alexandra Lebenthal and Muffie Potter Aston, who both had mild cases of Royal Wedding fever.

Crowns galore

There was nothing mild about the scene that greeted me at the American Museum of Natural History’s annual Museum Dance, this year sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue. Since its date occurred on the eve of the Royal Wedding, the festive dress code suggested “bold and British, hats and gloves are welcome.” Thus, entering the main lobby I was confronted with a sea of hats, fascinators, tiaras and even medieval-esque crowns (on men). “I walked in and was like, Why is everyone wearing hats?” laughed Jill Kargman, who had early plans for the next morning. “I’m waking my girls up at 5:55 to watch. I watched Di with my mom and pain chocolat and it was so memorable.”

From left: Blair Husain; Elizabeth Kurpis

She may have missed the headgear memo, but in a white and black-trimmed Marc Jacobs gown, she fit right in with the many similarly-clad gals who seemed to be taking the evening as an opportunity to test drive a wedding ensemble.

“There are some people who came here as Kate Middleton,” quipped one girl as she checked out the cream and ivory ensembles.

In fact, one girl took the idea so literally, she showed up in the same navy Issa dress in which Middleton announced her engagement, accessorized with a faux version of the famous sapphire ring. Sadly, she lacked the best accessory of all: Prince William himself. So her date obliged by toting around a mask of the Prince’s face.

A Kate Middleton impersonator and her date.

No matter, she along with the rest of us formed our own procession, to a soundtrack of bagpipes, down to dinner in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. There we had a rather un-British meal of salad with slivers of apple and chicken potpie with wild rice.

Throughout, a large screen showed a loop of aerial views of London and the surrounding countryside.

“This makes England look like Sardinia,” said one girl of the bright, cloud free digital landscape.

From left: One of many hats; another hat-clad girl.

Then it was back upstairs to the after party where guys donned colorful crowns and the bars were stocked with British treats like Malteasers, Smarties and Walker’s Salt and Vinegar chips.

It seems despite having separated from the UK a few centuries back, we still experience some colonial envy.

Photos: © AMNH\D. Finnin and © AMNH R. Mickens

The Brooklyn Museum

A man wearing a full-on vintage military coat with epaulets. A woman sporting Tippi Hedren hair, post bird-attack. Waiters bearing silver trays with wine-sized bottles of artisanal beer served in frosted glasses. Partygoers, I wasn’t in Manhattan.

In fact, I was in Brooklyn, specifically at the Brooklyn Museum for its Brooklyn Artists Ball. And if that wasn’t enough Brooklyn for you, the beer in question was Brooklyn Brewery, with a label designed by Fred Tomaselli, one of the three artists being honored that night.

From left: Artist Fred Wilson; Cynthia Rowley and artist Brad Kalhammer

Things started early yesterday evening, with cocktails in the Beaux-Arts building’s ground floor Great Hall where the Situ Studio’s installation “reorder: An Architectural Environment” was on display—fabric canopies shaped like a cross between a classical column and a Noguchi lamp with seating at the bottom—all lit by the video art of Sean Capone.

Honorary Chair Sarah Jessica Parker—who was only making a brief appearance before rushing to cheer on friends in the opening night of “The Normal Heart” on Broadway—graciously posed for pictures with guests and fans.

Honorary Chair Sarah Jessica Parker

“I tried to dress appropriately for this important event: I didn’t want to embarrass the museum and I certainly didn’t want to embarrass my friend,” she explained of her double-duty outfit, a mélange of navy satin Manolos, a metallic Lanvin dress and a tweed Chanel jacket (umm, little chance of that). Parker’s commitment to the museum stemmed from its support of her Bravo show “Work of Art”: last season the winner showed in one its galleries. She had also spent the past few months shooting in Brooklyn, but “This is my first cultural distraction here in a while,” she said.

That seemed to be the case for others in the crowd, which included Gossip Girl actor Matthew Settle, Eileen Guggenheim, Cynthia Rowley, Hannah Bronfman, Vito Schnabel and Yvonne Force Villareal.

From left: Collector Poju Zabludowicz and Yvonne Force Villareal

Said one guest, “I haven’t been to Brooklyn in ten years, oh wait, I was here last summer at the River Café for a Cinema Society event.”

Yes, the borough does get the short end of the stick sometimes, though last night proved quite the rally to suggest otherwise.

“A lot of my friends live here,” offered Honorary Chair Liv Tyler, as her rumored beau Theo Wenner grinned from a distance.

From left: Honorary Chair Liv Tyler; Theo Wenner and Jack Donaghue

“I was born in Brooklyn, I live near the neighborhood where I grew up, so I’m very provincial,” said artist Lorna Simpson, one of the night’s honorees. “Manhattan usually gets first preference but there are other boroughs with other things going on…Some New Yorkers prefer not to leave the island of Manhattan.”

Those who made the trip were certainly rewarded by the dinner scene that greeted them on the museum’s third floor. Sixteen emerging Brooklyn artists had been asked to design a table and the results ranged from tongue-in-cheek to provocative. Aleksander Duravcevic’s creation included a taxidermy ram centerpiece, surrounded by fake ice cubes with flowers in them; Justin Cooper’s sprouted garden hoses in lieu of candelabras, and Dustin Yellin’s had a full line of his signature, glowing resin-like boxes containing cloud and fossil-esque objets.

I have to admit, when I first sat down at Duke Riley’s table, I was a bit disappointed. Seashells, dusty multi-colored glass bottles and a skeleton were scattered about the surface. Pretty enough (and that skeleton, creepy), but it didn’t seem to have the drama of some other endeavors. That was until partway through the steak meal, my seatmate Carly Cushnie pointed out the tablecloth to me.

The tablecloth in question

“Did you notice the 69-ing seals?” she inquired as though we were talking about the weather.

Umm, no, I hadn’t.

“It’s like Where’s Waldo!” laughed her design partner, Michelle Ochs.

Indeed, Riley had made a silk-screened tablecloth inspired by 19th century wallpaper and the harbor seals that gather around Swinburne Island to mate in the month of April. Translation? A celadon colored piece of fabric covered in all manner of seal couples—male on male, female on male, female on female—surrounded by the detritus of their activities (cell phones and condoms). I think my table may have won for most subtly imaginative—and subversively charming.

After that, it seemed the right time to descend back down to the Great Hall where Timo Weiland, Alan Eckstein, Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes and Matt Creed took their turns deejaying an after party for a crowd of Converse and skinny jeans-clad guys and girls in digital print dresses.

Photos courtesy Billy Farrell Agency

Antioxidants have long been dermatologist Nicholas Perricone’s weapon of choice in the battle against aging. In the past he laced his products with vitamin C and alpha-lipoic acid, and now he’s bringing in the big guns. Glutathione, widely considered one of the strongest antioxidants, is the star of his newest cream.

Perricone had his eye on the ingredient for years but hadn’t come across an effective way to deliver it to skin cells. Recently, however, he discovered a fatty acid that does the trick. The result, Perricone MD Acyl-Glutathione cream, aims to fight fine lines, sagging, and dullness—and has a pleasantly light texture, to boot (perriconemd.com; $175).

Illustrations by Hiroshi Tanabe

Edited by Karla Martinez and Vanessa Lawrence Utter the name Isabel Marant (above) in the company of style-conscious girls the world over and you will inspire gushing that reaches cult-worship status. The Paris-based designer knows how to court the cool girls, whether with her chain-trimmed, fringed boots from Spring 2010 or her season-less, breezy floral dresses. Sport one of her signature bohemian, street-ready pieces and you’re guaranteed to get papped.

Naturally, the designer’s own closet—and home—are as inspiring as her clothing and accessories lines. Here, Marant offers a glimpse into her enviable lifestyle.

Define your style in three words: Cozy, casual, chic.

Daily uniform: A corduroy jean, one of my favorite color block linen tee-shirts from my spring collection, and a nice pair of heel shoes.

Greatest hits: One oversized men’s jacket, a pair of boots from my last winter collection and some lapis lazuli bracelets. I can't imagine living without my Martin Margiela caban jacket and my so lovely vintage blouse.

Preferred footwear: I love Pierre Hardy shoes, stilettos or wedges. I also have some Lanvin ballerina flats.

Marant in her studio

Finishing touches: I'm wearing a lot of colored delicate bracelets and I love tiny rings and my father’s Piaget father watch.

Nighttime look: I love wearing a very short dress or skirt with an oversized jacket and some high heels. Something super feminine and sexy that I break with something very masculine.

Best recent discovery: Scaravelli yoga. I’ve been doing yoga for 10 years, but I’ve just discovered the Vanda Scaravelli method, which is based on the spine. I've always had back pain and it helps me a lot.

Favorite stores: One of my favorite stores is "La Hune,” a very nice bookstore in St Germain des Près in Paris.

Style icon: Serge Gainsbourg.

Last purchase: A great Isamu Noguchi lamp.

Lusting after: Doing a trip for a month at least in California.

Favorite haunts: My cabin in Fontainebleau in a forest outside of Paris.

Your next trip: Greece for the summer holidays.

What you’ll be packing for that trip: A pair of shorts, some espadrilles, a bikini and a lot of books.

Portrait: Jeremie Nassif

Beauty company By Terry may be 13 years old, but spring marks its first foray into nail color. Founder Terry de Gunzburg, who designed the collection of retro pinks and reds, likes the idea of mixing them up—say, a pale carnation on toes and a fiery crimson on fingers. “It’s a chic and shocking marriage,” she says. “They clash in harmony” (at Space NK; $30).

Photo by Hannah Whitaker

In 1924 minimalist pioneer Jean-Michel Frank created a collection of furniture for Hermès that, with its simple lines and exotic veneers, became an instant classic. Maison, the company’s home collection, has recently been expanded to include rereleases of a few of Frank’s more iconic designs. Among the offerings: the Confortable club chair in sheepskin, a straw marquetry screen, and a parchment-covered dressing table—each piece made to order and numbered.
As Robert Chavez, president and CEO of Hermès U.S.A., explains, the decision to revisit Frank’s work was based on customer demand. “The time was right,” he says, “to rekindle the relationship.”
Next up: a furniture collaboration with designers Antonio Citterio and Enzo Mari, which debuted in April at the Milan furniture fair (800.441.4488; prices upon request).

Illustrations by Hiroshi Tanabe

Just six months after the death of Yves Saint Laurent in 2008, Pierre Thoretton began filming what he thought would be a documentary about the homes and collections of the legendary designer and his partner of 50 years, Pierre Bergé. “The first take was completely boring,” says Thoretton. “I realized the most important thing in the collection was their joy. Was them.”

It took Bergé one week to consider moving the film in a new direction—a far more personal direction—but he agreed. The result is a startlingly poignant and intimate portrait, L’Amour Fou, narrated by a stoic, but still visibly saddened Bergé. It uncovers a fiercely creative, though “pathologically shy” Yves (as Bergé characterizes him during his eulogy), but possibly more importantly, it is a moving and honest portrait of love and letting go.

From left: Yves Saint Laurent; Yves Saint Laurent, 1961 rue Spontini.

The film follows Bergé as he arranges to auction off the countless treasures that the couple had accumulated during their decades together. There’s the set of vases they found together while walking their dog, the abstract Constantin Brancusi sculpture they both fell for, the Mondrian painting that inspired YSL’s famous 1965 collection, “I never would have expected to own one. It belonged in the realm of dreams,” he says wistfully.

Through awe-inspiring footage of their homes and objets, archival footage, and the present-day story of the pending Christie’s auction, audience is let in to the lives of these two brilliant, somewhat enigmatic figures. There are enough flashy montages of runways, parties, and famous friends (and even an unusually unguarded Yves declaring that his idea of happiness is “A big bed. A full one”) to add levity and capture the excitement of their lives together. But the beauty of the film is in Bergé’s candid and sometimes heartbreaking honesty about the love he had lost—taking the audience from their first fateful encounter at Christian Dior’s funeral to building their business, to Yves’ struggles with drugs, alcohol, and infidelity, and the toll that celebrity took on Yves, and ultimately on both of their lives, “…suffering and more suffering,” says Bergé.

Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé, 1961 rue Spontini.

When the movers arrive to take their treasures, or when we see Bergé surrounded by a sea of empty chairs before the Christie’s auctioneers’ gavels start falling, the sadness is palpable, but so is a sense of release. “The question begs to be asked: Would Yves have wanted this sale? No,” says Bergé. But he, always the planner and businessman in their relationship, feels differently. “You know, losing someone with whom you have lived with ups and downs along the way for fifty years. Whose eyes I closed. Is another thing entirely than seeing our works of art leave.”



L’Amour Fou opens May 13 in NYC, and May 20 in Los Angeles and in select cities nationwide.

Photos: stills by Pierre Boulat. From Pierre Thoretton's L’Amour Fou. A Sundance Selects release.

18-year-old — soon to be 19-year-old — Jacquelyn Jablonski (left) is an all-American face in a field currently dominated by Dutch and Brazilian models: She grew up in New Jersey, played soccer in high school, and her first name came in part from her mother’s love of Jacqueline Kennedy. Fittingly, she’s the current face of all-American brand Tommy Hilfiger and walked in American-as-can-be Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show last November; but: she’s also the solo face for storied French house Hermes, a testament to her versatility. Her 55-strong runway show count for the Fall 2011 season, too, proves that more than just the American designers have fallen for Jablonski. W checked in with her, post-shows, as she was headed back to work.

Where are you right now?
I’m on my way to the airport, heading to London to shoot an editorial for Industrie. I just found out [about the job] less than two hours ago.

Does that happen all the time?
Yeah, sometimes, but I think this is the most last-minute one yet. I found out about the option this morning and then heard about the confirmation just a little after lunch.

Are you excited?
Yeah. Normally, when it’s a lot of traveling it can get a little tiring, but I was well-rested from the shows and everything, and I took some time off, so I was ready to hop on a plane again.

So what have you been up to since the shows ended, besides getting some rest?
Well, right after the shows, I had to take the Eurostar to London early the next morning for a job two hours outside of London on a farm in the freezing cold, shooting Spring/Summer [2011] for Twin magazine. But then I had a break, and I was home in New Jersey just resting and seeing my family.

From Left: Chanel Pre-Fall 2011; Gucci Fall 2011

You did 55 shows this past season, and a couple of seasons ago you did 74 shows. How do you keep your hair and skin from getting ravaged?
I was lucky because some hairstylists from Eugene [Souleiman]’s team gave me a leave-in conditioner from Wella, so I tried to use that as often as possible. Your hair is just getting teased and loads of hairspray and then they brush it on top of totally teasing your hair, so it’s kind of a nightmare. And sometimes your skin gets completely raw because you’re scrubbing on your eyes after every show, so I try to moisturize every night. I bought Avene [moisturizer] in Paris at the pharmacy, and I used that every morning and night, which saved my skin. A makeup artist recommended it to me, and I saw some [makeup artists] using it during the shows.    

How was walking for Viktor & Rolf, with all that red makeup covering your face?
I’m not going to lie, I was worried that it wasn’t going to come off, and it did take a little bit of time — I think my face was still tinted red for the next show. But it was cool because it kind of made all the girls’ eyes really pop out.

Supposedly someone had to go home after an allergic reaction to it.
Yeah, Lindsey Wixson had an allergic reaction to it. She had to go home, I think. That’s rough.

What was your favorite memory from this season?
All my friends, we try to stay in the same hotel in Milan and Paris, so probably one of my favorite memories is in Paris: no matter how late we got back, we would all meet downstairs at the restaurant and grab something before we went to bed or just hang out and talk about the day. The day’s so stressful, it’s nice just to relax and finally get a proper meal in, talk to everyone and not have to be running around.

Who did you usually see?
At my hotel, it was Julia Nobis, Hanne-Gaby [Odiele], Kasia [Struss], Siri [Tollerod], and Alana [Zimmer], and sometimes my friend Mirte [Maas] would come.

Valentino Spring 2011

Who’s your favorite designer to do a fitting with?
Chanel’s the only one they do the actual [show] hair and makeup on you for the fitting, so that’s kind of cool to see the whole look with the hair and makeup as well. And it’s always fast, so that’s a plus.

Do you ever chat with Karl Lagerfeld during your fitting?
Sometimes, briefly. He’s very friendly and always asks, “How are you?” Some people might find him intimidating, but he’s very friendly.

Do you prefer doing shows over editorials?
I do love editorials — you’re free to do whatever you want and portray a different character. And the shows … after a long break in the shows, I don’t mind starting them again, and I kind of enjoy it, but then towards the end, of course you get exhausted and you’re ready for them to be over.

Have you ever had any runway mishaps?
I’ve had a few. Sometimes they’ll change your shoes last minute and they’re too big. Or, actually — I think it might have been my second season — at the Miu Miu show, the runway was all mirrors, so everything kind of blended together. I totally didn’t see a step, so I cut a corner too fast and did a little trip. It wasn’t bad, but it was just an obvious trip. I didn’t fall, thank God. That’s probably one of my biggest fears.

Do you still get nervous before taking the runway?
I used to my first season. Sometimes when I’m stuck with shoes that are too big or a dress that’s really long, I’ll get a little nervous, but otherwise I feel alright.

Do you have any traditions you do before a show?
Before one show — what was it, maybe Lanvin last season? One runway was really long, and me and a couple of my friends were like, “Oh my God, that is a workout.” So we stretched before, as a joke.

Victoria's Secret 2010

What’s your favorite thing about being a model?
Before I started modeling, I had never been out of the country, and now I feel like I’m out of the country at least a few times a month, if not once a week.

Where have you been that you really loved?
I always love going to Paris, and now I feel like I know it really well. Recently, I went to the Caribbean for the first time, to Turks & Caicos, for an editorial in German Vogue. That was really amazing, especially because we stayed at this great place. We kind of had our own little villa. And luckily we finished shooting early, so I actually got to enjoy where I was and go to the beach.

Any place you’d like to go that you haven’t been to yet?
I’d like to go to Australia at one point, all I hear is good things about it, and one of my friends [Julia Nobis] is from there. It just looks and sounds amazing.

What’s the worst thing about being a model?
You can’t really plan things, you have to be ready to just jump up and go at any time. Like today, I had to just drop everything I was doing and pack and head to the airport. So that can be a pain sometimes, but I’ve gotten used to it. As long as I’m not living out of a suitcase, I’m happy.

Any guilty pleasures?
I love carrot cake — that’s probably my favorite — and I’m obsessed with peanut butter. I eat anything with peanut butter — maybe not carrot cake with peanut butter — but, I think I got this from The Parent Trap: Oreos and peanut butter, I like that. And peanut butter and apples, peanut butter and chocolate.

You have a birthday coming up on April 4. Any plans to celebrate?
I don’t know. I think I’m going to be in New York. I don’t have any plans yet, but I think I’m going to try to get my friends together and do something — maybe a nice dinner.

Lanvin Pre-Fall 2011

Where would you ideally go for dinner?
Well, I love Mexican food, and there’s a really good restaurant called El Parador that I love. I found it because when I was first starting [as a model], I would always take this ferry service [from New Jersey] into the city right after school, and I always passed by this restaurant. My mom and I went in one day, and it was really amazing. It’s still is the best Mexican I’ve had.

What’s your favorite thing to order?
Chicken fajitas.

What are you scared of?
Bugs. When I was in Turks & Caicos, a bug jumped out of my room service menu. That kind of freaked me out.

Any long term dreams?
I definitely want to continue doing this for a while. But at some point maybe [I’ll] take some classes at school in the city, I would like to at some point do modeling and college. I also want to try acting — give it a shot — maybe take some lessons, I think that could be fun. I feel like that could even help me with modeling, because in a way you have to act. I was talking about it with my friends, so we’ll see.

Photo: all courtesy Condé Nast archive

Over the years Swiss luxury brand DeWitt, known for its innovative men’s watches, has made a few limited-edition pieces for such women as Queen Elizabeth II and founder Jérôme de Witt’s daughter. Now less connected ladies can indulge in the company’s timepieces too: Its first women’s line, called Golden Afternoon, debuts this spring.

Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, the collection comprises four ultrafeminine styles with details like mother-of-pearl faces, sky and floral motifs, diamond-covered bezels, and hands meant to evoke angel wings (at Neiman Marcus, Newport Beach, California; $30,000 to $90,000).

Photo courtesy of Dewitt