If you follow menswear trends even in passing, chances are you’ve been hearing this buzzword over the last few seasons: heritage. Editors, buyers, and consumers alike are obsessed with all things Americana, from sock hops to cowboy chic, and few things embody this brand of nostalgia better than the varsity jacket.

An ivy-league prepster staple first introduced in the 1950s as a new take on the knit letter sweater, the varsity, or “letterman’s,” jacket became synonymous with the all-American guy. Upon hearing the name, who doesn’t immediately conjure up the image of a strapping young athlete lording over high school hallways or college quads?

From left: Shipley & Halmos; Tommy Hilfiger

Today, the varsity jacket has been reinterpreted for Spring 2012 in modern and luxurious ways. Both Shipley & Halmos and Tommy Hilfiger showed bright, color-blocked yellow versions with contrasting sleeves (one of the hallmarks of the classic letterman’s jacket). European designers Acne and AMI both had supple suede iterations, in deep blue and brown, respectively. Even super-luxurious brands are on board: Louis Vuitton showed a version in gorgeous crocodile skin with canvas sleeves (top).

While staying loyal to the ultra American idea of the varsity jacket, these designers have created new versions for today’s man. A versatile garment, it can be weekend-casual paired with jeans and sneakers but also dressed up for the workday with trousers and brogues. In addition, it’s perfect for a transitional season, especially when made in leather or wool; it offers warmth without excess bulk, and functions as the perfect layering piece. These sleek, sophisticated pieces transcend convention and transform what can sometimes become an overly literal fashion reference into classic leather jacket territory.

From left: Acne; AMI

There is something youthful and yet unmistakably masculine about the varsity jacket—it can be retro and expressly current at the same time. With all the amazing options this spring, this W editor is ready to go back to school.

Depending on your cultural proclivities, the name ‘Gisele’ conjures very different associations. Mention it to a New England Patriots fan or your average fashionphile and Ms. Bündchen’s curvaceous physique might catwalk into mind. Balletomanes, however, think of another Giselle: Russian dancer Natalia Makarova, who attained legendary status after first performing the titular role in a 1961 Kirov production of the canonical ballet.

Natalia Makarova

Just such dance aficionados packed a screening of the documentary Makarova: In a Class of her Own Friday afternoon at the Walter Reade Theatre. Filmed in 1985, just two years after the classically schooled Makarova broke boundaries with her Tony award-winning performance in the musical comedy On Your Toes, the movie intersperses tight shots of her rigorous daily training with footage of her musings on the nature of contemporary ballet. Audience members got an added treat when Makarova herself fielded questions post-viewing.

“All of the very important events in my life happen by chance,” said the now retired 72 year old, who was born in Leningrad and began dancing as a teenager when she spotted a poster advertising an experimental class. She joined the Kirov in 1959, but only when a sick company member couldn’t perform the “parrot dance” in La Bayadere, leaving Makarova to step in. Having only practiced sans bird prop, she found herself mercilessly out of sync on stage. She was convinced it meant the end to her career. Instead, the Kirov’s director asked her to dance Odette in Swan Lake. “I don’t advise soloists to mess up a ballet,” she cautioned to much laughter.

Natalia Makarova with Kathleen Murtha

She described her chemistry with her famous partners—Erik Bruhn, Jorge Donn, Mikhail Baryshnikov—as “like a good marriage that doesn’t become a love affair.” (Misha was a source of “emotional madness.”)

Mr. B (or George Balanchine) taught her, among other things, “how to appreciate good red wine. I’m still using that skill.”

Makarova did Mr. B proud at an intimate luncheon that followed at Petrossian, which also served as a kick-off for the April 28 Youth American Grand Prix’s Legend in Dance Gala, where Makarova will be honored. Surrounded by appreciative American Ballet Theatre board members (she is currently helping to rehearse their dancers for an upcoming production of La Bayadere, presumably with parrot props), the petite Makarova fielded questions between bites of caviar, blinis, grilled hangar steak, and yes, sips of red wine. Now based out of San Francisco with a home in Napa and an apartment in New York, she showed off pictures of her financier son (“he has a better instep than I do. It’s a shame”) and chatted about her current daily dance routine. It seems her critical eye for her own work hasn’t mellowed over the years.

“It’s not possible to be perfect—you can always do something better. I’m never proud of what I’ve done,” she said of watching recordings of her performances. Then she added, “Sometimes, I’m not ashamed.”

Photos: © 2012 ManhattanSociety.com by Gregory Partanio

Anthony Thomas Melillo’s initials are tattooed in small print under his right arm, just the spot where his new line of luxury T-shirts will advertise its name: ATM. “The idea of the perfect T-shirt has always been the ultimate thing—an obsession,” says Melillo, whose peripatetic career in fashion includes stints as founder of the CFDA-nominated sportswear label NOVA USA and Creative Director of Seattle mainstay Generra, as well as magazine gigs ranging from lowly assistant to top dog.

ATM tees

This February, ATM—crafted for both men and women in a range of styles and fabrics, all manufactured in Peru—lands at Barneys New York in the form of a “fully-branded experience,” one that begins with a black cube customers must enter to browse the garments, “kind of like an art instillation,” he says. An avatar of West Coast cool, Melillo maintains that you’ll never catch him buttoning a collar. “I want to make the It T-shirt,” says the Miami native. “I don’t care to expand too much. Besides, it’s nice to keep focused so you only have one thing to worry about.” Spoken like a true Californian.

Photo: Marko Metzinger

Famed architect Frank Gehry has put his, well, signature stamp on New York’s non-profit Signature Theatre, the first theater he’s designed in the city. “I wanted to create a space that celebrates and enhances the intimacy between the performer and the audience, while encouraging the innovation that Signature is known for,” says Gehry of the new space, set to open January 31st with a staging of Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot.

Signature Center Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre model

The $66 million project, which has been in the works for eight years, will yield three separate theater spaces, a studio theater, a rehearsal studio, and a public café and bookstore—over 70,000 square feet in sum. In addition to supporting up to 11 playwrights each season, the Signature envisions the space fostering more interaction between playwrights, collaborators, and the public.

Above: Signature Center Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre model; below: Signature Center bookstore model

The 20-year-old company focuses on crafting entire seasons that trace the career trajectory of individual playwrights like Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner, and Paula Vogel. “Playwriting needs that platform as much as classical music or jazz or fine arts, and there needs to be a place where we can examine what’s happened in American theatre in big chunks,” explained actor and Signature board member Edward Norton via press release.

Inside Signature Center: A Site Tour with Artistic Director James Houghton from Signature Theatre Company on Vimeo.

Purchase tickets for the Signature Theatre here: signaturetheatre.org

Jenné Lombardo is in the business of scouting the coolest new brands. Between her role as the founder of marketing consultancy The Terminal Presents and her position as Global Fashion Director at W Hotels, where she oversees the Fashion Next program promoting up-and-coming talent, the New Yorker is always a step ahead. When it comes to her own style, however, the self-described “creature of comfort” is equally at home in tried and true classics like vintage Yves Saint Laurent pieces and Adidas kicks. Here, Lombardo rediscovers the joys of Balenciaga, mourns the existence of knock-off Coach bags, and hankers after a tin of expensive caviar.

Jenné Lombardo

Define your style in three words: How about four: Unexpected, imperfect, playful, and bold.

Daily uniform: Leather, lace, rings, and super rude heels.

Greatest hits: Vintage YSL, Givenchy, and Gaultier blazers as well as my collection of vintage kimonos.

Preferred footwear: Alejandro Ingelmo, Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Chrissie Morris, and Adidas.

Above: Two shoes – Alejandro Ingelmo; below: Anndra Neen necklace

Finishing touches: Illesteva sunglasses or Warby Parker glasses; Jordan Askill, Anndra Neen, Pamela Love, and Dominick Jones jewelry; Alex Wang Ostrich shoulder bag, Alice and Olivia cut-out leather booties.

Nighttime look: I scale back and go bare, but accentuate with a bold lip.

Best recent discovery: Rodin Facial Serum; truffle honey that I drizzle on top of cheese; musician Blood Orange. Since moving to my new apartment in Brooklyn, I have had the chance to rediscover my collection of books. I just recently went through my Balenciaga book page-by-page and it reaffirms my love for this fashion house.

Above: Rodin Facial Serum; below: Alex Wang Ostrich shoulder bag

Favorite stores: Flair, Eden Manor, Reformation, Kiki de Montparnasse, Taschen, Kid Robot, Supreme, Target, museum shop at Dia Beacon.

Style pet peeve: Knock-off Coach bags, platform flip-flops, job interview-ware.

Lombardo

Style icons: Phoebe Philo, Lou Doillon, Francois Hardy, and all of my girlfriends.

Last purchase: Milo Baughman chrome headboard from the 70's.

Lusting after: Vintage Dan Murphy brass sculpture and a Flair Meccano chair in nickel.

Milo Baughman chrome headboard from the 70's

Favorite haunts: The Hole Gallery on Bowery; Black Mountain for oysters and wine in my neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. I am a creature of comfort and don't stray too far off from my staples—Omen, Raouls, Miss Lily's, Indochine and Ñ on Crosby Street.

Winter wish list: A fox fur blanket in rich grays and browns; something sensible like a puffy Northface jacket; a very large tin of very expensive caviar; time to head up to Bemelman’s bar at the Carlyle for a glass of vintage Scotch.

Portraits: Billy Farrell/bfanyc.com; all others courtesy of the subject

Last Saturday morning, while most New Yorkers were pulling up the covers to fend off 2012’s first blast of snow, the singer Antony Hegarty was standing in the atelier of Ohne Titel, easing his Gentle Giant frame into a gossamer silk georgette gown. Ohne Titel is the label of designers Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, who created the costume Antony will wear Thursday night in his first-ever concert at Radio City Music Hall.

Antony Hegarty and Alexa Adams of Ohne Titel

Radio City Music Hall! Home of the Rockettes! Antony couldn’t quite believe it. “I started out in the East Village at the Pyramid Club, “ he told Adams as she helped him into the long columnar tunic whose tapered thirties silhouette and billowy sleeves curiously put one in mind of Wallis Simpson. Given that the transgender singer stood 6’2 in his stocking feet and that his dyed black hair fell like a macramed curtain across his face, the effect was striking. “Radio City has always been a dream of mine,” he said. “I’m thinking of calling up all my drag queen friends from the old days and having us do a fan kick.” Antony, who sometimes makes his own clothes, cast an unsparing eye on the gown and the long knit sleeves of the undergarment, examining their seams, neckline, and the way the whole thing moved. He raised his arms on high and starting singing, giving the ensemble a test drive. “That’s the song of the dress,” he joked. “It’s very Isis.”

For his Swanlights performance event, commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art, Antony will sing songs from all four Antony & the Johnsons albums (Swanlights among them) and collaborate not only with his band, the Johnsons, but with a light artist, lighting designer, set designer, and a 60-piece orchestra. A huge chandelier of white shapes—made to suggest quartz crystals—will hang from the Music Hall stage and be lit by swirling nebula-like lasers. Of course, the only special effect needed to sell out all 6013 seats at Radio City was likely Antony’s emotive, unadorned voice—one that moves between a quavering vibrato and lower, gutsy register. Just listen to his haunting rendition of Beyonce’s hit “Crazy in Love,” and you won’t believe it’s the same song.

Dressing an artist for the stage is always a tricky business because both artist’s and designer’s style have to align. The last designer to make a costume for Antony was Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who, for Antony’s 2009 summer tour, used as inspiration the death of Antony’s cat in creating an operatic jacket studded with skeletal plumes and layered to form the impression of a cat’s head curling around his shoulder.

Lucky for Ohne Titel designers Adams and Gill, Antony fell in love with their signature curvilinear shapes and architectural draping when his friend, the artist Joie Iacono introduced him to the design duo. After he wore one of their oversized draped vests in a performance last fall, they suggested a collaboration, Ohne Titel’s first for the stage. “He’s very specific,” Adams said once she and Antony had agreed to accent the robe’s front tucks to exaggerate its volume and make it less form-hugging. “He knows his aesthetic and his world very well and he’s so aware of how things work with his body and where lines lie.”

“The costume was meant to work in relation to the set, which is inspired by crystal formations,” explained Antony, whose exhibition of sketches and collages just opened at UCLA’s Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. “This dress is super subtle. It’s the opposite of a showstopper. It’s really built to help to immerse me in the environment.”

As Adams put the last pin in place, Antony surveyed himself in the mirror one more time. “It’s a triumph, “ he concluded. “We are satisfied.”

For more on Antony, see Diane Solway's profile in W.

Photos: Darren Hall/ darrenhallphoto.com

Opening Thursday at Lombard Freid Projects, Tokyo-based photographer Motoyuki Daifu’s first solo show with the New York gallery takes a poignant, unflinching look at his brief relationship with a young, pregnant single mother and her child. A departure from the comfort and familiarity of his 2009 Family series, Lovesody (a portmanteau of love and rhapsody) lets viewers in on Daifu’s complex, occasionally confounding coming of age experience, equal parts domestic bliss and turbid sentiment.

Motoyuki Daifu, Hello Kitty, 2011. From 'Lovesody,' 30 x 40 inches, C Print.

“At once, he is the amorous admirer grasping his lover’s face in playful lust, the protective father, and also the progeny who demands attention and satisfaction,” says curator Nick Haymes. “In many of the moments captured, the viewer can feel the chaos and uncertainty of young love, and that profound emotion mixed with the circumstances of impending childbirth only serves to heighten the inherent energies.”

Motoyuki Daifu, Mother Portrait and Toy and Son, 2011. From 'Lovesody,' 20 x 24 inches, C Print Diptych.

The works also provide a fascinating, somewhat voyeuristic glimpse into typically guarded Japanese home life. “Daifu’s work is certainly very different from most received ideas about contemporary Japanese photography,” says Haymes. “It is divorced from the forced view of a subordinate middle class life, delving into the reality of a not-quite-perfect, and perhaps more realistic existence.”

Motoyuki Daifu, Portrait of Pregnant Woman, 2011. From 'Lovesody,' 30 x 40 inches, C Print.

A limited-edition compendium of the images, published by Little Big Man, will be on sale at the gallery, but catch an early glimpse of the book tonight, when Daifu will be signing copies of Lovesody at Dashwood Books from 6 to 8pm.

One of the top cosmetic doctors in Europe, Paris native Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh is a pioneer of injectables, preserving the youth and vitality of some of the world’s most beautiful faces—models, aristocrats, and the otherwise fabulous—from his exclusive offices in London and Paris. Grace Timothy chats with the undisputed ‘Botox King’ of Europe.


In your opinion, what is the most covetable treatment of the moment?
In terms of skin rejuvenation, I am very impressed by the results that can be achieved through the combination of PRP injections (Plasma Rich Platelets) and Fraxel—this is new to my clinic for 2012. Combining these two treatments maximises their benefits, resulting in skin that is firmer, tighter, and incredibly radiant.

Which of the clinical or surgical developments of the past decade excite you most?
For me, the most exciting development has been the increasingly effective use of Botox by experienced aesthetic and cosmetic doctors. Also Fraxel laser treatment, Radio Frequency treatments (Polaris Restore and Thermage), and the more recent introduction of Fractionate treatments, such as Fractora and FaceTite.

Can any of these innovations really ever beat Botox for results?
In terms of muscle relaxation—to address frown lines and crow’s feet—and the prevention of a sagging jaw line and neck, there is nothing to date that can beat Botox. However, it’s important to note the advances of high viscosity Hyaluronic fillers like Voluma and Teosyal Ultra Deep in restoring volume to the face as part of a new Face Sculpture technique… but only if performed by a cosmetic doctor with very artistic skills!

Is an artistic career something you would have considered in another life?
I would definitely have been an interior designer or an antiques dealer—those are two of my passions away from my clinics.

You travel on a weekly basis between clinics. How do you counter the negative effect on your own skin?
I combine Botox to the forehead, crow’s feet, jaw line, and neck every five months with Fraxel laser treatment to my face and neck three times a year, plus Radio Frequency (RF) in between to significantly tighten skin laxity. I also have Meso Glow [an injection of anti-oxidant vitamins C, A, E, and Hyaluronic Acid] and I use Dr. Sebagh Supreme Maintenance Serum blended with my Rose de Vie serum and new Supreme Night Serum everyday. I get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night, follow a very strict diet—no gluten or dairy—and see a personal trainer three times a week, supplemented by a Pilates session and massage.

What one piece of advice do you most often give to clients?
Simple: start an age-maintenance programme on a regular basis when very young—only if [a doctor agrees] you need it—with just small touches when and where necessary. Also, think ‘restoration’ not ‘transformation.’ In the long term, you will be amazed at what is possible.

Chances are, unless you’ve been to Japan in the last few years, you haven’t heard of White Mountaineering. It might come as a shock then, as it was to me when I recently saw the collection in New York for the first time, that it is essentially a super brand – like the saying goes, it’s “huge in Japan.” It all began in 2006 when designer Yosuke Aizawa, a veteran of Comme des Garcons, launched the brand under a simple concept: to blend the outdoors with the urban by focusing on design, function and technology. With a new women’s line launched last year, they’re moving stateside and are already sold in the likes of Bergdorf Goodman and Odin.

Left: White Mountaineering’s cotton shirt, $524, at modernappealingclothing.com; cotton pant, $231, and coat, $1,072, at Bergdorf Goodman; shoes, $768, at revivemi.com; right: White Mountaineering’s cotton cardigan, $524, and cotton shirt, $368, at Odin, odinnewyork.com; cotton pants, $231, at Bergdorf Goodman

Fashion Editor: Garrett Munce
Photographer: Ryan MacFarland
Model: Dru Prentiss

The Sundance Film Festival started yesterday, fabulous people! Now, Park City may not be Cannes, but it’s got plenty of tempting offerings to delight all senses. I recently spent a few days there and had more than my share of gastronomic and hedonistic thrills.

Wondering who else is in town? To really take stock of the VIPs, just nab a table at Talisker on Main, the most high-brow restaurant in town with a low-key, relaxed setting. The menu changes frequently, but luck is on your side if the Confit Tomato and Burrata Salad or Pan Roasted Lamb Loin are on it.

Indoor and outdoor dining at J&G Grill

Lunch on the Mountain: If any ski resort is going to offer fine dining mid-mountain, it’s going to be the crème de la crème, Deer Valley, which presents its guests with the wonderful conundrum of several great options. J & G Grill (whose initials stand for restaurant emperor Jean Georges Vongerichten), nestled slope-side at the St. Regis Deer Crest resort, has many tantalizing offerings, but I strongly recommend his Black Truffle Pizza or Glazed Niman Short Ribs (well, I had both. Don’t judge. I ski hard) and save room for the Warm Apple Crumble with Cinnamon ice cream (you're judging...). It’s worth a few extra black diamond runs. Over in the Silver Lake section of Deer Valley, Royal Street Café rivals J&G in flavor and choices, but I’ll make it easy for you. Two words: turkey chili. And I don’t even usually like chili.

Late Dinner: After that last screening, slip into a booth at Silver for a fancy cocktail or an after-hours dinner. The menu’s got plenty for the meat and game eater, but my favorite is the Crostini trio, which includes toppings of butternut squash and homemade ricotta, wild mushrooms, and crispy leeks with braised fennel.

Silver

Worth the Drive: A few miles outside Park City, at the base of The Canyons Resort, sits locavore darling The Farm. Part of Talisker’s little fancy empire, its chef John Murcko sources everything within a 200-300-mile radius, but it’s a pretty safe bet that the Grass-fed Beef Oxtail Onion Soup and Colosimo Smoked Sausage Mac & Cheese will be available this season. Even the bread, which tastes as though it’s been grilled, is remarkably delicious.

Family Planning: If the kids are with you, and they're itching for something to divert them off the slopes, indulge them at Jupiter Bowl. It’s like a game room on steroids, complete with a bowling alley, pool tables, a Wii lounge, and a massive arcade. Sensitive, quiet parents might want to bring earplugs.

Above: Jupiter Bowl; below: Sky Lodge

Over drinking age? If the kids are legal or you’re still into things like happy hour, the town’s “in” spot is Sky Blue. It’s the roof bar at the very discreet and very chic Sky Lodge, on Main and Heber. Not only are there several fire pits to keep guests warm, there's even an outdoor hot tub, which should make the nearby restrooms quite an interesting scene.

The Stein Eriksen Lodge Spa

Muscle Soothers: It's wondrous how a good spa can really sequester you from the outside world, even if the outside world is spiffy ski people, but all three mountain-based spas do just that. The vibe at Deer Crest’s Remède Spa is a modern, peaceful serenity, while Stein Eriksen Spa emits a cozy, Austrian lodge feel and the spa at Montage Resort has an opulent elegance about it. Montage is the largest of the three (30,000 square feet), with dozens of treatment rooms and an Olympic size lap pool overlooking the mountains. If you’re into some introspection (that comes with a massage), try Peace of Mind: Surrender. A therapist assesses your habits and lifestyle, then treats your body accordingly. Quite cathartic. Stein’s recent renovation expanded its size (20,000 square feet) and updated its spa menu, including the open-minded-named Aspen Oasis. After a lavender-tangerine scrub and honey and shea-butter body wrap, all gets washed off with a hi-tech Vichy shower. I went straight on with a customized massage at Remède, but it was one of the best I’ve ever had. Ask for Sutton. She's incredible. No matter which spa you pick, get there early and try to stick around after. They all do the cozy, sleep-inducing, relaxing lounge thing really well.

Photos: Silver: © Frank Oudeman. Others courtesy of the locations