http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/ en Copyright 2013 Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification
Samantha Boardman Rosen and Aby Rosen

 To be fair, he certainly put every inch of the space to good use. In one corner was a mini-wall of real flowers in front of which guests could pose for photos. Bookending the second floor booth, where DJ Nick Cohen manned the turntables, were two dancers performing some kind of meditative, interpretative routine. And in between two downstairs bars was a woman in a flowing white gown whose sole purpose was to fly through the air on a multi-story swing, like a lost Cirque du Soleil acolyte. Every so often, a man named Victor would sweep her into his arms and whisk her out of the room, presumably to rest, before carrying her back out for another round on the swing.

 “I’m just trying to keep everyone safe,” he said, as he watched her sway.

 “Everyone” was an appropriate word choice considering the boldface names that packed the lobby, lounging on oversized velvet ottomans and tufted sofas. There was Eva Chow chatting with Vera Wang. And Carlos de Souza posing for cameras with Nicky Hilton. And Bono being trailed by Guy Oseary, who acted as a bodyguard shooing away fans (even among the famous, there is a hierarchy, after all). And Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis in a red cap, not unlike what a bellboy would wear. And Olivier Theyskens who eyed the swing and said, “I want to try that,” but obviously didn’t.

 Waiters passed out everything from smoked salmon with caviar to cotton candy and tequila shots, complete with a bowl of limes.

 “I know how to drink tequila,” said one woman when a server tried to explain the process to her.

 There was a popcorn machine, too—I mean, why not?—giving one corner of the lobby the enticing scent of a buttery movie theater.

 “This IS like a movie,” shrugged Cynthia Rowley as she grabbed a box for herself and moments later confetti dropped from the ceiling to ring in Rosen’s birthday.

 Well, if one were to think in cinematic terms, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby would have to come to mind. What was it Jordan said about large parties? “He gives large parties and I like large parties. They’re so intimate. Small parties, there isn’t any privacy.” The woman has a point.

Click here to see more photos.

Photo: Billy Farrell Agency]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/17/aby-rosen-paramount-hotel-birthday.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/17/aby-rosen-paramount-hotel-birthday.htm After Hours After Hours Fri, 17 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500 The Great Gatsby—not to mention a recent nomination for the 2013 CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. Here, a few of Meyer’s favorite things.

Jennifer Meyer Maguire

Define your style in three words:
Southern California, happy and grown up, when I need to be.

Daily uniform:
Vintage Levi’s, navy Converse high-tops and an Isabel Marant t-shirt—with Jennifer Meyer jewelry, of course.

Greatest hits:
My vintage hippy dresses that I always seem to gravitate towards when getting ready. My well-worn J. Crew jean shirt and striped shirt—I don’t know which I wear more often. My amazing Chanel tweed jacket that I worship.

Preferred footwear:
For day, I love my Rag & Bone booties. For night, my Tabitha Simmons “Ruby” shoes. (I like to think she named them after my daughter.)

Finishing touches:
My mini Celine bag, a hair tie and my diamond wishbone necklace.

Jennifer Meyer jewelry, from left: Rose Gold Diamond Wishbone Necklace, $2,525, barneys.com; Lapis Pyramid & Pink Sapphire Drop Earrings with Diamonds, barneys.com

Nighttime look:
My Jennifer Meyer one-of-a-kind lapis and sapphire drop earrings, The Row leather leggings, new pink Chanel heels, and a clean white t-shirt.

Best recent discovery:
Magazines on my iPad—I know I am behind the times, but that discovery blew my mind.

Favorite stores:
L.L.Bean—I will monogram anything. Barneys New York—my home away from home. My neighborhood bead store, where my daughter and I spend hours and hours making necklaces.

Style pet peeve:
Taking your style too seriously.

Style icons:
Jenna Lyons, Diane von Furstenberg and Dolly Parton.

Last purchase:
The Honest Company’s hand sanitizer, it’s a staple in my bag.

The Honest Company hand sanitizer

Lusting after:
The perfect bra. Any suggestions?

Favorite haunts:
In Los Angeles, Nate ‘n Al, the best deli in the world. In New York, Café Gitane for their avocado toast. Brasserie Lipp in Paris for not only the food but the experience.

Next vacation:
Hopefully on a beach. And soon.

Warm weather must-have:
Sunscreen. Don’t leave home without it.

Portrait: Fairchild Archive ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/16/jennifer-meyer-maguire-jewelry-designer-style-inspirations.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/16/jennifer-meyer-maguire-jewelry-designer-style-inspirations.htm Style Notes Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:00 -0500 J. W. Anderson’s capsule collection for the line. There was no mistaking the evening for anything but a Versace event: exclusively male bartenders were straight out of central casting, their tightly muscled physiques visible beneath gold medusa-emblazoned black t-shirts. The event’s scale was staggering, with DJ Maxwell housed in a booth a good story and a half above the throngs. And the crowd? Well, let’s just say there were a lot of studs (interpret as you will) and black leather and everyone and their mother seemed to have a bodyguard.

Donatella Versace

But lest anyone think this was a rehashing of past glory days, guests were given bracelets proclaiming “#newversus”. The night served as a launching pad for the, well, new Versus line, now a seasonless collection of brightly colored knits and graphic black and white ensembles. “We decided to bring the new Versus Versace back to New York because this is where it all started and where it belongs,” said Versace. “This city represents the energy of the brand and its rebellious and unconventional nature.”

Forty-five minutes into the party, the lights came up on a huge glassed-in rectangular room—a makeshift backstage where Versace and Anderson could be seen tending to models before they stomped around a U-shaped runway, punctuated with performances by Angel Haze, Dead Sara and Grimes, all projected on two huge screens. Fans pressed themselves up against the glass for a glimpse of Donatella as she, variously, paced through the room; tweaked models’ outfits, and at one point, sat on a zebra-striped ottoman with Anderson to watch the show on smaller TV screens. It was all rather meta.

“Oh my god, it’s Donatella!” screamed one long-haired chap, seemingly on the verge of a hysterical breakdown.

“She’s JUST like she should be!” sighed his companion.

Forget the clothes—as charming as they were. This was theatre and performance art rolled into one sweaty, throbbing package.

And Versace and the musical talents weren’t the only source of entertainment. Throughout the night, guests could hitch a ride on a tricked out pedicab decorated with a tower of handbags. “I can take you anywhere you want,” said Miles, the dapper driver, grinning slyly. “Over the rainbow and back. No, seriously.” I might just have believed him.

Photo: Sherly Rabbani & Josephine Solimene ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/16/donatella-versace-jw-anderson-new-versus-capsule-collection.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/16/donatella-versace-jw-anderson-new-versus-capsule-collection.htm After Hours After Hours Thu, 16 May 2013 15:34:00 -0500 Oko, (Russian for “eye”) is a 110 square-foot storefront in New York’s East Village. The gallery is a collaboration between Gingeras and Daniella Luxembourg and Amalia Dayan. And despite its diminutive size, Gingeras has already packed a punch with shows of early-career paintings by Julian Schnabel and works by the Polish artist Jerry "Jurry" Zielinski, as well as a book signing for Rob Pruitt. Tonight she opens "The Spirits That I Called" which features two of Dan Colen's new fairy dust spacescapes —laboriously layered pigments in the form of astral arches — inspired by pre-Rafaelite fairy paintings and Disney in equal measure. "This is the beginning of a bigger series for Dan and I don't think he was ready to show a whole gallery's worth of paintings, but he got very excited by the idea of showing these two completely finished pieces here," Gingeras says. "There seems to be a community beginning to grow around the space. It's just the start of it, but it's exciting."

"The Spirits That I Called" at Oko

What was the impetus to open Oko?
Well, I had this vision...I have always lived in the East Village and I'm an art historian so I'm thinking all the time about the layers of the history of this neighborhood and its relationship to the art world and the Eighties. I was walking by this storefront and I thought, "The paradigm needs to change in how we're looking at art." We're not going to change the whole system but it would be nice to have a space that's a curatorial laboratory to do amazing, rigorous things in a tiny storefront in the East Village.

What was here before you moved in?
It was this vintage jewelry store called Magic Fingers and that's what we really wanted to call the space but the lady who ran it for many years and she felt very territorial about the name. At the same time I saw the space I'd seen these incredible fairy dust paintings Dan Colen was working on—he was calling them Magic Arches. So the whole thing has been very organic, it just grew out of a lot of serendipitous things, but also a deep thinking about how we look at art in New York City.

How so?
The whole paradigm of a huge bloated art space in Chelsea is not very agreeable for looking at art in my point of view. This place has a really reasonable rent, it can really be about ideas and looking at stuff as opposed to having to put on super commercial shows. Amalia and Daniella really get it; they're complicit in that idea and they're also great partners because the share my idea that it would be crazy to be walking down 10th Street and see a 19th century painting or something totally unexpected in a storefront that's next to a bunch of Japanese restaurants.

Dan Colen, TBT (to be titled), 2013

So what made you want to open the space with Julian Schnabel?
Actually, Schnabel wasn't really the first show. I let Danny McDonald have the keys before I renovated and he made art here and had this incredible performance of his alterego Mindy Vale. She's like a gypsy, old lady drag queen so we wanted her to do something for Halloween, but then Sandy happened, so Danny would work here all night and he went to Cooper Union so people would come by and it was like a social club. He didn't change anything he just added his space to this old vintage jewelry store and after that we renovated, changed the name and did this Schnabel show and the space has become a way to connect to younger artists.

Like who?
The next show after this are two really young artists in their Twenties, Borna Sammak and Alex Da Corte. I met those two guys through all these layers, so I said, "Let's do a summer show here." And they're going to do something in relation to the storefront in reference to Claes Oldenburg. One of these guys shows in a small gallery on the Lower East Side and the other guy is from Philadelphia and his career is just gaining a little momentum and he hasn't shown too much in New York yet and they're just excited to do a project in this space. They're talking about this space where you look at it from the window, you don't even come inside, so it's really about the vitrine and the storefront. The most exciting thing for me is that I'm constantly texting and talking with them about, "What is it going to be?" It's the same experience I had at the Centre Pompidou only it's this tiny little storefront. It's like a project room and a museum all at once, except that there's no board of trustees.

“Dan Colen: The Spirits That I Called” is on view at Oko, 220 East 10th Street. Okooko.org

Photo: Christopher Burke, courtesy Gagosian Gallery ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/alison-gingeras-oko-gallery-new-york-dan-colen-exhibition.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/alison-gingeras-oko-gallery-new-york-dan-colen-exhibition.htm Five Minutes With Five Minutes With Wed, 15 May 2013 17:44:05 -0500 Who: Kerry Washington

Where: The Entertainment Weekly and ABC-TV Upfronts party at the General in New York City.

When: May 14

What: A red leather Marc by Marc Jacobs dress and gold and black House of Lavande vintage earrings.

Why: Washington, who always seems game to take a fashion risk, proves she can also do straight-forward sizzling hot. And why not?

Photo: Getty Images ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/kerry-washington-wears-red-marc-by-marc-jacobs-dress-to-the-et-and-abc-upfronts-party.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/kerry-washington-wears-red-marc-by-marc-jacobs-dress-to-the-et-and-abc-upfronts-party.htm Fashion Winner's Circle Wed, 15 May 2013 15:50:00 -0500 Diane Von Furstenberg has tasted the very best life has to offer, both literally and figuratively. But when it comes to food, her most memorable meals have not been the work of a triple-starred Michelin toque or king of the New York restaurant scene. Her hands-down favorite chef, she says, is an under-the-radar young South African woman named Jane Coxwell who, since 2009, has served as Von Furstenberg’s personal chef aboard Eos, her spectacular (and enormous) yacht. Von Furstenberg calls Coxwell “the best cook I’ve ever met” and “a magician.” In the interest of sharing that magic with the rest of the world, she encouraged Coxwell to write a cookbook, Fresh, Happy, Tasty, out today from William Morrow. Full of bright, healthy, accessible recipes—and glimpses of just how delicious and glamorous life is aboard Eos—it’s dinner with a side order of voyeurism. Here, Coxwell offers up a few more glimpses behind the scenes.

Jane Coxwell

How did you end up cooking for DVF?
After culinary school, I cooked on private yachts for about 5 years and then took a break to work as the executive chef at a winery in the Napa Valley. I loved it, but I decided I wanted to do a bit more learning and traveling right around the time that the job became available on Eos… lucky for me! We’ve since circumnavigated the globe, and it’s been incredible.

What is the most memorable meal you've served aboard Eos?
I actually really like the meals that venture just off Eos and on to a beach close by. For DVF’s birthday one year, we found a very remote beach in Costa Rica and set it up with tea lights and a bonfire and cooked outside. DVF’s birthday happens to be New Years Eve, and there were Chinese Lanterns for everyone to send up into the air. The water was filled with newly hatched baby turtles. There was something really special about that night.

What is the biggest difference between cooking on land and on a boat?
On the boat you have to be prepared and very organized—there’s no running to the store if you’ve forgotten something. Space utilization is also crucial. The movement can be pretty strange, too. It’s usually very calm but on crossings, it can get a little rough and sometimes I find myself catching produce rolling off the counter, or stopping pots from sliding around on the stove. One great thing is the ever-changing view from my “office” window.

Fresh, Happy, Tasty

Are there any special challenges involved with cooking for the many members of the fashion world that Diane hosts? The old cliché is that stylists/models/designers survive on Diet Coke and cigarettes. Now it seems everyone is gluten free or on a "cleanse"…
I haven’t really been exposed to any of that. DVF is my favorite person to cook for. She loves the type of food that I like to make, which is lucky for me. My food is clean and fresh. It’s not health food, but I do try and make food that won’t make you feel uncomfortable or heavy after eating. I like to think of it as tasty fuel. Especially being on a yacht, you want to make the most of the day after lunch and hike up a mountain or swim, not slow down. DVF loves life, and for that reason, she eats clean, fresh, real food. The people that I’ve cooked for in the fashion industry seem to like the same, fortunately.

What is your favorite seasonal recipe to cook this time of year?
Basically anything green! Anything in the pea family, asparagus, ramps, artichokes… There’s a green pea salad with lemon and mint in my book that is perfect for spring.

Photo: Katie Osgood ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/jane-coxwell-chef-cookbook-fresh-happy-tasty.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/15/jane-coxwell-chef-cookbook-fresh-happy-tasty.htm Five Minutes With Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 -0500

Who: Anne V

Where: The American Ballet Theater Spring Gala sponsored by Dior at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

When: May 13

What: A navy blue wool jacket and skirt and metal ring sandals, all by Dior.

Why: In a sea of ball gowns, the model stood out in a short, chic and feminine take on classic men's tailoring.

Photo: Billy Farrell Agency ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/14/anne-v-wears-dior-to-the-american-ballet-theater-spring-gala.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/14/anne-v-wears-dior-to-the-american-ballet-theater-spring-gala.htm Fashion Tue, 14 May 2013 14:55:00 -0500
From left: Call Yankee and Dottie by Simone Shubuck

The works brim with a sense of playfulness and irreverence. A collage-like quality pervades, as seemingly incongruous colors and sudden shifts in style pile up on top of each other. Yet this exuberant variety somehow all coheres in forms redolent of an explosive bouquet. Underscoring this effect is the sudden appearance of green leaves and floral motifs, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Shubuck has worked for years as florist.

Still, the opening question remains, though for Shubuck it is no doubt rhetorical—the choice between old things and new things that look old. Yet with so many cultural forms approximating styles from the past, the real question comes down to how one handles “old things.” I think a third category is order, one that captures the magic of Shubuck’s work: new things that look new because they look old.

“Do you like old things or new things that look old” is on view at Taylor de Cordoba in Los Angeles through June 1, taylordecordoba.com

Images: courtesy of Simone Shubuck and Taylor De Cordoba, Los Angeles ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/14/simone-shubuck-at-taylor-de-cordoba.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/14/simone-shubuck-at-taylor-de-cordoba.htm Art & Design Tue, 14 May 2013 14:50:00 -0500 ASMALLWORLD's launch in Marrakech

Forty years and a fog of drugs later, Marianne Faithfull can still recall her first trip to Marrakech. “I went with Mick [Jagger], and we stayed at La Mamounia—later on I’d stay with Paul and Talitha Getty. But I remember I packed three saris, a swim costume, and books of Edmond Dulac illustrations, which looked fantastic on acid.” This past weekend, the English singer found herself in the Moroccan city once again, this time to celebrate the re-launch of the online social community ASMALLWORLD. Her friend, the musician Harper Simon, had brought her along so the two could work on songs together. And over the course of the three-day extravaganza, they also dined amidst snake charmers and belly dancers at Le Salama within the medina, danced under the stars and beside the olive groves at The Beldi Country Club, took a guided shopping tour of the souks, took a guided shopping tour of the souks, courtesy of L-atitude, and soaked up the sun poolside at the Taj Palace with an eclectic international crew that included Natasha Lyonne, Olivia Wilde, Lea Seydoux, Jasmine Guinness, Alison Mosshart, Theophilus London, Catherine Baba, Kick Kennedy, Waris Ahluwalia, Mamie Gummer, Josephine de la Baume, Elodie Bouchez and her husband Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk.

From left: Harley Viera Newton; Dianna Agron and Theophilus London

“More than just a launch party, this weekend is a metaphor for bringing people together from a lot of different countries,” said the site’s CEO Sabine Heller, who has overseen its transformation from a mere social network to an elite travel and lifestyle community. Launching today, ASMALLWORLD now offers its 250,000 vetted members access to everything from complimentary airport car service in Paris to VIP treatment at the nightclub Pasha in Ibiza; villa rentals in Sardinia to studio visits with Derek Lam in New York. “Being international is the new status symbol,” says Heller. “And ASW helps facilitate that. It allows you to go to any city in the world and feel like you belong and that you’re never really alone because there’s a community you can tap into.” To illustrate that notion, ASW enlisted Italian filmmaker Tommaso Cardile to capture members Hudson Morgan, an L.A screenwriter, and Janina Joffe, a London gallerist, as they each visited a city they had never been to before (for Morgan, Buenos Aires; Joffe, Tokyo) relying solely on the ASW community to get by. Check it out below:

Video: ASW Adventurers

Photos: Billy Farrell Agency ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/13/asmallworld-online-community-of-international-travelers.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/13/asmallworld-online-community-of-international-travelers.htm Parties Mon, 13 May 2013 14:50:00 -0500 The unstoppable Kate inks another beauty contract.

It's been exactly 20 years since Kate Moss stripped down for the Calvin Klein Obsession fragrance campaign. Now Kate bares all again as the face—or body, rather—of St. Tropez with a bronze faux glow that is a far cry from her pale, grunge era pallor of 1993. Already the poster girl for beauty brands Rimmel since 2001 and, as of this February, Kerastase, Moss was revealed in the tanning brand's campaign images late last week.

Kate Moss for St. Tropez

“Not only is [Moss] beautiful, but she has this amazing attitude,” says Michelle Feeney, CEO of PZ Cussons Beauty which owns the brand. “St. Tropez is about confidence. Kate has huge global appeal and we’re absolutely thrilled that she has chosen to work with us on our new campaign.”

Moss appears sans tan lines, and better yet, sans clothing, save for a luminous tan which cam courtesy of St. Tropez’s tanning expert Nichola Joss. Joss said she used the brand’s Self Tanning Mousse, Applicator Mitt, and Powder Bronzer to “enhance the natural shape of Kate’s body.” No word yet on a potion to get the shape in the first place.

Click to see the best of Kate Moss in W.

]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/13/kate-moss-for-st-tropez-self-tanner.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/13/kate-moss-for-st-tropez-self-tanner.htm Beauty Mon, 13 May 2013 10:30:00 -0500 Frieze New York art fair, one thing you will need to wash it all down is a strong drink. At the fair you can head for the Fat Radish pop-up, sure, or hit Sant Ambroeus out on the deck, but insiders will want to tie one on in The Vault, artist Liz Glynn’s flapper-generation speakeasy hidden in the fairgrounds. Each day, only select fairgoers will receive a key, making this possibly the first time the words “exclusive” and “Randall’s Island” will be uttered in the same breath.

Glynn’s installation, which is part of Frieze Projects, taps into a recent art-world trendlet: the rise of the artist-proprietor. For an exhibition at Hauser & Wirth last month of the work of the late maverick Dieter Roth, his son Bjorn created Roth New York, a bar berthed permanently within the massive Chelsea gallery (which used to house the roller club Roxy). And a few blocks south, it’s perpetually five o’clock in Alex Hubbard’s well-stocked portable bars, which are part of his show on view now at Maccarone.

The interior of Bar Oppenheimer

Of course, these art-y watering holes are opening in galleries and beneath the tent of a mega-art fair. “Context always changes the way you experience things,” artist Tobias Rehberger said to me earlier this week, while we were day-drinking at the Hotel Americano in Chelsea, where the German provocateur was in the midst of installing Bar Oppenheimer, his homage to a favorite local spot back home in Frankfurt. “I think of this as sculpture,” he went on. “But I didn’t want it to necessarily be in a museum or gallery. I want people to go not to just look at the art—but the art will just happen to be there.”

Rehberger has held a career-long interest in demystifying the art-viewing experience. In 1997, he made his name trying to turn a sculpture by Donald Judd—an artist who always believed art should stand apart—into, well, a bar. (Unsurprisingly, the Judd estate turned him down.) When Rehberger won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2009, it was for refashioning the event’s cafeteria into a dazzling op-art space—not unlike the paint job he’s applied to the sliver of space in the Hotel Americano’s basement.

His ersatz Bar Oppenheimer, which opens to the public tomorrow night (through July 14), was born out of undying devotion to the original. “That bar is kind of my living room,” Rehberger told as he sipped his favorite drink, a bracing concoction that’s more lime juice than it is vodka and soda. When he moved to a different part of Frankfurt earlier this year, the distance from Bar Oppenheimer became such a hardship that he considered replicating it in his new neighborhood. It was his dealer Pilar Corrias who suggested he reproduce it in New York during Frieze, where Corrias would be showing his work at the fair. In its pretention-free, democratic ethos, Rehberger’s Bar Oppenheimer has something in common with Gordon Matta-Clark’s historic ’70s restaurant Food, which is experiencing a revival of sorts at Frieze. “Think about how artists work,” Rehberger said. “I don’t just work in the studio. I’m working while I’m at the supermarket or in the park. The same goes for looking: Why not see art when you go to the bar?”

Photo: Tobias Rehberger's Bar Oppenheimer. All photos: Matthew Cianfrani. ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/10/bar-oppenheimer-bar-and-restaurant-pop-ups-at-frieze-new-york-art-fair.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/10/bar-oppenheimer-bar-and-restaurant-pop-ups-at-frieze-new-york-art-fair.htm After Hours Fri, 10 May 2013 13:30:00 -0500 Queen Latifah

Ballet regulars perusing the invitation for Wednesday evening's New York City Ballet Spring Gala, which was sponsored by Vacheron Constantin, might have noticed that Queen Latifah received top billing. Was the company luring another celebrity to bulk up their board, already sparkling with the presence of Sarah Jessica Parker? Or was the Queen simply a diehard ballet fan, despite her spotty attendance at such events? Turns out the answer was much simpler: since the theme of this year's gala was "American Music Festival," organizers had enlisted Latifah to sing George Gershwin's "The Man I Love," while Sterling Hyltin and Amar Ramasar danced a romantic pas de deux.

From left: Fe Fendi; Altuzarra and Valentino

"Do you think anyone here knows who Queen Latifah is?" one guest whispered to me. I'd say yes, judging from the blonde bouffant in pearls seated in front of me, who whooped it up for the singer like a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert. Other highlights of the evening's program included Jerome Robbins's "Glass Pieces," featuring a let's-get-physical crew of shiny tight-clad men and the world premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's "A Place for Us," danced by Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild who are newly engaged. Joseph Altuzarra made his own stage debut, having designed the costumes for the piece.

Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild in costumes by Altuzarra

"We wanted something playful, but American," he explained. "And of course we did a lot of tests because I don't know how to move in those costumes!" Unbeknownst to just about everyone in the audience (including the designer), Peck's strap came undone from its hook and eye 15 seconds before the performance's end. No matter. She brushed off Altuzarra's blushing apology with a smile—it wasn't his fault, after all.

Photos: Julie Scarratt; Paul Kolnik]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/09/new-york-city-ballet-spring-gala.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/09/new-york-city-ballet-spring-gala.htm After Hours After Hours Thu, 09 May 2013 15:27:00 -0500 Bottega Veneta Resort 2014

The mix of Swiss lace with hand painted details gives this crisp cotton dress a cool femininity.

Photo: courtesy of Bottega Veneta]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/09/bottega-veneta-resort-2014.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/09/bottega-veneta-resort-2014.htm Fashion Resort 2014 Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500
Cecily Brown, Untitled, 2012

When did you start working on the six paintings that make up this show?
I started these two years ago, but the way I work is I start things and then I leave them to start other things. I left these paintings alone for a while before going back because they were making me so uneasy. I needed time to sort of step back from them.

What about them made you uneasy?
It’s kind of a jump for me. Crowds of women are quite a lot more figurative than anything I’ve painted for some time. And even though my whole take on the matter is always that there’s no difference between abstraction and figuration—well, in this case, it feels like there is. For me, it became unfamiliar territory once faces appeared in the paintings.

The way they’re arranged in the paintings, it almost feels like you’re combing your memory for faces—some are more in focus, others less so.
Right. Actually, I’m in the middle of titling them, and I decided to call one work Name That Tune. My husband asked why, and I explained that it was exactly this sort of feeling—when someone feels vaguely familiar, and faces come and go, in and out of focus. Maybe it’s just my early-onset Alzheimer’s [laughs], but in my more abstract work I’ve always liked the sense of mind and eye collaborating to complete the thought. Ideally, there’s something transporting about looking at them.

Did you call up any of these faces from your own past?
They’re not faces of real people, but maybe they’re faces from art. I was painting 13 faces in one group and approaching each in different ways. I’ve always loved Edvard Munch’s women, so I’d paint one like Munch, another like James Ensor, one like Lucian Freud, and then maybe another from memory. But the funny thing about when you’re painting figuratively, you sort of feel slightly more awake in the real world. Every time you look at someone, part of your brain is trying to record and store it: that’s what a cheek looks like from that angle, or those are eyelashes or freckles or whatever. In a really nice way, you feel like everything is turned up high visually.

Cecily Brown, Untitled, 2012

So you were a bit odd socially during this period?
Yeah. [laughs] If you catch me staring closely at your fingernails, you know why.

Why did you decide to focus on nudes of women?
That’s kind of a tricky one—it seems like such a loaded topic. There were moments when I worried about whether these are positive views of women. I think that my being conflicted about making nudes of women comes across in the paintings. I don’t even feel like they are really nudes because while there’s plenty of skin, there’s not really anything titillating. They feel melancholic, for the most part.

How do you feel about the idea of the ‘male gaze’?
As a woman, you’re used to being looked at in person—well, not as much now as before [laughs]—just like, as a painter, you’re aware of the idea of the male gaze in art. It’s a complicated issue. I never thought I shouldn’t look at a painting of a woman just because it was made by a man. I always looked rather naively, and I always wanted to make paintings that stood apart from any kind of dogma. I do think we’re sort of beyond all that now. Mostly, I’ve just always wanted to keep making work that’s in opposition to whatever came before in my career. That’s why I have a hankering for the figurative now.

Your last solo show in New York, which was mostly abstract and expansive rather than figurative and tightly edited like this one, was five years ago. A lot’s changed for you since then. For one, you had a baby.
Exactly, but I don’t think you want to call these the ‘motherhood pictures’. [laughs] They’re not exactly warm and fuzzy. But the way I work now, it’s a bit schizophrenic. Before, I never really had a domestic side at all. Now I have to think about things like lunch and laundry.

Does your daughter Celeste paint?
Yes, but probably no more than most four-year olds.

She doesn’t have a defined style yet?
No, but if you ask her what something is, she’ll tell you, “It’s abstract.”

Images: © Cecily Brown. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery. Photography by Robert McKeever ]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/07/cecily-brown-gagosian-solo-exhibition.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/07/cecily-brown-gagosian-solo-exhibition.htm Art & Design Tue, 07 May 2013 16:20:00 -0500 Vivienne Westwood Anglomania white cotton "Tits" t-shirt. Early '90s re-issue. Siouxsie Sioux wore the original in 1976, making this graphic punk T-shirt iconic. (Worn at left by Cara Delevigne.)

Punk may be quite literally in Vogue right now, but for Gill Linton, founder of the high-end vintage retail site Byronesque.com, it’s a culturally significant movement long worthy of the spotlight. And let’s not leave out the Teddys and Mods, Skinheads and New Romantics, all of which inform her approach. “Whether on or offline, vintage stores tend to be so kitschy and unsophisticated,” says Linton. “Byronesque is about elevating the experience.” Tapping into a network of acclaimed vintage boutiques like London’s One of A Kind, Paris’s Quidam de Revel, and New York’s now defunct The New World Order, the site offers covetable pieces like an Azzedine Alaia motorcycle dress from the late ’80s, a black velvet Thierry Mugler bra top and matching pencil skirt, as well as re-issues of Malcolm McClaren and Vivienne Westwood’s “Tits” tee (above), famously worn by Siouxsie Sioux. Byronesque also features thought-provoking editorials to put these clothes and accessories into context, such as a story on scars by the artist Jake Chapman and a video interview with Nenah Cherry on Ari Up’s singular style. “Right now the dominant culture is fast,” says Linton. “I wanted to create something that inspired.”

Photo: courtesy of Byronesque]]> http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/06/byronesque-online-vintage-boutique-punk.htm http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/thedailyw/2013/05/06/byronesque-online-vintage-boutique-punk.htm Fashion Mon, 06 May 2013 11:56:52 -0500