Remembering Princess Grace

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco and there are quite a few things going on to remember the life and legacy of this style icon.

First, Sotheby's in New York will exhibit Grace, Princess of Monaco: A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Grace Kelly. This exhibition will feature dresses, jewelry, photographs, letters, video and other unique items, most of which have never been seen outside of Monaco. These items span the extraordinary life of Grace Kelly, from Hollywood star and style icon to Princess of Monaco as a wife, mother and humanitarian. The exhibition will be accompanied by a commemorative catalogue, published by the Consulate General of Monaco. The proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, which is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in theatre, dance and film.
On October 25th, at the annual Princess Grace Awards gala in New York, Sotheby's will auction off two outfits worn by Grace Kelly to benefit her foundation. One of the dresses is the Helen Rose ball gown worn by Grace Kelly in 1956 musical comedy High Society, seen above and below.

The other dress is a Givenchy-designed sleeveless dress with matching fringed bolero jacket that she wore on an official 1961 visit with Prince Rainier to a White House lunch with President and Mrs. Kennedy.

From October 21 - 26, six gowns of historic note worn by Grace Kelly/Princess Grace of Monaco will serve as inspiration to some of America's best known fashion designers (Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Ralph Lauren, Zac Posen, Ralph Rucci, and Vera Wang) as they create one-of-a-kind haute couture to celebrate the classic style of the American-born Princess in the 25th year since her passing. The designs will be exhibited at Saks Fifth Avenue's New York City flagship store during October's A Celebration of Grace and each will be auctioned with final bidding at the Casino Couture event at Sotheby's on October 24.

There are also two new books out to commemorate 25th anniversary of Grace Kelly's death including Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures and The Grace Kelly Years: Princess of Monaco. They would make a nice gift for the holidays for any chic and stylish friend or for yourself to remember the style icon who had an Hermes bag named after her. Now that's chic!

Chic at Aquavit

After I posted about Stockholm last week, it was funny to open my November issue of House and Garden magazine and see a profile of Marcus Samuelsson, the chef and co-owner of the fabulous Scandinavian restaurant in New York, Aquavit.

Marcus' life story is almost as interesting as his cuisine. He was born in Ethiopia but was adopted by a Swedish couple. Samuelsson describes his childhood on the West Coast of Sweden as an idyllic time spent with family and close friends. At a young age, he also discovered his passion for cooking alongside his grandmother, who was a professional cook. Passionate about his studies at the Culinary Institute in Göteborg, Samuelsson attended classes by day and cooked in local restaurants late each night.

Following graduation, Samuelsson apprenticed first in Switzerland and later in Austria. Later, Aquavit owner Håkan Swahn selected the young Swedish chef for an eight-month apprenticeship at his restaurant. This was a great honor for Samuelsson, considering the restaurant’s international reputation. Following his stint at Aquavit, Samuelsson returned to Europe to take a position at the world-renowned and three-star Michelin restaurant, Georges Blanc in Lyon, France. In 1994, Håkan Swahn asked Samuelsson to return to Aquavit to work under the restaurant’s new executive chef. He worked diligently and in May of 1995, he was formally appointed Executive Chef of Aquavit.

At work, chef Marcus Samuelsson strives for seamless presentation. You see it at Aquavit "with it's sleek teak interiors and simply yet beautifully plated food" below while at home, it's another story. The decor of his sun-drenched West Harlem apartment is another great example of mixing things up. Louis XV-style furniture shares space with Edwardian and modernist pieces and a mix of personal treasures including a prayer chair from Singapore, decorative art from Africa, a scattering of flea market finds and a high school locker from a shop in Soho.

Samuelsson life just keeps getting more interesting too. He recently met with his birth father and also just wrote an African cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine, and this month is supposed to open the companion restaurant, Merkato 55, in the Meatpacking District to showcase the continent’s diverse cuisine. I couldn't find a photo so I can't wait to see what it looks like! "It's great to have so many creative outlets," he says. "It's in the mix that things get interesting." I agree.

I greatly admire anyone who has passion for something they love but I admire them even more when they get out of their comfort zone and try new things. It's the only way you grow and without growth, how else could we have a successful Ethiopian born Swedish raised chef who lives in Harlem and simultaneously runs a Scandinavian and an African restaurant! I think that's the finest example of "only in New York" stories I have ever heard! Hope it inspires you to get out of your comfort zone today too!

Habitually Chic Designer: Hervé Van der Straeten

I don't even know where to begin to describe Hervé Van der Straeten. He's a furniture designer, a galerie owner, a jewelry maker, a lipstick case and perfume bottle creator, and the life partner to another habitually chic Frenchman, Bruno Frisoni, the designer behind Roger Vivier. I'm sure I've left something out but you get the idea.

I thought Hervé Van der Straeten started out originally as a furniture designer. He's friends with my boss and we buy from him often so when I walked past a display case of his jewelry at Bergdorf Goodman recently I thought he had just gotten into jewelry design but it turns out that's where he got his start. He used to create jewelry for YSL and Christian Lacroix after he dropped out of studing engineering at the the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. I was afraid to check the prices but it turns out they're pretty reasonable since they are either silver or 24k gold vermeil and not actually solid gold. The most expensive piece is a necklace for $1200 but there are a lot of earrings and and bracelets in the $150 to $250 range. Perfect for the holidays!

He and Bruno Frisoni, see below, also have a fabulous sunny apartment near the Bastille in Paris that is part of a complex that used to be a furniture factory. How apropos! I have no idea how to post a video, believe me, I tried but Interieurs online has a wonderful tour of it. You can see that they have moved things around from the photo above including the couch. But then again, don't all true design obsessed people do that? The photo of Bruno Frisoni below was taken in the same room for the House and Garden Tastemakers issue this year.

Bruno Frisoni not only designs his own fantastic eponymous line of shoes but he also designs for Roger Vivier and of course, he asked Van der Straeten to create the furniture for the Roger Vivier boutiques, which are modeled after Vivier's own home, and were designed by Vudafieri Partners. The furniture includes his signature stool - "a podlike seat that can be left gleamingly metallic or encased in lacquers that give it the look of a giant candy," and also an amazing zig zag console done in wood with pitted metal accents in the front window of the shop that is my favorite!

The best part of Hervé Van der Straeten is that he respects the craft and the craftsmen who make his designs. "He oversees a team of precision craftsmen who toil only on his creations. Centralization is an uncommon luxury these days; many designers often lug furniture around to a series of independent artisans."

"You have to have everything together like that, all the craftsmen under one roof, otherwise you will go crazy," Mr. Van der Straeten said at his loft-like showroom in the Marais, where bizarre gilt-bronze chandeliers hang from the ceiling like immense pendants. "You can't control the quality unless you have your own workshop." Nor, it seems, can you be nearly as creative as you would like to be. "

And if that's not enough to impress you, he was commissioned by Guerlain a few years back to design the sculpted gold case for their Kiss Kiss line of lipsticks, as well as the jewel-like compact for foundation. Olivier Echaudemaison, the artistic director of the company's cosmetics division, said he wanted "Hervé to make a lipstick case that is so beautiful that when a woman pulls it out of her bag, her friends will become jealous. You can't ask the average product designer to do that." And I'd say he succeeded. I love the juxtaposition of the modern design with the vintage script for the name.

Today, Hervé van der Straeten is one of the leaders of the design world and his showroom on the Rue Ferdinand Duval, exhibits a collection of 25-30 objects each year, most produced as limited editions. I'm left wondering what he will think up next but until we find out, I'm putting some of his earrings on my wish list. It's probably one of his only designs I can afford! Well, that and the lipsticks. I may have run over to Bergdorf's and get some of those too!

Charlotte Moss Townhouse Happenings

I just received this interesting email from the fine folks over at The Charlotte Moss Townhouse. It's entirely too hot in New York for me to even think about Christmas shopping yet but it's never too hot to buy clothes. I may have to take a walk over and check out the new dresses!

Gwyneth Paltrow Chandelier Update

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the Gwyneth Paltrow photo shoot for House and Garden. I don't want to beat a dead horse but there was a lot of interest in and questions about the Tord Boontje for Swarovski Crystal Palace Blossom Chandelier that hung in Gwyneth's dining room that I thought I would take a second to answer everyone.

House and Garden has Gwyneth Paltrow's Decorating Notebook posted online today but they failed to mention the chandelier, probably because they knew you would fall over from shock when you found out how much it costs! The large Blossom Chandelier which is what Gwyneth has costs $37,500! And in case that's too much for you, the small Blossom Chandelier costs only $22,500. A veritable bargain! Just kidding. I think it's actually quite ridiculous for something that was designed in 2002 to cost so much. An 18th-century antique is understandable to me but Swarovski chandelier kind of boggles my mind. But then again, I'm not a movie star with an unlimited budget. In case you aren't either, then I suggest the Garland Light suspension lamp below also from Tord Boontje at a must more reasonable $90. It comes in brass or silver and would be fun in a kid's room or a modern apartment. Or you could always find something cheap and vintage and spruce it up. That's usually my first inclination but I'm curious as to what you all think.

I also thought you might want to see another photo Eric Cahan sent me of Gwyneth during the photo shoot. I guess we can add stylist to her new list of job titles. I thought it was a cute photo. Of course, if they were shooting my home, I would probably be obsessing just like her! And I promise no more Gwyneth Paltrow posts this week!

Photos courtesy of Eric Cahan and Moss

A Woman of a Certain Age

I love checking out The Sartorialist for fashion inspiration, especially when he's in Italy and France. He shot the woman above for Style.com while in Paris for fashion week and to me she is the epitome of chic. She looks like a cross between Carolina Herrera and Catherine Deneuve. I love her entire outfit from the belted dress to the black tights, the fabulous coat, the big bold gold jewelry to the YSL bag. She is perfection and how I hope I look when I a woman of a certain age...elegant and self assured...and maybe also living in City of Lights. I mean New York is fun and all but nothing beats the glamour of Par-ee. Right?

International Art + Design Fair

In case you happen to be in New York, you might want to check out the International Art + Design Fair where specialists in 20th century and contemporary furniture, sculpture, jewellery, photography, painting, carpets and textiles, ceramics, glass, Far Eastern art and objects and other areas of design from 1900-2007 present their wares.

"With the proliferation of so many international fairs, both in New York and around the globe, The International Art + Design Fair is uniquely positioned at the epicentre of the most influential and dynamic design happening today. Since founded in 1999, the fair has become one of the world’s premier showcases for art and design from 1900 to the present day, with its prime location on New York’s Upper East Side, enabling it to establish itself, in a relatively short time, as “the” platform in New York City for design dealers. As such it has also become a compelling attraction for the growing band of 20th century and contemporary collectors worldwide."

The International Art + Design Fair

Friday, October 5 - Wednesday October 10, 2007

The Park Avenue Armory

Park Avenue at 67th Street, New York

Daily: 11am-7.30pm

Sunday and Wednesday: 11am-6pm

Admission: $20

MIRROR, Thomas Boog, 2007 at Maison Gerard