Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i Town & Country

2015 OUR HOUSE Isabel Toledo, who died in August at 59, was revered as a designer’s designer, though she was best known as the creator of Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress. Over a 35-year career, Isabel and her illustrator husband Ruben built a creative life with a close circle of friends and collaborators, including those seen here in the couple’s four-story New York studio. In this issue we celebrate the special bond of friends who are family. It’s a feeling the Toledos knew well, for their workplace was “a salon frequented by old friends…a place where magic happens.”…

One evening last summer, 25 out of the 129 diners visiting Alinea—a Chicago restaurant that ranks among the world’s best places to eat—made special requests to their orders in advance. Some of these were based on clear-cut food allergies, but a significant portion seemed to fall under a more amorphous category: aversion. Despite the fact that Alinea serves only theatrically prepared tasting menus, the kitchen staff acceded to each and every ask. They had gotten used to this. But a few weeks later, chef and proprietor Grant Achatz updated the restaurant’s policy on requests. Going forward, common dietary restrictions, such as pescatarian and vegetarian, are accepted as long as the guest informs the restaurant three days in advance, but aversions, or any allergy that can be triggered by cross-contamination, are…

Nearly 35 years ago Carolina Herrera designed the gown for an American princess—Caroline Kennedy—and ever since, young women (royal and otherwise) have flocked to the label. Many of the resulting moments have been chronicled in the pages of T&C. “A bride is the best embodiment of the house, because she’s the one everyone is looking at—and that is so Herrera,” says Gordon.…

LISA BLOOM “I feel equipped to help you against the Roses of the world, because I have represented so many of them.” Bloom, an advocate for victims of sexual assault, wrote to Harvey Weinstein in 2016 offering to defend him against rape allegations made by Rose McGowan. JOI I TO “Reminder to self: Don’t invest with or take money from assholes.” A 2008 Twitter post by Ito, who resigned from MIT in September after acknowledging that his lab had accepted $1.7 million from Jeffrey Epstein. LORI LOUGHLIN “Give it your all. Do the best you can. That’s all you can do, and that’s enough in my opinion.” Advice the actress (who is accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get her two daughters into USC) said she and her husband…

If you’ve been wondering where Edward Norton has been, the answer is Brooklyn. Well, kind of. The three-time Oscar nominee has spent nearly 20 years developing Motherless Brooklyn, the stylish new detective drama that he wrote, directed, and stars in alongside Bruce Willis and Cherry Jones. The movie, out November 1, is based on Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel, but Norton has given it an overhaul, moving the action to the 1950s and adding subplots and characters to create something both recognizable and new. “For me, the initial impulse was a greedy one. I thought, Wow, what a great character!” Norton says about the investigator he plays. “That evolved over time, as the scope of the vision expanded from this great character to a larger mystery.” Here, he opens up about…

A box of treasures. That is the inspiration that embodies this season’s Raymond Mazza Collection. Bridging the gap between classic and contemporary, our items conjure an old-world style with a new-world flare. Our Time & Jewels showcase features exquisitely colored gemstones accented with a Florentine finish, bezel set ancient Roman coins, and textured link chains sporting geometrically shaped diamond adornments. These are some of our new must-have pieces for your Raymond Mazza jewelry wardrobe.…

“Every jewelry obsessive has a bucket list of meccas to visit: the Tucson Gem & Mineral show, Casa Codognato in Venice, Lalaounis in Athens. At the top of my dream itinerary was Idar-Oberstein, a German village near Frankfurt that has been worthy of pilgrimage by the jewelry faithful for 500 years. If you’ve bought any piece of high jewelry with a hard stone, most likely it was cut by the town’s master carvers. When I visited with Pomellato’s creative, director Vincenzo Castaldo, who was there to select stones for the house’s high jewelry Armonie Minerali collection, our host was Constantin Wild, a gem cutter whose family has been in the business since 1847. Watching Castaldo and Wild pair colors for the 38 rings and pendants was extraordinary. They even found…

There are many gorgeously colored stones in the jewelry universe, and yet, when it’s time for a celebration—a birth, a wedding, a career victory—it seems only a diamond will do. Napoleon waited years (and jettisoned Josephine) before he had a son and heir. When the Prince Imperial finally arrived, the grand occasion was sealed with a necklace. The Empress Marie Louise proudly wore her push present, with its 28 mine-cut diamond drops, in official portraits, but when her husband was exiled to St. Helena she fled to Austria and took the necklace with her. Now on display at the Smithsonian, the Napoleon Diamond necklace is but one example of why the toughest material in the universe is the one we turn to for the celebrations that most touch our hearts.…

In 1905, Richard D’Oyly Carte, the founder of London’s Savoy hotel, decided that no mattress was up to scratch for his luxurious digs, so he decided to create his own. After guests like Winston Churchill asked if they could take the beds home, he began to sell them. Today Savoir still makes the priciest, most deluxe beds in the world. The majority will set you back about $100,000—although the round, rotating model, created for a client who couldn’t decide whether the bed in his château should face the mountains or the fireplace, goes for nearly three times that much. (Its topper is filled with fibers from the hand-combed coats of 40 Mongolian yaks.) Don’t despair, though. According to Ebben, any mattress that comfortably supports your spine will contribute to better…

JANUARY Dern is nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in The Tale. The year before, she won a Globe (her fourth) for Big Little Lies. FEBRUARY Dern and Reese Witherspoon (pictured here at an HBO panel) met on the set of 2014’s Wild and have been friends ever since. Want proof? Check Instagram. JUNE Dern personified one-percent angst expertly in Big Little Lies’ second season. In the words of Renata Klein: “I will be rich again. I will rise up.” AUGUST Nothing quite solidifies pop culture icon status like Kanye West walking around in a shirt with your face on it—in this case a teenage Dern in Blue Velvet. NOVEMBER Suffering from Renata Klein withdrawal? Go see Marriage Story, in which Dern goes on a different kind of…

ANDY COHEN & BRUCE BOZZI The TV host and restaurateur–turned–radio personality reminisce about a quarter century of friendship. BRUCE BOZZI: I’ll never forget meeting Andy. It was January 1994, and I was waiting to go into a party. I was dating his friend, and I was standing outside the door, nervous to be meeting a boyfriend’s friends. The relationship lasted only a year beyond that, but Andy and I have been friends for 25 years. I always say, “In the divorce I got Andy.” ANDY COHEN: We talk endlessly on the phone. His husband Bryan calls me “Bruce’s Husband.” BB: You never know who you’re going to meet in your life. I’m so thankful for that relationship, because its purpose was for me to meet Andy. That was very clear,…

Not every child who has been given a helpful push by a powerful parent gets her own hashtag, but that’s what happened last June, when, at the G20 summit meeting in Osaka, Japan, Ivanka Trump—thitherto not known for the depth of her expertise in geopolitics—decided to put in her two cents’ worth during a conversation with Theresa May, Justin Trudeau, and IMF head Christine Lagarde. The quality of the First Daughter’s contribution (she muttered something about “defense”) was reflected in the look of stupefied disdain that washed over Lagarde’s aristocratic features—and in the hashtag that accompanied a video of the moment that was subsequently shared by millions:#UnwantedIvanka. That may have gotten a laugh, but some experts wondered whether the First Father, already known for his penchant for bringing his children…

WHAT WOMEN WANT PAGE 90–95 GIORGIO ARMANI, SIMILAR STYLES AT ARMANI.COM. OSCAR DE LA RENTA, MODAOPERANDI.COM. TIFFANY & CO., TIFFANY.COM. VALENTINO, VALENTINO BOUTIQUES NATIONWIDE. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, 877-VAN-CLEEF. VERSACE, VERSACE.COM. LIVE LIKE A ROCKEFELLER PAGE 96–103 ANDRE ARBUS DINING CHAIRS, ALMONDANDCOMPANYSF.COM. BEAUVAIS CARPETS SILK RUG BY HR, BEAUVAISCARPETS.COM. LINE VAUTRIN TORTILLONS MIRROR, CHASTELMARECHAL.COM. MAISON GERARD CERAMIC BOWL BY RON MEYERS, MAISONGERARD.COM. PIETRO CHIESA FOR FONTANA ARTE MURANO GLASS CHANDELIER, FONTANAARTE.COM. GENERATION AFTER GENERATION PAGE 120–127 AKRIS, 877-700-1922. BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, BRUNELLOCUCINELLI.COM. CANALI, CANALI.COM. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, SIMILAR STYLES AT CHRISTIANLOUBOUTIN.COM. DOLCE & GABBANA, DOLCEGABBANA.COM. DRIES VAN NOTEN, BERGDORFGOODMAN.COM. FABIANA FILIPPI, FABIANAFILIPPI.COM. FENDI, FENDI.COM. GABRIELA HEARST, GABRIELAHEARST.COM. JOSEPH ABBOUD COLLECTION, JOSEPHABBOUD.COM. KHAITE, KHAITE.COM. LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S, LOUISVUITTON.COM. MAX MARA, MAX MARA, 310-385-9343. OMEGA, OMEGAWATCHES.COM. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION, BERGDORF GOODMAN, 212-753-7300. ROBERTO COIN,…

ALLERGY Code red for all chefs—especially anything that might require an epipen if the kitchen gets it wrong. AVERSION Basically, the customer doesn’t want it. A Pandora’s Box if you agree to take these out, says Alinea’s chef, Grant Achatz. “Especially now, when people are obsessed with diets such as keto that kill sugar and wheat.” F/O/BP Flour/oil/byproduct. Abbreviations used when discussing nut and dairy allergies to determine how allergic, and to what, somebody is. OL VEGETARIAN Ovo-lacto vegetarians will eat some animal products, like milk and eggs. S/S/BP Stocks/sauces/byproducts. “In other words, boiled feet and snouts are fine, just no muscles,” says Achatz.…

You can learn a lot about character and taste by posing certain dichotomies: Plato or Aristotle? Tolstoy or Dostoevsky? Mets or Yankees? Fitzgerald or Hemingway? In the world of wine, the great divide is between Bordeaux and Burgundy. The former is cerebral but congenial. If you know your vintages and your châteaux, you will get what you pay for. Bordeaux, in all but the coolest of growing years, is full bodied and generous. It keeps its promises, and its fans appreciate that reliability. The Bordeaux man or woman tends to be grounded and levelheaded. Me, I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t mind risking disappointment, heartbreak, and rejection in the pursuit of bliss, which is to say that I’m a Burgundy lover. It’s a wine that speaks more to the…

At the Venice Film Festival in September, a lot of actresses looked very fine on the Lido red carpet in couture gowns designed to wow with hourglass silhouettes and elaborate trains. The most stylish woman to step off a gondola, though, did not come in layers of tulle or even an attention-grabbing color. She came in a simple all-white linen suit and sneakers. Cate Blanchett’s only flourish was a pair of ornate cameo earrings. The jewels were by Cindy Sherman for Liz-Works; the suit was Armani. Blanchett is a global beauty ambassador for the brand, but this was not just another case of a sponsored step-and-repeat appearance. In paring her look down to the essentials, she delivered a master class in confident style. The Oscar winner knew she didn’t need…

Founded in 1965 and established in Paris, dinh van is considered the free spirit of French jewelry. Inspired by design, dinh van creates graphic, pure, modern jewelry in a minimalist style. Dinh van creations are the ultimate piece for the Parisienne uniform.…

ASSAEL NEIMAN MARCUS Select stores neimanmarcus.com SAKS FIFTH AVENUE select stores saksfifthavenue.com DINH VAN SHREVE CRUMP & LOW 125 Greenwich Avenue Greenwich, Connecticut 203.622.6205 39 Newbury Street Boston, Massasuchetts 617.267.9100 shrevecrumpandlow.com HYDE PARK JEWELERS 3000 East 1st Avenue, #243 Denver, Colorado 303.333.4446 hydeparkjewelers.com SAKS FIFTH AVENUE select stores saksfifthavenue.com PICCHIOTTI BIGHAM JEWELERS 2425 Tamiami Trail North Naples, Florida 239.434.2800 Info@bighamjewelers.com DEUTSCH HOUSTON 3747 Westheimer Road Houston, Texas 713.627.7787 deutschhouston.com LEEDS & SON 73-670 El Paseo Palm Desert, California 760.568.5266 leedsandson.com RAY GRIFFITHS RAY GRIFFITHS FINE JEWELRY 303 5th Avenue New York, New York 212.689.7209 raygriffiths.com RAYMOND MAZZA THE MENAGERIE 1601 W 38th Street, #7 Austin, Texas 512.453.4644 LEIGH JEWELERS 3401 Ocean Drive Vero Beach, Florida 772.234.8522 WAYNE JEWELERS 101 Lancaster Avenue Wayne, Pennsylvania 610.687.9230 SETHI COUTURE LONDON JEWELERS 185 Greenwich…

GREEK GOLD AND GARNET STRAP NECKLACE Hellenistic period, late 3rd to early 2nd century BC, estimated value $80,000–$120,000 Originally worn as a cloak strap, this style of necklace, with its dangling seedlike pendants, was all the rage among the Greek nobility in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. A few examples can also be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. CHRISTIES.COM/ANTIQUITIES GREEK GOLD OAK WREATH Late classical to early Hellenistic period, 4th to 3rd century BC, estimated value $150,000–$250,000 Olympians got olive wreaths for their feats, but ancient Greeks and Macedonians wore a variety of leafy crowns, the finest of which were made of gold. This oak wreath (look closely to see the acorns) would have been popular among Zeus’s followers, like Alexander the Great’s court. CHRISTIES.COM/ANTIQUITIES VIKING SILVER…

WE WILL practice yoga with 360-degree views of Himalayan peaks and meditate with Buddhist monks. We will walk through shaded rhododendron forests and picnic above green valleys. We will hike to one of Buddhism’s most sacred sites and attend evening prayers at a monastery (think 300 monks chanting). We will breathe the pure air and listen to the flutter of prayer flags and the rush of streams. We will be pampered: Think spa treatments, baths, massages. And we will stay in four of Bhutan’s most exquisite lodges. ACCOMPANYING US will be three experts: A Delhi-based educator in yoga, meditation, spiritualism, and tai chi, who trains yearly with the Dalai Lama; our own private yoga instructor; and a local cultural guide. THIS JOURNEY has been created in partnership with &Beyond, a…

SCORPIO OCTOBER 24–NOVEMBER 22 This month the planets are telling you to take your time. Mars in a hidden angle of your chart until the 19th means you’re not in a position to assert your will, and Mercury out of sync until the 20th adds confusion to the mix. As November winds down, though, everything seems to be coming together, particularly around financial arrangements and personal agreements. SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 23–DECEMBER 21 Venus in your birth sign amplifies your charm, but until the Sun enters Sagittarius on the 22nd, you may feel you can’t get plans moving smoothly ahead. Be confident, though, because with Jupiter forming a brilliant aspect near the 24th, you’re heading toward success. What’s more, confusion around lifestyle issues will lift toward month’s end. CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22–JANUARY 20…

COMEY James’s daughter Maurene is an assistant U.S. attorney who has been investigating Jeffrey Epstein. MEYERS-SHYER Daughter Hallie has followed Hollywood parents Nancy and Charles behind the camera. HARRISON Hassie, a member of the legendary multigenerational Hunt/Sands/Harrison clan of Dallas, is a burgeoning TV star. BURNS Filmmaker Ken’s daughter Lilly is a producer whose credits include Broad City and Russian Doll. KRAVITZ For a certain demographic, Big Little Lies star Zoë is the most famous Kravitz.…

AMERICAN STYLE: LEE RADZIWILL On Thursday, September 5, Town & Country and Christie’s hosted an intimate luncheon and panel conversation in honor of the upcoming auction, The Collection of Lee Bouvier Radziwill. The luncheon featured special highlights on display from the Collection offering a glimpse into her fascinating life as a prominent socialite, princess, designer, and witness to a momentous era in American history. For more information, please visit christies.com BEST BUDDIES Best Buddies offers programs that empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills, and feel valued by society. Join them in making the world a more inclusive place – volunteer, donate or hire today! bestbuddies.org CLARA WILLIAMS Inspired by…

THE FIRE WITHIN If you recognize the name on this matchbook, it’s likely for one of two reasons. Either you’re a member of this private London club, or you’ve seen all the Instagram photos of anyone who has managed to get a foot in the door. Since 1963, Annabel’s has been a discreet refuge for every A-lister from Madonna to Queen Elizabeth (it’s the only nightclub she has ever visited). But thanks to a very high-profile redecoration last year, Annabel’s has become a social media sensation. Some question the endless posts from the bathroom (the only place where photos are officially allowed), but that hasn’t stopped people from stealing the matchbooks—it’s like a stealth geotag brag. Now, with the recent addition of Italian restaurant Matteo’s, there will be plenty more…

When Deborah Fribourg got engaged, she knew right away that she wanted Wes Gordon, creative director at Carolina Herrera, to design her dress. She had been a fan of Gordon’s since the days of his namesake label—plus, there was a family connection. Her father Paul, chairman of the ContiGroup Companies, one of the largest privately held corporations in the U.S., is the godfather of Gordon’s husband, the real estate developer and glass artist Paul Arnhold. (The Fribourg and Arnhold families have been close for at least two generations.) For her initial meeting with Gordon, Fribourg, who runs her own design firm, DMF Interiors, brought her favorite beach cover-up as the starting point. “I wanted something comfortable, sophisticated, and playful,” she says, a contrast to all the other dresses she had…

That somewhat overlooked Tennessee Williams play The Rose Tattoo—a revival of which is currently at Broadway’s American Airlines Theatre—has long been a good luck charm for actresses. Maureen Stapleton won a Tony for her performance in the show’s 1951 Broadway debut (and enjoyed herself enough to play the role in a revival 15 years later), and Anna Magnani took home her only Academy Award for the 1955 movie adaptation. But Marisa Tomei, who stars in the new production as a widow whose world is upended by a new romance, doesn’t dwell on that past. “It isn’t helpful,” she says, “to think about some of the greatest actresses of all time when one has to go to work.” What Tomei, an Oscar winner herself, does think about is how relevant Williams’s…

Armani has been an Oscars fixture since 1989, when Michelle Pfeiffer wore the label to Hollywood’s big night. Expect it in force on October 27 at the Academy’s Governors Awards. If you can’t make it to Christie’s Lee Radziwill auction in New York (October 17), wear your Privé to the house’s Magnificent Jewels sale on November 12 in Geneva. The Necker Cup, December 4–9, is a tennis tournament at Richard Branson’s private getaway in the Caribbean. Steal a page from Italian Fabio Fognini and consider Emporio for matches by the sea.…

Available in limited quantities in diamond, ruby, emerald, or sapphire.…

“MY GREATGRANDFATHER AND GRANDFATHER BUILT A FOLLOWING. MY FATHER, SACHA, BUILT A COMPANY…” –GREG DER CALOUSDIAN For 50 years, VAHAN has been creating timeless collections of uniquely elegant jewels for the modern woman. Made in the USA and based in New York, VAHAN was founded by third-generation French jewelry designer Leon “Sacha” Der Calousdian in 1968. After years of studying at the prestigious jewelry school La Chambre Syndicale de la Bijouterie in Paris, Sacha went on to start his own company, known then as Alwand Vahan. In 2009, Sacha’s son Greg joined the company as the VP of Design, bringing his own artistic sensibilities that have helped develop the core of VAHAN styles. Today, Sacha collaborates closely with Greg to develop the VAHAN aesthetic—a perfectly curated mix of sterling silver…

A jeweler once said that if one of her artisans was in a bad mood, she sent her home and wouldn’t let her handle a stone, for fear her emotions might be transferred into it forever. Such is the power of the human touch in jewelry, and it is there that we can begin to understand the hold diamonds have on our imagination, our emotions, and our history. These stones, born of the earth and ushered into brilliance by dedicated miners, genius cutters, and gifted designers, hold timeless qualities within them. There are of course legendary diamonds—the Hope, the Cullinan, the Orlov—but the truth is, all diamonds contain legends within.…

1 The Tiffany Diamond 128.54-carat yellow cushion. I worked for Tiffany & Co. for years, managing stores in the regions—first Philadelphia, then Miami, and finally Los Angeles. Every year I would travel to NYC for the Blue Book event. There was nothing like stepping onto the main floor of the Fifth Avenue flagship and seeing that most impressive and priceless object in a vitrine. 2 The Zoe Blue Diamond From the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon. 9.75-carat Fancy Vivid Blue pear. The first time I saw this stone was in the basement of Bunny Mellon’s library, with six of my jewelry colleagues from Sotheby’s. The light was terrible, and it was not until we took the diamond upstairs that we realized what we had. The color is so special, unlike any blue…

Brokering billion-dollar deals on scant shuteye used to be a status symbol. Now we’re strapping on high-tech REM monitors and perusing hotel pillow menus, desperate for a satisfying snooze. Sleep doesn’t just make us smarter, slimmer, and better-looking; people who regularly slumber less than six hours a night have an elevated heart attack risk. Yet as late-night Instagram scrolls reveal, there are still a lot of insomniacs in our midst (the CDC estimates some 70 million Americans are sleep-deprived). Here, how to get the best—and most beautiful—rest you’ve ever had. YOU REALLY REALLY NEED IT “People who are sleep-deprived tend to engage in riskier behaviors,” says Weill Cornell Medicine sleep expert Matthew Ebben. They also tend to have a shorter fuse—and a bigger waistline.…

About a week after I met Laura Dern, Kanye West was spotted wearing a T-shirt with her face on it. That’s not to imply a connection, just to note that Dern is literally an icon—the T-shirt makes it official. The image was a still from Blue Velvet, released in 1986, when Dern was 19 and an innocent girl next door with a scary underside. Now, more roles than birthdays later, she has entered the pantheon of cultural figures that other artists wear to look cool. Seeing Dern’s face emblazoned on Kanye’s shirt is both surprising and not at all. Lately Dern has been visible everywhere, stealing scenes as Renata Klein on HBO’s Big Little Lies, which has netted her an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and popping up in roles…

THE LOPEZ/RODRIGUEZES BY T&C’S EDITORS Separately, they were impressive enough. Alex Rodriguez was one of Major League Baseball’s most recognizable players before he segued into a career in TV. And Jennifer Lopez was, of course, the multihyphenate entertainer and entrepreneur once ranked by Forbes as the most powerful celebrity in the world. In 2017 the two—who have four kids between them—started dating, and earlier this year they got engaged. All of which would have made for a banner year—and then she catapulted to the front of the Oscar race for her performance in Hustlers. Now the only question left to ask is… Can we be bridesmaids? Flower girls? Anything? Call us! THE GEISTS BY ALI STROKER I grew up with the Geists, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and have known them…

To throw a cocktail party is to invite people to come at “six, put cigarettes out on your rug, and leave at eight to go somewhere more interesting,” as P.J. O’Rourke once opined. The T&C solution: Dump the canapés for cake and make it a late-night affair worthy of Versailles. A dessert party melds the best of cocktail hour—the champagne, or maybe a decanted port—with confectionery decadence. Consider this a reservation for the night’s finale, for guests who are saving the best for last.…