Courtney Love Lived Here; Now, In-House Psychic and Butler
Posted - September 8th, 2010 - Art, Debauchery, Fashion
Parlor in the Chelsea Mansion on 20th Street
Right before Labor Day weekend, I was invited to experience a little bit of the latest New York V.I.P housing concept: the temporary luxury dwelling. Perfect for movie stars and directors who are non-city residents but are shooting flicks in the city, the renovated Chelsea Mansion — built in the 1800’s — brings Edith Wharton into the glittering modern age. Located at 436 West 20th Street and restored by developer Michael Bolla, the place felt colorfully mind expanding like an ode to not just Wharton, but to the Bloomsbury intellectual salon of yore. The six-floored place features an in-house butler and psychic for all residents. (The amenities list also boasts an on call fashion stylist and yoga instructor.)
After falling in love with the marble fireplaces and Baccarat chandeliers (from the Twenties), the psychic, Roxanne Hulderman, literally gave me goose bumps. In the cozy boho chic parlor, she held my necklace in her palm and consulted my “guides and angels,” taking me on an uncanny session of personal details that I still do not understand.
Hulderman, who has been featured on CNN and other shows in the past few months, had become the financial world’s soothsayer du jour since the market crashed. She’s apparently also seen Courtney Love, who lived at Chelsea Mansion until May. For a cool $20,000 a month for a two bedroom — with short term leases going for a few weeks up to twelve months — you too can have the luxury of seeing the incredible Hulderman.
Still, you don’t have to move in to get a reading. You can contact the psychic through her website. Prepare to be spooked in the nicest possible way. Check out: PSYCHICROXANNE.
Courtney Love, one of the cozy yet luxe Chelesea Mansion’s first modern short term residents
End of Summer, Street Style GIRLS NYC
Posted - September 3rd, 2010 - Fashion
Think it’s too warm to wrap that scarf round your neck? Not if the sun has gone down and you’re walking along Rivington or Ludlow in LES, NYC. Over the past week the evening temps have gone from high Seventies Fahrenheit (Forties Celsius) to several degrees higher, and here’s what caught the eye.
On cooler nights, gals paired baby-doll dresses with combat boots. Prints — in tunics and scarves — are everywhere. The lightweight jacket in white or black, especially prevailed with an occasional red in the mix. Gals donned asymmetrical shirts, and black tanks will always have a place in NYC. Ballet flats made strides everywhere, with a rare penny loafers sighting. But the rad shoe award goes to these high black Givenchy heels in the above slideshow. Hell, you could go naked, wear those, and still be styling.
The Heartbreaks are a British indie rock band formed in Lancashire in 2009. Now based in Manchester, they are described as the ’soon-to-be massive indie wonders’. The band’s Motown pop purity, coy vocals and innocent romanticism gives The Heartbreaks a similar charm to when The Smith’s first came to town. “I didn’t think it would hurt to think of you“ is the next single to be released from their debut album, planned to be released later this year.
I’ve noticed a growing trend for NYC blokes these days. For them, it’s all black and white, if you consider ultra trendsters, photographer Francois Hugon and Half Gallery co-owner Bill Powers. Powers seen in his signature tinted shades, dons a tailored white jacket (technically more ivory) over a white tee and black narrow jeans, topped with silver Adidas sneakers. Francois, rocking his French roots a bit more, also wears a white tee but with a scarf and artist’s smock, over skinny black jeans, topped with white Repetto-like shoes. But note that the shoes aren’t as pointy as Serge Gainsbourg’s signature Repettos, a bit more of a hybrid between the former and a cool sneaker. The messenger cap really tops it here. But, you need to have a certain je ne sais quoi or you’d have to be Pete Doherty — now rumored to be reuniting with the Libertines this week in the UK — to pull that one off well.
These Hot Little Bags Are NOT FOR SALE!
Posted - August 31st, 2010 - Art, Fashion
Charismatic shutterbug Caroline Torem Craig, taking shots of notables in LES, NYC
If you’re anywhere around the “in scenes” of New York, you’ve met photographer Caroline Torem Craig. She’s been snapping lots of fun photos for Paper Magazine for at least the last decade. She’s one strong rock n’roll dame, and I’ve always admired her stamina.
What I didn’t know was that Caroline hand sews a line called “Freedom From Design,” what I’ll describe as art satchels with images taken from some of her favorite visual or musical artists. See in the slide show below, the depiction of a nurse — Richard Prince!– and another that resembles guitarist Jimi Hendrix. She pulls from what she loves and she’ll be showing her art at Opening Ceremony this fall. But before you pull out the wallet, note that they are not for sale! Caroline has been doing these remarkable pieces for about eighteen years for the sheer joy of it, although I’ve seen a few talented designers, including pal Victoria Bartlett ignite upon seeing them as hot accessories. Maybe one day, but for now we can only look an covet.
Reality TV Art Debuts at Hipster Enclave
Posted - August 27th, 2010 - Art, Fashion
Good and Lonely Luminous Structure No. 2 by Miles Mendenhall
The Half Gallery in LES usually brings out some cool kids and downtown luminaries like the ThreeAsFour designers, photographers like Mark Borthwick, the curator Neville Wakefield, smatterings of Vogue editors, and Purple Magazine editor Olivier Zahm at his sweaty best. But last week, perhaps, an impostor entered the works: Miles Mendenhall, a 23 year old artist and a competitor on Bravo Television’s “Work of Art.” Mendenhall, who has made some nifty curved wooden chairs in the past and likes to paint gruesome takes on Salvador Dali paintings, concentrated this time on printmaking. Most of the black and white checked or circled images on the wall seemed blurred, purposely. A friend indicated that they looked like something that you’d find in a yuppie furniture store.
Apparently, Mendenhall was selected for the show since one of the gallery owners, Bill Powers, appeared as a judge on “Work of Art.” So the kid did get some props from mainstream television. Personally, I like the checked scarf print that really collided in the best way with my pal, artist Megan Marrin’s shirt. (See below.) Marrin also crafted the jewels around her neck, the fab red and white circle and the doll’s leg, which she procured from a doll cemetery in Germany. Wow. Suddenly, Mendenhall really pales in comparison.
Miles Mendenhall, August 24th- September 14th, Half Gallery, 208 Forsyth Street.
Megan Marrin unknowingly came coordinated to the show; great neck ornaments, made by her.
British synthpop duo ‘Hurts’ are the latest boys to break through from the massive Manchester music scene, spreading a showcase of music which will happily take you right back to the 80’s. Hurts came about early this year with debut single “Better than Love” which gave them unsurprising success in the download charts before gaining an official number one.
“Wonderful Life” is the next track to be released from the album Happiness which also includes collaborations with Kylie Minogue. The video expresses a Spandau-esk theme (sax solo also included!) as well as a gorgeous Edie Sedgwick look-alike, dancing timelessly to this glorious sombre sound. Hurts have created what hopes to be a heart-piercing future classic.
Montauk Does Chanel American Style
Posted - August 25th, 2010 - Debauchery, Fashion
Scene at the beach in front of the Crow’s Nest Hotel on Saturday (photo: Steve Eichner)
What does Chanel have in common with lobster rolls, french fries, and American volleyball? Basically nothing, until you consider surfer Laird Hamilton, the brand muse behind the new Chanel J12 marine watch. To fete the very Yankee association, a Chanel-themed beach party enlisted Hamilton, his wife volleyball champ Gabrielle Reece, and a good smattering of movie stars including Angelica Houston, Richard Gere, and Rachel Weisz at the Crow’s Nest Hotel in Montauk. With socialites, artist filmmaker Julian Schnabel, Jimmy “Margaritaville” Buffet, and several guys in checkered shirts mixed in, if it weren’t for the Chanel surfboards — that were quite cool — you’d swear that Ralph Lauren had presided here instead of the French luxe house.
By twilight, the celebration became a cocktail swilling benefit dinner for the Surfrider Foundation, which preserves the ecosystem of beaches; and the fare turned from fries and seafood salads to steamed clams and grilled peaches. If only they gave away those black and white Chanel surfboards, it would have been a perfect day! I could totally ride one of those babies in a pair of Hudson denim shorts!
Movie stars chow down on beach food in Montauk (photo: Billy Farrell)
Seen here: some stellar looks from the previous seasons till now
Gearing up for autumn in New York City usually means taking out the “go to” pieces from the wardrobe, which of course, always includes Hudson jeans. When I thought of the perfect accessory to transform a simple tee and great jeans, Lizzie Fortunato — whose eponymous jewelry line — pops immediately to mind. Lizzie, the pixie haired lass in the slideshow, and her sister Kathryn, started making custom jewelry almost a decade ago, while Lizzie was still at Duke University. Now, the sisters scour the globe in search of special gems, stones, porcelain, and even lace to construct one of kind necklaces and bangles. Depending on where you buy, you can pay anywhere from $28 for a bracelet from the diffusion line at Urban Outfitters to several hundred at Bergdorf Goodman or Kirna Zabete.
The way I see it, like a perfect fitting pair of Hudson jeans, a Fortunato necklace means an investment piece, chic for all seasons. Another bonus: “fortunato” in Italian means fortunate. That’s gotta bring good luck! Click: LizzieFortunato
