Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Town & Country

In the spring of 1987, T&C commissioned Victor Skrebneski to photograph several leading craftsmen from the Paris couture scene, including Hubert de Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, alongside the women who best represented their “dream and its fulfillment.” Here, French actress Sabine Azéma models a gilded confection by Christian Lacroix. Just a few months after this shoot, the designer would become the Dom Pérignon toast of New York high society. In October Lacroix descended on the city to stage a fashion show at the World Financial Center—it ended up taking place just a week after the stock market crash of ’87. No matter: The couturier and his devoted clients carried on with unapologetic, opulent abandon. Julie Baumgold was on the scene to capture this stunning dissonance for New York magazine,…

Abusy New York fashion designer was recently photographed on her morning commute through the streets of Manhattan. If she was moving slowly enough to be captured by the paparazzi, it might have had something to do with the Leviathans on her back, a pair of massive black leather carryalls, one on each shoulder. It will come as no surprise that one of the bags, the Margaux, was her own creation; it’s such a behemoth the diminutive Mary-Kate Olsen could have practically fit inside. The Row, the label she founded with sister Ashley, may be an avatar of minimalism, but in packing on the purses Olsen was a walking billboard for a maximalist trend taking hold on runways from New York to Paris and in the wardrobes of the world’s most…

A few years back, whiling away a blissful afternoon among the jewelry shops of the Place Vendôme, I spied a gold bracelet with a single charm—a delicate, diamond-studded Eiffel Tower. What could make a better keepsake of a perfect day in the City of Light than this sparkling emblem? If I didn’t buy it then and there, when would I ever find such a thing again? I just had to have it. That bracelet joins a number of beloved mementos of far-flung trips in my jewelry box: a pin that spells out R-o-m-a in tiny tiles, a gold brooch celebrating Queen Victoria’s reign. Foreign adventures, at least for me, always include more than a little jewelry shopping, because, really, isn’t that the perfect souvenir? Small enough for easy transport, literally…

In May 1989, four years after he shocked Wall Street by buying the cosmetics company Revlon for $2.7 billion, Ronald Perelman, then 46, was named America’s richest man by Institutional Investor. At the time, Perelman had a net worth estimated at $5 billion, derived from a decade of buying and selling all manner of companies, from a grocery store chain and a group of jewelry stores to a cigar manufacturer and an obscure maker of licorice extract. In achieving this pinnacle of success in American capitalism, Perelman surpassed Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, who had long occupied the top spot. Perelman, the magazine proclaimed, was a “latter-day Midas.” In a way it was fitting that Perelman was the country’s richest person at the end of the 1980s, a decade…

It all started with Sky Tops. When Real Housewives of Orange County premiered in 2006, the biggest fashion statement on the show were these often ruched, often satiny, often sleeveless blouses with embellishment and jewels around the (often surgically enhanced) décolletage. These days, if you tune into one of the eight Real Housewives programs on Bravo (or the two more on the Peacock streaming service), it’s quite a different story: Gucci prints, high-end logos on everything from sunglasses to scarves, and a pair of earrings reading cha on one lobe and nel on the other that are so ubiquitous you’d think Andy Cohen gave them out as part of an initiation ritual. “It has totally changed,” says the journalist and Housewives diehard Amy Odell. “Now part of the reason people…

Over the course of her lifetime, Lady Helen Hamlyn, the 88-year-old widow of the late publishing magnate Paul Hamlyn, has amassed one of the world’s most impressive collections of rare textiles. Last year she decided to sell a slim selection of her hoard at Bonhams, including a mythic Flemish tapestry, of Rothschild family provenance, that was woven sometime in the early 16th century. When the gavel came down, the piece had fetched more than $330,000, roughly double the estimate. Tapestries, it turns out, are enjoying a 21st-century renaissance. Even if the market remains decidedly niche, recent auction sales demonstrate an intense desire on the part of a competitive, upper-crust collector pool seeking a tangible distinction from the New New Money: cryptocrats and nefarious NFTers. “We’re living in the mega moment,”…

COVER CHANEL DRESS, 800-550-0005. CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS X PIERS ATKINSON HAT, CHRISTOPHERJOHNROGERS.COM. TIFFANY & CO. EARRINGS ($4,900) AND NECKLACE ($23,500), SCHLUMBERGER BLUE BOOK 2022 COLLECTION BROOCHES, TIFFANY.COM THE YEAR OF YEOH PAGE 90–99 CARTIER HIGH JEWELRY, CARTIER.COM. CHOPARD, 800-CHOPARD. DAVID WEBB, DAVIDWEBB.COM. DIOR, 800-929-DIOR. GIAMBATTISTA VALLI, GIAMBATTISTAVALLI.COM. JIMMY CHOO, JIMMYCHOO.COM. OSCAR DE LA RENTA, OSCARDELARENTA.COM. RICK OWENS FOGACHINE, RICKOWENS.EU. SARAH SOKOL MILLINERY, HARDOT.COM. SCHIAPARELLI HAUTE COUTURE, 011-33-1-7621-6259. TONY DUQUETTE, TONYDUQUETTE.COM. VALENTINO, 332-910-5295. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS, 877-VAN-CLEEF. WING & WEFT GLOVES, WINGANDWEFTGLOVES.COM. WOLFORD, WOLFORDSHOP.COM SERIOUS COIN PAGE 112–115 ALINA ABEGG, ALINAABEGG.COM. BULGARI HIGH JEWELRY, 800-BULGARI. CARTIER HIGH JEWELRY, 800-CARTIER. DAVID WEBB, DAVIDWEBB.COM. DUBINI, DUBINI.CO.UK. EMILY P. WHEELER, EMILYPWHEELER.COM. HEMMERLE, HEMMERLE.COM. IRENE NEUWIRTH, 323-285-2000. JACQUIE AICHE, JACQUIE AICHE.COM. JENNA BLAKE, JENNABLAKE.COM. JORGE ADELER, JORGEADELER.COM. LOREN NICOLE, LOREN-NICOLE.COM. SILVIA FURMANOVICH, BERGDORFGOODMAN.COM. TENTHOUSANDTHINGS,…

DO STAY AUTHENTIC Not all brand partnerships are created equal: If you would never drink that D-grade brand of tequila in real life, it has no place at your reception. DON’T FORGET TO TAG It’s always good practice to give due recognition to the planners and vendors who have made your day as fabulous and wrinkle-free as possible. For a sponsored affair it’s absolutely essential. DON’T GET OBNOXIOUS Fulfill all brand requirements agreed upon, of course, but resist the temptation to document every waking second on social media. No one cares that much. DO EMBRACE THE PRIVATE MOMENTS Regardless of who is footing the bill, a wedding is a sacred occasion. Remember that.…

RICHARD AVEDON In 2017 the Richard Avedon Foundation sought to cease publication of Richard Avedon: Something Personal, alleging “an overwhelming number of factual inaccuracies.” PHILIP ROTH After Blake Bailey was accused of sexual harassment and assault, his publisher stopped shipments of his 2021 biography of Roth. FRANK SINATRA In 1984 the singer filed and then dropped a lawsuit against Kitty Kelley, the writer of an unauthorized (eventually best-selling) biography.…

THE MATERIAL Amazon acquired the rights to specific parts of Tolkien’s oeuvre, including the appendices this series is based on, in 2017 for a reported $250 million. THE LOCATION The first season of The Rings of Power was shot in New Zealand, where some of the cast and crew lived for two years. Next season films in the UK. THE LOOK Outfitting dozens of actors (like Cynthia Addai-Robinson, right) in opulent costumes and jewels was an expensive, essential feat.…

Don’t be shy. It’s what Lucia Silvestri is thinking when she sees the 22 oval spinels and 3,572 carats of emeralds laid out in front of her. The desk in her office in Rome is a laboratory of boldness. “Those words are a kind of mantra I inherited from Mr. Bulgari. I always dare with colors,” says Silvestri, Bulgari’s creative director of high jewelry since 2013. “And even if sometimes initially the combinations could seem too audacious, in the end we always find the perfect harmony among colors, gems, creativity, and craftsmanship.” The spinels are joined in the jewelry lab with other elements, including 38 rubellites, 11 amethysts, and several diamond bars. Those emeralds are joined by lagoon-blue paraiba tourmalines. The chemical reaction? Exactly as planned. Bulgari’s signature is brave…

Jennifer Straughan struggled with her weight for decades. By her mid-forties she had tried everything: diets, journaling her food intake, exercising constantly. “It controlled my life,” she says. “I would obsessively work out. I’d get up in the middle of the night if I forgot to enter something I’d eaten into my tracking app.” Worst of all, looking good was more than a vanity project. Straughan is a fitness instructor. At five-foot-three and hovering around 175 pounds, she found her clients becoming skeptical. About four years ago Straughan went for a regular checkup in her hometown of Toronto to a doctor who specialized in weight loss, and her stress all came pouring out. “For some reason, at that moment I just lost it and blurted out everything I’d struggled with…

2022 SPENDING HABITS SERENA BOARDMAN Top New York real estate broker “For a while money was almost free. Now any savvy financial person is factoring in these new interest rates and other signs of economic distress. Nevertheless, we’ve been having a good run. And with a volatile market and high inflation, it’s not a bad idea to have a hard asset right now.” TIMBER “The long-term nature of timber makes it very suitable as a multigenerational acquisition,” says Tom Crowder, SVP and specialty assets manager of Bank of America’s Timberland group. “Lumber, furniture, cardboard, those all come from a sustainably managed investment.” FARMLAND Since 2013 Bill Gates has quietly amassed so much farmland that he is now the largest private owner of it in the U.S. With his recent acquisition…

We’ve all had this nightmare. One minute you’re snoring in flannel jammies, comfy under your 800-thread-count duvet. The next, you’re speaking in public in a lace negligee—or less. So. Awkward. It would be a good time to wake up, except this isn’t a dream. It’s a fashion trend. A major one. And it’s coming to stores near you. You may not have missed Kourtney Kardashian’s wedding to Travis Barker in May. Very touching, those photos of her being fitted into her corset by none other than Domenico Dolce, one of Italy’s finest gown designers. But at the altar there was no gown. Kourtney tied the knot in her underwear. Kendall Jenner wore skivvies (very pretty ones) the same month to a party following the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual costume…

WHERE ARE WE GOING? Courtside or suite? It’s a classic U.S. Open debate. During the men’s final last year, pals Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt stayed close to the action, as did Mariska Hargitay and Gayle King. Leo DiCaprio, on the other hand, was tucked away as usual in his private box. No matter the vantage point in 2022, all eyes are on Polish prodigy Iga Swiatek, who, at just 21, is ranked number one by the Women’s Tennis Association. WHAT ARE WE WEARING? Matches at Arthur Ashe have famously run well past 2 a.m. Some say this is the best time to be in the stadium: less regimented, a little more mischievous (in the stands, at least). Strokes of genius in the dead of night? That’s the idea behind…

Many of us have been cautious for the last two years about Caribbean travel. (Is that sea of protocols worth it for a week?) The regulatory gauntlet is now mostly gone, and, right on cue, there are fresh places to stay. (In addition to the five below, keep in mind Anguilla’s gorgeous Cap Juluca, completely renovated in 2018—it just gets better.) ROCK HOUSE, TURKS & CAICOS There’s something about hotels on cliffs—the views, the apartness. This new residential oasis (you can own or rent) sits on a limestone escarpment overlooking a private stretch of white sand beach in Providenciales. Its 46 “villas” (from studios to four-bedroom stand-alones) are all clean stone lines, floor-to-ceiling windows, and terraces. There’s an infinity pool, restaurant, and gym, a cool cavelike lounge, and, below, a…

When you think of boarding school traditions, what comes to mind? Senior pranks, secret societies, and formal dinners, perhaps, but for students at Miss Porter’s School, in Farmington, Connecticut, there’s more than just ceremony, there’s evolution. In 1992, when I was a 16-year-old sophomore at the school, I protested alone against police brutality after the Rodney King incident. My demonstration attracted a crowd of peers and was featured on the front page of the Hartford Courant, but even as a teenager I did not feel quelled. Today student pushback is the norm; not only do high schoolers have more awareness in their worldviews, they’re unafraid to express their perspectives about their communities. From walkouts to student-created Instagram pages calling out concerns about being “Black at…” various top-tier schools, race and…

Why would anyone go to Paris and willingly close their eyes for 90 minutes in the middle of the day? Paris is meant for you to see, wild-eyed and manic, hepped up on all the beauty. And yet I willingly, blissfully close my eyes for one thing, and that one thing is the Paris facial. For as long as I’ve been seduced by Paris, I’ve succumbed to the seduction of its sui generis facial. I started with the steam-and-cream classics at Carita and Sothys, moving on to the well-mannered Biologique Recherche, just off the Champs-Elysées. That’s where I heard a client announce, as she sailed out the door, “A la semaine prochaine!” A weekly facial! Could anything be more French? Yes, actually. At another salon the aesthetician’s tiny dog, whose…

SUPERCOP, 1992 The 30-year-old Yeoh more than held her own next to Jackie Chan in this action comedy, which years later motivated Uma Thurman during the filming of Kill Bill. TOMORROW NEVER DIES, 1997 Playing a colonel in China’s secret service in this 007 installment, Yeoh ushered in a new era of Bond girl—less damsel-in-distress, more equal ally. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, 2000 The Ang Lee epic, which earned Yeoh a BAFTA nom, is still the highest-grossing foreign language film in U.S. history. CRAZY RICH ASIANS, 2018 Yeoh proved just as intimidating sans flying fists as the steely matriarch of a billionaire family in the adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s hit novel. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, 2022 In her first Hollywood lead, Yeoh shifted genres as easily as her character…

For a few years in the 1980s and ’90s, my father brought home really good money. I don’t mean his salary; he traveled overseas semiregularly, and he invariably returned with a little bit of currency that he hadn’t re-exchanged. From Greece, drachma coins reading Megas-Alexandros, or Alexander the Great, rendered in bronze. From Japan, a few thousand yen, with curious blank ovals on each printed bill that turned out to be watermarks. And, best of all, from the Netherlands, a 50-guilder note bearing an impossibly elaborate, colorful engraving of a sunflower, every seed and vein visible. That splashy Dutch flower looked as it did for significant reasons. The design of legal tender requires a high-intensity mix of technology and aesthetics. Paper bills, for example, have to hold up to lots…

A TikTok influencer who goes by @eileen_darling recently posed a question to her audience. “Why be California rich,” she asked, as clips of Kylie Jenner surrounded by designer shopping bags flashed across the screen, “when you can be Connecticut rich?” The post, which segued to a loop of vintage Ralph Lauren ads, a woman in a suit outside the St. Regis, and men with sweaters draped over their shoulders, exploded on the platform, amassing 5.4 million views. “Old money rich is goals,” read a top comment. And so, counterintuitively enough, at a time when an “eat the rich” sentiment is coursing through mainstream media and Twitter, a retro mood of champagne wishes and caviar dreams is consuming Generation Z on TikTok. Videos with the hashtag #oldmoney have raked in a…

VIRGO AUGUST 24–SEPTEMBER 23 Intriguing financial possibilities will need further investigation once your ruling planet goes out of sync on the 10th. With charm-boosting Venus in your birth sign, though, you’ll be winning others over and feeling inclined to lavish attention on those who count. New endeavors are likely to take you on a long and complicated journey, so be persistent. DIOR FINE JEWELRY, SPECIAL ORDER, 800-929-DIOR LIBRA SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 23 Decisions may hang in the air, but don’t succumb to pressure to make premature choices. Being responsive to others’ needs is something of a theme in September, as is the absolute value of private time. Toward month’s end, much seems to be coming clear to you, and the path ahead beckons. Your world is opening up as September winds…

“Bob and I were going to the Picasso Museum in Paris, and there was a little shop we walked past in the Marais,” says Maria Hummer-Tuttle, recalling how she came to possess the only plaster console by Frédéric Méchiche I’ve ever seen besides my own. “I did not know about him before,” she says about the exceptionally talented and somewhat below-the-radar designer, who died last year. “But I knew we were looking at something special.” Such moments led to Objects of Desire, a highly personal book about the three houses Hummer-Tuttle shares with her husband Robert, former ambassador to the Court of St. James. Objects is an invitation, with exquisite photography by Miguel Flores-Vianna, to view environments gorgeous enough to make you think this is a book about beautiful rooms.…