Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2024 i Town & Country

1985 CINDY CRAWFORD “Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford,” the supermodel has famously said, and in 1985 she got a little help from T&C. For an editorial dedicated to beauty and jewelry (a combination so winning we now devote an annual issue to it), we enlisted an elite crew: Claude Montana for wardrobe, Olivier Echaudemaison for makeup, and Victor Skrebneski to photograph. The jewels measured up too: Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb, Cartier, Harry Winston, and, as seen on Crawford, Paloma Picasso for Tiffany. “Each age has championed a feminine silhouette that reflects its ideal of beauty,” we wrote. “Today’s woman is a culmination of all that has gone before, able to enjoy all the curves and muscles endowed upon her by nature.” Does this include jewelry?…

It all began with a rigatoni necklace. As a child Giovanna Engelbert layered pasta to make her own spiraling neckwear. It was her introduction to the idea that jewelry could be accessible as well as beautiful, that materials should be in service to design. Later she used her first official wages to purchase a “trippy” gold and crystal Yves Saint Laurent necklace, and her jewelry collection grew from there. “I remember the story of every jewel and every piece I have in my life,” she says. “I find the jewels are alive, and they are in conversation with each other.” Today Engelbert, the global creative director at Swarovski, is a jewelry evangelist to her nearly 2 million followers on Instagram, where her Yves Saint Laurent hobnobs with her Schiaparelli and…

It’s thanks to visionaries with an open mind and an excellent eye that stones like kunzite, tanzanite, and morganite are now in the jewelry lexicon. Today a new generation is picking up the torch—and making us look twice.…

Here’s an eternal truth: embrace the new or sink into the past. Don’t believe us? Ask Caroline Astor. Jewelry designers get it: They need a stream of fresh talent, fresh spaces, and fresh revamps to stay au courant. Now it’s on you to keep up.…

Charles Lewis Tiffany was a pioneer of the imagination from the start. He began offering clients rare Japanese imports back in 1837, when that was all but unheard of—Commodore Perry didn’t “open” Japan until 1853. It’s a moment in the Tiffany timeline that comes full circle this spring, as the house opens the “Tiffany Wonder” exhibit in Tokyo (through June 23 at the Tokyo Node Gallery). Charles’s son Louis Comfort continued the family tradition of daring. Note the wildness of the inspiration in those Tiffany lamps, the exquisite strangeness of his Medusa pendant (on view in Tokyo). So, when Tiffany chairman Walter Hoving decided in 1956 to bring a Frenchman named Jean Schlumberger—who began his career making clips out of Meissen porcelain flowers he scavenged from Paris flea markets and…

“There’s nothing wrong with trying out different versions of yourself,” says Lori Hirshleifer, the fourth-generation co-owner of Hirshleifers, her family’s 114-year-old luxury fashion emporium on Long Island. “But we need to slow down and think about what we really love.” That has felt like an impossible task lately. Somewhere between stealth wealth and all the bows, we seem to have lost the plot—and maybe even a bit of ourselves. For the past few seasons Americans have had to endure the onslaught of one shallow TikTok trend after another, delivered in a digital vacuum devoid of any real context. It has left a lot of women—especially those with spending power who are interested in making smart wardrobe choices—feeling unseen, undervalued, and underwhelmed. Even designers haven’t been immune to the forces of…

You’ve surely seen some version of this meme: a photo on the left of brace-faced 12-year-olds with ill-conceived hairstyles and ill-fitting clothes staring confidently at the camera with no trace of awareness that they will ever cringe at this photo, juxtaposed with a photo on the right of 12-year-olds with perfectly coiffed hair and perfectly airbrushed makeup and perfectly taut tummies peeking out from their cropped or bustier-style tops, looking as grown up and put together as a Kardashian on a red carpet. The post is captioned something like “What I looked like as a tween vs. how tweens look today.” There’s no doubt the social media landscape, with its beauty influencers and their endless supply of how-to videos, has turned America’s smartphone wielding girls into an extremely skilled army…

The house at 50 Old Colony Road belonged to the pharmaceutical billionaire Barry Sherman, one of Canada’s richest men. For nearly 30 years Barry had lived there with his wife Honey, and the two, supporters of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were fixtures on Toronto’s charity circuit. Honey wanted to be closer to the city’s center, so in 2017 Barry, 75, and Honey, 70, put the home on the market for just over $5 million as they built a new $25 million mansion in Forest Hill, one of the city’s most exclusive enclaves. One morning in December real estate agents turned up with a couple interested in the property. Their arrival had been preceded by those of the gardener and the housekeeper, who had noticed that the alarm was off and…

“Do you think she’s on it?” one buttery blonde asked her friend between bites of tortellini pomodoro at New York’s Torrisi on a recent weekday evening. “She has to be, she’s so thin,” replied the other buttery blonde. These days there’s only one substance they could be referring to. Ozempic, the semaglutide that has become the unofficial descriptor for an entire class of diabetes drugs turned diet drugs, has become ubiquitous. Ads your feeds; on TikTok the hashtag #ozempic has nearly 1.5 billion views; articles touting its benefits for people with a host of medical issues, from depression to dementia, regularly and it’s available (well, when there isn’t a widespread shortage) at your doctor’s office, but also at the cosmetic dermatologist and the strip mall medi-spa and through a long…

INFORMATION COVERS RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION CAFTAN ($20,000) AND BODYSUIT, RALPHLAUREN.COM. VAN CLEEF & ARPELS EARRINGS AND NECKLACES, VANCLEEFARPELS.COM. TIFFANY & CO. BRACELET AND SCHLUMBERGER BRACELET, TIFFANY.COM. MAX MARA COAT ($3,190), MAXMARA.COM. CHOPARD EARRINGS, CHOPARD.COM. BULGARI RING, BULGARI.COM. EDITOR’S LETTER BALENCIAGA, BALENCIAGA.COM. BULGARI, BULGARI.COM. NILI LOTAN, NILILOTAN.COM ISN’T THAT RICH PAGE 76–83 BALENCIAGA, BALENCIAGA.COM. BULGARI HIGH JEWELRY, BULGARI.COM. CHOPARD HIGH JEWELRY, CHOPARD.COM. CHRISTIAN SIRIANO, CHRISTIANSIRIANO.COM. DAVID WEBB, DAVIDWEBB.COM. GUCCI, GUCCI ALLEGORIA HIGH JEWELRY, GUCCI.COM. MANOLO BLAHNIK, MANOLOBLAHNIK.COM. MAX MARA, MAXMARA.COM. NILI LOTAN, NILILOTAN.COM. SABBA, EXCLUSIVELY AT FD GALLERY NEW YORK, 212-772-2440. SABYASACHI, 646-799-9400. VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE, 011-33-01-5329-9400. WILLY CHAVARRIA, WILLYCHAVARRIA.COM. IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW PAGE 88–95 AGOLDE, AGOLDE.COM. BELPERRON, 212-702-9040. BETZABE, BETZABE.COM. BLANCPAIN, BLANCPAIN.COM. BRANDON MAXWELL, MODAOPERANDI.COM. BRENT NEALE, BRENTNEALE.COM. BROOKS BROTHERS, BROOKSBROTHERS.COM. BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, BRUNELLOCUCINELLI.COM. BULGARI, BULGARI.COM. CHANEL, CHANEL…

The Maverick of the Year Masculine and feminine, past and future. In between these contrasts, Claire Choisne, creative director at Boucheron, positively thrives. Recall her radical gender-fluid high jewelry collection. Or the time she mixed diamonds with an aerospace gel used by NASA. Her latest haute joaillerie focuses on military regalia, the medals and epaulettes worn to convey power, historically by men. Not anymore. With rock crystal and diamonds, and using the technical prowess that is her signature, Choisne has turned these into “symbols of empowerment for women,” she tells T&C. “And in the variety of ways it can be worn, this collection is an ode to freedom.” The Revelations of the Year The most memorable high jewelry collections took us places. Van Cleef & Arpels whisked us off on…

Look down—your jewelry is all wrong! That neck-mess flopping on your chest, clanking with horseshoes and horoscope charms? Too noisy. The armload of bracelets you’re brandishing, Nancy Cunard–style? Keep the loveliest one and lock up her sisters. Those towers of rings crushing your fingers? Trade them for a lone blockbuster. The pendulum—or should we say triple strand of pearls—has swung in the other direction. Legacy pieces from historic brands (talk to me, Harry Winston) are what we want now. One of those Tiffany & Co. crosses, perhaps, or a Verdura black-and-white cuff. The desire, in other words, is for ladylike jewelry that is clean and sleek and has enduring value, the kind that’s as good as (sometimes better than!) money in the bank. What’s driving this interest? It’s not the…

Blake Lively in $500,000 worth of jewels at the Super Bowl. Dakota Johnson on The Tonight Show delivering yet another press tour master class in a 65-carat Belperron diamond. Dua Lipa in a golden beryl Tiffany necklace from 1962. The lessons were crystal clear. If it’s all anyone could talk about, someone was doing her job right. And if it upstaged the main event: time for a promotion. See also: Ambani. WHAT I LOVED To me, the only thing to discuss is the Ambani pre-wedding. The emeralds! And the hair jewelry—I hadn’t thought of that! —Lizzie Tisch, entrepreneur…

No children take up sports in grade school because they’re hoping to play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) one day. Even if their parents are standing on the sidelines with dreams of the Ivy League in their heads, the kids are there to have fun and be with friends. That was the only reason Andy, a senior who attends a Catholic high school in Pennsylvania, started playing football and stuck with it all through high school. When Andy (I’ve changed his name and all the others in this article) was in fourth grade a coach noticed him picking up his sister from cheerleading one afternoon. He was easy to spot. He had always been one of the biggest kids in his grade, and he was frequently…

WHERE ARE WE GOING? We all have that friend, don’t we? The diehard F1 fan. The one who keeps tabs on driver stats the way Roger Goodell does on NFL stars. The one who plans holidays around the grand prix circuit. The one who has seen every season of Drive to Survive (#IYKYK). She will definitely be in Miami for the race this month. Why not join her? It’ll be a thrill. Plus, you can party at Carbone Beach afterward. MAY 3–5, F1MIAMIGP.COM WHAT ARE WE WEARING? In 1935, when Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first human to drive at 300 mph, he was wearing a Rolex. Decades later Paul Newman was as renowned for his impressive results at Le Mans as for his Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. The timepiece, born…

We won’t dispute that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but when she’s feeling adventurous, bring on the turquoise. The sacred stone, long prized in Native American cultures and treasured by royals, has been making frequent appearances, on the red carpet (see: Lily Gladstone in a turquoise-flecked Bulgari necklace at the Oscars) and in high jewelry (Cartier gave it a starring role in a necklace strung with carved coral), cementing the exceedingly rare stone’s timeless appeal. Yes, even in the winter months.…

As with many things, a worthy collection is nothing without good bones. By that we mean a foundation laid with classics to last forever. Already have versions of these? Well, you know what they say about stockpiling gold in uncertain times.…

Nostalgia for the ’90s keeps its tight grip. Case in point: all the corded necklaces featuring sculptural pendants that have made the rounds on stars (Jennifer Lawrence) and runways (the Row) alike.…

Who misses the ’80s? All the watchmakers who reissued their greatest hits from the decade. A timepiece born of an era of soaring wealth certainly has its appeal. In 2024, it’s also good insurance.…

Much like the moment when The Wizard of Oz moves from black-and-white to Technicolor, there is a new awakening in aesthetics, and everyone is Dorothy. The road to beautification is paved with an increasing array of possibilities, from facials, threads, and needles to lasers, surgery, and a sonic wave or two. It’s hard to know what to do—and what’s going to have the most enduring results. For a long time, quick fixes have reigned supreme: temporarily erase a wrinkle with a neurotoxin; lift a sagging cheek with filler. But everything has its limits. Now the strategy is shifting, as is the key question: Are you solving a problem in the here and now or investing in your future appearance? In other words, are you building face equity? Dermatologist Shino Bay…

TAURUS APRIL 21–MAY 21 A new track and positive change are in the air for you. Expansive Jupiter is making its last run through your sign, and with Venus on your side along with independent Uranus, you’ll have the wind at your back. Mars, though, urges you to be a strategist and not rush the pace. Take advantage of all the work you’ve put in, and dare to reach for the stars. DAVID WEBB, DAVIDWEBB.COM SCORPIO OCTOBER 24–NOVEMBER 22 Relationships, both business and personal, are powerfully accented in May, and honesty will result in greater rapport. Being receptive is the key to new happiness, so be ready to open up and tune in. You can also make some financial advancements and enter into more favorable arrangements. Critical decisions will demand…

LUKE THALLON The British actor originated the role of Roman Abramovich in Peter Morgan’s Patriots—about a falling out between Vladimir Putin and the oligarch Boris Berezovsky—in London’s West End, but that doesn’t make his debut on Broadway any less intimidating. “We’re in the Barrymore Theatre, where Marlon Brando did Streetcar,” Thallon says. “It’s amazing to be up there with these ghosts.” ELLA BEATTY When the Juilliard-trained actress joined the cast of Appropriate midway through its run, she may have been the new kid, but “I felt immediately like these were my people,” Beatty says. She stars opposite Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll in the hit (written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins), and earlier this year she had a role in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. But being busy isn’t a problem. “Downtime…

When looking at the jewels Nikos Koulis designs, you often find yourself asking, “Wait, what is that?” The Greek-born jeweler is known for his way with innovative materials. Is it onyx or jet outlining that emerald? A proprietary enamel, actually. W Is that diamond collar set in aluminum? That happens to be blackened gold softened with a steel brush. A similar line of inquiry occurs to you when you walk through his newly renovated apartment in the Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens. Is that bar antique? Actually, it’s custom built and designed by Koulis himself, from wood and bronze, and deep consideration. Is the carved wood door at his entrance original? No, but it was redone to perfectly match the ones in the lobby from the building’s 1935 opening. While we’re…

If I tell you I have been traveling to India all my life, what I mean by that is in my imagination. In actuality, it has been three decades and dozens of trips taken throughout the subcontinent, to many regions and often for lengthy periods of time. When, as sometimes happens, I think I am finished with India, it soon becomes clear India is not finished with me. There is always more. And so it took little persuading when a perfumer friend suggested last year that we meet in New Delhi and travel south to the industrial city of Coimbatore. Thereabouts, at the gateway to what is informally called the jasmine trail, lies a patchwork comprising hundreds of towns and villages scattered across the state of Tamil Nadu. Throughout this…

One could argue that backgammon, a board game with roots going back to ancient Mesopotamia, is a therapeutic pastime. With alternating rolls of the dice, two players march their pieces around and off the board. The first to clear all his checkers wins. What could be easier? A spa for the mind. Just look at the long list of illustrious fans. Charles Darwin completed two rounds every night with his wife Emma and carefully recorded the score. Winston and Clementine Churchill played through war and peace, political rise and fall. In the 1970s the game enjoyed renewed popularity, and stars like Tina Turner appeared on the cover of Backgammon magazine. Before cell phones, backgammon was the most reliable distraction on film sets, and there’s a book’s worth of candid photos…