Good For You Miss Martha

On Mondays edition of "The Martha Stewart Show" Miss Martha dedicated the entire show to sewing. She even had help from our favorite fashionista Tim Gunn!! The entire audience was comprised of home sewers who either brought with them or wore, their own original creations.



I am very passionate about the subject of home decor and home fashion sewing. My grandmother and my mother were avid sewers and I learned to sew when I was 6. It is a very big part of the person that I have become and was of course instrumental in my career choice as well as the subject matter of my books.

Back in the day most families had at least one member who knew their way around a sewing machine. How many of us played with our grandmothers old Singer foot pedal sewing machine? This is certainly not the case today. We now live in a country where school districts have all but eliminated home economics and art instruction. Most young people are two generations removed from anyone in their immediate circle who possessed sewing skills. They do not have mentors at home or at school to expose them to the joy of sewing or to teach them basic skills.

This has lead to a critical shortage of skilled seamstresses working in soft treatment workrooms. Labor is outsourced to other countries or as is the case on the west coast, done primarily by illegal immigrants from Mexico. I am leaving on Wednesday to attend the Custom Home Furnishing's Conference in Philadelphia and I know that the shortage of skilled workers will be a topic of much conversation and debate.

I was very pleased to see Martha Stewart addressing these issues and encouraging her audience to take up sewing and expand their sewing skills. I hope she continues on this path. I think it is very important for all of us to encourage our schools to bring back home economics and art instruction.

Thanks Martha!

( By the way- check out that photo - the girl is looking good! You have to go to her my space page. She shows old photos of her modeling days . Who knew she was such a babe? )

You Are Where You Eat

There are two different types of restaurants in New York, there is the one kind where you don't care where it is or what it looks like because the food is unbelievably good and the other is where you go to see and be seen. The Waverly Inn is of the latter type. I usually don't care about all that stuff but this winter I made an exception and it was worth it.

There is no listed phone number for The Waverly Inn (they dropped the Ye when Graydon Carter bought it) but lucky for me, I have friends in the know, so it was no problem finding the number and securing a reservation. Of course, once there we were seated in Siberia but who cares when you can still name drop that you've been there which is what my friend Matt has enjoyed doing on many occasions. Gotta love it. On the night we were there, we saw Calvin Klein, which was even funnier since we had seen him at a restaurant in Prague over Thanksgiving. Anne Hathaway also stopped in with her cute boyfriend. Even Spencer Morgan from The New York Observer was there that night scoping out the place for a story he was writing for his column.

The food sadly to say was just okay. They were out of a lot of dishes but luckily the amazing melt in your mouth biscuits made up for it! We raved about them for days so I was excited to see the recipe for them published in the May 2007 issue of GQ. Notice how it was a men's magazine that printed it, women don't eat carbs you know, but if you are going to break your diet, these are definitely worth it! Bon appétit!

Waverly Inn Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon salt

¼ tablespoon baking soda

3 tablespoons baking powder

½ teaspoon sugar

½ pound very cold unsalted butter

1 pint very cold buttermilk

2 eggs (for egg wash)

Directions
The easiest way to make these biscuits is with a KitchenAid-style mixer, for which these instructions are intended. If you don’t have one, you can use a large mixing bowl and a manual pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour.

1. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl.

2. Dice butter into small cubes.

3. Toss some flour onto butter cubes (so they won’t stick together) and then add them to the bowl of dry ingredients. Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, blend the butter and flour mixture at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bits of butter are the size of peas.

4. With the paddle still churning, add buttermilk. It will take about 20 seconds to incorporate. The mixture will be fairly wet and will resemble chocolate chip cookie dough.

5. Turn out dough onto a well-floured cutting board or counter top. Sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Using your fingers, gently fold dough over itself a few times and flatten it a bit. It should be lumpy and a bit loose, not cohesive and smooth like bread dough. Sprinkle the cutting surface with more flour if you think dough might stick.

6. Using a heavy rolling pin dusted with flour, gently roll out dough into a broad oval, about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick. Don’t overwork dough.

7. Using a cookie cutter or other straightedge, cut dough into biscuits. Don’t worry, they don’t need to be perfectly shaped. Gently place each biscuit on a baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove biscuits from the fridge. Beat eggs and brush the top of each biscuit for about 7 minutes, until nicely browned and fragrant.

9. Serve immediately with butter, jam, or honey. Try to save room for the rest of your meal. Makes eighteen.

It's Friday, Get Your Vegas On!!

Most of you don't know this but my super talented husband is the creative mind behind the very successful advertising campaign for Las Vegas. "What Happens Here Stays Here ". They have launched a new interactive website for their new ads! It's a ton of fun. Check it out

Since it's Friday and I 'm sure you are wanting to get your party started so you can fly your freak flag proudly. I thought I would provide you with some inspiration by giving you a close up view of two of my home towns hottest night spots.

First, we have the hangout of the perpetually wasted, extension sporting, no underwear wearing, queen of trailer trash, Britney Spears. PURE in Caesars Palace.



The rooftop bar overlooking the strip is the place to be on a Friday night. The view is fantastic and unlike the interior rooms there is plenty of oxygen for those of you who like to breath. For a couple of hundred bucks you can bribe your way up the elevator to this lofty perch and be seated in your own private cabana where you can then shell out many more hundreds for bottle service and all the slutty hostesses you could possibly want to mix your drinks. Luckily when I have gone there it's always been for private parties and it's an open bar - I can't afford simple luxuries like bottle service!

The infamous "Red Room"shown at the top right, is reserved for only the most elite of celebrity partiers. I am positive that Britney's naked butt cheeks have graced that sofa.


The interior is well done with lots of sexy drapery and loungable furnishings (aka make out beds). Colored lights set the mood. These pictures are a bit misleading because when you are there in person it is filled with Tara Reid and Paris Hilton wanna be's and you can't really see much of the interior.


The private booths with filmy fabric walls are premium seating - again this will cost you.



For the slightly more sophisticated, the place to be is TAO. The Asian masterpiece at The Venetian. Tao actually offers delicious food and good service especially upstairs in the private lounge
Giant Buddha's and barrel shaped booths create a surreal, spicy environment that oozes trendy. Young beautiful things sip martinis and pack the dance floor gyrating to techno music.


Red venetian glass chandeliers remind patrons that they are still in The Venetian while they drink the night away into the wee wee hours.

Celebrity sightings here tend to be more along the lines of Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson with the occasional Justin Timberlake.

So wherever you are and whatever you're doing this weekend - Party like a rock star would if they were at TAO or PURE with no underwear on. Go Vegas!!

The Domino Book of Decorating

Just in case there is anyone out there who didn't get the lovely announcement email from Domino today regarding their upcoming book release, I'm posting the press release here. I'd say it's pretty exciting news and I know I look forward to it's publication! I just wonder who will make the cover!

"Domino, the hip magazine about stylish living that has become one of Condé Nast’s most successful launches of all time, has signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to publish its first book, it was announced today. Entitled The Domino Book of Decorating, the book is being edited by Domino Editor in Chief Deborah Needleman, Creative Director Sara Ruffin Costello and Style Director Dara Caponigro. It is being packaged by the firm Melcher Media, which also produced the hugely successful Lucky Shopping Manual, from sister Condé Nast publication Lucky Magazine. Simon & Schuster will publish in Fall 2008."

"The Domino Book of Decorating will feature the magazine's signature blend of beauty and comfort, glamour and practicality, and offer inspiration and advice for decorating every room of the home. Filled with floor plans, before-and-after shots, and a wealth of lush photography, it will include all of the magazine's popular elements: unexpected expert decorating tips, eclectic style juxtapositions, shrewd shopping strategies, and ideas drawn from sources as far apart as Louis XIV and Le Corbusier."

Needleman commented, “We’re creating The Domino Book of Decorating for a new generation of homeowners and renters, and hope to make it the new décor bible--a source of guidance, inspiration, and excitement.”

Sue Hostetler's Hip New York Home

I have to admit that I don't usually read Metropolitan Home. I flip through it but then decide that it's boring and put it back on the rack but I might just have to start after the feature I just found on Sue Hostetler. Although, to be honest I stumbled upon it on that weird Point Click Home site while looking for a photo from ELLE Decor.

For those of you who don't know, Sue Hostetler is the author behind the fabulous book Hip Hollywood Homes. If you haven't seen it, you have to pick it up. It's really great. I didn't realize she lived in New York though, so it was exciting to see inside the Soho loft she shares with her husband. It's clean and modern but not cold or stark with 14-foot ceilings and towering windows. I really love it and the decorator behind it, Valerie Pasquiou. Of course, what I really love is all that space. I'm so jealous! To read the entire article online, click here.

The office is the photo I saw and it really drew me in. I'm a sucker for a gallery wall and I think it's nice to have a space you can close off from the rest of the loft, especially to work.

The daybed in the living room is by the famed French designer Jean Prouve, and was upholstered in Ultrasuede. The acadia wood Poof side table/stool is by Tucker Robbins.

In the "open study" a painting by Ross Neher hangs above a Lucite console and custom ottomans. The marble topped bronze table is from Blackman Cruz.

I love the metal metal vanities and steel framed doors in the master bathroom. They look exactly like something you'd fins in a hip New York restaurant like Pastis. I think it's also nice to have a warmer bedroom sanctuary in a modern and mostly white home. But this white home is definitely not a boring white box. It was fun to peak inside this chic abode and if Sue Hostetler ever decides to write Hip New York Homes, she should definitely include her own!

Photographed by Antoine Bootz

I Heart Bryan Ferry

I mentioned previously that I love to read men's magazines. They always seem to have very intelligent and interesting articles, especially about art and architecture. So of course I had to pick up the fabulous 50th Anniversary issue of GQ this week. They have a few different covers featuring stylish men so I chose the Paul Newman cover, that was only because they didn't have a Steve McQueen cover. I'd like to know what's up with that!

Anyway, in the feature on the 50 Most Stylish Men of the Past 50 Years, I found the most handsome photo of rocker Bryan Ferry standing in front of the prettiest handpainted Chinoiserie wallpaper. He also happened to have been quoted as saying the following, "Other bands wanted to wreck hotel rooms, Roxy Music wanted to redecorate them." How chic is that!

I have no doubt now that Jerry Hall should never have left Bryan Ferry for Mick Jagger. If she hadn't, she would probably still be married and living in the most beautifully decorated homes ever! Sigh. I think I'm going to go fill out an application for Soho House right now so I can go meet some potentially non-gay British rock stars/decorators! Cheers!

Photo by Mick Rock

Domino Bazaar to Benefit ACRIA

I wasn't going to mention the Domino Bazaar since Style Court already did a great job posting about it but then this past Tuesday night after a reception at Phillips du Pury, I met a wonderful gentleman who happens to be a fundraiser for ACRIA, the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America. The opening night of the Domino Bazaar benefits ACRIA. It is a very worthwhile cause so I promised him I would also write about it in order to persuade you all to buy a ticket to the event and tell you about all the original artwork donated by major artist for sale at special prices! It will definitely be a fun night and it's tax deductible so what could be better than that?!

Domino Bazaar Opening Night Preview - join us on October 11th at Skylight Studios 275 Hudson Street (at Spring) New York, NY from 6-9pm for a spectacular evening when ACRIA and Condé Nast/domino Magazine Present fabulous cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and incredible design stations curated by domino. The ACRIA gallery at this four-day long event will feature new editions and unique multi-piece donations from Ross Bleckner, Jack Pierson, Jeff Lewis, Christo and Jeanne Claude and many more unique works by major contemporary artists. An exclusive Opening Night silent auction will include works by Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, Bernar Venet, Donald Baechler and many more. Tickets are $250 and can be purchased at www.acria.org or by calling 212-924-3934 x101.

Stalking Albert Hadley

I thought you might all get a kick out of this photo I took the other day to send to Patricia Gray, the fabulous Canadian interior designer who has a major crush on Albert Hadley. I've joked with her in the past about how I see him standing outside his office every morning smoking his signature Camel cigarettes and that I was going to take a photo of him for her and this week, I finally did it. My only advice to other would-be stalkers out there is that you should never wear your most wildly patterned and colorful dress while you are trying to covertly take someone's photo. If you look really closely, I definitely think Mr. Hadley has spotted the crazy girl across the street taking his photo. Should make for an interesting story when I do finally interview him. But it was worth it to make Patricia smile and I hope it makes you smile today too!

Hvae yuo sene tihs

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.



i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!


Cazry!!!

Habitually Chic Interview

Franki over at Life in a Venti Cup was sweet enough to interview me recently for her lovely blog and today she has posted it! Very exciting if I do say so myself! She asked some very thoughtful and interesting questions that were really fun to answer. Unfortunately, I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to post a photo of it so I hope you'll head on over to her wonderful site, Life in a Venti Cup, where "life is too short to think small!" I hope you all enjoy it and thanks again to Franki for thinking I was interesting enough to interview in the first place!

***UPDATE***

I now have a wonderful photo of my interview over at Life in a Venti Cup courtsey of Jo at Desire to Inspire! Wasn't that so sweet!!! I spent at least a half hour this morning trying to figure out how to post it until I finally gave up! That's why I love my new blogger friends. They look out for you and come to your rescue when you need a little help. Thanks Jo!!!

I'm Seeing Things in Black & White

Black and White combinations are still commanding attention across the board in decorative accessories and design. Here are a few of my favorites. They remind me of old book plates printed in Intaglio.
The Washington Printmakers Gallery defines Intaglio as:
"Intaglio (from the Italian world to carve) might be considered the reverse of relief printing. In a relief print, the ink is rolled onto the surface and not into the lines; in an intaglio print, the ink is pushed into the lines and pits and wiped off the surface of the plate. "

Celeb designer and blogger extraordinaire Mark Cutler is expanding his line of "Tableaux Cloths." A collection of crisp corner pleated table linens printed with black and white images of classic furnishings. He will even provide the tables underneath if need be. What a great solution to covering a less than stellar table or just to give the client flexibility and variation in a space. The new line will include lighting and even a tent!!! Oooh La La. Sounds very romantic. I can't wait to see all of the items.



From online retailer UMA these classic glasses come in a set of four. The vintage goblets shown in silhouette are so much fun.


Intricately patterned diner plates from Rossana make a dramatic statement on the table or hanging on a wall. The Rosanna website is one you must check out. Her patterns are to die for and the packaging is almost as beautiful as the dinnerware! I'm tempted to buy something just to get the hat box like containers.



Lisa Bengtsson is a brilliant graphic designer who has a large selection of wallpaper based on her graphic images. I adore this one entitled Familjen - Foto ( I am language illiterate but I assume this means Family Photo - please correct me if I am wrong )


The Acrila Collection from Moco Loco has a real sense of humor. This innovative use of acrylic showcasing images of traditional furniture pieces in Intaglio is truly unique. My favorites are the upholstered chairs and barstools. They also come with brightly colored accents in the upholstery.

Finally from the ultra talented design team of Mathew White and Frank Webb, their Intaglio series of furnishings and accessories is a play on the classics. Intricately detailed prints of classic embellishment and encrustation are adhered to the flat surfaces of these basic pieces creating the illusion of shape and shadow.




This magnificent faux room done entirely in Intaglio is part of an exhibition "Eminent Domain" done by White & Webb for the Rice Gallery In Houston, Texas. Wouldn't you love to have a room like this in your home? I know I would.

Chic at Sotheby's

We buy a lot of things from auctions for our clients so I'm often perusing the catalogs. Even if you don't buy anything, I think they are a great resource for design ideas and a reference for custom pieces. There's a great photo of Kelly Wearstler from her book Domicilium Decoratus of her lying around reading auction catalogs. I get the feeling she's a serious buyer.

Anyway, the point of my post is that while flipping through the 20th Century Decorative Arts Selected by Gordon Watson sale catalog for the Sotheby's auction tomorrow in London, I came across the screen above designed by Robert Crowder. I'm more of a modern kind of girl but for some reason I really love this screen and technically, it is modern since it was made in the 1960's. The description from the catalog is pretty interesting too.

"Crowder, an American, first visited Japan in 1934. The trip began a lifelong love affair with the country and its art. His training with the great painters Shunko Mochizuki and Shimamoto-sensei served him well after his repatriation to the United States in 1943. After a brief stay in Chicago, Crowder moved west, opening a gallery in Los Angeles in the neighbourhood of Greta Garbo and other Hollywood legends. He quickly became famous for his screens and fabulous textiles, which as recently as 2005 were ordered for an international redecoration of the Chanel boutiques."

In a continuation of the story, the expansion and redesign of the Chanel boutique by Peter Marino won an AIA Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture in 2005. The only photos I can find are very modern so I have no idea what they did with the screens and textiles mentioned in the catalog but I still think it's interesting. So the moral of this story is, check out an auction catalog, you never know what you might find!

Domino we still love you!

I had no idea the kind of reaction my last post about Domino's online article about Barrie Benson would generate. I truly appreciate everyone's honesty and opennesses in commenting on this subject. It is obviously something that we are all very passionate about and it is a topic worth exploring. While I view my blog as a place where I can express my personal views I do feel an obligation to be responsible, fair and accurate when writing posts.

I originally saw the two photos of the canopied bedroom on the fabulous blog Style Court. Her coverage of the rooms prompted me to look deeper into the subject and post my comments. I then saw the Domino cover featured on another great design blog Habitually Chic . HC is a very talented young designer who has an incredible eye for detail. She has made a comment that I believe in the spirit of fairness should be addressed. She says,

"I have to clarify something for everyone, the photos you posted were from the online pictorial of Barrie Benson's work. They were not included in the magazine. The magazine article was a feature on her own mid-century home that she filled with family furniture and a mix of periods, not all mid-century furniture, which I happen to love. It's the way young people live these days."

The pictures and article including quotes taken from it that I used in my post are featured on Domino's website under the heading "house tour Barrie Benson".

My personal opinion is that it does not matter where or how the pictures and text of the interview are sourced the end result is still the same. I believe that this type of discussion and debate is a healthy and productive means of communication that is beneficial to the industry.

Thanks again to all of you,
Jackie

Chic Inspiration

This is a multi-faceted post. One that yet again illustrates the close connection between fashion, art and design, and in this particular instance, perfume.

I'd been hearing a lot about the new scent that Aerin Lauder created for the Estee Lauder company called Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. It's based on a private collection perfume that her grandmother, Estee Lauder, created in 1973 for herself. The part of the story that is so interesting is that the bottle for the new perfume is based on a Joseph Hoffmann brooch found in the Neue Galerie, a museum founded by Aerin's father Ronald Lauder and dedicated to early-20th century German and Austrian art.

Above is the modern interpretation of the brooch in gold and encrusted with stones while below, the original Josef Hoffmann brooch made in Vienna in 1904 is made of silver, partial gilt, diamonds, moonstones, opal, lapis lazuli, coral, leopardite. I think it's really interesting to see them together and see how the bottle design was influenced by the vintage piece and the fact that inspiration can be found anywhere!

If you've never been to the Neue Gallerie, you really should plan a visit. It's a small little jewel box of a place with a fabulous restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky, named after the museum's co-founder Serge Sabarsky, that serves authentic Viennese specialties. It's a great place to enjoy a hot chocolate on a cold New York afternoon. The Neue Galerie (New Gallery) also has a Gustav Klimt exhibit opening on October 18th. Check it out and enjoy some beautiful art and maybe a little strudel.

The Golden Age of Couture

Fall is the best time of year for many reasons, one of them being all the new museum exhibitions that are opening. I hope to write about many of them in the coming weeks but I thought I would begin with one spectacular exhibition first, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947 - 1957, which just opening this past weekend at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and runs through January 6, 2008.

"The launch of Christian Dior's New Look in 1947 marked the beginning of a momentous decade in fashion history, one that Dior himself called the 'golden age'. Celebrating the end of war and the birth of a new era, it set a standard for dressmaking and high fashion that has rarely been surpassed."

"In Paris, couture houses such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Fath attracted worldwide attention for elegance and glamour. London was renowned for formal state gowns by court dressmakers and impeccable tailoring by designers like Hardy Amies."

"The production of couture was important to the prestige and economy of both France and Britain. While traditionally catering for wealthy private clients, the couture houses also sought new markets. As the decade progressed, they created perfumes, opened boutiques and licensed their designs to foreign manufacturers. By the late 1950s, the leading couture houses had become global brands."

For those of you who can't make it to the exhibit, the V&A has a great catalog and the website has some wonderful highlights from the show including the 'Bar" suit from Christian Dior seen above, one of Dior's most important designs from his first collection, and also a page from his notebook below. You can also enter a shoe design contest and create your own couture inspired creation from a pattern provided. Pretty exciting stuff! The V&A is definitely giving the Met's Costume Institute a run for it's money!

I Heart Assouline

I love books! As does everyone in the blog world it seems, which is why I thought I'd take a moment to profile one of the chicest luxury publishers ever, Assouline. It's surprising that the company was only created by Proper Assouline about ten years ago. For some reason, it seems like they have been around forever! As one person said it best, "As Cartier is to watches, Assouline is to books."

Not only are their books chic, but so is their Paris boutique on the rue Bonaparte seen below. I could spend hours there checking out their finely illustrated books, including some of their newest titles for Fall 2007, American Fashion, Dior, and Inspired Styles. I know they will be on everyone's wish list soon, including mine!

Designer Homage or Blatant Rip Off ? - You Decide

I am a firm believer that there are no new ideas in design - only new unique interpretations of past designs colored by our current experiences and exposure. I believe that any talented designer or home decor enthusiast draws from their own personal well of inspiration that they have collected over their lifetime to produce one of a kind interpretations of things they love. That being said, I also think it is acceptable to draw inspiration directly from someone else's work and then mold into your own unique design.


Imagine my horror when reading the online cover story on this months Domino on Barrie Benson. This up and coming designer from North Carolina is featured front and center on the cover and shows a melange of her work inside. She practically boasts about "snaking" designs verbatim from other designers. Benson says, "We snaked the entire look from a house done by Tom Scheerer ...."

Check out the designs below. The first picture is Benson's Room - the second the original room done by very talented designer and "snakee", Tom Sheerer. I ask you to be the judge. Is Benson paying homage to the innovative and well designed room by Scheerer or is she just ripping him off. If I were Scheerer I would be more than a bit peeved to see this less than stellar duplication complete with over sized lampshade minimal wall decor and identical bedding. It seems that all she did was swap the colors of the walls and lampshade.



Below - Another picture from the photo spread in Domino - Look Familiar ??? Why yes, that is Kelly Wearstler's famous plate wall from the Viceroy. Again, as with the other room, we have the swapping of color from dark to light. Does the fact that these are Hermes plates make it good design? They aren't even hung straight.




The article quotes Benson describing the room below as follows:

"Mid-Century furniture in a Mid-Century house is so, well, last century! The mixing styles and using luxurious new fabrics with saturated colors makes it so fresh and new".

What is she talking about? I see a photo of my cousin's paneled basement with the old furniture that grandma was throwing out mixed with a worn out couch found on the street and some yard sale lamps and pillows. Where is the "saturated color"? Take a look at that sad blue velvet bergere and the cheap looking under filled pillows and tell me what's fresh and new.

Below- Find a superbly done room by the afore mention Tom Scheerer with a brilliant mix of period and modern furnishings. Benson should have ripped off - I mean - taken inspiration from this room.


So, as you can tell I have no opinion on this subject. But you decide, Homage - Rip Off - or - Just Bad Design? You be the Judge!


My opinion - Domino should be doing a cover with Tom Scheerer on it. !

You be the Judge