It's only temporary

For those of you who might wish the real thing away one day...



Chanel's runway temporary body art is available to the public.



Five sheets in each package, a total of 55 designs which are easily applied and removed. $75.00 at Chanel 800-550-0005, in stores for late February, wait list encouraged.

In distant sun drenched places

This is the palatte not to be caught without.

Bobbi Brown, Cabana Corals

Historic Notes: The Duke and Dutchess of Windsor and The Colony

"The Duke and Duchess of Windsor ... enjoyed coming to Florida to visit their friends and enjoy a good Polo match. They would usually spend their stay as guests at friends’ homes, however one year, in the early 60’s, they decided to reside at the Colony Hotel.

"It was so funny, romantic elderly ladies would shyly inquire if they could sit in the Lobby, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the couple as they walked by. Discretely holding a magazine, they could eventually see a very assertive Wallis Simpson walking a few steps ahead of her husband, the former King of the British Empire.

"Wallis Simpson loved tuberoses. The Vice Regal penthouse, which was located on the top floor, was filled with such roses, and as you know, they have an appallingly pungent smell. When you opened the doors, their scent could positively knock you down. But she was a very friendly lady and except for a strong difference of opinion with the Chef, everything went on beautifully.

"In hindsight, the incident was quite amusing. In keeping up with the Colony Hotel’s reputation for it’s excellent cuisine, the Chef had prepared a delightfully tasteful menu. The guests of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were to enjoy not only the taste and appearance of the banquet, but also delight in its irresistible aroma. The Duchess had ideas of her own. She had decided to put a long arrangement of gardenias as the centerpiece of the table. Naturally gardenias and delicate gastronomical aromas do not match, so after long debates, it was decided that the gardenias, placed on a 3 level dais, would make a triumphant entrance in unison with the flaming jubilee dessert..."

- an interview with Jim Ponce, General Manager 1950 - 1968, The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach



Hostess's notes: In the preceding years, the Vice Regal suite was renamed in honor of these high profile guests and is now The Duke of Windsor Penthouse. The Colony, the more old guard of the Palm Beach hotels, has hosted literally hundreds of foreign dignitaries and celebrities, and in recent years, President Clinton and President Bush, 41. Aside from that, if you had a bit too much champagne the evening before, the Colony will serve you a lovely burger in the shade by the pool. Don't ask how I know things. I just do.

A vision in couture steel and aluminum

If only gowns could more often be made of fabric so ethereal.






The staggeringly magnificent and ghostly sculptural work of Sophie De Francesca at Eli Klein Fine Art. Ethereal and celestial, a vision in fine galvanized steel, aluminum, and Swarovski crystal.

I noticed the first gown spotlighted in a minimal setting; the sparkling, delicate quality halting me on a city street.

Ms. De Francesca accepts commissions to memorialize a hostess's most beloved gown: Rendering the earthly swoosh of glamour into heavenly otherworldly steel.

Contact Eli Klein Fine Art for information and commissions. If you are in New York, I highly recommend a visit to the gallery to see the pieces in person. Unforgettable.

The Fashionable Party foul

Bottom line: Zac Posen (fashion designer) does not advertise in Harper's (fashion publication). He was advised neither he nor his collection would appear in the magazine as a non-advertiser unless he agreed to to pose in a Sesame Street-themed photo (memo to Harper's: not a great idea). Ah-hem. In any event, here you have the New York Times coverage of the party foul which ensued...




"It was late into the night last April 30, after a lavish dinner at La Grenouille honoring the 100th anniversary of Cartier, when Zac Posen, the precocious designer, took a seat next to Glenda Bailey, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar and the evening’s hostess.



Mr. Posen was upset about what he perceived to be a slight of his work in the magazine, and he surprised the editor — and those around her — with a confrontation. The designer, who confirmed the details of his complaint in a telephone interview this week, was offended that the magazine, which rarely featured his clothes, had asked him to appear in a fashion feature that paired designers with characters from “Sesame Street.”



He was supposed to stand next to the Count, the numerically inclined vampire (who happens to share the designer’s hairline and fondness for wearing capes).



“I didn’t want to model with the Count,” Mr. Posen said. “She said that was the only way my clothes could be in the magazine as a non-advertiser. I think she was surprised I wouldn’t take the part, but I stood my ground and I still do.”



In fashion, it is considered poor form to air one’s grievances in public, let alone at a party, and directly to an editor in chief; and yet Mr. Posen, in his meteoric career since founding his company in 2001, around the time of his 21st birthday, has never allowed decorum to stand in the way of his tongue....



And, in a way, he had a point."

The Trials of a Former Wonderboy, Eric Wilson, for the New York Times



The quality of Zac Posen's work and his star are not in dispute.

As for his perceived error in approaching Glenda Bailey, which was big enough - inexplicably - to merit the above lengthy mention in the Times: How much face time does even a designer of Zac Posen's level get with an editor like Bailey otherwise?

It is unfortunate the issue came up at dinner but it was, in fact, a business dinner on the whole. It follows logic that more than just pleasantries may be exchanged even at large events. I stand with Zac in just dealing with the issue when he had a chance, though "confrontational" is not the desired tone of the conversation, optimally.

A very sucessful fashion agent I know says of difficult issues his agency has to bridge for clients, "We never confront. We never say no. We discuss."

Etiquette challenge: The untamed shower

Dear Catherine,

This past weekend, my first impulse was to email you after a dreadful, DREADFUL baby shower I hosted. It was in honor of my cousin; I suppose you could call her my family's Lydia Bennet. She is expecting her second child soon, yet is only 20. My extended family was worn out from helping the first time around, and as no one had offered a shower, I said that I would host one for the family. I should mention my family is very, very conservative Catholic, but this cousin has always marched to the beat of a different drummer. My aunt had sold or donated most of the baby things from the first time, expecting that experience not to be repeated until there were two rings on her daughter's left hand. Immediately after I offered, my cousin asked if she could invite three friends. Of course, I answered, three friends are fine.

Saturday approached, and everything was ready. I was taken aback when her first guest arrived and immediately helped herself to cake, but that was only the start. Another guest brought her husband. Six more friends arrived. Another brought her baby, and resolutely sat on the couch while her baby screamed the entire time. They sprawled over my furniture, texting away, and glared at my husband when he passed through. The invitations to the shower said from 1-3, and her friends stayed till 3:30 (to be fair, only a few received invitations).

What should I have done?!!?

Gratefully,
Amy

Dear Amy,

I suspect each reader will have a different method here and I welcome their perspectives. Honestly, with a list such as this, best to pick your battles, you are not going to correct it all in two hours, the best you can hope for is to salvage enough to have decent photos, possibly.

Frankly, I might have given up, grabbed the champagne and headed for the kitchen stool. But you, Amy, you are a fighter.

One thinks immediately of a sitcom when reading this, do they not? Some sort of Married with Children brand of social disaster? You could act in kind, snatching cake from mouths and hands, gently replacing it, plastering it back together with a spatula while holding a screaming baby and noting, to the husband in attendance, "It's a bridal shower! If you want to stay, you must wear a dress!" Oh. No? Okay. Okay.

So, Amy. Surely, you did the best you could. In the end it is really about celebrating the impending child and you are right to swallow some of these slights for a family member. But you are within your rights to ask someone to step away from the cake, to announce the phones will be put away immediately as we are all here to celebrate Jenny's baby, to nod to the husband and say "there will be shower games, let me find your Cheetah ears, I hope you will play too!" to see if he doesn't run out to do an errand, and to mention gently to your cousin afterwards that you were not expecting quite so many guests and you would have appreciated an accounting to make it that much better an event for she and her friends.

And then, you know, see the bottom of a wine bottle once they leave...

Be well, our lovely Amy, always glad to hear from you.

Best regards,
Catherine



Photo credit: marthastewart.com

Sneak Peek: Dinner counterpoints at Sundance

Among the guests of Orland Bloom's private dinner party during Sundance Film Festival for fellow cast members were co-star/ director Mark Ruffalo and co-star Juliette Lewis.

East Meets West, Sympathy for Delicious Menu

Chefs
East: Katsuya Uechi, Katsuya Restaurants, L.A.
West: Steven Fretz, of XIV by Michael Mina

Bing Supper Club at House of Hype, Park City, Utah

East

Sashimi of king crab and toro
Oden (Japanese stew, traditionally consisting of ingredients like boiled eggs, fish cakes and a dashi broth)
Seasonal verrine (originally a French confection, made by layering ingredients in a glass)

West

Chilled king crab with pomegranate, pecan and black truffle foam
Kobe shortribs
Milk chocolate panna cotta