True Fashion – The Legend of Lady White Snake, Starring Daphne Guinness

Text, Vivian Kelly

Reported by Vivian Kelly and Laura Wood

Photograph of Daphne Guinness by Markus Klinko & Indrani

WHAT: a Grade-A platinum fashion moment at 172 Norfolk Street, NYC

It’s taken me two days to fully digest the events of Sunday night. It’s not often I get a dose of pure undiluted high octane fashion.

Laura and I arrived at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art at 10:00p.m. on the dot. THIS was NOT something either of us wanted to miss a second of. We had high hopes for this event, in part due to two days worth of experiencing the polished sterility of the Lincoln Center Venues and the accompanying jitters of sucking down one too many cans of  free Diet Pepsi. We were actually look forward to visiting Alphabet City as the Lower East Side is the only remaining vestige of “NYC Eighties cool” that still survives. Going down there is fun and makes me feel 25 again.

The Angel Orensanz venue is the artist’s creation and is a cross between a Russian Orthodox Church and a nightclub, in other words, Limelight, when it just started and was THE place to go and dance until 2:00a.m. before going off to Florent in MeatPacking to have something to eat before trying to score a taxi willing to take us back to Laura’s apartment in the Village.

It was obvious from the moment we entered that this was “a happening”. First, there were the photographs – giant sized ones of Daphne Guinness posing in her astounding McQueen Couture, which she wore in the film. Catwoman has nothing on Daphne who was dressed up as a high fashion villainess in a red catsuit and insanely high heels. I’ll need to win Powerball to scratch this itch as I mentally “bought” four of the photographs that would look amazing in  The Fashion Examiner office and  fireplace room. Total cost for four of Markus Klinko & Indrani’s fabulous photos of Daphne = $160,000. These photos really DO “combine story-telling with cutting-edge fashion”.

Next, we ambled over to the well-stocked bar – no yukky plastic glasses here – and sat down in a padded bamboo gilt chair just as Daphne made her entrance in an incredible chainmail gown and a head ornament loaded with what I’m assuming were probably actually diamonds rather than Swarovski Crystals.

The film itself was genius – a cross between a poetry reading and a couture fashion show. It may sound odd, but it was spectacular. On our way out, Laura stopped to chat with a young female editor to get her take. Like us, she was blown away and was going to Google the film and read Neil Gaiman’s poem. The point of the film though, was the EXPERIENCE and it got a 10/10 on that score. After this visual feast, we got an auditory one – a performance by the very talented Viva Girls, who were perched like a row of angels in blue ball gowns to the right of the massive screen.

The grand finale to the event was a capsule collection of gowns from the new Genghis Khan collection designed by GK Reid. We loved the hooded one and his concept of transformative styling and dressing – something we can totally get behind.

SO, which of Markus Klinko & Idrani’s photographs of Daphne Guinness would YOU like to take home with you?

Daphne in her Chain mail Couture

Boo! Meet your scariest bad guy at the Aldrich Museum’s “Barrier and Trigger” Installation by Type A

Text, Vivian Kelly

As I make my final preparations for the babes and bikinis trip to Miami [Mercedes Benz Miami Fashion Week Swim] I wanted to discuss something a little more high brow. The Culture Vulture in me loves one of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art’s latest exhibits – TRIGGER by Type A.

 We made sure to meet the artists who created this installation, Adam Ames and Andrew Bordwin [together, they = Type A]
which addressed the topic of fear – a universal emotion, if there ever was one.

Type A’s  installation had us hooked so much so that we were the last to leave, after a nice chat with the artists and Aldrich’s Exhibition Director, Richard Klein.

The purpose of the project, the duo explained, was “to explore the reasons Americans feel the need to arm themselves.” This mixed-media installation is comprised of an ongoing series of targets, 35 x 23 inches arranged in neat rows which simulate the feeling of actually being in a target range.

FE friend, Helmut Brenner and I compared notes and came to the conclusion that the “bad guys” in the target range posters reminded us of the scariest stereotypes from our favorite Seventies’ cop shows an movies: Kojak, Mannix, The French Connection.

Richard Klein’s poster was the #1 seller in May.

We were each fascinated for different reasons. Helmut, a businessman who runs the Brenner Foundation] liked how the artists had combined notoriously non-paying art with a very commercial endeavor. The photographic images the artists produced  have actually been printed and sold as commercial gun targets by Law Enforcement Targets, Inc., a Minnesota-based company.

Me – I loved seeing all of my scariest bad guys all in one place and facing up to them and finally – FINALLY – putting those bogeymen to rest. It may sound silly, but the walk through was cathartic.

We’re all afraid of SOMETHING. Maybe it’s of the sketchy/scary guy hanging out in a phone booth, or a Rottweiler walking down the street with what “must be”  drug-dealers. Maybe your bogeyman is more “out there” .  Perhaps  it’s something out of “Night of the Living Dead”?

This is worth a walk-through. You have until December 31 to face-up to your scariest baddie.*If one of the targets really strikes your fancy, you can order one of your very own through Law Enforcement Targets, Inc.

To learn more about Type A, visit the Aldrich.org.

>A Creative + Cultural Snow Day: Redecorating + The Last Picture Show

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TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Yesterday brought the third blizzard of the winter, but, as Rhett Butler so famously said to ‘Scarlett’ in Gone With the Wind, “frankly, my dear, I couldn’t give a damn.”

Why? What?!

No, I’m not part Aleutian or soft in the head.

I just need to be forced to stay home to have the excuse to indulge and work on some projects that are near and dear to my heart.

First – there was the ongoing redecoration of TheFE Home Office inspired by a page in the Farrow & Ball catalogue I picked up at Robert Verdi’s Luxe Lounge last NYFW. To say that attaining the garden gazebo look on the page has been obsessing me these past few months is an understatement. Yesterday, I finished the cream trim and applied the first layer of ‘arsenic’ paint on two walls – only partially though.

While rolling away, I had the stepladder strategically placed so I could watch The Last Picture Show on my little Home Office TV, rigged only for DVD watching. I had the Comcast Cable guy do this as part of a commitment to watch old Hollywood Classics, Art Films, and anything else that promises to have good sets and costumes in it.

Last weekend, Victoria, my favorite Reference Librarian, raised a well arched brow when I asked her if they had The Last Picture Show on DVD, and ‘was it in’?

We both agreed that the movie was worth watching if only for the pool scene in which a young gorgeous Cybill Shepherd ‘Jayce’ literally and figuratively strips-down, shedding her pristine white foundation garments and innocence, while poised on the diving board.

I wound up of course, getting wrapped-up in the movie and what should have been a one-hour painting job extended into three, four even. I played back over portions of the black and white masterpiece to hear scenes I’d missed while turning my head towards the wall.

While I said I tend to watch movies for their visual bang, this one has a h–l of a good story attached to it as well – several stories in fact.

First and foremost, there’s the indescribably gorgeous ‘Jayce’. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, Cybill got across beautiful and cruel character of ‘Jayce” who as the iMDb reviewer captured in this description, “Jacey is Duane’s steady, wanted by every boy in school, and she knows it. Her daddy is rich and her mom is good looking and loose. It’s the general consensus that whoever wins Jacey’s heart will be set for life.”

She looks great in every single frame and I’m seeing references to her style in her every outfit:

• The party dress – Christian LaCroix’s “poof”
• The foundation garments she strips-down to at the party -Eres swimsuits
• The plaid shirt, dungarees – Abercrombie & Fitch
  
• The white shirt tied under her breasts in the pool hall scene – Guess Ads for the last 15 years
• The slippers in the opening car necking scene – Chanel slippers

‘Picture Show’ gave me much more than I’d bargained for. In addition to the clothes, there’s a little bit of a history lesson here about what it was like to live in West Texas in the fifties. Some things never change, all small towns rely on sports, the social pecking order, sex, secrets, and how tough it is to come-of-age.

Today, the bamboo trellis wallpaper arrived, as the UPS Man bombed through nearly two feet of snow to deliver it to my garage. My biggest challenge now is to find another movie that will equal or top ‘Last Picture Show’ as I resume painting the next wall tomorrow.

Any suggestions?

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>The Holiday Week Pictorial: CT and Westchester County

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TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

Pictorial of the Week: the December 27 – January 3 week at a glance

I just LOOOVE a mellow New Year’s Eve. The last time I was into “the scene” on Dec. 31st was at a long-ago “Oui Magazine” party at a penthouse loft somewhere in Downtown NYC circa 1986. Don’t ask why I was there but after THAT I know how Truman Capote and Jay McInerney felt as the “social chroniclers” of their respective decades. I’ve put Party of the Century by Deborah Davis, in my www.Amazon.com cart and can’t wait to pore over the black and white images from Mr. Capotes’s famous party, which he threw for himself to celebrate his mega hit In Cold Blood in 1966 and an example of what an “A-List Party” really means. If you were an “anyone” ie: Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow, Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest, you got to go. If not, forget it. Mr. McInerney capture the debauched preppy zeitgest of NYC in the Eighties like nothing else I’ve ever read. Michael Fox did a nice job in depicting the lost unnamed character [presumably Mr. McInerney] in the film version. If you haven’t seen it, do.

New Year’s Eve was the chance to finally wear all of the vintage goodies I’d accumulated on that particular HUnt. The days after were about avoiding boring football games on TV, catching-up on some movies [Valley of the Dolls, True Grit, Marcello Mastroianni's A Slightly Pregnant Man, and Salt.] We finally made it to the Westchester Mall to see

what big designers had on sale. Neiman’s was disappointing in that merch was only 33% off. Bad for me, but perhaps a sign that the economy is cautiously creeping back up, at least at this level of the population. Just last year, high-end retailers were slashing prices to the bone, past 60% to get their well-heeled customers back in the door. In any event, it was fun trying on a candy pink Oscar de la Renta fur vest, and a few Marc Jacobs coats – just because.

The week ended well – I discovered butter London “Mistress Champagne” Luxury Lotion in Adam Broderick’s Salon, where I went-by to ask about CND’s new gel nails. I passed on the gels but went home with the big 200 ml bottle of “Mistress” for $18. My new paraben-free and vegan lotion got me excited about what nail magic b.L’s Nonie Creme will be performing backstage at NYFW next month.

To shop the full range of butter London products, visit www.butterlondon.com

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>Too Cool for School – Teen Vogue’s ’13 Going on 30′- Girls Playing at Being All –Grown-Up

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TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

RECENTLY, I’VE BEEN ON A KICK ABOUT THE RETURN TO TRADITIONALISM AND THIS INCLUDES TRADITIONAL WAYS OF THINKING, WHICH ARE ADDRESSED IN THE ARTICLE ’13 GOING ON 30’. [p. 118-121, May 2010 ISSUE].

IF YOU’RE A PARENT WHO’S GOT A TEEN OR TWEEN IN THE HOUSE OR IF YOU’RE AN HONORARY “AUNT” OR “UNCLE”, YOU SHOULD BE READING TEEN VOGUE.

In addition to the great fashion GLORIA BAUME and her fashion team create for the mag, THERE ARE SOME GREAT ARTICLES ABOUT LIFE SUCH AS “13 GOING ON 30” IN HERE.

A year ago, I bought my 2 tween daughters a subscription to Teen Vogue. For the first 3 months, I was the only one who read it. By month 4, it had caught-on with the 2 girlies and I clicked the “Fan Teen Vogue” button on Facebook.

I don’t “fan” many pages, but as Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey of ‘Wayne’s World’ loved to say, Teen Vogue is “worthy”. By contrast, some of the statements in the article, such as actress TAYLOR MOMSEN saying, “I’M NOT GOING TO DATE SOMEONE WHO’S SIXTEEN. I WOULD EAT A BOY MY AGE ALIVE”, MAKE ME WANT TO “HURL”, AS MIKE AND DANA LOVED TO SAY.

SIMILARLY, 13-YEAR OLD TAVI STATING, “ PEOPLE CAN’T FIGURE OUT IF I’M 80 OR THIRTEEN. SOMETIMES I DON’T KNOW EITHER.”
PUHLEEZ! CAN WE SPELL P-R-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-U-S??

Thankfully, for every TAVI out there there is a LILLY. This 13-year old looks and acts 13 but is mature beyond her years – in a good way. She spent the month of August planning a 4-day camp for children ages 3-8 with 2 other 13 year olds. There was a theme [sea life] and a full roster of activities to do from 10 – 3p.m.
Mom, a very talented illustrator who’s on constant deadline, was in the house, but for the great part of the time, the girls ran the show.
I watched for a few minutes and marveled at the girls’ planning abilities and patience with younger children. There was no endless texting to other girlfriends whining, “I’m so boooored. What are you doing? Let’s go shopping” talk. These girls were behaving like mini adults and knowing that they could pull off an endeavor like this did great things to their already healthy self-esteem.
How about an article about the LILY’s in the next issue of Teen Vogue?

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>ELIZABETH TAYLOR + Her Legendary Love Affair With Richard Burton + Jewelry: July Vanity Fair Mag

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TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
It’s no secret that:
1. ELIZABETH TAYLOR + RICHARD BURTON= the biggest love affair of all time.
2. LIZ TAYLOR is one of my forever fashion icons
3. LIZ was in the tiny of circle of American women who possessed the most incredible jewels created. Others include: Doris Duke, Babe Paley.
I once spent an entire day reading ELIZABETH TAYLOR – MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JEWELRY [ Edited by Ruth A. Peltason, Simon & Schuster].

It was with delight that I read that La Liz trended #3 on Google’s Top 10 this a.m.
This, gives me the excuse to share some images from the above book and to pore over it – all over again, before going-off to teach.

Liz was also celebrated for her supreme acting abilities [International Velvet, Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cleopatra etc etc] and her stormy love affair with on-again, off-again hubby, Richard Burton, one of the best actors who has ever lived.

I’m certain that the July issue of Vanity Fair will do a superb job of chronicling the “it couple’s” lives, back in the sixties when THEY were today’s Brangelina – but with a whole lot more style. Here’s an excerpt from one of the famous love letters Vanity Fair will reveal.
“On love: “One of these days I will wake up–which I think I have done already–and realize to myself that I really do love. I find it very difficult to allow my whole life to rest on the existence of another creature. I find it equally difficult, because of my innate arrogance, to believe in the idea of love….”

Three more weeks until VANITY FAIR is tucked into my mailbox. I’m counting-down.

For additional previews: www.vanityfair.com

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>An Ode to "Easy Rider" – Dennis Hopper R.I.P. and the Boys on Bikes

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TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY

It was a shock to hear last night to hear that one of our acting legends, DENNIS HOPPER, passed-away. He wasn’t one of my favorite actors [I hated 'Blue Velvet'], but there was no denying that he was a great one. A few films he’s appeared in include: Giant, Rebel Without a Cause, Gunfight at the OK Corral. His acting has a blazing authenticity to it because he actually lived the life he acted. In 1969, Hopper wrote EASY RIDER – a “counterculture road movie script” he produced with just $400,000. Hopper directed it himself, and starred it it alongside Peter Fonda, Hopper and Jack Nicholson. The film did amazingly well at box-office because it hit a nerve with the nation’s youth, by appealing to the anti-establishment youth culture of the times. It is widely regarded as the first anti-establishment film. Many other me-too films followed, produced by major studios, which featured hippies, bikers, draft dodgers and pot smokers. There’s only one EASY RIDER, and one Dennis Hopper. If you haven’t seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Dennis, we salute you.

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