Here we are in week two of NYFW when most of the “big” guns presenting, lots of new designers on board with established houses. Do they continue in the tradition of the brand, bring a freshness or go in a totally different direction and how about those with their originators and those who have come back to New York….let’s see. Several showed in outside venues and carried on in the rain….
What am I seeing thus far….chrome yellow, black and white alone or together, polka dots, color blocking, splashes of boho, ethnic prints, pattern mixing, feathers, a bit of red, a smattering of all shades of pink and now a splash of ink green. Pretty much classic silhouettes, seasonless garments and lots of interesting shoes and boots (for Spring!) Shall these trends continue through NYFW, London, Milan and Paris…the next few weeks will give us the answers.
THIS REVIEW IS POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 11th A DAY WE MUST NEVER FORGET. I DEDICATE IT TO THOSE WHO PERISHED, THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND THOSE OF US WHO REMAIN TO HONOR THEIR MEMORY. WE ARE A VERY STRONG COUNTRY AND WE KNOW WE ARE SURVIVORS, NEW YORK CITY IS OUR BEACON OF LIGHT AND THIS STORY TELLS THE REBIRTH, OF TIME LONG GONE, OF AN EXQUISITE STRUCTURE THAT HAS SURVIVED DESPITE ALL ODDS, JUST LIKE ALL OF US!
Having read The Dollhouse and The Address, both of which I absolutely loved, I didn’t want them to end, I waited with baited breath for Fiona Davis’ next book, The Masterpiece, to arrive. I most certainly wasn’t disappointed This time, like both of her other books, the story takes place in a landmark building in New York, the Grand Central Terminal.
It is the story, told in two time periods (seems to a trend in many of the novels I have been reading, wasn’t a fan, but am adjusting to them…this one definitely works!), of the art school housed in the Grand Central Terminal in New York, one of my favorite NYC structures. You know how much I love historical fiction…this is a fascinating little known story.
Our two protagonists, Clara Darden, a noted illustrator, artist and teacher of the period, whose history has been lost to time, and Virginia Clay, recently divorced who has taken a job in the Information Booth at the dilapidated Terminal, tell stories of their different eras, one the late 1920’s and the other the 1970’s. While the stories are years apart, the way women were (are still?) treated in the workplace and in life in general isn’t much different. Their stories intertwine with the downturn of their work place, the once glamorous GCT, and to my mind’s eye it is a tale of the arts during the Depression, how they survived, their decline in the ‘70’s and the promise of a light at “the end of the tunnel”, telling us that things can, indeed, get better, that beauty and confidence can be restored whether it is a building or a person and how our two women survive. We follow them through love affairs, betrayed trust, found and lost friendships, power struggles (no matter your social class!), in other words, the real world. We find the determination of one to find more about the other…the story we want to continue. Ms. Davis is a master of mixing periods, giving us a story of architecture, New York City’s history and making the past come alive through the structures we come to admire and love
Relationships come and go, grow or die, new jobs, new directions, the promise of talent in many guises, so many life lessons in one work of fiction…I really enjoyed the book…I can’t wait to see what’s next in Ms. Davis’ oeuvre!!!
42nd Street entrance
A cross section rendering of the building….love this and it relates perfectly to our story
The Great Hall and it’s restored constellations painted vaulted ceiling, it has always been one of my favorite places in NYC.
I try to go to the legendary Oyster Bar as often as I can, love the ambiance, the decor, the delicious good food…..oysters, of course!!!!
Many a time I walked down this passageway to my train, The Twentieth Century…legendary, what train travel should be!! Oh my, another post…..why not!!!!
Grand Central Station, Manhattan, New York
The catalogue for the Grand Central School of Art, one of the art instructors in the studio. Opened in 1922 and closed in 1944 reported to have enrolled up to 900 students the year before it closed according to the author’s notes
The restoration and rededication in 1998 was led by architecture firm Breyer Blinder Platt and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and brought the derelict building back to its glory, preserving it for the ages. This looks like yet another book I need to add to my collection. I am mad for nostalgia, but you know that!!!
And then there is this….Sir Paul McCarthy impromptu performance at Grand Central Terminal last week!!!!
All photos from Pinterest photo credits unknown.
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I’m still recovering from the overload of a perfect event….the Ralph Lauren 50th Anniversary extraganza. But let’s move on, there are so many collections to cover and I’m sharing my take on trends as I see them…..(quite frankly RL is in a league all their own).
Lots of pretty wearable clothes (you know I’m a merchant at heart, need to share what can work) but also very forward avant-garde pieces as well. Perhaps if we look beyond the extremes we will find the common ground of trends. So far I’m seeing a sea of black (my kind of “color”) white, neutrals with red, pink and bold neons, particularly citron. Let’s see how these early colors translate through the four markets.
CHRISTIAN SIRANO
Fashion as political statement….Cynthia Nixon for Governor of New York…she was in the front row
Leopard continues to be one of the prints of choice no matter the season, I particularly like the middle piece mixing leopard with tropical very modern. Animal prints are the focus of my monthly trend report in the Randolph Street Market September newsletter, I am doing two articles per month that are totally different from my nenasnotes posts! One on classic fashion trends and the other on collectibles. If you want more of me check it out, just saying!!!
Citron, staring to see this as a trend in several collections..full leg pant, love it…draped strapless bodice, good combination of color, fresh.
Smoky black with a pop of citron.
Of course, evening, a Siriano signature…fabulous jet black two with dashes of citron.
And, the Siriano ballgown. I think he dresses more red carpet appearances than all other designers combined….this is why!!!!
BRANDON MAXWELL
Using a palette of mostly pink and red with a dash of citron and white, he fashions understandable, wearable clothes in the tradition of the classic American designers. The plastic handbags carry either a bottle of wine or a hat…why not!
TORY BURCH
Always wearable garments with a twist, here in neutrals, a trend, with accents of neon color, another trend. Easy tops in bold Royal or sand with colorful shoes and bags along with a bold pattern. She always shows all the components of her brand, smart marketer. Tory knows her market and always nails it. No drama here.
For drama let’s look at two of the cutting edge designers who always push the boundaries. First…
JEREMY SCOTT
Fun, youthful, statements….always!
THE BLONDS
This collection is based on the Disney villains, I’ll leave the reasoning to the designers….my take on the trends are still evident, lots of black, bold neon color and feathers. Who will be the client…rock stars and their fans, of course.
I have worn, shown, lived with, admired, Ralph Lauren’s creativity for all those 50 years. The excitement of this extraordinary exuberant extraganza was a once in a lifetime “happening”. From the venue, the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, to the pre-show reception (and the people watching), to the staging (perfection), to the presentation (featuring a diverse mix of 150 models and more people watching), to the finale (all models on the staircase with Ralph taking his finale bow-wave), to the formal sit down dinner (further people watching and a toast lead by Oprah!), WOW! For those of us not there in person, we have the modern experience of technology and can watch the evening streaming, via video feeds, still photos, the joyous postings, on all social media platforms, and can absorb this perfect event from beginning to end whenever we choose. All I can say….I can’t wait to see what is in store for us in the ensuing years. Fashion is not dead, long live fashion…Bravo Ralph Lauren Bravo!!!
The staging.
Lets take a look at some of my favorites, I can’t show you every run, would love to, you can find many on line sources to show you the entire collection. Here, then, in no particular order my likes….
Notice Chicago’s own, Chance The Rapper (in baseball cap) in the front row.
Love Ralph in a typical outfit, tuxedo jacket with distressed jeans, modernity at its best!!! I think this is one of Jeffrey Banks’ fabulous photos of the evening. See his Facebook postings for a incredible capture of the evening. An aside, Jeffrey was a sketch artist for Ralph back in the day. Two true American creators, long may they wave!!!!
And so we begin my trend reports from the Spring 2019 Fashion Weeks, as always beginning with the New York market and Tom Ford’s collection. In my opinion (the only one I can offer you) a perfectly edited collection for his followers, in this case he showed both women’s and men’s looks. Sexy, modern, wearable…wow, what a combination and no one does sexy clothes better. A muted color palette of mostly black, a Ford signature, blush and a bit of white. Leather with lace, tuxedo dressing, a trench coat we all will want, and exquisite gowns. Particularly love the embossed leathers, the starkness of leather tempered with lace, and my most favorite piece, the animal pattern with silk fringe long long…..genius!!!! The mis-step, again in my opinion, the headwrap….didn’t work for me, I would have rather seen a close sleek garçon haircut. Make-up superb as usual…Tom Ford products, of course. Here are some of my favorites.
I thought I’d give you a preview of some of the books I will be reviewing this month.I have SO many on my TBR list that it was difficult to choose just a few…but here goes…
I am currently reading The Masterpiece by one of my favorite authors, Fiona Davis. So far it doesn’t disappoint. It is the story, told in two time periods (seems to a trend in many of the novels I have been reading, wasn’t a fan, but am adjusting to them…this one definitely works!), of the art school housed in the Grand Central Terminal in New York, one of my favorite NYC structures. You know how much I love historical fiction…this is a fascinating little known story…..I’ll post the review next week.
Next up, I’ll probably review a long over due non-fiction work by another of my favorites, Julia Reed, South Toward Home. I always love her books and her other writings….informative, funny, and very, very well written I never want to finish her books and that is a compliment….I think we are in for a good read.
Torn by which of these titles to read next….maybe The Dinner List, intriguing to me and hopefully to you since that is one of the questions I ask each of my nenasnotes Profile guests to answer…”who would you have, living or dead, to your dinner party?” Should be a fun read
Or maybe I’ll switch gears and go with another author whose works I enjoy, Natasha Solomon’s and her House of Gold. Another historical piece set in Austria and England during the World War I era. You know I love any story set in England and that time period….we shall see!
Of course I need to re-read Bonnie Cashin Chic Is Where You Find It by the Uber talented, Stephanie Lake, who is joining this month’s nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club and then read what looks like a stunning addition to the Christian Dior oeuvre Dior and His Decorators by Maureen Footer, this is the October selection for nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club.
Stay tuned for my reviews on each (go to the nenasnotes Archives for my review on the Bonnie Cadhin book). As the song says….the beat goes on, or should I say the books go on and on and on…..
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As you well know, I am a HUGE fan of vintage items, the patina, the color, the wear of love in use….what could be more fun than collecting vintage doors knobs! A good start, as always, a trip to the monthly (Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30 from 10 to 5) Randolph Street Market
My photos on site at Randolph Street Market. These I found at the RSM in the Olde Good Things booth they were salvaged from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, which is in the midst of being renovated. I am particularly fond of the crystal ones but also like the white porcelain ones as well I bought some several years ago, white porcelain, for my all white bathroom door and in my naïveté thought one size fits all….silly Nena….hardly! I suggest you do your homework, if adding vintage doorknobs to your home whether it is a fixer upper or modern…measure, measure, measure and then measure again. Take a photo of your existing door knob, or the actual piece, with you along with your standard antiquing kit of magnifying glass, tape measure, etc. when on your quest for anything that is sized.
An ordinary builders grade set….shall we see if we can improve on this seen everywhere piece and…Lets look at some that I found on Pinterest….there are, of course, zillions to attract your eye and imagination….here just a few images.
A fun “bouquet”.
These could be mounted on your wall for decor or to hang bags, jewelry, belts, whatever’s….I think they would make an interesting art instillation.
Or you could top a cork and use as a bottle stopper like I have done….here one in my kitchen, photo by me.
A very close up photo (!!!!!!) of one of the knobs I got years ago at Anthropologie , love that store….they are on my closet doors. You are getting a look at the green of all my walls (and ceiling) of my teeny home, every wall except the bathroom which is all shades of white.
Or how about tiny vases or from rustique art’s Pinterest site…a photo, postcard, note holder….love the whimsy of these. What can you think of, in your creative minds, to use these tiny works of art in your decor.
I’m beyond obsessed with this glorious piece, spectacular, who does craftsmanship like this today…..extraordinary….did you notice, with few exceptions…all my photos are “ green”.
You have seen some keys in the locks….check out how the ubertalented Margaret Buckman uses them in jewelry. I did Margaret’s wonderful story on November 14, 2016….do check it out in the nenasnotes Archives, you will be enthralled!
Books on the subject, of course….here are a couple that got my interest…and I’ll do a post on unique doors and another on door knockers in the future.
All photos unless otherwise noted found on Pinterest photo credit unknown.
The exciting world of Social Media brought me to Jeffrey Banks. I have, of course, admired his work forever, first and still as a designer and then and now as an author. I got to Jeffrey through Facebook accounts from our mutual friend, the multi-talented, Michael Vollbracht who I did have the pleasure of knowing and working with…I did a blog post recently just following his untimely death. I am posting this Profile of Jeffrey, who graciously agree to do my nenasnotes questionnaire, on the day of Michael’s Memorial Service in New York.
Michael Vollbracht’s delightful work as a student at Parson’s where he won the Norman Norell Award, Mr. Norell was not able to present the award instead it was presented by Bill Blass who became a lifelong friend of Michael’s and who designed the Blass Collection after Mr. Blass’ death. I bet they are now very busy designing the robes for the angels!
Last week Jeffrey delighted my nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club group, via conference call, with reminiscences of the unsurpassed designer Norman Norell as recounted in Jeffrey’s exquisite book NORELL: Master of American Design. Jeffrey’s books are as well done as his design work, all perfection.
Thank you, Jeffrey Banks, for joining my blogging adventure and for sharing your insight into the world of fashion via your exceptional books…you can be sure I will call upon you to chat again in the very near future to discuss another of your books….let’s see which one shall be next….stay tuned!!
Want to hear more about this unique creator…read on in Jeffrey’s own words……
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB
My first job was at age 15 selling Men’s clothing at Britches of Georgetown . I loved it and on my very first day sold more than any of the seasoned professional salesman did combined.
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR MOST RECENT OCCUPATION
Unfortunately, it seems to be planning memorial services for friends.
WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOUR TALENT
I always loved to draw, and at a very young age thought that I might become an artist. That was until I found out that most of the artists that I admired did not achieve success or fame during their lifetimes, so at the tender age of 10 I decided to become a designer. The reasoning being that I would know rather instantly whether the things that I designed had struck a cord with the public….or not!
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD “MADE IT”
I think it was the day after the night I won my first Coty Award and I was with my Mother at Bergdorf’s on the up escalator and two guys were going down on the down escalator and I heard them say as we sailed passed …” Oh look, there’s designer, Jeffrey Banks!”
Coty Award winner 1982
HOW YOUR ORIGINAL PASSION BROUGHT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW
I feel so lucky that my original passion for fashion has allowed me to make a living, branch out to books, go on television, teach, and meet so many of the people I most admired in the world. I feel very fortunate.
All in Norman Norell…..Lynn Revson one of the biggest collectors of Norell.
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR ALTERNATE CHOICE AS A CAREER….WAS THERE ONE
There really wasn’t an alternate choice at the time. But, as I love photography so much, I would have to say, Art Director.
YOUR FAVORITE BOOK, MOVIE, THEATER (LEGIT, MUSICALS), BALLET, OPERA, SYMPHONY, TYPE OF MUSIC YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO, LOCAL RESTAURANT
Favorite Book : A Private View by Irene Mayer Selznick ( a great read on early Hollywood by Louis B. Mayer’s daughter )
Favorite Movie: Funny Face ( it’s got it all : Fashion, Paris, Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, Givenchy, Gershwin, Avedon)…who could ask for anything more ?
Mostly modern, clean white with some antiques in bleached pine. I work with color all day long so I need an absence of color at home,
WHO WOULD YOU HAVE AT YOUR FANTASY DINNER AND WHAT WOULD YOU SERVE
Fred Astaire, George Gershwin, Michelle and Barack Obama, Audrey Hepburn and Rob Wolders, Hubert de Givenchy, Bruce Weber, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Jeffrey Banks, Diahann Carroll would be the guests.
I would serve my Risotto with Carmelized Onions and Figs with a side salad of Heirloom Tomatoes with a Shallot, Dijon Mustard, and Honey Vinaigrette (see recipe below). For Starters: Baked Brie with Honey, Brandy and Walnuts. For dessert, Assorted Gelatos
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT VISITED AND/OR ON YOUR GO TO LIST
London, is my favorite city after NY and I love Italy, especially Florence, Tuscany and Venice. Love to discover (and re-discover) great museums and try new restaurants.In London, Theater and Shopping is everything for me!
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING MOST IN YOUR FREE TIME? FAVORITE WORK OF PUBLIC ART
I LOVE to read (books and magazines ) especially biographies. I love going through The Metropolitan Museum and The Frick Collection here in NY.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED
As a kind person, loyal to his friends.
THANK YOU AND BRAVO JEFFREY BANKS, BRAVO!
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEFFREY BANKS WITH EXCEPTION OF THE BOOK COVERS, TAKEN FROM GOOGLE PHOTOS.
Combine all ingredients mix very well with 1 can of tomato sauce. Shape loaf in lightly greased Pyrex pan. Take other can of tomato sauce and mix with 1/2 can water and set aside. Place loaf in pre-heated oven set at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. After 1/2 hour reduce heat to 325 and bake loaf for additional 40 minutes. Pour off excess fat and baste with tomato sauce that was set aside.