The Antique Garden Furniture Fair Preview Party at the New York Botanical Garden

With Designer Chairman Fen Fulk.
After my recent trip to the beautiful Orchid Show, I made a return trip to one of my favorite places, the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, with TD to attend the Antique Garden Furniture Fair Preview Party and Collectors' Plant Sale. The Preview Party kicks off the weekend-long Antique Garden Furniture Fair when leading antique dealers offer furniture, art, and accessories inspired by the garden for sale. I'm a big fan of garden antiques used indoors; I love things that bring nature and flowers inside and give a room a natural, relaxed feeling.

At the Botanical Garden, the Antique Fair was set up in a spacious tent next to the stunning glass Enid Haupt A. Conservatory. In the courtyard between the Conservatory and the tent, Elle Decor, one of the event sponsors, presented a glamorous garden vignette created by the magazine's interiors editor Robert Rufino. Mannequins languidly dressed in ballgowns made out of Chinese newspapers and covers of Elle Decor were posed around the latest Roche Bobois furniture collection. 

The Collectors' Plant Sale was well underway. Collectors arrive early to scoop up treasured plants. Martha Stewart and Bette Midler had already come and gone by the time we arrived.

Inside the tent, the party was in full swing with about 500 guests in attendance. We chatted with Michael Boodro, Elle Decor Editor in Chief and Honorary Chairman of the event, and then ran into Ken Fulk (pictured above) who we had met at John Derian's opening for artist Hugo Guinness. The celebrated San Francisco-based designer, who was resplendent in a green, floral, bell-bottom Gucci suit, was the evening's Designer Chairman. Ken told me that jeweler Mish Tworkowki, an event Chairman, had first enlisted him to get involved. "Gregory Long [the longtime President and Chief Executive Officer of the Garden] gave me a beautiful tour proving that this is the most important garden in the world," said Ken. "I love the Botanical Garden."

Ken came up with a yellow and black bumble bee theme to give the party a fun, "buzzy" flair that ran though out with fabrics, napkins and accessories. To enhance the theme, Ken told me that three giant bee hives were constructed in San Francisco and shipped to New York. The gorgeous L.A. DJ Kiss spun records inside one of the big bee hives –



We strolled around and perused the offerings. It was a chic, good-looking crowd  – a favorite ensemble among the women guests was a simple, short evening dress with a short matching evening coat with bracelet sleeves plus slingback shoes. I love that kind of style that is polished and elegant but also easy and effortless at the same time.
There were handsome urns at Finnegan Gallery from Chicago –



and a wall of colorful watercolor botanical paintings at Earl Vandebar of Knightsbridge –

These metal garden hoops hung on a charcoal wall looked like a modern abstract painting, like a Cy Twombly –

Buying and packing at Withington & Company Antiques from Portsmouth, Maine –

At the end of the party, on the way out, candles lined the Conservatory courtyard reflecting pool - 

and dusk was falling on the Conservatory.

It was a lovely night in New York.

The Design on a Dime Benefit

The Elle Decor vignette, above, and Elle Decor Editor in Chief Michael Boodro with designer Robin Baron, left.

The other night TD and I walked up three blocks in Chelsea to the Metropolitan Pavilion to attend a wonderful annual event - the Design on a Dime Benefit where you can "design on a dime," thanks to the great deals to be had. The event was founded in 2004 by designer James Huniford to benefit Housing Works, an  organization in New York that provides services and housing to the homeless and those living with HIV/AIDS. Top designers create inspirational room vignettes, and at the VIP Opening Night Reception that we attended, guests can shop the vignettes for merchandise that is discounted up to 80 percent off retail prices with the proceeds going to support Housing Works.

Elle Decor magazine was one of the sponsors and Editor in Chief Michael Boodro was one of the co-chairs, along with Alessandra Branca, George Oliphant and Nicole Gibbons. This year, almost 1,300 attendees were on hand to shop vignettes created by 68 designers. The event is quite a scene as stylish guests rush to get first dibs on furniture and accessories in the chic vignettes. Guests jostle and rub shoulders good-naturedly to peruse the offerings. Bars located strategically throughout the immense space plus great music playing overhead add to the festive atmosphere. Triumphant shoppers carry their new purchases to the cashier and out the front door.

TD and I roamed the aisles and caught up with some friends. It's always a fun event with a well-dressed crowd and a lot to look at. This year, its twelfth year, the Design on a Dime Benefit raised $1.2 million for Housing Works. That's what I call style with substance. 

My Feature in the October Fashion Issue of Elle Decor Magazine

I hope you will be able to check out my feature in the October Fashion issue of Elle Decor magazine which begins on page 95! Editors Michael Boodro and Peter Terzian asked me to talk to ten American fashion designers about their very first apartment in New York City. Peter Som, Stephen Burrows, Anna Sui, Michael Bastian, Betsey Johnson, Ralph Rucci, Jill Stuart, Adam Lippes, Josie Natori, and the the boys at Rag & Bone, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, all shared their very charming memories with me. I hope you enjoy it and the issue.

Talking to the designers reminded me of my first apartment in New York. When I moved to New York I crashed with some acquaintances from Martha's Vineyard in a loft in Tribeca, but my first real apartment was on Second Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets. I had a temporary job at the time working as the chauffeur for Mr. Perry Ellis, which is another story. One morning as I sat waiting for Perry in his bottle-green Jaguar at the curb, I looked through the classifieds (remember those?) in the back of The New York Times and spotted an ad for a three bedroom apartment with a big deck out the back on Second Avenue. It was $1,200. My brother Thom and his high school friend Bob Manogue and I were looking for an apartment together, so I rushed to the corner pay phone (remember those?) on Columbus Avenue and called them, and we met that night at the apartment's open house. There were scores of other groups looking at the apartment. I sought out the superintendent, one Mrs. O'Brien, to whom we politely introduced ourselves.

And we got the apartment!

But Thom and Bob and I did not have the security deposit! I called my friend Abby who was good with this sort of thing and she loaned us the money. We all met at a bar inside the Port Authority bus terminal and then headed over to meet with Mrs. O'Brien, who we subsequently nicknamed Obie.

After we signed the lease and got the keys, the four of us went over to the vacant apartment. It was kind of a strange configuration; two apartments had been combined together, so the kitchen was the hallway which you passed through to get to the bedrooms. We were thrilled to have it. We ordered a pizza and sat on the floor under one light bulb. And there our lives in New York began.

Hearst Magazines Designer Visions at the Walker Tower

With pal Michael Boodro, the editor of Elle Decor.
Three interior designers recently did their magic in three residences for the Hearst Magazines Designer Visions showcase in the newly renovated Walker Tower on West 18th Street so I toddled over to the gala opening. After all, it's only three blocks from the apartment!

The Art Deco-style Walker Tower was built in 1929 by architect Ralph Walker for the New York Telephone Company.  The New York Times called Walker "the architect of the century," and Frank Lloyd Wright said he was "the only other honest architect." Later, Verizon used the building which was recently bought and converted into luxury residences. Very luxury. Just yesterday, the building's penthouse apartment went into contract for almost $55 million, which is a real estate record for downtown Manhattan. Verizon still occupies the first seven floors, and the new apartments in the upper floors have sold or are being sold; Cameron Diaz was spotted checking out the building.
Archival photo of the Walker Tower in Chelsea – 

For the Hearst Designer Visions showcase, designers Allesandra Branca decorated an apartment for Elle Decor, Jamie Drake created one for House Beautiful, and Carlos Aparicio went to work for Veranda. The party was mobbed with guests and it was hard to take pictures of the residences, which will be featured in upcoming issues of the magazines, but I did manage to get a few snaps. I ran into my friend Michael Boodro, the editor of Elle Decor, who told me more about the magazine's apartment.

Allesandra Branca, who designs a collection of fabrics for Schumacher, combined vivid reds and blues in a guest room for an Elle Decor residence.


"Allesandra took a huge raw space and made it into a colorful yet sophisticated family home," he said. "She used lots of pinks and reds, and showed how different fabrics and patterns can be harmonious and not clash. It's a practical but glamorous apartment."
A pretty vignette –

Designer Jamie Drake is renowned for his bold use of color, and he brought his signature touch to his apartment for House Beautiful. There was a golden foyer, a pink living room, a blue media room, and an aquamarine bedroom which was conveniently punctuated by this stylish guest in a scarlet red dress and matching bag. 

Across the hall I met Clinton Smith, the new editor of Veranda magazine. Clinton reported that designer Carlos Aparicio is the owner of Gallery BAC in Soho, which deals in 20th century European antiques. For the Veranda apartment, Aparicio mixed in pieces by masters including Jean-Michel Frank to create an interior that was inspired by the craftsmanship and quality of the period between the wars.

Throughout the three residences, a common feature was the jaw-dropping, 360 degree views. The building has new floor-to-ceiling windows, and the resulting site lines are fantastic. Here, a luxurious bathtub looks downtown toward the new Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center.

On the other side of the building, a view uptown –

Many of the apartments in the Walker Tower have stunning outdoor terraces. I love the timeless, graceful Art Deco architecture – very "Gotham City."

"After you –" 

It's always fun to go out and see new designers and new buildings and new views –

And that is why we love New York.

Hearst Magazines Designer Visions

TD and I at Hearst's Gala - photo by Annie Watt
On a cold, rainy night TD and I headed down to Tribeca for some warm, colorful style at Hearst Magazine's Designer Visions showhouse which consisted of three designer apartments at 250 West Street, a turn-of-the-century warehouse building which faces the Hudson River and has been converted into luxury condos.

Three designers were enlisted to decorate apartments for three Hearst magazines - David Rockwell for House Beautiful, Matthew Patrick Smyth for Elle Decor, and Antony Todd for Veranda. We checked our coats and umbrellas and joined the throngs at the elevator which delivered us to the floor where the three apartments in different sizes and shapes are located.

A well-dressed crowd squeezed into the apartments as cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were passed. David Rockwell's apartment for House Beautiful featured dramatic gestures like a big chandelier and Baroque wallpaper in the bedroom. In Elle Decor's apartment by Matthew Patrick Smyth, I said hello to my friend editor-in-chief Michael Boodro. "I almost cried when I first saw this apartment," he confessed. "It has a room with no windows, and a big column in the middle of the living room. But Matthew did a great job. This is perfect proof of what a good decorator can do. It's design magic." The designer turned the windowless room into a dining room and cleverly layered it with three different striking patterns of Schumacher wallpaper which resemble black and white mosaics. The offending column was painted a dark grey to match the walls and so seems to disappear.

We grabbed a Bellini along the way and proceeded on to the Veranda apartment decorated by Antony Todd. The open living room was the largest "party" space so it was a good place to hang out. Nibbles were offered on a table lit by tall taper candles. 

I had interviewed Antony Todd before over the phone for Out magazine, so I said hello. Antony is a charming Australian with an appropriately attractive accent -

Antony told me that he wanted to treat the apartment as a "downtown loft, and keep it light and airy, almost as if it is undecorated." Throughout the apartment hung large paintings by Thomas Fougeirol, which give the space an artistic downtown attitude. A glowing red canvas by Fougeirol was hung by a tall window which revealed the West Side Highway glittering in the rain (below). Windows to the right faced the Hudson River. You can't go wrong in New York City with a river view.

Veranda editor-in-chief Dara Caponigro was enjoying the festiveness of the room. "Antony was the perfect designer for this space," she told me. "The decorating is laid-back and super chic. It's what Veranda stands for which is livable luxury."
Dara and Antony -

The showcase is shoppable too – you can buy furniture or accessories found in or inspired by the showhouse at the website Dering Hall. When the weather is not conducive to being outdoors, thinking about improving interiors is a lovely antidote to the gloomy days of winter.

My Story on Cecil Beaton in the Oct. Elle Decor

Dear reader, you might enjoy my article in the October issue of Elle Decor. It's about the Cecil Beaton exhibition which is coming to the Museum of the City of New York this month, and its accompanying book from Rizzoli. I'm looking forward to seeing this show which opens on October 25. I've said here before on the blog that a big memory from my childhood was being taken for my seventh birthday to see My Fair Lady in a huge old movie theater in Philadelphia. I was completely entranced by the film, and the Cecil Beaton-designed Edwardian costumes and sets were a major part of the appeal (besides of course the Lerner and Lowe music and Audrey Hepburn herself). Yes, it was the beginning of beautiful things. So I'm happy to have the chance now to pay tribute to Cecil Beaton.

Pick up an issue of the magazine – it's the big fashion issue filled with delicious interiors including fashion designer Andrew Gn's sumptuous apartment in Paris which is something out of Proust. Editor in Chief Michael Boodro and his editors are doing a wonderful job – enjoy!

Anthropologie, or Rough Luxe

A rusty bicycle piled high with old leather suitcases in the window of the Fifth Avenue store.

I was invited this week to preview a new television series which will follow Keith Johnson, Anthropologie's world-wide shopper. The series will be on the Sundance Channel starting October 7th, and in each episode, Keith will travel to a new country in search of unusual decorative objects, furniture and textiles for all the Anthropologie stores, as well as artists and crafts people to hire. That sounds like a great job! I'm looking forward to this show.

Keith Johnson is the partner of Glen Senk who is the CEO of Urban Outfitters, which is the parent company of Anthropologie. Their apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan is featured in the current issue of Elle Decor magazine. This couple met when they were nine years old. Ok, that must be a record! The end of the article gave me goose bumps.

I'm a big fan of Anthropologie. Although it's a women's clothing store, I love their items for the home and their store displays. They also have a great selection of style and travel books. Their windows and in-store designs often feature a clever use of paper which I think is charming. I guess other shoppers like Anthropologie too: even during the economic downturn Anthropologie is enjoying healthy growth both in terms of retails sales and stores opening across the country. Whenever I'm in the store on Fifth Avenue there is a line at the cash register.

The home merchandise is like a trip to a Paris flea market. Glasses and dishes are piled on wood and iron displays which are also for sale. I love the antique industrial combination of wood and iron.


I recently came across this article on The Wall Street Journal.com about "Rough Luxe" which celebrates this style. Peeling paint, rusting metal and hewn wood can be romantic when treated luxuriously. The style evokes the past, but in a clean, airy way which is not musty or overstuffed. It's what they do so well at Anthropologie, and it's an inspiration.

This metal painted table in Anthropologie looks like our coffee table which I found at the flea market for $25.


One year at the Jane Street Sale, I spotted this metal lamp shaped like a flower, below. Our next-door neighbor fashion designer Zac Posen asked the seller if he would come down from the $65 price, but it was non-negotiable. I came back later and got it for $40 – sorry Zac! My sister-in-law Tracy who works in retail and knows about these things said I should re-sell it to Anthropologie and they could reproduce it.


But I like it too much.

Alessandro Twombly

At Christie's last week, I met Elana Rubinfeld, a charming young woman who is the director at Fred Torres Collaborations, a new art gallery in Chelsea. She invited me to see an exhibition at the gallery of work by artist Alessandro Twombly.

I hoofed it up to West 29th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, a block I had not been down before. The gallery is on the third floor, and sunlight glowed through windows covered with white shades. The art work, in shades of pink, floated on white walls creating a festive party atmosphere.


Alessandro Twombly is the only child of Cy Twombly, who at 81 is one of the greatest artists living today. Cy Twombly inherited his name from his father who was named after Cy Young, the renowned pitcher. The American artist settled in a Roman palazzo with his wife Tatiana Franchetti (the sister of modern art patron and collector Barone Giorgio Franchetti) and their son Alessandro, and went on to create his famously poetic, cryptic, abstract paintings and drawings.

Son Alessandro has always worked as an artist too. He is married to couture fashion designer Soledad Twombly and they have two children. The family lives in Rome and in a house outside of Rome, where his mother Tatiana lives as well. Alessandro's work is not as abstract as his father's -- he is often inspired by flowers.
By poppies in Afghanistan:


Pink flowers in his Italian garden:


Red flowers in his Brazilian garden:

The work is spirited, lively, rich. The joyful colors and organic shapes have a happy exuberance.

Cy Twombly's life in Rome has interested me since I came across in the F.I.T. library a Vogue story from 1966 about the Twombly Roman palazzo, photographed by Horst and written by his partner Valentine Lawford. In the story the interiors of the elegant palazzo are pale grey and white -- the perfect combination of classical furnishings and Cy Twombly's abstract art.
A bedroom, below, featured Mongolian fox, Empire furniture and art by Cy Twombly. Today when you see Julian Schnabel's style of decorating, I think this is where it comes from: Twombly's mix of Baroque, grand furniture with oversized abstract art.

Here is Cy Twombly from that shoot at the palazzo in his 1928 Alfa Romeo wearing a World War I leather greatcoat.


Like father, like son: coincidentally Alessandro Twombly's house outside of Rome is published in the current issue of Elle Decor. Photographs of the interiors feature the sculpture and paintings now on view in Chelsea: life as art/art as life.