Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, currently at the Met, is an enchanting show featuring rare treasures from the Sistine Chapel Collection that have never traveled before, and 150 exquisite creations by designers raised in the Catholic tradition. In great abundance and with consummate attention to detail, the exhibition illustrates the extraordinary ways in which designers, from Coco Chanel to Donna Versace, have adopted the imagery, metaphors and storytelling integral to the Catholic faith.
Read More
Frédéric Tcheng’s terrific documentary, 'Dior and I,' tracks the eight-week lead up to Raf Simon’s debut collection for Dior in 2012. By way of confession, I have no particular interest in haute couture, nor have I ever hungered after a frock I saw paraded on a runway. But I am a huge fan of fashion documentaries, an interest that goes back twenty years to 'Unzipped,’ a glimpse at the 1994 fall collection—the Eskimo look was much in vogue—by the designer Isaac Mizrahi. The film was hilarious, a revelation; I was hooked. After that came 'The September Issue' (2009) a documentary about the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour, and her team of editors who rule the world of high fashion. All of which meant I could hardly wait to see ‘Dior and I,' which opened the Tribeca Film Festival April 17th.
Read More
Searching for beauty at Bloomingdale's, I meet Miss Dior and Coco Chanel. The day had started out damp and drizzly, and with nothing pressing on my agenda, I thought it would be fun to stop by Bloomie’s to check out what the designers were showing for fall. But before I could do that, I stopped at Pink Nail on Lexington for a manicure, knowing full well that no self-respecting sales person would pay any attention if I showed up with chipped nails. Flipping through a few fashion magazines while waiting for a manicurist, I learn that the must-have color for fall is burgundy. I’m in luck.
Read More