I never pass up a chance to see my dear friend Rachel Zoe! Her parents, husband Rodger and baby Skyler, and even her favorite teacher from high school all turned up at NM Short Hills to support the Jersey girl. We presented her pre-Fall collection and a preview of her jewelry collection, coming very soon. Stay tuned!
-2 barspoons Chopped, Marinated Strawberries (with sugar, cinnamon and lemon to taste)
-0.5 oz White Cranberry Juice
-5 oz. Domaine Chandon Brut.
This is ideal for Fourth of July celebrations. We start with a Bordeaux wine glass and build this up from the base. First add the chopped marinated strawberries, sugar, cinnamon and lemon. Fill the glass with ice. Then add the white cranberry juice and top with the Domaine Chandon Brut. Garnish with blueberries. Cheers and happy Fourth!
Sweet relief from the heat of Milan! In Paris it’s always intriguing to see the creativity of the fashion students who crash the line for shows, alongside the pros. Everywhere, I’ve noticed bold prints, fleece crewnecks (often with backpacks) and a few monochromatic looks as well. When we can get away from the runways for a while, we scope indie brands at the trade shows. At the Capsule Show, guys looked deliberately casual, as they have for most of PFW.
The Palais des Papes in Avignon is one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.
The house we stayed at in Chateauneuf-de-Gadagne. My parents rented the same house in the village every May for 10 years and grown to love it dearly.
The view from the house.
The church next door to the house in Avignon.
The church next door to the house.
The pool at the house in Avignon.
One night we drove back to Avignon for dinner. We found a lovely café just off the main square and had live entertainment.
My daughter had her first of many crème brullées – which she believes taste better in France.
We did a tour of hill towns of the Luberon. We started in Gordes, taking in the view first and then attending the street market.
Berries at the market in Gordes.
Cherry tomatoes at the market in Gordes.
Soaps at the market in Gordes.
A mural in Roussillon, a protected village since 1943.
A cafe in Roussillon.
Shopping in Minerbes.
A outdoor Café in Menerbes.
Pottery in Menerbes.
In Avignon we dined at Hotel La Mirande, in the chef’s kitchen. Chef Jean-Claude Altmayer orchestrated a wonderful night for our party of 14.
Ginger and Chef Jean-Claude Altmayer.
In the kitchen with chef Jean-Claude.
Chef Jean-Claude's swordfish.
Roman Ruins. We went to visit the Pont du Gard, which the teenagers agreed was the “coolest” thing we did. Put together entirely without mortar, the Pont du Gard dates back to 19 B.C.
Cheese in St. Remy.
Pizza night in Chateauneuf!
Making appearances on national morning shows and scouting out NM’s over-the-top Christmas fantasy gifts is all in a day’s work for NM’s resident media guru, Ginger Reeder. This summer, when it was time to unplug, Reeder decided to revisit a vacation home her parents had rented every summer for 10 years in Avignon, France. “It was bittersweet to be there without them, but it was full of good memories,” she says of the trip, which had her dotting through the villages of southeastern France earlier this month en famille. The slideshow is captioned in Ginger’s own words. Quel voyage!
Glosses by Clinique, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Edward Bess
In summertime you want to hydrate your lips and rock a bold color simultaneously. These new lip colors all feature the simplicity of balms and glosses, with the pigment of a lipstick. Skip lip liners and even a mirror. Just swipe on a color and go. Clinique’s Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balms contain mango and shea butters, and have the sheen of a gloss, in my opinion. Clinique just added 8 colors to the popular range. Bobbi Brown’s new Sheer Lip Gloss looks ultra-vibrant in the tube, but go on with a sheer wash of color—Citrus, Cosmic Pink or Ultra Violet. They are a perfect way to incorporate the neon/bright trend. Edward Bess Deep Shine Lip Gloss features an exclusive treatment to ensure fullness. Estee Lauder Pure Color High Gloss has surprising staying power and the shiniest finish. Mwah!
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana sent a cast of everyday Sicilians down their Men’s Spring/Summer 2013 runway. The decision to ditch traditional models in favor of regular boys from small towns and villages was a reflection of the collection’s origin of inspiration and democratic wearability. A traditionally dressed Sicilian band set the cultural tone for the collection comprised of high-waisted cropped pleated pants, linen striped T-shirts, tank tops, and woven leather sandals.
Miuccia Prada went back to the basics – print-free, simplistic shapes – for her Spring/Summer 2013 collection. Seventies-inspired team colors – maroons, mustards, tans – worked with gym gear fit for an old school wrestling or bowling team – think oversized tanks, bowling shirts, sweat bands. Interspersed within the line-up of chiseled male models, Prada placed her women’s resort line, which sported similar athletic lines and hues.
This season Christopher Bailey added an element of fun into his typically masculine men’s wear collections. Flashes of metallic foil in cardigans, trenches, and baseball jackets illuminated darker slim fit navy and gray suits. Silk short-sleeve button front shirts in pajama-like prints topped with contrasting prints and/or Burberry’s never-fail basics continued the whimsical approach to rainy weather.
John Varvatos’ Spring/Summer 2013 collection was for the man who wants to look sleek but not stiff – signature to Varvatos’ rock n’ roll attitude. The mix of tailored touches – double breasted jackets, neckties and pocket squares – were juxtaposed with deliberately rough accessories such as wide brim straw hats, varnished canvas boots, and canvas duffels.
For Spring/Summer 2013, Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier offers a collection inspired by the ease and informality of the pullover. The near-universal garment recalls clothing as varied as naval uniforms and South Asian kurtas. At Bottega Veneta, it’s casual and lightweight, with a breezy, retro sensibility. Narrow, cropped pants worn with pullover shirts and T-shirts have the effortless feel of sportswear. The slim, natural-looking silhouette is enhanced by nuanced tailoring and offhand layering.
The heat wave follows us to Milan Men’s Fashion Week. A lot of the guys are wearing woven shirts to keep cool, but it’s surprising how many are still layering. Khaki, white and navy blazers aplenty. Crewneck layers, in the form of T-shirts or modified sweatshirts, add pops of color. Minty greens appeared both off and on the runway. (Burberry Prorsum and Ermenegildo Zegna showed them.) Linens and straw fedoras are very appropriate.
Tim Blanks of Style.com
Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2013
Eugene Tong of Details
Crewneck layer
Crewneck
Alex Badia of WWD and Menswear mag.
Blue blazer
T magazine's Bruce Pask, casual in navy.
Cardigan/blazer
NM's Matthew Singer is rarely without a navy blazer these days.
NM's Matthew Singer
NM's Matthew Singer
Beppe Modenese, president of Italy's Camera Nazionale della Moda, sartorial icon.
Muddle 4 sprigs mint, blackberry, sugar, lemon, water in bottom of a highball glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add Woodford Reserve. Stir. Garnish with the remaining dusted mint sprig. Cheers!
Steve and Andi Rosenstein were the couple behind Fitigues, a groundbreaking line of comfortable sportswear sold in Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus stores throughout the Nineties. After selling the business and relocating to Arizona for early retirement, the energetic couple spotted a building that struck a cord with their past. An abandoned produce warehouse on the wrong side of the tracks in downtown Phoenix ”looked exactly like our old Fitigues home office in Chicago,” says Andi. “We had to buy it.”
The Duce
As a nod to the nickname that Prohibition-era law enforcement used to refer to the rough neighborhood in which the building is located, the couple dubbed the space, The Duce. Entirely refurbished by the Rosensteins, the space is part restaurant, part bar, part boutique, part theater and boxing arena. The Duce cranks out seriously awesome comfort food, killer cocktails, live music and yes, the occasional boxing lesson courtesy of Steve. But something was missing.
Steve's boxing gear
View from the bleachers
Enjoying their quasi-retirement and restaurant success at The Duce, Steve and Andi took note of their new market, and the clothes their Duce patrons were asking for. “People want comfortable, quality pieces they can wear for years. No one was really doing non-athletic, athletic wear,” says Steve. And thus, R&R Surplus, (for Rosenstein and Rosenstein) was born. Once up and running, Steve called on the former NM men’s wear buyer from the Fitigues days—now president of stores, Jim Gold. NM had recently launched On The Go, a new department stocked with weekend and workout clothes, and thus a perfect fit for R&R.
