We are still reveling over our lovely Nutcracker weekend! The truth is, we have been going to see the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center for more years than we can count and New York City Ballet never disappoints with their nearly 60-year-old production, first performed on February 2, 1954. It is always glorious. All agreed that this year’s highlight was Megan Fairchild’s performance as Dewdrop — absolute sublimity. However, the afternoon was really made perfect by a very thrilling and generous post-performance backstage tour — thank you James! — a dream come true for a certain teenage ballerina in our tribe.
The weekend culminated with our favorite three-year-old dancing the part of an angel in a toddler production of the Nutcracker on the Upper West Side. Despite the magnificence of the ballet the day before, this was, without a doubt, the most divine and unforgettable moment of the weekend. So sweet.
THE BATON turns one year old today! You might remember our very first post on December 3, 2012, an interview with our great friend, photographer and video artist Yuko Edwards. It seems like just yesterday! THE BATON has been a wonderful ride so far and we want to thank all of the interestings in our lives who agreed to be interviewed and those yet to be interviewed, the amazing City of New York that provides so much inspiration for us and all of our subscribers who follow us so loyally. We also want to thank our lovely families and friends — our biggest fans and supporters. We are so excited about the year ahead! We will have some design changes, many more interviews and a lot of travel and events that will provide some fantastic content. Please stay close and stay tuned.♡
Our lovely bride this past weekend chose this gorgeous Yves Saint Laurent metallic patent leather Belle de Jour clutch as her something blue. Coupled with her sublime Reem Acra gown and Corbin Paris white rabbit fur cape, the effect was stunning. It was indeed a most stylish marriage.
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Hats by Philip Treacy from the personal collection of Isabella Blow (1958-2007).
Photograph by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images for Somerset House. |
If we were in London right now we would definitely be going to see Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!, opening today at Somerset House. An editor, patron and muse, Isabella Blow was one of the most recognizable and important influencers in the world of British fashion. Perhaps best known for launching the careers of such luminaries as Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy, Blow’s career spanned thirty years, during which time she was also a serious collector of fashion and art. This exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Isabella Blow Foundation and Central Saint Martins features over one hundred pieces from her personal collection, now owned by her close friend, Daphne Guinness. The exhibition catalog, with newly commissioned photographs of her tremendous assemblage, will be published by Rizzoli in February. We now have our fingers crossed that this no doubt fantastic and inspired show will make its way across the pond in 2014!
Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! runs through March 2.
www.somersethouse.org.uk
One of our most recent brides wore this butterfly printed taffeta gown in white by Zac Posen. It was breathtaking, we literally gasped at the first look. She descended the massive sweeping staircase inside the New York Public Library, in the evening, amidst lovely projections of butterflies — fantasy indeed of the highest order. Serendipitously, I am right in the middle of reading Studio Saint-Ex, by Ania Szado. It is a brand new novel about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, his exile in New York City in the early 1940s and the writing of The Little Prince. It is also very much about the fashion world during the war years. A certain collection of butterfly gowns is a central element at the start of Studio Saint-Ex, a character in itself, just as Zac Posen’s gorgeous butterfly gown was a most fabulous guest at the wedding.
Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado(Alfred A. Knopf, 2013)
We were out on the North Fork of Long Island this past weekend for a wedding. Before we started the set up for the event, we took an early morning walk to the beach. It was the last official day of summer and it could not have felt more serene. It was the perfect ending to a great season.
The BATON team can most often be found setting up for events in our Saint James shirts. We find they are the ideal uniform for the job and they definitely get better with a lot of wear. In fact, among our favorites are those from a special collection at Calypso a few years ago that came perfectly broken in, exactly as we want them to be. We’re planning a trip to Paris in early 2014 and will definitely be on the hunt for vintage Breton striped shirts — after all, Saint James has been in business since the late 19th century!
One of our most recent brides chose this elegant cotton cady dress from the Marni spring/summer collection for her wedding. She paired it with two exquisitely tailored, collarless, three-quarter sleeve jackets, also from Marni — a white, floral jacquard for the ceremony and a navy peplum for the evening — and Manolo Blahnik BB Point-Toe Metallic Silver Pumps. The result was extremely ladylike and timeless, and a very clear reflection of this lovely bride’s fantastic and inherent style. Absolute perfection.
Over the weekend we headed out to Governors Island for Fête Paradiso — a most lovely festival of vintage French carnival rides, games and carousels. This is the first time these museum-quality, late-19th and early-20th century attractions have traveled to the United States — truly a rare treat for New York City and all that visit this magical fair. Installed in idyllic Nolan Park, we felt completely transported to Paris, helped of course by the delicious croque monsieur and pommes frites from Le Gamin, ice-cold rosé and delightful French music performed live in a repurposed circa 1930 carousel. Not to be missed. Fête Paradiso will be at Governors Island every weekend through September 29.
http://www.feteparadiso.com/
Yes, I was indeed at the Taylor Swift concert on Saturday night at Met Life Stadium. It was fantastic fun to be there with my daughters and I must say, it was quite a spectacular show. Fireworks throughout and no less than TEN costume changes. Miss Swift most certainly did not disappoint.
