Gotham - 2014 - Issue 3 - May+June

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GOTHAM 2014, ISSUE 3 MAY/JUNE NORAH O'DONNELL AND GAYLE KING

Norah O'Donnell & Gayle King TALKING NEWS AND VIEWS WITH MO ROCCA

ULTIMATE POWER!

The 50 Women Who Run New York

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F ront Runners Journalist Nellie Bly in 1890.

“I’m off for New York.

Look out for me.”

WITH THOSE WORDS, NELLIE BLY LEFT HER HOMETOWN TO PURSUE WHAT WOULD SOON BECOME A TRAILBLAZING CAREER IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM. BY ERIN RILEY

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETTMANN/CORBIS/AP IMAGES

I

t seems appropriate in Gotham’s first issue devoted to women of influence that “Front Runners” should highlight one of the city’s first power women, Elizabeth Cochran. Born 150 years ago on May 5, she would go on to blaze quite a few trails—in the workplace, as an investigative journalist, and as an adventurous world traveler. She began her remarkable career by chance. Outraged by a piece in her hometown newspaper (the Pittsburgh Dispatch) that referred to working women as “monstrosities,” Cochran wrote a scathing letter to the editors. Her passion and eloquence impressed rather than offended the powers at the paper, who quickly put her to work writing under the pen name Nellie Bly. Despite her request to cover news, Bly was relegated to the paper’s society pages. Unsatisfied, she soon left for New York, where she talked her way into the offices of Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World. The paper’s managing editor challenged her bravado by daring her to investigate a women’s insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island), which was rumored to mistreat its patients. To gain access, Bly feigned insanity so convincingly that she was swiftly committed. Ten days later, after gathering enough material to write a damning exposé, the World sent an attorney to rescue her. The report, believed to be the first resulting from a reporter going undercover, made Bly famous and brought long-term reform to the care of the mentally ill in New York. She gained even more acclaim when, in 1890, she beat the record set by the fictional hero of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days by circumnavigating the globe in 72 days, six hours, and 11 minutes. Her travels launched a media frenzy, as newspapers throughout the US scrambled to find their own “stuntwomen” reporters.

Thanks to Bly’s renown, the nation’s top papers had women on their permanent staffs by the early 1900s, the initial steps in the century-long journey to the top that culminated with Jill Abramson being named the first woman executive editor of The New York Times in September 2011. G

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May/June 2014

44 What’s in Store

Marigay McKee, the new president of Saks Fifth Avenue, at the store’s headquarters in New York.

14 Front Runners 26 From the Editor-in-Chief 28 From the President 30 …Without Whom This Issue Would Not Have Been Possible 33 Invited 40 The List

People 44 What’s in Store Marigay McKee takes legendary retailer Saks Fifth Avenue into the future.

48 The Art of City Living For Christie’s executive Brooke Lampley, the Chelsea gallery district provides a respite from her high-powered job and a destination for visual explorations that inform her work.

Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi want to make zady.com the clothing industry’s answer to Whole Foods.

52 Star Trek Glenn Close takes top honors at this year’s Celebrate Sundance Institute gala in New York.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON

50 Fast-Forward for Slow Fashion

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May/June 2014 Culture 58 Café Society ABT revives Gaîté Parisienne, replete with Christian Lacroix’s splashy can-can costumes.

60 Frieze Frame How the Randalls Island art fair became a must-stop on the global art circuit.

62 Eastern Time Art Basel’s second annual Hong Kong show blends the best of Asia and the West.

Taste 64 The X Factor With her ascension to the top spot at Marea, Lauren DeSteno achieves a new milestone for female chefs in New York.

68 Power Tables The restaurants that attract the city’s most influential women for breakfast and lunch.

70 Wine, Women... and Chelsea Laura Maniec opens a new Corkbuzz outpost near the High Line.

70 Mix Masters Industry elite and local enthusiasts sign up for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.

72 Gossip Gods Do Lunch Diane Clehane, who tracks the city’s movers and shakers from her prized table at Michael’s, dishes about the secrets of power dining with the New York Post’s star columnist, Richard Johnson.

68 Chicken Delight Women restaurateurs are a minority in New York, but that wasn’t a deterrent for Georgette Farkas.

64 The X Factor

Marea scrumptiousness: Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, and basil.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SUNG

For more news about the latest hot dining spots, visit gotham-magazine.com/taste and sign up for our monthly “Taste” e-newsletter.

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INTO THE DREAM

SPIRIT OF LIBERTY

AUTOMATIC SWISS MADE

90 Wake Up Call

May/June 2014

Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King of CBS This Morning are making news.

Style 74 Wrap Party Diane von Furstenberg celebrates the 40th anniversary of her most famous design.

76 City Sparkle Martin Katz’s latest collection pays tribute to New York City’s iconic Technicolor skyline.

78 Picture Perfect Filmmaker Chiara Clemente spotlights photographs from her travels for Sportmax’s latest “Carte Blanche” collection.

80 Village People Historic apothecary C.O. Bigelow has attracted boldfacers for more than a century.

84 Keeping It Chic Erika Bearman, Oscar de la Renta’s PR guru, opens her address book.

86 Reflecting on Time Whether it concerns her career or charitable causes, New York native, actress Susan Sarandon, makes her minutes count.

88 A Glittery Passion De Beers’s Andrew Coxon talks about the world’s most coveted treasure and the company’s new watch line.

Features 90 Wake Up Call Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King of CBS This Morning are making news by putting the news back on morning television.

Interview by Mo Rocca Photography by Melanie Dunea

Gotham looks at the movers and shakers who mastermind the businesses and groups that dominate the city that rules the world.

Text by Diane Clehane Photography by Eric Ryan Anderson

108 Strictly Business From Midtown to Wall Street, New York’s power women take to the season’s top trends.

Styling by Lauren Finney and Faye Power Photography by Robert Ascroft 20

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELANIE DUNEA

96 The 50 Women Who Run New York

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May/June 2014 115 High Line Debut Starchitect Zaha Hadid designs her first NYC building.

118 Power Grid Women in the news scoop up big-ticket real estate all around the town.

120 Taking Stock Women are a third more likely to want their portfolios to reflect their values, but is this a good investment strategy?

122 The Home Team Nanette Lepore liked decorating her West Village and Hamptons houses so much she decided to create a line of home products.

A living space at 29 West 85th Street, part of a triplex that Rory Tahari has put up for sale.

The Guide 125 Downtown Destination ABC Kitchen’s inventive organic cuisine made it a power restaurant for hip diners.

126 The Downtown Dish Hot spots for hotshots.

127 Fizz Buzz Carbonated cocktails make for perfect summertime sipping.

And Finally…

128 Keeping Up Appearances Can Manhattan power women ever let it all hang out?

ON THE COVER: GAYLE KING AND NORAH O’DONNELL Photography by Melanie Dunea Styling by Faye Power ON NORAH: Color-block dress, Narciso Rodriguez ($995). Bloomingdale’s, 1000 Third Ave., 212-705-2000; bloomingdales.com. Silver bracelet, Fope ($1,015). James & Co. Jewelers, 580 Fifth Ave., 212-869-7100; jamesandco.com. Ring and shoes, Norah’s own. ON GAYLE: Dress, necklace, bracelet, and shoes, Gayle’s own.

CORRECTION: In the Spring issue of Gotham, we featured an article entitled “Art à la Carte,” which included quotes regarding ownership of artworks by Rothko and Twombly. This quote was misattributed to Rachel Feinstein, who did not say she owned or lived with these artworks.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CAPLAN. ON THE COVER: NORAH’S HAIR BY BRANDICE COLLETA. NORAH’S MAKEUP BY CHERYL PORTER. GAYLE’S HAIR

BY ENEIDA BAILEY. GAYLE’S MAKEUP BY LAZ. CATERING BY LADURÉE. SHOT ON LOCATION AT TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & TOWER NEW YORK

Home & Design

118 Power Grid

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CATHERINE SABINO Editor-in-Chief Senior Managing Editor KEN RIVADENEIRA Editor-at-Large SAMANTHA YANKS Art Director ANASTASIA TSIOUTAS CASALIGGI Photo Director LISA ROSENTHAL BADER Assistant Editor ERIN RILEY Entertainment and Bookings Editor JULIET IZON Fashion Editor FAYE POWER Copy Editor DALENE ROVENSTINE Research Editor MURAT OZTASKIN

KATHERINE NICHOLLS President Associate Publisher KAREN LEVINE Account Executives THOMAS CHILLEMI, MORGAN CLIFFORD, VICTORIA HENRY, JIM SMITH, GABRIELLA ZURROW Director of Event Marketing JOANNA TUCKER Event Marketing Manager CHRISTIAMILDA CORREA Sales Assistant JAMIE HILDEBRANDT

NICHE MEDIA HOLDINGS, LLC Senior Vice President and Editorial Director MANDI NORWOOD Creative Director NICOLE A. WOLFSON NADBOY Executive Fashion Director SAMANTHA YANKS

ART AND PHOTO

Senior Art Director FRYDA LIDOR Associate Art Directors ALLISON FLEMING, ADRIANA GARCIA, JUAN PARRA, JESSICA SARRO Designers GIL FONTIMAYOR, SARAH LITZ Photo Editors JODIE LOVE, SETH OLENICK, JENNIFER PAGAN, REBECCA SAHN Associate Photo Editor KATHERINE HAUSENBAUER-KOSTER Photo Producer KIMBERLY RIORDAN Senior Staff Photographer JEFFREY CRAWFORD Senior Digital Imaging Specialist JEFFREY SPITERY Digital Imaging Specialist JEREMY DEVERATURDA Digital Imaging Assistant HTET SAN

FASHION

Senior Fashion Editor LAUREN FINNEY Associate Fashion Editor ALEXANDRIA GEISLER Fashion Assistants CONNOR CHILDERS, LISA FERRANDINO

COPY AND RESEARCH

Copy and Research Manager WENDIE PECHARSKY Copy Editors DAVID FAIRHURST, NICOLE LANCTOT, JULIA STEINER Research Editors LESLIE ALEXANDER, JUDY DEYOUNG, AVA WILLIAMS

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

Director of Editorial Operations DEBORAH L. MARTIN Editorial Relations Manager MATTHEW STEWART Editorial Assistant CHRISTINA CLEMENTE Online Managing Editor CAITLIN ROHAN Online Editor APRIL WALLOGA Social Media and E-Newsletter Editor ANNA BEN YEHUDA Senior Managing Editors DANINE ALATI, JILL SIERACKI Managing Editors JENNIFER DEMERITT, KAREN ROSE, JOHN VILANOVA Shelter and Design Editor SUE HOSTETLER Timepiece Editor ROBERTA NAAS

ADVERTISING SALES

Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing NORMAN M. MILLER Account Directors SUSAN ABRAMS, MICHELE ADDISON, TIFFANY CAREY, CLAIRE CARLIN, KATHLEEN FLEMING, MEREDITH MERRILL, NORMA MONTALVO, ELIZABETH MOORE, GRACE NAPOLITANO, JEFFREY NICHOLSON, DEBORAH O’BRIEN, SHANNON PASTUSZAK, VALERIE ROBLES Account Executives SUSANA ARAGON, JUDSON BARDWELL, MICHELLE CHALA, JANELLE DRISCOLL, ALICIA DRY, VINCE DUROCHER, DINA FRIEDMAN, SARAH HECKLER, FENDY MESY, MARY RUEGG, LAUREN SHAPIRO, CAROLINE SNECKENBERG, KACIE TURPENEN, JACKIE VAN METER, JESSICA ZIVKOVITCH National Sales Coordinator HOWARD COSTA Sales Support and Development EMMA BEHRINGER, ANA BLAGOJEVIC, EMILY BURDETT, CRISTINA CABIELLES, BRITTANY CORBETT, OLIVIA DAVIS, DARA HIRSH, KELSEY MARRUJO, MICHELLE MASS, NICHOLE MAURER, RUE MCBRIDE, STEPHEN OSTROWSKI, MARISA RANDALL, ALEXANDRA WINTER

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations LANA BERNSTEIN Vice President of Integrated Marketing EMILY MCLINTOCK Director of Integrated Marketing ROBIN KEARSE Integrated Marketing Manager JIMMY KONTOMANOLIS Director of Creative Services SCOTT ROBSON Promotions Art Designers CHRISTOPHER HARDGROVE, DANIELLE MORRIS Event Marketing Directors AMY FISCHER, HALEE HARCZYNSKI, MELINDA JAGGER Event Marketing Managers ANTHONY ANGELICO, MONIKA KOWALCZYK, LAURA MULLEN, CRISTINA PARRA Event Marketing Coordinator ANI GAFKA Event Marketing Assistant SHANA KAUFMAN

ADVERTISING PRODUCTION

Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX Director of Positioning and Planning SALLY LYON Positioning and Planning Manager TARA MCCRILLIS Assistant Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY Production Managers BARBARA SHALE, BLUE UYEDA Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS Distribution Manager MATT HEMMERLING Fulfillment Manager DORIS HOLLIFIELD Traffic Supervisor ESTEE WRIGHT Traffic Coordinators JEANNE GLEESON, MALLORIE SOMMERS Circulation Research Specialist CHAD HARWOOD

FINANCE

Controller DANIELLE BIXLER Advertising Business Manager RICHARD YONG Financial Analyst AUDREY CADY Credit and Collections Manager CHRISTOPHER BEST Senior Credit and Collections Analyst MYRNA ROSADO Senior Billing Coordinator CHARLES CAGLE Senior Accountant LILY WU Junior Accountants CHRISTINA LESCAY, NEIL SHAH, NATASHA WARREN

ADMINISTRATION, DIGITAL, AND OPERATIONS

Director of Operations MICHAEL CAPACE Director of Human Resources STEPHANIE MITCHELL Executive Assistant ARLENE GONZALEZ Digital Media Developer MICHAEL KWAN Digital Media Specialist ANTHONY PEARSON Desktop Administrator ZACHARY CUMMO Infrastructure Administrator MOHAMMED HANNAN Facilities Coordinator JOUBERT GUILLAUME

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

J.P. ANDERSON (Michigan Avenue), SPENCER BECK (Los Angeles Confidential), ANDREA BENNETT (Vegas), KRISTIN DETTERLINE (Philadelphia Style), ERIN LENTZ (Aspen Peak), LISA PIERPONT (Boston Common), JARED SHAPIRO (Ocean Drive), ELIZABETH E. THORP (Capitol File), SAMANTHA YANKS (Hamptons)

PUBLISHERS

JOHN M. COLABELLI (Philadelphia Style), LOUIS F. DELONE (Austin Way), ALEXANDRA HALPERIN (Aspen Peak), DEBRA HALPERT (Hamptons), SUZY JACOBS (Capitol File), GLEN KELLEY (Boston Common), COURTLAND LANTAFF (Ocean Drive), ALISON MILLER (Los Angeles Confidential), DAN USLAN (Michigan Avenue), JOSEF VANN (Vegas)

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer JOHN P. KUSHNIR Chief Technology Officer JESSE TAYLOR President and Chief Operating Officer KATHERINE NICHOLLS Chairman and Director of Photography JEFF GALE Copyright 2014 by Niche Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Gotham magazine is published eight times per year. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

The publisher and editors are not responsible for unsolicited material, and it will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication subject to Gotham magazine’s right to edit.

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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Taking in the Blue Book Collection with Tiffany & Co.’s Derek Conrad and Kerry Tropeano.

Actress Rebecca Hall joined Gotham for a late-night cast party, following a performance of Machinal, her first Broadway play.

many of whom we celebrate in this issue, Gotham’s first, devoted to women of influence. Before we put together our feature “The 50 Women Who Run New York,” we thought about whether such gender-based power lists were still relevant—power is power, after all, and you either have it or you don’t, regardless of your sex. Is the silo still appropriate? Here’s what Adrienne Arsht, businesswoman and philanthropist extraordinaire and a trailblazer in banking and law (who is highlighted in the piece), had to say: “If there were an equal number of women [to men] in the Fortune 500 or among the top billionaires, I wouldn’t see a need. So as long as there are so few of us, it’s important to bring us forward.”

Maria Bartiromo, the star financial broadcaster, and Jill Abramson, the first woman to head up The New York Times, also interviewed for the feature, echoed similar sentiments.

Follow me on Twitter Bartiromo, who pioneered reporting live @csabino and on from the floor of the New York Stock gotham-magazine.com.

Exchange, points out that while women “have come a long way in the past 20 years, we’re not necessarily there yet.

A handful of women are in the CEO office within the S&P 500, but unfortunately, it’s just a handful.” Abramson said she recently looked at the board membership of companies like Google and Facebook and saw very few women. “Pitiful, just pitiful,” she told interviewer Holly Peterson.

Thousands of women flock to New York each year in hopes of achieving the way (or at least some of the way) Arsht, Bartiromo, and Abramson have. So we asked many on our list what they saw as the key ingredient in their success—the Harvard MBA? Great connections? The years of nose-to-the grindstone, 80-hour work weeks? All super helpful, of course. But Marigay McKee, the new president of Saks Fifth Avenue (featured in this issue’s “View From the Top”), who’s enjoyed a meteoric career rise, cited something far less expected: “The most underutilized weapon in business is charm,” she told us. “That and a sense of humor can go a long way.”

Happy spring!

ABOVE: With Clinton Howell, one of New York’s most extraordinary antique dealers. LEFT: Actor Morgan Spector at the Rebecca Hall Gotham cover party.

CATHERINE SABINO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EUGENE GOLOGURSKY (HALL, SPECTOR)

It’s no surprise that New York is home to the world’s most successful women,

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FROM THE NICHE MEDIA PRESIDENT

LEFT: Chirlane McCray (CENTER) attended

Brotherhood/Sister Sol’s Eighth Annual Women’s Tea, here with the nonprofit’s Gwynne A. Wilcox (LEFT) and Cidra M. Sebastien. BELOW: Sandra Lee at last year’s “Hat Luncheon,” benefiting the Central Park Conservancy.

The late spring calendar—and yes, spring did come late this year—is full of opportunities to support our city. One of the most glamorous is the Central Park Conservancy Women’s Committee’s Frederick Law Olmsted Awards luncheon, affectionately known as the “Hat Luncheon.” If you don’t have a ticket, take a stroll down Fifth Avenue at the Vanderbilt Gate (105th Street) around 11 AM on Wednesday, May 7, to see this most spectacular parade of hats. And park lovers, remember: Supporting the Central Park Conservancy is easy. Memberships begin at $50 and fund the incredible work that keeps Central Park the most treasured acreage in Manhattan.

Gotham is a proud media sponsor of Best Buddies New York’s Annual Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall on May 21. Elaine Kwon and other artists will dazzle in this “Evening of Rhythm and Song.”

To purchase tickets for the concert or to learn more about Best Buddies—which helps create friendships, employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—visit bestbuddies.org.

And finally, if you missed it at the Tribeca Film Festival, put Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon on your list of films to see this summer. You won’t meet a more fascinating entertainment industry insider than Shep Gordon, manager of stratospheric talent like Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Luther Vandross. Directed by SNL alum Mike Myers, his story is told by his friends, including Myers, Cooper, Michael Douglas, Willie Nelson, and Emeril Lagasse. Once you know the name Shep Gordon, you’ll see it credited again and again in many of your favorite movies and albums; his career spans the decades, and the man continues to inspire!

Enjoy the issue!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBIN PLATZER/PHOTOSHOT/NEWSCOM (LEE); MIKE DUNCKLEY (MCCRAY)

Welcome to our May/ June issue of Gotham!

KATHERINE NICHOLLS

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Available at Bloomingdale’s and Jennifer Miller www.roniblanshay.com

...WITHOUT WHOM THIS ISSUE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE MAY/JUNE 2014

Diane Clehane Diane Clehane writes the popular weekly column “Lunch” on mediabistro.com, which chronicles Manhattan’s media society at Michael’s. In this issue, she joined star New York Post columnist Richard Johnson for “On The Town”(page 72) and wrote “The Women Who Run New York” (page 96).

When interviewing the city’s power women, what surprised you most? I was

heartened to hear from virtually everyone on the list that they don’t consider gender a factor in their career. No matter what Sheryl Sandberg says about “leaning in,” balancing motherhood and a career is an enormous challenge—even for these extraordinarily driven, successful women.

I was inspired and awed by all of them.

Delia von Neuschatz Delia von Neuschatz is a former Manhattan attorney turned freelance writer and editor. Her work has appeared in New York Social Diary. She interviews Brooke Lampley, Christie’s young head of Impressionist and Modern Art, in this issue’s “Native” on page 48.

What surprised you most about Brooke?

It was interesting to see how contemporary art informs Brooke’s views of the classically modern works she deals with. She is incredibly accomplished at such a young age. Why do you think that’s so? She attributes her success

Holly Peterson Mo Rocca Mo Rocca is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and CBS This Morning. He interviews cover stars Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell (page 90).

How far back do you go with Gayle and Norah? I met Gayle in 2004 at the Democratic

Convention in Boston; I was covering it for Larry King. I met Norah at a Comedy Central party during the 2000 Republican Convention.

Although I thought I might embarrass her, I said, “You’re the Natalie Wood of network news!”

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Holly Peterson is the author of New York Times best seller The Manny and the newly released The Idea of Him. She was an Emmy Award–winning producer for ABC News, an editor-at-large for Talk magazine, and has contributed to Newsweek.

Peterson interviews New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson on page 105.

What was your take-away from the interview? I don’t like the theory that women

don’t support other women. Powerful women often hire other powerful women. Jill believes a measure of her success is the several plausible female candidates in line to take her place.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY THOM KAINE (ROCCA); PATRICK MCMULLAN/PATRICKMCMULLAN.COM (CLEHANE)

to being able to focus intently on the task at hand.

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IN NEW YORK, THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS FASHIONABLY LATE. THE MOST ON-TIME FLIGHTS IN NEW YORK.

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Invit ed

THE SEASON’S PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS AND SMARTEST PARTIES

Glamour Galore A PACKED SOCIAL CALENDAR KEPT THE CITY’S BRIGHTEST STARS CELEBRATING ALL SEASON. BY ERIN RILEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES FOR LINCOLN CENTER

A

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth attend the American Songbook Gala at Lincoln Center.

starry collection of famous faces donned their most glamorous (and on some evenings warmest) ensembles to turn out in support of top city charities. The American Songbook Gala was a particularly high-powered event with stars like Anne Hathaway, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alan Cumming, and Allison Williams performing musical numbers in honor of CAA’s Bryan Lourd. Glittering art benefits included the Frick Collection’s dazzling Young Fellows Ball, while the Guggenheim’s Young Collectors Party drew out fresh talents like Katrina Bowden, Cary Fukunaga, and Joseph Altuzarra. Former supermodel Helena Christensen exhibited her photographs in collaboration with The Luxury Collection, Gloria Vanderbilt debuted her new artwork at 1stdibs Gallery, and Bloomingdale’s launched its newest venture featuring spring ready-to-wear from Nanette Lepore, Rebecca Minkoff, and Cynthia Rowley.

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Jimmy Fallon and Daniel Craig

American Songbook Gala

Sarah Jessica Parker fittingly sings “NYC” from Annie.

Anna Wintour and Bryan Lourd

Jill Hennessy and Allison Williams

Alan Cumming and Anne Hathaway

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN MAZUR/ GETTY IMAGES FOR LINCOLN CENTER (SONGBOOK); CHRISTINE A. BUTLER AND JOHN CALABRESE (BALL)

INVITED

David Geffen and Barbara Walters

A collection of Hollywood’s brightest stars gathered to honor CAA’s Bryan Lourd at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Gala on February 10. Among the many musical numbers, Anne Hathaway sang LCD Soundsystem’s “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” while Matt Bomer and Lourd’s daughter, Billie, sang Neil Young’s “Old Man.” Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall was transformed to resemble the honoree’s Manhattan penthouse, as stars lounged on divans on the Adrienne Arsht Stage between their performances.

The evening was a smash hit and brought in $2.75 million for Lincoln Center.

Elettra Wiedemann and James Marshall

Ellen Barkin, Diane von Furstenberg, and Kelly Ripa

Guests enjoy the West Gallery.

Lydia Fenet, Astrid Hill Dattilo, Rickie De Sole Webster, Sloan Overstrom, Clare McKeon, Serge Cajfinger, Joann Pailey, Olivia Chantecaille, and Maggy Frances Schultz

Vanessa Grout and Melanie Lazenby Dylan Brant and Chloe Perrin

Curtis Young, Annika Connor, Kim Le, and Michael Espirtu Caroline Rupert, Jose Sotto Mayor, and Princess Eugenie of York

Caption will go here tk.

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Caption will Young Fellows Ball go here tk.

Now in its 15th year, the Young Fellows Ball remains one of the most glamorous events on the city’s social calendar. On March 13, this year’s celestial-themed ball saw 600 guests—many of whom were dressed in shimmering gowns to coordinate with the evening’s heavenly décor—filling the Garden Court and Music Rooms at the Frick Collection for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing. The evening was sponsored by designer fashion house Paule Ka, and the design was inspired by the Frick’s current exhibition, “Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Hill Collection.”

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INVITED

Erinmary Barrett and Ed Costa

Dominique Evangelista and Daniel Laufer

Anika and Aditi Malhotra

Morgan Spector

Rebecca Hall Cover Party

John Shams and Dr. Sharon Giese

PHOTOGRAPHY BY EUGENE GOLOGURSKY

Dr. Barry Jacobson, Dr. David Poiman, Dr. Helen Weinberg, and Anna Poiman

It was a showstopping night on February 27 when a group of 50 stylish guests gathered to celebrate Gotham magazine’s winter cover star, Rebecca Hall. The Broadway actress and her cast headed to The London hotel right after their evening performance of Machinal for a dinner party that went on into the wee hours. The dinner, sponsored by Voss artesian water, was followed by a decadent dessert bar from Tache Chocolate. Hall was joined by fellow Machinal cast members Morgan Spector, Scott Drummond, Maria-Christina Oliveras, and Damian Baldet, as well as violinist Miri Ben-Ari, Patrick Pacheco, and Dawne Marie Grannum, to toast to the success of her Broadway debut.

Miri Ben-Ari

Patrick Pacheco

Scott Drummond, Maria-Christina Oliveras, and Damien Baldet

Dawne Marie Grannum

Jeff Biehl, Arnie Burton, and Karen Walsh

Rebecca Hall

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INVITED Amanda Gluck and Katrina Bowden

Guests enjoy an intimate dinner at the museum’s Wright restaurant.

Ku-Ling Yurman and Cary Fukunaga Lesley Blume and Jamal Nusseibeh

Young Collectors Party

DJ Chelsea Leyland spins tracks during the reception.

On February 27, the Guggenheim Museum hosted its annual Young Collectors Party sponsored by David Yurman. Event chairs Misha Nonoo, Alexander Gilkes, and Evan and Ku-Ling Yurman oversaw an impressive guest list, which included Katrina Bowden, Joseph Altuzarra, Lesley Blume, and Cary Fukunaga.

Attendees partied to tunes by DJ Chelsea Leyland and sipped on Chandon sparkling wine, while a performance art piece by Eva Kotátková provided an will The successful event helped the Young Collectors Council Art eveningCaption high point. go here tk.

Fund purchase new acquisitions by emerging artists for the museum’s collection.

Evan Yurman and Anne Huntington

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID X PRUTTING/ BFANYC.COM (YOUNG)

Alexander Gilkes

Georgina Chapman and Paul James

Daniel Benedict and Zani Gugelmann

Waris Ahluwalia Carlos Leon

Helena Christensen and Liv Tyler

Norman Reedus and Michael Stipe

The Luxury Collection Exhibits “Visual Journey, Peru”

Garrett and Braden Neff

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The Luxury Collection, Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ top properties, hosted the opening reception for Helena Christensen’s photography exhibit “Visual Journey, Peru,” in honor of her new role as the brand’s Global Explorer. Having experienced success on both sides of the camera, Christensen’s foray into photography featured shots from a recent trip to her mother’s native Peru. Liv Tyler, Michael Stipe, Norman Reedus, and Georgina Chapman were some of the famous friends who attended. The proceeds from the exhibit went to Oxfam International, where Christensen also contributes as Global Ambassador.

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INVITED

Christopher Coleman and Brian del Toro

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BFANYC.COM

Susan Gutfreund

Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper

Gloria Vanderbilt Exhibit Opening

On February 26, Gloria Vanderbilt exhibited her newest collection of artwork at Manhattan’s 1stdibs Gallery. Titled The Left Hand is the Dreamer, the show was an exploration of Vanderbilt’s diverse past, as many of her works featured notes from an assortment of well-known friends like Carol Matthau and Joyce Carol Oates, and included a collaborative piece with designer Matthew Patrick Smyth. The intimate crowd of designers, artists, and family included Amy Fine Collins, Charlotte Moss, Barry Goralnick, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and Vanderbilt’s son, Anderson Cooper.

Matthew Patrick Smyth and Barry Goralnick

Charlotte Moss

Amy Fine Collins

Rebecca Minkoff and Erica Russo Trina Turk and Nanette Lepore

Mara Hoffman and Ronny Kobo

Frank Berman and Cynthia Rowley A fashion presentation before the designers.

Brooke Jaffe and Yigal Azrouël Rebecca Taylor

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK

BFANYC.COM (YOUNG)

Lisa and Michael Lindsay-Hogg

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Bloomingdale’s Launches The Collective On March 13, top contemporary designers gathered at the Bloomingdale’s flagship to celebrate the launch of its new women’s department, The Collective, a Bloomingdale’s-curated selection of 21 established and emerging designers. Fashion director Brooke Jaffe hosted the stylish cocktail reception that included makeovers by Trina Turk and manicures

by Milly. During the fashion presentation, designers like Mara Hoffman, Nanette Lepore, Rebecca Minkoff, and Cynthia Rowley looked on as models strutted down the runway in the designers’ spring ready-to-wear.

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INVITED

Paul W.S. Anderson

Roberto Bolle

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Kit Htarington

The Cinema Society Screening of Pompeii

Carrie Preston

Karen Elson and Tabitha Simmons

Teresa Moore

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington joined director Paul W.S. Anderson and costar Adewale AkinnuoyeAgbaje for the New York screening of Pompeii, which took place at the Crosby Street Hotel on February 12. Following the screening, the leading men joined partygoers like Tabitha Simmons, Karen Elson, Carrie Preston, Peter Berg, Olivier Theyskens, and Matt Harvey at the Standard East Village for a late-night party, where they were among the first to try Grey Goose’s newest vodka, Le Melon.

Matt Harvey

Lindsay Ellingson

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK HUNT/PATRICK MCMULLAN CO. (POMPEII); PATRICK MCMULLAN CO. (BCNY)

Guests look on as Governor Chris Christie and John Griffin discuss education reform.

Danielle and David Ganek with Tory Burch

Sara Ayres and D. Brooke Harlow Governor Chris Christie and John Griffin Dara O’Hara, Cathy Price, Tiffany Moller, Amy Griffin, and Peggy Bitler

Boys’ Club of New York Winter Luncheon

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The Boys’ Club of New York hosted over 450 of New York’s brightest philanthropists at its winter luncheon on February 4. Board member D. Brooke Harlow introduced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Blue Ridge Capital founder John Griffin for a lively discussion on education reform. The occasion netted more than half a million dollars, a new record for the annual event, which will benefit the Club’s recreational, educational, and social programs that serve over 4,000 boys and young men in New York City every year.

Julia Koch and Diana DiMenna Nathalie Kaplan and Coralie Charriol Paul

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INVITED Jeff Rossen

Michael Weaver, Patti Kim, Kelly Kennedy Mack, Kimberly Goodwin, Susan Block Casdin, Harlan Fabrikant Saroken, and Morgan Hertzan

Joseph Lhota and Robert I. Grossman

NYU Langone Casino Night

Maya and Edward Manley

Catherine Manno

Christine Beauchamp, Alex Casdin, and Jillian Sandler

Over 600 guests gathered at The Plaza Hotel on February 27 to raise money for the Hassenfeld Center at the NYU Cancer Institute and the Department of Pediatrics at the NYU Langone Medical Center.

Attendees enjoyed cocktails and dinner and tried their luck at various casino games.

A live auction emceed by Jeff Rossen featured prizes like a three night vacation at the Ferragamo estate in Tuscany and a walk-on role in CBS’s The Millers. The gala was chaired by Adi Beltzman, Susan Block Casdin, Michael Corbat, Kate Goodman, Kimberly Goodwin, Morgan Hertzan, Patti Kim, Kelly Kennedy Mack, Harlan Fabrikant Saroken, and Michael Weaver.

Dr. Stephen Greenberg

Cassandra Seidenfeld

PHOTOGRAPHY WATT (NYU) PHOTOGRAPHY BYBY TK;ANNIE ILLUSTRATION

BY TK

Manju Masand, Barbara Bank, and Ellie Libby

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Rudy Albers and Terry Waldan

Gotham andBank, Manju Masand, Barbara and Ellie Libby Hamptons Host Dr. Greenberg

On February 24, Gotham and Hamptons magazines joined with renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Greenberg to host an elegant and informative luncheon at The Core Club. Dr. Greenberg shared his wide-ranging expertise on a range of health and wellness issues, which included the latest news in cosmetic surgery and antiaging treatments.

Andrea Correale

Valentina Gallard

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4/11/14 4:42 PM

T he List May/june 2014

Maureen Chiquet

Beth Rudin DeWoody

Irene Dorner

Lidia Bastianich

Lisa Carnoy

Patricia Duff

Callie Schweitzer

Jennifer Halliday

Isabelle Ealet

Susan Fales-Hill

Kay Krill

Aditi Malhotra

Sandie O’Connor

Mercedes Bass

Sarah Ahmed

Kathleen Finch

Karen Peetz

Jane Fraser

Linda Addison

Carli Roth

Anne Bass

Linda Johnson

Kelsey Falter

Ellen Futter

Eileen Serra

Indra Nooyi

Patti Solis Doyle

Julia Sloan

Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn

Gabrielle Hamilton

Robin Moraetes

Gail Grimmett

Candida Wolff

Yuli Ziv

Lynn Bound

Erin Mast

Jill Scalamandre

Deborah Winshel

Frances Berwick

Yuriko Kajiya

Pamela Baxter

Emma Stone

Susan Zolla-Pazner

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson

Pauline Brown

Christiane Lemieux

Leane Brenes

Ketty Maisonrouge

Christine Dagousset

Logan Rich Chabina

Yen Ha

Michi Yanagishita

Maria Dempsey

Bonnie Hammer

Linda McMahon

Penny Glazier

Laurie Dowley

April Bloomfield

Misty Copeland

Yvonne Najor

Barbara Zinn-Moore

Christiane Amanpour

Lynnette Marrero

Karen Brooks Hopkins

Pat Mitchell

Stella Abrera

Jennifer Hyman

Sandra Wilkin

Debora Spar

Jenna Lyons

Jacki Kelley

Elizabeth Olsen

Joan Ganz Cooney

Shiza Shahid

Amanda Burden

Alexis Maybank

Debbie Bancroft

Amanda Seyfried

Donatella Arpaia

Winka Dubbeldam

40  gotham-magazine.com

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Marigay McKee, the new president of Saks Fifth Avenue. “We need to give the customer the three E’s—excitement, entertainment, and experience,” she says.

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Superlatives PEOPLE, CULTURE, TASTE, TREASURES

VIEW FROM THE TOP

What’s in Store MARIGAY MCKEE TAKES LEGENDARY RETAILER SAKS FIFTH AVENUE INTO THE FUTURE.

BY LAUREN SHERMAN

M

arigay McKee walks into her newly remodeled meeting space and out or the person who has something to give,” she says.

Five years into her teaching career, McKee was recruited to join Estée makes herself comfortable on a sofa, wearing one of Stella McCartney’s surrealist shift dresses from her Spring 2014 collec- Lauder’s training program as an instructor in Spain. “At a party one New tion. It’s pink, covered in lips, hearts, and matchstick appliqués. “Stella Year’s Eve, a head hunter approached me and said, ‘You speak fluent English, would like that I wore this,” she says, referring to McCartney as the friend Spanish, French, and Italian. You’ve been a teacher, and you’ve got your university degree. We need someone like you in she undoubtedly is. You see, McKee is English, the training department.’ I jokingly told the guy I fresh off a 20-year, only-way-but-up career at would join him if he would pay me double,” she Harrods, which landed her the role of president says. “That was actually how I got into cosmetics. of Saks Fifth Avenue, where she officially It was a money deal!” started in January. The storied department McKee rose quickly at Estée Lauder and was store was bought last July by Canada’s Hudson’s soon offered an opportunity to move to the States.

Bay Company in a $2.9 billion cash deal, and its Instead, she returned to London and joined CEO, Richard Baker, thought McKee was just Fenwick, a British department store. “I was a the person to take the luxury retailer into the —MARIGAY MCKEE junior buyer, a fashion buyer, and from there I future. “It’s been full-on, like a grand prix started to do fashion, accessories, and cosmetics,” from day one,” says McKee, who also whizzed through 22 American states in three weeks to take the pulse of top retail she says. “And then Harrods called me to head up its beauty division. In 15 years I had seven promotions. Every two years I had a new challenge.” markets prior to her first day on the job.

The key to her steady ascendance? McKee was credited with bringing fresh For a fashion powerhouse now running one of the country’s most storied retail brands, McKee’s career path was unorthodox. Her first job out of thinking and modernity to the legendary store, which appointed her chief London’s Middlesex University was teaching secondary school, a time she merchant in 2011. McKee changed the fashion mix, introducing edgier remembers with great fondness. “That experience taught me how to relate to designers and one-of-a-kind pieces while championing young London-based and develop people, and how to—in a big group—find the person who stands continued on page 46

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON

“We will do a lot of firsts over the next couple of years that will hopefully leave the customer breathless.”

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VIEW FROM THE TOP Marigay McKee, outside the flagship Fifth Avenue store with the Saks doormen.

RETAIL THERAPY Marigay McKee on success and the city. *on excellence “I wanted to live my life in a way that wasn’t mediocre. I always wanted to build something, to exceed expectations. I tried to stay focused on what’s going to add value.”

*central park escapes “My favorite thing to do is explore the park. It’s such a great treasure for the city. I take my Shih Tzus there. I love the fact you’ve got the lake, the reservoir. People are so much friendlier here. If you’re sitting next to someone on a bench, they’ll say hello.”

*dining in new york “I love downtown restaurants like The Waverly Inn and The Lion, but I equally like such Upper East Side places as Crown, which is 60 seconds from my apartment. I also like places you wouldn’t expect.

This Saturday, my boyfriend is taking me to Antica Pesa. He says it’s the coolest place in Brooklyn.”

*the joy of giving back “I taught at privileged schools, but on the flip side, I also did prison visiting and young offender visiting.

When I first met Oscar [de la Renta], I was visiting an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. It had nothing to do with fashion.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE SCHILDHORN/BFANYC.COM (MCKEE OUTSIDE); RICHARD CADAN (STORE INTERIOR); NEIL RASMUS/BFANYC.COM (KARAN)

continued from page 45 names such as Erdem Moralioglu and Jonathan Saunders. She brought in less expensive lines, but dramatically raised price points, too. Harrods’s international clientele didn’t balk at the sight of gowns with $100,000 price tags as the store upped its highfashion cool. “I had 20 percent annual comps every year for the last five years,” McKee notes. In the last fiscal year, turnover increased 10 percent to a record £716.3 million.

So why leave? When Baker came calling last summer, McKee hesitated at first. “It’s a tough choice when you have a home set up, and you have family and friends around you.” Yet there was something about Saks—its 90-year-rich history of dressing style icons like Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Grace Kelly—that drew her in. “I went from saying, ‘no way’ to ‘maybe’ to after a month or so thinking, ‘This will be great,” she says. “This is the right time. I think we can do this.”

During the next two years, McKee will be spending an estimated $250 million to redesign the New York store. Along with the renovation of the Fifth Avenue flagship, she’ll be diversifying product offerings location by location throughout the US and bringing in more one-of-a-kind designer pieces, collaborations, new pop-ups, and even new categories. “If we want to futureproof our brands, our job as retailers, is to give the customer the three E’s: BELOW: Marigay excitement, entertainment, and experience,” she explains.

McKee with Donna Karan McKee says Manhattan itself is an inspiration for her thinking: “I like the and Diane von fact that New York has so many different environments. It’s almost like little Furstenberg.

BOTTOM: The New cities within a city.” As they move forward, McKee’s team is also researching York City store. within and digging deep into the Saks archives.

“We looked at these old screen stars and iconic women of the last century, all photographed shopping at Saks,” she explains. “It made me think about the journey that we should be taking, which is an evolution not a revolution. We will do a lot of firsts over the next couple of years that are going to be fantastic, I want to leave the customer breathless.” G

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EXCEPTIONAL DESIGNS FOR EVERY ROOM

Manhattan 1625 York Avenue 26 Varick Street 646.486.3905 Miami 900 Park Centre Blvd. 305.623.8282 californiaclosets.com

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The Art of I City Living FOR CHRISTIE’S EXECUTIVE BROOKE LAMPLEY, THE CHELSEA GALLERY DISTRICT PROVIDES A RESPITE FROM HER HIGH-POWERED JOB AND A DESTINATION FOR VISUAL EXPLORATIONS THAT INFORM HER WORK.

BY DELIA VON NEUSCHATZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON

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n a city filled with high achievers, Brooke Lampley surely ranks among the highest. At age 34, she is the head of Impressionist & Modern Art for the Americas at Christie’s. This alumna of Harvard and Yale presides over a division that brought $478 million in revenue for the storied auction house in 2013, an impressive 17 percent gain since taking over the department two years ago.

This season Lampley is looking forward to Christie’s May and June sales (among the most important on the auction house’s calendar), which feature the estate of Huguette Clark, the reclusive copper heiress who died in 2011 at the age of 104.

Highlights of the collection include a Monet and three Renoirs. (The Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art takes place on May 6, followed by a dedicated sale titled An American Dynasty: The Clark Family Treasures on June 18.)

Although Lampley grew up in Carnegie Hill and now works in Rockefeller Center, it is downtown where she has chosen to make her home. She is particularly fond of the Chelsea and Nomad neighborhoods, where she has lived since she began working at Christie’s 10 years ago. On weekends, she likes to explore the areas

with her husband, Christopher Papagianis, and their baby son, Theo.

“I love the accessibility of where I live [in Nomad on West 26th Street]. Everything—art galleries, restaurants, shops—is within a few minutes’ walk from my apartment. You can choose your own adventure on any given day.

I love the bar at THE NOMAD HOTEL . It’s beautiful, and the cocktails aren’t too sweet, which I can’t say for a lot of places. My husband and I go there when we have the luxury of a little extra time to ourselves.

Everyone needs a healthy break from work, and the sensory experience provided by the contemporary works on display in the CHELSEA ART GALLERIES is a palate cleanser for me.

On any given Saturday, I walk from 22nd to 27th Streets, visiting as many galleries as possible. It’s the perfect antidote to what I do at Christie’s during the week. Although I’m privileged to deal with classic modernism [works by the likes of van Gogh, Picasso, Giacometti, and other modern masters routinely pass through her hands], it’s refreshing to look at art in which I have no

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NATIVE

FROM LEFT:

Brooke Lampley at Christie’s Midtown headquarters; she enjoys views of the industrial landscape, particularly with water towers; surveying a new acquisition at Christie’s, Monet’s Nymphéas; the Chelsea Arts District, which Lampley likes to visit on weekends.

commercial interest and which I can look at without seeing price tags.

Contemporary art entertains and educates me in equal measure. I love the diverse range of works in the galleries, and the exposure to new artists has broadened and challenged my taste.

For instance, I now find myself attracted to works on paper because of the visceral sense of the artistic process they convey. I can see the impact of the artwork that I deal with at Christie’s on today’s artists. So, looking at contemporary art gives me a better understanding of the importance of the works that I handle.

In Chelsea, what you can get on the streets can be just as interesting as what you find inside the galleries. The first piece of art that my husband and I purchased was actually a reproduction of a John Currin painting that we got from a stand in front of one of the galleries for $50. We recently saw this artist’s [Eric Doeringer’s] work at Art Basel in Miami Beach, so not only is he now regarded as a fine artist, but his John Currin reproductions are deemed to be his most valuable work. We considered this a good omen for our future art collecting. [For non-art purchases] I like STEVEN ALAN, on 10th Avenue. That’s where my husband bought me a necklace with the initial ‘T’ on it a week after I gave birth to our son. That was one of the best surprises. He went out to get

dinner and came back with this necklace. Were it not for this store, I don’t know where he would have gotten a gift for me in an hour to celebrate Theo’s one-week birthday.

I enjoy looking at New York’s industrial landscape. It’s astonishing how many water towers there are downtown. My aunt did a beautiful painting of the view from my apartment when I was living in Chelsea, and now I’m attracted to paintings of water towers.

The maternal side of my family is very artistically inclined and I credit my mother, who is a painter, with fostering my interest in art at a very young age. In London (where I spent my teenage years), it was always the Tate Britain or the Tate Modern. I loved London for its residential feel, and that’s why I like DOVER STREET MARKET, which is a little bit of London in New York.

My husband and I were in a long-distance relationship for five years while he was living in Washington, DC, and I was here. As a result, I spent a lot of time in PENN STATION, although I have no happy memories of it—I was always either waiting for or coming off a delayed train. The place is an architectural monstrosity, but it does have a talismanic importance for me as it was a port of reunion for several years. Now, I live a [few blocks] from there.

I love the fast pace of New York and am irritated by it at the same time. It’s a culture where people express their importance by how much they work and how little they sleep. But, I have to admit this works well for me, as I like structure and being very busy. [Christie’s] deadline orientation—which appeals to the A-type side of my personality— coupled with the fine art that we’re dealing with and that I’m passionate about is a good fit. I think that’s been the key to my success. I am lucky to work in a field I truly love.” G

DOWNTIME Brooke Lampley finds opportunities for new excursions in every direction.

Chelsea Art District, approximately from West 20th to West 27th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues Dover Street Market, 160 Lexington Ave., 646-837-7750; newyork.doverstreetmarket.com The NoMad Hotel, 1170 Broadway, 212-796-1500; thenomadhotel.com Steven Alan, 140 10th Ave., 646664-0606; stevenalan.com

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DYNAMIC DUO Zady.com founders Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi at Mood Fabrics, a store with organic textiles.

Fast-Forward for Slow Fashion MAXINE BÉDAT AND SORAYA DARABI WANT TO MAKE ZADY.COM THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY’S ANSWER TO WHOLE FOODS. BY LAUREN SHERMAN

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hen it comes to food, Americans have been on the slow train for story. Was it made by hand? From sustainable materials? In the USA? New some time now. Slow fashion, on the other hand, is a few decades York brands like Steven Alan and Odette are part of the inventory mix, which behind its culinary counterpart. Yet over the past couple of years, aesthetically skews toward what could be described as “crafty minimalism”: luxury brands like Maiyet—which commissions artisans the world over to Think geometric necklaces, intarsia sweaters, and slim-fitting chinos. Not craft its leather handbags and silk frocks—and thought leaders like the jour- everything is sourced locally or produced entirely in the US, but the origin of nalist Elizabeth Cline—the author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of each item, right down to its raw materials, is completely transparent.

Cheap Fashion—have made conscious consumerism top of mind.

So far, the response has been encouraging. The site regularly sells out of High school friends Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi were two of those specific items; for instance, they can’t seem to keep Karmo’s brown leather tote conscious consumers, and in 2012 they dreamed up the idea for an online in stock. And over the holidays, Bédat and Darabi opened their first pop-up retailer that would detail the life cycle of every product it sold. shop in LaGuardia Airport, where they and their staff of four Before launching zady.com in August 2013, Bédat, 31, founded worked from 5 AM to 1 AM every day. (In manageable shifts, of the nonprofit Bootstrap Project, which helps artisans across the course.) While Zady is e-commerce first, the brick-and-mortar globe make money from their craft. (Many items created by component is important to the duo. “We launched our pop-up On their favorite Bootstrap Project artisans are featured on Zady.) Darabi, 30, shop roughly three months after Zady went live, and that was restaurants: Darabi spent her early years in New York working in social media at an intention,” Darabi says. “We believe in the two worlds frequents Margaux at The New York Times and was cofounder of the photo-sharing being blended together in a sophisticated and savvy way.”

The Marlton Hotel. “It allows the fresh food app Foodspotting. “We grew up in the decade of fast fashion— As for their chances of long-term success, Bédat says, “[Whole to speak for itself.” everyone just buying and buying and buying,” Bédat says.

Foods] totally disrupted the food industry. There was pushback Bédat says “ABC “There’s a real discomfort in that.” in the beginning, but they believed that they could do it,” Bédat Kitchen is farm-toZady sells a mix of men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, and says. Adds Darabi, “It’s a heartwarming story, but it’s also a real table at its finest.” home goods, each accompanied by badges that tell the item’s business that we can look up to and learn from.” zady.com G

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREGG DELMAN

INSIGHT

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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Star Trek GLENN CLOSE TAKES TOP HONORS AT THIS YEAR’S SUNDANCE INSTITUTE GALA IN NEW YORK. HERE, SHE DISCUSSES HER SUPPORT OF THE NONPROFIT WITH THE PALEY CENTER’S PAT MITCHELL AND TRUE LOVE PRODUCTIONS’ JEANNE DONOVAN FISCHER. BY KEN RIVADENEIRA

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n June 4, the Sundance Institute will honor Glenn Close at its annual fundraising gala, to be held this year in New York, with the Vanguard Leadership Award, given annually to a film personality who has made notable contributions to indie cinema. Close was an early supporter and former board member of Sundance, the nonprofit Robert Redford founded

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more than three decades ago to help filmmakers develop their work free of commercial pressures. Today it devotes $32 million annually to this mission.

Even for a star like Close, the indie route has never been an easy one. It took her 14 years to get financing for Albert Nobbs, the 2011 film she starred in, cowrote, and coproduced. (The movie earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Close.) “For me to walk into somebody’s office and say I’m going to play a butler in Victorian Dublin, not very many people could imagine that,” she explains. Despite the challenges, Close managed to star in three independent movies in the last year—Low Down, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Anesthesia, and 5 to 7. Her tenacity, along with how she “continues to build a body of work that inspires other artists,” according to Redford, are reasons Sundance decided to honor her this year.

With several film and stage projects in the works, Close took time out from her shooting schedule to sit down with Sundance trustees Pat Mitchell, president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media, and Jeanne Donovan Fisher, founder and president of True Love Productions, to discuss the state of independent cinema and Sundance’s support of the industry. continued on page 54

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLDEN/WIREIMAGE (CLOSE); KEN REGAN/COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE (ARCHIVAL); GEORGE PIMENTEL/GETTY IMAGES FOR SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL (LITHGOW)

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Glenn Close at Sundance’s 25th anniversary gala in 2006; with independent filmmaker Robert Altman and actress Liv Tyler in 1999; at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, peering though a cut-out poster with actor John Lithgow and director John Cooper.

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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

RIGHT: Close was in this year’s Low Down with Elle Fanning (left) and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

BELOW: Close coproduced, cowrote, and starred in Albert Nobbs.

“Independent film offers better roles for women than studio films.”

continued from page 52 PAT MITCHELL: How did you get involved with the Sundance Institute?

GLENN CLOSE: It started when I met Bob [Robert Redford] while we were filming The Natural in 1984. Sundance hadn’t been going on for very long [at that point].

JEANNE DONOVAN FISHER: Bob talks a lot about the willingness to take risks outside the demands of the commercial mainstream to just get the story right. It’s important that people who represent Sundance understand the mission the way you do.

GC: Independent film is where the great storytelling still is. One of its roles is to keep us sensitized to the human condition. I’d also say right now it definitely offers better roles for women than studio films. But an independent film is also a project that almost doesn’t get made. You’re tested for your commitment—it takes getting somebody to risk on talent, vision, and passion.

What led to us being able to make Albert Nobbs was this one individual who said he’d never done anything creative like that and said “I’m psyched.” It was about passion. And for him it was also the fact that I was willing to put

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skin in the game. You’re told forever that you should never invest in your own movie, but I couldn’t rationalize saying, “I would like you to invest in my movie,” if I wasn’t willing to invest in it myself.

PM: In this age, you have to have the courage as well as the passion.

GC: Financially speaking you don’t make any money in an independent film. Actors make scale. Sometimes [additional payment] is attached to the back end [generally as a percentage of the film’s profits, provided it goes into the black], but you don’t know whether you will get any money back. I personally like the kind of financing where everyone risks together with the potential of also having the upside at the other end.

PM: Something that has changed over the years, in addition to the number and quality of independent films, are the numbers and diversity of the people who come to see and invest in the films.

GC: I did a movie with Tim Blake Nelson, who is part of the independent film scene here. There’s a movement to make films costing $700,000, if that much. Everybody gets their friends together, and it’s basically guerrilla moviemaking. In commercial films, you must have certain components that people at the studios think will make money that tend to become somewhat of a formula. So if you can fight against formula and inject elements of humanity, it will make whatever film you’re doing better.

PM: Glenn, you’ve also seen our Lab programs [workshops for theater artists, directors, writers, and producers] at Sundance.

JDF: Eighty-five percent of the projects that we develop in the Theater Lab get a full production prominent in Broadway or other vibrant theaters [within two years].

GC: [The Lab] is a fantastic process. You have actors who make themselves available to these writers so they can see their work playing out. It’s a crucial step in shaping your story. It’s a true workshop with mentors who can suggest things that might open up new venues of thought.

JDF: A lot of times there is a problem-solving component to it.

Screenwriters and directors are asked to film the most challenging or the most difficult scene in the project they’re working on. That’s where continued on page 56

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN KOBANE (CLOSE); PATRICK REDMOND (FILM STILL)

—GLENN CLOSE

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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Charity Regist er OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE.

Boys’ & Girls’ Towns of Italy, a nonprofit that empowers war refugee, migrant, and at-risk youth living on the streets, will host its 69th annual Spring Ball and honor Joseph J. Plumeri and Consul General of Italy in New York, Natalia Quintavalle.

When: Monday, May 5 Where: The Pierre, 2 E. 61st St. Contact: bgti.org

continued from page 54 Sundance the mentorship and the col- founder Robert Redford asked laboration with the actors and Glenn Close to directors really starts to pay off. help with the nonprofit 30 GC: The whole idea of inde- years ago. pendent film is that it’s the voice of the person whose vision it is. I remember one of the producers of a very successful studio movie I was in said, “Writers exist to be beaten up.” A lot of times in independent film the writer is the director.

These directors are not just starting out—they have come to independent film because of their frustration of being a writer and being beaten up!

PM: We’ve seen the number of entries [for the film festival] go up way past 10,000 this year.

JDF: New technology may have had an impact on that. Barriers to entry are so much lower and there are more avenues of potential distribution.

PM: You can now track the social impact of independent films as they move into the larger community.

GC: I’d like to think that the bank of independent filmmakers, as they mature, will only enhance commercial films. Hopefully these people will be able to follow their first movies with other ones that will define them as people who will make a difference. G

Attend the fourth annual Celebrate Sundance Institute benefit.

PM

Where: SIR Stage37, 508 W. 37th St. Contact: Call 310-492-2325, or visit sundance.org/nycbenefit.

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This highest-earning social event on the city’s charity calendar is widely considered its most glamorous.

Last year’s event raised over $80 million and featured performances by Mary J. Blige, Bono, Sting, and Elton John.

When: Monday, May 12 Where: Jacob K. Javits Center, 655 W. 34th St. Contact: robinhood.org

MSKCC SPRING BALL

Sponsored by Graff and Valentino, the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Spring Ball turns out big society names. Cochairs Nina Garcia Conrod, Lisa McCarthy, Claudia Overstrom, and Maria Villalba will oversee a night of dinner and dancing.

When: Tuesday, May 13 Where: The Starlight Roof, Waldorf Astoria, 301 Park Ave. Contact: mskcc.convio.net

CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

HELPING OUT When: Wednesday, June 4, 7–10:30

ROBIN HOOD FOUNDATION GALA

Andrés and Lauren Santo Domingo will chair the organization’s 17th annual New York Dinner, which will feature cocktails, dinner, and prominent guest speakers.

History, Central Park West and 79th St. Contact: conservation.org

CITYMEALS CHEFS’ TRIBUTE

The 29th Annual Chefs’ Tribute to Citymeals-onWheels will see chefs like Bobby Flay, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten presenting their favorite seasonal summer fare at tasting stations throughout Rockefeller Center Plaza.

Nick Valenti will host, while Ninah and Michael Lynne, Laura and John Pomerantz, Randi and Dennis Riese, and Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch cochair.

When: Monday, June 9 Where: Rockefeller Center Plaza Contact: citymeals.org

APOLLO THEATER ANNIVERSARY GALA

This year’s Spring Gala marks the institution’s 80th anniversary. Hosted

by Wayne Brady, the evening will celebrate the venue’s legendary roster with performances by Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, and The Isley Brothers.

When: Tuesday, June 10

Where: Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St. Contact: apollotheater.org

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY GALA

The Wildlife Conservation Society will host its annual gala and afterparty at Central Park Zoo in celebration of this year’s theme: An Elephant’s Tale. The evening will feature drinks, dinner, and dancing by the sea lion pool.

When: Thursday, June 12

When: Thursday, June 5

Where: Central Park Zoo, 64th St. and Fifth Ave.

Where: American Museum of Natural

Contact: wcs.org

PHOTOGRAPHY BY THEO WARGO FOR WIREIMAGE (CLOSE); CRAIG WARGA FOR ROBIN HOOD (ROBIN HOOD FOUNDATION GALA); SHAHAR AZRAN (APOLLO THEATER GALA)

BOYS’ & GIRLS’ TOWNS OF ITALY

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Christian Lacroix’s costumes for Gaîté Parisienne are “like a fashion show come to life,” says American Ballet Theatre Associate Artistic Director Victor Barbee.

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Culture HOTTEST TICKET

Café Society ABT REVIVES GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE, REPLETE WITH CHRISTIAN LACROIX’S SPLASHY CAN-CAN COSTUMES. BY PATRICK PACHECO

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n 1988, when the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre back to our past quite often to keep the works alive. We treat first spied Christian Lacroix’s costumes for Gaîté Parisienne, them with respect, keeping the steps as close to the original their reaction was Oh, mon dieu! as we can, and yet making it contemporary with “We went crazy with excitement,” recalls Cheryl Yeager, embellishments and changes from that point on.” who danced the Glove Seller, a central character, in this ballet Barbee says that when Baryshnikov tapped Lacroix, he about the amorous flirtations taking place among the habitués was paying homage to Sergei Diaghilev, the legendary of a Belle Époque Parisian café. “The costumes were bigger impresario of Ballets Russes, who was famous for inviting than life so we had to have a lot of personality to be seen such artists as Pablo Picasso, Leon Bakst, Henri Matisse, beyond them. In the end, it gave the production a lot of energy.” Joan Miró, and Coco Chanel to design for the company.

The hotly colored and insouciant “What could make more sense than a swirl of checks, polka dots, poufed collaboration between this great French sleeves, and frilly skirts by the noted couture house and this ballet about life in French fashion designer will no doubt a French café?” says Barbee. “It was a bit inspire a new generation of ballet over-the-top, but that was the point. It was dancers when ABT revives its like a fashion show come to life.” production of the 1938 Léonide The Parisian gaiety kicks off with the Massine ballet this May as part of its appearance of the character of the Peruvian, Met season. The designs are of a piece a tourist who is so eager to indulge in all that with the frisky Jacques Offenbach French life has to offer that he doesn’t even score, which famously includes a line of stop to drop off his bags at the hotel. His cocottes dancing the can-can amid the encounters include love-struck overtures to mazurkas and romantic pas de deux. the Glove Seller and rivalries with the Duke, “I was fascinated by turn-of-thethe Baron, and the Officer, and gaping century Paris and the whimsical and admiration for the irrepressible, highspirited atmospheres of the cafés kicking ladies of loose virtue. captured by [painter] Toulouse“These interludes are sassy, fun, and One of Lacroix’s costume sketches, inspired by turn-of-the-century Paris.

Lautrec,” says Lacroix about what entertaining,” Yeager says. “The ballet is ignited his imagination when Mikhail not deep, it just lends itself to the score and Baryshnikov, then ABT’s artistic director, invited him to Christian Lacroix’s witty costumes do so as well. With all collaborate on the ballet. “In the mid-’80s period, everything these poufy sleeves and fun headpieces with flowers, they was extreme, extravagant, and neo-Baroque. Modernity at were at first overwhelming. But then they transformed the that time was a certain way of ‘sampling’ past fashions.” characters from out of us. When I put on the Glove Seller’s “Sampling the past” is also an ABT tradition. It led costume, I became her.”

Baryshnikov to add Gaîté Parisienne to the company’s Barbee says that the essence of the ballet is an infectious joie repertory in 1988, at which point he also enlisted Lorca de vivre that remains as appealing in 2014 as it was in 1988 or Massine to oversee the ballet, which his father had created 1938. “These people are dancing just as hard as they can, just as for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. That same respect for people used to do at Studio 54,” he says. “You just go at 120 the past has now led to its presence on this year’s program. percent all the time. You try to infuse [the ballet] with so much life “This was such a huge, glamorous, and glorious production and energy that you make a person wonder, Wow, it must’ve been that we felt it deserved to be done again,” says Victor Barbee, fun to live in those days. I wish I could have been there.” Gaîté who danced the role of the Baron in the 1988 production Parisienne will open at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 20 at and who is now ABT’s associate artistic director. “We go 7:30 PM, Lincoln Center Plaza, 212-362-6000; abt.org G

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ART FULL BELOW: Untitled, by Florian Maier-Aichen, 2013. BOTTOM: The Frieze Art Fair in New York is set on Randalls Island.

Frieze Frame HOW THE RANDALLS ISLAND ART FAIR BECAME A MUST-STOP ON THE GLOBAL ART CIRCUIT.

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f in early May you find yourself aboard a makeshift rowboat, at a mini music festival, or spending the night in a two-room hotel, all in the midst of thousands of works by leading contemporary artists from around the world, you can thank Amanda Sharp. As codirector of Frieze in both London and New York, she has ushered in a new type of art fair, one that prefers parks to piers and tents to convention centers and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

“When we first looked at doing a fair in New York, we thought, How can we do something that really wakes people up?” says Sharp, 45, who relocated to New York from London 15 years ago. She and Frieze codirector Matthew Slotover found their answer on Randalls Island, where since 2012 they have pitched a serpentine tent overlooking the East River and filled it with art, food, conversation, and surprises.

“I thought that to do a New York fair right you had to be able to deliver service with a smile, have a high-caliber list of galleries, and have a

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great venue. I didn’t know if we could do it,” Sharp says. “But then I went onto Randalls Island and thought, Yes, this is possible.”

Frieze London and Frieze New York remain required stops on the art world’s increasingly crowded global calendar, in part because the curiosity and deep love of art that have driven Slotover and Sharp since the beginning are palpable under each temporary tent. This is clearest in the commissioned artworks known as Frieze Projects.

Among the seven projects organized by curator Cecilia Alemani for this year’s Frieze New York is Allen Ruppersberg’s Al’s Grand Hotel. The legendary artist-run establishment, originally realized in 1971 in Los Angeles, will be restaged within the fair, complete with lobby and two guest rooms. Says Sharp, “Projects like these are ways of making people understand that art isn’t something that’s rarefied— that they’re allowed to look at everything and interact with things.” And even spend the night.

Frieze New York takes place at Randalls Island Park May 9–12, 212-463-7488; friezenewyork.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF 303 GALLERY (UNTITLED); GRAHAM CARLOW (FAIR)

BY STEPHANIE MURG

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ART FULL

Eastern Time ART BASEL’S SECOND ANNUAL HONG KONG SHOW BLENDS THE BEST OF ASIA AND THE WEST.

BY SUE HOSTETLER

“The highlight is being part of that experience of discovery when collectors come to know artists they have not yet seen.”

—MAGNUS RENFREW

LEFT:

Aerial view of the Art Basel Hong Kong site.

ABOVE: Magnus Renfrew, director of the art show.

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prize will be awarded to one of nearly 30 participants of this sector at the end of the week, a unique element of Art Basel in Hong Kong not seen at other fairs. Much preshow buzz has surrounded the funky Irish gallery Mother’s Tankstation and its presentation of the work of Sydney-based artist Noel McKenna, whose figurative pieces contemplate the human condition and make him one to watch.

Also creating excitement is the Encounters sector—featuring large-scale sculptural and installation pieces—as it is being curated by Japan’s highly regarded Yuko Hasegawa of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. “Last year Yuko’s selection spurred a compelling discourse around contrasting generational and cultural approaches to artistic practices,” says Renfrew. “I have every confidence that her program this year will again present ambitious works that act as conversation points throughout the exhibition halls.”

And one of Miami’s most-beloved events—the Film sector—will debut in Hong Kong this year, developed by Chinese multimedia artist and curator Li Zhenhua and hosted in partnership with the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

These types of collaborations with local institutions help Art Basel recognize, support, and promote the exploding contemporary art scene in Hong Kong.

Not only is the government pouring billions of dollars into developing a cultural district in West Kowloon, but the new M+, an ambitious Herzog & de Meuron–designed world-class museum, slated for completion in 2017, further illustrates Hong Kong’s commitment to its future support of the visual arts. But maybe the most-significant indicator is the number of respected western galleries—like Gagosian, White Cube, and Lehmann Maupin—that have opened Hong Kong outposts over the last few years. These dealers along with influential homegrown stalwarts such as 10 Chancery Lane, Galerie Ora-Ora, and Pearl Lam, are instrumental in developing and nurturing the careers of artists and collections in the region.

According to Renfrew, these relationships with the local galleries and institutions (including Asia Art Archive, Para/Site, the Asia Society, and Spring Workshop) are imperative to AB in HK as they create a show “grounded in the city.” He adds: “We want to promote long-term arts infrastructure development and encourage associated programming across the city. The growth of Hong Kong’s museum sector and contemporary arts education will truly impact the

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ART BASEL (AERIAL, RENFREW, ZHEN). OPPOSITE: COURTESY OF GALERIE ORA-ORA, HONG KONG AND BEIJING (WEI); COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS AND LEHMANN MAUPIN, NEW YORK AND HONG KONG (BAS)

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n just a few short years, Hong Kong has been transformed from a city that many considered a cultural desert to the fourth-largest global market for contemporary art, according to artprice.com, which tracks global art prices. 2013 saw record-setting auctions and an increase in the number of billionaire art collectors in China. As recently as 2008, there were no major art fairs in the city, but the visionaries behind the powerful Art Basel shows in Switzerland and Miami Beach helped push the cultural renaissance forward last year when they debuted Art Basel in Hong Kong.

The second annual fair—which opens Thursday, May 15, and features a slate of 245 of the world’s most-influential galleries from 39 countries—will add even more international credibility and exposure to the Asian art market. “Every fair has its own mission and vision,” says show director Magnus Renfrew, “and Art Basel in Hong Kong aspires to provide a fair for Asia of global stature and the highest quality while retaining its unique regional flavor. Hong Kong has long been regarded as the portal connecting the East and the West. It is a major financial hub and as such is designed to allow for more professional and efficient transactions.”

This year’s show will be marked by a continuation of the strong programming that is a hallmark of the two other Art Basel shows. The Discoveries sector, which is dedicated to solo and two-person exhibitions by emerging artists, is shaping up to be particularly noteworthy. A $25,000

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FROM LEFT: The E16 installation by French emigré Chinese artist Chen Zhen was at last year’s fair; Embroidery Series (Clothing), 20032012, by Peng Wei, who will show at the fair; Lehmann Maupin gallery will be showing Hernan Bas’s The Churchgoing Satanist (Earplugs), 2012 at Art Basel Hong Kong.

larger discourse in the city, and that is something that we aim—through longterm partnerships—to cultivate.”

The fair’s impact and thematic reach is sure to be much broader than just the Asian region. One needs to look no further than the talks planned as part of the Conversations and Salon programs. A discussion titled the “Global Art World/Making Biennials” will feature luminaries Juliana Engberg, artistic director of the 2014 Biennale of Sydney and artistic director of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art; Eungie Joo, curator of the 2015 Sharjah Biennial; and Jessica Morgan, artistic director of the 10th Gwangju Biennale and The Daskalopoulos Curator, International Art at Tate Modern, London, moderated by Hou Hanru, artistic director at Maxxi Museum in Rome.

“This is a conversation that has real international relevancy, reflecting the transitional reality of today’s art world,” explains Renfrew. Programming such as this, coupled with a rapidly maturing Asian art market and the resurgence of Chinese art exhibitions across the US, will undoubtedly help draw record numbers of highly informed collectors to the fair this month.

With so much anticipation building around the fair, what does Renfrew most look forward to? “The highlight is exposing new audiences to the depth of work from the broader Asian region, and being part of that experience of discovery when collectors come to know artists they have not yet seen… or when curators have an opportunity to join in dialogue with artists whose work they have long followed.” artbasel.com/hong-kong G

PACIFIC OVERTURES

The New York art crowd sizes up the market.

Melissa Chiu, SVP and museum director, Asia Society New York “Collectors in China have begun to collect antiques and modern and contemporary art on a scale not seen before.”

Asian markets, away from the traditional, blue-chip artists, into more challenging work. It is a small shift, but one that I think is important for the longer term in these markets.”

David Clements, director, Chambers Fine Art “Now that the ‘first generation’ of Chinese contemporary artists who emerged in the ’90s and early 2000s has become fully established, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘What’s next?’ There is increased interest in the new ‘second generation,’ those artists born after 1980 who are starting to emerge.”

Zhang Huan, performance artist and sculptor “Art Basel serves as a very important exchange forum of the art market [where] we can see the developing trend and investment opportunity.”

Liz Dimmitt, director, Lehmann Maupin “We’re seeing a broadening of interest in the Chinese and

Emmanuel Perrotin, founder and owner, Galerie Perrotin “Hong Kong is absolutely a city with vibrant artistic talents; an important and internationally renowned art trade hub where collectors, connoisseurs, dealers, and art lovers from around the world congregate during the fair.”

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THIS ISSUE: CULINARY WOMEN BELOW: Lauren DeSteno, Marea’s new chef de cuisine, in Marea’s kitchen, which she describes as “extremely loud.” BOTTOM: Astice, an appetizer of Nova Scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, and basil.

The X Factor WITH HER ASCENSION TO THE TOP SPOT AT MAREA, LAUREN DESTENO ACHIEVES A NEW MILESTONE FOR FEMALE CHEFS IN NEW YORK. BY GARY WALTHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SUNG

L

auren DeSteno’s appointment earlier this year as chef de cuisine at Marea, one of the city’s most notable restaurants, rippled across the New York restaurant world: It was the hook for a front-page New York Times Dining & Wine section article, a status report on female chefs in America. (Progress: good. Prognosis: even better.)

Yet DeSteno’s matter-of-fact gender stance toward her promotion took me by surprise. She doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer, offered no homilies about being a role model to the next generation of female chefs, didn’t have a gender-related “aha moment” on the way up, doesn’t have a patron saint (but certainly admires the patron saint, Alice Waters), and says that when she started out, she didn’t even feel that she was entering a male-dominated profession. What she had was drive and a dream: “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was 8.”

Maybe this is what gender equality in the top echelon of the New York restaurant world is finally going to look like: no mention of gender.

It’s all about talent.

What’s interesting about DeSteno’s promotion is that Marea is the flagship of a restaurant corporation, the Altamarea Group, which is headed by two men, chef Michael White and CEO Ahmass Fakahany, who have made, according to the latter, “a concerted effort to create an atmosphere to allow women to succeed.” That means, says Fakahany, establishing “a platform of decorum,” which lets everyone know that “behavior unbecoming” is not going to be tolerated, and using what he calls “gender/ethnicity inappropriateness” as teachable moments. Other than White and Fakahany, the majority of top continued on page 66

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Let us find a beach where the world disappears.

Á¸`⁄‹›ff‡°·‚—±”’»ÚƯ˘¿|áéíóúâêîôûàèìòùäëïöüÿãñõÁÉÍÓÚÀÈÌÒÙÄËÏÖÜŸÑÃÕÂÊÎÔÛ ”“’‘ ‘” €

Let us discover tide pools by beach cruiser.

Let us stoke the fire for one more s’more.

Let us turn a taste of the good life into a memory of a lifetime.

Relax, refresh and repeat on Amelia Island. Discover Southern hospitality along dune-lined beaches where Florida meets the low country. For reservations, contact your travel professional, call The Ritz-Carlton at 800-241-3333 or visit ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.

©2014 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

TASTE

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Everyone

from Ron Perelman to Diane Sawyer has been spotted at Marea; the Polipo, grilled octopus, with radish and smoked potatoes; the Paradiso and Scorpio cocktails.

continued from page 64 executives with the Altamarea Group are women. “They’re increasingly running the company,” says Fakahany, adding that Altamarea “is gender neutral in a fashion that makes it comfortable if we skew toward women. This is about hiring the best in class.” (In the kitchen, the skew is the other way— 40/60 female/male, excluding pastry.)

DeSteno has been at Marea since the restaurant opened—she started as a chef de partie—and says that the kitchen culture is different from anyplace else she’s worked (Eleven Madison Park, among them). She cites White as the reason. “He doesn’t yell,” and when things start going south, she says he will rally the brigade with wit, shouting, “It’s only food!” Despite the glamour of working in a renowned restaurant, DeSteno holds no romantic illusions about her job. “Hot, loud, extremely loud” is how she describes the kitchen—but “I like orchestrating a grand plan.” Fakahany says his job is making sure DeSteno “has enough runway to fly.”

She pilots White’s menu, which is notable for its muscular pastas (all made in-house) and extensive selection of crudo (12 options). Think of the pastas as a palette, from the bright (strozzapreti with tracer bullets of sea urchin) to the brooding (the sauce on the fusilli with red-wine-braised octopus, which is infused with bone marrow). The latter is one of DeSteno’s favorite dishes, as is the Astice, an appetizer of Nova Scotian lobster with burrata —LAUREN DESTENO and pickled eggplant. “It goes against the false idea people have that Italians don’t mix shellfish/fish and cheese,” she says. Among the appetizers, the calamari stuffed with scallop and shrimp was a little supernova of flavor, and the grilled octopus, another DeSteno favorite, a hefty one. There is also simply cooked whole fish—the salt-baked wild branzino was superb—and a 50-day, dry-aged Creekstone sirloin, which several critics have cited as excellent.

Since it opened in 2009, Marea has been one of Manhattan’s top-grossing restaurants. The dining room has a quiet boardroom or yacht masculinity— the walls are lined with lacquered panels of Indonesian rosewood brought to a high sheen with carefully calibrated flamboyance. The bar and its wall behind are made of Egyptian honey onyx that casts an almost sedative glow,

“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was 8.”

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and lipstick-red lamp shades are placed to define the dining room space; it’s décor as careful punctuation. It’s a power spot—Carl Icahn, Ron Perelman, and William Ackman are regulars—but one with a clientele of powerful women. Katie Couric, Tory Burch, Diane Sawyer, Lesley Stahl, Anna Wintour, and Weinstein TV President Meryl Poster are also habitués.

Marea seems to run on cushioned wheels, with servers gliding between the tables even when they’re clearly slammed. The dining room has two parts, the main room, which looks out at Central Park South, and the Onyx Room, a 10-table section beyond the bar that is named for the material from which the bar is constructed. The tables are numbered by decades—’10s, ’20s, ’30s—“for no rhyme or reason,” according to general manager Sean Smith, adding that someone thought up the system when Marea opened and it’s never changed.

But the only two words you have to keep in mind are “corners,” which are always popular, and “banquettes,” a close second. Even when the restaurant is full, the sound level never washes out conversation for all the power players in the room. 240 Central Park South, 212-582-5100; marea-nyc.com G

BAR CODE Italian flavors dashed with whimsy.

DeSteno’s counterpart at the bar had long been Emily McClure (now at Ai Fiori, another Altamarea restaurant).

While the list references Italy in its reliance on amari (or bitters), it stands on a foundation of efficiency, with most drinks made in the glass rather than shaken or stirred. There’s also an element of whimsy: The inspiration for the Swedish Peach was a popsicle McClure had one day. What many drinks share is a refreshing lash of spice or heat—the Hellfire Bitters in the Paradiso and the juiced ginger root in the Scorpio—nicely balanced by the sweetness of a fresh fruit juice. Michael Longshore, who just took over for McClure, says he plans to introduce drinks in which the spirit is more prominent, but his approach will be a “case of evolution over revolution.”

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TASTE

The BG Restaurant’s Gotham salad, a favorite of Verdura’s Colleen Caslin.

Chicken Delight WOMEN RESTAURATEURS ARE A MINORITY IN NEW YORK, BUT THAT WASN’T A DETERRENT FOR GEORGETTE FARKAS. BY BETSY F. PERRY

“The décor is Louis XV meets the kitchen.”

Georgette Farkas, owner and namesake of Rôtisserie Georgette.

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Power Tables RESTAURANTS THAT ATTRACT THE CITY’S MOST-INFLUENTIAL WOMEN. BY BETSY F. PERRY

Haven for Deal Makers Anne Keating, SVP of public relations, special events, & corporate philanthropy, Bloomingdale’s Preferring not to venture far from “her” store at 59th Street and Lexington, Keating has been a breakfast regular at the Loews Regency, New York’s ultimate power breakfast spot, for almost 20 years. “It’s a relaxing place to talk but invigorating because of the people it attracts.” The Regency Bar & Grill, 540 Park Ave., 212-3394050; loewshotels.com

Midtown Classics Colleen Caslin, chief operating officer, Verdura Jewelry executive Colleen Caslin’s Midtown offices are conveniently located near a number of legendary New York restaurants.

For business lunches she often heads to La Grenouille (3 E. 52nd St., 212-752-1495; la-grenouille.com), where she likes to order the grilled Dover sole, and to the Four Seasons (99 E. 52nd St., 212-7549494; fourseasonsrestaurant.com)— she finds the crab cakes always tempting. Media clubhouse Michael’s (24 W. 55th St., 212-7670555; michaelsnewyork.com) is also a regular lunch spot. “It’s like a small village,” she says and recommends the Hamachi sashimi and salade Niçoise. Caslin considers Bergdorf

Goodman’s BG Restaurant (754 Fifth Ave., 212-872-8977; bergdorfgoodman.com) “my canteen for convenience, food [try the Gotham salad or roasted cauliflower], and the view.”

Fast Lunch Pamela Liebman, president & CEO, The Corcoran Group For business lunches, Pam Liebman heads to Freds at Barneys because her office is next door. “I can get there in 60 seconds,” she says. Liebman orders the same thing every visit: the orecchiette with broccoli rabe, hold the sausage. “I actually created it with the kitchen; they should name it after me,” she adds with a laugh.

Freds, 660 Madison Ave., Ninth Fl., 212-833-2200; barneys.com

Book Bound Maya Mavjee, president & publisher, Crown Publishing Group Because of a meetings-packed office schedule, Maya Mavjee often likes to invite visiting writers to her home for dinner parties. But when she does head out, it’s to Marea, Michael White’s haute seafood sanctuary. “The restaurant is a short walk from the office—the salads and scallops are delicious. I sit in the back where it’s comfy and quiet.”

Marea, 240 Central Park South, 212-582-5100; marea-nyc.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HIROSHI ABE (FARKAS)

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ew Yorkers are addicted to new restaurants, so it’s not surprising that between the buzz about the poulet rôti and pommes frites and the location across from Barneys, Rôtisserie Georgette has been packed since its opening last November. However, New Yorkers are also a fickle lot, so the goal of Georgette Farkas, the bistro’s founder, manager, and namesake, is to ensure it’s there for the long haul.

Although no one can predict a restaurant’s longevity, Farkas has had excellent training, as she worked with a culinary maestro who knows how to build an empire. Farkas started her career as a prep cook, then spent 17 years handling PR and marketing for Daniel Boulud and 14 of his restaurants worldwide. Going it alone was the next step because, she explains, “I got to the point where I couldn’t wake up another day working for someone else.”

Farkas explains her idea for rotisserie cooking wasn’t to fill a gap in the market or to create a new trend, but rather was inspired by the simple yet sensory-pleasing restaurants in Europe she visited as a child. “This is the kind of food you would be happy to eat every night,” she says, during an interview at the 60th Street space, whose décor she describes as “Louis XV meets the kitchen.” With its giant brass-trimmed rotisserie ovens (which also turn out suckling pigs and roasted fish), the restaurant quickly gained kudos for its preparations of chicken roasted with Provençal herbs and what it calls the “Poule de Luxe” with wild mushroom stuffing and seared foie gras. Whereas John DeLucie reintroduced pot pies to a downtown crowd, the Poulet Roti Pot Pie here on the lunch menu with an impressive dome of puff pastry revealing delicious bites of roast chicken is the current lunchtime favorite with Upper East Siders. If there’s room for dessert, you want to order the homemade ice creams and the —GEORGETTE FARKAS classic tarte Tatin.

Though heading into an arena dominated by men, Farkas says, “Gender is not something that occurred to me.” She has many women on her staff, including an operations director with a Harvard Business School degree.

Summing up the challenges inherent in making a restaurant work in Manhattan, regardless of gender, she notes, “If you’re going into this as a hobby, don’t give up your day job.” 14 E. 60th St., 212-3908060; rotisserieg.com G

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introducing the new

lieb cellars same estate-grown wine, in new packaging and now at a third location: 26 park place, east hampton, ny 11937

m att i t u c k • c u tc h o g u e • e a st h am pton liebcellars.com 631.734.1100 please enjoy responsibly © 2014 lieb cellars, mattituck, ny

TASTE Corkbuzz offers wines from lesser-known areas like this assortment of whites from Italy’s Trentino region.

MIX MASTERS Industry elite and local enthusiasts sign up for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic.

Wine, Women… and Chelsea LAURA MANIEC OPENS A NEW CORKBUZZ NEAR THE HIGH LINE.

BY KEN RIVADENEIRA

A

s wine consumption has grown over the years, so has the desire to learn more about it. That’s why Laura Maniec, a master sommelier, launched her Corkbuzz Wine Studio near Union Square two and a half years ago. “Consumers have become more passionate, and they want to be more knowledgeable,” she says. The wine-focused restaurant and bar was an instant hit thanks in part to Maniec’s desire to incorporate education into the mix by offering recreational wine classes, as well as a vino selection that changes daily and explores lesser known growing regions (for example, the Trentino and Basilicata in Italy or Upper Galilee in Israel). And now she’s expanding to a second location in Chelsea Market.

More of a wine bar inside the market than a full studio (it will have an abbreviated kitchen offering light bites), the location will still maintain the elements that made Corkbuzz a success. “We’ll have great food and an amazing wine program. You can come in while you’re shopping or if you’re checking out the High Line and want a glass of Albariño or Chablis,” Maniec says.

The 35-year-old, one of only two female master

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sommeliers in New York, takes the expansion in stride and doesn’t dwell on her unique position in a maledominated industry. “I’m just doing my thing, and happen to be one of a select group of talented people,” she says, though she admits women tend to make up most of her clientele at Corkbuzz and its wine courses.

“It’s a good place for single guys!”

Early on, Maniec knew that she wanted to expand her brand, in part because of her passion, and in part because she’s simply an “overachiever.” Along with the new Chelsea Market location, she recently announced plans to open a third location, with a full restaurant concept, in Charlotte, North Carolina. As to how she’ll handle the increasing workload? “With all the extra responsibility comes extra reward, so I’m looking forward to it,” she says. “I want to create jobs and inspire people to learn about wine like I did. If I can do it for 30 people in my current Corkbuzz, that’s really nice—if I can do it for 60 people by opening another place, even better.” 75 Ninth Ave.; 13 E. 13th St., 646873-6071; corkbuzz.com G

Anyone who’s had a drink at PDT, Little Branch, or The Dead Rabbit knows that skilled mixology is an art.

Once a year the city’s most accomplished mixologists and bartenders, retailers, distillers, brand ambassadors, and drink enthusiasts join in a celebration of that art and the wonders of the mixed drink at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, a five-day festival starting May 9.

Events throughout the week—some for trade, some for everyone—include the Industry Invitational (the festival’s annual trade conference), artisanal spirit tastings, a distillery visit, seminars, and interactive workshops. The Classic kicks off with a gala at the New York Public Library, where more than 3,000 guests will sample over 25,000 handcrafted cocktails, including those from Hangar One Vodka, which will be hosting the “Craft in a Glass” lounge during the party. The liquor label will feature six female bartenders to celebrate its new (female) distiller Caley Shoemaker and to showcase vodka’s versatility. “I think it might be the year of the vodka,” says bartender Jane Elkins, of Flatiron’s Junoon and East Village’s Summit Bar, who will participate in the lounge.

“We’re seeing a resurgence of it and welcoming it back to the cocktail community.” manhattancocktailclassic.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RADIUS IMAGES/CORBIS

BY DALENE ROVENSTINE

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10. I must, must, must have my picture taken in front of The Eloise Portrait (psst itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the 50th anniversary!)

9. Collect all 6 limited edition signed Eloise drawings by my mostly companion, artist Hilary Knight. There are 6 of them because I am 6 years old, of course!

8. Skidder through The Plaza Food Hall and eat as many treats as I can.

7. Order room service in The Eloise Suite, charge it please!

Thank you very much.

6. Visit The Plaza Boutique to see all of the mahvelous doggie gifts, Weenie loves them!

5. Host my very own birthday party in The Eloise Shop, getting bored is not allowed!

4. Attend Oh so fabulous Rawther Fancy Teas (Fridays 4-5pm)*.

3. Write letters to all my fans, #letterstoeloise.

2. Have a tea party with Nanny, Skipperdee and Weenie with my new tea set available in The Eloise Shop!

1. Ooooo, I absolutely love The Plaza!!!

ON THE TOWN

Gossip Gods Do Lunch DIANE CLEHANE, WHO TRACKS THE CITY’S MOVERS AND SHAKERS FROM HER PRIZED TABLE AT MICHAEL’S, DISHES ABOUT THE SECRETS OF POWER DINING WITH THE NEW YORK POST’S STAR COLUMNIST, RICHARD JOHNSON. BY JULIET IZON PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOAH FECKS

M

ichael’s has long been the media elite’s favorite hangout, but her dining partner every week, she makes sure to chronicle the machers never more so than on Wednesday, when Diane Clehane, the seated at every table; the list often reads like a Who’s Who of restaurant’s in-house Boswell, chronicles the comings and Manhattan’s media royalty. Clehane adds: “It’s a very interesting bit of goings of the city’s movers and shakers for her closely read “Lunch” col- social anthropology.” umn posted weekly on mediabistro.com.

When Gotham asked Clehane with whom she most wanted to have lunch, Boldfacers, industry titans, billionaires, and best-selling scribes all she immediately named one of the city’s best-known columnists, former pay court to Clehane before they dive into their cobb salads or chicken Page Six editor and current New York Post writer Richard Johnson who pens paillard, in hopes of a timely mention or a report on a new deal, book, “The Man Who Knows New York” column. They recently broke bread at or business venture. Clehane, a former journalist for Michael’s to discuss the fine art of power dining.

Variety, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair, has been documenting this rarefied scene for the better part of DIANE CLEHANE: Richard, you’re a New York City a decade, making the restaurant the only one in town legend, but this is the first time we’re actually having with a gossip column. “It’s like a Manhattan country lunch together. You were nice enough to give me a club where members don’t pay dues,” Clehane says couple of shout-outs when you were on Page Six, which with a laugh. In addition to a featured interview with —DIANE CLEHANE were greatly appreciated.

“I can’t think of a person I haven’t seen here.”

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FROM LEFT:

Diane Clehane and Richard Johnson at Table #1 at Michael’s; gravlax as appetizer; the packed lunchtime scene; Michael’s wine cellar, an assortment of rare vintages and everyday finds.

INSIGHT Where: Michael’s, 24 W. 55th St., 212-767-0555; michaelsnewyork.com When: A-Listers turn out on Wednesday for coverage in mediabistro. com’s “Lunch” column.

RICHARD JOHNSON: I’m a big fan of your weekly roundup of who’s here on Wednesday. I always feel if I missed [lunch here], I can catch up.

DC: I’ve been doing the “Lunch” column for seven years. I started by sitting at the bar and “graduated” to the front room. It’s funny because I’ve written best sellers and I’ve done other things, but people really know me for this. I think that it’s a testament to how much the Manhattan A-list likes to read about themselves. [Laughs] RJ: They should give you a cut of the Wednesday lunch [receipts] because I’m sure a lot of people come here just to get into that column.

DC: Lunch here is never just about lunch; it’s about a lot of other things. When someone has a new job or a new project, they’re going to show up and be seen.

RJ: If there’s a rumor that two people aren’t getting along, they’ll go out to lunch together at Michael’s just to prove that they don’t hate each other! I always get confused, though, over the etiquette. Are you supposed to make the rounds and interrupt people when they’re eating? I feel if I don’t say hello, they’ll think I snubbed them.

DC: This is one of the few places where people feel comfortable doing that. Other places, it’s different.... But here, if I don’t leave with four business cards—at least—every Wednesday, it’s an odd day. You were in LA for a while. How has it been coming back? Is having lunch a way for you to reconnect with people?

RJ: Yes, I think it’s very helpful. People will give me items they don’t necessarily plan on. I always thought if I did a memoir I would call it “we never talked” because that’s how I used to end most conversations.

[Appetizers arrive, asparagus for Clehane and gravlax for Johnson] DC: The asparagus has been a favorite for years.

RJ: I’m half-Swedish by ancestry, so I love gravlax.

[Clehane and Johnson survey the room] DC: I can’t think of a person I haven’t seen at Michael’s. I was even here the day Paul McCartney arrived early and walked around the room to determine where he felt most comfortable. Doing this column is what got me through this winter from hell—I was just saying that to Steve Millington, the general manager. You get a mix every week, the talking heads, the random celebrity, the money guys, the media people.

RJ: Since the recession, print media has been decimated, basically. It used to be a pretty good deal, being an editor of a magazine, and I don’t think that’s [so] anymore.

DC: What’s noteworthy is that people are starting this or that website or these interesting partnerships, but it’s like the Wild West.

[Main courses arrive, dover sole for both and a side of Brussels sprouts] DC: I like the dover sole, I get it often.

RJ: I was inspired by you! I was thrilled when you had Mrs. Patmore [actress Lesley Nicol] from Downton Abbey here.

DC: For me, last year was great. My Downton Abbey obsession was fueled by lunch with Gareth Neame, the executive producer, which was fantastic. Lunch with Mrs. Patmore was fun. She came in leather pants! And Dr. Oz—to be with someone who was so confident and charismatic. This is a very powerful crowd, so to see someone who has such an effect on the room was incredible. G

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reasures

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STYLE SETTER

Wrap Party DIANE VON FURSTENBERG CELEBRATES THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER MOST FAMOUS DESIGN.

BY LAURIE BROOKINS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LORENZO AGIUS (FURSTENBERG); SETH OLENICK (DRESS); SOPHIE EGGERMONT (STORE)

F

rom the top-floor offices of her Meatpacking District headquarters, Diane von Furstenberg is contemplating her legacy.

She views this current phase as the third chapter in her career, which launched in 1969 with “the American Dream,” as she aptly calls it. That was when von Furstenberg arrived in New York with a suitcase filled with boldly printed jersey dresses of her own design. She showed that first collection at the Gotham Hotel and seemingly overnight was vaulted into the white-hot stratosphere of Manhattan fashion and society. An American milestone of another sort came nearly three decades later. “I was the ‘Comeback Kid,’” she says, referring to the famed 1997 relaunch of her eponymous label—a fortuitous moment, as the daughters of the women she had dressed in the ’70s were becoming captivated by her signature designs. “And the next step is ‘Legacy,’” von Furstenberg adds. “It’s a new BELOW: Silk jersey era for me, of contemplating all that I’ve done, optic plaid black glass patch wrap of celebrating the idea that my brand has more dress, DVF personality and DNA than most companies. ($425). BELOW RIGHT: The I’ve decided to fully embrace that.”

Meatpacking She is kicking off this latest stage District location. with a tribute to her most celebrated design, the bodyskimming, curve-embracing wrap dress, which turns 40 this year. What’s unique about the DVF wrap is that

it transcends a mere item of fashion; its icon status is partly owed to the perfect timing of its debut, when women entering the workforce in the 1970s embraced the wrap as more than a dress, but as a feminist ideal. The frenzy the wrap kicked off was swift and immediate—it found its way to Hollywood with Cybill Shepherd famously wearing the dress in 1976’s Taxi Driver, the same year von Furstenberg appeared on the cover of Newsweek (more recently you can spot Amy Adams in American Hustle wearing three versions of the wrap, including the version worn by von Furstenberg for Newsweek).

“Really, I owe absolutely everything to that dress,” says von Furstenberg, fully aware of the weight of such a statement.

The designer is celebrating the anniversary with a limited-edition collection she has dubbed Pop Wrap, which combines the signature design with another DVF touchstone: Andy Warhol. Working with the Andy Warhol Foundation, von Furstenberg, a longtime friend of the artist, married the signature prints of her wrap with graphics well-known to Warhol fans, including his brightly toned flowers and dollar signs. And in the midst of designing her Resort 2014 collection, von Furstenberg says she made a discovery. “I decided all these young girls love these flare skirts, so I created a new dress shape, the Amelia, with the top in jersey and a flared skirt in a woven,” she explains, calling it “my present to the wrap.”

So life begins at 40. “I’m really loving this moment, of looking back and realizing this has never happened before in history,” von Furstenberg says. “For one dress to accomplish so much—that in itself is amazing.”

874 Washington St., 646-486-4800; 135 Wooster St., 212-542-5754; dvf.com G

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LOCAL TREASURES

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:

17.56-carat, cushion-cut pale blue sapphire ring ($88,000), 5.29-carat, emerald-cut pink sapphire ring ($65,000), and 5.17-carat, cushion-cut light yellow diamond ring ($133,000), Martin Katz.

City Sparkle A

fter unveiling a radiant, Art Deco– inspired penthouse suite at the New York Palace hotel, jeweler Martin Katz debuts a fine jewelry collection inspired by the spectacular city views from these luxury quarters. “I wanted to design a collection that reflects the colors of the city and its incredible architecture—what you don’t fully experience while on the ground,” Katz says. Drop earrings with long, clean lines referencing the style of the Empire State Building showcase amethysts, emeralds, and black diamonds, many microset with

dozens, even hundreds, of glittery white diamonds. White-gold bangles with rows of cognac diamonds pay tribute to the city’s spectacular bright lights. Most impressive is an assortment of cocktail rings that showcases precious stones in skyline-inspired geometric shapes, including a cushion-cut, 17.56-carat pale blue sapphire that is evocative of New York City’s blue spring skies and an emerald-cut, 5.29-carat pink sapphire as vibrant as Rockefeller Center’s elaborate rooftop gardens. Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave., 212753-7300; martinkatz.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD

MARTIN KATZ’S LATEST COLLECTION PAYS TRIBUTE TO NEW YORK CITY’S TECHNICOLOR SKYLINE. BY ALEXANDRIA GEISLER

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STYLE SPOTLIGHT

Block Party

Chiara Clemente’s images of the New York horizon and cityscapes inspired her designs for Sportmax’s “Carte Blanche” collection, such as this scarf ($235).

British luxury label Smythson unveils a New York–only bag in the cool shades of the season.

1887 Tote, Smythson ($2,495).

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Picture Perfect FILMMAKER CHIARA CLEMENTE SPOTLIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHS FROM HER TRAVELS FOR SPORTMAX’S LATEST “CARTE BLANCHE” COLLECTION. “MAKING MOVIES ALLOWS ME TO meet interesting characters and explore places,” says New York–based filmmaker Chiara Clemente.

“The experience of being there filming and then coming home and watching the finished film is like capturing a moment in time.” Clemente is the latest artist to design Sportmax’s “Carte Blanche” collection, an annual collaboration between the Italian label and an international artist or designer, and her limited-edition designs draw inspiration from her world travels. Using personal photographs from New York City, the Amalfi Coast, and Naples, the exclusive T-shirts and scarves feature abstract images of cityscapes, palm trees, sunsets, and the ocean. “The collection’s images are distorted to appear as past memories blurred by time,” says Clemente. Especially beautiful is the assortment of scarves rendered in rich cerulean with touches of emerald and amber. 450 W. Broadway, 212-674-1817; sportmax.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD (SCARF)

Spring’s runways delivered a panoply of modern color-blocking, ranging from vibrant primaries inspired by Mondrian to soft pastel pairings.

Smythson’s new 1887 carryall is one of the best interpretations of the multihued style. Exclusively available in-store in the US at the British luxury label’s NYC flagship, its new, luxe nappa leather tote contrasts a clean, structured body with on-trend, oversize gussets and subtle light gold hardware. The pale blush and bold cobalt versions with contrasting gray and white gussets, respectively, and black handle straps are ideal for one-bag-suits-all occasions, tailor-made for Manhattan. 4 W. 57th St., 212-265-4573; smythson.com

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advertisement

SOPHISTICATED KIDS

NEED SOPHISTICATED CARE Dr. Barry L. Jacobson, NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Pediatric Dentist Dr. Barry Jacobson and Dr. Helen Weinberg celebrated the debut of their highly anticipated state of the art pediatric dental office. Passionate art collectors themselves, they bring their love of art, cutting edge design, and architecture into their practice. The elegant reception for friends and family was held at their ultra modern 949 Park Avenue location.

Above: Dr. Barry Jacobson and his wife and partner Dr. Helen Weinberg, Orthodontist.

Michelle Weinberg. Edina Kosachevsky, and Dr. Helen Weinberg

Dr. David Poiman and Dr. Barry Jacobson

Tanya Weinberg MD, Galina Weinberg, Gennadiy Weinberg

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Visit www.949PediatricDentistry.com or call 212-99-SMILE for a consultation.

SECRET CITY From C.O. Bigelow’s archives: boxes for handmade pills, bottles from the mid-1800s to early 1900s, and a recipe book with formulas from the 1900s displayed against a charge account ledger from 1906.

Village People HISTORIC APOTHECARY C.O. BIGELOW HAS ATTRACTED BOLDFACERS FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

BY SUZANNE CHARLÉ PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SUNG

K

athryn Erbe leans over the cosmetics counter, investigating a cache of eye shadows. The actress—perhaps best known for her part as Detective Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent—has stopped by C.O. Bigelow in preparation for her starring role in Ode to Joy at the Cherry Lane Theatre. “I love to come here,” she says of the apothecary, which was founded in 1838 and is touted as the oldest in the US. “They have such a great selection... NARS and obscure brands I’ve never heard of. And the sales women know just what to suggest.”

Erbe first visited the brick-and-limestone Romanesque Rival landmark when she moved to the West Village in 1992. “I just loved the vibe,” she says; and even though she lives in Brooklyn now, she’s still a regular. “I almost always see someone I know.”

Ian Ginsberg, the firm’s third-generation company president (his grandfather bought the apothecary in 1939 after years working there), says that customer loyalty and engagement was what he hoped to build when he started working full-time at the store in 1985. It was a rough period, he recalls: Local stores were closing, and chains were moving in (Duane Reade opened down the block, joined later by CVS). “Everyone was freaking out,” he says. Since it would be impossible to compete on price, Ginsberg decided to focus on “what was cool about the place, what they could never take from us: the history, the personal aspect of the business, the experience.”

Over the years, Ginsberg has carefully assembled a selection of hard-to-find American and international beauty and personal care products, along with tried-and-true classics such as Brylcreem and Nivea. Many of the products Ginsberg carries are made by multigenerational family firms like his own. The Martelli family established their cosmetics company in 1908 and found fame in continued on page 82

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The Lincoln Center Business Council proudly invites you to its fourth annual networking event.

A LIT TLE LIGHT MUSIC AND MORE AT LINCOLN CENTER TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014 HUDSON COMMON AT 6:30–8:30 PM Music, Cocktails & Hors d’Oeuvres Featuring

JUILLIARD JAZZ TRIO The performances by Juilliard students are underwrittten by BNY Mellon.

EVENT BENEFACTORS

$150 PER PERSON | $175 AT THE DOOR For more information contact Inara Letdin at iletdin@lincolncenter.org or 212.875.5384. RSVP by May 15.

Please make checks payable to the Lincoln Center Business Council 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10023 EVENT CO-CHAIRS Nicole Greenblatt Michael Torkin EVENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS Elizabeth Abrams Stephen Antinelli Luke Barefoot

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SECRET CITY RIGHT: Ian Ginsberg, owner of C.O. Bigelow, thought to be the oldest apothecary in the US. BELOW: The company’s Village Perfumer collection, part of the personal care line.

“Our customers don’t send their assistants—they come here themselves.

I could fill Page Six.”

continued from page 80 1948 with the creation of Proraso pre- and aftershave creams; Martelli also manufactures the classic Florentine toothpaste Marvis. Most recently, Ginsberg discovered Gülsha rose water and oil. Founded in 1965, the Turkish business oversees everything, starting with the handpicked harvest of rose petals in May. “The family is so cool—they emphasize education and build schools in villages where the rose water is made.”

In 2003 Ginsberg launched C.O. Bigelow’s Personal Care Collection, manufactured by Limited Brands and available in stores and online. A number of the products come directly from the company’s archival recipes: Rose Wonder Cold Cream was formulated by Dr. Galen Hunter in 1838, the same year he opened the original apothecary; Lemon Body Cream, one of the most popular items, dates to 1870. For labels, Ginsberg flipped back to the days when pharmacists typed formularies on typewriters, complete with pharmacist’s tips. He retooled glass bottles from the apothecary’s old styles.

Ginsberg, who started working in the store when he was 6 years old (“I filled jelly cups on orders and washed dishes”), is the firm’s unofficial historian: In 1880 Clarence Otis Bigelow, an employee at the apothecary, took over the shop, renamed it, and in 1902 moved a few doors down to 414 Sixth Avenue, its current location.

The ledgers (“we have hundreds of them”) note that Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, paid his bills promptly.

Thomas Edison purchased salve to treat burned fingers (“I think he was working on the lightbulb over on 10th Street”). Eleanor Roosevelt, who often stayed at a friend’s apartment at 20 East 11th Street, her “hiding house” away from the White House, wrote a letter on White House stationery, thanking Ginsberg’s grandfather for sending her “a set of toilet articles.”

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Business, of course, has changed over the years. The pharmacists no longer dole out cocaine eye drops (“Instantaneous Cure!”) nor is alcohol served in the back (loosely rumored to have been popular during Prohibition). Instead, a robotic pill dispenser measures out prescriptions, complete with names, addresses, and directions, giving the pharmacists time to help customers maneuver through modernday insurance mazes. The soda fountain, favored by the New York Dolls band, John Waters, Ed Koch, and William Kunstler, served its last meal in 1984. But Bigelow’s still has the feel of a village pharmacy: The gas in the ornate chandeliers can be (and has been) turned on during blackouts. Mementos and stock are kept in old oak shelves, and wrought-iron banisters rim the second story gallery.

“There’s something emotional about the place,” Ginsberg says. “Our customers don’t send their assistants—they come here themselves.” The list of luminaries/customers seems endless: Elvis Costello, Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon, Graydon Carter, Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Hugh Jackman.... “I could fill Page Six!” he says. (Sarah Jessica Parker and Lindsay Lohan favor Bigelow’s Lip Mentha, the number-one best-selling lip gloss in America.)

Another remaining tradition is the cat-in-residence at Bigelow’s. The first cat, known as Mr. Bigelow, was so beloved that The New York Times ran an obituary upon his death. Ginsberg named the current cat (#4) Allegra “because I’m allergic to cats,” he notes with a sniffle. He says the store makes custom medications (even Prozac) in special flavors for pets. Dogs like beef; cats go for tuna, sardines, and chicken, which just shows the lengths to which Ginsberg is willing to go to keep all his customers happy. 414 Sixth Ave., 212533-2700; bigelowchemists.com G

ILLUSTRATION BY SARA FRANKLIN

—IAN GINSBERG

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Go ahead, be fabulous.

Just protect yourself.

When you’re out in the sun be sure to protect your skin. Shade, sunscreen, and a cover-up can go a long way to helping your natural beauty shine through.

Go with your own glow™ SkinCancer.org

Follow us on ©2012 The Skin Cancer Foundation Campaign created in cooperation with Laughlin Constable, laughlin.com

SOCIAL NETWORK

Keeping It Chic ERIKA BEARMAN, OSCAR DE LA RENTA’S PR GURU, OPENS HER ADDRESS BOOK. BY FAYE POWER

You might know her as @OscarPRgirl, aka Erika Bearman, Oscar de la Renta’s stylish senior vice president of global communications. Bearman has been widely praised for successfully introducing the iconic brand to the digital age by connecting hundreds of thousands of Twitter and Instagram followers to the legendary design house. With her heightened sense of chic, love for art, and inventive design skills, the New York fashion scene’s “it PR girl” takes us to her favorite Manhattan places.

“I love weekends in New York because it’s a blank slate,” says Bearman. “To me the best thing is to have absolutely no agenda. For a few hours you can have the fantastic life of a gypsy.” She can be found relaxing on Saturday morning at her favorite “unfussy and cool” café, NOHO STAR (330 Lafayette St., 212-925-0070; nohostar.com). “Noho Star is big with a lot of tables, but it still feels intimate,” she says. “You can wear sweatpants and read the newspaper or go for french fries in an evening gown.” She says she likes to order the poached eggs and avocado salad.

When shopping for gifts,

Erika takes a visit to BOOKMARC (400 Bleecker St., 212-620-4021; marcjacobs.com). “It’s all the random things that make it great,” she says. “I once bought this terrific book on 1980s prep style there.” For a proper flower arrangement, she heads to MIHO KOSUDA (310 E. 44th St., 212-922-9122). “Miho has exquisite taste,” she notes. “Her arrangements are big and beautiful and not too precious.”

Wooster St., 212-925-6171; dune-ny.com), where she scopes out the gorgeous, locally crafted pieces. This is where she found the sofas for her Tribeca apartment. Known for a vivid use of color in her Hamptons house, recently showcased in a leading shelter title, Bearman says she has found numerous tabletop items at—where else?— OSCAR DE LA RENTA (772 Madison Ave., 212-288-5810; oscardelarenta.com) including trays, cocktail napkins, glassware, and serving pieces. She describes her boss, Oscar de la Renta, as “the ultimate host,” with the “best sense of taste and color.” G FROM TOP: Flowers from Miho; furniture at Dune; Bookmarc in the West Village.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL WARCHOL (BOOKMARC); ALBERT VECERKA (DUNE)

For home décor, Bearman often stops by DUNE (156

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TIME KEEPER

Reflecting on Time WHETHER IT CONCERNS HER CAREER OR CHARITABLE CAUSES, NEW YORK NATIVE AND RESIDENT, ACTRESS SUSAN SARANDON, MAKES HER MINUTES COUNT. BY ROBERTA NAAS

S

How do you ma ke t ime for a ll your philanthropic interests?

I feel like I never have enough time for charity and causes, so I have to triage. I think in terms of how I can make time and where I can do the most good.

If there is an emergency that is timesensitive, something that people don’t have enough information about, and I can help by being a little flashlight and making a difference so people get the information, then I get involved. It is very rewarding.

Sarandon wears the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Day ($20,200). It has an eight-day power reserve displayed between eight and nine o’clock.

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How does time play a role in your life?

I try always to be on time, but I think time is arbitrary. I would love to live a life where time was irrelevant, where I could just focus on being in the present and not look toward the future or be influenced by the past. I think we make our own time. If you see the great athletes when they are in the zone—they make time count, they are in the moment. It would be great if, as ordinary people, we could do the same thing, be in the zone, present, and make time our own like that. I was recently at Burning Man in the desert and I was inspired by the way time felt there. It gave me a great appreciation of

measuring time by the sun—when it goes up and down. You become much more aware of the ebb and flow of life than when you are going by a clock, and you’re without all the media devices. If you’re very present, your time is exactly what you want it to be and you are not a slave to it. But this is hard since we are all overscheduled and very time conscious.

Why do you prefer to wear IWC, and which watch do you wear?

IWC is active in conservation efforts, like supporting the Charles Darwin Foundation, and that is important to me. I really like watches; they continued on page 88

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHOTOPRESS/IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN/CHRIS JACKSON (SARANDON); PHOTOPRESS/IWC (WATCH)

usan Sarandon, who has played many controversial roles on screen, has never been afraid to speak her mind in real life. Actress and activist in equal parts, Sarandon is known for her support of progressive political and charitable causes. She is an advocate for victims of hunger globally and has been named, among other titles, a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador. She not only vocalizes her support for global peace and justice, but also travels extensively to underscore the importance of these issues. Sarandon, who is a fan of luxury watch brand IWC because of its support and commitment to philanthropy, recently spoke to Gotham about her charity initiatives.

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Monday 05.12.14 7-11pm Highline Stages 441 W 14th Street OpenMarketNYC.com

Celebrating the best of the district and raising money for the Meatpacking District Improvement Association

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TIME KEEPER

“I like wearing men’s watches because they are bigger and make a statement.” —SUSAN SARANDON What made you decide to become an actress?

I never studied acting, and I never wanted to be an actor, I just kind of fell into it. That’s probably what made it easier for me, because I didn’t take it that seriously. After I did it for a while and paid off all my school debts, I thought, “Well, I guess this is what I do.” I find acting curious and amusing. I love the process of working in films and TV, because it’s a very collaborative, non-gender-designated workplace, and I love that. You get to travel; you get to know people at their very best—and at their very worst. It is always surprising, like going to a different country. Every film has a different power structure, a different language, and a different destination, and when you get there you are always surprised, so it keeps you questioning and interested. IWC, 535 Madison Ave., 212355-7271; iwc.com G

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LEFT:

De Beers Institute of Diamonds President Andrew Coxon casts an expert eye. BELOW: The De Beers timepiece ($42,000) has a total weight of 2.06 carats.

A Glittery Passion DE BEERS’S ANDREW COXON TALKS ABOUT THE WORLD’S MOST COVETED TREASURE AND THE COMPANY’S NEW WATCH LINE.

BY MATT STEWART

A

ndrew Coxon, president of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, is widely regarded as the diamond industry’s leading expert. For the launch of the newest addition to De Beers’s fine jewelry collection, he sat down with Gotham to talk about his passion for this king of gems.

It’s Time: “We felt this was the right time to create a watch.

De Beers Diamond Jewellers is only a 12-year-old brand and in the last two years we have been focusing on solidifying our diamond jewelry, [including] a niche group of watches of which this is the first.”

Beginnings: “My father, [who] was at the British embassy in Rio, gave me my first job, to stop my mother from buying too much jewelry. Mother loved buying, so the jeweler got to know us quite well and what I was there for. He used to take out sacks of brilliant semiprecious stones and would say to me, ‘Why don’t you go through those and pick out what you like and then I will polish them to show you how they improve.’ I was amazed by the fact that these rather ugly bits of rock become beautiful gemstones.”

Size Matters: “I explain to people who are looking for investment that size is another form of rarity and a good investment. The new diamond mines that are coming up in Australia and Canada to replace the old mines that are closing down in South Africa [are producing stones] that, on average, are smaller, so translating your budget into a larger rather than a rarer stone of a smaller size is a good investment.”

Who Wants What: “The Chinese buy on the telephone without even looking at the pieces. They want the rarest colors and rarest quality.”

Ancient history: “Diamonds were born between 990 million and 4.25 billion years ago.

When you go back to the DNA of diamonds, they are made of cosmic dust, and so are we.”

Advice to Buyers: “We started saying early on that when it came to retail we were focusing on beauty, not weight. If I am showing a diamond, [customers] are often asking for the Four C’s (color, cut, clarity, and carat weight). I say forget them and simply ask, ‘Is it beautiful? Is the stone flashing firelight and brilliance?’ If it’s the right combination, you won’t want to take it off.” 703 Fifth Ave., 212-906-0001; debeers.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD FOSTER (COXON)

continued from page 86 are the perfect accessories. I especially like wearing men’s watches because they are bigger and make a statement. [Sarandon wears a large IWC Portofino watch.]

Does time get away from you when you are working?

When I’m in a film, I need to not be aware of time. I have someone else that keeps track of it for me because if I was worried about time, I couldn’t do my job. Besides, when you are making films, you are doing the same thing over and over again, so your sense of reality is completely warped. You can be doing something all day long that will only be a minute and a half in a movie, so you suspend time when you are making a film.

Which have been the longest and shortest moments of your life?

Giving birth is interesting. It’s one time when you are really focused. Time goes by, but it seems like one continuous minute. You are in the zone, and then suddenly you realize it has been 10 hours and you are still focusing on getting that baby out, so birthing is a very interesting time frame. On the other side, I remember the year at the Academy Awards when I mentioned the Haitians held at Guantanamo. That seemed like it was hours, and it was actually just 26 seconds. But that’s what makes time so funny, so distorted.

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4/10/14 5:00 PM

apollo 80th birthday Celebration

Celebrating 8 deCades

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 including guesT aPPearances By

natalie Cole isley brothers

hosted by Wayne brady

Joss stone edWin haWkins

honoring

bny mellon corPoraTe award

aCCepted by gerald l. hassell, Chairman & Ceo

gladys knight human nature

smokey robinson

riChard d. parsons sPecial award

presented by ronald o. perelman

7:00 PM PerforMance i 8:45 PM ParTy: cockTails, BuffeT & dancing CoCktail attire I apollo theater, 253 West 125th street, harlem

For tiCkets and inFormation: apollotheater.org/spring-gala i 212.531.5347 i speCial.events@apollotheater. org

Morning glory: Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King, cohosts of CBS This Morning. “Competitors come to me and say, ‘You are the only ones doing real news,’” King says.

ON NORAH: Triangle cut dress, Narciso Rodriguez ($1,595). Bloomingdale’s, 1000 Third Ave., 212-705-2000; bloomingdales.com. Anouk pumps, Jimmy Choo ($595). 716 Madison Ave., 212-759-7078; jimmychoo.com. Earrings and ring, O’Donnell’s own. ON GAYLE: Dress, necklace, beaded bracelets, rings, and pumps, Gayle’s own. Gold hammered domed cuff, Robert Lee Morris ($550). 400 W. Broadway, 212-431-9405; robertleemorris.com

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wake

up call

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GAYLE KING AND NORAH O’DONNELL OF CBS THIS MORNING ARE MAKING NEWS BY PUTTING THE NEWS BACK ON MORNING TELEVISION. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELANIE DUNEA

The strategy for CBS This Morning was so simple it was deemed radical and bold.

Put the news back in  television, a genre of broadcasting that’s reveled in entertainment values for the past 20 years. When launched in 2012, the show’s executive producer, Chris Licht, told reporters the newly conceptualized program would be absent anchor “happy talk,” comedic weather people, and cheering fans on outdoor plazas. Now, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, who along with cohost Charlie Rose took up the cause for substantive  television two years ago, are seeing the fruits of their labors. Although Good Morning America and Today are still the ratings champs, earlier this year This Morning ratcheted up its best viewership since 2008. Here Mo Rocca, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, talks to King and O’Donnell about how the gamble to go serious is paying off.

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“I DON’T CARE FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT WORK-LIFE BALANCE. IT’S NOT SOMETHING PEOPLE ASK MEN.”

MO ROCCA: It was recently reported that the broadcast had its best viewership in five years, up 20 percent in the last year.

GAYLE KING: When we got those numbers, it was very exciting because it shows we are making progress. Competitors will come up to me and say, I like what you guys are doing. You are the only ones doing real news.

NORAH O’DONNELL: We’re focusing on the values of CBS News— original reporting and great storytelling. Some people in the business think news doesn’t work anymore. We’re finding there is a great audience for news.

MR: Is there ever a part of you that thinks, Oh, gosh, why can’t we do regular updates on Selena Gomez’s dating life in the 7:30 half hour?

GK: When Kim Kardashian had the baby, I did say, “Can’t we just mention [that]? It’s part of pop culture, something people are interested in.” But we have made a decision that there are certain places we will not go.

NO: There is limited time in a two-hour broadcast. In the choice between a prisoner release in Afghanistan and a story about Justin Bieber, we’ll do the story about the prisoner release. [It’s] just a different sensibility. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other, that’s just who CBS is. We have a clear sense of identity, and that’s why our audience is growing.

MR: And when you cover the Kardashians, will you send a foreign affairs reporter to the Caucasus region to explore their Armenian roots?

[Laughter] MR: All right, now didn’t you both live abroad growing up?

GK, NO: Yeah!

MR: Did that inform your career paths and choices?

GK: I don’t think it informed mine at all. I lived in Turkey from first to sixth grades. When we were there, no one had television. After we came back to the States, my dad had to watch the news every single night—he was a big Walter Cronkite person. I remember thinking, This is so boring.

My father would have gotten such a kick that all these years later, not only am I reporting the news, but I’m in the studio where Walter Cronkite’s map is, doing CBS news in the morning.

NO: There are a lot of military brats in journalism. Because having been all over, you know the world. I grew up in a military family. My dad was a doctor who was drafted during the Vietnam War. When I was about 10 years old, we lived in Seoul, South Korea, where I got my first break in television [cohosting a 30-minute program to help students learn English].

MR: I want to ask you about trailblazers.

NO: You know, Barbara Walters is retiring this year. I grew up admiring and wanting to be her. I used to sit at the edge of my parents’ desk as if it were a news desk and pretend I was Barbara. When people talk about having images of people who children can relate to, I really get the idea of the importance of diversity. I realized I wasn’t imitating Walter Cronkite, I was imitating a woman because I related to her.

GK: You knew at an early age you wanted to do this? I did not.

NO: I don’t recall wanting to be a journalist. Barbara Walters was someone

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I admired and watched. But I think my friends will say, “You used to pretend to be Barbara Walters all the time.”

GK: Because I majored in psychology, I thought I would either be a child psychologist or a lawyer. From the time I was a little kid, I always liked hearing people’s problems and giving unsolicited advice. That hasn’t changed, much to my children’s chagrin. When I was in college, I got a job as a receptionist at a camera store at Channel 9 in DC. The muckety-mucks would come in, and I would do their camera orders. One of the guys said, “You have a really good voice. Have you ever thought about TV? We have an entry-level position if you’re interested.” From the moment I was in the newsroom, I was hooked and never looked back.

MR: In any given half-hour you might be talking about a natural disaster, grilling some senator, and talking to the winner of the national cha-cha contest. Does it ever get tricky? Like you might be using the cha-cha voice when you begin the natural disaster story?

NO: We try to keep the same voice. But that was the big challenge. My career was covering politics, [and] when I came up here, we were interviewing great sports stars and celebrities.

MR: Okay, you don’t use different voices, but you do have to ease the audience along so they don’t get whiplash.

NO: That is a good point. Sometimes you should stop after a story and react before you go onto another story. Gayle is actually the best at this.

GK: I like that no two hours are the same, and we get to do such a range of things. That is the beauty of the two hours, Mo. MR: Gayle, you go out a lot, see a lot of theater. It’s not like I have a Gayle tracking device, but I know you’re living life in New York to the fullest. How are you doing that? You admitted you’re not exactly a morning person.

GK: No, I am not a 3:30 in the morning person, which is what time my alarm goes off. You’re right; you have to pick and choose. In New York I could go to something every single night. I’m not out the way I used to. If I go to a movie [premiere], I don’t stay for the after-party.

MR: [To Norah] Is she influencing you?

NO: I am the youngest of the bunch, but I can’t keep up with Charlie Rose and Gayle King.

GK: None of us can keep up with Charlie Rose. People always ask me, “What is the definition of having it all?” Many times, I say, “Look at Norah O’Donnell. Not everybody could do what she’s doing at this point in her career with three little kids!” I’m also working as editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, which I would not be able to do if I had children [those] ages. My children are 27 and 28 and employed, but it’s still a lot of work.

MR: Norah, it says here that you don’t like the phrase “work-life balance.”

Is that true?

NO: I don’t care for that phrase because to me it sets up these scales of justice. During the week I spend more time at work than I do at home. I do!

I work. If I were thinking about it with these scales, I would end up feeling

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOAM GALAI/WIREIMAGE (NYSE); SLAVEN VLASIC/GETTY IMAGES (ROSE); COOPER NEILL/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE POTTER’S HOUSE (WINFREY)

—NORAH O’DONNELL

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FROM TOP: Norah O’Donnell, Charlie Rose, and Gayle King ring the Closing Bell of the New York Stock Exchange to highlight the show’s 500th broadcast late last year; the anchor team poses after the end of trading at the Exchange; Gayle King with Oprah Winfrey. King remains an editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine.

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really guilty. I’m Catholic. I lean that way, anyway. It’s not a question people ask men, although men are thinking more about time at home.

When people ask how are you balancing, [the implication is] you must be shortchanging work somehow or you must be shortchanging home.

GK: Having it all means different things to different people. I refused, when my kids were little, to feel guilty because I wanted to work. I remember when I was anchoring the noon news and the five o’clock news, [my daughter] Kirby had taken her first steps. When I got home, her dad— my ex—said, “Don’t you feel guilty that you didn’t see that?” I go, “No. Because she took it at 12 o’clock and I got home at 6?” I got to see it when I saw it, and it wasn’t days later. There are challenges and you make choices.

But my point is, we figure it out.

MR: She was practicing for you! She wanted to be good! It’s a lot of pressure.

GK: You know the moms making the cupcakes from scratch? I was never one of those. I think you can get Entenmann’s and make your contribution, and that’s okay. I refused the guilt trip about not doing enough. Kids know you were there for all the important things. Quite frankly, when it was baseball season, I didn’t mind missing a couple of those games.... they took forever. [Laughs] GOTHAM: Do you think it’s easier for women to gain power and success in New York than other cities?

GK: Women have more options here, but the competition is greater. In New York you bump into superstars every day. (By superstars I mean people who are exceptionally good at what they do.) While it may not be easier, the opportunities are endless.

NO: There’s an incredible concentration of intelligence and talent. And while it sometimes feels like you are a small fish in a big pond of the world’s most successful people, the connections and relationships you can make here really are unparalleled.

MR: You both tweet a lot and have a lot of Twitter followers. I have found it very useful in stories that I do.

NO: I remember when I started my news career and there was a wire feed.

Now I don’t check the wires; I check Twitter!

GK: If something is breaking, I’ll go on to see what people are saying about it. The thing about Twitter is, people can say the most heinous things and have no accountability or responsibility, and that bothers me.

NO: You can’t Google yourself or read the reply page. Some people make nice comments, but other people will say, “What is so wrong with you?”

You have to have thick skin.

MR: Now, Norah, you and I follow each other. Gayle, I follow you, but you don’t follow me. Why? GK: Are you sure I don’t? That will change today!

NO: Gayle, once you follow him, you guys can direct message.

GK: I have no idea how to do that.

NO: I think that’s what Anthony Weiner did.

MR: That’s exactly what Anthony Weiner did.

NO: Not saying that you guys would have that kind of friendship.

GK: That would be a story.

MR: This is just a softball question because everything else has been so tough. What is it like working with Charlie?

GK: He is so scary smart, but in all of that such a true gentleman that I am so smitten with how he operates.

NO: Charlie has a wonderful sense of humor. He is so generous and always talks about being open to new possibilities. We have this running debate of passion versus moderation, because I always say everything in moderation and Charlie says everything with full passion.

GK: The beauty of the three of us together? Nobody is faking. If Charlie doesn’t feel like playing, he doesn’t. If Norah doesn’t have anything to say or I don’t have anything to say, we don’t try to think of something just to fill the space. Remember when I was reading about something that had gone wrong about Real Housewives? I said to Charlie on air, “Should we come over to your house? Will you be having a Real Housewives marathon this weekend?” And he goes, “I think not,” and went right into the next story. You can’t feel dissed or that he left me hanging because it was so authentic and great.

MR: That’s great because in morning TV you’re supposed to like everything, and its great when people don’t like something. Who would be your ultimate get?

GK: Derek Jeter!

NO: The Pope or the head of IBM, Ginni Rometty.

GOTHAM: You’ve both carved out time for charity involvements. Why did you chose the organizations you did?

GK: I like Women In Need. I’m partial to women who find themselves in circumstances they [didn’t expect], whether its divorce or the death of a spouse. I love what Geoffrey Canada is doing at the Harlem Children’s Zone.

Governor Cuomo just nominated me to be on the New York State Council of the Arts, and I really liked that idea. I know what music, literature, and museums can do for people who were not exposed to them.

NO: I just moved here in the last year. Citymeals-on-Wheels is something I’m involved with, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation. I’m on the board of the International Women’s Media Foundation, which helps women journalists who have been discriminated against and jailed around the world. It is one of the most incredible organizations.

GOTHAM: What are some of your favorite parts of New York?

NO: Cat Hill is a great little running place, which many people don’t know. It’s by the Boathouse. When I started [on the morning show], I lived at the Essex House for six months. I would run through Central Park to Cat Hill, which is probably about a mile from where I started. [Sometimes] I would have to stop and start walking, so whenever I could finally make it up Cat Hill without walking, that was a huge accomplishment.

GK: The West Side Highway with no traffic. You’re along the river and people are biking or walking. You’re not sitting in bumper to bumper with your stomach knotting up. The highway has been in a couple of songs.

Jay Z makes reference to it. It’s really relaxing. Pretty is not the word, but it feels so New York to me. G

“FROM THE MOMENT I WAS IN THE NEWSROOM, I WAS HOOKED AND NEVER LOOKED BACK.” —GAYLE KING 94

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Gayle and Norah relax after the show. When asked who would be their ultimate gets, King responded, “Derek Jeter!”

O’Donnell is hoping for the Pope, or Ginni Rometty, the first woman to head IBM. ON GAYLE: Dress, necklace, bracelets, watch, ring, and pumps, Gayle’s own.

ON NORAH: Dress, Norah’s own. Rock crystal and gold diamond Herkimer pendant earclips, Verdura ($15,500).

745 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1205, 212-758-3388; verdura.com. Rouge absolute signature pumps, Valentino ($995).

821 Madison Ave., 212-772-6969; valentino.com

Styling by Faye Power NORAH: Makeup by Cheryl Porter; Hair by Brandice Colletta GAIL: Makeup by Laz; Hair

by Eneida Bailey Macarons by Ladurée Shot on location at Trump International Hotel & Tower New York

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THE

WOMEN WHO RUN NEW YORK Gotham celebrates 50 female movers and shakers who mastermind the businesses and groups that dominate the city that rules the world.

TEXT BY DIANE CLEHANE PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC RYAN ANDERSON

A First Lady for the Future

New York’s new activist first lady, Chirlane McCray, heads up the influential Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, an organization promoting public-private partnerships throughout the five boroughs. As importantly, she is the mayor’s chief confidante and closest advisor.

What are your goals for the Mayor’s Fund?

To identify areas where private funds can bring together multiple agencies and make things happen where government cannot.

We will be mirroring the priorities of the administration, so pre-K, after-school programs, and affordable housing will be big issues for us. Compared to other cities, do you think it’s easier for women to rise to prominence in New York? I don’t think it’s easy for women to gain positions of prominence anywhere. We’ve made tremendous progress, but you don’t see

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[enough] black, Latino, and Asian women.

That’s something we need to work on.

Approximately, 52 percent of the de Blasio appointments thus far have been women.

How much credit do you take for that figure? Oh, I definitely have some influence; I’m watching very carefully. I do sit in on most of the interviews. What are you looking for in potential hires? Competence and capability. And we look at ideology, someone progressive who’s going to move the needle and make changes. Who have been your role models? My teachers and

the people who ran after-school programs I attended. People I worked with—Marian Wright Edelman and Hillary [Clinton].

What advice would you have given your younger self? I would have told myself that just because I think I’m not good at something doesn’t mean I can’t become great at it. Life is long, and it’s important to learn something new and do things that you’re afraid of doing. Will you ever run for office yourself? No. I will never say never, but I just don’t see it happening.

—LEIGH KING

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MAKEUP BY CLARISSA LUNA FOR PIXI BEAUTY/ABTP.COM

First Lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray, in the Governor’s Room at City Hall.

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POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT HILLARY CLINTON Citizen Hillary, the former senator from New York and secretary of state, is everywhere these days: hitting the international speaking circuit (pulling down a reported $200,000 per event) and bringing her 1.3 million Twitter followers along for the ride. Her numerous appearances at the United Nations, where she tirelessly advocates for the rights of women, are a constant reminder of her self-described “glass-ceiling cracker” status here at home and abroad. Today, the likely future presidential candidate’s clout in New York City is stronger than ever, as evidenced by her front-row appearance at the inauguration of Bill de Blasio, with whom she maintains close ties—no doubt something that will come in handy for 2016.

LORETTA LYNCH UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Appointed by President Obama in 2010, Lynch is responsible for all federal and civil investigations in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island as well as Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. Last year, she told the Moreland Commission she was “honored to lead an office with a long tradition of fighting public corruption” and has lived up to her promise prosecuting—and convicting—politicians and gangsters alike. Most recently, the Harvard-educated lawyer nabbed the reputed mob bosses responsible for the notorious JFK “Goodfellas” heist who had eluded authorities for three and a half decades.

AMBASSADOR SAMANTHA POWER

Maria Bartiromo on set at the Fox Business Network headquarters.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE EDITH COOPER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL HEAD OF HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, GOLDMAN SACHS

Cooper manages the 30,000 bankers and traders at the legendary Wall Street firm, but most importantly serves as vice chair of the committee that bestows the coveted and hyperlucrative title of partner to outstanding Goldman employees. A graduate of Harvard and Northwestern, Cooper keeps her success in perspective by supporting organizations like Harlem Children’s Zone. “I often remind young women that regardless of how committed and passionate they are about their jobs, it’s not their life.”

MARY CALLAHAN ERDOES CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JPMORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT

Erdoes, one of Wall Street’s most influential and highest-ranking women, often viewed as a successor to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, has spent the last five years growing one of the largest money management operations in the country, with more than $2 trillion in assets for the bank’s wealthiest customers. In 2012 she raked in a $15 million payday (including a $4.9 million cash bonus), among the bank’s biggest compensation packages and, perhaps most significantly, larger than Dimon’s $11.5 million paycheck.

UNITED STATES PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

MARIANNE LAKE

Having begun her career as a journalist covering the Yugoslav wars, the Pulitzer Prize– winning author and Obama cabinet member has gone from covering the news to making it. During her relatively short tenure as ambassador, Power has established herself as one of the United Nations most important voices by speaking out against the Assad regime and Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

At the end of 2012, when the dust settled in the executive suite after London Whale’s $6.2 billion trading loss, Lake emerged as a big winner, vaulting from CFO of the consumer and community banking division, a position she’d held since 2009, to finance chief of the entire organization. She is one of only two women who hold the CFO position at a major American bank.

KATHRYN WYLDE

ALEXANDRA LEBENTHAL

PRESIDENT & CEO, PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW YORK CITY

CEO & PRESIDENT, LEBENTHAL & CO.

During her three decades at the Partnership, Wylde has built strategic alliances within the nonprofit’s network of city leaders in business, government, and labor while navigating her own exemplary career path. “I worked my way up from a technical staff role to CEO, which took many years and the ability to survive a series of male bosses!” The city’s nonprofit sector, says Wylde, “has offered women leadership opportunities that, until recently, were not as readily

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available in business or government. New York is a terrific place for high-achieving women so long as you like a fast pace, a cacophony of voices, and are prepared to compete with the best.”

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, JPMORGAN CHASE

The third generation to head the family business, Lebenthal helms the largest underwriter of equity and corporate debt of any US woman-owned firms.

Being one of the few high-powered females on the Street has worked in her favor. “I think there’s an advantage to being a woman—it’s one of the opportunities I have to stand out more.” A skilled networker and president of the Couture Council of the Museum at FIT, Lebenthal is a much-sought-out guest and fixture on the city’s social circuit.

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One of the most influential financial reporters in the country, Maria Bartiromo has interviewed every major figure on Wall Street. She recently launched two new programs— Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox Business Network, and Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Channel.

How has the situation for women on Wall Street changed since you started reporting from the floor of NYSE in 1995? We’ve come a long way in the last 20 years, but we’re not there yet. A handful of women are in the CEO office within the S&P 500, but unfortunately, it’s just a handful. What was your best career decision? To leave CNN for CNBC and become a reporter on air. Of all the people you’ve interviewed, who has wowed you the most? Jack Welch, Sandy Weill, Jamie Dimon, and Steve Schwarzman. I always take away something from them. Bill Clinton is also a great interview, and Zhang Xin, CEO of Soho China, impresses me every time I see her.

Who is your ultimate get? Janet Yellen, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and arguably the most powerful person in the world, aside from the US President. What worries you about Wall Street now? That we have so much uncertainty in the economy. Businesses are sitting on trillions in cash and have tremendous wiggle room to invest in R&D, in IT, and in jobs. They’re not doing that because they don’t know what the regulatory environment and their tax rates are going to be. We don’t have growth and job creation as our number-one priority. What are your most-enduring rules for success?

There are no shortcuts; work hard.

You have to love what you do. Do the right thing. Your reputation will follow you. And sometimes life happens, so adaptability to changing economies and environments is critical.

—CATHERINE SABINO

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Producer Jane Rosenthal, cofounder of Tribeca Productions.

RUTH PORAT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, EXECUTIVE VP, MORGAN STANLEY

Wall Street’s only other female CFO, Porat is considered the highest-ranking woman in finance.

During the financial crisis, she worked with the US Treasury to help fix troubled mortgage behemoths Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and with the New York Fed to bail out AIG. She took home $10 million in compensation last year, according to Bloomberg.

VIRGINIA ROMETTY CHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT/CEO, IBM

The first woman to head the multinational giant, Rometty is also one of only two women to lead a Fortune 20 company. With IBM, she is working with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to develop new high-tech treatment options. Rometty maintains close ties to the city’s venture capitalist community and its leading academic institutions like Columbia Business School, as well as NYC’s Department of Education, with whom IBM developed a new model school, P-Tech.

SALLY SUSMAN EXECUTIVE VP, POLICY, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, AND COMMUNICATIONS, PFIZER

Producer Jane Rosenthal cofounded the Tribeca Productions film studio with Robert De Niro in 1989 and spearheaded the development of the Tribeca Film Festival to help revitalize downtown Manhattan post 9/11. It quickly became a key stop on the international film circuit and has since generated $850 million in revenues, while bringing film production jobs to New York.

Do women wield power differently than men? Yes. I went to a board meeting recently, a board of all men. Somebody there said they liked my dress. In another meeting, someone said to me, “This is where all the guys are; I hope you’re comfortable.”

You have to learn to deal with it. The biggest thing is to be comfortable with yourself, power through, and hopefully you grow wiser. How is film important to the

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fabric of New York? Film is about story and storytelling, and there are the best stories in NYC. New York is all about communities.

New York is aspirational—people want to come here, so it makes for great stories, and there’s no better city to tell a story in and about. Can women advance in the film industry more readily today? If you are in above-the-line positions or working for a studio, network, or cable company, yes.

But it’s difficult in terms of women directors. Is it easier or harder for women to find professional success in New York?

It’s becoming easier for women all over, but I’m not saying it’s easy. There are more women who are reaching certain levels in their careers. They understand how necessary it is to bring girls in from the next generation and to be role models. But all of that said, the most important place for me to be a role model is as a mother, by teaching my girls about certain issues. If I can’t do that for my own two girls, then nothing else matters. —JULIET IZON

MEDIA AND FASHION CINDI BERGER CHAIRMAN/CEO, PMK*BNC

Few public relations whizzes can match her A-list Hollywood clientele and ability to have them turn up for splashy city happenings like the New York Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Fashion Week. “New York is the city that I love—it’s a tough place, but it’s the best place to learn,” Berger says.

“I see a thriving future for women here.”

THIA BREEN GROUP PRESIDENT OF NORTH AMERICA, THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES

The highly respected cosmetic executive leads 29 brands in the United States and Canada, but says New York City is the Estée Lauder Companies’ true base. “The city is our hometown in our home market. It also happens to be one of the most diverse. This diversity fuels great opportunities for

ROSENTHAL: HAIR BY MAURICIO BERMUDEZ, MAKEUP BY TAMARA FIGUEROA

Screen Gem

One of Pfizer’s most influential executives, Susman heads up the Manhattan-based pharmaceutical giant’s corporate responsibility group and has a key role in shaping its initiatives with government relations worldwide by chairing the company’s PAC and serving as vice chair of the Pfizer Foundation. A prolific Democratic fundraiser, Susman says, “New York City allows women to have multiple interests and a multifaceted life, and that’s very important to me.”

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Starring on Broadway

Daryl Roth has produced more Pulitzer Prize–winning plays—a total of seven, including August: Osage County and Wit—than any other producer on the Great White Way. She’s won seven Tony Awards, her most recent for Kinky Boots.

Daryl Roth at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where her hit Kinky Boots is on stage.

As a woman in a male-dominated field, did you feel like an outsider when you began producing?

My biggest challenge was being new to the game, not having come up through the ranks. I started in my 40s. Tell us about some career turning points and highlights. An Edward Albee play, Three Tall Women, won a Pulitzer Prize during its 1993–1994 season, and I began an association with Albee. Wit had outreach in the world and ended up influencing a new course that’s taught in medical schools. And The Normal Heart revival, because it involves a lot of things I care about.

Kinky Boots right now. It doesn’t get better than this. You have an extraordinary track record of selecting plays that go on to win Pulitzer Prizes. That is a bit of luck.

The prize goes to the playwright, certainly, but I feel good that I was able to choose something that was applauded for being really worthy.

You once said you were interested in plays that deal with the outsider mentality. What I mean is being able to give voice to those who aren’t often heard, in the setting of a theater, where people might actually accept them differently. What are the charities and causes you like to support? Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, the Actors Fund, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Family Equality Council, Live Out Loud, the Animal Rescue Fund [of the Hamptons], the ASPCA—I’m a big advocate of animal shelters and rescue dogs, so I spend a lot of time trying to encourage other people to adopt animals. — CATHERINE SABINO

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our brands.” Breen cites the late Evelyn Lauder, who founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as one of her “greatest inspirations.”

TORY BURCH CEO & DESIGNER, TORY BURCH

With nearly $1 billion in annual revenue (the company was recently valued at $3.5 billion), the Upper East Sider has joined the rarefied ranks of fashion’s billionaire “old boys” club, which boasts Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren as members. Her strong commitment to mentoring women extends Burch’s impact beyond fashion. Her eponymous foundation has launched a joint initiative with Bank of America, Elizabeth Street Capital, named after her first boutique’s locale, to provide $10 million in loans and business coaching to female entrepreneurs in markets across the country, including New York.

GINA CENTRELLO

power of mindful meditation. And, of course, she’s created an app for that, GPS for the Soul.

DONNA KARAN CHIEF DESIGNER, DONNA KARAN INTERNATIONAL

New York City is an integral part of the designer’s DNA, inspiring her signature brand from the moment she founded her company in 1984. “I chose New York because, to me, it is the world in one place.

Everyone comes here to make their mark.” From her role as a founder of the original CFDA “Seventh on Sale” AIDS benefits to the many charitable health and wellness initiatives she promotes through her Urban Zen Foundation (which partners with NYU Langone and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, among other institutions), Karan remains at the forefront of fashion community’s mission to combine commerce and philanthropy.

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER, RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP US

AERIN LAUDER

Centrello turned Random House, an iconic Manhattan publishing company and one of the country’s largest, into a best-seller powerhouse (Wild, Lean In). She is a strong advocate for female employees. “When I started in the business, you didn’t just walk out because you had to take the baby for a doctor’s visit,” she says. “You made up an excuse because you wanted to be taken seriously. I knew someday I wanted to set up a company where that wasn’t necessary.”

Following in the footsteps of her legendary grandmother, Lauder—one of the world’s youngest female billionaires—launched AERIN, a luxury lifestyle brand, in 2012 with cosmetics and beauty products, and has since introduced fragrances, home accessories, jewelry, footwear, fabrics, lighting, and furniture that mirror her own impeccable taste. “I inherited a great love of and respect for the arts from my family along with my family’s dedication to supporting them.” Lauder and her namesake brand are currently sponsoring the Charles James exhibition at the Met. “I’m proud to live in an era and a city where women play a pivotal and crucial role in almost every industry—not just fashion and beauty. Many of our mothers and grandmothers were not as fortunate.”

AMY EINHORN VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER, AMY EINHORN BOOKS

Ever since Einhorn launched her eponymous imprint in 2009 with the mega best seller, The Help, publishers and booksellers around the country keep a close watch on the books she buys. “While I don’t think I’ve leveraged being a woman, a huge part of my success has been my taste—my gut instinct—which is clearly informed on every level by my gender.” The flip side: “I’ve wrestled a long time with walking that fine line between being a strong advocate for my authors and for myself and being deemed a bitch—because God forbid a woman be demanding, which I suspect a lot of women deal with as well.”

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON CHAIR/PRESIDENT/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HUFFINGTON POST MEDIA GROUP

Her trailblazing New York–based, Pulitzer Prize– winning site continues to grow in readers, and her personal brand as a digital icon is stronger than ever. New media’s queen of reinvention’s latest incarnation: spiritual guru. Irony alert: Her new book, Thrive, espouses the virtues of unplugging from the digital world and the transformative

FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, AERIN

MERYL POSTER PRESIDENT OF TELEVISION, THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Poster began her career in the mail room at William Morris, but it wasn’t long before she was plucked from the legendary agency to be Harvey Weinstein’s assistant. Today she oversees Weinstein’s burgeoning slate of television projects, which include the city-centric Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars, of which she says: “It’s great to be able to put your own stamp on things. When I’m dealing with these women, they know I respect them and I feel like they respect me.”

ROBIN ROBERTS, SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, GAYLE KING, AND NORAH O’DONNELL Good Morning America, Today, and CBS This Morning want cross-country appeal, but they’re all broadcast from New York, with the city as

frequent backdrop. Robin Roberts helms the most-watched of the morning shows; Savannah Guthrie, a former lawyer, is helping to stabilize the rocky Today show ship; and Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell are leading the charge to bring news back to breakfast television.

DIANE SAWYER ANCHOR, ABC WORLD NEWS

While another high-profile female anchor across town came and went, Sawyer, biding her time and building her fan base at GMA, assumed the top spot on ABC’s nightly news broadcast when her colleague Charles Gibson (who beat her out for the job the first time) called it quits in 2009. Since then, Sawyer has more than held her own against her competitors on NBC and CBS, and has, without any attendant drama, claimed her rightful title as queen of the network’s news division.

PEGGY SIEGAL CEO, THE PEGGY SIEGAL COMPANY

The public relations maven is renowned for her must-attend parties (she personally goes over every invitee), which bring together entertainment bigwigs, tastemakers, and the city’s media elite. Her decades in the business have earned her the respect of A-listers from Manhattan to Hollywood, who wouldn’t miss a Siegal screening or lunch no matter what.

SUSAN STROMAN DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER

“Broadway is the main reason tourists come to New York City,” says Stroman, the five-time Tony Award– winning director and choreographer and one of the theater’s top rainmakers. “Last season the industry contributed more than $11 billion to the city’s economy and supported over 80,000 jobs.” Throughout her career, Stroman has made the cash register ring, with hits ranging from the 2000 revival of The Music Man to her current show, Bullets Over Broadway. She says the theater does something a lot of other industries can’t: “It makes people happy.”

DEBORAH TURNESS PRESIDENT, NBC NEWS

Since joining the Peacock Network last May, the former ITV News editor has made it her mission to create “a super fan experience” on the plaza outside the Today show in hopes of restoring its number-one spot in the ratings. “We’re very invested in interactive services, and we’re in the heart of Manhattan, so it’s perfect,” she says.

Inside 30 Rock, Turness feels “empowered as a female” and “very supported,” noting, “there are no barriers at NBC. It’s a meritocracy.”

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Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney on the Upper East Side, not far from her Manhattan headquarters.

House Proud Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney represents New York’s 12th congressional district, an area spanning most of Manhattan’s East Side, Randalls Island, and parts of Queens and Brooklyn. She has spent her 21 years in Congress focusing on issues close to her heart as a New Yorker and a woman, including the prevention of sex trafficking, post-9/11 restructuring, and personal finance.

You arrived in New York in 1970 from North Carolina. What made you stay? The excitement, the people, and the opportunities. We’re a city that does not care where you came from.

We want to know what you can do.

Often the challenges the world and our country confront percolate first in New York. What was the one decision that put you on the right career path? Marrying my late husband, Clifton Maloney. We supported each other. It made everything else easy. My most important career decision was just to work hard. Is it easier for a woman to rise up the ranks today? I remember that remark about how Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backward, and in high heels.

And she was paid half as much. If you study statistics, discrimination is still there. What would you consider your best achievement to date? The passage of the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights [in 2009]. Everybody told me it would never succeed, and it would hurt me politically. What are the biggest challenges facing New York in the next five years, and how will you tackle them? We know homeland security is vital to New York. And I do a great deal of work on infrastructure because it not only has good union-paying jobs for people, but it also [fuels] the economic vitality, the innovation, and the efficiency of New York.

—LAUREN SHERMAN

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PHILANTHROPY MARIE-JOSÉE KRAVIS PRESIDENT, THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Serving as MoMA’s president, the accomplished economist’s passion for the arts has kept the institution in the cultural vanguard. Dedicated to giving back to the city, Kravis has made significant donations to the New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kravis also serves on the International Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

JUDITH RODIN PRESIDENT, THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

The first woman to head the Foundation in its nearly 100-year history, Rodin says she’s “rarely the only woman in the boardroom anymore,” but she still feels the “under-represent ation of women at the table.” In 2012 she was responsible for $171 million in charitable contributions for foundation programs that tackle everything from climate change to urban planning. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Governor Andrew Cuomo tapped her last year to cochair the commission charged with improving the state’s preparedness for future natural disasters.

LAURIE TISCH PRESIDENT, THE LAURIE M. TISCH ILLUMINATION FUND

New York State of Mind

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has served as New York State’s junior senator since 2009.

Advocacy for city and state job growth has been a big part of her Senate agenda.

What do you view as the biggest challenge to the city now? The economy.

It’s been very slow growth. How are you working to fix that? I’m focused on making some changes in policy. Raising the minimum wage would help a lot of single

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women and single women with children who are now being paid at or below the poverty line. What other concerns do you have for New York? The city is constantly a target of terrorism, so I work very hard to focus on foreign policy to make sure we have state-of-the-art protection devices.

Are you optimistic about the city’s future?

It’s constantly growing, renewing itself, always innovating. You’ve had a remarkable career. What was the most important turning point? When I was appointed to the US Senate. Which personal skill do you most value? Being able to listen well and to empathize with others. The skill that helps me the most is being persistent and never giving up. —LEIGH KING

EDUCATION CARMEN FARIÑA CHANCELLOR, NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS

“I’m acutely aware that every decision I make affects the futures of 1.1 million students, their families, and ultimately the economic vitality of this city,” Fariña says. She came out of retirement after four decades in the school system to run the city’s public schools at a time when issues like common core standards and the future of charter schools make everything she says or does newsworthy. Gender, she points out, has no place in the conversation. “I see myself first and foremost as an educator, not a female educator.

Commitment to kids transcends gender.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON CLAMAGE (GILLIBRAND)

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in her office in Washington, DC.

Tisch plays an integral role in maintaining her famous family’s legacy of philanthropy. In 2007, she established her own charitable fund, Illumination, which creates grants to improve the quality of life for a wide range of New Yorkers.

Tisch also serves on the board of trustees at the Whitney Museum; is a member of the executive committee at Lincoln Center; and yes, she is a co-owner of the New York Giants.

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Front-Page Star Jill Abramson, who runs the most influential newspaper in the world, talks about leaning in, leadership style, and legacy.

Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times. “Our masthead is now half women for the first time,” she says.

How did you view your appointment as Executive Editor of The New York Times? It was a big deal. I’m incredibly proud to have the honor of being the first woman to have this job. Does The Times look different under your watch?

My particular passion is the story behind the story, and we’ve had more of that on the front page.

Do you see an all-digital paper?

No. We are now very happily a multiplatform news organization.

Print has plenty of life in it. There are readers who just love the serendipity of turning pages and how you discover an interesting article that you weren’t necessarily searching for.

Would a man have made the same journalistic decisions you have made? I don’t see a gender difference in how you make editorial calls. Do you think a reporter asking if a woman leads differently than a man is anachronistic? It’s not like we live in a completely genderblind society. I think there are still some differences. It’s said that women leaders are more collaborative, and I think it’s a very good leadership style. What is the measure of your success? When I leave, will there be several plausible female candidates to take my place?

Our masthead, which is the leadership group of editors, is now half women for the first time, and I’m very happy to see that happen under my watch. What does “lean in” mean to you, how do you understand it? What it means is don’t automatically be a backbencher. Don’t leave before you have to leave, and don’t self-edit yourself out of power equations.

Any advice to those starting their careers? Find something you love and just try to do it. I’ve loved doing this the entire time. —HOLLY PETERSON

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Philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, whose generosity altered the cultural landscapes of Miami and DC, is an increasingly powerful player in the New York City arts community. In addition to her munificence with Lincoln Center, Arsht recently donated $1 million to the Met to support its concerts and lectures programming.

Emily K. Rafferty, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has worked for 38 years, helms the second most-visited museum in the world (after the Louvre), one of the few women to run an institution of its size.

How do you measure success?

AA: Success is a term you never apply to yourself. Somebody else says you were successful based on their template of what they would like to do or be. EKR: If we all woke up every morning wondering about our success, that would be very distracting. We have more than 6 million people coming to the Met [every year]. My responsibility is to have the organizational elements in place for people to do their jobs and to have some vision of how that can happen. If there’s a success to be had, it lies with all the people who came to the table and did it. Which accomplishments are you most proud of? AA: Here in New York, my contribution to Lincoln Center that resulted in the stage at Alice Tully being named after me. I think it’s one of only a few major buildings named after women—I’m glad I’m there. EKR: I’ve served on many boards [including NYC & Company and the New York Federal Reserve], but for the last eight years I’ve served on the program committee of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, with five family members [of victims].

Being at their side while they

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grappled with all they have experienced has been a great honor.

What was a risky decision you made that turned out well? AA: Funding the performing arts center in Miami, which was due to collapse within its second year if I hadn’t made my gift. I didn’t have a committee review anything about the pros and cons at all. I just felt something had to be done. My involvement changed everything 180 degrees within a period of a couple of weeks. EKR: When I was head of development for fundraising, the museum had never included children in any after-hours event, and I said let’s invite them to an evening opening. When we did, children dressed to the nines were all the way up and down Fifth Avenue. It was an enormous success. It was a small gamble, but it ultimately translated into the establishment of our Family Benefit and a lot of our programs working with the education department. Do you see yourselves as role models for other women? EKR: Yes, but you have to be really careful when you get on that diving board. We could make big mistakes by making [leadership] sound easier than it is. Young women today are facing different, difficult things than I was. AA: There’s a complicated area in fundraising: Many women do not write checks— they retain money for the home and the family. Women may write large checks, but so often they would rather be anonymous. I hope that by example I make it subtly evident that women are out there and willing to give. How do you feel about being singled out as a woman leader? AA: If there were an equal number of women to men in the Fortune 500 or among the top billionaires, I wouldn’t see a need. So as long as there are so few of us, it’s important to bring us forward. EKR: If it can give women more self-confidence and remind people how much women throughout the world need a little more help, I don’t see a downside to it. —KEN RIVADENEIRA

Philanthropist Adrienne Arsht with Emily K. Rafferty, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the steps of the Charles Engelhard Court in the Met’s American Wing.

MAKEUP BY MAHFUD IBRAHIM FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS USING ARMANI COSMETICS

The Art of Philanthropy

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MERRYL TISCH CHANCELLOR, NEW YORK STATE BOARD OF REGENTS

A former first grade teacher, Tisch was elected to the top spot five years ago. As an overseer of education for the state, Tisch is at the forefront of city issues like improving student performance and national common core standards. She also serves on several city boards, most notably the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, where, as chairperson, she oversees an annual budget of $100 million devoted to youth and family services and neighborhood preservation in and around Manhattan.

LAW AND MEDICINE CANDACE BEINECKE CHAIRMAN AND PARTNER, HUGHES HUBBARD & REED

Beinecke, the first female chair of a major New York law firm, says not a day goes by “that I don’t thank my lucky stars I live here.... Being in New York helps us attract lawyers who love to try the hard cases and work with the best and most influential companies.” Her firm counsels several Fortune 500 businesses, with Beinecke handling key client relationships. She also is the chairwoman of First Eagle Funds and is on several boards, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

DR. LAURIE GLIMCHER DEAN, WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE

When she left Harvard to become the first woman dean of Weill Cornell Medical College over two years ago, Glimcher says, she was “embraced with great enthusiasm” by her New York City colleagues.

There are fewer women leadership positions in medicine or biomedical research due in part, she says, to the demands of being a working mother.

“You have biology intersecting with a time you need to be devoted to your career,” she says. “It’s not easy, and I know that.” The respected immunologist, who raised three children, championed a childcare center for faculty, staff, and students near the Upper East Side campus last fall. “You have to put your money where your mouth is when you talk about supporting women and level the playing field,” she adds.

REAL ESTATE MARYANNE GILMARTIN PRESIDENT & CEO, FOREST CITY RATNER COMPANIES

“When I started out [in 1986], there were no women running any real estate companies of 50 employees or greater in New York City, and women in the brokerage business were prohibited from wearing pants,” Gilmartin says. Chances are no one questioned what the Fordham graduate was wearing while she led the efforts to build the Barclays Center. “The most unfortunate but perhaps most powerful advantage is that, as women in this industry, we are underestimated,” she says.

Her strategy: “I worked hard on every project and performed the best I could. I want to make an impact on the same playing field as men.”

DOTTIE HERMAN, CEO, DOUGLAS ELLIMAN, AND PAMELA LIEBMAN, CEO, CORCORAN GROUP

Liebman and Herman run two of the city’s top residential brokerage firms—Corcoran and Douglas Elliman, with roughly $18 billion and $12 billion in annual sales nationally, respectively.

Liebman fast-tracked to the corner office after starting her career as a real estate agent in the ’80s.

Herman bought Douglas Elliman with partner Howard Lorber in 2003 after she successfully mastered the Long Island housing market.

DOLLY LENZ PRINCIPAL, I. DOLLY LENZ REAL ESTATE

An indefatigable networker who favors 80-hour work weeks, Lenz is reported to have sold more than $8.5 billion worth of luxury properties since becoming a residential broker in the ’80s. When she parted ways with Douglas Elliman last year after more than a decade with the firm, it was a major story around town. Her latest deal shows she’s just as powerful on her own. She recently represented Rupert Murdoch when he bought his post-divorce bachelor pad: a 10,000-square-foot, four-story penthouse that went for a cool $57 million.

MARY ANN TIGHE CEO, CBRE NEW YORK CITY

RIKKI KLIEMAN ATTORNEY, CBS NEWS LEGAL ANALYST

As half of one of the city’s power couples, Klieman says, “My husband [Police Commissioner Bill Bratton] and I are impacting the lives of all New Yorkers on a daily basis because of our commitment to public safety.” Klieman, a trial attorney who became a TV anchor two decades ago, says the city is the perfect place for women to succeed. She advises women coming out of law school to be strategic: “Find an area of law that brings out your passion or you won’t be willing to put in the time to rise to a level of value.”

No other commercial real estate broker has done more to transform the city’s skyline. The former art history teacher, who grew up in the South Bronx, has led her team of 2,000-plus employees through multimillion-dollar deals involving the revitalization of Times Square, the rebirth of downtown, and the expansion of Midtown’s business district. She sums up her success this way: “The purity of the brokerage business is if you can make money for people, there is no glass ceiling.”

For expanded interviews with the Women Who Run New York, visit gotham-magazine.com. G

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SB STRICTLY BUSINESS

From Midtown to Wall Street New York’s Power Women take to the season’s top trends.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT ASCROFT STYLING BY LAUREN FINNEY AND FAYE POWER

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ON SHELBY: Dress ($3,045) and belt ($990), Lanvin. 815 Madison Ave., 646-439-0381; lanvin.com. 18k yellow-gold and rock crystal Caged earrings, Verdura ($8,000). 745 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1205, 212-758-3388; verdura.com. 18k yellow-gold Celtic Dunes ring, H.Stern ($3,200). 645 Fifth Ave., 212-655-3910; hstern.net.

Pumps, Aquazzura ($595). Intermix, 98 Prince St., 212-966-5303; intermixonline.com. ON ERIKA: Dress, Oscar de la Renta ($1,790). 772 Madison Ave., 212-2885810; oscardelarenta.com. 18k white-gold Fulfillment round diamond earrings, Hearts on Fire (price on request). Michael C. Fina, 500 Park Ave., 212-557-2500; heartsonfire.com. 18k white-gold PerlĂŠe diamond motif ring, Van Cleef & Arpels ($15,250). 744 Fifth Ave., 212-896-9284; vancleefarpels.com. Pumps, Dolce & Gabbana ($598). 717 Fifth Ave., 212-897-9653; dolcegabbana.com

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Dress, Bottega Veneta ($2,650). 699 Fifth Ave., 212-371-5511; bottegaveneta.com.

18k rose-gold bangle ($23,500) and 18k rose-gold bracelet ($44,700), Pomellato.

741 Madison Ave., 212-879-2118; pomellato.com. Bag, Dolce & Gabbana ($2,895). 717 Fifth Ave., 212-897-9653; dolcegabbana.com OPPOSITE PAGE: ON ERIKA: Dress, Emporio Armani ($1,175). 410 W. Broadway, 646-613-8099; armani.com. 18k rose-gold Perlée diamond earrings ($24,000) and 18k rose-gold Perlée ring ($2,600), Van Cleef & Arpels. 744 Fifth Ave., 212-8969284; vancleefarpels.com. 18k pink-gold double coil Serpenti watch with diamonds, Bulgari ($38,400). 730 Fifth Ave., 212-315-9000; bulgari.com. Bag, Dolce & Gabbana ($3,295). SEE ABOVE. ON SHELBY: Dress, Bottega Veneta ($2,250). SEE ABOVE .

Sterling silver medium Atlas hoop earrings, Tiffany & Co. (price on request). 727 Fifth Ave., 212-755-8000; tiffany.com. P’9982 Smartphone by BlackBerry, Porsche Design ($1,990). 624 Madison Ave., 212-308-1786; porsche-design.com

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Vest, Donna Karan New York ($1,495). 819 Madison Ave., 212-861-1001; donnakaran.com.

18k yellow-gold PerlĂŠe diamond motif earrings ($14,500) and 18k rose-fold PerlĂŠe diamond motif ring ($14,850), Van Cleef & Arpels.

744 Fifth Ave., 212-896-9284; vancleefarpels.com. Bracelet, Vita Fede ($675). Fragments, 116 Prince St., 212-334-9588; fragments.com OPPOSITE PAGE:

Jacket ($3,900) and pants ($1,250), Dior. 21 E. 57th St. 212-931-2950; dior.com.

Shirt, Burberry London ($325).

9 E. 57th St., 212-407-7100; burberry.com. 18k white-gold Fulfillment round diamond earrings, Hearts on Fire (price on request). Michael C. Fina, 500 Park Ave., 212-557-2500; heartsonfire.com. iPad case, Smythson ($635). 4 W. 57th St., 212-265-4573; smythson.com

Set design by Sergio Esteves for utopianyc.com Makeup by Tracy Crystal of Next Artists using Chanel Makeup assistance by Shain Kish Hair by Julien Farel of Next Artists for Julien Farel Haircare Hair assistance by Mark Anthony and Amanda Troisi for Julien Farel Haircare Manicure by Myrdith LeonMcCormack using Dior Vernis at Factory Downtown Models: Erika P. & Shelby C. at New York Model Management

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ON ERIKA: BEAUTÉ LOOKS THROUGHOUT: Chanel Vitalumière Aqua Foundation in Beige 10 ($45), Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour in No. 30 ($58), Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Passion ($35), Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Lotus ($30), Automatic Liquid Liner ($34), Inimitable Mascara in Noir ($30), Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Naturel ($29). 15 E. 57th St., 212-355-5050; chanel.com.

Moroccanoil Treatment ($43). moroccanoil.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TK; ILLUSTRATION BY TK

ON SHELBY: BEAUTÉ LOOKS THROUGHOUT: Chanel Perfection Lumière Foundation ($57), Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour in No. 60 ($58), Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Pirate ($35), Automatic Liquid Liner ($34), Powder Blush in Emotion ($43), Inimitable Intense Mascara in Noir ($30), Sculpting Eyebrow Pencil in Brun Cendré ($29). SEE ABOVE. Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray Medium ($22). SEE ABOVE

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Haute Property NEWS, STARS, AND TRENDS IN REAL ESTATE

Zaha Hadid’s 11-story condo tower at 520 West 28th Street will be adjacent to the High Line.

High Line Debut SUPER STARCHITECT ZAHA HADID DESIGNS HER FIRST NYC BUILDING.

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eating the odds might seem to come easy to Zaha Hadid, a female architect in a stubbornly male profession, and a prize-winning one at that. Although the Iraq-born, London-based designer has been active in this country for more than a decade, Hadid, 63, can’t lay claim to any buildings in New York City, despite a recent flood of similar talent.

That’s about to change. After some earlier failed tries, Hadid has designed her first permanent city building, a crystalline 11-story condo that’s now rising at 520 West 28th Street, near 10th Avenue in West Chelsea, and practically nuzzling the elevated High Line park.

And even if the area glitters with well-known designers—buildings by Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, and Robert A.M. Stern are close by—Hadid’s will outshine them, its marketers say.

“There are many top-tier architects from around the world here,” says Greg Gushee, a senior vice president at the Related Companies (60 Columbus Circle, 212-801-1000; related.com), which is developing the building, “but we’re convinced this will be the best in the neighborhood.”

Smallish, with just 39 apartments and 180,000 square feet, the

BY C.J. HUGHES

two-winged building nevertheless seems intent on making a big statement; in place of typical right-angled corners, for instance, are smooth curves, which—along with fins that protrude between floors—evoke a midcentury automobile. Though few in number, the apartments will be airy and spacious; they will range from two-bedrooms, with about 2,000 square feet, according to Related, to units with either four or five bedrooms and 5,800 square feet. Many of the apartments will also boast deep-set terraces, some of which will sit a Studebaker’s length away from the High Line’s greenery. Residents can also splash in an indoor pool, which will be tucked below ground with a spa and gym. In line with other condos coming to market in the city, though high for West Chelsea, apartments will be priced well over $3,000 a square foot, Gushee says, meaning two-bedrooms will start at more than $6 million. He would not disclose the development cost.

The Hadid imprimatur may explain some of those extra dollars—a “starchitect,” as designers of her ilk are now known, can account for a hefty 50 percent premium, say brokers, who add that developers shell out at least continued on page 116

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continued from page 115 30 percent more for their services.

This despite the fact the starchitect effect can be overstated in the area, where a marquee designer seems to be behind every building.

Indeed, 100 11th Avenue, a 72-unit condo tower, is from Jean Nouvel, for instance, and under development nearby is 551 West 21st Street, a 44-unit offering from Norman Foster. Even office buildings got star treatment—the billowing IAC Building at 550 West 18th Street is Frank Gehry’s.

“I used to visit the galleries in the area and consider how to build along the route.”

—ZAHA HADID Beyond offering bragging rights, these architects can also function like the ultimate quality-control inspectors, says Toni Haber, a longtime broker with Douglas Elliman Real Estate: “They can give a building credibility and provide more certainty about the product.”

Haber added that many of the foreign ones, like Hadid, whose portfolio is largely located in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, have a following overseas, which in turn attracts the international buyers who are so prevalent in this market.

Born in Iraq in 1950, and studying in Beirut

before attending London’s Architectural Association School, Hadid didn’t complete her first building (a firehouse in Weil am Rhein, Germany) until the early 1990s. Yet her rise was fast. In 2004, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Pritzker architecture prize, while also netting two Stirling prizes, a British award, in 2010 and 2011.

Still, New York City has proved an elusive quarry. In the mid-1990s, she was one of three finalists for a Times Square hotel project, on Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street, but lost to Miami-based Arquitectonica. Another miss came in 2004 with a planned retro-futuristic edifice for art dealer Kenny Schachter, on Charles Street in the West Village, before he sold the site and moved.

Hadid also sought to convert train tracks atop a trestle just west of 10th Avenue into a park, though that commission, for the High Line, went to Diller Scofidio + Renfro. “Decades ago, I used to visit the galleries in the area and consider how to build along the route,” Hadid says.

The 520 West 28th Street project, which broke ground in March and is expected to

open by early 2016, might nab Hadid another milestone—her first US residential building, though it’s vying with a condo under way in Miami, the $300 million, 62-story One Thousand Museum, which is also supposed to be completed in 2016.

It could also represent a breakthrough of a different type, a high-profile work by a woman in a profession where they make up just 25 percent of the staff at most firms, according to a 2012 survey by the American Institute of Architects. And that’s despite the fact that 40 percent of the students at architecture schools are female, reports indicate.

In New York, women designers, such as Annabelle Selldorf, Deborah Berke, and Nancy Ruddy, are developing legacies. But even Hadid admits challenges persist.

“In the last 15 years there’s been tremendous change, and now it’s seen as normal to have women in this profession,” Hadid says. But, “it’s not as if I just appear somewhere and everybody says ‘yes’ to me; it’s still a struggle, despite having gone through it a hundred times.” G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BEN PRUCHNIE/GETTY IMAGES FOR PACE LONDON (HADID)

HAUTE PROPERTY

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The building will have just 39 units, ranging from 2,000 to 5,800 square feet; the architect, Zaha Hadid; a rendering of a unit with a plunge pool.

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TALL STORIES

Power Grid WOMEN IN THE NEWS SCOOP UP BIG-TICKET REAL ESTATE ALL AROUND THE TOWN.

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or Gotham’s first women’s power issue, we decided to check out what properties New York’s female movers and shakers have been buying and selling in recent months.

Nobel Prize– and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Toni Morrison plunked down $3.8 million to buy a home in Tribeca’s historic Textile Building at 66 Leonard. The neoclassic structure was created in 1901 by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who designed The Dakota and The Plaza Hotel. The three-bedroom, threebath condo is a roomy 2,300 square feet and offers great views of the Empire State Building. Morrison worked with Fox Residential’s Amy Nick Bader (1015 Madison Ave., 212-639-9750; foxresidential.com), who is an Emmy Award–winning producer in her own right.

Lauren Bush Lauren, the CEO, creative director, and cofounder of FEED Projects, which helps fight hunger around the world, has also been in the hunt for a new abode. With husband David Lauren, the son of Ralph Lauren and a top executive at Ralph Lauren Corp., she bought a statement-making compound in the West Village for $28.5 million. The dwelling, comprising three townhouses (755 and 757 Greenwich Street and 311 West 11th Street), was once owned by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

(The sale will help Leibovitz with her welldocumented financial woes.) The Laurens’ new compound measures 10,200 square feet and comes with seven bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths, 13 fireplaces, and a private gated garden. Lauren’s mother, Sharon Bush, a real estate agent with Corcoran, helped close the deal.

No matter the budget, sometimes a real estate choice just doesn’t work out. For example, Texas oil heiress and novelist Hyatt Bass and her screenwriter husband Josh Klausner built their dream house in the heart of the landmarked West Village. They reportedly never moved in and are now quietly showing it for $35 million.

Bass bought the 802 Greenwich Street property for $7.5 million in 2001 and enlisted architect Annabelle Selldorf to turn it into a home tailored to the couple’s very specific security needs, which stemmed from Bass’s mother

being held hostage during a home invasion in her Connecticut mansion in 2007. Bass’s oldest son was sleeping upstairs. Visitors to the West Village home say the place was rebuilt like an “armed fortress.”

Whoever buys it will likely have to do a gut renovation, according to real estate sources.

New York wouldn’t be New York if there weren’t A-list actresses searching for real estate. Scarlett Johansson, who bought a $2.2 million beach house in Amagansett to be by her pal Gwyneth Paltrow, is also looking to purchase a home in the city. Her brother Adrian Johansson, a real estate broker, is helping in the search. ScarJo checked out a threebedroom, four-bathroom spacious duplex in the Silk Building at 14 East Fourth Street, which was asking $3.7 million. That apartment, represented by broker Frances Katzen of Douglas Elliman (485 Madison Ave., 212-3508575; thekatzenteam.elliman.com) has since sold to someone else. Farther uptown, ScarJo looked at a $4 million penthouse at 230 East 63rd Street. It’s a full-floor 1,743-square-foot home with two bedrooms, a home office, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The FROM TOP: The Textile unit also comes with a roof terrace, Building at 66 Leonard Street; the Laurens’ new outdoor kitchen, and fireplace. The West Village complex; listing broker is Warburg’s Richard the terrace at 29 West 85th Street, part of Rory Steinberg (654 Madison Ave., 212Tahari’s triplex condo, 439-5183; warburgrealty.com). now up for sale; and 230 East 63rd Street, Rory Tahari, ex-wife of fashion where Scarlet Johansson mogul Elie Tahari, is another power recently looked. woman in a real estate trade.

Tahari, who played a senior role in her ex-husband’s business and is the author of Lists for Life, is selling her 3,200-square-foot triplex inside a private townhouse on the Upper West Side for $6.9 million. The roomy condo, on West 85th Street, comes with three levels of outdoor space. We hear that Rory is planning to cross the park to live on the Upper East Side. The listing broker is Douglas Elliman’s Rick Kelly (26 W. 17th St., 212-727-6155; thekellyteam.elliman.com). G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CAPLAN (29 W. 85TH ST.); SOPHIE EGGERMONT (DWELLING, 66 LEONARD)

BY SALLY GOLDSTEIN

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MONEY TALKS

A female trader at the New York Stock Exchange.

More women are using a “gender lens” when selecting stocks.

WOMEN ARE A THIRD MORE LIKELY TO WANT PORTFOLIOS THAT REFLECT THEIR VALUES, BUT IS THIS A GOOD INVESTMENT STRATEGY?

BY SUZANNE MCGEE

E

very investor, from the novice to the billionaire, expects a positive financial return. A growing number of them, however, are going further, asking what kind of companies they are supporting with their capital. “Women are a third more likely to say they want their portfolios to reflect their values,” says Jackie VanderBrug, senior vice president and valuesbased investment strategist with US Trust, a division of Bank of America. They’re also more likely, according to a US Trust survey of high-net-worth adults, to accept a

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greater degree of risk, or a lower return, if it means that their investments reflect their values.

There are a few different ways to put your money where your values are. Pros suggest, for example, investing in one of the growing number of socially responsible mutual funds. Some of these funds emphasize a particular cause, either actively seeking out companies that have, say, top-tier environmental track records or that can boast progressive employment policies.

Some of these investors want to go further still and make sure their

“You need to be sure the products you invest in will generate the best returns.” —ALICE FINN through a gender lens to make sure they haven’t unintentionally made it less diversified or more risky. “The process [of using a gender lens] can make a woman feel more confident that she’s doing the right thing with her money, but she needs to be sure, too, that the products she invests in are those that will do the best for her in generating returns” that will enable her to maintain her financial independence, says Finn. G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GINO DOMENICO

Taking Stock

capital supports causes that are important to women. That could include investing in businesses that have women more equitably represented as directors and executives; or putting money to work in microfinance funds aimed at women in the world’s poorest nations.

For its part, US Trust has launched a proprietary initiative, dubbed Women and Girls Equality Strategy, that uses a number of traditional investment criteria to identify publicly-traded investment opportunities—stocks and bonds— that are not only attractive in absolute terms, but that have a strong track record on everything from hiring women to how females are portrayed in marketing. Women with the right kind of expertise are also gravitating to angel investing networks, such as Golden Seeds, that specialize in providing capital to women entrepreneurs.

Opting to view your investments through such a “gender lens” can

be transformational—especially for women who have left financial decisions to their spouses. There’s one caveat, however. Although there is research showing a correlation between a company’s strong investment performance and women-friendly policies and products, it’s still tough to argue the latter are the cause of that outperformance. Simply because there are more women on a company’s board doesn’t mean that it’s going to be more progressive or more fiscally responsible. Financial advisor Alice Finn, founder of PowerHouse Assets, also notes it’s important for anyone who makes changes to their portfolio after viewing it

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ABODE & BEYOND

Home Team NANETTE LEPORE LIKED DECORATING HER WEST VILLAGE AND HAMPTONS HOUSES SO MUCH SHE DECIDED TO CREATE A LINE OF HOME PRODUCTS.

BY SUZANNE CHARLÉ

O

“There has to be strong brand awareness.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Nanette

Lepore launches her first home collection, Villa, which features comforters, duvets, pillows, and area rugs in patterns that draw on the company’s ready-to-wear history.

Currently, all Villa items—bedding, pillows, and rugs—are made in China. “The price points for the gift and bedroom categories are just too low to be able to manufacture in New York City,” says Lepore, one of the Garment District’s main boosters, and a prime mover in the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative to support local small manufacturers. She notes with regret that New York no longer has the embroidery mills or the factories with machines to make oversize sheeting: “The machines were all disassembled and sent overseas years ago.”

But Lepore, who proudly points out that 80 percent of her clothing line is made within a 10-block radius of her 225 West 35th Street office, says she has ideas for new products that she could produce here. “Wallpaper: I’d love to do that.” nanettelepore.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH LIPPMAN (LEPORE); TIM GEANEY (INTERIORS)

ver the decades, fashion designer Nanette Lepore has attracted a loyal following of boldfaced names, among them Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, and Michelle Obama. In January, New York City’s First Lady and Daughter Chirlane McCray and Chiara de Blasio wore Lepore dresses and coats at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s inauguration. It was a canny choice—pieces from a designer who is stylish yet not too pricey, and one committed to bringing back jobs to the Garment Center.

Now Lepore—known for bright colors, gypsy-inspired prints, and exuberant surface detail—has launched a new home collection, Nanette Lepore Villa, a name that she chose to evoke a fantasy vacation home. The first edition, composed of comforters, duvets, pillows, and area rugs, draws on the company’s ready-to-wear history: the iconic peacock feather pattern, which first appeared on a dress in 2000; a medallion print, first seen on a pair of shorts; and the ubiquitous paisley.

“I had so much fun decorating my own homes, I couldn’t wait to create a line of home products,” Lepore says. An avid shopper who seeks out finds from souks in Morocco to yard sales in the Hamptons, she spent months furnishing her family’s townhouse in the West Village, then the beach house in Amagansett. (Designer Jonathan Adler joined her in the process by helping her curate her abundant acquisitions.)

Villa, which is available online at macys. com, nordstrom.com, and also nanettelepore. com, is designed for a broad customer base, like the clothing line: “from 18 to 40, the woman who is starting her career to the —CAROL ANTONE woman who’s established and wants to look put together,” Lepore says.

The color palette is also varied—think of it as country versus city. Fun, pop prints will brighten up a beach house or dorm room (“I want to help the student make her first ‘nesting’ purchase!”), while more subtle effects, softer, neutral colors will add interest to a living room or master bedroom in a sophisticated urban apartment (“and they’ll appeal to men”).

Carol Antone, vice president of creative services for Peking Handicraft, which produces more than 30 designer lines, including Villa, says that although designer home furnishings have exploded in the past decade, not every designer successfully transfers a runway aesthetic to an interior environment. “There has to be a strong brand awareness,” Antone notes.

“Trina Turk’s bedding is true to her look, so is Villa—it evokes the essence of Nanette Lepore’s eclectic design, texture, and detail.”

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NEW YORK’S FINEST

THIS MONTH THE VERY BEST OF devour: downtown power spots imbibe: carbonated drinks

Downtown Destination ABC KITCHEN’S TEMPTING, ORGANIC CUISINE HAS MADE IT NEW YORK’S LATEST POWER RESTAURANT. BY JULIET IZON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANCESCO TONELLI

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here aren’t many establishments that can count the Obamas and Kim Kardashian as regulars, but, then, ABC Kitchen defies easy categorization. The restaurant, part of star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s culinary empire, has been packed since its opening in 2010, but boldfacers aren’t the only ones who can snag a coveted table. “It was our intention to make it an everyman’s restaurant,” says general manager Ryan Armstrong, who is also director of operations for all ABC restaurants. “It had to be accessible for someone [who can] spend $1,000, but also to diners who only have $40.”

While there is no doubt that the Union Square spot has become a hip destination for downtown creatives doing deals over lunch, the location also helped determine the restaurant’s MO: “We wanted to be dedicated to the neighborhood that we were in,” Armstrong notes. For that reason, 45

covers are reserved for walk-ins every night (in the bar and cocktail areas).

The biggest draw, though, is the cuisine. The kitchen, helmed by executive chef Dan Kluger, turns out American fare with a focus on local and sustainable sourcing. While items like the roasted carrot and avocado salad or the crab toast are trademark (and oft-copied) dishes, Kluger notes that the menu changes according to what items are at peak freshness: “There are a lot of things that become signature for the season,” he says.

“When summer rolls around, it’s corn or our heirloom tomato toast.”

One ABC Kitchen feature isn’t changing anytime soon, however: its wide appeal. “We just set out to build a good restaurant with good food,” Kluger says. “I never expected it to become as popular as it is.” 35 E. 18th St., 212-475-5829; abchome.com/abc-kitchen G

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GUIDE devour

Landmarc continues to flourish as both a neighborhood restaurant and a celebrity hangout.

Downtown Dish A Voce From its Forty-One Madison location in the Flatiron District, A Voce is perfectly positioned for haute business powwows—the I-banker crowd at Credit Suisse is only a block away. Boldfacers like Steve Madden and Sofia Vergara also stop by to dine on Executive Chef Ben Lee’s inventive Italian cuisine. Popular dishes include Uovo, a five-minute egg on toast with pickled chanterelles and crema di parmigiano; gnocchi alla Romana with red-wine-braised octopus; and linguine with wild boar Bolognese.

For working lunches in summer, try the 100-seat outdoor patio.

41 Madison Ave., 212-545-8555; avocerestaurant.com

Buvette Chef Jody Williams’s intimate (50-seat) French-inspired gastroteque draws a neighborhood and celebrity crowd (sometimes one and the same) for light bistro

BY DALENE ROVENSTINE

fare—you’ll find everything from charcuterie plates, croques monsieur, and tartines to octopus salad and cassoulet. Buvette is in the former historic Pink Tea Cup space, which Williams artfully restored with a Gallic/Village flair, adding a marble bar and reclaimed whiteoak flooring.

42 Grove St., 212-255-3590; ilovebuvette.com

Cafe Cluny With its eclectic country-style décor and traditional American fare, Cafe Cluny, in the West Village, has a low-key, idiosyncratic chic. The restaurant is always bustling with notable names, like Sally Field, Nate Berkus, Cameron Diaz, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Amy Poehler. Sure favorites to try: the Cluny hamburger, house-made herbed pasta, and the Montauk monkfish.

284 W. 12th St., 212-255-6900; cafecluny.com

Carbone Winning raves from The New York Times and critics throughout the city, this downtown spot is a celeb magnet—Beyoncé, Jay Z, Anderson Cooper, SJP, and Matthew Broderick have all stopped by. The sumptuous menu created by chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi brings Italian-American cooking to new levels of deliciousness. Try the lobster mezzaluna, the oxtail cavatelli, and the halibut piccata.

181 Thompson St., 212-933-0707; carbonenewyork.com

Landmarc After a decade in business, Marc Murphy’s first restaurant, Landmarc, in Tribeca, remains both a destination and a neighborhood dining spot. “It’s a place where our neighbors, many of them celebrities [Christy Turlington, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Chris Martin, to name a few] and executives, feel comfortable,”

GO WEST Del Posto attracts haute tech and glamour gallerists.

Del Posto, the brainchild of über-restaurateurs Mario Batali and Joe and Lidia Bastianich, may seem a bit far west for a lunchtime power crowd, but Barry Diller’s IAC, Google, and Chelsea’s high-powered art gallerists are all nearby. Summer favorites include vitello tonnato, Del Posto’s Sfera di Caprino, a celery and fig truffled beef carne crudo, and the lobster agrodolce with celery sorbetto. salad—perfect for quick business lunches. Del Posto’s star chef, Mark Ladner, a Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef, has won raves for his gluten-free pastas and four stars from The New York Times. 85 10th Ave., 212-497-8090; delposto.com

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Murphy says. “We have been serving our signature dishes to them for over 10 years.” Favorites include the grilled skirt steak salad, chicken liver and bacon cavatelli, and roasted spaghetti squash.

179 W. Broadway, 212-343-3883; landmarc-restaurant.com

Minetta Tavern Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, and Dylan Thomas frequented the original Minetta Tavern; the current iteration, conceived by Keith McNally, attracts literary types like Jay McInerney, along with a broad assortment of boldfacers ranging from David and Victoria Beckham to Brooke Shields. Although such dishes as the Pied de Porc Pané and Tripe à la Mode de Caen are featured specialties, it’s the Black Label burger (a selection of prime dry-aged beef at a cool $27 at lunch) that brings guests in again and again.

113 Macdougal St., 212-4753850; minettatavernny.com

The Smile Executive Chef Melia Marden’s seasonal Mediterranean menu is informed by her roots in Greece, where she spent part of her childhood. Delectable dishes like spaghetti in lemon cream and oregano- and parsley-rubbed branzino attract a chicster crowd, which has included gallerist and art dealer Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Into the Gloss’s Emily Weiss and Nick Axelrod. Try the baguette French toast at brunch.

26 Bond St., 646-329-5836; thesmilenyc.com G

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CEDRIC ANGELES (LANDMARC). OPPOSITE: NOAH FECKS (TORO); CRISTI LUCACI (COCKTAILS ON BAR)

HOT SPOTS FOR HOTSHOTS.

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GUIDE imbibe

Fizz Buzz CARBONATED COCKTAILS MAKE FOR PERFECT SUMMERTIME SIPPING.

BY ERIN RILEY

Booker and Dax For Dave Arnold, cofounder of the cocktail lab at Momofuku’s Booker and Dax, shaken or stirred should come with a third option: carbonated. Arnold started experimenting with this technique almost 10 years ago and dedicates an entire section of his menu to fizzy recipes. Make sure to try the Captain Russel: a blend of rum, amaro, and sweet Italian vermouth, whose CO2 charge provides a brisk rendition of an otherwise heavy drink. The benefits of bubbles are most evident in the wonderfully simple gin and clarified grapefruit juice combo. “The carbonation removes any bitterness from the grapefruit juice, leaving you with a crisp, non-cloying, and refreshing reprieve,” Arnold says.

207 Second Ave., 212-254-3500; momofuku.com

Distilled Whereas many fizzy cocktails often have fruit and herb components, bartender Benjamin Wood likes to experiment with heavier flavors. Infusing his Mead Americano with bubbles plays up the rich and heady taste of the honey wine, Aperol, and gin blend and makes the robust drink surprisingly fresh. And with a hearty menu made up of dishes like glazed pork ribs and country-fried duck and waffles, a

little fizz is definitely the way to go.

211 W. Broadway, 212-601-9514; distilledny.com

splash of Champagne.

316 Bowery, 212-254-0350; saxonandparole.com

Experimental Cocktail Club

The Third Man

This LES spot is known for its unusual blends, and like its Paris and London locations, a sultry speakeasy ambience. This summer, bar manager Thor Bergquist introduces the Umeboshi Fizz, a mix of freshly squeezed kiwi juice, mugi shochu, yellow Chartreuse, Lillet Blanc, and bitters flavored with umeboshi, the Japanese salted plum. Bergquist and his team bottle their carbonated cocktails on site, which allows them to create exact recipes with perfect dilution levels before guests arrive.

191 Chrystie St.; experimental cocktailclubny.com

Saxon + Parole Regardless of season, this Bowery eatery carries a selection of delightfully fizzy creations. Bar manager Masa Urushido is known for spiking classics with creative twists. For his Moscow Mule, he crafts ginger beer from scratch and charges the brew with carbon dioxide before adding vodka and a splash of pressed lime and serving it in the now-requisite copper mug.

The Italian classic Negroni cocktail also gets a carbonated boost before being topped with a

At The Third Man, a Vienneseinspired East Village cocktail bar from the team behind Edi & the Wolf and Seäsonal, head bartender Kasia Krupinska carbonates a medley of mixes and introduces the Collins Fizz just in time for summer—a house-made cucumber soda combined with gin and homemade lemon confit syrup spiked with star anise, coriander, and rose hip. When hungry, head on over to Edi & the Wolf, one block away, for some spaetzle and a glass of Zweigelt.

116 Ave. C, 212-598-1040; thethirdmannyc.com

WD-50 Not surprisingly, molecular gastronome Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50 introduced its first fizzy creation back in 2008, long before the genre was in vogue.

Warm-weather offerings this year include the Yellow King (a nod to the team’s favorite TV show, True Detective), a whimsical concoction of pineapple, dates, and rye. “When you carbonate clarified pineapple juice with rye, the bubbles gird against the pineapple’s natural sweetness while also stimulating its proteins and enzymes to create this aromatic froth,” says bar director Kevin Denton, who recommends the cocktail as an aperitif, accompanied by an order of the restaurant’s famous edible-shell oysters.

50 Clinton St., 212-477-2900; wd-50.com G This month bars across the city introduce their carbonated cocktail renditions of summertime flavors.

One of Toro’s seasonal gin and tonics: Toda la Noche, with Citadelle gin, Cognac, and lemon cordial.

SPANISH REVIVAL Toro’s take on the classic gin and tonic.

A bustling South Chelsea spot by way of Barcelona, Toro has stirred up the cocktail scene since its opening last September.

The menu categorizes wines by flavor profile and features cocktails flavored with herbs like thyme and lavender. As for carbonation, “Spain’s love for the gin and tonic is something we set out to celebrate from the start,” says beverage director Caitlin Doonan. She suggests trying the El Jardin, which pairs Brooklyn-made Greenhook gin with a fresh blend of chamomile tea, oro blanco, and shiso, with an order of marinated oysters. “We see the tonic as a way of amplifying all the botanicals in the gin, so we create custom tonics from scratch that play with each of the gin’s flavors.

Not to mention, it’s a great palate cleanser.”

85 10th Ave., 212-691-2360; toro-nyc.com

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and Finally ...

Keeping Up Appearances CAN MANHATTAN POWER WOMEN EVER LET IT ALL HANG OUT?

BY BETSY F. PERRY

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ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O’LEARY

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bserve any Manhattan mogul on a weekend walk down Madison Avenue, and—despite stubble, bed head, and a sweatshirt not quite covering his belly—I guarantee this schlubby-tubby fellow doesn’t care what anyone thinks. More importantly, neither does his blonde arm candy in head-to-toe Chanel who wouldn’t let go of him for all the bijoux at Buccellati. However, try being the C-level female equivalent, venturing out with unwashed hair and a jogging suit minus Spanx, and you will be news fodder for New York’s claws-out tabloid media. Poor Rikki Klieman, a powerhouse criminal attorney and wife of the city’s super cop, Bill Bratton, still remembers the shame of being written up by columnist Cindy Adams for a purple velour number she was spotted in a decade and a half ago! Of course, when Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein appears in need of a shave, as he did at the world’s ultimate power confab, Davos, his several-days growth generated nonstop buzz and an analytical write-up (complete with a comparison to Tom Ford’s artfully groomed stubble) in the FT. So of course there’s a double standard, but does this really mean New York women on the top rung of the business or social ladder are never allowed a day off to, as they say, let it all hang out?

Ask any power woman and you’ll get the same answer: NO! My pal Jolie Hunt, former chief marketing officer for AOL and now principal of Hunt & Gather, a New York–based marketing and communication company, learned that early on when working for former Pearson CEO Marjorie Scardino—the first female chief executive of a FTSE 100 company. “Here was a woman of enormous substance who couldn’t go anywhere without having people ask what she was wearing,” says Hunt, who feels that “people are always looking for chinks in your armor” if you’re a high-profile female. Hunt thinks there’s a “geographical divide” in the city, and although downtown is a lot friendlier to her off-hours style, “casual requires a lot of effort.” Elizabeth Musmanno, president of the Fragrance Foundation and founder of a luxury brands PR firm, believes she’s solved the off-hours fashion dilemma by “adopting Vera Wang’s style of black leggings with a sweater flopped on top. I wear the same thing every day.” She swaps out high heels for cowboy boots on the weekend, but makes sure they’re from a major label like Dior, since “it’s best to assume you will run into someone you know.”

Frank Friscioni of Oscar Blandi says clients have spoken about the times they’ve ventured out without even lipstick and ducked for cover in bodegas or hidden behind clothing racks to avoid being seen, which unfortunately was what Katie Couric should have done before getting outed by Us Weekly when she appeared a little too au naturel. To avoid such mishaps, Friscioni will use sarcasm with clients, saying, “I see you’ve decided to deal with the airport landing strip barreling down the middle of your head.”

Even the most powerful women—and men—can’t insulate themselves from some random human contact in this great city. The higher the recognition factor, the better the odds that Madame CEO in her unvarnished splendor will cross paths with someone from Gawker. We were warned growing up: “Don’t leave the house without…” And for good reason. Not long ago, after a jog in the park, I darted into Bergdorf’s wearing running shorts and a ratty T-shirt. I immediately bumped into my mother. The look of sheer incredulity on her face said it all. Thanks, Mom, I get the picture. G

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