WAG Magazine February 2018

Mikaela Shiffrin Racing into America’s heart

inspired

JUDGED A

TOP

by romance

MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE FEBRUARY 2018 | WAGMAG.COM

ANTHONY BOURDAIN Culinary passions

THE LURE OF THE ROAD,

from Killington to Bora Bora

MY MOTHER & GRACE KELLY A moving memoir

TIM MOREHOUSE Living by the sword

VICTORIA

The Queen who loved love

WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL 125 years of caring

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CONTENTS FEBRUARY 201 8

12

40

16

44

20

48

24

50

28

54

30

58

34

62

Is love about looks?

‘Love hurts’

A ‘Bridesmaid,’ revisited

‘Melt’ing the heart of foodies Love in the Year of the Dog

Anthony Bourdain talks culinary culture Victorian inspirations

36

A queenly eye for the male of the species

39

Burlesque’s nerdy sister

Fashioning the body

Drawing on the male nude

Valentine’s Day with a twist

That’s amore

Ann Hampton Callaway writes (and sings) the songs

Love of learning in life’s afternoon Bewitching linesman

76

A playground for all seasons

80

The cutting edge

82

Embracing her sexy

72

86

White Plains Hospital: 125 Years of Caring

COVER STORY

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN

THIS PAGE John Partridge’s “Prince Albert” (1840), oil on canvas. The Royal Collection.

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FEATURES H I G H LI G HTS

64

WAY Modern Zen luxury

84

WEAR New Canaan’s style guru

88

WEAR Stylish serenity

92

WEAR A fitting tribute

96

WHAT’S COLLECTIBLE Wrapped in each other

98

WARES Following your heart in interior design

100

WANDERS ‘Czech’-ing out Prague

102

WANDERS Love over water

104

WANDERS The hotel lover

112

WONDERFUL DINING For the love of family – and food

116

WINE & DINE A marriage of wines and cultures

118

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Weitzman high-steps through history

120

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Shoe queen

122

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Where knowledge creates a healthy heart

124

WEAR A fleeting, Florentine romance

126

WELL Relationships lead to success

128

PET OF THE MONTH Sophisticated Sadie

130

PET PORTRAITS A fetching affair!

132

WHEN & WHERE Upcoming events

136

WATCH We’re out and about

144

WIT Do looks matter in love?

America’s heart

inspired

JUDGED A

TOP

by romance

MAGAZINE

IN NEW YORK STATE 2014, 2015, 2016

WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD LIFE FEBRUARY 2018 | WAGMAG.COM

Culinary passions

THE LURE OF THE ROAD,

from Killington to Bora Bora

76 128

COVER STORY

Mikaela Shiffrin Racing into

ANTHONY BOURDAIN

100

MY MOTHER & GRACE KELLY A moving memoir

TIM MOREHOUSE Living by the sword

VICTORIA

The Queen who loved love

WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL 125 years of caring

COVER:

Mikaela Shiffrin.

See story on page 72.

82

120

The American Dream.

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ART

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WHAT IS WAG?

Some readers think WAG stands for “Westchester and Greenwich.”

We certainly cover both. But mostly, a WAG is a wit and that’s how we think of ourselves, serving up piquant stories and photos to set your own tongues wagging.

HEADQUARTERS A division of Westfair Communications Inc., 3 Westchester Park Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: 914-694-3600 | Facsimile: 914-694-3699 Website: wagmag.com | Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $24 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call 914-694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Anne Jordan at 914694-3600, ext. 3032 or email anne@westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dee@westfairinc.com

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White Plains Hospital School of Nursing, 1946

NursiNg has chaNged, but the way we care for patieNts has Not. Healthcare has changed a lot since our nursing program’s first class graduated in 1903, but our nurses still remain at the head of the class. Today, White Plains Hospital is among only 7 percent of hospitals nationwide to hold the prestigious MagnetŽ designation for nursing excellence. This achievement recognizes the skills, professionalism and teamwork needed to deliver superior patient care.

Celebrating an exceptional 125 years, and an inspiring future.

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WAGGERS

TH E TALENT B EH I N D O U R PAG E S

JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

ROBIN COSTELLO

RYAN DEFFENBAUGH

ALEXANDRA DELBELLO

JANE K. DOVE

ALEESIA FORNI

GINA GOUVEIA

PHIL HALL

DEBBI K. KICKHAM

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COVER STORY, PG.72 DOUG PAULDING

Oops!

In “Nutmeg Nights,” our story on planetariums in Connecticut (Page 44, January WAG), we failed to credit the photographs. Thanks to Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport for the great shots.

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First White Plains Hospital ambulance, 1906

Today’s emergency care uses a differenT kind of horse power.

White Plains Hospital’s first ambulance ran on oats. Today’s emergency vehicles utilize the latest technology to send digital EKG transmissions to the Hospital before a cardiac patient even arrives. This allows us to respond to emergencies faster than ever before - when every minute counts.

Celebrating an exceptional 125 years, and an inspiring future.

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EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

DEMENTIA CONFERENCE 2018

Fourth Annual Hudson Valley Regional Dementia Conference 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday May 17, 2018

The DoubleTree by Hilton, Tarrytown

Presented by Montefiore Health System and a grant from the New York State Department of Health

A full-day conference for people diagnosed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and their families, caregivers, professionals who provide support and services and Spanish-speaking caregivers

Keynote speaker: Daniel Kuhn, LMSW, Vice President of Education at All Trust Home Care

Featured speaker:

Dr. Jessica Zwerling

Director, Montefiore Hudson Valley Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease

For more information: Visit AlzDementiaConference.org Call 800.272.3900 or 914.253.6860 10

WAGMAG.COM

FEBRUARY 2018

F

ebruary is a multifaceted month with many holidays and events. So it is fitting that this issue has not one but four related themes — love, romance, sex and the body.

Some of our stories draw on the entire quartet. Our opening essay, which riffs on Yale professor Richard O. Prum’s acclaimed book “The Evolution of Beauty,” considers the role that looks and lookism have played in everything from evolution to today’s battle of the sexes, with implication for the current sexual harassment crisis and the #MeToo movement. (The importance of looks in love — or lack thereof — also figures in this month’s Wits.) Meanwhile, my essay on fear and longing in the work of Federico Uribe — from a forthcoming book on the challenging Colombian artist who has strong ties to the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers — also draws on his philosophy of love, sex, romance, gender and the body.

Elsewhere, however, we give each of our themes its due. The body takes center stage in Danielle’s visit to a “nerdlesque” performance (think burlesque for brainiacs); Mary’s tour of FIT’s provocative show on “The Body: Fashion and Physique”; our exploration of the rarefied figural drawings of Rubens, Van Dyke and Jordaens in The Morgan Library & Museum’s “Power and Grace” exhibit; and our appreciation of Luke Edward Hall’s playfully classical home designs. The power and grace of the athletic body is on display in our stories on Olympic fencer Tim Morehouse, who has opened another branch of the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in Port Chester, and Olympic Alpine skier (and cover subject) Mikaela Shiffrin, who’s looking to harvest more gold when the PyeongChang Games begin Feb. 8.

As Doug discovered when he covered her impressive 1-2 finish Thanksgiving weekend in Killington, Vermont, experts think she’s the woman to beat. (And speaking of Doug, we’d like to give him a shout-

out here. Our resident Dionysus, who is also an avid skier, did triple duty this month, covering Shiffrin and Killington as a winter playground while also contributing his usual, informative Wine&Dine column.)

Love, romance and sex are in the air in Laura’s exploration of Axial Theatre’s “Twisted Valentines Festival” and Danielle’s visit to Flirty Girl, a naughty but nice boudoir boutique in Waccabuc. Would Queen Victoria be amused? Given the sexy goings-on in “Victoria,” in its second season on PBS’ “Masterpiece,” we think the Queen would be delighted. The addictive series is part of our Victorian sub-theme, along with Mary’s consideration of “The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour,” opening at the Hudson River Museum this month.

Finally, there is love in its purest distillation, devoid of base notes of sex or top notes of romance. Jane D. plumbs the love of learning and life that fires A Home on the Sound, an aging- in-place lifestyle program for senior citizens. And we get a preview of a book that has already piqued Hollywood’s interest. “The Bridesmaid’s Daughter,” by former Westfair Communications’ account representative Nyna Giles, has plenty of romances and marriages. But at its heart, it’s the story of a friendship between two women — Giles’ mother, and onetime Eileen Ford model, Carolyn Scott and the late Princess Grace of Monaco — as well as Giles’ relationship with her mother, a bond that transcended madness.

The book is a reminder that love is complex. It’s messy and cruel. And it’s what sustains us through the ice and snow of the heart’s winter.

Georgette Gouveia is the author of the new “The Penalty for Holding” (Less Than Three Press) and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group).

They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes at thegamesmenplay.com.

Readers may find her novel “Seamless Sky” and weekly installments of her “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” on wattpad.com.

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O U B T LOOK S ?

A E V O L IS

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

W

hat do the tangerine-colored Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, which looks like it’s wearing an orange slice for a crest; the pink-footed Black-bellied Whistling Duck, with its corkscrew-shaped privates; and the rest of our fine, feathered friends have to do with the #MeToo movement?

If you’re Richard O. Prum, more than you might imagine.

Prum — professor of ornithology at Yale University, head curator of vertebrate zoology at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and a passionate bird watcher since he was a child in Manchester Center, Vermont, — has written a fascinating, provocative book that theorizes that evolution and, specifically, Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution, are not just about what species need to adapt for survival and reproduction. In “The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World — And Us” (Doubleday, $30, 428 pages) — one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2017 — Prum writes that evolution is also about what species want, what pleases their eyes and their libidos. And this has far-ranging consequences for the so-called “battle of the sexes,” whose latest front is the fight against sexual harassment.

There are some ideas in “The Evolution of Beauty” that we wouldn’t give you two cents for. We’re tired of everyone who isn’t in the arts thinking he is an artiste. Prum speaks of “biotic artworlds,” as if “bird songs, sexual displays, animal-pollinated flowers, fruits and so on are art, too.” No, those are aspects of reality, and art is about metaphor, a kind of heightened reality.

Prum also writes that, contrary to myth, men are as sexually choosy as women, citing James Bond and Don Juan as literary examples. All we can say is that anecdotally, we have found men to be like the Madison Avenue bus: Miss one and another will be along presently.

Prum further notes that beauty is not about symmetry, citing Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and

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Opposite: At first, Psyche doesn’t know how stunning Cupid is. (He visits her in the dark.) But, of course, he turns out to be a babe, as in Antonio Canova’s “Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss” (1793), marble.

Musée du Louvre. Photograph

by Jörg Bittner Unna.

Cindy Crawford as “three of the 20th century’s most glamorous and sexually idolized American women” who “came to fame with prominent, symmetry-defying facial moles.” But we would argue that symmetry plays a large role in beauty, which, to us, is only about bone structure.

Still, when Prum talks about how the human male and female bodies evolved to satisfy our aesthetic and sexual desires — much in the way peacock plumes developed to attract peahens — he reframes the relationship between men and women, forcing us to consider it in a thrillingly new way. The female body’s hourglass shape and youthful facial features, such as large eyes, were not necessary to propagate the species. Women could have had the smaller boobs and butts of their primate cousins. But this is what men desired. Similarly, male privates, with their boneless phallus, larger scrotum and smaller testes, have evolved that way to give women greater sexual pleasure, regardless of reproduction.

The jury is still out, however, on whether women prefer the more refined Apollonian model of male looks, the burlier Herculean model or something in between. The few studies that have been done on this, Prum writes, have yielded mixed results.

The complexity that is love, he realizes, is about a lot more than looks. The qualities that make up a good character and personality — “humor, kindness, empathy, thoughtfulness, honesty, loyalty, curiosity, self-expression and so on” — are crucial.

“Female mate choice in human evolution has focused largely on social rather than physical traits,” Prum writes. “In the long run, women have evolved to want mates who will be good partners to them and good parents to their children.”

So why is it, then, that women don’t always get what they want?

This is where sexual conflict theory — with its competing evolutionary forces — comes in. On the one hand, nature and culture have evolved phenomena to make women safe and independent, sexually and otherwise. These include, Prum writes, everything from the smaller difference in size between men and women — relative to the differences in size between males and females in other primates — to homosexuality, which mitigates against male competition for fe-

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PRUM WRITES THAT EVOLUTION IS ALSO ABOUT WHAT SPECIES WANT, WHAT PLEASES THEIR EYES AND THEIR LIBIDOS. AND THIS HAS FAR-RANGING CONSEQUENCES FOR THE SO-CALLED ‘BATTLE OF THE SEXES,’ WHOSE LATEST FRONT IS THE FIGHT AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT.

males. But female sexual autonomy is a defense mechanism, Prum adds: “As long as males continue to evolve mechanisms to advance their capacity for sexual coercion and violence, females may remain at some disadvantage. As I explained in the context of duck sex, the ‘war of the sexes’ is highly asymmetrical — not really a war at all. Males evolve weapons and tools of control, while females are merely coevolving defenses of their freedom of choice. It’s not a fair fight.”

Which brings us to patriarchy and feminism — with Prum describing the latter not as an ideology of power and control but one of freedom of choice — both of which have reemerged with renewed strength today.

“Watching recent political battles over birth control and reproductive rights in the United States, many experienced observers have remarked, ‘But I thought all these issues were settled decades ago!’ Unfortunately, if these events are part of a cultural sexual conflict arms race, we can expect that the struggle for female sexual autonomy will continue as each side innovates new countermeasures to neutralize the previous advances by the other.”

It’s not hard to extrapolate from Prum’s observation here that sexual harassment has long been a tool of the patriarchal status quo, while the #MeToo movement has emerged as the counterinsurgency.

So, are we condemned to be locked in this struggle? Is biology destiny, as Sigmund Freud famously observed?

“Patriarchy is a product not of our evolutionary history nor of human biology per se but of human culture,” Prum writes. “Beginning with 19th century feminist movements for women’s suffrage, access to education and rights to property and inheritance, there has been a culturally coevolved effort to counteract the control of patriarchy and to reassert and advance female sexual autonomy and freedom of choice. Although it took thousands of years to happen, the results of these efforts — legal recognition of women’s suffrage, universal human rights and the abolition of legal slavery — are demonstrations that it is possible to dismantle deeply ingrained components of patriarchy that are often, still, erroneously considered as biologically ‘natural.’”

For more, visit prumlab.yale.edu.

‘ Lo v e Hur t s ’

FEAR AND LONGING IN THE WORK OF FEDERICO URIBE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Recently, I had the pleasure of writing an essay for a new monograph on the contemporary Colombian artist Federico Uribe — whose haunting mixed-media paintings and sculptures draw on a difficult childhood, his complex relationship with Roman Catholicism and the violence of his homeland to explore issues of sex/ gender, passion and the body, among others.

“Federico Uribe: Watch the Parade” (Skira, April 24, 208 pages, $50) is truly a local labor of love. It originated with Manhattan’s Adelson Galleries, owned by Warren and Jan Adelson, who lived in Westchester County for many years. (Jan is the former chair of the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, where Uribe made a sensational showing in “Fantasy River,” a 2013 exhibit of his work.)

The book is edited by Bartholomew F. Bland, executive director of the Lehman College Art Gallery in The Bronx and former deputy director of the Hudson River Museum. (He continues his relationship with the museum this month as guest curator of “The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour,” featured on Page 34.)

“Watch the Parade” also gives Uribe fans and newcomers alike an opportunity to explore the breadth of his interests, including a love of nature and a willingness to consider its shadow side.

My essay plumbs but one facet of an artist whose work is often located where many of us live — at the intersection of fear and desire.

My thanks to the Adelson Galleries and Bland for the opportunity to participate in this fascinating project and for permission to reproduce the essay:

I

t’s not just the title of a Felice and Boudleaux Bryant song made famous by the Everly Brothers. It crystallizes Federico Uribe’s exploration of the body, sex and romance in his art.

“Initially, his formation began as a painter with sensual and brooding canvases influenced by his dark reflections on the (Roman) Catholic sense of pain, guilt and sexuality,” his website declares. And Uribe himself has hinted at Dickensian forces down on the farm of his Colombian youth. “I had a terrible childhood for many reasons,” he told The New York Times on the occasion of his 2013 exhibition “Fantasy River,” at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York.

How terrible is suggested in the painting “Obedience” (2014), in which a Fernando Botero-stout woman stands on a chair and irons the back of a boy — a bent figure made of shards of color, like

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Federico Uribe’s “The Embrace” (2009), color pencils and plastic fasteners. From his “Pencillism” series. Private collection, Miami.

Uribe’s sculptures of found objects. Try as she might, however, she cannot take the “wrinkles” out of this young man. He remains, perhaps, like us, stoic, obdurate even — bracing himself, taut hands on knees — the sum of his distinct parts.

Scour the internet — that revealer of truths, halftruths, and fantasies — and you will be hard-pressed to find more on the locus of this work and that childhood suffering. Perhaps that is by design, and perhaps it is just as well, for Uribe has said he wants viewers to find “the beauty in the pain” of his paintings and sculptures — not in his biography. And yet that biography is telling.

It could be said, with apologies to Voltaire, that had Uribe not existed, Colombia would’ve had to invent him. It’s a country where voters recently rejected a peace accord in the more than 50-year struggle between the government and rebel forc-

es — the longest war in the history of the Americas.

(It’s hinted at in Uribe’s “Bride, General and Rabbi” (circa 2001-2002), in which busts of a cross section of Colombians cluster behind a general, armored in medals, and his bride, whose veil reveals her skeptical, sideward glance.

That half-century conflict echoes a bloody history. The Spanish conquistadores brought to the place they would christen — with equal parts idealisms and portent — New Granada, slavery, smallpox, and a zero-sum game, in which Roman Catholicism would brook no competitor.

The Catholic attitude toward sex, as with those of other religions, is a complex one. The relative openness of Jesus — who nonetheless idealistically equated the sins of thought with those of deed — would combine with the patriarchy of the Hebrew Bible and St. Paul, a seminal figure in Christianity’s foundation, and the reformatory ardor of St. Augustine, the converted playboy who originated the concept of original sin, to create a muddled view of sex and the body that was bound up with torturous (and not so surprisingly titillating) renunciation.

The body, particularly the female body, was considered a vessel of corruption, succumbing as it had to the blandishments of the serpentine Satan that led to humanity’s fall from God’s grace. But humanity would be redeemed by the Son of God made man — a new Adam who would, after the scourging and torture that marked his Passion, die the most excruciating and ignominious of deaths on a cross.

In time, the image of Jesus hanging on a cross would become the central symbol of Western civilization as it journeyed from suffering wraith in the despairing Middle Ages to heroic nude in the Renaissance — a classically inspired period that would also see a revival of the old gods and goddesses as an excuse for indulging in sensual delights. The pietistic Spanish conquerors of Colombia were not immune to the soft-porn glow of these frolicsome, ravished, and ravishing creatures (See the Clark Art Institute’s exhibition “Splendor: Myth and Vision: Nudes From the Prado.”)

It is through the prism then of the beautiful, brutalized body, and sex as art history that the viewer must consider the work of Uribe, who graduated

Federico Uribe’s “Leda and the Swan,” detail #2. (2014), color pencils and pencil drawing on canvas. From his “Built-in Colors” series.

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from the University of the Andes in Bogotá and went on to a fine arts masters from the State University of New York at Old Westbury, studying with the influential Uruguayan-born printmaker Luis Camnitzer.

The conventions of formal art and the rich backdrop of Spanish Catholic Colombia are, however, only two of the influences on Uribe’s work. Another is his choice of materials — found objects that marry him to environmental concerns, and his paintings to his sculptures. Indeed, it’s hard to say where one leaves off and the other begins so that his paintings often feature figures who seem to be made out of colored pencils or pieces of them — “pencillism” — juxtaposed with figures of more traditional and painterly strokes.

Uribe’s materials, which have included bullet casings, are not the kinds that are easily recycled into innocuous functionality or traditional beauty. They threaten anguish. “Hooker” (2006) gives us a sculpture of a supremely well-balanced female torso of gold-colored safety pins. You don’t, however, long to caress this torso as you might one of smooth, cool marble. Its spiky beauty is too dangerous.

You have to wonder, then, how the couple in the sculpture “The Embrace” (2009), gets it on: their quill-like bodies melding, so their faces are lost to us. So are their genders. After all, who’s to say that the figure with the black hair, blue shirt, and green pants is male and the blonde one in the pink dress is female? All that is clear is that they are engaged in a thorny intimacy that in other works is jeopardized by the sins of the past — classical, prelapsarian and colonial. Still, they own that intimacy.

In the painting “The Fear of Cupid” (2014), Aphrodite/Venus’s bad-to-the-bone baby boy takes deadly aim with one of his arrows at a face made of colored pencils cut on an angle like so much penne pasta.

That face eyes Cupid, in the guise of a Renaissance cherub, with horror, mouth agape. Clearly not everyone wants to feel love’s sting.

It’s worth dwelling here on Uribe works inspired by another winged creature, the swan, a romantic bird said to mate for life that’s a popular subject in classical mythology, Renaissance art and 19th-century ballet. In the myth “Leda and the Swan,” Zeus, king of the gods, seduces or rapes the Spartan queen, while disguised as the bird, thus fathering the future Helen of Troy (And we know how things turned out for her and the city that would give her its name. Not good).

Uribe’s “Leda and the Swan” paintings dwell on the sexual violence of the myth in contrast to Leonardo’s demure lost canvas on the subject (copied

by Cesare da Sesto around 1515) and Michelangelo’s meditative lost treatment, copied by Peter Paul Rubens almost a half century later. One of Uribe’s Ledas lies on a crimson Empire chaise with legs akimbo as swan-y Zeus comes in for a landing, straddling her — wings spread, beak open, one webbed foot resting on her rib cage, lifting a full breast. The

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Federico Uribe’s “Hooker” (2006), safety pins. From his “Torso” series. Private collection, Colombia.

other Leda lies partly off-canvas on the grass so that all we see is the rapacious bird as he homes in on its curvy, pink-tinged, headless prey, a webbed foot territorially covering Leda’s vagina. This is hardly like the protective, liberating “wings of the dove” of the Psalms or even of the Henry James novel, which deals with sexual cruelty in a more ceremonious manner.

The swan as sexual predator and the bisected female body fuse in Uribe’s installation “Sylphides” (2000), which gives us the splayed lower halves of ballerinas as chandeliers, ceiling fans, and spokes.

They’re garbed in the short crinoline tutus of the late19th century work “Swan Lake,” which presents Woman as both bewitched and bewitching, victim and victimizer. The title of Uribe’s work is something of a misnomer, for “Sylphide” can refer to “Les Sylphides,” a plotless early 20th-century ballet, or “La Sylphide,” a 19th-century ballet about a sprite for whom romantic capture means death. (Those works feature the longer tulle skirt of the 19th-century’s early Romantic period, not the short tutu of “Swan Lake” and Uribe’s work.)

Still, Uribe’s “Sylphides,” “La Sylphide,” as well as “Swan Lake” suggest the same theme — the impossible danger of love with the Other, a not-surprising preoccupation for one who comes from a racially mixed former colony. In “Cats and Dog” (2009), one of Uribe’s pointed “pencillist” paintings, a brown woman eyes a white man who fingers her pink dress, which has been pulled down to reveal ripe breasts in the tradition of Renaissance painting. A small, faithful white dog sits not so subtly on her lap, snarling at the man who turns away, a rearing black-and-white cat on his shoulder. Usually felines are female symbols and dogs, male ones. But dogs are rooted in a person, cats in a place. They like to hunt, suggesting a lover who can’t be trusted.

Even Uribe’s masturbatory works — featuring “sex with the one you love,” to quote Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” — are fraught. In the painting “Single” (2009), a young man sits with his legs splayed, his arms crossed in front to melt into hands reaching from behind his back. Another pair of arms emerges from behind to hold a sunflower where his erect phallus should be. At least it’s a sunflower.

In one of Uribe’s greatest canvases, “Dangerous Love” (2009), a fine, seated male nude leans forward in a lighted room, twisted toward us, lost in thought. The work takes its pose from Anne-Louis Girodet’s “The Funeral of Atala” (1808) and its iconography from Frederic Leighton’s “An Athlete Wrestling with a Python.” Instead of wrapping his arms around the legs of his beloved, as in the “Atala” painting, Uribe’s subject — Adam, as serpent — clings to a phallic snake that rears and hisses. It’s more like sex with the one you love-hate.

Nor does sleep, which Alexander the Great said was the only thing, along with sex, that reminded him of death, offer respite. The older man in the painting “Dream” (2014), lies in bed eyeing an erection that takes the form of a curvy Gibson girl nude, save for a pair of black boots. It’s reminiscent of the images of Uranus, who was castrated by his son Cronos (father of Zeus), and from whose severed parts Aphrodite rose. No wonder some men fear women. They have more than Adam’s rib. They own a man’s sex. They are his sex.

Given the loaded aspect of sex in all its meanings, what’s an artist to do?

Well, he can puzzle it out on canvas, as Uribe does in “The Artist” (2014), in which the title subject puts the finishing touches on a nude’s vagina, evoking Pablo Picasso’s erotic drawings of an artist and his muse. But what is reality and what is art here? With her pink, beige tones, Uribe’s Galatea seems more real than her Pygmalion does, made as he is of pencil-shaped hatch marks. Perhaps there is too much of a divide in this picture plane for a relationship.

The only hope for sex without fear seems to be framing and containing it. In “The Date” (2009), a couple take the measure of each other warily across a table. On her side sits an apple similar to the one a coiled snake is about to devour in the painting above the table. We might imagine the couple are Adam and Eve, divorced but trying to reconnect long after Eden: Abel is, of course, dead. But they still visit Cain in prison, where he’s working at his online Ph.D in English. (Subject — sibling rivalry in John Cheever’s “Falconer.”) Eve snatches at her pink dress between her legs. Adam nervously fingers a sideburn, shielding his face from her. There is both too much to say and not enough. And so they are like the pair in Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Dangling Conversation,” whose “superficial sighs are the borders of their lives.”

In the sexually explosive works of Federico Uribe, that’s the best you can hope for.

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’ I D A , R M E S V E ‘ I D S I IT ED R B A

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

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he Bridesmaid’s Daughter,” Nyna Giles’ affecting new memoir, is a pair of love stories, though not in the way you might imagine.

Yes, there are weddings, including a royal one, and marriages, some more lasting than others.

But at its heart, “Bridesmaid,” out next month, tells the parallel narratives of a friendship between two women, a successful model and a Hollywood star turned real-life princess, and the complex relationship between that model and the daughter who would come to understand her descent into madness.

“I had always wanted to tell this story, which I think is a powerful story,” says Giles, COO of Giles Communications, a mental health advocate and a former account representative for Westfair Communications, WAG’s parent company.

It wasn’t until she met Eve Claxton in 2013, however, that she found the framework in which to do so. Claxton, a writer, editor and Peabody Award-winning radio producer, was looking to write a book about the legendary Barbizon Hotel for Women — the launching pad for scores of models, actresses and writers, including Ali MacGraw, Phylicia Rashad, Liza Minnelli, Eudora Welty and Sylvia Plath, who immortalized it in her novel “The Bell Jar.” Among its guests in the late 1940s were two teenagers seeking success and adventure in New York who would become close friends — Grace Kelly, the future movie actress (“High Noon,” “Rear Window”) and princess of Monaco, and Giles’ mother, the future Eileen Ford model Carolyn Scott, who would appear on the cover of top magazines like McCall’s, be photographed by Francesco Scavullo and screen-tested by Howard Hughes.

So close were these Barbizon residents that Scott would serve as one of Kelly’s bridesmaids at her cinematic 1956 wedding in Monaco. Later, they would be neighbors again at Manhattan House, after Scott married advertising executive Malcolm Reybold, Giles’ father. Princess Grace — a woman whose passions and down-to-earth na-

FEBRUARY 2018

Nyna Giles. Photograph by Franco Vogt.

ture belied her cool public persona — would serve as godmother to Giles’ oldest sister, Jyl. And yet, in 1989, a supermarket tabloid would reveal that Scott was homeless — sleeping in a shelter on New York’s Upper East Side by night; freshening up in the ladies’ lounge at Bergdorf Goodman and frequenting the city’s parks, libraries and churches by day.

“How did this glamorous woman end up in a shelter?” Giles says. She and Claxton soon realized that this was the story they wanted to tell.

Giles was also moved to journey into her mother’s past by her own work as a mental health advocate. A parent whose children include a daughter with psychiatric and developmental challenges, Giles served as a vice president on the board of The Association for Mentally Ill Children of Westchester for 10 years. She and husband Peter cochaired its 2015 5K Run/Walk.

“I care about how people see the mentally ill,” she says. “And I realize how much I’ve learned.”

Over a leisurely lunch at Graziella’s Italian Bis-

Carolyn Scott, Charm magazine, June 1950. Photograph by Gleb Derujinsky.

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tro in White Plains, where she lived for 17 years, the Pound Ridge resident and former model — with more than a passing resemblance to Meryl Streep — takes WAG through the nuances of mental illness and her mother’s own complex narrative. There were telltale signs of trouble in Scott’s life along the way — impulsive trips to her hometown of Steubenville, Ohio, where a local beauty pageant had been her ticket out of a grim Cinderella existence, and to the Roman Catholic shrine at Lourdes; keeping Giles, the youngest of her three daughters, out of school with imaginary illnesses. (Giles stresses, however, that this was not Munchausen syndrome by proxy, because “she would never do anything to harm me or to gain attention by my ‘illnesses.’”)

In 1985, Scott was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but Giles’ extensive research has led her to conclude that her mother was suffering from postpartum psychosis, brought on after Giles’ birth and exacerbated by her “Mad Men”style marriage. Though Scott lived with her husband and three daughters in a modern house on five acres of waterfront property in Lloyd’s Neck, Long Island, that he called “the Dream House,” Giles says this was far from the world of the arts and entertainment that she had relished as a Manhattan model.

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Then, too, it was an era in which you didn’t talk about pregnancy let alone imagine any psychological effects from it. While both Scott’s husband and Princess Grace may have sensed something was wrong, they were at a loss as to what to do about it. The relationships were complicated by the princess’ onetime affair with her friend’s spouse. And yet, Giles says her mother never spoke of Princess Grace with anything but understanding.

Forgiveness emerges as a big theme in “The Bridesmaid’s Daughter.” One of the most moving moments comes when Giles — a watchful angel in her mother’s later years — meets her on Mother’s Day 1990 in the 58th Street square she favored.

“I want you to know that I forgive you,” Giles said, referring to the times her mother kept her home from school under the delusion she was sick.

“That’s a lot for a person like me to handle,” Scott replied, tears in her eyes.

Heart disease would force her into an adult home. Colon cancer would claim her life in 2007.

“I feel nothing but love for her now,” Giles says. “It’s important to separate the disease from the person.”

“The Bridesmaid’s Daughter: From Grace Kelly’s Wedding to a Woman’s Shelter — Searching for the Truth About My Mother” (St. Martin’s Press, $26.99) is on sale March. 27. For more, visit thebridesmaidsdaughter.com.

‘ MELT’ ING THE HEARTS OF FOODIES

BY JENA A. BUTTERFIELD

K

ristin and Bill Hall are the loving couple behind the popular Melt Sandwich Shop in White Plains. They’ve been serving up their addictive sandwiches since 2009 and were slated to open a second location in Stamford at the end of last month. Their partnership in business and in life made us want to know how they achieved success in both. So, we went back to the beginning.

We wondered, When it came to love, what initially melted their hearts?

The couple met in Mystic, Connecticut, where Kristin, who holds a master’s degree in neuroscience, waited tables at a restaurant Bill helmed, the now-defunct Azu. “I had a crush on Bill from my very first day working there,” she says.

Bill had opened Azu after his success as executive chef and co-owner of Bravo down the road. His initial resistance to dating a co-worker waivered one evening when Kristin dropped a plate of food.

“Her reaction was so genuine and she was so upset about it that it made me see what an incredibly sweet and sensitive person she really was,” Bill says. “I knew right then that I wanted to ask her out on a date.”

“Our first date was to The Copper Beech Inn in Old Lyme, Connecticut,” Kristin says. “Bill ordered a bottle of wine and, when the server poured him the taste to drink, his hands were shaking so much he had to use (them both) to hold the glass. At the time, I was so nervous myself, I didn't even notice.”

Eventually, Bill started planning his new business venture, scouting locations in White Plains.

Kristin dove right in to help but she was about to accept her first job in the neuroscience field. She realized she had a decision to make.

“I'd never believed in anything as much as I believed in Melt,” she says. “So turning that research job down was the easiest choice I ever made. I can honestly say that Bill's dream of a sandwich shop became my dream long before we even signed the lease or wrote the menu for Melt. I've never once looked back.”

They threw themselves fully in to the business and a concept for Melt started to take shape.

“We wanted to do something different and be-

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Flat bread with slow-roasted turkey breast, bacon and cheddar. Courtesy Melt Sandwich Shop.

yond the typical sandwich shop,” Kristin says. “We knew our ingredients — from the house-roasted and smoked meats to the made-from-scratch breads and sauces — would definitely set us apart. But we also wanted the ordering process to be different.

Our concept of ‘choose your bread, choose your meat, choose your topping combo’ came together when we were thinking of ways to have a truly unique way of creating a sandwich.”

Soon, true to the name they had chosen, their relationship and their business began to melt together.

“The biggest surprise for me was just how much everything about owning your own business becomes so much a part of you,” Kristin says. “We put absolutely everything, mentally and physically, into the business. It's impossible to leave work at work, especially when that work is literally our entire livelihood.”

But the pressure helped propel them forward.

“There's no second income to fall back on in our marriage,” Kristin says. “We're all in. It can be challenging at times. For example, we haven't taken a vacation beyond small weekend getaways since our honeymoon in 2010. But it's truly all worth every

Bill and Kristin Hall own and operate the Melt Sandwich Shop in White Plains. Now the husband-and-wife duo are spreading the love to Stamford. Courtesy Bill and Kristin Hall.

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single day of hard work. We both genuinely love what we do and feel so much pride with every compliment we receive.”

The couple knew they were onto something when a thread was started on food enthusiast website Chowhound. After a week, the thread had grown with people raving about their food. “I remember being pretty blown away by that,” Kristin says. “But I think it took a little longer before we really thought, ‘OK, we're doing good.’ I'd say that was probably a year or two in, when we nabbed the number one spot on Yelp for all businesses in White Plains.”

They recently hit a snag when looking to expand.

They couldn’t use the name Melt at the Stamford location.

“When we first opened we were the only business with the name ‘Melt’ in the entire Northeast,” Kristin says. That’s changed since their opening in White Plains. “Because of this, we're changing the name of the (Stamford) location to Roasted Sandwich Co.,” she says. The couple plan on keeping the same sandwich menu that succeeded in White Plains but are adding house-cut French fries, mac and cheese, ice cream sandwiches and a full bar to their offerings.

Alas, as with all business and personal relationships, there are trade-offs. The annual ultimate date night approaches but it seems the busy business

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE FOR ME WAS JUST HOW MUCH EVERYTHING ABOUT OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS BECOMES SO MUCH A PART OF YOU. WE PUT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY, INTO THE BUSINESS. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEAVE WORK AT WORK, ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT WORK IS LITERALLY OUR ENTIRE LIVELIHOOD. — Kristin Hall

side of Bill and Kristin’s partnership will eclipse any plans for romance.

“This year for Valentine's Day we will both most likely be at our new shop,” Kristin says. “It will be the first holiday with both sandwich shops open and we'll need to make sure things go smoothly. So, it probably won't be too romantic this year. But we have had very romantic V-Days in the past, the best one probably being when we went ice skating and spent the day together in Providence, Rhode Island.

Simple but fun.”

As they expand upon the dream that started it all, Kristin and Bill have advice for couples like them who are considering the plunge into business together.

“Make sure you both really love it and feel passionate about what you can create together,” Kristin says. “Make sure that the business is something that you can truly envision yourself sacrificing for and fighting for. If you both are willing to fully give it everything you've got, you'll never fail.”

She adds a caveat.

“Also, keep in mind that owning a business together means seeing your significant other pretty much 24/7/365 so try to be at least relatively sure that you won't kill each other after all that time together.”

For more, visit meltsandwich.com.

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FEBRUARY 2018

The Gift of Caregiver Relief this Winter.

M

anaging a loved one’s healthcare can be taxing and all-consuming, which is why it’s so important for caregivers to take the time to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Waveny’s caregiver relief solutions can help seniors and families receive the services they need to make the most of this winter, together.

During the week, take advantage of our vibrant Adult Day Program with free local transportation for daytime peace of mind. Or, plan a getaway knowing overnight respite guests with Alzheimer’s and dementia can stay with us for as short as a week at The Village, our award-winning Assisted Living community. Our trusted care can even come to you – whether personalized assistance or just a helping hand – through Waveny’s home-based services. Or, choose any combination of our services and programs to meet your unique needs and preferences.

Conveniently located in New Canaan, Waveny’s continuum of care flows fluidly within a single nonprofit organization, without any expensive buy-in fees or long-term commitments.

So if downsizing into a caring and compassionate independent or assisted living community is something you’re considering, winter is the perfect time to take advantage of a 3-month trial at either The Inn or The Village.

Discover more by dropping by, calling 203.594.5302 or visiting waveny.org.

LOVE IN THE YEAR OF THE DOG

BY AUDREY RONNING TOPPING

F

ebruary is the month of love and romance epitomized by Valentine’s Day. It is also the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which this year falls on Feb. 16, two days after Valentine’s Day. In the Chinese lunar zodiac, 2018 is the Year of the Dog. (More specifically, since the Chinese zodiac also deals with colors and elements, it is the Year of the Brown Earth Dog, a call to action.) And what better symbol of unconditional love, loyalty and honesty could we have? We can feel the power of love in our daily lives and astrologists see it in the constellations.

Ancient observers of the heavens first developed elaborate systems of casting horoscopes and predicting events, based on the movements of the sun, moon, stars and planets and their effects on human affairs and the natural world. Astrologists claim that people born in the Year of the Dog, for instance, contain many of the best traits of human nature. Like canines, dog people are said to be more concerned with the happiness of others than their own wealth or success. But they sometimes become so deeply involved in other people’s lives that they are perceived to be nosey.

Astrology, like fortune-telling, clairvoyance and soothsaying, has been ridiculed by scientists and pragmatists for decades but respect for astrology is on the rise. Consulting the stars, via the internet, for answers concerning love and romance, propitious wedding dates and health issues have become quite trendy. I have friends who feel they must consult their horoscopes before stepping out the door in the morning.

In an insightful article about astrology in The New York Times, Amanda Hess observed: “The ‘story’ the astrologists are telling us is now capable of unfolding at the pace of the internet.

Twitter allows followers to push out updates that keep pace with the news, and AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning can churn out predictions at speeds unmatched by flesh and blood astrologers.”

Like Amanda Hess, I was born under the constellation Gemini, (May 21) which astrologists claim represents the sign of the Twins. Hess noted that her “curmudgeonly twin points out that astrology is fake.” My skeptical twin side also

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Lads and Lassies, it’s your year to howl.

Photograph by Marco Verch.

LIKE CANINES, DOG PEOPLE ARE SAID TO BE MORE CONCERNED WITH THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS THAN THEIR OWN WEALTH OR SUCCESS.

finds astrology “fake news.” But my easygoing twin advised me to download a new horoscope app. After soliciting some biographical details, the new app informed me: “You’re the chatterbox of the zodiac and are not afraid to speak your mind….This year you will have more energy, do more things and make dramatic changes in your life. Go with your gut.” I’m not going to be at variance with the cosmos.

Paramours no longer have to travel to India or climb to remote monasteries in the Himalayans to search for “the truth” or advice about their love life. Internet gurus are available with a click.

You can find Zodiac sign memes all over Twitter.

The internet offers numerous astrology sites with myriad products. Some services are by subscription. Other popular free sites, such as cafeastrology.com, and Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone, have love-predicting oracles open for questions.

Years ago I went hiking in Vietnam with the En-

The author’s beloved dog, Wolf. Courtesy Audrey Ronning Topping.

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glish novelist, Graham Greene, who was researching his 1955 novel “The Quiet American.” Together we visited an old Buddhist Temple in the hills near Hanoi. His conversion to Roman Catholicism found its way into such haunting novels as “The Power and The Glory,” and “The End of The Affair.”

So I was surprised when Graham picked up the mallet and rang the gong to drive away the evil spirits. “Oh,“ I said: “I thought you were Catholic!”

He replied: “I am, but there is no point in taking any chances.”

Although many horoscope readers feel that astrology is fake, they are still curious enough to take a look — just in case. Astrology is becoming a commercial industry as well as an old-fashioned spiritual practice. The question arises: Why are we turning from traditional scientific methods and looking to the stars for unscientific guidance?

Steph Koyfman, who started The Daily Hunch, tackled this issue with a tab on its website reading “Astrology is nonsense,” and explained, “Physics isn’t happy with the idea that planets are meddling in our love affairs, and confirmation bias keeps us from being dissuaded when horoscopes miss the mark.”

Horoscopes can also ruin your day. I say “Go with your gut.” Believe only what you want to believe (that is the good news).

Here’s wishing you only good forecasts in the Year of the Dog.

P: 914.967.6020 E: info@jwhdesigns.com www.jwhdesigns.com

Jennifer Howard Owner/Designer

FEBRUARY 2018

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B O Y U N R D A IN O H T N A TALKS CULINARY CULTURE

BY ALEESIA FORNI

I

n the wake of a slew of sexual harassment claims that have reached industries ranging from health care to Hollywood, famed chef and television host Anthony Bourdain is raising his voice in support of the #MeToo movement. One of the movement’s catalysts for public exposure has been Bourdain’s girlfriend and her allegations of sexual assault at the hands of a powerful executive.

“The quality of life has to improve” in the restaurant industry, Bourdain told students and family members attending the Dec. 19 graduation ceremony at his alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. “As chefs, as leaders, as employers, we are going to have to start addressing this in a very serious way.”

“What kind of a place do we want to work in?

What kind of leaders do we want to be?” he asked the crowd in the school’s Marriott Pavilion auditorium. “It’s not just how are we going to behave as professionals, as employers, as leaders, but what kind of behavior will we accept in our presence?”

That question is one Bourdain himself has had to wrestle with in recent months. Allegations of sexual misconduct recently pointed to two of his wellknown contemporaries in the industry, chef-owner Mario Batali and restaurateur Ken Friedman.

“What will we do about the things that we see?

The way others behave? How are we going to account for ourselves a week later, a year later, 10 years later, 20 years later, when we look at our hearts and we say, ‘I saw a lot of ugly behavior, and I did nothing’? Do not be that person,” he said.

Bourdain got his start at the Culinary Institute of America four decades ago, graduating in 1978.

He went on to work at New York City eateries, including Supper Club and One Fifth Avenue, before becoming an acclaimed writer, author and television host. His various series, including Travel Channel’s “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and CNN’s “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown,” have earned him more than a dozen Emmy nominations and four wins.

Bourdain in his graduation address pointed to his first work of nonfiction, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.” The book

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Anthony Bourdain speaking at The Culinary Institute of America. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

chronicles his professional history and offers a behind-the-scenes look at restaurant kitchens.

“I wrote a book as a working cook, as a working chef, intending to entertain a few line cooks, a few fry cooks down the street. This was my highest ambition for this thing,” he said. “I wrote an honest book reflecting who I was at that time, what little I knew and saw of the world.”

Today, however, Bourdain has a different take on “Kitchen Confidential,” which became a New York Times bestseller and propelled him to stardom.

“I realize in writing it, in being so proud of having endured a very tough world, a very different kitchen and restaurant world than you are going to experience, by celebrating that, by glorifying that, by being proud of it, by romanticizing it, I was writing a meathead bible. It has been dismissively referred to many times by women in this business, and rightly so, as the ‘bro bible.’”

Bourdain previously has said his view changed because of his girlfriend Asia Argento, the Italian actress and film director who was one of the first women to come forward with allegations of assault against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

The author-chef said he feels strongly remorseful that his book prolonged a culture that allowed

Anthony Bourdain. Courtesy CNN.

harassment to exist and even thrive. “If there’s a harasser in the kitchen who’s a jerk, chances are he’s got a copy of my book on his station,” he told his Hyde Park audience. “And I’m going to have to live with that.”

For more than a century, most kitchens have operated under the brigade system, which organizes positions in a strict hierarchy of authority and responsibility.

“The system was not designed to uplift or to educate,” Bourdain said. “For many years, the system was to push, to haze, to pressurize, to try to make them break.”

It was designed to allow kitchen higher-ups to ensure their underlings would not crack under pressure.

As a result, said Bourdain, the brigade system has filled the industry with many who exemplify “grotesque behavior.”

“Look around you,” he said. “You’re seeing giant, hundred-million-dollar empires vaporized overnight because of really hideous behavior by a few people in that organization.”

Bourdain said this new reality is something all actors in the restaurant business will need to address.

“Please, go out there in this new world that is being created right in front of us, right now, today and tomorrow and over the next few weeks and months and years,” he said, “and change that world for the better.”

Anthony Bourdain appeared at his alma mater in December.

Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

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IN S P N I R A I A R T IO N S O T IV C

BY MARY SHUSTACK

"O

rnamental lushness, seductive surface techniques…”

Consider us intrigued by the next exhibition at the Hudson River Museum.

A showcase of 20-plus contemporary artists whose work is inspired by an earlier aesthetic, “The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour” will open Feb. 10 in Yonkers.

But don’t expect a straightforward journey into the past. The show is billed as “an exhibition of contemporary art that employs Victorian aesthetics as a lens to explore modern concerns.”

This sweeping, multimedia journey into contemporary thought on gender roles and beauty is organized by the Hudson River Museum and guest curated by HRM’s former deputy director Bartholomew F. Bland, who’s now the executive director of the Lehman College Art Gallery, City University of New York.

As advance materials share, there’s been a resurgence of interest in the last decade in “ornamental lushness, with works of art that conceal pointed social commentary beneath seductive surface techniques. More than 20 contemporary artists whose work is inspired by the aesthetics of the 19th century have shaped, molded and transformed these ideas to reflect today’s concerns, commenting on gender roles and societal tensions under the guise of the overt beauty. The Neo-Victorians will encourage audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the Gilded Age to look at the growing group of contemporary artists imbued with a ‘Victorian aesthetic,’ and to recognize how visual influences of the past continue to shape art in the present day.”

The subject matter is well-suited to the museum, as its collection includes American art from the 19th century through the present and its site encompasses Glenview, a Gilded Age home on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors to “The Neo-Victorians” will no doubt be amazed by the variety of approaches to the subject matter, with the artists working in large-scale installations, textiles, cut-paper sculptures, video, photography and more.

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Catherine Latson. "Birch Corset," 2016. Birch veneer, tapioca wood, vintage remnants. Courtesy of the artist. Images courtesy Hudson River Museum.

Artists in the exhibition include Troy Abbott, Jennifer Angus, Joan Bankemper, Nancy Blum, Ebony Bolt, Laurent Chehere, Alison Collins, Camille Eskell, Lisa A. Frank, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Dan Hillier, Marilyn Holsing, Patrick Jacobs, Pat Lasch, Catherine Latson, Zachari Logan, Davy and Kristin McGuire, Chet Morrison, Donna Sharrett, Deborah Simon, Nick Simpson and Darren Waterston.

Though there is no definitive “Neo-Victorian” movement, the featured artists reject the idea of

mass production in favor of elaborate construction, detailed design and an appeal to the senses.

Among the show’s highlights are expected to be “Spiral, 2017,” a “peephole” installation by Jacobs that features an enchanted landscape that will be built into the gallery walls; a multimedia, cut-paper diorama by Holsing, “The Pursuit of Love,” that will incorporate video and sound; and Latson’s “Birch Corset, 2016,” a celebration of fluidity that pushes the flexibility of wood to the extreme. The show will

Laurent Chehere. Pink 2017.

Archival Pigment Print, floating gallery plexi mount, edition of 7 + 2 APs. Courtesy of Muriel Guépin Gallery

also include an elaborate, site-specific installation by Angus throughout the Great Hall of Glenview. The preserved insects affixed in geometrical patterns will reference not only the Victorian interest in specimen collecting but also the intense desire to create order through formal classification.

Bland, the curator, has organized the exhibition into broad thematic groupings: Artist as Naturalist, exploring the ways that artists mine the natural world for inspiration; Artist as Purveyor of the Fantastical, which references a Victorian obsession with bizarre subject matter and follows the “steampunk” tradition of merging science fiction and fantastic technology; and Artist as Explorer of Domesticity, which satirizes the “cult of domesticity,” the idea of feminine middle-class women at the center of the home.

These themes, Bland has commented in advance of the show, are relevant today.

“The issues of contested domesticity and the concurrent feminism that runs just under the surface of many of these highly decorated pieces are urgent ones that remain just as hotly contested as they were more than a century ago. The broad societal interest in technology has led to a counter-movement that emphasizes individual, bespoke creativity in an increasingly mass-producing, mass-consuming society. Likewise, the embrace, exploration and appreciation of the natural world’s beauty is an eternal source of inspiration for artists.”

“The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour,” with related programming, runs Feb. 10 through May 13 at the Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers. For more, visit hrm.org.

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A QuEENLY EYE FOR F T O H E e L S A P ECIES M E H T

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

he woman who gave her name to an age of probity and prudery even — think piano legs sporting a kind of pantaloons — was herself not particularly Victorian.

At least not when it came to men.

Queen Victoria — the subject of the addictive-as-chocolate-covered-potato chips “Victoria” airing on PBS’ “Masterpiece” — was a woman who enjoyed the pleasures of matrimony with her beloved prince consort, Albert, even as she struggled to balance her role as devoted wife and mother with her destiny as queen. But before her marriage — and even after it when Albert’s death plunged her into an intense, prolonged period of secluded mourning — she had an eye for the aesthetic appeal of the male of the species and the power as queen to indulge it.

The woman who would be queen was an unlikely contender. Princess Alexandrina Victoria — she would drop her disliked first name on her ascension to the throne — was born on May 24, 1819 at London’s Kensington Palace to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III, who is better known on this side of the Pond for losing the American Revolution. Edward’s older brothers had either no children or no surviving heirs. Edward himself died when Victoria was less than a year old and she was raised in a straitjacketed, emotionally abusive environment shaped by her controlling mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and the princess’ domineering comptroller (and possible lover) Sir John Conroy.

But from a tender age, Victoria displayed a steely determination and a certain sensuousness — later captured in Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s romantic portrait of the young queen with tresses tumbling down bare shoulders -- that suggested an inborn self-possession. On the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham informed her that her uncle, William IV, had died and she was now queen, the 18-year-old wrote, “I got out of bed and went into my sitting-room (only in my dressing gown) and alone and saw them.”

Holding her mother and, especially, Conroy at arm's length, the new queen relied on the prime

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Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s “Family of Queen Victoria” (1846), oil on canvas. Royal Collection. From left: Prince Alfred and the Prince of Wales; the Queen and Prince Albert; Princesses Alice, Helena and Victoria.

minister — William Lamb, the second Viscount Melbourne — for guidance, and they developed a father-daughter, mentor-pupil relationship underscored in the PBS series by the chemistry between Jenna Coleman’s Victoria and Rufus Sewell’s “Lord M.” (Coleman has spoken admiringly of what she calls Sewell’s “goofy” charisma.)

The relationship between Victoria and Melbourne — whose wife, Lady Caroline, had had an affair with Lord Byron — was a little too close for some, particularly after Victoria forced one of her mother’s ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora, to submit to a gynecological exam on the suspicion that she was pregnant by the detested Conroy. Lady Flora was found to be suffering from liver cancer — hence her distended belly — and her subsequent death led Victoria’s critics to sneer at her as “Mrs. Melbourne.”

Lord Melbourne’s steadying influence diminished with the arrival of a suitor in the form of her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (played by Tom Hughes in the series). There were other suitors, including Prince Alexander of the

Netherlands. But Albert’s dreamy looks won the day: “(Albert) is extremely handsome,” she told her diary. “His hair is about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful.” This in contrast to the “very plain” Alexander.

The marriage — which took place in February of 1840 in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London — was based on more than mere superficialities, however. Albert proved to be devoted to her and England — improving the efficiency of the royal household, instituting reforms and taking over many of the royal responsibilities as Victoria was increasingly occupied with having their nine children. It was not a smooth division of labor, no pun intended, or transition. According to an article in last September’s issue of BBC History Magazine, Victoria was torn between being a traditional wife and mother and her queenly birthright. (Perhaps not so coincidentally, this

Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and her devoted consort, Prince Albert (Tom Hughes), in the acclaimed “Victoria,” airing Sundays through Feb. 25 on PBS’ “Masterpiece.”

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is a theme of Netflix’s “The Crown,” the story of her great-great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, who succeeded her as the U.K.’s longest reigning sovereign.)

One place in which Victoria and Albert seemed to be in perfect sync was the bedroom. You have to wonder if the queen’s diary blushed after she confided this to it post-wedding night: “I NEVER, NEVER spent such an evening!!! MY DEAREST DEAR Albert ... his excessive love & affection gave me feelings of heavenly love & happiness I never could have hoped to have felt before!

He clasped me in his arms, & we kissed each other again & again! His beauty, his sweetness & gentleness — really how can I ever be thankful enough to have such a Husband! ... to be called by names of tenderness, I have never yet heard used to me before — was bliss beyond belief! Oh! This was the happiest day of my life.”

We have to imagine then that Dec. 14, 1861, when Prince Albert died of typhoid — or, some now think, Crohn’s disease or stomach cancer — was the saddest. For a number of years, Victoria withdrew from public life, but she was brought back into that arena by two men — the wily Benjamin Disraeli, who would become her favorite prime minister, and Scottish manservant John Brown, whose relationship with the queen — featured in her book “Leaves From the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands” — would become the subject of much speculation (and the 1997 film “Mrs. Brown,” starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly).

In 1887, an Indian Muslim clerk, Abdul Karim, would claim the place that Brown, who died four years earlier, had once held in her life and affection — serving as Munshi, Persian for secretary, teaching Victoria Urdu or Hindustani and remaining in her employ until her death when he returned to India with a pension. (Their story was the subject of a 2017 movie, “Victoria & Abdul,” with Dench reprising her role as queen and Ali Fazal as Abdul.)

When Victoria died on Jan. 22, 1901 — marking what was truly the end of an era — she was buried with one of her husband’s dressing gowns and a plaster cast of his hand as well as mementoes from Brown, including a lock of his hair, a picture and his mother’s wedding ring, which he had tellingly bestowed upon the queen.

Not all Victoria’s encounters with men were quite as romantic. Among her attempted assassins was a rebuffed poet. But even in this Victoria saw a silver lining — the sympathetic support of England, with whom she had her longest love affair.

It was “worth being shot at,” she observed, "to see how much one is loved.”

“Victoria” runs Sundays through Feb. 25 on PBS’ “Masterpiece.”

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Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and her devoted consort, Prince Albert (Tom Hughes), in the acclaimed “Victoria,” airing Sundays through Feb. 25 on PBS’ “Masterpiece.”

BURLESQUE'S NERDY SISTER

BY DANIELLE RENDA

S

ashaying across the stage is a sultry, darkhaired woman, wearing a black latex bodysuit.

Resembling a modern-day pinup girl, she winks seductively at the audience, responding with an innocent “bless you” to anyone who approaches her.

Moments later, a red curtain opens to reveal Cherry Pitz, a petite, pink-haired lady wearing a garter belt, a corset and thigh-high stockings, who introduces herself as the childhood friend of Carrie White, the main character in Stephen King’s 1974 novel, “Carrie.”

And so it goes as WAG had its first encounter with “nerdlesque.” This growing subculture of burlesque captures the geekier side of striptease. Still sexy, still witty and still all in good fun, nerdlesque is often compared with the likes of fan fiction, in which online writers bring together historical figures, literary, movie and TV characters or celebrities in new, often romantic or erotic ways. (“Fifty Shades of Grey” began as fan fiction spun off of the “Twilight” series.) In nerdlesque, performers impersonate characters from books, movies or video games in provocative, playful ways that preserve the edginess of traditional burlesque.

With Valentine’s Day on its way, we thought, What better way to get our (creative) juices flowing than with an evening of curvaceous bodies, hokey jokes and Stephen King? In tribute to the master of horror, Hotsy Totsy Burlesque unveiled a most seductive show at The Slipper Room in Manhattan that abounded with King-ian references and macabre motifs — for the nerd with a wild side.

“We’ve fallen. We can’t get up. We like it that way,” says Cyndi Freeman, the founder of Hotsy Totsy Burlesque who plays Cherry Pitz, as she humorously opens the show.

Freeman and co-producer Joe the Shark (Joseph Naftali) are no novices to the form. The “home for wayward girls and fallen women,” as Freeman refers to the company, has produced shows that riff on the “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter“ series, HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” FX’s “American Horror Story,” and, recently, BBC’s “Doctor Who.”

Matt Knife and Cubby Hall as The Raft from “Creepshow 2.”

Photograph by Manish Gosalia. Courtesy Hotsy Totsy Burlesque.

It’s all done with a ton ’tude as the performers’ bodies don’t resemble stick-thin runway models or fitness athletes, but regular people, who are comfortable in their own skin. They range from thin to curvaceous, petite to tall, with slim waists and/or broad hips, though they all share a distinct sense of sexuality that is both admirable and enticing.

On this particular evening, Freeman guides the audience through her “reunion” with Carrie, who is visiting Cherry’s hometown of Nowheresville.

Cherry explains that the two had lost touch after Carrie “miraculously” survived the devastating prom night fire. During Carrie’s first trip to New York, Cherry can’t seem to figure out why tragedy follows her beloved friend like a dark cloud. Or why

every time Carrie is angry — which is conveyed through blazing eyes and eerie background music — those around her become physically distressed.

In addition to the fascinating performance, the show involved the audience in a raffle to win Stephen King memorabilia. An artist sketched the onstage activity, allowing guests to treasure their nerdlesque experience for just $20, while the alluring ambiance of The Slipper Room — with its crimson-colored walls, soft lighting and a vintage feel — turned the evening into an erotic valentine.

For more about Hotsy Totsy Burlesque, visit hotsytotsyburlesque.com. For more about The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St. in Manhattan, visit slipperroom.com or call 212-253-7246.

G T N H I E N O B I H ODY S A F

BY MARY SHUSTACK

W

hat exactly is a fashionable body?

As curator Emma McClendon writes in the brochure for an exhibition at The Museum at FIT, it’s a “cultural construct that has shifted throughout history to emphasize different shapes and proportions.”

Drawing on examples from the 18th century through today, “The Body: Fashion and Physique” is a colorful, thoughtful — and sometimes provocative — exploration through, what McClendon also calls, a “complex history” of the various body shapes that have been considered fashionable in the past 250 years.

What’s to come is clear before you even enter the exhibition, as a 2003 dress fashioned by contemporary artist Cat Chow holds court in a display case right outside the entrance. A closer look at the deceptively simple frock reveals it’s created entirely from plastic tape measures, which, the exhibition text tells us, “highlights society’s preoccupation with the measurements and sizing of clothing.”

Visitors then step into The Fashion and Textile History Gallery, where an opening vignette features a tunic from Martin Margiela’s spring 1997 collection that effectively turns the wearer into a dress form. Executed in beige linen, the piece is literally clothing as commentary, highlighting the artificial nature of what is considered ideal.

An introductory video is followed by a chronological journey through the centuries, a well-edited selection of 50-plus garments that celebrate, examine and offer food for thought as we watch fashions reflect changing tastes. We see thick and thin, narrow and voluminous, muscular and sleek. We see crinolines and corsets, girdles and flowing gowns, padded shoulders and fashions created to accommodate special needs.

We travel from an 18th-century English brocade stay (later known as a corset) to a formfitting creation from LaQuan Smith, a version of the ensemble worn by Kim Kardashian on a 2015 red carpet. Along the way, there are stops for an 1860s Scottish dress with crinoline, a swoon-worthy

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tiered 1913 dress featuring a silhouette popularized by Paul Poiret, flapper-style 1920s dresses, a 1951 Christian Dior “New Look” evening dress, a mod 1966 Twiggy mini-dress, a sleekly sexy circa 1976 Halston jumpsuit, a Danskin Unitard (accompanied by video featuring Jane Fonda and Olivia Newton-John that reflects the ’80s exercise craze), a “muscular” man’s sweater from 1991 by Jean Paul Gaultier, a Wonderbra in its 1990s heyday, plus 2017 SPANX “Power Panties.” Yes, it’s a fast-paced and all-encompassing tour.

The objects, all drawn from the museum’s collection, were selected as ideal illustrations of historical points but also help examine the broader relationship between the fashion industry and body politics.

As McClendon, associate curator of costume at the museum, shares, “Garments are supplemented with images from the popular press, fashion media, film and other sources to demonstrate how the fashion industry has contributed to both the marginalization and celebration of certain body types within our culture.”

We follow along as silhouettes change and technological innovations are used to create fashions that reflect ideal body types of the time.

“The fashion industry has historically treated the body (particularly the female body) as malleable, something that can be molded and changed with the cut of a garment, sculpting underwear, diet, exercise and even plastic surgery, depending on the period,” McClendon also writes.

The exhibition has a decidedly current sensibility, taking us into modern days when, McClendon continues, “… the internet and social media have changed the way people engage with fashion. The industry has opened up to a growing cross section of people, and certain designers have embraced a diverse view, including Becca McCharen-Tran of Chromat and Christian Siriano.”

Here, we see Siriano’s 2016 red silk blend crepe faille dress worn by Leslie Jones, Siriano stepping up to design it after the actress tweeted that she was unable to find a designer willing to work with her statuesque form. We also see the Chromat 2015 ensemble, part of its “directional cage

Previous page: Kim Kardashian, in a version of the LaQuan Smith dress, 2016, USA, Black lace, The Museum at FIT 2016.51.1, Gift of LaQuan Smith, worn to a red carpet event in 2015. Marc Piasecki/Getty Images; and this page, Roberto Cavalli, dress, silk, 2002, Italy, Gift of Roberto Cavalli. All photographs courtesy The Museum at FIT.

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pieces” referencing the construction of historical undergarments, that was used as the exhibition’s main image.

As McClendon notes certain contemporary designers, these two in particular, are part of a move to embrace a broader aesthetic.

“On the runway, they use models from across races and sizes, including transgender models and some who wear prosthetics. They also produce their lines in a variety of sizes, rejecting ‘straight’ and ‘plus’ divisions. They are setting an example for the industry with the message that all bodies are beautiful and deserve to be included in fashion.”

On the day WAG toured the exhibition, a mother and her young daughter were among the visitors. The girl, perhaps 7 or 8, attentively watched the video and seemed to be asking questions of her mother throughout the visit. We found it an inspiring moment, perhaps a sign of changing attitudes — no more so than when the girl looked to her mother as they turned to leave and said, “I’m glad we came here.”

“The Body: Fashion and Physique” continues through May 5 at The Museum at FIT on the campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. For more, visit fitnyc.edu/museum.

Left: Christian Siriano, custom dress for actress Leslie Jones, faille crepe, 2016, USA, Gift of Christian Siriano; and, right: Dress, silk crushed velvet, c. 1887, England, museum purchase.

01-18 - The Wag - February 14 Opening at the Neuberger Museum - crop marks.pdf 1 12/17/2017 3:36:09 PM

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th e m n o a l g e n i n w ude a r D

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

W

hen we think of Peter Paul Rubens, we think ‘Rubenesque’ — voluptuous nymphs and goddesses, their pearly, dimpled flesh offset by undulating garments, or the lack thereof.

But Rubens (1577-1640) was nothing if not an equal opportunity artist, as it were. He believed in studying the art that preceded him, particularly that of the Greco-Roman world with its emphasis on the heroic male nude that has dominated art history, and he encouraged protégés like Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens — who worked in his studio in Antwerp from 1617 to ’20 — to do the same. The results included studies and preparatory drawings of the male as well as female figure — many of them exquisite masterworks in their own right.

Now 22 of these works have come together for a rarefied show at The Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan, “Power and Grace: Drawings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens,” on view through April 29.

“The Morgan is particularly well-suited to tell the fascinating story of the intersection of these three artists in works on paper,” says Colin B. Bailey, director of the museum, once the home of financier and art collector J. Pierpont Morgan.

“Its collection of drawings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens is unparalleled in the United States.

Rubens, the teacher, cast a long shadow on all who studied with him. Nevertheless, Van Dyck and Jordaens, while acknowledging their debt to Rubens, would develop their own characteristic techniques and become renowned masters in their own right.”

During his years in Italy (1600-08), Rubens would immerse himself not only in ancient sculpture but in the drawings of Leonardo and the work of Michelangelo — all of which led to a fascination with human anatomy. Rubens’ “An Ecorché Study of the Legs of a Male Nude, with a Subsidiary Study of the Right Leg” (circa 1600-05) tips his hat to Leonardo with its exposed musculature, captured in pen and brown ink. Such studies served Rubens well in the rapturous “Seated Male Youth” (circa 1613), one of The Morgan’s signature works and one of the most celebrated drawings of the male nude in art history. Drawn from a live model and

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Jacob Jordaens’ “Study of a Male Nude Seen from Behind” (circa 1617-20), black, red and white chalk on light brown paper. Private Collection.

influenced by a Girolamo Muziano drawing, “Seated Male Youth” is actually a study for the figure of Daniel in Rubens’ “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” (circa 1614-16), an oil on canvas that is a popular highlight of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. In some ways, the Daniel of the drawing is superior to that of the painting. Standing before the actual painting, as we did recently, you can’t help but think that the “Technicolor” of the painting — it’s like a Cecil B. DeMille production — and cast of supporting characters (those circling, fang-baring lions) at once heighten Daniel’s drama and diminish him. In the painting, his clenched-handed entreaty to God is a bit theatrical. (And anyway, we know he’s going to be saved.)

Whereas in the drawing, you have the pure distillation of the communion with the divine — head tilted upward, mouth slack, hands clenched in prayer only to tense and reveal male muscle, exquisitely molded by black chalk heightened with white chalk on light gray paper.

“Seated Male Youth” underscores the idea that in drawing, the medium really is the message.

Everything matters, not just the way the artist poses the figure and uses line but his choice of materials, the way the materials interact with one

Detail of Peter Paul Rubens’ “Seated Male Youth” (1613), black chalk heightened with white chalk on light gray paper. The Morgan Library & Museum. Photograph

by Steven H. Crossot.

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DURING HIS YEARS IN ITALY (160008), RUBENS WOULD IMMERSE HIMSELF NOT ONLY IN ANCIENT SCULPTURE BUT IN THE DRAWINGS OF LEONARDO AND THE WORK OF MICHELANGELO — ALL OF WHICH LED TO A FASCINATION WITH HUMAN ANATOMY.

From left, Peter Paul Rubens’ “Angel Blowing a Trumpet, Facing Right” (circa 1617-20,) black chalk, white chalk with wet brush, pen and black-brown ink, squared in black chalk. The Morgan Library & Museum. Photograph by Steven H Crossot. Rubens’ “Angel Blowing a Trumpet, Facing Left” (circa 1617-20), black chalk, white chalk with wet brush, pen and black-brown ink, squared in black chalk. The Morgan Library & Museum. Photograph by Steven H Crossot.

another and even the kind of paper he selects.

There are few greater examples of this than Van Dyck’s stunning “Study for the Dead Christ” (circa 1635-40), a preparatory drawing for his painting “Lamentation of Christ.” Working from a nude model to observe the natural state of the body — just as Rubens did — Van Dyck (1599-1641) used black chalk, heightened by white, on gray-blue paper to capture the spectral effect of lifelessness. But because this is an artwork by one who had studied the Italian masters during his stay in Italy (circa 1621-27), “Study for the Dead Christ” isn’t merely about what it means to be dead. It’s about what it means to be dead beautifully.

Unlike Rubens and Van Dyck, Jordaens (1593-1678) never studied in Italy. His works have an earthiness — a power, if you will, to borrow from the show’s title — that contrasts with Van Dyck’s refinement, or grace (and Rubens balance of the two). But Jordaens did take Rubens’ advice about studying Greco-Roman sculpture and working from a live model, as evinced in his “Study of a Male Nude Seen from Behind” (circa 1617-20), done in black, red and white chalk on light brown paper.

Jordaens rendered the thickset model’s back as a landscape of dunes and gorges. The work is a tribute to the power — if not the grace — of the imagination.

For more, visit themorgan.org.

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Anthony van Dyck’s “Study for the Dead Christ” (circa 1635-40), black chalk heightened with white chalk on gray-blue paper. The Morgan Library & Museum. Photograph by Steven H. Crossot.

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VALENTINE'S DAY WITH A TWIST

BY LAURA JOSEPH MOGIL

T

ired of buying a box of imported chocolates or a dozen red roses for your true love on Valentine’s Day? Then consider a nontraditional gift for this romantic holiday by getting tickets to the “Twisted Valentines Festival,” presented by the Axial Theatre at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville on two weekends, Feb. 9 through 11 and 16 through 18.

One of Westchester’s beloved professional theater companies, Axial views the national day of lovers through the lenses of six original one-act plays. Each has a unique twist on relationships, ranging from hilarious to heartbreaking.

“We’re trying to capture the human experience and hoping that our audiences will be touched by the performances, identify with what they hear and maybe see things a little differently afterwards,” says Howard Meyer, Axial’s founding artistic director as well as head of the company’s acting and playwright programs. “I think people will be laughing, crying and nodding their heads and that,

Logo for Axial Theatre’s “Twisted Valentines Festival,” Feb. 9 through 11 and 16 through 18. Courtesy Axial Theatre.

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ultimately, they’ll be moved and might learn something about themselves.”

In explaining how the February production came about, Meyer says that Axial, which was founded in 1999, had always presented two mainstage productions each year and was looking for a way to add more offerings. The company found the answer in one-night-only programs that helped develop new works. One such event was “Twisted Valentines,” which began in 2015 as a “book-in-hand” production, in which actors read aloud from scripts on music stands.

“It was a three-hour marathon with 12 plays and proved so popular that it was standing room only,” says Meyer, a longtime resident of Yorktown who moved to Poughkeepsie several years ago.

Due to “Twisted Valentines’” huge success, Axial repeated the same format the following year.

“When we were underwritten to do a third round, we decided not only to continue involving our writers, directors and actors, but also to create fully produced programs with props, sets, costuming and lighting, as well as an expanded run of eight performances,” Meyer says. This year, there are six plays, five directors and 12 actors, and tickets are already selling at a fast pace.

Among the directors is Catherine Banks of Ossining, who has taken master classes in acting with Axial, performed in its shows and assisted in directing many of its student workshop productions.

“As a professional theater that maintains an ensemble, Axial held particular interest for me,” Banks says. “I was very drawn to the idea of being part of a community — a theater family that collaborated and created together on an ongoing basis.

“Having a core group of actors, directors, playwrights and technicians who work together builds a character for the theater company itself. Add to that the level of talent, emphasis on the truthfulness of the art, the nurturing and supportive environment and I felt I had found my theater home.”

Banks will be directing “More Myself Than I Am”

by Brooklyn resident David Gill. The one-act play takes the soul mates of Emily Brontë’s timeless “Wuthering Heights” and gives Cathy and Heathcliff a long-awaited reunion on the moors, only this time in the afterlife. In this fresh, witty spin, “the characters have modern, relatable traits that bring the Victorian tale into the present,” Banks says.

She also directs “Fix” by Atlanta resident John Patrick Bray, which takes place on New Year's Eve, a night when resolutions are quickly made and broken. Featuring a man and a woman in recovery, one day at a time quickly becomes one second at a time. As midnight approaches, they find keeping it simple becomes complicated by feelings of regret and longing.

“John writes about the condition of being human,

in this world, in this time, and he does it without sentimentality, without judgment, but always with hope,” Banks says.

Other one-act plays in the festival include “Fraught” by Briarcliff Manor resident Evelyn Mertens and directed by Susan Ward of Ossining. As Mertens explains, “A couple enjoying a casual December to May fling has second — and third and fourth — thoughts and then some as their camping trip takes on unforeseen significance.”

“Love at Worst Sight” by New Rochelle resident Ed Friedman and directed by Robin Anne Joseph of Hastings, features two enlightened, politically correct singles seeking love. The play questions whether they can reach past blind spots and prejudices to discern what is an illusion and what is a connection worth pursuing.

Written and directed by Bronx resident Wayne Paul Mattingly, “Worlds Apart” looks at two high school sweethearts who are facing the threshold of graduation and dreams, while on a racier note, “Miss Pudding Doesn’t Work Here Anymore” — written by Montgomery, New York, resident Lisa Kimball and directed by Ginny Reynolds of Patterson — spotlights a disobedient submissive who encounters a rule-breaking dominant deaf to safe words.

WE’RE TRYING TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND HOPING THAT OUR AUDIENCES WILL BE TOUCHED BY THE PERFORMANCES, IDENTIFY WITH WHAT THEY HEAR AND MAYBE SEE THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AFTERWARDS. — Howard Meyer

According to Meyer, what ties the eclectic “Twisted Valentines” plays together are three words that define what Axial’s philosophy is all about. They’re relevant, provocative and collaborative: “They’re relevant to the community. They’re provocative in that they ‘twist’ and create a more challenging look at relationships. And they’re collaborative, in that we get many of our writers, actors and directors involved.”

Adding to his sentiments, Linda Giuliano, Axial’s associate artistic director and literary manager, says, “I think what also binds the plays, whether comedic or traumatic, is that the characters are at a crossroads where there’s no turning back from the decisions they are faced with at the moment. All of them place the characters on an edge that involves confrontation with what is difficult to see and from which there is no escape.”

The Axial Theatre’s “Twisted Valentines Festival” will be presented at 8 p.m. Feb. 9 and 16, at 3 and 8 p.m. Feb. 10 and 17 and at 4 p.m. Feb. 11 and 18 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville. Tickets are $27.50; $22.50 for senior citizens and students and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com.

(Search for Axial Theatre.)

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THAT'S AMORE

BY PHIL HALL

G

iuseppe Verdi once proclaimed, “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” Carla Gambescia seconds that emotion in her new book “La Dolce Vita University: An Unconventional Guide to Italian Culture from A to Z” (Travelers’ Tales, Solas House Inc., $19.99, 320 pages).

For Gambescia, her first foray into book authorship caps a lifetime’s cultural and emotional odyssey. “I grew up in a very Italian household in South Philadelphia,” she recalls. “My parents, on the outside, were very American. Privately, they were fervently proud of their roots. My father would tell me stories from Italian history, such as Galileo dropping the ball from Tower of Pisa, and I had Italian lessons.”

Into her adult life, Gambescia embraced her heritage through entrepreneurial and literary pursuits. She founded and ran the restaurant Via Vanti! from 2008 to 2016 at the Mount Kisco Metro-North station and was co-creator of Giro del Gelato, a bicycling tour of Italy that took travelers along routes in search of the country’s celebrated snack. She also wrote an Italian-focused column for a Mount Kisco news service from 2012 to 2013.

But when it came to gathering her love and knowledge of Italy into a book, Gambescia realized she had a hurdle to overcome. “As a writer, I cannot really sustain a narrative,” she acknowledges. “And I wanted this to be reader-friendly.

People like to pick up and put down things and not wonder where they left off.”

Thus, Gambescia opted to create a skein of mini essays that highlighted the glory, eccentricities and spirit of all things Italian. As a result, “La Dolce Vita University” spans 165 entries that immerse the reader in a kaleidoscope from the greatness of ancient Rome to the ebb and flow of Italian society today.

The book’s subtitle of an “unconventional guide” is certainly apt, with Gambescia highlighting many uncommon and unexpected aspects of the Italian experience that are missing from most tour books. This includes a celebra-

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Courtesy Carla Gambescia.

tion of the Italian love of jazz, a consideration of the surplus number of centenarians in Sardinia, praise for the odd-looking cookie brutti ma buoni (translated ugly but good) and a tribute to Rocco, the patron saint of dogs.

Italy’s influence on the world is also detailed, from an overview of the numerous Shakespeare plays set across the country to beloved pop culture exports, including the tune “Volare” and the classic film “Divorce Italian Style.” Given the book’s title, there is, of course, also a nod to the great Federico Fellini and the concept of being Felliniesque.

Even for the most obvious points of historic interest, Gambescia successfully culls the most wonderfully esoteric aspects of each story. She explains the theory of a Kabbalah influence on Michelangelo’s depiction of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, why Italians are famous for using dramatic hand gestures while conversing and offers some long overdue praise for the comically maligned Italian navy. (A Henny Youngman putdown on the fleet — “Why does the new Italian navy have glass bottom boats? To see the Old Italian Navy” — is cited as example of the navy’s mythic unseaworthiness.)

Gambescia happily noted that she had a wealth of material to choose from. “A country

ITALY HAS HAD THREE GOLDEN AGES — ANCIENT ROME, THE RENAISSANCE AND THE THIRD GOLDEN AGE THAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. ITALIANS, MORE THAN ANY OTHER PEOPLE, KNOW HOW TO BE IN THE MOMENT AND LIVE. ITALY KEEPS BEING ABLE TO REINVENT ITSELF. — Carla Gambescia

could feel really good if it had one golden age,” she says. “Italy has had three golden ages — ancient Rome, the Renaissance and the third golden age that is happening right now. Italians, more than any other people, know how to be in the moment and live. Italy keeps being able to reinvent itself.”

One thing that is missing from Gambescia’s book are photographs of her subjects. Artist Lanie Hart has laced the book with generous helpings of delicate illustrations and the author stated that she preferred this approach, because putting a photographic component to the text was problematic.

“It was originally conceived as an eye candy/ brain candy thing,” she says. “But it is expensive to have full color throughout. And I did not want this to be a coffee table book because no one reads coffee table books.”

Hopefully, enough people will be reading “La Dolce Vita” to encourage Gambescia’s publisher to commission a sequel. And her optimism is strong enough to fuel the groundwork for another book.

“I have committed myself to write at least one essay each week,” she says.

For more, visit LaDolceVitaU.com.

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ROGER Access to exceptional heart specialists kept Roger’s love of music alive.

When Roger Zeitel walked into White Plains Hospital’s emergency room, he had no idea he was having a heart attack.

He was quickly taken to the cardiac catheterization lab where Director of Interventional Cardiology, Dr. Mark Greenberg, discovered two coronary blockages and a failing heart valve.

Dr. Greenberg was able to immediately call on his long-time colleague, Dr. Robert Michler, Surgeon-in-Chief at Montefiore, who performed lifesaving open heart surgery at Montefiore.

The White Plains Hospital and Montefiore Health System partnership ensured that Roger is back to doing what he loves headlining the local music scene with his bandmates.

Check your heart risks at exceptionaleveryday.org/heart A M E M B E R O F T H E M O N T E F I O R E H E A LT H S Y S T E M

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n o t C p a m l l a a H way n n A WRITES (AND SINGS) THE SONGS

BY GREGG SHAPIRO PHOTOGRAPHS BY BILL WESTMORELAND

W

estchester County’s Ann Hampton Callaway is as adept at writing and singing her own songs as she is at interpreting tunes from a wide range of sources, from the American Songbook to jazz standards to the singer/songwriter movement that began in the 1970s. Callaway’s own songs have been recorded by an impressive array of performers, including Barbra Streisand, Janis Siegel, Donna McKechnie, Lillias White, Laura Benanti, Karrin Allyson and Harvey Fierstein.

A humanitarian as well as a performing artist, Callaway took time out of her busy schedule — she recently recorded the CD "Jazz Goes to the Movies" after finishing her Birdland run — to answer a few questions prior to her March gig at Ridgefield Playhouse.

What can you tell us about your process when it comes to writing “The Women's March Song (We Stand, We Rise, We March Together),” created for the 2017 Women’s March, and “Carry On,” written for Hurricane Katrina survivors but just as powerful for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria?

“In times of strife, I sometimes find the only solace in coping with major challenges is writing a song. The emotion inside of me needs the power of music for release and the specificity of words for impact. I aspire to collective healing and reflection as well as collective action. I think of myself as a vessel and, if I can be a messenger of hope, then I feel I've done something useful.”

Regarding “The Women’s March Song” and your participation in the “What the World Needs Now Is Love” Broadway For Orlando project, would you talk about your personal history of activism and how you see your role as an artist when it comes to activism?

“When injustice, inequality and hatred are moving to obliterate love, life and human rights, I turn to music to stand up and be a call to action or a voice

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phone, which gave me the perfect line to describe her. I asked, ‘In a nutshell, who is Fran?’ She said, ‘She's the lady in red when everybody else is wearing tan.’

“I loved working with Sasha Lazard on the theme for the Alec Baldwin film ‘Blind.’ Sasha guided me each step of the way as we tried different approaches for some key moments in the movie. Originally, my song was going to be translated in French. But when I wrote a love song with the one French word ‘pourquoi,’ it felt correct for the scene when the two leading characters finally get together and share how they feel.”

As someone who has numerous awards and citations to her name, including a Theatre World Award, 15 MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) Awards, two Backstage Bistro Awards, a Nightlife Award, a Johnny Mercer Songwriter Award and Broadway World New York Cabaret Awards, among others, what does it mean to be recognized in this way?

“It is lovely to be acknowledged by my peers and leaders of the music scene. We work hard for the sake of doing what we love and believe in. When people award you for these efforts, it is an honor and greatly reassuring.” of reason. I grew up in the ’60s with role models like Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, who did not sit idle when there were wrongs to be righted. I cannot sit idle when hard-earned rights for women are being threatened and when the safety and rights of my LGBT family are in danger. How do we transform the violent energy in this world? By harnessing love and compassion through deeds and works. Music is a healer and a builder of bridges.”

Would you say something about the writing process when it comes to creating theme songs and music for movies, including the theme song from the TV show “The Nanny” and “Pourquoi” for the movie “Blind’?

“Occasionally, I am fortunate when someone thinks of me for a project. I met Fran Drescher after a show of original songs I performed and she came up afterwards, telling me she wanted me to write for some upcoming projects. In order for me to write ‘The Nanny’ theme song, I interviewed Fran on the

Do you have a place of honor for your awards?

“My platinum records are downstairs by my piano. My Tony nomination and awards you mentioned are upstairs in my office. When I look at them, I feel like I am on the right track. And a silver tray of my first MAC Awards has been used for many years as a prop in my show with my sister Liz, ‘Sibling Revelry.’ They've been on countless airplanes to countless cities.”

This interview is taking place while you are on tour in Europe. What have been some of the highlights so far?

“I just finished singing on an RSVP riverboat cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest.

Getting to entertain an American, international audience was a joy and hearing some of the native music from the Balkan countries was fascinating. I never knew that (Dave) Brubeck's ‘Take Five’ was inspired by Bulgarian folk songs and their 5/4 meter.

Ann Hampton Callaway

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Hearing firsthand what it was like living through wartime and under the Communist regime gave me much to reflect on.”

In what ways do European audiences differ from American audiences?

“It depends where I am performing. Sometimes I feel European audiences are more sophisticated in their listening skills. London audiences used to be more reticent but have become more boisterous over the years. I love how Spanish jazz audiences are passionate about American music and know how to show the love even if they don't understand all the words.”

Your concert tour continues in the States throughout the winter of 2018. What can people expect from these shows?

“No matter what show I am doing, how big or small the venue is and whether I am doing a solo show or performing with my sister Liz or another wonderful artist, audiences can always count on me giving my all. I am baring my soul more than ever after going through many personal challenges.

I will not hold back anymore. No Callaway show is without surprises of spontaneous fun, laughter and a few tears if I am doing my job right.”

Ann Hampton Callaway performs March 2 at The Ridgefield Playhouse. For more, visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

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bluehillfarm.com

At Home on the Sound members, from left, Saul and Miriam Cohen, and Margaret and Ted Shultz.

Courtesy At Home on the Sound.

L O V E O F L E A R NIN G IN L IF E ' S A F T E R N O O N

BY JANE K. DOVE

I

f you have been fortunate enough to live in the beautiful Sound Shore communities of Larchmont and Mamaroneck for a long time, you probably never want to leave, even as you grow older.

And many senior residents of these two lovely towns have elected to stay right where they are, aided by a vibrant and active organization called At Home on the Sound.

Founded eight years ago, At Home on the Sound has about 200 members and has taken the concept of “aging in place” to a new plane.

“We serve residents who have lived in their towns for 30, 40 or even 50 years and simply do not want to move,” says Elaine Weingarten, the nonprofit’s executive director. “And why should they? The communities are lovely, with beautiful housing, wonderful shopping, networks of friends and family and a convenient location in southern Westchester. The results are overwhelming. People want to stay here.”

The At Home on the Sound concept is based on the successful model created by Beacon Hill Village in Boston. Gramatan Village in Bronxville, Staying Put in New Canaan and At Home in Greenwich are similar organizations active in Westchester and Fairfield.

“Since its inception, At Home on the Sound has been guided by The Center for Aging in Place,” Weingarten says of the countywide organization.

With these concepts in mind, she adds, a group of residents formed a steering committee and created a board of directors in April of 2010.

“Since then our programs have really taken off.

They have grown and evolved and now embrace seniors from age 60 up to 98. We even have a 91-yearold yoga instructor, and our goal is to provide an active, mentally and physically healthy lifestyle for our members, with an array of events to keep them happily occupied and connecting with one another.”

Weingarten says the members of At Home on the Sound are deeply rooted in their communities.

“About half live in their original homes and the other half in apartments or condos. All live independently and are served by about 100 volunteers, all local people from the communities.”

Her group is proud of what it does and Weingarten provided ample details. “We now have 25 board members and they are entirely devoted to our cause.

We try new programs and events all the time and have had great success.”

MYRIAD ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES Members of At Home on the Sound can pick and choose among a long list of interesting and motivating activities.

“Our list is comprehensive and designed to be engaging. If transportation is needed, members have to only contact the office and we will provide them with a ride both to and from. Events are held at different locations in the area.”

The schedule is a full one.

“Twice a month we discuss current events at the Nautilus Diner. We have a special group that explores what it’s like to be 80-plus in today’s world and have major once-a-month trips to New York City and other locations. In January, we went to The Met (Museum).”

At Home on the Sound, at 545 Tompkins Ave. in Mamaroneck, holds monthly luncheons and other restaurant outings. All activities are during daylight hours. “We have a lovely, catered holiday party each year and it feels like one big family. So many of our members have been with us from the beginning and we tend to keep tabs on one another.”

The group is always trying out new things as well as the old and familiar.

“Our basic, overall services include rides to medical, dental, shopping and other appointments, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We have 100 volunteers to do this. Our service area includes nearby surrounding communities.”

At Home on the Sound mounts an array of social, cultural and educational programs and provides home chore and handyman help. The group makes referrals to social services and continuing care agencies, conducts routine phone checks and offers friendly visits from volunteers as well as technology assistance for all of today’s new, and sometime confusing, digital devices. At the heart of the programming, however, are activities that keep

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mind and body limber.

“Our regular upcoming programs include movies; language and book groups; current events discussions; mahjong and canasta; volunteer breakfasts; a new memoir writing workshop that started Jan. 25; and ongoing gentle chair yoga.”

At Home on the Sound offers regular men’s discussion groups and will be having a “show and tell" for grownups at the end of February.

“We are attending a special performance by the Larchmont Music Academy faculty and students Feb. 13 and have our monthly Dine About set for DiGiorgio’s Restaurant in New Rochelle for Feb. 21.

“As a special treat for our ‘out and about’ offshoot, we will be traveling to a performance of ‘American Rhapsody, the Gershwin Songbook,’ mounted by the Gershwin Big Band, at the Performing Arts Center of Purchase College at the end of this month (Feb. 25).”

And, looking a bit into the future, the organization is hard at work planning its annual Spring Gala for May 3 at the Hampshire Country Club in Mamaroneck. “This is sure to be a lively and fun-filled event with the chance to network with our membership.”

For more, contact Jilana Meter, communications and administration manager for At Home on the Sound, at 914-899-3150 or visit At Home on the Sound.com.

At Home on the Sound board members, from left, John Bradley, Janet O'Connell, Leslie Molinoff, Simon Marlow, Ellie Fredston and Harmon McAllister.

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STILL WORKING FOR YOU UNTIL THE INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR PLANT POWERS DOWN IN 2021, WE’LL CONTINUE PRODUCING ABOUT 25 PERCENT OF THE ELECTRICITY FOR NEW YORK CITY AND WESTCHESTER COUNTY, WITH VIRTUALLY NO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

The Indian Point Energy Center has been powering New York’s downstate region for about 40 years. Today, many New Yorkers have questions about the plant’s early and orderly shutdown — What will change? What will stay the same?

For the next few years, much will stay the same. Until 2021, we’ll continue safely generating clean, reliable power round-the-clock for New York City and Westchester County. That power makes Indian Point the single largest source of clean electricity in New York State.

Safety will continue to be the top priority for everyone at the plant. Under Entergy’s ownership, Indian Point has established a strong safety record that we’re committed to maintaining. Until shutdown in 2021, Indian Point will remain fully staffed with our team of approximately 1,000 nuclear professionals. We will continue to invest in the facility, and independent full-time inspectors from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will remain on-site to review operations.

Indian Point will continue to generate signifi cant tax revenues and expenditures in the local economy. We’ll also continue to play an important role in the wellbeing of our community through the contributions we provide to many charitable organizations in the region, as well as the thousands of hours our employees volunteer and donate to these important causes.

At Indian Point, we’re still working for you, and it will continue to be an honor to operate one of New York’s cleanest and most reliable sources of electricity. If you have questions, please visit us at SafeSecureVital.com

Indian Point Energy Center

BEWITCHING LINESMAN

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T Luke Edward Hall’s “Antinous I.” Courtesy the artist.

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here are few media that have not been touched by English painter/designer Luke Edward Hall’s draftsmanship, at once playful and neoclassical.

Wine labels for a limited edition of Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Good Ordinary Claret that depict a red-haired Dionysus crowned with grapes and framed by the Greek key pattern. Dinnerware inspired by ancient Greek heroes exhibited at the David Gill Gallery. An ad campaign for Burberry drawn from Mario Testino’s photography. An exhibit staged for Christie’s and a photo shoot styled for its Interiors magazine. Collections of notecards, notebooks and invitations for Papier. An illustrated guidebook for the Parker Palm Springs hotel. Embroidered, jewel-toned, limited edition velvet slippers for Stubbs & Wootton.

“I like drawing beautiful things, beautiful people,” Hall told The Guardian.

And how. So much so that Vogue has hailed the bespectacled, argyle-clad millennial as a “wunderkind,” while other fans have drawn comparisons to an equally protean artist, Pablo Picasso.

The Picasso analogy is telling. Like the Spanish legend, Hall has a gift for bewitching line and a love of the Greco-Roman figure — in Hall’s case the male figure but then, as a 2011 Bruce Museum exhibit of “Picasso’s Vollard Suite: The Sculptor’s

Luke Edward Hall’s “Bicester Bust Red.” Courtesy the artist.

VOGUE HAS HAILED THE BESPECTACLED, ARGYLE-CLAD MILLENNIAL AS A 'WUNDERKIND,' WHILE OTHER FANS HAVE DRAWN COMPARISONS TO AN EQUALLY PROTEAN ARTIST, PABLO PICASSO.

Studio” illustrated, Picasso was equally at ease in depicting Apollonian and Herculean nudes as he was the female body.

Hall’s use of line — as evinced in his plate capturing Ganymede, Zeus’ cupbearer, and cocktail table featuring Antinous, the Roman emperor Hadrian’s lover — is more loosey-goosey and homoerotic. But it has the same antecedents as Picasso’s and the same far-shooting objective.

Just as Picasso — who worked in everything from paints to ceramics to tapestries and stage sets — wouldn’t be limited by medium, neither has Hall.

(Another connection between the two: Hall is a big fan of the versatile 1920s, when Picasso did many of his neoclassical figures.)

Growing up in Basingstoke, Hampshire, the oldest child of a father who worked in finance and a stay-at-home mother, Hall created a fanzine called Cake, containing photographs, articles and sketches by friends. London was the next logical step. He graduated from Central Saint Martins there, studying menswear design and selling antiques online, then worked for two years for architectural and interior designer Ben Pentreath.

In autumn of 2015, Hall went out on his own, establishing a studio in Camden where he shares a bright, bold, eclectic apartment with his partner, designer Duncan Campbell. Soon after, Hall — who primarily draws and paints, using a variety of materials — began experimenting with pottery. He works with a Scottish ceramicist who creates pieces for him to paint, selling his drawings, paintings and hand-painted ceramics at Liberty in London and collaborating with Alex Eagle Studio on a line of plates and platters.

While many of the companies Hall has designed for are tonier than thou, his dessert plates, pitchers and furnishings have also appeared in Anthropologie.

As he told The Guardian: “Someone might buy a drawing from me for a few hundred pounds or more, but I really like that I also make plates that are 30 pounds or 80 pounds.”

For more, visit lukeedwardhall.com.

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here is modern and then there is Modern. And this angular, Zen-like home on Greenwich’s Thunder Mountain Road — with its striking use of green stone, Asian influences and floor-to-ceiling windows — is Modern with a capital “M.” Begin with a long drive that winds its way amid 4.8 acres to the 10,098-squarefoot hilltop house, crafted from meticulous and intricately patterned Ashlar rock and stucco on a steel-frame construction. A stone footbridge, stretching across a serene koi pool, guides you to the entrance. Chinese granite terraces flanked by natural rock formations add texture to the landscaping, whose features include an 80-foot pool and an illuminated tennis court.

Inside, lofty ceilings of varying heights, a sophisticated Elan lighting system accentuating artwork and an abundant use of imported African Wenge wood have a spare but dramatic effect. Expanses of glass marry indoors and outdoors. In the living room, dining room, family room and master suite, poured concrete fireplaces and simple wall niches establish a clean-lined look with an Eastern flourish. Think Minimalism meets Bali.

The kitchen and butler's pantry have walnut cabinetry, stone countertops and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. A relaxing breakfast room with a curved banquette wrapped in windows looks across the kitchen, family room and light-filled playroom on the second floor.

The lower level brings together a theater, an exercise room, a spa bath and a wine cellar, while a Zen-like atmosphere pervades the second and third stories. On the second floor, the master wing showcases a fireplace, a private terrace, two spacious dressing rooms and a sensual master bath with an original "work-of-art" travertine marble tub basin featuring a waterfall spout. Seven additional suites — there is a total of eight bedrooms and nine full and two partial bathrooms — create a private experience of comfort and luxury. The list price is $5,500,000.

For more, contact Leslie McElwreath at 917-5393654 or 203-618-3165.

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PELHAM MANOR, NY ~ ON THE ESPLANADE

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design are center stage and highlighted. The chefs kitchen was designed for all types of

the amenities one would expect. As the photos suggest, expert craftsmanship and a functional entertaining. It is complete with beautiful appliances, stone countertops, awesome lighting, a very well planned “working space� island, and a large eating area. Just steps from the kitchen is a family room with large French doors leading to the expansive, level backyard. There are 5 bedrooms in total, one of which is conveniently located on the first floor with its own private bathroom. Upstairs has an additional 4 bedrooms, and 3 more full bathrooms. This home was masterly re-constructed for immediate occupancy, and was built with only the finest materials.

Located within walking distance to Metro North, award winning schools, parks and shopping.

Come have a look at this Esplanade Estate just 28 minutes to midtown NYC. $1,975,500.

The sheer exhilaration that comes with owning a slice of solitude 30-minutes from the greatest city on earth.

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Irvington 914.295.3500

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NEW LUXURY APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN CHAPPAQUA

Wilder Balter Partners, the Hudson Valley’s premier developer of luxury homes and quality housing, is excited to introduce Chappaqua Crossing Apartments in Westchester County. Located on the former Reader’s Digest headquarters, the historic cupola building has been converted into a luxury apartment community.

The historic cupola building located on the former Reader’s Digest headquarters has been converted into a one-of-a-kind apartment community.

One Bedroom units starting at $2,300 Two Bedroom units starting at $2,900 Three Bedroom units starting at $4,800

AMENITIES INCLUDE Two landscaped interior courtyards On-site walking trail Outdoor playground area Large gym and separate exercise room Two laundry rooms

The spectacular amenities offered include two beautiful interior courtyards, a multi-purpose room featuring a kitchenette, and an elegant library with dramatic Hudson Valley views. You can take the kids to the playground or take a leisurely walk on our trails. Residents will also enjoy all the wonderful neighborhood amenities that are within walking distance which include a Whole Foods market, Life Fitness, a shuttle bus to the local Metro North station, and restaurants and retailers coming soon!

Beautiful club/multi-purpose room, including kitchenette Reading library with dramatic views Shuttle service to Chappaqua Metro North Station

Chappaqua Crossing Apartments is a very unique community with distinctive floorplans for our one, two, and three bedroom apartments. All units have oversized windows, stainless-steel finish appliances, and individually-controlled heating and central air conditioning systems. For more information on this outstanding community, please visit chappaqua-crossing-apartments.com or call 914-610-3711 to schedule an appointment.

Chappaqua Crossing Apartments is a smoke-free community.

Wilder Balter Partners Inc. is a leading developer of award-winning, new construction homes in the New York metropolitan area. Since 1975, the company has built affordable residential communities and luxury homes in Westchester, Suffolk and Fairfield County and the Hudson Valley. A multi-service real estate company, development, construction and property management are seamlessly supervised.

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E ASY GLIDER STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUG PAULDING

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Mikaela Shiffrin in action.

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MIKAELA SHIFFRIN AT A GLANCE

HOMETOWN: Eagle-Vail, Colorado, where a park is named for her, Mikaela’s Park.

BORN: March 13, 1995, in Vail, Colorado, to Eileen and Jeff Shiffrin, former ski racers. (Dad’s an anesthesiologist.)

EDUCATION: Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, Vermont.

DEDICATION TO SKIING: Knows no bounds. She even trains on Christmas Day.

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FAMILY LOVE: In June, Shiffrin gave a shout-out to big brother Taylor, also a skier, as he was awarded his MBA. “You continue to lead the way and inspire me in so many ways,” she posted on Instagram, beneath a sweet picture of them as children.

HOBBIES: Biking, writing music, playing the piano, doing word puzzles, binge-watching TV with Mom, napping and feeding her “fat Tabby cat,” Muffin.

HOT BOYFRIEND: French giant slalom skier Mathieu Faivre. “He’s a cutie,” she told The New Yorker.

HER MOTTO: Her helmet and skis are emblazoned with “ASFTTB” — “Always ski faster than the boys.”

Source: E! News, Cosmopolitan magazine

M

ikaela Shiffrin is fast becoming America’s sweetheart. At age 22 and at the top of her game, this powerful, smooth, disciplined skier — with a “no-drama” demeanor to match — is on track to become the best to date.

She had her World Cup debut just before her 16th birthday and at age 18 became the youngest gold medalist in Olympic skiing history. She has won the World Cup seasonal title in slalom four of the last five years and once won the overall World Cup for most points accrued in all the alpine disciplines. With the Olympics set to begin Feb. 8 in PyeongChang, South Korea, we could very well see the versatile Shiffrin make history. But first a bit of background.

In 1968, Jean-Claude Killy of France took first place in slalom, giant slalom and the downhill, the three alpine skiing events of the day. Today there are two more disciplines, the super giant slalom, or super-G, and the combined event of times for two slalom runs and one downhill run.

Ingemar Stenmark is the winningest World Cup alpine racer in history with 86 World Cup victories. He was a slalom specialist, winning most of his slalom races before finding success in the giant slalom, finishing his career with 40 slalom and 46 giant slalom wins. I remember reading an interview with Killy at the time and he didn’t like it that Stenmark didn’t enter many speed events.

He thought if each of the three disciplines had their own specialist winner, it would be to the detriment of the sport. This thinking eventually led to the combined event being reintroduced in 1974 and the super-G debuting in 1982.

Ski racers, at all levels, can typically be divided into two camps, technical or speed. Slalom and giant slalom are considered technical events while the speed events, super-G and downhill, require calculated risk-taking and plain old-fashioned guts as well as speed. Since the 1968 Olympics, no one has flirted with victory in all of the ski disciplines, until now. There is a world of issues and variables that have to fall into place for anyone to have success in the Olympics, especially this year on the Korean peninsula. Athletes must be über-focused, perfectly conditioned physically, mentally confident and healthy. Additionally, the ski race courses set may favor one skiing style — and, thus, one skier — over another. Still, the 2018 Games may well be Shiffrin’s moment.

This past Thanksgiving weekend, Killington, Vermont, hosted the women’s World Cup giant slalom and slalom events, which it did 2016 and will do again this year. The best women skiers on

the planet gathered to battle it out on the iconic Superstar trail. Shiffrin took second place in giant slalom on Saturday and first place in slalom on Sunday. She is the undisputed gold standard in slalom, winning 20 of the last 25 slalom events and landing on the podium (top three finishers) four times in the five other races. Ski races need gatekeeping officials that essentially witness whether or not the racer skied on the proper side of the gate to prevent being disqualified. At the Killington event, seven of the 12 gatekeepers were past Olympians. Harry Ryan, one of the gatekeepers, was on the American ski team and on the 1968 Olympic alpine squad. He told me, “All of the top 15 to 30 women are such technically great athletes. But Mikaela is technically perfect. The interaction between her, her skis and the snow is picture-perfect.”

ALL OF THE TOP 15 TO 30 WOMEN ARE SUCH TECHNICALLY GREAT ATHLETES. BUT MIKAELA IS TECHNICALLY PERFECT. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN HER, HER SKIS AND THE SNOW IS PICTURE-PERFECT. — Harry Ryan

Also trailside as a gatekeeper was Rick Chaffee of the 1968 and ’72 U.S. Olympic teams that competed in Grenoble, France, and Sapporo, Japan, respectively. Chaffee said, “I haven’t been to a World Cup event since I was in one. But Mikaela reminded me of Ingemar Stenmark with such a perfect economy of motion. At Killington, the course was sheer ice by design. It was very windy and Mikaela showed extraordinary carving ability under difficult conditions.”

Mikaela went on to win the slalom by 1.64 sec-

onds, an event often decided by one hundredth of a second. Charles Hughes, the chief of race, was the official responsible for everything on the hill, from fencing to water to the paint lines to improve visibility for the skiers. He told me, “Mikaela is, of course, very focused. She travels and trains with seven or eight support people, including coaches, trainers, technicians and her mother, who plays a critical role in not just providing support and quiet time but also in discussing esoteric technical details of the sport.”

Billy Kidd was another ex-Olympian attending the Killington event. He competed in the ’64 and the ’68 Olympics and is now director of skiing in Steamboat, Colorado. In 1964, he and teammate Jimmy Heuga were the first American men to medal in skiing at the Olympics, taking the silver and bronze in slalom respectively. I asked Kidd about Shiffrin: “The key to Mikaela’s success is that she went to school in Vermont. In Vermont, you can’t muscle your way to success. On the typical icy course of Vermont, you must build technique.

And her technique is better than anyone else in the world. She, like Ted Ligety, rarely falls, hands are always up and in position. There is minimal movement and efficiency, which means she is always ready for the finish-line interview. She starts her turns earlier and makes a rounder turn than anyone else. She reminds me of Jean-Claude Killy.

He seldom fell and was at his best when under the most pressure.”

After packing her bags at Killington, Mikaela headed west to Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, to compete in her fourth World Cup downhill race ever. Oh, and she won. On Dec. 5, she took fifth place in the super-G. She has now won World Cup races in slalom, head-to-head parallel slalom, giant slalom, combined and downhill. The only event she hasn’t won is the super-G. This puts her in an enviable position for the PyeongChang Games. She will be favored to win the slalom, but now that she has successfully breached the speed event wall, Shiffrin could win any or all of her events.

Of course, it’s a long shot for everything to come together for the short window that is the Winter Olympics. But her dominance in the technical events combined with her confidence and the flawless technique she brings to the speed events could propel her to the unthinkable. Potentially, she could sweep her events. Still, even being a contender in technical and speed events will likely change the sport. Fingers crossed for the perfect storm that is Shiffrin.

For more on the Winter Olympics, visit pyeongchang2018.com.

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A PLAYGROUND FOR ALL SEASONS

BY DOUG PAULDING

I

grew up in Massachusetts as an occasional weekend skier. My family would venture out to different ski areas of Vermont and New Hampshire until my dad bought a rundown house just north of Montpelier. We never skied Killington for some reason but I had heard of it and just the name sounded intimidating and scary.

Killington is now my go-to mountain, one that offers everything within easy access to several metro markets. (My own drive is under four hours to the four-season resort.)

First of all, Killington is big. It comprises seven peaks with a vertical drop of 3,050 vertical feet.

Many New England/New York ski areas are one or two peaks with a much smaller vertical. Killington has 28 lifts. Many ski areas in this market have a quarter that amount, or less. Killington has 92 miles of trails with 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, not including its tree skiing — groomed slopes studded with conifers — for the more skilled and adventurous among us.

What makes Killington jump ahead of the pack is beginner, intermediate and expert trails that are accessible and available from most of its lifts. It’s easy to bring a disparate group of skiing friends to Killington and see each other, be with each other throughout the day. Most ski areas have sections for different abilities where you might not see your friends until aprés ski. Not Killington. And the number of trails is pretty evenly divided by degree of difficulty. Whatever your ability, there are many cruising or challenging options throughout the resort. The well-marked trail system makes it almost impossible to end up on a trail beyond your ability. And there are several base, mid-mountain and summit areas for a rest, a coffee, a bowl of soup, a drink or a restaurant-quality meal.

Killington also boasts a Snowcat grooming fleet and snow-making abilities second to none in the East. The Women’s World Cup ski competition that came to Killington this past Thanksgiving weekend was made possible by Killington’s snow-making team and skills. Shortly before the ski races, there was no snow at Killington but a blast of cold air allowed the team to go to work and build the base on the World Cup race trail.

Killington pumped more than 1.5 million gallons

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xxxxx

AFTER THE SNOW MELTS THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF ACTIVITIES. KILLINGTON HAS ITS OWN GOLF COURSE CARVED INTO THE LOWER HILLS. THE MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAIL SYSTEM INCORPORATES LIFT ACCESS, TRAIL RIDING AND SINGLE TRACK TECHNICAL RIDING. THERE IS GLORIOUS HIKING WITH VERMONT’S LONG TRAIL AND THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL BOTH INTERSECTING IN KILLINGTON, OFFERING SPLENDID VANTAGE POINT VIEWING A SHORT DISTANCE FROM YOUR CHOSEN PARKING LOCATION. AND THERE ARE EASY ACCESS LAKES AND RIVERS FOR SWIMMING, KAYAKING, CANOEING OR FISHING. YOU WILL ALSO FIND YOUNG BREWERIES, OTTER CREEK, LONG TRAIL AND FIDDLEHEAD AND MANY OTHERS, OFFERING TOURS AND TASTINGS. AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DOZEN WINERIES THAT ARE WORTHY OF A VISIT.

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of water up the slope for a depth of snow ranging from 60 inches to 15 feet. The ski season at Killington is the undisputed longest in the East. I have skied Killington, top to bottom, before Halloween, and the season always extends into May and sometimes touches June. Killington also has a progressive ski and snowboard school to aid in upping your game. For decades, the Killington Ski School has led the East, often leading the industry, in new teaching techniques, innovative equipment and many career and PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America)-certified coaches.

After the snow melts there is no shortage of activities. Killington has its own golf course carved into the lower hills. The mountain biking trail system incorporates lift access, trail riding and single-track technical riding. There is glorious hiking with Vermont’s Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail both intersecting in Killington, offering splendid vantage point viewing a short distance from your chosen parking location. And there are easy access lakes and rivers for swimming, kayaking, canoeing or fishing. You will also find young breweries, Otter Creek, Long Trail and Fiddlehead and many others, offering tours and tastings. And there are a couple of dozen wineries that are worthy of a visit.

Killington and central Vermont have something for everyone.

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THE CUTTING EDGE

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

im Morehouse is an elite fencer, having competed for the United States at the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics, winning a team silver in saber in Beijing in 2008. Ironically, though, he got into fencing as a way to get out of gym in school. Little did he know.

When the 13-year-old at Riverdale Country School, “saw that it was about sword fighting, that got me hooked.”

Ultimately, he says, “fencing changed my life. I had been struggling in school.

Fencing gave me focus and discipline.”

That’s because fencing combines mental acuity with physical agility, as the 150 students of the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in Manhattan and Port Chester are discovering.

The Upper West Side facility opened two years ago, but Morehouse — who remembers competing against rival Mamaroneck High School as a Riverdale kid — says he has so many Westchester and Fairfield students that he began scouting another location closer to them, finding the perfect spot at 135 Pearl St. in Port Chester. There he teaches the sport of saber fencing to students who range from 4-year-olds to senior citizens, although the majority are 7 to 12 years of age.

Unlike fencing with the light practice foil or the heavier, dueling épée — in which points are scored with the tip — saber fencing, developed out of the cavalry sword, uses the side of the blade and a quick, slashing motion to score points all over the upper body.

“It’s very fast with points taking place in a half-second to a second,” Morehouse says.

“You’d be surprised at how much can happen in a second.”

Yet anyone who has ever seen this thrilling sport knows there’s no wild thrusting and parrying. For the fencer, every movement — even something as innocuous as taking a break in a chair — is mindful, deliberate and pointed, no pun intended.

“Fencing is a kind of puzzle solving, with similar movements to ballet,” he says.

“There are lots of changes of rhythm, changes of speed and changes of direction…. You have to have control of your body’s movements,” adds Morehouse, who has cross-trained with Pilates and yoga for body control as well as jumping

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Above: Tim Morehouse (leaping) in action in a Masters competition.

Left: Students at the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club in Port Chester, include Coco Guven and Josephine Chang, from top.

Courtesy Tim Morehouse.

rope for endurance.

And just as great writing is in part about the economy of words, “with the best fencers, every movement is purposeful…. It’s as much about what you don’t do as what you do.”

Apparently, Morehouse is “not doing” something right. The club ranks seventh among youth fencing clubs in the country and sixth overall in saber. Recently, a dozen students competed in the North American Cup’s Division 1, the top category, which helps determine national rankings.

Last year, the club took six medals at the summer nationals, with hopes of 10 this year. As befits a former Olympian, Morehouse is goal-oriented.

He’s looking to the club ultimately attaining the number-one ranking and to a gold medal for a club member at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

In the meantime, Morehouse — who fenced at Brandeis University — is also keeping an eye on college fencing programs. His club includes high

FENCING IS A KIND OF PUZZLE SOLVING, WITH SIMILAR MOVEMENTS TO BALLET. — Tim Morehouse

school students with acceptances at Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University and the University of Notre Dame, with another looking to The University of Chicago. For parents with Ivy League ambitions for their children, fencing may provide an edge, he says “Fencing teams have the highest GPAs (Grade Point Averages) — and the nicest guys,” he adds with a laugh.

Like tennis, swimming and golf, fencing is an individual sport that offers males and females the challenges of teamwork and the safety of camaraderie as well.

“You’re competing by yourself, but you train with a team of people,” Morehouse says. “You’re not going to get better unless you train in a place where you can be vulnerable with others.”

Competition takes place in all age categories.

Indeed, among Morehouse’s students is fashion consultant Tim Gunn of “Project Runway” fame, who, Morehouse says, never did anything athletic and now trains with him three to four times a week.

“It’s never too late,” Morehouse adds, “to learn to fence.”

For more, visit timmorehousefencing.com.

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g he r s e x y n i c a r b m E

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEFAN RADTKE, COURTESY FLIRTY GIRL

B

rooke Christian advises women never to stop flirting — with their significant others and with themselves.

It’s a love affair that set the foundation for Flirty Girl, her Waccabuc-based business. Through the honesty of her blog, along with women-to-women discussions, Christian hopes to spread a message of sexual empowerment, particularly for a gender that is naturally self-critical.

“We’re sexy the way we are. We just have to tune into it,” she says.

In order to feel sexy, Christian suggests reconnecting with your seductive side. Her brand — which focuses on mothers, like herself, experiencing challenges with their sex lives post-motherhood — teaches women how to reignite the spark in their sexual relationships. She shares her insight during panel discussions, across social media and through trunk shows, which she hosts inside a loft on her property, known as the Boudoir.

“I get told that I’m this hidden gem in the county. I’m like this secret specialty,” she says.

During the shows, she hosts 10 to 20 women, leads a discussion and introduces them to — uh — sex toys. She makes every effort to ensure that the women feel comfortable, as it can be a tricky (even taboo) subject for many.

“This is a totally new market,” she says. “You’re looking at women with means, intellect, education and low libidos, and they don’t know these products exist. If they do know, they don’t want to walk into a perceived seedy sex store on the side of I-95. And they’re not going to pull up in their Suburban with school stickers on the back.”

The Boudoir doubles as something of a safe haven, secured by the luxurious ambiance of blush pink walls, shaggy carpet and plush armchairs. And toys — of course — which include carefully curated, quality items, with some costing upward of $300.

“If I could create a lush environment for women to go in, buy their toys and hang out with their friends, I could change the perception of what it means to shop for sex toys,” she says. “I wanted women to understand that when they walked

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through my door, they were going to have a beautiful experience.”

In addition to the Boudoir, she also does private consultations and photo shoots.

Ironically enough, Flirty Girl all started with a photo shoot — of Christian herself. Prior to founding Flirty Girl, Christian worked in publishing for women’s magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle and O, The Oprah Magazine. After having her second child, she suffered from severe postpartum depression. Part of her recovery was to lose weight and work on self-confidence. For a wedding anniversary, she booked a boudoir shoot and her confidence skyrocketed.

“During the boudoir shoot, it was like a phoenix rising,” she says.

Ever since, she’s been passionate about changing women’s lives by helping them change the way they see themselves — and sex.

“That’s why I buy lingerie that’s made for real women (women who have babies and C-section

scars), which help to lift breasts that have been used to breastfeed.”

Despite February being the month of romance, Christian believes that Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a designated time to heighten the mood. Why? Because, according to her, it suggests compulsory action, which is the opposite of sexy.

“I hate Valentine’s Day because of that level of expectation, because I think that we should be having great sex throughout the year. And most men hate it, because they feel like they have to do something. There’s nothing sexy about obligatory sex.”

Instead, she recommends nurturing a relationship all year by dating your significant other. To hone this point, Christian refers to herself as both the wife and part-time girlfriend to her husband.

“We have to date our spouses again, because so much gets lost in the act of parenting and mothering that we lose that romance and flirting,” Christian says. “What I mean by dating your husband is flirting with him, because that’s what creates an aphrodisiac and what that creates is anticipation.”

In addition to the occasional date night — once a week or once every two weeks, she says — Christian suggests committing to “looking good,” just 30 percent of the time.

“I think that’s realistic. I’m not telling women to do that every single day, but you feel better when you look better.”

And when you feel better, you’re naturally sexier.

“Sexiness has nothing to do with how we look,” she says. “Sexiness is born from confidence and you can look like anything if you’re confident.”

Christian hopes to continue growing her brand. She is currently working on publishing a book and exploring the option of a Flirty Girl affiliate program with national ambassadors.

But if there’s one thing that won’t change, it’s that what happens in the Boudoir stays in the Boudoir.

“It is such an honor when women share their stories,” she says. “I always tell women that I’m a vault. I never share information.”

For more about Flirty Girl, visit flirtygirlguide.com or follow Flirty Girl on Facebook (@ flirtygirlguide) and Twitter (@flirtygirlguide).

Brooke Christian.

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WEAR

NEW CANAAN'S STYLE GURU

BY DANIELLE RENDA PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEBASTIÁN FLORES

D

iane Roth goes the extra mile for her clients.

She’ll style them, dress them — and even pack their suitcases for them.

“They’ll send me their itinerary and I’ll tell them how to pack,” she says, “because I can go for six weeks with a carry-on.”

Roth is the owner of L’Armoire, a clothing and accessories boutique in New Canaan, but she’s also a personal stylist. She’s dressed private clients for all occasions, from the Tony, Emmy and Academy Awards to the Royal Enclosure at the Royal Ascot, events at the White House, date nights, weddings, job interviews, birthdays and everyday wear.

Traveling the country, Roth works with celebrities, businesswomen and aspiring fashionistas.

“I’m like a Sherpa navigating the retail Everest,” she says, “making sure (my clients) get to the top and then down again with the right clothes.”

Roth, who’s graced the pages of The New York Times’ Style section with her uncanny fashion sense, believes that style is all about individuality. The tagline for her store is, “Making women more beautiful” — and that she does, by refining their dress. With a carefully curated collection of items sourced from European and New York-based designers, clients — who range in age from 23 to 95 — can browse luxurious estate jewelry, handbags, scarves, hats and clothes to find what suits their personalities, needs and fit. She also mixes couture names with estate treasures in a new section offering antiques and household goods, curated by Katra Showah.

And if L’Armoire doesn’t have what her client is looking for, Roth will find it for her.

“My job as a women's retailer is to make every woman look her best so she can conquer the world,” she says. “Because if you look your best and you’re not thinking about your clothes, you can do anything.”

There’s a reason she’s been in business for 33 years. Her knowledge of dress and the devotion she lends to clients plays into this — including not being afraid to tell the truth.

“We’re brutally honest,” she says. “As much as

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Diane Roth.

some people don’t want to hear it, we do tell them when they look bad in something.”

This not only includes fit but practicality.

“I’ll tell a client she looks fabulous in something, but I know their life. I’ll say, ‘Where are you going? Did the queen send you an invite to the royal wedding?’

Because for their lifestyle, it’s a piece they’ll come back within six months and say, ‘Why did you let me buy that outfit? I’ve never worn it.’”

And sometimes, she lends them the clothes off her back — literally.

“People say, ‘You must have tons of clothes,’ and I don’t, because I’ll sell it off my body,” Roth says.

She recalls a client who was visiting with her husband and kept trying on different pieces to no avail — until the husband suggested Roth’s outfit.

“I went in the back and took everything off,” she says. “She put everything on, came out and he said, ‘I love it, but something is missing — the earrings. So I gave her the earrings and he bought everything.”

Roth, who considers herself to be a fairly independent, constantly dynamic dresser with an edgier side (she wore a stunning collection of about five statement necklaces during WAG’s visit), provides her clients with a host of styling services, from help with navigating stores to finding the right shoes, hairstylist, makeup artist, stockings and even undergarments — which she says are most important.

“Get the right bra,” Roth insists. “Every house has a good, set foundation. If the foundation isn’t good, guess what? The house doesn’t stand.”

She also urges women never to be stagnant with their looks. As styles change, so should they.

“You should never look at a five-year-old picture

of yourself and have the same hair and makeup,” she says. “Your skin tones change, your weight changes — up or down, it doesn’t matter — but you want to be evolving, and I think women forget that. It’s just for your own self-esteem. I dress for myself and I dress my clients for themselves.”

Though in addition to her services, Roth also credits her Fairfield County location for her ability to provide clients with optimal one-on-one service.

“It’s like that song in ‘Cheers,’ where you walk into a bar and everyone knows your name and what drink you want,” she says. “You come to New Canaan because you can come into the stores (and) the owners know who you are.”

But Roth is a woman of many trades and she does

have a passion outside of fashion — and that’s for animals. She’s on the board of New Canaan Mounted Troop, a nonprofit that fosters leadership through horsemanship and equine care programs for children. She works with Puppies Behind Bars in New York — which WAG covered in January 2016 — and, over the years, she’s helped with dog rescue and dog placement. She is also the owner of three dogs, as well as a horse, José, whom she rides every morning.

“We’re in a lot better place than a lot of people,” she says. “So let’s celebrate that — and donate to the animals.”

L’Armoire is at 102 Park St. in New Canaan.

For more, visit larmoirenewcanaan.com or call 203-966-1764.

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White Plains Hospital celebrates the 125th anniversary of its incorporation this year. Courtesy White Plains Hospital.

WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL: 125 YEARS OF CARING

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hroughout White Plains Hospital’s history, it’s been about heart — caring for its patients, staff and being an active member of the community it serves.

Perhaps that’s why it’s been around for 125 years.

This year, the hospital officially marks the milestone anniversary of its incorporation with a lavish gala set for Sept. 29 at Sleepy Hollow Country Club.

But its ongoing commitment to caring and heart is observed daily.

This month, it’s in a most literal way, with a lecture titled “Your Beating Heart.” White Plains Hospital Medical & Wellness will present Dr. Shalini Bobra speaking on heart disease, its signs and symptoms and how to prevent it, Feb. 6 at The Bristal in Armonk.

This community outreach is the latest in a long

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and storied history of White Plains Hospital, which has grown from serving some 31 patients in its first year to today having nearly 400,000 patients receiving treatments in its facilities every year.

The health care center, which looks to its new partnership with the Montefiore Health System as the latest chapter in its dramatic journey, is dedicated to leading the way in community health and wellness initiatives.

It all goes back to 1893 when a group of locals — led by Dr. H. Ernest Schmid — joined together to establish a voluntary, nonprofit hospital to serve the community.

Schmid, said to be a most colorful figure, was an old-fashioned horse-and-buggy doctor with the largest medical practice in Westchester -- making house calls day and night, helping those without regard to their ability to pay. He would lead the efforts of a dedicated group of 22 women and three men in the establishment of a voluntary, nonprofit hospital for White Plains.

Its first home would be a four-room building on Chatterton Hill, overseen by Schmid, who was appointed chief of staff and held that position for 32 years.

As White Plains grew from a somewhat rural community into the city of today, the hospital has kept up in many ways, including the 1999 opening of state-of-the-art Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, the first freestanding cancer center in the county; and the 2016 opening of its comprehensive Center for Cancer Care, where more holistic and integrated cancer treatment options joined a breadth of research studies and clinical trials, in collaboration with the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care.

In addition, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which opened in 2008, expanded local offerings.

There are also many “firsts” in the hospital’s history, including 1984’s opening of the first fully self-contained ambulatory surgery center in the county; being the first hospital in the county to add a certified midwife to its staff, in 1990; and in 2006, becoming the first community hospital in the Westchester/Fairfield region to use the da Vinci robotic surgical system for minimally invasive surgery.

Throughout its history the hospital has relied on its White Plains community for support, from its earliest volunteers donating furnishings for the original facility to its vast volunteer network of today.

It’s all the legacy of an approach Schmid wrote about in the hospital’s 1911 annual report: “We must not look backward and think we can rest. Let us admire the past, be grateful for its teaching, but let us live for the future.”

And today’s staff continues that journey, led by Susan Fox, the president of White Plains Hospital.

During a 2013 interview with our sister publication, the Westchester County Business Journal, Fox shared that what happens at the hospital is about much more than the numbers: “It’s one patient at a time and that’s our moral compass… that one patient.”

Schmid would be proud.

For more on the Feb. 6 lecture, “Your Beating Heart,” visit wphospital.org/hearthealth or call 914-849-7160. To follow the 125th anniversary events of White Plains Hospital, visit wph125.org.

— Mary Shustack

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WEAR

BY DANIELLE RENDA

I

t’s hard to miss the vivid designs of OmLuxe accessories.

The bright colors and dazzling beads that adorn its banjaras (a type of hobo bag), totes and clutches are charming with an exotic flair. But that’s because all of the merchandise is hand-stitched by a collective of women in India, who directly benefit from each sale.

The company, which is based in Miami Beach, showcased its products during a trunk show at The Katie Fong Boutique in Greenwich. The lovely fabrics — which included shades of turquoise, yellow, fuchsia and royal blue — contrasted with the stark whiteness of the wintry setting. It seemed like OmLuxe had brought a hint of Florida with it, and we weren’t opposed to it.

But aside from using shades bright enough to coax a smile, all of the company’s products, as well as its mission, are deeply rooted in spirituality.

Founded by Pamela Jones and Elizabeth Scullin — a former New Yorker — OmLuxe helps employ and empower women while spreading positive vibes through style. The idea was born from the OmLuxe Yoga Retreat, which Jones led to India in 2015. Inspired by the women surrounding her, Jones and her group raised enough money to help 25 Indian women start a sewing collective. With available machines and fabric, the women became self-sufficient by selling their goods in a village in Kerala. Eventually, they began sewing for OmLuxe — hence the Indian beading techniques — with the company committed to donating 10 percent of all proceeds to these women, known as the OmLuxe Collective.

But Jones wanted to take OmLuxe’s accessories a step further, drawing from her experiences with OmLuxe’s Divine Destinations for the Conscious Connoisseur — her “sacred travel company” — to do so. As a yoga instructor, Reiki master and advocate for social change, Jones has been to 30 countries and six continents, including four retreat destinations (Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru, India and Africa). She has donated efforts to Operation Smile in Southeast Asia and, along with OmLuxe participants, helped raise $100,000 for nonprofits, including Somaly Mam Foundation, Water.org, The

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The OmLuxe Collective consists of 25 Indian women, empowered through sewing.

Big Life Foundation and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which WAG covered in April 2017. She’s also a member of One Percent for the Planet, an organization whose members donate one percent of their annual sales to worldwide environmental organizations.

So naturally, Jones envisioned OmLuxe as another way to give back — not just to the OmLuxe Collective but also to women everywhere.

The owners decided to incorporate healing crystals in all of their products. The crystals, which are placed in special carrying pouches, are used to stabilize balance, alignment and energy along the seven chakras — root (base of spine), sacral (lower abdomen), solar plexus (upper abdomen), heart (center of the chest), throat, third eye (between the eyes), and crown (the top of the head). These chakras are believed to represent emotional well-being as related to financial autonomy, happiness, self-worth, love and inner peace, communication, intuition

An OmLuxe handbag highlights richly textured patterns.

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and knowledge and our connection to spirituality.

And when the chakras are aligned, peace manifests itself.

Not only are these crystals sold with the handbags, but with the yoga accessories as well. One particular item includes a meditation cushion, which is handmade and filled with organic buckwheat hulls and a crushed crystal of the client’s choosing, along with a personal meditation and a mantra to use while meditating ($450). To complement the cushion is a yoga mat, which is 100-percent recycled, eco-friendly and designed to promote alignment of the chakras ($95). (The Omluxe Yoga Element Set includes a yoga mat, a carrying strap, and a pouch with seven crystals, $250.)

The company also connects its customers to a spiritual experience by offering 45-minute private crystal energy readings. OmLuxe works with an expert crystal reader who uses color therapy, sound healing, crystal therapy, guided meditation and Reiki to stimulate the senses, raise vibration levels and promote serenity. Customers are provided with a pouch of specially selected crystals based on their personal vibration.

And to think that it all started with the power of sisterhood — one woman’s desire to help others.

For more about OmLuxe, visit omluxecollection.com. For more about the OmLuxe retreats, visit omluxe.com.

An OmLuxe yoga bag. Photographs courtesy OmLuxe.

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WEAR

Norell, cotton organdy sailor dress, spring 1968.

All images courtesy The Museum at FIT.

A f i t t in g t r ib u t e

BY MARY SHUSTACK

T

here’s a 1959 photograph of Norman Norell that just may serve as the perfect summation of his aesthetic.

In the shot, William Helburn captures the fashion designer leaning forward on a stool, chin in hand. Norell’s casual elegance is echoed by an iconic model standing to his side. Also a study in classic cool, Dovima’s curves are hugged by a TrainaNorell evening sheath, striped and sequined to stunning effect.

It’s just one of the countless examples of Norell’s eveningwear, which may have been a celebration of plunging necklines, jeweled buttons and sable trims but was also equally noted for its formfitting flair, sleek sophistication and elegant comfort.

These qualities are at the heart of “Norell: Dean of American Fashion,” which opens Feb. 9 at The Museum at FIT in Manhattan.

Norell (1900-1972) was born Norman David Levinson in Noblesville, Indiana, to a haberdasher father and fashion-obsessed mother. In 1919, he moved to New York to study illustration at Parsons School of Design, transferring the following year to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. There, he studied fashion design from 1920 to 1922 and also renamed himself Norman Norell, as advance materials tell us, the “‘Nor’ for Norman and ‘el’ for Levinson, with an extra ‘l’ to give the new moniker élan.”

Norell tapped into his love of theater to work in costume design, starting at Paramount Pictures, then in Astoria, Queens, in 1922. By 1928, he was devoted to clothing design and joined Hattie Carnegie, one of New York City’s leading fashion houses.

He would become the company’s chief designer, working there until 1941 when he began a business partnership with Anthony Traina, who was then manufacturing quality clothing for a mature clientele. Traina-Norell was active until 1960, when Norell took over as sole owner, launching the company’s new label, Norell.

Traina-Norell, roman-striped, sequined evening sheath worn by Dovima, 1959. Photograph by William Helburn.

Throughout his career, Norell was recognized for his work, which brought haute-couture practices to ready-to-wear designs, a devotion to quality that changed the way many looked at fashion.

Starting with industry honors such as the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion in 1942, Norell continued to be recognized throughout his lifetime. In 1965, he became the second president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

It was in 1972 when he was tapped as the subject of a retrospective at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The day before the gala Met dinner in his honor, Norell suffered a stroke and died 10 days after Norell, belted dresses with mini capes in pink linen and black wool, 1964. Photograph of Kenneth Pool Collection © Marc Fowler.

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the exhibition opened.

Norell and his work would not be forgotten, though.

At The Museum at FIT, Patricia Mears, the museum’s deputy director, and designer Jeffrey Banks, guest curator, have organized an exhibition that emphasizes pivotal Norell designs and philosophies.

The retrospective of work by the pioneering designer will include some 100 fashions and accessories from the museum’s permanent collection.

The exhibition is supplemented by an impressive selection of objects on loan from the private collection of fashion house Kenneth Pool, founded in 2003 by FIT graduate Amsale Aberra.

Day and evening dress, along with accessories and related objects, are arranged thematically to help paint the picture of the quality of work produced by Norell’s atelier. While examples from as far back as the 1930s are included, most of the exhibition is devoted to his most innovative period, from 1960 to 1972.

Throughout his career, Norell’s formalwear reflected a knowing sophistication as well as clean lines and comfort.

As advance materials explain, “Most representative of Norell’s work were his glittering ‘mermaid’ gowns, generously but carefully frosted with thousands of hand-sewn sequins. The base of these

Norell, double-breasted wool melton cape, 1962.

Photograph of Kenneth Pool Collection © Marc Fowler.

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formfitting evening dresses was knitted jersey. The flexible fabric was cut with rounded necks and a variety of sleeves. Of his necklines, Norell proudly said: ‘I hope I have helped women dress more simply.’”

Norell’s “American glamour,” evidenced in daytime suits, jersey separates and those sparkling gowns, attracted a dazzling clientele that in its heyday included Lauren Bacall, Babe Paley, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore, Marilyn Monroe and Lady Bird Johnson.

The timeless quality of his designs, though, have kept his work in the public eye, with vintage pieces a choice of contemporary film stars and high-profile women such as Michelle Obama.

In recognizing his six decades in the fashion industry, the Norell obituary in The New York Times called him “the dean of American fashion designers.”

And in this Museum at FIT retrospective, we’ll be able to see the most fashionable proof of that tribute’s enduring truth.

“Norell: Dean of American Fashion” will be on view Feb. 9 through April 14 at The Museum at FIT, on the campus of the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. For more, visit fitnyc. edu/museum.

Boris Mikhailov (Ukrainian, b. 1938) Untitled from the series Sots Art, 1975–1990 Gelatin silver print handcolored with aniline dyes on paper Collection Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.

Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union, 2000.1131/01773 Photo by Peter Jacobs © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

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WHAT'S COLLECTIBLE?

WRAPPED IN EACH OTHER

BY JENNIFER PITMAN

T

he artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude were destined to be partners in work and life. Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, once said that her life started the day she met Christo. Together, they created grand-scale works of art seen and enjoyed by millions, works that could be said to be as fleeting as a romance.

As if united from the beginning, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude were born on the same day — June 13, 1935. While Christo endured the hardships of the Second World War and postwar Eastern bloc privations in his native Bulgaria, the Moroccan-born Jeanne-Claude grew up the child of privilege in North Africa, France and Switzerland, the daughter of a society woman and stepdaughter of a wealthy, influential French general.

A talented artist, Christo studied art at the Sofia Christian Academy before escaping to Vienna and later settling in Paris. There, Christo was isolated by his refugee status and his limited financial and linguistic abilities. He made a living painting portraits, a vocation that he detested.

But it was as a portrait painter that Christo met Jeanne-Claude, when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother. In spite of Jeanne-Claude’s engagement and marriage to another, she fell in love with Christo. Much to her family’s dismay, Jeanne-Claude left her husband after she discovered she was pregnant with Christo’s child.

The artwork that Christo wanted to produce involved wrapping objects with fabric or clear plastic — ranging in scale from a shoe to a motorcycle to a building. This medium forced the viewer to reexamine the object. While the fabric conveyed some of the object’s features and proportions, it masked the object itself. When Christo and Jeanne-Claude moved to New York in 1964, Christo produced a series of show windows and storefronts, draping discarded architectural elements with fabric or paper.

The large-scale, ephemeral works for which they are best-known first came to life in the ear-

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Christo and Jeanne-Claude, "The Gates, Project for Central Park, New York City” (1996), offset lithograph in colors, sold for $563 (estimate, $500-800).

ly 1960s. In 1962, “Rideau de Fer (Iron Curtain”) gained notice when Christo and Jeanne-Claude used oil barrels to block off a small street in Paris to protest the building of the Berlin Wall.

Over the years, Christo and Jeanne-Claude have wrapped the Pont Neuf in Paris (1985) and the Reichstag (1995) in Berlin, run a fabric fence some 25 miles in length in Sonoma and Marin counties, California, (1976), surrounded a group of islands in Miami’s Biscayne Bay with hot pink fabric (1983) and, closer to home, erected more than 7,500 saffron-colored fabric gates in Central Park (2005). Although this work was always collaborative, it was not until 1994 that the couple acknowledged Jeanne-Claude’s role. While Christo drew the illustrations, Jeanne-Claude served as spokesperson for and organizer of these massive projects.

And what was the purpose of these works, whose existence lasted no more than a few weeks? Jeanne-Claude has said they wanted to, “create works of art of joy and beauty, which we will build because we believe it will be beautiful,” and Christo reflected on the temporary nature of the works, saying: “I am an artist, and I have to have courage …Do you know that I don’t have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they’re finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain.”

The bureaucratic and financial costs of these mammoth artworks were borne by the artists.

The sale of charcoal and pastel drawings and collages were used to finance the projects and are all that remain of these temporary spectacles.

It is these preparatory works that are the most commonly found on the market and are the most accessible. At auction, lithographs sell from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, while signed mixed-media works can exceed $100,000. Christo’s wrapped objects and storefront projects fetch even more, with some pieces realizing more than half a million dollars. According to Meredith Hilferty, director of Rago Arts and Auction’s Fine Arts Department, these works are particularly desirable precisely because of their ultimate elusiveness.

For more of Christo and Jeanne-Claude and others romantic collaborators, see Veronica Kavass’ “Artists in Love: From Picasso & Gilot to Christo & Jeanne-Claude, A Century of Creative and Romantic Partnerships.”

Jennifer Pitman, a Westchester resident, writes about the jewelry, fine and decorative arts she encounters as Rago Arts and Auction’s senior account manager for Westchester and Connecticut. She can be reached at jenny@ragoarts.com or 917- 745-2730.

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The Mondrian SoHo hotel, designed by Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. Photograph by Tom Sibley.

FOLLOWING YOUR HEART IN INTERIOR DESIGN

BY JANE MORGAN

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P

robably the purest expression of romance I have ever witnessed is the scene in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in which Sally looks at Linus and a hundred red hearts spontaneously burst forth over her head, each one throbbing wildly.

She claps her hands so quickly, that they reverberate like butterfly wings. A smile wafts across her face, which vibrates with happiness. She runs over to him, clasps her hands together, as if in prayer, and gushes, “Isn’t he the cutest thing?” while several more pulsing hearts pop open.

The fact that Linus responds by throwing his blanket over his head is totally beside the point.

Who doesn’t relate to the feeling that celebrates the possibility that anything can happen, because the world has just opened up for you? To me, romance is that feeling — looking at someone or something and seeing a fantasy expressed in real time for a moment or a collection of moments. Having stars in your eyes will frequently get you a warning from others to “come down to earth.” However, I stand firm in my prerogative to give in to rapturous feelings now and then — to seek inspiration and wholeheartedly surrender to my imagination.

So, what does a romantic environment look like? It doesn’t necessarily have to be filled with flowers and candles and billowing fabric panels.

Modern spaces can have a soaring quality just as easily. The common denominator is warmth and soulfulness — a relaxed, comfortable and elegant sensibility. Maybe things are just a little mussedup and not too perfect. Color brings emotion. The more intense the color, the more affecting it is.

Texture brings depth and lighting creates a mood. Let softness prevail. No clutter and little emphasis on function either, because you need to remove some reality in order to create romance. Use furniture as sculpture. Regard the negative space between objects as an opportunity to create a sense of serenity. Curvy shapes are sensual. A little metallic sparkle and reflective glass. A few vintage pieces that have an interesting story behind them.

Of course, mirrors add dimension. Play with scale. Oversized and miniature objects alter perception. Architecturally speaking, charming details and the grand scale of high ceilings are instantly captivating. Give some attention to fragrance, too.

It’s all about appealing to the senses.

One of my favorite interior designers, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz — who is known for infusing an element of fantasy into his designs — says, “The first and most important thing to decide is how you want the room to feel. Once you decide on a strong emotional concept, everything else falls into place.” Leading your aesthetic decisions by sensual and emotional desires sets the stage for inspiration. Decide you want to be transported and romance will surely follow.

For more, visit janemorganinteriordesign. com.

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WANDERS

A view from Prague's Charles Bridge. Photographs courtesy Sloane Travel Photography.

'CZECH'-ING OUT PRAGUE

BY BARBARA BARTON SLOANE

I

f you want to visit a city that is pure magic, then get yourself to Prague. One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, thanks to its location (on the Vltava River in the Czech Republic) and more than 1,000 years of glorious architectural tradition, Prague has a rich artistic, musical and literary history that conjures names like Franz Kafka, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Alphonse Mucha. The citizens of Prague are rightly proud of their city, now a World Heritage site. But Prague by no means lives on its illustrious past alone. It’s a modern metropolis where past and present merge in a unique and special symbiosis.

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THE FIVE TOWNS Prague is a virtual jewel, barely damaged by World War II when it was bombed accidentally by the Allies in 1945. Settled by the Celts in 500 B.C., Prague is made up of five towns — the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, the Little Quarter, the New Town and Hradčany, the village around Prague Castle.

When one sees photos of the city, somewhere in the background you’re likely to get a glimpse of Prague Castle. At the top of my list of things to do was a long trek up the hill to this site, originally the seat of Czech royalty and nobility. This monumental complex consists of a palace, church, monastery and garden as well as several small sidewalk cafés and some fine restaurants. On the day I visited, the hotel on the hill, formerly a Crowne Plaza and now the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle, was hosting the Czech soccer team. The muscular, attractive players proved an amiable distraction on my quick tour of this lovely property.

INSPIRED BY WINE Vinohrady, which means vineyard, is a quiet, residential section of Prague a mere 15-minute walk from Wenceslas Square. Here I discovered a true Prague neighborhood — moms pushing strollers, lovers walking hand-in-hand down tree-shaded lanes, and

everyone (it seemed) walking a dog. Luckily, I also discovered the luxury Le Palais Hotel with its distinctive Belle Époque architecture. After a look-see around this handsome property, I decided this is where I’d make my home for the next few days.

A MOST EXCELLENT VIEW I had a brilliant dining experience, a regal repast at Allegro in the splendid Four Seasons Hotel. I was given the choice of dining inside or on the terrace overlooking the Charles Bridge and the Vltava River — a no-brainer as it was a balmy spring evening with the setting sun casting a golden glow over the city. I could barely tear myself away from this breathtaking scene and return to my table to look over the menu.

From time to time while dining, I left the table to stand at the terrace’s rail and gaze down at that iconic bridge named Charles. It spans the river and joins Prague’s Old Town (Stare Mesto) with the Little or Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana). This, the oldest of Prague’s bridges was built in 1357 by Charles IV and its sandstone sculptures that adorn either side are black with age. The story is that St. John Nepomuk was thrown from the bridge in the 14th century by order of not-so-good King Wenceslas IV for refusing to divulge what his queen had told

square, staring up at a tower, you’ll know you’ve found the medieval Astronomical Clock that dates from 1410. In the 17th century, moving statues were added as well as figures of the Apostles, which are set in motion on the hour. Actually, as I preferred people-watching, I found a ringside seat at a pretty café and sampled its gelato in myriad flavors — a delicious day’s end for this weary but sated traveler.

him in confession. The legend claims that as John drowned, five stars appeared on the water and these stars have become the symbol of the town’s patron saint.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN The roots of the Jewish Town reach back to the Middle Ages. In addition to the Old-New Synagogue (from the 13th century), the Jewish Town Hall and most of the legendary Jewish Cemetery have been preserved. The cemetery was founded in 1478 in a relatively small space. With more than 100,000 buried there, the graves had to be stacked in several layers. Some areas have up to 12 layers. The Old-New Synagogue is the oldest in Europe and still in use despite having endured much since 1270, including fires and pogroms.

The Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) is the central meeting point for droves of Prague’s tourists. Young, old and everyone in between will see it all there. I stood in the center of the square and slowly turned around, admiring all the historic buildings that encircled it. St. Nicholas Church dominates the square, a great example of both Gothic and Rococo styles. The buildings’ facades are painted in pastel, ice cream-colors and sidewalk cafés abound. Gelato anyone?

If you see a throng standing together in the

The colorful rooftops of Prague.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? Before returning to my hotel, I took a walk through some old, winding cobblestone lanes. It was twilight, that bewitching hour when, if you are ever going to believe in magic, it is going to happen then. Looking off in the distance, sitting on an ornate bench under an umbrella of chestnut trees, I thought — can it be? Yes, Franz Kafka, shooting the breeze with a few companions. Turning right at the next corner, I found that if I squinted just hard enough, I could make out the slender figure of none other than Aphonse Mucha, his easel set up under dim lamplight, sketching something wondrous and Art Nouveau. Here in Prague, past and present really do merge effortlessly. I eased myself gently back to reality and you know what I realized? Quotidian reality — in Prague — is a pretty formidable thing.

For more, visit czechtourism.com.

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WANDERS

Last year, Tahiti's iconic overwater bungalows celebrated their 50th anniversary. Courtesy Tahiti Tourisme.

LOVE OVER WATER

BY DEBBI K. KICKHAM

I

f you’re seeking one of the world’s most romantic and unique destinations, I’ve got just two words for you — overwater bungalows. And, more to the point, just one word — Tahiti.

Last year saw the 50th anniversary of the overwater bungalows in the islands of Tahiti. Haven’t you longed to spend time in one such dwelling with your sweetheart? (Hint: How about for Valentine’s Day next year?)

Tahiti’s overwater bungalows are legendary. They’re iconic. They’re gorgeous. And they’re unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced.

Think about it: Isn’t staying in an overwater bungalow on, say, Bora Bora, with warm turquoise waters and schools of fish around and beneath you, the stuff of dreams?

It certainly was in my expectations ever since I was a kid in fifth grade. After reading “Typee” by Herman Melville, I informed my mother that one day I was going to French Polynesia and specifically to Bora Bora. My mom was a young widow who worked at a factory in Milford, and thus, I had

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I WAS DETERMINED THAT ONE DAY I WOULD STAY IN A BLISSFUL BUNGALOW IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S LOVELIEST AND MOST TROPICAL DESTINATIONS — Debbi K. Kickham

absolutely no idea how I was going to pay to get there. But I was determined that one day I would stay in a blissful bungalow in one of the world’s loveliest and most tropical destinations, with picture-perfect postcard beaches. It took me 35 more years but I got there, finally, not once but three times now, and the memories of those overwater bungalows are vividly etched in my mind.

From the moment you see them, you’ll swear you’re in a heavenly place. The thatched-roof huts

stand out like little jewels in the water, when seen from above. Walking into your bungalow, you immediately see that there’s a hole in the floor — topped by a glass-topped coffee table — and you can simply remove the tabletop and feed the tropical fish below — right from your living room. Extraordinary.

One morning, my husband, Bill, and I got a canoe breakfast delivered to our “back door,” and, being vegetarians, we removed the little sausages and then got some string from room service.

We tied the sausages to the string and repeatedly flung them into the water and then quickly pulled them back up — causing a feeding frenzy among the nonaggressive reef sharks that showed up for breakfast. It was one of the most delightful times of my life. I called it “Fish TV.” Later, we waded into the waist-deep Windex-colored, bathwater-warm water, and reveled in the fish swimming all around us.

How did this all begin? It started with three men nicknamed “the Bali Hai Boys” — Hugh Kelley, Don “Muk” McCallum and Jay Carlisle — who had moved to Tahiti in the 1960s after falling in love with the country. After opening a hotel on Moorea, the Boys searched for a way to give guests at their Raiatea hotel direct access to the lagoon where sandy beaches were lacking. Their solution made history — building the first three authentic, traditional pandanus leaf thatched-roof villas over the water to give their guests direct water access. It’s unlikely they knew the effect their idea would have on tourism, revolutionizing Tahiti’s economy and influencing accommodation design in other locations around the world.

Fifty years on, the traditional overwater bungalow concept has evolved to include palatial suites and villas that offer the amenities of a first-class hotel room. Signature glass floors and insets provide glimpses of the lagoon and its sea life below — affectionately nicknamed “Tahiti TV” — while private terraces, infinity pools, spa baths and hammocks ratchet up the luxury factor. To stay in an overwater bungalow at, for example, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora — well, luxury doesn’t get any better than that. Today, there are 884 overwater bungalows spread across 22 hotels throughout seven of the islands of Tahiti, offering guests the ultimate in luxury island getaways.

Surrounded by so much love and beauty, your travel companion is likely to look at you and blurt out those three little words that every woman yearns to hear. No, not “I love you,” but “Tahitian black pearls,” themselves the colors of the waters — with turquoise, purple, blue and pistachio hues that you won’t see anywhere else in the world.

Don’t worry: There are tons of jewelry stores in Tahiti, and even island tours where you can visit pearl farms and take your pick of the beauteous best.

For more, visit tahititourisme.com and for more on Debbi, visit GorgeousGlobetrotter.com and MarketingAuthor.com.

E R OA R I N

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MUSCOOT

Voted!

TAVERN

One of New York States Top 15

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Stop in and experience the charm of this historic eatery, a neighborhood favorite since the Roaring ‘20s! Enjoy our cozy tavern where it’s always lively and cheerful or relax on our patio overlooking our horseshoe and bocce ball courts.

Live music on Saturdays and some Fridays On Sundays, enjoy outdoor live music from 4 to 8:30 Happy Hour Daily from 4-6 and again from 9-11 on Thurs, Fri and Saturday nights.

105 Somerstown Turnpike, Katonah, NY (Corner of Rt. 100 and Rt. 35) www.muscoottavern.com 914 • 232 • 2800

WANDERS

THE HOTEL LOVER

BY JEREMY WAYNE

I

’m a faithless lover. Of hotels, that is. In Paris, for instance, I can never stay loyal to one hotel for long, for the simple reason that there are so many wonderful ones to try.

My latest squeeze is a stunner on the Left Bank, 200 yards from the Seine, a hop, skip and a jump from Boulevard St. Michel. Well, how could you not fall head over heels in love? Dating from the 13th century and built on the site of an Augustinian monastery, the privately owned Relais Christine might sound just a teensy bit fusty, but enter its enchanting courtyard and climb the few steps to the hotel’s reception and what overwhelms you is the sense of contemporary Paris chic.

A young decorator by the name of Laura Gonzales (remember her name, because you’re going to be hearing it a lot) has recently carried out a renovation of the common parts. As a result, Relais Christine just brims over with palpable good taste.

Pierre Frey, Hermès and Ananbô fabrics — silks and brocades so scrumptious and decadent you can’t keep from running your hands over them — are the backdrop for individual pieces gathered from flea markets. Meanwhile, the coffee table tomes so artfully displayed in the hotel’s salon are so heavy you feel they must have been lowered in by crane. The honesty bar sets the tone for a relaxed informality and will make you feel right at home, the essential difference being that in my home we are always running out of essentials like tonic for my gin, which at the beautifully run Relais Christine would never happen.

With only 48 guest rooms and suites, this hotel always feels intimate. The rooms with private terraces opening onto a magical garden may be the plum choice, but the spacious duplexes offer great value for the money. And I love the four courtyard rooms, which perhaps more than any others give the feeling of living like a local in the City of Lights. Many of the guest accommodations, by the way, come with complete kitchens, ideal if you’re planning a longer stay. Plus, if fitness is your thing, you can head to the basement for “sport in the vault,” in the hotel’s fully equipped fitness center, complete with Jacuzzi and sauna, or you can be pummelled and primped in the hotel’s gorgeous Guerlain spa. Whatever would those Augustines have thought of it all?

A faithless lover (of hotels) I may be, but that doesn’t mean I’m not an old-fashioned romantic.

The Idle Rocks, St. Mawes, from the harbor. Courtesy The Idle Rocks.

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Above, the front desk at Relais Christine, Paris; and right, the courtyard room terrace at Relais Christine, Paris. Courtesy Relais Christine.

And one of the most romantic spots on earth has to be the fishing village of St. Mawes in Cornwall, England — magical, mystical, redolent of pirates and cloaked in Arthurian legend.

At the end of a picture-postcard seaside village, The Idle Rocks hotel is one of the most romantic small hotels on “this sceptred isle.” With its scrubbed furniture, pale pastels, blue and white Ikat textiles and driftwood sculptures, it sits right on the water with views of the surrounding peninsula and out to sea that are utterly breathtaking.

In midwinter, the Cornwall sky is a steely blue, the temperatures are mild (that’s the Gulf Stream for you) and the Idle Rocks’ wood-burning fireplaces and Cornish cream teas make for the cosiest of retreats. But it’s in the spring and summer months when this property really comes into its own. Sit on the hotel’s wide terrace overlooking the water, under a cobalt blue June sky, drinking a gin fizz (made with Plymouth gin, naturally) or sip Black Ewe Dry White wine from the nearby Trevibban Mill Vineyard & Orchards and all care seems to slip away.

Feast in the hotel’s restaurant, where the emphasis, as you might expect is on all things piscine, and you will fall for The Idle Rocks, hook, line and sinker.

Chef Guy Owen says he likes to keep it simple. Well, so did Marie Antoinette. There are local Helford oysters, plump and minerally, silver mullet with brown shrimps, the freshest crab, scorched mackerel with apple and oyster, judiciously curried cod and Moorland lamb with pickled cockles and seaweed.

Heritage fruit and vegetables come from The Lost Gardens of Heligan up the road (which is worth the journey to Cornwall alone) and fish and shellfish is landed on the quay right here in St. Mawes, or along the coast at Looe. It doesn’t get fresher.

There is love and romance and then, of course, there is sex. Back stateside, The Surf Club was for years the sexiest address in Miami. Everyone hung here — Churchill, a clutch of Kennedys and half of Hollywood, including Elizabeth Taylor and the entire Rat Pack — and what they all got up to, not to cast aspersions or anything, one can only imagine and smile. But its heyday was long gone. Then clever developer, Nadim Ashi, got architect Richard Meier 106

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FUNNY, ISN’T IT, HOW THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE SOMETIMES ON THE DOORSTEP. THE GRACE MAYFLOWER INN & SPA IN WASHINGTON, CONNECTICUT, IS NOT ONLY ONE OF THE LOVELIEST INNS IN NEW ENGLAND, TO MY MIND IT ALSO BOASTS ONE OF THE TOP HALF-DOZEN SPAS IN THE COUNTRY, ALL 20,000 SQUARE FEET OF IT.

to slap a sleek white cube of a hotel on top of the original Mediterranean-style club and persuaded Four Seasons to run it.

The best of all possible worlds — huge guest rooms, easy on the eye; two sleek, symmetrical pools to play in; the beach just steps away. Plus, an all-white spa so fresh, so — well, frankly, sexy — it doesn’t seem entirely decent. Last but not least is The Surf Club’s glamorous restaurant, a one-off branch of Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy. Overseen by Sirenuse owner Antonio Sersale himself, the food is utterly divine and every bite has you right there on the Amalfi Coast. It’s heaven, and if you don’t leave

home for one of those smooth, white-jacketed, Italian-American waiters, chances are you will stay home forever.

Funny, isn’t it, how the best things in life are sometimes on the doorstep. The Grace Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut, is not only one of the loveliest inns in New England, to my mind it also boasts one of the top half-dozen spas in the country, all 20,000 square feet of it. Peace of mind, serenity and general wellness are the focus here in addition to familiar treatments such as massage, cranio-sacral therapy and lymphatic drainage — many of which use the resort’s exceptional New York-produced Red Flower products. Mayflower is also a North American pioneer of Shinrin-Yoku, or Forest Bathing. This involves direct, physical contact with the earth by means of curated walks in the woods, with exposure to phytoncides, the airborne chemicals and oils emitted by trees. These restorative hikes are then complemented by spa therapies to release blocked energy.

For breakfast the Grace does a wonderful smoked salmon benedict, and lunch in the cosy Tap Room or the prix fixe dinner in the main dining room delivers some of the best food for miles around. And the Mayflower offers nourishment for the mind as well as the body, because there are books everywhere — in the inn’s atmospheric library, of course, with its wood fire always burning, in the games room, in the great room at the spa and in the guest rooms. Accommodations range from vast suites in the Speedwell or Allerton Cottages, with marble-surround fireplaces, beautiful stencilled wallpapers and two balconies looking out to the woods, to equally sumptuous rooms in the main house.

With so much on offer both at home and abroad, you can see why I’m a serial hotel adulterer. I hope this month that you’ll be committing some hotel adultery, too.

For more, visit relais-christine.com, idlerocks.com, fourseasons.com/surfside and gracehotels.com.

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From the first appointment, she received a level of health care provision she never imagined. “My transplant team is competent and empathetic, and the care I received surpasses anything I could ever imagined in a medical setting. I feel I am in completely and highly competent hands, and that these are hands that care for me as an individual human being.”

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Every member of my team focused on me first and foremost – with medical and technical expertise, as well as with tender care, heart, empathy, spirit, and kindness – elements that are sorely missing in the health care industry. This team should be held up as an example of what health care CAN BE, versus what it is in so many other situations.”

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Renal interventions (nephrostomy, N-U, catheter maintenance) Varicocele and Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Embolizations Chemoembolization Uterine Fibroid Embolization To make an appointment or a referral at our Midtown or Tarrytown locations, please call 212-326-8874. www.columbiaradiology.org/services/interventional-radiology

* The patient’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.

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INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY TARRYTOWN 155 White Plains Road • Suite W100 • Tarrytown, New York 10591

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INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY MIDTOWN 51 West 51st Street • Suite 301 • New York, NY 10019

Dermatology

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Healthy, radiant skin doesn’t just happen, it is part of a comprehensive self-care regimen. Diet, exercise and stress all affect the aging process. You cannot change the world around you much, but you can change your perception of the world and the way the world perceives you. Have your skin health assessed by our professionals and a unique regimen of care designed for you!

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Kimberly D. Morel, MD

Larisa J. Geskin, MD

CUMC/HERBERT IRVING PAVILION 161 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032 COLUMBIADOCTORS MIDTOWN 51 West 51st Street , Suite 390, New York, New York 10019 COLUMBIADOCTORS TARRYTOWN 155 White Plains Road, Suite W100, Tarrytown, New York 10591

Neurology

World-Class Neurological Care Care comes to Tarrytown

SERVICES OFFERED: Aging and Dementia ALS and Related Motor Neuron Diseases

ColumbiaDoctors neurologists are among the most renowned neurology experts in the world. Neurology and neurosurgery services at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center continuously rank among the top programs in the nation, and the Department of Neurology is ranked #2 for NIH-funded research. Patients choose ColumbiaDoctors Neurology, at the famed Neurological Institute of New York or any of our five other convenient locations, for the finest neurological care available.

Epilepsy

As one of the largest programs in the country, representing all subspecialties of Neurology, ColumbiaDoctors Neurology offers special expertise in the full range of neurological disorders. Patients who need an initial diagnosis, a second opinion or ongoing care for a wide variety of both chronic and acute neurological disorders will find help and hope with our caring and compassionate providers. Most of our clinicians are also involved in laboratory-based research and clinical trials, offering patients the newest therapeutic options and diagnostic tools.

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Headache and Facial Pain Multiple Sclerosis and Related Autoimmune Disorders Neuromuscular Medicine Neuro-Oncology (Brain and Spinal Tumors) Neuropsychology

Peripheral Neuropathies Sleep Disorders Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Other—Advanced Diagnostic and Treatment Services To make an appointment or a referral at our Midtown or Tarrytown locations, please call 646-42-NEURO. www.columbianeurology.org

Cigdem Akman, MD

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COLUMBIADOCTORS MIDTOWN 51 West 51st Street New York, NY 10091

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COLUMBIADOCTORS TARRYTOWN 155 White Plains Road Tarrytown, NY 10591

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CUMC/NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK 710 West 168th Street New York, NY 10032

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COLUMBIADOCTORS RIVERDALE 3050 CORLEAR AVENUE OFFICE 3050 Corlear Avenue Bronx, NY 10463

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COLUMBIADOCTORS WEST 86TH STREET 21 W. 86th Street New York, NY 10024

One of the First & Most Accomplished Departments of Urology J. Bentley Squier founded the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Urology in 1917 and, today, it is one of the oldest and most accomplished departments of urology in the nation.

ColumbiaDoctors Urology goals are threefold: • to offer unsurpassed excellence in patient care, • to conduct cutting edge research across the spectrum of urologic disorders, and • to train the next generation of urologists to provide patients with the best possible care.

Together with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Urology is ranked by US News and World Report as the number one urology program in New York and one of the best in the nation.

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ColumbiaDoctors Bronxville 1 Pondfield Road, 3rd Floor Bronxville, NY 10708

ColumbiaDoctors Tarrytown

155 White Plains Road, Suite W100 Tarrytown, NY 10591

Elias Hyams, MD

Matthew Rutman, MD

Peter Stahl, MD

WONDERFUL DINING

FOR THE LOVE OF FAMILY – AND FOOD STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS

BY ALEESIA FORNI

0

pening Hudson Valley Steakhouse, an elegant new eatery in Yorktown Heights, was more than just a business venture for owners Elvis Cutra and Klevis Tana. It was a celebration of their passion, their families and the region they’ve come to love.

Born and raised in Albania, each spent his childhood on a family farm and in the kitchen, shadowing relatives.

“The love of growing fresh produce, creating wonderful meals and family experiences was our foundation,” Cutra says.

More than just business partners, Cutra and Tana are brothers-in-law, each married to half of the sister duo that owns and operates the chic Ossining hair salon, VaZa Salon, featured in March 2014 WAG. The guys’ marriages led to friendship and a shared dream of opening an excellent eatery in northern Westchester. And, they add, they had the experience to get the job done.

Since making the trek to the U.S., the two have worked at some of the most notable restaurants in New York City, including the Rainbow Room and the now defunct Colicchio & Sons.

“Being mentored by some of the best prepared us for branching out on our own,” Cutra says.

At 3360 Old Crompond Road, their restaurant is somewhat tucked away, situated across from a bustling shopping center but off the main road. Once

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inside, you’ll find a spacious, 4,000-square-foot dining room that is accented by an impressive floorto-ceiling wine rack. Curtains offer the owners the option to separate part of the room into a private dining space for special events.

The bar and tables have all been handcrafted by Cutra and Tana themselves, made from reclaimed walnut wood sourced from Rochester, New York.

While the frigid temperatures kept us from dining al fresco, warmer months will likely see patrons taking advantage of an outdoor patio and dining area.

The crowd inside is a diverse mix, a tribute to the comfortable but sophisticated atmosphere — a couple celebrating an anniversary, a family gathered for a meal, casually dressed friends enjoying a drink at the bar.

In true steakhouse fashion, the menu is simple but sufficient. You’ll find a handful of hot or cold appetizers and half a dozen seafood and poultry options, along with 10 cuts of various steaks and chops.

We start with tomato and fresh Bufala Mozzarella, which is so creamy it nearly melts in my mouth. An order of crunchy fried calamari is tender and flavorful, pairing perfectly with a side of pomodoro sauce.

At Cutra’s recommendation, we opt for the New York sirloin, blackened, juicy and cooked precisely to our taste. Wild salmon is topped with pepper verde sauce in a second entrée. The fish is tender and fresh, not surprising since the eatery has its seafood delivered daily. But the true star is the sauce, creamy and accented by roasted red peppers that add a pleasant kick.

Other recommended highlights from the chef, Tomassino Prengjoni, Tana and Cutra’s uncle-inlaw, include a 38-ounce Tomahawk steak that is dry-aged for 31 days, a Colorado rack of lamb with aged Port wine sauce and Maine lobsters that are cracked tableside. USDA Prime premium cut meats are hand-selected and given a stamp of approval by Prengjoni himself.

Each entrée is served unaccompanied, so you’ll need to browse the list of sides — three types of potatoes and five vegetable options — if you’d like something to pair with your main course. We select both sautéed asparagus — Cutra gives us the option of choosing our preferred cooking method — and hash brown potatoes.

Don’t let the name of the latter fool you; these hash browns aren’t your typical fare. They’re sliced thick, fried to a tender crisp and lightly seasoned. Not only are they delicious, they also

Warm walnut pecan pie served with creamy vanilla ice cream.

Wild salmon is topped with a pepper verde sauce.

The floor-to-ceiling wine rack.

serve as a perfect tool for sopping up the leftover pepper verde sauce.

It’s hard to imagine that we could be further blown away at this point, but our dessert — warm walnut pecan pie served alongside creamy vanilla ice cream — does just that. Topped with a scattering of berries and powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce, this assortment of flavors, textures and temperatures makes for a satisfying end to our meal.

You can see the owners’ passion for their endeavor both in the way they treat their patrons — we watch staff members sing “Happy Birthday” to not just one, but two different dining groups during our visit — and in the food they serve. It’s comforting, it’s delicious and it’s created with care.

Cutra and Tana themselves are warm and friendly, striking a balance that makes them highly attentive and hospitable without becoming overbearing.

Though the restaurant has not yet been open for a full year, it’s already seen a significant change. The eatery originally opened as Spark Valley Steak House — a homage to their hope of bringing a “spark” to the region — though Cutra and Tana felt that name didn’t adequately reflect their establishment.

The Hudson Valley, after all, is the true inspiration for their venture and the place they call home.

For more, visit hudsonvalleysteakhouse.com.

Curtains in the 4,000-square-foot dining room offer the option to separate part of the room for special events.

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Discover The new IL FORNO Italian Kitchen & Bar Where Good Vibes meet Italian Inspired Cuisine!

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WINE & DINE

A MARRIAGE OF WINES AND CULTURES STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY DOUG PAULDING

C

hâteau Lafite Rothschild is surely one of a few family wine names that conjures images of excellence in anyone’s mind. The earliest references to the family’s wine goes back to the early 13th century. Their vintages have been collected and served through the centuries by kings and queens, czars and American presidents, notably Thomas Jefferson. I can remember knowing the name “Lafite” before I knew anything of wine.

In 1988, the Rothschilds began a collaboration with Los Vascos winery in Chile. The dreaded phylloxera, a soil-borne louse that will suck the life out of grapevine roots, had decimated vineyards around the world, forcing big name wineries like the Rothschilds’ to diversify and look elsewhere for appropriate vineyard sites. Some set their sights on South America, which already had a wine culture dating back to the Spanish conquistadors. This put Chile and Argentina on the world’s wine map.

In Chile, the Rothschilds’ mission was to find, focus and finance a quality producer and bring South American wines to a much higher plane. The wines sell for a fraction of the cost of a Bordeaux first-growth wine, but the vineyard methods and the oenological knowledge and direction is nothing less than first-rate, guided by Olivier Trégoat, the technical director for the Rothschilds’ estates outside of Bordeaux, France.

In 1999, the Rothschilds looked to the high altitude vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina, and found Bodega Catena Zapata winery met their prerequisite of producing high-quality wines with ambition, infrastructure and room to improve. They entered into an agreement with the Catena family, which had been making wines for three generations, to help advise, finance and support all aspects of the partnership. Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) and the Catena family decided on a blend of the names for the wine. “Catena” and “Rothschild”

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became Bodegas CARO wines. They searched for a winemaker with big credentials and bigger potential and recruited Fernando Buscema, a fifth generation winemaker from Mendoza. Fernando was already fully immersed, having earned an oenology degree in Argentina and a master’s degree from the University of California, Davis.

I met Laura Catena and Fernando recently over an exceptional dining experience at Zuma, a Japanese restaurant in Manhattan. Laura is Catena owner Nicolás’ daughter and an emergency room physician living with her family in San Francisco. Over lunch, she told me the Catena family was a longtime farming family dedicated to wine production.

“We were absolutely giddy when the Rothschild family first approached us. Our wines were wellknown to be delicious and impressive in Argentina, but this would take us to another level. Our mission is to make the most elegant wine from Argentina.”

All of the grapes grown for CARO wines are hand-harvested and hand-sorted before destemming and crushing. This ensures no “off” grapes get into the mix and that the tannic stems are removed, creating a softer and more delicate wine. CARO produces Aruma, a single varietal Malbec wine, but its other wines are blends. By melding two grapes, the Malbec brings power, exuberance and fruitiness to the portfolio, while the Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure and elegance.

We tasted the 2016 Aruma, which was a refined and elegant version of Malbec showing dark cherry, soft spice and a silkiness to entertain the palate. Judicious use of Bordeaux barrels enhanced all these wines, but Fernando told me, “We don’t want the oak to be the star. We want the fruit to speak for itself.

The oak amplifies the flavors of the grapes.”

Our next wine was the 2015 Amancaya blend of 85 percent Malbec and 15 percent Cabernet. It had lush, lovely notes with rich cherry and big, delightful aromatics that kept the glass close and under the nose even when not sipping. We then tasted two of the vineyard’s signature wines, CARO, from two different vintages. The blend percentages are different each year depending on the specific weather conditions and the emphasis each wine will contribute to the final product. We first tasted the 2014 CARP, which was dark and dense, with black cherry notes and hints of coffee and chocolate. The 2007 vintage showed a dark and brooding cherry tempered by licorice and vanilla. At the one-decade mark, the 2007 is still very youthful with lots of time left.

All of these wines are worth seeking out or even special ordering. Baron Eric de Rothschild called this venture “an association between two cultures, two families and two noble grapes.” These wines are affordable and significantly over-deliver. For your next event, think CARO. Your guests will be impressed.

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Laura Catena and winemaker Fernando Buscema of Bodegas Caro in Manhattan recently.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

STUART WEITZMAN HIGH-STEPS THROUGH HISTORY

BY MARY SHUSTACK

I

t was back in our October 2013 issue that WAG editor-in-chief Georgette Gouveia profiled iconic shoe designer and longtime Fairfield County resident Stuart Weitzman.

He told her during the interview for the cover story that, “Shoes do two things: Anyone can wear the shoes Kate Moss has. You’re not going to wear her bathing suit or her dress. But you can wear her shoes and feel great in them. And shoes become a memory.”

It was with little surprise, then, to learn that Weitzman – who stepped down as creative director of his eponymous company this past spring and continues his transition toward the title of chairman emeritus in May – is keeping his toes, shall we say, in the footwear industry.

As Weitzman has shared his love of shoes over the years through his signature designs, he’s soon to share his appreciation for the history of footwear through an exhibition opening in April at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library in Manhattan.

“Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes” will explore, as advance materials describe, “how shoes have transcended their utilitarian purpose to become representations of culture — coveted as objects of desire, designed with artistic consideration and expressing complicated meanings of femininity, power, and aspiration for women and men alike.”

The exhibition, to be featured in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery at the society’s Center for Women’s History, will highlight 100 pairs of shoes from the designer’s extensive private collection, one assembled by Weitzman and his wife, Jane Gershon Weitzman, over some 30 years.

Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the NewYork Historical Society, says, “‘Walk This Way’ will surprise and delight visitors with its unexpected lens on women’s history through Stuart Weitzman’s unparalleled historic footwear collection.

Shoes on view range from designs to be worn in

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Lace-up boots, ca. 1900. Silk and silk brocade. Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 59 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society. Courtesy New-York Historical Society.

SHOES BECOME A MEMORY — Stuart Weitzman

the privacy of a woman’s home, shoes that American suffragists wore as they marched through city streets, ‘sexy’ heels that reflected changing norms of female aesthetics and professional shoes suitable for the increasing numbers of women in the workforce. We are thrilled to be able to offer the public this unique opportunity to explore the private collection of a collector extraordinaire who is also America’s top shoe designer.”

The exhibition will trace the story of shoes, touching on collection, consumption, presentation and production, while also exploring trends in American economic history, from industrialization to the rise of consumer culture. There will be a focus on women’s contributions as producers, consumers, designers and entrepreneurs.

“Walk This Way” is coordinated by Valerie Paley, the society’s vice president, chief historian and director of the Center for Women’s History, with Edward Maeder, consulting curator, and Jeanne Gardner Gutierrez, curatorial scholar in women’s history.

The exhibition will also include historic artifacts from the society, such as brass and bronze shoe buckles from a Revolutionary War officer’s shoes (1760-83) and a pair of leather children’s shoes (circa 1904).

Among the treasures from the Weitzman collection will be a pair of pink silk embroidered boudoir shoes created for the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition that reflected Western consumers’ taste for “exotic” textiles in an era of European imperial expansion; dance hall shoes from the early 20th century; early department store shoes such as circa-1937 red velvet and gold T-strap pumps; and Salvatore Ferragamo’s handmade black needlepoint Tuscan lace heels (circa 195455) designed for Italian actress Sophia Loren.

There will also be a selection of “fantasy shoes” commissioned by Jane Gershon Weitzman for display in Stuart Weitzman store windows, as well as 10 unique shoe designs by finalists in the Stuart Weitzman Footwear Design competition, submitted by New York metro-area high school students in the categories of socially conscious fashion or material innovation.

As Weitzman himself comments in the exhibition catalog, shoes “tell an almost infinite number of stories. Stories of conformity and independence, culture and class, politics and performance.”

And now, high style and history.

“Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes” will open April 20 and continue through Oct. 8 at the NewYork Historical Society Museum & Library in Manhattan. For more, visit nyhistory.org.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

One of Cavallo's stunning pairs of Jimmy Choos.

SHOE QUEEN STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH

BY DANIELLE RENDA

I

t’s hard to imagine that Kristina Cavallo’s shoe collection could become any more fabulous.

But like her passion for footwear, it’s continued to grow over time.

When WAG visited Cavallo in February 2015, she had dedicated one of the bedrooms in her New Rochelle home exclusively to all things footwear — from her selection of designer pumps, heels, wedges, booties and sneakers, to nail polish, lipstick and lip gloss by Christian Louboutin, to shoe-themed wall décor. She even had an assortment of Barbie dolls, created through the limited-edition collaboration between Louboutin and Mattel, in which Barbie was given her own red-bottom heels.

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Cavallo’s shoe room, which is something of every woman’s fantasy, is still there. The crystal chandelier still dangles delicately from the ceiling; the shoes are still in pristine condition; and the glass island still showcases some of Cavallo’s extra special items, though with some new additions.

One of her newest prized pairs is a dazzling pump

by Jimmy Choo that was inspired by Disney’s 2015 remake of “Cinderella.” Glittering from all directions, the Ari is a shimmering suede pump covered in Swarovski crystals, featuring a stunning crystal cluster. They’re so extraordinary, she says, that she doesn’t take them out of the case.

Cavallo also has a handful of other shoes that she doesn’t wear — for good reason. The shoes have been signed by some of her favorite designers, like Louboutin, whom she’s met several times.

“I met with Louboutin again last February,” Cavallo says. “He signed a pair of shoes for me, they’re inside, but there weren’t many of them made, so I can’t wear them.”

But with a collection so vast, she has many more options. And though she shops from a range of designers — like Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Gianvito Rossi, Charlotte Olympia, Aquazurra and Rene Caovilla — they all share the same arresting quality. Each shoe is bedecked with crystals (usually Swarovski), boasts eye-catching colors or bears an artistic element that’s unlike any day-to-day footwear.

“If I know that something is there that not many people are going to have and it’s going to stand out,

then that’s what I want,” she says. “I want something that’s different, something that stands out and something that will be talked about for a long time.”

Cavallo points to hot pink pumps by designer Charlotte Olympia that were inspired by Barbie and have multicolored pom-poms made of doll shoes. Another by the designer features the profile of a face — including a crystal eye — which is a motif in her creations. There are black pumps

by Nicholas Kirkwood, which include a signature pearl that is wedged between the heel and the sole. And then, of course, there are those revisited from our last shoe escapade — Charlotte Olympia’s Graca Pump, which reveals a colorful bird in the red heel/cage design; the section of Yves Saint Laurent platform sandals in every color; and a host of sky-high pumps destined to bring out the inner Lady Gaga.

Not only does Cavallo wear the shoes, but she’s upto-date about happenings in the shoe world. While chatting with her talented makeup artist Katrina D’Onofrio — whose clients include stars from HBO, Bravo and MTV — she discussed changes in Gucci’s design team, which led to an all-new look and Jimmy Choo’s merger with Michael Kors.

With all of her knowledge of the shoe biz — to say nothing of her spunk and glamour — it’s no surprise that Cavallo aspires to design her own collection. But until then, she has been working hard as the co-owner of her father’s insurance business, Patrick J. Cavallo Agency in the Bronx. If the shoe fits….

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

WHERE KNOWLEDGE CREATES A HEALTHY HEART

BY DANIELLE RENDA

N

early all women are at risk for heart attack or stroke.

It’s a staggering statistic that applies to 90 percent of the female population. Yes, 90 percent, though unfortunately only a fraction are actually aware of their vulnerability.

This is just one of the frightening figures that inspired the American Heart Association (AHA) to launch its year-round Go Red for Women Campaign, which is celebrating its 15th year in Westchester County. Thinking of heart illness as the “older man’s disease,” the nation took notice in 2003 when it claimed the lives of 500,000 women.

Since 2004, when women were first encouraged to “Go Red,” the initiative has helped save more than 670,000 lives through awareness, education and prevention.

That’s enough lovely ladies to fill every seat in Yankee Stadium — 12 times over.

But the aim is for this number to keep on rising, as, despite these efforts, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

“The overall goal of the campaign is to increase the awareness for women in Westchester and throughout the nation about the unique risk factors,

Christine Wayne of Stamford and Kim Salveggi of Yorktown Heights, from left, both survivors and advocates for “Go Red,” at the 2017 Go Red for Women Luncheon. Courtesy American Heart Association.

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and the fact that heart disease is their number one threat,” says Jennifer Miller, senior regional director for AHA in Westchester County.

If women can identify red flags, they can work toward building a healthier lifestyle. Common risk factors include cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity.

However, it’s equally, if not more important, to know the warning signs as well. Aside from associated symptoms, like chest pain, women can experience sweating, pressure, nausea and jaw pain, which may be dismissed as signs of the flu.

Unawareness of the warning signs allows heart disease to claim one woman’s life every 80 seconds, despite 80 percent of heart disease being preventable.

“It’s important to listen to your body and self-advocate,” Miller says.

In order to see where lifestyle changes can be made, the AHA suggests starting with an overview of family history, coupled with the five critical health numbers — total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI). And, most of all, to be proactive regarding your own health.

Miller suggests starting simple, like signing up for the Go Red e-newsletter, remembering to wear red Feb. 2 in honor of National Go Red Day, or using the hash tag #GoRed914 or #GoRedCT on social media.

“The best way to get involved is to sign up online about the campaign, to get alerts about tips, health improvements and lifestyle changes that they can make and to share that information with their friends or circle of friends,” she says. “A lot of women get the information themselves, but they don’t share it with others.”

Miller believes there’s strength in numbers when it comes to awareness.

“It helps to hold each other accountable,” she says.

Helping her do just that are Terri and Grace Ferri, co-chairwomen of the Go Red for Women Campaign in Westchester, who plan to use their backgrounds in finance and health care, respectively, to increase the campaign’s reach. Terri — whom we profiled in January 2017 — is the branch manager of the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Practice in Purchase, while Grace is the vice president of development and marketing for United Hebrew of New Rochelle.

A highlight of the campaign is the annual “Go Red for Women Luncheon,” which will be held June 1 at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook. The event is slated to include two educational breakout sessions that are free and open to the public prior to the ticketed luncheon.

For more about the Go Red For Women Campaign, visit goredforwomen.org. For more about the American Heart Association, visit heart.org.

For tickets to the June 1 luncheon, visit westfairgoredluncheon.heart.org.

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WEAR

A FLEETING, FLORENTINE ROMANCE

BY BRIAN TOOHEY

I

remember my summer in Florence. It was nearing the end of my vacation. I was walking along the Ponte Vecchio and suddenly a small dog ran out of one of the shops. A beautiful woman came chasing after him. I stood silent as I watched her pick him up, in awe of her elegance. Her dress was simple and her Titian hair had a soft, natural wave.

I approached to help with the dog as she picked him up, and our eyes met for a moment. I followed her into the shop and, as she went behind the counter, I asked about the shirts on display. She knew what I was up to and I couldn’t hide it. She refused to engage. I left the shop knowing I would return with a plan.

The next day, I waited for her to close the shop. It seemed like it took forever. Suddenly, another woman appeared outside and, as the woman I came to see closed the shop, they started to leave together.

I quickly approached and introduced myself.

With her friend present, she was now comfortable enough to engage just a bit, so I put it to her. “Please excuse me. I am visiting from New York and it is my last night in Florence. I love this city, but I am alone.

It would be so nice if you could spend the evening showing me around, perhaps a dinner followed by a walk.” She was resistant at first, but her friend said, “Mima, just go. He is a nice man, just go have dinner.”

Mima looked at her friend Laura and then back at me and said, “Yes.” We planned to meet at the Uffizi Gallery in the Piazza della Signoria. I stood near the statue of David waiting for her.

The sun was setting behind the buildings and pigeons filled the square. Then Mima appeared.

She walked across the piazza, backlit by the sun, as the birds parted. Our eyes locked. She put her arm through mine and, without a word, we walked together into the night.

The chemistry between us spoke a language of its own. We found a small restaurant. There was a peace and comfort between us. The mood was set for a magical evening. After dinner, we walked along the Arno River. It was a perfect night — a warm breeze and a full moon vying with the streetlamps’ golden hue.

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The author and Mima share a kiss on her birthday in Florence. Courtesy Brian Toohey.

“I want to take you to the hill above Florence called Fiesole,” Mima said. “It’s just across the river.”

Pausing on the bridge over the Arno, she turned to me and we kissed, as if we had known each other long before. Perhaps we did. The stairway to Fiesole is long, with many landings. We stopped on each to embrace. At the top was a small café. There were lanterns strung along the balcony. We could see all of Florence with its golden light lifting into the night sky.

The passion between us was growing as we descended the stairway back to the bridge. We crossed the Arno in silence. There was a bit of melancholy as we knew the night was going to end.

On the other side of the bridge was a fountain outside the Hotel Balestri, where I was staying. We sat at the edge of the fountain, its spray filling the silence.

“Mima, come and stay with me tonight,” I said.

“This is where I am staying.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t do that,” she said. I respected her wish, for a moment, then said, “This is too magical and beautiful a night. It is my last here. Let’s not lose this moment.”

After a long silence, she stood up and walked into the Balestri. I can still remember the way she carried herself — with quiet dignity and poise, trusting in the time we were in. We never slept that night and the only light was from the reflection of the marble shower as the steam lingered into the night. When daylight broke, Mima prepared my things for our trip to the train station. I was on my way to the South of France.

I can still remember the musical sounds of the porters as they called out to each other while they wheeled the baggage carts. It was like opera. Mima helped me settle into my compartment and, as the train pulled away, she walked along with it. This is just

the way it happened. We never stopped looking toward each other.

I spent two days in the South of France, changed all my plans and hopped on a plane to head back to Florence. It was Mima’s birthday and, while she was at work, I prepared a surprise party with Laura, her roommate. I lavished her with gifts. She cried — and then moved in next to me to offer the kiss you see in the photo above.

Visit Brian at Warren Tricomi Salon, 1 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich. To book an appointment with him, call 212-262-8899.

CHOOSING HAIR COLOR FOR A JEWEL EFFECT The last sight I remember of Mima was her red hair as she faded into the distance. Mima’s hair was so beautiful with its natural wave. Your haircut should always make your style appear effortless. As I have always maintained, the style should have movement. With a good cut, it should swing into shape as you move. This can define your individual style.

Mima’s color was a gorgeous deep red, so perfect against her porcelain skin and green eyes.

The right color combination of your skin tone, eyes and hair can create a jewel-like effect. Achieving this result requires a studied eye.

Look carefully at your skin tone and the color of your eyes. Examine the palm of your hand. Its tone will reveal whether you are more compatible with cool or warm tones. If it’s pink, it is cool.

If it’s olive, it is warm. In between is neutral.

Before you talk to your stylist, spend some time with these ideas. This will help you to form the image that most suits you.

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WELL LEARN FROM OTHERS Every situation can be an educational opportunity and, if you allow it, you can learn from every person you meet. Being able to learn from others will help you to be better prepared to interact with people and form trusting relationships. You may reject behaviors that you wouldn’t want to emulate or take beneficial lessons going forward.

It’s simply up to us to open our senses to the idea that you have the ability to grow with every encounter.

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RELATIONSHIPS LEAD TO SUCCESS

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

"Y

ou need to network to increase your net worth.” Although this advice was given to me long ago, it took me many years to understand truly the value of networking.

THE ROAD TO ACHIEVEMENT As we have all heard, there are many paths to success.

However, it seems that there is one common thread — relationships generate opportunities. Successful individuals have honest, personal relationships with people who have guided them along the long and winding road. Perhaps it was: 1. A mentor who has helped along the way.

2. An individual from whom you have learned.

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3. An industry leader to whom you’ve looked up.

4. A person who “opened a door” for you.

More than 10 years ago, when my journey into the fitness industry began, I developed a relationship with Geralyn Coopersmith, the current chief content officer of Flywheel Sports. Over the years, she has been a mentor, friend and confidante.

Coopersmith thinks that relationships are perhaps the most important part of growing and advancing in the industry. “The more people who know you and think you bring real value, the greater the chance that they will think of you when projects and opportunities arise.” She’s right.

LOST MOMENTS Have you ever looked back with regret? “I wish I would have introduced myself to him” or “I really should have kept in touch with her”? Be honest and ask yourself the following questions. Are you: 1. Keeping in touch with people you want to learn from?

2. Maintaining contact with individuals you want to work with?

3. Surrounding yourself with those who encourage you?

4. Asking questions of those who know the answer?

How can you build trusting relationships without making an effort to be connected?

HOW CAN YOU INCREASE YOUR CIRCLE? It’s obvious that networking plays a major role in our careers. So now the question is: “Well, how do I do it?”

A good rule of thumb is to try to meet at least one new person a week. Coopersmith suggests, “... reaching out to people you want to know (or want to know better) and invite them to lunch or coffee at a time and place that’s convenient for them ...

Be respectful of their time and more interested in what they do than what you are about and what they can do for you . . . Think about how you might be able to bring real value to them and do it with no expectation of quid pro quo. The rest will take care of itself.”

If you feel that your location limits you, do you think geography is still a good excuse? Use the web to network. Social media and emails are platforms to respond respectfully and follow through with your game plan to increase your circle.

Former President Bill Clinton has a reputation for his networking techniques. At the end of his day, he would use a 3-by-5-inch index card to keep information about each person he had met that day. On the card he would write all the relevant contact information, other important facts, including how and where they met and any additional information he had gleaned from that contact. He was genuinely interested in learning and remembering things about others and that made people like him.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Do you want to continue to grow? Are there individuals you’d like to meet? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could actually form a relationship with people you admire? It is possible and, quite frankly, necessary. Your next golden opportunity may very well be the result of successful networking.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people."

Reach Giovanni on Twitter @GiovanniRoselli and at his website, GiovanniRoselli.com.

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PET OF THE MONTH

SOPHISTICATED SADIE PHOTOGRAPH BY SEBASTIÁN FLORES

M

eet Sadie, Sadie, grownup lady.

She’s not only the SPCA’s longest resident but one of its smartest.

Sadie recently passed her C.L.A.S.S. (Canine Life and Social Skills) B.A. and M.A. test, which means she has mastered things like meet and greets, loose leash walking, stay, settle, leave it and more.

The 8-year-old is a real brindle beauty. Though she may have a little gray in her muzzle, she's got a lot of pep in her step.

Sadie is active, playful and friendly. She loves spending time with people; other critters, not so much. And at this point in her life, she’d prefer a child-free home.

She’s a mature, well-mannered type, perfect for fetch or snuggling with a forever buddy. To sweeten her prospects, Sadie is eligible for a "Critter Credit," which means she will receive $1,000 worth of free training for her new adopter to use or $1,000 on Petco or Petsmart gift cards.

So if you’d like to pal around with a sophisticated lady, Sadie might be just the girl for you.

To meet Sadie, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor.

Founded in 1883, the SPCA is a no-kill shelter and is not affiliated with the ASPCA. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call 914- 941-2896 or visit spca914.org.

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PET PORTRAITS 1

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A ‘FETCH’ING AFFAIR

BY ROBIN COSTELLO

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Nicholas Bellomo Tia graduating with Sherley Weld Danielle Gold, Irma Jansen and Matt Vaccaro Emily and Sloan Harris Kim Chartlon and Stephen Meringoff

he SPCA of Westchester’s recent “Top Hat and Cocktails” gala was an “off the leash” affair at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains as 50 pooches strode the red carpet, to the delight of the 325 guests and “puparazzi.”

The fundraiser, which included a live and silent auction, dancing, professional portraits and a canine ice cream bar, raised more than $300,000 for the no-kill shelter in Briarcliff Manor. The much-needed funds went to support the more than 1,500 animals the shel-

ter rescues each year.

The SPCA also honored some special friends — Kim Chartlon and Stephen Meringoff (The John W. Beach Memorial Award), Sherley Weld (The Distinguished Service Award) and Nicholas Bellomo (The Humane Education and Youth Service Award).

A video starring Tony Award-winning actress Betty Buckley showcased the honorees and the SPCA’s community programs, which provide Humane Law Enforcement in Westchester County, Golden Outreach Pet Therapy, Humane Education and a low-cost clinic for those in need of affordable pet care.

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WHEN & WHERE

Through Feb. 22 Iona College Council on the Arts presents “Black Culture, As Is: Ya Feel Me?,” which features a group of artists who give their perspective on black identity and culture through media such as photography, paint and short film. Noon to 5 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays, Noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays, Iona College Gallery, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle; 914-637-7796, iona.edu/artscouncil

Through Feb 28 “Presence,” an exhibit of black-and-white photography

by Dennis Dilmaghani, will be on display at the Scarsdale Public Library’s main exhibit space through the end of February. The core of Dilmaghani’s art is capturing the grace and beauty of the natural or man-made world with his camera. Library hours vary, 54 Olmsted Road; 914-722-1300, scarsdalelibrary.org

Through March 4 The Clay Arts Center presents “Me, Myself and I,” a national juried exhibition featuring vessel-based work that explores issues of identity as well as how people see themselves within the context of society, family and relationships. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, 40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047, clayartcenter.org

Feb. 1 The opening reception for “The Holy Name. Art of the Gesù: Bernini and his Age,” a landmark international loan exhibition that brings together artistic masterpieces from the Church of the Gesù, never before seen in America, with a dazzling group of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, rare books and decorative arts from American museums and private collections. All combine to tell the fascinating stories of the foundation of the Society of Jesus in Rome and the long road to erect its new church, the Gesù. 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 19, Fairfield University Art Museum, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203-254-4000, fairfield.edu/museum

Kathy King’s work is featured in “Me, Myself and I,” continuing through March 4 at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester.

An evening of “World War I Poetic Inspiration - Readings and Reflections” set within Ward Shelley’s “What Keeps Mankind Alive” exhibit at the Westport Arts Center. In honoring the legacy of Pat Barker’s novel “Regeneration” – which combines both fictional and real characters seeking to make sense of World War I, focusing particularly on British war poet Siegfried Sassoon – this program invites modern poets to respond to our times and the challenges we face. 7 p.m., 51 Riverside Ave., 203-222-7070, westportartscenter.org

Angela Davis, one of the most iconic faces of black politics and social activism from the 1960s and now distinguished professor emerita at the University of California, speaks. In conjunction with Fairfield University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. Davis will talk about “Seeking Justice in America.” 8 p.m., Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203254-4010, quickcenter.fairfield.edu

Feb. 2 The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College presents “GlobalFEST: The New Golden Age of Latin Music,” featuring the original Latin music of indie-mambo band Orkesta Mendoza and Chicano band Las Cafeteras. 3 p.m., 735 Anderson Hill Road; 914-251-6200, artscenter.org

Feb. 2 through 4 “Beyond Street Art” opens, bringing the explosive energy of the street to the Greenwich Library. Featuring the work of five prominent urban artists – Swoon, Lady Pink, Billy the Artist, Paul Deo and Blake Jamieson – the exhibition showcases the movement’s range and effect, its freshness, dynamism and continuing relevance. Reception 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit continues through March 7, The Flinn Gallery, second floor, 101 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich; 203-622-7947, flinngallery.com

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The Connecticut Guitar Festival is a weekend of performances, workshops and auditions, highlighting blues, classical, rock, jazz and world music. Featured performers include Concert Artists Guild winner Jiji, Grammy Award-winner Paul Nelson, The Alturas Duo, Joe Kiernan, Drew Pinto, Ben Verdery and more. Venues include Factory Underground, Norwalk; Suzuki Music School, Westport; and Pequot Library, Southport; 203227-9474, connecticutguitarfestival.com

Jiji is a featured performer in the Connecticut Guitar Festival, running Feb. 2 through 4 at various venues.

Feb. 2 through 18 Downtown Cabaret Theatre presents Lorraine Hansberry’s classic 1959 play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” about an African-American family’s struggles to move from a cramped Chicago South Side apartment to a house in an affordable white neighborhood. 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:15 p.m. Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport; 203-576-1636, dtcab.com

Feb. 3 Catch the opening reception for “David Fox: Selected Works,” paintings that examine the human condition from many vantage points, referencing history, poetry, theater, new art, current events and his own experiences. Fox writes poetry and plays, composes music and performs as both a solo artist and member of the duo Palmer Fox. 5 p.m., Axel Interiors, 33 North Ave., Norwalk; 203-299-3155, axelinteriors.com

Ladies Of Laughter Fri, Mar 2

© Sally Cohn

Livingston Taylor Sat, Mar 24

Suzanne Vega Fri, Apr 27

David Bromberg Quintet Fri, Apr 20

MUSIC | DANCE | FAMILY | BROADWAY | COMEDY | FILM Celebrating 45 years of bringing the very best of live performing arts to Westchester

THEATRE

WORLD CLASS. RIGHT HERE. for tickets and info

914.698.0098 | EMELIN.ORG

153 library lane mamaroneck, ny

Mina Hartong

Dance Off The Grid NY State DanceForce Sat, Mar 10

C.J. Chenier And The Red Hot Louisiana Band Sat, Feb 10

Feb. 24 The Capitol Theatre presents a concert with Diana Krall.

The multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist singer returns to North America for the third leg of her “Turn Up the Quiet World Tour.” 7 p.m., 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester; 914-937-4126, thecapitoltheatre.com

“Evenings of Dance in Port Chester” – Ballet des Amériques open its fourth season, 7 p.m., 16 King St., Port Chester; 646-753-0457, balletdesameriques.company

Las Cafeteras performs Feb. 2 as part of “GlobalFEST: The New Golden Age of Latin Music” at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. Photograph courtesy the Performing Arts Center.

The Emelin Theatre presents Pilobolus Maximus Dance Theatre’s “Beyond the Limits of Dance.” For 45 years, the dance company has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies. 3 p.m., 153 Library Lane, Mamaroneck; 914-698-0098, emelin.org

Feb. 10 In “Letters from Baghdad,” you can experience the story of Gertrude Bell, British spy, explorer and political powerhouse, who shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum. Why has she been written out of history? Stay for a discussion of the film after the screening, with the directors. A Westport Cinema Initiative program. 4 p.m., The Warehouse at FTC, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield; 203-259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.

Chinese New Year returns to Pelham Art Center with free, family-friendly activities. Members of Kwan’s Kung Fu will perform a traditional Lion Dance, believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck. Later there will be a paper-cutting workshop led by Lida Zimmerman in which participants can make and take home little paper dogs as well as traditional Chinese New Year’s lanterns in this the Year of the Earth Dog. The event, open to all ages, begins at 1:30 p.m., 155 Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525, pelhamartcenter.org

The Westchester Jewish Council (WJC) celebrates its 42nd Anniversary Gala. The evening will honor Westchester Jewish Council Board members Betsy Bernstein of Harrison, Michael Karnes of Ossining and Gary Trachten of New Rochelle for their dedication and service to the Westchester Jewish community. Cocktails, dinner, dessert and entertainment. Kosher dietary laws will be observed. 7:15 p.m., Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave., White Plains; 914-328-7001, wjcouncil.org

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Feb. 11 Enjoy the warm sounds of the Caribbean with two steel drum bands, the Jim Royle Drum Studio A Team and the Drum Studio’s Silver Steel Band. The lively vibe of Caribbean favorites, as well as Soca- and Calypso-styled music from Trinidad and Tobago, will bring the islands to Westport. 2 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road E., 203-291-4800, westportlibrary.org

Jazz Forum Arts presents vibraphonist Jay Hoggard, whose uplifting beats marry jazz and gospel roots with African marimba rhythms. His repertoire includes traditional songs in addition to original compositions and renditions. 5:15 p.m., Jazz Forum Club, 199 N. Columbus Ave., Tarrytown; 914-667-0823, pjsjazz.org

Feb. 17 Every year, 14 senior Yale men are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs, one of the world’s oldest and bestknown collegiate a cappella groups. Founded in 1909, the “Whiffs” began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory’s Temple Bar, the Yale tavern.

Today, the group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions. 8 p.m., The Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport; 203-296-9605, bijoutheatrect.net

Feb. 21 Woodstock-based artist Rachael Yamagata brings her “Songs – Stories – Solo” tour to the Fairfield Theatre Company. Yamagata chooses intimate venues and a living room style to invite her audience closer in for songs that invoke the storytelling vibe of the 1970s. 7:45 p.m., Stage One, 70 Sanford St.; 203-259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.

Feb. 22 Westchester Italian Cultural Center presents “Discover Italy: Puglia,” a virtual tour of Italy’s easternmost region.

Guests will explore Puglia’s whitewashed hill towns, centuries-old farmland, ancient cities and more. 7 p.m., One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe; 914-771-8700, wiccny.org

In celebration of Black History Month, Irvington Town Hall Theater presents a fully staged reading of Ntozke Shange’s “For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.” The 1970s play weaves together 20 separate poems with music and movement to tell the stories of seven African-American women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society. 7:30 p.m., Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main St.; 914-591-6602, irvingtontheater.com

Feb. 24 and 25 Stamford Symphony’s New Maestro Series, presents Englishman David Lockington conducting the orchestra in a concert of Haydn, Brahms, Copland and his own Ceremonial Fantasy Fanfare, as well as Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, and David Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra, played by Joshua Roman. 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford; 203-325-4466, stamfordsymphony.org

Feb. 25 The Sanctuary Series presents a recital with cellist Carter Brey and pianist Benjamin Pasternak, including classical works by Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin, followed by an artist’s reception. 4 p.m., South Salem Presbyterian Church, 111 Spring St.; 914-763-5402, thesanctuaryseries.org

Feb. 25 through June 17 The Katonah Museum of Art will host an array of events in conjunction with its winter/spring exhibition, “Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition.” The exhibition features a group of 31 artists of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent whose work engages the diverse forms of Islamic visual arts. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, 134 Jay St.; 914232-9555, katonahmuseum.org Presented by ArtsWestchester and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County.

S R A E Y

February GlobalFEST on the Road The New Golden Age of Latin Music featuring Las Cafeteras & Orkesta Mendoza February 2, 8pm wild Up — future folk Music from Ancient India, modern California, post-war New York February 10, 8pm Westchester Philharmonic Friends & Family Concert Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin February 11, 3pm Velvet Caravan Gypsy swing, dinner, drinks, and dancing February 17, 8pm

American Rhapsody The Gershwin Songbook February 25, 3pm

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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Vienna to Hollywood February 24, 5pm

Pictured: Kelly Hall Tompkins © Gregory Routt

F

Thank You

914.251.6200 www.artscenter.org

LUCILLE WERLINICH,

Chair of Purchase College Foundation

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SEASON OF GIVING The students at Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle were as busy as elves during this past season of cheer. Their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive collected more than a ton of canned food, fresh meat and produce for food pantries in Harlem. The Bell & Vocal Choirs performed at The Westchester, sharing their talents with shoppers. As part of its annual Giving Tree Initiative, students delivered toys and other items to local organizations such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, Hope Community Services, Friends of Karen, My Sister’s Place and the Christian Brothers’ retirement residence. However, the season could not come to close without a Christmas Pageant in which students sang, rang bells and reenacted the Nativity.

1. Brother Thomas Leto (far right) and students present the bounty of the Thanksgiving Food Drive 2. Patrick Cambria, Nicholas Belluccio, Christopher Minio and Dennis Bogdanowicz 3. Iona Preparatory’s Lower School Bell & Vocal Choirs perform at The Westchester.

4. Paul Koltovitch, Rowan Karim, Andrew Tornatore, Salvatore Ciminello, Logan Arena, Jason Kim and Leonel Chapparo

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IONA AT 100

Iona Preparatory School in New Rochelle recently honored former board members Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. and Margaret (Peggy) Parlatore Kelly at its President’s Dinner Centennial Gala, held at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. Attended by more than 630 alumni, benefactors, faculty and parents, the event raised more than $1.2 million. It was the largest turnout in the school’s history, befitting the celebration of “100 Years of Excellence in Education.”

The proceeds will be used to renovate and enhance the Brother J. Kevin Devlin Lower School Library & Technology Center.

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5. John Verni and William Harrington 6. His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan 7. Jack Kelly, Brother Thomas Leto, Margaret and Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. and Alfred Kelly III

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THE CASTLE AT 20 The Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown was the setting for a palatial pre-holiday party to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Led by general manager Lloyd Nakano, the staff greeted guests with specialty cocktails, including a blackberry brandy drink festooned with an edible orchid, an elaborate spread of hors d’oeuvres and a selection of exquisite desserts. A crackling fire softly lit the elegantly decorated Equus restaurant as the sounds of holiday standards performed by Mark Morganelli and his jazz trio filled the air. At the evening’s end, guests received a selection of goodies from the hotel’s Sankara Spa — a remembrance of a celebration fit for a king.

1. Ebboni Evans, Christiana Sigliano, Toni Pernice and Scott Levinson 2. Karen Roberts, Marcia Pflug, Christina Rae and Danielle Della Pella 3. Shane and Kelly Rios 4. Matt Ziccardi, Gabe Sganga and Ken Wile 5. Mark Okamoto and Cedric LeBrun 6. Randy Daniels, Kevin Kelly and Julie Sallie Manzanet 7. Ben Herr, Lloyd Nakano and Natasha Caputo 8. Cesar Calderon, Shannon Connolly and Liz Rachlin 9. Georgette Gouveia, Rebecca Freeman and Robin Costello

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Call (914) 849 - MyMD to find the right doctor for your personalized needs.

FEBRUARY 2018

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SAFETY FIRST Recently, Heineken USA hosted business leaders from the Westchester community for its annual holiday party. Guests were treated to hot hors d’oeuvres, Heineken beverages and a tour of Heineken’s newly renovated headquarters in downtown White Plains. Attendees learned that for the 14th year in a row, Heineken USA had partnered with the city of White Plains and the White Plains Business Improvement District for its “New Year. Safe Ride” program. On New Year’s Eve, a dedicated fleet of 30 cars provided complimentary rides home for those 21 and older traveling from the heart of downtown White Plains to anywhere across Westchester County. Since its inception, the successful program has provided free and safe rides home to more than 4,200 Westchester County residents of legal drinking age. Photographs by Margaret Fox.

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1. Stephanie Scocchera, Maureen Falvey and Tara Pallisco 2. Tom Roach, Tara Rush and Ronald den Elzen 3. Carole Sears 4. Julie Kinch, Bjorn Trowery and Stephanie Johnston 5. Larry Kwiat, John Barnes and Marsha Gordon 6. Donnica Hawes-Saunders

RECOGNIZING HOLIDAY SPIRIT The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce announced its Holiday Awards Decorating Contest winners at its annual holiday party, held at Clement Galleries recently. The winners were Albe Furs, Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary, Carriage House, Housewarming and Back 40 Mercantile. Winners were applauded for their special efforts in making Greenwich festive during the holiday season.

Photograph by Christopher Semmes.

7. Alan Hoffman, Marcia O’Kane and Deborah Costello

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‘CHAIR’-ITY Designers and members of the Interior Design Society’s (IDS) CT Chapter and artisans who work with the I.M. Smitten company, came together recently to redesign chairs for an auction to help raise funds for the New Reach Organization in Norwalk, Bridgeport and West Haven. More than 100 guests attended the event, hosted by I.M. Smitten, which included a 50/50 raffle and live music by Rick Reyes. Each year the designers gather to create a new CHAIR-ity event and identify a special cause. This year, they raised more than $8,000 to help build a community room for New Reach’s Life Haven Shelter, a homeless center for families.

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1. Mary Grande, Diane Rivera, Kathleen Bivona, Diana Hall, Holly Sutton-Darr, Julie Albrecht, Shirley Mitchell and Christie Stewart

‘WONDERLAND’ WOWS

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It was all smiles when the fourth season of “Westchester’s Winter Wonderland” opened at Kensico Dam in Valhalla. Holiday fun started late in November and lasted through New Year’s. This year’s “Wonderland” featured attractions, a musical light show, special events, shopping, refreshments and of course, a chance to meet the big guy at “The Santa Experience.”

2. Rick Lamparelli, Linda Carrington, Debi Vildoza and Ive Carrington 3. Kathy O’Connor, Elyssa Martinez, Linda Fleischer and Peter Tartaglia 4. Sophia, Christina, Isabella and Paul Pinto 5. Joe Stout and Joanne and Larry Wilson 6. Seth and Susan Mandelbaum 7. Lou Kangas, Nancy Patota and Carolyn and Don Moriarty

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AN IMPORTANT ‘POST’ Steven Spielberg, board member of the Jacob Burns Film Center and director of “The Post,” recently appeared at the center in Pleasantville for a private screening of the film followed by a Q&A with JBFC Board President and longtime friend Janet Maslin. The film, which stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, tells the story of the fight to publish the “Pentagon Papers,” which pits The Washington Post against Richard Nixon’s White House in a First Amendment case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. The screening was closed to the public and media, but included special guest attendee President Bill Clinton, who brought his personal perspective to the showing. Also joining Clinton for the screening was Westchester County Executive George Latimer. Photographs by Lynda Shenkman.

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George Latimer Janet Maslin and Steven Spielberg Edie Demas Steven Spielberg and Bill Clinton

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HANUKKAH GIVING

To help those facing food scarcity during the cold winter months, UJA-Federation of New York’s Northern Westchester community packaged nonperishable items for clients of the food pantry run by its partner agency, the Bronx Jewish Community Council. The event took place at First Five Learn & Play of Armonk. Young families celebrated the fifth day of Hanukkah, learning about giving back to those in need. After decorating totes, children “shopped” in a pop-up food pantry to pack the bags with items. The day was part of UJA-Federation’s Gift of Hanukkah, a program through which Westchester communities host parties at a number of local UJA-supported nonprofits.

5. Marissa and Blake Levey 6. Emma, Jeffrey and Isabelle Kohn 7. Amanda and Gryffin Garfinkle

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HONORING FRANK MCCULLOUGH Frank McCullough, senior partner in the law firm of McCullough, Goldberger & Staudt LLP in White Plains, was the guest of honor at the Pace University Land Use Law Center’s annual dinner, held at the Mansion on Broadway in White Plains. McCullough received the Founder’s Award, bestowed each year in the name of Theodore W. Kheel, an American attorney and labor mediator known for his ability to build consensus and resolve conflicts.

McCullough and fellow partner Seth Mandelbaum also spoke during the Land Use Law Center’s 16th annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference the following day.

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1. John Nolon, Frank McCullough and Jessica Bacher

TRION AT 40 Trion Real Estate Management and Holdings, a tristate area leader in full-service property management and investments with offices in Yonkers and Manhattan, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with an elegant cocktail and dinner party at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester in White Plains, attended by members of the real estate community, media, friends, family and Trion executives and staff. Carmelo Milio summarized the history of Trion’s growth beginning with his parents, Filippo and Fernanda Milio, buying their first building in 1977 with just a $5,000 down payment that they had received from their wedding gifts. Trion’s portfolio now consists of more than 35 buildings and 2,000 units with a valuation of more than $500 million.

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Albert Annunziata Fernanda and Filippo Milio Marin and Carmelo Milio Carmelo Milio and the team at Trion Real Estate Management

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WE WONDER:

WIT

DO LOOKS MAT TER IN LOVE? *

Lou Atienza bartender, Yonkers resident

National Geographic, Greenwich resident

Clara Jane

nurse, New Haven resident

Marquis Johnson

Mike Limekiller

“Of course, looks matter.

They’re the first thing you see. They’re what attract you to someone in the first place.”

“Looks definitely matter, at least at the beginning of any relationship. Now, I’m not saying that there is such a thing as objective beauty. Attractive means something different to everyone, and that’s part of the beauty of love.”

“I’d be lying if I said that looks didn’t matter at all to me.

Although, I’ll say that they shouldn’t matter if you’re truly in love.”

“In matters of true love, looks don’t matter at all.

Not one bit.”

“Looks are naturally the first thing that make you interested in someone, but if it’s real love, then they matter less the longer you are with someone.”

Jack Mooney

Terry Day

entrepreneur, Bronx resident

Trader Joe’s, New York City resident

Barnes & Noble manager, Bronx resident

Edwin Rivera

Dylan Roberts

Stephany Sandoval

Audrey Wilson

“No, looks don’t matter at all when you’re in love.”

“Sure, looks certainly matter.

At least, at the beginning they do. They’re the only thing you can honestly say you like about someone before you know them.

Looks are a gateway to love, but once real love takes over, looks stop being nearly as important.”

“The more looks matter to you, the less likely it is that you’re really in love.”

“No, looks don’t matter if you’re looking for real love.

With love, there are so many more important qualities to a person that determine your bond to them.”

“I thought looks mattered when I married my exhusband. He looked like a prince. But he was a man who didn’t deserve my time or love. With age, I think you realize that love is all about the quality of the person you’re with – their character, their values.”

student, Fairfield resident

student, White Plains resident

*Asked throughout central and northern Westchester County at various businesses.

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bowling ball engineer, Eastchester resident

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office manager, Chappaqua resident