The Forgotten American Style Icon

Think of the great American style icons and names like Jackie O, Grace Kelly, C.Z. Guest and Babe Paley all come to mind quickly. But Ann Bonfoey Taylor? Never heard of her - until I read the WSJ last weekend. My, what a wardrobe! And what a woman! Born in 1910, Taylor became a fashion legend and extraordinarily accomplished woman. She was an Olympic skier who never made it to the Games because of the outbreak of WWII, so she became a flight instructor for the navy instead. She was an accomplished equestrian, fox hunter and tennis player, she married a man called 'Moose,' was a member of the social elite and built one of the first houses in Vail before dying there in 2007.

She graced the pages of Vogue, Town & Country and Harpers Bazaar through the 50's and 60's, was photographed by the likes of Edward Steichen, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Toni Frissell, and her wardrobe included pieces from legendary designers such as Balenciaga, Givenchy, Mme Gres and  Fortuny. In 2008, Taylor's family gifted her wardrobe to the Phoenix Art Museum, where it was recently seen in an exhibition entitled, "Fashion Independent: The original style of Ann Bonfoey Taylor." Here are some photos chronicling her fashionable life.

images: wall street journal, artbook

infomercials

If you read my post here, you would know that I am obsessed with American infomercials. I almost want to have a sleepless night so I can sit in front of the TV at 3am and watch the endless stream of products that will change my life. They fascinate me. The middle-of-the-early-morning TV sells me things I didn't even know I wanted, but I suddenly I realize my life is incomplete without them.  And I want to buy everything.

Tonight my toe pain kept me up at the perfect hour. And the product lineup was riveting. Take a look:

ANIMAL OFF
Sick of raccoons, deer and rodents getting into your garbage, garden and garage? Then try this solar powered, high frequency ultrasonic sound wizard, that "sends pests scurrying for safety," whilst not being audible to humans. This is brilliant! You can stick it on a tree or the side of the garage or use a matching pole that it comes with. No more smelly fertilizing things thrown over the plants to keep animals out and no more running out of the house brandishing a long object. Animal Off is all yours for the bargain price of $19.95 (RRP is $29.95.) I really wish I had a house for this one.

SHAKE WEIGHT

The easy workout that give you fabulous arms and shoulders in just 6 minutes! How can I really believe this? But I do. And I purchase it for $19.95. PLUS, they upgrade me to the "There's more!" Shake Weight Deluxe, which includes a 3-in-1 DVD featuring Brazilian Booty and Latin Dance workouts. Yippee! 

KINOKI FOOT PADS

This one is a ripper. These Japanese detox foot pads literally suck out the toxins from your body while you're sleeping! You simply place the pads on the sole of your feet before going to bed and voila! You wake up feeling as refreshed and healthy as if you had just done the 16 day Master Cleanse. Each pad is full of japanese detox knowhow like rare woods and herbs, and when you peel the pads off in the morning, apparently you see all the yucky poisons that have left your body. Too good to resist? It was for me.  I'm a sucker for anything herbal. $9.99.

GONE IN 60 SECONDS

OK. Because I know this industry, I was particularly skeptical of a claim that says you can get rid of eye puffiness and wrinkles in 60 seconds. But if the "live" videos were to be believed, this incredibly ugly woman lost the most enormous luggage she was heaving around, literally in 60 seconds. This "miracle" instant wrinkle eraser serum claims to erase fine lines and wrinkles, smooth bags and eye puffiness and a plethora of other things in one minute. I didn't succumb to the very persuasive product person, but it was alot of fun to see the woman "lose" her bags while you were watching.

images: my lot, shake weight women,  alternative health products, olx, 

Toe Part II

I was playing with different outfits yesterday. The challenge is its summer here, which means a) I'm going to miss half of it because I'm wearing a ski boot in the wrong season and b) it's a little hot and humid to be wearing long pants every day. And what to wear on the other foot? I tried flats but the boot is quite high, so then I tried a heel, but my heels are higher than the boot. So either way, I am lopsided.  But here are some options I quite liked.

I thought the Van Noten metallic offsets the drab grey

Perhaps the studs on this offset the buckles on the boot?

It's all about color blocking this season, so I have to wear these pink Manolo's

 even if my boot is off the ground

I think the rope wedge works for the weekend?

The worst part of this saga are the shoe sales. Barney's, Bergdorf et all are in full spring sale swing, with heavenly summer shoes at 40% off! What's a hobbling shoe-aholic to do? Well, on Friday I threw caution to the wind and limped into Giuseppe Zanotti to get their much coveted metal and leather sandal. I whipped off the boot much to the sales assistant's surprise and told him he was doing me an emotional favor by helping ease my bandaged and swollen right foot into the sandal to make sure it fit. Perfection. Whilst I may have missed the Blahnik python sandal, this one was my perfect size.  Who cares if I only get to wear the left one for a while?!

image: michiel kueper

Toes, Ski Boots, Fashion Faux Pas & New Yorker Generosity

I fractured my big toe last weekend. And no one believed me.  I was surrounded by non believing men, of course, who all said it was just bruised and swollen, so ice it and take a pain killer. But the kicker was they were all medicos! The Anesthetist, a radiologist and a GP and we were all on a boat. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but I was the only one not laughing. And as usual, it was mum who knew best. "Splint it and get it X-rayed," she ordered down the phone. "Don't wait for sympathy from a doctor. You'll be waiting til the next Coming."

Of course,  I did get the last laugh when I victoriously waved the results in front of the anesthetist's nose on Tuesday. Although, my sense of vindication faltered slightly when, after a flurry of belated and guilty action, the anesthetist got me into a top orthopod in record time who then presented me with my new best friend for the next 6 weeks. I'm a walking fashion disaster.

"Do they make these in black?" I whined. "It's an easier color to co-ordinate." I didn't even get a response. Just an arched eyebrow (a blonde, bushy one at that). OK. Clearly fashion and medical matters don't belong in the same sentence. But if anyone out there is looking for a new business idea......

My new "friend" demands attention. In fact, you can't miss him as can be seen from the photos above. Apart from his glaring visibility, the sound of his dull thud on the pavement suggests a one-legged mummy is coming to attack you. But the surprising part of this ordeal has been the kindness shared by fellow New Yorkers! Who said New Yorkers don't care? One lovely man gave up his much coveted cab for me. Another very good looking younger man asked a stranger to give me their seat on the subway. I have random conversations with other men whilst waiting at the pedestrian lights. The anesthetist better watch out. Men can have their dogs to use as a chick magnet. Women only need an ugly grey boot!

Law & Order in the City

One of the fun things about living here is you can literally turn a street corner and end up on set of some fab TV series! That happened to me last night. I suddenly found myself as one of many onlookers staring at Vince D'Onforio's blurry silhouette in a car scene. Gotta love it......

Traveling

Off to Grasse for 3 days for a product launch, then Paris. See you next week!

Summer Rental Roundup

As the May Memorial Day holiday looms on the timeline of New York events, everyone's thoughts turn to that joyous 3 month season called summer. However, unless you are lucky enough to either love the cold weather and skiing and go to NZ for 3 months, or own a farmhouse in Tuscany, or basically own holiday homes everywhere in the world as well as private jets, this May holiday can signal a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach as you decide how to negotiate a summer rental - preferably in the Hamptons.

Below are a couple of suggestions in case you either scored a Goldman's bonus this year or won the lottery or just want to splash your cash to impress friends:

EAST HAMPTON/ WAINSCOTT
Yours for the low price of $250k for the month of July! But who wouldn't want to stay in the most photographed house in the Hamptons! And if you can't own a place like this, at least pretend to your friends for a week that you do, as you casually drift off 'your' verandah with drink in hand and onto the golden sands with the Atlantic ocean lapping at your feet.

SAGAPONACK

Ok, so you don't have beach front access, but who cares when you have the divine pool to dive into? And what more do you need in a holiday house than an obscure tree root sculpture and a couple of frozen-in-time sheep keeping watch over the bonfire?

MONTAUK

Once the playground for dreadlocked surfies and those that couldn't afford the Hamptons, Montauk has taken off in a big way. This modern masterpiece sits on 4 acres overlooking the Atlantic. If you are tired of the classic Hamptons style architecture of wood shingles and small windows, this is the modernist's dream. But it comes with a price; $450k for the 3 month summer period.

BRIDGEHAMPTON

For those of you who have always wanted your very own windmill, look no further than this rental at Bridgehampton. With sweeping views of the ocean and a swimming pool and a windmill, you may very well decide to live at the beach for ever! $340 for summer.

images: (1)wsj, (5-8) curbed hamptons, (rest) sothebys

Hiking in the Hudson

Spectacular day last Sunday. The perfect day to climb to the top of Bull Hill!

Also known as Mt Taurus, this mountain overlooks the charming town of Coldspring, an hour out of Manhattan in the Hudson Valley. You take the train from Grand Central and follow the Hudson River all the way up. The river keeps going and you get off and walk to the bottom of the mountain. It was a little early in the season as the leaves weren't fully formed, but what an exhilarating way to spend a Sunday! Here are some visual moments along the trail:

Typical forest low down

Abandoned farmhouse

Some slimy creatures in an old well

Reservoir

Another abandoned something

 A swampy part

 The final ascent

View from peak over the Hudson toward the Catskills

On the other side looking over the Hudson River & Valley

 The slow descent

An old quarry