WELCOME TO FASHION AS A 2ND LANGUAGE: ARE YOU FLUENT?

FA2L is for anyone who cares about beautiful things–clothing, shoes, accessories, home furnishings–and the interconnected tribes of those who make, sell, market and desire them. If something speaks to you, buy it now or hold your peace: there are links in each story, so the item you want is just a click away. I'd like to hear from you, too: please view my profile, use the email button and send me your comments.MG

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Weather Report: Mediterranean Sunshine in NYC

The Zegna family does not do things in a small way, and that includes the launch of a new fragrance. On a recent Tuesday evening, Anna Zegna hosted a cocktail-fueled "unveiling" for several hundred of her nearest and dearest New York editors at the company's sleek Fifth Avenue flagship store. Flutes of Champagne, iced vodka drinks and platters of bite-sized Italian delicacies were passed around by waiters so good-looking, they may well have been flown in from Milan; and Anna, whippet-thin and beautifully turned out (in soft trousers and a jacket cut to hug her ribs) moved like an elegant standard-bearer through the crowd.

But the real star of the evening was Zegna Colonia, a bright, fresh addition to Ermenegildo Zegna's fragrance collection. Invoking the masculine glamour and ease of la Dolce Vita, the cologne layers neroli and Sicilian bergamot (small citrus trees cultivated in southern Italy) over hints of iris, on a base of musk, benzoin and cedar. The result is familiar and comfortable, rather than bold or distinctive, and brings to mind another generation's "toilet waters" and the straightforward smells of old-fashioned barber shops. In the company's own words, Colonia is meant to be worn like a linen suit, in that dressed-down summertime realm "between confirmed elegance and affirmed casualness." Tuesday night, with Memorial Day just around the corner, this formula seemed especially appealing: men left the party with a certain swagger, probably realizing they smelled better going out the door than they had coming in. It's a good thing for all concerned that New York City doesn't have a Trevi fountain!

www.zegna.com


Friday, May 15, 2009

RITES OF PASSAGE, MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE




Certain fashion personalities are so strong that anything caught and held in their gaze is cast in a different light: a vintage silhouette informs a new collection, '30s movie stills inspire advertising campaigns, and gangly teenagers morph into supermodel goddesses. Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld--the king of couture--is one such figure. Hedi Slimane, former menswear designer at Christian Dior, is another.

Now a photographer with an almost febrile instinct for tracking glamour to its lair, Slimane recently turned his camera (and his x-ray eyes) on France's elite St. Cyr military academy. Napoléon founded the school in 1803 and, being something of a dandy himself, helped design its original uniforms; two centuries later, many of the little emperor's influences are still evident. Slimane knew this--his photographs, which ran in last weekend's magazine section of Libération, were shot, ostensibly, as a fashion portfolio--but he didn't stop there. He managed to pierce St. Cyr's official facade (still evident on faces of a few wary cadets) and catch the barely-contained energy of rambunctious 20-somethings learning to harness their emotions through discipline. The result is both a brilliant study of power and style, and a sensitive ethnographic record of a rarely-glimpsed tribe and its customs.

www.hedislimane.com

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Heaven is Another Name for a Day at the Beach

From Maui to Montauk, and Montego Bay to Mykonos, beaches everywhere are calling. Answer them. You don't need to take much: a few favorite swimsuits (ladies, try ERES, www.eres.fr, for smart, sexy suits that fit and flatter); a giant beach towel; lots of sunscreen (we like Clarins, www.clarins.com); and something chic for carrying it all.

Men's swimsuits are...tricky. It's really a question of whose body, which beach? Even Olympic swimmers may feel awkward sporting Lycra square-cuts in conservative Nantucket, but skimpy Speedos won't raise eyebrows in Rio. Traveling with two or three different styles is wise. And while plenty of designer labels offer options, we like how J. Crew has kicked its men's collections into high gear (including collaborations with iconic brands like Mackintosh and Ray-Ban). This nylon trunk is trimmer and shorter than typical board shorts, and the print is surprisingly sophisticated. www.jcrew.com.


Rainbow sandals are, in a word, perfect. They occupy a realm between cheap flip-flops and fine, strappy shoes (which look wonderful but are no match for sand and salt water). Opt for leather models with double-layer arches, then take time to break them in. The nylon straps will--ultimately--curl perfectly between your toes, but you'll be miserable if you buy them at a surf shop, pop them on and immediately hike the boardwalk. Given time, the thongs will soften, the soles will mold to your feet and your Rainbows will be so comfortable you'll want to wear them everywhere. www.rainbowsandals.com.


We splurge on beach towels--there's something sad about thin, ratty versions that aren't much bigger than washcloths. Missoni's terry blanket is 69" square, and glamorous enough to make Coney Island feel like Saint-Tropez. Fun fact: Missoni assigns a letter to each year (2009 is "K") and names its prints accordingly. This gorgeous model is known as Kirsten. www.missoni.com.


Tomas Maier is almost impossibly sophisticated, and so fluent in the language of luxury he seems to occupy a higher plane--from which vantage point he can either hone in on specific local craftsmanship or pull back to observe global trends. German by birth, Maier is creative director of the very Italian Bottega Veneta, as well as the designer of his own, U.S.-based line of deceptively simple swimsuits and sportswear. He's gathered items from both collections, plus special pieces from around the world (like this straw-and-Lurex Tunisian beach bag), and sells them out of three stores in Miami, Palm Beach and--opening this summer--Wainscott, New York. www.tomasmaier.com.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Cartier and America: An Affair to Remember

Cartier opened its doors to Paris shoppers in 1847, but has grown, in the last century and a half, into a worldwide phenomenon. Alfred Cartier, the founder's son, was a true visionary who established much of the jewelry house's forward momentum by assigning different tasks to his talented children: Louis oversaw Cartier Paris; Jacques presided over the London franchise; and Pierre was dispatched to New York. At first, he ran his U.S. business from a second-floor boutique, established in 1909; but in 1917, he stunned customers and competitors alike by purchasing an entire townhouse for just $100 (throwing in an extraordinary pearl necklace, worth a million dollars, to sweeten the deal). That property, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street, remains Cartier's primary stateside address to this day.

The mansion also functions as an American HQ--Cartier's embassy, so to speak, to the United States. Americans were early customers, eager to join a worldwide fan club that already included royalty, society figures, theater folk and movie stars. This mutual admiration society is the theme behind Cartier...100 Years of Passion and Free Spirit in America, a small but well-curated exhibit highlighting relationships the jeweler enjoyed with some fascinating personalities. Vintage photographs and archival drawings provide context for objects of remarkable inventiveness, from Mona Bismarck's charming porcelain inkwell (enameled a rich, Chinese red) and Gloria Swanson's chic platinum-and-rock crystal bracelet, set with diamonds, to the Duchess of Windsor's witty, but wacky, gold tiger lorgnette with black enamel stripes and emerald eyes. Meanwhile, passions big and small play out room by room, from Prince Rainier's charming courtship of Grace Kelly to Richard Burton's take-no-prisoners entanglement with Mother Nature herself, Elizabeth Taylor.


Ironically, by the time Cartier's Love bracelet makes its appearance, in 1969, much of the drama seems spent. Taste makers in the '70s, like Jackie Onassis, appreciated quality, but wanted understatement rather than magnificence (many of the disco era's so-called fashion excesses seem almost quaint now, compared to recent explosions of logo mania); overwhelmed by cheap products, discerning shoppers looked for pedigreed items that could claim some sort of history. In this way, Cartier's simple Tank watch, launched in 1917, quietly became the world's most recognizable status timepiece; similarly, the Love bracelet (with its signature screws) is now firmly established as a key part of the jeweler's iconography. All of which is good for business, of course, and for romance, too: hearts around the world will continue beating a bit faster at the sight of that little red Cartier box.


Cartier...100 Years of Passion and Free Spirit in America
is open daily, 10 am to 6 pm (12 pm to 5 pm Sundays) at 653 Fifth Avenue, until May 21; it will also be on display in Cartier's Beverly Hills store at 370 North Rodeo Drive, June 1-14. Cartier I Love You, by Bruce Weber, will be available in June (see Homework, below); proceeds benefit ServiceNation, www.servicenation.org.

www.cartier.com