August on the Riviera

CHIC & SIMPLE LUNCH ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA PH: JASON JOBSONHere at aLIFEofSTYLE we have decamped to the South of France for an extended Summer Holiday.    We'll be back after Labor day with a satchel full of stories inspired by the Cote d'Azur!    Enjoy your last moments of Summer 2011 and we will see you soon!

FERRAGAMO GOES GAGA FOR E-COMMERCE

TILDA SWINTON IN FERRAGAMOItalian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo is having yet another huge week.   Readers remember the recent W cover with Tilda Swinton, the uber-luxurious Resort show on 5th Avenue, and the IPO that had investors saying "Ciao Bello" in Italy.  You would expect the house to be a little more quiet as we approach the dog days of Summer, but August is starting out anything but quiet!  

On Friday August 5th, the house will offer an exclusive event for U.S. customers with the first ever "Virtual Trunk show" of ready-to-wear, shoes, and handbags.  ELETTRA ROSSELLINI WIEDEMANN  Model Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann stars in this ground breaking web-event.   Granddaughter of the Hollywood legend, and loyal Ferragamo client -Ingrid Bergman, Wiedemann brings a sense of sophistication and legacy to the campaign.  Visitors who register at www.Trunkshow.Ferragamo.com can create outfits ELETTRA IN FERRAGAMO FALL 2011via virtual paper-dolls and share the ensembles on Facebook and Twitter- talk about savvy marketing!!  Shoppers have just three weeks to order the limited quantities and styles during this exclusive event.

This would be the biggest news of any week, had a little singer named  Lady Gaga not stolen the show!  LADY GAGA IN FERRAGAMO FALL 2011 That's right, international superstar and fashion icon (she did give Alexander McQueen a global stage AND re-launch the runway collection of Thierry Mugler) Gaga wore Head to Piano Ferragamo- that's right, I said Piano,  on The View on Monday.  Ok, the piano wasn't actually Ferragamo, but Gaga had it painted to mimic the houndstooth print of her Ferragamo Dress, Shoes, & Python Clutch. GAGA'S "ODE TO FERRAGAMO"  I think that means she really likes it!    It also shows that Gaga is growing into her style - after all this legendary house (nicknamed the "Italian Hermes" by loyal fans) is the first company she has worn that offers such a full spectrum of fashion goods from silk scarves to men's ties, to those hot stiletto shoes!    Is this a sign that Lady Gaga might be starring in the next Ferragamo campaign?   We'll have to wait and see, but with Ferragamo - something major unfolds week after week!

To learn more about the virtual trunk show, visit www.Trunkshow.Ferragamo on Friday August 5th!  Until then - visit Ferragamo.com to see all the things happening at the house that Salvatore built, or visit the Salvatore Ferragamo boutique in your town to see the Fall collection in person.

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE AT SAKS!

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE - FALL 2011

AMAZING EVENT

Roman fashion designer Giambattista Valli (say JOM BA TISTA with a soft j) has joined the most elite club in the fashion world.   With the staging of his Fall 2011 Collection in Paris this month, Valli is the latest addition to Parisian Haute Couture (literally - High Sewing in English).   With only 12 other designers in the world showing fashion for Fall at this made-by-hand level of luxury, this is major news for couture fashion and for Valli. Valli's timing couldn't be better, as this was the first season that John Galliano was not designing Couture.   Galliano's dismissal from Dior (and his own namesake label) this Spring left a black hole in Couture as he was the strongest designer working in the medium. 

French Couture is the most regulated fashion industry in the world.   All garments called Couture must be made by hand, in fact if a piece can be made by machine - it cannot be considered Couture.  Controlled by the Federation Francaise de la Haute Couture (formerly known as the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture) few designers can every hope to become a member of this elite group.   The most obvious reason is talent, the most practical reason is funding.   In order to even be considered,  GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE - FALL 2011a designer must meet some rigid criteria such as - dedicating 15 employees solely to creating Couture, showing two collections per year (Fall & Spring) containing at least 35 looks of day and evening wear, & starting each creative process with a fitting on a live model.   There are more, but these three usually eliminate many a talented young designer.

Giambattista ValliGIAMBATTISTA VALLI WITH JOSEPH BOITANO OF SAKS 5TH AVENUE is no stranger to the designer world or the glamour of Parisian fashion.  Valli was the creative director for French House Emanuel Ungaro for about 5 years in the 90's, and launched his own collection of ready to wear in 2005 in Paris.  (He also has a moment with Krizia prior to Ungaro - but just as when Alber Elbaz tried to work with Krizia- it didn't last long).  Since the launch of his collection, Valli has developed a loyal following of socialites, debutantes, and red carpet starlets.  GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE - FALL 2011 All the girls love Giambattista!  One look at his collection and you know why.  Valli has a rebellious edge that he buries in beauty and sophistication.  The results flatter anyone who wears them.  With his first Couture collection, he chose to pay homage to the craft - even showing two dresses built from the famous dressing gowns worn by showroom models.  The black and white looks set a theme for several looks in this beautiful collection.  Cool coral, the palest cream, and the chicest red were also strong on the runway.  Not to mention an exotic leapard print that will have the ladies that love those prints - panting.

Enter Saks 5th Avenue and group SVP & GMM - Joseph Boitano.   Boitano has an eye forGIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE- FALL 2011 relevant fashion, and for over 30 years he has been shaping the retail landscape for the wealthiest women in America.  Not surprising to learn, he was the man responsible for all designer collections at Bergdorf Goodman for years before Saks was able to Lure him away (and just a few blocks down 5th avenue) in 1999.   Since that time, Boitano has helped Saks regild some of that retail Gold that Saks has been known for since 1924. Exactly what he has done with Giambattista.   In addition to carrying Valli's RTW collection, Saks 5th Avenue is having exclusive special order events with Valli's couture collection.   Saks is the first store in the U.S. to preview the collection and clients will view 35 of the 45 GIAMBATTISTA VALLI COUTURE - FALL 2011actual Couture samples via informal modeling, and ultimately order from the looks.   The brainchild of Boitano, this is clearly as luxurious a retail experience as you will find anywhere.  Beyond this would mean making a  Couture appointment in Paris.  

This truly celebrates the history of New York Fashion and the history of Saks 5th avenue.   After all, before the invention of Ready To Wear in the early 60's (credited to Yves Saint Laurent), department store buyers would attend the Couture shows twice a year in Paris.   The buyers would make their selections, and then the store would enter into contracts with the fashion houses to produce these looks for a set period of several weeks or a few months.   The store would buy one sample and have their own pattern makers recreate the look.  Private in-store fashion shows for best customers was a regular event back in New York.   (Vintage shoppers will have seen labels like "Christian Dior for Saks 5th Avenue" for example).   This really is a coup!  Bravo to Saks & Mr. Boitano, and of course to you Mr. Valli for creating a most beautiful collection.

The Couture samples will be at the Saks 5th Avenue Flagship store on Tuesday and Wednesday -July 26th & 27th.    Don't miss this most special fashion event.   Call your sales associate now and have them book you an appointment.   To find out more about the show or Valli's collection call Saks at 212-753-4000, (ask for the Giambattista Valli boutique on the 3rd Floor).   Of course if you are in New York or the tri-state area, stop by Saks to see these works of art for yourself!  (The collection moves to Saks Chicago on Michigan Avenue for two days during the first week of August).

FERRAGAMO STYLE ON 5TH AVENUE!

FERRAGAMO GLAMOUR AT JAMES B. DUKE MANSIONFrom the day that Salvatore Ferragamo   opened his Hollywood Boot Shop on Las Palmas Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1923, the most glamorous women in the world have worn Ferragamo.   It is with this spirit that Ferragamo's Massimiliano Giornetti created the Resort 2012 collection he showed on a recent steamy Summer evening in New York City.   Staged at the James B. Duke Mansion on 5th Avenue, the collection was as elegant and luxurious as the outrageous surroundings.

The Duke mansion was built in 1909 by James B. Duke,  a founding partner of the American Tobacco company, owner of Duke Power, and fatherDORIS DUKE of Doris Duke - the woman who would become one of the most famous and infamous socialites the world has ever known.   This limestone mansion was a tribute to French Neoclassical architecture and would become THE home on Millionaire's Row opposite Central Park that all society envied and spoke of. NAUTICAL INSPIRATION FROM THE JET SET OF THE 20'S   It is incredible to see the oversized scale of the grand foyer and to realize that only James, his wife Nanaline, and their adolescent little girl- Doris occupied the residence part of the year.  (of course - there was staff!)   To say they had interesting neighbors would be the understatement of the century.   They had good company along 5th avenue, as family names like Vanderbilt, Dupont, and Carnegie all called this pristine stretch of the Upper East Side home.  Doris Duke would never live in the house as an adult, it would be donated by Nanaline to New York University in the 50's after the death of James Duke.    The old expression - they don't make them like this anymore couldn't be more appropriate.   (An interesting fact for TV fans.   The pilot episode of ABC's Dirty Sexy Money was shot here at the Duke Mansion.   The show chronicled the fictional life of New York's richest family - The Darlings).  JAMES B. DUKE MANSION AS SEEN FROM CENTRAL PARK 

Darling setting it was, and if that family had really existed - they would have wanted to live here.  It is amazing to think of the historical timeline of this house.FERRAGAMO LUXURY - NAVY SILK & DIAMONDS  The early 1900's and all the titans of industry building their empires.  

Looking to the French Riviera and the sophisticated lifestyle of the women of the 20's & 30's, the Ferragamo Resort Collection featured nautical references and luxury as a lifestyle.   Shimmering gowns embroidered with micro-sequins created a silvery glow.  A navy maxi-coat that was made to make a memorable entrance. SILVER AND GRAY SILK EVENING GOWN

The models descended from the grandest double height, marble staircase that created as dramatic an entrance as has ever been staged in a New York fashion show.   What could have been a scene out of The Great Gatsby, took your breath away. 

The most beautiful models in the industry walked the runway, and in the audience were the beauties of stage and screen.   Eva Mendes, Emma Roberts, & Freida Pinto were three fresh faces that were a Summer delight in Ferragamo!

Never has a collection so fittingly adorned a setting, and the entire show was a truly unique New York moment.  The softness of the shimmering silk, the pastel colors of the lightest blue, gray, and richest navy cashmeres,  set against vintage Fred Leighton diamonds - so many diamonds!   It will never happen again.  Ferragamo was the first fashion event ever to be staged at the Duke mansion.   Think of it -the house was built over 100 years ago and this was the premiere!   The mansion now houses part of the NYU Fine Arts Collection.  

I've been to fashion shows in New York, London, Milan, & Paris - and I had never seen one as glamorous as this before. Bravo Ferragamo, and Bravo to Massimiliano Giornetti for creating an event so perfectly honoring the legacy of Salvatore and for creating an event New Yorker's had never seen!

Skytop Lodge**Click the Ferragamo logo above to visit the company website, to find a store in your part of the world now**

Speaking of Great Gatsby style, the Skytop lodge in the Poconos is a perfect weekend destination to surround yourself with Gatsby era charm.   The Sky Top lodge was built in 1928 as a perfect place to celebrate the beauty of the Pocono mountains.   Set on over 5,000 acres, SkyTop is sure to provide as much rest and relaxation as you can possibly need!   The area is a buzz with excitement due to the second annual music festival taking place this month.  Buck Hill Sky Top Music Festival is quickly becoming quite the celebrated social event and charitable cause.    To visit SkyTop or attend the music festival, click the photo or logo above or at right.