Viva ‘Vivre Sa Vie’!

Sometimes one needs a movie to function as a one-stop aesthetic Quick-Mart. Jean-Luc Godard’s 1962 black and white film entitled Vivre Sa Vie will give you everything you need: minimalist mod fashion, heaps of style, coquettish behavior, cigarettes, love, death, dancing, prostitution, philosophy, nudity, and Plato all in one neat cinematic package. And unlike some films in the Godard repertory, it even has a plot.

The stylish lead character, Nana Klein Frankenheim, is played by Anna Karina (Godard’s wife at the time). The premise is set up early: Nana is a girl who just wants to be special. And she wants to be loved. Oh, and some money would be good, too.

This movie is one of my go-to films when I need inspiration for what to wear, not because there is a large array of styles to choose from, but because there isn’t. It is a great blueprint for a reductive and elemental way of dressing. Nana is first seen with her back to the camera, in a trench coat with an upturned collar, her black hair in a bob. I’m sure Godard was attempting to state something else with this striking opening, but I always took it to mean the world is your oyster as long as you have a good coat. And if you have the music of Michel Legrand playing in the background (or at least in the soundtrack of your mind).

At her dull record store job, Nana dresses in a plain plaid pencil skirt, dark cardigan and a white button down shirt. But when she makes her perhaps not fortuitous career move, she spices things up with a frillier white blouse and a fuller check skirt above kitten heels. In later scenes, once she really breaks bad, she adds either a shiny wide black or metallic belt. No belt = good girl. Tight belt around the waist = not-so-good girl.

Life’s lessons come hard and fast for Nana. Though she soon learns that ‘escape is a pipe dream,’ Nana remains chic nonetheless. Even as she saunters around town, smoking cigarettes in a ‘pilly’ sweater, she teaches us to commit to the choices that we make in life and to invest in a good knitwear shaver.

The film opens with a motto from Montaigne: Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself. This is great advice. I decided many years ago to borrow from the aesthetics in Vivre Sa Vie. With the best always in mind, I kindly offer tips from this fashion filled film to you.

For 1960s-esque sweaters: Tse Cashmere or Uniqlo 

For the pencil skirt: Moschino Cheap and Chic

For an assortment of ballet flats: ASOS.com

For Bobs or Page Boy wigs: The Wig Salon.com 

For the perfect handbag (Nana had different outfits, but carried 1 great chain handled bag): 

Stella McCartney Handbags

Check out this charming dance performed by Anna Karina as ‘Nana’ in Jean-Luc Godard’s film. Provided by Visionquest. 

Carpe Diem!

I was recently asked what I would do if I knew I had only 24 hours to live. No need for reflection for that question. Of course I have quite a few regrets, perhaps more than a few. But I’d waste no time pondering over those old chestnuts. Stock last-day activities like sex, bungee jumping or parachuting can be tricky to conjure up within time limitations and some involve corralling other people to participate. Why would I wish to be burdened with them?

I’d choose to get very close and personal with something I fervently avoid for health and waistline maintenance reasons but could find very easily: butter.

I absolutely love butter. I could eat it spread on or integrated into everything. Here are some of my first appointments for the glorious stuff: on a warm baguette flown in from the Parisian bakery Boulangerie Collet (I know-I only have a day left but I’d wait the 7 hours for that baguette; it’s really that great), drizzled over grilled quail surrounded by little sea scallops floating in rivers of the stuff. I would move on to have my favorite vegetable – kale – butter-soaked and then sautéed in garlic and butter. Then I’d have battered pork belly deep-fried in butter, followed by butter cream ice cream with butter cream sauce.

Even though I have a mere 24 hours I would then take a nap. So that I could wake up refreshed and ready to take on my main course. I won’t give you those LDL-raising details, but I would go to my final rest softly plumped and sated with my blood lipids newly reconfigured. I could be trusted to go gently into that good night*, giddy from the food and one last silly pun: to beurre is human**.

*My apologies to Dylan Thomas.

**My apologies to Alexander Pope.

Two of my many favorite butter brands: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
and Les Pres Sale Carmargue Beurre. I borrowed this platter from a friend
who has rustic things at home on purpose.
The bread is a stunt baguette that is 6 years old.

                                   

The Supreme Carine Roitfeld!  

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.  – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

An artist is someone who is able, by virtue of imagination, talent and skill, to create works of aesthetic value. Even though Carine Roitfeld is well known for her work as a stylist and as the editor of French Vogue, she truly is an artist. A remarkable creative agility is evident in her work because it reflects not only what she knows about fashion and art, but also what she loves.

One of my favorite Carine Roitfeld editorials took inspiration from the inimitable appeal of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. It featured the model Daria Werbowy wearing an array of beautiful looks, all in numerous shades of gray. Of course you are surprised, as I was, because gray is typically not a sexy color, but in Carine Roitfeld’s hands it became very charged indeed.

Her incredible style and work can be seen in her new large-format book, irreverent, published by Rizzoli. I was fortunate to speak with she as she inscribed my copy for me. She is lovely and very welcoming, everything chic rolled into one petite svelte woman.

We chatted for a moment or two and when I told her about some of my own work, she offered me a wonderful compliment: “So you are a part of fashion history too.” It was both generous and genuine, as only a person of confidence and self-possession could bestow. Carine is a woman who is true to herself and can only express her love of fashion through a culmination of her passions.

Carine is very passionate about AIDS research, and part of the proceeds from the sale of irreverent will go to the amfAR organization. Cheers to you, Carine for your innate style, inspiration and sartorial love.   

Having a moment with the beautiful Carine Roitfeld.

Carine and me! She loved my T-Shirt by Scooter LaForge. 

Maialino’s Magic, or Almost like Water Off a Duck’s Back:

I love walking into a restaurant feeling stylish and happy that I’m about to eat good food. I feel Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s chic and that all eyes are on me. This is certainly how I feel when I walk into Maialino, my favorite of Danny Meyer’s NYC restaurants. I know this is crazy talk and the old man sitting at the deuce that turned his head to look at me is really just thinking that he gave the same wool scarf I’m wearing to his son-in law as a gift last Christmas.

After I get over my ‘faux-lebrity’ moment, I like to sit down at the elegant bar and order a mocktail. The reason to go to Maialino is the incredibly delicious food and great service. It is also one of the few restaurants that have mocktails listed on the drink menu. I like to eat dinner at the bar so I can make sure I don’t miss any of the real celebrities as they walk in. The last time I was there, Al Pacino walked past me with his dinner companion. He was wearing a blue bandana (why would Al Pacino wear a blue bandana? Can’t he afford a scarf like that old man bought for his son-in law?)

Maialino is perfection, but I must share with you a strange thing that happened. A boisterous woman who was sitting next to me managed to spill her glass of white down my back. It did seem as if it was a physically impossible thing to do (I think she was gesticulating and forgot she had a full glass of wine in her hand). But that was not the strange thing. The strange thing was that after I stared at her anticipating her apology, she said “I didn’t know longer jackets were back in style.”

Let me give you a description of the ‘longer’ jacket I was wearing. It was a Yohji Yamamoto black silk jacket with hidden snaps and long sleeves (pictured below). It was not the newest jacket I own, but this is not the point. How does someone have the nerve to say something like this to me, not only because it was wrong and rude, it was said to me while my left hand was ¼ inch away from a sharp knife and I’m left-handed?

The staff seemed to be as stunned as I was. They were kind and offered all sorts of linen with club soda poured on top (does that really work?) while the wine juggler babbled on to her friends in her not-so-charming Texas regional accent. You can imagine the ideas that were running through my head, but I just sat at the bar smelling of wine, and I don’t even like wine.

Now, I wouldn’t mind if Grace Coddington wanted to give me a heads up and help me out so I don’t commit a public fashion faux pas, but to by criticized by a ‘Miss Texas Liberty Parade’ with blonde over-lacquered hair, wearing a dress far too short and tight for her age, was almost too much to bear.

I say almost because I didn’t let it put me off enjoying an excellent meal. I managed to keep my composure, look glamorous (if slightly damp) and stayed clear of Rikers Island. Maialino has a number of sumptuous fresh pasta dishes, but none, for me, can top the tonnarelli a cacio e pepe (a fresh, square spaghetti served with pecorino cheese and black pepper). If living well is the best revenge, eating well must be a very close second. I ordered the tonnarelli, the staff continued to soothe with their kind attention, and the evening regained its magic. Now I can only thank everyone at Maialino for ensuring my culinary and imaginary cinematic delight.

Here I am in my 'long' jacket at the Issey Miyake '10 Year Anniversary' event.

Photo by Brian Batista.

The Fabulous Fifties!

The art historian and my dear friend Alan Rosenberg is the curator of a wonderful show, featuring American color prints from the 1950s. The exhibition is entitled ‘Image and Abstraction’ and it can be viewed at Good Design, a Carnegie Hill Modern furniture and Decorative Arts gallery located at 1305 Madison Ave.

This exhibition of rarely seen mid-century prints is showing through December 24^th, 2011. For more information, please go to: Image and Abstraction.com. Congratulations, Alan! 

Alan Rosenberg at his opening. 

One of the prints on view.

More art above an exquisite 1950s bureau.

Some period hand carved painted figurines.