Irina Aleksander | The New York Observer

Is This Wise? Scandal-Kissed Publicist Greets Her Public

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:40:28 -0500

“A lot more attention is placed on me and not in a good way,” publicist Ali Wise told the Transom when we asked what it’s like to go out since her arrest back in July on charges of computer tampering and eavesdropping. “I still have all my close friends and nothing is different in that respect. But I’m dealing with it seriously and I’m taking it day by day.”

Ms. Wise was...

It's Madtown!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:38:34 -0500

Gherardo Guarducci and Dimitri Pauli, the two handsome Italian owners of Sant Ambroeus in the West Village, were sitting recently on a spacious leather banquette in the dining room of their latest venture, Casa Lever, under the watchful Technicolor gaze of 10 original Warhol portraits (Bob Colacello, Robert Mapplethorpe, Giorgio Armani) on the opposite wall.

They were recounting the restaurant’s opening party on Oct. 10, during which Madonna stopped by to sing “Happy Birthday”...

Walk This Way! Aerosmith's Former Frontman Weaves Down Glamour's Red Carpet

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:35:28 -0500

On the evening of Monday, Nov. 9, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, who reportedly learned of lead singer Steven Tyler’s leaving the band in the press, tweeted that he was positively looking for a new lead singer.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tyler was dropping by Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year awards at Carnegie Hall to cheer on poet Maya Angelou, who was being presented a lifetime achievement award by president Bill Clinton. Mr. Tyler, who...

The Hedge Funder in Thigh-High Boots

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:30:37 -0400

Self-described “hedge fund chick” Julie Macklowe’s outfit at the Whitney Museum Gala on Monday, Oct. 19, consisted of the following: a blue and black minidress with textured bodice and leather skirt, otherwise known as Look 17 of Rodarte’s fall ’09 collection; thigh-high Louis Vuitton leather boots with zippers up the sides, identical to the pair worn by Madonna in the brand’s fall campaign; and weighty diamond earrings.

Since Versace was the sponsor of the...

The Cautionary Matrons

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:20:14 -0400

In March of last year, The Atlantic published an essay by Lori Gottlieb titled “Marry Him! The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough,” which Ms. Gottlieb wrote when, in her idealistic search for the One, she found herself alone in her 40s with a son she had via a sperm donor. A book based on the article will be published in February and has already been optioned by Tobey Maguire for Warner Brothers,...

The Last Lady Philanthropist

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:23:55 -0400

It was Monday, Oct. 12, 8:30 a.m., and on the set of CBS’s Early Show in midtown, the socialite eminence Evelyn Lauder and the actress Elizabeth Hurley were sitting in the green room, getting their hair sprayed, their lips painted and their faces dabbed with foundation.

They were there to talk about the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign of Estee Lauder Companies, where Mrs. Lauder is the senior corporate vice president and Ms. Hurley...

First Lady Michelle—not That One—Rocked Rachel Roy at Gal-Pow-Wow

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:49:28 -0400

Last week, New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams hosted a ladies’ luncheon at her Upper East Side apartment in honor of New York’s first lady, Michelle Paterson. This was the same luncheon at which Ms. Paterson told Ms. Adams that her husband was “hurt” about the White House wanting to muscle him out of office.

Ms. Paterson wore a cream skirt and blazer by the designer Rachel Roy, in a fabric...

Designer Wife Rory Tahari Wants to Be Your List Mistress

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:30:58 -0400

A decade ago, Rory Heather Green, a driven 26-year-old television producer from Atlanta with a broadcast journalism degree from Boston University, attended the 46th birthday party of Elie Tahari—a fashion designer known for his tailored lady suits, and a noted bachelor—and fell in love. But before she could marry Tahari the person, she had to agree to work for Tahari the brand.

“He said, ‘My business is my life and my life is my...

Grace Notes: Is Coddington's $700 Coffee-Table Book Headed for Reprint?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:58:46 -0400

In the aftermath of the press parade for The September Issue, during which creative director Grace Coddington emerged as the true talent behind Vogue, it is difficult not to speculate how long before she gets a book deal.

Turns out she already did a 400-page illustrated tome titled Grace: Thirty Years of Fashion at Vogue, published in 2002 by Edition 7L, an imprint, co-owned by Karl Lagerfeld, of the London-based publisher Steidl books, featuring...

Scenes From an Italian Opera Opening: Joel, LeeLee, Others Take in 'Tosca' at the Met

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:06:51 -0400

“We lost Meryl Streep,” a PR girl told The Observer when we arrived to the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera on Monday, Sept. 21, for a staging of Tosca, which Ms. Streep was expected to attend, but, alas, did not.

Perhaps it had something to do with how the opera has evolved socially since the days when Countess Olenska and Newland Archer could use the...

Evalicious! Slick Looks at Calvin Klein

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:31:04 -0400

The VIP row at the Calvin Klein show on Thursday, Sept. 17 included actresses Kerry Washington, Rose Byrne, Thandie Newton and the brand's current poster girl, Eva Mendes.

Designer Francisco Costa sent out his models looking like futuristic newborns: wet hair in minimalist ponytails, bodies glistening with baby oil. They wore neutral-colored dresses in high-textured fabrics that had a predisposed shape entirely different from that of a woman's figure.

Afterwards, reporters surrounded Ms. Mendes to find...

Fashion Designers Are Gaga For Lady Gaga

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:17:29 -0400

On Wednesday, while at the Michael Kors show, we saw a few curious things.

Stylist Rachel Zoe was playing with a Barbie doll in a sparkly dress; actor Michael Douglas showed up in a leather blazer and created such a mob scene that socialite editor Lauren Santo Domingo almost went toppling off the runway while just trying to get to her seat; socialite and now Marie Claire associate market director Amanda Hearst's seat...

Ms. Jackson, If You're Preppy: Janet and Dylan Lauren Make Friends at Papa Ralph's Show

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:53:59 -0400

The front rows of the Ralph Lauren show on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 17 were, as usual, separated by magazine: From Vogue, there was Anna, Grace, Sally, Tonne; from Elle, there was Robbie Myers and Kate Lanphear; from New York, there was Adam Moss, Harriet Mays Powell, and Observer alumna Amy Larocca; from Marie Claire, there was Joanna Coles, Nina Garcia, and Zanna Roberts; and from Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter and Amy Fine...

Frockin' it Up with Tom Florio: He Does Not Want to Talk About McKinsey

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:50:04 -0400

At Oscar de la Renta's noon show today, attended by designer Zac Posen, photographer Patrick Demarchelier, and Mr. and Mrs. Graydon Carter, the Transom spotted Vogue's publisher, Tom Florio, a few rows behind his editor, Anna Wintour, and her now superstar creative director Grace Coddington. The Transom thought Mr. Florio could use some much-needed attention.

"Hi, Mr. Florio! Can we have a minute of your time for the Observer?" we asked.

He looked up nervously and...

Welcome Home, Mischa

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:06:30 -0400

Mischa Barton appeared from behind the blue door, labeled “M. Barton,” wearing a leather jacket covered in studs, a gray sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her freshly styled hair, leather boots (also covered in studs) and dark makeup around her eyes. This was last week, at Steinway studios in Astoria, Queens, where the actress was filming the CW’s The Beautiful Life: TBL, in which she plays Sonja Stone, a has-been, pill-popping fashion model...

Gossip Girls, Geldof, Graydon Converge at Gypsy-Inspired DVF Show

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:22:51 -0400

Diane von Furstenberg's afternoon show yesterday drew the usual glamorous crowd--though several audience members were spotted drinking Peroni beers right from the bottle, tac-ky!

Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter sat next Valentino's Giancarlo Giammetti who sat next to actress Candice Bergen and her daughter, Chloe. Daily Beast editor Tina Brown was right across the aisle. Francesco Clemente arrived with daughter, Chiara, and sat next to hotelier Andre Balazs. There were Gossip Girls (Michelle Trachtenberg, Blake...

At Duckie Brown, The Man-Models Came Out in Something That Resembled...Depends

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:36:01 -0400

Fashion Week is a time to take ridiculous things very seriously and not feel silly doing so. Fine, O.K. But at the Duckie Brown runway show this afternoon at Bryant Park, a few snickers slipped out when a male model walked out in what was probably a bathing suit (but may have been underwear) that was high-waisted and white and well, looked a lot like a diaper.

Most guests caught themselves once they realized how...

Vena Cava Confuses: Was That a 'Presentation' or a Runway Show?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:12:04 -0400

The invitation for this morning's Vena Cava show indicated that it was a "presentation." But when guests arrived on the second floor of Milk Studios, bleachers were set up with marked sections around a runway. The show's coordinators instructed arriving guests that there would be no seat assignments."It's a presentation," they said.

At 12:10 p.m., the lights went down as they do before a runway show, a band began playing and models began walking. But...

Ballet Inspires Designer Rachel Antonoff

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:19:00 -0400

"My design rule of thumb is to make things I want to wear," said the petite designer Rachel Antonoff at her presentation last night, set up on the stage of the The Henry Street Playhouse on the Lower East Side.

The models were posed on stage in tutus and ballet slippers, floral rompers, and pretty party dresses nipped at the waist.

Ms. Antonoff, previously of the Mooka Kinney label favored by actress Zooey Deschanel, was inspired...

Bises for Dries Van Noten: Belgian Designer Honored by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Iman

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:50:36 -0400

On the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 9, right on the heels of getting the CFDA's International Designer of the Year award last year, the Belgian designer Dries van Noten received FIT's Couture Council Award for the Artistry of Fashion at Cipriani 42nd Street. His presenter was the actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who arrived in a lovely violet skirt and blouse in a myriad of floral and leopard prints (typical for Mr. van Noten).

Ms. Gyllenhaal was...

Why You All Look Like Blair Waldorf

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:57:16 -0400

"It's really amazing that I am this relaxed,” said the fashion designer Abigail Lorick, sucking down a monstrous iced coffee on the sixth floor of a nondescript building on Pearl Street the other morning. “I should be freaking out by now.” She bent down to pet her adopted Brussel Griffon, Bill (a girl), who was pawing at her ankles.

It was exactly a week before Ms. Lorick’s spring ’10 presentation, which will take place...

Hamish Does Noël Coward, Talley Trivia for Their Boss’s Shopstravaganaza

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:22:00 -0400

We all know where Anna Wintour’s gonna be for Fashion’s Night Out on Thursday, Sept. 10 (see Simon Doonan, page 17, for more). But what about the other Voguettes?

Hamish Bowles, the European editor at large, plans to visit the Juicy Couture store on Fifth Avenue, where he’ll belt out Noël Coward tunes like “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington,” “Stately Homes of England” and “A Room With a View.” He...

Rihanna, Courtney, Marc Love Molly Yestadt's Haute Hats

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:11:01 -0400

Though her presentation is not until Wednesday, Sept. 9, the milliner Molly Yestadt finished her Yestadt Millinery spring collection a few weeks ago. There was a strategic reason for this.

“We do collaborations during Fashion Week and that’s when things need to happen overnight, so now I can just run around for all these other projects,” said Ms. Yestadt, speaking by phone from her Lower East Side studio. “So even though I am super-busy,...

Everybody Freeze! Just in Time for Fashion Week, Botox on Sale in TriBeCa

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:40:48 -0400

Back in March, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons posted a report indicating that while the demand for plastic surgery procedures was down because of the recession, injectible beauty products like Botox were faring better.

Cosmetic procedures, the organization reported, dropped 9 percent in 2008 to 1.7 million. Breast augmentation fell 12 percent, liposuction fell 19 percent and tummy tucks 18 percent. Meanwhile, Botox injections grew 8 percent, to 5 million. The Wall Street Journal...

Eat With Pete Peterson! Finance Eminence Will Address Social Network for the Rich on How to Get Richer

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:54:44 -0400

ASmallWorld, the invitation-only social network for the wealthy backed by Harvey Weinstein, is hosting a private breakfast with billionaire Peter Peterson, chairman emeritus of the Blackstone Group and founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, on Thursday, September 17.

The social network teamed with the Argyle Executive Forum (a company that produces speaking engagements) and the network's members will receive the discounted ticket rate of $150 from the regular-people price of $275. The location...

Fashionair Blows in From London, With Help From Simon Fuller (!); "We're The Aggregator of Aggregators," Says Founder

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:24:54 -0400

For the past two years, Sojin Lee, who was previously the head of retail and buying at Net-a-Porter, has been working on a Website called Fashionair with the help of American Idol's Simon Fuller. It will go live on Thursday, September 3.

"I felt there was a huge hole in the marketplace when it came to an immersive fashion web experience," said Ms. Lee by phone from London, where the company is based. "You either...

Ramblin' Tamblyn, Actress-Poet and David Cross's Girlfriend, Preserves Her Words in Amber

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:46:52 -0400

The image on actress Amber Tamblyn's new collection of poetry, Bang Ditto, (out September 1 from Manic D Press) was not Photoshopped. In the photo, taken by her friend, photographer Matt Wignall, who does photography for the Cold War Kids, Ms. Tamblyn's face and body are split down the middle. In one half, her hair is down and she wears no makeup; in the other, her hair is in a curled updo and she...

Joan Rivers on Dominick Dunne: 'He Always Looked Like an Unmade Bed … Like What He Was, Which Was a Writer'

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:58:08 -0400

Comedienne Joan Rivers was on the phone, remembering something wonderful her friend, Dominick Dunne, who died of bladder cancer on Wednesday, Aug. 26, did for her in the late 1980s.

"My husband [producer Edgar Rosenberg] had just committed suicide and the first time I was going to come out in public was a Vanity Fair party out in California," said Ms. Rivers from Las Vegas, where she is performing at the Venetian. "I didn't want...

Tattoo Who? Screenwriter Diablo Cody Gets a Makeover

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:01:49 -0400

Diablo Cody, the reformed stripper and witty screenwriter, arrived to a West Hollywood party celebrating Nylon magazine's TV issue earlier this week in an elegant, knee-length wrap dress, low grey heels, understated makeup, and a very blond pixie cut. She looked pretty and put-together. The only thing by which to recognize that this was in fact Ms. Cody was the tattoo sticking out from under the dress, right above her knee. The tattoo on...

Recording Artist Ryan Adams is Blogging for The Awl

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:02:57 -0400

Last week, The Awl welcomed a new blogger by the name of D.R. Adams. He was introduced as "a popular recording artist" who was also a fan of the site.

"This musician expressed an interest in contributing to the site, and we’re happy to announce that the result of our conversations is a regular column that should start up in the very near future," wrote Awl editor Alex Balk. This secret new blogger even recorded...

Dominick Dunne Dies of Bladder Cancer: Onetime Hollywood Striver Reinvented Himself as High-Society, True-Crime Chronicler

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:01:58 -0400

Writer and high-society fixture Dominick Dunne died on Wednesday. Aug. 26 in his home in Manhattan, it was announced by Griffin Dunne, one of his two sons. He was 83 years old.

The news was reported by fellow Park Avenue chronicler David Patrick Columbia and then confirmed on the Website of Vanity Fair, where Mr. Dunne was a contributor.

Mr. Dunne disclosed last year that he was battling bladder cancer and would undergo stem cell treatment....

Ms. Parker and the Vicious Schedule: Writers Wonder About HBO Princess's Focus

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:51:49 -0400

If you ask Manhattan’s female authors—specifically of the urban chick-lit genre—whom they would want to option their novels, the answer is often Sarah Jessica Parker. They would also like her to produce the film adaptation, star in it, and maybe even have a say in the wardrobe, if she has a spare moment. This has made Ms. Parker, 44, very busy.

Currently in development at her production company, Pretty Matches, is The Washingtonienne, an...

Anna ... David: Wintour Makes Brisk, Good-Humored Appearance on Late Show

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:55:32 -0400

In the last year, Anna Wintour, the typically private Vogue editor, has submitted to a 60 Minutes interview; given a talk at the 92nd Street Y about her charity work; courted White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers at Monkey Bar and boldly announced at a CFDA town hall meeting that she has friends in the White House. Just last week, Ms. Wintour devoted a few minutes to each reporter who had lined up...

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld Will Curate Another Art Show During Fashion Week

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:53:25 -0400

The last time the Daily Transom caught up with Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, the 24-year-old son of French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld, he had decided he would become an art show curator. He even organized a show at Collective Hardware during February Fashion Week for photographer friends like David Muchegan, P.C. Valmorbida and Salim Langatta. (Most of the photographs focused on female anatomy and ironic Americana imagery.)

"I want to work with people of my generation since...

Waif-er Thin: Why Is Fashion Designer Erin Fetherston Making Cookie Tins?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:12:13 -0400

LU is a french bakery company that makes those fancy biscuits and crackers (Petit Ecolier, Pims and Le Petit Beurre) that you find at the corner grocery store. Yesterday afternoon, the Daily Transom received a tin of the company's Creme Roulee wafers—those long cigarette wafers filled with chocolate and hazelnut—that was designed by designer Erin Fetherston.

The design is surprisingly simple, considering how much Ms. Fetherston enjoys playing with volume and fabrics in her whimsical...

See You In September Issue! Subjects of Fashion Doc Flock to Premiere

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:22:03 -0400

Members of the press are well aware that if an invitation to a New York film premiere indicates that celebrity arrivals begin at 7 p.m., it usually means that the lead stars of this film will likely arrive at 7:55 p.m. At the Wednesday night premiere of The September Issue at the Museum of Modern Art, the R. J. Cutler documentary about how a September issue of Vogue comes together, the director and the...

That's Amurri! Sarandon Scion Prepared for Role by Pole-Dancing With Mom

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:42:34 -0400

Susan Sarandon’s memorable cinematic nude scenes include Pretty Baby (1978), in which she licks her finger and touches her breasts; The Hunger (1983), in which she has a lesbian love affair with Catherine Deneuve; Bull Durham (1988), in which she has sex with Kevin Costner; and White Palace (1990), in which she plays James Spader’s seductress.

Ms. Sarandon’s daughter, Eva Amurri, who is 24 and also an actress, will appear nude for the...

The Devil Wears Promo: Agent Insists Grubman Inspired Novel

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:35:25 -0400

The back jacket of Spin, a novel by the fortuitously named Robert Rave, out Tuesday, Aug. 18, from St. Martin’s Press, describes the story of Taylor Green, a young man from the Midwest who is hired by a “New York public relations dominatrix, Jennifer Weinstein.” He is drawn into her world of “sex, greed, power, and fame.” Examples: He has to carry her drugs through airport security and buy porn for one of her...

How Has Gossip Girl Changed Your Life? Write it Down!

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:06:05 -0400

Gossip Girl, it seems, is so wise that it can be a source of important life lessons. New York Cool, an online magazine that covers nightlife, celebrity and fashion (among other things) is hosting an essay contest to coincide with the DVD release of Season 2. The premise? To write a paragraph about how "the spirit of Blair, Serena, Jenny, Vanessa, Nate, Chuck and Dan have helped you overcome life's little tragedies."

The...

More of De Lesseps! It's Yet Another Hamptons "Society" Magazine

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:22:01 -0400

Add another society magazine to the growing, glossy pile! The Hampton Spy (is that a reference to Kurt Andersen and Graydon Carter's late, lamented Spy?) is a "digital publication and community" edited by former Hamptons editor and Hamptons Style contributor Cindi Cook.

The magazine was launched by Datran Media, described on its Website as a digital marketing company, which seems to muddy up the relationship between advertisers and readers even further.

The design is sort of...

Let the Mad Men Parties Begin

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:36:30 -0400

The third season of Mad Men will premiere on AMC on Sunday, August 16 and devoted viewers are planning theme parties to celebrate.

Tonight The Gates, a restaurant and lounge in Chelsea fittingly in the style of an early 1960s lounge, will host a Mad Men party with an open bar from 10 P.M. to 11 P.M.. The dress code is "Mad Men style- The 1960's Newsroom" and music will be provided by Andrew Andrew.

Also...

Condo Shame: Hipsters Hear Siren Song of Shiny, Well-Priced Apartments

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:31:25 -0400

Nicole Ferejohn, 27, was paying $1,200 per month to rent a walk-up apartment on Avenue A and St. Marks about a year ago when she decided that it was time to own, invest, reduce the tax load a bit. She was thinking brownstone, original moldings, maybe some brick or a tin ceiling, a quirky layout.

“But then I started looking and I was like, ‘Holy bejesus, they’re all like a million dollars!’” said Ms....

Stylist Rachel Zoe Out-Goops Gwynnie With (Almost) Daily Dispatch

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:30:28 -0400

When the Transom signed up to the Zoe Report, the newsletter by stylist Rachel Zoe that began distribution last week, we received a prompt email from Ms. Zoe herself!

“Starting tomorrow, you will receive The Zoe Report, a daily email featuring my current obsessions in the ever-evolving worlds of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle,” she wrote. “I am beyond excited at the opportunity to connect directly with you!”—and us with you, Rachel!—“Looking forward to sending...

Chop-Up Shop: Two Dudes to Bring Food, Temporarily, to Montauk

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:28:04 -0400

Over the past few years, pop-up (or temporary) stores have become a more common thing in New York. Falls, a small independent clothing line, opened one in the Salt and Battery space in the West Village in March; Yohji Yamamoto's luggage line, Y Mandarina, opened a three-month-long pop-up shop at 98 Greene in May; and Rachel Roy will open one in Soho at 11 Spring Street for her Macy's line on Sept. 10, which...

Sarah Palin's "Funny Shoes" Are at the FIT Museum

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:58:38 -0400

At the summer party for Couture Council of the Museum at FIT at the home of interior designer Charlotte Moss on the Upper East Side on Wednesday, August 5, Valerie Steele, the museum's director, was giddy about the various exhibits coming up. There is the Isabel Toledo exhibit that includes the dress Michelle Obama wore to the inauguration and will last through Sept. 26; a Fashion & Politics exhibit that is on view until...

Rise of Hotel Pool Parties Engenders New Lifeguard Leisure Class

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:07:25 -0400

A couple of weeks ago, the Thompson Hotel on the Lower East Side hosted a cocktail party for Bonobos, a men’s trousers company, on its outdoor pool deck. Most of the women were dressed up and many men were wearing jackets. But one young woman was sitting by the pool in gym shorts and a gray T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back. Her arms were crossed and she looked a little bored.

“Not much...

Can We Hawk? Joan Rivers Plugs New TV Show at UES Penthouse

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:04:00 -0400

“This is what Marie Antoinette would have had if she had taste,” is how Joan Rivers described the Versailles-inspired décor of her East 62nd penthouse as she stood under the ballroom ceiling, which was painted a light blue with white clouds, on Monday, Aug. 3. “All comedians are very strange, and I love 18th-century France.”

Ms. Rivers does not remember exactly how much she paid for her duplex 20 years ago,...

Why Is No One Watching NYC Prep?

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:06:21 -0400

Since NYC Prep premiered on Bravo on June 23, its young cast members have been making an effort to get out in front of party photographers and join the reality TV-glutted crop of New York celebrities.

Jessie Leavitt, the 18-year-old graduate of Dwight, and Sebastian Oppenheim, the 16-year-old Ross School student, attended a party at Intermix last week where model Jessica Stam and actress Michelle Trachtenberg were also present. Kelly Tomashoff, 16 and a student...

Taj Nightclub on Paterson: 'He Had a Good Time'

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:14:43 -0400

A little after 8 p.m. last night, Taj Lounge, the India-inspired bottle service nightclub on West 21st Street, located near Citrine and Duvet, posted the following about the party it was hosting last night on Twitter: "Don't let the rain stop you from missing 2nite's event! Trust me when I say attending 2nite will likely land you a spot on Page Six!"

It seems the club was correct. It wasn't Page Six, exactly, but Gawker...

Society-Mag Smackdown

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:01:00 -0400

Late last year, a man named Aidan Vola, a plumber by trade, decided to launch a society magazine called New York Hamptonite. Using $118,000 of his own savings, he assembled a sales team and rented a small office in Bridgehampton. At 3 a.m. on May 22, 2009, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, his distributor delivered 15,000 copies of the inaugural issue, which had Real Housewives of New York cast member Luann de Lesseps...