Roanne Adams (image from Refinery 29)
I’ve been meaning to write this piece for a long time. So long, in fact, that it’s become a joke.
Roanne is one of my oldest friends. She and her team at RoAndCo (www.roandcostudio.com) designed this website… my wedding invitations… personalized stationary… the birth announcements for both of my kids and that’s not the end of it.
Keegan Singh
There are a lot of crazy people in fashion. People with huge personalities, loud clothing and amazing stories that turn into other even more insane stories that come complete with robust hand gestures that will knock the drink right out of your hand.
Keegan Singh is not one of these people.
There is an incredibly chic flock of Russian women taking over the street style contingent. This isn’t breaking news, I just find myself fascinated by them and their general perfection. Aside from being perfectly on-trend, perfectly coiffed, perfectly made-up, they are also not afraid of perfectly teetering along fashion’s edge. They stand out – even amidst the fashion crowd. As Diana Vreeland said, “Style—all who have it share one thing: originality.” And these girls each have their own style.
Dr. Polla consulting with a patient in his Geneva office.
I came home from a dinner party the other night and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I was washing my face. I noticed that those “cute,” happy/smiley lines that bunch up next to my eyes when I laugh and smile were still there, laughing back at me… but I wasn’t smiling.
Then I wrinkled my forehead and finally admitted to myself that those two ugly “I’m shocked!” lines that have finally etched themselves into my brow.
I was feeling old.
I decided it was time to call Dr. Luigi Polla to see how I could stop these lines from getting worse. Dr. Polla is the cosmetic dermatologist father of my dear friend and Alchimie Forever skincare founder, Ada Polla.
The back of Rooney Mara last night.
Nobody likes to wear a fancy dress more than I do. So last night, after a few glimpses from Instagram of a couple of dresses that would be worn later that evening (I’m six hours ahead) to the 2013 Met Ball, I went to bed a little sad. Country living has its benefits, but getting properly dressed on a regular basis isn’t one of them.
This morning, in order to feel like I have come connection to the civilized world, I sat down at my computer and decided to make a “best dressed list” for you, but I was very disappointed. The theme of the night – and the current exhibition – was “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” I’m not a huge punk person, though I’m not afraid of a few spikes in my shoes or jewelry, but you generally won’t find me in torn clothing. Alas, some of the punk looks (most of them), weren’t for me… even the couture looks weren’t my favorites, but I narrowed down the best of them, in my opinion, and here they are in no particular order:
Florence Lobet with photographs by Stephane Graff.
I have known Florence for ages. Over a decade now. We met at a dinner in New York, both of us, randomly, friends with the actor Billy Zane. Like I said: random.
I was immediately drawn to Florence. She is quintessentially French. She is gorgeous with long hair that undulates like a river of dark chocolate down her back. She also had those deep green doe eyes that only French girls have. She could cut rocks with her cheekbones. Yet she doesn’t play up her looks. If anything, she plays them down. She doesn’t wear much make up, if any, and she is always dressed a like a bohemian. It suits her perfectly.
Bill Cunningham. Photo by The Sartorialist
There are many things to like about fashion. How it makes you feel when you wear a new dress, put on heels, a pair of leg-elongating, high-waisted trousers. I love that designers rely on history and cultural influences to create new and inspiring collections season after season. Thanks to them and their clothes, what we wear can, if only for a moment, transport us to another era, make us feel part of another culture, a piece of history or simply cooler than we really are if we, say, wear something from Givenchy or Rick Owens.
As inspiring as fashion can be, nothing and no one is more inspirational in the fashion realm than Mr. Bill Cunningham. To see this pillar of kindness at the shows, with his smile so genuine it seems to eradicate all the cattiness that surrounds it, he, like fashion itself, transports me to a better time. No one works like this man anymore and it actually shames me. Night and day, day and night, he breathes his job. It is his unencumbering passion. A passion that doesn’t seem to destroy him, like so many passions can.
Happy April 15th, everyone! Especially to my father, Ted Skrypek. My dad is an accountant, thus the reason why I chose today to honor him, but he’s a whole lot more than that. Aside from just putting me on this earth, he’s done many things to shape the person I’ve become.
Yes, he fought a lot of my choices, tried his best to bully me into staying in business school and thought I had my head firmly planted in the ground when I told him I was transferring from NYU’s Stern into the College of Arts and Science to study Art History. “What are you going to do with that?” he asked disdainfully. And he was right to ask. He was, after all, along with my mother, paying for my education… and my housing… and my sushi lunches. Yep, sorry about that Dad, but it was you, if you remember, who introduced me to sushi in the first place. I could have opted for the school meal plan, I guess, but I was living in Manhattan. A school cafeteria? I didn’t think so.
I know this isn’t the most original of people to like, but I really do like Lee Razdiwill. Especially since reading the profile on her in the new T Magazine back in February.
Aside from being incredibly chic, the story of her life intoxicates me because it was so well-lived. There is no other word for it. She had a difficult childhood, but she withstood it and it, it appears, didn’t let it crush her, rather it prepared her for the misfortunes and challenges that she faced later on.
She is strong woman and handles herself impeccably. She is full of grace and humor, curiosity and courage. She had many loves, including one she ended up losing to her sister – Aristotle Onassis.
I can’t imagine living her life, but I find it spellbinding to think about it…
Miniaudière by Gucci, from French Vogue, April 2013
I like her because she is beautiful. She is green… as in with envy. She looks good with red… and even with a cigarette.
