House of Versace

Well this should be fun.

Take the elements of money, sibling rivalry, fame, and murder against a backdrop of over the top fashion coupled with the inimitable Donatella Versace and you have all the makings of a very entertaining made for television movie.

Based on the book House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival by Wall Street Journal reporter Deborah Ball, Gina Gershon does an uncanny dead-on performance of the iconic Italian fashion designer and sister of the late Gianni Versace in the Lifetime production (airing Friday, October 5th, 8:00 PM ET). The biopic focuses on Donatella's role in the fashion house after her brother's murder in 1997, weaving in the dramas of her drug addiction, near bankruptcy of the company and eventual triumph as she rebuilds the Versace brand. (Rumor has it the real Donatella is not pleased with the production). House of Versace also starts Raquel Welch as her aunt and Enrico Colantoni (Person of Interest) as Gianni.

The hour long documentary "Versace: Beyond the Headlines" that follows the film (10:00 PM ET) promises a fascinating look into Gianni's multi-million dollar fashion empire. Between this and the new fall shows, I may need another Tivo.

Actress Gina Gershon

Colantoni, Gershon and actor Colm Feore as brother Santo 

Santo, Donatella and Gianni Versace

Raquel Welch in a Versace creation

One of the many lavishly sets from Production designer Patricia Christie

Photo Credits: Lifetime/Jan Thjis, Telegraph

The Divine Dante

The Age of Innocence, The Aviator, Meet Joe Black, Interview With the Vampire and most recently, Hugo are just a few of the incredible celluloid worlds created by Academy Award winning production designer Dante Ferretti. With a body of work that includes 50 feature films, 24 operas and collaborations with directors Fellini, Zefferelli, Scorsese, and Coppola, his designs are at long last  being celebrated at New York's Museum of Modern Art.



Dante Ferretti: Design and Construction for the Cinema features a large scale multimedia installation with  original set pieces from his Oscar winning films (Hugo, Sweeney Todd and The Aviator) and a six month retrospective of 22 films showcasing his exceptional work (much of it designed with wife of 35 years and set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo).

The exhibit opened September 28th and runs through February 9th. For more information, see the museum's site here.

The train station clock, a centerpiece of the film Hugo

Getting ready for its closeup at the Museum of Modern Art

Ferretti's Golden Age of Hollywood sets for The Aviator with Leo DiCaprio

Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner in The Aviator

The Age of Innocence with Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis

Ferretti's drawings for The Age of Innocence above and below

Drawings for Mrs. Mingott's conservatory

Meet Joe Black with Brad Pitt

Photo Credits: Museum of Modern Art, Warner Brothers

Fashion Week Muse: Tory Burch and La Piscine

The 60s film La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) provided the perfect inspiration for Tory Burch's Spring 2014 line that debuted today at Fashion Week. Starring Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and Jane Birkin (of Birkin bag fame) , the drama tells the tale of a couple, father and daughter who share a villa together on the Côte d'Azur. Sexual jealously plays a dominant theme and it's interesting to note that Schneider and Delon were an offscreen couple at one time and remained friends during the filming.

French fashion designer André Courrèges served as costume designer on the film and it's easy to see how his modern geometric designs (think triangles and squares), casual preppy looks, French Riviera bikinis and long maxi dresses influenced Burch's line. (Courrèges is credited - along with British 60s designer Mary Quant - with the invention of the mini-skirt). The bohemian yet tailored and simple costumes are as classic today as they were in the sixties.  He once made the statement, “High heels are preposterous. They are just as absurd as the ancient practice of binding the feet of Chinese women. Boots are a more feminine solution – and more rational and logic. Beauty is logical.” Given our Manolo obsessed society, I wonder what he thinks about them now.

Romy Schneider

Alain Delon

Romy in monogrammed blue shirt

Romy in classic white sheath dress, still a staple today

Jane Birken in crocheted bikini

Romy's silk maxi dress

Romy in a signature geometric classic Courrèges

Behind the Scenes with director Jacques Deray

Tory Burch's Spring 2014 line is filled with botanical themes in green and white, wicker totes, metallic low heels, lattice cutout leather, linen burlap and two piece pant sets with a Preppy Meets the French Riviera look. While summer is barely a distant memory, I look forward to collecting some of these items for spring! And renting La Piscine on Netflix.

Jewel neck tunic dress

Botanical bikini with linen burlap coat

Green floral beaded sandals

Two piece pant sets so reminiscent of the 60s and 70s

Botanical themed shift with lattice handbag

Botanical and lattice themed bikini and scarf print cardigan

Botanical scarf print dress with Peter Pan collar....

Peter Pan detail on the original

All items are available at Tory Burch. Check out her playlists on Tory's Blog while you are there as I always discover new music!

Photo Credits: Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie, Tory Burch, Courreges

From Shelf to Screen

Hollywood loves a best seller but it's a rare occasion the novel turned film are as good as the original printed word (The Great Gatsby and Bonfire of the Vanities being a perfect example and The Help is debatable). While The Godfather and Out of Africa were an exception to the rule (both book and film in my opinion were excellent), here's hoping the fall crop of movies won't disappoint:

The Wolf of Wall Street
Jordan Belfort

The book's subtitle says it all "Stock Market Multimillionaire at 26, Federal Convict at 36"and clearly a tale of the times. Martin Scorsese's adaptation stars Leo DiCaprio as the true story of a Wall Street stockbroker living the high life until securities fraud steps in. Premiering November 15th, the film also stars Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Jonah Hill and Kyle Chandler as an FBI agent.

DiCaprio as a high flying trader in the 90s

Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn

This book literally kept me up until 3 a.m. for two nights in a row as it's a very compelling thriller. Author Gillian Flynn's tale of married out of work writers who leave Manhattan for Missouri is filled with all sorts of psychological plot twists and will make a great movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike (Bond girl Miranda Frost) as Nick and Amy (and possibly Neil Patrick Harris as her ex). Can't wait.

Rosamund Pike

Therese Raquin
Emile Zola


The Emile Zola classic weaves the tale of a young woman forced into a miserable marriage to her first cousin by her aunt. She finds happiness through an affair with her husband's childhood friend.
The film version stars Elizabeth Olsen (sister of the Olsen twins), Jessica Lange and Tom Felton and debuts September 27th.

Felton and Olsen on set

Great Expectations
Charles Dickens

The beloved Dickens classic is adapted yet once again for film - this time starring Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Robbie Coltrane. Carter is tailor made for the over the top role of Miss Havisham. Look for Pip and company to hit theaters October 11th.

Miss Havisham 

Fiennes as Magwitch

Monuments Men
Robert M. Edsel

This has Oscar potential written all over it - George Clooney stars and directs the story of a crew of art historians and museum curators who recover works of art before Hitler destroys them. Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin and John Goodman star in the December 18th release.

Photo Credits: 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, LD Entertainment, BBC Films

Floor Plans of the Fictitious

The Today Show featured the work of Spanish based interior designer Inaki Aliste Lizarralde who ingeniously composed floor plans of the households of some of our favorite shows. While much attention is paid to set decoration (particularly here on Cinema Style!), his work offers new inspiration. Here are the floor plans of a variety of shows:

Carrie Bradshaw's Upper East Side abode was the scene of many an escapade and her laptop always played a central prop. The apartment is pretty typical of a Manhattan rental and the designer nailed this one.

I have always loved the Malibu beach house space via the CBS backlot on the hit show Two and A Half Men. I never realized there was a first floor bedroom despite the fact the show is on at least four times a day.

Many of us know Jerry Seinfeld's apartment better than our own. The only error I see is the missing urine stain on the living room sofa.

The Friends apartment is also well known to fans, particularly the open kitchen and den/living room were the majority of the plot lines took place. What, no floor plans for Central Perk?

I don't watch the cable show Dexter, but I guess even a serial killer can have interesting taste.

I truly miss Will and Grace and thankfully the show is in reruns. Always loved the face Grace was a wacky interior designer and wished they spent more time on her work. This plan is classic pre-war two bedroom-two bath city apartment.

Perhaps one of my favorite tv designs - sans the vintage  Exorcist green plaid threadbare recliner - was the nineties comedy Frasier. A very interesting high-rise floor plan.

Hats off to the designer and you can see more of his work here.

Photo Credits: Inaki Aliste Lizarralde