A Snapshot in a Not Too Distant Time

I attended a party recently in New York for the book The Recessionistas (Grand Central Books). Written by author Alexandra Lebenthal and CEO of the wealthy management firm Alexandra & James, the story is the timely tale of hedgefunders and investment bankers whose lives on the Upper East Side start to unravel as the economy starts to implode. 

This reminded me of a similar tale some twenty three years ago with the publication of one of my all time favorite books Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe's bestseller about greed, social class, ambition and "Masters of the Universe." The book was made into a film in 1990 and while it did not do well at the box office, the sets were a snapshot of a classic period in time for interiors. 

The world of the Upper East Side was recreated on a soundstage in Queens by production designer Richard Sylbert who gave us the memorable designs of Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby and The Graduate. (He even designed the bar room set where everybody knows your name for Cheers).

Production designer Richard Sylbert

Tom Hanks as a Wall Street titan and his "social X-ray" decorator wife Kim Cattrell play the McCoys. They are obsessed with "all things Anglophile" and the apartment needed to have an "instant old-money pedigree" to stay true to the book. Sylbert began by making a list of the design symbols of the decade for the English look -- oil paintings of dogs and ancestors, cabbage rose chintz upholstery, elaborate draperies dripping in passementerie and lacquered and faux painted walls. Chester Jones's book on Colefax and Fowler became his bible and the sets were completely apropo. He was also greatly influenced by the work of Mark Hampton.

Two story entrance hall above and below in all its faux finished glory

Ironically the kitchen was the most minimal of the rooms

These photos don't do the sets justice --if you can get your hands on a copy, check out House and Garden's piece on the film sets in l990.

Photo Credits: Richard Sylbert estate courtesy of Sharmagne Leland St. John, Grand Central Books, Warner Brothers, Farrar, Straus, Giroux

And for those visiting or living in New York, be sure to check out the Architecture and Design Film Festival at the Tribeca Cinema. The first of US film festival to celebrate architecture and design will feature films, documentaries, shorts and speakers and runs October 14th through the l7th.

If These Walls Could Talk: F. Schumacher Goes to the Movies

Easily one of the most recognizable homes of the cinema, Gone with the Wind's Tara needs no introduction. From its imposing white washed brick columns to the period perfect rooms, the O'Hara plantation played a central role in both the novel and film. 

Now you can get your own look of Tara with the F. Schumacher's Hydrangea Drape wallpaper (and forget Scarlett's drapes turned into dress!) Designed by New York interior decorator/set designer (who was also known for his work on Dinner at Eight and Little Women), Schumacher purchased the classic floral and stripe from Erwin's original archives in l986 and it's still available today in their Greenhouse Collection in four colorways of white, blue, willow and fawn.

                       

Schumacher fabrics and wallpapers have also graced the sets for films and television ranging from I Love Lucy (1953) to the Edith Wharton based films Washington Square (1996) and The Age of Innocence (1996). Acclaimed photographer, interior, production and stage and costume designer and style icon (known for his sets of My Fair Lady and Gigi) was a guest designer for the fifth generation company. For those of you who are I Love Lucy fans, their pattern Polka Dot Pony appeared on a child's chair in the Ricardo's Manhattan apartment.         

Michelle Pfeiffer as Countess Olenska in The Age of Innocence

Edwardian Damask in black colorway

For more about F. Schumacher's collections, see their website.


Photo Credits: MGM, F. Schumacher, Columbia Pictures

Director's Cut: Sofia Style

One of my favorite directors and style inspirations is Sofia Coppola. Her films are smart, insightful, quirky and envelope you in the moment and they range from period to contemporary. And as the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, no doubt her talents are in the genes.

First,  a quick look at her film career. After surviving a disastrous (review wise) role as the ill-fated daughter of Michael Corleone in Godfather Three, she eventually turned to directing with the film The Virgin Suicides (1999) that placed her squarely on the map.  Lost in Translation won her the Oscar for screenplay and three Golden Globes including Best Picture. For those of us who have experienced jet lag and language barriers in a foreign country, this film literally nails it and Bill Murray has never been better.

Murray with Scarlett Johannsen

Marie Antoinette (2006) was a complete departure and her interpretation of the lady who let them eat cake (based on Antonia Fraser's biography) was shot with a highly stylistic bent, eye candy colors and a contemporary soundtrack.

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette

Next up is her film Somewhere (Focus Features, December 22) which recently won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. West Hollywood's famed, elusive and eerie Chateau Marmont is the centerpiece of the film where bad boy Johnny Marco (played by Stephen Dorff) lives life to the fullest only to be influenced to change his ways when he meets an eleven year old girl (Elle Fanning). Look for the film to make some major statements on the Hollywood lifestyle.

Dorff and Fanning

Coppola's  fashion interests are as wide ranging as her films. In l998 she created a Japanese clothing brand with Kim Gordon  called Milkfed. Friend and designer Marc Jacobs tapped her as the signature face of his fragrance in 2002 and she directed a commercial for Christian Dior. Perhaps her dream job -- well it would certainly be mine -- was her collection for Louis Vuitton. Apparently it began with the search for the perfect bag (a conversation I have had with numerous friends -- and like the perfect anything, we decided it does not exist) and her SC bag comes very very close.

Ad for Louis V - this might be the best back I have seen to a Little Black Dress

The collection includes both handbags and shoes

Ad for Louis V

The Dior Shoot

Photo Credits: Louis Vuitton, Focus Features, Christian Dior

The Gekko Lair

One of the most iconic film figures of the eighties, Gordon Gekko (brilliantly played by Michael Douglas) was the quintessential master of the universe in the original Wall Street, living in a world filled with power lunches, limos, money is no object and illegal insider trading. With his "greed is good" mantra, Gekko became the personification of an era run amok. And audiences loved it.

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Michael Douglas

He's back this week in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Twentieth Century Fox) fresh from a twenty year stint in prison and facing an all too real collapse of the financial system. Gekko sets out to repair his relationship with his daughter (Carey Mulligan) while tutoring his protege who just happens to be her fiance (Shia LaBeouf).  I am seeing an advance director screening this week (opens in theaters on Friday)  and hope it lives up to the original.

As a design enthusiast, I enjoyed the original Wall Street as it was filled with all sorts of wonderful "deconstructionist chic" (a term coined by director Oliver Stone) that we saw in character Bud Fox's (Charlie Sheen) hi-rise apartment. Production designer Stephen Hendrickson (who is currently designing the hit show The Good Wife) employed coffee tables with jagged glass, faux brick with touches of gilt and contemporary artwork all selected by interior decorator Darien (Darryl Hannah) and ready for a House and Garden spread.

Eighties Deconstructionist Chic 

Hendrickson's designs for Gekko's Wall Street office

This time around we see Gordon Gekko's new Manhattan lair and it's quite wonderful, understated, modern, clean and non-pretentious.  Kristi Zea and Diane Lederman (production designer and set decorator respectively) used a neutral color palette of taupe and creme, accented with a few choice pieces of artwork and sculpture and still makes a power statement for Gekko. You have seen Kristi's work on such diverse films as Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Departed and Silence of the Lambs while Diane's sets grace the films Remember Me and When in Rome.

Mulligan and LaBeouf's apartment

Photo credits: Twentieth Century Fox, Stephen Hendrickson
Barry Wetcher photographer on Money Never Sleeps

For those of you who enjoyed my piece on Edith Head last week, be sure to catch Silver Screen Modiste this week as Edie will be celebrated in  the theater! Also check out my friend and design editor of Veranda Linda Sherbert's piece on Edith here.

Edith Head, Fashion Icon

Long before Fashion Week, Project Runway and designers ordained as rock stars, there was Edith Head.

Head enjoyed a lustrous career  as a costume designer in Hollywood, designing wardrobes for over fifty years. She began her career as a sketch girl at Paramount in l924 (where she stayed for 44 years) and on to Universal Pictures where she remained until her death. At a time of male domination in Hollywood, she became the first design head. Nominated 35 times for the Academy Award and winning a record eight times, it's often said "Gowns by Edith Head" is one of the most noted screen credits in movie history (a record of 1100 films). She also is noted for one of my favorite Hollywood quotes, "I have yet to see one completely unspoiled star, except for Lassie."

A favorite of A list stars Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, Head designed for films such as Sunset Boulevard, Vertigo, Marnie, All About Eve, A Place in the Sun, Roman Holiday, To Catch a Thief, Funny Face, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Sabrina...and the list goes on. A favorite of Alfred Hitchcock, the director played an integral role on costume development. Head notes, "He has a complete phobia about what he calls 'eye-catchers,' like a scene with a woman in bright purple or a man in an orange suit. Unless there is a story reason for a color, we keep the colors muted because Hitchcock believes they an detract from an important action scene."

Sketch for Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief and finished product below

Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief

Sketches  for Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina

Natalie Wood in Inside Daisy Clover

Sketch for Dorothy Lamour in Road to Bali

Her large blue lens glasses, Dutch boy haircut and tailored suits became her trademark (critics often wrote it disguised her age) and a look adapted for modern times by certain fashion editors. Head's later years found her writing books (The Dress Doctor and How to Dress for Success) and as a fashion commentator on The Art Linkletter Show. Her last film was the Steve Martin 1981 comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and Bette Davis gave the eulogy at her funeral.  All very fitting.

Sketch for Bette Davis in All About Eve

For more on her extraordinary career, I recommend the following books. Also check out the website Silver Screen Modiste for more on Hollywood costume designers.

Coming soon--Edith Head: The Fifty Year Career of
Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer by Jay Jorgensen
Available for pre-order here

Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head and Paddy Calisto
Available on Amazon

Photo credits: Universal Pictures, Silver Screen Modiste, Edith Head's Hollywood 2,