Life Imitates Art: Club Silencio

Fans of the cult film Mulholland Drive are no doubt anticipating director David Lynch's next venture. In a case of life imitating art, Lynch is opening Club Silencio, a nightclub complete with a concert hall, restaurant, cinema, and library September 11th in Paris. The idea is to create a salon for the international set to exchange ideas, make business deals, and attend screenings and literary conferences.

For those of you who did not see the film, Mulholland Drive was the darling of film critics in 2001 and considered one of Lynch's best films (the surrealist director's works also include Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet). The film centers around the adventures of a Hollywood starlet (Naomi Watts) and an amnesiac (and way too convoluted to explain here) and include a visit behind the red velvet drapes of Club Silencio.

Lynch collaborated with designer Raphael Novat on the club's furniture and interiors. Details have been pretty hush-hush and only a few of his designs have been released. He has been designing furniture for the past decade (along with coffee, music and art) for Casanostra, a design company based in Switzerland. Influenced by mid-century design, many of his pieces were featured in his film Lost Highway that was shot on location in the director's Frank Lloyd Wright house.

Music box with speakers (!)

Lynch's version of a club chair

Setee designed for cinema viewing

Located at 142, rue Montmarte, the club will be open from 6 PM to midnight for members and during the witching hours of midnight to 6 AM for the non-member crowd. Or shouldn't that be the other way around?

142, rue Montmartre

Photo Credits: Sabine Pignalle

Also check out my review of The Help this week on The Huffington Post.

Designing the Sixties South: Spotlight on The Help

One of my favorite things about movies is the ability to transport us to another place in another time and for some of us, the south in the sixties is very familiar territory.

The #1 New York Times best-seller turned film The Help hits theaters on Wednesday, August 10th. The film is the story of three different yet very remarkable women who form an unlikely friendship amidst the societal turmoil of the sixties in Jackson, Mississippi. Actress Emma Stone portrays "Skeeter" Phelan, an Ole Miss grad groomed for society and a husband but who has a writing career on her mind. She decides to interview black women that take care of prominent families and literally turns the town on its proverbial ear.  Representing the "help" are actresses Viola Davis (Academy Award®–nominee for “Doubt”) as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny. Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of Opie/director Ron Howard) plays Junior Leaguer Hilly Holbrook while veteran actresses Sissy Spacek portrays Hilly's mom Missus Walters and Cicely Tyson stars as Constantine Jefferson.

Emma Stone as Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan

Classic white column antebellum

Designed by production designer Mark Ricker (Nanny Diaries and Julie and Julia) and set decorator Rena Angelo, the houses of the five characters are as diverse as the characters themselves. Filmed on location in Jackson, Clarksdale, and Greenwood, Mississippi, Ricker combed through old copies of Better Homes and Gardens as a reference point and was inspired by the book Under Live Oaks by Caroline Seebohm and Peter Woloszynski. He also referenced another southern classic Gone With the Wind, watching the DVD before he boarded a plane and headed south. Ricker found the book in particular to be "wonderfully rich in details and worked quite nicely to inform Skeeter and Celia Foote's houses - both of which would have more history and layers than the newer houses in the film (Hilly and Elizabeth's)."

Phelan dining room

Many of the rooms were steeped in the tradition and history of a grander time

Designers used a Brunschwig and Fils swag border wallpaper for this New Orleans hotel suite

Ricker noted that the Phelan home was "lighter in tone and a bit newer in decoration choices as (mom) Charlotte would have layered her own choices with the history of the house." Hilly's house "represented the new south," and the designers chose colors and furnishings like her character, "prim and perfect, pastel and icy." Elizabeth Leefolt's interiors were designed to be "quite bland and uneventful" while Celia Foote's were filled with history and tradition. He felt that Aibileen's were the "quaintest, but no less proud. Her interiors are quite warm and inviting and very simple in decoration."

Leefolt living room

Hilly's Pepto Bismol colored tile bathroom

Foote Trophy Room

The designers scoured antique shops from Memphis to Mississippi for period perfect furnishings

Leefolt den with wood panels and round braided rug

Holbrook living room

Robert E. Lee Hotel lobby

Relics of the sixties: Skeeter's mom rolls her hair
on orange juice can sized plastic curlers  in a laminate and chrome filled kitchen

Allison Janney as Charlotte Phelan

As in most cases, the backstory of a film is always as interesting as the film itself. In this case, it's a story of perseverance as author Kathryn Stockett was turned down by a record sixty literary agents before one saw its merits and sold the book to Amy Einhorn Books. I caught up with the native Jacksonian author (who now resides in Atlanta) recently after a foreign press tour for the film and she was both excited and a bit overwhelmed at the idea of her work on the big screen.

It's easy to see the parallels -- Stockett grew up in Jackson and remembers the days sitting at her grandmother's table with their beloved maid Demetrie. And like Skeeter, Stockett became a writer, working on the book while living in Manhattan as "the distance added perspective." Demetrie passed away when she was sixteen, and no doubt the author felt her presence as she wrote The Help.

Admitting she is "not done with Mississippi yet," Stockett is working on her next book, which takes place in the twenties south, a time of the emancipation of women in Oxford, Mississippi. She is understandably nervous, as it's hard to follow up on such a phenomenon. "I went from writing a book no one wants to read to writing a book everyone wants to read," she notes. Here's hoping her next book is as wonderful as the first and at least she won't have to look for an agent.

Author Kathryn Stockett

At the time of our interview, Stockett had not seen the final cut of the film but had been on the set. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the set," she explains, "it was a tangible representation of every little detail. I remember Skeeter's room -- there were notes from friends, a yearbook sitting around, old ribbons...you know, that mixture of going from little girl to college."

You can read more of my interview on the designs of The Help in the upcoming September issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and you can see a sneak peek of the trailers on The Help website.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly Holbrook, Sissy Spacek as Missus Walters and Octavia Spencer as  Minny Jackson

Photo Credits:  Dreamworks/Dale Robinette, Putnam, Courtesy of Mark Ricker

The Legend That Was Liz

We knew Elizabeth Taylor as one of the world's most beautiful women, style icon, acclaimed actress and wife times eight (well one was to the same man twice). While she was continually in the public eye from the time she appeared in National Velvet (1944) at the age of twelve up until her death, she remained a fiercely private person and a woman we really didn't know.

My wonderful publicist and author Joseph Papa shines a spotlight on the legend in her own words, focusing on the wit and wisdom culled from a life well lived and then some. His book Elizabeth Taylor, A Passion for Life: The Wit and Wisdom of a Legend (Harper Collins, 2011) covers her thoughts on everything from acting, career, love and marriage to beauty, aging, and extravagances along with her poignant thoughts on sense of self. From  throwing herself into the role of Maggie the Cat to her humanitarian work fighting AIDS, passion was the driving force in everything she did. For those who love her work, the book is a wonderful addition to your library.

Here are a few choice quotes  from Dame Elizabeth herself coupled with former Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld's style tribute that appeared online in the Telegraph last month. Roitfeld teamed with photographer Mario Testino to design a 72 page "fash-a-thon" (their words not mine!) of the late actress in the September issue of V Magazine.

"I don't think of myself as beautiful, I never have."
On the set of Suddenly Last Summer, 1959

"With Richard Burton, I was living my own fabulous, passionate fantasy."

"Happiness wasn't bestowed on me; I earned it."
 Looking happy in the surf on the set of Suddenly Last Summer

"Maybe with Eddie I was trying to see if I was alive or dead."
On the set of Cleopatra with soon to be ex-husband Eddie Fisher in 1962

"My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did,
the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked."

"I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously."

"The Elizabeth Taylor who's famous, the one of celluloid, really has no depth or meaning to me.
It's a totally superficial working thing, a commodity."

"So much to do, so little done, such things to be."
The actress in a bejeweled caftan, 1969

Photo Credits: Harper Collins, Rex, The Telegraph

Life is a Banquet...and perhaps a Banquette

"Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death."

You may recall the infamous line from the 1958 film Auntie Mame starring Rosalind Russell as a larger than life character who raises her young nephew. Based on the Patrick Dennis 1955 novel of the same name, the beloved best seller became a Broadway play and two adapted screen versions (the latter was a musical starring Lucille Ball). The film had to be toned down from the book as parts were thought to be too risque (it was the fifties after all).

Rosalind Russell

The movie has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts as it has become a cult favorite among design aficionados. Recent case in point -- Jonathan Adler cited the film's interiors as one of his favorites in a recent Wall Street Journal story noting that "Watching Auntie Mame is a right of passage for every aspiring interior decorator." (Note: I did a Movie as Muse blog post on designer inspirations last year and Charlotte Moss picked this film as well. Adler also chose the Walter Matthau comedy A New Leaf, Liz Taylor/Richard Burton's X, Y and Zee and Pillow Talk).

Mame's 3 Beekman Place duplex was a study in design contrasts as art director Malcolm Bert and set decorator George James Hopkins set the plot story lines with six types of  decor -- Chinese, Danish Modern, East Indian, English, Chinese and twenties modern (with a nod to decorator Syrie Maugham). The Danish Modern decor was perhaps the most fun with sofas, chairs and tables that could be elevated for comic relief. The sets were glamorous, often over the top (the Oscar Academy must have thought so too as the film was nominated for Best Art Direction that year) and plan on hitting the pause button and taking notes throughout.

Adler is also influenced by Mame's joie de vivrie attitude with his own designs, explaining, "When designing for clients, I like to channel their inner Auntie Mame, to make them appear just a little more glamorous and eccentric than they really are."

Dinner with the Upson's provided some of the film's most unusual and over the top decor

Adler notes that a touch of humor and whimsy would be right at home in a Mame decor. Shown above is Pedro Friedeberg gilt sculptural chair

Adler's Desmond Screen would also complement a Mame room

My personal choices for a Mame inspired interior would also include...

Suzanne Kasler's Linwood Chair for Hickory Chair

No Mame room would be complete with a bar -- the woman liked her cocktails!
Shown here is Hickory Chair's Cleo Bar Cabinet

Mame would no doubt say it's "simply mahvelous" to have a stylish contemporary sofa, particularly one that could float in any room....

Jamie Drake's Chloe Sofa for Edward Ferrell/Lewis Mittman

The back of Bill Sofield's Wren Sofa for Baker, Knapp and Tubbs is just as wonderful as the front

Costume designer Orry-Kelly created the brilliant outfits for the film which ranged from bohemian to chic and must have been a designer's dream. Her jeweled pantsuit with matching silk coat and crystal studded capri pants and chartreuse shawl were just a few of the standouts.

I only wish I had better photos as numerous people have asked me why this was omitted from my book Designs on Film. (Sadly there are many great films that were not all that well documented interior wise). In the meantime, rent the DVD and you can read more of writer Jen Renzi's piece in the Wall Street Journal here.

And on another note, I am proud to announce my website is finally up and running. I have listed many of my articles and posts on the site and hope you enjoy!

Photo Credits: Warner Brothers, Jonathan Adler, Amy Vermillion

The Perfect Cocktail: The Marriage of The Banana and Mad Men

Coming soon to a mall near you will be the sixties style fashions from AMC's popular hit series Mad Men. Emmy winning costume designer Jane Bryant teamed with the venerable retail chain to design a 65 item collection that includes everything from suits and dresses to men's hats and a leopard coat. I have always loved the tailored classics of the sixties and for those of us who love nostalgia, great lines and retro fashions, it's a closet godsend.

The collection sprung out of a friendship with Banana creative director Simon Keene and Bryant who clearly appreciate the intrinsic value of a good white shirt. And it's all here -- the two button men's suit, trench coats, high waisted skirts and leopard print pumps just to name a few. Items will range from 198.00 for a faux leopard coat to 450.00 for a men's suit. Information on the collection is  available on Facebook  and the AMC website and for those of you on Gilt Groupe, the fashions will also be offered here on Monday, July 25th for 36 hours beginning at noon - a full three weeks before the fashions hit the stores.

This is not the first time Mad Men mania has influenced styles -- Brooks Brothers designed a men's suit last year and Nailtini teamed with Bryant to come up with nail polish colors such as the Garden Party Collection below.

Throw on a cluster of pearls and leather gloves and you too can channel your inner Betty or Joan. Toss on a crisp white shirt and a trilby hat for a Sterling Cooper/Don Draper look when the collection hits stores August 10th.

Thankfully we have the Banana to remind us of all things Madison Avenue sixties as  Season Five series will not resume until 2012. Until then, get your fix with some Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies and Dean Martin television show reruns.

And speaking of Mad Men, stay tuned for my interview/Array Magazine cover story with the show's Bryan Batt (who played Salvatore Romano, closeted art director) and his upcoming design book big, Easy Style (Clarkson Potter, October, 2011). He is thoroughly charming, entertaining and very multi-talented and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend his first book/loving and hilarious tribute to his late mother, She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother as well as his New Orleans store Hazelnut. I just hope the powers that be at Mad Men (are you listening Matt Weiner?) bring him back on the show next year. As Batt noted, "Well Matt says my character is not dead" which is always a good sign.

Photo Credits: Banana Republic, Clarkson Potter