{PR Powerhouse, Kelly Cutrone with former assistant Stephanie and new assistant, Andrew}
Kell on Earth, the new reality show documenting the hectic life of People’s Revolution founder, Kelly Cutrone premiered on Bravo last night and I am already hooked! Between the stresses that go on at Camp Zoe on The Rachel Zoe Project and now Kell on Earth, with it’s uber-stressed staffers whose major dark undereye circles tell just how sleep-deprived and stressed they must really be, I am convinced that fashion has to be one of the most cut-throat and demanding industries to work in. I felt a little stressed just watching the show, but it is all so fascinating.
You may remember Kelly as Lauren Conrad’s boss on The Hills and later as Whitney Port’s mentor on The City. Cutrone gets major props from me as she is the owner and founder of an incredibly successful, international fashion PR firm that she has built and sustained herself.
Did anyone tune in last night? What did you think? Will you be watching this season? If you missed the premiere episode last night, you can watch it here.
I was thrilled to receive an e-mail a couple of weeks ago stating that the incredibly hip duo, Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design were fans of my blog. They thought I might like to read their new book, Downtown Chic, so they sent me a copy. Well, not only did I like it, I absolutely loved it! Not only is it a testament to the Novogratzes’ design aesthetic, but to the way they go about living their lives. They have the ability to see the beauty in even things and places most people would disregard.
Downtown Chic chronicles some of the Novoogratzes’ best known and best loved projects including their incredible townhouse and two of their most recent projects, 24 Bungalow, a chic boutique hotel on the Jersey Shore and 5 CENTRE MARKET PLACE, a conversion of a former gun shop in SoHo.
Each project features an eclectic mix of modern and vintage elements as well as high-end and thrift store pieces. The book serves as a wonderful guidebook for anyone who is about to buy a home or is in the process of renovating. It is filled with helpful hints such as: “Tips for Buying a Wreck, Get Inspired: Where to Go for Ideas, Shopping for a New House: Style on a Shoestring, and How to Flea, and Decorating with Flea Market Finds.”
Then, the book goes on to nine chapters filled with invaluable information and inspiring images for anyone who loves design. There is an entire chapter on renovating one’s home, as well as chapters on adding “French Urban Flair” to your home, designing a country house, entertaining, design for families with children (The Novogratzes have seven children including TWO sets of twins), and designing a dream home in a foreign land.
The book is essentially a treasure trove of information written in a witty and humorous style. One of my favorite things about it is the collection of inspiring quotes that are peppered throughout, naturally.
“I met a lot of people in Europe, I even encountered myself.”
– James Baldwin
“Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own instead of someone else’s.”
– Billy Wilder
“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.”
– Jean Cocteau
“Design is not making beauty. Beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.”
– Louis Kahn
“It is better to fail in originality that to succeed in imitation.”
– Ben Franklin
“The details are not details. They make the design”.”
– Charles Eames
Downtown Chic truly makes for an inspiring read and would make a fabulous holiday gift for your favorite design lover. If you’re like me and you can’t get enough of Sixx Design, look for their new reality show on Bravo, Design Sixx which is slated to premiere in January 2010.
Tomorrow marks the official start of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the second half of the year. Herrera, De La Renta, Kors, Von Furstenburg, Posen… oh my! If you are lucky enough to be in Manhattan for the Fall shows, you may be staying at the equally fashionable 60 Thompson Hotel. If it’s good enough for the Zoe (fashion icon extraordinaire, Rachel Zoe), it’s good enough for me.
Located in SoHo, one of New York’s premiere neighborhoods for shopping and all things fashion, the intimate, 100-room 60 Thompson Hotel was designed by Thomas O’Brien. It is also home to the acclaimed Kittichai restaurant, Thom Bar, and the A60 rooftop lounge with incredible views of the city. The well-appointed guestrooms feature sleek furnishings, Sferra linens, Kiehl’s toiletries, and pantries stocked with Dean & Deluca products.
The Undeniably chic and hip hotel describes itself as “effectively sophisticated and classically cool”. “Who is the the typical guest of a Thompson hotel?” you might wonder. According to the hotel, “Bohemian chic meets art house wise meets quiet yet radical elegance; really more of a mindset than a demographic. We wish we had known Steve McQueen, Bobby Kennedy, Mick Jagger in 1973, Grace Kelley, Jean-Luc Godard, Edie Sedgwick, and the fictional Royal Tenenbaums.” Seriously, does it get any cooler than that?
Kittichai Restaurant
Thom Bar
Thom Bar
A Guestroom at the 60 Thompson
A Two-Story Suite
I love the clean, warm look of the rooms at the 60 Thompson
Once you are finished with the fashions shows, make sure to visit The Met and The MoMa.
A View of the City
A fashionable stay in New York would not be complete without a meal in a fashionable restaurant. Enjoy Modern Asian cuisine at the gorgeous Buddakan in downtown Manhattan.
If it looks familiar, you may remember it from the Sex and the City Movie. It was where Carrie and Big held their rehearsal dinner.
Olivia hanging out in an art deco chair / Part of her vintage jewelry collection
{both images from Gotham Magazine}
By now, many of us have established that despite the fact that The City is all kinds of fake, we will keep tuning in for the fabulous fashion and glorious shots of my favorite city on earth. And, let’s be honest here. Who doesn’t love a little dose of drama, even if it is staged? We don’t hold that against Gossip Girl, do we? After her fall from grace, Olivia Palermo, Whitney’s co-worker at Diane Von Furstenberg decided to become an actress. Yes, an actress, which given the over-the-top fakeness of the show, sounds about right. Her goal was to become a household name and with all of the sudden interest in her, I’d say she’s on her way.
While watching the new episode on Monday night, I couldn’t help but notice some of the design elements, like Whitney’s hideous sofas and Olivia’s vintage Hermès tray. I did a little research and found some great pictures of Olivia’s Tribeca apartment to share with you via The New York Post’s Page Six and Gotham Magazine. In the Page Six interview, she is asked if she is in fact going to participate in The City to which she answers “No, I want to be a serious actress”. All hatin’ aside, she is absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure she is a nice girl. If nothing else, she has a pretty sweet apartment.
Olivia’s 63 square foot closet, complete with zebra rug and packed to the gills with amazing clothes, was designed using an ELFA system from The Container Store.
Olivia received this art deco chair as a housewarming gift from her aunt. Her apartment, which is housed in a newly-built building features floor to ceiling windows and enviable views of the city.
The apartment, designed by Olivia and her mother, Lyn Hutchings, a partner at the interior design firm, Hutchings-Lyle, was inspired by Mariah Carey’s Manhattan penthouse and features a “1960s look with a classic old Hollywood feel”. The convertible sofa is from Jennifer Convertibles and the baby blue side table is from Gracious Home. The Carlyle Custom Convertible white leather coffee table with nailhead trim plays host to the star of the room, a vintage Hermès tray found in The Hamptons.
Cynthia Rowley’s home is as feminine, original, and beautiful as her designs. Her awe-inspiring dining room (pictured above) is my favorite room in the house. It looks so ethereal, as if it were straight out of a fairy tale. The gorgeous, metallic wallpaper was designed by Rowley and produced by Flavor Paper. The chairs and banquette are covered in fabric by Cole and Son.
Rowley, her husband, and eldest daughter, Kit
The loveliness of the dining room can only be surpassed by Rowley’s precious daughter, Gigi.
The living room plays host to Rowley’s drawings above the mantel, a zebra print rug, re-upholstered flea market chairs, and a screen with a clover motif reminiscent of Van Cleef and Arpels.
The whimsical master bath hosts a venetian mirror, sleek mosaic tile, and waterproof (naturally) wallpaper of Rowley’s design.
The mid-century chaise lounges in the garden are covered in fabric from Lee Jofa.
“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.” 
