SOCIAL DIARY Busy day in a busy week: The Michael's lunch, the American Friends of the Grafenegg Festival reception at the home of Marife Hernandez and Joel Bell; lunch with Ben and Donna Rosen about their "ideas festival" KentPresents in Litchfield County; the Young People's Chorus performance; Peter Max's Frank Sinatra paintings at the Lincoln Center NYPL; and "An Evening of Serious Fun" celebrating the legacy of Paul Newman.
PARTY PICTURES
Bronx Museum of the Arts 2015 Spring Gala + Auction; The Art Show Gala Preview hosted by (ADAA) to benefit Henry Street Settlement; The 2015 China Arts Foundation International Benefit Dinner; 60th anniversary of the Palm Beach Heart Ball; Second annual Altaneve on Ice benefitting Gabrielle's Angel Foundation.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Maggie Smith is the Heart of "Downton Abbey" — Don't Clog That Artery! ... Doris Day's "Jumbo" Offering ... Marilyn and Coca-Cola: All-American Legends, Together at Last!
PARTY PICTURES The 60th anniversary of the Viennese Opera Ball at the Waldorf; The Museum of the City of New York's Director's Council Winter Ball at the Pierre.
ACROSS THE WORLD
South Florida Social Diary. Augustus Mayhew reports on the Suncast CSI 5* Grand Prix winter equestrian festival at Wellington; and the Vizcaya Preservation Luncheon at Coconut Grove.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Remembering That Guy Who Used To Hang Around Barbara Walters's Parties — He's Shaking the World Up Now! ... Nicky Haslam's Book ... "The Iceman Cometh" But I Won't Goeth ... Women of Courage Awards ... Candice Bergen's "A Fine Romance" Approaches.
SOCIAL DIARY Last night's performance of the Tom Gold Dance Company at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, followed by a dinner for 120 at Brasserie Cognac on 55th and Broadway; a gala affair all around.
HOUSE
John Foreman looks more closely at the famous rescue of 680 Park Avenue.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: "The Girl On The Train" — You'll Never Get Off This Ride! ... Saving the date for Bruce Willis ... George Clooney — from pigs to panic rooms.
SOCIAL DIARY
A memorial trip to Broadway evokes first experiences seeing the Main Stem as Walter Winchell called it; plus Susan Zises Green and Robert Couturier host a cocktail reception for the ASPCA; and The American Friends of the Paris Opera Ballet at the French Consulate; and Saturday night's walk up Madison Avenue accompanied by Ellin Saltzman's Fashion Week trends.
PARTY PICTURES The New York Philharmonic's fourth annual Chinese New Year Gala; The New York Botanical Garden's annual Orchid Dinner; LongHouse Reserve's Winter Benefit; The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin "Off the Wall" gala.
ACROSS THE WORLD
Carol Joynt's Washington Social Diary. The French Ambassador to the US, Gerard Araud, re-opened his country's official residence this past Friday night after a two-year renovation. Hustle and bustle, champagne flutes and silver trays followed and tout Washington was cordially and elegantly entertained.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Scarlett Corrects the Internet ... Kelly Osbourne Wants to Quit ... "Thank You, Wes Anderson!"
HOUSE Sian, Lesley, and JH visit carpet designer Malene Barnett in her airy Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse, inspired by the colors of her Caribbean background.
SOCIAL HISTORY
Augustus Mayhew's history of Otto Kahn's historical contribution to the development of Palm Beach and its social life that continues today.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Friday Fry-Up: Madonna, She's Not Like Other Girls — And Never Will Be ... Joan Rivers — Gone, But Oscar's Goof Made Sure She is Not Forgotten!
SOCIAL DIARY A New York winter weekday. Lunch at Michael's with Patty Tang; a PEN dinner at the McGraths' with lively conversations with art critic and authur Jed Perl; and a little link to a story of wonder that's true.
PARTY PICTURES American Friends of the Musée d'Orsay held a lecture and reception; pre-Gala kick-off cocktail party for the NYC Mission Society's Annual Champions for Children benefit ; French Heritage Society's Annual Palm Beach Gala Dinner; The American Ireland Fund's 25th Annual Palm Beach Emerald Dinner Dance.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Dame Helen Mirren Rules David Letterman! ... Lyndon Johnson — Re-Thought, Re-Vitalized, Re-Appreciated, Warts and All.
PARTY PICTURES
China Institute's Tenth Annual Chinese New Year Celebration; Pop-up shop preview party to benefit The Society of MSK; Susan G. Komen's seventh annual Paint the Park Pink; Lighthouse Guild's eighth annual gala; Valentine's Day celebration in Chicago honoring Bunky Cushing; The NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center's Seminar on the Frontiers of Medicine.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Final Thoughts (We Think!) About Oscar Night.
SOCIAL DIARY Cold midwinter Monday; talk about the Oscars "whadja think?"; plus some memories of the Oscars in other times; and Margo Howard on how she put together her memoir "eat, drink & remarry ..."
HOUSE
John Foreman returns from the mountaintop, after a visit to Olana, the astonishing home of Hudson River School artist Frederick Edwin Church.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: OSCAR 2015 — The Host" is "Meh" ... The Gaga is Magnificent. The Rest is the Usual Coma-Inducing Bore.
SOCIAL DIARY Cold, snowy weekend in New York, night of the Oscars in the quiet Big Town, evoking memories; plus Shirley Lord's book signing for Leah Wright Rigueur and her new book.
PARTY PICTURES The Apollo Theater's fifth annual Dining with the Divas luncheon; The New York Botanical Garden Conservatory Ball's annual leadership luncheon; The Bowery Mission's 16th annual Valentine Gala; The Kravis Center's 2015 Gala.
ACROSS THE WORLD
Carol Joynt considers the Brian Williams scandal as she eats and drinks her way through winter weekends.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Tom Mankiewicz — What a Life, What a Book!
SOCIAL DIARY Very very cold and windy in New York with many of us staying close to the hearth rather than venturing out. Plus Memoriams for two of New York's nicest, kindest, hard working people, photojournalist Tom Gates and philanthropist Betsy Bartlett.
GUEST DIARY Ellin's last day at the Fall 2015 shows, beginning with Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein by Francisco Costa, and Marc Jacobs.
ACROSS THE WORLD
Palm Beach and Miami Social Diary. Augustus Mayhew covers Art Wynwood in Miami, visits eveningwear designer Carmen Marc Valvo and jewelry designers Margot McKinney and Christopher Walling, hits the Coral Gables Museum, walks through Little Havana, and takes in Freedom Tower's spectacular open observation deck.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Oscar, Oscar ... where DOES one keep their Oscar?
GUEST DIARY No Holds Barred. Blair Sabol heads out to L.A. and makes some fabulous fashion discoveries which even work (however briefly -- and occasionally) with her poodle Sunshine.
GUEST DIARY
Day 7 of NYFW. Ellin happily makes the trek down to Varick Street under a beautiful morning sky to see the Michael Kors show. Kudos. Missed the Zac Posen but loved what she saw in the photos. Then on to the wonderful Anna Sui, which evokes great personal fashion ideas.
GUEST DIARY LIZ SMITH: Remembering the Great Lesley Gore ... Elizabeth Taylor, AIDS Activist Recalled.
