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 Perfect autumn weather
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| Fall colors. 4:00 PM. Photo: JH. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012. Sunny, mild autumn day in New York yesterday, with temperatures in the low 60s. Perfect autumn weather.
Two Toms Take a Bride. There were two weddings over the weekend of couples who make their homes (at least a good part of the time) in New York, but married in distance places. Tom Sachs, the highly successful New York contemporary artist who took the Warholian route and made something unique with his interest in the phenomenon of consumerism and branding, married Sarah Hoover in the bride’s hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.
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| The wedding couple at Rancho La Zaca in Santa Barbara County, Tom and Frances Schultz Dittmer. |
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And that Southern belle who’s made New York her home for a number of years, Frances Schultz married Tom Dittmer, the legendary independent futures brokerage founder (Refco) at his Rancho La Zaca in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. The photo of the bridegroom was taken by one of their guests, Nina Griscom, who has the full report on her block ninagriscom.com.
The Social Calendar. It’s the season and this is the thick of it. Yesterday there were all kinds of choices in Manhattan, a veritable something for everyone.
At noontime, Heather Mnuchin and Nina Rennert Davidson hosted a sparkling luncheon benefit for City Harvest where they also celebrated the LVD Collection at the Leviev Boutique on Madison Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Street.
Two blocks north the Princess Grace Foundation was hosting a “Crown luncheon” at Restaurant Daniel, a kind of kick-off of support for the upcoming gala awards later in the day.
Early in the evening, Geoffrey Bradfield, the international interior designer hosted an opening reception of “Voyeurism & Vanity” for the rich, the chic and the shameless, at the Chelsea Gallery of Sebastian and Barquet, purveyors of furniture and decorative arts on 601 West 26 Street.
At the same hour up at the Park Avenue Armory where the International Fine Art and Antiques Dealers Show is drawing crowds through the weekend, the Fund for Park Avenue and Anna and Brian Haughton were hosting a private cocktail reception for the 2012 Park Avenue Tree Lighting which is only a couple of months off.
And farther up the avenue (Fifth) at the Museum of the City of New York, they were holding the presentation of the Louis Auchincloss Prize to Lynne Meadow, the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Club where since 1972 she has been responsible for directing and/or producing more than 450 New York theatre premieres. Guests were treated to a performance by Bebe Neuwirth as well as appearances by Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker. |
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Tom Carter, Geoffrey Bradfield, Vicomtesse Bianca Irwin, and Johan Matton at "Voyeurism & Vanity.” |
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Meanwhile across the Park at Bar Boulud on Broadway across from Lincoln Center, the American London Symphony Orchestra Foundation held a pre-concert cocktail reception celebrating the Centenary year of the London Symphony Orchestra’s first trip to American with a cocktail reception before the concert at Avery Fisher Hall, an all-Brahms program with the orchestra’s maestro Leon Botstein conducting.
Down at the Wall Street Cipriani, they were holding the annual black tie Angel Ball benefiting Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation which was founded by Denise Rich in memory of her daughter Gabrielle Rich Aquad. They honored Bonnie Pfeifer Evans and Lester and Sue Smith, and entertainment was provided for the lucky guests by Natalie Cole and Smokey Robinson.
I started out uptown at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library at 42nd and Fifth, where the library’s President’s Council was hosting its annual fall dinner – entitled “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” (remember that one?) an evening celebrating the legacy of Nora Ephron, with Candice Bergen, Parker Posey, David Remnick, humorist Patty Marx and novelist/screenwriter Meg Wolitzer. |
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Parker Posey reading Nora Ephron's piece on the vagaries and advantages (and more vagaries) of being beautiful (and losing it). |
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Dr. Anthony Marx, president of the opened the evening, reminding the guests about the importance of the New York Public Library, the greatest lending library in the world, and its ongoing developments providing growing access to its millions of books and research material as well as its construction programs. He was followed by library trustee Louise Grunwald who was one of the evening's co-chairs with Gayfryd Steinberg and Alice Tisch, introduced David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker who was moderating the house of readings and discussions.
Parker Posey, who first worked with Ephron on a film she directed, “Mixed Nuts,” read a piece about the business of women being beautiful and what it meant and what it didn’t mean. Depending on whether or not the woman was beautiful. Posey bears a physical resemblance to Ephron and she can add that character to Ephron’s words with a sense of the author’s personality, calling up the subliminal personal conflicts about being beautiful or not beautiful – with Ephron classifying herself in the former category (or nearby). |
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Candice Bergen reading Nora Ephron's autobiographical send-up "My Life As An Heiress." |
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Candice Bergen, who is a contemporary of Ephron, as well as a child of the Beverly Hills/film world of the same era, and who grew up world-famously beautiful, does not bear a physical resemblance to the author -- as we all know -- nor does she have a similar personality. However, she is such an accomplished actress/comedienne, that her reading (“My Life As An Heiress”) of Ephron’s very droll anecdotal report had the perfect pitch of authority, like a great raconteur. The story is in Ephron’s “I Remember Nothing; and Other Reflections” and it is classic Nora.
After the readings Remnick discussed the much-missed late author’s approach to her work and to other people’s. Ephron had directed Wolitzer’s first screenplay based on her novel. Patty Marx pointed out that she never knew anyone who had so many friends, knew so many people and had so many diverse interests which she shared constantly.
Everyone missed Nora all over again. Although I was glad that guests were given copies of her books to remind us and bring back the energy of her humor and insight. |
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Humorist/author Patty Marx and Meg Wollitzer discussing Nora Ephron, her personality and her work. |
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After I left the library I headed over to Cipriani a couple of city blocks to the east where they were holding the Princess Grace awards ceremony. Standing on the corner of Fifth and 42nd Street waiting for the light to change, I was once again staring up at the Chrysler Building in the night. It’s always a déjà vu of a nostalgic moment.
Whenever I’m in a spot, be it crosstown, uptown, downtown, where I catch at glimpse of that Art Deco tower, I feel I’m in the New York I dreamed of as a kid, the one that Cole Porter wrote about in his lyrics. So I took a picture of it from that street corner. And then as I drew closer to Cipriani, I took another, and then another, trying to capture that “it” that compels me to look.
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I love looking up at the Chrysler Building. |
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Meanwhile I got to Cipriani just as they had sat down to dinner. But I wanted to get that shot of Lynn Wyatt who came to town for the benefit.
The Princess Grace Foundation was hosting the 30th Anniversary of its annual Princess Grace Awards ceremony and dinner, in the presence of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco. They were honoring that globe trotting Texas gal, a longtime friend of the Monacesque royal family, and a Founding Trustee of the Princess Grace Awards. Actor Patrick Page and sound designer Darron L. West, along with Mrs. Wyatt received the Princess Grace Statue Awards, with additional awards going to emerging artists in theatre, dance and film.
I got there just as they were sitting for dinner. And there she was, seated next to the Prince (with Renee Fleming on his left). And so they kindly let me take the picture. And as I was in the great hall, I was thinking of that Cole Porter lyric, “I Happen to Like New York.” Wouldn’t you? |
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Cipriani 42nd Street last night for the Princess Grace Awards. |
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Honoree Lynn Wyatt with Prince Albert and Renee Fleming. |
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