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The
bike path off the Hudson River Promenade. 3:00 PM. Photo: JH.
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At Michael’s for lunch: Angelica
Huston, Seymour (Sy) Hersch,
Richard Holbrooke, Myrna Blythe, the
former
magazine editor who ticked off a lot of her fellow editors by writing
her version of an expose of women’s magazines; Leslie
Stahl.
They were very excited having Angelica Huston there. She looks good;
looks like Angelica Huston – a feat in these days, for anyone.
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American
Folk Art Museum
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Wednesday night. I went over to the American Folk Art Museum at
45 West 53rd Street (just east of Sixth Avenue) to see the exhibition
of masterpieces of American Jewelry which was put together by
the National Jewelry Institute, Ashton Hawkins, chairman, Ralph
Esmerian,
vice-chairman and Judy Price, president. As far
as I can tell (and I may have this wrong) the NJI is the brainchild
of Mrs. Price whom
I know rather well because I worked for her as editor– in-chief
of Avenue Magazine between 1997 and 2000 when I left to start this
web site with Jeff Hirsch (who also worked for Mrs. Price at Avenue
as my assistant).
Mrs. Price started Avenue almost thirty years ago, and singlehandedly
made it a recognized and important monthly style magazine in New
York. She’s a famous New York character, a whiz at selling,
a very hard-working, hard-driving woman, married to Peter
Price,
the current head of (NATAS – the National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences – you know them as the Emmys). She sold her
magazine shortly after my departure (coincidentally, of course).
Because she’s such a dynamic, driven New Yorker, everyone wondered
what she would do as an encore. The National Jewelry Institute is
the answer.
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Ashton
Hawkins and Judy Price
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Mary
McFadden |
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The organization
was formed (as a non-profit) with a mission of preservation and
education about the jewelry. The Institute will also foster and
support the training of students studying the jewelry trade – including
sponsored apprenticeships – in order to help them learn the
exacting techniques of fine jewelry craftsmanship and to perpetuate
this important artistic tradition.
In the book that has been published in tandem with
this exhibition, they celebrate 11 “Icons of Style” who “set
the standards for beauty during the last century: Clare Boothe
Luce, Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly, Babe Paley, Countess Mona von Bismarck,
Georgia O’Keeffe, Millicent Rogers, Mary Pickford, Loretta
Young, the Duchess of Windsor and Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis. It
is an arbitrary list accommodating names most familiar to the American
public. In fact, there were several other women, less known to the
public but famous to the “icons” who set standards for
many of them, as well as particular designers, viz., Paul
Flatto, Fulco Verdura, Donald Claflin and Jean Schlumberger who set the tone.
This is the inaugural exhibition of the National Jewelry Institute
and it is beautifully installed at the American Folk Art Museum.
Knowing the principals involved, including Mr. Hawkins, who for years
was
the influential executive vice president of the Metropolitan Museum,
their franchise will only grow and very likely astonish.
I took very few pictures because I went directly to the exhibit,
took the shot of Barbara Hutton’s specially commissioned horses
heads after which a security man came and told me that photographing
wasn’t allowed. Too bad – there were so many interesting
pieces to look at. Whether or not you’re interested in precious
jewelry, the craftsmanship, the artisanship is amazing.
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Stallion
and mare jeweled sculptures made by Herbert
Haseltine,
completed
in 1949. 24K gold, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds,
oriental pearls and rock crystal base. These pieces
were commissioned by Woolworth heiress Barbara
Hutton and took the artist three years
to complete.
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The business
of “jewelry” is something still incomprehensible
to me (as an obsession – which it is for many) but down through
the ages man has pursued with pleasure (not to mention greed) the
acquisition of precious stones set in gold, silver and platinum acknowledging
the achievements, accomplishments and reservoirs of personal power
(accenting the financial aspect). Going through the collection at
the American Folk Art Museum, if you don’t already, you kind
of get the picture, and it’s very compelling.
After leaving the Museum, I hailed a cab to go up to Café Luxembourg to have dinner with my friend Peter
Rogers (see The
List). As I walked
in the door of this very hip and popular restaurant, I spotted on
my left Lauren Bacall looking very summery and chic all in white.
Once at my host’s table, across the room, I asked him if he
noticed her when he came in.
Yes, he had. I then asked him if she had been one of his “legends” during
his famous Blackgama “What Becomes A Legend Most” ads.
Yes, she had.
He told me about the day he picked her up for the photo shoot in
a Lincoln towncar. “This is not what I’d call a car for ‘legends,’”the
legend stated. Then she asked where the fur she would be wearing
for the shoot would be coming from. Peter told her: “Alixandre.”
“Either it’s Maximilian or you can turn the car around and take
me home,” stated the ‘legend.’
And so it was ... Maximilian. He laughed when he told me the story – “she’s
a real live legend,” he said. |
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Looking
south towards Radio City Music Hall from Sixth Avenue
and 51st Street
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The
New York Hilton Hotel on 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue
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