An Exclusive Print from Online Gallery 20x200
A limited-edition print of Paris’s Bal D’Hiver is a gorgeous get.
November 18, 2011
Cynthia Balfour rehearsing "Fire Vanquished by Snow" for the Bal d'Hiver (1955), photograph by Inge Morath
The Bal d’Hiver was a performance organized to benefit war orphans in 1950s Paris—a dance performed on ice by European royalty wearing costumes donated by none other than Givenchy and Dior. Until now photographs of the Bal d’Hiver have remained unpublished. But online art gallery 20x200—the brainchild of New York gallery owner Jen Bekman—is selling limited-edition prints of an exquisite photograph by Inge Morath (who was Arthur Miller’s wife) of Cynthia Balfour at the event in 1955 rehearsing “Fire Vanquished by Snow.” (The print is available in three sizes: 10-inches-by-8-inches ($100), 14-inches-by-11-inches ($200), and 20-inches-by-16-inches ($500).) Keep an eye on 20x200: The site features two prints by featured artists every two weeks.
Bottega Veneta Releases an Album
A compilation CD features some of Bottega Veneta’s favorite music.
November 18, 2011
If you are a fan of Bottega Veneta’s designs, you are in luck. The label has released an album called Intreccio Uno, which includes artists featured at Bottega Veneta runway shows and on in-store playlists like the English indie band The Heavy and French pianist Maxence Cyrin. Creative director Tomas Maier, in collaboration with his friend Michel Gaubert, says of the album: “The music we choose for the shows and the stores is an important piece of Bottega Veneta’s character. It creates a mood, opening a door into a particular collection. When I work with Michel Gaubert before a show, I always fall in love with something I’ve never heard before. I wanted to share that experience.” The album, which features artwork by photographer Robert Longo, is available in Bottega Veneta stores and at bottegaveneta.com. Listen to a sample here.
New Music: Matt Cranstoun
Local musician Matt Cranstoun hopes to hit it big with his second album, The Last Drop of Color.
November 18, 2011
Matt Cranstoun
Like many aspiring musicians, Matt Cranstoun considers bartending a means to an end. But unlike many aspiring musicians, Cranstoun is out of options. The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter has laid everything on the line in anticipation of his sophomore album, The Last Drop of Color, which is set to debut Saturday, November 19, with a launch party at Mercury Lounge (doors open at 7 PM). Out from behind the bar, Cranstoun sits down with us to discuss his dedication to music, his biggest fears, and which artists influence him the most.
The Last Drop of Color is your second album. In what ways does it differ from your first, By Framed Image?
MATT CRANSTOUN: Production value, mostly. The quality of sound. The first one I recorded at home, all by myself. Not this one. I recorded it in a studio with a co-producer, which was very helpful.
How were you able to make the jump into a studio?
MC: I have a full-time job bartending in the Meatpacking District. I’m really lucky to have it. I put everything I could into making this record. When I was recording I was either at work or in the studio, and getting very little sleep. And then there was still everything else to do.
Sounds like your schedule was already full. What else did you work on?
MC: I designed my website, the graphic arts, the CD… all of it. And then I had to get online.
Do you enjoy promoting yourself?
MC: Not really. It’s time I’d rather spend on my music. I don’t want to be on Facebook. I don’t want to tweet. If you’re doing all that stuff, when are you playing? When are you writing? When are you actually being a musician?
It’s the age we’re in. Everyone connects online.
MC: It is! The struggle of the new artist is to work really hard to not only make music, but to be noticed.
Can you go back to “be a musician” once the record comes out?
MC: I’m going to try. Ideally, I want to go on the road. The one thing that still holds true with music is getting in front of people and connecting with them. It’s the one thing I do really well.
Connect with people on stage rather than through Twitter?
MC: If nobody connected with me, I’d have quit a long time ago.
When did you start writing music and performing?
MC: I played drums in a rock band in high school. Everyone was always switching instruments, so that’s when I started playing guitar. After graduation I went straight to the studio. I wrote a bunch of songs then. They’re terrible.
How has your songwriting changed over the years?
MC: Since I moved to the city eight years ago, I’ve become an entirely different songwriter. It used to be all about me and my personal experiences, but now I can look at things more universally.
What about you?
MC: I was searching for something when I started doing this whole thing. I was a kid. Over time it developed from something that was fun to something essential.
Always a musician.
MC: It’s all I can do. It’s all I’ve ever done. Other people have fallback things. For me, there’s a fear I can’t do anything else.
Which musicians are your biggest influences?
MC: Van Morrison, Ani DiFranco, Keith Jarrett. And I love high energy, so I’m a big fan of Prince.
If you hear Prince, you know it’s going to be a good day.
MC: Absolutely. That guy’s a genius. I’d like to be Bob Dylan and Prince at the same time. I’d like to be their child. That would be amazing.
photograph by Manish Gosalia Photography
Gift of the Day: A Bally Cigar Humidor
For the man who has everything: A limited-edition humidor handcrafted by Bally.
November 18, 2011
In the tradition of its Scribe Made-to-Order shoes, Swiss shoemaker Bally has created a precious 100 handmade cigar humidors (price upon request). Each humidor is numbered and outfitted with a humidification regulator, digital thermometer, hygrometer, and room for up to 300 cigars. A crowning addition to any luxury man cave or study, this rare and special gift is made with rich Sri Lankan Macassar ebony and bears the Bally crest. It can also be used to store and preserve a pair of Bally’s Scribe Made-to-Order shoes. 628 Madison Ave., 212-751-9082
See all of Gotham's 2011 Gifts of the Day here.
10 Years of 24-Hour Plays
The stars—including Jason Biggs in drag—converged for the 10th anniversary of "The 24-Hour Plays on Broadway."
November 17, 2011
Sarah SIlverman, Justin Long and Jason Biggs
Sir Ian McKellen once called the “The 24-Hour Plays on Broadway” “a totally pointless exercise.” But the annual evening of one-act plays, written and produced in 24 hours and staged by stars, has an endearing Saturday Night Live-style, anything-could-go-terribly-wrong quality. The charity event benefits Urban Arts Partnership, a sensational cause that promotes arts education for students in underserved public schools.
This year Montblanc sponsored five plays at the commodious American Airlines Theatre. Doug Wright (Quills) wrote the first play, A Green Room of One’s Own, and Derek Cianfrance of Blue Valentine fame directed it. The action takes place just before show time at a charity event. The running joke is that Kathy Najimy’s character lives for charity-show acting. She plays opposite Greta Gerwig. A nervous Jason Biggs—in drag—teeters on the edge of hurling. Meanwhile a cocky Billy Crudup, who has performed in the shows for years, plays the old hand giving Biggs a rough time. “He looked hot,” Crudup told Dispatches at B.B. King during the afterparty. “I think it was the mullet and the fishnets.”
How was it for Biggs? “Surprisingly easy and comfortable,” he said. “I’m questioning everything I thought that I was about.” Najimy admitted that she does her share of charity acting in real life and that she added a line to Wright’s script. “I wrote, ‘Dustin Lance Black [Milk] is busy writing bios and being gay.’” Good ear.
Jack McBrayer, in a skimpy maid’s uniform, stole the show in The Maid with Paul Bettany, Sarah Silverman (who played a bunny), Megan Fox (also a bunny), and Tracy Morgan, who didn’t have time to practice because he was stuck at 30 Rock and simply played a walk-on part.
“I haven’t been on a stage since 1998, something like that,” said Bettany. “I was terrified. I’ve never played a piano… awful.” But funny.
Gabourey Sidibe won the audience’s hearts in Maya’s Heart opposite Justin Long, among others. Four Play by Terrence McNally starred Amber Tamblyn as an intern during a reading for a play. She gets sent to Starbucks by the rest of the pretentious characters in the cast—Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, and Carla Gugino—who only then realize she has a pronounced limp.
“It’s funny—when you have such a short amount of time you don’t fully realize what you’re doing until the audience responds,” explained Eisenberg. “Only you do not get another take.” “Incredible!” said Tamblyn of the experience, walking at a fast clip as she passed me at B.B. King. “I’m a huge Terrence McNally fan,” noted Gugino.
In Dress the Orphans, Rachel Dratch, who has attended nine of the 10 annual shows, gets the charity telemarketing sales pitch from hell from Diane Neal, Rosie Perez, and John Krasinski. Does Dratch get charity cold calls in real life? “I kind of don’t,” she answered. “I’m not listed.”
photograph by gettyimages.com
Smart Car Service: GroundLink
GroundLink private car service now allows users to book and track cars from their smartphones.
November 17, 2011
New Yorkers are now able to order, track, and share their private car service experiences through GroundLink's new mobile application for the iOS and Android platforms. As the first mobile and online global private car service, GroundLink stands out with its flat fee (the bill is based on distance, not time spent in traffic) and its social sharing tool that allows users to keep their social networks up to date on their whereabouts. The new app also includes both "Ride Now" and "Ride Later" features. "Ride Now" gives the ability to track a car’s location and arrival time, as well to communicate directly with a driver (whether by text, phone, or online). "Ride Later" allows for scheduling a date, time, and location for pickups further in advance. Getting from point A to point B has never been easier.
Tom Ford: H&M’s Next Designer?
H&M is interested in Tom Ford, and whispers abound that the designer could be its next collaborator.
November 17, 2011
Tom Ford
The Internet has been abuzz this week (The New York Times, Refinery29, Fashionista, and more) since BusinessWeek first reported that designer Tom Ford may be next in line to design a collection for H&M. Ford, who is the former creative director of Gucci (and the cover star of the current issue of Los Angeles Confidential), has expressed interest in designing for H&M before, emphasizing that as a designer his customers always come first. H&M’s collaborations with other designers and labels such as Karl Lagerfeld and Lanvin have flown off the shelves, inciting small shopping riots in stores all over the globe. The popularity of these collaborations shows no sign of diminishing as Versace launches its H&M collection on November 19. As for Ford, we can’t wait for the final word.
Hand-Stamped Holiday Silverware
Eat, drink and serve the feast with charming hand-stamped utensils.
November 17, 2011
What better addition to your holiday table setting than vintage silverware? These beautiful hand-stamped utensils (five pieces, $76.50; $10 shipping) from Beach House Living’s Etsy shop are labeled according to what type of food you should serve with each: TURKEY meat fork; GRAVY ladle; and three spoons stamped POTATOES, VEGGIES, and STUFFING. The lettering is hand-hammered into the silver, which (as the seller puts it) is “imperfectly perfect,” and is sure to be a conversation piece. It takes seven days to make these by hand, so though they might not make it in time for Thanksgiving they are perfect for the rest of the holiday-entertaining season and beyond: The offerings include items for holidays (a set of 10 spoons festooned with reindeer names), weddings (forks stamped with MR. AND MRS.), and other special occasions.
Gift of the Day: Mykita Sunglasses
Handmade Mykita shades from Berlin are the perfect gift for jet-setting fashion fans.
November 17, 2011
Aritana sunglasses by Alexandre Herchcovitch for Mykita
These Aritana sunglasses designed by Alexandre Herchcovitch for Mykita ($475) are handmade with the Berlin-based eyewear brand’s patented hinge design—no pesky screws or uneven soldering, just pure stainless steel. Though the Aritana is also available in matte black and turquoise, we love this gold style for its matte amber gleam. Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave., 212-872-2700
See all of Gotham's 2011 Gifts of the Day here.
Inside Look: The New York Chocolate Show
Broadway and chocolate met on the catwalk at the annual Chocolate Show.
November 16, 2011
This past weekend marked the 14th Annual New York Chocolate Show, a four-day chocolate extravaganza that included a fashion show, chocolate tastings, cooking demonstrations, book signings, and more. At the opening night preview, creative pastry chefs—some with food television credits to their name—and costume designers presented 14 costumes inspired by Broadway shows and made of chocolate.
Chefs Dean Anderson (One If by Land) and Gustavo Tzoc (Abe & Arthurs) along with designer Sally Wu created a Les Miserables-inspired gown with a mermaid-like aqua bodice made of chocolate discs that was easily the most ethereal costume of the evening. The crowd went wild for chef François Pralus's scantily clad cabaret girl getup, inspired by Cabarets of Paris.
Following the show there were plenty of samples at participating chocolatier booths to enjoy. Our favorite bites of the night were the traditional French truffles at No Chewing Allowed! and the addictive salted butter caramel truffles at Comptoir du Cacao, which will soon open its first New York chocolaterie.
photographs by jackie allen
