All Things Beautiful

The Bergdorf Blondes

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UPDATE: For those of you who every now again whiff through ATB via Googling Plum Sykes' book Bergdorf Blondes, thinking you have just been the first to discover Mount Everest, and accuse me of copying her idea, please note that my post is very much inspired by Plum's original book, and wherever you feel she should get full credit, I unreservedly give it. But before you get your knickers (La Perla or not) in a twist, take a good dose of a mild tranquilizer like Xanax, and chill....After all, for a Bergdorf Blonde like myself, Plum's idea is based on the originals in the first place....

 

Every now and again we have to take a rest from the hustle and bustle of politics. In the absence of any pressing news these days -- other than Iran's nuclear weapons development crisis, the election of Hamas terrorists in Palestine, ongoing worldwide Muslim riots and killing in reaction to a cartoon, Al Gore's near sedition while speaking in Saudi Arabia, the turning over of our East Coast ports to be managed by a United Arab Emirates firm, the criminal leaking of vital NSA secrets to the New York Times, Mexican military incursions across our southern border, the Iraqi crisis, Congress's refusal to deal with the developing financial collapse of Social Security and Medicare, inter alia -- All Things Beautiful has decided to grant the wish of it's fashionista fans ( who have still not forgiven me for entirely missing Fashion Week), and speak of some more important matters.

Defending the Bergdorf Blondes' social status has become a favorite party line, especially as the Bergdorf Blondes have always been the New York craze. Everyone either knows one, wants to be one, or actually is one. I have written this for the aspirational BBs who need some insider advice on how to proceed. It is a Saturday after all, and we need to chill....

You wouldn't believe the dedication it takes to be a gorgeous, flaxen haired, dermatologically perfect New York girl with a life fabulous beyond belief. Honestly, it all requires a level of commitment comparable to say, learning Hebrew or quitting cigarettes.

Well it all starts with hair color. A murderous commitment required, which a chemically dependent girl like myself is all too familiar with, the blond color must be touched up every seven days, and the hair cannot have a hint of yellow, it has to be very white, very much like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's was. This is the color to be worshiped and maintaining it cannot involve anything less than the weekly visit to your nearest Redken salon, and a standing appointment with the über-guru Redken Fifth Avenue colorist.

The high maintenance poker-straight blond hair has to be complimented by a weekly visit to Sonia at Bergdorf's for the absolutely essential eyebrow trim, together with the perfect manicure and pedicure by Madonna both essential to maintaining the look.

Narci-surfing, as it is now called (used to be called Googling yourself) is the best way to keep up with how your status is doing in the media. Gossip being the most reliable source of information about yourself and your friends in Manhattan, one mustn't allow oneself to get to the renowned 'Fargo' stage.

Loosely translated it is a debilitating condition often appearing after a stint of Narci-surfing, from which almost all Manhattan girls suffer. The term is borrowed from the well known movie, and is an excellent description of a state of mind of a Bergdorf blond usually precipitating a large social gathering, and involving all the insecurities that go with the pressures of having to keep up with the BBs.

Time Is Money

Cover of 'Time' Magazine January 2005  'Persons Of TheYear' Bill Gates, Paul Hewson 'Bono', Melinda Gates

This cover has caused an uproar within the Blogosphere, partly because some feel that neither Bono nor Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gates deserve to be chosen as Time's Persons of The Year, and partly as some feel that whilst perhaps at a stretch, they can accept Bono and Bill Gates, why Mrs. Gates?

My opinion, is that Melinda Gates has done more for The Gates Foundation philanthropy than Bill would ever have been able to imagine, and using his billions in a way his narrow minded attitude could never fathom. The MSM always talk about their efforts as a couple, but for those in the know, her efforts are what gets things done. She just lets him sit in the big chair and feel that he's the one making the decisions. Well he is, when decisions are made regarding amounts. But who do you think gets the ideas to him in the first place, and pushes like there is no tomorrow to get those ideas realized. Melinda is the one with the true commitment and drive, steerig the philanthropic vision for The Gates Foundation.

So me, I feel why Bill Gates?

I would go as far as to say that his business ethics are in direct opposition to those moral and ethical qualities which are being celebrated as a standard amongst those singled out by Time for being 'Persons of The Year'.

Why do I hate Bill "The Predator of The Internet" Gates, and what do I mean by hate?

I am carefully choosing the word hate as it best describes my feeling of intense and passionate dislike for mediocrity; for "That will do for the moment" attitude. Especially when mixed with: "They won't know any better anyway".

Bill Gates' Microsoft epitomizes the rise to success of such half-measure mentalities, and, worst of all, the distilled essence of the success has since been enshrined as a gilt-edged case study in all business schools around the world: If you can, put out a new product, no matter how incomplete and badly designed, wrap it in marketing hype and hyperbole and muscle out any competition by all and any means possible. DO NOT worry about the enduser, because if you have played your cards right, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO.

I have such a strong aversion against Bill Gates and the culture he instilled in Microsoft, because instead of its success, it should be a case study for 'missed opportunities'. All the charitable 'Billions' pale into utter insignificance if compared with the 'Trillions' of lost productivity around the globe caused singularly because of the "This will do" mentality instead of passion for quality and for "Making things better".

I was not at all surprised to learn that Microsoft has agreed to block Chinese blog entries that use words like 'democracy,' 'freedom,' 'human rights,' and 'demonstration.'" In a blog entry, EC vice president Margot Wallstroem said Microsoft, Yahoo and Google were matching their morals to suit new markets. In particular she said the firms seemed to have deleted words such as "ethics" and "corporate social responsibility" from their codes of conduct.

Perhaps when Bill Gates stops having flexible ethical standards depending on where he operates and what furthers his own agenda, he might indeed be worthy of consideration, but until then he does not get my vote.

Some, like Ed Morrissey @ Captain's Quarters feel that there are more deserved individuals out there who should have been given the honor instead:

"The true newsmakers this year, as Michelle Malkin notes in photos, were the people who went into the streets and overthrew dictators and autocracies in order to gain freedom for their nations -- in most cases, through non-violence. Ukrainians had their Orange Revolution; the Lebanese forced the Syrians to beat a hasty retreat across the Bekaa Valley after 29 years of military occupation following the murder of a pro-freedom statesman; and Iraqis faces bombs and death threats three times to in voting for a democracy and a new constitution to replace a genocidal tyrant in the heart of the Middle East, the first time that has ever occurred in an Arab nation.

Pick any of those examples, or roll them up into one pro-democracy movement that has tyranny on its heels throughout Southwest Asia and North Africa. Those were the real newsmakers this year. Instead, Time decided to go as obscure as it possibly could and picked three fine people whose impact on 2005 will have us all wondering what the hell they did to deserve the cover of Time by 2007."

And some like Michelle Malikin, simply call Time Magazine's choices "lame", and provide ample solid evidence as to why.

More @ Ed Driscoll and Betsy Newmark.

Straight Eye for The Straight Guy

One of my favorite readers Ken Pierce posed an interesting question, following yesterday's post ‘ ‘A Cut Above’ The Chief Justice Roberts Look’. He says "....[he] will have to give some thought to the question of how well [his] wardrobe communicates integrity, which is pretty much the controlling virtue in [his] own ethical system "

The Integrity lies in standing by what you choose to wear. And what you choose to wear, is who you are. Like the famous designer Coco Chanel said once: "I don't do fashion, I am fashion".

You therefore make your own style, which you feel conveys clearly what you stand for, and allows you to remain true to yourself.

The ‘Integrity’ litmus test, essentially relies on what your wardrobe communicates to you about yourself. You don’t do integrity, you are integrity. Therefore there must never be a gap between what you say and what you wear.

Humility is an important balance to confidence in the integrity of your style, and wearing your heart on your well cut sleeve is The Chief Justice Roberts' Look of Integrity’ trademark,  that is so in vogue right now in men's fashion in America.

'A Cut Above' The Chief Justice Roberts Look

North by Northwest

Judge John G. Roberts, in my opinion the next U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, revealed in his Senate Judiciary Commitee Hearings this week......well, nothing really....other than....his favorite movie being 'North by Northwest', directed by the famous British director Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.

Now, what can we deduce from that? Well I would say two things:

'La Dolce Diva'

I have completely neglected Fashion Week Spring Summer 2006 in New York right now, but I am back on track today, and will show you a few of my favorite pieces form a personal favorite, Diane von Furstenburg. Long time companion, and now wife of the media mogul Barry Diller, veteran designer Furstenburg's show on Sunday evening was fabulous as usual:

"I hope I'm on trend - I always show near the beginning of the week so I better be right," she tells us. And, without giving too much away, I am pretty sure she's bang on. "I've called the collection La Dolce Diva and it is all about Mediterranean elegance at the end of the Sixties in Rome. Think Grace Kelly and Maria Callas - it's aristocracy, movie stars and the beginning of the paparazzi."

To me it looked a lot more of the old glam Furstenburg, archived from her three long decades in the international spotlight, spiced with a Roman theme of multicolored florals in gorgeous silks and chiffons. My absolute favorite is the yellow silk dress shown here. Fabulous.

Perfect for a summer day in Roma... would have been ideal for the last few hot summer  days in New York. But forget it for now, delivery is December ...sigh.

Homage to Warhol

 

In eager anticipation of Holly Wiersma's long awaited movie 'Factory Girl', we manipulated this portrait of me as a homage to Andy Warhol. It really is amazing what you can accomplish with software these days. The above was done with Photoshop, and although it takes some time to get to grips with, it is quite incredible what can be achieved flying solo.

One Bling for every Song you Love

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Here we go, the first 'That's Hot' post, which I have been meaning to do for a while now. It has to by definition be dedicated to Paris Hilton for obvious reasons, and my friend Amisha who just loves bling gadgets.

Podcasting is the future, and we have to arm ourselves with the chic equipment to match. One simply can't podcast without the bling! Encrusted with 1000 Swarovski crystals, one for each song you love to listen to on your iPod, or one for each podcast you collect and download, or one for each podcast you record yourself.

Bring that bling to the podcast thing, and take the plunge!

'You can never be too Rich or too Thin'

 

Nan Kempner, the best known of Manhattan's society hostesses made it her life’s work to test the truth of the Duchess of Windsor’s adage that a woman can never be too rich or too thin. Sadly one of the great society icons  died on Sunday, July 3, at her Manhattan apartment. Having known her socially for some years now, I have, like many others wondered how she managed to stay so wafer thin. "My chef " she said to me once with a wink. For lesser mortals like myself, hiring a chef was the beginning of my demise into constant weight gain, and trying to copy Nan by developing a smoking habit, only resulted in a very chronic and politically incorrect cough. I will miss her.

Paris Couture Delight

         

It's always such a pleasure to see all the Couture shows, and this year was no exception. John Galliano for Dior was simply spectacular,a reaffirmation of the incredible foundations of the House of Dior, arranged as homage to Dior couture.

From the turn of the century influence to the transformation of the Transparent New Look thread that ran throughout the collection. Inspired by the work of icons such as Irving Penn and Cecil Beaton, Galliano takes us on a trip down memory lane of Dior's original creations giving them the 'Unbearable lightness of Being', and the all too familliar sense of the Galliano theatre.

It reminded me so much of the personal style of one of the great icons of fashion and a dear friend of mine Nathalie Hambro It seemed almost as if her influence was present at the show. For me at least it was a divine experience. You can see her collection displayed at the V&A in London, a great tribute to a great talent.