The New York Observer May 13th, 2013

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F a typical break-up calls for vats of Ben & Jer-ry’s and repeated view-ings of The Notebook, then we suppose a highly publicized divorce from a top Hollywood actor and devout Scientologist calls for a cross-coun-try move and a gorgeous new apartment. That’s pretty much what Katie Holmes got last summer

when she took up residence at the Chelsea Mercantile—the spectacular, star-infused, 21-story building at 252 Seventh Avenue. The actress report-edly signed the lease just a few days after announcing her split from husband Tom Cruise in June 2012.

As you might expect from Ms. Holmes, who has also

transmitted her fashion sense to daughter Suri, these are some

stylish digs. The actress has been settling into her New York lifestyle

pretty well since then. Last winter, Ms. Holmes took the stage as Lorna in Theresa Rebeck’s Dead Accounts, which ran from late November to early January at the Music Box The-atre. Though the show received mixed reviews, Ms. Holmes’s per-formance stood out, at least to The New York Times. Ms. Holmes “ap-pears much more at ease playing a worn-down country mouse to the hyped-up city mouse of [Norbert Leo Butz],” Ben Brantley wrote. “Ms. Holmes and Mr. Butz summon an ap-pealingly natural family rapport …

You may even forget that Ms. Holmes is Katie Holmes for a moment.”

It’s no problem that Dead Accounts closed earlier than expected—Ms. Holmes is already at work acting in another project, a Spike Lee produc-tion called Mania Days. In the film, which has been shooting in differ-ent locations around New York City, Ms. Holmes plays Carla, a manic-de-pressive poet who forms a romantic relationship (and later a pregnan-cy) with a manic-depressive rapper, played by Luke Kirby.

If you’re looking to spot Ms. Holm-es on the streets of New York City, it’s unlikely—the star leads a private life (or as private as possible when you are being stalked by paparazzi). The most reliable place to spot the celeb is the H. Stern store on Fifth Avenue, where larger-than-life, nearly nude billboards of the gorgeous Ms. Hol-mes grace the windows on either side of the doors. Since moving to New York, Ms. Holmes has also been made the face of Bobbi Brown; she’s the company’s first-ever celebrity spokesmodel.

When Ms. Holmes isn’t perform-ing onstage or posing on-camera, she’s playing the role of mother to daughter Suri. Ms. Holmes reported-ly enrolled the stylish seven-year-old in the prestigious Avenues school, located near their home in Chelsea. The school is very new, and has an educational philosophy that might appeal to jetsetters able to pay its slightly higher-than-usual tuition costs.

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Lifestyle • Neighborhood • Culture | May 13, 2013

NYO new kids on the beach Faherty brothers breathe new life into the bikini P.c4

high-tech high Fashion3d designs hit the runway P.c12

The Very PriVaTe Chelsea life of Tom Cruise’s ex

By Jordyn Taylor

Continued on page C14

ihate department stores. They remind me of being a chubby 12-year-old with brac-es being dragged around by her

mother to try on bat-mitzvah dress-es at the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s located in the heart of Delaware’s Christina Mall. (We eventually de-cided on an electric blue sleeveless number, and suffice to say I have vowed to burn the photobook of evi-dence the first chance I get.)

So sartorially misinformed was I that for many years I associat-ed most department stores with the cheap and gawdy—obviously, I reasoned, most cool clothes come from stores that sold only their own brand, places like Ann Taylor, or

Hot Topic. Up until embarrassingly recently, I didn’t understand what my so-called friends were driv-ing at when they offered to take me shopping at Macy’s, Nordstrom’s or Bloomie’s. I just flashed back to Del-aware and that blue dress and as-sumed that they were making some sort of ironic commentary on prom season.

But a girl can’t live in blissful ig-norance forever, and by the time I was, oh, say, 28, I found out that, far from being tacky, New York’s haute couture was synonymous with, yes, Madison Avenue designer flagships, but also: Bergdorf’s, Saks Fifth Ave-nue and Barneys. I had never stepped into these hallowed halls of fashion.

I had to take a Valium just to step into a Century 21, with its maze-like layouts, dressing room item lim-its and panic-inducing number of choices.

But I couldn’t wear jeans and sweaters with cat faces on them for-ever, and no matter how well that

kitschy-cute skunk hat I had pur-chased last summer in South Dako-ta went over at a recent Broadway after party, I realized that eventual-ly I would have to make peace with the luxury department store.

EXORCISING FASHION DEMONS

in WhiCh our inTrePid rePorTer Conquers saks fifTh aVenue

By Drew Grant

Ms. Grant and Terron Schaefer in Saks.

HOLMES NEW YORK

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With summer racing toward us, this month’s NYO spotlights the Hamptons, where real es-tate sometimes follows Manhattan trends, but has its own particular flavor as you move through the towns of the South Fork.

ou might think that, less than a year after a cataclysmic coastal weather event like Superstorm Sandy, home buyers would be a little gun shy about

purchasing properties near the ocean. But you would be—in the case of the Hamptons, according to the experts we consulted—wrong. The fact is that the Hamptons, un-like some communities in Long Island closer to Manhattan, largely escaped the wrath of Sandy, although some low-lying properties, like Jane Lauder’s cottage by the sea, were flattened. But by and large, the East End was spared and is drawing buyers who might

have considered beach communities else-where. “Superstorm Sandy is attracting new people to the Hamptons,” says Ernie Cervi, Corcoran’s Executive Managing Director in Bridgehampton. “Where beach communi-ties were devastated by the storm, those in search of a world-class beach resort are test-driving the Hamptons.”

Hamptons a Go Gosigns of healTh and green shooTs galore in real esTaTe on The souTh fork

By Janet Allon

The North Haven waterfront.

Continued on page C6Continued on page D3

Continued on page D6

a crumble in the bronx

humble mixes WiTh hauTe in gheTTo gasTro’s

hi-lo mashuPs

Peekytoe crab, meet Wonder Bread

By Emily Anne Epstein

Mr. Levin in the kitchen of Le Baron.

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i t is after midnight in the kitchen of Le Baron, a Chinatown dance club. The chefs we have come

to meet are squeezed shoulder to shoulder in the tiny space, chopping and frying for the throngs outside.

Jon Gray is giving two wait-resses in crop tops a pep talk, telling them to get as far into the crowd as they can before distributing the food. The doors have closed and the venue is over capacity. It’s going to be tough, he tells them. Hold the trays high.

Tonight is the inaugural event of his catering company, Ghetto Gastro, which draws on the talents of rising chefs who have earned their stripes at Le Cirque, Jean-Georges and wd~50, among other big names.

“How many can we fit on a tray?” chef Dan Levin inter-jects, referring to the four-bite portions of chicken and waffles.

We pluck one from the trays and the flavor comes in waves. First the sweet crust. Then the

feisty curried chicken. The cool heat of scotch bonnet mango butter. The creamy calm of the coconut waffles. And there are two more varieties to go: a fig waffle with chili chicken and foie gras butter, and a Belgian waffle with buttermilk fried chicken and maple butter.

Once the food has gone out, Mr. Gray takes the stage and thanks everyone for attend-ing. He hopes you like the food, and he hopes you’re having fun. Now, he says, the “ghetto” part of the party is about to begin. He steps down to reveal a strip-per pole, and with it, an obvi-ously enhanced young woman gyrating to the booming bass. She spins around, casually flip-ping upside down. The music moves faster and so does she, her clothes slipping off as the crowd yelps in excitement.

“Ghetto means raw, uncut,

C 2 | May 13, 2013 | The New York Observer

NYOculture

It Is a quIet evenIng in Place des Vosges, Paris, when, all at once from every direction, crowds of men and women, hundreds of them, descend

upon the square. The people, dressed el-egantly in all white—the men in clean, crisp trousers and jackets and the women in summer dresses or light pantsuits—quickly set small tables and chairs in perfect straight lines and lay out elab-orate picnics, along with excellent bot-tles of French wine, of course. They take their seats and wave white napkins in the air, and begin to enjoy their lavish pic-nics, conversation and merriment. As day fades to dusk, the group lights sparklers and dances to live music. Then, when the clock strikes midnight, they pack up their things and leave the park as if they had never come.

This magical event marks the open-

ing scene of Diner en Blanc: The World’s Largest Dinner Party, a recent documen-tary film by director and producer Jen-nifer Ash Rudick, an Upper East Side author and journalist. Ms. Rudick’s film showcases an event that is simultane-ously perfectly public—it is out of doors, after all—and very exclusive—“Diner en Blanc,” the elegant, impromptu pic-nic that has graced Paris’ most beauti-ful outdoor spaces annually for nearly 25 years, and has now expanded into 22 cities around the world, including New York. The film, which offers the first be-hind-the-scenes look into the making of the unusual yet surprisingly simple cele-bration, premiered at the Palm Beach In-ternational Film Festival in Florida last month to a warm reception, and will hit the Hamptons International Film Festi-val this summer.

Diner en Blanc, perhaps Paris’ best-kept and most refined secret, is a sort of flash mob for the sophisticated set. What began in 1988 as a simple outdoor gather-ing among about 200 friends and friends of friends, who dined al fresco while wearing white, has grown into a world-wide phenomenon. Last year more than 36,000 people attended, including 19,000 in Paris and 3,000 in New York. Despite

its growth, the ethic of the dinner has remained constant year after year: The event is not commercial or political in any way—it is merely an elegant gathering of friends and neighbors who commune for the sole purpose of enjoying one another’s company.

The celebration is something of an enigma—prior to on-camera interviews for Ms. Rudick’s film, the event’s creator, Frenchman François Pasquier, had never spoken to the press. Mr. Pasquier and a small group of friends secretly organize the dinner in Paris each year, and those who are invited to attend are not in-formed of the Diner’s exact location until just before it begins.

Ms. Rudick herself became aware of the Diner en Blanc when it came to New York in 2011. She remembered a friend describ-ing the event taking place on the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris some 15 years earlier, though she did not make the connection until the Parisian affair debuted at the World Financial Center Plaza two years ago. The beauty and the mystery of the whole affair fascinated her.

“It really piqued my interest that the organizer had never spoken to the press,” says Ms. Rudick, who writes primarily about interior design. “[I thought] it was really cinematic. The thought occurred to me that it could be a really beautiful short documentary.”

Searching for the Diner’S inventor

Ms. Rudick traveled to Paris to seek out Mr. Pasquier, though he was not an easy man to locate.

“His friends were very, very protec-tive of him, since the dinner is equita-ble and everybody’s the same,” she says. “There’s not really a leader.”

Ms. Rudick finally met with a friend of Mr. Pasquier’s, who reasoned that, since the 25th anniversary of the original Diner en Blanc in Paris was approaching, it should be documented for the sake of posterity. With a modest budget, a small team and a limited ability to communi-cate in French, Ms. Rudick returned to Paris eight times to conduct interviews, attend secret meet-ings and document the preparations for the 2012 Diner in Paris.

“I had never done this before, so every time I would get to a new step, I’d have to learn,” Ms. Rudick says modestly. “It was literally putting one foot in front of the other.”

Diner En Blanc, which runs 40 minutes and is the prod-uct of hundreds of hours of footage, follows Mr. Pasquier and other organiz-ers and attendees as they traverse the streets of Paris, scouting out the next location for the event, choosing the per-fect bottle of wine, shopping for cheese and baguettes and having white cloth-ing made just for the festivities.

Though the celebration has become increasingly popular in cities around the world—tens of thousands of people requested invitations for 3,000 coveted spots at the Lincoln Center dinner last year—Mr. Pasquier is quite modest with regard to the must-attend phenomenon he has set in motion.

“I never had a particular idea in mind. I wanted to prove nothing, and I have prov-en nothing,” Mr. Pasquier says in the film. “Except perhaps that there are things that are not commercialized and still work very well, if everyone participates.”

The strict rules of the Diner are a key part of the event’s continued suc-cess. All participants must wear white. They must bring a beautiful picnic and a table of a specified size. They must ar-rive on time. Men must sit on one side of the table, women on the other. Guests must attend on the specified date, no matter the weather. Those who fail to abide by the rules are barred from fu-ture dinners.

“The dinner is a magic moment, only if everybody plays the game,” Eric Lep-rince-Ringuet, co-founder of the Diner en Blanc, notes in the film.

Despite cultural differences in the cit-ies around the world where the Diner now takes place, participants all tend to abide by the rules. The celebration does

have a slightly dif-ferent character in each city, however—participants tend to take on local inter-pretations of food and wine, as well as the dress code. How-ever, the traditions and the air of civili-ty mostly remain the same.

Having attended the Diner en Blanc in Paris and last year at Lincoln Center in New York, Ms. Ru-dick was struck by the similarities be-tween the events. In New York, she says,

diners made friends with one anoth-er and shared their wine, cheese and desserts.

“People really dressed up, they re-spected the rules,” Ms. Rudick says of the event in New York. “I would say it was incredibly social, just like the one in Paris. I was surprised everybody in New York came at the same time.”

Diner in new York

The New York version of Diner en Blanc in New York features briefly in Ms. Ru-dick’s film. Filmmaker Albert Maysles, who created documentary films including Gimme Shelter (1970) and Grey Gardens (1975) with his brother David Maysles, and later many projects of his own, shot footage for Diner en Blanc at Lincoln Cen-ter. Mr. Maysles was struck by the Diner’s power to bring people together.

“It’s a way of breaking divisions and finding love for thy neighbor,” Mr. May-sles said. “The more you know your neigh-bor, the more the possibilities of love, the more the possibilities of developing your community beyond just a diverse group of people who have no connection with one another. It’s funny how an event can be more than an event.”

Paola Mathé, a New York lifestyle blog-ger who is originally from Haiti, attended the Diner en Blanc in New York last year.

“The event was just everything I imag-ined,” Ms. Mathé says. “Everyone I en-countered was there for the fun. Some people had elaborate centerpieces on their tables, and the outfits were just amazing. It felt like I was in a dream. And it doesn’t hurt that I went with my boyfriend. It was like a magical date.”

Ms. Rudick’s documentary premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Fes-tival on April 9 with a warm reception from about 100 audience members. Iris Apfel, New York fashion legend and the subject of Mr. Maysles’ upcoming film Iris Apfel: New York’s Rare Bird of Fashion—which Ms. Rudick is producing—was in attendance.

“I thought it was charming and I thought that Paris was beautiful,” Ms. Apfel says. “I think that the whole idea of the film is very inspiring, and it would be nice if the world could run that way. I think promot-ing friendship and good will is certainly a wonderful thing.”

Ms. Rudick plans to take Diner en Blanc: The World’s Largest Dinner Party on the film festival circuit. The film will come to New York for the Hamptons International Film Festival and DOC NYC in the fall of 2013.

“I just hope that bonds of friendship and that kindness just transcends logistics and all else comes through,” Ms. Rudick says. “That’s kind of the takeaway. But just to sit there for 40 minutes and watch Paris would have been enough for me.”

[email protected]

By invitation onlyA New DocumeNtAry Depicts the worlD’s most elegANt FlAsh mob

By Nicola Pring

‘I never had a particular idea in mind. I wanted to prove nothing, and

I have proven nothing. Except perhaps that

there are things that are not commercialized and

still work very well, if everyone participates.’

‘The event was just everything I imagined. Everyone I encountered was there for the fun. Some people had elaborate centerpieces on their tables,

and the outfits were just amazing. It felt like I was in a dream.’

The Diner en Blanc at

Lincoln Center in

2012.

The New York Observer | May 13, 2013 | C 3

NYOculture

It’s never too early to start thinking about summer—and how you might spend your lei-sure time in that season of possibility. There are getaways to plan, gardens to plot, light-

er clothes to purchase. But for whiling away the summer hours, whether on the beach, at poolside or on a park bench, nothing beats the pleasure of a good book. The one downside—sifting through the new releases to find something you like—can be a chore, which is why we’ve gone ahead and done that work for you.

Here’s a carefully selected smattering of forth-coming titles we think you’ll enjoy. There are the juicy confessions of Ava Gardner, a literary were-wolf novel and a long-awaited family epic from Af-ghan writer Khaled Hosseini. And for those who want to get a jump on their summer reading, some of these are just out in stories or downloadable to an iPad or Kindle near you.

Forty-one False starts: essays on artists and WritersBy Janet Malcolm(out now)

Janet Malcolm, the author of the seminal book of nonfiction The Journalist and the Murderer, among other serious studies, is a keen observer of … well, pretty much everything. In this collection of medi-tations culled primarily from The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books, Ms. Malcolm’s om-nivorous mind is on full display as she investigates the cultural significance of figures like J.D. Salin-ger, Edith Wharton, Thomas Struth and David Salle, the experimental profile of whom gives the book its title.

a delicate truthBy John le Carré(out now)

A Delicate Truth, about a mysterious counterter-ror operation on the island of Gibraltar, is the 23rd novel by the great British spy writer John le Carré, whose books have experienced an upsurge in pop-ularity of late. Even if spy novels aren’t your thing, you might still enjoy it. As the editor Robert Got-tlieb recently said of Mr. le Carré in The New York Times Magazine, “He’s a brilliant writer for whom spies are merely subject matter.”

red MoonBy Benjamin Percy(out now)

What’s that, you say? A werewolf novel? Well, yes, but don’t mistake this book for anything less than a great literary achievement; Red Moon is, in all likelihood, the most well-written werewolf novel you will come across. It’s the fourth book from Benjamin Percy, a two-time winner of the Pushcart Prize whose previous works include a novel, The Wildling, and the short story collections Refresh, Refresh and The Language of Elk.

and the Mountains echoedBy Khaled Hosseini(out May 21)

With the highly anticipated publication of And the Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini, the Af-ghan-born author of The Kite Runner and A Thou-sand Splendid Suns, offers his first novel in five years—a big, sprawling, multi-generational saga that jumps from Europe to America to Pakistan to Afghanistan.

the Fall oF arthurBy J.R.R. Tolkien(out May 23)

J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, but his unpublished works are still finding their way to the public. The Fall of Arthur is Mr. Tolkien’s take, in narra-tive verse, on King Arthur’s final days. Mr. Tolkien never finished the book, edited by his son, Christo-pher Tolkien, though the terrain he explores prom-ises to be just as fantastical as Middle Earth, the world inhabited by the characters in his The Lord of the Rings trilogy and other works.

italian Ways: on and oFF the rails FroM Milan to PalerMoBy Tim Parks(out June 10)

If you can’t go on vacation this summer, let Tim Parks be your virtual guide—or, shall we say, con-ductor. In this charming book of social inquiry, Mr.

Parks, the British expat who has lived in Verona, Italy, for more than 30 years and is a keen observer of Italian culture, takes to the rails to examine, as he simply puts it, “the Italian way of doing things,” which is his perennial fixation.

ava Gardner: the secret conversationsBy Peter Evans and Ava Gardner(out July 2)

The actress Ava Gardner was apparently so un-comfortable with the information she revealed in Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations—co-au-thored with Peter Evans—that she embargoed its release until after her death. In this steamy memoir, we are treated to a slew of juicy details, especially as they relate to Ms. Gardner’s three ex-husbands: Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra—about whom she is more than willing to dish the dirt post-mortem.

ready For a Brand neW Beat: hoW ‘dancinG in the street’ BecaMe the antheM For a chanGinG aMericaBy Mark Kurlansky(out July 11)

The subjects of Mark Kurlansky’s books—salt, cod and oysters, to name three—are merely vessels through which he advances big and thought-pro-voking ideas about history and society and the way the world is shaped. In his new book of pop history, Mr. Kurlansky turns his attention to “Dancing in the Street,” the Motown hit first recorded by Mar-tha and the Vandellas that was catapulted into the countercultural cataclysm of mid-1960s America.

love, dishonor, Marry, die, cherish, Perish: a novelBy David Rakoff(out July 16)

David Rakoff died last summer at the age of 47, but he left behind an unpublished novel in verse that took him 10 years to complete and reads like the delightful deadline poetry of Calvin Trillin. Mr. Rakoff was best known for his sad, funny and poi-gnant personal essays, so this work—bits of which he previewed on This American Life, to which he contributed regularly—feels like a departure. But it is, in the end, of a piece with the late author’s whimsical approach.

the coMPlete short stories oF JaMes PurdyWith an introduction by John Waters(out July 22)

The first complete assemblage of James Purdy’s short stories, this fat collection features work pre-viously unpublished by the late, great and long-underrated American writer. “James is not for everyone,” the director John Waters concedes in the introduction, but for those who like “funny feel-bad books, he’s been dead center in the black little hearts of provocateur-hungry readers like myself right from the beginning.”

the other tyPist: a novelBy Suzanne Rindell(out now)

The Other Typist— the first novel by Suzanne Rindell, a doctoral student in American modern-ist literature at Rice University—is set in Jazz Age Manhattan and told from the point of view of Rose Baker, who works as a reserved and self-reg-ulated typist for a New York City Police Depart-ment precinct. “Mine is a silent job,” Rose tells us on the book’s first page. Eventually, though, the raucous spirit of the times catches up with her.

very recent history: an entirely Factual account oF a year (c. ad 2009) in a larGe cityBy Choire Sicha(out august 6)

The title sums it up pretty well. In this book of nonfiction, told in a novelistic way, the in-imitable Choire Sicha, a co-founder of The Awl and a former editor of Gawker, details one year in the life of a character named John, a young newspaper reporter in recession-addled New York. If there is a lost generation of the 21st cen-tury, Mr. Sicha captures it here.

[email protected]

Mind VacationsBooks to keep you distracted and entertained

throughout the warm weather months.

By Matthew Kassel


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NYOgetaways

Not The Hamptons

Summer Weekend GetaWayS JuSt a drive aWay

By Joanna Fantozzi

While the City has plenty to offer in the summer, even die-hard urbanites need to get away from it all sometimes. For New York-ers looking to put a little luxe into their weekend travel, we selected eight high-end getaways that are

just a stone’s throw (or about a three- or four-hour car ride, max) away from the light pollution and subway delays. From waterfront resorts to luxurious spas and chic country towns, even the most discerning New Yorker can discover the perfect retreat, without resorting, so to speak, to the Hamptons.

Saratoga, Ny This year, the unofficial horserac-ing capital of New York, located just three hours from the city, will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its Saratoga Race Course, complete with fireworks and the special opportunity to place a $15,000 bet. Relax at the end of a hot day at the races by slipping into one of the area’s famous hot spring baths like the Health and Day Spa at the Roosevelt Inn (Roosevelt-suites.com), and even organize a tasting tour of the bitter, medicinal waters. Stay the night at Saratoga Arms—a concierge hotel with the charm of a bed and breakfast (saratogaarms.com). History buffs may want to eat at the historic 18th-century Olde Bryan Inn at Saratoga Springs, with an upscale, continental menu (oldebryaninn.com).

Newport, ri Waves lap the rocky shores of this picturesque “Downton Abbey of the Americas” and yachting capital of the Northeast. Known for its Gild-ed Age mansions, the city by the sea offers the Old World charm of afternoon tea, as well as high-end lodging at the Hotel Viking (hotelviking.com) and at the Vanderbilt Grace Hotel (vanderbiltgrace.com). Dig even deeper into the aristocratic history of the town with a tour of servants’ life at the Elms. Or sim-ply take in the breathtaking scenery along the 10-mile Ocean Drive. Bouchard, Newport’s highest-rated res-taurant, will satisfy even discerning New Yorkers’ palates (restaurantbouchard.com). And for some-thing a little more casual, locals swear by O’Brien’s Pub for the classic pint.

FiNger lakeS wiNe CouNtry, Ny Get the most out of a visit to the popular Finger Lakes re-gion by keeping your wine glass full, and staying at the Mirbeau Inn and Spa (www.mirbeau.com). The peaceful resort, located in Skaneateles, is known for an assortment of therapy treatments, as well as yoga and pilates classes. Most of the architecture, includ-ing a footbridge re-creation, is inspired by Monet’s paintings. Guests are welcome to wander the grounds of the resort and even eat in their spa robes. The Din-ing Room fare at Mirbeau is, of course, French-in-spired. The surrounding area? Miles of wine country. Explore a wine trail and experience dozens of food and wine pairings in one visit, or visit during Finger Lakes Wine Month in May.

the lodge at woodloCh, hawley, pa The Lodge at Woodloch combines the natural back-drop of the Poconos with the indulgence of a high-end spa (voted #4 destination spa by Travel and Leisure). It’s hard to believe that the lodge is down the road from the fast-paced Woodloch Pines family resort. But this secluded destination is a decidedly grown-up getaway. The men’s and women’s retreats include quiet pools and treatment areas. And after massag-es and mud masks, eat at the in-house restaurant or at the gourmet chef’s kitchen, where chefs host cook-ing demonstrations. Tour the property’s cranberry bogs, and take a painting or yoga class. Blow off some steam with a round of golf or tennis at the adjacent Woodloch Springs Golf Course. New to Woodloch are the unusual beer-inspired spa treatments and the peaceful butterfly garden. Learn more at thelodgeat-woodloch.com.

the BerkShireS, Ma Located in the highlands of western Massachusetts, the Berkshires were origi-nally the go-to second-home destination for wealthy 19th-century New Yorkers. These days, you don’t have to own a home. Guests can stay at The Blantyre in Lenox, a Gilded Age mansion converted into an inn (www.Blantyre.com), or one of the charming bed and breakfasts dotting the area. Apart from the natural beauty, the big draw is the abundance of arts and cul-ture to be enjoyed in the great outdoors in the sum-mer. Watch a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert at their outdoor Tanglewood retreat (the setting is so natural, even the seats are made from logs). High-lighted 2013 concerts include a Jerry Garcia tribute and a performance of West Side Story (bso.org/tan-glewood). Dance fans should check out Jacob’s Pil-low, one of the nation’s most popular summer dance festivals, in Becket. And get in with the local farm-to-table movement at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge (www.redlioninn.com).

the BeSt oF dutCheSS CouNty, Ny Take the Metro-North to the heart of Dutchess County, where the highlights aren’t just confined to one small town, but are sprinkled throughout the region. Visit the

modern art museum at Beacon, and stay at the Roundhouse at Beacon Falls—with

rooms and art studios overlooking the eponymous falls (roundhousebeacon.com). Take a visit to FDR’s home and library in Hyde Park. The foodie in

you will want to dine at Il Barilotto, a modern Italian eatery in Fishkill (www.

ilbarilottorestaurant.com) and rated one of the best in the area. And

don’t forget the little plac-es nearby: Millbrook—an antiquing hotspot sur-rounded by wineries—or

Millerton, voted “one of

the ten coolest small towns in America,” where Main Street is still alive.

MyStiC, Ct The well-known boating town and home of the Mystic Seaport museum, this Connecti-cut coastal town offers a variety of vacation experi-ences from Mohegan Sun Casino to wineries and art museums. The town of Mystic itself is known for its family atmosphere, but if you are traveling sans kids, you can stay at the tiny Steamboat Inn (steam-boatinnmystic.com) and the waterfront Whaler’s Inn (whalersinnmystic.com). Tuck into a meal at the Oyster Club, where the menu changes daily based on what’s fresh and local. Take a course on boating in Mystic Harbor, or just sip some wine and let some-one else do the work aboard the Schooner Argia sun-set cruises.

loNg iSlaNd’S gold CoaSt Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby is hitting theaters this month, which may be the perfect excuse to visit the area that pro-vided inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Al-though the original “Gatsby house” was demolished two years ago, visitors can still tour the remaining mansions and estates left over from the golden age of Long Island’s North Shore, when it, rather than the South Fork, was the setting for summer homes of the very wealthy, including the Vanderbilts, Roosevelts and Whitneys, among others. (Contact Carole Lucca at www.longislandtourguide.com for more informa-tion.) Guests can even stay at Oheka Castle or Glen Cove Mansion, two sprawling gold coast mansion estates (glencovemansion.com and oheka.com). For a cultural fix, be sure to visit the nearby Nassau Coun-ty Museum of Art, and slake your thirst with a ride through the North Shore vineyards (LIwines.com).

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Twin brothers Mike and Alex Faherty are not your typical beach bums. Mike Faherty spent seven years as a design-er at Ralph Lauren; Alex worked as an investment banker before becoming a vice president at a private equity firm. Yet, having grown up in the coastal town of Manasquan, N.J., their favor-ite childhood memories were made at the shore: navigating the waves atop a surfboard or paddleboard, and holding summer bar-beques at their laid-back family home.

Now, with the cre-ation of Faherty Brand, the duo’s new luxury swimwear line, the boys are going back to their oceans-ide roots. “To us, life’s great moments hap-pen at the beach,” Mike says. “We want to bring that beach vibe to New York City.”

In April, Faherty Brand’s showroom opened for business. In an airy loft space in the Flatiron District, brightly patterned swim trunks and biki-nis hang from shelves made of reclaimed barn-board, while nau-tical touches like model boats and glass buoys lie scattered among them. A surfboard is propped against one wall while hand-dyed Indonesian fabrics cas-cade from another. En-tering this space feels a bit like stepping into another, much more laidback world, far from the buzz and bustle of Fifth Avenue.

“We want to be like trans-porters,” Mike says, “so that when people think about our brand or wear our brand, it takes them away from everyday rigors.”

Faherty Brand has been a life-long dream for the brothers—albeit one that took some time to get off the ground. “I actually wrote my college essay on starting this com-pany,” Mike says. The self-described “left-brain twin,” Mike honed his fashion sensibilities studying fash-ion design at Washington Universi-ty before taking a job as a designer at Ralph Lauren. (Side note: both twins are model-handsome, so much so that once, during an elevator ride with Ralph Lauren, Mike was told by his boss that he should go into modeling. He politely declined.)

Meanwhile, Alex, “the right-brain twin,” went to Yale and worked in in-vestment banking before becoming a V.P. at private equity firm Cerberus Capital. Both decided to quit their jobs last year to focus solely on developing Faherty Brand. For Mike and Alex, corporate and fashion-world glory were only steppingstones to get back to the beach.

“We’re not guys who are driven by money,” Alex adds. “For us, it was more the passion behind this lifestyle.”

Growing up in board shorts, the twins were always frustrated with the lack of men’s swimwear options that were both cool and functional. “There was never a brand out there that we really identified with,” explains Alex.

With Faherty Brand, Mike and Alex were able to envision a line of swim-wear that discerning urban fashion-istos would want to don at their beach houses or on trips to more far-flung coastal locales, while simultaneous-ly showcasing the comfort and utility that they, as surfers, demanded from their trunks. In the design process,

no stitch or button was too small to merit consider-

ation, with Mike perfect-ing minute details from the depth of the pock-ets to the length of the

drawstrings. “We’re addicted to the de-

tails,” he says.Mike and Alex

remain avid surfers, and their de-signs take

inspiration from places visited dur-ing surf trips

around the world. One can find the influence of In-donesian batiks, Kak-ishibu-dyed Japanese textiles and hand-blocked Rajasthani Indian prints.

Faherty Brand’s commitment to style is matched by an empha-sis on sustainability. In lieu of the cheap-er petroleum-based synthetics favored by most designers, the Faherty team de-signed a unique syn-thetic fabric made from recycled plas-tic bottles, which are melted down and re-spun as yarn. There are around seven re-cycled bottles in each

woman’s suit and around 15

in each pair of men’s trunks. “We want to

bring aware-ness, because the

apparel industry is quite destructive

when it comes to natu-ral resources,” explains

Mike. Right now, Faherty Brand can be purchased on-

line at www.fahertybrand.com or in their showroom. But as of May, they will be debuting a pop-up store from which to spread their endless-summer lifestyle. With the help of an architect friend, Mike and Alex have designed a “beach shack on wheels,” a trailer made with reclaimed barn-wood that collapses open to form two porches. This summer, Mike and Alex are road-tripping through the Unit-ed States, trailer in tow, peddling Faherty Brand on the nation’s beaches and boardwalks.

Come summer’s end, they plan to debut a more exten-sive casual clothing collection, with unisex flannel button-ups and organic cotton tees. But—if you had any doubt about their beach-bum bona fi-des—don’t expect to see Faherty Brand being promoted at a runway show.

“We’ll do something renegade, something that feels not like what everyone else is doing,” Mike says with a laugh. “Something with lots of sand, probably.”

[email protected]

mike and alex Faherty took the dive into luxury eco-Friendly SWimWear

By Anna Silman

Cami Underwire Japanese

Floral from the Fahertys’

luxury swim line.

In the design process, no

stitch or button was too small to merit consideration,

with Mike perfecting

minute details from the depth of the pockets

to the length of the drawstrings. ‘We’re addicted to the details,’

he says.

Beach Bonds

Top: Thirsty Owl Wine Company in Finger Lakes Wine Country. Middle: The Lodge at Woodloch. Above: Women chat at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga, NY.

A Tanglewood picnic in the Berkshires.

The New York Observer | May 13, 2013 | C5


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To face the minotaur, I turned to one of the world’s most knowledgeable sources: Terron Schaefer, the executive vice president and chief creative offi-cer of Saks Fifth Avenue. Recognizable as the “Simon Cowell” (his words) of the design competition Fashion Star, where he was Saks’ “buyer” (their words), the impeccably dressed and terrifyingly well-mannered Mr. Schaefer has spent most of his life as a Willy Wonka of haute couture retail.

Working at the marketing division of Doyle Dane Bernbach, he was in charge of clients like Harrods (where Mohamed Al-Fayed had once sug-gested building an indoor roller coaster to attract boys looking for school clothes), Polaroid and Bloomingdales. After a brief respite working in

Cambodia for Doctors without Borders—“I need-ed to get as far away from that world as human-ly possible,” he sighed—Mr. Schaefer landed the

What was I doing

here? I didn’t know my

Valentino from Versace

... hell, I didn’t even

know if those names

corresponded with

real people.

EXORCISING FASHION DEMONSContinued from page C1 premiere gig at Saks, only three blocks away from his first offices at DDB.

Meeting at his office across the street from Saks Fifth Avenue where, in 1923, Adam Gimbel famously began his upscale rival to Macy’s, I admitted that I had never been to the store. I knew enough about the company to know I couldn’t af-ford a bangle, let alone a whole outfit.

Everything Is BeautifulBut this was about the experience. Walking into Saks for the first time was

like going through the looking glass of a regular department store. Here—as they say in Cabaret —everything is beeeuuuuutiful! As I stood gawking at the giant, colorful fish that swam in a window-sized tank across from Coach bags, Mr. Schaefer guided me up to the third floor: the designer floor, which is where I learned how it is that people found themselves in deep, deep credit debt.

I had always assumed that clothes were clothes, and anyone who spent more than a couple hundred dollars on an entire outfit was a sucker. But that was be-fore I walked among the theatrical Oscar de la Renta and Alexander McQueen gowns, the lace and paisley of Erdem, the deceptively simple lines of Akris. At each, Mr. Schaefer pointed out the intricate detail and attention paid to both the clothes and the surrounding envi-ronment: in a room showcasing Japanese and Belgian advanced designers—Com-me des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, Anne Demeulemeester, etc.—there was a black “aqua” table by Zaha Hadid that seemed to defy the laws of gravity; a bronzed wil-low tree chandelier by Michele Oka lit the hallway; the blown-up photo of a Japa-nese basket that was photo-transferred onto the floor design for the Ralph Rucci/Chado boutique.

We spent three hours going through each designer. Halfway through an ex-planation of why a certain designer’s lack of buttons was so important, I could feel myself slipping into a catatonic state of information overload. What was I doing here? I didn’t know my Valenti-no from Versace ... hell, I didn’t even know if those names cor-responded with real people. And the looks I did like were so completely out of my universe, money-wise, it was like being on a clothing safari.

True, I was learning some fashion trends for this sea-son: mesh is in (you could find the sporty material in ready-to-wear Commes des Gar-çons, Jil Sander and, yes, even Burberry, not to mention all those mesh-encased booties from Chanel to Reed Krakoff), tight bandage dresses are in (woe be to anyone with a BMI higher than .02%), and so is a tony punk aesthetic, as real-ized by the infamous Chris-tian Louboutin spikes as well as the prevalence of “takes” on the motorcycle jacket. It was unclear if these seasonal items were inspired by the upcom-ing Met Costume Institute Gala, “Punk: From Chaos to Couture,” or the other way around.

The color “guava” was also thrown around as a high seller this season.

Still, I doubted it would help with my larg-er problem: my complete inability to dress myself. I wanted someone to tell me what I needed to wear in order to look fabulous, how to accessorize without clashing and

then, preferably, hand it to me in my size at no cost.

“Does this store have a layaway plan?” I attempted to joke at the hour-and-a-

half mark, after fingering a gorgeous Michael Kors black and white gown.

Mr. Schaefer gave a half-cough/half-laugh and merci-fully treated the question as rhetorical.

Even more devastating was the fact that I couldn’t just buy whatever the model was wearing

and call it fashionable.“No one buys a whole look,” he had told me

when we arrived on the floor. “I mean, you can, but you’ll hardly see anyone do it. It’s much more of a mix and match.”

I tried to explain that my version of match-ing was wearing two different shades of black,

but we gamely kept going. On and on and on. Fendi, Zoran, Missoni—each designer like a new constella-

tion that needed to be memorized in the fashion universe. This wasn’t fun. It was work!

My Eureka MomentAnd then something strange happened.

Though Mr. Schaefer was gently guiding me by the arm through the first hesitant hour, by the second I was darting away to look at pieces I liked. I stopped doubting that all my choices were ridiculous: After all, if it was being sold at Saks, it couldn’t be a faux pas, right?

Mr. Schaefer knew that I was ready to fly on my own. “I think it’s time you saw your new fa-vorite designer,” he said, with a mischievous smile. “I think you’re going to be a big fan. It’s Stephanie Seymour’s favorite too!” I hon-estly wasn’t sure if I saw the connection. All doubts vanished from my mind, however, as we reached the realm of Azzedine Alaïa.

Like a moth called to the flame of the Tu-nisian-born, France-residing designer, a mo-ment after I walked into the alcove I was banging down the dressing room doors to try on the eggshell-blue Calypso skater dress, the matching, metallic bolero, the pink and black Papier vitrail cut-out dress with its tulle skirt. The Entrelacs dress in its muted pearl, which originally looked so staid, paired so perfectly with the shearling biker jacket in the same color that it attracted a small crowd of bystanders when I stepped out of the changing room to show it to Mr. Schaefer.

“May I ask ... are you a model?” one of the women asked. This lady could have been a plant for all I knew; in that moment, I would have

willingly forked over ... jeez, the $8,145 that the ensemble would have cost me.“Consider it an investment piece,” Mr. Schaefer said, before noting that the

ALAIA was the preferred brand of Peter Brant’s wife, Stephanie Seymour.We barely had time to rush to the Saks shoe floor before the three-hour

mark, a place so overwhelmingly glamorous and gargantuan that Mr. Schaefer had gone to D.C. to petition the postmaster general to give it its own zip code—a brilliant piece of marketing savvy that has led to branding of the department as “10022 Shoe.”

It was there I tried on Kanye West’s Mercury-inspired Sergio Rossi heels (complete with golden wings) and a collection that featured the heel in the middle, instead of the back of the shoe. I marveled at (but didn’t even think of trying) Guiseppe Zanotti razor-thin, 5-1/2-inch heel, or, even more terrifyingly, a 6-1/2-inch wedge with no heel whatsoever, letting the wearer’s soles dangle precariously off the ground, like a high-wire act with no safety net.

Anyway, after conquering the socialite soldier’s baptême de feu that is shop-ping at Saks Fifth Avenue, I figured, the shoes could wait for another day.

[email protected]

NYOmenace to society


F.P. Journe Chronometre

Optimum.

NYOthecollector

This season, men’s watches play to the tune of man’s best adventures and keep time with his style evolutions—whether it be precious metal accents, straps in luxurious materials,

or, of course, split-second-synched mechanical in-novations, because no one wants to be late, unless intentionally and incredibly stylishly so.

Hublot Big Bang Ferrai Red Magic

Carbon.

Audemars Piguet.

Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillion.

The Maestro by Raymond

Weil.

Time for a ChangeLuxury Watches are the urban GentLeman’s

essentiaL styLe statement. here We tick off some of the season’s hiGhest tech, and cooLest trends.

By Jennifer Arellano

Gucci Coupé XL Quartz Chronograph.

Midas TouchThe metal of the season, a touch of rose gold is

all it takes to transform a watch from mere mor-tal-style to godly status. There’s Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Day-Date ($35,550), a classic luxury watch in gold and accompanied with a jeweled face and fluted bezel.

The Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complica-tion by Audemars Piguet ($756,000) has an 18K pink gold case, sapphire dial, and even pink gold hour markers. The Royal Oak is also self-wind-

ing—best to keep your precious golden hours in watchful hands.

speed RaceRInspired by the hairpin-turn world of For-

mula One racing, IWC is releasing a line of watches called “Ingenieur” for the man who just can’t stop moving at breakneck speed. The Ingenieur Auto Carbon Performance ($26,700) has a carbon fiber

dial to withstand any wear and tear. Their Inge-nieur Automatic ($6,600) echoes the hyper-efficien-

cy of the Auto Carbon Performance, but is for the man who prefers to race in a tuxedo. The Big Bang Ferrari Red Magic Carbon ($32,100)

by Hublot is made with a carbon fiber case and bezel and sports a red-tinted sapphire crystal dial, echoing the Ital-ian automaker’s infamous paintjob. Perfect for the speed

demon with a taste for luxury, the Big Bang Ferrari’s face resembles a racecar’s speedometer.

indusTRial RevoluTionHarkening back to the days of steam power, these

watches work with the same principles of efficiency and versatility, with leather-worn looks and gear-head-heavy themes resembling the sooty grit of the first industrial era.

Burberry, known for classic Britannia, has the aptly named The Britain ($1,795), with a rough-and-tumble bolt-looking face, weathered strap, and 40-hour power reserve.

The Chronomètre Optimum ($86,300) by F.P. Journe is made with 18K rose gold. The dial is a no-fuss, minimalist, absolute-essentials-only look, but the watch is built to the strictest of standards to ensure maximum luxu-ry performance.

oh capTain! My capTain!

These watches offer essential GPS-type informa-tion in a more attractive package, for life’s great ad-ventures. The Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master ($11,550) by

Rolex has a deep-blue sea dial and nautical touches like a red second hand. The Histoire de Tourbillon 4 (price upon request)

by Harry Winston is designed for the traveler who has a hankering to defy gravity—literally. The original Tour-

billon watch was patented at the turn of the 19th century in order to solve the disturbed accuracy of pocket watches due to the force of gravity. The latest Tourbillon features rotat-

ing cages so you’ll always know the precise time, no matter the position of the watch.

faiR leaTheR fRiends As watch dials become more technologically ad-

vanced, so must the straps. The G-Timeless Auto-matic by Gucci ($1,295) comes in two variations. One has a brown leather strap in a diamond-checked pattern and the other has a stainless steel strap with contrasting dark dial. But the Maestro ($1,495) by Raymond Weil features a classic leather strap for the man who wants to keep his wrist adornments simple but high-impact.

[email protected]

C10 | May 13, 2013 | The New York Observer


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On a cold Tuesday night in early March, NYO attended a fash-ion show at the Ace Hotel on 29th Street,

produced by New York 3D printing company Shapeways. There was only one item for show, however, and only one model. Still, as su-perstar burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese traipsed up onto the stage wearing the world’s first-ever 3D-printed dress, even Debbie Harry crowded in closer to get a peek at history in the making ... and al-most broke her leg in the process, since she tried to jump up onto a table for a better view. Wearing the Michael Schmidt-designed, nylon-netted gown, created from 17 distinct parts, 3,000 mov-ing joints and over 12,000 black Swarovski crystals, Ms. Von Teese floated like a vamped-up queen up to the stage in a floor-length en-semble that also featured a corset bodice and gravity-defying, tiered bubble sleeves.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” one of Ms. Harry’s friends re-marked after the show. “Aren’t all clothes three-dimensional?”

Oh, if only it were as simple as simply existing in 3D.

Here, in a nutshell, is how 3D printing works: In a process called “additive manufacturing,” a spe-cial kind of printer machine is fed a set of blueprints instead of tradi-tional images or text. Working off the blueprint from the bottom up, the printer extrudes a very fine stream of hot liquid metal, plastic, resin or ceramic powder. When it’s finished with the first incredibly thin slice, or “layer,” the printer begins the second, then the third, and so on, continuing until it has produced a real-life, three-dimen-sional version of the object from the blueprint.

While this emerging technolo-gy has been around in some form or another since the ’70s, it has been so expensive and limited in capabilities that 3D printers have been the equivalent of the room-sized computers with manual-ly inserted punch cards from the same era—only the latter have since evolved into the iPad minis

we all tote around or covet today. It has only been in the past two or three years that 3D printers have become more affordable and—thanks to open-sourcing projects like RepRap—limitless in pos-sible applications in fashion and design. Of course, the potential applications for these printers extends far beyond the realm of apparel: anything from astronau-tics to architecture, weapons to medical equipment, and yes, even food. Though much like the 3D-printed pizza that Hewlett-Pack-ard and Pizza Hut are rumored to be collaborating on, using print-ers to create garments has been an almost completely speculative exercise. Until now.

“It’s been incredibly difficult for fashion designers,” Mr. Schmidt admitted to NYO after the show. He was sitting at a table with Ms. Von Teese and architect/design-er Francis Bitonti, who created the 3D model of the gown based on Mr. Schmidt’s design, which was then printed by Shapeways. “Some have made inroads into the concept, but it’s been mainly in structure.” As opposed to, say, functionality or wearability.

In other words, a designer might make a metal dress from a 3D printer, but it would take the Tin Man’s girlfriend to wear it.

“We’ve been very limited by the material with which you can print,” Mr. Schmidt said.

So yes, Debbie Harry’s friend. It is kind of a big deal.

The Shapeways dress itself was

made out of nylon and was “essen-tially plastic,” Mr. Schmidt said. “It’s designed to have articulation and movement, it’s literally print-ed within the structure.” Each joint of the dress has a mechanism in it that expands and contracts around the body, so that even if the mate-rial itself isn’t fluid by nature, the dress can be. Kind of like those me-dieval chain-mail undershirts, but with a lot more crystals.

Scientists currently are work-ing on creating more malleable synthetics that will work with the 3D operating structure, which re-quires a certain level of rigidity in its materials to recreate a struc-ture from a blueprint. So far, the successes in the fashion world have been limited to objects that use harder alloys: Nike’s Vapor Laser Talon Football Shoe, glass-es from Protos Eyewear, and de-signers who use Makerbot (Asher Levine) or Shapeways (Kim Ovitz)

for their runway show accessories.

Last year, Continuum, a design boutique that works exclusively with 3D-printed materials, collaborated with Shapeways to create the world’s first-ever 3D-printed bikini, made from Nylon 12.

With the exception of the bikini—and Iris van Herpen’s architecturally stunning (but, one imag-ines, functionally im-practical) 2010 collection “Crystallization”—there has not been much impetus for scientists to create soft-er, more flexible materials, like a cotton synthetic, that could withstand the print-ing process. And we don’t blame them; these guys are busy, possibly working on perhaps less frivolous

or more commercial things. The money for the emerging technolo-gy is being funneled in directions other than fashion, like medicine, education, even auto manufactur-ing. After all, if you had funding to create a functional ear or cancer-defeating nanobots versus a cou-ture Dior, which would you pick? Okay, the dress sounds great, we know, but come on ...

Mr. Bitonti—who dedicated his Brooklyn studio to the research and application of new technol-ogies (“specifically algorithmic form generation, smart materials, and interactive environments,” according to his official site)—had worked with 3D printing be-fore, creating full-scale functional furniture. However, this dress was his first fashion foray into what he calls “the next industrial revolution.”

And here’s the catch: Before that evening, Mr. Bitonti had never met Dita Von Teese. He had the dress printed and built to Mr. Schmidt’s specifications on the East Coast, while the designer and the former Mrs. Marilyn Man-son stayed on the West Coast. He had been sent a three-dimension-al model (non-printed, “for now,” Mr. Bitonti pointed out) of the bur-lesque dancer’s body, and had to put together the world’s first 3D-printed dress without being able to make alterations or tailor it on her flesh-and-blood figure. Not the way fashion designers usual-ly work. No wonder he was looking so nervous before the show.

But to the credit of the design-ers, model and printing company, the dress fit like a sparkly black plastic glove.

Shapeways, a Dutch company that was founded as a spinoff in 2007 and expanded to New York in June 2012, doesn’t sell the 3D printers itself, unlike the virtu-al store-cum-SoHo pop-up Mak-erbot. Instead, it offers a service for artists to cre-ate bespoke, one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories from their ma-chines, and then helps them move their products on Shapeways’ own website.

The idea is pret-ty revolutionary, Shapeways head Peter Weijmar-shausen pointed out in a keynote speech at the re-cent 3D Printing Expo. “We are surrounded by mass-produced products, but as humans, we like to customize and personalize our things,” he said. “But after-the-fact customization is expensive. 3D printing technology offers the chance to merge the efficiencies of mass production with the abil-ity to personalize so you can get exactly what you want. It’s dis-rupting the very way we think about manufacturing.” Such is the excitement about this “dis-ruptive” technology that Mr. Wei-jmarshausen announced at the Expo that Shapeways had just re-ceived a $30 million investment.

Shapeways’ process works as such: Users upload their design files, and Shapeways prints out the actual objects. In addition to the objects themselves, design-ers can sell their blueprints to be 3D-printed on demand for cus-

NYOstyle

3D HauTe couTureFirst, there was Dita

By Drew Grant

Bracelets by Blueberries.

3D designers Francis Bitonti and Michael Schmidt.

Each joint of the dress has a

mechanism in it that expands and

contracts around the body, so that even

if the material itself isn’t fluid by nature,

the dress can be. Kind of like those

medieval chain-mail undershirts, but with

a lot more crystals.

Dita Von Teese models the first 3D-printed dress.

A 3D-printed arrowhead necklace.

tomers. As an added perk, Shape-ways offers to handle the financial transaction from designer to cus-tomer, with the profits going to the designer.

and 3d prinTing has been catch-ing on in all areas, not just with a subset of fashion designers. The expo was filled with companies

that make inter-esting toys, knick-knacks, chess sets, even an elec-tric guitar. Anoth-er booth showed how complicated auto parts could be 3D-scanned and reproduced. And accessories are also a popu-lar item, with one jeweler hawking his wares. The

Saturday before the Dita dress un-veiling, Shapeways held another event at the Ace Hotel, a “jewelry bazaar” that included items from Ten Thousand Things, Ursa Major, Verameat, In God We Trust, Lind-sey Adelman, Anna Sheffield and Chris Habana.

As for the dress, we asked Ms. Von Teese how it felt to be wear-ing the world’s first 3D-printed outfit.

“I can honestly say I’ve never worn anything like it ... it was in-credibly form-fitting,” she replied. “Look, it’s not like a tracksuit, or something that I’d wear every day, but it fit exactly right, and the way it moved was...”

Ms. Von Teese paused for a mo-ment to think of the adjective that best described the feeling of wear-ing the history-making apparel.

“Well, it was very interesting.”[email protected]


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“In addition to teaching traditional subjects,” Avenues CEO and co-found-er Chris Whittle has said, “the school takes seriously its mission to prepare students for the world through inten-sive classes in Spanish or Mandarin and by providing them with a global view of geography, history, religion, demo-graphics and economic development across many cultures and countries.”

We always knew that Suri could out-dress us any day, but from the looks of her new school, we’re pretty sure she’ll soon be able to outsmart us, too.

But Back to Those DigsThe Chelsea Mercantile was origi-

nally built as a fabric manufactory in 1908 (that’s exactly 90 years before the premiere of Dawson’s Creek, the show that marks Ms. Holmes’ debut, in case you slept through that pop culture mo-ment). Nowadays—with the influx of trendy galleries, restaurants and shop-ping spots in the neighborhood—the historic textile building has been trans-formed into more than 350 luxury con-dos that house the likes of Marc Jacobs, Jane Fonda and Lance Bass, along with Katie and Suri. It boasts an interior gar-den, full gym, parking garage, and a 10,000-square-foot roof deck, and yet still retains charming elements of its turn-of-the-century origins.

“The Chelsea Mercantile is real-ly cool,” says Corinne Pulitzer, execu-tive vice president of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, which has sold a number of units at the Chelsea Mercantile in re-cent years. “The building has the infra-structure of a factory building, with the very high nine-foot ceilings. Some of the apartments have exposed brick walls.”

Sensible Katie probably chose the apartment for the distinctly down-town flavor but slightly more conve-nient location. She’s not a kid anymore, after all. “The apartments have a loft feel, but you don’t have to go down to Soho or Tribeca, which I think is a big pull for people,” Ms. Pulitzer says. “It’s great to live down there, [but] it’s a hard lifestyle selection if someone’s in the theater, or [working] in midtown.”

The Chelsea Mercantile is also per-fect for anyone with a seven-year-old daughter. “The building has a chil-dren’s playroom,” says Ms. Pulitzer. “I can see how [Ms. Holmes] came to choose it.”

The diversity of the Chelsea neigh-borhood may also be responsible for attracting celebrities like Ms. Holm-es. From the threshold of the Chelsea Mercantile, residents can reach avant-garde art galleries, elite eateries and fine retail all on foot (or by chauffeur, of course). “The neighborhood has such diverse attractions that it gets a really good mix of different types of people who are seeking [something] cool and edgy,” Ms. Pulitzer says, “as opposed to the Upper East Side, which I wouldn’t call cool or edgy.”

The Star Grocery Shops, TooOn the ground floor of Ms. Holmes’s

apartment building is a cozy Whole Foods Market, where the actress is known to regularly shop. The Daily News photographed her there last sum-mer, trying on cowboy hats with daugh-ter Suri as the pair shopped for a Fourth of July meal.

Though she had been spotted inside the organic food mecca, reporters last summer—who crowded Ms. Holmes’s

building shortly after she moved in—were wondering why they rarely spot-ted their target entering Whole Foods. Hillary Reinsberg, a staff member at BuzzFeed, explained the popular theo-ry that gradually circulated among the crowd of Holmes seekers: “Nearly every lingering photographer seemed to have figured out that Holmes has a way of getting into the store from inside her swanky apartment building,” Ms. Re-insberg wrote in a July 2012 article.

We needed to know: Is it a secret re-volving bookshelf, activated by touch-ing a certain tome? Does she enter through a nondescript girls’ bathroom, á la Harry Potter and the Chamber of Se-crets? Can Katie Holmes teleport?

We ask a Whole Foods employee if Ms. Holmes really has a private entrance to the grocery store. He laughs—he has heard the rumor before. But, he says, there’s definitely no secret entrance for the rich and famous. “There’s no Batcave in here, there’s only one door.” Like al-most everyone else we spoke to for this story, except the vocal Ms. Pulitzer, the real estate agent, this employee declines to be named, citing company policy.

While Ms. Holmes shops at Whole Foods, her “team” reportedly favors the more casual deli across the street. According to Amen, who does give his first name, and works behind the coun-ter at Chelsea Gourmet Deli, “She sends her bodyguard in every morning—it’s one major guy who comes in.” He notes that the bodyguard frequently buys sandwiches, drinks and snacks.

And when it comes to eating out, Ms. Holmes has no shortage of choices in Chelsea. “The restaurants—my God, you never have to cook!” Ms. Pulitzer gushes.

Back in Beverly Hills, Ms. Holmes was known to be a fan of Crumbs Bak-ery. Luckily for Ms. Holmes, she can feed her sweet tooth on the East Coast,

too; there’s a Crumbs a block away from her Chelsea apartment. And in-deed she has visited the cupcake shop. “It wasn’t a big interaction, but she was very nice,” says the manager of Crumbs when asked about Ms. Holmes’s visit to the bakery. She admits feeling a little star-struck: “I pretended like it wasn’t Katie Holmes!”

Nearby is also the trendy Meatpack-ing District, whose cobblestone streets are clustered with the hottest bars and restaurants in the city. “I’m sure [Ms. Holmes] hangs out there a lot,” Ms. Pu-litzer says. “You have the Ganesvoort, all of these fabulous hotels and clubs. The Standard is there too, and they have that beer garden in the summer. It’s a really high-energy neighborhood.”

Living the Active LifeOf course, for a celebrity with a phy-

sique like Ms. Holmes’ and modeling and film contracts, along with great cupcakes come great demands for car-dio. Though Ms. Holmes ventures out-side of Chelsea to attend spin classes at SoulCycle, the actress is also known to frequent the Chelsea Piers, an expan-sive, multi-purpose athletic complex along the Hudson River, just blocks from her apartment, although this might be more for Suri’s benefit than her moth-er’s. Last summer, photographers spot-ted Ms. Holmes taking Suri to a Chelsea Piers gymnastics class.

If Suri tires of gymnastics, there’s always ice skating to try (and adorable skating dresses to wear while doing it), golf, bowling, boating and facilities for just about any kind of kid party.

But there is at least one sport Ms. Holmes enjoys partaking of at Chelsea Piers. An employee at Chelsea Brewing Company—a microbrewery and restau-rant that’s part of the Chelsea Piers—says that Ms. Holmes is reportedly quite the alley cat.

“She goes bowling,” the employee says. “What’s interesting is they offer the private room—they have a private room with eight lanes—but they don’t want it. They want to be in public.” Bowling in plain sight. Pretty brave.

Shopping AroundMs. Holmes is known to be a long-

time fan of Anthropologie; lucky for her, the store has a retail space in Chelsea Market, an easy walk from Ms. Holmes’s apartment.

We swing by Anthropologie’s Chel-sea location in the hopes of spotting the actress—or at least finding out if she’s a frequent visitor. A friendly employee confirms our suspicions, noting that Ms. Holmes often comes into the store to grab a few things. “She’s a loyal cus-tomer,” the sales representative says. “She’s an Anthro girl!”

One Columbia grad student and fre-quent Anthropologie shopper describes the time she and her roommate spotted Ms. Holmes at the Chelsea Market store: “I was admiring bowls and glasses and first saw her from the periphery,” the source says. “I walked over to my room-mate and asked her to look for me again to confirm. Katie Holmes said, ‘Let’s go, sweetie’—she was with Suri, and they were looking at plates. I also checked out next to them and she asked about different colors for table settings.”

The student also reports that on that day in November, Ms. Holmes’s overall style was pretty casual. “From what I remember, [she wore] a long gray cardi-gan, jeans and short boots,” she says.

Ms. Holmes has also been seen check-ing out other spots in the famed indoor market, which houses popular joints like Morimoto, Friedman’s Lunch and Sarabeth’s Kitchen.

Walk a little farther south to the Meatpacking District and you’ll hit even more high-end clothing shopping destinations: Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney all have shops there. And the shopping options are only con-tinuing to grow: “On the corner of 14th Street toward the West Side Highway, one of my favorite gas stations is now going to be 20,000 square feet of re-tail right by the Highline,” Ms. Pulit-zer says. It’s a market that’s certainly perfect for a fashionista like Ms. Holm-es—or even a budding fashionista or a budding one.

[email protected]

midst the chic-est clubs and restaurants of New York City’s Meatpack-ing District sits the bright pink home of

an even bigger trend. Blow, sit-uated at 342 West 14th Street, is just one of the many essen-tial blow-out stops getting penciled into the overflow-ing schedules of Gotham’s hip-pest women. Blow-dry bars are taking the wash, cut, color and style hair-salon cycle to a one-stop, celeb-worthy style service.

“In New York City, there is always an occasion for a blow-out,” Diana Pratasiewicz, a manager at Blow, says above the roar of blow driers and quaint music. “Whether it’s an important meeting, or you’re not feeling so great and you just want to give yourself an instant makeover, or it’s an event with the girls.” Put sim-ply, there’s never not a good time for a blowout, except pos-sibly when you’ve just had one.

It is a regular Friday after-noon at Blow: the appointment book tightly packed, the swivel chairs lining the length of the salon fully occupied, and the bustle of the street outside ri-valing the bustle of customers inside.

“We have women who have standing appointments with us: they come in on Mondays and they come in on Fridays,” says Ms. Pratasiewicz, talk-ing as swiftly as the stylists are working. “We’re seeing more and more women fit that Blow Pro blowout into their schedule.”

The “groomers” meticulous-

ly attend to every stray hair while clients peruse maga-zines, taking a minute to relax or, if they aren’t running to another appointment, taking a few more minutes to get a manicure simultaneously with their blowout—an added ser-

vice at Blow. Maria Peterson, her hair

sectioned off in clips, and nails being coated with a bright red sheen, blushes as we ap-proach her. “I’ve become very dependent on these servic-es,” she says. Her dependency is closing in on a decade; she has been a client at Blow since 2005. “It’s such a time saver,” she adds. One stylist, drier in his left hand, round brush in his right, is tackling Ms. Peter-son’s auburn hair, while a sec-ond beauty professional works on her nails.

If two stylists and a 45-min-ute grim-to-glam transition isn’t quick and accom-modating enough, Blow has partnered with Nordstrom department stores to launch outposts in the West Coast and with Macy’s in Herald Square to offer an even more time-saving range of services. The goal is to take efficien-cy another step for-ward with dry-style pods—an express blowout that revives style without a wash.

Blow’s competitors aren’t simply “on the map,” they’re all over it. At Drybar, you can

get your blowout with a glass of champagne whether you’re in Tribeca, Flatiron, Midtown, the Upper East Side or Murray Hill.

Anna Cooperberg, a stu-dent at Columbia’s Journalism School, considers herself a Dry-

bar regular. “Everything is taken care of, it’s

very dependable,” she says. “Every detail is attended to.”

From the “Straight Up” classic blowout

to the “Mai Tai” (a sexy, beach-hair

look) to the “Shirley Temple” (cute curls for the divas ten and under), Drybar has managed to put a modern spin on your grandmother’s beau-ty salon, and women

(sometimes even men) of all ages seem on board with the trend.

“If you have to go some-where you can just hop in and hop out if you have an appoint-ment,” says Sahar Saleem, a 21-year-old client at Drybar. “A lot of women are devoted to that.”

Ms. Saleem also admits that although “$40 isn’t bad to get your hair done,” it wasn’t her top priority when it comes to spending decisions. And in a period when full-service hair salons are losing profits as consumers cut back on cuts and perms, a venture in this industry may seem more risky than opportune.

This didn’t stop stylist Robin Moraetes and uber-styl-ist Rachel Zoe, CEOs at Dream-Dry, from opening their first location in New York’s Flatiron District on Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, Ms. Moraetes in-forms us that although the passé, regular hair salon in-dustry is suffering difficulties in the market, the “quick-ser-

vice blow-dry industry has seen a 30 percent increase in the last year.”

Apparently, primetime Saturday appointments at DreamDry have to be booked weeks in advance. Not bad for the barely three-month-old establishment. “Our busiest time is early Monday morn-ing,” says Ms. Moraetes. “The busiest days are Fridays and Saturday mornings, by far.” Luckily, they’re open as early as 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

“We always want to look and feel the best we can,” Ms. Mo-raetes says, attributing near-magical powers to DreamDry’s services. With a blowout, “you feel like you can pretty much accomplish anything.” DreamDry’s target woman is the mother, the daughter, the CEO, the assistant: actually, DreamDry’s target woman is “everyone.”

[email protected]

Coming to BlowsBlow Bars are springing up like daffodils all over Manhattan, and giving the traditional hair salons a run for their Money.

By Jane Gayduk

‘If you have to go somewhere you can just hop in and hop out if you have an

appointment,’ says Sahar Saleem,

a 21-year old client at Drybar. ‘A lot

of women are devoted to that.’

A woman enjoys a mani and blowout

at Blow.

NYOprofile

HOLMES NEW YORKINContinued from page C1

Katie Holmes takes her daughter Suri on a bike ride along the West Side bike path.

Rachel Zoe and Robin Moraetes

celebrate the opening

of DreamDry.

Ms. Holmes has been spotted at Crumbs Bakery, left, which is a block away from her Chelsea apartment, right.

C16 | May 13, 2013 | The New York Observer

“No more coral!” declares Mary Kate McGrath, picking up a party napkin emblazoned with the twig-gy red theme so ubiquitous of late.

We’re on a shopping trip in Tribeca, scouting warm-weather home touches that don’t have anchors, palm trees or any of the other usual seasonal suspects.

“Summer is not the time to pretend suddenly that you are an avid fisherman or yachtsman,” says Ms. McGrath, the editor of PureWow, a daily lifestyle email for readers who have graduated from Dai-lyCandy. “You don’t need rope everything or shell plates. You don’t need those in the city. Hello, you’re in a walkup.”

I first met Ms. McGrath when she was the de-sign market editor at InStyle, which meant that she got paid to shop for items for the magazine’s home section. Such editors tend to be the envy of those with lesser jobs, as well as taste, and her own per-suasions are crisp and preppy with a dash of humor and DIY whimsy. Ms. McGrath’s favorites are Eddie Ross, Ruthie Sommers and Mark D. Sikes.

PureWow’s motto is “Elevate the everyday,” a credo that suits Ms. McGrath. While office drones the world over sip filtered water from morning-breath-infused plastic souvenir cups, at InStyle, Ms. McGrath would bring a glass carafe to the cool-er and pour it into a cocktail tumbler, out of plea-sure rather than affect. She kept her stationery in a lucite box, all the better to actually use it. And her desk was never cluttered with the usual office de-tritus—all the drab stuff was neatly tucked away to make room for a spiky orb from Kelly Wearstler, a gilded snakeskin tray that doubled as her “inbox,” and a humongous Jo Malone candle. “It’s all about hiding the stuff you don’t want people to see—it makes for a better-looking life,” she said.

When it comes to summer home design, she likes to make a moment of it, much the same way some people approach fall and winter holidays: “I don’t have a summer house, so I have to find summer in everyday ritual,” says Ms. McGrath, who lives with her husband and two-year-old son on the Upper West Side. “Have sheets you only use during the summer. The rest of the year, pack them away.”

On a recent afternoon, she found lots of inspira-tion at three Tribeca shops: Stella, a bed-and-bath emporium; Roberta Roller Rabbit, where colorful prints are splashed across beachy clothes and home items; and Steven Alan Home, which feels like the Catskills getaway of a mod urban farmer. (“Instead of the awkward, ‘Hey, so glad you came, but do you know where those cute little baskets went?’ I can just buy, and not pocket, all his amazing finds,” she says.)

Even more than bright accessories, Ms. McGrath explains summer style chiefly as an absence of wintery clutter —putting silverware on the coun-ter and hiding your menus in the drawer. That type of thing. “Summer is a clean slate, a chance to re-move the cobwebs and do the life you don’t normal-ly do,” she says. “For a couple of months, pretend the guests are coming tonight and hide all the crap you don’t like in your life.” Just don’t hide it in a cap-tain’s trunk.

• Stella, 184 Duane St. (212) 233-9610• Roberta Roller Rabbit, 176 Duane St.(212) 966-0076• Steven Alan Home, 158 Franklin St. (646) 402-9661

Anchors Away!SUMMER UP YOUR PLACE

WITHOUT DRIFTING OUT TO SEA

‘You don’t need rope everything.’

By Faye Penn

‘These chair covers are so tongue in cheek. You have to add something funny to the mix. I would unabashedly tell everyone that they’re Ikea chairs underneath.’ (Chair cover, $135, Roberta Roller Rabbit.)

‘Put this by the front door and throw all of your summer shoes and sandals in it. Or buy six new white towels. Then roll them up instead of folding them and stash them inside.’ (Large nesting boxes, $65, Roberta Roller Rabbit) ‘You know what you do with these? You never plant them. You never rip them open. You just have them around the house, and you’re like, oh, I’m a gardener.’ (Doug Johnston baskets, $36 to $175. Hudson Valley seeds, $4, Steven Alan.) ‘I love blue and

white. I think humans are innately drawn to that color scheme. Every year you can add in different towels and they’ll always go together. You don’t need a matching set of Waverly towels.’ (Yoshii mini-guest towel, $8.75, Stella)

‘If you like how things are displayed in a store, try it at home. Just take a piece of crystal or even a glass hurricane vase and throw in a bunch of soaps. I once gave a friend a year of hand soaps. It cost me $80.’ (Claus Porto Classical & Fantasia Soaps, $13, Stella.)

Mary Kate McGrath,

editor-in-chief of

PureWow.

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NYOwine

Hey, Burgundy fans: What’s the best Beaujolais you’ve had lately? If I’ve lost you en-tirely, it’s because I’m doing it

on purpose to prove several points that I’ll clear up now, starting with this: Beaujolais is the best Burgundy you will ever pay so little for, and it’s exact-ly what you should be sipping this spring and summer. Beaujolais is also, in my opinion, the most misunderstood wine region in France, thanks to the unfortu-nate fact that it’s technically part of Burgundy.

As Burgundy’s southernmost region, Beaujolais is distinctly different from its neighbors to the north, beginning with the fact that Beaujolais wines are made exclusively with the Gamay grape, while Pinot Noir is the reigning vari-ety of Burgundy “proper.” It’s also worth mention-ing that it’s a lot warmer in Beaujolais than in Burgun-dy, which means the wines are fruitier and friendlier in general.

In fact, Beaujolais is so completely autonomous from Burgundy that it even has its own ranking system for quality. But you probably don’t think of “Beaujolais” and “qual-ity” in the same sentence. That’s no doubt because of that pesky “party wine” known as Beaujolais Nouveau, which makes its debut on the third Thursday of every November to celebrate the grape har-vest. Beaujolais Nouveau is not meant to be a serious or long-lasting wine; it’s meant to share a toast to good for-tune, and then move on to better stuff. The problem for Beaujolais is that most people simply move on to another re-gion entirely, instead of pursuing real Beaujolais from the so-called top crus, the ones that are so flavorful, concen-

trated and delicious that they’re often compared with Burgundy, even though they command only a fraction of Bur-gundy prices.

Now that we’ve cleared up the confu-sion between Burgundy and Beaujolais, it gets even more confusing because the best Beaujolais—the ones that hail from

10 hillside villages in the northern part of Beaujolais—doesn’t use the word “Beaujolais” on their labels. Why? Because the French love to torture us! While those wines are categorized as “Cru Beaujolais,” vintners list only the name of the village where the grapes were grown.

You’ve probably seen some of them while wine shopping but had no idea what they were. The 10 crus are: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Régnié, Moulin-à-Vent and St-Amour. What sets these wines apart from even very good Beaujolais-Villages (made from grapes grown within the 39 villages that comprise the region) is their intensely fresh flavors of just-picked ber-ries and cherries. But they go deeper in flavor, too, often toward dark choco-late, without the bitter-

ness. These wines tend to be soft and easy-drinking,

and they’re also easier to pair with food than, say, a brawny Cabernet or Bordeaux. My favorite part of all is that their refreshing acidity makes them perfect for chilling, as you’ll readily see at French bistros in warm weather, where you’re guaranteed to find a bot-tle of Brouilly in the ice bucket along-side Champagne.

Journalist, sommelier, educator, author and raconteur Anthony Giglio is one of the most entertaining wine, spirits, food and lifestyle authorities on the planet.

The Cool CruChilled Beaujolais is perfeCt for warm-weather sipping

By Anthony Giglio

Recommended Wines:2011 Château de Pizay Morgon

If you can’t get to the Château de Pizay, an estate dating back to the middle Ages that features a four-star hotel and restaurant, this wine will put you in a Beaujolais state of mind—if not in body. morgon crus are known for their ability to age, which accounts for the darker, black fruit aromas and flavors in this silky, moderately tannic wine that’s begging to be paired with rillettes slathered on a baguette.

2011 Domaine Diochon Moulin-A-Vent Vieilles VignesBernard Diochon makes wine just like his father did when he founded

the winery in 1935, employing a light touch that lets the soil inform the character of grapes that grow on vines upward of 100 years old. The resulting wines are deeply minerally, intensely focused, with fresh berry fruit and formidable tannins.

2011 Chateau de la Chaize Brouilly Cru BeaujolaisFrom one of the oldest, most historic (and innovative)

estates in Brouilly, the largest cru in Beaujolais, comes this silky, supple sipper brimming with berry fruit and bright acidity.

2011 Domaine des Grands Fers FleurieLovely violet flower aromas are telltale

characteristics of Gamay from Fleurie (which means “blossomed”), leading to flavors of candied cherry, cranberry and a hint of lavender.

2011 Paul Janin et Fils Moulin-a-Vent Clos du Tremblay From old-vines Gamay—between 80 and 100

years—comes this spicy, peppery, elegant red kissed with raspberry fruit, soft tannins and a minerally, moderately tannic finish.

2010 Georges Duboeuf Saint-Amour While easy to share with a loved one, this full-

bodied powerhouse of a Gamay is not just for Valentine’s Day. It’s delightfully spicy, chalky and chewy, and as such best enjoyed paired with something formidable.

The New York Observer | May 13, 2013 | D 3

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unadulterated, unpasteurized,” Mr. Gray says after the party. “It means beautiful. It means fresh.” It’s not about class, race or geography. To be ghetto is to hustle.

Ghetto Gastro began as a passion project in August of last year, but it’s turning into a full-time enterprise for Mr. Gray. When the company had its first party in February, there was no website, no business cards, no real plan for the future—only a single party for Solange Knowles to the company’s credit. Now cli-ents include Ralph Lauren and Jack Daniels.

Sway Calloway, a rapper and MTV VJ, sees Ghetto Gastro as pioneer-ing hip-hop food, in its blending of the real and the refined. A$ap Rocky and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan are also regulars at Ghetto Gastro’s Freestyle Friday events, where the chefs test recipes on friends. There, fish and chips becomes delicately fried blowfish served with blue pota-to crisps. Droplets of chickpea puree dot the plates to look like peas and give the dish a pop of color. General Tso’s is similarly deconstructed: the Styrofoam staple is transformed into a confit of cubed poultry beside pan-fried ginger hair, all over creamed vegetables arranged in the shape of the yin-yang symbol.

THE MISSION TO RECLAIM “ghet-to” comes from a sense of pride. Mr. Gray, along with Ghetto Gastro chefs Malcolm Livingston and Lester Walker, grew up a few blocks from one another in the Bronx. (Mr. Levin hails from Florida.) Mr. Walker had a particularly challenging childhood. His father was absent and drug deal-ers were an enticing influence. “Peo-ple on my block, they were cooking other things,” Mr. Walker says. “Not food.”

Mr. Walker got into trouble of his own on occasion, and found sanc-tuary from the chaos outside in his mother’s kitchen. She was not a chef who started from scratch, fa-voring Ragu over a ripe tomato, but always put her own spin on the store-bought. To a young Mr. Walker, her lasagna was mythical. The smell of garlic would often waft into his bed-room and he would join his mother stoveside.

“I would just put down whatever I was doing and run into the kitchen and open up pots and taste stuff,” he remembers. “She hated that.” His own palate evolved quickly, and in 1998, in his senior year at his fourth high school, he won a prestigious scholar-ship from the Careers through Culi-

nary Arts Program (C-Cap).Richard Grausman, the celebrated

educator and founder of C-Cap, re-members seeing Mr. Walker cook for the first time. “He had good hands,” Mr. Grausman says. “He used his knife well and he was comfortable in the kitchen. He moved well.” He has watched Mr. Walker make the jump from a cook to a chef, finding his way into the city’s premier kitchens.

But it wasn’t a straight line for Mr. Walker. “I always had one foot in the streets, one foot in the kitchen,” Mr. Walker says. He was torn between the world he knew and the rush of the restaurant world, the tightly packed bodies and strict leadership of the chef. He found the chaos comforting and, in many ways, familiar.

In 2006, he made a choice. He started working at Spice Market and Jean-Georges became his “big broth-er.” The food was foreign, Mr. Walk-er says, and the work was tough, but worth it. “The only Chinese food I grew up with was chicken wings and fried rice. I didn’t know there were so many different ingredients: lem-ongrass, Thai chili, Thai basil,” Mr. Walker says.

AfTER SpENdINg MANy yEARS un-schooling themselves in street talk to move up in the restaurant world, there’s a sense of marvel among Ghetto’s chefs that they can be them-selves in the kitchen.

“I don’t think anyone is cooking the way we’re cooking,” says Mr. Walker. “We’re young men from the Bronx, pretty tough neighborhoods, you would never expect us to do the food that we do. You’d see a picture of us and you’d say, ‘Those guys? They can’t be good chefs. They look like street guys.’”

Their downscale presentation pays homage to their roots; Arctic char will hide inside a Crown Fried Chicken box. A table will be covered in newspapers in lieu of linen. Won-der Bread is favored over French ba-guettes—and, for a certain kind of client, that’s what they want.

“We did a dinner party once and we used Olde English 40 bottles as carafes,” says Mr. Livingston. “Peo-ple didn’t think twice about it. We just took the labels off and they loved it.” This summer, they plan to host a series of riffs on the classic fish fry, featuring hopscotch courts, double Dutch ropes and stickball.

The high-low vibe is what attract-ed Daria Brit-Greene, who hired the fledgling company to cater a din-ner at the home of street art collec-tor Natalie Kates for a SCOPE event. The caterers were charged with cre-ating dishes inspired by Ms. Kates’s reserve of urban art as well as her home’s Bowery location. “They’re bringing in the Asian culture of Grand Street with a foie gras dump-ling and the Jewish culture of the Lower East Side with a deconstruct-ed Reuben,” Ms. Brit-Greene tells The Observer. The chefs are genu-ine, she says, and their food is ridic-ulously good.

They’re also trying to seed a food scene uptown. They’ve led nutrition-al classes at local grammar schools and hope to soon have cooking pro-grams for single mothers and at-risk youths with the help of C-Cap. “You don’t hear about the Bronx as being an oasis of food,” Mr. Grausman says. “The Bronx is wide open.”

THE CROwd AT THE Le Baron event is a mix of old friends and friends of friends who seem to have discovered Ghetto Gastro’s style for the first time. Partygoers get close and kiss on the dance floor. When the stripper performs an upside-down pole ma-neuver, a woman with a pixie haircut seizes the opportunity to participate in the act and gets handsy.

Mr. Gray is flanked on both sides by people wanting more.

“Where is your restaurant?” one man asks. “Do you have a card?”

A woman demands, “When is your next event?”

“We don’t have a card or a restau-rant,” Mr. Gray responds, smiling. He had just ordered a sample pack of 25 cards, but had already given them out. “We try to keep things under-ground,” he says, “not unnoticed.”

[email protected]

Continued from page C1

NYOfood

A Crumble in the Bronx

Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Chive Crème Fraiche

Lester Walker

2 cups multicolor baby beets1/2 cup roasted shallots2 roasted garlic cloves1/4 cup red wine vinegar1 tablespoon blood orange zest1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1 pinch ground black peppermaldon salt to taste1/2 cup creme fraiche1 ounce chopped chives

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees.2. Wrap whole beets in foil with olive oil and salt and place in oven until

fork-tender, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.3. Wrap whole shallots and garlic in foil and place in oven until golden,

approximately 10 to 12 minutes.4. While hot, use a hand towel to peel skin off beets, shallots and garlic.5. Cut beets into 1-inch dice.6. Finely dice shallots and garlic.7. place beets, shallots and garlic in mixing bowl along with rest of

ingredients, mix well and let marinate in fridge for at least an hour.8. Finely slice chives and fold into crème fraiche in separate mixing bowl

and add salt to taste. serving: place beet salad in bowl and add small dollop of crème fraiche to top and garnish with micro cilantro.sWerVe that WaVe Up!

Clockwise from top: Dan Levin, Jon Gray, Malcom Livingston and Lester Walker after Freestyle Friday; a waitress carries chicken and waffles at Le Baron, Mr. Walker slices into a blood orange; a dancer entertains at Le Baron, a man readies dollar bills; green waffles at Ghetto Gastro’s first event.

D 4 | May 13, 2013 | The New York Observer

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It’s springtime in new York again—that short slice of heaven squeezed be-tween the long cold winter and the long hot summer—and the real estate market appears to be sprouting green

shoots in celebration. For real this time. The kind of growth that the professionals seem to think can really last. That’s cer-tainly the take that Diane Ramirez, presi-dent and co-founder of Halstead Property, shared in a recent interview. And she has some solid evidence to back that up, un-mistakable trends she has spotted that in-dicate a kind of vigor in the market that is sustainable. The market, she posits, has become unfrozen, people are feeling less stuck, and rather than sitting tight with what they’ve got, they’re upsiz-ing, downsizing, and just generally moving on with their lives. “That,” she insightfully says, “is what real estate is all about.”

And it is just that movement, that loosen-ing up, that could point to a way out of the Manhattan market’s biggest quandary, the shortage of inventory. Sure, there are some developments in the pipeline, but people moving in and out create a more dynamic market. In the meantime, Halstead, the inventor of the storefront real estate office in Man-hattan, continues to grow its own green shoots, with new offices sprouting up in Washington Heights and another planned for Southampton.

We chatted with Ms. Ramirez, a 35-year veteran of the business and grandmother of five who has herself dabbled in develop-ment, about the state of the market, and why she is feeling bullish this spring.

Q: What’s your take on Manhattan’s real estate market now? Everyone seems to feel that it is really heating up.A: The market cannot get any hotter than it has been. The last six months, everyone you speak to is breathless, the agents, the man-agers. The market is very hot.

Q: Has it flipped from being a buyers’ market back to the sellers?A: It is a sellers’ market, but you still must be properly priced. The sky is not the limit. We are starting to push the market for sell-ers more, but if you go out of the realm of

reality, you lose your entrée into the market. And then people remem-

ber your property as being over-priced.

But if you are well-priced, at most price points, most-ly two bedrooms and up, you are going to get mul-tiple bids.

Q: If buyers are getting priced out of Manhat-

tan, where can they go? Brooklyn?

A: Brooklyn is very hot. In some instances they are seeing Manhat-

tan-like prices. We just opened an office in Wash-

ington Heights. In Washington Heights and Hudson Heights, prices are very attractive, and it’s beautiful up there. Water views, pre-war buildings.

We picked up Stein-Perry, a very well-re-spected firm in Washington Heights. Gus Perry, who heads up that firm, knows the area very well. We love growing with some-one who is well known in the community. We’re interested in the Upper West Side, all the way up to the Bronx. And we remain committed to Harlem as well.

Q: Do you have any other expansion plans?A: We have also expanded in the Hamp-tons. We are in East Hampton and we will open in Southampton. Our group is very strategic.

Q: What is your advice to buyers right now? A: If you are looking to buy, get in there, and if you see something you like, don’t hesitate. The market is truly back. We are not seeing huge spikes, but it is starting to rise. Go for it aggressively. If you lose one, it will likely be more expensive next time around. The trend is that prices are steadily rising. I think that’s going to continue for a couple of years. Don’t try to time the market. Any area that touches Manhattan and is well served by transpor-tation is bound to rise.

Q: What is your person-al approach to real es-tate? Where do you live, for instance?A: I live on the Upper East Side now. I’ve been back here for five years. I love change and love to try new neighborhoods. It’s nice to live in the 60s. My husband and I and the children are all settled nearby. We take in everything the city has to offer. Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall. Culturally, it can’t be beat. I find New York very healthy. It’s so diverse.

Before this, I was downtown. We tried FiDi. And before that I tried Tribeca. I hadn’t experienced living in a loft, so I wanted to try that. We bought the top floor and the air rights, and then my son and I did a joint venture where we built two apartments. Then we bought a garage on Greenwich and Hubert and put plans together for a seven-story building. We did not end up building it, but we sold the plans. They built it exactly to our specifi-cations. My son bought a fabulous town-house in the 30s. And my daughter is not too far away in Connecticut. We’ve got five wonderful grandchildren altogether.

Q: Real estate professionals talk about how little inventory there is in the city. Is there anything in the pipeline that is going to change that?A: There is nothing that is going to open the floodgates, but new development is starting to come online.

But more significantly, people are re-ally getting on with their lives, and that is where the break in the inventory is going to happen. People have been hold-ing tight for a while, and staying put. Now they are moving on with their lives,

and that is what real es-tate is all about. Peo-ple going from having two to three bedrooms, having another child, or downsizing after the kids leave. Getting stuck is not healthy. It’s refreshing what’s going on now. We are seeing more movement in the resale market and we are returning to a much more normal ebb and flow.

We will still have tight inventory. Inven-tory is going to be a problem, but it’s going

to get a little better. This is where I differ from some of my colleagues.

Q: Who is buying these days? A: Everyone is thinking real estate again. First-time buyers, young people coming to the city. People whose children have left home are moving into the city, and families still want to be here. For-eigners still know that New York City is a great place to be.

It is unlike Connecticut and New Jer-sey, where we also have offices. There you tend to see one kind of buyer. Here it is much more diverse.

Another thing that we are seeing is that people are starting to look again for fixer-uppers, whereas before everyone wanted only finished apartments that needed no work. The fact that people are looking for fixer-uppers, where they can make their own dream home, is another sign of optimism and a healthy market.

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Hot TownHalstead’s diane RamiRez spots some of tHe Hidden

tRends tHat aRe flipping tHe maRket Back to tHe selleRs

By Janet Allon

‘People have been holding tight for a while, and staying put. Now they are

moving on with their lives, and that is what real estate

is all about.’

Diane Ramirez.

T hough manhattan real estate was spared the worst of the eco-nomic downturn and foreclosure crisis after the crash of 2008, the credit crunch has affected every

would-be purchaser who wasn’t paying all cash in the past few years. Yes, mortgages were technically available, provided you were the perfect, blemish-free candidate with sky-high credit scores, eons of rising pay stubs and impressive, consistent tax returns year after year buying into a solid, well-managed building in-sured for every kind of natural—and seemingly supernatural—catastro-phe.

But what kept every-thing humming along was those tempting in-terest rates—hovering at historic lows, then de-clining just a little more. Most sensible apartment owners at least figured out that refinancing was a good idea—some were late to the party—but that activity kept the mortgage bank-ers busy.

One banker that kept very busy this year was National Cooperative Bank, which lends to over 50 percent of the co-ops in the region. “More co-ops are looking to bor-row for capital improvement projects and refinance existing debt saddled with high-er interest rates,” says Ed Howe, managing director of NCB in New York. “Because of this, last year was record-setting (arrang-ing $872 million worth of underlying loans in New York in 2012) as boards worked to insure the financial health of their proper-

ties in the future. This low-interest-rate en-vironment means co-ops are taking a more aggressive amortization schedule, and pay-ing down more of the principal now. With rates so low, they will eventually rise, and cooperatives are protecting themselves by lowering debt obligations in the future, by paying more now.”

As for individual purchasers, during the molasses-like recovery, there were those for whom purchasing apartments just wasn’t

an option—the bar for getting a mortgage was just too high, and many were not feeling eco-nomically secure enough to even attempt it. Any-thing—less than perfect credit history, a recent income drop—would au-tomatically disqualify you. And it probably still will. But bankers report they are seeing more ac-tivity than just refi strag-glers. “We’re busy with pre-quals,” reports Alan

Rosenbaum, president and CEO of Guardhill Financial, which focuses on condos and co-ops in the metropolitan area. “Some of our clients are getting outbid—that hasn’t hap-pened for a while. Some are winning. It’s very exciting.”

Almost everyone agrees that the low-interest environment of the last five years has contributed to the recovery, and en-sured that at least some transactions hap-pened, even in the worst of times. “It makes a big difference to buy a $1 million home at 3% than to buy it at 6%,” Mr. Rosenbaum points out. About a $360,000 difference over the life of a 15-year loan, he quickly

calculates in his head. And so buyers who could, bought, enjoying the fact that it was their market for a change. Not anymore.

With the recovery, however slow, the low interest rates many have come to rely on just cannot last forever—they have been held there artificially by the government’s purchase of mortgage-backed securities and bonds, Mr. Rosenbaum explains. Dif-ferent bankers have different views on when rates will climb, but, as Mr. Rosen-baum says, “Rates have to go up. It’s just a matter of when.” Though some describe the recovery as weak, the fact is that unem-ployment figures are better, and the stock market never seems to have gotten the memo that the country was in a recession. Inflation is bound to come, the experts say. “The best-case scenario would be slowly rising interest rates,” Mr. Rosenbaum pos-its. “I think within six months, you’re going to see them rise.”

So, given that it might be a good time to apply for a mortgage, how hard is it to get one these days? For qualified borrowers, says Melissa Cohn, executive vice president of the Manhattan Division of Guaranteed Rate, the country’s eighth-largest lender, the process is similar to what it has been

for the last five years. “Due diligence is in-creased,” Ms. Cohn says. “Not just on bor-rowers but on buildings. Banks want to see that the building has adequate reserves, and has been running profitably for a num-ber of years.”

Her prediction on interest rates? A little more cautious than Mr. Rosenbaum’s. “We have an economy that is finding its footing, not growing. I think interest rates will hold tight through the end of the year. Beyond that, we’ll have to see. It would have been better if the growth was more organic, not due to government stimulus.”

The good news? For Manhattan pur-chasers, many of whom fall into the jumbo mortgage category—or loans of more than $625,000. which is the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae limit—there has been some loosening up of credit score requirements. “Some lenders have dropped the required score to 680, some even to 620,” says Ms. Cohn.

Of course, as Mr. Rosenbaum points out, high-net-worth individuals have even more options as the banks may more readily ap-prove them in the hope they can sell other services to this sought-after group.

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Spark of Interestas tHe Real estate maRket staRts to peRcolate,

moRtgage BankeRs aRe Ready and WondeRing HoW mucH tHe RecoveRy Hinges on loW inteRest Rates

By Janet Allon

‘Some of our clients are getting outbid—

that hasn’t happened for a while. Some

are winning. It’s very exciting.’

A penthouse loft by the High Line in Chelsea.

NYOrealestate

The New York Observer | May 13, 2013 | D5

D6 | May 13, 2013 | The New York Observer

Last year, brokers say, the market did not start really hopping until the end of the year, which brought tax breaks for those who closed before the start of 2013. Different story this year, says Marcia Altman, senior di-rector for Brown Harris Ste-vens of the Hamptons. “The market has taken off with great enthusiasm,” she says. “Some price ranges are selling like hot cakes.”

And with some first-quar-ter results already trickling in, both trade volume and pric-ing are on the rise. “I thought the transactional volume of the fourth quarter 2012 might cannibalize the first quarter of 2013,” says Andrew Saun-ders, head of Saunders & As-sociates, which has offices in Bridgehampton and Southamp-ton. “But our bookings are very strong. There’s renewed en-thusiasm for the Hamptons.” Among those who are enthused, Mr. Saunders adds happily, are the investor class. “For prime investable properties south of the highway, there are many more buyers than sellers.”

One seaside and wind-swept area that is attracting a lot of attention these days is Montauk. The once-sleepy fishing village at the farthest reaches of the South Fork has become a magnet for the glamorous and even those in search of nightlife. “Over the past few years, many restaurants, ho-tels and club-like venues have been es-tablished in Montauk,” Mr. Cervi says. “You can still go there for its great surfing, beaches and small-town at-mosphere. But now you can also go to a chic place for lunch and hang by the pool.” Everyone from singer-song-writer Rufus Wainwright to candy-preneur Dylan Lauren has heeded the siren song of the new—but still charming—Montauk.

Oceanfront is great, but being near any kind of water is always a draw. And as Mr. Cervi points out, the Hamptons are chock-full of beautiful bays and ponds—something that many home-buyers love. For those who must have ocean, but don’t want to travel as far out as Montauk, there are plenty of other pleasant options as well. “There are great oceanfront deals in West-hampton and in Quogue,” points out

Douglas Elliman president and CEO Dottie Herman, a longtime Hamp-tons expert and great aficionado. “The beaches are beautiful there. Further east, if you search north of the high-way, there are some really spectacu-lar homes with unbelievable views, and for less than what you would pay for the same amount of space south of the highway. Each town has its own character—there is something for everyone.”

Ms. Altman sees the trend mov-ing westward as well. “The western Hamptons, Westhampton Beach and Quogue area are particularly hot,” she says. “The traffic that clogs the roads east of the Shinnecock Canal and the difficulty getting into restaurants, etc. ... further east, has brought the buyers to this area in droves.”

Everyone is noticing the uptick in activity. Ms. Herman says renters com-menced their searches for Hamptons summer getaways earlier in the sea-son this year compared to last, and ev-eryone seems to agree that well-priced properties for sale are moving brisk-ly. “Anything priced right is hot,” Ms. Herman says, “because people want to know they are making a smart invest-ment. The Hamptons is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, no matter

Continued from page C1

Hamptons a Go GoClockwise from right:

A pool in East Hampton Village; 22 Prospect Hill

Lane in Montauk; the Modern Manor House; 28 St.

Mary’s Lane, Amagansett South; The Clubhouse on

Bishop’s Pond.

NYOneighborhood

where you are.”Who is buying these

homes? Mostly New Yorkers, and those from the tristate area, with a smattering of foreign-ers and the usual con-tingent of people from the entertainment in-dustry. Most deals are not the high-pro-file ones that make the news, like hedge fund titan Steve Cohen’s $60 million purchase in East Hampton on Fur-ther Lane and the At-lantic Ocean. In fact, as Mr. Saunders is at some pains to point out, the “critical mass of transactions is $2 million and under. The Hamptons has an elitist reputation. But the life-style is affordable to more people.”

Concurring that the super-rich and famous alone do not make a mar-ket, Ms. Herman says, “The second-home market is a huge trend right now among two sets of people: Baby boom-ers who want to buy a place big enough to have their children and grandchil-dren come visit, and the younger set who want to feel like they can get away without the hassle of taking a plane.

They can drive a couple of hours and still feel like they are on vacation. With interest rates near record lows, I antic-ipate this second-home trend will be around for a while.”

Buyers are looking for value and solid investments, says Ms. Herman, plus “big spaces to entertain with great kitchens, luxurious finishes, big closets and great views!”

The buyers Ms. Altman is seeing are asking for and paying higher prices for updated homes with new kitchens, baths and updated mechanical sys-tems. “There is also a very noticeable

trend towards modern,” she notes. “It’s showing up in new construction and in the ’70s and ’80s contempo-raries that lend themselves to modern renovations.”

Mr. Cervi says the confidence in the Hamptons market is evident in broad daylight with new construction dot-ting the landscape. “Investors and end users are buying raw land and building substantial homes,” he says. And in yet another development, Mr. Cervi’s firm, Corcoran, is involved in the creation of two new condominium buildings as well. One is the conversion of the Bu-lova Watchcase Factory in downtown Sag Harbor, called, appropriately, Watchcase. The other is Bishop’s Pond, a parcel that will feature large units in Southampton.

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‘You can still go [to Montauk] for its great surfing, beaches and

small-town atmosphere. But now you can also go to a chic place for lunch

and hang by the pool.’

The New York Observer May 13th, 2013

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Transcript of The New York Observer May 13th, 2013