DOUBLE TREAT: A Tour of 1stdibs, and a Paris Flea Market Lecture by The Antiques Diva

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

On March 25th at the New York Design Center, Toma Clark Haines, The Antiques Diva, had an exhaustive and eye opening lecture on the ins and outs of the Paris Flea Market and the mistakes neophytes make when exploring it without an expert guide to help them out. It was an invaluable opportunity for interior designers who enjoy treasure hunting to learn how to make the most out of their foraging adventures abroad.

Before the lecture started, we were invited by 1stdibs to take a guided tour through what some of us jokingly, but very seriously, referred to as "The Candy Store," as the photos I took of their showroom can attest.

'Antiques Diva' Toma Clark Haines explaining the nature of her business

ATELIER COURBET: New Designs in Textiles by ANNA KARLIN

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

On May 18th, Interior Design Magazine, which had done a cover on Anna Karlin stools, arranged for a presentation of Anna's new designs in fabrics, being executed by the prestigious Hosoo of Kyoto, and what better place to do it in, than at that den of luxury, Atelier Courbet, which carries other lines of the Hosoo output among its treasures.

Anna Karlin stools

ART & SOLE by Jane Gershon Weitzman - book signing and presentation

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

A one-night fantasy shoe installation from the Stuart Weitzman Collection and a discussion and book signing with Jane Weitzman, the author of Art & Sole: A Spectacular Selection of More Than 150 Fantasy Art Shoes from the Stuart Weitzman Collection, was arranged by the National Arts Club Fashion Committee on January 10th at the National Arts Club.

With an introduction by Weitzman, Art & Sole highlights shoes from the collection, along with brief, identifying captions, in a beautifully designed art book featuring a cloth case with an elaborately embossed shoe on the front cover, gilded edges, and a silk ribbon marker. Thumbnail photographs of every shoe in the book, along with a brief biography on the artist who created it, are also included.

HEIRLOOM MODERN by Hollister and Porter Hovey - Book Signing Super Bash

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

Written by Hollister Hovey, Photographed by Porter Hovey

On April 11th at Anthropologie, the Hovey sisters, Hollister and Porter, had the book signing of their newly Rizzoli published book Heirloom Modern in an event that for all intents and purposes had the feel—and crowds—of a street fair.

Hollister and Porter Hovey

A VISUAL LIFE: SCRAPBOOKS, COLLAGES AND INSPIRATIONS by CHARLOTTE MOSS - Book Signing and Auction

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

Charlotte Moss with all of her wonderful stuff to be auctioned in the background.
All the objects within the premises up until the day of the auction, were part of her collection

At Doyle New York on March 5, a book signing reception celebrated the publication of the new book by Charlotte Moss,  A Visual Life: Scrapbooks, Collages, and Inspirations, which was published by Rizzoli in the fall of 2012. The event was arranged to take place within the exhibition of The Charlotte Moss Collection, for Doyle New York was to auction the furniture, decorations and art from the collection two days hence, on March 7.

"I have been collecting and decorating for a long time and the time has come to edit, do some redecorating, and make room for new purchases of my own," commented Charlotte Moss about the upcoming sale.

VOICES OF GOTHAM Fund Raiser

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

Jay Gurewitsch

On February 4th, Voices of Gotham, the New York men's chorus group, was the beneficiary of Arcadia Spa & Home’s First Mondays Fundraiser.

Happening the first Monday of each month, First Mondays are free afterwork socials that benefit grassroots, local and NYC based charities. Over the evening, 10% of the evening’s sales and 100% of raffle proceeds are donated to the featured cause—part of Arcadia’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.

Housing Works, Broadway Cares, Angel on a Leash, Trinity Place Shelter, GMHC and the PTAs for both Lab School and PS11 have benefited from First Mondays and shared almost $3,000 raised since May.

“Our First Mondays events benefit local charities that have real and positive impacts on our community,” says owner Jay Gurewitsch. “We want to foster those relationships and encourage connections between our customers and these causes.”

CARL HANSEN & SONS Showcases New Acquisitions

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

Carl's Grandson Erik Knud Hansen

On January 25th, at the showroom in Tribeca, Knud Erik Hansen, CEO and third generation of family-run, global company Carl Hansen & Son, introduced classic furniture designs of Kaare Klint, Mogens Koch, and Ole Wanscher to an American audience. With these pieces, Carl Hansen & Son, the world’s largest manufacturer of Hans J. Wegner designs, expands its offerings of Danish masters.

Although long known in Denmark and throughout Europe, Ole Wanscher’s Egyptian and Colonial Chairs, Mogens Koch’s Folding Chair and Kaare Klint’s Safari Chair have had little exposure in the US except to avid enthusiasts through direct sales, auction houses and antiques dealers. As of now, as Knud Erik Hansen explained, these designs which Carl Hansen & Son has recently acquired the license to produce, mark the beginning of an expansion into a wider offering of classic Danish designs to complement their Hans J. Wegner oeuvre.

TATTY DEVINE comes to Patricia Field Boutique

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

On February 2nd, British jewelry designers Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine, the creative brains behind Tatty Devine were at hand in NYC to present their beautiful collection along with their new book release How To Make Jewelry, and what better place than Patricia Field boutique, which will be carrying their wearable art pieces made from laser cut lucite and assembled by hand, which can be custom designed when ordered.

An Afternoon at MAGGIE NORRIS Atelier

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

New Orleans born, Maggie Norris attended the School of the Delgado Museum of Art. She then moved to New York City to attend the Art Students League at Parsons School of Design.

Ralph Lauren recruited her as Creative Designer, and she quickly became Senior Design Director of the Women's Collection, where she oversaw all the Women's ready-to-wear and accessory collections and was in charge of seeking out inspiration for the overall direction of the line. Then, in 1998, she moved to Europe to work as Chief Designer for Mondi's Women's Collection.

2000 saw the return of Norris to the United States, where she founded Maggie Norris Couture in New York City. In 2003, she joined the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

Maggie's designs are sewn, embroidered and beaded completely by hand. Clearly the kind of treasures heirlooms are made of. If not reserved to be passed down from mother to daughter, institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fashion Institute of Technology would be deliriously happy to have them donated into their permanent collections

John Rosselli Antiques hosts THE GREAT AMERICAN HOUSE Book Signing

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

On October 9th there couldn't have been a more fitting place to have the book signing of The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now, written by Gil Schafer III with foreword by Bunny Williams, than at John Rosselli Antiques, that treasure house of understated and ever so elegant house appointments in the most rigorous Western Tradition, which includes a great deal of Orientalia by the way. Blame it on the English influence.

AVENUE Shows: Antiques, Art and Design at the Armory

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

The AVENUE Shows that took place on September 20, is a whetting prelude to the much admired Winter Show at the Armory. It is also the most imposing exhibit of art and luxury items outside of the Metropolitan Museum.

This article is a perfect case of words being not just superfluous, but detrimental in describing the feast for the eyes this event was.

Enjoy!

Auctioning the Estate of ZELDA KAPLAN

reporter: Miguel Dominguez

On July 10th, Hutter Auction Galleries had their preview of the estate of Zelda Kaplan

Zelda Kaplan was a New York's art, nightclub, and fashion socialite. She often frequented popular New York nightclubs until closing. Her favorite nightclub outfits were matching African-print dresses, handbags, shoes, and a tall cloth hat.

She was a philanthropic and humanitarian activist, frequently traveling to Africa to speak out against female genital mutilation and to campaign for the right of women to inherit; in 1995 she spoke to villages in South Africa about birth control.