GARANCE DORE

GARANCE DORE



GARANCE DORE



GARANCE DORE




(start chanting it, it gets pretty catchy) ...


GD does the CITY OF LIGHTS!

Lady in Red

Diana Vreeland, the Vogue editor who redefined post-war fashion for the style-savvy woman is remembered fondly for both her eye for design as well as her firey personality.

Vreeland was obsessed with the search for the perfect red & when having her apartment redecorated, told Billy Baldwin, “I want this room to be a garden — but a garden in hell.” Out of this arose the iconic Vreeland sitting room, "Garden in Hell."


[Vreeland in her Sitting Room]


[Sitting Room: Second Perspective]

Vogue Magazine editor Bettina Ballard believed the room to be "one of the most attractive atmospheres that I know," equating it to "an over-crowded Turkish seraglio on a rather elegant boat." Vreeland's artful clutter and various wall hangings were camoflouged by the wild reds and ornate flowers throughout the room. Ballard remembers "books, bibelots, calculated clutter, personal pictures [among them, sketches by Augustus John, Bébé Bérard, & Cecil Beaton of herself], & “treasures, many Scotch snuffboxes in horn & silver, are massed on tables, walls, & shelves looking as if one could never get around to seeing them all. A long-stemmed anemone stands in a long-stemmed vase. There are oriental divans against the wall covered with inviting cushions, & she dines at a table pushed against a divan with bright cushions propped behind her back. She presides on a big Indian print-covered sofa like a sultan’s favourite, before & after dinner, with everyone gathered on small chairs at her feet. She lives in an atmosphere of informal luxury confined in crowded quarters, in an aura of intimacy & mystery.”

Vreeland was a woman of eccentricities and intelligence. Her ascent to fame as the editor of Harpar's Bazzar and later Vogue Magazine, has proved a lasting influence on the world of style and design. Vreeland will certainly be remembered as the Twentieth century's greatest arbiter of style.

Undoubtedly, the images of her home's interior confirm that:

“You gotta have style. It helps you get up in the morning. It’s a way of life. Without it you’re nobody. I’m not talking about a lot of clothes.”
— Diana Vreeland

Gweneth's Hampton Home

Gweneth Paltrow is the quintessence of complete Hollywood glamour. Undoubtedly, it is her exclusivity and poise that allows her to navigate a life consumed by fame and celebrity with such beguiling ease. Not only does she prove to the world that the feat of keeping her head above the press' malicious water can be a graceful and possible task, but she amazes and awes regardless of scenario or company. This perhaps, is a product of a level head upon her shoulders and a purposeful decision to remove herself from the limelight when not shooting a film. Gweneth's reluctance to live among the flashbulbs makes her presence all the more in demand.

Surprisingly however, Mrs. Chris Martin opened her home in the Hamptons to House & Garden Magazine (their final issue before the late great magazine folded). Proving to be no exception to her long standing pristine reputation, the home that H&G reveals, possesses the same inherent grace and good taste of the woman who lives there.

Take a peek.


[Sitting Room]


[Color conscience]


[Redefining a classic: Snaking Hallways and Chandeliers]


[Apple's Room]


[Master Bedroom]


[Gweneth's Yoga Studio]


[Lady in Red]

The Hotel Bellechasse re-imagined by Lacroix

_________________

The Marais District of Paris has always attracted a colorfully design-minded set. Filled with artful additions such as the Hotel du Petit Moulin, whose interiors were imagined by Christian Lacroix, there has been no sign of fading affection for the region. Now, in addition to the Petit Moulin, Lacroix has put his personal affection for design into a second endeavor, the Hotel Bellechasse in Saint Germain. With its kaleidoscope of colors, dainty stencil drawings along high sky-lights and surprising touches such as fabric lined walls, Bellechasse's boutique sized accommodations are attracting every sort of taste maker to Paris' left bank.



If you don't believe me, just ask these folks:

AD [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/7.pdf]
Elle Decor FR [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/13.pdf]
Times Travel UK [http://www.lebellechasse.com/pdf/5.pdf].

http://www.lebellechasse.com/

KARL LAGERFELD MILKS A COW

[Karl Lagerfeld's New Vermont Home]

News outlets across the world today hummed with word that fashion legend, Karl Lagerfeld had just purchased a new estate. In Milan? Luxembourg? St. Moritz? Well he has at least one residence in each one of those locations already and for heaven's sake, why would he ever be that predictable? Monsieur Lagerfeld's new property happens to be situated in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Indeed, the small, yet lovely state has experienced plenty of celebrity over the past few centuries. The Vanderbilt lineage erected multiple summer manses, the Vonn Traps fled Austria, heading into Vermont's Green Mountains, which were of course, filled with the sound of music, while Greta Garbo was infamous for her nude swimming off the shore of Lake Caspian in the North East Kingdom. But fashion darling, ingenue and taste maker Lagerfeld purchasing an estate for his personal use? Unheard of!

For the sake of logical thinking, one must assume that an investment in real estate is a smart decision for any person during such a volatile economic time. Perhaps Lagerfeld intends to sit on the investment, increase its value by association and set it free once the markets begin to re-inflate? Only time will tell.

However, according to Women's Wear Daily [http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/lagerfeld-coming-to-america-1823050], Lagerfeld plans on using it as the central grounds for an upcoming Chanel advertisement campaign.

Therefore the house must be colossal, right? Above the two million dollar mark, sure?

Nope, hardly.

Following some thorough insider communication with local Realtors representing Sotheby's and Christie’s estate management based in Vermont, I quickly learned that Lagerfeld's piece of property wasn't listed through a commercial brokerage. Rather, it was obtained by Lagerfeld through a private transaction. But to think, who in their right mind would have the nerve to show Lagerfeld a few pictures of a home in Vermont, imagining that the man would have enough time or interest to purchase the modest plot?

Kudos to the messenger for their audacity.

While the brokerage information remains private, I was able to obtain a copy of the listing's details. Apparently, the home was sold for a paltry $575 thousand - hardly a fair comparison to his newly redecorated apartment in Paris (see Vogue, October 2008). While I cannot send out the link directly, here are some of the features that the modest property boasts:
______________________________________________

Price: $552K (Down from the original listing of $624K)
Square Feet: n/a
Lake Front: NO
Property Style: Federal, two-story, shingle roof, brick exterior, 3-car garage
Land Description: Common Acreage, Lake Access, Lake Frontage (the house however, is not on the waterfront), stone foundation, mountain view
Bedrooms: 4
Baths: 4.5
Stories: 2
County: Grand Isle
Amenities: Decks, covered porch(s), Outbuilding(s), spa/ hot tub
Year Built: 1843
Broker's remarks: Beautiful brick Greek revival. Huge kitchen, paneled library w/dental molding, 2 FP, pegged random width HW floors. New tile in master bath. New shower in 1st floor bath (master suite possibly?). In-law/teen wing over garage w/ bath/claw foot tub. Decks w/ great west lake/mtn views. New/newer stainless in kitchen. Newer Buderus boiler & hot H2O htr. 345ft owned, shared lakefrt (4 fams total). Boathouse w/engineered H2O system on shared lake land. Town H2O @st. Apple & pear trees. Realtor owned. GI being re-appraised
Directions to the house? I-89 to exit 17, through South Hero then Grand Isle, 2.6 miles past A&B Grocery. On Westside before drawbridge.

**The property was realtor owned, listed in the VT historic registry

______________________________________________________

Aside from the surprising choice of geography and proximity to the famed lake monster of Vermont, Champ, Lagerfeld's recent acquisition is far from extraordinary.
Perhaps I am failing to acknowledge the likelihood that Lagerfeld's purchase was made as an intelligent investment, rather than for the sake finding a place to park the roadster during fall foliage tours of New England. Prove me wrong though, perhaps this time next year Anna, Caroline Roitfield and Aggy will be flying in on choppers to view Lagerfeld's newest collection?

For the man with an extra apartment in Paris (one for cooking, so to avoid the strong culinary aromas), nothing seems impossible.