Martha Stewart rules your world

Seriously, is there anything that Martha Stewart can't do? She was mean to me on the phone last year, and for some reason, I still love her. Maybe it is because she was mean to me on the phone that I still love her. OK, I'm continuing this conversation with Dr. Kaplan when I'm back in Boston next week.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm here at the High Point furniture market, and Martha has introduced her sixth collection of furniture with Bernhardt, and it's quite lovely. It's called Dunemere, and it's very cottage-y and light. This bench isn't a great example, but you get the idea. The collection is light, lots of soft shades of sand and dune grass.

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS

Greetings from Furnitureland, USA

I'm spending the week at the mammoth International Furniture Market at High Point, North Carolina, a curious place where furniture makers converge twice a year to show their new lines. It is litererally acres of furniture in mammoth buildings. Some of it good, some of it downright disturbing.

Now for some bad news. A big trend for 2008: Global influence. For some reason a bunch of furniture makers think you're craving high end furniture that looks like it came from Pier 1 Imports. OK, maybe you are, but I'm certainly not. But, if you dig the bedding ensemble above, it's from Company C. I was under the impression that Company C was an all-lady band from the 1980's that sang the tune "Fascinated," but I guess these gals are making furniture as well.

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS

The full Mackie

[do you know where you're going to Diana? Do you like the things that Bob Mackie is showing you? Diana Ross in a Bob Mackie dress from "Mahogany."]

I had a story in today's Style section about designer Bob Mackie and his furniture line. Unfortunately, there wasn't room in print for the entire interview. But there is here. Check the extended entry to read Bob's resposes in all their glory.. here's a tease:

Do you feel like the nickname Sultan of Sequins was unfair?

Mackie: Oh, you had to bring that up! I had all these funny titles in the 1970's. Someone gave me a T-shirt with all of them listed down the front one time. They were so silly. I was doing all those variety shows and all those nightclub acts. Dressing Diana Ross and big personalities. It wasn't about fashion, it was about enhancing their image on the stage. It's what the audience wanted to see when they walk on stage. It's not always about what I like, but I thought that it works for the performer, then I'll do it. It's really like working as a costume designer, and you're designing a character in a play. If they see Carol Channing, they want to see her covered in diamonds.

Some of the announcements that come out of the mammoth International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C., such as Martha Stewart or Todd Oldham creating new lines of home furnishings, make perfect sense. Others, such as Donald Trump or the Olsen Twins dabbling in furniture design, do not. One of the surprise celebrity furniture designer success stories to emerge from the market is Bob Mackie. Yes, the same Bob Mackie who designed Cher's most outrageous ensembles. This week, he introduces his third collection of furniture for American Drew at High Point. - CHRISTOPHER MUTHER

Before this collaboration, had you ever attempted to design furniture?
Not really. I had a lot of opinions and that's about it. But design is design. It's all about form, shape, and scale. Before you know it, you're talking about the same things. Whether it's a gown or a bed.

When you first approached designing furniture, did you sit down and sketch a bit like it was fashion?
In fashion that's exactly the way that I do it. But with furniture, we have these long meetings about what we want the furniture to look like, and we start drawing, and then draw some more. During the last meeting, the designers came here, and we went through all of my embroideries. All of our inlays in the furniture came directly off of the couture clothes, which was just amazing to me. We have one table that I'm just crazy about. It's all inlaid pheasant feathers coming out of a circle of black granite in the center.
It's funny you mention the feather inlay, because I was going to ask if there was ever a temptation for you to design furniture with feathers and rhinestones.
Rhinestones, no! And the feathers, I was showing [American Drew designers] some things of mine, and that particular feather just wanted to be inlaid because of the different shades.

Do you look at the furniture hardware like jewelry?
All the hardware, and all the pulls, we definitely treat them like they are jewelry. It’s like designing the finest pieces to accompany the clothes. That is such an important thing. When you have a dresser with 18 knobs on it, they had better be good.

How does furniture compare to couture when it comes to satisfying your desire to create?
It's a whole different thing. Like when you're designing for the stage, or for couture. You usually know who's going to wear it when it becomes that price level. This is for someone's home, and chances are I don't know who's going to be using it and living with it. You just hope the right person will be putting it in the right setting.

I guess there's only so much of that you can control.
And they can only watch so much HGTV. Hopefully they'll get some of the messages. Not that they're all that great sometimes.

I think maybe it's time for a Bob Mackie show on HGTV.
I'd rather eat glass than do one of those. Are you kidding? Do someone's house? The only thing worse would be to do makeovers on women. like Tim Gunn is doing. I can't think of anything I'd rather not do in life than one of those.

Your designs are most often associated with Cher and Carol Burnett. What were some of your favorite pieces that you designed for them?
That's so hard. I did 300 shows with Carol. How can you have a favorite? With Carol, I'd dress her pretty in the beginning of the show so she'd look like the lovely lady who was coming into your house. From there, she could be in one grotesque outfit after another depending on the character. I thought 'That poor woman.' If she doesn't come out looking nice in the beginning, she might never get a chance to look like the lovely lady she is. As far as Cher goes, it was one sight spectacle after another. That's what they were watching for. Unfortunately, people began to think that I only designed dresses with
belly buttons.

That must have been challenging to be stereotyped that way as a designer.
It was frustrating., because everybody puts you into a niche. Later on down the line I started doing collector Barbie dolls. And I had younger people come up to me and say "I didn't know you did clothes. I thought you just did Barbie dolls."

Do you feel like the nickname Sultan of Sequins was unfair?
Oh, you had to bring that up! I had all these funny titles in the 1970's. Someone gave me a T-shirt with all of them listed down the front one time. They were so silly. I was doing all those variety shows and all those nightclub acts. Dressing Diana Ross and all those personalities. It wasn't about fashion, it was about enhancing their image on the stage. It's what that audience wanted to see when they walk on stage. It's not always about what I like, but I thought that it works for the performer, I’ll do it. It's really like working as a costume designer, and you're designing a character in a play. If they see Carol Channing, they want to see her covered in diamonds.


Is there one woman you can say who you enjoy designing for most?
There are so many different ones. It was crazy fun because we did so much work in such a sort amount of time. I loved doing Carol Burnett because we did things that made people laugh. It's all about visual entertainment value.

My sister and I used to fall over laughing when it Carol Burnett played Nora Desmond, or the aged Snow White.
Wow, you remember the aged Snow White, 10 years later. They almost didn't do that sketch. It was such a terrible sketch. I said 'Please, don't throw it out' You're going to get laughs.’ And today people still remember it.

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS

Quaff this

As Liza Weisstuch reported in today's Globe, at the recent James Beard Taste America event in Brookline, three Boston bartenders created cocktails delicious enough to be served alongside nibbles by some of the city's best chefs. Taste for yourself.

POIRE JOLI, by Jackson Cannon, Eastern Standard
1 1/2 ounces gin
3/4 oz puree of Williams pears
3/4 oz clover honey syrup*
1/2 oz St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake over ice and strain into champagne flute. Top
with an ounce of dry sparkling wine

* 1 part clover honey & 1 part water heated and
stirred over low heat until emulsified

JOE'S FASHION, by Misty Kalkofen, Green Street
1 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Laird's Applejack
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Chinese Five Spice Simple Syrup*

*Five Spice Simple Syrup:
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp broken cinnamon sticks
1 tsp whole cloves
2 star anise
1 cup water
2 cups sugar

Bring the water and the spices to a simmer. Add the
sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring
mixture back to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to
cool. Strain.

CONCORD GRAPE COBBLER, by John Gertsen, No. 9 Park
1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz concord grape simple syrup
2 oz soda water
5 concord grapes

Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a Boston
shaker. Add ice and shake well. Fill Collins glass
with crushed ice. Strain into glass. Top with soda
water. Garnish with grapes.

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS

Pocket-sized fashionista

I have already confessed my style crush on Zooey Deschanel. As long as I'm making wardrobe wish lists, I have to mention Rachel Bilson. Can I please have all her bags, boots, sunglasses, and -- not to be greedy -- her jeans too?

[Love the scarf. Love the attitude. Love the pup.]

I've always admired her style -- it's effortless sophistication. Rachel's petite physique might have something to do with why she looks gorgeous in all clothing, but hey, she knows how to work it. And since she said sayonara to Adam Brody, we can be friends. (The jealousy was too much to bear before. She was very insensitive to date my future husband.) In fact, she's so tiny, I could carry her around in my bag and she could advise me on minidresses and coats. Bils hasn't done much since the "O.C.," so I'm sure she has free time. Perfect!

[Rachel, what do you think of this chunky sweater? Great. I'll take two!]

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS

Bulky bag haters: Coach has two new options

If you're like me, you hate the big bulky bags in vogue right now. Sure, they look beautiful in the store. But in reality, you're lugging around a suitcase full of lipsticks and whatnot.. It's too much!

Today, Coach introduced two new lines.

The Bleecker collection is comprised of burnished leather with a vintage quality.

The Thompson line, named after a street in the West Village, is supposed to suggest an urban chic vibe with an artisan sensibility. Whatever. Here it is:

Print | E-mail to a friend | Permalink | Subscribe via RSS