Simon Doonan

LVMH-owned London shirtmaker and haberdasher Thomas Pink is celebrating a stylish forthcoming book called An Englishman In New York with an event and exhibit at its Madison Avenue flagship in New York on March 24. The volume of photographs by Jason Bell includes notables and notable dandies like Vogue's Hamish Bowles (above), Barneys' Simon Doonan and Sting, British to the core but also quintessential New Yorkers. Bell's photographs are currently on exhibit at at London's National Portrait Gallery, where the book has already been released; it's scheduled for publication here on April 1.

As an Englishman living in New York himself, Bell was inspired by the fact that there are 120,000 British men and women living in New York City – about the same amount as the entire population of Stamford, Connecticut. In addition to the above Bell photographed a diverse cross-section of British born figures, including taxi drivers, cops, construction workers, divers, helicopter pilots, chefs, burlesque dancers, drug dealers, UN ambassadors and dog walkers, all of whom tell stories about how they came to settle in New York.

"I went for a walk in Central Park with Sting, and for a cup of tea on Kate Winslet's roof terrace, sat on Zoë Heller's stoop and watched Stephen Daldry bicycle down 8th Avenue," Bell relates. "I was given a private tour of both the Metropolitan Museum and the Barneys' shop windows. I started with a blank canvas and was amazed by the number of Englishmen and women who have made such a large impact on the cultural life of the city. And amidst all the questions about why people had come here and what they had left behind, I learnt a little bit more about what it means to be English, what it means to be a New Yorker, and where the two intersect."

"We are extremely excited to be hosting an event to honour Jason and his brilliant work," says Jonathan Heilbron, President and CEO of Thomas Pink. "Thomas Pink itself is 'An Englishman in New York.' We opened our Madison Avenue Flagship store over 13 years ago and New York has come to be a second home and major market for our brand. Thomas Pink is English at heart but we are truly a New Yorker too." [cont'd]

If you want to get your hands on the latest Prada handbag you won't be headed to Barneys New York anymore. The Wall Street Journal confirms that Prada is no longer selling any new goods but shoes and menswear at Barneys. Barneys New York Chief Executive Mark Lee says the beef with Barneys began when Prada asked to lease space from Barneys and control its own inventory and markdowns. Barneys refused and Prada decided to pull certain categories. Barneys will be using its former Prada space for pieces from Azzedine Alaia.

The WSJ article goes on to say that this decision was made prior to Mr. Lee's takeover and was related to Barneys position that it doesn't lease vendor space. Lee has said that he wants Barneys to have more exclusive items that can't be found elsewhere. He's also planning a large renovation for existing stores and an overhaul of the store website. He also recently made the controversial move to appoint a new Creative Director, Dennis Freedman, who replaced the beloved Simon Doonan, who is now the Creative Ambassador-at-Large.

Following the appointment of new CEO Mark Lee, Barneys New York recently announced a new Creative Director, Dennis Freedman, who is replacing the beloved Simon Doonan, who will take on a new role as Creative Ambassador-at-Large. While the transition has been billed as a promotion for Doonan, who will be the public face of the brand, many are up in arms over what this may mean for Barney's including the famous Barneys New York windows which Doonan has designed for 25 years. The windows, with their mix of kitsch, pop culture, humor and glamour, have set the tone for the store itself.

The new creative director, Dennis Freedman was the founding creative director as W Magazine where he worked for nearly 20 years until leaving last year. Freedman brings his own strengths to Barneys including relationships with some of the world's top photographers and artists. He also has deep interest in design and interiors. Doonan, however, will be a hard act to follow. Many bloggers have already bemoaned the potential state of the new Barneys windows. Barneys has stated that Freedman will be in charge of the windows but that Doonan will still contribute to their design. Racked NY's Frank Gargione penned an eloquent plea against changing the Barneys magic and Styleite also expressed concern. The verdict remains until Freedman really takes the helm but the response to the announcement proves just how integral Doonan's contribution has been to the Barney's brand. Some recent Barneys windows are after the jump.

From the LA Times:
--Producer Gary Mehlman has listed his French country style house in the Beverly Hills Post Office area, shown above, at $2,249,000.

--Katey Sagal and her husband, writer-producer Kurt Sutter, have sold their Hollywood Hills compound for $3.77 million.

--James Fielding, the president of Disney Stores Worldwide, has sold his home in Pasadena for $2.325 million.
--The Sunset Strip-area home of the late screenwriter Thomas Mankiewicz has sold for $2.2 million.

From the NY Observer:
--CocaCola's chief spinmeister Charles Holleran and wife, Kathryn Holleran, a managing director at AIG, bought a $1.125 million co-op at 1010 Third Avenue on 61st Street from Jonathan Popper, of Morgan Stanley, and his wife, Karla Popper, a venture capitalist.
--Another Plaza unit has gone for 40 percent off. Unit 1513 just sold for $5.4 million, after it was initially listed for $8.85 million by Stribling in 2009. It was relisted by Corcoran for $5.8 million and the eventual buyer is an LLC.
-- Andrew Pipa, of Morgan Stanley, and wife, Terrie Pipa, an abstract artist, have sold their $6 million penthouse at 22 Mercer Street. The buyer is Sacha Levy, who launched the travelzine Iagora in the late `90s at the age of 25.
--Stylist Vanessa Chow has bought a $3.9 million townhouse in Chelsea.
-- Calyon Securities VP Philip Utsch has bought a $4.3 million condo in the Beekman at 400 East 51st Street.
--Blondie keyboardist James "Jimmy" Destri has sold his Victorian mansion in Bay Ridge, New York for $1.3 million.
--Ari Ben Menashe the author of Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network, which chronicled his supposed involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, has bought at 515 Park Avenue. He picked up a three-bedroom unit for $7 million.
--Mario Sbarro, of the Long Island-based pizza empire, has just bought a $4.2 million two-bedroom co-op at 930 Fifth Avenue.
--A six-bedroom co-op at 875 Park Avenue was listed for $17 million last January and has sold for $14.05 million to Tami Schneider, the wife of recently deceased Highbridge Capital managing director Richard Schneider.

From the Real Estalker:
Steven Seagal has picked up a four-bedroom home in Scottsdale, Arizona for $3.5 million.

From the Wall Street Journal:
--Val Kilmer has dropped the price of his Pecos River Ranch to $18.5 million. It was listed at $33 million in 2009 but returned to the market at $23 million earlier this year. The listing is here.

--Designer Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, have reduced the price on their Shelter Island, N.Y., home to $1.15 million. It was listed at $1.8 million earlier this year. The listing is here.
--Harry Hagey, the former CEO of investment-management company Dodge & Cox Funds, has purchased two adjacent ranches in Sun Valley, Idaho. The properties were listed for $27.5 million.

Any wagers as to whether "Gossip Girl" hunk Penn Badgley can discuss denim intelligently? Read on.

As if the uniquely energetic interior design godhead Jonathan Adler didn't have enough to do decorating houses, appearing on cable TV, and designing home furnishings, on Wednesday, May 12, he launched a quirky-fun line of clothes for 7 For All Mankind, better known as 7 jeans, in New York.

Yes, the author of the hilarious interior guide and coffee-table book "My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living"; the pop-inspired interior guru who designed The Parker, a hip hotel in Palm Springs and designer Nanette Lepore's townhouse in Manhattan; and the man who, meanwhile, hawks his own furniture, campy-unique pottery, retro lighting, and fun, bright rugs at 12 eponymous stores from Boston to Miami to Santa Monica, has now designed an abbreviated line of upbeat clothing for 7.

At the 7 For All Mankind store in SoHo, Adler debuted polo shirts with funky logos, striped and pink gingham dress shirts, and countless variations on the skinny jean. "I love 7," said Adler. I wanted to make the line accessible. A lot of the inspiration and icons came from my interior collection: the little pipe, the rope heart (both emblems on polo shirts).

Adler's jeans philosophy: "They need to make you look taller and thinner," he says. "The fit people at 7 helped." Adler, who also designed cords for 7, tells Luxist, "I rock a white cord from 7 every day." Numerous celebs stopped by to pay homage to Adler and to his husband, Simon Doonan, the hilarious author of "Confessions of a Window Dresser" and "Wacky Chicks," as well as the creative director of Barneys New York. Naturally, all discussed their jeans preferences. "I have one pair of 7s I wear every single day," offered Abigail Breslin, of "Little Miss Sunshine" fame.

Fashion and interiors photographer and illustrator Todd Selby is the latest blogosphere star to bring out a book of his work. The cult favorite auteur of The Selby features the eclectic homes and favorite spaces of Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, Simon Doonan, Erin Wasson, Helena Christensen and more in The Selby Is In Your Place (Abrams, $35). Lagerfeld's massive library in Paris is particularly astonishing. The book consists of over thirty profiles, most of which have never been seen before, accompanied by Selby's watercolor portraits of the subjects and objects from their homes, and illustrated questionnaires along with the photographs. Cities represented include New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and London. Like the site that spawned it, the book is an alluring "insider's view of creative individuals in their personal spaces with an artist's eye for detail."

From the LA Times Hot Properties:
A Los Feliz home once owned by Clifford E. Clinton, the founder of the L.A. landmark Clifton's Cafeteria, is on the market for $1.799 million.The listing is here.
--What do Betty Grable, Stephen Stills, Jacqueline Smith and John De Lorean have in common? At one point they each lived in a Bel-Air house built in 1937. The beautifully maintained home has hit the market for $10.995 million. The listing is here.
--Singer Rachel Sweet has sold Los Pavoreales, a 1926 home designed by Wallace Neff in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, for $4.895 million. This home hit the market for $9.95 million just last year.
Comedy writer Shelley Zellman recently sold her Sherman Oaks home for $779,000.

From the NY Post:
--Natalie Portman is staying at a Union Square rental building with her dog, Whiz.
--Patti Stanger of Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker" is said to have been calling Hamptons brokers looking for a summer beach mansion to live and shoot in.
--Investor Chris Knight has listed his Shelter Island bayfront beach cottage for $3.5 million. The listing is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
Jerry Herbst, chairman and president of Las Vegas-based Terrible Herbst, has listed his Newport Beach, California home for $31.75 million. He bought the six-bedroom home for $35 million in 2008 from Nicolas Cage. The listing is here.
--Designer Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan, the creative director of Barneys New York have listed their Shelter Island beach home for $1.795 million. They bought the home for just $185,000 in 1998 but did major renovations. The listing is here.
--Mining executive Richard Adkerson and two partners have bought a roughly 18,000-acre ranch in Montana for less than $30 million. The property was originally offered for $55 million and about 97% of the deeded property has been placed under conservation easements.

From Housing Watch:
--Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has finally sold his Pinecrest, Florida house. He bought the home in 2005 for $3.98 million and it was first listed for $8.9 million in 2007. It sold last month for a mere $2.5 million.
--Larry King transferred all his prime real estate including his Beverly Hills mansion to his soon-to-be ex-wife Shawn Southwick two years ago but now wants his real estate back.
--After seven months on the market, the 14-bedroom home next to President Barack Obama's residence in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood sold for $1.4 million.

From the Real Estalker:
--David Krumholtz of the TV show Numb3rs has listed his three-bedroom home for $1.499 million. He paid $1.715 million for the home in 2006. The listing is here.
--Former president and current Chairman of the Board of the Whitney Museum of American Art Robert Hurst and his wife Soledad have listed their Fifth Avenue duplex in New York City for $29 million. The listing is here.
--Jackson Browne has picked up a single story Spanish Colonial Revival residence in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles for $2.66 million.
--Interior decorator Kelly Wearstler and property developer Brad Korzen and the three other families have listed the Malibu home they all own for $21.9 million. The six-bedroom home appeared in the November 2009 issue of Metropolitan Home. The listing is here.
--Robert and Barbara Taylor Bradford have listed their four-bedroom New York City residence for $18.995 million.
--Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann have listed their five-bedroom home in the Pacific Palisades area for $6.495 million. They bought the home in 2003 for $4.474 million. The listing is here.

From Move Trends:
--Actor Jeremy Sisto has listed his 3-bedroomHollywood Hills house for $1.3 million. The listing is here.


Emeril Lagasse seems to have finally sold his New York city loft. It was listed for sale for $5.995 million when we checked it out as an estate of the day in August 2009. It was last listed at $4.85 million and the listing shows it is "contract signed."

Designer Grahame Fowler has opened a cool new boutique in New York's West Village, bringing British style with an original, eclectic twist to the Big Apple. He's not one of your twentysomething hipster types, but rather a seasoned multi-disciplinary creative whiz incorporating colorful experiences abroad and a healthy dose of the '60s Mod sensibility from his youth in the UK into an array of stylish designs. The small, crowded West 10th Street store, or "creative lab and retail space" as Fowler calls it, features a wealth of clothing and accessories ranging from outerwear, suits, sweaters, shirts, ties, scarves, belts and boots to chess sets, vintage Rolex watches and restored Vespa scooters. Many items display a British military and nautical influence as well, emphasized by Fowler's anchor logo adapted from his father's naval tattoo and liberal use of the Union Jack.

Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan has become a big fan. "On the total indie front I'm loving Grahame Fowler, this incredibly hip, gorgeous microstore next to the fire station on 10th street," he declared recently. "He has the best shirts, and he's an English dude with a great mod sensibility - and I'm stuck in 1966, so I can relate." All of Fowler's unique, handmade, pieces are sourced and crafted in New York. His tailored items are characterized by relaxed silhouettes, fine fabrics and the luxury of comfort. His attention to detail is apparent in button holes varying in size and color, pastel hued elbow pads on crisp white button downs, and hidden straps inside jackets designed to hold one's newspaper. He also offers select women's pieces such as button down shirts crafted from vintage fabrics with cotton poplin details.

At the recent Moth Ball this week the fabulous men-about-town Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan were on hand to present the annual $5000 MothShop scholarship. The recipient, New York City high school student Terrence Buckner, told a wise beyond his years story on his struggles with coming out in his rough Brooklyn neighborhood. Doonan shared his own story of pretending to be straight in front of an immigration officer in the 70s, for the purposes of obtaining a work visa.

The master designer and Barneys Creative Director have been longtime supporters of the Moth, a nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling. We caught up with the couple at the event to find out why they love the organization so much. Read on in our exclusive interview to find out their advice for having an unforgettable holiday, just how recession-proof is Barneys, and just what they'll never be caught dead leaving home without.

Ariston Anderson: Why are you such big supporters of the Moth?

Jonathan Adler: I love, love the organization. It is so creative and fun and interesting. I go to fancy-schmancy events and sort of like they all are just boring. And the Moth is quite the opposite. It's fascinating and fun. I love them. It's the only thing on my calendar that I'm not dreading. It's the one sort of shining star on my Blackberry.

Simon Doonan: I love the Moth because I guess I'm just a Chatty Cathy and I love the idea of telling stories. It's just so well organized. It's always entertaining. Like when you go out in New York to a lot of events there's no content. But when you come to a Moth event you actually come away with a lot of thought provoking ideas and stories. And of course a lot of humor as well as serious stuff. So yeah, it puts some content into the New York scene, so I love that.

AA: How important is storytelling in design work?

JA: That's actually a great question. I am really focused on narrative in my work. Definitely in decorating I always try to start a creative narrative. The narrative usually involves trying to make my clients seem a little more eccentric, and a little more glamorous than they might actually be.

AA: Simon, have you had to alter any of window displays at Barneys because of the recession?

SD: At Barneys, I always made stuff out of found objects and I always recycle things. The windows at Barneys are always very crafty, and they were always about paper-mâché and finding things in the street. At Barneys, paradoxically, we have a very recession-proof point-of-view because it was never about sort of opulence or bling. It was always kind of subtle and sort of crafty.

AA: Last year, you were advocating the cape here. Are capes still in?

SD: Capes? Everything is in. That's the thing, nothing ever goes out of style anymore. All trends concurrently exist. In this room somebody is probably rocking every trend known to mankind.

AA: What tips do you have for having a fabulous holiday party this season?

SD: For an amazing holiday party, I think there's no such thing as being overdressed. You know, if you feel like wearing a full-length ballgown, just wear it. People worry too much about being event-appropriate. It's much better to be overdressed. As Andy Warhol said, it's much better to be the right thing in the wrong place. You always have fun if you do the right thing in the wrong place.

JA: I think that everyone should have Lee Press On Nails for every guest. It could turn a business meeting into a party.

AA: Have you ever worn them yourself?

JA: I have. (Laughs) But only in the context of a party. It's not an everyday thing.

SD: I think if you want to have a fabulous holiday this season, buy a feather boa. Nothing makes you feel bubbly and vivacious like a feather boa. It's very glam rock.

AA: What are some luxuries you can't live without?

SD: Well Johnny and I have a condo, down in Palm Beach. So we love to go down there and run on the beach and frolic during cold winter weekends. So that's a real self-indulgent luxury. Other than that, no drugs. You know, I'm on a natural high. I don't have an expensive drug habit. And I'm so small I would love to buy clothes all the time, but I can't find things that fit me because I'm a midget.

JA: You know what I can't live without is my pill keychain. My enamel pill keychain. It's in the shape of a pill, and it also functions as a little pillbox. So it holds three pills, just an emergency supply, so that's my most essential item.

AA: What's in your pillbox?

JA: Xanax, xanax, and xanax.

As part of Barneys New York's 1960s Peace & Love "Hippie Holiday" theme, cooked up by creative director Simon Doonan, the store is offering a special set of Volkswagen Beetle cufflinks. The links, designed on behalf of a holiday partnership between Barneys and Volkswagen by the Caroline Collection, are modeled on the iconic 1967 Beetle. The whimsical "antiqued" cufflinks (above) are made of sterling silver and enamel in various colors and will retail for $550.00 a pair. Commenting on his adoption of the hippie theme, Doonan noted, "We only picked the cheery, upbeat aspects of the '60s! No overdoses or assassinations."

Legendary French luxury goods house Louis Vuitton is re-launching its stylish City Guides for the travel book series' tenth anniversary, with a vintage-inspired look. The Guides, originally launched in 1999, contain the essential addresses of the most stylish locales in world cities. The current saffron yellow color scheme and minimal design is being changed to the brown of its signature monogram canvas, with colorful accents and patterns inspired by vintage Vuitton luggage labels.

The new 2009 Guides, which will feature editions for New York, Paris, Tokyo, Miami, Mumbai, and a boxed set of 32 European Cities, will go on sale starting October 15, Vogue UK reports. In addition, the revamped Guides will feature personal tips from the likes of Italian actress Monica Belluci on Rome and Barneys creative director Simon Doonan on New York. See the gallery for more.

The irrepressible Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York and all-round fashion guru, has just published his saucy new style manual / memoir, Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You.

In it he espouses his theory of "eccentric glamour," which isn't about spending a lot of money but rather developing a signature style which says much more about you than the brands you wear. Running out and buying the latest Vuitton bag will only get you so far without a certain amount of savoir faire.

We asked Simon what advice he had for Luxist readers looking to make a suitable impression. "It's not enough just to festoon yourself with designer luxury," he explains. "Everyone needs to develop a few signature flourishes. It can be as simple as applying a bit of Maria Callas eyeliner, or as complicated as an Amy Winehouse beehive. These touches of eccentric glamour are what set you apart from the pack." So there you have it.

At the Barneys New York website, you can enter a sweepstakes to win lunch and a $2500 shopping spree with Simon and three of your friends.