ThePlaza

Anna Hu, Custom Jeweler to the Lucky

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

"In the Chinese folktale, we have this god, the god of the moon. He's quite old, he's like Zeus in mythology. He ties red strings around babies before they are born, and then they are destined to be together. So, it's very symbolic."

Anna Hu (right) sat across the table from me at her shop beneath the legendary Plaza Hotel, presiding over a collection of flawless stones worth millions, arranged neatly by color like baubles in a bead shop. On my wrist I wore the bracelet version of this knot ring (below) -- probably the only one in existence. The highest volume of any item Hu has ever produced, with the exception of the linked items at Kabiri at Selfridges, is three.

"The technique is to really feel like a red string. At first, I was going to make it as a bangle, and then I thought, 'But people could copy that.' So, I converted it. The shape of the heart is stable, but [the rest] is flexible."

"Would you give it to someone who was getting married?" I asked.

"It's more of a romance-related item. I created the item because a lot of couples are so deeply in love with each other, but if the timing's not right ... before marriage, why don't we have a pre-bridal collection? We could call it 'Romance.'"

Ruby Knot Bracelet

Anna Hu is a jewelry designer who came to America from Taiwan as a cello prodigy when she was 14 years old to attend Walnut Hill, a prestigious arts boarding school. She went on to The New England Conservatory of Music, but hurt her shoulder. It was then that she decided to join the family business; her father is a gems dealer. "I went to my father. It was all meant to be," she said humbly. The pain of losing her first love to an injury was palpable as she talked about the switch:

"Well, I hurt my shoulder, so what could I do?"

Apparently, a lot. Hu went on to obtain a masters degree in Art History from Parsons School of Design and a second in Arts Administration at Columbia University, as well as a Graduate Gemologist Degree from the Gemological Institute of America. She started her jewelry brand at age 29.

Hu's music background is more than evident in her work. She is inspired by music and musicians she meets, such as Madonna, for whom she has created several pieces. She listens to music while she designs, and can remember exactly what she was listening to when she looks at her completed works.

"I have to listen to music," says Hu. "Rachmaninoff, Bach, sometimes I can only listen to Pacanini ... I feel all the technical challenge, and like, convert it into jewelry." ... "I have this sense of illusion of movement. If a jewelry piece cannot move, I have to make it look as though it's moving."

Gallery: Anna Hu - One of a Kind Designer

Tags: Anna Hu, AnnaHu, designer interview, DesignerInterview, haute joaillerie, HauteJoaillerie, interview, jewelry, jewelry designers, JewelryDesigners, Madonna, the plaza, ThePlaza

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Todd English's Plans For The Plaza

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Celebrity chef Todd English has announced his latest restaurant, The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English which will open in Spring 2010 in New York's Plaza Hotel, The 5,400 square-foot Food Hall will have eight stations and kitchens where visitors may choose their selections and watch as they are being freshly prepared. These include a wine bar that serves tapas, a cheese and charcuterie station that also offers caviar, a sushi bar, a burger bar and rotisserie, an Asian noodle and dumpling bar, an espresso and tea bar with desserts, a pizza station and a fish and seafood grill. The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English will also sell gourmet foods like olives and olive oils, vinegars, spices, gourmet coffee, teas and cocoas, artisan jams and sauces as well as cookware, linens and home goods.

English, who started as a Boston-based chef, now has a global empire that includes a chain of restaurants with Eva Longoria, several cookbooks, a line of cookware and his own olive oil.

Tags: the plaza, ThePlaza, todd english, ToddEnglish

The Shops at The Plaza

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Jewelry, Services, Spas, Cosmetics and Fragrance, Men's Style, Wealth

Like my colleagues Annie and Alison, I braved Fashion Week, in particular, Fashion's Night Out on September 10. But I was fortunate to be in one serene place, The Shops at The Plaza. Entering at One East 58th Street, right near Central Park, The Shops at The Plaza immediately gives you a feeling of luxury shopping, but in a much more open environment than a small boutique because The Shops is 160,000 square feet on six levels.

The Shops features a unique gathering of one-of-a-kind jewelry designers and coveted boutique brands, many of which have chosen to open their first U.S. outpost exclusively here. Examples of the stores you'll find are Krigler, a fifth-generation fragrance house with Russian roots and French savoir-faire; Anna Hu, a Christie's New York and Van Cleef & Arpels veteran who specializes in creating stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces; Qiviuk, which offers unusual, high-quality clothing for men and women made of the cashmere-like Qiviuk fiber; and a new store to The Shops, the flagship location of New York fashion designer Douglas Hannant. I had the chance to chat with representatives from each of these stores, so watch Luxist for more on these brands.

Other stores at The Shops are MCM, Ghurka, Vertu, Morgenthal Frederics, Seize Sur Vingt, LTJ Arthur, GOODFORTUNE TENTHOUSANDTHINGS, Kenneth Jay Lane, Iradj Moini, Maurice Fine Jewelry, Helen Yarmak, Peter Lik Fine Photography, and Francesco Fino. Plus, now reopened is The Plaza Boutique, the hotel's own store, which offers high-end leather goods, porcelain glasses, fashionable men's shirts, and luxurious gift items.

As for beauty, The Shops has that area covered as well. The Plaza Beauty by Warren-Tricomi is a beauty destination and contemporary boutique divided by category, offering a brow bar, men's bar, fragrance bar, and skincare. (See photo.) Drawing from the worlds of hair care, skincare, and fragrance, The Plaza Beauty provides a sampling of the most luxurious, internationally-renowned brands, as well as rare, emerging lines, all hand-picked by Joel Warren and Edward Tricomi.

All that shopping and beautification may make you in need of a respite, or at least a snack. Stop by the Demel café, Parisian bookseller Assouline, the Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, Warren-Tricomi Salon, or the Fitness Center by Radu Physical Culture to refuel and recharge.

The Plaza has undergone a $400 million, three-year, lobby-to-roof renovation and restoration, and it's amazing. Designated a New York City Landmark in 1969, it is also the only New York City hotel to be designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Tags: Fashions Night Out, FashionsNightOut, hotel, New York, New York City, NewYork, NewYorkCity, shopping, The Plaza, ThePlaza

Betsey Johnson To Design Plaza Suite

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Design

Perennially girly designer Betsey Johnson is taking her love of pink and black to New York's Plaza hotel. Johnson, who has a show at New York Fashion Week, will be creating an Eloise suite at the Plaza, capitalizing on the popularity of the beloved children's books featuring the young girl. Johnson already has her own hotel of sorts, the warm weather escape Betseyville and this isn't her first foray into interior design.For a peek at what the future might hold for the Plaza we can check out Johnson's own New York City apartment which was for sale a couple of years back.

Gallery: Betsey Johnson's Pink Palace