Editors’ Eye:
The Ten Things We Loved (or Longed For) This February Inline
1/11Illustrations of Grace Coddington, André Leon Talley, Hamish Bowles by Gladys Perint Palmer.
Photo: Everett Collection2/11“There’s a new sushi restaurant in my neighborhood, but I think I would prefer a night with Michael Fassbender over a night of fish.”
Photo: John Persson/The Royal Opera House; Courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum3/11“In 1946, Britain’s Royal Ballet unveiled a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty to herald the triumphant reopening of the splendid crimson, white, and gold theatrical palace of Covent Garden after the war. The dazzlingly talented theatrical designer Oliver Messel created the sets and costumes—a wonderland of shimmeringly romantic, impressionistic effects that dazzled audiences in the midst of the privations of austerity Britain and after the harrowing experience of living in the Blitz-torn capital.
A highlight of my Christmas season in London was the Royal Ballet’s revival of the celebrated and entirely enchanting Messel production, which sensitively re-creates the designer’s subtle, shadowed palette.
Oliver Messel: In The Theatre of Design, edited by Messel’s nephew Thomas Messel (a distinguished furniture designer in his own right, and the cousin of the great photographer and designer Lord Snowdon), provides further insight into, and ravishing visuals of, Messel’s uniquely fanciful forays into architecture, interior and movie as well as theater design.
Oliver Messel: In the Theatre of Design, edited by Thomas Messel, $75; for information: rizzoliusa.com
Photo: Marko MacPherson4/11“I love the color, the sound, and the fact that they don’t fall out of my ears. Also, they’re fun for summer and come in a great case which can clip on to my bag. From a practical standpoint, they are so big and bright I can’t lose them.”
Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily bag, $1,525; Dolce & Gabbana, NYC, 212.249.4100
Beats Studio by Dr. Dre red headphones, $300; bestbuy.com
Photo: Marko MacPherson5/11“Bookmarc on Bleecker Street in New York inspires me with their unpredictable and graphic displays. They have a perfectly edited selection: great books to read and great books on art and photography. I can spend hours there.”
Bookmarc, NYC, 212.620.4021
Photo: Marko MacPherson6/11“As someone who barely ever shops, I always make an exception for British designer Margaret Howell’s store on Wigmore Street in London. It’s not so much the clothes, great though they are—it’s the books and housewares that I love. Last time I was there, I got a vintage kingfisher-blue glass pitcher, and this Ziggurat wool blanket, which was made in Wales. It’s homespun and crafty, but the geometry adds a rigor and urbanity to what is a very soft and very cozy cover.”
Eleanor Pritchard for Margaret Howell Ziggurat wool blanket, $372; for information: margarethowell.co.uk
7/11The New Gypsies (Prestel Publishing) by Iain Mckell, $40; amazon.com
Photo: The Weinstein Company8/11“Madonna’s direction of this saga about the romance between Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII, the greatest of the twentieth century, is flawless.”
Photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, October 20069/11“Especially for those of us who recently made resolutions about fitness and health, the documentary Forks Over Knives makes you stop and think about what you’re eating. Goodbye hot dogs, hello spinach!”
Forks Over Knives documentary, $20; forksoverknives.com
Photo: Marko MacPherson | Stylist: Lisa von Weise10/11Marc Jacobs leather jacket, $4,200; Marc Jacobs, NYC, 212.343.1490
11/11“It’s wonderful. I love it because she’s so sweet and it is so . . . true.”
