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Photo courtesy of the Neue Galerie, New York
Two of my favorite books are The Austrian Mind and The History of Underclothes. I’m sitting with both in front of me as I think about concerts I heard across this past New York Winter — especially in the just-started Hungarian Echoes festival by the New York Philharmonic.
The Austrian Mind is William M. Johnston’s epic, readable tour of the intellectual world of Austria-Hungary between 1848 and 1938. It’s subtitled An Intellectual and Social History, and offers a world that glowed with the intensity of an exploding star as the Habsburg Empire passed from the 19th to 20th centuries and vanished in World War

Although I’m a first-night Manhattan critic who saw Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark for the first time only three days before its most recently scratched March 15 opening, what follows is not a review. Okay, having seen it from start to finish, I admit this is a review to the extent that I agree with the consensus on its unsatisfying qualities expressed by colleagues in responses written just after the previous postponed February 7 premiere.
On the other hand, I’m not certain I’d join one prominent naysayer who suggested that Julie Taymor’s highly publicized production (score by Bono and The Edge, libretto by Taymor and Glen Berger) may rank as one of the worst musicals ever. After all, a writer must be careful about registering such a negative superlative when there’ve been so many bottom-of-barrel-scraping tuners over the past however many decades.
Among them from only as far back as the ’60s, a conscientious critic has to keep in mind Kelly, Via Galactica, Dude, Edward Albee’s slash at Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rockabye Hamlet, Twyla Tharp’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, all three versions of The Scarlet Pimpernel and — only this season — Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
Look, folks, the visual aspects of what Taymor has insisted on calling “a circus rock’n'roll drama” and not a “musical” are, and likely will continue to be, commendable. When Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark opens — if it ever does, June 14, supposedly — expect set designer George Tsypin and costume designer Eiko Ishioka not only to be nominated for Tonys but to win them.
The current version, however, now acknowledged as needing radical revision by its neophyte producers — and by Bono, who first approached Taymor with the idea and now seems to be the guiding hand — could be categorized as just another in a long line of deficient

I am truly fond of Phyllis Galembo’s work. Galembo is a photographer and professor of Art at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She has exhibited extensively in museums, most recently Call and Response in collaboration with Nick Cave at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in conjunction with Spoleto Festival USA. Her work can also be seen in five published books, Aso-ebi: Cloth of the Family, Divine Inspiration from Benin to Bahia, Vodou: Visions and Voices of Haiti, Dressed for Thrills: 100 years of Halloween Costumes and Masquerade; and

Albert Einstein once said, “Dancers are the athletes of God.” As I watched a pair of performers rehearse in a downtown dance studio this past Friday, their enthusiasm nearly palpable and their perfectly coordinated bodies performing impressive acrobatic routines, I finally understood what he meant with that statement. In the process, I also figured out the true meaning behind the translation of dance Muse Terpsichore’s name: “Delight of Dancing.”
If you think I must have been privy to the exclusive rehearsals of some highbrow national ballet company, or even the local tryouts of an international acrobatic troupe, you’re wrong. Instead, what I witnessed first hand in Chelsea will be part of a wonderful upcoming show — produced and performed by Rachel Sattler and Elizabeth Burwell — playing this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 18, 19 and 20, at the Gene Frankel Theater on Lafayette Street, right here in NYC.
The Merrymakers Present: Adventures in Anytown is a dance show for

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Art Production Fund’s booth at The Armory Art Fair — all our editions raise funds to support our public art program. Featured here are affordable editions by:
Jessica Craig-Martin, Miltos Manetas, Richard Phillips, plates by Rudolf Stingel (made by Bernardaud), and carpet by George Condo.
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Art Production Fund’s booth at The Armory Art Fair — all our editions raise funds to support our public art program.

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Red hair. Green tights. Cap and feather. It’s a getup every child could recognize and quickly pick out as belonging to Peter Pan, that mischievous youth that never seems to grow

Feeling like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole, I walked into Mister H, the marvelous new lounge at the Mondrian SoHo hotel in Manhattan. Run by Armin Amiri (who owned Socialista and manned the door of Bungalow 8, two infamous New York nightspots) this magical little joint at Chinatown’s border evokes a Shanghai speakeasy circa 1930 — or rather, a movie set of one.
“I thought, ‘Where would Humphrey Bogart have his last nightcap before he goes to sleep?’ Then I thought, ‘Let’s give this guy a name, Mister Hung,” says Amiri, who is also an actor, about the concept’s inspiration and fictitious host. “I also wanted to bring in a bit of Alfred Hitchcock, something dark and mysterious.”
From red banquettes to hand-screened wallpaper, Persian rugs to checkerboard floors, the stunning room is an enthusiastic collaboration between Amiri and Morgan SoHo designer Benjamin Noriega

The one thing that still stays in my mind from Christmas 2010 is the media coverage of the “fat sugarplum fairy.” Following The New York Times article calling the ballerina allegedly chubby (claiming she had “eaten one sugar plum too many”), I went to go see the New York City Ballet’s rendition of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, not only to get into the mood for Christmas, but also because I found it highly improbable that a ballerina would be anything close to “fat.”
Unfortunately, ballerina Jenifer Ringer wasn’t performing the night I went to Lincoln Center, but nonetheless, the ballet did the job of making me feel like going on a sleigh ride… with a bag full of candy. Halfway through the gumdrops and cookies and sugarplums and whatever else, I was sincerely curious how anyone can make it through the Nutcracker without a trip to the concession stand.
My date and I decided on Po, the small West Villager that is best known as one of the first eateries where Mario Batali got his

Nothing makes me happier than going to a party! From the minute I receive an invitation, the expectation of a good time begins. Who can resist the first surge of pleasure that comes from being asked to a friend’s home to share an intimate evening? So much thought and planning goes into creating a memorable event. Flowers are arranged, tables set, menus selected, wines chosen with great care. Guests dress up, music plays, and then in a few hours it’s over.
It occurred to me what fun it would be to record these ephemeral moments, capturing a celebration as it unfolds, like a reality TV show. I wanted to document the way stylish pals entertain in their own homes, decorated by the likes of Peter Marino, Mark Hampton and Mario Buatta. My photographer, Eric Striffler, would be a fly on the wall, recording these moments as they happened. Hosts would share their secrets, opening their front doors. Readers could come along, invited to the private parties of 15 tastemakers like Michael Kors, Tory Burch, the Leonard Lauders, and Jamie Drake.
It took me almost two years to follow the seasons, recording everything from a fall hunt breakfast in Millbrook, to a tented summer party in Bridgehampton.
NEW YORK PARTIES: PRIVATE VIEWS offer an insider’s view of what makes a gathering unforgettable. It also shows how to cope with the unexpected.
A Marie Antoinette Tea with Zang Toi
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When the party is in full swing, the guests, wearing Zangs designs, feel right at home. The magical room transports them to another period. Manhattan fades away as bubbly champagne and sugary sweets create an energetic high. Spirits rise as we celebrate the anniversary of the House of Toi, wearing fancy clothes in the afternoon, sharing tea, caviar, and conversation. Off with our heads! We love eating cake.
A Marie Antoinette Tea with Zang Toi
When the party is in full swing, the guests, wearing Zangs designs, feel right at home. The magical room transports them to another period. Manhattan fades away as bubbly champagne and sugary sweets create an energetic high. Spirits rise as we celebrate the anniversary of the House of Toi, wearing fancy clothes in the afternoon, sharing tea, caviar, and conversation. Off with our heads! We love eating cake.
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On Thursday, auction house Phillips de Pury held a private ladies’ luncheon for thirty lucky women to preview the couture dresses to be auctioned off tonight as part of Swarovski’s charity auction “22 Ways to Say Black.” 100% of the proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society and La Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer in France. The fundraiser was the brainchild of Lila Thibault, Swarovski’s stunning textile manager, whose best friend was stricken with breast cancer two years ago. Thibault encouraged designers to create bold, confident dresses in black, each dress being a totally unique creation by some of the most respected names in the industry — Alberta Ferretti, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Sonia Rykiel and Valentino, to name a few.
“This auction has been in the works for over eighteen months” said Phillips’ Director of Contemporary Art, Aileen Agopian, during her opening remarks over lunch of vegetable terrine and tuna tartar. Held in a glass enclosed room overlooking the Highline with a single sparsely decorated table dotted with Swarovski crystals and fine china, the crowd was decidedly art heavy and made up of the type of women who could and would spend $3,000 on a unique dress by Diane Von Furstenburg.
Art adviser BJ Topal zeroed in on friend Phillip Lim’s sleeveless shift in ivory duchesse satin covered in collage of 1,800 Swarovski crystals. Lim is a friend and client of Topal, who has been helping him build an art collection over the past two years. “Its not just because I love him. The dress is stunning,” said Topal as a crowd of women gathered to admire it. Fashionista Sharon Copeland Horowitz gushed over the long sleeved Valentino creation while art collector Julie Bernstein commented Donna Karan and the complex ruching on the Vivienne Westwood dress. Auction estimates range from $1,000 to $22,000, but these were not the kind of prices that scare away the day’s immaculately dressed attendees.
Despite having attended around 25 shows for Fashion Week, T Magazine’s prestigious Style Director Sandra Ballentine was charming and upbeat as guests peppered her with questions about Spring 2011 collections. Asked which dresses on view she was most admiring, she admitted to coveting those designed by Ricardo Tischi for Givenchy, Lanvin, Marios Schwab and Martin Grant.
Horowitz, wearing a text-based Cindy Sherman for Balenciaga dress, complimented Swarovski on their proweress for making couture accessible. “With couture fashion, as with art, you need to know someone to have access to these items,” said Horowitz, a curator and art adviser who has been in the business for more than twenty years. “As with a gallery, there are complex waiting lists for items made by fashion houses in extremely limited quantity and of the highest quality. What an auction house does is more democratic — they put coveted pieces up for sale to whomever can afford them. This is a rare opportunity.”
Tonight’s auction, which begins with cocktails at 7 p.m. at Phillips de Pury, is held under the high patronage of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and will draw some of the world’s most fashionable women, including Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry. Participating designers include Lanvin by Alber Elbaz, Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Azzaro, Alexis Mabille, Gaspard Yurkievich, Martin Grant, Valentino, Giorgio Armani Prive, Fendi, Alberta Ferretti, Missoni, Gianfranco Ferre, Vivienne Westwood, Boudicca, Mario Schwab, Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg, Phillip Lim, Catherine Malandrino and Thakoon.

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