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| Surveying. 5:20 PM. Photo: JH. |
Wednesday, August 1, 2012. A beautiful, sunny day yesterday in New York. Full moon tomorrow.
About noontime, I went down to the new offices and showroom of Oscar de la Renta on West 42nd Street just across from the New York Public Library. I had stopped by to see my friend Boaz Mazor who is the Sales Director at Large for Oscar.
Boaz, who travels the world indefatigably, is Oscar’s ex-officio ambassador to the world. He is off for Lake Tahoe today for a big annual show of Oscar’s resort line presented by Saks Fifth Avenue and for the benefit of the League to Save Lake Tahoe which takes place this coming Saturday. |
| Boaz Mazor at work hosting an Oscar de la Renta fashion show at Neiman Marcus in Palo Alto. |
Boaz heading back to his room after breakfasting with Barbara Walters in her suite at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. |
| Oscar with Dede Wilsey and Marissa Mayer. |
| Boaz with San Francisco's Sally Debenham. |
Boaz with Marissa Mayer. |
It’s a major charity benefit for the San Franciscans who weekend and summer at the lake. Last year the luncheon (which takes place this Saturday right on the edge of the lake) attracted 650 guests. There’s an auction too (and what benefit today doesn’t feature one?).
Last year, Marissa Mayer, then a Google Vice-President bid $26,000 for a package that included a new original Oscar gown, as well as lunch here in New York with the Man Himself as well as front row seats at his fashion show.
I don’t know if Ms. Mayer will be there bidding this year. She’s got a new job, as you may have read in the past few days, as CEO of Yahoo. She’s also going to have a baby and the topic on everyone’s lips out in Silicon Valley and everywhere else, is how long will she be taking maternity leave? Some say just a few days; others say not that long.
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| Guests arriving at the luncheon o benefit the League to Save Lake Tahoe. |
| From the runway at the League to Save Lake Tahoe's luncheon in Lake Tahoe last August. |
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Meanwhile, back in Manhattan. The brand new just completed offices are spacious with almost-ivory white walls and ceilings, all very solid yet light and sleek. In the main showroom, the fresh creamy monochrome is broken only by a row of neatly lined up racks – four or five, each separated by eight or ten feet, all holding the newest Oscar designs with those splashy often vibrant Oscar colors. All set out next to long tables for buyers to sit and choose.
I was reminded of a story the late Eleanor Lambert once told me about Babe Paley who many recall as the very Best Dressed Woman of her time and ever since. Eleanor said that if you took what Babe was wearing on any given day, including her accessories – handbag, scarves, shoes, jewelry, and lined it up on hangers together, the visual results would be a work of art.
That artfulness stood out in this vast showroom. The final rack in the line (none of which dominated or overtook this vast pristine space), was of the small children’s collection. Many of the same colors, of course. Works of art for the little ones. In the distance at the other end of this long and wide space, I saw the man himself seated with others, inspecting models wearing what must be newest, yet to be shown, line of Oscar creations. |
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| The view from the showroom. |
Aside from the novelty of being in this post-modern couturier’s salon was the view -- Manhattan from the middle of 42nd Street (east to west). I’d never seen the gargantuan and stately New York Public Library from 25 floors above the street.
Behind the library, in Bryant Park is a vast rectangular lawn surrounded by trees. And in the center of one end was a large rectangular construction. After dark it’s a movie screen and New Yorkers come from all over town with their foldup lounging chairs and their picnic blankets, and settle in for a movie under the stars. Last night was a perfect evening those city dwellers to watch a movie in the Park, just a block from Times Square and the Main Stem. This is New York. |
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