Book Club: The Ivy League by Daniel Cappello

Posted By: KK on 01/25/12 9:41 AM | Categories: Book Club

If anyone can write about The Ivy League with stylish authority, it is our friend, Daniel Cappello. Through the eyes of this Harvard alumnus, we encourage you to open these pages to join the social elite, and discover the unique spirit of each individual school which together create one of the most successful and singularly American institutions. We absolutely cannot wait for this must-read to come out in April! The Ivy League is available for pre-sale now at Assouline.

ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel Cappello is the founder of 47 Ventures. He draws on an encompassing career that has spanned the worlds of media, politics, design, philanthropy, fashion, and the arts to offer clients a uniquely customized experience for their personal- and business-development needs.

Cappello is currently the Fashion Editor of Quest Media, which publishes the cultural magazine Quest and the fashion magazine Q. He has worked on the editorial staffs of The New Yorker, George, and Harvard Current. He has covered and written about science, politics, literature, fashion, and etiquette for publications such as Playbill, Absolute New York, W, Ralph Lauren’s RL Magazine, and newyorker.com.

He served President Bill Clinton as Director of Specialty Press and has worked on such creative projects as the redesign and installation of the permanent exhibit “Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady,” at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, in Boston, and Richard Avedon’s final photographic portfolio, “Democracy.”

He is a founder of the Junior Council of American Ballet Theatre, and currently helps to head its Strategic Planning Committee. He is also a member of the Resource Council of Trey McIntyre Project, the contemporary-ballet dance company. Cappello received his B.A. degree in Government from Harvard University, where he also earned a Citation in French Language.

Daniel’s Blog

Book Club: Great Gift Books

Posted By: KK on 12/14/11 5:41 PM | Categories: Book Club

Who doesn’t enjoy a good book? It is one of our favorite gift to both give and to receive. Each one of these titles is an opportunity to curl up and savor the subject matter. Art, manners, cooking, entertaining, history and fashion – whatever your pleasure, you can find it in our collection.

1. The Worlds of Hunt Slonem ($57), 2. Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style ($29), 3. Eleanor Lambert: Still Here ($60), 4. Daphne Guiness ($30), 5. Bill of Rites for the American Man ($12), 6. New York New York ($53), 7. New York Parties: Private Views ($35), 8. My Tuscan Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes from the Castello di Vicarello ($24)

Book Club: The Gorilla Man & the Empress of Steak by Randy Fertel

Posted By: KK on 10/27/11 9:25 AM | Categories: Book Club

Our friend and neighbor, Randy Fertel has written a wonderful memoir for devotees of food, families, and a rare, well-done tale. “A lover of fine wines, fine food, and great cars, he has long dined out on the stories that make up The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak.”R

“The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak is a one-of-a-kind real-life tale, as layered, rich, and full of surprises as a street map of New Orleans. Randy Fertel had the good fortune to be born to a pair of American originals, and his parents had the great fortune to live out their fascinating lives in front of a son who’s a natural-born storyteller. This is one of my favorite books of the year.” – Mark Childress, New York Times bestselling author of Georgia Bottoms & Crazy in Alabama.

Do not miss The Nation Institute Presents Randy Fertel in Conversation with Calvin Trillin at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 125 Crosby Street, on Wednesday, November 2 at 7:00pm. For information and for tickets, please go to Housing Works.

Randy Fertel, a writer based in New York and New Orleans, is president of both the Fertel Foundation and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation. He holds a PhD from Harvard University, where he received a student-voted teaching award, and specializes in the literature of the Vietnam War. For more about Randy, his memoirs and a video interview with the author, please go to his website, The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak.

Book Club: Preppy Cultivating Ivy Style at J. McLaughlin

Posted By: KK on 10/24/11 2:25 PM | Categories: Book Club

Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style

Do we ever tire of the preppy look? Or books about it? Emphatically NO and apparently we are not alone. J. McLaughlin is hosting book signing with Fern Mallis, Jay and Kevin McLaughlin & Steve Siegler, on Thursday, October 27 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at its quintessentially prep-chic boutique at 1311 Madison. You are invited to meet Jeffrey Banks and Doria de La Chapelle the authors of this vibrant volume, replete with photographs and vintage ads illustrating the iconic elements of prep: from Oxford shirts, khakis, and Shetland sweaters to Peter Pan collars, madras pants, and Lilly Pulitzer tropical blooms. We love how J. McLaughlin refreshes this genre every season, with updated fabrics, shapes and patterns while retaining the essence of its fresh classic style.

Prepped for Work!

Left to Right: Whitney Silk Twill Blouse ($215), Jenna Wool Cashmere Skirt ($195), Lam Cropped Boucle Jacket ($235), Leather Melinda Tote ($298)

“Preppy offers the first definitive and in-depth volume on preppy fashion, exploring its evolution from its pragmatic origins and presence on elite Eastern campuses in America to its profound influence internationally and metamorphosis on the runway. For the first time, the preppy story is told completely and beautifully with iconic and never-before-published archival and editorial photographs and personal snapshots from the original Ivy elites.”

Great gift for your Prepette

Silk Tie Headband $28

Book Club: “At Home” with Suzanne Rheinstein

Posted By: KK on 10/8/11 9:25 AM | Categories: Book Club

We are enchanted by Suzanne Rheinsteins’s first book, At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past, which focuses on six of her signature projects, including her own homes in Los Angeles and New York City. This legendary interior designer signature style is often described as elegant civility–”fewer things but better things”- encompassing a mixture of beautiful objects, furniture styles, personal art, painted surfaces, and great attention to comfort, textures, details and light.

The Colleagues, a non-profit small group of women who raise fund for Children’s Institute Inc., celebrated the book with a reception at the Frette Boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Over 20 years ago, Suzanne opened a store in Los Angeles, Hollyhock to sell all the things she loved for the home but couldn’t easily find in Los Angeles. Since its opening Hollyhock has been an exclusive resource for designers and discerning shoppers. Suzanne carefully chooses every item in the shop with a particular point of view, including wonderful, quirky pieces that can’t be found anyplace else. Hollyhock product is exclusively available on Taigan.com.

Book Club: End of Summer Reading

Posted By: KK on 08/24/11 7:09 AM | Categories: Book Club

It all began with a rainy weekend and Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s illuminated love letter to the city of lights. You have probably seen the movie , as it quickly became Allen’s top grossing film of all times. It was Paris brought to life, through the characters who shaped our uniquely romantic American vision of the Jazz Age, F.Scott, Zelda and Hemingway. Feeling the blunt, raw energy of EH, led me down my summer reading list.

As I was about to go off to Climbing Kilimanjaro, I had to reread The Snows of Kilimanjaro, a brilliantly powerful, compact tale. You know what it is about.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories ($7)

This led to Paula McClain’s Parisian Wife, a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s early day in Paris, as told by his first wife Hadley Richardson. McClain revealed a tender side of Hemingway that we seldom see among the bravado and bluster of his persona. This heartbreaking tale of love and loss, is a wonderful summer read.

The Paris Wife ($14)

As while I was downloading, I found David McCullough’s The Greater Journey American’s in Paris which traces the American’s in the late 1800’s who first ventured across the sea, hungry for knowledgeand how they were transformed by the experience.

The Greater Journey ($21)

And now that summer is at it’s end, I have saved this brilliant reread for now and am practically giddy with the anticipation of it.

A Moveable Feast ($11)

Book Club: The Best House Guest Gifts from Assouline

Posted By: KK on 06/3/11 7:51 AM | Categories: Book Club

Looking for the perfect house guest gifts to give this summer? No worries, we have found just the thing! Assouline’s terrific new tome, American Fashion Travel. A stylish scrapbook sure to spark wanderlust from the travels of America’s best-known fashion designers. Featuring personal anecdotes, memorabilia, photos, and an original travel questionnaire. A co-publication with the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Make sure you are invited back by bringing one of these delightful reads. There is something wonderful for everyone.

Book Club: Jamie Singleton A Standard Deviation

Posted By: KK on 05/24/11 8:04 AM | Categories: Book Club

Looking for a great read for Memorial Day? How about a nail-biting political thriller – A Standard Deviation written by our clever friend, Jamie Singleton – a fast paced, action packed story about the manipulation of truth by some of the most commanding people on Wall Street and Washington, D.C. It is a subject that Jamie knows well having spent most of his career among the rich and powerful.

A Standard Deviation is Jamie’s first novel. Jamie has spent 27 years in the investment banking and private equity business. He graduated from Yale College and worked as an English teacher as well as a professional writer before getting his MBA from University of Chicago. He is currently working on his second novel, Red Herring, which features FBI agent John Aichenhead, a key character in A Standard Deviation, as he pursues corporate fraud at the height of the tech bubble with dire national security implications.

Book Club: Golden State by David Prybil

Posted By: KK on 04/29/11 12:09 PM | Categories: Book Club

Our friend David Prybil has written a wry drama of California Dreaming in present day Sacramento. A writer-producer with 15 years of experience in the film business GOLDEN STATE is his first novel, and it has been selected for the iUniverse Barnes & Noble “Rising Star” program.

“Let’s also add a dash of the impending governor race where an equally colorful lineup of characters runs for office, the brightest hue being Arnold Schwarzenegger. David Prybil has created a motley crew of characters who writhe from the page against the backdrop of a state in need of change. The characters’ agony, triumphs, and ever-present hope in the American Dream is heartfelt and achingly honest… [and] filled with dialogue and storylines that gleam.” Heidi Komlofske, San Francisco Book Review, March 2011 issue.

He will be NYC and the surrounding areas from April 27 – May 3 for appearances in support of Golden State, including a signing at BookBook, 266 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, May 3, from 5 – 7 p.m. For more information and to order a book, go to David Prybil. He is currently at work on a second book, entitled LOLITAVILLE.

Golden State by David Prybil ($15)

Book Club: My Tuscan Kitchen Castello di Vicarello

Posted By: KK on 04/5/11 4:01 PM | Categories: Book Club

We would like to invite all of our friends to a Book Signing on Wednesday, April 13 at the Rizzoli Bookstore to meet the lovely and talented author, Aurora Baccheschi Berti of “My Tuscan Kitchen.” The forward of the book is written by Julian Niccolini, of the iconic Four Seasons Restaurant. To read the reviews and to purchase a book on line, please click on the image below.

We had the ‘fantastico’ pleasure of visiting Castello di Vicarello last fall. It was the most unique and wonderful experience. In addition to basking in the spa, tasting the Castello’s own fabulous wines, hiking the Tuscan countryside, hunting wild boar and exploring local towns, the highlight of the holiday was gathering with friends in the vaulted cathedral kitchen with Aurora and Carlo Baccheschi Berti watching them lovingly prepare the freshest a finest ingredients from their property. Of course, Carlo took credit for every recipe! When you stay with this clever couple you become part of their family and you will never forget your holiday and the savory magic of Aurora’s Tuscan Kitchen.

In case you missed the article on Castello di Vicarello in Vogue Magazine with incredible photos of Lara Stone by the legendary photographer, Mario Testino, just click on the photo below.

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