Last Wednesday my friend, the internationally famous architect Raimund Abraham, died. The car he was driving collided in downtown Los Angeles with a Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus. He was 76.

I met Raimund in July 2008 at a 75th birthday dinner given for him by Diane Lewis his friend, colleague and favorite student. The party was in the garden of the East Village townhouse where Diane lives. At Raimund’s request, he was the only invited male.

Nineteen women and Raimund gathered in the summer twilight around a large table surrounded by ivy covered walls. A singer from the Beijing Opera came to serenade him. There was candlelight, caviar, vitello tonatto and toasts with champagne. “Every day is a birthday.” Was Raimund’s speech.

I complimented him on his hat and we were instant friends. To Raimund this meant I could be telephoned at whim any time night or ... Read More

Recently, astrological authority and sun sign love guru Liz Rose teamed up with Skinny Jeans expert Catherine Heart to create a collection of ‘Stellar’ jeans . Their skin-clinging legs, specially constructed inseams and artful shading and fading conspire to make women look really thin as well as really cool. Their fashion show at Juliet Supper Club featured Todd English nibbles, Moet & Chandon, a large, jovial crowed and a live and lively band.

Tucked into the “goodie bag” was Liz’s book, bedazzled! An Astrological Guide to Earthly Bliss with Your Man. This tome has been translated into many languages, including French, Dutch and Russian. It contains such advice as (for handling a Sagittarius man), “Let him see how appealing his friends find you” and (for a Pisces), “Just make sure he’s not married before you start an adventure”. It’s all quite sensible and is also very ... Read More

One of the most fascinating aspects of fashion is the group known as “friends of the house”: Those personalities with whom a fashion designer surrounds his or herself in order to achieve his or her own special brand of buzz. I was particularly curious to learn who Gills Mendel, perhaps the most idolized designer of luxury for women now, would invite to the February 25th dinner I was planning for him at Philippe Restaurant in celebration of his appearance at the French Institute Alliance Française on.

Gilles’ talk, designed to shed light on congruence and dissimilarities between French mode and American style, was the first of three on this topic organized by the French fashion writer Pascale Richard. The other two in the series star Tommy Hilfiger and Marc Jacobs.

Gilles’ list was a tad top heavy with beautiful women: Well what do you expect, after all, ... Read More