Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/135434
Judith Leiber Billy Fong Sez ... F or those who have seen me at the flurry of fundraisers and social events of late, you know that I generally have a party poll question, a concept stolen from one of my alltime favorite movies, Heathers. I have wanted to pull this one out of my chapeau recently: What would you pack if you were headed to a deserted island? Alas, I caught a bug and was on doctor-ordered bed rest for a spell. I always look for the silver lining and envisioned myself as a character out of Downton Abbey sent to a sanitarium for rest. During this time, I watched too much television, since the March and April fashion mags were so thin. While surfing with my remote, I found myself intrigued by reruns of Gilligan's Island. BTW, wouldn't Eddie Redmayne make for a chic interpretation of Gilligan? Of course, I channeled Thurston and Lovey Howell and imagined bringing a few dozen steamer trunks to the island. While roughing it, their lives were still more glamorous than most. So, since I couldn't ask the aforementioned party poll question to my dear readers in person, I have decided to answer it myself. In my monogrammed Louis Vuitton trunks I would pack for both myself and a companion — I am fantasizing either Parker Posey or Carla Bruni — the following necessities: • Animal-themed accessories, à la Judith Leiber bags, a Cavalli parrot necklace, Blahnik and Choo birdcage heels. I will SPUNK ROCK Dior Dolce & Gabbana steer clear of owls, which now seem to be Dior omnipresent with more sightings in retail than in the wild. • Kiehl's Since 1851 sunscreen by the gallon. We all know the damage sun can do, and who knows how long we will be on the island. A chic hat appropriate for the Kentucky Derby might also be a smart fashion move. • An iPod — one of those chic YSL ones — loaded with an eclectic mix ranging from Wagner to the Go-Go's (particularly their classic, "Vacation"). • A Tom Ford tuxedo for me. Most notably the floral version he did in 2011. For her? An assortment of McQueen and Gilligan's rickshaw Dior frocks. Just because we are on a deserted island doesn't mean we should lose all sense of civility and Alexander McQueen forget about dressing for cocktails and dinner. • And, of course, cases and cases of great wine and liquor. Need I explain? Carla and Posey on Billy's imaginary If you are isle game to play the Treasure chest of wines roles of the Captain, the Professor, Mary Ann or Ginger, send me an e-mail. We definitely need a Gilligan to drive us around the island in a rickshaw. Just like on the show, if we didn't know each other already, I'm sure it would be oodles of fun. Billy Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 as a Fong, billy@papercitymag.com trunk-making business, making its mark with a Roberto Cavalli Tom Ford Gilligan's Island Lovey and Thurston Howell in Gilligan's Island Alexander McQueen will keep the bees away. CASE in POINT While there's no denying the girlygirl appeal of Kate Spade, femmes can't live on princess dresses alone. Luckily, this doyenne of all things darling has added a little spice to her sugar via Kate Spade Saturday, available online only. The collection's equally enticing prices mean you can fill your shopping bag with a chambray romper, textured muscle tees, a coated linen bomber jacket and multi-pocket tank dresses and still have plenty of coinage left over for the designyour-own canvas weekender bag. $10 to $190, at saturday.com. Savannah Christian lightweight, air-tight rectangular trunk covered in waterproof Trianon canvas that could be stacked — a novel idea at the time, as luggage till then had been designed more like a coffin, domed to prevent water damage. By 1913, the Vuitton luggage business had grown into the largest travel-goods company of its time. Today you're more likely (or should we say lucky) to find a heavy Vuitton trunk used as a coffee table than as actual luggage, and Vuitton itself has moved on to create more modern collections of luxury cases and travel accessories. Case in point: the newest travel piece, a four-wheeled trolley bag called the Zephyr is not only multidirectional, lightweight and stitched to perfection, but it's the first branded thermo-compressed canvas luggage. What does Marc know from thermo compression? He knows it combines excellent canvas skills with supreme elasticity that feels great to the touch and absorbs shocks. Long story short: This four-wheeler is ready for the road. Zephyr 55 $3,450, Zephyr 70 $4,250, at the Louis Vuitton boutique. Kate Allen Stukenberg Vuitton Zephyr55 An Odyssey of NAIL ART O-Now Couture Nails We can confirm a rumor we first shared in January: designer Roberto Cavalli has signed on the dotted line and will join the ranks of luxury retail in the River Oaks District, opening late 2014 … Atrium has picked up the label Piamita for fall, a must-have for polished loungewear … Local designer and Houstonian Yvonne Betts has launched her latest collection of jewelry, featuring expertly carved, faceted and polished semiprecious gemstones, available exclusively at More [ [ O-Now Couture Nails, 4717 Westheimer Road, 832.487.9920; o-now.com Little did I know when I strolled into O-Now Couture Nails that I was entering a flagship for a new beauty empire. With its pristine lacquered white interiors, the stylish salon next to Grotto and across from Hotel Derek resembles the inside of a biomorphic sculpture more than a traditional stop for mani-pedis. Kudos to architect Trung Doan of Studio Red Architects for the light-filled design. And rightly so, for this is the first of O-Now's unfurling national franchises developed by owners Trang Nguyen and Van Luu, with partner Melvin Houston. Nguyen, an industry veteran who owned his own cosmology school in Florida, began 30 years ago in California. In 1999, with Luu, the pair founded Odyssey Nail Systems, a global kingdom for state-of-the-art nail supplies (acrylics to gels), which now boasts 36 international distributors in six countries across three continents; ONS's U.S. HQ is in Houston, where the FDA-approved products are manufactured in a plant on Wilcrest Drive. But back to my nails … Thanks to artist Sean Phan — who attended the University of Houston and studied with Houston painter Aaron Parazette — they became an apropos canvas for a masterful black-and-white Picasso treatment, since my manicure debuted at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Picasso dinner that evening. Another customer that day was also destined for the same museum patron party — a director of Gagosian Gallery in from New York, who opted for a more minimal monochrome statement (yes, O-Now does a terrific basic mani-pedi too). For my next appointment, I'm planning Turrell nails in vaporous, vivid hues. Catherine D. Anspon Than You Can Imagine … Billy Reid and Past Era Antique Jewelry present an evening of fine antique gems, southern charm and elegance at the Billy Reid boutique Thursday, June 13, 6 to 8 pm … The Houston Museum of Natural Science Museum Store now carries MAWI London, the first store in Texas to stock the chicly punk, luxe costume jewelry. The collection has a huge following in the UK and is carried by the likes of Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods. Expect the current collection, Pretty In Punk, to "woo you" with vintage-inspired pearls strung alongside emerald, golden apple-green and rose Swarovski crystals … Mariquita Masterson launches a new collection of square Venetian earrings in an array of fabulous colors … Under new co-ownership, the modern girlie boutique in lower JUNE | PAGE 6 | 2013 Westheimer, Coquette, stocks unique labels from A.L.C., Camilla, Lie Sang Bong to the Aussie native collection Sass & Bide … British brand L.K.Bennett launches a limited-edition vintage-inspired collection, L.K.Bennett Vintage (derived from the L.K.Bennett archive) with three shoe styles: a kitten heel, a pump and a sandal, each in blush or navy floral print; $275 to $375 at L.K.Bennett's Galleria boutique … Ceron Salon in Uptown Park is now blowing and going until 7 pm on Thursdays; stop in for a shampoo blow dry and a glass of champagne before dinner ... Chic boutique Muse on West Alabama clears retail space for one of Houston's up-and-coming jewelry designers, Ana Mae Holmes and her Temple Street collection. Megan Pruitt Winder