Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/141325
ORLEB AR BR OWN Beach Boys Photographer and Dallas native Gray Malin's collab with hot menswear label Orlebar Brown couldn't be timelier. The brand's noted bulldog swim trunks are digitally printed with iconic photographs from Gray's "À La Plage, À La Piscine" collection. Shot from a helicopter, they survey patterns of bathers in the surf, beachgoers with colorful towels and umbrellas, and a serene green shore scene. It's hard to imagine a garment more befitting the dog days of summer spent poolside. $345, at orlebarbrown.com. Seth Vaughan The Latest On Two Legends T BAILEY (BOB) STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION, THE DOLPH BRISCOE CENTER FOR AMERICAN HISTORY JULIE SOFER wo downtown landmark boutique hotels are undergoing big changes. First up, the Alden Houston returns to its original moniker, Sam Houston Hotel, under new GM Nick Massad III. This historic property dates back to 1924, when it originally opened as the Sam Houston, named after the larger-then-life Texas statesman. Eighty years after the grand opening, the hotel underwent an extensive renovation in 2002 and become the Alden Houston in 2005. Insider's tip for parties: The secondfloor Veranda, a breathtaking room that offers skyline views, can be configured into an indoor or rooftop space … Heading west, Theater District mainstay The Lancaster Hotel harkens back to the roaring '20s, when it originally opened as the Auditorium Hotel. Sixty years later, the name was changed to The Lancaster. The property is still owned by the descendants of founder Michele DeGeorge; the Sam Houston Hotel's remodeled lobby Lusk family has committed to a handsome $10 million renovation, set to complete this summer (the hotel remains open during reno). The work is being overseen by Gensler and interior designer Charlene Lusk Dwyer of Dwyer Interiors, descendant of the original founder. We love that their A custom-made towel holder: the Lancaster Lion new interiors bow to the Jazz Age with men's-suiting The Lancaster Hotel fabrics, upgraded suites with luxurious bedding by In2Green, and bathroom fixtures and fittings by WaterWorks. Owner and president Charles M. Lusk III presides over the eight-figure upgrade. Megan Pruitt Winder Sam Houston Hotel lobby, May 28, 1934 MORE on the FLOOR PC Acquire She's a modern-day Ophelia who completely caught our eye and garnered the first-place prize (and a Talya Arbisser's Floating, June 28, 2012 significant cash award) at the Visual Arts Alliance's 30th Anniversary Show this past fall. So we bring you this image's creator, July's PC Acquire talent: Talya Arbisser, a bright light and rising star of the photo firmament. This 20-something Cornell grad did post-grad work at the influential International Center for Photography (ICP) in Manhattan. She turned her lens on the developmentally challenged child Noa, embarking on a 10-year study of the luminous moments and challenges of a special-needs young lady. Three years into the project, Arbisser's image Floating, June 28, 2012, highlighted a spark of soul and incandescence that revealed the sensitivity and intelligence of the then seven-year-old as she floated face up in natural springs at her mother's feet, seemingly basking in a pure moment of reverie. Noa typifies Arbisser's talent for capturing the spirit of her subjects, depicting more than surface and transmitting nuanced psychological states. This is not perhaps surprising for the granddaughter of America's mother of media psychology — Dr. Joyce Brothers, who was the authority on topics from the familiar and familial to the taboo long before Dr. Phil. (Arbisser is the keeper of her grandmother's flame, maintaining her Facebook page and answering queries from fans and followers after Brothers' passing this May.) Watch for Arbisser's dual turns at FotoFest 2014, including new works recording her paternal grandparents who reside in Houston, portraits that will be shown at the Jewish Community Center come next March. Discover the limited-edition works in the "Seeing with Hands: Noa" series curated for PaperCity collectors at papercitymag.com. Archival 11-by-17inch pigment prints on luster paper, offered in an edition of 18 plus two artist proofs; $350 unframed. Inquiries Seth Vaughan, seth@papercitymag.com. The most iconic piece offered by Parisian furnishings house Roche Bobois — Hans Hopfer's 1971-released Mah Jong sofa — has a new sibling. French architect and designer Marco Fumagalli recently reinterpreted the seating system into the Mah Jong Côté Nuit, or "night version." Like its plush and low-slung counterpart, this leg-less bed rests right on the floor. The hand-stitched, quilted frame envelops a mattress, while three corresponding cushions creates its headboard. Many fashion designers have re-dressed the Mah Jong over the past four decades, most notably Jean Paul Gaultier, who created graphics for the sofa's 40th anniversary in 2011. (This summer, Nathalie Rykiel — daughter of Sonya — introduces blackstriped and sunset-hued upholstery.) Côté Nuit is strictly available in a dizzying array of Missoni Home and solid Indy upholstery for now, but shares something in common with its predecessor: Both are crafted in the same Italian shop. From $4,935 for a queen-size bed (mattress not included), custom ordered through Roche Bobois; roche-bobois.com. Jessica Elliott Mah Jong Côté Nuit at Roche Bobois The HOT Claudette sofa at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Rucci advances his vision into the home Seat If BUtterfield 8's Elizabeth Taylor needed a place to rest her slip-clad self, we'd recommend the lavishly tufted velvet Claudette sofa, scheduled to hit the floor at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams new emporium in Highland village Shopping Center in the former Restoration Hardware space (which moved just across Westheimer to larger digs), opening end of August. The designing duo's fall collection, inspired by fashion, film and photography from the '60s and '70s, includes Upholstered All Over, a mini collection that includes the fully upholstered Victoria mirror, a top-to-bottom fabricfinished Victor console, and the aforementioned Claudette, a new take on the Chesterfield. Each piece is available in 350 fabrics or more than 50 leathers. At Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 4091 Westheimer, Highland Village Shopping Center, opening late August; mgbwhome.com. Jessica Elliott It's in his Nature Concentric square table Pagoda bench W Bronze table ith a rigorous sense of restraint, couturier Ralph Rucci has developed an 18-piece home-furnishings collection for Holly Hunt. Rucci, known for his sumptuously sophisticated women's wear collections, employs the same refined modernism and inventive materials in his creations for Holly Hunt, which brings to mind another man who bridged the gap between fashion and furniture, Charles James. The walnut frame of the Pagoda sofa articulates a striking silhouette with subtly adjustable arms. The Concentric side table reverberates with geometric perfection in the seamless way the wood is manipulated into interlocking squares. The collection includes carefully considered tables (side, cocktail and dining), chairs, sofas and benches, as well as a sole folding screen. To the trade through George Cameron Nash. Seth Vaughan Ask Stefan Gulassa to give a shout-out to those he most admires, and he'll rattle off the names Isamu Noguchi, Jean Prouvé and Constantin Brancusi. So we might expect him to give a nod to their influence via his newly launched home accessories for Sutherland. But one look at his eight-piece collection reveals the Seattle-based designer is most inspired by the nature and landscape of the Pacific Northwest. Working primarily with bronze and wood, he has crafted a Cubed tray reminiscent of eroding basalt formations, a low-profile Gallery Toko wall vase vase that eliminates sight-obscuring centerpieces, the industrial Adjustable candlestick with its removable hurricane glass and the Toko wall vase meant to house a single branch or large leaf. But it's his sleek Bronze book stand that's sure to bring new meaning to "best seller." To the trade at David Sutherland showroom. Amy Adams