>> After speculation that Narciso Rodriguez and his backers Liz Claiborne were parting ways was floated around last month, they confirmed their separation in a joint statement yesterday.

For the first time, Narciso, who launched his collection in 1997 thanks to a partnership with Aeffe SpA, will be financially independent, as Liz Claiborne has allowed him to buy back their stake — for a rumored $12 million — and regain all trademarks.  This solo situation, assuming that his finances are all in order (before Claiborne invested, he was struggling to make ends meet; Donna Karan was sending rolls of fabric over), sounds ideal for Narciso — who has a notoriously difficult reputation.

The termination of his partnership with Claiborne is widely believed to be amicable, though, and Narciso is looking forward to his "independent time": "Our business is on target and we have full confidence in the future of the company.  We are also enjoying tremendous success with our fragrances and are now exploring various licensing opportunities."  Maybe his well-received Fall 2008 collection made the world of difference he needed, money-wise?
*image: source

You know when you're hanging out in your apartment and the place looks really nice and you're having a good 'messy' hair day and you're just generally feeling pretty into yourself--this is when you wish Todd Selby was there. Don't know what we're talking about? Well, set aside an hour and make yourself a hot cup of tea and check out the next best hipster documentarian out there. Selby, close as he may be with Mark the Cobrasnake, captures subjects from all walks of life, most of whom are poised in the comfort of their own homes. Author Tom Wolfe, publisher of Paper Magazine Kim Hastreiter, and designer Alexander Wang are all featured on Selby's site, their personal effects playing as great a role as do their portraits. What's more, at the end of each shoot you'll find a brief handwritten interview with the subjects.

Here's to the next evolution in online portraiture and the birth of the Coutorture lifestyle section where we can finally talk about something other than sequins (wink, wink). Namely, New York photographers and other well-dressed citizens.

Click the homemade hyper jpg below for some of our favorite Todd Selby shots and don't forget to check out the website proper, right here ladies and gents.

Last night over beer and wine (and, let's face it, a spirit or two) a friend of ours muttered something about canceling his cable to save money. After bowling over with laughter at the drama of it all he set us straight. You see, we don't have television so we didn't know that cable television can cost an innocent person an arm and a leg! Seriously, an arm and a leg! "Better hit the library" was what one of us dribbled out in response to this news.

The conversation made us think of a book we recently discovered by way of The Nonist (RIP) in a post he wrote entitled, "Hot Library Smut". It's a very postmodern thing indeed; a big glossy book with pictures of big glossy (okay, some dusty) books. For anyone who has ever fancied themselves a fan of the library atmosphere, you will soon find yourself dreaming of traveling to far away places (where you can sit down and dream of far away places).

Click the gallery link below for some of the photos in Candida Hofer's Libraries, courtesy of The Nonist.

The sharks are circling, even if the oceans are getting a lot shallower with our current liquidity crisis, and that feeling of terror can only mean one thing: tea time with a princess. Bergdorf Goodman hosted a tea party Monday evening with Bob Colacello who feted a “premier epicurean collection,” created by Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis.

Gourmet chocolate and buttery cookies with "G"s seem a funny thing to be launching now but the social set types lke Lee Radziwill, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Agnes Gund and Bettina Zilkha all showed up to pay homage to the dainty new collection of munchies.

We find this all a little charming and more than a bit curious as Gloria was known as the punk princess and "Princess TNT" in the 1980s with her lavish spending and nonstop social life. We hate to make a twilight of her youth joke but tea time does come just before dusk. Good thing she looks so fantastic yes?

Image Via WWD

There is something magical about a full philharmonic experience complete with box seats, gloves and gown but those intimidated by the idea of classical music might require an easier more intimate introduction to live works. New York Philharmonic Ensembles are just the ticket for those hoping to preserve and praise a smidgen of Western Civilization's rich musical heritage without feeling like the doofus who doesn't know an arpeggio from an andante.

Their chamber concerts highlight each instrument, each note, and every nuance of a piece helping bring even the most timid closer to the music. Beginning in two weeks, every Sunday afternoon at the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center the Philharmonic will present composers or performers at their most enjoyable and intimate best. Combine this experience with Lawrence Kramers's Why Classic Music Still Matters and you might just be on the road to keeping America a great cultural economy! Consider it your civic and cultural duty

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Johann Wilhelm HERTEL Concerto a cinque in D major
Margarita ZELENAIA August. Sunset Bloom (World Premiere)
Osvaldo GOLIJOV Last Round
Richard CARRICK Duo Flow
Vladimir TSYPIN Three Songs
BRAHMS Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 101

Banana Republic, the Global Lead Sponsor of the New Museum’s presentation and tour of Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton, is helping fashion lovers explore their artistic side with a limited edition eco-tote that includes the Book Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton.

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton is a career retrospective of the celebrated painter whose idealized and stylized portraits are a unique commentary on popular culture and its relationship to celebrity. Her romanticism has drawn criticism throughout her career, as has comparisons to David Hockney and Andy Warhol, and yet in a culture of increasingly panoptic reality her warm interpretative inspiration gives both viewer and subject a chance to see beyond traditional portraiture and the limitations of quotidian paparazzi imagery

The exhibition and catalogue documents the artist’s entire career to date and includes samples from her own personal archive of source imagery (magazine clippings, historical paintings and unpublished snapshots) along with detailed commentaries on the individual works.

Phaidon’s catalogue features more than 200 images and three essays, presented in a unique design befitting the artist’s subject matter, taking the form of a record or CD case with a detached spine and the book’s details inscribed on the inside cover like liner notes.

An ideal gift, the tote will be available for purchase in select Banana Republic stores nationwide on November 6 for $100.

>> INSIDER WIRE —After she enjoyed his company front row during Milan Men's Fashion Week in June, Gerard Butler is still supposedly Anna Wintour's new "obsession."  A source says she "thinks he's amazing" and "talks about him all the time."  Maybe she'll start skipping shows for Gerard Butler movie premieres like she'll do for Roger Federer matches? [Page Six]

Today as been a bit of an up and down ride for as as we got bad news from our accoutant, great news from some publicists, and then more bad news about the economy in general but we are able to keep a brave face thanks to our amazing community.

The Coveted writes about Junko Shimada's not quite ballet flats that are a new spin on a classic point shoe. We aren't quite sure we would be able to wear them but they sure are fascinating!

Trust Your Style gives an interesting spin on the basics with a post she titles "Love+Price+Longevitiy= Dress of Trends" That is the sort of equation we are interesting in solving!

Temptalia has a set of tutorials on achieving beautiful and wearable pink makeup looks. They are so good we think even we could manage the pink without making us look like we have a bad case of pink eye.

Platinum Blonde does Little Red Riding Hood. My what big accessories you have my dear!

Vie Couture turns us on to a new handbag designer Claudia Canova. The color blocking is extremely attractive.

>> We know that Katie Grand is leaving POP to start a new edgy fashion magazine for Conde Nast UK, but what's going to happen to POP after its founder leaves?  And how did this all come about in the first place?

It turns out that Conde originally tried to buy POP — "we kept hearing [the magazine's publisher Bauer] weren't very committed to POP" — but Bauer declined.  Instead, Conde Nast poached Katie, who looked at either option — moving POP or just herself to Conde — as okay: "I kind of knew that Condé Nast had put in bids for POP.  I thought, if it happens, great. If not, it would also be great to do something new . . . Maybe it's better just to do something that's completely a fresh start."

By the end of her run at Bauer — which does a lot of business with its weekly titles like Heat and Grazia — Katie was feeling out of place: "There was a definite feeling of being a square peg in a round hole.  We were acutely aware of doing something different from everyone else.  By the end, to be walking through radio advertising or whatever and be openly called 'the weirdos', it was just unpleasant."

She's still currently working on the December issue of POP — likely to be her last — and is taking her whole POP team with her to the new, untitled magazine at Conde Nast.  So what is Bauer doing with POP in the post-Katie era?  According to David Davies, managing director of Bauer's women's magazines division, this is just a regular editor turnover, and POP will continue to exist: "We'll continue in the more maverick role.  Katie has probably achieved what she's going to with the title.  POP will be very different going forward and it's very exciting for us."
*image: source