Wednesday, November 30, 2016

meet PEDRO BOREGAARD .. the jeweler's jeweler



Well, that time of year is upon us once again and there is no better gift than one that can be treasured, worn and turned into an heirloom to be passed on as part of one’s legacy or foot print, if you will. Of course I speak of  jewelry, of the “precious” variety,  which speaks to your individuality, personality and most of all to your style.

 
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Pedro Boregaard offers you a selection of jewelry that sets him and you apart from the flock; he is above all a designer’s designer. If you are looking for pieces that might resemble the grandiosity of a Cartier or a large gemstone creation from Harry Winston, well then, nothing to see here BUT if you want statement making pieces that are flawlessly designed  and executed in the tradition of the heritage brands ... well then step right up. 
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From Tahitian pearls to tourmalines, from stainless steel to sterling silver and of course yellow, white and rose gold; this designer uses them all. He combines the most modern of design with the workmanship of the masters to render jewels that are to covet and lust for. 
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Boregaard runs the gamut from rings, bracelets, necklaces to belts and one of a kind gew gaws that would be hard to find anywhere else within the sphere of fine jewelry. If you know Hemmerle and who doesn’t know Tiffany, but those were the brands where this brilliant designer cut his teeth and gave him the esthetic he has honed and developed during his decade’s long career. 
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The only caveat is that he located in Narrowsburg New York and not on Madison Avenue but he can be viewed on his website and you can be assured that what you see is what you get! .. Or its possibly time for a road trip to visit him in his eponymous shop where I’m sure there is even more than what is available on the site
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So now in his own words... Pedro Boregaard...



What was the path you took to arrive to where you are today? Missteps or if you would change anything?

“No, I would not change anything.  I always followed my gut first and did the thinking afterwards. Sometimes I was shocked about my own decisions but it seems whatever I decided, whatever path I took served me well in the end.”


Can you speak to the topic of inspiration and your “inner drive?”

Yes, one can speak of an inner drive. A psychic once told me “you can’t leave anything alone, not change it or use it in ways nobody did before or trying to improve it. That sums it up. Inspiration can be anything; I find the difficult part is the editing of these ideas. What in the end one really wants to do. Than having sorted that out I begin to chisel away everything unnecessary. I guess the art is to know when and where to stop. Some pieces I can visualize so perfectly that I almost loose interest to do them. Others I have to draw or just start working on wax or metal until it reveals itself. That is by far more interesting. Than after finishing it I in general have lost completely the ability to judge it. I put it away for some time and then looking at it later I am surprised I created it.
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Let’s talk about your present situation and can you tell us what your end goal is here?

I wished I knew. Somebody asked me in the store the other day: how did you end up here in Narrowsburg. I knew what he meant but I said, how do you know I end up here? Still, I do have plans. Presently I am trying to reduce my whole operation, inventory etc. keep the store but come to the point that I can do what I want when I want. God knows I might have more work than ever but it should be (as long as health allows it) completely at my leisure. At least that is what I am hoping for.






If you could invite any 5 people top dinner who would they be and why?

That is difficult. The people who come to mind first, are all dead. -- Gene Moore comes to mind who was a close friend and helped me a lot at Tiffany’s --Julius Cohen (of Madison Ave.) my mentor after I left Tiffany and who helped me to open my first workshop at 48 W 48th Street. Rea Lubar my fabulous PR lady. You might even know her or of her. She put Hermes on the map in NY, Perry Ellis, Velcro (lol (etc. ---Christiane Zimmer the daughter of Hugo von Hofmannsthal and her welcoming house on Commerce Street full of the literary world…to mention some. Well, times past. Actually I would love to have some dinner or lunch with you! I always enjoy your posts on FB and I am sure it would be a joy to talk to you with your immense knowledge of and insight into the fashion world as starters. Plus we lived both in the same city during a very exiting period. I guess there are lots of notes to compare.
There are of course people, younger people, young people I love and admire because of their beauty or accomplishments and talents in whatever field but I grew up in a very artsy and liberal milieu in Munich not only through my Mothers connection to the theatre but also through my guardian who was the director of the Munich Opera and beauty, fame and fortune never impressed me (at least not for long) and people are in the end people. So these days I rather admire them and what they do best from a distance than have that wonderful picture I have of them tarnished. …and then I could be terribly wrong.  I guess I am getting old.
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If there was such a thing as a dream collaborator or collaboration, who or what would it be and why?

There never was. I left Germany, I left England I started my own business, I always lived on my own because I followed as they say my own drum.  I work well with people. My employees always stayed for many years but I always had strong ideas what I wanted and needed always a lot of freedom.  So the idea didn’t come up nor did anybody ask me. 

http://www.boregaard.com

Monday, November 7, 2016

meet Christine Suppes.. curator, collector, conoisseur of fashion



  Curator or collector?  

This lady is no dilettante, no lunch lady, no shopaholic, and no hoarder of clothes. Rare is the person who understands fashion, let alone one that possesses great personal style. Even more rare, especially in these times, is a fashionphile who speaks her mind and please consider the source of those words. Possibly the most precious jewel of all is the individual who is of independent and unique style who does not appear to be a float in a parade of bad fashion and fleeting trends. Her fashion prowess comes from her mother, a woman of acute taste and elegance as well as her own personal hunger for education and understanding of great fashion
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Ms. Suppes’ book, Electric Fashion which she co-authored with Frederic Aranda, illustrates what happens when a woman is devoted to fashion and yet is not obsessed with it; she is no fashion victim. Christine Suppes, who honors me with her friendship, is one of those people who enter your life as serendipitously and then becomes someone you share with because she just gets it and gets me and that’s pretty hard to find these days.





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Christine Suppes is a mother, philanthropist, collector and connoisseur of fashion and most of all a devoted friend to those she loves. While all this might sound as if fashion plays a minor role in her life, that assumption would be misguided; she is always fashion conscious and  thoroughly  educated when it comes to fashion. She is well known among the fashion cognoscenti as she has been a presence for decades, albeit, not in plain sight.
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Jeffrey Felner: Can you give us a brief synopsis of the how and why you became such a huge collector or fashion?

Christine Suppes: My mother, Jane Johnson was my earliest and most important fashion mentor.  She talked about Mainbocher, Courrreges, Geoffrey Beene, Galanos, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent in tones some might employ in discussing saints.  This did not pass me by.  I loved how beautiful and elegant she always looked, and vowed when I was a small child to learn these names and who these designers were.  I began to study their clothes, became obsessed (the apple does not fall far from the tree) and began my collection, starting with an Anne Klein gray flannel suit with a thin burgundy leather belt in 1975.
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JF: What was the genesis of Electric Fashion and how did it come about? How did you meet and decide that Freddie was going to be your partner in crime and what’s next in terms of book or projects?

CS: Freddie and I met in New York in early 2009 during Fashion Week through a mutual friend, Jeanine Celeste Pang.  Freddie is so charming and so intelligent that when he casually mentioned he was a portrait and fashion photographer I thought I might be great fun to work with him.  I was thinking these photographs would be a personal record.  But when Freddie came to visit me in California and saw my collection, he convinced me that we should consider a book project with me as the model.  I was hesitant at first, as I am not model age.  But I had done pioneer things in the past, specifically one of the first online fashion publication I began in the 90s.  So I thought “Why not”?  It was another pioneering sort of thing and I obviously adore challenges. The genesis was Electric Fashion, a comprehensive examination of my clothes on me, sometimes in situ and in still life, with close-up images of particularly beautiful embroideries or other details. We are working with our publisher now on a second project, examining the elegance and diversity of my home state, California.
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JF: It is well known to me that you have a special affection for both Rodarte and Alexander McQueen, can you tell us why and also who else is constantly on your radar?

CS: Rodarte and McQueen have never let me down.  The fit works for my long, lean frame and the aesthetic is both feminine and cutting edge.  Commes des Garcons, which I have collected since the late 80s is also on my radar, especially as Rei Kawakubo who will be the 2017 Met Gala honoree, the first living designer since Saint Laurent in the early 80s to be so. I love the work of Simone Rocha.  I could spend hours in the London Dover Street Market.  I am crazy about almost everything they sell.
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JF: What is your opinion of fashion today and what would you do if you could change it? What do you suppose has been the biggest deficit in fashion today?

CS: I am least impressed with Italian fashion and make it no secret.  You will not find it in my collection.  I think the habit of these major Italian houses to outright steal from younger, smaller designers is shameful and a disgrace.  Likewise I find Alta Moda a dog and pony show with entrance going to the highest bidders. Chanel’s show this past spring in Havana was a clear misstep.  In a country where people live on twenty dollars a month, what was Chanel thinking---giving their hardcore base a thrill looking at poverty whilst swanning around Havana in couture?  Disgraceful! On a more positive note, I think America’s top fashion schools are turning out future stars who will be prepared to deal with the certain changes…”immediate fashion”, use of video and other technologies.
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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

CS: Yves Saint Laurent, Robert Towne, the screenplay writer, the 18th century philosopher David Hume, Princess Diana and Hillary Clinton.  Why?  Saint Laurent is my number one fashion god. Robert Towne wrote the screenplays for Chinatown and Shampoo and that’s enough of a reason for me. David Hume was a rationalist who could hold the conversation together and indeed was often called upon by royalty to do so.  Diana was a fashion icon and a mystery who will continue to fascinate ten thousand years from now.  Hillary Clinton will become the first female president of the United States and there is nothing more I need to add to that!
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