Before we
get to the heart of the subject, there is this matter of “Who is Denise Hale?”
For those of you who do not know her let me offer a brief synopsis of why she
has been chosen to be today’s topic of conversation. Ms. Hale has been a
fixture on the International best dressed list as well as part of what used to
be called high society or the jet set and today might be called the 1%.
Currently, she is a philanthropist, art
collector, doyenne of good taste/style and very much a vibrant personality who
reminds us that there are still women of astounding taste and chic who walk
amongst us.
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Ms. Hale, as
you will read, is a collector of some of the most amazing couture and ready to
wear created by some of the greatest designers of the twentieth and twenty first
centuries. Ms. Hale also possesses one of the great personal collections of “haute joaillerie” which she wears as often as
possible because in her own words “why not?” The same premise remains when it
comes to her clothing wardrobe as it remains as timeless as her jewels.
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| photos by Drew Altizer |
Furthermore,
Denise Hale continues to be one of world’s best clad women who counts or has counted
some of the world’s greatest style icons and legends as her friends including
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Jacqueline de Ribes, Ann Getty, Marella Agnelli, CZ
Guest and many more but you get the idea. So, it is my honor that she has made
herself available to respond to some of my questions about her long standing
status as a style icon and her lifelong dedication to fashion.
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There are
only a few times when this writer has been on the receiving end of a more
gracious gesture than this but the below article/interview serves as
proof that friendships endure no matter what life’s circumstances present to
us. When you can ask Ralph Rucci, yes, that Ralph Rucci, to be your surrogate
interviewer of one of the great legends of international style , well, then you
know you indeed have a friend. The questions were written by me and the following
is how the “conversation” went down over lunch with them and Tatiana Sorokko
and then continued at the Gianfranco Ferré show. “The White Shirt According to
Me. Gianfranco Ferré,” show is from Nov. 4 through March 6, 2016 at the
Phoenix Museum of Art in Arizona and where Mr. Rucci was the keynote speaker at
the opening event.Ms. Hale and Ms. Sorokko sat with Mr. Rucci for a chat fest as
well that capped off the festivities
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Ralph Rucci: Would you please speak to the topic
of your favorite designers in clothing and jewelry and tell us why?
Denise Hale:
The favorite darling-I started with Roberto Capucci, then Federico Forquet, then Galanos, then Gianfranco, then you. In between there
was some Donald Brooks and St Laurent. It’s very simple darling and to answer the jewelry question, that
would be David Webb, Bulgari and James Taffin de Givenchy among others but those
are my favorites.
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| photos at left & right by Drew Altizer |
RR: What can you tell us of your feelings when it comes
to the fashions of today? What do you think is wrong or right and why?
DH: Very simple-- not wearable or attractive
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| photo by Drew Altizer |
RR: If you could compile a list of the world's best
dressed, who would you include and why?
DH: In my life I live in
style. Best dressed is nothing without style, so in my life I choose---Gloria
Guinness, Marietta Tree, CZ Guest, Marella Agnelli and Jacqueline de Ribes
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photos by Drew Altizer
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RR: Do you believe that the concept of great women of
style such as yourself or Babe Paley or Marella Agnelli is a thing of the past
and why?
DH: Let's just say that there is always hope darling.
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RR: If you
could invite any 5 people to dinner who would it be and why?
DH: Alexis de Redé, Lilianne de Rothschild, Gloria Guinness, Marietta Tree,
Paul Mellon so those names speak for themselves.
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| photo by Drew Altizer |
Mr. Rucci has told me that there is no
friend as loyal as she and others have expressed their admiration for her by
saying she is as real as she can be with absolutely no pretense. A case in
point is that after this session was conducted, Ms. Hale suggested that she and
Mr. Rucci take a stroll through the local Dillard’s. The long story short is
that Mr. Rucci asked why and Ms. Hale said “don’t be such a snob!”
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P.S. a million thanks to RR for making this possible!!
For more photos please visit www.drewaltizer.com
