3 SENSITIVE MONEY CONVERSATIONS AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM

"Please! I'm only supposed to think beautiful thoughts."

- Elizabeth Taylor in The Last Time I Saw Paris 
when her boyfriend tries to discuss finances

Of course, financial planning is part of being in a responsible relationship (sorry Elizabeth). But there is rarely another time when money should become a topic of conversation with anyone outside of HR. Yet refraining from financial discussions is one of the most often violated rules of etiquette. CBS News reports that in spite of the widepsread recession, there are still those who crassly bring up their own wealth or assets. To make sure you are not one of these offenders, CBS News enlisted Peter Post of The Emily Post Institute to with tips on how to handle 3 of the most sensitive conversation topics regarding money:

1. Your Salary: Everyone knows you should never divulge your income unless you're speaking with a headhunter or spouse. The same guidelines apply to your bonus. And under no circumstances should you ever brag about your compensation package, even if you don't mention an exact number. Sometimes, however, you may be put in the uncomfortable position of someone asking you how much you earn. The only appropriate response is "I make enough to get by", says Post.

2. Cars: 

You never start a conversation by talking about the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan you just purchased. And you certainly don't mention its sticker price -- even if you feel you negotiated a great deal. But if you do own, say, a Ferrari, it's okay to drive it around town and even to your kid's school, says Post. The key is to never discuss an automobile's value, he says. 

If asked what you drive, you should simply name the car that sits in your driveway and leave it at that.

3. Public versus Private School: 

It's no secret that private elementary and high schools cost a small fortune and can serve as a status symbol for families. Post, however, feels it's wrong to name drop your alma mater with strangers or to try and impress friends who went public. If asked where you went to school, you should mention the private school's name but then follow up with something you gained from the experience.

For the full article and list of sensitive topics, click here.

In summary, the only people who can talk about money and remain fabulous are the Flying Lizards, circa 1979:

iT'S THURSDAY NiGHT

And I'm ready to go out.

Photo: Supers getting ready for the Met Ball by Steven Meisel for US Vogue

MY FUTURE CHILD

BLACK SWAN

I have been dying to see Black Swan with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis for months and months, and this post on style.com is a beautiful review of Rodarte's costumes for the film. 

From Style.com:


At most big-ticket movie premieres, what the stars wear on the red carpet is the main attraction. In the case of Black Swan, the roll-call outfits at the New York premiere this week were no slouch—Dior, Elie Saab, Givenchy, and Naeem Khan among them—but the most excitement may have been caused by the frocks on screen. That’s what you get when you hire Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy to design a working wardrobe for your ballet fantasia-cum-horror epic. Here, the sisters share two of their sketches for the film’s costumes—the main characters of Odette as the maiden and of Odile as the demonic Black Swan—exclusively with Style.com.

“If I had imagined a dream film, this is definitely the one to sign us up for,” Laura said. “The big question was, how can you create a whole Swan Lake ballet to coincide with the modern set of this film?” But that wasn’t the only big question—the other was one few designers encounter: How can you make clothes that are ballet-friendly? “It was very technical, because everyone had to be able to dance,” Kate added. “For example, the crown—the demon Rothbart has a metal crown that’s made with horns, and the Black Swan has a metal crown in chrome. That was a big debate, whether they could wear them as dancers.”

But necessity was the mother of invention. The crowns made it into the film, where they’re chillingly dramatic in its final scenes—but chrome they’re not. The Mulleavys ended up making the Black Swan crown out of lightweight copper, which they then burned to achieve their desired effect. “The crown is so coveted because it is symbolic of getting the role of the Swan Queen in Swan Lake—it’s part of this whole thing of getting the role. When it was time to do the Black Swan, that more intensely had to be linked to this demonic, menacing idea, [so] using metal became more important,” said Laura (on set with Portman, below). “Technically it was almost impossible, but we made it work.”

—Matthew Schneier, additional reporting by Darrell Hartman

MASQUERADE, PART DEUX

Shout out to our Paris office for sending over highlights from the French press-- 
look what they found in Vogue Paris (right after my Masquerade post!):

Party pics from the magazine's 90th Anniversary Bal Masqué! 

So incredibly fun and fabulous-- don't you LOVE party pics! 

TOM FORD SPRING / SUMMER 2011 REVEALED!

Long after style.com had uploaded every Spring / Summer collection shown in September, the highly anticipated debut of Tom Ford's new womenswear line had yet to be seen by anyone beyond the select few handpicked to attend the show. The standard media circus of press, editors, and self-promoting celebrities had been barred, allowing the focus to come back to the art of the collection. Now, nearly three months later, the fashion legend behind Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci has finally revealed his Spring / Summer 2011 show in UK Harper's Bazaar. Eschewing the typical roster of the moment's top models, Tom Ford chose his friends and women who inspired his creations to show the looks. Shot exclusively by Terry Richardson (who remains one of my favorite people ever to have worked with), the photos reveal a deep soulfulness and true beauty. Take a deep breath, and enjoy: Tom Ford Spring / Summer 2011 Women's Ready-to-Wear Collection.

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The man who thrilled us at Gucci and YSL has returned with his first own-label collection. Bazaar reveals exclusive images from his behind-closed-doors show with a stellar cast led by Beyoncé; and the designer talks to Clare Coulson about his vision to put back sophisticated fun into fashion.

Photographs by Terry Richardson

Read the full article Mr Ford is Back by Clare Coulson in the January issue of Bazaar on sale 6th December.

From Bazaar's online story with high-res photos here.

 Ford is the ultimate modern polymath; a trend-setting, empire-building and decade defining designer turned award-winning film director, producer and writer who now, much to everyone’s relief, is back in fashion.

Beyoncé wears embroidered fishnet and python-pattern sequin evening gown and fishnet boots on the catwalk of Tom Ford’s debut womenswear show.

Perhaps more surprisingly for the man who pretty much put the sex back into fashion, these clothes are more about an elegant sophistication than in-your-face sexuality. ‘I’ve changed a lot in that I’m older, so maybe I’m more about sensuality then sexuality, but also the times are too.’

Joan Smalls wears silk crepe tank dress with georgette silk underdress, and a shredded silk organza cocktail shrug.

The show’s breathtaking casting, for which models ranged in age from their early twenties to almost 70, also made it very clear that these were clothes for women of all different ages.

Liya Kebede wears hand-painted silk georgette fringed evening dress, feather and lace heels, and gold-dipped feather earrings. 

 Naturally all this super-elegant luxe doesn’t come cheap, with prices closer to couture than ready-to-wear. Dresses range from about £2,900 to £22,000, and jackets cost about £2,500. ‘My clothes are expensive,’ says Ford, unashamedly. ‘But for me, at this stage in my life, what’s interesting is trying to make the best thing I can make.'

Stella Tennant wears sequin mother-of- pearl jacket, georgette blouse and skirt, and hammered silver and pearl necklace, with a feathered clutch.

Clockwise from top left:

'There used to be a look for women who were older. You didn’t wear certain things, you did your hair a certain way – but today, 70-year-old women who keep themselves together want to look just like their 25 [year-old] counterparts,’ says Ford.

Lauren Hutton wears silk and viscose trouser suit, oversized crepe de chine top, crocodile pumps, and a fedora with feather trim.

...

'The women [in my show] don’t change their look from day to day. They have figured out who they are – that’s what makes you iconic, by the way. Figure out who you are, figure out what you like, figure out what you look good in.’

Daphne Guinness wears leopard-print sequin and lace evening dress, silk ottoman fringed evening coat, and feather and lace heels.

...

'All these women are intelligent; they all have kids and jobs and lives, and they are all different ages. I went after people I thought were inspirational and women who are iconic.'

Rachel Feinstein wears silk crepe cocktail dress with shredded silk shrug, and satin ballet heels.

...

‘I was shooting something recently and I was trying to find older women who had not had anything done to themselves, and I was thinking back to Louise Nevelson and Georgia O’Keefe and Martha Graham and Diana Vreeland, and these women who bore their age in a wonderful way. They became older, they became wrinkled but they also became really cool looking, and we don’t have that any more.’

Marisa Berenson wears fishnet embroidered evening gown, and mesh sling-back pumps.

...

Read the full article Mr Ford is Back by Clare Coulson in the Januuary issue of Bazaar on sale 6th December.