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| Surveying the scene below before the rains. 2:00 PM. Photo: JH. |
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| Tuesday, April 8, 2014. Grey day in New York with rain promised “sometimes heavy” in the evening. And so it was. Came down with a wind blowing it right at you. Someone sent me the announcement from Sotheby's that Barbara Hutton’s“legendary Jadeite necklace sold at auction in Hong Kong for $27.4 million. Known as the Hutton-Mdivani necklace (Hutton bought it when she was married to Prince Mdivani – one of four Rumanian brothers – princelings, real or self-created – known as the Marrying Mdivanis in the 1920s and 30s). |
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Forgotten now in contemporary life in the 21st century, Hutton was heiress to part of the Woolworth fortune. Her mother Edna Woolworth Hutton committed suicide when Barbara was seven. She was alone in the apartment with her mother and found the body. Being the only child she inherited her mother’s share of the F.W. Woolworth fortune which measured in the billions in today’s dollars. Her father, Franklyn Hutton (brother of EF), increased her inheritance through investment so that when she reached majority, she came into about $500 million.
Barbara used to like to “play” with her jewelry – have it all brought out and spread out on her bed while she looked it over, tried it on, etc. One of her cousins, Marjorie Durant Dye, a granddaughter of Marjorie Merriweather Post, went to visit Barbara one day in the mid-1960s, when she was living at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. It was said that she had gone through most of her fortune by then. Barbara was surveying her jewels spread out before her on her bed while visiting with her cousin Marge. She was fondling an extraordinary emerald green jade necklace that took Marge’s eye. Marge: “Oh Barbara, that’s so beautiful.” Barbara passed it over to her. “Try it on,” she said to Marge. Marge did. “Oh, it looks beautiful on you,” Barbara enthused, adding: Take it ...” “Oh Barbara, I can’t take it ...” “No, take it, it looks so good on you ...” Marge Dye didn’t take it. Later she told her grandmother Mrs. Post the story, and grandmother responded: “You should have taken it. She’s only going to give it away to somebody else, maybe even a stranger.” Barbara Hutton had what our late friend John Galliher (who knew her well) called “inconsequential generosity” – giving away something for no reason other than a whim of the moment. I don’t know who eventually took it, or ended up with it, but someone paid more than $27 million for it yesterday in Hong Kong. Hutton was said to have died with only $3000 in her bank account, having spent an estimated $900 million in her lifetime. She also bought herself a great many jewels, many of which were still in her possession at the time of her death in 1979 at age 67. Before the rains came yesterday early afternoon, I went down to Michael’s to lunch with Olivia Flatto. You may have seen her photos on the NYSD many times as Olivia is very active in the ballet and several other cultural interests here in New York. I’ve known her to say hello to for years although we’d never had a conversation. Frankly, she’s French and good looking French women who speak with certainly can be intimidating. Charming (the accent, for starters) but intimidating. Ish. So there you have it. |
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| I think the first time I got an inkling of her personality was last year when she made it a point to invite me to a performance of the Paris Opera Ballet. I was flattered to be invited because as much as I enjoy watching the ballet, I am not knowledgeable, a real amateur spectator. Nevertheless, I was very impressed with the Paris Opera Ballet. Firstly, the corps de ballet were all the same height. That detail set the tone for me. Thank you Olivia. It turned out that Olivia, accent and all, is not at all intimidating. Actually she’s very personable and enthusiastic. Olivia grew up in France. I think in Cannes or thereabouts. She and her husband Adam who is a born and bred New Yorker, have a place in Cannes. She got her doctorate in Science at Penn. Coincidentally she met her husband who was studying in the building next door, the Wharton School of Business. Her interest is research. Olivia is still working in her field. She is also a mover and a shaker for her cultural interests.
Michael has become something of an expert on the residential life of the very rich, first with his history of “740 Park Avenue,” the dernier cri of gift-edged cooperative apartment buildings at 71st Street and Park Avenue. Then he wrote a somewhat similar history about what he calls the Platinum Triangle in West Los Angeles – Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills and Bel Air. The books are filled with inside stuff on the people and their houses and their spouses and their louses. Michael is highly skilled at delivering what is called gossip by some, but most frequently fact (and eventually history) known by others-in-the-know. His delivery is literary but tabloidal enough to keep you turning the pages for more. This new book, just out, “House of Outrageous Fortune” is about 15 CPW and its roster of very rich residents. And some of their stories. One of the stories was published in Vanity Fair a few months ago, about a particular very rich resident who got into some crummy trouble outside the country while satisfying his anxious libido and driving a car. Evidently said resident was said to be unhappy that there was a book party for such a book in his home building. Michael was unfettered and unfazed. There was security detail in the lobby, in the corridors and probably in the apartment of the hosts (Ranan and Tamar Lurie– with Wendy Sarasohn). And the gathering was rather tame – everyone was curious just to see the interior of one of these multimillion dollar apartments. I’d never been in this building before. It is enormous, covering a whole city block, and the lobbies are enormous. The apartment where the party was held was above the 30th floor and the views of Central Park are spectacular of course (although the weather was foggy and wet out there).
The sidewalks around Carnegie Hall at that hour (7:15 – 7:30) have that New York night excitement about them. People gathering to go inside to one of the concerts taking place. There is a sense of something important about to take place. And for the artists and their audience, it’s true. It’s Carnegie Hall. Bruce’s concert was called “Voices From the Sleep.” The program, as you can see was mainly contemporary music, also with Bach and Debussy, and the father of contemporary, Philip Glass. In the program notes, Bruce explained: “In choosing to title this program, I sought to make an allusion both to the influential voice of Bach found throughout each work as well as to tributes by each composer to other figures of the past (the eternal sleep). In the (Gyorgy) Ligeti, there is a tribute to Bartok, in the Fairouiz to Ligeti, in the Andres to Chopin, in the Kurtag to Debussy, and even in the works of Bach himself, to God and man Together, these works offer a touching perspective to the close spiritual connectivity we all share as artists and human beings, past and present." |
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| Bruce draws a cross-section of ages although a large number of younger concert-goers – 20s through 40s. His many friends know him also as a dedicated dog lover, and a very sociable fellow who loves people (he’s a Southern boy). His manner is always impeccable: polite but in a warm, easy way. His dress, like his manner, is smart and well-tailored but just as matter of fact and relaxed. He talks to his audience sometimes before he plays something, sometimes afterwards. He tells us what he is doing so we can follow his lead. His style of playing is suffused with drama. He goes after the music as if he is leading us on the search, and we are with him. When he finishes he stands and bows, flashing his wide impish smile. You could almost be in the man’s living room save for his (well-tailored dinner jacket and black tie). |
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| Last night’s concert was very contemporary for this novice. One of the composers, Fairouz, a man who looked to be in his early 30s, was in the audience, and got a big hand on introduction. After intermission, Bruce returned to take his place at the (magnificent) Steinway concert grand and continue to take on his exploration of the “Voices…” finishing the program with Philip Glass’Dracula Suite. Oh, during intermission, who should I run into but my lunch partner Olivia Flatto who also happens to be a very good friend of the evening’s virtuoso, whom she has known for about twenty years, which is approximately how long I’ve known him too. Ships in the night and now acquaintances. This is New York. |
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| Washington Social Diarist Carol Joynt's Memo to DPC — For the first time in several years, Vanity Fair has chosen a new location for its annual White House Correspondents Association dinner after party. With their co-host Bloomberg, they are switching allegiance from the French to the Italians. The party — the most sought after invite of the crazy WHCA weekend — will be at Villa Firenze, home of Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero and his wife, Laura. The date is Saturday, May 3rd.
Since 2009 the VF-Bloomberg party was held at the French ambassador's residence on Kalorama Drive, about a 15 minute walk from the WHCA dinner at the Washington Hilton. No one will be walking to Villa Firenze — it's 3.5 miles from the hotel. A lot of taxi, sedan and SUV drivers will be making good bucks that night. VF searched hard to find a location to replace the French residence, which is undergoing renovations in preparation for the arrival of a new ambassador in September (reported to be France's ambassador to the U.N., Gérard Araud). Depending on how it plays out this year, going forward we could have a competition between France and Italy, vying for the affections of VF and Bloomberg, but each is one of the city's great party places. First, though, we'll have a real DC blood sport — vying to get on the guest list for this year's after party. Amb. Bisogniero and his wife suddenly will have all kinds of new best friends. Here are three New York Social Diary stories that give a good look at Villa Firenze: • A Country Barbecue on the grounds • A dinner party co-hosted by Elle magazine Gucci • The first VF-Bloomberg party held at the French Ambassador's residence |
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Contact DPC here. |