The address of 140 Maiden Lane is known by architectural fans and students worldwide as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important buildings.

Built in 1948 as the V.C. Morris Gift Shop, it was Wright’s prototype for one of his most famous projects, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, with its similar circular ramp.

Nearly 70 years later, 140 Maiden Lane now has a new tenant bringing life to the fully restored building, which was formerly used as an art gallery — Isaia, one of the world’s leading menswear houses.

To mark the Italian luxury brand’s new presence in the city, CEO Gianluca Isaia (pronounced is-I-E-ah… it might take practice!) recently hosted a cocktail party at the store in partnership with SF Film, as well as Katie and Todd Traina, Anne Vyalitsyna and Adam Cahan, and Spencer and Alexandra Wells.

A fun Vespa photo booth and caviar ice bar at the Maiden Lane entrance awaited guests such as Roman Coppola, Willie Brown, Sonya Molodetskaya, Alexis and Trevor Traina, Lindsay Bolton and Caley Castelein, Scott and Nina Stanford, Joni Binder and Robert Shwarts, Michael Murphy and Michael Bauer, and Dr. Alan Malouf, among others.

It was a wonderful opportunity to peruse the Naples-based brand’s latest collection of luxury separates and custom tailoring, and take in the incredibly chic decor.

Chosen personally by interior designer Alberta Saladino, the furnishings all came from Esprit Nouveau in Naples, and includes a Jelly Pea sofa by India Mahdavi, vintage 1950s chairs by Paolo Buffa, a sculpture by Michele Iodice, a 1950s wet bar, and an assortment of pieces from the 1940s to now.

Because of the building’s important historical status, Isaia worked closely with preservation planners in the San Francisco Planning Department to maintain the integrity of the site, down to the finest details.

For instance, preservationists required that the interior be painted the exact color that Wright had used in 1948, so a paint analysis was performed which identified not only the exact color but the manufacturer of the paint!

Isaia’s respect for tradition and high standards of quality proved invaluable when taking responsibility for Wright’s building — attributes that are very much apparent when wearing pieces from the collection, as many of the world’s best dressed men already know.

See more photos from Isaia’s arrival on Maiden Lane below!

An exciting opportunity for collectors of Hollywood fashion — jewelry from hundreds of the most famous “Golden Age” films are being auctioned by Julien’s Auctions.

The Joseff of Hollywood’s “Treasures from the Vault” sale, taking place on November 18, 2017, features pieces designed by Eugene Joseff, the designer on over 1000 films. After his death in 1948, his wife J.C. continued working as a Hollywood costume jeweler on over 450 films.

The auction includes items worn by Lana Turner, Greta Garbo, Ethel Merman, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Dorothy Lamour, Lucille Ball, Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, among others. Here are some of our favorites.

BETTE DAVIS
The brooch she wore in the famous “buckle your seatbelts” scene in “All About Eve” (1950).

A tiara from “The Virgin Queen” (1955).

A pearl necklace and bib necklace from “The Virgin Queen” (1955).

MARLENE DIETRICH
A choker she wore in “The Spoilers” (1942).

A brooch Marlene Dietrich wore in “Destry Rides Again” (1939), which she also used as a head piece.

GRETA GARBO
A necklace and earrings worn by Greta Garbo in “Camille” (1936).

MARILYN MONROE
Earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe to promote “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1953.

JOAN CRAWFORD
A necklace Joan Crawford wore in the 1940s.

Joan Crawford in the 1940s

Two necklaces Joan Crawford wore in “Humoresque” (1946).

Joan Crawford’s Aries brooch and earrings.

KATHARINE HEPBURN
A costume ornament Katharine Hepburn wore in “Song of Love” (1947).

ELIZABETH TAYLOR
A variety of pieces worn by Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra” (1963).

VIVIEN LEIGH
A necklace worn by Vivien Leigh in “Gone with the Wind” (1939).

Another necklace from “Gone with the Wind.”

JUDY GARLAND
A necklace worn by both Judy Garland and Mae West.

Earrings worn by Judy Garland in 1951.

MAE WEST
Multiple pieces worn by Mae West in “The Heat’s On” (1943).

RONALD COLEMAN
A crown worn by Ronald Coleman in “The Prisoner of Zenda” (1937).

And most incredibly…
SHIRLEY TEMPLE
Shirley Temple’s scepter and crown from “The Little Princess” (1939).

Fendi recently celebrated the inauguration of its new San Francisco boutique (195 Grant Avenue), and its support of the FOG Design+Art Fair for 2018, with a cocktail and shopping party where 10% of sales proceeds went to Tipping Point Community.

The highlight of the night was the fun “Obsession Room” — a pop up “psychedelic jungle” made of almost 200 Bag Charms hung throughout a mirrored room.

Guests included Sloan and Roger Barnett, Douglas Friedman, Mimi Haas, Lisa Pritzker, Vanessa Getty, Mary Gonsalves Kinney, Dr. Carolyn Chang, Barbara Brown, Chrisa Pappas, Dana Tananbaum, Victoire Brown, Heidi Fisher, Anne Sophie Deneve, Alexis Traina, and Mary Beth Shimmon, among others.

See photos from the insanely colorful Obsession Room in the slideshow below!

Birdies recently celebrated the opening of its newest store on San Francisco’s Union Street with a private cocktail event attended by Debbi Hemmer, Co Founder of Lean In, Jessica and Sam Lessin of the Information, Lisa Sugar, Dr. Carolyn Chang, Layne Gray, Nina Stanford, Jean Larette, Ali Walecka and Kathryn Lasater, among others.

Founders Bianca Gates and Marisa Sharkey launched Birdies to create a slipper that is both stylish and comfortable, to keep up with an active lifestyle of entertaining, working from home, and raising children. The perfect footwear to finish your outfit while still making you feel at home.

The New retail store at 1934 Union Street is designed by La Finca Designs.

See photos from the special event in the slideshow below!

The RealReal, the popular luxury consignment company, recently celebrated the holidays with the Golden State Warriors’ Andre Iguodala and wife Christina in a night of drinks, appetizers and an exclusive sale of items from the couple’s wardrobe at The RealReal’s SF pop-up shop.

Proceeds from the sale benefited St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital.

See photos from the special event in the slideshow below!

Was it just a typical Saturday in San Francisco?

The day this past weekend began with nudists parading through the Castro, peace signs painted on their bodies. It ended with socialites, a supermodel, and Marissa Mayer dancing near midnight in Golden Gate Park (they wore clothes). Different events, but for the same purpose—to celebrate the golden jubilee of San Francisco’s revolutionary “Summer of Love”…

Read all about the glamorous gala today at “Town & Country“.

It was an evening to marvel at the beauty of the earth and stars when La Prairie recently hosted a special dinner at the California Academy of Science to celebrate its Platinum Rare Collection.

Before being ushered into a darkened room lit with images of the galaxy projected to the wall, guests were given a special tour of the museum’s rare gems and minerals collection.

Attended by La Prairie’s President, Francois Le Gloan, and guests of Saks Fifth Avenue and MGK Style, the event (entitled “A Drop of Magic”) drew attention to the fact that the ultra-luxe product (the “Cellular Night Elixir” is priced at $1,200) contains the most precious metal on earth, platinum.

Guests included stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney, jewelry designer Emily Wheeler, Ondrea Vicklund, Mary Beth Shimmon, Cici Deng, Meghan Kanodia, and others.

If your kitchen is so pristinely minimalist it resembles a science lab, the new collection of appliances Dolce & Gabbana designed for Smeg is probably not for you.

But for the rest of us — bored with decades of stainless-steel-this and shiny-white-that — these incredible new items arrive with great enthusiasm.

The small collection is comprised of a toaster, tea kettle and juicer (available at Neiman Marcus for $600 each), with boldly colored silk screen and lithography on the surfaces.

Most coveted, though, are refrigerators ($50,000 at Neiman Marcus) that have been hand-painted in Italy by artists such as Michele Ducato, Gianfranco Fiore and Michelangelo Lacagnina, with intricate, vibrant scenes of Sicilian life and history.

Here are some of our favorites.

Refrigerator Painted by Michelangelo Lacagnina

Refrigerator Painted by Gianfranco Fiore

Refrigerator Painted by Michele Ducato

Dolce & Gabbana Tea Kettle

Dolce & Gabbana Toaster

Paris-based designer Esteban Cortazar recently presented pieces from his Spring 2018 collection at a luncheon hosted by stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney.

Held at Julie and Sébastien Lépinard’s ultra-hip gallery, 836M, the event was attended by Calgary Avansino, Emily Wheeler, Sara Abbasi, Sobia Shaikh, Mary Beth Shimmon, Camilla Papale, Sonia Maria Edwards, Maghan McDowell, Lisa Zabelle, Bahya Murad, Burcu Garnier, Natalie Rosendin, Meghan Kanodia, Lauren Godfrey, and Hani Kashef, among others.

Versions of the 33-year-old designer’s signature piece, the stretch jersey “Salsa Dress” that flares out at the hem, have recently been seen on celebrities and influencers around the globe, such as First Lady Melania Trump and documentary producer Marley Clements in Washington, Natalie Joos, Hannah Bronfman, and Astrid Munoz in New York, Tracee Ellis Ross in Los Angeles, Pia Cohler and photographer Jamie Beck in France, television host Angela Saiz in Spain, and Marion Caunter in Singapore.

You can read more about Esteban’s visit at TownAndCountryMag.com.

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Designed by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI, under the direction of Denis Montel, the boutique has been designed to embrace natural light and the beautiful Stanford surroundings while showcasing the Hermès collection of métiers among digital installations by artists such as Eric Vernhes.

Contemporary artist Eva Jospin crafted signature cardboard landscapes, inspired by the Northern Californian environment, as a backdrop for the event.

See photos from the evening in the slideshow below!

On Saturday, Aug 4th, Saks Fifth Avenue and the League to Save Lake Tahoe welcomed 660 people to Lake Tahoe for their annual luncheon and fashion show featuring Oscar de la Renta.

Now in its 49th year, the event raised more than $870,000 to keep Tahoe blue.

Oscar de la Renta Co-Creative Directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia introduced the Resort 2019 collection with CEO Alex Bolen and his wife Eliza Bolen, Executive Vice President for the brand.

“Our resort collection looked incredible against Lake Tahoe with the blue backdrop and wind giving life to the dresses on the runway,” said Laura Kim.

The show featured 64 looks including everything from modern power suits in pop colors, shorts suit sets, signature Oscar toile du juoy prints done in modern silhouettes, sleek cut-out gowns with high slits, and petal and wedgewood pastel day dresses.

Jeffrey Kalinsky recently celebrated the opening of his eponymous Jeffrey luxury specialty store at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto with an in-store cocktail party co-hosted by Vogue.

It’s the third store for Kalinsky, in addition to Jeffrey Atlanta and Jeffrey New York.

More than 200 party goers were the first to shop and experience the 12,000-square-foot space, with its meticulously-edited selections of designer apparel, shoes and accessories for women and men from Celine, Gucci, Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Christian Dior, Prada, Miu Miu, Valentino, Rick Owens, Gianvito Rossi and more.

See photos from the opening night party below!

Barbara Brown and J. Riccardo Benavides recently hosted a welcome reception in honor of Anna Chung, the new general manager for Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco.

Held at Brown’s beautiful Pacific Heights home, the event was attended by around 50 guests, including Dr. Carolyn Chang, Mary Beth Shimmon, Jane Mudge, and Joel Goodrich.

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When the late Achille Maramotti founded Max Mara nearly seven decades ago, one of the things he set out to do was “make the ordinary extraordinary.”

All these many years later, Max Mara’s classic camel coat is one of those extraordinary pieces that demonstrates Maramotti met his goal. Maria Giulia Maramotti — Achille’s granddaughter, and the brand’s Global Brand Ambassador — recently came to San Francisco, where she hosted a luncheon in celebration of the coat’s iconic status.

Co-hosted by Katie Traina and Meghan Harris, the event also raised funds for Benefit Compass Family Services, with 10 percent of sales proceeds going to the organization which helps homeless and at-risk families.

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The Bar Code opened recently at 3600 Sacramento Street in San Francisco, aiming to be a kind of “we work” for designers and artists.

Founded by Danielle Bourhis, the corner space in a prime Presidio Heights location is a novel new retail concept that showcases the best offerings of top US and International designers and artists, with short term “pop ups.”

This allows clients to meet with top designers in an intimate setting and to experience ‘the feel, touch and see’ that only shopping offline offers. Among the brands to be featured are Hunter, Paul and Joe, Zadig and Voltaire, Scotch and Soda, Shoshanna dresses and bathing suits, Aviator nation, Knot sisters, Altuner ateliers, Minnie rose cashmere, JET by John Eshya, Bailey 44, Brunette the label, Still Water, Lna, and Hat Attack.

The Bar Code spaces merges the experience of art and fashion, with custom furniture by interior designer Leo Cesareo and art shown on a revolving on a monthly rotation (both the art and furniture are for sale.)

See photos from the opening party below!

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Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area recently rolled out the red carpet for nearly 175 guests at Live, Life, Lunch – Style Makers & Rule Breakers, an afternoon of contemporary fashion and design held at the stunning Hillsborough home of Sheri Sobrato Brisson.

The event featured celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, NBC Sports broadcaster Kate Scott and ABC7 Bay Area’s Reggie Aqui.

Neiman Marcus showcased trendy holiday fashions and glass artist Bobby Bowes of Walker & Bowes designed beautiful seasonal tablescapes.

The luncheon raised more than $200,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides communities of support, access to medical care, and the healing power of family and home for critically ill children.

See photos from the event below!

Sabrina Buell, Kaitlyn Krieger, and Mary Gonsalves Kinney recently welcomed Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez on their rare visit to San Francisco with an elegant cocktail party held at a private residence in Cow Hollow.

Attended by an impressive group of women such as Pia Cohler, Maca Huneeus, Katie Schwab Paige, Becca Prowda, Jessica Sittig, and Kaitlyn Krieger (the duo designed the exquisite dress she wore to Met Gala 2018), the event was highlighted by a Q&A with stylist Mary Gonsalves Kinney, during which the designers reminisced about the start of their business over 16 years ago, and spoke about their latest collection.

“We have a room full of amazing modern women, who all have very different lives, and even live in different states,” said Kinney, speaking of guests who shopped from the brand’s Fall 2018 collection earlier in the day. “And literally every single person was pulling things off the rack frantically because the collection works for so many people.”

“It’s actually very appropriate for San Francisco,” McCollough told us, explaining that the collection was inspired by the West Coast’s hippy lifestyle of the 1970s.

“We liked this idea of if there was an American couture, what would it be. So we started looking a lot at the ’70s hippy crafts, from macrames and hand tie-dyes, to crochet, and all these artisanal hand techniques.”

The American West inspired the New York-based designers in another big way — they’ve just launched their first perfume, Arizona, a romantic scent inspired by memories of their trip to the sweltering Grand Canyon State a few years ago.

“We were on a road trip out West, in Arizona, and we lost cell phone connection, we lost internet, we were off the grid. It was this beautiful moment where we were by ourselves, away from the world, away from the distractions,” Lazaro said.

“It was a really beautiful, romantic experience for us, and we wanted to recreate that somehow, abstractly, and imbue the fragrance with the sense of the desert, the sky, the sunset.”

Much appreciated on a foggy San Francisco night!

See photos from the event below.

Recipients of the 2019 Breakthrough Prize were celebrated recently at a glittering awards ceremony held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Often called the “Oscars of Science”, the 7th annual event brought together luminaries in the science and tech communities, alongside celebrities, athletes, musicians and dozens of current and prior Breakthrough Prize laureates for a festive celebration of science.

A combined total of $22 million was awarded during the evening, in recognition of groundbreaking, research achievements in Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics and Mathematics.

Each Breakthrough Prize is $3 million, the largest individual monetary prize in science.

Acclaimed actor, producer and philanthropist Pierce Brosnan guided the program, which featured performances by Academy Award winner and four-time Grammy Award winner Lionel Richie and Chinese Music Sensation G.E.M..

There were also presentations from Orlando Bloom, Ron Howard, Rachel McAdams, Julianne Moore, Thandie Newton, Lupita Nyong’o, and Eddie Redmayne.

A highlight of the evening was a tribute to the late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, which featured statements by Eddie Redmayne and Hawking’s daughter, Lucy Hawking.

Hawking inspired the theme of the evening — “Look up” – based on a quote in his final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions:

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”

Prize recipients included Dr. Frank Bennett, Adrian R. Krainer, Angelika Amon, Xiaowei Zhuang, Zhijian “James” Chen, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Charles Kane, Eugene Mele, Vincent Lafforgue, Brian Metzger, Rana Adhikari, Lisa Barsotti, Matthew Evans, Daniel Harlow, Daniel L. Jafferis, Aron Wall, Chenyang Xu, Karim Adiprasito, June Huh, Kaisa Matomäki, Maksym Radziwill.

“Every year I am inspired by the Breakthrough Prize laureates and the deep insights that are made possible by pure curiosity-driven research,” said Breakthrough Prize co-founder, Anne Wojcicki.

“This year is particularly special, with the special recognition of Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s groundbreaking contributions at a time when women were underrepresented and unrecognized,” she added.

Additionally, a “Breakthrough Junior Challenge” prize was awarded to 16-year old Samay Godika of India. He’ll receive $250,000 in educational prizes, which his science teacher will receive $50,000, and his school, the National Public School, in Koramangala, will receive a new science laboratory valued at $100,000 designed by and in partnership with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Directed and produced by Don Mischer was broadcast live on National Geographic TV on November 4th.

See more photos from the spectacular event below!

Ann and Gordon Getty recently welcomed supporters of amFAR to their Pacific Heights home for the organization’s Inaugural Charity Poker Tournament, attended by Robin Wright, Karolina Kurkova, Jay Ellis and Mia Maestro, among others.

Guests were invited to buy-in to the tournament for a chance to play with professional poker players Antonio Esfandiari, Scott Blumstein and Jeff Gross while raising funds for amfAR, an organization dedicated to ending the global AIDS epidemic through innovative research.

The black-tie gala included the tournament, live auction, a special performance by singer/songwriter CeeLo Green and comedy and magic by Justin Willman. The event also featured Perrier-Jouët Champagne and signature Absolut Elyx vodka cocktails.

Vanessa Getty introduced her cousin, Aileen Getty, who spoke remotely to the crowd about her personal experience fighting health complications as a result of being HIV positive, and the importance of funding research.

Guests included Ken Fulk, Tolan and Tyler Florence, Shannon and Peter Getty, Tatum Getty, Archie Drury, Nina Senicar, Gerhard Gulewicz, Dr. Mervyn and Deborah Silverman, Dr. Ray Schinazi and Nadira Mansour and more.

During a mid-event break from the tournament, celebrated actress, philanthropist and event host Robin Wright welcomed guests and spoke to the impact their support would make in potentially ending the AIDS epidemic.

See more photos from the event below.

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Event chairs included Lynne and Marc Benioff, Ken Fulk, Aileen Getty, Ann and Gordon Getty, and Gavin Newsom. Co-Chairs included James Bailey and Devon Aoki, Jonathan and Criselda Breene, Archie Drury and Karolina Kurkova, Alexander and Tatum Getty, Shannon and Peter Getty, Vanessa and Billy Getty, Gerhard Gulewicz, Jason Kim, Philipp Meyer-Schmeling, Boris Nikolic, Johan Ernst Nilson, Raymond Schinazi, Bradford Shellhammer and Mena Suvari.

Pernod Ricard was the event’s Signature Partner, featuring Perrier-Jouët Champagne and Absolut Elyx Vodka. Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of amfAR. Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco was the Official Hotel of the event. Wines provided by Ann and Gordon Getty. The amfAR Inaugural Charity Poker Tournament was produced by Josh Wood Productions.

For more information, please visit amfar.org.

Fendi recently kicked off its partnership with FOG Design+Art 2019 by hosting a cocktail party in its San Francisco boutique.

The Italian luxury fashion house will present the Innovators Luncheon at the art fair on January 17th, 2019, honoring Pamela Joyner. This is the second time Fendi has supported the annual event as a lead sponsor.

Opening January 17th, 2019 at the Fort Mason Center, FOG Design+Art 2019 will assemble 45 leading international galleries, prominent 20th-century and contemporary design dealers, and a weekend of exciting programs. A highlight of the event is the unveiling of 21POP, a special installation created by Stanlee Gatti.

A preview gala on January 16th will benefit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).

See photos from the Fendi party below!

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