‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Is Large, It Contains Multitudes
It’s hard to be a woman (well, we’re told), subject to the whims of fashion mags and their demanding editors. But this month it seems the ladies of Harper’s Bazaar are maliciously toying with their readers. First, on page 83, the magazine recommends the “Smart Shopping” tip of a Diane Von Furstenberg military-style coat, complete with double buttons and epaulets, depicted in a stylish red and available at Saks for a mere $575. Then, on pages 96–97, a “Buy, Keep, Store” guide — instructing readers on “what to run out and buy, what’s still right to wear, and what you can ignore — for now” puts in the “store” category those very same “military styles.” Why? (“Epaulets are too severe for fall’s soft shoulders.”) What’s an attentive reader to think? Why in one place does Bazaar hate epaulets but in another recommend DVF’s version? We’ve got no idea. And we’re sure the issue’s Von Furstenberg profile is a mere coincidence.
intel
How Much for the ‘Post’?
Question of the day: Why is today’s Post 25 cents in most of the city (or at least in West Village, at Eighth Avenue and 14th Street, where we checked) and 75 cents in the East Village (or at least at Avenue A and St. Marks Place, where this was spotted)? Your guess is as good as ours.
party lines
CFDA’s Titanic iPod: It’s Unsyncable!The fashion-industry elite walking out of the Swarovski-sponsored pre–CFDA awards dinner at Top of the Rock last night found a particularly exciting treat in their gift bags: a Swarovski-crystal- encrusted iPod Shuffle. There’s just one problem. The crystals covering the case make the Shuffle too big to fit in its dock, which means it won’t sync with a computer. Unless, that is, the fashionistas go out and buy Shuffle adaptors, we’re told. Note to Swarovski: Next time, get a tech team in to consult on crystal size. —Jada Yuan
intel
The ‘Portfolio’-ing: When You Premiere the PremierIt was no mere typo. There must have been a conscious decision to use “premier” to describe the first issue of Condé Nast Portfolio, which nearly all copy editors, this reporter included, would have called a “premiere.” You don’t make a mistake like that across the board — on the cover flap (“premier issue”), in the table of contents (“premier issue”), and, most telling, in the promotional letter (“premier issue debuts” [itals added to nauseate]). No, this one seems to be intentional, a style statement by the new publication. Perhaps the someday-to-be- monthly business magazine is indicating that what you hold in your hands is indeed the top of the line, that this is as good as it gets, it’s the premier one, the most important, the preeminent, the top, the Colosseum, the best! For a premier issue to debut — well, it’s spelled out right there. If they intended the correct “premiere” (which means first, debut), they wouldn’t have coupled it with “debut.” So they must mean what they say. This is the premier, not the premiere; the best issue you’re gonna get. Take it as it is. —Carl Rosen
gossipmonger
Whose Interviews These AreThe New Yorker confuses Robert Frost and David Frost (whoops!), much to the amusement of both “Page Six” and the Gatecrasher. Porn star Jenna Jameson has lost a lot of weight and has started acting unprofessionally since her divorce. Real-estate developer Harry Macklowe gets preferential treatment at all Icon parking garages in Manhattan. Ben Widdicombe got an earful from Pauly Shore. The Russian Tea Room uses out-of-context quotes to give the impression that it has been well reviewed. Tom Wolfe will give a speech in Miami about art and architecture. A number of J.P. Morgan bankers are expected to attend Dana Vachon’s book party tomorrow night, despite the treatment the firm (or, rather, the fictitious firm based on Morgan) gets in the book.
in other news
And, Suddenly, the U.S. Attorneys Story Makes Even Less Sense
The Times Website at about 1 a.m. this morning. “And if you testify the wrong way, Kyle, say good-bye to the Endangered Species Act.”
Former Key Aide Testifies Today on Gonzales’s Statements [NYT]
the follow-up
Last Week in Minor MisunderstandingsIn this installment of our remarkably lax-on-ourselves annotated errata, we’re not quite apologizing for a Nader flub, a Central Park slight, and another Brooklyn border gerrymander. But we do find it necessary to clarify a few things.
intel
Ove Is All AroundWe enjoy Google’s longstanding tradition of altering the search engine’s logo to commemorate various holidays and notable events. But we also wish — today, especially — that the logo designers consistently remembered their company’s name includes an L. Other than that, well, Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too, Googe.
intel
Magazine Can’t Wait for End of Bloomberg EraWe’ll remind you, first, that New York elects its mayor the year after the United States elects its president. Then we’ll remind you that Mike Bloomberg was elected to a second four-year term — unprecedented spending, unprecedented margin of victory, remember? — in November 2005 and inaugurated on January 1, 2006. Finally, we’ll remind you that this means he’ll be New York’s mayor until December 31, 2009. Now let us point you to the first two sentences of Adam Gopnik’s “Comment” in the current New Yorker. The emphasis is ours:
It is a sign of the times — which, a Greenwich Village bard once told us, change — that two former mayors of New York may run for President next year, and no one thinks that either candidacy is even slightly a joke. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is thinking of running, as a Republican, and current Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be a former by then, may run as a None of the Above.
Hey, even the world’s most storied fact-checking staff gets a holiday break, too.
Gothamitis [NYer]
