MANHATTAN

Manhattan - Luxury Travel Magazine

Magazine Manhattan

By: Jane Gifford, Issue 40 – Spring 2009

(Manhattan, New York, USA)

THE MANHATTAN OF LEGENDARY AMERICAN VOGUE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANNA WINTOUR AND HER FASHION INDUSTRY COHORTS PORTRAYED IN THE BLOCKBUSTER DOCUMENTARY THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE IS A CHIC, GLOSSY AND SOMEWHAT MORE SUPERFICIAL VERSION OF THE MANHATTAN MOST TRAVELLERS VISIT. OUR STYLE CONTRIBUTOR JANE GIFFORD TELLS YOU WHERE TO STAY AND WHAT TO DO IF THAT'S THE MANHATTAN YOU'D LIKE TO SEE.

If you want to visit the New York of the high end fashion industry, the first thing you'll need to do is choose the right hotel. Opt for a stylish hotel such as the Mercer in the heart of SoHo's shopping district or the recently re-opened Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side. Or, plan to be in town during a New York Fashion Week (biannual fashion show events held in March and September) and then, The Bryant Hotel, close to the action in The Tents in Bryant Park, is the place to stay. It's party central there after the fashion shows and you'll rub shoulders with models, celebrities, designers and editors as they socialize well into the night.

To get around, savvy New Yorkers and visitors alike who don't want to ride the subway or waste time flagging cabs or finding parking spots, use one of dozens of limousine companies to chauffeur them from early morning power breakfasts to late night after parties-New York City's colorful street life, skyline vistas, public art and architecture can all be enjoyed from the comfort of the back seat. And, anyone with concerns for the environment can call newcomer OZOcar and request an eco-friendly chauffeur-driven vehicle from the company's fleet of hybrids to meet their transportation needs.

Making time to shop for beautiful clothes and accessories designed by the likes of Marni, Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Prada and Thakoon, as seen in The September Issue, is a must. Choose from vast collections in department stores such as Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, or from the individual designers' boutiques along Madison and Fifth Avenues and elsewhere. Kirna Zabete and Opening Ceremony in SoHo and Jeffrey in the Meatpacking District all stock well-edited selections of merchandise by the hottest designers in the world. It's interesting too, as we learn from the film, that Wintour and her editors influence what ends up hanging on the racks at the Gap by nurturing collaborations with emerging designers. H & M, Top Shop and Uniqlo also sell limited edition collections by guest designers each season. Bargain hunters will love Century 21, a department store located in the Financial District that specializes in heavily discounted designer clothing. Fashion by up-and-coming designers is best discovered wandering through the streets and boutiques of NoLita, the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.

A new not-to-be-missed New York activity is to stroll along the High Line, a former elevated railway on Manhattan's far West Side, running from Gansvoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street that has been transformed into a beautiful park. The sun loungers spanning the old tracks are fast becoming the place to hang out.
Hair and beauty hot spots favoured by fashion editors and celebrities these days include Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon Downtown for cuts and Rita Hazan Salon uptown on Fifth Avenue for color, as well as excellent mannies and peddies and a full range of beauty treatments including flawless bronzing. Models swear by pore-shrinking peels at Christine Chin Spa on the Lower East Side and Tracie Martyn Salon on the Upper East Side remains highly recommended for facials. Eliza Petrescu of Eliza's eyes at Exhale Spa is the city's legendary brow shaper.

One of the most amusing scenes in The September Issue captures the larger-than-life Vogue contributor Andre Leon Tally playing tennis enveloped in Louis Vuitton logo paraphernalia. So if the urge to exercise strikes and tennis is your thing, courts and lessons can be booked at the Manhattan Plaza Tennis Club. If a personal trainer is more your style, choose from Oscar Smith, the go-to guy for whipping models into shape, or Tracy Anderson, trainer to the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna.
When hunger strikes, bear in mind the high protein diet favored by Anna Wintour and dine at one of the best chophouses in the city. Head for Peter Luger Steakhouse, a 111-year-old Williamsburg, Brooklyn institution, or, Center Cut in the Empire Hotel near the Lincoln Center, Primehouse on Park Avenue South or Porter House New York in the Time Warner Center. If steak doesn't appeal, eat at Vanity Fair editor in-chief Graydon Carter's Monkey Bar in Midtown, where the celebrity-studded party for the premiere of The September Issue was held, or join the in-crowd at the Standard Grill on the street level of visionary hotelier Andre Balaz's Standard Hotel after stopping in at the Boom Boom Room on the very top level there for drinks. Fashionistas enjoy late night entertainment at The Box, a Lower East Side burlesque boite, and at Santos Party House on Lafayette Street in SoHo, where many fashion week after parties took place.

Wintour and most of the fashion elite mark the end of their work week, particularly in the summer, by escaping to houses and hotels in The Hamptons or other destinations on Long Island. Spending a few days away at the beach would also make a fitting end to a busy stay in the city. If you go, be sure to take the Brooklyn Bridge, just as Vogue's creative director Grace Coddington does in a scene in the film, and then head north along the Brooklyn/Queens freeway-the views of Manhattan from the car windows are magical.

Details:

The Mercer

The Bryant Park Hotel