Ralph Lauren Hosts Party & Book Signing in Honor of Gloria Vanderbilt

Ralph Lauren hosted a party and book signing yesterday evening in honor of Gloria Vanderbilt at his 888 Madison Avenue Women’s store. The occasion celebrated the publication The World of Gloria Vanderbilt by Wendy Goodman with a Foreword by Anderson Cooper.

The book chronicles Gloria Vanderbilt’s life as an heiress, a painter, a muse, a designer, a model, a writer, an entrepreneur, an actor, a socialite, a survivor, an icon. The illustrations include portraits of Vanderbilt and her extraordinary homes, filled with photographs from legends, such as Richard Avedon, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Inge Morath, Horst P. Horst, Francesco Scavullo, and Annie Leibovitz.

Special guests from the evening include Sarah Jessica Parker, Uma Thurman, Camilla Belle, Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams, Kelly Ripa, Marisa Berenson and Kathy Griffin.

Ralph Lauren with Gloria Vanderbilt

Gloria Vanderbilt with son, Anderson Cooper

Andy Cohen and Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker

Uma Thurman and Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren

Brian Williams and Jane Stoddard Williams

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

Wendy Goodman, Author of The World of Gloria Vanderbilt, in Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren, Ricky Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt in Ralph Lauren, Anderson Cooper

A limited edition volume of The World of Gloria Vanderbilt is exclusively available at Ralph Lauren stores and on RalphLauren.com. This numbered edition is presented in a purple linen slip case and features a Toni Frissell print which Vogue published in 1966.

Ralph Lauren Women’s Store located on 888 Madison Avenue.

Image credits: Billy Farrell Agency

Get the look: Sex and the City 2 jewelry from Rodrigo Otazu

The long-awaited  Sex and the City 2 finally came out in the theaters yesterday, much to the delight of fashionistas worldwide. Women from here on out will be dying and vying to get the uber stylish looks of the SATC2 ladies. But the question that will inevitably be asked is “Where is that from?”

Lucky you, we have one important area covered: Jewelry. Much of the jewelry in the movie has been provided by the brilliant and vibrant Argentine jewelry designer, Rodrigo Otazu. Rodrigo’s bold and adventurous aesthetic have caught the attentions of W, Italian Vogue, Elizabeth Taylor, Tyra Banks, Beyonce and, recently, Patricia Field.

His philosophy? “Jewelry is sexy…A woman should know how to wear her jewelry,” said Rodrigo. Rodrigo and SATC2 are a match made in accessories heaven. Get your own SATC2 look with the Rodrigo Otazu pieces below.

Worn by Sarah Jessica Parker: Bib necklace made of pearls and large Swarovski crystal center.

Worn by Kim Catrell: Chandelier earrings made of a  colorful multi-mix of Swarovski crystals. 6 inches long.

Worn by Sarah Jessica Parker: Yellow Italian moonstone accented with vintage Italian green glass with Tanzanite Swarovski crystal center.

Cuff with pearl outer lining, chain running in between. Opening made of Swarovski crystals.

Small cuff with white italian moonstones along the base with creme pearl and Swarovski crystal at the opening.

Jet black Swarovski floral chandelier earrings. 3 3/4 inches long.

Blue and iridescent crystal make up this beautiful Swarovski chandelier earrings. 3 1/2 inches long.

Dramatic fringe earrings in Montana blue Swarovski crystal. 6 1/2 inches long.

Clear crystal chandelier earrings with dangling briolettes. 3 3/4 inches long.

Rodrigo is clearly all about the “wow” factor. Own it yourself with one of his pieces – you are sure to turn heads, just like SJP does. Visit rodrigootazu.com and fragments.com.

Rodrigo is on Twitter and Facebook! Follow him @rodrigootazu. Become a fan on Facebook here.

The Backstory…

When Rodrigo first met the SATC2 styling team, he was too late to get his in on the movie. “The slots were closed,” said Rodrigo. However, one of the stylists was floored by his jewelry when she saw his runway show with model, Lily Cole, on Youtube (video here). She made one phone call insisting that Rodrigo was a must-have.

Rodrigo got to furiously sketching and designing when he heard the fantastic news. Within four sleepless days and nights, Rodrigo purchased materials and hand-crafted a collection just for the movie. It paid off: SATC2 chose the eight pieces above. Statistically, that is pretty impressive.

Rodrigo said, “When I met Patricia Fields, she grabbed my hand and said ‘I hope we give you a lot of success.'” Rodrigo has had his fair share already, but SATC2 has a good track record of launching designers into another stratosphere. Look at Manolo Blahnik.

Photos courtesy to Rodrigo Otazu and Fragments.