Looking Back at Vogue ’s 1996 Celebration of New York City, Capital of the World
Alexandra Gurvitch
·6 min read
This story is part of a series, Past/Present, highlighting images and articles from Vogue that have personal significance to our editors.
I identify as a New Yorker. In fact, I’m one of those rare birds who was actually born and bred here. I grew up on the Lower East Side and now live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, just a few blocks from where my grandmother grew up. It’s been a tough year for New York City, and I can’t yet wrap my mind around what it will be like when this is all over; with so many people lost, the landscape will be altered forever.
Recently, my coworkers and I were discussing our hopes for the future, but the conversation kept coming back around to what is happening now. “Why live in New York when the things that make New York, New York are shuttered?” one colleague asked. That night I went to bed crying about the deep void I felt. My grief for my city can feel overwhelming.
As possible park and beach shutdowns have been announced, my partner and I have discussed leaving. We live in a one-bedroom apartment with no fire escape, backyard, or central A/C. A summer stuck inside would be hard. He is from California, so the subject of moving out west has come up more than once. I try to hold firm in those conversations. “There is no city like New York,” I remind him.
There’s proof of that in a Vogue story from 1996, called “New York Is.” The portfolio features models—wearing clothing by New York designers—and locals, famous or otherwise. There’s an image of Shalom Harlow jumping with Broadway actors, and another of Trish Goff striking a pose with the Guardian Angels, a volunteer neighborhood-watch organization. Kristen McMenamy, Kiara Kabukuru, and Stella Tennant also get in on the fun with such Big Apple icons as Spike Lee, David Salle, and members of the New York City Fire Department. The vibe is minimally chic in a very New York way, but the photos by Arthur Elgort are also full of energy. The images remind me of the city’s resilience, and of the importance of creativity. It’s talented people like these that keep the city vibrant and its spirit alive. There will certainly be voids when this is all over, but that spirit isn’t going anywhere—it’s a New York thing.
“New York Is,” photographed by Arthur Elgort, was published in the February 1996 issue of the magazine. Fashion editor: Grace Coddington. Hair: Didier Malige for Frederic Fekkai Beaute; Makeup: Mary Greenwell.
NEW YORK IS...THE BROADWAY BOOGIE: If the dress faces any real competition this spring, it will be from low-slung trousers. Here, Shalom Harlow shows them off with the men of the hit Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Cafe, from left, Victor Trent Cook, Ken Ard, Frederick B. Owens, and Adrian Bailey. Silver top and trousers by Richard Tyler. Costumes by William Ivey Long for Smokey Joe’s Cafe.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...INSPIRED PALETTES—AND PALATES: Painting the town, left: A Michael Kors design worn by Trish Goff and a David Salle paintbrush (held by the artist) underscore this season’s fashion mantra: Length is a personal choice. Right: Restaurateur David Bouley and Oscar de la Renta both produce creations that are dubbed “as good as it gets.” Dress by Oscar de la Renta.
BEAUTY NOTE: In a season where dresses range from the simplest shift to the grandest ball gown, hairstyles become equally versatile. A hairspray to set any style: Revlon Outrageous Model & Shine Designing Spray.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...WHERE ANGELS RUSH IN AND FOOLS TREAD: Back by popular demand: The clown geniuses? Bill Irwin, left, and David Shiner of Fool Moon. The foil? Kirsty Hume in a shiny cocktail dress by Marc Jacobs. Right: Trish Goff in Oscar de la Renta, guru to the gala crowd, meets up with the Guardian Angels, bodyguards to everyone else.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...THE DANCER AND THE DANCE: Get to the pointe: The bad boy of dance, Mark Morris, stands up to the good boy of fashion, Isaac Mizrahi (his mother starred in his movie Unzipped), whose silk dress adorns Stella Tennant. Right: Kiara Kabukuru, in a silk Anne Klein dress, gets a flower shower from event planner Robert Isabell.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...DESIGNING MEN AND WOMEN: The sky’s the limit: now 89, Philip Johnson, one of the busiest and most celebrated architects of the century, kicks up his heels with Trish in Anna Sui’s black belted coat.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...THE ROAR OF THE CROWD: Knicks with knack: Two of New York’s finest B-ballers, Charles Oakley, left, and Charles Smith, play with Kristen McMenamy in a forward-thinking design by Ralph Lauren. Right: Kirsty Hume in heavyweight-designer Donna Karan’s satin jersey dress cheers up-and-coming star of the ring Shannon Briggs.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...THE SOUND OF MUSIC: The melody-makers: Isaac Mizrahi brings back the early days of cocktail dressing while D-Generation (four of the five members shown here with Shalom) honors the early days of punk. Right: Victor Alfaro’s dramatic design brings serious culture to spring as James Levine, artistic director and principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, keeps Kristen McMenamy’s notes held high.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...WHERE YOU GET THE BEST DIRECTIONS: Reel to real: The young and the successful—Marc Jacobs is the designer, Ed Burns the star and director of The Brothers McMullen and the upcoming She’s the One. Right: Michael Kors and Spike Lee know how to give the public what they want—like Lee’s next film, Girl 6, and Michael Kors’s silk trench.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...ALWAYS IN THE NEWS: Read all about it: Stella Tennant’s low-belted sleeveless shift by Calvin Klein is the fashion feature for spring, here with Daily News media mogul Mort Zuckerman, left, and columnist Mike Lupica. Right: the New York Post’s Richard Johnson, celebrated chronicler of society, practices his table-hopping alongside Trish Goff and Stella Tennant in dresses by Bill Blass, designer to the same set.
Photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
NEW YORK IS...HOME OF THE STRONG AND THE BRAVE: Two of the hottest shapes in town, New York’s bravest are poised to extinguish any flames from a four-alarm-sexy top and skirt by Donna Karan. Calvin Klein’s ankle-length jersey dress and trainer to the stars Sacha of the terminally hip David Barton Gym.
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