Lizzie Tisch has been building her LTD brand of highly curated fashion and accessories for the past several years. Tisch’s holiday season pop-ups in New York and summer pop-ups in Bridgehampton have been a magnet for celebrities and fashion and lifestyle cognoscenti looking for something chic, new and unusual. Last winter Tisch opened a shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, bravely helping to rebuild commerce in a city reeling from the pandemic. A combination of her signature style, wit and social conscience, Tisch features brands that are unique and cutting edge.
LTD Holiday VIP Launch Offers Highly Curated, Exceptional Gifts
LTD by Lizzie Tisch held a VIP preview for its second annual holiday shopping event on Monday at the Regency Hotel. Tisch carefully sources unusual, hard to find items at her LTD shows, and this one was no exception. On offer for one's holiday needs were everything from great quality, humorous stationery, to California-style cashmere, to a high-end watch brand so secretive that it wants absolutely no publicity.
"The theme for this show is 'things that bring me joy,'" said Tisch. "I wanted things that are visually stimulating and humorous, things that people haven't seen before. It's never too early to shop for holiday gifts, and there is something for everybody here."
"I wanted to create an environment that felt friendly and fun; the fact that Barney's, which is one block away, will no longer be with us really depresses me," Tisch continued. "People still want to shop, they just want a different experience of how to do it. Transaction online is easy, but you can't touch it, you can't feel it, you can't ask your friend what they think about it."
The event was well attended. Aerin Lauder, Ali Wentworth, David Burtka, and Carla Gugino got a head start on their holiday shopping, some getting their Master & Dynamic earbuds, with superb sound quality, engraved, while others favored the cool, tie-dyed California cashmere from Elder Statesman.
That joyful, tactile feeling was also evident at Dear Annabelle, a line of luxury stationery launched by Marcie Pantzer.
"We started with note cards, and expanded to place cards and tags for the holidays, which will be ready in a few weeks,” said Pantzer.
The note cards are sold in sets of ten, and include engraved lipsticks, lips and sunglasses, and a snarky set called "naughty", with sayings like "Holy Shit", "Hungover" and "Badass." There are also contemporary-looking monograms.
Next door, Ms. Havisham's Curiosities was showing re-purposed vintage china with "insult teacups" that say "Witch", "I hope you choke," and "Fuck off," among other things.
For a different kind of lift, Lynn Ban jewelry, a favorite of many on New York's social scene, was showing fine jewelry with cutting-edge designs.
Kelly Ripa caught up with Rebecca Floyd of Frowny Faces, a collection of handcrafted, frowning dolls, designed to elicit joy, or empathy at the very least.
"I started making the classic Frowny Face dolls for children, to show them that it's okay to be sad sometimes," said Floyd. "Pretty soon, adults wanted them - more than children! I created a celebrity Frowny Face doll every day, and I posted it on Instagram. Pretty soon, celebrities were asking for their dolls."
Those celebrities have included Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos, Wentworth and husband George Stephanopoulos, Tisch and husband Jon, Iris Apfel, and Martha Stewart, who was scheduled to pick her doll up on Tuesday.
Over at M Industry London, Olivia Bone was showing incredible vintage Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags that had been completely dismantled and reconstructed in Italy with hand embroidery, embossing and bespoke spray paint. This is M Industry's Hero line. Bone was also showing the Vandal line, using original M Industry-designed bags as a base.
"Making these bags requires hundreds of hours of work in our studios in London," said Bone. "The bags from the Hero line sell between $10,000 and $50,000, the Vandal line from $800 to $3,500. We very much want to be that wonderful secret that people discover."
What a difference from the very secret watch brand that wants to really remain a secret, though that could be a problem, as the LTD Holiday Shopping Event continues through November 14. (It's called MAD Paris, by the way - shhhh...)
-Bettina Zilkha
LTD By Lizzie Tisch Holiday Shopping Event Features Brands By Women Entrepreneurs
"LTD by Lizzie Tisch held a VIP preview of its holiday shopping event Monday evening at Loews Regency Hotel. Martha Stewart, David Burtka, Brooke Shields, Dennis Basso, and Ali Wentworth, who braved the pouring rain, were well rewarded with Tisch's exquisite collection of highly curated holiday gifts.
""People are always asking me where I find things, what's a great gift idea,"" said Tisch. ""I wanted to bring my favorite gifts to everyone, in one place. The concept is travel, things I've discovered in my travels, or things that you need when you travel.""
This was not your run of the mill pop-up: Tisch collaborated with designer David Monn to create a series of picture windows with views of chic vacation spots, like Aix-en-Provence, Courchevel, Fiesole, and Mt. Fuji.
""David and I have worked on many things together,"" said Tisch. ""He did our wedding, he does all our big celebrations. There is nobody better than David to execute the crazy visions I have in my head. He makes them come to life. This is a holiday marketplace with fun destinations that people want to go to. Plus it's a festive time of year, so why not bring people together?""
""Lizzie wanted to do something that represented holiday travel around the world,"" said Monn. ""Each person's boutique is somewhat related to their offerings. We painted the scenery for about two weeks. It was really fun, all done by hand.""
Tisch featured a variety of brands owned by women entrepreneurs, including Bunny Eyez, the makers of multi-purpose glasses.
""We lost our Mom ten years ago, "" said Bunny Eyez co-creator Jenny Hutt. ""Her name was Bunny. We created this brand because we were having problems reading while we were getting our hair colored, so we created foldable, versatile glasses. With Bunny Eyez, you can tilt the temples, you can tilt the lenses, and you can even lie down and read. They're multifunctional and stylish, like our Mom.""
Natasha Cornstein, Blushington CEO, was on hand to advise guests on holiday gifts and the best makeup and beauty products for travel. Everything was TSA-approved and travel size.
""A lot of women have terrible stories about someone going wild on their face,"" said Cornstein. ""Blushington's goal is to make makeup a positive experience, where you leave the chair feeling like the best version of yourself. What sets us apart is that we curate emerging brands by women. We bring you the best of the best in beauty. Shopping for beauty can be overwhelming, so we don't carry full lines, just the hero products that our makeup artists stand behind.""
There was something for everyone: Paravel luggage, children's clothes by Maisonette, faux-fur by House of Fluff, and much more. The Pinhook Straight Bourbon Whiskey on hand helped ease the pain of that MUSE jewelry purchase one just had to have, and the Reese's pieces and other sweets offered by Dylan's Candy Bar helped set the holiday mood.
Best of all, to make airport travel easier, CLEAR was offering a free annual membership.
""With CLEAR, a member's eyes and fingers replace their ID, enabling them to verify their identity and speed through security at 40 airports and venues nationwide with the tap of a finger or blink of an eye,"" said CLEAR's Vice President of Corporate Communications Adam Grossberg.
The process took less than five minutes, but will save much more time at security. A happy holiday begins!"
- Bettina Zilkha
Online, Article
Lizzie Tisch Launches LTD, An Experiential Style Venture
"Lizzie Tisch is no stranger to fashion. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Tisch and her husband, Jonathan, supported fashion's most talked-about event, the Met Ball, for many years. Tisch previously ran Suite 1521, a successful business that hosted members-only trunk shows of high end designer clothing and accessories. She is also a member of Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List’s Hall of Fame.
Tisch’s latest venture, LTD, has gone beyond just fashion to become an all-encompassing moment. Her launch in Bridgehampton on July 14 was based around one of Tisch’s favorite artists, Ashley Longshore. Much like Tisch, Longshore has an entrepreneurial spirit. She has been her own art dealer from day one, and built a healthy business based on hard work and connecting with people.
Longshore’s work was hung on hedges specifically trimmed for the event. Rachelle Hruska MacPherson’s Lingua Franca cashmere sweaters, adorned with sayings from Longshore’s paintings, were for sale, as well as crystals from Sea & Salt. Guests could have their makeup done by experts from Blushington.
Looking impeccably groomed in Mary Katranzou, Tisch spoke about her vision for her new venture.
What exactly is LTD?
LTD is an experiential style venture that will focus on exclusive, limited edition designer collaborations.
What made you want to start it?
I love the idea of bringing talented designers together – not just in ready-to-wear or accessories but in art, design and beauty. What shoppers really crave right now is a fabulous experience and a sense of community.
Who is your target?
Curious, sophisticated consumers of all ages - people who love a sense of discovery and want to have fun.
Will you be doing strictly pop-ups, or will you be selling online?
For the moment, the events will be in person. Again, creating a community and providing an experience that is unique and special.
How do you choose your partners? Can you tell me a little about your partners today?
I enjoy discovering the undiscovered. Once an event theme is chosen we will look for the unique and undiscovered of that theme. The focus for this weekend’s event however is Ashley Longshore. It’s the world of Ashley. Her works are mixed in with Lingua Franca who worked with Ashley to embroider her catch phrases on their sweaters and travel pouches. We are also showcasing items from a home and body goods brand called Sage & Salt that Ashley introduced me to. It’s about self-empowerment and good energy.
How would you like to see LTD grow? Where do you see it in five years?
I’m a big believer in growing organically. I love the art of the find… and being able to share amazing products and services with others is incredibly rewarding. There are so many talented and creative people looking to share their products and ideas and that’s what makes the future so exciting."
- Bettina Zilkha
Online, Article
Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch Donate $10 Million to Met's Costume Institute
The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is ready for a major makeover. The museum announced Tuesday that philanthropists Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch have donated $10 million to the institute, which will allow the museum to renovate its costume-related galleries. A new 4,200-square-foot wing will be named after the institute's benefactors: the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery.
The money couldn't have come at a better time. In 2009 the Met acquired the Brooklyn Museum's renowned costume holdings -- an extensive collection that was the result of over a century of collected and that included 23,500 objects. The Tisches' gift, in addition to sprucing up the exhibition space, will also go to renovating the museum's study collection and conservation center to help house its newly expanded collection (which now comprises some 35,000 pieces). And with more museums embracing fashion as art, the Costume Institute's exhibitions have gotten grander and grander each year -- now that the Met has an even more extensive collection, expect its main exhibitions to go up in scale and scope.