OUR ANNUAL HAUTE 100 LIST IS A COMPILATION OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUALS IN BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, FASHION AND OTHER TOP INDUSTRIES. WE DON’T HAVE TO SEARCH FAR TO FIND THE 100 MOST INTRIGUING AND SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE IN NEW YORK, BUT IT CAN BE QUITE A TASK TO KEEP UP WITH THEM. AS SUCH, A YEARLY UPDATE SIMPLY ISN’T ENOUGH.
Donald Trump May Run for Governor of New York
Donald Trump is ready to leave the boardroom and head to the Governor’s mansion! The real estate mogul recently revealed that he would gladly run for Governor of New York… if he had the support of the Republican Party.
“If we could have a unified party with everybody backing properly, I would do it and I think I’d win,” Trump said. “I am giving it very, very serious consideration, and if everything falls into place I would do it.”
If Trump were elected, one of his first orders of business would be to change the state’s high tax policy. “We have the highest taxes in the nation, almost the world,” he explained. “We have the biggest exodus in the nation of people.”
Even though he has met with more than three-dozen Republican elected officials and county party leaders about his prospective political career, Trump said that plenty of people don’t think he’ll actually commit to running for office. “They assume maybe I won’t want to do this,” he revealed. “At the same time, I love this state, and I see where it’s going. We’re going to be another Detroit.”
The Met’s Costume Institute Dedicated to Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour has left her mark on the world of fashion, and now, she’s leaving her imprint on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The New York museum recentlu announced its plans to rename The Costume Institute after the legendary fashion maven.
“Anna Wintour’s extraordinary advocacy and fundraising have made this state-of-the-art space a reality,” revealed Museum Chairman Daniel Brodsky. Following a complete renovation, the Anna Wintour Costume Center will include a 4,200-square-foot main show room plus a state-of-the-art costume conservation lab, and an intricate fashion reference library.
The media mogul has served as a Trustee of the Met since 1999 and has been credited as the driving force behind the wildly successful Alexander McQueen exhibit. She’s also turned The Costume Institute’s annual fundraising gala into one of the city’s top society events.
Michael Bloomberg Appointed UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change
Michael Bloomberg may no longer be the Mayor of New York, but he’s still committed to public service. The 71-year-old billionaire and philanthropist was recently named the UN special envoy for cities and climate change, a position that will give him an international outlet to wage a war against global warming.
“Cities are taking measurable action to reduce emissions, emerging as leaders in the battle against climate change,” Bloomberg tweeted after news of his appointment went public. “I look forward to working with cities around the world and the UN to accelerate progress.”
In his new role, Bloomberg will assist the UN chief “to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his longer-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change,” according to UN deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq. UN officials also hope that Bloomberg will offer “concrete solutions” to the climate summit he is slated to host in NYC on Sept. 23.
Tory Burch’s Elizabeth Street Capital Receives $10 Million Investment from Bank of America
Tory Burch has been helping women entrepreneurs thrive in the corporate world by providing loans, mentoring, and above all, education, through her namesake foundation since its launch in 2009. Although The Tory Burch Foundation has doled out 220 loans to aspiring businesswomen, it appears that the designer has much bigger plans on the horizon!
The 47-year-old fashion guru and Andrew Plepler, a corporate responsibility executive for Bank of America, recently revealed a new project in the works called Elizabeth Street Capital that will help even more women receive loans. Bank of America announced its plan to invest $10 million towards the philanthropic project, which is named after the Manhattan street where Burch’s first store is located.
“There were so many doubters and raised eyebrows and really it was about confidence,” Burch said. “I think if we can really instill that in women, and have them believe in themselves, that’s a really great step.”
Robert De Niro Honors Late Father with Touching Documentary at Sundance
It’s been more than a decade since Robert De Niro lost his father, but the Oscar-winning actor is committed to keeping his memory alive. During the Sundance Film Festival, De Niro premiered his documentary about the life of his father, Robert De Niro Sr.
Entitled Remembering the Artist Robert De Niro Sr., the film chronicles the life of the acclaimed abstract expressionist painter, who was endorsed by the famed art collector and socialite, Peggy Guggenheim. “[I] wanted to make a documentary about my father with footage, whatever footage we had; people, whoever was around that were still with us, [I] wanted to have them interviewed and talk about him and have it for the family, for my kids, the grandkids,” he revealed. “And then it went this way that HBO picked it up, which is really great.”
Despite the hard work that De Niro put into the film, the actor joked that his father would be embarrassed by the sweeping attention. ”He would be flattered on the one hand and say, `Well, I don’t know, that’s not accurate’ or this or that,” he revealed. The touching documentary will air on HBO in June, but for those art lovers looking to get a sneak peak of the artwork, head to De Niro’s NYC restaurant, Tribeca Grill, where it is always on display.
Haute Scene
February 18, 2014Celebrity Spotting: Floyd Mayweather and Dwight Freeney Dine at
