BLASTS FROM THE PAST: The dining room features black-and-white photos by Harry Benson and light fixtures from an antique store in New Orleans. (N.Y.Post: Tamara Beckwith)
HIGH LIFE: The terrace and the turreted room’s Eloise mural are among the reasons this pad is unique. (N.Y.Post: Tamara Beckwith)
HIGH LIFE: The terrace and the turreted room’s Eloise mural (above) are among the reasons this pad is unique. (N.Y.Post: Tamara Beckwith)
Artwork (above) by their son, Sebastian (N.Y.Post: Tamara Beckwith)
Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo (Marion Curtis/StarPix)
Tommy Hilfiger and wife Dee Ocleppo love decorating for the holidays, and they bring the festive spirit to all of their homes — including residences in Connecticut, Mustique and, of course, in New York.
At their $50 million, 6,000-square-foot, four-bedroom duplex condo at the Plaza, things are decked out in a traditional manner — with a bit of a twist.
The Christmas tree — artificial, ordered online — stands in a corner, near an enormous Basquiat that still dominates the room.
Everywhere you look there’s notable artwork: Bert Stern’s famous shots of Marilyn Monroe, Warhols galore (including a Grace Kelly portrait Hilfiger loves because it reminds him of his wife), painted doors by Keith Haring, Harry Benson photos from Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza. There’s even a specially commissioned Eloise mural by Hilary Knight in the turreted room.
Wafting through the rooms — which also feature historical artifacts such as a British flag from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor — is a special holiday scent, Thymes’ “Frasier Fur.” And homey touches are everywhere, including large glass jars filled with holiday candies in the comfy kitchen.
“I love to see the candies disappear and wonder who is eating them,” Ocleppo says.
The Rhode Island-born Ocleppo, a designer in her own right, and founder of Deesigns, just launched a holiday collection of three-in-one handbags for HSN. With just a few snaps, her bags, priced under $250, have different looks and colors.
“We spend thousands on bags. We should have options, like the flexibility to change them to match outfits and get more value for the money,” Ocleppo says. (A second, higher-priced, made-in-Italy line will launch soon at Harrods in London, retailing for about $3,000 to $6,000.)
At the Hilfigers’ home in Connecticut, which is undergoing extensive renovations, the Christmas tree is large and real. In Mustique, where their couple will spend Christmas, the tree is made from oyster shells.
All six of Hilfiger’s and Ocleppo’s children from past marriages will be coming to visit the couple and their 3-year-old son, Sebastian, at various times during the holidays.
And although their homes are done up in different styles, they are all filled with the same holiday spirit.
“I love to decorate, but you can’t overdo it in the Caribbean,” says Ocleppo, adding that the couple collaborated on their homes’ décor. “We never had decorating arguments. We usually like the same things. It makes life — and marriage — a lot easier.”
Dee Ocleppo & TOMMY HILFIGER’S
FAVORITE THINGS
* The Eloise mural created by Hilary Knight in their turreted room
* Warhol portraits of Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor
* Artwork by their son, Sebastian
* Their bed
* A Venetian altarpiece that once graced Ocleppo’s home in the South of France
* The whimsical décor in their son’s bedroom, including a ship chandelier