New York City is one of my favorite destinations
for wandering around the neighborhoods.
On a recent visit my wandering took me
shopping downtown. If you have not yet
ventured to Ninth Avenue and little West
12th street, the Meatpacking district, you should, but keep in
mind no one gets out of bed there until about noon, so most of
the shops do not open before that. To get a head start on the day
have breakfast at Pastis and
then go shopping!
The Alexander Mc Queen boutique
is my favorite for the best fitting black
pants. They are the perfect underpinning
for everything else in the shop and on
the street. I couldn’t
resist a monochromatic grey 4-ply cashmere
dress that defines every muscle in my body.
At The Jean Shop you
will find classic and relaxed style jeans
that are made of Japanese selvage denim,
a finer quality denim. They will customize
the jeans to the color of your liking and
add any embellishments you desire, prices
start at $240. The Catherine
Malandrino store
has many one of a kind designs, a French
cotton blouse with hand-embroidered
lace for $650 would go perfect with the
Mc Queen black pants. The Charles
Nolan boutique resembles your super stylish girlfriend’s
apartment; the cashmere cardigans in an
array of pale colors are a bargain at $220. Carlos Miele,
the Brazilian designer, has beautiful evening
wear done in bright colors and unusual
materials. Try on a dress and walk on
the illuminated floor for your own red
carpet moment. Christian
Louboutin has
a tiny boutique filled with the famous
red soled shoe. La
Perla has joined the party at the Meatpacking district--after
all naked in the era of embellishments
means lace and satin.
Jeffrey is perfect for the edited version of downtown
fashion. Other stores to visit include Stella Mc Cartney,
and Calypso, where you will find unique Caribbean
colored coats. As long as you are already
downtown, SoHo is right next-door and still
buzzing with activity. My favorite stop
was at the MarieBelle store
for a European style hot chocolate; this
was a more intense energy charge than anything
I ever had at Starbucks. There is a well
stocked Sergio
Rossi store where I spotted some R&B glam girls buying
up the highest heeled party shoes, while
the bodyguards waited patiently outside
in illegally parked Range Rovers. A must
stop for me is Agent
Provocateur for
some silk p.j.’s
and Anna Sui for her signature t- shirts.
A
New Year’s resolution to edit my life made
me exert some control when choosing what
to add to my wardrobe. I was in the market
to add some zest to the remaining months
of winter fashion and to choose items that
would go well beyond one season. The exhibit
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
WILD: Fashion Untamed, so inspired me
that I was on the hunt for a lippi cat
(a small Russian leopard) coat by Charles Chang Lima.
This will keep the chill out for the rest
of the winter. A lippi cat is a short haired
and lightweight fur, so it can easily be
worn through early spring. I felt really
lucky on my editing expedition, when I
found a lobster print blouse, a la Elsa Schiaparelli,
I knew those Mc Queen black pants were
a good investment. A pair of white iridescent
leather pumps with illuminating heels by
Alexander Mc Queen was just to good to
resist. And finally to keep me feeling
feminine, a pink satin bra with black lace
trim by Eres and
a new scent by Guerlain, L’Instant. Now
I can handle what is left of the winter
season feeling “lifted” with
just a few, but special wardrobe essentials.
MUSEUMS, RESTAURANTS, AND MUSIC
Other highlights that should not be overlooked
include a visit to the newly expanded MOMA,
for both the art and the café, later this month Danny Meyer’s, The
Modern, will open for dinner. The WILD: Fashion
Untamed exhibit at the MET was
one of my favorites, featuring beautiful
animal fur and prints in fashion collections
that span a couple of centuries. Some new
and noteworthy restaurants to try: Café Gray,
Chef Gary Kunz, formerly of Lespinasse,
has come to the Time Warner building with
a great menu and a beautiful mirrored room
that sets the kitchen as the stage with
the backdrop a wall of windows looking
out onto Central Park. BLT on
East 57 th Street is the new province of
Chef Laurent Tourondel and if you are willing
to indulge in all that tastes good, steak,
gruyere popovers, pommes frites, etc, it
is a great choice for a delicious dinner on a winter night. For
an exotic fare and atmosphere, I recommend The
Spice Market, Jean Georges Vongerichten’s take on
Asian street food.
By far my best NYC experience this trip
was the Jazz
at Lincoln Center at Dizzy’s Club. This is a real
NY experience-- jazz at its best in an
intimate and modern wood paneled room with the back of the
stage a wall of windows looking out at
Central Park. The club has two seatings
for featured artist sets and after hours
sets. They serve dinner and/or drinks.
The price of admission is the best bargain
in NYC at $30 per person.
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