Things That Make Me Smile: Here Comes the Sun (Doo Dum Doo Doo)

It's been a LONG, COLD, BITTER winter in New York City.

The bleak weather has dragged down the moods and momentum of many people I know.

But recently I can't help but feel that the cloud (literal and figurative) has finally lifted.

Friends are getting new jobs (I'm looking at you, JCT!), acceptances to grad schools (three cheers for CCC going to Stanford Med!), embarking on new romances (*wink, wink* MVG), and carving out new career paths for themselves (proud of you, MBM)!

As for me, the many things in my pipeline are aligning and executing quite nicely.

Fingers are crossed that this period of détente and good luck continues!

In order to celebrate these happy feelings, let me share with you a most spectacular day that I had last weekend:

I woke up and hopped over to Hotel Griffou, a fabulous and new-ish subterranean spot in the center of the Village. So taken was I with the eclectic luxe-English-country-estate-gone-slightly-mad aesthetic that I'm seriously considering planning to have my upcoming 25th birthday fête there!

My dear friend MVG and I nibbled on:

Above: Skillet of Fresh Baked Sticky Buns (we shared)
Below: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup; Griffou Burger with Gruyere and Bacon

Afterward, we could barely move.
But it's a good thing we did.
We caught up with AWC--in town on a quick business trip--just long enough to give her a BIG HUG and for her to give me a sweet little bracelet!
(As if her Valentine's Day serenade weren't enough to treasure.)
I think it goes just perfectly with another bracelet she gave me:

And it was certainly nice to see her back in the context of the Big Apple. I hope she'll be a permanent fixture soon!

Following that short but sweet rendez-vous, MVG and I trained up to the UES to see the Quicktake: Rodarte exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
The exhibit didn't offer anything I hadn't seen before in the stores that carry Rodarte's young line, nor that I hadn't viewed in runway photos.
Nevertheless, it convinced me that the Mulleavy sisters are true craftsmen (though I still hesitate to elevate their status to "artists"). MVG and I both agreed that their initial concepts are delightfully singular, but only time will tell if their paradigm can translate into interesting variations on a theme, as well as profitability.
For everyone's sake, I hope it does...on both counts!

We walked through Central Park along the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir to the Upper West Side, and the rain that persisted through the entire day had finally stopped.

A perfect end to a perfect day.
I hope you find yourself having many of these, too.
Cxx.

Things That Make Me Smile (even with one less tooth)

The pain from my wisdom tooth extraction is now under control and I'm smiling ear to ear
(with a bit of a gap on one side).
Here are some things that made me smile this week, and I hope they'll make you grin, too.

BEAUTIFUL BOOKS.

I am one of those naughty few who does NOT completely adore "Le Petit Prince."
I will even go so far as to say I hate it.
HOWEVER, I always loved the illustrations and recognized something magical about the way the book captivates the imaginations of so many.
So my heart took flight when I found the "Deluxe Pop Up Edition" at Barnes & Noble.

For a special glimpse into the pop-up, visit Amazon.com's video tour HERE.
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SHIKSA GODDESSES.

I stumbled upon this book in which a single Jewish girl suddenly becomes a hot commodity to Jewish men when she's confused for a shiksa. I don't plan to read it, but I was amused by the title.


In related news, last Sunday the greatest-converted-shiksa-since-Elizabeth-Taylor wed the mensch of her dreams.
Congrats, Ivanka! You were simply STUNNING in your Grace Kelly-inspired wedding gown!


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A NATURAL LOOK.

No make-up. Earth tones. Windblown hair. Wicker baskets. A simple bicycle.
What's not to love?

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HALLOWEEN.

My F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E. holiday of the year is here!
"Hocus Pocus" will be viewed at least once this weekend. (I see you, SJP...)
I also anticipate wearing orange and black in honor of the holiday AND my alma mater;
as Tracy Jordan said on this week's "30 Rock":
"Is it Halloween or Princeton Parents' Weekend?"
I'm happy either way!

Halloween 2003: "Princeton Dorothy" for this Kansas girl in her Freshman year:
Popped collar, Westie stuffed puppy from Harrod's, Louis Vuitton in lieu of a basket.
Accompanied by Little Red Riding Hood, played by MLPR.
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No tricks, only treats,
Cxx.

Things that Make Me Smile.

1) L'Shana Tovah!

My little Jewish Bunny and I will be ringing in the new year with his family today. As JGIWC has pointed out, I am a good little shiksa. And frankly, I'm always happy for the occasion of a fresh start and a clean slate. Let's party like it's 5770!

2) The Giraffe Manor.
Possibly the perfect vacation?

(Or possibly a little bit terrifying...)

3) The Look of Love.
The Sartorialist kisses his girlfriend, fellow blogger and general Parisian goddess, Garance Dore.


4) "The Duchess."
This is the nickname one of my coworkers gave me, because I always have high demands and high expectations. (And I always wear dresses.) I take it as a compliment!

5) The always creative window displays at Fish's Eddy.
I went to this wonderful glassware/dinnerware/flatware shop to purchase a birthday gift for the lovely CLB. And in the spirit of their consistently inventive window displays, this week they created a Manhattan skyline out of forks, knives and spoons.


6) Sex and the City '80's flashback = Charlotte in Lilly Pulitzer?
I'm really not an '80s fan, but I can appreciate a good tribute when I see one. SJP looks just like Madonna, and KD is dressed precisely as I would expect a 20-something Charlotte York to be.
Is that skirt Lilly? An impostor? I need a close up to be sure!


7) Snark in the backseat of a cab.
You never know what you'll find in NYC.
I was particularly impressed yesterday morning to see that a cabbie took charge of his TaxiTV and included a handwritten notice on the TV's frame:


8) San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy.
(This picture was taken at the festival's entrance at Mulberry and Houston, right by the Puck building. You can see a statue of Puck near the top right of this photo.)

Looking to do something out of the ordinary, the Bunny took me to dinner in Little Italy so we could wander through the streets of the San Gennaro Festival. I'd never been to this annual festival before and it was fun, if a bit noisy, and certainly very festive. The streets are blocked off to traffic, and cars are replaced with vendors selling zeppoles, gelato, and showcasing games like Dunk the Clown; it's like Coney Island in the middle of Manhattan (note: I've never been to Coney Island). The last day of the festival is this Sunday, so I encourage you to go!

Happy Weekend.
Better blogging next week, I promise!
Cxx.

Smiling Ear to Ear: Fashion's Night Out.

Fashion's Night Out was last night and, in a word, it was INCREDIBLE.

At the behest of Mme. Anna Wintour, the eve of September 11, one of the worst days in NYC's history, was turned into a magical night.

As DvF told Women's Wear Daily: "There’s so much partying I don’t know how much business we’ll do. But it’s about building excitement…and celebrating.”

The air was similar to that of Halloween in NYC. There's a certain buzz the day of. Everyone dresses up (to the nines, in this case, rather than costume...though there WAS a fair amount of pageantry), maps out the places they want to visit for trick-or-treating, and, as is the case in this wonderful city of ours where 8 million people try to share limited resources, you often end up waiting in line.

But BOY was it worth it.

My pictures don't do it justice, and I highly recommended attending in person next year (assuming there's a next year) to see just how wonderful it is when the incredibly powerful people of the fashion industry unite around a single cause; no one bands together like fashion people.

First Stop: Bergdorf Goodman.

We had to wait in line for 30 minutes to get inside the store, but fortunately Zac Posen had hand-painted a few dresses in one of the store's windows earlier in the evening and they made for lovely eye-candy to entertain us while we were waiting to be let in.

As soon as we got inside, supermodel Caroline Trentini walked by me and she was both adorable and stunning. She has a sprinkling of freckles across her nose that are a nice contrast to the obvious sexiness of being a 6' tall Brazilian model.

Next we saw a crowd flashing their cameras and decided to explore. We were met with Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa. Standing next to them was Rachel Zoe.

Keren (blond) and Georgina (brunette) were signing Fashion's Night Out t-shirts.

Rachel Zoe was very sweet. And also 100x smaller than I ever anticipated; she is impossibly skinny. (I guarantee she is skinnier than you're imagining.)
I asked her where Brad was and she just said "I know! He's not here!"
Haha. I have no shame.


The fashion husbands chat:
Next to Rachel, Rodger (RZ's hubby) and Harvey Weinstein (Georgina's hubby) enjoy the camaraderie of both having beautiful, successful wives.

Afterward we visited the other floors of the store to enjoy the clothing and to lust after the best floor which is, of course, the shoe floor.

When we came back down to the first floor to exit the building we saw a huge crowd in one room and heard a booming, unique voice that can only be that of Mr. Andre Leon Talley. He was playing a trivia game and his helpers were Donna Karan, Emmy Rossum and some of Barney's creative staff.

A very serious ALT reads trivia questions from his (no joke) fur-covered throne. Donna Karan stands to his right.

And, an un-serious shot of ALT and DK.


Donna Karan was literally a million times more cool/chic/hip than I ever could have imagined.
This was my absolute #1 sighting of the night. I have loved Donna since I was young, for her keen sense of drapings (seriously, who drapes better than DK?) and also her influence and clear voice throughout so many decades of volatile fashion. She is a powerhouse.


Emmy Rossum was wearing too much makeup but there's no doubt that she is a gorgeous girl with a beautiful smile. She could easily play a Disney princess in the future.
And do you spy that person just beyond her?
Yep, P. Diddy.

Second Stop: Barneys.

Barneys was also jam-packed with celebrities.

Ruben and Isabel Toledo signed copies of the new book "Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out" and posed for pictures.

Socialite Amanda Brooks signed copies of her new book "I Love Your Style: How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style".


Simon Doonan raffled prizes.


I saw him again later in the evening, toting his signature "S.D." Goyard bag. I said "Simon, you're just so fun! I love you!" and he said "Thank you, Sweetie."
Again, I made an utter fool of myself.



The Mulleavey sisters of Rodarte were there, and had a fancy tranny perform some songs including "The Golden Age of Hustlers." VERY entertaining. S/he wore Rodarte, naturally.

Kate Mulleavy looks on during "The Golden Age of Hustlers."


Our musical entertainment.


Lipstick artist/expert Poppy King, who is promoting her new book "Lessons of a Lipstick Queen: Finding and Developing the Great Idea that Can Change Your Life" (get it? King v. Queen!) did "lip readings." These are just like palm readings, but she looks at the lines at the sides of your mouth to determine your past and your future.
I have to say, she did so with amazing accuracy.
Here's Poppy, reading the lovely SKW's lips.


Supermodel Hana Soukupova walked by. Some models may look "heroin chic" but Hana is an honest-to-God drop-dead gorgeous girl. I was in total amazement. And she is 8 months younger than me. *sigh*


While I was running around like a fool in Barneys trying to see the artists/celebs I wanted to see, I passed socialite Celerie Kemble. She met up with a friend, linked arms, and casually strutted in the opposite direction of where everyone else was walking (specifically, toward the Olsen twins). They seemed like women who "own" New York: Who know the layout of Barneys inside and out, who frequent celebrity-filled parties so often that this is just simply another day in their fabulous lives. New York City is a force to be reckoned with, and I hope that someday I will be one of those women who "owns" New York. In my own small way, I think that maybe I already do.

Third "Stop": Madison Avenue.
The home of arguably the best shopping in NYC. We saw a ton of celebrities on this street:
Lauren Santo Domingo looking GORGEOUS in a mini-dress in Tod's, Lucy Sykes and Euan Rellie, a lot of people I'm forgetting, and supermodel Coco Rocha in DKNY doing a bit of Irish dancing (this is how she was discovered as a model). Coco and a group of dancers performed, then they held a little workshop and taught members of the crowd how to dance. It was so fun. And Donna was there, too, once again cool as a cucumber.

Coco (with microphone) talks to the crowd.

Donna is the QUEEN of relaxed CHIC.


The crowd inside DKNY was enormous.


I'm pretty sure I spotted supermodel Karlie Kloss outside the store, but that's debatable.

And far enough north on Madison sat the beloved Lilly P. with a peacock drawing in the window:

It's a weird world. It's weird to be excited by seeing famous people. At several points during the night I turned to my friends and said "Why are we doing this?! What kind of world do we live in?!"
But honestly, the people I was truly thrilled about seeing have all done interesting and creative things in their lives. They've taken risks, worked hard, and achieved enviable success.
The fact that many of them are willing to meet and greet with their fans, sign every autograph request and pose for seemingly endless photographs when they probably just want to go home is a beautiful thing.

HERE's a GREAT montage put together by NYMag of photos from last night.

I felt empowered by this wonderful night out. Fashion is an amazing thing. So is camaraderie. Together, it's an unstoppable force.
Happy Spring 2010 Fashion Week!
Cxx.

Things That Make Me Smile, Against All Odds.

Things aren't good, though God knows I'm trying.

The blog is now private.
If you're reading this, thank you.
Thank you for your interest, your loyalty, and for validating my thoughts.

I didn't start this blog for anyone but myself.
I think I live a good and interesting life and I felt like I wanted to record it so that on nostalgic or difficult days I could review everything and realize both how much I have to be grateful for and how much I have accomplished.
I consider it my good fortune, and a pleasant surprise, that others want to read what I have to say.

I have worked hard to carve out my own special place in a section of the world that matters to me, and I wanted to celebrate it. Sometimes friends have joked that I am like Charlotte York Goldenblatt from Sex and the City, and on bad days I like to tally our similarities:
-Art History education and work in the field in NYC (she, a gallerina; me, a Sotheby's girl)
-A good, solid Jewish boyfriend (a former lawyer, no less) who loves his family and loves me
-The good fortune to wear the fashions that make me happy
-Shiny hair
-I have even lived in a Penthouse on Park Avenue (South).

And this is my life.
Lately, some people have been trying to make me apologize for it.
It won't last forever. But this is where things are right now.

I'm running away from the City for a few days to clear my head. Therefore, I'm doing my usual Friday "Things That Make Me Smile" post today.

And what makes me smile?
YOU.

In keeping with my other posts on this topic, here are a few other things that make me smile too:

1) Taylor Swift.
Everything about this girl is perfection.
She is talented and beautiful, which, in a way, has nothing to do with her.
But she has chosen to be kind, generous, sensible, sophisticated and wise.
There aren't many celebrities--or civilians for that matter--who elect to value these qualities and I'm so grateful that amidst all of the shameful stories I read on celebrity blogs, all things associated with Taylor are positive, happy, reassuring.
She's 4 years younger than me, but I am constantly learning by her example.

2) Twists on a Classic.
As you know, I love the "Keep Calm and Carry On" mantra. But I believe that axioms only "work" at certain times. Life can get complicated and messy and the only thing to do when that happens is to go easy on yourself and have a little fun...hence the NOW PANIC and FREAK OUT mug. Everyone's entitled to a little freak out now and then.


3) 220 acres in Western Massachusetts.
The Bunny and I have friends who own a large mountaintop property that we have been lucky to be invited to a number of times. We have visited in every season and it's always beautiful and always refreshing; a few days in the country provides a much needed break from the city.
And, I can cartwheel to my heart's delight.

Take care and talk soon.
Cxx.

Things That Make Me Smile: Colorful, Splendid Life.

1) Purple Shoes.
They add the perfect *POP* of color. I love my new Chloes from Paris, and I love these suede loafers featured on The Sartorialist.

2) New Shades-of-Purple Vespas.
If you know me, you'll know that I've always dreamed of having a red canoe and a lavender Vespa. You might also know that I have a fish at my office named Aubergine. I passed this Vespa yesterday and it seemed like fate.

3) Subconsciously dwelling on Paris.
In the last few weeks I've randomly happened to watch a number of movies with French connections:

• Julie & Julia. A truly EXCELLENT and utterly CHARMING film. As she lives and loves in Paris, Julia learns and eventually masters the art of French cooking.
• Taken. A gory action film. Set in Paris.
• La Vie En Rose. Another BRILLIANT film. Set in Paris and New York. It was lovely to watch Marion Cotillard walk through Montmartre then Central Park and think about how I've taken those same steps in the past few days.
  
• Revolutionary Road. I watched this on the plane en route to Paris. Despite its dark tone, the movie sets Paris as the ideal place to be--where one discovers the answers to life's questions and really learns how to live.
  

4) Exploring Brooklyn.
My friend CLB is my best excuse for exploring Brooklyn. This week we had dinner at Clover Club, a nouveau-speakeasy she selected for us.

We sat in the back room, which had a lovely library-feel and a fireplace filled with candles.
And the cocktails aren't bad either!

5) Spending time with friends, particularly friends from far away!

Dinner with CMM, in town for the summer, at Westville East // Sassy new New Yorker RFS post-(a separate) dinner at Westville East.

Kayaking on the Hudson with MVG: We didn't fall in!


Cupcakes at Two Little Red Hens with TAG // Post-Dinner at Kefi with visiting Londoner HP!

Model as Muse exhibit at the Met with TMS, in town from L.A.!

Pool Party on Long Island with my Princeton Gals: CHW, MVG, A(K)K, CJM, LAT, EJS
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I have a great weekend planned and I hope you do too!
Enjoy one of the final weekends of summer!
Cxx.