But my ‘uniform tendencies’ haunt me sometimes- I do worry about showing up in the same dress for two parties or events in a row that may be attended by the same guests. But if the occasion is out of the loop- and will be sure to feature a whole new crowd- then I’m in luck, and my favorite garb gets another ‘go’! But what’s a girl ( with my same tendencies of clothing puppy love ) to do when she has paparazzi falling her all over the globe.

Rocking a Carolina Herrera frock

This seems to be the fashion conundrum that Vogue’s Editor-in- Chief, Anna Wintour, has recently found herself in. You’d think that a change of venue, like say a different country, would allow her a little fashion slack- apparently not. Papers all over the world picked up on the story of her own ‘uniform tendencies’ and ran with it. I guess her showing up at Wimbledon in the same Carolina Herrera dress (though she cleverly did attempt to change it up a bit with a fresh white cardigan ) that she had been photographed in twice before was the straw that broke the ‘official fashion faux-pas’ camel’s back.

This is not the first time Ms. Wintour was spotted showing alliance to one particular look. This past January New York magazine ran pictures of her wearing the same Prada dress to once again- 3 different events.

Looking stylish in a key piece from Prada’s Spring collection

I’m not really sure what the ruckus is all about. Aren’t Prada and Carolina Herrera dresses priced and made to be worn over and over again. I thought the worlds wasteful mentality was going through an upheaval thanks to global warming and rising gas prices. Now if Anna showed up over and over in a dress off the racks of H&M- that to me would be newsworthy!

Well all I can say is thanks Anna! When the Mistress of all things fashionable, with access and an allowance to any piece of clothing she wants, recycles looks- we can all feel fabulous about getting some good old fashion mileage out of our favorite apparel.

Bryant Park is located just behind the spectacular Public Library. The park’s location is the key to it’s success I think. It’s between Times Square and Grand Central so it’s accessible to everyone and is a convenient meeting place.

I recently had my first visit to Bryant Park Cafe, when a group of us from work went to celebrate a promotion. (congrats Kenette on your new design position!) We tried to go to many midtown rooftop bars , to no avail, as they don’t open til 5 pm. Fridays we get out at 1pm (supposedly to head to the Hamptons) so we needed refreshments slightly earlier. Someone suggested Bryant Park Cafe and off we went. (more…)

I adore pearls. As a jewelry designer I love all gems, their color and beauty is an inspiration. Brightly colored stones really get me, however; I am equally drawn to the subtle color of pearls. Their lustrous hues come in gold, aubergine and pistachio to platinum, white, and peacock.

For many years I have had a love affair with pearls. Sadly I overlooked them for a long time. I saw my fill of the small white choker length strand, paired with matching studs as the finishing touch to the sweater set. Unless you are going for “straight laced,” I suggest avoiding this look. For so long pearls just came across to me as “strict.” (more…)

Starting this Thursday, the river that runs up and down the east side of Manhattan with become a “flowing” work of art.

photo of the artist from a NY Times article

Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, known for his atmospheric art installations, has created the largest work of public art to hit NYC since Christo installed his “Gates” through Central Park back in 2006.

an artist rendition shows what New Yorkers will be seeing starting at 7am Thursday morning.

The project, which will feature 4 cascading man made waterfalls and (more…)

I could sit for hours inside the US Botanical Garden and just inhale the beauty and magnificence nature affords us. Last weekend I headed over but before I even made my way inside the landscaping at the entrance stopped me in my tracks. It was so simple yet captivating.

The entire garden was brimming with flowers and foliage in green and purple. The greens ranged from a dark, muted green gray to a vibrant yellow green. The purples were in the range from

(more…)

Their latest exhibit “The House of Viktor & Rolf”, a retrospective dedicated to the past 15 years of creative endeavors by the masterful Dutch duo- Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, opens on June 18th.

Viktor & Rolf with their “dolls”

Viktor & Rolf have made a name for themselves not only as a design team that enjoys creating beautiful clothes but also one that strives to present their collections each and every season in their own unique way. (more…)

Warmer weather always puts me in the mood to “lighten up” so I look to this yearly ritual as a great opportunity for me to mercilessly clean{dtbrk} out my closet, drawers, vanity, make-up bag, jewelery boxes etc. And by cleaning out- I don’t just mean weeding through and throwing things away- I mean literally scrubbing, vacuuming and polishing every pretty little inch of storage space.

Little extra touches make the time spent more special and your space more luxurious- like using scented cleaning supplies ( Mrs. Meyer’s lavender line is extra yummy! ), re-lining drawers ( cool wrapping paper is a cheap and easy solution) , buying uniform hangers and pretty storage containers ( Target, The Container Store and West Elm all have great choices), and finding a spot to place inspirational pictures and styling ideas I’ve torn out of magazines ( mine go on the back of my wardrobe door ).

Once everything is in order I always add a small vase with fresh flowers on top of my vanity- as a treat, then I sit back- take in the beauty of my for-once clean, orderly space and rejoice that Summer is finally here!

Five Artist turn a fresh new lens on the season’s hottest trends.

“First introduced in 1952, Ray-Ban Wafarers have become the most instantly recognizable, stylishly iconic sunglasses in the world. This spring, Ray-Ban is re-inventing these glamorous shades by adding an array of colors to their distinctively-shaped frames. To introduce this new line of colored Wayfarers, Ray-Ban and Marie Claire partnered to launch Project Colorize, inviting five of NYC’s hottest artists to create works of art inspired by the season’s fashion trends: Day-Glo, Floral, Painterly, and Tailored. (more…)

This is the case for Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment from the HBO series “Sex and The City”. Everyone who watched the show came to know Carrie’s apartment as the perfect “pied a terre” for a single stylish woman living in the Big Apple.

It had a fantasy walk through closet that housed her equally fantastic wardrobe, a bathroom that most Manhattanites I know would kill for and the perfect sized kitchen for one. (more…)