Must haves: Earrings fit for a queen

I know, I know, it's SATC II week - you're all in a frenzy and don't know what to wear.

Make the mini-cineplexers jealous with these Cleopatra earrings - as seen in SATC II - by my dear friend WendyB. They are

To.
Die.
For.

Especially if you're a Samantha. And if the diamond studded ones aren't quite in your budget, get them in silver. Just as fabulous, and Ms. Field would totally approve.

Must haves: God save the Queen

The FG is totally suffering from Union Jack fever - is this too much? In a corner somewhere?

Must haves: Give Peace a chance

Love these! Perfect anniversary gift for your girl, or a special gift for your girlfriend. And they also make accessories.

Thanks Daily Candy.

Fooling everyone

Even when it's raining (men or otherwise), keep your spirits up with this lovely umbrella from my new fav everything shop, Aspinal of London.

Slayer

You've heard me gush about WendyB's jewelry before, (also here and here) and I think I've mentioned my dislike of heart shaped ... well, anything really.

As you'd expect from the sassy jewelry goddess that she is, WB has created the exception that proves the rule. I /die/ for this ring. And it's inspired by Buffy and Spike, one of the best TV couples ever. What more could a girl want the day after V-Day?



And there are more similar designs to come! What a beautiful piece, as well as a conversation starter.


Photo by Wendy Brandes.

Must haves: Primed and polished

I've fallen hard for this new Chanel nail polish, "Particulière", and will be out and about looking for it here in the next few days (yes I have far, far too much time on my hands). I'll issue another post if I come up empty.

NY Times

Must haves: I blame MObama

This is just an amazing jacket, and I'd like to thank FLOTUS for bringing it to my attention. Gorgeous.

Maybe an early birthday gift for an FG?

Moschino, courtesy of Net-a-Porter, via NY Mag

Occasional Baggage: Part III

I don't venture into the handbag department often (at least, not on the blog), but I couldn't pass this one up. Christian, why must you tempt me so? I adore the high heeled clasp, and I can see it with the amazing trompe l'oeil zipper applique dress I'm coveting from the Francis fall line.

(also available in black, if you're boring ...)

Also, it's the perfect colour to celebrate the birth of Ruby Jane! Welcome little one!

Must Haves: When is a bad influence a good one?

Wendy Wendy Wendy!

Of course it would take a real-life outing with one of my most prolific blogging friends to get me back into the blogging groove - thanks for your patience, all.*

WendyB invited me to a sample sale at the darling Soho studio of the fabulous designer Christian Francis Roth yesterday, and wasn't I just the best shopper there! (I know you're shocked to hear it.)

I've been disappointed with a few items I picked up recently elsewhere, and this afternoon was the final nail in the "these are totally going back" coffin. I've never owned, or even tried on, a one sleeved dress, and now I have two. This one came home with me, and the other is in production (it's black and grey, so it's not exactly suited for summer in NYC.) The one pictured here is navy and white, and makes me feel like a superhero, out for a night on the town. Do you think Wendy would make me Wonder Woman cuffs? Plus, it will force me to address the egregious tan line on my left shoulder.


This one I had seen previously on Ms. Wendy herself, and there was only one left, and it is /so/ adorable ... so even though it needs a little taking in, I grabbed it. And now I have an excuse to visit Wendy's fantastic tailor, Jean!

We ended the afternoon with delicious peach sangria and snacks around the corner at Emporio. (I may have to move to a place where the sangria and Pimm's weather lasts all year. I'm just saying.) When, as predicted, the heavens opened, we giggled and watched the rain from below, perfectly dry under their glass roof.

OK, there are far, far too many exclamation points in this entry. So I will hereby downplay my excitement about already owning fabulous shoes to go with these dresses.



*And, if you're one of the many ladies I know who's about to give birth, please know that I've been knitting instead of blogging. So stop complaining about surviving on Shuesday!

Must haves: I blame Martha

There's something somehow appealing about fresh eggs. For brunch, for baking, for the pretty colours of Martha's Araucana chickens. And Omlet makes it so easy to put your own little chicken run together!

I'm sure the neighbours wouldn't mind ...

Also available for rabbits!

Daily Candy

Must haves: Picnic in the Park

As I wandered through the Park this weekend, I realized I don't have a great park blanket.

Fortunatly, Crate & Barrel came to my rescue (they're just so there for me). Sarcasm aside, this one is pretty, easily spotted by fellow picnickers, affordable, and practical (soft on one wide and water resistant on the other).

Have a lovely weekend!

Shopaholic Part Three: V-day approacheth

First of all, it's clear (or it should be) that we're all scaling back this year. (And aren't we all glad we didn't spend a year of our lives filming Confessions of a Shopaholic, coming soon to a theatre near you.) That said, one can't exactly ignore the fourteenth of February, so here are some do's and don'ts ... unless you're trying to make other people feel bad.

Don't buy me a $3,000 Chanel hair comb which I will never wear. (Besides, what if she sold her hair to buy you a platinum watch fob chain?) Practicality should be, at a minimum, a guideline. It still doesn't quite justify an $800 Marc Jacobs clutch, but at least that's something I could use (and it's darling).

Remember that flowers cost more in the next two weeks than they do any other time of year except Mother's Day week. Save them for non-holiday moments. Set a five week reminder in your Google calendar, if you must, but they're really not necessary on V-Day.

Along the same lines of the impractical comes the frog prince. First of all, do men really like dresser-top do-dads? And if they do, what message does this send? You were an ugly reptile until I came along and made you the man you are today? (Even if all your friends are nodding their heads at the moment, that's less than kind.) And also, for $65, I suspect he'd prefer a nice bottle of scotch. Throw in a set of the right glasses and you're set.


Tasteful lingerie/sleepwear is always appropriate - this is not really the time to purchase anything resembling a Halloween costume. Remember, practical, as in, she'll wear it more than once. Unless you're all about that, in which case, you're probably in the wrong boudoir at the moment. Not that there's anything wrong with that

Crate and Barrel has an affordable selection of heart shaped kitchen items - I suggest baking your beloved a cake and presenting it in the pan. Two gifts in one, and you clearly made an effort. (I know the Pastry Chef's going to like this one.) And if you're culinarily challenged, there are decent enough pre-measured mixes out there.

If he's fortunate enough to have kept a job that requires a suit, and has a sartorial bone in his body, you might get away with hidden message collar stays, but that's stretching the practical once more.

Frankly, as J-Lo once sang, my love don't cost a thing. Turn off the blackberry/cellphone/TV set, picnic on the living room carpet, laugh, relax, play "remember the time we ...", and spend the time together.

Must haves: Baby, it's cold outside

The thing about being on the Beast Coast is that you spend a lot of time in your coat wardrobe between November and March. Especially this week. So why not have one that's custom tailored?

All I want for Christmas

This is extraordinary.

But I'd settle* for a beautiful necklace from WendyB. Or this ring ...

She's even having a sale! Le sigh ...






* (ha! I should be so lucky!)

Shopaholic: Part Two

Tis the season when the shopping guides come calling, and this year, the "Under $100" category's going to wear itself out. My own selections:

• For your local FG, dessert plates just as fashionable and fabulous as she is. Plus, can't you just see a molten chocolate lava cake melting all over them?
• Gold rococo dolphin place card holders - they're sweet! - although you may have to send me to the Met to get them for you, as they are, unfathomably, not online. Because people want to be told where to sit, damnit.
• For the person you've been wanting to provoke into conversation beyond small talk all year, Kara Walker's book, After the Deluge.
• For that certain someone whose phone is always under charged, leaving you hanging with half the party address, or who can never find their various devices, a compact do everything charging station is a gift for you and for them.
• For that adorable person who thinks they are the first person to discover Brooklyn, art honoring their choice of borough. Or a pendant in the shape of the Brooklyn Bridge.
• Amazon also always has stacks of coffee table books, as does the Met. If you don't know your friends well enough to know their style or favourite artist, shame on you. My fav local chef recommended Modern Glamour, by Kelly Wearstler, for me, and he has yet to grace me with his presence in my tiny kitchen. (I can't say that I love what she does to her hair, but I did love what she did to the Viceroy Palm Springs ...)

Shopaholic: Part One

It's not that I'm that organized, but November's full of birthdays and the holidays are coming (not that the 60 degree temperatures outside are any indication), which means hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, and so on. I find it helps to spread things out, so here's the first in a series of pre-season shopping posts.

I confess that Daily Candy sent me to this website after these, for the LPI and his crazy roommate, but there are a number of fun items at the site, and the holidays are coming.

• I love the scent of roses, and the practicality of the one-use soap sheet these provide.
• I have a little container full of pins that would be far better off in one of these.
• I'm told that satin pillowcases really do make a difference, if preserving your blow-out and minimizing wrinkles is important to you.
• And I've always wanted one of these graphite drawing tools - I always visit their case at ABC Home.

The Spoon Sisters

Must haves: An oyster's worst nightmare?

I bought these, and I can't decide about them. And the issue, in case you're wondering is that the largest beads are big. As in, make a circle by touching the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb big. They might be a little much (they are also a little heavy).

The idea was that they'd go with this dress (although they also work with a black shell and a pinstriped grey skirt). I need to take them home to see how they look with the dress, but what do we think?

Comments from colleagues include, "It's like, Jeff Koons, have you met Tiffany?", and "It's definitely a statement."

Read this book

And not just because I play trivia with the author. It's good!

A CURE FOR NIGHT
By Justin Peacock
341 pages. Doubleday. $24.95.

After experimenting with heroin, Joel Deveraux loses his job at a prestigious, high-paying Manhattan law firm and washes up at the Brooklyn public defenders’ office, handling arraignments. Then his boss asks him to take the second seat on the defense of Lorenzo Tate, a black drug dealer accused of killing Seth Lipton, a white college student, and wounding Devin Wallace, another drug dealer, in a shooting. Lorenzo has been identified as the shooter but insists he is innocent. And Joel and Myra Goldstein, the tough lead defender on the case, are soon finding that the prosecution’s narrative is a little too simple to be believed. Myra, who teaches Joel about the law, and more, gives the book its title: “That’s what criminal law is: it’s how the day tries to correct the night’s mistakes,” she tells him one evening over drinks. “That’s why we’ll never run out of work. Not unless someone invents a cure for night.”

Amazon

Must haves: Iceorb

How do I not already have this?*

Oh Daily Candy, you're such a temptress.


*Not for the dip part though, that's just wrong.

Must haves: Mud in your eye

is much, much worse than sand on your wine bottle/glasses, but why have that either? Perfect for Father's Day.

(Surely there's a better name for this item than Wine Holder ...)

(Swiped from Restaurant Girl)