New York

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Yes my friends, you are looking at a picture of pieces from the highly anticipated Rodarte for Target line for sale weeks before the official release.  And how do you get your hands on such coveted pieces before the masses?  Well, dear reader, that entirely depends on if you are lucky enough to be in New York, Washington DC, or San Francisco this weekend. Target is hosting Target To-Go, a 3 day only pop-up shopping experience starting today, where residents can shop for holiday gifts in an innovative and hassle free manner.

How does it work?  Well you simply walk up to the pop-up sidewalk shop, pick out what you want, fill out an order sheet, and then take it to checkout where each item will be presented to you, all wrapped and ready to go. In New York, if you buy over $100 of products, they will even deliver them right to your doorstep for free! Hours are 10am-8pm, NYC at the High-Line (13th and Washington), DC in Georgetown (M St. NW and Wisconsin Ave) and San Francisco at Mint Plaza.

We sent our friend Samantha to check out a media preview yesterday (and get us some Rodarte).  She reported back that the experience was super easy and fun- even on a freezing cold day in New York!  So what can you hope to score this weekend?  Check out the full list at Target.com/ToGo and below for some highlights and pictures. (more…)

There must be few things in life more luxurious and refined than an afternoon at the Ritz.  Even as a young girl, I dreamed of one day waltzing into the elegant hotels (adorned with mink muffs and pearl strands, perhaps right after a visit to Tiffany’s) for tea for two.  As I grew older and busier, the idea of taking afternoon tea became even more special but always remains on my radar of must-do things.

Last weekend when I was in Boston with my best friend, we made a reservation for cupcake tea at the Ritz in Boston Common. Served in the hotel’s grand Gallery space,  afternoon tea at the Boston Ritz was the  decidedly more charming, whimsical  cousin to its formal English counterpart.  (more…)

Tuesday night, I grabbed two of my chicest friends and hopped in a cab to the 10065- or 61st St, right off Madison Avenue, where the social set had gathered to celebrate the New York launch of Oceana. The organization, a favorite of many activists and celebrities, focuses on maritime preservation working on everything from sustainable fishing to pollution management.This particular event was generously hosted in the private residence of Alexander & Brenda von Schweickhard, with a long list of supporters, socialites and influentials in attendance including John and Joyce Varvatos, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger, Ted Danson, Philip Glass, and actor Sam Waterson. (more…)

Sometimes, it feels like the recession hasn’t really affected the chic set. My inbox has been bustling throughout the last year of with news of  luxury hotels opening around the world and here in New York City,  newly opened hotels (The Standard, The Jane, The Crosby St Hotel) have been some of the most indemand hotspots and event spaces.

News of the latest hotel slotted to open in the city popped into my email this morning- The Strand, situated on 37th St between 5th and 6th, making it an easy stop for midtown business-doing fashionistas.  The hotel decor is a throwback to the Bogart Era with vintage fashion illustrations of the 50s and 60s decorating the guestrooms and common areas. (more…)

Last Friday, I had the privilege to attend the NYC Wine and Food Grand Tasting Media Kick off, courtesy of Shop Rite.  A much needed way to unwind after a stressful work week I tasted tons of yummy edibles and wine tasted my way through the hundreds of wine purveyors, but as I gather my pictures for an upcoming post, I wanted to introduce all of you to my favorite discovery from the tasting.  Feast your eyes on Kumquat Cupcakes, the newest in the line of cupcake trends to hit NYC.

Following in a similar vein as Baked By Melissa, Kumquat Cupcakes delivers bite-size scrumptious cupcakes in a variety of unique and delicious flavors, making them delicate savorables to be enjoyed like a petite bonbon or a rich truffle.  The actual size is shown below, and I estimate the size to be comparable to that of the little cakes in those 100 calorie Hostess cupcake packs, minus the dry and dull flavor.  Featuring plump moist sponge cakes with rich icing, each little bite is perfectly decorated with just the right amount of swirl of icing, to guarantee the perfect ratio of cake to icing, while being aesthetically beautiful to the eye.  It’s not surprising that Kumquat cupcakes are a perfect blend of style and taste, as founder, Keavy Landreth, has formalized training from the French Culinary Institute, Culinary Institute of America, and Parsons. (more…)

Some Mondays, you need a weekend from your weekend.  Although this was the case yesterday, worn out from my weekend of Fashion Week and the US Open, I managed to rally after work and head with a friend to the Griffin, for the Kim Kardashian for OK! Magazine party, celebrating her new role of contributing Beauty Editor.  As Kim tweeted, it’s truly a dream job for her to interview makeup artists backstage.

The most googled celebrity of 2008, as expected, is very pretty and tiny in person.  Surrounded by a bevy of female and male admirers which a flank of security guards kept at bay, I saw her sitting with Brandon Davis (of ex Mischa Barton fame) and famous publicist, Jonathan Cheban, who frequently appears on their reality show.  My friend, Lillian, and I marveled over her flawless skin and I drooled over her endlessly long eyelashes.  I loved her glamorous look for the night, with her 1920’s inspired, pincurl tucked updo, and her long, metallic gray dropwaist dress. (more…)

Vogue’s Fashion Night Out yesterday may have been the most hyped party of the week (the rain didn’t even start until after all the events ended!) and TDO Intern Sarah certainly had loads of fun with the Purple Lab team, meeting DvF, and even a face to face encouter with Anna Wintour!   While she was out scoping the fashion scene, I headed to a more under-the-radar party hosted by their sister publication Vanity Fair. For Fashion Week, Vanity Fair is launching their own initiative called Campaign New York, which is a week long series of exclusive parties and shopping events

The center of Vanity Fair’s Campaign New York is the Proust Parlour, which is their pop up space that they modeled after a 19th Century Parisian Cafe.  It houses a gallery exhibition of Vanity Fair’s popular Proust Questionnaire columns (a series of questions designed to reveal one’s personality) and opened last night with a fun cocktail party sponsored by Grand Marnier, showcasing artwork by Robert Risko. I invited my friend Jessica to stop by and check it out before we headed over to the Prabal Gurung party a few blocks down at Greenhouse. (more…)

Yes! Such a thing really exists!  I checked it out on Thursday and it was legit.  Spotted goods that I had spent full price on and the selection was huge.  I scored a ring, a necklace and a bracelet for $700 total – that’s less than what I had spent on just one item before. Sample sales are known for marking prices down even further to clear out their inventory towards the end, so make sure to stop by this weekend!!

Happy Friday! I feel like I’ve been out to the Hamptons more in the past three weeks than the last three years combined! I was recently telling some of  my editor friends that I feel as if one in two party invites these days take place out East – not that it’s a bad thing – I love myself some sun, beach, and clean air!

But I’ve been avoiding the clubbing scene.  Seeing that I haven’t even been to Pink Elephant in the City in years, I’ve had very little desire to hit up their Southampton location.  Partying in the Hamptons can be as sceney and attitude ridden (if not more) than your typical Friday night in Manhattan, so there’s really no reason for me to log an additional 6 hours total of travel time to get there.  So last weekend when my best friend was visiting, I chose to take her out to Montauk instead for a weekend at the Yacht Club to experience the East End as it’s meant to be – posh, pristine, comfortable, with friendly service and a guaranteed relaxing time. (more…)