Last week, when we were busy touting jewelry made from star fruit and zucchini, we got to thinking about food.  While we usually write about shopping and acquisitions that stay on the body (as opposed to being consumed by the body), we are detouring for food this week, since we have a fabulous event to share, one too good to let slip through our fingers.  (By the way, and not to digress, but another New York-y happening destination to share is the Highline.  If you have not yet walked over to Twelfth Avenue to take a stroll along the first section of the newly-opened elevated walkways, do so. It's amazing what a narrow swathe of green in Gotham can do to spark a sense of summer in your soul.)

But, back to the Edible Garden, which will also result in an uplifting feeling.  Starting this past weekend (and continuing through September 13) the New York Botanical Garden, one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world (and arguably, the largest in any metropolis, anywhere, and a National Historic Landmark, to boot), opened its virtual gates, auguring in its "Edible Garden."  It is a summer-long celebration of food, growing food, to be precise.  Through delectable exhibitions and mouth-watering programs, visitors will be inspired to grow, prepare, eat garden-fresh produce, and understand how plants provide the food and drink essential to maintaining life and enhancing wellness.  (And, yes, there are shopping opportunities!  Could we ever write anything that doesn't feature shopportunities?)

Programming during Edible Garden features activities sure to delight anyone with a passion for gardening, cooking, and entertaining (or just eating).  Events include two festivity-filled weekends, with celebrity-chef demonstrations, lectures, and participatory events.  There will be seven Edible Evenings and a Farmers Market every Wednesday and Saturday, in addition to countless other programs.  The gardens themselves include Tropical Fruits, Roots, and Shoots; Martha Stewart's Culinary Herb Garden; a Beginner's Seed Garden, and lots more.  You'll need tickets to go, so for more information, call 718-817-8700.  (A major sponsor of the exhibit is Anolon Gourmet Kitchenware, and we'll be writing about its great pots and pans down the road.)

But should you choose to make a Caresse d' Orchidées purchase during this special viewing, know that 20% of your purchase will be donated to the American Heart Association.And that 20% is not just peanuts. The glasses range from about $7,000 for the plainest of the lot (an 18kt. white-gold rimless frames) to $44,500 for the priciest (18kt. solid pink-gold frames with pavéed diamonds and pink sapphires). Caveat emptor: the price does not include the cost of your prescription lenses. Nonetheless, they are pretty stunning. Just don't lose them. 

Father's Day is less than two weeks away, so it's definitely time to start thinking of him. It's usually Mom who gets sent the gift certificate for a day at a spa or a salon for pampering, but dear old Dad can horn in on this indulgent gift, as well. Gotham's CORE: Club is an exclusive, private getaway and retreat for jetsetters who are always on the go and need a place to call home in The Big Apple. Nestled snugly inside this oasis is the cozy, pampering Paul Labrecque Salon & Spa, and for anyone with a Y chromosome and who is in-the-know, it's also the home of Labrecque's Gentlemen's Salon & Barbershop, which is - no small serendipitous fact to celebrate- open to the public.(And, it's a great way to also get a sneak peek at the snazzy club, and if you play your cards right, perhaps use the facility.) Labrecque has long been known for his celebrity clientele (yes, women like Kyra Sedgwick and Renée Zellweger, but if you look around when you're there, you might also spot A-Rod, Regis Philbin, John McEnroe, or even Sting.)The barber shop's menu includes haircuts, scalp treatments, facial trims, sports manicures, straight-edge razor shaves (and they use the most wonderful men's toiletries and grooming aids, Hommage and more.

  For Father's Day, the retreat has put together a package for pater familias:   The Pampered Pop Package ($375) includes a pampering shave, a 60-minute massage, a sports manicure, and an aromatherapy scalp treatment. (Plus, Dad will bring home a practical Hommage Home & Travel Shave Kit.)  If Pop isn't the type to sit around a barbershop and get coddled, then opt for the Hommage deluxe razor set; the razor, brush, and stand are striking (and high performance) in black lacquer.(Engraved, the whole deal is $425, and sans John Hancock, it's $375.) Hurry, though, as engraving takes time.

If we won a "Supermarket Sweepstakes" contest, the kind where you get to grab all the merchandise you can in five minutes and pile it into a shopping cart, we'd want to win it at Bulgari.  (Let's face it, we'd rather win a shopping safari there than at the local A & P.)  There is very little we'd leave behind in the shop's gleaming vitrines.  The entire store, recently renovated, is pretty gleaming, in fact, and we'd love to swipe a few goodies from the jeweler's supply chain. 

Moreover, when it comes to the name Bulgari, celebrating 125 years of jewelry design this year, we are fascinated by the brand extensions of a name that has heretofore been synonymous with the most haute of bijoux.  These days, the proper noun "Bulgari" has crept into the hospitality sector (the Bulgari Hotel in Bali looks positively dreamy), and the beauty arena, with a Bulgari skin care line that we are just starting to road test, so stay tuned.

But back to the jewelry and things we'd like to own, even if we cannot do a "Supermarket Sweepstakes" haul at the venerable jeweler's 57th Street and Fifth Avenue salon.  There are lots of Bulgari trinkets you can call your own (and not a minute too soon, because any day now, we'll all be donning warm weather fun frocks, and non-traditional accessories go very well with summer's polka dots, stripes, and florals), the company has unveiled a slew of funky, yet classy, bracelets and wristbands that are all below $400.  The cutest one is a narrow double filament of cotton Jacquard fabric, with two silver Bulgari logo disks on it.  It's so slender and lithe, we'd want to use it for a ponytail holder.

There are also neat cuffs, from one and two inches wide, to nearly three inches wide.  They are adorned with gold- or palladium-plated Bulgari signature hardware, as studs or even as charms dangling coyly; the leather may be exotic goat, deer, or even water buffalo (and of course, there is also bovine.)  If anybody is listening, our favorite is the peach-y/red double-coiled bracelet or maybe the violet-orchid bracelet.  Très gorgeous.  
 

It all started during the blustery freeze of February with Sensai's Lip Base ($26).  We were wedded to that tube of lip treatment all winter, not just because it was the best hydrating balm around, but because it also has an SPF of 15 (we like that) and further, it seemed to plump and smooth scratchy winter puckers.  (Sensai, if you don't know, is quite the sensation abroad -- an upscale makeup and skincare line that European women have embraced.  Think Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys here in Gotham.)  While we're not giving up our Lip Base for summer (it helps keep lipstick on longer, anyhow), we are expanding our lip palette to include a few new tricks, namely Sensai's two lipstick lines, Lasting Treatment Rouge and Deep Moist Shine Rouge ($40 each).  The slightly frosty sun-kissed peach tones will be a must for the beach.

And another lipstick that will look fab on the lips and probably looks even more fab in its case as you extract it from your purse, is the Rouge G de Guerlain, le dernier cri from a name synonymous with the planet's most exotic and iconic fragrances.  Rouge G looks like an aerospace accessory, with a shiny gleam on its futuristic-looking case.  Created for Guerlain by Lorenz Bäumer, a French jeweler who has designed for Vuitton, it's a little jewel of a bullet-shaped torpedo, with a hinge that pops the top open, to reveal a mirror and a deliciously seductive, creamy lip color, that interacts with light and makes your smile just dazzling.  ($45)

Lastly, we're also swearing by the new lipstick line from YSL Beauté, Rouge Volupté, in a rainbow of over a dozen intense, densely pigmented colors, that drench the lips with a smooth and silky feel (field-tests support the knowledge that that sensation is even transferred to the cheek of a kissee).  It's also got an SPF of 15, as do the lipsticks in YSL Beauté's Rouge Pur Shine, a classic line from the company that we have used for years -- we especially like #11, a dewy, sheer transparent pink.

So, stock up your summer makeup kit with this trifecta of lip colors from Sensai, Guerlain, and YSL Beauté.  And get ready to give someone some serious lip. 

We love Sferra linens -- all that luscious Italian bedding, so handsomely designed, so soft to the touch, so elegant on the bed. It is the bedding of royalty, or at least you'll feel like a royal with a set of Sferra sheets. Yes, we know it can be a little pricey (although we hasten to add, the Sferra 1981 line is more within a scribe's budget), but today through Saturday, you can afford Sferra! And that is because there's a great warehouse sale taking place. 

There will be first-quality discontinued and overstocked items, including bed linens, matelassé sets, sheet sets, blankets, throws, towels, decorative pillows, and table linens. Prices are up to 75% off retail...how can you go wrong?  The only bad news is you have to drive to Jersey. Snag a friend with a car, and get yourself there!  It's taking place at the Raritan Center, 15 Mayfield Avenue (at the back of the building), in Edison, Nouvelle Jersey (see directions below).

Here are the times:  Today (the 11th) and Thursday, the 12th, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, June 13th, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, June 14th, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

All sales final; cash and most credit cards accepted; no checks.

(Here's how to get there:  Lincoln Tunnel to NJ Turnpike, South, to exit 10 (to Route 514 West). Then follow signs to the Raritan Center/Route 514 West. Merge onto Raritan Center Parkway (follow signs to Expo Center).  Make a right at the fourth light onto Mayfield Avenue and then turn left into the  Sferra parking lot.  Go to the back of the building for the warehouse entrance. Click here for a map.) 

Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 @ 05:41 PM

Check Out More On: Sales/Sample Sales | Linens

We have been remiss in sending out sale info -- a combination of travel, an unexpected (and unnecessary) trip through America's healthcare delivery system, and so on -- but here we are, again, back on track, with a wonderful Christofle, Richard Ginori, and Temple St. Clair sale, all rolled into one. 

Tonight is the night! SOFA opens. That is to say, the show for sculpture objects, fine art. (Get it? SOFA?) This is a show we look forward to annually. For years, we covered the fine craft category for The New York Times and have followed the rise of museum-quality craft, elevated to its proper place in the pantheon of art and design. (That age-old argument of what is art and what is craft is a tricky, sticky wicket which we have no desire to enter into, thank you very much.) So as far as we are concerned, fine craft is art and the SOFA show underscores that year in and year out.  Yes, this is the Mecca show for serious collectors, gallery owners, dealers, and well, just plain interested shoppers. 

It is here that you will find extraordinary, contemporary decorative arts and unusual, superlative designs from more than 60 galleries, hailing from 11 countries, with many luminaries in their fields, like ceramist Bennett Bean (above left), furniture-maker Sam Maloof, and glass maestro Dale Chihuly, all exhibiting here. We have so many favorites, it's hard to enumerate, but we always gravitate to the jewelry of German designer Axel Russmeyer and to the presentation from the Charon Kransen Gallery (which represents many modern jewelers who work in unexpected media); we love the glass at Heller Gallery, which represents Lino Tagliapietra (above right), one of the finest glass artists in the world; we love the ceramics of Mara Superior, the photo works of Lucy Feller, and the sculptural, folded Japanese paper by Nishimura Yuko (below)...and on and on and on and on.  

If you've never been to SOFA, make this the year to get enlightened and see the amazing work -- ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, woodworking, and so much more -- at the exhibition (and needless to say, sale, since this is capitalist America and the works shown here are for sale), opening tonight at the Park Avenue Armory, on Park Avenue at 67th Street. This evening, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., is the big-deal preview, with $100 tickets. It's a great gala (always with exceptional food and fare!) and we have never missed it. But if you don't want to spend a Benny, regular tickets are $25 for a single admission and $40 for a three-day pass. The hours for the show are Thursday and Friday (the 29th and the 30th), from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday (the 31st) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday (June 1st), from noon to 6 p.m.

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 @ 11:59 AM

Check Out More On: Art

The Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side is holding its annual Mother's Day Gift Sale, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 6th and 7th, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., featuring the work of the Center's professional teaching staff, from its art/craft/design faculty. We always write this sale up, as we know that there are so many wonderful artists, designers, and craftspeople there selling great stuff...and the price is usually "right."

Here is a perfect opportunity to snag some exquisite jewelry, textiles, ceramics, and other professionally handmade items that are well priced and one-of-a-kind, the perfect gifts to say "I Love You" to Mom. There will be richly beaded necklaces, bracelets, and earrings; lavish hand-painted scarves and pillows; belts, hats, and other fashion accessories; as well as home furnishing items. Prices are from $15 and up. (Shown here: a lavish pearl bracelet from glass artist/jeweler Melissa Terman, whose work includes both beaded jewelry and blown-glass jewelry.)

All the teachers at the sale offer courses, too, at the JCC (that's the whole point, of course!), so inquire about signing up for the late spring or early summer semester if you are inspired and think you'd like to learn how to make beaded jewelry or paint on silk yourself...or whatever.

Cash, checks, and credit cards accepted.  For more information call Sigrid Orr at 646-505-5715.  JCC in Manhattan, The Samuel Priest Rose Building, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street; www.jccmanhattan.org; www.jccartstudios.org

Brunschwig & Fils, one of the most exclusive names in luxury, designer textiles is having a blow-out sale of its textiles?everything form toiles to liserés, from damasks to silks, from prints to solid wovens.  All for a fraction of their regular price (i.e., up to 70% off list.) 

There must be some synergistic yin yang-y thing going on in the world, because just as Charlton Heston has died this past weekend, now starts a sale of Beretta clothing.  Yes, they, the makers, for nearly five centuries, of firearms and knives for hunting (and knives for gentlemen, as the company's web site delicately puts it), is having a sale of its outdoorsy, activewear clothing, whether the big game you're hunting is on the veldt in Africa, or on a clothing rack on West 33^rd Street, this is the company that makes the real deal, the whole gamut for those who are sharp shooters, recreational participants, competitors, and so on. 

Marchesa, a name to be reckoned with when it comes to fancy, after-five attire, is on sale at the Warwick Hotel this week.  Both the Marchesa Couture Collection and Notte by Marchesa are being sold?including gowns, cocktail dresses, and evening suits, sized from 0 (I swear, are there really women who are size zero!) to size 12.  Expect to see rake-offs as much as 80% off retail?so that means, you may even find a steal of a dress at $150! 

We'll be exploring more spring cleaning in the next few days -- facial cleaners we love and which we lavish upon our ever-grateful-to-look-improved-upon visage... but before we get into more pore-cleansing, we thought in honor of imminent Easter, we'd put our best face forward with some of Christian Dior's color finery. And Dior, as always, never disappoints us, with its multi-hued line of maquillage. What a gorgeous palette the company has put out for the springtime. 

For starters, we fell in love with pretty facial bronzers, then all the bright glosses for our lips, and of course, we could not forget the gorgeous ombréed shadows for the eyes.

Lips: Dior Addict High Shine translucent lip color -- so fragile, just a hint of a tint and so many colors from which to select ($25) and the Gloss Reflect ($24.50; below left), more color, more shine, more come-hither on our lips.  For cheek shine, we could not decide between the Poudre de Soleil ($42), that really does impart a kiss of the sun or the DiorBlush ($38; above), that is two blushes in one, a shimmer and a sheer, one velvety and matte; then a little eye excitement with the 5-color petite compact of stunning shadows, in "Mystic Jade" ($54; below right), the just-right tones for Easter, to match our bonnet. 

Et voilà!  Our face was finished for Easter.   

Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 @ 06:28 PM

Check Out More On: Beauty: Makeup & Skin Care

No, not that kind of spring cleaning, but a facial spring cleaning -- getting all the goop and gook off your face and out of your pores, so you can start the season with a shiny, bright visage.  And boy did we have a spring cleaning the other day. New in New York:  Blue Mercury.  Sounds like something a little space age-y, doesn't it?  But that couldn't be further from the truth.  Au contraire, it's something VERY cosseting. 

We love sparkly things, and we love bangle bracelets, so when we stumbled across both those things at the fairly new Helianthus boutique in the Village, we had to share them. This cute little shop has a mix of American and European clothing and accessories, but what kept grabbing our eye were the stacks and stacks of bangles, which range in price from $22 to $42 -- hot pink, black, clear, silvery, white, and all twinkling with rhinestones and crystals.  The shop is located at 522 LaGuardia Place, between Bleecker & West 3 Sts., near Washington Square Park.  (212-677-6888; www.helianthusny.com)

We promised a Ralph Lauren HOME sale and here it is:    Today through Friday, 9 a.m. daily, through 7 p.m., save Friday, when it closes at 5 p.m.  It's a Soiffer Haskin sale, but NOT at the usual spot, on 33^rd Street.  THIS TIME, IT'S IN THE ALTMAN BUILDING, 135 West 18th Street (Between 6th and 7th Avenues).  The rest of the drill is the same:  No cash, no checks, CREDIT CARDS ONLY.  All sales final, no exchanges, no returns.  (And you also should know by now, no strollers on the sales floor). 

Hurry up and get over to our friends at Soiffer Haskin, for the Pratesi sale--fabulous Italian linens, domestics, sumptuous sheets, towels, and assorted accessories.  Two days only and half of today is gone already. alas.  (As usual, we're late.)  We will get there tomorrow ourselves, and as we always advocate, if you have the hope in your heart to pray for a better price and the patience to think that the item you want will still be there, then go a little later, toward the end of the sale?the next-to-the-last day, or whatever, but not the first day, not the day when the doors open.  We find the better price always wins out as the sale winds down, but....it's also a slight gamble, of course, that the merch you want will stil be there.  When we have the time, we scope out the sale the first day and then wait for the fourth day to do the damage to oru plastic.  This has served us well over the years.

There must be something to being a cartoon character and loving to clean.

During last Sunday night's Oscar Telethon, actress Amy Adams reprised her "Happy Working Song" from the delightful fairytale Enchanted. In the film -- with the help of some of her cartoony friends -- she seemed downright thrilled to be cleaning while singing. She is not alone: Let's not forget about Snow White, who is a veritable Cleaning Dervish, crooning "Whistle While You Work" as she and a brigade of cute chipmunks and birds put her home in order.

So, we got to pondering, What would make us sing and be so cheerful while cleaning? Especially since spring is a mere three weeks away and we'll be starting our spring cleaning soon. Snow White instructs us, courtesy of Walt Disney, "...as you sweep the room, imagine that the broom is someone that you love?" and we thought we could go one better than that: We'd like to imagine that we are just in love with the broom, period.

Well, we don?t have to imagine it; we are in love with a broom. The new ECO-FRIENDLY bamboo broom from Casabella, which just happened to win an award itself, at the 2008 Housewares Design Awards a few weeks ago. (O.K., so it?s not an Oscar.) But, we love it because its head is made from sustainable bamboo and its bristles are natural, hardy, water-resistant palmyra, from a very plentiful palm found in the Far East, not petroleum-based nylon. The handle is a lightweight aluminum that won?t rust, and it's priced at an affordable $34.99. We liked it so much, we actually bought its sister products, a floor duster (also constructed from sustainable bamboo, with a natural cotton dusting head, another plus -- no poly-anything here and two scrub brushes (more bamboo with palmyra). (You can find them all at Casabella's Web site, www.casabella.com, from $14.99.)

After you've got your EARTH-FRIENDLY cleaning tools, hit iTunes to download the right work vibe. 

O.K., two things you must do tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 12): First go to the dogs, i.e., the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. (We are, of course, partial to the Golden Retrievers and will be there at 9 a.m. for the judging of the Goldens.)  And, if you cannot get to the Garden, at least watch the show on TV tomorrow night (and tonight, too) to see the winners of the seven group categories. Then hop across the street (after all, you are in the neighborhood), to Soiffer Haskin (317 West 33rd Street, just west of 8th Avenue) to the Asprey/Baccarat sale. We suppose, in one form or another, going there is like going to the dogs, too, or at least going to hell in a hand basket fast...because we always find things to buy at that sale.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the last day, so we're hoping the already 75% off will be even sweeter.  It's the best time in the world to stock up on so many things we don't need, but want.  True, the sale started Saturday, and runs until tomorrow, so some things will be gone, but there will, undoubtedly, be good deals on what is there.  Today until 6:30 and tomorrow from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.  As usual, credit cards only; no strollers, no children under 12.

Here's hoping we all come back with a bundle of good stuff to bark about!