New York Elves Are the Coolest

God bless Simon Doonan. I love that he's become this spokesperson for Barneys. Love the get-up -- especially the Milton Glaser's I *Heart* New York rebus logo in green-sweatshirt form (probably intended for St. Patty's don't you think?).

By the way, Barneys does not qualify as a "haunt" -- if you got it at Barneys, just say so. The lady at Privilege does (great blog by the way, go see).

If only Simon Doonan the Cranky Elf would add me to the list --

Wish List :: Dresses

These two ladies are magic! Pearl Bailey and Carol Channing have a little fun on Broadway. And check out those dresses! I need, need, need them. I love them both, but I think that Pearl's would look better on me -- Carol's got that angular thing going on. I'm sure that Trinny and Susannah would agree. APB!

Love :: Prince and Mercer

Directly from one of my favorite places on Earth. And I mean this corner: Prince and Mercer!

Via The Sartorialist, bien sur. Love the idea of checking out what's going on at a specific corner. That's why he's the best.

UPDATE: Just found her! The Christian Lacroix lady in the video below -- I need her rings and that jacket. I fall down.*




*that's my version of "I die"

NYC :: String Me Along

I was stopped dead in my tracks by this window at Rockefeller Center! Check out the type!

There's a real absence/presence thing going on here that I love. The outlines of the letterforms are created by connecting nails in the wall with yarn, creating an interesting reference to the digital bezier curves that create typography for printing. The Bodoni face really shines in the execution -- modern faces have thin, hairline serifs, and the yarn is perfect!


Bodoni typeface showing bezier curves.




The colors are spot-on fun-sophistication, and they really pop on the chalkboard-black walls.



Scale is important too -- these letterforms are all pulled together with the same weight yarn and typeface, but they are totally random letter selections. Type as scenery!



Check out how the curves are executed on this "J"!



J. Crew does great window displays. They're creative with design elements (type, color, composition) and use "white space" -- or I would say "empty space" in a 3-D environment -- to create a fun and sophisticated presentation. Kudos!

What's Niew?

Looks like Europe, no? This is Stone Street in New York City, formerly New Amsterdam. While in the city last week, I made a special point to explore the New Amsterdam area in downtown Manhattan as I have ancestors who settled there, while the colony was Dutch. As a southerner, I have been intrigued by this decidedly northern landing.

Much of my knowledge of the colony comes from the book The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. This book does a great job explaining why:

1) New York is today the world's financial hub (the colony was established by the Dutch purely as a trading post, not for political or religious freedoms)

2) New Yorkers are apt to "live and let live" and be more tolerant of other peoples' beliefs (a product of the Dutch idea of civil liberties and their generally tolerant nature)

3) New York is diverse. New Amsterdam was not a Dutch colony filled with singularly Dutch people. Colonists from all over the world came to work for the Dutch West India Company. There were eighteen languages spoken in the colony!

One of my ancestors had a home in this area, and I love to walk the roads and trails where they lived, and imagine how it must have been when they were proving themselves to the world. When in lower Manhattan, you'll see street signs that are black. This color signifies that the street's footprint has not changed over time -- that these streets are the same width and plan as they were in the Dutch colony.

I had lunch at one of the cafes on Stone Street (above). Stone Street was the first street (paved road) in the New Amsterdam colony, hence the name: "stone". Pearl Street is just south, named for the oyster shells left by the Lenni-Lenape Indians. The shells gleamed in the sunlight -- like pearls.



Near the cafe society of Stone Street is the intersection of Pearl Street and Coenties Alley, and this is the location of the old City Tavern -- where Dutch colonists met to rail against Peter Stuyvesant's militaristic rule. The building eventually became City Hall, where the municipal government met. The colony received it's municipal charter in 1653 and stopped being a "company town" of the Dutch West India Company.



The yellow bricks in this sidewalk trace the footprint of the City Tavern. I made sure to get a person in the shot for scale.



Near Pearl Street you'll also see stenciled markings on the sidewalk indicating the waterline in 1609 when Henry Hudson came to the island. Over the past 400 years there have been a lot of changes in Manhattan's shoreline as a result of landfill, and these markers are another way to get a feel for the landscape of the past.




I followed the National Parks Service free audio walking tour on my iPhone. You can download the map and the audio here.

Also, learn about all the events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson finding Manhattan at www.henryhudson400.com.

"Off with Their Finials!" :: The Bowling Green

New York has lots of Revolutionary War history. The Bowling Green is a very old park situated directly in front of (north of) the old U.S. Customs house at the bottom of Broadway.

When the Declaration of Independence was read to the soldiers of Washington's Army, they were so fired up that they stormed the Bowling Green and felled the grand statue of George III and chopped off the crown finials from each major fence post.

The image above shows one of these major fence posts, without its crown. Every crown was cut off, and the metal was used to make shot for the army's fight against the British. The fence that surrounds the Bowling Green today is the original fence, with only black paint coming between today and it's Revolutionary history.

Debut :: NYC Street Shawl

I love a debut, you know -- even a cheapie one. This gem is from a street guy in SOHO (aka one of the best places on Earth), and I love it. It's totally in my fall palette, and no worries if it gets lost, snagged or otherwise ruined. All good!

More "real" New York posts to come, I promise -- like actual stuff about New York!

Love :: New York!

Three Days in New York

Off to the Big Apple for a small retreat. Looking forward to lunch at Fraunces Tavern, a patriot walking tour (or two) and getting some creative electricity. I've been having a wardrobe essentials moment lately -- seems every fashion article or post is "the essential wardrobe" or "ten items you must have", but I suppose that is the season. In a month it will be cocktail and holiday party looks.

However, my own wardrobe is starting to be a well-oiled machine. All the arms and legs of the system are working together, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The wardrobe schedule for New York:

1 :: Sweater :: black silk/cashmere cable-knit with a shawl-style v-neck

2 :: Sweater :: cream cotton with 3/4 bell sleeves and a cowl neckline

3 :: Trousers :: black. enough said.

4 :: Cords :: brown corduroy with a slim boot-cut

5 :: Tee :: comfy, black

6 :: Shirt :: white button down

7 :: Blazer :: black knit

8 :: Shoes :: Robert Clergerie black suede lace-ups

9 :: Shoes :: Black patent leather pumps

10 :: Handbag :: The man magnet

11 :: Handbag :: Bright mustard yellow daily

12 :: Scarf :: Vintage silk floral (cream ground with magenta, gray, brown dynamic blooms)

13 :: Coat :: Vintage trench (a debut!)


New York photos to come! Have a great weekend!