Designing Minds: Andy Spade

Starting in a Manhattan apartment, the now multi-million dollar fashion empire, Andy Spade, one half of kate spade, showcases the style and business know-how it takes to make it to the top. From iconic hand bags to a group art gallery that doubles as a retail space, the concept of surrounding yourself with what you love has proven to be the secret ingredient to their success. Watch the video above to learn more.

EmersonMade

How fab are these hand-made blooms by EmersonMade? They are all one of a kind and hand-dyed, resulting in each flower being a little bit different (isn’t that the best?). She does all of her own styling, designing, photography, collages and artwork. These flowers are the perfect accompaniment to J.Crew fall’s line, a blazer, or a dress on an evening out! Be sure to check out her blog and make any orders here.

All photography credit to EmersonMade.

Topiary Art Designs

Artist Steve Manning of Topiary Art Designs makes custom and bespoke topiaries for gardens, landscapes, civic amenities, exhibitions, garden shows and event promotions- and they are fantastic! See more of his work here.

Objectified

In his new independent documentary on industrial design, Objectified, director Gary Hustwit (of Helvetica fame) has revealed how the products in our lives come into being and create personal meaning for us on a daily basis.

It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets and the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism and sustainability. It’s about our relationship to mass-produced objects and the people who design them.

Through vérité footage and in-depth interviews, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential designers and looks at how what they make impacts our lives.

ShowHope

A couple of dear friends of mine are on the committee for ShowHope, a premiere fundraising event for the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, and have been incredibly busy preparing for the upcoming event on 8 October, 2009. Since opening their doors in 2007, Hope Lodge NYC has provided free housing and support services for over 2,500 cancer patients and their caregivers while receiving world-class treatment not readily available in their hometown. The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge relies entirely on private donations and grassroots fundraising efforts to sustain its programs.

Hope Lodge has teamed up with the Metropolitan Home Showtime House in Manhattan, a 13,000 square foot space, featuring the work of top interior designers from around the world that have been assigned one of the network's original series, and then given free reign to build each room around that show- including Dexter, Weeds, Californication, The Tudors, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara. The event will feature a red carpet, silent auction and themed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to complement each room’s décor. All net proceeds from ShowHope will directly support the programs and services of Hope Lodge NYC.

To make a silent auction donation or request sponsorship information, please email ShowHopeNYC@gmail.com. To purchase tickets (100% tax deductible), please email Lindsay.Edgar@cancer.org. Show up for ShowHope and feel good about helping others in need and truly making a difference. It will be an event that should not be missed!

Tickets:

$150 - General Admission (full tasting, open bar)

$200 - VIP admission (pre-event cocktail hour, access to VIP lounge & terrace, gift bag)

Location:

Tribeca Summit, Penthouse A&B

415 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10013

Fashion's Night Out

The Council of Fashion Designers of America have invited every fashion retailer in New York City including flagships, tiny boutiques, department stores, young designers, mainstream chains and luxury names alike to bring back the fun to shopping by keeping their doors open late on the evening of 10 September, 2009.

Over 700 retailers and designers across New York City are now confirmed for the event. Every participating location is open to anyone and everyone- neither tickets nor invitations are required to join in the Fashion’s Night Out festivities. The video above explains it all!

Out and About

The rain cleared yesterday afternoon and we spent the day around town and at the artisinal market. Today was a fantastic beach day that we began with a leisurely bike ride through Sconset. The surf was a little wild and the water was closed for the morning, but by the afternoon they opened it back up and it was perfect. My skin is now Nantucket Red.

Tomorrow I made a plan to get done as much as possible. We're going to the aquarium in the morning (yes, I was able to drag someone with me), I'll go for a run, back to the beach (beach bag complete with Dark 'n' Stormies), Cisco Brewery in the late afternoon and then seeing Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds tomorrow night. I'll be posting pictures of all of my excursions once I get back to New York. Happy Monday!

Nantucket Bound

We're leaving tonight for our week in Nantucket and I'm thrilled to finally go back. Since this hurricane might be hitting the Grey Lady while we're there, I'm guessing I will be doing some postings during the week!

Photography credit to Matt Albiani.

They're Here!

My TOMS shoes are finally here! TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Their motto is"One for One", using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good. Shop here.

Stella McCartney Pop-Up and Pop-In

For the first time ever, Stella McCartney is popping-up a store in East Hampton- but only for this weekend! The shop will feature the 2009-2010 Fall and Resort collections and a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.

The Study Center (which is in close proximity to the pop-up shop) is the studio where iconic American painter Jackson Pollock and wife Lee Krasner lived while Pollock created some of the world's most famous contemporary art. Make sure you bike over to the center and brush up on your art history after you finish shopping!

22 August, 11-7 PM

23 & 24 August, 11-4 PM

The Fireplace Project

851 Springs Fireplace Road (corner of Talmage Farm Lane)


East Hampton, NY 11937


(631) 324-4666

Vino Volo

Who: Founded in 2004, Vino Volo is a small chain of airport wine bars and shops that is making traveling through the U.S. a bit more bearable and civilized.

What: Instead of drinking the airline’s mini bottles of wine on your next flight, you can stop in their shops before boarding for a half or whole bottle of your choice wine instead. The shops have leather chairs, wood floors and jazz music that will relieve the tension of delays and lost luggage. Many of theirs wines by the glass are under $10 and they offer small plates of cheeses and sandwiches.

Where: There are currently ten Vino Volo locations including JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington Dulles, Baltimore, Seattle, Sacramento, Oakland, San Antonio and Detroit.

Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion & Architecture

Luxury and art are two closely linked subjects. Most major luxury houses associate themselves with contemporary art through sponsorships, commissions, or foundations, and these points of exchange only nourish the relationships between fashion, art and design.

Louis Vuitton is one of the luxury brands that maintains some of the richest and most varied associations with the art world. Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion & Architecture, a new book coming out on 22 September, 2009 by Rizzoli, spotlights some of Louis Vuitton’s most important and most visible collaborations with artists, architects, designers and photographers. The book also includes essays examining Louis Vuitton’s support under the guidance of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs during one of the most blossoming periods of contemporary art and design.

Under the artistic direction of Camille Scherrer, watch the book come to life here.

Chic Totes

My friend Marisa clued me into these perfect beach/walking around/shopping bags. These chic, large totes from Ballard Designs are only $25 including your monogram. I love the sand/beige colour and the red style would still look great for fall. I'll be stuffing my beach-appropriate book club book into one of these on vacation next week. Purchase them here.

The Museum at FIT’s Annual Couture Council Summer Party

With her true southern hospitality, Charlotte Moss was gracious enough to open her Upper East Side home this past Wednesday, August 5, 2009 for this year’s Museum at FIT’s Annual Couture Council Summer Party- and I was invited! Her beautiful four-story brownstone on New York’s Upper East Side was the perfect setting for a summer cocktail party. The lovely Couture Council Chairs hosted the event, including Yaz Hernandez, Liz Peek, Sarah Wolfe and Dr. Valerie Steele.

The Summer Party kicked off the fundraising drive as a prelude to the September luncheon at Cipriani celebrating the 2009 Award for Artistry of Fashion. This year, bellini toasts will be in order as the award will be presented to the talented Belgian designer Dries Van Noten, who will make a rare appearance here in New York. Previous recipients include Ralph Rucci in 2006, Alber Elbaz of Lanvin in 2007 and Isabel Toledo in 2008 (before Michelle Obama wore her on Inauguration Day!).

I was  incredibly honored to have been invited to the event and to have met some of the most talented figures in fashion and interior design including Glenda Bailey of BAZAAR Magazine (and her beautiful Christian Lacroix jewelery), Ralph Rucci, Christian Cota, Victor de Souza, Thakoon Panichgul, David Chu, Nanette Lepore and of course, Charlotte Moss! Yaz Hernandez and her fellow chair members were such welcoming hosts and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting them again.

Glenda Bailey of BAZAAR was especially personable as she spoke about her upcoming October issue and the perhaps not-so-looming economy hitting the fashion world, “I got a call today that October will be ten pages larger than we thought. You can smell the positivity!” Bailey also noted that the best purchase (and her favorite look) for this upcoming fall season is the classic tie-waste camel trench coat from Max Mara.

After the well-dressed crowd began to leave the back garden and finish their vodka-lemonade with basil cocktails (the drink of the night), I finally got my opportunity to speak with Charlotte Moss one-on-one. She gave some great advice on stepping into the world of interior design and she spoke about her future endeavors, including writing more for Veranda Magazine. I asked about Max Sinsteden, an impressive intern of hers, and mentioned how I recently wrote about the two of them. She was ecstatic to hear what I knew about him and explained that they just got back from London together (see my previous post on Max’s dorm room here).

Moss' signature design philosophy of “couture living” personifies elegant spaces in which one is meant to live and entertain in. She draws her inspiration from her extensive travels, reading and native southern heritage- and all of this is apparent in her understated yet luxurious home.

I was pleasantly surprised about how open and welcoming everyone at the event was to talk about what they were working on- and how they were equally interested in what I was doing! It was a night I won’t soon forget!

Currently on exhibit at The Museum at FIT is Isabel Toledo: Fashion From The Inside Out, displaying seventy iconic looks from the mid-1980s to the present, including the ensemble worn by Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day. Read more on the exhibit at The Museum at FIT’s site here.

Charlotte Moss' home, the back garden

Dr. Valerie Steele, Yaz Hernandez

All photography credit to Patrick McMullan and Shaun Mader.

Luxury for Charity

Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, the couple behind the luxury and impeccably designed children’s clothing brand Bonpoint, introduced their newest Parisian venture this past March when they opened Merci. This light-filled, 1,500-square-meter designer mecca in Le Marais houses vintage and designer pieces over three stories created specifically for the store by the likes of YSL, Stella McCartney and Marni at a 30-40 percent discount.

The Cohen’s spent three years bringing together designer names and unknown artists that were willing to sell their products at a lower cost to Merci, or to donate a percentage of their wholesale price to Merci's charity that helps children in Madagascar. For the Cohen’s, Merci was their way to combine their love of quality products with a desire to give back. "I cracked open my little black book and starting calling everyone I knew," said Marie-France Cohen.

The ground floor houses the floral boutique, a used book café and a perfume bar. Fragrances by Annick Goutal, a relative to the Cohen’s, are poured into generic bottles and sold. Since the brand does not make a profit on the sales, the scents are sold at a lower cost. The two upper levels are where you can find the irresistable children’s Bonpoint clothing line, in-house collections, vintage furniture and cutting-edge product design.

This oversized toy cabinet filled with an eclectic mix of curiosities is one those finds that will keep you coming back for more!

Pure and Simple Wins the Race

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream launched in the spring of 2008 by Ben Van Leeuwen, wife Laura O’Neill and brother Pete Van Leeuwen. They have a simple method that makes their ice cream undeniably delicious: using only local, hormone and antibiotic-free milk and cream and other preservative-free ingredients from around the globe.

Their method seems to be working. The eighteen percent butterfat ice cream sweetened with cane sugar instead of corn syrup? Check. The pistachio nuts harvested from a slow-food farm in Sicily and the hazelnuts from Piedmont? Done and done. Even all of their toppings are homemade and organic. The result is a dense and creamy treat (you must try the vanilla). It’s no wonder they can be found in specialty food stores, including Whole Foods, all over New York only a year after their start-up date.

The Van Leeuwen’s are as insistent on fresh, pure and simple ingredients as they are on their low-impact on the environment. All of their cups, napkins and spoons are made from sugar cane or corn husks and are biodegradable. One percent of all profits go to Wildlife Direct, a grassroots org that aims to protect endangered species in the Congo.

The charming Van Leeuwen trucks can be found at the following locations:

Greene and Prince Streets, 12-7 P.M.

University and East 12th, 8-11 P.M.

Read more about them here and in true New York City street-food fashion, you can also follow them on twitter to make sure you get the scoop.