Merry Merry

I'm home in Connecticut with my family for the holidays (see above for the lake view from our porch and our puppy, Parker!) and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!!

J.Crew Women's Collection

The J.Crew Women's Collection on 79th and Madison in New York City features a limited-edition line with designer detailing. The line is updated seasonally and features finds like vintage Rolex's and books.

The interior design is the brainchild of the brand's Creative Director Jenna Lyons, who draws her inspiration from old Manhattan and downtown inspiration. The reclaimed hickory floors from Pennsylvania were the first renovation made in the space, which were arranged in a herringbone manner. They were left unfinished so the clothes would pop against the neutral palette.

The store entered the Upper East Side without much of a stir, and Lyon explains, "We always try to draw on the immediate community to create relevance and a connection."

J.Crew Collection
1035 Madison Avenue (at 79th Street)
New York, NY 10075
212-249-3869

All photography credit to Lonny Magazine

Film: Broken Embraces

Official Selection of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Pedro Almodovar’s new movie, Broken Embraces, is now playing in New York and L.A. The film was shot in the 1950’s style American noir and stars Almodovar’s muse, Penelope Cruz (love her). Can't wait to see it!

Christmas Letters

I found these images from one of my favourite blogs, katie did. For her holiday party in Brooklyn, NY, she cut out letters, put together long strands of bakers twine (or any thin string will do). Using scotch tape, tape the letters to the string, folding each piece of tape from the front of letter, over the string and to the back of the letter. Secure string of words to walls. Done!

Hermes Enamel

I noticed these Hermes enamel bracelets on my boss recently and fell in love. She wears them stacked, three or so at a time, and they look incredibly chic. I love that they are inconspicuous (with no branding) and can be mixed and matched for any outfit. Check out all of their enamel bracelets, sorted by colour, HERE.

Ithaka

C.P. Cavafy
Translated by
Edmund Keeley & Philip Sherrard

When you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon- don't fear them:
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon- you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with that pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbours you're seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind-
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it last for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained along the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Golden Glitz & Glamour

The tiniest of details can make all of the difference. All three of these pieces could be worn together with a blazer, rolled jeans and sky-high heels, or separately to spruce up any old outfit. I personally can't wait to curl my golden locks and pop on this headband from Plaza Too. Earrings and cami from HERE.

Lonny Magazine Update

Watch Michelle Adams, Editor-in-Chief of Lonny Magazine, discuss holiday decorating tips and eco textiles as she reveals the next issue date of the newest online magazine HERE.

Liberty of London

The British luxury department store, Liberty, will be partnering with Target for a new collection hitting shelves on March 14, 2010. The collaborate collection will encompass home, fashion, and “other categories”, according to WWD. The fashion line will include apparel and accessories for women, men, and children. I can't WAIT to check it out!

Christian Cota and Doc Hendley's "An Evening for Charity"

Nate Berkus, Ana Ortiz, Christian Cota, Doc Hendley

Women's clothing designer Christian Cota was kind enough to personally invite me to the launch of his e-commerce site and his 2009 eHoliday capsule collection, “An Evening for Charity” on December 1, 2009.

The event benefited CNN’s 2009 Heroes nominee, Doc Hendley, and his non-profit aid organisation Wine to Water that began in 2004 and focuses on providing clean water in developing countries around the world.

Guests sipped Taittinger champagne while Mr. Cota himself signed the limited edition men’s and women’s hand painted t-shirts. The 2009 Christian Cota eHoliday capsule collection features dresses and separates that are being sold exclusively during the month of December on christiancota.com. 25% of the online sales will go to the Wine to Water charity along with proceeds of the limited edition hand painted t-shirts.

After graduating Parsons School of Design in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, Christian Cota launched his company in February of 2007. In 2007, Style.com named Christian Cota one of their “Ten Newcomers to Watch”. In January of 2009, he received Fashion Group International’s "Women’s Ready to Wear Rising Star" Award.

C’H’C’M’

C’H’C’M’ (Clinton Hill Classic Menswear), is an online men's shop that has an impressive collection of American and European brands that all have strong heritage, incredible attention to detail and keep basic function in mind. Their booth at this past November's Pop-Up Flea here in New York created tons of buzz and anticipation for their next pop-up in January in the East Village where they will roll out their Spring 2010 line.

Sweetu Patel founded the company in March 2009. A former furniture designer, the selection includes names like Gitman Brothers, Saint James, Mackintosh, Drakes, Northern Waters, Jack Spade and Rogues Gallery. Shop C’H’C’M’ here.

Cheers To The Holidays

Nothing is as festive as a great bar at a party, and these bar trays are an inviting and functional way to serve drinks in your home without taking up too much space.

Images from Lonny, Domino and New York Magazine

Object of Desire: Grey Jersey

This grey "Flipside Blazer" from Anthropologie is crafted from soft jersey and would be the perfect accompaniment over a simple black dress or just jeans and heels (and the price is definitely right). Shop here.

The New Moment

Starting this Friday, 4 December 2009, The New York Times Magazine's "The Moment" style blog (one of my favourite daily reads!) will be revamping their site. There will now be access to all of the content from the past 15 annual issues of T, as well as exclusive videos and web-only features. There will also be a new culture section. Read "The Moment" here.

John Derian Company

This is one of those stores you just have to visit. Moroccan rugs, Hugo Guinness original and signed prints (every May they have an exhibition for Hugo’s one-of-a-kind drawings on paper), Rogues Gallery vintage tees and all of the odds and ends that your home would ever need. This cozy antique/vintage shop can outfit your home and accessorize your life with handpicked French and American flea market goods by Mr. Derian himself. Click here to read more.

John Derian

6 East 2nd Street (near Bowery)

New York, New York 10003

212.677.3917