Monday, August 31, 2009

NYC, take a cue from SF on this one


Most of us don't have cars in this city. Frankly, just the thought of it may stress you out, as it does us. Finding parking is probably the number one issue, and everyone who pours into the city from Jersey and Long Island on the weekends ends up paying an arm and a leg in various parking garages around Manhattan.

Well, San Francisco definitely falls right behind or next to NYC in the parking issue- strict parking regulations make it just as impossible to find decent parking. Fortunately for our West Coast comrades, there's a new website called GottaPark, that is trying to solve this modern day vehicle dilemma. 

You log in, put your location in, dates, and the amount of time you want to park. GottaPark pulls up likely spots around your location. Then you pick the spot you want online, reserve it and print out the confirmation. The coolest part about this is that many of these parking spaces are owned by San Francisco residents; they rent out parking spots and get paid through PayPal! How sweet is that?! 

We're not sure if this could be applicable to Manhattan residents but the other boroughs could definitely take a cue from SanFran on this one..


We are all merely toys


Who didn't love legos as a kid?
We remember many an afternoon creating towers, skyscrapers and other tall contraptions with the multi-colored blocks. (Perhaps we subconsciously knew we were meant to be in the Big Apple one day?)

The DailyBeast Media Gallery features British photographer Mike Stimpson, who has spent most of his career recreating images from some of the world's most famous and iconic photographs with his favorite childhood toy.

A couple of our favorites were his 'Lunch atop a Skyscraper', an iconic representation of the Great Depression, as well as 'VJ Day Times Square', an image that we have all seen on teenagers' walls since the 1940's.
So cute, right? We thought these were great, but a couple of the images like Tiananmen Square and Viet Cong were a little distasteful. We're all for creativity and breaking boundaries, but recreating those horrific images was a bit too much in our opinion , even in LegoLand.


Sunday, August 30, 2009

Time to keep it real



The above photo from Glamour's September issue has caused quite a stir. As we can see, 'plus-size' model Lizzie Miller has a glorious smile on her face, and not much clothing going on. The discussion, though, is centered around the tiny amount of 'flab' on her stomach that would usually be airbrushed and completely non-existent.

Both the NYPost and thesartorialist have raised room for discussion re: the above photograph, and we wanted to get in on it also. How do you feel about this photo? Do you think it's a small step for the fashion industry? Do you think that since she's not on the cover, it still doesn't mean much? How do you think this will play into trends in the future? Do you want to see more women like this, or do you like the fantasy world of Amazon-like women that the industry supports? We have seen the words "real woman" thrown around on other discussion boards....how do you feel about that? Isn't everyone a real woman, regardless of size/shape/color? Could we ask any more questions??

Tell us what you think!


Photo pulled from nypost.com

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Glitterati chowing down around NYC


This week, we had celebs wining and dining all around the city as usual, and we bring you their whereabouts, courtesy of NYMag.

For the week of August 23, 2009

Ballato: Rihanna ate with L.A. Reid before heading to Greenhouse.

Cafe Gitane: Michelle Williams ate outside with friends.

The City Bakery: Uma Thurman let her kids sample the macaroni and cheese while they waited in line.

Dojo: Debra Messing dined at the NYU hangout.

Dos Caminos: Drew Barrymore ate enchiladas.

Gemma: Cameron Diaz and some female friends sipped white wine.

Jean Georges: Muhammed Ali allegedly read a fan's mind over dinner.

Pastis: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen dined outside before heading to the Gansevoort Hotel.

Saint Ambroeus: Whitney Port giggled while eating outside.

The Smith: Chelsea Clinton ate an egg-white omlette with her boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky.

The Standard Grill: Hugh Grant wooed his date.

We, personally, would have loved to share a some wine with Cameron, have our mind read by Mr. Ali, or have Hugh whisper sweet nothings in our ear all night! What about you?


Photos pulled from People.com

Friday, August 28, 2009

The hotspots to hit up

Hooray! The weekend is almost upon us. It looks like it may be a rainy one, but there's no reason not to live it up tonight, tomorrow and/or Sunday for that matter-

Thanks to BBMag, we have compiled a list of the best places to grab a drink or see and be seen throughout the weekend. Here's a list of parties to go to over the next three days- and well into the week, if you're feeling like a boozy socialite:

Friday:
The Standard Beer Garden and The Standard Grill (Meatpacking): It's well on its way to becoming one of the 'standard' spots for anyone in the fashion and art crowd. Great for a leisurely cocktail at the beginning of the night.

Saturday:
BB tells us to check out Von in Noho. "It isn't the upstairs bar we're after, but what's hidden below it. Try to find it while it's still mythical," they tell us. We haven't been yet, but we will certainly let you know once make a visit!

Sunday:
Post drunk-brunching, keep your buzz going and go downtown to Greenhouse (Soho/Tribeca) or Goldbar (Nolita), where DJs spin good dance music all night.

Rest of the week:

Monday:
Le Souk (East Village) has just made a comeback, but we know its Monday night parties will be back in full swing, with three levels of different music and a truly eclectic crowd.

Tuesday:
Good old Rose Bar (Gramercy Park) is still hot on Tuesday nights, and the new Avenue (Chelsea), with Todd and Angelo at the door (and Wass from Marquee!), is becoming a combination of Beatrice/Socialista.

Wednesday:
1Oak (Chelsea) had Rihanna visit last Wednesday, and its mega-club feel hasn't swayed patrons- the crowd remains (for the most part) hot and so is the fact that surprise performers drop by more than occasionally.

Thursday:
Touted as the savior of nightlife, The Jane Ballroom (West Village) has taken the trend-seeking world by storm. Any night is a good night to visit Jane, but Thursdays are special (one day away from Friday) so we feel it's appropriate.

Dress in your trendiest (grab some tips from Lookbook!), try not to spend 10 grand like this guy, and have a fabulous weekend. Tell us where you went!

P.S. We have just received word from NYMag that The Griffin in the Meatpacking is now closing, after its short-lived run of 3 months. R.I.P. Griffin.


Photo pulled from guestofaguest.com


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Venezuela pageant boot camp


Congratulations to Miss Venezuela ,Stefania Fernandez, for winning the Miss. Universe title last week!

This happens to be the second year the Venezuela has won the pageant, as Dayana Mendoza was crowned Miss Universe in 2008.

So it would be appropriate to assume that maybe South America is birthing beautiful babies who turn into pageant queens? According to BlackBook Mag and other various sources, Venezuela is quite obsessed with beating the pageant system- at all costs, "because winning pageants for Venezuela is like winning gold medals for China" (BBMag). The beauties are forced to go through a rigorous boot camp before getting to the stage. Some torturous activities include:

* Thousands of girls enter the Miss Venezuela competition and those who are chosen go to Osmel Sousa's "Miss Venezuela Academy", a beauty school in the mountains. The contestants are coached in fitness, speech, makeup, and modeling.
* The students' teachers are supposed to 'make them perfect'. Contestants go, go, go from eight in the morning to ten at night and the ones who are headed for international competitions have to stay for one year. One contestant said, "its exactly like a military school"
* Contestants are told to lose 20 pounds. They eat tuna, pineapple and green leaves, and must run, lift weights, hike, swim and do yoga every day. Weigh-ins are at the end of every week.
* Because plastic surgery is relatively cheap in this country, many contestants get nose jobs, liposuction and breast implant. The beauty school employs dental docs who have been known to cut girls' gums so that their teeth look bigger.

Ouch. That all sounds excruciatingly painful...and frankly, just way too much work. Even reading about those girls' fitness regiment makes us exhausted. Now if you could excuse us, we are going to grab a donut and then take a siesta. Adios!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

N.E.R.D. is adding a 'she'



NYMag tells us that N.E.R.D., the Pharell-run rock/funk/hip-hop group, is planning to add a female R&B singer to their group. If this really takes, we are definitely going to see similarities with the Black Eyed Peas; before Fergie was around, the group didn't have any strength on the Billboard charts. But since then, they have definitely become annoying radio staples who spell way too much in their songs.

N.E.R.D., for all of our sakes, please don't let your new girl spell out every word she comes across. Otherwise it will just be plain A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G for us all.  




Spell-check doesnt exist at Brazil's Vogue

In the upcoming documentary of Vogue's Anna Wintour, The September Issue, Anna hilariously chastises an editor for the size of the font on a draft of the cover of the magazine. 

"This type seems so large and pretentious..it looks like it's for blind people," she quips. 

But what would the ice-queen say to this?: 



The August issue of Vogue Brazil hit newstands and allowed for this ridiculously obvious mistake: Guy Bourdin's name is misspelled as "Bourdain"- on the cover, too! 

If large font causes such alarm at American Vogue, we wonder what would happen if anything like this were to ever occur up on the 12th floor of 4 Times Square.. 

Photo pulled from madeinbrazil.com

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A slice of Silicon Valley





Google is world-renowned for its office facilities and luxuries; ping-pong tables, squash tables, video game consoles strewn around, and the employees who sit on exercise balls and drink free smoothies all day.

Now, we get to take a look at two other Silicon Valley social-networking giants, Twitter and Facebook. Gawker takes us into their offices and although they (Gawker) seem
to think that the spaces aren't as useful for productivity (it's apparently a well-known fact that quiet, private offices are better for workers than a large open space), we thought the offices were pretty freakin' sweet. And whatever, we all have a long week ahead of us...we figure you might want to live vicariously through people who have DJ turntables and hot pink sofas at their workplaces.


Photos pulled from Gawker




Spotted: N dealing with Manhattan Real Estate issues


For two years, Chace Crawford (Nate) from Gossip Girl had been living with Ed Westwick (Chuck) in an apartment in Chelsea. Imagine the hotness oozing out of that building...

But anyway, Chace is now moving out, and in this month's issue of Interview Magazine, he discusses something that most New Yorkers can sympathize with: moving costs. Although he is now moving into the Financial District (95 Wall to be exact, heh) Chace explains how he got to living with Ed in the first place, and the reason is surprisingly relatable to most of us:

"They give you like a $7000 relocation fee, which goes a long way if you're like my buddy shooting Friday Night Lights in Austin Texas, but in New York you have to deal with a $7,000 broker's fee. It takes more than double that to move and set everything up....So I called up Ed and was like, "Hey man, I'm going to New York tomorrow. Do you want to room with me?" He's like [faking British accent], "Yeah, why not?" So I looked around and sent him a few pics of he place I found, and he said, "Is there any extra room for the guest bedrooms?" I was like "What are you talking about? This is New York. What do you want, a game room? Let's just make space for a Ping-Pong room as well"

Refreshingly down-to-earth, don't you think?

To read the entire interview, click here.

Photo pulled from lilliesandgrapes.blogspot

Monday, August 24, 2009

Nightlife News



To begin with, we have another hilarious finance guy- also a hedge funder- who decided to spend 10 grand on drinks in one night of clubbing. At Marquee.

Interested to know who this character is?

Meet Hrish Lotlikar, 33, and a vice president at a venture capital firm. He said "We started at the Yale Club and went on to Marquee." He also said "I do a lot of business in clubs, and this (Marquee) is definitely a hot place, a place you want to see and be seen. It oils the wheels when you're making deals." Ew. Maybe we're just perverts, but that last sentence brought up some gross imagery.

Anyway, so this guy spends 10K at Marquee in one night. We sort of wish we could find him and say "if you're looking to blow 10 g's at a club, we can probably name at least 15 hotspots before even coming close to Marquee." Sigh. Guess he's more concerned with getting his wheels oiled. In case any of you are interested, though, NYMag was kind enough to link his Friendster profile. Happy stalking!

In other news, nightlife queen Amy Sacco will be opening up another outpost of her crowned jewel, Bungalow 8, in Amsterdam. Think NYC's palm-tree potted Bungalow.....but fueled with even more drugs and madness than you thought imaginable. Is that even possible??
Amsterdam's Bungalow should be opening late November.



Also: Pastel-polo, Trinity College-educated haven Bar Martignetti has been closed for the past few months, although its downstairs counterpart, Southside, has been in full swing. Now, the Soho space will be reborn as "Brinkley's" with TVs tuned to rugby and American football, giving it a English-pub feel. We're thinking the crowd may look the same as before, but with cuter accents hopefully?



Worldwide streetstyle on your screen



Well, it's Monday morning.

You're blankly staring at your computer screen, wondering how your weekend flew by so quickly. And if you work at a place that hasn't blocked all the fun stuff, then you're probably Facebook-stalking yourself and looking at all your tagged photos from your weekend.

If you need your day to go by a little quicker, and want to check out new outfit ideas for next weekend, you need to check out our newest addiction:

It's called Lookbook.nu, and it's basically a 'web destination' where stylish people from all over the world submit photographs of their own oufits to be a part of the self proclaimed "Internet's Largest Source of Fashion Inspiration From Real People All Over the World."

If that last sentence lost you, just know this- Lookbook is more or less like a public Facebook for worldwide trends, mixed with TheSartorialist's dreamy style of photography.

It sounds like a lofty statement to make, but not an empty one, as Lookbook has thousands of gorgeous pictures sortable by brand, country, or clothing category. So if you want to see how H&M scarves are doing in Brazil, you can do so with a few clicks. We really are addicted to this site, because not only can we can see and learn what's in style in almost any part of the world, we can also vote and "hype" looks that we especially admire. What a great way to spend the latter half of a lazy late-summer Monday...



"Ille de la citie" - 21 year old art history student from Paris

Are there any Lookbook.nu looks that you like in particular?

Photo pulled from thedailyobsession and lookbook.nu

Saturday, August 22, 2009

No, that's not just a voice in your head..


Just when we thought advertising couldn't get any more annoying, we ran across this: CBS has successfully learned to embed talking video ads inside print magazines.

As a marketing stunt to promote its fall TV lineup, CBS is inserting thousands of two-inch screens in copies of NYC and LA- distributed Entertainment Weekly mags, which will play about 40 minutes of clips from shows like Two and a Half Men.

We have a few issues with this entire shenanigan.

First of all, when we read magazines, we like to read them in peace. Simply viewing a print ad is completely different from having to listen to/watch an irritating voice screech out to you about its company/brand.

And secondly, we can't even begin to imagine how ludicrously expensive this whole concept must be. To make up for costs, are magazine prices going to rise? Can you imagine if this became the future of magazines- spending $15 for Self or Us Weekly? If so, then this is the quickest way to send print media six feet under.

Photo pulled from CNET

This week's celebrity spottings


Since we all love knowing even the most mundane of details about the rich and famous, we will be bringing you celebrity sightings from restaurants and bars around the city every week, courtesy of NYMag.

For the week of August 16, 2009:

Bar Pitti: Beyonce dined with hubby Jay-Z

Jane Ballroom: Hugh Grant bought a birthday tequila shot for an adoring fan. Chace Crawford and Fonzworth Bentley were also on the scene.

Highbar: Mr. Big (Chris Noth) took vodka shots with fans.

LEVANTeast: Adrian Grenier, Josh Hartnett, and Zach Braff dined together.

Minetta Tavern: Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant dined, drank, and flirted (harmlessly, of course) for hours.

Waverly Inn: Lindsay Lohan and friends sat at the table next to where P. Diddy sat.

We love to see interesting mixes of celebs breaking bread together. Let us know if you spot anyone this weekend!

Photo pulled from gawker, guestofaguest

Friday, August 21, 2009

McKinsey vs. Conde Nast



After realizing that corporate change was an absolute must, Conde Nast hired consultants from superstar firm McKinsey to come in and take care of the mess. As a result, the newest cost-cutting measures are affecting a place we didn't even think of: the kitchen. All the coffee stirrers are reportedly gone.

"They've done away with them" a staffer at the New Yorker tells Page Six. "I guess we now have to shake our coffee to get the milk to mix in."

What's going to be next? Will McKinsey dare to go up to the Vogue offices and speak to she-who shall-not-be-named Wintour?

Based on the NYMag's reports, however, it seems highly unlikely. The McKinsey guys have apparently addressed cost-cutting at other Conde titles (Glamour, New Yorker, Self), especially for the European fashion show circuit coming up. This would mean cheaper hotels, dinners and possibly non-chauffeured vehicles. Vogue, on the other hand, will continue as usual, with Anna's 10-person posse accompanying her to Europe. For a ten day jaunt, this comes out to approximately $250,000, or $25,000 per person.
We're not mathematicians by any means, but we highly doubt that coffee stirrers cost a quarter million. Hmm... so far, it looks like 1 for Vogue, 0 for McKinsey.

Photos pulled from fashioninsanity.com and amateurgourmet

Models and Marc mingle with Muppets



Can you tell us how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? 

The September issue of Harper's Bazaar may have the answer: Perez Hilton's new fashion blog, CocoPerez has photos of designer power-players like Diane Von Furstenburg, Derek Lam and Oscar de La Renta using their most iconic Fashion Week 09 looks on models....according to various Sesame Street characters.

Think Diane, twiggy model, and Big Bird....and Carolina Herrera hanging out with Elmo. 

Over at the Marc Jacobs office in Soho, Miss Piggy met with Marc to go over looks for Fashion Week; no word yet on whether she will be strutting
 across the ramp in a couple weeks, but we do know from People Mag that she will be wearing a little black number from Jacob's fall collection at Macy's Glamorama bash in Chicago tonight. Muppets = models of the future?



Photos pulled from People.com and cocoperez.com

Thursday, August 20, 2009

'Insert Coins Here' suddenly sounds sketchy...



All around most of Europe, there are these really nifty vending machines where you can get real food (pizza, sandwiches, salads etc)- not just a pack of Cheetos or a Coke. Plenty of American tourists go bonkers over these machines and usually take an unnecessarily high number of photos of them too, to show off to their less-travelled friends.




Now, America has officially beat Europe. The Standard Hotel's L.A. location has partnered with Quiksilver and has just installed the first ever boardshort/bikini vending machine.
That's right folks. The "Oops, I didn't bring my suit" excuse won't work anymore on red velvet cupcake gorging days. Now you can always drop some cash at the machine and pick up a suit- the bikinis come in plain black, but the boardshorts are available in 4 different designs, including polka dots and stars.

As of now, The Standard in NYC does not have a pool, but word on the street is that a pool is in the works for the future. A swimsuit vending machine in the Meatpacking District.....we have no words.


Photos pulled from prettygadgets.com and guestofaguest.com

The Best of Red Velvet


We can't help ourselves. Just the plain sight of red velvet cupcakes makes us want to hail a cab over to a cupcake store- ANY cupcake store in the city. But in case you are slightly pickier than us, BlackBook Mag has provided a list of Top Ten Bakeries with red velvet cupcakes.

The list contains vegan bakeries like Babycakes and Atlas Cafe & Bakery, Solomon's Porch in Brooklyn South, and the usual contenders, like Crumbs, Sugarsweet Sunshine, and Billy's.

BBMag doesn't exactly explain why these particular bakeries should be in the top 10 (is the cream cheese frosting creamier than others? are the sprinkles prettier?) but it does have a shortlist of reasons why people would want to visit that particular bakery in the first place. Hey, so long as red velvet is revered as a specialty, we're not going to complain.

Jetting back to reality


Earlier this month, JetBlue Airways came out with the "All You Can Jet" Pass- a pretty stellar deal from September 8- October 8, where for $599, you could fly to any one of JetBlue's 56 destinations. JetBlue was pleasantly surprised at all the publicity it received after the promotion was announced, as was the entire airline industry.

However, JetBlue was flooded with calls and requests in the span of one week, so it has now officially declared that the offer has been sold out.


If you were lucky enough to snag one of the passes, be sure to make use of it well...Aruba and Cancun are just a few of the tempting possibilities!

Hilarity from the Finance World


Do you ever wonder: what do those finance guys really do all day besides stare at Excel? Well at this very moment, an analyst (late 20's) at an unnamed hedge fund on Park Avenue is gorging himself with junk food for sport, in an attempt to break the record for an earlier gorger/intern over in Citi's London office.
He has 9 hours to eat 40 items, which include Snickers, Butterfinger, Trail's Best Double Salami, Cheez-its, and chedder fries. If our hedge funder succeeds, he would have engorged 9030 calories, 422 grams of fat, and 566 grams of sugar.

sidenote: It should be noted that many of the items on the list have been expired for 1-2 months.

5:46 pm Update: 31 items down, 9 items left to be eaten

8:00 pm Update: 35 items down, 5 to go- Threw in the towel

Ah. Good to know that the guys whose jobs it is to take care of people's money are spending their time so wisely.

Photo pulled from Dealbreaker.com


Wine at Whole Foods Uptown


Trader Joe's isn't the only market with an extensive wine shoppe conveniently next door to its market anymore. Today, Whole Foods is opening its wine store, Wine at Whole Foods, on 98th and Columbus, where it will also be planting its roots next week with its latest supermarket addition. 

Wine at Whole Foods will carry about 1,000 different wines and specialize in wines from New York State. Here's to hoping that Whole Foods channels some of Joe's amazing $5 bottle prices- cheers!


Photo pulled from Racked.com

'The September Issue' Premiere at the MOMA


Last night, everyone who was anyone was filing into the Museum of Modern Art to see the long-awaited uncensored look behind Vogue- RJ Cutler's documentary, The September Issue. Finally, the world may be able to see if The Devil who wears Prada* does indeed have horns and a tail. But seriously, everyone was at this event- from Zac Posen and Vera Weng to Diddy and Donald...and many, many more. We're excited to hear more tidbits about the actual film (do any of the Vogue staffers actually eat?!) and will keep you posted.

The movie is being released to the common folk on August 28 in NYC and later dates for other 'lower caste' cities like L.A. etc. Kidding re: caste. Sort of.

*It turns out Anna really WAS wearing Prada last night. (Photo above is the Prada print dress)

Photo pulled from Jezebel.com

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Instead, take your friends and family here


After polling a panel of self-proclaimed Manhattanites, BlackBook Mag has come out with a list of alternatives to the traditional tourist-infested places people end up at in this city. Each year, thousands of tourists from Wyoming to Beijing pour into New York City, and it seems as though all of them end up in the same god-awful attractions. It's fine to want to visit a park, have a drink at a renowned bar, or take photos in front of monuments- but this handy agenda lists alternatives to the traditional tourist traps that most end up in!


Downtown Park Experience
Overrated- Union Square
Underrated- Madison Square Park

Luxe Manhattan Boozing Spot
Overrated- Hudson Bar at the Hudson Hotel
Underrated- Jade Bar and Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel

Romantic Central Park Date
Overrated- Horse-buggy rides
Underrated- Rowboats at the Central Park Lake **
**definitely did not know those even existed!

Although we're all for dispersing tourists throughout the city rather than keeping them clustered, we also can't help but be a little protective of some of these spots. Fanny-packs and visors at Rose Bar? Yikes..


Photo pulled from globalgiants.com

Blueprint 3: Guest Central



Our favorite resident hip-hop genius Jay-Z has unveiled the tracklist for his newest album, Blueprint 3, which will be released next month.  Guest artists include Rihanna (surprise, surprise), Kanye, Young Jeezy, Drake, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz, Kid Cudi, Mr. Hudson, and J.Cole. 

Although it looks like there may be lot's of 'featuring' going on, leaked evidence proves that H to the Izzo V to the Izz A is still on top of his game. 

Complete tracklist here:
1. "What We Talkin' About" (feat. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun)
2. "Thank You"
3. "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
4. "Run This Town" (feat. Rihanna and Kanye West)
5. "Empire State of Mind" (feat. Alicia Keys)
6. "As It Gets" (feat. Young Jeezy)
7. "One" (feat. Swizz Beatz)
8. "Off That" (feat. Drake)
9. "A Star Is Born" (feat. J. Cole)
10. "Venus vs. Mars"
11. "Already Home" (feat. Kid Cudi)
12. "Hate" (feat. Kanye West)
13. "Reminder"
14. "So Ambitious" (feat. Pharrell)
15. "Young Forever" (feat. Mr. Hudson)


Photo pulled from Str8nyc.com

Not surprising, since it's supposed to take place in the 60's..


Whether you are a Mad Men fan or not, unless you lived under a rock this past week, you probably were well aware that the critically acclaimed AMC show just kicked off its third season on Sunday night.

A ton of publicity swirled around the first episode, as producers and the cast remained exceptionally tight-lipped about what is going to be unravelling this season.

But that didn't stop iTunes from making a boo-boo. A glitch in the system briefly allowed subscribers of the show to download the third episode of the show, and some fans have let the cat out of the bag.

One sentence that sums it all up: "I'm Peggy Olson and I want to smoke marijuana"

Yes, this is verbatim from the episode. Now, we only wish we could send Nancy from Weeds back in time (and switch channels from Showtime to AMC) to supply Peggy's needs.




Michael Kors bag > iPhone


Late last night, someone distracted the security guard at the Apple store on Prince St. before robbing the Michael Kors store next door and stealing $13,000 worth of bags and sunglasses.

Although we're all for getting new accessories for the fall season, perhaps stealing from Apple would have been slightly more fruitful?  







Photos pulled from Michael Kors, Apple

This Sunday, Vogue meets Miss Universe



When one thinks of Vogue, what comes to mind?

Glorious clothes, designers like Missoni and YSL, and upper-crust socialites perhaps?

When one thinks of Miss Universe, what comes to mind?

Sparkling, spray-tanned bodies, hair spray galore, and lots of girls who want 'world peace' perhaps?
We are told by NYMag that this Sunday night, we will see these two worlds collide, as
Andre Leon Talley, Vogue's Editor-at- Large will judge the pageant, held at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

Let's take a moment and think about what this could mean for Vogue. Will Andre be so inspired by the pageant that we see Vegas-type sequined dresses on the giraffe-legged models in the next issue? Or will Miss Universe take a few cues from the mag, and require all the contestants to don couture?

Perhaps the latter could happen....but the former? We'd like to see Anna's reaction to that one.

Photos pulled from Counterfeit Chic and Pageantry Magazine

Simply Gorgeous on Greene Street


This young lady's outfit is so refreshing to see, and reestablishes my belief that our city is truly the fashion capital. Even in the sweltering summer heat, she manages to avoid flip flops and denim cut-offs or even worse, those awful Sofe shorts. 

She looks fabulous and just about sums up summer in Soho, don't you agree?


Photo pulled from The Sartorialist

Britney forgets to wear clothes on Letterman



If you didn't watch David Letterman last night, you missed Britney looking like 1999. A newly slender Spears stripped down to a string bikini and recited the "Top 10 Ways the Country Would be Different if Britney Spears were President". And although it was intended to be funny, it seems as though Letterman's writers and producers were a little more concerned with her appearance-she even had a flower tucked behind her ear.  Me thinks they were going for the classy but not trashy look!


Photo pulled from the DailyBeast



R.I.P. Le Royale


DBTH reports that this past Saturday was Le Royale's final night under current management. After more than a year and a half of steady visits by great DJs every weeknight and weekend, hipsters and trendsters who enjoyed shimmying to the hot beats spun at Le Royale in the West Village will have to find new pastures to rock the plaid and skinny jeans. 




Hollister: where the music deafens and the hotness blinds



In more Abercombie news that definitely relates to yesterday's,  Times Styles Section journalist Mike Albo does a fantastic job describing the
 new Hollister flagship store in Soho, which according to him,  "kind of looks like that scary Deutsche Bank building at ground zero."  

He confirms everything we already know about Hollister/A&F- the store is like a bat cave, with loud, pounding clubby-pop music to drown out your own thoughts. Scarily good-looking models prance around the store, giving you more attention than you ever got from these kinds of guys back in high school. But of course, here they are hired to be nice to you. And the entire place smells like "Jolly Ranchers being breathed on my face by Hayden Panettiere. "

Highlight of the article:  Re: CEO Michael Jeffries-"If Mr. Jeffries was appointed as White House P.R. director, not only would people all support the Obama health care plan, they would proudly carry it around in a bag covered with homoerotic frat-boy imagery."


Photo pulled from graphicshunt.com


Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Cupcakes = the reason for NYC's garbage issues



Apparently, Magnolia Bakery's ridiculous lines at all hours is not the only disturbance at its Bleecker Street location.  It was reported last week that discarded cupcake wrappers, boxes, used forks and napkins were strewn across the park near the store. However, the company's president Bobbie Llyod reassured Fork in The Road that the bakery is well aware of the problem and is trying its best to ensure it doesn't happen. He also insinuated that most of the mess may be caused by tourists who "might not grasp that this is a neighborhood where people live, not Disneyland". 

In more interesting news, Magnolia is preparing to open its newest store in the Grand Central location. Bobbie said it may be the last expansion in New York. Hmm....didn't Walt Disney say the same thing about Disneyland?