From the dark and stormy folds of the mind of Alexander McQueen, to the bright and glorious sun of his vision, the current retrospective at the Met is bar none, one of the most overwhelming exhibits that this writer has ever seen. Not just visual, but aural, the process envelops the participant in an experience. Sensory perception required.
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New Amsterdam Market
New thing for a Sunday treat: walking breakfast/brunch at the New Amsterdam Market, under the overpass at Peck’s slip. Just a few blocks away from the first ever market in New York (founded in 1642), this year-old Sundays’-only marketplace brings a European feel to old New York.
The vendors range from produce, organic, and specialty, to candy, with samples of everything everywhere. Try the bread, try the pies, have some cheese, taste the lobster. Go for a coffee, and take a breath. Local talent from local farms and small producers bring you an unusual and must-see/experience marketplace. With the broad expanse of the Brooklyn Bridge as the landmark vista, and the cobblestones of lower Manhattan underfoot, the Sunday walk -through -the -market may just become the new way to see New York City. With the kids, with the dog, with the bike. Bring bags, because you’ll want to take home one of everything. And this market is indeed trying to be a slow-food, organic, farmer-friendly kind of place.The selection changes on a weekly basis-who knew there were so many varieties of independants all within a reasonable distance from our doors? Should you crave pickles: got ‘em. Kimchi? Yep. Duck bacon: uh-huh. And the chutney girl is just next to the duck farm stand, so load up for those folks at home. What a better souvenir of NYC than a treat from our local produce, done up into a nice little package, for those foodies on your list. Nix the t-shirts, and grab a jar of jam. Strolling needs a plan, so let your eyes feast first, and double back for samples. Maybe a codfish pie? A cookie?
The Easter Parade in New York City
The only place for fashion and people watchers in New York City this coming Sunday is on Fifth Avenue for The Easter Parade.
Don’t run to your local CVS and get a box of peeps to decorate a hat for Easter Sunday. Don’t grab that glue gun and cover a bonnet in jellybeans. And don’t think the only way to have fun on Easter Sunday is by wearing a skyscraper stuck on your head.
Shellac, the Latest Trend in Manicures
In New York City, if you want to live long enough to tell the tale, you delegate. In my case, it comes down to this: find the experts, and let them handle it. I do my job, you do yours. It works. So with a nail salon, where the manicurists know what they’re doing, it’s easier if I just let them do their thing, and not intervene. It gives me more time to tweet. Or listen to my neighbor’s conversation on her phone.
NYC Fashion Week Runway Looks: Hats of Fall 2011
Trend no longer, hats have hit their stride as a major necessity in our wardrobes. At Fashion Week, there was not the proclivity to slap anything on the model’s heads, but throughout a panoply of shows, stand-outs took the limelight. Hats have it in the accessory field, now and forever.
Ellen Christine at the Met Opera Feb. 14
THE MET OPERA SHOP PRESENTS THE ‘DIVA COLLECTION’
DESIGNED BY ELLEN CHRISTINE MILLINERY
Exclusive Preview and Moët & Chandon Champagne Reception on Valentine’s Day
Pratt’s Paper Dolls
Most of us learned how to make paper doilies at some point in our early childhood. Take a piece of paper: fold it in quarters, cut it this way and that, open it up, and like magic: a thing of beauty. At least to the eyes of a 6 year old. Take that same piece of paper, think on the Zen side of things, and fold, fold, fold. What little bird, or phantasmajorical animal emerges, comes from the art of origami. Paper pleases. Paper gives us tactile reality, and transforms children of all ages into artists-in-making.
The Winter Antiques Show in New York City
It’s almost set in stone: the ticket for opening night of The Winter Antiques Show at The Park Avenue Armory in NYC should come with snow boots and fur coats. The powerhouse names of New York society convene every year, come rain, snow, or lack of towncars at the Armory January 20th for the preview and party for buyers, collectors, dealers, and yes, celebs. With over 74 prestigious antique dealers from all over the globe, the Winter Antiques Show is the height of where it’s at in this haute world. And for the opening night party, high fashion is in order.
Roberto Alagna’s Shoes; An Interview at the Met
Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera House, Roberto Alagna has just finished with one of his many extemporare appearances: signing DVDs of Carmen in the Met Opera Shop. It’s mid-afternoon, and the remarkable singer gives this reporter a moment of his time. We’ve included his lyric pattern of speech, because in English, it flows more so with the original wording and phraseology.