The retail space in question.

Some weeks ago, I got excited that a new store was finally going to open in a cavernous vacant retail space on Greenpoint Avenue. And then I got worried. Oh no, what if it is a West Elm? I don't mind West Elm. But not in my neighborhood. I want to keep my neighborhood chain-less. It's not exactly chain-less. We have a *$&@bucks. But perhaps we will luck out and our *$&@bucks will be one of the 600 to be shut down. Well, one can hope.

But back to the retail space in question. I have a suspicion that the fashion designer on Lipstick Jungle will open her own retail store this season. Walking home from the super-fab event I attended earlier last week, I spied the window decals bearing the name Victory Ford in a boxy semaphore-like font. Perhaps her store will be set on Cape Cod or the Hamptons. Or the West Village. Just know this. Victory Ford's fabulous store is acutally on Greenpoint Avenue in Greenpoint, a few doors upwind from a very aromatic chicken slaughtering plant. Oh well. Sorry to debunk your fashion fantasies.

My first sneak-peak at the Victory Ford store, Monday evening, August 18, 2008

The Lipstick Jungle shoot the next morning after my discovery.


The Victory Ford semaphore font changed color from the previous night. How?
They even built planters and trellises, which look very West Village.


In the light blue shirt with headphones around his neck, Andrew McCarthy,
perhaps ,making is directorial debut for this episode.

You have to see this ring. It is too amazing not to see.

At a super-fab event I attended earlier last week, I spied Spry, a notable NYC fashion stylist, wearing this super-fab ring, custom-designed for him by Melody Burns for Kiini Ibura Jewelry. The stone: agate. The metal: Brass dipped in gold. The visual impact of a ring that is larger than one's hand? Pretty incredible.

Why "untraceable" I am not sure. But I rather like this Untracable Leather Tote. It caught my eye in the window at Nine West near Grand Central. The inside of the bag is nice too. I checked it out. I hate to say it, but because Nine West is notorious for putting things immediately on sale, I am going to wait this bag out, price-wise. I like the tan. It comes in a dark brown and black as well.

My meditative Garment District Zen garden took a turn for the weird this week. Having seen two plays by Samuel Beckett this year at BAM -- Happy Days where Winnie is buried up to her waist in a post apocalyptic landscape,** and Endgame where Hamm's parents, Nagg and Nell, spend the duration of the play in metal trash cans, with only their heads visible on occasion -- I could not help but imagine these workers being trapped for all eternity in the planters...

I thought they said there would be trees, but I guess they decided to take the planters in this new direction.





*Or my alternate title: when 'Be Here Now!' turns into 'What's the Point?' it's probably time to just give up.
**or perhaps it was somewhere in Arizona, I am not sure.

Can anyone identify the person in the Atari shirt?
Standing next to him is John Zorn!

John Zorn! We saw him last night talking with another no doubt notable avant garde musician at the free outdoor concert at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park last night. And then suddenly everyone looked famous and everyone looked like Marcus Samuelsson. It was an amazing three and a half hour concert featuring The Ex, Getatchew Mekurya, Ethiopian singing legends, Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete, and Kenyan and American cooperative, Extra Golden. Really and truly a treat.

In the beginning, there was whole milk. But now, at Tafu, a Japanese tea cafe on 51st and Lex, there are options. Much to my delight, you can get your Matcha Iced Latte custom made-to-order. My preferred mix: matcha with skim milk and a much reduced amount of sugar to preserve that extra-chalky matcha deliciousness.



Tafu
Double Tree Metropolitan Hotel
569 Lexington Ave (entrance on 51st St)
New York
212.980.1310

[page print from fashionista]

I had an insider fashion tip today from my friend Megan, who is up-to-the-moment on everything masstige: check out Comme des Garcon's new collection for H&M via Fashionista. Megan likes the first blazer, but the rest, not so much.

Twill Dress and Georgette Blouse by Tulle
on dalaganyc

How great is this photo on Dalaga's new Website? And by the way, how great is Dalaga's new Website and Blog? I am adding both to my shopping links and blogroll right now. I am very flattered to be credited in writing their About Us. Thanks so much for the link Michelle and Bob! I loved writing that piece and interviewing Michelle. Her story is quite inspiring.

La Baguette Cafe on 40th & Broadway turns it out
with an awning and eco-friendly hanging bulbs. How could you eat anywhere else?

I confess to having Olympic fever. Yesterday I ate three breakfasts. When I heard the news about Michael Phelps and his three egg sandwiches, I felt somehow inspired. Now there was a training regime I could get behind. And it was my day to go to the pool. Perfect.

My first breakfast was at home, a modest one. A half a piece of multi-grain bread, toasted with peanut butter, and a small iced coffee. My second was in transit, a cheese muffin and iced coffee from Le Pain Quotidien. They now know my order, so I can't very well let her down and not get the cheese muffin. My third, a two-egg sandwich, no cheese, from the Halal cart* on 40th and Broadway* for only $1.50 by the way, but today he indicated that I was getting a special price.

I got to the pool at 6:30pm. I thought I had packed my full-body high-tech Speedo suit with the stars all over it, but I opened my bag to find my light blue flowered one instead. With the ineffectual suit, my time for the 200 meter Free was 4:15. Michael Phelps' time: 1:42.96. I don't know what conclusions I can draw from this. Other than I should probably eat more egg sandwiches.


*a different Halal cart from my falafel guy on 39th and Broadway, but I imagine they know each other for some reason.

Can you believe that Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories per day? For breakfast alone, for example, he eats three egg-and-cheese sandwiches, a five-egg omelet, grits, french toast with powdered sugar, and chocolate chip pancakes. Why doesn't he eat one big egg-and-cheese sandwich I wonder. Maybe they don't have access to hoagie rolls. Now I want an egg sandwich.

provided by: www.glittertools.com

If this works the way I think it works, you can enter text and convert it to a neon font with this widget. I'll have to do a little figuring to get this to work.

provided by: www.glittertools.com

Okay, I figured it out. You have to go to this link to enter text, play with backgrounds, control glow, blink speed and size. Pretty neat. If you want the full interactive tool on your blog, you have to pay. Otherwise, display your results for free by copying the code, and make your font posters here. I would rate this one fairly fontastic.

08.08.08 is shaping up to be an exciting night. The opening ceremonies for the new Alter women's boutique right across the street from their original store in Greenpoint, and the opening ceremonies for that other worldwide event.* What was it again?

The word on the street: the original Alter at 190 Franklin will convert to the mens store, and the new Alter at 140 Franklin, right next door to the Pencil Factory, will be the womens store. Owners Roy and Tommy are master store designers, so I am eager to see the new space.



*Confidentially, I am also pretty excited to see the fireworks display created by artist Cai Guo-Qiang. Did you see his show at the Guggenheim? I can't wait.

It's true! Cafecito Bogota's arepa brunch is amazing.

The sandwich boards at Cafecito Bogota spoke, and we listened. Tune in tomorrow for a full Sunday Brunch report. Right now, I am too busy digesting. If you read this during brunch time, go! Eat! You will be so happy you tried this place.



Photographed in front of Cafecito Bogota at 1015 Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint. Sunday, August 3, 2008.