Friday at the MET

I think the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC) would be on my top ten list of places I like to be. It's an art feast and I am eating it up! Often, especially on cold, winter (even though it's March) days, I want to ditch New York and go back to Cali. But a half day looking at what mere humans are able to create, is incredibly satisfying, inspiring and uplifting.  I leave the MET saying, I love New York and I'm not even in a Woody Allen film.   

James Tissot, The Shop Girl

Today I saw Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity.  The name alone tells you why I wanted to go!  It was a fabulous collection of mostly full body portraits by celebrated impressionist. Many of the painting were from the d'Orsay, so it felt like a museum visit in Paris. 

There was mention that the impressionists were enamored of their own era. Thereby paining, what we would call today, lifestyle pictures, paintings rich in detail and expression of everyday life. A curious thought. Am I enamored of the era I'm living in?  Perhaps I am, yes and no... 

Tissot's works were my favorite.  Surprising, because he was the least impressionistic. 

A silly take away; I need more stripes in my wardrobe! 

  

My girlfriend and I followed up our pretend Paris visit with paninis and Champaign at Sant Ambroeus.  I had an answer to my earlier musing... Yes, at this place, I am enamored with my own era!  The impressionists would have captured a buzzing, delicious, sophisticated, fashionable moment in my very own time!   

Summer in the Showroom

Hi There,

I thought I'd show you some terrific dresses from Carlisle / per se's summer collection.  This season my clients will receive $200 off on a purchase of three or more pieces.  I'm always interested in having groups of women up to the showroom to see what kind of spectacular service we provide and to taste how much fun shopping privately with friends can be. If you'd like to collaborate on a small event, please get in touch with me–wine, mimosas, appetizers and fashion–could be fun!

Now for some dresses–easy, breezy–one piece + jewelry = your done, dressed and fab!


Wrap it up!

Sassy!

Grrr!

A Little Audry

My Favorite!

Can you hear the drum beat?!

Swish!

Easter Parade!

Part Two: Peace Pups Dogsledding


It was time to scooter and Tom was going first...

A word about the dog’s need to run: Ken explained that Siberian Huskies are northern transport dogs originally bread to pull sleds and have adapted to extremely cold temperatures. Their recall in not good. If they take off, they may not come back, “This is probably not the dog you’d want to have for a pet and leave the door open.” said Ken. All well and good, but this made me think that maybe we’d loose Tom and the dog and they’d both be hunting for food in the wilderness of Vermont in their own rendition of “Into the Wild.”

During our test drive of the scooters, we could tell that they were very sturdy and easy to handle (comforting). Ken rigged a dog to Tom’s scooter and to his and they were absolutely raring to go! At the same time, the other dogs went crazy barking and caring on; clearly they wanted to go too! Eager to take off, the dogs obeyed Ken’s command and off they went! As they scooted through a big open field, Tom looked liked he was perfectly at ease, sort of like taking his scooter to the commuter train each morning, but with a dog pulling!

Next it was Isabella’s and then my turn. We agreed that the scariest or most challenging part of dog scootering is the moment before the dog takes off. Managing the dog’s need for speed, its direction and actual pulling was easy enough and if you could relax into it, it was great fun. It was the getting ready to go that psyched us out a bit.

The carting is really cool too. Mainly because you can sit back and let Ken handle the dogs, no performance pressure! I was amazed at how far in front of the cart the dogs extend. The kids had only five dogs pulling and yet they seemed to be on a line extending at least eight yards ahead. Imagine those big time mushers with 16 dogs pulling the sled! The whole affair would be about a city block long!

This was indeed a once in a lifetime experience. Being around that many Huskies, learning about their habits and nature, seeing Ken’s expertise in handling the dogs and the gear, and finally having the dogs actually “transport” you, was really something special. Another great thing to do in Stowe, “on the shoulder.”


Dogsledding by Scooter and Cart!


For us Ken Haggett fit the description of the typical Vermonter. Tom told the kids over dinner the first night of our Stowe vacation that Vermont, “Prides itself on local stuff. It’s the land of the granolas–Birkenstocks seen here.” Every place has its stereotype and I was curious to see if this one would ring true. Ken was the closest we’d come. Not because of granola or Birkenstocks, but because he obviously had a passion for nature–you might call him a (Stowe) mountain man… He is the owner and operator of Peace Pups Dogsledding. With over 20 Siberian Huskies (they live in custom “doggie condos” on his property) for sledding, scootering and skijoring (that’s Nordic skiing with dog pulling), Ken offers an out of the ordinary outdoor adventure. Certainly, one my family had never been on!

Explaining why he started Peace Pups, Ken said, “The whole reason I got into this is to spend time with the dogs. Friends ask, ‘Are you going to get out and have any fun?’ Most runs are fun because I spend time with people and I’m out enjoying the dogs.”

The dogs are transported on the flatbed of Ken’s truck in custom crafted wood cages, worthy of furniture. He brought 20 Huskies for our scooter outing. Their beautiful white faces curiously watched the goings on of Ken and my family preparing for “the ride.” Meanwhile they were barking LOUDLY at other dogs passing by. Their cacophony of barking, and howling increased our adrenalin as the impending scooter ride drew nearer. In fact I was getting so nervous I considered not doing it and my 10 year old was getting darn right scared. Ken’s rule is that you must be at lease 12 to dog scooter. But younger kids can ride in the, fitted for dog mushing, carts.

It was time to scooter and Tom was going first.

(Now there's a cliff hanger...Mush On to my next post for the rest!)

Stowe on the Shoulder

Jasmine Bigelow from the Stowe Vermont Area Association warned me that if we came to Stowe in early April we would, dare she say it, be visiting in Mud Season. Mud or not, we wanted to check out spring skiing on the East Coast and to see what this resort town had to offer a family of four. Jasmine assured us that with proper planning, Stowe was a year-round vacation location that could offer some cool stuff for my sometimes-hard-to-please tweeners and husband.

We stayed at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa. The townhouse suite we checked into was perfect, luxurious in fact, with plenty of room for the kids and us. This two bedroom, two story “attached home” was decorated in gold, tan and brown hues, rich fabrics, granite counter tops, marble tiles–really nice design choices. Big fluffy beds, flip a dial fireplaces and flat screens TV’s, produced a krumping* dance from my daughter, a loud banshee scream from my son and meaningful sighs from Tom and me. We really liked our new ski home…

Could we just live here and forget about going back to New York?

Besides the great digs, Stoweflake, the resort, has a lot to do. And during “shoulder season” it works! Here’s some choices for a wet, rainy, icky day (We had two!).

• Spa–a great option for adults (worthy of it’s own blog post, which will come later).

• Indoor pool, outdoor Jacuzzi and gym–my son was in the pool every day. The indoor pool, itself, isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but my 10-year-old loved it! And there is a heated out door pool as well, which has more limited hours but would be a nice diversion with proper planning and weather permitting.

• Racquetball court–this turned out to be a terrific time for Husband and Son who have no idea what they are doing on the court, but were entirely amused anyhow.

• Yoga and fitness classes

• Interesting stores just across the street (again, another blog post).

• “Homemade” cookies and coffee in the afternoon, perfect for “a sit down and read” by the fire.

So this is the beginning of several blog post I plan to do on Stowe followed by a full-length article for GoNOMAD.com. Do check back to hear more about our adventure “on the shoulder” at Stowe. I have a feeling you’ll want to visit too–any time will do!

*Krumping (for daughter, Isabella) is a crazy, hip, arm, gyrating dance done in second position plea.

Style Tour, Mulberry then Mott



We had three more stops to make on the Style Tour.

debut is a gallery like boutique designed to showcase fashion designers as artists. Curated by owner, Lisa Weiss, debut, feels like you've stepped into an art gallery in the West 20's. It was fun for the group to consider fashion as art. The pieces were more "project runway" than anything else we encountered on the Tour, a bit too artistic (and irreverent) for most of us, but there was an abstract print dress there that I'm still thinking about. By the way, abstract prints, on dresses and shirts where all over the fall runways.

Rebecca Taylor–always a favorite of mine. Welcoming store manager, China, helped the ladies try on several blouses, jackets and pants. The store felt like the day– sunny, fresh, relaxing and cheerful. Taylor was a designer I pulled from often when styling photo shoots for advertising and music industry jobs. Her stuff is eye-catching, wearable and surprisingly comfortable. Her dresses are classic/feminine with a hint of "high fashion." I like it all and several things looked great on the gals.

Lolita Jaca–If you need a little St Barth in your life dip into this store. The seven of us barely fit in this tiny island of a store, but that was the fun of it! They were having an awesome sale (besides extending a special discount to our little group). I couldn't resist a better-than-Pucci print blouse, that I'm just dying to break out for just the right occasion (after that I'll wear it a lot and whenever). If you love colorful prints, simple linen dresses and want to dream of an island vacation, go to this store!

Promise Land, Really?

AT 429 Cranberry Hole Road in Amagansett, New York there is the Fish Farm, officially it's called Multi Aquaculture Systems. This place is the site of what was once known as the "promise land." We went there to poke around the farm, look at fish and peek into The Hamptons past.


According to Marie Valenti pictured above, the area was called the promise land because of the "promise" of employment after WWII. This part of
Long Island hosted a number of
government work projects providing employment as well as several fish factories. One still stands on the site. Extinct railroad tracks lead directly to it.

Apparently the Manhaden fish, the factory's harvest, which was so plentiful in the 40's was just about fished to extension. The Factory closed in 1955, but its rusty carcass still stands, giving visitors a picture of industry in the folds of seaside environs.



What's interesting about this fish factory is both the setting, a locations scout's cannery row, and its store
which has wares from Provence! I know, what does Provence pottery and pickles have to do with a fish farm? Why ask why? But I did, and the story is that a woman from Paris has gone into partnership with the purveyor's of the fish farm and they've opened this totally cool little French fish shop. The farm also has an extensive takeout menu including every manner of seafood (ever heard of clam bellies?), key lime tarts and chocolate souffle. You can eat there at outdoor tables overlooking the bay or to take it with you. Lobster rolls oceanside–a truly perfect (and stylish) combination.


As for the fish tanks, well they seemed really dark, dank, dingy and algae ridden. The fish probably are happy, or at least they don't know any better. I've no experience with fish farm culture, so I really can't comment. It was just really curious to me.

What to Pack, Hamptons

I recently was hired to help one of my clients pack for Rome. We had a great time delving into her closet in search of just the right pieces to use to create several outfits that would be perfect for her Roman Holiday. As with any client, I took pictures of the outfits and created a Style Guide for her. I normally don't go to quite so much trouble for myself, but before going to the Hamptons I decided to take some picture so I could illustrate this process on my blog.

It all started with a favorite accessory that reminds me of the beach. It's a vintage necklace made of shells that has a breezy color combination, which reminds me of spring...
Using this as inspiration, I put together several outfits. I knew I'd need comfortable touring clothes as well as a dinner outfit or two. It wasn't going to be too warm so I'd need some cashmere and layers–camisoles were in order. I absolutely needed comfortable shoes and I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard so I was going for casual, but nice with a touch of wealth (and I don't mean money, I guess I mean class, but I don't like that word).
Below is what went in the bag...




Bridgehampton



At my sons baseball game yesterday a fellow mom asked me about my spring break vacation. I told her we were in the Hamptons and she asked me which Hampton I would recommend she go to with her family to relax and hangout. Without hesitation, I said Bridgehampton. First off, it seemed really manageable, a little stretch of interesting shops and classic restaurants right on Montauk Hwy.

Two places in particular captured our attention. Marders on Snake Hollow Road and Maison 24. Marders' address alone describes this enchanting gardener's paradise. The structure is an old
tobacco barn moved to the site years ago. The grounds are extensive and beautiful. Even if gardening isn't your thing, you can't help but appreciate the abundance of cool/useful/romantic stuff at this store!

Maison 24 has captured an unexpected niche out here.
Antique stores,and traditional interiors seem to dominate domain stores in the Hamptons and Maison 24 is groovy down. It reminded us of our good friends Brigitte and Andre
of flowmoderndesign in LA. An unexpected and welcome surprise in the Hamptons, Maison 24 was also fun for the kids to poke around in and the owners were open and friendly.

Feed The Budgies...



Several tiny pricks coupled with a weightless vibration for a split second, on the tip of your fingers... It's a budgie and he's eating from your hand. Go to Morton National Wildlife Refuge off Noyack road in Sag Harbor. Be sure to get bird seed at Crommers Market to feed the budgies. The hike to the beach is a visual salad of grasses, sand, sea, sticks and trees. It's beautiful, a real nature moment, one I'll always remember.

James, our the mussel man, tried mussels at almost every restaurant we went to. He gave, Dockside Bar & Grill in Sag Harbor, a second place to Bobby Van's of Bridgehampton who won the mollusk contest. Dockside has a groovy/cool wharf vibe, that I thought was very stylish.
Bobby Van's, well, for those prices, you better taste and feel like you're a guest at the Hampton Classic. We liked it but be prepared, there is a lot of swagger, seeing and being
seen.

Signs of the day...


Bohemia in the Hamptons

Thursday's agenda had us feeding ducks and swans at East Hampton's, Duck Pond just off of David's Lane. I've never seen a swan run across the water and hydroplane to a landing. It mimics jet propulsion and landing to a tee. We delighted in this activity and it's free! There is bionafied knight buried in the neighboring graveyard. You can't miss his elaborate resting place, a must see for romantics of all ages.



Next stop was Srings General Store. Here, Jackson Pollock traded one of his paintings for food. We ordered up some fancy deli sandwiches and picnicked in the field next to the store. Be sure to walk down to the water just behind the picnic area. You'll capture a beautiful water-color view.




Pollock-Krasner House is just up the road from the Spring store and we did a quick photo op there. Later in the year there are tours of the house and barn where Pollock "splattered" his masterpieces.





After lunch we headed for Louse Point. I think Susan explained this sliver of land best, "The Atlantic Sea collides with the Long Island Sound and gives a wild home to Black Cormants, Box Turtles, Sea Plovers, Osprey and more. Not many people know about Louse Point and it almost feels like a throw-back to the Florida Keys."

Hamptons Bound, Off Season


Armed with a list of activities, pit stops, and restaurant to try, we have ventured fourth Out East to Eastern Long Island, NY– East Hampton, if we want to sound tony, Wainscott, if we want to be very specific about which Hampton and sound local, which we do. For the next couple days I'll be postings some photos primarily by my photographer/designer husband, Thomas Bricker, that will give you some ideas about interesting things to do in The Hamptons when you can actually get accommodations and pay an off season rate.

Before I get started, I've got to give credit where credit is do. This insider's list comes from Susan Slover and Rosemary Kuropat of the design firm, Slover and Company. Not only does Slover and Co. sign my husband's paychecks, it is also a funnel for his exceptional creative talent and watering hole to gifted designers and savvy clients alike. Our friends Susan and Rosemary have offered us the comfort of their Wainscott home, a swank shelter artfully decorated and personally adorned with still lifes in every direction. And it is their LIST!


Southampton, The Parish Art Museum. Small museum,
small time commitment.
Be sure to check out the Roman Emperors in the garden and crown one of your own.


The Southamton Historical Museum, a half block from the Parish, this museum is a window through time into Southamton's yesteryear.
Stroll by chic, simple shops and spots flanking the museum in almost every direction.

Inside museum photos to follow...



Mad Bomber, Much Admired

Yesterday we went skiing at Jiminy Peak. The last time I skied was on a press trip hosted by Ski Utah. It was an all girls trip and we covered three different Utah resorts. Check out my story at Gonomad.com. Naturally, I wasn't expecting much from this Berkshire Mountain compared to the Rockies. I was pleasantly surprised.

Jiminy Peak's base services, layout, friendly instructors, and ski techs, made the gearing up processes almost okay. Speaking of gearing up, skiing is one of those sports where you really wish you had a Sherpa. You're haling so much gear and expending so much effort for snippets of joy and exhilaration. Especially if you are a beginner–the case with my family and many of the friends in our group. The post skiing conversations of spills, chills and trills, reminded me of beginning the sport and why I love it so much now.
The day also gave me and my daughter a chance to break out our Mad Bomber hats. The original Mad Bomber, Brent Reynolds, is a friend of mine from college. Back in the day, Brent made several trips to China where he would fill suitcases with interesting jewelry, trinkets and hats. He would then sell his wares to kids on campus–mostly pretty sorority girls. Finally, he honed in on the hats and created the Mad Bomber company. He was, and still is, pretty much of a nut for skiing and adventure, but with excellent business sense and cultural savvy to boot. The hats are perfect for skiing and they are also stylish head gear for winter travel, city jaunts or suburban kid pick-ups. They always make me smile when I put one on.