This summer, Kevin and I went to New York City, minus Alice for the first time in awhile. She had cousins, a suburban backyard complete with a swimming pool to keep her pre-occupied. From my brother's account, she ate like a horse (never happens), had a 2 1/2 hour afternoon nap (ditto) and was way too busy to miss us (sniff).
Still...to assuage my guilt for abandoning my only child, I was on the hunt for a pair of gold ballet shoes, at her request, all over the city in all the cool little kids' boutiques scattered around Manhattan. I gave up, headed to Macy's in midtown with an hour to spare before heading to the airport. Lo and behold...
Not gold, but these were a damn good find.
I'm afraid she acquired a taste for the bling a bit too early in life. The look on her face when I pulled these out was priceless.
Parental tip: if you need to keep your child pre-occupied during a car ride, these work like magic. When sunlight hits the jewel, your car roof becomes a disco.
New York City is known for its shopping. But in all honesty, I hate shopping there. It's overwhelming and either super pricey or super cheap. I like boutiques, for its edited versions of someone more knowledgeable than me, of what's cool. And if I wasn't so tired from looking at the gazillion products from the gift fair, I would love to roam the boutiques, especially in Brooklyn, where the vibe is more indy, than Park Avenue.
We had to settle for a stroll in the East Village, where we had lunch again at Cafe Habana. While we waited for a table I had a walk up the street to Steven Alan, where I coveted a great little swingy hooded wool coat. Then I ventured into Le Labo. For those of you unfamiliar with this parfumerie, it is the antithesis of what you would think a parfumerie would be. Think Commute Home meets Kiehl's.
The scents are not customized, but made on the spot for you, chosen from a small selection of edited scents. 
This is what I came home with: an atomizer of Neroli 36 labelled just for me.
With a hand-written card, encased in enviromentally-friendly packaging (I don't think it's intentional) that is so chic and cerebral at the same time.
Call me a cultural neanderthal - I have not seen one movie on that Oscars nominee list. One of these days Kevin and I will have to plan that date night...
However, the Oscars always peak my interest when it comes to the red carpet fashion. It was a sea of classic Hollywood glamour, and all the stars looked, well...lovely, but my favourite was Cate Blanchett. She was stunning in her beautiful Dries Van Noten (love him) gown in all her pre-natal splendor!
This is totally unrelated to the shop, but I am having a fashion moment. After Alice was born, I lost total interest in all things related to fashion and the fashion industry. A lot of clothes and high heels were stashed away, fashion magazines collected dust and eventually thrown away (i mean, recycled). But my love for well-designed anything remains.
There are a lot of celebrity-endorsed fashion lines out there, too many to keep count, really. But The Row by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen really peaked my interest when I came across this on one of my favourite blogs, The Hinter. I really don't know much about the celebrity sisters, other than their days on TV as toddlers. Somewhere in the fog of my becoming a mother and business-owner, the Olsen sisters became these Uber-celebrities and multi-billionaires. Maybe that is why I can appreciate the beauty of the line, without the bias of knowing much about their celebrity status.
I love the arty, sultriness of the video. And the clothes...I would kill for a wardrobe that versatile and effortless. I would have to pass on those patent leggings, but the simplicity of the clothes, the drama of the accessories (drool...shoes...) are so well done. You can take a peek through the lookbook here. You can chalk me up as a Mary-Kate and Ashley fan!
