Winter in New York City, one hundred years ago.
Let’s hope that we’ve seen the last of the snow for this winter!
Image via Whitney Museum of American Art.
Tag: nyc
Quick Reads: Elisa Lempicka’s Apartment in NYC
I’ll always have a fondness for Lolita Lempicka perfumes. I was wearing the original Lolita Lempicka fragrance, the one in the purple apple-shaped bottle, during one of the happiest times of my life, and I’ve tried and enjoyed all the others.
I also have a fantasy of living in a roomy apartment in an old building in Greenwich Village, which will never come true, because I am not a billionaire. But you know who does live in one of those apartments? Elisa Lempicka, Lolita Lempicka’s daughter and the creative director for the LL perfume brand. I’m trying not to succumb to the deadly sin of envy (for her whole life).
In any case, you can see photos of the apartment at Time Out New York. Here’s a shot of family photos mingled with Lolita Lempicka perfumes, candles from Cire Trudon and Ladurée, and La Maison du Chocolate candy boxes, plus who-knows-what-else. Again, envy.
I Heard a Rumor: Annick Goutal Boutique Coming to Bleecker Street in NYC?
I’ve just heard a delightful rumor that Annick Goutal will be opening its first United States boutique in New York in 2014. Am I the last person to know this? I don’t think so.
I’ve just done a quick internet search, and there appears to be some basis to this rumor: according to the New York Post (ugh, I know! but bear with me!) and The Real Deal, high-end real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman announced its deal with Goutal back in June 2013.
According to these sources, Annick Goutal will open a 900-square-foot storefront at 397 Bleecker Street in Manhattan. This location is the street level of a townhouse conveniently located near Bleecker’s other shopping destinations, including Diptyque, Bond no. 9, and Jo Malone, not to mention MAC Cosmetics, Cynthia Rowley, Lulu Guinness, and more Marc Jacobs than anyone could possibly need.
Annick Goutal is one of the first “niche” fragrance houses that I ever loved. Its future was a bit unclear for a while, but now it seems to be going through a revival of some kind, with new bottle designs, revamped shops in Paris, and now this NYC location. I’ll post an update as soon as I hear more. I really hope it’s true.
Images: perfume photo via Annick Goutal website; 397 Bleecker rendering via Elliman.
On the Street: York Beads and Manhattan History
I don’t normally slow down when I pass the various bead and trimming stores in west Midtown, but this sign made me laugh. I can never resist a reference to New York City history.
I’m sure the real story is more complicated, but still — very clever.
(This post goes out to my friend Leslie—New Yorker, historian, and craftsperson extraordinaire.)
Images: photo by Tinsel Creation; detail of postcard (1909) from the Museum of the City of New York archives, reproduced here.
On the Street: Hermes on Madison Avenue
I passed the Hermès flagship boutique on Madison Avenue one day last week and paused to take this photograph. I wasn’t impressed by the overall window display—I don’t really understand the connection between the stacks of books, the geological print on the seated mannequin’s dress, and the arrow—but I recognized the small sculpture perched on one of the teetering book piles.
TINSEL CREATION 