portrait w portrait

Sargent at The MET

 

i see france

in tribeca

 

seagull season

i bought 

two small 

Jersey peaches 

at the 

west 97th street 

farmers market

yesterday morning.

they ripened by end of day.

for breakfast 

today,

i sliced one

into a favorite Astier dish

full of vanilla yogurt,

adding

a drizzle

of golden honey

from Lighthouse Keeper's,

a small batch 

food 

purveyor

discovered

while 

on Cape Cod

last July

to celebrate

my uncle's life

and remember my dad, too.

next, 

granola from Balthazar

scooped

from a bag

tied with 

signature cotton bolduc,

a convergence 

of worlds

in one little bowl,

the seagull 

postcard

on the butcher block

a souvenir 

from 

my mother's 90th birthday

last fall

where assorted favors

on the dining table

added 

a touch 

of 

needed whimsy.

she had admired 

the robin redbreast 

at a nearby shop,

it is a symbol 

of hope and happiness,

but there were not enough

to go around

so a colorful assortment

of various birds 

was made

and distributed 

to each sibling,

niece,

brother in law

and/or significant other,

to match personalities

and imagined preferences.

i gave the gull 

to myself 

as a secret 

reminder 

of the magical 

days of summer

and sandcastles

on Hardings Beach

built mostly 

by my father,

we kids

pressing perfect clam shells 

into the pyramids

with the palms 

of our suntanned hands,

decorating 

our shared masterpieces

with 

joy.

i am

only 

missing

the fresh mint

but 

will 

find some 

at 

Sunday's

market.

sweet

sweet

peach

sweet

sweet

summer.

#growmanhattan
#lighthousekeeperspantry
#terhuneorchards
#harmonybrookside
#johnderiancompany

 

holiday vibes

courreges soho

 

Paris, depuis....

on Madison Avenue

 

bubble palace

we lost Pierre Cardin last week at the age of 98, a pioneering designer with a futuristic sensibility toward fashion and life... 

he was a designer who favored circles, and bubbles, in his creations.

https://agnautacouture.com/2015/07/26/pierre-cardin-fetish-for-the-bubble/

at one point in his life, he bought a famous home, Palais Boules, in Cannes....

a Dior Resort show was staged there as recently as 2016....

https://thespaces.com/pierre-cardins-bubble-palace-near-cannes-goes-on-sale/

it was ten years ago in October, here in NYC,  that i attended his 60th anniversary book signing and fashion show, and wrote about it on my then brand new blog. 

not that Monsieur Cardin would likely favor looking back but after my morning walk today past the woman in her big puff of faux fur hat, past the rows of clear plastic outdoor dining pods at a popular local French cafe (our own makeshift bubble palace?), i was inspired to re-read and re-experience Cardin's inventive genius for just one fashion forward minute.... https://fashion-is-love-nyc.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-witchcraft.html

 

my photo, this morning, broadway, upper west side

Our Lady of Paris

it was year ago that the Notre-Dame de Paris fire took place....

i still cannot find a photo of the cathedral from Hermes days or more recent travels but can use some of my quarantine time to search for them.  we always visited pre or post ice cream at famed Berthillon on Ile Saint -Louis. we would typically snap photos in front of the cathedral and often enjoyed a walk through the garden behind it, Square Jean XXIII, which offered an opportunity to marvel at the Gothic architecture from new angles. 

this morning, the news reports:  "The bell Emmanuel, built in 1686 and situated at the South Tower of Notre-Dame de Paris, will ring at 8 pm local (2pm EST), both to commemorate the fire and to be in unison with the French who applaud their care workers at 8 pm everyday. It's the second biggest bell in France after the one in the Sacre-Coeur." abc news 

i will send out an extra cheer from my window tonight. and maybe find a small bell to ring, as well. Paris, je t'aime! 

paris, jardin du palais royal
may 2010

sunny side up

here is a little pre- Easter shelter-at-home egg hunt!  

can you find the eggs hiding around the apartment? 

every egg has a story!

if you found Rose Bakery How to Boil an Egg cookbook in the kitchen,  egg-cellent!
i miss the Rose, both in Paris and at Dover Street Market here in the city. yum.

here is their quick, classic Egg in the Middle recipe below to start your day!

did you catch the bright paper party egg hanging on the cupboard door? 

i think it hails from Erica Tanov's fabulous Elizabeth Street store, back in the day.... 

how about the foyer, my little chickadees? 

hint: sometimes the crystal vase on the center of the table doubles as a nest...

paper grass and sparkly eggs from shelves in the local pharmacy will do just fine when you haven't yet gotten to actual egg dyeing activities

(pause to clap for the essential workers in our local pharmacies!)

did you notice the painted, blown egg in the step back cupboard?

i found this little chick at the Cooper Hewitt Museum garden egg hunt one spring and have managed to keep it safe ever since, nestled amidst souvenirs from travels near and far.... 

staff members at the Museum painted all the eggs! 

where in the world would an egg hide in the living room?

i spy it! 

a heart painted ostrich egg from The Faberge Big Egg Hunt held in NYC in 2014!

it's there, wobbling atop a stack of books, red on red on red, and just a touch of yellow.

after weeks of a citywide scavenger hunt to find all the artist and designer decorated eggs, i remember running to Rockefeller Center on Easter morning to see all the life-size beauties assembled gallery style to enjoy, then dashing downtown for a walk on The High Line and brunch with my parents and our dear friends visiting from Paris. 

The Standard Hotel had a little petting zoo set up outside, including baby chicks for kids to discover.

in the end, everyone knows that i am a hearts girl on year round basis,

 but it seems that i do have a soft spot for eggs,

or maybe just for the hunt...

this year, happier than ever to have a sunny reminder of spring renewal and rebirth while staying very much at home! 

eggs eggs o o,

fashion is love

postcards, The Faberge Big Egg Hunt, 2014 nyc

meatpacking mirage

hermes, meatpacking...

meringue

in honor of Bastille Day, flashback to that magical Mokum meringue moment....

Mokum recently joined the upper west side neighborhood with internationally inspired food in a warm, welcoming setting that is inviting to all the senses.

i actually tried this monumental meringue on Memorial Day Weekend.

i carried it home in a to go bag and plunked it on a little "Paris" themed plate given to me by my Mama.

magnifique!

https://www.mokum.nyc
nathalie ete ceramic plate
astier de villatte ceramic dishes

the Vessel by night

though my mind is in Paris...

The Vessel, Monday, Hudson Yards...

one time, in Paris...

this time, last year....

roses costes...
www.hotelcostes.com 

Friday flashback

flashing back to January brunch on barstools at buvette...  

buvette, grove street...

Queen of Hearts!

Happy Valentine's Day, lovelies!

Head over heels to be tapped for portrait photographer pal Sheila Barabad's newest series on creatives!

You know how everyone likes to hang out in the kitchen?
Et voila! 

Fashion is Love! 

xoxo

home sweet home...
photograph by Sheila Barabad
published with permission
http://www.sheilabarabad.com

still life with hearts and tulips....

in honor of an industry colleague, mentor and neighbor lost too soon, a few quotes by William Morris, whose wallpaper designs he loved and employed in his interior projects and in his own city apartment and cherished Upstate home:

"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life."

"There is no excuse for doing anything which is not strikingly beautiful." 

"I am going your way, so let us go hand in hand. You help me and I'll help you.  We shall not be here very long... so let us help one another while we may."

Don, thank you for sharing your many gifts and for inspiring us in so many areas of our lives! 

home, riverside drive...

a French finale....

countdown for Colette... 

throwback Thursday, Colette, Paris...

sur la Seine

la Seine la Seine la Seine...

opposite musee d'Orsay...

Halloween!

Paris, City of Light! 

agnes b, paris...

where the chic meet

outside Sezane on Elizabeth Street..