Housing Works Design on a Dime 2012

It's that time of year again.  Time to get out your wallet and do some shopping for an amazing cause.  The Housing Works Design on a Dime event begins Thursday, April 26 with the Opening Night Benefit.  It then opens to the public on Friday, April 27 and will be open until Saturday, April 28.  The early bird gets the worm though so I suggest you shop early for the best selection.  Over the years, I've bought a small sofa from Ernest de la Torre, a Blue Willow plate from High Falls Mercantile for only $10, and much more. The list of participants this year is long and I can't wait to see what I come home with this time. The best part is that it benefits the homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. If you can make it to Design on a Dime event at all, I highly suggest you stop by their thrift stores when you are visiting New York.  They too are chock full of amazing clothes, housewares and furniture.  Happy Shopping!

Design on a Dime

Metropolitan Pavilion

125 West 18th Street

bet. 6th and 7th Avenues

New York, NY 10011

Opening Night Benefit April 26, 2012 

5:30-6:30pm VIP Designer Meet and Greet 

6:30-9:30pm Opening Night Benefit 

tickets required

Open to the Public April 27-28, 2012 

10:00am - 6:00pm 

free

Support Small Business Saturday

Try not to shop till you drop on Black Friday and please save some stamina to support Small Business Saturday on November 26th.  I am very lucky to live in New York where shopping is almost an Olympic event but it's the small businesses and unique little stores that make it special.  Bleecker Street used to be one of my favorite places to shop when it was full of quaint antique stores and Biography Book Store.  They've since been replaced by well known retailers and it's just not the same.  That's why I will definitely be supporting Small Business Saturday myself.  Lexington Avenue near where I live has also seen many stores close so it's the first place I will be shopping. 

I will begin at Bunny William's lovely shop Treillage where I'll look for presents for friends and family and maybe a little something for myself.

I might also pick up some ornaments to decorate the full size tree I am getting this year.

Next door to Treillage is Lexington Gardens, another store filled with decorations and as the name suggests, flowers and garden accoutrements.

I love this painted backdrop in their window.

Since I'm working on my own book, I have to support small bookstores like Archivia.  I love perusing their front table full of all the newest releases.

William Wayne farther down on Lexington Avenue can be a bit expensive but they always have great hostess gift ideas.

They also have a wide array of blue and white porcelain. 

After all that shopping, I will definitely need a pick me up. I'm not sure if Laduree is considered a small business since they are big in Paris but they only have one store in New York. I have also seen the owners helping out behind the counter so I am including them.  When I need a gift for a person who has everything, I always pick up a box of macarons.  And a few for myself of course.  They are the perfect present.

Happy Holidays and Happy Small Business Shopping!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Pierre's New Lair

A pilgrimage to the Pierre Hardy boutique in the Palais Royal is a part of every fashion girl's trip to Paris.  Now according to Style.com, the trip only requires a cab since Pierre Hardy is opening an eponymous store at 30 Jane Street this Wednesday, December 8th.  An old garage was turned into a chic shop with the help of David Mann of MR Architecture + Decor.  While the shoes are fabulous, I have my eye on one of the signature bags.  I might have to amend my Christmas list in light of this recent development!

Modeling for Mango

Not only does Olivia Palermo look like a model and date one but now she actually is one.  She and her handsome boyfriend Johannes Huebl are modeling for Mango's winter catalog.  Her hair is stick straight instead of styled in her signature curls but she till looks chic.  Also chic is the El Palace Hotel in Barcelona which is the setting.  If anyone needs me today, I'm going to be shopping at Mango.  Hasta luego!

Dries Van Noten at Bergdorfs

Dries Van Noten is a very busy designer.  As I wrote about recently, he just opened a new men's store in Paris and now he just celebrated his new in store boutique on the third floor at Bergdorf Goodman.  I love that Dries puts as much thought into interior design as he does fashion design.  He recently told Esquire, "my partner Patrick Vangheluwe and I choose all the antiques pieces that go into the spaces. Sometimes they rotate in and out of our home and the stores."  The blue sofa and yellow drapery combination is the same as in the Paris store but clearly, it's a scheme that works well.  Dries also said, "the nice thing with antiques is you never find the same thing twice. You can make the same formula by combining a 1950's chair with an over-the-top turn of the century table and all these things, but it's always unique. It's these strange mixtures that appeal in the decoration as they always do in my collection." I concur.

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Lanvin for H&M Sneak Peek

The first looks from the upcoming Lanvin for H&M collaboration have been released and they have the fashion world in a tizzy.  The dresses are exactly what everyone loves about Lanvin and I'm sure they will be sold out in minutes.  I'm thinking about taking boxing lessons just so I can fight for one.  There will be a fashion show on November 2nd but the clothes won't be in stores until November 23rd.  Bonne chance!

Photos from www.vogue.co.uk

Ralph Lauren for the Ladies

The biggest buzz this weekend was about the new Ralph Lauren boutique that opened on Madison Avenue.  Located across the street from his already famous Rhinelander mansion for men, this one is devoted to women and home.  Unlike most retailers who hire the "it architect" of the moment to create a modern store, Ralph Lauren chose to look to the past and to complement the Rhinelander mansion. 

The Beaux Arts style limestone beauty was a collaboration between Weddle Gilmore and architect Thomas Hut of HS2 Architecture with a nod to McKim, Mead & White. It harkens back to the age of Edith Wharton and looks rather grand.

According to The New York Times, Ruth Brown, a widow, hired McKim, Mead & White in 1893 to design a house at the southwest corner of Madison Avenue at 72nd Street (above).  She never moved into the mansion and in 1895 it was sold to Alva Vanderbilt. Work on Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo's "fanciful chateau" on the southeast corner was completed in 1897.  It was bought by Ralph Lauren for his store in 1986. 

As you can see, there was nothing chic about the building that replaced the original McKim, Mead & White mansion in the 1950's.  It later became another Ralph Lauren boutique which was torn down to make way for this chic boutique.

Even though the building is dedicated to Ralph Lauren, there is something about the black and white central staircase with its mirrored walls that reminds me of Coco Chanel.  I think she too would have also enjoyed this space.

The whole building is absolutely gorgeous and I highly recommend a visit.  Right now, the Ralph Lauren Home boutique occupies the fourth floor but I hear it will be moved to the adjacent brownstone under construction.  I'll be sure to keep you posted.  Happy Shopping!

Ralph Lauren

888 Madison Avenue

at 72nd Street

New York, NY 10021

212-606-2100

Photos from New York magazine, Vogue, Luxist and The New York Times