A Love Letter to Totokaelo

While in Seattle, I had the opportunity to visit Totokaelo. Their beautiful website, chock full of drool-worthy clothes, shoes, and jewels, had me crushing from afar, so I had high hopes for the actual shop, located on 10th Ave. between Pike and Pine. It didn't disappoint. The beautiful, light-filled space, impeccably edited assortment of treasures, and warm, friendly staff made for one of the most positive shopping experiences I have ever had. Post-visit, Christine, the store director, followed up with a couple of really nice emails, and I was surprised at the details she remembered from our conversation. The level of customer service was really impressive and refreshing.  I ended up going twice in a three-day period, taking home a Raquel Allegra dress and two beautiful ceramic mugs that I am absolutely in love with.

The gorgeousness starts with the door:

It was hard to peel my eyes (and hands) away from the amazing home selection at the front of the shop. You can check out the selection of housewares  and decorative objects at Totokaelo Art-Object.

If you're in the area, you might as well stop by Oddfellows for the deliciously decadent Brioche French toast . . .

 . . . and you absolutely cannot skip a trip to the Elliott Bay Book Company. Be prepared to spend hours perusing the titles and reading the handwritten book reviews sandwiched between the thoughtfully selected tomes that line its  shelves. 

Thanks, Totokaelo! I hope to be back soon. In the meantime, I will be stalking your websites per usual. More Seattle highlights to come . . .

Brolly Days: Liberty for Target Keeps it Sunny

The relentless rainfall is making me impatient for the Liberty for Target collection to arrive. A flashy floral print fanning open as I deploy my umbrella would be the perfect pick me up, especially since, to my great dismay, my old faithful Marimekko started falling apart today. One of its metal rods broke free today, and as cute as it is, I'm afraid the errant rib may poke a poor passerby jostling past on the sidewalk.

I've got a couple more weeks to wait, as its not due in stores until March 14th, but this little guy has got to be mine:

Photo: simplystated.realsimple.com

My Own Additions to Racked's NYC Shopping Guide

Those of you planning a visit to NYC now have a new and wonderful resource to consult for your shopping needs. Consumer bible Racked recently released a list of 38 Essential New York Shopping Experiences. While the list is chock full of great shops that span several price ranges, they definitely missed a few of my absolute favorites, so I suggest you tack these on to your list. One of the things all of my faves have in common is that there's no hard sell. You can shop at your leisure, but if you require assistance, service is friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, only a few of them have e-commerce so you really should try to stop by the next time you're in town.

CLOTHING
I was actually a tad relieved that they skipped Ludivine, my favorite shop in the city, so that I may keep its treasures to myself.  I will share it with you, dear readers, as long as you promise to fill me in on which goodies you bought. Golden Goose boots, Sissi leather jackets, Vanessa Bruno dresses, and beautiful jewelry await you inside this sublime West Village spot.
172 West 4th Street, between Cornelia and Jones
Mon. - Sat. 11AM - 7:30PM
Sun. 12PM - 6PM

Photo via Refinery29

I love the stuff at TG-170, which boasts a swoonworthy roster of labels, but their price points are just a tad out of reach. It's a great place to hit after I've saved up a bit.
170 Ludlow Street, between Houston and Stanton
12 PM - 8PM daily

If you happen to be in Carroll Gardens, Dear Fieldbinder has great stuff and is, for the most part, quite affordable.
198 Smith Street near Baltic St.
Mon. - Sat. 11:30 AM - 7:30PM
Sun. 12PM - 6PM

SHOES
DUMBO's Zoë is one my favorite spots for shoes. Not only does their buyer know exactly what I want, but she knows what I'll want next season, before I even know I want it. Though it's quite expensive, it's worth saving up for a killer pair of heels once in a while. People seem to like the clothing here, too (they cater to both men and women), but I never make it past the shoe section.
68 Washington Street near Front Street, Brooklyn

Mon. 11AM - 7PM
Tues. - Sat. 11 AM - 8PM
Sun. 11AM - 6PM

I tend to steer clear of Meatpacking, but I could drool over the shoe section at Jeffrey all day long. If you go, ask for Michelle -- she's amazing and will sit with you patiently even as you try and retry several pairs of shoes a hundred times. Get on her mailing list and she'll give you a heads up on new shipments and sales so you can get first dibs.
449 West 14th St., between 9th and 10th Ave.
Mon. - Weds., Fri. 10AM - 8PM
Thurs. 10AM - 9PM
Sat. 10AM - 7PM
Sun. 12:30PM - 6PM

ACCESSORIES
Sucre is such a great place to pick up vintage eyewear and unique, statement jewelry.
357 Bleecker Street, between 10th Street and Charles Street
Mon. - Weds. 11AM - 7PM
Thurs. - Sat. 11AM - 8PM

Fri. 12PM - 7PM

LINGERIE
And as I've gushed before, Journelle is a must for lovely lingerie.
3 East 17th Street near 5th Avenue

Mon. - Fri. 11AM - 8PM
Sat. 11AM - 7PM
Sun. 12PM - 7PM

MENSWEAR
In terms of menswear, I haven't really had any consistent favorites, as they all tend to be hit or miss, depending on the seasons. I'd start with Save, A.P.C., and BBlessing.

Save Khaki (also sometimes known as just Save) has the softest shirts tees I've ever felt. Note that there is no sign on the door. There are three locations, of which the LES store (Broome St.) has the biggest inventory.
327 Lafayette Street, between Bleecker and Houston 

254 Broome Street, between Ludlow and Orchard

112 Greenwich Street, between 12th Street and Jane

Mon. - Sat. 11AM - 7PM
Sun. 12PM - 6PM

The Racked list mentions the A.P.C. Surplus store, but the regular shop in Soho is also great.
A.P.C. has great basics that are modern and stylish without being slavishly trendy or ridiculous.
131 Mercer St. near Spring

Surplus Store - 33/35 Grand Street, Brooklyn

BBlessing
181 Orchard St. between Houston and Stanton.

The newly opened in ID in Williamsburg also looks promising.
232 Bedford @ N. 4th, Brooklyn

Adventures in Chocolate: MarieBelle New York

I hope you're off for the holiday and out gallivanting about town today. If so, you might want to pop in to MarieBelle for  a cup of her delicious hot chocolate. It's a meal in itself, so go hungry, but the real feast is for your eyes. Though nothing in my mind tops the delightful excess of Charbonnel et Walker, MarieBelle is giving the storied chocolate house a run for its money. Her charming SoHo location is teeming with flavorful chocolates wrapped in beautiful papers and decorated with mind-bogglingly intricate designs. Such is their beauty that it would be hard to convince yourself to eat one, were it not for the intriguing, mouth-watering aroma that emanates from within. MarieBelle experiments with eclectic flavor combinations, but not as wildly as, say, La Maison du Chocolat or Vosges, whose gourmet creations can be either genius (chocolate covered bacon) or hard to swallow (wasabi + chocolate = acid on my tongue). 

My friend Erin and I caught up over a cup of their signature Aztec hot chocolate yesterday, and during a brief chat with the barista, I learned that founder Maribel Lieberman is actually from Honduras, which I would never have guessed from the tres French decor, but as Erin noted, many of the flavors had a Latin twist to them (spicy mixes, exotic fruits). If you're working today or don't live in the area, fret not -- MarieBelle's concoctions are available for order online.

It's going to be a warm, delicious winter.

Store locations: 
484 Broome near Wooster
762 Madison between 65th and 66th

For your viewing pleasure, I snapped some photos, en secret.

The lovely, be-chandeliered interior, where chocolates spill from vintage trunks.

The designs that adorn each piece of chocolate are created in France and then pressed on at MarieBelle's Brooklyn HQ.

A dizzying array of gorgeously wrapped flavors.

And now, our favorites. These tins were so lovely we would have bought them no matter what was in them (MarieBelle's Aztec Iced Chocolate mix).  Not cheap at $25 per, but it doubles as chic countertop accoutrement.

Big Bad Prada: A Wolf Dressed in Miuccia's Clothing

While heading to dinner last night, the window display at Prada stopped me in my tracks. There, perched on the edge of a bed, was a dandied up version of the big bad wolf of Little Red Riding Hood fame. Having presumably just devoured poor feeble, defenseless Grandma (as evidenced by her sad remains -- the delicate silk cap she'd worn to bed that evening), he now sat with his hungry gaze trained on the sidewalk, waiting for . . . you.


UPDATE: Coworker Cortny saw my post and commented that it looked like they ripped off the idea from a Bergdorf Goodman window. I Googled and sure enough, found some evidence, courtesy of Audrey and the Bad Apple. I happen to think that Bergdorfs did it better, but let me know what you think.

UPDATED UPDATE: I've just gotten schooled by been informed via commenters that this window was actually built around an editorial concept featured in the September Vogue, and that its creation also figured prominently in the movie The September Issue. I flipped through my copy and there was the spread, set in a fantastical forest, with a ravishing Natalia Vodianova cast as Litte Red Riding Hood, wearing the most brilliant of reds. NV looks gorgeous as usual, and the BBW makes a few appearances (in one scene, he sits on the bed as pictured above and eyes her as she cautiously approaches in a fiery Ann Demeulemeester dress and leather corset). I haven't had a chance to see The September Issue yet, but I'm trying to make it happen this weekend and will definitely be looking out for it.

Field Trip: Merci Gap Concept Shop

My entire office has a crush on Parisian lifestyle boutique Merci, and yesterday my coworker Pierre and I got to visit the Merci x Gap pop-up shop in Midtown. I was excited to have stateside access to their beautiful curiosities, and pictured myself driving away from the scene in a cute red Fiat Bambino piled high with lovely treasures. The shop was teeny tiny, as pop-ups typically are, so I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't more merch. Despite the limited selection, I found plenty to covet, including a delicate floral mini dress, exquisite jewelry, a torn leather bag (which, at $130, was the least expensive accessory in the shop), a mustard-yellow Claude Montana leather jacket (which I could never pull off, but still), wing-shaped wire hangers, and a chandelier made of silver bells.

Some snapshots:



Sigh. Hang on, li'l buddy. Someday we'll have our adventure.

Boys Club

I like taking guys to Freemans Sporting Club. I think it's the type of place I might frequent if I were a stylish young man with vintage-modern sensibilities and a penchant for bespoke suits and old-school haberdasheries. I'd also need to be making bank to afford such fine and fashionable wares. Perhaps I could be a sensitive investment banker, or an independently wealthy writer/intellectual who'd renounced his old-money ways but kept his old-moneyed bank account (and maybe a taxidermied animal or two). I'd pop in at the barbershop for a haircut (no appointment necessary), pick up some grooming aids and magazines, and get measured for my hand-tailored suit before heading to dinner at Freemans Restaurant.

If you can't make it to Freemans Alley, a limited selection of merchandise is available online exclusively through Refinery29. Invest in some refined cool with pieces that will "last long enough to be willed to your heirs."

Black & White Seersucker tie. $95, FSC @ Refinery29.
Edwin Jagger polished chrome shaving kit. Do you really want to know how much?

This stuff is so good. I know it may sound a bit fancy and is on the pricey side for a shaving cream, but your girlfriend won't be able to stay away from you (let's just say it's been tested and verified). Baxter of California Super Close Shave Formula hydrating shaving cream with soothing botanical extracts, $16, FSC at Refinery29.

Freemans Sporting Club is located at 8 Rivington St. You can email them to discuss your tailoring needs and set up an appointment for their Made to Measure program at custom@freemanssportingclub.com.

All images from Refinery29