Rima Suqi

I got an email inviting me to Loeffler Randall’s first ever sample sale. Since they’re one of my favorite shoe brands I thought I’d pass on the info, see below. I was told prices would be wholesale (that’s half retail to non shopaholics), info below.

Shoes, handbags and ready to wear from all seasons.

Wednesday, May 6th **VIP**
Thursday, May 7th- Saturday, May 9th
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, 10am-7pm
Saturday, 11am-6pm

Credit Cards (Visa, MC, Amex) and cash accepted (no checks)

Location:
525 Broadway
Suite 202
New York, NY

Phone: 212-226-8787
Email: info@loefflerrandall.com

Cape Indaba Sauvignon Blanc (2008) is gorgeously delicious and just $4.99 a bottle at Trader Joe’s.

Tag Heuer and Zenith friends and family sale. Long on to www.lvmhpartners.com and use access key ffsalespring 09. All sales final, no returns. Free shipping.
Happy shopping!

I love a great find in an unexpected place. Today’s comes from the Pottery Barn Kid’s catalog — animal-shaped baskets (a whale and a fish) they show for kid’s storage that I think would make great accessories poolside or for outdoor entertaining. They’re big, come in white or honey, and to my mind, supremely functional. Buy them here.

I’ve always loved seersucker but never actually worn it. Last summer, Old Navy had a seersucker suit – shorts and a jacket – that I still wish I had bought. This summer, L.L. Bean has some short-shorts that might satisfy my craving for preppy stripes. That’s right L.L. Bean. The rest of their clothing offerings are a combination of Tory Burch-inspired patterns and mom-cut jeans but these shorts, at $44, are great. They come in pink, green and blue:

Buy them here.

Stoli is the official vodka of the TriBeCa film festival. Which means that, of course, they got a bartender (oh sorry, a MIXOLOGIST) to create a cocktail in honor of the festival. It’s called the “Darkened Theatre” and is a mix of Popcorn-Infused Stoli, Salted Coke Syrup and a Caramel Popcorn Garnish. Should you want to try this at home, and I’m honestly not sure you should, here’s the recipe:

2 1/2 ounces Popcorn-Infused Stolichnaya
½ ounce salted Coke Syrup
two drops of fresh lemon juice

Shake well with ice
Strain
Garnish with 3 skewered caramel popcorns

The result looks like this. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

John Houshmand’s new pieces combine wood and acrylic. A bit of a departure for a guy whose past work was all about gigantic slabs of gorgeous wood -

It seems it might MIGHT actually be warming up. Finally. And friends are asking about things like swimsuits and cover-ups for the allegedly coming summer. A few posts will follow with suggestions. Here’s the first – check out Delia’s for (womens) swimsuits. Delia’s is a tween brand, with a catalog and some mall stores. Everything is well-priced and fairly trendy. And while you might not want brightly colored skinny jeans, you might want cute sundresses or a swimsuit that doesn’t cost a fortune.
I’m not a bikini girl, but theirs are super-cute. I opted instead for the one-piece, below, for $44. Albeit in black. I’ve taken it on several island trips and gotten loads of compliments on it. Love that.

Droog will launch its e-commerce site, droogusa, this friday and Muji is already up and running. Happy shopping to all design mafia-ites.

You probably know Monacle as the magazine started by Tyler Brule, post Wallpaper. As part of the brand expansion, Monacle opened a store in London last year.
And a couple days ago they also opened in Brentwood.

Below is info from the press release:

Following the success of the London MONOCLE Shop, which originally opened as a pop up concept in November 2008, the MONOCLE Shop LA will carry a similar collection of fashion and lifestyle products, including MONOCLE’s famed international designer collaborations such as Porter bags (Japan), Comme des Garçons Hinoki fragrance and candle, Drakes scarves (UK), Artek stool (Finland),Valextra notebook (Italy), Skeppshult bike (Sweden) and Orlebar Brown swimming shorts (UK).

MONOCLE Editor in Chief,Tyler Brûlé, says he’s happy to be setting up a retail home in LA, for a variety of reasons. “One of the reasons we’re coming to LA is the shop’s location in Brentwood – we were offered a great space in a high traffic area that possesses a similar demographic and ‘community feel’ to our Marylebone store in London,” says Brûlé. “Two, we think LA provides a great opportunity for us – it’s a pop culture hub and evidence from our subscriber base suggests we have a ready-made market out there. Also, our online MONOCLE shop is already popular on the West Coast, particularly the Orlebar Brown swimming trunks and the Porter bags.”

Covering just 115 square feet, the store, located in the Brentwood Country Mart, will feature MONOCLE magazine’s distinctive black and white design format, created by MONOCLE’s team of designers. In addition to the designer collaborations, the MONOCLE Shop LA will sell the full collection of the 22 issues of MONOCLE magazine.

Becoming well known for reshaping the boundaries of traditional magazine communication, the MONOCLE Shop LA joins existing brand extensions including the MONOCLE e-shop site on monocle.com, The MONOCLE Weekly audio bulletin broadcasted by the MONOCLE editorial team every Sunday at noon CET, and the MONOCLE exclusive documentary series shown on the MONOCLE website: www.monocle.com M

Note to Editors
The MONOCLE Shop LA opened on Monday 6 April at 10am and is located at:
225 26th Street, Shop 19b, Santa Monica, CA 90402,
lashop@monocle.com