White Out

Oh, can it be true? Today was a heavenly day of a balmy 22 degrees celsius! How delicious! Finally spring has broken through and the city is about to be bombarded with white! White buds, white blossom, white fashion. If you haven't already guessed, it's all about white this spring/ summer. And isn't that the most universally flattering color? Whether you're nestled amongst white calico cushions or wearing a white cotton dress, wrapped up in an oversized white bath towel, sleeping in crisp white cotton sheets or smelling of white flowers like gardenias and lilies, white makes you look and feel feminine, flirty and light as the summer air.

The trend has already started in my apartment thanks to a work event this week. I  have a profusion of white flowers in my kitchen and living room.

And I've started to dust off my spring wardrobe. That white suit must be dry cleaned and the DVF top dipped into bleach. I need to add a minimalist Jil Sander white skirt and fingers crossed, a Derek Lam linen dress. This season there is every white dress possible to choose from; sexy, flirty, playful, lace, cotton, silk, bell shaped, hip hugging, long, short, belted or kaftan. Here is a round up of my faves via style.com:

Derek Lam

Derek Lam

Cushnie et Ochs

Alberta Feretti

Alexander Wang

Alexander McQueen

Calvin Klein

Tibi

Chloe

Chloe

Thakoon

Temperley

And in case all white looks too bland, why don't we add a flight of fancy with these incredible Christian Dior  confections? Perfection!

images: shoes: fashionurbia

Practical Reasons to Love New York

Have I banged on alot about why I love living here? Cant' remember, but a couple of incidents this morning prompted me to write a list of 10 practical reasons why I adore living here. Some of these reasons apply to the US in general, but here goes:

• When you call the New York Times, instead of being put on hold if there is wait, you can leave your phone number and they will call you back when your place in the queue comes up. My call came in less than 5 minutes
• The department stores and most other stores give full refunds even on sale items. That means there is absolutely no excuse for wardrobe mistakes. The salesperson at Lanvin (ok, the only reason I was able to shop there was because there were price reductions of up to 75%) told me how a good customer brought back a dress 4 seasons old. You have to admit that is taking serious liberties.
• If you log onto delivery.com, you can have anything you dream of delivered to your front door in an hour. Try tampons, tulips or Timberwolf dog food!
• opentable.com allows you to reserve even the most prestigious table in Manhattan without having to ring around to all the individual restaurants to find a table.
• All online purchases arrive at your door with complimentary return shipping. Ralph Lauren arrives in a heavenly dark navy gift box with gold foil lettering and grosgrain ribbon!
• With the ease of a magnetic card, Zipcar lets you rent a car where you want, when you want. So if I suddenly decide I want to drive to the country at 11pm at night, all I need to do is make an online reservation and then pick up my car from the location around the corner with a swipe of the card.
• The subway runs 24 hours a day.
• Duane Reade is also open 24 hours a day and is found on every corner, so you are never out of flu medicine, midnight snacks or toilet paper.
• Netflix means no ugly DVR on your TV console. Instead, you can stream all your favorite films straight to your computer or TV for as little as $9 a month
• Doormen. The rest is self explanatory. Wish I'd met mine earlier in life.

What does all this add up to? Making life easier. And goodness knows, we all need that!

Brunching not Lunching

It's official. New Yorkers are obsessed with brunch. No one eats breakfast on the weekend. They exercise then brunch. There aren't even any breakfast menus at most restaurants and certainly no lunch menus on the weekend. The brunch menu starts at 10am and most go all day.

I had never heard of a mimosa until I got here either. (For those who are like me and had no idea what this drink is, it's cheap sparkling wine mixed with super pasteurized orange juice from a carton.) But now it's all I hear on the weekend. "As many mimosas as you want" with your brunch menu.  So short of having a piece of toast at home before 10am, it's better to join the hordes and dine on eggs and hash browns all day with a mimosa or five. Here are 10 of my favorite brunch destinations if you ever come to New York:

Pastis
This has to be the granddaddy of brunch venues. Started by restaurant legend Keith McNally, you have to come here at least once, even if there are more tourists than locals. Forget the mimosas and splurge on the bloody mary's. Resplendent with celery stalks and loads of tabasco sauce, they are to die for.

Morandi
Another Keith McNally fave. He just knows how to do brunch! This restaurant is brilliant for any meal becuase you feel like you are sitting in a really homey, rustic trattoria, and Sunday's outside on a spring morning are fabulous.

Cafe Cluny
I just adore the atmosphere here. It's on the corner of  cobblestone West Village street and is cosy with rickety wooden floors, low ceilings and large windows overlooking the street. They're famous for their short rib hash, but I always have the french toast.

Cafe Gitane
If you walked past this cafe you wouldn't look twice. With lino floors, green formica tables and red vinyl bar stools, you would be forgiven for thinking someone's grandmother had opened her never-renovated-since-the-fifties-kitchen to the public. But the French-Moroccan food makes up for the lack of atmosphere. The cool factor is brought by way of the effortlessly hip twenty and thirty something Nolita locals. Make sure you wear designer jeans and read the latest issue of Interview or W magazine.

They have also recently opened another cafe in the far West Village hotel, The Jane. Its superb because you are almost in the Hudson River, so you have light galore streaming in the tall windows and a feeling of faded grandeur, like you are eating in Fes.

Market Table
The owners of this gem own a number of other gems around the West Village. But this restaurant prides itself on using organic and local produce. The space is very open so you don't feel like you're eavesdropping on other people's conversations and they bring your bill in a book. They also have a produce counter at the entrance, so you can buy your organic coffee beans or local olive oil.

Standard Grill
This is one of my perennial favorites for brunch, lunch or dinner. I was there yesterday when it was wet and grey outside. But you can cuddle up in a red leather booth and feast on oysters, waffles or eggs benedict. When it's warm, try and bag a table outside.

Vinegar Hill House
On the other side of the Manhattan Bridge, this is the perfect summer brunch hangout. I wrote about it here and not only is it in the most remote location, they have the yummiest menu and a gorgeous courtyard that is shaded by fruit trees. This is a place you could hang out in for hours with the Sunday Times.

Moto
Love this place for a number of reasons. It has a tiny entrance on the end of a very narrow building. Once inside, it is still tiny. It sits under the incredibly noisy Williamsburg overpass but inside it's a low key haven. They have live music - usually a jazz trio - on Sundays and they pass around a red enamel fire bucket for tips. And beacuse its not in Manhattan, brunch is about half the price.

Let me know if you ever have brunch in NY and find your own favorite places.

images: (1) martha stewart, (2) guest of a guest, (3) wine chap, (4-5), morandi, (6-8) cafe cluny, (9) ny mag, (10) trip advisor, (11-13) katrina kelly (14-16) market table, (17) ny daily news, (18) emilies, (19) telegraph, (20) we could grow up together, (21) brownstoner,  (22) free williamsburg

Dreaming in Green

Central Park Spring 2010

Spring is taunting us here. One day it's 11 degrees celsius, the next it plummets back to minus 1.  The birds sing one morning then bury their head under their wing the second morning. The snow has melted in the parks but still lingers around the fountains and ponds. I feel like the back of winter has broken, but spring is far from rearing its colorful head.

And so it is that I dream of lush green in all its form; deep green grass weighed down with dew drops, the high definition green of new sprouting leaves and every shade in between. It is a color that we aussies yearn for because it is is so rare these days unless you live in the tropics. And yet it is such a part of the East Coast landscape. Which brings me to some great garden books about this area.

The first is the magnificent Gardens of the Hudson Valley. Its pages are filled with the grandiose formal gardens of the area as well as smaller, less constrained creations. Collectively they convey "the grace and grandeur of the Hudson River landscape".

Next up is the Hamptons. There are a few that take you behind the manicured hedges to swoon over the lush lawns, seaside vistas and pool perfection.

And while we are in the Hamptons, one of my favorite ever garden designers here has to be Miranda Brooks. There is a softness and a femininity to her landscaping while still being ordered. Her use of grasses is perfect for a beach setting and sometimes her design hand is so 'light' it looks like there has been no design at all. Here are some examples of her gardens in the Hamptons.

And believe it or not, this wonderful concrete metropolis called Manhattan does sprout green in summer. From rooftop gardens to back yard gardens, from Central Park to the Botanical Gardens, there is an endless display of lushness and fertility. Bring on spring!

images: (1) mine, (2) luxist, (3-8) gross and daley garden photo, (9-10) amazon, (11) vogue) (12-17) miranda brooks (18) new york times, (19) new york daily photo (20-22) mine