The optical industry’s largest trade show, Vision Expo East, held March 23-25 at New York City’s Javits Center, brought out both big names and newcomers as well as a few celebrity endorsers.
Category: Fashion
SPORTS BEAT: LET HIM BE
Once again, apologies to HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher for borrowing his signature line. New rules: Everyone has to stop obsessively focusing on Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin at least until the NBA playoffs get underway.
2012 VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT & TRAVEL GUIDE
There is a lot of pressure finding the right gift for that someone special anytime, let alone for Valentine’s Day. Here are some ideas that should help.
HOLIDAY GIFT & TRAVEL GUIDE 2011
Shopping is always stressful. Even though the advent of the Internet has theoretically reduced the need to battle it out at the mall, the age-old question of what to get someone has not changed. Here are some conventional and some offbeat gift ideas.
THE NON-METROSEXUAL’S GUIDE TO FASHION WEEK
New York, LA, Miami, Vegas and Nashville attract the most narcissistic individuals in the United States; I would hasten to guess that many of them came to town for Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012. If one didn’t know better you’d think that some of the high priestesses of fashion were bag ladies that were out on a day pass from Bellevue. Schizophrenia is not restricted to mental health, but also to fashion — especially during two weeks during the year in New York, Paris and Milan.
DORM LIFE/BACHELOR PAD 101
Going out on your own is never easy, whether it be as a freshman in your first dorm, or leaving your folks’ home for your first apartment. There are a number of consumer goods out there to make your life a bit easier.
FRYE FLAGSHIP STORE OPENS IN SOHO
Typically whenever one enters a spanking new establishment, the aromas that greet you reflect the freshly installed materials of the construction trade – wallboard, grout, flooring, woodwork, and most of all paint – prior to any of these surfaces being imbued by the mostly human scents that eventually season any public environment. Thus it was refreshing when I visited the new Frye store on Spring Street in Soho before it opened to the public that the unambiguous redolence was that of leather – despite work still being done on the space at the time. Perhaps this should be of no surprise for a manufacturer of shoes, boots, handbags and accessories made of cowhide, but it nonetheless lends the location an immediate olfactory atmosphere of authenticity and venerability.
SIGN OF THE TIMES – AUTUMN IN NEW YORK
An annual sporting ritual heralding Autumn is the US Tennis Open, where most folks were surprised to see Andy Roddick crash out in the first round this year. On his feet while he did were sneakers provided by his new apparel sponsor Babolat, a French athletics wear firm who had Roddick on hand to help them introduce their products in the US at a sumptuous luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on 42nd Street. Their manufacturing partner, the Gallic rubber giant Michelin, had a launch event of their own on November 2nd, when the long-anticipated Michelin Guide: New York City Restaurants & Hotels 2006 was presented at the Guggenheim Museum. 1000 First Edition numbered guides were made available to event attendees (I got # 759), and among them Wylie Dufresne told me he was “very pleased” with the one star awarded to his place WD~50. Less ecstatic was Daniel Bouloud, who opined that “they messed up the two stars, they messed up the one stars, but they got the three stars” – a comment on his ventures Daniel and Cafe Bouloud receiving one and two stars respectively. Assuming Le Bernardin’s three-star rating was satisfactory, I asked Eric Ripert how he liked the evening’s catering, supplied by Restaurant Associates; “I didn’t taste the food,” he tersely replied, which spoke for itself.