Manufactured in N.Y.

Last November Nick Schonberger of Selectism tapped me for a new project. It was originally conceived to coincide with the premiere of "Made In New York," but I have trouble staying on deadline, so now it stands on its own.

Anyway! I had the good fortune of interviewing five designers who work and manufacture their goods right here in the five boroughs. The masterminds behind Mister Mort, Epaulet, Unis, and the Wurst Editions all gave me their time, wit, wisdom, and sneak peeks into spring collections. And most importantly they shared their experiences navigating - and reviving - one of our city's oldest industries.

Try on the final product here.

"That Brooklyn bullshit, we on it."

On Sunday Samantha and I went to the Brooklyn Flea to kill a couple hours and inspire ourselves. 

A Christmas sail.

Last year I spent Christmas in Newport, R.I., dipping my Hunter-clad toes in the icy Narragansett. This year I am far from the ocean (as far as I can be), but Santa (a.k.a. Mom) was kind enough to bring the coast to me in the form of this fabulous Sea Bag.

This tote, the signature holiday Green Star Bag, was made in Portland, Maine, from reclaimed sails. Since 1999, all materials (from canvas to Kevlar) have been recycled, restored, and stitched together by founders and designers Hannah Kubiak and Beth Shissler.

I had never heard of this brand but quick research shows that I received more than just a beach bag: Kubiak and Shissler are incredible women working hard to improve the lives of their fellow Mainers. 

Causes and projects they support include:

Sail Maine Scholarship Fund: they contribute funds to help children learn to sail.

Maine Cancer Foundation: they design limited edition Celebration Bags with pink ribbon sails.

Maine Correctional Institute for Women

Portland waterfront preservation

Thank you, Santa. (And thank you, Mom!)

Keep your keys warm with fox fur.

Last Wednesday, while we were literally rushing out the door for a dinner, my dazzling friend Liz surprised me with this natural red fox fur keychain. I suppose she thought my LV needed a little more rusticity. (See for yourself here or scroll down.)

For less than twenty dollars you too can channel Davey Crockett as you fumble for your keys...or Be Like Liz (as I often aim to do) and clip it to your handbag. 


You can find these keychains on eBay in a veritable spectrum of shades both natural and dyed. I think they're the perfect marriage of decadence and mountain man simplicity. 

Gifted Gitman.

Yesterday Chris Olberding, creative director of Gitman Vintage, surprised me with a gorgeous hot pink plaid flannel shirt from Gitman's FW2009 collection. Not only was I thrilled to own my first piece by the storied label, I was also relieved to have something to wear to last night's lineup of holiday parties.


Gitman's shirts, crafted in beautiful Ashland, Pennsylvania and inspired by well-culled archives, are built for gents, but their narrow cut makes them ideal for ladies like me to steal. My wish for 2010 is to amass a small fortune in this American-made Technicolor plaid.

Against a sea of little black dress-bedecked ladies, I stood out at Butter, where I joined friends to support Guest of a Guest and the Tug McGraw Foundation's efforts to aid victims of brain tumors and trauma brain injuries. My dear friend Kate, shown above, joined me in killer vintage leather pants by Gap.

I think the key to wearing menswear-inspired looks like mine is to pile on the bright lipstick and jewelry. You'll never see a gentleman with a red lip or a bauble-stacked wrist or a neck draped in Lucite. I go wild with costume gems because, as a filly, I just can. 

To compliment my Gitman flannel, I also sported the following pieces, all by J. Crew:

• White vintage slim jean (to really make that pink POP)
• Gold laser-cut leather belt (no longer sold)
• Estate link bracelet (stacked one on top of the other)
• Golden ropes necklace
• Chandelier necklace (no longer sold)
• Harper crackle-metallic platform heel
• The ubiquitous boyfriend fatigue jacket

This shirt will look equally awesome next spring and summer when I pair it with cut-off denim shorts, Ray-Ban aviators, and a stiff, cold, rocks margarita. Or maybe belted over a chambray sun dress if I feel "formal".

Many thanks to Chris and Gitman Brothers for the gorgeous shirt.

To-Go Sleeves by the Cupcaketologist.

Whoa. Just as soon as I picked out the plaid for my Tartan Hug, Jessica sent another grand announcement: she is also designing and creating made-to-order coozie cups for the holidays. 

Can't you see Beau Brummell...or Amory Blaine...or Oliver Barrett IV...keeping his Starbucks warm in one of these dapper little mugs?

Tartan Hugs by the Cupcaketologist

My amazing, gorgeous, and incredibly talented friend Jessica L. Pizzo, the world famous Cupcaketologist, has literally just set up shop on Etsy to sell these adorable (and reversable!) stoles that she designs and creates herself.

Christmastime conjurs very specific visions for me: warms cozies, gifted frivolities, yard upon yard of bright, crisp tartan. There is so much ceremony involved with the unveiling of each holiday ornament - be it destined for a fir branch or for chilly, satin-draped shoulders. What better way to stay toasty than with a festive, (faux-) furry wrap?

Jessica is a force to be reckoned with: champion tennis player, wizard in the kitchen, ace iPhone photographer, globe trotter, lover of Americana, and now an entrepreneur slinging handmade "hugs". World, I have met my stole-mate.


I cannot imagine a more perfect gift for the holidays. This wrap makes me want to pin my hair up, slip into a pencil skirt, and do a gin-soaked twist at P.J. Clarke's.


Congratulations on your latest venture, Jessica!


Shop for Tartan Hugs on Etsy.

(Role) Model.

Since she appeared on the scene as the face of Ralph Lauren's Romance fragrance in 2002, Filippa Hamilton has been my absolute favorite mannequin.

Photographed by Matt Jones for the cover of Italian Elle in an RL buffalo check gown, September 2008. 

Look at that face! Despite a French background I think her air is entirely American. Mr. Lauren chose well.

She wore Ralph Lauren again to the American Museum of Natural History's winter dance in 2007.

What I love about Filippa is that whether dolled up in black tie, as above, or dressed down in her most summery casual, as below, she always looks completely natural and comfortable and beautiful without exuding much effort (or so it seems). 

I think that is what American sportswear is all about, and I think Ralph Lauren champions that philosophy, and I don't think anyone wore Ralph better than Filippa did.

Looking fresh and breezy at the Hampton Social in July 2007.

Unfortunately for fans comme moi Miss Hamilton's contract with Ralph Lauren was terminated this year due to a controversy involving an overzealous photo retoucher and poor public relations.

Photographed by Mario Testino for Italian Vogue, May 2002.

I mean, have you ever seen anyone (since James Dean) wear a tee shirt so well? The laceless Keds are just exclamation points.

Backstage at Ralph Lauren in September 2004.

 She took the term "fresh-faced" to a new level by looking drop dead gorgeous in hair rollers. If only we were all so photogenic (and confident)!

And like any good "American" girl, Filippa seems to know how to party, which is exactly what she did at the Shore Club in late 2005.

This is the cover of Italian Marie Claire from January 2003, but doesn't she look very current? I want the braces, the vest, the blouse, the jeans...

So how do we Be Like Filippa? I've narrowed it down to a few key elements:

1. Go easy on the makeup and heavy on the tan.
2. Let those eyebrows run wild.
3. Wear nothing but leather, cotton, and denim.
4. Find a great pair of jeans and a better white tee shirt.
5. Toss your mane of lustrous hair like you came to the ball straight from an afternoon fox hunt.

It will be so easy!

To view the bio or more photos of Miss Hamilton, please jump to New York's Model Manual.

Christmas wishes.

'Tis the season to be generous, but that doesn't mean I can't fill my own stocking too. Below are some all-American (and British and Swiss) treats that would look just as spiffy on me as they will under the tree.

Clockwise from top left:

Classic trench by Burberry
1960s vintage gold de Ville by Omega
Baroque broach bracelet by J. Crew
Tuxedo shirt by Thomas Mason for J. Crew
Elsbeth oxford by J. Crew
Estate link bracelet by J. Crew
Tortoise shell Wayfarer by Ray Ban
Tuxedo scout chino by J. Crew

Pop Up get-up.

My battle gear for the Flea was of utmost importance. I nixed a vintage prairie-inspired maternity dress (cinched with a belt, of course) and vetoed all black (because I wanted to stand out) before finally settling on this khaki ensemble, a safari-inspired look that was just perfect for sartorial stealth reporting. Summery, yes, but a brown scarf kept me warm.

The ubiquitous boyfriend fatigue jacket by J. Crew.

Lace blouse (which turned into a dress around midnight at the Boom Boom Room) by French Connection.

Matchstick jean by J. Crew.

The ubiquitous peep-toe brogues by Nine West.

Tiered brass and wood bead necklace by the Dandelion.

Don't forget to read my recaps at All Plaid Out. View my snaps on Flickr.

A trip to the Pop Up Flea.

If shopping was considered a competitive sport (and to many women, it is), then the Pop Up Flea was my Boston Marathon. Venerated and long-awaited, it dominated this weekend: determined my wardrobe, governed my time, filled my Canon memory card, and laid siege to my imagination. In sum, it was a perfect success of proportion as epic as the American frontier.

Santa, take note! I wanted everything!

I would like this velvet bow tie, designed and handmade in New York City by Mister Mort.

I absolutely need one of these terrific Pendleton for Epaulet flannels to keep me warm (and that bag on the left to sling over my shoulder) while I skate around town.

I'll put these Iron Ranger boots by Red Wing for J. Crew under the tree for a deserving gentleman.

My closet is starving for a custom-designed Rogues Gallery tee, screenprinted before my very eyes.

This Jack Spade cold weather wear was made for me. I'll wrap up that book for my L.A. friends.

I could live forever in these Gitman Brothers button-downs (stolen, perhaps, from that Red Wing-clad fellow).

My home office needs a makeover. Let's keep it simple with antique staplers collected by JP Williams of Amass.

I'll keep my holiday toes merry and bright in these Solmate Socks, handmade in Vermont and sold by the Hill-Side.

***

On Friday and Saturday I dispatched wrap-ups for All Plaid Out. They include short interviews with a select group of purveyors, favorite photos, and (hopefully by now) a reader's comment or two. You can read my reports here.

What I couldn't buy I took home in pictures. Explore my photographs of the Flea.

Bows and curtsies go to Max Wastler, PUF proprietors Randy Goldberg and Michael Williams, and the kind folks at Gitman Brothers, for making this all possible for me. It was a very satisfying, very fun, very American weekend, and I am so proud and thankful to have had the opportunity to experience it not only as a fan of quality American-made goods, but as a writer, a roving reporter, a brand new pro.

The Pop Up Flea.

This weekend the Pop Up Flea descends on NoHo for three full days of sartorial enlightenment. The men's fashion exhibition, dreamed up and pulled together by Michael Williams of A Continuous Lean and Urban Daddy's Randy Goldberg, opens on Friday, November 20, at three o'clock, and will offer some of the best of new American artistry - fresh duds and food and shaves and haircuts. (I'll skip those last two bits.)

Featured designers will include but are not limited to: Gitman Brothers, Rogues Gallery, J. Crew, J. Press, Jack Spade, the Hill-Side, and Billykirk.

I plan to make appearances each day to learn from the big boys: get styley by osmosis, master the art of the bow tie, cop a 'tude, and otherwise dig my hands into everything. If you are anywhere near Manhattan on this hopefully gorgeous weekend, add the Pop Up Flea to your list of happenings.

Check back here and at All Plaid Out for daily reports of my Flea adventures and fashionable finds.

New York City is about get a lot more handsome.

Sartoria Americana.

Like scouts and sailors, I am easily identified by my uniform. And whenever I feel compelled to defend what has become my go-to get-up, I point to the fashion greats. Designers and creative directors are proof positive that great sartorial minds cultivate closets with little variation, eschewing the trends for their own take on the “classic”. Tonne Goodman, Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren,Donna Karan - all have a signature style that rarely wavers, year in, year out.

My uniform happened by accident; for the past eight months I have just refused to wear anything other than the pieces shown above. Night and day. Work and play. I make it black-tie appropriate with a champagne sequin tank, and I winterize it with a scarf. Should opportunity arise to hit the skateboard, I swap brogues for Converse. If the temp rises the jeans come off and chino shorts jump on. Say what you will about my Tradette fatigues; to me this uniform is double-stitched American perfection.All items I own are bolded. Others are substitutes. Clockwise from top:

• Ralph Lauren pearl studs
• J. Crew boyfriend fatigue jacket
• Louis Vuitton Speedy (I carry my grandmother's hand-me-down.)
• J. Crew Pearl Ring (I wear Kenneth Jay Lane's version.)
• Pedro Garcia leather brogue pumps
• J. Crew selvedge chambray shirt
• Libertine distressed jean
• J. Crew skinny metallic leather belt

(By the end of most nights out I also tend to wear Tanqueray gin, but that is always a happy accident.)

I feel most like myself in these duds - the sartorial daughter of Jane Goodall and Mary Randolph Carter, of the elements and the seasons and the outdoors, as proper at a cocktail party as on the deck of a sailboat. Ça look, c'est moi.

Hit the road, Jacks.

Skateboarders were, for a long time, something like modern-day outlaws, getting into shenanigans wherever there was a rail to ride or a little old lady to scare.

A recent post on A Time To Get got me thinking about how "totally rad" this subculture is and how much more I want to learn about the sport and the people who have made it so gnarly (especially the girls because there are so few of us but especially the boys because they are so darn cute).

Skateboarding, surfing, and that whole California thing have, in the past fifty years or so, come to define the American youth. Think of Lords of Dogtown, the X Games, the Beach Boys. Tony Hawk on a box of Frosted Flakes.

The whole wide world has gone to the boards.

And for the past six months I have cruised all over New York City on my American-made Zig Zagger, put together by the pros at Autumn.

My deck (and my carefully honed ruffian persona) would be nothing without this dirty pair of Jack Purcells which have seen me through many long nights and epic rides. I may not be the fiercest hooligan on the street, but I know a good shred when I see one.

The Jacks look jaunty with shorts and fresh to death under a sun dress. Together these summer staples (skateboard and sneaks) have cruised seamlessly into fall, and keep my street cred alive and kicking. Or so I tell myself.

All pieces, from the selvedge shirt to the chambray frock, are by J. Crew.

The great American manicure.

As a little girl I begged my mother to let me join her on her weekly trips to the manicurist. Cindy at Shar's beauty parlor would wrap Mom's nails in fiberglass, buff them with what looked like a mini jackhammer, and apply two thin coats of cotton candy pink. More often than not I wiled away these mornings spinning in the stylists' chairs, flipping through old Vogues, and stealing candy. But on a couple special occasions Mom gave her blessing, and I too had my nails "done". Cindy, like most pros, swore by OPI. A love affair was born.

Coney Island Cotton Candy

A sweet pink for a little lady who would grow up to be a big New Yorker.

OPI achieved nail salon ubiquity for their cheeky marketing, and most girls freely admit to falling victim to each season's clever names and collections which echo current fashion trends. This season, for example, the Matte and Suede Collections capitalize on the craze for flat, shine-free finishes.

Wild manicures are a good way to be in the moment without becoming a slave to trends, but I keep an old Topsider shoe box filled with favorites that look fresh season in and season out. In my permanent collection are classic colors with names that draw inspiration from great American locales (and a favorite Christmas carol).

Baby It's "Coal" Outside

Dark, moody hues have been trendy for so long that they now count as modern mainstays. I like this shade because it's softer than pitch black and more classic than hunter green or navy.

Big Apple Red

I first discovered this vermilion while interning at Ralph Lauren in (where else?) the Big Apple. Bright lollipop red was a favorite at 650 Madison.

Lincoln Park After Dark

This universal favorite kicked off the dark, almost-black phase in fall 2006. It looks especially seasonal against cream shades, winter whites, and my Hunter wellingtons.

Cajun Shrimp

This is the perfect warm weather hue. I love to wear it with pale blue chambray sundresses, thin yellow scarfs, white sandals, and a deep tan.

Kennebunk-Port

Meet the granddaddy of them all, the one that set the mani-pedi stars in my eyes and keeps summer at the tips of my toes all year 'round. I wear it so frequently that it has become something of a neutral shade for me.

A collection I'd love to see in the future would echo those dreary Missouri landscapes that I miss so much: moss and olive greens, khaki, dirt brown, gray as gloomy as the October sky, and bright holly red. But until that hits the stores, I'll stick with what I know and love.

For a comprehensive list of all OPI shades and collections, most of which are available to order, please visit Nail Polish Diva.