On Septmeber 10th, 13 countries will celebrate Fashion’s Night Out, a global initiative to promote retail and celebrate fashion.  This year, they created a great PSA which talks about all the benefits the fashion industry brings to New York City. “Next only to finance, fashion is the second-largest sector of industry in New York City—the headquarters of more than 800 fashion companies employing 175,000 people and generating $10 billion in total wages.”

They have also decided that all proceeds from the sale of the official Fashion’s Night Out T-shirt will  be donated to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

They’ve planned some great events and some really exciting collaborations.

What I’m looking forward to:

Rag and Bone will turn their store into a full Irish pub complete with sawdust floors and an Irish band

Vera Wang is collaborating with StudioBooth!

BAND OF OUTSIDERS is partnering up with Opening Ceremony.  The THAI TIE TRUCK  will sell Band of Outsiders ties made exclusively for the evening, as well as a special thai-inspired dessert prepared by Christina Tosi of Momofuku that you can only get with your purchase of one of the ties

Kiki de Montparnasse will have champagne and an erotic photo booth.

Kirna Zabête will have Narciso Rodriguez, Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Thakoon Panichgul, Jason Wu, and Peter Som on hand to debut their exclusive items for Kirna Zabête:  Narciso Rodriguez photo collages, Proenza Schouler print tote bags, Thakoon one-of-a-kind dresses, Jason Wu fall 2009 fashion sketches and Peter Som’s limited-edition aprons.

This set of glasses consisting of a butterfly, spider and spider web are simply beautiful individually or as a prey vs. predator scenario. They were created by design group Propoganda, which was established in 1994 by of group of advertising executives who set out to instill the innate sense of Thai playfulness into every day products.

*via Mr. Matt Spangler via devincastro

On a recent trip to Portland, we made an evening out of a delicious dinner at Clyde Common and a late night photobooth session next door at The Ace Hotel.

Dinner:
-pork belly served on top of a fried green tomato, pocha beans and piccalilli
-roasted beets with potatoes, boiled eggs, pickled carrots and touch of fennel
-grilled flatiron steak accompanied by a smoked tomato relish
-roasted peach shortcake with a maple-bourbon ice cream and a dollop praline cream

Cocktail of choice:
East of Eden: Bombay Dry, lemon, elderflower liqueur, Gewurtzraminer reduction and an egg white served up

Summer perfection.

While searching for a cake recipe for a recent dinner party, I came across Smitten Kitchen.  A blog that deliciously documents a woman’s mission to create simple, unpretentious comfort food in her 42 square foot nyc kitchen.  Her recipes are straightforward and the photography on her site  is bold and beautiful.  I’ve been eyeing her arugula, potato and green bean salad and her lemony zucchini goat cheese pizza.  Sounds like a perfect summer dinner on a hot day like today.

“The details are not the details. They make the product.” -Charles Eames

The Eames.  They were innovative, modern, practical and classic.  Their house was built 60 years ago in the 1949 as part of the Case Study House Program.   It took just one-and-a-half days for eight workers to build the frame from 11 tons of steel and cost just $1 per square foot.

We’re big fans of whiskey.  I like Oban and D prefers a Lagavulin.  So when I came across these Whiskey Stones design by Teroforma, I was pretty darn excited.   Made out of natural soapstone from Vermont, they take advantage of the fact that soapstone has a unsual ability to conduct and retain coldness, making it a perfect solution for chilling our whiskey without watering it down.  Can’t wait to give them a try.

On a perfect Tuesday morning we enjoyed:

Homemade Watermelon Agua Fresca
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Siphoned Courier Coffee
Moo’s famous banana bread
Local blueberry scones
Chocolate chip scones with an espresso glaze
Olive oil granola
Local blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
Creamy papas con chiles
Homemade tortillas!
Scrambled eggs with queso fresca
Carlton Farms Bacon
Pico de gallo
Guacamole