The art of the messenger pigeon died a long time ago and sending letters and telegrams are now as passe as wearing gingham and a beehive hairdo to a barbeque. But in the era of going green, we applaud the latest debut by veteran stationers Harold and Debbie Kyle. They just launched Smock Paper (www.smockpaper.com) a week ago, and today the e-commerce site goes live.

Smock Paper isn’t special simply because it’s pretty paper (my five year old niece paints some unique postcards herself) but because it is 100% biodegradable, and the first to print on bamboo fiber. “We have been working for years to become a more sustainable print shop”, says Harold Kyle. (more…)

South Gate in the Jumeirah Essex House across from Central Park boasts an airy, open space. Like a polished palace interior, the restaurant’s walls showcase blocks of mirrors, and there is an impressive football field sized transparent wine cellar on one side of the room.

We secretly believe Chef Kerry Heffernan (of Eleven Madison Park success) is a linguist at heart. The name chef experiments with precision and has a penchant for exotic sounding plates and ingredients: Muscat, tarragon, kohlrabi are a few zesty words sprinkled on the impressive sounding menu. (Note that he does look at every plate when you are finished with your meal. So, if you have not finished your food, he will venture to your table to see what on earth is the matter with you). (more…)

In a city where little sleep persists and those who are awake thirst for eclectic cuisine, restaurateurs can afford to take risks with their menus.And most worth their salt do. Think of the Asian fusion at Tabla, the American fare at Union Square Cafe and the seafood-rich fare at Jean Georges. All three have mingled traditional with the quirky to attract the ever-curious crowd.

Because of the increasing competition from independent restaurants around New York, hotel restaurants seem to have lost their way. They have that reputation of being mediocre, pretentious or just plain vanilla. But now more than ever, there are places that dress up their plain vanilla with, say, a dollop of creativity and chocolate shavings. (more…)

For a while there, it seemed like the world might be turning into one big American Apparel ad: around every New York corner lurked a pair of slim slacks, a tri-blend t-shirt and a pair of those canvas slip-on sneakers from K-Mart, and that’s about where fashion and effort ended. While I understand the Gotham need to not try too hard, certain neighborhoods had me feeling constantly overdressed in my (um, I thought) carefree rayon 40′s numbers. But now, suddenly, at least one fixture of good old international dressing has returned: behold, the hat! (more…)

The dog days of summer can spawn the desire to outdo the Great Gatsby when it comes to parties. But who has the time to manicure the lawn, banish dust bunnies, spring clean and hand cut cucumber sandwiches to serve on porcelain plates? If your vision is lofty but your schedule is brimming with appointments, don’t fret. It is possible to plan a knockout weekend celebration even if your agenda is full.

The Plan: Entertaining expert Ed Lent recommends blueprinting your party. This includes considering how the party will flow from start to finish and making notes on what you need for every step of the event. “Keep a simple entertaining ‘kit’ of items that you can depend on when entertaining. Decorative items, like pots of flowers, candle sticks, even a bowl of fruit, make instant and reusable centerpieces for several occasions of entertaining.” (more…)

For a luxe bargain, shop at www.ChristabellesCloset.com, which has been prettying damsels since its debut. Here we interview Christina Carathanassis, the portal’s President and owner.

Do millionaires shop at Christabelle’s Closet? Not just the college kid hoping to save a few bucks?

Sure! We have customers that range from high school kids, up through socialites and celebrities. Everyone is looking for a good deal, but some – more than others – are looking for anonymity with that good deal. ChristabellesCloset.com offers that to all of our clientele, which gives customers confidence in shopping with us (we have many return customers each week). We find many of our consignors (those who consign their luxurious goods for profit) transition quickly into becoming a consignee as well. How can you pass up deals at up to 80% off retail? I know I can’t. (more…)

Tone (www.toneskincare.com) had a polished event on Monday evening in New York City, and One Tree Hill’s Sophia Bush was keynote speaker.

“You’ve always got to wash your face,” she said. “That’s a big thing. I should have a particular face wash I use but I don’t. I just have to wash my face all the time, even if it’s hand soap, even if I have to dilute shampoo with water when I’m at a hotel…whatever it is.”(Okay, we mortals have diluted shampoo and slathered it on our faces, but it was comforting to hear that Ms. Bush does so as well). (more…)

Baby showers can be cute but creatively frustrating. Picture a wide ring of starry eyed friends unwrapping every ounce of tissue paper-packed goodness, only to find that someone has gifted a picture frame, a baby bib or a box of diapers…again.

No mensa points for you. (more…)

While people may love the outdoors (think pine trees, gurgling brooks etc.), many admit the tenting digs fall short of the Four Seasons’ plush eiderdowns. Some have been scarred by the film The Lord of the Flies (ok, I admit it… I have). The innocent English school boys weren’t planning on camping, but when their plane crashed, necessity prevailed. Instead of smores, they ate Piggy, the emotionally needy, chubby boy. (more…)

If you want to ski, do whale watching, and be part of a “green” ethos, take a trip to Canada’s jewel, Vancouver. With the plummeting U.S. dollar, this is a more economical trip than say, packing your trousseau to St. Tropez.

Here are some first impressions of the city from tourists:

• “I noticed immediately how green and lush everything was. There’s more of a casual, outdoorsy look here – people dressed in fleece and sportswear.”

(more…)