One of our favorite West Village boutiques,
Ludivine, has opened a second location uptown. Now Upper East Siders can get their fill of Vanessa Bruno and other French labels that are all
tres jolie! We shop at Ludivine all the time for ourselves and with our clients because of their highly edited collection of the pieces that are both chic and wearable. You won’t leave empty handed!
While we are celebrating more French style in New York, we wanted to pay tribute to our favorite French style icons. From the top: Empress Josephine (we love an Empire waist), Marie Antointette (for her excess and innovation), Catherine Deneuve (we especially love the costumes of Belle du Jour), Brigitte Bardot (in all her bombshell glory), Audrey Tautou (we loved the sexy slinky designer dresses she donned in Priceless as well as her gamine off-screen style), Vanessa Paradis (for her haute bohemian mix), Carla Bruni (in a skirt suit as First Lady or in jeans and a t-shirt with a guitar as a musician), Jane Birkin and her girls Lou Doillon and Charlotte Gainsbourg (all with individual je ne sai quoi).
Ludivine, 1612 Lexington Ave. between 82nd and 83rd St., 212-249-4053.
Ludivine, 172 W. 4th St., between 6th and Great Jones St., 646-336-6576.
The long wait was finally over last week as Topshop’s much anticipated Soho location opened. We had to check it out for ourselves, so we braved the April showers (um, severe storms) for a taste of fast fashion. We always like a few of the Kate Moss for Topshop pieces and the rest of the offerings won’t disappoint those looking for a quick style fix. I walked away with a crisp white dress for the Hamptons this summer. However, beware of the insanely long fitting rooms lines – make sure you pick up everything you want to try on before you get in line.
We also picked our favorite ensembles from the Topshop dinner at Balthazar. See our stylish faves from left: Marchesa designer and CDC style icon Georgina Chapman, our favorite young Hollywood actress Emma Roberts looking sophisticated yet youthful as usual, chanteuse Jennifer Hudson had become a pro at dressing for her body shape, the Green family (patriarch is Topshop owner Sir Phillip Green) is a fashionable clan, what seems to be the most in love couple in NYC, Lorenzo Martone and Marc Jacobs were simple and suave and late night host Jimmy Fallon and musician/DJ Mark Ronson represented for the boys in slim fitting suits.
And we can’t forget the driving force at Topshop, Amanda’s favorite, the /model/designer/muse Kate Moss.
- Lucia Marcelle Tait
Our Top Looks: Penelope Cruz in vintage Balmain (a perennial favorite, Penelope aptly goes for fairy tale glamour), Sarah Jessica Parker in Christian Dior Haute Couture (this ‘barely mint’ confection is dreamy, SJP adds some edge with Lucia’s favorite accessory: the arm band), Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive (perfect fit and silhouette, gorgeous color, lots of shine, and the graduated paillettes give this gown a mermaid quality), Natalie Portman in Rodarte (a stand out color, and a clean and youthful look)
Our Honorable Mentions: Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab (opting for simple glamour again, with the best jewelry of the night: gigantic emerald earrings and ring from Lorraine Schwartz), Kate Winslet in Yves Saint Laurent (flawless look for Kate’s body, love the movement in the Chopard earrings, absolute best hair of the night, a la Grace Kelly), Freida Pinto in John Galliano (the burgeoning style star caters to the fashion set with an asymmetrical cobalt confection), Tilda Swinton in Lanvin (a star who always pushes the style envelope, is luxe meets cool)
Images by Wireimage and Getty Images.
Felix Rey, the line of flirty and feminine handbags and accessories founded by Lily Rafii and Sulaika Zarrouk, has re-launched their website as e-commerce. Now you can shop the full collection (including our favorite, the
Love and Peace Tote and the
Marissa Ikat Clutch) from anywhere.
And, just for being a Coup de Coeur shopper, the FR girls are offering you 20% off for the entire month of February! Simply enter the code FRCDC20 upon checkout. More great news from the brand: their collection for Target will be in stores March 29 – June 14.
LA based contemporary retailer Vince opened their first NYC boutique this month in the Meatpacking District, featuring both the men’s and women’s collections. Vince’s basics with modern style, such as the
Shawl Collar Sweater and the
Chambray Utility Shirt are must-haves for spring. We visited today and ran in one of the first celeb shoppers, Stella Tenant.
Vince, 833 Washington Street, New York, 212-924-0370.
Tory Burch opened her 2nd Manhattan (and 17th nationwide) free-standing boutique in the Meatpacking District. Now Westsiders can get Tory’s signature printed, embellished and colorful styles, such as our favorite: the Rodion Dress, perfect for all those spring weddings!
Tory Burch, 38-40 Little West 12th St, New York, 212-929-0125.
