Gifts for the Hostess

This set of 12 hand blown colored shot glasses are hand made in Japan. Aren't they beautiful? The cost is $170 and you can buy them here.


I love these Hobnail Mercury Glass vases from Mothology.


Why not bring your hostess friend a bottle of St. Germain liquor? It is made with elderflower and it has won a bunch of fancy awards. I like it because I think the bottle is pretty and it reminds me of being in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.


Everyone who cooks uses extra virgin olive oil. I am sure of it. This Laudemio Frescobaldi Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been acclaimed by all sorts of food writers and Kelly Wearstler herself gives them as gifts. That must mean its good! You can order and see for yourself at Dean & Deluca.

Give a Book

Here are some of the latest books that I think would make great gifts for the holidays. 

Chic Wrapping

It must be because the holidays are around the corner, but I have become seriously obsessed with gift wrapping and especially with hand dyed silk ribbon. Shop Heidi is a great resource for fresh and fun wrapping paper. Below you can see a few of her creative ideas.




Lately my favorite thing to do is wrap gifts in white or black lizard embossed paper and finish it with a colorful hand dyed silk ribbon. The gifts look so pretty that no one will even want to open them!



M & J Trim has a wonderful selection of beautiful hand dyed silk ribbon.


You can find this fabulously chic lizard paper in other colors as well at The Paper Studio.

Travel In Style

Do you have a friend that loves to travel? This is the perfect gift for them! I am always looking for latest and greatest travel guides and I absolutely love these travel guides from LUXE. These guides list all the hippest shops, restaurants and hotels. What is great about these guides is that they are very sleek and small enough that they could fit in your pocket. Plus they are so stylish that no one will even know that you are a tourist. This LUXE World Grand Tour Box comes with 12 LUXE City Guides to cities like New York, Paris, and Bangkok. The whole set is $99 and you can get it online at Luxe.


If you travel a lot, you know that a good suitcase is necessary. While it would be great to own a piece of Louis Vuitton luggage, chances are that the cost is out of most people’s price ranges (including mine!). If you are sick and tired of your boring black Samsonite luggage, then I think a chic and stylish suitcase that won’t break the bank is the 26” Wheeled Packing Case from T. Anthony. The bag comes in several colors but I prefer the black canvas with the white trim. You can even have it monogrammed! What is not to love??


Comfort during long fights is essential. I love this travel pillow and eye mask set from Armand Diradourian. The travel pillow is filled with duck feathers and down and looks super soft. The travel set is available in either pink or blue and you can find it at Neiman Marcus online.

Have you ever been on a flight across the Atlantic and suddenly your Ipod loses all battery power? Trust me, it is not a pretty sight. You can avoid this type of tragedy with the Solio Hybrid Charger. The hybrid charger can charge all of your electronic gadgets and the coolest part is that it absorbs its power from the sun. If you leave your charger in the sun for an hour, you will have enough battery power for your Ipod for an hour. How cool is that! You can pick one up at Flight 001. Flight 001 is a groovy site that has everything you could ever possibly need to travel and then some. You should definitely check it out!

Kirsten Hollister & O at Home

Oprah had a contest with Nate Berkus in which they picked the best designed homes from readers that had no design help from professionals. I thought this was such a brilliant idea and I love the homes of the people that won. Kirsten Hollister was one of the winners and some pictures of her home are below.


My favorite idea, and one that I cannot believe I didn't think of sooner, was to take a vintage mirror, break out the mirror, and create a message board with chalkboard paint. Isn't that idea beyond genius!!






(Photos by Björn Wallander)

I also love the mix of traditional and modern in Kirsten's dining room. I would never have thought of putting those fabulous modern Kartell lamps in a formal dining room. I also love the idea of not having traditional dining chairs and using benches instead because it creates more space for people to sit and also provides extra storage- something we all need I'm sure.

Beauty Gifts

I love everything Jo Malone. I think all of her scents are absolutely divine. This Bath Oil Collection includes six scents - Orange Blossom, Amber & Lavender, Grapefruit, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Pomegranate Noir, and Blue Agava & Cacao. Don't the names alone just make you want to try them? You can buy this gift set at Saks.

I have already discussed my love of soaps and I think this collection of soaps from Claus Porto is incredible. These soaps were featured on Oprah's favorite things and I also spotted them in some of the hottest magazines like Vogue and Allure. They really would make a perfect gift. You can buy all different sorts of assorted soaps along with other fabulous lotions and potions here.

I love this gift! It is a chic Missoni charm necklace that also contains a large gold charm filled with Missoni Acqua solid perfume. I would buy it even if there wasn't perfume in it!!! You can get it online at Nordstrom.

Who wouldn't love this fabulous Diptyque candle? The candle above is called Encens and it is one of only three limited edition holiday candles for 2007. This candle is available at Aedes. Hurry though because I am sure that they won't last long!!

Ivanka on Madison

(Photo by John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times)

The first time I saw Ivanka Trump's apartment I fell in love with it. It was nothing like I expected. Her home has a great mix of vintage and modern so it should come as no surprise that the jewelry store she just opened on Madison Avenue in New York is just as lovely. I love that Ivanka created an atmosphere that is more hip high end clothing boutique than it is stiff and sterile expensive jewelry store. I love her entire color scheme and especially the pop of canary yellow in the Asian inspired hutch. While I probably won't be able to afford any of her jewelry, I will be sure to stop in Ivanka's shop just to take a look around.

Below are a few pictures of Ivanka's apartment. I love absolutely everything about it. Notice the turquoise foo dogs in her living room!!!



(Photos courtesy of StyleCourt)

Classic Gifts

These are 4 gifts that you really can't go wrong giving to someone. I think each of these items will be just as fashionable and chic 20 years from now.


What is there to say about this Chanel lambskin purse? It is a classic and it always will be!


I love the look of the Cartier Tank Française watch. It is so sleek and classic. It can be worn with jeans and a t-shirt but also looks appropriate with an evening dress. Perfection!


Every girl needs a good pair of classic black pumps. I happen to think these Manolo Blahnik pumps fit the bill perfectly. You can find these and others at Neiman Marcus online.


While I don't live in rainy weather, I love the look of a good trench coat. I think Burberry makes the most classic version. See this trench and others here.

So far I am three for four on the above list. Not bad!!! I am still working on the Burberry trench...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

(Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart Online)

Chevron Tray

I have already discussed my obsession with the Black Chevron rug from Madeline Weinrib. Now Oscar de la Renta has created a chevron lacquer tray for Lunt. Chevron + Lacquer + Oscar de la Renta = PERFECTION. You can check out the rest of Oscar de la Renta's collection here.

Speaking of Lighting...

Here is a round up of some of my favorite lamps.

I love these Kartell lamps. They are so chic and fabulous and I desperately want a pair!



I think this Marlene Table Lamp from Crate & Barrell is classic.



I love all things Jonathan Adler, so it should come as no surprise that I think this Havenhurst lamp is amazing. I love, love, love the color of the lamp base.


Finally, I just bought the lamp below for $75 at a local antique market. Isn't it fabulous? I have been looking for a chrome Gourd inspired lamp forever and I was unwilling to pay more than $100 for one. I am so glad I waited!! I have seen these lamps sell for more than $600 so I was ecstatic went I found one that was so inexpensive. I plan on purchasing a black cylinder lamp shade and then it will be perfect!

Aerin Lauder's Home

I received the last House & Garden issue today - sniff sniff- and all I can say is that they sure went out with a bang. I love the homes they chose to cover in the December issue and I especially loved Aerin Lauder's Hamptons home. Aerin inherited the home from her late grandmother Estée Lauder, the cosmetics diva extraordinaire.

I love the bold black lacquered walls in the study along with the fabulous David Hicks rug.

I also love how Aerin kept the essence of her grandmother's design but added her own modern touches. 

(Photos by Francois Halard)