Extra! Extra! Mina opens on Cooper Square!

In my daily blogroll yesterday, I read about a 25% off sale on some of my favorite designers (Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney) at a new boutique by my office. Naturally, I had to pop by after work to check it out.

I walked into the boutique -- Mina -- and immediately was struck with the quality of the merchandise. The white-walled store has beautiful, large paintings for sale as well as a mix (I deduced) of second-hand and new merchandise. I fell in lust with a winter white silk Chloe tunic dress on the first rack (shopguy and I decided I had to have it and pair it with grey/silver booties), and I spent about 20 minutes drooling over (gently used) Prada pumps on the shoe wall. Ultimately, I didn't buy anything, despite the discount, but I chatted with the (so sweet) shopguy, took a business card and vowed to spread the word.

I know it's probably totally irresponsible to write about a store during this economy, but some of the pieces in this store are, like the paintings, works of art. And hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

mina ny
32A cooper square
ny ny 10003
212.253.5894
www.minanyc.com

Yours,
EL

Didion, on New York

"Part of what I want to tell you is what it is like to be young in New York, how six months can become eight years with the deceptive ease of a film dissolve, for that is how those years appear to me now, in a long sequence of sentimental dissolves and old-fashioned trick shots: the Seagram Building fountains dissolve into snowflakes, I enter a revolving door at twenty and come out a good deal older, and on a different street."
[Joan Didion, 1967]



"I still believed in possibilities then, still had the sense, so peculiar to New York, that something extraordinary would happen any minute, any day, any month."
[Joan Didion, 1967]

Full piece here

Yours,
EL

I lerv George Bailey

My mom watches this movie at least once a year.

Sometimes she kicks it off as early as Thanksgiving, when she pops in the VHS and sets the TV front and center on the kitchen counter for perfect sweet-potato-mashing viewage. (I'm convinced she opted for the big-screen plasma in the living room solely so that she could watch Jimmy Stewart from the kitchen.)

Other times, she waits until we're all home for the holidays to beg us to gather around the living room to watch.

Basically, despite Jimmy's annoying voice and the utter cheesiness of the last scene, this movie is a classic, and if you haven't watched it, do. After several teenage years of bucking the trend, I've given in. I love it. And this year, given the real-life credit crisis and the downfall of major investment houses, Capra's movie feels more relevant than ever. (And if you don't trust me, read this -- the NYTimes agrees.)

Hint: Check it out this weekend in NY at select movie theaters -- the Greenwich Village IFC, for example. It is -- for lack of a more precise word -- wonderful.

Yours,
EL

A little fall of...snow!

4th Ave @ Cooper Union Post Office. Love it.

Fred Leighton Los Angeles!

Congratulations to MEREDITH, who helped to open the new (to debut today!) Fred Leighton boutique on Rodeo Drive!

Yours,
EL

Poll of the week: Taste Test

My friends have seriously excellent taste, and I have learned more about the city through them than through any other source -- I mean, what New Yorker doesn't solicit the opinions of trusted peers? That said, after polling some of my favorite friends about some of their favorite things, I've decided to make a new (er, additional), New Years Resolution: Go to these (see below) places, download this (see below) music, try something new every week of 09.

Want proof of just how fun, different and -- well -- excellent, my friends' answers are?

Questions:
Name
Neighborhood
Profession
Favorite restaurant(s)
Favorite bar(s)
Favorite blog/magazine(s)
Favorite item of clothing
Last book you read
What's on repeat on your iPod/What's your Pandora station of choice right now?

Sarah
Lives: Williamsburg
Works: Brand Content, Digital Advertising
Eats: Dumont Burger
Drinks: Iona
Reads: NY Magazine/ NY Times Magazine
Wears: My green jacket
Read: Breakfast of Champions, Vonnegut
Listens: Fleet Foxes

Lauren
Lives: Soho
Works: Event Planning
Eats: Freeman's Alley, Nolita House
Drinks: Double Crown, Back Room
Reads: Domino Magazine, Elle Decor
Wears: High-waisted tuxedo skirt
Listens: The Raconteurs, The Virgins, Santogold

Kayla
Lives: East Village
Works: Writer, Financial Times
Eats: Barmarche, Esperanto
Drinks: Back Room, Back Fence
Reads: Dealbreaker.com
Wears: Winter white Theory trousers
Read: Slapstick, Vonnegut
Listens: Kelly Joe Phelps, "Not So Far to Go"

Jennifer
Lives: Murray Hill
Works: Internet Research
Eats: Cave Havana
Drinks: Niagra
Reads: InStyle, People (or some combination of the two)
Wears: Jeans
Read: The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch
Listens: Bloc Party, "Signs"

Andrea
Lives: Gramercy
Works: Junior Strategist, Advertising
Eats: Teany (to eat in), Klong (for delivery)
Drinks: Maybe Union Hall?, Heathers?
Reads: Postadvertising.com
Wears: Gray sweater dress from Barney's
Read: Beneath the Wheel, Hesse
Listens: Beirut, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Joy Division, New Order, The Microphones, Mount Eerie, Liz Isenberg

Maggie
Lives: Alphabet City
Works: Internet Research
Eats: Boqueria, Joes Shanghai, Tomo, Market Table
Drinks: Welcome to Johnsons, Hanger (Closed), Lit
Reads: UntitledNY (ha), NYMag
Wears: Marc Coat, French Connection sweater, dance leggings, Prada couture dress
Read: Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder
Listens: Billy Bragg: New England, The Virgins, Cut Copy

Julia
Lives: Boerum Hill
Works: NY Citizen Schools
Eats: Joya
Reads: "The comments I get from my blog"
Read: The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Listens: Rick Astley, "Never gonna give you up"

Danya
Lives: Lower East Side
Works: Teach For America
Eats: Ivo & Lulu, Schiller's (mac 'n' chz!), Ashkara (falafel), Josie's
Drinks: Rudy's (44th and 9th - $7 pitchers!), Sway on Sun. nights (Smiths/Morrissey night), Lakeside Lounge (best jukebox around, and photo booth!)
Reads: Sartorialist, la garance dore, Sea of Shoes, Kingdom of Style, FabSugar, Fashionista, WhoWhatWear.com
Wears: Leather bomber with droopy collar
Read: The New Yorker, rather than books
Listens: Lady Gaga station, Pandora

Hallie
Lives: Carroll Gardens
Works: Event Planning
Eats: Three of Cups
Reads: The Sartorialist, Brilliant Asylum, Snippet and Ink, Domino, Anything Martha Stewart related
Wears: Black Cardigan

Hannah
Lives: Alphabet City
Works: Central Park Conservancy
Eats: Mary Ann's Mexican on 2nd Ave, Dunkin Donuts
Drinks: Any dive bar
Reads: TimeOut, New Yorker
Wears: Vintage red wool Cynthia Rowley dress, Spanx tights
Read: The new David Sedaris
Listens: Happy Holidays station, Pandora

See? Told you so! My suggestion? Make these your '09 resolution, too.

Yours, in auld lang syne,
EL

They call me Stacy

I love this song. It just put me into such a good mood.