BEST BRUNCH in Brooklyn

For the second installment of our brunch series, I asked my cousin Mary Therese, amazing artist and native New Yorker, for favorite brunch spots in her borough of Brooklyn. When she's not collaborating on creating Broadway props, museum exhibits and movie backdrops with her partner in love and art, John of Jerard Studio, MT does mural and faux painting for many restaurants. She's also a great cook herself, so I knew she'd have wonderful suggestions for Style Maniac readers. Here's MT's top picks (along with some of her comments) for Best Brunch in Brooklyn:

Brooklyn Heights: Jack the Horse Tavern.
Carroll Gardens:  Lilla, new but really delicious; and Alma for both the food and great views of the city.  [Read the New York Times review of Alma here.]

Cobble Hill:  Bocca Lupo, my friend Jeff's place (No brunch at his new one, Strong Place on Court Street, but the best oysters in town, I swear).   
Park Slope: Stone Park Cafe [shown above].

Have a favorite brunch spot in Brooklyn or your home town? Add it in the comments below.  Next month:  Brunch at Home.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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WHAT WOULD KATE SPADE WEAR IN NEW YORK?

Given how much a website can convey a brand's personality, it's amazing how dull and downright unattractive many online shopping experiences can be.  Not so Kate Spade.com, a site so charming and fun I check it even when I'm not in the market for pretty baubles (my only peeve: music, which I don't care to have blaring at me from any site).  It just so happens that Kate & Co. also traveled to cities and shores this season. Here's her wardrobe suggestions for a New York City weekend (check back for tropical attire).
Images via katespade.comSource URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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I LIKE NEW YORK IN JUNE ... HOW ABOUT YOU?

UPTOWN: Central Park on a glorious spring day ... the dramatic view from the terrace after a concert at Lincoln Center ... Patricia Field's fun and glamorous Sex & The City 2 windows at Bergdorf Goodman ... the bar at Jean Georges Vongerichten's new mouth-watering and surprisingly affordable restaurant at The Mark Hotel.  DOWNTOWN: The style maniacal yellow doors at The Standard Hotel ... the sublime High Line and views of the Hudson River ... brunch at charming Cafe Gitane in the Meatpacking District.

Mark Bar photo by Julie Glassberg via The New York Times. Cafe Gitane photo by Katie Sokoler via The Gothamist.  All other photos by Doreen Creede.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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FROM CITY TO SHORE

Perhaps you've noticed:  each month I choose a theme for Style Maniac, around which all the blog posts, most of the Facebook entries and many of the Twitter musings revolve.  Usually the theme pops into my head weeks before and the only challenge is to edit ideas down to a manageable amount.  But this month I found myself stumped.  Should I celebrate the staycation fun of summer in a city?  Or do I escape to the balmy breezes of days at the shore?  And then two unexpected invitations arose in one week that made it click:  why not do both? And so this month on Style Maniac we travel From City to Shore, with stops at some wonderful small towns in between. The car's decorated, The Avett Brothers and Frank croon on the radio ... won't you join us for the ride?
Video discovered on Some Teachers Are Cool.  (Thank you, Christy!) For more of  The Avett Brothers amazing music click here .  VW Bug photo via Kris' Color Stripes. Nantucket Beach House via CountryLiving.com.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS

And so we say au revoir (for now) to our virtual visit to Paris.  I hope you've discovered some wonderful art, romance and outdoor cafés in your own town, and brought a touch of la vie française home.  Although I don't often post photos of myself on this blog, I had to include this fave, above.  The scarf, the book, the locale,  and that perfect moment during a family trip when my then-toddler niece Kelly and I gleefully plotted where we would wander to next.  It captures so much of what I love about travel ... style ... life ... and Paris.

Photo by Denise Schwemmer Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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ALMOST FRENCH

Part Two of "Paris & What She Read," with recommendations from some smart and stylish Francophile friends.  For Part Three, a pick by Anne Jensen, please visit the Style Maniac Facebook Page.




ALMOST FRENCH by Sarah Turnbull

"There are many books about expats living in France but this one is slightly different.  Australian-born Sarah Turnbull captures the joys and challenges of straddling two countries and not truly belonging to either.  She provides very interesting perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of living in France." --Andrea Sowitch



Andrea and I have been fast friends since bonding during our junior semester abroad in Nice. In the time since we've shared countless talks about film, books, love, food and France.  Andrea is now a marketing consultant and continues her French language studies through Alliance Française in Denver.
Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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CAFÉ SOCIETY: Houston, Littleton & Chicago

As promised at the beginning of the month, here are outdoor cafés recommended by Style Maniac correspondents across the country. Merci, mes amis, for the wonderful suggestions.  Can't wait to come visit and try them all!  And please, chic readers, share your favorite spot in the Comments section below.

In Houston architect and fabulous cook Karen Krauskopf, recommends The Grove (above) a clean, modern restaurant bordering a park downtown. "It's a very peaceful place--my escape for a cool glass of white wine.  Even when it's 100+ degrees and 90% humidity, this place set amongst the oak trees and skyscrapers cools me."  The Grove  1611 Lamar Street (Discovery Green Park), Houston TX


 
Karen also loves Backstreet Cafe (above): "This quintessential neighborhood spot is right around the corner from us.  Good food, nice wine list.  Intimate (it's a re-purposed house) and romantic, but also a great place to meet friends.  The courtyard offers a wonderful, almost private outdoor dining experience, especially at night.  Again under giant oak tree.  We do love our big trees here in the blistering heat of the south."  Backstreet Cafe  1103 South Shepherd Drive, Houston TX



Across the country, Andrea Sowitch recommends JaJa Bistro in Littleton, Colorado (just outside Denver) for its outdoor dining and authentic charm. "My class from Alliance Française has made it a tradition to celebrate Bastille Day at JaJa.  The owner Stephan Poullier hails from the South of France and grew up working in his family's restaurant in Provence. My favorites are the stuffed dates, moules frites and enjoying a kir on the patio." (By the way, JaJa is French slang for getting together for a drink with friends, something Andrea and I have been doing since bonding during our college semester abroad in Nice.)  JaJa Bistro 5641 South Nevada Street, Littleton CO
   
Trish Woodson writes a knitting blog ttwcreative, and although I don't knit a stitch, we have discovered so many common loves through our blogs, I just knew she'd have a great recommendation for a Chicago café.  And she did:

"We only get a few months of alfresco dining here in Chi-town, but we know how to make the most of it.  One of our best little spots is Anteprima, a regional Italian eatery focusing on fresh, local and organic food.  This particular spot is especially perfect for Style Maniac readers because it's mere blocks away from nationally-recognized (but still affordable!) interior design shops like George Lowell, Scout and Brimstone.  If you're in Chicago one nice day, pop on your can't-miss sundress and head to the Andersonville neighborhood for shopping and a wonderful dinner.  Don't be disturbed by the busy dining room, you called ahead and made a reservation for the secret garden hidden behind the restaurant, didn't you?  Sip a cocktail while sitting amidst the beautiful greenery and peruse a selection of starters--you can get 8 of them for $15.  While you decide between the risotto with peeky toe crab and crispy trout, sit back and enjoy the wonder that is Chicago in warm weather."  Anteprima, 5316 N. Clark Street, Chicago IL




PHOTOS 1 & 2 via The Grove Facebook Page, PHOTO 3 via Backstreet Cafe Facebook Page, LOGO via JaJa Bistro.com , PHOTO 4 via anteprimachicago.netSource URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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PICASSO AND THE AVANT-GARDE IN PARIS ... IN PHILADELPHIA

Stroll, run, drive--just get to the Philadelphia Museum of Art before May 2nd and experience the amazing Picasso & The Avant-Garde In Paris. (And if you can't, read this.) Well worth the long lines, as the very first gallery brings to vivid life that amazing moment in time when Picasso deconstructed classical painting and created something completely new:  what we now call Modern Art.  The small 1907 work Five Nudes (Study for "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"), above, and another small study for Lysistrata--which Picasso did blindfolded!--along with colorful, swirling oils by Arthur Beecher Carles, were my personal favorites in the vast exhibit of 214 pieces by avant-garde artists who worked, drank and collaborated in Paris during the opening decades of the twentieth century--and changed the world of art forever.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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APRIL SHOWERS

Musician In The Rain
 Robert Doisneau, Paris, 1957
Image via robertdoisneau.com
Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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PARIS & WHAT SHE READ: A Moveable Feast

As much as I love reading, I've never joined a book group.  For me, reading is such an intensely personal and transporting experience--a good book can take me to so many different places in time and emotion--that I prefer to revel in it as my own private pleasure.  I do, however, love to trade recommendations with fellow book lovers.  So while thinking of what titles to highlight this month, I asked a few friends, Francophiles all, to share their favorite tales of Paris. First up, Janis Goodman tells how Hemingway seduced her with his classic memoir of The Lost Generation in Paris of the 1920s.

As someone who had grown up reading literary excess, I was entranced by the spareness of Hemingway's prose, which managed simultaneously to convey so much.  When I read A Moveable Feast, Paris came alive for me for the first time, freed of all the clichés I’d been fed throughout childhood. Woven throughout and imbuing the spell of Paris was his nostalgia for lost youth, lost love, spent passions.  The city became a real, living place. If I’d had a daughter, I would have named her Hadley, after Hemingway’s first wife, with whom he shared those early years, and whom he lost when they were over. --Janis Goodman

Janis and I met through our fun and feisty Movie Diva film group.  She has a Ph.D in public policy and women's psychological development, an adorable prince of a pup named Snippet and a love of all things French.  When not in Paris she and her husband are active supporters of Philadelphia arts and culture, such as The Pennsylvania Ballet.
Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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APRIL ... NOT IN PARIS

Anyone interested in paying a hard-working blogger to travel to Paris this month and write about all the chic and stylish spots? Non?  Vraiment??

Guess I'll just have to amuse myself by finding the best things about Paris--art, romance, outdoor cafes, the perfect bistro, fresh fashions, good books, a stroll along the banks of a river as the lights of the city illuminate before you--right here in Philadelphia ... and ask my Francophile friends to find a touch of Paris in their hometowns as well. Allons-y.

ABOVE: "Bar Tabac," by Philadelphia artist and photographer Estelle Carraz-Bernabei.  For previous posts on her work click here and here. Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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FLAT LAUREN VISITS PHILADELPHIA

For Part One of this story see Location, Location, Location.



"Hi!" said Flat Lauren as she popped out of her envelope. "Phew, I'm so happy to be out of that thing." She gave the envelope a good kick. "It was hot and stuffy and I'm starving!"


"Oh," I said. Somehow I hadn't imagined that Flat Lauren would be able to ... talk. "Well, we have lots of great places to eat here. Welcome to Philadelphia, by the way." I took a peek inside the envelope. It did look hot and stuffy. But there was a pretty letter inside. "So, I see you've thought of some things you'd like to do."


Flat Lauren smiled at me sweetly. "Oh yes. And we can do all of them, right?"

"Sure." I glanced over the letter. "There's great places to shop here. Tons of choices for dinner. Oh, I love movies, too! And--hmm, that's interesting ... an amusement park ... an amusement park in the city...."

Was it my imagination or did Flat Lauren have a gleam in her eye?


"Well, let's get started." I tucked Flat Lauren in my purse and off we went to the bookstore up the street. But I soon heard Flat Lauren's stomach growling so I whisked her to the Italian Market, where the guys at DiBruno Brothers fed us samples of food. And more samples. And more samples. (For a flat girl she sure could eat a lot.)


Although it wasn't one of her requests I felt I had to show my goddaughter some of Philadelphia's famous sites, like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.



And then some not-so-famous ones, like the Singing Fountain, which we danced around for awhile; and the Lucky Fortune Cookie Factory, where we bought a freshly made bag of cookies as big as Flat Lauren.  We wandered into a nearby Asian supermarket and saw so many delicious things we decided to buy some for dinner.





 "Which kind of noodles do you like?" I asked.

"Mwhartl blrrs thlsh."

"What?" I looked inside my purse to find Flat Lauren with a mouth full of fortune cookies."Wow, you really like those."

Flat Lauren swallowed hard. "Oh, yes, they are simply delicious!"

"Good. Now I have another treat for you. Right around the corner is a lovely park with a carousel and a miniature golf course and a playground. It's sort of like an ..."

"An amusement park!" Flat Lauren leapt out of my purse and twirled along the grocery shelf. "Let's go!"

So off we went to play mini-golf amongst replicas of famous Philadelphia landmarks. Flat Lauren beat me easily."Don't feel bad," she consoled me as we strolled home. "Kids play lots more putt-putt than grown-ups."




That night we cooked a dinner so yummy we completely forgot to take pictures of it. Then, tired from walking all day, we curled up on the sofa and watched a movie.

The next day Flat Lauren had to go back home. We both felt very sad.

"Oh, there's so many other fun things to do here," I told her. "Promise me you'll come back to visit? And bring your brother and sister and mommy and daddy."

"Promise," Flat Lauren replied and hugged me tight.

Then I packed her into a priority mail box with a new bag of fortune cookies to share with her classmates. I wonder if there will be any left by the time she arrives at school?


Artwork by Lauren. Photos by Doreen. Extra help from Kevin.
Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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L'APPARTEMENT

For awhile in the early 90s I lived on my own in an apartment just off Rittenhouse Square. Situated on the second floor front of a Victorian brownstone on 21st Street, it had once been the parlor of the grand mansion.  By the time I moved in it had long since been chopped into a series of small, oddly configured living spaces.  For every plus--the spacious living room, with its tiled fireplace, ten-foot ceilings, original built-in bookshelves and tall, sunny windows framed by window seats and fold-away shutters--there was a minus: a kitchen so tiny the refrigerator door didn't open all the way and the sink drainboard doubled as a countertop.  And for every minus--no central air--there was a plus: when I tugged open my five-by-six-foot bedroom window on Saturday mornings, in soared luscious arias from my opera-student neighbor.

Instead of a backyard I had views of lush gardens lining the alley behind the brownstone.  Against a backdrop of brick facades, pitched roofs and chimneys waved tumbling vines and magnolia blossoms the shade of strawberries dipped in cream.  Instead of a front yard I had the city:  within yards of my front door stood a pub where friends gathered on weekends, a library, bookstores large and small, boutiques, a produce stand, a mom-and-pop cleaners where mom-and-pop signed for my packages and fretted over me, and a pricey restaurant where five cooks--known as Chuck One, Two, Three, Four and Five--jump-started my car on a regular basis.

For the first few months my living room furniture consisted of a flamed mahogany stereo cabinet and petite coffee table inherited from my Aunt Alice, and some big floor pillows.  Finally friends who own a furniture store insisted I order a sofa and pay them when I had the money.  My Grandma Lydia sewed an Alençon lace curtain for my bath window, I hung an enormous pastel bus-stop poster from the Pissaro exhibit on the wall and mastered one-pot meals because I had no dishwasher.

My 15-minute work  "commute" meandered straight through Rittenhouse Square.  Sometimes, at dusk, soft halos of light glowed from the streetlamps, enveloping the wide avenues, stately trees and elegant apartment buildings surrounding the park and creating a hazy mist that seemed to suspend time and space.  On those evenings I felt not like a girl returning from a communications job at a Broad Street bank but more like a girl in a movie, an American girl in fin de siècle Paris, heading home to her very own appartement.

READ:  I discovered The Paris Apartment by Claudia Strasser in the late 90s.  Although more ornate than my own style, it shares so many of the things that made that Rittenhouse Square apartment of my own so wonderful:  romanticism, femininity, a focus on refurbished vintage treasures and a refusal to let a shoestring budget get in the way of creating a refuge with personality, unexpected luxury and a little bit of fantasy.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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DISPATCH: Dallas

I met Jennifer Lowden when she worked at a trade showroom where I shop for fabrics. For a few years we politely complimented each other's outfits and made small talk. Then one night we met for cocktails (or as Jenn might say in her best Texas drawl: "for some sippin' and bitchin'!") and became fast friends. She's got great style, tons of energy and a knack for always making you feel good about yourself.  After graduating from Texas Christian University with a B.A. in Art History & Interior Design, Jenn worked at Dallas' high-end Hargett Showroom and then for two prominent Dallas designers before establishing her own interior design business. Five years ago she moved to Philly for love (husband Jeff) and is now mom to an adorable little girl. Last year she revived her interior design business, JRL Interiors.

Jenn's enthusiasm for life in Dallas is contagious. Here's Dallas as seen by a true Style Maniac. 

DOREEN: We're talking about entertaining and hospitality this month on Style Maniac. Dallas seems to fit right into that conversation.
JENN: Maybe it's the warm sunny weather or just being friendly Texans but Dallas is a very social city. People gather at restaurants in large groups on a regular basis, and that goes for couples with kids as well as singles. Everyone's friendly. Complete strangers chat with each other. Grocery clerks remember your name. When one of my Dallas friends visited me in Philly she couldn't believe how quiet the grocery store was without a bunch of Texans talking!


You've told me a visit to Dallas can be summed up in three words.
Eat, drink, shop! 

Let's eat first.
Ah, so many options. Straight off the plane I'd probably take you directly to Taco Diner where we could sit outside and enjoy fresh, modern Tex-Mex food, then shop the surrounding West Village boutiques. [For more restaurants see Jenn's Top Seven list below.] 

Your drink of choice?
The Mambo Taxi margarita at Mi Cocina. There's a limit of three per person, with good reason.



And the shopping...
Such great shopping! I tried to narrow it down [see list below] but there's just so many fabulous places. But two only-in-Dallas boutiques I particularly love are The Glass Slipper and Cowboy Cool, both in West Village. 

Describe Dallas Style.
Women are very put together. Flawless makeup and perfect hair every day.

From an interior designer's perspective Dallas is a wonderful city to work in since people care as much about their homes as their clothes. On the outside, the architecture ranges from Spanish Colonial to stately brick mansions. Inside, it's either classic design, rustic Mexican or the kind of contemporary/antique-accented mix you'd see in New York or L.A.


As far as lifestyle, Dallasites really do live on a bigger scale. Galas are held year-round. The Cattle Baron's Ball is something else—some of the most spectacular outfits you'll ever see and no two women dressed alike. Entertaining at home often means elegant catered parties. But even a laid-back Friday night barbecue will include a live guitarist or a local band. In Dallas, we even vacation on a grand scale—if we want to go to the beach we fly to Mexico or California. If we want to ski we fly to Colorado or Taos. Driving distances are so vast it's faster to fly out of Texas than drive within the state.

You've mentioned that Dallas surprises people. Why?
Dallas is one of the most misperceived cities in America. If you think it's still like the TV show you will be very surprised. It's a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city.
 

Tell us some secrets only a local knows.
Ahab Bowen, Uptown's long-standing retro clothing boutique, and their new store, Dolly Python, offer amazing clothing plus vintage vinyl, decades old dishes, 50s light fixtures, antique books, racks of studded belts and leather clutches, 60s and 70s costume jewelry. If you're lucky you'll nab vintage 30s Neiman-Marcus fashions for like $20.  Oh and about that TV show. South Fork Ranch is actually located in Parker, Texas not Dallas.


TOP SEVEN things a Style Maniac should do in Dallas?

1. Eat! Javier's for authentic Old Mexico City fare, Avila's for classic Tex-Mex. And you have to mention the best tacos in Dallas are at Fuel City, a gas station on a highway. A very well kept secret, but I've eaten them and they are great. They have a pool and girls hang out in bikinis all day long.
2. Shop! Head to Highland Park Village for high-end brands like Chanel and Prada plus New York boutiques Calypso and Scoop; West Village for trendier clothes; the Quadrangle area for art galleries; the Bishop Arts District for cool old doors and windows. On Sundays go to Greenville Avenue for funky shops, brunch at the Blue Goose and all the Harley bikers.
3. Shop some more. Dallas is saturated with excellent interior designers and has an amazing Design District to serve them. Some of my favorite trade showrooms are Corey Pope, GCN and Allan Knight.
4. Bike around White Rock Lake, one of the many beautiful lakes and parks surrounding Dallas. Then visit the Dallas Arboretum for a "Cool Thursday" concert series.
5. Take a day trip to Fort Worth. Tour the Stockyards; eat burgers for lunch at White Elephant; dance to live country music at Billy Bobs; for dinner head downtown to The Reata and enjoy the incredible food of chef-owner Grady Spears.
   
6. Visit the Nasher Sculpture Garden at the Dallas Museum of Art. Target hosts Free First Saturdays which makes a visit fun and accessible.
7. And finally … a Style Maniac cannot leave Dallas without visiting the original Neiman-Marcus store!


For more info on Jenn's interior design business,
JRL Interiors, email her at:  jennifer.r.lowden@comcast.net


 Dallas Skyline via Dallas Convention Bureau.Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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BLOSSOMS & BUILDINGS

More of Spring, Philly-style.

Photos by Doreen CreedeSource URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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SECRET GARDEN

After a dreary winter, my walk last Sunday reminded me of why I live in a Philadelphia. Random reason #7: the Magnolia Garden in Society Hill, a riot of creamy pink and white blooms tucked away in the midst of the city.

Photos by Doreen CreedeSource URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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SPRING IN THE CITY

So I was headed to the gym yesterday. Really I was. Enough of making, as my husband says, "charitable contributions" every month when a visit to a warmer climate looms. But how could I confine myself to a treadmill on the most glorious day of 2009 so far? No. Back home I went, scooped up my new camera and took her for a walk. Here's one result of our time together.

Photo by Doreen Creede
Source URL: https://thesoap-box.blogspot.com/search/label/cities
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DISPATCH: Tokyo

Welcome to Dispatch, a vicarious visit to stylish spots around the world. This month I talk to Gina Pierantozzi, who recently had the good fortune to spend six weeks in Tokyo, Japan.

(Who is Gina? My longtime friend, business partner in The Redecorators and a true style fanatic.)


DOREEN: Describe Tokyo.
GINA: Tokyo is one of the few places I've been that truly feels different from the U.S. When you first arrive it seems very cold--steel skyscrapers, everyone dressed in black. But then you realize it's all about the details. A shop girl takes as much time and care wrapping a $2 piece of candy as a $20,000 handbag. No interaction or job is small or insignificant. Everything is done with incredible pride, care and attention.


Tell us about the ice.
The ice! Okay, you cannot just plop down in a bar and grab a drink. Cocktail creation is an art. Every drink has a particular glass, yes. But there's also a particular shape and type of ice for each drink. All cut by hand. The bartender in the photo above chipped away at that hunk of ice until a perfect diamond emerged.


Did you have to order a glass of wine to tide you over while waiting for a cocktail?
Almost! One night Jimmy [husband] ordered a drink. The Master Bartender went through the twenty minute ritual of creating a cocktail. Finally he presents his masterpiece. But before Jimmy can take a sip it's yanked away--"oh, so sorry, so sorry!" Out comes a flashlight and all three bartenders bend over the glass to examine it. Turns out there was a crack in the ice.


If ice warrants that much attention, what's the food like?
Pristine. That's fugu above. And below, food at a department store. Just an ordinary department store.



What about the restaurants?
There are thousands of them. Look at the photo below--those signs list restaurants in just ONE building.


Tokyo''s so outrageously expensive that most office workers live an hour or more away by train. Every night they go out with co-workers and get plastered. If they miss the last train home they sleep in the train station. Fully dressed, suit and tie, sprawled out on a bench with a briefcase beside them. And no one robs them. I couldn't get over that. This huge city teeming with people and virtually no crime.


In addition to all the restaurants, vending machines line the streets. No garbage cans. Not a speck of litter. But vending machines and food kiosks everywhere. Where does it all go? I have no idea.

How was the shopping? I love the vintage kimono you gave me.
That's about all that would fit you! I'm five-two (and-three-quarters) and I felt like a giant over there. Size 9 shoes? Forget it. I did find an incredible rich white face cream. Turns out its nightingale shit, but wow does it work great.



The fashions look surprisingly bold.
There are two extremes. It's either what looks like government-issue uniform of black bottoms and white tops (for men and women) or crazy, all-out anything goes.

TOP FIVE things a Style Maniac should do in Tokyo:

1. Seek out the Secret Bars. They are marked only by a small sign so ask your concierge for detailed directions. You walk down steep, narrow flights of stairs to emerge into a magnificent bar with tuxedoed mixologists creating fantastic drinks.
2. The restaurant supply district, Asakusa, where shops offer gazillions of dishes and custom-made knives hand-honed in front of you.
3. Another section of Asakusa where the geisha girls buy their makeup.
4. Visit a Sumo stable and learn about the rituals, hierarchy, feeding and surprising grace of the men in this Japanese sport.
5. Omotesando is a high-end shopping street featuring Louis Vuitton, Fendi, etc. Parallel to it runs Takeshita Dori, a street where all the kids shop for cheap, crazy clothes. The contrast and combination of the two was my favorite part of Tokyo.






Photos by Gina Pierantozzi



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