Features

Mardi Gras is this Tuesday and, while we might be in New York, rather than New Orleans, there’s still plenty of ways to celebrate. Below, three of our best bets.

Doughnuts are a Fat Tuesday tradition and, though New York doesn’t have the beignets of the Big Easy, we still live in one of the world’s great doughnut cities. Start your day at the new Doughnut Plant in Chelsea (222 W. 23rd) for a decadent creme brulee number. Oh, and grab a peanut butter and jelly doughnut while you’re there as well. Hey, they don’t call it Fat Tuesday for nothing.

Want to party while doing good? Shell out the $25-100 for tickets to the Two Boots Mardi Gras Ball at (Le) Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street). Hosted by drag king Murray Hill, the benefit for the Lower East Side Girls Club will feature live music and comedy from Luis Guzman.

Of course, sometimes Mardi Gras doesn’t require anything more than just drinking in a bar. If so, may we suggest Red Hook’s Fort Defiance (365 Van Brunt Street)? Though New Orleans themed, it’s not as cheesy as the tacky NYU bars lining 8th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Settle in with a Sazerac and a plate of shrimp and grits: it’s almost as good as a trip to Louisiana.

Leila Cohan-Miccio

The title of this post may shock you. The Vogue City is, after all, a site about bargains. We fill you in on every sample sale and we were here before the Groupons of the world. And yet I am here today to tell you to think twice before you buy your next bargain. Why? Because after a year of buying hundreds of things on Gilt, RueLaLa ideeli, Groupon, DealOn, LivingSocial, and the rest of their ilk, I can tell you one thing: bargains are bargains only if you end up using them.

Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been all bad. I made some really good purchases and some unexpected ones (foie gras and the best duck breast ever). I also made some stupid purchases (ballet classes for me. And my husband. Before the Black Swan madness.) and some that just made me really sad: a non-returnable stained dress I bought from Gilt. Yes, it was a Marc Jacobs, but the dry cleaning along was $45, with no guaranteed results. Then there were the six coupons I bought at LivingSocial for tan spraying sessions, although only one could be redeemed. I lost over $100 dollars in unused coupons. Last, but definitely not least, I paid $140 on DealsOn for a meal at a Faustian restaurant that closed before the coupons expired. Sure, DealOn called me and eventually refunded my money, but only after I posted an angry message on their Facebook page.

What is the moral of this story? Think twice about whether you’re going to use what you buy. Don’t get coupons to a gym downtown if you know you never used your old membership to a gym across the street. Items aren’t supposed to be damaged, so don’t accept them. Even better, make sure your purchase is returnable. When all else fails, call the company to refund you the money. Don’t buy bargains that make you feel cheap or not worth it. Buy the things that make you feel fabulous and smart.

Mirela Gluck

Eveningwear designer Lorena Sarbu’s presentation party on Wednesday night combined style and opulence to dazzling effect. The fall 2011 couture collection is rich in color and texture: aubergine tulle, emerald sequins, slate blue metallics. This being couture, of course, all that luxury doesn’t come cheap. Dresses start at $2,000, so it’s a little hard to picture myself buying one. Yet I had fantasies of wearing one at a very elegant New Year’s Eve party.

I asked the designer about the possibility of designing a secondary, more affordable line, and, while it seems to be something she’s thought about, it’s not immediately in the works. In the meantime, those with means can check out selected Sarbu designs at Saks and Bergdorf Goodman. Those with major means can fly to Milwaukee or Beverly Hills to browse the whole collection in the boutiques.

As for me, I don’t know if it was the champagne, or the dresses, but I definitely left the party feeling a little more glamorous myself.

For more information, and images check out WWD http://www.wwd.com/fashion-week/fall-ready-to-wear-2011/review/lorena-sarbu-rtw-fall-2011-3464638?city=new-york lookbook or contact:
Mary Garth & Amy Pepperman at ODA PR
(212) 840-0888, [email protected] or [email protected]

Sample sales have long been one of New York City’s greatest passions and over the past few years, the scene has exploded. At the end of 2010, bargainistas had dozens of sales to choose from almost every day. You could hit a shoe sale at 8am, buy a handbag at 10, drop in for some home wares at noon, and spend the afternoon at a seemingly-endless rotation of apparel sales. Since the new year began, however, the number of sales in the city has dropped precipitously. What’s up with that?

There are several possible culprits. The first is, in fact, the prevalence of sample sales before the holidays. The prices were good and the goods were moving, so it’s very possible most merchandise just got snapped up then, leaving little to no need for further sales this winter. If that’s the case, prepare for a long few months until this season’s merchandise is blessedly sample sale ready.

There’s also the weather issue: in case you’ve been living under a rock (in which case, we’re jealous of your warmth), the past few months have been punishingly cold and snowy. Sample sales require both staff and customers to show up, and in this weather, perhaps retailers have decided they’re not worth the hassle.

Finally, online sample sales like Gilt, HauteLook, and RueLaLa loom large as the potential killers of the brick and mortar sale. While it is true that the online sample sale emails have shown no signs of slowing, there are still indisputable advantages to an in-person sale. You can make sure clothes fit before you buy them, for one thing, and you can also inspect the quality of the merchandise. This writer recently ordered a pair of Timberland boots from RueLaLa: so chic and steampunk in pictures, so cheap looking in person.

Is the sample sale dead? No. Like many a freezing, exhausted New Yorker, it’s just in hibernation. Save your pennies – we’re betting spring is going to be huge.

Leila Cohan-Miccio