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If ever there was uncertainty over the declaration that fashion is art, it has been muted by a certain Miss Miuccia Prada. What a shoe! If Dennis Rodman was able to marry himself, can I marry my heels? After all, they are much more pleasant on the eyes... With footwear like this, who can blame a girl for her shoe fetish?
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Hotel: Wynn
3131 Las Vegas Blvd, www.wynnlasvegas.com/
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When in Vegas it is a must to walk through the main hotels on the Strip and critique their modern-day renditions of foreign cities and ancient civilizations. And so I did. Two hotels stood out because, rather than base their design on an imitation of something already existent, they went with something new and spared no expense to create it. There is no faux marble; there are no talking statues, no plastic columns. These two luxurious oases are the Wynn and the Bellagio. Since the Bellagio has had its fair share of exposure already, I would recommend staying at the Wynn if your pocket book will allow. It is at the end of the strip, across the street from the Venetian and Fashion Show Mall and is much concealed by its sleek, dark exterior. Inside it is fresh and airy, filled with elegant boutiques and a more sophisticated clientele (you have to be 21 or accompanied by an adult just to enter the hotel). On a nice day, have lunch or dinner on the outdoor patio of one of its restaurants situated on the edge of a hidden, exotic lagoon – a tranquil escape from the ringing of slot machines and the tipsy cacophony of the barely legal.
Restaurant: Gallagher’s Steakhouse
New York, New York, www.nynyhotelcasino.com/restaurants/restaurants_gallagherssteakhouse.aspx
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A good steak should be blood red, tender, a great cut and of the best quality. Now combine that with the biggest steak you’ve ever seen x2, and that is what you will find at Gallagher’s. A tasteful and friendly white-cloth restaurant located in New York, New York, Gallagher’s has some of the best, and definitely the biggest, steak in town. So for all you carnivores out there, it is definitely worth saving your stomach space all day to make way for this delicious meal. And don’t forget to make a reservation because the word is out.
Entertainment: Love by Cirque de Soleil
The Mirage, www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/love/intro/
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The days of cheesy shows and tacky singers in Vegas are très over. There is no way you can witness the acrobats and performers of Cirque de Soleil and not be blown away. Everyone needs to see a show of theirs at least once. I have never been a huge Beatles enthusiast but this production left me aching for my iTunes, wanting to hear more, more, more! And if you are wondering how the Cirque de Soleil manages to turn a bunch of old songs into a 90 minute spectacle, you will just have to go see it for yourself.
Shopping: Premium Outlets
865 South Grand Central Parkway, www.premiumoutlets.com
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Forget Fashion Show Mall. What kind of a name is that anyway? The future of shopping in America is the outlet mall. I am proud to say that early this month I had my first outlet experience and it left me feeling more energized and full of glee (yes, glee) than an espresso on an empty stomach or a semi-annual sale at Tod’s. Sure I had heard tales of friends venturing across the border to a Coach or Burberry outlet, but I just assumed that the stores would be full of unsightly rejects from their flagships. I have now seen the error of my ways and am turned outlet apostle. The Premium Outlets in Las Vegas has stores from almost every major designer under the sun, including Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, David Yurman and Jimmy Choo. You really will feel like a kid in a candy store! So what are you waiting for?
Some of the best feelings I experience are the result of reading or hearing someone say something so spot-on, so fabulous, so true that my mind is left feeling light, happy, and excited. A few months ago this happened as I was perusing Style.com for my daily fashion fix and stumbled upon a video profile of my sole-mate, Christian Louboutin.
Like many other females I have always wondered why no one has yet to make (at least as far as I know) a comfortable high-heel. As I graduated from chunky heels in my teens to designer stilettos in my twenties, I was under the illusion that paying several hundred dollars for a pair of designer heels would mean that they would be less painful. My sore arches and blisters disagree. And this was all very frustrating until Mr. Louboutin shared a few simple truths with me. He described his aim: "I wanted to do shoes that are really just for seduction, for pleasure, for sex. That's it! A shoe you cannot run, cannot even walk. You want to run in a shoe, buy sneekers."
So there you have it. High heels were never meant to be comortable. They are meant for taxis, dinners and seduction. They exist to make women look beautiful, sexy, and alluring. I love it! Isn't the truth liberating?
And one more thing. I would just like to say that I find it really upsetting that lower-end footwear manufacturers not only copy Mr. Louboutin's time-consuming designs to the T, but they have also started to paint their soles that same trademark shade of red! So please support the true designers by saying no to the newest trend in counterfeit fashion, knock-off shoes. Pay homage to the holy trinity of shoes: Manolo, Choo and Louboutin.
(see http://www.batchplease.com/2007/10/what-should-christian-do.html to see just how similar the copy shoe is)
Cafe: Le Fumoir
6 rue de l'Amiral de Coligny, 75001, www.lefumoir.com
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Picture a Frenchman and he will probably be wearing a beret and loafers, with a baguette tucked under his arm, a bottle of red wine in his left hand and a cigarette in the right. France may have recently banned smoking in restaurants and cafes, but the government will not be able to remove smoking from French culture. My favourite smoky cafe in Paris is none other than Le Fumoir, just two minutes from the Louvre on the Right Bank. Filled with cosy leather chairs, a chic atmosphere and a library of books to entertain coffee drinkers, this place has that unexplainable Parisian “je ne sais quoi.” It is a perfect place to meet with a friend on a cold, winter’s afternoon and chat for hours over a hot Irish coffee and some pastry.
Nightlife: Drinks at the Hotel Lutetia Bar
45 blvd Raspail, 75006, www.lutetia-paris.com
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One of my most Parisian experiences occurred on a cold autumn evening when I met a friend for drinks at the bar lounge of the lovely Hotel Lutetia on the left bank. Probably the largest and fanciest hotel on this side of the Seine, the Lutetia is a posh hotel built in the beautiful Haussmann style that has come to represent the classic style of Parisian architecture generally shown in Hollywood movies and American guidebooks. The lounge is spacious, comfortable, chic and ornately decorated, complete with a musician playing jazz on a grand piano.
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On this first visit of mine to the lounge, the room was filled with chic Parisians of all sorts: trendy college girls, a young family, couples, business acquaintances, a young man with his grandmother and, the most charming of all - two old gentlemen chatting on a sofa, dressed in their best suits, smoking cigars and drinking aperitifs, with two greyhounds laying peacefully at their feet. The picture could not have been more perfect. And as my Parisian friend pointed out, the whole image was just so very Saint Germain des Pres. So on a cool or rainy evening in the city of lights, what better way is there to spend it than indoors in heavenly surrounding, sipping a casual cocktail with family, a close friend or a good book. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the moment.
Shop: Chantal Thomas
211 rue Saint Honore, 75001, also sold at several other boutiques, www.chantalthomass.fr
Over the centuries, sometime between Diane de Poitiers, the Moulin Rouge and Dita von Tesse, the word lingerie has become synonymous with France. Every country has its talents, and for the French, these include dissecting the delicate flavours of red wine, making love after lunch and designing seductive undergarments. Think Eres, Fifi Chacnil, Dior, Lejaby, and - rumoured to be the inventor of the bra - Cadolle. For that classic boudoir look with a hint of old-world burlesque, Chantal Thomas is the very best. Even the brand’s flagship store on the fashionable rue Saint Honore in Paris is designed to look like a burlesque dressingroom. Whether you want to wear cute panties for your own benefit or to surprise your oh-so-lucky lover, undergarments from Chantal Thomas will leave you feeling confident, empowered and beautiful. All that’s left to do is to whisper a few sweet French nothings into your lover’s ears: Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
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