Calliope

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10 Questions with Calliope store co-owner and creator Caroline Ventura

What’s in the name Calliope?

CV: She was a Greek muse of eloquence and poetry. Supposedly she was the muse Homer looked to when he wrote The Iliad. It’s also a weird ass looking pipe organ on wheels, so that’s fun.

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What was the concept behind the space?

CV: We have a multi-use building in which both our studios (Michael’s design practice Sub Rosa, and Caroline’s gold smithing project BRVTVS) reside, as well as a gallery space next to Calliope, and also our home. We wanted to create a welcoming space where people could come and shop without the “seriousness” of other stores. We sell home goods, it shouldn’t be some stuffy place that you’re afraid to walk into and are scared to touch things.

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Swarovski Sparkles at Bergdorf Goodman

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With great anticipation every year New Yorkers and tourists alike flock to the sidewalks of 5th ave to see the dazzling window displays that leave you believing in holiday magic. These little boxes of wonder are always a true testament to imagination, creativity and a childlike wonderment hidden in us all.

This year Bergdorf Goodman and Swarovski collaborated in their holiday storytelling by incorporating millions of Swarovski crystals into their dazzling display. However! It’s not limited to just the windows. Inside the aspirational fashion dreamland of Bergdorf Goodman more enchantment awaits. Have you ever seen a crystal Christmas tree and a gown to match? Swarovski sparkle is all over the store from the crystal wall curtain to magical hanging bespoke sculptures so brilliant you believe you are living inside a snowflake.

The collaboration between the iconic department store overlooking Central Park and Swarovski, the world-renowned crystal company who is celebrating their 120th anniversary, is not limited to display fantasies only! They also partnered with designers to create an exclusive selection of gifts, including couture gowns with crystal embellishment by Badgley Mischka, Naeem Khan and Alexandra Vidal, crystal dress by Tanya Taylor, crystal jumpsuit by Alice + Olivia, crystallized clutches from Atelier Swarovski by Edie Parker, Atelier Swarovski by Arik Levy rock formations and Swarovski covered accessories, ornaments and home décor items from some of the top names in contemporary fashion and design.

I love going to Bergdorfs and I had to see it all for myself, to bring the special edition fashion pieces to life with a gorgeous muse and wander around one of the most beautiful stores in the world with everything glittering around me, filling my soul with that special feeling you only find during the holiday season…magic.

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Above~ Placing the star atop the Swarovski Crystal Tree in a Swarovski crystal CD Greene Dress & Jimmy Choo Shoes

Below~Wrapped in bespoke crystal sculptures in a Swarovski covered CD Greene Dress on Bergdorf’s 3rd floor

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United House Wrecking

United House Wrecking in Stamford, CTThis weekend I went treasure hunting for furniture for my new apartment and found the most amazing store in Stamford, CT called United House Wrecking. It’s a cool mix of old antiques, modern furnishings  and straight up crazy things… I mean, who wouldn’t want to own their own “BIG” fortune teller?! And, the best part is it’s actually affordable.

I’ve been having such a struggle buying furniture for this space, a former mansion built in 1918 which has since been divided into apartments. Trying to balance the beauty of the old wood floors, stained glass windows and grand moldings while keeping it contemporary and within some sort of reasonable budget has been a fun challenge. So every weekend I set out in hopes of falling in love with something I can bring home to become a part of defining this new era of my home life.

 United House Wrecking in Stamford, CTAbove, a crystal decanter etched in roses I found to hold my rose scented bath salts.

Below, my new antique French dining table! The second I saw it I loved it, which is how I’m trying to find my pieces. Not just buying something that could work but waiting until I see something I feel connected to. Then I cross my fingers, pull out the measuring tape and hope it’s fate. Though I have been very happy enjoying my meals and a nice bottle of champagne on the terrace I will be glad to sit at a proper table… especially this one. Continue reading “United House Wrecking”

Oscar de la Renta Boutique

Staying in the paradise imagined by fashion design legend can only mean there are going to be some glamorous fashion moments which we found at the resort’s Oscar de la Renta boutique and opened a whole new world of destination luxury shopping. Here it’s resort wear 365 days a year from darling garden dresses to a floating sea of chiffon caftans, perfect beaded mules that are effortless and comfortable for a resort but still put together and chic. They carried every color earring you need to make a true entrance for dinner, which we would call our “Elizabeth Taylor moments”. It’s funny, I’m typically very minimal with my jewelry but here  in this explosion of Caribbean color it felt right to wear a big bold colored jewels, obviously, Oscar knows how to dress a woman for resort life. At dinner Kelly was wearing a beautiful pair of coral ODLR earrings so glamorous when sparkling off the evening night light and when she took them off I had a horrible reaction at how sad she looked just “normal”. From that moment on we were dripped in Oscar’s crystals and jewels. Usually when I think of the brand I think strictly about fashion, about the iconic women he dressed, our version of American Royalty, that I forget about the home wares! Candles and picture frames,  beautiful ocean fish dishes he created from his inspiration of Punta Cana and all the beautiful objects that make a home feel truly special that ladylike way only Oscar de la Renta can do.

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Beyond Lacoste…

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Lacoste is a treasure all its own, but Provence is full of little villages, each with their own magic and mood to explore. We would set out each time, seeking to come upon charming moments; to have enchanted evenings. I closed my eyes at the beginning of each trip and upon opening them, felt as though I was in a completely different world, one with unknown riches for me to discover. Every corner I turned was a new adventure, whether it led me to a restaurant nestled in the middle of a vineyard, a little shop filled with gorgeous vintage finds, or simply a cobblestone street set aglow by the light of fading day.

Provence, you have absolutely bewitched me…I cannot wait to return and uncover even more of your beauty…

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Above, standing in front of the Dora Maar house in Ménerbes, gifted to the artist and photographer by her lover Pablo Picasso as a separation gift.

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shopSCAD Lacoste

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In the midst of this tranquil medieval village exists a little shop bursting with color and excitement, filled to the brim with artists’ supplies and the works created with them…welcome to shopSCAD Lacoste.

At first SCAD Lacoste used the building, called La Galerie Pfriem, as a gallery for visiting artists as well as a small shop for students to buy art supplies. However, President Paula Wallace began to dream of a full-fledged shopSCAD in Lacoste. And this July, after months of shopping for furniture and decor from nearby markets and after taking a week to hang up and style everything in the store, that dream became a reality.

Amy Zurcher, the co-founder of the original shopSCAD eleven years ago, said that she chose pieces that represented a variety of mediums and price points. As we walked through the store, we found a stuffed and decorated monkey by alumni Marcus Kenney, gorgeous mixed-media pieces by Katie Runnels, paintings, jewelry, home goods, all of it beautiful and all of it created by students and alumni from SCAD.

It’s exciting to walk through and see so many different, beautiful pieces, and then to wander into the back room filled with artists’ supplies and blank canvases…perhaps the inspiration I take from here will move me to make art of my own…

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Hampden Clothing

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Being in New York City, especially now that the studio is so close to SoHo, we are very aware of all the amazing boutiques the city has to offer…almost to the point of being overwhelmed!

I’d been putting off buying a garden wedding dress for months. I didn’t want to spend a day going from store to store, but I also wanted to have more of an experience buying such a special piece than sitting all alone in my PJ’s on a Saturday morning and ordering online. I think there is a time to buy something quickly online and then there is a time to make it an experience.

When I was down in Charleston with Tibi for their pre-fall runway show, we stopped in to the boutique Hampden Clothing where creator and owner Stacy Smallwood has turned an historic King Street storefront into a little curated slice of SoHo heaven. I walked in, I said I was looking for a garden party wedding dress, and in 15mins it was done. It felt like I was finding something insanely special without having to do all the work. They carried everything from Alexander Wang to Rag & Bone, Tibi to KENZO and more. It was fabulous.

So what’s the point of covering a store? The point is, Stacy brought New York fashion -avant garde silhouettes, crazy patterns and pieces so chic they look like something a princess would wear – into Charleston South Carolina, a town of 400,000 people, and never looked back. She doesn’t sell beach flip flops or mass-produced product that’s here today, gone tomorrow; she respects her customer’s intelligence, sophistication and style. She created a space where you can love fashion but not have to know anything about it and still be taken care of. She has wound back the clock to an era of shopping where the store was specially curated for you, where shopkeepers knew your name and what you liked, pulled for you from designers when she is on buying trips to New York or Paris, and makes sure you feel as good as you look. In a time where the Internet makes us all so anonymous, it’s a modern day luxury to have someone like Stacy who KNOWS you.

I sat down with Stacy in her store to hear how she created her own fashion universe in the middle of the South.

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How did you get into fashion?

I was recruited by Neiman Marcus at Vanderbilt to go straight into their buying program, and it was the best decision I ever made. I moved to Dallas and I was with Neiman Marcus for five years as an assistant buyer and designer in sportswear, and department manager in ladies shoes at the flagship store.

Why do you say it’s the best thing that ever happened to you?

It taught me a work ethic and gave me a bigger picture of the fashion industry that I wouldn’t have gotten. My buyer taught me to – she worked equally as hard if not harder, and she taught me to never ask anybody to do anything you wouldn’t do.

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shopSCAD

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What comes of all the creativity that pours out of Savannah School of Art and Design?… SCAD President and co-founder Paula S. Wallace answered that question with shopSCAD, a unique store in the heart of historic Savannah, Georgia where students and alumni can showcase their talents though innovative handmade works of jewelry, paintings, sculpture, pottery, housewares and more available for purchase. ShopSCAD is always on my list of *must do* Savannah visits every time we are in town! So inspiring!

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Christina’s Guide to New Orleans

Yesterday we heard all about the life of our Southern muse, Christina Graci…and today we get insider knowledge about all her favorite New Orleans hot spots! A city so full of culture, life, music, color, food and amazing shopping, it’s no wonder it’s one of the fastest growing cities in America. So here’s the scoop!

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Above & Below~ Christina is wearing a vintage dress from an estate sale, shoes by Roger Vivier, vintage tassel earrings, a vintage ocelot leopard belt, and HopeConfidence, and Stability Charms by Pandora Jewelry.

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New Orleans Museum of Art

“Museums are my favorite places to go alone or with my brother, Chad.  I am fascinated with history and culture so I truly find visiting the museum enlightening and so peaceful.  The architecture of NOMA is beautiful too.  It is located in City Park and has great exhibits.  What more could you ask for?!”

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Courtney’s Guide To San Francisco

The best recommendation is by word of mouth…

Monday we met one of my muses, Courtney Klein, who is kicking off a series I’m starting on inspiring women across the United States in partnership with Pandora who focuses on these kind of modern day women. Whenever I travel to a new city I can’t call home I always want to know from people who share my same sensibility, where to go! Courtney gave me a list of her S.F. favs including a few that sounded so good I had to see for myself:

1. Gravel & Gold

“An expertly curated collection of beautiful ceramics, beauty products, clothing, home goods, and other bits and bobs that have a totally California vibe.”

I may or may-not have bought a few things for our studio

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Banana Republic

When I was growing up in Texas I loved to go to the Banana Republic store. All my dreams were ahead of me: being a New York woman, going on a safari, and working as a photographer; all things I felt closer to when I walked around their store. Fast forward some years and not only do I have the wonderful joy of working with Banana Republic from time to time but I can also swing by their flagship store at Rockefeller Center because I did become that woman I dreamed of. It’s so fitting that Banana Republic, a brand built on classic style (and you know I love classic), would find its way into such a historical part of New York City. It is to no surprise that they took great care and artistry into the recent renovation of the space.

Most beautifully, I was beyond thrilled to see the tribute to the city that Banana Republic has crafted: a 360-degree black-and-white photo shot from the top of the Rockefeller Center, 70 stories high, capturing an iconic view of New York City at twilight. Shot by Susan Wides, the city sparkles with life and light and is truly at her most beautiful. The photograph spans one horizon line, displayed on customized light boxes in the rotunda of the store, giving everyone the experience of seeing the “top of the Rock” at ground level. Susan says about her work, “I wish to convey the experience not merely of being in a place, but of connecting to that place on many levels of consciousness.

And of course, there is no place more appropriate for such an installation than Rockefeller Center, one of the last major buildings in the United States to incorporate public art, with the stunning Atlas Statue on the center’s Palazzo D’Italia. The Banana Republic store is mere steps away from the statue, welcoming us in the way only New York City can.

Won’t you join me inside?

On Friday November 15th at 5pm, Banana Republic will be celebrating the grand re-opening at this Fifth Ave Flagship store (626 5th Ave)  with wine provided by Cameron Hughes and a performance by St. Lucia at 7pm. I’ll be there hanging out and taking over the @bananarepublic instagram and I’d love for you to join the party with me!

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It’s All About the Souk…

The phrase “shop till you drop” was never more well said than after a day in Marrakech’s Le Souk. If I wasn’t such a woman distracted by shopping in every other stall I came across, I could have wondered the narrow corridors all day in amazement of the wares, colors, food, local culture and vast size… but alas, these are the few snapshots of this ultimate shopping excursion Kelly & I embarked on in day three of Marrakech~ 

Below: WATCH OUT FOR THE MOTORBIKES! We became very trained to step to the side when you hear the sound of a motorbike coming because OH! They will not stop!

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