There was something poetic in WINNING a trip to Vegas… especially when I’d never won anything in my life EVER.

It all began when my old friend Paul Price invited the hubby & me to a little party Lucky Brand Jeans was throwing to announce their newest fragrance collaboration with Liz Claiborne, Lucky No.6.  Paul is a VP with the company and was being hospitable.  It’s so seldom that I get to see my old friend.  Therefore, I made certain to attend, even though it appeared to be a sales-related event, as opposed to an editorially driven one.  Sales events are for the business side of a ... Read More

Well…didn’t Fashion Week end in a bang? No sooner did the last tall-drink-of-water stomp down the runway than the city announced that Bryant Park would be unavailable to the CFDA for the next batch of shows in February. Unless some brilliant mind finds a way for The Tents and the skating rink to co-exist in the same space, HOMELESS might be THE Look for Winter 2007. And, as far as the name of the bi-yearly event, it could be that Seventh on 6th will go the way of Bleecker Bob’s (which eventually resided on W. 4th Street).

Nevertheless, if The Tramp becomes all the rage next season, that IS in keeping with fashion’s pattern of going for the opposite from what was dictated the season before. "I wonder what he’ll show?" Peter Davis asked Mickey Boardman and myself as he plopped into place just before the lights went down at Kai ... Read More

Or, rather, WHAT summer vacation? Or, perhaps, what I DIDN'T do on my summer vacation? Like…VACATION?

I have not had a summer vacation since the summer after my first year (and last year) of law school. That was quite a while ago. When I fell into deejaying and, later, writing for magazines, I was stuck in businesses that never allowed for seasonal breaks. When writing for magazines, the summer months are spent writing for Fall issues, which are very important. When deejaying, neither the clubs nor the parties stopped just because the weather suddenly got sultry. In fact, if I could take a break, it was normally in January; nothing goes on in this town in January. I would just stay home and watch TV or go to the movies, but I would tell everyone I was going to Miami. Unfortunately, Miami ... Read More

There's a new place to drink Downtown and, boy, is it terrific. It's at 157 Lafayette Street at Grand. The lounge's name is Moomia, which is Russian for "Mummy". Why a bar whose theme is Egyptian would have a name that is the Russian translation of a well-known Egyptian word is probably because of its owner, Andrei Lazarev. Now, this begs us to ask why a Russian guy would create an Egyptian bar. Andrei's response to this inquiry had something to do with a book he read as a young boy in Russia. It was a book about two brothers in Egypt and Andrei loved the pictures. So, BOT! (that's Russian for voila), a Russian Egyptian bar was born!

Anyway…

Lazarev knows the bar business, believe me. He was formerly the head bartender at the infamous Café Tabac and owned this amazing bar/restaurant ... Read More

Notice: This awards show is not affiliated with the famed makeup line of the same name.

Then again…

We ARE dealing with the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs, so, yes, the greasepaint is ROARING. Heck, there is even a category devoted to "Impersonation" (girlfriend). This year it was between a Judy Garland (Tommy Femia’s "Judy Garland Live"), a Liza (Rick Skye’s "A Slice of Minnelli") and a generalist (Jimmy James’ "Divas Are Forever!")(By the way, I LOVE Jimmy James). "Liza" won. And, in 2003, Liza was the face of MAC (the cosmetic line). Coincidence?

(Cue scary music) (Cue Laugh Track)

I really enjoyed this year’s event far more than last year’s. Except for last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, the totally flawless Keely Smith, and the always-funny Mario Cantone (whom most of you know as THE GAY GUY on "Sex and the City"), ... Read More

This was a truly suburban experience brought to the epicenter of Manhattan: Times Square. In other words, Dave & Buster’s is the type of place that one would retire to after a long day at Home Depot or Dress Barn. It is comprised of an astonishing 31,500 square feet of space, arrived at by a long escalator ride. There are various rooms devoted to different sizes of parties and corporate gatherings. The largest bar is quite the showstopper, though we’re confused by how the poor bartenders are expected to get to the REALLY top shelf bottles. Maybe they’ll have one of those snazzy sliding ladders one sees in galleries and high-end bookstores? Nevertheless, this could be a fun addition to a day or night at the movie theaters ensconced in the same building. And we would never disregard its value for ... Read More

I remember how exhilarating Fashion Week used to be for me. I would actually get anxious until my favorite shows’ invitations arrived and I was given a seat. Come to think of it, I didn’t even care if I got a seat. I was just so happy to go and watch.

"Watch" was the operative word. I had been doing the music for shows and fashion parties since the early Eighties. I had worked in both New York and Paris for American, French, Italian and British designers. The experiences had MOSTLY been positive and I was lucky to have seen the true genius behind the usually frivolous and superficial impressions most of fashion radiates. The only problem had been that I had never seen a show from the front. If you worked the shows, you could only see what was going on ... Read More

Sometimes you get invited to things that seem so incongruous, you just HAVE to go. That may sound strange to those who think going out night after night is a wondrous dream, but I got over that a long time ago: There's nothing like being a nightclub DJ and writing a social column to rid you of any illusions/delusions concerning Night Life.  Go ahead, love it, boogie all you want, then take 2 aspirins (or a shot of penicillin) and call me in the morning (just not the wee hours anymore).

Nevertheless, I had to take the bait when dear Patty Mac forwarded an invite to me for a cookbook publication party, hosted by, of all people… the Coen brothers?  The book, Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR's “The Kitchen Sisters”, is based on a National Public Radio (NPR) series ... Read More