A (Baccarat) Chandelier Moment, NYC

Plaza Hotel, New York, NY

This past Summer, Billy and I found ourselves in the great city of New York, and I snapped this amazing, huge, antique Baccarat chandelier...do you think anything could be more impressive, or beautiful?  Opulent and understated at the same time.  DF ***** (and check this out, the Baccarat Hotel, via Damsel in Dior) here !

In 1764 King Louis XV of France gave permission to found a glassworks in the town of Baccarat in the Lorraine region in eastern France to Prince Bishop Cardinal Louis-Joseph de Laval-Montmorency (1710-1802). Production consisted of window panes, mirrors and stemware until 1816 when the first crystal oven went into operation. By that time over 3000 workers were employed at the site.^[3]

Weekend In The City

Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue

Algonquin Hotel, Dorothy Parker table in Oak Room, 44th off Fifth Ave

Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue at 58th and the park

Bergdorf Goodman, Fifth Ave at 57th Street

Our friend Tony, Dylan's Candy Bar, Third Ave at 60th Street

Looking north up Third Avenue, Manhattan

Can you say "FUN" ?  We had it, and we saw FUN HOME on Broadway, (standing room only) enjoyed a fab NY pre-theater dinner at Joe Allen, went to DON'T TELL MAMA after the theater....had breakfast in the world famous Oak Room at the Algonquin (the best omelet ever!) lunch with our NY friends, Joe and Tony, chez RUE 57, (lobster roll and a Stella) shopped RL, BG, Pinks, Trump Tower, Dylan's Candy Bar, Bloomies, The Plaza (downstairs)~ it was a real shot in the arm, and then we Jitneyed out to THE HAMPTONS !!!  Fun!  Yes!  Enjoy!

I loved seeing all the beautiful boys and girls, especially the Summer legs, muscular and hairy on the boys and long, smooth and mounted on the highest ever stacked heels on the girls!! Yes! Can't wait to go back to the city that never sleeps!  DF *****

* * * * *

Jungle Fever

I-phone photo by Dean

I-phone photo by Dean

I-phone photo by Dean

I had a ball with Billy this past week, over in Lauderdale ...we stayed in this jungle like setting between the ocean and the intracoastal (New River) which I'd written about here previously.  My fave thing to do while there, besides eating, is walking over the Las Olas bridge and down into Idlewild and the Las Olas area...a beautiful older neighborhood with many exquisite homes, yachts, and boutiques.  Stay tuned for more later!  DF *****

* * * * *

I-phone photo by Dean

 

 



 

P.S. Should you find yourself in Miami's South beach, check out Casa Tua hotel and restaurant...

Home Away From Home Hotel

The Blue Bar, Algonquin Hotel, New York

Looking forward to our upcoming New York trip...and seeing Fun Home at the Circle In The Square...and the Chinese Show at the Met...martinis anyone? DF *****

* * * * *

Eloise at The Plaza

Happy Thanksgiving week everybody!  Billy is off to New York~ and staying at The Plaza! Iconic, famous, and historic, and yet totally up to date, each room comes with its own i-pad for maximum convenience, including room service, and printing out boarding passes, etc.
Did you know that The Plaza was the first hotel in the world to have Sherle Wagner faucets and basins in every room? There is even a Gatsby Suite, inspired by the Baz Luhrman film!  F. Scott Fitzgerald was a big patron of the hotel in his day.  David Hicks, the famous London decorator kept a suite which he designed entirely!  The list is endless ~ click here
to discover more about this Fairmont managed property. Enjoy! DF *****

******* 

Carleton and the Colony

Image via the Colony Hotel site

Of course, I'm super excited that Billy and I are going back to the Colony Hotel, Palm Beach, to see Tommy Tune perform at the Royal Room~ Our friend and colleague, Mr. Carleton Varney, along with Brinsley Matthews and the CV team, have just completed an overhaul of the venerable old hotel.  It presides over the end of Worth Avenue, like a grand queen!

The Royal Room at the Colony, via the Colony Hotel site

We had just missed seeing Mary Wilson, of the Supremes, playing here right before the renovation closed the hotel.  What fun to see Tommy Tune perform!  Here he is (below) with Liz Smith.  

Tommy Tune, via NYSD

So, here come the holidays, once again!  Looking forward to staying in Naples this year.  One of the most enjoyable Christmas holidays I ever spent was in Key West~ back in the late 1970's !!! Imagine the excitement and the fun!  There were no big cruise ships coming in to the port then, so it was quite a different place from what it has become today. Enjoy!DF***** 

************

Dining at The Grand Hotel

Carleton Varney

Here's some powerful inspiration to carry you through the weekend!
Brazilliance wall covering, Carleton Varney, through MP Interiors, Naples, Florida.  
Cheers!  DF *****

 *******

The Gritti Palace Photos | The Gritti Palace, Venice | A Luxury Collection Hotel

The Gritti Palace Photos | The Gritti Palace, Venice | A Luxury Collection Hotel

The newly refurbished Gritti - DF *****

The Explorers Library

Avenue 5, Naples

Seen at Inn on Fifth, Club Suites, Naples

We were recently treated to a private, designers only tour of the new Avenue 5 bistro, and the club suites at Inn on Fifth, Naples.

A ceiling detail at Avenue 5, Naples

As you can see from the above shot, the new bistro in the hotel will have a totally hip and up to date vibe, along with a 3,800 bottle wine cellar!  Many thanks to Cathy and Jinx for a wonderful evening on Fifth.  DF *****

Wynn's Las Vegas, My Favorite Casino

Wynn's Las Vegas

While we didn't stay at Wynn's-Encore, we did visit the complex, I had heard about it from some very good clients, who always stay there when in town.  (Billy and I stayed at the charming, old school, Golden Nugget) - Wynn's and Encore are a tour de force of style and colour, created by Steve Wynn, with an army of architects and designers.  I was blown away by the dramatic beauty of everything I saw.

Wynn's Las Vegas Water feature

Above, we gazed down upon a huge waterfall, viewed through a glass wall- people were lunching outside, since the weather  was a glorious 73 degrees with no humidity.

Wynn's Las Vegas landscaping

 I'm not so sure my pictures do justice to the splendor of the premises- sunlight was streaming in everywhere- and the gaming areas were done in a tasteful 19th century Belle Epoque Monte Carlo look.  I pretty much swooned over everything, and the other guests seemed to be in awe as well.

Wynn's Las Vegas Ceiling Detail

The esplanade with boutiques such as Chanel, was so elegant, and I liked it as much as the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and The Palazzo at The Venetian...the bohemian glass chandeliers shown above were so pretty suspended from the beefy treillage ceilings, where even the glass above had been etched or overlayed with a floral motif.  The level of detail was amazing throughout.

Wynn's Las Vegas Esplanade

The stunning red and purple with beige marble palette was carried throughout, and most of the walls were upholstered in a pleated silk in either dark brown or deep red.

Wynn's Las Vegas, Jeff Koons Sculpture Installation

OK, I pretty much flipped out when I saw this Jeff Koons- it is about thirty feet or so across- and was featured on the cover of the current issue of Wynn's magazine- it was being used to enhance the foyer area fronting the theater.  I just loved it.

Wynn's Las Vegas, Carpet Detail

Look at this fabulous carpet!  This was used in the gaming areas of the Wynn's casino- there was a different design used at Encore, which was formerly the Desert Inn.  If you get out to Vegas, I highly suggest a visit to Wynn's-Encore.  It's a visual feast and a fabulous experience just to walk through- Enjoy!  Cheers!  DF *****

Coco at the Ritz

Imagine staying in this elegant CHANEL suite at the Paris Ritz ! Certainly, we all should be able to do this at least once in our lifetimes. I love the baroque scale, the palette, and the overall sense of elegant simplicity. What say you? Do you love it as much as I do? Let me know! Your comments are welcome! And please do see my earlier post on Madame Coco, (April 2011) entitled "Room of the Week: Paris". Enjoy! DF ******P.S. Check out the new Peak of Chic Entertains, it's GREAT!