skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Just back from a week in New York City, right in the midst of fashion week. The whole city was buzzing with catwalks, supermodels, beautiful clothing, celebrities sitting sideline, paparazzi, and black town cars full of ladies who lunch, fashion editors and buyers from all over the world. A real whirlwind. Cerulean was on it’s own mission to find something fabulous, the next wonderful little things for the pages of our website and catalog. While the goal was to find the shoes, clothing and accessories we will all be panting over this fall, and order up a few for our darling customers, we couldn’t help but pick up some great jewelry at amazing prices for all our fashionistas to wear right now. Shopping entire seasons in advance looses a bit of the instant gratification, so we found that fulfillment in the form of enamel bangles, coral and turquoise (over which we are always obsessed), dangly little earrings and more. And its all available on the web right now. The best news from New York this trip? Our amazing friends who import sumptuous fabrics from overseas sold us just a few yards of luxurious colored silk. Coming soon to Cerulean- a limited group of dresses that will be sure to set off that long Kenneth Jay Lane necklace you’re eyeing, or those silver leather sandals that will be perfect this Spring. Think dresses that will be chic and simple, can be dressy and casual at the same time. Hold your breath, we’ll release them soon…
While it stays chilly in many parts of the country (although less so around here this week…), the lucky few are enjoying warm sandy beaches and some sort of cocktail in places a bit closer to the equator. Two such lucky souls stopped by our place this week in route to southern waters. An old friend of the family and his adorable wife stopped into our quiet coastal town for some much needed engine repairs on their Cessna before making the leap across open waters to Long Island, one of the eastern most islands of the Caribbean.
What a pleasure to pass an evening over a long dinner, some Pimm’s cups, and a fire in the fireplace, with people who truly live the Cerulean philosophy, who spend every moment trying to see the world and experience new cultures. Having spent the last few months walking across England, staying incognito in the old quarter of some Mexican beach town, and skipping across the gulf to a port off the coast of Venezuela, our friends now find themselves heading to a port of call where pirates once roamed (and a few dope smugglers in the eighties…), but now some old salty dog rules the roost at the local marina.
A Cessna is a small plane, and thus luggage must be too, which goes completely against the Cerulean philosophy (which entails packing everything one might need for any occasion, including a ball gown in case a modern day James Bond invites you to an intimate black tie dinner aboard some yacht a’la Aristotle Onassis… it could happen). However, when circumstances require that you pack light, the Caribbean is the ONLY place to be heading. A few of Cerulean’s pareos, one good sunhat, the perfect thong sandal, and some breezy cotton. Its all you really need.
Sadly, we had to send our friends on their way without any of the above, as we are not quite ready to open our doors. They invited us to jump in the back of the plane and join them for a long weekend of sun and mai tai’s, but alas, there are beautiful Cerulean goods arriving daily to our offices, and we stayed to await the pieces you will take on your next vacation. Stay tuned for our grand opening…
Below is an image of my friends Caribbean getaway... Long Island itself, and the glorious waters off its coast...
The four words on everyone’s lips lately seems to be San Miguel de Allende, and so my curiosity has made me do a little research and bring it out to you. San Miguel de Allende (and that’s pronounced “a-yen-day” for all of those linguistically challenged) was named a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, before the US had caught on to the concept of preserving all that is amazing and historical. San Miguel sits high in the mountains and has a year round perfect climate. There is no off season, no bad time to go. With a perfect climate, a far away feel but only a few hours flight, and a dollar that buys a lot, it’s a great spot to unwind from the stress of our everyday, boring lives. The altitude brings only slightly chilly nights, for which an exotic, silk pareo is a must for your bare shoulders. (click here to shop the perfect outfit for San Miguel) We are planning our own trip soon to check out the handmade peasant shoes that everyone talks about that can only be bought in San Miguel. Nothing will bring me to a port of call faster than the promise of shoes….A page from designer Virginia Johnson's sketch book...
We’ve recently come back from a stay in Madrid, and I have to say, I don’t know why people so often pick Barcelona over the two when visiting Espana! Madrid is cosmopolitan, exciting, and full of good food and drink. Here is the key to enjoying Madrid- the great secret no one knows that is guaranteed to make you fall into life as a Madrileno …. don’t bother adjusting to the time difference. That’s right, arrive jet lagged, go right to bed, and throw your mother’s advice out the window. Its simple.. real Madrilenos wake up and have a quick cup of coffee on their way out the door, nothing more. By about 11 am, they are starved and they break for large snack (meal number one of the day). Meanwhile, stylish American girl arrived at Barajas airport about 8 am, slipped into a waiting car in the hopes that no one saw the bags under her eyes from 8 hours in coach (we can’t all fly first), checked into a hotel and went straight to bed. Waking up around 11 am, she’s rested and ready for a meal, so she joins the Madrilenos for breakfast! Its perfect. The day continues with sight seeing, shopping, or lounging in a café. Lunch is served at 3 pm, the largest meal of a Spaniards day, and dinner follows at 10 pm or later. The later you dine in Madrid, the more chic the traveler. You haven’t bothered to adjust to the time, but somehow it has all seemed to fit together perfectly. 
In between jaunts to exotic locales, between buying trips to marketplaces in far flung places, it is sometimes necessary to do some traveling a bit closer to home. It is often these trips that prove the most enjoyable, however surprising you may find it to be blown away only a few hours distance from your boring, old home. With this in mind, I recently skipped down to New Orleans for a weekend getaway. At this point I have to comment on a phrase I have two often heard over the last two years when someone was discussing the current state of affairs of New Orleans: We should wait to go visit when things get settled down from Katrina. I firmly believe that New Orleans needs our tourist dollars now, more than ever. Go to the Big Easy and spend, spend, spend people! Well, I certainly gave them my fair share of my measly checking account this past weekend, but it was well worth it. The shopping, the cafés, the oak trees, the architecture… the FOOD. New Orleans food will blow you away time after time. When you are next in the area, try out my favorite poboy hole-in-the-wall in uptown New Orleans. You have undoubtedly never driven by this low-slung locals joint where “Aunt Dot” has been serving up amazing poboys for almost 70 years! (I still haven’t figured the math on that one) You stand in line behind a dozen locals at the counter, behind which three ladies are crammed between a fryer and a grill slapping together fried shrimp and fried oyster poboys. You take a step backwards to allow yet another local in the door and crash into the five foot long paper bags filled with fresh French bread that was delivered early that morning. Order your poboy “dressed” and you know the fixings will be just right. Grab a seat (if you can find one) in this cramped room and be sure to catch a glimpse of Dot’s living room when the door at the back of the room swings open, then move to the bar for a Pabst Blue Ribbon and a bag a Zapps.New Orleans heaven. If you can find the place, find a seat, and figure out how to maneuver the line of locals, you are in for a real treat! Whew!
Posts
