spot : spain [madrid]

madrid is the chic, cultured aunt of spain's family. picasso's cube faces, botero's plump hands and dali's melting legs fill the countless museums. you can go window shopping at the prado: check out that dress on las meninas and that full collar on el greco's knight. hungry? make sure to stop for some tapas before you run into saturn devouring his son. you might lose your appetite.

fete : [lorde]

in concert, lorde is a goth serpantine minx : her spastic dinosaur hands meld into snakelike hip rolling as she hypnotizes us with her wild hair and feline eyes. the girl can smize. someone in the audience yells "dayum! sixteen!" and our trance is momentarily broken as the new zealander flips her hair and breaks character with a quick giggle. she lets the full kiwi out as she raps a kanye song and says, "nah, not gonna tell you to put your hands in the air. do what you want." 

sip : [bubble coffee]

plain coffee was getting boring, so we added a little taiwanese twist. boba is confetti for the mouth: a little bit of pizazz and a whole lot of texture. talk about entertainment. its like fast & furious 6 when the smooth tapioca balls fly through the straw. in the morning for breakfast, at night for dessert, or just as a little afternoon delight. thank you cassava root for giving us these little orbs of flavor.

look : [safari]

we've done the safari in sri lanka, so we decided to bring it to manhattan : make the big apple into simba's playground. before it was a web browser, safari meant dirt, elephants and acacia tortillis trees. we rounded up the zebras and the cheetahs in our east-village savanna. jump in ceylaroux's jeep, throw on your khakis and put those opera binoculars to use. we're about to see the circle of life.

taste : food truck [paris sandwich]

in the military-esque line of food trucks on west fourth street, the eiffel tower on wheels caught our eye. the paris sandwich truck is one part haute cuisine and one part vietnamese street food. pickled carrots, spiced meat, warm crunchy bread. paris is always a good idea : especially when your baguette is filled with curry.

spot : spain [toledo]

toledo is a medieval fairytale come to life: the tagus river doubling as a moat coils around the ancient city known for its mystical swords. lounging among the fertile greenery, visigoths, charles the first and puss in boots take a sangria-infused nap. the cathedral is always full, the meat is always red and the cheese is always manchego. go squeeze an orange into your wine, open a pack of it's-never-too-early-for-christmas-at-cvs marzipan and inhale the faintly metallic air of spain's "imperial city."

sip : [affogato]

mondays are the worst. frozen yogurt is the best. so we made our last minute monday espresso into a decadent italian delight. don't early-morning wallow : join us and affogato.

look : [safari]

we've done the safari in sri lanka, so we decided to bring it to manhattan : make the big apple into simba's playground. before it was a web browser, safari meant dirt, elephants and acacia tortillis trees. we rounded up the zebras and the cheetahs in our east-village savanna. jump in ceylaroux's jeep, throw on your khakis and put those opera binoculars to use. we're about to see the circle of life.

spot : spain [barcelona]

the behive buildings melt into a set for a more colorful version of a series of unfortunate events, while football fans faces drip blue and red onto la ramblas' pristine tiles. climb, dip and stroll through gaudi's gargantuan park to listen to the hidden musicians. if you get lost, you may find a catalonian statue or some spotted stilettos that the cheetah girls left behind. here's a spoon for your paella and a straw for a slurpy sip of sweet spanish sangria. the night starts at 1 am and the tapas just keep coming. this is barcelona bebé.

fete : [lorde]

lorde is one part anti-establishment goth chic,  one part high fashion model, one part lana del rey / adele lovechild, and 80 parts musical prodigy. her name alone set the stakes for greatness, but as the lorde of lords her royals went platinum. let's go through the whole aristocratic family : lorde is the queen of the alternative hit.

the list [november]

1. look: safari

    2. spot: spain

        3. taste: food truck

            4. sip: coffee

                5. fete: lorde

                    6. wild card: sleepover

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

[inspiration]

  mud food truck  .  park guell in barcelona  .  chloe spring 2014  .  sergio rossi boots  .  lorde  .  diane von furstenberg spring 2014  .  mary-kate and ashley's sleepover party  .  cappuccino

fete : halloween [special costume edition]

new york must have done something in a past life to piss off gaia: the last two halloweens were snowy and sandy. to make up for it, this year we made it into a 48-hour event. two costumes. two wicked nights. two attempts at a candy coma. we brought the spooky all the way into november. and the costumes this year? let's just say its: ceylaroux - 1 | heidi klum - 0.

look : everyday costume [vampire]

vampyres [old-world spelling] are slick, smart and forever young. with red-stained lips and jet black attire, they make a pasty girl into a mythical porcelain predator. buffy + anne rice - edward and bella's sap = kickass creatures of the night. let's do halloween right. [blood] suck it.

wildcard : [flying trapeze]

flying was peter pan's key to fresh skin and perpetual youth. add a harness and a "hep!" and it also made a typical friday morning into a fly-day afternoon. beyond an abandoned warehouse and rain-rusted train tracks, tsny gave us wings [and matching calluses]. ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, take a chalk-dip and come fly with us at the ceylaroux circus.

fete : [llyn foulkes]

llyn foulkes' art provides a social commentary on america that is both beautiful and brutally honest. our idols and superheros are minimized to brands and propaganda. llyn's show at the new museum this summer chronicled his work from the 1960s until today. he has evolved, from simple prints, to more recent multimedia pieces [in the paintings, using shirt fabric for shirts and hair for hair]. he paints. he draws. he composes jazz. he makes his own instruments. llyn foulkes = one man fete.

taste : pumpkin [curry]

the bangkok style pumpkin curry at klong was an overflowing bathtub of orange-y sweet spice. while waiting for our linner [that awkward time between lunch & dinner when you used to eat cheese sticks as a kid], we got lost in the never ending abacus. every restaurant should have ancient calculating devices. tipping would be a breeze.

look : the everyday costume [ghost]

goblin. apparition. phantom. whatever you call it, the alabaster lurkers always b.y.o.b. : bring your own boo. this fall, new york fashion week went for texture over color with white on white on white. the only color came from pop lips [so the models wouldn't get lost in the mist]. spring 2014 will be draped in ivory, just like the toilet papered trees this halloween. now, do you wanna hear a ghost story?

sip : fireball [hard-ish cider]

nothing screams thursday night like hot hard cider. with all the furs and parkas emerging from their summertime bunkers, we needed a little warmth in our bellies. these layers on layers of cinnamon did the trick. back of the textbook answer time : garlic is to vampires as cinnamon+fireball+apple is to mid october shivers.

taste : pumpkin [restaurant roundup]

from deutschland's cuisine in midtown, to asian innovation in the east village, to theme park eats in los angeles. sweet. savory. saturated. sugary : pumpkins have conquered the menu.

look : the everyday costume [witch]

there is no halloween without witches. that gourmet brew. that seductive cackle. you can't go trick or treating without getting lost in the wave pool of chic black hats. elphaba, sabrina and the girls at p3 were all down with the occult, casting spells by day and hooking up with whitelighters by night. wingardium leviosa. now it's your move.

spot : [venice]

venice is one of those cities that is lost in time. during carnivale, the quiet streets transform into italy's pseudo halloween. bambinos dressed as mini princesses and bears. cobblestone streets lined with venetian masks and muddied confetti. if you're nice, shakespeare's merchant will give you a bargain on fresh gnocchi. here: grab a mask, a bellini in a bottle and join the nonnas in their bewitching bustles.

taste : pumpkin [cracker snack]

everybody loves tapas, and the crunchier, the better. these pumpkin cranberry crisps are trader joe's seasonal special and they are perfect. the little toast shapes bring you back to your doll's birthday party. but the rosemary and pumpkin undertones are a bit more mature than barbie's white bread. layer them with a bit of jam, a glob of goat cheese and a walnut topper. or stack them into a multilayer sandwich. that fine line between the perfect sweet and savory snack lands right here.

[pumpkin cracker snack]

trader joe's pumpkin cranberry crisps

trader joe's pumpkin butter

goat cheese

walnut

sip : fireball [brickelixir]

mulled wine is rich, comforting and aromatic. it is the cure for a cold night in prague. it is the perfect mate for cozying into a dark plush chair and reading anna karenina. it is also time consuming to make. please welcome, the brickelixir: a surprising discovery that came less from a mixologist's curiosity and more from a lack of options in the liquor cabinet one thursday night. add a shot of fireball to any red wine and you can capture fall in a glass. go ahead, judge. let's see how judgy you are after your first ambrosial sip.

look : the everyday costume [harlequin]

clowns are creepy predators that nobody really likes. but harlequins are the classy, parisian cousin. one played violin and juggled for king henry viii's amusement. another teamed up with the joker to defeat attempt to defeat batman. diamond jumpsuits and ruffled necks have never looked so good.

fete : [llyn foulkes]

llyn foulkes' art provides a social commentary on america that is both beautiful and brutally honest. our idols and superheros are minimized to brands and propaganda. llyn's show at the new museum this summer chronicled his work from the 1960s until today. he has evolved, from simple prints, to more recent multimedia pieces [in the paintings, using shirt fabric for shirts and hair for hair]. he paints. he draws. he composes jazz. he makes his own instruments. llyn foulkes = one man fete.

sip : fireball [sweet libation]

everyone knows fireball is perfect neat or on the rocks (if you've never had it, imagine a cinnamon altoid in a glass). but for a less aggressive version with a refreshing twist, suck on some sweet libation. the grapefruit juice and fresh lemon bring grandpa's whiskey to a brunch in bali. for that cinnamon sugar rim, do it like fun dip : lick it, take a sip and re-dip it.

taste : pumpkin [pumpkin pie yogurt]

pumpkin pie is that rich dessert that always invokes thoughts of fall, family and a crackling fire. until the stomach ache kicks in and the memory of drunk uncle's republican rant comes flooding back. enter pumpkin pie yogurt: equally as decadent, but healthy and drama free. recommended uses: quick breakfast, unique dinner party dessert or two a.m. munchies cure.

[pumpkin pie yogurt]
chobani 0% plain yogurt
trader joe's pumpkin butter
raw pumpkin seeds
walnuts
trader joe's pumpkin pie spice

spot : [venice]

venice is one of those cities that is lost in time. during carnivale, the quiet streets transform into italy's pseudo halloween. bambinos dressed as mini princesses and bears. cobblestone streets lined with venetian masks and muddied confetti. if you're nice, shakespeare's merchant will give you a bargain on fresh gnocchi. here: grab a mask, a bellini in a bottle and join the nonnas in their bewitching bustles.

look : the everyday costume [pumpkin]

this october, orange is the new black (congrats netflix, you called it). tangerine and coral were all over spring 2014 fashion week, from new york to london, from flatforms to lipstick. around manhattan, duane reade has decorated the windows with jack-o-lanterns and argo tea has whipped out the fall spice latte. stick-skinny on top, voluptuous on the bottom: who wouldn't want to look like a pumpkin?

the list [october]

1. look: everyday costume

    2. spot: venice

        3. taste: pumpkin

            4. sip: fireball whiskey

                5. fete: llyn foulkes

                    6. wild card: flying trapeze

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

[inspiration]

spring 2014 fashion week  :  tibi  .  undercover  .  guy laroche  .  "who's on third" by llyn foulkes  .  venice canal at night .  fireball whiskey  .  pumpkin curry