The VIP Martini:
3 oz. Belvedere Red
.5 oz. Vermouth, Dry
2 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
Add the Belvedere Red and Vermouth to the cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cap, shake (for 10 seconds) and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with blue cheese stuffed Olives. Cheers!
Ken Downing and Carolina Herrera at the designer's studio in New York.
NM fashion director Ken Downing catches up with the ever-elegant designer to discuss Resort, Spring, and seductive versus sexy.
Travel pouches designed by Carolina Herrera for the Neiman Marcus + Target Holiday24 collection.
Read the entire conversation in the Resort 2012 issue of The Book.
VIPs got first crack at the #Holiday24 collection from NM and Target, shopping early at the NYC pop-up shop on Fifth Avenue. The collection goes national on December 1!
Balenciaga's rose gold hardware.
Balenciaga‘s motorcycle handbag secured “it” bag status in 2000 and hasn’t let go. Its signature slouchy shape, supple leather and metal hardware make the tote one of the most iconic accessories on the market today.
Starting in the Spring the legendary label will bring back hardware in gold and retire rose gold. Therefore, if you’re drawn to the allure of the gold and copper alloy, now is the time to invest. With rose gold phasing out this season, and with designer Nicolas Ghesquiere stepping down, this may be your last chance to snag this specific style from the century-old house.
Yes, it’s a self-serving advertisement, but a lovable one. Karlie Kloss stars in the broadcast spot for #Holiday24, the collection from NM and Target, available December 1. That’s Saturday!
If you like this, you’ll also like “the making of” video.
AERIN Brass Match Striker
Aerin Lauder strikes gold with her new AERIN Holiday Home Object Collection. Designed for unique gift-giving and home accenting, the Match Striker is one of our personal favorites to give or receive. Inspired by an antique glass and silver piece Lauder’s father gave her years ago, the match striker adds a touch of elegance to the lighting of a fire or candle to make the action special. ”The gold match striker is the perfect finishing touch to any table. Either on the coffee table or on the mantle, it adds an element of luxury and style,” says Lauder. The Holiday Home Object Collection also includes floral nesting bowls and vases, wine stops and agate and pyrite accessories.
Charlotte Olympia's hand-painted art shoes.
In search of visual inspiration? Or simply a tan? Head to sunny Miami Beach December 6-9 for Art Basel Miami, America’s premier contemporary and modern art fair. The event will be celebrating its 11th anniversary as the stateside sister to the original, founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1970.
Over 260 international galleries—both new and established—will be in attendance to show the works of thousands of artists. New-to-the-scene names will show alongside the highly acclaimed, in special exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos, and public art projects.
Among the galleries and museum installations, you’ll find curated showcases like Art Nova, a section designated for artists’ freshest work from the past three years; Art Public, a performance art event at Collins Park; and Art Salon and Art Basel Conversations, featuring panel discussions and dialogues among artists, collectors, curators and other leading figures on the international art scene.
And you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to party and brush shoulders with anyone from Ai Weiwei to Kanye West. Not to mention the best people-watching this side of Paris Fashion Week.
Pop Art Dolly
During Art Basel, the NM Bal Harbour store is throwing its own international art party. On December 4 from 2 to 4 pm, London-based shoe designer Charlotte Olympia and a mystery artist will be hand-painting her Dolly platform pump in the shoe salon. The one-of-a-kind pieces will be sold at a private event that night, but a limited edition of about 40 pre-painted shoes will be available for pre-order.
Post Impressionism Dolly
Out of NM’s epic partnership with Target come more than 50 terrific gifts by 24 of today’s top American designers. They’re a crafty crew of CFDA members and visionaries who love the holidays as much as we do. Here, get to know four of the designers—Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia, Joseph Altuzarra, Brian Atwood and Robert Rodriguez—and get ready to shop their #Holiday24 gifts on Dec. 1 at Target and Neiman Marcus stores and online.
NM: What inspired you to make this piece?
Stacey Bendet: I travel around the world and I am always hunting for unique luggage! I wanted something fun and graphic, and so I went with my signature stripe! Bold, yet classic.
NM: What would make this piece the perfect gift?
Stacey: Guys, listen up here. Give this to your girlfriend with tickets for a romantic getaway somewhere. That would get a serious A+!
Altuzarra tray and cocktail set.
NM: What particular detail do you love the most on the item you made?
Joseph Altuzarra: To produce the tumblers and shaker, we used an old manufacturing technique called “pressed glass” where the glass is molded into a diamond lattice pattern. The diamond pattern is then gilded in gold to highlight the intricacies and the texture of the pattern. I also love the high gloss lacquer finish on the tray and the brass inlayed hinges, which I think feels very French.
NM: What inspired you to make this piece?
Brian Atwood: I was inspired by old Hollywood glamour and loved mixing materials to give it just the right amount of edge.
NM: What would make this piece the perfect gift?
Brian: It’s always about a bold statement for me and these are the perfect little “me” gift.
NM: Where do you see someone wearing this piece?
Robert Rodriguez: Since it is the perfect holiday dress, I can see someone turning heads in this at a fabulous cocktail party. I love the lace scallop around the top and bottom of the dress. It is a little detail that adds a lot of sophistication.
Want to know more about the collection and the other 20 designers? Preview the full Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection here.
Peppermint Mojito:
1.5 oz Bacardi Superior Rum
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 oz. Monin O’Free Syrup
5 Mint Leaves
2 Dashes of each – Mint Bitters, Free Brothers
.5 Tablespoon Club Soda
Add the first 5 ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Cap and shake. Strain into a pilsner glass filled with ice. Garnish with a peppermint candy. Cheers!
Tastemakers don’t just buy candles from French perfumery Diptyque to burn; they use them as decor elements and then recycle the fashionable votives in creatively chic ways after the wick is extinguished. Bloggers show us how they incorporate the candles emblazoned with a simple oval logo into their bedrooms, bathrooms, and office spaces.
A Cup of Mai
Photographer and lifestyle blogger Mai from A Cup of Mai places a Diptyque in Baies, a scent with notes of black current leaves and roses, atop her nightstand in her master bedroom.
A Cup of Mai
Like Mai, design blogger Erika Brechtel of Small Shop Studio burns the candle in Baies. Her Diptyque serves as a focal accessory atop her sleek desk.
Small Shop Studio
Fashion tastemaker Jen Brill’s bathroom was featured on beauty blog Into the Gloss. The recycled Diptyque candle in Feu de Bois serves as a chic container for eyeliner and mascara.
Into the Gloss
Blogger Holly Becker of Decor 8 Blog burns her Diptyque candle in Feuille de Lavende (lavender leaf) in a her office/craft space.
Decor 8
The bloggers behind Luxiare repotted an orchid in an empty black Baies votive.
Luxiare Blog
Lifestyle blogger Emily Schuman of the blog Cupcakes and Cashmere recycles her Tuberose Diptyque as a makeup brush holder on her vanity.
Cupcakes and Cashmere
