Make your Halloween costume shopping easy

Don’t run around aimlessly like a zombie to find your last minute, yet perfect - Halloween attire. In the radius of a mile, you have enough choices to create your ideal disguised alter-persona.

Nicky Menage and Lady Gaga on display at New York Costumes

New York Costumes, Halloween Adventures - Probably the most notorious costume store in New York City. This Gothic Boutique always attracts people into their large store, and is know for a huge line around Halloween.

104 4th Ave & 808 Broadway at 11th Street (two entrances)

For website, click here

Yankee Bill’s Costume Superstore – Pop-up store a block down from the New York Costumes. Props and hundreds of costumes in a bag, feels like Ricky’s…

Corner of Broadway and 9^th street.

Ricky’s - A couple of blocks west, on 8^th Street, this branch is not the Halloween mega store ( for that, walk a few blocks down to Houston and you shall find the costume mecca on Broadway). But in this Ricky's you'll find great accessories, some costumes, masks, wigs and ideal make up for bloody good effects.

44 E 8th St (between University Pl & Greene St)

Fashion: It’s a furry fall out there

Free your fur coat from the mothballs. Fuzzy animal skin attire - faux or real - is ferociously loose on the streets of Manhattan! Be it on jackets, cardigan collars or mainly loads of sleeveless waistcoats, pelts are making a big comeback and can be found anywhere. To be clear, all photos on today’s post were taken with my i-Phone (as always) today!

Bloomingdales advertised a brand new “fur salon” department on a full-page ad in the New York Times today, and a few pages down, Macy’s announces a 40% off fur sale. Editorial ads for Chanel and Gucci also showcased pieces of fur. Century 21 on the Upper West Side has heir fur items on full display on the ground floor...

and on my way back home, wearing my furry muffler of course, I candidly photographed these stylish subway riders effortlessly looking chic wrapped in their fashionable harry coats.

Brazilian Style and designers shine at Swarovski's concept store

Brazilian jewelry designer Camila Klein, who flew in from Sao Paulo for just one night to launch her new collection this week. One of her creations on a mannequin wearing Carlos Miele

Brazilians celebrities and stylish guests were sparkling amongst Swarovski crystals at the brand’s flagship store on Broadway this week during a lively party celebrating the recently published photo book: Brazilian Style by Phaidon. Aside the glitzy A-Listers, what bedazzled me the most was the amount of actual bling showcased along the walls of the this two story, two-year old Austrian concept jewelry store. At the so-called Swarovski Crystallized store (there are only three in the world), shoppers can design and customize their own necklaces, charm bracelets, and earrings.

The customized pieces are made to order and mailed within two weeks. Since last June, Café Kristall, located at the end of the shop, was incorporated to the shop and serves a true café Viennese,a mogst other Austrian delicatessen. Be it for refreshments only or crystal shopping ,this is good stop for your SoHo exploratory walks. Who knows, maybe you’ll even feel inspired and create your own shiny necklace.

Brazilian entrepreneurs in New York: Chris Bhan, founder of My Sweet and Michele Levy, owner of MelissaUSA

Swarovski Crystallized Store

499 Broadway
Between Spring St. and Broome St.

My eyes wide open at Sleep No More

The other night I felt lost in an abandoned hotel with a mask on my face, tapping in the dark, following a half naked lady up and down the stairs, through a ball room surrounded by large evergreens , up to a mezzanine library, through a closet that opened into a Versailles-like bedroom. The taxidermy décor spooked me out a little bit, but once I found the candy pharmacy, where I was free to take whatever I wanted from the glass containers, I was happy like a child! I never woke up from that haze, because this was not a dream.

And that’s all I will give away from this incredible and unforgettable experience that has been written and raved about so much in the media (read the New York magazine article here). If you see one performance this year, don’t miss Sleep No More by the cast of Punchdrunk, a British site-specific theater company. Lucky for us, and a perfect Halloween outing, extended showings until November…

Official website and tickets

The McKittrick Hotel
530 W. 27th St. near 10th Ave

Cider in the City

Local orchard s featuring a taste of their apple spirit before Cider Week at a stand in the farmer's market in Union Square

At this time of year we see apples galore around here. What I didn’t know is that New York State is the second highest producer of apples in the nation. No wonder an organization found a good way to market the fact and create fun events around it, including the upcoming Cider Week, from October 16^th-19^th. We are talking about real distilled cider here, not the Whole Foods plastic bottle variety. To kick off the festivities, a cider bar and panel discussion will take place at the New Amsterdam Market starting at 11am on Sunday. Over 60 restaurants, including The Spotted Pig, Boqueria, John Dory, Eataly, DBGB and Gramercy Tavern, will be serving sophisticated concoctions (think pommeau and calvados) of apple brew derived from more than a hundred varieties of cider apples. Who knew, always absorbing, in this case ingesting, something new in the Big Apple.

Click here to learn more about this initiative by the upstate agricultural not-for-profit Glynwood Center

BrazilFoundation online auction - Bid on top artwork for peanuts – and for charity!

BrazilFoundation’s tenth annual gala happened a week ago creating a well-deserved buzz in the media. 500 attendees, including Valentino, this year’s chair Andre Dellal and the creator of Rio The Movie, Carlos Saldanha, were the most recognizable amongst dozens of Brazilian import beauties, including Victoria’s Secret angels Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros and Jeísa Chiminazzo. The glitz at the New York Public Library that night was undeniable, but the true shining star of the event was the founder Leona Forman, for having started such important work which brought true positive changes in it’s 10 years of existence. More then 300 projects have received the support of the foundation in underdeveloped regions and needy areas in vast Brazil.

All funds raised by this New York based non-profit go towards social projects in Brazil, reshaping the country’s daunting social reality.

If you didn’t have the opportunity to be present at this magical evening, you still have a chance to help, and by doing so, acquire beautiful art by some acclaimed artists, for a way lower price than what these pieces are worth at galleries. And of course, as this is a charity, your bid is tax deductible.

Bid now, auction ends MIDNIGHT TOMORROW! Run Cinderella Hood... and spread the good word.

Click here for

BRAZILFOUNDATION ONLINE ART AUCTION

or copy and paste to your browser:

http://www.charitybuzz.com/search?keywords=Brazil+Foundation+Online+Auction&order=close&per_page=50

Go here for Vogue's photos of the evening

The Hudson Hotel: still going strong after all these years

With so many offerings of places to go, it is rare that anybody would repeat visiting the same venue within the same week. I did. Twice in a row was I enjoying the evening end of summer breeze at the “Private Park” of the Hudson hotel. This is not a hot spot nor a cool location (midtown west) however, this 10 year old hotel is consistently attractive, and welcoming. I had not been in many years, but ended up there Monday night for the after party of the movie premier “I don’t know how she does it” with Sarah Jessica Parker (fun flick worth seeing). And then again I went back last night, when I needed a last minute reservation for seven people –kind of a challenge on a Thursday evening. I wanted something were we could meet for a drink and then have dinner, without a crazy wait or hassle. And the Hudson was perfect for it. You can have drinks at the charming library, or outside at the beautifully planted terrace. When hunger strikes, the restaurant is right there, with its delicious “self-service” gourmet food. The tuna tartar also worth a repetition.

The Hudson

356 West 58th Street (corner of 9th Avenue)