(Click on links to view images)
Flip Side
Serafina, a great source for chic, re-wearable bridesmaid garb, has a new line of reversible dresses created for flower girls and flowery girls alike. Weekend wedding in Massachusetts? You’re covered: One side works for the rehearsal dinner, the other for the reception. Chocolate ice cream gone south? A trip to the ladies’ room and she’s a perfect princess once more. Bonus: The double-sided skirt is poufy without any scratchy crinoline netting. And at $295, it can be a mother-daughter thing – you choose one side, she picks the other.
SERAFINA
29 East 19th Street, third floor (by appointment only)/212-253-2754
On the Ball
Anthony Gallo was one of those kids who took apart all the stereos in the house. As an adult, he and partner Gary Pelled launched their spherical-speaker business on a coffee table in Brooklyn, aiming to provide the most discriminating sound geeks with the most amazing speakers. Seven years later, they created the Nucleus Micro system, an ultramodern, designy line of four-inch speakers that provide audiophile-level sound. The system, including an equally round ten-inch subwoofer, starts at $699.
PARK AVENUE AUDIO
425 Park Avenue South, at 29th Street/212-685-8101
STEREO EXCHANGE
627 Broadway, near Bleecker Street/212-505-1111
Setting the Scene
This sturdy yet slender-boned Rörstrand Origo tableware layers the practical with the sublime. The Swedish-designed porcelain pieces are cool, light, and elegant in hand, and the saucily striped egg cup lends itself equally well to sake-sipping. The saucer and bread plate double as slosh-protective lids for the teacup and bowl, and each plate has a subtle central nub that locks into the bases of cup and bowl for slide-free transport ($90 with egg cup; additional egg cups $12).
THE SHOP @ SCANDINAVIA HOUSE
58 Park Avenue, near 38th Street/212-779-3587
Tote Support
The images printed on Moschino’s new double-stitched, clear-plastic totes will turn heads on the street: William Wegman’s signature Weimaraner, Barbara Kruger’s graphic message, Peter Halley’s megadots. Moschino commissioned the images from the three artists – and three others – in conjunction with Artwalk NY 2000, the annual fund-raiser for the Coalition for the Homeless. Each artist’s bag is numbered in a limited edition of 100 and will be available for $240; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Coalition.
MOSCHINO
803 Madison Avenue, near 68th Street/212-639-9600
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
611 Fifth Avenue, near 49th Street/212-753-4000
Felt Tip
Until now, Christine Birkle has been known for the sculptural, fantastical handcrafted felt hats she sells in her Berlin boutique. Now she’s ventured just as boldly onto the home front with felted-wool pieces like this colorful, whisper-soft rug. Lucky for us, John Erik of Breukelen spied one on the floor of Birkle’s hat booth at a recent accessories convention and insisted on writing an order on the spot (20-by-27-inch rug is $230; 27-by-60-inch, $685).
BREUKELEN
68 Gansevoort Street/212-645-2216 (Manhattan shop only)
Click here for Best Bets Online at Yahoo!
Check out New York Shops, our comprehensive guide to the city’s best stores, including a year’s worth of “Best Bets.” On sale at newsstands now. To order a copy, call 800-496-7833 ($4.99 plus $2 shipping and handling).