Has Fashion Defied the Hemline Index?The fall collections were full of micro-minis, plunging necklines, bodysuits, and slits up to there. Not exactly what we were expecting.
Milan Still Low on Glitz, But Earthy Gets Its DueThe Milan shows are almost over and we are still waiting for that “molto sexy” glitzy thing to rear its Swarovski-ed head. Soon, oh yes, we can feel it. But in the meantime, many of these collections, would be great for a super posh camping trip of sorts.
• Trussardi showed earth tones and bright shower-curtain frocks.
Shake Shack Reopens Today; Fabio Trabocchi’s Last MealSweet glory, Shake Shack reopens today at 11:30! You can call ahead to place your order, but you won’t be enjoying the new heaters until next week. [Eater]
The British agree: Adam Platt’s term “haute barnyard” defines the prevailing dining trend. [Guardian]
Related: The Haute Barnyard Hall of Fame
The manager of Sarabeth’s on Central Park South caught a 50-year-old thief taking $27 from her pocketbook over the weekend. [NYP]
The Other Critics
Primehouse’s Steak Saves Its Star; BarFry BlastedThe best steaks at Primehouse NY are good enough to earn a single star from Frank Bruni — which is saying something, given that he had problems with service, didn’t like the other entrées, and even found the rib eyes to be less than they ought to be. But the Creekstone strips carried the day, as they always do. [NYT]
The small, porky tapas at Jason Neroni’s Cantina seem to impress Robert Sietsema, but his review leaves you with the sense that, croquettes aside, the place is still a work-in-progress. [VV]
Paul Adams dines at Smith’s and praises the rich, possibly too rich, appetizers, while frowning over some of the mains. But on the whole he likes the place: “Some dishes are excessive by design, others poorly executed in the heat of the dinner rush, and a few, like the pasta, remarkably good and worthy of a return visit — perhaps after the first wave of crowds has moved on.” [NYS]
NewsFeed
La Esquina Reopens, but Serge Becker’s Spots Still Not in the Clear
La Esquina’s basement and the Box are open again, but Serge Becker’s woes may not be over. Alberto Armendarig, a reporter for Mexican newspaper La Reforma tells us that last Saturday at 205 (another joint Becker has his stamp on), he was choked by a bouncer and bodily ejected from the club in such a way that he tried to press assault charges (cops didn’t find any marks on him and told him to brush it off and call it a night). Sounds like any other Saturday to us, but Armendarig says he’s now on a quest to close the club down. As it turns out, he may not have to lift a finger.
205 to be Eighty-Sixed?
in other news
Spitzer Not Actually Forcing Gay Things Down Your ThroatsIt turns out John Faso — remember, that guy who was trounced by Spitzer? — was wrong after all when he infamously accused his rival of planning to “force gay marriage down the throats of New Yorkers.” The first days of the Spitzer administration suggest the governor has a slower, gentler method in mind. Same-sex marriage, which the GOP wanted you to believe was all but a lynchpin of Spitzer’s platform, was conspicuously absent from the barrage of proposals in his State of the State address. Gay-rights advocates are somewhat alarmed, the Sun reports. But not to worry: As Spitzer’s communications director says, “Gay marriage isn’t a Day One issue.” The governor will get around to it, eventually: “We have to prioritize and that’s how we prioritized.” Spoken like a true leader.
Spitzer: Gay Rites Ahead [NYS]
Earlier: Spitzer’s Support for Gays Will Not Be Tested [E&O]
vu.
Time Warner Center Jacks Up Apartment CostsYears after Time Warner Center put an expensive sheen on Columbus Circle, properties nearby are still basking in its reflected glory. Many apartments on the open-house list below reference the project as a not-so-subtle reminder to buyers that the area deserves as much asking-price respect as its neighbors, the increasingly posh Upper West Side and the trendy but unpolished Hell’s Kitchen. Still, deals exist in pockets, especially in no-frills walk-ups, though glitzy condos marble baths, concierge service, you name it can be had here, too. In fact, a few of them are going up within the shadow of the billion-dollar Time Warner Center itself. S. Jhoanna Robledo
neighborhood watch
Ugly Buildings Are Attacking the City!Brooklyn Heights: The mysterious sign maker who guided visitors to the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian walkway has outed herself. Thanks, Roslyn Beck. [Brooklyn Papers]
East Village: When Jane Jacobs and New Urbanism collide, you get New Yorbanism and buildings like “Sculpture for Living” at Astor Place. [Horizoner via Polis]
Gowanus: Once the Whole Foods opens, expect 1,000 people a day to show up at Third Avenue and 3rd Street. [Gowanus Lounge]
Greenwood Heights: If you’re a developer missing some permits, the Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights are gonna getcha. [Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights via Brownstoner]
Harlem: Food from the meat truck on 132nd and Lenox may be a little too authentic for city dwellers, unless you want your apartment to smell like a barn. [Harlem Fur]
Park Slope: The campaign begins to get writers–crime victims Doug and Barbara Rushkoff to stay in Brooklyn. [Steven Berlin Johnson via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn]
