Cocktail Recipe of the Week: The Sidecar

One of things we take for granted when living in NYC is the ability to walk out of your apartment, no matter where you live in the city, and stumble upon some of the best restaurants and cocktail bars in the world. 

A long time favorite of mine is called Angel's Share on Stuyvesant Street in the East Village.  Hidden on the 2nd floor through the back door of a Japanese restaurant you find a swanky, candle lit bar with some of the most serious mixologists in the business.  

What to order: 

The Sidecar 

1 1/2 ounces cognac 
3/4 ounces Cointreau 
3/4 lemon juice 

Shake with cracked ice; strain into frosted cocktail glass and serve.  Garnish with orange or lemon rind.

*image via Last Crumb

Shopping: Totem Brazil

A few blocks back from the legendary Ipanema beach I stumbled upon Totem,  a tiny boutique overflowing with colorful bold geometric prints.  The vision of surf champion, Fred D'Orey, the brand exudes laid back Brazilian beach style.  Hoping to add to my collection of breezy tops and floor sweeping summer dresses a few years after discovering this gem, I was pleased to find that Totem is now available through numerous stockists around the world - Fortunately I won't have to justify a plane ticket to Rio in order to replenish.  Here's a favorite Jane Birkin inspired mini from Spring/Summer 2011.

*images via Totem

Shopping: Jonathan Adler custom zebra rugs

Loving everything Jonathan Adler as usual and just came across these fabulous new additions - rugs that can be hand loomed to your specifications by Peruvian artisans - choose pattern, color, size and fabric.  My personal favorites are these zebra designs which will add just the right splash of pattern to any room. 

Shopping: Basque Linens

If you're like me and Provencal linens are a bit too "country" for your taste-level,  you might prefer these perfectly minimalist table linens, popular for generations in Basque country - clean lines in Mediterranean hues of blue or  red are the perfect linen to host a summer garden party.

Once upon a time used for shading cows from the sun, they made their way into the kitchen due to their strength and durability.  The stripes are in groups of seven, representing the seven Basque provinces in Spain and France.  I love bringing a little French country-side into my summer repertoire.

Table cloth and matching serviettes vailable at Manufactum

Shopping: Gara Danielle

Right now I am lusting after a Gara Danielle 14k gold birth month necklace with wire wrapped semiprecious stones.  I love the look of a long gold chain worn casually with a bikini at the beach or with a simple white t-shirt and jeans- it feels very Brazilian and perfectly Buzios-inspired beach chic. 

(*images via website)

Shopping: Samantha Robinson ceramics

I came across Samantha Robinson's gorgeous collection of porcelain in an Australian design magazine.  I would love to get my hands on one of the tall vases and beautiful sets of mugs, however as I am not lucky enough to live in the desirable suburb of Sydney's Double Bay,  I will have to keep dreaming and wait until they are available online.  I will certainly keep checking the website samantha robinson for when they do decide to sell internationally! Simply gorgeous - so refreshing to see such unique product!

Gypset Style

Craving....Aussoline's GYPSET STYLE by Julia Chaplin. The pictures say it all.  

About the Book

Yuppies, Yippies, Jet Setters, Bright Young Things, Generation X, Generation Y... and now the Gypset. Fusing the ease and carefree lifestyle of a gypsy with the sophistication of the jet set, the Gypsetters are artists, surfers, designers, and bon vivants who live and work around the globe, from Jose Ignacio, Uruguay and Ibiza, Spain, to Montauk, New York. Gypset Style explores the unconventional, wanderlust lives of these high-low cultural nomads and thte bohemian enclaves they inhabit, as well as their counterculture forbears, such as the Victorian explorers, the Lost Generation, the Beatniks, and the hippies. And along the way, author Julia Chaplin looks back at quintessential gypsy boho moments in social history.

*images and book synopsis from Aussouline's website.  

Pretty Penguin Classics

In the days of digital, it's wonderful to put the ipad aside and sit back every once in a while with a hard-bound book, particularly when they look this good on your bookshelf.  


I was recently in the hip Books Actually boutique in the trendy Ann Siang Hill neighborhood of Singapore and came across these Coralie Bickford-Smith designed beauties.  

*images via http://thepenguinblog.typepad.com

Vogue 1962

I came across this gorgeous Vogue cover from 1962 today.  I'm not sure who the photographer is, but I love the glamour conveyed in this picture - very French Riviera.  All of my fashion inspiration comes from the sixties and seventies - I love the brooch on her head scarf.

Tres Chic!

Shopping: iomoi

One of my favorite places to buy incredibly chic, personalized gifts for friends and colleagues is an online store called iomoi.  Choose from a variety of adorable designs (a zebra dressed in a kaftan -what's chicer than that?), select your monogram and create anything from custom stationary, ice buckets, desk accessories, ipad cases, note cards,  party invitations and canvas bags.  Here are a selection of some of my favorite designs. You'll never go anywhere else for a gift again.

*Images from http://iomoi.com

Lao Silk - Ock Pop Tok

Ock Pop Tok is a textile gallery and weaving center in Luang Prabang producing high-quality natural silk produced by local weavers.   Their mission statement: To advance the artistic, cultural and social development of Lao artisans and their textiles while adhering to fair trade principles. 


If you can't make the trip to Lao and stay for a night in Ock Pop Tok's incredibly chic 4-room Mekong villa, support local artisans by shopping for their beautiful silk scarves, saturated in color and produced with care. 

*images via Ock Pop Tok website - first image: beautiful scarves; second image: The Villa

Shopping: Stones from The Grand Bazaar

My travels over the years have led me through markets, souks and bazaars from one corner of the globe to the other.  
A favorite shop is Stil Inci (86–87 erifag˘a Sokak; 011-90-212-512-2839) in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar.
Long strands of precious and semi-precious stones hang from the ceiling -  uncut sapphires, amber, emeralds, onyx, turquoise, rubies, peridot and South Sea pearls.  Choose your stones and customize your design at incredibly reasonable prices.  
I chose turquoise nuggets to have a long double-stranded necklace made for me on the spot for just $150 USD.  It came packaged in a velvet pouch with an evil-eye drawstring closure offering me the feeling of protection every time I wear it.    

*First image -own photograph;  image 2 photo by J.D Harris

Shopping: Soludos

Soludos  have me craving endless summer days at poolside beach clubs in the French Riviera.  An updated take on the classic canvas espadrille, they are the perfect summer shoe for both men and women.  From Sydney to the Hampton's, the global distribution of Soludos in chic boutiques around the world means all fashionistas will be donning a pair come summer, regardless of hemisphere.

Shopping: Niki Jones

Always on the lookout for incredible textiles, I came across a fantastic UK-based site called Niki Jones.  Beautiful cushions, linens, furniture and curiosities.  Here is a selection of some of the unique offerings...

images via Niki Jones

SHOPPING: Roberta Freymann

Roberta Freymann in New York City's Upper East Side is a treasure chest of chic but affordable goodies like this gorgeous "Santa-fe" bib necklace, gold corrugated cuff and hand-embroidered clutch.  All available for purchase online in you aren't close to the city!  

$245

$27

$49.99

Bone Inlay Furniture

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my obsession with all things Indian - the sari's, the colors, the textiles, the jewelry and the furniture.  The list is endless.  I am writing a disclaimer in advance to let you know that over time you will see many entries that will somehow revolve around India, in one capacity or another, as the country is an endless source of inspiration for ideas and for sourcing textiles for ilhabela boutique.

Jodhpur, in the northern state of Rajasthan,  is home to huge emporiums of furniture that will make any interior decorator swoon.  The exquisite bone inlay furniture shown below are statement pieces for any room.  Since visiting, I have been able to stop thinking about planning a home office space (if I only had a bigger apartment!) with a pink bone inlay desk as the centerpiece!

*image 1 via Niki Jones; Image 2, 3 and 4 via Inlay Bone Furniture

SHOPPING: Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka - Custom Board Shorts

Hikkaduwa is small surf town on the south east coast of Sri Lanka.   Any other Australian-native will confirm that a love for surf culture is part of our genetic makeup.  This idyllic beach was the perfect way to start 2011.  Beautiful sunsets, warm waters, beach bars and consistent surf breaks.

First shopping stop: Dunstan Design

Dunstan Design has been in business since 1983.  This tiny store has a row of men on one side sitting behind sewing machine's ready to create your custom board short.  Choose from a wall of different colors, styles, trim, thread and patterns.  I've always thought the marketplace was missing swimwear for men that falls somewhere in between a surfer's pair of board shorts and a pair of Vilebrequins so it was my perfect opportunity to create them- something for the surfer, but with a little bit of French flair - think endless glasses of Rose at sunset after a long day on the water.

I chose knee-length light pink shorts with a navy waist band and matching thread for my husband and a shorter version in hot pink with chocolate brown trim for myself  

A perfect combination between Buzios and Bondi...