Exterior Ideas

Begin your Valentine’s Day decorating outside. In some areas of the country, it may still be chilly, yet small accents such as a tastefully decorated heart or Valentine themed wreath on the front door can add a nice warm touch.

Likewise, yard flags have become extremely popular over the years. A cute red and white flag placed near a sidewalk or front step can provide the perfect look for the holiday – as well as a possible reminder for those who may not have remembered the date!

Interior Décor

The interior of your home can be tastefully done up in the Valentine’s Day theme. Primary color options for the day include, not just red and white, but also pink and lavender, so you have lots of variety in terms of decorations and color schemes.

The kitchen or dining room table is the perfect place for a nicely done center piece. Set a cake plate in the center that can serve as a candlelit focial point. Dress up a plain, everyday plate by placing a strip of decorative paper and ribbon around the plate’s rim and then making a large bow on one side.

Doilies and lace can be added, along with votive candles, red hot candy, and ed and white roses. A nide finishing touch? Eed and white glitter or additional red candies scattered around the table.

End tables are s great place for displaying holiday-themed items, such as wedding pictures, heart or love related figurines, or Valentine greeting cards that hold special meaning. All these extras add a nice personal touch.

Kids Love Valentine’s Day Too

Be sure to include children in the decorating and fun. Have them help bake heart shaped cookies. These can then be placed on the table or counter as additional decoration – at least until they are consumed!

Kids can also create homemade Valentine’s Day décor by cutting out heart shaped construction paper hearts and adding pictures or decorative doilies. Connect several paper hearts to make a nice chain that can be hung across a fireplace mantle or over a doorway.

Kelli McDonald is a hard working writer for many blogs about interior design and home furnishing. She also works with LuxeYard on changing the way people approach home furniture shopping.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The train station is a visual wonderland, made even more appealing when seen in 3-D. While it seems every other film these days requires wearing those funny glasses, few directors utilize this special effect as well as Scorsese has in Hugo. Yes, there are objects that seem to pop out at us, but more often we are given the benefit of special closeups, seeing the facial expressions of the actors, particularly the youthful ones, Asa Butterfield, who plays Hugo, and Chloë Grace Moretz, as his friend, Isabelle.

Besides tending the clocks and seeking spare parts, Hugo must find food, often snitching rolls and fruit from stands inside the train station, and evade capture by Inspector Gustav (Sasha Baron Cohen), who prides himself on sending unclaimed children to the workhouse. Hugo is seen peeking out of the train station’s large clock, assessing danger and studying the people below.

Hugo is resourceful, yet when he is caught stealing mechanical parts, the proprietor of a toy store, played by Ben Kingsley, takes away the blueprints for the automaton. Desperate to get the plans back, Hugo enlists the support of the toy store owner’s god daughter, Isabelle. The two soon become friends and Hugo introduces Isabelle to the silent films made by George Méliès. There are surprises in store, not only does Isabelle have the heart-shaped key, but also her godfather turns out to be Méliès.

Moviegoers may not recognize the name George Méliès, but will be sure to identify iconic images from his films, the most famous being a rocket hitting the man in the moon. (Scorsese has done a masterful job integrating scenes from Méliès films into the current one). Méliès became disillusioned when his films fell out of favor. He does not permit any mention of his previous life in his home, not even from his wife, played by Helen McCrory, who starred in most of his productions, And Isabelle knows nothing about her godfather’s history until she meets Hugo. When the automaton is finally repaired, it sketches a scene from a Méliès film. With his identity at last uncovered, Méliès comes to terms with his past.

While Hugo received a rating of PG (Parental Guidance), younger children may find the plot challenging. Older children, particularly those who enjoyed the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, will find the story enchanting.

The film has another un-Scorsese-like element—a heartwarming, happy ending. No doubt we haven’t seen the last of true Scorsese, the one who gravitates towards darker topics. But we hope Hugo will also not be the last family film he directs.

Although the Whiney offered a number of distinct exhibits on each of its four floors, some of these hardly seemed exhibits at all. On the very first floor, the first thing you see after getting a ticket is Aleksandra Mir’s The Seduction of Galileo Galilei. It’s just one big red rectangular room. On one wall is a huge projection of a 16-minute documentary chronicling the efforts of an unnamed group trying to test Galileo’s law of falling bodies with huge stacks of tires. This would be interesting if what was being tested was made explicit, or if the documentary was mostly the stacking and falling of tires instead of racetrack sounds and seemingly unrelated stop-motions of a faceless women placing caution tape. Opposite the film are six collaged pieces of classical biblical figures integrated with pieces of technology or space. The contrast between the church and science is explicit, but too much so, in a way that almost seems lazy.

But the second floor exhibit, Real/Surreal, was absolutely fantastic. The space was big, there was so much to look at, and so much that deserved to be looked at, too. Charles Sheeler (River Rouge Plant, above), Mabel Dwight, and Henry Koerner’s pieces were all extraordinary. Very bold, metaphorical statements (like placing a group of nuns in a glass prison) were coupled with technical mastery in nearly every piece. The majority of the work was surrealist, but there were a few realist pieces as well, mostly at the start of the exhibit, as a helpful transition and comparison for the wackier works that came next.

Unfortunately, not all of the exhibits were open on the night I visited, but between Aleksandra Mir’s disappointment and the fascination of Real/Surreal sat the rather mediocre Singular Visions exhibit. The idea was to dedicate an inordinate amount of space to the singular pieces that most deserved it, so that the room and our attention could focus on that one piece alone. Some were fantastic, like Alexander Calder’s wire Circus, and some were just rooms filled with blank panels of white. Robert Grosvenor’s Tenerife sculpture (above) seemed to fly and cut through space, but Eva Hesse’s No Title was just technically a huge lump of string.

Unlike most museums, the exhibits and pieces featured in the Whitney seemed starkly hit or miss on the night I was there. Although perhaps a more free-spirited mind would have interpreted these differently, there is definitely no argument against the fact that the Designing the Whitney of the Future exhibit is only one wall long.

Artwork, from top:
1. Aleksandra Mir (b. 1967), still from The Seduction of Galileo Galilei, 2011. Video, color, sound; 16:33 min. Commissioned by Mercer Union, Toronto. Collection of the artist, Mary Boone Gallery, New York, and Galeria Joan Prats, Barcelona
2. Charles Sheeler (1883–1965), River Rouge Plant, 1932. Oil on canvas, 20 × 24 1/8 in. (50.8 × 61.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase 32.43
3. Robert Grosvenor, Tenerife, 1966. Fiberglass, plywood, steel, and synthetic polymer lacquer. 66 × 276 × 6 3/4 in. (167.6 × 701 × 17.2cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation Inc. 67.51a–b. © Robert Grosvenor; courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photograph by Sheldan C. Collins

Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue

The immensely likeable Gillette shares a cavalcade of career memories, each leading up to or illustrated by a musical number. Sequencing is so seamless, we’re listening to a song before realizing patter has stopped. In fact, sometimes, it hasn’t. The skill with which wickedly funny, anecdote-specific wisecracks are integrated into performance is completely captivating. Bravo, Director Barry Kleinbort.

This is an actress and comedienne as well as a singer. Her timing is pitch-perfect. Whether offering an exaggeratedly hammy Italian street song (with artful, deadpan vocal back-up by Paul Greenwood) or mimicking an old woman whose landlady she was briefly (one of Rue McClanahan’s 7 husbands talked her into buying real estate when work was scarce), she nails each character and moves on with nary a ba dump dump needed to punctuate.

John Kander and Fred Ebb’s “Don’t Tell Mama” from Cabaret is the first of several saucy numbers to which Gillette does full justice. The honey-cured “Nightlife” (Charles Strouse/Lee Adams from All American) and Joe Williams’s “He May Be Your Man” but he comes to see me sometime, are equally frisky.

Gillette moves with innuendo and expresses with implication, utilizing the full stage, locking eyes with her audience. Bawdy remarks are buoyant. The lady’s still got it- in spades. “I met my first husband, Dr. Gillette, over an autopsy… he tried to educate me…” is the lead in to “Teach Me Tonight” (Gene DePaul/Johnny Mercer) delivered with very pretty vibrato and spiked with personal commentary.

After “Extra! Extra” (Jule Stein/Stephen Sondheim), we learn that Ethel Merman saved her understudy job in Gypsy when Gillette was pregnant. Demonstrative gymnastics are a scream. Her rendition of “Mira” from Bob Merrill’s musical Carnival personifies the ingénue she must’ve been. It’s a darker arrangement than the original, more suited to her vocal abilities, but completely effective. Accepting another offer, Gillette quit only to successfully step in for the hospitalized Anna Maria Alberghetti just before leaving. A grudging David Merrick hired her back when the other show quickly closed. Albreghetti received plastic roses “How do you order those?!” Gillette received a bill for the blow-up (photo) of herself outside the theater.

“The Secret Service” (from Mr. President) and a medley of “How Deep is the Ocean” and “Remember” follow. First cute as the dickens, Gillette sings the second two songs with wistful elegance. All three are by Irving Berlin “Mr. B.” with whom she had a long friendship. Just as we settle into a quiet moment, her hysterical story of an inadvertently drunken evening at the Lyndon Johnson White House has us again rolling in the aisles. “Oh Gee!” (Bill Jacob/Patti Jacob from Jimmy—the musical about Gentleman Jimmy Walker) puts a cherry on top with a 1920s number that even has the band grinning.

A clever duet (with Paul Greenwood) of “Yesterdays” (Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach) shows the difference between what Gillette was singing and what she was thinking on the occasion of being the shiksa** asked to sing at Otto Harbach’s funeral. (special lyrics by Barry Kleinbort) There were 14 Broadway shows. Then came film and television. “Besides being dance instructors and floozies, I’ve been everybody’s mother. Believe me, they’re all good kids.” Not to mention the quiz shows. And back to Broadway. Well chosen numbers elaborate.

Anita Gillette’s encore, “Are You Having Any Fun?” (Sammy Fain/Jack Yellen), is completely rhetorical. We’ve laughed, clapped, and swayed our way through a warm, expertly executed evening by a top notch thespian. No one wants to go home.

Paul Greenwood’s arrangements and musicianship are positively symbiotic, and he sings!

*Baby June – Louise’s sister (Gypsy Rose Lee’s sister) in Gypsy

** “Shiksa usually refers to an attractive (stereotypically blonde) gentile girl who might be a temptation to Jewish men or boys” Wickipedia

Photos by Maryann Lopinto

Anita Gillette: After All…
Anita Gillette-Vocals
Paul Greenwood-Piano/Music Director
Steve Doyle-Bass
Steve Bartosik- Drums
Directed by Barry Kleinbort
Birdland
315 West 44th Street
January 30, 2012

If you’re just getting into this method, you must get THE SLOW COOK BOOK, by Heather Whinney. It features recipes for both slow cookers and traditional ovens. In fact, all the recipes include instructions for both systems. Just as important, the beginning of the book is all about technique, including tips for success, such as adding hearty woody herbs like rosemary and thyme at the beginning of the cycle, and delicate ones, including parsley, at the end. It’s also a good idea to sear meats first, and to sauté onions and garlic prior to adding them to the pot.

For those of us still trying to stay with our weight loss resolution, there’s THE EVERYDAY LOW CARB SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK, by Kitty Broihier, M.S., R.D., and Kimberly Mayone. You’ll find over 120 recipes, ranging from breakfast to dessert food, each guaranteed to be tempting to the palate and friendly to the waistline. There’s also a macronutrient count for each recipe, serving suggestions, and info on how best to care for your slow cooker.

As skills develop and trepidation subsides, go a little wild with flavor. Michele Scicolone’s THE FRENCH SLOW COOKER features recipes that will turn your crock pot into a Gallic chef- without the temperament. Scicolone is a renowned wine and food expert; she’s traveled extensively to nearly every region of France, and has become a master of traditional French cuisine. We reap the benefit of her knowledge by being able to concoct County Pate, Fallen Cheese Soufflé, and Crustless Quiche. Personally, I think I could die happy if I could leave my house for the day and come home to a Bouillabaisse as irresistible as the one that is pictured.

If you, like me, feel that nothing surpasses really good Italian food, Michele Scicolone will make you very happy with THE ITALIAN SLOW COOKER. Her version of Osso Buco, here called Roman Oxtail Stew, includes bittersweet chocolate, pine nuts, and raisins. It’s easy to cook, and you can dazzle your friends and family with very little work and a whole lot of flavor. If you’re daring, now is the time to get in step with the “Snout to Tail” method of cooking, since innards come out tender and succulent when slow cooked. A word of praise must be given to Alan Richardson, whose photos grace both Scicolone books. Absolutely scrumptious!

I can’t leave you without recommending two books you may have missed. THE NEW SONOMA COOKBOOK is the updated version by international bestselling author Connie Gutterson RD, Phd. Not only are there over three hundred tempting recipes to help us eat right and keep healthy, but there are also great ideas for cooking with wine- hallelujah! Gutterson features taste treats from around the globe, seamlessly mixing Asian, Mediterranean, and Latin American cuisines with her easy California favorites. Need to whip something up in a hurry? Sonoma Express meals are ready in thirty minutes or less.

It’s rare to find a book that’s both a wonderful romantic read and an homage to good food. WHITE TRUFFLES IN WINTER is N.M. Kelby’s imagining of the life of the great Auguste Escoffier. He lived from 1846-1935, yet his influence is still in evidence in the haute cuisine restaurants of our day. Presented as a memoir written at the end of his life, the legendary chef tells of his experiences cooking in both Paris and London, and of his love for two dynamic women, famed actress Sarah Bernhardt, and poet Delphine Daffis. Escoffier’s challenge is to perfect, in one dish, food that perfectly expresses his passion.

Foodies of the world, unite! There are brave new worlds to conquer, and sometimes a little patience leads to a delicious outcome.

Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist , an unrepentant foodie, and an avowed bibliophile. She writes extensively about food, restaurants, and books, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. Michall is a voting member of National Book Critics Circle. www.michalljeffers.com

Sara’s success as a chef led to a long stint at Gourmet (23 years until the magazine folded in 2009), frequent appearances on Good Morning America (GMA) and most recently a cooking show that airs nationally on public television, Sara’s Weeknight Meals.

Career paths are rarely linear and Sara’s success is the result of talent, good timing – and really hard work. Growing up in Manhattan in the 60’s and 70’s, Sara attended Brearley and then headed west to attend the University of Michigan, majoring in the history of ideas. Why Michigan? Sara smiles, “I followed my boyfriend there and even though the relationship didn’t work out, I really came to love the Ann Arbor vibe.” Like most college students – and some adults – Sara didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up. “I thought about law school but considered it too male-dominated and eventually found myself living in Ann Arbor, with a new boyfriend and working in a bar. Needless to say, my mother wasn’t too happy about that.”

Perhaps our mothers do know us best because as Sara gratefully puts it, “My mother realized that I was a really good cook. I would often make really creative things with leftovers from my parent’s dinner parties and when my mother would return from trips she’d have us make the food of the countries she had just visited. “

Sara’s mother’s instincts were right and as only a mother would do, she wrote to Craig Claiborne, food editor of the New York Times, and Julia Child asking them for advice to give her daughter. Claiborne wrote back recommending that Sara consider enrolling in either the Hotel School in Lausanne, Switzerland or the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Enrolling at the Culinary Institute Sara found her calling. “The moment I walked in the door I asked myself, why did I wait?” She not only found her calling but she excelled at it, graduating second in her class of 452. But stellar grades don’t always open doors – particularly for women in the food industry. “The industry has historically been controlled by men and Europeans. “

Sara’s first job after graduating from the Culinary Institute was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which proved fortuitous in more ways than one. Hired to do the salads and open oysters and clams at the Harvest Restaurant, Sara found a mentor in chef, Lidia Shire, who took Sara under her wing. And, it was in Cambridge, where Sara wrangled a job with Julia Child. “Julia was one of the funniest people I ever met. There was nothing phony about her and though Julia never had children of her own, she mentored many aspiring young chefs as if they were her children, including me.” (Photo above, from left, Julia Child, Sara, Marian Morash and Tami Hyde, at WGBH in Boston on the set of Julia Child and More Company).

Sara was part of the team that developed recipes and styled the food on Julia’s show. “Given time constraints on a cooking show, there were three back-ups for every recipe.”

Personal happiness also came to Sara. Her Ann Arbor boyfriend, Bill, missed her so much, he moved to Boston to be with her and in 1981 they were married at her parent’s farmhouse in Massachusetts. As a big fish in a small Boston pond, Sara was looking for new challenges. She and Bill decided to relocate to New York to explore career opportunities there. Bill, a writer and musician, had been the pop music critic for the Boston Herald.

Julia helped with New York introductions and Sara landed a job as chef tournant (relief cook) at La Tulipe in the early 80’s. It was during this time that Sara co-founded the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance designed to help women culinary professionals.

The hours were long and Sara eventually left restaurant work to pursue recipe testing and development, which gave her time to start a family. She spent two years as an instructor at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, where she discovered a love of teaching. In 1984 Sara took a job in the test kitchen at Gourmet. Four years later she became chef of the magazine’s executive dining room.

For several years she worked behind the scenes at GMA. Her friendship with Julia, led to on-camera work on the show, where it was clear she had great chemistry and fun with the then-co-host, Charlie Gibson. Her GMA experience led to Sara’s own show Cooking Live on the Food Network and she ended up working on air at the Food Network for almost 10 years.

These days Sara continues to do on camera cooking with her show on public television: Sara’s Weeknight Meals now in its second season and does free lance work. The trend in food shows is something of concern to Sara who thinks it’s important that the shows emphasize and teach good cooking with less focus on the celebrity component. “All I really want to do is help people cook more and get good, healthy food on the table every night of the week for their families.”

By all accounts Sara is a cook’s cook. What, I ask, makes a good cook? “A good sense of taste is crucial and it’s really all in the details. “As examples she mentions, “You need to sear the meat properly, dry the lettuce before tossing with the vinaigrette and taste and season as you go. “

Besides sharing her cooking with a television audience, Sara enjoys cooking for her own family and appreciates the importance of sharing meals together. Her most recent cookbook, Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners, features 200 new recipes for overscheduled home cooks who want to treat their family to something new without breaking the bank or spending hours in the kitchen. Given our hectic lives with little time for dining en famille, we can all thank Sara for inviting us to her kitchen.

Woman Around Town’s Six Questions
Favorite Place to Shop: Container Store, Kalustyan, Fish’s Eddy
Favorite Place to Eat: Le Bernadin, Nobu, Del Posto
Favorite New York Sight: High Line on a rainy day without the crowds; Flatiron Building
Favorite New York Moment: What happens when it snows on a full moon
What You Love About New York: The energy
What You Hate About New York: The crowds

Books by Sara Moulton (click on the title to buy on Amazon)
Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners
Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals
Sara Moulton Cooks at Home

iphone app: Sara’s Kitchen

A Treat from Sara: Sally Darr’s Apricot Soufflé, as Published in Gourmet Magazine

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients
6 ounces dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar plus additional for coating ramekins
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dark rum if desired
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Accompaniment: Vanilla rum crème anglaise
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dark rum, or to taste

Preparation:

In a heavy saucepan simmer apricots, water and1/2 cup sugar, covered, 20 minutes. Transfer hot mixture to a food processor and puree until very smooth. Force puree through a fine sieve into a bowl and stir in lemon juice, rum, vanilla, a pinch of salt. Cool puree completely. Puree may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. Transfer puree to a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 7-ounce (3 ½ by 1 ¾ inch) ramekins and coat with additional sugar, knocking out excess.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with pinch of salt until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and beat whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining ¼ cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk about one fourth meringue into puree to lighten and fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Ladle butter into ramekins and bake soufflés on a baking sheet in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and just set in center.

Remove ramekins from oven. With 2 forks pull open center of each soufflé and pour some crème anglaise into each opening. Serve soufflés immediately.

Vanilla rum crème anglaise:

In a small heavy saucepan bring half-and-half just to a boil with vanilla bean and remove pan from heat. Scrape seeds from bean with a knife into half-and-half, reserving pod for another use if desired.

In a bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt and whisk in hot half-and-half in a stream. Return custard to pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened (170 degrees F on a candy thermometer), but do not let boil. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl and cool, stirring constantly. Stir in rum. Chill sauce, covered, until very cold, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Makes about 2 ¼ cups.

Traditional RED Part I

Left to Right: Roland Mouret Stretch Sheath Dress - You’ll get lots of wear out of this one because it’ll just make you feeeel good; not to mention the reaction. Sophisticated and sexy. Modern origami tailoring details. Wide straps, v-neckline. Cutout at the back with a black grosgrain self-tie ribbon at the nape. Full gold-toned exposed zipper down the back. Cotton/Elastane. $1515.00

Marchesa One Shoulder Silk/Crepe Dress – Handsome dress with simple lined. A big brooch on the shoulder strap would be winning. Crossover ruched bust and shoulder strap, boned bodice, gathered wrap-effect front, tulip skirt. Fully lined. 100% Silk. $348.00

Quba Red Satin Strapless Dress – The bodice makes this dress; very Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe. You know, when she turns right and the bodice shifts left? Pull out the sops for chandelier earrings and/or a neck piece. Box pleated bodice and slight ruching across the body. Acetate/Viscose. $208.00

Carolina Red Prom Dress – The perfect dress to show off great legs. Flirty, young and fun. Garter belt and hose who really do the trick. Sweetheart Neckline, ruched bust, empire waist, removable belt, crisscross front skirt with high/low hem, ruffled trim. Zipper fastening at the back. Fully lined. 100% Polyester. $79.90

Tradition RED Part II

Left to Right: Manhattan Dress – Office to dinner, no problem. Useful, pretty, covered. Wrap effect with cap sleeve and bow tie at the waist. Back zipper closure. Fitted skirt. Polyester/Elastane. $70.00

Donna Karan Twisted Stretch-Jersey Dress – Creates the ever enviable hour glass figure. Respectable length. Shows well toned shoulders. If it’s Karan, it’s well made. Ruched and pintucked, racer back, partially lined. Slips on. Viscose/Elastane. $1595.00

Jason Wu Rivia Tiered Silk Chiffon Dress – Beautiful back on this dress. Just above the knee. Soft and flittering without losing its shape…or yours. Halterneck with sheer, wide back straps, ruched waistband, tiered skirt with ruffles all the way down. Concealed hook and zipper fastening at the back. 100% Silk. Fully lined. on sale $1022.00

Steffan Schraut Lipstick La Vida Color Block Dress (all red back) – This really striking dress will serve you well at more important business functions, cocktail parties, dinners…special dinners. Enough red to say it. not so much you’re shy about it. Fitted bodice, modern silhouette. Draped pencil skirt hits above knee. Ruching detail at waist and hips. Zipper closure at back. Polyester/Spandex. $365.00

Lanvin Draped Belted Dress – Flattering shape to many figures. Grecian drapes take a modern turn. Be the Gala. Your significant other will beam with pride. Shows off legs. But not crassly. Crepe/Jersey. Twisted shoulder straps, twisted waist ties with tassels, draping, curved front hem. $2180.00

Alternative Moods

Left to Right: Bottega Veneta Color Block Silk Dress – Like a glorious piece of modern abstract art. Beautiful combination of fabrics, free falls straight and narrow. Patrician. Red Satin-Jersey, electric-pink Silk . Sheer silk-chiffon panel at waist, layered trim and underskirt. Just above the knee. Slips on. $1400.00

Monsoon Carmel Dress - A little South American in feeling. Great dress for dancing. A bit of swish when you walk never hurts-ears perk up. Flattering waist panelling, gathered layers, concealed zipper fastening at the side. Deep pink full skirt. $135.00

Lela Rose Fringed Jacquard Dress – A real beauty. Youthful but not necessarily young. Better on taller women. Wonderful texture, artful Impressionist color. Taste and originality. Light pink rose jacquard. Bright pink and fuchsia satin thread fringing. Slight sheen. Gathered full skirt with tulle underlay. Fully lined. Concealed zipper and hook fastening at the back. Acryllic/Polyester. $2295.00

Carmen Marc Valvo Printed Silk Halterneck Dress – A mélange of flattering colors. Cruystal jewelry? Colored shoes or metallics. Pink, orange and white. 100% Silk. Body-hugging. Halter effect at the front, draped through front and back; slit at the back. Zipper fastening at the back. Fully lined. $226.00

Black, of course. Red lips, please.

Left to Right: BB Dakota When the Night Comes Dress – Feminine and young. Uncomplicated. Delicate jewelry and not much of it. Ribbon waistband, pretty lace overlay with scalloped hem. Hidden zipper at the back with hook and eye closure. Gently full skirt. $97.00

Rosamosario Lace and Silk Corset Dress – High priced call girl? This’ll get him if he’s gettable. If it weren’t so well made, it might border on trashy-the right kind, of course. Sophisticated. Champagne Silk twill with black lace overlay, sweetheart neckline, adjustable satin spaghetti straps, padded underwire cups, boning; fully lined. Satin corset ties at back. 100% Silk. $760.00

Note by Marchessa Ruffle Waist Lace Dress – A little cruel. Womanly rather than girly. Black lace symbolizes so much. Wear something bright red with this. Crystal jewelry or a flower. Cream Silk with lace overlay, front bodice pleating, large rosette ruffle detail at center front, layered detail around waist; internal bodice boning. Fully lined. Concealed hook and zipper fastening at center back. 100% Silk on sale $337.50

Cass and Co Shaper Scoop Dress – If whistles are to be had, there’s yours in this. Wear a BIG artificial flower (silk, please) or red brooch. Have fun, it’s a blank canvas. Scoop neck and back, ¾ sleeves. Form fitting knit has “invisupport” which helps but doesn’t completely change. You know whether your body will show this off (and vice versa). One size. Supports a c-cup. Microfiber Nylon. $138.00

The Right Bag

Top Left to Right: Badgley Mischka Lizzie Rhinestone Frame Clutch – Long and lean, like you. Handsome styling. Chic accents. Satin and sparkling crystals. Golden metal rectangular frame. Rectangular push-lock clasp. One open pocket inside. 4 2/5” x12” x ½”. $395.00 Comes in black, red, or silver satin.

Whiting and Davis Heart Bag – What could be more appropriate? It’s small but then how much room does love (and a credit card) take? Plated Brass Mesh in 5 colors. 5.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.5″ Metal frame, top clasp closure with 24″ drop in snake chain. Satin lining with shirred gusset. Satin lined. $120.00

Small Suede Clutch by Guiseppe Zanotti - A modern bag for a modern woman. Grand for those in architecturally constructed and color blocked clothing, minimalist, striking. Rigid black clutch with jeweled fastener and metal chain shoulder strap. On sale $598.00

Bottom Row Left to Right: La Regale Handbag – Wary of a red bag? Buy an inexpensive one for those more brazen moments. Accents count. Pleated satin with rhinestone detail. Magnetic snap closure. Interior features change pocket. 9 ¾” x 3 ½” x 1 ½”. $34.00

Lulu Townsend Scattered Flowers Box Clutch – Sweet and flirty. The mesh makes it rather downtown. Just the thing for a girly girl. Satin base with scattered mesh flowers, jewel clasp closure, chain link strap with 17” drop. Satin lining with zip pocket. Additional matching fabric strap included. 6” x 2” x 4” Also in fuchsia. $35.00

Satin Bow Evening Bag – This covers the bases so you can coordinate black or red shoes. Impact. And practical. Red/Black, Hot Pink/Black, Black/Black. 6” x 6” x 9.” Zipper closing. Chain strap, lined interior with internal zip pocket. $105.00

So says Diaz, played by Frank Grillo, in a pivotal scene in The Grey. The movie is causing some controversy. Animal groups including PETA and The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka have both denounced it for its depiction of wolves as completely blood thirsty creatures who kill off, one by one, the film’s humans, “oil rig workers who survived a plane crash in Alaska.” They have a point. Grey wolves as a species are actually exceedingly shy around humans and, while attacks are known to happen under extreme circumstances, these are very, very rare. The systematic assault by the wolves on the crash survivors in The Grey just wouldn’t happen. In the last century there have been only two documented cases of people being killed by wolves in North America. Statistically speaking you’re in much greater danger from being struck by lightning than being killed by a wolf. So no, we should not look to The Grey to be educated on wolves anymore than we should look to Moby Dick to understand typical cetacean behavior. For both Melville’s classic and Director Joe Carnahan’s latest, the real lessons are to be found among the two-legged beasts.

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Director Joe Carnahan may not know jack about wolves—publicly arguing that his portrayal is realistic despite the fact that he admits he never saw a live wolf during shooting—but he does know how to shoot thrilling sequences. The camera takes during the action are up close and personal; it’s hard to see exactly what’s going on as we’re in it with the characters and their confusion is ours as well. In between attacks, the dwindling survivors are journeying through a magnificent, but deadly frozen, wilderness that’s filmed with eye-popping cinematography. The cold wasteland they are in physically comes to mimic their spiritual state as they debate amongst themselves the existence of God and the Afterlife. In one sequence Ottway actively curses the heavens demanding help and when none is forthcoming, mutters, “Fine-I’ll do it myself.” Ultimately that’s all he’s left with and that might not be enough. That’s the grim message of The Grey, sometimes no matter what you do, no matter how tough you are, it just isn’t enough.