Tiffany's introduced a new sales pitch this season for the artisan line that they offer their top clientele. In past years, the company sent out their Blue Book, (in the famed robin's egg blue color) to their top customers worldwide during the autumn season. The one-of-a-kind works were sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. The problem this created in the past was that customers who received the book late had a limited selection of jewelry to chose from.
Tiffany's corrected the problem by revealing the Blue Book at their annual celebration in late October at the New York flagship store on 5th Avenue. Clients from around the world were flown in, courtesy of Tiffany's, and given the book of treats at the gala. The artisan jewelry was showcased throughout the store, and customers could purchase the pieces on the evening of the event, under the agreement that the jewels would remain on view in the Tiffany's store through the holiday shopping rush - more like a gallery than your average store.
-Special Correspondent Alexis Brantley
By Editors - Mark Wiener & Linda DiGusta
Once again we took to the streets of Manhattan while most of the art world was beached at Basel. This year, the first thing we learned was:
Icing rules…
…at Billy's Bakery - ok, everything they bake is positively scrumptious , but this is West Chelsea, and the main attraction out front is the open-studio performance by staff members we can't resist calling "Counter Artists, " taking turns at transforming a tiny perfect cake into a personal expression, the first stroke being a dollop that weighs about as much as the cupcake itself. Their medium: a substantial, golden-brown chocolate, or rich vanilla buttercream that also comes tinted in the sort of dreamy pastels that we bet you haven't seen since Mom's kitchen on that special birthday.
Each creator - there are about 20 in all on the team - shapes this mound using his or her own special gesture, forming swirls, peaks and valleys, then finishes the look with a wash of simple sprinkles in a variety if colors to contrast or harmonize with the base, a giclee of dainty flowers or, our favorite, a single sugar daisy set on the rim of a pale raised circlet . Big cakes receive the artist's touch too, from the architectural precision of the brickwork of chocolate wafers and white cream that make up the Icebox Cake, to the figurative snow drifts filling the Banana Cream Pie.
Everything at Billy's Bakery is certified "as home-made as possible," and, in the little storefront at 184 9th Avenue near 20th , where all the marvelous goodies are indeed baked and decorated, surroundings reinforce that concept. From the pies on racks and stacks of cake boxes in the window, to the kitsch dinettes , antique stove and collectible baking paraphernalia gracing the brightly wallpapered and painted interior, and on to the tall racks of cooling cupcakes at the rear, Billy's looks - heck, it even smells like it was transported here from an American town where phones had dials, news was in the paper, and the chain store you went to for necessities was called Woolworth's.
Blast from the Past
Rotary phones, windup phonographs, vintage cabinet television and radio sets, even wax and "remember when they called them albums" vinyl recordings - every item filling the shelves and floor, Waves LLC is evocative of part of the 20 th Century. And functional, according to proprietor Charlotte Mager, who describes the stylish collectibles as "things you can still use."
Dogs rule, too - namely various incarnations of Nipper, perpetually listening to his master's voice, sporting Santa's hat in honor of the season. Speaking of assemblages, Nam Jun Paik shopped here for components to his work. This portal to another time is located at 251 West 30 th Street.
A quick visit to the MoMA presents a picturesque challenge this time of year - passing through myriad shoppers and tangled traffic that surround the midtown Mecca for art lovers. But take heart, there is a reward for both eyes and taste buds just two glittering block away. At the brightly lit shop of Richart, the walls are hung with abstract works by New York artist Chinyee, but the proprietors hope you also take note of the full-store installation - of chocolate.
Mini Masterpieces
Based in Paris, Richart, whose motto reads "Emotion-Flavor-Inspiration," creates chocolate visually distinguished by the painterly designs - graphic, figurative and abstract. The first impression is at least equaled by the eclectic palette of flavors, composed perfectly to intrigue and delight the palate of any sophisticated gourmet, chocolate-loving child, or well, just about anyone. A morsel or two is just the antidote for midtown gallery vertigo or shopping burnout, and a little bag or bigger box could be that elusive perfect gift for someone on your list. This Richart Boutique is located at 7 East 55 th Street, between 5th and Madison.
Keep walking east and you will find yourself in the vicinity of THAT address, Sutton Place. While no one lives in a converted warehouse anywhere in the neighborhood, evidence that life there is indeed artful may be found a ZeZe Flowers. On the heels of presenting a successful solo exhibition by New York sculptor Kathy Ruttenberg, the shop now displays it's holiday style through the tall glass storefront.
Georgia O'Keefe would have loved this place…
Entering, the palpable breath of the living beauty that surrounds you recalls a garden. Add shelves upon shelves of wonderful collectible objects, statues, original paintings, and an aisle of tall vases filled with the largest, most sumptuous roses we've ever seen, the result is a unique and breathtaking experience. ZeZe Flowers is at 938 First Avenue near 51 st Street.
If all that shopping has you dropping your acquisitions, it's time to go back to Chelsea to pay a visit to Printed Matter , which specializes in publications by artists.
(In the bag)
The art-smart way to carry all of it is in the fundraising tote bag "Plenty Ought to Be Enough," an edition of 300 hand silkscreen on canvas, created especially for Printed Matter by Barbara Kruger. Don't forget to take a look at their Holiday window - a unique twist on seasonal glitz, featuring gift boxes wrapped in current-events themed gold and silver wrapping paper, which is also for sale inside, at 195 10 th Avenue near 22nd
Barbara Kruger ©
Happy Holiday Hunting!
- Mark Wiener & Linda DiGusta
Links:
Billy's Bakery 1-212-647-9956
Waves. LLC 1-212-273-9616
Richart1-212-371-9369
Zeze flowers1-21275307767
printed matter 1-212-925-0325
Tiffany1-800-843-3269
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