Street Walking

Don't you just love to walk around your city or town and look at the Christmas windows?
My friend Gail Watson in New York sent me these photos of Bergdorf's windows, which she thought were bringing window display design back to refinement. Go HERE to the fabulous blog of The Paris Apartment to see a wonderful collection of photos of the Bergdorf Goodman windows.
All this beauty put me in the mood to do a little street walking.
So I sashayed up and down Magazine Street here in New Orleans the other day. The warm weather is back with the temperature reaching a near record high. Still I was feeling festive.
My first stop is Julie Neill. Julie's signature image is the crown. I haven't asked her why this is so, so maybe she'll leave a comment and tell us.
This holiday display shows all kinds of crowns! I'm sure you could find just the right one.

Everybody in New Orleans has a little altar in their home. It's not really religious or voo-doo (which is Voudon and a recognized religion here), but rather a collection of good luck objects, a gris- gris altar.
I love this one in Julie Neill's store - I call it Mary and her back up singers. I spy some crystal finials in the bowl with the shells. Large Mary is $35. Each back up Mary is $25.
A little silver tree glistens in the window, flanked by two stunning lamps using a silver coral form. Lamps are around $200. each. Don't you love the hand painted table top. Julie Neill has a great line of hand painted furniture.
The table is set with white pottery from Italy, featuring a Fleur di Lis, which is the symbol of New Orleans. The new Julie Neill design of the metal drum shade over a chandelier is one of a zillion beautiful lighting fixtures in this shop.
Don't you just love this pale palette? The silver tea light candles on the plate look like pastries!
A study in texture at Julie Neill. Even the pastel Christmas balls have glitter crowns on them.
Julie Neill's signature colors are pale, but she has a grand collection of things in deep jewel tones. I love the lush curtains in her store.
Walking a few blocks more, I came upon Top Drawer Antiques. Aaron Jarabica is the lovely owner and his windows are filled with hundreds of vintage dolls that he recently acquired from the estate of a major doll collector.
What could be more Christmasy than a gift of a doll? The dolls from the countries of the world are $75.
Madame Alexander dolls range from $80.- $150. depending on size. There are baby dolls of every description. If you're a doll collector it would be worthwhile to get in contact with him. And right now there is a sale of 25% off. I have never seen such an impressive collection (and in the original boxes too)!
Switching gears to something super glam, I stop in at Hazelnut.
Hazelnut is chockful of great things all year around.
But holiday time is super glam. Just peek through the front door at all that eye candy!
Co-owner Tom Cianfichi dreamt up the Christmas windows a year ago: LOVE and PEACE.
He is so sweet and good looking! Sigh. And he is so humble about the major talent that he is.
The windows he designed are just spectacular! I think they are the smartest windows in town.
Two women were talking while I was snapping photos, and one said the windows reminded her of the Hippie Holiday windows at Barney's in New York, and the other one said that she thought that Tom's were better!
It's the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol, and I think Eddie Ross would love the one Tom fashioned for his eye popping display.
The little penguins make a plea to save their pole.
Moseying down the street to another wonderful place on Magazine Street is the gallery of Ashley Longshore.
She's a painter and I love her painting of a Christmas tree out front.

Her pop art paintings are fabulous, and she even did some special Christmas subjects.
But this is my favorite Santa! Lots of houses in New Orleans have these, but I have not found out where they sell them. I would love to have one!
As I walked along, I just had to take a picture of this gas station sign to record the cheap price of gas! It is down to $1.44 today! It seems like a good thing, but for the state of Louisiana it's not that hot. This state produces oil, and the price of oil is way down. Just recently Congress finally granted royalties on oil production to this poor state, and now they're pretty much worthless, and the state's budget is in a shambles since it counted on those royalties. But for us real folks, filling up the tank is a pleasure!
There are a ton of doggie daycare places doing a brisk business. Is this the future business for all of us out of work interior designers?
I couldn't resit snapping a couple of photos through the front window of this place.
I wanted to bring Cholo here so he could play with other dogs, but they won't accept him because he isn't neutered. I would like for him to sire some puppies, more than going to daycare ha ha.
This jewelry store, Kathy Beh, has one of the most fun decorations.
It reminds of Cartier in New York.
Now I'm nearly home, and I stop in to say hello to Caroline and Jack at Perch. They did up a huge live tree in their center hall. I like the way the Sputnik chandilier looks like a tree topper!
Another wreath for Eddie Ross! This would take a ginormous wire hanger! Has anyone of you actually made Eddie's wreath yet? This beauty at Perch looks lovely hanging on the antique doors.
I like this little tree in this little hallway - the Kartell chair is to die for.
These desk top smalls are so pretty at Perch.
And this stack of kiddie Kartell chairs looks like candy!!!
Perch has a new line from a fantastic Canadian potter named Laura McKibbon, AND the pieces are very affordable, starting at $33.
I love the way they look displayed on two demi lune tables ($950. each) pushed together to make one table.
This mirror at Perch is just spectacular!
And the chorus line of white pointsettias couldn't be prettier.
Unless of course you saw this bevy of white reindeer! How cute is this grouping?!
And of course I love this holiday (or any day!) red couch at Perch. And isn't the linen covered bench just too perfect?!
The couch at Perch reminds me of a Ruthie Sommers couch.
So that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed street walking with me. Ta ta for now!
PS My cold hit the road too, and I'm ready for this week's festivites! Thanks for all your get well wishes. They did the trick!

This And That: Zulu Queen Desiree Rogers, Peace, Oprah Folding, French Cafes

My desk top is cluttered with images that I collect as they interest me. I'm a visual person, so I guess I'm kind of a glorified caption writer of sorts. I like to find pictures, and then find a story around them. I've been lost in the black hole that is Google Images for more hours than I want to own up to.
Pre Katrina New Orleans is really coming along. The service that delivered the New York Times is finally back, so after a small lapse of three and half years, I am getting my paper delivered again. There is nothing more satisfying than reading The Times in hand, and tearing out articles that pique my interest.
Friends and the hubs also send me things, and this morning the darling man sent me a very nice story from our local rag, The Times Picayune.
President -Elect Barack Obama has named a New Orleans woman his Social Secretary! Desiree Rogers, a former New Orleans Zulu queen and daughter of the late city councilman Roy Glapion Jr., was named incoming White House Social Secretary on Monday.

Desiree Rogers
photo from The Black Socialite
which fails to mention that Desiree is from New Orleans
from an old family with an esteemed Creole name of Glapion
dating back to the origins of New Orleans.
Marie Laveau the famous Voodoo queen
is part of the Glapion family too.

The White House Social Secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.

Queen Zulu Desiree

The Social Secretary is head of the White House Social Office, located in the East Wing of the White House Complex. The Social Secretary plans events ranging from those as simple as a tea for the First Lady and a single official guest, to dinners for more than 200 guests.

Letitia Baldridge Social Secretary to the Kennedys

The Social Secretary works with the White House Chief Usher to coordinate domestic staff and with the Chief of Protocol of the United States, an official within the United States Department of State, to plan state visits and accompanying state dinners. The Social Secretary works with the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office in the production of invitations to social events. The Social Secretary works on both the non-political functions of the presidency and the political, coordinating events for the President, the First Lady, and senior political staff. The White House Social Secretary serves at the president's pleasure and is appointed by each administration. (from Wikipedia)
The president's pleasure! How perfect that Ms. Rogers was the queen of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club!
When we first arrived in New Orleans there were so many things to learn.
I saw signs on buildings around town using the words" social aid and pleasure club" and asked my trusty guides Sabina and Aaron and Eddie what it all meant HERE.
The first time I saw Zulu parade on Mardi Gras, I was astonished by their appearance. What is up with black face and coconuts?
I learned that anyone of any race can put on black face and toss coconuts and ride in Zulu (for the price of the ride and buying all the trinkets and beads to throw).
There are alternate parallel universes here in New Orleans, that on a bad day smack of vestiges of vintage Jim Crow, but on a good day are the choice of how the people choose to party.
We are so proud of Desiree Rogers, and for her family! Maybe it won't be just another Tuesday in the White House, when Mardi Gras rolls around!

Another thing that's on the desk top, are some pictures having to do with the 50th anniversary of the peace sign.

The symbol was created by the designer Gerald Holtom. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Holtom was a conscientious objector in World War II. On 21 February 1958 he designed the Nuclear Disarmament logo for the first Aldermaston March, organised by the Direct Action Committee against Nuclear War, Easter 1958.
The logo was not copyrighted, and was available for use by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, also founded in 1958; it later became known in the wider world as a general-purpose peace symbol. The design was a combination of the letters "N" (two arms outstretched pointing down at 45 degrees) and "D" (one arm upraised above the head) of the flag semaphore alphabet, standing for nuclear disarmament.
I was about the age of the baby being carried in this photo, when the peace sign was invented. As a young high school and art school student, it became a part of my visual vernacular.
This book (from whence I got these photos) would be a wonderful Christmas gift HERE

Barney's in New York had Simon Doonan do up their Christmas windows again this year, and he has chosen the peace sign annivesary as his muse.

Barney's also has a treasure trove of merchandise like this pillow, and a Fornasetti plate commissioned especially for the occasion.

The next thing on the desk top, is the news that the magazine "O At Home" is folding. The New York Times reports: In a statement on Friday, the company said, “We have decided to consolidate the editorial content of quarterly spinoff O at Home back into the flagship magazine.” Much of the magazine’s staff will move to another Hearst publication, Country Living, including the editor in chief, Sarah Gray Miller, who will take the same post at Country Living.
And speaking of folding, apparently the French cafe as an institution in France is in deep trouble.
Universally know and beloved as an icon of France so popular that it is imitated all over the world, they are closing down in droves as the habits and customs and economy of France changes. You can read about it HERE
Pretty soon we will only have replicas, and photos in books to remind us of this once great and seemingly enduring way of life.
These images are by Carla Coulson of Carla Loves Photography
Carla is a very talented and gifted photographer, and she has a new book out now that shows her beautiful and special back story of Paris. It's only out on amazon UK and Canada, and hopefully soon amazon USA will offer it too.
Below is a random photo from my clipping file of a French cafe. It's a classic for sure, a neighborhood kind of place where you could have a coffee or an aperitif, and a cigarette.
Cafes in Paris (and Buenos Aires) are always such a go-to solution for inexpensive and tasty food at any time of the day or night. Havens for readers and journal scribblers, as well as meeting places and extended living rooms for cramped city dwellers, they have been a boon and mainstay for over 100 years. It's sad to think of them going by the wayside in France of all places.
Okay, the desk top has been cleared off for now! Enjoy your day...
...and to paraphrase the great Don Cornelius with something I say to end our tango classes: Peace, Love, and Tango!!!!