traditions, and a sale.

My family and I have been reading this book aloud on Christmas Eve for about as long as I can remember. When I was little my mother would read it to us, and as we got older we would pass the book around, each taking turns. I've gifted it more times than I can remember... passing along something that epitomizes the season for me. This year I managed to bring it into the store. I'm so happy to be able to share it with you all.

Additionally, our gorgeous scarf collection is all on sale. Enjoy a 25% discount on Epice's gauzy wools, Armand Diradourian's cashmeres, and Matta's cotton silks.

getting into the mood...

Two days before Thanksgiving, and the last dry leaves have fallen and are scuttling along the avenue. The store feels festive: pretty little glass ornaments in many colors, warm winter tights, and lovely new crackled metallic leather cases from Barbara Wiggins adding some sparkle. Seems like a perfect day to start playing our '09 Holiday mix....
Which leads me to my favorite new sounds, a new Holiday album from the Harlem Parlour Music Club. The album features warm acoustic versions of my favorites with a splash of good 'ol funk, and some new ones too, played by an ensemble of incredibly skilled New York musicians... You've heard these guys on millions of recordings, or possibly in the orchestras of the biggest Broadway shows. I'm happy to have a stack of cds in the store... come get 'em, they're hot.

wine, words, and wicked discounts...

This is going to be fun...

Come meet author AMY SOHN, peruse lovely new pieces from local designer Ellen Astrachan and her beautiful BatSugar collection, enjoy delicious wines from Picado y Vino, and take advantage of a one night store wide*
20% discount.

This is a great opportunity to jump start the holiday shopping season, or finally pick up that special something you've been dreaming about...

Thursday, November 19
reading at 7:30, Shopping and sipping until 9.

*not including sale items

229-b Fifth Avenue, between President and Carroll
Brooklyn NY, 718-638-6520
www.dianakane.com

housekeeping...

One of my favorite recent finds, Yoshi towels from Japan, have just come back in. Still at the 2009 pricing (they're going up in January) and with a broader assortment of colors, I am so happy to have them back in stock. Feeding right into my passion for stripes, the palettes are soft, gently graphic and the towels are exceptionally soft, lightweight, 100% cotton. Produced in an environmentally friendly factory in Japan, this line really meets my aesthetic, qualitative, textural, and value standards. Bath towels $35, wash cloths to match $7.

various and sundry

New and noteworthy in the store this week include Tatine's candles, in recycled glass, with great packaging, and clean burning soy wax. My favorite scent has got to be the woodsmoke, followed by the creeping moss, both of which are especially appropriate on this cool and rainy day.

Also, perennial favorite Sven's clogs are back, shearling lined boots and pewter clogs included.
Matta's gold perforated bag is a dreamy complement to the clogs, no?

Warm and playful hats from New Scotland are great, as are Erica Tanov's gauntlet style fingerless gloves, in both bright and earthy shades.


Rounding it all out are a terrific assortment of cheap and cheerful bits and bobs:
recycled rubber bracelets from Africa, $2 each,
Beeswax hand salve, $8, and multicolored bracelets $12 each.

introducing Aki Kano

A new local handbag designer has been making an impression on us, and our customers. Aki's beautiful bags are crafted here in New York out of supple full grain cowhide, soft but long wearing and durable. Her bags really fill a niche: simple, useful, chic, and incredibly well made. I am always surprised how hard it can be to meet these criteria. We've sold out once and are happy to have a new shipment in the store now.
Additionally, thanks to Rebeccah Welsh for the nice interview on the All About Fifth blog.

happy to report

that Matta's fabulous and much coveted dupatta stoles are back! Colors include bark, mauve, raspberry, bay, and new ombres: fog (shown above) and stone (shown below). Soft and semi-sheer, the 50/50 cotton silk blend is smooth, warm and durable. Simple and irresistably beautiful.

smelling good

Is feeling good, or at least it is in my book. My latest obsession is Monoi Oil. The Polynesian secret to silky skin and shining hair, it's been around for hundreds of years. Made out of pure, refined coconut oil infused with the essences of flowers, most commonly Tahitian Gardenia. Sweet and silky, it imparts a subtle, warm, and sensual scent, soaks in immediately, and moisturizes perfectly. With fall upon us, I'm trying to hold on to what summer glow I got, and this is precisely the way to do it.

sustainability manifesto

In the store today I watched people falling in love with a variety of things, Stewart + Brown's Clairibel draped dress, a pair of "Stop" shoes from Cydwoq, Prairie Underground's Frock Coat. What struck me was that each item was appreciated entirely for it's aesthetic appeal...and then, we could tell the women about the sustainable qualities of the designs. Stewart + Brown's dress is a proprietary 95% hemp blend, made in LA, Cydwoq's hand-made shoes are all vegetable dyed leather, non-toxic glues and made in Southern California, and Prairie's coat is organic cotton, also made in the good ol' USA. All of this epitomizes my desire to provide excellent design, while still honoring conscience. I am so pleased to be able to offer items that we can feel good about on so many levels. There really is no reason to sacrifice style in the name of sustainable design. Every time we purchase anything we are making a statement with our dollars, why not love our purchases for their appeal to us, AND to support a healthier planet, and keep the innovative work of small designers alive and thriving? Makes me feel good.

new goodies...

The girls often tease me at the beginning of a new season as I ooh and ahh over all the beautiful new pieces as they arrive. They tease me because I bought them, so obviously I like them. But truly, I forget, in the months that elapse from the moment of discovery to the actual arrival in their appropriate season, what I've ordered. So it really is like Christmas morning, opening boxes of cashmere and cotton, scarves and belts and hats... and rediscovering these splendid new friends.


Latest deliveries include unbelievable basics and better from Majestic. Majestic is one of those cult-like sleeper companies... They are vertically integrated, producing their sumptuous knits in a geothermally powered factory in France. And therefore can offer variety of fiber combinations unique to them: blends of cotton and cashmere, winter weight linen knits, and organic cottons. The textures are amazing. It's a brand which inspires a loyal following, and feels luxurious, even in a basic tee. This season's crop includes hand dyed long sleeve tees graduating in color from deep navy to black, charcoal grey leggings, plum and charcoal stripes, and a ton of simple straight ahead basics.
This week also brought a big box from local wonder Steven Alan. Lots of plaids, both bright and subtle, bold and simple. And a striped cashmere sweater that I will be dreaming about. And and and...


Dreamy leather bags from local new wunderkind Aki Kano, whose designs merit a post all their own. New Ember candles and more from our sensual fave: Jimmy Jane, and the pure luxury and pure color of Armand Diradourian's cashmere scarves.

BackBlog...

With school starting up again next week, and the days suddenly getting shorter (dark by 8, say it isn't so!), not to mention the warm and lovely things that are flooding the store, I thought it might be time for a little summer flash back. Explain my blogging absence in photos.. (excuse the gratuitous kid shots... sometimes it can't be helped, and summer really is one of those times)





So, back after a lovely summer. And yes, I have weaknesses for bbq'ed oysters, heirloom tomatoes, the ferry from San Francisco, messy spaghetti dinners, and Tomales Bay, not necessarily in that order.

My, how time flies...

Here is something that has been on my radar for a while now, but needs to be shared, over and over!
The wonderful 3/50 Project- an idea whose time has come.

*3* Think about which three independently owned businesses
you’d miss most if they were gone. Stop in and say hello.
Pick up a little something that will make someone smile.
Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.

*50* If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each
month in independently owned businesses, their purchases
would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue.*
Imagine the positive impact if 3/4 of the employed
population did that.

*68* For every $100 spent in independently owned stores,
$68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and
other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain,
only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

*1* The number of people it takes to start the trend...you.

Visit: www.the350project.net

Basics

In this time of "Back To Basics" I thought perhaps I should take it literally. So here are a few of the basics I love...

1. Petit Bateau tissue weight tees
   
2. Steven Alan's Reverse Seam crisp cotton shirts
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Billy Kirk's beautifully wrought Amish made skinny leather belts
5. An Epice scarf- perhaps not quite basic, but bright, accomplished and fun
6. Havaianas. Perfection in the form of a flip flop
7. Loomstate Karma jeans. Organic, straight legged Americana
8. Kai perfume oil. Fresh gardenias, bright sunshine and clear green grass- the heart of spring/summer in a bottle
9. Nutella
10. Utility Canvas throw. Sturdy, bright and ever so versatile

And just for fun...the Not Quite Basic List (dear cousin to the above)

1. Lisa Curran's gorgeous, flattering and comfy swimsuits
2. Mexican embroidered cotton blouse, a colorful and perfect accompaniment to Lisa's suits
3. The Summer Boot from Coclico. Earth friendly, foot friendly and adds a sophisticated toughness to all of Springs floaty fabrics
4. Hartford's bright cotton cardigans
5. Erica Tanov's sexy, subtle and luxurious silk slips
6. Cydwoq sandals. Unusual, unusually comfortable and effortlessly cool
7. Armand Diradourian's summer weight cashmere wrap- perhaps this should have been a basic?
8. An Araks "Uma" bra. Wrenchingly lovely
9. Alexander Juarez's hand crocheted necklaces
10. Virginia Johnson's Grecian style whale printed dress

love and pictures

A pretty post from cherrypatter brightened my morning. Thanks! And her lovely photos inspired me to post a few of my own... So here is how the store is looking this afternoon:

also, I wasn't kidding about the goodies arriving daily. Today brought in a big box from Velvet, spring sandals from Cydwoq and new Majestic (stunning).

random inspiration of the day

I spent some time this past weekend curled up with Judy Rodgers' modern culinary classic, the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. The Californian ingredients make me a little homesick, and the unusual and more thought out preparations make ordinary dishes sparkle.

Here it is, in all it's tome-like glory

new in...

above: Prairie Underground 3/4 sleeve Cloak Hoodie in Lavendar,
Stewart + Brown cotton lawn tunic dress

It's still pretty chilly in Brooklyn, but the store has begun to bloom. Shipments are arriving daily, and we are thrilled to have already opened boxes from: Hartford, Stewart & Brown, Prairie Underground, Steven Alan and a slew of others. Fabulous scarves are expected from Epice any moment, and Coclico's divine vegetable dyed leather spring boots are keeping us dreaming. Standouts include Hartford's assortment of linen and colorful cotton print tops, as well as Majestic's sumptuous knits.
On the sustainable front, Prairie Underground has done it again. Feminine and cool with beautiful colors are the hallmarks of the current (well, pretty much all of their) collection(s), utilizing extra soft organic cotton fleece. The famous Cloak Hoodie is back in fresh colors and sweet three quarter length sleeves. And new dresses and tops exceed our already high expectations, with great fits and extremely flattering shapes. Modaspia, a lovely sustainable collection out of San Francisco, have produced the beautiful Fiji dress, organic and just... easy, an excellent summer option. And Stewart + Brown's spring basics are perfect: great details, super soft organic cotton and fresh colors.
Lisa Curran's flattering, simple and very wearable swimsuits are in, just in time for Spring Break. They look great paired with Matta's Indian cotton sarongs and Havaiana's in Spring shades. The below mentioned Peruvian Frasada's have arrived, and are just as gorgeous as I remembered...
Wow. The more I think about it, the more I want to tell you about! Come in! There are just too many.

feeling Lucky

Recent press from Lucky Magazine's shop girl. Thanks Emily!

at left, our current window: beautiful resort wear from Matta, Velvet, Epice, Virginia Johnson and a swimsuit from Vix. at right: a glimpse of the Bolivian frasadas to come.

We've been busy photographing new items for the site, as well as shopping for new lovelies coming in the Spring (can't wait for the gorgeous one-of-a-kind Bolivian frasadas) and cooking up a storm- my usual way to stem the hibernation blues.

So for now:
Song of the day: Jailhouse Tears by Lucinda Williams and featuring Elvis Costello- sounding like vintage Costello- (does that make sense??) from her most recent and really excellent album, Little Honey.

And recipe: Chocolate bread. Mine came out looking much like the picture in the npr article, and tasting fabulous- warm, buttery, and not too sweet with that fresh-bread yeasty goodness- I was proud.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for.
We are the change that we seek.
-Barack Obama

screenprints from Deroy Peraza, at Hyperakt Design, Brooklyn

Welcome Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha- We are so proud of this moment!

jumping on the bandwagon

Not surprisingly, I really loved "Slumdog Millionaire", director Danny Boyle's colorful, gritty, clever and Dickensian film. I was especially taken with A.R. Rahmans spectacular soundtrack.
On a different note (;-)), I've noticed that our most popular item in the store this season is, hands down, the shearling lined clog boots from Sven. With fur extending all the way down, including the footbed, these babies are deliciously warm and all-day-long comfortable. Just what you need when the high for the day is 18 degrees, as we are enjoying today. Even better, they improve with age, as evidenced by my own much loved and well used (abused?) pair:
See them here.

warm fuzzies (aka cheesecake)

Winter sparks the cooking bug in me, and I crave rich foods (actually the "winter" bit is really a red herring- I crave rich foods just about all the time): pot roast, french toast, endless bacon, and most recently cheesecake. This recipe, my introduction to all cheesecake and therefore my standard-bearer, came from my aunt Susan- a chef of some renown in our family. When in need of an excellent, basic and delicious cheesecake recipe, you've found it.

Aunt Susan's Famous Cheesecake
preheat oven 350 degrees

• 3 8oz. packages of cream cheese- room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the cheese, add eggs one at a time, and sugar and vanilla. Blend well.
Line a springform pan with a basic graham cracker crust. I use the honeymaid grahams, 1/3 of the box (they are packaged in thirds, so it is easy to measure) crushed with a pestle and mixed with a stick of melted butter. pour cream cheese mixture onto the crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, until just set.
Turn the oven temperature up to 500 degrees
mix:

• one pint of sour cream
  
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of vanilla extract

pour over cake, smoothing gently. Return to the oven for 6 minutes
Allow cake to cool completely, then refridgerate.

I served it with this blueberry topping: simple and very very good

• Wash a pint of berries, I used blueberries but I imagine substituting for your preference would be fine.
• Place approximately 1/3 of them in a saucepan over medium low heat with
• 1/3-1/2 cup of sugar and the
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• cook, stirring frequently for about ten minutes- until you've achieved a jam-like texture.
• Let the mixture cool to about room temperature, then
• mix in the remaining fresh berries
  

Happy New Year

We are home and cozy and have bid farewell to 2008. I'm looking forward to '09 with hope and cautious optimism. The house smells wonderful, the boys are busy with all that Santa and our generous family bestowed, and all is well.

The store is packed with excellent bargains as we embark on our biggest sale to date. Steals include the last lucky pairs of Repetto shoes at a remarkable 70% off, as well as a store-wide shoe clearance at 50% off, including the handmade lovelies from Chie Mihara and Cydwoq. Stop by and visit us in Brooklyn, or peruse the pages of the site.
Happy 2009!