Fantastic Finds: Christmas Presents For Everyone (That Won’t Break the Bank)

As bank accounts wane and the unopened boxes on the advent calendar lessen, finding the perfect gift for each and every loved one suddenly becomes a daunting task of retail-ian frustration.  

The other day while meandering through the preppy mecca of J. Crew, I came across these adorable candy-colored notebooks from Archie Grand.  

One stop and $10 later, you can find the perfect, little notebook for your friend who exclusively dates Williamsburg hipsters, your sister who just spent the last few pennies of her Trust fund on ShopBop.com, your bookworm cousin who reads Hegel and Kant with a side dish of Aristotle for kicks, and/or that best friend who would sell a kidney for an invite to the Goldman Sachs holiday party.  (OK, so once you've made your list and checked it twice, your total might come out to more than 10 bucks.)

Done in a Chuck Bass-ian, little, black (in this case, multi-colored) book fashion, each one is labeled with its specific contents (and one’s recommendations for future use) in mind.  Favorites include:

Academics I Met and Liked

Bankers I Met and Liked

Bosses I Met and Liked

Capitalists I Met and Liked

Designers I Met and Liked

Doctors I Met and Liked

Hipsters I Met and Liked

Husbands I Had and Liked

Lovers I Had and Liked

Politicians I Met and Liked

Santa Clauses I Met and Liked

Secret Agents I Met and Liked

Shopaholics I Met and Liked

Shrinks I Met and Liked

Wives I Had and Liked

Featured in this month’s issue of Women’s Health, these pocket-size notebooks boast 120 pages of high quality paper to soak up thoughts and ink alike.  

ELFul Tip:  For extra flare, wrap ‘em up with a little bit of tissue and some candy in a corresponding hue.

Available for $10 each at select J. Crew locations nationwide and JasperAndBlack.com.

Fantastic Finds: Brian Atwood Sample Sale

On a blustery Sunday afternoon, nothing hits the spot quite like a good brunch and an even better sample sale.  After a scrumptious meal of Poached Eggs ($12) with buttermilk biscuits, grilled ham, and hollandaise at Market Table, Donna and I made our way through the West Village and into Chelsea for the Brian Atwood Friends & Family Sample Sale.

As a Trend Contributor for Racked.com, Style Editor at PoshGlam.com, Digital Media Assistant to Shape’s Jacqui Stafford, Columbia University graduate student, and founder of DonnaDaily.com, Donna brings a whole new meaning to the concept of multi-tasking.  It’s a miracle that this Jenn-Falik-in-the-making manages to eat and sleep, let alone find any free time, but somehow she does and was able to score these amazing heels (in an even more wearable black hue) for 70% off:

Perfect with black tights and a gold metallic dress for New Year’s Eve or an oversize black blazer and sundress dress for the summer months, these shoes, despite the mesh and peep toe, can actually be worn all year round.  

Donna, a 5’6” glamazon, of course had no trouble fitting into the sample size Atwood shoes, usually reserved for models gracing the covers of Vogue and Harper’s.  I, a vertically challenged, 5’1” little runt, had a bit more trouble finding a steal in my size.  However, much to my eyes’ delight and my bank account’s dismay, I found a pair of the much coveted (this season!) Rosita Suede Boots (mine, also in black instead of the brown pictured below) for a fraction of the cost!  

As I watched my bank account take a dip, I told the cashier that I would like to wear the boots out of the store.  While Donna walked Captain Hook’s plank of the monetary demise, a chatty Brian Atwood employee said to me, “Honey, you better be taking your birth control, because with shoes that fierce, you are getting LAID.”

For more information on the top sample sales in Manhattan, check out the listings below or read through the complete list at DailyCandy.com:

What: Diane von Furstenberg
Why: Signature printed wrap dresses are $150 (reg. $325), embellished cardigans are $80 (reg. $495), and coats are $350 (reg. $625).
When: Dec. 7-10. Tues., 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Wed., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 260 Fifth Ave., b/t 28th & 29th Sts.

What: Helmut Lang
Why: Women’s clothing and accessories are up to 70 percent off. Blazers are $199, leather pants are $199, skirts are $79, etc.
When: Dec. 10-12. Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: 139 Fifth Ave., b/t 20th & 21st Sts., 2nd flr.

What: Lee Angel
Why: Deck the wrists (and necks, fingers, and lobes) of loved ones with gorgeous baubles. They’ll never know they were 30-75 percent off.
When: Dec. 8-10. Wed. & Thurs., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 524 Broadway, at Spring St., 6th flr.

What: Thread Social
Why: Flirty, fun, and deeply discounted (up to 80 percent off) frocks for your holiday needs. Plus, spring and summer clothing on the cheap.
When: Dec. 7 & 8. Tues. & Wed., 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Where: 26 W. 17th St., b/t Fifth & Sixth Aves., ste. 301.

Fantastic Finds: Blue Ribbon Cookbook

Ears still ringing from the night before, M and I bared the cold for some brunch at Blue Ribbon Bakery.  An old favorite, I’ve been to this cozy café at closing after one too many drinks at Kingswood, the next morning for their to die for Blue Benedict (essentially Eggs Benedict with Serrano ham, Jarlsberg cheese, and tomato on toasted challah), and their wine bar across the street for delectable appetizers and perfectly concocted cocktails for a handful of first dates.  It’s the kind of place you can imagine cool, over-size sweater wearing writers frequenting during the week and preppy bankers or stylish PR girls dropping by on the weekends.

Not only is the food delicious, the staff could not be friendlier.  Whether pondering over a wine selection or ordering Profiteroles for breakfast (yes, a friend of mine did this once), they are always as nice as can be and do everything with a genuine, Buddy the Elf-size smile. 

Today before diving into my Warm Goat Cheese Salad ($16.25), I noticed that they now have a cookbook, which can be purchased at Blue Ribbon or online.

A perfect holiday gift for M (or one of my other food-loving friends), I may need to buy two—I’d hate to be without a copy myself!

Blue Ribbon Bakery & Café
http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/@blueribbonNYC

35 Downing St.

(212) 337-0404

Critic's Corner: Bagatelle

Never in my life have I seen so many cougars and salt and pepper finance guys trying to hide their affairs with their Euro trash counterparts whilst attempting to prove to society (and themselves) that they are still hip and happening enough to endure the eardrum-bursting-ly loud music, as I did at Bagatelle yesterday evening (or technically this morning due to our 11pm reservation).  If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have dinner in a club, look no further than this pretentious meatpacking eatery.  Yes, the desserts come with sparklers, as if you have just splurged on a $1,000 bottle of Moet at Kiss and Fly, there is a snobbish bouncer out front with a list of table reservations, and the Euro trash runs rampant enough for Bagatelle to function as a transatlantic dumpster.  I actually felt guilty that evening for not working out earlier in the day not as much because of the food, but due to the aforementioned eardrum-bursting-ly loud music that made every ounce of fat on my body actually vibrate.

When I heard Bagatelle, perhaps it’s the French in me, but I heard Baguettes.  (I later Googled the meaning of the word “bagatelle,” which ironically is a “short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character.”  Such lies.)  To my disappointment, there was hummus and burned pieces of bread instead, which I happily ate anyway (again, it was an 11pm reservation).  Despite that though (and of course the decibel), the rest of our meal was actually delicious.  Granted, I had difficulty reading the menu, because of the epileptic seizure-inducing strobe lights, so I just ordered every truffled morsel on the menu (really, how bad could anything be with truffles?).  To start, M and I shared the Gnocchi À La Parisienne ($16).  This homemade gnocchi with black truffle pesto filling and truffle butter sauce melted in my mouth and was actually some of the best gnocchi I’ve ever had.  For our entrées, we split the Homard Rôti Du Maine Et Macaroni ($30), Poulet Fermier Rôti Et Truffé  ($28), a side of Truffled Creamed Spinach ($8), and a whole lot of champagne.  The roasted Maine lobster was served with candele pasta gratin, while the chicken was complemented by delectable country style potatoes, which soaked up just the right amount of truffle oil throughout the meal.

You have two options upon arriving at Bagatelle:  You can either embrace the fact that you will not be able to hear your dining partner and as Lady Gaga says, “Just Dance” or you can hate on it while texting each other from across the table.  To be honest, M and I did a little of both.

Call me the oldest 23-year-old on the planet, but unless it’s your bachelorette fête and you are planning on partying like it’s 2012, I’d recommend rounding the corner and heading to Nero d’Avola (46 Gansevoort Street), where you can actually eat and have a conversation instead. 

Bagatelle
http://www.bistrotbagatelle.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/bagatellenyc

409 W 13th St | Btwn Washington & Greenwich St.

(212) 675-2400