The Glamour of New York, Part 2

And so ends another week of work in Manhattan... Memorable photo shoots, sublime new hotels, glamorous West Village boutiques, gorgeous Bowery stores, and still-scented late summer gardens... New York is always kind to me, and I'm always grateful in return. I still long for the day when we can have a teeny crash pad near Gramercy Park, but until then it's the 20-hour commute from Australia...

We're off to Charleston and Savannah this week for a little break after the madness of Fashion Week. (I was in NY to shoot a book about style rather than attend the fashion shows, so I only saw fragments of the mayhem – and did it in flat shoes, Grace Coddington-style black workhorse clothes and inferior hair – but it was still an eye-opener.) 

Next stop: The South. And then to London for a little while. Posts may be sporadic, but will try to do an Insider's Guide to London – beautiful, grand, dignified, refined old London. Who can complain about travelling when the upsides are so wonderful? As my intrepid globe-hopping grandmother used to say: Seeing the world is surely one of life's greatest privileges...

PS I'm heading to Instagram soon with everyone else, but will still try to post here too. As always, thank you for reading. I hope you find things to be grateful for in your life as much as I do in mine.

Jx

Ovando in the West Village

Possibly Manhattan's most beautiful florist.

Bond St Perfumery

Scented heaven.

(I loved 'Bryant Park' and 'Central Park South', but I did wonder if they'd considered making a perfume called 'Late Night In The Meatpacking District'?))

Madeleine Weinrib's beautiful atelier at ABC Carpet & Home.

Shop chic on the Upper East Side.

Gramercy Park Hotel's Do Not Disturb signs, which are the last word in Do Not Disturb style.

Ovando's floristry wonders again.

Kate Spade's new flagship store on the Upper East Side.

Rizzoli bookstore, a mecca for lovers of design titles.

Henri Bendel department store's ornate balconies.

Colour co-ordination to the nth degree in front of Bergdorf Goodman.

A perfect outfit during Fashion Week: taxi-cab yellow and zebra crossing-style stripes.

More lovely lemon in the West Village.

More from Kate Spade's new flagship store. 

(The pale pink silk sofa was as covetable as the chaise.)

The shoes of Kate Spade's senior strategist, whom I met when we were comparing shoes in the uptown Kate Spade store. 

(Her were far superior.)

An exquisite window display of antique silver hand mirrors in the West Village – classic Fashion Week chic.

My new shoes. J'adore.

A store that designs paper bags for New York boutiques.

Just fabulous.

The Lion restaurant

Still a favourite.

Dior at Saks.

Sublime merchandising, in true Dior style.

Adieu from the always-gorgeous New York.

A Fashionable Guide to New York

New York never fails to show its glamourous side this time of year. 

Flying into Manhattan this week to shoot a new book, I was overwhelmed to see a city glowing in the Indian summer sunshine, wearing its best Fashion Week frocks and promenading the grand avenues and secret fashion haunts in classic New York style. 

The city's windows may have changed their wardrobes to dark, dramatic winter outfits but on Madison Ave, and Prince Street, and Bryant Park, and the always-beautiful West Village, locals were wringing the last out of the summer season with easy, flowing, bare-shoulded, open-toed elegance, swinging 1960s-inspired bags and pouting plum-toned lips. (Clearly, the colour du jour in 2014.)

[Image of Juan Carlos Obando's show via Habitually Chic, who always covers the shows well.]

Fortuitously (since I'm writing a book about New York fashion and style), the in-flight entertainment on the Qantas flight from Sydney included the extraordinary doco The Editor's Eye; an ode to Vogue fashion editors, past and present. Ms Coddington and Ms Wintour were magnificent as always, but it was the former editors – including the legendary Polly Mellen and Babs Simpson – who were really enthralling.  (Tip: Watch it for a glimpse into the fashion editors' homes as much as their aesthetics.)

New York's Fashion Week has now wrapped up, but here's an insight into places where you can still find a very Manhattanesque glamour.

Ralph Lauren's Madison Avenue store

A refined world of black and white sophistication, where I spotted exquisite leopard-print dinnerware alongside glamorous design books. Always a great source of home and fashion inspiration.

867 Madison Avenue, New York.

More from Ralph Lauren and the latest Spring 2014 homewares collection. The plum and black was very Hollywood.

Kate Spade's new flagship store on Fifth Avenue

An ode to colour and joy. 

(As with RL, Schiaparelli pink and black was a significant part of Kate Spade's new collection.)

The always-gorgeous NoMad Hotel in the NoMad District

Had a business lunch here today with a New York editor, sitting amid the pink-and-gold salon-style interior, listening to the chatter of fashion, finance, real estate and plans for weekends at Hamptons idylls. Far from pretentious, it was an experience in pure fantasy. If only we could all live in this kind of interior, and this kind of life.

1170 Broadway, New York.

The amazing rooftop terrace of the NoMad. (Sneak up here for a great view of the Empire State.)

The irresistible fabric stores of the Garment District

My newest discovery in this neighbourhood is Rosen & Chaddick, a more upmarket version of Mood Fabrics. This is the place where many up-and-coming fashion designers, stylists and interior designers source their fabrics. Rows are filled with high-end fabrics, including many in this season’s color and print trends. I spotted lots of bolts marked 'Armani' that had clearly come from Mr Armani's atelier. (The store is a great source of designer fabrics.) There are 125 linen colors alone, so be prepared to spend a while. The staff are lovely, and prices are surprisingly reasonable.

561 Seventh Ave, New York. rosenandchaddickfrabrics.com

Another new discovery is the New York Botanic Gardens, and the Peggy Guggenheim Rose Garden within it. 

The roses were on their last petals in the Indian Summer heat, but it was still a superb display of colour, form and horticultural glamour. 

(Speaking of roses, my latest favourite is the Paris de Yves Saint Laurent hybrid tea rose, above, which has the most enchanting form.)

The window merchandising of Bergdorf Goodman, which is always spectacular. 

No wonder they produced a book detailing the history of the store's window displays.

Fifth Avenue at 58th Street, New York.

The new Harlow restaurant

Truly splendid. 

As W magazine commented: "With its Dorothy Draper-esque decor and ornate boiserie, the venue fittingly evokes a sense of true Old Hollywood glamour..."

111 E 56th Street, New York.

Maison Kitsune

A favourite Parisian-inspired store, tucked away on the NoMad Hotel's ground floor. Always lovely things to be had here.

The whimsical windows of Saks Fifth Avenue, with their tributes to Dior during Fashion Week.

The new High Line Hotel

This hotel, housed in a 19th Century Gothic landmark building, is set to be hugely popular, especially with the demographic who frequent the Ace Hotel up the road. Just opened, it's still experiencing teething problems but the rooms – designed by my favourite New York architects Roman and Williams – are handsome (and huge), and the Refectory Hall is like nothing else in the city.

180 10th Avenue, New York.

The City Club Hotel

Another glamorous bolthole for fashion lovers, this hotel was decorated by one of Anna Wintour's favourite design names, Jeffrey Bilhubr. Opt for the duplex suite (above), which was created out of a former ballroom and features its own library.

55 W 44th Street, New York.

Henri Bendel

I spotted these two gorgeous models (one of them in a grey pinstripe dress: so chic) being introduced to Henri Bendel's best products by one of the store's personal shoppers. Surely the most civilised way to shop?

712 Fifth Avenue, New York.

Oscar de la Renta

Still one of the city's most sublime design talents. His Spring 2014 collection (above), which was unveiled at New York Fashion Week this week, were pretty, flirtatious and delightfully feminine.

722 Madison Avenue, New York.

And lastly, Bryant Park, a beautiful place to pause and catch your breath after the glamorous madness of Manhattan...

Thinking Pink: Hotels & Homes in the Season's Hottest Hue

Did you see the sartorial fuss made over Simone Rocha's latest fashion show? 

Simone, who is the talented daughter of design legend John Rocha, released a collection that ranged from Pepto-pink princess coats to classic black LBDs with a twist. It was pastels, but not as we know it. Just look at the tea coat above. It could be Jackie O all over again.

 The website Refinery 29 loved it, saying: "We’re tickled pink for her." 

(Pun intended.)

Pink, it seems, is the season's hottest hue, at least here in Australia where we're heading into spring. As a fashion editor friend said: "Blush is fast emerging as the colour of summer."

If you're a fan of rose shades, here are some lovely places to find them.

The Fielding Hotel, Covent Garden. 

A great little cheapie loved by Australians.

{thefieldinghotel.co.uk}

Garden designer Arne Maynard's country retreat in Wales, Allt-y-Bela. 

Arne is loved by many notable Londoners, including Tricia Guild of Designer's Guild, for whom he designed a sublime townhouse garden. 

He also won Gold at Chelsea for the Laurent-Perrier Garden.

You can stay at his country property. I've booked in for October. Can't wait.

{www.alltybela.co.uk}

More from Arne Maynard's beautiful blush-pink country home, Allt-y-Bela. 

Another beautiful place to book for your next getaway. 

This carriage house is in downtown Manhattan, and is available to rent through One Fine Stay.

Just love that mezzanine.

{onefinestay.com}

The newly redecorated Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. 

The hotel's famous signature pink (a dominant part of its brand) has been given a lift so it comes across as being less saccharine sweet and more Modern Glamour. 

Still a gorgeous place for lunch, even after all these years. 

(NB It's great if you have a long stopover in LA en route to NY and don't know what to do.)

Las Alamandas in Mexico. 

Another stylish hideaway with a surprising colour palette.

Owned by Isabel Goldsmith, the daughter of the late British financier Sir James Goldsmith. 

More from Las Alamandas.

An ode to rose, Charleston in South Carolina is one of the pinkest cities in the US. 

We're heading there in 2 weeks, and looking forward to seeing the South's famous grace, style and charm. We were going to stay in this hotel, above, but changed our mind for various reasons, and are now staying in the brand new Zero George Street, which has rave reviews. But is far less colourful.

More from Charleston's pink-toned boulevards.

Cabbages and Roses' store in Chelsea, London.

Not sure of credit, but will locate. Just love this.

New book. Looks good.

Gucci. Fabulous.

An oldie, but a goodie.

Dior by Dior: The Autobiography of Christian Dior.

And lastly, wonderful news for Schiaparelli (perhaps the most famous pink name of all), with Christian Lacroix taking the helm of this great French design house.

The famous salon in Paris has also had a revamp (above)

Elsa Schiaparelli would be pleased.