www.electriczoofestival.com

Williamsburg is famous for its bohemian vibe, but those looking for more refinement will love The Dressler. Owned by Colin Devlin of DuMont, another local favorite, it has garnered one Michelin Star and many celebratory reviews. The dimly lit restaurant features tiled floors, paneled walls and lace-like metal chandeliers and lightboxes made by local artisans. The seasonal American-nouveau menu is simple and fresh.  On the appetizer side: a creamy rabbit and morel ragout with hand-made pasta and fava beans; crispy baby artichokes stuffed with fresh ricotta and parmesan; fresh ricotta raviolini floating in a delicate parmesan broth. Fish lovers will order the black sea bass with black rice and ginger soy broth; the duck breast, served with pears, cabbage and pomegranate molasses, is a rich contrast of flavors and textures. There might not be room for dessert, but the warm pear tatin with mascarpone ice cream and chocolate soufflé with miso caramel are necessary treats. The restaurant also serves brunch, with imaginative cocktails, a reuben sandwich and pork belly tacos. The service is precise and discrete; the wine menu, extensive and reasonably priced. Could we suggest a romantic date?

• The Dressler
• 149 Broadway, Brooklyn
• 718 384 6343

MONOCLE Magazine, a global briefing covering international affairs, business, culture, and design, has opened its first retail store in New York. Located in a prime West Village spot on Hudson Street, this new venture is the magazine’s fifth retail installment after the success of the London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Hong Kong shops. Our good friend Aisha Speirs gave us one of the first glimpses of the unique blend of offerings, featuring international fashion and lifestyle products including Porter bags (Japan), Commes Des Garcons for the Hinoki fragrance and candle, Another Country stool and bench (UK), Skeppshult bike (Sweden), Inoue Brothers Sweaters (Japan), October collaborations from Oliver Spencer, and Tomorrowland x MONOCLE travel suits. Emphasizing the black and white distinctive format of Monocle’s London designers, the new store will spotlight the merchandise with an inspiring décor consisting of wooden floors, Vitsoe shelving, a retractable glass store front, and a slatted oak screen built by local artist, Kenon Perry. MONOCLE’s editor in chief, Tyler Brule, is busting through the boundaries of editorial and extending the brand’s global reach and local impact at the same time. A memorable milestone for MONOCLE, this internationally inspired retail haven is one of the best new stores in NYC.

Project Runway’s catchphrase “One day you’re in and the next you’re out” is a somewhat accurate description of an all too real phenomenon within the fashion industry. In most cases, it’s the actual business of fashion that causes most designers to close down, generally with the ebb and flow of the economy. Heritage brands worldwide have experienced a resurgence that can be attributed, in part, to the incubator that is London Fashion Week. The British city is arguably the most creative of the fashion capitals and it is where today’s most lauded and most talented designers hail from. It’s also the home of Central St Martins (CSM), the Oxbridge of fashion. For decades big name houses have successfully plucked graduates from the college and placed them as creative directors of some of the most recognizable designer institutes of the world. John Galliano at Dior, Stella McCartney at Chloé, Alexander McQueen at Givenchy the list goes on and on. In fact, these designers have all become names in their own right. However, times have changed and CSM graduates are launching their own commercially successful lines, regardless of experience working at French brands. The college turns out many talented students a year but in this day and age business acumen has become an equally if not more valuable asset than creativity itself. The recent history of the house of Celine clearly illustrates this.

Founded at the end of World War two as a children’s shoe business, Celine has been present but barely noticed on the fashion scene for most of its life. It had a brief resurgence under the leadership of Michael Kors, in 1997, who created a ready-to-wear line loved by editors and buyers alike with on-the-money accessories to match. Alas, since his departure in 2004, Celine has languished under a number of disappointing designers.

The same year Kors was hired to design at Celine, Stella McCartney was brought in at Chloé—and with Stella came her friend and design assistant Phoebe Philo. The two brought about its second renaissance since Karl Lagerfeld designed for Chloé in the late sixties and seventies. Eventually Stella was given her own platform by the Gucci group to create an eponymous line, leaving Phoebe to step up and become Chloé’s new creative director.

Under the Philo reign, Chloé pumped out It-bags and killer collections, coating Philo’s name in gold dust. In the end, Phoebe left (quite fashionably) at the height of the party to raise her children. Nonetheless, LVMH president Bernard Arnault brought Phoebe back into the fashion world by appointing her creative director of Celine at the end of 2008. The industry waited with baited breath to see what Philo would do for the house, and in the Resort 2010 season Phoebe not only produced a terrific collection, she redefined a modern woman’s wardrobe. The Chloé girl had grown up into an ultra chic workingwoman. The current trends of camel colored clothing and military parkas can all be attributed to this collection. With each successive season Phoebe has fine-tuned her vision of a modern woman and influenced a thousand knockoffs across the fashion spectrum. Celine is the house to watch over the next coming seasons as Phoebe hits her stride.