Sandals aren’t the only way to anchor a summer dress. They may look elegant, but all-day excursions can lead to blisters and sore arches. (Besides, not everyone is into the toe-centric look day after day.) For a more covered-up and comfortable—and unexpected—option, try sporting a dress with sneakers instead. The latest high-profile case in point: Last week, Emily Ratajkowski sizzled in a striped bodycon dress that she paired with white kicks, adding a sporty flair to the otherwise sexy piece.
When it comes to styling the combo, anything goes. You can play with opposites, pairing Air Maxes with a flirty retro, waist-cinching dress by Rosemilk, or take an elevated approach with chunky Céline sneakers and a loose, thigh-skimming plaid dress from Ganni. Another trick that adds some deliberate chic is to color coordinate a dress and sneakers, like pairing highlighter green Prada Velcro kicks with a frock by Cult Gaia of a similar hue. Or, go sexy in Réalisation Par’s sassy, spaghetti-strap tiger-print dress grounded with slip-on Reeboks. Whichever look you choose, your feet will thank you. Here, shop the best pairings of the season.
Rosemilk Margherita button-down sundress, $295, therosemilk.com; Nike Air Max 97, $160,
Photo (Left to right): Courtesy of therosemilk.com; Courtesy of nike.com
Photo: Courtesy of Robert Hamacherfor for Lou de Bètoly
Berlin-based French designer Lou de Bètoly will crochet just about anything. Her jeans are embedded with different yarns that stretch from the knees to the ankle, a sassy asymmetrical miniskirt boasts dainty needlepoint, and knit knee-high black boots recall Victorian mourning garb. In her collections, nothing is short of fantastical and the fabrics and textures are beautifully random, with an almost trippy, stream-of-consciousness quality, as in a sweater with frothy clouds of white yarn mixed with constellations of pinhead-size beads and a slinky evening dress that is reminiscent of a spiderweb dotted with 3-D floral appliqué. De Bètoly, who launched her label a year ago, likens her method to “painting with a needle,” describing it as “wild and free. I don’t follow a pattern. I’m creating while I am doing.”
De Bètoly’s first moment with a needle came at the age of 5, when her mother gave her leftover wool to crochet. “She showed me different types of techniques on a little square,” she says. “I was proud of the result but I wasn’t satisfied with the color.” Years later, her work has the vibrancy of couture, in part because she worked for Jean Paul Gaultier for two years. “I was super lucky, as there are so few houses still doing couture,” she says. “And to really see and be inside of it was something great for me to take part in.”
For De Bètoly, crocheting is like creating a tactile diary. (“A time lapse of my life,” she says.) Her process starts with collecting different fabrics from around the world, including vintage embroideries from flea markets in Paris; tassels from Rajasthan, India; and traditional costumes in Romania. De Bètoly doesn’t only use textiles, either. Her pieces are an explosion of bricolage: A mini pencil and an eyeball bead dangle from the chest of a turtleneck; a bomber jacket boasts a skeleton with dangling crystal eyes, cartoon dolls with green crystals as hair, and a donkey with a collar of colorful rhinestones.
De Bètoly’s delicate and time-consuming craftsmanship is far from the fast-fashion approach. “I am really passionate about survival of handicraft because we are going so fast. Nowadays, everything is mass produced,” she says. “It is a challenge to find places where the handwork is still existing.” De Bètoly makes every piece on her own, rather than enlisting teams of artisans. She admits that the final product isn’t always perfect, but that is the point. “It isn’t just achieving an idea; it is also trying out [things],” she says. “Maybe you don’t get the result you are aiming for, or maybe on the road there is an accident and you do something else.” As for how long it takes to make a garment? De Bètoly doesn’t count the minutes, hours, days, or weeks. After all, time flies when she is doing what she loves.
Emilia Wickstead‘s unapologetically feminine dresses often come doused in prints (dizzy florals, over-sized chintzes, or neat stripes) which are inspired by table linens patterns—so her latest offerings, it would seem, aren’t quite a departure. Launching today exclusively on Moda Operandi is . And because she knows that a beautiful place setting is made all the more delightful when your hostess is in a coordinating frock, she whipped up a collection of easy dresses in the same prints.
It all started after Wickstead and Moda’s Lauren Santo Domingo hosted a dinner. “It was the first time we used the prints from one of our collections on our table linens and napkins,” the designer remembers. Guests took their seats at the ladylike table, Instagramming the whole affair, and soon after the photos circulated, the phone began to ring with Wickstead clients wanting to purchase the party linens. Wickstead then opted to produce a line for the home, mulling it over with Santo Domingo over a lunch. “Lauren is that kind of person who is very confident in her aesthetic, and she’s daring to try new things. She was like, ‘Let’s do it!’”
In designing the collection (of which Santo Domingo herself admits, “I can’t wait to own it all!”), Wickstead delved into her own archives, remixing the colorways of existing prints and splashing them all over items for the table. There are four table linen prints and two sets of vintage-inspired Murano glasses—hexagonal drinkware in dusty pink (Wickstead’s brand color) and lemony yellow. Inspiration came from the iconic more-is-more interior decorator Dorothy Draper, who considered chintz a neutral. In addition to her projects at the Carlyle and West Virginia’s Greenbrier hotel), Wickstead also referenced Draper’s book Entertaining is Fun! How to be a Popular Hostess, and set out create a line that would inspire the same lighthearted, whimsical approach to hostessing. “My favorite type of entertaining is having an atmospheric dinner party with friends at home,” she says. “When your table is dressed up, you create this amazing atmosphere and create conversation.”
We love a good root beer float, but these fizzy soda floats are our new favorite dessert. Unexpected flavor combinations and sweet garnishes make them perfect for warm-weather entertaining. Pick up a pint of your favorite ice cream, then experiment with creating your own ice cream float flavors!
The root beer float is classic, but there are so many ways to pair ice cream and soda. Here are three sweet takes we bet you’ve never tried.
Sweet Ice Cream Soda Floats
We have three fresh takes on classic ice cream float combinations. Prescoop the ice cream and freeze it ahead of time for a cool dessert that stands up to the summer heat.
Sweet soda floats are a welcome treat on the hottest summer days. Be creative and experiment with a variety of ice cream float combinations! No matter what soda or ice cream you choose, follow these steps to make refreshing floats for your family, your friends, and yourself:
If desired, make your floats a little fancier by rimming your ice cream soda glasses. Cut through the sweetness of the float by adding salt to the rim, or use colorful sprinkles for special-occasion floats. Dip the rim of your glass in water, then salt. Or try other combos like dipping the rim of your glass in melted chocolate, then sprinkles.
Once the glasses are ready, scoop in your desired ice cream, sherbet, or sorbet. Use an ice cream scoop to keep each spoonful of ice cream the same size. Depending on the size of your glass, you may want to use 2 to 4 scoops of ice cream.
Add soda to your glass. Choose your favorite flavor of soda, make a classic root beer float, or try a new combination with your ice cream or sorbet. Just be careful when you’re pouring—you don’t want your floats to overflow!
If desired, add a topper to your ice cream soda. Add slices of fresh fruit, a drizzle of chocolate or caramel, or top off your drink with a handful of colorful sprinkles.
There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy an ice cream soda, but we do have a few tips for sprucing up your treat. To achieve the layers of ice cream scoops that soda floats are known for, use glasses that are tall and thin. Or, if you want to give your ice cream floats a rustic look, try serving them in tall Mason jars.
Garnishes can also make your ice cream soda look a little prettier (especially for a soda selfie!). Try adding berries to the top of your float, or using fruit slices, like pineapple or thin apple slices, to garnish the rim. You can never go wrong with a cherry on top! For chocolate-lovers, add chocolate curls on top, or finish with a drizzle of hot fudge or caramel sauce. You can even add a sugar cone or waffle cone on top to make an ice cream cone float! For a quick trip to the tropics, use fruity flavors and add a mini umbrella to your glass.
Place 1/4 cup of the frosting in a small microwave-safe bowl; set aside. Tint half of the remaining frosting with blue food coloring. Frost half of the cupcakes with blue frosting. Use blue gel to pipe waves onto blue frosted cupcakes. Frost the remaining cupcakes with white frosting; sprinkle white cupcakes generously with crushed vanilla wafers to resemble sand; set aside.
For beach balls, microwave the 1/4 cup frosting on 100 percent power (high) for 10 to 20 seconds or until melted. With a fork, dip doughnut holes into melted frosting, turning to coat. Place on waxed paper; let dry. For panels on the beach balls, unroll fruit leather and cut eight 3×1/2-inch rectangles, tapering short ends to a point. Place four strips on each coated doughnut hole to look like beach balls. Set aside until set.
For beach towels, unroll and cut the remaining fruit leather into 3×2-inch rectangles. If desired, cut fringe at the short ends of rectangles. Roll up the rectangles so they resemble towels.
For flip-flops, separate peanut butter sandwich cookies; scrape off filling. Use filling to attach two short pieces of licorice lace on smooth sides of peanut butter cookies to look like flip-flops.
Arrange beach balls, beach towels, flip-flops, and ring-shape jelly candies on platter with cupcakes. Makes 24 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.
Each year I kiss my loving family goodbye (both the one at home and the one at the office) and hit the road for weeks at a time, crisscrossing the country and eating everything in sight, in search of the Hot 10: our annual list of America’s best new restaurants. This year I stumbled upon a beachy ramen-ya in Venice; a lakeside retreat with crispy whole flounder; not one but multiple Jewish-style delis reinventing the genre; and bowls upon bowls of Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Japanese noodles. These are the 50 eclectic, inspiring, and very delicious nominees for America’s best new restaurants. Make sure to check back on August 14, when we’ll reveal which of these spots earned a place in the Hot 10.
It’s not every day that you could walk through an enchanted forest decked out in a designer gown and find international artists performing groundbreaking work amid the trees. That’s why the annual Watermill Center Summer Benefit is always such a big deal.
This weekend, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the high-profile event, more than 1000 art world luminaries and philanthropists headed East for an evening of drinking, dining, bidding, and exploring at The Watermill Center, a hub of avant-garde creativity.
This year’s iteration, TIME BOMB, was presented by Van Cleef & Arpels, and honored the late Pierre Bergé, co-founder of the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent and a founding benefactor of The Watermill Center. A-list guests including Isabella Rossellini and Marina Abramović took part in the colorful evening, which raised over $2 million in support of the Center’s year-round artist residency and education programs.
Click through for an inside look at the unbelievable bash!
You know what they say, “I don’t want to belong to any club that I didn’t pay to get into.” Well, something like that.
In the vast social landscape that is NYC, it can be hard to find your niche – especially if your desired niche is full of hot, successful people. Luckily, you can buy almost anything in this city, including a new group of friends. Click through for every membership you need to climb up the ladder.
All three New York members’ clubs are part of the Soho House empire, though each one certainly has it’s own flavor. The OG Soho House, located in the Meatpacking District, is a mainstay, though it’s the most basic and euro-filled option these days. Ludlow House, in the LES, has more of an artsy, downtown-cool crowd, but DUMBO, the newest addition, is where you want to be. Boasting both Cecconi’s and an unbelievable rooftop pool, it’s no wonder the spot has the who’s who traveling to Brooklyn.
The chic members-only co-working space in Tribeca (which recently served as New York Fashion Week’s main hub), falls somewhere between a social club and a dream office. Young, moneyed entrepreneurs from the worlds of fashion, entertainment, art, and business have access to private workspaces, conference rooms, a restaurant, and a lounge.
Hey, if it’s good enough for Will and Kate, right? NeueHouse is yet another private co-working space for the culturally elite, with locations in New York and Los Angeles (perfect for all you bi-coastal types). The clubhouse provides entrepreneurs with high-end workspaces, special events, and plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle with the creative community.
While an Equinox membership is a good place to start, Printing House is the crème de la crème of gyms – especially if you’re looking to socialize. It’s not included in your regular Equinox membership, even if you have a plan that lets you pop into any location, so you’ll have to shell out extra just for access here. The luxury gym costs $205 a month, but if you want to add global access it’s $295 – plus a $500 initiation fee. Worth it for the rooftop pool and hordes of hot bodies.
Since modesty gets you nowhere in life, we’re not going to pretend our Social Calendar isn’t the best in the city. For elbow rubbers seeking the hottest events to attend every night of the week, a GofG membership is a must. Not only do you get VIP invites delivered straight to your email, you also receive exclusive members’ perks at hot spots around town, as well as access to our own A-list bashes. Because there’s nothing worse than dressing up for a night out and being forced to party among Bridge & Tunnelers, sign up HERE.
Raya
Now that your Insta feed is full of snaps of you at the coolest events around town (thanks to us, obvi), it’s time to apply to Raya. The dating app of celebrities, models, influencers, and creatives takes you to a new tier in dating. To keep it uber exclusive, there is an extensive application process (your Instagram will get judged), but once you’re in, you’ll never have to swipe through the losers on Tinder again.
[Photo via Reshot]
The Wing
Sorry guys, this one is for ladies only. With three locations across the city (including a new outpost in DUMBO), The Wing serves as an innovative, all-inclusive members’ hang for women excelling in fields across the board. If you’re in the market for a new girl crush, this is the place to be.
If Rent The Runway just isn’t doing it for you anymore, it’s time to raid the closets of some of the chicest fashionistas around town. And no, we don’t mean in a Bling Ring way. Villageluxe, an exclusive peer-to-peer platform, allows you to rent designer items from fellow New Yorkers’ closets, meaning you can carry a Birkin this summer for just $250. Skip the waitlist with invite code summer18 and you’ll fit in with your moneyed new friends in no time.
The summer is in full swing, and you’re likely cooped up in your office all day. Make the most of your warm weeknights and immerse yourself in some boozy, buzzy energy after work. Meet up with friends or bond with co-workers over frozen cocktails, shared plates, and sunsets. And hey, meeting fellow young professionals is always a bonus!
Seamore’s newest outpost at Brookfield Place is perfect for the FiDi set. This seafood-centric eatery features perfect pairings of classic cocktails and culinary creations, served right alongside the water. A beach shack inspired outdoor patio and retro airstream bar allow you to sip on refreshing cocktails and bites al fresco, with natural teak tables, red Adirondack chairs, and black and white striped umbrellas filling the space.
The Menu: Wood-fired pizzas, large format seafood boils, a raw bar and more. A signature selection of house-made Aguas Frescas and specialty cocktails like A Lil Honey for Your Dew (vodka, mint, cucumber, ginger syrup, honeydew, yellow chartreuse, lemon), and Down the Rabbit Hole (mezcal, turmeric syrup, carrot juice, canton liqueur, lemon).
Located in the High Line Hotel’s gorgeous garden, The Golden Hour features frozen cocktails, lush greenery, and a delicious menu resulting in a picture-perfect summer atmosphere.
The Menu: Frozen cocktails include a tiki-style drink made with a blend of rums, pineapple, and curaçao, as well as a frozen negroni. Other drinks include a Pimm’s cup, an Aperol and Campari spritz, and a Brazilian spin on the mojito, made with cachaça. The food menu features raw bar offerings and other seafood dishes like a snapper ceviche, grilled shrimp, and fried oysters, as well as sandwiches like shrimp po’ boys, lobster rolls, and soft-shell crab. The menu also features a large oyster list with prices from $1.95 to $3.50 per oyster.
Located right under The High Line, the Standard Biergarten draws in big crowds and serves up a traditional German fare, all in an outdoor setting. Open air in the summer, heated in the winter, one can enjoy sausages, pretzels, beer, and Ping-Pong all year round. Oh, and there’s always a decent amount of good-looking people to mingle with at the communal tables.
The Menu: Huge steins of beer (duh), and traditional German fare including sausages and pretzels. A separate bar serves up the hard liquor and cocktails.
Nestled in The Gansevoort Hotel, The Chester is the perfect oasis for any occasion, especially for after-work bites. Serving up traditional American grub, including a great selection of dishes to share and handcrafted cocktails, it is perfect for dining with friends/large groups and social gatherings. The Chester’s outdoor Biergarten offers picnic table-style seating and select German beer. It boasts a vibrant bar scene.
The Menu: The Chester Happy Hour deals are held Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Enjoy $1 oysters, $5 draft beer, and 1/2 off wines by the glass.
All aboard! A salvaged historic lighthouse boat with outdoor seating, lovely views, and a nice beer selection, this has become the city’s most acclaimed “dive” bar. The Frying Pan provides a nice, sea-escape from everyday city life. Serving up buckets of beer and fried food to the masses, it’s open from noon to sunset for the rest of the season. It’s kind of like an outdoor frat party, so do expect some lines and rowdiness. Nevertheless, it’s a great place to hang with your friends after a long stressful day.
The Menu: Features outdoor Happy Hour specials, rosé, cocktails, wine and beer. The seasonal bar and grill serves both a full drink menu and classic American cuisine like burgers from Pat LaFrieda and citrus glazed salmon.
Arlo Roof Top provides scenic views of the Hudson River and a glimpse of the Freedom Tower (hello, Insta-worthy!). Mix and mingle with young professionals amid trendy decor. Twinkle lights are strung high across the space, creating a cozy, lounge vibe once the sun sets. Serious urban oasis vibes.
The Menu: Both small snacks to share and larger fare. The new cocktail menu offers well-mixed signature drinks such as the Arlo Picante (mezcal, grapefruit juice, spiced bitters) and the West Side (citrus vodka, lemon juice, mint, and soda).
The chicest floating oyster bar in NYC. Featuring yellow-and-white striped awnings, tiny white tables, and a menu of oysters, lobster rolls, french fries, and carafes of rosé and white wine on tap, Grand Banks is a celebrated spot aboard a historic wooden boat. Start your weekend off with oysters and a glass of rosé, all served alongside stunning views of the downtown skyline. Come for after-work happy hour, day drinking with friends, date night, or just any reason in general.
The Menu: Features an array of fresh seafood and all-natural ingredients, as well as a rotating selection of oysters that come with “accouterments” like red wine mignonette, cucumber-coriander mignonette, and cocktail sauce. Oyster specials run from 4-6 pm, Mondays through Thursday.
The East Village location, boasting a new backyard patio, is sure to leave you happy as a clam (or oyster). Before you go, be sure to check out the app, Oysterpedia, created by The Mermaid Inn restaurants in NYC, and designed to take the guesswork out of ordering oysters as well as to provide a reference tool for the oysters you have already tried. Food, drinks, and an education on oysters will make you the ultimate foodie. What’s not to love?
The Menu: Happy hour specials every day from 5-7 pm. Includes $1.25 East Coast oysters and $1 chef’s choice oysters and littleneck clams daily. Select $5 beers, $7 wines and $8 cocktails.
The Freehand New York’s recently debuted rooftop bar, lounge, and eatery is jam-packed on weeknights. Prepare to let loose with your co-workers with the help of tropical cocktails and Instagrammable views of the city.
The Menu: Expertly mixed tropical cocktails, arepas, crispy pork shoulder, yuca fries, and epic spreads to share.
Situated along the Hudson River with spectacular views, the Boat Basin Café is an open air treasure with plenty of history. A recent re-imagining has seen both the atmosphere and menu upgraded, so if you haven’t stopped by in a while, now’s the time to check it out!
The Menu: Happy Hour is held Monday through Friday 4 p.m. – 7p.m. $2.00 off all beers, wines by the glass and well drinks. Homemade sangria with fresh fruit – $7.00. Bar Bite specials include $5 Dollar Wings, nachos, and pizza.
Located just a few blocks away from Hudson Yards, Cachet Boutique NYC Hotel combines creative city flair with Asian sensibility. An outdoor SkyDeck adds to the vibe, and is set within three discreet outdoor gardens. Take in the scenic views and channel the arts with views of a large scale mural by artist JPOart. This place certainly serves as the ideal backdrop for after-work cocktails – it’s a haven to relax and recharge.
The Menu: Cachet Boutique NYC offers locally-sourced ingredients, an exciting cocktail list and a lively indoor-outdoor bar scene. Sip on one of their specialty cocktails like ‘Eden’s Paloma’ made with tequila, grapefruit, and lavender.
Calling all summer interns! Set atop the Conrad Hotel is a seasonal destination with vibrant views and contemporary décor, not to mention the most Insta-worthy drinks around. No wonder there are so many fresh-faced gals and guys hitting it up daily.
The Menu: Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar allows you to choose a “base” of rosécco (yes way, rosé) or prosecco, and to “pick a pop” of your choosing. You can also sip on one of their cocktails like their signature “I Can’t Even” made with Ketel One, fresh lemonade, raspberries, and agave. Shared plates are also available to cure your drunchies.
The Rainbow Room is bringing back its pop-up concept named Rosé Bar to offer some sweet relief from the hot New York summer with a limited-edition menu.
The Rosé Bar concept first popped up last summer and it was such a huge hit, that the Rainbow Room team decided to reintroduce it for special nights this season. Since then, the famed New York restaurant has introduced other fun seasonal experiences like the Resolution Bar (post-New Year’s), Bae Bar (for Valentine’s Day with cheeky cocktails like “Between The Sheets”), and the popular champagne-inspired Bubble Bar.
“Working closely with the team, we came up with Rosé Bar, Rainbow Room’s very first pop up concept,” says Executive Chef Mathew Woolf. “Launching the pop-up series provided me with an opportunity to showcase some whimsical dishes and really have fun in the kitchen. Early on, I set three objectives for myself: think big and be creative, infuse playfulness into the offerings and most importantly, tantalize the guests’ palates with mind-blowing flavors. I quickly realized the kid in all of us wants the over the top ice cream cone with rosé sorbet, cake balls and rainbow sugar. And who doesn’t want to eat champagne glazed donuts with edible 24-carat gold? Food is emotional and for me, watching guests’ faces light up as dishes are served is always gratifying.”
Pair a crisp bottle of wine (or start with a Rosé Royale cocktail) with rosé-inspired food specials like The Frisky Oyster, before finishing off the night with a tipsy treat while taking in the sweeping, Insta-worthy views. Other menu hits include classic summer must-haves from the mega Seafood Tower to Lobster Corn Dogs, or Kobe Pigs in a Blanket and a larger-than-life “Clash of the Titans” burger that you must see to believe. Click through for mouthwatering photos of Chef Woolf’s newest creations, and make your reservation HERE for August 2, 7, 14 or 23.
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