Oscar De La Renta and Andre Leon Talley  talk about the influence of Spanish dress on fashion. I can’t wait to get myself back to NYC and visit the Queen Sophia Spanish Institute, a great excuse to get my butt uptown while I am in the city for most of February.  These two seem like genuine friends they’re charming and make me happy to be in fashion!

Fashion Tattle: André and Oscar on Nowness.com.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last few days in Amagansett with some of my best friends. It’s so nice to see a different world for a few days, the photos below are from a geocaching tromp through the woods yesterday. It was like making our way through a Harry Potter book. X G

Taking stock of the year past and celebrating the year not yet lived deserves a special moment. Champagne is always a part of it for me. I also have an everyday policy of always having a good if not great bottle of champagne chilled in my refrigerator at home. The idea behind this is that I never know what day will be the day that deserves to be celebrated, it’s also an optimistic way for me to open the refrigerator after a particularly punishing day and instantly change my attitude. When I  see the bottle reserved for the next great celebration it reminds me that tomorrow might just be that day even if today wasn’t. There have been big and small celebrations for me over the years since I’ve begun to stock a chilled bottle. The most memorable was when I headed home before a celebration on the eve of the 2008 election results. En route I realized that Obama would win and that if nothing else i was about to witness a great deal of change  while getting to participate in the most energized election of my lifetime. It brought America back together again. Lucky me, I had a bottle of Dom chilled. It was grabbed and shared when Obama won as we toasted what might be possible.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE & the best 2012 that the world has to offer!

Two great places to snag some small batch and mainstream champers.

Wine.com and Fat Cork

Hello. I’m going to begin sharing some of my favorite things across all aspects of life. Here goes with one of the less glam but most functional things I’ve come across in a long time. I was lucky enough to be the sous chef for a good friend and amazing chef Rob Buono for thanksgiving this year. It really does make chopping 10 shallots a breeze, or a pile of garlic where my hands don’t smell like garlic for the next week.  He had me use this gem of a chopper a few different times, and I now have one on order.

Best Chopper EVER!

I’m going to begin posting at least one art / fashion / home / architecture book a week. I’m constantly inspired and wanting for more, and this is a great reason to dive into what I like to call mini-courses on a subject. Published but a few great companies from around the world and procured from museum stores they make a house a home and give your mind a chance to dream.

This week is Architecture from the 20th century by Assoline, for me this is actually a travel guide after getting the chance to visit a few landmark 20th century American homes over the last few years, it’s a new passion and really lets you see how the geniuses that shaped our world lived and worked. Living Architecture

Just snagged Mindy Kaling’s new book for my iPad!

Fathom has been wonderful enough to publish my travels on their amazing travel site. It’s so fun to collect and write about all the wonderful people and places that I came across. Check out their site and the story. 

X G

The camera not the dog, while we love us some Quinn, These shots are fro my new favorite toy in action…..the new Olympus E-P3