Ralph Lauren's Magic Trick

Greenwich Avenue, in Greenwich, Connecticut runs up a hill in the center of town and caters to those with serious money to spend. The residents of this zip code are some of the wealthiest in America, in fact, some of the richest in the whole world, and this avenue is a luxury shopper's paradise. I would say every single luxury brand has a presence here.

None is so prominent as the Ralph Lauren store though, pride of place right in the middle of them all at #265, which opened in November 2009 - incredibly - in the middle of the recession.

Ralph Lauren has created a store that resembles a Grand Residence. It is very imposing, with its Beaux Arts limestone facade, enormous arched front entrance, large windows and balconies with ornate metal work. Inside the nearly 19,000 square foot building, there is a large marble tiled hallway with a sweeping staircase leading to smaller "salon" style rooms on the upper level. 

Not only does the building resemble the kind of mansion that would not seem out of place in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby", of course the clothes and home interior products evoke that era too.

In Ralph Lauren stores, you have come to expect the merchandise will be beautifully styled, but here it is presented on a higher level all together. 

You feel like you are literally walking into someone's unbelievably fabulous life. I've never seen mannequins that look like they are lounging about in relaxation, but in the formal sitting room, this is exactly what they seem to be doing. Here is one casually leaning against an antiqued mahogany table or another seated in a languid pose, both dressed in the most gorgeous evening gowns. You almost feel like you need to apologize for rudely gate crashing and intruding upon the pre dinner cocktails and hors d'oeuvres they are clearly about to enjoy.

Above the fireplace and marble mantlepiece is a large TV screen that runs loops of the most current Ralph Lauren catwalk shows featuring beautiful models in stunning clothes walking in time to music.

Luxury brand and luxury lifestyle - fantasy and reality - all meshed together in one glamorous place. This is experiential marketing at its absolute finest. I am living and breathing the Ralph Lauren brand and I'm totally emotionally immersed. They're flaunting the American Dream on the grandest of scales.

It's a mesmerizing sales pitch and beautifully executed.

Don't Ban Bossy

Last week I questioned what I felt to be the rather off putting strident, scolding tone of Sheryl Sandberg's current YouTube "Ban Bossy" campaign.

In my blog "Very Bossy Pants"  (3/28/14), I pointed out how Tina Fey had in fact "owned" the word "bossy" - even having titled her April 2011 memoir "Bossy Pants" - and used humor to convey a feminist perspective. 

Today, I happened to find this quote by Tina Fey's friend and colleague Amy Poehler, which I just had to share. I think she makes a very succinct point. 

Of course, Amy being Amy - clever, witty and absolutely hilarious - she also invented a humorous feminist code to live by. Maybe Sheryl Sandberg could reboot her campaign with this as the new tag line? I think it would be far more effective. OK. I'm joking. Sort of...

The ABC's of eating in NYC

"ABC Cocina" opened last year. It's the latest and most affordable restaurant in acclaimed Michelin star chef Jean Georges Vongerichten's stable and I had been dying to go. 

It's housed inside the "ABC Carpet & Home" store on 19th street between Broadway and Park Ave South, and one of my dearest girl friends in NYC met me there for lunch last Friday.

First of all, "ABC Carpet & Home", situated just off Union Square, has always been how I'd imagine Aladdin's Cave would look. It's one of my favorite stores in NYC, as it's unrestrainedly fanciful with a hipster vibe. The first floor is the most interesting to me, having all sorts of eclectic collections of table top items; an amazing array of pillows; unusual clothing; beautiful stationary and one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry. All of these items are artfully and creatively displayed. You might glance in one direction and see a table set for a sushi dinner, with delicate cracked glass dishes and tiny dipping bowls in a range of pastel colors; or in another direction spy a mannequin with intricately carved wolf's head wearing a stunning burnt orange, funnel neck, nubby wool coat - (a wolf in sheep's clothing - get it !?!) - or in another, a large stone statue of Buddha.

It's a visual feast for the eyes, almost to the point of being overwhelming, and a great place to go and hang out and browse. It's pretty fabulous for people watching too - a few months ago I stepped back and nearly stood on the model Amber Valletta.

"ABC Cocina" is located behind stunning Art Deco style glass doors at the back of the first floor (or can be accessed directly from another entrance on the street on 19th).

In contrast to the store,  the decor is funky but minimalist cool. It features interesting light fixtures; distressed and textured concrete on the walls and smooth concrete on the table tops; and a dark beamed ceiling. The menu is inspired by Latin America and features small bites, meant for sharing. The portions are, in fact, perfect for two girlfriends to share for a light lunch. We were in a celebratory mood, and it was Friday, so we ordered oysters on the half shell and a glass each of rose champagne - a fantastic combination and such a treat. 

I had read a review that said the speciality of the house is their range of tacos, so we also ordered one each with sauteed mushrooms, chocolate mole sauce, limes and shredded kale; and one each featuring crunchy fish with aioli cabbage-chili pickle. The ingredients combined in such an incredible way that the flavors just burst on my tongue. The mushroom taco was dark and rich and earthy but the lime gave a little zing; the fish taco light and crispy, clean and fresh but with a little kick from the chili - both absolutely delicious.

The range of tacos - a speciality

Through the window facing onto 19th street, I could see it had started to rain again, a light grey, dreary drizzle. Inside, the restaurant was buzzing; our waiter attentive; our food transporting us miles away to a climate that was vibrant with color.

After lunch we wandered the store a little more and lingered in front of the vintage jewelry cabinets, happy to chat and browse before heading our separate ways on the subway - back to the real world.