District L

Has fall finally fallen – or is summer here to stay? Despite the unpredictable weather forecast, we harvested our festive spirit on Saturday for an afternoon of brunch, shopping, and pumpkin “picking” at the Chelsea Market.

Heading west for this weekend’s ID Pop Shop, we first stopped to grab a bite to eat at La Bottega in The Maritime Hotel. After an odd combination of food and beverage orders, we crossed the street and braved the weekend crowd to visit Lois Eastlund at the Independent Designer’s pop-up shop. Also making stops at Vernakular Photo Designs and ATTITUDE by Jeanne, we finished our Westside Story with a bottle of champagne from the Chelsea Wine Vault.

Just after the sun set, it was time to journey uptown for Ladytron at Terminal 5. VHS or Beta opened around 8:30pm, stirring the crowd for a Night on Fire -- and by 11pm, we were already Destroying Everything We Touched.

So, before gravity became the seducer, we trekked back downtown for a birthday-turned-soft-opening-party at Parlor New York. We toasted our final few drinks of the night to celebrate 25 fabulous years of Sarah Frances Cagianese -- one-half of the talented sibling duo, Frances Rose.

Post by Amanda LaMela

According to some poll somewhere, the most common resolutions made by resolution-makers included drinking less alcohol, managing debt, and eating healthier.

We know - lame.

That’s why the District L darlings resolved something far more compelling: Be more fabulous.

Over a champagne-infused Sunday brunch at The Tangled Vine, we dissected such a goal. Of course, any effort towards awe-advancement would start with wardrobe expansion. Wearing the equestrian-space-pants I had picked up at the Oak sale the day prior, I had already gotten a head start on achieving our Fashion Nirvana objective.

But one cannot be fabulous on fashion alone. Sadly, there are many quasi-chic-looking individuals who lead conventional lives otherwise. With that thought, we ordered another round of champagne. Three flutes later, step three became more obvious: To be more fabulous, one must preserve their energy for more fabulous things. $22 cab ride? Check.

Three Ninth Street espressos, two White Noise G&Ts, one Jefferies visit, and one Lois Eastlund jumper later, and it was time to take a break from being fabulous. I mean, 2011 had only just begun – we wouldn’t want to burn out!

Heading back to the apartment, I decided to pick up a few grocery items at Duane Reade before retiring the weekend of fabulousness. After spending 15 careful minutes comparing the insane prices of canned pesto, I became exasperated and left. Christ, I wasn’t that hungry.

Post by Amanda LaMela

Photography © Copyright 2010 Rachel A. Cuyler 2010 All rights reserved