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

Dear Santa,

All of us at District L know we earned our spot on The Naughty List. Late nights, exuberant spending, inappropriate language... Yeah, we get the deal. But before you stop reading, we'd like to assure you that the following requests are not for us. [How selfless, right?!]

For Margaret on the 6 Train:

Margaret was looking forward to reading Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla over the holiday break, until she heard she was sharing a flight home with her judgmental Aunt Kelly from Somers. Also, Margaret hasn't quite figured out that He's Just Not That Into Her because she's always reading self-help books on public transportation. Please save her with a Kindle 3 -- And no skimping on the leather DVF case.

For Becca from Accounting:

Poor Becca is more of a night person. It's Monday morning, her eyes are still a bit blurry, and her ability to match has been rendered inadequate. Her button-down blouse could have used some ironing, and she doesn't even realize this until her third cup of coffee. Nothing about her morning attire ever says "effortless." What Becca really needs is a versatile dress in a wrinkle-resistant fabric - a single article of clothing to minimize her AM decision-making process. Santa, please send Becca one of Lois Eastlund's latest creations, so she can look chic and pulled together pre-Starbucks.

For Pete from Advertising:

Pete is an idea guy, but unfortunately, those two semesters in Amsterdam really did a number on his short-term memory. He needs to jot down those bouts of ingenious in a notebook that looks more Rick Moody than Harriet the Spy. Please add a Vernakular memo book to his Christmas list. He'll appreciate the independent photo design and the ability to always find a pen.

And before you start stuffing our stockings with coal, don't think we forgot about all the champagne you drank last year. That wasn't for you, Santa. We left that out by accident.

Always Fabulous,

District L