The search for the perfect holiday gift may take you far and wide, and longer than just a few short weeks, but there is still no place like home for a sparkling selection.
By Robin Jovanovich and Tom McDermott
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The search for the perfect holiday gift may take you far and wide, and longer than just a few short weeks, but there is still no place like home for a sparkling selection. We picked out a few of our favorite things right on Purchase Street.
The star attractions at Angela’s are a Caroline Rowan jeweled fur stole, a black and white Pucci dress, and a winter white Ralph Lauren coat with matching muff.
Turn right in the middle of the stylish shop and you are in her new equally stylish men’s store, Fred’s, which is a breath of Madison Avenue. The blue VKNagrani cashmere blazer is tailored for the Sean Connery (or Daniel Craig) in your life. As is the contemporary take on a hacking jacket from Herno. If you’re heading south, don’t overlook the Orlebar Brown swim trunks and tees.
It’s only a matter of time before the Shinola men’s watches at Woodrow Jewelers will be on every wrist in town. They’re the only watch made in the USA, in Detroit, to be precise. And there is a really good story behind the brand: they train former autoworkers to create them, keeping Detroit ticking. Every watch is a numbered special edition. We were partial to the railroad dial face.
The Woodrow brothers took a shine to the Meredith Frederick collection when they saw it at Bergdorf Goodman, and you will understand why they brought it to town. The semi-precious stone and gold necklaces and bracelets are wearable and sensational.
She’ll be the life of the party in a metallic wrap dress from Nicole Miller at Great Stuff. They also have a DiBello leather and down parka that is “totally luxe” and a white “cut the rug” alpaca and wool jacket from Ulla Johnson that is all the rage in Paris.
At Clutch, a festive red dress with black feathered skirt from Sail to Sable garnered our attention. And for the woman who prefers her furs faux, they have a collection of fabulous ruffled scarves.
In addition to great women’s fashions, Lola has lots of jewelry — go garnet and metal cuff — and an embossed leather jewelry box, which will hold a collection as big as the Ritz. Don’t overlook the snappy acacia wood clutch, the reversible fur and leather vests, or the leather weekender by Bhags.
Make her Christmas mink — red, white, or otherwise — with a vintage jacket or stole from Rhythm in Rye. The green silk Donna Ricco dress will take her to the top of the guest list. The Burberry white toggled car coat will take her anywhere.
Royal Jewels, another one of Rye’s family businesses, is blessed with its own designer, owner John Givelekian. His wife Nanette pointed us in the direction of an exquisite diamond and sapphire bracelet he’d made last week, just in time for the holidays. Among his other recent dazzlers was a 46-karat chrysoberyl ring — “It’s hard to find a gem that size with this quality,” she noted. The fancy yellow diamond ring in the next case was small but startlingly beautiful.
The most precious vintage collection for miles around can be found at Joan Sansone Antiques & Estate Jewelry. Our eyes went immediately to a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels 18-karat gold earrings and pin (can be purchased separately), a jewel-studded horseshoe bracelet, an Art Deco diamond, emerald, and platinum pin, and a necklace of multiple strands of beaded pink gold over sterling.
For all the other arts, head to Gallery 52, where photos — Grand Central, Havana, Playland — on canvas by Rye’s JoAnn Cancro line the windows and walls. The colorful urban scenes of Spanish artist Cristóbal Pérez García are worth a visit, too.
R2-D2 and C-3PO are back and Parkers has ‘em — on luggage your child will be happy to tote.
For the man with a taste for fine spirits and an appreciation for beautiful things, the French Empire gold-plated crystal decanter case at York Antiques will have him shouting “Tally-ho!”
It is a Charlie Brown Christmas, especially with the new hit movie out, and The Framing Corner has two oil originals of Snoopy, the wild and thoroughly original Beagle, by Mike A NYC that will bring happiness to the young at heart.
On the subject of great dogs, Claudia Baker of All Paws is expert. Every dog deserves a new bed, and it’s a doubly good gift because you can donate the old bed to a local shelter. And because play is important to pups, go all out and buy him a camo snake toy that he can grab, twist, and make squeak to his heart’s content when you’re not home.
