DailyCandy New York

Heart Parts Eating Utensils

2012-02-13T09:00:00Z

Sweet Tools Meant for Sharing

Dear Cupid,

My only complaint about my beau is that he hogs the grub when we go splitsville. How can I make sure I get my fair share of mac ’n’ cheese?

Yours,
Starving in SF

’Sup Starving,

The answer is simple: Become a heartbreaker with Heart Parts eating utensils.

The florescent, palm-size tools are meant to be cracked in half, then used to stab, scoop, or even cut your nosh of choice. Product designer Fatima Fazal created them to bring the love back to sharing a meal.

Heart Parts come in boxes of ten, so they’re great for parties. Because they’re dishwasher safe, made with 66 percent less plastic than similar wares, and are completely biodegradable, you can enjoy your supper without guilt.

Even if you’re fed up with him, at least you’ll be properly fed.

Xo,
The Guy with the Arrow

Available online at iheart-this.com, $10.

Photo: Courtesy of Heart Parts

Dagny + Barstow Boutique Opens

2012-02-13T08:00:00Z

The Bowery's Lucky Streak Continues

We’d wager any former Lenny Kravitz-owned club space could be filled only with shag carpet, suspicious residue, and cobwebs spun from dead secrets.

But then we’d be out all the funds we hope to drop at the pristine Dagny + Barstow boutique, now open on the Bowery after its stint as a Meatpacking pop-up.

On tap from former publicist Emily Titelman and designer Meredith Blank: Kaelen electric green maxi dresses, printed trousers from Brit brand Swash, ghostly blazers by French house Devastee, and perforated leather tees and leggings by Parisian standout Stouls.

There’s also a small vintage selection (curated by Reason), structured Sophie Hulme purses, Orly Genger jewelry, headgear from local milliner/rock star Satya Twena, and rough-cut Vanessa Dee emerald bracelets (a steal at $400).

Cheeky extras like croc-embossed condom boxes, cartoon bow ties, cacti, and a mirror-backed bar vibe with the neighborhood.

We bet you’ll dig it.

Dagny + Barstow, 264 Bowery, between Houston and Prince Streets (212-675-2346 or dagnyandbarstow.com).

Photo: Jordan Blumberg / DailyCandy

Spring 2012 Hair Trends

2012-02-13T07:00:00Z

Spring 2012 Beauty Trends

2012-02-13T07:00:00Z

Leah Duncan's Valentine's Bull's-Eye

2012-02-10T08:45:00Z

Shot Through the Heart

So you broke up. And there are a million hearts and happy couples everywhere. We feel you.

Rather than spend Valentine’s Day alone with your cats, Pinot and Noir, take aim with help from illustrator extraordinaire Leah Duncan.

As longtime fans of Duncan’s prints, pillows, and towels, we asked the soon-to-be New Yorker (she’s relocating from Austin in a few weeks) to create a cheeky bull’s-eye to mark/mock the holiday.

To play, you’ll need a printer, projectiles (darts work), and photo of an offending party to tape in the center. Though the drawing seems too precious to mar, working out a bit of aggression is worth the extra sheet of paper.

Invite a few friends over, turn on, say, Beyoncé, and nail the target of your former affections one last time. Best part: There’s no need to keep score.

You win because you’re free.

Download the printout here. For more of Leah Duncan’s work, go to leahduncan.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Leah Duncan


	Keep reading for more anti-Valentine’s Day essentials that put flowers to shame.

(Not So) Bitter, Party of One

2012-02-10T08:00:00Z

Spring 2012 Trends: Stripes

2012-02-10T07:00:00Z

The Weekend Guide

2012-02-09T09:00:00Z

Online Finds, Fashions, and Fodder

V-Day isn’t just for lovers.

EAT
Cakeslider Creations
What: Redefined push-up pops ($22 for a basket of four) layered with cake and frosting. Treat yourself to inspired flavors (French toast, latte, Double Fudge Diamond) that arrive in festive packaging and allow you to (finally) eat cake hands free.
Why: They’re utterly moist. Yeah, we said it.
Where: Online at cakeslidercreations.com.

WEAR
Milly for Sperry
What: All aboard. The NY-based designer brings her colorful, playful prints to the famous Top-Sider brand ($90-$225).
Why: Vibrant patent leather yellow flats or navy wedges, as well as rose-print, laceless canvas sneakers.
Where: Online at sperrytopsider.com.

COLLECT
The Good Machinery Animal Figurines
What: We’re wild about the collectibles ($59-$69) painted by an Italian artist. Gift them to others or stash them in nooks and crannies for a splash of color.
Why: A howling silver wolf, hippo with fuchsia polka dots, and lion in magenta and gold are just part of the herd.
Where: Online at etsy.com.

SUPPORT
Spanx Lace Bra-llelujah
What: The best boulder holder ($68) in the world just got sexy. It smooths your back and lifts the ladies the same as before, but now with lace cups (in nude or black).
Why: The bra may have had a little work done; you’ll just look like you did.
Where: Online at spanx.com.

SWEAT
Electric Yoga Sportswear
What: French-born tanks, stretch pants, and zip-ups ($24-$198) from Bisou Bisou designer-turned-master yogi Michele Bohbot.
Why: Neon colors activate specified chakras. Light-as-air bubble coats pack down into mini carrying cases and use your own body heat to keep you toasty.
Where: Online at electric-yoga.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Cakeslider Creations

The Weekend Guide

2012-02-09T08:45:00Z

NYC Events and Diversions

You better work.

PREP
Fashion Week
What: From Lincoln Center to Milk Studios, we bring you highlights (trends, street-style shots, #OverheardatFW tweets) from fall 2012 shows.
Why: You already know how to wear metallics and geometric prints for spring. See what comes next.
When: Thru Feb. 16.
Where: Online at dailycandy.tumblr.com. Follow @CandyNewYork on Twitter.

SAVE
Matthew Williamson Store Sale
What: Up to 60 percent off the most recent prefall/winter collections, plus an additional 10 percent off when you mention DailyCandy.
Why: The weave panel shift dress ($383, reg. $1,275) and wool crepe keyhole frock ($457, reg. $1,525).
When: Thru Mon. Today-Sat. & Mon., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 12:30-6 p.m.
Where: 415 W. 14th St., b/t Ninth & Tenth Aves. (212-255-9881).

SNIFF
Winter Stinky Cheese Festival
What: The weeklong olfactory shindig gets competitive in its fifth year to see which alcohol best complements the fumiest of fromages.
Why: Pair craft beers and top wines with cheese-centric lunch and dinner menus from French restaurants Cafe d’Alsace, Pigalle, Nice Matin, and more.
When: Fri.-Feb. 17.
Where: Participants online at tourdefrancenyc.com. To vote for your favorite pairings, go to facebook.com.

SEE
The Urban Dictionary Plays
What: A talented, chameleonlike cast tackles a dozen short pieces inspired by the smut-tastic online glossary.
Why: The second act’s defining moments include a middle-aged fluffer, a sniveling food douche, and subway gymnastics like you’ve never seen.
When: Tonight-Sat., 8 p.m.
Where: Ars Nova, 511 W. 54th St., b/t Tenth & Eleventh Aves. Tickets ($15) at 212-352-3101 or online at web.ovationtix.com.

SLURP
Barbounia’s Oyster Happy Hour
What: Booze (champagne, lager) meets bivalves (imported daily from both coasts) at the Mediterranean restaurant’s new power hour.
Why: The Drunk Oyster shot ($3), made with vodka, cocktail sauce, lemon juice, and an oyster, will coax you out of your shell.
When: Daily, 3-7 p.m.
Where: 250 Park Ave., at 20th St. (212-995-0242).

ENGAGE
Literary Speed Dating
What: Start a new chapter in your love life with an evening of read dating.
Why: Take your favorite book, then dive into discussion — not to mention champagne, prizes, and Max Brenner chocolates.
When: Fri., 7-9 p.m.
Where: Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway, at 12th St., 3rd flr. (212-473-1452). Admission is free with the purchase of a $20 gift card.

Photo: Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho / WireImage / Getty Images

New and Noteworthy: Reading Notes Book Inserts

2012-02-08T09:00:00Z

A Cure for Digital Fatigue

Patient Name: E. Post

Symptoms: Digital fatigue. Indecipherable shorthand. Attempts to touch-screen activate all shiny surfaces within reach.

Diagnosis: Pen-to-paper withdrawal.

Treatment: Reading Notes palm-size notebooks.

Modeled after old-fashioned library cards, the self-adhering pamphlets stick to the insides of book covers, ensuring they’ll never be lost, forgotten, or deleted in the wake of a Words with Friends bender. The mini journals can lend clarity to random margin scrawlings, gravity to tawdry beach reads, and relief to texting thumbs.

Front and back flaps cover the basics (where the book was read, a one-to-five-star rating system). Thirty-two tiny pages can be filled with any other ramblings, rants, or rave reviews that are too private to share on a Twitter feed, Tumblr post, or Facebook page.

Dosage: Whenever it feels novel.

Available online at pleasetakenotes.com, $16 for three.

Photo: Matthew Latkiewicz / Courtesy of Reading Notes

Tamar Daniel's Debut Collection

2012-02-08T08:45:00Z

House of No Pain

Pack it up. Pack it in. Then sit on it, get someone to hold it down, and tie a rope around it.

Or just invest in a few pieces by Tamar Daniel, an Israeli-born, London-raised designer whose versatile debut collection drastically lightens overpackers’ loads.

Not only is every NYC-made item machine washable and lightweight, each one is also as suitable for a swanky bar as for taking a meeting with, say, Oprah. We especially love the Bauhaus-inspired tie-neck blouse of creamy chiffon and the abstract peony-print maxiskirt that converts to a strapless dress. Breeze into spring with Breton striped tanks and a double-breasted half trench/half tee.

Daniel developed the collection to fit her own needs (the former Anthropologie knitwear designer has four children under the age of 7).

So you know it can handle a lot of jumping around.

Available online at tmrdnl.com.

Photo: Courtesy of Tamar Daniel

Spring 2012 Trends: Into the Ocean

2012-02-08T07:00:00Z

Spring 2012 Trends: Metallics

2012-02-08T07:00:00Z

2012 Valentine's Day Guide

2012-02-07T08:45:00Z

Gifts for Lovers and Friends

This February 14 you’re with the band.

The Temptations
Give in to H.S. Chocolate Co.’s dark chocolate malt bars and Mexican hot cocoa caramels spiked with cinnamon and cayenne. If it’s something rich and Italian you desire, a traditional candy mix from Amorino (fichi ricoperti, gianduiotti, marrons glaces, filetti e mandorle) hits the spot.

Cut Copy
When a one-liner doesn’t seal the deal, make like the Bard of Avon and try fourteen with a copy of Shakespeare’s Love Sonnets, joyfully illustrated by Brooklyn artist Caitlin Keegan. A trip to the City of Light costs more than Paris Versus New York: a Tally of Two Cities. Save and pair the graphic tome with chocolate peanut butter Paris-NYs from Dominique Ansel Bakery.

En Vogue
If you like it but aren’t ready to exchange rings yet, you should put his-and-hers (or his-and-his/hers-and-hers) stamped brass cuffs on it. Brooklyn’s Choctaw Ridge boxers — made from chambray or a lightweight Japanese linen/cotton blend — don’t beat around the bush.

Guns n’ Roses
Spend tomorrow evening arranging red blooms at Ovando’s design studio (120 West 28th Street, second floor). You’ll leave the two-hour class with two kinds of new buds, both likely to be thriving come V-Day. Use code DCVDAY2012 for 25 percent off.

Passion Pit
Get busy at the Ace Hotel with Jimmyjane’s two-night packages. Each includes instant film, an erotic movie rental, dessert for two, a trove of toys, and — most importantly — condoms for a cause.

The Postal Service
Though you’re still happy to receive Ninja Turtles cards, your lover(s) might not be. Brooklyn printer The Great Lakes Goods immortalizes Biggie with a “Hypnotize” quote, while Mr. Boddington’s Studio has sentiments for the whole family.

Play on, player.

Read on for more Valentine’s Day ideas that make us weak in the knees.

Photos: Courtesy of H.S. Chocolate Co.; Courtesy of Choctaw Ridge; Courtesy of Mr. Boddington’s Studio

Valentine's Day Heart Stealers

2012-02-07T06:30:00Z

Painted Shoes with Sole

2012-02-06T09:00:00Z

The Office of Angela Scott Footwear

From the OkCupider who stood you up for bocce (classic body snatch) to your go-to brow lady (who’s also “kinda psychic”), everybody’s got a story.

A tale actually worth spreading? That of The Office of Angela Scott.

This week the designer launches an online boutique full of Italian-crafted shoes with personae as colorful as their painted uppers and soles.

Mrs. and Mr. Smith (her, a proper heel; him, a flat oxford) are a traditional-looking pair — until you read into their flaming pink stripes.

Prim Miss Wright lace-ups and Mrs. Seymour saddle shoes tell a saucier saga than their traditional counterparts, and Mr. Oliver equestrian boots are finished in quirky canvas. (Here’s hoping the red, white, and blue Americana edition becomes a permanent fixture.)

Whatever she’s selling, we’re buying.

Available online at theofficeofangelascott.com, $350-$825.

Photo: Jessica Watts / Courtesy of The Office of Angela Scott

Brooklyn-Made DL Skateboards

2012-02-06T08:45:00Z

Wheels to Flip For

Once upon a time, getting stoked to shred required an appreciation of the half (and full) pipe.

Turn back the clock with DL Skateboards.

The retro rides are attractive enough to hang as art, though founders/couple/longtime boarders Derek Mabra and Lauren Andino prefer you kickflip them to pieces.

In their Greenpoint abode, Mabra cuts and sands planks of Upstate-sourced oak before Andino paints the boards with chill Cali styles. The duo works only when the vibes are congenial, and imperfections like tiny scratches and fingerprints are smiled upon.

Go graphic with distressed stripes or a red and white rising sun, or let the wood grain shine with an au naturel varnish. All come as decks, but if you crave the wind in your hair (under a helmet, naturally), they’ll attach wheels, bearings, trucks, risers, and bushings for some additional dough.

We expect high times.

Available online at dlboards.com, $125-$195.

Photos: Courtesy of DL Skateboards

Randwiches Lunch Delivery Begins

2012-02-03T08:45:00Z

The Best Thing for Sliced Bread

Apologies, lunch ladies. Mystery meat never did it for us.

A daily serving of strange we can get behind: Randwiches.

Founded as an extracurricular activity for Jenn de la Vega and Jeff Stockton of Brooklyn catering company Escoffiette, the operation delivers lunchtime surprises on hearty slices of bread.

Consider each day’s unannounced creative filling a pop quiz, although past valedictorians include roast beef with jalapeno mustard and wild mushrooms (pictured), chicken adobo with mofongo, and Kobe beef with onion jam and scallion butter. The duo gets extra credit for honoring food restrictions.

Sign-ups start today, there’s no minimum order (a week’s notice is required for groups of eight or more), and they deliver anywhere the subway reaches. A sandwich sets you back $7 — with tips accepted only in the form of tweets, Facebook posts, and word of mouth.

Feel free to pass a note in study hall.

Sign up online at randwich.es. The first twenty people to mention DailyCandy get sent to the front of the line.

Photo: Jeff Stockton / Courtesy of Randwiches

Screen Play: February's Must-See Movies

2012-02-03T08:30:00Z

The Weekend Guide

2012-02-02T09:00:00Z

Online Finds, Fashions, and Fodder

Low-impact weekending.

PLAN
Low-Commitment Projects
What: There’s no need to DTR here. Two cute, bicoastal BFFs post lazy-day projects each Monday to please even the most flighty DIYers.
Why: Serve Mondrian-inspired sandwiches, fashion fake self-help book covers (Eat Your Way Thin), and more.
Where: Online at lowcommitmentprojects.com.

SHOP
Eaton Trading Company
What: Men’s and women’s fashions, bags, jewelry and accessories from the likes of A.P.C., Band of Outsiders, Steven Alan, Rag & Bone, and Rachel Comey.
Why: DC readers get 30 percent off site-wide (and an additional 30 percent off sale items) with code VALENTINE thru Sun.
Where: Online at stores.eatontradingcompany.com.

SET
Palace Dinnerware
What: Unfortunately, Will and Kate can’t make it to supper. Save face by serving your meal with black and white plates, cups, bowls, and platters that, when assembled, transform into classic palaces ($75-$529).
Why: Seven-piece sets stack up like Russian dolls for eye-catching storage or display.
Where: Online at shop.thefutureperfect.com.

EAT
Typocolate
What: Milk and dark chocolate bars ($20 for two) engraved with irreverent typographic messages (Best Day Ever, Oui? Oui.) that spell out your feelings.
Why: Food should always be art.
Where: Available for preorder at shop.godynamo.com.

SUPPORT
Mulu
What: A new social sharing site with a charitable twist. Post what you like (clothing, toys, gadgets), and when people buy your picks, a percentage of the proceeds goes to your choice cause.
Why: Join the cerebral-ebrity ranks of Jonathan Franzen (for the American Bird Conservancy) and Toni Collette (Doctors Without Borders).
Where: Online at mulu.me.

Photo: Courtesy of Low-Commitment Projects