Lux Lotus

Because New York Loves You (by way of Glasgow)

Living in a city where Aidan Moffat will sing his dirty love songs to you for free in a bookstore tonight is about as good as it gets, so join us!

Windowlicker

"The Casuarina scent in a simple, elegant bottle so you can cast the essence of island air around the room." Spring cleaning, done [India Hicks Island Living for Crabtree & Evelyn Room Fragrance, $22].

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST.

When Design Meets Desire

When I was in high school, most of the maxims bandied about in popular culture were easy to remember because they rhymed and were remarkably similar in terms of the ambitions they set forth: the Beastie Boys' late '80s braggadocio, "I got money in the bank/I can still get high/ That's why your girlfriend thinks that I'm so fly" gave way to Total Devastation's mid '90s, faintly more sobering credo of "There are only three things in life that I need/money, safe sex, and a whole lot of weed." Now that I'm a bit older, I realize that there's so much more to life, naturally. Like a Jaguar XKR and a Nakashima coffee table, for instance, both of which would suit me quite nicely. Fortunately, LX quells my longing momentarily with a short video feature on the latter, sponsored by the former (also above). At any rate, the show is called Gorgeous and features episodes on a variety of topics including "museum design at the new ICA in Boston" and "specifically features design elements of the subject we’re profiling, is no longer than 5 minutes in length and really spotlights and celebrates innovative and cutting-edge design." Many thanks to Lux Lotus reader Will Bressman for the tip! Do check it out.

The Smart Set: April 9 -15

In this week's edition of The Smart Set for MaudNewton.com: ten reasons to stop for a minute.

Wherewithal

Spent the holiday weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with Kevin at his family's place, which I love in the way one loves all houses that have a name, having more fun than previously thought possible like we always do. I really treasure my time there, savoring the wide open, green spaces and the waterways and the swans and just the general tempo of the area. Now I'm back in New York, of course, and it's an entirely different beat. Earlier this evening, I was walking to meet a friend for dinner at Zucco and as I was crossing Delancey, I walked by this boy who I admired for the longest time because he has the best look (think Warhol, the remix, with a sexy edge) and then I met him last week and he said I looked fabulous tonight which was such flattery considering the source (I was wearing: knee-high black boots, a yellow skirt, black knit collared shirt, grey-and-cream striped trench and a vintage wool navy beret sort of hat). Anyway, I was slightly distracted but not too distracted to miss captain of the Kate Moss/Lindsay Lohan/Sienna Miller makeout train team, Jamie Burke, and what appeared to be his entire band trying to hail a cab. He's not my type at all but not bad looking in person.  After dinner, I stopped by Cake Shop to check out The Crier party. I love the idea of "an unconventional mix of stories on everything from art and culture to travel, science, and leisure" and can't wait to snuggle up with the newest issue and a cup of tea in a bit. Tomorrow I have a ton of work to get done during the day (Thursday in New York: y'all come!-- or, its Scottish equivalent) but look forward to the evening. I'll likely either be having a quiet night at home, hanging some rust-colored silk curtains I picked up down South for a song and listening to Neil Young: Live at Massey Hall 1971, or going to a party at Dior. We'll see which mood strikes me.

Windowlicker

[Carved figurine, $415 at Vivre]

[Desk phone, $52 at Retro Junction]

I'm thinking: DIY lobster telephones are the new retro handsets.

Windowlicker - from the French for window shopping: faire du lèche-vitrine - appears on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10am EST.

Sweet Teeth

The best news of today is that Stephen Lance has agreed to send me a box of Tim Tams. BTW, he directed a commercial for them and it is stellar.  I have heard they are really something (and, per my revelation re: British candy bars, am taking all claims seriously) and repeated visits to Tuck Shop have left me sadly empty-handed. I said I'd send something good from America in return, and I'll let you, dear readers, decide... what's the best confectionery delight we've got to offer?

Pictured: Nathalie Imbruglia shows Graham Norton how to do a "Tim Tam Slam."