Miracle In Manhattan - Made Possible by The Man with The Right Stuff

While I was stuck in traffic today experiencing copious amounts of road rage I was texted with the news about the US Airways flight 1549. (yeah I know I shouldn't have been texting but traffic was at a complete standstill)

This is an incredible story.

From wcbstv.com
Mayor Lauds Pilot, Urges Caution On Crash Cause
Governor Calls Incident 'Potential Tragedy That Turned Into Most Spectacular Day For NYC's Agencies'
All 155 Onboard Accounted For, Only Minor Injuries Reported

The pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 was being lauded as a hero Thursday night after he somehow managed to land a plane with two blown engines safely in the middle of the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew have been accounted for, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Captain Chelsey Sullenberger - The Hero

The Man with The Right Stuff

And from the Wall Street Journal

Pilot Is Hailed for Pulling Off Feat Few Others Have Ever Done

Although commercial jetliners are equipped with life vests and inflatable slides for an emergency landing on water, it is a seldom-attempted feat. Indeed, even though pilots go through the motions of learning to ditch a plane in water, the generally held belief is that such landings would almost certainly result in fatalities.
The US Airways pilot accomplished that feat while simultaneously coping with numerous other challenges. In the minutes after takeoff, the pilot managed to maneuver past the skyscrapers of Manhattan and into the crowded Hudson River, even though the engines were disabled after apparently hitting a flock of geese.
Passengers said the plane was vibrating violently and the cabin began to fill with smoke. To reach its splashdown spot, witnesses said the jet glided over the George Washington Bridge before plopping into the water.

"The fact that passengers were able to walk off that airplane and wait on the wing for rescuers to arrive is remarkable. It's amazing," said aviation consultant Tommy McFall, a former airline pilot and retired accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.

For more on this pilot and safety consultant, the Smoking Gun has his resume.

I could only hope that I would have a pilot with this level of professionalism every time I fly.

Vintage Value Venture - All Tied Up In Trigere

It's hard to get into the Holiday spirit when you live in Los Angeles. Given the weather no matter where you go, at whatever time of day it seems that there's always someone wearing shorts and a T shirt. Not very Christmas-y.

If you're lucky...like some people I know.....who get to jet off to New York for a little snow and mistletoe and Holiday cheer..you might want to pick up this vintage Pauline Trigere coat and some Beladora jewelry for a little ice skating at the rink in Rockefeller Center while you admire the decorations on the Christmas Tree.

Vintage 1960's Pauline Trigere Tweed Coat From Timeless Vixen $390

Beladora Set of Three Retro Bracelets With Diamond Clasps $3250

Beladora Vintage Mid-Century Diamond Brooch $3250


The only things missing from this outfit are a fur muff and a fur hat...and a player from the New York Rangers to catch you as you slip on the ice....

Bling Biz - The Glitter Gulch is Growing

So according to the New York Post

HIGH-END BLING IS STILL THE THING
AFFLUENT JEWELERS OPEN BOUTIQUES ON MADISON AVENUE

Despite the financial crisis, a slew of upscale jewelers are opening and expanding new boutiques on some of the priciest blocks of Madison's venerable shopping strip on the Upper East Side.

For some reason I find this very amusing

Last week, the British diamond merchant Graff staged a lavish cocktail party to open a giant boutique at the corner of Madison and 63rd Street. The four-story, 4,000-square-foot store - built over two years at a cost of $14 million - has been decked out with imported marble and an array of solid bronze fixtures including a commode from a French designer.
"Other people would use regular brass and stain it to look like bronze," said Henri Barguirdjian, CEO of Graff America. "But no."

It must be the "But no" response...obviously no price is too high for Graff's interior decor.

While Luxe clothing boutiques are cutting back on expansion the jewelers are on a jaunt.

And while Asprey, Chopard, Pomellato and Leviev all opened new boutiques last year, new shops are coming soon - David Yurman, Girard-Perregaux, Carat and Jack Vartanian to name a few, she says.
"We used to call Madison the Gold Coast, but now it has become the Jewel Coast," Consolo said, comparing the strip to Bond Street in London and Place Vendome in Paris, where jewelry giants like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels make their home.

And here's the economic reasoning

But jewelers offer another reason for the flurry of fresh leases: In a down economy, jewelry sales hold up better than clothing and accessories. If a super-wealthy shopper frets about buying a $10,000 handbag from Hermes, she might feel less guilty about a $50,000 diamond necklace because it's more likely to hold its value.
"When people are looking at their portfolios and moving money into cash, jewelry becomes an attractive place to invest," says Greg Kwiat of Kwiat Diamonds.

and high expectations

Alain Nemarq, president of Mauboussin - a 181-year-old French jeweler that opened a boutique two doors away from Graff last month - said despite the financial crisis he's sticking to a forecast for $2 million in holiday sales.
"It's always a very good time to love," Nemarq says.

Well now that the Stock Market has reached 2003 levels,

they better be hoping that there's a lot of love going around.

Graff on a Gambol or Betting on the Billionaire Boys

Recession...What Recession?

Certainly that's the view from Larry Graff's glamorous world.

Style.com reports that London's uber jeweler to Saudis and Socialites, Graff, has just opened his flagship New York store.

Larry Graff and Stephanie Seymore aka Mrs Peter Brant

“We’ve had a record six months,”
said Laurence Graff. “Not in spite of the credit crisis but because of the
credit crisis.” He continued, spelling out the jeweler’s clearly
winning take on navigating global economic discord: “In times of chaos, you have to go back to the basics, one of which is treasure. Treasure never becomes worthless. And that’s what we sell.”

Opposite of what I read on Idex and RAP, I'm glad to know that someone out there in retail land is making big bucks with big bling.

Costume Institute 2009 - The Model As Muse

This coming year's theme for the Gala of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the Model as Muse.

Posted by Fashionology

As Harold Koda, curator of the Costume Institute, explained: "We look at the power of clothing, fashion
photography and the model to project the look of an era. With a mere gesture, or
the line of her body, a truly stellar model can sum up the attitude of her time,
creating an alluring synergy between herself and the clothing to communicate a
designer’s message to the wider world."

Marion Morehouse aka Mrs e.e.Cummings - The First Super Model
Lisa Fonssagrives

Suzy Parker

Jean Shrimpton

Today's Ultimate Super Model -Giselle Bundchen

I just don't know what it is...the clothes, the photographers or the new crop of super models, Giselle Bundchen, Amber Valleta, Kate Moss and Nadja Auermanm...fashion photography just doesn't seem to have the same impact as it did a half a century ago.