Tiffany & Co. Marrakesh collection

[all photos tiffany.com]

Paloma Picasso's Marrakesh collection for Tiffany & Co. is stunning. I'm a fan of Picasso's, and not just because her father, Pablo Picasso, is one of my favorite artists, but I've always liked her designs for Tiffany's. Her 'Marrakesh' collection is "inspired by the intriguing patterns of Morocco," according to tiffany.com. Morocco is already a must-see on my travel bucket list.

My favorite three pieces are the gold earrings, bracelet and necklace above. Gold is, of course, very expensive at the moment. The 18k bangle is intricate yet simple ($4,950). I've been wanting a go-with-everything gold necklace. This pendant on a 16" chain is a bit more affordable than the bangle at $825. The earrings are priced at $1,475. Ahh, but they would go well with just about everything!

Here are a few of my other favorites in the collection...Sterling silver ring ($425)

Turquoise and diamond 18k gold band ring ($1,800) - wouldn't that make a pretty wedding band?

18k gold tassel earrings with lapis lazuli, turquoise and round brilliant diamonds ($16,000 - yowza!)

Check out the rest of the Marrakesh collection here.

Met Costume Institute Gala

[all photos dailymail.co.uk]

Arguably the most fashionable event of the year took place last night - the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala. This year's theme is "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity."

As expected, there were guests who played it safe, risk-takers who succeeded and risk-takers who failed miserably. Also, it seems that Jude Law and Sienna Miller are taking a risk and giving their relationship another go, too. Anyway, here are my best and worst dressed picks of the night:

-Anne Hathaway's Valentino strapless sweetheart neck ball gown is so feminine. It's very princessy, and the gold color is fabulous.

-In true diva fashion, Jennifer Lopez wore a stunning sparkly Zuhair Murad gown. It's such a better choice after that Armani Prive dress she wore to the Oscars.

-Emma Watson's white Burberry dress was hip and fresh while remaining elegant and age-appropriate. Well done, Hermoine! -Naomi Watts' wore a magenta, one-shouldered Lanvin gown. The shoulder poof is dramatic yet not over-the-top.

-Also wearing a dress in the red color family was Kerry Washington in Thakoon for GAP. The draping was so lovely. Good job on the simple hair and accessories.
-The worst dressed of the night was Katy Perry. Perry's CuteCircuit dress was unflattering and tacky. I will give her props on her sparkly Louboutins though. Honorable mention goes to Tina Fey and her ill-fitting YSL pantsuit. I'm not a fan of the pantsuit and a firm believer that it should remain in the 1970s vault.

GAP's American Woman tees

[all photos gap.com]

Tonight is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala Benefit attended by the most fashionable people in the world. I can't wait to see what everyone wore tomorrow! I always love to check out the exhibits at The Met Museum in NYC afterward, too. My all-time favorite exhibit is still AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion from 2006. I still have the poster in my room.

Anyway, GAP's Creative Director Patrick Robinson, who is also co-chairing the gala tonight, has created a limited-edition collection of "American Woman" t-shirts for GAP. The shirts range in price from $34.50 to $44.50. My favorites are 'The screen siren' (top photo, $44.50) and 'The flapper' ($34.50). I'm always in search of a good wear-with-everything black or white top, and these two fit the bill.

[The Haute Hippie]

[The gibson girl][The suffragist]

[The heiress]

[The patriot]

Check out the entire collection here.

Lovely desk planners

[store.metmuseum.org]

Yes, I am one of those old-fashioned people who likes to write down my to-dos in a planner - one made of actual paper. With 2010 fast approaching, I must decide which type of planner I'm going to go with this year.

In the past, I've enjoyed using the planner from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have a work of art for every single week, which provides me with a weekly art lesson and offers up some art work to decorate the walls of my grey cubicle. This year's calendar (featured above) is "Secret Gardens," and it's $15.95.
[momastore.org]

I've also used NYC's MoMA calendars in the past. This year's has the theme "Colors of the Rainbow (ROYGBIV)," and it sells for $16.95.
[katespade.com]

Kate Spade also has a lovely desktop calendar. The spiral calendar was illustrated in watercolor by Brooklyn-based artist Bella Foster. It includes three pages per month, plus notes, address and restaurant pages. It's $20 and ships for free.

Now, which of these three gorgeous calendars will I choose to help me plan 2010?

Scent obsession: Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue

[bondno9.com]

I've been a fan of Bond No. 9 perfume for years. Ever since I set foot in their cute little shop on Bleecker St. (next to Magnolia Bakery) I was hooked. Thankfully my cousin, who surely must be Bond's #1 customer at Saks, has tossed me lots of samples.

My new favorite is Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue eau de parfum. It's positively delish. The notes are...

-blue cypress

-fennel (unexpected and yummy!)
-roasted almonds
-pink peony
-crème brulée
-sandalwood

Warhol lived on Lexington Ave. in the 1950s. The fabulous bottle features his shoe designs. Right now, you can get the limited edition bottle with a Robert Lee Morris necklace. The necklace is 18" long and features four sterling silver shoe charms engraved with the Warhol quote, “Beauty is shoe, shoe beauty” ($575). Other prices are: 50ml, $140; 100ml, $205; and bon-bon 7ml $50.

Lucerne and Zug, Switzerland

While on my jaunt to Switzerland, we took the train to Lucerne for $35. We were advised by some locals to stop off in Zug on the way back. It was a good decision.

Lucerne (Luzern in German) is a gorgeous, medieval town south of Zurich. It's surrounded by the Alps including Mt. Pilatus and Rigi. The Reuss River goes through the city and empties into a lake.

After we arrived, we stumbled upon an outdoor church service where some musicians were playing the alphorns (see above photo). Then we strolled around the city looking for the Rosengart Musuem. We finally found it, and it was well worth our hunt. This museum is packed with Pablo Picasso paintings and photographs. There's also an impressive collection of Paul Klee, Matisse and Chagall.

The most notable site in Lucerne is the Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrüke. The wooden bridge was built in 1333. Though most of it was destroyed in 1993 due to a fire, it's still a beautiful structure. The water there is so clear and blue that it's unreal. We had lunch near the bridge at a Swiss German restaurant Rathaus Brauerei. They actually brew their own beer on site and had good pretzel sandwiches.

On our way back to Zurich, we took the 15-minute train ride to Zug. We took a walk around the city. Someone told us that this is where a lot of the wealthy business people live who work in Zurich. I can see way - it's a gorgeous place to live.

Our feet were aching so we parked it for a while on a dock and then at a little lakeside bar to watch the sunset. The sunset was unbelievable. Before we left, we had dinner at a little Italian place called San Marco. It was a great day excursion. I'm glad that we decided to go there rather than making the much longer trip to Geneva.

Zurich, Switzerland - where wine is cheaper than water

I just got back from a whirlwind weekend trip to Switzerland. Back in June, I found a ridiculously cheap airfare for $230 roundtrip (JFK to Zurich) on Delta. Since I hadn't been there but always wanted to go, I booked it stat.

Zurich is frequently rated one of the most expensive cities in the world as well as the wealthiest (hello Swiss banks), so I was a bit nervous. I found that the only really outrageously expensive thing is the food. Most dishes, even sandwiches, run anywhere from $20 to $30. We made the mistake of getting bottles of water for the table at $6 each. The wine truly is cheaper than the water (at about $5 for house Italian wines)! Coffee is also overpriced at $4-$5 for a small cup. My sister got a grande iced coffee at Starbucks for $7! There's a lot of Italian food there though the food isn't particularly notable.

The exchange rate for the Swiss frank and dollar were nearly even so that helped. We stayed at the Hotel Coronado, a very nice but no frills hotel. It ended up being about $135/night.

I've been to a lot of European cities, but I was impressed with Zurich. It's very clean, and the buildings are beautiful and medieval looking. Plus, it's right on the lovely Lammat River which empties into the Zurichsee (Lake Zurich). The tram system is very efficient (they run every 7.5 minutes). We bought a ZurichCard for $38 (3 days) and had unlimited rides. We also took a boat cruise with the card. Many restaurants also offer a free drink when you show it.

There happened to be a retro Ferris wheel in town while we were there. That offered up some great views of the city. They were playing American music from the fifites. We went once during the day and once at night for $8 each. Zurich at night is a beautiful site.

Here are a few of my other favorite things to do and see in Zurich:

-Kunsthaus Museum. This fabulous museum is loaded with Picasso, Monet, Kandinsky, Matisse, Dali and much more. It's was well worth the $10 entry. Visit the site for more info.

-Zeughauskeller restaurant: This traditional Swiss restaurant in an old armory building is located in the Bahnofstrasse shopping area on Paradeplatz. It's a fun experience and a must-do in Zurich. The restaurant was hopping and had a bit of a wait. I tried a traditional Alpine pasta. They also have sausage meat swords (not appetizing for a vegetarian like myself but still somewhat amusing).

-St. Peter's Church: It has the largest church clock face in the world!

-Merkur Chocolaterie: This chocolate shop in the Bahnofstrasse area is heaven on Earth. It's the place to get chocolate for friends back home. They have these big slabs of chocolate that you can get pieces from. My favorite was dark chocolate with cranberries.

-Altstadt: This old town area is a great area to walk to see all of the gorgeous old buildings.

-Bürkliplatz flea market : This flea market open Saturdays May through October was a happening spot. One vendor told us that sellers come from all over Europe to sell their treasures. I found a jewelry box from the 1930s painted by a Swiss lady who painted clocks for a mere $15.

As for my souveniers, in addition to the jewelry box, I brought home chocolate and some really nice, big Bodum mugs with the Swiss flag on them for $8 each. It was a great trip for a long weekend.

Andy Warhol for your home

[cb2.com]

Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists, so imagine my delight to discover these pop art plates at on CB2.com. CB2 is the affordable, more modern sister store of Crate & Barrel.

The "Warhol Quote Plate" is on sale for $0.95 each (dirt cheap!), and there are three different quotes to choose from in red, blue and yellow. They are made of melamine and are dishwasher safe. These are great appetizer plates.

The "1960s Flower Plate" features the designers famous poppies with his signature and a black-and-white grass background. They're also made of melamine and are dishwasher safe. These are available in red, white and green, and they're on sale for $2.50 each. I envision using these for an outdoor summer party.

Find them all here. There are CB2 stores in NYC; Chicago; San Francisco, Berkley and Los Angeles, CA.