End of an Era

Last night we gathered at Bua, a favorite spot of ours in the east village, an upscale Irish bar with hot bartenders, a porch out front and reasonably priced drinks. While Bua is always one of our favorite happy go-to's, last night was a more somber occasion as we were gathering for a goodbye to one of our close friends, P. She's off to teach English in Italy for the summer & then to Istanbul in the fall.

While it's typical of New Yorkers to come and go, we all started in the fashion closet at W magazine together & spent our formative years right out of college going to drunken brunches that turned into 15-hour binge fests, throwing summer parties on P's roof on the lower east side, spending work nights out partying until 2 am when one of us was having boy problems (which, let's face it, was most of the time), meeting together for dinners to discuss life, work & men. Typical New York activities with your girlfriends that get you through the tumultuous years of your twenties. As we grow older and all move in different directions with our lives, we'll always remember these years & hopefully still have the friendships to fall back on. Even so, as we go to see SATC2, our usual foursome will be a threesome, which is just not the same.

We'll miss you P, but you'd better believe that we'll be visiting you in Istanbul and bringing along all of our New York shenanigans.

xx H&J

H & P

J & R

The usual crew.

One last photo of our foursome in NY. We'll miss you P!

Weekend Review

Friday took us out to Brooklyn for the 30th birthday party of a dear friend. The venue for the evening was Weather Up in Prospect Heights, a mixology bar sans the uppity attitude and Manhattan prices. Cute ambiance, a large outdoor patio & a bartender who makes a mean gin & cucumber drink made for a fun & relaxing way to end the week. Coupled with catching up with close friends, we couldn't ask for more of a Friday night. Sunday we had a rooftop house-cooling party for another close friend. Wine & good company on the roof in the east village is the best way to spend a late spring Sunday evening fighting off the Monday blues. Along with working on the spring 2011 carol marie collection this weekend & making some custom pieces for editorial, it was all in all a productive & fun weekend. Super chill & great for face time with good friends, we rate this weekend 3.5 out of 5 apples on the big apple weekend review radar.
xx H&J

Outside on the patio at Weather Up!

Obsession: The Olsens. And their shoes.

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with the Olsens. I have been ever since Full House was a primetime weekly fixture on the TGIF line-up. So, of course, when their clothing line, Elizabeth & James, launched footwear a few season ago, I was interested. But it was the chic design, clever detailing & semi-affordable price that made me obsessed. I'm currently pining over their Swoon woven wedge booties. So sleek & yet chunky, casual & yet dressy, sophisticated & yet fun - the perfect balance of everything a girl could ask for in a shoe. Dare I say, they even look comfortable. I can just see myself sporting them with everything in my wardrobe. I might not take them off all summer. I think MK & Ashley would approve.
xx J

We've been blessed in so many ways in our lives that we like to give back whenever we can & help out with causes that we believe in. This morning we did the AIDS walk New York with a few of our friends. The 10 kilometers walk through Central Park & along Riverside Park took us about 3 hours but the weather was fantastic & we were in good company. Enjoying a beautiful spring NY day & supporting a good cause? Sign us up any day of the week!
xx H&J

Marrakech, Morocco - day 4

10:00 AM
A delicious breakfast of Moroccan crepes with butter and honey (and coffee of course) at our favorite café along Jemaa el Fna to start the day off right!

12:00 PM
We stop for creative inspiration at the Musee Dar si Said. As a 19th century mansion that’s been turned into a museum for Morocco’s master craftsmen, Dar Si Said is home to collections of traditional Moroccan carpets, ancient Berber jewelry, hand-carved doors, ornate knives and embroidered caftans. The mansion itself was home to a “great man” and his large harem of concubines who lived in the beautiful courtyard with beautiful mosaic tile work, carved stucco walls and painted ceilings. Our unofficial tour guide tries to steal H into his harem ;)

4:00 PM
It wouldn’t be our last day in Marrakech without a final trip into the souks for a few last Moroccan goods. More insulting of families ensues as we bargain away our last Dirham for perfume bottles to fill with rose water, ancient beads, ornate pendants that function as mini Koran holders and vintage rings.

7:00 PM
Our routine of watching the sunset from the roof is followed by dinner (pastilla - our favorite Moroccan dish by far!) and wine at the Riad. We say goodbye to Morocco and prepare to head back to NY in the morning. We’re grateful for the hospitality and inspiration that this vibrant country has given us. We wish everyone in Marrakech (and their families and donkeys) a long and happy life. We hope to return soon!

xx H&J

In the harem courtyard at Musee Dar Si Said.

H & her new boyfriend.

Jewelry in the Souks.

Saying goodbye to Morocco!

Marrakech, Morocco - day 3

11:00 AM
We decide that it’s time to visit the beautiful Majorelle Gardens & pay our respects to the late YSL. The gardens surround a Moorish villa (painted bright blue) all originally built in 1923 by the artist Jacques Majorelle. Saint Laurent bought the house in the 1980s and had his ashes scattered in the gardens when he passed away in 2008. The gardens are a luscious oasis and we spend time strolling in the shade, enjoying the ponds and fountains, and checking out the collection of YSL "Love" posters on display.

2:00 PM
Lunchtime means a meal of Tagine (traditional slow-cooked stew) and Fanta on the rooftop terrace of a restaurant in the Medina. As we watch the city bustling below us we can’t help but see Marrakech as an old world version of New York. Vendors calling out to passersby, cabbies attempting to rip-off tourists, street performers begging for money. Marrakech is just like New York. But with donkeys.

4:00 PM
More shopping! J buys her brother one of the flutes that the snake charmers use to entrance the cobras with blaring tunes (you’re welcome Mom and Dad), H buys a beautiful cognac leather satchel for a fraction of the price that it would cost in the states. We spend about an hour in the lantern shop as we hold up the lanterns to the light and deliberate which ones would look best hanging in our apartments at home.

7:00 PM
Back to the Riad to watch the sunset from the rooftop terrace, which has become our daily routine and a fantastic way to end each day. From the roof we can hear the distant sounds of the drums and flutes from the Jemaa el Fna, mixed with the sounds of children playing on nearby rooftops. We gaze at the swallows darting about the fading sky and watch as the sun sets on Koutoubia and the city of Marrakech. When we hear the call for prayer time echoing in surround sound from the mosques around the city, we know it’s almost time to head down to the courtyard for dinner.

xx H&J

The beautiful Majorelle Gardens!

Ode to YSL

Birds eye view of Jemaa el Fna.

Sunset from our rooftop terrace.

Marrakech, Morocco - day 2

11:00 AM
We’re off to the Bahia Palace, a 19th century, 150-room palace where a grand vizier once lived with his four wives and 24 concubines. More recently, P. Diddy threw a huge birthday bash here in 2002 complete with dancers performing on flying carpets. The palace is full of intricately painted cedar ceilings, delicate stucco work, stained-glass windows and colorful zellij tiles. We spend time in awe of the beautiful architectural details and enjoying the beautiful Andalusian gardens.

3:00 PM
Our first venture into the Souks (markets) of Marrakech! The Souks are full of the traditional handicrafts of the country and the market is arranged by these categories. Leather goods, jewelry, spices, lanterns, carpets, slippers, woodwork and pottery fill the stalls that stretch for blocks and blocks in any direction. The Souks are full of rich spice aromas, vibrant colors of the wares, the sounds of vendors calling out, and customers bustling to and fro.

Today’s venture in the Souks finds us buying old Berber pottery, vintage Saharan jewelry and antiqued mirrors. We barter with the vendors and get a kick out of the process of writing down our “best price” on a pad of paper that we pass back and forth between the vendor and us. They throw out a ridiculously high price, we feign shock. We throw out a ridiculously low price, they feign shock. The process continues until we meet somewhere in the middle. We learn that the line “You insult me and my family” is a common bargaining tool and add it to our Moroccan lingo.

6:00 PM
Tea time! We wander back to Jemaa el Fna where J has traditional mint tea and H has a café au lait as we watch the square come to life as the day comes to an end. Pedestrians, cars, bicycles, mopeds, donkey carts, everyone shares the same narrow streets here in a dance that follows the rhythm of this vibrant city.

XX H&J

Bahia Palace. Zellij tiles, intricate carved door & stucco work!

Painted ceilings!!

J in the courtyard of Bahia Palace.

The Souks!

"You insult me & my family!" H bartering for a bowl.


View of Jemaa el Fna from our favorite cafe at tea time.

Marrakech, Morocco - day 1

11:00 AM
After a sleepless red-eye flight from JFK and a brief layover in Casablanca, we’ve finally arrived in Marrakech, Morocco for our carol marie inspiration trip for the spring 2011 collection!!! Couldn’t be more excited to see what the city has in store for us.

11:30 AM
We take a taxi our hotel, Riad Kaiss, a small boutique hotel located in the central part of the city, called the Medina. Riads are traditional Moroccan houses with the rooms built around a courtyard and many of them now function as boutique hotels in Morocco. Ours is complete with a spa, pool, courtyard and rooftop terraces that overlook the city.

3:00 PM
After a quick nap to catch up from the flight, we walk from our Riad to the Jemaa el Fna, the square that functions as the heart and soul of Marrakech. Open-air cafes and restaurants line the plaza and the hustle and bustle of the city passes through. The square exudes a vivacious energy and is filled with snake charmers, vendors, henna tattoo artists, entertainers, food stalls and musicians.

5:00 PM
We check out the Koutoubia mosque just as the ethereal call for evening prayers is being reverberated throughout the city. As non-Muslims we aren’t allowed to enter, but we peak into the 12th century mosque to see the faithful conducting prayers. With a minaret that reaches 210 feet, Koutoubia is easily the highest building in Marrakech and functions as the main landmark for the city. To a couple of New Yorkers, 210 feet doesn’t sound tall, but in a city where none of the other buildings reach over three stories high, Koutoubia majestically towers above the rest of Marrakech. We spend some time walking around the garden with swaying palm trees and Morocco’s famous orange trees.

8:00 PM
Back to the Riad for a traditional dinner of harira (Morocco’s delicious lentil and tomato soup), pastilla (a flaky pastry filled with sweet meats and vegetables), and of course wine!

xx H&J

The courtyard of our Riad.

The tiny, but beautiful, doors that lead to our room at the Riad.

Jemaa el Fna with Koutoubia minaret in the background.

Snake charmer!

H in front of the fruits & nuts stands in Jemaa el Fna.

Koutoubia