(Click on links to view images)
Freedom’s Wings
For Capucine Semon, butterflies symbolize freedom, which is why her second shoe collection includes a butterfly slide that frees toes from the cramped confines of trendy pointed shoes. The butterfly is made of glass beads sewn onto handwoven Indonesian fabric and is available in cream (shown), turquoise, and pink ($120).
CALYPSO
424 Broome Street/212-274-0449
Go Fish
Is your little swimmer progressing from guppy to shark? Here’s the perfect accessory. It’s a clear plastic backpack that holds a face mask, swim fins, and a couple of water toys. While this one looks like a frog, there’s also a silver shark version. Both are recommended for kids 4 and up ($18).
MXYPLYZYK
125 Greenwich Avenue/212-989-4300
Look Out Below
Summer’s cleavage-baring fashions beg for an accessory that can nestle you-know-where. Two big, Elizabeth Taylor-worthy baubles and one smaller one on a leather cord should do the trick. A guaranteed conversation piece, the stones are (alas) faux, but so what? Everyone around you will be drawn to the light if not blinded by it ($165).
DESTINATION
32-36 Little West 12th Street/212-727-2031
Hot Seat
While the sisters who design under the name Hable Construction refer to themselves as “country girls,” their products definitely qualify as urban chic. This folding stool, for example, is a little bit campy, yet also cool enough to grace the terrace at 60 Thompson. Made of canvas fabric printed with Hable Construction designs, it works as well as a seat as it does for stacking books ($99).
BARNEYS NEW YORK
660 Madison at 61st Street/212-826-8900
AERO LTD.
132 Spring Street/212-966-4700
Bowled Over
Need to stock up on hostess gifts for the summer? Go vintage! These melamine nesting bowls from the fifties and sixties are fun, colorful, and practical. Marcelo Soriano and Steve Lohr have a great selection in various colors at their West Village shop, the Lively Set. Ranging in size from seven to twelve inches, the bowls are sold individually or in sets of two or three and are priced from $45 to $135.
THE LIVELY SET
33 Bedford Street/212-807-8417
Click here for Best Bets Online at Yahoo!