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Clean Sweep
Method’s new liquid dish soap is about as stylish as a cleaning product can get. The fragrances (orange, cucumber, mint, and lavender) were developed with help from the people who created Gucci’s Rush and Ralph Lauren Romance. The ingenious packaging was designed by Karim Rashid. It literally stands inverted on the counter (who’d want to hide this chic bottle?), ready for use. Squeeze the container, soap comes out; stop squeezing and the valve reseals, leaving no mess on the counter ($9).
GRACIOUS HOME
1992 Broadway, at 67th Street
212-231-7800
THE TERENCE CONRAN SHOP
407 East 59th Street
212-755-9079
MXYPLYZYK
125 Greenwich Avenue
212-989-4300
Costume Party
Some of the most collectible sixties-era costume jewelry was made by Robert Originals. Kentshire Galleries now has a cache of these colorful pieces – necklaces, pins, and earrings embellished with fabulous florals, kitschy cherries, snails, frogs, and fruit. The collection ranges from $100 to $875.
KENTSHIRE AT BERGDORF GOODMAN
754 Fifth Avenue, at 58th Street
212-753-7300
Take Note
Kate Spade’s quirky sense of humor always finds its way into her designs. Her latest, a set of three pads of stickies, features headings like HI, or the mysterious MEET ME AT THE WATER COOLER, or our favorite, DRINKS AFTER WORK? ($12).
KATE SPADE
454 Broome Street
212-274-1991
On a Roll
The logic of this folk art–ish gem is a bit fuzzy (after all, who puts gumballs into a machine?), but try it and you’ll be addicted. Drop a ball into the box (available in a choice of aquatic, golf, cat, and bug themes) and watch the figures spin and twirl as it rolls down to the bottom – and, yes, you get it back ($89.99).
FELDMANS IV
1190 Madison Avenue, at 87th Street
212-289-2026
Lucky Duck
A fun house gift for summer could be this gigantic yellow rubber duck. Just picture Duckie as the life of the party, hanging out by the pool, in the Jacuzzi, or on the fire escape, wearing one of his two interchangeable hats (sailor or rain slicker), with more to come ($15).
CASWELL-MASSEY
518 Lexington Avenue,at 48th Street
212-755-2254
Building Sights
Fans of New York’s architecture will love Bill Harris’s new book, One Thousand New York Buildings (Black Dog & Leventhal). Its 576 pages are filled with photographs, maps, and loads of building (new and old) trivia. For instance, it tells you that before it became a co-op in 1961, a seventeen-room apartment (including six bathrooms and eight fireplaces) in the Dakota rented for $650 a month. Ah, the good old days ($34.98).
URBAN CENTER BOOKS
457 Madison Avenue, at 51st Street
212-935-3595