"WHERE would I wear that?" we are constantly asked. Lots of places, of course. Clothes can set your mood--silly, sophisticated, serious, smug, sexy, or so what? Why not take advantage of them?

Here's our list of current favorites--places we like to go to eat, drink, relax or soak up culture. So pick out something you've been wanting to wear and then the "where" to wear it.

 

..........................

p l a i n c l o t h e s
2820 Linden Avenue, Homewood, Alabama
205.871.3391
email us

 

 MUSEUMS 

BOSTON

Museum of Fine Arts Boston
[465 Huntington Ave.]

  • Jewels, Gems and Treasures: Ancient to Modern
    July 19, 2911 - November 25, 2012
  • Beauty ad Duty: Textiles and the Home Front in WWII Britain
    October 8, 2011 - May 28, 2012

........................

CHARLESTON, SC

The Charleston Museum
[360 Meeting St.]

  • Coat Check
    through March 4, 2012

........................

CHARLOTTE, NC

Mint Museum Randolph
[2730 Randolph Road]

  • Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman
    through February 26, 2012

........................

CHICAGO, IL

Chicago History Museum
[1601 N. Clark Street]

  • Charles James: Genius Deconstructed
    October 22, 2011 - April 16, 2012

........................

DENVER, CO

Denver Art Museum
[13th Avenue between Broadway and Bannock]

  • Yves Saint Laurent—A Retrospective
    March 25, 2012 - July 7, 2012

........................

INDIANAPOLIS, IN

Indianapolis Museum of Art
[4000 Michigan Road]

  • Material World
    through February 6, 2012

........................

KENT, OHIO

Kent State University Museum
[515 Hilltop Dr.]

  • A Day at the Beach
    through October 7, 2012

  • Sustainable Fashion: Exploring the Paradox
    through March 18, 2012

  • On the Home Front: Civil War Fashions and Domestic Life
    September 30, 2011 - August 26, 2012

........................

LONDON

Victoria and Albert Museum
[Cromwell Rd.]

  • Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950
    May 19, 2012 - January 6, 2013

Design Museum
[28 Shad Thames]

  • Christian Louboutin Retrospective
    March 28 - July 1, 2012

Fashion and Textile Museum
[83 Bermondsey St.]

  • From Catwalk to Cover
    November 18, 2011 - February 26, 2012

........................

LOS ANGELES

The Getty Center
[1200 Getty Center Drive]

  • Herb Ritts: L.A. Style
    April 3 - August 26 2012

LACMA
[5905 Wilshire Boulevard]

  • California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way
    October 1, 2010 - March 25, 2012

........................

NEW YORK CITY

Gallery at the Bard Graduate Center
[18 W. 86th St.]

  • Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones
    through April 15, 2012

Metropolitan Museum of Art
[1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St.]

  • Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion
    May 10 - August 19, 2012

Museum of the City of New York
[1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St.]

  • Cecil Beaton: The New York Years
    through February 20, 2012

The Museum at FIT
[corner of 7th Avenue and 27th Street]

  • Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America)
    February 10 - April 17, 2012

........................

PARIS

Musee des Arts Decoratifs
[107 Rue de Rivoli]

  • Lous Vuitton Marc Jacobs Retrospective
    March 9 - September 16, 2012

........................

SAN FRANCISCO

De Young Museum
[50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.]

  • The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk
    March 24 - August 19, 2012

........................

TORONTO

Bata Shoe Museum
[327 Bloor St. West]

  • Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection
    May 10, 2012 - April 7, 2013

  • The Roaring Twenties: Heels, Hemlines and High Spirits
    through June 2012

........................

WASHINGTON, D.C.

National Museum of American History
[14th St. and Constitution Ave.]

  • The First Ladies
    Ongoing

........................

WEST PALM BEACH, FL

Norton Museum of Art
[1451 S. Olive Ave.]

  • Cocktail Culture
    through March 2012


 


 

 

RESTAURANTS


NEW YORK CITY

Archive

Aurora
[If you're trekking over to this high-energy area of Brooklyn, the lovely little garden here is a charming retreat for lunch. Cash only.]
70 Grand St.
Williamsburg
718-388-5100
visit their website

Avra
[Grilled fish and other Greek specialties are delicious. Sit outside, if you can.]
141 E. 48th St.
212-759-8550
visit their website

Barbuto
[A lively spot for chef Jonathan Waxman's modern take on Italian food. As always be sure to try his roast chicken.]
775 Washington Street
212-924-9700
visit their website

Blue Hill
[Outstanding new American cuisine, seasonal and locally grown. The credo here is "Know thy farmer."]
75 Washington Pl.
212-539-1776
visit their website

Café Boulud
[French/eclectic, elegant, near Whitney Museum]
Surrey Hotel, 20 E. 76th St. (between 5th & Madison)
212.772.2600
visit their website

Mas
[Exceptional new American cuisine rethought by a French-trained chef using seasonal and locally-grown ingredients.]
39 Downing St.
212-255-1790
visit their website

Seasonal Restaurant and Weinbar
[Two young Austrian chefs tweak the foods of their childhood and in the process have already garnered a Michelin star.]
132 W. 58th St.
visit their website

Pepolino
[It's no surprise that this restaurant makes you feel like you are dining in Firenze since the owners are veterans of that city's famous Cibreo. Our extremely charming waiter swore that the delicious octopus he brought us was prepared according to a recipe handed down from the Renaissance, and we were easy to convince. You, too, can eat well, listen to his stories and become a believer; just ask for Matteo.]
132 W. 58th St
(between Canal & Lispenard)
212.966.9983
visit their website

PizzArte
[ True Neapolitan pizza from ingredients to oven to execution--yum. And don't overlook the unusually varied winelist. This sleek pizza palace doubles as a gallery representing current artists from the area surrounding Naples, too. Bravo.]
69 W. 55th St.
212-247-3936
visit their website

Sfoglia
[A real trattoria in the middle of Manhattan. It's tiny, so book ahead.]
1402 Lexington Avenue (@ 92nd Street)
212-881-1402
visit their website

Telepan
[Low-key, quiet, convenient to Lincoln Center, and the food's delicious. If you are looking for a terrific Sat/Sun brunch, try this one.]
72 W. 69th St.
(just off Columbus Ave.)
212-580-4300
visit their website

........................

NEW ORLEANS

Gautreau's
[Take the St. Charles streetcar to Soniat St., then walk over a few blocks to this sophisticated neighborhood spot. Be sure you've got the address, since there's no sign at front.]
1728 Soniat St.
504-899-7397
visit their website

Herbsaint
[Robust Southern classics dished up New Orleans-style and tweaked with a few lagniappes from France, Italy and Cajun country.]
701 St. Charles Ave.
504-524-4114
visit their website

Mila
[The Southern food of Mississippi and Louisiana (thus, MiLa) is the starting point here skillfully clarified and deftly refined by a pair of married chefs who hail from those very states. Hands down, the best "serious" meal we enjoyed on a recent eating binge in NO.]
817 Common St.
504-412-2580
visit their website

Polo Club Lounge
[A near-perfect spot for grownups to enjoy a cocktail while listening to a stellar nightly jazz lineup.]
300 Gravier St.
(in the Windsor Court Hotel)
504-523-6000
visit their website

Sazarac Bar
[Newly recreated as part of the massive renovation of the storied Roosevelt Hotel, this handsome bar originated the eponymous cocktail. Visit at an off-hour, and you can chat with the bartender, but at cocktail time it's standing-room-only and painfully noisy.]
123 Baronne St.
(in the Roosevelt Hotel)
504-648-1200
visit their website