By Carson Griffith 7/09/12 6:15pm

As Seen in SCENE

2 Photos

Not a bad view from La Piscine's bar

Hot Spot: Inside La Piscine

Can’t get a yacht this summer? Get a table.

La Piscine—the rooftop bar, restaurant and pool at the Hôtel Americano—is helping busy New Yorkers find a moment of European bliss when they just can’t get away from the city’s sweltering heat. “You almost feel like you are on holiday in New York, like on a trip to the South of France,” says Carlos Couturier, who owns the hotel, along with ten others in Mexico, with co-owner Rafael Micha. The pristine rooftop, which opened simultaneously with the Chelsea hotel last September, hadn’t been able to fully flaunt its potential until the weather reached warmer temperatures this past spring. But now that summer is in full swing, artists and A-listers have been flocking to the small but chic space for a drink and a dip. Read More

By Amanda Cormier 5/31/12 4:15pm

Concerts

15 Photos

Michelle Williams and Lauren Bush Lauren

Philanthropy, Fashion and Canvas (But No Nick Cannon) at the Million Meals Concert for FEED

An exuberant-though-sleep-deprived Michelle Williams presided over the festivities last night at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, where Clarins sponsored a “Million Meals Concert” to benefit FEED, and their goal of providing one million school meals to children in need.

Williams was filling in for Nick Cannon, who at the last minute was unable to fill his role as emcee (yet Tweeted a photo of his and Mariah Carey’s toddler son, Roc, “big pimpin in Italy!” on Tuesday afternoon). Williams told The Observer that her Memorial Day weekend took her from Atlantic City (for Beyonce’s Big Post-Partum Concert) to Atlanta, where she got the call.

“So I went from Atlantic City, to Atlanta, to here today, hosting, performing, run-throughs, wardrobe fittings. Washed my hair today…hotel shampoo’s good, you should use it!” she said, adding, “That was a lack-of-sleep comment.” Read More

By Drew Grant 3/08/12 6:31pm

fashion

marni

Stop the Madness: Marni at H&M Newest Example of Retail Couture Gone Crazy

Look, we’re all for designers making lines for lower-end fashion houses. Why shouldn’t tweens be able to say they are wearing Versace (from H&M) or Missoni (from Target) or Christian Siriano (from his Payless collection)? Who are we to say that only very rich, spoiled children should be able to afford these outfits? We’re not snobs.

But the literal mobs that form whenever one of these designers put out of an affordable collection make us wonder if the hefty price-tags for haute couture are there for a reason…to keep people from killing each other. Read More