The hotel’s plush sitting nooks begged for socialite gossip. The lobby filled with whispers and left-right kiss salutations. The crowd was obviously heavy with anticipation for 2005 International Designer of the Year, Jamil Khansa’s, reveal. Men sporting fur coats over pressed tuxedos brandished their portfolios and dignitaries were greeted with acknowledging nods as models fitted in couture gowns scattered backstage. International Couture Fashion week brought the usual fashion dichotomy of diplomats and divas together at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in February.
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What do beautiful German men, fireworks, the best looking Polaroids you’ve ever seen, an open bar and three bathrooms all have in common? I gazed on them all at the stroke of midnight marking the first day of 2007. Did I mention I was on a boat?

For the past two years a couple of my friends have been adamant about spending the night of New Year’s Eve on the freezing cold water around Manhattan…and every year I outsmart them and rally everyone to seek warmer, less windy climates. I’m very clever. This year, however, with the whole global warming phenomenon, I realized that now is as good a time as any, and I threw on my new black dress, black heels and pearls for this late-December cruise.

Face painting, cotton candy and sensual trapeze dancers? Sign me up! I attended the 29th annual Big Apple Circus gala at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. As I was greeted by clowns and top-hatted gents, I began to wonder where else in this crazy, mixed-up city I could sip Checker Cab Blonde Ale and munch popcorn while watching children frolic around the big top.

Before the show began, Mayor Michael “Big Top” Bloomberg delivered a witty address, nearly stealing the show from the clowns themselves. A Big Apple Circus organization official announced that the night had brought in $1.7 million. Then the evening’s entertainment began, accompanied by a gourmet boxed dinner, including a chicken roulade, herbed couscous, salmon and an apple-date crumble.

The forces of the universe conspired to lure me into a dark hotel with strangely masked men as November expired. To clarify, JuliB.com lured me to the Night Hotel with complimentary Rioja wine for a Masquerade party. AKA; A not-so-well disguised orgy of event planners and party-hoppers.

Given the night’s mysterious vibe, I was not surprised to catch lingering glances exchanged through decadant masks. As the deep bass pounded, more and more men arrived in charcoal suits and the number of women in litte-black dresses increased. Slowly, the world seemed to evolve into a monochromatic underground layer for VIPs only.
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They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And, as we know, every sexy lady likes to get gussied up in a hot dress. Now you can combine the two in a devilishly delectably way—an edible dress! Now I’m not talking edible in the fruit roll-up, stripper panties sense. I’m talking about a gourmet gown made of chocolate, the rich and mouth-watering kind that appeared on the runway at the 9th Annual Chocolate Show.

As soon as I entered Metropolitan Pavilion, I was greeted with a slice of extra-dark Cacao Reserve chocolate and a glass of red wine by Robert Mondavi. Though I am not a big fan of either red wine or dark chocolate, the combination was truly delicious. A sensual explosion, if you will. Spread across two huge rooms, the show featured more than 100 booths of the sweet stuff, from sweet white to bitter dark—spicy, fruity, filled with nuts, and everything in between.
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New York is a place with so much going on and so many choices that sometimes it’s easy to feel like you don’t quite know where you belong. Yet people still find themselves trying to fit their life into a cookie-cutter lifestyle, never to venture out of it.

How fucking boring.

Sure, it’s easier to stay in my comfort zone, especially if, like me, you feel great in your own skin and know what you like. But sometimes everyone needs a little touch of color in their lives… I just happened to get mine with a sassy pair of sneakers on the side.
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