Mad Men may be over for this year, but you can at least pick yourself up with a Madison Avenue cupcake from Crumbs.
Ever since I’ve fallen in love with Lolita, I’ve been following several Lolita blogs. One of my favorites is La Vida Frills. It’s not one of your ordinary Lolita blogs with fashion advice, but incorporates her love of film as well. And after going to a college that is famous for its communications school, I love being introduced to new movies, mainstream or independent.
Catching up on all my blogs, I noticed she had a contest about your “Dream” coordinate, which seems to take a step beyond finding and owning just a “dream” dress.
In addition to anime, I would have to say that Anne Rice introduced me onto the path of Lolita. I was a big fan in high school and throughout college. Like a typically outcast I dressed gothic, but I leaned towards more Elegant Gothic. However since I’ve discovered Lolita I have never dressed gothic at all, so this outfit is homage to my gothic and vampire roots.
If there was ever a dress I would love to own it would be Alice and the Pirates’ Vampire Requiem, especially in the red. In addition to being one of the great classics in gothic literature, Dracula is also one of my favorite vampire movies. I’m a big fan of the Aristocratic side of Lolita so I would wear a simple black high-collared blouse with this JSK. And like a vampire I’m very cold-blooded so a black stole help keep in the heat in any weather.
When it comes to dressing in Lolita, I prefer heels to flats. So as a big fan of Vivienne Westwood shoes and I would love to own any of her Melissa collaborations, particularly the Lady Dragon Wax Seal Shoes in black. With spats from MorriganNYC (all sold out I’m afraid), you can rest assure a little dirt or blood will not touch these shoes.
And what’s a vampire without a giant tome to record past lives and never-ending angst? When Innocent World came out with a literal “book” bag, I thought it would go perfect with any gothic coordinate if I ever dreamed of one. I’m also an avid reader and judge books by how many pages, so this would be the best badge of honor I could ever find.
A pair of fingerless gloves to show off rings, and it’s an outfit ready for a local ghost tour or stay inside for some red wine and watch Interview with the Vampire for the umpteenth time.
Macarons are an iconic symbol for Lolita. They appear in prints (i.e. Angelic Pretty’s Dreaming Macaron), jewelry and is a common food item to bring to picnics and outings. Personally, I’m not a big fan of almonds, which is the main component to macarons. Cupcakes are more my thing, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
(Macarons should not be confused with macaroons, as macaroons are made with coconut not almond paste.)
Now before I go any further, perhaps I should explain what exactly is a macaron. A macaron is like a small sandwich cookie, usually about the size of a silver dollar, filled with jam (sometimes crème), except much more difficult to make. Making macarons are like baking a soufflé because the recipe must be followed exactly as directed or else you’ll end up with charred inedible cookies instead of something light and crisp. However practice makes perfect, and when you get them right, macarons are simply delicious. Violet LeBeaux has a great entry on how she made macarons.
A few local patisseries even organized Macaron Day at select shops to raise the reputation of this dainty delicacy. Last March marked the first year Macaron Day came to NYC. Do you have a favorite place to find macarons in the City?
Here are a few places I recommend for your macaron fix:
Financier
(Grand Central)
105 E 42nd St
New York, NY 10017
(212) 973-1010
(Sixth Avenue)
1211 6th Ave
New York, NY 10036
(212) 381-4418
(First Avenue)
983 1st Ave
New York, NY 10022
(212) 419-0100
Bouchon Bakery
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
(212) 823-9366
Macaron Café
(Upper East Side)
625 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10022
(Herald Square)
161 W 36th St
New York, NY 10018
(212) 564-3525
La Maison du Macaron
132 W 23rd St
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-2757
Besides being a meal and a half, Crumbs not only has a Cupcake of the Month but a Cupcake of the Week. This week’s cupcake is the Chocolate Good Guy. With all the colored sprinkles and chocolate, it’s definitely something to pick up on your way home when your feeling down.
Check out more news on Crumbs’ Twitter.
Locations I recommend:
Broadway
1675 Broadway (53rd)
New York, NY 10019
T 212-399-3100
Bryant Park
43 West 42nd St (5/6th Ave
New York, NY 10036
T 212 221 1500
Union Square
124 University Place (W.13th)
New York, NY 10003
T 212 206 8011
Wall Street
87 Beaver St (Pearl/Hanover)
New York, NY 10005
T 212 480 7500*
(NOTE: Crumbs Bake Shop are little like Starbucks in the City, so if you wander around you’ll bound to stumble upon one)
New York City is one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world. Tourists come visit Time Square just to take the iconic picture between Broadway and 7th Avenue. What most people don’t know it is also has one of the largest Lolita communities.
