trend or treat

are nonagenarians the new trend? or is the trend to spend your life working on something that means something, has value, to you? this weekend i went to two dance performances featuring the work of two choreographers in their 90's: merce cunningham at dia:beacon and the spring 2009 performances at the studio of mary anthony in the west village. why do i love to see dance? it's a great way to really hear music, and at dia:beacon (and all the dia art foundation venues) , to see the best in contemporary art. drive or take the hour long ride on the train from grand central to beacon, ny, to the restored nabisco factory site; the work is so strong that you need not be an expert in anything to enjoy the experience. i love the "string" art. the cafe and bookstore are also great; you can also walk into town to grab a bite at one of the little cafes.

the cunningham performance (with the music of john cage) was inspired by, and set inside, the cavernous exhibition of imi knoebel’s 24 Colors—for blinky. this stunning (and delicious--go see, the paintings look like giant sugar cookies with bright-colored, flooded icing) work and exhibition was supported by gucci. once you're in the neighborhood and if you love gucci, bottega veneta, ferregamo, thomas pink, tods, elli tahari, calvin klein and the like, stop by the woodbury commons premium outlets. unlike most outlets, the merchandise is current, not made for outlets and shockingly well-priced (50% off of half-price). the saks outlet has all the top jeans--seven, rock and republic and the elli tahari store offers the same things bloomingdales is showing now. if you're more into housewares, visit le creuset, crate and barrel, and william-sonoma. other gems are puma, adidas, and american apparel.

i got started thinking about trends and trend spotting because i have a friend who has a preternatural ability to see the next hot thing before it hits any scene. the nyt is always at least a month late in reporting on news i already know. it happens at least once a week--it's our running joke. he rode the l train before it was hip and identified detroit as a go to spot before artists headed there for $100 houses. another example: this week i read an elle magazine article about weightlifting for women about 3 months after he predicted the death of pilates and yoga. months ago, he was all about old keys--and there they are in music videos (keith urban), kate spade ads and tiffany's just launched an awesome collection of keys (yes, i do look at their website and, sometimes, don't just look at the huge diamonds). he also predicted the return of the cassette tape (now popping up all over the place as cuff links, silkcreened onto t-shirts, and faux cassette tape cards concealing memory sticks to fill with digital music for gifting like the traditional mixtape. the nyt style section proposed this item for valentine's day). what will he come up with next?

other new things i need to know: what's going to be my hot flea find at the upcoming big flea in chantilly, va on june 6-7? will this year's peaches be mealy or succulent? will the plums be sweet, tart and juicy?


peace out, flatsie

trend or treat