The Best of Spring Diversions
Bouffants
Add a little oomph to the updo for this hairstyle trend redux. With casual clothes, the bouffant adds a posh twist. Consider the “bouviessence” of fashion icon Jackie O. With work wear, the do adds a bit of sex appeal. Consider bombshell Brigitte Bardot. The higher the hair the closer to heaven. Tease away!
Best deja shoe
The Wedge
In, out, in againâÂ?¦ just keep them in the closet, please. Legs look miles longer, plus no precarious stiletto perching. This season, return to the wedge sandal without irony. BCBG offers a precious teal satin pair with wood stack heels and burgundy ankle ribbons, as well as others with metallic braided straps. Cole Haan’s classic style is reflected in linen and saddle leather wedges with gold horse bits. Kors Michael Kors goes for the 70’s vibe with gold leather and neutral nubuck vamps on cork or espadrille-woven platforms.
Best spot to skulk around
Bishop Arts District
Though it’s fun to mix it up at the uberclubs, it’s much more hip to hang at a locals’ secret nightspot. In just a few darling blocks, Bishop Arts houses some of the best food, music, and cocktails in Dallas. Hattie’s American Bistro serves up amazing southern low-country cooking in an upscale space. Cosmo Rouge Bistro-Lounge is a cool haunt for Martini Tuesdays and Brooklyn’s is the intimate venue for stellar jazz.
Best bling-bling
The right-hand diamond
Ice is nice! What may-or-may-not have began as a marketing ploy has developed into a fashion necessity. Chic singletons are snapping up diamonds – cocktail designs, estate pieces, and traditional solitaires – to flash on the right hand. Indulge in a symbol of success. Those who can buy their own rocks are certainly encouraged to do so. (However, presents are still appreciated, too.)
Best jaunt abroad
Morocco
Bogey and Bacall turned the desert oasis into a lasting symbol of romance and mystery. Casablanca’s just the start of a vacation adventure. Mooresque and Andalusian architecture charm the traveler, along with plentiful open markets and art galleries. Exquisite Moroccan cuisine, horseback excursions, and a shopper’s panoply of intricate leather, brass, and textile work isn’t too shabby either.
Best social soundtrack
Sunny songs
Usher in hot fun in the summertime to warm weather music. Start the mix disc (or ipod DJ station) with Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love from 1967. Choose either The Beatles or Nina Simone for Here Comes the Sun. Take it down with Ain’t No Sunshine (When She’s Gone) as sung by Bill Withers. Then take it up with Smash Mouth’s funky Walkin’ on the Sun.
Best place to cool your heels
Urban Oasis at Hotel ZaZa
The tropical poolside of the Urban Oasis Night Club remains the Uptown see-and-be seen destination. A mini-resort of comfy lounges and cool cocktails beckons some of the city’s most beautiful after-dinner raconteurs. Music, twinkling lights, a perfect pool, and a post-Dragonfly dinner drink make this location a springtime staple.
Best fete to hostess
The tea party
Pretty pots, artful bouquets, lovely little cakes – what’s not to love? The latest trend in home entertaining allows the ladies who lunch converse, circulate, and nibble on ladylike fare. The modern tea party isn’t just an English occasion: turn Japanese with a Wabi Sabi theme, play Francais with brie and tarte tatins, or import intrigue with gilded glasses from Marrakech full of mint tea. Wonderland hookahs strongly encouraged, at least for decorative purposes.
Best fundraiser for fun
Arts & Letters Live
Comedic author David Sedaris is famed for his wry NPR commentaries and darkly funny anthologies of family dysfunction. This month, Sedaris reads from his witty new works to benefit the Kay Catarulla Endowment for the Literary and Performing Arts for The Dallas Museum of Art’s engaging Arts & Letters Live series. Be prepared to fall off your seat laughing, though it’s certain to be standing room only.
Best wink and a smile
Faux lashes
Wear mink like J. Lo. Enhance your lashes with custom additions from our furry friends. Artfully applied by an expert, individually applied lashes last for weeks. A sultry pair of peepers, no mascara required, is the social butterfly’s best friend. Though tinting is a good plan B if you can’t sit still long enough for the faux application.
