New York Vintage

Among her extensive hand-picked collection of fine vintage, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld prizes an exquisite black lace slip with peek-a-boo shoulders designed by the late, great Yves Saint Laurent. Julia adeptly plucked the piece from the well-curated vintage designer clothing shop, New York Vintage, located in the artsy neighborhood of Chelsea: "This Yves Saint Laurent dress is actually lingerie, which they don't make anymore now. I bought it at New York Vintage on 25th Street. I call it my Shakira dress!"

It is only fitting that the stylish Julia would shop for vintage here. New York Vintage houses a bountiful array of high end, rare, vintage clothing, whose origins span over 100 years. The store caters to fashion’s top stylists, designers, celebrities... any and all vintage fashion aficionados who seek to indulge their most wanton fashion desires.

When visiting New York Vintage, prepare to fulfill your fashion fix — all that a fashion-lover craves is organized by era, from the 19th century and beyond. Everything is in immaculate condition, so it is best to be at the ready for some steep prices.

Have a special event coming up? Do what Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Jessica Parker have done: Call ahead and book an appointment to peruse the 5,000 square foot rental-only archive. You can rent that Missoni knit dress at a fraction of the purchase price and be the belle of the ball. Just be ready to part ways with it once the clock strikes midnight...

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and New York Vintage photographs courtesy of talesofendearment.com and windowwatchernyc.com

Natalie Joos

The beautiful model and art director, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, was featured last year on a popular blog called Tales of Endearment, and like the protagonists in Rear Window, fashion afficianados around the world participated in a voyeuristic peek into her closet which houses an impressive and impeccably organized collection of vintage fashion. Julia is friends with the founder of the blog, Ms. Natalie Joos, and the two have been photographed out partying together among fashion’s in crowd.

Tales of Endearment is a blog whose draw proves that Hitchcock was right, there is a little voyeur in all of us. The blog chronicles the fashionable life of its founder, Natalie Joos, a New York-based casting director admired globally online for her personal style. Think of Tales of Endearment as an online journal of practically every girl’s dream life — jetting to Europe for Fashion Week, shopping in Milan, attending fashion shows. The blog peeps inside the closets of Joos’ fashionable and famous friends and her photographs always incorporate a vintage vibe.

We observe Joos' life and admire her style:  It is bright, pretty, quirky, and sexy. Of course it doesn’t hurt that she happens to be a leggy beauty with access to the best that fashion has to offer, but Natalie Joos is more than just another pretty face. Hailing from Belgium, she worked as a model and earned a degree in journalism before moving to New York City in 1997. With no set plan for her career, Joos started working as a personal assistant to the accomplished art, music, and fashion writer, Glenn O’Brien. Her stint with O’Brien led to an enviable position as studio manager for the renowned fashion photographer, Craig McDean.

In 2003, after six years learning the ropes in Craig McDean’s studio, and with the encouragement of Mr. McDean himself, Natalie Joos struck out on her own, opening her own casting company. She has a knack for picking the right face and has cast models in editorials for V Magazine, Purple, and Vogue Germany, in advertising campaigns such as Helmut Lang, Hugo Boss, and Rocawear, and in runway shows including Costello Tagliapietra and Cynthia Rowley. She writes for fashion magazines and of course blogs, but that is on the side. Just like the curious and mesmerized voyeurs in Rear Window, we will keep watching as long as she does....

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Natalie Joos et al photos courtesy of Billy Farrell Agency,Twitter, Facebook, Purse Forum, amtvintageblog.blogspot.com, and Fashion Spot.

Ashley Javier

Have you ever wondered how Julia Restoin-Roitfeld keeps her luscious locks so healthy and shiny? One reason for her gorgeous hair is her healthy diet including daily juice; another is hairstylist Ashley Javier, the man that starlets refer to as their secret weapon. Perhaps Javier stands out in the sea of thousands of competitors due to his unique hair philosophy: he recognizes that each client has distinct needs and cuts or colors each head of hair in a way that is not only stylish but flattering.

Moreover, the celebrity hairstylist isn’t afraid to admit that quality hair care products are key to his success. Javier swears by the Kerastase line and Julia apparently heeds his wisdom, as she lists a few Kerastase products among her favorites including Bain Apres-Soleil Shampoo, Bain Apres-Soleil Conditioner, and Soleil Micro Voile Protecteur. One of Javier’s favorite treatments is the Nutritive Masquintense, which is available in two formulas for both fine and thick hair: this particular conditioning masque reportedly improves the condition of your hair after the very first application.

Ready to book an appointment with Ashley Javier? His web site is still under construction, but if you are not far from New York, drop by the salon and book an appointment in person. The parlor is chicly located at 250 Fifth Avenue. If you cannot make it to NYC, don’t despair: for a bit of Julia's hair goodness at home, try the incredible Kerastase products recommended by Javier. Thankfully Kerastase can be shipped all over the world! Word on the street says these products will completely transform your hair, making it healthy and vibrant — a true showstopper.

Finally, Javier offers quick and easy tips that anyone can indulge in for more beautiful, glossier hair. Firstly, be sure to use a deep conditioner on the tips of your hair, as the latter show signs of damage sooner than your roots. Also, Javier stresses the importance of maintenance, indicating that using a clear gloss will make your hair look fabulous. Great tips from a talented hairdresser! Now you can share in Julia's secret to shiny hair.

Ashley Javier images courtesy of Getty Images and © 2010 Condé Nast. All Rights Reserved.

Croque Madame

One of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld's favorite foods is the croque madame, a feminine version of the croque monsieur with the addditon of an egg of course. "The first thing I eat as soon as I get back to Paris," Julia declares, most likely stopping into her preferred restaurant, Café de Flore, to savor this treat known there as "Le Jockey."

This beloved French bar snack is traditionally made with melted Gruyère or Emmental cheese and ham, grilled to perfection between two slices of crusty bread perhaps dressed in a Mornay or Béchamel sauce with an egg sunny side up on top. In parts of Normandy they refer to this culinary comfort as croque-à-cheval. The decadent croque madame first appeared on menus in Paris in 1910 and in literature in Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past) in 1918.

In a pinch in France, McDonald's locations offer the "Croque McDo" sandwich. In the US, a new restaurant called Croque Madame opened recently at Kennedy Airport in New York and Chef Andrew Carmellini features the signature namesake proudly on the menu which you can order directly from the iPad attached to your booth. Located at Gates 25 and 26 in Terminal 2, Croque Madame assures the food will be delivered in ten minutes or less; in the meantime, guests can use power strips in the booth to charge electronic devices while enjoying the free wireless signal.

Croque madame or "Le Jockey" at Café de FloreEven better, try making your own croque madame at home, below is a simple recipe in both French and English. The amounts listed will make four sandwiches.

Ingrédients

8 pain de mie
4 jambon blanc
150 g de fromage râpé
60 g de beurre
4 oeufs
20 cl de crème fraîche liquide
Sel, poivre

Préparation

1. Coupez légèrement le bord des tranches de pain de mie. Tartinez-les d'un peu de beurre. Coupez de fines tranches de gruyère et disposez-les sur le pain.
2. Ajoutez la tranche de jambon pliée en deux. Recouvrez avec une autre tranche de pain de mie préablement beurrée.
3. Dans un bol, versez le fromage râpé, ajoutez la crème épaisse, une pincée de poivre et de sel. Mélangez.
4. Déposez sur les croque-madames une grosse cuillère à soupe du mélange de fromage râpé et de crème. Etalez-le délicatement sur la tranche de pain de mie et réservez. Préchauffez votre four à 180° C.
5. Au moment de servir, passez au four 3 à 4 min puis au gril.
6. Dans une poêle faites cuire les oeufs au plat. Déposez un oeuf sur chaque croque-madame et servez bien chaud.

Ingredients

8 slices of bread
4 slices of ham
150 g grated cheese
60 g butter
4 eggs
20 cl whipping cream
Salt, pepper

Preparation

1. Trim the edges of the slices of bread. Spread them with a little butter. Cut thin slices of cheese and arrange on bread.
2. Add the slice of ham folded in half. Cover with another slice of buttered bread.
3. In a bowl, add grated cheese, heavy cream, and a pinch of pepper and salt. Mix.
4. On toasted bread place a spoonful of the mixture of grated cheese and cream. Spread it gently on the slice of bread and reserve. Preheat oven to 360° F.
5. Just before serving, broil in oven 3-4 minutes.
6. In a skillet fry eggs. Place an egg on each croque madame and serve hot.

Croque madame at Croque Madame at Kennedy AirportCroque madame image courtesy of catastrophysicist.wordpress.com. Croque madame at Café de Flore photograph courtesy of foodspotting.com. Croque Madame at Kennedy Airport photograph courtesy of ultraclay.com.

Nine 1/2 Weeks

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld lists Nine ½ Weeks among her favorite films, not just any erotic drama but a masterful take on manipulation, so I had to watch it. Director Adrian Lyne made his breakthrough with Flashdance in 1983 and followed up with the release of Nine ½ Weeks in 1986. Lyne cast Mickey Rourke as powerful Wall Street maven John Grey and Kim Basinger as Elizabeth McGraw, a sultry divorcée working at a Soho art gallery; Jack Nitzsche scored the film with cinematography by Peter Biziou. The screenplay is based on the eponymous novel Nine and a Half Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair by Elizabeth McNeill.

Nine ½ Weeks differs from the average sadomasochistic fantasy in that Rourke and Basinger create convincing characters and make their relationship believable. The electric attraction between the two from their first moment on screen together propels their impersonal affair throughout the film. The libidinal excitement is tangible as Elizabeth yields to John's need to control, permitting him to explore any number of perversions in their games, enduring his aggression and hostility, enjoying the risk. Note that the Chelsea Hotel and Bloomingdale's are both used as settings for the film, adding that authentic touch of Manhattan to this frank depiction of sexual power.

Nine ½ Weeks promotional poster image distributed by MGM.