Tcherassi Hotel and Spa, Cartagena

Set in a restored 250 year old mansion, Tcherassi Hotel and Spa is the creation of fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi. Boasting seven unique rooms and suites, four pools, an Italian restaurant and a spa, the space is a mix of glitz and simplicity, colonial charm and contemporary design. Photos: Tcherassi Hotel & Spa.

Design Hotel, Sezz Saint Tropez

Hotel Sezz Saint Tropez from Shahe Kalaidjian, architect Jean-Jacques Ory and designer Christophe Pillet offers it's guests isolation from the rest of Saint Tropez, instant beach access and your own personal assistant. But of equal importance is it's modern, clean lined interpretation of the beach resort. Without a hint of pretension, the spaces look comfortable, and casual with a sleek elegance.

Miami Design District, Jeff Jones Lighting at NOW

Now, A Style Store, is a great find in Miami's Design District. They carry a mix of products from lighting, to furniture, to pottery... One designer of note is Jeff Jones, whose lighting uses a mix of industrial and organic materials to create a nice juxtaposition. Wood, concrete, iron, steel, electrical cords, in a variety of colors, and found objects create interesting designs that you can modify, with the designer, to meet your needs. They are a refreshing change from the often seen, mass produced and spare lighting in many design stores these days.

Miami Design District - Marni Fall 2011

I just returned from Miami and was so happy to see the expansion of the Design District since my last trip several years ago. If you are planning a trip to Miami, the Design District is a must see. I will be featuring some shops, designers and items that caught my eye on this visit for the next week. But today is fashion, I'm a huge fan of Marni, and the shop was lovely. So was Pia, the sweet, young woman who waited on me. No haute couture attitude here. She was as approachable as the designs, and happy to share information whether she sensed a sale or not. As for the clothing, jewelry, shoes and bags... to die for. A great mix of texture, interesting drape, color and pattern, both geometric and contemporary floral. Coats in quilted down, shearling and wool were wonderful. Chunky jewelry in horn, wood and acrylic were high impact but comfortable to wear. The shoes... sculptural works of art and funky fun. I can't say enough about this line. You really have to see it, feel it and try it on to fully appreciate it.

Pan Am Today!

As a child, I flew on Pan Am several times. Those where the days when just getting on an airplane was an exciting event, and Pan Am made it even better. Children where often given Pan Am wings to wear and a Pan Am deck of cards to occupy them during the flight. You couldn't walk through an airport without spotting the Pan Am blue bags. They brought a new style to the air that is making a comeback in the new CBS series "Pan Am" scheduled to start tonight. You can own your own piece of this nostalgia in reissues of Pan Am products. Photos from panam.com.

Starchitects on Parade

Today's NY Times Style Magazine features the art and architecture of Chateau La Coste, outside of Aix-en- Provence. This 600 acre space features the work of Frank Gehry, Richard Serra, Tado Ando and Louise Bourgeois with additional work by Oscar Niemeyer, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano to come. Photos from NY Times and Chateau La Coste. See NY Times and Chateau La Coste sites for more information.