Following Rabbits Blog — see it

After work I walked over to Herald Square to check out Sidewalk Catwalk. The parade of mannequins, stretching from Macy's Herald Square up to Times Square each sport a look by a NYC designer. The designers were also encouraged to use materials sourced in the Fashion District. The 32 designs will be on display through Labor Day; while most are made of durable materials, some more traditional dresses may be worse for wear from the weather come August. On that note, get out and see these lovelies for yourself this weekend while they're in pristine shape!

Donna Karan

Maria Cornejo, Betsy Johnson

 Michael Kors 

Elie Tahari (my favorite of the bunch!)

Tommy Hilfiger

 Jason Wu 

Naeem Khan

Kenneth Cole

The mennequins are in the center median on the street, between the bike lane and the car lane. I encountered several irate cabbies and bikers, so just watch your step while you're checking it out!

If I had to name my favorite thing about summertime in NYC it'd be outdoor films! It's that time of year again- to snag your film schedule and shake out your picnic blanket. There are a ton of great films on tap for this summer at various parks and rooftops around the city. Mark your calendars!

Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
FREE, doors open at 7:30p, films start at sunset on the flight deck of the Intrepid (space is limited!). Bring a blanket, snacks and drinks- NO alcohol permitted.
May 28 - Top Gun
June 19 - Field of Dreams
July 9 - Ghostbusters
July 23 - Goonies
August 6 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
August 20 - Rocky 

HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival
FREE, lawn opens at 5pm, films begin at dusk.
June 21 - Goldfinger
June 28 - Carousel
July 5 - The French Connection
July 12 - My Man Godfrey
July 19 - The China Syndrome
July 26 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
August 2 - Rosemary's Baby
August 9 - The Goodbye Girl
August 16 - 12 Angry Men
August 23 - Bonnie and Clyde 

Central Park
Schedule will be announced soon! I'll keep you posted!

Rooftop Films
$10 online or at the door, films shown on various NYC rooftops. Featuring indie/underground films and shorts. Doors open at 8pm with live music, films start at 9pm. Always an afterparty at a nearby bar- free drinks with your film admission.
May 27 - Etienne!
May 28 - Dark Toons
May 29 - Home Movies
June 3 - Full Frame
June 4 - Dangerous Docs
June 5 - Fears and Fantasies
June 11 - Biker Fox 
June 12 - The Man Next Door
June 13 - Tiny Furniture
June 18 - New York Non-Fiction
June 19 - Lovers of Hate
June 20 - Sweet Mud 
Go here for the full rooftop films schedule, film summaries, and location details for each film. 

Movies With a View (at Brooklyn Bridge Park)
FREE, films start at sunset, at Pier 1 in Brooklyn. Brooklyn radio DJs spinning tunes at 6pm. 

July 8 - Annie Hall

July 15 -

Last night I went to the opening reception of Model Citizens, a showcase of 50 independent designers' work. The show runs through tomorrow (Monday) night at 7p, so hurry over there! There are tons of gorgeous housewares, furniture, jewelry, and collectibles. My friend, Ben Light, is one of the many talents showing his work this weekend. He makes really great wooden lamps and mirrors:

Aren't these fun?! He also makes paper cranes then dips them in liquid rubber to make these rad mobiles:

^Totally fell for this unique, fun jewelry by Emily Rothschild. Her skyline bracelets are awesome!

^There's a store set up inside the gallery where you can buy some of the designers' work. I bought this gorgeous NYC metro cuff by Tiffany Burnette of Design Hype, Inc. Love it!

^This wee furniture would be uber cute in a kid's room!

^Squirrel for your wall?

Rooftop Films has announced their summer schedule and premieres this Friday! Woohoo! I went last year to see a series of shorts about Love, and it was a lot of fun. It was a warm May night and they were grilling burgers and dogs on the roof. People brought blankets and picnics, and the films were all great. My absolute favorite was Sweet Dreams by Kristen Lepore:

Tomorrow night's kickoff series starts at 8p at the New Design High School on Grand Street. The shorts on tap for the evening are a series of "grand stories in little packages". Get there a little early to score a good spot and hear music from Twin Sister. The home movies series on May 29 and Fears and Fantasies on June 5 look good. You can see the full schedule here.

With spring weather upon us in New York, the city is coming back to life. I think of NYC in the winter as black and white, but the spring ushers in a rainbow of colors. Cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, pastel-colored fashions walking the streets, watercolor sunsets, Lego repair work on the Public Library... wait, what? Jan Vormann, a 26-year-old artist from Germany, spent 2 weeks "repairing" cracks, murals, missing tiles and stones in NYC using Lego bricks. He calls the repairs "dispatchwork" and had a team of helpers, aged 3 to 40. Looking at his photos then walking around the city is like playing a silly game of I Spy:

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Jan's Lego installations, as it seems that Legos don't stand up to time (or sticky mitts!). The Lego bridge on this mural on the side of the police station in Times Square was my favorite! Alas, when I went to take my own photo of it, I found the bridge was MIA. 

You can learn more about Jan and his artwork here.