TOMS ballet flats

The exceedingly comfortable TOMS slip-ons have been morphed into a collection of ballet flats ($74–$84) for spring. Available in 13 colors and styles, materials include suede animal print, black leather, canvas, burlap, linen, and a woven variety. For fans of the classic TOMS shoe, there is also a limited-edition Valentine’s Day print (gray canvas, pink hearts) available only online. And, as always, for every TOMS shoe purchased, the brand will donate a pair of shoes to a person in need. Nordstrom, 7239 S.W. 88th St., 786-709-4100

Mindy Weiss

Celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss has masterminded the nuptials of such couples as Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi and Heidi Klum and Seal. We caught up with Weiss to learn about the latest bridal trends and how to plan the ultimate spring wedding. 

What is the single-most popular wedding trend this spring?
MINDY WEISS: There is really a trend for a lot of color. You have seen it in magazines and you’re going to see it in weddings, too. Use a white or cream tablecloth with a tangerine and fuchsia centerpiece. That’s where you’re going to get your energy and your color.

What flowers do you recommend for a spring wedding?
MW: Well, it always depends on what is available and what is seasonal. But I think we are going to see bright colors, like in tulips. Roses that are seasonal are coming in so many new colors; it is amazing what they’re doing with roses. And, going into the summer, peonies. 

What types of dresses and accessories are women responding to most?
MW: I’ve teamed up with David’s Bridal because they have a new Vera Wang collection. So I’m finding that my brides are spending a lot less on their wedding gowns and a lot more on their accessories, like their shoes—Vuittons, Jimmy Choos—because they can wear them again. And they’re doing a lot of accessories. We are seeing headbands, like on the red carpet. And also great jewelry that is a little more chunky. I love when a bride wears a big blue bracelet for a blue wedding.

Have you seen any exciting new dress collections?
MW: In her runway collection, Vera has all black gowns, which is very interesting. She also has a pink dress, and Monique [Lhuillier] has a pink dress and a baby blue dress.

What’s your best advice for brides-to-be?
MW: I always say that you can have all the stuff—the flowers and everything—but if your event doesn’t have the warmth and the love, then no one’s going to remember it. So if you remember why you’re there and why you’re getting married, and you’re loving your partner, that’s what they’ll remember. The rest is all fluff—good fluff.

Qua Baths and Spa men's Roman baths

Andrea Magalhaes, the new spa director at Caesars Entertainment Atlantic City, talks about moving to AC, future plans for Qua Baths and Spa and her favorite spa lunch indulgence.

Tell us what’s new at Qua and how you plan to keep it fresh.
ANDREA MAGALHAES: The Lava Melt Massage was something that I had brought in here that’s so popular. We’ve only had it in for two weeks and it’s just selling like crazy. And I created some new services for our couples as well. There are definitely a lot of things I want to do with the pool and the beach. I’m going to create a service menu for outside. I think cabana massages are amazing! [And] now we’ll be offering spa lunch. I’m working with the executive chef to have healthy options. I love the Spa at the Four Seasons, New York—it has a lobster Caesar salad that everybody goes there for. We’re going to do a spin-off seafood Caesar salad—the lobster, shrimp, lump crabmeat and everything. I’m dying to have that. Clients are already asking for it.

What sets Qua apart from other AC spas?
AM: My favorite treatments are the Cleopatra Ritual, which is the scrub, wrap and massage, and the male version, the Hail Caesar, which is the scrub, wrap and massage with men’s products. Men love that. We also have the Poker Face Facial where we incorporate the Jack Black products that I recently brought in.

Chef Walter Staib

One hundred twenty-four restaurants (and counting) take part in Center City District (CCD) Restaurant Week biannually, and it’s easy to see why. While it comes as no surprise that many diners look forward to CCD Restaurant Week, owners, chefs, and businessmen are also raking in the benefits of the program.

During the two-week promotion (January 22 to 27; January 29 to February 3) restaurateurs offer three-course meals to diners for a special prix-fixe—without skimping on quality or sophistication. In fact, many chefs say they offer regular menu items on CCD Restaurant Week menus, focusing on high-quality meals and excellent service to not only attract more customers, but to convince them to return. “I look at it as being advertising: We get our name out there constantly, people see it, they come out and try it and hopefully come back,” says Le Castagne owner Anthony Masapollo “That’s why we got into it—it was a good opportunity for us to be noticed.”

Daniel Stern, the chef behind R2L, also recognizes the value of CCD Restaurant Week’s publicity and has extended R2L’s Restaurant Week offerings to include lunch and brunch. “At the beginning of last year, we actually launched our lunch service during Restaurant Week, and this year we are offering a special Restaurant Week menu during Sunday Brunch,” says Stern. “What is amazing is that it has consistently brought so many folks out to eat who are excited to be dining with us.”

Stern, Masapollo, and other chefs are also grateful for the boost in covers the CCD Restaurant Week attracts during an otherwise slow winter season. City Tavern Restaurant chef and proprietor Walter Staib adds, “At this time of year, there is an increase of 15 to 20 percent more covers. We see a huge difference at lunch, maybe even 30 percent.”

First and foremost, CCD Restaurant Week keeps Philadelphia’s economic lifeblood flowing by prompting diners to explore the local offerings on slower weeknights. Davio’s chef David Boyle sums it up best: “Restaurant Week keeps people in the city, and gets people from the ‘burbs to spend a night or two at a quality restaurant that’s operated by people who care.” And supporting local talent is something we can always stand behind. For more information and a list of participating restaurants, please visit centercityphila.org/life/RestaurantWeek.php

Couples yoga at Dhyana Yoga

This Valentine’s Day, skip dinner and a movie and shoot an arrow in one of these inventive dates that are sure to spice up your night.

A Sweetheart Skate
There’s nothing more romantic than ice-skating under the stars to a soundtrack of popular love songs, especially when a special someone is there to keep you warm. (February 14, 6–9 PM) Columbus Boulevard at Market St., 215-925-7465; riverrink.com

Valentine’s Day à la Parisienne
Center City’s award-winning Rescue Rittenhouse Spa is offering a Honeymoon Massage that’s not just for newlyweds. Couples will enjoy a special 60-minute massage topped off with a glass of bubbly. Available throughout February. 255 South 17th St., 215-772-2766; rescuerittenhousespa.com

A Love Train Tour
Whether you have a plus one or you’re riding solo, take the Mural Arts Program train tour of painter Stephen Powers’ Love Letter Project, a series of 50 love letter murals in West Philly. (February 12, 2:30–5 PM) 1727-29 Mt. Vernon St., 215-685-0750; muralarts.org

Couples Yoga
The Dhyana Yoga couples workshop promises to unite the breath, body and spirit while incorporating Thai massage. (February 14, 6–7:30 PM) 3945 Chestnut St., 215-496-0770; dhyana-yoga.com

The Clay Studio Valentine's Date Night
Feeling a little adventurous? Get your hands dirty and learn four-handed throwing by candlelight with your loved one at The Clay Studio’s Valentine’s Date Night. After class, enjoy light fare, chocolates, wine and champagne. (February 14, 7 – 9 PM) 137-139 North Second St., 215-925-3453; theclaystudio.org

Add flair to your holiday ensemble with a statement piece from The Tiffany Leather Collection. This velvety Bracelet Bag ($995) has a festive yet sophisticated Bordeaux color that looks great against holiday cocktail frocks. The sterling silver handle is done in the signature style of the classic Tiffany Bead Bracelet and the leather trim accents the poinsettia-like pattern of the bag's quilting. 1414 Walnut St.

Barre classes are great—if you can keep up with them. Luckily, Northern Liberties’ newest workout incorporates the best of muscle-toning barre work with mind-soothing yoga poses. Sculpere was developed by Cristina Espaillat, a former ballerina with training at The Rock School and the San Diego Ballet. The class begins with the moderate pace of a yoga class, transitions to a blast of fat-burning, heart-pumping, ballet-centric barre exercises and ends with more relaxing yoga. Espaillat’s studio also offers basic yoga and Pilates classes.

For years the Main Line restaurant scene has been dominated by menu themes like Asian fusion and haute French. But American with a contemporary focus? Michael Giampa had his doubts. “I wasn’t sure if the Main Line was ready for something like this,” says Giampa, who brings eight years of West Coast culinary sensibilities, from a stint in Seattle, to the historic Wayne Hotel’s gorgeous new Paramour as director of restaurant development and executive chef. If a weekend visit here is any indication, Main Liners were not just ready—they had been impatiently waiting. Hotel guests and well-heeled locals descend in droves upon the mother-of-pearl-tiled bar to sip on signature cocktails like the Salted Plum Martini, a rum-infused libation served over a tangle of house-made vanilla cotton candy, and sample sharable plates like wispy-thin roasted eggplant flatbreads. The rich, decorative elements of the main bar—high-backed banquettes outfitted with ornate prints, silk chandeliers dripping with crystals—soften in the main dining room. Here guests enjoy front-row seats to the carefully choreographed theatrics in Paramour’s open kitchen. An eight-seat crudo bar, a favorite among couples, offers a perfect excuse to taste any one of the restaurant’s supremely fresh seafood dishes: Giampa works with fisherman in Hawaii for choice cuts that are packaged and shipped within 48 hours of being caught and prepared. It is only fitting that Giampa’s American cuisine would have a wine list to match: Eighty percent of the offerings are from the US, and the rest of the bottles from some of the next great wine areas. As for the Main Line’s next great restaurant? It’s already here. 139 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-977-0600; paramourwayne.com

Walnut Street is home to Philadelphia’s most exciting shopping experience,” says Jamie Millar, head of retail for Barbour in North America. Which is why Millar is delighted about the choice to open the second Barbour Heritage boutique stateside on the esteemed strip. The iconic brand is one of England’s most revered names in outerwear and best known for its durable, waxed cotton jackets, its hunting gear, and its rugged quilted motorcycle jackets, for which Barbour is celebrating the 75th anniversary with a limited edition collection inspired by Steve McQueen. The “King of Cool” always wore Barbour while speeding on two wheels, a relationship the brand honors with a range of clothing, including jackets whose lining depicts classic McQueen images. 1517 Walnut St., 215-255-8420; barbour.com

Shoreman jacket, Barbour ($899)

Nomad

Unique, homegrown gifts can be found at holiday pop-up shops all over the city this holiday season. Here, a few shops to add to your shopping route.

Who: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
When: December 12–16
What: Beautiful gifts for the gardener in your life at The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s first-ever pop-up shop. The shop includes dramatic island-inspired displays that give a sneak preview of the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show’s Hawaiian theme.
Where: The Market Shops at Comcast Center, 1701 JFK Blvd., 215-496-1810; pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org

Who: 611 Lifestyle
When: December 16–18
What: The brand born out of 611 Records founder Nigel Richards’s love for Philadelphia is hosting its second annual pop-up—featuring plenty of Philly-centric art, music, guest DJs and edgy apparel and accessories for all of the trendsetters on your list.
Where: 225 S. 18th St., Unit 103; 611lifestyle.com

Who: Nomad
When: Through December 31
What: This Chestnut Hill pop-up promises modern and vintage home décor, one-of-a-kind gifts and jewelry, as well as countless items from local designers and collectors. Last weekend, guests shopping Nomad were treated to hot waffles, beer and jazz. Keep an eye on hellonomad.com for upcoming events at the shop.
Where: 12 W. Willow Grove; hellonomad.com