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There’s an expression that goes “See Venice and Die” meaning “it’s so beautiful, you’ll never top it”. I’ve never been to Venice, but I’m sure this comment is right on the mark. However, I’d like to suggest a variation: “See Rome and Die”. This Italian city may not be as over-the-top as Venice, but it’s still a fabulous place to visit.

As the weather continues to change, it's time to take out the sweaters and decide which bottoms you are going to wear. It's true that when shopping for some new fall bottoms you'll find wide leg pants, including gaucho and sailor style pants, on the racks.

I recently came across two riveting, in-depth articles in the September issue of Fast Company magazine. The first titled, “What Would Gwyneth Do?” is written by Anjali Mullany who takes a close look at the actress, Gwyneth Paltrow.

The second one, under the heading Driven recounts the daily challenges of Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who is a member of the Saudi royal family. The author of this fascinating piece is Karen Valby.

If you live anywhere, except maybe on the equator or in the Caribbean, you probably have a array of different types of sweaters in your wardrobe. From chunky knits, soft cashmere, fluffy angora, to traditional wool, you need them all when the weather turns chilly.

Every fall is the same process. I take my sweaters out of storage, inspect them and take stock.

After moving to the East Coast a little over a few years ago, I quickly realized there was an endless array of sights to be seen within a short distance.

Not only having to explore New York City, but then there's Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and the list goes on. There are also trails to be hiked and roads to be biked. Quite simply, as someone that enjoys traveling, it's hard to get bored.

September is a pivotal month for fashion magazines so I decided to take a close look at five publications to see what’s in the news. And yes, I read hard copies because I enjoy flipping through all the pages to get an overview.

A few observations: there’s a lot of repetition, e.g., a lovely young lady (actress, singer) appears on the cover; the number of ads is phenomenal and the fashion reporting is overwhelming.

Manhattan is, by definition, a noisy place to live in the summer months. Construction goes into overdrive and everyday traffic becomes more congested than ever.

So, imagine my surprise when I stepped out of our building on Park Avenue on Saturday, August 1st to something quite unusual – a pervasive and wonderful silence.

My last visit to a museum was on May 1st. This was the first day the new Whitney was open to the public (see July 8th blog). In view of this time lapse, I decided it was a good idea to visit two museums: one I’ve never visited and a return visit to a second one.

I became aware of Tory Burch some years back when I read about her spectacular apartment in the Pierre Hotel and the launch of her first retail store at 257 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan.

Since I’m always interested in entrepreneurs and how they live and work I decided to take a walk down to Elizabeth Street and see the new boutique.

Before moving to New York City, I paid some attention to New York Fashion Week, but I was more interested in what was in the stores that I could buy at that moment.

Flash forward to my time living in New York City and after attending fashion school.

First impression: If you don’t want summer to end and you’re in the mood for more August heat, then the perfect spot for you is New Orleans. My husband and I visited this southern city in late September (pre-Katrina) and we couldn’t believe the blast of hot air that hit us every time we stepped outside.

We are heading for a transition period now. With sizzling August behind us, I believe most of us are looking forward to the cooler days of September and the changes that are coming. I’ve always thought that the year starts in September rather than January because a lot of things are happening, e.g., going back-to-school, transitioning to long-sleeve tops, making holiday plans for the last four months of the year.