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'Tis the season for getting your shop on. Pop into the Aether apparel Airstream trailer (designed by Philippe Starck cohort Thierry Gaugain) parked at The Plaza at Preston Center through December 29 for a Gstaad-ready wardrobe … Heritage Auctions' Holiday Luxury Auction happens Tuesday, December 4, live and online, featuring more than 900 items, including a black-crocodile-anddiamond Birkin, a Gucci diamond-and-gold pineapple minaudière, a shearling Hermès Kelly handbag, a Louis Vuitton jewelry box by Takashi Murakami, a red crocodile YSL tote and a range of Hermès scarves, with all lots starting at one dollar. Check out the action at ha.com/luxury … Shop Ralph Lauren in Highland Park Village Thursday, December 6, 6 to 8 pm; 15 percent of proceeds benefit The Wilson Foundation, serving disadvantaged children of South Africa … LF in West Village hosts a holiday party Saturday, December 8, with sweet treats and its new Youth in Revolt fashion collection … Forty Five Ten decks the halls with its Shiny Happy People holiday party Tuesday, December 13, 6:30 pm, with DJ Lucy Wrubel and jewelry designer Dean Harris … Also December 13, Danish model/singer/fashion designer Anine Bing [ [ joins local fashion bloggers Jane and Judy Aldridge at Elements for a trunk show … Throughout NorthPark Center, the holiday festivities are in full swing. Your $5 raffle ticket for the Home for the Holidays campaign might win your pup new digs and will definitely provide a better life for animals living at the SPCA. Meanwhile, NorthPark's renowned trains are back for another season, venturing through local cityscapes. And don't miss a photo op — or the chance to tell Mr. Claus what's on your wish list — through December 24 in NorthPark's Macy's Court … Stanley Korshak glitters this month with a Sylva & Cie jewelry trunk show and PA from designer Sylva Yepremian December 6 through 8, followed by a Carolina Bucci show December 19 through 22 … Tootsies hosts the Children at Risk Mother-Daughter Fashion Show Thursday, December 6, 6 to 8 pm; Leigh Elena Navarro, designer of Leighelena jewelry, is in store December 13 and 14 for a trunk show … Neiman Marcus NorthPark welcomes a host of talents this month: Emily Armenta, December 5; Sylvie Chantecaille, December 7; Stephanie Anne, December 13 and 14; and Cynthia Bach, December 15 … Keep an eye open for the new Natuzzi Italia shop in the Cantoni showroom, debuting early this month at 4800 Alpha Road … Flash forward to February when Ornare — the end-all, be-all of closet, kitchen and bathroom makeovers — makes its Dallas debut in the Design District, only the second such showroom in the U.S. Savannah Christian Pint-Sized Matt's Music Hall What We're Listening To Pleasures Serge Gainsbourg/Jane Birkin, Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is great year-round, but fall and winter feel especially appropriate for his ruminations on love and sex. Everyone knows the classic Histoire de Melody Nelson, but almost as good (and just reissued on CD and LP in 2010) is the sole album he cut with Jane Birkin, the French actress and his long-time lover (and Hermès bag namesake). The record's most popular track, "Je T'Aime…Moi Non Plus," was banned all over Europe for Birkin's convincing ad-libs during the song's very literal climax. The 35-minute song cycle is short enough to rifle through several times in a day; it's addicting, timeless pop music. Jessie Ware, Devotion. The 27-year-old British singer made her name by adding vocals to songs for producers such as SBTRKT, but her recently released collection is a throwback to the great records from singers like Sade and Aaliyah. Ware smartly blends her adaptable, impossibly smooth voice over tracks that mix early-2000s R&B production with a contemporary flair inspired by artists James Blake, the xx and Jamie Woon. The result is "Sweet Talk," a sultry whisper of a song that wanders through noticeable reference points (Prince, even Mariah Carey) while sounding totally unique. Put it on and clean your house with sophistication. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city. Lamar's official debut album, on the heels of a great independent mixtape in 2011, is a marvel: 12 songs that build a narrative of the younger Lamar's self emerging into the violent and ruthless world of inner-city Compton. He's subtitled the record "A Short Film by Kendrick Lamar," and while this would normally emit skepticism, he pulls it off. The record is as immersive as a film, as textured and nuanced as a Teju Cole novel, smart and progressive in equal measure. A record that already sounds classic. At the foot of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge lies Four Corners Brewing Co., the source behind many of the bespoke ales and porters on tap at Enos, Union Bear, Common Table and Lockhart Smokehouse. With more than 55 years of combined know-how in banking, finance, engineering, sales, marketing and, of course, brewskis, the team —George Esquivel, Four Corners Brewing Co. Greg Leftwich, Steve Porcari and brewmaster John Sims — tapped into the current buzz for artisan beer, with a 10,000-squarefoot warehouse with a large rooster painted on its side. Libations named after paleteros (ice cream vendors) and the Community Gardens of Oak Cliff (i.e., La Bajada Brown, Local Buzz and Red's Roja) spread the hometown love. And for $700, the company is offering the Personal Brewtopia holiday package, a facility sightsee and a hands-on class in which hops lovers will make an entire 15.5-gallon keg of their own. 423 Singleton Ave., 214.748.2739; fcbrewing.com; kegs available through Lone Star Beverage, Parkit Market, and North Oak Cliff Beer & Wine. Savannah Christian Tame Impala, Lonerism. The Australian band follows up its pretty great 2010 debut, Innerspeaker, with a record that does everything sophomore outings are supposed to do: Expand their sound, build on themes, go deeper and wider. They sound like the Beatles, sure, but that actually means something here — songwriter Kevin Parker channels Lennon's self-deprecating lyrics (and voice) with a McCartney ear for melodies, all wrapped up in psychedelics, simultaneously as warm as a summer car seat and comforting and cool as a favorite sweater. Headphone music, for sure. The Smiths, The Queen is Dead. What would be winter without a nowtraditional jaunt through one of the bleakest yet most life-affirming records ever made? The band is at its most pitiful, their most persnickety, and their most memorable. Morrissey never sounded so wistful, Johnny Marr's guitar tone never sounded so crisp. A timeless piece of Manchester rock that has proven to be immeasurably influential all these years later. Matthew Ramirez is PaperCity's resident playlist savant. Okay, Boys, Clean Up Your Act Tia Pettijohn and Dana Kale saw a need for gentler grooming essentials as their sons graduated from children's products to whatever was in their fathers' showers. The Dallas duo was determined to create sporty, plant-based formulations without resorting to commonly used parabens and chemicals. A secondary — but equally important — objective was packaging their products in a way that minimized environmental impact, with a design appealing to men. The result is Kale Naturals, a line of shampoo, cleansers, shave cream and scrubs with ingredients that are naturally derived, vegan friendly and made in the USA; all housed in post-consumer recycled materials. At Neiman Marcus, Pockets Menswear, St. Bernard Sports. Savannah Christian DreamScene NYC's Dream Downtown, Presidential terrace Bronze Suite at NYC's Dream Downtown I t's been just over a year since Dream Downtown opened in New York with a lavish celebrity-studded bash, and the chic hotel is as impressive as ever. Located at the edge of both Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, Dream Downtown's '60s-era shell received a $280 million makeover by New York–based firm Handel Architects, who have had their capable hands on a variety of Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Rosewood properties worldwide. Directed in design by visionary and founder Vikram Chatwal, the iconic 12-story building retains mid-century modern ideals, from the minimalist decor of the lobby (think polished teak-plank walls, tufted metallic leather sofas and 200 retro glass globe chandeliers) to the 316 loft-like hotel rooms, a highlight being the Presidential Suite inspired by Andy Warhol's Factory. And if that isn't dreamy enough, the second-floor pool bar and lounge has a seductive, transparent acrylic-bottom pool that's visible from the lobby. Upstairs is hot rooftop nightclub, PH-D, with an outdoor terrace and a spectacular view of the Empire State Building, and steak-centric restaurant Marble Lane stakes out the lobby. Rooms start at $275. 355 W. 16th St., New York, 212.229.2559; dreamdowntown.com. Kate Stukenberg DECEMBER | PAGE 8 | 2012