Dressed for comfort
Garden Party + Cooking
Yoga pants, shorts and T-shirts have become the home office attire of choice, unless there’s a Zoom meeting. But comfort doesn’t have always have to be whatever you just pulled out of the dresser drawer. Ballin’s New Orleans Knitwear (NewOrleansKnitwear.com) is a natural combination of style, function and fashion. Designed inhouse, the line – made of cotton – is comfort-driven and made for the New Orleans climate. Separates and dresses in multiple colors make it easy to mix and match. The shoe of the moment – it’s the store’s best-selling shoe – are Ilse Jacobsen’s flats, called “The Perfect Summer Shoe” online by Ballin’s. It is easy to see why. It is lightweight, with the upper shoe made of a laser-cut pattern of recycled microfiber, which makes shoe breathable and the sole made of natural rubber. It is so popular that Ballin’s says that customers often come back to buy another pair, or two.
If you missed going to New Orleans City Park’s Botanical Garden during its peak spring season, no worries as the park will bring it to you. Botanical Garden Director Paul Soniat gives a virtual tour of the garden and all of its beauty, while he serenades you on piano with his original song, “My Garden.” At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the garden’s Kitchen in the Garden started a Chef’s Cooking Series on its Facebook page (Facebook.com/ NewOrleansBotanicalGarden/videos). The first segment featured Chef Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s Restaurant, who cooked up some Thai vegetable curry at home. The idea behind the series, which will also feature video segments from Chef John Currence (City Grocery, Oxford, Miss.) and Chef Ryan Prewitt (Pêche), is that it is a way to encourage people to donate to the Hospitality Cares Pandemic Response Fund (UnitedWaySela.org/hospitality-cares-pandemic-response-fund-0).
28 ST. CHARLES AVENUE JUNE 2020
BELOW: RALPH’S ON THE PARK’S CITY PARK SALAD OPPOSING PAGE LEFT: PRYTANIA WINE & SPIRITS FAR RIGHT: LANGENSTEINS’S HYE ROLLERS