GramercyPark

Sometimes when exuberance trumps elegance it can be delightful. Case in point the New York City townhouse belonging to the late designer Abbijane Schifrin. The NY Times Big Deal column reports that Schifrin loved her Gramercy Park townhouse and held fashion shows there as well as drawing her designs on the kitchen table. The townhouse was built in the mid 19th century and rebuilt in 1910 and 1911 by Frederick J. Sterner. Much of his work including oak paneling, stone and brick fireplaces and Arts-and-Crafts style leaded windows is still preserved in the home. Details include a latticework of oak on the dining room ceiling, a barrel-ceilinged living room and a small formal rear garden.

The home is vibrantly colorful on the upper floors including an otherworldly blue bathroom and a hot pink bedroom that another designer, Betsy Johnson, might go mad for. The single-family house was turned into a two-unit condominium six years ago and the upper two stories were sold off. Now Schifrin's heirs and her upstairs neighbor are putting it on the market as a single home. It is listed at $8.75 million.

Manhattan's The Marcel at Gramercy, which unveiled a luxe new makeover a few months back transforming the quaint 3 star hotel into a chic and stylish 4 star standout, is putting the finishing touches on its much-awaited rooftop bar in preparation for the warmer weather. We hear it's going to be open by June, and while the chic watering hole with a stunning view of the Empire State Building will officially only be open to hotel guests, we're told a select number of civilians will be allowed to pass the portals each evening as well. It should make a welcome respite from the extremely over-the-top Gramercy Park Hotel nearby.

Meanwhile, a new restaurant / bar has opened in the hotel's ground floor space with its massive windows affording a great view of the street scene. It now houses a branch of hip Lower East Side fave 'inoteca, the prized panini-and-vino specialist, with fresh-squeezed juice at the bar. The vibe is very Milan Fashion Week, and the wine list has over 600 selections representing every wine making region in Italy. Now housing 135 rooms, the Marcel's new amenities include Frette linens, marble bathrooms, iPod docking stations and LCD TVs. A spa and gym are also in the works.

Manhattan's The Marcel at Gramercy just unveiled a luxe new makeover, transforming the quaint 3 star hotel into a chic and stylish 4 star standout. The Gramercy Park fixture's upgrades include the addition of several new floors, a complete modern redesign of the guestrooms and lobby with a stylish fireplace (above), and a hip new Northern Italian restaurant / wine bar, Bar Milano. Now housing 135 rooms, the Marcel's new amenities include Frette linens, marble bathrooms, iPod docking stations and LCD TVs. A rooftop deck, spa and gym are also in the works.

Last month we wrote about the timeless appeal of classic men's tailoring as epitomized by Savile Row, especially during times of economic uncertainty. There's no need to travel all the way to London however to indulge in custom-tailoring of the highest quality and style that transcends trends and fads, if you know where to look. In New York City, David Chu, founder of the Nautica brand who has since gone on to revitalize luggage maker Tumi, operates an ultra-chic Bespoke shop at his gorgeous Townhouse in Gramercy Park.

The Bespoke shop (above) is located in the penthouse of the Townhouse, which is home to Chu's design studio and other businesses. Ebonized and limestone floors, marble fixtures and a collection of contemporary artwork and Chinese antiquities create an elegant, polished and modern atmosphere. French doors open out from the shop onto a landscaped roof deck with captivating city and park views. "The bespoke experience is about understated elegance," Chu tells Luxist. "It's more for yourself. You put it on, it feels great, and that's the most important thing."

David Chu Bespoke "blends the best of Savile Row and Neapolitan tailoring, marrying craftsmanship with modernity." Garments are hand-cut and stitched by a master tailor based in Naples. A gentleman can order anything he requires to be custom made, from suits, overcoats, tuxedos, and sport jackets to trousers, shoes, scarves, and 12-fold ties. The emphasis is on classic, luxurious fabrics such as super 150's wool, worsted spun cashmere and vicuna sourced from the world's best mills.