☞ SEE: Stephen Burrows & Pat Clevland at MCNY

We were graciously invited to the screening of Versaille 73 at the Museum of the City of New York in East Harlem last night and were part of the crowd that got to meet designer Stephen Burrows and Pat Cleveland during the event.  Stephen Burrows is of course the first great African-American designer who made his mark in 70s and was one of a handful of Americans that showed their collection against the stiff French fashion giants such as Saint Laurent and Dior back in 1973.  Pat Cleveland was the most notable, pioneering African American supermodel of that decade before the public new what one was and is still an inspiration to many in the industry.  Folks who want to discover more about these icons of fashion should check out the  When Fashion Danced exhibit at MCNY on 103rd and Fifth Avenue which will be showing until July 28th: www.MCNY.org

☞ REMEMBER: Clark's Barber Returns

A Bespoke reader mentioned that a movie set was being constructed at Tiemann over on Broadway and was wondering what it was. This barber shop set was actually at this location last year for a filming of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and apparently they have to re-shoot the scene. An old dry cleaner at this corner now has a faux concrete portico and cornice added on along with some great vintage, hand painted signage overhead and gold lettering in the windows. We now hope that any new business that takes over this available space after the filming can retain a bit of the charm that the movie crew envisioned when making this film. Check out the Hollywood movie star who showed up for this production last year in our past post: LINK

☞ INTRODUCING: Kura Kuma Coffee

Coffee culture is such an important part of any block and some of best ones show up in unexpected places. Kura Kuma coffee shop is on the south end of Manhattanville in West Harlem and the charming spot serves up one of the best cups uptown. We have recently discovered their pecan sticky buns which comes from Balthazar Bakery so make it a point to stop by when we are in the neighborhood.

This little shop on LaSalle (123rd Street) and Broadway only has four small tables on the interior but the overall design of the space shows that creating a welcoming setup with a bit of historic charm requires more vision than financing. Original tin ceiling and just one wall of glazed-finished brick add to the overall appeal. Connect with Kura Kuma via Facebook: LINK

☞ EAT: Crowds Welcome Harlem Shake

Today was the official opening day for Harlem Shake at Lenox by 124th Street and Harlem took notice.  We arrived at about 1:30 PM and the lines already had been forming and by the time we left at 3:00 PM, they were all the way out to the door.  The price point of the eatery is a step above the fast food establishments on 125th Street but substantially more affordable than most of the new eateries opening in Harlem so the business is seeing instant popularity.

Add on great, retro decor along with quality food which also features some amazing hotdogs and success is the only way to go.  Service has definitely improved since our last visit at the soft opening but folks should really be patient when stopping by this week.  We have not seen any restaurant with such a crazy lunch hour uptown so it goes to show that if all the pieces come together, the crowds will arrive in Harlem.

☞ INTRODUCING: Outdoor Seating for Barawine

Barawine at the corner of 120th on Lenox is aiming for a summer opening and apparently there will be outdoor seating arriving also once things finish up.  There has been a lot of construction activity on the site recently and a public noticed was posted in the window to announce the review of the cafe setup on this corner of the Mount Morris Park Historic District.  This is across the street from Settepani so folks at this part of Lenox should expect two outdoor cafes facing each other when Barawine finally opens.