ARCHIVES

This Valentine's, stick with the tried-and-true -- but not the expensive or stodgy. Chocolates plain and fancy that'll ensure a mouthful of kisses.

Metalheads unite! The brushed-steel kitchen fixtures you see in every design magazine, custom-built in Chinatown at Home Depot prices.

Have snow and sleet left your Blahniks battered? Careful craftsmen can render them almost immortal. A visitation with the city's saviors of the sole.

Tea on your tie? Coffee on your cashmere? Don't send those items to the cleaners' when you can scrub them yourself: We got a professional to spill his secrets.

Budget stretching: Undo holiday damage to wallet and waistline -- without freezing your assets.

'Twas the season: And now, savvy shoppers, is the real time to be jolly. From cashmeres to Manolo Blahniks, take home what wasn't under the tree.

Designer Pixie Yates reveals where to shake off seasonal stress -- without spending a week and a fortune -- and how to stock a spa-quality cabinet.

Your presents may look too pretty to unwrap -- but these bulk prices on ribbons and papers will keep you smiling as your loved ones do it anyway.

A stitch in time: Where do you run when you've snagged your favorite threads? To Manhattan's haberdashery heroes, who make the world safe for sweater girls.

A lecture series on bringing up baby for new parents and moms-to-be, and eye-opening prices on Luceplan's Italian illumination.