Plum

While li hing mui (and not li kung hi, as I've embarrassingly and incorrectly called it for weeks) may be foreign to most American palates, it's as popular in Hawaii as dried chiles are in Mexico. Hawaiians sprinkle the sour, plum-based powder, pronounced lee-hing-moo-ee, on just about any snack food: dried mangos, gummy bears, and even dried squid. And, despite it typically turning up on convenience-store treats, it even has a place in fine dining. Contributing editor Sara Yoo encountered (and couldn't get enough of) the zingy powder at Alan Wong's Amasia in Maui, where the chef prepared a tomato and cucumber salad, drizzled with li hing mui dressing and a sprinkling of rare Kauai sea salt.

Keep reading to find out how it fared on our unaccustomed palates.

Why buy when you can rent? It works for homes, cars, even DVDs, why shouldn't it work for your lil one's clothes?

Parents are warned that lil ones grow like weeds, but few heed that warning in the early days. They often invest in too much clothing that the tots quickly outgrow. Before shelling out hard-earned money for a new wardrobe every few weeks, a new service is offering moms the ability to rent high-end boutique brands for a monthly fee.

Plum, billing itself as the Netflix of baby clothing, works with brands like Petit Bateau and Tea Collection to create bundles of baby and toddler clothes for subscribers. Sign up for a two outfit ($16 per month), four outfit ($29 per month), or seven outfit ($49 per month) subscription and you'll receive clean (washed in Seventh Generation) clothes for your lil one to wear until she outgrows them. Send them back (stains and all — the company donates stained goods to foster care or repurposes them) and a new bundle will be sent your way. While not the first of its kind — other start-ups offer similar services — the concept is enticing for parents hoping to save a few bucks during baby's fast-growing first two years.

Would you use such a service to outfit your child?

We're not the only ones obsessed with stone fruit these days. So is YumSugar member Funkytime. Check out what she did with her latest batch of plums!
Is it plum season? I don't know, but they laughed at me at the grocery store so I bought a bunch! I remember my Mom making "Pflaumenkuchen" or "Zwetschgendatschi" all the time. This recipe has an extra touch, sprinkled thyme on top.

For more pictures and the recipe, check out her blog! Want to be featured here, too? Then join the Savory Sights group in our YumSugar Community!

We've summarized the Fall 08 trends, as seen in New York Fashion Week. Although we're glad that the season's shows are nearly over, we don't mind reliving the trends for a sense of cohesion. Our thoughts on what Fall 08 in New York has come to represent include ladylike gloves, opulence, lean tailoring, plum (and a few other bright ideas), fur (an opulence overdose), bold tights, layered texture, and hats galore.

We also have impressive designer video interviews and original editorial spreads. May we cordially suggest perusing our selection? Enjoy New York Fashion Week Designer Video Interviews from Oscar De La Renta, Donna Karan for DKNY,Michael Kors, Isaac Mizrahi, Nicole Miller, Erin Fetherston, Ashleigh Verrier , Adam Lippes, James Coviello, John Varvatos , Monique Lhuillier, Joanna Mastroianni, Tory Burch, Neeam Khan

nostalgia

brace yourself

spin me

subversive

Photo By Coutorture's Alex Norden backstage at James Coviello Fall 2008.

With the rich fabrics & textures of Fall 2008 demanding attention, beauty has resigned to a perceived simplicity. The key to Fall is flawless skin paired with one feature accented. No other feature portrays confidence like a strong lip.


Inspired by the rich color of Oscar De La Renta's Fall 2008 collection, we chose to accent the lips in a vibrant shade of plum. Makeup artist Jeffrey Dwayne used Givenchy’s Rouge Interdit lipstick in Stylish Purple on model Nana, though complimentary shades can be found for other skin tones. We like MAC’s Plumful and Lacome’s Color Design in Curtain Call. Honestly, it’s not about the shade of plum lipstick you wear, but the confidence you exude, a lesson we can all take from Oscar's confident woman.

Oscar de la Renta was one of many designers to show plum in their Fall 2008 collection. Albeit, Oscar's plum was just a little bit richer, just a little bit more, well, plum than the others. Or maybe that's just our crush on the designer who insists, season after season, on celebrating the ever-popular concept of the 'powerful woman'. Oscar's plum appeared in the form of a trim cashmere knit sweater, high waisted wide leg trousers, and two fabulous floral print frocks. Below, two galleries, our editorial of the Oscar de la Renta Fall 08 plums, and, you know, everyone else's.

More: The Only Oscar We Care About.

More: Plum for A/W 08

It's freezing, we know. It's also late enough in the season that some of us may have started actively daydreaming about summer. This video by The Teenagers might just facilitate that process. Oh, and it's f-ing hilarious. So, if you're the sort who is focusing on the Barney's Warehouse Sale rather than the 3/15 deliveries (one of the biggest spring deliveries), at least you'll have a laugh. Bonus points: the appearance of a plum silk tie neck blouse, and the narrative acting as our Ode to London Fashion Week part two.

So it seems our British friends have taken A/W 08 in an entirely different direction. That is, the fur and sparkle of New York's A/W 08, not to mention the deep plums and vibrant greens are virtually non-existent. London Fashion Week, thus far has been a little more Terminator, a little less Kindergarden Cop. Just take a peek at our photo galleries from Topshop Unique, Jacob Kimmie,
Krystof Strozyna, and Modernist Autumn, it's virtually another fashion world. All of these collections dominated by black and white, most with eruptions of red in the most brazen display (it's not worked in slowly, it's thrust into the collection and promptly removed). Sure, you could call upon Paul Smith from the Londoners, and
Camilla Staerk from the New Yorkers to argue that there is crossover. To which we'd say: "Despite some dandy-embellishments, Paul Smith is no different than Ralph Lauren, and Camilla Staerk is a newcomer. Those are bad examples.". So we win. And boy, do we love the fight.

Perhaps our beloved designers didn't venture too far down the aisle at Mood this year. It seems the S/S 08 lilac craze has morphed into plum for A/W 08. Here are just a few of many looks that include some shade of plum, which we know will look quite sharp with red lipstick, pale skin, and dark wool layers.