BlackBook

Not many designers (er, actually probably no others) can say they've dressed Pacino, Jay-Z and Morrissey. But Italian fashion legend Angelo Galasso's "Tradition in Evolution" philosophy has an appeal that apparently crosses not just a few cultural divides.

The restaurant that first taught Londoners back in 2001 that Asian food can be utterly life-altering (as well as bank account-altering). A couple of Michelin stars and Dubai and Miami outposts later, Hakkasan's celebrated mod Cantonese cuisine has finally found a home in NYC.

Neta (Greenwich Village) - Former Bar Masa and Masa head chefs dropping über-fresh sushi.

Montpellier Michelin-starred chef twins Jacques and Laurent Pourcel, having taken Paris by storm with Maison Blanche, have returned to les sud de la France, opening Sea Sens, a breezily chic new eatery in Cannes' super trendy new The Five Hotel (the town's first Design Hotels member).

Brick + Mortar (Santa Monica ) - Short-rib pizza and a DIY Bloody Mary bar on Main Street.

Dans Le Noir (Garment District) - Don’t see it to believe it: dark dining guided by blind waitstaff.

After several waves of invasions of Occidental luxury brands, both Moscow and Saint Petersburg have been steadily cultivating a more indie fashion scene to counter the mega-brand hegemony. To wit, new women and menswear boutique Physika carries buzzy independent Russian designers like Chistova Endourova, Damir Doma, and Sophia Kokosolaki alongside Superfine, Lucien Pellat-Finet, and those titans of the avant-garde Vivienne Westwood and Maison Martin Margiela.

Having grown out of its cult status since opening in its Nob Hill location in 2010, revered indie menswear shop Department 17 now has a shiny new (and bigger) home along a more trod path in Hayes Valley. With a philosophy summed up as "stylish and appropriate", D17 proffers a collection for gents with a classic sense of aesthetics but a distinctly modern attitude.

Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa (Upper East Side) - Relaxing Midtown retreat for head-to-toe wellness.

Vegas nightlife had ratcheted down the flash a bit in the wake of the financial apocalypse, but 2012 seems to already be suggesting a revival of the party ethos. The new and delicately named Lily at the glorious Bellagio comes by way of the party people at the Light Group (HAZE, LIQUID, etc), assuring no detail will be left to chance.