Whether you’re toting a clutch, a satchel or a handbag, sometimes, what matters is what’s inside. From basic rollerballs to a fancy flacons, there’s a fragrance that’s perfect for your purse or pocket.

An event as important as your wedding deserves more than one spectacular outfit, and the rehearsal dinner is the perfect gathering to showcase the bridal hue one more time. Whether your style encompasses timeless elegance or trendy fashion-forwardness, we’ve compiled some fabulous looks for the other white dress.

The Champagne toasts and wedding cake may have passed, but there still is time for claiming whose is whose. Postnuptial agreements, the figurative younger sibling of the better-known prenuptial agreements, offer legal documentation of spousal understandings, should marital circumstances change in the future. But if you’re happily married, why bring attorneys into the picture?

You voted, we listened! Ladue News readers know what they like; and with this year's Platinum List, you've made your voices heard. This list compiles the best of St. Louis. 

Elaine Blatt welcomes guests into her contemporary Ladue home with a warm smile and cup of frothy cappuccino. The day she welcomed me was particularly cold and snowy. She was busy packing for an upcoming photo journey, destined “to get out of the cold.” She also was completing work on From Field to Fork…The Plants We Eat, her photography exhibit opening March 15 (through May 31) in Monsanto Hall at the Missouri Botanical Garden. It the first time I have seen the petite and stylish redhead casually dressed without one of her signature hats atop her head.

Back for its third year, Junior League of St. Louis’ annual Kitchen Tour is going to be bigger and better than ever, if event co-chair Ann Beck has anything to say about it. Along with Julie Kearbey and their committee, she is working to build on the successes of years past. “It’s one of the League’s largest fundraisers, and it has a lot of public support,” she says.

Wine has been an integral part of cocktails since that first brilliant person decided to mix two spirits together to see what would happen. Many familiar cocktails contain types of wines as components, from fortified wines to apertif wines to sweet dessert varietals.

Mention a transatlantic cruise and thoughts come to mind of Champagne and caviar, white-gloved service and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Gerard Craft's restaurants have been all over the local and national press of late, what with the opening of Pastaria in Clayton, the relocation of flagship Niche, the impending departure of Ted Kilgore from Taste, and multiple appearances on all manner of 'Best Of' lists. While all of this has been going on, Brasserie by Niche has been rolling along under the radar a bit, steadily putting out its signature quality, affordable rustic French fare with very little fanfare. We made a return trip to this CWE favorite recently to refresh our memory of this gem.

Celebrating? ‘Tis the season. Let’s open some wine and lift the spirits! But remember, there are so many other reasons to celebrate life that we could almost toast with wine every day.

Nothing says How nice to see you! or Thanks for a great weekend at the country house! better than a thoughtfully selected gift. We’ve come up with a selection of home décor items sure to please the most discerning recipient.

Looking to please your palate with something new on the menu? We asked sommeliers and wine directors from local restaurants to suggest wines to pair with their new and signature offerings for fall. 

The Details

Spain is an ancient wine-producing country and has been making wine for thousands of years. Today, it is bustling with bodegas (wineries) and offers a little of everything when it comes to wine. There are several types of unique grapes and wines being produced throughout the entire country, offering everything from a fruity white wine to a full-bodied, bold red, so there is a wine for every person, at every price range.

It’s almost here…The 2012 WILLIAM BERNOUDY LADUE NEWS SHOW HOUSE officially opens next Friday, Oct. 5. But here’s your chance at a sneak peak: An Opening Night Cocktail Party will be held at the Show House in Town & Country on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $75 each ($50 for patrons 35 and younger). Proceeds from opening night, as well as the entire Show House run (through Oct. 21), benefit four area charities, including Angels’ Arms, Animal Protective Association of Missouri, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’sMedicalCenter and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. The LN Show House committee is chaired by STACEY GOLTERMANN, and includes TANIA BEASLEY-JOLLY, ALAN E. BRAINERD, MILLIE CAIN, KATIE HOLTON, MARK HOWALD, LISA MALONE, JUDY MOSKOFF, JUSTIN NANGLE, VICKI PICKLE, HELENE SAYAD, JULIE SCHUSTER, TRACY SPORRER and TED WIGHT. For tickets, call 269-8836.

• Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Cafe is doing its own spin on 50 Shades of Grey . All through September, Jilly’s will be of- fering an homage to the popular book with three new flavors, dubbed 50 Shades of Delish: Pink Champagne & Strawberry, a chocolate cake with Champagne and strawberry filling; 50 Shades of Coco(a), cocoa cake filled with white chocolate-coconut rum whipped cream; and Red Room, featuring red vanilla cake and a blackberry curd filling.
• Foodies can now more easily explore the best of what St. Louis neighborhoods have to offer their palates. STL Culinary Tours is open for business and offers intimate experiences with some of the top local culinary talent. The company, which specializes in walking tours that touch on the best culinary destinations in a given neigh- borhood, is currently booking tours of Maplewood in October and November, which will feature stops at Acero, Vom Fass and Water Street. Look for future tours to fea- ture the Central West End and Webster Groves. The com- pany also will be offering various ‘culinary field trips,’ as well as excursions to area breweries and wineries. Get all of the details at stlculinarytours.com.
• Look for Mission, a new Mexican restaurant concept from the folks who brought us Milagro Modern Mexican and Tortilleria, to open up early next year in the former home of Delmar Lounge in the U. City Loop. Plans include an adjoining bodega and a carry-out window.
• Vida Mexican Kitchen Y Cantina is scheduled to open sometime in November on the north end of the St. Louis Galleria. The menu will feature a large selection of traditional, regional and contemporary Mexican-inspired foods, including scratch-made tacos, burritos and enchi- ladas. On the beverage side, look for a bevy of Margaritas and a spirits list featuring some 100 tequilas.
• Pie Oh My has opened at 2719 Sutton Blvd. in Maplewood. The pie-centric bakery features limited delivery, as well as scrump- tious homemade treats.
• Congrats to entre, the popular underground dining and catering concern, which celebrated its fourth anniver- sary earlier this month.
• Perennial, a local non-profit dedicated to “creative reuse and green living,” will be hosting its annual fundrais- er, Lost + F(o)und, on Thursday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Bridge downtown. The event will feature live music, a homemade pie bar and an assortment of local craft beers. Cost is $10, with VIP tickets going for $30. More info at perennialstl.org.

Though the temps might not reflect it, in the fashion world, fall is officially here. With new trends abound and an overwhelming amount of fresh styles, let's focus on one of the “IT” colors for the new season: emerald green.

If you decide to throw an impromptu dinner party—or you need a last-minute hostess gift—could your wine cellar come to the rescue? We asked these local wine experts for recommendations of bottles (and varietals) to keep in stock for such an occasion.

Laura McCarthy and Seth Jarman first met at a mutual friend’s Valentine’s Day party, and Laura knew early on that the relationship would be a serious one. “There wasn’t one moment I can point to, but over time, Seth started to feel like family to me,” she says, adding that they were so sure that they were meant to be, they bought a house together. “The ring was more of a formality,” Laura says.

If your home is your castle, the bathroom is the inner sanctum. New features let homeowners personalize the space, so they can start or end their day in a calming, relaxing oasis.