You don't know Jack

Protruding from the regal brownstones of the West Village is this humble storefront with unpretentious looks. The bold blue lettering that announces "Hong Kong Tailor Jack" is as seasoned as the business itself. For more than 20 years, fashion-forward New Yorkers have leaned heavily upon the genius handicraft of Jack Ko to hem their trousers, whip up suits from top to bottom and copycat haute couture get-ups straight from the runway. A native of China, Ko's smashing reputation plays out like an iconic New York success story: first toiling away in the fashion district to make sample patterns, then completing a formal education at the Fashion Institute of New York. Finally, he launched his own "outfit" of tailoring services in 1987. The name "Tailor Jack" sounds hip and personal; only those in the know are heard breezily uttering this moniker in casual conversation. Said Upper East Side Caroline to Upper West Side Katherine while lunching at Dovetail: "Tailor Jack just made me the most amazing pinstriped gabardine skirt and jacket." Responded Katherine: "Wear it to next month's board of directors meeting. I gotta get TJ to knock off a Helmut Lang shift dress for me."

-Dani

Soda pop beauty

Twin City supermarket in Jersey City, NJ, boasts a bevy of soda hailing from Central and South American countries that has customers snatching them up by the dozen. What makes them so special? Unconventional flavors like apple and banana, of course, but what trumps the ingredients and fizz factor are the sumptuous retro-inspired labels. I'm fixated upon Kola Ingles's Red Kola the most for its preppy stripes, clipped type and sporty red, white and yellow color combination. Quench your thirst with this parade of photos:

-Dani