"table settings" news and stories

For those of us who live the luxe life, we can afford to buy separate sets of dishes for different occasions, not to mention afford the space to store them all. Howeve, most of us are resigned to one set of dishes that has to work for everything from every day dine and dash to an occasional fancy fall feast. If we're lucky, maybe we have two sets.

However, with Nora Fleming's collection of dishware, you can have dishes that will match every occasion, whether it's a Spring brunch or a Holiday dinner. The dishes are all a basic white with a simple dotted pattern around the rim. The beauty, however, comes with "Minis," which are tiny colorful, ceramic adornments that attach to each plate. These accessories are what take a special Valetine's Dinner with an "XOXO" imprinted heart to a fun birthday fete with wrapped gifts. The plates and bowl range in price from $12.50 to $60 each, and the Minis are $12.50 per piece.

As the holidays approach, we'll certainly be doing our fair share of entertaining, whether it's a casual get together of friends on a Saturday afternoon watching football, a simple cocktail party, or a full-blown sit down dinner. In any case, you're going to need the right stuff to set your table (and I don't mean a tablescape) -- linens, plates, cups, and flatware.

We'll cover your indoor tailgating another day, but if you are throwing a luxurious sit-down dinner party, Neiman Marcus has some fabulous ideas for setting your table. They've gotten together with four top designers who have picked things to set tables in their particular style. There's master of knits and resort-wear St. John, Valentino, Jay Strongwater, and my personal favorite, Nanette Lepore, who sets the table with rich crumpled linens and Baroque-inspired dinnerware.