Compiled by The International House and Karen Catchpole (note that ** selections are recommendations by iTravel iShop writer Karen Catchpole)

Shopping

Pied Nu
You’ll find a little bit of everything at this lovely boutique, from homewares, jewelry and clothing as well as beauty products. Designers carried include Cathy Waterman, Emma Hope, Les Chemin and Schumacher.

Dallas is hot in the summer, and if you need to cool off and don’t have your own pool, you’d better hope you are staying at the new Starwood owned Joule hotel. In addition to its swanky guestrooms and spa, this luxury hotel also has a stunning, outdoor rooftop pool. The Joule is all about big, Texas-sized style. Adam Tihany has done the interiors, and the in-house restaurant is by Charlie Palmer. Best of all, Nieman Marcus is just a block away. Rates start at $270. The Joule, 1530 Main Street, Dallas, Texas 75201. Phone: (214) 748-1300.

In the summer, when it comes to choosing your outfit in a heat wave, less is definitely more. So if you’re wearing a little sundress or a simple skirt and top, you have to make sure your accessories deliver a lot of pop. Cheap and cheerful, colourful bangles are a great start. Check out these eye-popping patterned bracelets from Kitson. The stretchy metallic bracelets are just $12 each – and will look great with a tan. Also available online at ShopKitson.com.

Just in time for the heatwave and for that summer share in Hamptons comes the first Manhattan Lilly Pulitzer store. Lilly prints are de rigeur in Palm Beach and New England, as well as certain parts of the Upper East Side. While some of the prints can be a little, well, much, the cotton dresses are really cute and just buying a Lilly accessory or two will add some much needed, preppy-approved colour to your outfit. And if it all does feel a little too much, head downtown to Tory Burch, which is a Manhattan take on New England prep. PS: for some great interior shots, check out this blog. Lilly Pulitzer, 1020 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10021. Phone: (212) 744-4620.

If the “summer” weather in San Francisco has you down, how about a spot of shopping to lift your spirits? Check out the new Built by Wendy boutique, which opens later this week. The company was founded in 1991 by Wendy Mullin, and she has been steadily opening Built by Wendy boutiques in New York’s Little Italy, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Her San Francisco store is her fourth. Wendy's signature look is clean and preppy with a twist, and her collection includes men’s and women’s jeans, dresses, sweaters and shoes.  And if you’re a DIY kind of gal who wants to save a bit of money, you can also buy Built By Wendy patterns and sew your own blouses and dresses. Built by Wendy, 3520 20th Street, between Mission and Valencia, San Francisco, California. Phone: (415) 824-1562.

If you’re a fan of supermodels- in particular American model Guinevere van Seenus -  book it down to New York’s Pace/MacGill Gallery. Running through June 14 (so hurry!) the exhibit “Guinevere”  showcases the work of photographer Paolo Roversi, who considers Guinevere to be his muse. The photos ran the gamut from prim and Victorian to naughty indeed.  Many of the images have a dreamy, vintage quality look.Pace/MacGill Gallery, 32 East 57th Street, 9th Fl. New York, New York 10022. Phone: (212)759-7999.

“You know, the Pitts were here this season,” whispered Julie Wright, a real estate broker at Snowcreek Resort in Mammoth Lakes, California.  No one was around, but she kept her voice low, as if she were telling me a secret. Julie was discreet and respectful, and just as excited as the hoards of fans that snapped blurry cell-phones pictures of “BAMPSZ” from ski lifts. Mammoth is definitely hot after a visit by Brangelina and their kids this past February. In ski season, the mountain town on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains is always bustling with So Cal families on winter holiday. I imagine that the Pitts just wanted to do some snowboarding, eat chili out of a bread bowl, and teach their kids how to pizza wedge down Mammoth Mountain, just like everyone else.  

I’ve never met a Rockefeller and my last name is certainly not Carnegie or Vanderbilt, but during my stay at The Point  I was given a taste of what it must be like to be a bold-named guest of one of America’s wealthiest and most hospitable families. Originally built in the early 1930s as Camp Wonundra—the mountain home of William Avery Rockefeller (John D.’s nephew)—The Point is now an exclusive 11 room Relais & Chateaux retreat where everything including all food, drink and activities is included and nothing is too much to expect, just as the Rockefellers hosted their friends here for years.

Another day, another cupcake opening. This time, the latest store is in my hometown of Boston. Sweet is the brainchild of Courtney Forrester, and the high-end bakery sells cupcakes as well as treats like organic carrot cake, lemon and dark chocolate. What also caught our eye is the Sweet Cake, made with Madagascar vanilla, and topped with a Dutch cocoa frosting. And just in case you need a reminder that yes, there is life beyond cupcakes, read this great article about the joys of a thick slab of triple layer birthday cake, covered in gloopey frosting. Sweet, 49 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Phone: (617) 247-2253.

I am firmly of the camp that a woman can never have enough shoes. Plus if you’re having a fat day, bad hair day or  nothing looks good, a new pair of shoes can immediately perk you up. If you’re looking for a new shoe fix, try the newly opened Twenty Two Shoes in Los Angeles. This boutique is the brainchild of  husband and wife Chris and Alexandra Silverman. They design everything, and all the shoes are handcrafted by a small family-run business in the Le Marche region of Italy. Twenty Two Shoes also sells handbags, and celeb fans include Jessica Biel and Sienna Miller. This Honeysuckle sandal, pictured, retails for $280. Twenty Two Shoes Los Angeles, 8304 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Phone: (323) 782-1929.