vip in the city

Maja Ferme fashion

I met up with M after work for the Maja Ferme “Nymph” fashion show. Ferme, a young Slovenian fashion designer, was presenting her Spring/Summer 2007 collection to the public at this independent fashion show, taking place at Midtown Loft. The event space was just a couple of doors down from the P.S. 260 penthouse loft I visited during openhousenewyork weekend, with windows on three sides offering similar views.

Lots of prettily flowing dresses in chiffon, silk satin, and silk shantung. As expected, the models were very tall and very thin… and at least one was noticeably high. As she teetered precariously past us on her four-inch stilettos, M and I kept expecting her to pitch forward on the runway like so much fashion roadkill.

Afterwards, M gave me a lift home in the Libby, where I had a few boxes waiting for her — souvenirs from her recent trip to the Sonoma Valley.

The laws governing whether consumers can purchase, and have wine shipped directly from wineries and retailers, are complex and vary widely by state. The fractured system of alcohol regulation dates to the repeal of Prohibition in the 1930’s. New Jersey, where M now lives, is one of the states that prohibits direct shipment of wine. The recent ban on liquids brought on airplanes meant she couldn’t hand carry any bottles back either.

The New York State laws on direct shipment are complicated (wineries must obtain 3 types of permits and file 3 types of returns), but do allow for consumers to receive shipped wine — up to 36 cases annually. Since it’s already October, the chances of my exceeding that allotment for the year are pretty slim, so I agreed to accept M’s Rubicon on her behalf. To my amusement, the boxes were marked “FRAGILE,” and had bright fluorescent warning labels not to deliver to anyone under the age of 21 or who appeared visibly intoxicated.  I’m not necessarily arguing against the second restriction; I just want to understand the reasoning behind it. You can accept wine to get  drunk in your home, but cannot already be drunk  when accepting it? It’s not the same as a bartender cutting off someone who has obviously over-imbibed. Bar owners have a responsibility, or at least an awareness of our society’s litigiousness, warranting that they do what they can to ensure that their patrons don’t pose a hazard to themselves or to others. But in the privacy of one’s home…?

As these packages tend to arrive in the early morning, or afternoon, I wonder how often the carriers are asked to enforce this “no drunk deliveries” rule.