Rosy Cheeks

 New Yorkers and Midwesterners have been staving off the summer heat for months now and are probably ready for fall, but us Angelenos are just beginning to experience the pangs of heat exhaustion. Yesterday, my husband and I finally got our first sunburns of the season at the Dodger game, and let me tell you, we loved every minute of the stinging sensation felt on our shoulders and knees and proudly covered our limbs, from head to toe, with Aloe.

It was lovely because at about 10 O'clock last night I sunk into an amazing sun coma, waking up this morning feeling refreshed and rosy all over. My husband just woke up burnt, but he's not taking one moment of his day out in the sun for granted.

So today, I'm celebrating our sunburns with the perfect rose-enhanced finds, including my favorite blush from Nars and a couple of romantic pieces from DVF's fall 2010 collection. I usually find Furstenberg's clothes too bland for my daring fashion taste buds, but this fall she's taking a risk by playfully incorporating meral roses into unique silhouettes. What comes to mind right away is Carrie Bradshaw's white rose bomber jacket that Patricia Field chooses for some of the final scenes in the first Sex and the City movie (pictured above).

And to get you to blush even more, I'm also sharing a recipe for Spiced Rosé Gelatin with Peaches, which can easily be described as jello shots for grown ups. The innovative libation is the perfect alternative to the usual rosé-filled champagne flutes served at girly gatherings.

Nars' Powder Blush in "Angelika";  Jemma Kidd's Classic Couture Lip Color in "English Rose"; J.Crew's Galaxy Purse in Rose Gold; DVF's Fall 2010 Lumina Dress in Meral Roses; DVF's Fall 2010 Jane Jacket in Meral Roses.

Spiced Rosé Gelatin With Peaches
(Recipe from Tony Cenicola/The New York Times; Food Stylist: Molly Rundberg)

2 cups rosé wine
1/4 cup sugar, to taste
1 1-to-2-inch length of cinnamon stick
Zest of 1 orange, with as little pith as you can manage
5 peppercorns
2 envelopes gelatin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 white or yellow peaches, each sliced into 16 wedges.

In a nonreactive saucepan, add 1½ cups of the wine, along with the sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat and cover the pan.

After 20 minutes, pour the remaining wine into a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit for 3 minutes. Strain the spiced wine into the bowl and stir well for 2 or 3 minutes, until the gelatin is entirely dissolved. Place the bowl inside a larger bowl containing ice water, or put in the refrigerator.

When the gelatin is as thick as the white of an egg, 30 to 45 minutes later, put the lemon juice in a wide-bottomed bowl and add the sliced peaches, stirring as you go to coat the peaches with the juice. With a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches to the bowl of gelatin and fold them in gently. Divide the gelatin and peaches into 4 wineglasses, cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 or more hours. Serves 4.