WINDFALLS

BABY DOLLS ON CALL

The fact that Jackie Brown’s boutique sells Christian Dior lingerie, Anne Klein accessories and Evan Picone shoes is not unique. What is unique is that she or one of her staffers will be available around the clock during the frantic holiday season to accommodate the most precious holiday-shopping commodity: time. If, like the rest of us, you’re finding it hard to get to the stores before 9 p.m. closings, call Jackie Brown during business hours (Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and make an appointment for late night, early morning-even 3 a.m. Brown and her staff will remain on call through Christmas Eve. Jackie Brown’s Le Papillon, 220 N. Story Road, Suite 104, Irving. 259-3717.

SEASONS WREATHINGS!

If you’ve wanted to spice up your evergreen and everpresent Christmas wreath, have we got a deal for you: Our all-time favorite Christmas wreaths and garlands, made of everything but the same old pine – hot red chilies, artichokes, gourds, corns, dried flowers and grasses. All the decorations come from Santa Fe and were designed and crafted by Mrs. Herman Valdez. Her work became famous during the years she sold it from her husband’s fruit stand. Prices range from $200 to $19.98. The wreaths measure 27 inches or 36 inches and the garlands are 2 or 3 feet long. Available at Richard Brooks Fabrics, 125 Inwood at Lovers Lane. Open Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30. 352-2485.

A STRIKING

OIL DERRICK

Forget the rhinestone cowboys, what you really need is a neon oil derrick. This 21/2 foot sculpture was commissioned by The Light Store, a Fort Worth-based chain of lighting showrooms. The designer, Rudi Stern, is the man who wrote the book on neon (“Let There Be Neon,” Abrams Press, 1979) and owns a shop full of his original neon sculptures in Manhattan. Stern has numbered and signed each of the 50 derricks and is selling them, each on a black acrylic cube, for $1000 each. This sculpture is to be the inaugural piece in what the store owners have called a “neon Texana” collection. Available only at The Light Stores and Cummins Lighting Centers.

TASTY

PASTRY

Sheila Giller is a Dallas native, but her shop, The French Baker in Preston Royal Shopping Center, is so authentic it was chosen for the French exhibit at this year’s state fair. A few months back, the editor of Food & Wine called Giller’s enterprise the best-equipped French bakery in the United States.



The shop’s array of pastries is classic French. A couple of things caught our eye for the holidays: Texas-sized croissants to enjoy with coflee and chocolate on Christmas morning and, on a much grander scale, sugar-sculpture centerpieces. Two samples are on display – a giant Disneyland castle ($4,500) and a smaller sailing ship ($400). The French Baker, 110 Preston Royal Shopping Center. Open Mon-Sat 8-6:30. 691-1806.



HOLIDAY HOSE



These Christmas stockings don’t belong on your mantle; they’re much too glamorous for walnuts, oranges and sticky Christmas candy. Made of silk, they’re available in holiday metallics and more casual tweeds. All styles are knee-high and come spring, Hue, the stocking manufacturer, will debut a line of silk panty hose. At last, the days of silk stockings are back. Prices range from $48 to $15. Available at all Neiman-Marcus stores and at Under Arrest, 3833 Cedar Springs. Open Mon-Fri 10-10, Sat & Sun noon-6. 528-3380.

RED,WHITE AND ROSE SAMPLERS



Finally, not one but two Dallas wine shops where you can taste before you buy. Diane Teitelbaum, former manager and wine expert at The Grape, found the perfect setting for her wine-tasting shop, The Winery, in what previously was Jean Claude’s Gourmaison shop. Teitelbaum is filling her shop with a dazzling array of wines and selling take-out foods from Jean Claude’s. Meanwhile, on Lovers Lane, the Tasting Room has opened. Its 75 wines and imported beers are attractively strewn around the room in cases. At the room’s center, a long, antique carved door is fashioned into a table where on weekends as many as 50 wines (many of them boutique wines) are open and available for tasting. Tastings are held regularly on Sunday afternoons. The Winery, 2404 Cedar Springs. Open Mon-Sat 10-9, Sun noon-5. 749-0250. The Tasting Room, 5717 W. Lovers Lane. Open Tue-Sat 10-6, Sun 1-5. 350-5686.