As we dash off into January, our beautiful city by the bay continues to provide us with quality events and attractions. You must see the Madeline Albright collection, Read My Pins at the De Young before it departs. If you didn’t get to see a Holiday show over the first part of the season, a delightful show “She Loves Me” is still playing through January. Hosting a party this year, check out Table + Teaspoon, a company that delivers place settings! In a few weeks, the FOG Art and Design Fair heads to Fort Mason.

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Now-Jan. 29. Read My Pins

Much admired former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright is best known for her impact regarding policy with Bosnia and Herzegovenia as well as the Middle East. Well known for her unique pins, she has dovetailed her love of this jewelry into a book and an exhibition: “Read my Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s jewel box.”  It was when Albright was ambassador to the U.N. in the 1990’s that she changed the way she presented herself. Known for her love of wearing colors, she wanted to make a statement that women did not have to dress like men.

It was while at the U.N. that she had the idea to use her pins as a way of making not just a sartorial point, but a political one as well. She chose different pins for each meeting. For instance, because she berated Saddam Hussein, a poem appeared in Baghdad newspapers comparing her to an “unparalleled serpent”. She then chose to wear a snake pin whenever Iraq was discussed. This exhibit is at the De Young will have you starting, reading and heading to the nearest antique store to start your own collection.  Get more details.

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She Loves Me

This romantic comedy was the inspiration for The Shop Around the Corner and You’ve Got Mail. And honestly, who doesn’t love that delightful comedy? The premise of the show is a pair of feuding perfume shop employees who don’t realize that they are secretly and anonymously writing love letters to each other. They both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement” and the hilarity ensues.

Charming and funny, The San Francisco Playhouse is the home for this Tony Award winning musical comedy. Music and lyrics are by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, the same pair that wrote the tunes for the classic Fiddler on the Roof.  Get tickets.

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Table + Teaspoon

Liz Curtis, a former corporate litigator and Bay Area native of course, developed a passion for food and entertaining while studying for the bar exam. After throwing dinner parties ever week or so, she began a blog in 2009, Table + Teaspoon. She focused on simplifying recipes but also showcased her creative and elegant table settings. Curtis found there wasn’t an easy on-demand solution for tableware and voila she created her own business to do just that.

Table + Teaspoon has six setting themes available that must be ordered at least six days prior to your event. Your party in a box gets delivered by UPS. After your event, you pop the dishes back into the box, yes they can be unwashed, and sent back to the showroom.  The price is a wee bit more than paper plates, but the bang you will get for your buck will not go unnoticed by your guests. $24 per setting, plus tax. Get the details.

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Jan. 11-15. Fog Design + Art

In the city by the bay, the fourth annual FOG Design and Art Fair (aptly named!) takes place at Fort Mason Center. What a great way to kick off the New Year checking out innovative exhibits, and art installations as well as attending discussions with the coolest of the cool. Global artists, architects, designers and those oh so clever style makers will be in attendance. Watch as the pavilion turns into the epicenter of art and design.

The preview gala, Wednesday the 11th, is the event to attend to get an up close look without milling through the crowds. Design-centric cocktails will be featured – not sure if there will be a Kandinsky Cocktail, but McCalls will provide the tasty food and you will be entertained by surprise guests. The gala benefits our newly transformed SFMOMA. Get more info.