À la Mode means “according to the fashion” in French. That pesky little word “la” acts as if there were a single, exclusive style, which of course there isn’t. To each his own, or as they say in Israel, al ha-tam ve-ha-reyach ayn lehitvakeach – there’s no use arguing taste (and scent!).

It’s true that À la Mode has a house style. We like doing things that are sleek and modern. We are not afraid of colors, but our use of color is very carefully deployed: Brights over pastels; wild tones that explode instead of soft tones that hush.  But we also work in all kinds of styles – we’ve created parties with a more contemporary look, events with a country flair, oriental designs and even a whimsical theater pastiche for a simcha celebrated on Purim. When we’re hired to design parties in new modes, we thrill at the challenge.

Working out of the town of Modi’in, which is equidistant between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, means that we have bright Mediterranean modern looks to our West and traditional Levantian styles to our East. Much of the time, we do our party shopping in Tel Aviv’s fabric district with its cutting edge designs. Sometimes, we make our way to Jerusalem to its Middle Eastern scents and sights.

We’re now planning a weekend Bar Mitzvah with a decidedly Middle Eastern look, and so we found our way to the souk in Jerusalem. The place is, as always, packed with spices and trinkets, teapots and tajines – and people from all over the world. While we generally have a specific mission in mind when we go on these purchasing runs, it is usually the serendipitous discovery that lies at the heart of our journey. Our recent trip did not disappoint.  Deep within the market’s alleyways, there are things that glitter and make the heart soar; Preciously decorated boxes and gaudy and decadent chandeliers. Not our style? No such thing. If it’s compelling and gorgeous, then we’ll make it work!