Concrete and steel, rust and ash, the substrate and surfeit of the urban jungle. We walk on it, drive on it, work in it, rush by it, and every once in a while we may stop to look at it in a new light—preferably firelight.

If lime shrimp, langostino, and gold anemone have you dreaming of seaside destinations, look no farther than your front garden. Under the Sea is a chic new designer line of coleuses—those purplish, reddish, and greenish ornamentals grown for their vibrant and variegated foliage—with an exotic twist.

While many follow in fascination the impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, fashionistas are watching the fascinators, those cute, not-so-dainty, not-quite-hats that so coyly not-quite-crown the future queen-consort to Canada.

Hear someone mention chain mail, and you might think of medieval costumes and swordplay, of Russell Crowe in Gladiator or Gerard Butler in Beowulf & Grendel. But the stuff of legends is not just for knights in shining armour.