The CULTURAL DIVIDE MAY

15 Beginning this summer, the Vitra Desigr Museum is collaborating ith the Netherlands Architecture Institute and the Royal Institute of British Architects to produce a retrospective of the late architect and urban planner Le Corbusier, whose controversial work continues to influence contemporary building and urban design. (5/15-8/15; design-museum.de)

7 Superpowers Offering up a new spin on geek chic, "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, in New York, will exhibit superhero-inspired looks from such designers as Balenciaga, Armani, and Alexander McQueen, alongside actual costumes from Hollywood movies. (5/7-9/1)

Crown Jewels

Like the proverbial diamond in the rough, Crown Jewels exhibitions will soon be popping up in cities across the country. The organization, a joint venture from Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Andrea Schwan, and the boys of R Gallery—Evan Snyderman and Zesty Meyers—operates with stealth-like secrecy, selling exquisite, handcrafted jewelry by artists Kiki Smith and Paula Hayes, among others. To find the next roving show: thecrownjewelsny.com.

IT’S A WRAP TSE, known for its sumptuous-soft cashmere, has just opened a sleek new flagship store in downtown Manhattan. (120 Wooster St., N.Y.C.)

Revved and Ready

20 In 1908 the Great Race proved that automobiles were tough enough to traverse the world; 100 years later, an international field of performance cars, classic models, and innovative fuel-efficient vehicles will re-enact the feat, revving up in New York on May 30 before crossing North America and Asia and finishing in Paris on August 2. (greatrace.com)

LIT-APALOOZA Salman Rushdie, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Ian McEwan are among the more than 100 writers descending upon New York City for the week-long PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature. The fourth-annual event will feature conversations and readings at different venues around the city. (4/28-5/4; pen.org)

Christian Lon bon tin s

collaboration with the One&Only resorts has brought about a beautiful set of espadrilles. Available in three designs, the Cataribbon, the Tiburon, and the Isabelle, they come in a range of beachy brights so cheerful that just wearing them is like a vacation, (christianlouboutin.fr)

PHOTOGRAPHY GEMS

The Milton Gendel photographs on display at the Verdura salon this month offer an intimate glimpse into the lives of the Hollywood starlets and society grandes dames—figures from Babe Paley to Peggy Guggenheim&emdash;that jeweler Fulco di Verdura has adorned for nearly a century. Not only is this the first showing of the photographs in the States, but they've rarely been seen by anyone who isn't actually in them. (5/1-5/30; 745 Fifth Ave., N.Y.C.; verdura.com)