Style your takeout

Put on a high-style, low-stress party by accessorizing

Putting on a dinner party does not have to be a marathon job. You can divert time for flirting and chatter by streamlining the most stressful element: preparing the food. Why compete with your favorite restaurants when you can collaborate? Here's how it works: Select a theme for your party, and match it with a menu. Go with old-school American, Mediterranean or Asian, as we describe here, or try Mexican, Italian or Moroccan; then get with restaurants that serve that kind of cuisine. The local market can also be your friend. We call the next step "decanting" — like decanting wine into a pretty bottle. Get out your favorite serving dishes and put the prepared food into them. Woo-hoo! A meal that looks homemade — but with far less trauma. For the best fake-out, avoid common party takeouts (wraps, chili, supermarket sushi) as these are dead giveaways. Add accessories: patterned napkins, decorative chopsticks or TV trays, flowers. And dress the part: Wear retro fashions, imports, silk pajamas. Be clever and creative with your disguises. Remember: No one has to know your secrets. ~Paula Rath

Retro Riot

The vibe Prim, proper and polite, circa 1950s. Decor Use a tablecloth, placemats or napkins made with retro fabric such as gingham or seersucker; see examples at www.reprodepot.com, or raid Auntie's closet. If you can find Melmac dishes, go for it. Add a vase with daisies. And for a TV-age touch, use those folding tray tables and sit your guests in a circle.

Menu • Mac and cheese from Costco (comes in a tub, just add buttered bread crumbs and bake), 12th Avenue Grill or Grand Café (order in advance). • Salad, with romaine lettuce, of course. • Apple pie.

Fluted plate, Sourcing Asia, $12

Le Creuset Mini-Casseroles, Compleat Kitchen, $30

More options • Roast chicken from your local supermarket or Costco. • Ambrosia salad, made from seasonal fruits with coconut and yogurt tossed in. • Ice cream. Add Maraschino cherries or caramel, marshmallow and fudge sauces to make your own sundaes. • Punch, served in a big bowl — from The Salvation Army, perhaps?
	Retro broadcloth, Reprodepot.com, $8.50 a yard

Asian appetite

The vibe Sophisticated, edgy and zen. Decor An Asian-themed party can be a breeze with a trip to Chinatown and any of our plethora of great Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese or Malaysian eateries. Just be sure to make it all your own with a clever mix of earthy baskets, simple plates and stunning zenlike centerpieces. Try a single orchid, a bonsai, a monstera leaf with vegetables piled high. Even sushi can look original with the right presentation.

Menu • Curry. Buy your favorite and prepare condiments in pretty bowls. Chef/owner Betty Pang at the Green Door in Chinatown can make you her special, tangy Malaysian chicken curry, but you must order at least two days in advance. At Spices in Mo'ili'ili, you can order red, green or yellow curry in any heat. • Long beans from Green Door or E&O's yummy Burmese ginger salad. • Rice. Sticky rice isn't easy to make, so buy it and decant it. • Sushi. Someone always brings it. Make it original on a clever platter.

Mediterranean Munchies

Decor Mix white dishes with brights, such as mosaic fish bowls from Under a Hula Moon or Julia Knight bowls and platters in colorful mother of pearl from INTO. Zulu bowls made in Africa (at INTO) of woven telephone wire make eye-popping centerpieces with breadsticks or piles of fruit or vegetables. What to wear How about a layered chiffon floral dress with a fabulous necklace — or a linen tunic-style shirt for the guys?

Menu • Pasta. Pick up ready-made pasta sauce from your favorite Italian restaurant, and cook the pasta yourself. You can do it! Just boil water and pay attention to the cooking time recommended on the package. (Don't cook it in advance; it will get gummy and soggy.) We also found yummy sauces in a jar at Red Pineapple and Williams-Sonoma. • Lavosh, with Costco's olive tapenade. • Olives, a multitude of varieties. • Breadsticks or maybe a baguette. • Gelato (try Gelateria, on Cedar Street) with Scotch shortbread from the supermarket, or any favorite biscotti or cookies.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NORMAN SHAPIRO

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