|
Wednesday, 20 August 2008 |
A Sealed Fate
Aug 20th, 2008
Nigel Barker’s photo exhibition on baby harp seals and his documentary film titled “A Seal Fate” has captured the short life for many of these pups. These beautifully photographed images by Nigel were taken in Newfoundland near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The film allows you to see a baby harp seal just born and the umbilical cord still attached to the mother. You can feel how precious life is. It is their fluffy white coats that are a commodity for the hunters in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This documentary depicts the slaughtering of the baby harp seals, graphically showing the beating and dragging of the skins across the ice with blood drenched all over the snow. In 2001, independent veterinarians reported that up to 42% of the seals they studied had likely been skinned alive.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Thursday, 07 August 2008 |
“Romeo & Juliet” at the Old Globe
Richard Sneer’s version of “Romeo & Juliet” is the second of three Shakespeare shows playing outdoors this summer at the Old Globe Theatre’s Davies Festival Theatre. I attended the show on a lovely, warm Sunday evening and was treated to probably one of the best version’s of the famous play I have seen.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Tuesday, 15 July 2008 |
Nina Segal, daughter of famed retail maverick Fred Segal, and business partner Ashleigh Cohen celebrated the official launch of their new jewelry line, NASH, with a launch party last night, July 10th, at Nina at Fred Segal. Guests including Desperate Housewives’ Jesse Metcalfe, admired the handmade one-of-a-kind jewelry.
A portion of proceeds from the evening were donated to Angels At Risk, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping teenagers and their families at risk for drug and alcohol abuse.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Saturday, 12 July 2008 |
“Hey Honey, Honey, Honey!” Said Richie Rich over the club roar at our table for dinner at Lotus one night, “Wanna shoot our next fashion show invite?”
“Are you kidding?” I gasped, “Why, I’d share an igloo with an Eskimo, and suck on whale blubber, for a project that fun. Of course I’ll do it!”
As it turned out however, my elusions of creative grandeur transgressed into them wanting a black and white headshot of Richie and design partner Traver Rains, for cut out and drop into the original movie poster from “The Wizard of Oz.” All my hopes of doing something fabulous, cascaded into a doing a favor.
“Oh well, in that case,” I said with a heavy sigh of acceptance, “Come to the studio after I shoot this job for Golf Magazine, and I’ll just pay my assistants some overtime. You get one hour, don’t be late!”
Of course they were late. “Where the hell are you?” I asked, not at all trying to hide the frustration in my voice.
“On the way, honey, honey, honey,” Said Richie unfazed, “We just had to pick up the model.”
“Model? What model? I thought this was just a black and white headshot of you and Traver?”
“It’s just Lydia, she’s really sweet, you’ll love her.” Was his response in between giving the cab driver conflicting instructions.
“Okay fine…Just get here!”
Fortunately Lydia did turn out to be super sweet, and while she was getting made-up, Richie handed me her model portfolio. “Check out her book, it’s fierce!”
Yeah, yeah, yeah…Models are always “fierce.” I thought. But when I started flipping the pages, all I saw were Vogue covers, and major advertising campaigns. “Wait, this is Lydia…Hearst? You brought me Lydia Hearst, the supermodel, celebutante, daughter of Patti herself?”
“Now do you forgive us for being late?” Traver said with a wink.
In the following two hours, we shot six looks, all in color instead of black and white because how can you shoot anything Heatherette in grayscale? It was as if our combined inspiration fueled a magic act. First there was the hefty bags full of fake flowers, to make a “poppy field” for Lydia to lie in dreamily, as if she was under the spell of the Wicked Witch. Then came the licensed original images from Oz, to use as our backgrounds, complete with Munchkin Land, and the Emerald City-scape. Finally there was the silliness of Richie and Traver, skipping down the yellow brick road with a supermodel, with Toto for company.
This spur of the moment creativity only happens when crazy, artistic, talented, people get together with no plan but to make something beautiful happen, and so we did.
At the end of out short impromptu photo shoot, Richie and Traver, and Lydia, all thanked me profusely. We all knew there were great images to work with.
“No, honey, honey, honey's!” I said, “It is YOU I need to thank. You came at the end of my run of the mill shoot day for a conservative magazine, and brought me magic!”
Herein is what lies “over the rainbow” with Heatherette.
-Bradford Noble
 
 
|
|
|
Friday, 11 July 2008 |
|
Los Angeles – June 9, 2008 – RLG Productions announced today that it will bring program offerings, FASHION NEWS LIVE, to Joost™ (www.joost.com), the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service.
Fashion News Live is the ultimate online resource to find exclusive celebrity and fashion designer interviews, beauty tips, fashion advice, and much more.
Fashion News Live: Reality TV Show consists of City Showcase, Fashion-Able and Makeover Challenge. Rocco G takes you through popular US cities from Las Vegas to Miami highlighting the trendiest places to shop, eat, and dine. Visit the Fashion-Able section, the humorous part of the show, where Rocco G finds every day individuals to describe fashion do’s and don’ts. The Makeover Challenge section features contestants competing over a 12 week period for a Grand Prize.
QUOTE FROM JOOST
About Partner
RLG Productions founder Rocco Leo Gaglioti has been and continues to be the face, power, personality and driving force behind Fashion News Live. After a successful career both in front and behind the lens, Rocco Leo Gaglioti decided to open his own production studio at the famed Universal Studios. His concept for a fashion magazine transformed into a television pilot and eventually evolved into Fashion News Live: The TV show, which appeared on the UPN network. Creator/Host Rocco Leo Gaglioti has interviewed fashion icons from Niki Taylor to Naomi Campbell, as well as designers and celebrities ranging from Vera Wang to Betsey Johnson and Diddy to Dr. Ruth.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Friday, 13 June 2008 |
What better place than the highly
anticipated “Sex and the City” movie for Mercedes-Benz to debut its new compact
SUV offering the GLK and who’s a gal fitting enough to drive this gorgeous
vehicle – the one and only Samantha Jones of course. Mercedes-Benz hosted several special
screenings around the country of the movie to benefit
charitable organization Dress for Success and we were lucky enough to score a seat. The movie is a must see for any fan of the
series and not surprisingly Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week serves as a
backdrop in several memorable scenes. It
also came as no big surprise to see Mr. Big riding in Mercedes’ flagship S-Class
sedan. “Sex and the City: The Movie”
gives fans exactly what they have been waiting for: designer-label dropping,
sex reference, estrogen-filled fun. For
fashionistas, scenes with amazing wedding dresses designed by Vivienne
Westwood, Vera Wang, Christian Dior, and Christian Lacroix are absolutely jaw-dropping.
This is one summer movie not to be missed. 
|
|
|
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
|
FASHIONABLE, FLEXIBLE & SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE
It’s not paper. It’s not plastic. And now,
supporting a Green lifestyle can be fashionable. Lighten your load and help New
Orleansits-laS-tik™, the only reusable shopping/grocery bag that goes above and
beyond the call of duty. its-laS-tik™ not only helps the environment by
eliminating the need for paper and plastic, but it does away with physical
stress caused by carrying heavy bags, looks sleek and smart and gives back to a
community in need. It’s fashionable, flexible, and socially responsible.
  
For
years, ideas running through the minds of two life-long friends made it no
further than the kitchen table. Designs for ingenious house-hold products,
exquisite jewelry and unique handbags, were created in a New Jersey basement
and until now, had never made it past than the eyes and ears of supportive
family members. Consistently amazed with their talents, creativity and
ingenuity, everyone anxiously wondered when they would actually hit on
something and show the world what they had to offer. But year after year, they
failed to reach the public. Idea after idea, they couldn’t seem to communicate
to those who would actually benefit from something thought up in the New Jersey
basement. Until one day, one idea proved to be so dynamic and undeniable that
even those 8-inch thick, concrete, basement walls didn’t stand a chance of
holding it back.
Launched
in 2008, what’S ur bag is a company owned and operated by Susan Princiotto,
however, the idea for the company was formed far earlier. Susan Princiotto
(designer, founder and CEO) and Joan Elmore-Nutting (Business Development and
Marketing specialist), full of ingenious ideas of all shapes, sizes and purposes,
originally decided that handbags would be their focus. Together, they had a
knack for creating unique and eye-catching designs, and initially produced a
recycled denim handbag using old worn jeans, that even caught the eye of
several big names in Hollywood. It was brilliant, but the flame died down and
the recycled denim bag slipped to the backburner. Their “little company” was
pushed to the side and life, and its many priorities, took over.
Soon
after, and quite unexpectedly, what’S ur bag came into focus once again. While
the whole world was “Going Green” Susan also tried to do her part. She had a
compost heap in the backyard and unplugged her appliances at night. She even
bought as many reusable bags as her kitchen could handle, with the hope of
finding the answer to eliminating paper and plastic grocery bags. However,
purchase after purchase led to the same problems… the bags were heavy and
weren’t very easy on the eye. The wheels were set in motion, almost
uncontrollably and immediately, and her nimble fingers began to sew. She
purchased fabrics of all kinds: cotton, hemp and even corn. Prototype after
prototype, she struggled to design the perfect reusable shopping bag, yet every
final product had one thing in common: they all looked the same. She needed
something that worked and something that looked good (because as she has always
believed, going Green doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting fashion).
With the
purchase of a shiny green fabric, simply because it was ‘pretty and green’, it
was clear Susan was onto something big. Once the bag was complete, she began
filling it with groceries, realizing something was extraordinarily different;
it held much more than a regular reusable bag. The bag itself actually
stretched. Not only did it hold more, but it felt like it held less. It moved,
bounced, and then went right back to its original shape when emptied. She
washed it, and then washed it again and again, but the bag remained the same.
Utilizing
flexible fabrics in highly fashionable prints, what’S ur bag created
its-laS-tik™ to take the stress off your hands, back, shoulders and knees with
their elasticity and flexibility; its-laS-tik™ actually mimics the bounce in
your step. While other ‘reusable’ bags don’t stretch, only carry a certain
amount of product and remain as heavy as the regular paper or plastic grocery
bags they replace, its-laS-tik™ does much more:
•
They take the shape of their contents and hold them securely
•
Move with you as you walk, enabling you to double the load per bag while never
feeling the effects
•
Spring right back into its original shape once emptied
•
Are washable, reusable, economical and fashionable
With
a dedication to making their products in the USA (rather than China where most
other reusable bags are manufactured), and a love in their hearts for New
Orleans, the connection made itself. Driven by the opportunity to provide work
for residents of New Orleans, put money back into a struggling economy, help
the underprivileged in that economy, and do something helpful for the
environment, the dominoes began to fall. Like magic, vendors in New Orleans
seemed to appear interested, and a connection to a charitable organization
(Hope House) was established. its-laS-tik™ bags are manufactured by Hurricane
Katrina survivors and almost every aspect of the company is outsourced to New
Orleans natives. The material is sourced there, the labels are made there and
even the graphic artist and Web site designer is a native of the city. 5% of
the sales of its-laS-tik™ bags is also donated to Hope House and the bags will
be recycled there by the homeless community.
The
decision to forge ahead seemed to be out of their control, and finally it was
time to reawaken their “little company” and launch their brand. The successful
launch took place at the Go Green Expo in New York City on April 26 through
April 27, 2008, and its-laS-tik™ was welcomed by the Green community with open
arms. This time around, they had a product that made sense… and made a
difference. “I’ve helped those in need my entire life,” states Susan, “and I’ve
felt a closeness to New Orleans that I just can’t describe. I love New Orleans
and if I can help the environment while helping a city partially devastated by
the environment, I feel like I’ve done some good in, and for this world.”
 
|
|
|
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
|
Fashion
Factory Boutique
The stretch of Beverly Blvd. between San Vicente and La
Cienega that used to look up to the Beverly Center, the Hotel Sofitel, and the
old Hard Rock Café with its iconic – and impaled – classic car, may soon have
another landmark on its hands. At a modest 2 stories, it certainly is dwarfed
by its behemoth neighbors, but in the eyes of bargain hunters with a passion
for high-end designer clothing, it will definitely loom large.
The Fashion Factory Boutique is a brand
new, first of its kind shopping destination for Los Angeles, offering designer men’s and
women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories at 40 to 80% below suggested retail.
Yes, you read that correctly: 40 to 80% off! And trust me, this is not
your run-of-the-mill “outlet” store with mismatched clothes strewn about and
lousy service. This is first and foremost a boutique that just happens to have
fabulous, continuous sales.
At the grand opening held earlier this
month, we were treated to a red carpet outside and, once inside, a huge round
display of Valentino shoes in the center of this open, airy store. Off to the
right, hardwood floors and shelves were dotted with bags, belts, and more shoes
from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe, Etro, and more. To the left,
colorful suits, coats, dress shirts and sweaters awaited the men. For the more
casual guys, there were also plenty of print t-shirts and jeans.
The staircase in the middle of the store
led us up to even more deals for women – blouses, jackets, denim, dresses,
t-shirts, and more shoes and accessories – and quite a wide selection of kids’
clothes.
On this night, celebrities such as Rex
Lee and Tracey Bingham and Monarchy designer Eric Kim showed up to shop, mingle,
nibble hors d’oevres, indulge in the chocolate fountain and to bob their heads to
the dj spinning great tunes. Lee paused to reflect how he used to work across
the street at the Beverly
Center when he was
younger – my, look at him now! Bingham looked like a very happy kid in a candy
store as she raced around, scooping up several choice pieces for herself. Kim
proclaimed that this is a prime time for a high-end, classy discount store, for
during these particularly rough economic times, even the more well-off will
begin to feel the effects and perhaps need a place to go to begin doing more
bargain shopping than ever before, adding that it’s very cool to have a ton of
amazing designers under one roof.
One more lap around the Fashion Factory
Boutique before leaving proved that, alas, one needn’t be “well off” to shop here.
The prices are well within range of the masses and thus are encouraged to drop
by and experience this truly unique place. If you’ve had your eye on a Just
Cavalli tank top that you spotted in a magazine or a some True Religion jeans
that you may have seen at another retailer that were a bit too much for your
budget, I urge you to check this place out. The great atmostphere, ideal
location, helpful salespeople – and, of course, the amazing deals – will knock
your (designer) socks off.
|
|
|
Monday, 25 February 2008 |
|
Natalie Portman's shoe collection has been out for a while, and it supercedes expectations.
By: Mitra Asgarinik
Although only six styles are available currntly, Portman has designed six great looks perfect for day or night. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Tuesday, 19 February 2008 |
|
Milly by Michelle Smith satisfied every woman’s fashion needs.
By: Mitra Asgarinik
The collection was sexy, feminine, and glamorous, prominent in skirts and dresses. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
