Sunday, October 30, 2011

Heydari Spring 2012 Ready To Wear

Mariam Heydari unveils her collection for Heydari on a bevy of girls prancing through Georgetown in Washington From the stiletto heels, vaguely evocative of the Eisenhower era, these girls were brimming with sugar and spice and all things nice—capturing the mood of ironically exaggerated femininity that has swept the runways.

Heydari, this mood was embodied by the abundant use of pleated and linen. To soften the effect even more, these pieces were veiled in diaganol structure and layers.

Heydari has garnered a loyal following for more than 25 years. Consistently buying designer clothing may lend itself to curiosity and mystique about the personality of the designer. But her success is built not on personality, but on her personal touch, attention to detail and unique styling.

Mariam states, “as a clothing retailer for 28 years, I learned that clothing has to be comfortable while in motion as well as at rest. I desire that each piece works together to produce a piece of art that provides long-lasting pleasure – a statement of individual style that will be worn with pride.”

There is no mass production involved in Heydari, which provides customers with clothes of distinction that are never shocking. Heydari wraps the wearer in elegance through a process of layering, manipulation and addition of appropriate elements until the final vision is achieved. Behold texture, color and uneven lines and enjoy Heydari’s wearable art!


Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW

Heydari Spring Collection 2012 RTW



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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Santa Maria Novella's debut in Chevy Chase, Maryland

LAFCO New York started in 1993 as a way of realizing owner Jon Bresler’s dream to leave the legal profession and pursue his love of fragrance and luxury products gently manufactured in the European tradition.

The first collection Jon brought to the US was a group of five spectacular hard milled soaps from Claus Porto in Portugal. Not only were these five soaps the foundation upon which LAFCO NY was built, but LAFCO NY still sells these five today.

LAFCO NY has continued to search for new collections to add to its offerings. Jon uses the outstanding quality and longevity of these original products as a standard. LAFCO NY trusts that their customers have the same appreciation for the finest ingredients and attention to details that has made LAFCO NY a leading purveyor of fragrance and luxury products in America.










Jason  Barnes

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Knopf Doubleday Writers on Writing: Isabel Wilkerson



"The Warmth of Other Suns” is Wilkerson’s first book. (Its title is borrowed from the celebrated black writer Richard Wright, who fled Jim Crow Mississippi in the 1920s to feel the warmth of those other suns.) Based on more than a thousand interviews, written in broad imaginative strokes, this book, at 622 pages, is something of an anomaly in today’s shrinking world of nonfiction publishing: a narrative epic rigorous enough to impress all but the crankiest of scholars, yet so immensely readable as to land the author a future place on Oprah’s couch.Wilkerson follows the journey of three Southern blacks, each representing a different decade of the Great Migration as well as a different destination. It’s a shrewd storytelling device, because it allows her to highlight two issues often overlooked: first, that the exodus was a continuous phenomenon spanning six decades of American life; second, that it consisted of not one, but rather three geographical streams, the patterns determined by the train routes available to those bold enough to leave.

Isabel Wilkerson won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing as Chicago bureau chief of The New York Times. The first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism and the first African American to win for individual reporting, she has also won the George Polk Award and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship.She has lectured on narrative at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University and has served as Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University and as the James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism at Emory University. She is currently Professor of Journalism and Director of Narrative Nonfiction at Boston University. During the Great Migration, her parents journeyed from Georgia and southern Virginia to Washington, D.C., where she was born and reared.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Iman Receives Rodeo Drive of Style Award

The Missonis, as well as Somali-born model Iman are the next style superstars to receive the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Awards, which are permanent plaques on the sidewalk of one of the world's most famous, fashion-conscious shopping streets.

The Walk of Style aims to remind both tastemakers and tourists that Los Angeles has earned its fashion credibility with red carpets, film wardrobes and important retailers, even if it isn't where most of the industry hangs its hat. Previous recipients include Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace and Manolo Blahnik, all of whom attended the splashy celebrity-filled party held as part of the awards.
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Monday, October 24, 2011

Lincoln Center Presents: An Evening With Ralph Lauren Hosted By Oprah Winfrey - Inside

Ralph Lauren, one of the world’s most recognized design and global business leaders appreared on stage at the Lincoln Center’s for an extraordinary night that jointly benefited The Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Oprah Winfrey led a personal and intimate conversation with Ralph Lauren offering a rare look into the life of an intriguing public, yet very private, cultural icon.

This theatrical one night only stage production was produced by Darren Bagert, a two-time Tony Award® winning producer. The special multi media on stage conversation was be preceded by a reception and followed by a gala dinner in Avery Fisher Hall.

This landmark event recognizes that the art of design is an integral part of American culture and will also strengthen and augment fashion related events at Lincoln Center, not only during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week but throughout the year.

Long recognized for his early leadership in the fight against breast cancer, Ralph Lauren, more than 20 years ago, made a personal and corporate commitment to finding a cure for this disease. Mr. Lauren helped establish the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research at Georgetown University Medical Center and went on to design the first “target” logo for the Council of Fashion Designers of Americas successful “Fashion Targets Breast Cancer” international awareness campaign.

Continuing his efforts, in 2000, he designated his classic icon in pink to the Pink Pony Campaign, a worldwide initiative in the fight against cancer. Pink Pony supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment and research and is dedicated to bringing quality cancer care to medically underserved communities.

In 2003, Polo Ralph Lauren, partnering with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, established The Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention, a hospital-based cancer treatment facility in Harlem that provides comprehensive education, screening and diagnostic services for breast and other cancers tailored to meet the specific needs of the Harlem community.
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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Drake Celebrates 25th Birthday in Las Vegas

Drake Celebrates His 25th Birthday At TAO With Martini Moscato d'Asti at the Tao Nightclub at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas on October 22, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.


The Toronto-born rapper hit Las Vegas for a birthday bash at Sin City hot spot Tao last night. With one party out of the way, Drizzy can focus on planning the celebration of the release of his sophomore album, Take Care , on November 15. The set will include the first single.


Shining in blue, black and gold, it appears that our boy cut his hair. A memorable moment from last night was when Drake ordered and gave away 200 shots and bottles.

Drake and Lil Wayne are bona fide rappers, but, damn, they make one hell of an R&B song. "The Real Her," which may or may not be slated for Drake's upcoming Take Care, dropped online Friday and it's a silky-smooth, ethereal R&B jam reminiscent of Drake's fellow Torontonian the Weeknd.

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

The Warmth of Other Suns” is Wilkerson’s first book. (Its title is borrowed from the celebrated black writer Richard Wright, who fled Jim Crow Mississippi in the 1920s to feel the warmth of those other suns.) Based on more than a thousand interviews, written in broad imaginative strokes, this book, at 622 pages, is something of an anomaly in today’s shrinking world of nonfiction publishing: a narrative epic rigorous enough to impress all but the crankiest of scholars, yet so immensely readable as to land the author a future place on Oprah’s couch.

Wilkerson follows the journey of three Southern blacks, each representing a different decade of the Great Migration as well as a different destination. It’s a shrewd storytelling device, because it allows her to highlight two issues often overlooked: first, that the exodus was a continuous phenomenon spanning six decades of American life; second, that it consisted of not one, but rather three geographical streams, the patterns determined by the train routes available to those bold enough to leave.

Isabel Wilkerson and Michelle Davis, John P. Davis Collection 
Isabel Wilkerson won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing as Chicago bureau chief of The New York Times. The first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism and the first African American to win for individual reporting, she has also won the George Polk Award and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship.


She has lectured on narrative at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University and has served as Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University and as the James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism at Emory University. She is currently Professor of Journalism and Director of Narrative Nonfiction at Boston University. During the Great Migration, her parents journeyed from Georgia and southern Virginia to Washington, D.C., where she was born and reared. This is her first book.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Embassy of Brazil is proud to present the 5th Annual Brazilian Film Week! Included among this year's selections is "VIPs", the Grand Winner of Rio Festival 2010, and much more!

Several award winning and critically acclaimed Brazilian films are coming to Washington, the week of October 21-27 for the Brazilian Embassy’s annual “Brazilian Film Week.” The festival includes the independent film,


"All films are in Portuguese with English subtitles. The Film Week is sponsored by the Embassy of Brazil in Washington, DC.

VIPs

vips filme




Original Title: (VIPs) / English Title: (VIPs)
Release: 2011 (Brazil, USA)
Director: Toniko Melo
Actors: Wagner Moura, Gisele Fróes, Juliano Cazarré, Jorge D'Elia
Length: 96 min
Genre: Drama




Synopsis

Marcelo cannot live with his own identity, which leads him to take on the identity of others. As a result he goes by different monikers to pull off various elaborate scams. One of the most memorable is when he pretends to be Henrique Constantino, son of the owner of the airline Gol, during a carnival in Recife.


MALU ON A BICYCLE

MaluonaBicycle




Original Title: (Malu de Bicicleta) / English Title: (Malu on a Bicycle)
Release: 2011 (Brazil)
Director: Flávio R. Tambellini
Actors: Fernanda de Freitas, Marcelo Serrado, Marjorie Estiano, Otávio Martins
Length: 90 min
Genre: Drama


Synopsis

Luiz Mário is a womanizing businessman who works for São Paulo’s ‘nightlife’ and has a string of love affairs. Despite all of this, he can’t bring himself to have a committed relationship with any of them. One day in Rio de Janeiro, he is hit by a cyclist, Malu on the bike path in Leblon. Soon after they start a relationship and live a perfect romance, until a mysterious love letter arrives and shakes things up.

UPSIDE DOWN

POSTER-De-pernas-pro-ar




Original Title: (De Pernas pro Ar) / English Title: (Upside Down)
Release: 2010 (Brazil)
Director: Roberto Santucci
Actors: Ingrid Guimarães, Bruno Garcia, Maria Paula, Antônio Pedro
Length: 107 min
Genre: Comedy





Synopsis

Alice is a successful executive, over 30 years old, married to João, mother of a son. In reality, she is the typical workaholic trying to balance her work routine and her family life. After losing her job and her husband in the same day she begins to count on her neighbor Marcela to show it is possible to be a successful professional without letting the pleasures of live fall by the wayside. Alice and her new friend take over a failed sex shop and Marcela helps her discover the pleasures of sex toys.

BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS
600full-antes-que-o-mundo-acabe-poster




Original Title: (Antes que o Mundo Acabe) / English Title: (Before the World Ends)
Release: 2009 (Brazil)
Director: Ana Luíza Azevedo
Actors: Caroline Guedes, Murilo Grossi, Janaína Kremer, Pedro Tergolina
Length: 97 min
Genre: Drama



Synopsis

Daniel is a middle class 15-year-old who lives in a small town along with his sister Maria Clara, his mother Elaine and her husband Antônio. He is dating Mim, however their relationship is never stable. The reason being Mim is an independent girl with her own band who is reluctant to be anyone's girlfriend. Daniel's best friend Lucas studies with them at the Santa Bárbara School. There Lucas is accused of theft, causing Daniel and Mim to fight.

REFLECTIONS OF A BLENDER

reflexoes de um liquidificador xlg




Original Title: (Reflexões de um Liquidificador) / English Title: (Reflections of a Blender)
Release: 2010 (Brazil)
Director: André Klotzel
Actors: Ana Lúcia Torre, Selton Mello, Germano Haiut, Fabíula Nascimento
Length: 80 min
Genre: Drama





Synopsis

Elvira is a housewife who is going through a rough period in her life. Her husband Onofre disappeared a few days ago and she decides to report the disappearance to the police. The couple's story is narrated by Elvira's blender, which came to life some time ago when Onofre exchanged its propeller for a much bigger one.
THE SIGN OF THE CITY
O Signo da Cidade




Original Title: (O Signo da Cidade) / English Title: (Sign of the City)
Release: 2008 (Brazil)
Director: Carlos Alberto Riccelli
Actors: Bruna Lombardi, Juca de Oliveira, Eva Wilma, Denise Fraga, Graziella Moretto
Length: 95 min
Genre: Drama





Synopsis

São Paulo. Gil is married but lonely. Lydia likes to take chances. Josialdo was born to be a woman. Monica is a self-interested opportunist who wants only to get ahead. All of these people listen to the nightly radio program of astrologist Teca, who is meanwhile coping with the wishes of her listeners and her own personal problems.











_______________________________________________________________

Harry Belafonte’s documentary based on his life, Sing Your Song.

Last week, Belafonte was joined in D.C. by family, his producer and many of his supporters for the D.C. premier of his film. At the Motion Picture Association of America, he warmly welcomed guests and discussed both his life and the creative process that went into the creation of the film before joining his guests for a viewing of Sing Your Song
Belafonte’s political and social views are clearly and strongly portrayed in the film, which opened the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The film features interviews with Belafonte’s close friends and family, mostly his children.
The storyline in Sing Your Song portrays Belafonte’s private life in detail and is also paralleled by his actions and influence on social justice. Throughout the civil rights movement, Belafonte was a link between Hollywood’s celebrities and the movement’s political leaders, such as and , Jr.


Harry Belafonte’s influence runs far and deep. That is evident in a new HBO documentary based on his life, Sing Your Song. The movie premiered October 17th at 9 p.m. on HBO.



Friday, October 14, 2011

The Mountaintop" Broadway opening night at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

 "The Mountaintop" Broadway opening night at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on October 13, 2011 in New York City.  Photos include  Giancarlo Esposito, Glenn Davis, Alicia Keys, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee, Gayle King, Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and wife Joyce Dinkins



















Thursday, October 13, 2011

President Obama Guests of honor South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife, Kim Yoon-ok

 First Lady Michelle Obama debuted a gown created by the 38-year-old Korean-American designer at the White House state dinner


The Doo.Ri one-shouldered purple gown with an embellished, belted waist, made a striking statement as the first couple prepared to enter the gala event in the East Room of the White House on the rainy evening.

Guests of honor South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his wife, Kim Yoon-ok, dressed in a traditional pink and white hanbok, greeted an eclectic crowd that included Tennis legend Billie Jean King and renowned chef David Chang.

All Saints party in aid for Too Many Women, supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Sienna Miller attends the autumn dinner and All Saints party in aid for Too Many Women, supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer