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Looks like "If you let the stress get the best of you, you have no chance," Brooke Burke tells People about competing on the dancing competition. 5 helpful hints include: don't look scared, don't fight with your partner, don't piss off me and Tom Bergeron, don't forget to eat, accept constructive criticism from the judges. Click here for the FULL details.
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BoConcept Chelsea will never be the same, with the Opening Night of Amber DeVos' Me, Nycelf & Eye --Hosted by Patrick McMullan-- being the breakout event of the summer. Where else is there to go but up? Yes onward and upward is the direction the young lady shooter will go, as her first solo exhibition comprised of large scale color photos captured a looming crowd of supporters and guests. On hand to view DeVos' carefully selected pieces, which ranged from photo booth images of the artist fused into her own work to unidentified cityscapes, were an impressive group of art world darlings and colleagues alike. Present at the opening were: Photographer Bruce Davidson, Painter Chuck Close, Emma Snowdon-Jones, Designer Meghan Walsh, Sharon Bush , Slideluck Potshow Founder Casey Kelbaugh, and Lady Liliana Cavendish. Other notables spotted included: Designer Nicole Miller, Designer Nary Manivong, Artist David Foote, etc.
Left to Right: Chuck Close; Anisha Lakhani & Nicole Miller; Niki & Shakao Cheng; Nary Manivong; Adriel Reboh; Clint Spalding & Ben Gabbe; Nick Hunt; Adriel Reboh; John Magzalcioglu; Liam McMullan; Anita Sarko; Inoiselle Miranda; Karen Biel & Matt Wayne; Sandrine Briere & Stacy Dorsatou; TiaWalker & Amber DeVos
*photos by TheQuest for "it"
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And the franchises--they continue! This time with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. We hedged a little before determining whether or not to run with this, but now we figure--why not? The cast of this new chapter in Real Housewives history is set to include Camille Grammer (ex-wife of Kelsey Grammer) and aunts of super-celeb Paris Hilton as per People.com's TVWatch. Other castmates include: Adrienne Maloof, Kim Richards, Kyle Richards,Lisa Vanderpump, and Taylor Armstrong. Want the details on these ladies? Click here for the full story.
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Hamptons Magazine & Jason Binn hosted Closing Day of Mercedes-Benz Challenge at Blue Star Jets Field with NBA Star Dwayne Wade in the SWAGG Mobile Application Lounge. This final week, Week 6, may have been the smoothest and calmest this summer. The SWAGG Mobile Application Lounge which featured the musical stylings of celeb DJ Solange Knowles welcomed visits from: NBA great Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat and girlfriend Actress Gabrielle Union; Actor Wilmer Valderrama; Social Beth Ostrosky; 4 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon; San Antonio Spurs Richard Jefferson; TV Personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer; Stella Keitel; Alex McCord and Simon van Kempen of the Real Housewives of New York; Celeb Stylist Paul Wharton of the DC Housewives; Survivor Nicaragua Contestant Dan Lembo. Attendees gathered anxiously as Certified (6) competed against the famed Blackwatch (7). VIPs relaxed in the SWAGG Lounge and previewed the new mobile application set to be released during the 2010 holiday season. At that time the highly anticipated app. will allow consumers to purchase, exchange, and redeem gift cards from their phone. To follow are exclusive photos from the event.
Top to Bottom: Beth Ostrosky; Jennifer Sitomer with Blue Star Jets President Ricky Sitomer; Guest & Tracy Stern of Salon Tea; 75 Main Owner Zach Erdem
*photos by The Quest for "it"
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We're not one to give results of sample sales too often, after all, people come--they look--they BUY--enough said! However, we do want to weigh in on the recent Zang Toi & Wendy Brandes Sample Sale. Why? We found noteworthy items of course!
Wendy Brandes' Cleopatra earrings in 18k gold with diamonds*** are a true knockout, and clearly we aren't the only one's to think so, apparently the same exact pair were scouted by uber stylist Patricia Field and worn by actress Kim Catrall in Sex and the City 2. Other standouts included her various mechanical pieces: i.e. -poison rings and necklaces that separate revealing hidden intricacies like a hen sitting on 3 miniature eggs.
Zang Toi's most colorful creations were being sold at rock bottom prices, with a red and ivory hand knit dress, once $2000 and now $500. Ms. Brandes herself was shopping for a Zang Toi original for Fashion Week. Expertly fitted, on site by Zang Toi himself, a red cashmere tweed bustier dress with pleated lave which retailed for a steal at $900 was the choice of Ms. Brandes.
While the sale may be over, there's still a way in to the world of Wendy Brandes and Zang Toi. For a selection of Wendy Brandes jewelry designs please visit www.wendybrandes.com. For Zang Toi, his Spring 2011 Runway show will take place on Wednesday, September 15th at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, and if you know just the right contact you may find a way in.
***- Wendy Brandes Cleopatra Earrings can be purchased at Broken English Jewelry in Santa Monica; a less expensive version in Brushed gold or silver (as shown above are also available for $450)
*photos by The Quest for 'it"
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True Blood's Mariana Klaveno was yet another celeb who graced the red carpet at the 62 Annual Primetime Emmy's wearing Designer Tony Ward. Her couture gown was paired effectively with Brumani jewelry. Brumani pieces included Brumani "Evora" ring in White Gold with White Diamonds with Topaz and Red Topaz ($6,008); Brumani "Evora" Earrings in White Gold and White Diamonds, Topaz and Red Topaz ($10,595)
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The Spring 2011 show is here! We recently, afforded you the opportunity to meet the designers and now we're giving you a first look at their upcoming collections, set to grace the runway on Friday, September 10th. The (7) participating designers are all set with unique creations, and here they are: Louie Llewellyn & Xiang Zhang use the theme of hard and soft men's wear silhouette, April Howard utilizes 'found' objects (sculpture by Kathy Kelley), Maria Korovilas makes visual and conceptual references based on the Jenny Lewis song You are What you Love, Camilla Olson represents women as rebels breaking the restriction of their historically constrained roles, Jungah Lee marks her territory with faded colors of antique books and hand dyed fabrics, and Cara Chiappetta expresses femininity i.e.- Bridget Fonda's character Nina in the film Point of No Return. To follow are select photos from the School of Fashion Academy of Art University San Francsico designers.
Left to Right: Design by Louie Llewellyn & Xiang Zhang; Maria Korovilas; April Howard; Camilla Olson; Cara Chiapetta; Jungah Lee
*photos courtesy of Academy of Art University
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Still reeling from the fashions at last night's 62 Annual Primetime Emmy Awards? Black and white, pervasive on the red carpet, was worth its weight in gold. TV Personality Kelly Osbourne stunned wearing a Tony Ward couture gown. The newly svelte Ms. Osbourne opted for a black silk jersey long dress, with a lazer cut crystal flower, stone shaped buttons and an assymetrical shoulder draped end embroidered with crystal stones from designer Tony Ward's Couture Collection.
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The ultimate celebration of the art of sake brewing The Joy of Sake featuring over 330 premium sakes- the largest sake tasting in the United States- returns to New York once again for a magical evening of sake tastings paired with delicacies from a dozen of New York’s finest restaurants on September 23 from6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at 82 Mercer in Manhattan.
Begun just a decade ago, the Joy of Sake now draws thousands of sake enthusiasts to its three annual events. This year, events will be held in Honolulu on August 19, San Francisco on September 9 and New York on September 23. With high demand for tickets, the venues have steadily grown in size, reflecting the popularity of both the event and sake itself. In New York, the tasting now takes place at the wonderful new event venue 82 Mercer.
Attendees will be able to sample the full spectrum of sake styles in the junmai, ginjo and daiginjo categories, including recipients of silver and gold awards from the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, a rigorous blind tasting conducted by judges from the U.S. and Japan every year prior to the Joy of Sake events.
With over 330 sakes to taste, guests will discover the diversity and complexity of premium sake, which matches that of wine. Top restaurants in each city will serve appetizers to complement the sakes, featuring a variety of cuisines, from Asian and Japanese to American and French.
Ticket sales and sponsorships will support the efforts of Joy of Sake, a not for profit organization whose mission is to foster appreciation for the traditional art of sake-brewing. It provides opportunities for people outside Japan to obtain authentic knowledge about sake through seminars and tasting events.
Information on this year's Joy of Sake, as well as photo galleries from last years events may be found at www.joyofsake--tickets, which are $90, may be ordered online.
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In Season 3 of the Real Housewives of New York City, fans applauded when Alex McCord finally stood up for herself. Now McCord, who says. "Its absolutely crucial and necessary in reality TV to let people know how you feel," is bringing her outspoken attitude to a blog about Bravo's newest chapter in the hit franchise--the Real Housewives of DC. Click here for the full run down on last night's episode, courtesy of People.com's TVWatch.
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Not one to shy away from a Product-n-Press day, The Quest for 'it" recently headed over to West Chelsea's La Venue to literally meet the inventors and brains behind the BIG IDEAS. For those on the ultimate quest to learn how to create their own product line, this is for you! The show and tell set-up of over twenty inventors yielded some uniquely inspiring finds. Ranging from a four-year old Dallas based company headed by tween sisters' who've cornered the market on bottlecap jewelry (m3 girl designs) to a savvy mom whose created a spill proof sippy bottled water geared to tots (Nourish Toddler), we knew we'd hit the big time in terms of big ideas.
Standouts included AlternaVites, the new quick melting multivitamin and mineral crystals supplement; Poppy King's Lipstick Queen and Nourish Toddler. AlternaVites, a breakthrough product by Rich Vitamins LLC, provides a tasty "no pill" option to the essential nutrition we all need. Founder Hallie Rich share that her recent invention will revolutionize the vitamin industry and as third generation health producer, she should know. If the name Poppy King sounds familiar it should. The long time cosmetics creator who started her first line some years ago at 17 has a new find--Jean Queen from Lipstick Queen, the ultimate lip color to wear with jeans. The product suits all skin tones, ethnicities, ages and jean styles. The lovingly created special pink that offsets the blue in the denim lights up the entire face. Lara Hodgson's Nourish Toddler, may be the greatest and most useful invention we've come across to date. Hodgson, who recently appeared on the cover of Inventors Digest, created her product as a result of being a busy mom with an even busier three year old. Frustrated by the lack of toddler friendly beverages, Hodgson found adult water bottles were too heavy and squeezable bottles, too messy. Nourish Toddler allows little hands to proudly hold their own bottled water.
Other inventors whose brands were represented included: Louis Forman, Dyson, Dr. Amy Baxter, Louise Paradise, Mike Drummond, Karin Robinovitz, Sue Phillips, Patrick Raymond, Dr. Christopher Oswald, Michelle Staley, Paul Hagen, Karen Norris, Robert Howard, Peter Kraft and Tracy Howe
*photos by The Quest for "it
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The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jacqueline Laurita talks about off-camera drama and whether or not she'd do another season according to People.com's TVWatch. In drama that played out on the show Danielle Staub had engaged Laurita's daughter, Ashley Holmes, 19, in an online war of words before a physical altercation occurred last fall, during which Holmes pulled her hair. Staub pressed assault charges, and Holmes was found guilty, paying a $189 fine. Laurita says there was even more drama behind the scenes. Click here for the full story.
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Looks like Ben Sherman's got tickets to give away. Feeling lucky? Click here to win chance to see the performance of your choice on the upcoming Nylon Fall Music Tour.
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The date is set! Friday September 10, 8:00 pm is the date and time for the Spring 2011 Academy of Art University fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this season. The new Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center will be abuzz. Since 2005, the School of Fashion at the Academy of Art San Francisco has premiered the collections of recent graduates during New York's famed Fashion Week.
Louie Llewellyn (Boston, Massachusetts), Xiang Zhang (Shanghai, China);April Howard (Hartford, CT); Maria Korovilas (Baltimore,Maryland); Camilla Olson (Faribanks, Alaska); Jungah Lee (Seoul, South Korea); and Cara Chiappetta (Mundelein, Illinois) bringing their unique looks to the New York runway for the first time, each working with a mixture of fabrics to create the latest in cutting edge fashion. To follow are shots of the designers--get to know them, they're fashions are sure to wow come September 10th.
Left to Right: Louie Llewellyn; Camilla Olson; Jungah Lee; Xiang Zhang; April Howard; Maria Korovilas; Cara Chiappetta
*photos courtesy of Academy of Art University
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Longing for your friends to get back together--the cast mates of the long running NBC hit--that is? Well at least two cast mates are reuniting. Jennifer Aniston will appear on Courtney Cox's Cougar Town, for the premiere of Season 2, on September 22nd according to People.com's TV Watch. Calling all cubs...be sure to tune in! Click here for the details.
Christian McKenzie is an Editor, Journalist and Film Producer based in New York and London. She has worked with IMG Fashion, Future Proof Productions, Acolyte Films, and Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation. For more information, visit ChristianMcKenzie.com
A life-long New Yorker currently residing in Maine, Richard has employed his writing and artistic talents in a wide variety of professions and projects. He presently does music promotion for underground artists, is a tireless community activist/organizer who has worked on several high-profile political and civil rights campaigns, and is also himself a musician who has performed in numerous bands, done some studio session work, and currently makes instructional guitar and bass playing videos.
George T. Wilson aka Georgeo is the owner of a small boutique PR agency Mangeo Public Relations Group which caters to a select group of clientele who are a brand or on thier way to becoming one. He has been involved in the entertainment field for a number of years and first got his start in the industry as a dancer/ choreographer of his own production company. With his passion for life he is inspired to greatness by walking in his destiny without apology .
New York based Lifestyle Consultant Peggie Walker is on a quest! As Executive Editor of this very blog (The Quest for "it") Peggie has recently re-ignited her longtime passions in the areas of inter-generational beauty, fashion, lifestyle and culture. Look for articles that reflect her quest as well as that of others. Some things borrowed, some things new some things old....here's wishing ALL your dreams come true.
The Quest for "it "welcomes our first official Guest Blogger on film, Sharon Abella. Sharon is a true girl about town reporting on Film premieres from the red carpet to the after parties. Coverage for 2007 includes: The Kite Runner, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street etc.
Check Sharon out in the Film Category of this blog--NOW!
