The Quest for "it"

The Quest for "it" Heads for Miami--A Stay at the Shore Club

                     Hello There!

Seems like just yesterday Patrick and I set foot on Florida soil, and  even moments ago that we chowed down on grilled gruper sandwiches, late night sushi, and made mini-shopping trips to the local Winn Dixie off of A1A in Fort Lauderdale.  Sadly, as FTL Moda has ended so too has our time in the luxurious lil nook of Fort Lauderdale we were fortunate to stay in.  As of  today (11:00 am) we headed off to South Beach to enjoy a lovely night at the Shore Club ... Oh yes! It doesn't get much better than this!

Patrick (being the model that he is) got a sweet little discount at the Shore Club, therefore myself, Patrick and Michael all packed up the rental  of our mutual friend Deanna (freshly flown in from New York) and headed to South Beach. Actually, Deanna had flown in the day before, attended the last day of shows, and stayed in my suite the night before. I digress...in any event IT WAS ON! The real party/vacation part of the trip was about to begin.  After checking into the very posh yet minimalist Shore Club, Deanna and I decided to hit the pool for a little sunning session. Patrick decided to take a quick nap in the meantime (that's Patrick at left w/Teddy my lil Victoria's Secret bear--(2005)

Deanna and I spent about 1 hour sunning at the pool (that's us at left with me taking the photo via my camera phone). We perused the very pricey poolside menu deciding that unlike the men to our left drinking mixed cocktails at about 1:00 pm we really craved sweets!  This was the life! Poolside sunning at the Shore Club where believe it or not nearly every pool chair on our side of the pool was filled.  To our right was a gun named Alex who does the door at Snatch, a hot spot rock club a few blocks away.  There could have been more people of great interest, but Alex is the only one we were made aware of.  OK, so back to the sweets...after awhile we decided to depart and head to the local Publix Supermarket for ice cream and cupcakes. ***

During the time we were gone Patrick had awaken and headed back to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up  Hawke, who had somehow MISSED the trip to South Beach, but who needed to use our hotel room for a photo shoot.  As the day grew on and after Deanna and I made a quick trip for sweets,, we came back and decided to hit the beach. OK, so it was basically barely 70 degrees, but it was warmer than New York and we both had bikinis.  So after about 30 minutes there, it was time for warm water and we agreed that the Shore Club's outdoor jacuzzi would be just the place to get warm. We joined a rail thin blond and her 2 friends sipping white wine and milked our hot tub time for all it was worth. Before we knew it we had soaked long enough and headed for a mini tour of the other hotels in the area. I took a sweet picture of the pool at the National which was AMAZING to look at as the sun set...sentimental I know, but BEAUTIFUL...seriously...BEAUTIFUL,  as was the Shore Club Pool (see the photo at left).

Can I tell you?...time just flies in South Beach, as hours later we were all showered and ready to go to dinner...a SUSHI dinner.  The first few places we went to had no alcohol or either didn't take credit cards, I cannot remember which. We ended up at a place called Rock Bar Sushi and had huge amounts of sushi. Afterwards we all went to Snatch...well actually, Suite which is the upstairs club, but they are both in the same building. I was there for all of 30 minutes when it hit me, I was being picked up at 3:15 in the morning by a Super Shuttle...what was I thinking?  So there I was walking six or so long blocks back to the hotel where Teddy awaited me, cozily snug in the fine sheets of the Shore Club watching the huge plasma screen I had left on for him.

At 2:00 am Patrick and Hawke returned from Suite--seems like things may have been a bit WILD but not really. I had been sleeping for a few hours by the time they returned, and had only 45 minutes before it was time for me to get up.  I got my things together and headed down to the lobby where I took a few shots of the  Shore Club lobby with my camera phone (see photo at left).  Sitting on the outdoor sofa at the entrance of the hotel I decided that I definitely need to get back to South Beach soon. This was all soooo much fun, I mean... it wasn't the wild times that seem to be synonymous with South Beach, but I look at it this way...'it just gives me a reason to go back.'

;)

***- ice cream and cupcakes, yes well it's vacation time. My lil diet blog is on hiatus.

FTL MODA Photo Re-Cap 2007

Hi!

There's nothing better than a photo re-cap and FTL Moda was certainly worthy of one. To follow are select photos of the lush surroundings, and standout collections of 2007, including designs by: Zoo 14, Lord Pavano & Slavica.

*Photos courtesy Rachel Galvin & Deanna Candelas

FTL Moda--Day 2 Highlights

Hi There,

After a full afternoon of runway shows on Day 1 I was uniquely prepared for Day 2, except this time around I would delve a bit more and go backstage much like I do for Fashion Week in New York.  Before the shows began, which was around 2:30 pm, I made my way backstage to check out the models getting prepped in hair and make up. Here is a bit of what I saw:

 

As I wandered through the myriad that was the  backstage, I ran into Paola Noguera, the HOT young designer whose primary collection I had missed on Day 1.   I assured her that I would be front and center today--Day 2.  Actually this was no exaggeration of truth--as a New York media chick I really was sitting front row and...well...almost center.  Paola was excited, and so was I to not only get a look at her second collection entitled Lord Pavano, but to check out my friend Patrick who would be modeling some of the clothing.

Designer Paola Noguera                        Before long  I was taking in the shows of Day 2 and looking for the hottest in FTL Moda wear.  The earlier shows consisted of the swimwear of Rachel Lym who I'd met the previous day.  Directly after Ms. Lym was Paola Noguera's Lord Pavano, a collection of both mens and womens wear.  The mens wear consisted of sleek shirts-- sophisticated looks that screamed warm nights in tropical locales.  The womens wear ranged from a few swimsuits to full length couture gowns. Standouts included a midnight blue evening dress (see photo below) and other super feminine, super sexy floor length designs.

Other notable collections included the crocheted sweaters of designer Slavica, which were ideal for poolside lounging, or as cover-ups on chilly summer nights. Her resort wear included dresses, sarongs and pantalones made of delicate, finely woven silks and cottons.  Lastly, was Carmen Fagnoli, a Northern Italian designer, who opened her own Fashion House--Carmen Si--in 2002.  Ms. Fagnoli was another womenswear favorite taking the runway by storm with full length gowns of silk and taffeta...some with jackets, some without.  Daring bold looks for women who are serious about their evening wear, the collection was decidedly for the woman of substance....think a diplomat or dignitary's wife....stunning.

Before long the shows had winded down and things were closing out. The air had cooled and the wind blew water from the fountain*** onto the show's attendees, it was time to go.  The grand exit was still a ways away as I had to gather several of the models I was traveling with from the backstage area.  Everyone was saying their goodbye's and making plans to meet later at the Closing Night party to be held at China White in Las Olas.  FTL Moda had come to an end, but the fashions I'd seen were just the beginning.  Domani Productions is expected launch another series of shows at the end of 2007 with several of the FTL Moda designers taking part, with the shows set to take place in Milan.  Not sure if they will be on The Quest for "it" agenda so til next year this time, thanks FTL Moda and see you soon!

***-The fountain at the Nikki Marina was the centerpiece from which the runway was built around. Sorry no photo is available.

Checking in from Nikki Marina

                     Hi!

This is just a quick note to say that I am on my 3rd day of FTL Moda and unfortunately I have had soooo much difficulty with internet access etc. that I have not been able to post in a timely manner.  Rest assured there are tons of things I have learned and will do differently on my next trip.  For now I just want to say that I am having a blast and seeing lots of AMAZING things here. I am blogging from the Westin Diplomat's Nikki Marina -- the mini-yachts are beautiful -- that's me to the left with Mark Corbett, publisher of Go Riverwalk Magazine, aboard the Feretti 590 the official VIP boat of FTL Moda!!!  Should have a regular post up shortly.

FTL MODA: Day 1 Highlights

                     Hello,

Alrighty, so I was greatly looking forward to the main attraction--the almost non-stop runway of FTL Moda  Day 1 as per the lil program that I picked up at the opening night ceremony had more than prepared me for the art exhibit of Massima Sanasavini and the runway collections of Milletrame, Pavano, Arroyo Designs, ZOO 14, Eduardo De Las Casas, Benlina Nya, Novimari (Accessories), Jennifer Tattanelli, and Nino Lettieri.  My Day 1 arrival to Nikki Marina was a bit hectic.  Paola  Nogeura, a young up and coming Columbian designer being featured in the show, had not shown to pick me up as planned.  Paola had become too busy with last minute details so I was picked up by her sister Jessica.  Needless to say, the later pickup resulted in each of us missing her show and my eventual arrival time to the marina became more like 3:00 pm instead of 12:00 noon, which is when the shows began.*** 

So my first actual show, which was a standout and worth its weight in gold, was ZOO 14  by Maria Contessa.  Z00 14 is a unique menswear line meant to dazzle and excite--not the norm for menswear as it utilizes sheer fabrics for shirts, heavily textured pants both free flowing and fitted,  and shimmering accessories.  I'd read that Maria Contessa has a large and steady clientele comprised of performers ranging from Alvin Alley dancers to KISS to the legendary singers Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross & Cher.  Need I say more?... his was a stunning collection for men who dare to be bold though color, and this is winning must-have designer clothing.

During the viewing of ZOO 14, I met Rachel Galvin Editor of City Smart Magazine.com**** who was quickly snapping away, as many of my personal favorites sauntered down the runway including : Patrick Hazlewood, Michael Leone, Peter Hall Malamoutsis and Peter Thomas.  As shows ran continuously  from day to night with 45 minute  intervals, it was needless to say exhausting.  Believe it or not, it was particularly exhausting sitting in the front row (my trip to the bar for a cocktail or snack become attention worthy) there was no waiter service to the seated media. Also in attendance was designer Rachel Lym, who sat a few seats away from me watching the work of her fellow designers whisk right by. Making the decision to forgo the front and center, photographers hub also set up for media seating put me on the other side of the stage from my colleagues Mark Corbett, GO River Walk Magazine, and several others that were in attendance to cover the shows.

Before long the first day/night of shows had ended, and the remaining media, event  organizers, sponsors etc. were set to head over to the Day 1 after party at China White in the Las Olas section of Ft. Lauderdale.  As previously indicated, trailing the models meant that I would not make China White. There was still lots to do, see and report on, and one only needs to stay tuned for Day 2 to get a true sense of the beauty and sophistication of a waterside runway show.

In one word, this experience  so far has been... belissima!

***-unfortunately the shows began at 12:00 noon so I missed the Student Fashion contest (Art Institute of Florida), apologies.

****- Rachel Galvin and  I had actually met at the opening ceremony the night before. Rachel has generously supplied the photos that have been included in this post.

*photos courtesy of Rachel Galvin

FTL Moda Rehearsal Night: The Walk Throughs

Hi!

After my initial mini Q &  A with Tyler Molinari  I was pretty much free to do what I wanted...at which point I decided to walk around the marina, take in the night air of Hollywood, Florida and gaze at the cabin cruisers and mini yachts that filled the water way.  I'd decided that this was the "it" life as the FTL Moda team had perfectly choreographed the runway shows against the beautiful backdrop of Nikki Marina...how fortunate I was to see this all first hand. 

Gregory Yap Sam, Tyler Molinari and Kevin Groves (Ocean Drive Models) were fast at work setting the stage for the first set of shows to begin on Saturday.  Several of the models spent no time getting a bit of relaxation time in before their walk throughs on stage by ordering mojitos and other selections from the bar. I spoke with a few of them and found they were from all over Florida--Kendal, Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando etc, as well as LA, and of course my group New York.  I'd even run into Daria Hyatt whose pic I snapped the night before at the opening ceremony.  Before long the models were lining up signing in and being instructed on how they should and should not appear on the runway over the weekend.  The girls look and styles varied heavily as did the guys, but as always with models there were a few standouts from each group.  One stand out of course was my suite mate 21 year old model Ashley Maroti--that's her in the photo at left.

Practice, practice, practice to get that walk down, to get those turns right, each model making sure they were good enough to walk in several shows over the next few days...this was the goal.  I have to say that this rehearsal was one of the few times where I actually felt a sense of relief to not be modeling--these people were getting WORKED.  Rehearsal turned out to be about 1 hour longer than it should have been simply because very few could get their walk to the liking of Gregory Yap Sam.***  The night became longer and being by the water made it cold.  The lights above the palm tree lined stage shined brightly, and the vibrant excited models soon grew TIRED.

Before long my carpool comprised of myself, Patrick, Ashley, Michael & Hawke, made a bee-line back to the huge car we'd came in, there was no time for the after party scheduled at the Ft. Lauderdale nightclub China White.  It was time for bed, besides the models had a 12:00 am curfew and it was already 11:00 pm...tomorrow was SHOW TIME!

***- Gregory Yap Sam, Associate Producer handled the casting and choreography of the show.  Gregory, a highly experienced event producer with a fiery personality and no nonsense way about him was not kidding. He was there to turn these models into...MODELS and he took no prisoners.

FTL Moda Rehearsal Night: Q & A with Tyler Molinari of Posche Models

Hi!

The best thing about covering  FTL Moda was the individual attention I received i.e. an EXCLUSIVE with Posche Models head Tyler Molinari.  One quick reminder to Gregory Yap Sam the FTL Moda Associate Producer/Casting Director and I was all set.  So before the 6:00 pm rehearsal even began I was whisked away to a very large and cozy Nikki Marina bed where I found out a little more about Tyler Molinari and Posche Models. To follow is a mini Q & A with Tyler Molinari.

Q & A with Tyler Molinari of Posche Models

What is Posche Models and what segments of Fashion does Posh Models cover?

We are a Ft. Lauderdale based agency representing all areas of runway, print, fitness television...we started off as a promotional agency, but have gained strength over the years and changed venues.  The company is men & women...clean and polished..these are models that can do product but models that have an edge and can do runway as well.

What type of clientele does Posh Models cater to?

South Florida is such a varied market; we have everything down here from high-end hotels...like Trump, St. Regis, and the W coming in to Ft. Lauderdale. Definitely a more higher-end clientele...everything from pharmaceutical companies to catalog...a lot of the European clientele...a lot that had previously left the Ft. Lauderdale area are coming back.

What did you do before Posche?

I was in the industry myself, both in front of and behind the camera.  I was formerly a booking agent in NJ -- the NY Tri-State area where the agency I worked for booked models all over NY, NJ ,Connecticut, Rhode Island and Philadelphia before relocating to the South Florida Market several years ago.

What are your thoughts on FTL Moda now and the future?

I just really want everyone to give  the FTL Moda event a chance.  We are really excited about it and look forward to growing and to next year.  The event will be replicated in Sicily, Italy in the Fall of 2007.  There is a lot of opportunity locally and I am excited for Ft. Lauderdale in and of itself.

Trailing the Models...

                     Hey There!

I can hardly believe that I am maxing and relaxing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The Quest for "it" covering a Fashion Week that's not in New York...huh? and living a model's life for the next few days...hmmm?  HOT!  No I am not walking in any of the upcoming shows, but I am booked in a hotel suite with 3 of the female models (2 have yet to arrive) that have been cast for this weekend's shows.

I have my own itinerary as press (Download my_own_itinerary.doc ), but it seems to have gotten away from me as I am partaking of the model's schedule due to a lack of transportation, so where they go I go.  My initial suite-mate is Ashley Maroti a freelance model from Fort Myers, Florida.  We've been hanging around and making visits to see Patrick who is at the same hotel in a separate suite with 3 other male models (Michael Leone, Ken Beers-Hawke, Peter Hall) walking in the shows.  I am supposed to be heading to a champagne reception for the designers tonight at Novimari--a boutique at the Victoria Shoppes here in Fort Lauderdale.  It may not happen though as I've gotten cozy with the resident models. Guess what? it looks like I'll be heading to the runway rehearsal at Nikki Marina (Hollywood, Florida)--the site of this weekends festivities...stay tuned for the details.

FTL Moda Opening Ceremony 2007

                     Hi,

Not more than hours into my time here in Ft. Lauderdale and I've something to officially report on.  Tonight was the Opening Ceremony for FTL Moda, a kickoff  event to acknowledge and wish well the many, many involved in this first year of the highly anticpated Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week.  The ceremony took place at The Broward Center for the Arts which I was escorted to by host Brad Koogler.*** We arrived to a beautifully appointed space where a runway show would later take place as well as an art exhibit and live music.  My first introductions were to Geph Scarr, head of public relations for FTL Moda and to media insiders who were there from local luxury publications i.e.: Boca Raton, Worth Avenue, Go River Walk Magazine etc.  The event space soon filled with a diverse range of guests that included New York writer Steve Kaplan aka Shaggy, additional Fort Laurderdale area press, various supporters of the designers, a slew of models etc. The evening was spearheaded by the Domani Production founders of FTL MODA which include Stefano Matini, Ilaria, Nicolini and Dino Donato who proudly looked on as the night unfolded.

Works by artist Adriano Buldrini were on display as the featured runway show of Enrico Coveri lead the evening.  Mr. Coveri's show was followed by words of praise for not only his designs, but for the work still to come from the other 16 designers participating in FTL Moda.  Noteworthy comments came from Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, who sat two seats away from me not too long before his speech.**** A second showing of the 16 designers yielded a taste of what attendees would see in full regalia over the next few days.  An incredibly delicate and sexy womens wear look is shown at left on model Davia Hyatt by designer Carmen Fagnoli and yes, this was just the Opening Ceremony. 

The evening ended with a performance by The Mandolin Brothers, and guests taking home a sample of the sposnored beer Peroni--a suitable choice given the unique Italian influence behind the entire weekend. The evening was a perfect beginning to a very promising and hopefully historical weekend...Ciao Bella!

***-Brad Koogler, Media Sponsor contact for FTL Moda.  Brad was also my host who made it possible for me to fly down to cover FTL Moda--Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week.

****-speeches...other speakers included University of Miami Professor Dr. Camillo Ricordi who spoke about his continuous research in cell transplantation techniques with the objective of treating diabetes patients to end their continued dependency of insulin. Partial proceeds from FTL MODA will benefit the University’s Diabetes Research Institute.

The Quest for "it" Touches Base from Ft. Lauderdale

alk                     Hey There!

Guess what?  I'm H-E-R-E!!!!!! Yes, I 've arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. My flight was delayed by about 45 minutes so my plane touched down at like 1:00 pm or so instead of 12:20 pm which I believe is when it should have.  A flight or so behind me also leaving from Newark was my friend model Patrick Hazlewood (see photo at left I took it about an hour ago).  Patrick will be walking in at least three of the shows, so there we have it ...a lil personal touch to this whole adventure.  OK, so I have to run and get acclimated and get my things unpacked.  I am staying at a resort  near the beach just off Los Olas Blvd in a suite assigned for 4 female models who like Patrick have been cast to walk in the shows of FTL MODA. 

The models arrive tomorrow.  Will let you know more later.

Ciao for now!