Lucire: Insider

Eva Longoria Parker, Alicia Keys glam up Latin Grammy Awards

Lucire staff — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:52:31 +0000

Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

The 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards were held last Thursday at the Mandalay Bay Events’ Center in Las Vegas, the second time it has been hosted in the city. Eva Longoria Parker and Giselle Blondet took the glam quotient on high, and Alicia Keys and Ana Maria Canseco looked stunning. Also snapped were Reik, Kika Rocha, Barbara Bermudo, Rodner Figueroa, Marco Antonio Muniz, Candido Camero, Lili Estefan and Raul de Molina.
The big success of the night was Puerto Rican hip-hop–reggæton sensation Calle 13. The duo—Rene Perez and his step-brother Eduardo Cabra—won ﬁve out of ﬁve of its nominated categories, including Album of the Year. The political nature of Calle 13’s work, including ‘La perla’, criticizing the Puerto Rican government, may have helped push the duo into winning positions.
The Grammy Awards will take place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on January 31.

Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

Sophie Burrows’ Samantha vest

Lucire staff — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:35:07 +0000

There have been some amazing things in my career to date but when Sophie Burrows, a young Massey University fashion designer, who I admire for so many reasons, told me she had named a piece in her ﬁrst collection (she’s still in design school, by the way) after me, I was blown away.
It’s called the Samantha vest and it’s beautiful—I love it! Giving my time, knowledge, love, well, everything, charges me with energy. Sometimes I’ve given to the wrong people, but this time I know I got it right. When Sophie hand-delivered my very own Samantha vest, she told me how much she appreciated my help and this was her way of giving back to me. What an amazing lady.
Sophie’s collection ‘is inspired by the opposing themes of military uniforms of the 18th century and the femininity of the romantic movement, rocked up with images of the ’80s. Floaty ﬂoral prints vie with ideas of tight lace and leather to make an edgy contrast. The collection features mini-dresses, draped waistcoats, exposed zips, brass buttons, and dropped V-necks’. It’s super-cute and I like her attention to detail.
Check out her Facebook fan page here.—Samantha Hannah

Porsche Boxster Spyder is the butch one

Jack Yan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:05:21 +0000

In 1953, Porsche showed its original racing 550 Spyder, a lightweight roadster—a model which could count James Dean as one of its owners. In the 1980s, to get more mileage out of the 911 line, the company released a Speedster version, inspired by the 356, with a lower windscreen. This time around, Porsche has released a lightweight version of the Boxster blending these principles, called the Spyder and coming in at 1,275 kg. It’s a more involving sports’ car and rids the feminine image of the original once and for all. While we had the image above from Porsche early, one of the below videos gives an idea of the lovely sound of this new model. Safety-wise, things have come a long way since the 1950s.

Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kate Walsh, Cat Deeley and others on Jimmy Choo for H&M

Lucire staff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:13:31 +0000

WireImage

Yes, that is Paris Hilton (left)—who, along with her sister, Nicky, and many other Hollywood celebrities, attended a star-studded bash high above the Sunset Strip in Hollywood on Monday, to launch the Jimmy Choo for H&M range.
Previewed in June in Lucire, and again a few weeks ago when the range neared its November 14 launch in 200 stores, Hennes & Mauritz is serious about one of the most complete designer collaborations it has engaged in since the programme began in 2004, with Karl Lagerfeld. The launches have got bigger by the year.
Below is the video from the launch with interviews with Kate Walsh, Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon, H&M creative adviser Margareta van den Bosch, Olivia Wilde, Vogue TV’s Louise Roe, Russell Simmons, Hayden Panettiere, Mini Andén, Cat Deeley, Harry Hamlin and Nicky Hilton. The video begins and ends with Paris Hilton.

Cup Day, lay-by holidays and Den’s return—24 hours at Lucire

Jack Yan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:40:30 +0000

We had a nice call from Bree Nicholls at SDA today, following up on an earlier press release she had sent about lay-by holidays last week. Of the many we get here, it was easy to miss, but it’s a pretty good idea: ‘With LayAway Holidays you can book and pay off your holiday before you take it as easily as you secure that new sofa or coveted pair of shoes that you absolutely need but would cripple your EFT-POS or credit cards. All it takes to shop till you drop in Sydney, or drink divine cocktails on a Fijian beach is a little forward planning and the decision to set aside as little as $3·49 a day.’
Regardless of the economic climate, it’s a good decision, which prompted me to ask: wouldn’t it be great to do the same for dental appointments?
The main point, however, is that we both thought it was a good idea. Regardless of our jobs (her role in PR and mine in publishing), we can see pretty wide appeal for this. And to give customers assurance, LayAway Holidays is bonded by the Travel Agents of New Zealand. Consumers’ funds are held in trust in a TAANZ bonded account before being passed on to the travel supplier. The payment plans span anywhere between three and eighteen months.
Yesterday, it was a hectic day rushing between a publishers’ event organized by our printer in New Zealand, Format Print, at the Trentham Racecourse in Upper Hutt, and several Wellington City events. The James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel had a Melbourne Cup bash, where I ﬁnally met milliner Amy Jansen-Leen in person—and in 50 minutes I managed to watch the race at Flemington, rush back home to Kilbirnie, shave the ﬁve o’clock shadow, and grab my invitation to the Festival of the Arts 2010 launch at the TSB Arena. Who says it can’t be done during rush hour? (More on the Festival later.)
We also heard from jewellery designer Denis Kenward, who has some new creations—watch this space.

Stephen Fry and brumplum: it’s a good-news story

Jack Yan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:35:54 +0000

Despite Stephen Fry and fellow Tweeter, brumplum, settling their differences four hours ago, many media outlets are content to spread the bad news that the actor–writer is poised to quit Twitter this morning.
Yesterday, brumplum called Fry ‘boring’, which the actor took to heart while he felt down. Brumplum later apologized for the remark.
In addition, brumplum never directed a Twitter tag, #envioushomo, to Fry, which had been another source of contention on Twitter. It had originated from a gay friend of brumplum who had used it to describe himself.
After a good night’s rest and a change of scene to Los Angeles, Fry acknowledged that brumplum was entitled to say what he did, and accepted his apology.
Since then, the two gentlemen have conversed amicably and Fry is not quitting Twitter any time soon.
This is good news story with a happy ending—though in the last few hours the news was still mostly negative, with the exception of the Telegraph, which had the updated version of events.
To some degree, this incident highlights the mainstream media’s delight with bad news, as well as its scepticism toward Web 2·0 in general. Any bad news with a relatively new website seems to be greeted with enthusiasm.
The reality is that Twitter served as a medium not just for brumplum’s free speech, but as one that helped two people settle matters in a mature, adult fashion.
It also shows that the Telegraph, which started its pioneering online edition 15 years ago this month, has never been afraid to show the positive side of technology.
As we celebrated our 12th anniversary nearly two weeks ago, it reminded me of how “old media” were afraid of the internet in the mid-1990s.
We have to remember, just as netizens individually already realize, that the internet is not a threat but an opportunity. If we understood our readers, we would position ourselves to use the media that they want us to use.
In publishing, it means we have to look at both online and ofﬂine media, especially in fashion where people expect to have more of a “tactile” relationship with a publication.
There’s little point, in our mind, to rubbish Twitter, when millions have ﬂocked to the service and are following the people they want—and that includes Stephen Fry, who in per capita terms has arguably brought more of his fellow countrymen to the service than any other.
So, for us, it’s about being present on the service and encouraging dialogue with our readers. Perhaps like the Telegraph, we want to record the Zeitgeist, albeit with an eye on our fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel topics.
And we would say that for many, Twitter is certainly part of that lifestyle.

A tiny addendum should be made: yours truly returned, if only for four minutes, to live television in New Zealand with a brief interview on Facebook and the dangers of photographs on the social networking site.
The interview on TV3’s Sunrise appears at its site here, and I am glad to report that the network approached Facebook with more fun than many other media. Not surprising, since both anchors (Ali Ikram and Carly Flynn) have Twitter pages, as well as the show itself.
While it was a negative subject, I like to think we educated people on what to do in the modern era when employers are likely to do Google searches on potential employees. We also made it seem more accessible, I hope, by telling people that there is sometimes a way out when embarrassing photos surface.
The notes I typed up to guide me, though I never read from them on air, can be found at my personal blog.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is Maranello’s theme park

Lucire staff — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:06:09 +0000

In tribute to its brand, Ferrari will open Ferrari World Abu Dhabi next year, a theme park with 20 state-of-the-art attractions including the world’s fastest roller-coaster (travelling at over 200 km/h), all under a roof spanning 200,000 m². A G-force experience ride goes over the 48 m roof, to a 62 m point. There will also be a junior driving school with expert instructors, two retail stores (one at 1,300 m²), and two Italian-inspired restaurants.
The theme park, designed by Benoy, is located on Yas Island on the northeast side of Abu Dhabi’s mainland. The park is owned by Aldar Properties PJSC, and is managed jointly by Farah Leisure Parks Management LLC.

Napoleon Perdis promotes holiday ’09 in video

Lucire staff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:46:25 +0000

Napoleon Perdis has released a video for the holiday 2009 season, promoting its Gilty Pleasures line on counters from November 1. The company’s make-up chief Rebecca Prior provides her tips.

Guggenheim Bilbao opens exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright

Lucire staff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:20:10 +0000

Tying in nicely with Stanley Moss’s Navarra story published in Lucire, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao has announced it has opened an exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright.
The museum says that this is ‘the largest and most comprehensive exhibition’ on Wright’s work staged in Europe.
The exhibition runs through February 14, 2010, and is co-organized by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with the sponsorship of Iberdrola. Sixty-three projects are featured, including some unrealized urban mega-structures.
One of Wright’s iconic works was the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, which opened 50 years ago this year.
Below videos show scenes from the exhibition and comments from exhibition commissioner, David van der Leer.

Zhang Ziyi opens Omega’s ﬂagship boutique in Singapore

Lucire staff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:11:50 +0000

Cindy Crawford may get in a western audience, but in the east, it’s Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) whom Omega relies on to give it the glamour factor.
The international Chinese ﬁlm star launched its ﬂagship boutique at ION Orchard in Singapore along with the latest Constellation collection on Tuesday. An exhibition for the Constellation range was also launched, running through November 8 in the atrium of ION Orchard.
Zhang signed one Constellation watch box, which, along with its contents, will go to one VIP customer between now and November 30. These customers will be asked to go to the boutique to draw a key. Only one key will open the transparent safe in which the watch is currently placed.
On Tuesday evening, an Omega Constellation Ball was held at the St Regis in Singapore. While Zhang headlined this event, other Omega celebrities—Ivy Lee, Kym Ng and Yvonne Lim—were there. The other guests were a who’s who: MC Samuel Chong, Phyllis Quek, Jaymee Ong, Melody Chan, Randell Tan, Ericia Lee, Zhang Yao Dong, Carole Lin Xiao Pei, Irene Ang and Beatrice Chia.

Shoebox New York unveils store design

Lucire staff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:06:56 +0000

Left Kenneth J. Hall, CEO, NexCen Brands; Sergio Mannino, designer and architect; Richard Kirschenbaum, founder and partner, Shoebox New York; Chris Dull, President, NexCen Franchise Management Inc.; and Arturo Chiang, designer.

Shoebox New York unveiled its new store design on October 27 in Greenvale, NY. Now part of NexCen Brands, which has TAF (formerly the Athlete’s Foot) in its portfolio, the company expects to grow Shoebox New York into a larger international franchise.
Shoebox New York’s focus is on top European and American designers, carrying shoes, handbags and accessories. The spring 2010 Vince Camuto handbag collection was on display at the unveiling.
The company has already entered the South Korean market; Vietnam and Kuwait have also opened Shoebox New York stores.

Sylvie van der Vaart gives BMW the hair test

Lucire staff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:57:27 +0000

Former Miss Bundesliga and the Netherlands’ and Germany’s most famous WAG, Sylvie van der Vaart, puts the BMW convertible to the hair test in the company’s München wind tunnel. The full story is here on our website.

British jewellery for the Christmas season

Lucire staff — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:21:02 +0000

Miss Milly is a new jewellery boutique that has recently opened online, with some bargains for the shopping season. The Merina necklace shown above retails for under £13. The husband-and-wife team behind the website is based in Worcester.

Clogau Gold, meanwhile, has introduced its 12 Christmas-themed charms, hand-crafted using solid sterling silver and 9 ct rose gold. There is some Welsh gold from the Clogau St David’s Mine in Snowdonia, North Wales. Prices begin at £39.
Finally, Eclectic Eccentricity says its autumn–winter 2009–10 collection of bracelets, bangles, earrings and necklaces is ‘dark’, but we rather like the Gather Round necklace with its rose detail. The collection is priced from £14 to £17.

Vintage by Kate Moss releases ad image, TVC

Lucire staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:46:42 +0000

Supermodel Kate Moss’s fragrance, titled Vintage by Kate Moss, went on sale in September, but the company has only sent us artwork and a video today. The print advertisement has a 1920s’ to 1930s’ feel, while the fragrance itself has fruity and ﬂoriental notes.
The print ad was shot by Mert and Marcus, featuring Moss inside a 6 ft replica of the Vintage bottle.
Below videos feature the 30-second advertisement, but the second has a behind-the-scenes segment. The TVC was created by leading British artist and photographer Katerina Jebb.
The Kate Moss personal brand is still central to the campaign, as it is for many of the supermodel’s other ventures, such as her range for Topshop.

Diddy for Donatella

Lucire staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:58:54 +0000

Pedro Kirilos/Getty Images

If you’re relying on ‘Insider’ and our RSS feed, our latest scoop at the main part of the Lucire site is photographs from Oi Fashion Rocks Brasil, where Diddy rapped for Versace. We know Mariah Carey sang during another collection that evening, but in our view, Diddy was unbeatable on Saturday in Rio.