Live Tweeting from Clarins

So I was live-tweeting (as opposed to dead-tweeting I guess?) from an event where journalistic ladies such as myself were brought to Clarins official NY headquarters for some sangria and a demonstration of how we all wash our faces wrong...I tweeted something like "don't tug - it causes wrinkles," and it was pretty uh confusing for people reading my tweets?! Guess you had to be at the demonstration buzzed on sangria to fully absorb all the moisture from the beauty seminar and jars of cream meant to save you from the pollution of a grimy city like NYC. I must say I'm obsessed with the free mascara they gave me (plus the great tips of taking mascara off - cotton pads with your eyes open to get it off the bottom-side of your lashes!) And this cream is worth every penny because it makes you feel all soft and look all glowy - like all the men I pass on my walk to the subway in bushwick have been saying "wow your skin is so radiant." But seriously - did you know you can get a free facial if you go to any Clarins counter? Do it, because that's my favorite price to pay for anything and I'm sure it's yours too!

Totally Killer

TOTALLY KILLER is what it would look like if you put Fight Club, The Firm, and American Psycho in the blender.
With flannel.
And teased hair.
And Duran Duran.

Dreamscape

Growing up the son of two Jewish shrinks, I lived in a world where dreams took on otherworldly importance. My earliest recurring nightmares were of visiting a distant relative who turned out to be a Vampire, stalking five year-old me even in my waking hours on New York's Lower East Side.



Now that Carl Jung's "Red Book", locked in a Switzerland bank vault for years is being published, I find a famous champion of the importance in dreamscapes.







The Zombie dreams I suffered from while spending a year at a clothing optional isolated college campus in the hills of Vermont clearly illustrate my feelings of claustrophobia and loneliness. I hope in Jung's bravery by exposing his lucid psychic struggles (whether he meant to publish them or not?) will inspire me to face the light and dark inner workings of my own unconscious.

-Royal

Ring On It - On 3

Some mornings it is really hard to motivate. You find out the window is open and your room is freezing. Your blanket is in layers and swaths around you while the light remains a pale gray cast that trickles underneath your eyelids somehow. And you think, but I just want to stay in bed all day. And you can't, but you do remember some lurking feeling from a half-remembered dream and it makes you settle further underneath the covers, hiding from the day.
Then you become me, and I push out of bed, and search youtube for that scene from Glee which made me laugh on the inside. If that makes any sense.
If you don't watch this show yet, I simply don't understand why. It makes everything that's wrong with the world, right again. And yes, sometimes it helps me get out of bed in the mornings.



-Kastoory

Picante

Pomp recently partied at Picante Thursdays, taking back the Lower East Side. For a native New Yorker growing up in the hood during the '90s before its multi million dollar facelift I rarely return to these congested streets. But now, Sin Sin hosts a night of Latin flavor that lures old school locals and gives new neighbors a taste of a forgotten Lower. With a 10pm-11pm open bar and five dollar plates of Pernil, Arroz con Habichuelas, Ensalada y mucho mas cooked up by creative caterer Will Pentecost, this is a perfect way to kick off your thirsty Thursdays.


(Alex M. Pomp Stylist and PR Professional)


(Patrons get down)


(Royal Young, Executive Editor and Amanda Segur, Pomp Photographer)


(Ippolita De Paola, Pomp Crew)


(Enjoying Dinner)


(Double Yum)

-Royal
Photos by Amanda Segur

Throwback

Bizz Buzz

Fans lined up in front of the Canal Room in Tribeca to hear Frankie Negron’s fresh new sound. If you are not familiar with the heartthrob (who was discovered by Paul Simon in the early ‘90s) perhaps it’s because you’re not a fan of salsa-not the dip, but the sultry Latin genre. Whether you dance it or not is irrelevant as Negron, a New Jersey born and bred Puerto Rican, just released his debut English album “Independence Day”. The 32-year-old has gone from salsa to rock and light pop, and I had the privilege of attending his album release party last night.





I spotted some ladies donning bright, skin-tight frocks circa 1997 as if they were going to see the crooner at his first salsa concert. But Frankie looked and sounded nothing like he did at the beginning of his music career. Frankie Negron told me that some of his original fans didn’t know he liked rock, or that he even spoke English! “It’s part of who I am. I grew up listening to Springsteen and Bon Jovi as much as I did listening to the salseros. That’s what is beautiful about being Latino, being bilingual and bicultural. We’re kind of allowed to do both because we are both”.

Producer Jimmy Greco-who has worked with Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion- was humbled with tears in his eyes as he spoke to the audience about their project finally coming to life.




Frankie hit the stage with his rock band, a mix of Caucasian, fedora wearing guys with unruly hair wearing jeans and converse sneakers. With his voice sounding stronger than ever, his passion and appreciation for performing was evident particularly with the songs “I Won’t Back Down” and “Holding on to Love” which is actually about his love-hate relationship with music and not about a woman.

“It’s been a long time coming, but everything happens when it’s supposed to happen,” said Negron.

A few people were saying, ‘Why now Frank? The Latin crossover happened five or six years ago. That’s when people were waiting for you to do it.” He answered them with, “Why? Because it wasn’t my time. Now I feel like it’s my time. I’m not worried about a trend. I’m worried about what’s right for me and this feels right for me”.

“Independence Day” is in stores now and on iTunes.

-Mercedes Sanchez
Photos by Amanda Segur
Entertainment Editor: Lori Bizzoco

Pomp Off

I feel like a zombie today so here you go!

Twits : Dramatic Readings

Just watch it. Nothing I could say could make this any better than it already is.

Throwback

Lily Allen : Unwitting Stooge For The Record Industry

Poor Lily Allen, no doubt fed lies and disinformation by all of her new rich and powerful friends in the record industry, started a blog (now down - she took it down - hold on, I'll explain) where she came out in support of "Three Strikes" legislation being discussed in the UK.

Basically, here's the deal: Get caught "infringing copyright" (which, according to the record companies, could include a song being played on the radio in the background of a video you took of friends at a picnic - yes, it's that easy) three times, and you are forbidden from accessing the internet. For life. I wish I were joking.

Ms. Allen is taking the position that if you are a threat to her livelihood, or the livelihoods of the people that support her, you shouldn't be able to participate in the single most important technological advancement of all time. That is her actual position. Although, you know, probably wouldn't be if she had spent any time thinking about it.

Here's where it gets fun: in one of her posts, she copied without attribution or a link an article from TechDirt about the issue.

But that's just the icing on the cake. Left over from when she was working hard to promote herself, there are two mixtapes available on her website that include copyrighted material from other artists, including Jay-Z and Jefferson Airplane.

(Download them before her label takes them down!)

Lily's response when the internet cried foul? She's taking her ball and going home. She twittered that the abuse was just getting to be "too much."Just before she smashed apart her little bloggy dollhouse, she wrote: “I will not make another record... The days of me making money from recording music has been and gone as far as I’m concerned, so I don’t stand to profit from [anti-piracy] legislation.”

I wonder if, as a sign of support for the legislation, she'll also volunteer to permanently disconnect from the internet?

Mackenzie Phillips Has the Worst Dad Ever

He taught her to roll a joint, then shoot up, then repeatedly raped her from 17 until she was pregnant with his child. All of this was said on Oprah. What irked me was the lady O, instead of reaching for her hand or a tissue, grabs for the book, and seems to lack any empathy for Mackenzie, instead letting the "bomb drop" as she twittered previewing her huge exploitative show. Even when Mackenzie appeals to O, "You've also had experience with incest." O counters, "Well, I'll tell you what the backlash will be, 'you were old enough to know better.'" WTF O? Mabes re-read some self-help books on empathy, and victim blaming. And check the headlines, "Mackenzie has sex with dad", still blaming the victim. Not, "John Papa rapist." Coupled with the backlash against the false rape accuser at Hofstra, and just hearing about Tucker Max's existence makes this week for women the worst week ever. And they say feminism is dead.

Mario Paint Compositions for Time Wasting and Delight

If I had to pick one video game console to bring with me to a deserted island (thank god this desert island is equipped with electricity and a small tv!) it would undoubtedly be Super Nintendo. It's really no contest with games that stand the test of time like Donkey Kong, Yoshi's Island, Tetris Attack, Street Fighter II, Mario Kart, NBA Jams...and my personal super favorite, Mario Paint. My parents wouldn't even shell out for a Super Nintendo, let alone Mario Paint, which came with a mouse-controller and cost $70 in 1992. I was only aware of it because I had one of those childhood best friends who got everything - soda at dinner, theme park vacations, and every video game that came out including Mario Paint. No fair.

As soon as I blossomed into an eBay using adult, however, I became the proud owner of my very own SNES mouse and Mario Paint. If you haven't had the extreme pleasure of playing this game, it's basically a fancy Kid Pix (remember?) but you can also make 9 frame animations, there's a hypnotizing fly swatter game, and most wonderfully, you can compose music - with Mario heads, and other assorted heads/objects as your instruments (including a really creepy baby head that utters a sound which makes me very uncomfortable).

I always had this secret plan to get really good at using the Mario Paint composer (you know, when I have some free time) and then release the totally amazing songs I'd composed, vaulting myself into international fame. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because Mario Paint's composer it super time consuming and awkward and hard to use and nothing ever sounds good on it.

Ah, but we live in the age of the internet, so as you may have guessed, I've been beaten to the punch. Many, many times over. And though there are thousands of original Mario Paint compositions out there, the best songs are the ones that have already been written. I give you What Is Love, Mario Paint style:



My other favorites (after watching these for hours) are:
Paranoid Android
Inspector Gadget Theme Song
Thriller
Miserlou
Take On Me
And some Meme on meme action (this one goes out to Lou Dobbs of course)

-M

The Bizz

Growing up with a father degreed in environmental conservation, I learned about “saving the earth” at a very young age. Throwing a Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapper on the ground led to more punishment than fighting with my little brother. My school projects focused on acid rain, recycling and being green and my first job out of college was as a tree-hugging lobbyist.


(Greenpeace Representatives)

With this week’s UN summit meeting on climate change taking place in NYC, many organizations staged events about the serious impact our weather system could have on future generations. From Monday’s fake New York Post “We’re Screwed” cover story to the largest global film premiere for the eco-drama, “The Age of Stupid.”


(Kofi Annan speaking to the audience after the film)

The film stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as the last person alive in the devastated world of 2055, watching archive footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance? When I read about the film, childhood memories flooded my brain like a broken water dam. As a former public relations director, what excited me even more than the film’s concept was its innovative marketing strategy. Let’s take a look:

• Premieres for one night only and is broadcast simultaneously via satellite to more than 700 locations in over 60 countries.
• Panel discussion with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
• Celebrity guests and political leaders will arrive on the “green” carpet via boats, bikes, rickshaws, sailboats and solar cars
• Kicks-off with a green carpet bicycle-powered performance by Moby and culminates with an acoustic act from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke
• Guests include Heather Graham, Gillian Anderson, Steven Baldwin, Nikki Blonsky and world and environmental leaders from Ireland, Maldives, Copenhagen, Netherlands, Indonesia, Kenya and Quebec
• 1,500 plastic water bottles hung from the solar-powered tent, representing the amount of bottles consumed every second.

As I stood on the “green” carpet made of recyclable soda bottles, I had the opportunity to ask several of the invited guests, what advice they would give to Pomp readers. Here’s what they had to say:


“Drive a smart car. Don’t worry about tractor trailors forcing you off the road, just cut them off and they will never bother you again,” Steven Baldwin.


(Actress Heather Graham)

“Conserve energy by unplugging things. Sing a petition and ban together.” Heather Graham (Hangover)


(Actress Nikki Blonsky)

“As my mother always told me, if you aren’t using it, turn it off. Turn off your computer, lights and television.” Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray and upcoming MTV series, Vailmont)

“Use filtered water instead of recyclable bottles.” Donny Klang (Making the Band Season 3)


("The Age of Stupid" Lizzy Gillet, Producer and Franny Armstrong, Director)

“This film has been screened in ten parliaments all around the world and people have formed campaign groups, stopped flying and are getting solar panels. A committed call to action and signing of petitions is important.” Director, Franny Armstrong

We also met up for the second time with the Survivaballs (first sighting was during fashion week outside of Christian Dior), the new balloon-shaped sumo-wrestling outfit that claims to protect CEOs from climate change even when their bottom dollar says “No.”


(Survivaball character)

Even if the message of saving our environment disintegrates in the hands of government, one thing I’ve learned for certain is that the lessons taught in my youth have never faded away.

- Lori Bizzoco
Photos: Jakes

September Issue

Anna Wintour plays out as a sole pair of eyes, her only protruding body part, which is always in business mode, thus explaining her icy demeanor. "The Devil Wears Prada" was just exaggerated anti-heroism. Anna is actually a detail oriented visionary. She calls her best trait "decisiveness", her weakness, "her children." She can turn on the charm when she wants, she kept rubbing the arm of an older buyer at dinner, guess that's how she got her kids? Only her knockout daughter is shown, openly dismissing the royal lineage of fashion and opting for law school at their Hamptons home. Incidentally, I was floored to find out Wintour is married, to a child psychologist. She seems like such a lone wolfess, but may have chosen to keep her fam out of the film.

Grace is Anna's sidekick, the dreamer, an ex-model, who before I saw the film thought was horrific, now I think she's beautiful. She is gifted not only at creative direction but tempering Anna to prevent her tyranny of decision. Grace gives the love of fantasy, play and mood to fashion, dressing up and shooting spreads, like her 20s inspired Paris shoot, which was sublime.

I was surprised to see them airbrush Sienna Miller's teeth and neck! I realized that Anna's pickiness and selection was based on the assumption that all the work was already frameworthy, only the most striking survived. There is a scene where muscular and bony Anna calls a cameraman chubby, but it is true, plus she lets some dude - whose name I forget - in her club who is a super-freak! He's the only one living up the the ridiculously excessive image of fashion, showing up to tennis in LV head to toe, but Anna's office and her top assistants are moderately humble and they seem quite simply, like workaholics.

I realized I don't know the slightest thing about fashion now, but I remembered why I once fell in love. Past the dress up games my girlfriends and I played in our teens and twenties (and some still now) it was my library in the attic, a place for the play of being seen. When I left the theater I let my hair out long, and stalked the streets like a moody cat, New York as my backdrop, a stage for the scene.

Take It To The Streets

"Sometime when you get bummed out out here and somebody does hand you that twenty-five cents, three pennies, five-dollar bill or whatever, it means a lot. Even the big, old, gruffy gangster-looking son of a guns, they actually care too."
-William

Spare Paint is a two-part series that features San Francisco artists David Choong Lee and Brian Barneclo as they engage two
homeless men panhandling the rush hour traffic. They offer their talents to paint new, visually striking cardboard signs. In Part Two, we meet William, a home restoration specialist, as he shares his stories of what it's like to live on the streets and how he ended up there. Watch the interview on Walrus TV.

The Tragic Humanity Of The Internet

No matter how bad you think you have it, no matter how socially awkward or painful to be around you may be, it is a near certainty that this guy has got one over on you.



The Mr. Miyamoto to whom this man is speaking is Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda.

Ordinarily we here at Pomp & Circumstance avoid low-hanging fruit like this, and stomping on the skulls of the weak is, admittedly, distasteful.

Well, he doesn't need your pity. He can stand up for himself.



Every day of this man's life is as bad as your worst day in middle school.

obama obama obama poll?

Is anyone else, like, a little OUTRAGED that Obama wants to tax people who don't have health insurance? I am hanging on to mine by a thread, and the millions who can't afford it will be penalized for not being able to afford it. I don't get the logic.
What do you think?
It kind of makes me want to shout "You Lie", which incidentally was the greatest thing to happen to politics since the fistfights in Asia and shoe throwing in Iraq. Ain't nothin wrong with being passionate Joe, but I'm still not giving you cash.

Sabra Hummus Commercial: Unconscious Metaphor for the State

For anyone who has ever lived in Israel, been to Israel or heard of Israel you may have also heard of hummus. And you may know that a Sabra is a cactus, not only the national plant of the land of milk of honey but also an affectionate slang term for an Israeli: prickly on the outside, soft on the inside, sort of like a lot of non-American cultures, (and it's true, I dated a sabra).
Anyway, for non-homemade Sabra hummus (or kha-moose as some affected say) is yummy, it's good, I buy it all the time. But what/who ad genius thought that it would be a good idea to call Sabra a "Mediterranean vacation", to de-Jewify it and thus make it accessible and friendly to all (okay, dig, I get marketing-also I get that it is a Middle Eastern food not exclusive to faith but it's called Sabra) and then feature a middle-aged maybe half "ethnic" couple sitting down to relax to said "Meditteranean vacation" only to be interrupted by a :
bomb? SCUD missile? stone through the window?
The fact is, things aren't quite all chill in the Middle East, and to break out an ethnic food and accompany it with a loud booming crash through the window (that incidentally sometimes happens in the homeland) is a little weird, creepy, and bizarre for advertising. But, (spoiler alert), don't worry, it's just their teenaged son partying because he thought his parents were in the"Mediterranean".
See the commercial here.

Also, Happy New Year!
AP

Age of Stupid Live!

For live coverage of The Age of Stupid World Premiere follow our Entertainment Editor Lori Bizzoco as she Pomps out on the Green Carpet.

Paul Anka's Wife is a Cold Bitch

World of Wonders

These glass models of sealife were created by the 19th century Blaschkas, a father and son team of expert glassmakers. Sealife is notoriously difficult to preserve, and these beautiful glass models proved an elegant and imaginative solution. Seen at the Boston Museum of Science.





-M

NYC Street Fashion - 9/21/09

Okay, so, Mrs. Dobbs might say that the real reason I took a picture of this woman was because she has a black bob haircut. And she would be right. From Louise brooks to this girl, the black bob looks amazing on everyone. Lucky for me she's also got on a great skirt, a sort of contrasty cheerleader pleat thing going on. That bright red cardigan with giant brown buttons is nice too.



This handsome gentleman is rocking the new classic look pretty hard. Not pictured are his grey flannel shorts. I need a better camera! Or better camera skills. My favorite part is the great big floppy bow tie. I need to get one of those. (The watch chain is a really nice touch, too.)

Man's Best Friend

“I’ve been bitten three times, but I still love dogs,” says painter, Katherine Petitti Kornel. “Dogs are a lot of work, as are people, but you get so much back.”

Devoted to both dogs and charities, Kornel is donating 25 percent of the proceeds from her current painting exhibit, “Organic Impressions: Oil, Watercolor and Multimedia,” to Green Chimneys (GC), a non-profit organization that provides assistance to animals, and inner-city kids. GC’s learning challenged children take classes to team up with and train service dogs.

Kornel’s philanthropy can be easily traced to high school, when a classmate confided they were gay and disowned by their family. GC also provides a safe haven for gay children thrown out of their homes.

Her exhibit “Organic Impressions,” reflects her time living in Spain, France, Asia and South America. Dog and Pony Show, contains 12 hidden dancing dogs, ponies and unicorns.




“Organic Impressions,” is a free exhibit and can be viewed 24/7 until October 18 at the two-story glass lobby-turned-gallery of The Atelier, 635 West 42nd Street at 11th Avenue, near Lucky Strike Bowl and the Intrepid Museum.

-Dorri Olds

Thrill To The Spectacle of Rich Kids!

The heir to Johnson & Johnson made a documentary around the time of his 21st birthday in which he interviewed other kids from a similar background: being born to virtually unlimited wealth which they have done nothing to earn.

Some of them state, almost defensively, that their parents insist they do something with their lives or lose their inheritance. You know, "I work too!" and all that.

We here at Pomp are or know people who do not have to work to survive. But it's not something we talk a lot about. For the curious, and I certainly count myself among the curious, here's an hour's worth of interviews with the children of some of the richest families in the world.

Iggy Pop as a Lego Figurine

Okay, so there's a Lego Rock Band game coming out. Who cares, right? Who cares indeed.

However, there is an upside: Lego Iggy Pop.

Yes. True. And amazing.

Throwback

The Bizz

Join Pomp & Circumstance on Monday, September 21st by participating in a global movie premiere.

The Age of Stupid, a four-year epic from director Franny Armstrong will be broadcast live from New York City on Monday, September 21 to more than 700 locations in over 50 countries simultaneously, uniting nearly one million people for climate change.

Oscar®-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (“In the Name of the Father,” “Usual Suspects”) plays a global archivist living in 2055 who takes audiences back through news clips and personal docu-stories from 2004 – 2008 wondering why we didn’t heed the warnings of climate change when we had a chance. Are we The Age of Stupid?

Check for a screening near you by logging online.

The event will kick off with a green carpet bicycle-powered performance by Moby and will culminate with an acoustic act from Radiohead’s, Thom Yorke. A-list celebrities will arrive by bike, rickshaw, electric car and sailing boat, before braving the paparazzi on the green carpet (made from recycled soda bottles).

Following the screening in a solar powered cinema tent, in dowtown New York, there will be a 40 minute event featuring: Kofi Annan, Gillian Anderson, Mary Robinson, the film's director Franny Armstrong, the star of the film Pete Postlethwaite and other leading thinkers, celebrities and political figures from around the world.

If you can’t join us via satellite, stay tuned for coverage on The Bizz.

-Lori Bizzoco

Pomp Off

MySpace
They are playing tonight at Market Hotel - perhaps I will go if I somehow feel less exhausted later. This weekend will not be long enough - I can already feel it. DEPRESSING!

It's Always Sunny

I was sitting at home, contemplating whether I should mop or start making a stew, when Pomp asked me if I could go to a red carpet event and interview the cast from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." YES! 
 


The only thing I could think of to ask anybody was what they wanted to be for Halloween. Then a British girl from the UK Press Association showed up. And another hot mama from CBS. I was wedged into a corner next to a hilarious guy from The Comic's Comic. If either of us had tried to move, it would have looked like we were dancing in a rap video.




At that exact moment the cast showed up. Rob McElhenney, the show's creator who also plays the character Mac, loves working with his wife Kaitlin Olsen, who plays Sweet Dee. He said "The good thing is, I work really long hours, and I still get to spend time with my wife." But more interesting is that his credit card got rejected at a pants store in Boston because he'd been spending so much money there that his Los Angeles bank assumed somebody had stolen his identity. 
 





Charlie Day, who plays Charlie and is credited as also being a writer and executive producer for the show, seemed a little offended when the lady in front of me asked him if he was "a funny person in real life." He responded "No, I'm a funny imaginary person." Kaitlin Olsen apologized profusely for being late and said she felt like such an asshole. She was hilarious. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her about the show, working with Larry David, and studying with the Groundlings. 
 





Although everybody was down-to-earth and really funny, the high point of the evening was definitely Danny DeVito, with stubble, glasses, and a lust for Limoncello. Talking about improv with the lady to the left of me, he said "I would never do anything to hurt anyone...I would only do things to make someone feel really good," and gave her a look.



A high point for the next season will be a guest appearance by Rowdy Roddy Piper, in an episode wherein The Gang tries to raise money for charity with a wrestling contest. And things are only going to continue to get more hilariously offensive, if that's humanly possible.

-Emerald Catron
(Photos by Amanda Segur)
Entertainment Editor: Lori Bizzoco

The Bizz

When I decided that I would cover last Thursday’s Fashion's Night Out, my heart started racing. The evening was equivalent to letting me loose in a 10,000 square foot shoe store and telling me that I have three minutes to find my single favorite pair. There just isn’t enough time to see everything being offered.
(Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron at Dior signing the September Issue of Vogue by Jakes)

Instead of playing meet-up with the girls and losing valuable time trying to find one another in the crowds, I decided to fly solo. The only partner by my side was my friend Jakes, Creative Photographer from Hamptons International Media (HIM Photo), who knows exactly how to get those unforgettable money shots. This was not a night for my burgundy-colored Coolpix camera.

Dior
Being that Jakes is originally from South Africa, our first stop was Dior where Charlize Theron (a South African beauty) hosted the evening as the new face of J’adore and signed the September issue of Vogue magazine whose cover she graces. The highlight was Anna Wintour’s appearance, walking up to Charlize, whispering something in her ear and then quickly drifting away.


(Charlize Theron and Anna Wintour by Jakes)

The Purple Event
Instead of continuing from store to store, although we did pop into Miu Miu for a few minutes to check out television personality, Alexa Chung, finding a party where several designers and personalities were all in one place seemed like the best option.

With that, we headed to the Sony Atrium for an evening of food and fashion to raise funds for The Anita Kaufmann Foundation’s Fifth Grade Epilepsy Education Program. More than sixty designers including Nicole Miller, Nannette Lepore, MaxMara and Elie Tahari were featured on the catwalk worn by stars like New Jersey Net Devin Harris, The Real Housewives of New York City, Alex McCord, and American Idol recording artist, Elliot Yamin. The evening was hosted by The Bachelorette’s, Jillian Harris.


( The Bachlorette's Jillian Harris wore Bibhu Mohapatra as she hosted The Purple Event, a benefit for The Anita Kaufmann Foundation, a public charity dedicated to raising awareness about epilepsy and seizures. Copyright Anna Thiessen)

(The Bachelorette's Jillian Harris and Pomp & Circumstance's Lori Bizzoco by Jakes)

I had the opportunity to go back stage and ask Jillian the burning, dying question on every women’s mind, “Where did you get those fabulous boots you wore on the show?” In her raspy voice she excitedly answered, “They’re mine. I got the red ones at Aldo and the brown ones at Frye.” She was so down-to-earth with such a charming personality, I could see why she had so many suitors on the show. In the matter of minutes, I wanted to be her friend too. Affordable wear in a style that’s her own, that’s what viewers want to hear. She even admitted some felt “too pageantry” so she brought in her own pieces too.

As Jakes and I made our way through the line of models waiting in line to go on stage, we noticed our favorite twin brothers were part of the show, Garry and Jason Clemmons. The Purple Event had celebrities and designers teaming together to bring guests the hottest purple-inspired fashion runway show of the night.


(The Clemmons Twins, Garry and Jason by Anna Thiessen)

(Jamie Paetz and American Idol recording artist, Elliot Yamin by Anna Thiessen)

(Retired-NBA player, A.C. Green by Anna Thiessen)

(The Real New York Housewives, Alex McCord ends the show by Anna Thiessen)

Malandrino
Our last stop on the runway trail was at our good friend Catherine Malandrino. We were greeted with open arms from Hope and the ladies. I splurged on a new belt. After all, the goal of the night is to boost our economy by shopping.

For eats: Almonds
We left the shopping districts and made our way to the Flatiron to pay tribute to Almonds, the Hamptons-inpired restaurant, which did a reverse commute this year by opening in New York City.

We said our final good-bye to summer as we opened our arms to Fall.

- Lori Bizzoco