Toast To Summer
A gad-fly group of social butterflies gathered together Saturday night to officially ring in the season as Hamptons.com and international real estate firm Engel & Völkers held a "Toast To Summer" soiree in a hidden garden on Main Street in Southampton just before sunset.
For more photos visit http://www.hamptons.com/Gallery/Out-And-About/1276/Toast-To-Summer.html
Getting Personal: Cancer Knocking At My Door
Over the course of this month I had planned to do a number of features throughout Hamptons.com raising awareness of breast cancer in the Hamptons and across the East End. These features would include stories of survivors, resources for support and treatment, and words of encouragement. Never did I think that I'd be telling my own story. But here I am, scared to death, pondering the past and reticent about the future.Recently I had begun to notice a bit of tenderness across my chest. For weeks I tossed it aside as stress related or hormonal changes that all women notice from time to time. The pain only got worse unfortunately. After spending the day playing with my two young daughters I decided that avoiding the inevitable would be a disservice to them and something more unforgivable for my husband if my fears came to light.
You see, my mother died at the age of 35 from breast cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease and informed that she was pregnant on virtually the same day. She chose to continue with her pregnancy and begin treatments right after delivery. Shortly after giving birth to a healthy baby boy, my youngest brother Karl, she had a double mastectomy.
Always concerned for the feeling of others around her, she worried how I, her only daughter, would feel about her after her surgery. It was a day I clearly remember, she was applying the dressings to her chest in the bathroom and I asked her if I could help. Only seven years old at the time, I was hardly afraid and not at all disgusted as she had feared. From then on, I would help her and we'd talk, usually about my day at school or other things family related. I helped her find the humor in each day. I didn't realize at the time that she was deflecting the subject, keeping herself focused on the important things in life. For her, that was her family.
After a year of treatment that included chemo and radiation she had a brief remission and then she was lost. We said our final farewells on Christmas Day amidst wrapping paper and new toys. She died two days later.
Over the years my brothers and I participated in numerous support programs at the cancer center where she had been treated. I remember finding that humor was my outlet for the pain and fear I felt. I use humor daily in tense situations, even as I gave birth to my daughters I dryly joked with the doctors to ease my fears and pains. Privately I have never cared about my age, looking forward to celebrating my 36th birthday, some sort of pinnacle moment for me where I will get over the hump of my fears about breast cancer. I have always felt that if I could just hit 36 I'd be fine.
Now at the age of 33, I am at the same place she was - a young-ish mother with two children, a loving husband, and some serious decisions to make.
My journey began when I visited with my physician and we ran some preliminary tests. It is not always a good sign when you hear that you're perfectly healthy but you are still in pain. After a full exam and breast exam the doctor noticed a few irregularities. Perhaps a cyst, perhaps something hormonal, perhaps cancer? I won't know for sure until the coming days, a few weeks maybe, after a full diagnostic bilateral sonogram and mammogram. That all sounds like a line from ER or some other medical drama, not something I typically utter in reference to myself.
I've decided to take you on this journey with me if you care to go. Maybe you are sitting there at home feeling "not quite right" and wondering if you should get checked for something. Maybe you are too afraid to take the first step. Perhaps you feel that you are too young to think that breast cancer might be on your horizon. I can honestly say that I know exactly how you feel.
My next step is a full range of tests at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. We'll see, pardon the pun, what develops after the Radiology Department does their full diagnostic bilateral sonogram and mammogram. It will hardly be a fun hour but will hopefully lead to a few answers. I am just a woman - a mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and in-law - just like anyone else living on the East End hoping that all of this is "nothing". I can spare the hour, can you?
Golden Globe Glamour
Leading ladies took the plunge including Mariah Carey, Olivia Wilde, Halle Berry, and Carrie Ann Inaba. Photos by PatrickMcMullan.com and HFPAAnyone watching the 67th Golden Globe Awards couldn't help but notice all of the fabulous frocks making their way down a very wet red carpet. What were the trends that we'll all be following in the next few months, and especially this summer in the Hamptons?
Take The Plunge
Plunging necklines are nothing new in Hollywood. Of recent note, Jennifer Lopez's infamous green chiffon Versace gown proved there are always one or two leading ladies that show just how low they can go. But, with few exceptions, the ladies may have gone a bit too far this year. Fashion expert Leon Hall once told me that when daring to bare it is wise to use the 'pencil test' before you go in front of a camera. Simply put, if you're well blessed with a heaving bosom make sure the girls aren't sagging, it just ends up looking cheap and tacky.
Mariah Carey all but started a stampede when she walked the paparazzi pit with hubby Nick Cannon in tow toting an umbrella and keeping an eye on the Chopard jewels. During her interview with Ryan Seacrest it was all he could do to keep eye contact with the statuesque songstress. Her cups, they well, almost ran over more than once in her skintight Herve Leger bandage dress and she ended up looking a little desperate.
On the flip side, Presenter Halle Berry dazzled the audience when she stepped on stage in a Kaufman Franco silk bias cut gown with lace inserts. The result simply put, very sexy. Also on the mark, Olivia Wilde in liquid metallic Calvin Klein and Carrie Ann Inaba of "Dancing With The Stars" in glittering black and nude.
Pink, red, and wow. Colorful statements by Lauren Graham, Ginnifer Goodwin, Diane Kruger, and Maria Menounos.
Bold And Bright
I love color, especially when it really pops on the red carpet and the stars that gave bold looks a chance were right on target with red, violet, fuchsia, and electric blue. The key to bright colors is to remember a little color on the face or stars, no matter how bright, end up looking tired and washed out. Best bet is a great red lip but beware of being to matchy, matchy - not cute.
From her starring role in "Gilmore Girls" to Steve Carell's wife in "Evan Almighty," and even a stint on Broadway, Lauren Graham of the upcoming "Parenthood" was simply stunning in a hot pink satin ball gown with a mermaid bottom and interesting top. With her dark hair piled high and her blue eyes glittering, she pulled it off. Also in pink and not to be outdone, "Inglourious Basterds" star Diane Kruger wowed the masses with her Christian Lacroix gown. True, many were left wondering about the intricate bodice with all the overdone ruffles but the tight waist and straight skirt saved the day.
Red, always popular at these red carpet fetes, made the rounds on the likes of Amy Pohler of "Parks and Recreation" who played it sleek and straight and TV talking head Maria Menounos who went a little cha cha with a wide skirt.
Electric slide, no, electric blue looked fab on Ginnifer Goodwin of "Big Love" who showed off her gams and pixie-ish hair. Rose McGowan, who usually makes an entrance looked a little prim in blue as she made her way to the Warner Brothers and InStyle after party.
Golden Glamazons! Jillian Michaels, Kelly Kruger, Toni Collette, and Jennifer Garner all glittered.
Sparkle And Shine
Water cooler talk at Hamptons.com this morning was all about the Golden Globes and topic number one was an actress who is fab on screen but usually not on the Best Dressed lists, Aussie actress Toni Collette, who should be renamed Miss Golden Globe after she strutted her very tan stuff down the carpet. Toni won for Best Actress Comedy for her role in "United States of Tara" but she stole the show, at least part of it, in her golden bejeweled gown.
Jennifer Garner was solo in silver while "The Biggest Loser" head trainer Jillian Michaels left her dumbbells at home and donned a golden champagne strapless mini. Kelly Kruger of "Entourage" hit the HBO after party scene in a silver disco dress. Anna Paquin of "True Blood" in gold with cap sleeves was all about the glam but may have gone too far with the front slit on her gown, and the black heels, well, let's just not go there. Wrapping up the glitter was Lake Bell of "It's Complicated," also at the HBO after party, who proved that horizontal stripes can be figure friendly.
Too small, too big, way too many ruffles. Fashion victoms Christina Hendricks, Chloe Sevigny, Rachel Zoe, and January Jones.
Train Wrecks And Sideshows
They can't all be images of perfection, though it was tough to find mistakes on the red carpet with so many stars listening to their stylists. The first mistake of the night was Christina Hendricks of "Mad Men" in an over-ruffled creation by "Project Runway" breakout couturier Christian Siriano. The always fierce Cristian missed his mark this time as Christina was simply too much for this pale peach satin confection. While the waist is beyond fabulous the top is too skimpy for her figure and the ruffles on the front were just too much for the sake of being too much.
Golden Globe winner for Best Actress in a Miniseries, Chloe Sevigny of HBO's "Big Love," was washed out in pale lilac Valentino and overwhelmed by ruffles, and more ruffles. Perhaps the usher who helped her to the stage to accept her award was trying to do her a favor when he stepped on her gown. We'll never know but she did change into a short black party dress before hitting the big HBO after party.
"90210" actress Anna Lynne McCord showed up to the Warner Brothers and InStyle after party in a white Grecian-inspired gown with a very odd bodice detail. Not sure if it was meant to evoke doves, a heart, or grasping hands but no matter how you slice it, it was just plain wrong.
Other notable fashion victims included Ashley Tisdale in a black and white flapper flop, Lindsay Lohan in a hooded silver mini, everybody's favorite Greek actress Nia Vardalos, January Jones of "Mad Men" who was attacked by another stray ruffle on the way to the show, and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe who looked like she was stuck in the 1920s in a dress 10 times too big for her petite frame.
So many good ideas here but it all went so wrong for Anna Lynne McCord, Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan, and Nia Vardalos. Sorry ladies, better luck next year! It's A Wrap
Cheers to the evening's winner and even bigger cheers to the ladies who stole the show and brought on the fashion! Can't wait to see what to wear at the Oscars!
Beauty Tips From Designer Rachel Roy
Have you picked up any great beauty tips or tricks that you can share?Rachel Roy: I feel a great mascara can open the eye and instantly make you look as though you've have a good night's sleep, even when that is not the case. I use two to three coats of Lancome's Fatale on the top, bottom, and also on the back of the top lashes.
Do you have a beauty signature? A fragrance or a lip color that you just love to wear?
RR: Because of my Indian ancestry, I love darkly rimmed eyes - a messy eye adds a sexy yet natural look to a classic outfit. To make the eyes smoky, I use Revlon's Luxurious Color Kohl eyeliner in Black Truffle on the inside of the lids.
What about a lip color that you just love to wear? What do you put on to achieve your favorite look?
RR: Bright lipstick is a way to quickly pop an outfit and freshen up a look a la Ava Gardner in "The Barefoot Contessa." My favorite bright is MAC's Morange lipstick - it's a great way to add a twist to a classic look.
Any last bits of advice?
RR: Another way to make your face pop is to fill in the eyebrows. I use Bobbi Brown's eye shadow in Navajo.
Stepping Out And Stepping Up To Benefit The New York Women's Foundation
On a brisk autumn night in the Big Apple, Gotham Hall, a converted bank, opened its massive brass and glass doors to welcome the members of the New York Women's Foundation for their annual "Stepping Out and Stepping Up" awards dinner to celebrate the lives of hard working women across New York City who serve as "role models of courageous leadership, vision and commitment to women and families as individuals and as partners." The evening was a celebration of the investment this group has made in the community for the past 22 years through over $20 million in grants and educational programs to bolster the dreams of over five million women. The simple idea that if you invest in a woman you invest in the community resonated throughout these marble lined halls. Cocktail hour was a whirl of networking as elegantly attired Board Members greeted guests and regaled listeners with stories highlighting the achievements of the evening's honorees - Elizabeth and Herbert Sturz and Pulitzer Prize winning couple Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof. Co-Chairs Hyatt Bass, Sayu V. Bhojwani, Aiyoung Choi, Susan R. Cullman, Grace Hightower De Niro, Somers Farkas, Carolyn Buck Luce, Margaret Munzer Loeb, Jean Shafiroff, Diana L. Taylor, Jacqueline P. Togut, and Barbara Brizzi Wynne worked hard to make the evening a success and their passion for the cause was evident as they made their way into the hall as the program began.
ABC News Correspondent Deborah Roberts hosted the evening and began by introducing Diana L. Taylor, Vice Chair of the organization. Taylor greeted the guests and extolled the virtues of the group, and how together they had made strides in the development of women and communities across NYC. Ana Oliveria, President and CEO, introduced notable guests in the room, including Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Mary J. Blige, then spoke passionately about the future of the organization and the new program for the New York Women's Foundation where it will work in conjunction with the Mexican Embassy, represented by a beaming Ruben Beltran, Counsel General of Mexico.
Amid bites of delicious beet salad and sliced fillet of beef, the honorees sat humbly as the introduction began, starting with Samuel Peabody who brought the lifelong work of honoree Elizabeth Sturz and her Argus Community in the South Bronx to life. Taylor introduced the inspiring Herbert Sturz to the stage where he explained that a life lived searching for justice for all was more than worth the adventure. He is the founding chairman of The After-School Corporation which works to see that all children have access to quality, free after school programs.
Abigail Disney reflected on the work of Pulitizer Prize winning married couple Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas D. Kristof and their book, "Half The Sky" that opened the worlds' eyes to the terror of human trafficking. In her written notes she remarked, "Thank you for all that you've both done to take us to a whole new level and into another dimension of possibility." While Nicholas delivered his appreciation via pre-recorded video, Sheryl took the stage and challenged the assemblage to look to the heart and act against mistreatment of women across the globe.
Standing ovations followed each of the honorees and the room hushed for Roberts introduction of the evening's performer, none other than the Queen of Hip Hop, Mary J. Blige. A passionate Blige, a victim of abuse herself, performed her chart-topping "No More Drama" from her soul. It was raw and powerful and rocked the room to the core.
Guest included Sharon Bush, Steven Schott of the New York Junior Tennis League, portrait artist Zita Davison, author of "Houses of the Hamptons 1880 - 1930" and architect Gary Lawrance, Guy Robinson, Elizabeth Stribling, Gayle Atkins, Anne Bass, Elizabeth Cho, Gene Schwanke, Aiyoung Choi, Felicia Taylor, Denise Rich, designer Catherine Malandrino, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Brooke Beardsley, Tuhina Day O'Connor, Muffie Potter Ashton, Bana and Faisal Hassan, Larry Kaiser, and Ann Rapp to name but a few.
Start Accessorizing!
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is all about the fabulous clothes on the runway, but what makes these clothes really work...and makes them personal is how they are accessorized! The most important element to a flawless ensemble is the bold necklace, the earrings...the all important handbag. This season Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is pleased to present an exclusive preview to all the hot new trends in accessories for Spring/Summer 2010. Featured designers in the 'Accessories Exhibit' taking centerstage under the tents this week include accessory veterans and some fresh new faces such as… Ambrosi Abrianna - Blending Ambrosi and Abrianna's individual tastes and creativity, their first handbag collection presents quality products built from a range of truly distinctive designs and materials, including crocodile, python and ostrich leathers that are collected from around the world and sent to Paris and Milan for handmade construction.
W Hotels The Store - Inspired by the design of five new international watches, these new W boutiques present a unique collection which exemplifies the fashionable spirit of the W Hotel franchise around the world. It features exclusive items from such acclaimed designers as Rachel Leigh, Lauren Merkin, Alex and Ani, and Foley & Corrina.
Lisa Kornman Luxe Lisa Kornman's collection began in 2000, crafting handbags from the finest Italian vegetable tanned leathers, exotic skins and unique hardware. Each piece evokes both individuality and a ladylike sensibility with its signature clutches and satchels.
Subversive Jewelry - Subversive introduces the new diffusion line inspired by the New-Dadaist Memphis Design movement of the 1980's and created for those with an eye for proportion and balance. The collection explores a wide variety of materials such as gold toned metals, semi-precious stones and rhinestone chains.Isharya - The hot up-and-coming designer draws influence from the Indian royalty and the International Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century. Every season the sister-in-law duo never fails to create luxurious collections with original materials and global appeal.
Bindya NY - Bindya NY's effortlessly chic and luxurious wearable art is styled for every personality and inspired by the designer's trips to Paris and India. The collection is most famous for their tie-dyed cashmere scarves, gauzy shawls and fabulous wraps made from the finest quality blends of cashmere, wool and silk.
Judith Ripka - This line of fine jewelry makes a woman feel beautiful in either blue jeans or a little black dress. Two distinct collections, the 18k Couture Collection and Silver Collection are celebrated by the red carpet elite for it modern elegance and sophistication.Lulu Frost - This fashion forward collection presents a fusion of old and new. Lulu searches for one-of-a-kind period antiques and reinterprets these rare finds by combining them with unexpected modern elements and stylistic treatments to create the most interesting and beautiful collection possible.
Alex Soldier - This magnificent collection is a work of art, representing a constantly evolving combination of shape, color and texture. His designs reveal a true passion for distinction and introduce innovative techniques for decorating metal surfaces and pushing the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship.
Carlos Falchi - In 1979 Carlos Falchi made his first deconstructed bag, the unlined buffalo satchel, that launched his career as a distinctive and detail oriented designer dedicated to the quality of the products and how the colors, styles and shapes make a woman feel. His revolution in handbag making has catapulted his career into the big leagues, designing for runway collections, celebrities, television, and major motion pictures.Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle Collection - For over a decade, Mercedes-Benz has offered an exclusive collection for the vehicle enthusiast. The collection includes fashionable women's and men's apparel, accessories, luggage and watches designed by Tourneau. Signature pieces include the "Seatbelt Bag", made from genuine seatbelt material and Mercedes-Benz pedal cars. Beginning fall 2009 they will also be partnering with Nike Golf for a series of new accessories.
Check them out this week or in stores near you soon.
