Cynthia Rowley Runway Show--Check Out the Photos, Hair, Makeup, Clothes, and more

I'm happy to announce that I have completed yet another in a series of pieces on the Advice Sisters Web Site regarding Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2007.

This time, it's Cynthia Rowley that I'm covering both backstage, and at the show!

Check out my up-close-and--personal view of backstage makeup, hair, the models, the clothes...and of course, the actual show: http://www.advicesisters.net/cynthiarowleyfashweek.html

Danielle Steele's Newest (and it's not a book)

Last night I was invited to the chic and beautiful, Hudson Hotel in Manhattan, by Elizabeth Arden (the company, not the woman) to attend a cocktail reception for "Danielle," a new fragrance inspired by, and influenced by, romance author Danielle Steele that just recently hit fragrance counter shelves this month.

I've only read one Danielle Steele book, and that was because it was in a hotel room, it rained constantly for a few days, and we had a balcony overlooking the sea, and not much else to do. But
But Ms. Steele's fans are legion. If nothing else, I can't help but admire a woman who has been able to build an empire of books so large, she's almost a permanent staple on the New York Times Best Seller List. Cosmetics companies know that when you put a "celebrity" name on a product, fans will buy it even if they're not really in the market for anything new. In the case of this new fragrance, Danielle, I am fairly certain I overheard more than one of the Elizabeth Arden brass (who seemed to be out in force) say that it's selling lightening-fast off the shelves, as we speak.

If you're not an abandoned heiress, a sea captain's daughter being forced to marry someone she doesn't love, or a jet-setting (but lonely) princess going incognito to find her true heritage...and so forth...you can still smell like a heroine in one of Ms. Steele's dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of books. Or, if you're a writer like me, you can imagine that Ms. Steele's success is your own, at least in the way you have scented yourself for the moment!

There weren't any press kits available last night (I'll be getting the holiday collection and will review it in The Advice Sisters DECEMBER What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review column http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html (look for it the first week in December) but somewhere on the net I found a description of the notes that seems relatively correct as I sniffed the mainly fresh and fruity (and light) blend: "lush green notes and Mediterranean mandarin; a heart of butterfly jasmine, sunset orchid and hydroponic rose, and a drydown of blue vetiver, white amber and cashmere musks."

Obviously, a fragrance with the famed romance novelist's name on it, has to present a feminine, but intruiging face. At the event, regular and mini-sized versions of the perfume bottle were cleverly laid out as pieces on the chessboards in the Hudson Hotel Library, and on a pool table, suggesting chance, mystery, and a challenge. The bottle is truly stunning: a simple, substantial, sensual square of crystal with a nearly-clear pale yellow, fragrance, inside. The Eau de Parfum Spray is a larger, chunkier version, with a large chunk of clear plastic over the spray atomizer, featuring a simple "DS" (for Danielle Steele) on the top in simple, gold, serif, letters. The outside box is pale pink packaging adorned with a black lace motif.

Since I'd never met the author before, I had no idea what to expect. I thought she was tall, but, in actuality, she is a smallish woman radiating a lot of presence. Her "toreador-style" outfit was rimmed in dramatic, gold thread from stem to stern, making a fashionable statement as the woman of the moment. I mistook her for a fashion editor, until the flashbulbs began to pop.

We drank champagne (rose and regular) and enjoyed little puffs filled with brie, and other lite but elegant, bites. Finally, Ms. Steele was introduced by the CEO of Elizabeth Arden. She seemed almost humble, shy, as if she was unfamilar with all the attention (but of course, she has been to a gazillion of her own book signings, so she's used to being in the public eye). She had just a few words to say about her new fragrance. She thanked Elizabeth Arden and the publicists for their great work and for enjoyable experiences with them (very gracious, I thought), but she said little about the fragrance or what her inspiration was for it (I later found out that the pink and black lace was inspired by a favorite gown, the crystal bottle, evocative of her large collection of crystal, however). The scent itself, conveys qualities embodied by the writer, who is also the mother of nine children. Two of those are certainly, femininity and strength.

The collection includes two sizes of Eau de Parfum: 1.7 oz. for $49.50 and 3.3 oz. for $65, as well as a 0.5-oz. parfum, $125, and a 6.8-oz. body lotion for $35

I'm more of a floriental fan (that's a floral fragrance mixed with spices) but Danielle is a pleasing, fruity fragrance that has enough depth to take you from the cooler months right into Summer, without having to switch to another fragrance if you choose this one as your signature. It will make a great gift for the holidays!

*just one last note: the Hudson Hotel is chic and eye catching. The library bar is a clubby, comfortable, and actually, sort of romantic place to spend a moment away from the hustle and bustle of New York streets. I'll be back!

Spa Magazine's 10th Anniversary Bash

It isn't that I forgot to blog about "The Zen of 10," Spa Magazine's big, birthday bash at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, it's simply that I was figuring out how, in just a few words, to describe the fabulousness of it all.

For starters, this event, on Wednesday, October 4th was at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York, just a stone's throw from Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center (filled with gorgeous stores). As you exited the elevator, the friendly pr girls invited guests to take a bag--and the bag was a full-sized, expandable carry on with wheels. I should have realized, right then, that this was going to be something special. Directly in front of the check-in, there was a buffet table with "healthy" snacks, beautifully displayed. If you sat down in that lounge area you were offered a neck wrap pillow, and a hand massage. I did get one, later on. Inside the "exhibit" room were the several dozen booths of the event sponsors, each, laden with information and products--with generous samples being offered to take home in that large, wheeled bag. Half the sponors were spas with names you'd probably recognize such as the Greenbrier and Lake Ausin, the other half, cosmetics, beauty/wellness, and spa-fashion companies. At the far end of the room there was a large lunch/lounge area with sandwiches and so forth.

The sheer scope and quality of the exhibitors was simply overwhelmingly great. Every place I stopped there was a nicely-packaged gift that I was "urged" to take home and sample. Although the event fan from 11:30-3pm, spa cuisine was being served fro 12-1:30 and that's when it was the most crowded.

Somehow, I missed Deborah Szekely, founder of Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door (RLP had a booth with jars of yummy-looking sun-dried tomatoes) speaking about "Spas, Past, Present & Future." but I did see some of my publicity contacts, and stopped to chat with the Pevonia Botanica folks, handing out Vital I Tea (really great, iced and hot) and offering guests beautiful holiday gift boxes of Pevonia products (we are reviewing Pevonia products in our current What Works column http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html ) and holiday products in our November and December What Works columns--so watch for them!

There were so many exhibitors and so many things to review, I can't even mention them all. Some of the plces I stopped by were: Aromatherapy Associates; Bermuda Department of Tourism; Bishop's Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa, B. Kamins Chemist, The Breakers Palm Beach, Celorscience, Donna Nadeau, Eblow Beach, Bermuda, The Greenbrier, Half Moon Inter-Continental Resort and Thalasso Spa in Bora Bora, June Jacobs Spa Collectoin, Jurlique, Kama Ayurveda, La Prairie, Lady Primrose, Lake Austin Spa Resort, Leading Hotel so fhte World, Ltd., Pevonia Botanica, Mandarin Oriental (NY and Miami(, Mohonk Moutain House, Pure Fiji, Ceasars Palace, Rancho la Peruta, Sea Island Resorts, Susan Posnick Cosmetics, and plenty more I can't remember.

There were editors from the heavy-hitter magazines, primarily, and I realized that sometimes, being a writer has a few true perks. I'm not sure if the Editors from Trave & Leisure, or Brides, get to go to events like this every week, but for The Advice Sisters, this was a bit like Christmas in October! Note to Allure staffer in chic wrap dress--smile --you've got a great job!

In the middle of stuffing my SPA bag full of samples, I decided to wander back outside to sit down for a moment. I truly appreciated the neck wrap and hand massage I was offered. Even the Mandarin Oriental had a gift bag (with the fixings for lemongrass tea, and a nifty, green apron with the MO spa logo on it).

When I'd visited nearly every booth, and my spa bag was filled to the top with "goodies," I decided it was time to leave. Reluctantly, I pulled my heavy bag out through the front door. A very nicely dressed man in a slick suit and a headset noticed I was dragged the bag, stopped me, bent down, picked up the bottom of the bag, tugged on the now-dirty wheels, and set them completely straight so my bag would glide, effortlessly.

Now that's great hotel service!

It may be another 10 years before Spa Magazine hosts another event as grand as this one, but I hope, whenever it is, that there is an invitation with my name on it!!!

Finally

did you ever have a day so irritating that...

Did you ever have a day so irritating that you wish you hadn't even gotten out of bed? You know, the kind of day where your well-meaning husband shakes you awake out of a stress dream, and you jump, literally, out of bed with surprise and fright? The type of day where you have a lot to do, and your email, dies before you can do anything at all? The type of day where your appointments are all late, and scheduled close together? The type of day where you wait in a doctor's office for a simple eye exam for two hours and are told there are still three patients ahead of you (and that you probably won't even be seen by the doctor for another hour)? The type of day where, given that you have to be somewhere at least 45 minutes away, in an hour, you have to leave without ever even seeing that doctor? The type of day where you call someone about something important--and they have an emergency and promise to "call you back" but then, 4:30 (their quitting time) rolls around and they STILL haven't called you back? The type of day where you have to walk three avenues over with blisters on each heel (from running around like a whirling dervish, trying to get everything done because your schedule is so screwed up and you're running so late) only to find the event you planned to attend, has been cancelled? And then, after all of this, you are obligated to dine with someone you dislike (hey, biz is biz)?

Have you ever had a day like this? And it's not over yet???

More electronic etiquette idiots or: "talk to the hand"

A few days I posted a piece about electronic devices, and how even though we're connected more closely to each other with them, we also alienate each other with them as well.

I hate to sound like a curmudgeon, but two more things really got me today...and I couldn't wait to come home and immortalize the cretins, in cyberspace. Doubtless, the people who did these annoying and rude things don't know me or the Advice Sisters, and they certainly don't read this blog (actually, they probably don't even read):

I was in a dressing room at Daffy's (I admit it: I'm incapable of paying straight retail). I pulled the curtain to start trying on clothes, when a woman's voice literally boomed around the dressing room. She was yelling at someone, saying how they had "dissed her." For a moment, I assumed she had a friend in her little dressing room with her, and she was just a loudmouth (you know, the ones who never learned the "inside voice" and the "outside voice"? As the conversation continued, however, I realized she was alone, on a speakerphone! Everyone, every single person, heard the entire conversation whether we wanted to or not. At one point someone yelled "you're rude!" The woman put her cell phone diatribe on hold for just a moment, to start curse with lots of very colorful expletives. She was still bitching and moaning on her cell's speakerphone when I finally left, relieved to be rid of her.

Later in the day, I found my way to the subway to go home. I'd been on my feet for hours and they hurt! Normally, I wait in the back for the last car and usually get a seat. Today, I spied two seats just inside the door as I entered and no one else was going for them. I made my move. I turned to sit down. Suddenly, two little children--a boy and a girl--no more than 6 or 7, slipped under both my armpits and sat in the seats as I stood, astonished. The parent or nanny didn't seem to be anywhere in site. Oh--there she was...talking on her cell phone (don't know how she got service at 34th street). The train pulled out, stuffed with rush hour adult passenger having to stand with all their packages, and these two little kids, who didn't even have to pay a fare happily played with video games. I finally got a seat on the other side of the train a few stops later. The woman with the cell phone was now listening to an Ipod and playing some sort of video game. She didn't stop playing or to pull the earphone out to insist that I move over not one, but two seats for (guess who?) the two little kids!

Lovely world, isn't it?

Do you have similar stories? please make my day, and add a comment!

KMR Communication's Girls Night Out at Bruno Jamais Restaurant

Last week, on Wednesday, I attended KMR Communication's Girls Night Out at Bruno Jamais Restaurant. If you are a regular reading of the Advice Sisters Web Site, you know that we gave away a $200.00 gift certificate to this chic, supper club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as a large gift basket from The Body Perfect, also participating in the Girls Night Out, as part of our Celebrate Spring Contest. Don't forget to enter our latest contest: The Devil (and YOU) Wear Prada at: http://www.advicesisters.net/devil1.html now through the end of the year.

Back to last Wednesday's event: guest were greeted at the door of this shopping extravaganza with a glass of champagne (not a bad way to end the day, or start your shopping experience). There were dozens of vendors with tables featuring everything from color cosmetics, to skincare, fashion retail stores, fragrance, fitness products, hair care products and lots more. The public was invited to attend, but the media was out in full force as well.

Bruno Jamais is a really pretty venue, with lots of glass mirrors, graceful arches between the rooms, and a nice, warm, elegant feel. As waiters brought around trays of mini chicken legs, dates filled with pate, and other delights, I made my way past the great, Bruno Jamais bar, through the rooms (three of them), looking at all sort of nifty products I didn't know about (and I hope to review some of them in the not-too-distant-future in the Advice Sisters What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review Column http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html and talking to vendors about what makes them so passionate about their products.

Aside from me, I'm guessing that the vendors, as well as others who attended, thought this was a wildely successful event. Some, although not all of the vendors at the event were:
Fopps Clothing, sanefit, the body perfect, Rodeo Drive Resale (from whom I bought a gorgeous and definitely well priced but still past my budget, limited edition Coach bag --never drink and buy!), Robert Craig, the Fitness Challenge, TummyTuck Jeans, Smooth Synergy, Piro Cosmetics, Artemis Woman (watch for our review of this crystals-inspired line in our November What Works column), Chinese Laundry, Moore Unique, Bijoux Swimwear, Model in a Bottle, and Artisan Parfumeur...just to name a few.

Apparently, there was also a special appearance of the talented singerm Samantha Cole, but after about 1 1/2 hours on my feet in a very enthusiastic crowd, I'd had enough and reluctantly left, clutching a great clear tote bag with yellow handles, filled with the Morning Glory (gentle anti-aging) line from the Body Perfect. I headed for home, just as the heavens opened up and rained on me and my new, coach bag (and of course, I didn't have an umbrella).

I'm still having trouble posting photos,and for some reason I couldn't post these photos right into my blog (got it, then lost it) but here's one of Bruno Jamais: http://www.advicesisters.net/advicesistersblog/uploaded_images/brunojamaisdr2-722149.jpg and here is a photo of the lovely and talented, Katherine Rothman, CEO of KMR Communications with Singer Samantha Cole at Bruno Jamais: http://www.advicesisters.net/kathyandsamantha.jpg a

A fun night, and a great event!

kathyandsamantha.jpg

"The Rules" of Modern Etiquette: Electronic Devices

I had to make an important phone call last night, but my cell phone battery indicator was down to one bar, and there wasn't a single pay phone, anywhere, I was then that I realized just how dependant we've become upon our various, portable, electronic devices. I don't know how I ever lived without my Ipod and my cell phone, but, like many people, I never leave home without them. Electronics etiquette is not very different from any other types of considerate behavior. Although people complain that they are annoyed by other users, they often don't follow considerate and common sense, themselves.

Portable electronic devices connect us to the outside world, but they also alienate us from the outside world, more than ever. Who hasn't been irritated by someone else using one of these gadgets?

Cell phone users are the worst offenders, and they are the most common. You can carry cell phones anywhere, but if you use them "wherever, whenever," you are most likely going to disturb your unintentional, public, audience, who will be forced to listen to your private conversations being conducted in public places. When you talk on a cell phone, you naturally tend to raise your voice. Everyone can hear everything you are saying. I have been subjected to angry fights between lover, stock tips, teenage girl talk, and the "too-much-information" details of a man's prostate surgery, simply because I was a captive audience near these people on their cell phones. At the movies, I sat next to a woman who couldn't stay off her cell phone, not even during the movie. After she had picked up her cell phone several times, someone complained to the ushers. Alas, the woman wasn't asked to leave, wouldn't go on her own, and continued to use her cell phone during the rest of the movie. Wouldn't it have a lot wiser and less expensive for her, and a whole lot less annoying for those around her, if she'd just stayed home? Of course, the simple act of a cell phone ring can be annoying. We are constantly being subjected to the tinny sounds of cell phone ring tones that are supposed to be unique, but so many people have them that you can' tell them apart. Most of us have witnessed a cell phone ringing featuring the latest Nelly Furtado song, to faux sound of an actual phone, ringing, and watching half the people in the room checking to see if it is theirs. Hand held cell phone use has been banned in most, if not all states, but I often see drivers with one hand on the wheel, the other on a cell phone held to their ear. It's not safe for them to drive one-handed and distracted, but it's just as bad for everyone else who has the misfortune to have to be on the road with these people.

Blackberry users are also increasingly common (by "Blackberry" I mean any type of multi-functional communications device that work in real time). Some people become so attached to them that they cannot stop looking at their little screens, watching for emails that show up constantly, in real time. "It's a bit like playing the slot machine" explained one woman. "You never know when something important will show up in email and I don't want to miss it." Since so much of the email the average person receives is spam, anyway, is this really a good use of time? The blackberry has become a common source of tension between couples, too. One woman, for example, complained that her husband was so addicted to her blackberry (often called "crackberry" due to it's addictive nature) that he even took it into the bathroom with him all the time. A man describes the day he and his partner were walking and his partner couldn't put the blackberry away. This man walked all the way ahead down the street, and his partner never noticed, because he'd never looked up even once from his blackberry screen.

In the old days, if you say someone talking to himself on the street, you'd assume that person was crazy. These days, when you see people walking down the street talking to themselves, you just assume they're hooked into their phone or MP3 player, using an earpiece. Speaking of which, MP3 and Ipod users are not exempt from poor electronics etiquette, either. I find it amusing, but unpleasant, to hear someone screaming out the lyrics to a song (even more so if the song is full of offensive words or references and they're singing way off key), no matter how much they're enjoying it, themselves.

If we didn't "do unto others," the very things that annoy us, wouldn't we all be better off? Being "in public" means that you are sharing your private "space." That means that when you invade the space of others with your own, bad, electronics etiquette, you are like to have your own private "space" invaded as well. So please be considerate the next time you are using a portable electronic device, which will probably be today. Feel free to send this around. Also, if you subcribe to the Advice Sisters free, bi-monthly Enews you'll be among the first to be notified when our list of Portable Electronic Device Do's and Don'ts are published. You will want to clip and save them, and share them with everyone you know.

NextFest...a new milennium type of world's fair

Last week was a pretty busy week as I was trying to finish my October What Works Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion Review Column http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html and also I was putting the finishing touches on the Advice Sisters Enews, a bi-monthly newsletter that goes to anyone who asks for it, for free (if you want to subscribe, go to the Advice Sisters Web Site http://www.advicesisters.net and you can see several places to subscribe from the home page.

Anyway, I took a few hours to go to the Jacob Javits Center to go to WIRED's NEXTFEST, a sort of new milennium world's fair, featuring four days of viewing for the public of innovative products and technologies that are transforming our world. The first thing I loved about NextFest was the press badges, that were small squares of plastic that could be lit up in a glowing purple, or made to flicker. Exhibitors had green ones, and there were other types of badges including some others for sale at the Wired booth. These just looked so great...modern and hip...I kept mine until it fell off my handbag about a week later (obviously, they were not meant to be worn indefinitently). The entire exhibit floor was sparked with these little bits of color from the badges. It really was so cool!

Anyway, there were about 130 interactive exhibits from leading scientists and researchers around the world set up in about 10 distinct areas covering such things as exploration, entertainment, transportation, health, communication, design, security, green living, and even a robot row. At one of the NASA exhibits, I met a man who was involved with the Mars Rover (I think it's name is "Opportunity") that had just travelled 21 months over the terrain of Mars to the Victoria Crater to it's rim. When I told him that I though the photos from the rover inside the crater looked like a sunflower, or a big dahlia, his face broke into the widest smile as if he'd never considered this before (even though it seemed so obvious to me as writer). I guess there really are left and right brain people! Hopefully, we need them both.

I was particularly interested in some of the design exhibits, and stopped to talk to an exhibitor about a platform shoe, worthy of Sir. Elton John, that had a video screen and a camera in it, and lots of other things, including GPS and a way to call for help....not actually available in PayLess just yet (or anywhere) but what I great idea! I also liked a round "bicycle" that has a small motor and pedals. The sphere with the seat in the middle looks so amazing you'd want it just for that. The company (originating in Amsterdam, I believe) is offering them for under $5,000. I did think about it at least for a few minutes....I wonder if they'd be allowed on City Streets? There were plenty of other exhibits equally eye catching, some quite amazing, including robots that were so lifelike you might not blink if you saw them on the street. So I kept wandering through the exhibits, but I had unfortunately chosen the first morning of the show, and literally hundreds, maybe thousands of school children were there as well. They were well behaved for the most part, but they overwhelmed every exhibit, crowding out the adults, and making a lot of noise and pushing and shoving a great deal. I can see why children would be the perfect audience for this show even though most of it was fascinating to adults. I am assuming that knowing real people created these wonderful things will inspire them to try harder in school so that they too, some time in the not too distant future, will be the ones showing off what they have created to help make the world a better place. But after trying to hip check my way through flocks of kids for a few hours, I'd pretty much had it.

I will definitely go next year...it's cool, it's informative, it's worth going even if you aren't much into science.

Who Knew J.C.Penny Celebrated Sensuality?

Last week on September 28th, I attended a reception/launch, co-hosted by the New York Foundation for the Arts, for a new line of lingerie called "Ambrielle" that looked like it could hold it's own with some of the other popular "sexy" brands (Eg. Victoria's Secret). Guess what? It's from J.C. Penny! I've noticed that this traditionally popularly-priced store has upscaled it's fashion lines, significantly, and now they're doing the same for lingerie. This is a good thing, especially since J.C. Penny is a store that a gazillion people around America like to shop in.

What you bput UNDER your clothes is it's nearly as important as what you wear. When the Ambrielle line launches in 2007, J.C. Penny customers will find the 4,000 items in free-standing boutiques in every store. The line is actually (broken into three sub-brands that appeal to different generations and styles: "Smooth Revolution" (modern and smooth), "Mystique" (sexy and enhancing) and "Essentials" (understated and natural). The lingerie looks modern and sensual, but certainly not risqu鮠Hopefully, The Advice Sisters will be reviewing some actual pieces, soon. All attempts to get a press contact, amazingly, have failed so far, but I'm still working on it.

The Chelsea Art Museum in New York was the setting for the launch in New York. The cavernous space was brightly lit, and there was plenty of room to walk around to view pieces of the Ambrielle line worn by models with original artworks as backdrops. Cleverly, the models were posed as the subjects in the painting, but of course, they were wearing bras and panties. This didn't sit too bady with any of the men in the room. DJ's kept the beat loud and lively, until a special musical performance by the songstress, Anna Nalick.

Although I don't always get a chance to connect with friends and colleagues at events like this, I did get a chance to chat with lovely designer/actress Esther Nash, whose fashions are currently being reviewed in our What Works Beauty, Cosmetics and Fashion Review Column http://www.advicesisters.net/whatworkscol3.html.

Ambrielle should be lauching at the Queens Center in New York in February 2007..not sure about the rest of the country but I'm guessing it will be around the same time. I used to "scoff" at J.C. Penny, but I'm taking a closer look now. Ambrielle is sensuous, for real, and really an exciting addition to J.C. Penny you'll want to look at, too.