The forces of the universe conspired to lure me into a dark hotel with strangely masked men as November expired. To clarify, JuliB.com lured me to the Night Hotel with complimentary Rioja wine for a Masquerade party. AKA; A not-so-well disguised orgy of event planners and party-hoppers.

Given the night’s mysterious vibe, I was not surprised to catch lingering glances exchanged through decadant masks. As the deep bass pounded, more and more men arrived in charcoal suits and the number of women in litte-black dresses increased. Slowly, the world seemed to evolve into a monochromatic underground layer for VIPs only.
(more…)

Share This

“This winter everyone gets to be an 8-year old again, unless of course you’re a 7-year old,” encourages a banner above the newly opened Bryant Park ice skating rink on 42nd street between 5th and 6th avenues. In an anti-aging effort I evited a few friends and glamourites to take a lap around the ice slab and turn back the years on a bright Saturday morning. Surprisingly, a group of early twenty-somethings showed up at 11am sharp (excluding this glamourite) without a promise of free credit cards or kamikaze shots.

Art has the power to make viewers smirk, feel anxious, cry, even question life itself. Contemporary art, in turn, frequently makes them put their elbows on their knees, lean forward and wonder, “What the fuck are you doing?”

With this in mind, I made a cameo at the White Waves Dance Festival in DUMBO, Brooklyn, this weekend for some good old-fashioned “What the fuck?”-ing. As my friend and I walked shoulder-to-shoulder, passing body heat from one to another amid fall’s wind-tunnel effect, I realized the show fit perfectly into the neighborhood’s sophisticated, artsy vibe.
(more…)

Share This

Ludacris and DJ Sway,
Photo Courtesy of Brad Barket,
Getty Images North America

Ludacris brings new meaning to ’shake your money maker’ with the recent release of one of hip-hop magazine XXL’s “Most Anticipated Records of the Year,” Release Therapy. As an in-the-know, ahead-of-the-curve New Yorker, I couldn’t wait any longer to hear the new album and see the man of the hour during the album release party at Lower East Side club Element.

A familiar scenario: You walk into a lounge in your cutest little black dress. You threw on some foundation and mascara while running out the door (15 minutes late if you’re on my schedule). Though the dress is slimming and makes your ass look fab, it contrasts against your post-summer-pale skin, which is practically begging for bronzer. Enter makeup artist stage left. Literally.

New York Girls Style + Beauty threw an invite-only event at Nikki Beach, a surprisingly hot Midtown spot, with New York magazine and Peroni as sponsors. Gracious hostesses greeted me and my +1 at the door of the VIP venue, which was the perfect size for the moderate group of fashionistas, photographers and press. Cabana beds were open for lounging and bottles of Italian brewskies went down like water.

Who had the best week ever? No, not Justin Timberlake. This September, Manhattan brought sexy back. The city became a magnet for anybody with fashion, music or sporting sense. This is the month you can’t believe that you don’t live here and the month that I can’t believe I do. The 2006 US Open powered through fall showers, Olympus Fashion Week revealed Spring dos and don’ts on the runway and the beats at the MTV VMAs could be heard from Radio City to Rockefeller Center.