Monthly archives:December 2016

  • Genuine Holiday Cheer

  • 7 years ago
  • It’s fitting that HBO is choosing to air Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey’s Every Brilliant Thing during the holiday season (starting on Monday). Their filmed version of the one-character play of the same name about depression, suicide and survival is funny, moving and heartening—appropriate viewing at a time of year when many people are not feeling their psychological best despite all the trappings of merriment. Recorded over three performances at the Barrow Street Theatre in 2015, Every Brilliant Thing stars British comedian Jonny Donahoe (best known in the UK for his comedy band Jonny and the Baptists), who co-wrote it with Duncan Macmillan. We enter the small theater-in-the-round along with the audience, as they file in and take their seats. Donahoe, a stocky, cheerful sort, distributes pieces of paper containing various phrases and instructs the recipients to yell them out at his signal. He then proceeds to tell his character’s decade-spanning life story, punctuated by the items of the show’s title. “Every Brilliant Thing” refers to an inventory of things to live for, started by Donahoe’s narrator at the age of seven when his mother first tried to kill herself. The list—which begins with “ice cream”—would become a running theme in his life, disappearing,  resurfacing, and evolving as he got older (“Hairdressers who listen to what you want”). Aside from calling out list entries, audience members are enlisted to impersonate people in the narrator’s life during crucial m[...]

  • Wearable Art: Meet Anita Dongre, One of The Most Googled Designers of 2016

  • 7 years ago
  • In the world of Google, names like Priyanka Chopra, Beyoncé and Hillary Clinton certainly ruled 2016. But did you also know that a fashion designer from Mumbai, India was also a top ranking search this year too? Of course, it was thanks in part to the Duchess of Cambridge's infamous 'Kate Effect.' (more on that below) In the meantime, meet Anita Dongre, head of India's leading fashion houses House of Anita Dongre. Her Rajasthan-inspired designs have been well-known in India since she launched her fashion line in 1995. Anita Dongre https://www.instagram.com/p/BMb8JopAfE1/?taken-by=anitadongre However, 2016 was the year where Dongre's name became recognizable worldwide thanks to Kate Middleton decision to wear one of her dresses — the “Gulrukh” dress from the SS16 Love Notes collection — during her visit to India and Bhutan in May 2016. According to Telegraph UK, the original gown had a full length skirt, complete with matching traditional stole. Kate's stylist Natasha Archer helped to alter the look by shortening the hemline and adding a belt. Kate Middleton playing Cricket in India, wearing Dongre's multicolored design.  Photo Credit: REX It is also reported that Kate's final choice to wear Dongre's dress to a Cricket event was unexpectedly delightful as the designer "had no idea that her designs made the cut." “It was a real surprise," she tells the news source. "I was at home when I saw the pictures and was so delighted.” Since the princess wore the number[...]

  • A True Shooting Star

  • 7 years ago
  • Matthew Miele and Justin Bare’s documentary Harry Benson: Shoot First is an entertaining, at times astonishing, look at the career of a man who is responsible for countless iconic images from the past 50 years. In addition to a dizzying succession of photographic images, the film includes an array of testimonials from famous contemporaries and subjects in addition to family members, plus droll commentary from the 86-year-old Benson himself. Dan Rather, Carl Bernstein and Bryant Gumbel are among the journalists who weigh in on Benson and his work; Sharon Stone, Joe Namath, and (sigh) Donald J. Trump, among others, contribute anecdotes about their own experiences with the venerable photographer. One of the film’s striking motifs is Benson’s uncanny ability to be in the "right" place at the "right" time, whether in Memphis when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated or on a beach when the famously camera-shy Greta Garbo was taking a swim. Another running theme is how the charming Scot befriended almost everyone he shot, a diverse group including Muhammad Ali, Richard Nixon, and Mark David Chapman. His talent and tenacity resulted in a huge collection of photographs unmatched in their immediacy and intimacy, from shocking images of a dying Bobby Kennedy to dreamy photos of reclusive chess champion Bobby Fischer nuzzling a white horse. Though mainly known for shooting celebrities and political figures, Benson also traveled to places like Mogadishu, Somalia, and the [...]

  • Wearable Art: Luxe Coats By Mackage You'll *Want* This Winter

  • 7 years ago
  • In addition to the kick off of a Trump presidency, this winter is forecasted to be brutally cold. So why not embrace the frosty temps by looking cute in a fabulous, statement-making coat! Recently, Canadian first lady, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was seen wearing an "ELODIE" coat from House of Mackage for the Remembrance Ceremony at the National War Memorial. Trudeau, with her husband Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Her choice of overcoat that piqued our interest in the Canadian outerwear brand, and in their collection of luxe, high-end cover-ups. For those that don't know, House of Mackage specializes in outerwear for both men and women. Check out 3 gorgeous additions to their latest line of coats! BABIE We're partial to this camel version of this maxi length, cashmere blend belted wool coat. Notice the classic smoking jacket inspired notched lapel and semi-fitted silhouette! Supa dupa fly! HELINA This cloak is the perfect overcoat when you've reached maximum winter layering. The HELINA is a double- face wool creation that's longer in the front with zippered closure at the collar. TRISH TV Star Priyanka Chopra is seen here wearing a classic down-filled number that comes complete with a split hood that doubles as a sumptuous shawl collar. Happy winter! Stay warm.