StyleWhipped

Sherin Botros: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

The soul never thinks without a picture. - Aristotle

I love pictures and consider them to be one of the most beautiful and personal forms of art. 

However, I must admit it took me some time to realize and accept that the ‘picture form’ of art is very different for each of us. To some it can be treasured family photographs and memories with friends, to others it can be beautiful scenic photos or priceless works of art.  The beauty of it is, it doesn’t really matter, it fills your soul and is an extension of who you are, so tell your story!

As a matter of fact, you should flaunt it! But if your anything like me, you have no patience for lining up and measuring (I probably shouldn't admit that, but I know you feel my pain). Let's face it, inevitably one of those pictures won't be straight and will annoyingly stare at you in the face until you fix it...Ugh, I hate when that happens!  So if you're looking to cheat a bit, a nice way to exhibit your priceless memories is through an elegant pre-arranged frame set like the one I found from redenvelope.com  

It's already aligned and ready to be displayed for your viewing pleasure. Just insert the pictures of your choice and share your story.  

No wall space? No worries! There are endless ways to display your framed pieces and still add that personal touch to your home. Grouping your photos over a ledge,  or on a desk or end table is just as spectacular as a wall. It’s all in how you pull it together. You can mix and match frames, colors and patterns, or keep a uniform look, and combine with books or other personal items that have just as much meaning to you as your photos. Arrange in a harmonious and appealing way and...ta da, that's what I call Picture Perfect!

- Sherin

We say "Encore!" to CurtainCritic.com!

Here at Stylewhipped, we are huge fans of the arts. Theater, music, dance...you name it, we'll go see it. And therefore we are always looking for ways to make our theater-going experience that much easier, smoother, better...so enter the newly launched CurtainCritic.com and enter smiling faces around Stylewhipped!

CurtainCritic.com is powered by our genius, plugged-in, cultured friends over at TheatreMAMA. TheatreMAMA is a global "living media" agency based in the heart of NYC that specializes in social media, brand embassadorship, and event marketing. I have personally co-hosted events for TheatreMAMA and highly recommend you visit their site (after taking a look at CurtainCritic, of course!). Speaking of which, back to that...basically, CurtainCritic is a new theater review aggregator, which means it takes all the major reviews for each Broadway and off-Broadway show, puts them in one place, and assigns them a rating from 1-100. Then all of those numbers are averaged to give a final score. (Those scores, by the way, are then color-coded for even more user-friendly appeal...depending on where they fall from 1-100, they will be assigned a Gold, Silver or Bronze icon.) And these scores aren't just overall, seemingly-easy-to-come-by scores...they are further broken down by categories including "Overall," "Cast," "Tech," "Music" (if it's a musical, of course), and "Book/Script."

CurtainCritic.com officially soft-launched on December 1st and is aimed at everyone from seasoned theater-goers to the once-a-year tourist. From our point-of-view, this is quite simply, the Zagat of Broadway. I have a feeling that this site is going to become very quickly indispensible to anyone and everyone who would ever go see a show! Imagine being able to (with just one click) see exactly what show is #1 based on an aggregate of ALL its reviews. Not just based on the cranky critic in your local paper or the overly-cerebral one in a major national publication. You can read all those actual reviews right on the site, too, if you'd like (in other words...well, you don't have to take CurtainCritic's word for it!). And this doesn't help just you when looking for a show to go see...this is a fantastic new way to find the perfect gift (Uncle Joe only likes musicals with a great book? No problem, CurtainCritic has them all sorted for you!) and the perfect way to sound like a great tour guide for friends visiting from out-of-town ("well, you know, 'Chicago' is still the #2 highest rated Broadway show...").

Amazing, right?!

Yeah, we think so too.

~ Alison.

Event Recap: Revolver Magazine's "1st-ever Tattoo Issue" Party

Last week, despite one of the worst snowstorms NYC has ever seen, I happily put on a (very tight...) all-black ensemble and 5-inch heels and headed to a party for Revolver Magazine's 1st-ever tattoo issue. With Revolver being a metal music magazine, this fashion girl was definitely excited to have Big Bang Baby frontman (and former Belladonna bassist) Paul Mocci and drummer Billy Atwell with me...

Held at the edgy, Gothic-inspired Paul Booth's Last Rites Gallery on way West 33rd Street in Manhattan, the party was celebrating the magazine's first-ever all-tattoo issue. And they certainly pulled out all the stops...a screening room showing footage from "Revolver TV's" red carpet coverage of the Golden Gods Awards, Coney Island side-show-style performances, a fantastically curated display of intense, aggressive artwork from the gallery, guests having actual tattoos done, and even temporary tattoos designed by legendary tattoo artist Paul Booth himself were available. Revolver Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Brandon Geist was on hand to celebrate, and Mistress Julia of Fuse TV fame was doing on-camera interviews (including with yours truly...).

The magazine issue is only available on newsstands and in stores from March 2nd to May 10th and features Kerry King from Slayer on the cover, complete with a hard-core shot of his Paul Booth-inked head. There are feature articles in the issue that explore how and why hard rock and tattooing go hand-in-hand, as well as in-depth interviews with some of rock's most popular (and most heavily tattooed) artists. Fittingly, there was some amazing body ink on display at the party...everything from full sleeves to head-and-neck art...to my two little ones that you can't actually see when I have clothes on...

Rock. On.

~ Alison

    

(All photos by Marc Stamas for Getty Images)

Event Recap: ArtHamptons Opening Night Gala

What tops a beautiful day in the Hamptons? Why, a wonderful event in the evening of course!  I attended the ArtHamptons Opening Night Gala to preview $200 million worth of spectacular art featuring 64 nationally renowned galleries who sell a rich assemblage of museum-caliber art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The fair provides local, national and international collectors with a rare summer opportunity to purchase significant paintings, sculptures, drawings, photography and prints.

Ann Priftis from Clark Priftis Gallery was a delight as she hosted art from LLe-Dom, a new line of luxurious contemporary art glass created by Abby Modell.  All the one-of-kind pieces fuse the boundaries between solid objects and fluid motion. Abby has taken her vision of style and color and translated it into works of art, creating flowing movement within glass. Many of the designs combine glass and stainless steel. With a dramatic use of color and imaginative shapes, Abby creates exuberant art that rivets the eye and excites the imagination. All LLe-Dom works are limited editions. 

An absolute favorite piece of mine were 3 bronze penguins by artist Michael McLaughlin featured by the The Cooley Gallery.  I have always had a love for penguins, and these pieces caught my eye on the way out of the tents. 

Of course the who's-who of Hamptonites were out in full force. Guests included the always entertaining and fabulous Cathy Dransfield, Sean MFK Bruns, Countess Luann de Lesseps (floating around the gala in preparation for her "Class with the Countess: How to Live with Elegance and Flair" book-signing on the last day of the event), Ann Ciardullo from Sothebys East Hampton, and the Tisch family who purchased 2 pieces of the LLe-Dom collection.  John Palmer, Stephanie Garrison and Nicholas Landry also enjoyed the variety of art featured at the event with me.

- Guest writer John David Robbins for Stylewhipped.com

 

(click on any image above to enlarge)

Announcement: Important Art Exhibit Tonight!

Congratulations to StyleWhipped's very own guest writer Serge Van Lian (and a star of Season 2 of Bravo TV's "Top Design"), who has an amazing piece featured in an exhibit at Think Gallery X @ Think Coffee. The opening reception is tonight from 7-9pm (the gallery is at 248 Mercer Street between 3rd & 4th Streets in Manhattan), and I will be there! You can see more on the gallery's website...

Serge was instrumental in the conceptualization and presentation of the installation, which is a photograph meant to "show how much ego, our social mask, can really dominate and ultimately hurt our lives" according to the artists. Definitely stop in this evening to join us in celebrating this fabulous exhibit!

~ Alison

Lynx Ensemble Theater's Benefit Gala: A Party to Remember!

Wednesday night was a spectacular culmination of months of hard work when Lynx Ensemble Theater hosted their 1st Annual Benefit Gala.  Held at the GINA Gallery on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, over 100 people came out to support non-profit theater group Lynx Ensemble, co-Artistic Directors Aileen Barry & Mark O'Connell, and the important, stereotype-shattering work they produce. I was lucky enough to style the beautiful party and dress Aileen, and both Life, Styled. and StyleWhipped were proud sponsors of the evening.

The event was generously sponsored by so many amazing people and companies, which allowed almost 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales and the incredible silent auction to go directly into Lynx's 2009 programming.  I have to personally thank David Robbins and Genre Magazine, Ann Priftis at GINA Gallery, David Reid from Radiant UX, Heron Hill Winery, Brooklyn Brewery, and Stephanie Gueldner from Studio Artiflora for sponsoring the party. I also have to give a huge thanks to artist & photographer Dino Aspromatis, Andrea Stratton of AJS Design Studio, Revlon, jewelry designer Alicia Marilyn, David McCasey from Buster's Skin Care, Lenn Shebar at N Boutique, Darrell Owens from Your Best Face Skincare, interior designer & StyleWhipped's own Serge Van Lian, make-up artist & columnist Nathan Johnson, and the extraordinary Suede from Project Runway for contributing to the silent auction and gift bags...and helping to raise a lot of money for Lynx!

This was more than a cocktail party...we were treated to performances by the amazing Bill Bowers, Vanessa Hidary and Esther Friedman, who kept the spirit of Lynx in the forefront of everyone's mind and reminded us all that we need to continue supporting theater and performance art in NYC!  Guests also had over two hours to participate in a fabulous silent auction with eleven amazing lots...dazzling jewelry, gorgeous framed photography, consultations with celebrity interior designers, fashion-insiders & make-up artists, huge baskets of amazing skincare products, and so much more.  I'd also like to thank some of the special people who joined us...like jazz singer Gregory Generet (who I was also lucky enough to see perform the next night - more to come on that...), the amazingly supportive Rhonda Ross, radio host (and my lovely client) Diana Falzone, the talented Colman Domingo from Broadway's "Passing Strange," and pop star Ari Gold.

In the end, we ate, drank, talked, laughed, watched, and had a fabulous time. Congratulations to Aileen and Mark for your official introduction to NYC. You have many new fans, friends, and supporters of Lynx Ensemble Theater...and I can't wait for the next event! If you'd like to learn more about Lynx Ensemble Theater or make a donation to the organization, please visit www.lynxtheater.org.

~ Alison

(Photos courtesy of Julie Beers Photography. Simply click on images to enlarge. See all the professional photos here: http://juliebeers.com/Events/lynx/index.html!)

                                                                 

Kirchner- Final Weekend

If I could have a Mary Poppins moment and jump into a painting, it would be a Kirchner. German Expressionist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner masterfully mixes glamour and decadence with the dark and gritty in his pre-WW1 Berlin street scenes. This weekend is the FINAL weekend (ends 11/10) of the Kirchner and the Berlin Street exhibit at MOMA, so please do yourself a favor and check it out! The exhibit is simply breathtaking.

- Cindy