TRAVEL-INSPIRED LIFESTYLE BRAND, ROBERTA ROLLER RABBIT, EXPANDS TO GEORGIA

Roberta Roller Rabbit is expanding to Georgia. The travel-inspired lifestyle brand, offering exotic, sophisticated yet affordable leisurewear, accessories and home goods with a magical touch, is set to open an Atlanta flagship store in late fall, just in time for the holidays. 

Inspired by a children’s fable of a magical rabbit that founder Roberta Freymann found on a piece of fabric during her time in India, Roberta Roller Rabbit’s first Georgia location will open in the popular Westside Provisions District, a distinctive retail, dining and residential destination located where Midtown Atlanta meets the Westside. The 1,400-square foot store will have a wide range of offerings including clothing for women, children, and men, as well as accessories, gifts, and home furnishings.

“With glass on many sides, this will be the sunniest and most open of all our locations. The size gives us space to display each of our departments - women's, kids and home - in the best possible way. We are looking to make sure that the store reflects not only our brand but our surroundings as well,” says Christina Panos, marketing chief for Roberta Roller Rabbit.

The interior will also feature hand-drawn stencil art by renowned artists Lisa Wassong and Dominique Lange. Their work, which is ethnically inspired and whimsical, is present in all Roberta Roller Rabbit stores.  The Atlanta store will have its own theme that is unique to the architecture of the store and the flavor of its location.

“We love the architecture of the center and are big fans of our neighbors. We think this location is a wonderful meeting spot and will become a destination for all different demographics as the center continues its expansion,” adds Panos.   

Upon entering the store, customers will be immersed in a delightful world of colors, prints and textures. Like at all its locations, the Atlanta store will offer a range of hand block printed pieces created and produced by Roberta with artisans in India. Graphic and floral prints are named after characters in Roberta’s life. Other wildly popular prints include monkeys, elephants and fish, which capture Roberta’s love for children and complete the signature whimsical spirit that has become synonymous to the brand.

Roberta Roller Rabbit VIP Party...

Photos by RobinLori.

Roberta Freymann

Journals with a block print pattern design.

I had a fun time with my friend Michelle Havich.

Roberta Roller Rabbit

At an exclusive VIP party last week at the penthouse at Cyan on Peachtree, guests got a first look of the amazing products that will be carried at Roberta Roller Rabbit. Roberta was there to chat and mingle. Grab a preview in the slideshow above.

Roberta Roller Rabbit’s Atlanta store will be located at 1198 Howell Mill Road, Building B, Suite 400 and will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on Roberta Roller Rabbit, please visit www.robertarollerrabbit.com.

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"Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion" - High Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art will be the first U.S. museum to present a major exhibition of work by visionary Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, a cutting-edge artist inspired by diverse influences in the arts, sciences, music and philosophy. 

Marking the High’s first presentation of fashion design, “Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion” features one-of-a-kind haute couture—acclaimed for its combination of traditional craftsmanship and futuristic, innovative techniques—and includes some of the world’s first examples of 3D-printed fashion. The exhibition is co-organized with the Groninger Museum (the Netherlands) and will debut at the High, where it will be on view from Nov. 7, 2015, through May 15, 2016, before continuing on a North American tour. “Iris van Herpen’s work is an incredible fusion of artistic expression, craftsmanship and creativity,” said Sarah Schleuning, curator of decorative arts and design at the High. “The marriage of traditional, handcrafted designs and 21st-century technology makes her work innovative, dynamic and a signifier of a bold, new future for fashion design. With this presentation, the High continues to champion the outstanding visionaries who design the world around us.” 

Iris van Herpen has garnered international acclaim for her couture designs, which interweave traditional handwork with groundbreaking 3D-printing technology, computer modeling and engraving constructed in collaboration with architects, engineers and digital design specialists. Her visually impressive, sculptural designs—often featuring unusual materials such as magnets, umbrella ribs and synthetic boat rigging—create silhouettes that appear both organic and futuristic. Her work has been worn by style icons such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Bjork and has graced the runways of Amsterdam, London and Paris. 

“Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion” features 45 outfits carefully selected from 15 of van Herpen’s collections designed from 2008 through 2015, offering a comprehensive visual survey of her design career to date. Included are 18 pieces from the designer’s six most recent lines and a selection of her shoe designs, as well as 27 pieces from the Groninger Museum’s 2012 solo exhibition of van Herpen’s work—all displayed on custom mannequins and presented with videos from her multimedia runway shows. The accompanying wall texts explore the underlying concepts for each piece and examine how intuition and imagination are central to the designer’s process. 2 

To provide a more in-depth look at van Herpen’s creations, a gallery in the exhibition is devoted to showcasing the designer’s innovative materials, with examples available for visitors to touch. These samples are accompanied by detailed descriptions that explain how van Herpen’s partnerships with architects, designers, scientists and 3-D printing companies inform, inspire and shape her work. Also on view is a 10-minute video featuring an interview with van Herpen and footage from her six most recent runway shows. 

The exhibition is co-curated by Schleuning, Mark Wilson, chief curator for the Groninger Museum, and Sue-an van der Zijpp, curator of contemporary art for the Groninger. Following its presentation at the High, the exhibition will travel to multiple venues throughout North America, including the Grand Rapids Art Museum (Fall 2016) and the Dallas Museum of Art (Spring 2017).

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Classic Cocktails with a Twist from Herradura Silver

Herradura Sangre Maria

Ingredients

. 2 oz of Herradura Silver

. 1/2 oz pickle juice

. 2 oz tomato juice

. 1/2 oz orange juice

. 1/2 oz lime juice

. large bar spoon of Horseradish

. 1/4 oz of Cholula sauce

. 4 large dashes of Tabasco

. 1/2 Worcestershire sauce

. 1/2 oz red wine

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large cocktail shaker, stir and strain into a large glass filled with cubed ice. Garnish with a cayenne salted pickle and a lemon wedge.

Corpse Survivor

Ingredients

·         ⅔ oz Herradura Silver

·         ⅔ oz Lemon Juice

·         ⅔ oz Lillet Blanc 

·         ⅔ oz Cointreau

·         Spray of absinthe

Directions: Spritz a little absinthe into a chilled coupe glass and set aside. Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice. Shake hard, strain into the chilled coupe glass, garnish with a twist of lemon zest.

Blood Orange

Ingredients

·         2oz el Jimador Silver

·         2oz Blood orange juice

·         ½ oz Lime Juice

·         ½ oz Agave Syrup

·         6-8 mint leaves

Directions: Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously. Strain into a high ball over cubed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime disc.

This November 2nd we celebrate Día de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated in many countries of Latin America and recently incorporated into the Halloween celebration in the U.S. as well. Graves and altars will be decorated with any possible things that were loved by those special ones: favorite food, favorite flowers and of course, their favorite tequila.

Hop on the spirit of celebration and, after painting your face as a calavera (skull) or dressing up with your last minute costume, cheer to the lives of your favorite family members or that unforgettable friend that’s no longer with us. 

Herradura Tequila got crafty and they are sharing full recipes specially designed for your Day of the Dead celebration. Cheers!

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NIXON Welcomes the ROCK LTD COLLECTION, an Exclusive Watch Collection Benefiting MUSICARES MAP FUND®

A limited collection of one-of-a-kind watches made with donated leathers from some of the world’s biggest rock stars.

Nixon is proud to announce the release of the Rock LTD Collection, a limited edition of custom one-of-a-kind timepieces featuring watch straps created with donated leather jackets, pants and guitar straps from some of music’s best and brightest. Available for Holiday 2015, the Rock LTD collection will take advantage of leathers worn by the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Tom Waits, Eddie Van Halen, Steven Tyler, and Ringo Starr and transform them into extremely rare, highly collectible, one-of-a-kind timepieces:

Ozzy Osbourne – 51-30 Chrono (leather jacket)

Keith Richards – Sentry Chrono (leather jacket)

Pete Townshend – Sentry Chrono (guitar strap)

Tom Waits – Sentry Chrono (one leather boot)

Eddie Van Halen - Sentry Chrono Leather (guitar strap)

Steven Tyler - Sentry Chrono Leather (leather jacket)

Ringo Starr – Time Teller (leather swatches from personal collection)

The donated leather goods come straight from the artist's closet, giving the watchbands a worn, lived-in feel. Each watch will be individually, hand-numbered to denote the highly limited nature and will feature etched custom caseback with the name of the artist and a certificate of authenticity from Nixon and MusiCares®. Quantities are extremely limited and only available until they are gone. Previous Rock Ltd Collections have included donated leather from the likes of Anthony Kiedis and Flea, Dave Navarro, Chris Cornell, Scott Weiland, Stephen Perkins, and Jeff Buckley, to name a few.

“I believe so strongly in the assistance MusiCares MAP Fund provides to folks who are struggling with addiction recovery that I now walk around with one boot on, having donated my other boot to this Rock LTD Collection. I will continue to wear just one boot until everyone is clean and sober just like Me.” – Tom Waits

The first delivery of this exclusive Rock LTD watch collection will be available in stores globally mid-November including, Rob Robinson, Fred Segal, Barneys (NYC, LA CHI, SF), colette (Paris, France), Selfridges (London, UK), Ron Herman (Japan), and Nixon’s first New York City retail location (opening end November, 2015). Proceeds from the sale of these unique timepieces will benefit the MusiCares MAP Fund®, a charity that provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment.

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Socks or Not?

by Brian Hampton / DressLikeAGent.co

More commonly in today's menswear, you will notice a growing number of well-dressed men going sockless. At one point, it was considered taboo for men to go without socks unless they had on the perfect casual ensemble paired with a nice-looking driving loafer or a crisp pair of shorts, etc. Generally, it is during the more warmer seasons of the year that this leap of fashion faith is most logical. But before you take the leap, here are a few simple pointers to pay attention to: 

1 - The question of whether or not you can go sockless in the winter to most would seem like a dumb question. On the contrary, some designers showcase the sockless look on the runway for the colder seasons just as well. Reason being, a lot of dapper men prefer non-sweaty feet and would argue that shoes minus socks have a way of keeping your feet just as warm as a glove does to the hands. But generally speaking, most Americans go for socklessness only in the spring/summertime.

2 – Since not wearing socks will draw a lot of attention, you've got to be sure that your suit and/or ensemble is tailored-fitting; particularly the pants. They will need to be hemmed, slim-fitting and/or cropped to pull of this look right! 

3 - Make sure your shoes are worthy enough of the sockless style you're aiming for. The most celebrated shoe to wear when going sockless is a nice loafer such as the penny or the Gucci horsebit loafer. A classic Oxford shoe is also an acceptable one to wear and gives you more of a variety

4 - To avoid the stench of sweaty insoles, be sure to get you a pair of invisible socks to wear with your shoes. You may want to do a little research beforehand for a good pair of invisible socks as they should grip your feet comfortably and not slide around when you walk.

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Karl Lagerfeld takes Chanel to Cuba

Street view from El Paseo del Prado in Old Havana. I took this photo during my July 2015 visit.

Last year he took us to Seoul and yesterday, Karl Lagerfeld announced that he will be presenting the Chanel Cruise 2017 collection in Havana, Cuba. [You know I am dying over this!]

Cuba has served as the inspiration to recent fashion shoots and designer collections but leave it to Uncle Karl to be still, my beating heart by featuring a runway collection in the Cuba that I love so much. After returning to Cuba after more than four decades and meeting my father and traveling through different parts of Havana I am pro-everything that can move this island forward. 

I wonder where the show will occur? There are so many fabulous options. I can see it happening around el Malecon with the waves crashing on one side, historic buildings on the other and the street serving as the runway. But, I can also visualize a show down the grand terrazzo pathway of el Paseo del Prado. No matter where the venue ends up being, Chanel always brings drama and grandeur to everything it touches and this event will no doubt be epic.

So I have my work cut out: 1. get an invitation to the show AND 2.) secure my Cuban visa to travel legally back to Cuba (takes 4-6 weeks to get a visa.)

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Ghouls, Goblins & Gays: Hocus Pocus Halloween RECAP

Photos courtesy Dan Lax / Jerusalem House

TheJudges

(l-r) Rich Eldredge, Kaedy Kiely, John Gidding, Jovita Moore, Jason Moattar and yours truly, E. Vincent Martinez.

For the second year in a row I've had the privilege of supporting the Jerusalem House by serving as a judge at their long-standing Halloween party, a staple in Atlanta. The judges' panel [look for our pic in the slideshow] had a blast, but that's not to say choosing a winner was easy! So much time, effort and passion goes into the making of the costumes that it becomes very difficult to narrow our choices.

The energy of the party guests combined with multiple open bars and a good DJ spinning great beats makes this the Halloween bash of the year - every year! Now in its 16th year, you know they're doing something right! But of course, it's the cause that truly matters here. Jerusalem House provides housing and services to families, children and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. 

The theme this year was Hocus Pocus. Browse through the slideshow and you'll find everything from a terrifying American Horror Story's Twisty the Clown who gave me nightmares, to superheroes and villains. From tragic to magic, it's all there!

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