Newest cast members show out at Steeplechase event By A. Scott Walton If pictures truly paint a thousand words, say what you will (in the COMMENT box below, preferably) about these get-ups worn Sunday by new members of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast at the 45th Annual Atlanta Steeplechase event staged so far north of the city it might as well have been in Tennessee. Like the outfits worn by the Bravo! channel reality series latest additions, Cynthia Bailey (above left) and Phaedra Parks? Doesn't that gray-bearded gent escorting them onto the grassy knoll look suave? And how about that that natty ensemble that the Atlanta-based Uber-stylist/master interloper Dwight Eubanks (center) slapped together for the occasion. Is he making his play to upstage all the other "ladies" in the cast all-too-obvious? Judging from the cadre of camera people following the show members' every step through the soggy sod, you just know the footage will show up on Season 3 of the televised train wreck.
Art, Design and Business Success Stressed In 9-Day Series By A. Scott Walton Don't be surprised if a strange, "sinking" feeling overwhelms Atlanta April 26 through May 6. That's the period when heavyweights in the realms of fashion design, home decor, fine art and prestige marketing converge on the city for the Savannah College of Art and Design's "SCAD Style 2010" event series. One of the series' many opportunities to rub elbows with industry all-stars occurs (Wednesday) April 28 at the Atlanta campus's Welcome Center (5:30-7 p.m.) when PR priestess Kelly Cutrone (above) appears. Cutrone, star of the Bravo! network's hit reality series "Kell on Earth" and author of the best-selling book "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside" will lecture on the "Real Deal" about fashion brand marketing and sign copies of her book. The All-Star roster of "SCAD Style" guest lecturers is too lengthy to list here; and there is an equally impressive lineup scheduled to appear on the flagship Savannah campus during the same stretch of days. Other headliners during the Atlanta stint include: modeling icon Simone "Bettina" Bodin; photojournalist Jeanette Montgomery Barron; 7th Avenue marketing maven Jaqui Lividini; former Vogue editor Julia Reed; and the world's foremost authority on vintage fashion, Cameron Silver. Residents of Atlanta's older "intown" enclaves should note that SCAD's President, Dr. Paula Wallace, will appear May 4 (8 p.m.) in the Gallery to sign copies of her latest book, "Perfect Porches: Designing Welcoming Spaces for Outdoor Living". After a whirlwind stretch of events like this, people will need novel ideas on how to kick back and rest comfortably. For a complete schedule of events, visit "SCAD Style 2010".
Sports Illustrated swimsuit star puts college on hold By A. Scott Walton Anyone who thinks beauty and brains don't mix hasn't met Atlanta native Sonia Dara yet. The six-foot-tall stunner who's pursuing an Economics degree at Harvard, specializes in setting precedents. Dara is the first woman of South Asian descent ever to be featured in Sports Illustrated's best-selling Swimsuit Issue, and her captivating looks inspired SI to take the photographs in her exotic familial homeland: Rajasthan, India. The Wall Street Journal recently described Dara, 20, as someone with a 'take charge' presence and 'global' appeal. Back home for a brief visit with Atlanta loved ones, however, the Fashion Week runway sensation couldn't be more demure or accommodating. Wise up, and watch EyeSeeStyle's exclusive Webcast with the "glamazon" who truly makes the grade! POST COMMENTS BELOW...
By A. Scott Walton Atlanta’s National Black Arts Festival is going back to the future. The annual culture/concert series (July 14-18) is “compacting” in duration, according to the city’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director, Camille Russell Love, but “expanding in scope” to embrace groundbreaking achievements of the past. To cap the festival off with a fashionable flourish, the NBAF will stage a Summer Festival Gala on July 17, when the grand atrium of the recently restored 200 Peachtree building will be transformed for a night into “Stormy’s Suppper Club”. Guests at the black tie ($300 per person) affair will be treated to jazz performed by a 16-piece band and lively dance performances. To preview that event, a cadre of Atlanta’s best-dressed ladies and gents convened at the posh Jeffrey boutique at Phipps Plaza Tuesday night; sipping champagne and chardonnay and discussing their summer plans. Brooke Edmond, daughter of Atlanta’s first African-American Mayor Maynard Jackson, and socialite Sonya Halpern hosted the party wearing outfits (Dries Van Noten and Barami, respectively) that evoked the Art Deco era. Embracing the “throwback” theme to the fullest, Edmond (above, left) accessorized her outfit with one of the acclaimed, eco-friendly designer Monique Pean’s necklaces made of wooly mammoth bones unearthed in Alaska. “She’s the best new jeweler on the international scene,” Edmond said, “and yet she works with the most exquisite, ancient materials.” Festival highlights in a historical vein will include: a screening of Oscar Micheaux’s 1925 silent film “Body and Soul” (starring Paul Robeson), with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon leading a live jazz band in accompaniment (July 14); a tenth-year commemoration of singer-songwriter Curtis Mayfield’s death called “To Curtis with Love”, where featured performers will recall his greatest hits (July 16); and a 40th Anniversary performance by the Philadanco dance company, set to the funkadelic music of George Clinton (July 15 & 17). For National Black Arts Festival schedule updates, visit nbaf.org. Photo: G. Paras Photography RECYCLING DIN: All the noise about “sustainable” products and services won’t fade away any time soon.The latest issue of Fortune Magazine hails local marketing pioneer Joel Babbit for his courage to try and capitalize on the “$5 billion” that corporations spend annually to promote their earth-friendly practices. With Chuck Leavell, the Rolling Stones’ keyboardist, and Ted Turner’s daughter (Laura Turner Seydel) backing him, Babbit’s year-old Mother Nature Network online is already turning a tidy profit...speaking of Seydel: her commitment to the environmental movement shows no signs of fading. She’s the driving force behind the Earth Month collections of fashion accessories available now at “environment Furniture” in the thriving West Midtown district. Go to www.environmentfurniture.com for details…,Anyone still stumped for ideas on how to celebrate Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary (April 23) can at least pencil in the cocktail party going on that night (6-9 p.m.) at the Aviary Organic Beauty Collective downtown on Auburn Avenue. Check the Facebook event page for details. Kudos to local jewelry designer Mark Edge, whose "Eco Vintage" collection just earned him top honors in Jezebel Magazine's annual "Best of Atlanta" issue...And Carol Causieestko-McCollum's "Return of the Lady" campaign to encourage more decorum in modern society continues Thursday (April 15, 7-9:30 p.m.) in the Historic Castleberry Hill Art District with a wine education seminar ($20) and a trunk show featuring by Georgia Tech-schooled shoe designer Ron Donovan at the Wine Shoe (339 Nelson Street, SW). Ladies are encouraged to wear hats and gloves. Visit The Return of the Lady for details. For dredging up the past's sake, we share the genius of Curtis Mayfield...
PHOTO: Courtesy of James Sanders Photography By A. Scott Walton Fulton County’s Board of Commissioners Chairman, John Henry Eaves, got married to the former Ms. Cheryl Regina Upshaw Sunday afternoon in a tastefully understated ceremony in the ballroom of Midtown Atlanta’s Four Seasons Hotel. The bride wore a stunning buttermilk gown with crystals edging the sweetheart bodice and bold ribbons lacing up the back. Finger-length diamond strands dangled from her ears and her look was topped off with a tiny tiara holding back her short, onyx ringlets of hair. The couple stood alone at the altar, with the Reverend Gerald Durley officiating. A well-dressed 200 guests attended the nuptials, including a host of local power brokers, such as: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (above, with the bride and groom); Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts; DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis; and Atlanta Daily World Publisher Alexis Scott.
City's fashion landscape blossoms with prestige brand events! By A. Scott Walton **DON'T BLINK AN EYE UPDATE!**Fashion Cares-Atlanta names new co-chairs: As of today, Atlanta's most anticipated runway event has two new pairs of hands on the reins. The lithe and lovely long time co-chair Lila Hertz will be joined in the role by TBS International VP Louise Sams and the Vis-a-vis and Derma-Luxe salons owner, Jeffrey McQuithy. Those aren't the other alterations slated for the 18th annual soiree. We'll keep an Eye for developments... GUEST OF HONOR: The Savannah College of Art and Design celebrates another coup Thursday (April 8, 6:30-9:30 p.m.) with a Scholarship Gala welcoming the arrival of one of the world's most worshipped wardrobes. The globe-trotting philanthropist Cornelia Guest, daughter of the legendary fashion maven C.Z. Guest, will headline the gala highlighting the 400 pieces donated to SCAD Museum of Art. Among them: a pair of priceless "Delphos" period gowns designed by Mariano Fortuny and other outfits worn by the woman Truman Capote adored and Time magazine held in such esteem that she was featured on the cover of Time magazine as her day's premiere socialite. This is no "low-brow" event: Tickets to the cocktail segment are $150 and VIP entree costs $275. Guests will be treated to a "buy it now" auction of works by artists in attendance and live fashion modeling. Call 404-253-2728 for details.
PATENT PENDING: If the exotic shoe fits, chances are a former Georgia Tech engineering student had a hand in designing. Specialty shoe designer, Ron Donovan, makes a triumphant return to Atlanta this weekend to showcase the cobbler's craftsmanship he's spend a decade honing after abandoning the corporate climb and pursuing his true passion for fashion. Donovan, who had a successful modeling stint here before going to Europe to learn shoe making at the literal heels of various masters, hosts a private Midtown launch party to benefit the Frank Ski Kids Foundation on Friday night for select guests grounded in the pursuit of custom stilettos. Then he'll stage a series of trunk shows by appointment at the posh Palomar hotel that runs through April 18. (To schedule an appointment, call 212-465-7402.) After several years spent nurturing a private clientele that favors his "classic, but modernistic" approach to shoe designs in the $400-$2,750 price range, Donovan's looking to expand. His first major account is a good one: the luxe Church boutique in Los Angeles. "Ultimately, I want to rank up their with the Guccis and Pradas and Louis Vuittons," he said by phone from his New York studio; in a rare moment of bravado. And he expounded on how a woman's feet would thank her for choosing him to accessorize her (if even her accountant might not) because his shoes are structurally engineered to wear comfortably for hours without sacrificing a shred of their sex appeal. as comfortably as they are sexy. "The vamp is cut in a manner that's deceptive," he said. "It's on a high heel and it's got the toe cleavage, but it's built to hold the foot in place so it's more supportive."
FENDI FOR YOURSELVES: There's a slim (Noon-7 p.m.) opportunity Thursday at Phipps Plaza's Saks Fifth Avenue to snag any of the few limited edition Fendi Spring/Summer 2010 handbags the store was able to acquire. A Style.com review of the Fendi collection this season as "incredibly luxurious", and hailed the bags as "the most eye-catching" in designer Karl Lagerfeld's show. Interested shoppers are urged to call ahead at: 404-261-7234.
LAGERFELD'S COKE BINGE: The Kaiser never ceases to work, if not amaze. Word's trickling out now about Karl Lagerfeld's new deal with the Coca-Cola Light division in Europe to produce a limited edition boxed set of aluminum bottles bearing his silhouette and pink caps. (Kudos to wwd.com for the scoop.) Fans of the Fendi and Chanel design chief should fizzle down though: the $64 set (with matching bottle opener) is only slated for sale in Paris.
By A. Scott Walton
And how about that that natty ensemble that the Atlanta-based Uber-stylist/master interloper Dwight Eubanks (center) slapped together for the occasion. Is he making his play to upstage all the other "ladies" in the cast all-too-obvious?
