Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, May 3, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Above, the Stamford Museum and Nature Center’s Model Ts to Mustangs outdoor antique and classic car display will take place Saturday, May 4, 2013, and feature many makes and models. However, special attention will be given to Fords this year. For more information, call 203-322-1646 or visit http://www.stamfordmuseum.org. Contributed photo

With the spring blooms having sprung and nice weather on tap for the weekend, it appears to be the time to check out a number of outdoor events planned over the next few days.

Car fans can see how the Model T eventually gave rise to the Mustang, and later Ford models, during the 10th annual classic and antique car show at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. About 70 cars are expected to roll their way onto the meadow on Saturday, and perhaps pick up a few honors in the process. Flora will be the focus in Fairfield when the 78th annual Dogwood Festival gets under way. There will be music, blossoms, outdoor items to purchase and food to enjoy. KidsFest will bring vendors, activities and inflatables to Ridgefield’ Ballard Park. And Wilton will enjoy a Go Green festival in this season of green.

Of course, there will be music, too, including a special concert at Sacred Heart University in honor of the late actress and singer Patricia Hemenway-Cook. The Greenwich Choral Society will be spreading a bit of “Eternal Joy,” and welcoming back Greenwich native Holly Sorensen. Pacifica Quartet will be in Westport and Rodgers and Hammerstein will be honored with a show in Bridgeport. The Connecticut Master Chorale will put on “A Hungarian Rhapsody” in Newtown. Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” tribute will be staged in Hamden. And, Yale’s Redhot and Blue will perform at the Coastal Chordsmen Barbershop Chorus’ annual show in Stratford.

The weekend continues into next week, with a melding of film and music when the Fairfield Theatre Company hosts a screening of “Stop Making Sense,” the 1984 Talking Heads concert movie. It will help to raise funds for the theater company and WPKn 89.5.

Live productions aimed at a younger audience include “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” and “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” in Fairfield, “Little Mermaid Jr.” in Ridgefield and the “Wizard of Odds” in Bridgeport. Children and families may also want to check out the Victorian tea party that is taking place in Norwalk.

The stage is not just for children’s fare. “American Idiot” comes to the Shubert, while Albee’s “Seascape” comes to New Milford. “Looped” arrives in Hartford; “Clybourne Park” settles in to New Haven run; “The Dixie Swim Club” will be presented in Stamford and “The Dining Room” continues in Westport. “Of Mice and Men” will open in New Canaan and “The Little Dog Laughed” will play in Newtown.

There are several art events, as well, including an opening reception for Steven Miller’s work in Greenwich, an ongoing show of Philip Trager’s work, a First Fridays event at the Aldrich, the 14th annual Vivian and Stanley Marine Show opens at the Stamford Art Association galleries.

Tomorrow also marks Free Comic Book Day. Several shops around the area will be hosting the day with special events, including Stamford’s A Timeless Journey. At Heroes Comics & Cards in Norwalk, Jeff Marsick and Kirk Manley will be there signing their books (“Dead Man’s Party” and “Z-Girl and the 4 Tigers”), making art and giving away items. Rogue Comics of Bridgeport will be involved, as will Alternate Universe of Milford and New Haven.

Rounding out the weekend (and into next week), Florence Henderson, a star of theater and television, will be at the Sacred Heart University’s Edgerton Center this weekend to talk about her career. You can see her before she attained her “Brady Bunch” fame in performance below. Dennis Elsas of WFUV will present “Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets” at the Avon Theatre in Stamford and comedian Elaine Williams comes to Ridgefield.

Get on out there. Until next time …

 

Diana Ross to make a summer stop in Stamford

Friday, May 3, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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If you missed Diana Ross’ 2011 sold-out performance at the Stamford Center for the Arts, you will get another chance to hear this Grammy Award winner when she returns this summer to take the Palace Theatre stage.

She is set to perform on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Tickets go on sale to the public today, either through the center’s website, phone at 203-325-4466 or at the center’s box office in downtown Stamford.

The evening will likely include some of her greatest hits from a career that has stretched from the early 1960s, when she was in her teens, to the present day. Starting out as a member of The Supremes, she went on to a successful solo career by the late 1960s. An Academy Award-nominated actress, some of her notable roles include Billie Holiday in the film “Lady Sings the Blues,” the lead in the 1975 film “Mahogany” and Dorothy in the 1978′s “The Wiz.” The Stamford concert also will likely put a spotlight on her glamorous style and fashion sense.

Ross, a longtime Greenwich resident, has performed in the area in the past. In 2004, she took to the stage at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich for a benefit concert for the Arch Street Teen Center.

Beyoncé keeps the beat with Weitzman-adorned feet

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Don’t go looking for any glass slippers on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. But one is likely to find plenty of bejeweled pumps and military-inspired boots on the feet of pop’s reigning queen.

Beyoncé, who launched The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour Monday in Belgrade, Serbia, revealed a steady stream of Stuart Weitzman-designed creations, including black combat ankle boots, brass satin pumps (see photo above) and blue Swarovski crystal embedded pumps. Her backup dancers and band members also donned styles created by this famed craftsman and Greenwich resident.

Check out some of the sketches of the lace-up, military inspired boots and the blue pumps.

Weitzman has designed the shoes for Beyoncé’s last two tours, as well as special performances.

The shoes for this tour had to complement multiple costume changes, which have already attracted fans and some critics.

In a released statement, Weitzman commented on his more than six-year collaboration with the singer:

“Creating footwear for Beyoncé’s shows has been one of my most inspiring projects.  She and her entire team know exactly what they need, always focusing on the fashion and the function of the styles that will be worn.”

This has already been a high-profile year for Weitzman, who also put his stamp on Cinderella’s glass slipper for the new Broadway musical that opened earlier this year

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, April 5, 2013 by:Christina Hennessy
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Film fans will be treated to two festivals in Connecticut this weekend, with one focused on shorts and the other on the Jewish experience. The Brookfield Film Festival will bring a program of international shorts to the Edmond Town Hall in Newtown from Friday to Sunday, while the Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Fest delivers an international slate of movies to five different venues throughout 10 days (Above, check out the trailer to the documentary “Welcome to Kutshers – The Last Catskills Resort,” which is making its Hartford premiere.) Other film events include a Holocaust Remembrance event in New Haven and a special screening of art shorts in Stamford.

However, film is not the weekend’s only diversion.

The music landscape will be populated with Boz Scaggs in Bridgeport, Audra McDonald in Stamford, The Wallfowers in Uncasville, Elton John and Billy Joel tribute artists at the Downtown Cabaret, Three Phantoms in Fairfield, and Englebert Humperdinck in Ridgefield.

But, as they say, that’s not all. Mike DelGuidice and Big Shot (which features members of Billy Joel’s band) will perform at an autism benefit on Saturday at the Quick Center. Kung Fu will be at the Fairfield Theatre Co. The Nutopians will be in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Vance Gilbert will be in Old Saybrook. Enjoy a “Piano Bar…n!” in Ridgefield. Michael Jovovich and Friends make it to the Dressing Room Theatre. The Angel Choir performs in Greenwich. For the Heart covers Broadway in Westport. The award-winning composition team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul bring songs and tales to Wilton. Joe Crookston will perform in Ridgefield. And the Greenwich Chamber Players will bring “Winds of Change – from Beethoven to Gilbert,” to two venues this weekend.

For the younger set, there is music, too, with the performance of Dog on Fleas set for Sunday in Norwalk. Up in Hartford, the Bushnell Center will be the scene for ERTH’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo. The “Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle” chugs into Westport. “Click, Clack Moo” plays at the Emelin. The New Milford Historical Society and Museum will host a children’s tea party. Enjoy a Kaleidoscope Ball in Norwalk. And the Loft Artists Association will be putting on a “Draw On” workshop on Saturday, and next.

On stage, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” belt it out in Shelton, while area performers take a trip to “Oklahoma.” “Guys and Dolls” are on stage in Elmsford, N.Y. “Ride the Tiger” continues at Long Wharf Theatre. Play with Your Food returns on Tuesday. “The Red Mill” opens in Norwalk. And, Shakespeare on the Sound hosts a gala on Saturday. “The Importance of Being Earnest” comes to White Plains, N.Y. “Run For Your Wife” opens in Sherman. And the Carriage House Arts Center in Norwalk begins its eighth season with  V-Day Norwalk 2013’s benefit production of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Art is around, too, with the opening of “Strange Invitation” at the Franklin Street Works art space in Stamford. Later in the week, the Westport Library will host a program on the Federal Art Project. Heather Sandifer’s “Spring Notebook,” is at Les Beaux Arts Gallery in Greenwich. An opening reception is planned for Friday for the “Eric von Schmidt—A Life in Art,” exhibition at the Westport Library. Across the Saugatuck, Westport Arts Center opens its SOLOS 2013 members show, also on Friday evening.

Those looking to learn the value of their antiques can head over to Newtown. Finds also may be found at Adopt-A-Dog’s first Rummage for Rescue Tag Sale in Greenwich. The Vintage Clothing, Accessories, Textiles & Jewelry Show returns to Danbury this weekend for its eighth year. Print fans should make a stop at Norwalk’s Center for Contemporary Printmaking where the second annual Connecticut Printmakers Invitational kicks off. Chef Claire comes to Stratford. And Greg Mort, whose art is currently on display at Stamford Museum and Nature Center is expected to visit an Astronomy Night event on Friday at the site’s observatory. And Dan Aykroyd will be at Total Wine & More in Norwalk on Saturday.

Until next time …

Stamford show features intersection between art and design

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 by:Christina Hennessy
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You have another day to make an appointment to see the work of Stamford artist Benice Horowitz and designer Roderick Shade, who have collaborated on a new exhibition, “Art + Design = Magic.”

On display are upholstered chairs (featuring Horowitz’ painted fabric), stenciled wall painting and other acrylic paintings. The show opened this past weekend and continues by appointment until Thursday, Dec. 6. Horowitz has been in numerous shows and has served as a member in the New York Society of Women Artists, Stamford Art Association and Silvermine Arts Guild. Shade, who is based in the New York area, has had his work featured in many different publications and on air.

The exhibition takes place at 202 Lynam Road, Stamford. For information, or to set up an appointment call 203-329-9179 or 917-696-9107.

New Haven designer makes “Project Runway” encore

Monday, October 22, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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Pictured: New Haven designer Althea Harper (standing, fourth from left) is a contestant on season two of Lifetime’s “Project Runway Allstars.”

A New Haven designer is coming back to “Project Runway” — and this time, the competition will be even fiercer.

Althea Harper, the runner-up on season six of Lifetime’s reality TV competition about fashion design, is a cast member on season two of “Project Runway Allstars.” The show, which premiers on Lifetime on Thursday, Oct. 25, brings together the best of the best contestants from previous “Project Runway” seasons.

This season, the show features model Carolyn Murphy as host, along with judges Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman and guest judges Katie Holmes, Kylie Minogue and Stacy Keibler, among others.

For the full story on Harper, click here.

Fairfield stylist proves a cut above in national hair contest

Thursday, April 26, 2012 by:Pat Quinn
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Camille Plourde, a stylist at Hair salon in Fairfield, won second place in Masters of Beauty, a national hair contest.

Plourde, of Milford, spent last weekend on an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City for the competition. She was presented with her award by celebrity hair stylist and former “What Not To Wear” star Nick Arrojo at the International Beauty Show (see the video below).

The prize includes $2,500, three Masters of Beauty skill classes and a beauty system group event, Lisa Tuozzoli, of Hair, said

Sponsored by Masters of Beauty, Empire Education and Arrojo, the year-long competition drew more than 300 entries, Tuozzoli said.

For more information on Hair, located at 39 South Pine Creek Road, and Plourde, visit the salon online.

For more information on Masters of Beauty, visit the contest online.

Video: Stamford gallery owner in benefit art performance

Monday, April 9, 2012 by:Scott Gargan
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Fernando Luis Alvarez, the owner of the downtown Stamford gallery that bears his name, dazzled supporters of the Yerwood Center with an art performance at the nonprofit organization’s annual fundraiser in March.

Held at Saks Fifth Avenue in Stamford, the performance saw Alvarez interact with dancers from Connecticut Ballet and actress Kelly LeBrock as he created the latest in his series of trademark “Lips” pieces.

The performance, Alvarez said, “Depicts the transition I went through a few years back, when I decided to leave my life as an executive and business analyst and fully committed myself to art.”

“In that transition, I had to navigate through the many supporters and distractors; those that inspired me to move forward with my dream, and those that tried to convince me I was insane for leaving the stability of corporate America, and turning to the passion-fueled world of art,” the Greenwich resident added.

The piece, along with other work from the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, will be on view at Saks Fifth Avenue in Stamford.

The private benefit also featured a tribute to legendary actor and Stamford resident Gene Wilder; a performance by Broadway star and acclaimed stage actress Jodi Stevens; and an appearance from “The Woman in Red” star LaBrock, who shared memories about Wilder, her friend and former co-star. Radio and TV personality Joe Franklin hosted the event.

Check out the video of Alvarez’s performance, below:

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