Welcome To The Luxe Life

Blake Lively Wows On Savages Red Carpet

Blake Lively recently made another flawless red carpet appearance at the Savages premiere at Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

The starlet, who doesn't have a stylist, wore a Zuhair Murad couture gown.  

Kanye West Debuts "Cruel Summer" May 23 in Cannes

On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, Kanye West and his creative firm DONDA will bring his new cinematic experience Cruel Summer to the world-famous Palm Beach in Cannes.
 
Inspired by a new G.O.O.D. Music album by the same name, Cruel Summer is a fusion of short film and art installation, which promises to be an immersive, "7-screen experience" for the eyes and ears unlike anything West has attempted before.
 
After its world premiere on May 23, the installation will remain open to the public for two days.
 
Tickets are available for free via www.cruelsummerfilm.com

Dakota Fanning Covers May Issue of C Magazine

Photo Credit: C Magazine

Hollywood darling Dakota Fanning covers the May 2012 issue of C magazine wearing Chanel Haute Couture. The cover was shot by Randall Slavin and inside the mag, the 18-year-old opens up about her career, love and being a college student.  

KONY 2012

Source: KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Doing your part to help others is definitely part of living the luxe life. If you're not familiar with the Kony 2012 campaign, please take a moment to watch this incredible short film. It sheds light on one of the world's most notorious war criminals, Joseph Kony, and shows what you can do to help the Invisible Children he's harming.

Visit www.kony2012.com to get more information and sign a pledge showing your support. 

Vanity Fair Features Napster Co-creator Sean Parker

 
Photo Credit: vanityfair.com

There’s a great feature in the Oct. issue of Vanity Fair on Napster co-creator and Facebook Founding President Sean Parker.

The box office success of The Social Network has definitely raised the profile of this unconventional entrepreneur. I have to say that seeing the movie then reading the feature has me even more confused about who Sean Parker really is but I guess that’s part of his appeal. Read on for my favorite excerpt from the feature and click through to read the full story.      

“A lover of the good life, Parker maintains a collection of elegant white shoes, a closetful of Tom Ford suits, and a $100,000 Tesla electric sports car he never quite seems to have time to drive. He divides his nights between a San Francisco apartment and a palatial (rented) New York town house. Among its many amenities: a full, mowed lawn on a patio on the third of its five floors.

And although he thinks little of hiring a private jet for a late-night trip from New York to Washington, he is also almost compulsively benevolent. When his friends fund-raise for charity, several told me, Parker is often the one who contributes the most. A connoisseur of tea (he has a collection of about 100 varieties), he makes gifts of his favorite blends, which he personally labels and presents in special mulberry-bark canisters ordered from Japan. He has financed the businesses of numerous cohorts, merely out of affection. ‘He’s one of the most generous people I know,’ says another associate. ‘Also one of the flakiest.’”   

Luxuriate At Gold Class Cinemas

 
Photo Credit: goldclasscinemas.com

My wonderful employer GolinHarris (dubbed “Large PR Agency of the Year” by PR Week) recently treated L.A. staff to a movie night event at Gold Class Cinemas (one of our clients). I was already looking forward to seeing The Social Network but getting to see it while sipping cocktails with my colleagues made it that much more enjoyable.

Gold Class Cinemas is a luxury theater where moviegoers can relax in a swanky lounge, order from a regional menu prepared fresh by an in-house chef and enjoy drinks from a fully-stocked bar. The screening rooms are equipped with fully-reclining chairs and convenient chair-side tables with call buttons for ordering dinner, drinks, blankets or pillows throughout the movie.

I don’t work on this account, so this was my first time visiting Gold Class Cinemas and I have to say, it was AMAZING. The chairs were sooo comfortable and had a convenient hidden compartment beneath the armrest for handbags, keys etc. I loved the fact that all I had to do was push a button and a waiter would come running whenever I wanted to order food or drinks. I never had to leave my seat!

Ticket prices range from $22-$29 and after my experience, I think it’s totally worth it. You can sign up online for a free membership, which offers additional discounts and incentives, including a free movie ticket on your birthday! 

Richard Serra at LACMA

  
Photo Credit: broadartfoundation.org

I took a few days off last week and of course it happened to coincide with the record-setting heat wave that swept Los Angeles. So when a friend called to invite me on an air-conditioned museum-hopping adventure, I jumped at the chance.  

Our favorite sights of the day were definitely the two monumental Richard Serra sculptures, Band (pictured above) and Sequence, that we saw at LACMA's Broad Contemporary Art Museum. 

Unknown to me, the two pieces have been on display at LACMA since February 2008. It was a pleasant surprise for my friend and I to see them now because we recently saw the PBS documentary Art:21, featuring Richard Serra, so we immediately recognized the pieces when we walked through the door. I guess it was kismet.

The first sculpture we saw was Band and it certainly lives up to its name. Before seeing the name of the piece, we commented on how it looks like a flowing ribbon. Considered by many to be one of the most innovative works of Serra’s career, Band is 70 feet long, 12 feet tall and took over 2 years to complete. The monumental band of steel is held up only by its own weight and involves no welding, only balance and gravity. This is amazing to me but I'm glad that I didn't learn that fact until after I walked through it. Band was completed in 2006 and is now owned by LACMA.

The second sculpture we saw was Sequence, which is on loan to the museum from the artist. The incredible work of steel is 67 feet long, 42 feet wide and 12 feet, 9 inches tall. Composed of segments of contoured weathered steel, it weighs 213 metric tons. It was amazing to walk between the walls of the gigantic sculpture. It seemed to go on forever and you never quite knew where it would twist or turn next. 

The huge scale and sheer mass of Richard Serra’s sculptures make them not so much something to look at, as to experience. I highly recommend checking out Serra's work in person if you have the opportunity.

Sex And The City 2 - Mini Review & Release Party Recap

 
Photo Credit: look.co.uk

As someone who's been a Sex And The City fan since the series began, I realize that I can't be completely objective when it comes to these ladies (who can do no wrong in my eyes). But speaking as objectively as I can, I thought that Sex And The City 2 was a wonderful, feel-good film.

Everyone can use some extra laughter in their lives and in this sequel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis bring the comedy. Scene after scene literally had me laughing out loud.

I won't give too much away for those who haven't seen the movie yet (what are you waiting for?) but my favorite moments include flashbacks of how the ladies looked when they first met, their glamorous arrival in Abu Dhabi, Aidan, Carrie's fabulous home decor and the gayest wedding of all time.

 
Carrie's newly-decorated apartment from Sex And The City 2. Photo Credit: casasugar.com  

Sex And The City 2 did a great job of reinforcing the series' overall message of female empowerment and the importance of friendship. I enjoyed it very much and suggest seeing it with a group of your BFFs.

In celebration of the film's release, I had the chance to attend a "Pink Carpet Soiree" with my gal pals Julie, Rebecca and Melanie (who I won tickets from to attend) at The Bungalow Club in Hollywood. We had a lovely time chatting, checking out a few fashion vendors and sipping tasty, flavored martinis (the best I've had in town actually).

Rebecca, Me and Melanie  

The gift bag had a few cool goodies in it too!    

Party favors included The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell & SJP NYC perfume     
  

Sex And The City 2: The Pink Carpet Soiree

 

Photo Credit: wreckedstellar.com

One of my favorite twin fashion bloggers, Melanie of WreckedStellar.com, is giving away a pair of tickets to a fabulous "Pink Carpet Soiree" to celebrate the release of Sex And The City 2. The event will take place on May 20th at the Bungalow Club in L.A. and (as if you weren't already sold) the first 100 guests will get a copy of Candace Bushnell's latest novel, The Carrie Diaries. Click Here for details on how to enter the contest.   

If you want to snag a copy of The Carrie Diaries sooner, swing by Barnes & Noble at The Grove on May 9th, where the Sex And The City author will be signing copies. 

P.S. I know you're wondering who my other favorite twin fashion blogger is so click here to check out Rebecca's blog, Style With Benefits. 

Sex And The City 2 Trailer

Here it is ladies. The Sex And The City 2 trailer has arrived. Get ready for more fun, friendship, fashion and fabulousness the second time around. I can't wait!