This Second Time, It's NY Fashion Week in LA, alice + olivia x FriendsWithYou Launch Party

By Laura Medina

Stacey Bendet and FriendsWithYou’s Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III celebrated the debut of a limited-edition collaboration collection with an immersive event in LA, Paris Jackson and Caitlyn Jenner.

To mark the launch of the collection creatives from across the film, art, and fashion communities joined together in LA where guests danced to the tunes of DJ and sister duo SIMIHAZE, as well Ana Calderone while they enjoyed custom cloud cocktails by Beefeater Gin.

The immersive event featured a custom bounce house created by FriendsWithYou, the positivethinking art duo who has worked closely with Pharrell, exhibited at Art Basel, N.Y.C.’s High Line, Design Exchange, and Albright-Knox, and are even creating an animated children’s show for Netflix—all with the philosophy of spreading the message of “magic, love, and friendship.” 

Caroline D'Amore, founder of Pizza Girl, the daughter of legendary Pizza restaurateur Joe D'Amore, served up custom Heart shaped pizza to guests.

alice + olivia also launched its Kindness campaign with a black T-shirt with bold white messaging that says “Kindness Is For Everyone” in partnership with Ditch The Label. Ditch The Label is dedicated to promoting equality and provides support to young people who have been negatively affected by bullying and prejudice. Their award-winning work spans across the UK, USA and Mexico; empowering people aged 12–25 to overcome bullying. A portion of the proceeds will go to Ditch The Label. 

alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet announces a new collaboration with FriendsWithYou, an LA-based creative duo specializing in immersive installations. The collaboration launches as

part of alice + olivia’s Art Collective, a series of creative partnerships with renowned artists that began in 2013. The FriendsWithYou collaboration debuted in Los Angeles during an alice + olivia event that gathers the LA art scene in Hollywood, combining art, fashion, and fun. 

 alice + olivia’s Stacey Bendet was drawn to FriendsWithYou artists Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval’s joyous post-pop imagery and colorful style, and saw how their magical worlds would translate into whimsical, wearable art. The collection itself puts optimism at the forefront, with FriendsWithYou’s signature smiling cloud graphic drifting across knitwear, skirts, accessories and shoes. In the mix are alice + olivia’s saturated rainbows, with West Coast inspired silhouettes. 

During the Art Collective event, alice + olivia will also launch its Kindness campaign T-shirt in partnership with Ditch the Label, the anti-bullying charity dedicated to promoting equality and providing support to young people who have been negatively affected by bullying and prejudice. alice + olivia created a black t-shirt with bold, white messaging: Kindness Is For Everyone. The shirt will be available in alice + olivia stores and online; a portion of the proceeds will go to Ditch the Label.

Teen Vogue Summit Goes Behind the Scenes with Creative Artists Agency, HBO, Issa Rae, The Art of Brand Deal, Liza Koshy, Greta Gerwig, Demi Lovato, Camila Coelho, Sophia Bush Then Got Busy with Busy Philipps.

Teen Vogue has matured over the years, knowing today's teens are going to be tomorrow's "Sex and the City" and "Bold Type" career women.  They're getting them ready through...careers and all the possibilities it has to offer.

The three-days summit starts with "Career Day."  A field trip that takes you from CAA, Creative Artist Agency then to HBO.

When Team CAA & HBO arrived at CAA's headquarters, they serendipitously arrived in a middle of confidential yet typical long-distant conference call with a client.

A team of three agents hovering over a notebook, the main lead agent in the middle, directing the conference call.  The Product Placement/Branding/Endorsement agent to the left.  Then, a Movie Theatrical Agent flanking on the right.  They fall under the new Digital Media Department, where social media and YouTubers are discovered, represented, then guided in their careers.

This under-wraps is the heart of an A-List talent agency.  CAA is known for it's packaging, taking the talent, finding it's interests and likes and skills then aligning that talent with the right brands to advertise while, simultaneously breaking that talent beyond her or his comfort zone, by advising them to take acting classes to get acting roles in movies and films.  This is the heart of CAA. By inviting Teen Vogue in on a typical conference call, CAA invited them into what makes CAA a pioneer that broke the model in talent agency then lead the pack.

These hot, luminaries of CAA talent agents also what to prove that the abusive stereotype of an Hollywood shark agent, aka "Ari Gold of Entourage" has been fired and there's a new league of Millennial talent agents of great ethnic and gender diversity has taken over, to better represent today's society.

This is why Teen Vogue was invited to hover a top secret conference call with a trio of agents, representing various departments; and the lead agent is a proud Howard University graduate.

In fact, that Howard University/Broadcast Journalism grad was shocked when her professor advised her to be a talent agent.  Shocked, this CAA talent refused to have a stereotypical talent agent throw a chair at her.  Facing she's gonna graduate from college soon, she went ahead and followed her professor's advice then landed in CAA's training program where she succeed to be CAA's hottest luminaries.  She and her contemporary peers has kicked the abusive Ari Golds to the curb.

They want to prove that the real CAA is anti-Entourage, anti-Ari Gold.  Today's current CAA millennial agents do not tolerate physical, verbal, and sexual abuse at CAA.  Those will be thrown out like trash.

CAA's Movie Theatrical Agent is a military brat from a military family in a military town.  You can't get more real than the military.  You can't get more further from Hollywood than the military.  But yes, he hated his college degree so he took his cousin's advice and entered the trainee program.

With his no-nonsense military background, Movie Theatrical Agent always tell a client that he takes on, you better take acting classes and make the effort to show up for auditions and call times. If you're half-ass backwards and not going all the way through it, it's a waste of his precious time and energy best spent somewhere.  You need military tough love and discipline to be a movie and tv star at CAA.

There's a reason these hot CAA luminary agents are spending time and energy on this particular client.

This client, they were discussing with, have drive, ambition, out-goingness, funny, honesty, interests that she wants to pursue and had accomplished and achieved without failure.  These CAA agents mentioned, that as soon as this client finished acting on a movie set, she still continued to shoot then edit her Vine and YouTube videos after filming then before returning to the movie set to act even more.  Continuous acting, from movie set to her own social media videos.

Who is that CAA client?  Liza Koshy.  How did this started?  Easy. Being CAA and having their finger on the pulse.  The heads-up asked their emerging agents, look for then get ethnically ambiguous talent with a lot of drive and sparkle and they're unique.  They got Liza Koshy.

Before any of these CAA agents take on a client.  Yes, talent but that drive and ambition and interest(s) better come from the talent client with inside them.  Because, agents pressuring then squeezing their clients into something that they're not, will break and fail.  Ambition, drive, and interest must come from within the talent.  Plus, they treat each and every client as an individual, going on their own path, making them unique while guiding them.

Think of CAA agents as elevated guidance counselors. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liza_Koshy

We'll discuss that battery spark Liza Koshy later on...

Let's focused on established talent, Zendaya....

After being invited to eavesdrop on a Liza Koshy conference about guiding her next career goals and potential projects coming up the pipeline, Teen Vogue field trip moved onto CAA's very own fashion department where they represent their fashion designers, called Licensing where talent, from talent department, are matched up with brands that best represent each other.  This is also equity deals and joint ventures department where business development specialists consider a variety of opportunities for brands seeking to leverage celebrity and influencer partnerships that maximize acceleration with key target audiences.

During the fashion presentation, CAA revealed that they partnered Zendaya with Tommy Hilfilger for Hilfilger's Fall 2019 Tommy x Zendaya Collection, debut at Apollo Theater during NY Fashion Week.  This is where they showcased top secret technical sketches and fabric swatches then talked about the embellishment differences between runway and commercial.  Yes, those Licensing agents are lucky enough to get the actual runway clothes but they need to shortened because agents aren't six-foot tall models.

Zendaya's story continued, of course, to HBO, where she's one of the stars of it's hit, "Euphoria."

The Director of Programming, took time out of her busy schedule, to describe what a tv network Director of Programming does.

She listens to sale pitches, where wanna-be producers/screenwriters vocally try to sell them an idea for a tv show.  If she accepts your sales pitch, you better have a script to give her. 

Well, honestly, 99% of sales pitches she gets everyday are rejected because she's the tastemaker/gatekepper.  Those are not right for HBO.  Good for other networks, but not for HBO.

The 1% she does accepts, with scripts, doesn't mean they won the lottery.  More revisions and more edits, called "polishes," with options, mean they rent the script as they work on it.  If lucky, perhaps the network will shoot a pilot to test it out on the audience.

If the pilot works as a series, then the network buys it in order to turn it into a series.  Once bought and approved as series, then casting and hiring then location scouting happens.  This means the series is happening.

Director of Programming is also hunting for tv series materials.  She's also buys or option/rents rights to books and existing tv series from international tv market that might be a right fit for HBO.

She's the one who bought the American rights to Israeli tv drama, "Euphoria."  Once approved, Zendaya casted in the show.

See, how real Hollywood works.  It's synergy in action.  Where a star is multi-purpose.

Teen Vogue Summit continued to hit it out of the ball park with drive, from Issa Rae then from Busy Philipps...

Yes, Busy Philipps may be socially acceptable on her looks.  Because of her looks, people warn her that she's expendable.  So she focused on her work ethics, first to arrive, last to leave, whether she was a California Pizza Kitchen-she recommend the BBQ Chicken Pizza and Salad-to her starring in tv series.

Great Gerwig debut her take on "Little Women" as the cherry on top best saved for last at Saturday's Teen Vogue Summit.

Sunday's Teen Vogue Summit was the last day. So, everybody talked about slowing, sometimes saying "no," and doing mediation for mental health.

Yes, Camila Coelho admits she is blessed with opportunities but she advised to saying "no" when the brand endorsement is wrong for her.  

Both Camila Coelho and Sophia Bush both talked about "me time."  Whether it's no business talk after 7pm with her husband then they settle in for the night watching Netflix.

For Sophia Bush, other than using her Journalism college background in environmentalism, she tries to separate her public life from her private time with her mom, family, and friends.

Teen Vogue Summit takes you through the career gamut.

Happy Halloween from Illumination's Clive Davis Family and Hennessy Black with Evan Ross & Ashley Simpson.

By Laura Medina

There's nothing like celebrating the transitional Autumnal Exquinox then reaping the harvest than Halloween.

Hennessy Black and Illumination brought on the warmth as the air chills.

Hennessy Black Berry...

Ingredients

• 2 parts Hennessy Black
• 3½ parts cranberry juice
• 2½ parts apple juice
• 1 dash lime juice
• Blackberry garnish
• Served over ice in a highball glass

Directions

Hennessy Black is smooth and easy to mix. It can be served MIXED with ice for a lighter taste, balanced with a complementary flavor profile. Check out the SHOT version of the Hennessy Black Berry for a more bold, full taste, finished with a flavor twist. To make a simple version of the Hennessy Black Berry, just pour 1 part Hennessy Black in a glass filled with ice, top with 2 parts cranberry juice and enjoy.

Speaking of chills or chilling, Hennessy Black brought out the creme of the crop where guests, such as Evan Ross and Ashley Simpson, enjoy Autumn's elegance while enjoying...

CSI Miami's Eva LaRue. 

Card tricks and magic tricks, less skanky, not so evil but deepens in knowledge.  Hennessy Black's Salon Noir is more elegant fun house, not scare house.

On Tuesday, October 29th some of Los Angeles' best and brightest kicked off Halloween week with Hennessy Black at The Reserve, a 1920s Beaux-Arts-style renovated bank. The event, called "Salon Noir," was a fully immersive experience merging art, sound and cocktails in one transforming night. Mystery, mistresses of the dark magic and light and audio performances wow'd the party goers as they moved from room to room, including an apothecary experience, a library bunker, and lightroom. Guests enjoyed hand-crafted Hennessy Black cocktails throughout the night while each room challenged each of the senses. The evening concluded to an after-party where DJ Kiss played a hit after hit as the dance floor packed. 

If the illumination at Hennessy Black's Salon Noir was reviving the vintage art of magicians and illusionists, then Clive Davis Family lighted the night with their acquisition of the pioneering affordable fragrance candles, Illuminations.

               

The Clive Davis Family did an Halloween Open House to launch their acquisition of Illumination Candles.  Yes, this is their foyer water closet.  Each Illumination candle has an astrological scent.  Aries' Pomegranate Cassis warmed the water closet.

Illumination's theme was "Nightmare Before Christmas," where both Halloween and Christmas collide to best showcase Illumination's entire candle collections.  The Clive Davis Family's library is Christmas themed of Cranberry Orange and Wild Woodlands.

Continuing the trend of savory adult Halloween treats, Illumination's Halloween buffet was a bounty of Fall Harvest, Heirloom LA's Pumpkin Lasagna Cupcakes and roasted kale, leeks, and quinoa and platters of gourmet cheese and dried fruit.

Don't worry, there's still treats but elevated.  Sweets worth your tastebuds.

Heirloom LA's Cashew Cheesecake (V) (GF) Blended California Cashew Cream with Citrus Gelée, Seasonal Fruit, Garden Blossoms and Cashew Crumble.  Fancy panna cotta.  Don't forget the pumpkin crème burlee, bite-sized raspberry and chocolate rice crispies and cupcakes and the traditional jumbo dark chocolate chip cookies, Chocolate Chip with Sea Salt  Valrhona 70% and 40% Chocolate Chip Cookies sprinkled with Sea Salt (Gluten Free Available).  Thanks http://www.heirloomla.com/

Hennessy Black and Illuminations prove that there's more to Halloween than cheap candy and cheap costumes.  They prove that Halloween is a chic way to celebrate Fall and celebrating the bounties of harvest.  Keeping the warmth unto the night.

 

Start the Night Out with Cynthia Rowley & American Contemporary Ballet Then Finish It Off with Dr. Martens Presents De'Wayne Jackson.

By Laura Medina

Manhattanite Fashion Designer and Hamptons Preppy Surfer, Cynthia Rowley threw a rare, New York-sophisicated runway show, that's the sophisication that Los Angeleno fashionistas yearn for.

The most obvious is that she hired Los Angeles' own American Contemporary Ballet troupe to model and move in her latest Spring and Summer 2020 Dr. Seuss Collection.

She acquired intellectual property right (I.P.) in order to take Dr. Seuss' illustrations to make them into graphic prints and patterns onto her Spring and Summer 2020 Collections.  Wise lady.  She even took Dr. Seuss' pastels then morphed them into pastel, sunset-sunrise ombres on her signature wet suits.

Hosted in the art gallery wing of Melet Mercantile LA, the latest westward expansion of NY's Melet Mercantile, local fashionistas commented how the Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles side of the LA River, reminds them of SoHo's/Brooklyn's gritty, cheap past when artists and designers used to rule the industrial roost before developers took over,

A mere five minutes away, across the river, another gritty, industrial space, slaughter house-art gallery-concert club, is hosting an exclusive Dr. Martens' concert of up and coming punk rocker, De'Wayne Jackson.

A further expansion of Black-American Angst Punk, from Bad Brains and Fishbones, De'Wayne Jackson picked up the mantle, where they left off.

There ain't nothing like a young, fresh punk singing Iggy Pop's "I Wanna Be Your Dog."

With plenty of raw, spacious, industrial warehouses to serve as blank canvases for whichever and whatever event, at reasonable prices, Downtown LA is the new SoHo/Lower East Side/Brooklyn.

Still dangerous enought to be raw, rough, and tough to be hype.  It's an hidden neighborhood to be decrepit enough to scare away the wanna-be posers, that only in the know "knows" which art gallery to go to and when and where to park.

Exploring so the weak-hearted uninitiated don't have to brave up to make the trip-not yet anyway.

"See" Jason Momoa in Apple TV's "See."

By Laura Medina

Set in the near dystopian future, the human race has "devolved" without sight, forcing them to use hearing, feeling, and extra sensory perception in the replacement for sight.

In fact, blindnesss is so prevalent, that a mere mention or recollection of people having the ability to see is consider heretic.

Until, a young pregnant woman came to a tribe, that upends right-side up.

It's Jason Momoa, as the tribe's leader who has to protect her and the twins.

It's a rough and tough world where nobody sees, that's interesting to "see" how the human race surivives and thrives, especially through warfare and invasions.

Apple TV's "See" premieres November 1st.