944

So fashion rules are definitely made to be broken, and the no white after Labor Day clause is one of my favorites to ignore. Especially if one of the above little numbers is involved. They all have just enough sparkle to make them holiday appropriate, and the D&G dress makes me see visions of sugar plums dancing through my head.

1. BCBGMAXAZRIA sequin tunic, available at www.bcbg.com
2. 3.1 Phillip Lim sequin dress, available at www.net-a-porter.com
3. Milly sequin sweater dress, available at www.neimanmarcus.com
4. Jason Wu dress, available at www.net-a-porter.com
5. D&G tulle dress, available at www.neimanmarcus.com
6. Notte by Marchesa, available at www.net-a-porter.com
7. BCBGMAXAZRIA embellished dress, available at www.bcbg.com Written by: Rebecca Stevens

Halloween in officially over, which means we’re hurdling down the homestretch toward the New Year. In the mean time, though, there’s no harm in actually ENJOYING the holidays this year, and if you need a bit of aid in the de-stressing department, it’s time to mix up a Grey Goose cocktail. Try this year’s holiday signature, Ginger Joy:

GREY GOOSE GINGER JOY
2 parts GREY GOOSE La Poire Flavored Vodka
½ part premium ginger liqueur
1 part simple syrup
1 part fresh lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass. Present with a pear slice or crystallized ginger.

Maybe this gingery cocktail will inspire you to take the ultimate plunge: gingerbread men? Gingerbread houses? Maybe not. Enjoy! Written by: Calin Van Paris

So, at this point, you have probably heard something about the film "Precious", which is out today in most major cities. It is directed by Lee Daniels, who produced "Monster's Ball" (the movie Halle Berry won an Oscar for).

If you haven't, here's the Cliff Notes synopsis: the film is based on a book called "Push" written by Sapphire. The story, set in 1987 Harlem, revolves around "Precious, an overweight, young girl with a horrific, abusive mother and a father by whom she is pregnant with her second child.

This film is not for the faint of heart. Seriously. To call it raw and disturbing is mild.

Mariah Carey attempts to redeem herself from the campy disaster that was "Glitter" by going all the way there as a completely unglam and unattractive social worker attempting to remove Precious from the hell in which she lives.

Mariah looks NOTHING like the picture you see above and her acting is quite decent. I saw the movie a couple of months ago and was impressed with her performance. It was confident, slightly bold and consistent. She is stripped of everything that's made her a celebrity and it works.

However, its Mo'Nique's completely mind-blowing peformance that carries this movie and leaves you thinking about it well after you've left the multi-plex.. She is so utterly awful as a human being in this movie that you cringe while she's onscreen; but, you also can't wait for her to return when she's not.

The film won two top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and there is plenty of Oscar buzz surrounding Mo'nique. It's all well-deserved. Lenny Kravitz, Paula Patton and Sherri Shephard also star.

"Precious" may seem like a film you wouldn't typically shell out $10 to see, but I think you owe it to yourself to do so.

Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
Atlanta Written by: Isoul H. Harris

A long time ago, an ex-boyfriend and his buddy "accidentally" stumbled into a tavern in London which turned out to be a gay bar. The name of the place? "The King's Arms." Clearly, neither of them were too bright, because that one should have been obvious.

Luckily for retarded straight guys, most gay bars have names like, "The Manhole," or "The Toolbox," etc but what about, "Dickie Brennans," or "Buckhorn Exchange?" If you were a gay fella looking to mingle with some like-minded folks and went into either one of those joints, you'd find rump roast alright, but probably not the kind you were looking for. On the other hand, if you were a hungry hetero you'd probably hustle right on past both - missing out on a delicious, non-gay steak dinner.

Thank goodness there's www.steakhouseorgaybar.com. Now we can spend all day sharpening our abilities to separate meat markets from, er, meat markets. Written by: Laurel May

I know, I know. It's the first week of my blog and I already skipped two days, but after the Lang Lang and Friends performance, I was at Studio at Fred Segal Wednesday for Philips' new Crystalize and then Thursday I was at a photo shoot for most of the day.

Mark Sacro, his team and I were in Laguna Beach yesterday at the Pacific Edge Hotel shooting for an article on Posh Productions for the December issue. A full-service events firm, I challenged them to create a 944 Holiday Martini. Lucky for us, we got to taste test and it was AMAZING. Although I was trying to wait to release the recipe until the December issue hit the streets, I just couldn't help myself.

Enjoy...

944’s White Chocolate Candy Cane-Tini
As culinary impresarios and drink-making maven’s, Posh Productions, Inc. met 944’s challenge to mix-up a 944 holiday cocktail worthy of the sacred digits. A little bit sweet, a little bit rich and a lot intoxicating, this 944 concoction is sure to be a hit on any holiday drink menu.

Ingredients:
2 oz. of premium vodka
1 oz. of white crème de menthe
1.5 oz. of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
Crushed candy cane to rim martini glass, plus miniature candy canes for garnish

Pour all of the liquid ingredients into a shaker three-fourths full of cracked ice, shake vigorously for a full minute. Rim a martini glass with the crushed candy cane dust. Strain the elixir into the glass and garnish with a miniature candy cane. Savor.
Written by: Katie Pegler

‘Tis the season to give and this month Jimmy Choo is giving us the best gift of all…designer shoes, clothes and accessories at H&M prices. The London-based designer known across the universe for keeping celebrity feet off of the ground in the most beautiful ways, has designed a full fashion line for H&M that will hit 200 stores worldwide on November 14th. Before you all grab your sleeping bags and go stake out at the nearest mall, let’s just reflect on the beauty of this moment…okay now Go!

They say behind every good man there is an amazing woman, and Tamara Mellon, the Founder/President behind Jimmy Choo is amazing indeed. She has decided to follow in the footsteps of previous luxury designers like Stella McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld, and create a line of delectable foot candy and other items, for the masses. The prices of the cheaper Choos will range from around $70 for flats to $300 for boots, a far cry from the thousands that celebs like Anne Hathaway and Kerry Washington have dished out for the originals. Mellon says “I wanted to create pieces that would reach a cool and young customer with a fashionable and independent sense of spirit in this one-off collaboration." From looking at the preview of the collection, she has done just that.

The H&M line marks the launch of Jimmy Choo clothing. Mellon says the line seen in stores this month was inspired by sexy little party numbers she pulled out of her own closet. Black dresses, leather, zebra print, blood red pumps, and chain link neck pieces all converge to make the line an edgy-chic look for winter. Most impressive is how every item, from shoes to clutches to shirts, can be mixed and matched to work in a number of different ways. Oh, and boys can play too. Men’s apparel including cashmere sweaters and leather jackets, will also hit the racks to serve as either a sexy compliment to the women’s line, or some Jimmy fun just for him.

And just so you know, financially challenged fashionistas are not the only ones head over heels for the new line. Celebrities from Hayden Panettiere to M.I.A. came out in style for the November 2nd Jimmy Choo for H&M Collection Event in Los Angeles. I don’t know what it is about H&M but they have definitely made cheap the new black. With high-end fashion designer residencies and their own brand clothing that nudges the quality of luxury, H&M is taking the low-end market by storm. With Jimmy Choo visiting soon, we definitely can’t wait to get swept away.



Check out H&M.com for more info. Written by: Janine Rayford

I fell seriously in love with Elizabeth and James a couple seasons ago when I was in New York for fashion week. I was browsing the contemporary floor at Bergdorf Goodman, and I saw it.

An iridescent green feathered mini skirt.

I was so enamored with it that I couldn’t stop touching it. Alas, I had a show to attend, so I had to leave it there all by itself.

I was familiar with Elizabeth and James prior to that encounter, but I was skeptical because it was a celebrity line. You see, Elizabeth and James is designed by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. In fact, it’s a little sister brand to their high end line, The Row, which is stunning in its quality and simplicity.

But what the Olsens did right with both of their lines is very simple. They kept their names off the labels, and they focused on the quality of the garments rather than inflating prices simply because the world’s most famous twins were behind the designs. (Justin Timberlake and Gwen Stefani have had similar success with William Rast and L.A.M.B. by doing the same thing.)

And Elizabeth and James truly is a great line. The jackets are impeccably tailored, the blouses are so romantic and delicate, the dresses run the gamut from sweet to sassy, and the accessories are unique and just plain cool.

The true beauty of the line is that, when you’re wearing it, you’ll never look like you’re trying too hard. The line is effortless, just like the style that has made the Olsens modern day fashion icons. Written by: Rebecca Stevens

Last night, I checked out Lenny Kravitz in concert.

Of course, he rocked it.

He's one of those performers who doesn't need a current hit song to pack venues.

His show is killer.

Janelle Monae, in all her Bjork/Judy Garland//James Brown/Elvis/Michael Jackson/futuristic glory , was in the crowd with rapper Nelly. Both of them are two of the coolest people you would ever want to encounter. Have known both of them for awhile and they are always consistent.

If you don't have Janelle's EP METROPOLIS: THE CHASE SUITE, please stop reading this, go to itunes.com and cop it.

Back to Lenny.

Who knew 20 years ago that Romeo Blue would turn out so cool? Lisa Bonet was ridiculed for marrying some unknown, hippie poser back then.

She saw then what the world knows now.

Those Cosby kids are wise, huh?

Well, maybe not. Malcolm Jamal Warner did star in "Malcolm & Eddie"...

Isoul H. Harris
Managing Editor
Atlanta
Written by: Isoul H. Harris

I received a package yesterday with one of the items I'll be shooting this weekend for our annual Holiday Gift Guide, which will appear in our December issue.

I was lucky enough to get the fine folks at Hamilton Shirt Co., to send over one of their outstanding pieces from the 1883 line. For those who may not know, Hamilton is a family-run business out of Texas that has been making some of the finest men's clothes for 125 years. These shirts are hand-cut and crafted in the U.S, which means these things carry a hefty price tag ($185), but the fabrics and tailoring on these ready to wear shirts are extraordinary. Obviously, I'm a big fan so perhaps I'm a bit biased. So go on over to their site, www.hamilton1883.com, and find out for yourself.

(And keep an eye out for the shoot running in our December issue. It's definitely going to be out of the ordinary.) Written by: D.B. Mitchell

Every time I travel outside the country, I realize how much more the average non-American knows about America than the average American. Or at least it seems. Our economy, gas prices, that Obama fellow and his wife's toned guns, our healthcare crisis, those storms in the Bible Belt. And these were just the topics discussed with my cab driver from the airport to my hotel in Sydney, Australia last spring!

I certainly can't speak for all Americans, but I feel pretty humbled and ignorant fairly often when traveling abroad. It hits me at every other turn how we really do live in an “it's all about me” bubble in this U.S., land of tremendous privilege, opportunity and ego, while the rest of the world follows along, paying close attention. Tomorrow I'm off to Holland, then France, where my Americanized outlets and English-fluent staff at the Marriott will be ready to go so I don't miss a beat. Am I up on the latest news impacting either country? Admittedly, not at all. And we wonder why the garçon at that bistro in Paris scoffed at us when we didn't even attempt a “bonjour” and instead went straight for the “hey, what's up?”

At the very least I better brush up on my U.S. news topics this evening. I don't want to feel stupid when my taxi driver in Amsterdam starts grilling me about the Yankees winning the World Series. Because he will. Written by: Sarah Daoust

I'm off to Macy's to find out what 50 Cent smells like. Here are some ladies with mustaches to keep you company while I am gone.

http://www.womenwithmustaches.com/

**** UPDATE!!!!

Okay, so I took a stroll down to Macy's. There's an entire section in the Men's Fragrance department dedicated to 50's new sauce, but when I asked for a sample I was informed there are none available. The nice girls at the counter squirted some onto a paper test strip for me and I gave myself an excruciating headache sniffing it the entire walk back to the office, in order to provide you with my review:

TOP NOTE: Melon balls, Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid

MIDDLE NOTE: A pair of new men's dress socks

BOTTOM NOTE: Three-ring vinyl binder aisle at Office Max

If anyone's interested, he'll be doing a personal appearance at Macy's Union Square, next Tuesday at 5 pm. Photo ops with the man himself with a Power by 50 Cent purchase of $68.50 or more.

Ugh, I need to go take an asprin.



Written by: Laurel May

When watching games every Sunday, it’s tough to stay on the health-food kick, especially with all the amazing tailgate food around. So, here are some of my favorite recipes that are still delicious, but on the healthier side! Enjoy and happy tailgating! All recipes can be found on www.cooks.com

GROUND TURKEY MEATBALLS:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 c. bread crumbs (fine)
1/4 c. fresh or 1 tbsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Mix and shape into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Saute in large skillet until browned and no longer pink.

SAUCE:
1 (16 oz.) can whole tomatoes, cut up
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
Add all the sauce ingredients to meatball mixture. Bring to boil. Simmer covered until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

VEGGIE CHILI:
2 c. dry pinto beans
1 (14 oz.) cake frozen firm tofu, thawed
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. onion powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 c. water
4 tsp. oil
1 lg. bell pepper, diced
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 c. tomatoes, chopped
2 c. tomato sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chili powder
3 tbsp. ground cumin

Check beans for rocks, wash and cover with cold water. Cook until tender (about 90 minutes). Squeeze water out of tofu and crumble into bite size pieces. Combine soy sauce, tomato paste, peanut butter, onion powder, garlic, water and oil. Add tofu and stir until tofu is coated. Fry tofu in 2 tablespoons oil until browned. Saute pepper, onion and a garlic in 1 tablespoon oil. Add this, along with tofu to cooked beans. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and cook over low heat until warm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

TORTILLA-WRAPPED MEXICAN SANDWICHES:
6 oz. container frozen avocado dip, thawed
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas (warm in microwave - 10 seconds on high)
8 oz. thinly sliced cooked roast beef or turkey
Leaf lettuce
4 oz. (1 c.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Alfalfa sprouts
Tomato salsa

Combine avocado dip and cream cheese; blend dip. Spread each tortilla evenly with avocado mixture to within 1/2 inch of edge. Arrange slices of meat, cheese, lettuce and sprouts over avocado mixture. Spoon on desired salsa. Roll up each tortilla; secure with toothpicks. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

SPICY ASIAN COLESLAW:
1 bag of shredded coleslaw vegetables
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. canola oil or vegetable oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. McCormick chinese five spice (or dash ea. ginger, curry, clove, cinnamon, star anise)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashew halves and pieces

Mix all ingredients except cole slaw and cashews. Stir well with wire whisk.
Add sauce and cashews to cole slaw and toss, chill and serve. Serves 6-8.

FRUIT KABOBS:
Cut 2 apples, pears, bananas or any fruit in season, sprinkle with lemon juice. Place on kabob stick or party toothpicks.

SAUCE: 1 Dannon strawberry yogurt with 1 tablespoon strawberry cordial liqueur mix. Place in dipping bowl. Can be arranged on platter or stick into 1/2 grapefruit.

Written by: Jenn Brown

Do you know somebody who can’t wear perfume, who can’t even tolerate people around them wearing a lot of perfume? I used to think they were freaks and now I’m one of ‘em. It didn’t happen overnight. It started with a desire to wear lighter and lighter fragrances until I was wearing barely-there citrusy stuff. After a while even that made me nauseous and gave me a headache and eventually the smell of my soap was about all I could take. We’ve all felt some sort of side-effect (in varying degrees), even the most die-hard spritzer feels a little lightheaded after an afternoon at the fragrance counter at Bloomie’s. Why? Because all the commercial perfume on the market these days is more toxic than Brittany Spears in 2007!

Commercial perfumes can have up to 4000 chemicals, but there are 20 common ones you’ll find in every bottle on the shelves. You’ll find acetone which causes nervous system disorders, methylene chloride which was banned by the FDA in 1988, because it is a carcinogenic that reduces the body’s oxygen carrying capacity and benzaldehyde which is another central nervous system depressant. When you spritz, you’re absorbing these cancer-causing chemicals both through your skin and inhaled through the lungs. Don't think you can give it up? You may actually feel “addicted” to your current stuff, and that’s very real because the body can actually become physically addicted to certain of those chemicals you're absorbing. Everyone knows that industrial chemicals cause asthma, birth defects and tons of other maladies, most people just don’t realize their cologne might be the cause.

But people have been wearing perfume for centuries? Right? Wrong. Not like this they haven’t anyways. Sometime around the 60’s and 70’s traditional flower and herb based formulas gave way to synthetics. While these pressings were always expensive, the new chemical cocktails are cheap, cheap, cheap costing only pennies to produce. So why charge $80 a bottle? To pay for fancy packaging, a sexy ad campaign and generate lots and lots of profit. Why do you think everybody and their brother has a perfume. Wanna really smell like you’re favorite celebrity? Then buy the good stuff not synthetics, trust me, loaded celebs are not dousing themselves with glorified paint thinner. So what do you wear? Easy - go natural. Essential oil from your local Whole Foods or Aveda shop will open you up to a whole new world of good smells. Try it you’ll like it. An instead of giving that girl sitting next to you a giant migraine, maybe she’ll move in a little closer.

Of course everybody thought I was crazy eight years ago when I told everyone to throw out everything in their cupboard with partially hydrogenated oils, now it’s illegal to sell at restaurants in some cities. In ten years I think we’ll see similar legislation about perfume. Be an early adapter. Written by: Hadley Henriette

if you know me, then you know i live for my invites.

and yesterday, i received two invitations i have long been waiting for.

one old and one new.

one historic and one modern.

on november 23, the golden nugget, a gem of downtown las vegas, will unveil the "rush tower." with its own porte cochere, chart house aquarium restaurant, high-end retail shops, state-of-art gaming floor and new, new, new guest rooms, this addition not only ups the style level associated with Fremont Street but it also builds (emphasis on builds) on a piece of las vegas history. its fun to get bigger and better without imploding anything.

www.goldennugget.com

a bit farther up the road, in 41 days CityCenter will open. i was reminded of this while driving on the interstate today.

the logo pictured here, which adorned my save the date, bears a phrase that rings very true to this one-of-a-kind hospitality, retail, residential and gaming development.

this is one you have to see to believe.

i have long been explaining what citycenter is to people who can't grasp it.

it is amazing.

hotel: aria

residential: veer

hotel/residential: mandarin; vdara

retail: the crystals

it's the largest, most expensive, most incredible development of its type anywhere ever. and green. sexy. well designed. featuring the best architects in the world.

cesar pelli. hearts.

and i cant wait to say, "take me to citycenter."

i'll be at the door saying open open open on december 15 at 11:59 p.m.

i love me some citycenter.

www.citycenter.com

Written by: Melinda Sheckells

it struck me early monday, that i may need to go somewhere this weekend.

the conundrum is that i had just landed back in vegas from a weekend trip to orange county.

wanderer, wonderer, runaway.

a friend mentioned looking to allegiant air for great, inexpensive last minute deals.

www.allegiantair.com

let the deal dictate our destination.

where does allegiant fly? well, many places to/&/fro vegas.

one such place struck my fancy. fargo/n.d.

at $60 round trip, i certainly couldn't disagree with the price.

so i began doing my research and actually found a great boutique hotel in fargo.

each room, decorated by a different local artist (right up my alley)

www.hoteldonaldson.com

my only fear was there wasn't much else in fargo outside of the chic boutique hotel and a twinge of coen bros irony.

my obsession for fargo is growing, but i am not sure how i can handle a place that not even anthony bourdain has conquered.

the thought of rich plains-feed beef though is rather enticing but it will have to wait.

eric burdon and the animals are in town (guilty pleasure), and i cant pass up that rare op.

xoxo








Written by: Melinda Sheckells