October 30, 2014
By VF Agenda

Rimowa Arrives on Madison Avenue

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It’s well documented that the members of the V.F.C.S.D. love to travel: in the past year alone, we’ve (collectively) voyaged to such far-flung locales as Lisbon, London, Barcelona, Paris, and Milan—not to mention the regular work junkets to L.A., Dallas, D.C., and nearly every city in between. Naturally, we rely heavily on our luggage, so when leading luxury luggage brand Rimowa opened its first New York City store, located at 535 Madison Avenue, we were among the first devotees through the door. The stunning 2,500-square-foot store marks Rimowa’s seventh free-standing location in North America and reflects the clean, modern aesthetic that you’d expect from the brand. Especially for this new location, Rimowa commissioned artist and curator Neville Wakefield to create a limited-edition installation of the iconic suitcase styles bearing his creative mark. Using the luggage as a blank slate, Wakefield reworked the styles by experimenting with various combinations of finishes and interiors. “One of the things I like most about the Rimowa cases,” Wakefield says, “is that, with use, they start to bear the history, scars, dings, and other records of travel. To me these war wounds are badges of honor that turn every case into a ready-made canvas.” Following its New York debut, the installation will journey to Brazil, where selected Brazilian artists will build upon the artistic tenets set by Wakefield. The final cases will be flown to Miami to debut during the annual Art Basel international art show. Photograph by Landrie Moore

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October 29, 2014
By VF Agenda

Watch This: “Jersey Boys”

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There’s not one person among us who hasn’t at least once crooned along to that classic musical tale of love at first sight, “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” at some house party, shindig, get-together, bar crawl, or winter/spring/fall formal. (And let’s be honest: we know all of the lyrics to the song, too.) Jersey Boys, directed by the Oscar®-winning auteur Clint Eastwood and based on the smash Broadway hit, is the inspiring film about the behind-the-scenes drama of the band that made that song and so many others (“Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Rag Doll” … the list goes on): The Four Seasons. It’s the ultimate rags to riches story of four guys from the wrong side of the Jersey tracks who, after several false starts, become one of the best-selling musical groups of all time—and how the success they’d always dreamed of eventually undoes them. “Four guys under a streetlamp, the first time we made that sound, our sound. That was the best.” Watch Jersey Boys on Digital HD now and on Blu-ray™ November 11, and check it out on Facebook and Twitter. Image courtesy of © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.All Rights Reserved.

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October 24, 2014
By Dana Casey

Osteria La Buca

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During my many trips to L.A. for work, I’ve found that my dining options are limited to client or vendor meetings or, worse, room service with my laptop as my loyal dining companion. Occasionally, I do have the opportunity to branch out and act as a pseudo Angeleno and drink and eat like the locals do. First introduced to me by our resident California girl (and the V.F.C.S.D.’s entertainment and marketing consultant) Jennifer Parker, Osteria La Buca is a welcoming spot on an otherwise deserted block in mid-Wilshire (unless you count Paramount Studios). The large chalkboard that hangs in the main dining and bar area pays homage to that season’s locally sourced bounty: “We’re glad for summer peaches! Arugula is awesome!” The menu comprises great items for a group to share, which means when the V.F.C.S.D. tucked in at a table in the second-story dining room (making us feel as if we’d snuck into a cozy treehouse), we ordered half the menu to start: a specialty pizza (baked egg and mushroom), Burrata cheese, Brussels sprouts, pork meatballs, ricotta croquettes with truffle honey and rosemary … For our entrees, we selected a spread of meats and pastas including the hangar steak with pistachio-arugula pesto, roasted chicken with black kale and panzanella, short-rib ravioli, and squash agnolotti. I indulged in the perfectly al dente goodness of the spaghetti cacio pepe followed by the affogato (Madagascar vanilla gelato drowned in Stumptown cold-brew coffee). With a great wine and cocktails list, to boot, Osteria La Buca was the perfect place for this New Yorker to go southern L.A. native.

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October 23, 2014
By Jennifer Henderson

Three Movies You Didn’t Know Katie Holmes Was In

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It’s been awhile since Katie Holmes was daily fodder for the celeb tabloids (the fact that seven crew members randomly asked her out on the set of her latest film is hardly front-page news). And that seems to be a good thing: Joey Potter (read: shameless Dawson’s Creek plug) has been prolific as of late. I recently uncovered a trio of movies featuring Holmes and although my initial reaction was, “Who knew?” (her turn in The Giver notwithstanding), they all look pretty promising. In The Extra Man, she plays quirky romantic interest to Paul Dano’s aspiring playwright and opposite the indomitable Kevin Kline. In Miss Meadows (in theaters November 14), she does a turn as a floral-dress-wearing elementary school teacher packing heat in her nighttime gig as a vigilante. And the Spike Lee–produced Mania Days (which doesn’t yet have a release date but is due out later this year … we hope) features Holmes as a manic-depressive poet who embarks upon a romance with a fellow patient in a psychiatric hospital. Sounds like a Holmes-aissance is upon us.

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October 22, 2014
By VF Agenda

B Is For Bees

 

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Today’s post comes from beauty and health writer extraordinaire Kayla Jacobs, the perfume- and beading-obsessed mind behind the blog Kayla’s Thread.

Right now, there’s a right buzz around bees in beauty. We’re going back to basics, and it’s humble beeswax, the material that bees use to build their nests, and not bee venom, that’s getting me in a tizz. The enigmatic Burt’s Bees, purveyor of that number-one selling lip balm, brought beeswax into mainstream consciousness. Now, beekeepers from Tanzania to South Africa are harvesting it to produce an eco-friendly product that’s being used in a new guise: exfoliation. Because beeswax beads have a smooth surface, they don’t scratch or aggravate skin, making it the ideal way to dissolve dry patches, those tiny goose fleshy bumps on the backs of the arm, and a summer’s worth of skin-whipping into a gleaming canvas for the sensitive souls among us. Simply Bee’s Beeswax Ointments, made in Cape Town, are uncomplicated, one-tub-does-it-all formulations, while Burt’s Bees tried and tested formulas always deliver. For something a bit more “out there,” try beeswax-infused Eco Botanica Jojoba Bead Scrub made by Guru Darshan, in Los Angeles, who chants into each of her products.

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October 21, 2014
By VF Agenda

The Flying Monk

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In the typical fashion of a transplanted New Yorker, on the first day I moved to Savannah (which I’ve affectionately subbed “Slow-vannah”), I was scouting out my Asian cuisine options before I had even used the keys to my new apartment. Tucked in between Broughton Street’s stylish retailers (read: J.Crew, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs), the recently opened The Flying Monk Noodle Bar is one in the collection of Ele and the Chef restaurants, which have provided Asian fusion to the Low Country for more than a decade. Must-try dishes include the edamame dumplings appetizer, the Angkor Wat (cold, thin noodles with a choice of tofu or chicken and topped with peanuts), and the Bangkok Curry (an intensely flavorful dish). After indulging in it several days in a row, I happily discovered that the creature comforts of New York City Asian fusion had taken a drastic turn down South. —Sarah Drew

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October 19, 2014
By Timothy Kellepourey

A Spring in our Step

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Without a doubt, the two things that we of the V.F.C.S.D. love most are 1) shopping and 2) Instagram (not necessarily in that order). So, we were all excited to learn about Spring—a new app that essentially combines the two: it allows you to follow brands you love (just like Instagram) and then shop those favorites as if, well, as if you were … shopping. Even though it just launched, Spring features some of our favorite brands such as Pierre Hardy, Band of Outsiders, and Mark McNairy. Spring is available now for (free!) download in the App Store. Happy shopping—and liking!

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October 17, 2014
By VF Agenda

Baby Buggy Summer Dinner Charity Event

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The East Hampton residence of Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld was the picturesque backdrop for the Baby Buggy Summer Dinner event, supported by Giorgio Armani and Vanity Fair. The backyard bash, which was held on July 26, was attended by notable guests including George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier, and Rachel Zoe and Rodger Berman, who enjoyed an elegant dinner beneath the stars while sipping Barbadillo wine. Founded by Jessica Seinfeld in 2001, Baby Buggy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing families in need with essential equipment, products, clothing, and services for infants and children. With an extensive network of community-based organizations across the country, Baby Buggy has donated more than 7.5 million items to hundreds of thousands of families. Learn more at babybuggy.org.

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October 16, 2014
By VF Agenda

Hudson Jeans

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Worn as a badge of style, Hudson is a global leader in premium denim, and the mission remains the same as it was on day one: transcend product and inspire people around the world to live their passion. Hudson Jeans was founded in 2002 by Peter Kim, and its vision, product, and experience define the denim category, and the company’s willingness to take risks reflect Hudson at its core. To learn more about the real, crafted optimism of Hudson Jeans, visit hudsonjeans.com.

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October 15, 2014
By VF Agenda

Diablo Cody: Outspoken and Beautiful

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Diablo Cody, the award-winning screenwriter of Juno, isn’t afraid to speak her mind about her past and her passions. As Revlon’s outspoken “New Provocateur,” Cody tells the truth about being vulnerable and enhancing her “real” beauty in her new “Bold Moves” video. Watch it exclusively at youtube.com/revlon.

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