Belle's Guest Post: Soren Well Concert

Belle hates it when Deacon gets to do fun things without her. In fact, she's going to be really angry this Sunday when Deacon has the chance to see her favorite NYC band Soren Well in DC. While Belle's memories of Velvet Lounge involve a lot of smoky haze and blurred vision, its not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, those nights almost always ended with an impromptu Fatback dance session and at least one awkward run-in with an ex.  Anyway... back to the story:

The melodic guitar heavy band has been compared to everything from the Smashing Pumpkins  to My Bloody Valentine and its been claimed that their reverb-soaked vocal hooks would make The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft proud. They are playing at Velvet Lounge on U Street on August 15th with Tell Tale. Deacon rarely ventures to that part of the city but perhaps a paramour or two will accompany our favorite German.

In the meantime, Belle is stuck to the streets of NYC like gum to the bottom of a shoe.

C'est le vie my loves,
Belle

 

Luxe Life: Pelleve Launch Party (Belle Guest Post)

Occasionally, Deacon lets me play around in NYC. On his behest, I attended the launch of a new technology called Pelleve. The technology is intended to combat wrinkles by tightening the skin in a non-invasive facial. It soften wrinkles on the face by slowly heating the deep layers of the skin with a warming device powered by radiowave technology that protects the top layer of the skin. The heat helps create new collagen and the entire treatment takes less than one hour and should provide immediate results.

While Pelleve is only FDA approved for use on the face to fight wrinkles. It may have possible other applications in the future such as acne scar treatment, cellulite treatments and more.  Peleve differs from other anti-wrinkle treatment systems because no surgery or needles are necessary, there’s no need to numb the skin, and it is virtually painless. In fact, patients who have had Pelleve say it feels like a warm facial massage. With Pellevé, the physician can customize the treatment to the needs of the patient. You can return home or go back to work right after leaving the office.

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet but, I'll give you another update when I've undergone the treatment late this month.

Until then, love from NYC,
Belle

Deacon Guest Post: Belle Romps Through The Brad Johns Studio Opening in NYC

While Deacon does DC, Belle romps around in NYC. It must be her Parisian nature, but this Great Pyrenees like to play it cool and aloof. Her innate love of chic hip places, landed her in the Brad Johns Studio during the opening reception. The interior is sassy, narrow, and mirrored --- allowing 360 views of everything from everywhere. With a sleek black and silver color scheme it has the feel of a midtown bar, as much as a color salon.

Brad Johns is the king of color and his fleet of stylists are more than skilled in the art of color consultations. This new studio is devoted simply to color and for what Belle could gather, the blonder the better. Situated on the seventh floor, its a fun escape from the city and a perfect spot for going lighter, going darker or going wild.

Luxe Life: Deacon & Belle Do Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Greetings from NYC, Deacon Fans!

We're racing around the Big Apple this weekend, dashing from the Tents at Bryant Park to the Meatpacking District, through Tribeca and back again to the Upper East, all in search of fashion, (plus some food and fun) in the country's fastest-moving city.

Natch, we're hitting some of the best shows - yesterday's madhouse of a Christian Siriano bash, the hipster-esque Generra show, and today's Adam and Arise Collective presentations, among many others.

Don't ya love it? We've got show reports below, plus a few of the best spots we stopped - and of course, more to come!

Deacon also wants to take the chance to introduce guest contrib Belle, a fashion-forward Great Pyrenees, and her loyal mom, Ms. Kristina Libby, social media whiz and eco beauty magnate extraordinaire. She'll be updating you from time to time about NYC's great happenings. You can also find her DC coverage about the arts and culture over on Ask Miss A.

So, on to the recaps!

Siriano
Deacon was too busy to attend the Christian Siriano Fashion Show under the tents, so I got to play around there instead. Lucky me. First off, Fashion Week is everything you’d expect: people with attitude, a lot of black and so much eyeliner Duane Reade must have had to stock extra. In this kind of situation, a bright blue dress, a book on Africa and a little bit of kindness can bring you a whole lot of attention. In my case, the very kind attention of a Fashion Week veteran who showed me how to get the better seats and told me all the inside gossip.

So, from my third row seats at the front of the runway, I saw a few things that make even my big fluffy white tale wag. First off, a floor length silk dress with full length sleeves and the slightest train. It evoked all the best nautical affair images and reminds me of a long coveted dress worn by the heroine of the Bond movie where they tumble around the pyramids in Cairo. The movie title? Hardly as important as the dress.


He also stole the show with a huge flouncy, pleated draped and decorated florescent pink ball gown. Puffy with a train, the dress was the best re-make of an 80s prom dress that I have ever seen. Not only that, the model wearing it was amazing. It takes a heart of steel to hold up and wear this dress.

Finally, my least favorite number--- its was stripped and metallic and a suit and oh goodness, I think its been blocked out of my memory. Not every outfit can be perfect, right? I think the show didn’t blow anyone away and there were only one big moment when people gasped and coo-ed. So, on a rating of shows it probably isn’t a ten. Everyone is a cynic in NYC though; for this naïve little fashion week newbie—the show won me over.

Generra
We'll be honest - Generra was a bit of a generic bust. The venue, the ultra-hip Hiro Ballroom, an asian fusion resto and bar/club, looked like a great place to enjoy a laid-back dinner before hitting the town. That said, the not-so-packed show debuted its fall looks of rather blah fairaisle-inspired sweaters, floaty skirts and peacoats that honestly looked as if they'd been plucked straight from the discount racks at a bad TJ Maxx. For a line we normally enjoy, this collection is not one that we hope will make a statement in stores come fall.

Fabulosity
So after a bit of a catch up (coffee at Guy and Gallard Cafe), we ran back to the flat and readied ourselves for a warm-up on the town. We opted for Upper East's fab Italian joint, Bella Blu, where we enjoyed amazing isotto, a delish Ferreri Cabernet and the conversation of the best service we've had in ages - thank you to Neil, our bartender, for the perfect biscotti and Moscato to cap off the meal.

We then cabbed it to SoHo, where the SoHo Grand was rocking - think sweet DJ sets and NY society at its finest. Calling it an early night (by NY standards) we rolled back in and are headed out now to enjoy brunch and a few stops at Bergdorfs, Bendels and Barneys before hitting the tents once more.

If you've got a stop or a sight we must check - drop us a note on our Blackberry - we'd love you to keep us buzzing all day long!