Wine aficionados unite at Uncorked: NY Festival

by citychickstyle // July 24, 2016 // 458 Comments

I recently attended the Uncorked: NY Festival, a sensory wine tasting experience, at Metropolitan Pavilion. It was Uncorked NY Wine Festivals’ first event in NY, and it hosted over 50 wineries with over 100 wines to taste. I enjoyed trying wines from Marcel, Boedecker Cellars, Proud Pour, Bauhouse Wine, Gramona, and Taittinger, among other brands. The event had such a great set-up, organized by wine category. Some brands had their wines available for purchase for a half case or a whole case. Additionally, there was food available for purchase. I was glad to see food vendors at the event such as Murray Cheese, Tres Carnes, and Red Table Catering. Häagen-Dazs participated there as well by giving attendees free individual serving ice cream cups.

Another great aspect of the event was the entertainment. There was a lively DJ and an interactive 360 degree view photo booth to truly have an immersive experience. Everyone had a great time dancing and being at the center of the action with intriguing photos.

Uncorked Wine Festivals’ events previously did well in cities such as LA, San Diego, and Phoenix so it’s great to see that NY is now part of the successful roster. I look forward to attending Uncorked: NY Fest next year and interacting with more wineries!

Pepsi offers a cool exhibit on love and emojis

by citychickstyle // July 24, 2016 // 372 Comments

Late last week, I had the pleasure of attending Pepsi’s launch party for its 2-day interactive exhibit Love: From Cave to Keyboard, imagined by Pepsi. The exhibit celebrated World Emoji Day and the brand’s global #PepsiMoji campaign. It examines and chronicles the history of non-verbal communication from hieroglyphics to today’s emojis. I enjoyed watching the emoji installation colorfully change from the happy emoji , to the kiss emoji, to other fun emojis. I also loved the sign language skit performed by cast members from the Tony-nominated production of Spring Awakening. The Betty Boop illustrations also fascinated me, showing Betty with her own PepsiMoji design and layered augmented reality.

We were all further entertained with a silent film, and music. We had a chance to hear Maggie Gyllenhaal narrate a silent film about the great moments in silent film that conveyed love. We also heard an exclusive DJ set by Soul / R&B duo LION BABE. You could definitely feel the emotions in the room with everyone dancing to the lively beats. Jillian Harvey, one half of the duo, even sang and rapped along to some of the songs that ranged from 90’s rap to today’s hits. It was quite an immersive experience.

The last engaging experience at the event featured “Heart,” an original 3-D sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Shinji Murakami, that led into a PepsiMoji interaction. This experience had facial recognition technology that matched your expressions with a PepsiMoji design for social sharing. It was fun pretending that we were actual kiss emojis!

I’m impressed with Pepsi’s focus on the emoji. It’s such a modern icon that we sometimes dismiss as silly and funny, but it really can convey so much more. Pepsi even released a PepsiMoji Keyboard App that has over 1000 proprietary designs.

Thanks Pepsi for letting me experience this adventure. I’m curious to see how the emoji will evolve in the future and how Pepsi will celebrate it!

Sign Language skit

Lion’s Babe

Mattress envy: Airweave’s innovative product

by citychickstyle // July 21, 2016 // 402 Comments

Airweave invited me to an event called Tomorrow Starts tonight at Lightbox. Whitney Port hosted it and other guests included Mia Moretti and Airweave’s CEO and Founder Mr. Motokuni Takaoka. The brand brought us all together to celebrate its new mattress and mattress topper, which is changing the way people sleep with a new patent pending material called airfiber, comprised of 90% air. The US Olympic Team heading to Rio will be using the mattress topper as well. I had a chance to touch and sit on the mattress and wow is it comfortable! You really feel like you’re just in the air.

As we enjoyed cocktails and small bites, Whitney Port spoke briefly about how she loves the Airweave product and how she diligently tries to get 8 hours of sleep on it daily. We then heard from Mr. Motokuni Takaoka about how excited he is about the product’s progressive growth and its involvement with the US Olympic team. I had chance to talk to him and he is beyond friendly, intelligent, and positive-spirited. I could tell how proud he was about the product. His passion is definitely contagious. I’m so excited to hear product feedback from the US Olympians!

airweave’s Tomorrow Starts Tonight Event in NYC 7.13.16: Mia Moretti and Whitney Port (Photo Credit: Sean T. Smith)

Mr. Motokuni Takaoka

The new Airweave mattress

At the event

Fine jewelry by Anna Sheffield: Stunning collections

by citychickstyle // July 21, 2016 // 113 Comments

I checked out Anna Sheffield’s new fine jewelry collections Celestine and Flying Flowers at 11 Howard last week. Anna is based in downtown NYC and her handcrafted jewelry is exquisite, made with mixed precious gems, metals, and diamonds. Each fine jewelry piece is one-of-a-kind with the utmost attention to detail and with a sophisticated appeal. Anna’s Celestine collection consists of celestially-themed jewelry that brings La Belle Époque to mind. All of the pieces have star-spangled crowns and vibrant halos of shimmering diamonds. Her Flying Flowers collection is a tribute to the butterfly’s unique beauty. It’s a mix of colorful designs and folded wings made with moonstone, morganite, pearls, and sapphires.

I can’t get over how stunning the collections are! I loved all of the pieces from the dazzling ear cuffs, to the innovative rings, to the stunning bracelets and necklaces. It’s tough to pick favorite pieces, but I must say that I was blown away by a 5-diamond ring, a set of nesting bands made of gold, pearls, diamonds, and a ruby, and a gold hanging necklace with diamonds and blue sapphires. I love how the jewelry is both playful and sophisticated simultaneously. Check out more pieces from the 2 collections down below. They are absolutely mesmerizing!

Me with Anna Sheffield

A memorable evening with The Chosen Few

by citychickstyle // July 20, 2016 // 441 Comments

I recently celebrated with The Chosen Few, an exclusive society of event planners, its 2^nd anniversary at The Rainbow Room, an NYC icon. The Chosen Few was founded by Harriette Rose Katz, an event planning veteran, and has a select group of the finest, most innovative event planners. The group additionally welcomed 3 new members at the event that included Harris Lane of Hank Lane Music & Productions, Marcus Mordachini of Fusion Productions, and Brian Dorsey of Brian Dorsey Studios. We all enjoyed an array of Asian-inspired dishes along with fruit, ice cream, and pastries, as we took in the amazing views of NYC.

Later in the evening, Harriette’s daughter Melissa Rosenbloom and her nieces Claudia Warner and Trisha Stern gave a speech about Harriette’s successful ventures and her focus on family. Harriett then spoke about The Chosen Few’s growth across the past two years and her passion for what she does. She introduced all 23 members of the society and inducted the new members with plaques and medallions. It was an honor to hear about The Chosen Few’s growth and to see all of its members. I can’t wait to see what develops in the society’s third year!

Melissa Rosenbloom, Claudia Warner, and Trisha Stern

Harriette Rose Katz

Members of The Chosen Few

At The Rainbow Room

Chocolate ice cream with delicious toppings!

A breathtaking NYC view from The Rainbow Room

Resident Magazine toasts to its July issue in style

by citychickstyle // July 19, 2016 // 113 Comments

I had the pleasure of attending an outdoor soiree that was hosted by Resident Magazine in the Hamptons. It celebrated its July magazine cover stars, Stem Cell Guru Dr. Christopher Calapai and Real Housewives of New York star, Ramona Singer. The soiree took place at KOZU Restaurant in Southampton which features Japanese-Peruvian cuisine. Guests included Melissa Kassis, Michael Travin, Zach Erdem, Leesa Rowland, Larry Wohl, Sheila Rosenblum, Lucia Hwong Gordon,and Joe & Jane Pontarelli. We all enjoyed an assortment of beverages such as Lila Wines, sparkling wine from Rotari Brut Rosé, and cocktails from 50 Bleu Ultra Premium Vodka. The hors d’oeuvres were delicious and included beef skewers, chicken skewers, ahi tuna, and shrimp.

I had such a great time at the party, enjoying the company of friends and Kozu’s beautiful patio area. I also had the chance to read both magazine articles on Calapai and Singer which offer intriguing, eye-opening profiles. Congrats to Dr. Christopher Calapai and Ramona Singer on their successful cover!

Ramona Singer (Photo credit: Andrew Werner)

Melissa Kassis (Photo credit: Andrew Werner)

Zach Erdem (Photo credit: Andrew Werner)

Beef Skewers at the party

A beautiful display of the July issue

Healthy Guru: An invigorating day of wellness

by citychickstyle // July 16, 2016 // 229 Comments

Last weekend, I attended a fantastic fitness and wellness event in Southampton called Healthy Guru. Shape Magazine and Social Life Magazine hosted the all-day event that benefited the Southampton Arts Center. It featured fitness classes, panels, sampling booths, and wellness vendors. Special guests at the panels included Carlos Leon, Dr. David Greuner, MD, Courtney Paul, Michael Morelli, and Lyss Stern. Other guests that came to support the event included Veronica Webb, Leesa Rowland, Larry Wohl, Dr. Kenneth Mark, and Kim DePaola. Fitness classes were taught by experts from studios such as Pure Barre, Pure Yoga OMG Meditate, Ripped, Kore, AKT IN MOTION, and DanceBody. I took classes by Kore and AKT in Motion which were intense but totally fun!!

I also enjoyed checking out products from Rodan +Fields, Phat Buddhawear, Beauty Blow Bar, Erzo, MOO, JUJA Active, ASH + AMES, Kore, and White Apothecary. We all stayed hydrated with Essentia Water and WTRMLN WTR, and nourished with lite bites from celebrity caterer Andrea Correale. We also enjoyed Luna Bars, POPCHIPS, and other delicious healthy snacks.

The event ended with a cocktail party led by Celebrity DJ CHEF “The Chef That Rocks!” and Cutthroat Kitchen Champion, Marc Weiss. There was also a fashion show by JUJA Active, featuring actress and style guru, Rachel Heller, as well as a group of Click Models. Such a pleasure attending a healthy-oriented and social event in the Hamptons!

Carrie Brudner and Carlos Leon (Photo credit: Iris Zimmerman)

Chris Delgatto, Veronica Webb and Justin Mitchell (Photo credit: Iris Zimmerman)

Kim DePaola and Andrea Correale (Photo credit: Jerritt Clark)

Larry Wohl and Leesa Rowland (Photo credit: Jerritt Clark)

Summer Fancy Food Show ’16: Innovative products and ideas

by citychickstyle // July 12, 2016 // 239 Comments

Specialty Food Association recently invited me to its 2016 Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center. There were over 2,600 exhibitors from both the U.S. and all over the world at the show. I was thrilled to see some of the brands that I had interacted with last year such as Popsalot and Brent & Sam’s Cookies. I also learned about a number of brands that were new to me such as Pedon, Franklin & Sons Ltd., Oxford, Feel Good Foods, and Cobram Estate. The show featured 3 days’ worth of seminars, sampling tables, new product exhibits, and the sofi™ awards.

We all enjoyed a mix of cuisines such as Mexican, Italian, and American at the show’s cocktail party. It was a great way to further network with the food exhibitors. They all brought something interesting to the show whether it was pasta, candy, olive oil, snacks, cheese, or even cooking advice. As usual, , I had such an engaging, informative experience at Summer Fancy Food Show!

Ford Escape brings thrills to the city

by citychickstyle // July 11, 2016 // 390 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was invited to check out Ford’s first-ever Escape The Room “ride and drive” experience at Skylight at Moynihan Station. Ford collaborated with Victor Blake, Escape The Room Founder, and his team to celebrate the launch of the new 2017 Ford Escape. This is the largest Escape The Room experience. It took over 35,000 feet of space, with the vehicle creatively integrated into the game. I enjoyed going through five different rooms such as an art studio and an office. My team and I had to find clues that would help us get out! This was my first-ever Escape The Room experience, and I was super impressed.

Throughout the experience, we learned about the Ford Escape’s great new features such as Enhanced Active Park Assist, a rear-view camera, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, and remote start. With its range of features, the 2017 Ford Escape is definitely practical and enjoyable to ride in. In one of the rooms, we even got to open the liftgate just by using our feet!

Furthermore, with this experience, Ford aimed at reaching millennials to connect with their thrill for interactive, game-type adventures. The teams with the best escape times received cool prizes such as headphones and a home entertainment system. I loved this engaging experience and getting to know more about the vehicle. Check out the 2017 Ford Escape for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

Celebrating summer bliss with Chandon

by citychickstyle // July 7, 2016 // 350 Comments

Chandon recently invited me to its inaugural American Summer Fete at The Highline. The soiree paid tribute to Napa Valley fanfare and to summer’s arrival. It featured fun activities such as a flower crown-making booth, Jenga, Connect Four, Ring Toss, and a live performance by Powers. Arielle Charnas from Something Navy and Natalie Suarez from Natalie Off Duty joined the party as well as other influencers, tastemakers, and trendsetters. We had delicious fare such as tacos, empandas, and macarons. We also enjoyed sipping sparkling wine in red and blue glasses from 2016 Chandon American Summer Limited Edition bottles.

I can’t get over how pretty these bottles are! The Brut version is wrapped in a vibrant red, white, and blue design. The Rosé version is decked out in a red, white, and pink design. The bottles definitely celebrate Chandon’s American heritage in a stellar way! They’re perfect for a picnic, rooftop soiree, poolside party, at the beach, or any other fun summer celebration. You can find them at chandon.com, available as 750 ml bottles or mini bottles, from now until Labor Day. I’m looking forward to more lively toasts to summer with Chandon American Summer!