Daily Front Row

2013 May 23

Ruffian 90210

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BRIAN AND CLAUDE in THE PENHOUSE OF THE THOMPSON
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Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of Ruffian are back with another adventure from their glam life. This time, the boys journey to the West Coast for a few star sightings, some nuptials, and a penthouse party. They've documented it all for you. Without further ado...

"Beverly Hills, California was formally established in 1906 and named after its incorporators’ hometown of Beverly, Massachusetts. Originally, the property was used for oil drilling, but when the owners discovered there wasn’t enough oil to exploit commercially, they turned to the next best thing to exploit, Hollywood. The First tinsel town pioneers of  'The BH' were Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, the Branjolina of their day. Pickfair, the mythical mansion they built together, was described by Life Magazine as “a gathering place slightly less important than the White House, but much more fun.” Fast-forward 100 years...enter the Ruffians! 

A trip out west is always a treat for us Ruffians. When we when we found out our dear friends Carlton Dewoody and Sarah Connolly were getting married in Beverly Hills, we decided to make a week of it. When in Beverly Hills, there is only one place we want to be, and that’s the Thompson Hotel. Its late 6o’s inspired décor makes us feel like James Bond. Speaking of 007, after checking into the incredible penthouse, we headed up to our rooftop cabana, ordered martinis (shaken, not stirred) and called our very own Bond Girl, friend and actress/model extraordinaire Lydia Hearst, to go over some last minute details and wardrobe for the Ruffian party she was hosting for us later that week.  The rooftop pool was buzzing with Hollywood glitterati, most notably the handsome Ryan Phillippe whose cruel intentions unfortunately did not include us that afternoon. After sufficiently baking, and noshing on grilled artichokes with truffle aioli, we headed back to the Penthouse, did a quick photoshoot of Claude in his bikini, (see photo Gallery) showered, (each in his own glorious marble bathroom!) and headed out to the farmer's market with our West Coast Brand Manager Dayna Zegarelli to stock our kitchen with our favorite goodies for the week.

Sunday was Funday and there is no place more whimsical in Beverly Hills than Dawnridge, the estate of Tony Duquette, which set the stage for the post-nuptial Cinco de Mayo brunch of Carlton & Sarah. As the mariachi band played on a Japanese Pagoda across the koi pond, we surveyed the extraordinary property where more is more. A designer of film and theatrical sets, movie star mansions, gardens, furniture, costumes and jewelry, he was also a conjurer, magically transforming plaster, paint, industrial materials, shiny discount store wares and mirrors into dazzling sculptures and exotic tableaux inspired by the storybook fantasies of his youth.  With all of the day’s visual stimulation, it was a pleasure to retire for the evening in our modern penthouse and loll on the Mies Van der Rohe chaise lounge overlooking the hills from our terrace and the Steven Klein photos on the wall.

With the wedding festivities over we were back to work, and there is nothing we enjoy more than meeting the women we dress. Satine is one of our favorite stores in L.A., and the owner, Jeannie Lee, is definitely one of the chicest ladies we know. Her unique ability to mix uptown with downtown and serve it in a fresh new way is what keeps her loyal customers coming back season after season. We spent the day at Satine on 3^rd Street observing the master in action, dressing all of our LA gals in the newest Fall 2013 Collection. 

Tuesday had finally arrived, the day of our big house (or, rather, penthouse) party! Audi’s had been arranged for our VIP’s, the catering was taste-tested and approved, and us Ruffians headed to the Robert Vetica Salon for buffing in true movie star fashion. The concept of our event was to bring a N.Y. apartment party to L.A. We have always been struck by the idea of voyeurism in hotels, and we thought it would be fun to let our L.A. friends discover the collection in various parts of our suite. We filled the many closets with our collection. Also, we left some of our more naughty items, like bras and miniskirts, strewn in the bathroom and laid on the bed. Speaking of naughty: nothing gets the crowd going like Casamigos tequila cocktails courtesy of our favorite Hollywood heartthrob, George Clooney!  As the space filled and the crowd mingled, we spotted some of our favorite Ruffian gals including Rose McGowan, China Chow, Lauren Harper, Jillian Murphy, Bonnie Somerville, and Hannah Ware. As if on cue (it is L.A., after all) Lydia [Hearst] entered the buzzing party and parted the crowd like the Red Sea. Her seamless elegance and California provenance made her the perfect host for our L.A. debut. Later that evening the gals all joined us for a late supper downstairs at Caulfield's. The Americana bistro-inspired menu was the perfect continuation of our east coast/west coast Ruffian exchange weekend. As we nibbled on our lobster clubs and shared bites of New York strip steak, we quickly understood the buzz surrounding this impeccably-decorated eatery.  As the clock struck midnight, in true silver screen fashion, we headed back up to our terrace, drank champagne and stared in awe at the incredible stars above, in, and around Beverly Hills.

P.S. Follow Ruffian on Facebook!"

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2013 May 23

Anna Gets Green

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Anna Wintour
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It's spriiiiiiing! We always like to keep track of the comings and goings of Anna Wintour and she spent a little time in the garden on Tuesday night on a magnificent evening. The MoMA held their "Party In The Garden" event at the museum that brought out the likes of Mayor Bloomberg, Kimberly Ovitz, Rachel Roy, Jeff Koons, Tamara Mellon, and Rachel Feinstein. The NY Times reports that a fashion moment happened when Cindy Sherman and Feinstein showed up to the event wearing the exact same black-and-white geometric print dress by Marc Jacobs. We've all been there. 

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2013 May 23

Kristin Scott Thomas Dazzles In Armani

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Gorgeous!
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One woman we wish we saw more of on the red carpet is the divine Kristin Scott Thomas, who dazzled in Cannes last night. The actress attended the premiere of Only God Forgives in a blue Giorgio Armani Privè tapered dress, embroidered all over with sequins and featuring a deep neckline. This is how you do it. 

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2013 May 23

Beauty's MVP Winners, According To Redbook

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Tiffani Theissen at Redbook's MVP Awards Breakfast
Courtesy Redbook View Gallery

There are a deluge of potions, pigments, and miracle concoctions out there, and someone's gotta wade through it all, one pomade, lip stain, and body butter at a time. Thankfully, the folks at Redbook sampled 400 (!) bits of beauty loot to find 2013's standout 43 products. Who sussed out the top salves and other salvaging goodies? A team of the mag's editors, along with experts like Drybar blowout babe Alli Webb, make up maven Pati Dubroff, haute hair guru Rita Hazan, and waxing whiz Cindy Barshop. On Tuesday morning, the glossy took an early morning field trip a few blocks north of its Hearst Tower digs to celebrate this year's crop of beauty winners with an awards breakfast at A Voce. On hostessing duty: actress Tiffani Thiessen (she'll always be Kelly Kapowski to us!), who took the crowd through her beauty highlights and blunders. Wondering why Thiessen was a prime pick for a beauty loot whittle-down? “I grew up spending a good chunk of time the makeup chair so beauty products have been a big part of my life," Thiessen told the crowd. Indeed! Other highlights from Tiff's walk down product-strewn memory lane? Her infatuation with Aqua Net, circa Saved By The Bell; claims of sporting the Rachel coif before the Rachel; and musings on being blonde at her wedding. On a fashion front, she's all about color lately (evidenced by the teal frock she donned at the breakfast!), and has gotten more jazzed about bright hues since becoming a mom. J'adore. Back to the beauty intel!

Check out the full scoop here...Plus! The full slew of 43 MVP-worthy beauty products, right this way...  

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