Conservancy group Oceana is collaborating with swimwear brand Miguelina for a capsule of beach-ready apparel and accessories launching exclusively on Net-a-Porter today, July 6. 

Two winters ago while in Tulum, designer Miguelina Gambaccini was dismayed to see so much garbage on a beach that was supposedly pristine and remote. That frustration led her to Oceana and a six-piece capsule to launch on Net-a-Porter today July 6. 

The capsule, which includes a bikini, "beachy" bracelet, tank, clutch, Panama hat, and tote, is designed to raise awareness for Oceana's fabulous conservancy work and reinforces Miguelina's  connection to the ocean and preserving its beauty.

The pieces retail between $46 and $250.

The collection launches just in time Shark Week, the popular showcase on Discovery Channel, which started on July 5, and helps highlight Oceana’s campaigns to protect sharks threatened by bycatch and shark finning.

Miguelina worked with noted surf photographer Jeff Hornbaker for the images.

Swifty’s Restaurant on the Upper East Side celebrated the start of summer with an Art Show, titled Water Works, on Thursday June 25, 2015 by renowned painter and mixed media artist Elizabeth Nagle, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm in the restaurant’s front room.

Nagle’s Water Works exhibition included 12 pieces of artwork, which have the representation of water being the predominant theme. Through innovative use of color and form, she aims to capture memories she associates with her experiences with water.  At the event, she said to the crowd of eager guests, that she’s particularly inspired by the phenomena of pareidolia, which is when people can see faces in objects such as tree trunks and in the case for her, faces within the various water-inspired features. She said that each work in the exhibition started without a plan or direction until she utilized pareidolia as inspiration.
 
Notable guests in attendance included Elizabeth Nagle (Artist), Robert Caravaggi (Co-owner, Swifty’s), Stephen and Patricia Attoe (Chef & Co-Owner, Swifty’s), Suzette Charles, Carmen D’Alessio, Kim Freehill, Julie Hayek, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Lauren Roberts, Randi Schatz and Jean Shafiroff.

Patrons at Swifty’s are always delighted to experience the exquisite selection of paintings and photos displayed on the walls of the restaurant whilst enjoying the menu and its ambiance. Each exhibition is curated by Chef & Co-Owner Stephen Attoe’s wife Patricia and her business partner Rebecca Silver who draw upon on their extensive art backgrounds when selecting the art for the restaurant. New York artist Mary Lou Schempf’s stunning work is currently exhibited in the back room through the end of September when it will return to the front. Her work complements the restaurant’s style and décor which was originally brought to life by famed decorators Mario Buatta and Anne Eisenhower.


ABOUT ELIZABETH NAGLE:
Elizabeth Nagle is primarily a painter and a mixed media artist however she also explores printmaking and sculpture. Her work has been presented in many galleries throughout Fairfield County, Conn. In 2012 she was selected by General Electric, along with 5 other women, to exhibit in their 6th Annual Women’s History month exhibit. She was juried into SOLOS, Westport Art Center 2013 by Curator Susan Cross of MASS MoCA. She was one of nine artists presented in Nine Solos at The New Canaan Carriage Barn. Her work has been included and recognized in many group shows including Spectrum at The Carriage Barn (New Canaan, Conn.), Bruce S. Kershner Gallery (Fairfield, Conn.), Rowayton Art Center and the Flinn Gallery (Greenwich, Conn.).Elizabeth recently moved to Dorset, VT where she regularly exhibits at The Southern Vermont Art Center, including a solo show in 2013. Elizabeth completed her BFA at the San Francisco Art Institute after first attending Bard College.  Elizabeth has spent very few days without a paintbrush in her hands. She started designing and painting needlepoint canvases while attending high school in London, England. This trade provided her with the ability to always work from home and pursue her passion for painting. She has worked for and learned from some of the biggest names in the industry and still produces designs for several well-known stores and wholesalers including Erica Wilson (Nantucket, Mass.), The House of Needlepoint (Darien, Conn.) and In Stitches (Dorset, VT). She also sells her canvases out of her Etsy shop, Doolittle Stitchery.

For more information, please visit http://www.saatchiart.com/Elizabethnagle

On June 15, The Womanity Foundation celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dinner and panel discussion at Le Cirque, in New York City. The Geneva-based organization, which works to empower women and girls around the world, came to New York for the first time to make new friends and learn about their work. Yann Borgstedt, the founder and chair of Womanity, welcomed guests with a special Swiss red wine, Syrah du Valais, before moderating a panel discussion, “Progressing Together: What Men Gain from Women’s Empowerment and Gender Parity.”

Panelists included James Benedict (Women’s Investment Network), Ronald Bruder (Education for Employment), Ambassador Craig Johnstone (Vital Voices), Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), and Diana Rowan Rockefeller (Afghan Women Leaders CONNECT). They discussed their own organizations and the importance of empowering women.

Yann said, “There's a deep sense of purpose and power when like-minded people convene to share experiences and plans, and Womanity's anniversary dinner was one of those rich moments. We feel inspired to work even harder, together with new allies and partners, to advance girls and women and create better, more just societies.”

Womanity executive director Antonella Notari Vischer said, “We came to NY to make new friends, with whom we could share, learn, collaborate and grow. Monday night, we felt very welcomed and privileged to start many conversations that we trust will lead to fruitful partnerships around the efforts to empower women world-wide.”

Guests included: Jean-Christian Agid, Prince Faisal Al Saud, Gary Barker, Jane Bieneman, Sharon Bush, Julia Chu, Christine Dutreil, Dina Said Dwyer and Michael Dwyer, Andrea Fletcher, Tom Jones, Mirian Khiari, Ilze Melngailis, Patricia Morris, Sari Percaya, Christina Piaia, Allison Rockefeller, Jim Rosenfield, Ambassador Paul Seger, Denise Sinclair, Troy Wolfe, and many more.  

Guests dined on a spring pea risotto, pan seared salmon with fingerling potatoes, broccoli raab, and a lemon beurre blanc, and a dessert trio of molten chocolate cake, strawberry tart, and crème brûlée.

Womanity’s vision, since its founding in 2005, is of a world where all women and men have equal and full social, economic, and political participation. They aim to PROTECT women’s and girls’ physical and psychological welfare. EDUCATE by supporting girls’ and women’s access to quality education and vocational training. GIVE VOICE to women in the media to influence society, politics, and governance institutions. And ECONOMICALLY EMPOWER to create employment, revenue generation, and professional career opportunities for women.

Womanity focuses on innovation, efficacy, potential for growth or replication to generate lasting, and positive changes to women’s and girls’ roles in society.They do this by identifying local needs, designing inventive programs that meet those needs, and by collaborating with our entrepreneurial partners to implement and scale up programs that accelerate progress for women and girls within their communities.

Photography by Owen Hoffmann

Guests that attended included: Rocco Ancarola, Ronny Baroody, Francesca Beale, Jonathan Cabrera, Bert and Meredith Cohen, Mary and Jack Corcoran, Abigail Corona, Consuelo Costin, Courtney Dolan, Scott Englund, Michelle Flagg, Peter Frome, Lauren and David Gidseg, Margaret Grioli, Joan and Jon Gruen, Debra Halpert, Joanne and Marc Hamroff, Sara Herbert-Galloway, Dottie Herman, Jill Kandell, Carol and Ken Marlboro, Krystal Mendez, Pamela Morgan, Jennifer and Glenn Myles, Anita and Chris Nigrel, Nicole Noonan, Sean Olnowich, Barbara Poliwoda, Anna Rhodes, Ed Scheetz, Sarah Siciliano, Ramona Singer, and Andrea and Joel Wernic

American Heart Association’s mission is to building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Their mission drives everything they do.

Credit: ManhattanSociety.com by Lauren Ensler & ManhattanSociety.com by Gregory Partanio

On Monday June 1st, 2015, the 33rd Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, which recognizes outstanding achievement in dance on Broadway and in film each season, honored Broadway legend Joel Grey as well as film and theater producer Harvey Weinstein at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The gala evening was hosted by Two-Time Drama Desk Award nominated actress Christina Bianco.

Presented by Patricia Watt, the Producer of the Astaire Awards and The Douglas Watt Family Fund for the Performing Arts, as well as The Fred Astaire International Dance Studios, the event began with a VIP cocktail reception followed by the show and awards presentation. For the first time, the awards were live-streamed across the United States.

The ceremony began with a performance of “New York, New York” from the three-time Astaire Award nominated musical On The Town.  Proceeding, actress and impressionist Christina Bianco channeled Kristen Chenowith and Bernadette Peters in a rousing duet of sorts to “Shall We Dance.” She brought some of her other impersonations into the performance including Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Liza Minelli, Sutton Foster and Patti Lupone. Following that performance, Astaire Awards Executive Producer Patricia Watt and Director Joe Lanteri took the stage to welcome the crowd to the awards ceremony.

She thanked the audience for coming and listed a few names in particular including nominee Warren Carlyle saying, “If everyone were like Warren Carlyle, the world would be a better place.” She then shared that part of the proceeds from the event benefit The Douglas Watt Foundation, and brought Executive Director of the foundation Jessica Zippin to share more about its mission.

The foundation works with children, usually on the autism spectrum, to help develop social skills and communication through dance. “For children who are nonverbal, it’s important to learn to communicate through their bodies”

Following a brief video presentation on the work of the foundation, Tony Award nominated actress Tovah Feldshuh introduced the Astaire Awards winner for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater and Film Harvey Weinstein.

She commended him for his commitment to dance in his movies despite not being “a guy who started at the ballet bar.”

“There’s a reason why Harvey Weinstein is thanked more than God,” she said adding that it is because, “He believes in us, he believes in artists.”

Proceeding her introduction, performers Jonathan Ritter and Astaire Award Nominee Melanie Moore took to the stage to perform a rendition of “Neverland” from the musical Finding Neverland, which he produces. This was then followed by a video tribute of dance sequences from his movies including Shakespeare in Love and Pulp Fiction.

Finding Neverland choreographer and Astaire Awards nominee Mia Michaels presented the award to Weinstein. “Not only was he the father of Finding Neverland,” she said, “he was my teacher and my bad ass big brother.”

“[Harvey] You make the world and the arts a better place,” she shared before welcoming Weinstein to the stage,

Harvey Weinstein opened up his speech by stating, “I am not leader of Finding Neverland, that’s Diane Paulus. I’m just the bad ass big brother.”

He pointed out that Finding Neverland was not nominated for any Tony Awards, yet still makes $1 million per week. He stressed, “We need new voices on Broadway. We need new guys like me on Broadway.”

The building blocks of the urbane woman’s wardrobe, BOSS Fundamentals is the concentrated essence of the new BOSS Womenswear aesthetic established by Artistic Director Jason Wu.

Focused around the quintessentially BOSS codes of streamlined luxury and superlative tailoring, BOSS Fundamentals offers a condensed capsule of beautiful pieces, designed as a versatile foundation of the modern business wardrobe.

Impeccably cut tailoring, the perfect shift dress and the timeless cotton blouse are all hero pieces that will remain an essential part of a woman’s uniform today and tomorrow. BOSS Fundamentals also offers a trio of jackets to cater for every eventuality; each imbued with the perennial appeal of bespoke menswear, but reworked with a distinctly feminine twist.

Every element is designed to slot seamlessly alongside seasonal pieces, and is tightly edited around a color spectrum of tuxedo black, anthracite gray and midnight navy, livened with flashes of crisp white.

An embossed metallic staple is the new icon of the collection, reflecting the workmanship and eye for detail behind every BOSS piece. BOSS Fundamentals is exactly that – the fundamental building blocks of the professional woman’s wardrobe.

                                                                                            View MORE Photos HERE.