Jenny Han is a celeb favorite. When she presented her fall 2010 collection at Audrey’s Night Out, actress Ashley Jones (Bold and the Beautiful, True Blood) insisted on being there, a devoted Jenny Han fan.
Designer Jenny Han and celeb fan Ashley Jones of Bold and the Beautiful.
And it’s no wonder. Jenny Han’s clothes are consistently on trend, super cool and eminently wearable. Launched in the fall of 2004, Jenny Han creates clothes for the woman who is “romantic and girly with an edge.” Take a look yourself and just try not to fall in love.
The Hollywood chic that makes Jenny Han a celeb favorite.
For more on Jenny Han, click here.
May 2011 be a year of love, happiness, prosperity and Audrey for you and your loved ones.
We’re helping you kick off your New Year right. The first 10 comments to this post will get a free subscription, either for you or for a friend. So share with us one New Year’s resolution that you will be (or should be making) to better yourself. (Mine is to reconnect with and nurture long-neglected friends … and also to take a Photoshop class!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
C.C. Couture was started by Carol Chen, who first came to Audrey‘s attention as the first Asian American Miss San Francisco. Back then, she talked of her aspirations of becoming a designer, and now she has! Check out some looks from her line at Audrey’s Night Out.
The designer herself, Carol Chen.
With the year winding down, Audrey Magazine has narrowed down some greats of 2010.
It’s been a big year in fashion. Not only did the supremacy of Asians and Asian Americans in fashion get the official CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund stamp of approval (Richard Chai, Alexander Wang and Jason Wu all won this year; Prabal Gurung was a runner up for the Fashion Fund), but Wu, Gurung, Thai American designer Thakoon, and Indian designer Naeem Khan were all First Lady picks for important events.
Jason Wu, Richard Chai, and Alexander Wang, winners of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund 2010. Photo courtesy of The New York Times.
MIchelle Obama in Thakoon at the White House, May 2010.
Relative newcomer Joseph Altuzarra may have been beat by Jason Wu for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear, but the French designer (his mother is Asian American, his father is French) is getting major buzz, especially with his recent appearance in Vogue‘s November issue. (Hello cutie!)
Joseph Altuzarra and model Joan Small in Vogue's November 2010 issue.
As for the women, Anna Sui had a big anniversary (the big 3-0), releasing her first ever retrospective coffee table book. Vera Wang celebrated her 20th anniversary with the release of a special fragrance, Vera Wang Anniversary. Designer milliner Eugenia Kim hit the big time with her hat collection collaboration with Target. And Chinese-Brit Alexa Chung became fashion’s It girl, launching her own collection for Madewell and single-handedly bringing prep back into the fashion lexicon.
Anna Sui, the retrospective book.
Internationally, Jakarta Fashion Week joined the slew of Asian cities showing off their sartorial talent, including Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok, New Delhi, Mumbai and Shanghai. Korean designers are particularly catching the industry’s attention, with Concept Korea showing at New York Fashion Week for Spring 2011, and Korean designer Lee Jean Youn winning international label Mango’s second annual Fashion Awards.
A look from Jakarta Fashion Week, courtesy of Image.net.
Designer Lee Jean Youn and his winning collection for Mango in Barcelona.
And it doesn’t look like the Asian fashion invasion is gonna slow down any time soon. A whole slew of Asian and Asian American designers are being tapped for collaborations and to head major fashion houses, including:
* Filipino American handbag and shoe designer Rafe Totengco, known for his line Rafe New York, has been appointed creative director of handbags at Jones Apparel Group, Inc., a mega-company whose brands include Nine West, Stuart Weitzman, Anne Klein, Jones New York, among others. (He just received the Presidential Award from Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III last week.)
Rafe Totengco, far right, receiving the Presidential Award from His Excellency, President Benigno S. Aquino III. (PRNewsFoto/The Jones Group Inc.)
Ming Xi models some Peter Som prints in his spring 2011 show.
* Luxury linens company SFERRA is collaborating with Peter Som to create a luxury home collection. Inspired by his signature prints from his runway collections, Som’s collection will encompass everything from bedding to tabletop. The collection will debut in January.
* Richard Chai has been tapped to create an exclusive, limited-edition menswear collection for Original Penguin, to debut in February. The full Richard Chai for Original Penguin line will debut for fall 2011.
* Target’s Go International Designer Collective, which will launch March 13, features designs by Richard Chai and Thakoon, among other past Target collaborators.
The fashion forecast for Asian representation in 2011? So on trend.
“I can see myself in everything by Mik Imik!” raved Kavi Ladnier at Audrey’s Night Out 2010.
Mik Imik's opening look.
It was a practically the mantra of the night. So many women came up to me raving about Korean native Kimi Kim’s line of contemporary women’s wear. (That’s right — her line is her name spelled backwards.) The Parsons grad honed her skills at Anna Sui, Ann Taylor and Target Private Label before starting Mik Imik several years ago.
From poufy, ribbon-tied dresses to perfectly flattering black pants to a frothy maxi skirt paired with a slim black turtleneck, Kim creates tailored pieces for the sophisticated career woman. Check out more of her looks from Audrey’s Night Out.
The designer, Kimi Kim.
Find out more about Mik Imik here.
From all of us to all of you:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Our gift to you: everyone who comments below gets a free subscription, just in time for the New Year!
Tiffany Chou "Wish On These" earrings.
She sells sea shells …
I love jewelry with a story. And not only is Tiffany Chou‘s jewelry so much more than meets the eye, so is she.
The New York-based designer was adopted from Seoul, Korea at the age of 3 months. Her Chinese American father and Italian Amerian mother raised her and her two adopted brothers, one from Korea and one from Cambodia, in her father’s native Maui.
Tiffany Chou "Conched Out" necklace.
With that unique and eclectic perspective, you know Tiffany’s going to bring a little something special to her jewelry, and she channels her artistry into an appreciation for sea life. She’s all about making the least impact on the environment, so she hand selects a few shells and creates a mold. From there, she metal casts the pieces into simple but stunning jewelry that tell a story and give back to the environment. (Tiffany donates 5 percent of all profits to the Dancing Palette and the Coral Reef Alliance.)
Now, just in time for the holidays, Audrey readers get 15% off all jewelry purchases on TiffanyChou.com. Just enter promo code “AUDREY” at checkout. You have from today to January 17, 2011 to use the promo code.
Of course, you know it wouldn’t be TGIFree Friday if we didn’t give you something gratis also. So we’re giving away a Tiffany Chou “Oh My Urchin” bangle in 5/8 inch rose gold to two lucky Audrey readers. I love this bangle, especially in rose gold (so chic and flattering on our skintone), created by piecing together casted sea urchin fragments. The texture of the sea urchin looks a little rock n’ roll while the rose gold adds elegance to the bangle. Stack it with bangles you already own for an eclectic look, or show it off alone.
Tiffany Chou "Oh My Urchin" 5/8-inch rose gold bangle -- two lucky Audrey readers will get one.
Carrie Ann Inaba of Dancing With the Stars shows off her Tiffany Chou "Oh My Urchin" bangles.
You have till Wednesday, December 22, 11:59 pm to do the following:
1. Take a photo of yourself and your copy of Audrey Magazine‘s Winter 2010-11 issue.
2. Upload your photo to our Facebook wall, or tweet your photo to @audreymagazine.
3. Then comment to this post telling us your favorite story in the Winter issue.
Remember, you must have a U.S. mailing address to win. Good luck!
I feel like it’s been ages since I last heard about Lucy Liu. (I’m still mourning the end of Cashmere Mafia, mostly because there are so few shows with an Asian heroine, and also because we loved seeing Jack Yang on screen!) But apparently, Liu’s been busy!
Lucy Liu in "Marry Me."
Lucy Liu is back with the two-episode romantic comedy, Marry Me, on Lifetime tonight, December 12, starting at 9 pm. Liu stars as Rae Ann Carter, an aspiring artist-slash-social worker who is a hopeless romantic, on the constant look out for her fairy tale ending. It’s clearly not working out with her commitment-phobe boyfriend Adam (Bobby Cannavale), so she dumps him, only to meet a new guy, Luke (Steven Pasquale), who proposes after a few short dates. Well, when it rains, it pours. Not only does a third guy enter the picture, but Adam returns with a proposal of his own. Every girl’s fairy tale come true? I think so.
Thankfully, the advance word on the mini-series is good, so hopefully this will launch Liu into a regular series. And whether you’re a chick flick person or not, this sounds like the perfect guilty pleasure on a cold winter night. Get your cup of tea or hot cocoa, curl up and relish in your little-girl-Cinderella fantasies.
Check out the trailer here:
DETAILS
Marry Me
Lifetime
Dec. 12, 9 pm
Dec. 13, 9 pm
We introduced Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto — one of only 60 master sake sommeliers in the world and recent recipient of the Sake Samurai Award from the Japan Sake Brewers Association — to you in our Winter 2010-11 issue. Now you can try Matsumoto’s famous pairings for yourself.
Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto.
Starting Wednesday, December 1, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant debuts its new sake pairing menu, available at all 11 Southern California locations. The self-guided exploration of Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto’s list features 12 different sakes and encourages diners to delve into the traditional Japanese beverage. Matsumoto has designed the new pairing menu to include simple tasting notes on each sake and suggestions for matching the best bites.
Kabuki’s new pairing menu features sakes from across the board, including Kiku Masamune ($3.50 glass/$10.50 carafe), a best-selling sake in Tokyo, with clean, tart berry flavors that pair well with Grilled Calamari ($7.95); Mu ($27.95, 300ml bottle), a fruity, well-rounded award winner complements the Kabuki Roll ($10.95); and the unfiltered, California-brewed Sho Chiku Bai Nigori ($10.95, 300ml bottle), whose sweet and milky nuances are perfect for Kabuki’s Fire Cracker ($6.95).
Take advantage of the pairing menu all day or at select Kabuki Japanese Restaurant‘s special Reverse Happy Hour. No more rushing to get to happy hour by 5 pm. (Who gets off that early in this economic environment of do-more-with-less?) At Kabuki’s Reverse Happy Hour, you can stroll in after a late night at work and treat yourself to $1 rolls and sake cocktail specials.
From 9 p.m. until closing, Monday through Thursday, order from a special menu of Executive Chef Masa Kurihara’s traditional and innovative sushi, specialty rolls, and appetizers, and receive a second order for only $1. Rolls start at $2.95 and include the Spicy Tuna Roll; Gold Rush Roll; and Rose Roll with Lightly Battered Shrimp Tempura, A-Grade Avocado, and Spicy Tuna. Appetizers such as Gyoza Dumplings; Broiled Mussels on Half Shell; and Fire Cracker with Spicy Tuna, Chopped Tomato, and Eggroll Chips are all under $5, and edamame comes with the purchase of any sushi order.
Of course, don’t forget what makes happy hour so happy — cocktails! Matsumoto hand selects an assortment of sake, beer, wine and sake-based cocktails for the restaurant, including Reverse Happy Hour specials like the Ki-Bomb Sake Bomb ($3.75); Sapporo Draft Beer ($1.95/12 oz); Cedar Brook Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon ($3.25/glass); Sake Sangria ($4.25/glass); and the Saketini in Creamy Peach, Fuji Apple, or Pomegranate ($5.95). And since one cocktail is never enough, a second order is just $1 each.
Because seriously, after the economic year we’ve had, it’s time get happy.
DETAILS
WHAT: Kabuki Restaurant’s Reverse Happy Hour
WHEN: Monday-Thursday from 9 p.m. to close
Sunday from 8 p.m. to close
WHERE:
Kabuki Howard Hughes Center (West L.A.)
6081 Center Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310.641.5524
Kabuki Brea
Brea Marketplace
975 East Birch St., #K
Brea, CA 92821
714.255.0090
Kabuki Old Town Pasadena
88 W. Colorado Blvd., Suite 103
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.568.9310
Kabuki Valencia
Bridgeport Marketplace
24045 Newhall Ranch Rd, #A-2
Valencia, CA 91354
661.799.8655
We featured Thai designer Disaya in our Winter 2010-11 issue, and she also featured her fall line at Audrey’s Night Out. Educated at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London, Disaya Prokobsantisukh honed her craft at John Galliano before launching the critically acclaimed Boudoir by Disaya, a lingerie line. She’s since expanded to ready to wear and jewelry that any fashionista would recognize as the right balance between wearability and design. Here are some more looks from her fall line.
My personal favorite -- the fur sleeve jacket by Disaya.
For more looks from Disaya, click here.
