interview

On his recent trip to New York, I was able to catch up with Rocky Patel. He discusses his three newest cigars, including the recently released Patel Brothers stick (which is an enjoyable smoke). He still has a three more cigars up his sleeve for 2010, including a 15th anniversary cigar and a special edition stick. The anniversary cigar hits the streets in June, with the other two cigars being released over the summer. Watch the video for the full story from Rocky Patel himself.



Disclosure: I interviewed Rocky Patel while attending a cigar dinner as an unpaid guest of De La Concha. Even if I had not invited, I would have shown up at a minimum to interview Rocky without participating in the dinner.
[Photos by Steve Zak]

Many of us visit vineyards and wineries as a way to escape. We take in the sweeping, lush scenery and enjoy the aromatic, literally intoxicating fruits of the winemakers' labors. Often, we wax poetic about how serene it would be to have a vineyard of our own, but few of us ever have the means or the drive to actually do so. On a snowy evening in Minnesota, we sat down with Patti and Tom Shadick (pictured), two Minneapolis residents who own their very own vineyard in Sonoma.

Before you scoff at the notion that a married couple in the icy north could possibly have any real involvement in California grape growing, consider who these two are: two wildly successful entrepreneurs whose magnificent backyard garden transformations have been featured in the pages of many magazines, including Renovation Style and the cover of Better Homes & Gardens.

As we sat at their handsome dining room table, Tom told the story of how his Elk River, Minnesota school superintendent used to feed the schoolchildren with vegetables from a local peet bog, which he was allowed to help farm. "That's what brought us to this," he said, referencing a history in several industries including importing Wusthof knives, "I love digging in the dirt."

With that, we dove into chatting with the growers about the pleasures and pains of owning a vineyard over 2,000 miles away. The Shadicks poured us a glass of Deux Amis, a Shadick Vineyard '06 Zinfandel, which has a charming eucalyptus nose. Eucalyptus trees from the next property hang over the Deux Amis area of the vineyard.

Luxist: So, how do you operate a vineyard all the way from here in Minneapolis?

Patti Shadick: We have a vineyard management company that operates it for us.

Tom Shadick: So, we have no employees, which is ... (thumbs up). John Clendenon and Kathy, natives of the area in their mid-fifties, they have 85 employees. They have expertise in every end of the business, they own all the equipment, they take care of all the farm labor problems, everything.

PS: We just have to write them a good sized check.

TS (laughing): Every month we get a bill, and we send them a check.

"In the Chinese folktale, we have this god, the god of the moon. He's quite old, he's like Zeus in mythology. He ties red strings around babies before they are born, and then they are destined to be together. So, it's very symbolic."

Anna Hu (right) sat across the table from me at her shop beneath the legendary Plaza Hotel, presiding over a collection of flawless stones worth millions, arranged neatly by color like baubles in a bead shop. On my wrist I wore the bracelet version of this knot ring (below) -- probably the only one in existence. The highest volume of any item Hu has ever produced, with the exception of the linked items at Kabiri at Selfridges, is three.

"The technique is to really feel like a red string. At first, I was going to make it as a bangle, and then I thought, 'But people could copy that.' So, I converted it. The shape of the heart is stable, but [the rest] is flexible."

"Would you give it to someone who was getting married?" I asked.

"It's more of a romance-related item. I created the item because a lot of couples are so deeply in love with each other, but if the timing's not right ... before marriage, why don't we have a pre-bridal collection? We could call it 'Romance.'"

Anna Hu is a jewelry designer who came to America from Taiwan as a cello prodigy when she was 14 years old to attend Walnut Hill, a prestigious arts boarding school. She went on to The New England Conservatory of Music, but hurt her shoulder. It was then that she decided to join the family business; her father is a gems dealer. "I went to my father. It was all meant to be," she said humbly. The pain of losing her first love to an injury was palpable as she talked about the switch:

"Well, I hurt my shoulder, so what could I do?"

Apparently, a lot. Hu went on to obtain a masters degree in Art History from Parsons School of Design and a second in Arts Administration at Columbia University, as well as a Graduate Gemologist Degree from the Gemological Institute of America. She started her jewelry brand at age 29.

Hu's music background is more than evident in her work. She is inspired by music and musicians she meets, such as Madonna, for whom she has created several pieces. She listens to music while she designs, and can remember exactly what she was listening to when she looks at her completed works.

"I have to listen to music," says Hu. "Rachmaninoff, Bach, sometimes I can only listen to Pacanini ... I feel all the technical challenge, and like, convert it into jewelry." ... "I have this sense of illusion of movement. If a jewelry piece cannot move, I have to make it look as though it's moving."

DANNIJO is a jewelry line from sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder (right), and though they only started up in 2008, their handmade-in-NYC collections have been seen on an extensive list of A-list celebrities from Beyonce to Natalie Portman, featured on The Today Show and in countless magazines. I first ran into them at a Fashion Week party in 2008, and I've been more than impressed by their progress, especially during a recession -- the whole industry has. In this exclusive interview, I asked Danielle Snyder how they made it happen.

Luxist: What has been the most exciting moment for your company so far?

DANNIJO: As a start-up company, there is constantly excitement. Being on the TODAY show with Natalie Morales was a huge honor. This past weekend, I went to an SNL rehearsal and saw the jewelry worn in several skits. Being featured in New York Mag was also very exciting, and just seeing the jewelry worn by random people on the streets of New York is always cool.

L: What have celebs been saying about your jewelry -- any fun celebrity anecdotes?

D: Milla Jovovich told People StyleWatch " [DANNIJO is] Elegant but modern -- my favorite new find." Beyonce bought one of our signature entangled necklaces at Bergdorf Goodman and has been photographed wearing it several times. Rihanna ended up keeping a pair of earrings that she wore in a recent music video, and Natalie Portman recommended DANNIJO on Dailybeast.com's buzz board. Natalie had brought back some stones and material from a Paris flea market that we custom-made into a cool bib-necklace for her.

L: Which are your favorite pieces?

D: I love the entangled Celia and Bahlia necklaces and chainy Harley necklaces because you can wear them several ways and get tons of use out of them. They are statement yet effortless, which is perfect for day into night. I also love our stackable mini cuffs and oversized rings. I'm especially loving our signature holiday Coco ring. I've been wearing it non-stop to all the holiday cocktail parties.

L: What's coming next for Dannijo?

D: We just opened a pop-up shop at Henri Bendel on the 3rd floor which features an entire wall of DANNIJO. We have DANNIJO reps run the shop to ensure that customers get a real personal shopping experience. We just revamped dannijo.com with tons of new user-friendly features for the ultimate accessory shopping experience. You can now shop an interactive lookbook; share, email and wishlist products; shop celebrity style; find the perfect gift by browsing the DANNIJO gift guide and consult an in-house style-expert for the perfect accessories for your look.

L: How have you grown so quickly?

D: We've been very focused on organically growing and establishing solid partnerships with select high-end retailers. We've been careful to not grow too quickly and ensure that the product is never oversaturated. DANNIJO has been fortunate enough to have a solid celebrity clientele and it's really given the brand a lot of exposure.

So there you have it -- good, old-fashioned solid business practices and a couple of lucky contacts have helped, but the real reason we think DANNIJO is such a success is the goods. Check out their stunning designs, including Danielle's favorites and some as-seen-on-celebs selections, in the gallery below.

David Yurman opened up a brand new "shop within a shop" at the iconic Bloomingdale's on 59th Street in NYC last week. Located right on the mezzanine with the cosmetics, the new David Yurman 775 sq. ft space is completely separate in design from the surrounding department store fluorescence. The opening party included not only David and his wife, Sybil, but members of the board at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as a portion of the proceeds from the first week of the new shop will be donated to The Society of MSKCC.

The opening was an absolute madhouse (which is what happens when someone shows up at Bloomingdale's with free champagne), and definitely got the word out about David Yurman's new home at Bloomingdale's. I managed to pull the charming and jovial David Yurman himself away from the masses of adoring women for a quick interview about the new shop, working as a husband and wife team, charity and inspiration.

Luxist: So, why a shop within a shop?

David Yurman: Oh, why not? We've had a smaller shop here [at Bloomingdale's] for about six years, but this is the biggest shop [within another shop] we have, probably, in the world. We have our own ceiling, we have our own video ... it's as large a size as I would imagine I would want.

L: And did you design it yourself?

DY: No -- well, I designed it with Michael Gabellini. Originally we designed the furniture, the show cases. We worked for about 5-6 months with Michael -- great designer, great person to work with -- sometimes it can be difficult; two creative people with their concepts, but to me, [the shop] is like, warm, minimal, not even minimal. Warm modern. Very functional. I mean, we used oak, solid black walnut, and it's connected to our flagship, which opened in March. Not all our stores look alike. We have five different looks in fifteen stores. This is our new design and we love it. It will be here, it'll be in our flagship, we're opening up in Paris in March, but this is -- I call it 'the pavilion.'"

L: It's a pavilion within a shop.

DY: It's a pavilion within Bloomingdale's!

L: You work with so many charitable organizations -- what's your philosophy as far as giving back?

DY: It's actually for my parents. If you have enough, you don't need any more. What's enough? I mean, I definitely have enough, so, we give back. It's the DNA of our family. I mean, I was giving back on Saturdays when I was in high school. Or, three months every year, the last few years of high school, I worked at the MS Center, I worked with underprivileged and handicapped children.

L: Sounds like they raised you well.

DY: They told me giving back, working, being with people is just .. I would never [have done] this, personally. I wanted to play football, I wanted to hang out at the mall -- but it was the best thing I ever did. It's such a good feeling.

L: What's it like working as a husband and wife team?

DY: It's difficult and rewarding. We have a lot to talk about.

L: Who does what?

DY: We make one person. Sybil's probably more focused on marketing, but I weigh in on marketing. I'm more focused on design, product development.

L: She weighs in on that?

DY: She weighs in on that. Nothing happens without both of us signing off. If we don't both sign off, it doesn't happen. We've been married for 39 years.

L: What are you working on next?

DY: It's hard to describe in words, but a lot of extensions, evolutions. We're doing a lot more 'younger,' our son is doing the men's and watches, and bridal and also the high jewelry which is amazing materials, great design, and it's where he's growing in our business. It's a family.

L: And what keeps you inspired, where you you get your ideas?

DY: You know, the thing with the word 'get' -- you can't say 'get ideas' because you kinda make yourself available to them. It's a river, you sort of guide yourself.

L: So you're just open to [ideas], you don't go looking for them?

DY: No, I don't look -- well, I'm not blind. I look at women, like I was liking [a nearby woman's] earrings ... those are my earrings! Ha! I was saying I liked them, and they're mine.

He certainly is friendly and entertaining -- and it was hard to keep the ladies from ambushing him mid-interview! Be sure and visit the new David Yurman space next time you make it to Bloomingdale's in NYC, it's like a breath of fresh air amongst the fragrances -- and, of course, the jewelry is fabulous.

Leading up to Fashion Week and the exciting festivities of Fashion's Night Out, Elie Tahari took some time to answer our burning questions. If you'd like to meet the master himself, be sure and stop by his Fashion's Night Out event on September 10th at his Soho boutique -- Alexa Ray Joel will be performing from 7-9 PM!

Luxist: How do you feel your past has shaped your designs and the way you work -- growing up in the Middle East and working as an electrician, for example?

Elie Tahari: My childhood was filled with tough times but those experiences motivated me to succeed. When I first arrived in New York City my goal was to find happiness, success and true love – I was lucky enough to find all three. All of these elements still drive me today.

L: You design such a wide range of collections. How do you make everything from a suit to a gown feel "Tahari?"

ET: I have been dressing women for close to 30 years now and I am constantly learning from the women in my life, namely [my wife] Rory, and my customers too. My collection is known for versatile pieces that are modern, sexy and exude easy sophistication. Each collection incorporates expert tailoring, intricate detailing and luxurious fabrications. This philosophy has not changed. I strive to develop items that fit the wants and needs of my customer and their wants and needs certainly change overtime, but my design philosophy does not.

L: Do you design with a certain kind of person in mind?

ET: I try to create clothes that flatter the feminine figure in a subtle and beautiful way, creating pieces that come alive when a woman wears them. I want to emphasize a woman's natural beauty as opposed to masking or hiding it. To me, the Elie Tahari woman is sophisticated, sexy and confident.

L: How did you get involved with Fashion's Night Out?

ET: Fashion's Night Out is an extraordinary way for the fashion industry and its customers to unite and celebrate their love of fashion. We are hosting an event at our boutique in Soho and Alexa Ray Joel will be doing a special performance that evening. Guests will enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while shopping the newest fall items and will receive an exclusive gift with their purchase as well. We are excited to be part of this global program and are looking forward to a fun night out!

L: What's next for Tahari? What do the upcoming collections look like?

ET: I want bring the Elie Tahari lifestyle to more customers around the globe. For the spring 2010 collection, debuting on Thursday September 10, I was inspired by exotic voyages as seen through the eyes of a 1940's traveler.

Luxist will be at the debut and we'll have lots of pictures of the new collection for you! See you all at Fashion's Night Out!

Angel Jackson is a sister-run British handbag name whose designs are carried by celebrities internationally, from Lady Gaga to Kate Moss, from Sienna Miller to MTV's sparkly new host Alexa Chung.

The gorgeous bags are being stocked at Bendel's, and will soon be hitting Intermix stores as well -- we know that this design duo will have no trouble "cracking America." Why? Wait till you see the bags -- and fabulous corresponding belts! Paris Hilton recently ordered one of everything. Literally.

We interviewed Katie (Katie is based in the UK and Millie watches over sales and distribution in Bali -- where they're about to open a graffiti and fashion show room) to learn more about the line, and of course, to introduce them to you! Read below for the interview and photos of our favorites of the luscious bags.

We recently caught up with stylist to the stars Jennifer Rade (right), who's worked with Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Pink, to name a few -- not to mention Dave Matthews, Usher and Marilyn Manson! How's that for versatility?

We met with Jennifer at ILORI (she's ILORI's Brand Ambassador), Soho's treasure trove of sunglasses ("ilori" is an African word for "secret treasure") to talk about what makes shades so fabulous -- "they're never gonna make you look fat" -- and how she chooses which ones to put on the stars.

Luxist: So, you started in hip hop. Why do you think sunglasses are such an iconic part of that scene?

Jennifer Rade: Because it's a way to give yourself instant attitude. You cover your eyes, it's very mysterious. You have a conversation and people don't know if you're looking at them, or if you're sleeping -- or if you're rolling your eyes. It's an incredible way to disguise your emotional life.

Luxist: Is that why you think sunglasses are so strongly associated with celebrity?

Click through the gallery to read ...

We recently caught up with handbag designer Jane August (right, with her adorable little dog) at the Sola Showroom in New York City. Jane splits her time between Italy and the United States but was happy to chat with us about her gorgeous bags -- how they're made, where she gets her ideas, and more!

Click through our gallery below to read the interview and see her gorgeous, luxurious designs for Spring 2009.

Who is the man behind "neo-fierce" luxury jewelry line AZATURE, famous for black diamonds and gothic, industrial pieces for men and women? Azature. It's actually his name.

We've been covering Azature's fantastic designs for a long time. He's recently had a swell of success, with both Rihanna and Beyonce wearing his glittering, substantial pieces.

In this interview, we talk to Azature about his journey as a designer of fine jewelry, Madonna, and more. The items featured are some of Azature's personal favorites, as well as photos of Rihanna in his A.Z. Linked Necklace.