modo

MODO, The Hotel Remixed

Plenty of hotels offer iPod docks and others play hip music in the lobbies but a new hotel concept, MODO takes it to a whole other level. Calling itself "The Hotel, Remixed," MODO has a 'Bauhaus loft design' with high ceilings, exposed beams and polished concrete walls. The hotel has the standard chic amenities including free Wi-Fi, iPod docks, large flat-screen TVs and indie music on demand. What makes the concept intriguing is that the music is the unifying theme of the brand.The properties will offer thousands of tracks from independent artists worldwide in guestrooms and in the restaurant-lounge called RPM. The music will be available in vinyl, CD and MP3 formats through headphones and a sound system. You can also visit MODO Radio on the brand's website for free music downloads.

The hotels will house 100 or more rooms with a restaurant-lounge,courtyard, pool, meeting and event space, library, retail shop and gym. The music theme can be seen in the rendering for the lobby, shown above, where even the pendant lights are meant to evoke musical instruments with their strong vertical lines. In the U.S., the rooms will cost around $90 – $150 a night with the exception of some of the larger major markets. The hotels will debut during the next three years in the U.S., India and Brazil in cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, and Chennai.

Gallery: MODO Hotels

Tags: hotel brand, hotel brands, modo, modo hotels

Must-Have Accessory: Modo for Jennifer Creel Classic Sunglasses

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

It may not come as too much of a surprise that Jennifer Creel can now add "sunglasses designer" to her long resume and list of talents. After all, sunglasses are a staple for her everyday wardrobe.

"People always knew me for wearing sunglasses," recalls the actress and model, who has appeared on a variety of television shows, including "The Bold and the Beautiful", Plum TV and Ovation TV. "Sunglasses have always been a passion of mine. They stage your mood for the day and complete an outfit."

The idea of designing her own line came after a friend who was familiar with Creel's love of the must-have accessory item, made the suggestion.

In the fall of 2008, Creel got in touch with Alessandro Lanaro, the chief executive of Modo Eyewear, a boutique designer eye wear company that owns such sunglass lines as Derek Lam, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jason Wu and 7 for All Mankind, in addition to its Modo eyewear collection. A partnership was soon formed in which Creel would design an environmentally conscious eyewear collection.

Gallery: Modo Eyewear by Jennifer Creel

Creel, who has a background in design (she spent a decade at Polo Ralph Lauren where she was a designer in the women's active wear division), has created eight styles for Modo. "I come up with the concepts and ideas about what women and men are looking for," says Creel. "I don't design for one particular person."

Her well-designed collection includes navigator styles, retro shapes, and a color palette with unique shades and hues of green, bark, purple, blue, red, and orange, in addition to classic options like tortoise and black. The sunglasses are hand crafted in Japan and made of all natural materials, including bamboo and leather. "There is so much workmanship involved with the creation of every piece," says Creel.

Tags: Bergdorf Goodman, BergdorfGoodman, derek lam, DerekLam, eyewear, jennifer creel, JenniferCreel, modo, modo eyewear, ModoEyewear, NetJets, phillip lim, PhillipLim, ralph lauren, RalphLauren, sunglasses, trees for the future, TreesForTheFuture