Sponsors and Partners:

ASTONISH World, the digital community for ASTONISH Magazine

Sakiri Vodka

Lunae Moscato

Vendome Macarons

Engie Hassan of EngieStyle

Marcy Clark of Yellow Sky Agency, Public Relations

Phuong My Designs

W.i.P – Work in Progress, the new endeavor by the founders of Greenhouse

The liquid gold runway at the Cynthia Rowley show was an apt metaphor for her Spring/Summer 2012 line.  The collection was fluid and playful, with one magnificently created piece flowing seamlessly into the next. The key motif for the evening was floral, from intricate patterns etched in gold to vibrant, colorful illustrations.  The color palette was primarily blues, yellow, black, white and gold with an occasional splash of aubergine, orange or red for contrast.  Models were styled with long textured, carefree hair and fresh faces, a clean look on which to display the dynamic collection. Accessories were not necessary – aside from the wild and whimsical gold shoes and the poppy alt-punk soundtrack at the show.

From sleek printed leggings in the suiting collection to a flowing mid-thigh skirt paired with a structured neutral sweater, the lush prints and patterns kept reappearing in varying formation, offering many surprises in this modern and forward-thinking collection.  My personal favorite was an exquisite black structured dress emblazoned with a lacy gold pattern – divine!  Cynthia Rowley is able to transcend place and position with her lush designs and it will be exciting to see what influence she has on the upcoming season.

My only quibble?  Within the bevy of models, there was only one Black model and one Asian model.  I hope in future collections, Ms. Rowley’s models will be as diverse as her design.

Image credit / More images

ASTONISH MAGAZINE & ASTONISHWORLD LAUNCH EVENT
Guests Previewed The First Print Edition of ASTONISH Magazine and New Ready-to-Wear and Couture Collections by Designer Phuong My

Featured Guests & Host Committee:
ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, ASTONISH VP of Operations Brandon Leong, EngieStyle Founder Engie Hassan, Jewelry Designer J. Rudy Lewis, Financier & MyModel.com Founder David Cote, Publicist & Women’s Mafia Founder Marcy Clark, Philanthropist & Seven Bar Foundation Chairwoman Renata M. Black, Seven Bar Foundation President Kim Hoedeman, Designer Sabina Les, Yellow Sky Agency Founder Alejandro Beitler, Music Producer & Airgo Music Founder Jimmy Greco, Rock Artist Ming Vaadka, Producer Patrick Terry, R&B Artist AC Lincoln, Gossip Queen & Radio Host Flo Anthony, and Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher Diamonds, Grammy Nominated Artist Emily King, DJ Poet of The Black Eyes Peas, Jazz Legend Kim Kalesti, GenArt Founder Ian Gerard

Event Partners:
Sakiri Vodka Founder Sath Nop, Biso Wines Founder Mike Bazzini, John Sweiss of Bite Size New York, Lisa Mecray Rogers of Luxx Chocolat, DJ Jay McElfresh, DJ Von Kiss, Eric Alt Salon, Makeup Artist Valerie Vonprisk, Kett Cosmetics, Yaby Cosmetics, Pamela Quinzi Shoes, Kitty Andrews Millinery and The Gansevoort Park Avenue

New York, NY. September 2011. On September 7th, the eve of New York Fashion Week, 300 guests received a coveted invitation to the launch party for ASTONISH Magazine and ASTONISHWorld at the elegant Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel. Press, Fashion Glitterati, the Bloggerati and celebrities of music and film were treated to a raging event and an unforgettable Fashion Show by fast-rising designer Phuong My. Guests were greeted with advanced copies of the premier issue of ASTONISH Magazine, a game-changing new high end fashion publication that features emerging photographers, stylists, designers and models. Once inside the Penthouse, fashion insiders, models, artists, press and VIP guests enjoyed hip cocktails by Sakiri Vodka, fruity Lunae Moscato by Biso Winery, Mediterranean delectable’s by Bite Size New York and gourmet confections by Luxx Chocolat, all whilst dancing to the tunes of DJ Jay McElfresh.

Backstage, Engie Hassan and the team at EngieStyle worked with designer Phuong My and her atelier to fit and finalize garments on models. Eric Altimore and the pitch-perfect team from Eric Alt Salon managed hair while key makeup artist Valerie Vonprisk worked with teams from Kett Cosmetics and Yaby Cosmetics to create a signature fresh, high-fashion face. Phuong My’s looks were finished with shoes by Pamela Quinzi and custom hats by milliner Kitty Andrews. EngieStyle provided jewelry by the Royal Asscher Diamond Company and Jewelry Sponsor J. Rudy Lewis for featured looks and VIP guests.

Super Model Lorianna Izrailova in Phuong My Couture, Runway Photos by Jodi Jones

After Yellow Sky Agency PR seated the VIP guests, DJ Von Kiss played music as Phuong My thrilled the crowd with 25 elegant, structural and inimitable ready-to-wear women’s looks and then 10 couture looks that showed off her mastery of manipulating shapes. An ovation of applause greeted designer Phuong My and ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua alike. Designer Phuong My embodies the magazine’s essential mission of showcasing the best emerging Fashion Artists of today.

The highly anticipated first print edition of ASTONISH Magazine hits major US newsstands on September 27, 2011. It is the answer to an industry starved for smart, unique and visually stimulating Fashion & Art content. Its goal is to inspire, reinvent and revolutionize the fading publication industry with stunning imagery, insightful social commentary and interviews with emerging artists and industry professionals. ASTONISHWorld offers a unique experience for fashion students, photographers, designers, stylists, models, makeup artists, hairstylists and bloggers to participate in the magazine and connect them with fashion industry leaders in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, China, and Korea. Become a part of the movement at www.astonishmagazine.com.

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Guest, ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, Publicist Marcy Clark, Jeweler J. Rudy Lewis, VP of Operations Brandon Leong and Model Lorianna Izrailova

ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, Magic Johnson's son EJ Johnson, Doug Melville of Red Carpet Runway and VP of Operations Brandon Leong

Models with Milliner Kitty Andrews

Team ASTONISH

ASTONISH Men's Editor Kristen Irby with Designer Ninh Nguyen

Model Lorianna Izrailova, Gen Art founder Ian Gerard, Astonish Publicist Marcy Clark and Model Ash Mirza

Engie Hassan and the EngieStyle team

Grammy Nominated Singer Emily King, Trum Thuy, Event Producer Marcy Clark, R&B Artist AC Lincoln, Jeweler J. Rudy Lewis & Jazz Legend Kim Kalesti

Author and Beauty Expert Lora Condon with Montana USA, Men's Wear Designer Alexander Tedford and stylist Jaymz Crow

Event Sponsor J. Rudy Lewis and his associates at the J. Rudy Lewis Jewelry Design Atelier

Guests from Women's Wear Daily

Douglas Melville of Red Carpet Runway & VIP Guests

Gossip Queen & Radio Host Flo Anthony, with Philanthropist and Film Producer Dhonna Goodale and The Salon Guy

ASTONISH VP Ryan Colby with his model clients

The Salon Guy Stephen Marinaro Interviewing Engie Hassan

J. Rudy Lewis being interviewed by The Salon Guy

Luxx Chocolat founder Lisa Mecray Rogers with guest and Tatyana Titkova

Members of the NYC Fashion Bloggers with J. Rudy Lewis and guest

Financier and MyModel.com Founder David Cote, Philanthropist Lisa Goldman, guest Jeff Zee

Socialite Guests of Engie Hassan

Ashley Crossman, Alejandro Beitler, Mike Bazzini

Event Produced by Marcy Clark of the Women’s Mafia and Yellow Sky Agency PR. More photos and Video Links:

August Young – Photographs
http://augustyoungphotography.zenfolio.com/p874270276

The Salon Guy – pictures and video
http://www.thesalonguy.com/media/astonish-magazine-launch-party-with-designer-phuong-my-for-ny-fashion-week

Sunny Norton -  Photographs
http://sunnynorton.smugmug.com/Events/ASTONISH-MAGAZINE-Launch-Party

More coming soon at www.ASTONISHMagazine.com. Say you are with the Women’s Mafia to secure your coveted subscription to ASTONISHWorld and join the movement!

Media Contact: Marcy Clark
Yellow Sky Agency
212.729.9619
Marcy@yellowskyagency.com

Graphic Design by Dustin Drankoski

From garage-punk like The White Stripes and The Sex Pistols to the musical theater and burlesque of Kurt Weill, Kander & Ebb and Django Reinhardt. Sound like a tall order? It is. But Minq somehow manages, like a mad perfumer, to combine notes of each into an originally explosive fragrance. Last year, he crashed onto the NYC circuit with his debut album The Plastic Masquerade, and was greeting with a glowing review from The Original Hipster, a sold-out debut at Joe’s Pub, gigs at Galapagos Art Space, CSV and 3LD and a nomination (as Adam Cochran) for a Drama Desk Award for his junk-folk score to the world premiere of NAATCO and Theater Mitu’s A Play On War. On March 24, 2011 came his second release: a half-hour-long EP called Minq Vaadka Will Take Your Elektro-Küsse in Queens, Please, including six new orignal songs and a cover of a favorite Tom Waits tune. Opening on August 26th, he will unleash a brand new cabaret theater piece with all-new, original music called Minq Vaadka’s Narcischism: Un Cabaret d’Adieu, directed by Chantel Pascente and produced by Patrick Terry and Te Ilum Theatre & Arts at the Robert Moss Theatre. Click here to buy tickets now (Women’s Mafia members can enter code MINQ10 for special $10 tickets, which includes beer!) and look out for the accompanying album of the same name to be released sometime during the 2011 holiday season!

And now, enjoy an exclusive Q&A with Minq Vaadka himself and Director Chantel Pascente!

WM: Who is Minq Vaadka? Can you describe the genesis of the act and how did this collaboration with Patrick Terry and Te Ilum came about?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: Even though he’s a very theatrical presence and might even say or portray things that are not always actually true, I’m very careful to refer to him as a persona, not a character. That’s because Minq Vaadka is actually, well… me! My alter-ego. Minq started as an identity I developed for a cabaret course at NYU (taught by Salty Brine of Pepper & Sam fame) and, after the first set of performances, I realized that not only did I enjoy letting my impulsive, manic, unfiltered side loose in front of people but it could also be a useful tool for publicly exorcising some of my personal demons. And this sort of Weimar Germany-inspired palette seemed to create a perfect aural and visual landscape for a lot of the themes I wanted to deal with: bipolarity, bisexuality, theater, glam rock, humor, anger, mimesis, honesty, trickery. So it’s been fascinating learning how to navigate those waters and really make the iconography my own. How can I nod to my inspirations but sound contemporary? How can I use some of these visual idioms but not be misinterpreted as a Cirque du Soleil clown or a screamo act (God help me)? How can the music push compositional boundaries but remain accessible to a mainstream ear?

As for Patrick Terry and Te Ilum, I actually brought them together. Patrick introduced himself to me after he saw me perform at the new Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO. PT invited me to drinks at some schwanky bar on 59th St., got me soused, did a few card tricks (he’s actually a very talented magician) and before I knew it, we realized we had to make something happen together this year. Meanwhile, I’ve been with Te Ilum from its beginning. I met Chantel Pascente (Te Ilum’s Artistic Director) at NYU and we have since collaborated on a number of projects, so once we decided to undertake a Minq Vaadka theater piece, it seemed natural that I should hook her and PT up.

WM: What makes a Minq Vaadka concert experience unique?

Minq: Theatricality and honest passion. Minq Vaadka’s Narcischism is in fact a theater piece but even when I’m playing a regular gig at a music venue, the show is still highly theatrical. You’re NOT paying to see a bunch of scruffy bros in jeans and plaid shirts lean on their amps while they make their best “I’m Kurt Cobain and I don’t care” faces. You’re going to see me working my ass off to imbue the performance with showmanship and a sense of the delightfully weird. You see, I’m not at all into creating a “scene.” I don’t care how you’re dressed when you watch my show. I don’t care if you dance or mosh or stand there with a drink. But what I do care about is that you’re engaging this room with me — I want to see your eyes lighting up. I want to see the cogs turning in your head. I want you to judge me or love me or be confused by me, whatever. I just want you to chemically react somehow with the event I’m creating in the room. First time listeners to my music will notice that there are a lot of lyrics, lots of odd chord progressions, lots of sections and lots of tempo changes. It’s not music to sit back and zone out to. It’s music to reckon with, to engage with and to actively think about. Which turns some people off. But that’s what literally turns me on. And that’s why sexuality finds its way into a lot of it. I want to light up your sexual side via your brain. If that happens, then I’ve done my job for the night. And I think the stage show reflects that.

WM: Growing up on the west coast, how do you find living and working in New York? As a writer/performer where do you get your inspiration these days?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: I knew from an early age, somehow, that I was destined to come live in New York. It’s always called to me (even before I knew that I wanted to be in music and theater) and it’s made me feel like it would be an ideal place to flourish as an artist and as a human being. And now that I’ve been here for about seven years or so, I would say that I was absolutely correct in that assumption. New York, as this sort of benevolent-but-fearsome beast in my life, has most definitely made me who I am today. I thrive on it’s nonstop hustle and bustle. The architecture feels severe and important. The changing of the seasons provides for starkly dramatic backdrops in art and emotion and memory. And most importantly, the circle of people I work and play with here fill me with life because they challenge me as much as they support me. That being said, the city often stresses me out and causes sometimes unbearable anxiety, so I find that I really need to go somewhere warm and easy (like back to my folks’ place in Los Angeles) for a little respite and some mental health days.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. Of course there are things that I love and gravitate towards: Tom Waits and Robert Wilson collaborations, Sxip Shirey’s happenings, Trash and Vaudeville and St. Marks Place, Kander & Ebb movies, Marilyn Minter’s photography, the latest Iggy Pop album, McQueen at the Met, Jack White etc. But I think an artist isn’t really doing his job if he’s not completely open to all sources of inspiration. I’ve been drawing a lot of it from my neighborhood in Queens lately: the trifecta of the Noguchi Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image and Socrates Sculpture Park, the rambling collection of graffiti out by Ditmars, the bridge to Roosevelt Island, the Bangladeshi quarter immediately surrounding my apartment and/or Alex, the dude with no fingernails who runs the hardware store on 31st St. and 36th Ave. who sold me a bottle of industrial-strength Drano by telling me it would “melt flesh and bone.”

WM: Whats the rehearsal process been like? Is it difficult to separate yourself from the material, especially when working on something that has such autobiographical connections?

Photos by Bridget "B." Waterhouse

Minq: Absolutely, it’s difficult. Because I am the material. Events have taken place in real life since we’ve been in rehearsal that have found their way into the piece already. And, as someone with Bipolar Disorder, we’re trying to dramatize these crazy mood swings that happen to me on a daily basis. We’ve actually run into places where I’ve taken a crack at writing us some dialogue and failed miserably because, when I show it to the team they go, “uh, that’s not what it’s like at all.” And I’m like, “yes, it definitely is!” And then Carly McCollow, our dramaturg, clears her throat and says, “well maybe it’s like that for you when it’s happening to you, but to everybody on the outside it looks a little more like this other thing.” So, there are parts of the show that I’ve handed completely over to Barrie McLain (my girlfriend; she plays Horseradish) so that she can write the scene from the perspective of someone who’s not inside my head in these situations.

WM: Chantel, as a director, what are you hoping audiences take away from this production? And how is MINQ VAADKA’s Narcischism – Un Cabaret D’Adieu different from some of your companies previous work?

Chante Pascentel: I think this piece can give the audience an experience that is unique in that they are watching something that completely blurs the line between reality and theatricality. Who is Minq Vaadka? Who is he to these characters we are watching, and who is he to himself? Maybe most importantly, who is he to the performers and how does the reality of their relationships and conflicts play into the piece? I hope the audience is able to immerse themselves in this challenge with us and walk away thinking about the relationship between an artist and its art. This piece is incredibly personal to all of the performers and myself. We have allowed ourselves to work in a new way, a way that for me was risky and revealing and I believe has led to results we can be proud of. Yes this piece is incredibly autobiographical for Adam, but it for me has become a universal story not just of artist and art, but of a person who’s world looks one way through his eyes and the people who adapt to that, who find their own ways of living in his universe. How would the world look if you were to see through anyone’s lens? Minq’s may be an extreme, but I hope that by us inviting the audience to look through his lens, they are able to walk away thinking about the implications in their worlds.

Te Ilum is committed to producing new and innovative theatre that is created in non-traditional ways. We focus on creating work that uses alternate artistic frameworks, and experiential theatre that engages the senses and arrests the audience, forcing you to be present with us in the room. This piece is our first to be co-created by the performers, and my first piece with no text or album as a jumping off point for the creation. Our previous works include a radical re-imagining of Cocteau’s “The Infernal Machine” where we used dance and the music of Electric Light Orchestra in conversation with the surrealist version of the story of Oedipus, combining these elements with the physical structure of Greek Tragedy. We then embarked on a movement piece “at Sixes & Sevens,” created by choreographer/performer Chloe Kernaghan, examining the struggles of a person abandoned or left behind through the lens of the 1950s housewife. “at Sixes & Sevens” became a part of a collaboration with James Franco in his piece “Collage” at Stella Adler earlier this summer, and is now being featured in an REM music video directed by Franco. These works have all been steps for us to find our voice as a group and as individual artists working with the support of a company behind them. We are currently in development for an installation movement piece directed by Teff Nichols, “Night-Song”, based on the short stories and poetry of Melanie Jane Parker.

WM: As young artists, how do you deal with today’s media landscape? New technology makes it easier to produce and distribute music, but how can bands (and similarly, theater companies) hope to maintain a following in such a competitive and disposable market place?

Minq: I would say that that’s the biggest struggle we face as artists today. The great hope of the Internet, as it was fighting its way out of Al Gore’s birth canal, was that it would give everybody an equal chance for recognition and distribution. Kind of like an inverted version of “trickle down” economics, right? Trickle up! We now have access to everything and everybody, so the best of it should rise to the top of the heap, right? But the reality is a little different. What’s actually happened is that we’re oversaturated. Go ahead, stick your music on Reverb Nation or YouTube. See how many hits you get. Post it on Facebook or Reddit. See what kind of following you develop. And when was the last time you heard of the Internet launching any act or an album on a huge scale (without them having big record label bucks behind them, thus disqualifying OK Go, Radiohead’s In Rainbows and Justin Bieber)? The trouble is that very few people have the patience to wade through entire oceans of junk in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. And even when they do manage to find something worth consuming, they just pirate it. So the answer I keep coming back to is that artists these days have to find ways to fuse different disciplines together to create something that is unique, fashion forward (to co opt a scion Tim Gunn-speak) and un-pirate-able. Yes, I release music and videos but now they tie in with a piece of theater. So, even if you’ve downloaded it for free, if you really want the whole context, you’ve got to come buy a ticket, sit in my audience and let me entertain you personally, baby. That’s what makes theater more important today than it arguably ever was. You can pirate a movie. You can pirate a song. But you can’t steal an experience.

WM: What can The Women’s Mafia make happen for you?

Photo by Christopher Shea

Minq: Hopefully, to remind a cross section of smart and stylish women of the idea that your daily dose of art (and fun) does not have to come from Lady Gaga on the radio or RuPaul’s Drag Race on your TV. You can actually head out into New York City (or wherever you live) and have an incredible (not to mention original) visceral experience delivered to you by a living, breathing human being standing six feet away. Also, to remind them that skinny, bisexual boys in white face and a corset are the new George Clooney. Just saying.

Fifteen lucky Women’s Mafia readers will have the opportunity to win tickets to their exclusive Fashion Industry event on September 7th at the Gansevoort Park Avenue in New York. Will you be one of the lucky 15?

RSVP to Marcy@womensmafia.com today with ASTONISH TICKET in the subject line to be entered to win. Good luck!
Marcy Clark
Founder, The Women’s Mafia    www.womensmafia.com
Director, Yellow Sky Publicity    cell: 212.729.9619 fax: 212.208.2579 Marcy@yellowskyagency.com

Media Contact: Marcy Clark
Director, Yellow Sky Publicity
cell: 212.729.9619  fax: 212.208.2579
Marcy@yellowskyagency.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ASTONISH MAGAZINE LAUNCHES THIS NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
Announces Collaboration With Designer Phuong My To Debut Corset-Inspired Collection
Sept. 7th 8-11pm at The Gansevoort Park Avenue
Fashion Show at 8:30pm Sharp, Seating at 8pm

Event chairs: ASTONISH Publisher Ryan Chua, EngieStyle Founder Engie Hassan, Financier & MyModel.com Founder David Cote, Publicist & Women’s Mafia Founder Marcy Clark, Jewelry Designer J. Rudy Lewis, ASTONISH VP of Operations Brandon Leong

Host Committee: Seven Bar Foundation Chairwoman Renata M. Black, Seven Bar Foundation President Kim Hoedeman, Gossip Queen & Radio Host Flo Anthony, Designer Sabina Les, Yellow Sky Agency Founder Alejandro Beitler, Music Producer & Airgo Music Founder Jimmy Greco, R&B Artist AC Lincoln, Punk Burlesque Artist Ming Vaadka, Producer Patrick Terry and Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher Diamonds

New York, NY. September 2011. Ask publisher Ryan Chua where he got the divine inspiration for ASTONISH Magazine and he will tell you to look no further than your local newsstand. Month after month magazines line the newsstands packed with the same tired fashion editorials and banal commentary – one indistinguishable from the next. ASTONISH Magazine embodies its name – it astonishes readers with brave, edgy original images chosen purely for their visual merit. It is the answer to an industry starved for smart, unique, and visually stimulating Fashion & Art content. This category defying publication is not merely a high-end print magazine, but a multi-media platform for emerging artists to showcase their talent in a global spotlight. Its goal is to inspire, reinvent, and revolutionize the fading publication industry.

The wait will be over come September, when ASTONISH Magazine debuts with a truly unique Fashion Show Launch Party. In conjunction with the Seven Bar Foundation, fashion insiders and celebrities alike will come together to view Phuong My’s new couture collection. Proving once again that ASTONISH Magazine is more than just another pretty face on the newsstand – it brings together the present and future creative talents. A celeb-studded event, guests will include major Fashion Stylists, Editors and Insiders, as well as popular actors, musicians and reality television stars. Guests will enjoy hip cocktails by Sakiri Vodka, delicious wine by Biso Moscato and Wines, mediterranean snacks by Bite Size New York and gourmet confections by Luxx Chocolat, all whilst dancing to the tunes of DJ Jay McElfresh.

ASTONISH chose Phuong My because she embodies an essential mission of the magazine: to inspire, redefine, and revolutionize the Fashion and Publication Industry by giving focus to the best emerging Fashion Artists working today. Vietnam born Phuong My has already proved her Fashion Credentials and stunned the style cognoscenti in San Francisco, New York City and Asia, being featured in top tier Fashion Shows such as the Women’s Mafia Spring ’11 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Show and BLACK V in San Francisco. This Summer Phuong My is being honored as the closing Fashion Show designer for Tokyo’s Fashion Week event, featuring Miss Japan and Miss Universe contestants.

Her work has recently been seen in prestigious publications such as Italian Vogue, Elle Vietnam, Haute Magazine, Asterisk Magazine, Truxury Magazine and more. As a Stylist and Art Director, she has already been tapped for Elle Vietnam and Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam. Her work will be featured in Vogue Mexico as well as Harper’s Bazaar’s first issue in Vietnam this Summer.

Despite an abundance of reality shows, books, and movies centered around the fashion publication world, it still remains opaque to those outside of it. ASTONISH is unique in that it invites emerging artists (photographers, stylists, fashion designers, models and collaborators) to submit their work for each issue. Every issue is defined by a theme, Issue One being: Love Lust Desire. From there, submitting artists have complete creative freedom to interpret the theme in their work. Unlike other overly commercialized publications, ASTONISH is a movement uniting artists and their work under the ASTONISH curatorial eye. With stunning imagery, insightful social commentary, and interviews with industry professionals, ASTONISH delivers a powerful experience to its readers.

While so many magazines these days talk at their readers, ASTONISH seeks to have a dialogue with their readers. While there is no substitute for the tactile experience of the print magazine, visionary developer Richard McWilliams is making sure the ASTONISH experience continues in the digital realm. Online, ASTONISH will not only feature videos, behind the scenes featurettes, and beautiful premium images, but a unique online community that will keep the illuminating dialogue going. In addition to this, McWilliams, who acts as Chief Technology Office, will soon be introducing a revolutionary way to connect with the global fashion community with the new version of AstonishMagazine.com in the Fall. ASTONISH Magazine truly embraces the innate qualities of the print and digital forms and seeks to bring a modern approach to delivering the finest fashion and art masterpieces to their readers. As the first print magazine created for the digital age ASTONISH provides a unique opportunity for advertisers. With innovative all-encompassing advertising plans, ASTONISH advertisers will reach influential readers wherever they go, from the page to the computer screen and beyond.

Gearing up for its hotly anticipated inaugural issue in the Fall; ASTONISH’s digital magazine and blog content is already read in over 30 countries. With a core base of readers that are fashion students and industry professionals from around the globe – its appeal extends to all those who desire a serious career in the fashion industry. The ASTONISH reader includes aspiring and established photographers, fashionistas, bloggers, stylists, models, designers, and anyone who has been searching for the visually stimulating magazine that this industry has been missing.  With an ever-growing audience, the ASTONISH team plans to capture 50,000 new readers with each quarterly issue of the magazine – with as many visits to the online site per month. The wait will be over come September, when ASTONISH Magazine debuts with a truly unique Fashion Show Launch Party.  In conjunction with the Seven Bar Foundation, fashion insiders and celebrities alike will come together to view Phuong My’s new couture collection. Proving once again that ASTONISH Magazine is more than just another pretty face on the newsstand – it brings together the present and future creative talents. Join the movement, be a creative leader of the future, and prepare yourself to be astonished when ASTONISH Magazine ushers in the new era of publication in September.

Astonish Magazine has headquarters around the world, from San Francisco to New York and Europe. Read the first issue and become a part of the movement at www.astonishmagazine.com.

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Aeneas KT is a fashion designer and businesswoman. Born and raised in communist China, Aeneas’ never really had experience with fashion until she discovered beautiful spreads on fashion magazines that inspired her to dream and believe somewhere in the world, women were given the freedom to wear who they are. She has recently graduated from Parsons and started her own brand, Aeneas KT LLC in collaboration with Generation GoldMine.

Women’s Mafia (WM): What does fashion mean to you?

Aeneas KT (AKT): art, power, fantasy…Fashion is an endless avenue of self expression.Fashion is also a way to boost your brain hence your intelligence and self esteem: There are no limits, no restrictions.It is a fantastic world where impossible is nothing!

WM: Where do you get your design inspiration?

AKT: I’m always drowned by European art, history and culture: I can relate to the garden of earthly delight by Bosh. It is actually a perfect image representation of what I express in my work: the intermingling of pleasure, fantasies and peril’s of life temptation. I also love the classiness of the baroque style of the 17th century with its exuberance and detailed oriented clothing construction.

WM: What makes your designs unique?

AKT: The mixture of femininity and masculinity expressed through the use of light weight and delicate fabric as silk, lace, chiffon and the heavy weight stronger fabric as leather .

Also, the extremely fitted shape of my garments is what make my style different: You notice that most stores don’t offer properly cut and fitted clothing..Most of what women find in stores are loose and unshaped garments. And the appeal used by those stores/ corporations is self esteem and comfort: most women are always concerned by their weight and a lot are self conscious about body shape. Hence the concept used by stores/ corporations to sell their clothes: Loose unshaped garments are comfortable and stylish.

But actually this emotional appeal is motivated by money: Loose unshaped garments take less time to produce and consequently is way cheaper for the industry.. .Generation Goldmine is a line of empowerment: It is about giving confidence to women toward the way they feel about wearing fitted clothes.

WM: How would you like your brand to evolve in the next 10 years?

AKT: I’d like Generation Goldmine to become an internationally known high end couture brand, a reference in terms of women’s wear, a tribute to the women’s beauty.

WM: Describe your creations with 5 words.

AKT: Empowering, exciting, dark romance, luxurious.

WM: Favorite designer or artist that you think has influenced you the most?

AKT: Hedi Slimane,especially his early work for Dior Homme!!! I totally dig his fitted shaped and clean cut designs. At the same time he kept a lot of the 90’s glam elements which added up so much beauty, flexibility and sophistication to his style. He really made a difference in the fashion industry as his designs can apply to both men andwomen.

WM: What’s the aspect of being a fashion designer that you enjoy the most? What’s the one you enjoy the least?

AKT: The fact that I get to express my feelings,thoughts and creativity in what I’m doing and most importantly share them with people .There is no real aspect I enjoy the least…. Maybe the feeling of uncertainty of how people will react to my art, to the message I want to deliver: Are my designs going to be understood? Are people going to question the trendiness of it? Being a fashion designer is like being in a relationship: you know what your feelings are, you know more or less how to express them but you are never absolutely certain of how your partner will react to them.You can only be sure of yourself.

Davina Reichman is an amazingly talented Australian-NYC entrepreneur & fashion scene queen. Strong and confident in both her various businesses and her creations, Davina is definitely one you should keep your eye on!

Get to know more about her work and passions in the following interview we had the pleasure to do with her.

Women’s Mafia (WM): You moved to New York not so long ago and you already have established your name in the NYC fashion scene. From your impression so far, is there a big difference between Australia and New York in the way the fashion industry works?

Davina Reichman: Photo by Christine Knight Thomas - cktphotography.com

Davina Reichman (DR): Globally, fashion-industry eyeballs seem to fall on the American market. Catwalk shows are dominated by American designers and the ‘seasonal’ trends seem to surge from the northern hemisphere into the southern hemisphere.

The Australian summer dress runs in-line with the beach lifestyle, healthy frames, originality and natural spirit. Even though the very latest Australian fashion trends are taking into account the designs of New York’s most recent fashion week, Australian designers are developing their own take on this, creating designs in which the climate remains temperate and sunny, where it never snows and the locals play beach volleyball till the sun sets.

Australia’s international reputation for generating some of the dynamos in the fashion scene is gaining greater momentum. Initiatives such as Being Born Again Couture and Austrade are helping to raise the profile of Australian fashion, particularly our emerging designers, and serve to highlight their design capabilities to the New York fashion industry. These events include retail buyers, fashion editors, stylists and agents and serve to foster links for Australian designers in NYC.
WM: Where do you find your inspiration?

DR: I am either designing practical, functional clothes or eccentric, quirky couture garments. The focus is on the crazy, yet the beautiful; the obsessive, yet the controlled.

D&Em By Davina Corset with Bejeweled Stockings

I am a fashion entrepreneur, amongst other things. I find cool concepts that have never been done before, like my first in the world iClothing range: iPad compatible clothing with pouches like kangaroos and koalas. The iTee and iDress are a hands free way to store your iPad on the move – a stylish solution to carrying the iPad.

iClothing: iPad compatible clothing

Now that I have lived in NYC for under a year, I carry a more global vision – it’s like 10 cities in one. The excitement is just exhilarating. The streets of Manhattan shape my ideas.

WM: What would you say to a young person who wants to make it in the fashion industry?

DR: Develop your own style and break the barriers. Innovate: don’t blend in with everyone else. Like so many glamorous jobs to which so many aspire, there’s a lot of hard, exhausting work, but it is worth it.

Be polite and pleasant to everybody, no matter what their position. You never know when somebody you have met could be the key to your future.

WM: You certainly cover various aspects of the industry, from design to management, producing fashion shows and even public relations. What’s your favorite part of your work?

DR: My favorite part of the job is when fashion designers that I’ve worked with make a name for themselves, thrive and be successful.

Recently, Natalie Imbruglia said of a Being Born Again Couture collaboration, “It is one of my favorite pieces”. It was very gratifying to have a result of one of my shows get such high profile attention. When I am able to take such talented people as Michael Lo Sordo and Chris Horder, and help them get the attention they deserve, that is very rewarding.

Natalie Imbruglia in Being Born Again Couture by Michael Lo Sordo and Chris Horder

Being Born Again Couture Lo Sordo Spring Summer 2010 seen at Australian Fashion Week

Nicola Finetti, an Australian fashion designer collaborated with the artist Guy Peppin for Being Born Again Couture. They followed suit, creating a Being Born Again Couture range by Nicola Finetti Spring/Summer 11/12 by creating Arrow Peplum Full Circle Dresses and Pastel Mermaid gowns shown at Australian Fashion Week 2011.

Natalie Gruzlewski wore the Being Born Again Couture Finetti/ Peppin gown to the Logies in Australia in May.

Being Born Again Couture Collaboration by Nicola Finetti / Guy Peppin

Being Born Again Couture Finetti Arrow Peplum Full Circle Dress shown at Australian Fashion Week 2011

I am so proud of Finetti and Lo Sordo to take that extra leap into wearable art.

WM: If you could work with any person, in your field, alive or dead who would it be and why?

DR: I would time-travel to the 1950’s, when Dior and the prime of Givenchy and Balenciaga were ubiquitous. I would work with Coco Chanel, the couture designer who revelled in expensive simplicity. Chanel set the stage for modern fashion by creating a signature style, brand awareness, and a social buzz around herself like no one had ever done. What I admire most about Chanel was her ability break from the pack and set trends rather than follow them.

WM: Why fashion? Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do?

DR: I have long dreamt of working with fashion, designing one-off pieces for my own personal collection. I used to be in the corporate world but I have always followed my own path and instincts when it comes to design, creating styles that are whimsical, contradictory, yet confident with appealing feminine aesthetics. My passion is fashion – I live and breathe it. I always wanted to start my own businesses. I wanted to do something new, novel and creative.

Davina Reichman at Couture Fashion Week

WM: What can the Women’s Mafia make happen for you?

DR: I am always on the lookout for new and exciting opportunities.

Women’s Mafia can assist to forge a solid connection to emerging women designers who have been seeking out a woman who knows what’s what in the fashion industry, giving you valuable advice on producing fashion shows, marketing, PR and events.

By Carlos Aparicio

Our friend and talented artist Enrico Miguel Thomas and his subway inspired artwork will be featured in the film “Below New York”, which will premiere at the Tribeca Cinemas on Thursday, June 23^rd at 7:00 PM.

Enrico Miguel Thomas, also known as “The Subway Artist of New York City” has established his art throughout the years as a refreshing and beautiful representation of something New Yorkers experience every day without necessarily paying attention to it – the subway. Through his innovative techniques he manages to capture the essence of it, that captivating street-like vibe that characterizes the city we all love and never sleeps.

More info / Ticket Purchases

The Comic Book Theater Festival at the Brick Theater
and the Waverly Writers Collective Present

a Workshop Production of

REPORTER GIRL

Written by Laura Rohrman

Directed by Erica Gould

With
Julia Crockett Meghan Grady
Kate Grimes Chad Hoeppner Richard Thieriot
Amy Dickenson       Betty Hudson

Production Stage Manager: Miriam Hyfler       Producer: Lanie Zipoy

Friday, June 3rd, 8:45 pm
Sunday, June 5th, 4:00 pm
Sunday, June 12th, 8:00 pm

Tickets $10
www.bricktheater.com
866.811.4111

Wednesday June 8th
The Polar Lounge, 201 East 24th Street, New York
Pink Champagne Bar 7:30 – 9:00pm
Appetizers and Dancing till 11pm and later

Tickets and early-bird Film Festival Passes here, securely through paypal.
$30 Online, $40 at the Door (as space permits), $95 ticket and VIP Festival Pass
$30 online

Ticket with Early VIP Festival Pass $95

Press and media can RSVP to Marcy@womensmafia.com