March 2013

Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton Makes the Kitchen Her Classroom

By Jim Powers

Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert recognized chef Sara Moulton with a lifetime achievement award for her accomplishments as a cook and teacher to her audiences.

Celebrity Chefs, Wine Experts Mixer - Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert 2013

By Jim Powers

An all-star cast of celebrity chefs and wine experts exchanged war stories, a few recommendations and maybe even a recipe or two March 22 to kick off the Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Cosmopawlitan Cafe and Pet Boutique Hosts Glamorous Dog Day Afternoon

By Ebony March

She’s chic, adorable, and her legs — all four of them — look fantastic in the latest spring fashions. She’s your doggie, and her wardrobe just got a fabulous upgrade! Designer Linda Higgins showcased her delightful and cheery canine fashion line, Classy Doggie Designs, at Cosmopawlitan Café & Boutique, Sunday March 17.

Sue Wong Gives Art Deco a 21st-Century Reboot

By Ebony March

To all the naysayers who lament over the long-passed golden age of 1920s glamour — when starlets were swathed in precious satins and royalty floated from room to room, adored in embroidered gowns of unimaginable opulence — Sue Wong has just answered your prayers.

Chef Sara Moulton Sweetens Up Celebrity Luncheon

By Jim Powers

Chef Sara Moulton's engaging style put the finishing touches on the celebrity chef luncheon with a stellar dessert to open Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Chef Luciano Pellegrini Grills Up Quail for Celebrity Luncheon

By Jim Powers

Chef Luciano Pellegrini gave a Las Vegas touch to the March 22 celebrity chef luncheon to kick off the fourth annual Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Chef Bradley Ogden Tosses Farm Fresh Salad for Luncheon

By Jim Powers

Chef Bradley Ogden took a colorful assortment of vegetables to create a stunning salad March 22 for nearly 300 guests at the celebrity chef luncheon to kick off the fourth annual Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Chef Scott Robertson Gives Presidential Feel to Luncheon

By Jim Powers

Chef Scott Robertson, who has cooked for Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, coordinated the preparation of the March 22 celebrity chef luncheon to kick off Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert.

Gilbert Chagoury, Designer of the Week, Fashion Week El Paseo, March 23, 2013

By Joan Page McKenna

The eighth year of Fashion Week El Paseo wrapped on a high note Saturday as designer of the week Gilbert Chagoury launched his “Shattered Innocence” collection to rousing cheers and standing ovations from the more than 1,000 people packing the Big White Tent.

Houghton Designer Katharine Polk Celebrates the Power of Feminine Seduction

By Mona de Crinis

Inspired by London street art and American fashion icons like Katharine Hepburn and Bianca Jagger, designer Katharine Polk’s spring collection for Houghton New York wowed audiences Friday night with an intoxicating blend of hand-sewn embroidery, lavish lace, rich textures, and sexy, sheer confidence.

Fashionistas Get a Piece of ‘Project Runway’

By Ebony March

It’s one thing to take your style cues from the irreverent and urbane looks seen on television. It’s another thing entirely when the fashions that barrel down the runway are there to be touched, examined, and purchased. That’s the joy Project Runway trunk show attendees experienced on Thursday.

Sue Wong Gets Down to Details

Tiered layers, exquisite embroidery, and meticulous detailing dominated the dresses that veteran L.A. designer Sue Wong sent down the runway Thursday night at Fashion Week El Paseo.

Wild, Sexy Fun ‘Project Runway’ Rocks Fashion Week

By Mona de Crinis

The cocktail-primed crowd streamed into the Big White Tent on Wednesday night anticipating an explosion of dramatic design, and the stars of Project Runway delivered.

Michael Costello — Project Runway

By Mona de Crinis

The last designer of the night was local favorite Michael Costello, who was greeted with loud cheers and whistles, as he thanked everyone associated with Fashion Week El Paseo via a video clip. He talked about the crazy lives he and others in his creative field lead — the drama and the design.

Mondo Guerra — Project Runway

By Mona de Crinis

Mondo Guerra went all out on Project Runway night at Fashion Week El Paseo, introducing his “Haute Dog” spring line, featuring a bold, bright mix of prints, patterns, and colors reminiscent of a day at the beach.

Anthony Ryan — Project Runway

Ryan, a cancer survivor who appeared in the ninth season of Project Runway, was the winner of season two of Project Runway All Stars. He also studied in Paris with Jean-Paul Gaultier and other top designers.

Gordana Gehlhausen — Project Runway

Gordana Gehlhausen’s Goga line offered a striking feminine look for spring during Project Runway night at Fashion Week El Paseo on Wednesday.

Bert Keeter — Project Runway

Bert Keeter has made his mark with minimalism — simple, modern designs that are sophisticated and timeless.

Elena Slivnyak — Project Runway

San Francisco-based designer Elena Slivnyak, a Project Runway season 10 contestant who has since been designing costumes for musicians, brought her ready-to-wear collection, IIMUAHII R2WEAR, to the Fashion Week El Paseo runway on Wednesday.

Fabio Costa — Project Runway

Fabio Costa, the Brazilian native who was runner up in season 10 of Project Runway, brought a different vibe to Fashion Week El Paseo, showcasing his self-described circus-inspired collection of off-sized clothing and unusual proportions.

Joshua McKinley — Project Runway

The crowd in the big white tent at Fashion Week El Paseo went wild when gorgeous male models burst onto the runway wearing Joshua McKinley’s colorful board shorts, hoodies, and shirts with wild prints.

Korto Momolu — Project Runway

Korto Momulo, who appeared in the fifth season of Project Runway, as well as on Project Runway All Stars, slowed the pace at Fashion Week El Paseo on Wednesday night.

April Johnston — Project Runway

By Mona de Crinis

April Johnston came to Fashion Week El Paseo on Wednesday night with a spring look that was pure black magic.

Seth Aaron — Project Runway

By Mona de Crinis

Seth Aaron was the first designer on the runway at Fashion Week El Paseo on Wednesday night. Aaron, winner of Project Runway season seven and head casting judge replacing Tim Gunn, rolled out out a largely black collection, which featured lots of leather and was punctuated with brightly colored headwear

Viktor Luna — Project Runway

By Mona de Crinis

New York-based designer Viktor Luna introduced his Project Runway segment Wednesday night with an A-frame red-and-white dress with a full skirt that popped into view against the simple white background.

Sunnylands Chic, Fashion Week El Paseo™, March 19, 2013

by Joan Page McKenna

The new creations will be photographed for the Sunnylands Center & Gardens’ archives before returning to the designers; the photographs will be available for public viewing through the center’s library.

'Project Runway': What the TV Cameras Don't Show

By Jim Powers

Drama and creative spark always surrounds the arrival of Project Runway designers, who make their third straight appearance March 20-21 at Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Desert.

Fresh Looks from El Paseo Rule the Runway at Fashion Week — Tuesday, March 19

More than 15 El Paseo retailers who sent their best spring looks up the runway on Tuesday night drove home the point in front of a well-dressed audience exceeding 800 at the big white tent at Larkspur Lane and El Paseo in Palm Desert.

Emerging Designers Show Their Colors at Style & Beauty Bash

By Ebony March

Two young designers earned time on the Fashion Week El Paseo™ Runway during the Style & Beauty Bash event on Sunday.

Style & Beauty Bash, Fashion Week El Paseo™ March 17, 2013

Ebony March

Wide-eyed fashion enthusiasts came in full force to Sunday’s Style & Beauty Bash to have stylists, aestheticians, and cosmetologists apply transformative makeovers for a donation of $30, with proceeds going to charities throughout the desert.

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Fashion Week El Paseo March 18, 2013

By Steven Biller

Celebrate the work of more than three decades of designers who have appeared in Debut, the college’s annual homage to its graduating fashion talent. Their work includes day and evening fashions, as well as a special collection of fashion jewelry.

Victor Tung, Fashion Week El Paseo March 17, 2013

By Steven Biller

A San Francisco artist and couture designer, presents his women’s collection of one-of-a-kind “wearable art” that he creates from his own fabrics.

Fashion Week El Paseo Goes Furry and Festive

By Mona de Crinis

Fashion Week El Paseo, March 16, 2013. Le Chien Couture Fashion Show Delights Dog Lovers and Raises Much-Needed Funds for Humane Society of the Desert

The Best of Saks Fifth Avenue - Fashion Week El Paseo, March 15, 2013

Saks Fifth Avenue kicked off a week of runway shows with the finest women and men’s designer clothes from its spring 2013 collections.

Art Talk — Two for the Show

By J. Everette Perry

Art Basel Miami Beach assembles 200 of the world’s best art galleries in South Beach every December and sets the stage for more than 25 other fairs that welcome many other galleries specializing in everything from blue-chip to emerging artists, as well as photography, prints and multiples, and site-specific installations.

Take an Elegant Adventure

By Mona de Crinis

The luxury travel/tour company PS-Uncommon Journeys offers vacation packages and door-to-door service for customers who have the time and means to leisurely travel.

March 2013 Horoscope

By Sherryl Nova

Do you know the time you were born? Unless it was between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m., the sign that best describes you is your rising sign, not your sun sign.

Women With Vision

By Rita Strombeck

The mention of Palm Springs usually conjures up images of Hollywood movie stars, a playground for the rich and famous, or the golf capital of the world -— certainly not a hub of women’s entrepreneurship.

The Woman Leads

By Sheila Grattan

She led an all-women council that changed the financial destiny of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the California resort communities of Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.

Men on the Forefront

By Ann Greer

The expeditions passing through the desert in the mid- to late-1800s saw only arid, barren land. It took vision and grit to see the possibilities of this land. What follows are some of the pioneering men who laid the foundation for today’s Palm Springs.

Building a Future, Preserving a Past

By Ann Greer

As you drive through Palm Springs on streets named Ramon, Tachevah, Tahquitz, the legacy of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians appears omnipresent. And it should. Those names and many others go back generations, tracing to the Native American tribe that made Palm Springs and surrounding areas its home long before white settlers developed the city as a resort destination.

Psst! – The Best of the Coachella Valley and Beyond

By J. Everette Perry

Richard Hennessy Cognacs, Four-wheel Bikes, Oscar de la Renta Fashions for her, and jeweled dog collars for Rover.

Hot Property — Gucci’s Mountain Mansion

Jet-setting to the desert from Italy, British heiress Patricia Gucci heard about a one-bedroom casita with a 23-acre front yard in the hills above Palm Desert. She bought the Mountain Center property in 1993 and transformed it into an 11,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom/10-bathroom main house with guesthouses.

Morgan’s Tweaks the Wine Dinner

By Mona de Crinis

Morgan’s in the desert elaborates on the wine dinner concept with an “in the kitchen” interactive experience that begins with a tasting and blending session on the La Quinta restaurant’s torch-lit patio.

Off the Grid, On the Edge

By Caroline Ryder

In the High Desert, two prefab glass-and-steel “iT Houses” embrace the extreme elements and provide an outback brand of minimalist luxury

Holding Court in Indian Wells

By Mona de Crinis

Pumped up and ready to party, world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will play to defend her BNP Paribas Open title

Market Watch — Here Comes the Recovery

By Vic Cooper and Mike McDonald

Most observers wonder whether last year’s price gains will continue this year and into next. The forces of supply and demand, which drive the prices of all markets, appear more positive than ever for desert housing.

Cameo — Game On!

By Mary Barker

Jack Whitaker spent his youth in Philadelphia and saw most of the country — and parts of the world — during his career as a sportscaster with CBS and ABC.

Style — All-Occasion Glamour

By Lawrence Karol

The next time you enter Frasca Jewelers on El Paseo, prepare yourself for a rapid sequence of linked events — otherwise known as a domino effect. In quick succession, you will spot the innovative beauty of Italian designer Roberto DeMeglio’s Domino bracelets, slip one on your wrist, and quietly murmur, “I’ll take it.”

A Beauty, Captured

Modern design meets old-school style during one hot night in the California desert.